An Iraq Update
There are several stories worth posting in the last couple of days regarding the situation in Iraq.
The Iraqi government has changed a controversial voting rule that had been harshly criticized by the U.N. Apparently the change, which restores the rules to a previous state, will be beneficial to the Sunni minority. Unfortunately, the truth is that if every Sunni voted one way, they could still be trumped by the Shi'is and the Kurds. Minority voters should have rights, but the operation of a democratic republic requires that the will of the majority should rule. Of course, the U.N. has a distinctly European mindset, and Europeans bend over backwards to accomodate every possible point of view, so go figure. (For the record, this is why parliamentary politics doesn't work.)
There's been a mosque bombing in Baghdad. I wonder if any Qurans were damaged in the blast; a recent political cartoon, which I can't find at the moment, makes me wonder if many more Qurans haven't been severely damaged or destroyed by terrorist bombings than have been "desecrated" by Gitmo guards. Go figure.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has said that a premature American withdrawal from Iraq would be catastrophic. I absolutely agree with him, and so does Prime Miister Blair, who has pledged to maintain a British presence in Iraq for as long as Talabani wants them there. Coalition troops shouldn't be withdrawn until the Iraqi troops are ready to decisively take care of their own security. Operation River Gate, currently underway in the al Anbar province of Iraq as we speak, has seen the employment of a large number of capable and qualified Iraqi troops. There's work yet to be done, of course, but we're a world apart from where we were a year ago, or two years ago.
Unfortunately, Italy's opposition candidate in the upcoming elections has pledged to withdraw from Iraq if elected. It will be interesting, after Schroeder's recent defeat (which will hopefully be acknowledged by him and his party at some point in the near or distant future) and the likely defeat of Chirac in France's next election, to see if the Italians go the way of the Spanish and sell out to the terrorists. President Bush, Prime Minister Blair, and Prime Minister Howard have all been reelected; let's hope that Italians understand the stakes and reelect Berlusconi.
And, in semi-related news, the Pentagon will reimburse soldiers for protective gear they've purchased for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is good news as far as I'm concerned; hopefully the stuff that gets turned in is still serviceable and good enough to be reissued. Anything we can do to help out our soldiers and make their jobs easier and more effective is a good thing.
The Iraqi government has changed a controversial voting rule that had been harshly criticized by the U.N. Apparently the change, which restores the rules to a previous state, will be beneficial to the Sunni minority. Unfortunately, the truth is that if every Sunni voted one way, they could still be trumped by the Shi'is and the Kurds. Minority voters should have rights, but the operation of a democratic republic requires that the will of the majority should rule. Of course, the U.N. has a distinctly European mindset, and Europeans bend over backwards to accomodate every possible point of view, so go figure. (For the record, this is why parliamentary politics doesn't work.)
There's been a mosque bombing in Baghdad. I wonder if any Qurans were damaged in the blast; a recent political cartoon, which I can't find at the moment, makes me wonder if many more Qurans haven't been severely damaged or destroyed by terrorist bombings than have been "desecrated" by Gitmo guards. Go figure.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has said that a premature American withdrawal from Iraq would be catastrophic. I absolutely agree with him, and so does Prime Miister Blair, who has pledged to maintain a British presence in Iraq for as long as Talabani wants them there. Coalition troops shouldn't be withdrawn until the Iraqi troops are ready to decisively take care of their own security. Operation River Gate, currently underway in the al Anbar province of Iraq as we speak, has seen the employment of a large number of capable and qualified Iraqi troops. There's work yet to be done, of course, but we're a world apart from where we were a year ago, or two years ago.
Unfortunately, Italy's opposition candidate in the upcoming elections has pledged to withdraw from Iraq if elected. It will be interesting, after Schroeder's recent defeat (which will hopefully be acknowledged by him and his party at some point in the near or distant future) and the likely defeat of Chirac in France's next election, to see if the Italians go the way of the Spanish and sell out to the terrorists. President Bush, Prime Minister Blair, and Prime Minister Howard have all been reelected; let's hope that Italians understand the stakes and reelect Berlusconi.
And, in semi-related news, the Pentagon will reimburse soldiers for protective gear they've purchased for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
The program, which is effective immediately, would allow reimbursement for combat helmets, ballistic eye protection, hydration systems, and tactical vests, including a variety of body armor inserts to protect a soldier's throat, groin, and collar.
[...]
Under the guidelines, reimbursement for each individual item cannot exceed $1,100, and the items become government property and must be turned in to the Defense Department, unless they are destroyed on no longer usable.
This is good news as far as I'm concerned; hopefully the stuff that gets turned in is still serviceable and good enough to be reissued. Anything we can do to help out our soldiers and make their jobs easier and more effective is a good thing.
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