Combat Camera: Search Mission in Al Doura, Baghdad

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. James Naughton goes over tactical procedures with his squad leaders during a search for illegal weapons in Al Doura, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 15, 2007. The soldiers are from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi

U.S. Army Pfc. Matt Durbin, of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, provides security at a propane drop-off point at Al Doura in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 15, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi

A herd of sheep pay a visit to U.S. Army soldiers of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, as they search for illegal weapons at Al Doura in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 15, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi

A young girl holds a fuel lamp as U.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division search her home for illegal weapons in Al Doura, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 15, 2007.U.S. Army photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi

U.S. Army Capt. Joe Schwankhaus, the commander of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, plays with local puppies after a cordon and search mission at Al Doura in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 15, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi

U.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division share a joke after a cordon and search mission at Al Doura in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 15, 2007.U.S. Army photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi

Iraqi National Police officers prepare for a cordon search in Al Doura, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 16, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi

Iraqi National Police officers and U.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, advance towards their objective during a target raid for illegal weapons in Al Doura, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 16, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi

An Iraqi National Police officer pulls security alongside a U.S. Army soldier from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, during a target raid for illegal weapons in Al Doura, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 16, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jeffery Althouse pinpoints targets on a house with Iraqi National Police officers before a cordon and search mission for illegal weapons in Al Doura, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 16, 2007. Althouse is from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.U.S. Army photo by Spc. Olanrewaju Akinwunmi

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McCain Apologizes for Troops Wasted Remark, Obama Defends

McCain announces then apologizes.
Open thread:

The Associated Press reports Republican Sen. John McCain announced his candidacy for president during CBS'"Late Show With David Letterman," and then announced he will announce his candidacy again next month.

McCain told Letterman: "The last time we were on this program, I'm sure you remember everything very clearly that we say, but you asked me if I would come back on this show if I was going to announce. ... I am announcing that I will be a candidate for president of the United States."

Discussing the war with Letterman, McCain repeated his assertion that U.S. troops must remain in Iraq rather than withdrawing early even though the war has been mismanaged.

"Americans are very frustrated, and they have every right to be," McCain said. "We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives."

In February, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama described the lives of troops in Iraq as having been "wasted" but then apologized a day later for making what he called "a slip of the tongue" that he said was not meant to diminish their sacrifice.

McCain, facing criticism from Democrats, on Thursday said he regretted using the word "wasted" to describe the lives lost in the Iraq war, reports The Associated Press.

"I should have used the word 'sacrificed' as I have in the past. No one appreciates and honors more than I do the selfless patriotism of American servicemen and women in the Iraq War," said McCain, reports AFP.

Having said the same thing, Obama defended McCain.
However, ABC News reports at the Senate today presidential candidate Barak Obama defended McCain, surmising that McCain was trying to say what he had been trying to: that the troops deserved better planning and preparation than the Bush administration had given them.

Karen Finney, communications director for the Democratic National Committee criticized McCain while defending Obama's use of the same term.

"Sen. Obama apologized. He immediately saw his error," she said. "And he also does not support the war."

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Bank of Alienica

This alien was unavailable for comment.
Open thread:

U.S. institutions legitimize illegals by taking Mexican documentation.

Updating a recent story in the news, WorldNetDaily.com reports dozens of major United States banking institutions led by Bank of America are implementing a nationwide amnesty program for millions of illegal immigrants by accepting as valid identification Mexico's matricula consular cards, which are just a "laminated piece of paper," critics of the plan have charged.

The Mexican government is flying under the radar by working with local and area jurisdictions instead of national leaders, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

Headlines in the past few weeks on the issue have been dominated by plans by Bank of America to accept the consular cards to establish credit card accounts. Officials with Americans for Legal Immigration also have released a long list of American banking institutions that are moving down the same path.

"But Mexico's new approach has become a direct challenge to U.S. sovereignty – by aggressively lobbying state and local governments, Mexico is changing America's de facto immigration policy in lieu of congressional action," the report, written by CIS Fellow Marti Dinerstein, said. It's happening through the formal recognition of those matricula cards.

Dinerstein said in addition to banking institutions, local law enforcement also was lobbied by Mexico and hundreds of agencies have begun accepting the card as official for the purpose of obtaining a driver's license.

Once that is obtained, the consular card can be thrown away, because the rest of the official documentation in the U.S. hinges on that license, the report said. There are huge problems because there aren't safeguards to prevent multiple matricula cards being given to the same person and the holder's identity never is confirmed when it is issued.

The acceptance of Mexico's card "sets a precedent, making it almost impossible to reject similar cards presented by illegal aliens from other countries, including those which have sent terrorists to the United States in the past," the report said.

Read it.

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Combat Camera: Kurdish Soldiers Arrive to Secure Baghdad

Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Iraqi Army Division exit an Iraqi Air Force plane at Baghdad International Airport, Feb. 26, 2007. The soldiers were flown from near the Irbil area in the Kurdish Autonomous Region to Baghdad to support Operation Fardth - Al Kanoon, a blanket mission aimed at capturing terrorists throughout the country, starting with the capital. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Abel Trevino

Gen. Babakir Zebari, chief Joint Forces Iraq, shakes the hand of a 2nd Iraqi Division jundi as he arrived in Baghdad to support Operation Fardth - Al Kanoon, Feb. 26, 2007. The soldiers were the first mass movement of a unit by the Iraqi Air Force and one of several waves of troops to come from outlying provinces to stabilize the capital. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Abel Trevino

Traditional Iraqi cheek kisses and handshakes greeted the soldiers assigned to the 2nd Iraqi Army Division as they stepped onto the Baghdad International Airport tarmac, Feb. 26, 2007. The commanders of the Iraqi Ground Forces Command met every individual and spoke to them about duty, honor and their country's need for them now. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Abel Trevino

General Babakir Zebari, Chief Joint Forces Iraq, answers questions from reporters about the 2nd Iraqi Army Division troops from the Kurdish Autonomous Region landing in Baghdad, Feb. 26, 2007, to help support the operations geared to stabilizing the country's capital. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Abel Trevino

The Irbil-based 2nd Iraqi Army Division stood in a square formation while Gen. Babakir Zebari, Chief Joint Forces Iraq, spoke to them, Feb. 26, 2007, about their country's need for them to be in Baghdad and the brotherhood between them, regardless of which province they called home and where they went to, they were always Iraqis first. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Abel Trevino

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Combat Camera: LZ X-Ray, Nov 1965

LTC Hal Moore, Commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, on the radio during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

During the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam, the wounded are rushed to the waiting UH-1 of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

During the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam, a UH-1 of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, takes off after being unloaded of water and other supplies. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

During the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam, a UH-1 of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, takes off after being unloaded of water and other supplies. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

A wounded Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, is watched over by a fellow comrade during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

A Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

A wounded Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, is assisted by two fellow comrades during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, gathered together heating rations during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, carry a wounded comrade to a waiting UH-1 of the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

A Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

A Soldier of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, on the radio during the fight for LZ X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. Photo extracted from US Army motion picture footage. (Nov 1965)

(All imagery by U.S. Army.)

NOTE: Image refresh March 17, 2008, Sept. 7, 2008. Many photos lost by ImageShack.

Multimedia:
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Related:
Medal of Honor site honoring Bruce Crandall
LZ X-Ray
After Action Report, IA DRANG Valley Operation 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry
We Were Soldiers Official Film Site

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After the Fall: A world without America

What would the world be like without America?

That’s a question answered in a new online video produced by the British media firm 18 Doughty Street. The video has been a tremendous hit online—and it was inspired by a Heritage Foundation column.


Imagine a world without America
From the Heritage Foundation: The picture isn't pretty. Absent U.S. leadership, diplomatic influence, military might, economic power and unprecedented generosity, life aboard planet earth would likely be pretty grim, indeed. Set aside the differences America made last century - just imagine a world where this country had vanished on Jan. 1, 2001. Read it.

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 27 Feb.

Not the stars of today's China Syndrome.
It's the end of the world as we know it...

• Some are calling it "the China Syndrome." The big story today, from The Washington Post: U.S. stocks fell sharply today, with all three major indexes falling more than 3 percent and the Dow Jones industrial average plummeting more than 416 points. These losses followed an overnight sell-off that began in Asian markets and continued through Europe.
  
  

  Recent increases in oil prices, edginess about the standoff over Iran's pursuit of nuclear technology, and expectations of a slowing U.S. economy added to a string of losses that have pushed the Dow down steadily since last week.

  The Associated Press states it outright: Stocks had their worst day of trading since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks Tuesday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down more than 400 points on a worldwide tide of concern that the U.S. and Chinese economies are stumbling and that share prices have become overinflated.
  
  However, AP immediately dived into speculation to introduce the rest of the news:
  
  

  The steepness of the market's drop, as well as its global breadth, signaled a possible correction after a long period of stable and steadily rising stock markets that had not been shaken by such a volatile day of trading in several years.

  The Wall Street Journal and AP report the sudden, sharp decline by the Dow Jones Industrial Average shortly before 3 p.m. Eastern time today was triggered by a tabulation delay by Dow Jones data systems, which calculates the average. There was a temporary lag in calculation of the 30 large-stock average due to a surge in order flows as the market continued to tumble in afternoon trading, much like a clogged pipe. Just before 3 p.m., Dow Jones Indexes switched over to a backup system to calculate the average, which nearly instantly registered the huge move.
  
  Reuters reports how it all began: Chinese stocks plunged nearly 9 percent on Tuesday, erasing about $140 billion of value in their biggest fall for a decade, amid fears that authorities would crack down on speculation that drove shares to record highs.
  
  NASDAQ down nearly 4%; S&P 500 falls more than 3%.
  
  CBS MarketWatch reports Japan's Nikkei 225 opened down 276.31 points at 17,843.61. More news on the impact on international markets from FT.com. Japanese stocks fell sharply on Wednesday morning, joining a global slump the previous day that saw US stock indices posting their steepest drop since the September 11 2001 terrorism attack and China suffering the worst fall in a decade.
  
  More from CBS MarketWatch; The Street; US News blames Drudge Report for plunge.

• Equally important is the news that a suicide bomber attacked the entrance to the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday during a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney, killing up to 23 people and wounding 20.
  
  The Associated Press reports Cheney was unhurt in the attack, which was claimed by the Taliban and was the closest that militants have come to a top U.S. official visiting Afghanistan. At least one U.S. soldier, an American contractor and a South Korean soldier were among the dead, NATO said.
  
  In an updated story AP said the bomber struck about 10 a.m., and U.S. military officials declared a "red alert" at the sprawling Bagram Air Base while Cheney was rushed to a bomb shelter. Cheney, who had been stranded at the base overnight by a snowstorm, met with President Hamid Karzai in the capital before heading back to the United States via the Gulf state of Oman.
  
  

  "I heard a loud boom," Cheney told reporters aboard Air Force Two en route to Oman. "The Secret Service came in and told me there had been an attack on the main gate."

  Reuters reports Cheney took refuge in bomb shelter after the blast.
  
  News25.com reports the suicide attack shows that the Taliban and al-Qaeda have penetrated local intelligence agencies, analysts and officials said.
  
  Security problems dogged the trip, according to AFP.
  
  Over at the liberal Huffington Post blog, reader's comments about the news included many who expressed their wishes that Cheney had died in the blast and dismay that he did not. All of the abusive comments have been removed.
  
  Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has posted the Huffington comments on the show's Web site. Limbaugh has also posted a transcript of an instant message conversation where a Hollywood writer said this about the VP.
  
  

  If Cheney wasn't such a p****--he'd get killed and bring some happiness to the country and i would have a much needed day off bloated f*** cant do anything right.

  Lliberal tolerance really doesn't go very far to include conservatives.

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Update: Al Gore - Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Al Gore: Even more hot air for the masses?
Open thread:

Update: This story has now been picked up in the mainstream media.

From Drudge: POWER: GORE MANSION USES 20X AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD; CONSUMPTION INCREASE AFTER 'TRUTH'

• ABC News at abc13.com reports back home in Tennessee, safely ensconced in his suburban Nashville home, Vice President Al Gore is no doubt basking in the Oscar awarded to "An Inconvenient Truth," the documentary he inspired and in which he starred. But a local free-market think tank is trying to make that very home emblematic of what it deems Gore's environmental hypocrisy.
  
  

  Armed with Gore's utility bills for the last two years, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research charged Monday that the gas and electric bills for the former vice president's 20-room home and pool house devoured nearly 221,000 kilowatt-hours in 2006, more than 20 times the national average of 10,656 kilowatt-hours.
  
  Kalee Kreider, a spokesperson for the Gores, did not dispute the Center's figures, taken as they were from public records. But she pointed out that both Al and Tipper Gore work out of their home and she argued that "the bottom line is that every family has a different carbon footprint. And what Vice President Gore has asked is for families to calculate that footprint and take steps to reduce and offset it."
  
  A carbon footprint is a calculation of the CO2 fossil fuel emissions each person is responsible for, either directly because of his or her transportation and energy consumption or indirectly because of the manufacture and eventual breakdown of products he or she uses. (You can calculate your own carbon footprint on the website http://www.carbonfootprint.com/)
  
  The vice president has done that, Kreider argues, and the family tries to offset that carbon footprint by purchasing their power through the local Green Power Switch program — electricity generated through renewable resources such as solar, wind, and methane gas, which create less waste and pollution. "In addition, they are in the midst of installing solar panels on their home, which will enable them to use less power," Kreider added. "They also use compact fluorescent bulbs and other energy efficiency measures and then they purchase offsets for their carbon emissions to bring their carbon footprint down to zero."
  
  These efforts did little to impress Johnson. "I appreciate the solar panels," he said, "but he also has natural gas lanterns in his yard, a heated pool, and an electric gate. While I appreciate that he's switching out some light bulbs, he is not living the lifestyle that he advocates."

  Making excuses and purchasing offsets for a large carbon footprint does nothing to reduce consumption and thereby eliminate greenhouse gasses.

• According to Fox News, Al Gore responded not to the initial Tennessee Center for Policy Research press release to traditional media outlets, but instead, Gore responded to The Drudge Report's posting of the news through the left-wing blog Think Progress.
  
  

  "What Mr. Gore has asked is that every family calculate their carbon footprint and try to reduce it as much as possible," Gore's office said, according to Thinkprogress.org. "Once they have done so, he then advocates that they purchase offsets, as the Gores do, to bring their footprint down to zero."

• The story that started it all: The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization committed to achieving a freer, more prosperous Tennessee through free market policy solutions, issued a press release late Monday:
  
  

  Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.
  
  Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).
  
  In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.
  
  The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.
  
  Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.
  
  Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.
  
  Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.
  
  “As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.
  
  In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

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Vietnam Hero Awarded Medal of Honor

Major Bruce P. Crandall
President Bush Presents the Medal of Honor to Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Crandall
Transcript

Vietnam Pilot Receives Medal of Honor
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An unarmed helicopter pilot who flew through a hail of bullets to rescue 70 wounded Americans in one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War was awarded the Medal of Honor on Monday, 41 years later.

Vietnam Pilot to Get Highest Award
President Will Present Medal of Honor Today to Hero of 1965 Battle of Ia Drang
(Washington Post) -- Retired Army Lt. Col. Bruce P. Crandall wears a hearing aid and speaks haltingly at times. But when asked about a harrowing 1965 battle in South Vietnam's central highlands, his voice resounds with a resolve that leaves little doubt why, today at the White House, he will receive the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award.

Vietnam War helicopter pilot is awarded Medal of Honor
WASHINGTON (Stars & Stripes) -- Bruce Crandall knows that many Medal of Honor recipients are recognized posthumously, often killed as a direct result of their heroic actions.

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RELATED

Congressional Medal of Honor Society

Army Aviator to be Awarded Medal of Honor

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Combat Camera: Operation Police Victory in Hit, Iraq

Iraqi Army Brig. Gen. Hamid Ibrahim Jazaa, the Hit-district police chief, accompanied by the city's mayor, and Army Lt. Col. Douglas C. Crissman, the commanding officer of Task Force 2-7, walk through the downtown area following Operation Police Victory in Hit, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2007. The operation was both conceived and executed by the Iraqi Police themselves. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston

Iraqi Army Brig. Gen. Hamid Ibrahim Jazaa, the Hit-district police chief, speaks to one of the local citizens during his walk through at the market in Hit, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston

The Hai Al Jamea police station was permanently relocated to this all-but-abandoned school during Operation Police Victory, in Hit, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston

Documents and a ledger that the Iraqi Police Army use are shown during Operation Police Victory in Hit, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston

Jamal Sakin, an Iraqi Policeman assigned to the Hit district, prepares for a convoy into the city for a routine patrol in Hit, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston

Iraqi Policemen and U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Task Force 2-7, which is based out of Fort Stewart, Ga., work together to fill sandbags and fortify one of Hit-district's new Iraqi police stations, Feb. 26, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston

U.S. Army soldiers assisgned to Task Force 2-7, which is based out of Fort Steward, Ga., work with Iraqi policemen to establish tactical checkpoints throughout Hit, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston

U.S. Army Pfc. John C. Walker, a cavalry scout assigned to Task Force 2-7, helps to construct tactical checkpoints throughout the city using concertina wire and metal stakes in Hit, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston

U.S. Army Capt. Mark A. Cobos, the officer in charge of Task Force 2-7's joint coordination center, assists some Iraqi policemen in fortifying their new police station in Hit, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2007. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Adam Johnston

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