Isn't this "you're undermining the troops" attitude a little like saying that if one complains about mine owners' lack of safety standards, one is blaming the miners themselves for any accidents?
Posted by Sharon at August 14, 2007 09:30 AMThe Escalation by the numbers. Context always helps.
peter is just finishing up his Rush-the-Lush brain transfer, so he'll be along soon with someone else's thoughts.
Posted by phidipides at August 14, 2007 09:50 AMSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY - did not serve. Another chickenhawk, squawk!
I think it's time we "Ditch Mitch" McConnell. That is one political group I will be donating funds to.
The Escalation by the numbers. Context always helps.
Outstanding Phid!!
I was going to say I had compiled some data, but hell, Tom gets paid for it!
I don't think peter will even read your link!
He has already made up his mind, because so called war critics, Michael O'Hanlon-Kenneth Pollack said the surge was going great!
Sending Iraqi crude oil to Iran and Turkey for refining, will not make "the Dick" a happy man!
Posted by Seven of Six at August 14, 2007 10:33 AMI like the challenge by retired Gen Clark to defend what doesn't need defending. This Congress approved Gen Petraeus 81 to 0 to command and start the surge to change our direction in Iraq. He came up with the plan, Congress approved it. And he's going about the job he's been given. So where are the 500,000 body bags from Iraq? They had one of their religious days today where they march through the streets. Masses of people, no bombings, very little to no violence. People doing what they would normally do.
There's more, this from Syria:
"DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syria is facing a violent campaign by Islamist militants and six border soldiers died in attacks launched from inside Iraq, a senior Syrian security official said on Thursday.
This is the first time Syria has publicly disclosed details of the fight against militants, which has intensified this year.
"We are conducting operations against terrorist cells and we have taken martyrs," Mohammad Mansoura, head of the Political Security branch of Syria's intelligence apparatus, told a closed door session of an international security conference on Iraq.
"Raids have yielded arsenals of weapons including suicide explosive belts. Our border forces have come under 100 attacks from inside Iraq. Six soldiers died and 17 were injured," he said in a speech obtained by Reuters in a translated copy."
Seems AQI is attacking out of Iraq they're so down within Iraq. They're taking their attack elsewhere where there are easy targets. Must be tough being AQI today. Driven from place to place by the hunter/killer groups of our military and Iraqi allies.
But Salih told reporters he was encouraged by what he saw in Baqubah, the provincial capital: streets full of shoppers, produce and sodas for sale in the market, and men with graying beards smoking cigarettes and sipping tea at a cafe."LAT
I really liked the cost of a coffin going from 5-10 dollars to 50-75 dollars. Looks like the profit motive has arrived in Iraq. Saddam didn't give bodies back very often and when he did. He charged the family for the bullets needed to kill their family member.
And looking at the number of American military deaths compared to 2004, 2005, and 2006. Everybody knows when you're on offense, casualties rise.
Yeah Phid lots of stats. War is expensive, and rebuilding a country is expensive. Congress must have understood that when they gave the authority to our president. This Congress seems to understand that too. The president asks and this Congress delivers. Sometimes even more than he ask for as in FISA expansion.
And 7of6, how awful is it that you're sitting on oil all over the place and yet Iran is rationing gas. All without an armed conflict happening within it's boarders.
Your link show progress is being made in Iraq for commerce. I thought many of the pipelines were severed. This is great news you're bringing. Even with the instability caused by the British pull down of troops, this contract was made. That pull down or withdrawal is an indicator of what would happen had we followed your antiwar types lead in Iraq. Create instability in an area that has been calm. Living proof of your wrong thinking. We must stay there to create a normalcy, a routine life style, a secure lifestyle.
Posted by peter at August 14, 2007 12:14 PMchew on this Peter:
Dozens of uniformed gunmen in 17 official vehicles stormed an Oil Ministry compound in Baghdad and abducted a deputy oil minister and three other officials.
Hey, SoS, did you catch this Greenwald piece on the foreign policy community?
Look! peter posted! I scolled right on by. I can go to any republi-con blog -or many newspapers- and cut-n-paste a post that would resemble it. So why bother reading the damn thing?
Posted by phidipides at August 14, 2007 12:55 PMMore food for thought peter:
BAGHDAD - Three suicide truck bombers targeted members of an ancient religious sect in northwestern Iraq on Tuesday, killing at least 20 people and setting apartment buildings and stores ablaze, while the crash of an American transport helicopter near an air base in Anbar killed five U.S. servicemembers.
Yeah, the surge is just going swimmingly alright.
Posted by redstater at August 14, 2007 12:55 PM3700. any minute now.
Posted by T2 at August 14, 2007 01:08 PM3700. any minute now.
I hope peter chose the correct date square in the republi-con office pool!
Posted by phidipides at August 14, 2007 01:31 PMI scolled right on by
Sure you did !
Posted by jj at August 14, 2007 01:32 PMSo Phid and T2, when will it it 5000? 7500? Y'all seem to look forward to the numbers so much so when?
We must stay there to create a normalcy, a routine life style, a secure lifestyle.
Did you notice that the Iraqi's did this without U.S. help, numbnuts!!
No Peter, it is to remind people like you what the cost is in American lives, not that you give a crap.
Posted by Judith at August 14, 2007 07:20 PMThe Vote for Freedom veterans are just another incarnation of the Swift Boat Liars group...with the same objective..."swiftboating" anyone that patriotically dissents and disagrees with the insane Bush administration policies that have literally decimated our military and gotten our soldiers killed.
Hmmm, I wonder exactly from whom the Vote for Freedom veterans get funding?
Posted by The Oracle at August 14, 2007 11:17 PMHegseth is executive director of Vets for Freedom. All your questions can be answered at SourceWatch: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vets_for_Freedom.
Posted by Artificial Intelligence at August 15, 2007 04:09 AM