Rock and Roll Conservative

Sigh

I must hand it to Barack Obama for knowing what his priorities should be. Before the man has decided on a policy for Afghanistan, that little thing he said he would concentrate on over Iraq, he addressed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

Well, he's finally made a decision on Afghanistan: No surge in Afghanistan before the election is decided. And they have the cojones to slam the Bush administration on the issue.

Hey, you elected him.

He was for the Afghan war before he was bored by it

Barack Obama talked big talk in 2007-08 about getting out of Iraq and concentrating on Afghanistan. Since his election? Apparently he forgot about both wars -- good for Iraq, not so good for Afghanistan. This weekend Gen. Stanley McChrystal admitted he had only talked to the Bamster once since taking command of Afghanistan in May and this article reports that people seem to be annoyed by Obama's delay on announcing new troops.

Of course, being the ahead of the curve guys we are, we've already chewed the Afghani fat twice this month alone. You can read our thoughts here and here.

One tribe at a time

Not content with one series running on Afghanistan, Steven Pressfield has two concurrent series. His second, which debuted today, is an extensive look at Maj. Jim Gant and a report he wrote on how the U.S. Special Forces are engaging Afghani tribes. Crazy good stuff.

The news from the ground

Afghanistan has been in the news a lot lately so it's especially timely that author Stephen Pressfield (Gates of Fire) has launched a new series on his web site. This time he's interviewing Ajmal Khan Zazai, chief of tribes in the Paktia province.

It's a multi-part series and you can find the first one here.

Sweet

Pundits may be ready declare defeat for the West in Afghanistan but it looks like the Taliban may be ready to finish the job for us. According to reports, senior Taliban are killing each other in an effort to take over the movement. Sounds like we're about to save money on Hellfire missiles and Predator drones.

Man, that's the dumbest thing I've heard this week

I'm not a follower of soccer -- and it is called soccer by the way -- so when I hear the debate on whether David Beckham is still among the best players I kind of tune it out. One thing I do know: Beckham isn't responsible for British foreign policy.

The reason why I say this is because some no-name Scottish singer declared this week that had Beckham publicly opposed the war in Iraq, Britain would have stayed out of it.

Now I know Bono had Tony Blair's ear for a while but between the U2 frontman and Cheri Blair, I think the former British prime minister had his fill of advice.

Afghanistan for Dummies

Over here at ESR we love Steven Pressfield and his novels (stuff here). So it shouldn't be a surprise that we also love his new five part video blog, War & Reality in Afghanistan: It's the Tribes, Stupid.

You can check out episode one here, and there are links to the other four episodes as well. You might not agree with everything that Steven says but he is well-placed to offer commentary and analysis.

Thanks, but no thanks

First the Europeans said no and now Canada has shown some sense and turned down Barack Obama's very kind offer to become host to Taliban soldiers currently residing at Gitmo University.

The cats have been cleared for release despite the fact that the U.S. government still officially believes they're members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a terrorist group. Frankly, given Canada's idiotically soft immigration policy, I'm surprised we actually turned the offer down.

The fact of the matter is that the Taliban featured three kinds of soldiers. The first group were native Afghanis who agreed with the Taliban's philosophy. While they are militants, there is the possibility they could rejoin Afghan society. The second group were native Afghanis who were forced to fight for the Taliban and are more than happy to get back to their fields, hopefully not growing opium poppies.

The third group, which includes these Uighurs, are hardcore, committed Islamists. Any foreign fighter for the Taliban, which includes Yemenis, Saudis and the like, travelled to Afghanistan as part of their jihadist creed and want nothing more than to kill Americans (and Canadians). Allowing them into Canada allows them a perfect staging area to launch attacks against the United States or Canada.

If Ed Husain was right in his book (which I reviewed this week), North America likely has enough of its own committed Islamists without having to import them from China by way of Gitmo University.

I wish I had gone to Gitmo University

Back when I went to school we didn’t get free laptops—we had to make due with old computers running Windows 3.1 for Workgroups (it was the early 1990s), the restaurants on campus were mostly horrible and we had all of one room to watch television in. Oh yea, and because it was in northern Ontario, it was bloody freezing half the year. Inmates at Gitmo? Man…I wish I had it so good.

About the only way I had it better was the presence of fine Canadian babes…something members of al-Qaida apparently have little use for.

Fight Fiercely, Gitmo U!
Jihad, Jihad, Jihad!
Demonstrate to them our skill.
Albeit Yankees possess the might,
Nonetheless we have the will.
How we shall celebrate our victory:
We shall invite the whole team
Up for tea! How jolly!
Hurl that bomb down the field
Jihad! Jihad! Jihad! Jihad!

– With apologies to Harvard

It's September 10 all over again

It's hard to believe that just a few short years ago Americans really took the security of their nation seriously. Apparently, from what I'm told, something happened nearly eight years ago to shake Americans out of their slumber.

At any rate, Mere Rhetoric notes that FBI agents have been ordered not to investigate African-American Muslim converts -- the same guys who attacked a military recruiting center and unsuccessfully tried to attack some synagogues and a cargo plane.

Read on.

But is he still relevant?

Some years back in an interview with ESR, Mark Steyn noted that it didn't really matter whether Saddam Hussein was dead or alive because being a dictator was "like being in showbiz: if you're not working, you're effectively dead." Same thing, I imagine with the terrorist game. Since 9/11, Osama bin Laden has basically been reduced to living in dank caves and making increasingly lame audio recordings.

So news of a new audio tape -- the first since late 2007 -- is kind of like hearing that about the ex-girlfriend you were utterly ambivalent about getting married. So what?

Speaking of those wacky Islamists

The Washington Post reported yesterday that al-Qaida is getting its ass kicked both physically and mentally thanks to the Pakistan military's work in the Swat Valley and some well-timed U.S. missile attacks.

Remember kids, the Democrats were right when they argued only way to combat terrorism is make it a police issue...the military never gets the job done.

NIMBY

I've always had a low tolerance for the Not In My Back Yard crowd. Everyone wants rehab centres, power plants and lines and the like but no one wants to actually the stuff where they can see it. When it comes to terrorists, though, I can dig it. See, Barack Obama won't admit it but a huge majority of Americans think Gitmo is a banging idea and think it should stay open.

Byron York explains all.

Want to launch a terrorist attack? Walk out of jail free!

One of the 18 people arrested a few years ago into an alleged plot to bomb targets in Toronto was sentenced today to 2 1/2 years in prison...and then walked right out of jail because of the "term served" provision.

Said his lawyer: "He's somebody who's essentially found guilty of shoplifting, somebody who went to a second (training) camp that was essentially benign."

Right. What he was actually found guilty of was a plot to bomb several Toronto buildings, including the Toronto Stock Exchange, storm Parliament Hill, take hostages and try to behead the prime minister.

Read on.

So...perhaps Gitmo wasn't that bad of an idea then?

The arrest this week of four guys attempting to bomb synagogues and shoot down airplanes in New York has kind of put a bad light on Barack Obama's idea to release Gitmo detainees into American prisons...where they could radicalize other prisoners.

Read on.

Wait! What?

Here's a shocking surprise. Barack Obama's pledge to shut down the evil, scary Bush Gitmo prison and trial system has hit a road block: reality.

Read on.

Dumb and dumber

It was bad enough that Janet Napolitano declared that some of the 9/11 hijackers entered the U.S. via Canada, now Sen. John McCain has repeated the same myth.

More proof Iran is telling the truth

A Toronto man has been charged with attempting to export nuclear technology to Iran that is used in the uranium enrichment process...you know, the stuff used in peaceful power generation.

Read on.

So what are they going to call it

According to Hillary Clinton, henceforth the Obama administration will not use the term "war on terror" because it might offend someone's feelings.

Thanks

Canada's soldiers have a long and glorious history of battle going back hundreds of years. We've never shirked a fight we thought needed to be fought and we've stood side by side with our American cousins every day since September 11, 2001.

That's makes it so galling to hear some Fox news show host disrespect Canada's contributions in Afghanistan. In case you hadn't heard, since day one our soldiers have been patrolling the area around Kandahar, the most dangerous part of the country. And we've paid the price for it in blood. Four more of our boys returned today.

I realize that most Americans probably wouldn't say the things that Greg Gutfield said last week but it's disconcerting that Fox News -- which has a history of supporting the war effort within the bounds of the demands of journalism -- would entertain such comments. It became a little harder today for me to defend you guys.

Read on.

Now they'll be called "Potential Democratic voters"

Proving that there is no detail inane enough for Barack Obama to assert himself into, the administration announced today that they will no longer use the phrase "enemy combatant" for those terrorists being held in Guantanamo Bay.

Sigh

I'm beginning to think the Harper Conservative government is in love with Barack Obama. Latest example? Our government has announced that it is on the same page as the Obama administration in that it would love to sit down and talk with the Taliban.

I know the media has forgotten about the Taliban -- there are only 40,000 allied soldiers combating them after all -- but these are the same guys who remain allied with Osama bin Laden, will never relent in their desire to establish a violent, seventh century theocratic state, believe that truces are only for rearming for the next fight and murder soldiers and civilians alike. So yeah, sitting down and talking to them makes perfect sense. Good luck with that.

The economy is hurting us all

Layoffs by the tens of thousands. Falling home prices. Repossessions. Falling donations to terrorist groups. Yup, the global economy is making everyone suffer, including the Taliban.

One more reason

If profligate spending and a ludicrous foreign policy weren't bad enough, MPs from both the Liberal and New Democrats announced today that a leftist coalition government would shield American "war resisters" (the CBC's term) from deportation.

Read on.

No extension

Robert Gates praised Canadian soldiers and their work in Afghanistan over the past years -- given they're in the most dangerous part of the country I think it's deserved -- and hinted that he hoped they remained past their 2011 end date.

No matter who makes up the government that year it's unlikely to happen given the unpopularity of the mission amongst Canadians and a Parliamentary motion that mandates the end date.

And it was that second point the Canadian defence ministry pointed out today when it announced the mission would indeed end.

Read on.