Good News

NATO supports the wider COIN effort in Afghanistan even though VP Biden does not. It is yet to be see what the White House is going to do about McCrystals request. Yes folks we are still waiting on his decision. It seems the CnC would rather whine about Fox news than get troops in the field.

A little update

Pakistan today had a suicide attacker hit one of the gates at one of its nuclear weapons storage facilities it does not look like an attempt to take the base but this show how vulunerable these sites can be.

Also two of our NATO allies following what appears to be our lead are not committing anymore troops to Afghanistan at this time. This is not good news for the administration or the stability of Afghanistan. The key quote is that they are waiting to see what the US is going to do.

My fear is that the administration is going to do nothing as we are now about on our 81st day since Gen. McCrystal requested more troops....81 days. To deny a commander reinforcements for this long is verging on criminal. Wake up Mr. President there is no voting present here.

Now wait a minute sparky

I thought the President had plan and had given Gen. McCrystal the go ahead to implement the plan. We are now on day 78 of the General's request for troops and have not heard anything from the president except well lets wait on the election, or we need a new plan. ABC has an interesting article about this. While the White House says they are not worried about the polling data it looks like the American public is worried about the situation in Afghanistan.

While the current administration can blame Bush all they want. Afghanistan was under NATO control with the hopes that our allies would be able to conduct counter-insurgency for us. It seems that except for the Brits, Aussies, Lithuanians, and the French at times they have fallen short. It is the British as brave as they are they did not hold the line in Helmend Province.

The President needs to decide now whether to give McCrystal a chance or pull us the hell out yes I said it. However the administration should realize that if that happens the whole region Pakistan included will explode. There will be killings in the streets, the already bad treatment of women will become worse and go into barbarism. Now is not the time to pander to your base sir. Now is the time to worry about the stability of several countries and giving the Taliban and al-Qaeda back their base of operations. Remember sir you said Afghanistan was the "necessary war" now prove it and go win it. Instead of complaining about Fox News stand up grow a set and get on with it.

Blame it on Fox News I guess

The President is taking it on the chin according to the latest gallup poll. Maybe he ought to man up and go on Fox news considering they are killing CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and the rest in ratings and viewership.

Or instead this adminstration can continue to make me laugh and play it's oh you hurt my feelers game.

Another Gitmo Release gone bad

This guy was a committed jihadist before his capture and apparently did not change his way in prison. He gets out and then gets killed in Saudi Arabia what is even better is he was dressed as a woman. There is a reason they like to have their women in bags, they can dress as them and not draw as much attention.

Thanks to the LONG WAR JOURNAL

Definitions

I never want to hear again that the interrogations of prisoners in Gitmo makes us the same as these people. Nor the belief that the Taliban are just a misunderstood political party. Today's attacks at a Muslim university in Pakistan put paid to that. I saw some of the pictures of the attack and these folks used ball bearings in the explosive vests do not be surprised if rat poison was used as well.. This article gives a good summary of attacks inside Pakistan since 2007. Pakistan has suffered 275 attacks and 2200 killed these actions meet any defenition of terrorism. This does not include attacks by Taliban and al-Qaeda forces inside of Afghanistan.

The State Departments definition of Terrorism is: The term terrorism means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.
FBI: Terrorism is the "unlawful use of force or violence against person or property to intimidate or coerce a government, a civilian population or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.
United Nations: A Terrorist is any person who, acting independently of the specific recognition of a country, or as a single person, or as part of a group not recognized as an official part of division of a nation, acts to destroy or to injure civilian or destroy or damage peoperty belonging to civilian or to governments in order to effect some political goal.

While al-Qaeda and the Taliban have a symbiotic relationship the Taliban have also gone on to create a name for themselves and to treat them as a seperate entity is short sighted and dangerous.

Pull out of Afghanistan

The Administration is beginning to position itself to be able to explain a pull out from what then candidate Obama said was the central front in fighting terrorism. This at a time when the Pakistanis are starting to move on the TTP in South Waziristan. I have voiced my skepticism on this offensive but it is a first start. We will see how it plays out. Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive posted a great article today about another side of Afghanistan we may not thing about. What will happen to the civilians if the butchers from the 7th century again take over. From the Washington post, we have given the people there especially the women a glance at what it is like to be free and to live without the burka, a chance to go to school, and a chance to live. However our CnC is proud of the hijab in the United States and it is beginning to look like he is willing to put the women of Afghanistan back in the burka if it will score him political points.

Suicide Attack Against the Iranians

In a new twist an Iranian Sunni group launched a suicide attack against the Republican Guard killing 5 generals and 20+ others. Of course they blame the United States because we have a history of supporting Sunni terrorists and suicide bombing in general.

How ironic would this be after years of support for al-Qaeda (yes folks they do look it up), being responsible for over 1500 US deaths, support of Hezbollah, etc that Iran would have to live with the same threat they have put the world under. A terrorist group willing to blow themselves up to get to their leadership. Think about the intelligence on this operation to hit this many high ranking people at once means good planning and possibly inside help. This is the MO of all the major Islamic terrorist organizations.

Iran will bleat to the world how the US was behind while cracking down on the Sunnis in the area in a manner that would make the Chinese blush.