Article

2008-10-17 Iraq

Last Marine getting ready to turn out the lights in Fallujah

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2008-10-17 09:35|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top
File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq

#1 This is absolutely tremendous news. It's the victorious end of a truly major battle in a very tough war--a war we've all but won. It's a pity that so few Americans will ever hear about it.

Our MSM is so traitorous the vast majority of them ought to be shot and the rest deported.

Posted by Jolutch Mussolini7800 2008-10-17 10:32|| 2008-10-17 10:32|| Front Page Top

#2 April 2007 "I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week," Reid told journalists.
If they held a senility contest I wonder who would win? Reid or Murtha?

Posted by GK 2008-10-17 10:42|| 2008-10-17 10:42|| Front Page Top

#3 Reid's not senile. He knows what he's saying and why he's saying it. Him and his fellow donks wanted defeat in Iraq just like they want a depression now so they can blame it on Bush and the Republicans and win the White House.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2008-10-17 11:15|| 2008-10-17 11:15|| Front Page Top

#4 The Marines have done a tremendous job in Fallujah---from the fight to the finish now. Their sense of dedication and professionalism is a beacon of light for this country. And unwittingly, it shows the shallowness and depravity of many in Congress, especially the likes of Jack Murtha and Harry Reid.

Without dedicated people like these Marines protecting the nation, parasites like Pelosi, Murtha, Durban, et al, would not get the time of day.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2008-10-17 11:47|| 2008-10-17 11:47|| Front Page Top

#5 But perhaps the biggest sign that the situation has changed for the better for Sunnis living in Anbar: With the help of the Marines and the Iraqi police, nearly 100 percent of the eligible voting population were registered a month ago to vote in upcoming provincial elections. "They seem to add another political party every day," Kelly said. "We didn't have a single security violation of any kind. They're at least going to give the electoral process a shot ... at least going to give democracy a chance."

Very well done, all!

Posted by trailing wife ">trailing wife 2008-10-17 11:56|| 2008-10-17 11:56|| Front Page Top

#6 Thank you for a job well done.

Posted by Richard of Oregon 2008-10-17 12:33|| 2008-10-17 12:33|| Front Page Top

#7 History will be the judge of whether we won this war or not. But I am hopeful that this is a sign that Iraq can and will emerge from this war a stable and gorwing country.

Should there be peace and the establishment of a persistent democratic process over the next 10 years, the prospects for the country are indeed very bright.

This will be Bush's positive legacy (sorry, but his utter mis-handling of the domestic situation may well overshadow his foriegn policy effort). I very much hope it endures.

Posted by remoteman 2008-10-17 13:23|| 2008-10-17 13:23|| Front Page Top

#8 The Marines generally leave a legacy behind when they depart an area. In this case, for at least two or three generations, the Iraqis they trained will do their best to be as much like the Marines as they can.

It is more than just the training itself, it is the osmosis from soldier to soldier, the culture, great and small. The concept that we do it this way, because that is the way it is done.

I imagine that the Iraqis will make a lot of deals with the US to continue to have USMC advisers doing quality control in their training programs. Those IA who have worked with the Marines will demand it.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-10-17 14:39|| 2008-10-17 14:39|| Front Page Top

#9 We've come a long way since that dark day in 2004:

Ghastly barbaric murder of four foreigners in Falluja

Lest we forget:
Wes Batalona
Scott Helvenston
Mike Teague
Jerry Zovko

Posted by Atomic Conspiracy 2008-10-17 15:49|| 2008-10-17 15:49|| Front Page Top

#10 I pray Moose is spot on, but I suppose we'll see. I wonder if it's succeeded in an Islamic setting before - the British history is probably the closest counterpart, with Pakistan and India the obvious data control sets.

I see success in stages, and we're clearly about done with the bare minimum, for us and Iraq, but the ultimate would be an Iraq nationalism completely devoid of the hallmarks of Arab nationalism, and tranquil, if not lucratively friendly commercial relations with Israel - the ne plus ultra canary in the Arab coal mine.

Posted by Don Vito Omeling5062 2008-10-17 16:18|| 2008-10-17 16:18|| Front Page Top

#11 Don Vito Omeling5062: a partial comparison is not with Arabs, because the British never developed Arab armies to any great extent. However, India was a different matter. The Indians and Sikhs were a quick study, and to this day have a very British way of doing military business.

But that was the 19th and early 20th Century way of training. Today, if you were to go to Iraq and to a far lesser extent, Afghanistan, you could probably tell who the American trainers were who trained a particular unit.

The USMC is extremely stylized in its training and operations, and it has been noted that the Iraqis military wants *everything* the USMC has, as far as equipment. Ironically, these Iraqis will probably call those units the Arabic equivalent of "Marine", though they will never go to sea.

Everything the Marines do, even just stylistic things, will be copied and mimicked. I would not be surprised in a few years if the Iraqis develop a similar dress uniform.

Eventually, the Iraqis will have truly "elite" units, prestige units, unique among Arab armies.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-10-17 19:27|| 2008-10-17 19:27|| Front Page Top

#12 This will be Bush's positive legacy (sorry, but his utter mis-handling of the domestic situation may well overshadow his foriegn policy effort). I very much hope it endures.

Remoteman, I'm calling you on that. Please explain precisely how Bush "mis-handled" the "domestic situation".

McCain was right. The economy was in good shape. Last January there was no one mainstream who saw this credit crash coming. Sure, there were a number of worried people. McCain. Bush. A small but persistent group of financial analysts who had been preaching doom so long (over 10 years) that no one was listening any more.

Who do you think Bush is? King of the USA or something? He gave it a good shot, but it was clear that no one was listening or wanted a party pooper around.

What They Said About Fan and Fred

A Mortgage Fable

Who caused the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression?

Actually, the timing of the crash was remarkably good. Those balls had been in the air for years. I'm not sure how Soros triggered it, but I'm betting he did. Note that I'm not saying he had the power to set up the house of cards; we all did that, from the irresponsible house buyers to the greedy bond buyers in Norway. But there's a good chance he pulled out a couple of cards at the right moment. It didn't take much.

Posted by KBK 2008-10-17 19:51|| 2008-10-17 19:51|| Front Page Top

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