al Queda says it has sent 800 suicide bombers to Iraq. The CIA says that 60% of the suicide bombers in Iraq, have come from Saudi Arabia. That means that 500 of the 800, human bombs were Wahabbists from Saudi Arabia, none were from Iran. Why is the Right hell bent on invading Iran when the problem seems to be Saudi Arabia? Peace

I'd like to see the lefty out there who would have the guts to claim he saw this coming in 2001, as WTC was a smoking ruin.

you did?

Our ignorant leftists rejoiced when Hamas won..

well...yes, because we knew it would be the beginning of the end of Hamas....how is that ingnorant?

Bush's idea of exporting democracy...Bush's idea? can he spell Idea? since when is exporting democracy Bush's idea? I'll ask again, when did Bush come up with this great idea? did it just come to him? did he unscramble some letters in his alphabits cereal? give me a break, Bush's idea...

Bush's plan, based on ideas going back decades (Bush's idea...can't get enough of that one) was to lay low and wait for Arafat to go, one way or another...then hope someone like Abbas would step up and push (Bush's idea...still love it) for democratizing efforts.

it's a shame about Iran...could you imagaine the united front we could have had with the rest of the world to force Iran to back down if we still had the same support we had in '01? It's not Iran I'm worried about, it's every terrorist wacko sitting around waiting for disgarded nuc. waste and nuc. tech. they can get from Iran...But I'm sure Bush has an 'idea' of what to do...

I came across this article today. It claims that a war between Israel and Iran is imminent, and that it is being fomented by Russia. And Russia is playing both sides: "On Tuesday, Russia launched a spy satellite for Israel, which the Israelis can use to monitor Iran's nuclear facilities. On the same day, Russian leaders confirmed their opposition to any U.N. Security Council effort to impose sanctions against Iran, and their intention to go through with the lucrative sale of 29 Tor M1 air defense missile systems to Iran."

I remember back before the Iraq invasion that Putin said Russia had supplied the US with intel about Iraqi plans to attack the US (no details were ever provided, and the Bush admin. never mentioned anything about it, which I thought was strange). But at the same time he indicated Russia would not join the US in the invasion. Interesting. Could one possibly interpret that as duplicity -- playing each side in an effort to ensure conflict? And what about this new news? It sounds like the same idea -- only much worse. Meanwhile, China is running around setting up deals with a variety of oil-rich countries with strained relations with the US. It sounds to me like we might be getting gamed here -- getting sucked into a conflict with Iran that will benefit others far more than ourselves. You know, it's just not enough to do the right thing -- you have to do the right thing right.

That Hanson article basically argues that Bush's push for democracy is right, and assumes that any criticism of it on any level is motivated by hatred of Bush or personal grievances. Similarly, Mark suggests the following: "Hanson takes to task those politicians, pundits and retired generals who are scrambling to distance themselves from the liberaiton of Iraq and the broader War on Terrorism. They are doing this because, well, they are rather dim-witted and gullible." Well, maybe some are. Then again, I suggest that some at least are questioning whether Bush is doing the right thing right. In other words, it's not the goal that's in question, it's the means applied to pursue those goals.

With specific regard to Hamas, there is something to be said for allowing them to gain power, because with power comes responsibility. At that point they are susceptible to being co-opted -- that is, they now have to plead for money to run the place from "stingy benefactors". But the whole idea is predicated on the assumption that Hamas MUST rely on said benefactors. The argument falls apart if Hamas finds other benefactors that don't share the US and Europe's affinity for Israel. I would hope that possibility has been contemplated, and that effective mechanisms are in place to prevent some other benefactor from stepping into the void. The right thing has to be done right. Otherwise, one's efforts will fail.

Opus,

I'm sorry, I'm actually chuckling here on my computer - you are one of those who just can't acknowledge Bush in any way, shape or form...he didn't just lay low on Arafat, he de-legitimised Arafat as the leader of the Palestinian people by refusing to deal with any government headed by Arafat...at that point, Arafat became an irrelevancy and the Palestinians immediately set about working on the successor, and who that would be. They didn't force him out because too many people had invested themselves in the myth of Arafat, but once President Bush said that the US would not deal with Arafat, he was finished as a force in middle east politics.

It took the courage and vision of President Bush to jettison Arafat...you can't see it because you don't want to see it, but that is the way it is.

Man, this post is so incredibly bad, on so many fronts! Extraordinary.

A guy who pulled one tour as an enlisted man in the Navy has the gall to say the generals "are doing this because, well, they are rather dim-witted and gullible." Oh, and I love the irony of reading these lines while an ad for "Support the Troops" magnetic bumper stickers is displayed on the side.

And then this same insightful mind, in what must be one of the single most short-sighted and ridiculous statements I have ever seen a blogger post, says "Think about it - the issue which has bedeviled the middle east for 40 years is for all intents and purposes solved. All that is left to do is tidy things up..."

Are there people who actually visit this site for anything more than comedic reasons?

To paraphrase Mark, "there's only one thing wrong with this script - it has absolutely no basis in reality."

This site is a joke, right? Kinda like Jesus' General.... Right? Yeah, "Blogs for Bush" Ha ha - I get it!

It took the courage and vision of President Bush to jettison Arafat

chuckling myself here....

so telling the Israelis, 'ok you've got him (Arafat) cornered, we'll stand back here and watch' took courage and vision? don't get me wrong, it was the right move, what would have been the alternative at that point? Hey, I have no problem giving credit where credit is due...Bush made the right move (by not making a move) but don't call it His Vision or courage...

...you can't see it because you don't want to see it, but that is the way it is.
And there's the answer to everything...YOU and your Cons are always right and that is the way it is...should we take a quick trip though history and see how well that attitude worked out?

it's not so much I have a hard time acknowledging Bush, but when cons like you spout this 'Bush is never wrong' attitude, I have no choice but to say...oh yeah, what about this...

OK....ALL's Right...yeepee....YAAAAAAHOOOOO!

The Middle East is now one big love-fest...made of milk and honey. All the buildings are made of edible chocolate. The rivers our now made of soda pop.......FANFRICKENTASMAGORICAL.........So when can we stop bombing things and bring our troops home?

Oh and this just in from the land of Milk and Honey;

04/29/06 AP: American Soldier Killed in Iraq
A U.S. Army soldier died Saturday when a roadside bomb hit his convoy near Baghdad, the military said. The attack occurred southwest of the capital at about 4 p.m., the military said.

04/29/06 AP: Violence Displaces 100,000 Iraqi Families
Sectarian violence has forced about 100,000 families across Iraq to flee their homes, a top Iraqi official said, as six more Iraqis were killed in scattered violence on Saturday.

04/29/06 latimes: Contractor's Plans Lie Among Ruins of Iraq
Parsons Corp., the Pasadena engineering firm that won one of the largest rebuilding contracts in postwar Iraq, fell dramatically short of a number of goals, according to interviews and documents that cite shoddy work and negligent government oversight.

04/29/06 AP: FedEx employee charged with stealing Iraqi and U.S. money
A Federal Express employee has been accused of stealing Iraqi and U.S. cash from packages sent through St. Louis.

04/29/06 AFP: Five bodies found floating in the Tigris
Also in Suwera, five male bodies were found floating in the Tigris river, while two other bodies were recovered in Baghdad, an interior ministry official said.

04/29/06 AFP: Two Iraqi army soldiers in Suwera
Two Iraqi army soldiers were killed and six others wounded when insurgents opened fire on their convoy in Suwera, southeast of Baghdad, an interior ministry official said.

04/29/06 Chicago Sun-Times: Waukegan Marine killed in Iraq
Early Friday, the Davis family received word that Sgt. Edward Davis III, 31, had been killed in action in Iraq late Thursday ... his Humvee was struck by a bomb while on patrol, possibly near the Euphrates River.

04/29/06 AFP: Police commando killed and three wounded by roadside bomb
One police commando was killed and three others wounded by a roadside bomb targeting their patrol in northwestern Baghdad's Al-Ghazalia neighborhood

04/29/06 WaPo: Majority of Iraqis pessimistic, poll shows
A majority of Iraqis say their country is in dismal economic shape and getting worse, with 3 of 4 respondents also describing security in the country as poor, according to a new poll conducted by a conservative American think tank.

04/29/06 LATimes: Shiites willing to give up ministry overseeing security
Leaders of Iraq's powerful Shiite Muslim political bloc said Friday that they are willing to give up control of the Interior Ministry and its police forces, a move that could ease both the fears of other sectarian groups...

04/29/06 UPI: U.S.-trained Iraqis working both sides
U.S. troops training Iraqis in policing and security measures are encountering trainees who use their new skills to attack them, The Washington Post reports.

04/29/06 Kuna: Three Bodies found in Baghdad
On other developments, three dead bodies were discovered by Iraqi security forces in the east of the capital.

04/29/06 Reuters: Three civilians were killed by suicide car bomb near Qaim
Three civilians were killed and seven wounded including three policemen when a suicide car bomb detonated near an Iraqi army base south of the town of near the Syrian border, Qaim police colonel Jamal Shihab said.

04/29/06 AP: Body found in hotel with items of missing soldier
A body found with items belonging to a Fort Benning soldier missing for 12 days was discovered Friday at a downtown hotel after guests complained of a foul odor in the lobby.

04/29/06 marinetimes: SpecOps unit nearly nabs Zarqawi
Just nine days before al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi released his latest video, a special operations raid killed five of his men, captured five others and apparently came within a couple of city blocks of nabbing Zarqawi himself.

04/29/06 AP: Iraq's oil exports suffering greatly
With oil prices above $70 a barrel fouling the world economy, dismay is concentrated in Iraq, whose exports have slipped to the lowest levels since the 2003 invasion.

04/29/06 AFP: Two Iraqi officers were killed, when a roadside bomb
Two officers were killed, when a roadside bomb hit a convoy carrying the police chief of Baiji, a northern town known for its oil refinery, police said.

04/29/06 eecho: Gunmen kill Iraqi policeman and brother, roadside bomb li
In the Sunni-dominated town of Jurf al-Sakhar, 43 miles south of Baghdad and near the mostly Shiite city of Musayyib, gunmen kidnapped a Sunni policeman and his brother from their home early this morning, lined them up outside and shot them dead.

04/29/06 AP: US Deaths in Iraq approach 24-hundred
The Pentagon says the American death toll in Iraq since the start of the war has topped 24-hundred. The military puts the figure at two-thousand-401. That's three more than an unofficial tally being kept by The Associated Press.

04/29/06 thisisbradford: Soldier's grieving mother raps Blair
The distraught mother of a Bradford soldier killed in Iraq has accused the Prime Minister of being "more interested in his legacy" than meeting bereaved families of troops.

04/29/06 TheGuardian: No prosecutions over soldier killed by friendly fire
No soldier will be prosecuted for one of the most controversial clashes involving British troops in Iraq, it was revealed yesterday. The incident involved a sergeant without body armour who was killed by friendly fire, and an Iraqi shot ...

04/29/06 jurnalul: Caporal Bogdan Hancu Died For a Foreign Cause
A Romanian soldier of the Military Police Service was killed yesterday morning in Nassyria. Caporal Bogdan Hancu died at the age of 28. An improvised explosive device blew up yesterday

04/29/06 KRT: War costs skyrocket due to equipment wear and weapons purchases
The cost of the war in Iraq is skyrocketing, largely because tanks, trucks, helicopters and other military gear are wearing out in Iraq's harsh climate and have to be replaced faster than ever before, a review of military budgets shows.

04/29/06 arkcity: Metz wounded in Iraq, but expected to make recovery
Scott Metz, 31, was struck in the upper hamstring muscle by sniper fire as he patrolled in Baghdad April 3. Metz is a 1994 graduate of WHS.

04/28/06 sptimes: Hernando High grad dies in Iraq
Lea R. Mills, a 2002 graduate of Hernando High School, was killed while on patrol in Iraq. His family received the news early Friday morning.

04/28/06 NYTimes: Iraqi Civilian Killings by Insurgents Soar, U.S. Says
The number of insurgent attacks on civilians in Iraq skyrocketed last year, resulting in nearly 8,300 deaths and accounting for more than 50 percent of those killed in terrorist attacks worldwide, according to a State Department report released today.

04/28/06 Reuters: "Half million" Iraqi refugees fled violence
An Iraqi vice president said on Friday 100,000 families -- perhaps some half a million people -- are living as refugees because of sectarian violence wracking the country.

04/28/06 abc: Sadr's militants target Australian troops
Australian troops in southern Iraq say they have come under fire numerous times during their year-long mission there.The soldiers in al-Muthanna province say they have been shot at by militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

04/28/06 tennessean: Here is a chance to reach out to Wounded Warriors
Staff Sgt. Joshua Olson, 24, was caught in an ambush in an upper-class neighborhood right next to an Iraqi elementary school. Unknown to him, the rocket that hit him severed his right leg at his hip. I heard the scream for a medic and knew it wasn't good

04/28/06 kvoa: Soldier wounded in Iraq recovering at home in Tombstone
Private First Class Michael Manning...had surgery on his leg on Monday, and, now the army has given him 30 days to recover here in Southern Arizona...his convoy was ambushed by insurgents with a roadside bomb

04/28/06 AP: 2 militiamen detained in slaying of vice president's sister
Two members of an undisclosed militia group have been detained in the slaying of a sister of Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi's sister, the spokesman of a Sunni Arab political party said Friday.

04/28/06 AP: Low Iraq Output Pushes Oil Prices Higher
With oil prices above $70 a barrel fouling the world economy, dismay is focusing on Iraq, whose exports have slipped to their lowest levels since the 2003 invasion.

steve,

You've visited the site long enough to know that mindless, baseless claims will not go unchallenged.

OK, so al Qeada says it has sent 800 suicide bombers to Iraq. How many other terrorist organizations have sent suicide bombers to Iraq? The US State Dept lists Abu Nidal Organization, Ansar al-Islam, Palestine Liberation Front, and QJBR, among others, as operating within Iraq. How many suicide bombers have they supplied? We do not know for certain how many have been sent from Iran, which supports a number of terrorist organizations.

"The CIA says that 60% of the suicide bombers in Iraq, have come from Saudi Arabia. That means that 500 of the 800, human bombs were Wahabbists from Saudi Arabia, none were from Iran."

You math is missing a few variables. You are assuming that there were only 800 suicide bombers in Iraq, all from al Qeada. I would guess there were probably twice that many, but many are now dead, as a result of their suicide actions or by the hand of the coalition forces. Some came from other countries, some were home grown. Of course its tough to identify the country of origin after they have blown to bits. You are also assuming that none came from Iran. Where is your proof? We hear of reports all the time of terrorists coming from Iran to stir things up in Iraq.

"Why is the Right hell bent on invading Iran when the problem seems to be Saudi Arabia?"

First, who said we were "hell bent on invading Iran"? I would guess that our first actions would be to neutralize their nuclear program with laser-guided munitions and Tomahawk Cruise misslies and strick key military targets. Then we would hope the millions of Iranins who hate the current regime would revolt and overthrough the Islamists.

Second, Saudi Arabia is not seeking nuclear capabilities, is not threatening to wipe Israel from the face of the earth, and has been supportive, logistically, if not totally, in the War on Terror. That's why Iran is in the crosshairs, and not Saudi Arabia.

"So when can we stop bombing things and bring our troops home?" - muirgeo

I wasn't aware that "we" were bombing things in Iraq. I thought the terrorists were. Oh, I get it. You identify with the terrorists, so when you say "we", you mean you and the terrorists. Why don't you tell me?

To put it in simplistic terms (so you can understand), we are working with the freely elected Iraqi government to rebuild their infrastructure, organize, train, and field a professional Army, organize, train, and field a professional police force, and help democracy take hold. The terrorist are fighting this because they know that if they lose Iraq, they will probably lose the entire Middle East. That is why they are so desperate. If they had the best interests of the Iraqi people in mind, they wouldn't be bombing their infrastructure as we help rebuild it, they wouldn't be bombing military and police recruiting stations, and wouldn't be killing Iraqis.

It is up to you to choose sides. On one side you have the US-led coalition who is working with the duly elected, representative government of Iraq towards freedom and democracy. On the other side are the terrorists and Baathists, trying to bomb their way back into power. Your response will indicate whose side you are on.

PS: The Commander of the US forces in Iraq recently announced that up to 30,000 US troops will be brought home in the next few months.

PSS: Nice how you were able to find multiple sources of the same story. That way your lists looks much longer. Caught you though.

muirgeo,

Did I say that all was a big love fest? Heck no - in fact, I pointed out in the thread that there is a lot to be got through...but the problem is solved: either the Palestinians will commit suicide, or they will make peace with Israel...there's no third option, problem is solved...we're just waiting for it to all work out.

Its nice that you took the time to gather all the bad news of the day...why don't you ever show the same diligence in gathering all the good news?

Saudi Arabia is a Kingdom, Iran is a democracy. Saudi Arabia supplied the bulk of the hijackers that crashed into the WTC, Iran did not. Saudi Arabia has supplied at least 500 suicide bombers ti Iraq, Iran has supplied none. Israel has nuclear weapnos that it can deliver to Iran, Iran has no nuclear weapons and says it doesn't want any. Israel has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has. A-10, it apperas that you may be a mindless warmonger. I hope not. Peace

mike,

I do have a fund of knowledge...and you, on the other hand, are in the position of those hidebound Brits in WWI who held that a man with less than 40 years military experience shouldn't have a say in the conduct of the war...which would have excluded Napoleon, Ceasar and Alexander from the councils of war.

Strategy is something a person learns - once you've learned it, you know it...I'm pretty good at it; as a slight for-instance, during the 1991 Gulf War I pegged the course of our military campaign spot-on before it even started...even to the point of selecting the point on the map where the first US reinforcements to arrive in theater would be placed...its not magic, its just knowing how it works.

What happens, though, between learning strategy and carrying it out is the un-definable thing known as courage...some people have what it takes to be a great captain of war, some don't. I have know idea if I have what it takes, and I'll never learn because I'll never be in that position...these generals who have started to carp: they, on the other hand, have flunked the test after taking it. I don't really fault them on it, but it is dim-witted and rather gullible of them to fall for the concept of, say, chasing bin Laden endlessly through the mountains of Afghanistan...it is the decision a strategist makes when he lacks the courage to make the correct decision...he then goes about trying to justify his failure...in this case, by saying what was a success in spite of him is actually a failure.

Steve,

If Iran is a democracy then I'm the Easter Bunny.

Mark,

Touche.

steve,

Are you really that naive? Do you really think Saudi Arabia "supplied" the 9/11 terrorists, as in the government gave them the mission?

Show me your proof that not one single solitary suicide bomber came from Iran. I won't hold my breath.

"Iran has no nuclear weapons and says it doesn't want any." Are you for real? That's exactly what they want.

"Israel has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has." You mean the same Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that Iran has just announced that they may withdraw from?

"Iran has no nuclear weapons and says it doesn't want any." steve

Well then that settles it!!...if that iron clad guaruntee is good enough for steve the peacenik, it should be good enough for the rest of the world.

Visualize whirrled peas.

Thank you, A-10. The ceaseless, tireless, whining and sniveling of steve (peace out) and O'Pus just tire me out, sometimes. They will say anything, with no regard for how stupid they sound, just for the joy of saying it.

And "Doctor" murky can cut and paste with the best of them. I'm betting he didn't even assemble his list, but someone else did it and spoon-fed it to him. Yeah, like we didn't know what is going on over there. Thanks so much, "doc". Who woulda thunk it, people dying in a war?

I've commented before on the left belief that making outrageous and ridiculous commnents is the same as engaging in serious political dialogue. The "buildings of edible chocolate" thing is so juvenile, so peurile, that it is impossible to read these things without envisioning some basement "rec room" with a couple of misfit pizza-faced loser geeks high-fiving each other over every imagined "gotcha" and jumping back and forth between the grown-up blogs and Kos and AA transcripts to know what they are supposed to say next---oh, and bragging about how they could really GET dates, if they only WANTED to.

On the happy side, if this is the best the left can do, we are home free........

Almiranta,

I frequent a number of blogs. All of which welcome both sides of the aisle and rarely ban a poster (unlike the top liberal sites, DU and Kos, which will ban you in a heartbeat if you post a conservative comment. And who is stiffling the freedom of speech?). I have never read a liberal post that is the least bit persuasive in convincing me that the path we are on, led by President Bush, to win the Global War on Terror is the wrong one. Their posts are infantile and they have no viable solution to present. I guess since the leaders at the DNC don't have a plan, the can't pass it on to the handlers at DU and Kos.

You are 100% right, if we stick to the most important issues at hand, National Defense, Low taxes (and hopefully lower spending), and encouraging freedom, we cannot lose. The left has nothing but vile attacks. If they have a plan, they are keeping it a close held secret. I only wish they would be as secretive with classified documents and information. :-)

Yes Opus, Bush is responisble for Arafat, not Sharon or the Israelis, who put him under house arrest until he died. And yes, the Cons always think they are right (some more than others - wink wink), therefore anyone who (gasp) disagrees with them is either stupid or hypocritical, and that way they never have to question themselves.

I feel sorry for A-10, who has apparently read the sum and whole of the liberal blogsphere and has not seen anything, ever, to make him or her even contemplate changing his or her mind on anything. And yes, the Dems do have a plan. Their plan is to remove the GOP from power and replace them with competent human beings. Quite simple, and based on current polls, quite possible.

GOPisDying,

You don't have to feel sorry for me. Save your sorrow for the Democrat Party when they lose even more seats in the House and Senate this fall.

No, I haven't read the sum and whole of the liberal blogsphere. I have visited DU, Kos, the DNC's blog, among others. If they aren't talking about some crazy conpiracy theory, they're lamenting how the "BushNazi's" are coming for them to take them to re-education camps. Funny, the President has been in office for over 5 years and I have never heard of one law-abiding citizen being spirited away in the middle of the night to a re-education camp. All of the crazies are still frequenting the wacko-left blogs.

As for the more sane left-wing blogs, those of the DNC and various politicians, they are filled with lies and distortions disguised as rhetoric. I fully understand that they are playing to the far left fringe in order to keep the cash flow coming. But I have yet to see any plan to deal effectively with Global Terrorism. The recent plan unveiled is basically what we are already doing.

Dr. Dean's professed plan is to obstruct, obstruct, then obstruct some more. John Kerry's plan is secret, but he'll reveil it once elected. Hillary's plan is to scream about dissent being stiffled, so it is broadcast on every left-leaning network and newspaper. Congressman Murtha's plan is to cut and run, allowing the terrorists to control Iraq. Senator Reid's plan was to "Kill the Patriot Act", the most important piece of legislation we have to fight terrorism. Oops, I see that it passed. So much for that plan. Congressman Conyers' plan is to impeach the President for authorizing the same foreign intelligence gathering that the four Presidents before him authorized and that Federal Courts have ruled is Constitutional. Ted Kennedy's plan is to stop embarassing himself and his party every time he opens his mouth or gets behind the wheel of a car. All Democrats what to raise taxes, when history has shown that tax cuts increase revenues.

I don't think any of these plans are in the best interest of freedom here and abroad, nor are the in the best interest of the United States.

"Dems do have a plan. Their plan is to remove the GOP from power and replace them with competent human beings."

Okay... taking your statement at face value, replacing them with competant human beings who will... DO WHAT??? How are you going to convince voters that these people are, in fact, competant human beings (let alone MORE competant that what we've got), if you won't say anything more than what you've said right here...

'Our plan is to get you out of power, and us into power. We don't have to (or aren't going to) think beyond that.'

Sorry, that is a plan (not much of one, mind you) for winning an election... not for running a country, not for dealing with the issues that come before a president.

In short, you just proved the point all the conservatives have been making.

LNC... based upon the current poll numbers, it's enough :-) You see, Dems actually... you know... discuss issues, disagree on them, and try to find an acceptable middle. We've had five years of the GOP doing nothing but saying yes to Bush and now the only thing Mehlman has to run on is that if the Dems win in November and rubber-stamp Congress is removed from power, Bush may be held accountable for his actions.

It's funny, and not just a little telling, that the only people mentioning hearings and impeachment in Congress are the Republicans.

Demsaredead,

Now I know you live in an alternate universe, where everything is 180 degrees out of phase.

The last time I checked, here on Earth, Representatives Barney Frank, John Conyers, Barbara Lee, and John F. Tierney, all Democrats, are among the 27 Democrats who have signed onto Representative Conyers' call for hearings and possible impeachment proceedings. Not one member of the GOP has done so. So, who are the members of the GOP in your alternate universe mentioning hearings and impeachment?