First via IBD from the London’s Sunday Times…
Winning Isn’t News
By INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
Iraq: What would happen if the U.S. won a war but the media didn’t tell the American public? Apparently, we have to rely on a British newspaper for the news that we’ve defeated the last remnants of al-Qaida in Iraq .
London’s Sunday Times called it ‘the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror.’ A terrorist force that once numbered more than 12,000, with strongholds in the west and central regions of Iraq, has over two years been reduced to a mere 1,200 fighters, backed against the wall in the northern city of Mosul. The destruction of al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) is one of the most unlikely and unforeseen events in the long history of American warfare.
We can thank President Bush’s surge strategy, in which he bucked both Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington by increasing our forces there instead of surrendering. We can also thank the leadership of the new general he placed in charge there, David Petraeus, who may be the foremost expert in the world on counter-insurgency warfare. And we can thank those serving in our military in Iraq who engaged local Iraqi tribal leaders and convince d them America was their friend and AQI their enemy.
Al-Qaida’s loss of the hearts and minds of ordinary Iraqis began in Anbar Province, which had been written off as a basket case, and spread out from there. Now, in Operation Lion’s Roar the Iraqi army and the U.S. 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is destroying the fraction of terrorists who are left.
More than 1,000 AQI operatives have already been apprehended. Sunday Times (London) reporter Marie Colvin, traveling with Iraqi forces in Mosul, found little AQI presence even in bullet-ridden residential areas that were once insurgency strongholds, and reported that the terrorists have lost control of its Mosul urban base, with what is left of the organization having fled south into the countryside.
Meanwhile, the State Department reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government has achieved ‘satisfactory’ progress on 15 of the 18 political benchmarks ‘a big change for the better from a year ago.’ Things are going so well that Maliki has even for the first time floated the idea of a timetable for withdrawal of American forces. He did so while visiting the United Arab Emirates ,which over the weekend announced that it was forgiving almost $7 billion of debt owed by Baghdad, an impressive vote of confidence from a fellow Arab state in the future of a free Iraq.
But where are the headlines and the front-page stories about all this good news? As the Media Research Center pointed out last week, ‘the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News and CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 were silent Tuesday night about the benchmarks ‘that signaled political progress.’ The war in Iraq has been turned around 180 degrees both militarily and politically because the president stuck to his guns.
Yet apart from IBD, Fox News Channel and parts of the foreign press, the media don’t seem to consider this historic event a big story.
Copyright 2008 Investor’s Business Daily. All Rights Reserved.
Addendum: I believe the reason you haven’t seen this on American television or read about it in the American press is simple–journalism is ‘dead’ in this country. They are controlled by Liberal media who would rather see our troops defeated than recognize a successful Republican initiated response to 9/11. I also believe the media are probably holding the info ’til after coronation of BHO in order to give him credit.
Second- the commissioning of CVN-77 the last Nimitz Class Carrier was held yesterday in Norfolk. It is the USS George H. W. Bush, and the ship’s motto is Freedom at Work. Any commissioning is a special time, not only for the crew, but also for the families both of the crew and the namesake. While it is unusual for the namesake to still be alive, it is not unprecedented. The families finally get to see their sailors who have worked their tails off man the rails for the first time and they know the pride their significant others feel in a job well done.
To me the two special moments were the fly-over, which included a TBM Avenger like what President Bush flew (and he did NOT know it was going to be there), and the posting of the watch. For those who are not Navy folks, when the watch is posted that is the first time the Navy assumes control of the ship from the builder, and from that point forward, 24/7/365 until that ship is decommissioned, be it 20 years or 50 years, there will always be a duty section standing watch aboard her.
The original crew will be known as plank owners, dating back to the days of wooden ships when one of the original crew, upon departure was given a piece or plank from the ship as a commemorative of their service.
Another key is the ship’s emblem, this symbol is normally done by the pre-com unit and is the design that will forever grace the ship’s patches, flags, coffee mugs and lighters. Here is the CVN-77 Emblem and explanation.
Each element of the seal is significant for its relevance to the ship’s namesake, Naval Aviation, naval service, and our great nation. There are six prominent features of the seal, beginning with the forty-one white stars.
These stars symbolize our namesake and the nation’s forty-first president, the Honorable George H.W. Bush. After taking the executive oath of office, with his hand on the same Bible George Washington used in 1789, President Bush inspired us to use power to help people.
Rays of light that appear on the seal’s horizon represent President Bush’s concept of a thousand points of light. He urged us to find meaning and reward by serving a purpose higher than ourselves, to imbue the timeless ideas of “duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in.” The crew of CVN-77 stands ready every day and takes pride in pitching in.
The graphic depiction of the aircraft carrier reflects the carrier as both a symbol and instrument of American strength as “a force for good.” Bridging the past, present, and future of Naval Aviation are the overhead profiles of the TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, the F-18 Hornet strike fighter, and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Avenger was selected for its relevance to President Bush’s days as a Navy pilot.
The fouled anchors and shields, as seen centered on Naval Aviators wings, honor our namesake’s aviation history. The youngest pilot in the Navy when he earned his wings, he later flew an Avenger bomber during World War II. During one combat mission, his aircraft received heavy anti-aircraft fire. Although his plane was afire and severely damaged, he courageously completed his strafing run before heading out to sea, where he bailed out and was rescued by a Navy submarine, the USS FINBACK.
Finally, the motto “Freedom at Work” is adapted from President Bush’s inaugural speech, during which he said, “We know what works: Freedom works. We know what’s right: Freedom is right.” The USS GEORGE H. W. BUSH and its crew, proud to serve a higher purpose, are the finest examples of Freedom at Work.
That is all.
