This is Not a Joke

View Franken vs. Franken on the war in Iraq.

From the Coleman For Senate Campaign.

Update: This Strib article addresses Coleman’s video. Author Kevin Diaz also posted it here.

Continuing the series

DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINES
How 1 scared Marine redeemed himself
Surviving in Haditha: A secret side of military life the press never reports
By Matt Sanchez

Reporter Matt Sanchez, currently embedding with military units throughout both Iraq and Afghanistan, has been providing WND readers with a glimpse into the Iraq war most Americans have never seen.

Read his article.

Continuing the Series

Making Haditha safe from car-bombs
How U.S. Marines license vehicles in Iraqi-style DMV operation

By Matt Sanchez

It's Tuesday morning, and the 5th battalion 10th Marines out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., are up early and won't be returning to their 'racks until very late.

By 0700 (7 a.m.), Iraqis have begun to form lines in the waiting area just in front of the Civil Military Operational Center, or CMOC, set smack dab in the center of downtown Haditha, directly across the street from the mayor's office.

The Marines had pinned tarps from the rooftop to the gates, so the growing line would have a bit of comfort. As the temperatures rise, a Marine hands out bottled water. Between the dirt-filled Hesco barriers and the C-wire (concertina wire, a modernized and much more effective version of barbed wire), the outside waiting space offers few places to sit. Iraqi women are led to the front of the line so they won't have to wait among the men.

Continue reading more by embedded reporter Sanchez.

Traitors

Jack Kelly writes:

"[The] Democrats who said in a recent poll the world would be better off if the U.S. loses in Iraq ought not to judge Arnold or Lee too harshly."

Read his whole article...

Continuing the Series

'Awakening' musters Iraqi courage against al-Qaida
By Matt Sanchez

Taking a stand is not an easy thing to do for most, especially when the cost of standing out may be your life. Last week, I had the honor of meeting and interviewing Sheik Sattar. This young, vibrant leader was a rising star behind a movement that has brought peace to the area, and hope to a people.

Continue reading the next in the series by embedded reporter Sanchez.

Reports from Iraq

Awhile back I posted the first account that embedded reporter, Matt Sanchez, wrote. If you are not following his series, his subsequent articles are linked below. One of the principles for successful war is to win over the people. This comes through in his writing. The military is having success. There is hope for the Iraqis.

Article 1 War secret: Iraqis actually like the U.S. military

Article 2 U.S. soldiers befriend Iraqi children

Kids unafraid of gentle giants with body armor, dark glasses, weaponry

Article 3 Secret cause of sectarian violence in Iraq
The reasons are possibly simpler than religious ideology

Additional articles by Sanchez:
'General' public should provide real support
Marines trade bullets for compassion

An Embedded Reporter's View

DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINES
War secret: Iraqis actually like the U.S. military
'We know you won't take sides, and that you're fair'
By Matt Sanchez

This is the first in a series of accounts Matt Sanchez will present concerning his experiences in Iraq. Check at http://www.wnd.com/ for future articles. It is refreshing to read the human side of the war and not just the depersonalized and politicized angle.

The military personnel are working directly with the people on the street and in their homes to ferret out the terrorists. I want to call your attention to one paragraph in the article.

"Most Iraqis not only wanted Americans to take an active role in their lives, they expected it. After years of a regime that dictated controlled speech, movement and welfare, Iraqis were accustomed to strong mentorship. One of the hurdles leaders like Crider have is getting Iraqis to develop a greater sense of personal responsibility."

After years of totalitarian control in which government ran every aspect of their lives, they need to learn to take personal responsibility. That is understandable.

While our military is trying to teach them individual responsibility, too many of us in America are expecting the government to do everything for us. We have our hands out for everything from local government aid to disaster aid. While we don't pay attention, we are hoodwinked into paying more and more taxes for government "services" rather than taking the responsibility ourselves. This passive and irresponsible submission is choking us with totalitarianism and statism.

So many Dems, of course, aggressively foster this, being the Socialists they are. The creation of wimps is their aim so that they can save us with totalitarian statism. The Iraqis, said the author, were used to being subject to "a regime that dictated controlled speech." The liberal thought and speech police in America are pushing us quickly into that subjugation. Just maybe the military could serve a great cause back home to teach us personal responsibility!

Talk, Talk, Talk, Diplomacy, Talk, Talk, Talk

Lieberman escalates attack on Iraq critics
By Manu Raju

"Ever since Connecticut Democrats refused to back him for a fourth term in Congress, Joe Lieberman has been burnishing his independent credentials in the narrowly divided Senate while becoming increasingly critical of the Democratic Party on the war in Iraq.

Lieberman, the Democrats’ 2000 vice presidential nominee, insists he is not actively considering joining the Republican Party. But he is keeping that possibility wide open as his disenchantment grows with Democratic leaders. The main sticking points are their attempts to end the war in Iraq and their hesitation to take a harder line against Iran.

"I think either [Democrats] are, in my opinion, respectfully, naive in thinking we can somehow defeat this enemy with talk, or they’re simply hesitant to use American power, including military power," Lieberman said in a wide-ranging interview with The Hill."

Read the rest of the story.

Joe Lieberman, the erstwhile Democrat turned Independent, is worthy of commendation for his views on national defense. He stands with the President while too many Republicans don't. He is properly tired of the Dems' desire to talk, talk, talk.