Grim at BlackFive: “One could say that this was an act of principle on Sen. Obama’s part:  that he simply rejects the Iraq war, and has always wanted to get us out of it at any cost.  However, that’s just not true.  As Richard Fernandez points out, in 2005 Sen. Obama strongly rejected troop withdrawals –  at a period precisely coinciding with an Iraqi land deal in which Tony Rezko, a longtime donor currently in prison on Federal corruption charges, had an interest.”

Uncle Jimbo at BlackFive: Steve Schippert of ThreatsWatch is a pretty level-headed guy so when he drops the hammer about the Obama’s reckless claims about events in Iraq you know a line has been crossed. He points out the deceit, and perfidy in Barry O’s shameless posturing. Vote Maverick.

Joe Klein on McCain’s Meltdown: “The reality is that neither Barack Obama nor Nouri al-Maliki nor most anybody else believes that the Iraq war can be “lost” at this point. The reality is that no matter who is elected President, we are looking at a residual U.S. force of 30-50,000 by 2011 (a year ahead of the previous schedule).”

Ann Althouse on Klein’s Meltdown: The point is that Obama’s judgment would have led this country to jump headlong into defeat. We now must decide if we want this man making choices about things that will arise in the future. Why is it necessary to spell it out again and again that we need to use past judgments to predict future judgments about new matters? I feel like an annoying pedant saying this again. But the reason it’s necessary is that journalists like Klein are covering for Obama.

John McCormack: As Frederick Kagan wrote in September 2007: “Anbari tribal leaders did begin to turn against AQI in their areas last year before the surge began, but not before Colonel Sean MacFarland began to apply in Ramadi the tactics and techniques that are the basis of the current strategy in Baghdad.”

Filed under: Chip by Chip

Filed under: Chip by Chip

Michael Yon: “The war in Iraq is over. We won. Which means the Iraqi people won…I will be very clear what I mean when I say we have won the war. A counterinsurgency is won when the government’s legitimacy is no longer threatened by the insurgents, the government is able to protect its own people and the people are participating in the government. In Iraq, all three conditions apply…We should keep some troop presence in Iraq to continue supporting the ISF in its peacekeeping mission. There will still be sporadic violence and even spectacular attacks. But I believe that by the end of the year, barring some unexpected setback, even the most ardent war critics will have to admit the obvious: The war is over. We won.”

Karen Voyles: “Under the federal government’s No Child Left Behind Act, students who attend the district’s 20 schools that have not made adequate yearly progress and who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches can get free tutoring services during the upcoming school year…”The fairs will allow parents to learn about a variety of providers at one time,” said Hall. “Parents will be able to speak directly to company representatives about their programs and the services they offer.” The free tutoring will begin by October 15, school officials said.”

WSJ: “Washington is teeing up “the rich” for a big tax hike next year, as a way to make them “pay their fair share.” Well, the latest IRS data have arrived on who paid what share of income taxes in 2006, and it’s going to be hard for the rich to pay any more than they already do. The data show that the 2003 Bush tax cuts caused what may be the biggest increase in tax payments by the rich in American history. …No President has ever plied more money from the rich than George W. Bush did with his 2003 tax cuts.”

Strategy Page: “American troops in Afghanistan are not happy with how a July 13th battle with the Taliban was reported… Finally, the troops involved were from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and paratroopers do not like anyone implying they were beaten at anything. Especially because, in this case, they weren’t.”

More on the same topic from Richard Fernandez: “The entire purpose of the operation — what the Taliban hoped to achieve by their extraordinary exertion was probably not simply the death of 9 infidels — but press headlines saying ‘American unit massacred in Afghanistan’ or ‘Airborne outpost annihilated on the Pakistani border’….They failed because a new ending to the story was written at the last minute by the men of the 173rd Airborne.”

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This is the discussion in England…Pat Condell…Brilliant!

Filed under: Chip by Chip

Spec. Brady A. Screws: “I am a U.S. Army soldier deployed in Iraq and I was just sitting here thinking tonight … why am I here? What is the reason for this? Well, this is the way I see it and what I think.”

Lanny Davis: Confessions of an anti-Iraq War Democrat

Brendan Loy: Pajamas Media will be the exclusive home for my blow-by-blow hurricane-blogging throughout the remainder of the season. If you want to know what’s happening in the tropics, look no further than “Weather Nerd.”

Kender MacGowan: Smokers paradise promised by the “One and Universal Smokers Church of God in the Netherlands…A smoking ban that went into effect in bars on July 1st has prompted one man, Michiel Eijsbouts to start a new religion dedicated to “the trinity of smoke, fire and ash.” Stating that they “honour their god by smoking,” the new church claims protections under the Dutch Constitution and European Union Charter. Several bars have already joined.”

Tom Maguire: “McCain was right about the surge, Obama was wrong, and now Obama is the one getting a boost from our current success in Iraq.  We have been there before!”

Filed under: Chip by Chip