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 to spur NATO on in Afghan fight “President Bush will push for a stronger NATO commitment to fighting in Afghanistan during a summit in Latvia this week, before heading to Jordan to try to work through what the White House acknowledges is "a new phase" of sectarian violence in Iraq.” (READ MORE)
Iran vows to help Iraq with security “President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran would do whatever it could to help provide security to Iraq amid warnings the country was on the brink of civil war.” (READ MORE)
Cintas warned against firing immigrant force “Rep. Bennie Thompson (D. Miss.) has warned the nation's largest uniform supplier it faces criminal charges if it follows a White House proposal to recheck workers with mismatched Social Security numbers and fire those who cannot resolve the discrepancy in 60 days.” (READ MORE)
How the imams terrorized an airliner “Muslim religious leaders removed from a Minneapolis flight last week exhibited behavior associated with a security probe by terrorists and were not merely engaged in prayers, according to witnesses, police reports and aviation security officials.” (READ MORE)
Marines Pessimistic on Anbar “Report says U.S. cannot defeat insurgency or counter al-Qaeda's fast growth in western Iraq.” (READ MORE)
Bush to Press Maliki on Escalating Violence “President says he will press Iraqi prime minister for a plan to contain increasing sectarian violence, but refuses to characterize it as a civil war.” (READ MORE)
Hezbollah Said to Help Shiite Army in Iraq “Between 1,000 and 2,000 fighters from the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias have been trained by Hezbollah in Lebanon, a senior U.S. official said.” (READ MORE)
Bush Blames Al Qaeda for Rising Iraq Violence “The president refused to label the recent surge in killings in Iraq a civil war and had harsh words for Syria and Iran.” (READ MORE)
News From the Front:
Mohammed of Iraq the Model writes Rough days... “The past four days during which we were under siege were long and rough for Baghdadis. Anxiety and fear haunted us at our homes and a flow of horrible news made the prison feel even tighter…it was a material and psychological siege that will not be easy to forget. Thursday began differently for me, first thing in the morning I received very troubling news that one of our friends has been kidnapped.” (READ MORE)
Civilians, coalition forces partner in compassion in Iraq “KIRKUK, Iraq – Four years ago a compassionate Soldier and a six dollar beanie baby named “Courage” brought an unforgettable smile to 4-year-old Sarah’s face. Over a million beanie babies later, that Soldier’s commitment to the future of Iraq and American generosity continue to impact Iraq’s next generation – its children.” (READ MORE)
Three Terrorists Detained by Afghan, Coalition Forces “KABUL , Afghanistan — Afghan and Coalition forces detained three terrorists during an operation Tuesday morning near the village of Nazer Kala in Logar Province, approximately 22 kilometers south of Kabul.” (READ MORE)
Two Arrested In Funeral Procession “FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq - Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division stopped a vehicle north of Forward Operating Base Mahmudiyah Nov. 24, discovering that the driver and passenger were heavily armed. Soldiers found an Uzi submachine gun with a silencer in the vehicle, as well as a number of hand grenades, and multiple false identification papers.” (READ MORE)
Soldiers pull security, EOD keeps streets safe “CAMP LIBERTY — A group of Soldiers stand in line for lunch as they jokingly make fun of one another, like good friends do, until they get a call on the radio – ‘An improvised explosive device has been found.’
Before the voice in the radio can finish, the Soldiers take off in a sprint toward their humvees.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Dennis Prager writing at Townhall.com writes America, Not Keith Ellison, decides what book a congressman takes his oath on “Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran. He should not be allowed to do so.” (READ MORE)
William Rusher writing at Townhall.com writes A new policy on Iraq “Now that the elections are over and the Democrats have won, it is clear that America's policy in Iraq is going to undergo significant changes.” (READ MORE)
Thomas Sowell writing at Townhall.com writes Who really cares? “One of the most pervasive political visions of our time is the vision of liberals as compassionate and conservatives as less caring.” (READ MORE)
Rich Lowry writing at Townhall.com writes Bush adrift “Is President Bush still the nation's commander in chief? Yes, he continues to return the salute when boarding Marine One, but it's a role he sometimes seems on the verge of abdicating.” (READ MORE)
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. writing at Townhall.com writes The new groupthink “We are, as the saying goes, between Iraq and a hard place. Unfortunately, events this week seem likely to drive us inexorably closer to the hard place - one that is going to be a lot worse than what we have seen in Iraq so far.” (READ MORE)
Cliff May writing at Townhall.com writes Iraq Options “Iraq is a mess. We have come to that conclusion because virtually every day we see innocent Iraqis slaughtered by suicide-bombers. Of all the possible responses, the most perverse may be this: To propose that Americans pull out of Iraq, abandoning innocent Iraqis to the tender mercies of those dispatching the terrorists.” (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden writes What's In a Name “NBC has made the headlines it intended to make with its decision to start calling the conflict in Iraq a civil war. This is one of those media events that is essentially meaningless. Like pointing out that the war in Iraq has now lasted longer than World War II. Like making headlines out of the war dead in increments of 500.” (READ MORE)
Victor Davis Hanson writes Tough Idealism - Remembering that Iraq represents new foreign policy: “’Our own successful three-week war, but their failed three-year peace.’ Such a self-serving disclaimer might best sum up the change of heart of several neoconservative former supporters of the Iraq war — at least according to interviews that appear in the current issues of Vanity Fair and the New Yorker magazines.” (READ MORE)
Dean Barnett writing at Hugh Hewitt writes The Grounded Imams “In his brilliant new book, “America Alone,” Mark Steyn offers a brief but insightful commentary regarding the terms ‘Homophobia’ and ‘Islamophobia.’ Homophobia, Steyn argues, is a misnomer since there are few people who are actually afraid of homosexuality and homosexuals. Sure there’s a handful that actually are, but most people labeled homophobes (or those ‘correctly’ labeled homophobes, anyway) are people who dislike homosexuals because of bigotry. Islamophobia, on the other hand…” (READ MORE)
Kim Priestap writing at Wizbang writes The Nativity is not Welcome in the City of Chicago “For eleven years the city of Chicago has supported the Christkindlmarket Chicago, a traditional German American market and festival that lasts 4 weeks long and offers shopping, music, traditional German American food and drink, and entertainment. It's a free family friendly celebration of the Christmas season that hosts over one million people and is home to the Chicago Christmas Tree. It's so popular that a variety of groups and companies are eager to sponsor it every year. Here's the sponsorship list as it looked until just recently:” (READ MORE)
Uncle Jimbo writing at Blackfive writes Realists v. Neocons “I wish things had gone much better in Iraq, but they haven't. Even having seen some of the worst parts of the crappiest planet I have ever lived on first hand, I still believe that there is a basic instinct to prefer freedom to oppression. But there is a beaten dog aspect to the people in Iraq, and they have been unable to rise to the opportunity we have offered them. Oh they have a democracy, just like the Palestinians, but it has done them little good. There were opponents of invading Iraq who claimed Arab Muslims were incapable of democratic government, and there is little if any evidence to disprove this. I think the truth is that Islam makes it very difficult to have democracy when god has a veto over any earthly pronouncements.” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed writes Hardly Innocent “We have experienced the birth of a new phrase in victimology -- flying while Muslim. The six imams kicked off of a US Air flight here in Minneapolis have gone on tour with this phrase at the ready, doing a "pray-in" at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington DC yesterday. However, details from the airline and its other passengers point towards a much different conclusion, one that understandably worried all involved:” (READ MORE)
Greyhawk writes Porn Squad Commandos “Najaf, Iraq - April, 2003: In the giddy spirit of the day, nothing could quite top the wish list bellowed out by one man in the throng of people greeting American troops from the 101st Airborne Division who marched into town today.” (READ MORE)
Cassandra writing at Right Wing News writes The Shadow Warriors “Driving home from the mountains of Virginia this weekend I saw a strange sight; an echo of far off days long forgotten now. I almost couldn't believe my eyes. But still there it was on an ancient blue pickup truck traveling about 55 mph in the lane next to us: taking up a goodly part of the rear window and oddly enough, unlike the vehicle it was attached to, in pristine condition. It was an American flag decal, and underneath it in big bold letters were the proud words, UNITED WE STAND.” (READ MORE)
Andi of Andi’s World writes Death by "A Thousand Cuts" “Virtually everywhere we turn these days, the message seems to be the same - Iraq is a hopeless cause. Although I view news reports with skepticism, and attempt to filter out the spin (and lies) from those who would prefer an American loss, I have to admit that I too have been a bit discouraged with the events of the past few weeks. I've heard soldiers say that they feel like they're fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. Some say, ‘off the record, there's no question that we need more troops.’ Some say, ‘we've done our job, a political solution will have to carry the day.’ Seems there is no monolithic view, no consensus even among the people who are involved in planning and carrying out operations. All this talk, coupled with the facts, has left me dizzy.” (READ MORE)
Lightning writing at OPFOR writes Women in Combat Arms? “In the 1990’s, a frequent topic of discussion was the inclusion of women in the combat arms branches of the military. Proponents of integration argued that women could not rise to the highest posts without experience in combat arms (true), and this would inevitably further the masculine-bias of the U.S. military. The argument reached a crescendo during the Clinton presidency, and seemed to taper a bit with the start of the Bush administration. I had hoped that the issue had finally been put to bed after the start of hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, thinking that its proponents would see the physical demands of combat in Tora Bora or Fallujah, and give up their misguided quest to prove that women can perform as well as men in such strenuous environments.” (READ MORE)
Have an interesting post or know of a "must read?" Then send a trackback here and let us all know about it. Or you can send me an email with a link to the post and I'll update the Recon.
No comments:
Post a Comment