Friday, August 22, 2003

Phase 3 in Iraq

The current choice of soft and largely civilian targets, while in the short-term horrific and depressing, is also instructive. The Baathist remnants and assorted terrorists who are now their allies have declared themselves not only enemies of the United States, but murderers of innocent Iraqis, Jordanians, and U.N. officials at large. They brag that they are driving infidels and Westerners of all stripes from sacred land. In fact, the current indiscriminate killing was a strategic mistake. It is a sign of desperation and can only unite the global community in its belief that terrorism, suicide murdering, and the agents of rogue regimes really do constitute a nexus of opposition to the forces of civilization — and must in return warrant universal resistance from the world at large.

National Review Online

Seen on Instapundit.

Also, this:

Congress likes to take credit for things that go well, and they're probably feeling left out of the spec-ops successes because they're not in the loop. But there is no demonstrable need for any such restrictions on spec-ops. No scandal, no renegade operations. Was there anything to propel this, other than Senatorial vanity? Of course: the hourly leak exchange. Leaks are the currency of politics, and the stock of staffers and members rise and fall with their ability to leak good stuff. This is one that should have been sold short.

According to a Senate Intelligence Committee source with personal knowledge of the matter, there is no pending action to extend the intelligence reporting process to special operations. The new law will simply restate the current language that dates back to 1991, which pretty much leaves spec ops alone.


False Alarm

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