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Well, it was still illegal to drink alcohol while carrying, wasn't it?

Withdrawal from Iraq before that nation is fully prepared to provide for its own security and stability, particularly a requirement to withdraw by an artificial deadline sometime next year, would be devastating for our troops, for our military, and for our nation.

Many commentators and pundits are fond of comparing the situation in Iraq to the war in Vietnam. While some of these comparisons are valid, many of them simply do not hold water. But if playing Vietnam games is what gets everyone's attention, I've got a Vietnam analogy for you: In the decade following our withdrawal from Vietnam in the early 1970s, over ONE MILLION civilians were killed by Communist forces in the region. Some of these killings were retaliation for choosing to stand with America during the war. Some of these killings were politically motivated. But many of the murders were committed simply because killing is how the enemy we fought in Vietnam interacts with the rest of the world; death and destruction are the language they use to communicate with those who do not convert to their cause.

THAT is what will happen in Iraq if we allow the extremists and the terrorists free reign. Perhaps a million dead, or more, because America decided that it was just taking too long.

But, as shameful as that would be, I'm not going to veto the bill because it would sentence many freedom-loving Iraqis to torture and death. I'm not going to veto the bill because a shattered Iraq would unbalance the Middle East even further and risk the interests of our nation and of our allies. I'm not even going to veto the bill because an extremist-controlled Iraq would be a serious blow to the cause of freedom and liberty that is struggling to take root in many former subjugated areas of the world.

I am going to veto the bill because early withdrawal from Iraq would be a major defeat for our military. It would signal to the world that we have been beaten and would give hope to other potential enemies who would defeat us as well if given the opportunity.

I am going to veto the bill because early withdrawal from Iraq would be an insult to the men and women of the armed forces who have worked so hard, made so many great sacrifices, to help establish democracy in a land that has long been ruled by tyrants and despots. There is no middle ground between victory and total defeat.

I am going to veto the bill because America cannot afford to give up on a cause that has come so far. Make no mistake. There is still a very long ways to go. And, sometimes, it seems like we're not moving forward. But while freedom can be granted in a day, it takes years, generations perhaps, for freedom to really get a hold on a people and for people to really get a hold on freedom. To quit now, simply because we haven't finished a decade-long job in four years, would signal that we don't have the heart and determination to see our cause through.

>>>Not over the top. In fact, in some ways it's not far enough. But I think something along these lines should be doable. Too bad we won't see it, though I'd love to be proven wrong...

Read the rest at Murdoc Online

After Tuesday - great? The veterans,yes. The country, no.

Come on...are you saying that the United States of America just suddenly went down the tubes on Tuesday? We went from GREAT to NOT GREAT overnight because of one election? At least wait until the folks elected screw something up (which I have no doubt they'll do) before declaring that the United States is no longer a great country.

Larger version available at Murdoc Online. Feel free to share.

Is this a great country or what?

NOT A PHOTOSHOP. See for yourself. Is it me, or is this hilarious?

Incidentally, as the first headline shows, Poland is ponying up some troops. They've been pretty solid so far.

Okay. I changed my mind. After looking at close-ups again of Pic #2 I agree that it is, in fact, the Minnie doll. My bad. Good catch.

I don't think that's even Minnie Mouse in Pic #2. Its head is too small around the jowls and the face appears to be made of hard plastic, not furry like the Minnie in Pic #3.

I don't doubt that the guy in Pics #1 and #2 is up to something, but I don't know that I think staging Pic #3 is it.

Agreed that the wage growth and even unemployment support the "all the good workers already have jobs" theory, but 121K growth isn't all that "tepid". Last June was 166K, but the previous five Junes were 55K growth combined. (Including a loss of 43K in June 2000 during Clinton's "golden period", FWIW.)

I think we can live with "tepid" if this is it.

MSNBC.com has the story buried two-thirds of the way down and calls the jobs growth "tepid".

Some of the questions/results, discussion, and link to full .pdf here

"The Screwtape Letters" is all about devils. I think it glorifies them "somehow"...

No prob, Cannoneer. Your hotlinks weren't the issue. It's the bad apples that ruin it for everyone...

Recon Strykers have actually trained with the Border Patrol recently. They didn't engage anyone, but their optics, comm, and navigation gear gave the BP a leg up in intercepting illegals.

I noted it on my site (with a pic I found of them on the border) at http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/003040.html.

Murdoc says "Let's train the Army on the Mexican border more often!"

Sorry Cannoneer...for some reason my hotlink protection was disabled...I had to restart it, which killed the pics here.

Not sure what I did, but I just found out I'm WAAAAY over my bandwidth for the month due to (others earlier) hotlinking pics on my site.

This is good news. The regular army will probably whine about losing men and resources and funding, but (given the lack of just about everything to equip a fully-functional conventional force) this will definitely get the most "bang per buck".

Or is that "bang per CAN$"?

This video is from an Apache and first surfaced about two years ago.

Although we've never met, Bill and I have exchanged a number of emails before and during his trip to Iraq. I donated a bit of my web site's proceeds to his cause, and I basically begged my readers to do the same. My sales pitch was that Bill was smart, regular guy who did his best to tell it like it is. "If you're sick of mainstream media's coverage, here's your chance to put some money where your mouth is."

Bill's reporting was great, and this response from the Washington Post underscores the fact that he represents the new world. This guy took off work (he calls it "leave of absence", so it's probably unpaid...though I don't know for sure) to report on the military from Iraq. Think about it. Most "real" reporters won't report on the military from Iraq when reporting is THEIR JOB.

I've been trying to get him to write a book on the operations in western Iraq.

Bill used to run The Fourth Rail. Now he contributes at Threats Watch (http://www.threatswatch.org/). Check him out.

What I always find interesting is that whenever some kids do some truly awful things and were homeschooled, that always get prominent mention. Like those two girls in that neo-nazi band "Prussian Blue"

I'd like to see some "teenager, educated by the government, robs gas station" headlines once in a while...

I know where we can find a little help along the border:

Strykers on watch at Winds of Change

This is a time of war. The military should be more involved in securing the borders.