Don't Forget About Iraq

The Surge bought us success & peace in Iraq which our current President & Congressional Democratic leadership both denied AND actively worked against.

This much is undeniable.

Now that hard-fought peace & security has been won, the worry is that Obama might abandon Iraq and seize defeat from the jaws of victory. As Michael Yon explains, these gains are reversible.

Today Iraq is succeeding, but as Generals Petraeus or Odierno might say, the situation remains fragile and reversible.

Whereas the Bush-war ended in a new if messy democracy, this year we could see an Obama-war begin; the new President has sent a clear signal that we intend to mostly abandon Iraq during this crucial transition period. Today, the progress is obvious. But if Iraq descends back into chaos, the Obama-war, a newborn war, will not be a result of U.S. aggression, but of limp leadership intent on fulfilling campaign promises that were misinformed to begin with.

Ignore me, if you like; Michael Yon has spent more time on the ground in Iraq than any other journalist in the world.

If Iraq regresses, Obama may try to blame generals or his predecessor, but he will have no one to blame but himself and perhaps his advisers and some idiot members of his constituency who made him promise to withdraw, regardless of conditions on the ground.


If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.

Michael Yon On The Way Forward

Let me be clear: I'm joining in the celebration of 22 November as VI-Day (Victory in Iraq) not because I want to give whoever more fodder with which to ridicule those of us who want to win, but because I want to celebrate the accomplishments and sacrifice of our men and women in the military.

What they have achieved in Iraq is an incredible feat of arms. It ought to be celebrated. If, indeed, it works out that Barack Obama is able to withdraw on any timeline whatsoever and that withdrawal does not result in chaos and a failed state, it will have been because of what our military accomplished in Iraq.

I've said this before, but I repeat it again now: If you want to know what's really going on in Iraq and now, Afghanistan, you had better be reading Michael Yon. He doesn't do drive-by reporting, just visiting combat zones a few times a year, he is fully immersed, living in country and filing regular reports. He is funded and supported by the voluntary donations of his readers (in fact, this would be a good place to donate). He is not a cheerleader, but tells it like it is. His reporting is indespensible and, as far as I can tell, can't be had anywhere else.

His 10 November report talks about the success in Iraq but also warns President-elect Obama about the many challenges that we face in Afghanistan. Like everything he writes, it's a good read.

The Iraq war is over. Barring the unforeseen, the darkest days are behind, though we are still losing soldiers to low-level fighting with enemies that are true “dead-enders.” Last month we lost seven Americans in combat in Iraq. Peace, however, is not upon us. Another thirty or so Iraqis died today in suicide attacks. Nobody suffers more at the hands of Islamic terrorists than other Muslims.

A new President will soon begin to make critical decisions about Iraq and Afghanistan, the economic crisis at home, and countless other matters. While the Iraq war began, then boiled and finally cooled before President-elect Obama will be sworn into office on January 20th, 2009, the Afghanistan-Pakistan spectacle is just getting started. He was always a fierce opponent of our involvement in Iraq. And, as with so many Democrats in the Senate, he argued frequently, during the campaign, that we should have been focused on Afghanistan all along, because it is the real incubator of the international terrorist threat. Timing being everything, our new President will get his wish. Afghanistan now moves to center stage. The conflicts in Afghanistan and between Afghanistan and Pakistan have the simmering potential to overshadow anything we’ve seen in Iraq.

Click to read the rest of what Yon "hopes" Obama understands.

If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.

Tell The Truth, Let The Chips Fall Where They May (UPDATED)

On Friday I posted links to two articles--dispatches, really--written by freelance writer Michael Yon. For a long time, Yon was the only place I, and many others, could go to get the straight news from the trenches. He took and takes the time to get the feel of a place, the lay of the land, and understand what the troops are thinking and feeling. As I have never served in the military nor been to Iraq & Afghanistan, I find his insight invaluable.

In addition to posting the links and recommending that my readers read Yon's stuff, I sent a message to a buddy of mind currently working intel in Afghanistan. I wanted to get his take on what Yon was reporting. His response is revealing:

I can't say that's what I'm seeing every day. But my fellow soldiers are. When we go out on missions to the different FOB's... we see this stuff. And his writing is right on with what is going on here. The idea that there are so many Taliban around... and that they can just flee into Pakistan to get away from us... it's ridiculous. I love the article though. Thanks for sending it and opening the eyes of those who read this. The bias[ed] media of today has no idea what we go through out here... this is a breath of fresh air. Please pass this article along so that people get a feel for how the war is out here.

(emphasis added)

Per my friend's instructions, here's the links to those articles once again. Make these your Sunday reading.

Death in the Corn: Part I of III
Death in the Corn: Part II of III

UPDATE 8:58pm MDT: Be sure and check out my friend's blog. He writes a little more about his personal experiences in Afghanistan.


If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.

You'd Better Be Reading Michael Yon

If you are serious about getting the real news out of Iraq and now Afghanistan, you had better be reading Michael Yon. He is a freelance writer/reporter/photographer who has written about the reality on the ground wherever our troops are fighting.

His latest series of reports come to you from FOB Gibraltar and they are dynamite.

Death in the Corn: Part I of III
Death in the Corn: Part II of III

This has got to be one of the most incredible stories in the last couple of years, doesn't it? That despite the MSM's blatant attempt to bias the news about Iraq & Afghanistan and influence policy and fuel Obama's and others' attempts to retreat--that despite all of this, we have achieved success in Iraq that, by his own admission, was "beyond [Obama's] wildest dreams (nightmares?).

With Gen. Petraeus in charge, no doubt our troops will do the same in Afghanistan.

(h/t Ace)


If you have tips, questions, comments or suggestions, email me at lybberty@gmail.com.