Hillary and Kerry To Waste More Time and Money

I wonder if they will sponsor another Overnight Pajama Party and bring in hundreds of cots that no one will use. Perhaps the Loser Reid has started a tradition for unpopular CONgress Critters? Hillary could supply the cigars and Kerry could provide the mustard.

By Stephen Dinan and Sara A. Carter
July 21, 2007

Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Kerry yesterday announced a bill to force the Pentagon to begin planning how to withdraw from Iraq, fighting back after a top Defense Department official said that publicly talking about pulling out "reinforces enemy propaganda."

After calling earlier this year for a briefing on how the Pentagon would withdraw its troops, Mrs. Clinton received a reply by letter this week that she said amounts to "impugning the patriotism of any of us who raise serious questions." She said she will ask the defense secretary to intervene and repudiate the letter, written by Undersecretary Eric S. Edelman.

"I sent a serious letter on a matter of national security to the secretary of defense, and in return received a political response," said Mrs. Clinton, who has been touting her Pentagon request in her presidential campaign.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he would look into the exchange.

"I had not seen Senator Clinton's reply to Ambassador Edelman's letter until today. I am looking into the issues she raised and will respond to them early next week," Mr. Gates said, adding that he supports both congressional oversight and congressional debate on Iraq.

In his letter, Mr. Edelman, a former ambassador to Turkey, defended the new U.S. security strategy and then said talking about withdrawal publicly is a bad idea.

"Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies in Iraq, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia," wrote Mr. Edelman, who Mr. Bush placed in his current post using a recess appointment after Senate Democrats stalled his nomination in 2005.

Mr. Edelman also said the Defense Department has a policy of not releasing operational plans.

(the story continues on page 2...go read the rest)

So, seeing AND knowing that these actions ENCOURAGE THE ENEMY, these two idgits are going to press on ENCOURAGING THE ENEMY.

Isn't that wonderful news? They are going to continue with creating scenarios in which more of our troops they claim to support will be KIA, MIA or wounded.

Support such as this we could do with out...n'est pas?

Vets for Reality

Vets For Freedom were given a cold shoulder by our arrogant and egotistical CONgress Critters.

From The Washington Times: One of this week's more notable Washington events flew under the media radar save for "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and a few conservative Web sites. Vets for Freedom, a "pro-mission" band of Iraq and Afghanistan military veterans, took to Capitol Hill to try to convince senators that the mission in Iraq is worth the effort. We applaud this group's effort in the political war to support the real war. It's a telling sign of the parlous state of the Iraq debate that a group like this, focused solely on sustaining the war policy and consisting of first-hand witnesses to the war, has to exist.

Most of the 25 or so who came to Washington are combat veterans, some of them wounded. Alongside them were the father of a Marine killed in action in Iraq and supportive veterans of all ages. They knocked at the office doors of Sens. John Warner, James Webb, Carl Levin, Barbara Boxer and dozens of others on the opposite side of this war debate. Most weren't available. They also were met in person by two Iraq stalwarts, Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain. Nine senators showed up at an afternoon press conference, including Joe Lieberman and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Mr. Warner met the Vets in person. The meeting was reportedly icy, but the Virginia Republican deserves plaudits for granting them hearing. The usual Hill recourse to unscheduled groups with an unwelcome message is polite notice that the senator is a busy man (or woman), and he just can't meet you right now.

Two of the group's messages cannot be highlighted enough. The first is that Washington's penchant for re-arguing the decision to enter Iraq is utterly irrelevant to the most important Iraq question right now. It is not enough to argue that al Qaeda wasn't in Iraq before the invasion. It's surely there now, and people who turn their backs on Iraq could not also be serious about combating al Qaeda. The terrorists consider that country the prime current battleground. We cede it at our peril.

The second message is that the surge is a serious improvement over previous efforts in Iraq. It deserves a chance, and it is beyond hypocritical for Congress to undercut it. This Congress confirmed Gen. David Petraeus by an 81-0 margin to be commander in Iraq with a mandate to keep fighting. That they have gone wobbly before the surge is fully in effect says everything one needs to know about this Congress and nothing much about the general. "You can't create D.C. timelines for what's going on Baghdad," the head of Vets for Freedom, Army National Guard First Lt. Pete Hegseth, told "Harball" on Wednesday. "As a soldier who has been there and seen what this strategy can do, [the surge] has the opportunity to bring about real change, finally," he also said.

Here's hoping a first-hand, personal approach to the Iraq debate can turn some heads which otherwise would not.

The story can be read here but the entire article is above.

Sad isn't it? In this day and age of information at our finger tips via the internet (that Gore made) and the plethora of intelligence agencies, the Leftinistra absolutely refuse to heed the overwhelming evidence that our troops have turned the tide in the GWOT, especially The War In Iraq.

When veterans that support the war effort(s) that overwhelmingly outnumber those that don't (and the ones that don't, well over half are frauds...see the recent The New Republic hoax) try to express themselves to the CONgress Critters that have their own political power agendas held in higher esteem than the truth and facts, the veterans are snubbed. But, have the Code Pinko Losers "drop in" and the world stops turning so the CONgress Critters can dote all over them.

Why "IS" that?

It seems to this DAV that the CONgress Critters would "Rather" believe hyped up imaginary stories than they would "Rather" actually KNOW the truth.

One has to wonder why.........

Yon on "Shock Troops"

I think I can safely say that Michael Yon is the most highly regarded combat reporter the Iraq war has yet produced, and he writes the WWS today in response to the New Republic's "Shock Troops" story: That story about American soldiers at FOB Falcon sounds like complete garbage. I spent time with them this year, and in fact keep them on the front page of my site. 1-4 CAV is an excellent unit. I emailed the commander, LTC James Crider, about the story. Please put that horrible reporting into context of something accurate. I humbly submit this: Desires of the Human Heart, Part One V/r Michael Yon Baqubah, Iraq I hope we will hear more from him on this subject, and will post an update when we do. In the meantime, go read his piece, and I'd also encourage you to support his highly-reliable reporting with a donation. Posted by Michael Goldfarb at 05:40 PM | E-mail the author | E-mail article

LIMBAUGH'S COMPROMISE TO PULL OUT OF IRAQ

From A Newt One

"I want to present a hypothetical here. I know this would not happen, but I'll offer a compromise, the Limbaugh compromise to the Democrats in the Senate and in the House.

The Limbaugh compromise: I will agree to pull our troops out of Iraq if you Democrats will agree to my conditions after the defeat, and here are my conditions to agree with you on a pullout.

"When Al-Qaeda celebrates after we pull out, after we admit defeat, every TV image of Al-Qaeda celebrating must be a split screen. On one side, Al-Qaeda celebrating; on the other side, I want pictures of Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer and Carl Levin smiling and congratulating themselves.

"When Al-Qaeda slaughters Iraqis after we pull out and we see the pictures of this on TV, every TV image must show a split screen. On one side of the screen, the bloody slaughter scenes; on the other side of the screen, pictures of smiling Harry Reid, smiling Chuck Schumer, smiling Carl Levin congratulating each other with big laughs.

"When Al-Qaeda takes over another village, ransacks another village, another town, another city, after we pull out, on one side of the screen, I want desperate villagers running for their lives. On the other side of the split screen, I want pictures of smiling Harry Reid, smiling Chuck Schumer, smiling Carl Levin, shaking hands and embracing and congratulating themselves.

"When the American flag burners in the Middle East start burning their flags and the president and vice president in effigy, I want one side of the split screen to show every image of that happening. I want the flag burners. I want the characters of Bush and Cheney being burned in effigy, and on the other side of the split screen, I want pictures of a smiling Harry Reid, a smiling Chuck Schumer, a smiling Carl Levin embracing, shaking hands, laughing and congratulating themselves.

"I think that's a reasonable compromise, and I've offered it here in all sincerity. If the left will agree to this compromise, I will join them in calling for a pullout from Iraq."--Rush Limbaugh (Running America according to Democrats)

Axis of Defeatists' Rhetoric Continues

Making America Safe: Remaining Vigilant Against Terror Threats

This is an article by John Boehner, House Minority Whip

The National Intelligence Estimate notes that al Qaeda has redoubled its efforts to hatch terrorist plots and kill Americans both in the U.S. and abroad as its leadership continues to plan high-impact plots and recruit others to its murderous cause. Among the findings of the estimate is that while al Qaeda’s intent to attack us is undiminished, they continue to adapt and improve on their tactics and capabilities. The report also notes that al Qaeda’s branch in Iraq (al Qaeda in Iraq, or AQI) is the terrorist network’s “most visible and capable affiliate and the only one known to have expressed a desire to attack us here,” underscoring the importance of completing our nation’s mission successfully in Iraq.

Retreat is not an option. al Qaeda remains our principle enemy in Iraq, and our military continues to evolve to meet this threat. There is no question that we’re making progress in securing Iraq, and we’re making progress taking in going on offense against al Qaeda. And every measure of progress we make in Iraq makes us safer here at home.

“Operation Phantom Thunder,” the new, multi-faceted offensive against al-Qaeda terrorists, insurgents, and illegal sectarian militias. Since this new offensive began, attacks, casualties and IEDs detonations have all decreased, while more than 175 high-value terrorists, insurgents, and militia fighters have either been killed or arrested since June 15. This is a key step toward success in Iraq and bringing our troops home.

Operation Arrowhead Ripper is having phenomenal successes as well.

The boots on the ground: Generals: Troops Need to Stay in Iraq

Reid: Pull Troops or We Won’t Pay Them

Wow. Now THERE is support for the troops, eh?

Amanda Carpenter

If Majority Leader Harry Reid can’t start pulling troops out of Iraq, he doesn’t want to start paying them any more either.

After an amendment to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq within 120 days failed to receive the 60 votes needed to proceed, Reid set the entire defense authorization bill aside. By doing so, he shelved a 3.5 percent pay raise for all uniformed service personnel, $4 billion in equipment upgrades and a new program to treat traumatic brain injuries.

And the Leftinistra; The Left Continues to Mischaracterize the War

Liberals who favor withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq believe the situation there is relatively straightforward: We are enmeshed in a civil war, a deeply-rooted sectarian conflict the outcome of which matters little to the U.S. Disengaging is the only way we can engage the real enemy -- al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations bent on our destruction -- in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The Cut & Run Defeatocrats either just don't get it or they are purposefully aiding and abetting the enemy. It is that simple.

Those are the choices.

Tell Us How You Really Feel

The following is from a friend of mine...and I agree

Some of you may know who Neal Boortz is. This is a months old audio recording of Neal's response to a Muslim caller. What he said to this "magic carpet jockey" should be said everyday to every Muslim in the world. Go *here*; Jihad Watch, to listen. I'm sure there are those who will take exception to what he say's and the manner in which it was said, but in my opinion it didn't go far enough and it was much too gentle.

Consider the recent spectacle of our president pandering to Muslims in his bare feet or writing an executive order that prohibits torture and other various accepted forms of interrogation we use to extract information from terrorists. Information that could save lives.

Consider recent intelligence that al Qu'eda and Hamas operatives are infiltrating this country through our southern border disguising themselves as Guatemalan refugees. There is much more of course and it could fill pages.

The day I see or hear Muslims speaking out against terrorist acts...specifically atrocities committed in the name of Allah and Islam, instead of protesting some benign speech from the Pope or going crazy because some wiseass decided a cartoon about "muzzies" would be funny....when I hear Muslim outrage over the murder, rape, torture and destruction of people, I might then listen to them and believe that there may indeed be hope.....until that day comes any Muslim who remains silent about the atrocities and refuses to speak against the murdering spawn of Islam is my enemy...

And yeah I do take it personal....

Round Up

As we all know, a key Raghead AQ terrorists was captured in Mosul recently.

The Pentagon tells Hillary to stop helping our enemies.

And Hillary gets upset about it and thinks she is kicking brass.

Reid has an embarrassing blabathon.

There is a mixed results survey by IBD in regards to the War In Iraq.

Neal Boortz weighs in on the Clintons.

A military historian I know chimes in on the War In Iraq and the Democrats.

On the heals of the Reid Pajama Party debacle, Reid gets Mitch Slapped TWICE in 1 day.

Democrats blame Bush for their lowest in history approval ratings.

Hillary develops a complex.

The Lame Stream Media and the Leftinistra ignore news they shouldn't.

The Democrats abandon the security of the nation.

Jihadi trolls and bloggers make fools of the Democrats.

American internet providers host Jihadi web sites.

Michael Yon's latest dispatch is released.

Plame gets spanked...again.

Al Gore is proven to be a liar.

The Democrats can't read an intelligence report.

Hugh Hewitt interviews General Petraeus.

Reid takes his ball and sulks away.

The Democrats sink to an all-time low approval rating while GWB climbs.

International contributors in the GWOT are shown.

Calls for the censure of Murtha arise and rightfully so.

Leftinistra try to bring illegal immigration back through the backdoor.

And that ain't HALF of it!!

Churchill v Reid

Michael Ramirez



Churchill v Reid

Mixed Results

Has America lost the will to win? You'd think so, based on all the polls favoring an Iraq withdrawal. Even in the latest IBD/TIPP survey, more Americans say it's more important to pull out of Iraq than to win. But more than three in four also say it is important that the situation in Iraq is stabilized before we leave, with nearly half saying that's "very" important. That hasn't changed in the last two months. Perhaps a redefinition of the mission in Iraq from "victory" to " stabilization " is in order.

Click the thumbnail below to see an enlarged version.

Seeing that the majority of Americans have so expressed the importance of stabilization before we withdraw, why then are the leftinistra so bent on leaving BEFORE that is accomplished? And, how in the world do we stabilize Iraq by withdrawing?

SO much for Reid and ITS genre of pathetic cretins having the pulse of "We The People".

Boortz on the Clintons

Oh, by the way. I think that Bill Clinton was the most corrupt and dishonest President we have ever suffered through in this country during my lifetime. If I had to say something nice about him I would say that he is more honest than his wife, and cuter. Well, that's something, I guess.

Rush On The Slumber Blabathon

OUT OF 100 AMERICANS, ONLY 14 APPROVE OF THE DEMOCRAT CONGRESS.

Ouch! *L*



Cartoon (c)rushlimbaugh.com

"Harry Reid needs to change its focus. He needs to get back to doing what he does best and that's sleazy land deals with his kids. It's time for him to go home to Searchlight, Nevada, wherever he lives. He's in the big leagues now, but he can't seem to swing the bat. The bat just stays on his shoulder, and when he does swing, he misses. If I'm a Democrat or liberal, I would demand new leadership. They can sit there all day long and complain and whine about Bush, but I'll tell you, Harry Reid is proving to be an embarrassment."

--Rush Limbaugh, 18 July 2007

A Wise Man Said...SFBert; Military Historian

SFBert is a friend of mine. He is a former Special Forces type and served in Vietnam and other places. On a post at my Townhall blog, he left this comment:

SFBert writes: Friday, July, 20, 2007 7:34 PM
War & Politics

War is politics by another means as noted by a German practitioner of both. In his whole statement Petreaus is drawing a distinction between the application of violence (military solution) and having the resources to apply it (political such as a political body that has the support of most of the people in order to apply force.)

On consideration, I believe it is foolish to believe that the Iraqi government can be expected to stand up and tackle those issues we have issued a timeline on when our own Congress and Senate cannot tackle a simple issue such as border security. So I am in favor of giving them a longer time to deal with the issues they must deal with in order to form a real state.

I have come to the conclusion that all the debate about Iraq is meaningless though. It is being debated by folks who have had little exposure to real violence. It doesn't take many people capable and willing to ruthlessly apply violence to turn the population their way if there is not an equal counterforce that the people can turn to for protection. This axiom makes Western powers uniquely unsuited to conduct the type and duration of operations that it will take to win this war. If one is to choose to be our friend, they must believe we are to be their friend for the duration of the threat. Otherwise, it is better to reconcile with the barbarians because they will be the winners. Three recent examples come in mind.

One -- The Soviets vs. Germany. The Nazis killed by far more Soviets than the Soviets killed Germans. In the end, it was the Soviet will to win that overcame casualties and material deficiencies to prevail. The Soviets did not fold in the face of casualties as did the WWI Russian aristocracy. They folded then in hopes of preserving their privileges which they did for only a short time till the Germans put Lenin on that train and he prevailed.

Two -- Vietnam. We inflicted by far greater casualties on all comers -- the Viet Cong, the NVA, the Pathet Lao, and the Kmer Rouge than they ever thought of inflicting on us. But they had the will to continue and we did not. In Vietnam we lost honor, but no territory. But in losing that honor, we also taught our future enemies that we lack the necessary will to win if they can just manage to draw the fight out for a little while.

This is all lost on people who are so arrogant as to assume that diplomacy will solve all. If they study the success of diplomacy, it all falls back on the fact that if it fails, one side or the other will apply sanctions at first and ultimately can and will apply force. An example is a year's discussion in Paris about the shape of the table the US and the North Vietnamese were going to sit at to negotiate at. Nothing was being done but discuss the shape of the table. Until Nixon's Christmas bombing campaign against targets in Hanoi and Haiphong got the NV's attention. These are lessons lost on our current crop of diplomats and other assorted leftists because their teachers, the press and academics do not care to teach these divergences from their world view.

And to conclude, attrition as LTC Peters points out, is a strategy. If our enemy forces us into a war where that is their strategy, there is little that we can do as civilized people other than to engage in it to. My lesson on this goes back to the age of Genghis Khan. He understood this very well and so avoided getting caught in wars of attrition by inhumanely sacking cities and killing whole populations. He gave simple choices to his enemies --earth and water or they and their families were put the sword.

So in short, we must either adapt to being barbarians or we must engage in attrition. No other choices. Occam's razor applies.

Trackposted to Maggie's Notebook

Mitch Slapped Twice in One Night

As I was diddling with my #3 blog at Townhall, someone had left me a comment to check a particular piece. It just so happens that it is the same piece I saw that Spree had written about.

Spree's post is entitled:
Senate Votes 94-3: Gitmo Terrorists NOT to be brought onto U.S. Soil

Now, we all know that something would HAVE to be askew, NAY!, amiss for 94 Senators voting this way. What happened?

The particular article that has the trolls and moonbats all atwitter is entitled:
The night Mitch McConnell became the leader of the Republican Party.

LOL! Man! Hugh Hewitt sure knows how to turn the screws!!

A remarkable thing happened in the United States Senate earlier this evening, and it occurred over a rather unremarkable piece of legislation that was being debated. Conservatives, frustrated at the lack of a genuine leader of their party, may have finally found one in Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell.

After Democratic leader Harry Reid’s MoveOn.org all-night session Tuesday night, a move that resulted only in helping unify the weak-kneed Republicans who were peeling away from continued support of the Petraeus surge in Iraq, McConnell, the Republican leader, served notice to anyone watching C-SPAN that he now runs the Senate.

And Reid seethes. Good. Couldn't have happened to a worse person.

I was sort of watching CSPAN and Byrd needs to retire or get dried out. I was thinking that Byrd was droning on so about the plight of fight dogs with an angst that should be applied to the barbarity of the terrorist enemies we are doing battle with and, that he was just boring the HELL out of everybody. Kind of odd to be yammering on about dogs when the bill before them was for Student Loans and such. While he was yammering and boring everyone:

...McConnell and the Republicans decided to take control of the Senate. The Republicans offered amendment after amendment to the bill, catching the Democrats flat-footed.

After a couple of Republican amendments failed, Mitch McConnell took to the floor and offered his own amendment, which was a Sense of the Senate that Guantanamo detainees not be allowed released or moved to U.S. soil. To conservatives, this obviously makes sense. To liberals, especially California’s Dianne Feinstein, one of the chief proponents of the effort to close the detention center at Gitmo and relocate these detainees into the American justice system, especially when tagged onto a student loan and grant bill, you’d think this measure would go down in flames. Except a funny thing happened. The bill was titled in a way that you had to vote yes to vote no, and no to vote yes. The final vote was 94-3, officially putting the Senate on record as saying terrorist detainees shouldn’t be moved to the U.S. Before the Democrats, who clearly hadn’t read the amendment, realized they screwed up, the vote was recorded.

So much for the self-professed Best of the Best! Reid was snookered!! I guess that is why his approval rating is in the cesspools of DC.

Teddy (hic)(hic) Kennedy went on a rant and the audio is here. Poor Leftinistra. LOL!!

Once the rant was over, Kennedy threw the Senate into a quorum call so that the Democrats could regroup. The session progressed well into the night, and McConnell could easily have rested on his laurels, but he wasn’t finished. Colorado Democrat Ken Salazar offered his own irrelevant amendment, asking for a sense of the Senate that President Bush not pardon Scooter Libby. McConnell, with that wry smile he offers when he’s up to something, countered with a secondary amendment to Salazar’s, saying that if it’s fair to bring up the Senate’s view of potential future inappropriate pardons, maybe we should also have a sense of the Senate of past inappropriate pardons, and proceeded to maneuver the Senate clerk into reading off the laundry list of Clinton administration pardons, including those of Marc Rich and others, which again set the Democrats off in a tailspin. After throwing the Senate back into a quorum call for half an hour, the beleaguered Harry Reid came out and pulled the Salazar amendment off the floor. He’d been Mitchslapped twice in one night.

90-Proof went on another tear! (the text is also available)

Senator Kennedy isn’t angry at Republicans tonight anyway. Any conservative who watched the debate in the evening recognizes the frustration in him. It’s the same frustration conservatives had between 2005 and the beginning of this year when Bill Frist, the affable but ineffective Republican majority leader, consistently mismanaged the Senate. Ted Kennedy is angry at Harry Reid, because in seven short months, Mitch McConnell has run rings around him on issues from Iraq to immigration, and tonight, he just flat-out schooled Reid on how the Senate works, as if to say to Reid you messed with us two nights ago on a PR stunt for your fringe base, here’s how things like that can be answered.

Reid is out of his league. He was confident that the Silent Majority would remain silent and we are not and OUR elected officials have heard us loud and clear.

The Senate surely has made the base nervous at best and disgusted at worst in the seven months of the McConnell tenure. But if you look at the stats, when all is said and done, when the base needed him, he’s been there. He successfully kept the Republicans in line on multiple time certain withdrawal resolutions in the Senate, skillfully allowed the immigration bill to die while at least giving it a chance to be debated, and tonight showed the ability that he has no reservations about going toe to toe with Harry Reid and beating him repeatedly. It’s time conservatives use the old Reagan adage, trust but verify, and continue to support and encourage Mitch McConnell, and work to add to his numbers in the Senate next November.

Aye, Cap'n. Aye!

This Day In History

1990	A federal appeals court set aside Oliver North's Iran-Contra convictions.
1993	White House deputy counsel Vince Foster was found shot to death in a park near Washington in an apparent suicide.

AP Highlight in History: On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. Read the original AP story Neil Armstrong: "the Eagle has landed." Neil Armstrong: "one small step for man"

AP Photo/NASA

Iraq: Reid's Political Opportunism Is Showing

Really? No way? Political opportunism? Surely the worse Senate Leader in history wouldn't stoop to such a low point as all that now would he?

Excerpts from this article at CNS News:

If you needed any more proof that Democrat leaders in Congress are playing politics with the war against Islamofascism, all you had to do was listen to a recent Capitol Hill press conference where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was fielding questions.

When asked repeatedly whether the Iraqi people would be safer as a result of the anti-war/troops-out-now lobby getting its beloved US retreat, Reid responded by asking if there were any more questions.

So afraid he is of a victory in Iraq. it doesn't bode well for the genre of Reid to avoid those "hard questions", does it?

Maybe it wasn't a debate but it was certainly a press conference. In press conferences reporters ask questions and those holding the press conferences provide answers. Reid failed at providing an answer to a very simple question. He seems to be failing a lot lately, although you wouldn't know for his arrogance.

Reid...a man's worse nightmare...Mr Milquetoast. Pathetic. Coward. Chicken. Liar. Fraud. Reid.

Go read the rest of the article.

Why Can't Democrats Take Responsibility?

Why do the Democrats ALWAYS fault someone else when they fail or are seen as ineffective or not held in high esteem? Why is it, as they plunge lower and lower into the abyss that they themselves have created, they MUST blame someone else? Isn't there a medical term for that?

Democrats Blame Republicans and Bush for Low Approval

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday blamed the Republican minority for sinking congressional approval ratings, calling recent poll results "a referendum on Republican obstructionism." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) blamed President Bush.

Now, isn't that quaint? Remember how when the Democrats were in the minority they whined that the Republicans were obstructionists? They seem to want everything their way no matter their stature. Remember when they were in the minority how they DEMANDED the 60-vote rule? Does anyone remember that besides me?

Schumer told reporters that Republicans - who earlier this week blocked a Democratic amendment that would have mandated a troop withdrawal from Iraq, and who in June blocked a comprehensive immigration reform bill - are frustrating Americans who are hungry for change.

Change, Mr Schumer? Change? How so? The American People want the CIC to be the CIC and for CONgress to be the CONgress and never the two shall become the same. Hello? The last time CONgress became the CIC, millions died in The Killing Fields. Remember? The Americans Mr Schumer is referring to are the far-left fruit loops that espouse communism for America and are a MINORITY in numbers. I guess they are the only Americans. The rest of us are something else?

A Zogby telephone poll released Thursday showed approval of Congress "continues to plummet" and now sits at just 14 percent. Eighty-three percent of respondents gave Congress negative marks. The polling organization credited the low numbers to the "acrimonious scrimmage over immigration reform" in June.

"The American people are demanding change," Schumer said. "The one thing standing in the way is the Republicans in the Senate."

The only thing standing in the way of VICTORY in the GWOT are Democrats and their obstructionist BS by NOT listening to the troops on the ground, NOT listening to the Commanders in the field, and IGNORING the successes and abundantly clear progresses being made every day. 50+ days ago, the Democrats signed onto The Plan only to turn around and become the WORST Indian Givers in the known universe.

Reid echoed Schumer's frustration with Republicans but was also quick to blame Bush.

"When you have a president who is so unpopular ... it really reflects poorly on Congress," Reid said. "None of them [congressional approval ratings] are real high and we acknowledge that, but most of it relates to the unpopularity of the president."

And there we have it. BDS at its finest. We suck and it is all GWB's fault! Accept your own ineffectiveness bonehead. It isn't anyone else's fault but your own, Reid. And the country knows it. And so do you. You suck as a leader and so does your fellow nincompoop Pelosi.

Bush's job approval ratings in Zogby polls have been in the low and mid-30s since October 2006. This week it stood at 34 percent.

OVER TWICE THAT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY LED CONGRESS.

Reid's contention, however, jarred with the view of the polling company, which described Bush's job approval rating as having "stabilized" while saying that "opinion of the work Congress is doing continues to plummet."

The current congressional rating is eight points lower today than it was for the Republican-controlled Congress just one week before Republicans lost control of both houses of Congress in the November 2006 elections.

So, if the approval ratings of the 110th CONgress is lower than when the Democrats won their vaunted majority and said it was a mandate and had PROMISED not to play politics with the troops (and they lied about that, didn't they?) and PROMISED not to call for a unilateral bailing from IRAQ (another LIE), what makes them think their current rating is anyone's fault but their own? Don't broken promises contribute to loss of confidence?

Schumer said that while overall congressional approval ratings are low, he believes Republicans are worse off than Democrats in public opinion. "They're not spreading the blame equally," he said of the American people.

Oh Good Lord, Schumer! Get a grip! Listen to what you just said! Please check in with your troll trainers. Not only are the Democrats blaming the Republicans in CONgress and GWB for their LOUSY promise-breaking policies, NOW they are blaming the American People. Way to go moron.

Some recent polls do seem to back up Schumer's claim, with Democratic approval ratings of 31 percent leading Republican approval ratings of 21 percent in a July 9 Harris poll. A June 27 Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll found a tighter margin with 36 percent approval for Democrats and 30 percent approval for Republicans.

Republican leaders blamed Democrats who control Congress for the low approval. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Americans "are still wondering whether the Democrats are going to deliver on their promises."

The only the Democrats can deliver is HAte Aamerica and Blame America First and Quit Iraq rhetoric.

"The polls show the American people are fed up with Congress and frankly they should be," Boehner said. "I think our families want solutions to their issues, not just more partisanship."

Boehner said Republicans "want to work with Democrats to address the solutions that the American people sent us here to deal with."

AMEN!!

Hillary The Whiner

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., asked the Pentagon to brief Congress about a plan for withdrawal from Iraq. The Pentagon rebuked her request. (Dima Gavrysh/AP Photo)

The would-be next CIC is taking her "victory" in '08 for granted and getting up a head of steam ahead of time. It seems as though she has shot her wad too soon and will be petering out.

In a previous post here, we pointed out how Hillary was Pentagon Spanked. Now she is whining.

"I deeply resent the administration's continuing effort to impugn the patriotism of those of us who are asking hard questions," Clinton told ABC News.

I have read the letter and there isn't ANYWHERE that questions her patriotism but, since she has brought the issue to the fore, just what is she patriotic to and to whom or what does she swear her allegiance? And those alleged "hard questions" she is asking? What gives her the right to ask? Doesn't she know that there is a war going on? Doesn't she know that it is best to ask such questions in the proper venue and the NYSlimes and the Washington Compost ain't it.

Methinks she has busted something here...

Democratic Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks before a meeting of the National Association of Counties at the Richmond convention Center in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, July 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Mrs. Clinton's Patriotism Problem
Hillary Clinton has joined the list of Democratic politicians who have publicly raised questions about their own patriotism. ABC News has the story:

[Mrs.] Clinton, D-N.Y., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has since May requested a briefing from Pentagon officials as to whether they have undertaken any serious planning for a future withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

On Thursday she received a response from the Pentagon that she told ABC News was "outrageous and offensive."

The letter from Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman did not mince words. "Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies," he wrote.

"I deeply resent the administration's continuing effort to impugn the patriotism of those of us who are asking hard questions," Clinton told ABC News.

Well, here is the letter; and this is the offending passage:

Premature and public discussion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq reinforces enemy propaganda that the United States will abandon its allies, much as we are perceived to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon, and Somalia. Such talk understandably unnerves the very same Iraqi allies we are asking to assume enormous personal risks in order to achieve compromises on national reconciliation, amending the Iraqi constitution, and other contentious issues. Fear of a precipitate U.S. withdrawal also exacerbates sectarian trends in Iraqi politics as factions become more concerned with achieving short-term tactical advantages rather than reaching the long-term agreements necessary for a stable and secure Iraq.

There's not a word in there (or anywhere else in the letter) about Mrs. Clinton's patriotism or lack thereof. Edelman only argues that it is harmful for politicians to make public demands for early withdrawal because such demands tend to embolden the enemy. He is making a claim about the wisdom and likely consequences of her actions, not about her motives.

In the early days of the Cold War, before liberal Democrats decided to bug out of Vietnam, there was an adage that "politics ends at the water's edge"--that America's political parties, whatever their differences on domestic policy, were obliged to present a united front to the outside world.

Today's liberal Democrats would invert this principle. They assert the moral right not only to undermine U.S. foreign policy but to do so with impunity--that is, they wish to be immune from criticism for their statements and actions.

We suppose it's nice work if you can get it, but we'll never understand why they think that defensively denying that they lack patriotism is a winning approach.

I understand!! They have a mental illness coupled with an inferiority complex which feeds their BDS which adds to their overwhelming desire to prove their ineffectiveness when the paddle hits the water.

I thought everyone knew that!

Jihadis and The American Way

Before I copy and paste an article from The New Media Journal (Robert E Meyer), I too will state that I have seen that which he has posted but have since lost the what I think to be the original link to the story. Granted, it could be an Urban Legend but the inference is unfolding before us.

We have what is known as an open society. We have what is known as open borders. We have what is known as Freedom of Speech. All of these have their vulnerabilities and can be exploited in ways as to make them useless in the long run. All if these have their rewards, consequences and subterfuge. Keeping this in mind, here is the article.

The New Media Journal

I recently heard about a statement from a discussion that allegedly occurred between an Islamic student attending an American university, and a traditional America student. The following statement may well be a fictitious conversation based in urban legend, but it is an accurate anecdote of the real threat America faces from the ideology of radical Islamic extremism. The Islamic student apparently stated resolutely, "Because of your Democracy we will invade you. Because of my religion we will dominate you." It rings as almost a parallel to the prophetic proclamation of Nikita Kruschev, who uttered from an Iowa cornfield during his excursion of the U.S., "we will bury you."

Many liberals, as well as certain of my conservative brethren, have sounded the alarm about the perils to freedom that come from surveillance programs initiated or expanded under the Patriot Act by the current administration. Yet, one has to wonder how we could have or will continue to root out existing internal security threats without them. Such regulation occupies a thankless status. I often have said to colleagues in regards to small, consistent pay increases in my profession: "You hardly notice the difference when you get your raises, but you would sure notice if you weren't getting them." I would suggest something similar could be said regarding onerous security measures. You don't notice that they do any good, but I suspect you would notice something bad were they not in place. That sort of condition lends itself to pejorative consideration.

Imagine a different scenario. You pick up a major newspaper on September 12th, 2001. On page A-17 is a short news story about how several small groups of young Saudi males carrying box cutters, were stopped by security at JFK and Logan International Airports. You chuckle audibly and think to yourself, "what were they trying to do, hijack airplanes armed with razor knives?"

"Because of your Democracy, we will invade you..." We see here the "flaw" that the Jihadists will exploit to gain a foothold. Prohibitions against ethnic profiling, treating terrorists as citizen criminal suspects in the civil court systems, maintaining an impregnable wall of information exchange between intelligence agencies, referring to the interception of foreign communications as "domestic spying," all contribute to the "invasion" under the guise of maintaining civil liberties.

I don't have anything against libertarian hawks who warn us about the threat to loss of our personal freedoms under The Bill of Rights. They do serve an function in our republic. Yet, what strikes me, is the cavalier attitude many of the same folks have toward the perpetual threat of terrorism. Of course, securing our borders will go a long way toward the security problem, but it wouldn't stop any "sleeper cells," or those who have already breached our porous borders. I am not comfortable with the attitude that perceives 9-11 as a freak anomaly.

Those who are politically left of center, take a foreign policy approach to answering the questions of terrorism. It seems that virtually any act of violence by Islamic terrorists, is justified by leftists on the basis that we either invaded Muslim lands, have supported Zionism, or that the socioeconomic suppression of the Islamic third world has made them resentful of our relative and common wealth. But fundamentalist unity and propensity for violence is not the phenomenon of a particular economic class of Muslims. Fervent activism transcends these simple economic explanations. An example is the recent foiled terrorist plot in Britain, where well respected and successful physicians were allegedly behind the plot.

The idea of "freedom" has been superseded by the latter day virtue of personal autonomy. It doesn't take much infringement to feel oppressed when your highest ideal is to do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it. Recently, I heard a noted Christian apologist assert that a morally strong America would present the greatest deterrent to terrorism within our borders. He is correct for many reasons. Pluralism and diversity once denoted ethnic variety. Today these concepts could just as easily signify moral ambiguity. If the Constitution is used predominately as a sword to advance group "rights," it will become a suicide pact. The gauntlet of political correctness is a malignant, freedom eating cancer.

"...Because of our religion we will dominate you." This seems like an odd thing to say if you are trying to convince someone that your personal faith is the "religion of peace." We can go around in a circle on the whole issue of whether Islam has been hijacked by extremists, or whether there are violent indicts embedded in the ideological fabric of Islam. Moderate Muslims will likely claim the former, while Jihadists will claim that the moderates are an abomination to true Islam. The real question is whether the Koran or other Islamic literature can justify and support the contemporary Jihadists movements.

Secular humanists have drawn parallels between the Judeo-Christian scriptures and the contemporary Jihadists mindset, recounting the historical record of Holy Wars waged by the Hebrew nation, along with other violent accounts, primarily from the Old Testament. The secularist, after giving me a dissertation about how rational he or she is, will then, unabashedly make ludicrous analogies between the late Jerry Falwell and Osama Bin Laden.

Following that logic, we must assume that Christians read in their Bibles that David slew Goliath, then get the idea that they must exterminate all remaining descendants of the Philistines. We see a large distinction between the continuing applicability of Biblical history versus Jihadist edict. Who was the last Christian who strapped a bomb on himself and blew his body to bits, in a hall packed with humanists or adherents to some other religious faith?

Last year's furor over the cartoon lampooning Mohammed, was a perfect illustration of both the reckless use of free speech by secularists, coupled with the violent proclivities perpetually festering in the Muslim world. What sort of uprising would follow the public mocking of Jesus Christ? If the Christian community was really thought to have the same propensity for violence and totalitarianism as radical Islam, I doubt the secularist would be so eager poke his local Christian in the eye with these silly comparisons.

Finally, I believe that Muslims who want to distinguish themselves from their radical counterparts, would do well if they were more demonstrable in condemning violence as it occurs. It is simply inadequate to merely argue that the concept of Jihad has been distorted.

News The Leftinistra Cannot Afford To Acknowledge

This list of articles dates back to 1998. Have fun

And did ya hear about the rocket launcher firing tube found in the front yard in New Jersey?

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1647 - Iraq, July 6, 2007
Video Message by Al-Qaeda Deputy Ayman Al-Zawahiri: Overview of Some of the Main Themes

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1573 - Iraq, May 4, 2007
Documents Exposed by Egyptian Government Weekly Allege Ties Between Iraqi PM and Iranian Revolutionary Guards

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1563 - Iraq, April 27, 2007
Prominent Islamist Kuwaiti Sheikh Questions Religious Legitimacy of the Islamic State of Iraq, Calls to Dissolve It

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1559 - Iraq, April 25, 2007
Iraqi Jihad Group Establishes New Political Framework Called ‘Hamas-Iraq’

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1547 - Iraq, April 18, 2007
Iraqi Kurdistan Province President Mas'oud Al-Barazani Warns Turkey Not to Interfere Over Kirkuk, Declares: I Support The Rights Of The Palestinian People, But... I Am Against Driving Israel Into The Sea

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1542 - Iraq, April 13, 2007
Continued Clashes in Iraq Between Sunni Jihad Groups and Al-Qaeda

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1524 - Iraq, March 29, 2007
Kurdish Leader Fou'ad Ma'soum Asserts: Kirkuk Will Become Part of Iraqi Kurdistan Only With the Consent of Its People; We Wish to Remain Part of Federal Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1514 - Iraq, March 23, 2007
The Islamic State of Iraq Issues Regulations for Women Drivers

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 336 - Iraq, March 22, 2007
Sunni Jihad Groups Rise Up Against Al-Qaeda in Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1488 - Iraq, March 6, 2007
Iraqi Columnist: What Is Happening in Iraq Will End in the Defeat of Terrorism and in the Region's Recovery From Its Ills

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 330 - Iraq, February 23, 2007
The Other Face of Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1454 - Iraq, February 7, 2007
Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi: ‘We Find No [Blood] Sweeter Than That of the Byzantines [i.e. Christians]’

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1446 - Iraq, January 30, 2007
Members of Saddam Hussein's Defense Team: Saddam and U.S. Officer Guarding Him Wept When They Said Goodbye; Execution Unconstitutional Because Rope Used was Fiber, Not Silk; Execution of 148 Dujail Victims Was Justified

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1445 - Iraq, January 30, 2007
New Conspiracy Theory in Egypt: It Wasn't Saddam But His Double Who Was Executed

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1427 - Iraq, January 17, 2007
Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi Eulogizes Saddam Hussein in Friday Sermon on Qatar TV

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1422 - Iraq, January 12, 2007
Iraqi MP Iyad Jamal Al-Din: Democracy in the Middle East Can Only Be Established by Force

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1410 - Iraq, January 4, 2007
Reactions to Saddam's Execution: Indifference Among Arab Regimes

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1387 - Iraq, December 12, 2006
Editor of Arabic Reformist Website AAFAQ Criticizes Recommendations of the Iraq Study Group

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1364 - Iraq, November 22, 2006
Kuwaiti Journalist: Death Sentence Is a Badge of Honor for Saddam

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1340 - Iraq, October 31, 2006
Islamist Sheikh Abu Osama Al-'Iraqi Denounces Al-Qaeda in Iraq for Atrocities against Sunnis

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 298 - Iraq, October 25, 2006
Kurdistan – The Quest for Statehood

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1329 - Iraq, October 20, 2006
The Iraqi Ba'th Party Issues a Hit List

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1318 - Iraq, October 12, 2006
Saudi Arabia to Build Security Fence along Iraqi Border

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 293 - Iraq, September 19, 2006
Mini-Crisis in Iraq: Which Iraqi Flag?

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1273 - Iraq, August 31, 2006
Iraqi MP Iyad Jamal Al-Din Advocates Secularism in Iraq and Declares: The State Should Be an Institution That Provides Services to Its Citizens

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 290 - Iraq, August 11, 2006
Iraqi Shi'a Views of the Lebanon Crisis

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 285 - Iraq, July 4, 2006
Iraq: A New Plan for National Reconciliation

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 284 - Iraq, June 30, 2006
Al-Zarqawi: A Post Mortem. Prior to His Killing, Al-Zarqawi had Lost His Sunni Allies

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1192 - Iraq, June 28, 2006
Commander of Shura Council of Jihad Fighters in Iraq: Al-Zarqawi’s Death Will Be Incentive for Jihad and Martyrdom

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1190 - Iraq, June 21, 2006
Iraqi Reformist on Arab Society and Social Schizophrenia

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1188 - Iraq, June 20, 2006
Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir: Al-Zarqawi's Death Will Not End the Jihad

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1187 - Iraq, June 16, 2006
Jordanian Islamist MPs & Others on Arab TV: Al-Zarqawi is a Martyr; Amman Hotel Bombing Victims are Lesser Martyrs

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 281 - Iraq, June 16, 2006
The New Iraqi Government—Central Themes and Key Figures

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 279 - Iraq, June 6, 2006
The Revival of Cultural Life in Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1166 - Iraq, May 18, 2006
Iraqi Ayatollah Ahmad Al-Baghdadi Talks of America's Annihilation and the Muslim Conquest of the World; Declares Support for Nuclear Bombs for Muslim and Arab Countries

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 272 - Iraq, May 2, 2006
Magazines Iraqis Read

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1149 - Iraq, April 26, 2006
New Video by Al-Qaeda Commander in Iraq Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1138 - Iraq, April 12, 2006
Iraqi Reformist MP Sayyed Ayad Jamal Al-Din Discusses the Situation in Iraq at MEMRI's Reform Lecture Series in Washington, D.C.

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1130 - Iraq, March 30, 2006
Iraqi Reformist MP Sayyed Ayad Jamal al-Din on Current Iraqi Issues*

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 269 - Iraq, March 2, 2006
The Difficulties of Forming the New Government in Iraq

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 267 - Iraq, February 24, 2006
Christian Churches in Iraq Subjected to Synchronized Terrorism

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1100 - Iraq, February 23, 2006
Iraqi Shi'ite Leader Muqtada Al-Sadr: Arab and Islamic Forces in Iraq Would Also Be Considered Occupation; If Asked by Syria and Iran, We May Confront the American Forces in Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1059 - Iraq, December 29, 2005
The Alleged Torture of Saddam Hussein

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1058 - Iraq, December 29, 2005
Saddam Hussein on Trial: Excerpts from Al-Jazeera TV

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 258 - Iraq, December 21, 2005
The Elections in Iraq—The Roots for Democracy

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 257 - Iraq, December 14, 2005
The Trial of Saddam Hussein –an Interim Report

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1040 - Iraq, December 6, 2005
Iraqi & Arab Mujahideen Tell Al-Arabiya TV of the Wait List for Martyrdom Operations and Other Methods of ‘Destroying the Americans’

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 256 - Iraq, December 2, 2005
The Cairo Preliminary Conference on Reconciliation in Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1037 - Iraq, November 30, 2005
Iraqi Author: George Galloway, You Will Be Tried Just Like Your Friend and Benefactor Saddam Hussein

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 252 - Iraq, November 15, 2005
Iraqi Elections – Round Two

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 248 - Iraq, October 30, 2005
The Oil-for-Food Programme: Closing the Cycle

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1010 - Iraq, October 21, 2005
Bahraini Journalist: Not Since the Nazi Era Has There Been Anything Like Al-Qaeda's Declaration of War on the Shi'ites in Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1006 - Iraq, October 14, 2005
Kuwaiti Businessman Calls on Gulf Countries to Send Economic Aid to Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1003 - Iraq, October 12, 2005
The Global Islamic Media Front: Al-Qaeda in Iraq Has Replaced the Mother Organization in Afghanistan and Is Spreading Jihad Throughout the World

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1000 - Iraq, October 7, 2005
Sunni Sheikhs and Organizations Criticize Al-Zarqawi's Declaration of War Against the Shi'ites

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 243 - Iraq, September 27, 2005
The Unholy Alliance – Muqtada Al-Sadr and the Iraqi Sunnis' Opposition to Federalism

Special Dispatch Series - No. 987 - Iraq, September 16, 2005
Leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Zarqawi Declares ‘Total War’ on Shi'ites, States that the Sunni Women of Tel'afar Had ‘Their Wombs Filled with the Sperm of the Crusaders’

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 238 - Iraq, September 7, 2005
The Opportunity Before Kurdistan: A New Model for a Middle East Democracy

Special Dispatch Series - No. 978 - Iraq, September 2, 2005
Sheikh Hareth Al-Dhari, Head of Sunni Clerics Association in Iraq: I Support the Resistance; Terrorism in Iraq Carried Out by U.S., Israel, and Government Militias

Special Dispatch Series - No. 970 - Iraq, August 26, 2005
Changes in the Iraqi Textbooks and Curricula for September 2005

Special Dispatch Series - No. 963 - Iraq, August 19, 2005
Iraqi Confession TV Series Captured Iraqi Terrorist Ramzi Hashem Abed: Zarqawi Participated in the Plot to Assassinate Baqer Al-Hakim. 'We Bombed Jalal Talabani's Headquarters, the Turkish Embassy, and the Red Cross; Were Drugged; Raped University Students Who ‘Collaborated with the Americans’

Special Dispatch Series - No. 962 - Iraq, August 19, 2005
Al-Qaeda in Iraq: The Drafters of the Iraqi Constitution and Those Who Support Them Are Infidels Who Must Be Killed

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 234 - Iraq, August 15, 2005
The Draft Iraqi Constitution at a Deadlock

Special Dispatch Series - No. 955 - Iraq, August 11, 2005
Presiding Judge in the Saddam Hussein Trial Reveals Details of Charges and Discusses Possibility of Execution

Special Dispatch Series - No. 952 - Iraq, August 8, 2005
Iraqi Politician Iyad Jamal Al-Din: ‘My Freedom as a Shi'ite and as a Religious Person Will Never Be Complete Unless I Preserve the Freedom of the Sunni, Christian, Jew, Sabai, or Yazidi’

Special Dispatch Series - No. 934 - Iraq, July 15, 2005
Iraqi PM Ibrahim Al-Ja'fari: ‘The Iraqi People Pay the Toll in Blood On Behalf of All Nations Facing Terrorism’

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 231 - Iraq, July 1, 2005
‘The Sheikh of the Slaughterers’: Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi and the Al-Qa'ida Connection

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 220 - Iraq, May 5, 2005
The Birth of the New Government of Iraq: Delayed and Lame

Special Dispatch Series - No. 903 - Iraq, May 4, 2005
Syrian Journalist Praises Iraq's Election of Kurdish President

Special Dispatch Series - No. 895 - Iraq, April 20, 2005
Iraqi Progressive Columnist on His Childhood Experience with the Blood Libel

Special Dispatch Series - No. 888 - Iraq, April 8, 2005
Iraqi Sunnis Shift Position: 64 Clerics Legitimize Enlistment in New Iraqi Security Forces

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 215 - Iraq, March 31, 2005
Kirkuk: Between Kurdish Separatism and Iraqi Federalism

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 214 - Iraq, March 29, 2005
Iraqi-Jordanian Tension Over the Most Lethal Suicide Bombing in Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 884 - Iraq, March 24, 2005
The Iraqi Al-Qa'ida Organization: A Self-Portrait

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 213 - Iraq, March 22, 2005
The Plight of Iraqi Christians

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 211 - Iraq, March 1, 2005
Ibrahim al-Ja'fari: Iraq's Designated Prime Minister
- A Biographical Note

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 207 - Iraq, February 16, 2005
Iraqi Elections (VI): The Results and Their Implications

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 204 - Iraq, February 4, 2005
Iraqi Elections (V): Press Reactions from Iraq and Neighboring Countries

Special Dispatch Series - No. 856 - Iraq, February 1, 2005
Zarqawi and other Islamists to the Iraqi People: Elections and Democracy are Heresy

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 203 - Iraq, January 28, 2005
Iraqi Elections (IV): Platforms and Campaign Strategies

Special Dispatch Series - No. 851 - Iraq, January 21, 2005
MEMRI Arab TV Monitor Project – Iraqi Election Broadcasts and Public Service Announcements

Special Dispatch Series - No. 849 - Iraq, January 19, 2005
MEMRI TV Project special report - commander of Saddam Hussein's ‘Army of Muhammad’ confesses: We received money and arms from Syria and Iran

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 202 - Iraq, January 18, 2005
Iraqi Elections (III): The Islamist and Terrorist Threats

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 201 - Iraq, December 31, 2004
Iraqi Elections (II): The Launching of the Campaign

Special Dispatch Series - No. 837 - Iraq, December 30, 2004
Osama Bin Laden to the Iraqi People:It Is Forbidden to Participate in Iraqi & PA Elections; Jihad in Palestine and Iraq is Incumbent upon Residents of All Muslim Countries, Not Just Iraqis and Palestinians; Zarqawi is the Commander of Al-Qa'ida in Iraq

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 199 - Iraq, December 15, 2004
Iraqi Elections (I): The Imperatives of Elections on Schedule

Special Dispatch Series - No. 828 - Iraq, December 14, 2004
Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi: Resistance in Iraq is a Duty of Every Muslim

Special Dispatch Series - No. 821 - Iraq, December 1, 2004
Arab Columnists: Arab Countries are Hypocritical on Iraq

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 197 - Iraq, November 19, 2004
Anti-American Ba'th Activities in Paris

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 196 - Iraq, November 16, 2004
The Iraqi Press on the Re-Election of President Bush

Special Dispatch Series - No. 813 - Iraq, November 10, 2004
Former Jihad Fighter in Afghanistan: Al-Zarqawi's Group Adopted the Worst Practices of the Algerian GIA; Their Brutal Actions will Lead to Their Isolation

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 193 - Iraq, October 27, 2004
Saddam's Oil Vouchers Revisited

Special Dispatch Series - No. 798 - Iraq, October 13, 2004
MEMRI TV Project: A Former Hostage in Iraq Tells His Story

Special Dispatch Series - No. 797 - Iraq, October 12, 2004
Al-Qa'ida Magazine: 'O Sheikh of the Slaughterers, Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi, Go Forth in the Straight Path, Guided by Allah'

Special Dispatch Series - No. 794 - Iraq, October 6, 2004
Reactions to Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi's Fatwa Calling for the Abduction and Killing of American Civilians in Iraq

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 190 - Iraq, September 29, 2004
Islamist Pressures in Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 788 - Iraq, September 23, 2004
Al-Zarqawi Associate: Al-Zarqawi Unconnected To Al-Qa'ida, Seeks To Expand Fighting To Entire Region

Special Dispatch Series - No. 785 - Iraq, September 15, 2004
Al-Zarqawi's Message to the Fighters of Jihad in Iraq on September 11, 2004

Special Dispatch Series - No. 784 - Iraq, September 14, 2004
Arab Columnists Criticize Double Standard in Reactions to Abduction of French Journalists

Special Dispatch Series - No. 777 - Iraq, September 3, 2004
Middle East Analyst on the Important News about Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 776 - Iraq, September 3, 2004
The Muslim Brotherhood Movement in Support of Fighting Americans Forces in Iraq

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 187 - Iraq, August 27, 2004
Iraqi National Congress - an Exercise in Democracy

Special Dispatch Series - No. 764 - Iraq, August 18, 2004
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Denounces Terrorism: 'What Pretext Can Justify the Bombings?'

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 184 - Iraq, August 4, 2004
Iraqi Interim Government - An Interim Progress Assessment

Special Dispatch Series - No. 750 - Iraq, July 20, 2004
Iraqi Defense and Interior Ministers Accuse Iran of Terrorism Against Iraq, Threaten Retaliation within Iran

Special Dispatch Series - No. 742 - Iraq, July 9, 2004
Iraqi Press on Saddam's Day in Court

Special Dispatch Series - No. 737 - Iraq, July 2, 2004
Transfer of Sovereignty to Iraq - Iraqi Press Reaction

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 182 - Iraq, June 18, 2004
The New Leaders of Iraq (2): Interim Prime Minister Iyad Hashem Allawi and the Interim Government

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 178 - Iraq, June 10, 2004
The New Leaders of Iraq (1): Interim President Sheikh Ghazi Al-Yawer

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 177 - Iraq, June 4, 2004
Muqtada Al-Sadr vis-à-vis the Shi'a Religious Establishment

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 176 - Iraq, May 28, 2004
The De-Ba'thification of Iraq - Pros and Cons

Special Dispatch Series - No. 718 - Iraq, May 20, 2004
Reaction and Counter-Reaction to the Abu Ghureib Abuses in the Arab Media

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 175 - Iraq, May 14, 2004
The Shi'a-Sunni Debate in Iraq Over Lakhdar Al-Ibrahimi's Role

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 173 - Iraq, May 5, 2004
Iran's Stirrings in Iraq

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 172 - Iraq, April 21, 2004
MEMRI Analyst's Testimony Before Congress on the U.N. 'Oil for Food' Scandal

Special Dispatch Series - No. 692 - Iraq, April 9, 2004
Iran's Role in the Recent Uprising in Iraq

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 170 - Iraq, April 9, 2004
Muqtada Al-Sadr Not Supported by Other Iraqi Leaders

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 168 - Iraq, March 30, 2004
Iraqi Kurds at Crossroads

Special Dispatch Series - No. 686 - Iraq, March 25, 2004
A Testimony on Suicide Bombers' Recruitment to Ansar Al-Islam

Special Dispatch Series - No. 682 - Iraq, March 17, 2004
Arabic Media: Member States in the American-Led Military Coalition in Iraq are Staying

Special Dispatch Series - No. 672 - Iraq, March 3, 2004
Pro-Saddam Journalist Mentioned in Iraqi Intelligence Reports

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 164 - Iraq, February 20, 2004
The Saddam Oil Vouchers Affair

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 161 - Iraq, February 11, 2004
Moqtada Al-Sadr: The Young Rebel of the Iraqi Shi'a Muslims – Iraqi Leadership Biographical Series

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 160 - Iraq, January 29, 2004
The Beneficiaries of Saddam's Oil Vouchers: The List of 270

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 159 - Iraq, January 23, 2004
The Trial of Saddam Hussein

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 157 - Iraq, December 31, 2003
The Birth Pangs of Iraqi Sovereignty

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 155 - Iraq, December 19, 2003
Conspiracy Theories Surrounding Saddam's Capture

Special Dispatch Series - No. 628 - Iraq, December 16, 2003
The Arab Media Reaction to Saddam's Arrest: Part I

Special Dispatch Series - No. 620 - Iraq, December 5, 2003
Editor of Kuwaiti Daily: Syria's Secret Service is Behind the 'Iraqi Resistance'

Special Dispatch Series - No. 611 - Iraq, November 18, 2003
Al-Hayat Publishes Official Documents From Saddam's Regime On Executions

Special Dispatch Series - No. 606 - Iraq, November 10, 2003
Editor of the Kuwaiti Daily Al-Siyassa: The New Iraq Will Be 'the Beacon of Freedom, Democracy, and Respect to Human Rights in the Middle East'

Special Dispatch Series - No. 603 - Iraq, November 5, 2003
Iraqi Writer Criticizes Arab Intellectuals Supporting Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Forces and Iraqis

Special Dispatch Series - No. 592 - Iraq, October 17, 2003
Iraqi Daily: Saddam Ordered Training of Al-Qa'ida Members

Special Dispatch Series - No. 590 - Iraq, October 16, 2003
Iraqi Columnist: The Occupation of Iraq Means Liberty, Even if the Whole World Maintains Otherwise

Special Dispatch Series - No. 588 - Iraq, October 14, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press: MEMRI Baghdad Dispatch (11)

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 150 - Iraq, October 9, 2003
Iraq: Moving Forward Despite Violence

Special Dispatch Series - No. 582 - Iraq, October 3, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press: MEMRI Baghdad Dispatch (10)

Special Dispatch Series - No. 577 - Iraq, September 24, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press: MEMRI Baghdad Dispatch (9)

Special Dispatch Series - No. 572 - Iraq, September 12, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press: MEMRI Baghdad Dispatch (8)

Special Dispatch Series - No. 568 - Iraq, September 5, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press: MEMRI Baghdad Dispatch (7)

Special Dispatch Series - No. 560 - Iraq, August 29, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press: MEMRI Baghdad Dispatch (6)

Special Dispatch Series - No. 559 - Iraq, August 28, 2003
Columnist in Leading Egyptian Government Daily: U.S. Forces in Iraq Strip the Flesh from Their Victims' Corpses

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 146 - Iraq, August 26, 2003
The New Iraqi Press and the Jews

Special Dispatch Series - No. 554 - Iraq, August 20, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press: MEMRI Baghdad Dispatch (5)

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 145 - Iraq, August 14, 2003
Leading Egyptian Islamic Clerics on Jihad Against U.S. Troops in Iraq: March – August 2003

Special Dispatch Series - No. 550 - Iraq, August 8, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press: MEMRI Baghdad Dispatch (4)

Special Dispatch Series - No. 546 - Iraq, August 1, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press: MEMRI Baghdad Dispatch (3)

Special Dispatch Series - No. 545 - Iraq, July 31, 2003
An Iraqi Intellectual in London: Arab Nationalists' Interference in Iraqi Affairs Will Pound the Final Nail into Iraq's Coffin

Special Dispatch Series - No. 541 - Iraq, July 23, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press : MEMRI Baghdad (2)

Special Dispatch Series - No. 537 - Iraq, July 15, 2003
Editorials from the New Iraqi Press: MEMRI Baghdad Dispatch (1)

Special Dispatch Series - No. 530 - Iraq, June 27, 2003
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat: Arafat Transferred Intelligence on Iraqi Opposition to Saddam's Regime

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 139 - Iraq, June 17, 2003
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) - The Iraqi Official Record

Special Dispatch Series - No. 519 - Iraq, June 9, 2003
Arab Columnists on the Killing Fields of Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 509 - Iraq, May 30, 2003
Saddam's New Book: 'Begone, Accursed One!'

Special Dispatch Series - No. 503 - Iraq, May 9, 2003
An Arab Intellectual in Qatar: 'Arab Media's Conduct During the War is Indicative of a Deeper Malaise'

Special Dispatch Series - No. 500 - Iraq, May 6, 2003
Friday Sermon in Falouja, Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 497 - Iraq, May 1, 2003
Nuclear Scientists in Iraq: Citizens Stole Uranium and Other Dangerous Materials

Special Dispatch Series - No. 496 - Iraq, April 30, 2003
A Letter from Saddam Hussein to the Iraqi People and the Arab Nation

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 134 - Iraq, April 21, 2003
Syrian Government and Media on the War in Iraq

Special Report - No. 14 - Iraq, April 11, 2003
Arab and Muslim Media Reactions to the Fall of Baghdad

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 131 - Iraq, April 10, 2003
The War in Iraq and the Future of OPEC

Special Report - No. 13 - Iraq, April 4, 2003
Friday Sermons on Iraqi TV: October 2002 - March 2003

Special Dispatch Series - No. 489 - Iraq, April 1, 2003
Huda Ammash – The Head of the Iraqi Biological Weapons Program

Special Dispatch Series - No. 487 - Iraq, March 28, 2003
Friday Sermon in Baghdad

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 129 - Iraq, March 27, 2003
Egyptian Economist: Economic Interests Guide the French, Germans, and Russians Toward Baghdad

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 128 - Iraq, March 26, 2003
Iran and the War In Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 484 - Iraq, March 21, 2003
The Arab Press on the War and News from Iraqi Television

Special Dispatch Series - No. 483 - Iraq, March 21, 2003
Countdown to War in Iraq - Arab Press Perspectives

Special Dispatch Series - No. 482 - Iraq, March 20, 2003
Ultimatum to Iraq - The Reaction of the Arab Press

Special Dispatch Series - No. 481 - Iraq, March 19, 2003
On the Eve of War: Editorials in the Arab Press

Special Dispatch Series - No. 479 - Iraq, March 14, 2003
Iraq Crisis 2003 (5): The Palestinian Press

Iraq News Wire - No. 14 - Iraq, March 6, 2003
Iraq News Wire

Special Dispatch Series - No. 475 - Iraq, February 26, 2003
Holiday Greetings from Yasser Arafat to Saddam Hussein

Special Dispatch Series - No. 471 - Iraq, February 19, 2003
Iraq Crisis (4): Al-Ahram Editor: The Iraqi Regime Is to Blame For the Crisis

Special Dispatch Series - No. 470 - Iraq, February 14, 2003
The Iraq Crisis (3): Saudi Newspapers Call on Saddam to Abdicate or Commit Suicide

Special Dispatch Series - No. 469 - Iraq, February 14, 2003
The Iraq Crisis (2): The Egyptian Government Press Comments

Special Dispatch Series - No. 467 - Iraq, February 11, 2003
The Iraq Crisis (1): Iraq Prepares for War

Special Dispatch Series - No. 464 - Iraq, February 2, 2003
Friday Sermon on Iraqi Television:
'Yes, Bush is the Dracula of This Generation'

Iraq News Wire - No. 13 - Iraq, January 12, 2003
Iraq News Wire

Special Dispatch Series - No. 457 - Iraq, January 9, 2003
Hamas Spokesman: Iraq Must Establish a Suicide Army

Iraq News Wire - No. 12 - Iraq, December 3, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Special Alert - No. 4 - Iraq, November 26, 2002
Unidentified Senior Iraqi Official: We Did Not Hesitate to Use WMD in the Past and Will Not Stand Idly By This Time Either

Special Dispatch Series - No. 440 - Iraq, November 19, 2002
Head of Iraqi Free Officers Movement: 'The Iraq of Tomorrow- Democracy is the Solution'

Special Dispatch Series - No. 438 - Iraq, November 8, 2002
Ramadan Sermon From Iraq

Special Dispatch Series - No. 437 - Iraq, November 5, 2002
First Interview with Saddam Hussein in 12 years

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 108 - Iraq, October 18, 2002
Post-Saddam Iraq: Perspectives of Iraqis in Exile

Iraq News Wire - No. 11 - Iraq, October 15, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Iraq News Wire - No. 10 - Iraq, October 3, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Iraq News Wire - No. 9 - Iraq, September 18, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Special Dispatch Series - No. 420 - Iraq, September 13, 2002
Saddam Hussein's Meetings with Nuclear Energy Agency

Special Alert - No. 3 - Iraq, September 9, 2002
Iraq Calls for the Formation of Suicide Squads to Strike American Targets and Interests

Iraq News Wire - No. 8 - Iraq, September 1, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Special Dispatch Series - No. 415 - Iraq, August 28, 2002
Palestinian Authority and Iraqi Media on Iraqi Support of the Intifada

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 106 - Iraq, August 22, 2002
Iraq Opposition Officers Connect with a Hashemite Prince to Replace Saddam

Iraq News Wire - No. 7 - Iraq, August 12, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Special Dispatch Series - No. 408 - Iraq, August 7, 2002
Iraqi Physician: Saddam's Orders to Cut Off the Ears of Defecting Soldiers and Officers Were Implemented in Iraqi Hospitals

Iraq News Wire - No. 6 - Iraq, July 31, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Iraq News Wire - No. 5 - Iraq, July 16, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Iraq News Wire - No. 4 - Iraq, June 26, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 98 - Iraq, June 16, 2002
Saudi-Iraqi Rapprochement

Special Dispatch Series - No. 387 - Iraq, June 11, 2002
Iran Increases Funding and Training for Suicide Bombings Islamic Jihad Leader: The Intifada Foiled the American Plots Against Iraq. A Hizbullah Leader on the Iranian-Syrian-Lebanese-Palestinian Axis

Special Dispatch Series - No. 382 - Iraq, May 20, 2002
Iraq Buys and Smuggles Its Way Out of UN Sanctions

Iraq News Wire - No. 3 - Iraq, May 18, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Iraq News Wire - No. 2 - Iraq, May 16, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 91 - Iraq, April 25, 2002
In the Aftermath of Iraq's Suspension of Oil Exports: Is the Oil Embargo Feasible?

Special Dispatch Series - No. 371 - Iraq, April 23, 2002
Mubarak Dismisses War with Israel; Pro-Iraq Paper Attacks Egyptian President

Iraq News Wire - No. 1 - Iraq, April 19, 2002
Iraq News Wire

Special Dispatch Series - No. 366 - Iraq, April 10, 2002
Iraq Suspends Oil Exports: Tepid or No Reaction from OPEC Members

Special Dispatch Series - No. 342 - Iraq, February 6, 2002
Russian Parliamentary Chairman for International Affairs: 'We Will Not Accept Military Force Against Iraq'

Special Dispatch Series - No. 335 - Iraq, January 24, 2002
Iraqi Press on Weapons of Mass Destruction

Special Dispatch Series - No. 299 - Iraq, November 8, 2001
Saddam Hussein Meets with Heads of the Iraqi Nuclear Program and Defense Establishment

Special Dispatch Series - No. 196 - Iraq, March 22, 2001
An Egyptian Columnist Attacks Pro-Iraqi Arab Lobby

Special Dispatch Series - No. 136 - Iraq, October 13, 2000
Will Saddam Hussein Attack Israel?

Special Dispatch Series - No. 17 - Iraq, December 18, 1998
Calls for Violence and Support of Iraq in the Palestinian Media

Special Report - No. 1 - Iraq, February 4, 1998
Palestinians and Iraq