Tag: Iraq
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Obama Honeymoon-Over Watch: Jon Stewart and Chas Freeman
I’ve been neglecting the “Honeymoon-Over Watch” category of my blog because the notion of “watching” for something implies infrequent sightings, not a target-rich environment. The media certainly has not been hounding Obama as mercilessly as it did his predecessor, and I’m quite confident that will never happen. But the stimulus fight and economic news have […]
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Mr. Obama’s War: I Told You So
President Bush salutes in front of General David Petraeus and Admiral William Fallon, September 2007, in Iraq President Obama today announced an Iraq withdrawal plan that George Bush would be proud to call his own. Actually, it IS Bush’s own. Don’t be fooled by the lawyerly language in his pledge to complete “the responsible removal […]
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My Kind of Dangerous Muslim Jihadi
Mad props to Sayyid Imam al-Sharif, better known as Dr. Fadl, for attacking al-Qaeda from the jihadi perspective. (Hat tip: Cliff May) Half an hour ago I had not heard of Dr. Fadl, but apparently he is an al-Qaeda co-founder. Remember that when al-Qaeda was founded, its primary mission was not to terrorize America, but […]
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Iraqis Vote to Stabilize Their Country
Incomplete election returns from Iraq are very heartening. In addition to being almost completely peaceful — with security provided solely by Iraqi forces, with Americans on standby — the results appear to have strengthened the secular government of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The various Sunni factions, which largely boycotted the 2005 elections, appear to […]
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In Iraq, the People Have Spoken — Peacefully
What if they held an election and the terrorists stayed home? From MSNBC: BAGHDAD – Iraqis held their most peaceful election since the fall of Saddam Hussein on Saturday, and voting for provincial councils ended without a single major attack reported anywhere in the country. In the NBC Nightly News report of the elections, below, […]
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Iraqis Embrace Democracy With a Passion
Citizens of one of the world’s newest democracies go to the polls Saturday to elect representatives to the Provincial Councils. It’s the third nationwide election in Iraq, and the first since 2005. But the Washington Post reports the atmosphere now is nothing like “the 2005 vote, when violence and its threat lurked menacingly over the […]
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You (Could Have) Read It Here First
Long-time readers (hi Sweetie!) know how much I admire Charles Krauthammer’s writing. I’ve said that when I read his columns, I often wish I had written them first. Well, now that fantasy has partly come true. Krauthammer’s column today covers some of the same ground as my post Wednesday on Obama’s mixed signals to the […]
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Bush, Reagan, Moral Clarity, and the Politics of Evil
President Bush has outpaced former President Reagan when it comes to calling evil by its name. What remains to be seen is whether history will vindicate Bush as it has Reagan. From President Bush’s farewell address to the nation last night (hat tip: K-Lo): As we address these challenges — and others we cannot foresee […]
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Obama Silver Lining Watch (Gitmo Edition)
“The single best thing about the election of Obama may be that we now have a chance to view the terror threat without the distorting lens of Bush hatred.” So says Jack Goldsmith, a former assistant attorney general in the Bush Administration, as quoted in a William McGurn column in today’s WSJ. The topic of […]
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How Will History Judge Bush?
A few months ago, a friend started a conversation with the words, “now that George Bush is generally agreed to be the worst president in history…” I have no idea what she said after that, as my mind was reeling. I silently edited the statement: “Among partisan Democrats who ignore Warren Harding, George W. Bush […]