Greetings from a land of bent and broken things.

Some of you may have noticed I didn't post my own thoughts on yesterday's elections. My reason is simple: it wasn't my day. I watched through tearing eyes. Yes, this old trooper shed a few tears of joy at what had happened. Like the amazing fall of the Berlin wall, the peaceful "revolutions" that freed Eastern Europe, this was another great victory in my lifetime, and one I felt a little bit involved in. This wasn't George Bush's victory, this wasn't America's victory, this certainly wasn't my victory, this was a victory for the people of Iraq and those who love freedom everywhere. I was an observer, a very close observer, but an observer nonetheless.

I liked what I saw.

Now note the header above. The work has just begun. I see bent and broken, scarred and ruined things here every day. Many were damaged years ago. 1991? 2003? In between? After? It's often hard to tell. Many will be fixed in time, others are beyond repair. Now substitute the word "people" for "things" in the preceding and read it again. Meet a group of Iraqi people and one will tell you how grateful he is that we have given him freedom. He will tell you he lived in fear for his life every day under Saddam. His joy is real, and fundamental, and obvious. Then the next will tell you he lost his entire family in the invasion. He's glad Saddam's gone, but he's paid a price that few would be willing to pay were they given the option.

What would you say to him? "Sorry about that. But cheer up, old boy! Other than that you must admit this freedom thing is pretty great, eh?" No - there's nothing that can be said. He may or may not hate the United States, he may blame Saddam for what happened, but here is a man with the rest of his life before him, and he'll live each day without his family.

The greater good, of course, is served. Many Americans died in this endeavor too; such things temper the celebration. I think Iraqi blogger Alaa offers the right perspective:

My condolences to the Great American people for the tragic recent losses of soldiers. The blood of Iraqis and Americans is being shed on the soil of Mesopotamia; a baptism with blood. A baptism of a lasting friendship and alliance, for many years to come, through thick and thin, we shall never forget the brave soldiers fallen while defending our freedom and future.

I'd add our Coalition allies to that sentiment too.

So amidst the triumph, I saw yesterday as a Memorial Day, of a sort, for those many who fell to make it possible. Some might try and use those deaths for their own ends, or to justify their belief that we should never have walked this path. Such people don't believe in heroes. They can't even comprehend this simple fact; no one is more opposed to war than the soldier. He knows the cost and has seen the carnage. But as I wrote at the top of the sidebar long ago: The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior, who prefers to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day he stands fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.

Today we re-build broken things. Grab a hammer or get out of the way.

I've pondered the larger issues much these past few days. We certainly opened ourselves up to criticism in invading Iraq. After all, regardless of our reason it's certainly easy for those who'd prefer to live in a world without war to condemn our actions. A world without war is certainly desirable, but at this point in history it seems at best a distant utopia. Perhaps some day that time will come, but I'm skeptical, at best, of mankind's potential to rise above such activity in the foreseeable future. I think that's one of the lines that separate many "anti-war" types from those who are more pragmatic about the issue. Those who are familiar with the 80-20 rule (20% of the people cause 80% of the problems) will understand what I'm about to say. I'm certain that though 80% of the population of the world wants to go about their daily business in peace, the other 20% are determined to have it otherwise. Much of the problem with the "anti-war" crowd is they fail to realize that many of their "allies" are actually part of the 20%, while most of us involved in the current War on Terror are actually in the 80% with them. But another version of the 80-20 rule explains this too: 20% of the people do 80% of the work. Thus a small fraction of the real anti war crowd is busy doing the very best they can to try and establish a future world where peace actually has a chance.

In my spare time here I've been reading Neal Stephenson's brilliant epic

(On a recommendation by Glenn Reynolds - thanks Glenn.) Cruising along through the novel yesterday I reached this passage, a conversation between two individuals whose identities I'll leave out for this discussion (hence no spoilers will be found below. Read without fear.) In one of those somewhat rare moments when what I'm reading unexpectedly addresses something I've had on my mind, it conveyed perfectly what I'd been trying to put into words for some time. (And note that this book was published a couple of years before 9/11.)

One character explains to another why he wears a medallion bearing a likeness of the Greek goddess Athena:

Update! Tragedy Amid Success

This developing tragedy might be tomorrow's headline.

The British transport troops from all the Coalition nations.

Update: An Islamic militant group claimed on Monday that it had shot down a British C-130 military transport plane north of Baghdad.

UPDATE!Jazeera Tape Appears to Show UK Plane Hit in Iraq

Why am I not surprised that Jazeera has this on tape?

Run, But You Can't Hide

Video of the rocket attack on the US Embassy is here.

Those responsible for the attack have been captured.

BAGHDAD, Iraq ? Seven insurgents responsible for the Jan. 29 rocket attack on the U.S. Embassy were captured by Task Force Baghdad troops approximately one hour after launching their attack.

Following the 8 p.m. attack on the embassy, the men fled the scene of the rocket launch, but were tracked to a residence in southeastern Baghdad. Task Force Baghdad ground troops descended on the home, detaining all seven suspects.

?This was a great example of quick reaction on the part of some superb cavalry troopers,? said Brig. Gen. Michael Jones, assistant division commander for the 1st Cavalry Division and Task Force Baghdad. ?It?s one more example to the insurgents that Iraqi and Multi-National Forces will hunt down those responsible for these acts of terrorism.?

Leading up to the election, Jones said the troops in his task force and the Iraqi security forces in Baghdad are prepared to meet the challenge of security a free election in the Iraqi capital.

?We?re doing all we can, as are all the Iraqi security forces, to make Baghdad as safe as possible so its citizens can vote in this historic election,? Jones said.

The seven captured suspects are being held for further questioning.

UPDATE!

to Marine Needs Life Saving Liver Transplant

U.S. Marine received a new liver Sunday! Doctors said the procedure went well, said Sgt. Jennie Haskamp, spokeswoman at Twentynine Palms, where LeBleu was stationed. He was in critical condition late Sunday.

How Low?

Via the indespensible Corner

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's interior minister said Monday that insurgents used a handicapped child as one of the suicide bombers who launched attacks on election day.

Falah al-Naqib told reporters in Baghdad that 38 attacks were carried out on polling stations in Iraq on Sunday and that one of the suicide bombings was carried out by a disabled child.

"A handicapped child was used to carry out a suicide attack on a polling site," al-Naqib said. "This is an indication of what horrific actions they are carrying out."

He gave no other details about the attack, but police at the scene of one the Baghdad blasts said the bomber appeared to have Down's Syndrome.

Words fail me.

Prologue to Bad Weather

Think you know when global warming began? The Diplomad was present at the creation.

I, on the other hand, witnessed the spread of the disease through the United States. More on that story later.

Operation Morale

Via Email:

Hi there!

I am a faithful reader of your blog, and recently discovered something that I thought might interest you and your readers...

As a board member for the Enlisted Spouse Association for my husband's ship, I was recently forwarded this link, OPERATION MORALE , with an invitation to set up a page for our ship. This site was set up by a Navy wife who was concerned that our deployed sailors may be feeling forgotten or left out of a lot of the "Support Our Troops" programs. They provide support for the deployed by sending letters, small care packages, and have support pages for the deployed and some for the familes here in the states. The packages are just for the sailors and marines aboard ships.

As a relatively new effort, I know that not very many people have heard about this effort yet, and thought you might be interested.

Thanks!

Lisa Bragg

Thank You, Lisa. We certainly do not want to forget our troops at sea, I'll be adding it to my sidebar.

Arthur's Mail

Dear Mr & Mrs Greyhawk

What a fantastic day for Iraq!

Here's the last two weeks' worth of positive developments in Iraq, including the most comprehensive and up-to-date round-up of the campaign and the election day news:

Chrenkoff

Opinion Journal


Thanks for helping to balance the picture.

Best regards

Arthur Chrenkoff

Hawks Don't Talk About Iraq

Matthew Yglesias:

Looks reasonably successful so far, no mass casualties, turnout low only in a few trouble spots. It's time to prepare for three weeks of gloating from the hawks before they realize that nothing has really changed and they return to previous hawk practice of not mentioning Iraq.

Not sure which "hawks" aren't mentioning Iraq, but we 'Hawks do occasionally discuss it here.

Republican Retreat

Heh:

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va., Jan. 29 - Republican members of the House and Senate turned their attention to the politics of changing the tax code and the lessons of President Bush's campaign on Saturday, the second day of a party retreat here.

<...>

In another presentation, Senator John Thune of South Dakota introduced senators to the meaning of "blogging," explaining the basics of self-published online political commentary and arguing that it can affect public opinion.

Indeed.

Memo to Next Democratic Presidential Candidate

When you're turn comes to be George Soros' bitch, don't screw it up. "Yes master. No master." That's all you need do.

Feedback for C-SPAN

Michael Totten says:

As most of you already know, Friends of Democracy and Spirit of America are filming a live Iraqi election coverage TV show on C-SPAN Sunday from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. (That's 11:00 to 1:00 for you late-sleeping laggards on the West Coast.)

<...>

Part of what we want to do is solicit feedback from readers of the site. I am going to sift through that feedback and read some of it (live and on camera) to our guests and panelists. We have a pretty good lineup. It includes: Christopher Hitchens, author and journalist; Ahman Al Rikaby, former Director of Radio Free Iraq and current Director of Iraq's Radio Dijla; Entifadh Qanbar, Special Envoy from the Iraqi National Alliance; Ghassan Atiyyah, Director of the Iraq Foundation for Development and Democracy; Hassan Mneimneh, Director of the Iraq Memory Foundation; and Jim Hake, Founder and CEO of Spirit of America.

And you can get involved too. Click here.

One Picture

One word.

Iraq Speaks

How can I offer my comments on this day when there are so many poets in the cradle of civilization? Let's hear them first:

Ali

This was my way to stand against those who humiliated me, my family and my friends. It was my way of saying," You're history and you don't scare me anymore". It was my way to scream in the face of all tyrants, not just Saddam and his Ba'athists and tell them, "I don't want to be your, or anyone's slave. You have kept me in your jail all my life but you never owned my soul". It was my way of finally facing my fears and finding my courage and my humanity again.

<...>

I entered the school and the supervisors showed me the way to were I should vote. They and the ING guys were so polite and gentle. I cast my vote and got out, not in a rush at all. This is my Eid and I felt like a king walking in his own kingdom. I saw the same look of confidence and satisfaction in the eyes of all people I met. As I left one of the gurads said to me as he handed me back my cellular phone,"God bless you and your beloved ones. We don't know how to thank you. Please excuse any inconvinience on our part. We wish we didn't have to search you or limit your freedom. You are heroes" I was struck with surprise and felt ashamed. This man was risking his life all these hours in what has become the utmost target for all terrorists in Iraq and yet he's apologizing and calling us heroes. I thanked him back and told him that he and his comrads are the true heroes and that we can never be grateful enough for their services.

<...>

A'ash Al Iraq, A'ashat America, A'ash Al Tahaluf. (Long live Iraq, long live America and long live the coalition)

Mohammed and Omar

I still recall the first group of comments that came to this blog 14 months ago when many of the readers asked "The Model?"� "Model for what?"
Take a look today to meet the model of courage and human desire to achieve freedom; people walking across the fire to cast their votes.

<...>

I walked forward to my station, cast my vote and then headed to the box, where I wanted to stand as long as I could, then I moved to mark my finger with ink, I dipped it deep as if I was poking the eyes of all the world's tyrants.

They also report that since the streets of Baghdad are emptied - and a soccer game broke out! These are not people living in fear!

Hammorabi

Today only we may announce the victory! Today we hit back in the heart of the terrorists and the tyrants! Today is the day in which the souls of our martyrs comforted! Today those who were killed in Iraq or wounded among our friends from the USA and other allies, who helped us to reach this day, are with us again to inscribe their names with Gold for ever!

Today we challenged the killers and terrorists and foot on them with our shoes!

<...>

On the top of our privileged today are those who were killed in their way for voting. Their names should be perpetuated for ever! Their names should be written in Gold in Al-Fordos Square in Baghdad!

Our thanks go to George W Bush who will enter the history as the leader of the freedom and democracy in the recent history! He and his people are our friends for ever!

At this moment the voting closed and we will see the results then!

God bless Iraq and America.

Alaa

I bow in respect and awe to the men and women of our people who, armed only with faith and hope are going to the polls under the very real threats of being blown to pieces. These are the real braves; not the miserable creatures of hate who are attacking one of the noblest things that has ever happened to us. Have you ever seen anything like this? Iraq will be O.K. with so many brave people, it will certainly O.K.; I can say no more just now; I am just filled with pride and moved beyond words. People are turning up not only under the present threat to polling stations but also under future threats to themselves and their families; yet they are coming, and keep coming. Behold the Iraqi people; now you know their true metal. We shall never forget the meanness of these bas�s. After this is over there will be no let up, they must be wiped out. It is our duty and the duty of every decent human to make sure this vermin is no more and that no more innocent decent people are victimized.

My condolences to the Great American people for the tragic recent losses of soldiers. The blood of Iraqis and Americans is being shed on the soil of Mesopotamia; a baptism with blood. A baptism of a lasting friendship and alliance, for many years to come, through thick and thin, we shall never forget the brave soldiers fallen while defending our freedom and future.

This is a very hurried message, while we are witnessing something quite extraordinary. I myself have voted and so did members of my family. Thank God for giving us the chance.

Najma, (who's too young to vote)

Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates. Gore Vidal

And:

Vote: the instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.
Ambrose Bierce

And:

We'd all like to vote for the best man but he's never a candidate.
Kin Hubbard

I wonder why wise men didn't like voting! Search for quotes encouraging us to vote.. They're very few! But the one telling us not to vote are too many that I had to choose which one to put here..

Wow, I guess convincing my self that I'm not guilty is working after all.. But I won't blow it up in the Iraqi faces. For those who can vote, Go And Vote..

I think that Najma's countrymen have given the quotes she was looking for. Children of free men for years to come will hear these words and know that civilization took yet another giant step forward in the land of the Tigris and Euphrates.

Election Violence?

Odd story from Dilnareen at Kurdistan Bloggers Union:

And now for the weirdest story yet, in Holland a bunch of kurds hired a bus to take them to voting center, they all dressed in Kurdish clothes waving Kurdish flags and even packed enough dolma to feed an army. Anyway out of all ppl that could get annoyed by this, it was some islamist morrocans who came and fought with them. Honestly huh? How did that happen. And whats weird is that its morroco, in the middle east they're kinda considered too liberal, but the morrocans in europe are a totally different story.

Haven't found any media coverage of this.

Because Zarqawi Said To

Citizens in Spain, who's elections were decided by a terrorist attack, protest the Iraqi elections.

Hey...

Is it my imagination, or
has Scott Ott taken the gloves off?

Update: This says it all.

Found In the Punchbowl

The New York Times

Nearly 22 months after American troops captured Baghdad, lighting a fire of enthusiasm for the freedoms Iraqis had craved so long, it is a measure of how much has gone wrong that Iraqis committed to Western-style democratic ideals can differ so sharply over the best way to secure them. Much of the problem is that the elections are being held under the dominion of the United States.

Many Iraqis, interviews in recent months have shown, do not accept that fundamental choices about the shape of their future political system should be made by a foreign power, particularly one they regard as a harbinger of secular, materialistic values far removed from the Muslim world's.

But questions over the election go far beyond the American stewardship, to issues that touch on whether it was ever wise or realistic to think that Jeffersonian-style democracy, with its elaborate checks on power and guarantees for minority rights, could be implanted, at least so rapidly, in a country and a region that has little experience with anything but winner-take-all politics.

Sorry guys, wrong again.

More from the Punchbowl

Kos on the eve of the elections:

This war is long past lost. Time to pack it in, and save the lives of our men and women in uniform that will otherwise face a barrage of bullets and RPG rounds during their extended stay in the desert.

Heh.

Lots of precictions of election failure on Kos' main page yesterday. This guy's planning a sports blog - but he always backs the wrong team.

Around Iraq & Around the World

Iraqis around Iraq and around the world blog about this day of freedom.
All pics are via Iraq of Tomorrow of the voting process taking place. They are randomly placed.

Radio Blogger has many photos and commentary on Iraqi polls in El Toro, California with a cameo appearance of fellow blogger and Radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt

Iraqi blogger Husayn of Democracy in Iraq has cast his ballot and shares his experience on his blog Democracy in Iraq. Congratulations Husayn.

Ali Fadhil of Free Iraq express his thoughts

I'll race even the sun to the voting centre, my Ka'aba and my Mecca. I'm so excited and so happy that I can't even feel the fear I thought I would have at this time.

Fayrouz, an Iraqi in Dallas is on a journey to the polls, as well in the states and is keeping up with the updates of the election in Iraq

Abbas Kadhim of *Calling It Like It Is has some answers to questions asked about the election.

Lady Bird of Baghdad Dweller is on her way to the polls and she would like an explanation from Time Magazine.

Sam at Hammorabi has been waiting a long, long time for this historic day.

Ahmed of Life in Baghdad asks the ultimate question: �To vote or not to vote?�

But what if everyone thinks like me, Which means no one will vote and the elections will fail. Then I should vote to prevent that. But will my decision really have to do with that of any other? The answer is no (I forgot what this case is called in the probability theory � I think it was that my decision and that of any other is mutually exclusive). If this is the case, then I can �not vote� since this will not affect the decision of others, and being one person whose decision �not to vote� will not affect the whole process, then it�s safer not to vote. Problem solved. Unfortunately, I am still not convinced :(

Hear are some Photos via Cigars in the Sand of the polls and votings lines forming just a few hours into this election day.

Dilnareen of Kurdistan Bloggers Union KBU voted and explains what the ink on the finger is really about

Whos' to be the first to vote is decided over at Neurotic Iraqi Wife's blog and says the ink is a mark of freedom.

You were the first registrant, you cant be the first voter as well". I kept pushing him,lol (can u imagine the scene). Two grown ups fighting for who to be first in line, then out of the blue,a young polling staff member said I wanna be first. <...> Most of all, EYES were exhausted searching in the massive crowds for the marked fingers, frowning if they dont see that mark, The Mark of Freedom......

Friends of Democracy will air live Iraqi election coverage on C-SPAN Sunday, January 30, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. The show will be professionally produced in Washington D.C.'s National Geographic studio, and will include a studio audience. The event will also be live-blogged here on this page.
If you don't receive C-SPAN in your area, you can watch the program on their live Web cast

Update
Iraq the Model have return from the booths and are blogging on their experience.

We had all kinds of feelings in our minds while we were on our way to the ballot box except one feeling that never came to us, that was fear.
We could smell pride in the atmosphere this morning; everyone we saw was holding up his blue tipped finger with broad smiles on the faces while walking out of the center.
<...>
It was hard for us to leave the center but we were happy because we were sure that we will stand here in front of the box again and again and again. Today, there's no voice louder than that of freedom.

So far a 72% turnout but expected to be higher.

Marine Needs Life Saving Liver Transplant

From the LA Times

Four and a half months after returning from the battlefields of Iraq, Lance Cpl. Christopher R. LeBleu lies in a hospital bed in Loma Linda, hooked up to machines and monitors working to keep him alive.

LeBleu, 22, stepped off a transport plane in September, lucky to have survived seven months in Fallouja and other treacherous corners of Iraq. Twenty soldiers from his battalion based in Twentynine Palms have died in that country.

A month after returning to California, LeBleu decided it was time to get on with life, and he married his hometown sweetheart.

But now LeBleu, a native of Lake Charles, La., is in critical condition at Loma Linda University Medical Center after a mysterious ailment shut down his liver. Doctors say he needs a liver transplant.

A partial liver from a living donor won't help; LeBleu needs an entire organ from a deceased donor, doctors say. Without one, he may only live a few more days, they say.

LeBleu returned Sept. 9 from Iraq where he was a rifleman, conducting operations in Fallouja and provinces near the Syrian border. In October, he married Melany.

Complaining of fatigue, he visited his doctor in December and learned of his condition.

"This came real suddenly," said Marine spokesman Gunnery Sgt. Arnold Patterson.

Dr. Donald J. Hillebrand, director of liver transplants at Loma Linda University Medical Center, said doctors have yet to determine the cause of LeBleu's liver failure. He said it is likely that the Marine is suffering from a form of hepatitis. "Whether or not this is related to his time in Iraq is not clear," he said.

Hillebrand and Marines at the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center were scrambling Friday to get the word out about LeBleu's condition in the hope that more people will register to donate organs, thus increasing the chances that a donor with LeBleu's blood type ? O-positive ? can be found.

But finding a donor will not be easy. Nearly 4,000 people in California are currently waiting for liver transplants, about 900 of whom have been waiting five years or more, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, a nonprofit organization dedicated to matching donors and patients.

Nationwide, an average of five people awaiting liver transplants die each day, Hillebrand said.

"We need to get him transplanted soon for this to be a happy ending," he said.

No contact information was provided.

UPDATE! U.S. Marine received a new liver Sunday! Doctors said the procedure went well, said Sgt. Jennie Haskamp, spokeswoman at Twentynine Palms, where LeBleu was stationed. He was in critical condition late Sunday.

Silence and Noise

Hugh Hewitt notes the silence of the left wing lambs blogs on the Iraqi elections. As I've said, it will be hard for those who've spoken against us every step of the way to celebrate victory, and in the clear-cut case of democracy in Iraq they can't actually oppose it out loud. The result? Roaring silence.

At the height of the tsunami crisis I actually began working on a post to point out how the disaster had united blogs on the left and right, but I had to abandon it because although I assumed the lefty bloggers would be encouraging donations to relief efforts as avidly as the center-right blogs were they actually had nothing to say on the topic. While most center-right blogs were noting the big bucks that Amazon was raising for relief, (and encouraging more) Atrios was busy announcing he was switching from Amazon to Barnes and Noble because BuyBlue.com said that B&N; gave more to Democratic candidates.

Of course, he was also knocking Bush for giving so little to the cause. (This when the immediate US response was only 35 million.)

Since it's Fun with Atrios day, go read this Instapundit post, which leads to Atrios declaring Glenn the "Wanker of the Day" and linking to this "rebuttal" from a blog called MaxSpeak, You Listen. (And once again, you must read the comments to Atrios post to get the full Eschaton experience.)

Note that the original Instapundit post included links and comments to those who disagreed with his point - as he usually does when such are available. Glenn's initial post read to me like a lament about what the left could be, or once was, not an attack, and I think he was expressing regret at what it's become. There are many of us in the blogosphere who know exactly what he means - those who once considered themselves Democrats and/or somewhat left of center - see Roger L Simon for an obvious example - and note my use of "us". Max's response offers nothing in the way of refuting Reynold's original comments, and Atrios' endorsement of it speaks for itself. All this, of course, simply reinforces the professor's point.

Speaking of Roger and left wing vitriol, see this.

Disclaimer: Glenn Reynolds linked the front page of Mudville today, after I wrote this piece but before I posted it. I mention this to point out that this post is not a response to that link, and the link from Instapundit should certainly not be seen as an endorsement of this post.

In the mail

Greetings,

Great news! We've just received confirmation that C-SPAN is planning to
cover Spirit of America's Iraq election event this Sunday from 2pm to
4pm Eastern (11am to 1pm Pacific). Please watch. Your support has
made this possible. Please forward this message far and wide and
encourage people to tune in.

Iraq's elections are an historic event. This broadcast will provide a
unique, more complete picture of the elections with ground-level news
and views from the Iraqi people. You will get much more than the
typical focus on violence and terrorism. We'll have reports, photos
and video from all corners of Iraq. The broadcast event is described
more here:

You can see reports and photos now here:
And, during the show on Sunday,
we will be publishing the discussion here
and asking for your comments.
Please visit the site and tell us what you think.

If you'd like to attend and be part of our live studio audience, please
RSVP to this message. We only have a limited number of seats (35)
available. The event is at the National Geographic studio at 1145
17th St NW - Washington, DC 20036. If you RSVP and receive
confirmation from us, please arrive no later than 1.30 or you won't
get into the studio.

All the best,
Jim Hake and the Spirit of America team
staff@spiritofamerica.net
www.spiritofamerica.net

UN-Hinged

We reported earlier this week on the UN's "top elections official" Carina Perelli's condemnation of apparent US military involvement in promoting the Iraq elections.

Now, however, the United Nations has begun back-pedaling:

The United Nations is backing away from its criticism of the U.S. troops' "get-out-the-vote" effort in Iraq, criticism the Pentagon apparently agreed with.

Carina Perelli, who has been organizing U.N. assistance for Sunday's election in Iraq, said on Wednesday that U.S. soldiers "have been extremely, I would say, over enthusiastic in trying to help out with this election."

In response to a reporter's question about American troops' distribution of informational leaflets, she added, "We have been basically saying that they should try to minimize their participation because this is an Iraqi process."

Miss Perelli indicated that she and fellow U.N. elections officer Carlos Valenzuela who has been in Iraq for months, have been "begging" U.S. officials to lower the military's profile during the campaign period.

But yesterday, U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe said that Miss Perelli "misspoke," and said "she did not intend to criticize the military's profile."

For those who missed it, here's the actual quote from Perelli as reported by The Washington Post:

Informed by a reporter that U.S. soldiers have distributed voting material in recent weeks, Perelli said: "I'm glad that you reported it, because I'm going to be screaming on the phone in two minutes."

Back to our current story:

Miss Okabe said yesterday that U.S. officials had not complained to the United Nations about the remarks, nor had there been pressure to rescind them.

Asked why the organization would publicly contradict one of its respected technical experts if there had not been a complaint, Miss Okabe said the statement, issued Wednesday evening, spoke for itself.

In other words, Perelli said it, and Okabe "UNsaid" it. So there.

The story gives no indication if Ms Perelli is resting or under professional medical care, though some have noted that bizarre behavior is running rampant among many employees of that august body.

A bit of chest pounding follows:

The United Nations has printed 21 million ballots for Sunday's election.

I didn't even know they had printing presses.

Nearly 150,000 Iraqis have been trained as poll workers, and additional election monitors will be present representing a variety of political parties.

The story is unclear on if the UN is claiming to have conducted that training. This, however, is a rather concrete statement:

Kieran Prendergast, the U.N. chief political adviser, said that despite its efforts in Iraq, the United Nations would not be certifying the legitimacy of the elections.

(Emphasis added.)

In conclusion: today the UN has retracted it's criticism of the US assisting in the Iraqi elections which it won't certify as legitimate.

World peace and harmony are just around the corner, to be sure.

Update: More unhinged behavior! The UN is advertising on the Mudville Gazette ! (See side bar.)

One

The Big Day looms. Or is it just another day?

Here's group of folks who predict failure and illegitimacy, but what the story really tells us is that there is still apparently a demand for ignorance masked as news.

Here's a quote from the NY Times on-line teaser to a story:

Shiite Faction Ready to Shun Sunday's Election in Iraq

A radical cleric's refusal to endorse the election foreshadowed a less than overwhelming voter turnout in Iraq.

Foreshadowed? Has the election happened? Here's the actual quote from the story:

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 28 - Less than 48 hours before nationwide elections here, Nasir al-Saedy, one of the city's most popular Shiite clerics, stood before a crowd of 20,000 Iraqis and uttered not a single word about the vote.

Sheik Saedy spoke of faith, humility and the power of God. But about Sunday's elections, the first here in more than 30 years, nothing.

For the throngs of Iraqis who had come to Al Mohsen Mosque to listen, the sheik's silence came through loud and clear.

And it foreshadowed a less than overwhelming voter turnout in many parts of Iraq.

On consideration, the line can not be refuted. Certainly many areas will not be overwhelmed with voters. But what signal is the Times sending here? And not to play linguistic games, but might foreshadows be the more appropriate form?

Another story from the AP:

With crucial national elections only two days away, Iraqi officials announced the arrests of three more purported lieutenants of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, including the Jordanian terror mastermind's military adviser and chief of operations in Baghdad.

Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh told reporters that U.S. and Iraqi authorities were closing in on al-Zarqawi, head of al-Qaida's affiliate in Iraq who is believed responsible for many of the car-bombings, kidnappings and decapitations of foreigners in Iraq.

The arrested al-Zarqawi associates included Salah Suleiman al-Loheibi, the head of his group's Baghdad operation, who met with al-Zarqawi more than 40 times over three months, said Qassim Dawoud, a top security adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

Dawoud said Ali Hamad Yassin al-Issawi, another associate, was also captured. Dawoud said the two arrests took place in mid-January but gave few details.

Also captured was al-Zarqawi's military adviser, a 31-year-old Iraqi named Anad Mohammed Qais, 31, said Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh.

"We are getting close to finishing off al-Zarqawi and we will get rid of him," Saleh said.

Seems like a fine bit of reporting - who what where when which why how - unfortunately the paragraphs above were separated and buried in a story headlined Insurgents Warn Iraqis Not to Vote. In fact, you must wade through a lot of doom and gloom before getting to the paragraphs describing just who was captured - they come at the very bottom of a long article that includes these paragraphs too:

Despite Saleh's assurances, al-Zarqawi's group posted a new Web message Friday warning Iraqis that they could get hit by shelling or other attacks if they approach polling stations, which it called "the centers of atheism and of vice."

"We have warned you, so don't blame us. You have only yourselves to blame," it said.

<...>

In the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, residents said the rebels decapitated six Iraqis from the majority Shiite community Friday. Shiites, who comprise 60 percent of Iraq's 26 million people, are expected to turn out in large numbers for the election in hopes of gaining power after generations of suppression by minority Shiites.

<...>

Insurgents, meanwhile, stepped up their own attacks, killing the five American soldiers in three separate strikes in northern, western and southern Baghdad, according to the U.S. command. More than 1,411 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq since fighting began in March 2003.

American troops and insurgents exchanged fire on a major Baghdad thoroughfare. The crackle of gunfire could be heard over the noon call to prayer. U.S. fighter jets thundered through the skies over Baghdad throughout the morning in a show of force against the militants.

Those measures, however, have not been enough to stop the violence. A suicide car bomber exploded his vehicle Friday in Baghdad's Doura neighborhood, killing four Iraqi policemen. Hours later, another car bomb exploded on the neighborhood's main road, damaging a school where voters are to cast ballots Sunday. No one was hurt.

Elsewhere, insurgents hit designated polling centers in at least six major cities across the country. Gunmen attacked a school to be used as a polling station in Kirkuk, killing one policeman, officials said.

Bombs blasted three more schools designated as polling sites in the city of Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad. A mortar shell landed on a house close to a school believed to be used as polling site in Ramadi, wounding two women and two children, a hospital doctor said.

"We have warned you, so don't blame us. You have only yourselves to blame," it said. Interesting logic there. Of course, the "it" that the report was referring to was a "message", and not the messenger. Let's not de-humanize the foe. "A mortar shell landed on a house close to a school believed to be used as polling site in Ramadi, wounding two women and two children, a hospital doctor said." AP refrained from using the phrase an increasingly bold and sophisticated insurgency in this report.

I've discussed this style of reporting before, burying the good news from Iraq in layers of bad and calling it a "round-up." This could be called "balanced" reporting, but though you'll often see bad news without mention of good, you'll never see good news presented in any other format - from major media outlets, that is.

Odd that among all this weekend's stories of insurgent bombs that almost hit their target (or that "detonated near polling places", if you prefer) these sorts of stories are overlooked:

Alpha Company, 1-112 Infantry, a National Guard company based out of the Pittsburgh area, and Soldiers from the 201st Iraqi Army Battalion established a hasty traffic control point Jan. 22 north of Tikrit, in the area called Kadasia, and swiftly apprehended two insurgents.

The Soldiers operating the traffic control point identified the suspected vehicle as it approached their position, slowed the vehicle and instructed the passengers to get out of the car. The occupants of the vehicle, one of whom was an Iraqi National Police officer, were found in possession of a 120-millimeter artillery round wired as an improvised explosive device.

The Explosive Ordinance Disposal team arrived on site and destroyed the device. Through questioning, the insurgents revealed their plan to place the explosive device at an elections polling site in the area.

The intelligence developed by the Tikrit Joint Coordination Center increases the Iraqi Security Forces? ability to react to actionable intelligence and thwart insurgents schemes to disrupt Iraqi elections.

Yawn.

"I am tired of hearing the crap, the whole, well, 'We are barely hanging on, we're losing, the insurgency is growing.' All that. We are doing fine. It's just a small, a small amount of people out there causing the problems. I mean, it is a small number, and we?re killing them."

--Marine Sgt Kevin Lewis, to Dan Rather during his recent visit to Iraq

Truth is, no one really knows what's going to happen in Iraq tomorrow. (A few "insurgents" might have a "plan", of course, but others plan too.) If asked, I'd say that this forecast seems a bit more realistic than most I've seen. (Go look, I'll wait.)

And by the way, this will have more of an impact on voter turn out than Zarqawi could hope to. After all, bad weather kept over a quarter-million Democrats from voting in Ohio last year, and thus was God's chosen allowed to continue his reign. Let's call it the Inshallah factor then, and tomorrow looks fine.

The NY Times does not have a forecast available.

Without a doubt the story from Iraq is a compelling one. And a fundamental example of good vs evil. Those who'd offer excuses or moral equivalency lectures in response to insurgents beheading Iraqis or disemboweling aid workers, mortaring homes or striking at schools with car bombs have clearly chosen sides. Don't blame us if we kill you, you have only yourselves to blame, cries an "insurgent" - and around the world certain heads nod.

Still others might recall this quote from a recent movie:

"A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day. This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you *stand, Men of the West!"

Aragorn, of course, from The Return of the King. There have been numerous superficial comparisons made between current events and the Lord of the Rings, and the appearance of the movie at this point in history was certainly fortuitous. Successful films reflect the times, and though no one knew at the time these films were being made exactly what the world situation would be upon their release they've meshed amazingly well. Gandalf's response to Frodo's lament that "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened." seemed extraordinarily fit for 2001: "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work, Frodo, than the will of evil.

Or the next year, as the US prepared to go into Iraq, Grima dismissed Gandalf as a warmonger in the court of Theoden. Later, Theoden: I will not risk open war. Aragorn: Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not. Later still: Aragorn: You have some skill with a blade. Eowyn: The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them.

In spite of the chillingly accurate applicability, it's not the superficial and obvious comparisons that make the real connection to modern events; it's the underlying theme of the books that rings true. For Tolkien's story was much larger, much grander than the trilogy, after all. That tale was of but one battle in an ongoing war, and references to the larger theme gave the books a depth that most imitators lack. Tolkein had fleshed out that larger history before he began his sequel to The Hobbit, it was in fact his true life's work. And that grand story was of the eternal struggle between good and evil, and that's why the books sell today and why the movies have an appeal to a worldwide audience unmatched by anything else. Tolkein tapped into something fundamental that dwells within us all, the conflict of the positive and the negative, of darkness and light, good and evil that struggles in each soul, as it does in the world at large. And that is why the words of the characters have a resonance with us today.

I harbor no illusions about what we're doing, and I certainly don't imagine myself as a warrior at the gates of Mordor. But tomorrow is yet another skirmish in the real world war, the one I've personally been involved in for 20 years now. I'll predict a victory for the good guys.

After all, there are other forces at work, Frodo, than what you read in the papers.

Wish I'd Said That

John Podhoretz:

...Sunni Muslims, who were the dominant force in Saddam Hussein's regime, constitute 20 percent of Iraq's population. And yet the argument is seriously made that a Sunni boycott will invalidate the election results.

If white South Africans had refused to participate in that nation's first-ever free elections back in 1994, nobody on earth would have argued that their lack of participation invalidated the election results.

Now, it will certainly be tragic if Sunnis who wish to vote are forcibly prevented from doing so by the terrorists in their midst. But those Sunnis' best chance to secure their freedom to vote at a later date will emerge from a viable result in Sunday's elections.

In case you need something for water cooler/dinner table conversations, this one should pretty much resolve that particular debate.

The "Pentagon's" Gay Policy

This letter to the editor of the NY Times offers a pretty effective message:

Re "The Price of Homophobia" (editorial, Jan. 20):

Whatever the pros and cons of "don't ask, don't tell" (full disclosure: I am a principal architect of the policy), your editorial is wrong in accusing the Pentagon of "hiding from reality."

In fact, the gay ban is authorized by a 1993 Congressional law signed by the president. Any change in the status of homosexuals in the military requires Congressional action.

Your editorial implies that the military should disobey the law. Who is hiding from reality?

Charles Moskos , Santa Monica, Calif., Jan. 20, 2005

Ouch. Look before you leap, as the wise man said.

Two

I?m Greyhawk?s daughter, and I will be celebrating my birthday today without my dad. I remember when I was reading my dad?s On Leaving post. I had just gotten done fighting back the tears after we dropped my dad off. Then mum told us that dad left us a goodbye message. Once again I could feel the tears swell up in my eyes. That?s was me he was holding in his arms; which just makes it even cooler to hear this band singing a song based on that night.

I had these small worries in the back of my mind that I didn?t want to grow and haunt me. So I thought as positive as possible, and tried not to think about the dangers. I would think instead of how happy I?d be when he came home. Sometimes it?s hard when you hear news like I did yesterday about a helicopter crashing that killed 31 men. A sudden fear struck me that my dad could have been on that helicopter. I feel proud to say that my dad is in Iraq serving our country and helping Iraq become a free nation.

I don?t know much about the voting situation in Iraq right now, but I did some research. Right now I am learning U.S. history. I just read a section in my book talking about George Washington and how he set the limits of an American President. Being the first president, many people look back on him and use his ideas. America was lucky to get such a leader as the first president. Voting wasn?t exactly perfect then but obviously it has improved a great deal. What happened in Iraq to set such a bad way of ruling a country? Why do so many people continue to support the ways of Saddam when in this life style everyone is living in fear? Perhaps those people are getting a special benefit such as safety from being sniped by someone. But if people could vote and get a new leader who will make their country safe for everyone then why not just do this?

In two days this election will finally happen. But why must they still fear this freedom? I think it?s wonderful that these people are finally getting the rights they deserve. I also learned in my history class that it took 150 years before women could vote in America. This opportunity is available to the women of Iraq today, that puts them one step ahead of America's first elections already. Who knows if this election will be a perfect election? What?s stopping a terrorist from shooting one of the candidates or voters? But, we must not give up.

Now, what really irks me is how so many people are saying, ?oh well, uh, Bush is doing a bad job and so are the troops. They haven?t even found these weapons of mass destruction?. Well look now STUPID! Iraq is having a free election! People just aren?t seeing how big of an achievement this really is. Iraq is finally on the road to being a better place.

I shall end my post with this simple summary. It?s gonna be dangerous and people will be risking their lives, but freedom isn?t free.

Littlest Notgreyatallhawk

More from Americans in Iraq

I Should Have Stayed Home...
Featurring TJ and BC, who describe themselves:

Welcome to the latest Iraq blog! Your hosts are two Americans working in Baghdad - in what capacity we'd rather not say.

Our professional focus is on the security of the country, and while we'll definitely be staying inside the lines of what's ok to talk about, we hope that we can bring some fresh insight into the development of Iraq, the politics behind it (on both sides - US and Iraqi) and the success (or other) of the counterinsurgency effort.

Their entire archive can be viewd here, and you'll find it more than worth your time. These guys work up close with the Iraqis, and get around a lot more than just about anyone in this country.

Ryan blogs at Cigars in the Sand:

Farmer by genetics, Lawyer by training, currently "vacationing" in Iraq and advising the Iraqi government on border security issues. Before moving to Baghdad, I served in the White House as Deputy Counsel for the Homeland Security Council. I can be reached at opusxryanathotmaildotcom.

Ryan gets around quite a bit too. Lots of must-read stuff.

There's always great stuff at The Questing Cat
And the best stories of combat ops in Fallujah come from Red Six

All these guys are doing more exciting stuff than I am. Don't miss 'em.

By the way, I provided a long list of deployed MilBloggers this past Christmas. A few of them are home now, and you'll find some great stories on readjusting to "the World" from blogs like In Iraq for 365. (Guess it's day 366+ for him now.)

Dog Bites Man

A story you won't catch in your major daily:

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division?s 2nd ?Commando? Brigade Combat Team prevented an apparent kidnapping of eight Iraqis Jan. 26 in western Baghdad.

During a patrol in Baghdad?s Khadamiyah district, the Soldiers noticed a suspicious vehicle about 8:30 p.m. They stopped the vehicle and found three Iraqis bound and gagged.

They detained five suspects in possession of four pistols, an AK-47 assault rifle and a sub-machine gun outfitted with a silencer.

The kidnap victims included a sheik and an administrator from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil.

No shots were fired. The suspects detained are being held for further questioning.

Not sure about the math, but sounds like a job well done.

Ukraine Update

You'll find this on page 13 of yesterday's Washington Times:

KRAKOW, Poland ? Ukraine will consult Iraq's government and coalition allies before withdrawing its troops from Iraq, President Viktor Yushchenko said yesterday in comments that appeared to soften his position.

Mr. Yushchenko's predecessor, Leonid Kuchma, ordered officials on Jan. 10 to bring home 1,600 Ukrainian troops in Iraq in the first half of this year after eight were killed in an explosion the previous day.

Not sure why it didn't get the coverage his predecessor's now-pointless announcement of a pull-out did. Had President Yushchenko spoken a little louder, they might have heard him in London, where today's Financial Times had this report:

LONDON -- Even as US forces struggle to stabilise Iraq during the tense election period, they may soon face another challenge following Sunday's vote: the determination of several coalition members to withdraw thousands of troops from the region.

Several allied countries, many of them eastern European, which were part of the original "New Europe" group backing the Iraqi war have said they will either completely withdraw or substantially reduce their forces in Iraq after the January 30 elections.

The largest reduction is expected to come from Ukraine, which has 1,600 troops in Iraq, making it the sixth-largest contingent. Earlier this month, outgoing President Leonid Kuchma ordered the defence ministry to draw up plans to begin a complete withdrawal by the middle of the year after eight Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an explosion.

The move has been backed by incoming President Viktor Yushchenko, who campaigned on a promise to bring the troops home. "The withdrawal of the Ukrainian peacekeeping force is one of our priorities," said a statement by Mr Yushchenko's political organisation. He was planning to address it soon after taking office last weekend.

Guess they don't have a Warsaw bureau.

More Blogs in the Media

Hindrocket to appear on Al Franken's show, Friday around 12:45 central time. Wish I could listen in, but my radio options are limited here and sadly al-Jazeera radio recently dropped Franken for being too extreme. (/snark)

Diagnosis Before Cure

Thomas Sowell (Hat tip to commenter H cujas for the link.):

THERE ARE still people in the mainstream media who profess bewilderment that they are accused of being biased. But you need to look no further than reporting on the war in Iraq to see the bias staring you in the face, day after day, on the front page of The New York Times and in much of the rest of the media.

If a battle ends with Americans killing a hundred guerrillas and terrorists, while sustaining 10 fatalities, that is an American victory. But not in the mainstream media. The headline is more likely to read: "Ten More Americans Killed in Iraq."

If you'd like to see a blatant example of what he's talking about, look here. But that's just one sort of approach to slanting the news from Iraq. Others range from sandwiching any good news with layers of bad, and outright lies.

One of these days I'll provide a catalog of examples of the various methods used to produce a story that hews to the "quagmire" theme. Sowell's piece is a step in the right direction, he's diagnosed a disease that many deny exists at all. But don't expect any of the afflicted to take the cure - that denial stage is simply too strong.

Kos n' Barbie

Barbie Boxer drops one into The Toilet

I can't thank all of you enough -- the Daily Kos community, and the blogosphere as a whole -- for all of your effective work during the recent debate over Condoleezza Rice's nomination. Your support and participation in this critical debate meant so much to me.

More than 94,000 Americans from across the country signed my petition and stood together to demand the truth from Condoleezza Rice. It was truly an overwhelming response -- much more than I could have anticipated. You helped to get our message out to millions of Americans -- I couldn't have done it without you.

Wow - almost a hundred thousand supporters joined her attack. She's right about getting the message to millions of Americans though. Nice work by her, Kos, and West Virginia's Grand Kleagle.

In counterpoint, Smash has an email from America?s Secretary of State.

Update:

Since I'm in the mood for it, lets keep looking at Kos:

Yeah yeah, this is navel gazing, but blogging isn't a phenomenon limited to the political realm. I believe sports blogging will be the next "Big Thing", which is why I've started a company in that realm (details coming soon).

Predictions: Kos will start a football blog called "Baseball Sucks" and a baseball blog called "Football Sucks". And if he does for sport what he did for the Dean campaign, you'd better record the upcoming Superbowl, because it's going to be the last.

Another update to Kos post:

More results for the Kleagles here.

Cornered

Blogger Stefan Sharkansky will be guest posting (or "cornering", if you prefer) at The Corner. A great idea. His first "Cornering" is here.

Seems The Corner has been linking into blogs a bit more deeply lately too. Now if only they would start a blogroll...

Singularly Effective, Swift, and Muscular

From somewhere in the bowels of he United Nations building in New York City Carina Perelli, the UN's "top elections official", announces that she is about to start screaming:

"The U.S. military have been extremely, I would say, overenthusiastic in trying to help out with this election," she told reporters. "And we have been basically saying that they should try to minimize their participation, because this is an Iraqi process."

Informed by a reporter that U.S. soldiers have distributed voting material in recent weeks, Perelli said: "I'm glad that you reported it, because I'm going to be screaming on the phone in two minutes."

She's responding to reports that Soldiers are distributing material promoting the elections. I wonder exactly who might be on the other end of the line?

The NY Times provides additional quotes:

The United Nations said Wednesday that it had fulfilled its mission of providing expert assistance in setting up Sunday's election in Iraq, adding that it was now up to the Iraqi people to give the vote legitimacy by going to the polls.

"We have done everything in supporting this election we could from a technical point of view, but nothing replaces the will of the people," said Carina Perelli, the director of the electoral assistance division for the United Nations.

<...>

Asked for her reaction to criticism of the United Nations for not putting more people in Iraq, Ms. Perelli said that she had reached her desired number of 40 people by including 19 international election experts from Britain, the European Union and electoral assistance organizations.

I'll watch out for them in the DFAC. Hopefully they will manage to refrain from screaming when they see the food. All this is headlined "U.N. Says Mission Accomplished And That Legitimacy Is Now In Hands Of Iraqis".

The parallel to this singularly, effective, swift and muscular story are inescapable.

Turning Victory into Defeat

How the LA Times deals with the "surprise news" of the number of terrorists killed or captured in Iraq:

U.S. forces killed or captured about 15,000 suspected militants in Iraq last year, the top U.S. commander in the country said Wednesday, suggesting that the American military has underestimated the strength of the insurgency.

I wonder how many LA Times readers knew that any "suspected militants" had been killed or captured in the past year?

More Help Wanted

The terrorists aren't the only folks in Iraq whose numbers are dwindling, according to The Washington Post

The big-name anchors are staging their own Iraq invasion this week, with NBC's Brian Williams, CBS's Dan Rather, Fox News's Shepard Smith and CNN's Anderson Cooper among those planting the network flag in the days before Sunday's tension-filled elections. But the temporary airlift comes at a time when major news organizations are having trouble persuading reporters to take on the high-risk assignment on a longer-term basis.

"The people who have experience there are exhausted," says Marjorie Miller, foreign editor of the Los Angeles Times. "It's terribly dangerous in ways that other wars haven't been. You could always get killed by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Here, just by being a westerner, you're perceived, or fear you're perceived, as a partisan. Reporters don't want to be seen as partisan at a cost of their lives."

Tim McNulty, the Chicago Tribune's assistant managing editor for foreign news, agrees. "The pool of people willing to go has steadily shrunk over the last two years," he says. "The number of people who have spent a good deal of time there have said they've done their time and are not eager to go back. . . . If they say no, I don't ask the reasons."

I'll take two

The Armorer's Chariot of Argghhh! will be sporting one of these thanks to
Brainshavings
Curious? go check em out!

Rather in Iraq

A few days ago Marine Corps Moms posted a letter to family members from USMC Major Adam Holton, one of the updates Marine commanders routinely send home from Iraq. (Note to other service Chiefs: The Marines are doing it right with this sort of stuff.) The whole thing is well worth a read, but this passage twisted my stomach a bit, for what should be obvious reasons:

We had a fairly atypical visit to our company's FOB yesterday. Dan Rather of CBS News came to Iraq to do a story for 60 Minutes II on fighting the insurgency and the upcoming elections. His two-day visit was hosted by Colonel Johnson, our MEU Commander (who is the boss of Lt Col Smith, our Battalion Commander). They spent time on the first day of the visit solely with the MEU Commander, and then yesterday, they visited two sites in our zone, with ours being one of them. The visit here in Lutayfiyah went great from my perspective. There were a few one-on-one interviews, and a group "discussion" with a squad from mostly second platoon and some of weapons platoon (I wish that I could have him talk to everyone, but with operations going on, many of our guys were outside of the wire at the time he visited). If I had to guess, I would say a clip from the group discussion will end up in the final story. I felt good that Rather had the opportunity to talk to enough of the Marines here to get a real sense of the "spirit" of Golf Company. Regardless of what "angle" he was looking for the final story, your Marines did a phenomenal job yesterday in laying down for him how they feel and what the reality on the ground actually is. The producer told us as they were leaving that the story will air this Wednesday night (Thursday morning here) on 60 Minutes II. I would ask as many of you as possible to tape the episode, as I am not sure we will actually get it on the satellite TV here. We have one channel that tends to shift back and forth between news and shows on the major four stations, so we are not guaranteed to get the show here at all.

The result can be found here, and I admit to being surprised. Dan Rather reports:

We were heading to a remote outpost in the town of Ludifayah. Ten of the men based there have died. Still, these Marines insist the enemy is losing, at least in this key area.

"They?ve got plenty of ammunition," says one Marine. "I think they are running out of bodies pretty soon to plant those IEDs."

IEDs are what the Marines call the roadside bombs. They have killed three men in Sgt. Eric Abbott's squad.

Are those kinds of incidents increasing, decreasing or about the same as when Abbott first got there? "I believe they are definitely decreasing since we have been here," says Abbott.

Is the election, scheduled for Jan. 30, going to come off well? "I believe we are going to make it happen," says Abbott.

So does the commanding officer, Col. Ron Johnson, a 25-year Marine veteran. "I don?t think it will be spot-free incident," he says. "But I think you?ll see you?ll be pleasantly surprised about the number of Iraqi citizens who want to put their name on a piece of paper."

Col. Johnson has made it a priority to keep his troops highly visible That?s why he set up a small outpost in the town of Hasweh, after bombers leveled the police station. A platoon of 40 Marines moved into the building next door.

Johnson says the Marine presence has changed life in Hasweh. His convoys are being attacked much less frequently. The market is busy. Schools, which were closed last year, are open now. And there is water and electricity most of the time.

But Johnson doesn?t think that story is getting out. Neither does Sgt. Lewis. "I am tired of hearing the crap," says Lewis. "The whole, well, 'We are barely hanging on, we're losing, the insurgency is growing.' All that. We are doing fine. It's just a small, a small amount of people out there causing the problems. I mean, it is a small number, and we?re killing them."

The Marines are out every day looking for the enemy, and trying to round up the old artillery shells used to make the deadly car bombs. The ammunition is everywhere.

Johnson?s men thought some of it might be hidden in a van they spotted by the road. So they cordoned the area off while the bomb squad went to work and blew it up safely.

From the force of the explosion, the Marines concluded there was a cache of 12 to 15 artillery shells inside the van. "I?m just glad none of our guys were coming by there when that thing went off," says one Marine. "Could have gotten a lot of people hurt."

But no one was hurt, thanks to an Iraqi teenager who reported the suspicious van to the police. Johnson believes there are approximately 1,500 insurgents still on the loose in the Triangle of Death. At a briefing, he was told about one group said to be planning an election-day attack with 10 barrels of explosives.

There's plenty more at the link, and to their credit the CBS team avoided the all too often seen media device of "balancing" this sort of reporting with "quagmire" quotes or Vietnam comparisons. In other words, Dan was on his best behavior. (Hey, you think his proximity to actual US Marines might have some influence on his style?)

Hat tip for pointer to 60 Minutes piece to Cori Dauber, Associate Professor of Communication Studies (and of Peace, War, and Defense) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her area of scholarship is the way the media represents war and the military, and her blog should be a daily read for anyone interested in that topic.

Three

Is there a left wing attitude against success for the Iraqi elections? Certainly they won't be celebrating the outcome, regardless of what it may be. Their emotional investment in failure in Iraq is too deep for them to overcome. The problem isn't that they're opposed to peace for Iraq, it's just an aversion to George Bush that overwhelms every aspect of their thinking. Here's a perfect example, from Alternet, of the early (pre-invasion) shaping of leftist thought on Iraq. The title alone, "Bush Wins: The Left's Nightmare Scenario" reveals much. The discussion is of possible outcomes of the invasion:

The first is an optimistic "We Win" scenario, which would result from massive protests and diplomatic pressure forcing President Bush to postpone an invasion indefinitely. (What has yet to be addressed is what exactly we win if Hussein remains indefinitely in power and the sanctions go on killing Iraqis.) With war seemingly imminent, the movement is being forced to fall back on a second scenario, "Everyone Loses," in which the warnings of a protracted and bloody war that destabilizes the Middle East and increases terrorism bear their bitter fruit.

However unpalatable in terms of destroyed lives and infrastructure, this latter scenario would at least quash the Administration's imperial dreams and force the kind of soul searching of United States' policies that is a major goal of the movement. But this outcome is less likely than many assume, and the antiwar movement would be well advised to plan for a third scenario: "Bush Wins."

In this third scenario, the war is over quickly with relatively low U.S. casualties, some sort of mechanism for transitional rule is put in place, and President Bush and his policies gain unprecedented power and prestige. From my recent conversations with organizers and their latest pronouncements, it is clear that this possibility has yet to be addressed. Waiting much longer could spell disaster for the antiwar movement.

The reality is that we're much closer to that third scenario than we are to the second. A simple left wing response would be "sure, Iraq's turning out better than we thought - but look at the domestic situation in the US!" This response would likely have led to John Kerry taking the oath of office last week. But on the left the Bush Hate overwhelms all, and an insistence that the "everyone loses" scenario described above is what's actually happening is the result. At the very least, a willingness to believe everything that conforms to this mode of thought is an undeniable affliction of the left today.

How low can they go? Want to see an example? Here's a left-wing blogger discussing watching a dying child graduate from his son's elementary school:

When it was Lilly's turn, her teacher held the microphone up to her mouth, and she tried to speak her name -- tried desperately. But she couldn't do it. The motor skills just aren't there any more. So her teacher turned to the audience and said it for her:

"This is Lilly, and she's spunky."

Spunky. Goddamn right. Spunkier than I'll ever be -- and I dare say most of you as well.

Spunkier than most of our official war "heros," who go into battle with the full weight of the world's most awesome military machine behind them.

Spunkier than our president, for all his macho posturing and flight desk photo ops.

And certainly spunkier than our neoconservative Beltway warriors -- always eager to send others to fight and die in wars their own children will watch on television.

When your response to a child with cancer is to think how much you hate the president, you have a problem.

Joe Lieberman offers a glimmer of hope for the future of the Democrats and a continuation of a two-party system in America:

Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat who strongly backed the war, urged a "resounding vote" for Rice to show "that we're together for what we're pursuing which is a successful conclusion to our involvement in Iraq and to the spread of freedom and democracy throughout the world."

Daily Kos, the most visited left wing blog in the world, responds:

We could look the other way if Lieberman represented, say, Utah. But does Connecticut truly deserve this neocon? I have a policy of neutrality for primary elections, but would make an exception in this case. I don't doubt that a legitimate primary challenger to Lieberman would garner serious netroot support. And if what I hear is true, there are serious efforts underway to draft such a person.

Eschaton, left wing blog #2, agrees. (And don't miss the comments at Atrios site. The first one says it all.)

Kos and Atrios represent Left Wing Information Toilets - information depositories where the "sewer base" of the Democratic Party feeds - and if the Party doesn't come to it's senses soon and flush that's all the support they'll have.

To return to the Alternet piece above, credit the author for this line: the antiwar movement would be well advised to plan for a third scenario: "Bush Wins." indeed, but he's out of step with the modern left, whose current motto is as follows: There's no need to plan anything, it's our world and we'll define it as we please. Further, there's really no need for a plan, as there's no one on the left who'd take any action on said plan anyway. If anyone can provide a reasonable version of a left wing plan for anything (something more substantial than Kerry's secret plan to win the war in Iraq) I'd certainly be willing to hear it.

Victory Strategy

From Iraqi Blogger Alaa, this is sheer brilliance:

Moreover, no one should expect that the security situation and strife would somehow improve after the elections; it is more likely to intensify. This is an unfinished war; the Saddamists and their allies have fully regrouped and rearmed and are being very well financed and supported. The brave American people have given President Bush the mandate to finish this war despite the painful sacrifices and material cost. The Iraqi people are up in arms through the political groupings, new army, N.G. and various security forces and are suffering the greater part of the sacrifice. Despite all the snags and faltering, these forces are getting bigger and stronger and should be supported and nurtured until they can bear the full responsibility; this is the only viable ?exit strategy? available. In fact, we do not like this phrase, for what is required is a ?victory strategy?. This war must be fought to the bitter end, and there is only one outcome acceptable both to us and to you: Total and Complete Victory. Anything else is completely unthinkable.

Victory strategy - I'm for it. Read the whole thing.

There's More

Kurdo's World has tons of pictures and election posters

Baghdad Dweller points to a list of foreign fighters (terrorist type) who've died in Iraq.

Zeyad has some useful maps.

Omar at Iraq the Model responds to Zarqawi's latest threats.

Take it from the Iraqi's not MSM.

Madonna

Nabil's story

Here is another story about what the people are doing to get elected:A guy from my school called Ziad, brought pics and posters with him in the last exam's day, the pics was of Abdul Azziz Al Hakim, he pasted the pics on the walls in and out of the schools, when I saw him I went to talk to him, I told him that, this is a SCHOOL, its not a place that you could paste pics of the guys that you like, (like, I like Madonna, can I put her posters on the school's wall?) of course the answer is no, when I told him that he told me that I don't have ethics and that I am not a Muslim ( I don't why is this, every time that I talked to a guy, and I told him that what he's doing is wrong, he tells me that I am not a Muslim), is it when you don't say anything and that someone else takes your rights is Islam???!!!!!!, so I told him alright consider me not a Muslim because I used to hear that from the people like you (LOL), I told him if you put those pics I will put Madonna's pics on the pics that you've put, he shouted at me and said, do you want to put pics of a girl on Al Hakim pics?, I said, (WOW) hey is that guy that important!!!!, he told me that he is the leader of the Islamic revolution party, I told him that I never saw a revolution those past two years, how come they named their party like that?, he said there will be a big revolution if we're not ELECTED !!!!!!!!!, I said than what will you do? Kill Sunni people? Or Christian people? , he said that they don't kill Iraqis, I told him, then what are you going to do?, kill the guys from the foreign press like what those terrorist are doing, he just started to talk about bullshit things, that his MASTERS will do, my friends came and asked me to leave him alone, I went with them but I returned and told him that if you put these pics, I swear I will put Madonna's pics on them, when we finished the exam and went out, I saw him taking off those pics, I just laughed as laud as I can. So what I am saying that if these parties think that they are the best for Iraq, why would they make spies in schools and hire some people to give pics to the Iraqis. For me I think Allawi is the best for Iraq, because he is a tough guy, and that he will protect Iraq from those animals terrorists.

Flying To The Moon......

An Iraqi woman's thoughts, Neurotic Iraqi Wife

The registration period has ended yesterday, and the polling starts on the 28th through the 30th of January for all of us living outside Iraq. Im making sure that I will be the first voter, just like I was the first registrant in my residing country. The feeling of euphoria, standing there waiting for the queue controllers to usher me in was beyond any feeling I felt before. Everyone stood there clapping as I made my way through to the registration station. My eyes watered, for that day was the first day ever I felt I have a voice in my own country's future.

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This is the beginning of a new era for us. For the first time we are given a choice. For the first time there are names on the ballot papers,and not just the words "I agree" or "I disagree". The latter being the death sentence for anyone who ticked it. People shrugging their shoulders is just beyond me. And seriously I wouldnt blame any Iraqi living inside for not voting, cuz look at us, we the ones living in utter comfort and security have no interest, how about those who are suffering from lack of security, electricity and no damn water for a week. How about them??? They are the heros, the real heros for going out there, knowing that maybe the 30th will be their last day on this earth. They are the ones we should pray for their safety......

HUBBY wants to vote. But HUBBY is in the Green Zone, and I just heard a few days ago that IECI regulations states, that there wont be any polling center in the Green Zone cuz its somehow seen as an American habitat, hmm So I aint sure what HUBBY is gonna do. Him and his Iraqi Colleagues are adamant to vote. And surprise surprise we aint voting for the same party. Im trying to bribe him in every way possible for him to vote for my favourate but God what a stubborn person he is. So now we have made a bet, and umm I wont be going into the details of that YET......

FLASH: CHESTER TO BE ON FOX NEW LIVE--THURSDAY 12:45P ET

Chester will be interviewed on Fox News Live by anchor David Asman on Thursday, Jan 27th at 12:45p eastern time. He will be discussing Iraq, blogging, and many of the other topics featured here at the Adventures of Chester. Hope you can tune in!

Four

CNN's web page today:

That's before the helicopter crash replaced the image with a map of Iraq showing the location of the site relative to Baghdad. An interesting juxtaposition, smiling Iraqi women hanging election posters as the violence grows. We'll turn to the actual story in a moment.

July 1863, the third day of the battle of Gettysburg. Lee had brought his unbeaten army into the North, and after two days of combat elected to take a bold step to end the battle. Pickett?s Charge, a fatal attack on the Union center, marked the end of the battle, and the beginning of the end of the Confederacy.

The discipline of the advancing Confederate troops, faced with the task of covering a mile of open ground, was superb, and excited the admiration of friend and foe. The men moved forward at between 85 and 110 steps to the minute, preserving magnificent alignment until they reached the Emmitsburg Road. Despite a degree of protection offered by those two rises in the ground, the Union artillery, brilliantly cited by Hunt, was able to mount crossfire with horrific effect. When yankee infantry - Ohioans on the rebel left, Vermonters on the right - boldly moved forward and enfiladed the advancing lines with heavy musketry, the Southerners found themselves in the situation that all soldiers dread....out in the open, in dense formation, being shredded by enemy fire from front and flank. One of Heth?s brigades, Virginians under the command of Mayo, could not stand the pressure and broke, but the rest endured the nightmare sufficiently to press on towards the stonewall and the clump of trees that marked the objective. Pickett?s men had converged with Pettigrew?s and Trimble?s, and the frontage of attack was now reduced to 540 yards as the final rush was made. Now began what Hancock, who was himself desperately wounded, described as ?..A very terrific contest at close quarters...? This was no ?walk over?, but a furious struggle in which the defending Northern soldiers also suffered heavy casualties. Confederate infantry pierced the Union line and fought hand to hand. The deepest penetration was made by the 11th Mississippi of Davis?s brigade from Heth?s division, not, as is often supposed, by Armistead and his Virginians from Pickett?s division. The effects of the flanking fire from Stannard?s Vermonters, along with the murderous close range canister blasts from Union artillery, had still not prevented the Southerners from reaching their objective. The additional two brigades of Wilcox and Lang were sent forward in support, but Longstreet, who, despite his protest, was in nominal command of this attack, withheld any further support. The overall result was catastrophe for the Army of Northern Virginia. The unsupported troops who had achieved the break in the Union gun line were mostly killed or captured, and the attack decisively and bloodily repulsed.

Pickett?s division suffered some three thousand casualties, and the losses in Pettigrew?s and Trimble?s commands were in proportion. Overall, more than five thousand of the attackers had been killed or wounded, many of the latter being taken prisoner, and in addition fifteen hundred unwounded prisoners had been taken. At least six and a half thousand men, about half the troops deployed in the action, had been lost, and ninety per cent of the casualties had been sustained in half an hour. The loss of life among those of higher rank was incredible. Pickett lost all three of his brigadier generals, two dead and one grievously wounded, and of his thirteen colonels eight were killed and all the rest wounded. Of the 35 officers in his division above the rank of captain, only one escaped unhurt.

1944, the Pacific, the sunset for the Empire of the Rising Sun:

Late in the Pacific war, the Japanese high command turned to an official national strategy of "special attack." The suicide airplane attacks were often referred to as "kamikaze" (divine wind), borrowing the name from the typhoons that reportedly blew up and swept away Kublai Khan's invading Mongol fleets in 1274 and again in 1281, in response to the fervent prayers of Japanese religious leaders.

The organization of the Divine Wind Special Attack Corps was begun during the Japanese defense of the Philippines. Escorted to their target by fighters, the pilots were instructed to plunge their bomb-laden aircraft directly into enemy ships, creating a "man-guided bomb" of extraordinary power. The first such attack, involving five navy Zero fighters armed with 250-kilogram bombs, occurred on October 25, 1944, during operations off Leyte Island, following Vice Admiral ծishi Takijir?9;s (1891-1945) formal suggestion that such operations be planned. The tactic met with some success, and the army air force soon joined in.

1968, Hue, heaviest fighting of the Tet Offensive:

The Buddhist crisis had left bitter feelings towards the Saigon Government in the ancient Vietnamese capital and, within a few hours of their attack, the disguised insurgents supported by some ten NVA/VC battalions had overrun all of the city except for the headquarters of the ARVN 3rd Division and the garrison of US advisors. The main NVA/VC goal was the Citadel, an ancient imperial palace covering some two square miles with high walls several feet thick. NVA troops assaulted the Citadel and ran up the VC flag on the early morning of January 31st but were unable to displace ARVN holding out in the northeast section. Having overrun the city and found considerable support among sections of Hue's populace, the NVA/VC began an immediate revolutionary "liberation" program. Thousands of prisoners were set free and thousands of "enemies of the state" - government officials, sympathizers, and Catholics were rounded up and many were shot out of hand on orders from the security section of the NLF which had sent in its action squad with a prepared hit-list. Most of the others simply vanished.

After Hue was finally recaptured at the end of February South Vietnamese officials sifting through the rubble found mass graves with over 1200 corpses and-sometime later-other mass burials in the provincial area. The total number of bodies unearthed came to around 2500 but the number of civilians estimated as missing after the Hue battle was nearly 6000. Many of the victims found were Catholics who sought sanctuary in a church but were taken out and later shot Others were apparently being marched off for political "re-education" but were shot when American or ARVN units came too close.

The mass graves within Hue itself were largely of those who had been picked up and executed for various "enemy of the people" offenses. There is some doubt that the NVA/VC had planned all these executions beforehand but unquestionably it was the largest communist purge of the war.

US Marines and ARVN drove into the city and, after nearly two days of heavy fighting, secured the bank of the Perfume river opposite the Citadel. Hue was a sacred city to the Vietnamese and apart from the ancient Citadel held many other precious historical buildings. After much deliberation, it was reluctantly decided to shell and bomb NVA/VC positions. Resistance was heavy and sending the Marines into the city without air and artillery support would have meant an unacceptable cost in lives. To many, the battle for Hue reminded them of the bitter street-by-street fighting that occurred during World War II. The NVA had blown the main bridge across the Perfume River. US forces crossed in a fleet of assault craft under air and artillery cover which blasted away at the enemy-held Citadel. Its walls were so thick that few were killed but the covering fire made the enemy keep their heads down while the Marines and soldiers hit the bank below.

While the ARVN, with US support, fought its way through the streets of Hue block by block, the Marines prepared to assault the Citadel. On February 2Oth American assault teams went in through clouds of tear gas and the burning debris left over from air and artillery attacks. The NVA/VC were pushed into the southwestern corner of the Citadel and finally overwhelmed on February 23rd. Enemy resistance in Hue was finally reduced to isolated pockets and sniper teams. As the Citadel fell, NVA/VC units began retreating- some of them marching groups of soon to be massacred prisoners before them - into the suburbs while their rear guards fought holding actions with the advancing ARVN. The fight for Hue ended by February 25th at a cost of 119 Americans and 363 ARVN dead compared to about sixteen times that number of NVA/VC dead.

For their efforts in the Tet Offensive the communists were defeated soundly on multiple battlefields through South Vietnam, and their losses were significant, some 45,000 NVA/VC dead and nearly 7000 taken prisoner, with no territory held. American and ARVN losses included over 4,300 killed in action, 16,000 wounded and over 1,000 MIA. Tet was a crippling blow to North Vietnam, but something different happened in 1968, something unheard of in 1863 or 1944. The American media painted a picture of an "unwinnable" war, and in later days the leaders of Communist Vietnam would admit that the support of many Americans was the only thing that sustained them in a war they thought they had lost with the massive failure of Tet.

And now here's our CNN story:

Three car bombs within an hour killed five people and injured six others in Tamim province Wednesday, according to the police chief in Kirkuk.

The bombs exploded between 11 a.m. and noon (3 and 4 a.m. ET), said Maj. Gen. Torhan Abdul Rahman. The first was in the town of Riyadh, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Kirkuk, and targeted a police station, he said. Three Iraqi police officers were killed and three civilians injured.

The second detonated outside the Riyadh mayor's office, killing two Iraqi soldiers. The third bomb exploded outside Riyadh and targeted a U.S. military convoy. Three other Iraqi civilians were wounded.

Though now, given the helicopter crash that killed 30 Marines and a Navy corpsman, the headline reads "Deadliest day for U.S. in Iraq war".

Of note in the description of the three bombings is the common feature that apparently none of them hit their intended targets. This on the heels of five failed car bombings last week. CNN doesn't specify if the drivers of the vehicles were counted in the death toll, but certainly such a weapon of desperation is expected to cause a bit more damage. See Khobar Towers or Oklahoma City for example of effective vehicle bombs. See Pickett's Charge, Kamikazes, and Tet for examples of desperate attacks by defeated foes.

We can speculate forever on that interesting juxtaposition of image and words CNN provided above. Perhaps it is a sign of their objective journalistic neutrality between the poster hangers and the car bombers. But if you want an explanation of those smiles, perhaps there's a clue at PowerLine, with a report that 72% of Iraqis intend to vote, and that only 25% said they felt security was "bad" in their areas.

Guess they don't get CNN.

Building a Bulwark

Reader Luke Mullen sends a link to this story by AP Technology Editor Frank Bajak:

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The managing editor of The New York Times threw down the gauntlet as she stared across a big O-shaped table at the prophets of blogging.

Did they have any idea, asked Jill Abramson, what it cost her newspaper to maintain its Baghdad bureau last year?

The unspoken subtext was clear: How can you possibly believe you can toss a laptop into a backpack, head for Iraq's Sunni Triangle and pretend to even come close to telling it like it is?

For that you need a bulwark of experience, credibility and financial, medical, legal and logistical support. Not to mention a staff of savvy locals. And that cost Abramson's paper a million dollars last year, she said.

The ear-pricking scene punctuated a two-day conference on ``Blogging, Journalism and Credibility'' at Harvard University at which a Johnny Appleseed of blogging, Harvard fellow Dave Winer, had compared established media to the mainframe computers rendered obsolete by desktop PCs and Macs.

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The best single war story I've seen out of Iraq, a piece on the fight for Fallujah by Knight Ridder reporter Tom Lassiter, I learned about from a blog's RSS feed.

(Note to bloggers: You've got to build credibility and respect before you'll be allowed like Lassiter to accompany soldiers into combat. I don't doubt that will happen in the future, but for now at least, bloggers do very little original reporting).

Note to AP Technology Editor Frank Bajak:

Meet 1Lt Neil Prakash. His first hand accounts of the battle for Fallujah kick your guy's ass. He won't get a Pulitzer for his writing, but he did earn a Silver Star for his efforts. But part of the theory is correct, like the Times, I'm sure he'd credit a bulwark of experience, credibility and financial, medical, legal and logistical support for his accomplishments, and probably the guys who went in with him too. I suppose we could call them a "staff of savvy locals." Frankly, you've really got to expand your knowledge base, build credibility and respect before publishing things about web logs. wade a little deeper into the blogosphere one of these days if you get some time.

On the other hand, to give credit where due, no one covers the insurgent side of the war quite like the AP.

Too bad there were no MilBloggers at Harvard, too much danger of spontaneous recruiting, after all.

Mudville in Song

Some time back I heard from a Seattle-area band called 3dB Down. They had read this post and wanted to turn it into a song. Seemed like a fine idea to me. Now they've notified me that their new CD - including On Leaving will be available in March. The guys were kind enough to send an in-progress demo of the song; Mrs G has heard it and likes it, and the kids (ranging from 14 - 19) give it thumbs up too.

Will keep you posted on progress.

Update: I?m reminded that this post also inspired a song Download file

Rather Forgeries Update

Editor and Publisher reports that Marcel Matley, a document expert cited by CBS News in claiming the now-infamous Rather forgeries were genuine, is unhappy with the "independent review panel" report of the episode:

NEW YORK A document examiner involved in the flawed "60 Minutes Wednesday" report on George W. Bush's National Guard service claims that he was defamed and his reputation damaged by the recent report from an independent review panel that investigated the show's reporting practices, E&P; has learned.

Marcel Matley, one of four document experts consulted by CBS News while reporting its Sept. 8, 2004, report on Bush, is demanding a slew of corrections in the report, which was issued earlier this month. In an interview with E&P;, he referred to the report's treatment of him as "defamation."

More here.

Friends of Democracy

Iraq the Model reports that election updates by Iraqis are now available at Friends of Democracy. History in the making - not to be missed.

Old Glory

So, you think you're a flag waving, patriotic kind of person? How do you compare to this?

Stunning

Or perhaps not:

It has been three weeks since my ship, the USS Abraham Lincoln, arrived off the Sumatran coast to aid the hundreds of thousands of victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami that ravaged their coastline. I?d like to say that this has been a rewarding experience for us, but it has not: Instead, it has been a frustrating and needlessly dangerous exercise made even more difficult by the Indonesian government and a traveling circus of so-called aid workers who have invaded our spaces.

What really irritated me was a scene I witnessed in the Lincoln?s wardroom a few days ago. I went in for breakfast as I usually do, expecting to see the usual crowd of ship?s company officers in khakis and air wing aviators in flight suits, drinking coffee and exchanging rumors about when our ongoing humanitarian mission in Sumatra is going to end.

What I saw instead was a mob of civilians sitting around like they owned the place. They wore various colored vests with logos on the back including Save The Children, World Health Organization and the dreaded baby blue vest of the United Nations. Mixed in with this crowd were a bunch of reporters, cameramen and Indonesian military officers in uniform. They all carried cameras, sunglasses and fanny packs like tourists on their way to Disneyland.

My warship had been transformed into a floating hotel for a bunch of trifling do-gooders overnight.

As I went through the breakfast line, I overheard one of the U.N. strap-hangers, a longhaired guy with a beard, make a sarcastic comment to one of our food servers. He said something along the lines of ?Nice china, really makes me feel special,? in reference to the fact that we were eating off of paper plates that day. It was all I could do to keep from jerking him off his feet and choking him, because I knew that the reason we were eating off paper plates was to save dishwashing water so that we would have more water to send ashore and save lives. That plus the fact that he had no business being there in the first place.

Read the whole thing. (via Smash)

FIST

This, is CNN:

O'BRIEN: Do people read blogs because they don't want to hear from the mainstream media, or because they want more information, or because they don't trust the mainstream media?

HEWITT: Bloggers are cyber sherpas. We're guides. There's so much information today. Everything is available, everything is free. And we pick and choose.

When you go to a "Talking Points Memo" on the left, he'll tell Democrats and lefties what they should be reading. When you come to hughhewitt.com or Powerline, we'll line things up. If you want to know what's going on in Baghdad today, Mabil Gazette (ph) is there. He's a soldier blogging from Baghdad. If you want to know about the war on terror, you read The Belmont Club. And there's theology blogs, there's business blogs.

We are actually translating too much information into manageable amounts of units. And it's going -- it has already changed business.

Glenn, as the proprietor of the Mabil Gazette, I bet a nickle Hugh said Fisked.

Making the "Papers"

Kudos to the Philadelphia Inquirer for telling a story of a Coalition victory:

It began about 9 p.m. when a sharp-eyed sergeant noticed a suspicious truck that appeared to be following his humvee on patrol. By the time it was over, at 3 a.m. yesterday, the soldiers from Charlie Company, First Battalion, Eighth Cavalry Regiment had detained five men and seized the biggest cache of weapons they had seen since arriving in Iraq in March.

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From two nondescript houses they pass every day, the troops pulled out three 100-pound bags of plastic explosives and fertilizer, 51 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 16,000 rounds of ammunition, dozens of rifles and machine guns, and eight mobile-phone-connected switches for setting off roadside bombs. Most of the arms were in barrels, buried in the front yard.

Perhaps the most chilling finds were artillery shells fashioned into the kind of bomb that has routinely killed American soldiers; a pressure switch used by suicide attackers; eight Iraqi police uniforms and several police radios; several black ski masks of the sort worn by the people who have beheaded hostages on videotape.

The troops of 1-8 Cav have uncovered a number of such caches in recent months - one reason, they believe, that the frequency of attacks in their sector has diminished since November.

"The way I think about it, I may have saved my own life tonight, and hopefully a lot of other soldiers' lives as well," said Sgt. William Bowman, 29, of Fort Myers, Fla., who spotted the truck that led to the weapons.

He was on a routine patrol in southwest Baghdad with his squad when he noticed a white pickup truck pulling out of a driveway across from the city's largest Catholic church.

As it happens, soldiers had been on the lookout for such a truck, which had been seen tracking U.S. patrols. After a few minutes, they began to suspect the truck was following them, so they swerved in front of it, jumped out, and pointed their rifles at the driver. He resisted, they said.

"He's a big dude, about twice my size, and he just wouldn't go quietly," said Sgt. Jason Ellis, 28, of Springfield, Mo., whose lip was split in the struggle. Inside the truck were three artillery rounds connected to make a bomb, six AK-47 assault rifles, eight hand grenades, and a camcorder with a DVD of a masked man building a bomb.

Other soldiers arrived and took the prisoner to the base, while Ellis and his squad drove in three armored humvees to the house where they had seen the truck pull out. Inside were machine guns, rockets, grenade launchers, silencers and bomb-making equipment.

Only when other soldiers arrived with metal detectors did the troops realize what they had. Buried in the front yard were five barrels containing a fearsome array of rockets and explosive material.

Such seizures may happen frequently in this California-size, battle-wracked country, but for this company of soldiers it was a big deal. One of their buddies had been killed a few hundred yards from the house during a November ambush.

"When I see this, I think of how many people have been killed by those weapons, and how many have been saved by us finding them," said the soldiers' Iraqi interpreter, who asked to be identified only as Willy.

Events such as these occur numerous times daily in Iraq - far more often than terrorist bombings and assassinations. Unfortunately, reporting of such events is all too rare.

Defending Saddam

Former US attorney general Ramsey Clark explains his motivation for joining Saddam Hussein's legal defense team:

Late last month, I traveled to Amman, Jordan, and met with the family and lawyers of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. I told them that I would help in his defense in any way I could.

The news, when it found its way back to the United States, caused something of a stir. A few news reports were inquisitive - and some were skeptical - but most were simply dismissive or derogatory. "There goes Ramsey Clark again," they seemed to say. "Isn't it a shame? He used to be attorney general of the United States and now look at what he's doing."

So let me explain why defending Saddam Hussein is in line with what I've stood for all my life and why I think it's the right thing to do now.

Both international law and the Constitution of the United States guarantee the right to effective legal representation to any person accused of a crime. This is especially important in a highly politicized situation, where truth and justice can become even harder to achieve. That's certainly the situation today in Iraq. The war has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqis and the widespread destruction of civilian properties essential to life. President Bush, who initiated and oversees the war, has manifested his hatred for Hussein, publicly proclaiming that the death penalty would be appropriate.

The United States, and the Bush administration in particular, engineered the demonization of Hussein, and it has a clear political interest in his conviction. Obviously, a fair trial of Hussein will be difficult to ensure - and critically important to the future of democracy in Iraq. This trial will write history, affect the course of violence around the world and have an impact on hopes for reconciliation within Iraq.

Hussein has been held illegally for more than a year without once meeting a family member, friend or lawyer of his choice. Though the world has seen him time and again on television - disheveled, apparently disoriented with someone prying deep into his mouth and later alone before some unseen judge - he has been cut off from all communications with the outside world and surrounded by the same U.S. military that mistreated prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
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International law requires that every criminal court be competent, independent and impartial. The Iraqi Special Tribunal lacks all of these essential qualities. It was illegitimate in its conception - the creation of an illegal occupying power that demonized Saddam Hussein and destroyed the government it now intends to condemn by law.

The United States has already destroyed any hope of legitimacy, fairness or even decency by its treatment and isolation of the former president and its creation of the Iraqi Special Tribunal to try him.
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In a trial of Hussein and other former Iraqi officials, affirmative measures must be taken to prevent prejudice from affecting the conduct of the case and the final judgment of the court. This will be a major challenge. But nothing less is acceptable.

Finally, any court that considers criminal charges against Saddam Hussein must have the power and the mandate to consider charges against leaders and military personnel of the U.S., Britain and the other nations that participated in the aggression against Iraq, if equal justice under law is to have meaning.

No power, or person, can be above the law. For there to be peace, the days of victor's justice must end.

Help Wanted

Several reports have detailed the capture of Sami Muhammad Ali Said al-Jaaf, described as the "top bomb maker" for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi:

The captured bomb-maker, Sami Muhammad Ali Said al-Jaaf, was seized in Baghdad on Jan. 15. He is believed to have taken part in three-quarters of the car bombings in the capital since the war began, the spokesman, Thaier al-Naqib, said in a written statement. Major car bombings here began with an attack on the Jordanian Embassy in August 2003 and have killed hundreds.

Mr. Jaaf has confessed to making the explosives used in the bombing of the Jordanian Embassy, which killed at least 11 people, Mr. Naqib said. He also confessed to taking part in the car bombing later the same month in Najaf that killed at least 95 people, including Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim, a cleric who founded the most prominent Shiite political party.

But few have followed up with the story of a second captured Zarqawi lieutenant:

Mr. Naqib also issued a later statement saying that on Jan. 14 security forces captured Mr. Zarqawi's chief of propaganda, Hasam Hamad Abdullah Muhsin al-Dulaimi, known as Dr. Hassan. Mr. Dulaimi had not served long in the post; he took the job after American-led forces killed the former propaganda chief, Hassan Ibrahim, in a Baghdad raid on Dec. 13, Mr. Naqib said.

We can only wonder who will do his PR work for him now?

FIVE

This past weekend in a little noticed ceremony Viktor Yushchenko was inaugurated as President of Ukraine. A quick re-cap of the unusual circumstances surrounding the election from Reuters:

Yushchenko, his face disfigured from dioxin poisoning he blames on secret services, was elected in a race dominated by mass protests against fraud in a first ballot that he lost. The Supreme Court ordered a second vote which he won comfortably.

Those familiar with blogs are already quite familiar with the story, as several bloggers covered the drama quite closely as it unfolded.

Yushchenko to US Secretary of State Colin Powell, at the inauguration as his final official visit:

"This would not have happened if we didn't have partners that are advocating democratic principles and shared democratic values. And I certainly include in this list the United States of America and your personal contribution."

Powell, one of the most prominent guests at the festivities, told Yushchenko Washington would do all it could "to help you meet the expectations that the Ukrainian people now have." He praised the "magnificent success on your part because you prevailed in open, free and fair elections."

A day of celebrations, as following the ceremony Yushchenko addressed a crowd estimated in the hundreds of thousands at Kiev's Independence Square, scene of massive rallies in his support after the fraudulent initial elections. Formerly a part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine is situated at a crucial point on the map of Europe, and Yushchenko will have his hands full working with Russia on his East and the EU to his west.

But for now we note a great day for democracy, to be sure.

For some reason that story didn't get the media attention that this one did:

The government of Ukraine, acting a day after an explosion killed eight of its soldiers in Iraq, announced Monday that it would withdraw its 1,650-member force by the middle of 2005.

This story, from January 10, actually refers to the what is now the former government of Ukraine. But the fact that it was a lame-duck president making the statement was somewhat downplayed in the news.

Ukraine has been moving for months toward pulling out its forces, but officials have remained vague about dates; Monday's statement, which followed a meeting between President Leonid Kuchma and his defense and foreign ministers, gives new firmness to those intentions.

A "new firmness" that lasted approximately two weeks. The new Ukrainian President will no doubt have his own timetable.

Some may dismiss the contribution of Ukraine to the Coalition in Iraq; many have dismissed the entire Coalition, so their complaints are not surprising. After all, what does a country like Ukraine have to offer a turmoil-ridden land fresh from the rule of a despotic leader?

I mean, besides the world's largest aircraft?

The largest functional aircraft in the world is the Ukrainian-'born' Antonov An-225. It can carry up to 250 tons of cargo and was built to transport the Soviet Union's version of the space shuttle from point A to point B on the surface of the earth. It is a monument to technology - though some might say to technology run amok. To see it propelled by it's six engines down a runway and into the sky is amazing. Raising a massive cloud of dust in its wake as it lumbers forward, differential airflow over the surface of it's wings seems an utterly inadequate explanation of its ability to defy gravity. To those who appreciate such things its liftoff is something to be seen. It is a head-turner, and pilots with years of experience stop what they are doing to watch it go.

There is much symbolism that could be inferred here, not the least of which is that the plane is another example of the concept that Victor Davis Hanson discusses here:

Today, China is a similar example. Like the Ottomans and the nineteenth-century Japanese, the Chinese military believes that it can either purchase or steal Western computer, aeronautical, and nuclear technology?while skipping bothersome Western notions like democracy and free speech?in order to obtain military parity with the United States. The Arab world too has sought to match Israel with MiGs, Scuds, SAMs, and RPGs?technology that it could neither design nor fabricate, but that it believed could give its autocracies the ability to destroy a democratic, highly sophisticated Jewish state all the same. Every rocket-propelled grenade that kills an American in the Sunni Triangle is either imported from the West or fabricated in the region according to Western blueprints and designs.

Yet in the long run, such imported technological expertise cannot be maintained, constantly improved, or used to its optimum potential without free citizens, secular universities, transparent government, and open inquiry. These intangible values and concrete institutions are the real engines that drive the modern Western ability to field high-tech arms and disciplined soldiers in the first place. For all the worry about weapons of mass destruction, neither Iran, nor North Korea, nor Libya, despite the purchased veneer of a sophisticated military, could ever defeat a militarily serious Western state of comparable size unless it underwent radical social and cultural democratic reform?which ironically might then deprive it of any impulse to attack the West in the first place.

The idea of a nation like Iraq producing a machine like the AN-225 seems a bit unlikely, but here you have an example of a nation that does have the capability to produce such a thing using it to help build one that does not. A nation just recently freed from the boot heel of an oppressive regime (the Soviet Union), a nation that recently experienced a free election and now seeks its place in the free world, using a tangible symbol of its own potential to assist in the amazing adventure that is the re-building of Iraq. To take that one step further, a nation still on the brink of its own future willing to participate in an endeavor to bring democracy to a part of the world that has known too few examples of freedom for the past few thousand years.

The symbolism is inescapable, unavoidable. Democracy is being delivered from a nation that has had only a brief experience with it.

Will they soon withdraw from the cause? That is their right. They have done their bit where others shied away. They have their own nation to build, and their willingness to participate in building another at this point in their history deserves nothing but respect.

William Shawcross writes in The Guardian

Tony Blair said in Baghdad in December: "On the one side you have people who desperately want to make the democratic process work, and want the same type of democratic freedoms other parts of the world enjoy, and on the other side people who are killing and intimidating and trying to destroy a better future for Iraq. Our response should be to stand alongside the democrats."

Blair is absolutely right. It is shocking that so few democratic governments support the Iraqi people. Where are French and German and Spanish protests against the terror being inflicted on voters in Iraq? And it is shocking that around the world there is not wider admiration of, assistance to and moral support (and more) for the Iraqi people. The choice is clear: movement towards democracy in Iraq or a new nihilism akin to fascism - Islamist fascism.

Where are France and Germany and Spain? On any map you will find them by looking to the left of Ukraine, and the other new eastern European democracies, most of whom are here in Iraq too. Certainly one day in the future Iraq will be safe for the likes of "old Europe" again. In the meantime they are debating among themselves; which of the new eastern European democracies will be admitted into the glorious European Union? A thrilling debate, to be sure.

Meanwhile, back in Iraq:

Yet despite almost daily terrorist attacks, most Iraqis appear determined that the election should take place. Almost 75 percent of those eligible have registered to vote.

Campaigning is most intense in the Shiite and Kurdish areas ? where the insurgents, despite a number of spectacular attacks, have failed to make an impression. Meetings are held in mosques, schools, village halls and the homes of the candidates where would-be voters are often treated to free meals. In parts of southern Iraq, big tribal tents double as town halls for the election.

Much of the debate takes place through talk on the 50 or so privately owned radio stations, especially in and around Baghdad, and in the columns of the 200 or so newspapers and magazines that have sprung up since liberation.

"We know that there are criminals determined to blow us up," says Abdul-Hussein Hindawi, head of the independent Electoral Commission. "But we cannot allow fear to shape our future. Iraqis know that they must take risks to build a free society."

Suicide Bombing: Not All it's Cracked up to Be

Here's a different sort of story from USA Today:

His head and hands were wrapped in bandages and his uncovered face looked like bubbled tar.

The young Saudi man told investigators this month that he wants revenge against the Iraqi terrorist network that sent him on the deadly mission that he survived.

Ahmed Abdullah al-Shaya, 18, told Iraqi investigators during an interrogation early this month that he was recruited to drive a car rigged with explosives to Baghdad and blow it up.

He said the objective was ?to kill the Americans, policemen, national guards and the American collaborators.?

But Shaya said he was injured even before he went on the mission when insurgents detonated a truck bomb he was supposed to leave at a target site.

<...>

Shaya's video statement describes the journey of a young man ready to die in his zeal to drive Americans from Arab lands.

Shaya says he left Saudi Arabia for Syria in late October, right after the start of the holy month of Ramadan. A smuggler he knew as Abu Mohammed took him over the border into Iraq and into the hands of other Islamic extremists who call themselves mujahedin, or holy warriors.

In Iraq, he traveled first to Qaim, then Rawa, and finally to the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, where he spent 1? months with like-minded Muslims from Morocco, Jordan, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen and Macedonia. Most, however, were Iraqis, he says, gesturing with his gauze-wrapped arms.

<...>

Shaya moved to Baghdad in December to prepare for his final mission, which he expected to be as the suicide pilot of a bomb-laden car.

But on Dec. 24, he was given a preliminary job of driving a butane-gas delivery truck that was rigged with bombs. It wasn't supposed to be a suicide mission.

?They asked me to take the truck near a concrete block barrier before turning to the right and leaving it there,? he says. ?There, somebody will pick up the truck from you,? they told him.

?But they blew me up in the truck,? he says.

Man, those wacky insurgents! We pause now for this editorial comment: "Aieeeeeeeeeee...!!!!" Now back to our story.

Authorities at first didn't know who he was. But then a local Baghdad newspaper carried a report from Saudi Arabia about his family mourning his martyrdom.

Hopefully they weren't too horrified to learn he had lived. We can only pray his father didn't slap his mother upon learning their son had survived.

Shaya told the interrogators that he regretted his mission now.

?I want the Iraqi people to live in peace,? he says, and he can no longer support Osama bin Laden because ?he is killing Muslims.?

As for the Zarqawi network that sent him on the mission that left him permanently disfigured and in prison, he says, ?I want revenge for what they have done to me.?

Oh, by the way, Ahmed's truck bomb killed nine people, including a family of seven in their house nearby.

Welcome to Mudville

Many thanks to Hugh Hewitt, whose mention of The Mudville Gazette on both Fox News and CNN yesterday led to a surge in search engine hits, which I note has also translated into a noticeable upswing in visits from bookmarks. Given that there are apparently a few new readers visiting this site please allow me to introduce myself. I'm an American GI currently on the ground somewhere in Iraq. Normally I'm stationed somewhere in Germany, and my family is at "home" there. Under the circumstances you'll likely understand my reasoning for keeping any additional aspects of my identity under wraps. And somewhere down the right side of this page you can find my disclaimer:

Unless otherwise credited, the opinions expressed are those of the author, and nothing here is to be taken as representing the official position of or endorsement by the United States Department of Defense or any of its subordinate components.

etc. etc. If you're looking for someone bemoaning his fate and complaining about his situation or that of the world you've come to the wrong place. I'm quite proud of what I do in the service of my country, harbor no illusions as to the difficulty of the task, and understand full well that those whose opinions are molded by what they've read in the papers or seen on TV will find my commentary upsetting. Those folks are now (and for some time) have been getting a small fraction of the story of our "War on Terror" and the things I discuss here are generally not going to fit their entrenched concepts of what's going on.

In fact, given that I can't reveal much of what I do here on a daily basis due to obvious security issues I've determined to use this space to provide a contrast to the endless doom and gloom trumpeted into your living rooms through your normal media channels. Further, I'll expose purely fraudulent reporting on the part of those who seem to be driven by an agenda. For an example of what I mean, click here and see how much of your opinion of events of Abu Ghraib has been shaped by those who either don't know (or don't care) what the truth really is.

What's my motivation? Glenn Reynolds captures it in this statement:

THE PRESS DID ITS BEST TO IGNORE the Afghan elections. I suspect that, since that's not an option with the Iraqi vote, they'll be doing their best to portray it as a failure somehow. I also suspect that it won't work. One of the things that made press coverage so damaging in Vietnam was that it was the first time anyone remembered American reporters saying bad things about an American war effort. By now, hardly anyone is alive who remembers anything else.

All of this earns me a couple of labels: Right-Winger, mainstream media basher, and some less courteous. So be it. "Right Wing" is in the eye of the beholder; I personally claim no political doctrine other than independent. As for the media, I note that there are some fine reporters willing to put themselves at risk to get the real story of what's happening in Iraq. No one should expect that story to be a happy one at all times. When Kevin Sites captured on-camera a Marine shooting an insurgent in Fallujah many saw it as a reporter doing his best to undermine the cause. I saw just another incident in a war. People get killed, and it ain't pretty.

On the chance that this might be your first (or an early) visit to a Blog, I welcome you to the fun part of the internet. The word Blog is a shortened version of web log, and the purpose of such sites is whatever the author intends. They are generally composed of separate brief entries, the most current appears on top, and after a week or so entries drop off the main page and into the archives. You can view the monthly archives of this site by clicking the month you desire from the list in the right hand column. You'll also find several lengthy lists of other blogs there.

Mudville was launched in March 2003. At the time I first listed the site on this registry of blogs there were around 2000 other sites listed too. There are now approximately 19,000. Other sites that don't require actual registration list blogs in the millions.

In November 2003 I launched the MilBlogs Ring, a group now consisting of well over 100 blogs run by Active Duty, Guard and Reserve members of all branches of service, along with spouses, retirees, and veterans whose blogs focus on military issues. The MilBlogs page on this site is devoted to providing links to my fellow military bloggers, and contains numerous links you won't find on the front page.

A final important point, the Mrs. actually runs this site, and several of the entries you see here are hers. This one includes the only known picture of yours truly. My part in all this is now just to type fast and email stuff in to her, she gets credit for all the rest. Other members of the family appear in the comments section quite frequently. Should you see anything here you wish to comment on, you can. Click "comment" under any entry and unload. Agree, disagree, prove me wrong - freedom of speech is what I'm all about. (Caution: family site - certain words will be automatically banned. Keep it clean.)

Welcome aboard, enjoy your visit, come again soon.

A Birthday Celebration

You all may be wondering why the Mudville Logo has a birthday theme. Well, Greyhawk's birthday is this month, and since Greyhawk doesn't like to reveal too much, I have not and will not be doing a birthday post on his actual birthday, other than this. I ment to do this on the 1st of the month but between server moves and servers crashing I was unable to upload pics to the template.
So with out further a do I want to wish Greyhawk dear a Happy Birthday. I hope your Birthday wish comes true. xxxooo

Everybody, you have the rest of this month to wish him a Happy Birthday.

Here are a few prominent people that share their birthdays this month.

Paul Revere 1/1/1735
Betsy Ross 1/1/1752
J.R.R Tolkien 1/3/1892
Mel Gibson 1/3/1956
Joan of Arc 1/6/1412
Elvis Presley 1/8/1935
Richard Nixon 1/9/1913
Rush Limbaugh 1/12/1951
Dr. Martin Luther King 1/15/1929
Robert E. Lee 1/19/1807
Edgar Allen Poe 1/19/1809
Stonewall Jackson 1/21/1824
Oprah Winfrey 1/29/1954
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1/30/1882
Dick Cheney 1/30/1941

I'm thinkin January is a prominent month that produces prominent people.

pssst... Greyhawk, I'm thinkin you're pretty prominent ; )

Update: I'll be keeping this close to the top. Greyhawk has had some difficulty in viewing Mudville for days now. (?) But No worries he can see everyone else's site just fine. So let's keep those birthday wishes coming so when he finally does get to view it, he'll have a nice surprise waiting for him.

Wish I'd said that

Indeed

Email

----- Original Message -----
From: d.r@pentagon.us.mil
To: greyhawk@mudvillegazette.com
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 11:12 PM
Subject: try this one

G,

The boys at the lab cooked this one up and now I'm afraid we need you (yes, again) to settle another bet ;). Here's the theory: during a raid on an Iraqi house pull some poor dope's stack of Maxims out from under the bed and make sure his mom sees the stash. The veeperman sez the kid will self flagellate, Dub sez the kid's mom will light him up, I say (based on a 74-million dollar secret study by the nerdsquad downstairs) the kid will slug his mother. You-know-who sez we're all a bunch of neanderthals. Screw her.

I'm out on a limb here, there's a hat with 15 bucks in it for this one, winner take all, and I'm betting on the white coat guys - I know, how many times have I paid for that mistake? Also, get some moron at the Washington Post or NY Times on the story, the guys won't believe anything unless they read it there. And if that SOB Blair gets wind of this we're shutting his site down again.

Oh, by the way, send another box of those Cubans, okay? We had a damn congressional delegation through here last week and they cleaned me out.

D

Reminder

If you're missing the MilBlogs Page, you're only reading half the Mudville Gazette

Six

The Dance

Somewhere in Germany this past weekend there was a father-daughter dance. My daughter went, with a friend and her dad, and will have something to remember: the Father-Daughter dance when dad was in Iraq. She was disappointed, I'm sure, that her dad wasn't there. But coming so soon after the Christmas with dad in Iraq and the Thanksgiving Dinner at the Club because dad was in Iraq it's just another one of those things. She is, of course, the only one of my kids who hasn't had a Birthday when dad was in Iraq. In the email yesterday I received pictures of the event. It was quite the formal occasion, and my youngest has become the lovely young lady - in my entirely unbiased assessment - in her gown and with her hair just so she is a heartbreaking beauty. With High School still a year away I still see the little girl I've always known. But she is a little lady now, of that I am sure.

Here is what I know she didn't think or say about the dance with all her friends and their dads, regarding her lack of same: "It's not fair!" Such sentiments are banished forever at my house. By age four my kids know it's a pointless statement to make. Welcome to the world. By the way, it isn't fair.

******************

Representative Martin T. Meehan, (D, Ma) tasked his staff to draft a plan to withdraw the troops from Iraq, and they have delivered.

Such a timetable, if adopted, would make it more urgent for a new Iraqi government to take over most security functions and also send a clear message that the overwhelming US presence -- now seen by many officials and military specialists as counterproductive -- will soon recede, according to the proposal by Meehan, who recently returned from a fact-finding mission to Iraq.

That's wonderful. No longer will young American girls attend dances without their fathers. Regardless of the results of the Iraqi elections this weekend, no matter what form their new government may take, the Congressional Democrats of America will send them a strong message. "Don't count on us!"

Of course, the report is likely not to see the light of day, Americans last November voted and, well, (D Ma) is unlikely to pull much weight.

It does give the Boston Globe the opportunity to run this headline: House Report Proposes Troop Withdrawal Plan. It's a congressional report, you see. It has weight, it has gravitas. Certainly that's very important and very grown up. Let's wear pretty dresses and do our hair just so and sit at the grown up table and talk about exit strategy, shall we? Just like the grown-ups do. After all, the Mean Man in the White House got to dance with his daughters at the Coronation Ball, didn't he? It's not fair!

This story also gives my lovely wife an opportunity to teach my children what pandering is.

******************

The London Sunday Times declares Shi�ite Muslim cleric Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the winner of the elections.

THE Shi�ite Muslim cleric tipped to become prime minister after next Sunday�s election in Iraq has said it will be the duty of the new government to demand the withdrawal of American forces �as soon as possible�.

I think, in spite of the rhetoric of both the cleric and the Times, that "as soon as possible" is a timetable we can all agree to. After that,

In comments certain to raise eyebrows in the United States, al-Hakim spoke of a role for Iran and Syria � both regarded in Washington as enemies in the war on terror � along with Iraq�s other neighbours, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Kuwait, in the security of the country.

�These countries have past experiences and good security forces and with good relations we can solve this problem together,� he said.

That's quite a full dance card. I hope he's ready for a long night.

******************

And what of the people of Iraq? Where do they stand in all this? Apparently they have not yet voted, and The New York Times provides a shocker: Iraq Remains Sharply Split Over Election!!!!!! (Exclamation points added for effect!!!!!!)

Hejaz Hazim, a computer engineer who could not find a job in computers and now cleans clothes, slammed his iron into a dress shirt the other day and let off a burst of steam about the coming election.

"This election is bogus," Mr. Hazim said. "There is no drinking water in this city. There is no security. Why should I vote?"

Across town in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City, a grocer called Abu Allah stood behind his pyramids of fruit and said that no matter what, he was going to the polls.

"Even if there's a bomb in my polling place," he said, "I will go in it."

If Iraq was ever a divided country, it is especially divided now.

Unlike their last election, which was unanimous, as the Times notes in it's final paragraph,

There was one thing, though, that many Iraqis interviewed for this article, from all groups, agreed on: the novelty of free elections. Abdul Khadim Ali, a portrait painter, remembers the days of Mr. Hussein's elections and how there were not 111 spots on the ballot but 2: yes or no.

"Some Baathist guy once came to our house and told my family we didn't have to go to the trouble of filling out our ballots - he'd do it for us," he said, referring to Mr. Hussein's party.

"This time," Mr. Ali said, "I'm marking my own box."

The gist of the story is that Shiite Muslims, the victims of sanctioned violence for years under Saddam and "insurgent" attacks in the months since his fall, are going to the polls. Many Sunnis, on the other hand, (some of whom have been killing Shiites like it's going out of style for years now) will not. Because it's not safe. Because some Sunnis are killing Shiites.

Are you still with me? Recall Ohio 2004, where Democrats were disenfranchised in Democratic precincts because, well, lines were long and the weather was just awful. And Florida 2000, where Democrats were disenfranchised in Democratic precincts because the ballots were just too complicated. Certainly residents of those States can sympathize with the Sunni districts of Iraq, where the violence is too great for elections to be fair.

******************

So what will happen? Who knows. Certainly I don't. It's sort of like getting ready for The Big Dance, isn't it? Who will dance? Who will not? Who will be asked? Who will be rejected?

The stakes, of course, are a bit higher. But even as we speak, the band warms up, the players begin to get in tune...

Greyhawk From Iraq

ORIGINALLY POSTED 2004-11-01, 11:41:52

The 23rd of October marks the one month point since I became a Stranger in a Strange Land once again. Here I've collected all the links to the essays and photo essays I've filed in that time. The astute reader will note I don't discuss specifics of what I do - those stories will wait for other days. Hopefully what I can share with you gives some insight into what things are like from my perspective here on the ground particpating in the rebuilding of Iraq, the return of civilization to its place of birth.

At your service then!

23 Sep: On Leaving
28 Sep: The Eyes of the Undefeated
29 Sep: Banana Milk
30 Sep: Dear Ms Cocco
04 Oct: Cowboy Up
07 Oct: Gimme Sanction
09 Oct: October Surprise
10 Oct: The Sound of Distant Thunder
11 Oct: Concertina Sundown
12 Oct: Rocket Bingo
13 Oct: The Shrinking Triangle
14 Oct: Eve of Destruction?
17 Oct: On a Dark Desert Highway
18 Oct: Bullets and Ballots
18 Oct: Mutiny? Dissension in the Ranks?
19 Oct: Armored Cowboys
21 Oct: Banana Republics
23 Oct: Intensities in Tent City

Bonus Track:

13 Oct: 20 Years

Hope we'll see you throughout the next month too.

1 Nov Update

Trick or Treat (A series):
24 Oct: Part One
26 Oct: Part Two
26 Oct: Part Three
28 Oct: Blood Moon Rising
31 Oct: The Empty Throne

Bad Hair Day

LA Times reporter Alissa Rubin defines the challenge of reporting from Iraq:

With Iraqis poised to elect a new government ? at a time when it is particularly compelling for the world to hear their thoughts ? most Western journalists are forced to operate on a short leash, unable to casually approach many Iraqis or leave Baghdad without the help of the U.S. military.

A year ago, reporters generally were able to interview Iraqis on the capital's streets and travel across the nation. Now, because of the deteriorating security situation, they can hardly go out in Baghdad, much less the rest of the country.

...And most Western reporters have determined that their only option is to turn to the U.S. and British embassies for transportation help.

The embassies, with the power to commandeer military helicopters, armed with gunners and personal security details, allow journalists to leapfrog the ring of danger around Baghdad and visit the rest of the country.

But there's a problem with that. By "leapfrogging the ring of danger" they find themselves without a story.

But with the mobility come some hindrances. Western government officials exert control over the journalists' itineraries, set up interviews, and decide who and what will be seen. The arrangements can make the trips efficient but preclude the type of free-ranging reporting that journalists usually do on their own.

I'm sorry, I meant to say that by accepting the protection of the Western governments they become propaganda tools of Western governments, and must restrain their free-range impulses that normally take them into the teeth of danger. I mean, the ring of danger. But Alissa's day in Hell had just begun.

The day dawned gray and chill, a thin mist turning Baghdad's usually dry air damp. Some of the reporters gathered at the Green Zone checkpoint staffed by Nepalese Gurkhas shivered.

A dozen reporters were scheduled to go, but as is often the case, several were no shows.

One had been trapped in a checkpoint line, waiting to have his equipment scanned by U.S. soldiers before he could enter the Green Zone. There are no express lines for reporters, and when trying to enter the heavily fortified area, they stand in the same queues as Iraqis, whom the soldiers search meticulously.

A second had thought that the meeting time was 8 a.m. rather than 7. That reporter had misheard the British Embassy public affairs officer ? the telephone lines are so poor.

Those on hand waited eagerly for the choppers as the mist turned to rain and the wind whipped the palm trees that edge the field.

Eight o'clock, the designated liftoff time, came and went with no sign of the helicopters. They had mechanical problems, we learned, and were still in Balad, a military base about 45 miles northeast of Baghdad. They would arrive at 9 a.m., we were told.

The situation went from bad to worse:

It wasn't until close to 10:15 a.m. that we finally heard the whir of the propellers.

We ran across the wet tarmac, the wind and the weight of our flak jackets slowing us to a lumbering jog. As the helicopters lifted off, rivulets of rainwater skittered along the loose door frames, soaking those seated nearest.

On the way to Amarah, we stopped to refuel in a wind-swept airfield where the rush of the propellers sent swelling puddles coursing across the tarmac.

In Amarah, it was raining in earnest and those who had not been dampened in the helicopter were now as soaked as those who had been. Some reporters' teeth were chattering uncontrollably; few could grasp a pen in their numb fingers, let alone write. An Iraqi journalist struggled to get a green plastic garbage bag wrapped around his camera as the wind whipped it away from him.

As we stood in the rain, the bad news came quickly: The local British Embassy officials had canceled the event. Because we were so late, the candidates had gone home.

Moreover, the British military officer who worked most closely with local election officials was in town and could not brief us. And, we learned, the marsh trip had been called off too.

Undaunted, our heroes used the tactic of pleading to get their way:

Several reporters pleaded with an officer for some kind of briefing or ride into town to look at election banners and interview local police.

The British troops, all from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, usually based near Cardiff, Wales, were unfazed. The window had closed for the election event, they said. They could not brief reporters and they did not have the security forces to take us into town.

The most they could offer us was that most British of comforts: a cup of tea.

A little later, perhaps taking pity on the bedraggled group, they threw in an English lunch: bangers and onions, two kinds of potatoes, green peas and gravy. And more tea.

Finally, the commanding officer briefs our intrepid crew:

In addition, he said, car bombs were viewed as the biggest threat on election day and to counteract them most people would have to walk to polling places. It could take several days for the voting to be completed, he said, because of likely delays caused by the travel limitations, the sheer number of people expected to participate and their unfamiliarity with the process. Bathhurst did not yet know whether the national election commission would allow such an extension.

It was a briefing that we could have gotten only by going to Amarah, but hardly enough for a story.

Actually, every news organization in the world has managed to make headlines out of exactly that information. It's the "Official Admits Iraq is descending into Chaos and the Elections will be a Disaster" Story. Kudos to the LA Times for sparing us that.

Shivering, wet and with little in our notebooks, we flew back to Baghdad. After landing we talked about what we would file from our 10-hour day.

The consensus: Not much.

The shortest day I ever worked here was 12 hours - but I have an excuse. I was sick and in fact had two bags of IV fluids that day. And I'm counting that time at the hospital tent as duty time. And I don't spend duty time on this.

The headline above the piece? "To Get The Story, You Have To Get To The Story". Alissa's bad hair day was the rainy day I wrote about here. Back here in the "Ring of Danger" and in spite of the rain, Coalition forces in Mosul detained 42 suspected insurgents. Not to be outdone, Marines and Soldiers from the 1st Marine Division of the I Marine Expeditionary Force detained 59 in Al-Anbar Province over the weekend.

The Who's Who

Confused by dozens of different Iraqi political parties and lists? Don't worry. Just in time for the election in a week's time comes this handy "Who's who" of major players in Iraqi politics to help you decipher the results: Chrenkoff

Thanks Arthur

And a little more info Via Iraq the Model
"Middle East media research institute" where you can view and read the transcripts of some Iraqi elections video advertisements. Also the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq

And also Saleem at Free Iraq has the scoop on the What's What.

So You Say You Support The Troops?

Russ has an essay, you must read. Here are a few excerpts

It�s so easy to say you support the troops, regardless of which side you come down on in the issue of the War in Iraq itself. Yeah, you can send care packages and put yellow ribbon magnets on your car to make you feel all warm and fuzzy that you�re doing your own small part. You can do as I do and use forums such as this one to expound the viewpoint of the folks we send in harm�s way, hoping that someway, somehow, someone who can make a difference may read your rant and actually do that something that makes a difference.

But right now, folks, we have a rare opportunity, a seldom-held power for ordinary citizens, to actually do something for the troops that will bring them more comfort than any supportive letters or boxes of cookies and candy ever possibly could. You see, right now we have the ability to provide them with comfort of mind, to lift a mental and emotional burden that they all carry with them when they enter any theater of combat. We hold in our collective hands the ability to grant them assurance that should the worst befall them, we, their grateful nation, will provide for their loved ones in a manner that will approximate what they would have provided in the normal course of their lives.
<...>
So you say you support the troops? Then as soon as you finish reading this, start hammering that keyboard and let your two senators and your congressman know that you expect no less than their full support for early passage of the HEROES Act. To a person, they all swear they support the troops, regardless of party affiliation or individual positions on the war. Let them know, their future electoral efforts will, in your mind, be dependent upon their actions on behalf of those troops and those families who have given that �last full measure of devotion,� to their nation.

Want a place to start? For a list of sites with congressional contacts, go here:
Contacting Congress

Get off your butts, America and show you really do support the troops.

Russ Vaughn

But hey that's only a few excerpts, you must read the whole thing

"I bid you a heartfelt good night"

I have truly missed America's late night king of comedy since he left television. His charm and charisma have yet to be matched by those that followed. When it comes to Johnny, they broke the mold. His 30 years on late night television set the precedent. Some of my personal favorites are the "Carnac the Magnificent and �Art Fern�s Tea Time Movie�, but most of all I loved his monologues.

I could go on and on about his show but those that watched him know what I mean and those that were were to young to stay up late you'll understand if and when they decide to put his shows on dvd. But I'd like to highlight other parts of this man's career.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on June 8, 1943, as an apprentice seaman enrolled in the V-5 program, which trained Navy and Marine pilots.
He hoped to train as a pilot, but was sent instead to Columbia University for midshipman training. He performed magic for classmates on the side and kept many of his fellow mates rolling on the floor.

He won a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1992, with the first President George H. W. Bush saying, "With decency and style he's made America laugh and think."

Now I'll steal a quote from Michael Ventre, of MSNBC

"The day that television died was May 22, 1992. The day it was buried was today".

So true.

I bid you a heartfelt goodbye, Johnny.

Seven

Somewhere over North Africa in the middle of last week a low pressure center in the upper atmosphere intensified, then drifted off into the eastern Mediterranean, pulling a large amount of moisture up from the sea before moving inland again to pass slowly across the cradle of civilization. The result would be rain and wind through Iraq yesterday; gusts of tropical storm force drove rain in near horizontal trajectories. Not the sort of Bush wouldn?t sign Kyoto so global warming means we're all going to die! newsmaker that seems to crop up periodically, this storm was a headline maker nonetheless. It's what didn't happen that you'll see in your local paper today. You see, the local branch of Mike Moore's Minute Men doesn?t play in the rain. So no car bombs, no assassinations, no beheadings... no news at all. Right?

Wrong. Here are a few of the CENTCOM news releases from that rainy day. I'm not sure what sort of day the American media is saving these for.

MARINES CAPTURE TWO, UNCOVER WEAPONS CACHE SOUTH OF BAGHDAD

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq -- Elements of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit captured two suspected militants and uncovered a weapons stockpile south of Baghdad January 21, the third day of the latest anti-insurgent operation in northern Babil Province.

Intelligence gleaned from a January 19 raid in the south-central town of Jabella led Marines to a site south of nearby Haswah. A search of the area turned up the following:

(19) 130 mm mortar rounds

(11) 125 mm mortar rounds

(42) 82 mm mortar rounds

(4) 60 mm mortar rounds

(3) rocket-propelled grenade rounds

(2) 120 mm mortar base plates

(1) complete 60 mm mortar system

(2) 82 mm mortar tubes

(36) 125 mm armor-piercing rounds

(200) 7.62 mm rounds

(86) cans of 25 mm anti-aircraft-artillery ammunition

(1) Kevlar vest

(99) fuses

(43) bundles of propellant

(1,000) feet of detonation cord

Elsewhere in the province, Marines detained an Iraqi police officer suspected of aiding insurgents involved in ambushing Iraqi and U.S. forces with roadside bombs. The officer is being detained for questioning.

On January 18th, Iraqi and Marine forces launched Operation Checkmate, a fresh offensive aimed at disrupting insurgent activity ahead of the January 30 national elections. Since the operation began, Iraqi and U.S. forces have rounded up 35 suspected insurgents.

EIGHT SUSPECTED INSURGENTS DETAINED DURING OPERATIONS IN MOSUL

MOSUL, Iraq -- Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), detained eight people during operations in northern Iraq on Jan. 21.

Soldiers of 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, detained five people suspected of anti-Iraqi activity in eastern Mosul. Suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported.

Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, detained two people suspected of anti-Iraqi activity while conducting a cordon and search operation in western Mosul. They also confiscated Iraqi and U.S. money, and weapons from the individuals. Suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported.

Soldiers of 1-24th were patrolling in southwestern Mosul later in the day when their convoy was hit with a roadside bomb. They conducted a cordon and search of the area detaining an individual suspected of being associated with the bomb. The suspect is in custody with no MNF injuries reported.

Military officials have said the Mosul area is becoming safer with each seizure and removal of dangerous weapons and detention of anti-Iraqi insurgents. Since Jan. 5 Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces have detained 207 people and confiscated numerous weapons and munitions.

NINETEEN DETAINED IN JOINT RAID NEAR BALAD

TIKRIT, Iraq ? Task Force Danger and Iraqi Army soldiers detained 19 individuals in a raid near Balad at about 12 p.m., January 21. The information-based raid was conducted to capture a wanted anti-Iraqi force member. While on-site a man was seen running into a nearby mosque. Iraqi Army Soldiers searched the mosque and detained 19 individuals. The detainees were taken to Multi-National Force facilities for questioning.

INSURGENTS CAPTURED IN MOSUL

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Soldiers from the Iraqi Army?s 1st Division, 1st Battalion, received mortar fire in Mosul on Jan. 21.

The Soldiers observed insurgents firing a mortar from about 500 meters away and engaged the enemy with direct fire. They found one abandoned 82 mm mortar tube and captured an insurgent.

While searching a house in the vicinity, Iraqi Soldiers engaged the enemy again and captured one insurgent who was using a cell phone to provide positions for attacks. A search of a nearby school yielded one sniper rifle.

201st IRAQI ARMY SOLDIERS DETAIN AIF SUSPECT

TIKRIT, Iraq ? 201st Iraqi Army Soldiers detained an anti-Iraqi force suspect at a traffic control point in northern Tikrit at about 11:10 a.m., January 20. The individual is suspected of funding insurgent cells in the Tikrit area. The detainee was taken to a Multi-National Forces detention facility.

Not a bad day's work. Of course, to produce news stories of such things would be tantamount to taking sides, and would tarnish the image of objectivity the various news organizations have worked so hard to cultivate.

So instead we get stories detailing the "Extraordinary security measures" expected to be in place for the elections in Iraq.

Extraordinary security measures, including a ban on weapons, restrictions on who may drive and a curfew, will be in place before and during elections on January 30, a top Iraqi official said Saturday.

Iraqi Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib provides the extraordinary details:

Anyone carrying a weapon will be arrested and the weapon confiscated, he said.

Driving on the streets will be limited to elections supervisors and other officials. The Iraqi interior and transportation ministries will provide transportation for voters needing help to get to the polls.

Iraq's borders will be closed except to Iraqis returning from the annual hajj pilgrimage, the minister said. No transfer between provinces will be permitted.

And with that sort of extraordinary stuff going on, it's no surprise the ordinary victories of the Coalition go unnoticed by the media.

Eight

Somewhere in central Iraq an aircraft lands delivering goods that aren't made in country. Nothing unusual in that; go to any bazaar in this land and you'll find imported items outnumber those manufactured locally. Years of brutal dictatorship, UN sanctions, and ultimately war to end both have left this nation's manufacturing infrastructure less than intact, to say the least. The task of rebuilding is a daunting one, made more so by factions that would see to it that success is limited, that progress isn't made.

That's the future, at least the future as those with any sense of optimism see it. For now forklifts scurry quickly up the lowered cargo door and hoist pallets of material then return to their starting points, unload and climb for more. A forest of pallets forms on the pavement, soon to be loaded on trucks for transport away from the relative safety of the airbase. Now empty, the plane taxis away to retrieve another load. Now full, a convoy of trucks departs for other locations around the country, the drivers will quite literally risk their lives to get this material to its intended destination.

The forklifts stand by as in the distance the drone of another approaching aircraft signals their job is far from over.

The scene is repeated in various locations around the country. The payload? The material thought worth dying for by hundreds of men determined to move their nation forward? Election material, of course. The future history of free Iraq is being written. Across the country the people express a commitment to democracy, a determination to vote. Should they see the reports from America they must be stunned; stories of "disenfranchisement" from here and there where the weather was bad and many voters felt the wait in line was just too long, thanks. This is America? Could these people actually be somehow related to the men and women in uniform here in Iraq? Those who are shoulder to shoulder with the people of Baghdad, Mosul, Basra... delivering the ballots, manning the checkpoints, ever vigilant for the appearance of the "former regime loyalist" and the "foreign insurgent" determined to inflict the rule of the knife on a population that has never known anything but?

Bloody days are in store. These elections will be like nothing before witnessed. In most areas of the country all will be well, but elsewhere a shredded remnant of the anti-Iraqi forces will make their presence known. Their efforts are nearly impotent; on a recent day five separate car bomb attacks failed to reach their intended targets. Yet even as their failures mount, even as their ranks are diminished and their slaughterhouses are shut down they know one thing that brings them a glimmer of hope: their allies in the world media will not let them down. Whether to simply sell papers, lure advertisers, or to support a cause they firmly believe in, many in the media are the insurgent?s final hope.

Lines are drawn. On one side, the people of Iraq, the majority of Americans, the freedom loving people of the world. On another are those who would behead them all in the street. A more well-defined definition of good vs evil has not been seen in modern times. The final days approach.

The second plane opens it's cargo ramp. The forklifts roll. Elsewhere a convoy exits a gate, moves to a highway, drivers and gunners scanning ahead, left right...

Elsewhere another driver waits, his vehicle sitting low on its axels, 500 pounds of explosives weighing it down...

How many Liberals does it take to win a war?

How many of you Liberals does it take to win a war?
Well how the hell can we tell? You won?t fight one anymore.
You say that you support the troops, but the truth?s plain as your face,
You?d pull us from the battle, march us home in full disgrace.
You?ve no stomach for the fighting, got no mettle, got no pluck;
If you ran this war on terror, we?d be a very well plucked duck.
The wolves of Jihad smell your dread, can smell your craven breath,
And emboldened by the fear they scent, lust for our bloody death.

?But wait,? you protest piously , ?We are fighters for the poor.?
Might we suggest you start to fight, before wolves come through the door?
Do you think they?ll still believe in you, your poor, your gays, your blacks,
When the wolves run wild among them, sinking fangs into their backs?
Think then that they?ll be caring, when they?re counting out their dead,
We inflict pain on a captive wolf to learn what?s in his head?
Do you really think, you bleeding hearts, when they bleed in scarlet torrents,
They?ll care we cage the savage wolves, search lairs without signed warrants?

For years we watched your ?feel good? courts defang our criminal laws,
Handcuff our police, give felons rights, espouse the criminals? cause.
Felonious wolves were freed to prey, and we suffered their wild rages
Till ?thinking? men took back the courts, put the wolf packs back in cages.
With your same old clueless ?feelings? you now decry this war;
And with your same old fuzzy logic, common sense you still ignore.
We must look into ?root causes? and we must try to ?feel their pain;?
Pardon if our eyes start rolling, at your same old lame refrain.

It?s hard to fathom whence you come, perhaps some flawed eugenics,
That begets utopian pessimists, sires optimistic cynics.
Thanks be the power to rule the land remains beyond your means;
A regime of yours, would be like, no doubt, being ruled by pimpled teens.
Your quixotic quest for a world love nest, denies some truths quite real,
Like the need to have some ?thinking? folks to preserve your right to ?feel.?
Abhorring blood on your own hands, there?s a hard truth you?ve ignored,
Someone else must take your plowshare, and beat it back into a sword.

So how many of you Liberals does it take to win a war?
Or is there simply nothing you believe worth fighting for?
How is it that you?ve never learned, like most when they grow older,
That appeasing badness is a bad idea, only makes the bad guys bolder.
Has your fear of spilling human blood made you Jihad?s useful fools,
Ignoring that their wolf packs never fight within the rules?
By your demand we stay our hand, you weaken and you bind us;
Forcing us to fight off wolf attacks with that hand tied behind us.

So we bend some rules, in war you fools; so what? Show some respect,
When it?s your fuzzy-headed ?feelings? ?thinking? men fight to protect.

Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

The Great Unknown

The Washington Post:

An overwhelming majority of Iraqis continue to say they intend to vote on Jan. 30 even as insurgents press attacks aimed at rendering the elections a failure, according to a new public opinion survey. The poll, conducted in late December and early January for the International Republican Institute, found 80 percent of respondents saying they were likely to vote, a rate that has held roughly steady for months.

"Despite the efforts of the terrorists, Iraqis remain committed to casting their vote on election day," IRI President Lorne Craner said in a statement. The organization, which is funded by Congress through the National Endowment for Democracy and the U.S. Agency for International Development, commissioned the poll, which surveyed 1,900 Iraqis in all but two of the country's 18 provinces. Poor security made two in the far north, Nineveh and Dohuk, inaccessible. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Which is wonderful, but says nothing as to what the results might be. The upcoming Iraqi elections are beyond any doubt the most unpredictable such an event in the history of mankind, and there's a palpable sense of the unknown in the air here as the appointed day approaches. Most of us realize that regardless of who is in power here in a very few weeks the US position will be fundamentally changed. How? We don't know. Will they demand our exit? Probably not - but we don't know. An amazing position for the US to be in; supporting free elections in a country, the result of which might not necessarily be favorable.

But what if they are? How will the world left respond to a resounding victory for democracy? Wretchard has some early indicators here, here, and here.

The Shallow Pool

Seattle (MVG News) Fast-food franchise owners all over the city are breathing a collective sigh of relief tonight upon learning that the military won't be competing in their "talent pool".

"I was worried at first when I heard they were showing up at the career fair." Said Frank Kershaw, owner of several area Arby's franchises. "But I can see now that I won't have any trouble filling those critical nightshift assistant manager postions."

"That goes double for me!" Chimed in Walt "Buster" Chezny, Human Resource Manager for the 7-Eleven Corporation's Pac NorthWest Region. "Free Slurpee coupons for anyone filling out a job application today!"

ABC's Funeral

Transcript of ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT, JANUARY 20, 2005. We join the program "in progress".

The Protesters

PETER JENNINGS: The country is divided. There were Americans here today opposed to much of what the president stands for ? particularly the war in Iraq.

PROTESTER [leading crowd in a chant]: Peace, yes! War, no! Peace, yes! War, no!

JENNINGS: But the president spoke to essential American themes. This is a confident man who believes deeply in the mission.

Washington was either very quiet today or, in several places, noisy with discontent. This woman lost her son in Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MOTHER OF SON KILLED IN IRAQ: I came here today to try to stand up for the truth. The truth is that the war is a disaster; that it?s based on lies.

JENNINGS: The demonstrators never got very close to the president. There was no threat. But they could be heard.

Our White House correspondent was in the motorcade.

TERRY MORAN: Things are now being thrown at the motorcade, which is making the [unintelligible] very nervous.

PETER JENNINGS: And there were also thousands of the president?s supporters. By the time he got close to the White House, it was ? as planned ? time to get out and walk a bit.

And after the president and the family had settled in to the reviewing stand, finally the parade got seriously underway.

Nearly 11,000 people who had saved and worked hard to be here. Forty bands and a wide array of floats. For everyone here today, in one way or another, this was an important day.

The Inaugural Speech

PETER JENNINGS: At any inauguration, there are always mixed emotions; not including, of course, the particular passions that appear today about the war in Iraq.

But the people who won are really happy. And after a close election, that was certainly true for Republicans here today. There is too ? you saw it here today ? a feeling of oneness as the country celebrates continuity and a stable political process. Here again is our White House correspondent, Terry Moran.

TERRY MORAN: From the grand vista of the Capitol steps, Mr. Bush addressed much of his speech to audiences far away.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world.

MORAN: Amid all his ringing rhetoric today, the president made several explicit and expansive foreign policy commitments that he claimed will bind his administration to democratic activists anywhere in the world.

PRESIDENT BUSH: The United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.

MORAN: And to repressive governments.

PRESIDENT BUSH: We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people.

MORAN: Those sweeping promises of how foreign policy will be run in a second Bush administration will be met with skepticism overseas; in part because of U.S. support of oppressive regimes such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.

FAREED ZAKARIA [editor, Newsweek International]: I think the president?s speech is bold; it?s noble. But it is also an invitation for the rest of the country to constantly point out how the United States falls short and how we are being hypocritical.

JENNINGS: Many thanks, Terry. Terry Moran. PETER JENNINGS: Back at the White House this evening, ABC?s George Stephanopoulos has been with us all day. George, one thing that struck me ? I think it struck you as well ? there was not a single mention of the word "Iraq" in the president?s address.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Not once in 2,000 words. Of course, the mission in Iraq suffused the speech, Peter. This was an idealistic speech, as Terry Moran said, about advancing liberty throughout the world. And Iraq is the chief battleground right now. And the president?s success over the next four years and into history will be determined by Iraq.

But the president didn?t talk too much at all about constraints today. He set out that expansive vision for the government here at home but did not mention the budget deficit or how we?re going to achieve it.

Today was the day for idealism, not realism.

JENNINGS: Many thanks, George. George Stephanopoulos.

<...>

Funeral for Marine Reservist

PETER JENNINGS: And in Rockport, Texas, today ? just about the time the president was speaking ? there was a funeral for a young Marine reservist. Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Holloway was killed in Iraq last week by a roadside bomb.

His brother told a local paper that as much as Matthew wanted to be home, he was very proud of what he was doing in Iraq. And it is something you hear from so many people in the services, including the 10,000 who have already been wounded.

As you can see, the advertised search for a military funeral to run against the backdrop of the inauguration paid off for ABC. Those who thought the removal of the solicitation from their website was a result of the network's realization that it had exceeded the bounds of good taste can now see that ABC has no such self-imposed limitations. The dismissive money quote from Stephanopoulos ("Today was the day for idealism, not realism.") with a few modifications is applicable to the coverage provided by ABC: This was a day for views, not news.

Arthur's Alarming Tally

Dear friends

We all know that the mainstream media coverage of Iraq is generally negative, but we don't often realize just how negative.

Today I decided to do a little tally.

The results will shock you.

Chrenkoff

Best regards

Arthur

COACH

Early on in this deployment I walked past a sports field and noticed a cloud of dust obscuring the far end. Through occasional breaks in the cloud I made out a group of folks playing soccer. Americans, Iraqis, and other foreign nationals who enjoyed the game enough that they were willing to put up with the unwanted side effect of their efforts; lungs aching for air taking in dust. The "soil" in this part of the world is a fine grey powder, and the harder they played the more the dust would rise.

Most Americans still don't embrace the world's number one sport, but there on that soccer fields bonds were made or strengthened in a way that few other activities could do. When I was young we played an endless number of games that weren't soccer, there were no youth leagues and there was certainly no room on the high school sports schedule for such a diversion. But as a parent I found myself on the sidelines watching and learning to appreciate the sport as my own kids made their own marks on the local soccer scenes. They progressed from pee-wee version to the more serious levels of play, sweating the "cuts" to make the select team, traveling from state to state to spend weekends in tournaments, bringing home occasional hardware but more often not. Eventually one of the little Hawks would even rise to make the state level Olympic Development Squad and compete in one of the four Regional Camps that eventually determine the elite few that would have an opportunity to reach the pinnacle of US Youth Soccer, the US National Team. When I talk Youth Soccer, I know of what I speak.

Somewhere along the way I even coached a few squads, or assisted at least. A bit of my position on the matter here: That stuff about playing for fun alone without caring who wins or looses is for losers. Don't argue that point with me. Play to win. Play hard. Play fair. Be a team player. Accept defeat graciously, and win with a smile. But don't be consumed - it is just a game.

One season my daughter experienced the sheer joy of dad the coach. She's a great player, the sort that transforms others on the field into cones, minor annoyances, and generally feels her game was off if she scores less than 3 goals. She's a natural, and owes none of this to me. She has simply had that ability and poise from a very young age. There's a problem with being the coach's kid though: the coach is your dad. That means your dad is going to tell you things on the field, and that means he's going to speak to you in public and if you're a young teenage girl that is tantamount to the worst thing in the world ever.

Coach dad has two fundamental rules, and I will reveal them to you now. Welcome to the inner circle:

1. Notice the color of your shirt. Don't kick the ball to any girl wearing a different color shirt. That is bad.

2. See the great big net? Kick the ball into the great big net. That is good.

There are other rules for those who master 1 and 2. The brilliance of these two rules is that they can't be argued and they are simply stated. The horror of these rules is that the best players will violate them repeatedly during a soccer match. And if you are coach dad's kid, he will point out each violation to you as soon as it happens, and this requires that I speak to you in public. The daughter eventually only needed shorthand. "The shirts dear! The shirts!" after a poorly executed pass. "The big net, honey, the big net!" After each failure to shoot at an open goal. (Missed shots earn praise for the effort.) Such events were rare though, remember I told you she was good. And being also wise behind her years, she knew that dad was always right.

The next year it was determined for family harmony that coach dad would just be dad and let some other individual speak to my daughter in public if the need arose. The teams formed and we went to the park to meet the new coach. Surprise was in store. He was nobody's dad. In fact, he was a kid just graduated from High school the previous spring, and now was in charge of transforming a gaggle of seventh grade girls into a cohesive machine that could put the ball in the big net at will in spite of the best efforts of the girls in the stupid colored shirts. He had to contend with the fact that these young ladies were dropped off by their parents with cell phones left in their hands so they could call for a ride when practice was over. Within fifteen minutes all was lost, as one by one they wandered off the field and began answering the irresistible call of the cell phone. Half the girls tried very hard to master the fundamentals of the Beautiful Game, while the rest wandered about in circles, chatting away with whoever was first to answer on the speed dial list.

"I refuse to say it." My daughter said, breaking silence on the ride home. (Remember, this is a fierce competitor we're talking about here.)

"Say what, dear?" I replied, expectations rising.

"I refuse to say that I wish you were coaching." She replied. I had not as much as hinted at any concerns I had for failure on the part of her coach.

A great moment in parenting.

Let me add here that I find no fault with that young man, no one of his age and gender could have achieved anything approaching success with that group of girls. Insurmountable odds were against him from the start, but in fact he soldiered on, never quitting, never showing the slightest sign of frustration with his task. He even brought along a couple assistants, two young exchange students from Germany - his family was hosting them for the year. They had grown up playing the sport, of course, they were good and they got the girls attention by simply being foreign, and things began to improve. The season was a fairly good one, my daughter worked hard and excelled, and all was right with the world.

I truly admired the young guy for his efforts, for his determination and for his willingness to take on such a task without any pay whatsoever. He had no little sister on the team, no friend of the family; he was just a guy who loved the sport and wanted to keep involved. I found out something else about the young coach along the way. His dad was Air Force, and he himself was going to join the military, and was coaching to fill the time on delayed entry. Shortly after the season's end he was off to basic. Within a few months we were off to Europe and we lost contact and to tell the truth I hadn't thought of that fine young man in years. If you asked me yesterday what that guy's name was I probably couldn't have said.

Today I remember it quite well because it's the first thing I read in the New York Times story about him.

Somewhere I imagine another team will have a new coach soon. And if they aren't too busy with their cell phones and other distractions they'll probably learn a lot from him.

And they'll be winners, of that I'm sure.

Second Term

JibJab has done it again, just in time for the inaugural.

UPDATE: Jib Jab's latest includes a cameo "appearance" by GIs in Iraq, courtesy of Operation Give.

That guy in the front row center looks familiar?)

Dinner with Lex

To prove her desire to become Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice must sit at the Kiddie table and listen to them talk to the cameras about Iraq.

You, however, have a fine dining experience in store. We complete today's menu with a special treat I saved for last. What could I possibly offer to follow Podhoretz and Hanson?

Lex, of course, with the piece de la resistance. Bon appetit.

Lunch

We'll continue to feed our brains today by spending a bit of time with Victor Davis Hanson. Ever heard a song that captured your mood perfectly at the moment of hearing? Realized the simplicity of it and told yourself "yes, that's the song I'd have written, exactly!" I get that feeling reading VDH.

The feast continues.

Breakfast of Champions

Plowing through the latest coverage of the war in Iraq I find an endless repetition of themes that seem to offer nothing new or worthwhile to address the questions of "how are we doing?" and "where to from here?" Today's stories make the following points:

1. Violence is getting worse
2. Civil war is inevitable
3. Elections won't be legitimate
4. The US Government advocates torture

All of which are about as surprising these days as opening the paper and finding a furniture ad.

"What's new hon?"

"Well dear, theviolenceisworsecivilwarisinevitabletheelectionswon'tbelegitimatetheUSGovernmentendorsestorture! and that Crazy Eddie guy has slashed prices YET AGAIN!!!!"

Even the discussion of media bias at this point seems about as useful as discussing the odds of sunrise tomorrow. I ask why I can't bring myself to respond to pointless and endless sermonizing on Iraq and realize I've answered my own question: it's pointless and endless. This stuff is a steady diet of junk food, insubstantial and unhealthy. The concepts have been rejected by a majority of American voters, and joining the conversation, even in a contrary fashion, is like sitting at the proverbial kiddie table, lot's of fun for a while but not likely to really lead to any intellectual growth for yourself or any of the kids who won't listen.

Let's spend the day away from the kiddie table today. Let's avoid the junk food. I've planned a menu of grown-up food from recipes provided by better chefs than yours truly, and am presenting it to you through the day. Here's your breakfast. Remember, it's the most important meal of the day, and this one is a feast. It's likely you'll want to come back for more. Fortunately there's plenty there. Savor it.

Lunch and dinner to follow. See you later. Enjoy.

INTO THE FUTURE

CENTCOM reports that the Iraqi Air Force has received 3 C-130E aircraft from the United States

Multi-National Forces and Iraqi military leaders gathered at a secure air facility in Iraq to celebrate the activation of the 23rd Iraqi Air Force Squadron.

The United States presented three C-130E cargo planes to Iraq in an effort to jumpstart Iraqi airlift capabilities. The large airplanes were overhauled, including a new exterior paint job touched off with Iraqi flags on the tail sections.

The 23rd Iraqi Transport Squadron was originally activated on July 14, 1965, at Al Rasheed Air Base. Its primary mission was and will continue to be transporting military personnel and equipment. About 65 Iraqi Air Force personnel, including four crews, have completed a four-month lead-in course in Jordan and will now be trained to fly and maintain the new airplanes.

A standard crew on a C-130 is five, two pilots, a navigator, radio operator and loadmaster. Flight training will continue with assistance from the Coalition Military Assistance Training Teams assigned to this mission. U.S. Air Force Capt. Daniel A. DeVoe, an adviser support team member from the 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, is looking forward to the challenge.

�We are making progress,� he said. �Although Iraqi crews have not flown these airplanes yet, the familiarization process is going well.�

Additional training will be provided to the Iraqi airmen in the United States on flight simulators.

Prior to the start of the ceremony, Iraqi Air Force personnel followed Iraqi custom by slaughtering five sheep in honor of the occasion. Blood from the sheep was collected and used to mark the sides of the planes as well as the occasion. Bloody hand prints could be seen on every plane.

The sacrifice was offered in celebration of the new beginning of the Iraqi Air Force and usually signifies a good omen and is symbolic of being under God�s protection, explained an Iraqi at the ceremony. Later the lamb would be prepared and served to the Iraqi airmen as a meal.

<...>

The ceremony ended with the band playing while the unit guidon was unveiled for the assembly. The pennant, with yellow lettering, read: �Squadron 23,� and waved in the dusty breeze.

According to one Soldier who had inspected one of the planes, �It was the cleanest C-130 I have ever seen. Even the ladders were newly painted!�

Prior to the application of the handprints, we assume.

Fine, Thanks

Ahhh, there. Much better now. Nothing like a couple bags of fluid intravenously delivered to get you back on your feet and fighting. What's that you ask? Were the doctors just like on M*A*S*H? Of course they were. Colonel Potter himself administered the IV while Hawkeye was bitch-slapping Frank Burns just beyond my field of vision. Speaking of bitch-slapping, moments later General Patton entered the tent, smacked a soldier and rode off with Hot Lips. Rode? Yes - on a big white horse. Some might think it was the fever talking, but I remember it all clear as mud.

I note that during my down time there's been a bit of a buzz about the tone of the media coverage of the war. The Mrs linked a Blackfive entry, and so did that Instapundit guy. I don't know what the problem is, I haven't seen any slanted coverage, and Patton said he hadn't either. Here, look at the page one WaPo coverage of the sentencing of Charles Graner:

Graner spent 2 1/2 hours laying out an often harrowing tale of a chaotic, Dickensian prison where the rules of permissible conduct were constantly changing and most guards were young reservists with little or no training. At one point, he showed the jury a copy of the Army's "ROE," or "Rules of Engagement," which spelled out four steps of increasing severity for guards to use in controlling unruly inmates: "Shout, Shove, Show [a weapon], Shoot."

Graner also said cellblock "One-Alpha" at the crumbling, overcrowded Army prison housed a number of so-called ghost detainees -- prisoners held with no written records so that International Red Cross inspectors would not be aware of them.

His statement added new details about what Graner understood his superiors wanted him to do, and it conformed with the overall picture of widespread abuse and inept management at Abu Ghraib prison that military investigators and prosecutors have alleged in reports and testimony.

Sure - the author had to ignore a ton of inconvenient facts and flush the evidence from the trial down the personal memory toilet before letting a paragraph like that last one ooze from the brain through the fingers onto the keyboard and across the internet like a vomit tsunami but hey - that might be due to factors other than bias for gosh sakes. Simple-minded ignorance - that could explain it too. I think we could all get along better if we wouldn't immediately accuse the passionate supporters of inbred slack-jawed hill jack torture fiends of bias every time they spew another ill-informed bit of twisted sickness out for the whole wide world to bathe in while they try to ignore the Bush inauguration in Washington and the piercing screams from the aid worker getting her head sawed off next door.

You, of course, are free to disagree.

Speaking of Bush, here's a stand-alone quote from the same story:

President Bush has said that the prison abuse was strictly the fault of a handful of junior enlisted soldiers.

But I digress. I'm fine, thanks, the fever is almost gone. How you?

SEE NO EVIL

There are those among us who've abandoned concepts of "good" and "evil"; preferring to see the world in shades of grey instead of a well defined black and white. Where do you stand? Take a look at the following situations; see if any cross the line into your personal definition of "evil".

From the Washington Post

Army Spec. Charles A. Graner Jr. was convicted Friday of abusing Iraqi detainees at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison in the fall of 2003. He was the first soldier to be tried on charges arising from the scandal, in which naked detainees were photographed in sexually humiliating positions alongside grinning soldiers. Seven other soldiers were charged in the scandal: Four have pleaded guilty, and three are awaiting trial.

Army 1st Lt. Jack Saville is awaiting a March trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault in the death of an Iraqi who is alleged to have drowned after soldiers forced him into the Tigris River. Co-defendant Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Perkins was convicted on Jan. 7 of two counts of aggravated assault, obstruction of justice and assault consummated by battery in the same incident, which took place in January 2004.

Army Staff Sgt. Cardenas J. Alban was convicted Friday of murder and sentenced to a year of confinement for the alleged mercy killing of a severely injured Iraqi teenager. Alban is the second soldier convicted of shooting the wounded 16-year-old as U.S. forces battled an uprising in Sadr City in August. Staff Sgt. Johnny M. Horne Jr. pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison.

The Navy's top SEAL is deciding whether a SEAL lieutenant should face court-martial for assault, maltreatment and conduct unbecoming an officer for his handling of detainees at a U.S. military base in Iraq in 2003. Prosecutors said the lieutenant, who has not been identified, posed in degrading photos with a handcuffed and hooded prisoner who died a short time later. In all, nine SEALs and one sailor who served with them were implicated. Two received Article 32 hearings, one is awaiting court-martial and the rest received nonjudicial proceedings known as captain's masts.

Marine Maj. Clarke Paulus was convicted in November of dereliction of duty and maltreatment in a case stemming from the death of an Iraqi prisoner who was dragged out of his holding cell by the neck, stripped naked and left outside for seven hours in June 2003. Paulus, who commanded the Marine detention facility Camp Whitehorse in southern Iraq, was dismissed from the service.

Marine Sgt. Gary Pittman was sentenced to 60 days of hard labor and demoted to private after being convicted in September of abusing inmates at Camp Whitehorse. He was cleared of two other charges, including abusing a 52-year-old Iraqi man who died in custody.

Army Capt. Rogelio Maynulet faces court-martial in Germany for allegedly shooting and killing a man who was gravely wounded when U.S. fighters opened fire on his vehicle south of Baghdad. A fellow officer told a preliminary military hearing that dispatching the wounded man was "the compassionate response" on Maynulet's part.

From the London Telegraph

In a land where almost everyone has a horror story to tell, Jassem Aziz's experience of Sunni violence against Shias is particularly grisly. He holds back tears as he talks of how his cousin, Ahmed al-Bahadli, was murdered 10 days ago.

A Shia Muslim from the Sadr City slums of Baghdad, Ahmed had joined the new Iraqi National Guard, only to be killed in his patrol car when a bomb planted by insurgents exploded.

The next day, as his family took his coffin for burial in the holy Shia city of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, they were stopped at what purported to be a police checkpoint near the town of Iskandaria and ordered out of their minibus.

Insurgents wearing fake police uniforms shot and beheaded six of the mourners, including Ahmed's mother. Then they ripped Ahmed's body out of the coffin and decapitated him too.

"We found their bodies and heads scattered under some trees near the road," said Mr Aziz, who was travelling in a car behind and managed to flee. "It is too terrible to think about."

This was not an attempt to point out "moral equivalence" - though such argumants are valid - although lost on many the one thing these cases have in common is that the US Army is intent on bringing justice to the accused.

FYI

The Adventures of Chester has moved.

And 2Slick is Back!

Arthur's Email

Dear Mr & Mrs Greyhawk

With the election in Iraq less than two weeks away, the terrorists are waging a relentless campaign of violence, accompanied in the West by an equally relentless campaign of negativity by most of the mainstream media and the kommentariat.

It's imperative to counter these campaigns over the next fortnight - it's imperative that all the underreported and ignored news of positive developments be heard by as many people as possible. Now, more than ever, it's important that "Good news from Iraq" be heard.

Otherwise, the terrorists (and the mainstream media) would have won.

The last two weeks' worth of good news is available from:

Chrenkoff

Opinion Journal

Winds of Change

Thanks for helping to publicize the good news.

Best regards

Arthur Chrenkoff

Aiding and Abetting the Enemy: the Media in Iraq

Blackfive has an interesting essay by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Ryan - a Task Force (Battalion +) Commander in Iraq, this guy is not happy. This has been linked quite abit but if you haven't seen it, take your coffee and go , Greyhawk is still under the weather, but don't worry Greyhawk will spring back, just watch out when he does.

Good Company

Victor Davis Hanson in National Review:

There are many constants in all this pessimistic confusion ? beside the fact that we are becoming a near hysterical society. First, our miraculous efforts in toppling the Taliban and Saddam have apparently made us forget war is always a litany of mistakes. No conflict is conducted according to either antebellum planning or can proceed with the benefit of hindsight. Iraq was not Yemen or Qatar, but rather the most wicked regime in the world, in the heart of the Arab world, full of oil, terrorists, and mass graves. There were no helpful neighbors to keep a lid on their own infiltrating jihadists. Instead we had to go into the heart of the caliphate, take out a mass murderer, restore civil society after 30 years of brutality, and ward off Sunni and Baathist fomenters in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria ? all the while keeping out Iranian-Shiite agents bent on stopping democracy. The wonder is not that there is violence and gloom in Iraq, but that less than two years after Saddam was removed, elections are still on track.

Victor Davis Hanson interview in Right Wing News:

John Hawkins: Last two questions; Are there any blogs you're reading regularly or semi-regularly these days?

Victor Davis Hanson: I do about 3 things. I read a lot of internet magazines, especially the foreign Arab news, Le Monde, and then I read a lot of internet magazines, National Review Online, Weekly Standard online, that kind of stuff online.

Then I do read, let me think: I look at yours, Right Wing News; I look at Little Green Footballs. I look at, I guess it?s called Powerline, Instapundit and RealClearPolitics. I look at all of them, just not every day, but I try to keep up. Then I read some of these Iraqi blogs and military blogs, the names escape me, but I see them, listed and cross-listing & I always look to them.

Irag The Model Interview

Our Iraqi friends, Mohammed and Ali, will be interviewed live on the radio station WBAI 99.5 FM New York City. The station and the host lean way to the left so they may be in for a bumpy ride. The details are here.

So what are you waiting for, you don't want to miss the show.
Oh and if the host opens up the phone lines, I'm sure Ali and Mohammed would appreciate your support.

UPDATE: interview fell thru

Keeping a close eye on Iraqi elections

Iraq Electionwire is keeping us abreast of the details. This site is a must read daily. Add him to your Blogroll.

Mail Call

In the mail:
Excerpt

Dear American Soldiers,

As long as red, white, and blue flags still wave, yellow ribbons are still displayed, and Support Our Troops banners still hang, know that we are still thinking about you. We wish for your safe return home so you can be with your families, although you are all our sons and daughters. I consider you family and I understand why you do what you do. I will pray for you. America will pray for you. And when you come home, we will be waiting for you.

So for now I ask, what is it that we can do for you? We want to know. So tell us your stories and we promise to never forget. We promise to share it with America, so that America will never forget. And maybe one day all Americans will understand why you do what you do.

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!

Sincerely,
Aaron Mighty
Creator/Producer
An American Soldier

*******************************************
If you are a Veteran, active duty military or a family member of a fallen soldier and would like to contribute a story to the feature documentary film An American Soldier
Visit: an American Soldier (not the blog) or
Email to: stories@anamericansoldiermovie.com
*******************************************
To send thank you letters to soldiers via postal mail
Visit: A Million Thanks
*******************************************

An American Soldier is a feature documentary film (currently in pre-production) that will bring the stories of our American soldiers to the nation and the world. The film will aim to capture a compelling viewpoint of the American soldier, the lives they have led during and after war, and how they have paid the ultimate sacrifice to shape American society and world culture.

An American Soldier will not be a political film. The film will be a tribute dedicated to all American soldiers who have fought to preserve our freedoms and liberties here in America. Family members of soldiers who have lost their lives on the front lines will also share their stories.

This undeniably sounds like a must see film, but I hope they hold to their promise that this will not be politically motivated.

News

I'll provide these without comment due to illness. I'm sure the NY Times will be featuring them too, there's no sickness there.

NEW TIP NETS MORE SUSPECTS IN GOVERNOR ASSASSINATION

CAMP LIBERTY, Baghdad, Iraq -- Elements of 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division ?Commandos,? conducted a search of the Al Khashab mosque in western Baghdad on Jan. 12 aimed at capturing insurgents believed responsible for assassinating the governor of Baghdad.

Soldiers detained two suspects in the search and confiscated anti-Iraqi government and anti-Multi-National Forces propaganda.

Multi-National Forces took appropriate measures to ensure all cultural and religious sensitivities were maintained.

?Our Soldiers are trained to observe the religious sensitivities,? said Lt Col. Michael Infanti, deputy brigade commander. ?We respect the sanctity of the mosques, even though the insurgents don?t. When possible we only allow Iraqi Soldiers to enter the mosques. We do not damage the sites and attempt to leave the mosques in the same condition as when we entered.?

The search was planned based on intelligence gathered from numerous citizens in the Hurriyah neighborhood of Baghdad. Residents witnessed insurgents leaving from the mosque then fleeing to the mosque after the brutal assassination.

The mosque has been widely known to elicit anti-Iraqi government propaganda and rhetoric. Multiple Iraqi civilians have also reported weapons being delivered and stored within the mosque.

This search was conducted in conjunction with an operation earlier in the week that netted six suspects involved in the assassination.

The suspects are being held for questioning.

IRAQI POLICE GRADUATE MORE THAN 1,600 FROM TRAINING

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The Iraqi Police Service graduated more than 1,600 officers from basic police training and four specialized policing courses this week as the Iraqi government continues the police force training effort in the country.

The Jordan International Police Training Center in Amman, Jordan, graduated 1,440 new officers, the Adnan Training Facility, Baghdad, 80 specialized course students, and 99 graduated from the Al Kut Regional Training Academy.

IPS basic training runs recruits through instruction in the fundamental basics of policing skills and the techniques and ideals of law enforcement in a free society.

The specialized policing courses include basic criminal investigation, police mid-level leadership, incident command system and police internal controls.

The one- or two-week specialty courses are intended to augment the eight-week basic police training new recruits undergo prior to service and the three-week training course for prior service officers.

Officers attending the courses came from areas throughout Iraq and will return to the respective stations for continued duty immediately following graduation.

Down but not Out

Well I?m battling a virus. Fever, cough, all of it. This doesn't keep me from my primary responsibilities but the grey parts of Greyhawk don't want to make words dance right now. I was going to tell you my plan for Mideast peace and the origins of global warming and reveal the secret recipe for DFAC chili mac, but that will have to wait for another day. Maybe more soon, but for now visit Lex.

Why? Glad you asked. I'll let you in on a secret. Lex is the Lileks of the MilBloggers. Lest you think I'd toss such a statement out there unsupported, I invite you to read his Christmas Post. (No - it's not too late. I meant to link it then, but server issues kept me off line. Besides, it has relevancy beyond Christmas.) Savor it, enjoy, thank me later. Then read his many subsequent musings, and don't miss his greatest hits which he conveniently lists in his sidebar.

Are you still here? Did you miss the virus part? Go before you catch it.

Elsewhere

Belmont Club commentary (and associated links) on boots on the ground is not to be missed.

Austin Bay's long awaited blog is here.

Cori Dauber has a link I couldn't find yesterday. Even the Post version of the story didn't have it quite right (the house was not supposed to be hit), but those neighbor quotes were what I was looking for. I've got to start checking her site first - she's generally way out in front on the media bias and the military topics. (Yes, you should bookmark her.)

Meanwhile, in a village near the northern city of Mosul, where the U.S. military reported that it had mistakenly dropped a 500-pound bomb on the wrong target Saturday, residents said the Americans actually hit the correct house, killing an insurgent who they said had killed Iraqi security forces.

The residents of Aaytha, 30 miles south of Mosul, said the bomb hit the home of the Numan family, members of the prominent Sunni Muslim Jubori tribe, one of the largest in Iraq. Witnesses said the blast killed 14 members of the family, including 10 women and children. Neighbors said a toddler related to the family was the sole survivor.

Salem Jasem Jubori, who lives close to the house that was destroyed, said the head of the household was a middle-age man who "used to kill and cut" his victims, primarily Iraqi police and National Guardsmen, in front of villagers.

"He was ferocious, very fierce and wild," Jubori said.

Read Rantingprofs' full explanation of why that fact was hard to find.

Man, Myth, and Magic

"The Torture Myth" - that's the headline over Anne Applebaum's Washington Post piece, and I confess to a moment of unguarded optimism on seeing it. Would she be "exposing" the Abu Ghraib fallacies that she furthered last week? Alas, no. The myth she exposes is that physical torture routinely produces usable results. It doesn't - and that, of course, is one of many reasons why the option is discouraged. But that fact undermines the foundation of her commentary. The starting point of her thesis is that torture is being used for the desired purpose of gaining usable intel, but that's a flawed basis for the start of a usable discussion. The fact is that while she produces quotes from a number of informed sources supporting her argument it is in opposition to no one. That's a clever headline indeed, but the real torture myth is that the US has embraced torture as official policy. Reality is that virtually every credible report of torture perpetrated by Americans seems to boil down to pure sadism on the part of the accused, as is becoming increasingly clear from the
Abu Ghraib trials:

Lawyers for Specialist Graner have said the soldiers were following orders from military superiors who were under pressure to obtain better intelligence from the detainees. Guy Womack, his civilian lawyer, said he would provide taped testimony on Wednesday from a detainee who will say that military interrogators gave Specialist Graner orders to rough up prisoners. An Army major, Mr. Womack said, will testify that there was pressure from superiors.

But several military investigators and the detainees themselves testified Tuesday that the detainees in the photographs were at most common criminals, not suspected terrorists, and none were interrogated by military intelligence.

"No one questioned us," said Mr. Mutar, who said Iraqi policemen had taken him at night from his house in Baghdad because they believed he had stolen a car, then transferred him to the Americans. "They took us and tortured us."

That from The NY Times coverage of the trial (although you have to read a few paragraphs to find it). It seems even Graner's attorneys have fallen for the real "torture myth" - but the "orders of Intel" line of defense seems odd in light of the testimony of the car thief who was being punished for fighting in the prison. This perplexing clinging to an absurdity could be credited to attorneys expecting assistance in the form of slanted "old media" coverage. If so, to their credit the Times seems unwilling to beat that particular drum. Read the whole thing, not one mention of Donald Rumsfeld can be found.

But Reuters still works a bit of journalistic magic in their coverage:

FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - A former inmate at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison forced by U.S. guards to masturbate in public and piled onto a pyramid of naked men said on Tuesday even Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did not do such things.

The inmate testified at the court martial of reservist soldier Charles Graner, accused ringleader of guards who engaged in the abuse, which prompted outrage when pictures of the sexual humiliation were published around the world.

"I couldn't believe in the beginning that this could happen, but I wished I could kill myself because no one was there to stop it," Hussein Mutar, who was sent to Abu Ghraib accused of car theft, said in videotaped testimony.

"They were torturing us as though it was theater for them," he said, as the prosecution wound up its case against Graner on assault, dereliction of duty and other charges that could bring him up to 17 1/2 years in prison.

An obviously ill-at ease Mutar added: "I was extremely emotional because (even) Saddam didn't do this to us."

Over which we see this headline: "Iraqi Victim Says U.S. Torture Worse That (sic) Saddam"

Did you catch the "car thief" reference?

In closing, I note that reporters and commenters can be misled on topics as easily as anyone else in the general population, and I'm not accusing Anne Applebaum of anything other than being unfortunately misinformed. Like her I find the use of torture abhorrent, and would prefer a world where such things don't happen, and I'm sure we'll all agree to hope and pray that the torturers of Abu Ghraib receive better treatment as prisoners than they gave as guards.

TROOPS DETAIN 6 SUSPECTED IN BAGHDAD GOVERNOR SLAYING

Tips from Baghdad residents have led to the arrest of six individuals in the slaying of the Governor of Baghdad.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- An early morning raid on Jan. 11 netted Task Force Baghdad Soldiers six possible insurgents suspected of involvement in the assassination of the governor of Baghdad province.

A military spokesman said the raid culminated from tips from local sources.

�The information was pretty good,� said Maj. Web Wright, public affairs officer for the 10th Mountain Division�s 2nd Brigade Combat Team. �We were able to act on this intelligence and detain these guys without firing a shot.�

Members of Company B, 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division�s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, detained four suspects during the initial raid in the Hurriyah district of western Baghdad.

Forty minutes later, the unit reported the house cleared, and two other suspects were found and detained.

Wright said tips from local residents are becoming more commonplace in Baghdad.

�The citizens of Baghdad are really starting to turn over good information that we can put to use,� Wright said. �They are obviously fed up with the violence that the terrorists are causing.�

The suspects remain in custody for questioning.

Progress in the 'Stan

Dear Mr & Mrs Greyhawk

Remember Afghanistan? The country which just had its first democratic election and whose reconstruction is making a steady progress?

The media doesn't.

However, here's the last four weeks' worth of good news from Afghanistan:

Chrenkoff

Opinion Journal

Thanks for spreading the good news.

Arthur Chrenkoff

Wrong House?

You likely have heard this story; several television and "print" sources have reported on the US military bombing the "wrong house" in Mosul.

The Guardian:

US commanders ordered an investigation yesterday after they admitted mistakenly bombing a civilian house in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Al-Jazeera:

Residents said 14 people, including children, were killed in a strike in the northern village of Aaytha, and showed 14 freshly dug graves. The military, making a rare admission of error in its fight against guerrillas, said five people died when a 500-pound bomb flattened the house.

CNN:

U.S.-led multinational forces were searching for an insurgent cell leader and hit the house with a 500-pound bomb, the military said in a statement.

The correct target was nearby, the military said.

They almost got it right (though almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.. and, well, 500-pound bombs):

CENTCOM News Release (emphasis added):

COALITION AIR STRIKE IN MOSUL

MOSUL, Iraq -- During a cordon and search operation to capture an anti-Iraqi force cell leader, a Coalition F-16 dropped one GBU-38, 500-lb GPS-guided bomb, in the area south of Mosul on the house intended for search.

The house was not the intended target for the air strike. The intended target was another location nearby.

The strike occurred during a pre-planned air mission to support ground troops searching for AIF in support of offensive operations in the Mosul area.

Coalition forces in the area for the mission responded to the site to provide assistance. Responding forces reported that five individuals died in the strike. There was no collateral damage to other buildings.

Multi-National Force ? Iraq deeply regrets the loss of possibly innocent lives.

An investigation is underway to determine the facts regarding this incident

Good? No - the bomb did not land where it was supposed to. But get this straight: The house was the target of the search, the bomb was to be dropped "near by", but hit the house instead. According to Fox News on-air reports (still searching for transcript) neighbors immediately confirmed that the occupant of the house was a middle-aged man who liked to kill police.

Sloppy reporting? Agenda driven? Who knows - even a months-long investigation would probably not determine the motive.

Graner Court Martial

NY Times:

In opening arguments here at the court-martial for the soldier, Specialist Charles A. Graner Jr., his lawyers insisted that he was simply following orders and using lessons from his civilian life as a prison guard to try to maintain discipline in a war zone. Using naked and hooded detainees to make a human pyramid was much like what cheerleaders "all over America" do at football games, the lawyer, Guy Womack, argued, and putting naked prisoners on leashes was much like what parents in airports do with their toddlers.

TalkLeft has more on lessons from his civilian life as a prison guard.

Fellow Guards testify:

Still, Private Frederick and other soldiers testified, commanders did not know about the kind of treatment shown in the photographs and would not have sanctioned it.

Several soldiers described their alarm as they watched the abuse unfold, particularly on one evening that began with several soldiers running and jumping into a pile of detainees.

"It made me kind of sick, almost; I didn't know what to do," said one, Specialist Matthew Wisdom, who has not been charged. "It just didn't seem right."

<...>

Asked to explain photos of detainees masturbating, Private Frederick said Specialist Graner "said it was a present for our birthday." Soldiers also said commanders explicitly told them not to take photographs.

More from the defense:

Mr. Womack, Specialist Graner's lawyer, said that the photos were part of a plan to force information from detainees and that government officials blamed his client only after the pictures set off outrage around the world.

Over and over, he said, military intelligence complimented Specialist Graner. "The M.I.'s and other folks came to him and said, 'You're doing a great job, keep it up,' " Mr. Womack said. The jury, all men, listened intently to the testimony. Specialist Graner betrayed little emotion inside the courtroom but smiled and joked outside. Walking in Monday morning, he told reporters: "We're going to find out what kind of a monster I am today."

Got a Minute?

CBS: 224 pages .

Charles Johnson: 1 animated gif.

'nuff said.

Must Read

Just go

A great look at the individual initiative and can-do attitude that
exemplifies our best and brightest, but unfortunately the last few
paragraphs seem to be a pointlessly tacked-on bit of Rumsfeld bashing.
The bulk of the story is must read, but the transition to
unadulterated lefty spew is jarring, as you'll likely see for yourself

Meanwhile, Elsewhere

Some other blogs on topics recently covered at Mudville.

Morale raisers:

Iraq the Model points us to Baghdad Dweller who translates results of a pre-election poll of 4974 Iraqis living in and around Baghdad:

Will the security problems cause you to?
Not come out and vote the day of elections = 18.3%
Come out and vote the day of elections = 78.3%
No opinion = 3.4%

Do you support military action against the terrorists? Yes = 87.7 %No = 11.1%
Don�t Know = 1.2%

Lots more news at Iraq the Model (of course.)

Morale busters:

Glenn Reynolds recaps the murder case first reported at Healing Iraq, and provides a useful link to previous entries.

Donald Sensing addresses the recent 'bombing' of a Bradley armored vehicle. This event remains under-reported, and I still suspect that's partly because the media sees it's dream of an "armor scandal" as the most important casualty of this event. The "more powerful insurgency" line is indeed strengthened, but it's a rather weak claim. Making bigger bombs is not difficult for anyone adept at making bombs (See McVeigh, Tim).

Other:

Jim Geraghty covers Kerry in Iraq, and questions the media coverage. He catches a point I missed, from AFP: "Kerry also asked soldiers what he should tell Congress about the war in Iraq and was told that 'the good work that they are doing is not getting reported in the United States.'" But surely you all saw that on 60 Minutes.

Diplomad mentions the Water Buffalo on runway story, but refers to the critter as an "Acehenese cow". I don't know if that's the same thing as a water Buffalo or if the media got it wrong. Regardless, you should follow closely Diplomad's coverage of the UN heroics in the aftermath of the tsunami. (They've formed a committee to investigate the potential feasibility of forming a pre-coordinating group tasked to explore possible locations for additional meetings. The heroic aspect is doing so while enduring the horrendous drone of various American and Australian relief aircraft that haven't been properly coordinated and who could be causing levels of noise pollution banned by Kyoto.)

When you finish there visit Arthur.

From CENTCOM

THREE OF FOUR KEY TALHA LEADERS CAPTURED IN MOSUL

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Multi-National Forces detained a key leader of the al Qaida-linked Abu Musab al-Zarqawi terrorist network in Mosul on Dec. 22.

Following a thorough investigation, the individual detained was positively identified as Abdul Aziz Sa?dun Ahmed Hamduni, aka Abu Ahmed.

Abu Ahmed served as a deputy to the emir of Mosul, Abu Talha, and assumed command of terrorist operations in Mosul in Abu Talha?s absence. Abu Ahmed admitted to receiving money and weapons from Abu Talha as well as coordinating and conducting terrorist attacks in Mosul.

?The capture of Abu Ahmed, and the subsequent capture of Abu Marwan on 23 December, show significant progress in the inevitable destruction of the Abu Talha-led Al-Queda-Zarqawi terrorist network in Mosul,? said Brig. Gen. Erwin F. Lessel III, spokesman for Multi-National Forces-Iraq.

Security forces in Iraq have previously announced the capture of Abu Marwan, also a senior-level terrorist in the Talha organization. Security forces also recently captured another senior Talha member whose name cannot be released due to operational security reasons.

?Currently, security forces in Iraq have three of Abu Talha?s four most senior leaders in custody,? Lessel said.

The capture of these key members has led to additional captures throughout the Mosul-based AQ-AMZ network. More than 20 percent of Talha?s key members have been captured in the past few weeks.

Abu Ahmed?s capture removed one of Abu Talha?s most valuable officers from the Mosul-based AQ-AMZ terrorist network. Abu Ahmed remains in detention and is providing information regarding the Talha network.

?These terrorists and Saddamists are doing all they can to stop upcoming elections,? Lessel said. ?They fear democracy and the day when the Iraqi people vote for a representative government. The vote by the Iraqi people will reject everything the terrorists stand for -- killing innocents, depriving people of food, electricity.?

The use of car bombs and other explosive devices by Abu Ahmed and his affiliates shows disregard for the well-being and security of innocent Iraqi civilians. The Central Criminal Court of Iraq is committed to providing a fair trial to those allegedly engaging in terrorist activities. Those found guilty will be punished accordingly, and thus lose the ability to provide for the future of their families.

The IIG and Multi-National Forces are committed to bringing peace and stability to Iraq and its people. Iraq?s government and security forces grow stronger and more capable every day.

Not yet "in the news" as they say. (But this story may have started the "Zarqawi captured rumors that surfaced last week.)

Trials

This is not the "Torture Gazette" but I'd be remiss if I ignored this one. Charles Graner, famous subject of the 60 Minutes Abu Ghraib pictures, has entered a "not guilty" plea, and at least one inmate from Abu Ghraib will testify for the defense.

FORT HOOD, Tex., Jan. 7 -- Three Iraqi detainees who were allegedly abused at the Abu Ghraib prison by American soldiers will be among the 35 witnesses called to testify in the military trial of Spec . Charles A. Graner Jr., the Army Reservist and alleged ringleader of the abuse who is due to be court-martialed here next week.

A jury of 10 military officers and enlisted men was empaneled here in one hour Friday morning, after being quizzed about their ability to be impartial. Opening statements are scheduled for Monday.

Only one officer questioned -- and ultimately dismissed -- said he could not be impartial, noting that he was affected by the media images of the abuse. Sensational photographs of the Army specialist giving a thumbs-up behind naked Iraqi detainees piled in a pyramid rocked the international community and embarrassed the Bush administration last year, setting off months of investigations and charges.

The all-male panel will hear from the three prisoners by videotape; one of them will be a defense witness. The jurors will also hear testimony from Graner's alleged co-conspirators, some of whom have already pleaded guilty to charges arising from the abuse. Graner faces up to 17 1/2 years in prison and is the first of several reservists to stand for a full-fledged court-martial. His attorney, Guy Womack, said Friday that he has not decided whether to put Graner on the stand but that the soldier was an "outstanding candidate" to do so.

<...>

Looking calm and upbeat, Graner pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of conspiracy, assault and humiliating the prisoners by forcing them to pose in sexual positions at the prison near Baghdad. "No matter what happens, we're good to go," Graner told reporters after the hearing. "There's been ups and downs, but the ups have so outweighed the downs. Whatever happens is going to happen. I feel it's going to be on the positive side."

Womack reiterated the defense Friday, saying that Graner was following "lawful" orders when he abused the prisoners. The lawyer added that even if the orders were unlawful, Graner would not be culpable if he believed them to be lawful.

Womack said that officers who gave the orders would not be called to testify because "they are invoking their right to remain silent."

"We have to hold the order givers to a higher standard," he said.

Ivan Frederick, like Graner a Prison Guard in civilian life, entered a guilty plea at the start of his court martial last year.

More at the link.

As long as we're on the topic of military justice, here's the verdict on the case of one Soldier charged with murder:

FORT HOOD, Texas � An Army sergeant charged in the alleged drowning death of an Iraqi civilian was acquitted Friday night of involuntary manslaughter but convicted of assault by a military panel.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Perkins was charged in connection with a January 2004 incident near Samarra, Iraq, when two Iraqi curfew violators were forced into the Tigris River at gunpoint by U.S. soldiers.

Prosecutors say one of the Iraqis drowned, which the defense denied.

The six-man jury of Army officers and enlisted members, who deliberated 17 hours over two days, considered lesser charges against Perkins. They convicted him of assault consummated by battery in Zaidoun Fadel Hassoun's purported death.

Perkins, with 14 years of military service, was found guilty of aggravated assault in connection with Marwan Fadel Hassoun, who survived.

The military panel will hold a sentencing hearing today.

Defense attorney Capt. Joshua Norris said the panel should not convict Perkins because there was "no body, no evidence, no death."

Thus ends the first murder case brought about by blogs.

I'd Rather Have Been Wrong

Mudville Friday, predicting the media response to the report that an IED that flipped a heavily armored Bradley, killing all it's occupants:

A possible "increasingly powerful insurgency" storyline may evolve.

The LA Times yesterday:

WASHINGTON � Bombs used with deadly effect against U.S. troops in Iraq have recently become more powerful, the latest escalation in the insurgency, Pentagon officials said Friday.

Army Brig. Gen. David Rodriguez said insurgents had greatly increased the destructive power of roadside bombs by packing more explosives into the munitions, which the military calls improvised explosive devices.

"We've noticed in the recent couple of weeks that the IEDs are all being built more powerfully, with more explosive effort in a smaller number of IEDs," Rodriguez told reporters.

On Thursday, a roadside bomb in northern Baghdad killed seven soldiers riding in a Bradley fighting vehicle, one of the most heavily armored in the U.S. military.

I should stop using words like "may."

Torture Talk

Andrew Sullivan:

It's relieving to hear many conservatives dissent from the kind of torture that the U.S. has practised these past few years in the war on terror. But there are two critical myths that keep being repeated. Let me enumerate them.

This was only about Abu Ghraib. Nope. Abu Ghraib was what prompted the inquiries and reports that showed us that this phenomenon was much more widespread. Torture has occurred at Abu Ghraib after the scandal hit; in Ramadi, Tikrit, in Saddam's old mukhabbarat HQ in Basra, at Camp Cropper, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, and in transit. It has been perpetrated by almost every branch of the military. When you read a blog like the Mudville Gazette, you realize that they are simply ignoring the bulk of the evidence. Why?

First - and this is a minor point - I think any attempt to address this as a left/right issue is an unfortunate attempt to ensure that valid (and valuable) discussion is dispensed with, and consider the "conservative" reference as another such effort. At last count "conservatives" outnumber "liberals" in this country by about 3 million votes - game over if you want to play by those rules. I don't.

Andrew Sullivan offers an incendiary passage to be sure - some may call that the heart of blogging - but his was a rather weak approach to addressing the actual post referenced, complaining about what it isn't. Here's a quote from said post:

If you're looking for further discussion on that political topic move on. The remainder of this post is not for you. But you will miss a chance to look a little deeper into the ugly mirror that is Abu Ghraib, perhaps to clear a bit of fog from it's surface, and discover if you know all you think you do on that topic.

Which I believe explains to any rational reader exactly what the post is - a look at the reality of the notorious Abu Ghraib torture case - while acknowledging that there are other issues that won't be addressed. I could provide a laundry list of what the post isn't. But for those who missed the point, here's the final paragraph:

A discussion of torture is an ugly necessity in the world today, but those who would enter that discourse with the battle cry of "Abu Ghraib" should at least understand their position. It's a house of cards, ugly cards to be sure, and not a foundation for discussion with any intent of serious resolution.

I'm biased, but I don't see a call for eliminating misleading fictions from any grown up discussion as a dodge. I've used the phrase "seats at the grown up table" here before - if you can't have a reasonable discussion of topics like these without regurgitation of myths, innuendo, and outright lies than there's no sense in inviting you up from the kiddy table for the talk. I'll acknowledge that Andrew's post indicates to me that he concedes the point regarding the applicability of the Abu Ghraib case, and note that such concession meets my conditions for further discussion above.

But still a final step would be needed to bring his post up to a level I could respond to. With every fact I stated in the "Torture Test" I provided what we call a "link" to supporting posts, and they in fact contain even more "links" to other sources. I always think of them as similar to footnotes or citations, the sort one finds in scientific papers when one makes a reference to previous efforts. But having some background in producing such documents (usually for pre-publication peer review) I comprehend their utility. But most bloggers and other web-savvy people comprehend this practice regardless of their academic background. For instance, any blogger who would state that "Torture has occurred at Abu Ghraib after the scandal hit; in Ramadi, Tikrit, in Saddam's old mukhabbarat HQ in Basra, at Camp Cropper, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, and in transit. It has been perpetrated by almost every branch of the military." without providing support in the form of these "links" would simply be inviting the sort of scorn we reserve for old media dinosaurs and those who have something to fear from the truth. Without such support we might assume his 'torture' definition includes simply wrapping a prisoner in an Israeli flag.

I'm no Sullivan basher, some time ago he gave the MilBlogs page one of the earliest server-straining links it received, but in this case I fear we are seeing the product of a tortured mind. I give you a D+ on this test, but I know you can do better.

More here A must-read from Donald Sensing.

Father and Son

Duty, Honor, Family

"We ask Kendall all the time, 'Why are you doing this? You're a husband, a father, a grandfather. You've served your country already. Your family and your community need you here,' " said next-door neighbor Jackie Shaw, 66. "Some people have gotten angry. We just cry."
<...>
Phelps' answer: It's his duty, both as a Marine and as a father. He's not giving anything more, or anything less, than any other Marine.
<...>
Kendall Phelps, wearing his new combat boots to stretch them out, tells his wife everything will be OK.
"That's not what you said when Chris left for Iraq the first time," Sherma said. "There's a difference between walking out the door and being left behind. You know that. You felt that difference."

A must read.
Those that serve can relate to this, those that don't are clueless.

Hat tip Jim Walker

Animal Magnetism

I caught an NBC Nightly News report on Armed Forces Network last night pointing out that no animal corpses have been found in the wake of the tsunami. This echoes an earlier report from Slate on the same topic (note that both are msn.com):

There's a good chance the wildlife knew trouble was on the way. History is littered with tales about animals acting weirdly before natural disasters, but the phenomenon has been hard for scientists to pin down. Sometimes animals get crazy before a quake, sometimes they don't. Here's what we know: Animals have sensory abilities different from our own, and they might have tipped them off to Sunday's disaster.

Via Scott Ott we find this story:

PHUKET, Thailand ? The third time was the charm.

Rescue workers freed a humpback dolphin from a small lagoon where the Asian tsunami dumped it and returned it to the Andaman Sea in a rare story of survival 10 days after the massive waves crushed posh tourist resorts in the surrounding Khao Lak area.

I don't mean to refute the essence of the animal story in any way here - just noting that apparently some individual animals have a more highly attuned sense of danger than others.

Relief flights into the heart of the Indonesian disaster zone were stopped yesterday when a cargo plane hit a buffalo on landing at Banda Aceh airport and crashed to a halt.

<...>

The undercarriage of the Boeing 737, a passenger plane converted to carry cargo, was badly damaged in the crash and there was no heavy lifting equipment available in Banda Aceh to remove it from the runway.

No word on the condition of the Buffalo.

Toxic Waste in Baghdad

When I saw John Kerry in Iraq recently I thought that here was a great opportunity to do something for America and Iraq - express solidarity, a commitment to success for democracy in the upcomming elections, support the troops, etc. etc.

Then I found this story:

WASHINGTON - When Congress meets in a special joint session Thursday to count electoral ballots from the presidential race, Sen. John F. Kerry will be noticeably absent - thousands of miles away on a fact-finding trip in the Middle East.

Which led me to believe the purpose of his visit might be less positive, but still I had hope.

Until I found this story:

The senator said he was more interested in asking questions of soldiers, U.S. officials, Iraqis and even the journalists themselves instead of rehashing the political battles of the past campaign season.

But in several instances, Kerry attacked what he called the "horrendous judgments" and "unbelievable blunders" of the Bush administration. The mistakes, he said, included former U.S. occupation leader Paul Bremer's decisions to disband the Iraqi army and purge the government of former members of Hussein's Baath Party. Both moves are widely believed to have fueled the largely Sunni insurgency.

"What is sad about what's happening here now is that so much of it is a process of catching up from the enormous miscalculations and wrong judgments made in the beginning," he said. "And the job has been made enormously harder."

The hero of Ho Chi Min strikes again. Some cheering was heard from several of the few thousand troops who voted Kerry over here, but they were drowned out by cheering of the "insurgents".

So while clowns in Congress attempt to turn the day into a circus, the failed candidate runs to Iraq to bemoan the war in person to the troops.

Here's a great quote from '03, see if you remember which Vietnam veteran said it:

"I remember being one of those guys and reading news reports from home," the Vietnam veteran said. "If America is at war, I won't speak a word without measuring how it'll sound to the guys doing the fighting when they're listening to their radios in the desert."

Three comments:

1. We've all got mp3 players.

2. There are no "boys and girls" - there are men and women.

3. Measure this: Shut the %$^& up.

Here's hoping for no reason to discuss this man again here.

I'd say more but I've got to round up troops to clean a slime trail someone left in the desert.

All the Armor in the World

I knew this story was out there, but had to search a bit to find it this morning.

BAGHDAD, Iraq Jan 6, 2005 - A roadside bomb killed seven U.S. soldiers in northwest Baghdad and two Marines were killed in western Iraq on Thursday, the deadliest day for American forces since a suicide attack on a U.S. base last month.

Oddly enough it hasn't yet make the "front page" of the online NY Times or Washington Post, where those numbers of dead usually promote rapid headline generation.

But the media might have some difficulties with a fact in paragraph 5 of the AP version:

The soldiers with Task Force Baghdad were on patrol Thursday evening when their Bradley fighting vehicle hit the explosive, the military said in a statement. Everyone inside the Bradley was killed.

Nor do any quotes from Donald Rumsfeld.

Like this one: "And if you think about it, you can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can be blown up."

Tragic verification of that point, and perhaps troubling to those in the media seeking spin. After all, he was thrashed by the clueless for being "insensitive" when he said it as part of the full response to the question about armor from a young Soldier in Kuwait.

CNN does link from their front page via the headline Officials: Roadside bomb kills seven troops. They offer this helpful description of the strength of the blast:

The blast flipped the 50,000-plus-pound Bradley Fighting Vehicle upside down and into a ditch, said Lt. Col. James Hutton, a 1st Cavalry spokesman. Rescue efforts were hampered by flames and secondary explosions, he said.

We'll see how (or if?) the media handles it throughout the day today.

Haider has translated some good news

News that you won't see in the MSM, because it just doesn't fit their agenda.
Here's a few excerpts

?500 Rabbies & Imams attend a Brussels conference together.?
The translation of the article is as follows:

?King Mohamed the VI of Morocco and King Albert the II of Belgium sponsored a Muslim ? Jewish conference for peace in Brussels. The goal of the conference is to get Rabbies and Imams together to rebuild the common historic, ethical and moral ground shared by Judaism and Islam.

?Over 500 Rabbies and Imams from all over the globe are attending this conference which is currently taking place in Brussels. The attendance exceeded the expectation of the organizers. The attendees discussed the history of relations between Islam and Judaism and the problems that brought about the deterioration of the relationship between the two religions. During a candid discussion of the common commitments and prejudices imposed by mutual respect and acknowledgement of one another, the Moroccan king?s consultant ?Azawlai? urged all in attendance to realize the scope of the difficulties & challenges faced by both the Muslim & Jewish communities. He said that in this context we have to bring back to the word of God the philosophical, moral, and spiritual connotation which imprinted and fed since ancient times the progressive and novel humanitarian relationships not the oppressive and radical ones.
<...>

?Arab Interior ministers condemn attacks on Iraqi & foreign forces & the way Arab media reports it.?
The translation of the Article is as follows:

?Arab interior ministers condemned the attack on foreign & Iraqi police and security forces and the kidnapping for foreigners in Iraq. The condemnation came at the closing of the 22nd convention of the Arab interior ministers, which started on Wednesday in Tunisia.

"The Iraqi interior minister Falah Hassan Al-Naqeeb asked at the opening of the convention that a statement be issued condemning the attacks on the Iraqi & foreign forces in Iraq. The Interior Ministers then denounced the news agencies that propagate and carry false news to entice terrorism. The ministers are referring to Arabic news, satellite and cable stations that refer to the attacks on Iraqi police, National Guard and Foreign forces in Iraq as resistance instead of terrorism.
<...>

Hat tip to Bill at Small town Veteran

One Millionth Visit

Should happen in the next couple of days. Thanks to all of you for clicking so many times.

Awaiting Pogs?

To those that donated $20.00 or more to Spirit of America - Friends of Iraq Blogger Challenge, THRU MUDVILLE,

Email me at greyhawk@mudvillegazette.com. I have a message awaiting those that reply to this.

Iconoclast Pariah

Another post-election chuckler, and another example of shaping the news. Think forward when you read this, remember it when you see similar stuff in the future.

Where in the Blog is Hugh's book now?

Radio Blogger is doing a photo contest. Here are my entries.

HEY, he started it

Update:
Here's the MilBlog version

39,996

An interesting quote in the Washington Post's page one coverage of the murder of the Governor of Baghdad Province in Iraq:

"The war's worse, the insurgency's worse," said a senior U.S. Embassy official in Baghdad, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to talk candidly. "This is not going to be a short fight. Nobody should think it is."

The assessment reflected a new willingness among senior Iraqi and American officials to acknowledge that large tracts of the country remain beyond the control of their combined forces.

A new willingness among anonymous officials - obviously it's all going straight to hell.

With that, here's a small sample of the 16 CENTCOM news releases since our last recap:

IRAQI NATIONAL GUARD REPELS INSURGENTS

CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq ? An insurgent attempting to place an improvised explosive device near a school in Ar Rutbah wound up being the victim Monday.

Members of the Iraqi National Guard witnessed an insurgent placing an improvised explosive device and engaged with small arms fire causing the insurgent to prematurely detonate the improvised explosive device, which instantly killed him.

Insurgents in a white Toyota pickup truck approached and engaged the ING personnel with small arms fire after the improvised explosive device detonated. The ING personnel repelled their attack.

The capabilities of the Iraqi National Guard are growing steadily as they continue to independently operate to provide peace and stability to the citizens of Iraq.

ATTACK ON POLICE STATION RESULTS IN SIXTH DEFEAT FOR INSURGENTS

MOSUL, IRAQ (January 4, 2005) ? Iraqi Security Forces decisively defeated another attack by anti-Iraqi insurgents as they attempted to seize a police station in southeast Mosul yesterday.

An Iraqi Police station in southeast Mosul came under attack by small arms fire during a coordinated effort by insurgent fighters to overrun the station. The Iraqi Police successfully repelled the attack on the station forcing the insurgents to flee and denying them access to the station.

This is the sixth attack on the southeast station this week. Each attack has resulted in a defeat for the insurgents and a victory for the Iraqi Security forces. This is the thirteenth time since November 10 where insurgents have tried but failed to overrun police stations in Mosul.

Since November 10, no police stations have fallen into the hands of insurgent fighters.

Multi-National Forces from Task Force Olympia continue to work together with members of the Iraqi Security Forces, leaders and citizens of Iraq to make it a safe, prosperous, and democratic nation.

CHILD'S TIP LEADS MULTI-NATIONAL SOLDIERS TO A LARGE WEAPONS CACHE

MOSUL, Iraq -- Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), 25th Infantry Division (Light), discovered a large cache of weapons and munitions based on a child?s tip during operations on Jan. 3 in northern Iraq.

An Iraqi child led Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, to a large cache of weapons in an abandoned building during a patrol in western Mosul that consisted of 30 60 mm mortars, 21 rocket propelled grenade rounds, dynamite, various roadside bombs and components, five RPG launchers, more than 100 mortar fuses, grenades, ammunition and intelligence documents.

Soldiers also discovered a stolen fuel truck in the configuration stages of a truck bomb. The discovery of the truck bomb possibly saved the lives of hundreds of people.

An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed both the truck and munitions with no injuries reported during the operation.

INSURGENTS' VEHICLE DESTRUCTS

Baghdad, Iraq ? Two insurgents determined on committing a terrorist act in Baghdad Monday, Jan 3 wound up as the only victims as their vehicle exploded before they reached their target. An additional insurgent was wounded in the blast.

Multi-National Forces observed a vehicle broken down and on fire on a city street during a routine patrol. As the patrol attempted to investigate the fire, the vehicle erupted in a violent explosion killing two occupants in the vehicle. A third occupant, standing away from the vehicle, was wounded by the blast. No one else was harmed by the blast.

Multi-National Forces interviewed the survivor and determined that the vehicle was prepared as a vehicle borne improvised explosive devise, a weapon of choice for insurgents against civilians and coalition forces.

Multi-National Forces Iraq and the Iraqi Government are committed to routing out and brining terrorists to justice.

To keep it balanced, we note this Times of London report:

IRAQ?S rapidly swelling insurgency numbers 200,000 fighters and active supporters and outnumbers the United States-led coalition forces, the head of the country?s intelligence service said yesterday.

The number is far higher than the US military has so far admitted and paints a much grimmer picture of the challenge facing the Iraqi authorities and their British and American backers as elections loom in four weeks.

?I think the resistance is bigger than the US military in Iraq. I think the resistance is more than 200,000 people,? General Muhammad Abdullah Shahwani, director of Iraq?s new intelligence services, said.

Bomb attacks killed another 18 people yesterday, almost all of them members of the security services, and the head of the Baghdad division of the Iraqi National Guard admitted that his paramilitary police force had been infiltrated by people who are leaking information to the guerrillas.

General Shahwani said that there were at least 40,000 hardcore fighters attacking US and Iraqi troops, with the bulk made up of part-time guerrillas and volunteers providing logistical support, information, shelter and money.

But don't fret, based on the news releases above the number is already down to 39,996.

When the World Dials 911 - a poem

When the World Dials 911

Disaster strikes a world away
We get the call, what do we say?
We move at once, to ease their plight,
To aid them through their darkest night.
But come shrill cries from carping Press,
That?s not enough to fix this mess.
We know that, fools, but give us room,
To counter Mother Nature?s doom.

America gives to those in need,
With no regard to faith or creed.
We?re there for all when need is great
A helping hand to any state,
That?s fallen under Nature?s wrath
And needs a lift back to the path.
So what they may have mocked our ways?
We?ll turn our cheek ?til better days.

But there are those who hate us so,
They?ll carp and snipe and hit us low,
Who?ll bend disaster to their needs,
And try to choke us on our deeds.
They?ll play their dirty liberal tricks,
For them it?s only politics.
In the face of massive human pain,
They only think of their own gain.

But the world knows sure whom it must call,
When disaster strikes, when nations fall.
America is the beaming light
That fades, dispels disaster?s night,
And standing firm provides relief
To salve the pain, allay the grief.
So to Hell with what our critics say,
America?s fine, still leads the way.

Russ Vaughn

Email from Iraq

Glenn Reynolds posts an email from Iraq.

Murder in Baghdad

THE al-Qaeda group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for the recent murder of the Governor of Baghdad.

Baghdad's governor, Ali Haidary, was killed by insurgents who swarmed over his convoy from several directions in one of the capital's poorest neighborhoods. Six bodyguards were killed with him. Haidary was a serious, meticulous man who rose from air-conditioning repair merchant to the capital's seat of power through neighborhood, district and city councils established after the fall of Hussein.

The vivid description is all we have, apparently on this day the AP cameraman was otherwise engaged.

Not so last month. On December 19, the Associated Press published a story recounting the murder of election officials in a Baghdad street by "insurgents." The story, in fact, is more a description of the dramatic photographs of the event, and is even headlined "Photo Sequence Shows Rebels Executing Electoral Workers".

Within hours, Wretchard at the Belmont Club wonders "out loud" what the odds are of a photographer being at the right place and time to record such an event, and to have the "courage" to take the pictures rather than to seek cover. Roger Simon comments too.

Internet site Salon.com attempts to re-frame the discussion, labeling Wretchard and Roger as right-wing crackpots and requests anyone wanting to read about it give them money or watch an ad. Here's an excerpt, in which we encounter the preposterous situation of a knowledgeable but anonymous spokesman for a news organization explaining the reason their photographer is anonymous too:

A source at the Associated Press knowledgeable about the events covered in Baghdad on Sunday told Salon that accusations that the photographer was aware of the militants' plans are "ridiculous." The photographer, whose identity the AP is withholding due to safety concerns, was likely "tipped off to a demonstration that was supposed to take place on Haifa Street," said the AP source, who was not at liberty to comment by name. But the photographer "definitely would not have had foreknowledge" of a violent event like an execution, the source said.

Wretchard and Roger respond, free of charge.

Wretchard follows up again here. Power Line notes the goings-on and, fine bloggers that they are,join in, along with LGF. By this point in time I would estimate the combined effects of these four blogs alone had quadrupled the daily readership at Salon. If Salon's motive for publishing an attack on bloggers was to boost sitemeter hits they likely succeded. If their desire was to refute the growing discussion on what did the AP photographer knew and when did he know it they failed.

It's not about Salon, after all. This is serious business, and people are dying for AP profit margins.

Roger keeps the fires burning.

Then Jim Romenesko at Poynter Online receives solicited email from Jack Stokes, AP's director of media relations, regarding Salon's story. Said email being key to the issue, I'll reproduce it here in it's entirety:

Several brave Iraqi photographers work for The Associated Press in places that only Iraqis can cover. Many are covering the communities they live in where family and tribal relations give them access that would not be available to Western photographers, or even Iraqi photographers who are not from the area.

Insurgents want their stories told as much as other people and some are
willing to let Iraqi photographers take their pictures. It's important to note, though, that the photographers are not "embedded" with the insurgents. They do not have to swear allegiance or otherwise join up philosophically with them just to take their pictures.

Perhaps Mr Stokes expected readers to utter these words now: "ohhhhh... well, that settles that! Never mind then. Carry on!"

Understanding the blogosphere does not seem to be a requirement for "media reations" jobs with the AP.

Once again: Wretchard, Power Line, and Roger.

What we have here is a seminar on journalistic ethics, brought to you by the blogosphere. Beyond the Salon piece, expect the response of the "pros" to echo that of their response to the Rather Forgeries, which I'll quote here in full:

""

And there you have it. Since no one's going to answer the questions raised, beyond proselytizing policy, freedom of the press, pure neutrality, etc. etc. there's no reason to ask any questions.

Other than those reasons provided by this blogger from Egypt:

The blogoshere is currently discussing the issue of how an Associated Press photographer managed to stand in the middle of one of Iraq's (and probably the world's) most dangerous roads and shot a picture after another of a ruthless murder in the middle of the day. As I mentioned in my previous post, AP's execution pictures raise a lot of questions that we bloggers are responsible to find answers for. In the post-Dan Rather world, we should quit giving huge media outlets the chance to monopolize the flow of information around the world.

The case at hand is much more serious than the fake memos about what young George W. Bush did over 30 years ago. The case at hand has to do with the brutal killing of 2 Iraqi heroes whose only mistake was trying to organize an election in their country. This is a moral case and we, the friends of Iraq and of the troops serving there, should not let this incident pass unnoticed. Either AP has to come up with convincing answers to all our questions, or we will continue our crusade to expose AP's alleged "methods of journalism" in Iraq.

Given that the elections are approaching, more violence is expected, and this event ocurred a couple miles from where I now sit, here's a few of my questions for the AP to ignore:

How much did the AP pay for those shots?"

I mean the snapshots, of course, not the gunshots

How much would exclusive photos of "insurgents" beheading an aid worker be worth to the AP?

How about a series where the "insurgents" plant a roadside bomb, wait for an American food convoy, and detonate it? Maybe with an ensuing gun battle as bonus. How much for photos of that?

Everything has a price, as they say. Would pictures like the ones I've described be worth more or less than those of Muslims killing Muslims?

How about a planned "demonstration" at a polling place on election day in Baghdad? If that same photographer was invited by the same group to a "demonstration" there, how much would he "earn" for his pictures?

On the Town

After a recent visit from Robin Wiliams and Leann Tweedon I guess this isn't really big news...

WASHINGTON - When Congress meets in a special joint session Thursday to count electoral ballots from the presidential race, Sen. John F. Kerry will be noticeably absent - thousands of miles away on a fact-finding trip in the Middle East.

Kerry's two-week overseas trip, which includes stops in war-ravaged Iraq, conveniently allows the defeated Democrat nominee to avoid a potentially awkward moment on the House floor as congressmen vote to certify election results.

``(Kerry) wants to personally thank our troops for their service, focus on the steps that must be taken to achieve success in Iraq and hear from experts in the region,'' Kerry spokeswoman April Boyd said.

Vice President Dick Cheney - who zestfully played the role of President Bush's pit bull during the bitter fall contest - will preside over the official electoral vote count.

There's more, including a mention of Democrats pleading for Kerry to contest the election.

MilBlogs Page

If you're not checking the MilBlogs page, you're only reading half of the Gazette, and you're missing a lot of links to the ever growing number of military blogs on the web.

Another Army We Don't Need

The NY Time's "Army We Need" editorial was written by someone with no knowledge of the military beyond awareness that the US has one. If you'd like to see a lot of comments on that topic by people with less knowledge click here. If not, click there anyway. If you're limiting yourself to only half the blogosphere you're missing out on a lot. (A lot of what I'm not saying).

Combat Docs Down

Blackfive noted last week that the website of the 67th Combat Support Hospital docs had been ordered shut down. This week the Philadelphia Inquirer has additional details:

A Bucks County military doctor serving in Iraq says he was forced to shut down his Internet war diary last week after Army officials decided his gripping accounts of frontline medicine constituted a breach of Army regulations.

Maj. Michael Cohen, a doctor with the 67th Combat Support Hospital unit, had chronicled the bloody aftermath of the Dec. 21 mess-hall bombing in Mosul that killed 22. That account and 12 months of other postings on his Web log, www.67cshdocs.com, were replaced with a short notice:

"Levels above me have ordered, yes ORDERED, me to shut down this Web site. They cite that the information contained in these pages violates several Army Regulations," Cohen wrote, adding that he disagreed with the ban.

Military blogs have grown numerous since the invasion of Iraq, often providing a closer account of the war than traditional media. But such "milblogs" present a problem for military brass because the diaries are available to anyone with Internet access, including insurgents.

Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, a spokesman for coalition forces in Iraq, said the Pentagon allows blogging so long as authors do not disrupt discipline in their units, make statements on behalf of commanders or the Army as a whole, or reveal operational details that could aid attackers.

"Sometimes a blog might contain subtle nuances from which you can put together a complete picture of our operations, which insurgents can use to attack us," Boylan said. He said he was not aware of any bloggers facing court martial or other serious discipline. He could not confirm the investigation into Cohen's blog, saying it would likely be handled by field commanders in Mosul.

"We definitely don't want to impinge upon somebody's free speech. We're out here defending that. But it can cross a line," Boylan said.

More on Armoring Up!

John, at Argghhh! has some updates on sending M-113/A3 armored personnel carrier and the M-577 command post carrier. Both will be tougher and safer than newly armored Humvees.

Perspective of the Magnitude

Moxie has displayed the numbers of the lost which shows the magnitude and intesity of this tragedy.

kokasexton has a bird's eye perspective. Photos of the devastation.

An Explanation with an apology

Ali from Iraq the Model has an explanation why he abrubtly left his other blog.

I had some serious doubts about that trip to the US and did express them to my brothers. I saw that it was an unnecessary risk and I feared there would be more than just the harmless meetings with readers and donors. When I didn't get answers that calm these doubts I decided not to go. As I was sitting here behind my computer watching the reactions to my brothers' visit, my doubts grew stronger. I believe that they were exposed to a great risk and despite we were promised that there would be no major media, I got a mail from a journalist in the Washington Post asking about the meeting with (POTUS). After that mail, I decided to quit.

My brothers were not as concerned as I was and thought that western media is hardly read by terrorists or fanatics. However, few days ago a friend of ours came to our house telling us that he read about the visit and the meeting with Bush in "Al Sharq Al Awsat" a widely distributed Arabic newspaper that reaches most Arab countries if not all. They had the news through the Washington Post and this was not strange to me, as it's a common thing that Arabic newspapers and Satellite TV channels discuss western media regularly. It's one thing to risk your life for doing what you believe in and serving your country and humanity and it's totally another thing to risk your life just to meet (POTUS).

Has anyone ever heard of the MSM keeping a promise, besides the promise was probably kept, not to inform the media, but that doesn't stop the media from catching wind of it. Blogs are becoming the new major media and the Iraqi brothers' trip was blogged by some of the biggest blogs in the sphere so the "Washington Post" and "Al Sharq Al Awsat" will most likely be turning to the Blogoshpere for info. Ali, has started his own blog "Free Iraqi". Go there and read his full explanation

Request Denied

This is not approved:

Some of you may not know this, but in two months I'll be a civilian for the first time since I was 17. Yep, I'm getting out of the Army. It's an Unqualified Resignation from Active Duty- no National Guard, no Reserves. A clean break. This is a decision I made a few years ago, so it's not like I've been doing a lot of soul searching or anything like that. I've enjoyed every minute of my time in the service, and the Army's done more for me than I'll ever be able to put into words. I'm just ready to move on and enjoy other things in life. That doesn't mean I'll stop supporting the cause. I'll just be serving in a different way.

2Slick: Unfortunately at this time we must refuse your request. If you wish you can re-submit in triplicate for further consideration prior to additional rejection.

If I can use my combat experience and things I've learned on Active Duty to help debunk fascist mythos or help people understand what's going on over here, then I'm honored to do so. Mostly because I know that it will ultimately help those who chose to answer the call- as well as those who care enough to support them.

Hmmmm... okay, but I'm going to encourage people to go encourage you to keep that blog going!

Go go go...

Iraq Elections News

Iraq Elections Newswire is a blog round up of English language news on the upcoming elections. Expect lots of useful posts there in the weeks ahead.

'I'm Going to Learn'

I just found this amusing and had to share with those who may have missed it.

Jan. 10 issue - It was a little after 7 p.m. on election night 2004. The network exit polls showed John Kerry leading George Bush in both Florida and Ohio by three points. Kerry's aides were confident that the Democratic candidate would carry these key swings states; Bush had not broken 48 percent in Kerry's recent tracking polls. The aides were a little hesitant to interrupt Kerry as he was fielding satellite TV interviews in a last get-out-the-vote push. Still, the 7 o'clock exit polls were considered to be reasonably reliable. Time to tell the candidate the good news.

Kerry had slept only two hours the night before. He was sitting in a small hotel room at the Westin Copley (in a small irony of history, next door to the hotel where his grandfather, a boom-and-bust businessman, shot himself some 80 years ago). Bob Shrum, Kerry's friend and close adviser, couldn't resist the moment. "May I be the first to say 'Mr. President'?" said Shrum.

The others cringed. Kerry did not respond, at least in any memorable way. In the dark days after the election, he tried a joke: "Until about 7 p.m. that night, it felt great to be the 44th president of the United States." Ever since election night, John Kerry has been trying hard to learn from his mistakes, to cheer his disappointed followers, to avoid sinking into the inevitable depression?and to plot his own comeback.

Kerry has not given any formal interviews since his defeat. But on Nov. 11, nine days after the election, Kerry summoned a NEWSWEEK reporter to his house on Boston's fashionable Louisberg Square. He wanted to complain about NEWSWEEK's election issue, which he said was unduly harsh and gossipy about him, his staff and his wife. (The 45,000-word article, the product of a yearlong reporting project, is being published next week as a book, "Election 2004," by PublicAffairs.)

Despite, or because of, a somewhat stoical and severe New England upbringing, Kerry has a tendency to natter at his subordinates, to blame everyone but himself. ("Did he whine?" was the first question one senior Kerry aide asked of the NEWSWEEK reporter who had recently been to see Kerry.) On this damp November evening, he appeared alone in the house; he answered the door and showed his visitor into a cozy, book-lined drawing room. His face was deeply lined, his eyes drooped, he looked like he hadn't slept in about two years. But his manner was resolute, his mood seemed calm, even chipper.

Why did he lose? Kerry points to history and, in a somewhat inferential, roundabout way, to his own failure to connect to voters?a failure that kept him from erasing the Bush campaign's portrait of him as a flip-flopper. Kerry said that he was proud of his campaign, that he had nearly defeated a popular incumbent who had enjoyed a three-year head start on organizing and fund-raising. Sitting presidents are never defeated in wartime, he insisted (true, though two, LBJ and Harry Truman, chose not to run for another term during Vietnam and Korea). Kerry did not wish to be directly quoted touting himself, however; he did not wish to appear defensive or boastful.

The Human Cost

When imaginary reporters ask me for advice, I respond.

Cub Reporter: I've got to do a piece on a recent US victory in Iraq, but my editor told me know that even though we're covering this story to claim "balance" in our reporting I still have to find a way to leave readers demoralized and if possible unaware that the US actually is winning. What advice can you give me?

Greyhawk: Well, the common approach is what's called the "S*** sandwich, where you write two stories, one the American victory and the other listing every "successful" insurgent attack over the past couple weeks, then combine them by alternating paragraphs into a fused product. To break it up a little, toss in the phrase "beleaguered Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who has been rebuked in recent weeks by Republican Senators and Army Privates alike, was not available for comment." Whatever the story is be sure to mention the upcoming elections and how this makes it less likely for them to be seen as legitimate, then top it with a headline that makes it clear that the country is descending into chaos.

Cub Reporter:The headline isn't a problem, my editor already wrote it, along with all the Rumsfeld parts. But we ran several of those "sandwich" stories already this week...

Greyhawk: So you need something else?

Cub Reporter: Right.

Greyhawk: Well, here's an idea. It's not new, but it hasn't been completely burned out yet either. Play the "human cost" card.

Cub Reporter: You mean mention the total number of dead since Bush declared an end to major combat operations? That's so last year. And those numbers are too big for our average reader to grasp now, they're becoming numb.

Greyhawk: Yes, but small numbers are what work now. Look, here's what you do. The Americans are currently experiencing a string of successes in Iraq. Despite the challenges the Iraqi people are increasingly optimistic about their futures, and tired of the insurgents. But every American and Iraqi victory comes at a price, and that price is often the lives of soldiers. So you focus your story on the guys who died in the battle, not the outcome of the battle itself.

Cub Reporter: That's sick! My publisher will love it!

Greyhawk: No doubt.

Cub Reporter: "Putting a face on the war" - yes! I mean, we could make everyone reading question any victory the Coalition forces could ever achieve, just by pointing out the "shattered dreams" of the casualties of the fight. And no one could question our motives - because we support the troops!

Greyhawk: Just make sure you don't mention the word "hero".

Cub Reporter: Certainly not, that's a word we reserve for John Kerry and Mike Moore. Better stay away from "sacrifice" too. Way too Christian... hey, this will be great! I've got the whole thing written already. We're gonna break new ground here. I'm thinking Pulitzer!

Greyhawk: Well, I wouldn't say that...

Cub Reporter: What? This is what the committee looks for!

Greyhawk: Oh, I'm sure. But I mean this has all been done before. Look, here's a recent example from Long Island Newsday. You'd be hard pressed to know this was the story of a coalition victory.

Cub Reporter: Reading:

MOSUL, Iraq - Spc. Michael Kreuser was curled at the bottom of his sleeping bag Wednesday afternoon inside a tan apartment building the U.S. Army had converted into a combat outpost when an enormous blast shook him awake.

Sandbags fell on top of the young medic, and he struggled to get up. Unable to see through the fog of plaster dust filling the room, he patted the floor, found his medical kit and one boot that he pulled on and raced to a third-floor balcony, where he heard screaming.

Pfc. Oscar Sanchez was on the ground, hit by shrapnel and bleeding. Kreuser, his stocking foot now soaked with Sanchez's blood, and another soldier dragged the private into the hall, cut open his shirt and tried to revive him.

"We weren't going to let him go easy," said Kreuser, a lanky 22-year-old from West Bend, Wis.

But moments later, Sanchez died, the sole victim of a sophisticated attack by a suicide bomber. The 19-year-old soldier from Modesto, Calif., had been on guard duty, standing on a chair to get a better view as he aimed his automatic rifle at anything suspicious, when a black-clad insurgent drove a truck loaded with 1,500 pounds of explosives into concrete barricades roughly underneath the balcony.

As Kreuser thinks about that day, he brims with irrational blame. He blames himself for not being able to save the buddy he trounced at video games and teased for singing sappy love songs. He blames other soldiers for not telling Sanchez to get down off that stupid chair. He blames his commanders for stationing soldiers smack in the middle of the most dangerous neighborhood in Mosul.

Wow - this was a Coalition victory?

Greyhawk: Yes, it was, with at least 25 insurgents dead. But read the last paragraphs...

Cub Reporter:

Finally, Kurilla's convoy arrived at Tampa, which was under barrage from mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, and saw a 5-foot-deep crater in the road - and the remaining bits of charred, crumpled metal from the truck that had carried the explosives.

Four loud fighter jets appeared overhead, strafing the cars and low-slung buildings where insurgents were holed up and swooping to fire Maverick missiles on targets. Their precision was startling, and a relief to those who sat in nearby military vehicles.

The fighting stopped. Some units headed back to Camp Marez, leaving behind cars with dead Iraqis inside and rubble-strewn streets. Soldiers silhouetted by a pink sunset watched their battle-worn vehicles limp back into camp. Two of the Strykers had to be towed. Smoke was pouring from the hatch of another. One dragged concertina wire underneath its bumper and one rolled back with a blown front tire.

Staff Sgt. Victor Brazfield, one of the soldiers in Kurilla's convoy, worried about his best friend, Sgt. Richard Vasquez, 22, who was in the Stryker targeted by the suicide car bomber. During the battle, Brazfield's headphones had crackled with a report of a KIA, or soldier killed in action.

As night fell, Brazfield rushed to an Army hospital to drop off more wounded, where he found Vasquez, lying on a bed, awake, with a bandage over his eye.

"When I saw him," Brazfield said, "I just cried."

But by the following morning, he had learned that it was a different friend who had died: Sanchez.

"He was my Joe," Brazfield said. "He was my soldier."

He looked at the ground and walked away.

Wow! This is great stuff! "The fighting stopped." That quote rocks!

Greyhawk: Yup, dead insurgents generally stop fighting.

Cub Reporter: But damn! There's no way I'll get a Pulitzer for my story.

Greyhawk: Maybe, maybe not. But you will get noticed, of that I can assure you.

Military Aid to Tsunami Relief

Chester has the inside scoop on the military efforts for tsunami relief.

Power Line brings this bit of news:

One of the ships helping is the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault vessel carrying U.S. Marines. This is the same ship that [critical phrase deleted] Navy Petty Officer Third Class and darling of the anti-war left, Pablo Paredes, refused to board back in Decemeber because his ship was aiding in the "illegal" war in Irag. This sailor went AWOL back in December and staged a little media party in San Diego back in December. This is a wonderful irony.

Mudville February 2004

Terry McAulliffe crafts the second half of the Democratic Platform. His "chest full of medals" comment telegraphed how the media campaign would have been be shaped "if it weren't for those durn kids blogs!"

Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe began the latest verbal spat, by saying on ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos" that he relished debate over military service if John F. Kerry became the party's nominee for president. The Massachusetts senator is a decorated Vietnam War veteran who has made his military service a centerpiece of his campaign. "I look forward to that debate, when John Kerry, a war hero with a chest full of medals, is standing next to George Bush, a man who was AWOL in the Alabama National Guard," McAuliffe said Sunday. "George Bush never served in our military in our country. He didn't show up when he should have showed up."

That set the tone for Mudville in February, and later for America in the summer of 2004. Along with the Chairman's comments we presented the cover of the new JFK's answer to Profiles in Courage. Note that virtually the entire upcoming presidential campaign was forecast in the comments of this post from February 3 last year.

By the end of February we'd dealt with every key aspect of the upcomming political campaign. (That being President Bush's military service and Senator Kerry's military service, the New York Times more recent claims that homosexual marriage was the key issue notwithstanding.) Scroll through the monthly archive here, see if I missed any. (And see the special logo we have for our monthly archives too, if you've never seen it before.) Most other blogs didn't address these at this time, preferring to focus on the issues. I thought important issues were still to come, and that these stories would be history by early summer. I was wrong.

In MilBlogs news Chief Wiggles got a mention by President Bush at National Prayer Breakfast. (A much later post from the Chief would reveal that moment may have saved him from some little problems...)

News that didn't fit most places:
ROK Soldiers rush to apply for Iraq duty.

Ann Coulter insults Max Clelland - I found her comments offensive and misinformed. Mudville is not blinded by partisan loyalty. Repeat, not blinded by partisanship.

John Edwards will be VP candidate. You heard it here first.

The month ended with one of our most-read posts ever, a de-bunking of a ridiculous Guardian piece on global warming, the Pentagon, George Bush, and the end of the world.

But as March approached the mainstream media began to examine the reality of John Kerry's standing with veterans.

Slanted News?

More on slanted news reporting, from Omar, a citizen of Baghdad at Iraq the Model.

The NY Times We Don't Need

Is it still fair to bash the NY Times? Have they been declared "too easy" by the blogosphere for 2005? Should we establish a rule like "only brand new bloggers can pick on the NY Times, it's just too damn easy?" Honestly, sometimes I'm reluctant to point out the foolishness that passes for news and commentary there. It's becoming increasingly akin to correcting my children - an exercise I also find I sometimes can't resist. In the kid's case, however, I still have hopes they'll learn something from the experience. The Times? They already know everything there is to know about everything. Forgive me for shooting the sitting duck, the fish in the barrel, but under the headline "The Army We Need" the Times has written an editorial calling for the Army they need.

The Pentagon is beginning to resemble a desperate farmer who feeds his starving family the seed corn meant for sowing next year's crop. To keep enough boots on the ground now, it is sacrificing the ability to retain the leaders of tomorrow. As overdeployment has become chronic, promising young officers are opting not to re-enlist. When new crops of young people graduate from school, they will be less willing to combine their civilian careers with service in the Army National Guard; recruitment is already down almost 30 percent. The Regular Army is hurting too. Despite enlistment bonuses, it has had to speed up its reporting schedules, sending new recruits straight into basic training.

It's an editorial, so these folks are entitled to their opinions, but a few factual matters could add a bit of weight to their arguments:

1. Officers don't enlist. Enlisted members enlist. Hence the term "enlisted".

2. All new recruits go "straight to basic training" - hence the term "basic" training. Skipping basic training would be the sign of an Army in a hurry.

Now, more than half of the Regular Army's fighting forces have either served in Iraq, are currently there or can expect to be on their way soon, along with a substantial fraction of the Marine Corps and historically high proportions of the Army National Guard and Reserves.

Really, only "more than half" of the Army has been in Iraq, is in Iraq, or will soon be in Iraq? I've got to say it's amazing what half an Army can do. (Albeit when aided by substantial fractions of Marines.)

By the way, did you know that 100% of the Army has been through some sort of basic training?

I've debunked the more recent "demoralized military" claims here and will refrain from doing so again. See that post if you're upset about the "points" the Times makes in this exercise in silliness.

Imagine a day when the Times recognizes that the army it needs is an army of readers, and wonders where they went.

And lest I be accused of tramping on the rights of free speech of the NY Times editorial board, I state here and now for all the world to see that I have no problem whatsoever with people who are utterly ignorant of the military writing editorials for the NY Times. It's their right as Americans.

It's what we fight for.

Saudi Med Student was Mosul Bomber

Michelle Malkin:

An Arab newspaper reveals that the mess tent suicide bomber was a Saudi medical student. His name?

His name was the same as three of the 9/11 hijackers.

More here.

Mudville 2004

Did you think the recent few days of server outage would spare you from a "year in review" post from Mudville? No way! I'm looking forward to '05, but can't help but look back over a memorable year for the Gazette. Here's January:

As the Democratic Primary campaigns were heating up, Mudville and other MilBloggers were busy debunking claims about George Bush's military service tossed about by candidates trying to establish some sort of foundation for their upcomming platform in the race for the White House 2004. Here's an early report on Mike Moore, then a Wes Clark man, accusing Bush of being AWOL. At the time it seemed rather silly and marginally worth comment. To his credit, General Clark wasn't quite preparred to make political hay out of the accusation; his response was not what one expects of an adept politician:

CLARK: Well, I think Michael Moore has the right to say whatever he feels about this. I don't know whether this is supported by the facts or not. I've never looked at it. I've seen this charge bandied about a lot. But to me it wasn't material. ... And I'm delighted to have the support of Michael Moore. ...

I suppose I didn't come out and say "Boy, anybody who would embrace that sort of thing from Michael Moore is seriously shooting himself in the political foot!" but that's what I meant in my coverage of the event. An amazing (in hindsight especially) follow up from PBS:

DAVID BROOKS: ...I think there are two kinds of candidates in this race: there are the ones who oppose bush and want to get him removed from office, that's most of the candidates. And then there are two who take it to an extra level, and who are always assigning bad motives to the Bush administration and that's Wesley Clark and Howard Dean. I think what we're learning over these two weeks is the Democratic Party prefers the first and not the second.

Too bad John Kerry apparently never heard that. FOr little did we know that Mike Moore had just defined half of the Party's campaign platform for '04. Somewhere else in America Terry McAuliffe had an "aha" moment - conspiracy theorists can attribute that to a phone call from Bill or Hillary - and the Party rather quickly adopted the theme. The postion of most MilBloggers was made quite clear. I'm not sure how many other blogs were commenting on this at this early stage. Baldilocks explained early on how the system really worked. (Note her post is from November '03). The Democratic Party would have benefitted from reading it, but the power of blogs was under the radar at this point. Given that Dean's blog-fueled run had just begun to flame out they can be forgiven for underestimating their oposition; the Left Wing blogs, after all, had failed to sway opinion even in their own party, and on those blogs "Dean" banners were rather quickly relaced with enthusiastic endorsements of John Kerry as he joined those "...who take it to an extra level."

I don't think too many people were excited by this. My two posts on topic garnered one comment each; one of which was a thank you from Baldilocks. But it's a comment I won't soon forget:

Thanks, buddy.

You know, of course, that, with the election year upon us, we're going to have to keep hammering these things home again and again.

I'm up for it, as I'm quite sure you are.

Yup.

But January's BIG STORY was one everyone missed. CNN reported on an Army investigation of abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, including a mention of photographic evidence. Lacking the actual photos, the story had minimal impact.

New Year's Weekend at War

Welcome new readers, to the Mudville Gazette, the weblog of a GI in Iraq. Hope you enjoy your visit. Be sure and stop by the main page (click logo above) if for no other reason then to see the New Years decorations the Mrs has added.

Few people in Iraq were in a celebratory mood this past weekend. Although there were some fireworks, for most that was "business as usual". However, Americans relying on legacy media sources probably have little idea of what "usual" is for the American military in Iraq. From unclassified CENTCOM news releases, here's a round up of activity over the Holiday weekend. As you might expect, the elections are the focus of our efforts. Much of the military operations conducted at this point are very specifically designed to enhance security by reducing the insurgent threat to the democratic process.

Before proceeding the reader might find this map useful.

Most of the violence in Iraq occurs in a handful of provinces. In the north, Nineveh Province, especially its capital Mosul, has seen more than its share of fighting in recent weeks, as many of the insurgents who escaped Fallujah headed that way. Others found their way to Babil Province south of Baghdad, while still more entered the crowds of Baghdad itself. Al Anbar Province, though largely uninhabited desert, includes Fallujah, of which the reader is no doubt familiar.

Mosul, capital of Nineveh Province, was the site of the recent chow hall bombing and the subsequent insurgent assault on a military outpost that left 25 attackers dead. The latest news from Mosul includes another story of citizens fed up with insurgents:

DOCTOR'S TIP LEADS TO ARREST OF TWO TERRORISTS

MOSUL, Iraq -- A tip from a concerned citizen prevented two terrorist cell members from carrying out further attacks against Iraqi civilians and security forces Sunday.

A doctor with the Tal Afar Hospital informed Multi-National Forces of the two suspects after they came for treatment injuries and were provided initial care immediately.

Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment responded and detained the two suspects. Multi-National Forces provided necessary medical care to the suspects and are now in custody.

The quick action of the doctor possibly saved lives of innocent Iraqi citizens.

And another attack on a police station repelled:

ATTACK ON POLICE STATION RESULTS IN DEFEAT FOR INSURGENTS

MOSUL, Iraq -- Iraqi Security Forces decisively defeated another attack by anti-Iraqi insurgents as they attempted to seize a police station in southeast Mosul on Jan. 1. Also, Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), detained 14 people for anti-Iraqi activities during operations Saturday in northern Iraq.

An Iraqi police station in southeast Mosul came under attack by multiple rocket propelled grenade fire during a coordinated effort by insurgent fighters to overrun the station. The Iraqi Police successfully repelled the attack. This is the fifth attack on the station this week. Each attack has resulted in defeat for the insurgents and a victory for the Iraqi Security forces. This is the twelfth time since Nov. 10 that insurgents have tried but failed to overrun police stations here. Since Nov. 10, no police stations here have fallen into the hands of insurgent fighters.

Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 14th Calvary Regiment, conducted a cordon and search in Tal Afar and detained eight people suspected of planning and conducting anti-Iraqi activities. The suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported during the operation.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, conducted a cordon and search near the village of Ad Dinij and detained four people suspected of anti-Iraqi activities. The suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported during the operation.

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, conducted a cordon and search in Nadeech village and detained two people suspected of planning and conducting attacks against MNF. The suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported during the operation.

As the insurgency suffers a string of defeats, the US Military responds by pouring it on:

Don't be Stingy

Amongst the Bad News, There is Good News

Dear Mr & Mrs Greyhawk,

Happy new year to you!

Over the past two weeks something almost unthinkable happened - Iraq has disappeared from the front pages of newspapers, the events there overshadowed by the tsunami tragedy.

Yet, as the world's attention - and humanitarian effort - continued to be focussed on the South Asia (and rightly so), good news coming out of Iraq continued to be even more under-reported by the media.

Here's the positive developments from the past two weeks:

Chrenkoff
Opinion Journal

With less than four weeks to the historic election, there's much at stake in Iraq - and much at stake in the good news being heard.

Thanks for your support.

Arthur Chrenkoff

Christmas and New Year Logos

I have to take this opportunity to point out what I think is the best series of Holiday blog decorations I've seen - Mrs G's Christmas and New Year's logos for The Mudville Gazette. (If somehow you're reading this as an individual archive you must visit the front page to see.) Of course, the Mrs is also the creative force behind the crossed sword banner we've been using since I came to Iraq. Well done, darling! The Christmas logo, by the way, included our actual Christmas tree. Although I've been gone a while I don't think the baby is ours.

Hello Daddy Merry Christmas

An exchange of emails with my 13 year old daughter over Christmas holidays.

Me: Merry Christmas to you! Christmas isn't too bad here, weather is awful though. We had a great meal in the chow hall (don't tell grandma I ate there). Last night some folks put on a Christmas show and that was great too. There were enough people to make a nice choir and they sang Christmas songs and told the story of the first Christmas.

This will make all the future Christmases much nicer I think. It will be even better to be all together.

Tell me what you got!!!!!!!!!!!

Her: i got mostly clothes. i got the sims 2 game. i got this black makeup kit. ear rings, a necklace, a hat, a purse, a candle, and these cool monster feet slippers and a pink safe. (big brother) actually picked out our gifts this year. he got me the slippers and candle. (big sister) got me the purse and pink safe. we're gonna take pictures of our piles of stuff we got. did you get our cookies yet?

why dont you want me to tell grandma that you ate there?

Me:Don't worry about Grandma, that was just a joke. She wants me to stay away from crowds.

Why would you wear black makeup?

Her: its not black make up. its a case of makeup and the case is black. here's a picture of the stuff i got. actually its the things i got but most of them are in different colors. but thats only the stuff mum got me. did you get those pictures mom sent? we put my monster feet on the dogs. man, nothing interesting has happened lately. except for this one day we went on base and we were eating at the food court. me and (big sis) went to fill up our cups and this chick who looks about (big sis) age (who we noticed behind us in line) comes up and says, "excuse me, um my friend over there thinks your hot," and i thought she was only talking to (big sis) but then she says "both of you and i just wanted to let you know that" and i was just shocked at first. the first thing that came out of my mouth when she turned around was, "IM 13 YEARS OLD!" so then we sit down and tell mom. and i start to unwrap my taco and i say to mom and sis, "you know how to take care of a problem like this?" and i look over in there direction except i couldnt see cuz i didnt have me glasses on and i smile. and then i open my mouth huge and take a huge bite of my taco. meat and sour cream came out the other end and then i was chewing with my mouth open and just looking as gross as possible. oh man. so funny.

Me:Well, I suppose if you're going to wear makeup you'll have to get used to that sort of thing. ;)

Sounds like you can handle it though.

Happy New Year!

From Cox and Forkum, a frequent source of needed laughs

S*** Sandwich

Ever had someone toss an insult your way and found yourself wanting a snappy comeback but unable to think one up quick enough? Here's an old all purpose one - the reader can decide when it's use is appropriate. Immediately following an unexpected verbal attack, respond:

"Wow, I can't believe you said that after I just stood up for you the other day!"

"How?" They might ask, if taking the bait. If not, press on anyway.

"Somebody told me you ate a s**t sandwich, and I said 'that can't be true - he hates bread!'

Of course, being a discerning and witty individual, (otherwise you wouldn't be here) you aren't going to resort to such a low blow. In fact, I confess I was hesitant to offer it up, for in spite of my warning above regarding rough language and behavior I'm certain it's not the sort of thing that readers expect to see here. Forgive me and please read on. Unless I miss my guess, what follows is why you came here, and I'll tie it all together shortly.

A report on an "insurgent" video regarding the recent attack at a military dining facility in Mosul quotes one of the 'stars' of that video:

"One of the lions from our martyrdom-seeking brothers will infiltrate the defenses of the enemy at the Morez base in Mosul.

"He will slip through a hole in the camp's wire, exploiting the changing of the guard. We have been observing their schedule for a long time."

Indicating the event was the result of thorough planning and preparation on the part of a well organized enemy. We will assume they made similar preparations for the follow up assault, of which no doubt by now the reader is well aware. Or are they? After all, the results of that attack were less than successful for the "insurgents".

On the afternoon of Wednesday, 29 December, at around 3:45 PM insurgents attempted to demolish the concrete barriers protecting an American outpost in Mosul using a car bomb. They then attacked the facility with small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades.

An armored vehicle was dispatched to aid the American Soldiers defending the position. The level of planning on the part of the insurgents was considerable (although inadequate) as evidenced by the obstacles prepared for that vehicle. Several roadside bombs - including other car bombs - were pre-positioned along its route. All of them were detonated at stand-off distance by rounds from the vehicle's .50-caliber machine gun. Despite the delay, from reports of the incident the armored vehicle arrived in time to witness a demonstration of air supremacy; combined close-air support from Air Force and Navy aircraft, whose maverick missiles were apparently not included in the enemy calculations.

Results of the event? At least 25 insurgents killed. Fifteen Americans wounded - one later died as a result.

Here's an early paragraph from the NY Times coverage of the event:

The insurgents' attack in western Mosul was the latest coordinated strike at American or Iraqi forces, and it came eight days after a suicide bomber killed 18 Americans and 4 others in Mosul by infiltrating a mess tent at a military base. The attack began about 3:45 p.m., when insurgents armed with a car bomb tried to blow down the concrete barriers of the combat outpost, which is manned by a small force of soldiers. An armored military vehicle then sped to the outpost.

All of which is true. But the motive for intertwining sentences detailing the massive failure on the part of the insurgents with others about their recent success is questionable. While both stories do illustrate that the enemy is not simply rushing willy-nilly into battle with American Soldiers one wonders why the aspect of a complete American victory is so unpalatable to the tastes of the editors of the NY Times.

Could it be they don't like bread?

That paragraph might be forgivable, might even be evidence of over-sensitivity on my part, but the entire story alternates paragraphs describing those events in Mosul with yet another event - the story of the booby-trapped house in Baghdad, an event that killed a number of Iraqis.

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 29 - United States troops and warplanes killed at least 25 insurgents who used car bombs and rocket-propelled grenades to try to overrun an American combat outpost in Mosul on Wednesday afternoon, the American military said. It was the fiercest fighting the restive northern city has seen in weeks.

Fifteen American soldiers were wounded, military officials said.

[An American soldier died in hospital on Wednesday from wounds sustained in the attack, the military said Thursday, Reuters reported.]

The two-hour battle followed an ambush on Tuesday night in Baghdad where insurgents tricked the Iraqi police into raiding a booby-trapped home and then detonated a powerful bomb that killed at least seven police officers and 25 others, Iraqi officials said on Wednesday. Most of the civilian victims were family members who were crushed to death when the blast flattened nearby homes, the officials said.

The bomb detonated just as the police charged the home, in the Ghaziliya district of western Baghdad at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Ghaziliya is a rough Sunni Muslim neighborhood on the road to Abu Ghraib prison that has seen clashes between gunmen and the police.

The explosion left electrical appliances, bedsheets and other household debris strewn about in the street as American soldiers and Iraqi officials used heavy equipment to search for survivors. Two policemen and 23 others were also wounded, officials said.

The insurgents' attack in western Mosul was the latest coordinated strike at American or Iraqi forces, and it came eight days after a suicide bomber killed 18 Americans and 4 others in Mosul by infiltrating a mess tent at a military base. It attack began about 3:45 p.m., when insurgents armed with a car bomb tried to blow down the concrete barriers of the combat outpost, which is manned by a small force of soldiers. An armored military vehicle then sped to the outpost.

My sympathy to the reader who has no idea exactly what's going on and where it's happening from the above account. Note that only after these paragraphs is the nature of the US victory revealed, and then it is not described as such. What we are left with is the impression of an increasingly sophisticated and cunning foe and an Iraq slipping ever deeper into chaos. But those who read even further in the story will find this burried treasure (emphasis added):

A top insurgent commander in Mosul was captured last week, Iraqi government officials said on Wednesday. The commander, Abu Marwan, a 33-year-old member of the Mosul terrorist group Abu Talha, which is affiliated with Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was seized on Dec. 23 based on tips from Iraqi citizens, they said.

The Iraqi government described Mr. Marwan as a "key al-Zarqawi operative" who was "responsible for conducting and commanding terrorist operations in Mosul, purchasing weapons for Talha's terrorist group, and coordinating the training of terrorist cells within the Abu Talha terrorist group."

No comment as to how that might impact the sophisticated planning and courage of the insurgents.

One could argue that "balance" is the reason for this sort of report. But I see fewer and fewer mentions of US and Iraqi success without this method of reporting being applied. The opposite seems less true; "successful" car bombs and assassinations seem to be reported without the clutter of "good" news to confuse or mislead the reader.

Is that due to the rarity of "good news"? Glad you asked. Here are some of this weeks CENTCOM news releases, with some emphasis added. See how many you heard or read about in your local news.

29 December:

IRAQI SECURITY FORCES DEFEAT INSURGENT COORDINATED ATTACKS, MNF DETAINS 18

MOSUL, Iraq -- Iraqi Security Forces decisively defeated three separate attacks by anti-Iraqi insurgents as they attempted to seize two police stations while Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 18 people suspected of anti-Iraqi activities during other operations on Dec. 28 in northern Iraq.

Two Iraqi Police stations came under attack by rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire during a coordinated effort by insurgent fighters to overrun the stations in western and southeastern Mosul. The Iraqi Police successfully repelled the first two attacks on the stations denying insurgents access. After regrouping, insurgents attempted to overrun the southeastern station once again but police decisively defeated their attempts.

Since Nov. 10, there have been nine attempts where insurgents have tried but failed to overrun police stations. No police stations have fallen into the hands of insurgent fighters since Nov. 10.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, conducted a cordon and search operation in western Mosul, detaining 15 people wanted for planning and conducting anti-Iraqi activities. No MNF injuries were reported during the operation.

A concerned citizen came to the 1-24 Regiment Soldiers during their patrol in southwest Mosul and reported that three individuals purchased electronic components common in roadside bomb manufacturing. When Soldiers spotted the individuals they began to flee. Soldiers quickly maneuvered, detaining the three suspects for further questioning. The 1-24 Regiment reported no injuries during the operation.

31ST MEU ATTACKED FROM MOSQUE; FOILS INSURGENTS' IED PLANS

CAMP RIPPER, Iraq � In a continuing effort to disrupt insurgent activities in the Al Anbar Province, elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit located and destroyed numerous improvised explosive devices placed near the towns of Sa�dah and Karabilah Sunday.

As the ordnance disposal detachment was reducing the improvised explosive devices, three incoming rounds exploded near their location followed by a loud message from the Riqat Mosque in Karabilah.

As the Marines advanced to investigate the point of origin, they received small arms, machinegun, and rocket propelled grenade fire. The Marines then witnessed insurgents firing machineguns from the rooftop of the mosque and others running into the mosque with weapons.

The Marines returned fire that killed two insurgents. There were no US casualties.

Mosques are granted protective status unless they are being used for militant purposes. At that time, they lose their protective status as places of religious worship.

The 31st MEU continues to enhance security and stability to the Al Anbar Province in advance of the upcoming Iraqi elections.

28 December:

FIVE VBIED'S DETAINED IN BABIL PROVINCE

CAMP ECHO, Iraq-In the afternoon of Dec 28, five VBIED�s (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) were detained by Iraqi Police (IP) and Polish soldiers from 1st Battle Group of Multi-national Division Central-South (MND CS) from Camp Charlie. A joint IP and MND CS forces patrol stopped vehicles on the road approximately 1.5 kilometers north of Al � Mashru in Babil Province. Further investigation determined that all vehicles were filled with parts of artillery shells and grenades.

Soldiers determined it is likely that these vehicles were prepared as VBIED�s. Eight suspects were detained and handed over to IP station in Al-Hillah.

IP escorted all vehicles away from urban area and US Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) removed and destroyed all explosive material taken from the vehicles. The investigation is ongoing.

27 December:

PRO-IRAQI FORCES CAPTURE 28 IN RAIDS SOUTH OF BAGHDAD

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq � Iraqi security forces, backed by U.S. Marines and Soldiers, captured 28 suspected insurgents in northern Babil Province Monday, Dec 27, as a fresh offensive aimed at dislodging militant leaders south of Baghdad entered its sixth day.

In a late-morning, lightning raid near Mahmudiyah, some 250 Iraqi and U.S. forces swarmed a market believed to be doubling as a front for insurgent activity.

The raid netted several local insurgent leaders and raised to 137 the number of suspected militants rounded up throughout the province since Dec. 22.

Despite a recent drop in insurgent activity in the area, the commander of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which led the operation, said he has no intention of letting local insurgents regroup.

�By staying in the attack, we continue to generate momentum,� said Col. Ronald J. Johnson. �We are piecing more and more of the puzzle together. Our intelligence is growing, the connections are emerging, and the Iraqi security forces themselves are playing an increasingly decisive role.�

The latest offensive comes one month after a successful nine-day surge involving more than 5,000 U.S., Iraqi and British forces. That operation, dubbed Plymouth Rock in a nod to Thanksgiving, netted more than 200 insurgents and a dozen weapons stockpiles.

Though the long-term impact of recent operations remains to be seen, Marines are cautiously optimistic that their five-month-old efforts alongside the ISF are beginning to pay off. Key arrests of known militants have produced immediate results, as insurgent attacks in the 24th MEU�s area of operations fell significantly in December.

Since July, when the 24th MEU assumed operational control of this largely rural region that is home to 1.2 million Iraqis, Marines and the ISF they�re supporting have rounded up more than 950 suspected insurgents. To date, 645 have been sent to prison.

SOLDIERS CAPTURE KEY LEADERS OF HARUN TERRORIST NETWORK>

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq -- Second Brigade Combat Team Soldiers of the of the 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, captured two key leaders of a terrorist group claiming affiliation with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi�s terrorist network during sweeping operations in Ar Ramadi.

The Soldiers captured Saleh Arugayan Kahlil (Mahalawi), also known as Abu Ubaydah, on Dec. 8, and Bassim Mohammad Hazeem, also known as Abu Khattab, on Dec. 12.

Both of these individuals were cell leaders for a local Zarqawi-affiliated terrorist group operating in Ar Ramadi and western Al Anbar Province. This group is responsible for intimidating, attacking and murdering innocent Iraqi civilians, Iraqi police and security forces, and business and political leaders throughout the Anbar province.

Over the last several months, this terrorist group kidnapped and executed 11 Iraqi National Guardsmen, detonated improvised explosive devices and car bombs resulting in the death or injury of dozens of Ramadi citizens, and smuggled foreign terrorists into the country to destabilize the region and prevent economic growth in Iraq.

Local citizens are providing useful, detailed information regarding these terrorists. The information provided by the citizens of Ar Ramadi has led to the capture of several members of this group since early December.

In addition to the surrender of these two key terrorist leaders, many foreign fighters were also detained. The detainees have provided information regarding the involvement of other individuals who are actively recruiting and smuggling foreign terrorists.

The Marines, Soldiers and Sailors of the 1st Marine Division of the I Marine Expeditionary Force stand committed to assisting Iraqi Security Forces in enhancing security and stabilization of the Al Anbar Province in advance of the upcoming elections.

MULTI-NATIONAL FORCES DISRUPT TERRORIST ATTEMPTS, DETAIN 38

MOSUL, Iraq (December 24, 2004) � Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) prevented a potential car bomb attack and detained 38 suspects in separate operations over the past 24 hours.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment prevented a potential attack from occurring on security forces Thursday Dec 23 after they located a car containing a detonator, bomb making material and a video camera. Two subjects fled before they could be apprehended. An Explosives Ordnance Disposal team cleared the vehicle.

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 14th Cavalry Regiment conducted cordon and search operations near the city of Singar today for suspected terrorist cell members. Multi-National Forces detained 32 insurgents who remain in custody for questioning. Soldiers also confiscated five AK-47s, two handguns and two million dinars.

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment detained two suspicious individuals Thursday at a traffic control point in central Mosul after Multi-National Forces spotted the subjects observing the checkpoint from a distance. A search of the subjects produced 1,000 blank identification cards and the suspects were taken into custody.

3-21 also conducted search operations near the northern city of Hammam al Alil Thursday in an attempt to locate suspected weapons caches. The search resulted in the detainment of three insurgents who remain in custody.

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 14th Cavalry Regiment conducted search operations of a Tal Afar business Thursday that resulted in the detention of one individual after Multi-National Forces discovered anti-Iraqi forces propaganda and other documents containing schematics and chemical equations in the business. The suspect remains in custody.

Multi-National Forces from Task Force Olympia continue to work together with members of the Iraqi Security Forces, leaders and citizens of Iraq to make it a safe, prosperous, and democratic nation.

An increasingly bold insurgency indeed.

Those are just a few such releases from a 3-day period this week.

No one expects America's newspapers to simply reproduce military press releases, and there's a bigger story in the world this week. But as Iraqi elections approach and violent acts become increasingly frequent it will be interesting to note which news organizations provide a steady diet of doom, broken only by an occasional sandwich. Contrary to some reports, there's no shortage of bread.

What news you chose to consume is entirely up to you, but like grandma Greyhawk always said to me, "You are what you eat".