Posted on 10/30/2007 9:33:19 PM PDT by goldstategop
On Monday, the U.S. military turned over the war-torn Karbala province to Iraqi security forces. The assumption of control by Iraqi security forces marked the eighth such handover by the U.S. military since the start of the Iraq war. Of the 18 Iraqi provinces, 10 remain under U.S. military control.
Cautious optimism is beginning to bloom in the desert. Though the Iraqi government itself has acknowledged its foot-dragging with regard to assuming responsibility over security -- "Allow me to say that we are late, very late, to reconstruct, to rebuild our forces for reasons that I do not want to mention here," said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki -- the situation in Iraq is steadily growing less tenuous. According to iCasualties.org, fatalities from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have decreased dramatically and consistently since May 2007, from 90 in May to 16 in October. Iraqi forces are either in control of or leading operations in broad swaths of 16 out of 18 provinces.
The troop surge in Iraq has produced real results on the ground. And as security improves, the movement to take back Iraq from warring factions will snowball.
Momentum is the key to continuing improvement in Iraq. "The reconstruction of Iraq does not hinge on security alone," says Maliki, "but security is the key to everything." And security continues to improve. According to the Department of Defense, over 67,000 Iraqis have volunteered to help coalition and Iraqi forces secure neighborhoods. Says one lieutenant stationed south of the Baghdad International Airport in the American-controlled Baghdad province, "The violence and IEDs in the [area of operations] seem to have slowed down considerably a couple months before we arrived. It was definitely due to Iraqi local nationals setting up their own checkpoints or ISVs (Iraqi Security Volunteers). They police their own roads and areas to keep [al-Qaeda] insurgents and any other bad guys out. They have done this with great success."
The potential for success in Iraq creates an interesting political situation domestically. While those on the right have maintained strong support for the war -- leaving aside the small minority of conservatives who back Chuck Hagel and Ron Paul -- those on the left have clamored for immediate withdrawal. That extremism has cost the left dearly. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, perhaps the most popular politician in America only a few months ago, has seen her fortunes tumble: Her favorability rating, which stood at 53 percent in April 2007, now stands at 29 percent. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has seen a similar drop in popularity: In May, Reid's favorability rating was 46 percent. It is now 19 percent.
The only hope for the left is the Machiavellian Senator Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. Among the leading Democratic presidential candidates, only Clinton has embraced moderate rhetoric about the future of Iraq. Her far-left base continues to fume, but Hillary's bet hedging will likely win her the Democratic nomination for president -- even Democrats recognize that snatching defeat from the jaws of victory isn't a winning 2008 campaign strategy.
Meanwhile, the Republican star rises with the burgeoning Iraqi stabilization. The media exaggerated the pronouncement of imminent Republican death -- a Rudy Giuliani nomination could spell renewed electoral success in 2008. In the face of a hostile media establishment and an unhappy American public, George W. Bush may have pulled off the greatest success of his presidency: winning democracy in Iraq and, in doing so, keeping a party of defeatists out of power.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
as iraq security improves, so does iraqi economy. This means fewer will want to work on IED’s and get real jobs instead.
also see
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htweap/articles/20071005.aspx
In a nutshell, The dems bet against our troops,... and lost.
Dumb asses.
May the reap the whirlwind for it.
This is great news. It would be wonderful to see Bush’s policy vindicated—and besides if Iraq continues to make progress for its own security it could bode well for Republicans in 08.
How about that 400 million he wants to give to Palestine?
When you do the right thing (liberate Iraq and Afghanistan) for the right reasons (liberty and freedom for all), the right outcome always happens (eventually).
GOD BLESS OUR FINE MILITARY - MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
The Iraqis, including the government, were waiting to see if the Democrats or the administration was going to prevail, whether we would stick it out or bail and leave them to their fate under the murderous al Qaeda. That is why Pelosi, Reid and the other anti-war Democrats were so vocal, they were trying to support al Qaeda against the American forces and the Iraqi government and cause a panic.
Instead the evil Karl Rove won (Bush is too dumb to do it on his own. :-)
And Pelosi "is working very quietly and very effectively behind the scenes" to gather votes to impeach President Bush, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Cal) told a town hall meeting in Los Angeles Oct. 17.
They tried their Vietnam formula - but, DumbRats that they are, they have never understood that this is a VOLUNTEER military. They aren't resentful that they are where they are. They signed up for it.
AND they believe in their mission, where the dems Vietnam War was a disaster from start to finish, due to the politicians calling the on-the-ground battles...
They right quick got that denigrating the troops this time would not be tolerated so they pretend to support the troops but not their mission.
The troops are not fooled.
Besides, to say you support them but not their mission is to say they are stupid and don't know what they are doing.
They will never learn to clear leather beFORE shooting...
That there is funny, I don't care who ya are!
Flight suit....on the deck....Victory!
WaaHoo!!!!!
Then....what happened....??
We find out that the 'Strategery' Department had no one manning the desk or phones. In hindsight, one had to make the leap of faith that the 'Strategery' Department even existed.
Obviously, and sadly, it did not.
So, now we are supposed to get excited by, "In the fourth year of the Iraq War, thanks to The Surge, President Bush outmaneuvered the Democrats."........???
If GWB was truly concerned with defeating Al Qaeda, it would have / should have been 'game over' several years ago.
You tie this defeat of AQ to the "defeat" of the media and the Democratic party...... Why?
GWB had every opportunity, after 9/11, to go hunting with a license to kill. If only a little planning had been done. Some better advice from advisor's, perhaps.
Please, don't mistunderstand me, we need to be in Iraq and we were right to go there in the first place.
And we need to kick the sh!t out of Nut-Men-A-Job and Iran, RFN! Will that happen? LVSB's give a line of 1/10.
Wasted opportunities, all.
The good news from Iraq is too late, for the voters. The senior military bubba's all say that we need to stay there for several years..........
Well that is going to come to a screeching halt come late '08 isn't it?
Yes, at this point I think the RNP has the "ice cube in hell" chances of winning anything in '08. Just me.
Today was the tipping point for me........
The MS program had a House Rep (R) (sorry, forget his name - will have to go look) from Texas, on for a lengthy interview. The subject was the border and illegal immigrants.......
"We gave up on the White House and the Administration.....no response after repeated attempts to talk....and requests for help"
"Therefore we (myself and many fellow members) decided to act in the best interests of our constituents and concerned citizens across this nation......we are going to bypass the Administration and do what is right!"
"We are talking directly with the Border Patrol section/division heads." "Do what you need to do, and you have our full support. This is in coordination with ALL legal authorities in the affected areas - local, county, state AG, etc.
"We are going to enforce the laws on the books from 1952 - we catch you, you go to jail for 6 months. You are then deported. We catch you again, you go to jail for 2 years. The Sheriff's Office has signed on to support the added burden of the cost of incarcerating these "criminals".
"It has worked in (county name -forget), people are sick of this unchecked invasion. Hispanic people are jumping for joy that we are doing this, they are tired of the criminal element from the other side, free to cross the border at their whim....all citizens are tired of the burden that the illegal "criminals" put on local resources." "Well, it's worked here and the citizens are extremely supportive of the effort, my immediate goal is to work with all BP sector heads from here to Brownsville. We should be be able to do that in several months, these folks know what is right and want to do what is right, but are hamstrung by the White House. We decided to bypass the White House, and do what is right for Texas and the rest of the US. I will not rest until we have all the BP section heads, from Austin to San Diego, are on line and allowed to do what they know is right, and all want to do - enforce the law that is already on the books. We don't need the Immigration Reform Act......we need to enforce the laws that we have. This Administration does not want to do that. So we will just bypass them, and do what the people want us to do!""
Finally, a voice of reason and wisdom.
And it did not come from GWB........
Where is GWB's 'strategery' on the border control issue?
......sounds of crickets.......he has none!
Other than, of couse, allowing us to be over-run by foreign governments.
I've learned that he has an agenda for this country.
And I don't like it, OFB!!!!
I have also learned, from his actions, that he is not a Republican....at all. Never has been, only pretended to be one.
I got suckered, big time.
He is a very Liberal / Globalist type that has done some serious damage to this country, and gladly continues to do so.
Question: if you, Goldstategop, were POTUS, would you allow China to buy into Cisco?
Would you continue to allow foreign nations, especially ChiCom, to buy / own this nation's debt......continue to allow the crap from ChiCom land into this country?
And I used to bitch about Bill Clintoon allowing the transfer of our missle technology to the ChiComs........we'll hush my mouth, huh?
Seems that we got one of them, too.
I would say that I'm sorry I voted for him, twice, but condider the alternatives at the time, I guess.
God help us, we are so screwed.
/rant off.
We’re clearly winning, so it’s definitely time to surrender.
The sign on the flight deck was put up by the sailors to signify the accomplishment of removing Saddam...not total victory in Iraq. When stupid people project their stupidity onto others its a telling tale.
I rubbernecked and held up traffic. I am sorry that I couldn’t resist and didn’t just keep accelerating through this. I feel ashamed that I held held those behind me up but I’m a sucker for wreckage.
"Shortly after Pelosi began pushing the resolution earlier this month, PKK Kurdish guerrillas dramatically increased their attacks on Turkish targets from bases just across the border in Iraq. Turkey has mobilized troops and is threatening to invade Iraq to go after them.
What if the timing of these two events one after the other is not coincidental? What if Speaker Pelosi is in collusion with the PKK to ruin America's impending victory in Iraq?
Iraqi Kurdistan bordering Turkey is Iraq's greatest success story, Iraq's most peaceful and prosperous region. Much of this prosperity depends on booming trade and business with Turkey. Much of America's war effort depends on supplies and troop rotation run through the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.
If you wanted the best way to screw up our war in Iraq, inciting Turkey into invading Iraqi Kurdistan and shutting down Incirlik if we try to stop them would be your choice.
This is, in fact, what just about everybody in Iraqi Kurdistan believes Nancy Pelosi is doing.
Snip....
According to my sources within the Kurdistan Regional Government in Irbil, Iraq, at that time Pelosi's accompanying staffers established contact with representatives of the PKK in Damascus."
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