Nouri al-Maliki finishes the job Colin Powell couldn’t

In essence, Operation Together Forward, announced this week by newly elected Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, is now necessary because the 4th Infantry Division’s (ID) invasion from the North never occurred. In the weeks leading up to war with Iraq, Collin Powell, (then) Secretary of State negotiated with Ankara’s parliament for permission to use Turkish territory to launch 62,000 US troops against Iraq. Despite being authorized to deliver millions in US aid, Powell failed to secure a “northern front” for the Coalition forces. This left the most advanced division in the U.S. Army stuck in Texas and over 14,000 pieces of equipment, including the latest M1-A2 Abrams battle tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and Apache attack helicopters on ships in the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, this division boasted the Army’s most sophisticated computer systems, allowing for the first time in actual battle, the linking of all vehicles, tracking both each other and the enemy on the battlefield.
It wasn’t until almost a month later that the 4th ID finally joined the war effort after having been re-routed through Kuwait, arriving too late to be part of the initial attack. With the advance of American troops into the Sunni Triangle and the last vestiges of Iraqi resistance thought to be crumbling, it was not clear whether the 4th would see any action or take more of a stabilization role. The 4th ID had initially been a key part of the American war plan, to invade Iraq from the north through Turkey as the 3rd Infantry Division invaded south from Kuwait.
It is now understood that many troops loyal to Saddam abandoned their posts and uniforms and took up as insurgents when the Coalition forces reached the outskirts of Baghdad. Had there been a simultaneous push down from the North, as originally planned, it is altogether possible that many of those who are perpetrating terror today would have been captured or killed at that time.
Three years and 2,500 US fatalities later, the newly-elected Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki’s plan to crack down on security in the capital may finally bring those former Saddamists, along with many others who’ve joined them, to justice. The announcement of a combined military and police action called Operation Together Forward, involving 75,000 troops, to secure roads, stage raids, seize weapons and enforce a curfew is intended to restore order for Baghdad’s 6 million residents, who have suffered the most from suicidal killers, roadside bombs and sectarian death squads.
While the extent of al-Maliki’s military success is not yet known, it can be said with a fair amount of certainty that, had Collin Powell succeeded diplomatically with the Turks, a lot of Americans and Iraqis would be alive today.

Peace with Palestinians will have to wait

Perhaps those signs posted on synagogue billboards saying, “We Support Israel” illustrate that by-in-large American Jews support the current policies of Israel: security first, completing the Fence, separation from Palestinians, holding Palestinians responsible for their choice of Hamas and insuring the demographic future of the Jewish State.
American Jews, just like Israelis realize that making the “pursuit of peace” a priority throughout the 90s was a colossal waste of time; it endangered the very existence of the Jewish State and once again exposed the true nature of Israel’s enemies.
Writing on Ameinu’s Liberal Values News Update, MJ Rosenberg’s characterization of Jewish acceptance of both Israeli and American policy as passive and meaningless is both wrong-headed and insulting.
Rosenberg neglects to mention the primary force behind establishing “peace”, that being victory. Historically; diplomacy, negotiation and compromise only take place, after one side wins and one side loses, when one side lays down the Law and the other side can no longer keep moving the “goal-posts”. If nothing else, nine years of Oslo and two weeks at Camp David with a desperate Pres. Clinton should have taught us all this simple truth.
Back in 1971, Prime Minister Golda Meir rebuffed Sadat’s overture because Israel didn’t trust their enemy and sure enough just two years later Israel suffered another surprise Arab attack on the holiest day of the year. Only after Egypt was dealt a decisive military knock-out was a real peace made possible and return of the entire Sinai considered.
It’s encouraging to know that Rosenberg recognizes the wisdom of former Pres. Nixon. Perhaps he’d be well served to also support another great friend of Israel; President Bush, whose greatest contribution to “peace with the Palestinians” has been to run interference for Israel with the World Community. By doing so, Bush has let Israel do what Israel needs to do to defend itself without forcing (her) into more premature and meaningless negotiations with an emasculated Mahmoud Abbas.

Bush is Leading

When it comes to the issue of what to do about the millions of Illegal Immigrants pouring over our Southern border there’s one thing everyone would have to agree upon. Whether you favor deportation or legalization, animosity or amnesty, fences or freedom the one person who been dealing with the issue for five years is President Bush. That’s what leadership is all about and like his ideas or not, he’s been unafraid to tackle an obviously difficult and divisive problem that’s been brewing for over twenty years.
When it comes to the issue of Corporate Corruption, let’s remember that it is the Bush Justice Department that has successfully prosecuted those at the very top even “Kenny-Boy” Lay of Enron. Wasn’t he the same guy that donated heavily to the Bush campaigns, was one of the President’s good-ole’-boys from down Texas-way and even may have been in on those “secret” energy meetings with Vice President Cheney? Could it be that in this Administration, Justice IS actually blind?
When it comes to dealing with Iran’s Mullahs and Korea’s Madhatter, President Bush has doggedly followed the International path to diplomacy despite the claim that he didn’t do so with Iraq. Now, those same critics chastise Bush for not going one-on-one with these nuclear wannabees.
When it comes to the issue of the New Orleans levies, we’re now learning that that entire Greater Metropolitan area is and (probably) has been sinking 30x faster than previously measured. Whether you think the President was slow on the trigger with FEMA aid or that Mayor Ray “where are the buses?” Nagin failed to get his people out of harm’s way or that Governor Blanco was in over her head, New Orleans may going the way of Atlantis.
So what does that leave us with? Contrary to recent polling, President is leading America though the tough issues, administering Justice fairly regardless of power or privilege, working in cooperation with our European, Russian and Asian allies to deal with the world’s most dangerous Dictatorships and doing everything possible to mitigate suffering and loss due to natural disasters, knowing all the while that no man, even the most powerful man in the world, can alter the course of Nature.