http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/gwot/ en-us Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:20:18 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051361/posts He told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, "We have various options. The Nuremberg Trials are certainly an example of the kind of tribunal that we could move forward with. I don't think we'd have any difficulty in devising an international -- internationally supported mechanism that would mete out justice. There's no problem there." McCain said it would be a "good thing to reveal to the world the enormity of this guy's crimes, and his intentions, which are still there." CNN.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051361/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:20:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051222/posts After more than three decades in United States prisons — a term punctuated by a brief escape and recapture — a 62-year-old Croatian independence fighter was returned to his native country on Thursday, having served his time for a 1976 hijacking and a bombing that killed a police officer. The fighter, Zvonko Busic, led a group that planted a bomb at Grand Central Terminal that later exploded, killing a city police officer, Brian J. Murray. Mr. Busic left the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Ind., boarded a plane in Chicago and touched down in Zagreb about 2:20 p.m. on... NYT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051222/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:45:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051240/posts A British Army dog handler has been killed in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The soldier, from the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, died on Thursday after coming under fire while on routine patrol, the MoD said. Six other soldiers were injured in the incident in Helmand Province. The death brings the total number of British service personnel who have died in Afghanistan to 112. The soldier's next of kin have been informed. The soldier was attached to the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, serving in the Sangin area of Helmand. His patrol came under small arms fire from... bbc news http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051240/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:14:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050154/posts BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. troop "surge" in Iraq that President George W. Bush ordered last year has ended after the last of five additional combat brigades left the country, a U.S. military spokesman said on Tuesday. The remaining troops from that brigade departed over the weekend, leaving just under 147,000 American soldiers in Iraq, the spokesman said. "The final elements of the surge brigade have now left, getting out a few days ahead of schedule," he said. The U.S. military had 20 combat brigades in Iraq at its peak in 2007, with troop levels around 160,000-170,000. Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050154/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:26:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049325/posts On Friday, another Canadian was killed in Afghanistan. Corporal James Arnal, 25, was the 89th brave Canadian -- 88 soldiers and one diplomat -- to have died there since our mission began six years ago. He was killed by a roadside bomb while out on foot patrol in southern Afghanistan. It was only natural that, over time, the shock of Canadian combat deaths would wear off, and so news of Canadian fatalities would begin to slip from the front pages. Yet each death of a young soldier killed in the line of duty is tragic, and none more so than... National Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049325/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:19:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049243/posts David Addington and Omar Khadr are two names that will forever be linked to the war on terror.Mr. Addington is chief of staff to Vice President Richard Cheney and a former colleague of mine. He's the son of a West Point man who earned a bronze star in World War II and went on to become a general. Before coming to the White House, David put in stints at the CIA, at a congressional intelligence committee, and at the Pentagon -- all giving him an expertise on intelligence and national security issues only a handful of others can match. Then... WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049243/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:39:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048631/posts Senator Obama has some explaining to do: what does he mean by saying that he would end the war in Iraq? Whereas some aspects of the war seem to indicate that America is at war with itself as the Iraq debate rages in a charged partisan atmosphere, yet it is often the case that wars usually involve more than one side. So who is America at war with in Iraq? And is the enemy willing to end the war, and under what conditions? Then there is another existential conundrum that Mr. Obama needs to contend with: how does one go... The New York Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048631/posts#comment Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:14:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048288/posts If the United States had planned to draw Al Qaeda and its adherents out of Pakistan and into Iraq for a battle in the heart of the Islamic region, it is very unlikely that any official would acknowledge that in public; neither verbally nor in writing. In setting the stage for battling Al Qaeda and invading Iraq, to separate the region and the people from supporting either out of any sense of ethnic or religious loyalty, the United States had spoken deliberately. In both cases, insisting that the United States was not interested in making war on Islam, Arabs or... Argghh! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048288/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:24:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048276/posts Word in recent days of planned talks between the Iranian government and high level State Department officials has provoked calls of flip-flops from the left and hoots from hawks on the right. There's not much to worry about in the cutesy political carping coming from the left, but the right's reaction is disturbing. How many countries does President Bush have to invade or strike before he gets some "street cred" for being tough on terrorists and despots? Can we take a moment to consider that he is making this move for a good reason? Maybe even for reasons he can't... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048276/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jul 2008 06:32:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048112/posts Like a bad dream, the gory images have come back to haunt the land of famished fields and parched valleys veiled in dense layers of dust. Just about when the picture of a woman — covered from head to toe in a blue burqa with a narrow screen in front of her stony eyes — shot in the back of her head was turning grainy, the nightmare revisited Ghazni city last week. Two women, wrapped in blue, were asked to kneel on the ground. And then a few fierce-looking men, with hate dripping from their eyes, nudged the women's bowed... The Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2048112/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:29:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047938/posts This page reflects the ongoing Levi/DRJ debate on Barack Obama and Rev. Wright. (The background, rules, and relative positions are all set forth in this post.) When I have time, I’ll simply cut and paste their arguments so that they can be followed without having to wade through all the comments. Thanks to Dana for the suggestion. Patterico's Pontifications http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047938/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:53:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047326/posts A scene from the recent Colorado senate debate. The man reading from the resolution is Republican Bob Schaffer, the man standing to his left and looking uncomfortable is Democrat Mark Udall. Given the state of public opinion, I’m not sure how smart it is to remind voters that your opponent eventually came around to seeing the war as a mistake while you never did, but as a bit of political theater, I dig it. A lot. Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047326/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:51:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046987/posts WASHINGTON — A federal judge has ruled to allow the first Guantanamo Bay war crimes trial to move forward, blocking an appeal by lawyers for Salim Hamdan, a former driver for Usama bin Laden. Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046987/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:03:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046762/posts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers defied a White House veto threat on Wednesday and voted to bar CIA contractors from interrogating suspected terrorists, in the latest clash over detainee treatment in the U.S.-declared war on terrorism. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives approved the provision in adopting a broad measure to authorize funding of U.S. intelligence agencies for the 2009 fiscal year. A related bill awaits action in the Senate. Passage of the multibillion dollar bill came on a voice vote, indicating broad assent, despite the White House veto threat issued earlier in the day. In addition to the contractor ban,... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046762/posts#comment Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:18:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046016/posts Plane's violating in Pakistan's airspace will be downed Wednesday, 16 July 2008 00:00 www.daily.pk E-mail Print PDF Pakistan has made it clear to the allied forces in Afghanistan that any plane violating the country’s airspace will be downed. "Responsible departments of national security have made it clear to the ISAF that they will give a befitting response to any border and air violation in future," a military official said. He said that it has been made clear to the US military leadership and the Nato commander in Afghanistan that Pakistan will never allow foreign interference on its territory. "Despite being... Pakistan Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046016/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:55:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045856/posts ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful John McCain sharply criticized the flagging U.S. war effort in Afghanistan on Tuesday and vowed to turn it around if elected, starting with sending more U.S. troops. "That's no way to run a war," said McCain, complaining that security in Afghanistan has deteriorated and the status quo is not acceptable. McCain waded into the debate over what to do in Afghanistan, a war begun after the September 11 attacks that Democrats charge has been neglected by the Bush administration as it concentrates on Iraq. An attack on a U.S. base near the... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045856/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:33:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045768/posts WASHINGTON — Senator McCain will announce plans today for an Iraq-style "surge" of troops in Afghanistan. An adviser to the campaign told The New York Sun that, in a speech to be delivered in Albuquerque, N.M., the senator will call for an increase in combat troops and the creation of a special Afghanistan tsar to coordinate policy toward the country. "There will be a surge for Afghanistan. It will be moving combat troops in and applying the lessons from Iraq and the strategy that was successful in Iraq and taking that to Afghanistan," this official said. NY Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045768/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:43:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2045697/posts Last week my wife and I traveled to Fort Hood, Texas to see our youngest son, 1st Lt. Christopher B. Lee, leave with his unit for a 15-month combat tour to Afghanistan. We visited him and his wife, Katie, and our eight-month-old granddaughter Avary, at their military-provided duplex housing on the fort located in Central Texas. Chris’s unit, 1st Battalion of the 26 Infantry Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One), just missed the Pentagon’s policy change of combat tours from 15 to 12 months, by two weeks. If he had been deployed on or after August... North Star Writers Group http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2045697/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:14:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045493/posts Former CIA agent: "We do not face a global jihadist 'movement'" Glenn L. Carle "was a member of the CIA's Clandestine Service for 23 years and retired in March 2007 as deputy national intelligence officer for transnational threats." In "Overstating Our Fears" in the Washington Post, July 13, he says this: We do not face a global jihadist "movement" but a series of disparate ethnic and religious conflicts involving Muslim populations, each of which remains fundamentally regional in nature and almost all of which long predate the existence of al-Qaeda. In a circulating e-mail, LTC Joseph Myers, who has served... Jihad Watch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045493/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:46:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045408/posts FATA militants commit to fight in Afghanistan * Taliban claims militants free to cross into Afghanistan if they do not stage attacks in Pakistan * Pakistan Army spokesman denies military helping militants in any form RAWALPINDI: In early June, about 300 fighters of various jihadi groups gathered in Rawalpindi for a secret gathering and agreed to resolve their differences and commit more fighters to Afghanistan. “The message was that the jihad in Kashmir is still continuing but it is not the most important right now. Afghanistan is the fighting ground, against the Americans there,” said Toor Gul, a leader of... Daily Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045408/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:22:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044912/posts KABUL, Afghanistan, July 13 — Taliban insurgents mounted a large-scale attack on an American forward operating base in eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of Sunday, killing nine American soldiers in fierce fighting that continued through the day. Mark Laity, a spokesman for NATO, confirmed that nine soldiers had been killed and 15 more wounded, but did not give their nationality. Separately, a senior American military official confirmed that the nine soldiers killed were Americans. Four Afghan soldiers also were wounded, Mr. Laity said. The Taliban assault on the base was the deadliest single attack on the NATO security force... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044912/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:38:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045001/posts Both the United States and Britain are hoping to reduce their military commitment in Iraq to focus on Afghanistan. The US is considering cutting American troop numbers to below 120,000, compared with 170,000 last year. Up to three combat brigades could be withdrawn in September. Britain is also looking to cut troop numbers by almost a half in Iraq, from 4,000 to about 2,500, although not until next year. This would give the Government the option of deploying more units to Helmand province, where the Taleban has intensified its operations, using suicide attacks, roadside bombs and mines. More American and... Times Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045001/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:35:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044941/posts INDIANAPOLIS, July 13 (UPI) -- The 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq was motivated by revenge for an assassination attempt former President George H.W. Bush, a former GOP member of Congress says. John Hostettler of Indiana also says the invasion was intended to aid Israel. Hostettler -- one of six House Republicans to vote against the 2002 resolution authorizing use of force in Iraq -- makes the claims in a new, self-published book, "Nothing for the Nation: Who Got What Out of Iraq," the Indianapolis Star reported Sunday. "It cannot be debated that toppling Saddam was accomplished by means of a... United Press International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044941/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:37:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044867/posts KABUL (Reuters) - Insurgents killed nine U.S. soldiers in an assault on an Afghan army and NATO outpost in northeastern Afghanistan on Sunday, making it one of the worst days for foreign troops casualties in the country since 2001. Afghanistan is suffering from a rising tide of violence this year, with a sharp increase in Taliban attacks, especially in the east where NATO says militants have taken advantage of peace deals in Pakistan to cross the border and fight in Afghanistan. --snip-- The dead soldiers were all American, a NATO official said. Fifteen ISAF troops and four Afghan soldiers were... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044867/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:55:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044835/posts President George W Bush has told the Israeli government that he may be prepared to approve a future military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations with Tehran break down, according to a senior Pentagon official. Despite the opposition of his own generals and widespread scepticism that America is ready to risk the military, political and economic consequences of an airborne strike on Iran, the president has given an “amber light” to an Israeli plan to attack Iran’s main nuclear sites with long-range bombing sorties, the official told The Sunday Times. “Amber means get on with your preparations, stand by... Times Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2044835/posts#comment Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:57:58 GMT