Teflon Don reports on the effects of a thunderstorm. Notice his blog is now part of Pajamas Media:
"Somewhere to the south, a bolt of lightning hit the power grid, and the horizon light up with the turquoise strobes of exploding transformers. Distant lights began to wink out and disappear- the oncoming tide of blackness washed ever closer as transformers continued to light up the sky. The blue light was joined by the steadily flashing golden pink glow of a downed power line. As we continued to roll towards Camp Falluja, we passed the power line still sparking and glowing on top of a concertina fence. The air smelled sharply of ozone- it also smelt cleaner than it has in weeks."
He doesn’t like what the new PJ ads do to his format. They are jarring. Hope it pays well.
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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops
Tagged Iraq, Pajamas Media, Teflon Don
If/when we leave Iraq in large numbers, the so-called chaos and civil war could be short-lived, indeed:
"…with U.S. troops gone, the Iraqi security forces will be inclined to wage war the traditional way. That means massive use of firepower against civilians in any neighborhood where the Sunni Arab terrorists show up, or are found. In Syria, the 1982 uprising by Islamic radicals was put down, in part, by the destruction of the town of Hamat, and the massacre of over 10,000 civilians there."
Meanwhile, confusion continues, with a British think-tank saying Iraq is near collapse. I suspect that Gen. Patraeus, who sees "stunning progress" in al Anbar province, obviously disagrees.
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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops
Tagged Chatham House, Gen. Petraeus, StrategyPage
I dislike linking to the BBC, but this report of the missing Americans in Iraq has more detail than AP’s version:
"The patrol of seven Americans and their Iraqi interpreter were attacked near the town of Mahmudiya, spokesman Maj Gen William Caldwell said. He said that within an hour other troops were at the scene of the attack, hunting for the [3] missing soldiers. Checkpoints have been set up to prevent the soldiers being moved from the area."
Latest from Jeff Emanuel, a veteran and journalist embed in Iraq
"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) comment that ‘the war is lost’ and ‘the surge…hasn’t accomplished anything’ was splashed on the front page of every news outlet from Al Jazeera to the Iranian state newspaper. Contrary to the beliefs of all too many Americans who seem tied to the notion that the Iraqi people are both blind and ignorant, Congress’s votes to set a withdrawal date from Iraq — much like their other, similar votes and statements — were heard with perfect clarity by Iraqis, as well as by the insurgents who take heart from them."
Our very own Fifth Column: Congress.
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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops
Tagged Iraq, Jeff Emanuel, US Congress
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 
Realistic assessment
LTC Steven Miska, infantry commander of Task Force Justice, sees a need for us in Iraq for seven more years, which he thinks would be a bargain:
"If our government decides to prematurely pull out, I would fail to reach both goals, and my son and his generation may find themselves embroiled in something far worse than what we experience now—all because my generation couldn’t get the job done."
In which case, Vietnam veterans wouldn’t be the only ones criticized for failing to win a war.
Via Instapundit and Max Boot in Commentary Magazine.
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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops
Tagged Army LTC Steven Miska, Commentary Magazine, Iraq, Max Boot