Marine In Iraq Expecting Quintuplets

Marine In Iraq Expecting Quintuplets!

Marine Reservist Josh Horton is deployed in Iraq. His wife (and veteran sailor) Traunacy Horton is due in six weeks with three daughters and two sons. This will increase the Horton brood to seven.

Congratulations are in order. My first thought, as a father myself: Josh is the only fellow in the Corps who will sleep better in Iraq than he would at home.

In Bill's World: A Post I Really Am Not Enjoying Writing

Bill Faith:

Fellow MilBlogger Bill Faith, a Vietnam Vet with troubles of his own, is trying to help his sister out while she fights off cancer. Drop by and hear the fellow out; maybe you can help him in one way or another.

The Kerry Spot on National Review Online

No, No: You're the Man, Eddie

NRO decides to join the Kerry campaign:

A truly nefarious saboteur might start sending those e-mails to the DNC's mailing list now.

Something like, "Edwards beat Cheney in the greatestest super-duper debate rout EVER! Kerry's victory is assured! Finally, on that glorious day, the Democratic Party will have its revenge, and we can finally round up those no-good evil Republicans and conservatives, and force them into re-education camps, and do away with those who oppose the NEW ORDER..."

Loyal readers responded:

Kerry Spot reader Jeremy has apparently already heard back from an Ohio paper. The Ohio paper's profanity-laden response:

You ******* moron. You're supposed to send out your dumb*** spin letters after the debate — not four hours before it starts. All you do is **** editors off with this ****. Do you understand how many of these things we get? Do you understand how easy they are to spot? I'm a life-long Democrat, but I'm so embarrassed by how **** dumb the minions of my party are. You guys are less street smart than those guys named Scooter who work for Bush. No wonder we keep getting our ***** kicked.

I have to wipe the tears of laughter away.

I've never been a loyal reader of the Kerry Spot, myself, but that will have to change. This Geraghty is a man after my own heart.

Yahoo! Mail - grimbeornr@yahoo.com

The VP Debate:

According to an email I just got, Terry McAuliffe would like you to vote in the following online polls after the VP debate:

CNN: http://www.cnn.com/
MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com/
LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/
Akron Beacon-Journal: http://www.ohio.com/
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/
Orlando Sentinel: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Philadelphia Inquirer: http://www.philly.com/
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/

Well, maybe not you.

New York Post Online Edition: postopinion

Ralph Peters:

More from the fellow CalPundit described as "a military analyst generally respected by both left and right":

Has Sen. Kerry acknowledged the performance of our troops? Has he thanked them? Of course not. The senator and his posse of defeatists resent American victories in the final weeks before our presidential election.

We're supposed to lose, you understand.

I suggest that you read the rest, if you have not already.

Instapundit.com

Thunder in Tennessee:

Full disclosure: My mother is from Rocky Hill, TN, and my father from the mining town of Mascot, TN. Knoxville is the nearest city to either, and I've been to this shopping center on many an occasion in my childhood.

I don't know who thought they could scare Tennessee's Republicans with gunfire, but they should have known better.

I dropped by the bullet-riddled Bush-Cheney HQ mentioned below on my way home from work. It wasn't bullet-riddled anymore, as the shot-out window panes had been removed. Nor, I have to say, was there much of a climate of fear in evidence, as the place seemed pretty crowded with people picking up Bush-Cheney signs and bumperstickers, children in tow.

This being East Tennessee, of course, I suppose that many of them were armed, which no doubt bolstered their courage.

This is not the only time a Bush/Cheney office has been shot up. Nevertheless, as people are picking .32 caliber bullets out of Republican campaign offices, I note that somehow it is Bush supporters who are labeled "Digital Brownshirts."

Winds of Change.NET: John Kerry, Owen Wilson & Facing Reality

Would Kerry Defend America?

The Winds of Change ask the question. They find their answer in Kerry's Iran policy:

Kerry's positions on issues like Iran are clear, and were openly stated in the debate: normalize relations with the world's #1 terrorist sponsors while they undermine Iraq & Afghanistan, offer them nuclear fuel, propose sanctions the Europeans will drag their feet on in order to stop a late-stage nuclear program that's impervious to sanctions anyway, and oppose both missile defense and the nuclear bunker-buster weapons that would give the USA defensive or offensive options in a crisis.

Mudville Gazette

Cowboy Up:

Another not-to-miss read today is Greyhawk's latest from Iraq, entitled "Cowboy Up." He muses on the difficulties of the Beefsteak MRE, the similarity of Iraq to the Old West (in ways both pleasant and unpleasant), and the dishonesty bordering on disloyalty of the NY Times.

The GWOT and the Old West is something I've written about on occasion, particularly here. It's always seemed odd to me that anyone would use "cowboy" in a derogatory fashion -- or, if they did, to expect Americans to feel ashamed by their use of it.

BLACKFIVE: Thundering Third - Part 7

Thundering Third:

Don't miss the letter from the CO of the "Thundering Third" -- that is, the 3/1 Marines -- over at BlackFive's place. It's a long piece, but includes some discussion of the USMC/Iraqi Army joint training and ops:

These distinguished gentlemen, and many other senior officers, have continuously demonstrated support of our efforts to create a viable Iraqi Security Force, which will assume the mission of security in Iraq upon our departure. I was on the range with them today and marveled at the level of proficiency they demonstrated in dry fire and movement training. Working side by side with Marines who live with them and know all of their Iraqi names and can give them basic commands and encouragement in Arabic, these men moved with aggressive enthusiasm and all stated that they are ready to go to Fallujah if called upon. This particularly special type of duty has matured our young Marines beyond their pay grades... looking across at the men who surrounded me for a few remarks, I couldn't help but think that I was looking at a group of NCOs instead of PFCs and LCpls with just a couple of Cpls in a crowd of over 20 men.

Your Marines are doing great things out here for Country, Corps, and the people of Iraq. We are also working with the Iraqi Specialized Special Forces (ISSF), led by an incredible officer, BGen Khalis. General Khalis is the former commander of the Iraqi Special Forces, where he commanded at every level up to Brigade and was director of the Special Forces Academy and Command and Staff College. This charismatic and exceptionally patriotic officer has formed two battalions from the old Iraqi Army. He has done this by carefully vetting and selecting his leaders for the challenges at hand. BGen Khalis has selected some superlative officers and soldiers, and the ISSF we are working with in the Thundering Third are superb Soldiers. These men share every hardship with us, are out patrolling everywhere we are, and have already shed their blood at our sides. They are particularly valuable at recognizing situations and especially people that are out of the ordinary (reminiscent of the old British expression, "absence of the normal, presence of the abnormal"). Unlike their ING counterparts, the ISSF are mainly composed of career special forces soldiers who received specialized training and were part of a small, elite group during the Saddam period. These men are from over 50 separate tribes across Iraq and have no political stance other than to support the Interim Iraqi Government. I would respectfully disagree with Ms. Ozernoy in her article below regarding the term "militia" as these men are career professionals who have returned to Army service in defense of their nation.

There has been some expression of concern in the 'sphere that these people might be using the US for training purposes, but intending disloyalty; or, that they might in time come to hate America and back the insurgents. That would seem to be a special concern with former Saddamite Special Forces, would it not?

What is perhaps most laudable about all of the Iraqi Security Forces personnel, is the fact that every one of these men faces grave and imminent danger to their families as they carry out their duties. Indeed, BGen Khalis' family was abducted some weeks back by terrorists, who set fire and placed explosives at his home after taking his family away. Efforts to recover them are ongoing and they remain in our thoughts and prayers every day. Major Awda, our India Base ING Company Commander was also attacked by terrorists with automatic weapons on his way to his command post at India Base. Major Awda keeps his son with him at all times to ensure his safety when he is not at home. The terrorists here are ruthless, savage, and do not play by any rules. It takes an extraordinary level of sacrifice, determination, and heroism that most Americans cannot imagine to serve in the Iraqi Security Forces and government. Men like BGen Khalis and Major Awda, and many others, are serving in these conditions every day to bring freedom to their fellow Iraqis (please see the attached news article below about our brothers in the Iraqi Special Forces).

It doesn't sound like the insurgency is winning hearts or minds. What we are seeing is the development of a genuine alliance; the first steps in the transformation of the Middle East that we all dream of seeing. It should be a source of great hope, and a cause to which we are all devoted.

MSNBC - SpaceShipOne soars into history

The X-Prize:

I don't think I've commented on the X-Prize before, but I have been watching the competition closely. I have only two things to say about today's victory over Mojave. First, congratulations to the winners!

Second, these are my kind of guys. If only we had a few more like this.

Out of the Question - Is Bush's biggest mistake too awful to admit? By William�Saletan

An Awakening:

Mine, as it happens. It comes as a part of this astonishing article from Slate. It is called "Out of the Question," by William Saletan, Slate's chief policial correspondant.

The astonishment I refer to follows this segment, right in the center of the article:

In tonight's debate, moderator Jim Lehrer asked Bush, 'Has the war in Iraq been worth the cost of American lives?1,052 as of today?' Bush looked down. He recalled a woman whose husband had died in Iraq. 'I told her after we prayed and teared up and laughed some that I thought her husband's sacrifice was noble and worthy,' the president said. 'Was it worth it? Every life is precious. That's what distinguishes us from the enemy. ... We can look back and say we did our duty.'

That's how Bush judges the war's worth: not by costs and benefits, but by character. It shows our nobility. It shows we did our duty. He used the word 'duty' seven times tonight. Kerry never used that word, except to refer to 'active duty' troops.

He goes on to characterize the message Bush sends on the war:

Will. Resolute. Steadfast. Uncertainty. Weakness. Supporting our troops.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi is 'a brave, brave man,' Bush told the audience.

Here's the astonishing part: this is a pro-Kerry, anti-war article. Strongly anti-war.

And so I have awakened to something that I once knew, but somehow forgot. I am aware of it now, but I do not understand what it is I am aware of. I don't see how anyone could write the lines I just quoted, and not support the war. He conditions his position on his reading of the evidence. His reading differs sharply from mine, but leave that: I don't see how you could write those words, and not support the war even if things were far, far worse. To leave a brave ally to his doom? No, I should say: especially if things were worse.

"Not by cost and benefits, but by character." "It shows we did our duty. He used the word 'duty' seven times tonight. Kerry never used the word, except to refer to 'active duty' troops."

How do you grow to be a man, and think that "It shows we did our duty" is an argument against a thing? For what kind of man is "It shows our nobility" a proposition to scorn?

'He judges not by cost and benefits, but by character.' Can you think of higher praise?

What kind of people are these?

Grim's Hall

Kerry's Diplomacy: Batting 1000

John Kerry:

"I think we need a president who has the credibility to bring the allies back to the table and to do what's necessary to make it so America isn't doing this alone."

French Foreign Minister Barnier:

Even though Nato last week overcame members' long-running reservations about a training mission to Iraq and agreed to set up an academy there for 300 soldiers, neither Paris nor Berlin will participate.

Michel Barnier, the French foreign minister, said last week that France, which has tense relations with interim prime minister Iyad Allawi, had no plans to send troops "either now or later".

SDP of Germany's Gert Weisskirchen:

"I cannot imagine that there will be any change in our decision not to send troops, whoever becomes president."

John Kerry:

"I know I can do a better job in Iraq. I have a plan to have a summit with all of the allies, something this president has not yet achieved, not yet been able to do to bring people to the table."

French Foreign Minister Barnier:

France said Monday that it would take part in a proposed international conference on Iraq only if the agenda included a possible U.S. troop withdrawal, thus complicating the planning for a meeting that has drawn mixed reactions.

Paris also wants representatives of Iraq's insurgent groups to be invited to a conference in October or November, a call that would seem difficult for the Bush administration to accept.

John Kerry:

"I think the United States should have offered the opportunity to provide the nuclear fuel, test [Iran], see whether or not they were actually looking for it for peaceful purposes."

Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesman Asefi:

[I]t would be "irrational" for Iran to put its nuclear program in jeopardy by relying on supplies from abroad. "We have the technology (to make nuclear fuel) and there is no need for us to beg from others.... What guarantees are there? Will they supply us one day and then, if they want to, stop supplying us on another day?"

John Kerry:

"I'm going to immediately set out to have bilateral talks with North Korea."

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing:

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, standing at [Colin Powell's] side, said the "entire international community" agreed that the six-nation approach was the best way to deal with the problem.

HUNDREDPERCENTER NEWSWIRES: President of Poland Calls Kerry 'Immoral'

Kerry's Diplomacy, Cont.

It's not just the citizens who are angry:

Reacting to John Kerry's omission of Polands efforts in Iraq, President of Poland Alexander Kwasniewski said, 'I find it kind of sad that a senator with 20 year parliamentary experience is unable to notice the Polish presence in the anti-terror coalition.'

When asked about Kerry's derogation of non-U.S. coalition countries fighting in Iraq, Kwasniewski said: 'I don't think it's an ignorance. Anti-terror coalition is larger than the USA, the UK and Australia. There are also Poland, Ukraine, and Bulgaria etc. which lost their soldiers there. It's highly immoral not to see our strong commitment we have taken with a strong believe that we must fight against terror together, that we must show our strong international solidarity because Saddam Hussein was dangerous to the world.'

Highly immoral, eh? Our John Kerry?

Bush Says Kerry Will Allow Foreign Vetoes (washingtonpost.com)

Quotes on the Global Test:

John Kerry:

"No president, through all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America."

John Kerry:

Asked if he would vote against the $87 billion if his amendment did not pass, Kerry said, "I don't think any United States senator is going to abandon our troops and recklessly leave Iraq to whatever follows as a result of simply cutting and running. That's irresponsible."

John Kerry:

"But if and when you do it . . . you've got to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test, where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons."

Zell Miller:

Senator Kerry has made it clear that he would use military force only if approved by the United Nations. Kerry would let Paris decide when America needs defending.

Richard Holbrooke:

Asked what the Kerry Doctrine actually is, Holbrooke, in a conference call with reporters, replied: "There is no Kerry Doctrine."

Robert Kagan:

The doctrine Kerry enunciated [at the DNC], after all, was the doctrine initially favored by the antiwar movement and the mainstream of the Democratic Party after the debacle of Vietnam. "Come home, America" was the cry of those who believed America had corrupted both the world and itself in "wars of choice" in Vietnam and elsewhere.

Advocates of this doctrine did not propose a "return" to some mythical American past. Rather, they proposed a radical departure onto a very different course in American foreign policy. Their goal was a retraction of American power and influence from around the globe. Nor did they have any doubt that their view of America was patriotic. They would cleanse America of its sins.

Would it really be surprising if John Kerry, whose life and thought were so powerfully shaped by his Vietnam experience, now returned to the view of American foreign policy which that experience led him to three decades ago?

NEWSWEEK POLL: First Presidential Debate

NewsWeek Poll:

One wonders why these polls are all over the place. The ABCNews and Gallup Polls showed little change in voter sentiment, and the Gallup poll in particular showed Bush more favored than Kerry on certain key issues (e.g., likeability). The NewsWeek poll shows a major movement, and Kerry favored on many of the same things that Gallup said Bush was favored for.

Why might that be? Well, here's their sample:

SAMPLE SIZE/MARGIN OF ERROR FOR REGISTERED VOTERS SUBGROUPS:
1,013 Total Registered voters (plus or minus 4)

481 Men (plus or minus 5)
532 Women (plus or minus 5)

345 Republicans (plus or minus 6)
364 Democrats (plus or minus 6)
278 Independents (plus or minus 7)

SAMPLE SIZE/MARGIN OF ERROR FOR DEBATE VIEWERS SUBGROUPS:
770 Debate viewers (those who say they watched at least some of the
debate) (plus or minus 4.1)

369 Men (plus or minus 6)
401 Women (plus or minus 6)

265 Republicans (plus or minus 7)
274 Democrats (plus or minus 7)
215 Independents (plus or minus 8)

Newsweek has been oversampling Republicans for a month, since the convention -- you've all heard the complaints. This time, they ran a poll that oversampled Democrats, and (especially in the registered voters section) women, who are far more likely to be Kerry supporters than men (women are evenly split, that is, whereas Bush is heavily favored by men).

Just chance that the samples shifted right after the debate, which Kerry's allies have been touting as his big chance for movement? Well, we all know that the media isn't biased towards Kerry -- and certainly not NewsWeek.

Transterrestrial Musings

"The Global Test"

Well, it's good that someone's located it. It proves to be a test you can take online!

Hat tip: The Sage.

WTNH.com - US commander praises Iraqi fighters

Batiste On Samarra:

The Major General speaks, along with his Iraqi counterpart:

Batiste also tells CNN he's been pleased with the performance of Iraqi troops there.

The Iraqi forces have done poorly in past battles, but Batiste says they're getting better training and equipment. And he says they handled themselves well in Samarra.

Iraq's defense minister says the fighting is largely over -- and that Iraqi troops handled the bulk of the two-day offensive, and U-S troops only provided cover.

Right Thinking from the Left Coast

The Poles:

Oh, my:

What is more important than the article is the responses at the bottom of the page. The responders are really pissed and feel if Kerry is elected they MUST pull their troops out. There is a very angry energy over the fact that their soldiers have not only been killed but some are MIA and they want some closure.

This is translated from the comments section of a Polish news site, Onet.pl. Diplomacy works, eh?

Belmont Club

Samarra:

Don't miss the Belmont Club's analysis of the Samarra situation, especially the performance of the 36th Iraqi Commando battalion. It is the masterpiece of the new Iraqi Army, trained to special-ops standards by the US military.

This is not its first engagement, but it was a high-profile assignment of a type that would have been inflammatory if the US had undertaken it: capture of a mosque held by insurgents. Their success means that Coalition forces can now deny what has until now been a tactical advantage to Islamist insurgents. In Najaf, the insurgents didn't even bother to sandbag their mortar positions inside the Shrine of Ali, being so confident that America would not fire back. That confidence and security is no longer operative.

That is to say, the rebuilding of the Muslim world has passed a milestone. There is now a Muslim state capable of joint-force operations with the US Army, which also has the will to engage Islamists in mosques. Even six months ago, the Iraqi Army could not be used in that capacity, partially due to incomplete training, but also due to the lack of will. The Iraqi Governing Council was gutless, but there was a lack of will at the lower levels too. Newly-minted soldiers assigned to support US operations would sometimes desert, to avoid having to fight "their Muslim brothers."

No more. Six months on, the insurgents have so enraged the Iraqi army that all claims of Muslim brotherhood are broken. Insurgents are now the enemy; the US is an ally; and we are together clearing the streets of Samarra.

Poodle Ad

Er, What?

You may perhaps have heard of the NRA's new Poodle Ad, wherein John Kerry is portrayed as a toy French Poodle with a pink bow (the text of the ad says, "That dog don't hunt," so therefore a toy rather than a sporting breed of dog is used).

Some of the ad text is damning indeed, given Kerry's frequent attempts to portray himself as pro-hunting: Kerry voted to outlaw most ammunition used by deer hunters, for example. There is a larger assembly of Kerry's anti-hunting voting record here.

But I'm really curious about this part:

"...it's no wonder John Kerry has been called a "hero" by the Humane Society of the United States, an extremist group that wants to outlaw hunting in America."

What?

The Human Society is an extremist group?

Now, it is true that the Humane Society is completely opposed to hunting. That is certainly an extremist position.

Nevertheless, surely the good works of the Humane Society should protect it from being called an "extremist group." It is a group of kind hearted people who do largely worthy things. They are entirely mistaken and misguided on this one question. It is a serious matter, as part of any donation to the Humane Society goes to lobby against hunting rights. It is bad for us, as they lobby against our ancient rights. It is also bad for them, as it cuts out a large number of people who would otherwise be their friends and supporters. Their position makes it impossible for many of us who love animals to support their other work, because we can't afford also to support their constant anti-hunter lobbying.

Still, holding one extreme position among many positions is not the same as being an extremist. I can't imagine that the NRA stands to gain anything by the charaterization. Most people know the Humane Society from its work with domestic animals; very few know of its anti-hunting work. It's useful to explain why you oppose the Humane Society, but it would be wise to recognize that most people have a very favorable impression of them -- an impression that, by and large, is deserved. We must defeat the Humane Society's lobbyists on occasion, but we have no reason to wish to defeat the Humane Society.

It is possible to disagree, even to the point at which no compromise is possible, while remaining friends. Between people of good will, that should be the standard.