A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
(Ed Note: Yes this is the real 02/15/2007 Web Recon, sorry about the goof yesterday.)
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Bush certain Iranian unit tied to arms “President Bush yesterday said he knows an elite Iranian military unit is supplying arms to insurgents in Iraq, though he acknowledged he can't say if they were sent on the orders of Iran's top officials.” (READ MORE)
7,000 Iraqi refugees allowed to enter U.S. ‘The United States agreed yesterday to allow up to 7,000 Iraqi refugees to enter the country, greatly expanding the number allowed until now. It also agreed to pay more to help Iraq's Arab neighbors cope with the human tide fleeing increasing violence...” (READ MORE)
There's much huffing over puffing on Hill “Smoking has become the hot topic on Capitol Hill. Who is who isn't, and where the lawmakers puff -- closeted or not -- are among the whispers in the hallways and on the presidential campaign trail.” (READ MORE)
Giuliani to Seek Advice From FEC About Speaking Fees “Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has continued to make paid speeches at a standard fee of $100,000 since forming his presidential exploratory committee last November, mixing personal business with campaigning in a way many of his rivals in the race cannot.” (READ MORE)
Iranians Aid Iraq Militants, Bush Alleges “President Bush bluntly accused Iranian agents yesterday of providing sophisticated explosives to kill U.S. troops in Iraq but said he did not know whether they were acting on orders of the Islamic republic's leaders and denied using the allegations as a pretext to go to war with Tehran.” (READ MORE)
E.U. Report Faults 16 Nations in Probe Of Secret CIA Flights “The European Parliament on Wednesday approved a report admonishing 15 European countries and Turkey for helping the CIA transport terrorism suspects held in secret or for failing to cooperate in the parliament's investigation of the practice.” (READ MORE)
From the Front:
Bill Roggio: The NATO Winter Offensive in Afghanistan “NATO doesn't wait for the Taliban's spring offensive as the Taliban attempts to seize Heland province, launches Operation Kryptonite - NATO forces and the Taliban aren't waiting for the snows to melt in the mountain passes, and are battling it out in the southern province of Helmand. The Taliban openly assaulted the town of Musa Qala in late January, a region the British ceded over to the Taliban in November, and is said to be reinforcing battle positions by ‘digging trenches and laying mines.’” (READ MORE)
Michael J. Totten: Lebanon’s Non-existent Center Somehow Holds “Valentine’s Day isn’t a romantic occasion in Lebanon. It’s the anniversary of the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated February 14, 2005, with a 600 pound bomb in downtown Beirut. A large crater still exists in the middle of the street, which is blocked to traffic. Pedestrians are kept away by strips of yellow police tape. The St. George Hotel, which was refurbished after the civil war, stands ruined once more by the explosion.” (READ MORE)
Omar: Operation Baghdad Update. “After being technically in progress for about over a week, Operation Imposing the Law officially started yesterday. Al-Maliki who's been on a tour in the mid-southern region announced the beginning of the operation from Kerbala. This choice I think delivers two messages; first it looks that Maliki was trying to show that the plan is solid enough and could go on without his immediate supervision and presence in Baghdad and that the military commanders are operating without interference from politicians.” (READ MORE)
GWOTdotUS: Badgers down “I must add that I would hope that you not adopt any thoughts of, This is sad beyond words, we really need to pull our guys out of that hell. To think that way would be a disservice to these fallen Joes. These guys believed in the mission that they were accomplishing; troops in Iraq, more than ever, need support from their fellow Americans back home.” (READ MORE)
Andrew Olmsted: Fish or Cut Bait “I've talked about why the Democratic Party has a bad reputation among the troops before. Sadly, it appears that they're planning on reinforcing, rather than overcoming, that image. It appears that, since they cannot get the votes for a resolution to end the Iraq war (although they have managed to burn two weeks on a nonbinding resolution), the Democrats are going to try to end the war via the back door.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Jules Crittenden: You Want It You Got It “Here’s one of my ancestral countrywomen, Janet Albrechtsen, who draws on a couple of sources, putting very well what myself and others, notably P.J. O’Rourke, have been saying for years. The real reason they hate us is because our … I mean, we’re … bigger than they are. It’s all bigger, and that’s what they just can’t stand. Our cars. Our houses. Our parking lots. Our supermarkets. Our highways. Our crap and our beauty. Bigger” (READ MORE)
Cliff May: Munich memories: Has anything been learned over the past 69 years? “In 1972, Munich again was linked to appeasement: Palestinian terrorists massacred 11 Israeli Olympic athletes. The group responsible was guided by Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat.” (READ MORE)
Debra J. Saunders: Who makes the tough decisions? “Politicians say they support the troops, then they undercut the efforts of Gen. David Petraeus, the new military commander in Iraq, to assemble the soldiers he believes he needs to win.” (READ MORE)
William Rusher: What's Bin Laden up to? “It's been more than five years since Sept. 11, and it's fair to ask why the United States has thus far been spared so much as a single further unpleasantness.” (READ MORE)
Thomas Sowell: Global Hot Air: Part III “If you take the mainstream media seriously, you might think that every important scientist believes that "global warming" poses a great threat, and that we need to make drastic changes in the way we live, in order to avoid catastrophes to the environment, to various species, and to ourselves.” (READ MORE)
Ann Coulter: Jonathan Livingston Obama “I've caught Obama fever! Obamamania, Obamarama, Obama, Obama, Obama. (I just pray to God this is clean, renewable electricity I'm feeling.) Only white guilt could explain the insanely hyperbolic descriptions of Obama's "eloquence." His speeches are a run-on string of embarrassing, sophomoric Hallmark bromides.” (READ MORE)
Crazy Politico: But Think Of the Children! (again) “I'm so sick of the "but think of the children" mantra that has become the standard for pretty much anyone who wants anything to either be funded, or not passed by legislative bodies. Today's example of using the children to defend criminals comes from the Woodbridge Workers Committee, in Woodbridge, Va.” (READ MORE)
Ian: Video: NBC’s Gregory to Bush: “Critics” say you are making up evidence to invade Iran “’A lot of critics say that you are using the same quality of intelligence about Iran that you used to make the case for war in Iraq . . . and that you are doing that to make a case for war against Iran. Is that the case?’ ‘Critics’ is a euphemism for ‘in my opinion.’ For example, critics think David Gregory is a liberal.” (READ MORE)
Hugh Hewitt: From An Active Duty Officer Who Listened To Congressman Cole “To paraphrase Frank Luntz in his most recent book: It isn't what you say that counts, it is what people hear. An e-mail from an active duty Air Force officer: ‘Dear Hugh, I tuned in today in the middle of your interview with Congressman Cole, not sure of who he was and trying to determine it by his responses. My first thought, I'm sorry to say, was ‘He sounds like Harry Reid after going to Toastmasters.’” (READ MORE)
Jay Tea: Acute myopia “There have been quite a few revelations about Iran's role in the Iraq fighting of late. Explosive devices specifically designed to defeat US defenses have been uncovered -- but not before well over a hundred Americans were killed. 100 Austrian-made, Iranian-bought sniper rifles (out of a batch of 800) have been captured. And Iranian special forces soldiers have been captured in Iraq. So, what is the anti-war movement's response to these concerns?” (READ MORE)
GayPatriotWest: My Problem with John McCain “As John McCain moves to smooth the ruffled feathers of social conservatives considered about his past attitudes toward them and about his stance on a number of issues, my doubts about the presidential bid of the Arizona Republican continue to grow. I’m always troubled when a candidate goes out of his way to appease social conservatives — as McCain appears to be doing.” (READ MORE)
The Sundries Shack: Keith Ellison, Whiny Baby “Two things to note. First, Ellison wasn’t randomly assigned to that office. He’s there because he chose to be there. I would have thought that someone smart enough to be a US Representative (and an MSM-appointed Super Muslim!) would have done a little research about his neighbors.” (READ MORE)
TigerHawk: The most idiotic sentence ever to appear in a New York Times editorial “Admittedly, that sounds like the title of a goofy blog contest. If there were such a contest, surely the first sentence in today's lead editorial would be a candidate: 'Before things get any more out of hand, President Bush needs to make his intentions toward Iran clear.'” (READ MORE)
A.M. Mora y Leon: GWI: Coverning While Intoxicated “Speaking before an annual conference on international security in Munich recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin said this of the concept of ‘unilateralism’ in an attempt to complain about the allegedly hegemonic position of the U.S. in the world today:” (READ MORE)
Baron Bodissey: Are Swedes Idiots “I wrote last December about the gas pipeline which Russia is building along the floor of the Baltic Sea to Germany, bypassing the former Soviet Bloc countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It is designed to give the Russians a way to put the squeeze on their recalcitrant neighbors in the ‘near abroad,’ all the while keeping their good friends in Germany and Western Europe fat and happy on cheap Russian gas.” (READ MORE)
Don Surber: Troops hate even a watered down resolution “They say first sergeants don’t walk on water; they just know where the rocks are. First Sergeant Louis Barnum touched each rock in reaction to an ABC News question about the watered-down Democratic resolution:” (READ MORE)
Right Wing Nut House: Rudy's 9/11 Dilemma “Most Americans are familiar with the heroic narrative involving New York city mayor Rudy Guiliani and his actions on 9/11. As the horror unfolded on that tragic day, Rudy was everywhere; walking the streets covered in dust and ash from the fallen towers, before the cameras trying to both assure the citizens of New York while hammering home the fact that casualties from the attack would be ‘more than we can bear.’” (READ MORE)
Right Wing Nut House: Profiles in Immoral Cowardice “As House Democrats prepare to open debate on the Iraq war resolution, we have further evidence that when it comes to having the courage of their convictions, the House Democratic leadership has feet of clay:” (READ MORE)
ShrinkWrapped: Know Your Enemy: Ayman al-Zawahiri “al Qaeda's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is back in the news, issuing various threats, blasting Bush, and making calls for Muslim unity against the infidel. I recently spent some time putting together a Psychoanalytic look at Zawahiri, using open source material, which may offer some illumination into the mind of a brilliant, psychopathic savage.” (READ MORE)
Bryan Pick: Serious about climate change? “Climate change has become a hot topic lately, but since I've been swamped with work lately, I haven't had much time to weigh in. I also haven't been able to read for leisure besides a few blog posts per day, and when I don't have time to read around about a particular subject, I usually leave it to others.” (READ MORE)
Sgt Hook: Baghdad Tide “While the debate continues in D.C., your Soldiers and Marines are tightening up their bootstraps while cinching down their chinstraps and taking to the streets of Baghdad. The ‘surge’ is underway, but don’t be fooled by the terminology, this is a tactical maneuver aimed at turning the tide in Baghdad, permanently, and not a tidal wave flooding the streets initially, and then washing away.” (READ MORE)
MaryAnn: Hope “From an Airman in Afghanistan. - Why? Why is it that some lose hope and take drastic actions to end their lives? I can never understand how we can get so down in despair to lose hope. It is difficult to comprehend. I know that depression has a chemical component and can be treated with chemicals, however, it is often the emotional scars that can be the hardest and slowest to heal.” (READ MORE)
Confederate Yankee: Copperheads Decide on How to Define Screw 'Em “Lacking the moral courage to simply vote against the war in Iraq, House Democrats are instead working with anti-war groups--no doubt including the collection of Islamists and Marxists profiled here--to impose limitations that would reduce the number of U.S troops available for duty, putting American soldiers at risk as they plot their strategy for defeat:” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed: The Evolving Clinton Position On Military Force “Eli Lake makes an important point in today's New York Sun about Hillary Clinton's zeal to restrict the military options of President Bush against Iran. When Hillary pronounced that Bush would have to come to Congress before launching any sort of attack against another country, specifically Iran, she seems to have forgotten the precedent set by her own husband eight years ago, and defended by her in October 2002:” (READ MORE)
Stop the ACLU: Democrats Bleed Life from Iraq “Democrats have gotten creative with their latest strategy for Iraq. While the entire world knew their options were to cut ‘n run, defund it, or allow it but vote against it, no one quite saw a combo coming. They might as well have sent a Valentine care package to every troop overseas in a big red box with lots of pretty decorations adorning the outside, but when the soldiers open it, inside they find a big, plump leech.” (READ MORE)
The Belmont Club: Whodunnit? “A car bomb destroyed a bus carrying 11 Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Although Iranian authorities blamed it on ‘drug traffickers,’ Bill Roggio is skeptical of coincidences. The Associated Press reports:” (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.
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