Friday, June 22, 2007
HOW TO WIN WAR ON TERROR
SOME THOUGHTS ON HOW TO WIN THE WAR ON TERROR
June 21, 2007 -- HALLELUJAH! For the first time since Baghdad fell, our military in Iraq has a comprehensive, integrated plan to defeat our enemies.
Until now, our efforts have always been piecemeal, stop-start affairs. Even our success in the Second Battle of Fallujah in 2004 went unexploited.
Things have changed. And terrorists, not just Iraqi civilians, are dying.
The 10,000-man operation reported in the Baquba area is only one part of a broader effort. In the words of a well-placed officer in Baghdad, "Operations like that are going on around Fallujah, Salman Pak, in Eastern Anbar, the belts around Baghdad, in Arab Jabour, outside of Taji and throughout the Diyala River Valley."
This widespread offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq and other terrorists is part of a carefully developed, phased plan. The first step as the troop surge proceeded was to establish livable conditions in key neighborhoods of the capital.
That step was vital, but insufficient in itself. Terrorists fled, but they didn't disappear. They just sought refuge elsewhere. And while neighborhood pacification involved aggressive tactical actions, it ultimately put our forces in a defensive posture.
And you can't win solely by playing defense, either in the NFL or in war.
Gen. David Petraeus understood that. He's done things methodically, operating from a coherent design - not just reacting as was our practice in the past, but imposing our will on the enemy. After regaining lost ground in Baghdad and exploiting Sunni Arab disillusionment with al Qaeda in Anbar Province, our military took the offensive. We pushed the enemy off "our" turf. Now we're going after "their" turf.
This balance between defensive and offensive operations, integrated across central Iraq, is the first time we've seen a classic approach to military operations in post-Saddam Iraq. Amazing, but true.
What hurdles lie ahead?
First, it remains an open question whether we've got enough boots on the ground. While Petraeus and his team are using our forces with remarkable efficiency, there ain't no more to send.
The second, enduring question is whether the Iraqis will finally knock off their squabbling and shoulder their share of the burden. Petraeus is giving us a lesson in skillful generalship, employing U.S. troops where he must, Iraqis where he can. But, in the end, we can't win this unless the Iraqis win it for themselves. Pious statements about "brave Iraqis" only get us so far: We're still only buying time - and no one can pretend that time isn't running out.
Which brings us to the home front, where the war just might be lost, no matter what progress we make on the ground.
Political hucksterism and poll-pandering on Capitol Hill amount to stabbing our troops in the back. Period. The insistence that success or failure will be determined beyond doubt by September is pure political quackery.
The military operations and political maneuvering in Iraq are infernally complex. The earliest we might know anything will be around Thanksgiving - and all we'll know then is whether or not the Iraqis are getting on board in a serious way.
After four lost years, we need to have realistic expectations - unless we intend to throw the game for domestic political reasons. Gen. Petraeus is playing a bad hand with greater skill than we had any right to expect. He's making meaningful tactical progress. We don't yet know if that will translate into a strategic turnaround - but, for God's sake, let's give him a chance.
And let's not lose sight of our own national-security priority, which is defeating al Qaeda. Terror International is having a really bad time in Iraq these days: More and more Sunni Arabs are breaking with al Qaeda and its affiliates over their insufferable brutality. The Baquba-area operations involve former enemies now fighting on our side against the foreign terrorists. That's not just good news for Iraq. It's good news for America.
Much could still go wrong. We don't know if those Sunni Arabs will keep faith with us over the longer term - and now the Shias who control the government are bewailing our new local alliances. Sunni Arabs have realized at last that they've got to "cooperate to graduate." Now the Shia are the ones who insist on playing a zero-sum game.
And, of course, we never eliminated Muqtada al-Sadr. For which we're going to be even sorrier than we are now.
Still, there's reason for sober optimism at the moment: We've finally got a coherent approach to defeating our enemies, not just parrying them. It looks like our military leaders have gotten serious at last.
God help us, it almost looks like we want to win.
Source: NY Post June 21, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
GENERAL PACE; AN HONORABLE MARINE
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
ALBANY SCHOOL BUDGET DEFEAT FALLOUT
FALL OUT FROM ALBANY SCHOOL BUDGET DEFEAT.
Albany is the Capitol of New York State. The future of this city, and those who call Albany home, depends on having a Class A city school system.
Albany voters defeated a 189.5 million dollar proposed city school budget containing another 7 percent property tax increase, on Tuesday, May 15, ONE DAY after Governor Spitzer and Democratic politicians who control the State Assembly, State Senate Minority and Albany City and County governments staged a rally on the East steps of the Capitol, endorsing U.S. Senator, Hillary Clinton, Democrat, for President of the United States in the February 2008 Primary and November General Election.
Unlike, Barack Obama, state and local Democrats, had a tough time getting together several hundred people to give the appearances of support for Hillary. The small crowd was herded together so that tv and photo shots would accentuate that appearance. Most of the crowd was made up of State Democratic officeholders and State Legislative staff, local Democratic officeholders and their staffs, and about 400 school children, mostly from the suburbs.
What has this to do with the voters defeating the Albany City school budget one day later? Those seeking votes should act on behalf of, and to benefit those from whom they seek votes...the politicians should EARN and MERIT those votes.
In this case, take immediate, decisive action to fix the failing Albany City Schools.
Governor Spitzer, Senator Hillary Clinton, and State Assembly Speaker Silver should use their considerable political clout to fix the failing Albany City school system, by promoting, and passing into law, this session, a Governor's Program Bill that provides for the following:
1. Dissolution of the Albany City School Superintendent position ,Albany City School Board, Albany City School District and merger of the District with Albany City government.
2. The Office of the Mayor of Albany, shall be responsible and accountable for the administration and operation of the Albany City Public Schools.
3. Creation of one city property tax roll to finance city government, including the city schools.
4. Return to a K-8 City Neighborhood School System which is best for kids, parents and neighborhoods.
Governor Spitzer , the New York State Legislature , and Presidential candidate U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, have the power and responsibility to make this happen, this session.
J P Sullivan, Albany
Thursday, May 10, 2007
CDC EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS SITE
CDC EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS RESPONSE WEBSITE:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/ very useful
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
AMERICANS ALL?
AMERICANS ALL? TIME TO STOP PLAYING THE RACE CARD, STOP PROMOTING MULTI-CULTURALISM, BI-LINGUALISM. DIVIDED OUR NATION WILL FALL. SPEAK ENGLISH! SECURE OUR BORDERS!
Read: Click here: Ending Racial Preferences: It's About Time by Linda Chavez - HUMAN EVENTS
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: SEND THEM HOME
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS are lawbreakers. American citizens should demand that the illegal immigrants be deported to their countries of origin.
