Category Archives: The War

Catching fleas

Posted on April 3, 2007 | Comments Off on Catching fleas

"We get the sense the Saudis grin and kiss us on both cheeks when we walk into their palaces, then spit on the ground the moment we leave."

When you sleep with the oil ticks, you rise up with fleas. Little mixey metaphor there.

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Posted in Iraq, The War

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What dictators do when war looms

Posted on April 2, 2007 | Comments Off on What dictators do when war looms

Omar at Iraq the Model sees disturbing similarity between the Mullah’s capture of the British troops and Saddam’s 1990 arrest, trial and execution of Iranian-British journalist Farzad Bazoft on charges of spying. Saddam, Omar says, was playing to his national audience, rather than the international one. So, he thinks, are the Mullahs to the Iranians, rather than the Brits or Americans. But he hopes the captives aren’t similarly treated. Some of Omar’s commenters are playing the old "he’s really CIA" song. Probably because President Bush recently endorsed the blog’s perceptivity.

The Syrian dictatorship, meanhwile, prepares to welcome House Speaker Pelosi, who apparently is running for the Dem nomination for president, or else she thinks foreign policy is made by the House.

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Posted in The War

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The compassionate Bush

Posted on March 31, 2007 | Comments Off on The compassionate Bush

byrd.jpg

 Helping an old man walk. In this case, Robert Byrd, the vitriolic former Klansman and Democrat senator for life from West Virginia. You don’t always get to pick the object of your compassion. AP’s pix posted by Don Surber.

Via Instapundit 

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Posted in Scribbles, The War

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Name, rank and serial number?

Posted on March 30, 2007 | Comments Off on Name, rank and serial number?

Well, not anymore…

"The real priority is the safety of the prisoners themselves. Admiral Sir Alan West, former head of the [Royal] Navy, said this week: ‘Our guidance to anyone in that position would be to say what they want you to say.  ‘Don’t tell them secrets, clearly, but if they tell you "Say this", well if that’s going to get you out, then do it. It means absolutely nothing, what they say, to be honest.’"

I suppose it does mean something to someone, but probably only those already convinced of whatever the Iranian line is.

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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops

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Why we fight

Posted on March 29, 2007 | Comments Off on Why we fight

The Dem presidential candidates and party and congressional leadership prove their unseriousness on the Long War every time they say Afghanistan is where it’s at, not oil-rich and influential Iraq–as Charles Krauthammer so ably demonstrates:

"…you do not decide where to fight on the basis of history; you decide on the basis of strategic realities of the ground. You can argue about our role in creating this new front and question whether it was worth taking that risk in order to topple Saddam Hussein. But you cannot reasonably argue that in 2007 Iraq is not the most critical strategic front in the war on terror."

Worth a read.

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Posted in Afghanistan, Iraq, The War

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Double oink

Posted on March 27, 2007 | Comments Off on Double oink

The Senate lards on the pork in narrowly passing its version of the troops funding measure. Still to be worked out, apparently, is the Senate’s March 31, 2008 withdrawal-from-Iraq deadline, as opposed to the House’s Sept. 1, 2008 withdrawal date. All of which may be mute if Bush, as expected, vetoes it all. You could call them unpatriotic. But I’d prefer "bought-and-paid-for."

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Posted in Iraq, Scribbles, The War

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Captured Brits solution

Posted on March 25, 2007 | Comments Off on Captured Brits solution

Op-For points out that thanks to Parliament, Britain is in no position to start a war with anyone, not even Iran, and even if they were it would be amazing if they’d go to war openly over the troop hostage taking. But why do it openly, asks Peter Boston, a commentor at the Belmont Club:

"Were I calling the shots for the Brits I would sink a patrolling Iranian submarine or two. Quietly and without pubilc announcement. Although we wouldn’t hear about it for another 50 years or so I imagine such an event would create a major confidence crisis in top Iranian circles and start destructive internal recriminations flying around."

Sounds like a winner to me. Better, certainly, than bringing in Jimmy Carter for advice. Hopefully, they’ll be released like the last group before some Iranian sailors lose their lives. 

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Posted in Iraq, The War, Troops

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