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POPSSecret Mission Rescues Yemen's Jews 
and travel to the capital 50 miles to the south. There, they met U.S. State Department officials conducting a clandestine operation to bring some of Yemen's last remaining Jews to America to escape rising anti-Semitic violence in his country. In all, about 60 Yemeni Jews have resettled in the U.S. since July; officials say another 100 could still come. There were an estimated 350 in Yemen before the operation began. Some of the remainder may go to Israel and some will stay behind, most in a government enclave. The secret evacuation of the Yemeni Jews -- considered by historians to be one of the oldest of the Jewish diaspora communities -- is a sign of America's growing concern about this Arabian Peninsula land of 23 million. The operation followed a year of mounting harassment, and was plotted with Jewish relief groups while Washington was signaling alarm about Yemen. In July, Gen. David Petraeus was dispatched to Yemen to encourage President Ali Abdullah Saleh to be
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POPSThe Long Road to Indecision (we need a "Decider") selecting Gen. Stanley McChrystal to implement it, the administration began to get very cold feet about the war it had described as a strategic necessity. Consider this quick timeline: March 27 . Accompanied by Gen. David Petraeus, author of the Iraq “surge” and head of U.S. Central Command, President Obama announces the conclusion of the “Af-Pak” review: a “comprehensive strategy” to “disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda” and “combat insurgents”"i.e., the Taliban. May 11 . McKiernan is fired and replaced by Gen. Stanley McChrystal. “We have a new strategy, a new mission and a new ambassador. Late June . Traveling in Afghanistan with Bob Woodward"who has by now simply opened an office in the West Wing"National Security Adviser (and ex-Marine general) Jim Jones tells on-the-ground commanders “that the Obama administration wants to hold troop levels here flat for now, . . .
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POPSExcuses wearing thin for Obama, media pals He lost me completely when his Administration declared we were in an economic crisis then he & the Congress proceeded to sink us even deeper with irresponsible spending. The spending is in such huge amounts that there is no accountability or oversight. It's going down a black hole and our Country is going with it.
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POPSSearching For Consensus on Afghanistan share the same strategic interests and that the return to power of the Taliban would automatically mean a new sanctuary for al-Qaeda. Is that a myth? Here is Barack Obama on March 27, 2009, announcing his first new strategy for Afghanistan: "And if the Afghan government falls to the Taliban - or allows al Qaeda to go unchallenged - that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can." He added: The return in force of al Qaeda terrorists who would accompany the core Taliban leadership would cast Afghanistan under the shadow of perpetual violence. Later in the Post article, the reporters quote a "senior Obama official" comparing Afghanistan and Pakistan. "Eight months ago, if you had asked people which was worse, everybody would have said Pakistan is worse and Afghanistan is in good shape." Afghanistan was in good shape? 2008 was the deadliest year for American troops there. Nobody paying any attention
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POPSAfghanistan: Krauthammer's Take If he tells you that his expertise in that area is useless and what you have to do is go to the other strategy, it's persuasive. The administration is refusing that advice, at least up until now, because it means a costly year, year and a half, two years " as we had in Iraq with the surge " that it thinks that politically it cannot afford.
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POPS2009-ConceptOfTroopMoraleDiscoveredByMedia This year PBS,et al,deliver empathetic stories on service personnel. WOW.And to think that they were either poor unwitting victims or outright soldiers of the evil empire before Obama came in. Amazing the mass transformation.
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POPSObama's War PBS Premiere October 13th As the debate in Washington intensifies, FRONTLINE reports the high stakes on the ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Martin Smith (The War Briefing) embeds with the Marines of Echo Company for an up-close look at Obama's counterinsurgency strategy. Obama's War airs Tues, Oct 13 on PBS. Video (24:46) Warning: This video contains graphic language and imagery http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamaswar/?utm_campaign=ObamasWar&utm_medium=BlogAds&utm_source=Image
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POPSPresident Obama Had Better Learn That Being Allergic To The Word “Victory” Has Serious Consequences Since American soldiers are doing the vast majority of the dirty work, their per-capita death rate is still 1-1/2 to two times that of their counterparts in Iraq.) President Obama had better learn that being allergic to the word “victory” has serious consequences " and quickly. __________________________________________ Joseph Curl at the Washington Times recites some of the “distractions” that are apparently keeping Obama from paying proper attention to Afghanistan and carrying out his primary role as Commander in Chief: In the past month, the president has found the time to play golf " four times. He’s had links legend Arnold Palmer and other top golfers over to the White House. He’s shot some hoops with friends and yukked it up with hockey’s Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s celebrated Ramadan at the White House, eulogized newsman Walter Cronkite in New York City, attended several fundraisers (including Thursday afternoon’s luncheon), appeared on David Letterman's . . .
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POPS Chaos-istan The big question now is whether this is going to be about Obama’s ego, or about winning in Afghanistan. If any general is ill-advised to shoot his mouth off, this business may also teach the administration something about blowing off generals at (unnecessarily extended) criticial moments and insisting that political parameters trump military ones in wartime. Maybe if he wasn’t so distracted with trying to have Democratic Christmas in October … an expensive tax-and-fee-subsidized health care giveaway in the middle of economic crisis and war. To be followed on by cap-and-trade’s assault on business, industry, utilities and consumers. And then you’ve got Iran, unresponsive to the extended hand of friendship. AFP, “On Afghanistan, US military puts Obama on the spot,” NYT with a look at Petraeus includes the unfortunate news that this president is less interested in listening to his generals than his predecessor was.... LA Times: “Afghanistan assault points out .....
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POPS8 Troops Killed In Afghanistan; Remote Outposts Attacked Nuristan, bordering Pakistan, was where a militant raid on another outpost in July 2008 claimed the lives of nine American soldiers and led to allegations of negligence by their senior commanders. Army Gen. David Petraeus last week ordered a new investigation into that fighting, in which some 200 militants armed with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars pushed their way into the base, which is no longer operating. The region was key for Arab militants who battled alongside Afghan warriors during the 1980s U.S.-backed war against invading Russians because it is a rare place in South Asia where the Wahhabi sect of Islam is practiced – the same sect followed by Osama bin Laden and most Saudis.
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POPSU.S. Iraq Withdrawal 'accelerating' What a waste of lives and money Iraq and Afghanistan are! "President Barack Obama meets senior military officers and administration officials to discuss US strategy in Afghanistan." It's pathetic!
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POPSObama to Meet High-Powered Aides for Afghan Review were the top ranking civilian officials expected for a bracing session on a war some supporters fear could swamp Obama's presidency. War commander General Stanley McChrystal, who warned in a leaked report that the conflict could be lost within a year without more troops, was also due to to take part, either in person or by video link-up, the White House said. Other top military brass included were General David Petraeus who heads US central command, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair. CIA chief Leon Panetta was also due to take part, along with Richard Holbrooke, the US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as the US ambassadors to Islamabad and Kabul. Obama warned after meeting NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday that the United States could not fight the battle in Afghanistan alone, in remarks apparently aimed at European partners.
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POPSThe Afghansitan Ant Lion Ever seen how an ant lion traps his prey? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWkfAyfBDHE Now, instead of sand, you get selected pieces of "soft " information and pass it around via leaks to reporters and op-ed types who will be glad to serve as trap assistants. The ant lion may be a someone working in the background who can always deny that he had anything to do with the trap. The problem is that now, there are hundreds of folks who can tell everyone about the trap and the set up. If we are really going to change how things have been done in the past to screw things up, I think that when a General has a report to send the President that he ought to deliver it in person and on camera and then they sit down and talk about it in public. If there are leaks about the report, then fire the General who can't do the job on his/her own. Lincoln has to fire a lot of folks until he got two winners, Obama should do the same.
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POPSEight Years Later: Speak Out Against the War in Afghanistan I remember the day after 9-11 when I was talking to a group of friends in Rehab about it--they (all supposedly reasonable people) all wanted to go to war and I was alone in saying that going to war would solve NOTHING. So, who was right? 'Mericans first response to any crisis seems to be violence of some kind and I'm SICK OF IT. So speak out, don't hold back, fellow Americans!!!
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POPSThe Rise of the Uncouth Hypocrites. It's just that now it's their ox that's being gored and with the internet, bloggers, and "un-named sources" there is no hiding anymore.
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POPSOsama bin Laden Message Surfaces in Wake of 9/11 Anniversary Bin Laden also links President Obama to the Bush Administration, saying "the sour reality is that the new administration is still covering you in the shroud of darkness. So how's that "appeasement" working out for you Dems? The 11 minute audio message was released in a video from al Qaeda's as-Sahab's propraganda arm. The title, "Message to the American People" is superimposed over an artist's rendition of the New York City skyline with the World Trade Center towers still standing. Oh yeah, but Bin Laden is dead, right?
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POPSDon't Tread on U.S. Do they mean Code Pink which never missed an opportunity to bash the military and our “terrorist” former president? How about ACORN whose tactics have earned that organization indictments–and convictions? How about the New Black Panther Party whose attempt to intimidate voters in Philadelphia was referred to the Justice Dept.–which inexplicably dropped the case? How about MoveOn.org which called General Petraeus General “Betrayus” for “crime” of dedicating his life to protecting America? And who can possibly forget the countless number of left-wing college students on campuses across the country who have intimidated, harassed–and attacked–conservative speakers daring to exercise their First Amendment rights? Hypocrites one and all, but they pale in comparison to an administration headed by a former community organizer not only denigrating community organizing, but creating a website, flag@whitehouse.gov for Americans who wish to rat out their fellow Americans f
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POPSArmy Gives Money To Harvard The minister who gave the invocation could barely disguise his disgust for the military, while the president of a university that declines to be involved in the cadets’ military education felt compelled to condescendingly hand out copies of “Just And Unjust War,” as if they might not be familiar with the concept. Having Gen. Petraeus on hand seemed to be a draw, though. Big crowd that cheered and clapped a lot. Here’s Harvard student handbook warning to students: Current federal policy of excluding known lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals from admission to ROTC or of discharging them from service is inconsistent with Harvard’s values as stated in its policy on discrimination. (See Harvard’s policy on discrimination on page 292.) Although the University respects the right of undergraduates to choose to participate in ROTC, the University does not provide any financial or other direct support for the ROTC program at MIT.
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POPSPredator Drones Killing US Chances for Peace The Predator drones seem to be a "cool" way to kill and assassinate US enemies without risking US soldiers. It actually kills more innocents than though, creates new enemies, may well violate Presidential Executive Orders against assassination, and in the end may put more US soldiers at risk.
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POPSShadow Wars "The similarities between Gates' proposals and the strategy adopted by the Kennedy administration are too great to ignore," notes Nation defense correspondent Michael Klare. These similarities include "a shift in focus toward unconventional conflict in the Third World." Gates' budget would increase the number of SOFs by 2,800, build more drones like the Predator and its bigger, more lethal cousin, the Reaper, and enhance the rapid movement of troops and equipment. All of this is part of General David Petraeus's counterinsurgency doctrine. The concept is hardly new. The units are different than they were 50 years ago - Navy SEALS and Delta Force have replaced Green Berets - but the philosophy is the same. And while the public face of counterinsurgency is winning "hearts and minds" by building schools and digging wells, its core is 3AM raids and Hellfire missiles.
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POPS Obama Considers Detaining Terror Suspects Indefinitely Defense Secretary Robert Gates, at a hearing last month, hinted at the administration's deliberations, saying that there were "50 to 100 probably in that ballpark who we cannot release and cannot trust, either in Article 3 courts or military commissions." Mr. Gates and the commanders worried that the pictures would spur new anti-American violence in Iraq and Afghanistan. The administration's move to block the release of military detainee photos was welcomed by Republicans in Congress and by some military family groups but condemned by the ACLU and others.
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POPSBand of Brothers 101st Airborne Motto "Currahee!" via Antara ~ ~ ~ "Hang tough, big guy," he said. "Your troopers need you back out there." But Petraeus' four stars carried no weight. "There was absolutely no response whatsoever," Petraeus said. "Did you think there was any hope?" Martin asked. "Not really," Petraeus said. "I see his beautiful blue eyes but he's staring straight right through me, and he doesn't know who I am and he doesn’t know I'm there," Joanne said. Petraeus turned to leave, then decided to give it one last try. "I just decided to shout out 'Currihee.'" That's right, "Currihee." It's a Cherokee Indian word that the was the motto for the famous "Brand of Brothers" regiment in the 101st. "We counted 'One, two, three, Currihee,'" Petraeus said. "That's when he kind of sat up in the bed as best as he could," said Brennan's dad Jim. "Like saying, 'I'm in here, I'm in here,'" Joanne said.
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POPSGen. Petraeus Implements Military Surge Against Four Somali Pirates in a Lifeboat Think this is an ONION story? Nope just USAnian overkill... "We want to ensure that we have all the capability that might be needed over the course of the coming days," Petraeus said. Seriously, who needs the Onion? But the plot is thickening. While the US Navy rushes in its reinforcements (it really seems so silly to write this), it looks like the pirates may be calling in back-up of their own: two pirate ships had left Eyl on Wednesday afternoon. He said a third -- the German cargo ship Hansa Stavanger -- had sailed from Xarardheere, some 230 miles south along the Somali coastline, and a fourth -- a Taiwanese fishing vessel seized Monday that was only 30 miles from the lifeboat -- was also on its way. The man said there were a total of 52 hostages aboard the ships floating toward the scene.
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POPSThe War Not Lost A very interesting interview with Thomas Ricks on the Iraq War, discussing its failures, its successes and why. The interview gives new insight into a war that may not be winnable, but now seems to be on the verge of not being lost.
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