A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Bush protesters gather in Jakarta “Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Jakarta and hundreds of police erected a barbed-wire barricade around the presidential palace a day before President Bush visits Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country.” (READ MORE)
Rebuilding in Iraq tops 4,000 projects “When and if the smoke ever clears in Iraq, Pentagon officials say the world finally will see a minor miracle.” (READ MORE)
Marshals kept off plane at Reagan “A team of federal air marshals was prevented from protecting a recent flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport because a gate agent erroneously said they did not have the correct paperwork, say marshals familiar with the incident.” (READ MORE)
Bill on draft to resurface as calls for troops rise “The incoming Democratic chairman of the House Ways and Means panel says he will introduce a bill to reinstitute a military draft in order to provide the U.S. with more troops, while Sen. John McCain continued his call for increase of troop levels in Iraq.” (READ MORE)
Pentagon Review Sees Three Options in Iraq “Group has devised a plan that calls for cutting the U.S. combat presence in favor of a long-term expansion of the training and advisory efforts.” (READ MORE)
Amid Uproar Over War, Rangel Renews Call for Draft “The incoming Democratic chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee said yesterday that he will push to renew the military draft, as lawmakers in both parties sharpened their criticisms of the situation in Iraq and struggled for consensus and solutions.” (READ MORE)
Kissinger Foresees No Military Win in Iraq “Military victory is no longer possible in Iraq, former secretary of state Henry A. Kissinger told the British Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday.” (READ MORE)
News From the Front:
New Iraqi Commander Implements Change, Creates Safer Environment “What a difference one determined Iraqi can make. The Police Transition Team under Regimental Combat Team 5 introduced Ferris to their newest commander, and immediately the new leader began whipping the station into shape.” (READ MORE)
Iraqi Security Forces Targets Kidnapping, Torture Cell “Special Iraqi Army Forces, with Coalition advisers, conducted a raid today in Sadr City, Baghdad against an illegal armed group cell responsible for kidnapping, torturing and murdering Iraqi civilians and Soldiers.” (READ MORE)
Coalition Forces Conduct Air strikes Targeting Insurgents in Ramadi “Coalition Forces were engaged at several locations Sunday in southern Ramadi by a group of insurgents with small-arms fire. The insurgents took refuge in a nearby building and continued to engage Coalition Forces.” (READ MORE)
Marine Historian writes BATTLEFIELD REUNIONS AND WARRIOR DIPLOMATS “The ‘Wolverines’ of 1/24 are a reserve unit from Detroit, Michigan which has been ‘plus’d up’ with augments from the active forces as well as other reserve units, including a number of veterans from previous Iraq tours. Each day the Marines and sailors of 1/24 fill multiple roles; always warriors, but also ambassadors, teachers, and peacemakers as the mission requires. Their task is to counter the activities of insurgents and enhance overall security in the area. Enhanced security will, in turn, lead to improvements in the economy, local governance, education, and other factors.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Jeff Jacoby writing at Townhall.com writes Anti-Military Bigotry by the Bay “So what is the problem with JROTC? There isn't one. The problem is with the anti military bigotry of the school board majority.” (READ MORE)
Kevin McCullough writing at Townhall.com writes Why is Obama's Evil in Rick Warren's Pulpit? “Why would Warren marry the moral equivalency of his pulpit - a sacred place of honor in evangelical tradition - to the inhumane, sick, and sinister evil that Obama has worked for as a legislator? ” (READ MORE)
Caroline B. Glick writing at Townhall.com writes Israel's Delighted Leaders “To the delight of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, an international coalition has coalesced around Iran's nuclear weapons program.” (READ MORE)
Rich Tucker writing at Townhall.com writes Don't Carve the Conservative Tombstone Yet “The recent elections have already generated plenty of (incorrect) media reports about the death of conservatism. Jonathan Alter of Newsweek, for example, says 'the Conservative Era is over.'” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed writes Saudis Play Hardball With Blair “Tony Blair has been warned by the Saudis to force British investigators to drop a probe into a multimillion-pound slush fund or face the loss of diplomatic relations. The Saudi royal family has also threatened to stop all interagency intelligence cooperation on al-Qaeda and other counterterrorism efforts (via King Banaian):” (READ MORE)
Crazy Politico writes Fixing Iraq “Right now two groups, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group lead by James Baker and Lee Hamilton, and the Pentagon's Iraq Review Group are getting ready to turn in their homework on how to ‘fix’ the problems plaguing Iraq. Just like General Abizaid's testimony last week, it appears both groups are going to eschew the idea of a quick drawdown and withdrawl or ‘redeployment’ as a horrible idea for Iraq and the stability of the greater middle east.” (READ MORE)
Victor Davis Hanson writes The Fighting over the Fighting “It looks as if Americans have pushed the rock of Iraq almost to the crest, only to let go, like Sisyphus, terrified that it will roll back; we hope only that we will not be crushed in its descent. While giving up now would be disastrous, we will almost certainly not succeed unless we change our tactics.” (READ MORE)
Ian of Hot Air writes Video: Kerry on his troop remark: The “Republican attack machine” is out to get me! “John Kerry joined Chris Wallace on this Sunday’s edition of Fox News Sunday to discuss his troop remark and a potential White House run. Kerry immediately saw where the interview was going and tried to spin his way out of answering for his alleged faux pas and on to congratulating the Democrats for their “historic victory” earlier this month.” (READ MORE)
Hugh Hewitt writes The Gang of 14's Legacy: John McCain's Burden “Today, soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told the Federalist Society that if ‘Democrats want our cooperation, they'll give the president's judicial nominees an up-or-down vote.’ The AP account terms this a ‘veiled threat,’ even though there is no ‘veil’ in McConnell's statement.” (READ MORE)
The Online Chaplin writes Be Ready “I hate it when the mortars come in during the night. I think we all do. I have lived through four teething children, heard the kids knocking at the door and awaken to them hurling in the hallway, and been a resident manager at a college so I am accustomed to being awaken in the middle of the night. But, mortars and rockets coming in – there is no getting used to this. But, there is a lesson in everything.” (READ MORE)
Jay Tea writes Sergeants ain't Social Workers “With Congressman Rangel's latest excursion into silliness -- the reinstatement of the draft -- I find myself having to write a piece I never thought I would have to write. It seemed so simple and fundamental that it was one of those things that didn't need saying, but apparently there are people out there (see the comments on Kim's piece for some prime examples) who don't grasp some true fundamental facts about the military.” (READ MORE)
Jack Army writes Why Do Some Army Recruits Fail? “Cuz they don't have what it takes, right? I dunno. Some folks come in thinking things will be one way and find out it's another. Some think they can handle the stress only to find that they can't. Some can't overcome homesickness, micromanagement, yelling drill sergeants or some other perceived injustice to their sense of whats ‘right’ or what ‘should be.’ These guys, however, think that there's more to it than that:” (READ MORE)
Charlie Munn of OPFOR writes Draft Resolution “So the draft talk is back. Yawn. Our military’s strength is volunteerism, but manpower continues to be a serious issue –not just for the new recruits (who end up as the PFCs manning humvee turret guns, or the guys pulling maintenance on blackhawks at 0300), but also for salted soldiers who must be retained with ever-increasing reenlistment bonuses each year. The fact that there are still vast reserves of young women and men that are willing to do these dangerous and difficult jobs far from home and loved ones speaks volumes to the character of our country. By no means am I saying that everything is coming up roses, but neither are we dire straits.” (READ MORE)
Dan Riehl writes Suck It Up, Dammit “The Realpolitik crew is now out in full force, the latest being Kissinger claiming we can't win a military victory in Iraq. That from one of the high-minded individuals who gave us Vietnam. I wish these doddering old folks would retire from public view and realize the world has passed them by. We already won the military victory in Iraq when we defeated Saddam's army. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you Iraq isn't about a pure military victory. It requires a broad victory which is more political, than it is militaristic.” (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden writes The Last Man to Die for a Mistake “The talk of exit strategies for Iraq has me wondering. Who was the last man to die for what John Kerry called a mistake? Was it that American soldier whose name is the last name on the last panel of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C.?” (READ MORE)
ShrinkWrapped writes A Dirty Little Secret “I have written numerous posts delineating the thesis that the post-war baby boom generation suffers from a surfeit of narcissism that leaves them peculiarly unable to place the good of others (society) ahead of their own needs and desires. My generation was the first in history which grew up in the unique circumstances of material wealth, relative peace, and the overcoming of childhood mortality from infectious disease; the end result was that each child was raised in ways which relatively insulated them from the vicissitudes of life that man has always been prone to.” (READ MORE)
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