A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Pelosi threatens to reject funds for troop surge “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats yesterday said their party might deny funding for President Bush's expected call this week for a troop surge in Iraq if he doesn't meet their demands for detailed consultations and congressional debate on military strategy.” (READ MORE)
Immigration debate gets religious “A number of leading Christian conservative groups have formed a coalition on immigration and illegal aliens that will push religiously grounded positions that both sides of the current immigration debate will both love and hate.” (READ MORE)
News From the Front:
Bill Roggio reprints Bill Ardolino article On Patrol with the Gators “Last Wednesday I rode along on a mounted patrol with members of Bravo Company, Second Assault Amphibious Battalion, aka "Team Gator." As my recent predecessor Bill Roggio described their mission:” (READ MORE)
Michael J. Totten writes It's Like a Phish Concert for Terrorists “BEIRUT – While Hezbollah occupied the Beirut city center in an attempt to bring down the government, I teamed up with my American friend Noah Pollak, who works as assistant editor at Azure Magazine in Jerusalem, and took a trip to Hezbollah’s stronghold in South Lebanon. We wanted to survey the devastation from the July War and see if we could find civilians who had been used as human shields by the Party of God.” (READ MORE)
Steve Schippert writing at MilBlogs writes Achieving Victory In Iraq: An Independent Report “Rather than a withdrawal and handing over of the pursuit of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQAM) and the insurgency to the nascent Iraqi military, we call for a surge and a redefined mission of routing AQAM. Finding value in a regional initiative to support Iraq, we call for such but with the intent and open exclusion of Iran and Syria unless they reverse course, stop importing violence into Iraq and end their terrorist-supporting ways elsewhere. There is absolutely no value in smiling diplomats around a table fantasizing about how Iran and/or Syria are going to assist Iraq's security and stability until such time.” (READ MORE)
Badger 6 writes Surge “It seems appropriate, given the current news, to comment on the proposed ‘surge’ of troops into Iraq. I would like to report being on the ground gives one great insight into the situation across theatre. Obviously that is not true, one cannot be fully informed about every action in detail and one cannot be present in all places. The lowest ranking service member is the expert on the small piece of ground they occupy, or at least they should be; conversely the highest ranking person in theatre is the expert on what is going on across the theatre, with the same caveat, they should be.” (READ MORE)
Free our Fobbitts writes Islamism, not Islam “Working definition: We are fighting a fascistic ideology that uses Islam's history and an edited version of the Koran, not Islam itself. Yes, a valid point. See Pipes link below on British MP Goodman's comments to that effect. I replied that was correct, and pointed out a great tactical mistake we are making.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Michael Yon writes Walking the Line 2007 Part One “To enter Iraq with US forces, journalists normally travel through Kuwait. This time I flew from Singapore to Kuwait, where I toured military facilities critical to maintaining war-fighting equipment, then to Qatar to continue exploration of the same, and finally back to Kuwait to enter Iraq.” (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden writes Crossroads “We've arrived at a crossroads in history. The choices are simple. In a letter to President Bush Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate President Harry Reid said they want out of Iraq. It's over. The American people are sick of it. There is no reason and no will to keep fighting this.” (READ MORE)
Crazy Politico writes Vietnamization of Iraq “For those who don't remember the word ‘Vietnamization,’ it referred to the idea that the US was going to train more South Vietnamese troops, and once again become advisors in the war in Southeast Asia. It was a plan devised mostly by President Nixon, but because of public pressure, and congressional drumbeating to defund the war. (READ MORE)
Michael Barone writing at Townhall.com writes Storm approaching on the Hill “I think we're going to see a very loud and bitter clash, one that will contrast vividly with the graceful words of Pelosi and Boehner on opening day.” (READ MORE)
Carol Platt Liebau writing at Townhall.com writes Pelosi sells her gender short “To hear Pelosi tell it, one would think that her election as Speaker of the House marked the single greatest step for womankind since the vote was secured by the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.” (READ MORE)
Star Parker writing at Townhall.com writes Lesson in education from Oprah “What does a multibillionaire need to do to get some respect? Oprah Winfrey spends $40 million to open a school in South Africa for underprivileged girls and everyone is on her case.” (READ MORE)
Bryan of Hot Air writes Barney Frank accuses Bush of genocide “ethnic cleansing” Major Update “There’s no other way around it: When you accuse someone of perpetrating “ethnic cleansing” in any way, shape or form, you are accusing them of genocide. Genocide. Let that word work its way around your mind for a moment.” (READ MORE)
Hugh Hewitt writes Radical Islam: The Primer “Deputy Assistant to the President Peter Wehner has penned a primer on the basics concerning radical Islam. Not only should you read it, you should forward it to every family member, friend, and colleague who doesn't get the nature of the enemy we face.” (READ MORE)
Kim Priestap of Wizbang writes Democrats Threaten to Deny Funds for Iraq “Vietnam redux. And it didn't take very long, just a few days after the Democrats took control. ‘House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said newly empowered Democrats will not give President Bush a blank check to wage war in Iraq, hinting they could deny funding if he seeks additional troops.’” (READ MORE)
The Anchoress writes Sigh. This is getting dull. “On December 19, Eric Boehlert of Media Matters wrote this column in which he selectively quoted me (which is as good as a misquote) and mischaracterized this blog as a ‘warblog.’ While I detest intrablog pissing matches, I felt Boehlert’s mischaracterization of my words and their intended meaning merited a response.” (READ MORE)
Don Surber writes Eco snobbery “The elitism of the Global Warming Chicken Littles has bugged me almost as much as their high-pressure sales techniques (if we wait for proof, it will be too late). Al Gore note only inherited his daddy's Senate seat but his oil well as well. Oops, did I let out that little secret? Today, recovering Marxist Janet Daley writing in the London Daily Telegraph, nailed the snobbery behind the eco movement:” (READ MORE)
Paul Mirengoff of Power Line writes Are you better off now than you were four years ago? “Today's Washington Post reports that almost 25,000 Iraqi civilians and police officers were killed in 2006, with almost three quarters of the deaths occurring in the second half of the year. But here's something you're unlikely to read about in the Post -- Iraq is making substantial economic strides.” (READ MORE)
John Hawkins writes McCain And The Surge: Conviction Or A Calculated Move Against The Grain? “If you're taking a ‘courageous political stand’ while obviously hoping that it benefits you politically, is it really a ‘courageous political stand?’ Hillary is famous for doing this. She really goes out of her way to let everyone know that she's ‘moving to the middle’ on some issue and then everybody falls all over themselves to talk about how she's trying to burnish her moderate credentials. That seems to be exactly what John McCain is doing by pushing the ‘surge’ in Iraq.” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed writes Muslim Taxi Showdown In Twin Cities “The showdown between Muslim taxi-drivers and their passengers gets more out-of-state attention this morning from the New York Sun's Youssef Ibrahim. The refusal of a large number of Islamic cabbies to transport passengers with alcohol in their luggage or service dogs for the blind and handicapped, and the local fatwa on which they rely for their position, has led to a showdown with the Metropolitan Airport Commission:” (READ MORE)
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