Victory In Iraq Day: November 22, 2008

It is all explained over at ZombieTime and please take the time to read the whole thing.

By every measure, The United States and coalition forces have conclusively defeated all enemies in Iraq, pacified the country, deposed the previous regime, successfully helped to establish a new functioning democratic government, and suppressed any lingering insurgencies. The war has come to an end. And we won.

If our media, our incoming administration, our outgoing administration and out cowardly politicians won't inform the people, then maybe it is time for you to look at the information for yourself and either dispute it or acknowledge it.

Congratulations to our military and to President Bush, because without their courage in the face of defeat, we never would have obtained VICTORY IN IRAQ.

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Associated Press Finally Admits We Are Winning In Iraq

Hell froze over and pigs just flew by my window.


Bestill my heart.

You seriously have to read this for yourselves, the AP writers:

Robert Burns is AP's chief military reporter, and Robert Reid is AP's chief of bureau in Baghdad. Reid has covered the war from his post in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in March 2003. Burns, based in Washington, has made 21 reporting trips to Iraq; on his latest during July, Burns spent nearly three weeks in central and northern Iraq, observing military operations and interviewing both U.S. and Iraqi officers.

They have just figured out we are winning!

Better late than never I guess.

The AP editors must have had to go get very drunk after reading that.

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al-Maliki Spokesman About Spiegel Interview- his remarks 'were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately.'

The buzz yesterday was about an interview that Speigel did with the Prime Minister of Iraq, al-Maliki, where they said he agreed with Barack Obama's 16 month troop withdrawal plan, with caveats of course.

Hot Air noticed that Speigel published one version then actually changed part of the interview yesterday and today we see, via CNN, that a spokesman for al-Maliki issued a statement saying that his words were "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."

But a spokesman for al-Maliki said his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the possibility of troop withdrawal was based on the continuance of security improvements, echoing statements that the White House made Friday after a meeting between al-Maliki and U.S. President Bush.

Well at least Speigel gave the far left something to do yesterday...

[Update] Bloomberg also headlines with "Maliki Doesn't Endorse Obama Troop Withdrawal Plan"

July 20 (Bloomberg) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hasn't endorsed any specific plan for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, a government spokesman said, a day after a magazine report that he backed Barack Obama's proposal.

Al-Maliki supports a ``general vision'' of U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq and has not backed a plan by Obama, the presumptive U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, for a 16- month withdrawal window, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in an e-mailed statement in Baghdad today.

Al-Maliki was quoted in an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel magazine published on its Web site yesterday as saying Obama's plan is ``the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.''

Comments al-Maliki made to the magazine were ``misunderstood and mistranslated'' and were not ``conveyed accurately,'' al- Dabbagh said in the statement.

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American Commander In Iraq: 'I think we’re at the irreversible point'

Al-Qaeda is driven from Mosul

It has been a long hard fight but the troops on the ground in Iraq, both Iraqi and American are expressing optimism and seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

In the Mosul bastion, al-Qaedas remaining force made what is being called "a last stand" and they lost.

A huge operation to crush the 1,200 fighters who remained from a terrorist force once estimated at more than 12,000 began on May 10.

Operation Lion’s Roar, in which the Iraqi army combined forces with the Americans’ 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment, has already resulted in the death of Abu Khalaf, the Al-Qaeda leader, and the capture of more than 1,000 suspects.

A senior Iraqi commander, Brigadier General Abdullah Abdul, states, "We’ve limited their movements with check-points. They are doing small attacks and trying big ones, but they’re mostly not succeeding.”

The American Commander in the North, Major-General Mark Hertling, confirms this and for the first time shows the incredible optimism from his observations, to say, "I think we’re at the irreversible point.”

You can read more about what is happening and how from a correspondent with the TimesOnline, on the front lines, in another piece, found here.

The Iraqis and Americans have got Al-Qaeda on the run. How have they come so far, so fast? ON the night of May 9, 87 “target packets” landed on the walnut desk of Abdul, the commander of the Iraqi army’s 2nd Division.

The details of each named target were specific. One read: “Action: capture. Characteristics: white hair, hazel eyes, sunburnt skin. Alias: Abu Mohamed. Car: drives a station wagon. Residence: a two-storey house painted black (with map attached showing location). Credibility of source: reliable.”

By early the next morning – the launch day for Operation Lion’s Roar to recapture Mosul – hundreds of police and army checkpoints had been set up across the city.

Read the rest.... As was promised, the Iraqis stood up and we stood down and they are doing the job they have been trained to do.
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Now That Things Are Better In Iraq- Major News Outlets Don't Want To Talk About It

Remember last year when the death toll in Iraq was on every front page. When every attack, every death was highlighted each and every day on the news, in print, on television and around the blogosphere?

Things got better in Iraq, so much so, the major news organizations do not feel the American public needs to know how much progress there has been.

That isn't important it seems.

According to data compiled by Andrew Tyndall, a television consultant who monitors the three network evening newscasts, coverage of Iraq has been “massively scaled back this year.” Almost halfway into 2008, the three newscasts have shown 181 weekday minutes of Iraq coverage, compared with 1,157 minutes for all of 2007. The “CBS Evening News” has devoted the fewest minutes to Iraq, 51, versus 55 minutes on ABC’s “World News” and 74 minutes on “NBC Nightly News.” (The average evening newscast is 22 minutes long.)

CBS News no longer stations a single full-time correspondent in Iraq, where some 150,000 United States troops are deployed.

Paul Friedman, a senior vice president at CBS News, said the news division does not get reports from Iraq on television “with enough frequency to justify keeping a very, very large bureau in Baghdad.” He said CBS correspondents can “get in there very quickly when a story merits it.”

In a telephone interview last week, Ms. Logan said the CBS News bureau in Baghdad was “drastically downsized” in the spring. The network now keeps a producer in the country, making it less of a bureau and more of an office.

According to Terry McCarthy, an ABC News correspondent in Baghdad, the decline in violence, "is taking the urgency out” of some of the coverage."

Lets be clear here, the journalists are pushing for more coverage, the station and print bigwigs are the ones trying to keep it from the public.

Journalists at all three American television networks with evening newscasts expressed worries that their news organizations would withdraw from the Iraqi capital after the November presidential election. They spoke only on the condition of anonymity in order to avoid offending their employers.

Amazing that. Iraq is coming alive. Prior militia strongholds are now under the control of the Iraqi government. Businesses are reopening and thriving. People are feeling safe and this isn't news anymore.

The difference a year can make is astounding, but the majority of Americans are not getting the memo because major news organizations are refusing to tell them.

Things that make you go hmmmmmmmm.

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With Security Improved European and Asian Companies Investing In Iraq

European and Asian companies are descending on Iraq for investment purposes, beating out American rivals who are waiting for further security improvements.

In a USA Today interview, Hoshiyar Zebari, who is the Iraqi Foreign Minister in Washington for an official visit, says that Turkish and Russian companies are already active in Iraq while American businesses were waiting for further security improvements and he states, "They take risks. No pain, no gain."

According to Paul Brinkley, the Pentagon official who is leading U.S. efforts to help Iraq rebuild its economy, "It's starting to turn … and the people who are getting in on the ground floor are not American. It's ironic."

Foreign companies, including U.S. investors, have committed to deals worth about $500 million so far this year and Brinkley expects at least $1 billion in foreign investment by the end of the year.

So far, Romanian consortium and a Lebanese company have signed revenue-sharing deals with Iraqi state-owned cement factories. Each group will invest about $150 million.

China has also been selling equipment to the Iraqis and electronic products to their consumers, France, Turkey,and Russia, all countries that did not send any combat troops in, are all reaping the benefits of the improvements made in Iraq.

The deals for this year alone signal the first major investments in Iraq showing a marked confidence in the Iraq's economy.

The private investments that come from the USA are generally individual or institutional investors — not American corporations, Brinkley said. U.S. investors, for example, are part of a $120 million deal to build a hotel in the heavily fortified Green Zone, where U.S. and Iraqi government offices are located.

Americans lead other nations in the number of exports to Iraq, but other nations have ramped up trade. China doubled the number of exports to Iraq this year.

Charles Reis, the U.S. counselor for economic transition in Iraq, is not concerned about the non-American business activity in Iraq, in fact, to the contrary, he is encouraged as evidenced with his statement that, "This is a normalization of Iraq's relationship with the rest of the world".

While America's large corporations are not yet matching the investments into Iraq, individual or institutional investors are and one example mentioned is a $120 million deal to build a major hotel in the Green Zone where U.S. and Iraqi government offices are located.

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First Basra, Now Sadr City

When al-Maliki took on al-Sadr and his merry band of militia thugs and killers, in Basra, the battle ensued and it was Sadr that surrendered the fight... Maliki won and the towns people spoke out in support of Maliki and the Iraqi Army and the town came to life again.

Part #2- Maliki wins in Sadr City as well as Sadr agreed late Friday to allow Iraqi security forces to enter all of Baghdad's Sadr City and to arrest anyone found with heavy weapons in a surprising capitulation that seemed likely to be hailed as a major victory for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.

A government supporter said the Sadrists were brought to the table by the anger of Sadr City residents. On Thursday, the Iraqi military ordered Sadr City residents to evacuate in apparent preparation for a major offensive push.

"It is not the government who pressured the Sadrists into entering this agreement," said Ali al Adeeb, a leading member of the Dawa party. "It is the pressure from the people inside Sadr City and from their own people that will make them act more responsibly."

For al-Sadr there is nowhere left to hide, no town left to control and no town left to torture, murder and intimidate.

Perhaps he will stay hidden in Iran.

God riddance to bad rubbish.

Head over to INDC Journal as Bill brings news and photos of his day trip into Sadr City.

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al-Qaeda Leader In Iraq Arrested

[Update] Despite what the Iraq's Defense Ministry spokesman said, US officials say it is not Abu Ayyab al-Masri.

Another major blow dealt to al-Qaeda in Iraq comes with the arrest of Abu Ayyab al-Masri, an Egyptian also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, in the northern city of Mosul.

The US Military is in the process of confirming his identity but Iraq's Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Mohammed al-Askari told Reuters the head of the local province's security operations had told him that Masri had been detained.

Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf said an associate of Masri who had been detained in an earlier operation took security forces late on Wednesday to where the al Qaeda leader was hiding in Mosul.

After being detained, Masri had confessed to being the al Qaeda in Iraq leader, Khalaf said, adding his identity still had to be confirmed.

If his identity is confirmed and officials are sure they have him, then this is a major blow for an already beaten down al-Qaeda in Iraq.


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Basra Comes to Life

A Times Online journalist goes to Basra and reports that a city once fearful and scared of the militia that threatened and killed indiscriminately, is now a city alive with activity where bands are performing at wedding parties, women are wearing jeans and young people are afraid to attend school and are looking forward to it.

When al-Maliki decided to crackdown on the al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in Basra, many criticized him and reported every problem that happened, every death , every moment of the battle as if a battle happens with no fighting.

Now, weeks later, things have changed for Basra and the people who live there and they are happy with the changes.

Not long ago we quoted Basra residents saying they finally felt secure because of the Iraqi security forces presence and today we see things are looking up and Basra has, indeed, turned a corner.

Yet after three years of being terrified of kidnap, rape and murder – a fate that befell scores of other women – Nadyia Ahmed, 22, is among those enjoying a sense of normality, happy for the first time to attend her science course at Basra University. “I now have the university life that I heard of at high school before the war and always dreamt about,” she told The Times. “It was a nightmare because of these militiamen. I only attended class three days a week but now I look forward to going every day.”

She also no longer has to wear a headscarf. Under the strict Islamic rules imposed by the militias, women had to cover their hair, could not wear jeans or bright clothes and were strictly forbidden from sitting next to male colleagues on pain of death.

“All these men in black [who imposed the laws] just vanished from the university after this operation,” said Ms Ahmed. “Things have completely changed over the past week.”

Read the whole thing.

This has been a turning point, but not just for Basra, but for Maliki as well. He has shown that once he determined that with US and coalition help, his security forces were capable of taking Basra back and giving it to the residents instead of the murdering thugs that has controlled the area for so long, he was capable of making the decision, implementing it, and winning a very important battle.

One many doubted he or his Army was ready for, yet they did it.

They had their problems along the way but by any definition of success, Maliki was successful.

For the first time in four years local residents have been emboldened to stand up to the militants and are turning in caches of weapons. Army checkpoints have been erected across Basra and traffic police are also out in force.

The security forces have also torn down many banners supporting al-Mahdi Army as well as portraits of its leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, though some still remain in militia strongholds.

The contrast could not be more stark with the last time The Times visited Basra in December, when intimidation was rife.

The militias aka the men in black, have vanished and Basra has come to life and the residents of Basra have no intention of letting those men in black back into their town to rule.

Basra has chosen freedom, liberty and happiness.

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Basra Residents: We feel secure

For all the hype, criticism and questioning of al-Maliki deciding to crack down on Sadr's Mahdi Army and militias in Basra, the residents are cheering the move and stating it was a good thing to have happened and that they feel more secure.

Residents expressed relief at the improved security.

"I am very happy about the situation right now. The deployment of the Iraqi army has made gunmen and gangsters disappear from the streets," said court employee Mahdi Fallah, 42.

"The gangs were controlling the ports and smuggling oil. Now the ports are back in government hands. Everything in Basra is better than before."

Taxi driver Samir Hashim, 35, said he now felt safer driving through the city's streets and was willing to put up with the traffic jams caused by the many security checkpoints.

"We feel secure. Assassinations have ended, organised crime is finished and armed groups are no longer on the streets," said Hashim.

"I think Basra will be the best city in Iraq," he added optimistically. "We are finally beginning to feel there is law in Basra."

"We feel comfortable and safe and secure," said civil servant Alah Mustapha.

"The situation in Basra is stable. The Iraqi army controls the city and there are no longer armed groups on the streets."

Despite problems that went with the crackdown, the Iraqi forces with the coalitions help have arrested 430 people, including 28 death row convicts who had been on the run and rescued British photographer Richard Butler on Monday two months after he was kidnapped from a Basra hotel.

Sadr, of course is bitter and has denounced the crackdown but the people of Basra are happy that their streets are being protected by the Iraqi Security Forces now and not a bunch of murdering thugs.

A similar crackdown is also under way in the Mahdi Army's eastern Baghdad bastion of Sadr City where around 90 people have been killed in clashes between US and Iraqi forces and Shiite militiamen in the past 10 days.

al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army are quickly becoming completely irrelevant as Iraqi's take their streets back.

The Iraqi security forces weeded out the week, with some 1,300 soldiers and police being fired for failing to do their duty, thereby strengthening those that remain that do not have to worry about those watching their back having conflicting loyalties.

Good for Maliki and good for the Iraqi Security teams as well as the people of Basra.

Military Recruiting and Retention Numbers for March 2008

Military News

The Department of Defense announced today its recruiting and retention statistics for the active and reserve components for the month of March.

Active Duty Recruiting.

March Monthly. All services met or exceeded recruiting goals for the month of March (below) and have surpassed goals for fiscal 2008 to date.

March 2008	Accessions	Goal	Percent
Army	6,066	6,000	101
Navy	2,909	2,909	100
Marine Corps	2,234	1,632	137
Air Force	2,093	2,093	100

Active Duty Retention. Army and the Marine Corps retention continued with a strong showing this month; both are exceeding year-to-date goals.

Reserve Forces Recruiting.

March Monthly. All six reserve components met or exceeded their accession goals through March 2008.

March 2008	Accessions	Goal	Percent
Army National Guard	6,048	6,040	100
Army Reserve	4,304	3,543	121
Navy Reserve	865	865	100
Marine Corps Reserve	553	553	100
Air National Guard	946	784	121
Air Force Reserve	720	719	100

Related:

Michael Yon, who embeds with our military in Iraq, also has some words about how things are going, via the Wall Street Journal.

I may well have spent more time embedded with combat units in Iraq than any other journalist alive. I have seen this war – and our part in it – at its brutal worst. And I say the transformation over the last 14 months is little short of miraculous.

The change goes far beyond the statistical decline in casualties or incidents of violence. A young Iraqi translator, wounded in battle and fearing death, asked an American commander to bury his heart in America. Iraqi special forces units took to the streets to track down terrorists who killed American soldiers. The U.S. military is the most respected institution in Iraq, and many Iraqi boys dream of becoming American soldiers. Yes, young Iraqi boys know about "GoArmy.com."

Read the whole thing from someone who is there far more than he is not.

H/T Tanker Brothers for the DoD link above.


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al-Sadr Tries To Save Face In Basra

Quite a few reports have come out since the start of the offensive in Basra. It has been spun in every direction in the media and the latest news is that al-Sadr has ordered his fighters to stand down.

Al-Sadr’s statement was issued by his headquarters in Najaf and broadcast through loudspeakers on Shiite mosques.

“Because of the religious responsibility, and to stop Iraqi blood being shed ... we call for an end to armed appearances in Basra and all other provinces, anyone carrying a weapon and targeting government institutions will not be one of us.”

He has his list of "demands" yet he is in full retreat and those demands are his was of trying to save face.

Different people declare different reasons for Sadr's actions, some claiming he was doing it from a position of strength and others assert it is because he was losing and needed to limit his losses as best he could.

So which is it?

Bill Roggio explains it by using the numbers, which do not look good for Sadr....not good at all.

With the fifth day of fighting in Baghdad, Basrah and the South completed, the Mahdi Army has suffered major losses over the past 36 hours. The Mahdi Army has not faired well over the past five days of fighting, losing an estimated two percent of its combat power, using the best case estimate for the size of the militia.

A look at the open source press reports from the US and Iraqi military and the established newspapers indicates 145 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 81 were wounded, 98 were captured, and 30 surrendered during the past 36 hours.

Since the fighting began on Tuesday 358 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 531 were wounded, 343 were captured, and 30 surrendered. The US and Iraqi security forces have killed 125 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad alone, while Iraqi security forces have killed 140 Mahdi fighters in Basra.

When the Brits withdrew from Basra, everyone knew there would come a time where that area had to be dealt with, one of the last strongholds for insurgent forces and this five day offensive against the Mahdi Army, undertaken by al-Maliki and Iraqi security forces, with support from the US Military and coalition forces was a good example of what has been maintained since we started training their security forces.

They showed an incredible ability, with our help, to take on the toughest of fights and force Sadr and his Mahdi Army to stand down.

Recent reports blasted headlines that some Iraqi security forces were taking off their uniforms and joining the Mahdi Army, and Roggio addresses that by the numbers as well.

The Sadrist movement claimed numerous Iraqi policemen and soldiers are defecting. "Groups of Iraqi troops came to us to lay down their arms," said Sheikh Salam al Afraiji, the leader of the Sadrist movement in eastern Baghdad.

But the spokesman of Baghdad Operations Command denied Iraqi security forces are defecting en masse. "The registered number that we have [defecting to the Sadrists] is that 15 soldiers were able to escape," said Major General Qassim Atta in a briefing today in Baghdad. Atta stressed that there are over 50,000 Iraqi security forces operating in Baghdad, and some level of defections should be expected. Atta also said Maliki has "ordered [the military] to prosecute those soldiers according to the Military Punishments Law."

It seems in some areas, Iraqi's are happy to see al-Maliki and the Iraqi security forces uprooting the Mahdi Army, and are actually taking to the street for a rally to show al-Maliki support.

While there has been few press reports from Diwaniyah, several hundred residents felt the security situation was good enough to hold a rally in the center of the city. More than 200 demonstrators marched in support for Maliki's operation to uproot the Mahdi Army in Basra. Police and tribal militias were also seen patrolling the streets.

Read Roggio's entire piece.

The most telling about all of this is where al-Sadr is now.

Hiding in Iran.

Where is al-Maliki?

In Basra.

Game. Set. Match.

The fighting will continue on a lesser scale, 5 days of offensive by al-Maliki is but a drop in the bucket in Basra, which has been under the control of the Mahdi Army since 2005 and al-Maliki had to wait until his army was strong enough to be a force in this battle.

They will continue to weed out the insurgents from the Mahdi Army, but the main offensive will be quieter now.

More from Iraq The Model, an Iraqi that reports from Iraq.

[Update] As a side note- In Sadr's statement he also denied his fighters had any heavy weaponry. This makes us wonder what he calls the 25 missile launchers, 60 rifles, five mortars and a large amounts of ammunition that police seized from two large Mahdi Army networks the police uprooted in Karbala and in Babil province.



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Angelina Jolie: Not Just a Pretty Face

Angelina Jolie is an actress. She has won three Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and an Academy Award. She is hounded by photographers and reporters on a daily basis, reporting on her personal life and cameras constantly following her around for a picture of her and her family (Brad Pitt and their children)

What some do not know is that she is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency since August 27, 2001.

Jolie has received wide recognition for her humanitarian work. In 2003, she was the first recipient of the newly created Citizen of the World Award by the United Nations Correspondents Association, and in 2005, she was awarded the Global Humanitarian Award by the UNA-USA. Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni awarded Jolie Cambodian citizenship for her conservation work in the country on August 12, 2005; she has pledged $5 million to set up a wildlife sanctuary in the north-western province of Battambang and owns property there. In 2007, Jolie became a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and she received the Freedom Award by the International Rescue Committee.

She is beautiful, some would say, inside and out, but the one thing she is not, is just a pretty face.

Recently Jolie returned from Iraq and on February 28, 2008, she wrote an Op-Ed piece for the Washington Post, titled, "Staying In Iraq to Help".



Originally that article was named "A Reason to Stay in Iraq", but for reasons unknown, the Post changed that title.

She speaks about the progress of the surge, but she speaks from humanitarian viewpoint and as she puts it, "We have finally reached a point where humanitarian assistance, from us and others, can have an impact."

You can read about her trip, who she spoke to, the work that is being arranged to help displaced Iraqi's to go home, but a few of her comments need to be highlighted.

Today's humanitarian crisis in Iraq -- and the potential consequences for our national security -- are great. Can the United States afford to gamble that 4 million or more poor and displaced people, in the heart of Middle East, won't explode in violent desperation, sending the whole region into further disorder?

What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made. In fact, we should step up our financial and material assistance. UNHCR has appealed for $261 million this year to provide for refugees and internally displaced persons. That is not a small amount of money -- but it is less than the U.S. spends each day to fight the war in Iraq. I would like to call on each of the presidential candidates and congressional leaders to announce a comprehensive refugee plan with a specific timeline and budget as part of their Iraq strategy.

As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq. They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible.

(Emphasis mine)

Jolie has stated her support of Barack Obama in the past and is in no way what one would consider a "war-monger", or a conservative, nor is she the typical Hollywood celebrity that will kick back in their recliners and insist, without ever having been to Iraq, that they know more about what is going on there than the people who are in Iraq.

She risks her life for her humanitarian work, she was pregnant when she went on the Iraq trip and she understands the political landscape in Hollywood, yet she is honest enough to return after having seen the progress and the difference from her last visit and speak up publicly about the surge, the opportunities and to speak honestly about the ramifications of withdrawing irregardless of the devastation it would cause.

In the world of Hollywood, this could be the equivalent of "career suicide".

She seems to think the truth and helping the people of Iraq is more important than the risk of being shunned in Hollywood.

No.... she is not just a pretty face, she is a woman of honesty and integrity and because of her humanitarian work, not her ability to act, she deserves to be listened to because she has earned that right, not by using her celebrity to push some political agenda, but because she puts herself out there to help others across the globe.

(As a side note since this post is about Iraq- John McCain is in Iraq on an unannounced surprise visit.)

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Progress in Iraq from a Soldier IN Iraq.

There is still much left to be accomplished in Iraq. But the successes of the men and women serving in this once explosive area of Baghdad cannot be overstated. Sitting here in Adhamiyah, one thing is certain: The surge has worked.

These are the words of Anthony J. Diaz, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve, recently received a master's degree in strategic studies and international economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

He lists a number of ways that Iraq is seeing improvements and progress and the whole thing must be read.

So, go and read what is happening from one that is there and actually knows.

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53 percent of Americans Believe the U.S Will Succeed in Iraq

Americans have seen the poll figures continue to rise in a "surge" of their own since General Petraeus took command in Iraq and implemented the new counterinsurgency strategies with additional troops added to the mix and the current news has consistently shown a reduction of violence in amazing levels, all across Iraq.

Monthly troop deaths have dropped by about two-thirds since the summer of 2007.

For the first time since the surge began, public opinion shows, via Pew Research, that 53 percent of Americans now believe the U.S. can succeed in achieving its goals, in Iraq. That figure has risen from 42 percent in September of 2007.

48 percent also believe the war is going "very well" or "fairly well", which is an 18 percent "surge" from the previous poll done in September.

A Politico article also points out that the poll numbers, although not the same exact figures, are showing the uptick for support from other organizations that run polls or surveys.

CBS News shows that public opinion of the war is better than at any point since August of 2006, according tho their figures, 43 percent of respondents say the war is going "well", while not matching the figures of Pew, that is double the level of last Junes figures for CBS.

(Click Chart to Enlarge)

Military Progress.

Pew Research began tracking the public perception of U.S. Progress in Iraq in December of 2005 and for the first time more respondents say that the United States is making progress in reducing civilian casualties than those that say it is losing ground. 46 percent believe progress is being made and 40 percent think it is losing ground.

Similarly, 49 percent now say the United States is making progress in defeating the insurgents, while just 35 percent say it is losing ground.

A clear majority, 57 percent, say the U.S. Military is making progress in training the Iraqi military forces and only 29 percent think they are losing ground.

The only area of the poll to which a negative plurality still exists is on the question of preventing civil war between various religious and ethnic groups. 35 percent of respondents believe progress is being made in that key area while 49 percent believe ground is being lost. Even though the plurality is negative, Pew shows that those numbers are continuing to rise as well. As of February 2007, only 18 percent believed progress was being made on that front and that number has risen by 17 percentage points. In February of 2007 the 68 percent of respondents believed that ground was being lost and that number has declined by the same 17 percentage points.

Political progress.

A plurality of 49 percent says the U.S. is making progress in establishing a democracy in Iraq compared to 40 percent that say it is losing ground. According to Pew Research, this is the first time since 2006 that a plurality sees progress on this measure.

Opinion by party affiliation.

(Click to Enlarge Chart)

In addition, somewhat more Democrats now than a year ago believe that U.S. troops should remain in Iraq. Currently, 81% of Republicans favor keeping troops in Iraq, the highest percentage recorded since the beginning of 2004. Nearly half of independents (49%) agree, the highest percentage in more than a year. And while only 27% of Democrats hold this view, this is also higher than it has been since January 2007.

What this means politically for the 2008 November elections.

According to the CBS figures, (13 page PDF file) almost half the American voters believe John McCain (48 percent), the Republican candidate, will be an "effective commander in chief", while less than 25 percent said the same of the Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. (23 percent for Obama, 20 percent for Clinton)

Furthermore, CBS finds that a "clear majority" (56 percent) were “confident” that McCain could “handle an international crisis”, Obama received 47 percent and Clitnon 39 percent.

Democrats’ resolute support for the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces may soon position them at odds with independent voters, in particular, a constituency they need to retake the White House.
Half of self-identified independents polled now believe the United States should “keep troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized,” according to polling data assembled by Pew at Politico’s request.

Michael O’Hanlon, a national security adviser at the Brookings Institution, asks, "How could Democrats possibly hand McCain a better issue than to let him run on his record of advocating a robust U.S. presence in Iraq with all the positive battlefield news that is filtering out of that country?"

Interestingly enough, even though views for the war have largely varied according to party affiliation, Democratic supporters still, by and large, want the troops brought home as soon as possible without regard to conditions on the ground, but for the first time 29 percent of Democrats now support keeping troops in Iraq, that number has risen from 21 percent last summer.

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Iraqi Youths Rejecting Extremists and Violence and Blaming Clerics

It has been a long road but then again people that have lived with extremism in the name of violence and oppression forced on them by violent means could not be expected to learn what liberty and freedom means overnight.

Abe Greenwald from Commentary points us to a lead story in the New York Times which shows that young Iraqis are tired of violence and death and are blaming...nope, not the Americans as certain groups would assume, but the religious clerics that use violence and extremism and claim it is done in the name of Allah.

While religious extremists are admired by a number of young people in other parts of the Arab world, Iraq offers a test case of what could happen when extremist theories are applied. Fingers caught in the act of smoking were broken. Long hair was cut and force-fed to its wearer. In that laboratory, disillusionment with Islamic leaders took hold.

A Shiite sheik from Baghdad says that the term Allahu akbar, which is a phrase that means "God is great" and is used when extremists behead people, is turning the youths off and making them blame Islam itself, he adds, "The young people, they think that is Islam. So Islam is a failure, not only in the students’ minds, but also in the community."

It is not only Shiite;s that are pointing this out as evidence by a moderate Sunni Cleric, Abu Mahmoud, that helps to deprogram religious extremists who says that where people used to give their "eyes and minds to the clerics" and trusted them are now saying "You cost us this."

One comment from Bushra, a professor at Baghdad University’s School of Law, says that youths have started started to hate the religion and are disgusted by the religious men that use violence in the name if Islam.

The article points out that much of the insurgency had little to do with religion and more to do with the violent extremists that offer cash as a recruitment tool and that at first it was easy to "romanticize" that is was a violent struggle against "Americans", but that has changed in the eyes of the young and their parents.

It point to a young girl, a 24-year-old Iraqi college student, who says, "I used to love Osama bin Laden," stating that at first the attack on America on 9-11 was a "strike at American supremacy" and the deaths abstract.

Now her attitude, in her words, "Now I hate Islam. Al Qaeda and the Mahdi Army are spreading hatred. People are being killed for nothing."

One Falluja father with a 20-year-old son, Mohammed Ali al-Jumaili, tells reporters that parents used to worry about their children smoking or drinking but now their focus is keeping their children away from terrorism.

It is a three page, lead article in the New York Times and the full thing should be read to get a gist of how violence, once the only thing Iraqi's knew, is a difficult cycle to break but the people of Iraq are standing up and breaking it.

Freedom isn't free...

That is an expression that many claim the "neo-cons" use to because they "like" war, but throughout history we have seen that Liberty and Freedom isn't free. It requires the sacrifice of men and women that believe freedom and liberty is worth the price.

Two examples of that price would the American Civil War, known as the deadliest in American history, which caused approximately 620,000 soldier deaths and an undetermined number of civilian casualties and although the cause was different it brought about the freedom of slaves, ending slavery in the United States.

Another example was World War II, which was the single deadliest conflict the world has ever seen, where the estimated cost of life was 72 million people.

The fact is Freedom is not free, as history teaches us, and the youths in Iraq are a new generation that are becoming aware, as stated in the original article, that religion is not an excuse for murder and destruction and that freedom and liberty are something that once tasted, is not something that will easily be let go of.

It has been a long road and these young people will be the ultimate winners when all is said and done.

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Vets For Freedom- Pete hegseth Speaks From Baghdad

Via email:

Vets for Freedom Members:

Greetings from Baghdad!

I have embedded with fellow American soldiers and am witnessing the dramatic progress first hand. It is a very different Iraq from the one I once patrolled with my unit in 2005. Unfortunately our congress refuses to acknowledge this progress and this is made evident as yesterday, Senators Feingold and Reid introduce two bills whose ostensible goal is to force the administration to "re-focus on our top national-security threat - al-Qaeda and its affiliates. The Senate has now debated this over three dozen times since taking over Congress, demonstrating that they have completely lost touch with the reality of what's happening on the ground in Iraq.

I have addressed this issue in my piece in National Review Online.

"If only certain U.S. Senators truly understood the global nature of our vicious enemy in Iraq. ... Given the fact that today we are facing a determined al-Qaeda effort to destabilize Iraq, wouldn't any rational person include Iraq in their list of places where al-Qaeda must be defeated? Not Obama, Feingold, and Reid, who believe "we need to safely [i.e., immediately] redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq." Whatever misgivings these senators may have felt about the invasion of Iraq in the first place, today we are there. And so is al-Qaeda. Any "strategy to combat and defeat al Qaeda globally" must begin there." Read More.

Yesterdays comments made by Senator Reid, claiming that we need to "take care of Americans before Iraqi's" demonstrates how far from reality he has fallen. He continues to recite talking points from radical anti-war liberal front groups such as MoveOn.org and Code Pink on the floor of the U.S. Senate, I am embedded here in Iraq with American soldiers, witnessing first-hand the tremendous success of General Petraeus's ‘surge' strategy. With sectarian killings down 95 percent, suicide bombings down nearly 70 percent, and IED attacks cut nearly in half in the last year in Baghdad, it's about time that defeatists in Congress recognize that we are achieving success in Iraq, and that a safe, secure and free Iraq is critical to our security here at home.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Call these five Senators and let them know that the costs of retreat are enormous so we must complete the mission in Iraq by defeating Al Qaeda.

These senators need to hear from Iraq & Afghanistan veterans, and those who support them about the importance of success in these missions and our national security.

Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) 202-224-6342
Susan Collins (R-ME) 202-224-2523
Norm Coleman (R-MN) 202-224-5641
Harry Reid (D-NV) 202-224-3542
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (202) 224-2541

Now is the time to keep up the pressure-we are winning in Iraq, and the American people need to know it. Join us in supporting the brave troops in the field who are taking the fight to America's enemies.

Move out and Draw Fire!

Pete Hegseth

Executive Director
Vets for Freedom

Well everyone.... pick up the phone...lets start making those calls.

Then head over to the contact Senate page and start firing off emails.

Tomorrow....DO IT AGAIN.

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Antiwar Democrats Flailing-- Show Voting

"Show Voting"- Political bills that have no chance of passing, simply held as a public show.

With the recent good news from Iraq that even the NYT rag was forced to start reporting, and the political progress that has occurred over the last few months in Iraq, it is political suicide for the Democratic politicians to continue to try to force America to surrender in a battle that we are undoubtedly, finally winning.

Just to show readers how badly the Democratic politicians are reading the "public" by pandering to their far left extremists base, the latest CNN/Opinion Poll, conducted in February, asks this question:

"In general, do you think the U.S. military is or is not making progress in improving conditions in Iraq and bringing an end to the violence in that country?"

52% of the respondents said is, the U.S. military IS making progress and improving conditions in Iraq and bringing an end to violence in that country.

45% said is not.

Compare that to the same questions asked on 8/6-8/07 and you see that 49% had said is not and 47% said is.

The American public is seeing the progress and noticing it.... the Democratic politicians are also, but have allowed themselves to be owned by the far far left so they have to pander to them.

The Democratic politicians have a problem though, the anti-war base that they have pandered to for so long is demanding payment for their support and in what will be the fifth failed attempt at cutting off funds for American troops to withdraw in 120 days, the Democratic politicians will hold a vote today, Tuesday on a pair of bills by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) that would yank the military’s funding in Iraq in 120 days.

The reason I say failed attempt?

Because they already admit, before holding the vote, that it will fail.

Once again spending time and our taxpayer monies on a vote that has no chance, which they admit, to actually pass and become law. THAT is a "Show Vote".

Despite the unpopularity of the war, the votes will give Republicans and their presumptive nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the opportunity to accuse Senate Democrats of trying to choke off funding when there are signs of military progress in Baghdad. McCain is making his support for the war a centerpiece of his presidential platform heading into November.

The withdrawal measure is certain to fail Tuesday, and would mark the fifth time it has been rejected by the Senate in the 110th Congress.

The hesitation in talking about Iraq marks a dramatic shift from last year, when Democrats held continual Iraq votes to put pressure on centrist Republicans to distance themselves from President Bush’s sagging popularity and back troops withdrawals.

The whole thing is nothing more than a "show vote", putting on a show, albeit a short one, for their Code Pink and MoveOn base to keep them happy and to offer a "claim" that they are still trying to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.

It is a pathetic attempt and knowing it will fail they are already planning to take the vote and as quickly as possible to move on to the economy.

Even though Democrats are not shy about pointing to March 19, the five-year anniversary of the start of the war, they are not eager about holding this week’s votes on Iraq because they know they could be used by Republicans looking for more ammunition against their candidates, aides say. As soon as the votes end, the chamber will immediately turn to a bill aimed at easing the housing crunch, which — unlike the Iraq measures — Democrats plan to talk about at length this week, including after their policy luncheon Tuesday afternoon.

As the article in the AP points out, the Democrats are flailing and as they put it, "deliberating their next step in trying to rebuild anti-war momentum."

In there lies the problem.

Only the hardcore, bury their heads in the sand, Code Pink/MoveOn diehards, still obsess over the war in Iraq, but since reports have consistently shown amazing political and military progress in Iraq, the moderates, the blue dogs, the independents and the conservatives are all aware of the progress and the anti-war Democratic politicians feel the need to "rebuild anti-war momentum".

Another reason for this bill coming up and to be voted on before moving on to do their actual jobs, would be paying off a bribe or two.

According to aides, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who co-sponsored Feingold's proposal, agreed to stage Tuesday's vote in exchange for Feingold's earlier support of a defense policy bill. The measure is expected to fall short of the 60 votes needed to pass.

So, Reid bribed Feingold to get him to vote on the defense policy bill and is more than willing to have a "show vote" to pay off that bribe.

Thats our Democratic politicians, never letting us down in regards to showing us exactly how corrupt and incompetent they really are!!!

So, they will hold their "show vote", it will fail as they already knew before holding it that it would, and they move on to another strategy.

I will bring you the roll call of how badly they failed as soon as they hold the vote and it is put online.

(Hat tip to A Newt One)

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Good News From Iraq

When the New York Times bites the bullet and is forced to go against their own political agenda to report the good news in Iraq, it has GOT to hurt.

As we mentioned yesterday, Iraqi's have seen some decent political progress, more so than our own politicians can take claim to with the FISA bill, as just one example.

Our Senate passed a broadly bipartisan FISA bill, just three days before the current extension (the current extensioin was passed because they were too incompetent to pass the bill before it expired on Feb. 1) was set to expire and the House couldn't even hold their OWN caucus together in order to pass yet another 21 day extension, yesterday, and yet the Iraqi politicians, with decades less experience have overcome three major political hurdles.

One month after Parliament approved a law intended to open government jobs to former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party, American officials insist it will ensure that more former Baathists will be hired than barred. That will take a lot more good will and follow-through than Iraq’s central government has so far shown.

The Bush administration — which has displayed only intermittent interest in Iraq’s political stalemates — will have to press a lot harder to make sure that all these new laws are translated into action.

We are, of course, cheered by the news that representatives from Iraq’s three main ethnic groups — Shiite, Sunni and Kurd — finally saw some benefit in compromise.

The Kurds’ largely autonomous regional government got what it wanted — a 17 percent share of the 2008 budget. The Sunnis will be the main beneficiaries of the amnesty law since 80 percent of the detainees in Iraqi jails are Sunnis.

The third law will transfer more power to Iraq’s ethnically dominated provincial governments — something all groups say they want. There are already questions about whether the provincial governments will be ready to hold elections in October. The United States and its allies will have to move quickly to provide both funding and technical help.

Must have been hard for the NYT to admit this, they offer it with plenty of caveats but for a paper that often only reports what it wants to instead of actual news....this HAD to hurt.

As I said yesterday, perhaps Pelosi and Reid should go and get some pointers from Maliki on how to get a job done, even though he has had to overcome conflict within five different factions of Iraqi politics and the Democratically control House and Senate only have to deal with two.


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A Challenge From a Soldier in Iraq

From Digital Freedom Network.

Written by :
Ray Reynolds, SFC Iowa Army National Guard 234th Signal Battalion

As I head off to Baghdad for the final weeks of my stay in Iraq, I wanted to say thanks to all of you who did not believe the media. They have done a very poor job of covering everything that has happened. I am sorry that I have not been able to visit all of you during my two week leave back home. And just so you can rest at night knowing something is happening in Iraq that is noteworthy, I thought I would pass this on to you. This is the list of things that has happened in Iraq recently: (Please share it with your friends and compare it to the version that your paper is producing.)

* Over 400,000 kids have up-to-date immunizations.
* School attendance is up 80% from levels before the war.
* Over 1,500 schools have been renovated and rid of the weapons stored there so education can occur.
* The port of Uhm Qasar was renovated so grain can be off-loaded from ships faster.
* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.
* Over 4.5 million people have clean drinking water for the first time ever in Iraq.
* The country now receives 2 times the electrical power it did before the war.
* 100% of the hospitals are open and fully staffed, compared to 35% before the war.
* Elections are taking place in every major city, and city councils are in place.
* Sewer and water lines are installed in every major city.
* Over 60,000 police are patrolling the streets.
* Over 100,000 Iraqi civil defense police are securing the country.
* Over 80,000 Iraqi soldiers are patrolling the streets side by side with US soldiers.
* Over 400,000 people have telephones for the first time ever.
* Students are taught field sanitation and hand washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs.
* An interim constitution has been signed.
* Girls are allowed to attend school.
* Textbooks that don't mention Saddam are in the schools for the first time in 30 years.

Don't believe for one second that these people do not want us there. I have met many, many people from Iraq that want us there, and in a bad way. They say they will never see the freedoms we talk about but they hope their children will. We are doing a good job in Iraq and I challenge anyone, anywhere to dispute me on these facts. If you are like me and very disgusted with how this period of rebuilding has been portrayed, email this to a friend and let them know there are good things happening.

(Emphasis mine)

Dispute his facts, do not look backwards, do not harp on the past, try dealing with the reality of the present and either dispute his facts or sit down, shut up and get out of their way.

By the way, the Iraqi's ratified the De-Baathification law today.

Rough road still ahead but we are winning. Our troops and General Petraeus have a strategy that is working and I second SFC Ray Reynolds challenge... dispute the facts or STFD.

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