Happy Anniversary Harry Reid!

Today is the one year anniversary of Harry Reid’s infamous pronouncement that the Iraq war was lost. He uttered his disgraceful words before the troop surge was even completely in place, making it look more like wishful thinking than an honest assessment. The U.S. military reported that the 28,000 troops required for the surge were not in Iraq and ready to start surge operations until June 15, 2007.

From Politico Playbook:

One year ago today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters: “[T]his war is lost and the surge is not accomplishing anything.” The traditional one-year anniversary gift is paper (books, etc.), but the modern gift is clocks. Senators always find both useful.

Tomorrow will be the one year anniverary of Al Jazeera’s coverage of Reid’s defeatist words to the Arab world:

The US war in Iraq is lost and a further build-up of US troops in the country will not recover the situation, the senior Democrat in the US senate has said.

“This war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week,” Harry Reid, the senate Democratic majority leader, told reporters.

Reid, who held talks with George Bush on Wednesday, said he told the president that he thought the war could not be won through military force.

Only political, economic and diplomatic means could bring success, he said.

By early ‘08, evidence that the surge was successful was made clear by the media’s complete loss of interest in covering the war.

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Well wishers who would like to acknowledge Reid’s moment of shame, may do so in the comments.

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And by “well wishes” I mean this.

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Here is the video, (if your stomach can take it):

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UPDATE:

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Irony of ironies. Today is also Patriot’s Day. Jules Crittenden reminds us what true Patriots look like.*

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*Yes, I’m questioning Harry Reid’s patriotism. I most certainly am.

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It is also the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Dave in Texas commemorates at AOSHQ.

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Al Qaeda In Iraq Not Saving Themselves For The 72 Virgins

This latest Michael Yon dispatch from Iraq has some interesting dirt on the local AQI fighters. Check out what he has to say about this recently cleaned out terrorist cell in Tal Afar:

The few remaining serious troublemakers are being hacked off and mulched in these incessant operations, which gives the enemy no rest (in the old days, when they were murdering Iraqis and Americans by the thousands, AQI used Tal Afar for training and R&R). These types of terrorists used to lay up with prostitutes in downtown Tal Afar, which isn’t so uncommon – for years brothels have been an excellent source of information against al Qaeda from Mosul to Baghdad. The al Qaeda terrorists don’t save themselves for the seventy two virgins promised to suicide bombers. They love drugs, prostitutes, and the power of the gun. The gay al Qaeda informant in Moment of Truth in Iraq is classic. Whenever his al Qaeda lovers abused him, he supplied American forces information to kill them.

Be sure to check out the picture at Michael Yon’s site of the AQI dude and his ho.

Are there any more depraved human beings on the face of the earth? I really don’t think so.

Hat tip: Cao’s Blog

Patriotism Deemed “Too Political” For MN School

This is just sad. A group of decorated veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not welcome at Forest Lake Area High School in Minnesota. Their planned visit was abruptly canceled when some parents, and “others” complained, and threatened to stage protests.

“The event was structured to be an academic classroom discussion around military service. We thought we’d provide an opportunity for kids to learn about service in the context of our history classes,” Massey said. “As the day progressed, it became clear that this was becoming a political event … which would be inappropriate in a public setting.

“We decided to cancel,” Massey said. Organizers of the National Heroes Tour then scrambled to relocate the event to the American Legion building in Forest Lake. The visit, which U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater, had been scheduled to attend, is sponsored by Vets for Freedom, a national organization run by Pete Hegseth, a 1999 graduate of Forest Lake Area High School who served with the 101st Airborne in Iraq in 2005-06.

“I think it’s extremely unfortunate that a school would bow to the political pressure of outside groups and not bring in a veterans organization,” Hegseth said. “Are we saying that patriotism and duty and honor have no place in our public schools?” So far, the tour has visited one school, albeit a private school.

Who are the “others” involved with the planned protest, you ask?

At “Democratic Underground Forums,” there was an announcement of a press conference by various unidentified groups opposing the Vets for Freedom appearance. The announcement exhorted “Veterans for Peace” to oppose the appearance and listed contact info for Massey; school board president Bill Bresin, and the Forest Lake Area Schools district office. The post expressed “outrage” that Vets for Freedom was going to meet with students to “indoctrinate them on the joys of war.”

Michelle Malkin has covered the far left’s war against military recruiters extensively. But this isn’t even about recruitment. It’s simply about encouraging support for our troops.

“We have not endorsed a presidential candidate. We’re not in the business of doing that.” According to the Veterans for Freedom website, the national tour “is about supporting our troops, honoring their commitment and rallying the country to complete the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It was the “rallying the country” part that had some people up in arms:

When asked whether the part about “rallying the country to complete the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan” could indeed be construed as political, Hegseth said that the group agreed not to advocate about the “progress made in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

We can’t have people running around “rallying the country” willy nilly…causing patriotic feelings to flow, and what-not. This is 2008, not 1942. The idea is to be cynical and negative…blow out of proportion every death and setback in the war, even declare defeat. But under no circumstances should we allow the soldiers to tell their own stories, especially to impressionable kids, if it reflects well on the United States and the war effort.

We can’t have that.

Hat tip: Hot Air Headlines

Here’s the schedule for the Vets for Freedom National Heroes Tour. They’ll be in Kansas City on March 27, and St. Louis on the 28th. They’ll be visiting various southern states in the last days of March and first week of April, and ending their tour at stops in Washington DC, and NYC.

Also covering this story:

Michelle Malkin

Hot Air

Blackfive

Kathryn Jean Lopez

Gateway Pundit

Urban Grounds

Uncommon Misconceptions Hi Geoff *Wink!*

UPDATE:

Powerline has pictures from the American Legion, where The Vets for Freedom relocated for their event.

With only 12 hours to get the word out, IT WAS STANDING ROOM ONLY.

About two-dozen Forest Lake High School students skipped school to attend, holding signs that said “Support the Vets” and “We love our troops.” The outpouring of support from the community in Forest Lake was incredible, and we hope for an even larger crowd at tonight’s event.

Yay!

MORE:

Dan Riehl has discovered a heaping helping of hypocrisy in Forest Lake Area High School principal, Steve Massey. Ugh. Not surprised.

Do stories like this make you want to do something TODAY to help support our troops?

Here’s one way:

It’s called Six Packs for Soldiers. Visit the site for directions.

Hat tips to Patty Ann, the Sniper, and Doubleplusundead.

UPDATE: (3/26):

Hot Air has a report from the Minnesota front this morning.

Smokes For Troops

A sheriff from Oakland County MI has his heart in the right place. Instead of burning a recent seizure of cigars, he’s sending them to Michigan troops serving in Iraq:

The county’s Narcotics Enforcement Team seized the stogies, valued at $15,000, during a traffic stop of a convicted drug felon in January.

 Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Thursday the cigars were thought to be illegal Cuban cigars, but they turned out to be high-quality Dominicans.

He said he couldn’t give them away if they were Cuban cigars.Bouchard said he’s not sending the cigars to encourage smoking, but he hopes the smokes will provide a respite from their stressful routines. He also added many of his own deputies are serving in Iraq.

Shhhhh…don’t anyone tell the anti-smoking zealots.

Hat tip: Crime Scene KC 

The MSM And The Pope On The Iraq War

When I saw the headline at Hotair, Pope: End The War, I thought, “uh-oh, what’s Up”?  The link took me to the MSNBC article, Pope Calls For End Of Iraq War, Makes Cardinals.

The implication, based on that headline, is that the Pope is calling for the U.S. to leave.

He isn’t.

I don’t want to pick on MSNBC, because my google search produced many more examples of this.

You have to read the whole article to see that the Pope does no such thing. He simple prays for the same thing millions of Catholics pray for every week at Mass:

“Let us together reaffirm the solidarity of the whole Church with the Christians of that beloved land and invoke from the merciful God the coming of longed-for reconciliation and peace for all the peoples involved (in the conflict),” he said in his homily.

Of course, we all pray for peace, but peace through reconciliation is not what I think those headlines were implying. The implication was: The U.S. needs to get the hell out of there.

The Middle East Times had it right with Pope Voices ‘Closeness’ to Iraqis:

“I think now with affection of communities entrusted to your care and, especially, to those most tried by suffering, challenges and difficulties of various kinds,” he said.

“Among them, how can one not turn one’s gaze with apprehension and affection, in this moment of joy, to the dear Christian communities in Iraq?” he asked, drawing loud applause from the prelates assembled in Saint Peter’s Basilica.

These brothers and sisters of the faith are experiencing in the flesh the dramatic consequences of a lasting conflict and live in a fragile and delicate political situation,” he said.

If you’re trying to find some big infallible statement about the Iraq War being unjust, and the U.S. needing to leave immediately, you’ll just have to look elsewhere.

Nice try, MSM.

 Photo: (AFP Christophe Simon)

“Holy Damnation!” says Jim Hoft, of Gateway Pundit, who says even the Pope isn’t safe from the MSM’s bias, and has more on the new Iraqi Cardinal.

Kos Kids Support The Troops, YAY!

Now that the toughest, and most grueling, part of the war is over, (when moral support from America was so crucial), and we’ve all but declared victory in Iraq…. Some lefties are jumping on board to “support the troops”.

Watch, as the Kos Kids show us “Wingers” how it’s done:

Today, I’m calling all kossacks with an invitation to show the wingers how to walk the walk by supporting the troops with some good old fashioned care packages. It’s a great way to support those men and women who will not be home for the holidays and sending care packages to the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan is easier than most folks realize. So, here’s some specific information on where to find soldiers to support, what to send, and the ins and outs of mailing care packages overseas. I promise, it’s easier than you think and you’ll feel wonderful walking away from that post office counter.

That’s mighty magnanimous of them, since they consider the troops to be moral retards.

I’m sure the troops will love all the Noam Chomsky Books, and patchouli they send them.

You want to know how lefties really support the troops?

Like this.

“Every Question Pre-Planned Or Censored”

Most of you have heard by now that the “Diamonds and Pearls” questioner at the CNN Democratic Debate has written about the questions being “pre-planned and censored” on her My Space page:

“Every single question asked during the debate by the audience had to be approved by CNN,” Luisa writes. “I was asked to submit questions including “lighthearted/fun” questions. I submitted more than five questions on issues important to me. I did a policy memo on Yucca Mountain a year ago and was the finalist for the Truman Scholarship. For sure, I thought I would get to ask the Yucca question that was APPROVED by CNN days in advance.”…

In fairness, the diamonds or pearls question was one of the five that she had come up with, but only because CNN requested that one question be light hearted.

And that is the question CNN chose to use because…why? Because it makes Hillary seem less frosty, and more feminine, that’s why.

The question is reminiscent of the infamous 1992 MTV Rock the Vote query of Bill Clinton: “Boxers or briefs?”

To the old fogies, that seemed like an inappropriate, undignified question (it was), but Rock The Vote drove millions of young voters to the polls, never a good thing for Republicans.

The diamonds or pearls question, while not as odious, seems geared at garnering sympathy from women.

Googlemeister, Dan Riehl made some interesting discoveries:

A.) That another questioner, a Ms. LaShannon Spencer, who was presented as an “Undecided” voter is actually the Political Director of the friggen’ Democratic Party in Arkansas.

And

B.) CNN trotted out Another questioner, a Ms. Catherine Jackson, to ask a question about Iran, with the moral imperative only a woman whose son has served three tours in Iraq can have. Only, now we find out that she’s an anti-war activist who appeared with Dingy Harry back in May with the same three tours in Iraq shtick:

“My son was in Iraq three times,” said Catherine Jackson of Las Vegas.“I thank God he’s home now. Enough is enough. We need to bring our troops home.”

Allah’s willing to give CNN a pass on that one. He would.

I understand that with live T.V. you have to plan and coordinate things carefully…you can’t have any loose cannons going off….you don’t want political ideologues on either side, and it is possible to miss an activist or two, or three…..so why bother with questions from the audience at all?

The whole thing plays like (as El-Rushbo would say) phoney baloney plastic banana Barbara Streisand. And the MSM are very willing accomplices. It’s a total farce.

Why must they subject us to it????

*Spit*

Picture courtesy of El Rushbo.

UPDATE (Nov. 18):

It’s even worse than we thought. For instance:

The Diamonds or Pearls “my space” college coed, Maria Parra-Sandoval is a member of Harry Reid’s staff.

More crap about more plants, here.

This is why I can’t watch more than 15 minutes of a Democratic debate. You know the fix is in, you’re being lied to, and your BS detector starts spinning so wildly, you need a heavy dose of Dramamine to recover.

A True Ally

Some new revelations about Tony Blair’s support for the Iraq Invasion and his relationship with President Bush has come to light in a new BBC Documentary:

Tony Blair has admitted for the first time that he ignored the pleas of his aides and ministers to deter President Bush from waging war on Iraq because he believed that America was doing the right thing. And he has acknowledged that he turned down a last-ditch offer from Mr Bush to pull Britain out of the conflict.

In frank remarks in a BBC documentary, Mr Blair confirmed openly the belief of many of his closest supporters that he never used his position as America’s strongest ally to try to force Mr Bush down the diplomatic rather than the military route. It was never a “bargaining chip” for him and he was never looking for a way out, he told David Aaronovitch, of The Times, in interviews for The Blair Years. “It was what I believed in, and I still do believe it,” he said.

The programme reveals that the key meeting at which Mr Bush learnt that he had Mr Blair on side took place at Camp David in September 2002 – six months before hostilities began. In return for promising Mr Blair that he would try to help get a second resolution at the UN, he also won Mr Blair’s pledge that if he got “stuck” in the UN, war would be the only way out. Mr Blair later suggested that Mr Bush tried for a second resolution as a “favour” to him.

The programme also reveals that just before the key Commons vote on war Mr Bush telephoned Mr Blair and offered him a way out. Mr Blair explained why he had declined the offer: “He was always very cognisant of the difficulty I had. He was determined we should not end up with the regime change being in Britain and he was saying to me, ‘Look I understand this is very difficult and America can do this militarily on its own and if you want to stick out of it, stick out of it’, and I was equally emphatic we should not do that.”

I highlighted that last part because it was such a strong indicator of the strength of character of both men, that it gave me chills.

But obviously, not everyone sees it that way. The first commenter at TimesOnline says:

Wr criminal, should be hanged.

 

 

House Dems Pass Their Iraq Withdrawl Bill

Let’s hurry up and get that white flag up before we win, damnit!

Of course, the retarded bill is ultimately doomed to fail, and make them look bad, but that doesn’t stop them….the nutroots must be assuaged.

Michelle Malkin has the roll call.

The New York Times covered the rancorous debate on the House floor.

Get this:

The debate over war financing also provided a forum for Republicans to praise recent developments in Iraq, including what they called a decline in violence.

Oh. My….GOSH!!!

Reconciliation

Members of more than 30 tribes, both Sunni and Shia met yesterday at a short-notice reconciliation meeting in Bassam, Iraq, an area approximately 10 miles west of Bagdad city center.

The conference was called by a highly influential leader, Abu Maruf, with less than 24-hours notice, to make a public declaration of unity amongst the tribes against al-Qaeda and to map the way ahead for their region.

“We were notified of the meeting at about 8 p.m. the night before,” said Lt. Col. Brian Coppersmith, commander of War Rakkasans, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). “We weren’t sure why the conference was being called on such short notice. We have learned that things move fast when they are this good.”

Coppersmith was invited by Abu Maruf to observe the event.

Members of more than 30 tribes attended the conference; both Sunnis and Shias were represented. Their differences were set aside for the day as they publicly united with one voice and vowed to fight al-Qaeda and work toward a lasting peace for their region.

Maruf facilitated the conference and announced the formation of the Baghdad Brigade which will provide support to the region stretching from Yusufiyah to Taji. The brigade will consist of not only military elements, but also be the umbrella organization for their socio-political initiatives.

Coppersmith said this show of accord across sectarian and tribal lines may be an indicator of better things to come in this part of Baghdad.

The soldiers of 1-33rd Cav. Regt. will play a part in this new awakening.

“We will act as facilitators,” Coppersmith said. “We will assist by giving it structure and prioritizing meetings focusing on security, reconciliation and essential services. We will put substance to the initiatives with money and effort and help them put words into action.”

More than 350 officials of varying ranks and positions within their tribes were present to participate in the conference. In addition to the public declarations of unity, the tribal sheiks declared their support for a representative government and council members were voted on immediately following the speeches. Meetings with key ministries of the government of Iraq have been scheduled for the near future.

At the conference, in addition to the 1-33rd Cav. Regt., military advisors from the 1st Cavalry Division and the 3rd Marine Regiment were present with their Iraqi counterparts. The diversity of uniforms and unit patches present is another indicator of the distances the sheiks traveled to participate in this conference. Sheiks from as far as 30 to 40 kilometers north and south of Abu Ghraib traveled to attend the conference.

With Al Qaeda routed, and Sunni and Shia reconciling, do you think the Democrats will be able to can the BDS for one moment, and consider what’s best for both the U.S and Iraq’s interests?

No, the Dems seem determined to wave the white flag, anyway, to, as Michelle Malkin says, assuage the impeachment mob.

Do check out the White Flag cartoon at Michelle Malkin’s if you haven’t already seen it.

H/T: Speedo Guy

 

Good News In Iraq = No News

The TimesOnlineUK has a good article, today, about the recent successes in Iraq:

There has been striking success in the past few months in the attempt to improve security, defeat al-Qaeda sympathisers and create the political conditions in which a settlement between the Shia and the Sunni communities can be reached. This has not been an accident but the consequence of a strategy overseen by General David Petraeus in the past several months. While summarised by the single word “surge” his efforts have not just been about putting more troops on the ground but also employing them in a more sophisticated manner. This drive has effectively broken whatever alliances might have been struck in the past by terrorist factions and aggrieved Sunnis. Cities such as Fallujah, once notorious centres of slaughter, have been transformed in a remarkable time. Indeed, on every relevant measure, the shape of the Petraeus curve is profoundly encouraging. It is not only the number of coalition deaths and injuries that has fallen sharply (October was the best month for 18 months and the second-best in almost four years), but the number of fatalities among Iraqi civilians has also tumbled similarly. This process started outside Baghdad but now even the capital itself has a sense of being much less violent and more viable. As we report today, something akin to a normal nightlife is beginning to re-emerge in the city. As the pace of reconstruction quickens, the prospects for economic recovery will be enhanced yet further. With oil at record high prices, Iraq should be an extremely prosperous nation and in a position to start planning for its future with confidence.

All of this is incredibly inconvenient to Democrats like the Presidential contenders, who have predicated their whole campaigns on the idea that the Iraq War is a complete disaster, and the US needs to withdrawal ASAP, and Dingy Harry who announced the War was lost last Spring. (GRRRR, don’t get me started).

Congressional Democrats have spent most of this year trying (and failing) to impose a timetable for an outright exit. In Britain, in a somewhat more subtle fashion admittedly, Gordon Brown assumed on becoming the Prime Minister that he should send signals to the voters that Iraq had been “Blair’s War”, not one to which he or Britain were totally committed.

Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic have to appreciate that Iraq is no longer, as they thought, an exercise in damage limitation but one of making the most of an opportunity. The instinct of too many people is that if Iraq is going badly we should get out because it is going badly and if it is getting better we should get out because it is getting better. This is a catastrophic miscalculation. Iraq is getting better. That is good, not bad, news.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, if it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t lead.

That’s why you won’t see stories like this in the MSM.

H/T: Speedo Wearing Fool

Hillary Votes Against Resolution Supporting Petraeus

She stood with Harry Reid, (big surprise, there) and 23 other Democrats in doing so.

Today, Governor Mitt Romney issued the following statement on the Senate’s vote to condemn the MoveOn.org ad:

“Hillary Clinton had a choice. She could stand with our troop commander in Iraq, or she could stand with the libelous left wing of her party. She chose the latter. The idea that she would be a credible commander-in-chief of our armed forces requires the willing suspension of disbelief.”

Naturally, she’s playing to the nutroots, but in doing so, is displaying her famous tin ear.

Right now, apparently, General Petraeus is the most popular man in Washington.

At least Biden and Obama had the sense to not be present for the vote.

Finally! A Candidate The Peacenicks Can Love

Let’s face it. None of the Democratic candidates are perfect as far as most anti-war leftists are concerned.

Hillary voted for the resolution to allow President Bush to take military action in Iraq.

John Edwards also voted for the resolution.

Same with Biden.

Barack Obama wasn’t in the Senate in ‘02 for the Resolution vote, and has been consistent in his ‘bring the troops home’ rhetoric, but he has been surprisingly hawkish in reference to Pakistan, and Iran, which must give some Code Pinkers pause.

The rest either don’t have the name recognition, or the charisma necessary to win the hearts and minds of the far left.

Behold: This guy is saying all the right things!!!

Anbar Iraqis Defiant As They Bury Council Leader

Abdul Sattar Abu Risha and two of his bodyguards were killed in a bomb attack on Thursday near his home in Ramadi.

The people of Anbar are not taking the killing of Abu Risha, the leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, sitting down:

“All the tribes agreed to fight al Qaeda until the last child in Anbar,” his brother, Ahmed Abu Risha, told Reuters.

“The killing of Sheikh Abu Risha will give us more energy … to continue confronting al Qaeda members and to dispose of them,” said Sheikh Rashid Majid, a leader of the al-Bufahad tribe in Ramadi.

Many ordinary Iraqis agreed. “All of Anbar owes this man, he offered security and stability,” said 45-year-old Mohammed Hussain Ali from Ramadi.

“Revenge should be made quickly,” mourners chanted as the coffins of Abu Risha and two bodyguards, draped in Iraqi flags, were carried to the cemetery. “We will chase the killers.”

The reaction will be violent against al Qaeda, who want to kill all of our tribal leaders, the police and army,” said Mohmmed al-Fahdawi, a police lieutenant-colonel in Ramadi.“We have decided not to be merciful toward anyone who sympathizes with al Qaeda because it is either us or them.”

“The reaction will be fierce,” said Assad Khaldon, a 40-year-old teacher from Falluja.

The man who inspires this passionate loyalty was clearly a hero, if ever there was one. His father and a brother were both shot dead in the past couple of years. Another two of his brothers were kidnapped and their whereabouts remain unknown. In the face of such horror, instead reeling in despair, he chose to fight:

Abu Risha set up the Anbar Salvation Council last year as local Sunni tribal leaders became tired of the indiscriminate killings by al Qaeda and their harsh interpretation of Islam.

Once the heart of Iraq’s Sunni Arab insurgency and the most dangerous region of Iraq for U.S. troops and Iraqis, it is now relatively safe after he helped persuade young men to start joining local police forces to secure their own neighbourhoods.

Another brother, Ahmed Abu Risha was named as the council’s new head.

UPDATE: Sept 17th:

The Long War Journal reports that U.S. Forces have captured one of the baddies responsible for killing the sheikh.