Plan calls for troops to begin pulling out after December elections, from CNN:
WASHINGTON -- The top U.S. commander in Iraq has submitted a plan to the Pentagon for withdrawing troops in Iraq, according to a senior defense official.Gen. George Casey submitted the plan to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. It includes numerous options and recommends that brigades -- usually made up of about 2,000 soldiers each -- begin pulling out of Iraq early next year...
House Republicans were looking for a showdown Friday after Rep. John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat and well-respected Vietnam veteran, presented a resolution that would force the president to withdraw the nearly 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq "at the earliest predictable date."
Murtha on Thursday called the administration's management of the conflict "a flawed policy wrapped in illusion" that is "uniting the enemy against us."
"It's time to bring the troops home," he said...
The [Casey] plan, which would withdraw a limited amount of troops during 2006, requires that a host of milestones be reached before troops are withdrawn.
Top Pentagon officials have repeatedly discussed some of those milestones: Iraqi troops must demonstrate that they can handle security without U.S. help; the country's political process must be strong; and reconstruction and economic conditions must show signs of stability.
Rebecca - There are a lot of other jihad stories out there - if you need other sources for news, you might want to also check at:
http://counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/unitedstatesaction/
For example, in the past day, in addition to some of your postings, you would see:
November 19, 2005 Anti-Terrorism News
(Saturday) Baghdad market car bomb kills 13
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4451860.stm
Thirteen people have died in a car bomb attack on a crowded market in southern Baghdad and a suicide bomber later attacked police in the city centre.
Iraqi Police Make Arrests in Mosque Blasts
http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME
Iraqi police said they had arrested four people in the bombing of two Shiite mosques a day earlier, and one man appeared to be a third suicide bomber who did not manage to carry out his mission.
US author lauds suicide bombers
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17293730%255E601,00.html
Kurt Vonnegut has praised terrorists as "very brave people" and used drug culture slang to describe the "amazing high" suicide bombers must feel before blowing themselves up.
Bangladesh arrests 9 militants, on alert before rally
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2005/November/subcontinent_November680.xml§ion=subcontinent
US and China to cooperate more on terrorism
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-11-19T091053Z_01_MCC917816_RTRUKOC_0_US-CHINA-USA-TERRORISM.xml&archived=False
(Israel) IDF: Bomb found near Palestinian shot by soldiers
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1132320212932&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Russian Human Rights Activist Detained Over Suspected Ties to Islamic Fighters
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/11/18/activistdetained.shtml
Indonesia: Christian woman killed with machetes
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1132320213818&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Tensions are high following a series of attacks blamed on Islamic militants, police said Saturday.
Crown prince sees 'end of terrorism' in Saudi in two years
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2005/November/middleeast_November542.xml§ion=middleeast
Suspected bomb blast in Istanbul
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4451538.stm
(Netherlands) Commentary: Only good terrorists need fear the law
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=1&story_id=25470
Dutch terror suspect acquitted for second time
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=1&story_id=25466&name=Dutch+terror+suspect+acquitted+for+second+time
An appeal court in The Hague has acquitted Samir A., 19, of charges he was planning to terrorist attacks on key locations in the Netherlands in 2004.
(Italy) Algerian Suspects Allegedly Planned to Kill 10,000
http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level.php?cat=Terrorism&loid=8.0.230427816&par=0
The three Algerians detained on Tuesday in the Italian cities of Brescia and Naples were planning a massive terror attack - "on a ship as big as the Titanic, packed with explosives" - that aimed to kill "at least 10,000 people", as well as an attack on "Italian citizens and interests" in Tunisia, according phone conversations between the three men, which Italian anti-terror police say they intercepted after al-Qaeda's deadly 7 July attacks on London and on the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
(Jordan) 200,000 protest Amman attacks
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20051118-110234-2315r.htm
Unverified Zarqawi audio: Jordanian civilians weren't targets
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/11/18/zarqawi.jordan/index.html
Voice says hotels targeted because Americans, Israelis stay there
(Russia) Senior al Qaeda militant destroyed in Chechnya
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=2638680
(Indonesia) Militant's website outlines Jakarta attack scenarios
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1510394.htm
(Australia) Nuclear site left exposed at the back door
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17293441%255E601,00.html
Suicide bombers kill scores in 2 Iraqi cities
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/11/18/iraq.main/index.html
In regards to our soliders in Iraq, another fine example of the philosophy of some of our teachers Stateside:
Prof urges fragging of U.S. officers
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47461
And the latest on a back-home conspiracy (nariz take nose! err, note):
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20234
CNN is like their founder Ted Turner: they just dont know if they are fish or fowl.
(Well wasn't Hanoi Jane soliciting sex for her first husband ?)
CNN just goes into paroxysms of ecstasy anytime they get closer to the white flag of surrender.
CNN just goes into paroxysms of ecstasy anytime they get closer to the white flag of surrender.
And CNN is considered dangerously right wing just north in Canada.
Was never in favour of war in Iraq - US dangerously extended also weakened by conflict on two fronts re: Afghanistan. Should think most
Islamic countries are ungovernable except by secret police, tyrants and dictators. When Winston Churchill drew the boundaries of present day Iraq [he also wanted to get out quick as it was costing Britain too much money] he made fearful blunders across ethnic and religious faultlines. After a bloody Civil War, this is likely to split into three entities who will govern themselves. A huge amount of blood,sweat and tears including those of Iraqis has been squandered on this near impossible gamble.As Muslim Clerics tell us, over and over again,ISLAM IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH DEMOCRACY!!
The Vietnam experience taught "enlightened" idiots that if you ignore reality and complain about side issues long enough and loud enough, the cowards will win out.
The War on Terror is now effectively over. The leftists are winning which gives the Islamics the upper hand by default. In Spain, al Qaeda managed to flip an election at the last minute, putting the anti-American socialists firmly in power. In Germany and France, both governments are firmly against American intervention in the Middle East. Even in the UK, Tony Blair has difficulty dealing with his own party due to his support of the US effort.
Worldwide, the "elite" or "leftist" opinion is overwhelmingly against US military involvement in fighting Islamic terror. Bush cannot stay the course - there is less and less motivation to win the fight. The left would rather the world convert to Islam than resist it's incessant attacks.
I believe Iraq will fall to the Baathists and will probably continue with insurgent and terrorist unrest for decades. Iran will soon be armed with nuclear weapons and the West can do nothing but preach peace while the Islamic bomb is aimed at us on a hair trigger.
Perhaps the mullahs were right, this is the Islamic Century.
Leftism is the civilizational immuno-deficiency virus that corrodes your defenses with a warm, understanding smile on its face.
The Jihad is the bacteria that finally kills you.
rafael699 writes:
"I believe Iraq will fall to the Baathists"
Are you nuts? The country is 60% Shiite. Much more likely, after our withdrawal, is that the
Shiites quickly win, as American soldiers simply
can't do what it takes, namely, to ethnically
(really religiously) cleanse majority Shiite areas by massacring Sunnis with impunity, as the
Sunnis have done to them for years.
We should maintain some force in Kurdistan, if the Kurds allow it.
The minorities in what's left of Iraq are screwed, and will have to be resettled. Maybe
move the Christians to France...
" and will probably continue with insurgent and terrorist unrest for decades. "
Sunni on Shia, Shia on Sunni, great. If it spreads, well, the right solution, the big unmentionable here and elsewhere, is to, as jsla put it, to contemplate the nature of the atom, it's splitting, and it's fusing.
It's an asymmetric conflict, and we are not playing to our strengths.
If you look throughout history, the most despicable murderers--Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Pol pot--were all leftist..How coincidental that the decline of western civilzation and all its remarkable acheivements can be brought down by wackoleftists like Michael moore and his ideas...Do leftist's realize that a WMD blown up on U.S. soil, which is the ultimate jihadist objective, will destroy the fabric of the society that grants them the privilages to disseminate their lies? Are leftists aware that they aid and abbett the very nihilists that want them dead?..If leftists succeed,and there is a precipitous pullout of Iraq, Iraq becomes the centre of the Caliphate..Either they are stupid to the point dellusion or they hate the West so much that they feel it is worth destroying..either way they are a threat to me and my families security
Mad Jacks equating leftists with HIV is so accurate as to be frighting to the point of rage...
phil
Hey rafael699 the war on terror is NOT over. Are you currently a troop or planning to be a troop. Would you rather fight terrorists over seas or here in the United States? I would rather fight them over seas. Does anyone think there is weapons of mass destruction over in the Middle East? I know there is. Read the IranPressNews. There making a A-Bomb. I fully agree with President George W. Bush invasion of Iraq.
If anyone has enough balls to fight for their country, they should be able to have a adult beverage.
Finally is there anyone that has enough balls to respond back to this?
Considering the spelling and grammar in the posting, and considering the chosen nom de poste, one is tempted to oblige with the click of oblivion.
..leaving Iraq on thier way to Iran I hope. Why forestall the inevitable?
all those that want the troops to stay, please i hope that you have served your duty in iraq and are currently in the US armed forces. i really detest arm chair warriors supporting this crappy war yet not lifting a finger to help but just keep on cracking the verbal whip.
Troops out! end of this saudi/republican pact and an end to the dependence on foreign oil.
me, i hope the troops are safe and get the hell out tonight let the wahabis and sunnis and shiites kill each other, why do i care. saddam had all those terrorists under control and we screwed up. shame on us!
Hey there Speck English,
Perhaps in a less colorful way, I am in total agreement with you. The war in Iraq is not over, and the progress we have made has been monumental given the time and scale of this wartime situation. Our troops are grasping how to fight the enemy and the enemy is mad. We cannot leave now. The enemy is also very in touch with the "Left Wing" mindset, and know every button to push. These are people that know "terror" in ALL it's many forms.
We live for each day to enjoy our lives and praise our God for this life. They live every day to destroy the very thought of God and Jesus Christ, and to kill anyone with beliefs other than theirs. We are fighting a religious war. It is time the press and the rest of those asleep recognized this.
One of the biggest problems we are having in this country is that the Democrats are still in denial on the results of the election in 2004.
Our leaders have a responsibility to us and especially to the Military that are risking their lives for the cause of Freedom, both here and overseas, to reorganize and work together. We are now watching politicians progressively getting more petty, election after election, no matter what party wins. I think it is high time that we bombarded our Congressman, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial System with our opinions, and our disdain with their actions. I am doing this as systematically as I can, and I encourage everyone to follow suit. If they realize we are actually watching what they do, they may grow up and begin to act more cohesively and responsibly. ( Also imagine how good for the Postal Services bottom line it will be.)
If we ever want our leaders to view.......the Quran in the real literal sense,.......the Islamic "religion" for what it truly aspires to accomplish,.......and to wake up and see that the silent abduction of our country is already happening through the local Mosques,.......we have to start sending them a message via the internet, phone calls, sensible petitions, and in letter writing campaigns. Hopefully, eventually, not a day will pass that hundreds of constituents from both parties are proactively reminding our leaders that we pay their way, and we have the desire to keep our freedoms.
Believe me, they HAVE to be made to fear a campaign LOSS or they will continue to act like little spoiled children and the Country we are so "safe" in will slowly crumble.
Just my humble opinion. Thanks for letting me air it.
RLG
The withdrawal is necessary because Iraq must survive with the possibility of democracy. And the next wars, they don´t have to be occupations but bombings without civil wars. And preventing terrorism, reducing the building of mosques, forbid wahabbism and others.
Occupations aren´t necessary because people must do the democracy, not US.
What's that got to do with me Gary, why don't you grow up.
Your childish taunting is tiresome, and it speaks volumes about your insecurity, you give me too much credit and power, and you wouldn't taunt me if you didn't empower me.
And a friendly word or two, you guys (well some of you all) are perfect apes of the Muslims in your self righteous religious fanaticism.
When a Mooselimb logs on, and I watch the exchange it is like watching a tennis match between identical twins, as you all bounce the ball back and forth between you, each one claiming to be the Truth, and calling the other liar and evil.
A challenge for Gary and all of these "brave souls" with such strong opinions and righteousness.
Do something useful for the cause, rather than sing to the choir (which is all that you are accomplishing here) long on to Liberty Forum and engage the Mooselims, the Christian antisemites and dhimmi's over there in their face and in hand to hand to combat. Go ahead, prove what valiant warriors for the faith and truth that you are.
I've been at it for over two years, at first practically all by myself, and with persistence, good arguments and solid facts (not flames and insults) I've pulled quite a few people along and woke them up to the threat of Islam.
While you guys have done what? Blow mental farts at strawmen, and bend over backwards to alienate people who should be allies>
Go ahead log on, lots of Catholics there awaiting your education (you be surprised at how many Catholic Allies the Muslims have), lots of Christians allied with the Muslims as well, but they await your erudite education.
Oh it is free speech, free for all, no banning unless you violate the Terms of Service, which are minimal and regard privacy and copyright
Let me get this straight. All those who want the Americans to leave Iraq very soon -- within the next six months, are "leftists" and cannot possibly understand the menace of Islam. But those who jerrybuilt and then improvised upon the jerrybuilt structure of their policy in Iraq are keenly aware of the menace of Islam.
That is why they have so carefully refrained from calling it either a religion of "peace" and "tolerance" and beginning to hold Iftar dinners, as George Bush has, or have refrained so carefully from constantly referring to this "great religion" that has absolutely nothing to do with the behavior of that "handful of extremists" all over the world, as Condoleeza Rice does.
And that is why they have so carefully distanced themselves from that "Two-State Solution" concocted in the State Department, for Bush and Rice and others understood perfectly that there is no real solution to the Arab Jihad against Israel, and certainly Israel cannot be expected to give up anything more of the territory it is eminently entitled to retain, both by all the laws of defensive warfare and by the terms of the League of Nations' Mandate for Palestine.
And that is why the same policymakers who bravely will not "cut and run" (actually, it is not they who are being asked to do anything, but rather those soldiers who are the playthings of their policy, sometimes the mindlessly loyal playthings, and sometimes willing to think about, and challenge, that policy) have come up with a complete program to diminish Saudi and other OPEC Muslim states' oil revenues, and have even gone to the trouble of instituting, at long last, a steadily increasing tax on gasoline -- because, you see, they understand so well, as their Iraq policy has demonstrated day after day, the nature and menace of Islam.
And that is why they are even now making plans to seize the southern Sudan and Darfur. They weren't fooled by the last year of dithering and nonsense and lying assurances from the Sudanese government. They always knew it would never do anything, which is why they are even now getting ready to seize territory.
And of course they are keeping their eyes squarely on Europe. Yes, they pretended to be lobbying for Turkey's candidacy for admission to the E.U. Bush did hector Karamnlis of Greece. Rice and others, including Richard Perle, did work the phones on behalf of Turkey. But it was all pretend -- for they're no fools, they realize that admitting Turkey to the E.U. would hasten, would make inevitable, the islamization of Europe.
So even were I inclined to believe there might be something lacking in the Iraq policy, all anyone would have to do to convince me that Bush and Company are absolutely right, must know exactly what they are doing, would be for you to point to all those other things they have done -- that fantastic long-range energy policy, that complete dismissal of the "Two-State Solution" notion, that willingness to articulate the problem of the Jihad, that planning of bold moves as in the Sudan to show how the Dar al-Islam can be rolled back, that keen attention to Europe's future expressed in the way in which Bush tried as hard as he could to put the kibosh on Turkey's candidacy to the E.U. -- well, if that doesn't prove they know what they're doing all over the place, so they certainly must have something clever up their sleeves in Iraq, I don't know what would.
You are quite right. Only a hopeless left-winger -- like Congressman Murtha or Robert Spencer or I -- could possibly want the American troops out within the next few months.
We are going to be having a secret meeting of the Rosa Luxenberg Bolshevik Cell #5134, next Monday. Meet us at 1 p.m. under the Biltmore clock. John Murtha promises to be there. So does the former director of the C.I.A., John Deutsch, and all those other secret bolsheviks who want us out of Iraq.
No, you've got our number.
You clowns ever hear of a self fulfilliing prophecy.
Keep venting against the left, and that is what you will get, a self fulfililling prophecy. I don't think that any of you truly understand the terms left and right, outside of the crap you ingest from LImbaugh, Oreilly.
If this is the Islamic century, it is only because phuckwits like many of you have pushed allies into the Muslim camp.
I honestly don't think that most of you really care about the culture war with Islam, just use Jihad Watching and Islam as another "weapon" by which to wage your real war.. the internal culture war, which was called for and started by the Pat Robertsons.
Well a house divided against itself cannot stand, and you don't fight a war on two fronts, but you do have your own priorities don't you all, those atheistic, unreligious heathens called liberals and leftists.
That's the way it looks from here anyway. Keep it up, and we all will lose, and don't think that you can trash your fellow citizens, because they don't share your beliefs and righteousness, and then demand that they join you because "at least you don't stone infidels (Yet).
Hey Nariz,
Im not a clown. Your the clown. My option is shoot them all and let god sort them out. Those Radicals that keep killing us americans will get there bullet one day. That day will be VERY SOON!
How many of our elected Representitves have sons or daughters over in the War? Not very MANY. So why do they want our troops out so bad? They are scared to risk there lives.
and then demand that they join you because "at least you don't stone infidels (Yet). ~ nariz / giaour
It is precisely because of assertions like these, nose, that you are not worth answering with anything more than derision.
"Speck English Or Get The Fuck Out" asks,
"Finally is there anyone that has enough balls to respond back to this?"
I have two balls, so let me respond. It's not "speck", my good fellow, it's "speak", s-p-e-a-k! "speak English or get the fuck out". See how that works?
What a bizarre thread. Everyone bouncing about in comic parabolas, whimsical leaps of logic, and erratic digression. Even Hugh. (But he can be forgiven, being an artist.)
Most amusing.
Dear Mr. Speck English xxxxxx,
I find your nom de post most repugnant. Change it or lose it. It shall be done.
C B
Zeno writes:
"What a bizarre thread. Everyone bouncing about in comic parabolas, whimsical leaps of logic, and erratic digression."
The irony of a poster named Zeno writing such an
amusing self referential post set up a strange loop in my wetware semantic processor. But, in stopping the loop, I managed to solve the halting problem.
No one can predict the future, but the most likely outcome of a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq is not a Sunni/Baath victory. Sunnis are about 20%
of the population. We are preventing a bloodbath
from happening by being there. If we leave, or
at the very least reposition to protect the Kurds, I suspect that the Shiites will respond to the ongoing Sunni massacres in kind. And that is
a good thing!
What you scared? How many of our elected Representitves have sons or daughters over in the War? Please answer that. I Hate terrorists.
Those terrorists that keep killing us americans will get there bullet one day. That day will be VERY SOON!
Hugh just doesn't get it.
Bush's "religion of peace" mentality is due to the PC Leftist dominance -- so dominant, it can even force a right-winger like him to parrot such PC Leftist Givens or (worse still) to actually believe them.
I.e., Bush does not say (and more or less believe) that Islam is a "religion of peace" because he is a conservative, but because Western conservatism has become infected and hampered by the dominant PC Leftism of our time.
Identify the root problem, man.
Here's an excerpt from the article Allah's Waiting Room at tothepointnews. It's insights from a soldier who is serving in Iraq. A soldier who just reenlisted in the US military for four more years.These are just the last two paragraphs of the article, the soldier also discusses weapons and tactics of the enemy and the US military in the article.
Hint: AWR=Alpha Whiskey Romeo= Allah's Waiting Room
Bad Guy Tactics
When they are engaged on an infantry level, they get their butts kicked every time. Brave but stupid. Suicidal Banzai-type charges were very common earlier in the war and still occur. They will literally sacrifice 8-10 man teams in suicide squads by sending them screaming and firing AK’s and RPG’s directly at our bases just to probe the defenses. They get mowed down like grass every time.
Our base was hit like this often. When engaged, they have a tendency to all flee to the same building, probably for what they think will be a glorious last stand. Instead, we call in air and that’s the end of that. The building becomes another Alpha Whiskey Romeo, as we have the laser guided ground-air thing down to a science.
The fast movers, mostly Marine F-18’s, are taking an ever-increasing toll on the enemy. When caught out in the open, the helicopter gunships and AC-130 Spectre gunships cut them to ribbons with cannon and rocket fire, especially at night. Interestingly, artillery is hardly used at all.
The insurgent tactic most frustrating is their use of civilian non-combatants as cover. They know we do all we can to avoid civilian casualties and therefore schools, hospitals and (especially) mosques are locations where they meet, stage for attacks, cache weapons and ammo and flee to when engaged.
The terrorists have absolutely no regard whatsoever for civilian casualties. They will terrorize locals and murder without hesitation anyone believed to be sympathetic to the Americans or the new Iraqi government. Kidnapping of family members (especially children) is common to influence people they can’t reach, such as local officials, clerics, and tribal leaders.
Bottom Line
The first thing we are told is “don't get captured.” We know that if captured we will be tortured and beheaded on the Internet. Zarqawi openly offers bounties for anyone who brings him a live American serviceman. This motivates the criminal element who otherwise could care less about the war. A lot of the beheading victims were actually kidnapped by common criminals and sold to Zarqawi.
As such, for our guys, every fight is to the death. The infantry fighting is frequent, up close and brutal. No quarter is given or shown. Surrender is not an option.
The Iraqi soldiers are a mixed bag. Some fight well, others are hopeless. Most do okay with American support. Finding leaders is hard, but they are getting better. It is widely viewed that Zarqawi’s use of suicide bombers against the civilian population was a serious tactical mistake. Many Iraqis were galvanized and the caliber of recruits in the Army and the police forces went up, along with their motivation. It also led to an exponential increase in good intel because the Iraqis are sick of the insurgent attacks against civilians. The Kurds are solidly pro-American and fearless fighters.
Morale among our guys is very high. We not only believe we are winning, but that we are winning decisively.
Our guys are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are despised and distrusted. We are inflicting casualties at a rate of 25-1 and then see garbage like “Are we losing in Iraq?” on TV and the print media.
For the most part, our guys are satisfied with their equipment, food and leadership. Bottom line though, and they all say this, there are not enough of us in Iraq to drive the final stake through the heart of the insurgency, primarily because there aren't enough troops in-theater to shut down the borders with Iran and Syria. The Iranians and the Syrians just can’t stand the thought of Iraq being an American ally – with, of course, permanent US bases there.
The ultimate bottom line is the enemy death toll. So far we have killed around 50,000. From all over the Moslem world, terrorists are coming to Iraq so we can kill them. That’s why we call it Allah’s Waiting Room.
Look, the proof that democracy won't work in Iraq is not in Iraq but in France and Sweden. The Arabs can vote in France. Yet they choose to burn cars, buildings and terrorize people. There is nothing that you can do for these people. They deserve whatever misery their government brings to them. Any attempt to reform the Arab world is destined to fail. We can't even take them out of the Arab world and reform them. Instead, they bring their sick culture nearer to us.
Well said. I say, put it on the Dec. 15th ballot for the people to vote ---
"Do you want the U.S. to stay or go?"
If majority says "go" (and the polls suggest they will), we go. Simple as that. We merely obey the will of the people. Heck, what better way to show the Iraqis that elections work and do so much better than IEDs? The ballot, not the bullet, forces the occupiers out, and as a result, the terrorists will never be able to confidently claim their way prevailed. A win-win situation for Iraqis and Americans, as the dignity of all is preserved.
Dr. Pepper,
Although PC-Leftism has infected the establishment right, it is not the "root cause" for Bush's coziness towards Islam. Look no further than the list of Islam experts that Bush relies upon, the Ajami and Lewis crowd, who are not telling the full truth about Islam. Even if he did have a staff of truthtelling experts, I doubt Bush would still believe them because of the slick taqqiya artists from our "moderate" "allies" in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, and the Gulf States. Firstly, Bush is so naive/stupid to actually think that the jizya states will actually help with this "war on terror". They will only "help" when it suits their interests (i.e. to increase the jizya payment). As for the oil states, Bush thinks we need them more than they need us and let's not forget the ties he has to the Saudis through the Carlyle Group. Bush has been effected by PC-Leftism, but it's problematic to label it "Leftism" since the establishment right has accepted it so willingly and they are doing nothing to reverse the trend because they actually believe it by now. It's political correctness run amok. If you are going to blame Leftists for inventing it (which they did), then blame the Rightists for so cravenly accepting it and giving it legitimacy. The Saidist rot has stifled our freespeech, that much is true, but it is not the "root cause" for Bush's affinity towards Islam. Blame that on his (and his staff's) failure to study it properly, blame it on his fear that he'd been alienating "allies", and blame it on his greed. Those are the real "root causes".
Put me halfway between Dr. Pepper and Igor where Bush is concerned.
Bush speaks up and tells the Saudis how it is and.... economy crashes as the oil suddenly dries up.
Gary-
The oil's gonna dry up sometime, no matter what we do. We've got enough reserves so the country shouldn't fall apart if the nation is determined about this. It's time to aggressively pursue non-petroleum sources of energy and quit prostituting ourselves for the sake of temporary Saudi oil.
I have no faith in Islamic democracy. Especially of the Shia kind.
Bases in Iraq are what the war is about; and a good thing too.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/040323-enduring-bases.htm
Factor out, for a minute, the Iraq war. It never happened.
The counter-jihad is now, in 2005, essentially a war of wills between Islam and any one of its chosen adversaries: take the West, for the sake of debate.
The jihad's weapons are as much immigration as it can effect; routine pinprick bombings, murders and rioting; the occasional spectacular attack on the order of Manhattan or London; and a focused, well-funded campaign of intellectual and cultural subversion:
1) Buying media outlets.
2) Co-opting academia.
3) Intimidation by litigation.
4) Sewing general confuction, e.g., RoP™
If, in the Western world of 1875, your average American, Englishman or Australian had as much information about the aims and progress of the jihad as his 2005 counterpart, action would be well under way:
A) Prohibition of Muslim immigration.
B) Deportations at a hint of jihadist intent or sympathy.
C) Acceptance of endowments, grants and funding from Muslim sources would be treasonous.
D) Government-funded coversion efforts.
E) Assuming we needed oil from the Near East back then, we'd have undertaken a massive program to develop practical new sources of energy--or we'd have conquered Arabia and expelled its inhabitants.
Why would we have taken bold action in 1875 but not in 2005? Because the West was a healthy civilization with an accurate belief in its exceptionalism and quality. The West is a rare jewel in the history of mankind, and back then we knew it.
Now, we're not so sure: we dare not take such ugly, but plainly necessary steps because our confidence as a civilization has been severely undermined.
The culprit in this is the Left. Our schools, our universities, our media outlets, the founts of our culture, our pampered elites and even our clergy have absorbed and believe the philosphy of the Left, which boils down to this:
America, and by extension the West, is rotten. Also:
Sexist
Racist
Homophobic
Imperialist
Cruel
Undemocratic
Fascist
Greedy
Fat
Lazy
Illegitimate
Bible-thumping
Hypocritical
Backward
Unenlightened
Imperialist
Oppressive
Spoiled
Mean-spirited
Unjust
Deserving of Humiliation
And:
It is unseemly to call one's self an Englishman.
At last, we've started to believe it all. So revisit the fact that we, the West, are locked in a to-the-death war of wills with Islam.
It's a simple fact that Dar-al-Islam is, from an objective standpoint, a laughable foe.
They are pathetic.
All things being equal, we've hardly faced weaker. Think of the Spartans at Thermopylae or the Athenians at Salamis; think of the Romans facing off against the Parthians; think of the Marines in the volcanic ash of Iwo Jima; the West's civil wars--from the wars against Napoleon right down through to the Great War and WWII; the seige of Communism. We've been locked in genuinely titanic struggles.
Islam is still the sick man of history.
So why haven't we boxed it in, cut it off from is sources of money and left it to wither on the vine?
Because we have been brought low by the weasels and charlatans that infest our cultural elite, those men and women who are supposed to guide and nourish us--but instead hate us with a rare bitterness: and encourage us at every opportunity to do the same.
Take, as a representative example, the Piss Christ, darling of the upper crust: Audacious! Courageous! Authentic! (Why, yes, I'll have a dob of brie and a glass of wine.)
The Left has our culture scared witless. The virus of "political correctness"--that is has sapped us of our will to defend ourselves. Imagine if a Senator stood and said this:
1) Islam is a monstrosity.
2) The West is far better; it is a paradise.
3) We must defend the West.
4) I propose [A-E, above].
Your average American would say, "Nice." But the elite would hack him to bits. "Racist, sexist, homophobic..."
There is weakness everywhere in our political system, and stupidity, too. There are Democrats and Republicans who are utterly ignorant of the fact that we're under concerted attack--or too fearful to say it.
But hatred of the West--the real danger in all of this--has its home in the Left. At its base, the Left is a death wish--or a murder wish; Islam wishes death for the West. The symmetry is undeniable.
There are men of good faith who want us to leave Iraq for reasons of grand strategy, for reasons of practicality. (And no, it doesn't make one a Leftist. But poll the ghouls of The Movement to see who's walking with you.) Fine.
But regardless of whether we leave, the true threat will still remain: the Left is doing everything it can to confuse us and to comfort the jihadists--be they in Ramadi or Ottawa.
Counter-jihad is bi-partisan and non-ideological only in this sense: if the jihadists prevail, we're all dead or dhimmis. But while the fight is still on, we who want the jihad contained and neutralized have two enemies:
1) Imperial Islam.
2) The Left.
Since the bar has been lowered here at the comments page, let me just tell you this, "Mad" Jack:
Go Chenney yourself.
Why is your "He means what he says and says what he means" Dhimmi-in-Cheif "unable" to do anything about Islam? Oh yeah, the leftist won't let him.
What a joke. You hate liberals more than Islam, and see the rise of Islamic idiocy as a way to further vilify the Left. In the 40s you'da tied us to Hitler, in the 50s, the USSR, in the 60s, Vietnam, in the 70s you were pretty quiet because of Nixon. In the 80s it was back to tying us to the USSR, in the 90s it was "the liberals hate America" and finally in the 00s, small minded fools like you and "Speck English" (a.k.a. Catherine) are trying again to link us to Islam.
Mad Jack, Spencer has said again and again and again that this isn't about Left-wing and Right-wing issues... why are you trying so hard to make us think that it is? Could it be that you have an ulterior motive?
Hugh, can you try to talk some sense into this nut?
PS.... Bush's approval rating, as a "sitting war president" no less, is down to 34%. (Sniff, sniff!) What's that smell on the wind? A Democratic House? Oh my, that smells good. You know what that means, right? "IMPEACHMENT." And not for a bob-job, either: for murdering 2100 Soldiers and Marines FOR NOTHING.
Or is COLONEL Murtha a leftist commie too? That's right, everyone that criticizes the Right is a Leftist Commie.
kj
PS... the "Piss Christ" idiot wouldn't have ever sold a single objet d'art if knuckle-draggin cavemonkeys like YOU hadn't elevated him to some kind of "cult hero" status. He's kinda like Ward Churchill: a pretty-much nobody that was headed for mediocrity and obscurity until the wingnuts started giving him free propaganda all over America. We're Americans We ALWAYS root for the underdog... stop (metaphorically) killing people like Cindy Sheehan, Ward Churchill and the "Piss Christ" loser and they won't become martyrs.
Again: Mr Bush and Mr Cheney might be stupid or bought, you can take your pick--I'll grant either for the sake of argument.
I merely make this point: the Left wants the West dead. It has for generations. (I don't mean to implicate your garden variety more-money-for-education-and-school-lunches-and-the-homeless liberal: I mean the academic Left: the hard Left of multicultural philosophy, the Left of Duranty fame.)
By capturing and exploiting the cultural high ground--academia, etc.--the Left has systematically demoralized the Western world to the point of intellectual vertigo.
It is this vertigo, this inability to value and defend Western civilization, that renders us vulnerable to an otherwise clown-like jihad.
Mad_Jack:
Right on.
Am as mad as you are.
And happy to fight.
So long as your 'gods' keep hyping the lies about Bush, kj, I suppose his numbers will remain down.
Way to hand it to the jihadists.
Of course one can see why you favor the likes of the 'piss christ,' considering your hostility towards Christianity.
l'd rather read comments from the likes of "Roxane".
the war on terror is being won, but not if watch CNN, BBC. l am eternally grateful for the loyalty of the American Soldier! they are like the generation of my father who liberated millions of Europeans after WW2!