Isurgents Loosing

BAGHDAD, Feb. 6 - With a hero who gave his life for the elections, a revived national anthem blaring from car stereos and a greater willingness to help police, the public mood appears to be moving more clearly against the insurgency in Iraq, political and security officials say.

In the week since national elections, police and Iraqi National Guardsmen say that they have received more tips from the public, resulting in more arrests and greater effectiveness in their efforts to weaken the violent insurgency rocking the country.

This news and the story about Iraq "Fighting Fire with Fire" render Teddy's rant for more Iraqi support useless. Not that Kennedy's rant wasn't just an idiotic attack on Bush and the US Military to begin with or to imply that the Iraqi's were not already striving or motivated to provided a greater portion of the security, simply proves their ongoing dedicated and have been; to bad Teddy missed this.

This story indicates signs of the Iraqi population as a whole being dedicated to stopping the insurgents, ending the strife, and driving for their freedom… Good signs, all in all!

Super Sunday Prediction - Update

Well it was a good game and I thought for a moment my 10 point prediction was going to be accurate - by at least I got the winning team correct. Now what to do for a football fix until August/September?

Super Sunday Prediction

Well it is about thirty minutes before kick-off -- have watched the highlights of almost all the last 38 Superbowls; pizza is in the oven, and am ready for the "commercials" so I thought I would make my prediction... Although none of my "favorite" teams made it to the "big show", being a Cowboy fan I simply cannot go for the Eagles so I say Patriots by 10. Even without the Cowboy factor, I would still say Patriots. I feel the Indianapolis/New England game determined the champions and I pulled for Indianapolis...

Eason Jordan Update II

I decided to say a little about the idiotic comments made by Eason Jordon yesterday here, but now an entire blog dedicated to this man and his deplorable claims.



Easongate

Vietnam vs. Iraq

Congressman Steve Pearce explains how ridiculous it is to compare Iraq to Vietnam. Some highlights:

Unlike the decade-long Vietnam War, the present fighting is the chaotic aftermath of a three-week victory that toppled Saddam's ruling government. Iraq is not a divided country, but rather contains pockets of diehards surrounded by unsympathetic Kurds and Shiites, who, for the most part, support the U.S. effort to subdue the remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime. The enemy relies on a finite supply of stockpiled weaponry and cash, not daily infusions through a port like Haiphong or a steady stream of trucks rolling in supplies on the Ho Chi Minh trail.
[...]
America's longest war taught us another fact: Wars should be fought by military commanders in the battlefield and not from the White House and Congressional lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

This war is different because President Bush has shown leadership in allowing the military commanders to handle the fighting and achieving the battlefield objectives in Iraq in order for America to remain secure. A majority of Democratic Senators, including John Kerry and John Edwards, voted for the resolution authorizing the President to use force against Iraq.

Read the article here.

Maybe Adding to the Message

ANKARA (Reuters) - Russia must do more to show it is committed to "the basics of democracy" if it wants deeper relations with the West, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Saturday.

The former Soviet specialist, on her first trip abroad as the top U.S. diplomat, arrived from Warsaw in Ankara, where she will pay a call on a key ally in the Muslim world and meet her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"Obviously we have concerns ... it is important that Russia make clear to the world that it is intent on strengthening the rule of law, strengthening the role of an independent judiciary, permitting a free and independent press," Rice told a news conference in Warsaw, during a stopover en route to Turkey.

"These are all the basics of democracy."

I don't know; this story just kind of jump out at me after blogging Surprise Guest -- maybe there was an intent to send a message. What do you think?

Another Scary Resemblance

With all the attention my Scary Kerry post has been getting I thought many might be interested in another resempbance noticed by Quid Nimis -- click on the picture to go the site.

Kristof to Democrats "Mistake"

Nicholas D. Kristof -- Liberals are making a historic mistake by lining up so adamantly against Social Security reform.

It's impolite to say so in a blue state, but President Bush has a point: there is a genuine problem with paying for Social Security, even if it isn't as dire as Mr. Bush suggests.

As Bill Clinton declared in 1998 about Social Security reform: "We all know a demographic crisis is looming. ... If we act now it will be easier and less painful than if we wait until later." Mr. Clinton then made Social Security reform a central theme of his 1999 State of the Union address, saying, "Above all, we must save Social Security for the 21st century."

Not that I agree totally with Mr. Kristof but he makes a valid point, Democrats should listen and offer alternatives if need be -- instead of out right denying the problem and simply being obstructionist... But, why change now -- unless, maybe wanting a chance in 2006.

Surprise Guest

Appears there were some surprise guest at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 3; Mikhail Brudno and Vladimir Dubov, two partners of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Russia has been searching the world for these two men after getting on "Vladimir Putin's bad side".

The two partners, Mikhail Brudno and Vladimir Dubov, were allowed into the United States -- and the president's company -- despite Interpol notices filed at the request of the Russians.
The fugitive moguls' breakfast with the American president attracted the notice of the Russian press, which interpreted it as a slap against Putin on the day after Bush delivered a State of the Union address that renewed his vow to stand up for freedom around the world. In fact, Brudno and Dubov were just two of thousands of guests who packed the Washington Hilton Hotel ballroom at the invitation of the event's independent organizers, and Bush may not have even known they were there.
[…]
The Khodorkovsky case is viewed in both Washington and Moscow as a Kremlin political attack on a rival. As Russia's richest man and head of its biggest oil company, Khodorkovsky had angered the Kremlin by financing opposition parties and advancing his own policy ideas. He was arrested in October 2003 and remains on trial on charges of fraud and tax evasion, while his Yukos Oil Co. was dismantled in December, with its most valuable assets effectively renationalized.
The case has soured relations between Moscow and Washington. Putin delivered a testy lecture to Bush when the American president raised the issue of Russian democracy during a lunch in Santiago, Chile, in November, and the two then did not speak again until this week when they talked briefly by telephone about the Iraqi elections. Bush will meet with Putin in Bratislava, Slovakia, on Feb. 24, in what advisers see as the first test of the president's inaugural vision of confronting "every ruler and every nation" about domestic repression. [read the article here]

I just found this story interesting especially with a meeting scheduled this month between Putin and President Bush. Before some simply jump to the conclusion that the President is irritating the world, you might pay very close attention to Democratic representative's comments in the article.

Rep. Tom Lantos (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the International Relations Committee, invited the two to an hour-long meeting Wednesday on Capitol Hill. "The proceedings against Khodorkovsky were outrageous," said Bob King, the committee's Democratic staff director. "By American legal standards, this is something that could never happen in the United States."

Masochist Child Abusers Caught

MIAMI (Reuters) - A fugitive Florida couple accused of beating and chaining five children, pulling out their toenails with pliers and starving them, were caught in Utah, a sheriff's deputy said on Saturday.
Doctors alerted investigators two weeks ago when the couple's 16-year-old boy, who weighed just 60 pounds, was treated at a hospital for head and neck injuries.

I am glad they were caught and will not share with you how I believe they should be treated.

More on North Korea

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has compelling evidence North Korea has a uranium-based nuclear weapons program and ending this activity is essential to resolving the nuclear dispute with Pyongyang, according to two key former U.S. officials.

Mitchell Reiss, until recently a senior Bush administration political appointee at the State Department, and Democrat Robert Gallucci, the Clinton's administration's top negotiator with North Korea, make their case in the March-April issue of Foreign Affairs magazine. A copy of the influential journal was made available to Reuters.

I have blogged about the US and South Korea trying to "jump start" the six-party talks, here. There is more information about the state of North Korea here.

Iraqi Police "Fight Fire with Fire"

The Iraq security forces are attempting to turn the tables on the insurgents by airing videos; using the primary tool the insurgents use to export their terror. In these videos, you see captured terrorist confessing their crimes and naming their coconspirators.

Of course, this technique is now up for ridicule by many human rights organizations, where are they when the insurgents behead, assassinate, terrorize. Oh that's right the insurgents want listen so these groups simply don't communicate because like the insurgents they know "media coverage" is all that matters and only comment when their voice will be covered on television - once again showing that law-abiding citizens are hampered because of their law-abiding nature…

My opinion, do what it takes within the limits of actual international law, not feel good laws described by these organizations, to ensure the safety of your people and your country -- fight fire with fire.

In the first week after the elections, the Iraqi Interior Ministry and the Mosul police chief are turning the tables on the insurgency here in the north by using a tactic - videotaped messages - that the insurgents have used time and again as they have terrorized the region with kidnappings and executions.

But this time the videos, which are being broadcast on a local station, carry an altogether different message, juxtaposing images of the masked killers with the cowed men they become once captured.
[...]
But officials in Mosul, short on manpower, apparently hope the psychological force of the broadcasts will help undermine the insurgency, making its fighters appear weak and encouraging citizens to call up with their reactions or information about those still at large. A program loosely based on "most wanted" crime shows in the United States is also being developed, a Mosul television official said.

"Because of their confessions and the disgusting things they did, we have reached our limit," said the Mosul police chief, Ahmed al-Jaburi. "There is no more patience."

If nothing more, the confessions, as they are called in the videos, offer a rare glimpse into how the gangs operate and plot their killings. The videos also try to divest the terrorists and criminals of their religious platform by challenging them with questions about Islam.

"These are men who do not fear God," an Interior Ministry official said at the beginning of one of the segments this week. He described the men as Iraqi and other Arab terrorists. "Our special forces will crush their filthy heads!"

"We are going to show you some men who have the blood of innocent people on their hands," the official said. "We are going to show you their confessions, say their names and those of their leaders, and we expect you to help us find them."
[...]
Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch said such tactics raised the issue of whether the people were tortured or otherwise coerced into making the statements. [Read the article here]

Note to Teddy -- wouldn't you say the Iraqi are attempting to defend their own country; I know you have been concerned about that recently.

Foreign Governments - Helping - 'Oh NO'

German Chancellor Schroeder advises Condi Rice "We have a lot of experience with building functional institutions for countries, not just ministries but institutions for civil areas as well and this is the kind of assistance that we would like to make available to the Iraqi government if it is desired".

Wonder if John Kerry, who indicates he knows the pulse of other governments, saw this coming -- and how do you believe Teddy and Boxer feel? Condi has been on the job a short while and has already gotten additional support from governments that were less then thrilled about our action in Iraq. Shucks Teddy, your wrong again -- the election went well, to your dismay, and now Condi is proving she will do what she said and be effective at it - pass the liquor.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder offered US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice more help from Germany in the rebuilding of Iraq's institutions and security forces following landmark elections there last weekend.

Rice came to Berlin on the second stop of her first tour abroad in her new post looking for more assistance for Iraq from countries like Germany who opposed the war.

And after talks with Rice in Berlin, Schroeder said Germany was prepared to extend its training programmes for the Iraqi police and military which are currently taking place in the United Arab Emirates.

"I have declared Germany's readiness to not just continue these projects but, if desired, to also expand on them," Schroeder told a press conference.
[...]
He hinted at past differences over the war when he said there was agreement between Berlin and Washington that Iraq needed to now move towards democracy and stability "regardless of what we thought about the military action in the first place". [Read the article here]

Amazingly, the world knows what the likes of Teddy, Boxer, and Kerry do not -- let's move forward with assisting democracy and stability and finish this thing in Iraq. Alas, it simply is not in them (Teddy, Boxer, Pelosi, Kerry, etc.), they know nothing about rebuilding, unifying, healing -- except the words -- their actions show they only know how to attack, tear down, and divide.

Iraq to UN - "Give us Our Money"

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters)- Iraq said it wanted its money back from the scandal-tainted U.N. oil-for-food program Friday as Secretary-General Kofi Annan vowed to get to the bottom of wrongdoing by U.N. staff.

"Huge sums of money which should have served the needs of the Iraqi people who were suffering at that time -- a lot of these resources were squandered and misspent," said Iraq's U.N. ambassador, Samir Sumaidaie.

Iraq, he said, should at minimum not have to pay for the independent probe set up by the United Nations from remaining oil-for-food funds. The inquiry panel has spent $30 million so far, with the approval of the Security Council.
[...]
The Iraqi ambassador said the United Nations received $1.14 billion to administer the program and wanted to see how much actually reached its destination or was squandered by outside contractors working for the world body.

"The question arises whether the secretariat is subject to its own political culture, which tends to subvert the will of the Security Council," said Sumaidaie. "This is serious."

Iraq wants their money -- and if peoples got rich or diverted funds from their ordinal humanitarian intent, I agree with them. Iraq deserves their monies so the "new" government can use the funds to help their people as intended...

President Bush has Done it Again

Well, President Bush has gone and done it again -- discussed God and Prayer, bet you thought I was going to rant about this. Nope, I think it is great; however, just waiting for those opposed, naysayer, the ones that say "freedom of religion" out of one side of their mouth and "the President expects a "theocracy"" out of the other side, to come out and attack President Bush for his openness about his belief that prayer is important... The below are excerpts from an article about the "National Prayer Breakfast":

"Prayer has always been one of the great equalizers in American life," he told thousands of faithful at the Washington Hilton & Towers. "Through fellowship and prayer, we acknowledge that all power is temporary and must ultimately answer to His purposes."
[...]
"As a 13-year-old child, Veronica witnessed armed men killing children in horrific ways," he said. "As she fled this madness, Veronica was left for dead atop a pile of bodies, until her grandmother found her."
She was brought to Pennsylvania, where a Catholic charity found her a home and a job in a nursing home. She is studying to become a nursing assistant.
"When Veronica told me of her story, it was through the kind of tears no young woman should ever know," Mr. Bush said. "And when she finished, she dried her eyes and said, 'Thank you, Mr. President, for my freedom.'
"I told her it wasn't me she needed to thank; she needed to thank the good hearts of the United States of America. The America that embraced Veronica would not be possible without the prayer that drives and leads and sustains our armies of compassion." [complete article here]

How can anyone read these comments and question President Bush's love of his country? Further, before I the rhetoric starts about invoking the "need for prayer" and the "important of prayer" I want to know where I might find the rhetoric when Hillary Clinton made similar comments (read here).

S. Korea do Their Part to Get Talks Started

South Korea, like the United States, has lightened their language toward North Korea in the newly released "Defense White Papers". Both America and South Korea are doing all they can to "jumpstart" talks with North Korea -- North Korea, however, does enjoy playing games; making request then backing down, acting as if it is ready for talks but changing their mind the following day. The South Korean people are used to this; however, American's memories are short and the US media seems to be shocked by this every time it happens (for examples see post here and here). Here are some highlights from a story about South Koreas language change:

SEOUL (Reuters) - For the first time in a decade, South Korea (news - web sites) has stopped labeling North Korea (news - web sites) its "main enemy" but its latest Defense White Paper Friday said it suspects the reclusive state of possessing nuclear weapons.

The tag of main enemy has angered the North in the past and the move to drop the label coincides with attempts by Seoul to coax the communist state back to six-party talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

The Defense White Paper adopted the "main enemy" terminology in 1995, a year after a top North general said the communist state would turn Seoul into "a sea of fire" in the event of war.

"The existing expression of 'the main enemy North Korea' has been replaced by an explanation of the North's specific military threat, such as its conventional weapons, weapons of mass destruction, and its forward deployment of military power," the Defense Ministry said in briefing notes to the White Paper.

The North stopped using hostile language when referring to the South after an unprecedented summit between the two Koreas in 2000, the White Paper said, citing this as a reason for dropping the main enemy tag.

Again Nazi Comparison Invoked - Feel the Love?

Janeane Garofalo (Air Ameica Radio Host) compared Republicans actions to Nazis - Real Video here.

Media Research Center has the details on the "court" jester [Garofalo] that took place on MSNBC -- of course; no one at MSNBC was concerned by the Nazi salute comparison, go figure.

"The inked fingers was disgusting," Air America radio talk show host Janeane Garofalo declared on MSNBC in denouncing Republican lawmakers who, before and after the State of the Union, showed off an inked finger meant to demonstrate solidarity with Iraqi voters who dipped a finger in ink when they voted. To mock the display, Garofalo soon held up her hand in a Nazi salute as she predicted: "The inked fingers and the position of them, which is gonna be a Daily Show photo already, of them signaling in this manner [Nazi salute], as if they have solidarity with the Iraqis who braved physical threats against their lives to vote as if somehow these inked-fingered Republicans have something to do with that."

Eason Jordan Update

I have not blogged anything on this issue, but do find his deplorable comments cause for firing... Many bloggers that are much better writers then I shedding light on this issue, just look at Captains Quaters, or LaShawn Barbaer (here or here). Now after two days of bloggers shedding light on the asinine statements of Mr. Jordan The Washington Times runs an OP-Ed on the story.

In war, mistakes happen and innocents are often killed. For journalists covering the action, the risk is extremely high. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 36 were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2004, some unfortunately as a result of U.S. fire. But were any of these journalists targeted for death, as CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan recently suggested?
[...]
In any event, it's an assertion Mr. Jordan has made before. In November, as reported in the London Guardian, Mr. Jordan said, "The reality is that at least 10 journalists have been killed by the U.S. military, and according to reports I believe to be true journalists have been arrested and tortured by U.S. forces." This is very serious stuff, if true. Yet aside from Mr. Jordan's occasional comments, there's no evidence to support it. Mr. Jordan's almost immediate backpedaling seems to confirm this. In a statement to blogger Carol Platt Liebau, Mr. Jordan said, "To be clear, I do not believe the U.S. military is trying to kill journalists in Iraq. I said so during the forum panel discussion. But, nonetheless, the U.S. military has killed several journalists in Iraq in cases of mistaken identity." He added, "three of my CNN colleagues and many other journalists have been killed on purpose in Iraq." He didn't elaborate by whom.

"There's no evidence to support it." Imagine that, a reporter making a claim without any evidence -- simply based on their opinion, which it their own mind must be enough. I believe it is time for yet another reporter to "retire"!

Churchill Should be Fired

I have not blogged anything about this guy -- professor Ward Churchill. Mainly because I did not feel, I could put into words the total disgust I feel for what he said and obviously stands for. However, it appears the University of Colorado is starting the procedures to take proper action. Let's hear from all you that defend his freedom of speech, but let me tell you I defend his freedom of speech but I defend the University's freedom to say who represents them, and when Mr. Churchill made these despicable views public as a professor of the University he opened himself up for whatever action they choose... My opinion of course!

AURORA, Colo. - University of Colorado administrators Thursday took the first steps toward a possible dismissal of a professor who likened World Trade Center victims to a notorious Nazi.

Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano ordered a 30-day review of Ward Churchill's speeches and writings to determine if the professor overstepped his boundaries of academic freedom and whether that should be grounds for dismissal.

Also Thursday, the Board of Regents issued an apology for Churchill's remarks at a meeting and voted to support the university's review of Churchill.

Annan Takes Action

The United Nation takes action in "oil-for-fraud scam". It is about time wouldn't you say?

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan is taking disciplinary action against the head of the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq following an investigation of alleged corruption in the humanitarian program, a senior U.N. official said Thursday.

Nevertheless, exactly what will the action be? Will they simply say, "don't do it again" or "don't get caught again" or will their actually be some substantial penalties -- not the UN can dish out what is probably disserved.

At the time the contract was awarded, Stephanides was chief of the U.N. Sanctions Branch and deputy director of the Security Council Affairs Division in the U.N. Department of Political Affairs. He now heads the division. Malloch Brown did not say what disciplinary steps would be taken but said they would be announced early next week.

There is said to be some "convincing and uncontested evidence", but when has "convincing" evidence meant anything to the UN. Even with mass graves it takes years, to declare there is a problem much less actually accuse genocide

Volcker also said there was "convincing and uncontested evidence" that the selection of the three U.N. contractors for the oil-for-food program - Banque Nationale de Paris, Saybolt Eastern Hemisphere BV and Lloyd's Register Inspection Limited - did not conform to established financial and competitive bidding rules.

I appears it maybe as simple as Benon Sevan establishing a several million dollar retirement fund for services rendered, only kidding, we all know there is more then several million involved, much more, and many more then Sevan; but will we actually see real action out of the UN, I doubt it! The USA Today story here