This Is Counterterrorism, Senator ~~ (Positive news from IRAQ...why Harry Reid is worried....)

National Review ^ | April 25, 2007 6:30 AM | Steve Schippert

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Malik Daoud and Sheikh Abdul Sattar vs. al Qaeda in Iraq.

By Steve Schippert

Can Petraeus pull it off? Max Boot asks the question, in the latest Weekly Standard, in an article by that name. Certain American political leaders profess already to know the answer; they almost surely had their preconceived answer even when they were unanimously voting to confirm General David Petraeus as the new Multi-National Forces - Iraq commanding general.

Only last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid proclaimed that the current mission in Iraq was “lost.” He then couched his words by adding that the war “can only be won diplomatically, politically, and economically.” Senator Charles Schumer came swiftly to Reid’s defense, attempting to clarify by adding that the war would not be lost “if we change our mission and focus it more narrowly on counterterrorism, going after an al Qaeda camps that might arise in Iraq.”

Improvement in Anbar
In Ramadi, Boot observes dramatic improvement. The capital city of Anbar province “used to see 20 to 25 attacks a day, [but] now sees an average of 2 to 4 a day—and falling.” In fact, Boot continues, “Entire days go by without a single attack.” He also soberly notes that, while Ramadi has improved immensely, “U.S. generals now say that Baqubah has displaced Ramadi as the worst place in the entire country.” Al Qaeda in Iraq has shifted its terrorist anchor from the city of Ramadi and Anbar province to the city of Baqubah and Diyala province north of Baghdad.

[SolidWood]

I hope we and the Iraqis can save Iraq fast enough.
God Bless and guide General Petraeus, Sheikh Sattar and everyone committed to victory.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Hattip to the Strata-Sphere Blog:

:

The Iraq War America Doesn’t Know About

****************************EXCERPT************************

Another must-read on what IS happening in Iraq and why the Dems call for surrender or possibly even too late - let alone dead wrong.

The most significant local ally of Coalition and Iraqi government in Anbar province — and surely in all of Iraq — is Sheikh Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al-Rishawi, or, more properly, Sheikh Abd al-Sattar, where “Abd” translates into “slave” or “totally subordinated” (to God, of course). Sheikh Abdul Sattar is instrumental in fighting and defeating al Qaeda; the incredibly influential Ramadi man sees al Qaeda as terrorists who seek to destroy his country and who are exploiting and murdering his people, Sunni and Shia alike. Al Qaeda wants him dead more than any other man in Iraq, and they have tried numerous times to kill him.

****************************SNIP************************************

Betweehn Sattar and Shia cleric Sistanni and the natural Kurdish support Iraq is well on its way to becoming stable. If Diyala is tamed then I predict there will be no way for Reid’s dreams of US defeat can come true. Diyala is and will be the pivotal key over the next few weeks. And it is possible the timeframe is weeks. Which would be interesting to watch Dems stubbornly claim “all is lost” while Diyala shifts to show just the opposite.

Posted by AJStrata on Thursday, April 26th, 2007 at 10:16 am.

[Edgerunner]

thanx bump

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks E. And I think you’re right — possibly weeks away. GWB will travel to Iraq and be greeting by cheering crowds and cheering US troops.

[eureka!]

Thanks. The one benefit that may come of the Democrats’ treason is that the Iraqis will realize that they need to get it done and get it done now. But then, I think they’ve known that for a while. That said, I do hope there is, for Harry Reid and his enablers in the press....

[RedRover]

Amen to that!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

There is a book (now available in paperback ):

***********************

Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left
(Hardcover)
by David Horowitz

********************************************************

And reviews:

****************************************

Editorial Reviews

Rich Lowry, Editor National Review

David Horowitz is synonymous with pyrotechnics. A historian and polemicist of the first order, he is paid the ultimate compliment --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Davis Hanson, Author, Ripples of Battle

An original look at those who want us to fail in the Middle East, both at home and abroad. The --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

***********************************************************

See all Editorial Reviews

Fascinating Analysis of Leftist Goals, August 13, 2006

Reviewer: N. Sincerity - See all my reviews

A former 1960s radical, Horowitz is well-acquainted with the Leftist mindset. In this book, he strives to explain the modern alliance between left wing progressivists and radical Islamofascists. He argues that this alliance is based on a common desire to destroy Western capitalism. Leftist sympathy with Islamofascist ideas makes no sense from an intellectual point of view, given that countries ruled by radical Islamists are among the most racist, sexist, theocratic states in the world today. However, Leftists have recognized that they can benefit politically from destructive terrorist attacks on the Western world. A West under attack can be made to turn on its leaders in fear and desperation (as they did in Spain after the Madrid train bombings). Only once people reject current government structures can the Left execute its anti-capitalist revolution and build a new reality that mirrors the Leftist view of utopia.

The complete and utter idealogical hypocrisy of the Islamofascist-Leftist alliance is distressing, but as Horowitz reminds us,

Leftists radicals truly believe the ends justify the means.

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[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See Post #8 for more on what the Leftists are really upto with their AntiWar Rhetoric....and actions in the legislature ....

[RedRover]

Horowitz bump (got it in hardcover)!

[SierraWasp]

Hey Ernest, G.D. and D.G... Please tell me what the (bleep) has happened to the great PR teams in the Bush campaigns & Whitehouse???

What has happened to "strategry?" What has happened to simple, direct communicative statements like Rudy G. made about the Dems driving us back to 9-10-01 and defense ONLY?

What the (bleep) is wrong with this floundering administration?

Is Dick Cheney the only one left with a mouth and a brain???

Is this the first VETO, or only the second???

I'm frustrated as (bleep!) This is getting almost as bad, or maybe even worse than Nixon-Ford and Vietnam!!!

I guess you could tell, right? (well, I don't wanna git vetoed, personally)

[Grampa Dave]

The White House never had great PR teams anymore than Ronald Reagan did.

The reality is the bias of the left wing MSM. The NY Slimes for example in the last election didn’t recommend a single republican candidate for congress and did their best to defeat Leiberman.

Our side had rather get in a circle and put GW and Rove in the center and have a circular firing squad instead of blaming the left.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Amen to what you say....the Circular firing squad is seen every day right here on Free Republic....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

You know what major emergency the DemonicRats were treating as business in the House of Representatives this morning.....?

HR294 is a bill to prevent the BLM from the sale of Wild horses to private parties in the US WEST.....and they refused to consider an amendment that would have asked an auditor to provide the additional cost of the BLM providing for the continued retention of some 20,000+ horses currently in confinement by the BLM....many millions of bucks going to this little effort....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

They took care of the Iraqi Police action yesterday...by reducing the funding....but they won’t reduce the funding .... for the Wild Horses.,....

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

By the ....the name...Malik Daoud..refers to General David Patreaus

[gusopol3]

do you have that post from February, shortly after the surge was announced , where the head of AQ was calling all his subordinates out of Baghdad because he was afraid of what would happen to them if the surge was a Fallujah style offensive? I don’t remember enough of the title of the thread to search, Thank you.

[SierraWasp]

"The White House never had great PR teams anymore than Ronald Reagan did."

My memory of this would like to coincide with yours and it comes close, but doesn't quite come into tight formation. Reagan got every bit as continual a barrage of full court presses and blinding blizzard of BS as Bush has. In fact, I remember the vitriol being far more bile filled and desperate against Reagan IMO.

What may make it seem that Reagan's era wasn't any tougher than G.W. Bush's is that Reagan laid down a withering blanket of return fire that kept it in far better control than anything I've seen from Bush II's administration. For instance, the Lebanon fiasco with Reagan, the Shuttle blowing up with Reagan, etc., etc., etc...

I remember it being so bad during Reagan that I always believed it was why his V.P. came lurching forward to run for President under the banner of "A Kinder Gentler Presidency" which I still consider grossly insulting to Reagan's Presidency!!!

[Marine_Uncle]

We shall see soon enough. A few weeks sounds a bit to perky. AQIR still must have a few thousand goons in country. And of equal concern are the large numbers of Saddamist left overs that have no future to speak of other then perhaps a higher probability of staying alive if they simply throw the rug in.
A lot will do with how much the IG is willing to embrace those that no longer support the insurgency IMO.
It is one thing not to take an active role in supporting the large criminal base and AQIR and another to take an active role in joining the political process as well as offering visible peace gestures toward the Shia population.
Perhaps if the latter starts to take place in the quantitative as well as qualitative we shall see some real advances in a short period of time.
In any case, surely we are going to continue to see both sectarian violence as well as criminals taking advantage of the over all situation. Those thirty thousand criminals Saddam had released from prison are not just going to stop being criminals over night. And there is no way in a few short weeks one is going to literally kill off all the AQIR in Iraq. They have a bad habit of slithering away whenever they realize their ass is grassed. And Iraq has plenty of places for them to scurry to a fro in attempts to avoid catching a bullet between the eyes.

[Marine_Uncle]

Nothing new said but should be routinely re-iterated, lest none fall into the web of deceit thinking far leftist are not very dangerous to the traditional American way.