The Return of 'Miss Baghdad'

The event pre-dates the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein. While it's not exactly the Miss America pageant, it's nice to see Iraqi women celebrate their freedom. Although this is sure to offend some since you'll spot someone smoking in the hall.

Via Radio Free Europe.

Sign of the Times: Porn Now Doing Brisk Business in Iraq

I blame Bush.

The nude women on the DVD cover in a Baghdad street stall say it all: Change, whether you like it or not, is afoot in Iraq.

Hundreds of porn DVDs are stacked elbow-deep on a wooden table in Jassim Hanoun's ramshackle stall on a downtown sidewalk. His other tables have Hollywood blockbusters, like "King Kong." But not surprisingly, it's the sex that sells best.

"I've got everything," Hanoun says of his sex selection, flashing the kind of impish grin only a 22-year-old in tight jeans and slicked-back hair can pull off with any real conviction. "What do you want? I've got foreign films, Arab, Iraqi, Indian, celebrities — whatever you like."

The porn, in an odd way, has told the story of Iraq's security and political situation since Saddam Hussein's ouster in 2003. It emerged in the anything-goes atmosphere that erupted in the vacuum immediately following the U.S. invasion — then went back into hiding amid the anarchy when armed militias roamed the capital through 2008, targeting those they saw as immoral.

Its reemergence since then reflects how security has improved but also how the fragile government is busy with more pressing issues than spicy videos.

You want spicy? How about some very creative movie titles?

And the demand is there. Hanoun unloads scores of adult movies a day — at nearly $3 each.

His stock ranges from the mundane to the startlingly extreme, including bestiality.

The titles alone — many along the lines of "The Rape of the Coeds" — offer disturbing insight into the possible psychological effects the years of indiscriminate violence have had on Iraqis.

Many have seen, if not first hand, then certainly on video and TV, children blown up, people kidnapped and beheaded and prisoners abused by U.S. forces.

The films don't show actual rapes — they're just titles tacked onto mainstream porn films downloaded from the Internet as well as homemade movies of amateur Arab couples.

In a nod to the politically elusive dream of Arab unity, Hanoun carries a collection entitled "Cheap Meat."

"It's got Syrian, Egyptian, Lebanese girls," he says. "All the Arabs."

But, in an ironic symbol of the difficulty with which Arabs have had coming together, the DVD gets stuck in a loop in the first five minutes.

Asian Born Muslim Praises Obama For Continuing Bush Plan in Iraq

An Asian born Muslim paraphrasing another allegedly Asian born Muslim, yeah I went there for the cheap shot, but with all of the not so cheap shots most of us average Americans have been taking lately I couldn't resist, in a recent interview Fareed Zakaria says that Obama is getting out of Iraq because he never wanted to be there to start with.

CNN: In light of that conflict, why is Obama proceeding with the withdrawal?

Zakaria: Obama believes this is a war we should never have gotten involved in, that it has been a waste of American resources -- most importantly American lives but also treasure -- and that his job is to minimize the exposure of the United States to this and reduce our commitments so that he can focus America's energy and efforts in other places. And he's been very disciplined about this, very unsentimental about it.

Zakaria who is being interviewed is the editor of Newsweek's International edition, a contributor to Slate, has written for the Washington Post and has his own show on CNN. This is a guy, who when the left get mad at him for not being progressive enough call him a neocon. For those that don't know all of those agencies listed above are about as liberal as you can get.

Obama and Zakaria have several traits in common. Obama likes to read Zakaria's book like "The Post-American World". They both went to Harvard with Zak going to Yale also while Barry went to Columbia.

In truth the groundwork for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq is in keeping with the guidelines set down during the Bush administration and enabled by the surge implemented by General Petraeus, not because of anything Barry O has done. Hell he was handed the keys and the best way to describe his contribution is he didn't mess it up. What is happening right now with the troop withdrawals was crafted years ago and we can simply see the visible signs of that now.

All I am saying is Zakaria is more likely to be a mouthpiece for Obama then he is any sort of critical analyst. We only have Zakaria's retelling of his interview so you can't say this is a direct quote or was even said and may only be what Fareed wishes Obama would say or he is engaging in some heavy mind reading.

An ability reserved for Asian born Muslims.

Besides we all know Barry O is an American born Black Liberation Theology member.

Joe Biden's Impeccable Timing

While his boss was busy being publicly fellated by the yentas of The View, his bumbling sidekick was busy pretending to care about the troops today, with predictable results.

Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview aired Thursday he would bet "everything" that there would be no explosion of sectarian violence when US combat troops leave Iraq next month.

Biden, in an interview recorded Wednesday as he welcomed home one of America's most combat-tested brigades from Baghdad, said he could not "guarantee" anything but believed that serious violence was unlikely.

"I'm willing to bet everything that there will be no such explosion," Biden said in an interview with the NBC "Today" show.

Well, how'd that work out?

Insurgents briefly raised the black flag of Al Qaeda in Iraq over a mostly Sunni neighborhood of Baghdad on Thursday during a brazen assault that killed 16 people and laid bare Iraq's fragility as the withdrawal of U.S. troops accelerates and the country's political crisis deepens.

Ten of the dead were from the security forces, four were members of the U.S.-allied Sunni militia Awakening, and two were civilians, according to the Ministry of Interior. In addition, at least 14 people were injured, and police said the casualty toll could rise as sporadic clashes between security forces and gunmen continued into the night.

The deaths of the seven soldiers and three policemen in Baghdad brought to 17 the total number of Iraqi security forces killed in incidents nationwide Thursday, underscoring the vulnerability of the security forces as U.S. troops are in the process of drawing down to a total of 50,000 by the end of August. Two Iraqi soldiers died in car bombings in Fallouja, four were killed in a suicide bombing north of Tikrit, and a policeman was shot dead in Mosul.

Oops.

Seems the folks who used to keep tabs on the body count in Iraq are a bit slow on the updates. Whatever happened to those grim milestones?

Burn Notice Does Iraq

"When you're a spy who has been burned...."

Those are the words which begin every episode of the USA show "Burn Notice" which is basically a buddy show which teams a former CIA spy, Michael Westen, whom the agency has cast aside, an FBI agent, Sam Axe, who used to pursue the spy and now works with him to help the average person, a female hit woman, Fiona Glennanne, who loves to blow stuff up and this year they have added a new character who is also a burned spy but in this case the main character of the show is the one who burned him.

Anyway in between filming for the show the guys headed to Iraq to visit the soldiers. It seems Bruce Campbell, who plays FBI agent Sam Axe has a brother who serves in the reserves and is currently a military adviser in Iraq. The Bruce Campbell fan club has put up some pictures of the visit along with some comments from the actors, but the pictures are worth viewing if for no other reason then to read the captions.

Some of ya'll may recall Bruce from his early days when he was on such tv shows as 'Hercules' and 'Xena' or from his campy horror flicks like 'Army of Darkness'. He always portrays a smart alecky action type character.

Anyway I just wanted to give credit where credit is due and anytime celebrities can take the time out to visit our troops they deserve to be recognized for it.

Now if they could get those motorcycle gang members from the 'Sons of Anarchy' to go after the Taliban this whole Afghanistan thing could be wrapped up pretty quickly. There would be no rules of engagement.

Two al Qaeda in Iraq Leaders Reportedly Vaporized

Always good news seeing these maggots dispatched off to virgin land. Even better when they go in pairs.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced Monday that the two leaders of the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq have been killed.

In a televised news conference, Maliki said Abu Ayyub al-Masri (first photo), the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi (second photo), the head of the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group that includes al Qaeda in Iraq, were killed in a recent raid.

American officials did not immediately confirm the death of the top insurgent leaders.

Iraqi officials have previously falsely claimed to have captured and killed top al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders. They announced last summer that Baghdadi, a shadowy figure, was in custody -- a claim they supported at the time with a video and photos of the alleged insurgent.

On Monday, Maliki said the raid where the leaders were killed occurred in recent days at a house in Salahaddin Province in northern Iraq. He said a team of Iraqi troops working with American soldiers carried out the operation.

Maliki said the two suspected insurgent leaders were found dead in a ditch after an air strike conducted by American forces.

"We have found a lot of documents, and hand-written letters," that implicated the men, Maliki said.

Maliki presented photos allegedly showing the slain leaders during Monday's news conference.

The Islamic State of Iraq has taken credit for a series of powerful attacks that have targeted government buildings, hotels, embassies and other targets in recent month. The group said it sees the Shiite-led government as an illegitimate byproduct of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.

Unreal: U.S. to Appeal Dismissal of Charges Against Blackwater

Makes you wonder whose side they're on. Actually, no, I'm no longer wondering. They're definitely not on our side.

The U.S. will appeal a court decision dismissing manslaughter charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security contractors involved in a deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday.

Biden's announcement after a meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani shows just how diplomatically sensitive the incident remains nearly three years later.

Blackwater security contractors were guarding U.S. diplomats when the guards opened fire in a crowded Baghdad intersection. Seventeen people were killed, including women and children, in a shooting that inflamed anti-American sentiment in Iraqi.

The U.S. rebuffed Iraqi demands that the U.S. contractors face trial in Iraqi courts. After a lengthy investigation, U.S. prosecutors charged five of the contractors with manslaughter and took a guilty plea from a sixth.

But the case fell apart in December after a judge found that the Justice Department mishandled evidence and violated the guards' constitutional rights. Prosecutors now face difficult odds getting an appeals court to reinstate the case.

The dismissal outraged many Iraqis, who said it showed the Americans considered themselves above the law. The Iraqi government began collecting signatures for a class-action lawsuit from victims who were wounded or lost relatives.

Messages seeking comment from lawyers for the guards were not immediately returned Saturday.

Blackwater has said the guards were innocent, contending there were ambushed by insurgents. Prosecutors said the shooting was unprovoked.

The government is eager to ruin the lives of these people doing a dirty job, yet when it comes to prosecuting domestic thugs, well, they're just not interested in that.

The Justice Department, citing privilege claims, has refused to release e-mails and other documents sought under an open records request by The Washington Times to explain its decision last year to dismiss a civil complaint accusing the New Black Panther Party of intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling place.

In a letter, the department said that while 69 documents totaling 135 pages were responsive to the Freedom of Information Act request for information on how and why the decision to dismiss the complaint was made, they were being withheld because of "deliberative process" and "attorney work-product" privilege exemptions.

Obama has his priorities straight, that's for sure: Black Panthers good, Blackwater bad.

It's as if they're unaware of a certain election this past week that sent a very loud message people don't like how this administration is operating.

One Percent Increase In Disabled In Iraq Over Last 33 Years

The headline blares Up To 10 Percent of Iraqis Disabled by War, Sanctions.

Sounds ominous, doesn't it? Feeds into that anti-American imperialism mantra, too. The author of the piece goes on to make his case with the first paragraph.

Amputee Hamza Hameed is a living reminder of the U.S. "shock and awe" bombardment during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, one of up to three million Iraqis disabled after years of war, sanctions and economic deprivation.

Oh, how horrible. See, we told you the Americans bring nothing but death and destruction with them. They ravage the countryside and leave the people broken and downtrodden. Those evil Crusaders are a curse upon the land.

Well, yeah, except for this little nugget contained way down in the middle of the story.

"If you take into account that Iraq has been at war since 1977, the Iran-Iraq war, the American bombings, sanctions, all of which have contributed to more people becoming disabled, 2.7 million or 10 percent of the population is a conservative estimate," Mercy Corps spokeswoman Tiana Tozer said.

What is missing from their little piece also is how many of these disabled or crippled Iraqis owe their condition to torture endured at the hands of Sadaam Hussein and his goons. The Iraq-Iran war claimed about 1 million on each side and I do find it curious that the primary tool in the liberal toolbox for dealing with despotic regimes, that being sanctions, is also being blamed for causing the injuries or lack of medical treatment that may have led to some of these crippling injuries.

The other point missing is how many of the injured are the result of jihadist bombs and not coalition military forces.

Reuters isn't writing this to be informative. They know most won't get beyond the headline and first paragraph or two so they paint the mental image that they want the reader to walk away with and pat themselves on the back for upholding their journalistic standards.

Oh, by the way, the percentage of Iraqis disabled in 1977, according to figures supplied in the story, was 9 percent.

Here in America, according to the CDC, the percentage of disabled is 31.4%

What Happened To That Whole War For Oil?

Remember back in the heyday of the antiwar protests after our decision to invade Iraq? One of the biggest talking points from the loony left was that this was all about oil. They constantly chanted "No more war of oil" while parading around in their god awful ugly uniforms or, in the case of Code Pink when they were smearing fake blood on then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Well if this whole thing was about oil, the US certainly got screwed in the bidding for the rights to Iraqi oil fields that was held recently.

A consortium led by Russia's private oil giant won the biggest prize of Iraq's second oil auction this year, nabbing a field initially promised them a decade ago by Saddam Hussein while other companies Saturday showed little interest in offerings outside the secure southern part of the country.

Lukoil and Norway's Statoil ASA won rights to develop the 12.88 billion barrel West Qurna Phase 2 field in the Basra region, beating out three other consortiums led by France's Total SA, Malaysia's state-run Petronas and British giant BP PLC.

In the opening round of the two-day auction Friday, an alliance grouping European giant Shell and Petronas was awarded the 12.5 billion barrel Majnoon field, also in the south.

In fact in this latest round of contracts that was awarded not a single American company was awarded a contract.

I think that is more the result of our domestic policy here at home then it is our oil companies not wanting to get in on the process. They could have still tried to get some since there is no doubt there will continue to be a world wide demand for oil products, regardless of much our current progressive inhabitants of congress and the White House wish to continue to push their cave man energy policy.

Leftwing Icon To Be Released From Prison

I know, I know, you say there are plenty of leftwing heroes in jail, but this one in particular became an instant icon for an attempted assault on President Bush last year. He'll likely start a speaking tour of college campuses and do the rounds on the news chat shows pretty soon. Probably will become a HuffPost blogger in the not-too-distnt future since he's already got his journalist credentials.

An Iraqi journalist jailed after hurling his shoes at former President George W. Bush will be released next month after his sentence was reduced for good behavior, his lawyer said Saturday.

Muntadhar al-Zeidi's act during Bush's last visit to Iraq as president turned the 30-year-old reporter into a folk hero across the Arab world amid anger over the 2003 invasion.

He has been in custody since the Dec. 14 outburst, which occurred as Bush was holding a joint news conference with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

He was initially sentenced to three years after pleading not guilty to assaulting a foreign leader, then the court reduced it to one year because the journalist had no prior criminal history.

Torture for Iraqis

Imagine the horror of seeing this mug up close and personal.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a surprise one-day visit to Baghdad today and discussed U.S.-Iraqi economic relations with the prime minister, the government spokesman said.

Prime Minister Nouri Maliki asked Pelosi, a California Democrat, to shield Iraq from the demands for reparations from neighboring countries dating back to the actions of Saddam Hussein, spokesman Ali Dabbagh said.

Warmonger Obama Seeks $83.4 Billion For Military Ops

He was against the funding before he was for it.

Obama lied, bad guys died.

Hey, I'm all for funding the troops. I just wonder how the base of his party is going to handle it. Likely not very well.

President Barack Obama is seeking $83.4 billion for U.S. military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, pressing for special troop funding that he opposed two years ago when he was senator and George W. Bush was president.

Obama's request, including money to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, would push the costs of the two wars to almost $1 trillion since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the Congressional Research Service. The additional money would cover operations into the fall.

Obama is also requesting $400 million to upgrade security along the U.S.-Mexico border and to combat narcoterrorists.

Budget office spokesman Tom Gavin said the White House would send an official request to Congress late Thursday.

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, acknowledged that Obama has been critical of Bush's use of similar special legislation to pay for the wars. He said it was needed this time because the money will be required by summer, before Congress is likely to complete its normal appropriations process.
...
Some Democrats were not pleased.

"This funding will do two things — it will prolong our occupation of Iraq through at least the end of 2011, and it will deepen and expand our military presence in Afghanistan indefinitely," said anti-war Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif. "Instead of attempting to find military solutions to the problems we face in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Obama must fundamentally change the mission in both countries to focus on promoting reconciliation, economic development, humanitarian aid, and regional diplomatic efforts."

I prefer wiping out bad guys, a more cost-effective approach.

Tariq Aziz and 'Chemical Ali' Get 15 Years

They should be hanged, of course, but I imagine these two won't last 15 years in jail anyway.

Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and Ali Hassan al-Majid, a senior official in Saddam Hussein’s Baath party known as “Chemical Ali,” were sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes against humanity in the killing of Baghdad merchants in the 1990s.

Aziz and al-Majid were charged over the 1992 murders of 40 Baghdad wholesalers accused of speculating on food prices when Iraq was under United Nations sanctions. The Iraqi High Tribunal handed down the sentences today, President Jalal Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said on the party’s Web site. The two men faced the death penalty.

Two of Hussein’s half-brothers, Watbam Ibrahim al-Hassan and Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, were sentenced to death in the case, the PUK said. A 15-year sentence also was given to co-defendant Mizban Khadr Hadi, while Ahmed Hakki got six years. Issam Huwaish was acquitted and released, the party said.

Heartbreaking News: Liberal Mascot Facing 15 Years In Jail

I'm sure there'll be all sorts of feigned outrage over this, although since George W. Bush is now in retirement, his usefuleness has passed. Maybe they can cut a deal whereby he can do an NPR show from jail, thus satisfying all sides.

The Iraqi journalist who gained worldwide cult status for throwing his shoes at former President George W. Bush faces up to 15 years in jail.

Muntazer al-Zaidi faced court today on charges of assaulting a visiting head of State during the stunt last December.

But the trial was soon adjourned while the court considers whether Mr Bush's visit was formal or informal.

Zaidi was handcuffed and surrounded by a pack of security guards when he was brought to Iraq's Central Criminal Court in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.

He looked solemn as as he arrived at court wearing an Iraqi flag tied round his neck as a scarf.

Family members waiting for him inside the courthouse ululated wildly as he was brought in.

Relatives and supporters applauded and chanted 'Imam Ali is with you hero,' in reference to a revered Shiite Muslim saint.

The judge asked Zaidi to state his name, occupation and address.

Zaidi has been imprisoned for more than two months and his family claim he was beaten after being pounced on by security guards at Bush's news conference.

His defence lawyers lost an appeal to have the charges reduced to insulting Bush, a lesser offence.

Iraqi-Born Canadian Charged With Spying

I'm sure he was just trying to slip into Buffalo last week to enjoy the Christmas festivities.

An Iraq-born Canadian citizen who was detained at the U.S. border is accused of conspiring to spy for Iraq.

U.S. Justice Department officials say 47-year-old Mouyad Mahmoud Darwish will appear in federal court in Buffalo for a detention hearing Tuesday. He was detained while entering the United States at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo Dec. 24.

A criminal complaint filed in Maryland Monday alleges Darwish, while working at a Maryland restaurant, was paid to provide information to Iraqi government officials and intelligence officers, including that Iraqi volunteers were being trained by the U.S. military in Virginia.

An alleged co-conspirator pleaded guilty in Maryland last week.

Much more here from the Department of Justice release.

Darwish is a Canadian citizen born in Iraq. During part of the alleged conspiracy, he resided in Maryland. According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, under the regime of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) routinely recruited individuals, either currently in the United States or to be placed into the United States, to support the IIS and the Government of Iraq. Following the invasion of Iraq by coalition forces in March 2003, the United States military obtained confidential IIS documents establishing that Darwish provided information to officials of the Government of Iraq and intelligence officers with the IIS.

The seized documents also established that Darwish received payments from the IIS and the Iraqi government as compensation for his assistance and information. For example, an IIS document indicated that Darwish had provided information he received from a source of Iraqi descent that Iraqi volunteers, including the source, were being trained by the U.S. military in Virginia. Another document identifies Darwish as an employee of the Iraqi Interests Section (ISEC), formed in 1991 within the Algerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., after the U.S. severed diplomatic relations with Iraq for invading Kuwait.

Specifically, according to the affidavit, throughout the conspiracy Darwish performed tasks at the Iraqi Embassy and at the ISEC. For example, the affidavit alleges that from 2000 through March or April of 2004, Darwish was working full-time at the ISEC as an assistant to the accountant and as a driver, for which he was paid $1,500 per month. Darwish also had obtained a work visa for a position as a cook at a restaurant in Maryland during that time frame, in an effort to legally remain in the United States.

According to the affidavit, in January 2004, a co-conspirator asked that Darwish locate and destroy any ISEC files associated with the conspirator, in an effort to conceal that person’s ISEC activities and Ba’ath Party membership. While attempting to locate the files, Darwish learned that the files had already been destroyed and shared this information with his co-conspirators. Darwish also is alleged to have told his conspirators about his employment activities at the Iraqi Embassy and the ongoing activities in the United States of the Iraqi ambassador and other Iraqi government officials who were associated with the interim government following the downfall of the Saddam Hussein regime.

Darwish also is alleged to have attended social gatherings at the Iraqi Embassy and the ISEC, which were used to recruit individuals to work for the IIS; to interact with individuals who were already working with the IIS and Saddam Hussein’s regime; and to maintain the loyalties of the participants to the Ba’ath Party and Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Heartbreak: Iraqi Olbermann Allegedly Has Broken Bones

Cry me a river. Hey, you attempt an assault on the leader of the free world, don't be surprised if you get roughed up.

THE Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has a broken arm and ribs after being struck by Iraqi security agents, his brother said.

Durgham Zaidi was unable to say whether his brother Muntazer had sustained the injuries while being overpowered during Sunday's protest against President Bush's visit or while in custody later.

He said he had been told that his brother was being held by Iraqi forces in the heavily fortified Green Zone compound in central Baghdad where the US embassy and most government offices are housed.

"He has got a broken arm and ribs, and cuts to his eye and arm," Durgham said.

"He is being held by forces under the command of Muaffaq al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser."

It could be worse. He could have done this to Saddam Hussein and wound up in a meat grinder and had the women in his family raped and murdered by Uday and Qusay. Apparently, though, that's OK with people.

But to the "Arab World" and the American left, this schmuck is a hero.

Meanwhile, newspapers across the Arab world have printed front-page photos of Mr Bush ducking the flying shoes and satellite TV stations repeatedly aired the incident, which was hailed by the President's many critics.

Many are fed up with US policy and still angry over his decision to invade Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam.

Wafa Khayat, 48, a doctor in the West Bank town of Nablus, called the attack "a message to Bush and US policy-makers that they have to stop killing and humiliating people".

In Jordan, businessman Samer Tabalat praised al-Zaidi as "the man ... He did what Arab leaders failed to do".

A mass murderer is OK with these people. A man who freed 50 million people they hate.

Go figure.

For those on the left who find this all so hysterical, I'd like to see how they react if someone does something similar to Obama. Likely they'd instantly become proponents of the death penalty.

Gatway Pundit, meanwhile, notes this guy was a big fan of Mookie. Shocking!

Iraqi 'Journalist' Hurls Shoe at Bush, Kooks React: 'Should have stuffed a hand grenade in that shoe!'

Via Hot Air, where a commenter notes this qualifies the shoe tosser for his own MSNBC show.

Naturally, the base of the Democrat party finds it hilarious.

Marie Says:

Too bad he missed.
December 14th, 2008 at 1:31 pm

JBaddo Says:

should have thrown an IED
December 14th, 2008 at 2:22 pm

DaTruth Says:

Should have stuffed a hand grenade in that shoe!
December 14th, 2008 at 2:23 pm

Classy stuff.

Naturally, the HuffPosters are kvelling.

More from Michelle Malkin.

Barry, Now Will You Say The Surge Worked?

H/T to Hot Air for putting up this video of the Dora section of Baghdad by J D Johannes. This shows the difference from April 2007 to October 2008.

Please Barry, can you please say the surge has worked?? Is it asking so much? I have no doubt that the tone of the stories regarding Iraq will take on a much more positive tone in the coming days but that will be because they backed the liberal agenda of withdrawal at all costs. Much has been done, let's not jeopardize it by hasty decisions based on knee jerk reactions from whiney far left liberals.

Iraq Casualties at Lowest Level of the War

Remember back during the primaries when Iraq was the number one issue? Well, since we've been winning, it's been largely ignored by the media.

Good news is no news, in other words.

John McCain was right, Barack Obama was wrong, so the media ignore it. Funny how that is.

U.S. deaths in Iraq fell in October to their lowest monthly level of the war, matching the record low of 13 U.S. fatalities suffered in July. Iraqi deaths fell to their lowest monthly levels of the year.

Eight of the 13 Americans died in combat, most of them in northern Iraq where al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgent groups remain active. The U.S. suffered 25 deaths in September and 23 in August.

The sharp drop in U.S. fatalities reflects the overall security improvements across the country following the Sunni revolt against al-Qaida and the rout suffered by Shiite extremists in fighting last spring in Basra and Baghdad.

This will probably merit 20 seconds mention on the networks tonight, if they even get around to noting it.

Barack and Biden Say There is a War in Iraq

Of course people like Murtha and Kerry and Durbin probably just view this picture as an example of how our military are using children as human shields.



U.S. Army Sgt. Kevin Dodson, right, leads the way as Spc. Fout is escorted by a young Iraqi boy through the Muhalla 511 neighborhood in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 27, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's Personal Security Detail. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cohen A. Young

This was shamelessly lifted from Blackfive.