February 07, 2009
They all laughed when I said Charlene and I hope to be tourists in Iraq soon...
Iraq: Basra is less dangerous than Manchester, British general says - Telegraph:
...Maj Gen Andy Salmon told The Daily Telegraph that following months of steady improvements in the security situation in Iraq's second city, the rate of violent crime and murder in Basra has fallen below some major British cities.
"On a per capita basis, if you look at the violence statistics, it is less dangerous than Manchester," he said, hailing a "radical transformation" in Iraq's prospects.
Since an Iraqi government offensive largely routed violent insurgent groups in Basra last May, British officials in Iraq say that the city has become ever more secure and stable and the Iraqi security forces increasingly competent. In the latest sign of progress after years of insurgent attacks on British and Iraqi forces, local elections last month passed off without significant violence.
"In a nutshell, Basra is stable," said Maj Gen Salmon.
The general, a Royal Marine Commando, also jokingly compared Basra and Stockwell in south London where he once lived. Asked where he would rather spend a Saturday night, he replied: "Downtown Basra, in the restaurants, enjoying myself."...
Saddam Hussein was a fascist dictator--in some ways more cruel and evil than Hitler. It is a mark of the utter insanity of our times that "liberals" and "pacifists" were determined to keep him in power, and then determined to allow al-Qaeda and Saddam's Ba'athist thugs to rule Iraq with terror and torture. All the while reviling the President of the United States for being "nazi," and a "Hitler!"
I'm probably boring everyone by repeating myself, but the utter moral bankruptcy of the left is a continual astonishment to me. And even more surprising is that people don't see it. Leftists can continue to present themselves as "anti-fascist," even though none of them would lift a finger to save people from real living breathing Hitlers.
These seven Iraqi men had their hands chopped off on orders of Saddam Hussein. We brought them here to receive the latest in prosthetic limbs.
Unfortunately, John, both Obama and Gordon want to reverse this felicitous state of affairs, both in
Iraq, and even in Afghanistan, won at great cost.
Of course they do. But they are pygmies working with templates created by men. They are too late to destroy Iraq.
And Afghanistan has always been a dubious proposition--it's never really been a nation. How likely is it that, say, an Uzbek, will feel like he's an Afghan when he's right next to Uzbekistan? Or a Pushtun feel loyal to Kabul, when he's adjacent to Pakistan?
I've been adamant since 2002 that Iraq was a risk well worth taking and sticking with. I've never been quite sure about Afghanistan.
Posted by: John Weidner at February 8, 2009 09:06 AMI wish I were as confident as that about Iraq, one could say that Iraq, could have been seen as either Sunni Kurdish, Sunni tribal, or Shia; that's been the talking point since 2003. The recent election led to more fragmentation, that will be not be assisted by the instincts of policy makers in London or Washington. Not surprising, he wants to abandon Afghanistan, 'graveyard of empires' and all that.
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Posted by: rxkqbtl at February 14, 2009 01:16 AM
