Just follow the link and see for yourself why the Bush Administration, the DoD and the Army brass are really letting down the soldiers who are returning from combat.

Where does all the money go I wonder?

UPDATE (Langley):  HotAir has the CNN video of the interview with the man who made the YouTube video, which has apparently gotten 70,000+ hits.  My grandfather told me it was in his local paper (Monroe, NC) this morning and area politicians are on it.  Web 2.0 strikes again forcing the government to think twice.

BAGHDAD, March 24 — Followers of influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr launched a civil strike Monday to protest raids and mass arrests by Iraq’s security forces, underscoring the growing frustrations of Sadr’s group, which U.S. military officials say is playing a key role in keeping down violence in Iraq.

In some Baghdad neighborhoods, Sadrist leaders called on shopkeepers to shut their stores and for bus and taxi drivers to cease operations. Fadhil al-Bahadli, head of Sadr’s office in the al-Amil district in southwest Baghdad, said followers were planning demonstrations over the next three days.

“We want security and we want to release detainees,” said Qais al-Karbalaie, a spokesman for Sadr’s office in Baghdad’s Kadhimiyah enclave. “Our major reasons for this civil strike are the release of detainees and to stop random arrests.”

A cease-fire imposed by Sadr on his Mahdi Army militia is widely viewed as a major reason for the drop in violence across Iraq in recent months, along with a U.S. troop buildup and the rise of a Sunni movement that has turned against Islamist extremists. But in recent weeks, Iraqi security forces have clashed with Mahdi Army militiamen and conducted large raids and arrests of Sadr followers in southern Iraqi towns such as Kut and Diwaniyah. Sadrist leaders in Baghdad said that they were still obeying the cease-fire and that the demonstrations would be peaceful.

Washington Post

Letting this man live in the name of trying to fight a politically correct war may very well go down as one of Bush’s greatest blunders. Although, some would consider that honor to belong exclusively to the war itself.

Having broken the story himself, Drudge lay back and, as usual, left it to the mainstream media to report the details via links on his site to Telegraph.co.uk and other news organisations.

Angry internet users have changed an entry on online encyclopaedia Wikipedia to describe the Drudge Report as an “irresponsible and ill-advised ‘news’ website that has seen fit to put the lives of many soldiers at risk by publishing reports of Prince Harry’s deployment in Afghanistan”.

Not one to reveal much about himself or the way he works, Drudge maintained a stony silence about this, one of his most explosive scoops.

Telegraph

I am an avid reader of the Drudge Report, but I found this to be really distasteful on Drudge’s behalf and disrespectful to Prince Harry’s military service. By breaking the news on Harry’s service in Iraq he put the Prince and the lives of everyone in his unit in danger. I’m all for freedom of the press, but with all freedom comes a responsibility and he crossed the line.

Watch it through to the end. And kudos to the Paultards for the Terminator music. H/T Hot Air.

Our efficient government is changing document requirements for entering the country. 7 years too late!

Jan. 31 Travel Documents Requirement—Frequently Asked Questions

Questions on the Transition

Q: What is the change beginning January 31, 2008?
A: Currently, upon entering the United States at a land border port of entry, an individual without documentation can verbally claim to be a U. S. citizen. On January 31, DHS is ending this practice such that oral declarations alone to prove identity and citizenship will no longer be sufficient. Travelers will be asked to present certain documentation from a specified list when entering the United States at land or sea ports of entry.

A verbal declaration? Are you kidding me? This rule should have been changed September 12, 2001.

Wright asked Thompson a question about the political implications of the Benazir Bhutto assassination and how it will affect the presidential race, saying that he once supported “another candidate” but was now considering Thompson.“I have no idea of the political implications of that question,” Thompson said during the customary question and answer session after his stump speech. He went to add that knowledge of international affairs, however, is crucial. “We shouldn’t have to wait until some disaster happens – either at home or abroad – to be reminded of how important this is,” he said.

“I do know what the ramifications of having a president who doesn’t understand the nature of the world that we live in are, and that would be a dangerous situation.”

With the latest poll out of Iowa showing Huckabee leading Thompson by over 20 points, the former Tennessee senator could use every voter he can get.

“Knowing that Senator Fred Thompson has foreign policy experience with the world leaders, I believe he’s the best choice,” said Wright, adding that Huckabee turning Bhutto’s assassination into an immigration issue “turned me away from him.”

CBS News

I questioned in an earlier post as to whether or not Bhutto’s assassination might make some people think twice about the candidates they are supporting for President. In the beginning of this CBS interview Brian Wright states that he was a Huckabee supporter up until about a week ago and then also heard his comment regarding Pakistan ( I am assuming he is referring to Huckabee being unaware that the martial law and suspension of the Constitution has been over for a few weeks now). As a result he has now turned to Fred Thompson. What I suggested may be coming to fruition. Benazir Bhutto not only changed her country, but she might change ours, with elections beginning next week.

Straight from the mouth of Rep. Jim Moron (D-VA).

My buddy Dave (aka Chemistry Dave) tipped me off to an article about a speech recently made by Newt Gingrich. I highly recommend reading it. It really is too bad he decided not to run for President.

Sleepwalking Into a Nightmare

The survey, said pollster Whit Ayers, shows travel and tourism related to major issues such as national security and the economy are important to South Carolina voters.“In the minds of South Carolina … primary voters,” Ayers said, “it’s not the least bit tangential. Travel and tourism is a really big deal.”

About 70 percent of Republicans and Democrats surveyed think the federal government can do more to reduce lines without compromising security. Half of Republicans and two-thirds of Democrats said the federal government can do more to improve airline system efficiency.

The State

Here is my problem with the airport screening. I flew home from a business trip in Minneapolis yesterday. The TSA guy wouldn’t let me take my can of Axe deodorant in my carry on because it was one ounce over the limit. They were also performing an extra pat down on an 80 to 90 year old man while I was standing there.

I sure am glad we have all that national security. Imagine if I had been let through with my can. I could have deodorized someone to death and hell, those 80 year old men are dangerously shady. He could have attacked someone with his false teeth or tried to suffocate a passenger with his toupee.

Sure, I want to be safe when I am flying from some crackpot who might want to take the plane down, but TSA does not use an ounce of common sense in their screening. All they do is frustrate people and waste our time with these useless procedures that defy logic.

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson said Friday that a 20-year-old soldier serving in Iraq often has a better understanding of national security than a veteran lawmaker in Congress.

Thompson spoke to about 100 supporters in Florida, where recent polls show the actor-politician in single digits, trailing his top rivals Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney and in a close race with John McCain and Mike Huckabee. Thompson met privately with about 15-20 family members of deployed soldiers and sailors from the town populated by military retirees and home to Pensacola Naval Air Station.

“It always is amazing to me that the average 20-year-old today serving in Iraq has a better understanding often times of our national security and what it takes than a 20-year veteran of Capitol Hill who is playing politics,” Thompson said.

The Boston Globe

Thompson’s assertion sounds like common sense to me. These 20 year olds are in the war zone 24/7 every single day they are deployed. They see firsthand the trials and tribulations of war, be it in Iraq or Afghanistan or any other conflict we may see ourselves in. Their experiences lend them a lot a more credence in knowing what is right or wrong in the War on Terror than some stuffed shirts in Washington on either side of the war argument who twist and spin information in order to support their biased opinions in front of the television cameras.  It’s good to see Fred recognizes this.

I meant to post this last week, but time ran away from me. This ticks me off.

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey ordered its ambassador in Washington to return to Turkey for consultations over a U.S. House panel’s approval of a bill describing the World War I-era mass killings of Armenians as genocide, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.

The ambassador would stay in Turkey for about a week or 10 days for discussions about the measure, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Levent Bilman.

“We are not withdrawing our ambassador. We have asked him to come to Turkey for some consultations,” he said. “The ambassador was given instructions to return and will come at his earliest convenience.”

Why on Earth, 90 years later, would Democrats do this? I have an idea.

Relations are already strained by accusations that the U.S. is unwilling to help Turkey fight Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.

About 70 percent of U.S. air cargo headed for Iraq goes through Turkey, as does about one-third of the fuel used by the U.S. military in Iraq. U.S. bases also get water and other supplies by land from Turkish truckers who cross into the northern region of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Democrats wanted to rock the boat and they succeeded. They will do what they can to thwart the war effort leading into an election year. This is all about political gain. They care nothing about the Armenian plight nearly a century ago.

If the Holocaust-denying, nuclear bomb-building, terrorism-sponsoring president of Iran thinks he’s going to flit into New York next week for the U.N. General Assembly and escape unchallenged, boy is he going to be in for a surprise. Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel yesterday added his name to a small but high-powered international group of private citizens who are pushing to have Iran thrown out of the United Nations in response to Iran’s violations of the 1948 Convention to Prevent and Punish the Crime of Genocide.

President Ahmadinejad will also be met with a large rally on September 20 outside the U.N. at noon organized by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, and the UJA-Federation of New York. The rally, in support of Israel, calls for implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for disarming Iran’s proxy army Hezbollah. It also calls for supporting the war against state sponsors of terror, including Iran. The executive vice chairman of the Conference, Malcolm Hoenlein, told us yesterday that he’s received requests from as far away as Texas, Arkansas, Ottawa, and New Hampshire to participate in the rally.

New York Sun

Where is the U.S. Government? Are they taking a nap? The fact that this man is even being allowed to set foot on American soil is insane enough, but if that doesn’t do it for you, maybe this will:

In a move that has stunned New York, the Bloomberg administration is in discussions to escort the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to ground zero during his visit to New York next week, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said today.

The Iranian mission to the U.N. made the request to the New York City Police Department and the, which will jointly oversee security during the leader’s two-day visit. Mr. Ahmadinejad is scheduled to arrive September 24 to speak to the U.N. General Assembly as the Security Council decides whether to increase sanctions against his country for its uranium enrichment program.

U.S. May Escort Ahmadinejad to Ground Zero

I swear to God, Michael Bloomberg lives in a completely different world than the rest of us. What a complete ass that man is. If I were a member of the NYPD and was told I had to be a police escort to a  fundamentalist wacko just a few years after his fundamentalist wacko brethren killed a bunch of my fellow officers along with 3,000 other people, I’d spit in Bloomberg’s face and then hand him my badge.

AMERICA’s elder statesman of finance, Alan Greenspan, has shaken the White House by declaring that the prime motive for the war in Iraq was oil.In his long-awaited memoir, to be published tomorrow, Greenspan, a Republican whose 18-year tenure as head of the US Federal Reserve was widely admired, will also deliver a stinging critique of President George W Bush’s economic policies.

However, it is his view on the motive for the 2003 Iraq invasion that is likely to provoke the most controversy. “I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil,” he says.

Greenspan, 81, is understood to believe that Saddam Hussein posed a threat to the security of oil supplies in the Middle East.

The Sunday Times

So how will the Bush Administration spin this one? I don’t know that I really agree with the whole war for oil mantra, but I never believed that the primary reason we were going into Iraq was to stop Saddam before he posed an eminent threat. Personally, I think Bush had every intention of invading Iraq before he even won the 2000 election so he could finish off what his father didn’t. 9-11 made it all the more easier.

It’s going to be interesting now to see how Greenspan gets treated by fellow Republicans. He’s been a well respected member of the party for decades. Will he have his character assassinated? Will he now be mocked and ridiculed? This is quite damaging to be coming from his mouth. That doesn’t mean it’s true and should not be taken as gospel, but damaging nonetheless. Ron Paul is one of the only real conservatives in Congress and he has been treated like a bastard at a family reunion by many conservatives ever since he publicly differed with the GOP on the war.

Bush took an opportunity that Republicans hadn’t had in decades, the White House and control of both chambers of Congress, and flushed it down the crapper with out of control spending, with the biggest expansion in the Federal Government ever, and by taking us into an unnecessary war that has cost America thousands of lives and billions and billions of dollars. He could have taken this rare opportunity to cut government and advance Federalism, but instead he chose to slowly bankrupt us with increasing debt and restrict more of our freedoms, not expand them.

Regardless, we are in Iraq like it or not, and we must also be victorious for the sake of the people living there, but ultimately, at what price?

The ad war began Monday, when the Times ran a full-page ad from MoveOn charging Petraeus with “cooking the books” on the Iraq war and playing on his name by asking, “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” Petraeus was testifying on Capitol Hill, delivering a progress report on Iraq.

Giuliani responded Friday with his own ad in the Times; he attempted to link Clinton to the attack on Petraeus. He also launched an Internet ad against Clinton on his campaign Web site and told voters in Tulsa, Okla., that Clinton should apologize to Petraeus for her “venomous attack.”

“You do not honor the troops by attacking their general at a time of war,” Giuliani said, repeating criticisms he has made since Clinton joined Democrats and some Republicans in questioning Petraeus’ more positive assessment of the war.

AP

This is a good move on Giuliani’s part. I am tired of Hillary playing both sides and not getting called to the floor on it. Furthermore, her slandering of a decorated General in a time of war is inexcusable, but so has been the conduct of most of the Democrat Party. Anybody with an ounce of common sense could have told you six months ago what their response was going to be over the Patraeus Report. Unless he was going to report negative news it was just going to be further juvenile attacks and bed wetting from the Democrats. I have been highly critical of the Iraq War, particularly towards Bush on this issue, and I still think we should have never gone in to begin with, but I trust the word of a decorated General who has made a career of putting his life on the line for us over the past few decades, than I do that of the President or any politician, R or D.

The Democrats’ behavior has been abominable, if not down right treasonous, and I am truly stunned how so many people in this nation can support a group that hopes for the failure of their own country just so they can win more seats in Congress and advance a Marxist agenda. I weep for the future.

On Saturday night, I received a call from my aunt asking me if I could take her two sons, Anthony (12) and Patrick (10), to the Mets game on Sunday.  I gladly said yes.  I picked them up Sunday morning and rode the 7 train out to Shea Stadium.  I was impressed with how much Anthony knew about the Mets and how closely he followed the game.  We discussed the game as it went on, including why the Mets would bring in an inept Guillermo Mota.  Patrick was, as usual, only moderately interested, but appreciated the extra attention and the day out.  It was a pleasant day, and it was great to be able to spend that time with my cousins.

It would seem like a perfectly normal day out for kids of their age but for the fact that it was their cousin rather than their father taking them to the game.  You see, their father was unable to do so.

Six years ago today, he went to work.  He called my aunt to say that he had arrived safely, just as he did every day.  She took the kids to school and went home.  Then their lives changed forever.

The children at school knew only that something was wrong.  They had heard no details and, like everyone in New York who had no idea what was going on that day, they were frightened.  The adults at their school were acting strangely, especially toward them.  Before long, they were called down to the principal’s office where their mother was waiting.  That is when they heard the words that no child should ever have to hear: “Daddy is gone, and I will take care of you.”

My buddy Mark Finelli will be on CNN tonight shortly after 7:00 to discuss the General Petraeus report. Find out more about Mark on his MySpace page.

The top military general in Iraq hinted to ABC’s Martha Raddatz that next week’s much-anticipated report on the status of the troop surge in Iraq would include a recommendation for troop reduction in March, if not sooner, to avoid a strain on the Army.

ABC News

What else is there to say?  This is great news.

Sen. Mitch McConnell said Sunday that he thinks “there’s a good chance that in September we’ll go in a different direction.”  He also expressed a lack of faith in the Iraqi government and, though not suggesting a date for withdrawl, said that he expects that the President will start on a course that would allow for fewer troops stationed in the Middle East.  This comes at a time when  some have said that democracy no longer should be a priority in Iraq.

I’m torn on where things stand in Iraq, and I think it’s problematic that so few seem to be in the same position.  On the one hand, it would be dangerous to our long-term security interests to allow the terrorists to drive us out of Iraq.  Yes, we are making progress in terms of the number of attacks, but we have a very long way to go.  With every terrorist we kill, we are killing someone’s friend, son, husband, neighbor, and in so doing constantly creating new enemies.  I’m all for killing terrorists, but this also has a way of creating new ones.

At the same time, the Iraqi government has proven itself totally inept.  It speaks volumes that they took a month off when no measurable political progress has been made at the national level since their elections back in 2005.  They seem to be totally confident that they never have to make any progress because we’ll take care of it, whatever “it” happens to be.  Al Maliki is in way over his head and is starting to make nice-nice with governments that are hostile to the United States.

I don’t claim to have all of the solutions, even any of them, but until some leaders start acknowledging and addressing the serious concerns of the other side, i.e. that our national security will be threatened if we allow the terrorists to take over in Iraq and that we’re in a bad situation that will not improve until we demonstrate in a concrete way that they need to take some responsibility for their own country, we’re not going to get anywhere.  Serious problems call for serious leaders.  As strong as my distaste for Sen. Warner is, I give him credit for at least proposing something.  Of the 535 other elected officials serving in Washington, can’t somebody else come up with a serious solution to a serious problem?

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., urged President Bush Thursday to announce in mid-September that he is beginning to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.

Warner, perhaps the most influential Republican senator on national security issues, said that withdrawing a small number of troops — perhaps as few as 5,000 — would send a “sharp, clear message” to Iraq, America and the world that the U.S. commitment in Iraq isn’t open-ended.

McClatchy

Now this is an idea that I think has some merit.  Unlike Walt Jones who wants us to completely pull out yesterday, Warner’s proposal is sensible.  One of the big problems in Iraq is the government there.  They clearly have not stepped up to the plate and I agree with Warner, that it might take some action on our part to show them that their time is running out and actually mean it.

I bet the Commies over at Kos are wetting their pants over this one…….

Even as they call for an end to the war and pledge to bring the troops home, the Democratic presidential candidates are setting out positions that could leave the United States engaged in Iraq for years.

John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, would keep troops in the region to intervene in an Iraqi genocide and be prepared for military action if violence spills into other countries. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York would leave residual forces to fight terrorism and to stabilize the Kurdish region in the north. And Senator Barack Obama of Illinois would leave a military presence of as-yet unspecified size in Iraq to provide security for American personnel, fight terrorism and train Iraqis.

The New York Times