NYP: BEHIND THE CASUALTIES - Coalition is on the offensive

New York Post ^ | August 8, 2005 | MACKUBIN T. OWENS

[BushisTheMan]

I suppose you're a New York Times fan though, right?
You're obviously related to DU posters.

[COEXERJ145]

I tuned into Rush today and the guy who is hosting for Rush sounds like he is going through the New York Slimes talking points.

[Alberta's Child]

I stopped reading the NY Times long before I stopped reading the NY Post.

You're obviously related to DU posters.

Anyone who knows me here on FreeRepublic understands how preposterous that statement is, so I'll just laugh it off.

[OESY]

Insurgents Not Happy With Current Management


American forces in Iraq have intercepted a letter from a local terrorist leader from the Mosul area to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The letter does not claim glorious progress against the infidel invader; instead, it complains about the quality of leadership in Northern Iraq and the decreasing effectiveness of the al-Qaeda effort:

A letter apparently written by a rebel leader to terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi decries the insurgency's leadership in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a hotspot in the war.
Security forces seized the letter last week in a raid on a safe house that netted arrests and other items. Task Force Freedom, based in Mosul, issued a copy of the letter and a statement about it Saturday.

The letter, from an insurgent named Abu Zayd, who calls himself "emir of Farming reform battalion on the west side," cited the incompetence of Mosul's emirs and the disobedience of other people in the network.


Besides incompetent leadership and mutinous terrorists, Sayd has other, more specific complaints about the Zarqawi network in the north. He says that the attacks have deteriorated as the terrorists have concentrated on quantity rather than quality, and that foreign fighters now must endure "deplorable" conditions -- including "marginalization".

Marginalization? I thought that the press considered this a fight against occupation? We have heard over and over again that our presence in Iraq causes all the violence, that the Iraqis have run out of patience with our troops remaining in their country, and that they support Zarqawi's goal of pushing us out. Sayd, who appears to be much closer to the issue, notes that his terrorists face marginalization and a dire shortage of shelter.

That hardly sounds like the kind of situation the media has described for us in Iraq. It does, however, sound exactly like what Donald Rumsfeld and soldiers on the ground have described for two years now. The Iraqis do not want to be occupied by anyone, but they especially do not want foreign terrorists attempting to do to the entire country what they once did to Fallujah. They want us to get rid of the Zarqawi lunatics, and to help them develop an army to keep the Islamofascists out for good.

Zarqawi apparently never got Sayd's warning. Hopefully, the American public will notice it instead.


-- Captain Ed, captainsquartersblog.com/mt/

[justa-hairyape]

(The funny thing is, though, ABC/CBS news never get upset about the 3,500 Americans who die in traffic accidents every month, and there's more we could do to prevent those casualties.)

Thats over 100 Americans dieing every day from automobiles. Many are woman and children. Yet apparently the greater death concern is the few brave soliders who volunteered to go to Iraq.

Why dont we get a daily terrorist death toll from the media ? As in the number of terrorist killed in Iraq today.

[justa-hairyape]

I tuned into Rush today and the guy who is hosting for Rush sounds like he is going through the New York Slimes talking points.

He was a light weight. Darn. One of the few time I get a chance to listen and he had a light weight substitute. The sub completely missed the fact that last months total KIA was low and that the higher KIA so far in August may be due to US offensive and upcoming politcal events occuring this month. I turned it off hoping someone would call him and correct him.

[hawkaw]

You're obviously related to DU posters

I cannot believe you wrote that.

FWIW, AC is quite okay in my books and I think you should apologize for that comment.

[COEXERJ145]

He was a light weight. Darn. One of the few time I get a chance to listen and he had a light weight substitute.

Yeah, Mark Belling is boring and IMHO comes off as uninformed. Actually, most of Rush's guest hosts are the same way. Roger Hedgecock isn't bad except when he goes off on his Southern California immigration rants. Walter E. Williams is okay but he only seems to host on occasion, usually on Fridays.

[SevenMinusOne]

I agree with Owens, but his article is an implicit condemnation of the terrible job the Pentagon and administration are doing in educating and informing the American people. Providing us with some broad understanding of what is going on in Iraq would not compromise operational security. The terrorists who are under attack are pretty much aware of the fact. The usual reporting that focuses only on US casualties suggests that the terrorists have the initiative. They clearly are taking the initiative in some ways, but we are in others, and this deserves emphasis. Indeed, I believe most Americans would be more supportive of the effort if it is emphasized that offensive operations are necessary to reduce the enemy's future ability to impose his will. Right now, it too often appears that American blood is being shed for no strategic purpose. We can only lose in Iraq if our will falters. The terrorists know this too--it animates every aspect of their strategy and tactics. To sustain the citizenry's will it is necessary to help them understand what is happening on the ground and how that relates to a broader strategy.

You are exactly right - The WH (and more so the entire RNC) have done a piss-poor job with the PR battle here at home - Talking up our purpose and our successes - There is NO intensity behind the WH or RNC when it comes to fighting the PR war back here at home (yet they ask our soldiers to fight 24/7 over there - which are soldiers do proudly!).

The WH and RNC need to get some intensity behind stating the facts and repeating over and over our successes. That is not a military job.

[bitt]

Not to pile on, but I am always shocked to see such rude comments thrown at ANY FReeper, much less someone like AC.

If you are suspicious of a poster and check the profile for 'newbie' status...and FIND it is a newbie, then sniff around and let them know...

BUT when you see a vet poster, why would you say such a lousy thing right off the bat? AC is entitled to her opinion, and if you don't like it, move on.

[BushisTheMan]

I have the right to disagree with any poster. AC writes drivel and anti-American comments. I don't like it and I said so.

[BushisTheMan]

See post 31.

[bitt]

No one needs to get jumped.

[Alberta's Child]

Thanks, folks. BushIsTheMan is certainly entitled to his/her opinion, and I'm used to getting some abuse now and then (LOL) -- but I'll stack my conservative credentials up against anyone else here on FreeRepublic!

Y'all might be interested to see a story that was posted here the other day about News Corp., Rupert Murdoch's media conglomerate that is the parent company of the New York Post, FOX News, etc.:

Click Here

I've said for some time that Rupert Murdoch isn't much of a "conservative" at all, and stories like this lend some credence to my cynicism. He's a media mogul and nothing more, and a conservative political philosophy is probably not even an important priority for him. Many of his hired mouthpieces for his various media outlets (including the NY Post, FOX News, and the Weekly Standard) have been strong supporters of John McCain, and I'm not even certain that some of them (William Kristol is a good example) are even registered Republicans.

[RobbyS]

We can thank the Turks for screwing up our original invasion plan.

[Zeroisanumber]

We can thank the Turks for screwing up our original invasion plan.

At least we didn't have to pay them their blood money. Cold comfort, but comfort none the less.

[RobbyS]

We can also talk cold satisfaction that if we can't hold Iraq together that the Turks will find a Kurdistan on their southern border and that we probably will form an alliance with the Kurds.

[BushisTheMan]

I think I'm the one jumped. When a long-term posted gets criticized, their posse comes out in their defense. This isn't the first time it's happened...won't be the last either.

But I'll stand with my statement that AC sounds like a DU poster. Whenever I see weird anti-American comments made, I look at the poster's name...many times it AC.

[bitt]

Don't know AC and don't know you, either; I calls it as I sees it. It was rude.

[BushisTheMan]

Rude is in the eyes of the beholder. I didn't. He made anti-American comments and I called him a DUer. Yes it is rude to be a DUer so he just just stop his irritating comments. You ought to go back and review the kind of statements he makes first before calling my comments rude.