<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Saturday, June 26, 2004

"Informed Comment" Not So Informed on Raid Tactics, Intel 
Here's Juan Cole, on the latest airstrike against a suspected Zarqawi safehouse in Fallujah:

Some reports, apparently based on aerial surveillance, suggested that they just missed Zarqawi. I'm not sure, though, how you tell that from the top of someone's head, and remain skeptical about these kinds of claims.


Well, no, Juan. We don't normally track these people by taking aerial photographs of the top of someone's head. There are other means.

The US resort to bombing suggests how weak it is in Fallujah, since it means it could not commit troops to an attack on the safehouse.

Well, Gee, Juan. You think maybe--just maybe--Zarqawi would be posting some lookouts? And how do you conceal your raiding party (we're talking a company +) from them on the way in?

And how long do you want to hover a blackhawk at 40 feet--long enough to fastrope a squad down on the roof--in a neighborhood where every 10 year old and his sister got an RPG for Eid?

There is now a plan to set up a security perimeter around Fallujah to curb the activities of the jihadis based there.


A great idea. Actually, I wouldn't let a living soul leave Fallujah until after the handover. Remember how car bombings in Baghdad slowed down when we had a ring around Fallujah? Same deal. I think we should lock the place down.

But I had read several weeks ago that such a security perimeter had already been implemented


It was, for tactical reasons, when the uprising in Fallujah was in full swing. It was not politically sustainable.

Has it lapsed?


Yes. That's why we're seeing more car bombings, now. The factory is likely in or near Fallujah.

The American news media often phrased this bombing as an attack on "al-Qaeda." But these al-Tawhid fighters never pledged loyalty to Bin Laden, and most probably never fought in Afghanistan.


Given their connections and activities, it's close enough for government work. And this is government work.

Zarqawi, who did, was never part of al-Qaeda


Man, you gotta be pretty obtuse to buy into that line of reasoning. Especially given the next argument:

Al-Qaeda anyway is not a top-down organization with a flow chart and a CEO.


Well, no shit, Juan! That's why we're considering Zarqawi to be al Qaeda, as far as we're concerned.

Juan Cole's been in academia too long. Never seen a 1099 form?

I mean, Cole's carping is like driving past a McDonald's restaurant and arguing that because it's a franchise, and not a corporate-owned store, it's not Al Qaeda.

The Bush administration no doubt likes this shorthand because it reinforces the dubious point that the war in Iraq has something to do with the war on terror.


Cheap shot. And not even a good one, because the implicit argument, of course, is that Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terror.

Which, in the light of Hussein's succor to Abu Nidal and Abu Abbas, support to Hezbollah, and to Zarqawi himself, in light of his well known posession of weapons of mass destruction technologies, the attempt on Bush 41's life, and the presence on Iraqi soil of thousands of Ansar al Islam fighters, is an absolutely untenable position.

You can argue whether Iraq was a distraction from what should have been a stronger effort in Afghanistan. And you can argue whether Iraq actually had stockpiles of WMDs recently. And you can certainly argue whether the US had the force structure to handle a long occupation in Iraq, and you can certainly carp on some of the rosier assumptions regarding security in the occupation phase.

But the idea that Iraq had nothing to do with the War on Terror is without basis in fact.

More: (You gotta scroll way down for this)

I don't mean to be a killjoy, but for an Occupying Power to drop bombs on residential neighborhoods is a war crime.


No it isn't. Zarqawi's a legitimate military target. We get to target him whereever he is. He can sit in a class full of kindergartners and we can still target him. It doesn't matter. The Law of Land Warfare does not prohibit us from attacking him anywhere in the world. It prevents us from targeting the civilian population, but it does not prevent us from targeting Zarqawi, even when he has taken shelter among the civilian population.

But, the force used to go after him must be proportional, and should not exceed the minimum force necessary to accomplish our aims.

The principal of proportionality is written into the Law of Land Warfare, but it predates it by centuries, back to the concept of jus in bellum.

You know, since Article 51 of Protocol 1 of the Geneva conventions makes a crime of conducting terror attacks, gee, it sure would be refreshing if Cole and others on the left would level their criticisms at the actual enemy, for a change.

The three women and five children killed are not "collateral damage."


Well, although I do object to using that term to describe people, rather than materiel, yes they are. By definition.

They are human beings.


They are that, too. It is fully possible to be a human being and collateral damage. It isn't that big a stretch.

There are no such things as "precision strikes" in residential neighborhoods


As opposed to precision car bombings?

How 'precise' is NOT going after him? How many innocent people could lose their lives if we let him continue unmolested?

Juan Cole might have no trouble finding a gig writing slogans for bumper stickers. But commanders have no such luxury. Every action has an opportunity cost, and even a decision not to act can cost more lives than a decision to act.

Bombs not only throw off shrapnel themselves, they create lots of deadly flying debris, including flying glass from broken windows, that can kill and maim.


Well, yeah. That would be the general idea, wouldn't it?

We on the outside have no way of judging the various claims made in these sorts of situations. For all I know the Hamadi clan has a lot of blood on its hands and has been blowing up people. But if so, they should have been arrested by a special ops team cooperating with the Fallujah Brigade.


1. As I mentioned before, don't you think Zarqawi's got OPs of his own out to warn him of any troop movement large enough to take him down?

2. Don't you think Zarqawi might have some of his own people in the Fallujah Brigade? Just how tight-lipped do you think they are?

The rule of thumb in Iraq is this: anytime more than a few extremely well-known police officers, ICDC, or other Iraqi officials are involved in ANYTHING, you must immediately assume that the basics of the operation are quickly made known to the other side.

3. Just how long do you think it takes to safely plan and execute a raid? Especially a joint raid between Americans and the Fallujah Brigade? How long did you think Zarqawi stays in one place?

4. Raids are extremely complex small-unit operations. What makes you think the Fallujah
Brigade is capable of executing one with any degree of proficiency?


There were manifestations of public anger over all this in Fallujah


Oh, like we give a shit about manifestations of public anger in Fallujah. They're angry about everything in Fallujah. But when the community supports an insurgency, they just can't expect to get their way all the time.

Sorry, Charlie.

It doesn't do any good to kill 15 guerrillas and their wives and children (if they were in fact guerrillas) if in so doing you create 30 more.


There are two pretty big "ifs" in there. But at least we have SOME intelligence to support the contention that some of those killed were guerrillas. (If they were, then their wives may well have been co-conspirators).

The second big "if," refers to the creation of 30 more guerrillas.

I see no reason to believe that this bombing will create 30 more guerrillas, over and above those who would already become guerrillas, anyway. Where's the evidence?

Further, if one of those killed had been Zarqawi, then it would have been worth creating 30 guerrillas, easily.


Comments:
Hi, I was just blog surfing and found your site! I have a site that maybe of interest to you,based business home online opportunity work. It isnt anything special but you may still find something of interest.Thanks
 
Veteran's Day is November 11th and I hope that EVERY American will be flying the flag in honor of our troops fighting in Iraq and around the world to preserve our freedoms!

I can even tell you where to get one for free! Visit AmericanFlags.com right now and they'll send you a FREE American Flag. These flags were $19.99, but now they are FREE. You pay just for shipping/handling and they'll ship one to your door. (Actually - I've ordered more than 20 from them to give to my neighbors, as gifts, etc!)

Get your free flag now: brazil flag

Semper Fi!

Bill Adams
 
Sometimes, these gambles pay off, but there are occasions when they fail miserably,
 
I really enjoyed reading your Blog about reverse phone directory. I also have a Blog/Website about reverse phone directory come check it out!! Have a great day!
 
You have good content on your blog keep up the good work
 
GROW IT YOURSELF!
 
I really enjoyed you blog about earn money work at home. If you would like to learn How To Get 1 Million Visitors On Your Web Site
Without Paying A Dime In advertising !

Are you frustrated by the lack of traffic coming to your site?

If I would tell you that after months of research, I just got my
hands on the most hidden secrets... very sneaky tricks !

Click here : earn money work at home
 
Join the 3 Marketeers Club today, its Absolutely FREE!!
 
Just go to Your inbox and Look for your Newsletter publication from the 3 Marketeers Club!
 
I have a pretty cool site about air purifier filter
 
Hey, you have a great blog here! I'm definitely going to bookmark you!

I have a baby gift shower site/blog. It pretty much covers ##KEYWORD## related stuff.

Come and check it out if you get time :-)
 
Hello! What at great blog you have going. I'm new to blogging and I am trying to build up my visitors. I blog about internet marketing for online business. I am also offering the eBook "Adsense Empire" to my visitors.... Stop by & get your copy today
 
Hi Blogger, I was out blog surfing looking for some info on based business free home when I ended up on your page. Obviously I ended up a little off base, but your topic caught my eye. While I am here, I just wanted to drop a quick note to comment your blog...now to move on and continue my search for based business free home. I am going to
bookmark your site for future reference and reading. Should you ever need it, you can get specific information about based business free home at the site above.
 
Hi Blogger...Wow! While I was searching for info on based best business home opportunity I somehow found your page. Obviously I ended up a little off base, but I am certainly glad I stopped by for a read. While I am here, I just wanted to drop a quick note to comment your blog...now to move on and continue my search for based best business home opportunity. Should you ever need it, there's lots of information on this site about based best business home opportunity.
 
news blog
 
Hey, you have a great blog here! I'm definitely going to bookmark you and visit a lot!

I have a promotion site web o?=free software sales site. We sell a lot of Software about##KEYWORD## related stuff. Ia will be sending my customers to your site for more information.
 
Hi Blogger, I found your blog informative. While out blog surfing today for specific info on based best business home opportunity, I ended up on your page. Your site shows that I ended up a little off base, but I am certainly glad I stopped by. I will bookmark your site for a future visit, and should you ever need it, there is plenty of information on this site about based best business home opportunity.
 
Hi Blogger, your blog is excellent. As I was surfing around today looking for detailed info on based business home internet I somehow ended up on your page. As your this post is not exactly related to my search, I am certainly glad I stopped by. Oh well, back to surfing and I am sure I will find what I am looking for, and should you ever need information about based business home internet, then stop by for a look. Thanks for the post.
 
Hi Blogger, your blog is excellent. As I was surfing around today looking for detailed info on based business home legitimate I somehow ended up on your page. As your this post is not exactly related to my search, I am certainly glad I stopped by. Oh well, back to surfing and I am sure I will find what I am looking for, and should you ever need information about based business home legitimate, then stop by for a look. Thanks for the post.
 
I with no reasonable doubt say that the info you provided above was right to the point as we all know it forex trader can be very challenging and thus we should applaus to those that put in wore to provide us with all needed ideals and infomation. My self i`m very thankfull. You can get more ideals and info from my website forex trader
 
Hey, i have similar site to yours, just visit download flash free game site. It pretty much covers ##KEYWORD## related stuff.
 
In order to succeed online one needs two things - a killer web site and a steady stream of potential customers. Get both at www.TheOnlinePromoters.com
 
where i get more info?
 
Hi there. Nice blog. Interesting posts. Looking for updated information about forex course. Not quite what I had in mind, but very nice read none the less. I have a forex courserelated site. Maybe visit if you have time Free-Cash-Site.com. Thanks.
 
Hello. Kinda bored,, but looking for information on forex book. Informative blog, good info. Maybe visit my site if you're looking for forex book related material forex book. Have a good day.
 
I have been following a site now for almost 2 years and I have found it to be both
reliable and profitable. They post daily and their stock trades have been beating
the indexes easily.

Take a look at Wallstreetwinnersonline.com

RickJ
 
I have been following a site now for almost 2 years and I have found it to be both
reliable and profitable. They post daily and their stock trades have been beating
the indexes easily.

Take a look at Wallstreetwinnersonline.com

RickJ
 
Your blog is very informative. Dont't stop. I was searching for penis enlargement store and came across yours. I'll bookmark you. Might check my site out if you are interested in penis enlargement store stuff. You can find it here: penis enlargement store
 
I have a similar website tied to risk of nicoderm cq Come by some time.
I very much fancy your site, I bookmarked it! This information is terrific stuff.
 
internet work from home,http://allmyvista.com,internet work from home

free downloads of software, php scripts, audio, ebooks and seminar interviews. Make work from home incredibly easy

internet work from home

http://allmyvista.com

internet work from home
 
I hate to say this, but I was looking for baby girl nursery theme links, but your site came up. Oh well. Worth the read. Gotta run.
 
Was blogging this evening and saw yours...my compliments.

Warm Regards

cheap flight london bangkok
 
Zu h�ren ist interessant zu mir, �ber allied cash advance Informationen.Respectfully, Art allied cash advance
 
Als ich zuerst an es interessiert erhielt, sollte es soviel erlernen. Mehr, die wei� ich, mehr die Fragen ich habe.Sincerely, Son cash and check advance san diego
 
Tambi�n tengo un sitio en la whiteheads and blackheads no tambi�n puestos junto como el tuyo.Deeply, Rodrigo whiteheads and blackheads
 
Ik wil enkel al cash advance newark onderzoek krijgen uit de manier.Chiao, Jennine cash advance newark
 
Dia una buona occhiata a che cosa � pi� importante voi.Toodle-oo, Wendi industrial water purifiers
 
I appreciate all the help I have received.Truly, Lonnie silent air purifier
 
I'm always on the lookout for other people interested in how to make penis huge. Glad I found you. Another site I would recommend on the subject is how to make penis huge Happy Day.
 
What a great title. You have a great blog. I was searching for penis enlargement including when I landed here. I've got a similar site related to penis enlargement including you might want to check out.
 
This is a excellent blog. Keep it going. When searching for considering penis enlargement, I happened to come across your site. I'll bookmark it. Perhaps you would be interested in my site, considering penis enlargement
 
Your Blog. It's nice . If you ever need penis enlargement news related stuff, I'm sure you'd be interested in penis enlargement news
 
I've got a new site up which might to be of interest to some. I run a penis enlargement tool related site.
Alot of interesting comments on this blog, I was searching for penis enlargement tool related info and some how came across this site. I found it pretty cool, so I bookmarked. I'll really theme, that got my attention.
 
It's hard to find information on longitude penis enlargement on the internet that is as accurate as yours. I had came across longitude penis enlargement that actually explains longitude penis enlargement in more depth. Cheers.
 
What a great site you have here, I bookmarked it! I was looking for penis enlargement products or something like it. Very informative.

I have a penis enlargement products related site.

Check it out when you can. ;)
 
Hey, you sure got a super blog here. Very interesting stuff. I've already put a book mark on it.

Pity I spend so much time blog-surfing that I often neglect my own. Silly me. :) But its so adictive.

Anyway, a lot of people are trying to make cash online nowadays, so I thought I'd help you out with a site that has some great tools.

gay penis enlargement
Not bad to sit around doing nothing while your bank balance keeps growing. :)
 
Your blog is great This may be of interest to you to if you are searching for providing penis enlargement, I've got a site at providing penis enlargement
 
Nice blog! Good topic and very well organized!

free popup
 
I was reading a paper from a university about this subject. Nice article. You know what you are talking about. Along the lines of this theme, I have a similar site stop smoking patch where more information can be found on the subject. Thanks for the bit of information you posted here.
 
Shop online today. Forget driving to the mall when you can just click the mouse and order from your favorite store. No traffic to deal with
 
I have a similar website tied to penis enlargement Come by some time.
I surely fancy your site, It's bookmarked! This post is terrific stuff.
 
Hebt u om het even welk goed nieuws over payday loan uk onlangs gehoord?Toodle-oo, Joy payday loan uk
 
Great blog. In case you care to know, I was searching for custom hotrod air cleaners and your blog came up. I am glad I found it though.

Very nice.
 
Hello ##NAME##, with all the information on telework I became very overwhelmed. Anyway, I was online doing a specific search for the most current information on telework and somehow I ended up on your site. ##NAME## to be frank, ##TITLE## wasn't not the exact match to what I was looking for, but boy am I glad I'm here. You've certainly managed to grab me attention and peak my interest. I must say this is a great blog and I'm most certainly happy that I stopped by eventhough it wasn't the telework related information I was looking for. Thanks. Keep up the good work.
 
www.TheOnlinePromoters.com has everything a webmaster needs to succeed online
 
The ultimate internet marketing website is www.TheOnlinePromoters.com
 
???
I dont really get it?
Oh well Hi there.
 
I was looking for posts on personal loan with bad credit and I was wondering if there was anything else?With Compliments, Leone personal loan with bad credit
 
Hello ##NAME##, with all the information on work from home jobs I became very overwhelmed. Anyway, I was online doing a specific search for the most current information on work from home jobs and somehow I ended up on your site. ##NAME## to be frank, ##TITLE## wasn't not the exact match to what I was looking for, but boy am I glad I'm here. You've certainly managed to grab me attention and peak my interest. I must say this is a great blog and I'm most certainly happy that I stopped by eventhough it wasn't the work from home jobs related information I was looking for. Thanks. Keep up the good work.
 
This is a excellent blog. Keep it going. If you have a mortgage issue, I'm sure you'd be interested in http://thehomemortgageguide.com Need Information on purchasing a home? mortgage after bankruptcy
 
You ever have an annoying dog that barks next door like a mad crazy dog from a Carpenter book and you all of sudden find yourself at the computer on the internet and completely absorbed? And for those few solumn, focused and unearthly moments, you could not hear that damn dog barking in the background until you somehow get detached from the computer. But when I got back on my computer, I have no clue how I ended back searching for Apply online for a mortgage loan uk when my original subject was completely different than that. Hmmmm, it must be that I was drawn to this specific site. Funny how things works.
Apply online for a mortgage loan uk
 
Yeah, so here I am with no thoughts. What the heck was I thinking. Oh, yeah, maybe I should talk about how stale my day was until I found this awesome site I was searching for. It had every place and every popular thing people are looking for. And you know what, it is just the central place I was looking for in the first place. And I found every site I possible could there. Now if I only had the URL of the site so I could check it. Sheesh! Www mortgage express co uk
 
Earn residual income for a lifetime.
 
Most Acne medications only mask the symptons of Acne and does nothing to stop the real cause of Acne.This is why people buy Acne products month after month - year after year.
Link to this site: acne treatment and prevention
http://www.acne-faq.info/
 
Hello ##NAME##, with all the information on telecommuting I became very overwhelmed. Anyway, I was online doing a specific search for the most current information on telecommuting and somehow I ended up on your site. ##NAME## to be frank, ##TITLE## wasn't not the exact match to what I was looking for, but boy am I glad I'm here. You've certainly managed to grab me attention and peak my interest. I must say this is a great blog and I'm most certainly happy that I stopped by eventhough it wasn't the telecommuting related information I was looking for. Thanks. Keep up the good work.
 
Hello ##NAME##, with all the information on work from home I became very overwhelmed. Anyway, I was online doing a specific search for the most current information on work from home and somehow I ended up on your site. ##NAME## to be frank, ##TITLE## wasn't not the exact match to what I was looking for, but boy am I glad I'm here. You've certainly managed to grab me attention and peak my interest. I must say this is a great blog and I'm most certainly happy that I stopped by eventhough it wasn't the work from home related information I was looking for. Thanks. Keep up the good work.
 
Hello ##NAME##, with all the information on telecommuting I became very overwhelmed. Anyway, I was online doing a specific search for the most current information on telecommuting and somehow I ended up on your site. ##NAME## to be frank, ##TITLE## wasn't not the exact match to what I was looking for, but boy am I glad I'm here. You've certainly managed to grab me attention and peak my interest. I must say this is a great blog and I'm most certainly happy that I stopped by eventhough it wasn't the telecommuting related information I was looking for. Thanks. Keep up the good work.
 
Hello ##NAME##, with all the information on legit work at home jobs I became very overwhelmed. Anyway, I was online doing a specific search for the most current information on legit work at home jobs and somehow I ended up on your site. ##NAME## to be frank, ##TITLE## wasn't not the exact match to what I was looking for, but boy am I glad I'm here. You've certainly managed to grab me attention and peak my interest. I must say this is a great blog and I'm most certainly happy that I stopped by eventhough it wasn't the legit work at home jobs related information I was looking for. Thanks. Keep up the good work.
 
Hi,

I hope to be able to create one blog like yours sometim. It helped me a lot, since the info you provide is what I was looking for.

Regards,
online money make fast
 
Hello :)

I congratulate U and thank U for this information U keep providing us through Ur site......... I really appreciate it a lot...

Regards,
make online money fast
 
Hi blogger:)

We think no one visits my web blog, cause We hardly have a comment.. My sister did posted a few ones, however nothing else.. We do not know why, but Urs is awesome - We love it and try to create some useful content only like U are doing:)

Regards,
fast make online money
 
Hi , I was out blog surfing looking for some info on bad credit mortgage when I ended up on your page. Should you ever need it, you can get specific information about bad credit mortgage at the site above.
 
Looking for more information on Industrial Vacuum Equipment ..If so here is a fantastic resource for everything related to Industrial Vacuum Equipment with information, products, articles and more..Check it out here...dampex.com
 
Hey,

All these blog on the net why this fuss about? Posting on yours is a fuss though and have benn placed on my Bookmarks folder :)

Good Luck! Keep it up...

Regards,
make money at home online
 
With respect to your post I realize I've got a few things to learn yet. It is reasonable because it is similar to the way I write and because it seems to make for readable posts. I really liked your blog because it's interesting in a off-beat kind of way. You've nailed it in your last post. I was searching for topics on top network marketing companies and while searching Blogspot I came across your post on your blog. I try to keep to Forex Options but that's not always possible. Good job!
 
Unreal, I don't agree :-(.Need to finish my paper on free help kit to quit smoking.Keep up the good blog,free help kit to quit smoking.
 
You should check out www.pharaohspokerpalace.com

They are giving all players 48% of the casino profits with a share program. Just like Poker Shares. And they pay you monthly! All you have to do is play. I think they are also offering a bonus of like 200%. Bill
 
Check out www.pharaohspokerpalace.com

They are giving all players 48% of the casino profits with a share program. Just like Poker Shares. And they pay you monthly! All you have to do is play. I think they are also offering a bonus of like 200%.

For real. You get a part of the casino profits! No joke.

John
 
Has anyone heard of www.pharaohspokerpalace.com? They are taking signups for a Poker Share program. They are giving all players 48% of the casino profits with a share program. Just like Poker Shares. And they pay you monthly! All you have to do is play. I think they are also offering a bonus of like 200%. Anyone know anything about these guys? Bill
 
Good Website you.

increase your credit score over night
http://www.activeinform.com/

Regards,
Gerald E.
http://www.activeinform.com/
increase your credit score over night
 
Sweet blog dud.

http://www.activeinform.com/

computer consulting in arizona
 
Post a Comment

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Site Meter

Prev | List | Random | Next
Powered by RingSurf!

Prev | List | Random | Next
Powered by RingSurf!