October 20, 2007
Steven Vincent, Molly Bingham: compare and contrast
Re my previous post about the documentary about Iraqi insurgents "Meeting Resistance."
Steven Vincent was in Iraq the same time Connors and Bingham were. He went there in 2003, and returned in 2004 and 2005. He was murdered in Basra in 2005. Unlike Connors and Bingham, he traveled the entire country, interviewing a wide range of people from different regions, ethnic groups, ages, genders, political stances. And he did not end by saying that all Iraqis think the same about anything, or that any of the people he spoke to represented the majority of Iraqis.
Connors and Bingham bugged out in 2004 because:
The dwindling access our characters were allowing us combined with increased violence towards foreigners and the very real threat of kidnapping meant that it was time to wrap up and go. The kind of work we had been doing, and the working method we'd been using had become un-tenable. We drove out of Iraq on the long road to Amman, Jordan at the end of May 2004.
Vincent didn't let fear keep him from pursuing his stories. Maybe he was foolhardy. But he made modest claims for the veracity of his stories and his work bore that out.
Connors and Bingham were careful of their own skins, yet make extravagant claims.
Vincent was a real journalist. These people are propagandists.
Read his book. See their movie. Decide for yourself.
Remember, Q&A with the directors tonight in NYC, this coming week in DC. Info below.
Continue reading "Steven Vincent, Molly Bingham: compare and contrast"
Judith | 10/20/07 at 03:02 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
October 18, 2007
Meeting Resistance
UPDATE: Steven Vincent vs Molly Bingham: compare and contrast.
I saw a "video Op-Ed" at the NYT site, which was a prime example of trying so hard to be non-judgmental about nasty people that you squeeze yourself through your own asshole and out the other side. It is a 7-minute excerpt/spin-off from Meeting Resistance, a pro-insurgent piece of propaganda now playing in theaters around the world.
The short at the NYT site as of 6 PM EST is not loading - must be all the LGF and Hot Air readers checking it out. But you can also see it at Crooks and Liars. And here's the official trailer.
(There will be Q&A with the filmmakers after screenings of "Meeting Resistence" THIS WEEKEND in New York and Washington DC. More info at the end of this post. If you can make it, show up and, you know, ask questions.)
In addition to inserting tendentious quotes from unidentified 2007 polls into footage from 2004, these PR flacks for terrorists take the opportunity to fit in this week's wide misquoting of General Sanchez, demonstrating that - like the NYTimes - they didn't bother to read what Sanchez actually said. However, the Times plays this straight, presenting the video thus:
Continue reading "Meeting Resistance"
Judith | 10/18/07 at 07:05 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
August 30, 2007
The insurgency began, and we missed it
But we're catching up.
We have to apply the counterinsurgency lessons of Vietnam in today's Iraq - and President Bush and William Kristol understand this.
Here's Michael Yon:
Continue reading "The insurgency began, and we missed it"
Asher Abrams | 08/30/07 at 02:00 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
August 08, 2007
"Are you still in the Reserves, John?"
John Soltz vs Col. Buzz Patterson:
Judith | 08/08/07 at 10:56 PM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
August 04, 2007
Military speech at Yearly Kos
[ Another update at the end. ]
Watching the PJ Media video of the soldier at Yearly Kos, I don't get the same impression as some of the pro-war bloggers.
Uncle Jimbo and This Ain't Hell are debating these issues, and the comments are worth reading. Also the comments here.
[ UPDATE: More debate in the comments here and here. I am struck how much vets disagree with each other on what the regs allow. There seems to be some leeway for interpretation. Possibly the soldiers checked the regs and thought he would be okay. ]
[ UPDATE: Also here. ]
My impressions - as a civilian - of this incident:
Continue reading "Military speech at Yearly Kos"
Judith | 08/04/07 at 02:54 PM | 9 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
July 22, 2007
Thomas Lipscomb - 0, milbloggers - 1
Like almost everyone associated with the military who has read it, professional journalist Thomas Lipscomb thinksthe TNR "Scott Thomas" story stinks to high heaven. But according to the Democracy Project, he also perceives
lack of depth in the Weekly Standard’s skepticism. Lipscomb wonders where are any military veterans among these titans of journalism, who could directly and immediately see through the absurdity of the TNR piece and provide immediate truth.For that matter, why not let their fingers do the walking, right to the Pentagon, and ask the operator to connect them with someone with military experience. Instead, days pass, until a blogger -- a Marine Reservist and a student at Columbia University in New York City, presently in Iraq interviewing the troops -- gets a Public Affairs officer in Iraq to reply courteously that the TNR piece is BS.
As Lipscomb says, this isn’t about politics; it’s Journalism 101.
Neither Lipscomb nor the Democracy Project apparently considered that the voluminous response to Michael Goldfarb's Weekly Standard blog was worth investigating. They could have done their own investigative reporting to find out how Goldfarb solicited the opinions of soldiers in the field and how he ran five posts on the topic, each time asking for more information from those who would be in the best position to know, here, here, here, here, and here.
Want some military veterans? Goldfarb also links to the following group blogs which are clearing houses for opinions and cameraderie by actual military personnel, many of whom have served in Iraq. They also investigated the story:
Continue reading "Thomas Lipscomb - 0, milbloggers - 1"
Judith | 07/22/07 at 12:02 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
July 21, 2007
No, we really do support the troops . . .
When confronted with examples of denigrating the military profession in general and our troops in particular, many liberals deny they are culpable. It's the insane lefties who do that, not us. (The most recent examples I've seen of this denial are in comment threads and I didn't bookmark them, but if I come across any more I will link. if you have any examples of "liberals don't do that" put them in the comments.)
Maybe this is a problem of definition. What would you call the students and teachers at Hunter High School who taunted Marya Rosenberg?
Continue reading "No, we really do support the troops . . ."
Judith | 07/21/07 at 07:16 PM | 6 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
July 16, 2007
The Reid-Pelosi Massacres
Ralph Peters:
I hate the long-mismanaged mess in Iraq. I wish there were a sensible, decent way to get out that wouldn't undercut our security and produce massive innocent casualties. But there isn't. Not now. And, like it or not, we have a moral responsibility as well as practical interests in refusing to surrender to the butchers in Iraq.This has been the Bush-Cheney War. But it will only be fair to call the carnage after we run away the "Reid-Pelosi Massacres."
Senator John Cornyn (who was also clear about the Fairness Doctrine) wants to hold Senators accountable for their votes:
Continue reading "The Reid-Pelosi Massacres"
Judith | 07/16/07 at 06:41 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
Topical humor in the Middle East
UPDATE: Per Dan's critique, I made the first joke more politically correct.
Two Middle East jokes for your enjoyment . . .
A fleeing al Qaeda guerrilla, desperate for water, was plodding through the Iraqi desert when he saw something far off in the distance. Hoping to find water, he walked toward the object, only to find a little old Jewish man at a small stand selling neckties. The Arab terrorist asked, "Do you have water?"
Continue reading "Topical humor in the Middle East"
Judith | 07/16/07 at 02:08 PM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
July 15, 2007
The Surge of Facts
The hawkish blognocenti have been grumbling since the 2004 election about the Administration’s lackadaisiacal approach to explaining and promoting the Iraq War. Yes, Bush has often been eloquent and passionate in laying out the reasons and rationale for deposing Saddam and replacing the typical Middle East strongman regime with a representative government. And it’s not his fault that huge chunks of the mainstream media have been systematically misrepresenting everything he says while giving him as little air time as possible.
But instead of recognizing the necessity to go on the offensive, he has been content to defend his course as though there were no organized campaign to discredit it, and to let his advocates in the blogosphere take up the slack.
Some of us, watching the successful blitzkreig against the Administration’s immigration proposals, decided that the war deserved a similar effort, and it’s finally starting. Better late than never.
Tony Snow, on a conference call with bloggers right now:
We need a surge of facts. That’s one of the things we’re going to be working on. I’m going to be doing it from the podium.... So far we have had very few visuals to confirm what Americans want to believe. We have an amazing and heroic American military... The only way to change public opinion [on Iraq] is to present a fuller, more nuanced and more accurate picture.”“We’re gonna present bad news too. You have to... But it’s a miracle anyone supports the war, based on the characterizations that have been painted.
Snow says he’s going to put up slides, video, and audio on new screens behind him during the daily press briefing. “We’re not gonna spin, but we’re going to provide real hard data.”
Tony, you guys have been doing that. The problem is not that you don’t do it. The problem is that you don’t do it repeatedly and pervasively. You put it out there and go on to the next bit of business, and while your attention is elsewhere, it gets buried under spin. You have to keep keep shoveling it out faster than they pile it up.
Meanwhile, a citizen-led effort akin to the immigration bill campaign is also getting underway, led by Vets for Freedom. This Tuesday July 17th, they launch the "Ten Weeks of Testimony" campaign, sending vets to lobby Congressmen in Washington DC. If you are not a vet and want to help, Call your senators! (If you are thinking of sending emails, the Win the War Campaign suggests using this article for talking points.)
If you are a vet and want to participate, read on. VfF will reimburse you for travel to Washington.
Continue reading "The Surge of Facts"
Judith | 07/15/07 at 06:40 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
Another journalist murdered in Iraq
Another Iraqi journalist is murdered by good squads.
The murderous turmoil in Baghdad has reached a point where many families never know the killers of their loved ones, or their motives. Sunni insurgents? Shiite militias? Killers who mimic one or the other, while pursuing more private motives of greed, spite or revenge? Or, in Mr. Hassan’s case, the nature of his employment, which placed him doubly at risk: as an Iraqi journalist, and as an Iraqi working for Americans?. . . . Mr. Hassan was the second member of The Times’s Iraqi news staff — a group that includes more than 30 journalists in Baghdad and across the country — to be shot and killed. A journalist the newspaper relied on in Basra, Fakher Haider, was taken from his home and killed in the fall of 2005, a murder for which some local officials blamed Shiite militiamen angered by aspects of his work. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, based in New York, 110 journalists have been killed in Iraq since the American-led invasion in March 2003. The toll includes 88 Iraqis, including Mr. Hassan.
Last month CPJ held a panel discussion on this topic, which we recorded. It was co-sponsored by the Steven Vincent Foundation which donates funds to families of slain local journalists. (The Times says to send an email to foreign@nytimes.com with “fund for Khalid Hassan’s family” in the subject line, and the foreign desk will respond with more information.)
NYTimes correspondents reminisce about their young colleague. I was going to pull a few quotes but you have to read the whole thing - he sounds like a really neat guy. He loved American pop culture and Western technology. He had an expansive personality and a great sense of fun. He worked hard to support his mother and sisters. (Reading between the lines, it isn't hard to conclude that he saw the older correspondents he worked with as father figures.) And he exemplified the energy and loyalty and courage that characterizes so many of the stringers and fixers who work with our journalists, as shown in this anecdote:
Continue reading "Another journalist murdered in Iraq"
Judith | 07/15/07 at 09:59 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
July 09, 2007
Fixers on the Front Lines
Last week I attended a panel discussion (video below) on the accomplishments and plight of "fixers." These are natives of war-torn areas who help Western journalists by - in the words of one participant on the panel - finding hotel rooms, briefing them on the local customs, ethnic groups, and political situations, guiding them through unsafe neighborhoods, setting up interviews, translating during interviews, translating transcripts and articles, and much more. As George Packer said, "Without my fixer I would not have been able to get anything done in Iraq."
Fixers and "stringers" are controversial. The purpose of the panel was to raise awareness of the danger Iraqi journalists face at home: militias and insurgents target the along with doctors, judges, publishers, and anyone who contributes to a stable civil society in Iraq (and their relatives). The vast majority of journalists killed in Iraq have been locals. Although they can make a case for refugee status, our government has allowed few of them to repatriate to the US. Does the US have an obligation to help people whose work with our journalists put them and their families at risk? Especially now, as the NYTimes blithely admits that its advocated troop withdrawal will probably result in a bloodbath, how does the plight of those who sided with us fit into our national debate about immigration?
At the same time there have been cases of local journalists fabricating stories for Western journalists, as part of disinformation campaigns intended to give advantage to terrorist movements. In light of these, and the insidious nature of terrorist infiltration in general, how do we tell who is an honest journalist?
The panel only addressed the political refugee problem, which is real and serious. Most readers of this blog spend their time in ideological neighborhoods where George Soros (whose Open Society Institute funded this event) and Middle Eastern fixers merit suspicion, but viewing this panel will introduce you to brave and conscientious war correspondents who have risked death and exile to report honestly. And you can help resettle more Iraqis to the US.
Continue reading "Fixers on the Front Lines"
Judith | 07/09/07 at 12:12 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
July 08, 2007
The blood of patriots
Lots of discussion today about the NYTimes editorial which blithely suggests mass slaughter of Iraqis as preferable to methodical targeting of insurgents and jihadis, with little loss of American life - over the next few months. Well, this is the same NYTimes which published Walter Duranty, who lied about the slaughter of tens of millions.
A comment at Blackfive gives some historical perspective, especially pertinent after celebrating our nation's birthday just this week, on what we expect the Iraqis to be able to do by themselves in 2008 (an expectation which illustrates our short attention span):
Apparently we have forgotten, as a culture and a Nation, what it takes to have a common society. And from our lofty perch, we have never experienced decades of brutality and one of the harshest police states ever seen on the planet. It takes a bit to recover from those things and to start knitting society together. We were very lucky in our Revolution to be far away from the mother country and still only have to face down the best military on the planet with men on a one-year hitch. Seven years of mostly losing would lead to victory, but at a very, very steep price and then the first attempt at government would fail and nearly have it all fall into chaos. And we had no outside powers during that latter period and a group of folks that were reallly wondering if such a large place could hold together. One successful Shays and we would not be here in this situation. Twelve long years of death, loss and bare victory with crushing debt that nearly destroyed it all. The US had it *easy* compared to Iraq.
Continue reading "The blood of patriots"
Judith | 07/08/07 at 11:38 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
May 25, 2007
A Jewish soldier KIA
From the YouTube post:
It is estimated that around two thousand Jewish soldiers are currently serving in Iraq.Marine Private First Class Colin Joseph Wolfe of Manassas died last Wednesday, August 30, 2006, in the al-Anbar province of Iraq, while riding in the back of a truck that triggered a road-side bomb. The 19-year-old was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. A 2005 graduate of Osbourn High School, Wolfe entered the Marine Corps the July after his high school graduation, according to Marine First Lieutenant Barry Edwards.
It seems to be an Israeli documentary. More about Private Wolfe, and his girlfriend who comes to sit at his grave almost every day. Interesting guy - he was also a ballet dancer.
May his memory be for a blessing.
Judith | 05/25/07 at 04:47 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
April 30, 2007
Lisa Vincent on PBS
From Lisa Vincent, widow of the first blogger-journalist from the Iraq War, and the first slain in action, Steven Vincent:
On friday, May 4, Steven's translator Nour and I are going to be on PBS' "Now with David Brancaccio", which will air from 8:30 - 9:00 pm on the east coast; Everyone else, please check your local listings for the time and channel if you want to see it.
The show sent a team to the middle east to interview Nour on location, and came to my house to talk to me, so I think it will be an interesting program.
Nour was kidnapped and shot along with Vincent, and almost killed herself. She received medical treatment and has been living in an undisclosed location. A radio interview with Lisa and Nour last month, here.
PS Lisa adds: "thanks for the mention; i heard from the producers and they have decided to give the entire program over to the story, rather than only half."
Judith | 04/30/07 at 07:47 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
April 12, 2007
Muslim Leftists Love America, Western Leftists Hate America
As I've stressed repeatedly, one of the reasons for my post-9/11 political shift from left to right, and that of many others in the same camp, has been the Western left's attachment to anti-Americanism, even when it lands them on . . . more »Cinnamon | 04/12/07 at 01:07 PM | 6 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
April 01, 2007
CNN Correspondent Michael Ware continues to drink heavily on camera
[ UPDATE: Ware claims and video shows that he did not heckle McCain. ] Michael Ware has been Exhibit A in the controversy over unprofessional partisan journalism in the Iraq War. Make that inebriated unprofessional partisan journalism. (And unlike Christopher . . . more »Judith | 04/01/07 at 08:33 PM | 13 Comments | 2 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
March 30, 2007
How to Win in Iraq
Read this. Send it to everyone you know. . . . more »Judith | 03/30/07 at 07:29 AM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
March 29, 2007
The same old conspiracy theories about Iraq the Model
When the brothers who write Iraq the Model came to the US in December 2004, as guests of Spirit of America, I tracked their tour via all the many blogposts written about them. It is gratifying to see President Bush . . . more »Judith | 03/29/07 at 03:00 PM | 2 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
March 27, 2007
Porky Pig in Congress
Don Surber has a list of the appropriations in the Senate Iraq spending bill. When one of your antiwar friends gloats about how the new Democratic congress is carrying forward the will of the citizens, remind them how much pork . . . more »Judith | 03/27/07 at 07:36 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
March 19, 2007
Zombie Captures San Francisco "Antiwar" Protesters in all their Glory
As expected, the streets of San Francisco were home to the usual bizarre assortment of "antiwar" protesters this past weekend. What that actually translated into were communists, pro-terrorists, Jew-haters, 9/11 conspiracists, acid-casualties from the 60s, brainwashed college students, a sea . . . more »Cinnamon | 03/19/07 at 11:07 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
March 18, 2007
Gathering of Eagles
[ UPDATE: More coverage from Hot Air, including interviews with vets and other ralliers. Estimates are that the Eagles outnumbered the antiwar folks 3-to-1. ] Michelle Malkin has massive coverage of the Gathering of Eagles rally yesterday in Washington DC. . . . more »Judith | 03/18/07 at 01:49 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
March 11, 2007
Moments of truth in Mainstream Media
[ UPDATE: Video of Ted Koppel interview referenced below. ] Journalist Pamela Hess caused a stir this week when she argued passionately and eloquently on C-SPAN for staying the course in Iraq. What is heartbreaking about this video is her . . . more »Judith | 03/11/07 at 11:23 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
March 06, 2007
Let's remember Wilson outed Plame first
David Frum reminds us what the point is: Can you our readers find any example of denunciations of Richard Armitage's leak of Valerie Plame's name by a) Democratic officeholders or b) MSM columnists or c) left-wing bloggers? I did some . . . more »Judith | 03/06/07 at 10:15 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
Shameless celebrity spooks on parade
Just in case you thought the Wilson-Plame bubble had finally burst . . . On Saturday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th St. in New York City, Valerie Plame will make the first public . . . more »Judith | 03/06/07 at 07:22 AM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
March 04, 2007
Latest from the Steven Vincent Foundation
Every once in a while the universe gives you a present, like continued interest in the life and death of someone you care about. Readers of this blog know we were big fans of Steven Vincent's reporting from Iraq, and . . . more »Judith | 03/04/07 at 11:13 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
February 20, 2007
Countering Defeatism: Words of Courage From the Frontlines
Amidst the sickening display of defeatism that's been taking place in our nation's capital, it's refreshing to hear from a true warrior on the frontlines of the war on terrorism. Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Allen B. West - currently . . . more »Cinnamon | 02/20/07 at 12:47 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
February 19, 2007
Jack Murtha, War Hero in Action
Whither the Centrist Democrats? Have they lost their way so soon? Have their bread crumbs already been eaten up by the doves? Improbable though it may seem, blunt and brassy Jack Murtha is moving close to command over U.S. policy . . . more »Alcibiades | 02/19/07 at 09:13 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
Kurdistan on "60 Minutes"
(Via Hot Air) About a year after Michael Totten visited Kurdistan and reported on its success as a peaceful prosperous region which is a separate country in all but name, 60 Minutes discovers this story. (Video) Kurds don't want to . . . more »Judith | 02/19/07 at 04:38 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
February 17, 2007
"The non-binding resolution is the first skirmish in an escalating battle"
One of the few grownups in the Democratic Party, on the non-binding resolution which is a Trojan Horse containing . . . well, read the speech: . . . more »Judith | 02/17/07 at 09:34 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
February 15, 2007
Sadr and the Surge
Asher noted a critic of the "surge" making claims that even as he wrote were not matching the facts on the ground. But whatever the facts are on the ground, the surge is wrong, according to Rich Lowry: Old worry . . . more »Judith | 02/15/07 at 07:00 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
February 14, 2007
Sadr and Chait: Separate Realities
The New Republic's Jonathan Chait in TNR Online (subscription), February 12, 2007: There is something genuinely bizarre about those remaining supporters of President Bush's strategy in Iraq. It is not just that they are wrong--being wrong happens to all of . . . more »Asher Abrams | 02/14/07 at 12:39 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
February 11, 2007
The Old Jewish Quarter of Nineveh/Mosul
A blog friend emailed me this story, in which the Rabbi of the 101st Airborne Division describes his inquries into the existence of the old Jewish section of Mosul/Nineveh: As I entered light came through the half-open roof, and I . . . more »Alcibiades | 02/11/07 at 11:39 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
February 08, 2007
Tim Russert - Boldly Lying on the Stand
A report on the Morning's testimony: Libby's defense attorney, Wells, continues to grill Russert. To recap, Russert, being a god, unlike you and me, got special treatment for his "grand jury" testimony. He got to testify in his office, with . . . more »Alcibiades | 02/08/07 at 12:13 PM | 4 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
February 07, 2007
Grilling Russert to a Fine Turn
For those of you who are not Plamiacs - all Plame, all the time! now that the Libby trial is going on - there was a delicious moment in the court today. Tim Russert walked into court today, a commanding . . . more »Alcibiades | 02/07/07 at 07:27 PM | 2 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
February 06, 2007
Fortunate sons
Some folks are born made to wave the flag, ooh, they're red, white and blue. And when the band plays "Hail To The Chief", oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord, It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't . . . more »Judith | 02/06/07 at 12:39 AM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
February 05, 2007
Senate Resolution on Iraq, Version 4.0
Jim Geraghty makes a suggestion about the wording of a Senate Resolution all the senators can sign on to: Aw, heck, why don't they just introduce a resolution declaring, "We, the Senate, like all the good parts of the war . . . more »Alcibiades | 02/05/07 at 10:27 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
January 31, 2007
The Solution for the Middle East
Stolen from Stephen Pollard, who stole it from Samizdata: "I think we should take Iraq and Iran and combine them into one country and call it Irate. All the pissed off people can live in one place and get it . . . more »Alcibiades | 01/31/07 at 10:22 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
January 26, 2007
Shoot to Kill
Bush, at long last, has changed the rules of engagement for soldiers in Iraq, giving them the order to kill or capture Iranian operatives. A senior US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the outlines of the Post . . . more »Alcibiades | 01/26/07 at 10:32 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
January 24, 2007
Listen to the general
If you agree with General Petraeus that sending more troops specifically to pacify Baghdad is a good idea, please inform your Republican congresspersons that you will not be happy with them if they do not agree that it is a . . . more »Judith | 01/24/07 at 11:58 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
January 22, 2007
Nick Cohen on the Anti War Left
Nick Cohen, raised a principled liberal, where even the decision of what fruits and vegetables to buy was a moral decision, from his own account, did not knowingly come into contact with a Conservative until he was 13. I still . . . more »Alcibiades | 01/22/07 at 11:22 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
January 17, 2007
Martin Amis on the Most Depressing Thing in Britain
In a Q&A at the Independent, with questions sent in from online readers Martin Amis was asked: What is the most depressing thing about Britain you have observed since your return? And the best? GRANT MULLIN, Surrey The most depressing . . . more »Alcibiades | 01/17/07 at 12:20 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
January 12, 2007
Faux Klingons are Running the War!
Congressional Eloquence at its peak: . . . more »Alcibiades | 01/12/07 at 04:27 PM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
January 11, 2007
More Please
US forces have stormed an Iranian consulate in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil and seized six members of staff. The troops raided the building at about 0300 (0001GMT), taking away computers and papers, according to Kurdish media and senior . . . more »Alcibiades | 01/11/07 at 12:33 PM | 6 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
January 03, 2007
They Killed Saddam! You Bastards!
Not since the death of Socrates has the passing of a public figure caused so much hand-wringing as when Saddam Hussein found himself on the short end of a long rope last week. One account says, The officials said the . . . more »Van | 01/03/07 at 09:23 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
December 31, 2006
Saddam's Long Black Veil Moment
What was going through Saddam Hussein's head as the noose went around his neck, when "the scaffold is high and eternity's near," in the words of the awesome song "Long Black Veil." I read several stories about the execution, such . . . more »Van | 12/31/06 at 11:29 AM | 8 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
December 30, 2006
Saddam in Jerusalem
I stopped by this coffee shop in the Old City for a cup of that hot sweet spiced milk, and the news about Saddam was on the TV. I asked if they had executed him and the vendor nodded. I . . . more »Judith | 12/30/06 at 04:37 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
December 29, 2006
Breaking: ITM Says Saddam Won't See 2007
Mohammed at Iraq the Model: Year 2007 will definitely be without Saddam walking on the ground…. It's very imminent now and might become a fact at any minute. The situation in Baghdad is tense now and US and Iraqi forces . . . more »Asher Abrams | 12/29/06 at 12:43 PM | Categories: - Iraq
December 28, 2006
Iraq War Veteran To San Francisco: We Must Win This Fight!
Last year, I wrote a column for SFGate titled, "San Francisco Declares Itself A Military Free-Zone." It was about the city's propensity for anti-military activity and how taken to its logical conclusion, San Francisco might well become a military free-zone . . . more »Cinnamon | 12/28/06 at 11:54 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
December 22, 2006
Spit and Baby Killers: Echoes of Vietnam
We often hear false comparisons between the war in Iraq and the Vietnam war, but one link that holds true is the anti-military attitude exhibited by the left. U.S. soldiers today are treated as either victims or butchers--whichever one happens . . . more »Cinnamon | 12/22/06 at 02:24 AM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
December 19, 2006
Hypocrisy: The Measure of a Man
In the 1990s, James Baker's legal firm arranged business deals that flouted American sanctions against Saddam, and profited from it to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. Baker was fully aware of this and complicit. the law firm . . . more »Alcibiades | 12/19/06 at 02:56 AM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
December 04, 2006
Lafayette "War Memorial" Dishonors the Dead
Looks like Bay Area Moonbats are up to their old tricks again, erecting false "war memorials" in an attempt to use U.S. casualties in Iraq to undermine the war. As always, they do so under the guise of paying respect . . . more »Cinnamon | 12/04/06 at 10:37 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
November 23, 2006
Be thankful for courageous journalists
Last week in London, Lisa Ramaci-Vincent accepted her husband's posthumous award from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting in London. The award is in honor of and is named for Kurt Schork, who - like Steven Vincent - began . . . more »Judith | 11/23/06 at 01:18 PM | 2 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
November 20, 2006
"A combination of blurring and smearing"
Greyhawk takes us step-by-step through the events surrounding the scandal at Abu Ghraib, demonstrating how the shadow of its prolonged exposure influenced the battle of Fallujah and the growth of Sadr's power, and made security for Iraq harder to achieve. . . . more »Judith | 11/20/06 at 08:14 AM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
November 14, 2006
Pulling the rug
I've been busy with various things, but this expresses how I feel about things (via Powerline) . . . more »Judith | 11/14/06 at 12:42 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
November 10, 2006
The Big Gloat
And so it begins. This just in from Reuters: A purported audio recording by the leader of Iraq's al Qaeda wing gloated over the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, as a top U.S. general said the military was preparing . . . more »Alcibiades | 11/10/06 at 01:06 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
Can Someone Explain to Me How This is Realism
We've been hearing over and over that the purported plan of the Iraq Study group is to offer incentives to Iran and Syria to help the US in Iraq. Iran and Syria. Iran and Syria? How is this realism rather . . . more »Alcibiades | 11/10/06 at 03:27 AM | 8 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
November 09, 2006
Now I understand the Kerry joke . . .
Jim Treacher explains it all to you: Did it ever occur to you wingnuts that Kerry might have meant Saddam Hussein? If Hussein had just stayed in school, he wouldn't have become a genocidal tyrant and gotten stuck in Iraq . . . more »Judith | 11/09/06 at 10:47 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
Whither Iraq: More Background on Bob Gates
I really don't like realist conservatism. It often produces detestable, morally-cringeworthy Republican policy: for example, the retreat from Lebanon after Hezbollah bombed our Marine barracks, abandoning the Shi'ites and the Kurds in 1991, the decision to abandon Afghanistan to rack . . . more »Alcibiades | 11/09/06 at 12:40 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
November 08, 2006
Election 2006: What Went Wrong for the Republicans
The midterm elections are over and those who hoped for a Republican victory are still digesting the results. The usual pre-election mainstream media hype led many to the mistaken impression that the Democratic Party's much-vaunted success might not pan out. . . . more »Cinnamon | 11/08/06 at 02:10 PM | 14 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
November 05, 2006
EU: No to Death Penalty for Saddam!!
Heh. You knew this was coming as soon as the death penalty for Saddam was announced. The European Union urged Iraq on Sunday not to carry out the death sentence passed on Iraq's former leader Saddam Hussein after his conviction . . . more »Alcibiades | 11/05/06 at 08:16 PM | 5 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq
Saddam to Hang
Omar: I was overwhelmed with joy and relief as I watched the criminals being read their verdicts. For the first time in our region tyrants are being punished for their crimes through a court of law. Until this moment and . . . more »Asher Abrams | 11/05/06 at 07:28 PM | Categories: - Iraq
An excellent use of the death penalty
Yes! Sky News: "This is the exact moment he finds out he will hang." Lots of pre- and post-sentence coverage at Pajamas, including some details of court procedures from the press conference (yes, Saddam can appeal): . . . more »Judith | 11/05/06 at 11:43 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: - Iraq