Town Commons: 02/11/07

Saturday, February 17, 2007

SOMEBODY TELL REID AND PELOSI as well as all the other members of congress who orchestrated or otherwise voted for the sham resolution against the surge . . . .

Attacks in Baghdad down by 80%

Since the multiple bombings in Shroja market district on the 12th, Baghdad hasn’t seen any major attacks and there’s a tangible decrease in all kinds of attacks. Not only official statements say so (Defense ministry officials said today that attacks are down by 80% in Baghdad). It’s a reality I live in nowadays, at least in my neighborhood and its surroundings.
. . . .
Side by side with new security efforts is a campaign to clean and redecorate many streets, circles and parks in Baghdad. New trees are planted and damaged street medians and sidewalks are being refurbished. This offers a small yet much needed breeze of hope and normalcy to the traumatized city.
The most significant and encouraging development . . . that the total number of families that returned home is as high as 130 families across the city, including several families in the, until recently, hopelessly violent district of Hay al-Adl.

The report adds that Maliki ordered that the Bab al-Muadam and al-Shuhada bridges on the Tigris be reopened to traffic next week. This decision came in response to the “notable increase in traffic activity which in turn is a result of the growing feeling of safety”.

Confirming what we said earlier about the recovery of civilian activity, the spokesman said “most stores in the Alawi al-Hilla districts have reopened after times when this area was a scene for repeated terrorist attacks”.As the effort continues in Baghdad, four other provinces are launching simultaneous plans to support operation ‘Imposing the Law’. . .

From Iraq the Model. Perhaps the Democrats can accelerate their efforts to end this war and call it a defeat now before we actually seem to be making significant inroads to victory.

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AN OVERVIEW OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE U.S. AND IRAN.

Iran cannot allow the imposition of a pax Americana in which Khomeinism could have no place. The US, for its part, cannot allow its Khomeinist foes to dominate a region that contains half the world's oil and gas reserves.

The conventional wisdom is that with the US Army bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, Washington cannot wage full-scale war against the Islamic republic. This ignores the fact that the US Navy and Air Force remain fully free and ready for action. Washington's choice is not limited to either invading Iran or surrendering to the mullahs. Between the two, a range of options is available.

A very good article by Amir Taheri.

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BIASED BBC AND SOMALIA. Below I have posted both about the bias of the BBC and the radical Islamic Courts Union that is at war to take over Somalia and impose Sharia law. This now is the intersection of those two posts. This letter was sent to the BBC today by 260 Britons of Somali descent complaining about the BBC bias shown in favor of the ICU.

We feel that the people in charge of the [BBC] Somali Service are neither being impartial, diverse in opinion nor fair in reporting the reality in Somalia. On the contrary, they appear to be taking sides and acting as tools of propaganda for the Islamic Courts Union.

Read the letter here.

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PERVASIVE BIAS AT THE BBC

The BBC is a profoundly influential opponent of nearly everything conservatives believe . . ."

This is an excellent article by a Robin Aitken, a reporter with the the BBC for thirty years. The BBC is very influential in Britain and, increasingly so, in the United States. Anyone other then a hardcore leftist who has watched or listened to the BBC over the past ten years has to be amazed at their incredible slant on the news -- made all the more unpalatable by the fact that they are publicly funded and so do not have to compete in the marketplace. It is so over the top that the NYT pales in comparison..

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DID GORE VET THIS SPEECH? Kurt Volker, a State Department official, gave an excellent speech setting the record straight about the status of America's ecology and climate control efforts before members the German Marshall Fund. The Germans, who have arguably the most anti-american press in Europe, seemed to have little response. You decide. David Kaspar at Medienkritik has the entire speech.

SOMALIA AND OUR 'MODERATE' ARAB FRIENDS. Until December, 2006, the fundamentalist Islamic Courts Union (ICU) seemed poised to take over all of Somalia and impose a Taliban-like regime upon the country. It was widely reported at the time that al Qaeda was operatng in Somalia, assisting the ICU and with the expectation of establishing a safe haven. Al Zawahiri, the no. 2 man in al Qaeda, made numerous calls for all Muslims to join in a jihad in support of the ICU. A recently released report by the United Nations establishes that the training, arming and funding of the ICU was coming out of such 'moderate' Arab countries as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Other entities deeply involved in support of the ICU were Hezbollah, Syria, Lybia and Iran. As to the Iranians, they were reported to be attempting to barter with the ICU in return for plutonium.

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GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE ECONOMY. From across the pond . . .

The [U.S.] economy seems about as good as it can get. But the political life of America is a mess . . .

As we all know from November, the economy only counts if its bad . . . at least when there is a republican at the helm. Read the whole story.

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OBAMAMANIA MEETS REALITY. Eminent historian Niall Ferguson weighs in from across the pond on the prodigy that is Barack Obama and takes a very critical look at the probable repercussions of Obama's -- and the radical lefts' -- proposal to pull our soldier's from Iraq.

If politics were a fairy tale, Barack Obama would surely be the next president of the United States . . . a living opportunity for Democrats to relive the Sixties, but without the bitter arguments that split the party over civil rights.
. . . .
. . . But Obama's claim that an American withdrawal would somehow "pressure the Sunni and Shia to come to the table and find peace" is a fraud.

Read the whole story.

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MORE THEN A BIT ONE SIDED. Michelle Malkin, in a post referenced earlier on this blog, addressed the latest mantra of the far left democrats that there is an equipment shortage -- more specifically an armor shortage -- for our troops in Iraq. Obviously they are setting the stage for keeping troops from deploying under Murtha's planned War on the War on Terrorism. Michelle thoroughly documents the falsity of the equipment shortage charge. While it was true at one time, that time was over a year ago.

Never ones to let the facts stand in the way of their attacks, the far left, led by none other then 'Chappaquidick' Ted, continues on the offensive. What Ted does is so outrageous it is funny. On his website, he proudly publishes the long winded "question" (really a speech with numerous erroneous factual assertions and a question mark at the end) on the armor issue that he posed to Army Chief of Staff General Schoomaker on Thursday at a Senate Hearing. What you will not find on the Kennedy's website is the answer of General Schoomaker -- though you will find the Army response on Malkin's post. How does anyone ever vote for Kennedy to represent them?

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ROLE OF CONGRESS IN INTELLIGENCE SHARING. The CRS just released their report on on Congress's role in sharing intelligence between law enforcement and intelligence agencies. I paroused it to see if it addressed leaks to MSM, but it was silent on that issue . . . At any rate, it is an interesting read if for naught else then background on how our intelligence sharing became so truncated in the 20th century as well as a review of FISA today.

BRITNEY SPEARS SHEARED. I mention it in passing only because it seems to be major news in the MSM. I for one did not find her new bald pate a particularly good look for her, but, to quote Sean Connery . . . "as long as the cuffs and collar match . . ."

A STINGING REBUKE . . . TO MURTHA AND PELOSI from, of all places, the editorial board of the Washington Post, highly critical of their plan to stymie the war effort without taking responsibility for their actions.

MILITARY RECRUITING IN 2006 BEST IN ALMOST A DECADE. Democrats have fallen silent on the issue of military recruiting over the past months, and for good reason. The Chiefs of Staff for the Army and Marine Corps appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee the other day and, as reported by the DOD, stated:

2006 was the best recruiting year in nine years for the Army’s active force and 13 years for the reserve force, Schoomaker said. The Army also has exceeded goals this year and is on track to continue to do so, he said. The Marine Corps will add additional recruiters to meet the growth goal and also will appeal to Marines who are now serving and those who have just separated from service . . .

Two other items of note came out of these discussions. One, the size of both the Army and Marines need to be increased.

“I think that the Army is too small for the century that we're in,” [Gen.] Schoomaker said. “I believe the plan we have is the proper plan and proper slope to do it. And so my advice would be that we complete the plan and we sustain this force. It's my opinion the nation can afford it, and it's necessary in this century.”
Advocating for the increase in the Marine Corps, Conway said, “I believe we're a nation at war. I think that Afghanistan and Iraq represent the first battles of this long war. And I think, like in any war, you don't know what's on the horizon; you don't what is going to follow. “So if asked for my
military advice on whether or not we should look at off-ramping or stopping something short of 202,000 Marines at this point,” he continued, “I would recommend we not do that until such time as we think that this war against Islamic extremists is over.” The Army is set to grow at 7,000 soldiers per year, and the Marines at 5,000 per year. Schoomaker and Conway said this rate of growth will be sustainable without additional incentives to serve or a diminished quality of recruits.

Lastly, and this bears on the Murtha plan to limit troop deployments unless all soldiers are completely equipped and trained --

The Army started the war on terror with a $56 billion deficit in equipment, Schoomaker said. In the five years since, the Army has been expanding and transforming, and ongoing operations have accelerated the depreciation and loss of equipment. As a result, the Army has had to move equipment from units in the United States to those deploying to ensure the forward forces are fully equipped, he said. The units operating in Iraq and Afghanistan are fully trained, equipped and led, Schoomaker emphasized, but something must be done to make up for the lack in non-deployed forces. . . . Conway said that the equipment status of non-deployed Marine forces is generally good, but training is a concern.
Marine units often have short times at home between deployments, so they spend their time focused on training for Iraq instead of training on alternate tasks, such as amphibious operations, mountain and combined arms live-fire maneuvers, he said. “These additional Marines will allow us the additional dwell time needed to train at home station and sharpen those skills that could be required of us in the next contingency, thereby reducing future operational and strategic risks,” Conway said.

We do not know yet precisely how Congressman Murtha intends to word his proposed bill to tie up forces in the US and prevent their deployment to Iraq, but based on these statements, watch for a bill that requires units to have all equipment in their unit prior to deploying and watch for the bill to require the army to verify the units are trained on all contingency missions prior to deployment, not merely mission starndards deemed critical to Iraq.

UPDATE: Far more on this issue from Michelle Malkin

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DEMS MAKING BETTER USE OF THE INTERNET. Instapundit has posted on this issue several times in the recent past. Within this rubric, the Wash Post has a story today that covers the growth of Obamamania -- and Hillary -- on Facenet.

Friday, February 16, 2007

DR SANITY PUTS THE LEFT ON THE COUCH to psychoanalyze their high anxiety caused by their perception that the evil Bush will attack the non-threatening Ahmadinejad and the peace loving clerics holding power in Iran.

Yes, let's examine for a moment the idea that a regime that has been making war against us for 27 years (without a significant response by us, by the way, in all that time) is somehow not perceived as a threat and does not generate much anxiety; but the President of the US who stands up against the terrorism of Saddam, Bin Laden, and Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs generates high anxiety? This puzzling phenomenon has two psychological aspects. The first one is a very neurotic psychological defense mechanism known as "displacement".

Displacement is at the heart of Bush Derangement Syndrome.

Read the whole blog entry for Feb. 16, 2007.

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IRAQ THE FOCAL POINT FOR AL-QAEDA. Of course we have known this for a long time, though it is a fact you will never here come from the lips of Pelosi, Murtha or the Democrats whose focus is on defeating Bush, not terrorism. But it bears repeating - ad infinitum, really. The point was made again most recently in a report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) for Congress titled "Al-Qaeda: Statements and Evolving Ideology."

Iraq has become a focal point for Al Qaeda’s rhetoric, and statements continue to underscore Al Qaeda leaders’ interest in Iraq and support for the ongoing insurgency.

Read the whole report.

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DOES THIS CHASTITY BELT MAKE ME LOOK FAT? Fausta's blog looks critically at calls by a leading Muslim cleric in Malaysia for all women to be fitted with chastity belts, noting that "what it all comes down to is that, in the long run, we're all 'uncovered meat' for those intent on taking us back to the Dark Ages."

JIMMY CARTER RUNS AWAY. Jimmy Carter, arguably the worst President of the 20th century and clearly the worst ex-President in our history, continues to duck and run from any speaking engagement that would also feature "anyone who could challenge him on the numerous factual errors that fill the pages of his slim book."

Hattip: Instapundit

SUPPLY AND DEMAND VENEZUELA STYLE. Chavez continues to direct the downward spiral of the Venezuelan economy, now threateneing to nationalize the food supply chain because of the nationwide food shortages engendered by his price contorls.

AMERICA'S TWO FRONT WAR. In Iraq, we face al-Qaeda, Iran, Syria, Wahabbi radicals, and former Baathists, all of whom are actively engaged in seeking our defeat. At home, we face the left wing of the Democratic Party who now intend to move with all speed to insure that the war is both terminated and seen as a disaster -- consequences be damned. The first step in this process occurred today when the House voted 246 (including 17 republicans) to 182 to condemn the surge in Iraq. With the ink barely dry on the memorialization of the vote at the government printing house, Speaker Pelosi and company let it be known that their next target is funding for the war:

"Democrats said their next move would be to challenge Bush's request for $93 billion in new funds for the Pentagon. "The stakes in Iraq are too high to recycle proposals that have little prospect for success," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi . . . ."

Read the whole article.

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SYRIA'S HISTORY OF VIOLENCE IN LEBANON. This from the Weekly Standard.

A TALE OF TWO . . . ECONOMIES. From Fausta's Blog. No, no, not John Edwards's imaginary two economies in America. These are the U.S. economy -- which is rising by every yardstick -- and the French economy, where the socialist policies proposed by Ségolène Royal are causing only a rise in investor concern.

A ROUND-UP OF GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FROM IRAQ: Jules Crittenden has a review of all the current news from Iraq.

Hattip: Instapundit

NEWS FROM THE SURGE IN IRAQ: Stratagypage reports that al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Shia militias are both in disarray as the Battle for Baghdad begins.

DEMOCRATS, THE CONSTITUTION AND IRAQ: A Washington Post article today outlines the strategy of the anti-war left to force an ignominius retreat from Iraq while at the same time not defunding the military. To this end, Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Murtha intend to try and hamstring the President’s ability to send troops to Iraq and to restrict his ability to extend tours of duty in Iraq. Further, Speaker Pelosi has claimed that the President cannot use any force against Iran without first seeking the authorization of Congress.

Leaving aside the major questions of the detrimental ramifications of these proposed acts by the Democrats, another issue is their constitutionality.

Whether the President would have to first seek Congressional approval for any use of force against Iran, including a limited strike to cripple their nuclear program, involves the Constitution, the War Powers Act of 1973, and how these provisions have been treated historically. As pointed out recently in a report released by the Congressional Research Service, there have been "hundreds of instances in which the United States has used its armed forces abroad in situations of military conflict or potential conflict," and many of these have been without first seeking Congressional authorization for a declaration of war. Indeed, Congress has only been called upon to formally declare war on eleven occasions. Given that even the War Powers Act only requires the President to seek Congressional approval within sixty days of the onset of hostilities, it would seem that Speaker Pelosi is overreaching in her attempt to limit the President's discretion in regards to use of force against Iran.

An initial parousal of the law shows that the other actions proposed by Speaker Pelosi would also likely run afoul of the constitution. While Congress certainly has the power to fund the military and to say whether land forces may be committed to a total war against another nation, it is the President who has the executive power of command over the day to day activities of the forces. Specifically, The United States Constitution, Article I, Section 8 provides that the "Congress shall have power to . . declare war . . .; to raise and support Armies . . .;to make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land . . forces. . . . Article II, Section 2 provides that "The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States . . . ."

Since the Congress has already authorized the use of force in Iraq, it would seem that, at the least the current plans of Pelosi and Murtha to hamstring the President would infringe on the power of the President to command the military. As an aside, it should be noted that the sham non-binding resolutions of Congress condemning the surge in Iraq are a criticism of command decisions of the President. Thus, were the Congress to pass a law stating that the President could not authorize the surge, it would be an unconsitutional restriction on Presidential authority.

Interestingly, none of these issues have been raised by the press in their discussions with Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Murtha or their democratic colleagues. Regardless, it appears that we are heading towards a constitutional crisis in the very near future brought on by the overreaching of the liberal wing of the Democratic party.

WICCAN'S BEWARE. In what countries on earth can you still be jailed for practicing witchcraft or sorcery? The list is a short one -- and at the top is Saudi Arabia. Arab News reports today that, "in a unique sting operation involving police from both Makkah and Madinah, a Nigerian black magician was arrested [in Saudi Arabia] yesterday." Read the whole article.

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