A little perspective on the body count reporting

None of us ever want to see any American military deaths. In any place, any time, and under any circumstances. The Iraq war coverage done by the old media has been constantly using this fact to push forward their anti-war agenda. Every time we read about another soldier being killed by an IED, we all feel the loss.

We need some perspective though, to truly gauge how big the cost in American lives really is.

Well, Lee Culpepper, a Marine turned English teacher, has this:

• Congress’s pathetic pessimism blazes brightest when we address the fundamental danger of military duty. From 1993 to 2000, our military averaged 937.5 deaths per year. In the four years preceding 9/11 (1997-2000) the military experienced 3198 deaths (source: Murdoc Online – The Official Department of Defense Report). Clearly, there is a reason the media and politicians provide no context when advertising American deaths in Iraq.

The whole post is a great read. It's called True Grit: Winning the Hearts and Minds of Al-Qaida. Here's your starter:

• I wonder if John Wayne is glad to be dead. If he were alive, I imagine our impotent politicians’ apologizing to the public about Iraq would kill him. Seems like America’s once-triumphant spirit endured through our unrelenting grit and hunger to prevail. Such perseverance remains a prerequisite to all success. Sadly, our new breed of representatives has no familiarity with the hunger necessary to win a war. Do you think our barbaric enemies suffer the same dilemma?

The surge moves to the next phase

So far, the "surge" has gone through 2 phases. The first, we moved out into the country and set up Combat Outposts and began living with the Iraqi people. The second, we ran off Al Qaeda and the Mahdi Army from their safe havens. Now, the third phase has begun. With one month left before Petraeus reports back, we're going on the attack against the Iranian back militias and Al Qaeda, which both want to pull off attacks that play to our media and the anti-war crowd in order to, once again, try to get us to surrender. It looks like the 3rd phase is going to try and shut that down so that peace can be maintained and the Iraqi government can attempt to make some political headway.

Bill Roggio at The Fourth Rail has the geeky stuff on operation Phantom Strike.

• With one month left before General David Petraeus’ report to Congress on the status of progress in Iraq, Iraqi and Coalition forces have launched the next phase of security operations designed to pursue al Qaeda in Iraq, the Iranian–backed Special Groups terror cells, and the rogue Mahdi Army elements. Operation Phantom Strike was launched today, and “consists of simultaneous operations throughout Iraq focused on pursuing remaining AQI terrorists and Iranian-supported extremist elements.”

This is obviously a key moment. Not just for those of us pulling for victory, but also for those in our government that have fully invested their futures on defeat in Iraq.

President Reagan humor

On the way home from work I was listening to the Michael Reagan radio show when he was interviewing the Secret Service agent that had been in charge at President Reagan's ranch after he left office. He had a pretty good story about President Reagan.

I'll paraphrase as best I can and you need to "visualize" as best you can...

President Reagan and the Secret Service head who was in charge "Bob" were ready to mount up one morning for the usual horseback ride when President Reagan asked "Bob" if there were any new agents going on that days ride. "Bob" said yes, there was one who would be joining them who didn't have a lot of experience riding horses yet. The President asked "Bob" to call him over so he could talk to him. "Bob" called "John" on the air phone and said "Rawhide wants to speak with you". That evidently was pretty exciting to John and he proudly headed down to where the President was, which was a ride down a hill and over a ditch from where "John" was. He rode on down the hill, entered the ditch, where his horse stumbled and launched "John" over the horses head. "John" somehow managed to land on his feet, reins in hand. The President, without missing a beat, bent over to "Bob" and said "does he always dismount that way?"

Names changed because I can't remember them...

Iraq update August 12, 2007

W Thomas Smith Jr over at The Tank has a post up called Good News and Operational Energy:

• AL TAQADDUM — There is so much more to the story of Iraq — specifically Al Anbar — that I've yet to have time to get into here at "The Tank:" Good news about amazing progress that I can't wait to explain once I begin my more detailed NRO stories over the coming weeks

Over at Black Five, Uncle Jimbo has a post up with a video you need to see called A serious Marine answers the call.

• I would love to meet this kid. Not only is his message brilliant, but his delivery is stunning. Every time I wonder a bit about our country, somebody like this pops up to remind us what we are really about.

Badger 6 over at Badgers Forward has a post up with a link to an ABC report about Ambassador Crocker walking around Ramadi without a vest.

• In truth I would not want to be the one making that decision, but it came off just fine so there you go.

Iraq update August 11, 2007

Task Force 145/88 from MNF-I update on ongoing operations against Al Qaeda:

• BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed one terrorist and detained 22 suspected terrorists during operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders in central and northern Iraq Thursday and Friday

Also from MNF-I is one Shiite pilgrims observe holy day in safety. This would have been a huge target for Al Qeada, so the lack of suicide attacks indicates to me the level of impotence AQI has reached.

• Security during Thursday’s rites provided a welcome change from the violence that has accompanied them in recent years. In 2005 an estimated 1,000 people were killed and 300 wounded in a stampede on the Jisr al-Aiema bridge (BridgeImams) when reports spread that a suicide bomber was in the crowd. The incident was the single largest loss of life since the war began in March 2003.

The Thunder Run has a story up on The Baqubah Guardians which we first heard of in this story from Michael Yon.

• This is how the war will be won, by having Coalition Forces move into an area and begin operations against al Qaeda and then winning over the locals who only want to live in peace. As each town and city moves towards normalcy al Qaeda and the insurgents that create sectarian violence will find fewer and fewer places to operate out of and soon they will be defeated completely.

And, lastly, The Tank has a post up regarding a phone call to Jack Murtha's office to get a comment about the Haditha Marines charges being dropped. Okinawa Jack had convicted them as soon as the story broke.

• Murtha's Office Hangs Up When Asked About Haditha
  

Iraq update August 9, 2007

A little roundup of stuff.

Regarding the political climate in Iraq, Grim over at Black Five has Democracy in Iraq up which deals directly with that.

• I want to bring your attention to something remarkable that General Bergner said in this week's roundtable with him (transcript here). The whole thing is worth reading, and touches on military operations, Iran, and numerous other topics. What I asked him about, however, was reconciliation.

And, on Al Qaeda in Iraq we have Richard S. Lowry over at Op For posting Al-Qaeda on the run.

• In March of 2003, Abu Musab al-Zargawi was holed up in his mountain terrorist training camp in Eastern Iraq. He had already been fighting Americans for quite some time. He had been wounded fighting in Afghanistan in 2002 but managed to escape to Baghdad, where he was treated and brought back to health in an Iraqi hospital. Once recuperated, he established a terrorist training camp along the Iranian frontier. He selected a mountain perch that would be easy to defend and would also provide a quick escape route into Iran. His men controlled a 300 square kilometer finger of land that protruded into Iran, just east of the ghost town of Halabja.

Michael Yon has more on Al Qaeda in a post at New York Daily News online called I have seen the horror.

• Amid all this talk of timetables for the War in Iraq, blurred as they are by a strange lemming-like compulsion to declare the "surge" strategy a failure almost before it actually began, one deadline looms larger with each passing day: It's time for a reckoning with the truth.

And, Kimberly Hefling, a writer for the Associated Press has Democrats Praise Military Progress up over at Breitbart.

• WASHINGTON (AP) - One senator said U.S. troops are routing out al-Qaida in parts of Iraq. Another insisted President Bush's plan to increase troops has caused tactical momentum.

  One even went so far on Wednesday as to say the argument could be made that U.S. troops are winning.

  These are not Bush-backing GOP die-hards, but Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin, Bob Casey and Jack Reed. Even Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee, said progress was being made by soldiers.

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From the founder of The Anbar Salvation Council. Badger6 over at Badgers Forward has this from Sheik Sattar, and The Sons of Anbar to the American people.

That's pretty cool.