Cartoon by Gary Varvel

H/T to The Discerning Texan

A little humor for the day. I got this in e-mail from a long chain, so have no idea where it started - but h/t to the unknown author.

To bad Pelosi can’t keep a leash on her dogs before they go barking off on a tangent.

You can read my early post on the Democrat sponsored draft bill here.

From CNN:

Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said Monday Rep. Charlie Rangel’s, D-New York, call for a reinstatement of the draft is something he has long championed to promote shared sacrifice. But Pelosi, having just concluded a meeting with incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, to discuss the Democratic agenda, said the leadership will not support the measure.

“It’s not about a draft it’s about shared sacrifice in our country,” Pelosi told reporters in her Capitol Hill office. “Mr. Rangel will be very busy with his work on the Ways and Means Committee which jurisdiction is quite different, but he is a strong voice for social justice in our country. And that’s a way to make a point that this war has not involved or made any shared sacrifice.”

When asked directly if she supported the measure, Pelosi said “No. No.”

As I stated before, it would be the height of stupidity if politicians rather than the Pentagon where to decide if a draft was needed. Our volunteer military thrives though pride of service, which is the opposite of a draft.

H/T to Stubborn Facts for the Image.

Also Reporting: Hot Air
Michelle Malkin

Well, here is a new one on me. I guess if you are going to protest for peace, I can think of few better ways. This one is being led by Donna Sheehan, no relation to Cindy of the same name, and is a war protester of a different sort.

From Fox News:

Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration for the first day of winter.

But they don’t want you marching in the streets. They’d much rather you just stay home.

The Global Orgasm for Peace was conceived by Donna Sheehan, 76, and Paul Reffell, 55, whose immodest goal is for everyone in the world to have an orgasm Dec. 22 while focusing on world peace

“The orgasm gives out an incredible feeling of peace during it and after it,” Reffell said Sunday. “Your mind is like a blank. It’s like a meditative state. And mass meditations have been shown to make a change.”

All I can do is smile and shake my head – I guess its flower power with a new twist. “Make love not war” and all that.

The couple are no strangers to sex and social activism. Sheehan, no relation to anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, brought together nearly 50 women in 2002 who stripped naked and spelled out the word “Peace.”

Damn, and I missed that one too. I need to pay more attention to the anti-war wackos.

Also Reporting: Hot Air

Carl von Clausewitz, famous 17th century soldier, historian, and military theorist, had quite a bit to say on the intersection of politics and warfare. I highly recommend reading the English translation of his “Von Kriege” treatise called “On War”. Of particular note and applicability to present day is the point that politicians tend to make very bad generals.

To put these into context, lets take some recent comments from former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger:

Military victory is no longer possible in Iraq, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said in a television interview broadcast Sunday.

Kissinger presented a bleak vision of Iraq, saying the U.S. government must enter into dialog with Iraq’s regional neighbors — including Iran — if progress is to be made in the region.

“If you mean by ‘military victory’ an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don’t believe that is possible,” he told the British Broadcasting Corp.

First off, what effect dose such a pronouncement have on the will of the country and the will of our armed forces deployed in Iraq– especially from someone who should know better? Secondly, upon what detailed review and exhausting military experience is Kissinger relying to make such comments?

And why would Kissinger say this to the BBC as opposed to a domestic media outlet?

Kissinger is, without a doubt, a great politician and statesmen. However, his thoughts and beliefs go counter to what the Generals and leaders on the ground in the Iraq War believe, and so that makes them suspect and potentially politically motivated. Politicians who second guess seasoned and capable Generals loose wars.

The politicians had their chance at resolving the conflict with Iraq before it became the War in Iraq. That failed diplomacy is the primary fault for any War, no matter how justified it may be. For the politicians to continue to meddle in what they have failed to avoid is reckless and irresponsibles; and someone like Kissinger should know better.

As Clausewitz also pointed out, “War is nothing more than the continuation of politics by other means.”

While I continue to be frustrated, and no longer surprised, by the lack of balanced news coverage by the liberal media; I am angered by the slant in Iraq. Such things should be above partisan politics, but alas they are not.

So I will try and post all the good news on Iraq I can find.

Here is a bit from the news this morning. This from the Conservative Voice:

American and Iraqi forces killed scores of insurgents and found numerous enemy weapons caches during anti-terrorist operations conducted across Iraq in recent days, according to Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.

In one such operation conducted in the Tikrit area, U.S. soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, and soldiers with the 1st Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army, teamed up to kill nearly 50 insurgents while capturing 20. A large enemy weapons cache complex containing six caches was also uncovered during the sweep.

Many of the seized caches were buried in underground bunkers, according to U.S. military officials. The caches included more than 400,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition, 15,000 rounds of heavy machine gun ammunition, five mortar bipods, three heavy machine guns, three anti-tank weapons, two recoilless rifles and numerous mortar rounds, grenades, flares and other artillery rounds.

The combined U.S.-Iraqi force also found a number of improvised explosive device-making materials, including batteries, cellular phones, blasting caps, explosives, propaganda materials and a large amount of American money.

So that is 70 insurgents off the streets and large enemy cache including tons of ammo, mortors, heaving machine guns, anti-tank weapons, grenades, etc. I wonder why NBC, CBS, or ABC has not seen fit to pick this up?

In other operations conducted across Iraq yesterday, coalition forces killed 11 terrorists and detained 24 suspects during raids in Tikrit, Baqubah, Yusufiyah, and Baghdad, according to officials.

Iraqi commandos with coalition advisors also raided several areas in Sadr City, Baghdad, yesterday. Commandos searched for recent kidnap victims, while they disrupted terrorist cells and criminal gangs operating in the area, officials said.

So thats another 35 insurgents off the streets.

Another coalition-forces raid conducted at a suspected terrorist meeting place in Ramadi yesterday resulted in the deaths of eight terrorists and the capture of two suspects, according to officials. After the shooting had stopped, coalition troops discovered numerous enemy explosives and other munitions, which were destroyed.

So 10 more terrorists and more weapons.

In other action, coalition aircraft attacked and destroyed a vehicle containing two terrorists traveling near Baghdad yesterday. Intelligence reports cited the pair as having been active in IED attacks against coalition forces and suicide bombing operations, according to U.S. Officials.

So two more down, and a very important two due to IED activities.

Iraqi police and coalition forces found and disarmed two enemy rockets and launching components during a combined operation conducted Nov. 17 in the town of Dibbis, located northwest of the city of Kirkuk, officials said. The Dibbis police found the 52 mm rockets and ignition systems and promptly called for backup. Explosive experts from the U.S. 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, arrived to disarm and destroy the rockets.

More weapons out of the hands of the enemy.

In another Nov. 17 operation conducted in Baghdad’s Mansour neighborhood, U.S. soldiers seized an enemy weapons cache and helped Iraqi troops find another. U.S. soldiers with Company A, 52nd Infantry, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, raided the home of a suspected terrorist and found a supply of weapons. Weapons confiscated included two AK-47s, six magazines, a rifle, two hand grenades, and sniper weapon ammunition. The American troops also detained a suspect for further questioning.

U.S. soldiers also assisted Iraqi troops in seizing another weapons cache in the same area later that same day.

Also, U.S. and Iraqi forces detained four suspected insurgents and seized multiple enemy weapons caches during combat operations conducted east of Balad on Nov. 16. The caches included more than 30 artillery rounds, 16 mortar rounds, two machine guns, two rocket launchers, and several thousand rounds of small arms ammunition.

Shame on the our news outlets for hiding the truth for political gain – such transparent and vile manipulation of the news should be cause to shut them down.

I look forward to reporting more as I find it.