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 Derides Iraq War Measure “In his most combative comments yet, President Bush mocked Democratic lawmakers yesterday for including a deadline for troop withdrawals and ‘pork’ projects in an Iraq spending bill, declaring that ‘the American people will know who to hold responsible’ if funding for the war stalls.” (READ MORE)
A 'Law & Order' Presidential Candidate? “‘Law & Order’ star and former U.S. senator Fred Dalton Thompson is considering a bid for the White House that would test whether Hollywood can once again launch a Republican to the world's premier political stage.” (READ MORE)
Gunmen Go On Rampage In Iraqi City “A day after twin truck bombings laid waste to predominantly Shiite neighborhoods in the northern Iraqi city of Tall Afar, marauding Shiite gunmen and police executed dozens of Sunnis in retaliatory attacks that many Iraqis feared might precipitate a resurgence of open sectarian warfare...” (READ MORE)
Guantanamo Detainee Described as Lost Soul Seeking 'a Way Out' “When Australian David Hicks arrived at this island prison as it opened in January 2002, the U.S. government painted him as one of the world's worst terrorists, someone who would do immeasurable harm and needed to face justice.” (READ MORE)
Bush mocks pork in war funding “President Bush yesterday ridiculed House and Senate lawmakers for pork-laden Iraq war funding bills that set 2008 deadlines for full U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, vowing to veto what he called ‘arbitrary’ limits on U.S. military commanders.” (READ MORE)
Earmark monitor's exit baffles, troubles GOP “The federal agency that tracked pork-barrel spending during the 12 years of the Republican congressional majority has discontinued the practice since Democrats took power, riling lawmakers...” (READ MORE)
Saudi king hits U.S. in Iraq “Saudi King Abdullah, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, yesterday slammed what he termed the ‘illegitimate foreign occupation’ of neighboring Iraq and called for an end to the ‘unjust’ U.S.-backed financial blockade of the Palestinian government.” (READ MORE)
Iran parades hostages on TV “Iranian state TV showed video yesterday of 15 British sailors and marines who were seized last week, including a female captive in a white tunic and a black head scarf who said the British boats had "trespassed" in Iranian waters.” (READ MORE)
When can clerks refuse to serve, citing religion? “Can a cashier or clerk wish a customer ‘Merry Christmas’? Must a pharmacist dispense birth control devices if his faith forbids it? Can a Muslim clerk refuse to touch a whisky or beer bottle, or a pork chop?” (READ MORE)
Nation's oldest female veteran dies "Charlotte Winters, the last surviving female American World War I veteran, died Tuesday at Boonsboro's Fahrney-Keedy senior residential home. She served in the war as a secretary at the Washington Navy Yard some 90 years ago." (READ MORE)
From the Front:
Michael Yon: RUBS 2 “Paradoxically, while reporting from Iraq becomes more difficult as the swamp gets deeper, more amenities are piling up on bases while more garbage piles up downtown. Swimming pools pocket larger bases such as Camp Victory, no doubt named on a morning when the sound of birds singing crowded out the crackle of bullets flying.” (READ MORE)
Michael Fumento: Short film of Zach Pentek, 1/506th, rated best Combat Video of 2006! “An interview from an observation post in Ramadi with Sgt. Zach Pentek by Ritterby has been voted the best Combat Video of 2006 by the military. Although I wrote two articles about my embeds with 1/506th of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), part of Task Force Currahee, Zach's platoon in A Co. will always have a special place in my heart because we were all together in the manic dash I dubbed ‘the Ramadi Run.’”(READ MORE)
Michael J. Totten: Meet Iran’s Armed Revolutionary Liberals “One of the roads leading out of the city of Suleimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan might as well be renamed Revolutionary Road. Two armed compounds inhabited by exiled revolutionary Iranian leftists were built less than a mile away from each other. My colleague Patrick Lasswell and I accidentally found ourselves in the armed camp of the military wing of the Communist faction of the Komalah Party when we intended to meet with the more moderate social democrats up the street.” (READ MORE)
Jack Army: My Coin “I did something today that I never thought I'd do. I gave my brigade commander my unit coin. The XO designed a coin and had them sent over, I bought four. One to keep, one to give to my Iraqi Army counterpart and two to give away to deserving Soldiers. The brigade commander came to the FOB today to take care of some business. Everything went well with that and afterward we had the troops form up so he could speak to them. He started by asking what rumors the Soldiers had heard and addressed a few of them. The questions trickled to a stop so I piped up with, 'Sir, we've been here for eight months. How is the brigade doing? How do you see things?'” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Ann Coulter: 'Sorry' doesn't seem to be the hardest word “When will Republicans learn to stop apologizing? The Bush administration is embroiled in the most ridiculous non-scandal scandal in human history -- set off when the administration stupidly apologized for firing its own employees.” (READ MORE)
Donald Lambro: Can Ensign turn the tide? “John Ensign, the new Senate Republican campaign chairman, knows the odds are against him in 2008 when at least five GOP seats are vulnerable, versus one or two for the Democrats.” (READ MORE)
Paul Greenberg: Attaway, Mr. President “Was that George W. Bush or the shade of Harry S Truman speaking immediately after the House of Representatives voted (218 to 212) to order American combat troops out of Iraq? They would have until September of next year to leave. The president's response: Hell, No!” (READ MORE)
Cliff May: A Dangerous Woman: Why Islamists want to kill Ayaan Hirsi Ali “Theo van Gogh was a modern Western man, a believer in reason, tolerance and multiculturalism. And so it is perhaps fitting that his last words were: ‘Can’t we talk about this’?” (READ MORE)
George Will: The 51st State? “Today's Democratic-controlled Congress wants to give D.C., by legislation, a full voting member in the House of Representatives. Having failed to achieve ratification of a constitutional amendment, sent to the states in 1978, which would have conferred statehood on D.C. (only 16 states ratified it, 22 short of the required number), Democrats now say an amendment is unnecessary, a statute will suffice to do essentially that.” (READ MORE)
Ken Blackwell: Equal rights under the Second Amendment “On March 9, a good thing happened for people living in the central and inner cities of America: the DC gun ban was declared unconstitutional.” (READ MORE)
Dana Joel Gattuso: Chilling Intolerance for Free Speech on Global Warming “‘When we've finally gotten serious about global warming, when the impacts are really hitting us and we're in a full worldwide scramble to minimize the damage, we should have war crimes trials for these bastards - some sort of climate Nuremberg.’ -David Roberts, Gristmill, Grist Magazine, September 19, 2006” (READ MORE)
William F. Buckley: John Edwards will give you Free Health “The word among professional Democrats is that John Edwards has set the stakes on the matter of health care, and no one who wants to be president can offer less than he is offering, which is -- of course -- guaranteed health. That is to say, guaranteed free health care.” (READ MORE)
Maggie Gallagher: Pandering to Child Pornographers “Hey, just what exactly is wrong with child pornography? It's not the sort of thing that most people feel they need to spend a lot of time thinking about, but thanks to the Supreme Court, now we do.” (READ MORE)
Arthur Herman: How to Win in Iraq “To the student of counterinsurgency warfare, the war in Iraq has reached a critical but dismally familiar stage. On the one hand, events in that country have taken a more hopeful direction in recent months. Operations in the city of Najaf in January presaged a more effective burden-sharing between American and Iraqi troops than in the past. The opening moves of the so-called surge in Baghdad, involving increased American patrols and the steady addition of more than 21,000 ground troops, have begun to sweep Shiite militias from the streets, while their leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, has gone to ground.” (READ MORE)
Kobayashi Maru: Being Smart About Iran “There's something about this picture of British Navy sailor Faye Turney that's both disturbing and reassuring at the same time. She's obviously under stress and duress (eyes closed as she thinks: get this freakin' head-scarf off me--positioned way back on her head). Yet the cigarette speaks volumes: a private Western attitude the mullahs' can neither understand nor touch. Then there's the pitiful immaturity of Iran's insisting that Britain admit to something it did not do.” (READ MORE)
Bryan Preston: (Video) President Bush knocks ‘em dead “Michelle and I were the guests of the Christian Broadcasting Network at the Radio and TV Correspondents Association Dinner in DC tonight. Highlights for me include meeting Bill O’Reilly and E. D. Hill (giving away where we spent the cocktail hour) and meeting US Army soldier Jacque Keeslar and his lovely wife Vanessa. And the prime rib, and just getting to enjoy the spectacle of it all.” (READ MORE)
Dean Barnett: Straight Talk Express Derailed? “In case you haven’t heard by now, The Hill has essentially buried John McCain’s campaign for the Republican nomination. It’s hard to see how the already floundering McCain can survive the revelation that not only did he consider switching to the Democratic caucus in 2001, his people approached the Democrats to begin conversations on the matter. By way of comparison, Lincoln Chafee and ultimate turncoat Jim Jeffords only began to mull treason after entreaties from the Democrats to do so. When you come out looking like a worse Republican than Lincoln Chafee and Jim Jeffords, it can’t be good.” (READ MORE)
Dafydd: Britannia No Longer Rules the Waves “On Friday, March 23rd, while British Royal Marines and sailors were inspecting a fishing boat for contraband in Iraqi waters, ‘a number of Iranian boats’ swarmed up and kidnapped the British military personnel. Iranians ‘interrogated’ the uniformed sailors and marines (violating the Geneva Conventions) and are currently holding them hostage. Iran has just released propaganda video of the hostages, in which they are coerced to confess and to praise their kidnappers (more violations of the Geneva Conventions).” (READ MORE)
Blackfive: Troop Reaction to the Democrats “Previously, I had asked for and received a lot of email from troops around the world (but mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan) about the Democrat resolutions for retreat...especially, in the face of the surge and a new Commanding General that the Democrats unanimously approved of...I haven't received one troop email that supports the Democrat position of cut and run.” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed: It's Safer To Hate Us “Germans, in a recent poll, believed that the US presented a greater threat to world peace than Iran. Forty-eight percent of Germans agreed with that statement, opposed by only 31%, and the number goes to 57% among younger Germans. In his essay in Der Spiegel, Claus Christian Malzahn skewers his countrymen for their reflexive and ignorant anti-Americanism:” (READ MORE)
TigerHawk: Iran and the Geneva Convention “Four years ago, Slate's Jack Shafer -- and a host of others -- made a pretty good argument that putting prisoners of war on television violated the Geneva Conventions. The stories arose when Donald Rumsfeld complained that Iraq had violated the Conventions when it put American prisoners on state television for propaganda purposes, and half the world's NGOs used the moment to tag him back for Gitmo (where, among other things, the press had been allowed to photograph the prisoners on parade).” (READ MORE)
Robert Mayer: The colossal failure of the UN Human Rights Council “Foreign Policy's Passport blog has a post up about how the UN Human Rights Council has become a complete joke, a shadow of its supposed ideals. It writes about latest developments this week in Geneva: ‘In Geneva this week, any pretense of utility or fairness that clung to the United Nations Human Rights Council finally evaporated.’” (READ MORE)
Don Surber: Feinstein blazes trail for women “… and that trail could lead to prison. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein was forced to resign as chairwoman of the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee amid reports that her husband, Richard Blum, owned two major defense contractors, which were awarded billions of dollars for military construction projects approved by Feinstein.” (READ MORE)
Right Wing Nut House: Brits Yawn as Iran Declares War “The British hostage ‘crisis’ is proving to be a real eye opener both for London’s allies and any potential adversary. In fact, in some ways the British response to this outrageous and provocative act of war by Iran has been truly frightening – a sense that for a variety of reasons, the British people and their government are sleepwalking through history, living a dream that reality cannot intrude upon.” (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden: Saudi “King” Thinks “Illegal” US Occupation of Iraq Should End “… that’s funny, I was just thinking the same thing about the occupation of Arabia by a tribe of backward thugs from the desert whose descendants to this day make their women wear gunny sacks over their heads and give our money to terrorists in places like … Iraq. Same crowd that was more than happy to have us come in and keep Saddam at bay.” (READ MORE)
Scott Johnson: Covering (up) the home front in our back yard? “Reader Ray Van Dune writes from Seattle: ‘On Saturday March 24, National Public Radio, correspondent John McChesney, who was until recently embedded with the Minnesota National Guard in Iraq, told us about his 700-mile trip through Minnesota, interviewing families who have loved ones serving in Iraq: ‘Reporter's Notebook: A Delayed Homecoming.’” (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: Al Qaeda suicide attacks: cause and effect in Tal Afar “Suicide bombings may have caused a police backlash, however the reporting is still in question - Yesterday's dual suicide strikes in Shia markets in Tal Afar appears to have been a major success for al Qaeda. The largely Shia city, which has been a model of governance and security in Iraq, had at least 63 of its citizens murdered. Al Qaeda, which has claimed responsibility for the attack, has struck at Shia civilians in the past in order to stir up sectarian violence.” (READ MORE)
Reformed Chicks Blabbing: Pelosi, you're the one who is holding up funds... “And everyone knows it. What you want to do is unconstitutional, why in the world would anyone expect Bush to sign away his rights? That just nuts. What you are counting on is the stupidity of the public but I think it's pretty clear that you guys are going on vacation while you hold up funding for the troops. Some support!” (READ MORE)
Dan Riehl: Democrat Leadership Should Be Arrested And Tried For Treason “This is the final disgusting bit of news one needs to realize just how anti-American and ultimately treasonous is today's Democrat Party leadership. During a time of war their message to the troops is, we'll see ya when we see ya! What's the rush, right? They can spend the pork they packed into what was supposed to be a war funding bill at their convenience. Spring break checklist for Congress: A plane ticket back home, chocolate (or matzo) for the family and a war spending bill for the president.” (READ MORE)
Lightning: Will America Turn Its Back On Us? “Allow me to introduce you to Cathy Floyd. Mrs. Floyd is the mother of one of my childhood friends, and her family has been friends with mine for over 15 years. One of her sons is a graduate of the Citadel, that little trade school down in Charleston that tries to imitate VMI. Following his graduation, he commissioned into the Army as an infantry officer, and served a tour in Iraq with the Mississippi National Guard's 155 BCT.” (READ MORE)
John Hawkins: Democratic Corruption: Does Diane Feinstein Belong In A Cell Next To Duke Cunningham? “Diane Feinstein: Was she, ‘leaving grievously wounded veterans to rot while her family’ raked in the money? Some people seem to think so. From Metroactive, ‘SEN. Dianne Feinstein has resigned from the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee. As previously and extensively reviewed in these pages, Feinstein was chairperson and ranking member of MILCON for six years, during which time she had a conflict of interest due to her husband Richard C. Blum's ownership of two major defense contractors, who were awarded billions of dollars for military construction projects approved by Feinstein.’”(READ MORE)
Confederate Yankee: Send a Chickenhawk to War “Time and again, we've heard liberals call conservative bloggers ‘chickenhawks,’ and tell them that if they care so much about the Iraq War, they should go join it (interestingly enough, I do know of a single liberal blogger that has volunteered to go serve in the Afghan theater, the war they ostensibly support. I've never claimed liberals were smart, nor consistent). Now is the time that my liberal readers have a chance to put their money where their mouths are. If they care so much about conservatives going to Iraq, here's a chance to finance a trip.” (READ MORE)
Amy Proctor: Story of Valiant Soldier Missed by Media “Bottom Line Up Front: A soldier serving in Iraq injured by an IED re-enlisted for 3 more years of service from his hospital bed, but main stream media outlets continue ot focus on bogus stories painting soldiers in a negative light. If the main stream media were reporting this story, it would go something like this:” (READ MORE)
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