Another Al-Qaeda Top Leader Down in Iraq?
Breaking at Pajamas Media.
Iraqi authorities announced that the leader of al-Qaeda’s political front organization the Islamic State of Iraq, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, was killed in the Ghazaliya district in western Baghdad this morning.
Presser scheduled later today: “U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Garver declined to comment but said a news conference would be held later on Thursday to announce the “success” of an operation against al Qaeda. He stressed that the topic would not be Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.” (Reuters)
According to one line of thinking, these types of events are futile, irrelevant or useless. It is "obvious" that nothing is going to change the outcome of events in Iraq. Here's the NY Sun writing on the David Broder vs Harry Reid flap:
Mr. Broder's offense? The Pulitzer-prize winning columnist and reporter, 77, wrote a column criticizing the Democratic leader in the Senate, Mr. Reid, for Mr. Reid's comment that the Iraq war "is lost." Mr. Reid, Mr. Broder wrote "is assuredly not a man who misses many opportunities to put his foot in his mouth. In 2005, he attacked Alan Greenspan, then chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, as ‘one of the biggest political hacks we have here in Washington.'" Wrote Mr. Broder, " Reid's verbal wanderings on the war in Iraq are consequential — not just for his party and the Senate but for the more important question of what happens to U.S. policy in that violent country and to the men and women whose lives are at stake." The New York Sun publishes the column today on the adjacent page.
For this Mr. Broder won a rebuke not only from the senators but from the New York Times's Frank Rich, who ridiculed Mr. Broder in his column Sunday and who defended as "obvious" Mr. Reid's assessment that the war is lost.
Is it obvious that if Abu Omar al-Baghdadi is pushing up daisies it would have been a needless death and a waste of time? How much of the future is really obvious to us? And how much of the book of the future remains to be written, where it is not already pre-reported in the New York Times?
This on Liveleak from U.S. Army Specialist Colby Buzzell. How much do we know?
posted by wretchardthecat at 5/03/2007 02:48:00 AM
23 Comments:
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Quote "According to one line of thinking, these types of events are futile, irrelevant or useless."
Dead islamic nut jobs cannot: Breed, Plan additional attacks, they simply CAN only take to the grave some knowledge not passed on to others.
The problem has been turnstile prisions for these mutants. Once they are dead they cannot actively lead any longer.
The solution to the problem is not more troops, just easier rules of engagement for the troops.
Take a lesson from the arabs/persians/islamists, a good terrorists is a dead one...
rock on, load another round, aim and FIRE
Unless this is not a real clash of completing world views and somehow the left is correct and all we have to do is come home and "leave" those areas of the islamic world we should not have influence in.
Or....
in 1790 when the 1st islamic jihadists attacked us and BROUGHT us into the fight we are fighting a long long war...
"to the shores of tripoli"
Go teddy.....
Mr Jefferson, please tell us of the islamic threats to our young nation...
Thanks President George Washington, I'd be glad too....
There seems to be a lot top al-queda leaders.
Harry Reid, Master Gardener of national repute:
'“It’s a known fact that every time a [weed] is killed, another rises to take [it]s place,” said [Master Gardener] Reid. “Therefore, the only way to stop the spawning of new [weeds]s is to halt the slaying of the current ones.”'
Frank Rich is the posterchild for the degeneration of the NYT.
The mistake is calling them top leaders. That really strokes their egos. They are Islamic gangsters. Thugs, killers. Psychopaths. It is an abuse of language. The notoriety is an indulgence that gets rewarded by creating another top leader from another runt of the litter.
C-4 once called for a dropping of the reward system. The next one sitting on the piss pot throne of Islam should be targeted with a fifty cent reward.
We can now call Sen. Reid, and Representatives Pelosi and Murtha "The Washington Generals."
The Washington Generals were the baffled collection of Caucasians who pretended to be a team opposing The Harlem Globe Trotters. They proved that one could lose and maintain one's dignity despite the crazy antics of one's opponents--and even make a living from doing so. Of course all the while they played to the crowd themselves--if only as the straight guys in what they knew was a Globe Trotting Farce.
The Democrat's Washington Generals get their intelligence from the Muj stringers who work for the AP. They report that the resources of the ever bold and always resurgent insurgents are infinte and growing. They think the urge to surge is crazy.
Their advice: Run away!
The Democrat and the MSM never examine the problems our enemies face while they obsesses about our own. This is the attitude of a loser--who, of course, want to blame some one else. Certainly not their own faulty intelligence.
In disposing of these vermin, couldn't Coalition forces have applied chainsaws and expressed disks of squawking Allahites to Al Jazeera? Or would cable news in Vermont be upset?
Instead of this claptrap about the futility of killing replaceable enemy leaders I would like to see some national writer take on the topic of "good killing."
An article like this would twist moral equivalence shorts so tight that no Leftie would touch another subject for months. "Thous shalt not murder" still applies, but fact is there is good killing too. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi is one example. Is not the prospect of humanity enhanced by the death of even one Islamic fascist? How much more by the deaths of all Islamic fascists?
Columnists, have become too reticent, too feminized, to openly discuss that killing enemy combatants is a good thing that should be pursued with all possible vigor, and that the killers, our killers, should be lauded with praise and song.
"The Lid on the Shoebox."
Every warrior comes to that point (when combat tested) wherein he knows his world has crossed over into another perspective.
The larger question belongs to those who send these people out into the darkness: How do they intend to support such warriors?
After three plus years, the American public is asking our government leaders; in all branches, why they did not know how the Iraqi citizenry would respond to being "set free" from the leadership of Sadamn Hussein?
One can reduce all the arguments, etc. till that question stands alone. So far, the American people have not heard a direct and true answer. Therefore, support for this "adventure" in Iraq is, in my opinion, rapidly waning.
Meanwhile, when this soldier and his fellow brothers have returned home, their "shoeboxes" will open at some point. Hopefully, those Americans for whom these people swore to surrender their lives, will come to offer honest and caring support as those items within these "shoeboxes" come flying out.
Who intends to embrace those freedoms others defended...to the death: That is, within our government? I don't see these kinds of leaders. Ergo, we are at greater risk than ever before.
We have allowed a generation of narcissists to elevate themselves into political power. "Do your own thing" has come home to roost!
My hope is that within our returning warriors there will be a class of new leaders who will come forward to be elected into our government and show new strengths in promoting American values; values have been germinated from the soils and peoples of every part of this planet.
Perhaps a new world vision will emerge onto our political stage, if time permits. The present elected class seems so backward looking when not staring in their mirrors.
Well, where are the peals of joyous exultation at the good news? Does Mr. Bush get any credit?
3case, I'm glad I caught you here, this morning.
There have been NO convictions in the Haditha matter because there have been no trials. At this writing, Article 32 hearings are still in progress; for instance, that of Captain Stone is scheduled for 8 May 2007.
Below is a quote that sheds some light on why Doug and Murtha and the thousands of folk saying “coulda, woulda, shoulda” may be causing absolute harm to the process of military justice.
“February 11, 2007
On the February 9th broadcast of Hannity & Colmes, Alan Colmes made an outrageous and poisonous statement that was not corrected on air. Speaking to Oliver North, Colmes supported Congressman John Murtha's ugly lie that, ‘no question about it’, Marines in Haditha had ‘killed innocent civilians in cold blood’. Defending the indefensible, Colmes said there have been ‘confessions and convictions’ in the Haditha Marine case.
Now Darryl Sharratt, the father of a Haditha Marine has a question:
’I would like to ask Alan Colmes where he got his information. There have been no convictions. There have been no confessions.’"
Again, there have been NO convictions in the Haditha matter, because none of the cases have moved beyond Article 32 to trial. Moreover, there have been NO confessions.
allen,
The Article 32 hearings have ground to a halt as a result of the discovery that the prosecution, via the NCIS, has withheld major exculpatory evidence from the defense. 'magine that!
A timeworn and corrupt prosecutor's trick was used; NCIS held the exculpatory info from the prosecutors' file, giving the prosecutors deniability in the event the exculpatory info was discovered.
Looking at that other peace process:
"The editor of a Lebanese newspaper connected to Hizballah says that in the six months since the end of the Second Lebanon War, the terror group has armed itself with quantities of weapons that used to take six years to obtain.
Did Condoleezza Rice ask the Syrian Foreign Minister about this?"
Hizballah Preparing for All Out War - LGF
MEMRI
Meanwhile, Olmert gains support from Germany and Livni backs off:
Israel can't let crisis harm peace process - EU
Zip it Tzipi
***
3case,
re: The Article 32 hearings have ground to a halt as a result of the discovery that the prosecution, via the NCIS, has withheld major exculpatory evidence from the defense.
Do you have a link confirming that?
Because that is going to come as a shock to Captain Stone and Major General Richard Huck (scheduled to testify).
Lawyer wants accounting of classified material
Moreover, the Article 32 hearing naming Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani is scheduled for the last week in May, 2007.
General’s testimony sought at first Haditha hearing
For updated news on the Haditha case you might occasionally check with
Defend Our Haditha Marines
The tentative schedule of hearings:
___8 May - Capt. Randy W. Stone
__30 May - Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani
___4 June - S/Sgt. Frank Wuterich
__18 June - Lt. Andrew Grayson
Article 32 hearings do not establish guilt or innocence.
Democracy can be very messy…especially when the people get involved.
___Over 200,000 people have gathered in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on Thursday night as a mass rally against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
___“Stop clinging to your chair. We won't forgive you if you break your promises. Olmert, do the right thing and resign."
___”Today you are trying to hold on to your job. But we need to hold on to our lives. Every day you are in power, you endanger the State…”
___"This is a government ruled by fear. They started a war because of the kidnapping but they didn't finished it properly. This is an indecisive, careless government that must go."
Mass rally calls on Olmert to resign
The fall of Olmert will mean the fall of the "peace process". Germany has already put its support behind Olmert; other interested parties can be expected to follow.
***
Protesters Call on Olmert to Resign
Tell me again why partitioning into three areas is bad for us (and most of them).
We'd be loved (ok, respected) in two of the capitols and we could keep a very close eye on the other.
This could have the effect of focusing Arab attention on the danger of Iran and away from the Great Satan (who midwifed two unique and successful Arab democracies).
Must start thinking about what's best for us soon.
m simon,
I assure you: I am quite sane.
If you believe that the United States Marine Corps is guilty of conspiring to send the Haditha Marines to the gallows and/or prison as the matter of political expediency, then, you need to concern yourself with the freeing of America rather than Iraq.
M Simon
By the way, I do enjoy your various blogs.
3case,
When you have time, please provide that link.
There have been a number of cases so far where the military was similarly in error.
A Lt.Ilario Pantano comes to mind. A Marine I might add.
Your argument reminds me of the Dreyfuss case where it was often argued that guilt or innocence was irrelevant. The honor of the army was at stake.
I don't buy it.
m simon,
It is because of such cases as that cited by you that we have the present elaborate, time consuming and often frustrating system of military justice. The system works, even if imperfectly. But man is imperfect, is he not? Consider this, in earlier eras mistakes could lead to summary justice and summary execution.
And, speaking of Lt. Pantano:
"After careful consideration of the Article 32 Investigative Report and of the autopsies, Maj. Gen. Huck has decided to dismiss all charges," the statement said.
"While the Article 32 Investigation has been lengthy, the best interests of 2nd Lt. Pantano and the government have been served by this process." Pantano was charged with the crime Feb. 1. The charges would have carried the death penalty.
Malkin
PS: Major General Huck is expected to give telephonic testimony during the Article 32 Investigation of Captain Stone - scheduled for 8 May 2007.
***
allen,
The Article 32 hearings were supposed to be complete by now, but:
link confirming that
Putting aside that the behavior of NCIS, a civilian agency, the curious thing to me is the rapid roll over by the prosecution to the Sgt.
3case,
The system is designed to sort preliminary issues out. The government is not going into an Article 32 Investigation half-cocked. Charges against one defendant have been dropped. Others may follow. But that is how the process is supposed to work.
While little noticed by the supposedly knowledgeable milbloggers, any Article 32 hearing officer can recommend dismissal. Why it is presumed that the numerous hearing officers involved here would not recommend dismissal in some instances, may say more about the character of the critics of the system than the officers tasked with managing the process.
Whatever motives brought us to this pass, those going before an Article 32 Investigation will be afforded far more rights than would be possible in the civilian world. For instance, the accused my exercise discovery; they may call witnesses and cross examine witnesses; and they may utilize looser standards than ordinary regarding rules of evidence.
But at this writing, no Article 32 Investigation has occurd. No recommendations for action have been published. Without recommendations, Courts-Martial cannot be formed. And without Court-Martial guilt cannot be established and sentences given.
This case is getting lots of hype on the internet (millions of hits), on television, in the press as news and opinion pieces, and on blogs with the same result. Virtually none of that hyperbole will make it into the hearing, where sworn testimony will be the rule.
Eventually, justice will be done. When it is, will the military justice system get any credit for seeing that the accused received a fair trail of the highest standard. I doubt it.
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