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 Told War Is Harming The GOP - House Republican moderates, in a remarkably blunt White House meeting, warned President Bush this week that his pursuit of the war in Iraq is risking the future of the Republican Party and that he cannot count on GOP support for many more months. (READ MORE)
Bush Changes Continuity Plan - President Bush issued a formal national security directive yesterday ordering agencies to prepare contingency plans for a surprise, "decapitating" attack on the federal government, and assigned responsibility for coordinating such plans to the White House. (READ MORE)
Reid Forces New Senate Debate on Immigration - With bipartisan talks on immigration near a standstill, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) moved yesterday to bring last year's broad overhaul of immigration laws back to the floor of the Senate next week, appealing to President Bush to save what could be his last hope for a major second-term domestic achievement. (READ MORE)
Va. Tells NYC to Stop Gun Stings - Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell is warning New York to stop, by the summer, sending private agents into Virginia to look for illegal gun sales, saying that the agents could face legal action. (READ MORE)
War debate cited as aiding al Qaeda - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday told Congress that al Qaeda will establish a stronghold in Iraq's Anbar province if U.S. troops pull out prematurely and that the group is reacting to the war debate in Washington by stepping up attacks. (READ MORE)
U.S. forces fight for Iraqis' hearts, minds - U.S. forces in the Iraqi capital are "fighting a two-front war, block by block," says Command Sgt. Maj. Alan Bjerke of the battle for Baghdad, where his soldiers face daily bomb and gunfire attacks along the city's sectarian fault lines. (READ MORE)
Climate study holds up spy bill - UPDATE: House Democrats will allow Republicans to try and strip a global-warming study from a bill setting intelligence policy, a key panel decided last night, hours after top retired military officials lauded Democratic efforts to link climate change with national security (READ MORE)
From the Front:
Badger 6: Hero Flight “It's 0130, the moonlight low, the heat still turned on high, over 100 Soldiers are huddled in small groups outside the morgue, talking in hushed tones, waiting. We are waiting for the ‘Hero Flight;’ this is the flight that will begin the final journey home for two task force warriors fallen in battle. They had been killed a little more than 24 hours previously and we just received word the families have been notified. The flight has already been postponed twice, but we know it must happen before sunrise. I approach their Company Commander, a good friend of mind, even having been in his postion before I don't know what to say.” (READ MORE)
Duke in Iraq: Moments that Matter “I have witnessed a couple of spontaneous events recently that have really moved me and I wanted to share them. The first event that I want to describe occurred last night before we started watching Spiderman 3 at the base theater. Before each picture that is shown a giant ‘Please Rise’ comes up on the screen. Everyone in the theater dutifully rise for the National Anthem. The military is a pretty patriotic group and so the National Anthem plays as we all stand at attention as this is the standard. I have noticed at ballparks and other venues where the National Anthem is played, that often hats are not removed; many people will continue to talk through the song, but not here.” (READ MORE)
SGT DUB: 10 May 2007 “The week is almost over, yeah. Today was more of just plain running around, doing odds and ends, mainly because with all the new people in the office, some additional training going on in there too, there just isn't anywhere for me to sit and do my work. The new OPS Sergeant Major has been here for a week and has been picking my brain for some construction and demolition projects in the office and it's been decided we would start tonight around 2100 hrs. It will be a late night for me, but I've told the office I didn't plan on being around in the office much for the weekend as I prepare office equipment and my room for going home.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Victor Davis Hanson: Your war, not mine! “‘This war is lost,’ Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid recently proclaimed. That pessimism about Iraq is now widely shared by his Democratic colleagues. But many of these converted doves aren't being quite honest about why they've radically changed their views of the war.” (READ MORE)
Matt Towery: Florida, Dean And The DNC “Now that our long-predicted early date for the Florida presidential primary has materialized, the question becomes whether Howard Dean will take the bait.” (READ MORE)
William Rusher: Sign here, or else “America's labor unions have never enjoyed having to ask a company's employees whether they want to be represented by a union. At present, workers are entitled to vote on this question by secret ballot. This is only fair, since not all unions, by a long shot, are dedicated to the best interests of the workers they want to represent.” (READ MORE)
Cal Thomas: Dodging bullets at Fort Dix “The United States dodged another bullet - several in fact - when authorities foiled an alleged terrorist attack on the Fort Dix Army base in New Jersey.” (READ MORE)
Thomas Sowell: Bookstore Ghettoes “If Rachael Ray had been black, there are bookstores where her cookbook would not be displayed in the same section with all the other cookbooks.” (READ MORE)
Emmett Tyrrell: The Rev. Zawahiri and the Democrats “Did you see that over the weekend Al Qaeda's second-in-command, the Rev. Ayman Zawahiri, appeared in an online 67-minute video and declared that the Democrats' bill calling for a troop withdrawal from Iraq is proof that the United States has already lost the war in Iraq?” (READ MORE)
Fred Thompson: A Toast to Monsieur Sarkozy “Oh, to be sure, the French media hates us, but there are a lot of people who say ours does too. Regardless, Sarkozy's victory has sent shock waves through the world's media centers.” (READ MORE)
Hugh Hewitt: The Next Debate “Tuesday night will be another significant conversation with the republican electorate, this time moderated by one of journalism’s serious people.” (READ MORE)
Lawrence Kudlow: Dooming Themselves to Defeat “The Democratic party may be convincing itself that it’s riding high in the polls toward a White House victory in next year’s election. But you know what? On two key themes -- taxes and national security -- the Democrats may be dooming themselves to defeat.” (READ MORE)
Roger Schlesinger: What did they say? “It hasn't happened yet but one of these days I expect to hear that one of the big three auto makers came out with an ad that says you won't have to pay gas for the life of the car.” (READ MORE)
Tom DeLay: GOP infighting lost the West “The loss of a few seats on the other side of the Mississippi River during the 2006 election cycle wasn't much of a trend in itself; it was simply the Western part of an electoral thumpin'.” (READ MORE)
WSJ Review & Outlook: Britain After Blair “Today, Tony Blair is expected to announce he will step down as Prime Minister on July 1. After more than 10 years at 10 Downing Street, he will leave behind a Britain that has bolstered its standing in Europe, solidified its role as one of America's closest allies and built London into a global financial hub. His Labour successor will be hard-pressed to do as well.” (READ MORE)
Daniel Henninger: After the Bush Muddle “When Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were hauling their ambition around the country a month or so ago--the primaries a year off and the general election nearly two years--their march to the horizon looked to me like a parody of serious politics. I was wrong. It's too short.” (READ MORE)
Andrew Stark: The Blame Game Revisited “When Don Imus got caught out using offensive language on his radio show last month, he issued an apology, actually employing the word ‘sorry’ in his official statement (not to mention ‘thoughtless and stupid’). Soon after, he was fired. He might have been better off attempting one of those ‘non-apology apologies’ that are a ubiquitous part of our culture, not least in the realm of business.” (READ MORE)
Peter Hoekstra: Environmental 'Intelligence'? “Here we go again. The 2008 intelligence authorization bill, which the House may vote on this week, diverts CIA and other intelligence resources away from critical terrorism-related missions to study global climate change. If it becomes law, the legislation will force agencies to complete a National Intelligence Estimate with a 30-year assessment on the effects of environmental change within nine months.” (READ MORE) ‘reg req’
A Soldier's Mind: Case Managers Easing The Burden Of The “Medical Maze” “With the military medical system receiving so many headlines in the media lately, it’s great to see that the Army is hard at work to fix these problems and to ensure that our wounded warriors receive the best medical care that is available to them and that transitioning through the system is as easy as possible. The Army is actively taking steps to fix the problems and the addition of more case managers, is easing that burden on the wounded warriors, making it possible for them to concentrate on what they should be…. recovering from their injuries.” (READ MORE)
American Soldier: Heavy Hands... “The wounds revealed and the stories that go along with it. The many reasons behind our flag are vast. For most the comprehension of what is given in order to preserve freedom is unimaginable. The loss of life. The failed marriages. The absolute horror to see your friend choke on his own blood. The sound that never leaves when he begs to just not die. You sit there and hold his hand and help him die slowly, you are helpless. Those final moments that will never escape you.” (READ MORE)
Army Wife: SpouseBuzz Live 2 San Diego!! “I am really getting anxious for the SpouseBuzz LIVE 2 Event in San Diego. I am seriously fired up, after attending the Milblogging Conference, and I am ready to do it again. I think you will be amazed at what a powerful experience it can be to share with one another in a group where we all have some common ground. I think you will walk away amazed, and inspired and empowered.” (READ MORE)
Atlas Shrugs: Ridding the World of Dhimmuh Carter “There is no accountability in this country. No honest assessment and reflection. This is our problem. There is no accountability and no punishment. In Jimmy Carter you had a President that singlehandedly destroyed the delicate balance of power in the Middle East when he threw the Shah out with both hands. PUSHED HIM OUT - our guy, our man who aligned himself completely with the US. At the time the Shah said ‘I did everything they wanted.’ Carter wouldn't even protect him. It was Kissinger that saved the Shah and got him out of the Bahamas.” (READ MORE)
The Belmont Club: One Man's Meat, Another Man's Poison “I don't agree with all the ideas presented here, but is this hate speech? And is Gary Cooper advocating a hate crime against the Earth? Is he a Climate Criminal? Generally speaking. Click more to listen. One of the most fascinating aspects of this speech is that it forces a rediscovery of some of the unstated assumptions that govern our lives. A moderately well educated man would immediately think: well, whoever wrote this speech had never heard of ‘intergenerational borrowing’ -- that claim which the future has upon us.” (READ MORE)
Dafydd: We Found the "Moslem Methodists!" “The day after the debut of Big Lizards, we published a post titled ‘Where Are All the Moslem Methodists?’; we weren't actually seeking some bizarre Christian-Moslem hybrid -- we sought an Islamist alternative to militancy... something like the Quietism school of Shiism, historically associated with the scholars of Najaf, in Iraq. Quietist ayatollahs, such as Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, stand in stark contrast to the radical Shia who follow Khomeiniism (which is more associated with the holy city of Qom in Iran). I described what I would call a ‘moderate’ Moslem:” (READ MORE)
Blackfive: Army PFC Stephen C. Sanford - Someone You Should Know “Read this and ask why this story hasn't been all over the media. It was released more than 8 weeks ago...only the Army has information on it. I found no media services have picked this up at all...from Army reports: In late November, 2005, during an assault on a house in Mosul, Iraq, filled with terrorists, PFC Stephen Sanford of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, was hit in the leg. The house erupted in rifle fire and grenades. Soldiers were hit and dying on the first floor of the house. Though wounded in the leg, Sanford charged back in with his team, laying down suppressive fire while his team mates evacuated the wounded.” (READ MORE)
Ed Morrissey: War Support Starting To Crumble “The lack of energy from the Iraqi government of Nouri al-Maliki has added what might be a final straw to Republican discontent about the progress of the war. A delegation of Congressional Republicans met with President Bush last night at the White House, and they delivered the message that GOP support had its limits, and those limits are approaching quickly:” (READ MORE)
Don Surber: Iraqis are surging “David Axe at Military.com reported: ‘After three years of training by coalition forces - and nonstop combat with insurgents - Iraqi army and police units are battle-hardened, highly motivated and skilled in battlefield drills.’” (READ MORE)
Flopping Aces: More Hypocrisy & Bias From The Leftist Community “Recall the recent fit the MSM and the left had when President Bush misspoke and started to say 1776 instead of 1976 when speaking about the Queen's last visit. This WaPo article was typical from our MSM: ‘President Bush welcomed the queen with a royal faux pas about her age, suggesting she had witnessed American independence in 1776. Expressing admiration for her long friendship with the United States, Bush noted that Elizabeth had dined with 10 presidents and had "helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 . . ." He quickly caught and corrected his mistake, "in 1976."’” (READ MORE)
Baron Bodissey: Relying on Serendipity “After yesterday’s arrests of the six would-be Fort Dix terrorists, what did our national media express concern for? The safety of our soldiers? The security at our military bases? The possibility of a successful home-grown terrorist attack? Actually, no. Their concern was for the elusive but ever-ominous ‘expected backlash against American Muslims’.” (READ MORE)
The Marching Camp: New Terrorists and Old Terrorists “First, the Old Terrorists. In Iraq, it seems that everywhere I turn around, there is some serious Coalition butt-kicking going on. Haifa Street, in Baghdad was once a byword for violence, so out of control that US Forces were restricted from operating on it for convoy operations. Now, there are cops, a low murder rate, and a constant security presence from both US and ISF. The US commander there is now working on getting trash cleaned up.Two and a half years ago, no one cared how much trash was on Haifa Street.” (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden: Study War More “A modern complaint has been that history was taught as a list of dates, with too heavy an emphasis on war. A more relevant complaint would be that military history in its critical complexity has never been properly taught as a matter of general education, for the important lessons it has to offer. Lessons of character, determination, adversity, ingenuity, failure, fighting back from failure, the value of discipline and sacrifice, the importance of intelligence and situational awareness, and the ability to react to shifting, uncertain circumstances.” (READ MORE)
MountainRunner: War as Theater “Warfare in a globalized society is theater, making information king. The ‘ld’style of warfare, occasionally still played out in Afghanistan, the Philippines, inside Pakistan, and elsewhere in the Long War (or whatever it is named today), is a rarity. Camera phones, cheap digital video cameras, YouTube and LiveLeak, and connectivity everywhere means every Joe and Jihadi gets at least a bit part in the theater of information. Today, the both State (the ‘owner of American public diplomacy) and Defense (the de facto practitioner of American public diplomacy) apparently continue to ignore the importance of even participating, let alone dominating, in a public war.” (READ MORE)
Neptunus Lex: That whole “MSM” thing “As has been previously mentioned, Noah Schactman was the brave and unapologetic subject of many the hairy eyeball at the MilBlog Conference last weekend. Lord knows I’ve picked my own nits with the way the war has been covered in the past, and in fact the way that the media covers the military in general. In fact, there was time when I toyed with the idea of becoming a print journalist myself after my service is complete. Set the record straight, like. The reason I won’t will probably be revealed in due course, but for the bottom line up front folks, here it is: I can’t afford to.” (READ MORE)
Robert C. J. Parry: When the Last Hero Leaves L.A., Will Anybody Notice? “Despite the tenor of news reports surrounding last week’s violence in MacArthur Park, many officers in the Los Angeles Police Department are valorous and dedicated. In fact, this morning, 17 current police officers will receive the LAPD Medal of Valor. Notably, three of them now serve in other communities. In fact, according to the L.A. Police Protective League, fully 60% of LAPD officers have been with the department less than five years. At that rate, almost the entire department could have been replaced twice since the 1992 riots.” (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: The Diyala Salvation Front “In March, we noted the successful model of the Anbar Salvation Council will very likely be replicated elsewhere in regions where al Qaeda has established bases of operation. We singled out Diyala in particular, as al Qaeda's campaign of murder and intimidation was beginning to anger the tribes much as it did in Anbar province. Al Qaeda's establishment of its Islamic State of Iraq, with its capital in Baqubah made the province ripe for a major Coalition operation in the region.” (READ MORE)
Right Wing Nut House: Kowtowing to Kos “Congratulations to the netnuts! They have achieved their goal of capturing a large segment of Congressional Democrats and turning them into a quivering mass of genuflecting cretins, unable to buck the will of their most passionate (and off balance) supporters because they’re too frightened of the consequences. Apparently, House Democrats are prepared to limit funding for the war to two months, answering the call of their online masters to toe the line or risk the disapprobation of the Krazed Kossacks and the rest of the internet ruffians who make up the far left of the party.” (READ MORE)
John Hawkins: When It Comes To Disaster Responses, There Is A Trend All Right “Here's a quote from a New York Times article on the attempt of Kathleen Sebelius to blame George Bush for her slow and incompetent response to a tornado in Kansas, As State Senator Donald Betts Jr., Democrat of Wichita, put it: ‘We should have had National Guard troops there right after the tornado hit, securing the place, pulling up debris, to make sure that if there was still life, people could have been saved. The response time was too slow, and it’s becoming a trend. We saw this after Katrina, and it’s like history repeating itself.’” (READ MORE)
ROFASix: Batiste, Eaton & Clarke Take On Bush on Iraq “Three of the most vocal retired generals are participating in an ad campaign targeting specific members of Congress saying they politicians won't win re-election if they support President Bush's policies in Iraq. Politicians are pretty resilient when it comes to taking hits on just about any subject, but not when it comes to getting reelected. By targeting the politicians on that subject, it will get their attention. It is all a part of a continued, probably George Soros funded campaign, by the group VoteVets.org.” (READ MORE)
ShrinkWrapped: The Problem of the Left for the Democrats “In the post-war years, the Republican party, by virtue of its ‘southern strategy,’ was successful in gaining a powerful position among the electorate. At the same time, their strategy, with its implicit (and sometimes explicit) appeal to racist instincts, tarred the party as the province of reactionary and divisive policies. This perception persisted despite the Republican's historical standing in favor of equal rights for minorities and the Democratic party's traditional appeal to racist instincts among its members. It is no coincidence that the elder statesman of the Democratic party, Robert Byrd, is a former leader of the KKK.” (READ MORE)
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