Free Republic

AN immediate withdrawal by Australia from Iraq would not hurt the country's alliance with America, former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage said. And Peter Khalil, a Melbourne-born Pentagon adviser and former head of security for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, agreed. Mr Khalil said Diggers had done their job and could withdraw knowing they had stabilised a large section of southern Iraq. The Australian force's size limited what it could achieve, Mr Khalil, an analyst with Eurasia Group in Washington, said. And moving it to Baghdad to fight insurgents was not likely because of the political risk...

Once again, the world can see the barbarism, the recklessness, and the cruelty of what we have come to refer to generally as terrorism. The question however is, "what has changed?" Even still, there are those crying retreat. This, to me, is both incomprehensible and indefensible. A group endorsing a murderous ideology blows up several public transportation networks, killing scores of people and injuring hundreds more who are guilty of nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and some people still have the audacity to say that these savages are right and we should retreat...

Here is an updated list of First Sergeants in country to whom toys can be sent for distribution to Iraqi children. The troops are all Vermonters out of a reserve unit. They are, among other duties, in the "hearts and minds" business. Who knows how a small toy can benefit our troops, the war effort, and the United States of America. HMH 1SG Scott Bigelow, HHC/2-172 AR, Camp Navistar TF Green Mountain, APO AE 09317 1SG Shawn Washburn, Co A/2-172 AR, Camp Navistar TF Green Mountain, APO AE 09317 1SG Steven Corliss, Co B/2-172 AR, Camp New York TF GreenMountain,...