Protecting Tehran, knifing Tony Blair - Thank You Nancy

[red states rule]

Protecting Tehran, knifing Tony Blair

Now that she has won House passage of legislation that would micromanage the way to defeat in Iraq, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finds herself struggling to come up with a coherent policy toward Iran. Unfortunately, in a desperate effort to appease the hard left of the blogosphere (which worries that Pelosi and the Democratic leadership are insufficiently capitulationist) she has behaved contemptuously toward one of America's closest allies: Great Britain, and in particular, Prime Minister Tony Blair. Before the House adjourned on Thursday, Mrs. Pelosi refused to permit a vote on House Resolution 267, which condemns Iran for the illegal seizure of British marines and sailors in Iraqi waters March 23.
The resolution was introduced exactly one week ago by Rep. Mark Kirk, Illinois Republican, and was reported out the following day by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. (The panel is chaired by Mrs. Pelosi's fellow California Democrat, Rep. Tom Lantos, who presently is accompanying her on a trip to the Middle East.)
Here is the full text of Mr. Kirk's resolution: "Resolved, That the House of Representatives -- (1) condemns the Islamic Republic of Iran for the seizure of 15 British marines and sailors and demands their unconditional release; and 2) calls on the United Nations Security Council to condemn this seizure and explore new sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the restriction of the supply of gasoline, to prevent further Iranian hostile action, deny Iran's ability to militarize the Persian Gulf, and enforce Iran's nonproliferation commitments."
The wording was noncontroversial enough to win the support of liberals such as Democratic Reps. Linda Sanchez of California, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Deborah Wasserman Schultz of Florida, Alcee Hastings of Florida and Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania. (Before leaving, the Senate passed a resolution of its own condemning the abductions "in the strongest possible terms" and calling for "immediate, safe and unconditional release" of the Brits.)
When Mrs. Pelosi stalled on allowing the resolution to the floor for a vote, House Republican Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor wrote a letter to the speaker imploring her to allow the House to consider H. Res. 267 before it adjourned on Thursday and began a recess that will last until April 16. In his letter, Mr. Cantor noted that the kidnapped British marines and sailors are "the latest victims of a systematic Iranian campaign of terror and and international defiance. The illegal seizure of the British forces is a signal that Iran views us as powerless to prevent it from realizing its aggressive ambitions." A spokesman for Mrs. Pelosi said the speaker was reluctant to weigh in on the situation without knowing for sure that such a message would do more good than harm. (Why it would be harmful to make a statement supporting an ally who has had members of its armed forces kidnapped by a rogue regime was not explained.)
On the issue of Iran, Mrs. Pelosi is walking a political tightrope, trying to be anti-Bush and mullah-enabling enough for the left-wing base, without completely alienating supporters of Israel who are understandably worried about a a Holocaust-denying regime in Tehran obtaining nuclear weapons. Last month, the House Appropriations Committee, pushed by the left-wing blogosphere, included in an Iraq war-funding bill language requiring that President Bush get congressional approval in advance of military action against Iran -- a proposal aimed at effectively making military action impossible. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) vigorously protested, as did liberal Democratic stalwarts like Rep. Gary Ackerman, New York Democrat. Mr. Ackerman explained why the Iran language -- whose leading advocate has been Sen. James Webb, Virginia Democrat -- would damage the president's ability to react to a future crisis triggered by Iranian aggression. "I don't think it was a very wise idea to take things off the table if you're trying to get people to modify their behavior and normalize in a civilized way," Mr. Ackerman said.
As a result of these protests, Mrs. Pelosi was forced to remove the Iran language from the appropriations bill. But in doing so, she infuriated the left-wing, anti-war base, which depicted her as a dupe of AIPAC and the Bush administration. So just a few days after House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey had the Iran language taken out, Congressional Quarterly reported that the speaker had promised committee Democrats that she would bring up the Iran provision as a stand-alone measure. Likewise, Mrs. Pelosi's refusal to allow a vote on a resolution condemning Iran's abduction of the sailors shows how far she is prepared to go in pandering to the radical fringe.

http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20070401-101451-7428r.htm

 

[Louie]

Ahh yes, the Washington (moonie) times. It’s what I think of when I need to read some true and “honest” journalism.

 

[Dr Grump]

Ahh yes, the Washington (moonie) times. It’s what I think of when I need to read some true and “honest” journalism.

Could be worse...he could start with WND!

 

[Gunny]

Could be worse...he could start with WND!

Or the NY TImes or Washington Post.

 

[red states rule]

Ahh yes, the Washington (moonie) times. It’s what I think of when I need to read some true and “honest” journalism.

The article points out the facts how gutless Pelosi and the Dems are in holding Iran accountable in the kidnapping of the British sailors

 

[jillian]

Or the NY TImes or Washington Post.

You think WND or Washtimes is on par with the NY Times and Washington Post? I'd say that's inapt.

I love when people complain about the NY Times. Without Judy Miller's propaganda pieces in the NY Times, Bush would never have gotten his little war.

 

[red states rule]

The NY Times has published classified documents and have done everthing they can to help the terrorists and undermine the troops

With the NY Times losing money and laying off employees, perhaps they should offer group subscriptions to terrorist training camps to increase circulation and make it easier for the terrorists to get their information

 

[Louie]

I'm still waiting for red state and his first hand account of the good times going on in Iraq.

 

[red states rule]

I'm still waiting for red state and his first hand account of the good times going on in Iraq.

ABC Highlights Safety Improvements in Baghdad
Posted by Brad Wilmouth on April 3, 2007 - 23:05.
Tuesday's World News with Charles Gibson highlighted signs of improvement in parts of Baghdad in the aftermath of the U.S. troop surge. ABC's Gibson introduced the story relaying that correspondent Terry McCarthy, after traveling to several Baghdad neighborhoods, "has found definite improvement." Among other developments, McCarthy reported on families feeling safe enough to take their children to the city's largest amusement park: "People feel safe to bring their kids here and have fun on a Friday afternoon. For us, it's really great to see people in Baghdad having fun."

McCarthy introduced his story recounting that although there are still daily bombings in Baghdad, "a small area of relative calm is starting to grow," relaying his visit to several neighborhoods where residents reported that "life is slowly coming back to normal." (Transcript follows)

Among other areas, McCarthy discussed the once-infamous Haifa Street that is no longer as dangerous as it once was, where men at a tea shop asked McCarthy's crew to film them "to show things are getting better." After mentioning positive developments in other neighborhoods, the ABC correspondent pointed out the increased number of families visiting the amusement park in the Zawra area. McCarthy: "People feel safe to bring their kids here and have fun on a Friday afternoon. For us, it's really great to see people in Baghdad having fun." After wondering if the relative safety would continue, he concluded: "For the time being, though, people here are happy to enjoy a life that looks almost normal."

Below is a complete transcript of the story from the Tuesday April 3 World News with Charles Gibson:

Charles Gibson: "Meanwhile, Iraq's government announced today that the security situation in Baghdad has improved in recent weeks -- enough that the city's curfew can be relaxed. Until now, the curfew has been 8 PM till 5 AM. Now, Baghdad residents will be allowed on the street until 10 PM. ABC's Terry McCarthy has been checking out conditions in some of the city's neighborhoods, and has found definite improvement."

Terry McCarthy: "Children have come out to play again. Shoppers are back in markets. A few devout souls even venture past the barbed wire to pray. Baghdad is still rocked by car bombs every day. But right in the center of the city, a small area of relative calm is starting to grow, thanks to stepped up U.S. patrols and increased Iraqi checkpoints. Nowhere is safe for westerners to linger, but over the past week we visited five different neighborhoods where the locals told us life is slowly coming back to normal. We started in what used to be one of the most dangerous parts of the city. This is Haifa Street, otherwise known as 'Sniper Street,' until two months ago a major battleground between U.S. troops and insurgents. Today, people who live on Haifa Street tell us it's quiet, or at least quiet enough for them to venture back out onto the street. At a tea shop, these men actually asked us to film them to show things are getting better. In Babil, we stopped for ice cream -- 20 cents a scoop. The owner here, Mohammed Hassan, tells us security is improving in this part of Baghdad just in time for the summer, which is, of course, when they make most of their money. Hussein Jihad has a clothing store in Karada. 'When people heard that it was safe,' says Hussein, 'they started coming out and spending money again.' We found a mosque in Zayouna that had been fire-bombed. Now, open for prayer. And in Zawra, Baghdad's biggest amusement park is running again. People feel safe to bring their kids here and have fun on a Friday afternoon. For us, it's really great to see people in Baghdad having fun. 'It's safe here,' says 12-year-old Abdullah. 'There used to be some bullets, but not anymore.' Nobody knows if this small safe zone will expand or get swallowed up again by violence. For the time being, though, people here are happy to enjoy a life that looks almost normal. Terry McCarthy, ABC News, Baghdad."

http://newsbusters.org/node/11805

 

[red states rule]

I'm still waiting for red state and his first hand account of the good times going on in Iraq.

Baghdad curfew eased as surge scores successes
By Sharon Behn
THE WASHINGTON TIMES



BAGHDAD -- American and Iraqi soldiers yesterday killed six terrorists and captured another 41 insurgents and death-squad suspects in operations in Baghdad and outside Fallujah, military officials said.
The raids were part of the ongoing enormous effort by U.S. and Iraqi security forces to break the backs of the various armed groups warring in Iraq. The Iraqi government cited the success of that operation yesterday in announcing that the nightly curfew will be pushed back by two hours.
In Baghdad, a U.S. Stryker battalion and an Iraqi battalion fanned out in east Mansour, an area of the city where Shi'ite death squads have been forcing Sunni families out of their homes and replacing them with followers of Muqtada al-Sadr's radical militia.
Directed by Iraqi and American intelligence sources, the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment of the Stryker Brigade Combat Team raided houses overnight, capturing nine members of what they said was a known death-squad cell.
"We think they are responsible for the deaths of 22 Sunnis in this area, as well as [rocket-propelled grenade] and small-arms attacks," said an intelligence officer involved in the operation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
In separate operations, coalition forces killed six al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists and captured 13 other "facilitators" yesterday morning south of Fallujah and in al Qaim, on the border with Syria, the U.S. military said.
The men arrested in Baghdad were swiftly flex-cuffed, blindfolded and hauled off to one of the city's detention centers, where they sat with their backs against a wall waiting to be screened by U.S. medical personnel.
One man came in whimpering and limping on the arms of two American soldiers, his arm and leg bandaged after trying to escape the raid by jumping over several walls. Altogether, 28 detainees were brought into the holding center from raids across Baghdad.
The raids were part of the stepped-up U.S. security presence in Baghdad, but the significance is hard to judge. Although the military actions yesterday interrupted one death squad, the intelligence officer said, the long-term impact could be determined only by "going back to the neighbors and asking them if they feel safer now."
Iraqis say several neighborhoods have improved since the security plan went into operation almost eight weeks ago, an appraisal reflected in pushing back the start of the nightly curfew to 10 p.m.
Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, the spokesman for the Baghdad security operation, said the decision was made "because the security situation has improved and people needed more time to go shopping."
However, residents of other neighborhoods say they are seeing a return to sectarian executions
A father of two girls said he was moving out of his area after he and his family listened from their house as a teenage neighbor pleaded in the street for a Shi'ite death squad to spare his father's life. They killed him anyway.
"The Shi'ite militia are making trouble," said Hassan, who asked that his full name not be used. "They are idiots, stupid." After almost four years of war and a week of finding corpses outside his door, Hassan said, he has to move.
American forces, such as the Stryker brigades operating across the capital and in Diyala province, are working 12- to 14-hour days to clear both Sunni and Shi'ite neighborhoods block by block and house by house.
They also are trying to work side by side with the Iraqi army and police in order for them to establish trust among the local population. Many Iraqis feel the Iraqi forces are corrupt and part of the death squads.
"I myself never trust any Iraqi police and army," said a young woman called Jenan, whose pregnant sister was killed in a terrorist bombing.
Staff Sgt. Brian Long, 31, a fire support specialist for Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment with the Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said it was still "too early to tell if the surge is working."
He thinks progress has been made. "Even coming to an agreement to not kill each other is a step in a positive direction; it has happened in some neighborhoods," he said.
Layla, a Kurdish woman who lives in Baghdad, said shops were beginning to reopen on the shell-pocked main street of her neighborhood, which once bustled with juice stands, coffee shops, hamburger restaurants and small kitchenware stores.
"They attacked [the Zayoona neighborhood] several times in the last three or four months, but now people feel safe enough to open their stores," she said.
It is "not exactly" safe to go to the market, she said. "You don't know who is going to kill you, or kidnap you."
While most Iraqis are withholding judgment on the security surge, a cross-section of women and men said the U.S. military was the only thing preventing complete chaos.
"If they retreat and leave everything to the Iraqis, at that time the civil war in Iraq will start," Hassan said.

http://washingtontimes.com/world/200...1156-4055r.htm
__________________