March 2003

Iraqi Strategery

ArchPundit March 27, 2003 0 Comment

Kos is doing a bang up job summarizing the state of the war and battles within the larger war. He points out one of the most fortunate aspects of this war, the Iraqi incompetence on the battlefield. Reports yesterday indicated a thousand vehicle convoy left its positions and was moving towards the US forces. More recent reports are a bit less clear, but this may be repositioning. Either way, it is really stupid. Schwartzkopf, on MSNBC last night, seemed to forget his famous appraisal of Saddam, and seemed befuddled that any army would do something as stupid as give up its secured positions when it was vulnerable.

Apparently, you can’t fix stupid.

While I hope we don’t face significant casualties and McCaffrey is wrong about the consequences of going forward without more forces, if he is right, we need to be looking for a different Secretary of Defense who is more concerned about troops and not doctrine.

If A Shadow Government Exists

ArchPundit March 26, 2003 0 Comment

but no one cares, does it matter? John Hagelin of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, former Presidential Candidate for the Natural Law Party, and all around loon is forming a shadow government.

Their primary focus will be flapping their thighs and pretend to be levitating.

No Racism Here, Move Along Now

ArchPundit March 26, 2003 0 Comment

Via Atrios:

Charles Johnson says:

Since the media?s barrage of images of Corrie looking Caucasian and saintly has not abated, every time I cover a story about her I?m going to repost one of these photographs, unmasking the hidden face of Rachel Corrie.

Now how does she not look caucasion in the pic?

I believe the response is something about, "you know what I mean"

And yes I do. And as a warning, LGF is one of the more hateful little hellholes on the net.

The Adults are Back in Charge

ArchPundit March 26, 2003 0 Comment

Cellucci joins in the bashing of close allies and Daniel Drezner starts with three reasons this is stupid.

The Shorter Drezner is:
1) Don’t make empty threats
2) Don’t bother criticizing actions beyond the scope of the federal government.
3) Don’t make the Iraq question a make-or-break one for allies.

Why does this have to be pointed out?

And I’ll add threatening to slow the border is bad for trade and thus bad fore everyone.

Maybe Not God, but Damn Funny

ArchPundit March 26, 2003 0 Comment

Via Nathan Newman:

John Stewart:

Speaking of the Haliburton contract in Iraq:

On the bright side, I won my office pool. On the other hand, hearing that does make me feel like the government just took a shit on my chest (shit bleeped)…Of course, Haliburton has refused to disclose the value of the contract, but company spokesmen said, well we’re going to do alright on this one.

[Cut to "senior correspondent" Steve Colbert]

Jon, keeping in mind that Haliburton was a major campaign contributor to the campaign and Dick Cheney was the former CEO, this move is extremely…I’m a bit of a stickler for language…if this word was a flavor, it would be a thick brown taste in the back of your throat, an acrid tang of decay, like you’re rotting from the inside…I’ve tried appalling, shameful, reprehensible– I’ve tried cramming words together, greed-ragicous, backstabtastick, and Christ-just-when-I-was-beginning-to-buy-their-line-of-crappical, but nothing quite captures it.

Let me repeat:

I’ve tried cramming words together, greed-ragicous, backstabtastick, and Christ-just-when-I-was-beginning-to-buy-their-line-of-crappical, but nothing quite captures it.

Faux News is just Bad

ArchPundit March 26, 2003 0 Comment

I’m watching the BBC when possible

So I’m definitely not in the Fox target audience, but their anchors are just horrible, how does anyone watch that crap. It is true that Aaron Brown and Lester Holt should have been stationed in the former home of Iraqi TV, but the guys on Fox are right out of the 5 PM news in Decatur, Illinois. Their war porn isn’t even as good.

I get the screaming head deal and why it attracts a big audience normally, but it is torture trying to get information out of their ‘reporters’ other than Hume.

Oh and for those hits I’ve been getting from search engines about Lester Holt smirking, he has been that way since Chicago. Pretty much he could announce armageddon while smirking and doing a deep intonation.

Then again, I’m not exactly the target audience as I mentioned previously.

Admittedly…

ArchPundit March 26, 2003 0 Comment

There are a small number of companies that can fight oil well fires, but Haliburton had better have to bid on something from this war.

The Reason For Strong Iraqi Resistance

ArchPundit March 26, 2003 0 Comment

Is that Major Tom Jones had some comments on the war.

Could this be why the Iraqis are putting up such a fight?

Let ‘em Have It

ArchPundit March 26, 2003 0 Comment

The predictable members of the blogosphere are getting their stockings in a bunch because the French want a role in the rebuilding of Iraq.

The thing is rebuilding Iraq may well be the booby prize that we really don’t want. Conquering Iraq is the relatively easy part and while we will see more casualties, they might pale in comparison to a prolonged or botched occupation. I have no desire to fight a guerilla war in Southwest Asia–especially against Islamists.

I hope we allow the UN to come in and bear some of the monetary costs as well as burden the peace keeping tasks which after a while inevitably turn into tension.

I’m not really upset if France gets excluded, but let’s not get in a pique as Lieberman has.

The Importance of Turkey

ArchPundit March 25, 2003 0 Comment

A very good column on the importance of Turkey is in today’s Sun-Times—by John O’Sullivan.

The public embarrasment of Turkey through ham-handed tactics was counterproductive in the short term-and dead wrong treatment for a steadfast ally of the US.

UP DATE: Josh Marshall tackles the same subject.