thedrifter
07-31-07, 07:24 AM
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Tank
O'Dark Thirty in the Morning [W. Thomas Smith Jr.]
AL QAIM (near Syria) — Just before heading out on a two-day company-sized operation to points unknown, but will learn about in our pre-launch briefing.
Most Marines are asleep but will begin stirring in a few minutes. I woke up about 40 minutes ago (3:30 a.m.), strolled beyond the combat operations center, and took a moment to enjoy the incredibly beautiful nighttime sky above western Iraq — a full moon (turned slightly yellowish-orange from all the sand in the air), lots of stars, a few isolated clouds. It's really the only time of day that the heat is not so unbearable that one might appreciate being outside.
Plus it's quiet. No one else around. Just God and me on the edge of the world.
07/30 08:07 PM
The Partisanship of Victory Defining Failure [Steve Schippert]
Never lacking spoons in the kettle, there is yet another politician-driven recipe afoot on the professional conduct of warfare. Pay special attention to the Pennsylvania Representative's words on the rationale behind the envisioned new cookbook.
Republicans increasingly are backing a new approach in the Iraq war that could become the party’s mantra come September. It would mean narrowly limited missions for U.S. troops in Iraq but let President Bush decide when troops should leave.
So far, the idea has not attracted the attention of Democratic leaders. They are under substantial pressure by anti-war groups to consider only legislation that orders troops from Iraq.
But the GOP approach quickly is becoming the attractive alternative for Republican lawmakers who want to challenge Bush on the unpopular war without backtracking from their past assertions that it would be disastrous to set deadlines for troop withdrawals.
“This is a necessary adjustment in the national debate to reintroduce bipartisanship, to stop the ‘gotcha’ politics that are going on that seem to be driven by fringes on both sides and change the terms of the discussion,” said Rep. Phil English, R-Pa.
So many already know what September holds (or so the AP projects the unattributed conclusion). And pay special note to the politician's direct reference to an aim of "discussion."
This is disconcerting yet once again from elected political leadership. Before even any command assessment (ie, General Petraeus) has been given to the effectiveness of 'The Surge,' there are continuous, incessant, ceaseless recommendations that are inarguably pinned upon the assumption - said or unsaid - that 'The Surge' is failed, failing or will fail.
Why was General Petraeus handed command (unanimously) at all? It appears most Washington elected officials have already made up their minds on the success or failure of 'The Surge.' When referring to any 'command assessment,' it is increasingly clear on both sides of the aisle that such a phrase falsely assumes one is referring to the Commanding General. Rather, it appears we have no shortage of Commanding Representatives and Senate Joint Chiefs.
There can indeed be a draw-down of forces and mission limitations. But, if victory over terrorists and security for Iraqis (absolutely key to a self-sustaining and self-defended Iraq ultimately not requiring our Armed Forces) has any consideration at all, the ground situation(s) must dictate such, not any self-inspired domestic political aim "to reintroduce bipartisanship." For instance, instead of the surreal situation on the Senate floor, we should make decisions based on actual ground situations like that developing in and around Mosul and the greater Ninewah province.
Insurgent attacks in Iraq’s Ninewah province have dropped significantly, and if the trend continues, fewer U.S. troops will be needed in the region, an Army commander in the area said today.
A sign of the improved security situation in the province is the fact that the province — which includes Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city — will transfer to Iraqi provincial control sometime next month, said Army Col. Stephen Twitty, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade, during a briefing with Pentagon reporters via telephone.
The Ninewah provincial government has made great strides and can stand on its own with minimal help, Twitty said. “We have a very mature provincial government here,” he said.
The coalition provincial reconstruction team in Mosul and the brigade staff will continue to coach and mentor the provincial government. “In nine months I have seen this government mature, so they will be able to operate pretty much independently and run the provincial government pretty much independently,” Twitty said.
On the security side, the two Iraqi divisions in the province are already under the command of Iraqi Ground Forces Command. “We still continue to see a need for the (provincial reconstruction team) to be here and will probably see a need for some type of coalition forces up here,” Twitty said. “That may or may not be a robust force like I have, and it's going to be based on the security situation here.”
...as it should be, and decidedly not based on the political wishes for 'terms of discussion' in Washington.
If 'introducing bipartisanship' means ceding to a handcuffed and tightly limited strategy that makes and victory over entrenched terrorists impossible, we would be well advised to maintain domestic partisanship and forgo agreeing on how to lose and cede Iraqis to the horrors awaiting them.
2006 was universally accepted as a very bad year for US forces and Iraqis and a very productive year of gathering strength for al-Qaeda, Sadr's Mahdi Army and other terrorist/militia/insurgent groups. And in 2006, while not a policy brilliantly dictated by military experts elected to Washington, "narrowly limited missions for U.S. troops in Iraq" was most certainly the strategy employed, as the bulk of US forces stayed hunkered close to forward operating bases (FOBs). This is precisely why General Casey is stateside and General Patraeus is commanding from Baghdad.
Perhaps we might just pay attention to developments now and give the Commanding General a listen in September before deeming what will work and what has failed. Perhaps.
tank.nationalreview.com/
Ellie
The Tank
O'Dark Thirty in the Morning [W. Thomas Smith Jr.]
AL QAIM (near Syria) — Just before heading out on a two-day company-sized operation to points unknown, but will learn about in our pre-launch briefing.
Most Marines are asleep but will begin stirring in a few minutes. I woke up about 40 minutes ago (3:30 a.m.), strolled beyond the combat operations center, and took a moment to enjoy the incredibly beautiful nighttime sky above western Iraq — a full moon (turned slightly yellowish-orange from all the sand in the air), lots of stars, a few isolated clouds. It's really the only time of day that the heat is not so unbearable that one might appreciate being outside.
Plus it's quiet. No one else around. Just God and me on the edge of the world.
07/30 08:07 PM
The Partisanship of Victory Defining Failure [Steve Schippert]
Never lacking spoons in the kettle, there is yet another politician-driven recipe afoot on the professional conduct of warfare. Pay special attention to the Pennsylvania Representative's words on the rationale behind the envisioned new cookbook.
Republicans increasingly are backing a new approach in the Iraq war that could become the party’s mantra come September. It would mean narrowly limited missions for U.S. troops in Iraq but let President Bush decide when troops should leave.
So far, the idea has not attracted the attention of Democratic leaders. They are under substantial pressure by anti-war groups to consider only legislation that orders troops from Iraq.
But the GOP approach quickly is becoming the attractive alternative for Republican lawmakers who want to challenge Bush on the unpopular war without backtracking from their past assertions that it would be disastrous to set deadlines for troop withdrawals.
“This is a necessary adjustment in the national debate to reintroduce bipartisanship, to stop the ‘gotcha’ politics that are going on that seem to be driven by fringes on both sides and change the terms of the discussion,” said Rep. Phil English, R-Pa.
So many already know what September holds (or so the AP projects the unattributed conclusion). And pay special note to the politician's direct reference to an aim of "discussion."
This is disconcerting yet once again from elected political leadership. Before even any command assessment (ie, General Petraeus) has been given to the effectiveness of 'The Surge,' there are continuous, incessant, ceaseless recommendations that are inarguably pinned upon the assumption - said or unsaid - that 'The Surge' is failed, failing or will fail.
Why was General Petraeus handed command (unanimously) at all? It appears most Washington elected officials have already made up their minds on the success or failure of 'The Surge.' When referring to any 'command assessment,' it is increasingly clear on both sides of the aisle that such a phrase falsely assumes one is referring to the Commanding General. Rather, it appears we have no shortage of Commanding Representatives and Senate Joint Chiefs.
There can indeed be a draw-down of forces and mission limitations. But, if victory over terrorists and security for Iraqis (absolutely key to a self-sustaining and self-defended Iraq ultimately not requiring our Armed Forces) has any consideration at all, the ground situation(s) must dictate such, not any self-inspired domestic political aim "to reintroduce bipartisanship." For instance, instead of the surreal situation on the Senate floor, we should make decisions based on actual ground situations like that developing in and around Mosul and the greater Ninewah province.
Insurgent attacks in Iraq’s Ninewah province have dropped significantly, and if the trend continues, fewer U.S. troops will be needed in the region, an Army commander in the area said today.
A sign of the improved security situation in the province is the fact that the province — which includes Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city — will transfer to Iraqi provincial control sometime next month, said Army Col. Stephen Twitty, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade, during a briefing with Pentagon reporters via telephone.
The Ninewah provincial government has made great strides and can stand on its own with minimal help, Twitty said. “We have a very mature provincial government here,” he said.
The coalition provincial reconstruction team in Mosul and the brigade staff will continue to coach and mentor the provincial government. “In nine months I have seen this government mature, so they will be able to operate pretty much independently and run the provincial government pretty much independently,” Twitty said.
On the security side, the two Iraqi divisions in the province are already under the command of Iraqi Ground Forces Command. “We still continue to see a need for the (provincial reconstruction team) to be here and will probably see a need for some type of coalition forces up here,” Twitty said. “That may or may not be a robust force like I have, and it's going to be based on the security situation here.”
...as it should be, and decidedly not based on the political wishes for 'terms of discussion' in Washington.
If 'introducing bipartisanship' means ceding to a handcuffed and tightly limited strategy that makes and victory over entrenched terrorists impossible, we would be well advised to maintain domestic partisanship and forgo agreeing on how to lose and cede Iraqis to the horrors awaiting them.
2006 was universally accepted as a very bad year for US forces and Iraqis and a very productive year of gathering strength for al-Qaeda, Sadr's Mahdi Army and other terrorist/militia/insurgent groups. And in 2006, while not a policy brilliantly dictated by military experts elected to Washington, "narrowly limited missions for U.S. troops in Iraq" was most certainly the strategy employed, as the bulk of US forces stayed hunkered close to forward operating bases (FOBs). This is precisely why General Casey is stateside and General Patraeus is commanding from Baghdad.
Perhaps we might just pay attention to developments now and give the Commanding General a listen in September before deeming what will work and what has failed. Perhaps.
tank.nationalreview.com/
Ellie