Saturday, August 19, 2006

Combat Camera: Sat 19 Aug. 2006

SEARCHING A GLASS FACTORY

U.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, conduct a cordon search of a glass factory during a patrol in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, conduct a cordon search of a glass factory during a patrol in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army Pfc. Antonio Espricuetavelaquez, from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, enters a room during a cordon search of a glass factory in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army Pfc. Antonio Espricuetavelaquez, from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, enters a room during a cordon search of a glass factory in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, conduct a cordon search of a glass factory during a patrol in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, conduct a cordon search of a glass factory during a patrol in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, conduct a cordon search of a glass factory during a patrol in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, conduct a cordon search of a glass factory during a patrol in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army Spc. Thadeus McPheron, from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, conducts cordon search of a glass factory during a patrol in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army Spc. Thadeus McPheron, from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, conducts cordon search of a glass factory during a patrol in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Local Iraqis gather in the street to collect food from a food distribution point in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockLocal Iraqis gather in the street to collect food from a food distribution point in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Marines and Army soldiers take cover from small arms fire while investigating the cause of a suicide car bomb explosion in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. The soldiers, from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, were in Tameem to conduct a cordon and search of a glass factory. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Marines and Army soldiers take cover from small arms fire while investigating the cause of a suicide car bomb explosion in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. The soldiers, from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, were in Tameem to conduct a cordon and search of a glass factory. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. David Shaw talks with an injured Iraqi man after a car explosion at an intersection in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. The soldiers, from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, were in Tameem to conduct a cordon and search of a glass factory. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army 1st Sgt. David Shaw talks with an injured Iraqi man after a car explosion at an intersection in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. The soldiers, from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, were in Tameem to conduct a cordon and search of a glass factory. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

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Vanishing Joe

I thought I would share something interesting happening with the blog.

You'll notice on the sidebar I have posted an ad for the Weekly Standard magazine in the section titled On My Nightstand. Yes, I actually have a subscription to the Standard.

You’ll also notice that the image of the magazine cover has a caricature of Conn. Sen. Joe Lieberman (Dem), who as you know has fallen out of favor with the folks on the left who have hijacked the Democratic party.

Since the Connecticut primary, the image for my Weekly Standard ad has been deleted no less than four times. Now, I know I haven't deleted the image. However, it has been easy enough for just about anyone to delete the image from my public hosting service. Who would want to delete an image of Joe Lieberman off the Internet? What’s the point? It's not like I am stumping for Joe.

Anyway, I'm not mad at the foolishness, but I am concerned.

I'm concerned about the lack of maturity in the folks who think that deleing an image from a blog is way to help change the direction of our country.

Some liberal talking points already border on the insipid. If the intellectual quality of netroots liberals boils down to wallowing in childish behaviors like deleting an image off of a remarkably unvisited blog (such as mine), what does that say about the way these folks would take care of our country in times of duress?

It's something to think about and it gives me the creeps.

(Corrections: 8/20)

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Sat Afternoon Open Thread

Here are some recent developments in the Middle East:

  • Israel states that Hezbollah is rearming in this report from ynet.

  • Israeli commandos raid a Hezbollah stronghold deep inside Lebanon Saturday, reports AP, Washington Post.

  • Aljazeera reports Lebanon threatens to halt deployment of military peacekeepers beacuse of fighting.

  • Haaretz reports Israel says France not keeping promise on troop commitment.

  • AP reports that about 50 French military engineers arrive in Lebanon as spearhead to prepare for 200 troops for France's revised downward commitment to the 15,000 member peacekeeping force.

  • Hezbollah Pays War Victims $12,000 each reports Arab News. You can guess from whom the cash flows.

  • Reuters reports Israeli raid in Lebanon tests truce.

  • The Washington Post reports that the war has caused concern of the state of Israel's military.

  • President Bush says Middle East at 'pivotal moment' in history reports AFP.


"Terrorists and their sponsors recognize that the Middle East is at a pivotal moment in its history," the president said in his address from the Camp David presidential retreat -- the site of a 1978 peace accord between Egypt and Israel and a 2000 meeting between Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak.



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Friday, August 18, 2006

Combat Camera: Fri 18 Aug. 2006

The nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23) sits moored in the magnetic silencing facility at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor in Silverdale, Wash., on Aug. 16, 2006. The Jimmy Carter is the third and final submarine of the Sea Wolf-class. DoD photo by Master Chief Jerry McLain, U.S. Navy. (Released) The nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23) sits moored in the magnetic silencing facility at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor in Silverdale, Wash., on Aug. 16, 2006. The Jimmy Carter is the third and final submarine of the Sea Wolf-class. DoD photo by Master Chief Jerry McLain, U.S. Navy. (Released)

U.S. Army Spc. Jason Andrade and Iraqi army soldiers search a house for weapons and contraband during an operation in Ameriyah, Iraq, Aug. 15, 2006. Andrade is with 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, the Iraqi soldiers are with Charlie Company, 6th Battalion, 2nd Brigade. DoD photo by Sgt. Steven Phillips, U.S. Army. (Released) U.S. Army Spc. Jason Andrade and Iraqi army soldiers search a house for weapons and contraband during an operation in Ameriyah, Iraq, Aug. 15, 2006. Andrade is with 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, the Iraqi soldiers are with Charlie Company, 6th Battalion, 2nd Brigade. DoD photo by Sgt. Steven Phillips, U.S. Army. (Released)

U.S. Army Soldiers check a rooftop during a house-to-house search for weapons and contraband in Al Nur, Iraq, Aug. 16, 2006. The Soldiers are assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin, U.S. Navy. (Released) U.S. Army Soldiers check a rooftop during a house-to-house search for weapons and contraband in Al Nur, Iraq, Aug. 16, 2006. The Soldiers are assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin, U.S. Navy. (Released)

U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Donna Shelton (right) speaks with a Ugandan woman waiting to see a doctor at the Muslim health clinic in Soroti, Uganda, on Aug. 15, 2006, during exercise Natural Fire 2006. The exercise consists of military-to-military training as well as medical, veterinary, and engineering civic affairs programs conducted in rural areas throughout the region. Shelton is an international health specialist assigned to Detachment 2, 311th Human Services Wing. DoD photo by Master Sgt. John E. Lasky, U.S. Air Force. (Released) U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Donna Shelton (right) speaks with a Ugandan woman waiting to see a doctor at the Muslim health clinic in Soroti, Uganda, on Aug. 15, 2006, during exercise Natural Fire 2006. The exercise consists of military-to-military training as well as medical, veterinary, and engineering civic affairs programs conducted in rural areas throughout the region. Shelton is an international health specialist assigned to Detachment 2, 311th Human Services Wing. DoD photo by Master Sgt. John E. Lasky, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

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Fri Morning Open Thread

Returning to the Gallery of the Absurd, more news about Lebanon's own FEMA:

  • Reuters reports that Hezbollah handed out bundles of cash on Friday to Lebanese whose homes were damaged during combat.


"This is a very, very reasonable amount. It is not small," said Ayman Jaber, 27, holding a wad he had just picked up from Hezbollah of $12,000 in banknotes wrapped in tissue.



More news out of the Middle East:

  • The Washington Post reports for the first time in a generation, Lebanese troops, tanks and armored vehicles deployed in force Thursday into the country's south as part of a U.N. cease-fire that has so far calmed 33 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militiamen.
  • Israel says it would be "difficult if not inconceivable" to accept nations which do not recognise its right to exist as part of a UN force in Lebanon reports the BBC.
  • Aljazeera reports that the leader of Lebanon's largest parliamentary bloc has said the Syrian president's attack on Lebanese politicians is worse than the destruction wreaked by Israel.
  • Israel has complained to Russia that Russian-made anti-tank missiles have reached Hezbollah guerrillas who used them against Israeli troops in south Lebanon, government officials said Friday reports AP via Fox News.
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Thursday, August 17, 2006

Combat Camera: Thu 17 Aug. 2006

VEHICLE CHECKPOINT

U.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, search an Iraqi man’s vehicle at a traffic control point on Alternate Supply Route Michigan in Tameem, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, search an Iraqi man’s vehicle at a traffic control point on Alternate Supply Route Michigan in Tameem, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

An Iraqi army soldier asks U.S. Army Sgt. Jose Lanzarin for help with his vehicle search at a traffic control point on Alternate Supply Route Michigan in Tameem, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2006. Lanzarin is from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockAn Iraqi army soldier asks U.S. Army Sgt. Jose Lanzarin for help with his vehicle search at a traffic control point on Alternate Supply Route Michigan in Tameem, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2006. Lanzarin is from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army soldiers search Iraqi men at a traffic control point in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army soldiers search Iraqi men at a traffic control point in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army Cpl. Jammy Randell, center, and Staff Sgt. Shawn Re', left, look through an Iraqi man's address book with the help of an interpreter at a traffic control point in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army Cpl. Jammy Randell, center, and Staff Sgt. Shawn Re', left, look through an Iraqi man's address book with the help of an interpreter at a traffic control point in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Shawn Re', right, and his interpreter speak with Iraqi men at a traffic control point in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army Staff Sgt. Shawn Re', right, and his interpreter speak with Iraqi men at a traffic control point in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

A U.S. Army soldier from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, conducts a security search of a man at a traffic control point in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockA U.S. Army soldier from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, conducts a security search of a man at a traffic control point in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army Sgt. Jose Lanzarin conducts a patrol in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2006. The soldiers are from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army Sgt. Jose Lanzarin conducts a patrol in Tameem, Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2006. The soldiers are from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, search vehicles at a traffic control point on Alternate Supply Route Michigan in Tameem, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Army soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 1st Armored Division, search vehicles at a traffic control point on Alternate Supply Route Michigan in Tameem, Iraq, Aug. 7, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

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Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Holocaust Cartoon Contest: Where's the Outrage Now?

Iranian women attend the international cartoon contest on the Holocaust in Tehran. Iranian women attend the international cartoon contest on the Holocaust in Tehran.

Iranian men look at an exhibit during a visit at the Holocaust International Cartoon Exhibition in Tehran August 14, 2006. Iranian men look at an exhibit during a visit at the Holocaust International Cartoon Exhibition in Tehran August 14, 2006.

COMMENTLINES
It's a question, simple enough. Where's the outrage from the non-Muslim world at the more than 200 entries in Iran's International Holocaust Cartoons Contest?

Lack of outrage?

It's a statement, simple enough: apathy.

Perhaps it's dangerous to compare this apathy with the apathy the world has historically shown to true fascism (and not the kool-aid variety labels liberals toss so recklessly at President Bush).

Is it 2006 or 1939?

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." --George Santayana

NEWSBYTES
Iranian Exhibit Takes On the Holocaust
Cartoon Contest Launched in Answer to Publication of Muhammad Caricatures
TEHRAN, Aug. 16 (Reuters) -- At the exhibition entrance, a poster shows a helmet with the Star of David lying on top of others carrying a Nazi swastika. Inside, the Statue of Liberty is pictured holding a Holocaust book while giving a Nazi salute.

Iran Opens Exhibition Mocking Holocaust
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- An exhibition of cartoons about the Holocaust opened this week, reflecting Iran's response to last year's Muslim outrage over a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper.

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Gallery of the Absurd: Hezbollah the Charitable

Submitted for your consideration, a tale from the Twilight Zone enters our Gallery of the Absurd.

Perhaps we should call upon Hezbollah the next time the US suffers a major disaster. If we are to believe the New York Times:



[H]undreds of Hezbollah members spread over dozens of villages across southern Lebanon began cleaning, organizing and surveying damage. Men on bulldozers were busy cutting lanes through giant piles of rubble. Roads blocked with the remnants of buildings are now, just a day after a cease-fire began, fully passable.

Hezbollah’s reputation as an efficient grass-roots social service network — as opposed to the Lebanese government, regarded by many here as sleek men in suits doing well — was in evidence everywhere. Young men with walkie-talkies and clipboards were in the battered Shiite neighborhoods on the southern edge of Bint Jbail, taking notes on the extent of the damage.



Gee golly heck, what was Bush thinking? He should have called Hezbollah to clean up after hurricane Katrina.

Speaking of Katrina, FEMA gave out debit cards with $2000 balances to folks made homeless by the disaster. Compare that to what is happening in Lebanon, according to the Times:



[A] Hezbollah official said the group would offer an initial $10,000 to residents to help pay for the year of rent, to buy new furniture and to help feed families.



Why not just replace the Red Cross with Hezbollah? Lets declare a cease fire in Iraq and let Hezbollah go to work!

In the end, I suppose, the report of relief efforts are some kind of diversion to keep us from looking too hard at the Lebanese people who endured the brunt of the Israeli assault when Hezbollah fighters cowardly hid among the civilian population.

NEWSBYTES
Hezbollah Leads Work to Rebuild, Gaining Stature
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 15 (NYT) -- As stunned Lebanese returned Tuesday over broken roads to shattered apartments in the south, it increasingly seemed that the beneficiary of the destruction was most likely to be Hezbollah.

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Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission by Thomas Kean

BOOKS IN THE NEWS

CLICK HEREWithout Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission by Thomas Kean
UPDATE: 8/21; corrections (Publishers Weekly) -- A re-creation of the inner workings of a government commission threatens to be a dry bureaucratic procedural, but the 9/11 Commission was so politically fraught that its story is compelling in its own right. Chairman Kean and vice-chair Hamilton detail the commission's fight with Congress for more money and time; its wranglings with the Bush administration to win access to witnesses and classified documents; its delicate relations with victims' families, who were its harshest critics and staunchest champions; its strategic use of public censure to wring concessions from recalcitrant officials; and the forging of a bipartisan consensus among fractious Republican and Democratic commissioners. Their tone is evenhanded and diplomatic, but some adversaries—NORAD, the FAA, House Republicans—get singled out as stumbling blocks to the investigation. The authors cogently defend the compromises they made and swat conspiracy theories about coverups, but critics unhappy with the commission's refusal to "point fingers" or its lukewarm resistance to White House claims of executive privilege may not be satisfied. The issues the commission wrestled with—official incapacity to prevent disaster, the government's use and misuse of intelligence, presidential accountability—are still in the headlines, which makes this lucid, absorbing account of its work very timely. Photos. (Aug. 15) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission

Buy now from Buy.com:

Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission


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Wed Morning Open Thread

Here are more developments on the UK airline bombers:
  • The New York Post reports about an investigation into young British parents who planned to sacrifice their baby when they attacked trans-Atlantic flights in midair.
  • British investigators plan to tell a judge in a closed-door hearing Wednesday why 22 people arrested in a foiled plot to blow up as many as 10 trans-Atlantic jetliners should be kept in custody without charge reports AP.
  • The BBC provides a Q&A on the aircraft bomb plot.

Developments in the Middle East:

  • In Lebanon, Hezbollah refuses to disarm and withdraw its fighters from the border with Israel on Tuesday, threatening to delay deployment of the Lebanese army and endangering the fragile cease-fire reports the Washington Post.
  • AP reports France and Turkey send their top diplomats to Beirut on Wednesday to discuss the deployment of a 15,000-strong international force to south Lebanon, amid doubt over whether Hezbollah would lay down its arms or even withdraw them from the border with Israel.
  • Aljazeera reports that "US civil rights activist" Jessie Jackson says he will aid a prisoner exchange between Israeli and Hezbollah prisoners.
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Tuesday, August 15, 2006

15 Aug. 1945 Allies Celebrate VJ Day

IN HISTORY

For millions of Americans, Alfred Eisenstaedt's 1945 LIFE photograph of a sailor stamping a masterly kiss on a nurse symbolized the cathartic joy of V-J Day.For millions of Americans, Alfred Eisenstaedt's 1945 LIFE photograph of a sailor stamping a masterly kiss on a nurse symbolized the cathartic joy of V-J Day.

On This Day: 1945: Allied nations celebrate VJ Day

Wikipedia: Victory over Japan Day

On a side note, H.D.S. Greenway recalls ironically that 50 years ago today peace was also near in the Middle East. (It was also the day I was born.)

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Tue Evening Open Thread

Here are some interesting news items developing in the Middle East:

  • AP reports that the Treasury Department froze the assets of two Syrian officials on Tuesday, alleging they had played key roles in support of terrorist organizations.
  • NATO says the Taliban uses Hezbollah tactics of hiding among civilians. U.S. and Afghan forces killed an al-Qaida suspect disguised as a woman during a raid reports AP.
  • The Washington Post reports that Hezbollah refused to disarm and withdraw its fighters from hills along the border with Israel Tuesday.
  • Reuters reports that Arabs predict guns won't be silent long in Lebanon.
  • The Syrian president has said that resistance against Israel shows Arab strength reports Aljazeera.
  • Aljazeera also reports that both Israel and Hezbollah both claim victory.
  • Lebanon is a critical battle for the 'New Middle East' reports Arab News.
  • CNN's highly unbalanced report mostly ignores plight of Israeli civilians, portrays Israelis as soldiers and politicians in suits, while coverage from Lebanon features in-depth interviews with Lebanese civilians and images of children and ruins; no mention of large number of Israelis displaced from their homes in north reports ynetnews.
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Dispatches from the Front, Tue 15 Aug. 2006

U.S. Army Soldiers attached to Mortar Platoon, Alpha Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment fire an illumination flare over Mosul, Iraq, from Forward Operating Base Marez, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. DoD photo by Cpl. Sam Kilpatrick, U.S. Army. (Released) U.S. Army Soldiers attached to Mortar Platoon, Alpha Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment fire an illumination flare over Mosul, Iraq, from Forward Operating Base Marez, Iraq, Aug. 10, 2006. DoD photo by Cpl. Sam Kilpatrick, U.S. Army. (Released)

NEWSBYTES

Iraq’s 4th Brigade assumes security responsibility in Baghdad neighborhood
BAGHDAD (CENTCOM) -- Iraqi forces took control of another area of Baghdad on Monday after the latest in a series of transfer of authority ceremonies near the capital.

IRAQI FORCES CAPTURE TERRORIST IN BAGHDAD OPERATION
BAGHDAD (CENTCOM) -- Iraqi forces conducted an early-morning operation on August 14 in west Baghdad, capturing one of their primary targets and detaining one other individual.

MND-B SOLDIERS STRIVE TO KEEP TERRORISTS OUT OF NEIGHBORHOOD IN SOUTHERN BAGHDAD
BAGHDAD (CENTCOM) -- Scores of Iraqi citizens watched as Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers and local Iraqi contractors unloaded dozens of concrete barriers around their homes in an attempt to keep terrorists out of the Doura neighborhood in southern Baghdad Friday.

2 EXPLOSIONS RUPTURE GAS LINE, DESTROYS 4 BUILDINGS; BLAST KILL 63 IRAQIS, WOUND 140
BAGHDAD (CENTCOM) -- Approximately 63 Iraqis were killed and another 140 wounded when two vehicle-borne improvised-explosive devices detonated in the vicinity of a building, causing a gas explosion near the Hawra market in southeast Baghdad at approximately 7:17 p.m. Sunday.

DEVELOPMENT AGENCY NOTES POSITIVE QUARTER IN AFGHANISTAN
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (CENTCOM) -- The Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society, or I-PACS, enjoyed a productive second quarter, from April to June, according to the program’s sixth quarterly report.

SUICIDE BOMBER INJURES CIVILIANS
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (CENTCOM) -- A suicide bomber rammed an Afghan National Army vehicle near an open market in southeast Afghanistan Aug. 14, wounding seven ANA troops and three civilians.

Video: Freedom Watch Afghanistan August 14
This edition features stories on Coalition Forces training the Afghan National Police. Hosted by Sgt. Tim Hanson.

Video: The Clearing of Al Doura
Package about Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces turning up the heat on insurgents in the suburb of Al Doura. Produced by Staff Sgt. Christian Farrell

More News from CENTCOM

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Tue Afternoon Open Thread

Writing in the New York Times today, Carl Hulse outs the new Democrat party platform and election talking point. It's remarkable in that the Times actually says it straight up:



Democrats are using the arrests of the suspects to try to show Americans how the war in Iraq has fueled Islamic radicalism and distracted Mr. Bush and the Republican Congress from shoring up security at home.



The new Democrat strategy is to attack the administration on security, something Democrats have been weak on for decades.

The only thing that can be said of the Democrats is that they still have yet to give Americans a plan other than to offer a change. A sharp change in election tactics in itself is not a plan. It is simply a change.

Likewise, the only thing that can be said of President Bush is that he presented a plan on 9/11 and has not changed.

Does anyone know the Democrat's plan?

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Combat Camera: Tue 15 Aug. 2006

SEARCHING FOR WEAPONS IN RAMADI

Iraqi army soldiers with the 7th Iraqi Army Division along with U.S. Marines and Army soldiers attached to the 1st Armored Division search for weapons caches in a building at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockIraqi army soldiers with the 7th Iraqi Army Division along with U.S. Marines and Army soldiers attached to the 1st Armored Division search for weapons caches in a building at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Iraqi army soldiers from the 7th Iraqi Army Division search a building during a cordon and search for weapons caches at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockIraqi army soldiers from the 7th Iraqi Army Division search a building during a cordon and search for weapons caches at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

An Iraqi army soldier with 7th Iraqi Army Division kicks in a locked door during a cordon and search with U.S. Marines and Army soldiers attached to 1st Armored Division at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockAn Iraqi army soldier with 7th Iraqi Army Division kicks in a locked door during a cordon and search with U.S. Marines and Army soldiers attached to 1st Armored Division at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

An Iraqi army soldier with the 7th Iraqi Army Division searches a room at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockAn Iraqi army soldier with the 7th Iraqi Army Division searches a room at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Iraqi army soldiers with the 7th Iraqi Army Division search for weapons caches in a building at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockIraqi army soldiers with the 7th Iraqi Army Division search for weapons caches in a building at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Iraqi army soldiers with the 7th Iraqi Army Division discover a weapons cache during a cordon search at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockIraqi army soldiers with the 7th Iraqi Army Division discover a weapons cache during a cordon search at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

A U.S. Marine attached to the 1st Armored Division and an Iraqi army soldier from the 7th Iraqi Army Division search for weapons caches in a building at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockA U.S. Marine attached to the 1st Armored Division and an Iraqi army soldier from the 7th Iraqi Army Division search for weapons caches in a building at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

U.S. Marines from the Military Transition Team take a break to eat lunch in the shade of a building during a search for weapons caches at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockU.S. Marines from the Military Transition Team take a break to eat lunch in the shade of a building during a search for weapons caches at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

Iraqi army soldiers from the 7th Iraqi Army Division and U.S. Marines and Army soldiers attached to the 1st Armored Division take a break during a search for weapons caches at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. LockIraqi army soldiers from the 7th Iraqi Army Division and U.S. Marines and Army soldiers attached to the 1st Armored Division take a break during a search for weapons caches at the Al Anbar University in Ramadi, Iraq, Aug. 2, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock

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