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2007.04.11 Islamism Delenda Est // Dem Perfidy Roundup
- War Czar
- The Taliban Offensive: Red On Red
- Iraq in the Balance
- A Citizen Journalist In Fallujah
- McCain: I Blame Rumsfeld For Iraq
- Where Do Nancy Pelosi's Loyalties Lie?
- Pelosi Diplomacy: Legitimizing Terrorism
- Gates: Army tours extended by three months
- Video: Angry Gates unloads on Pentagon leaker
- I'm sorry for selling my story, says Iran hostage Mr Bean
- British servicemen unload on littlest sailor, a.k.a. “Mr. Bean";
Update: Video of Mr. Bean impersonation added!
- Iraqi insurgents being trained in Iran, U.S. says
- al Qaeda attack in Algiers
Some things you might have missed yesterday:
*** War Czar
Jules Crittenden
Finding the right general isn’t easy. Just ask Lincoln. I’d suggest retired Marine Gen. John J. “Jack” Sheehan, a former top NATO commander, is not the guy, seeing he can’t keep his mouth shut about a White House initiative that hasn’t been announced yet, and also doesn’t get it:
“The very fundamental issue is, they don’t know where the hell they’re going.”
Where they are going is “to win.” Who wants a general who not only blabs, but doesn’t want to do that? ...
*** The Taliban Offensive: Red On Red
Ed Morrissey
The Taliban had promised that their 2007 spring offensive would have the West's forces reeling backwards and out of Afghanistan. Someone's reeling, but it isn't NATO or Pakistan. The Taliban has a different fight on its hands -- more like a civil war: When spring came and the snows began to melt in the mountains of Waziristan, Pakistani troops braced themselves for the seasonal upsurge in fighting along the porous border with Afghanistan.
But, when it came, Pakistani soldiers were surprised, and relieved, to see the Taleban loyalists and the militants linked to al-Qaeda who seek sanctuary in this lawless region firing rockets and mortars not at them but at each other.
For the first time since 2001, the Waziri tribesmen who probably harboured Osama bin Laden and remain loyal to the Taleban are fighting against the foreign militants in their midst. ...
The spring thaw has apparently created a meltdown among the jihadis. The Waziri elders have issued a fatwa against the Uzbeks who have come to the Pashtun region. They have gone so far as to call out the lashkar, a religious militia; any man able to bear arms must join or have his home destroyed. They will have their hands full, as the Uzbeks have a reputation for ferocity that outstrips that of the Waziri Pashtuns. ...
*** Iraq in the Balance
In Washington, panic. In Baghdad, cautious optimism.
By Fouad Ajami
BAGHDAD--For 35 years the sun did not shine here," said a man on the grounds of the great Shia shrine of al-Kadhimiyyah, on the outskirts of Baghdad. I had come to the shrine at night, in the company of the Shia politician Ahmed Chalabi.
We had driven in an armed convoy, and our presence had drawn a crowd. The place was bathed with light, framed by multiple minarets--a huge rectangular structure, its beauty and dereliction side by side. The tile work was exquisite, there were deep Persian carpets everywhere, the gifts of benefactors, rulers and merchants, drawn from the world of Shi'ism.
It was a cool spring night, and beguilingly tranquil. (There were the echoes of a firefight across the river, from the Sunni neighborhood of al-Adhamiyyah, but it was background noise and oddly easy to ignore.) A keeper of the shrine had been showing us the place, and he was proud of its doors made of teak from Burma--a kind of wood, he said, that resisted rain, wind and sun. It was to that description that the quiet man on the edge of this gathering had offered the thought that the sun had not risen during the long night of Baathist despotism. ...
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*** McCain: I Blame Rumsfeld For Iraq
Ed Morrissey
I took part in a blogger conference on my lunchbreak today with Senator John McCain on the topic of Iraq. McCain, who gave a speech on Iraq at the Virginia Military Institute earlier today, wanted to reach out to New Media sources for his perspective on the progress of the war, the critical nature of our effort there, and the need to persevere until we succeed.
McCain did not pull many punches in this call. Speaking as bluntly as I have heard in some time, he acknowledged the credibility deficit of the Pentagon and White House on the war. Saying that “too often, we misled the American people in the past” about deadenders, mission accomplished, and so on, McCain said that the press has become too reluctant to report actual progress in Iraq. He feels that bloggers and radio hosts can help get real information to the American people and help encourage the nation to remain tenacious.
Who does he blame for the credibility gap? McCain pointed out that President Bush has to accept the ultimate responsibility for that as well as for the faulty strategy used up to this year in attempting to pacify the insurgencies. The Senator says that he is pleased with the direction the White House has taken this year and the energy with which they have pursued it. He faulted the White House for not having regular press conferences dedicated to discussing the progress in Iraq in clear and objective terms, which McCain feels would have disarmed much of the criticism, especially this year.
Ultimately, though, he blames Donald Rumsfeld for shrinking the military and using too light of a footprint in post-invasion Iraq -- a position McCain has consistently maintained for over three years. He also blames Generals Casey and Sanchez for their roles in supporting Rumsfeld's strategies. He believes that General Petraeus, a "charismatic" commander, has the right approach and the skills to succeed in Iraq. McCain also praised Rumsfeld's replacement, Robert Gates, and told us that Pentagon morale has increased substantially since Rumsfeld's departure. ...
*** Where Do Nancy Pelosi's Loyalties Lie?
Kim Priestap
She just returned from a trip during which she took time to sit down and talk with Bashar Al-Assad, one of the biggest sponsors of terrorism world wide. Now she says she's open to talks with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian megalomaniac leader who just announced that he's now enriching uranium at an industrial level and wants to wipe Israel off the face of the map: The Democratic speaker from San Francisco and Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, were asked at a news conference in San Francisco on Tuesday whether on the heels of their recent trip to the Middle East they would be interested in extending their diplomacy in the troubled region with a visit to Iran.
"Speaking just for myself, I would be ready to get on a plane tomorrow morning, because however objectionable, unfair and inaccurate many of (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's) statements are, it is important that we have a dialogue with him,'' Lantos said. "Speaking for myself, I'm ready to go -- and knowing the speaker, I think that she might be.''
Pelosi did not dispute that statement, and noted that Lantos -- a Hungarian-born survivor of the Holocaust -- brought "great experience, knowledge and judgment" to the recent bipartisan congressional delegation trip to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in addition to Syria.
After insisting that she needs to keep an open dialog with leaders of rogue terrorist nations, she refuses to sit down and talk to President Bush about funding for the Global War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan: ...
*** Pelosi Diplomacy: Legitimizing Terrorism
Confederate Yankee
When Democrat Presidential candidates Clinton, Obama and Edwards dropped out of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute debate that was going to be co-sponsored by Fox News, many liberals crowed over the decision. It is their contention that Fox News is an "illegitimate" news source (or a "propaganda machine," or not even a news outlet at all. Someone should tell Nielsen), and that if these candidates had answered the questions provided by the CBCI in a televised debate on Fox News, it would "legitimize" the network.
Their central argument seems to be that if these Democrat candidates appeared on Fox, that their very presence would legitimize the news network.
Using that same logic, what then, should they make of this?
[...]
Pelosi has already been hammered for undermining U.S. foreign policy and possibly committing a felony when she visited Syrian President Bashir Assad, leader of a Baathist dictatorship that serves as a conduit for weapons bound for terror groups Hezbollah and Hamas, and is a regime that is implicated in the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister.
Not content with botching her last and possibly illegal attempt to create her own foreign policy separate from that of the official position of the United States, Pelosi seems open to the idea of visiting Iran, a brutal mullacracy that provides munitions and training to terrorist groups, whose officials will be indicted for murder, a regime that has conclusively shipped a significant quantity of weapons into Iraq that have killed American soldiers.
Apparently, the double standard is this: ...
*** Gates: Army tours extended by three months
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Tours of duty for members of the U.S. Army will be extended from 12 months to 15 months effective immediately, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Wednesday.
"What we're trying to do here is provide some long-term predictability to our soldiers and their families," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon.
In exchange for the extension, Gates said the service will be able to give all units a year at home between deployments.
He denied the order was a sign that the Army has passed its breaking point under the stresses of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the service has met or passed its recruiting and retention goals.
But he added that the military has been "stretched" by the conflicts.
And he blasted Tuesday's leak of that proposal to the media, saying the Defense Department hoped to give the troops 48 hours' advance notice of the decision.
The order covers the active-duty Army, which provides most of the estimated 146,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. National Guard and reserve troops would continue to spend a year in the war zone, Gates said. ...
*** Video: Angry Gates unloads on Pentagon leaker
Allahpundit
He announced today that they’re extending the tours of active-duty soldiers from 12 months to 15, which he claims is a way to make sure everyone has a full year at home when their tours are up. That imagines troops returning to Iraq in 2008 (or 2009), but that shouldn’t come as a surprise: all but the most dovish Democratic withdrawal plans provide for a substantial non-combat force in country to train the Iraqi army that’s going to disintegrate once we pull out.
Like I say, the formal announcement was today, but the informal announcement came two days ago when someone inside the building leaked it to ABC News. No particular reason why, as far as I can tell; they simply wanted to embarrass Bush by sandbagging the troops and their families with the news before they could be personally notified by their commanders. Which brings us to this vintage slow burn. ...
*** I'm sorry for selling my story, says Iran hostage Mr Bean
Captive sailor Arthur Batchelor, who was dubbed Mr Bean by the Iranians, has apologised for selling his hostage ordeal story and 'letting the Navy down'.
Seaman Batchelor came under fire for cashing in by selling his tale to the tabloid press.
He claimed the cash he was paid would barely pay for his driving test, although colleague Faye Turney is thought to have pocketed up to £100,000.
The 20-year-old's apology came as Defence Secretary Des Browne admitted his decision to allow the former hostages to sell their stories to the media was wrong.
Conservative leader David Cameron demanded an inquiry into the "calamitous" decision. ...
*** British servicemen unload on littlest sailor, a.k.a. “Mr. Bean”;
Update: Video of Mr. Bean impersonation added!
Allahpundit
Admit it, you’re laughing at the “Mr. Bean” thing.
It’s okay. I am too. A series of messages on forces’ websites ridiculed Arthur Batchelor and Faye Turney, who cashed in after being held prisoner for 13 days…
Seaman Batchelor’s claim that he cried himself to sleep after his Iranian captors likened him to the comedy character Mr Bean made him a laughing stock.
One serving soldier posted: “Batchelor didn’t do the reputation of servicemen much good either! Being broken by being called Mr Bean FFS! - that must be on a par with Monty Python’s Spanish Inquisition and the comfy cushions.”
Comments left on unofficial forces’ websites, the Rum Ration and the British Army Rumour Service laid into Ms Turney and Mr Batchelor.
Another servicemen says of Mr Batchelor’s complaint that his iPod was stolen by the Iranians: “What I wish to know is why a young lad on a boarding party detail needed to take his iPod? If he listened to The Ride of the Valkyries as he sped towards the target ship, what did he listen to on his trip to Iran?”
It goes on and on. Rest assured, if there’s video somewhere in Tehran of them calling him “Mr. Bean,” it’ll surface. And rest equally assured that when it does, it’s going viral. ...
*** Iraqi insurgents being trained in Iran, U.S. says
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi insurgents are being trained in Iran to assemble weapons and Iranian-made weapons are still turning up in Iraq, the U.S. military said Wednesday.
The statement comes two months after the United States said it had asked Tehran to stop the flow of weapons into Iraq.
Coalition forces found a cache of Iranian rockets and grenade launchers in Baghdad on Tuesday, spokesman U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said Wednesday.
"The death and violence in Iraq are bad enough without this outside interference," Caldwell said. "Iran and all of Iraq's neighbors really need to respect Iraq's sovereignty and allow the people of this country the time and the space to choose their own future."
Caldwell showed reporters photographs on Wednesday that he said were found in the weapons cache. In February, Caldwell said the United States had asked Iran to stop the transfer of weapons.
President Bush has said a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard called the Quds Force is behind the supply of Iranian weapons. Tehran has denied interfering in Iraq.
Caldwell also said Wednesday that two militants who were recently detained said they had received training in Syria, another nation the Bush administration has accused of meddling in the region. ...
*** al Qaeda attack in Algiers
Michelle Malkin
Evan Kohlmann reports: The Algerian Salafist Group for Prayer and Combat (GSPC)--now known as "Al-Qaida's Committee in the Islamic Maghreb"--has issued a statement today claiming responsibility for dramatic suicide bombings in the capital of Algeria, and allegedly likewise in neighboring Morocco.
23 dead, 2 bombings.
Walid Phares gives the bottom line: "It is about a global Jihadi campaign with Algeria and other countries as "battlefields." ...
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