Need to Know is a short roundup of key stories that shouldn’t be missed on your cruise through the blogosphere. The number of links in the roundup may vary but if you find it here you can trust that it’s must-read material.
Blackfive
Notice the uptick in troll activity? Well, that’s just the beginning. MoveOn and George Soros and VoteVets and CodePink and the cast of lunatic fringe elements are all trying to get ahead of the testimony from General Petraeus and paint the surge as a loss. In order to join the fight, Uncle Jimbo and I should be joining up with Veterans for Freedom in Washington DC on September 17th and 18th. And both of us should be at a MAF rally on September 11th here in Chicago. Please consider joining us.
The Captain’s Journal
The Sadrists are allowed their own political bloc in Parliament, their own militia, and the freedom to behave like mafiosi in the neighborhoods, while U.S. forces steer clear of entanglement with them. Conversely, former Sunni insurgents are relegated to the sidelines where policy stipulates that they can never be under the permanent employ of the Iraqi government. Even temporary support for these fighters is subject to a 90-day ’security’ contract, permission for which likely sits in bureaucratic quick sand, the location of which only God and a few people know.
Hyscience
So, one might reasonably ask, just why is it that the Left has such a propensity to embrace lies but condemn the truth, especially when the truth has anything at all to do with Iraq and/or defending America against radical Islamists?
Right Wing News
In the end, whether Iraq succeeds or not is going to depend on the Iraqis and all we can do is hand them “a republic, if (they) can keep it.” However, there’s a heck of a lot of difference between pulling out when we know they’re not ready or setting a timeline for defeat and doing all we can within reason to help them succeed before we take the training wheels off.
Wizbang
Considering how emotional the war in Iraq has become, American public’s views of Patraeus are very important because they indicate how much they’ll trust his report come September.
A Soldier’s Mind
I just received word today from one of our regular readers, Leta, that there’s a group of Soldiers who are with 2nd Battalion (Airborne) 503rd Infantry, B Company, who are currently deployed in Afghanistan. They’re in the very same mountainous region of Afghanistan that Marcus Luttrell and SEAL Team 10 were dropped into in 2005, some of the most rugged and dangerous terrain there is, on the Afghanistan and Pakistan border. They’re living in tents, with very little in the way of creature comforts. They have no lights, so they have to rely on filtered lens flashlights in order to dress, read, wash or eat. It gets cold in this mountainous outpost at night, even during the summer. The winters are hell, but yet, they continue their mission.
Redstate
Despite all of the problems, it seems nonetheless that we have been given genuine cause for optimism. The question is whether we will short circuit any of the gains we are making in Iraq, leading us to rue actions that emanate from a lack of patience and forbearance in the future.
Calls for a General Strike in Syria on October 26th
The Syrian Free Press and Twitter users are starting to circulate word of a general strike in Syria on October 26. The facebook post (badly, but adequately, translated by Google)...
3D Surge Animation: The Effect of a 20 Foot Storm Surge on Galveston Island
You can watch the animation here. CNN has more here. They do a pretty good job of illustrating why I’d never choose to ride out a major hurricane on the...
Barack Obama Campaign Removes Criticism of Troop Surge from Website
Calling him a flip-flopper does not accurately capture the level of arrogance and dishonesty present in his campaign: Barack Obama’s campaign scrubbed his presidential Web site over the weekend to...
Iraq: Violence Down 60 Percent Since Surge
Trends are positive across the board: Violence is down about 60 percent in Iraq since the June troop surge, and the top military commander in Iraq said today that he...
General David Petraeus Examined
Will it work in the face of the brutality insurgents are willing (and eager) to dish out? Herschel Smith seems doubtful. Ultimately it will depend on the ratio of ass-kicking...
These publications should not disclose where our soldiers are being sent to in Iraq. That only comprimises their position and could make their job harder. We want them to come home not be lost.