As in “THIS is what is happening over here… stand by for the truth,” not “What on earth is happening over here?? All’s lost!!”
Got a great email today from a Marine captain in my reserve unit, now somewheres east o’ Suez with a small detachment of stalwart citizen-Marines. By an odd coincidence, one of their star Staff NCOs was my radio operator in 1990 and 1991, in Alpha Battery 1/10. And the captain himself is one of Slab’s buddies. This is reprinted here with his kind and enthusiastic permission.
All,
I just wanted to let you know what is happening where I am in Iraq. I don’t want to say this is in response to Harry Reid, but his comments the other day are not in line with what we’re seeing.
We are winning over here in Al Anbar province. I don’t know about Baghdad, but Ramadi was considered THE hotspot in Al Anbar, the worse province, and it has been very quiet. The city is calm, the kids are playing in the streets, the local shops are open, the power is on at night, and daily commerce is the norm rather than the exception. There have been no complex attacks since March. That is HUGE progress. This quiet time is allowing the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police to establish themselves in the eyes of the people. The Iraqi people also want IA’s and IP’s in their areas. The Sunni Sheiks are behind us and giving us full support. This means that almost all Sunnis in Al Anbar are now committed to supporting the US and Iraqi forces. It also means that almost all insurgents left out here are AQ. FYI, the surge is just beginning. Gen Petraeus’ strategy is just getting started and we’re seeing huge gains here.
However, you don’t see Harry Reid talking about this. When I saw what he said, it really pissed me off. That guy does not know what is going on over here because he hasn’t bothered to come and find out. The truth on the
ground in Al Anbar is not politically convenient for him, so he completely ignored it.
This war can be won. We just need the time to get the IA and IP operating on their own. Gen Petraeus is treating the war like a counter-insurgency rather than a stability operation. For non-military personnel, there is a HUGE difference between the two. What we’ve been doing in Iraq since Petraeus took over is completely different than what we were doing under Gen Casey. However, you don’t hear the press or the democrats say that. Most of them
are too committed to saying we’ve lost to further their own political agendas that they cannot acknowledge we’re doing something totally different and it is working.
An inconvenient truth indeed. I truly wish Congress was striving for victory rather than planning our defeat. Anyone listening up on the Hill?
Keep up the good work, Matt, and keep your head down!
Update: Bob Owens has a phenomenal round up of like-minded military men.
The good thing about being from the reality-based community is that since you already know what reality is, you needn't bother studying it.
Why do I have to dig into some blog to find out this news? No, I just have to hear about some idiot shooting his wad by blowing up whoever's in the market. Journalists suck.
This needs to get out to John Q. It is not sufficient to simply pass this kind of info to those of us who already support the efforts of those in Iraq. It needs to get into the mainstream otherwise we are simply stroking ourselves.
Mishu,
This is what it comes down to (and it can't be said enough): the mainstream media and the Democrats DO NOT WANT Iraq to be a success and WILL DO ANYTHING to keep it from being a success!!!!!!!!!!
I know it's hard to believe, but EVERYTHING is pointing to this conclusion!
They will all work together to bring down this administration, including encouraging us to lose in Iraq! They are more interested in their own power than what is best for the American people!
Mishu –
AQ is playing to the crowd in the US, not in Iraq. They have read the US media like a book. They intimidate the media, keep them cowering in the green zone, and the few that venture out (Michael Ware) get escorts and exclusives in a wink-wink-nod-nod relationship that gets Ware access in return for bashing the coalition.
Same set up that Eason Jordan had between CNN and Saddam – just new players. PR in the region has been intimidation and access driven for the last 40 years – ain't gonna change until it isn't profitable for western media outlets. Blogs are helping make that unprofitable.
Hang tough all.
God Speed young man!
"I don't know about Baghdad"
Baghdad is the center of gravity for Iraq. As Baghdad goes, so goes Iraq. Ramadi may be in our control for now, but the war will be won (or lost) in Baghdad.
Thanks for reporting the good news – we get enough of the bad stuff from the msm and Dems. Today, I posted a letter from my cousin who is a Major in the Marines presently in Ramadi. His email was very positive.
In 2005 we were also hearing that we were "winning" and that things were "getting better."
The truth is that American "progress" in Iraq is irrelevant: it's an Iraqi civil war and the only thing that really matters is inter-Iraqi violence. (Al-Qaeda, Iran, etc are minor factors by comparison.) This means that America cannot "win" unless America takes sides in the Iraqi civil war.
So people who are serious about America's national security, like Harry Reid, want to do what's in America's interest: find a way out of Iraq. Bush hates America and wants more Americans to die (and waste more American taxpayer money) to avoid admitting that we cannot "win" in Iraq.
So do you stand with America's interests like Reid, or do you stand with Bush, who wants us to do what is not in our interests (stay in Iraq forever).
WOW, M.A.!!!
The depths of your delusion are stunning! I read about this all the time, but I didn't realize that the truly schizoid were allowed to act like real people!
Man.
Get some freakin' help!
M.A.
Just curious – did you just lose a good friend named Cho? You have much in common.
Incidentally, even the Dems in congress are getting sick of Reid.
Nevada Blue
Again, I still blame the administration for what has been a pathetic PR campaign in all this. They did a very poor job explaining the reasons we went in, lost a TREMENDOUS amount of credibility in the process, and are now really floundering in their own foul-ups.
The average American citizen is uninformed and disinterested, bordering on the outright ignorant. This really didn't have to be such a difficult task, but Bush's advisors, thus far, have come up VERY short in the competency department.
I don't like the media. They have their own agenda (sometimes good… sometimes bad) and it is NOT to publish the truth. But, like them or not, they are very good at directing public opinion. The administration could learn some good lessons in information operations from the media.
True success on the ground would translate into positive American support. That has mostly eluded us thus far.
There is also the issue of the majority of America (for and against the war) are simply not carrying the burden of it. While pretty much everyone "supports the troops" (or so their magnetic yellow ribbons tell me), very few Americans really have a stake in this war. They are not fighting in it. They do not have any loved ones who are. Therefore, deep down, the war takes the same level of importance to them as, say, their daughter's little league soccer game on Friday.
The last admin ingored terrorism while cutting the military. why ? Is it because they would prefer america loses or is is political hay? I don't trust those that had a job and instead they were chasing skirts instead of the terrorist that were killing every time they have a chance, the admin of the ninties got america into this mess by not doing their jobs
Administrations since Carter have been screwing this up.
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Agree with the above poster about the administrations since Carter. They lack real credibility.
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