California Conservative

Last week, Senior Democrat Rep. John Murtha called for the withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. In an article by CNN we read:

“…about two dozen Democrats and just three Republicans in the House have put their names to measures demanding a withdrawal from Iraq.”

The rational is that supposedly things are “a quagmire,” this is an “unnwinnable war” and we are not seeing any progress. To quote Ted Kennedy, Iraq is:

“a catastrophic failure, a continuing quagmire”

I disagree, and will offer the reader two concrete examples of proof from the MSM, and commentary from soldiers with boots on the ground that things are getting better.

In fact, we are on course for the Dec. 15 elections. When the elections are successful, the anti-war in Iraq crowd will have been dealt the final blow:

Bush, the Iraqi people, the U.S. Military and Democracy = 1
Al Qaeda, some U.S. Senators, the MSM and the liberals = 0

First, from MSM itself:

Things are progressing on two fronts. There is both political and violent opposition to Zarqawi in Iraq. In the first article, you will see that before the election some of the Sunni’s who had been “in surging” were called upon by their guerrilla leader to get involved in the political process. In the second article, you will see that even the Iraqi insurgents are getting so sick of Zarqawi’s boys that violent opposition is breaking out in the streets!

This tells me two things:

1) Iraq is being “divided” but it is not the division that the Mainstream Media predicted (and possibly hoped for). This is not a “civil war.” A line has been drawn in the sand. The teams are:

A) The new Iraqi government with its army and police
B) Former Saddam Loyalists
C) Sunni Insurgents
D) Zarqawi’s Al Qaeda thugs

My prediction is that group “A” will continue to grow, as Iraqi forces continue to be trained up, and as former insurgents and Saddam loyalists accept the “New Iraq” and assimilate into society. The Sunni’s and the Shi’ites may never be best friends, but they will learn to work together. The “insurgency” like a candle in the wee morning hours, will flicker and be extinguished. Zarqawi and his thugs will be captured or killed- as even the last throws of the insurgency will hopefully see that it is Al Qaeda who are the invaders, the killers, the takers- and it is America who has liberated them and helped them to start a new life.

2) History will hold the Mainstream Media in America accountable for their persistent refusal to report any good we have done, any progress we have made in Iraq. Those of us following the War against Terrorism have seen daily progress, and have also followed the deaths of our troops. The MSM has continually focused on carnage and death- to the point that they have all but completely clouded the daily progress. What will they do Dec 15th and in January when the new government comes to power?

Let’s look at the first “Break from Al Qaeda” as the insurgency joins the political process. Here is an article from the Washington Post:

The New Sunni Jihad: ‘A Time for Politics’
Tour With Iraqi Reveals Tactical Change

By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, October 27, 2005; Page A01

NORTH OF BAGHDAD — For weeks before Iraq’s constitutional referendum this month, Iraqi guerrilla Abu Theeb traveled the countryside just north of Baghdad, stopping at as many Sunni Arab houses and villages as he could. Each time, his message to the farmers and tradesmen he met was the same: Members of the disgruntled Sunni minority should register to vote — and vote against the constitution.

“It is a new jihad,” said Abu Theeb, a nom de guerre that means “Father of the Wolf,” addressing a young nephew one night before the vote. “There is a time for fighting, and a time for politics.”

Abu Theeb, a guerrilla leader, canvassed Sunnis for votes against Iraq’s charter, a shift from violent rejection of the political process. (By Ghaith Abdul-ahad For The Washington Post)

For Abu Theeb and many other Iraqi insurgents, this canvassing marked a fundamental shift in strategy, and one that would separate them from foreign-born fighters such as Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian who leads the group al Qaeda in Iraq.

Two years of boycotting the process had only marginalized Sunnis while Iraqi’s Shiite majority gained power. And Abu Theeb’s entry into politics was born partly of necessity; attacks by Shiite militias, operating inside and outside the government security apparatus, were taking an increasing toll on Sunni lives.

So at 6:30 a.m. on the day of the referendum, Oct. 15, Theeb was already at the polling center in his village, which he had scouted out days in advance. Two of his fighters took up positions. Abu Theeb and the rest of the fighters, more relaxed, propped their Kalashnikov rifles against walls or placed them on tables.

“No one will attack,” Abu Theeb assured a reporter. “I made sure some wrongdoers are protecting the school,” he said, jokingly referring to al Qaeda loyalists. To head off any violence, he had co-opted the group by enlisting two of its supporters as his polling site guards.

This article is based on five days of travel and interviews with Abu Theeb and his associates before and after the referendum. The reporter was allowed such access on the condition that the guerrilla commander’s real name and the name of his village would not be disclosed.

It was not possible to confirm directly how many Sunnis share his views on the political process. But Iraqi and U.S. analysts in Baghdad express hope that such a shift in outlook will eventually lead large numbers of radical Sunnis to abandon their weapons permanently and take part in the political process.

For men such as Abu Theeb — who said he shaved his bushy beard, a sign of an Islamic holy fighter, to pass more easily into and out of Baghdad — taking part in politics is a step taken only reluctantly.

“Politics for us is like filthy, dead meat,” he said, referring to pork, which is eschewed by observant Muslims. “We are not allowed to eat it, but if you are crossing through a desert and your life depends on it, God says it’s okay.” Even if politics gets him a result he likes, he said, he will continue to wage war against the Americans, because he views them as occupiers.

Abu Theeb’s tribe has a reputation for kidnappings and executions, and election officials declined to make the trip from Baghdad to his village to operate a polling station there. Instead, an elderly local sheik, deputized by Abu Theeb and village leaders as election monitor, settled onto a wooden bench in the classroom polling center.

Men of the village trickled in. Guerrillas soon realized that the women of this deeply conservative Tigris River hamlet were not ready to leave their homes to cast ballots. So each man who came with his identity card received a stack of ballots to take back to his family.

Note above that the Sunni guerilla leader had “wrongdoers” and “Al Qaeda loyalists” doing guard work. Note also that this marks a separation between Al Qaeda and the Sunni’s. Sunni’s are still resistant to Americans, but they are tired of killing and being killed by fellow Iraqi’s.

So, that is the political breakaway I mentioned. The second evidence is the violent breakaway. Read THIS article:

Al Qaeda in Iraq fights other terrorist groups
Insurgents disagree over money, tactics
November 10, 2005
BY MOHAMMED AL DULAIMYKNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS

RAMADI, Iraq — Al Qaeda in Iraq, the terrorist group headed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has broken with local Sunni insurgent groups in central Iraq, in some cases resulting in gun battles on the street.

On Sunday, fighting between insurgent groups started at a central intersection in war-torn Ramadi — the capital of the Sunni heartland province of Anbar. As many as two dozen men fired automatic weapons and blasted away with shoulder-mounted rockets as Al Qaeda in Iraq ambushed members of three local groups.

Eyewitnesses and Sunni insurgents said it was a fight between groups that would have been considered allies three months ago. One Al Qaeda in Iraq fighter was killed, and an unknown number on each side were injured.

The groups have fallen into disputes about money and tactics, including over whether to participate in Iraq’s political system. Residents say they think the strong support that Al Qaeda in Iraq has had in the heart of Anbar province is starting to fracture. The group is dominated by non-Iraqis.

This line is key: “Residents say they think the strong support that Al Qaeda in Iraq has had in the heart of Anbar province is starting to fracture.”

Keep your eye on this. The timing is critical. Fracture of the bond between the insurgency and Al Qaeda, and the elections all at the same time. We could see a brand new Iraq by next summer. Remember that there are three groups of opposition in Iraq:

1) Saddam loyalists
2) Sunni Insurgents
3) Zarqawi’s murdering terrorists

Not only is there a division between 3 and 1 and 2, but 1 and 2 may be meeting soon with the President of Iraq. We see in this article HERE that:

“Iraq’s president is willing to talk with “opposition figures and members of Saddam Hussein’s outlawed Baath Party, and he called on the Sunni-led insurgency to lay down its arms and join the political process.”

At this point I will insert commentary from actual soldiers with boots on the ground in Iraq.
They both have milblogs which are very insightful.

First, from A Day in Iraq written May, 2005:

“It’s unfortunate that the media seem to only portray our relationship with the Sunni population in a negative light. I don’t pretend to think that we are liked by all of them, but based on my experiences, we are liked by many. “

And also from Sgt. Will Whitley’s milblog, Same Ole’ Different Day:

“I am… disgusted when I see and hear reports calling for the pullout of our military from Iraq. The American people do not see what really goes on here, all they see is what the media wants them to…and I think that we all know that the media likes to put a negative spin on it as well. I am here to tell you that everyday we are winning over the hearts of the people of Iraq. If you could see the smiling faces that I have seen you would know that we are making a difference in this country.”

Think about it for a moment from the perspective of the average Iraqi. Saddam was a brutal, murdering madman. The Americans came and took him out. The Americans are “occupying” Iraq. Zarqawi is trying to take over, by recruiting foreign fighters. Al Qaeda in Iraq has a dual message, it is not just “Death to the Americans” or “Death to the infidels,” but it is also “Death to the Iraqi citizens that are not with us.” Now this message may not be stated with words- but it is proved by actions.

Watch the body counts in the news. The MSM keeps posting it to appeal to our curiosity for disaster, and to weary us of this war. But those same numbers tell another story. Every article is similar:

“50 dead including 3 Marines.”
“25 dead, including 1 soldier”

I am not talking about the IED’s at this time. I still believe that those are being planted by Sunni insurgents. In fact, I just spoke with a Marine who returned from Iraq yesterday, and he told me that there is a specific pay scale for the Sunni’s who will plant the roadside bombs. In the numbers above, I am talking about suicide bombers, which are nearly always done by foreigners sent by Al Qaeda.

How long will it take the Iraqi’s to realize that Al Qaeda is killing Iraqi’s over Americans at the incredible ratio of 20:1?

How long will it take them to realize that trading a Saddam for a Zarqawi is not a “trade up” at all, but rather a horrendous mistake?

People around the world are disgusted by suicide/homicide bombers, and they are getting sick of it. Americans are sick of Al Qaeda. Jordananians are sick of Al Queda. In closing, let’s look back to this article taken from the MSM:

NBC, MSNBC and news services
Updated: 10:16 a.m. ET Nov. 10, 2005
AMMAN, Jordan - A statement posted Thursday on behalf of Al-Qaida in Iraq said that group was behind the three suicide bombings on U.S.-based hotels that killed at least 56 people here, and called Jordan the “backyard garden” for U.S. operations in neighboring Iraq.

Hundreds of angry Jordanians later rallied outside one of the hotels, shouting, “Burn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!” The Iraq branch of al-Qaida is led by the Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi.

In response, Zarqawi issued a release stating that the wedding was not the target, and “insisted al-Qaida in Iraq was not targeting fellow Muslims.”

However, the same day an article ran which showed that suicide bombers were still blowing up Iraqi men, women and children at prayer services. Sounds like Zarqawi’s days are numbered, you can’t say “I am against blowing up Muslims” and the next day blow up a bunch of people at a mosque.

Nor can you blow up a bunch of people at a Shiite funeral procession the day after that and expect continued support from the “Iraqi insurgency.” According to the above article, “Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has advocated attacks in the past against Shiites, whom he considers apostates.” Yes, Sunni’s and Shiites have had their differences, even violent at times, but Zarqawi is crossing the line by indiscriminately murdering men, women, and children at religious services. And while we were resting in our beds last night, dreaming of turkey and pumpkin pie, Al Qaeda had very different holiday plans for the Iraqi’s in Baghdad for…

“A suicide bomber blew up his car outside a hospital south of Baghdad on Thursday while U.S. troops handed out candy and food to children killing 30 people and wounding about 40, including four Americans.

How long can this murdering brutality continue? Again the ratio is approximately 20:1 Iraqi’s to Americans affected by Zarqawi’s homicide bombers - When will ALL the Sunni clerics denounce him?

In a recent article, we see that Zarqawi was even renounced by his own family as a result of his murdering brutality.

I am certain that we will see more excerpts like this THIS buried in an article of Washington Post.

Over the past month, the official said, there has been a series of raids following a surge in tips from Iraqis unhappy with Zarqawi and his operation. These tend to be traditional Iraqi leaders — sheiks and imams — upset with the organization, especially its recent execution of Sunni Arabs in Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar. “Their feeling is that al Qaeda in Iraq has overstepped its bounds,” he said.

Al Qaeda in Iraq has been training, equipping, and fueling the insurgency. But the insurgency is looking to political solutions, openly fighting with Al Qaeda, and now even tipping the Iraqi police forces as to the location of Zarqawi’s leaders. His days are numbered. Yes, he has overstepped his bounds, killing innocent men, women and children.

Perhaps the real question of the day for the liberals is:

What will the mainstream media in American do if the day comes in which Iraqi’s (including former Saddam loyalists and insurgents) are chanting in the streets,

“Burn in hell, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi!”

Will CNN, MSNBC, and NBC run it live on the evening news?

Will Time magazine run a cover story with a photograph taken in Iraq like the one above from Jordan?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Cross-posted at Rightfielder

This entry was posted on Friday, November 25th, 2005 at 9:55 am and is filed under Author: RightFielder, Elections, Foreign Policy, Iraq, Military, Patriotism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.