Combs Spouts Off

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Posts Tagged ‘victory’

American Victory Coalition rally in Denver

Posted by Richard on August 23, 2008

[Bumped to top and updated]
UPDATE (8/23): According to a Colorado Dennis Prager fan, big-league blogger and columnist Michelle Malkin will be at this rally. I know she's going to be in town for the convention, so this is plausible. I hope she'll bring her trampoline. πŸ˜‰ 

If you're anywhere near Denver, please join me in attending the American Victory Coalition rally at Pioneer Monument Park (right across the street from Civic Center Park at Colfax and Broadway) on Sunday, August 24th, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Participating organizations include Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission, Vets for Freedom, and A Gathering of Eagles.

The rally will feature Gold Star Mom Debbie Lee (link is to YouTube video), mother of the first Navy Seal killed in Iraq, Marc Allen Lee. I've been impressed by Debbie Lee's writings, and I'm looking forward to hearing her speak. Other speakers include Green Beret Maj. Diggs Brown, Jr. , Vets for Freedom chairman Pete Hegseth, and Colorado State Senator (Col.) Steve Ward.

El Marco explains the event:

Our goal is to show the world America’s true colors: strength, patriotism and resolve in the war on terror. The Democratic National Convention will be a left wing free-for-all with mass media trumpeting radical anti-war messages. If you respect our troops, their commanders and their mission, this is the opportunity to make your voice heard.      

Media attention on Americans who actively support victory is almost non-existent. This is an opportunity to change that.  It’s important for the public to see that the “silent majority” is silent no more. Also this rally will be directly in view of the delegates to the DNC, who clearly need to hear this message. The organizers welcome anyone who wants to show their support for victory in the war against radical Islamic extremists and the regimes that support them.

If you're in the Colorado Springs area or around Monument or Castle Rock, there are seats available on the Families United shuttle buses to the event. Go here and scroll down past the sample posters for information.

I'm planning to take the light rail to the 16th Street mall and walk over from there. Organizers say they'll have extra signs available, so I won't have to carry one on the train (who knows what the rules about that are!). If you're coming from outside central Denver, you might want to park at the Broadway & I-25 Park and Ride and take the train from there. Otherwise, keep in mind that meters in downtown Denver are free on Sundays.

See you there! I'll be the bearded guy in this Protest Warrior T-shirt

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Sadr City — a journalist responds

Posted by Richard on June 15, 2008

My brief post about Sadr City on Friday drew a long comment from Fox News reporter Anita McNaught, who has been reporting from there recently. Since it's an important report from on the ground in Iraq that might be missed as a comment, and since I have (as usual) some things to say in response, I'm posting it here, along with my reply. Here is her comment:

You know.. sometimes I get really exasperated with bloggers who feed off limited intakes of media reports and construct their own realities off the basis of how they interpret something like a photograph.

First of all, your assertion that 'mainstream media' has not been in Sadr City is flat wrong.

I am a reporter with Fox News. I have already filed 2 reports from Sadr City examining the situation there – one at the end of May and the other in early June. We were the first TV crew to embed with the Iraqi Army and go beyond the US-controlled area to see what was going on there.

I have just got back from another 4 days in Sadr City, and am about to put together 3 more stories on the issues there.

The person with the camera on the left of that photo is, I believe, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal who was arriving as we left in early June.

This picture was shot in the US-controlled area of Sadr City. This part of the densely packed conurbation of more than 2 million people represents only about a quarter of the total area, and less than a quarter of its population. It is the most affluent part of the city, and a place where the Mehdi army extorted local businesses for million of dollars in cash every month in a violent protection racket. It has a population of business people whose priority is to get their businesses up and running as soon as possible.

Any kind of new military force maintaining a semblance of order allows them to do that.

Let me tell you what the situation is like there. Parts of the area (as you could see) are a complete bombed-out mess.. The US military are doing what they can about this, with compensation payments and grants of cash. Although Mehdi Army fighters probably caused most of the damage you are looking at, the locals still blame the US for the bulk of it.. because after all, if the US had not gone after them, their shops would still be standing.

And the security cordon the US has put up is causing many local complaints because they say it's keeping customers out.

This is perverse, and probably from an outsider's point of view unfair.. but it's the reality.

Are people happy to see the US military? Yes – up to a point. Kids are ALWAYS happy to see soldiers these days. The soldiers love them. They play ball with them, and give them lollipops, and ruffle their hair.. Kids steal their pens and ask them for money and footballs. They both kid around with each other. That's been the case in Iraq from the outset. Do their parents feel the same way? Who knows? People in Iraq survive by being nice to the person with the most power at any given moment in time.

So what about the Jaish Al Mehdi?

We spent a lot of time on the street, over the course of 4 trips in, talking to locals about how they felt. And most of them are far too scared about the ongoing presence of J.A.M. fighters to even tell you. JAM spies are everywhere, even in the US-controlled districts.

We can't go anywhere as reporters without 20-plus soldiers armed to the teeth and extremely vigilant. Twice last week the military escort to the US State Department working in Sadr City with local politicians was fired on by snipers. We dare not take off our helmets or body armour.

There was a place I wanted to go to film – in the US-controlled area of Sadr City – yesterday but was not allowed to because it was deemed too great a risk to me and my crew.

And there's the rest of Sadr City where the US isn't 'allowed' to go because of the terms of the Iranian-negotiated truce.. and where the Iraqi Army have not ventured either, except for token forays to say: "We're here! – (sort of)".

Has JAM been dealt to? Has it received the 'fatal blow'? No way. It's accepted universally that they are going to try to stage some kind of a come-back.. that they are waiting for a lessening of vigilance or a reduction of troop presence on either the US or Iraqi side, or both, to raise their heads again and try to re-establish control.

The only thing that will keep them at bay is if the local population stop backing them. But for decades, the Sadr Movement has been the only consistent support the people of Sadr City have had. With good reason, they don't trust anyone else. And the militia men are the 'devil they know'.

The media here is not 'hiding' a 'victory' from the US public. Things have in places all over Iraq demonstrably improved from how they were a year ago. But in many of those places it's on a knife edge. That knife edge COULD be a 'turning point'. I hope history will show it's a turning point.

But for any responsible journalist who sees what it's like on the ground, there are simply too many variables – very nasty variables – at play here.

There are plenty of conspiracy theories out there about what's 'really' happening in Iraq. But there is not some kind of 'liberal plot' to deny US citizens the facts.

It's a lovely photo. Like any photo, it doesn't tell the whole story.

First off,  Anita, thank you very, very much for sharing your on-the-spot perspective with me and my modest readership. I really appreciate it.

I admit I often paint with a broad brush. "Spouting off" — especially late at night after adult beverages — frequently leads to that. And of course, all generalizations are wrong. πŸ™‚ I should have said there haven't been many reports instead of any. Your name sounded familiar, so I did a quick search and found a transcript of your June 10 story on Brit Hume's show. I'm sorry I missed that. Gen. Qureshi and Maj. Rider sound like interesting people, and it's a good story.

Frankly, I don't watch Fox News as much as I probably should. Maybe my timing is just bad, but most of the time when I tune in, it's either the latest missing coed, another murdered spouse, this week's Trial of the Century, or Democratic and Republican spinmeisters talking over the top of each other and quickly getting on my nerves.

I read the local papers and watch the local late news, and their Iraq coverage is mostly wire service reports. Online, I look at the NYTimes, WaPo, FoxNews, MSNBC, etc. But again, except for the first two, most of the stories are from AP, AFP, and Reuters (and most of those rely in part or in whole on local stringers whose objectivity and objectives are very much in question). In general, I don't see nuanced, balanced assessments. But I do see far, far, far fewer reports than in the past when the situation in Iraq was worse.

Case in point: In late March and early April, I saw a constant flood of stories about Operation Knight's Charge, and they were unrelentingly negative — "Basra Assault Exposed U.S., Iraqi Limits," "Assault on Basra Backfires," "Defeated Maliki Accepts Cease-Fire," "Sadr digs in as Basra attack falters," "Maliki Blinks," and my favorite, Time magazine's analysis of "How Moqtada al-Sadr Won in Basra." I don't remember even one of those stories (which generally built up al-Sadr and how he "stood up to" Maliki and the U.S.) mentioning that Mookie was in hiding in Iran the whole time.

To get a different perspective (and analyses that are much more knowledgable about military matters), I read Strategy Page, The Long War Journal, IraqStatusReport, etc. Dafydd and Sachi at Big Lizards (shield your eyes; the banner is blinding) performed yeoman service with a series of in-depth analyses (on March 27, March 28 , March 29, March 30, March 31, April 2, April 9, and a wrap-up on April 30) of the Basra and Sadr City operations, the negative MSM reports, and the very different assessments from alternative sources like Bill Roggio. Looking back now, it's clear that Dafydd and the sources on which he relied had the story far more correct from the beginning than, in particular, the AP and NYTimes.

As it became increasingly clear that the Maliki government and U.S. were achieving important political as well as military goals, that al-Sadr was being seriously weakened and marginalized, and that Operation Knight's Charge was not the defeat and embarrassment that media reports had prematurely declared, I saw fewer and fewer stories about how it was going. And the AP, as Dafydd pointed out in his April 30 post, decided that the best way to characterize the successes of April was to emphasize an increase in U.S. casualties.

Now, some of the lack of interest in success may be the natural tendency of the media to focus on disasters, tragedies, etc. And please understand that my criticism is not directed at you and your fellow journalists in Iraq. I realize that you're almost certainly correct to point out that this hasn't been an unqualified or final "victory." And I realize that reporters there are continuing to risk their lives and file stories all the time, but that the decisions about what to print or broadcast are in the hands of their editors and producers. I only see what passes through the filters, and only a fraction of that.

Nevertheless, the pattern of trumpeting bad news and downplaying or ignoring good news seems very clear to me (and very consistent over time). So I'll continue following the work of independent journalists like Michael Yon, Bill Ardolino, and Bill Roggio. They've been there too, they have military experience that informs their reporting, and they've been fair and balanced, as best I can tell — quite critical of our efforts when that's how they saw it. When their version of events contradicts that of some Iraqi AP stringers with unknown backgrounds and agendas (some of whom have clearly filed bogus stories and photos in the past), I know who I'm more inclined to trust.

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No news from Sadr City — I wonder why

Posted by Richard on June 14, 2008

Remember Sadr City, the Shi'ite suburb of Baghdad? That's the place where, according to mainstream media reports earlier this spring, American and Iraqi Army forces were being handed a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the all-powerful Mahdi Army, proving that the surge was a failure and the insurgent militias were in control.

There haven't been any mainstream media reports from Sadr City in a while (or from the other "Mahdi stronghold," Basra, which is now firmly in the hands of the Iraqi government). Gateway Pundit posted this U.S. Army photo that makes the reason for the MSM's sudden disinterest pretty clear:

US Troops Celebrated In Sadr City

A U.S. Army Soldier gets a lift from an Iraqi boy and his mule on Route Douglas in the Jamilla Market in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, June 9, 2008. (U.S. Army photo by Tech. Sgt. Cohen A. Young, MNF-Iraq)

Really– What more can you say?
US Soldiers- Smiling children- Safe Streets- Sadr City
Sensational
.

Indeed™. 

(HT: Doug Ross, who thinks this may be the "photo o' the year," and wondered "when Reid and the rest of the Democrats will issue a formal apology to the U.S. military.")

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Fly the flag on 9/11

Posted by Richard on September 10, 2007

Tomorrow, be sure you display the flag. And maybe take a few minutes to learn about and remember some of the 2,996 who were murdered on that day six years ago.

Also, I've been remiss in not posting about Move America Forward's pro-troop caravan, the "Fight for Victory Tour." The MAF caravan began in Carson City, NV, on Sept. 3, headed west to California, and then turned east and headed cross-country. They're holding 27 pro-troop rallies along the way. Tomorrow evening, they'll hold a candlelight vigil in Niles, Illinois (a Chicago suburb).

On Saturday morning, Sept. 15, in Washington, D.C., MAF will join up with A Gathering of Eagles, Eagles Up!, Vets for Freedom, Families United, and others for a pro-victory rally at the National Mall, countering International A.N.S.W.E.R.'s rally for defeat and contemptible "die-in." A Gathering of Eagles will be in Washington all week; they spent today lobbying members of Congress. Families United and Vets for Freedom will be on Capitol Hill lobbying next week.

If you agree that we can and must defeat our enemies in the Iraq theater of the Global War Against Islamofascism, please join me in supporting the efforts of these five organizations by donating what you can to some or all.

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Call for Victory

Posted by Richard on August 16, 2007

Today, MoveOn.org members are pressuring members of Congress to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and order an immediate retreat from Iraq. Vets for Freedom and Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission are urging people to call or fax their Senators and Representative to counter the defeatists' efforts:

Veterans of the Iraq war have joined with families of those serving and sacrificing in Iraq to focus on the cost of a U.S. defeat in Iraq. On Thursday, August 16, they will fight back against efforts by MoveOn.org to bully the American people into ending the mission just as it is showing significant signs of progress.

"As families of those who are serving or have made the ultimate sacrifice, we must educate our fellow Americans about the need to continue the mission and the terrible price we will pay if we retreat now," said Merrilee Carlson, the president of Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission.

Added Pete Hegseth, executive director of Vets for Freedom: "Moveon.org will talk a lot about the money we are spending. But what they won't discuss – and what in truth they just don't care about – is the overwhelming cost of U.S. and Iraqi lives and security if we give up too soon and lose this war. As veterans of Iraq who have served on the ground, we understand the progress that is being made and we know the terrible price that America will pay if we were to pack up and leave without defeating al-Qaeda."

They noted that possible outcomes of defeat include:

  • A bloodbath in Iraq, costing hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi lives and possibly destabilize the entire Middle East region.

  • A failed state in Iraq and a safe haven for Al Qaeda to plan future attacks against America and her allies.

  • An emboldened Iran in pursuit of nuclear weapons and a victorious Al Qaeda in pursuit of new ways to kill Americans at home and around the world.

Both organizations are urging their members, and all Americans who support the mission, to use August 16, 2007 to educate their members of Congress about the cost of defeat, to write to their local newspapers explaining the consequences of a precipitous withdrawal, and to engage their fellow citizens to discuss the issues at stake. Vets for Freedom will encourage all of its members to call their members of Congress on August 16.

For all the info you need to contact your congresscritters, go to this Victory Caucus page and enter your ZIP code.

I've been remiss, BTW, in not raving about the new Victory Caucus site. It's become an indispensable portal for news of the Iraq campaign. If you want links to the latest reports from official U.S. sources, blogs, new media, and MSM, along with up-to-date metrics on Iraq (imagine that — actual empirical data!) and reports/commentary from troops on the ground, this is the place. Visit the Victory Caucus regularly to stay informed about Iraq (better informed than CNN, which relies on the "narrative" of Michael Ware). I'll help by adding them to the sidebar shortly. 

Vets for Freedom is another great place for war updates, especially information by and about the troops. And if you're an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran, sign up now for their September 17-18 Vets on the Hill project.

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Hearts and minds

Posted by Richard on July 24, 2007

Investors Business Daily:

The cut-and-run Democrats have long argued that our presence in Iraq has merely stirred things up and given al-Qaida an effective recruiting tool. Well, we've certainly stirred things up — and thanks to the success of our surgin' general, David Petraeus, we have a bevy of new Iraqi recruits. Except they've got al-Qaida in their cross hairs.

On Saturday, members of the 1st Cavalry Division based near Taji brokered a formal agreement between Sunni and Shiite tribal leaders to join forces against al-Qaida and other jihadists. The Sunni and Shiite agreed to use members of more than 25 local tribes to protect the area around Taji, just 12 miles north of Baghdad.

The deal is just the latest example of the progress Democrats claim isn't happening in Iraq — a series of deals with various tribes and militia groups that at one point were part of the insurgency. But it's the first involving both Sunni and Shiite sheiks together.

Read the whole thing.  

 

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Senate vs. real world

Posted by Richard on July 19, 2007

Harry Reid's all-nighter was all make-believe. At Sen. Barbara Boxer's behest, Reid scheduled the votes five hours apart, so most senators went home or slept in their offices. The cots were just stage props that went unused. The gimmick resulted in fewer jellyfish Republicans embracing defeat than before, so that didn't work out too well for Reid.

Yesterday, Rush played a clip of Sen. Boxer on CNN saying the Democrats' goal was to get our troops "back on track, going after Al-Qaeda" and "out of the civil war."

Meanwhile, in the real world, Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud al-Mashhadani was spilling his guts to his American captors about who we're really fighting in Iraq:

The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella terror group affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq, is led by a fictional character designed to mask that group's foreign influence, a captured terror leader has revealed to U.S. interrogators.

In an effort to give Al Qaeda an Iraqi face, terrorists created "a virtual organization in cyberspace," U.S. military spokesman Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner said.

In Web postings, the Islamic State of Iraq has identified its leader as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, a name indicating Iraqi origin. There are no known photos of al-Baghdadi.

Al-Mashhadani said that an actor with an Iraqi accent is used for audio recordings of speeches posted on the Web, Bergner said.

To make their fictional leader appear credible, al-Masri swore allegiance to al-Baghdadi and pledged to obey him, which was essentially swearing allegiance to himself, Bergner said.

Al-Zawahiri also repeatedly referred to al-Baghdadi in video and Internet statements, further deceiving Iraqi followers and perpetuating the myth of al-Baghdadi.

So the people we're fighting in this "civil war" that the Democrats want to get us out of are the same people who declared war on us in 1996 and 1998 (and who began waging war against us at least as early as 1993). They're pretending to be an Iraqi insurgency. I'd like to hear Sen. Boxer explain why she's aiding and abetting their deception.

Boxer and the Democrats are also promoting the idea that we've lost and the situation is hopeless, although even al Zawahiri has admitted that quite the opposite is true. In the real, I mean, Riehl World, Dan Riehl did a nice job of illustrating the progress made in the past 18 months in Iraq:

As the light green fills in month by month, those are areas in which Iraqi forces are now taking the lead. As you begin to see dark green, those areas have been turned over to Iraqi forces. Watch the video below, or here – then tell me there is no progress in Iraq. And remember, Senators, America is watching you.

 Progress In Iraq

  

So, to sum up: It's not a civil war. It's not a distraction from the war with al Qaeda. And we're not losing. Any questions? 

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Fighting for victory

Posted by Richard on July 17, 2007

Today, a hastily-assembled group of Vets for Freedom volunteers made the rounds on Capitol Hill, urging lawmakers to reject the Reid/Pelosi surrender plan, which the Senate will "debate" tonight in an all-night publicity stunt. It's part of a series of pro-victory efforts that the group originally planned for September, but moved up due to the Democrats' accelerated effort to embrace defeat. If you can spare a few bucks, make a donation, please.

Meanwhile, Move America Forward is moving forward with plans for its September cross-country Fight for Victory Tour, culminating with a large rally in Washington, D.C. on September 15, the day Gen. Petraeus' interim report is due. A donation to help with that project would be nice, too.

A week ago, I cited some of the evidence that the situation in Iraq is improving, despite the Democrat cheerleading for defeat. Since then, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch and Gen. Peter Pace have argued strongly that the Petraeus plan is working and we must not withdraw. Even such non-friends of the U.S. military as U.N. Secretary-General Ban have voiced concern about the consequences of a precipitous U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

None of this deters the Democrats, of course, who won't let the possibility of a million dead Iraqis stand in the way of an opportunity to damage the Bush Administration and enhance their 2008 election prospects.

The Dems can count on some of the Republican jellyfish in the Senate, who also have their eyes on 2008, to look at the (media-manipulated) polling data on the war and cave. Stupid Republicans. Opposition to the war is about an inch deep, and will turn around fairly quickly if the Petraeus plan is reasonably successful. The pro-victory base of the party, however, will never forget the cowardice of the weak-kneed wafflers. They can expect primary challenges and fund-raising troubles.

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The veto pen

Posted by Richard on May 3, 2007

Words fail me. Michelle Malkin:

Reader Bill N. e-mails the back story of the veto pen Bush used to nix the Democrats' surrender bill:

Bush signed the veto with a pen given to him by Robert Derga, the father of Marine Corps Reserve Cpl. Dustin Derga, who was killed in Iraq on May 8, 2005. The elder Derga spoke with Bush two weeks ago at a meeting the president had with military families at the White House.

Derga asked Bush to promise to use the pen in his veto. On Tuesday, Derga contacted the White House to remind Bush to use the pen, and so he did. The 24-year-old Dustin Derga served with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion 25th Marines from Columbus, Ohio. The five-year Marine reservist and fire team leader was killed by an armor-piercing round in Anbar Province

Sign the damn petition.  

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We win, they lose

Posted by Richard on May 2, 2007

If you share my contempt and disgust for the Democrats' embrace of defeat, if you agree that the war is lost only if we retreat or surrender, if you think America's strategy for dealing with the global Islamofascist movement should be the same strategy that Ronald Reagan adopted toward the Communist bloc — "We win, they lose" — please sign the petition below.

But first, click here to email your friends and urge them to sign it, too.

(NOTE: If you don’t see the petition below, you have JavaScript turned off. Go to We Win, They Lose to sign.)

 

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Embracing defeat

Posted by Richard on April 20, 2007

Any day now, I expect Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Shadow Secretary of State) and Sen. Harry Reid (Shadow Secretary of Defense) to announce that they're heading for an undisclosed location in the Middle East to meet with representatives of Syria, Iran, al Qaeda in Iraq, and the Mahdi Army. Their purpose? To begin negotiating the terms of surrender for the United States.

I think Rob at Say Anything has their number:

So Harry thinks the war is lost.  Today anyway.  But just three days ago Reid was still talking about giving the troops a “strategy for success” and giving the troops “every penny” they need.

Which is it?  Are we going to try to be successful in Iraq or are we just going to give up and come home?

I think the answer for the Democrats is “neither.” They aren’t interested in trying to win the war in Iraq (as evidenced by Harry’s declaration of defeat above) nor are they interested in withdrawing gracefully. …

The Democrats want nothing less than a full-scale defeat and embarrassment for the President in Iraq, because that’s what will help them the most politically.  They want that, and they don’t care how many troops have to die to get it.

Burning Zeal and Judicious Asininity thought along the same lines about the undermining of morale, comparing Reid's declaration of defeat to Tokyo Rose and Lord Haw Haw, respectively.

Engram at Back Talk has a marvelous post entitled "When al Qaeda talks…" You really need to read the whole thing, but I can't resist quoting this gem:

I wish al Qaeda would directly attach puppet strings to Harry Reid so they could make him say these things without having to kill 200 innocent Iraqis every few weeks. It would be much more efficient that way.

You ought to read Jed Babbin's new column, too. For a lighter take, you can always count on ScrappleFace: "Reid Supports the Troops Who Lost the War"

But the best counterpoint to Reid's contemptible claim comes, naturally, from a Milblogger in Iraq, SSG Thul (I'm quoting almost the whole post because it's too good to excerpt; but click the link anyway, check out his blog, and maybe leave a note of thanks in the comments):

This is the creme de la creme of what the Appeal For Courage is all about. The leader of the majority party of the United States Senate has proclaimed to the world that the war in Iraq is lost. Done. Over. So what the heck are we still doing here then? Why isn't he making plans to fly us home tomorrow?

Oh yeah, that's right, because we haven't lost the war. In point of fact, we are winning the war, though you would never know it from what the media reports. Here in my room, I have a small TV that stays perpetually on the AFN news channel. CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, and Fox are all represented. Yet from none of these news sources have I heard even a peep about the fact that the Coalition yesterday announced the transfer of security responsibilities of the 4th Iraqi province to the Iraqi government. Instead we hear about the wave of bombings in Baghdad. Not one of the anchors that are interviewing the 'live from the Green Zone' reporters has apparently taken notice of the fact that the reporters are no longer wearing body armor.

So you might ask how we can be winning the war when all you see on TV news is reports of bombings and death squads and such. The answer is simple. All of those reports come out of Baghdad itself. There are no reporters out here in the provinces. In nearly 13 months, I have seen one reporter here at Al Asad, and that was a gentleman from 60 Minutes who has been following our brigade from training through deployment to Iraq.

The name of this blog comes from the oath I swore when I enlisted in the Army. I will support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And though I don't consider Sen. Reid an enemy, he surely is not an ally. He is heading a group of politicians who are actively trying to undermine the war effort, and would prefer that we lose the war to further their own political ends. They want to set a timeline for military withdrawal to coincide with the 2008 elections. To further his political career, he is intentionally putting my soldiers and I more at risk.

According to Sen Reid's logic, we would have surrendered to the Germans in December of 1944. During the Battle of the Bulge, the German Army nearly broke the Allied front, and the US suffered one of the highest casualty counts for any battle of the war in Europe. Yet less than 6 months later, the war was over, with Germany surrendering unconditionally.

According to Sen Reid's logic, President Lincoln should have surrendered to the Confederacy in the spring of 1864. The battles of Cold Harbor and the Wilderness, on top of the costly victory at Gettysburg the summer before, were proportionally much worse than the recent suicide bombing campaign in Baghdad. Yet just a year after Cold Harbor, the Confederacy was a footnote in history.

I can only hope that the American people at home will trust the soldiers on the ground instead of the politicians trying to advance their careers. If we can hang on long enough to win the war, it will be a tough time to be a Democrat in America. Stabbing the troops in the back during a war will be hard to live down.

Bravo, Sergeant! Bless your noble heart, stay safe, and know that many here at home support you and your mission and have the utmost admiration for and confidence in our troops.

The Appeal for Courage that the Sergeant mentioned is something I blogged about last month. If you're active duty military, Reserve, or National Guard, please go there and sign up.

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The Eagles soared!

Posted by Richard on March 18, 2007

I haven't had the TV on since Friday, so this morning, I've been visiting various websites to find out what happened in Washington yesterday at the big anti-war march. What I learned made my heart swell and my eyes well. The anti-war turnout fell far short of expectations. The pro-troops, pro-victory Gathering of Eagles far outnumbered them! According to the National Park Service, GoE turned out 30,000:

Fox News reported today that the anti-war protesters had significantly less than they expected. However, they are erroneously reporting that the Eagles were there in "equal numbers". The truth is that we outnumbered them by at least three to one!

Consider…ANSWER had a year to plan their well-publicized event and were hoping for around 100,000. They actually drew about 5,000-10,000, according to various news reports today. The Gathering of Eagles, on the other hand, had about six weeks to plan an unprecedented response – and with no advertising, no publicity, no celebrity or political endorsement, no news coverage, and no big money, we had about 30,000 boots on the ground!

Go see the roundup by Michelle Malkin. She has a number of pictures, including a very moving and beautiful photo taken by Leslie Grainger, a college student who drove 12 hours to be there.

Next, visit Gates of Vienna for Baron Bodissey's marvelous account of his experiences among both the Eagles and the anti-war marchers, profusely illustrated. Don't miss his story of the disabled vet and the Gates of Vienna fan.

Then drop by Hot Air for Bryan's comments and links and a preview of Move America Forward's new ad. If you like it, make a contribution to help air it.

Want to see still more pictures? Michelle and the Hot Air staff have 273 of them waiting for you on Flickr. And Smash has posted a few photos and comments already, and promises more to come today. 

 

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We’re not losing

Posted by Richard on March 14, 2007

The inimitable Col. Austin Bay's latest column, available at StrategyPage, RealClearPolitics, and TCS Daily, is just outstanding:

The chattering class nostrum that Free Iraq and its coalition allies have "lost the Iraq war" is so blatantly wrong it would be a source of laughter were human life and hope-inspiring liberty not at such terrible risk.

In terms of fundamental historical changes favoring 21st century freedom and peace, what Free Iraq and its Coalition allies have accomplished in four short years is nothing short of astonishing.

The Iraqi people are earning their victory and their liberty.

Read. The. Whole. Thing. Then go to his blog to read more thoughts about his Birmingham-Baghdad analogy. Marvelous!

 

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