0
POPSThe Democrats' Fairy Tale
And the improvements in Anbar could never have been sustained without aggressive American military efforts — efforts that were more effective in 2007 than they had been in 2006, due in part to the addition of the surge forces. Last year’s success, in Anbar and elsewhere, was made possible by confidence among Iraqis that U.S. troops would stay and help protect them, that the U.S. would not abandon them to their enemies. Because the U.S. sent more troops instead of withdrawing — because, in other words, President Bush won his battles in 2007 with the Democratic Congress — we have been able to turn around the situation in Iraq. And now Iraq’s Parliament has passed a de-Baathification law — one of the so-called benchmarks Congress established for political reconciliation. For much of 2007, Democrats were able to deprecate the military progress and political reconciliation taking place on the ground by harping on the failure of the Iraqi government to pass the benchmark legislation
1
POPSAfghanistan: Obama Sees Problems; McCain Sees A solution The differences are not small ones, and reflect a distinction between the kind of staff-driven, laundry-list mush that sees the immensity of a problem and a leader-driven set of priorities that sees a solution. It is the distinction between Obama's opposition to the Iraq surge and McCain's support for it: not just the courage to make the tough choice, but the clarity to follow the right course. It's also the distinction between winning the war and simply ending it. Thomas Donnelly is the Resident Fellow in Foreign & Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
1
POPSMaliki's Bet Mr. Obama, he is also placing one on Mr. McCain, which is that in the event the Republican is elected, he will place principle and the national interest over politics and petty vindictiveness. For our part we see the emergence of an Iraq making its own choices in these matters rather than having them dictated by the American ambassador or American generals as yet another sign of victory in the Battle of Iraq. The Iraqis want America as their friends whether Mr. Obama or Mr. McCain is president. For all the talk by critics of how the Iraq War supposedly alienated America from the world, here is an administration in Baghdad maneuvering for a friend in the White House.
1
POPSSupport Of Obama Shaped By Ahmad Chalabi Advice security decisions of Iraq's army to forward a Shiite confessional agenda. The role of Mr. Chalabi, whose party failed to gain any seats in the 2005 federal parliamentary elections, should be of interest to close watchers of the Bush administration. While Mr. Chalabi has clashed with both the American embassy and at times with Mr. Maliki, he nonetheless is still regarded among the Shiite political class as knowledgeable of American politics from his days lobbying for the Iraq Liberation Act in Washington. At the time, in the late 1990s, Senator McCain was one of Mr. Chalabi's biggest supporters. Mr. Brooke yesterday pointed out that Mr. Chalabi was appointed in 2007 by Mr. Maliki to chair a special committee aimed at restoring basic services to the citizens of Baghdad. "Maliki was number two in the Debaathification commission from the beginning when it was started in 2003. He has been in constant contact with Dr. Chalabi since that time," Mr. Brooke said.
3
POPSGeneral Obama Calls For Shift Of U.S. Forces To Afghanistan Obama, who has made his opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq five years ago a centerpiece of his campaign, was in Baghdad to assess security in Iraq, where violence has fallen to its lowest level since early 2004. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Obama did not mention his pledge to remove U.S. combat troops within 16 months if he takes office in talks with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. But in comments suggesting Iraq and Obama are not far apart on the timeframe, Dabbagh said Baghdad's goal was for foreign combat forces to leave by the end of 2010 if security conditions allowed. Dabbagh has floated a similar timeframe before. "We cannot give any timetables or dates but the Iraqi government believes the end of 2010 is the appropriate time for the withdrawal of the forces," Dabbagh told reporters. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080721/pl_nm/iraq_dc
1
POPSHezbollah Brigades Propaganda Specialist Captured In Baghdad Shia terror groups have launched a handful of IRAM attacks on US and Iraqi outposts in Baghdad. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/06/mahdi_army_uses_flyi.php Hezbollah Brigades also posted video of an attack on a US patrol with an Iranian-supplied, armor-piercing, explosively formed projectile, or EFP. The capture of the Hezbollah Brigades propaganda expert is the latest in a series of raids against Shia terrorists. Scores of Special Groups operatives have been captured over the past month, including senior leaders, weapons smugglers, financiers, trainers, and cell leaders.
3
POPSPolitical Theater al-Maliki Style As the security situation has improved, Iraqis increasingly are calling for the drawdown of American troops, and it probably will be a top issue in the provincial elections. Maliki has tried to balance voters’ preference for the departure of foreign forces with the Bush administration’s opposition to a timeline. In an interview with Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine this week, Maliki seemed to endorse Obama’s troop-withdrawal proposal, drawing the ire of the White House. The prime minister's office later backed away from the interview. But Monday’s statement by Maliki’s spokesman suggested that he's speaking with an audience different from the White House in mind: Iraqi voters.
6
POPSObama Now Supports The Bush Policy?...And How 'Bout The Worshipping Media The press isn’t just acting like Obama is already president - they’re exceeding the sort of international coverage they have given the sitting president, who could barely buy a headline while in Africa and whose recent trip to Japan - which occurred during his birthday - went widely unnoted. But that’s the honest, balanced, unbiased mediating intelligence” of the modern day mainstream media. You do realize, don’t you, that if a GOP candidate with weak foreign policy was doing the same thing - making a “world tour” with dramatic backdrops - the press would be sneering about how the whole thing is a “stunt” meant to “deflect his inexperience.” I know you know it, but I had to say it, anyway. But hey, no bias here.
2
POPSWill Washington Betray Anti-Regime Iranians? and I believe that that should lead to a review of whether they are still a terrorist organization or not." Since then, an interagency group of the U.S. government, led by the FBI, has exonerated the Iranians at Ashraf of terrorism. After a British court ruled that the group was not "concerned in terrorism," the U.K. government in June removed the group from its terrorist list. The Iranian regime is determined to destroy its main opponent and, with some success, has pressured the Iraqi government to disband Camp Ashraf and turn MEK members over to Iran. Then, on July 9, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that the Iraqi government had decided to expel members of the MEK. The Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kezemi-Qomi, specified that the Iraqi cabinet had agreed quickly to expel the MEK from Iraq. Iranian television reported on July 6 that "American military forces have announced their readiness to hand over" Camp Ashraf to Baghdad.
4
POPSMcCain Hits Obama On Iraq, Outlines Afghanistan Plan some of whose members have national restrictions on where their troops can go and what they can do. This is no way to run a war.” The Arizona senator touted the Afghan army as a “great success story” and said it needs to be expanded. He added that the global community should share the cost of doubling the size of the Afghan army. “We must convince Pakistanis that this is their war as much as it is ours. And we must empower the new civilian government of Pakistan to defeat radicalism with greater support for development, health and education,” McCain said. “Sen. Obama has spoken in public about taking unilateral military action in Pakistan. In trying to sound tough, he has made it harder for the people whose support we most need to provide it,” he added. “I will not bluster, and I will not make idle threats. But understand this: When I am commander in chief, there will be nowhere the terrorists can run, and nowhere they can hide.”
6
POPSLurching With Abandon The senator had previously promised to filibuster the bill if it contained the immunity clause. There has been a reluctance among blacks to openly criticize Senator Obama, but behind the scenes, there is discontent among African-Americans, as well, over Mr. Obama’s move away from progressive issues. There’s even concern that he’s doing the Obama two-step on the issue that has been the cornerstone of his campaign: his opposition to the war in Iraq. But the senator denied that any significant change should be inferred from his comment that he would “continue to refine” his policy on the war. He seems to believe that his shifts and twists and clever panders — as opposed to bold, principled leadership on important matters — will entice large numbers of independent and conservative voters to climb off the fence and run into his yard. Time flies and the Iowa caucuses seem a very long time ago.
3
POPSFreedom Rider: Obama's Iraq "Fairy Tale" The latest case of buyer’s remorse concerns Obama’s statements about his plan to visit Iraq in the near future. “I’ve always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed. And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I’m sure I’ll have more information and will continue to refine my policies.” It may be helpful to take a trip down memory lane and fully dissect the fairy tale of the anti-war candidate. In 2004 Senate candidate Barack Obama did not brag about being against the occupation of Iraq e was far more circumspect, criticizing president Bush only for badly managing a war of aggression, and emphasizing that he was not that much different. "There's not that much difference between my position and George Bush's position at this stage. The difference, in my mind, is who's in a position to execute."
5
POPSAbout That 550 Tons Of Yellow Cake Had the United States not invaded Iraq in 2003, that 550 metric tons of yellow cake would have remained physically within Saddam's sphere of influence. Again, perhaps that would not bother some, but in light of 9/11, it bothered many Americans, including President Bush. Yellow cake is a very dangerous substance, which can be converted to WMD with the right equipment and technology. To believe that Saddam Hussein lacked the ability or motivation to acquire and perfect the equipment for production of nuclear WMD is, in my opinion, foolhardy and naive. Those who believe that presence of IAEA inspectors assured that the yellow cake was controlled and adequately protected from diversion can explore the facts: Those who wish to explore the facts further should Goggle "IAEA effectiveness in Iraq" to glean more information, which includes, in part, the following report from the Nuclear Control Institute (http://www.nci.org/new/iraq-ib.htm):
1
POPS"A Bridge Too Far" For the past two weeks, Obama has moved quickly toward the center. He has reversed his previous positions for gun control, against using faith based institutions to deliver public services, against immunity for tele-communications companies that turn records over to the government in terror investigations, for raising Social Security taxes, for imposing the Fairness Doctrine on talk radio, and a host of other issues. In his effort to move to the center, Obama has distorted his own record, meager though it may be, and is taking credit for a program he strongly opposed. http://www.newsmax.com/morris/obama_ad_/2008/07/07/110599.html
3
POPSABC Poll: A Careful Balance Between Left And Far-Left 3 for Obama and 2 for Clinton... No mention of the 54 for McCain. Maybe it wasn't bias --- maybe they just randomly picked five out of the 60 who didn't favor McCain. Never mind the odds of that happening are roughly 1 in 100,000. It was just luck of the draw! Luck of the draw, I tell you!
3
POPSWest Baghdad: Al Karkh Maternity Hospital To Open Doors said Brig. Gen. Jeffery Dorko, Gulf Region Division commander. “Also, working with our Government of Iraq partners, we have constructed 113 of 132 new Primary Healthcare Centers that will treat 8,000 Iraqis each day. “The security situation has improved greatly,” said Atta. “It was very, very bad here for so long. So bad that I refused delivery of vital medical equipment until it was safe from those who would rob and steel from the hospital.” Dr. Atta was painfully aware of the poor security situation after one large delivery of expensive diagnostic equipment that included x-ray machines and other high-end medical equipment was hijacked. “We hope to open the hospital to inpatient care, surgeries and deliveries within two months,” said Dr. Emad Sabry, an anesthesiologist and one of Karkh’s ten senior physicians. “The hospital still needs additional equipment – all types, from beds to incubators and most importantly the pharmaceuticals."
8
POPSDid Valerie Plame Wilson Commit Perjury? But, that is no excuse for the Valerie Wilson-Plame to sit in front of a Congressional Committee and LIE like she did. This is what Valerie Plame said sworn testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Plame also testified that she played no part in deciding to send her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, on a mission to Niger in 2002 to assess the reliability of reports that Iraq's then-president, Saddam Hussein, was trying to buy yellowcake uranium from that country for use in a secret nuclear weapons program. Some CPD officials could not recall how the office decided to contact the former ambassador, however, interviews and documents provided to the Committee indicate that his wife, a CPD employee, suggested his name for the trip. The CPD reports officer told Committee staff that the former ambassador's wife "offered up his name" and a memorandum to the Deputy Chief of the CPD on February 12, 2002.
6
POPSIt Must Suck Being Joseph "Yellow-Cake" Wilson IV Now! In his speech, Ambassador Joseph Wilson described himself as the investigator sent to Niger by the government and says the government sent him there and not the CIA (a lie). Wilson said there was nothing to the uranium story (another lie), described the US as "occupiers" of Iraq (a shocking statement at the time), and described a conspiracy to help Israel dominate the Palestinians. Joe Wilson repeated the lie for several years that the Iraq was not seeking uranium from Niger even though five days after Wilson's NYT op-ed, George Tenet put out a statement describing how the person the CIA sent to check out the Niger story (Joe Wilson) found that the Iraqis had indeed tried to open up trade talks, which were interpretted by government officials in Niger as an attempt to purchase uranium ore. AP Exclusive: US removes uranium from Iraq http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq_yellowcake_mission.html
6
POPSDefinition Of Patriotism: "Happiness When The US Defeats The Enemy" They have lost their supposedly divine endorsement; why would Allah have called them to action, just to see them destroyed by the infidels? The sheer bloodthirstiness of their actions in Iraq have exposed them as drug-driven demons, not righteous jihadists. While Barack Obama and the Democratic party run around shouting to every microphone they can find that “Al-Qaeda is stronger today than it was on 9/11″ have challenged the core assumptions of Al-Qaeda’s motivating philosophy, that Allah is on their side and they cannot fail, and in doing so have crushed the spirit of Al-Qaeda’s followers and assured that recruiting into “Allah’s army” is far more difficult that it would have been if otherwise. Al Qaeda itself is telling a different story. Al-Qaeda leaders admit: 'We are in crisis. There is panic and fear' http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3346386.ece
7
POPSChange! Obama: Don't Worry, I'm Still Planning to Surrender
5
POPSJack Murtha Steps In It Again And, Murtha still has not apologized to the 7 innocent Haditha Marines he accused of cold-blooded murder last time. UPDATE: Murtha's opponent this year for Congress is Lt. Colonel William Russell a decorated combat veteran who has served in Desert Storm, the Iraq War, and the Pentagon on 9/11. You can donate to his campaign HERE. A WilleyBCoyote Video. Murtha Makes An Outrageous Allegation http://newsbusters.org/node/5410
2
POPSVeterans Hit The Battlegrounds We need to finish the job. . . . No matter who is president." Hegseth says his group is not operating on behalf of McCain and notes that federal law prohibits the organization from coordinating the ad with his campaign. The states were chosen, he said, not because they are crucial swing states for McCain, but rather because the heightened interest in those states will give it a larger audience. "We're going to tap into that heightened awareness," he said, noting that his organization has supported several Democratic candidates in the past year or so. "It's not an attack on anybody. We're not taking on any presidential candidates." He said McCain has been the "strongest advocate" for the veterans of the two wars. "We would hope that success in Iraq could benefit everybody," he said.
2
POPSU.S. Ambassador Cites Positive Changes In Iraq The enemy may be pushing back, the Iraqi government’s response displays intolerance for these acts and a determination to reclaim their neighborhoods from the perpetrators, the ambassador said. Leadership response to a June 24 attack in Sadr City aimed at district council members is a prime example. On June 26, the council reconvened to hold the election that had been scheduled for the day of the attack and elected one of the members who had been wounded as its new chairman. It then denounced the attackers, publicly thanked the United States for its support, and extended sympathy to those affected by the attack, Crocker said. “We’ve got more hard work in front of us,” he said. “The fighting is by no means over, but clearly we are in a different and better place than we were even six months ago.” Though work remains to be completed in Iraq, Crocker said, he is certain the climate is in place for Iraqis to build their country on all fronts -- security, political and economic.
2
POPSMcCain vs. Obama On National Security that espouses the destruction of the State of Israel as its fondest wish and pledges undying enmity to the United States to possess the weapons to advance their malevolent ambitions." He also rejects "unconditional dialogues" with Iran. Obama has delivered messages on Iran that were more mixed. But that only makes diplomacy more important. If we must use military force, we are more likely to succeed, and will have far greater support at home and abroad, if we have exhausted our diplomatic efforts." In the same speech, however, Obama promised: "aggressive, principled diplomacy without self-defeating preconditions....Obama missed a vote on a controversial amendment offered by Sen. Jon Kyl and Lieberman that proposed labeling Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization . Obama called the amendment a repeat of the mistakes that led to war in Iraq; however, he had cosponsored an earlier bill declaring the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization
3
POPSIraq Opens 8 Oil, Gas Fields To International Bidding He said even the longer-term contracts would include cash compensation and not a share of oil production. "We don't see a need to allow anyone to share our oil," al-Shahristani said. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Monday that there is no American influence on the Iraqi government's oil decisions. "Politics does not come into this," al-Dabbagh said. "There is no preferential treatment for anyone, no matter who." State Department spokesman Tom Casey confirmed a small number of U.S. advisers were providing "technical support" to the Iraqi Oil Ministry. But he said "they are not there to try and give the Iraqis any kind of specific requests or to make decisions or to even push in an individual direction." Casey said the decision by the Iraqis not to announce contracts for several Western firms Monday was their own and not influenced by Washington.
5
POPSAmerican troops deserve our praise Military leaders believe the Iraqi people are the key to success. Soldiers hope that by helping rebuild this section of the city, they will build trust and a sense of pride. In essence, they're hoping Iraqis will take pride in the new section of city and will push out anyone who wants to disrupt their safety and livelihoods. It's a large task, but it's an example of our military men and women doing whatever it takes to bring safety and prosperity to people half a world away from the United States.
5
POPSYet Another Obama Flip-Flop Flagged, This Time On Iraq As to Hegseth's first-paragraph claim that all of this flipping, flopping, and flailing by Obama is "a good political move": Baloney. It is instead a cravenly cynical strategy that only has a chance of working as long as Old Media stays in the tank for him. Howard Kurtz at the Washington Post noted that the strategy largely worked in the Heller ruling (so far). But there have been some defectors, including PBS's Bonnie Erbe (at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog); there will be more if (or is it as?) the flagrant flip-flops continue. And there's always New Media, which has shown little patience, even in some cases on the left, for much of Obama's recent nonsense. One sign that Old Media is worried about Obama's frequent flip-flopping: Newsweek's Jonathan Darman came out yesterday with a howler about how "flip-flopping has a noble history in this country." Uh-huh.
10
POPSSome Iraqi News Not Reported By "The Media" Meanwhile Bill Roggio reports that a released Gitmo detainee is back to the front and is responsible for attacks inside Iraq : The detainee, Abdullah Salih al Ajmi, drove a armored truck packed with explosives into a Iraqi army base and detonated it, killing 13 Iraqi army soldiers and wounding 42. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/06/released_guantanamo.php Just the tip of the iceberg I’m afraid after our courts release a large chunk of these guys. Al Qaeda in Iraq, through its puppet organization the Islamic State of Iraq, released its latest propaganda video on June 23. The video contains a montage of attacks throughout Iraq, and features two Kuwaiti al Qaeda operatives who conducted strikes in Mosul. One of the operatives was released from the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Islamic State of Iraq used footage taken at Combat Outpost Inman by this reporter in Mosul in March of this year.
6
POPSObama: It's Only About Winning But here's what's scary: For all of Kerry's reputed smoothness and Eastern intellect, he often tied himself in knots trying to reconcile his absurdly opposing positions. Obama can flip and flop with unmatched alacrity and facility and with the absence of self-consciousness and accountability of an accomplished sociopath . This guy doesn't even acknowledge he's changing positions; he does it without breaking a sweat and never looks back. I ask you to consider the common thread underlying these turnarounds his nearly immediate backtracking on whether Iran poses a serious threat to America; his progressive position shifts on Iraq from "don't go in, stay in, and get out"; and his vigorous defense then abandonment of both his pastor and his church. The common thread, in a word, is expedience. It is not toughness; it is not savvy; it is not gravitas; and by all means, it is not admirable. Barack Obama is every bit as politically calculating as Bill Clinton but twice as smooth.
3
POPS Deals With Iraq Are Set To Bring Oil Giants Back For an industry being frozen out of new ventures in the world's dominant oil-producing countries, from Russia to Venezuela, Iraq offers a rare and prized opportunity. The Iraqi Oil Ministry, through a spokesman, said the no-bid contracts were a stop-gap measure to bring modern skills into the fields while the oil law was pending in Parliament. It said the companies had been chosen because they had been advising the ministry without charge for two years before being awarded the contracts, and because these companies had the needed technology. A Shell spokeswoman hinted at the kind of work the companies might be engaged in. "We can confirm that we have submitted a conceptual proposal to the Iraqi authorities to minimize current and future gas flaring in the south through gas gathering and utilization." "The contents of the proposal are confidential," said the spokeswoman.
7
POPSForeign Firms Investing In Iraq Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, in Washington on an official visit, said Monday that larger U.S. firms were waiting for more security before entering the market. Zebari noted that Turkish and Russian companies were already active in Iraq. "They take risks," he told USA TODAY in an interview. "No pain, no gain." Many of the companies active in Iraq now are from countries, including France, Russia and Turkey, that did not send combat troops to back the U.S.-led invasion. Some U.S. and Iraqi officials say American companies risk losing an early opportunity to establish long-term strategic ties with Iraq. "My question is, 'Where are you guys in terms of investment, in terms of economic engagement?' " said Naufel al-Hassan, Iraq's commercial counselor in Washington. "Iraqis need your support. Why let someone else do that?" http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2008-06-16-iraqinvestment_N.htm?csp=34
3
POPSObama and Iran:The Democrats Modern-Day McGovern Judging from last week's address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Sen. Barack Obama doesn't want voters to see him as soft on Iran and its genocidal President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranians "understand - sometimes, it seems, better than a lot of Americans do - that if American power collapses in Iraq, if we abandon our allies" then "our position throughout the region will become much weaker and Iran's position much stronger," Lieberman added. The Senate - including well over half of the Democrats - voted for the amendment, which passed 76-22. Obama, who was absent, said he opposed the amendment because it could be used as pretext to invade Iran. Obama denounced Kyl-Lieberman as "reckless" and criticized his chief rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, for supporting it. However tough he tries to sound when talking to AIPAC, Barack Obama's real sympathies are with the George Soros/MoveOn.org wing of the Democrat Party.
2
POPSDouglas J. Feith His New Book, War And Decision Former undersecretary of defense talks about his book, the Iraq war, the Bush Administration, the media, and the American political class' approach to national security. Show archives are at GlennandHelenShow.com. Music is by Mobius Dick. Listen to this podcast (27:25) or download (15.7 MB) The The Glenn and Helen Show: Doug Feith on War and Decision (lofi version 4.7 MB). Free show subscription available at iTunes.
Newest Clips
see Newest Clips
1
Latest Pops
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Tags
Print
Save
Turn on live update