Weblog Commenting and Trackback by HaloScan.com The Barnyard: President Bush Barnstorms Ramadi

Monday, September 03, 2007

President Bush Barnstorms Ramadi


President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq today and didn't go to Bagdad, he flew directly to Ramadi with top Cabinet Members, and met with the heads of local and national leaders. The text of his speech can be found here. Frederick Kagan has an excellent essay posted at NRO on the very important significance of this move, it is a massively important statement to the people of Iraq, read the whole thing. He also has a long essay at the Weekly Standard on what AQ is and how to defeat it and another must read for a better understanding of our enemy. Heres a couple graphs from the NRO piece.


President Bush’s Labor Day visit to Iraq should have surprised no one who was paying attention. At such a critical point in the debate over Iraq policy, it was almost inconceivable that he would fly to and from Australia without stopping in Iraq. What was surprising was the precise location and nature of the visit. Instead of flying into Baghdad and surrounding himself with his generals and the Iraqi government, Bush flew to al Asad airfield, west of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province. He brought with him his secretaries of State and Defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the commander of U.S. Central Command. He was met at al Asad by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, as well as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kemal al Maliki, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, and Vice Presidents Adel Abdul Mehdi and Tariq al Hashemi. In other words, Bush called together all of the leading political and military figures in his administration and the Iraqi government in the heart of Anbar Province. If ever there was a sign that we have turned a corner in the fight against both al Qaeda in Iraq and the Sunni insurgency, this was it.

Anbar, as everyone knows, has been one of the hotbeds and the most important base for both the Sunni rejectionist insurgency and al Qaeda in Iraq since 2003. It has been one of the most violent provinces in Iraq, and one of the most dangerous for American soldiers and Marines, until recently. Now it is one of the safest — safe enough for the war cabinet of the United States of America to meet there with the senior leadership of the government of Iraq to discuss strategy. Instead of talking about how to convince the Anbaris that the Sunni will not retake power in Iraq any time soon, Bush, Maliki, Petraeus, Talabani, and Crocker talked about how to get American and Iraqi aid and reconstruction money flowing more rapidly to the province as a reward for its dramatic and decisive turn against AQI and against the Sunni rejectionist insurgency. In any other war, with any other president, this event would be recognized for what it is: the sign of a crucial victory over two challenges that had seemed both unconquerable and fatal. It should be recognized as at least the Gettysburg of this war, to the extent that counterinsurgencies can have such turning points. Less than a year ago, it was common wisdom and the conclusion of the Marine intelligence community in Anbar that the province and its people were hopelessly lost. Now the Anbaris are looking to the Americans and the government of Iraq for legitimacy, for protection, and for inclusion in a political process they have spurned for years. What is that if not a major victory in this war?


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Exactly, if that is not a major victory What is ???
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Don't miss the newest member of the Barnyard, Bar Kochba's excellent post below on the desecration of Jewish history and archeology on the Temple Mount by Muslim's trying to erase the history of the Kingdom of David and Solomon.
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For a Labor day read don't miss Alex Lifeson's essay at the American Thinker on labor and the US, we've come a long ways from the days of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle".


9 comments:

AmPowerBlog said...

You beat me to posting this essay by Kagan!

I haven't finished reading it yet, but when I do I'll be back to comment.

Thanks for leaving a note on my blog. I responded to you. I try to be reasonable with people. I will engage in debate if people avoid personal attacks. Today, though, I had a lot of wierdos visiting, and I mostly ignored them, except to issue a few clarifications and warnings.

I like an open comment thread, but the nastiness that you see is part and parcel to the blogosphere and the web. If I couldn't take it to some extent, I'd probably have to quit blogging.

There's always comment moderation, so I'll keep you posted on that.

Thanks again!

Gayle said...

It is indeed a major victory, Goat, but Hillary Clinton, Obama and any of the Democrats running for the office of President aren't ever going to admit it.

Goat said...

Don, I have reoccuring attacks by a particular group of trolls uninterested in conversation, they are only interested in making snide comments not discussing the ins and outs of an issue. That I happily welcome and it tends to come from the GOP, independents and conservatives and not loonbats. If they start with a talking points rant from the left, I don't bother to waste my typing time on them and I refuse to give them a platform to spew their BS even if I can destroy their argument.
Look forward to reading your take on Kagen's essays.
Gayle, Hillary might as she tacks to the center, but we know how she would govern, the socialist queen she is. BO and Silky are to empty for serious news to stick. Hugh is fisking a Hillary speech on his show, man is she a horrid speaker, the sharp monotone of fingernails on the blackboard.

Tom the Redhunter said...

Hey Goat, if you're being attacked by trolls it must mean you're doing something right! Take it as a badge of honor.

Goat said...

Yea Tom it is a sign you are being heard. It does get your site alot of hits if you let them rant, I have before and drop the wall here and there. I prefer quality to quantity though.

The WordSmith from Nantucket said...

Kagan's always getting dismissed by the moonbats on the left; so I know he's always got something worthwhile to listen to.

Gayle said...

You'll probably find there are some trolls out there that will still comment even with comment moderation on, which proves they don't have much sense. Not that we need any proof, of course. :)

Goat said...

I know Gail, they use it as way to sling their most vulgar insults knowing the moderator will read them even if they are not posted.

Gayle said...

What they don't know is that after awhile we get to recognize their names, and unless it's a new troll, or they are using a different name, all we have to do is read the very first sentence to hit the "delete" button. I do that often, so they are truly wasting there time. LOL!