Digital Brainwaves

I meant to post this over a week ago. Not much has changed since, so the article is still relevant.

The directors of Redstate point out something that’s been bugging me in almost all mainstream media coverage of “the surge strategy” in Iraq since before implementation got underway:

The majority of Americans seem to have the same misconceptions about the relation between this “new” strategy and the so-called ‘Surge’ now as they did when it was first proposed. Allow us to provide some clarity: The ‘Surge’ – an increase in boots on the ground in Iraq – was never the strategy itself. [emphasis mine - Ed.] The increase in troop levels, requested by General Petraeus, was one of many components (or “strategic shifts,” as national security advisor Stephen Hadley called them in a January 29 Washington Post op-ed, in which he even then was attempting to clear up the misconception that the ‘surge’ was the strategy in its entirety) necessary to implement the sweeping new strategy, which radically altered our country’s course in Iraq and sought to solve the problems and shore up the weaknesses which four years of fighting had created and exposed.

In truth, the strategy itself was and is far more intricate and multi-pronged than a simple ‘surge’ in troops. The main focus of the new strategy has been the Baghdad Security Plan – a strategy focused on the capital city of Iraq, which seeks (with increased Iraqi and American forces) to permanently rid neighborhoods of terrorists and extremists and keep them that way, and to secure the population.

Lots more in the rest of the post; go have a read.

(Ask Me Weekend #6 answers coming as I get the energy and will to do them.)

Last week, coalition forces detained the District Chief of Police in Hit (pronounced “heat”), Anbar province, Iraq.

Sounds a little sketchy (and, since we’re trying to get the Iraqi police forces up and going on their own, a little counter-intuitive) on the surface, but, of course, there’s always more below that surface:

About a year ago coalition forces selected Hamid to be the District Chief of Police, confirming his status as a true hero to many Americans and Iraqis. Accordingly, recent signs suggesting that Hamid might have begun flying too close to the sun were a hard and grim reality for officers in both governments, as the evidence of his corruption began to accumulate like so much wax melted off strong wings. Hamid had earned his reputation for being ferocious against terrorists, which might suffice to explain the stunning impact when, without warning or notice, LTC Crissman arrested and detained the general Tuesday afternoon.

Michael Yon, having been on the scene, and unwittingly taking part in the operation, has the whole story.

Don’t say you support them.

Just support them.

(Hat tip: Power Line)

The Democrat & Chronicle reports that Rep. Jim Walsh will be having town hall-style meetings this week with his constituents in New York’s 25th Congressional District.

I wonder if anyone’s going to ask him about his vote on HCON 63.

Professor David Bell thinks so, but TCS Daily’s Lee Harris isn’t so sure…

…where exactly is Bell’s logic? For example, let us suppose a man comes into your house and shoots your favorite dog in cold blood. You explode in rage and fury, whereupon a calm Professor Bell appears to inform you that during WWII whole families and their dogs were brutally murdered, or that in America thousands of dogs are run over by cars each year. Now both of these facts are true. No point in trying to deny them. But does either of these facts put “into perspective” the wanton killing of your beloved pet? Upon hearing Bell’s recital of these indisputable facts, would you immediately say to him: “How right you are, Dr. Bell, and how wrong I was to fly into a rage over the killing of a single statistically insignificant dog. Thank you for putting the matter into perspective for me.”

Have a look at the rest of the article. Harris puts forward the point that, when you actually look at things “in perspective” — specificall, a historical one — past wars have started over a lot less, and killed way more people.

Check out “Michael Moore” exposing the lies behind the push to war in Mordor following the attack in Hells Deep in Fellowship 9/11. While you’re watching, I’ll prepare my asbestos pajamas.
(Hat tip: Right Wing News)

Our troubles and misunderstandings with Iran will be over shortly.

…from father to son. 1SG Charles M. King wrote a journal to his unborn son while in Iraq, finished shortly after he met young Jordon at age 5 months (Registration with nytimes.com may be required to view this article).

Sgt. King died 14 October 2006 in Iraq by IED.

(Hat tip: Liz Lawley)

…comes to us from the Russian newspaper Pravda: Saddam Hussein thrown in the garbage of history.

Meanwhile, some whack-job on NBC’s Orlando affiliate sees the whole scenario as less an execution and more an assassination.

(Pravda hat tip: BMEWS)

A tip of the hat to Glenn Reynolds over at Instapundit.com for the link to this Weekly Standard article in which Bill Stuntz explains that Iraq isn’t an unwinnable war, it’s instead a war we’ve chosen not to win.

As a poker player, it was interesting to see him make the comparison of the war to a card game:

War is not poker; the stakes in Iraq are much higher than a little money or a few chips. But war’s psychology bears some resemblance to a well-played game of cards. The only way Americans lose this war is to fold. That seems likely to be the next move, but it is the last thing we should do. Far better to call and raise. Our cards are better than theirs, if only we have the nerve to play them.