http://news.yahoo.com/s/realclearpolitics/20070717/cm_rcp/first_anbar_now_baquba_is_al_q;_ylt=Aj1AfqLa8_oI2s9y26dl5tXMWM0F
"Is Al Qaeda in Iraq on the Run? Jack Kelly
Tue Jul 17, 9:30 AM ET
CNN's Michael Ware said in a broadcast Jan. 30 that Ramadi is "the true al Qaida national headquarters." If that were true, al Qaida is in bigger trouble in Iraq than most of us realize.
Radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt devoted his show last Wednesday to the (overwhelmingly negative) opinions of Iraq war veterans on the demands of Democrats that U.S. troops be pulled out. One call was from "Bruce in Upland," whose son is a soldier currently serving in Iraq.
"I will speak for my son who right now is bored out of his mind in Ramadi, because he hasn't heard a shot fired in combat now in about six or seven weeks," Bruce said.
There were about 22 enemy incidents per week in Ramadi in April, said Marine Major Jeff Pool. That's declined to "about two per week." (An enemy incident is any type of direct or indirect fire, from a sniper to a mortar or an IED attack.) Throughout Anbar province, the number of "incidents" has dropped from about 400 last December to 155 last week, said Maj. Pool, the public affairs chief for U.S. forces in western Iraq.
"Though these numbers are a substantial drop, I believe them to be artificially high," Maj. Pool said. The increased operational tempo resulting from the troop surge has increased exposure to the enemy as it has increased the number of al Qaida operatives killed or captured, he said.
"Anbar is returning to a state of normalcy, so I consider the soldier in Ramadi being bored a true measure of progress," he said.
"
Originally posted by Merkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_Ng%E1%BB%8Dc_Loan
Because it doesn't fit the agenda.
"The photo won Adams the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography, though he was later said to have regretted the impact it had. The image became an anti-war icon. Concerning General Nguyễn and his famous photograph, Eddie Adams later wrote in Time:
“ The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera. Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world. People believe them, but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths...What the photograph didn't say was, 'What would you do if you were the general at that time and place on that hot day, and you caught the so-called bad guy after he blew away one, two or three American soldiers?'
How do you know you wouldn't have pulled the trigger yourself?
”
Eddie Adams later apologized in person to General Nguyễn and his family for the damage it did to his reputation. When General Nguyễn died, Adams praised him as a hero of a just cause:
“ The guy was a hero. America should be crying. I just hate to see him go this way, without people knowing anything about him.[2] ”
"
Originally posted by zeeblebotImagine how thrilled he'll be to come home!
"I will speak for my son who right now is bored out of his mind in Ramadi, because he hasn't heard a shot fired in combat now in about six or seven weeks," Bruce said.
Isn't Al Qaeda always already on the run--by definition?
in today's news:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070718/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=ApDJ9pnA921Yky.ZS_V2eGis0NUE
"US says al-Qaida leader arrested in Iraq By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 20 minutes ago
BAGHDAD - The U.S. command announced on Wednesday the arrest of an al-Qaida leader it said served as the link between the organization's command in Iraq and Osama bin Laden's inner circle, enabling it to wield considerable influence over the Iraqi group.
...
Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud al-Mashhadani was the highest-ranking Iraqi in the al-Qaida in Iraq leadership when he was captured July 4 in Mosul, U.S. military spokesman Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner said.
...
Bergner said al-Mashhadani had told interrogators that al-Baghdadi is a "fictional role" created by al-Masri and that an actor with an Iraqi accent is used for audio recordings of speeches posted on the Web.
"In his words, the Islamic State of Iraq is a front organization that masks the foreign influence and leadership within al-Qaida in Iraq in an attempt to put an Iraqi face on the leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq," Bergner said.
Proclamation of the Islamic State is widely seen as a blunder by al-Qaida because it alienated independently minded insurgent groups that opposed the religious zealots' goal of an Islamic caliphate.
Fearing they would be marginalized by al-Qaida, Sunni sheiks and insurgent leaders began turning against the terror movement, in some cases cooperating with U.S. forces, notably in Anbar province.
..."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070713/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_terror_threat_65
"Al-Qaida works to plant U.S. operatives By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer
Fri Jul 13, 6:51 AM ET
WASHINGTON - Al-Qaida is stepping up its efforts to sneak terror operatives into the United States and has acquired most of the capabilities it needs to strike here, according to a new U.S. intelligence assessment, The Associated Press has learned.
ADVERTISEMENT
The draft National Intelligence Estimate is expected to paint an ever-more-worrisome portrait of al-Qaida's ability to use its base along the Pakistan-Afghan border to launch and inspire attacks against the United States over the next several years.
Yet, the government's top analysts concluded that U.S. soil has become a harder target for the extremist network, thanks to worldwide counterterror efforts since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
..."
Originally posted by MerkDid you hear the dems crying like a bunch of babies, because the republican wont let them have their way in congress.
Let's face it, the donks and their allies in the press can't tell us. They have to hurry up and lose Bush's war before he wins it.
Who is in control of congress right now? How the hell are the republicans running the show?
This makes the dems look helpless. They need to find a new PR firm or something.
Originally posted by lepomisThe best move was Reid calling for an all nighter then sleeping through it.
Did you hear the dems crying like a bunch of babies, because the republican wont let them have their way in congress.
Who is in control of congress right now? How the hell are the republicans running the show?
This makes the dems look helpless. They need to find a new PR firm or something.
Americans are noticing what morons these people are. Congressional approval is the lowest in history at a whopping 14%. Next time some donk mentions how low Bush's rating is, point out that at 34%, its 20 points higher than Congress.
Originally posted by MerkIn Reids defense, he needed his rest. He had a lot of work to do the next day on a shady land deal.
The best move was Reid calling for an all nighter then sleeping through it.
Americans are noticing what morons these people are. Congressional approval is the lowest in history at a whopping 14%. Next time some donk mentions how low Bush's rating is, point out that at 34%, its 20 points higher than Congress.
Originally posted by MerkA good portion of them left to sleep for 4hrs and stumbled back in around 5am. Who can't pull an all nighter... I thought the most important thing for the US was to get the troops out of Iraq.
The best move was Reid calling for an all nighter then sleeping through it.
Americans are noticing what morons these people are. Congressional approval is the lowest in history at a whopping 14%. Next time some donk mentions how low Bush's rating is, point out that at 34%, its 20 points higher than Congress.
The dems can't even hold tough for 24hrs... much less the time it will take to win this war.