About that surge strategy
it's still working
By Charles Bird Posted in War — Comments (11) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
There wasn't much coverage of General Petraeus when he appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee last Thursday. Even C-SPAN didn't show it live. Petraeus reported that violence is at a 4-year low and that he will likely reduce troop levels this September after the 45-day pause. His comments were more upbeat than six weeks ago, when the Basra offensive was in full flux, but he is still cautionary about the political situation. Here is what he said about al-Sadr and Basra.
There's more on the success of the Basra offensive and other stuff below the fold.
Even the New York Times is acknowledging the turnaround in Basra, but the writer seems befuddled about how it happened. Here's my answer: Clear. Hold. Build. The Brits played the caretaker role in southern Iraq, but the reality is that they took care of nothing except for avoiding getting shot at. The Basra offensive improved al Maliki's political standing, which has enabled him to take on al Sadr's home base in Sadr City and the last urban al Qaeda stronghold in Mosul.
A hat tip to Amy Proctor for the video. Going by Roggio, Sadr City is still in the clearing and holding phase, but they should start building soon. Muqtada al Sadr gets quite a bit of support from Sadr City residents because his group provides services and security. With the Iraqi Army and related groups doing the same, al Sadr's usefulness and relevance are reduced. Here's how Dr. iRack describes the Mosul operation:
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Army has continued its clearing operations in Mosul, arresting more than 1,000 suspected supporters of AQI, but apparently hasn't had to fight much. According to Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf, Iraqi-led operations in Mosul, capital of Nineveh province, had destroyed "most of the insurgents' network." He continued: "We have arrested most of the wanted men and the operations are continuing. The are no longer big challenges in Mosul. There will always be sleeper cells, but that is not important because we will be able to deal with those cells." Clear? Check. Now the Iraqi government intends to recruit 7,000 Mosul residents into the security forces to help police the city. Hold? Check. And Maliki has promised $100 million to provide services and construction projects. Build? Check.
On the al Qaeda front, U.S. Ambassador Crocker said yesterday that the terrorist group has "never been closer to defeat than they are now." A little over a year ago, this is what a certain defeatist Democratic Senator from Nevada said.
The "extreme violence yesterday" that gloomy Reid was talking about was a series of four suicide bombings that killed 183. Thirteen months ago, Harry Reid was ready and willing to surrender because of al Qaeda's evil acts. Now, al Qaeda is the one approaching defeat. Reid also said this: "As long as we follow the President's path in Iraq, the war is lost. But there is still a chance to change course and we must change course." Bush had changed course two months prior to Reid's statements, but Reid's version of changing course was (and perhaps still is) unilateral cut-and-run.
There's even more building taking place in southern Iraq, and Iraqi Airways just signed a multi-billion dollar order with Boeing for a fleet of new passenger jets. Next week, the Iranian foreign minister and a Syrian envoy will attend UN meetings in Sweden for the Iraq Compact Annual Review, which will make this a forum where U.S. officials can talk to a couple of adversarial nations. More on the International Compact with Iraq here.
None of the above means that all of al Qaeda or Special Groups or "rogue" JAM militias are defeated. I'm sure quite a few have melted away, some leaving or quitting, but others waiting to fight another day. Also, the truce between al Sadr and the Iraqi government is fragile and tenuous. But al Sadr is in a weak position, which was exposed as early as last August when he stood down his militias after the mess in Karbala. Also, none of this means that I believed we've turned the corner or that we're winning in Iraq. There's plenty left to accomplish. Although political strides have been made, more benchmarks need to be reached and more security needs to take hold and more building needs to take place.
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About that surge strategy 11 Comments (0 topical, 11 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
I hate to say this on Memorial Day. It may sound like I'm trivializing th efforts of our troops, but I'm convinced that wars are won and lost in the media. Until we rid this country of liberal media bias, I'm not sure we can win on any issue.
Personally, its getting to the point where I dont care about any issue other than media bias and educational indoctrination. Until we recapture the media and the schools, we will always be fighting a losing battle. Liberals followed marixist indoctrination to a T. Capture the kids and control the flow of information. There are too many Republicans who beleive that politics is the only front. It is not. Republicans must fight on the political front. Conservatives msut tackle the culture war.
A lot of Liberals seem to be in favor of shield laws for reporters. Now I am totally against this - as Glenn Reynolds says: "reporting is an activity, not a profession". It's a very bad idea - it effectively takes away the free speech rights of ordinary citizens, like bloggers.
But if such a law was to be passed, I could only accept it if journalistic malpractice was at the same time made a tort (i.e. they could be sued, like doctors, when they screw up, especially when it's was a careless or deiberate act) and any mis-informed news consumer (in addition to the targets of their attacks) had standing (could bring suit).
That would mean that Dan Rather and CBS would be more than disgraced due to the TANG memo forgery, as they are now, but they would also be taken to the cleaners in a class action suit for their gross malpractice ... hopefully badly enough to pauperize Dan, and force CBS into bankruptcy. (Mmmm. What a delicious thought that is.) That is the only way that it could be even remotely just.
Also consider that the naked fear of screwing up would probably force many of the more biased journalists to find another line of work, and the remaining ones would be scrupulously careful in their fact-checking and objectivity, unlike the current lack of standards in the MSM.
It's just something that has recently been on my mind, as I watch the press repeatedly lie through their teeth in various ways to support their preferred political outcome(s).
Actually, as I think more about this, I can see that the possibilities are endless - after all, it would open up a new income stream for trial lawyers, who are famously inventive if it can benefit their bottom line.... (Heh - Cry "Havoc!" and let loose the dogs of tort!!) The practice of "sitting on" a story and holding it for release at the time of maximum preferred political impact would become a risky act... Not reporting something bad that that is known about a favored candidate (Kerry, Obamba, etc.) would also become a risky act. Stupid reporting about something that a reporter is clueless about (most anything scientific or economic, etc.) would be risky too....
.... nah - still not a good idea. *Sigh*
Congratulations and thanks on this Memorial Day to all veterans,especially to those who paid the ultimate price.The United States has not and will not be defeated in Iraq.The neo-cons have been defeated(and good riddance)."Nation-building" is no longer discussed among adults.When we withdraw ,and I hope that is soon,if the Iraqis fall into genocide-so be it,the "religion of peace" is solely responsible.Let dog eat dog.Sunni eat Shia eat Sunni.Not worth the toenail on an American kid.The first thing the Iraqi Moslems did with the freedom we gave them,paid with our blood,was drive out and kill the Iraqi Christians.In the name of God,how do you call this progress?Enough...enough...enough already.
to be glad he posted his crap on Redstate because the words I was thinking couldn't be posted here!
Freedom of Religion NOT Freedom from Religion
to note the change in atmospherics just since last april when petraeus was last on the Hill. Only about half the Senators were there, and the questioning was entirely routine. It seems the Dems have accepted defeat in their long war to guarantee an Al Qaeda victory in Iraq.
There were no lecctures or speeches, no demands that we surrender immediately, no carrying the enemy's water, no claims that the surge had failed. No one called Gen petraeus a liar to his face.
Along with the senate stripping all the idiotic house amendments on Troop withrrawl deadlines, rules of engagement, troop levels, etc, from the appropritations bill for the War before passing it, this hearing indicates that the war in Iraq might not be over, but the war against the war certainly is.
Someone needs to tell Obama.
in spite of all the evidence that we're succeeding!
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"That's funny, because I can see him eating her liver with some falafel and a nice hot tea." - kyle8