The Iraq war and its lessons

Jules Crittenden, writing recently in the Weekly Standard, points out two important ones:

"The errors committed in this war have contributed greatly to American frustrations. There was a failure to recognize the extent of the challenge ahead, even as ambitious plans were being laid starting in late 2001. The Bush administration could have had a blank check and recruits lined up around the block, but instead insisted on taking us into war with a post-Cold War military that is only belatedly being built up. The administration failed to seize control of Iraq with sufficient urgency and, when a complex insurgency was well underway, failed to move with sufficient skill to quell it until late in the day. The greater failure was to not adequately communicate the mission to Americans and to the world. All wars go through evolutions, and it is unrealistic to expect no missteps. In this case, however, they are cited most frequently not as arguments to improve the war effort, but as excuses for abandonment...

The American people have been allowed to believe that getting out of Vietnam was the best thing we did there, and that there was no penalty for cutting our losses. It should not be surprising that so many believe the same of Iraq. Looking past the immediate victims of that historic abandonment, the Soviet Union was emboldened by our show of weakness, invading Afghanistan and triggering a fateful string of events. Iran, seized by Islamic zealots, staged the 1979 hostage crisis to kick off three decades of support for terrorism and a bid for regional domination. In both cases, the belligerents knew we would do nothing about it. Figures like Osama bin Laden, among others, noted this void, and created the circumstances we are currently compelled to address."

Indeed, people forget that, after our withdrawal from Vietnam and its fall to the Communists in 1975, nations such as The Philippines, South Korea, and Singapore talked openly of moving away from the U.S. They wondered if, as an ally, we could be counted on. And does anyone believe that Vietnam did NOT encourage the Soviet leadership to believe that we would have no significant reaction to an invasion of Afghanistan?

Know your enemy

President Bush made a good point today concerning yesterday's Osama Bin Laden video, linking it to the war in Iraq:

President Bush said Osama bin Laden's mention of the Iraq war in his video message is a reminder of al-Qaida's long-term objectives in Iraq and of the "dangerous world in which we live."
"Iraq is part of this war against extremists," Bush said, responding to the terrorist leader's message but never using his name. "If al-Qaida bothers to mention Iraq, it's because they want to achieve their objectives in Iraq, which is to drive us out."

Thursday's good news from Iraq

A respected New York Post columnist agrees that Al Qaeda's bombings in Iraq the other day show their desperation. Quote: "TWO days ago, al Qaeda det onated four massive truck bombs in three Iraqi vil lages, killing at least 250 civilians (perhaps as many as 500) and wounding many more. The bombings were a sign of al Qaeda's frustration, desperation and fear." Read the whole thing--contains a good analysis of Petraeus' strategy.

Yesterday, Iraqi forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisors, launched a successful anti-terrorist raid in northern Iraq. And Armed Liberal examines the claim that, due to the war in Iraq, suicide rates among American military personnel are rising--and finds it wanting. Quote: "So the suicide rate among all active-duty troops is lower than the 2004 norm - even at the current high point - and the rate among combat troops is slightly above the norm. Does this mean it isn't serious and that we shouldn't put resources into PTSD treatment or that each suicide isn't itself a tragedy? What do you think I believe...come on, of course. But is this a symptom of a military so brutalized by the horrors of service that they are killing themselves at an incredible rate? What do you believe I think? Why can't people do some freaking homework before the leap to the Isle of Conclusion - that's what I think."

Read the whole thing.


In northern Iraq, U.S. forces are aiding Iraqis in developing Iraq's water resources.

Wednesday's good news from Iraq

General David Petraeus is expected to announce a plan soon calling for a pullback of U.S. troops from several areas in Iraq--but will do so because security conditions in those areas have improved significantly.


Tips, from ordinary Iraqi citizens, continue to come in, and greatly aid the battle against the terrorists. And elsewhere in Baghdad, ordinary American soldiers go the extra mile to help a little Iraqi girl wounded by a stray bullet. And Iraqi officials report that 75% of Al Qaeda in Iraq's civilian leadership has been neutralized.

Today's good news from Iraq

Major terrorist attacks in Iraq (a la Al Qaeda-style truck bombs, etc) have dropped 50% in the since months since the surge began, reports USA Today. Recently, coalition forces have continued to discover caches of enemy arms. A major oil terminal renovation project near Al-Basrah, nears completion--it will aid in Iraq's oil-export business. Michael Yon argues passionately that there HAS been political progress made in Iraq (despite the endless naysaying by many in the mainstream media)--he points especially to improvement in the performance of the Iraqi army and police in Mosul.

And by the way, things are improving in Afghanistan, too---with banks and bank accounts growing, reconstruction happening, phone cards being easier to get (and cheaper), and more air carriers offering service.

Wednesday's good news from Iraq

32 terrorists are killed in a raid on Sadr City.

In Had Maksar, Iraqi and coalition forces engage in a successful raid, killing 5 terrorists and capturing 10. And in Baqubah, U.S. soldiers, far from the reckless purveyors of atrocities as persons like Scott Beauchamp have claimed, instead hand out dozens of puppets to little Iraqi children. Details here.

More details in today's Wall Street Journal on how terrorist attacks in Anbar province have been cut by over 70% in recent months (scroll down).

And a democratic, opposition movement may just be forming in Syria. The growth of democracy in Syria isn't dead after all, maybe...

America does battle with Al Qaeda

And it does so in Iraq. Read Michael Yon, who's been in Iraq for over a year alongside American and Iraqi forces, and his powerful piece today as he explains why.

A waitress, a hot diner, Mitt Romney, a campaign moment, and isolationism...

Republican candidate Mitt Romney and a waitress at a New Hampshire diner get into it over health care. Not that surprising, really, though the media loves it (one of those "unscripted moments") and it provided good fodder for a YouTube clip. What I find significant about it is something else, though. What prompted the waitress's question was Romney going into a spiel about how he'd fight the global spread of AIDS. "What about our nation? How 'bout the USA? C'mon!", responded the waitress in question, 12 year vet Michele Griffin. Later, after the exchange was done, Griffin said: "I just want him to start taking care of us Americans," she said. "You know? Stop worrying about everyone else right now."

And that's what's significant. I fear Ms. Griffin isn't alone. When overseas wars don't go well, and there's a perception of economic trouble here at home, Americans pretty quickly move towards isolationism. Bring the troops home, we've gotta take care of our own and worry about ourselves, etc. We saw it after Vietnam. We saw it during the Great Depression. It's understandable. But it can be dangerous (see for example the rise of Hitler, Mussolini, and Japan, largely ignored at the time by many Americans). It helps explain why polls show that majorities of Americans want us out of Iraq. But did I mention this kind of thinking can be dangerous?

American females...

...are indeed the most beautiful women in the world. See for yourself.

Today in Iraq

Yes, today there have been 3 bombings in Iraq and over 60 people killed. It's terrible. But, suggestion: there have been a lot of positive signs coming out of Iraq lately for the U.S. Remember, the terrorists there know that too. There was bound to be some pushback. Here it is. One day such as this, however, doesn't mean the surge is failing. Rather, it could be a sign that the bad guys in Iraq knew they were (and are) in some trouble.

Today's good news from Iraq

The current U.S. death toll for this month in Iraq is the lowest in 8 months. Bill Roggio agrees and notes that civilian deaths have dropped by over 30 % as well. In addition, there were no terrorist attacks following Iraq's big soccer win the other day. Two Democratic representatives who visited Iraq recently also say they saw progress. John Burns of the NY Times says Al Qaeda in Iraq has been taking quite a "beating" lately. And did you know that the Iraqi parliament has actually passed more bills than has the Congress in Washington DC?

Setting a timetable without setting a timetable...

So now Senator Lugar and others want to set a timetable without setting one (January 1st as a target date for re-deploying U.S. forces). If they believe this will appease Democrats and other war critics, if they think this sends a message of strength and resolve to our allies, not to mention to our enemies, and most importantly, if they think this is a way to effectively do battle with our terrorist opponents, they are sadly mistaken.

Iraq interim report

It will be a light day of blogging for me both today and tomorrow; I'm on the road. In the meantime, the administration's report on Iraq and its benchmarks of progress is out; details here. Obviously President Bush would have liked it to have been better. But why can't we wait until September to make final judgments? What's the big rush? Iraq and the war on terror are issues too important to judge with political polls on the brain. I'm talking to you, Senators Lugar, Domenici, Hagel...

And don't forget the positive information on Iraq I pointed to here yesterday.

At the same time, this news--that analysts are suggesting that Al Qaeda is now at its strongest point since 9/11--is something the Bush administration must explain to the American people, and seek to rectify.