Monday, July 10, 2006

The Baghdad Security Plan

The attacks in the Baghdad district of Jihad, in which a number of civilians were said to be killed by Shi'ite death squads were the subject of commentary by Iraq the Model. Later, at a lengthy press conference, MNF-Iraq spokesman MG William Caldwell spent most of his time discussing the subject of whether or not the Iraqi government was winning the Battle of Baghdad. Mohammed at Iraq the Model thinks that the government isn't winning the fight.


Some time ago we pointed out the poor intelligence capabilities of the government compared to that of the militants and it looks like the current security operation did not deal seriously with this defect, on the contrary the gap seems to be even growing giving advantage to the militias and insurgents. Again I feel I must point out that security operation of the government is still not doing much to deal with the escalating violence. Personally I was for a plan based on securing one piece of territory at a time instead of attempting to secure the entire capital at once (see our earlier post) and that's because I believe the government does not possess enough tools to cover Baghdad in its entirety. The concept of power concentration seems a reliable way that can be applied in limited areas effectively and once a given area is secure that power could move to secure adjacent areas. I still think that clearing Baghdad should start from the center-out, not the other way around. ...

Baghdad is the key to Iraq, and Iraq is the key to the Middle East, and from this fact this battle draws its significance.

And it is absolutely necessary, Mohammed thinks, for the government to win in Baghdad. "Baghdad is the key to Iraq, and Iraq is the key to the Middle East, and from this fact this battle draws its significance." A lot of the subtext surrounding the Jihad incident involves the Madhi Army. Mohammed quotes another Iraqi blogger to point out how intertwined the problem of the Madhi is with it's mirror threat, the Sunni insurgency.

There will be no excuse for the Mehdi army to exist if terror groups ceased to exist and there will be no excuse for the terrorists to exist when the Sadr gangs and rats of Badr drop their weapons. one depends on the other... Whenever the government tries to disarm the militias, the terrorists would come to attack at the strongholds of the militias to give them reason to exist and whenever the government tries to attack terrorist strongholds the militias would take to the streets to distract the government and drag its forces into side battles…

At a briefing and Q&A lasting nearly an hour on July 10, MG William Caldwell returned repeatedly to the subject of the Battle for Baghdad. While the ostensible subject of the briefing was the transfer to Iraqi control of the province of Muthanna, described in a press conference a few days ago, the subsquent questions from the press dealt almost exclusively with Baghdad. However, the Caldwell's recitation of the process through which Muthanna was transferred provided essential background to the subsequent discussion because it clearly illustrated where things were going. Caldwell punctuated nearly every other sentence with reference to "the Prime Minister", "the Council of Ministers" and other local structures which the Multinational Force was manifestly determined to work through.

When the questioning turned to Baghdad, the members of the press focused upon two things: the first was to elicit some reaction from Caldwell as to whether the Madhi Army was involved; and second to get some indication as to whether Caldwell believed elements of the Iraqi Army were complicit in militia raid on a Sunni neighborhood. Caldwell weighed every word carefully. What follows is my impression of what was conveyed. The first bit of information was that Coalition Forces could could not find any more than 14 or 15 dead; a much smaller number than reported in the papers. The second was a tacit admission that Coalition Forces had been late to the scene because they responded only when asked by their Iraqi counterparts, which raised the question of how good or impaerial those counterparts were. Third, there had been a meeting with Maliki on the night before the press conference during which the Prime Minister debated proposals to "shift around" units, relieve commanders and retrain certain troops. All of it was phrased diplomatically and vaguely, but I got the impression (and I urge readers to listen to the video conference themselves) that Maliki wasn't going to take this lying down. The fourth item, was that although Caldwell could not be baited into naming the Madhi Army as the perpetrator of the massacre, his language by no means excluded them; and he did nothing to discourage the impression that they were involved. However, his obstinate refusal to name Sadr or the Madhi Army suggests (to me) that the subject remains a political Red Line which he would not lightly cross.

Despite that, Caldwell seemed relatively optimistic that things were going well, even in Baghdad. However, his idea of progress has to be qualified: it had to do with satisfaction that the Iraqi forces were beginning to function at a level they could not attain only some weeks ago. He also seemed gratified that top Iraqi leadership was attempting to come to grips with the problem rather than deny or evade it. Caldwell was perfectly willing to admit that the current level of violence was unacceptable, however he emphasized that "this is going to take time".

Commentary

An earlier briefer, an General from the Engineers, quite happily described all the pipelines, petroleum stations, generating plants, water purifying facilities that they'd build which I'd never heard of in the news. The soundbite which caught my attention was his claim that the hours of electricity in Baghdad had risen to significantly more than in weeks past and that he expected a far bigger improvement before the end of summer. For some commanders, improvements in training, logistics, coordination and the knowledge of plans to which they will be put constitute a hidden source of optimism which is often invisible to outsiders. However, the ultimate test of these offstage preparations is the battlefield result. Mohammed is probably correct when he says that the Battle for Baghdad will be the key campaign of the next months. "Baghdad is the key to Iraq, and Iraq is the key to the Middle East, and from this fact this battle draws its significance." And the question is not entirely whether Iraqi forces are improving, but whether they can improve fast enough to stay in control. Victory if it comes too late is not victory at all. The time element is important here and I have no way of even guessing whether the Iraqi government will win the race.

My own reading between the lines is that Maliki wants to take down Sadr, but is looking for a way to do it without completely shattering his government. Moreover, he is discovering that it is one thing to have thousands of men in uniform and quite another to get them to follow the chain of command. In that regard it is useful to return to the briefing on Muthanna, because it provides clues as to what he is trying to achieve. My own guess is that Maliki is getting ready for a showdown in the classic manner: by getting ready. The program to transition Muthanna and other provinces, as hinted by Caldwell, is in one sense an economy of force measure which will allow redeployment of more forces to Baghdad.

Q This is Kristin Roberts with Reuters. Now that you've transferred authority over to the Iraqis in that one province, will you be able to move coalition forces into other provinces and reduce the numbers there in Muthanna?

GEN. CICHOWSKI: Well, Kristin, let me correct something here just quickly. We have not yet done that. We are in the very last stages. The prime minister has stated that it will happen. We know that it will happen in the very, very near future. The last final details are being worked out. As far as the moving of forces and the coalitions following it, yes, there is that opportunity, and there are about -- many plans that we have to go through on both the Iraqi side and on the coalition side.

The second leg is apparently force generation. More police: the Coalition emphasizing building up the police, which is largely behind the Iraqi Army in training and -- one suspects -- command and control.

GEN. CICHOWSKI: I certainly can tell you that it is the year of the police. We're making great strides. I know that General Dempsey was there last week and talked to that process as well as some of the lawmakers on the Hill. As in any type of police force, there are some that are better than others here, and those are the ones that we are working on. So we have been making great strides as a whole on both the police and on the Iraqi army.

Only time will tell whether Maliki will succeed.

50 Comments:

Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

> There will be no excuse for the Mehdi army to exist if terror groups ceased to exist...

Saddam's Sunni government was a civil war. The Sunnis have been fighting a civil war against civilians ever since. If they continue down this path, then it is inevitable that the Shiites fight back.

So no amount of "Baghdad security initiatives" can fix the problem while the root cause remains, that the Sunnis refuse to accept the government and the status quo.

To me the whole political thing seems absurd. What is needed is for someone to go to the Sunnis and say "Either the car bombings against Iraqis stop, or we fight a full fledged civil war." Everything else is a waste of time.

If the Sunnis say "It is foreign terrorists, not us", then they should be told "Show us the ones you captured or turned over to the US".

Right now this reminds me of Arafat at the height of the Intifada when he would mockingly comdemn each suicide bombing, while being allowed to negotiate as if he were a man of peace. "Suicide bombers, what suicide bombers?"

Right now the Sunnis feel that these bombings help their cause. Until the balance of force is changed, there won't be peace. The Sunnis think that the one-sided civil war will win for them, and until things are balanced they won't stop it.

7/11/2006 05:06:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

Report: U.S. returns to Geneva rights
Jul. 11, 2006 at 7:43AM
The U.S. Pentagon has quietly reverted to observing terror suspect prisoners' rights as defined by the Geneva Conventions, the Financial Times reported Tuesday.
The newspaper said U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England sent a memo to senior military officials Friday that observance was required for prisoners around the world.
The policy change was made with no fanfare after the U.S. Supreme Court last month ruled the military commissions President George Bush created to try prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba contravened both U.S. law and the Geneva Conventions regarding access to lawyers.
Bush adopted the tribunal system in 2002, saying members of the Taliban and al-Qaida did not qualify for Geneva protection.
"This memo was a prudent and responsible thing to do," a former Bush administration official who saw it told the Times.
There are about 450 detainees being held at the military prison in Cuba.


www.washtimes.com

7/11/2006 05:22:00 AM  
Blogger Doug said...

Gee, I agree w/wei, 5:06 AM
But Maliki should still figure out a way to off Sadr imo.
---
re: 5:22 Washington Times -
Full pre-school teaching privleges for serial child molesters.

7/11/2006 05:41:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

No can do, dan.
Not on the Course upon which we Stay.
I'm sure that as much as Mr Maliki would like to "remove" Mr al-Sadr from the opposition, he cannot.
Murder or assassination, even combat deaths are discouraged, collateral damage to be avoided at all costs, even US lives.

That is the Course the US has charted, we are Staying it, why the outrage or surprise, now that we've run aground on the Sadrbar in Baghdad.

Mr al-Sadr and his people represent the biggest bloc of voters, learn to respect that.

This is a "new" kind of War, none of the "old" lessons apply, we have no Enemies in Iraq, at least none that have names.
Learn to live with it, like the RoE's.

It's gonna be "Long War", they keep saying, forgetting that it already has been "longer" than WWII.
But then again, the world and men, are all so "different", now. They say.

Democracy does not grow out of Anarchy, never has before in history, the world and men are not really any different, now than then.

7/11/2006 06:30:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

> WW, I dont think you believe what you are saying.

The Iraqis believe what I'm saying, which is what matters:

Iraq Shi'ites see reasons for death squad killings - Reuters

While condemning in public the sectarian death squads that gunned down 40 people on Sunday in a Sunni part of Baghdad, some Iraqi Shi'ite leaders say in private retaliation for Sunni insurgent bomb attacks is understandable...

"It is very, very difficult for us to justify why we are not taking revenge," said a senior Shi'ite figure linked to one of the most powerful militia groups, saying that his movement was not carrying out killings but could understand those who were.

"With every car bomb and every attack on a Shi'ite mosque our people are calling us and accusing us of being cowards," said the official, who like others interviewed asked not to be identified...

"It is natural now that there are some Shi'ite fighters who think they are doing what they believe in to defend their families," said the politician, who is from one of the main parties in Maliki's national unity coalition. "I personally can't blame them, since the government cannot protect them."

As part of a plan for national reconciliation, Maliki has vowed to disband militias, mostly armed wings of Shi'ite Islamist parties formed to fight Saddam's Sunni-led government.

There have been a number of operations, involving U.S. and Iraqi forces, this month against Shi'ite guerrilla leaders. The targets, however, have mostly been rogue elements, Shi'ite sources say, who have alienated their own leaders.

Another official in one of the main Shi'ite political groups said Sunni leaders should shoulder some blame for events like Sunday's rampage in Baghdad because they had failed to clearly condemn Sunni violence since the fall of Saddam three years ago:

"The reaction is completely understandable," the official said of the Shi'ite gunmen.

"What do they expect the Shi'ites to do when they bomb them every day and Sunni leaders do not even condemn the attacks?"

7/11/2006 06:36:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

From a different local battle against Terror
"6 Explosions Strike Bombay's Commuter Rail Network During Evening Rush Hour, Indian Media Report"

Just another "localized" conflict.
Not of International scope, per the Supremes.

7/11/2006 07:07:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

Palestinian feminism?

A group of masked Palestinian women in military fatigues called a news conference Monday in Gaza to declare that they have formed a new unit of suicide bombers. Calling themselves the "suicide sisters," they claimed to have 100 women ready to blow themselves up to kill Israelis. Ironically, reports Berger, these women are from the military wing of the Fatah party, led by moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

7/11/2006 07:10:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

The Iraqi Government, the US proxy in the Country cannot secure the Capital.
The US military cannot secure the Capital.
Not anytime soon.

w.w. tries to tell US that these subgroupings of Shia and Sunni represent different factions, which they do. Much as a Waffen SS Panzer Division was different than an Italian Infantry Brigade in WWII and the Vichey Forces in Morrocco.
Allied at a strategic levels, if only vaguely, they all had to be targeted by US. As all were "Enemies"

The SCIRI is not a US ally, nor is DAWA. Nor are the armed Sunni in the Insurrection, Civil War or what ever label suits the Administration today.
Mr Talabani said the US entered the Iraqi Civil War, and thanked US for it. He would know best, I wager.

Or are we still blaming Iraqi violence on "foreigners"?
Oh wait, what are we, there?

Anarchy has command of Baghdad, Mr Model tells the tale.
The ISF playing by US rules, does little better than US at securing the Captial. Either Mr Maliki plays by Hama rules or the Game will be lost.
Or go into over time, but then it's already planned to be a "Long War", no need to win today.

7/11/2006 07:35:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

I understand it perfectly, dan.
The Administration, it seems, does not.
You are correct, but as you say, the things that need doing, are not being done.

It is not an "oversight"
It is not the fault of Dan Rather

It is the Policy of the US Government writ in the sands of Arabia.

There is no call for 50,000 more troops
There is no demand for more trainers
There is no reorginzation of Forces, except for not replacing the troops rotating out.

Mr al-Sadr was given an excemption to US rules years ago,
Stay the Course.

7/11/2006 07:52:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

We didn't target everyone in Iraq. Under Saddam Iraq was a Sunni tyranny which kept control of the Shiites and Kurds by brutal force, including poison gas.

Iraq has now been liberated. It is a democratic republic in which each faction has freedom of speech and can argue its differences in parliament.

Now that we have achieved this it is time for us to go and let all the sides fight it out. It's not our fight any more, and we have no interests over there. If there are a few foreign Al Qaeda terrorists, we can use troops from a regional base to bomb or capture them whenever intelligence becomes available.

I disagree with the idea that some larger amount of US force, or more brutal tactics could pacify Iraq. We didn't go over there to be the new Saddam Husseins. As long as there are three factions, each will stand up for itself.

Peace will come when the Sunnis want it. If more force is needed, it would be better to let the Shiites fight back in the civil war, rather than having foreigners do it.

7/11/2006 07:56:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

> The problem here is the only ones seen to be fighting, if these reports are to be believed and taken as comprehensive, is the rival militia

That's the problem, is that those media reports are not accurate. They've grown so used to Sunni resistance killings that they are basically ignored, like background noise. Because the Sunnis stay in the shadows anonymously killing with car bombs, they slip under everyone's radar screen.

Al-Sadr's "crime", compared to the silent Sunni killers, is that he went into the mainstream, arguing in public and becoming part of the political system. He agreed to US terms, a cease fire, and the coalition forces are turning Shiite provinces over to his groups to patrol (as was reported on the Pentagon site).

Putting more US troops in Iraq would be a terrible mistake. There is no reason for us to fight an Iraqi civil war or attempt a Saddam Hussein-like pacification.

Peace will come when the Sunnis and Shiites want it. No amount of foreign troops will speed that up.

7/11/2006 08:04:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

This time, w.w., you hit the nail on the head.
Exactly right.
The Battle of Iraq, it is not International in scope, just like Afghanistan.
Just a series of localized brush fires. Damn that arsonist.

7/11/2006 08:06:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

The Kurds just want to be left alone in freedom. As long as they can be independent, they support the government.

The Shia are glad that we liberated them. They are the majority so they support the government.

The Sunnis hate our guts and always will. Many of them are bitter about losing power, and don't support the government.

So really the enemy here is the Sunni people, which is not something we can fight with a war. A political solution is needed.

7/11/2006 08:17:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

w.w., you were doing so well.
We could fight a War and defeat the Sunni people, in under 30 days.
We will not do it, though.

That is a "political" decision, as is letting Mr a -Sadr remain "temporalily alive".

If we were at war with the Sunni, we could end it victoriously, in Iraq, while at the same time losing it in Saudi Arabia.
The KSA being more important, to US, than Iraq.
In all reality. Check the oil import figures, the KSA is vital to US.
So to counter that we could support the Shia is eastern KSA, where the oil is, in empowering themselves. But that would bode ill for "stability".
It does not play to the Supreme's local conflict scenario, either.

7/11/2006 08:30:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

As regards Mr Kim, both the South Koreans and the Chinese have watched East Germany with interest.

The South Koreans with some horror.
East Germany was no where near the basket case that NorK resembles.
doug's "show me the light" photo told that tale.

The Chinese hold a similar view, not wanting hundreds of thousands of Korean refugees streaming north.

Both will try to cement the status que in place. The prospect of Mr Kim's government collapsing worse than the threat he really poses to his nearest neighbors.

7/11/2006 08:45:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

> We could fight a War and defeat the Sunni people, in under 30 days.

No way. Absolutely not. That's the same thing they said in Vietnam.

What is your war tactic, kill every one of them? Would we do the same thing as the militia, ask people for identification and shoot them if they are Sunnis? Set up torture chambers like Saddam?

We already occupied every inch of their territory. Have destroyed their army and every weapon larger than small arms.

The reality is that short of extermination if people want to be free, then no one can stop them.

7/11/2006 08:45:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

I meant to say the reality is that short of extermination if people want to be free, then nothing can stop them from fighting back.

7/11/2006 08:48:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

jp
fabulous data.

I think the pages 6 - 17 show a marked increase in dissatisfaction from November '05 to the present.

From the preElection expectations to the realities of the current Government.
Page 6 illustrates "right direction" dropping from a high of 67% a year ago to 30% in March. Things have not gotten better since then, per Mr Model.

page 41 is enlightening, as well.

7/11/2006 09:04:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

Any peoples "will to fight" can be broken. There are costs involved.
In Syria it was the town of Hama and aprox. 30,000 lives. Not a genocide, perhaps, but a lot of dead "innocents".
Then again, if we were at War with the Sunni people, as you say, w.w., they are not innocent.

That again being the point. We are not at War with the Sunni. Perhaps we should be, but we're not.

In Ramadi the Tal Afar model is finally being implemented. The "bad guys", instead of fighting, reportedly have migrated to Baghdad.

Perhaps that is a measure of success, perhaps not. Mr Model does not seem to think so.

7/11/2006 09:14:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

Death Toll at 105 in India Train Bombings

By RAMOLA TALWAR BADAM, The Associated Press
Jul 11, 2006 8:45 AM (45 mins ago)

BOMBAY, India - Seven bombs hit Bombay's commuter rail network during rush hour Tuesday evening, killing at least 105 people and wounding more than 300 in what authorities called a well-coordinated attack. ..."

7/11/2006 09:38:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

Up to 131 dead, as of 2 minutes ago.

7/11/2006 09:41:00 AM  
Blogger RWE said...

Two headlines from this morning:

"131 Killed in Indian Train Bomb Attacks"

"Sunnis to End Government Boycot: Attacks Kill 47"

Sure will be great when Iraq is a nice, stable and safe democracy like India.

7/11/2006 09:47:00 AM  
Blogger RWE said...

Anyone think they planned to hit in India on the anniversary of the London bombings and could not quite get their act together in time?

7/11/2006 09:49:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

Hama declared itself to be an Islamic town, by a group without large support in the overall country. We also set an example when Fallujah tried the same thing.

What is happening now is resistance within the Sunni population, classic guerrilla tactics. As Mao said, "Guerrillas are the fish, and the population is the sea in which they swim". They wouldn't exist without the support of the Sunni population. The Sunnis are not driven by Islam, but to get power within their country.

7/11/2006 10:49:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

It certainly good to know what is the motivational drive of the 5 million Sunni Iraqi, w.w.
Each and every one.

Yes, fish in the sea, in Mayalasia the Brits drained the sea, caught or killed the fish.

In Salvador the sea turned against the fish, they swam on home.

Neither option is viable in those areas of jp's link, page 41, where the Insurgents are welcomed as the local security force.

Those people will have to disabused of that idea,
by US or by other Iraqis, or not.

I do not believe the US will do the deed, as we are already heading for the docks.
The Humvees rolling on home.

The ISF is still held firmly on a US leash, as last week's story from Camp Taji indicated.

For how long will Mr Maliki and the ISF Generals can allow anarchy to reign, before they apply more regionally historic norms of control, over US objections, that is the real question.

7/11/2006 11:08:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

The Brits used similar tactics against the Boer in South Africa.
A more proud and willful ethnic gtoup of swimming fish there never was, and their Will to Fight was broken.

The US lacks the Will for such an effort, the Iraqi may not.
Just drain the lake.

Post WWII Europe saw mass relocations of ethnic Germans.
As did India, having massed relocations based on Religious sect, post Independence.

7/11/2006 11:16:00 AM  
Blogger desert rat said...

It is not that we
Can Not, habu

It is that we
Do Not

There are many options available
The option to empower Mr al-Sadr by excempting him from Iraqi warrants & arrest and from direct action US retribution was made long ago. It is part of established US Policy towards Iraq. It has been decided.

The General will not even put a name the Enemy, not the one habu, whit, dan or I see. Mr al-Sadr.

That is a political policy decision, made by Mr Bush and his staff. He is the Decider in Chief. Learn to live with it.

That is just another part and parcel of the Course. Mr al-Sadr lives and is a force to be reckoned with, in Baghdad & beyond.

7/11/2006 11:54:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

> It certainly good to know what is the motivational drive of the 5 million Sunni Iraqi, w.w.
Each and every one.

I give the Sunnis the Arafat test: I'll believe there are moderate Sunnis once they turn in or jail even a single Sunni involved with suicide bombing of Shiites.

7/11/2006 11:57:00 AM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

al-Sadr's day is coming. Once he challenges Sistani for power, Sistani will give the green light for eliminating Sadr. Until then Sadr is a tool to be used.

7/11/2006 12:01:00 PM  
Blogger desert rat said...

I just stand in support of the President's policies, trying to explain them to dan.

I think that some of Mr Bush's strategic concepts, like "stand up, stand down" may have been sabatogued or, more likely, the culture of the Military just doomed the successful implementation of the concept in a two year timeframe.

The ISF in Kirkurk just got it's own logistical support up. That would be an ethnicly Kurdish unit, most likely. So some slow progress is being made, in the more secure Regions.

7/11/2006 12:07:00 PM  
Blogger desert rat said...

habu is still thinking of Mr Castro.

Those were the days.
These are the days of futures past, coming again this fall to Havana.
Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia. Wonder what other flotsom will arrive at the beach party.

Iranian Reactors for Venezuela, that'd be my guess for a Public Announcement.

7/11/2006 12:25:00 PM  
Blogger NahnCee said...

Why do we think that Maliki is babbling about putting American soldiers on trial in Iraq when they are accused of rape or other "crimes" by Iraqi's? Is it apparent to him that this would be a 100% certain back-handed method to get Americans to pack up and move out en masse immediately?

That we will NOT allow a neophyte Iraqi justice system based upon Shariah law to sit in judgement of our soldiers?

Karzai is making the same noises in Afghanistan. Is it coordinated?

To what end?

7/11/2006 01:22:00 PM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

Maliki is a big disappointment. It almost seems like he doesn't realize there's a war going on. His latest angle seems to be that there will be no amnesty for anyone, and that all the troops have to fight under civilian law. If we ignore the war, maybe it will go away, it almost sounds like.

7/11/2006 01:49:00 PM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

If Maliki is serious about taking our immunity away, then good luck to him defending the green zone himself, because we won't be there.

7/11/2006 01:51:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

7:17 AM Oh my Gaawd!
Smacko got me to laugh!
Even mud throwers sometimes entertain.
---
I want my federal Grant for my Scotish Superiorty Society.
Write you Senators to send him his
Racist Rights Money tm.
Karl Rove Speaks to La Raza
Feds Pay La Raza $15,000,000
---
Scheduled outage at 4:00PM. Learn more.

7/11/2006 01:59:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

1:51 PM Wu:
Don't be so sure:
This Whitehouse has learned it's lessons from the localized, non evil doer terrorists well:
SUBMISSION
---
It's not his daughters dying, anymore than it is HIS neighborhood being destroyed by illegals.
I really don't like this guy much anymore.

7/11/2006 02:02:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

Mr. Pantano says Troops are being killed and injured everyday second guessing themselves BEFORE DEFENDING THEMSELVES.
What a SAD excuse for a CIC!

7/11/2006 02:04:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

"Write your Senators to send me my
Racist Rights Money tm."

7/11/2006 02:06:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

"Iranian Reactors for Venezuela, that'd be my guess for a Public Announcement. "
---
We know what JFK would do,
Just like we know what GWB will NOT do.
...Condi would not like it, which means Madeline would not like it, which means the CFR would not like it, which means skull and bones would not like it, which means...

7/11/2006 02:11:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

A THOUSAND POINTS OF SUBMISSION tm
Kinder and Gentler
Compassionate "Conservative"
BS !

7/11/2006 02:12:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

"I know...then we're just like them...well no we're not. "
---
The most human and humane people I've known were WWII Vets:
Wonder how many of them committed unspeakable acts that made them
"Just like Them tm ?"

7/11/2006 02:18:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

Here's that picture Rat was refering to of No Korea at nite.
---
nighttime The Dark Side

DAN RATHER:
"You said how controlled?

The control was complete, absolute.
We went nowhere without the controllers.
We spoke to no one without the permission of the controllers.
The people we spoke to tended to be official guides at museums, other public monuments, that sort of thing.
It's hard for anyone in the West, I would say hard for anyone who's never been to North Korea to imagine what it's like, because the discipline is so great that everybody you're allowed to talk to gives you what are clearly programmed answers and sometimes they're non sequiturs.
---
"...I would say hard for anyone who's never been to North Korea to imagine what it's like:.
"

So GWB is excused if he can't figure it out.

7/11/2006 02:42:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

The "same" Court ruled almost exactly the oppossite when FDR was president.
But FDR was a man, as were some of the men on the court.
...long ago and far away.

7/11/2006 02:45:00 PM  
Blogger ppab said...

el heffe:

You remind us that its a feature of our system, i.e. our restraint embodies a functionality that is generally valuable and could just as soon produce adaptation as a new frilly uniform.

But the connection between our military and its "civilian" control may only be an asset under certain conditions.

For awhile, its been asked if the conditions underwhich the GWOT is fought make such a functionality more of a liability. Its at least possible that in some circumstances, this functionality would not be preferred, as in a case where the "civilian" control is outright subversive, be it through category error and good intentions or downright maloevolence.

I hope I'm being too short-sighted when I propose that regimes such as Russia and China which diverge sharply from the Western Human Rights regimes preferred by our "civilians" are better prepared to protect themselves from extrinsic and intrinsic manifestations of ascendant Radical Islam.

Perhaps such divergence will not last forever, as internal pressures bring those nations into line with the obviously more advanced human rights regimes conceived over here. But perhaps not; and perhaps we're fools for fancying such hilarious notions about our sworn enemies.

7/11/2006 02:50:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

FDR's Court did not "Invent" a New Constitution.
...approved by Socialist Eunichs in Power.

7/11/2006 02:53:00 PM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

Don't worry. Iraq will use the UNITED NATIONS to replace the US armed forces! Those gray helmets are the answer.

Iraqi politicians are considering a formal request for U.N. troops to provide security, a Sunni official said on Tuesday, as attackers killed as many as 37 people across the country.

Alaa Makki -- a spokesman for the country's largest Sunni bloc, the Iraqi Accord Front -- said it took six hours for Americans to respond to the killing of at least 40 unarmed Sunnis in western Baghdad Sunday. Iraqi security forces didn't respond at all, he said.

7/11/2006 02:55:00 PM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

I meant blue helmets, of course.

7/11/2006 02:56:00 PM  
Blogger Herr Wu Wei said...

It just amazes me how the Shiites continue to let the Sunnis run the country. The Sunnis launch car bombs at civilians every day and nothing is said, but on the rare occasion when the Sunnis come under counter attack, there is a government investigation and no one can respond quickly enough.

7/11/2006 03:02:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

"-- said it took six hours for Americans to respond to the killing of at least 40 unarmed Sunnis in western Baghdad Sunday. Iraqi security forces didn't respond at all, he said."
---
Stay the Course:
I sure as Hell wouldn't respond, nor would I want my son to.
---
...haven't had a murder conviction in my family for a long time, don't need one now.

7/11/2006 03:19:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

3:02 PM
It's the Whitehouse Senate Strategy
(Let Teddy K Run the Country)
played out in Iraq.

7/11/2006 03:22:00 PM  

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