Matt Sanchez

POV

Most reasonable Americans understand there's an obvious slant to any presentation, but the mainstream media has been caught one time too often with their fingers in the credibility cookie jar. 

The paradox is that people with an obvious bias: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and even Bill O'Reilly come off as much more credible, because they are fairly up front about who they are.

You either like their message or you don't, but you can't really complain that they fooled you. 

 

The same can't be said for far too many who are pretending to be "middle of the road", neutral or unbiased.  Readership is falling at many traditional newspapers, and viewership is down for the major news networks. 

Being honest and up front pays off, but there is a caveat here.  Not all those with an expressed bias have done well, Rosie O'Donnell and most of the performers over at Air America know exactly what I mean.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe traditional journalism is out of touch, and nearly half are turning to the Internet to get their news, according to a new survey. cont...

Accute Case of Media Bias

The War Prince

 

The Prince sports a baseball cap with the American flag.  The color is darker so that the flag is visible through night vision goggles.

Prince Harry is/was in Afghanistan, which has put that war zone back in the news.  It's good to see the prince went down south to join his countrymen in arms, but there is a problem with the British presence in Afghanistan. 

When I was in Kandahar, I noted the disparities between the British engagement in Afghanistan compared to how much weight American forces were pulling.  This will eventually be the subject of a bigger article, but a reader sent me a picture of the prince in Afghanistan that I thought was particularly revealing. 

Getting Poked

There is a disturbing tendency, in military medicine, to over medicate and vaccinate.  Some servicemen have resisted the mandatory vaccinations...to no avail. 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Eight members of the military who objected to getting a mandatory anthrax vaccination lost another round in federal court Friday.

       

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Stuart gets an anthrax vaccination last week at Camp Lejune, North Carolina.

Cont...

Diversity Deferred

Civil war, genocide, starvation, and extreme poverty are problems currently ravaging the Sudan, but the Sudanese people know what the real problem is.  Danish cartoonists!

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) -- President Omar al-Bashir said Wednesday that he would bar Danes from Sudan and told tens of thousands of people at a government-backed rally that the Muslim world should boycott Denmark because of a reprinted cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed.

   

Tens of thousands of Sudanese protest at a government-backed rally in Khartoum, Sudan.

The Danish have responded by opposing any type of debt relief. 

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- Denmark said Thursday it will oppose any debt relief deal for Sudan in response to the Sudanese president's comments urging the Muslim world to boycott Danish goods over the publication of a Prophet Muhammad cartoon.

   

Tens of thousands of Sudanese in Khartoum protest at a government-backed rally Wednesday.

I'm conflicted.  Are the Danish cartoonists the intolerant ones for drawing the "anti-prophet" cartoons, or are the Sudanese the intolerant ones for promising to hack any Danish who comes to their country?  This whole diversity thing is much more complicated than it seems. 

You're not Alone

If you're reading Matt-Sanchez.com, you are now going to be in good and growing company.  Through an agreement, Reuters will be syndicating this blog whenever they want an opinionated point of view.   cont...

Matt-Sanchez.com--It's my opinion and everyone's entitled to it. 

Different Narrative

 

Doura at night.  The community has repelled al-Qaida and hates the terrorists organization more than the average American.

Pete Hegseth just filed another dispatch from Baghdad.  He noted something extraordinary that most people back home do not understand.

These gains, however, were costly. In their first 30 days in Doura, the unit was attacked over 50 times. On the very streets we’re walking today, LTC Crider has lost nine good men, with dozens more injured. But the unit persisted — honoring the sacrifices of their brethren — and has not been attacked in their sector since September 27. As compelling testimony to the unit’s dedication to the task, LTC Crider’s squadron had the highest reenlistment rate in all of Baghdad in 2007, exceeding their goal by over 500 percent.

I met many members of the 1/4 Cav.  These guys patrolled a tough neighborhood and they took quite a few casualties.  Despite that, many re-enlisted.  That's risking your life for your beliefs, but it's also something difficult to describe in the current "soldier as victim" narrative, so common in the media. 

Latin Commentaries

Political analyst, Mr Navarrette, is the current Latino soothsayer in vogue with the mainstream.  His job is to translate Latin grooves to a listening audience that will eat plenty of burritos, but rarely with a Mexican at the table.  Navarette has written an article on how Clinton lost the Hispanic vote, but he failed to state the obvious. 

Nationalist and unsophisticated Latino voters are easily swayed by populist rhetoric, and when it comes to silver tongues, Obama's is practically platinum.

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- If Hillary Clinton loses the Democratic nomination for president, she might be able to trace her troubles back to when she lost her grip on the Latino vote.

   

Ruben Navarrette Jr.: Sen. Barack Obama belatedly but quickly found the importance of courting Latinos.

Bill Clinton called it. The ex-president may have doomed his wife's candidacy with his meddling but he was right about one thing: Several weeks ago, he told Spanish-language radio host Eddie "El Piolin" Sotelo that Latinos would "determine the nominee of the Democratic Party and the next president of the United States."

So they might. Just not in the way that the former president imagined.

 

When he made his prediction, Hillary Clinton was leading Barack Obama among Latinos by a 2-1 margin. No mas.

A recent Gallup survey found Obama in a slight, but not statistically significant, lead over Clinton among Latinos. Obama-mania has gone multicultural. And it's about time. cont...

Conflicting Intelligence

While in Afghanistan, I was embedded with a unit of soldiers whose job it was to chase the Taliban.  We heard rumors of the Taliban "owning property" in Afghanistan, but it usually amounted to a group of armed men shutting down a road until the authorities chased them away. 

Charging tolls in Afghanistan goes all the way back to the Time of Alexander, and many Afghan tribes have lived off of this type of activity. 

Now, we have the latest intelligence briefing where two groups, the Department of Defense and the CIA, do not agree.  Intelligence, at it's best, is all too often an educated guess. 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A resurgent Taliban is back in charge over parts of Afghanistan, the nation's chief intelligence official said Wednesday in an assessment that differed from the one made last month by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

More than six years after the United States invaded Afghanistan, the Taliban has regained control of about 10 percent of the country, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Just a few weeks ago, Gates touted NATO military success in Afghanistan in 2007 and said the Taliban controlled no land.

   "The Taliban occupy no territory in Afghanistan on a continuing basis," Gates said during a Pentagon briefing in January.

Despite his less-optimistic assessment on that score, McConnell said the Taliban has suffered "significant degradation" in its leadership and is unable to successfully face off against U.S. and NATO forces.

For intelligence on Afghanistan, I'm going to have to side with the Department of Defense intelligence.  If the Taliban were occupying land for any amount of time, they would simply be eliminated--unless, of course, the British, Canadians or Dutch had come to a secret truce with them.  see Musa Qala

PR Technique: Marriage/Divorce/Repeat

I am not even sure what number marriage this is and, by now, she's probably confused too.

AP

Actress/model Pamela Anderson.

 

                                   

LOS ANGELES  —  It's said that love is blind. In the case of Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon, it's more like love is brief.

 

The 40-year-old actress is seeking annulment of her two-month marriage to Rick Salomon based on fraud. No other details were available. Anderson's publicist did not immediately return an e-mail request for comment Tuesday.

Heavy Metal

This is what happens when mommycrats try to run wars. 

BAGHDAD, Iraq —  The Pentagon and Marine Corps authorized the purchase of 84,000 bulletproof vests in 2006 that not only are too heavy but are so impractical that some U.S. Marines are asking for their old vests back so they can remain agile enough to fight.  cont...

 

At degrees over 120, Marines in Fallujah sometimes had to do without the body armor when the task demanded.  No one wants a Marine to die of a wound that could have been prevented, but bulky body armor could cause more damage than good.

Disarmament--The New Peace

Campaign promises

Take Back the Night?

Anyone who goes to college these days will have heard of the "Take Back the Night" rallies.  TBN events are a lot like the 70's bra-burnings, except the idea is to keep your clothes on and complain that you won't be a sexual victim.   That is until Valentine's Day (V-Day for those who are in the know) and then you're supposed to tell everyone what your private parts are saying. 

The feminist critique, Heather MacDonald, wrote an article on the false statistics of date rape and sophomoric victimization.

It’s a lonely job, working the phones at a college rape crisis center. Day after day, you wait for the casualties to show up from the alleged campus rape epidemic—but no one calls. Could this mean that the crisis is overblown? No: it means, according to the campus sexual-assault industry, that the abuse of coeds is worse than anyone had ever imagined. It means that consultants and counselors need more funding to persuade student rape victims to break the silence of their suffering.

Giant Among Us--Departed

Funny how the most important people are often the least recognizable.  If you know who the man in the photo is, please leave a comment below.

Secularization or Else?

You decide:

Americanization of the Iraqi Army

At Habbaniya, in the Anbar province I embedded with the Marines who run the Iraqi Army firing range. 

It was a long day of firing the AK-47, a rattling weapon that is inaccurate and clunky.  Like any Marine, I was very happy when a fellow devil dog handed me the well-known M-16 that we all know and love.

Now, the Iraqis are going to have the same weapon.  I spoke to MANY people, both on and off the record, about the adoption of the M-16 as the weapon of choice for the Iraqi Army.  The knee jerk reaction of the average soldier was "bad idea".  The reaction of those behind the scenes was a lot more complex and reasonable. 

The front sight post of the AK-47, one of the most widely-used weapons ever created.

From the Front

Army Captain, Pete Hegseth is back in Iraq and writing from the front.  Pete makes outstanding points about the latest political push to derail the successes in Iraq.  Hegseth is more than a thinker, he's an actual doer.  Rarely have I met anyone who has put so much at stake for his personal beliefs. 

Baghdad, Iraq — The Democratic leadership in Congress haven’t got their facts straight on Iraq. They continue in failing to account for the surge’s dramatic success here, and persist in using a public rhetoric stubbornly suited to conditions in the past. This week, Democrats will bring two bills to the Senate floor whose aim is to immediately redeploy U.S. troops out of Iraq under the mistaken notion that doing so will serve our broader (and presumably, legitimate) fight against al-Qaeda. If success against al-Qaeda is the goal, Senators Russell Feingold, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama need to catch up on their reading and acquire all the relevant facts. I know two important books that are a good place to start.

cont...

The Race

Election Priorities: Latinos vs. Blacks

by Matt Sanchez

Posted: 02/26/2008

The multi-ethnic American unity that resulted from the “melting pot” of the 19th and early 20th Centuries has long-since cooled into the fuzzy landscape of identity politics. The racial middleman, the Hispanic-American, has been  more likely to identify with white Americans than blacks. Like the categories for a national census, the 2008 race for the White House has become a demand to be counted by color. The rivarly between somewhat "black" and sometimes "brown" is a political contest that may stereotype the future of American politics.

There is a pride among Hispanics that causes tension between them and blacks. It is politically correct to deny that this tension exists. But it is real nevertheless.

"The average Latino is very geared toward the American dream. They overcame a lot of obstacles to get here and they want to work hard to improve their lives," said Armin (not his real name) a hedge fund manager for one of New York's most prominent financial institutions. Born in Cuba, Armin speaks proudly of how his parents lost everything and fled to New York from the Castro government. It's a sad story, but with a strong pride of self-reliance and a deep disdain for communism, most Cubans Americans will end the tale on a happy note. A financial and social "they lived happily ever after." 

For many Hispanics, the main reason for coming to the United States is to work. The idea is to earn both a living and a bit of stability, two things often denied in many developing Latin American nations. "The work ethic is why many Hispanic Americans have tension with African Americans," said Armin. "I'm not even sure black Americans even believe in the American Dream."

In just over two years in the Senate and a sparse public record, questions of whether Obama has the experience to become the president are valid, but less discussed is whether the senator from Illinois merits consideration for the job. There is almost a sense of entitlement to the Obama claim to the American presidency, an entitlement felt by black voters out of historic injury and conceded by many white voters out of social guilt. To some Hispanics, the Obama candidacy is perceived as the presidential version of Affirmative Action, and like any government entitled program there is always someone benefiting at the expense of another.

A Duke University study of the racial attitudes between African Americans and Latinos revealed that "58.9 percent of Latinos felt  few or almost no blacks are hard-working."

 

Dominican flag in West Harlem where blacks have ceased to be a majority

Mexican president, Vicente Fox, created a small scandal when he noted that Latinos in the United States will do work "that not even blacks will do." This figure of speech has worked its way into Spanish and is commonly repeated throughout the United States. In New York, where Hispanics outnumber blacks, it is difficult to ignore that there are few Latino beggars on the streets, and fewer black busboys in the restaurants. 
 
"As a community, I just don't trust them" said "Daniela," a Hispanic caller to a local Los Angeles NPR station. "To have a black president would make the black community feel like they own the entire country." This statement was given anonymously when uncomfortable truths about racial divides are more likely to be openly expressed.

There is some statistical data to back Daniela's mistrust. According to the Duke University study led by political science professor Paula D. McClain, 56.9 percent of Latinos polled felt few or almost no blacks could be trusted. The shocking part of the study was that it was taken in Durham, North Carolina and among newly arrived immigrants who had very little previous exposure to black populations.

Not All Latinos Are the Same

"There is a growing interest among Latinos in the Obama candidacy," said Luis Maes, the National Coordinator for Latinos for Obama, a group associated with the Democratic National Committee Hispanic Caucus under the 'Casa Blanca Project.'

Born in Columbia and raised in the United States, Luis Maes is a rare Hispanic political guru who has worked on campaigns both here and throughout Latin America. 

When asked about the tensions between the black and Hispanic communities Mr. Maes was quick to reply. "I call these community problems "black and brown issues," said Mr. Maes. "We both know the Latinos in the United States are a diverse group." Maes is correct that "Latino" or "Hispanic" is an umbrella term used for a variety of peoples extending from Chile to Puerto Rico. "Support for a candidate is a little more complex than how the media portrays it."

Nevertheless, Hispanics do have common ground, and the majority of them, with the notable exception of Cuban-Americans, do vote Democrat. In 1989, Latino New York voters overwhelmingly supported the first black mayoral candidate over his Republican rival, Rudolph Guliani. Coming out of the violent 1980s, New Yorkers believed a black leader could help solve the racial tensions that had plagued the city. Unfortunately, Mayor Dinkins’ term was marked by deep racial strife. Dinkins' Latino support dropped from 75% to 62%, enough to hand the mayoralty over to a Republican in a town where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by over five to one.

In Harlem, renowned for the historical Harlem Rennaissance, blacks are no longer the majority as new arrivals from the Dominican Republic and Mexico dominate whole neighborhoods. 

Formerly black-owned barbershops are a gathering point for the new communities. More than a place to get a haircut, many Dominicans will spend their free-time at a barbershop discussing sports, business and politics.

At one shop, I spoke to a few men hanging around. Although Ruben could physically pass for an African American, he sees the differences between blacks and Hispanics as more than skin deep. "Latinos care a lot more about the family," he surmised, and many Hispanics agree.

In New York, Hispanics are arriving in great numbers, as black Americans who flooded the city after the 1st World War begin to move out. Geographically, the African American population is moving and consolidating in enclaves, many are returning to the South, but Hispanics are going to where the jobs are. In New York's Long Island, the Mexican population has grown exponentially and shows no signs of abating.

"We're 'opening paths' said Ruben proudly about the growth of the Dominican community in Harlem. The men waiting on the wooden bench for their weekly haircuts agreed. 

"78% of Latinos say that they have the most in common with whites and the least in common with blacks," said professor McClain, citing the Duke University study. 

"We're actually pretty depressed about a lot of our findings," she told the university newspaper. 

In the struggle for political and social climbing blacks and Latino consider each other as rivals and non-minority Americans as referees. In today's democratic race, the color white is truly perceived as neutral and it shows. In California, the country's most populated state and home to the largest concentration of Hispanic voters, Hillary won the Latino vote by a margin of nearly 3 to 1. 

"The groups that are having the most tension are low-income Latinos and low-income blacks," said Latinos for Obama representative Luis Maes.   

Maes feels most Hispanics are simply choosing the Clinton brand over Obama strictly due to name-recognition. With the increase in publicity, Obama has become more popular among Latino voters, he comfortably won the Latino vote during the "Potomac Primaries."

Maes feels education may play a role, although this observation comes from his personal political acumen rather than any empirical statistical data. 

"It just seems that the more educated the Latino voter is, the more they get to know Obama," said Maes who has a master's degree making him a small minority among many Latinos who often do not complete high school. "Latino voters will vote for Obama if they get to know him."

From Castro to Castro

Cubans were handed over from one owner to the next like so much livestock.  Cuba has the perfect socialist paradise.  $15 a month, and free food, whether you work or not.  All you have to do is not complain, question or leave the island.  Counter-revolutionaries are "well-cared for" with free health insurance (from a government that will make them sick) free education (that they cannot use to improve their lives, since everyone is paid the same wage) and free housing (in homes that would be condemned in most of the civilized world).  This is what the Cuban revolution called "change" almost half a century ago. 

HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Cuban President Raul Castro is taking over leadership of a country whose government believes its citizens are not working hard enough.

   

Raul Castro was chosen Sunday to take over Cuba's presidency from his brother, Fidel Castro.

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The state-run newspaper recently ran an article headlined "Work: Option or necessity?"

The writer pointed out that, judging by the number of people in the streets during the day, many Cubans don't seem to be on the job.

They have few motivations to buckle down: Salaries average about $15 per month on the island, and Cubans get monthly food rations even if they don't work.

A Fashion Trend

I just received this new photo of Obama in 'traditional wear'

Oscar Tips Over

The Oscar television audience dropped by 20% according to the Hollywood news magazine Variety and Advertising Age. 

 

You'll note a lot of foreign actors won films.  The Oscars still has enormous prestigious and box office receipts are growing overseas.

National Pride

Apparently, Obama is proud enough of his father's home country, that he was willing to subject himself to this photo opportunity. 

Bright Idea--Iraqi Electricity

By Matt Sanchez

Most of us expect something to happen when we plug in an appliance or flip a switch, but in Iraq flipping a switch to get power is a key part of fighting terrorism.

The strategy to combat a counter-insurgency consists mainly of improving the living conditions; that means bringing a national infrastructure neglected by dictatorial socialism and asphyxiated by a decade of sanctions to a functional level for a growing population with an increasing appetite for energy.

In the past, the media reported how little electricity the average resident of Baghdad had. During a low point, only two or three hours of power was available daily to the residents of the Iraqi capital. How hard could it be to repair a couple of fallen lines, even if terrorists targeted infrastructure, the American public back home thought while shaking a collective head.

The answer could be found over 100 miles north in places like Haditha, site of a major hydroelectric dam that provides power to parts of Baghdad and every major city in between.

Haditha Dam is a mish-mash of several projects combining mostly East German equipment installed by mostly Yugoslavian engineers. The dam is a concrete fortress and the current home to the 3rd battalion 23rd Marines, a reserve unit pulling in Marines from states throughout the South. Thick concrete bulwarks make Haditha Dam one of the safest places in Iraq, but the importance of electricity guarantees that Iraq's second supplier of hydropower always will be a target.

 

Marines in Fallujah patrol the streets. Besides sniper fire and improvised explosives, troops also have to watch out for dangling live wires

Soldiers from the eastern European country of Azerbaijan are stationed on one side of the river; they're job is to protect the dam from any attack. Al-Qaida has the goal of wrecking anything that could make life bearable in Iraq.

Iraqi engineers are in charge of the six whirling turbines that emit a constant hum as they turn water and motion into light and heat. The engineers live in a village not far away. Of course, the nearly 400 employees have to be protected, the employee village itself is just outside of Haditha.

VIDEO:Haditha Dam is built on the Euphrates River and requires special security measures. The Marines revived the type of river patrols that were common in Vietnam. New equipment such as the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles) are used to protect this crucial structure.

Compare and Contrast

We send wounded warriors back home and work to rehabilitate them so that they can rejoin society.  In Iraq, the enemy recruits wounded people so that they can send them into society and maim society. 

 

Children gather around American troops all the time.  They like to ask for candy or practice their English.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A disabled, wheelchair-bound man blew himself up on Monday in a northern Iraqi police station, killing a top police official and wounding six police officers, police told CNN.    

Thousands of pilgrims are trekking to Karbala for al-Arbaeen, one of the holiest days of the Shiite calendar.

The attack, which occurred in Samarra in Salaheddin province, reflects official concern over the innovative tactics employed by insurgents in Iraq. Bombs, have been placed inside dead animals and hidden in carts. And in recent days, vagrants have been involved in bombings.  cont...

A Matter of Pride

I don't really care much for the country, but I'd you to put me in charge of it.

Identity politics is the politics of advancing the interests of a special group. Normally, that group has been oppressed, under-represented or marginalized.  So, it would make sense if Obama were to take up the mantle of representing a proud American in the Democrat party.  Nevertheless, Obama chose to side with the 75% of baseball fans (his figure) who sit around with their hands at their side during the playing of the National Anthem at a sports event.

(CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama defended himself and his wife Sunday against suggestions that they are insufficiently patriotic.

   

Sen. Barack Obama defended himself and his wife against recent suggestions that they are not patriotic.

After a town hall meeting in Lorain, Ohio, a reporter asked Obama about "an attempt by conservatives and Republicans to paint you as unpatriotic."

The reporter cited the fact that Obama once failed to put his hand over his heart while singing the national anthem.

Obama replied that his choice not to put his hand on his heart is a behavior that "would disqualify about three-quarters of the people who have ever gone to a football game or baseball game." 

The reporter also noted that the Illinois senator does not wear an American flag lapel pin, has met with former members of the radical anti-Vietnam War group, Weather Underground, and his wife was quoted recently as saying she never felt really proud of the United States until recently.   cont...

Toeing the partyline is very important in identity politics, and a politician all know this.  If Obama exhibited such a lack of devotion to the gay agenda, he would be called a homophobe.  If Obama did not waive the black civil rights banner he would be termed an Uncle Tom, anti-abortion would make Obama a foe of women's rights, but when the senator from Illinois claims to be a dissenter of the United States, he's called the front-runner of the Democratic party in the 2008 presidential election. 

Copyplight

So now, the wordsmith, Paris Hilton, can actually lay claim and monetize parts of the English language. 

   CNN Reports Earlier this month, it was revealed that the New England Patriots had attempted to trademark the phrases "19-0 Perfect Season" and "19-0". Oops.

   

A New York Giants fan holds up sign at celebration of Giants' 17-14 Super Bowl win over New England Patriots.

Heiress Paris Hilton popularized her catchphrase "that's hot" on her hit reality show The Simple Life. She was the subject of media scrutiny when she applied for a trademark for the simple and relatively common phrase. She was granted three trademarks in 2007: one for use in men and women's clothing, another for electronic devices and a third for alcoholic beverages. She has used the phrase to promote a canned version of an Italian sparkling wine called Rich Prosecco.

cont...

Obama's Drama

Sgt. McGee loading up some of the "scarce" equipment in Afghanistan

During the last debate, Obama made a statement about the military that just didn't cut the mustard.

I spoke with a buddy of mine, Army Sgt. Anthony McGee, currently stationed in Gardez, Afghanistan.  I last saw Sgt. McGee, a former Marine, in November.  Anthony had these comments that I have reprinted with the Sergeant's permission.

Anthony: I think Obama's full of sh**

 or he just doesn't have all the facts right

Anthony: We have enough equipment in my area

8:49 AM me: Have you heard of shortages elsewhere?

 Anthony: Just because one captain can't figure out how to use the supply system doesn't mean we're all f**ked

8:50 AM I've heard of people getting short d*cked by outgoing units but all that can be taken care of pretty quickly

9:02 AM Anthony: If it was really to the point where he was scrounging for weapons like he said, I wonder if he went through his chain of command or went straight to the press

 anyhow man, I got to get out of here so I can get some chow

 I got to do some crew serve maintenance in a little while

 later man

Sgt. McGee at work in Afghanistan.

Forest Green or Desert Sand?

 

With a tiny footprint in Afghanistan, the Marines are about to take a bigger step into the Taliban's backyard.

Marines are psyched about heading to Afghanistan, but the real question is what color uniform will they wear forest green or desert sand?  Northern Afghanistan has what's left of ancient forests, and there are Marines in country who wear green "cammies", but down south, in Kandahar, is much more arid and most of the Marines running around with the Afghan police and military units wear desert sand.

US Marines relish Afghan mission

8 hours ago

CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina (AFP) — Some of them have never left American soil, but at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, troops from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit say they can't wait to be deployed to Afghanistan.  cont..

Who would have Thunk it?

The man many Democrats credit with "handing" the 2000 election over to George W. Bush is throwing his hat in the ring.  Former consumer advocate, Ralph Nader, will become the "independent" running in this year's election. I always thought Nader was very much on the left, but that was until I heard Barack H. Obama talk about "hope" and "change".

Obama on Nader: "He seems to have a pretty high opinion of his own work"

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ralph Nader is entering the presidential race as an independent, he announced Sunday.

   

Ralph Nader is running for president as an independent.

In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," the consumer advocate said great changes in U.S. history have come "through little parties that never won any national election."

"Dissent is the mother of ascent," he said. "And in that context I've decided to run for president."

Nader, who turns 74 this week, complained about the "paralysis of the government," which he said is under the control of corporate executives and lobbyists.

It marks his fourth straight White House bid -- fifth if his 1992 write-in campaign is included.

Nader's entry into the race did not come as a surprise to political watchers.  cont...

Stealth Bacteria

"It's why I lost my leg, so it sucks."

The assessment, from a 22-year-old Marine toughing out physical therapy on two prosthetic limbs, is laconic, matter-of-fact. Sgt. David Emery lost one leg in February 2007 when a suicide bomber assaulted the checkpoint near Haditha, Iraq, where he and fellow Marines stood guard. Military surgeons were forced to remove his remaining leg when it became infected with acinetobacter baumannii-a strain of highly resistant bacteria that since U.S. forces began fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has threatened the lives, limbs, and organs of hundreds wounded in combat.

cont...

Caution--You're about to enter the Spin Zone

This will be the next scandal that wasn't.  Suddenly, members of the British government have "learned" that detainees got a vacation in the West Indies, right under their noses.

 

                         

Parbul Tv via Reuters TV/REUTERS

                         

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband addresses the House of Commons in central London in this February 21, 2008 video grab. Britain said on Thursday that the US had used its territory to transfer terrorism suspects.

CNN's Reconciliation With Reality

CNN is attempting to make a concession without appearing completely discredited for all the shoddy reporting of doom and gloom over the past year.  CNN cameras poked in and out of neighborhoods, especially after a "flashy" event, to keep up the illusion of a desperate Iraq. 

Despite the coverage, and despite CNN, things have changed in Iraq over the past year and there simply is no denying it.  I have no problem with critical reporting, unfortunately, all too often, CNN stacked the cards against the efforts in Iraq and stopped reporting the news in order to start dictating it. 

more to come...

(CNN) -- A year after President Bush ordered nearly 30,000 additional U.S. troops into Iraq, American and Iraqi officials said there has been a drop in violence and some baby steps toward political reconciliation, but they see no cause for celebration.

   

A U.S. soldier patrols an Iraqi neighborhood in an area west of Baghdad earlier this month.

"There have been significant steps forward. There's been quite a bit of progress against al Qaeda in Iraq and against other extremist elements," said Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, speaking in an interview last week with a radio station.

"But having said all that, again I want to be very cautious upfront and note that there's nobody here doing victory dances in the end zone or talking about 'turning the corner' or 'seeing lights at the end of the tunnel,' " Petraeus said. "There's still a lot of hard work still to be done."

   Bush announced his deployment plan in January 2007 aimed at stopping the violence long enough for Iraq's Sunnis and Shiite leaders to work out some kind of power-sharing agreement.

Analysis of a smear

Few can get it as right and as amusingly accurate as Andrea Peyser. cont...

Uh Oh again

It's an interesting fact that the first World War began in this region. 

(CNN) -- Russia has not ruled out using force to resolve the dispute over Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia if NATO forces breach the terms of their U.N. mandate, Moscow's ambassador to NATO warned on Friday.

   

   

Serbian riot policemen guard the entrance to the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade on Friday.

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"If the EU works out a single position or if NATO steps beyond its mandate in Kosovo, these organizations will be in conflict with the U.N., and then I think we will also begin operating under the assumption that in order to be respected, one needs to use force," Dmitry Rogozin said, in comments carried by Russia's Interfax news agency.

Following violent protests in the Serbian capital Belgrade on Thursday, culminating in an attack on the U.S. Embassy which left one person dead and dozens injured, a spokesman for Russia's Foreign Ministry also warned that Kosovo's declaration would have a "negative impact."

"What happened in Belgrade yesterday is regrettable. But we would want to draw your attention to the fact that the forces that supported the unilateral recognition of Kosovo's independence should have realized the effects of the move," spokesman Mikhail Kamynin told Interfax.

Tuition Refund

AP

Mike Nifong

                                 

DURHAM, N.C. —  More than three dozen current and former Duke lacrosse players filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the university, saying the elite school "turned its back" on them.

   

They also are suing the city of Durham and others involved in the case.

 

The players claim they suffered emotional distress during the since-discredited rape case pursued against three of their teammates.

 

Lead attorney Chuck Cooper said Thursday the private university refused to support the players to protect the school's image.

 

"They simply turned their back on these students," said Cooper. "Players have made every effort to resolve these issues with Duke. There is no other course at this point."

No Se Puede

         

AP/Arizona Daily Star, David Sanders

 

Government to announce final OK of 28-mile "virtual fence" armed with radar and surveillance cameras to thwart illegal immigration along the Mexican border.

 

The Comedy of Islamofascism

I just ran into this story:

Rahman, Ali and Safi are members of Happy Family Clowns group, established in 2004 to put smiles on the faces of Iraqi children.

A few months ago the group started receiving death threats warning them against continuing their show, entitled A Child is as Scared as a Country.

But the clowns kept going, until two members of the troupe were murdered.

This was enough to drive the surviving three to leave Iraq.

“We don’t know why they targeted us. We were entertaining children,” says Rahman.

Make up your Mind already

And in the "I'm still important category" Muqtada al Sadr has declared another six months of cease fire after threatening to lift the "cease fire".  Of course, the fact that breakaway Shia factions were threatening to kill him and that the Iraqi Army has largely withdrawn from the sectarian violence game has also helped calm the situation in much of Shia regions of Iraq.

The tactic of calling a cease-fire to a war that has largely ceased to be a war will still get you copy in the New York Times.

The view South from from Sadr City.  The Baghdad 'burb was named after Mookies father.