The unbearable cost of discount war.
I don’t personally know anyone who has been directly impacted by our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tagged: The Iraq War
W: “You don’t approve of me? I’m outta here.”
Click here to listen to the broadcast of You Tell Me on Newstalk 600 KTBB, Friday, May 23, 2008. I got an e-mail the other day from my friend Mike Tomlinson containing an imaginary resignation letter from a fed up President Bush. I like the premise but the letter needed a rewrite and I have given it one. Here it is. My fellow Americans, All available data shows that between seven and eight out of...
Only two sane voices remaining in a once-great party?
The Democrats in Congress, together with party operatives, left wing blogs and websites and many in the media, believe or say they believe that General David Petraeus is lying in his testimony to Congress regarding the progress of the war in Iraq. Did they somehow not see the fruit salad on Gen. Petraeus’s chest – row upon row of decorations signifying distinguished service that spans a career in the military serving commanders-in-chief from both parties?...
Hey Paul, what’s with you and the Iraq War?
Several here at the radio station have pointed out that since starting this blog, a high percentage of my posts have been about the Iraq War. I have opinions on many subjects other than the Iraq War. My problem is that the subjects don’t matter much in the long run if we fail in our prosecution of Iraq. Any number of articles can now be easily found that state unequivocally that the surge in Iraq...
Most redemption comes late.
French prime minister Georges Clemenceau nailed it when he said that war is a series of catastrophes that culminate in victory. We look back on the wars we won and we fail to see that in almost all cases, the outcome was in doubt until very late in the contest. Peter Wehner draws on the history of the Civil War in this article to illustrate where we stand today in Iraq. If you have wanted...
Listen to Lieberman
I have developed a Pavlovian response to seeing the name Lieberman in the byline of an article. I pick up or click on a Lieberman article as quickly as I possibly can. The independent Democrat senator from Connecticut, in a break with the overwhelming majority of his lifelong party, has been crystal clear and uncommonly eloquent in his support of the U.S. effort in Iraq and in the broader struggle against Islamic facsism. Sen. Lieberman...
It’s working. Are we going to stick with it?
More and more, despite a mainstream press that isn’t much interested in telling us, we learn that the fundamental shift in strategy brought about by Gen. David Petraeus is working. Clifford May provides specifics in his article here. I’m more than willing to support a continued commitment in Iraq particularly in light of growing evidence of success. What about you? YOU TELL ME.
Ramadi Renaissance
Mario Loyola recently visited Ramadi in the Anbar Province of Iraq. His story, found here, paints yet another encouraging picture in what has become a late summer season of encouragement regarding the war in Iraq. Google Anbar Province and you’ll find plenty of archived stories from not that long ago that said that Anbar was “lost” and “beyond hope.” Today, it is perhaps the safest place in Iraq. Is the Anbar model going to work...
Oh @#$!, what if we win?
Q. When is winning a war bad news? A. When it costs you all the political capital you have invested in defeat. Following their takeover of the Congress in November 2006, losing in Iraq looked like a sure thing for the Democrats. “Bush’s War” turns out badly, the Democrats regain the White House while solidifying their lead in the Congress. It looked like a winning bet until very recently. And then, like the fortunes of...
Politics is politics but war is war.
Leave it to a former agent of the Soviet KGB to nail down why going ad hominem against the president is a bad idea when bullets are flying and blood is being spilled. It’s OK to run against the president’s polices. It’s not OK to do so in a way that gives aid and comfort to those who are seeking to do us harm. If Republicans and Democrats united on the War on Terror and...
Winning in Iraq, losing in Washington.
War is serious business. Losing a war has serious consequences. The president doesn’t want to lose and he replaced the team that was heading in that direction with a team that is getting the job done. You’d think everyone would be happy. Think again. First, the media reports progress in Iraq only cursorily and only grudgingly. Second, the Congress seems to just wish the whole thing would go away, consequences be damned. But if we...
The Surge is working. But don’t look for the story in the mainstream media.
In 1968, the Viet Cong threw everything they had at the U.S. in what came to be called the Tet Offensive. The U.S. routed them. The Viet Cong lost over 60,000 men and never recovered militarily. Yet the media portrayed the Tet Offensive as an irrecoverable setback for the U.S. military and domestic support for the Vietnam War collapsed. When the U.S. finally left (fled) Vietnam in 1975, it led to barbarism and reprisal that...
Invested in failure, facing success.
So convinced is the Democratic leadership that the war in Iraq is already lost that they have fully invested their political capital in ultimate failure. Hey, it looked like a sure bet in November 2006. But reality on the ground is starting to make that investment look a little shaky. David Limbaugh reports.
The best political strategy is still victory.
Some Republicans, facing tough races in 2008, are seeking to put a little distance between themselves and the president as it pertains to the Iraq war. That may not be the smartest politics, says Kimberly Strassel in this article from The Wall Street Journal. (opens in a new window)
What happens when we retreat from Iraq?
The “get out now” left imagines that everything will work itself out just fine once we pull the troops out of Iraq. Closer analysis by Victor Davis Hanson paints a much more sobering picture. Read his article of July 20, 2007 here. (opens in a separate window)
Lincoln could never win the Civil War today.
“I expect to maintain this contest until successful, or till I die, or am conquered, or my term expires, or Congress or the country forsakes me…” — Abraham Lincoln letter to William H. Seward June 28, 1862 Great enterprises come at great cost. Lincoln considered saving the Union a great enterprise. George W. Bush considers stopping al-Qaeda in Iraq equally as great. Many disagreed with Lincoln. Many disagree with Bush. If Abraham Lincoln were prosecuting...
Do the Democrats have a death wish?
R. Emmett Tyrell, Jr. believes that the Democrats are so unhinged on the Iraq war as to be self-destructive. Read his article in American Spectator here.