A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Exit Strategies - If U.S. combat forces withdraw from Iraq in the near future, three developments would be likely to unfold. Majority Shiites would drive Sunnis out of ethnically mixed areas west to Anbar province. Southern Iraq would erupt in civil war between Shiite groups. And the Kurdish north would solidify… (READ MORE)
On Tour to Highlight Poverty, Edwards Tries to Shift Race's Focus - MARKS, Miss., July 16 -- From the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans to the Mississippi Delta to this town where Martin Luther King Jr. began his Poor People's Campaign almost four decades ago, John Edwards's message has been the same: Americans living in poverty are working hard but need more help… (READ MORE)
16 Detainees Transferred From Guantanamo - Sixteen detainees were transferred out of the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to authorities in Saudi Arabia, Pentagon officials announced yesterday, amid discussions within the Bush administration about how to close the facility. (READ MORE)
Indian Muslims Oppose Coed Fatwa - Indian Muslim leaders are uniting with female students in opposition to a "fatwa" or Islamic edict demanding that Muslim girls stay away from academic institutions where boys are studying. (READ MORE)
Bush Pledges Middle East Summit - President Bush, seeking a new legacy as his second-term initiatives falter in Congress, yesterday announced that the United States, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, along with leaders from neighboring Arab states, will meet this fall to jump-start Mideast peace talks. (READ MORE)
Ban Presses U.S. to Use 'Caution' in Leaving Iraq - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged U.S. policy-makers yesterday to exercise "great caution" in considering any rapid withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq. (READ MORE)
From the Front:
Acute Politics: ISF Primer “In America, neighborhood watch means a sign with an all seeing eye bolted to a pole, and perhaps a slightly higher chance that the residents of the area will call the police over suspicious activity. In Iraq, neighborhood watch means men with AK-47s and medium machine guns manning hasty checkpoints built from cinder blocks and rubbish.” (READ MORE)
Desert Flier: Saddam's Place “I've learned over the past few years how conversations usually go when you talk to an OGA. That stands for ‘other governmental agency’. In other words, you have no idea who they work for, what they are doing, or how long they are staying. Our modern day version of government 'spooks'.” (READ MORE)
IraqPundit: The Sworn Conspiracy “Iraq’s Arab neighbors have a lot to worry about these days, though one of their biggest worries is not so much Iraq itself as it is Iran. The role that Iran might someday play in Iraq's future is a regional nightmare. Indeed, some of Iraq’s neighbors worry Iran might have designs on their own countries. Take the case of Bahrain.” (READ MORE)
Marine Historian: The Whole Picture “Recent stories from Iraq in print and broadcast media have reinforced the importance of having ‘the whole picture’ when trying to make sense of the complex situation on the ground there. Specifically, these stories concern the dramatic progress that U.S. Marines and soldiers have made in improving the security and stability of Al Anbar province in western Iraq.” (READ MORE)
Ranger Sid: Still here... “It is funny how different people handle situations...Thankfully I'm blessed with a cooler calmer side...I think that comes from an acceptance that alot of things are beyond your control...It takes some people longer to make that acceptance and some never get it...” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Thomas Sowell: After Iraq “‘And then what?’ That is the question which should be asked of those who are demanding that we pull out of Iraq now.” (READ MORE)
Dennis Prager: History Will Judge Harshly Those for Withdrawal from Iraq “More Republicans have defected to the withdraw-from-Iraq Democrats. They have read the polls that show falling support among the American people for the war in Iraq, and have concluded that continuing to support the war will cost them their Senate or House seat.” (READ MORE)
David Limbaugh: I Respectfully Disagree with Peggy “While I've had strong policy disagreements with President Bush, I am unafraid to say I am still grateful he is commander in chief at a time when more and more people are losing sight of the big picture in the global war against Islamist terrorists.” (READ MORE)
Patrick J. Buchanan: Tonkin Gulf II and the Guns of August? “Is the United States provoking war with Iran, to begin while the Congress is conveniently on its August recess?” (READ MORE)
Roger Schlesinger: You can't legislate honesty “The Congress of this great nation is trying to come up with a bill to help the mortgage industry manage itself and protect borrowers, brought on by the sub prime crisis.” (READ MORE)
Rich Lowry: Last Hawk Standing “This is the center of the storm in the debate over the Iraq War, George W. Bush's White House. The president is meeting in the Roosevelt Room with nine conservative journalists to discuss the war, and, as with a hurricane, the eye of the storm is unbelievably calm.” (READ MORE)
Burt Prelutsky: Squaring Off Against Islam “These days, those who seem to come equipped with Teflon are the world’s Islamics. What’s so mystifying about this is that they share none of Reagan’s finer qualities. Theirs is a religion which calls for the domination of all others, and yet the majority of Christians, Jews, atheists and agnostics, continue treating them with the utmost respect and sensitivity.” (READ MORE)
Phyllis Schlafly: Another Big Spending Boondoggle “A new power grab over education now lurking in the corridors of Congress reminds me of a popular tune from the Harry James/Frank Sinatra era: ‘I've Heard That Song Before.’” (READ MORE)
John McCaslin: Global Warming Gets Personal? “Get a load of the somewhat threatening letter sent by the head of a national energy council to Marlo Lewis, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, in response to an article the latter penned in the American Spectator about the various ‘global warming’ bills introduced in Congress and their potential economic impact.” (READ MORE)
Noah Pollak: Al Qaeda in Iran “It is long past time that one important piece of fantastical rubbish be finally sent on its way: this is the idea that Islamists maintain some kind of fastidious ethnic and theological separatism when it comes to who they're willing to work with on killing people. The co-option of Hamas and Islamic Jihad (Sunni Arab) by Iran (Shia Persian) is one piece of reality that intrudes on this comforting notion; so is the Iran-Syria alliance, along with the reality of Iranian support for both Shia and Sunni insurgents in Iraq.” (READ MORE)
Ron Winter: Congressional Turncoats Shift Iraq Criticism Focus to Political; Best Little Whorehouse in DC? “Michigan Democratic Senator Carl Levin, appearing on Fox News Sunday this week made a big deal that the Iraqi government has made little to no progress - so he says anyway - toward meeting the political goals that will enable it to operate independently of the US. This is a marked departure from previous comments by Levin, other Senate Democrats and turncoat Republicans who have been hammering away at America's military for years, claiming that it can't or won't get the job done.” (READ MORE)
Cassandra: Bush vs. Clinton: Secrecy and Secret Renditions “As much as the Editorial Staff hates to Notice The Greenwald as he bewails the manifold sins and wickedness of The BushReich, cruel fate leaves us no choice. An amusing endnote (which we'll get to later) referencing a character named ‘obijuan’ snared us as we sipped our morning coffee and we were hooked. The topic of today's rant is executive secrecy, and What Set Him Off is this editorial by Fred Hiatt of the WaPo. Before you read, be warned: like anyone who has the temerity to wander off the vast, unclaimed intellectual reservation in Glenn's mind, Hiatt is quickly dubbed a ‘Senior Washington Bush spokesman’ who ‘shatters conventional wisdom’” (READ MORE)
The Tygrrr Express: If we are all God’s children, God wants us to sit down and be quiet “I speak with God every night and every morning. It is a brief conversation. God does all the listening. While I attempt to live my life the way I believe God wishes, at no time do I mistake myself for God. I am responsible for my own actions. I say this because I am deeply concerned that too many people in society use God to justify their actions. Yes, there are certain things God tells us to do and not do. God tells us not to murder. True, one can be an atheist and still believe murder is wrong, but many people obey aspects of civil and criminal law not because of the police, but because of God.” (READ MORE)
Some Soldier's Mom: More Dishonesty from the NYT “To the NYT Editor: Ian Urbina's ‘As Loved Ones Fight On, War Doubts Arise’ story on families ‘turning against the war’ was just so much tripe. There are ten times as many family members of organizations that SUPPORT the mission in Iraq than those organizations mentioned. Why weren't these organizations' members quoted?? I draw to your attention:” (READ MORE)
ShrinkWrapped: Asymmetric Warfare “It has become clear in the last few years that we have been involved in an asymmetic war for at least 30 years, possibly quite a bit longer, that finally caught our attention on 9/11. Much of the interest has been on the technological aspects of our asymmetric warfare. Lt. Col. Abe F. Marrero, writing in the Armed Forces Journal, examined last summer's Israel-Hezbollah War for clues to the future direction of warfare. He summarizes the characteristic signature of Fourth Generation Warfare:” (READ MORE)
Smooth Stone: Keith Ellison - Muslim Congressman - and "Atheists for Human Rights" imply Bush was behind 9/11 “From Keith Ellison and the ‘Reichstag’: ‘Upon assuming office, United States Congressmen swear to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) is on the job, zeroing in on a large-scale plan to subvert the Constitution, led by none other than George W. Bush.’” (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden: Narrative Problems “Bing West at SWJ discusses the problem of America’s conflicting narratives on Iraq, offers some good insight into reasons for optimism, as well as some of the complexities and obstacles. Channeling Mattis, he raises some good points. But he doesn’t dive deep enough into this problem of conflicting narratives…” (READ MORE)
Allahpundit: Bush stuns congressional Republicans by crashing Iraq meeting “Kind of awesome, if perhaps unnecessary. Hey — when a man with a 29% approval rating tells you to do something, you do it: ‘President Bush shocked Capitol Hill staffers and Republican leaders Monday when he crashed a meeting at the White House to deliver a blunt message that he wasn’t backing down on Iraq and Republicans need to understand that.’” (READ MORE)
Bryan Preston: Shabazz and the Hitler smear “On Hannity & Colmes tonight, the increasingly absurd Malik Zulu Shabazz, last seen getting his arms and legs and head handed to him by Michelle, backed up Rep. Keith Ellison’s claim that 9-11 = the Reichstag fire. Shabazz also tried to argue that Bush may be worse than Hitler because the US had good relations with Hitler prior to the invasion of Poland. That isn’t true — FDR was anti-Hitler long before the war started.” (READ MORE)
Don Surber: Reid to hold himself hostage “Democrats over the weekend came up with a new strategy to make themselves look foolish: Hold a filibuster. Senate Plurality Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, proudly exclaimed: ‘I would like to inform the Republican leadership and all my colleagues that we have no intention of backing down. If Republicans do not allow a vote on Levin-Reed today or tomorrow, we will work straight through the night on Tuesday.’” (READ MORE)
Dafydd: ...By Definition, Also Still "Lesser" “It goes without saying (but I will anyway) that Fatah -- the political party of Palestinian ‘president’ Mahmoud Abbas -- is a terrorist organization. The dead giveaway is when a political party boasts a ‘military wing’ (in this case, the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade) that commits terrorist acts with the sanction of the party leadership. So why on earth does President George W. Bush treat Abbas and Fatah as if they were serious partners in the ‘Roadmap to Peace?’ Why does he babble about today being ‘a moment of clarity for all Palestinians?’ And what does he mean by saying ‘and now comes a moment of choice?’ Believe it or not, there is a realistic and rational reason why that sort of fancification may be a very good policy for the United States to follow. Let me explain...” (READ MORE)
Baldilocks: Fundamental Disconnect “Skin in the Game: another opinion-maker who thinks GIs lack the brain power to understand the adjectives 'military' and 'martial.' This time it's LA Times columnist Steve Lopez and the person whose intellect he's denigrating happens to be his own nephew--who, at present is in Marine boot camp. Lopez reports of a devastating family argument during which the entire family tried to talk the young man out of the enlistment decision. The young man stood fast, however, and wrote a letter to the family containing these familiar sentiments:” (READ MORE)
Blue Star Chronicles: Michael Moore Sends an Open Letter to CNN “Over the weekend, Michael Moore posted a lengthy open letter to CNN promising to be their ‘worst nightmare’. This came after Michael Moore’s meltdown with Wolf Blitzer on CNN the other night. CNN posted a lengthy article on their website responding to Moore’s accusations. They did admit to two errors in their reports, both of which had no significant impact on the story. They go on to say: ‘It’s ironic that someone who has made a career out of holding powerful interests accountable is so sensitive to having his own work held up to the light by impartial journalists, as we did in our examination of Sicko.’” (READ MORE)
Ed Morrissey: Iran Hosts AQ Council: NIE “The national intelligence estimate will state that the Iranians have an active cell of al-Qaeda leadership in their eastern mountain area, Eli Lake reports today in the New York Sun. The same Quds force that has assisted Shi'ite and Sunni terrorists in Iraq has allowed the senior AQ figures to operate since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, and they have ties to the Iraq branch of AQ as well: ‘One of two known Al Qaeda leadership councils meets regularly in eastern Iran, where the American intelligence community believes dozens of senior Al Qaeda leaders have reconstituted a good part of the terror conglomerate's senior leadership structure.’” (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: Iraq Report: Major Offensive Underway in Babil “Iraqi and U.S. forces have launched a multi-brigade operation south of Baghdad as the pursuit of al Qaeda in Iraq continues in Diyala and the north. Al Qaeda in Iraq and allied insurgent groups conducted multiple mass casualty attacks in the northern city of Kirkuk, killing over 80 and wounding upwards of 200. Meanwhile, Iraqi and Coalition forces continue to hunt the deadly ‘Special Group’ cells associated with Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army.” (READ MORE)
Baron Bodissey: The Objective of the Propagandist “Knowing that we would be interested, a reader recently sent us a an article entitled, ‘A Broader Conceptualization of Islam and Terrorism’ by J. Keith Akins. It can be found here (in pdf format), as a part of Issue 45 (2nd Quarter 2007) of Joint Force Quarterly, which is published by the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) under the aegis of National Defense University. Mr. Akins’ article makes excellent reading. It is a thorough and well-documented overview of 21st century jihad terrorism as it is practiced all over the world, not only by Al Qaeda, but by all the loosely-connected radical groups which are found wherever Muslims live.” (READ MORE)
Amy Proctor: Iraqis Unite at Historic Promise of the People Conference “Bottom Line Up Front: For every car bomb story in Iraq the MSM puts on the nightly news, there are dozens of feel good progress stories that go unreported. The Promise of the People Conference is such a story. The Promise of the People Conference celebrated the people of Iraq as they work with Coalition Forces, united against terrorism and the insurgency. Citizens from all over Anbar Province met in Ramadi along with more than 400 political and tribal leaders on July 7, 2007 as an in-your-face show of force against the influences tearing at the stability of Iraq, such as al-Qaeda, the insurgency, sectarianism, hatred, violence and intolerance.” (READ MORE)
John Hinderaker: Caught Red-Handed “We have followed, from time to time, the loathesome career of George Galloway, formerly Saddam Hussein's chief shill in the West, more recently a defender of terrorists, hero to Western leftists, and cat impersonator. His downward spiral continues: this morning, a Parliamentary committee released a report recommending that Galloway be suspended from Parliament for a month for concealing the fact that his ‘Mariam appeal,’ an alleged charity, was funded in part by Saddam Hussein. Galloway, true to form, tried to obscure the issue at hand by claiming that he deserves to be awarded a medal, not suspended from the House of Commons.” (READ MORE)
Pirate's Cove: TLF: Rush To Judgement “War is not pretty. It is not fun. And very few actually want to be fighting one, or have their country fighting one. We do not want our troops being harmed and dying. But, to lose would be worse. Much worse. Which, of course, would lead lefties to bring up the old, ‘we shouldn’t have deposed a murderous, brutal dictator. Sanctions should have been given more time. No WMD. YAAARRRRGGGG!’ We are there. Why do some, including some weak knee’d Republicans, not want to win?” (READ MORE)
Pros & Cons: Economic ruminations prompted by some issues of The Wall Street Journal “First off, in today’s, there’s an interesting article about Minutemen chapters sprouting in the ‘Heartland’, specifically, Kansas City. 73 year old Frances Semler, something of a flower fancier, joined the City Parks Board upon appointment by Mayor Mark Funkhouser, and this is creating some controversy. The mayor, who just won election in a tight race where the local Hispanic population tilted his way against a black candidate, provided the margin of victory.” (READ MORE)
Dan Riehl: Full Context Of Ellison's "Reich-stag" Remarks Released “After a recent dust up over Representative Keith Ellison's comments comparing 9/11 to the Reich-stag fires, the Telegraph picked it up and now Atheists for Human Rights has released the full one hour video from the Ellison session. I've listened to it and I'm unsure it will do much to lessen some concerns. The Hitler remark wasn't the first reference made to Bush as a totalitarian leader and he went so far as to suggest that the Bush administration could be torturing people right here in our country. He also states Bush travels with guards everywhere when visiting Louisiana due to the Katrina fallout and that Vice President Cheney, who he wants to impeach, is the embodiment of totalitarianism and Bush is using 9/11 to torture people and discriminate against religious minorities.” (READ MORE)
Right Wing News: Shockuh: Farmers Use Machines To Substitute For Illegals “For years, the amnesty and open borders crowd has been telling Americans that illegal aliens are essential to the economy and that we just can't get by without them. On the other hand, people like me have been telling you that's complete piffle and that the market will adjust and the economy would get by just fine without illegals. Who's right? Well, here's a story, per The Oregonian, which I think suggests that those of who say we'd get by just fine without illegals are likely much closer to the target.” (READ MORE)
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