Posted by
AlongTheWatchtower on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 12:46:20 AM
Historians will note today, September 3rd, Labor Day in America, as the day the War in Iraq finally turned the last corner and showed a definitive course toward American victory, and Iraqi freedom, or at least self-determination, which is close enough for government work. Bush has done it, he hung tough long enough, and, Democrats please take note, changed his strategy in Iraq to a workable one. His "war cabinet" appearance in al Anbar is the signal event.
Note the previously grievously contested items now all moved into our column:
1) Bush met today with Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar province. They have been among our worst enemies until lately, when myriad reports, even from the conservative-hating press, inform us that they have, crucially, united with us and turned on
2) Al Quaida in Iraq, which has suffered on the order of 10,000 casualties since President Bush ordered a change in strategy (Dimocrats take note), and has seen its support in Iraq vaporize like one of its ghastly zealots, as the Iraqis find a sense of identity at least in opposing foreigners with mayhem in mind, which has also brought new and forceful pressure against
3) Iran, who is the main danger remaining, and who is reportedly taking serious heat from SF, as is proper, and has showed it, most recently by releasing that captive Iranian-American scholar. Don't discount how important the new French government is in this equation.
4) Since January, "Mooky" (al Sadr) has been in external exile, sent there by the promise of arrest and worse by his fellow Iraqis (who booked several hundred early on) and of course, the President's change in strategy (Dimocrats take note), known generally as the Surge, which put a price on his head, so to speak, and;
5) He just publicly ordered a six-month stand-down of Mahdi Army (JAM) forces, explicitly ordering a halt to attacks on American forces. Who can imagine an effective return of that unit by then?
6) If Bud McFarland is to be believed, the chief of staff for Ayatollah Sistani, and the heads of the Sunni clerisy in Iraq have met and agreed to end the militia and death-squad activity. This is purportedly unprecedented not just in Iraqi history, but in the 1300-year schism of Islam, and may serve to pay important stabilizing dividends far beyond central Iraq. Here again, another long-term goal and necessity is met.
These are all crucially important developments, goals we have fought very hard to achieve. Add to this the progress in the political dealings in Parliament (an oil-revenue sharing deal and the resolution of de-Baathifcation issue), and tho much remains to be done, it appears that most of the hardest nuts are now cracked.
Speaking of cracked nuts, the Dems will surely insist that their pressure on the Iraqi parties to conform or face the pull-out of US forces (to Okinawa?) was the key factor. They have a history of fantastic escapes from reality, Bond-like, to evade capture for their hideous advocacies. Sure, if threatening a new-born democracy with abandonment to the worst people in the world makes the Left's hearts glow, if threatening genocide makes them feel better, I'll give them that chit. Chicken-chit. They earned it.
Add the little-noticed deal with North Korea, and Bush and Co. are looking pretty good as the new season of politicking begins, and the Defeatocrat horde looks ever stupider. As they should, for they understand nothing useful about human nature in matters such as these.
Happy Labor Day, the War is over! How many can be home by Christmas?
Matt