Puzzle pieces

Matt Sanchez has a post up where he reiterates what Jeff Emanuel posted (and I pointed you to) yesterday about CBS sending Katie Couric over to Iraq to "get the real story" and how that's going to be the last thing she'll provide. Matt has added an interesting puzzle piece though. The post is The Statement is Worth Repeating.

• Jeff made some excellent points about the mainstream journalist including the fact that:

1. They rarely embed with troops on the ground
2. They often use "stringers". In Ramadi, I met a stringer who worked for CNN, Reuters and Al Qaeda.
3. Many reporters refuse to venture "outside the wire", but these journalists influence the perception of the war to the American public.

• This statement is worth repeating, "If the media are the eyes, ears and voice of a nation, we are currently deaf, dumb and blind."

He met a stringer that worked for CNN, Reuters, and Al Qaeda. I''m sure that would in no way contribute to the old media always seeming to support the enemy.

On a different line. I've been saying the story of the Iraq war was The Anbar Salvation Council and that the media missed it. One piece of that puzzle is provided to us by Pat Dollard in his post The Late Captain Patriquin’s “How To Win The War In Al Anbar”.

You need to visit both links. The first are Captain Patriquin's annimations, and the second the story of an American hero who worked with The Anbar Salvation Council. Sheik Sittar wept when he heard of Captian Patriquin's death.

Old Media versus The New Media

Anytime I explain to people that getting their news by watching TV or reading a newspaper is the wrong thing to do as what "news" they report is usually incorrect, I get lots of blank stares, comments like "you're full of.....", or unbelieving smiles that mean their too polite to say anything about my absurd belief. Seldom do I actually convince anyone that they need to do research on what their told via those outlets. I'm guessing it's easier to just believe what is presented than to take the time to verify. With this attitude though, we get a majority of Americans that believe Iraq never had any WMD's, the 911 commission determined that Iraq had no connections to terrorists, and the people of Iraq were actually better off under Sadaam's rule than they are now. All of which are documented to be false and easy to verify as being false. Jeff Emanuel over at Redstate has a great post up called All Combat Zone Journalism is NOT Created Equal that covers this and the reasons that old media gets it wrong in regards to the Iraq front in the global war on terror. It's a piece he wrote to point out that, when CBS sends Katie Couric over there, don't expect her to report on any actual news on Iraq. He also points out that, to get actual news, you need to read Michael J. Totten, Michael Yon, Pat Dollard, Bill Roggio, and others that are actually out there in the trenches and are the only reliable way for you to get a feel for what's going on.

• “The future of our involvement in Iraq will be decided when the Petreaus report is released,” said CBS’s Kaplan. “If you're going to go to the Middle East at all, this is the time.”

  Unfortunately, this statement provides all of the evidence that is needed to see that their intent is more to have an exotic Evening News backdrop than it is to go the extra mile in hopes of achieving more accurate and informative stories.

  “The time” to be in the Middle East was months ago – and the place to be, in order to capture the essence of what is really going on there, is on the front lines, alongside those fighting this war, and in full view of events as they have unfolded.

Speaking of that, Michael Yon has his latest dispatch up. It's part three of a four parter called Ghosts of Anbar. This one is a good one to give you a feel for Anbar province and the progress being built upon The Anbar Salvation Council's work of late last year, early this year.

• To many of the Iraqis I’ve spoken with, terrorists are fair game. Kill them. But if we kill justice while doing so, we will create terrorists out of farmers. Here the Marines are creating farmers, police officers, shepherds, and entrepreneurs out of insurgents. To do that, they have to be seen as men who respect and honor legitimate systems of government and justice.

Update on the trade

I don't think it's gonna happen. First problem we have is the rest of the league will probably nix it. Iraq has a starter and we're offering a player who's done nothing. The game film will have them laughing hysterically. We risk nothing and gain a competent player. Secondly, the socialized medicine idea is failing all over the world, so Iraq would only have to look at the active examples of it to see it has no value. That was our best selling point. And thirdly, as with most cultures around the world, they won't automatically give her the benefit of the doubt on her claims, as we do, just because she's a girl and therefore needs special treatment.

Dang, it was a great idea though.

In good faith we need to pull this trade off the table. Seriously, I've reviewed the game film on Hillary and she can't run, she can't pass, every decision she makes is the wrong one, and when she steps behind center to bark out signals, everyone on the team ends up getting a headache.

Hmmmm, maybe we should look at the U.N. roster..... Maybe we can do something there...

Yeah, but what would THEY know...

Lindsey Graham just returned from duty in Iraq. He's a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve and has spent two short two week stints on active duty in Iraq this year. The whole thing is good and up over at the Washington Post online and it's called After Tour of Duty in Iraq, Graham Backs 'Surge'. One thing of note for you is in regards to the "bottom up" politics I was talking about. The relevant part is:

• Graham predicted that Maliki's personal political flaws would be overshadowed by events on the ground. Breaking with mounting congressional skepticism about Iraq's future, he said that a new momentum from the streets to reconcile, stop the killing and reject both al-Qaeda in Iraq and Iran was reaching the point that "all Maliki has to do is get out of the way," he said.

He covers much more, so go read the whole piece.

Now, on the man made global warming front, we have a professor emeritus of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia , a research professor at George Mason University , and president of the Science and Environmental Policy Project who has a report up called Imprimis. S. Fred Singer gives you proof positive that global warming isn't a problem created by us driving SUV's.

• IN THE PAST few years there has been increasing concern about global climate change on the part of the media, politicians, and the public. It has been stimulated by the idea that human activities may influence global climate adversely and that therefore corrective action is required on the part of governments. Recent evidence suggests that this concern is misplaced. Human activities are not influencing the global climate in a perceptible way. Climate will continue to change, as it always has in the past, warming and cooling on different time scales and for different reasons, regardless of human action. I would also argue that—should it occur—a modest warming would be on the whole beneficial.

Yeah, but what would they know...

Possible trade

Fantasy Football season is just cranking up, so, if we mentally switch gears to that mode, here's what I've come up with.

Proposed trade:

We offer Iraq Hillary in exchange for Maliki. They might be reluctant as he's a starter and she sits on the pine, but I think we could talk it up.

What Hillary would bring to their team:

1. Hillary's socialized medicine might actually work there. They have nothing now, so it's possibly the only place on the planet you could, at least theoritcally, have the slightest chance that it would improve something "for the people". In actuality, it wouldn't, but we don't need to point that out.
2. Stealing money from the wealthy to give to the poor might also play there.
3. She seems to think that she understands what the Iraqi people need in a leader.

What Maliki would bring to our team:

1. Yeah, it's a junk for junk trade, but even with that, we saw just a few months ago that he has the ability to accomplish something. If I remember right, 8 of the benchmarks Congress laid out for his administration were met.
2. Some of the negative baggage he would bring would dissolve. Sectarianism wouldn't immediately hinder him from political progress. Our Congress would, but not sectarianism.
3. If he worked half as hard as he does now, he would arguably be one of our top Congressmen.

Iraq probably won't go for it, but if the do, I say we pull the trigger on the trade.

If it goes through, we better get Maliki hooked up with a therapist real quick. Imagine what he's going to be going through the first day as he looks over his daily planner.

• Rename a post office....
• Bash the U.S. military....
• Rename another post office...
• Bash George W. Bush....
• $400 haircut
• Rename a post office...

Personally, I can't think of a better place for Hillary to be sitting than in Baghdad, with her low opinion of the Iraqi people and the U.S. Military.

Dumbfounded looks

The Democrats now have almost a perfect record on Iraq. Hillary especially. When one of them comments on the situation we are almost assured they will be 100% wrong. Todays news is that Maliki has formed the needed alliance in the government to pursue reconciliation and to start working toward meeting the benchmarks our lazy-asses in Congress set for them. The middle of September will be interesting and I expect several of those dumbfounded looks to be forth coming. Wake Up America has all the details on the great news in Military Progress Allows Room for Political Progress in Iraq.

• I don't know how many times I have seen it said and said myself that the surge that is seeing such progress as has been stated by every politician that has just returned from Iraq, was meant to give the Iraqi politicians the breathing room to reconcile and make headway.
  
  Despite criticism far and wide about the Iraqi Parliament going on vacation, we said that they would be working behind the scenes as was evidenced by al-Maliki courting the Sunni's last week.

Now all the pieces are in place for "top down" political progress to go hand in hand with the "bottom up" progress that's been underway. As long as we can help keep the piece until the Iraqi's are up to providing it fully, things should progress nicely.

Iraq update August 26, 2007

Bill Roggio has a post up at The Fourth Rail regarding Targeting the networks.

• Operation Phantom Strike, the effort to disrupt al Qaeda and Shia terror cells throughout Iraq continues even as al Qaeda in Iraq is launching its counteroffensive ahead of the Ambassador Crocker and Gen. Petraeus' September report to Congress on the state of Iraq. Coalition and Iraqi security forces struck over the past few days at al Qaeda and the Iranian-backed Shia terror networks.

Bill also has an update on the Al Qaeda Counteroffensive up over at The Weekly Standard.

• Al Qaeda in Iraq has ramped up its attacks against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi and U.S. security forces over the past 48 hours. The effort demonstrates that al Qaeda in Iraq still possesses the capacity to launch a counteroffensive to the ongoing U.S. and Iraqi operations and is seeking to influence the upcoming debate in the U.S. Al Qaeda in Iraq has launched its version of the Tet Offensive.

Pat Dollard has a post up called U.S. Attacks "Bad" Police Station In Diyala.

• Dyiala, Aug 26, (VOI) – Four policemen were killed and at least 11 others wounded when U.S. helicopters opened fire at a police station in Khanaqin district, Diala province, on Sunday, local residents said.

Ralph Peters has SENATOR WARNER'S BAD WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS up over at the New York Post site.

• Out here in Anbar Province - long the most troubled in Iraq - the change has come so swiftly and thoroughly that it's dazzling. Marines who were under fire routinely just months ago are now directing their former enemies in battle.

  Although this trend has been reported, our battlefield leaders here agree that the magnitude of the shift hasn't registered back home: Al Qaeda is on the verge of a humiliating, devastating strategic defeat - rejected by their fellow Sunni Muslims.

  If we don't quit, this will not only be a huge practical win - it'll be the information victory we've been aching for.

  No matter what the Middle Eastern media might say, everyone in the Arab and greater Sunni Muslim world will know that al Qaeda was driven out of Iraq by a combination of Muslims and Americans.

And, that's a great one to finish off this update. Go read the whole thing.