Riehl World View

Finally, A Welcome Debate

While Obama hasn't quite locked up the Democrat nomination, I believe liberals and Democrats will be rather surprised at how gladly the Right will embrace an honest debate on Iraq between Obama and McCain. Obama doesn't fully appreciate what he's walking into here.

To begin with, he's stuck with the position of running down a war in which our military is currently engaged. That defeatism takes more than simply a rhetorical flourish from a gifted speaker to pull off, once they are addressing people outside the Democrat base. In a debate extended over a Fall campaign, McCain also has the ability to remind people of the true lay of the land circa 2003, when Saddam was ignoring every sanction and profiting from a corrupt UN Oil for Food program.

An accurate history does not reveal Obama to possess some special gift of judgment. It reveals him to be weak on National Defense, with a willingness to give tyrants too much slack, a prospect in a potential POTUS made all the more troubling in an increasingly nuclear powered world. From comments at The Politico (link above) the Left can't wait for this debate to take place. I think the Right will be glad to have it, as well - and the Left may just find themselves surprised to learn how the American people, as opposed to only liberals and the mainstream press, really feel about winning in Iraq.

Obama departed from his regular stump speech today in Columbus to respond to John McCain.

"John McCain may like to say he wants to follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but so far all he’s done is follow George Bush into a misguided war in Iraq," he said.

Obama was responding, incredulously, to McCain's suggestion that he's unaware of the presence of Al Qaeda in Iraq, which the Arizona Senator said earlier today was apparently "news" to Obama at last night's debate.

Haditha On Frontline

Jules has details:

I just finished watching a review copy. If you want to know the basics on this political football, see principal participants and witnesses interviewed — Marines, Haditha survivors and residents, reporters and lawyers — and see extensive private and military video footage of the unit in Haditha before, during and after the Nov. 19, 2005 incident, you’ll want to watch this.

Berkeley Moonbats Officially Attack Marines With Decrees

The Berkeley City Council is attacking the US Marines with words and ordinances. I wish they'd try the real thing. I think the Marines could handle a little scrap with the town council just fine on their own. I'm not thinking peace loving, either.

The City of Berkeley, California has passed two resolutions attacking the United States Marine Corps, calling the Marines, “uninvited and unwelcome intruders in the city.”

See Melanie Morgan's work at Move America Forward for story and contact information to lodge a complaint.

Winning In Iraq

Continued good news out of Iraq. What's a liberal to do? Boo-freaking-hoo, that's what. Bob, Chris? Feel free to weigh in for the whatever percentage of losers you represent, now. Powerline has more, including graphs.

About 75% of Baghdad's neighborhoods are now secure, a dramatic increase from 8% a year ago when President Bush ordered more troops to the capital, U.S. military figures show.

If the blight on our democracy that is progressivism had prevailed, once again, America would have lost. But then, that's precisely what Progressives want.

B-1's Over Baghdad

The New York Times is playing up American losses - nine, unfortunately. But that's not all the news. Forty-thousand pounds of bombs in ten minutes, that'll get your attention.

(CBS/AP) U.S. bombers and jet fighters unleashed 40,000 pounds of explosives during a 10-minute airstrike Thursday morning, flattening what the military called al Qaeda in Iraq safehavens on the southern outskirts of the capital.

A military statement said two B-1 bombers and four F-16 fighters dropped the explosives on Arab Jabour in 10 strikes on 40 targets.

The massive attack was part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, a nationwide campaign launched Tuesday against al Qaeda in Iraq.

"Thirty-eight bombs were dropped within the first 10 minutes, with a total tonnage of 40,000 pounds," the statement said.

Six of the nine were killed by a booby-trapped house.

Forward Operating Base Normandy, Iraq — A house booby-trapped with explosives killed six American soldiers on Wednesday during an offensive against Sunni insurgents in Diyala province, making it the deadliest day for U.S. troops in Iraq since November.

The blast, which also killed an Iraqi translator and injured four U.S. soldiers, took place on the second day of an unusually large campaign in Diyala against the insurgent group al-Qaida in Iraq. The explosion came one day after three American troops were shot to death in the neighboring northern province of Salahuddin.

Andrew Olmsted

Blogger Andrew Olmstead has been killed in Iraq. Evidently he had a post prepared in case of the event.

His final post here.

See additional pertinent links here.

This is an entry I would have preferred not to have published, but there are limits to what we can control in life, and apparently I have passed one of those limits. And so, like G'Kar, I must say here what I would much prefer to say in person. I want to thank hilzoy for putting it up for me. It's not easy asking anyone to do something for you in the event of your death, and it is a testament to her quality that she didn't hesitate to accept the charge.

They'll Be Home For Christmas

Here's a nice read that'll cause you to stop and think of how grateful we should be for the men and women serving, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, right now. Fortunately, these folks will be home for Christmas. h/t Lucianne

Every day for the last few weeks, big commercial airliners are stopping at Fort Hood's airfield, completing the last leg of a Baghdad-Kuwait-Germany-Maine-Texas marathon flight.

Hundreds of soldiers disgorge weighted down by packs and end up in the arms of screaming families, many of whom are shedding as many tears as they did 15 months ago when their troopers left home.

Except this time, the tears come from relief.

"This is our third party," said Hunt, who has three children who are West Point graduates and serving as officers in the U.S. military. Her oldest, D'Hania, came home Thursday.

"But this one is special because we'll have them all home for Christmas, and that hasn't happened in a long time."

Republicans Change Course On Iraq

Yep, that's the big headline in the LA Times ... for coverage of the Univision debate.

Republicans sing new tune on Iraq

CORAL GABLES, FLA. -- Citing a recent decline in violence in Iraq, top Republican presidential candidates on Sunday offered gushing assessments of the U.S. war effort there ...

Given that we know they're constantly polling, I suppose that means the Dems won't be saying much of anything about it in theirs. But then, as Pelosi has repeatedly told us, they were elected to end it. Somehow, I don't think either W they got is one they had in mind!

... an unusual moment in a GOP primary campaign that for months usually has stepped gingerly around the Bush administration's unpopular policies in that country.

The candidates' comments, coming in a debate on the Spanish-language television network Univision, went further than even the White House and top military leaders have gone as they have watched civilian and military deaths ebb since President Bush launched a controversial U.S. troop "surge" strategy.

Until Sunday, only one candidate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, had emphasized his support for the troop increase, a stance that over the last year coincided with his fading status as a GOP front-runner.

"We are winning," declared former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, whose candidacy has experienced a surge of its own in recent weeks into the top tier of GOP contenders.

Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee said the U.S. "must prevail" in the war, and added, "I agree with my colleagues. I believe that we are."

Matt Sanchez From Iraq

Matt Sanchez sent me a note on his latest report from an Air Force hospital in Iraq after seeing the post in which I pointed out Franlkin Foer's juvenile attempt to bash a critic.

Foer, an editor of a once prestigious magazine, behaved like a petty, vile little fellow with that unnecessary shot. One can only imagine what a small man he really is. Clearly he can't provide the ethical, or moral leadership TNR needs to rehabilitate itself, especially given the Stephen Glass affair. As long as Foer keeps his job, TNR will not recover its prestige.

It's a sad irony that while many on the Right appreciate Matt's work, it's the allegedly tolerant and liberal Left, as represented in this case by Foer, that felt compelled to judge and smear in an attempt to redeem itself. Maybe that's what the once pro-war TNR was attempting to do with Beauchamp's diaries - redeem itself with the Left by running down the troops in a war it once supported.  See Matt's latest here.

Murtha: The Surge Is Working

Well, duh!