Desperation
Iraqi illegal combatants are now using intimidation and coersion to force children to fire weapons on their behalf. Moral bankruptcy with this regime has no bottom. Saddam is one of those guys who never comes up with an answer when someone suggest, "Why Not...?"
At the Pentagon briefing Wednesday Tori Clarke seem to have some difficulty dealing with a question on whether these illegal combatants could be targeted. Obviously they can and should be targeted. They should not be treated as POW's when captured, but as illegal combatants separated from Iraqi Army troops who would be intimidated and organized into resistance groups by these Saddam true believers. By keeping them separate it will be easier to target these people for war crimes prosecutions after the war.
The rules of engagement permit US forces to return fire whether they are being shot at from hospitals or mosques. The question of whether US forces are hampered by their rules of engagement is not apt at this point. The tricks and ruses used by Saddam only work once.
Strategic Doublthink
The Washington Post, which wanted to reevaluate Tommy Frnaks strategy on the second day of the conflict while US forces were moving toward Baghdad at a record pace. The Post is now questioning whether the conflict might last for months. While much of the questioning about the cost of the war was cover for a debate over liberal priorities that came ahead of national security in the minds of Dems, Rumsfeld's answer was instructive. "I don't know how long it is going to take. The length of the war is unknowable."
The facts on the ground in Iraqi is that US forces are proceeding toward their objective and that they have defeated every Iraqi attempt to stop them. Unorganized raids by illegal combatants are not a significant threat to the forces achieving their objective. These illegal combatants are already being pointed out by civilians as well as their depots in hospitals and schools. They are very much like the Taliban who control the population through intimidation and coersion. Their lines of communication have already been severed, so as their supplies dwindle, they will become more and more vulnerable.
Civilian Casualties
Iraq propagand appears to have staged a missle attack on civilians ina Baghdad market timed to coincide with a presentation by their ambassador to the UN. Al Jazeera cooperated in this propaganda effort by broadcasting pictures of "wounded" Iraqi children. One of the problems with this staged event was their props did not make sense. One boy appeared to be bleeding from a head wound, but the gause bandage wrapping his head was clean. If he were really bleeding there would have been blood on the bandage. If the wound had been cleaned before the bandage was applied the dried blood dripping from the wound would also have been cleaned. The whole atmosphere around the site was too staged. Centcom now believes the missle that hit the area was more than likely an Iraqi missle that went astray or was fired into the location on purpose. The latter seems more probable.
Iraqi illegal combatants are now using intimidation and coersion to force children to fire weapons on their behalf. Moral bankruptcy with this regime has no bottom. Saddam is one of those guys who never comes up with an answer when someone suggest, "Why Not...?"
At the Pentagon briefing Wednesday Tori Clarke seem to have some difficulty dealing with a question on whether these illegal combatants could be targeted. Obviously they can and should be targeted. They should not be treated as POW's when captured, but as illegal combatants separated from Iraqi Army troops who would be intimidated and organized into resistance groups by these Saddam true believers. By keeping them separate it will be easier to target these people for war crimes prosecutions after the war.
The rules of engagement permit US forces to return fire whether they are being shot at from hospitals or mosques. The question of whether US forces are hampered by their rules of engagement is not apt at this point. The tricks and ruses used by Saddam only work once.
Strategic Doublthink
The Washington Post, which wanted to reevaluate Tommy Frnaks strategy on the second day of the conflict while US forces were moving toward Baghdad at a record pace. The Post is now questioning whether the conflict might last for months. While much of the questioning about the cost of the war was cover for a debate over liberal priorities that came ahead of national security in the minds of Dems, Rumsfeld's answer was instructive. "I don't know how long it is going to take. The length of the war is unknowable."
The facts on the ground in Iraqi is that US forces are proceeding toward their objective and that they have defeated every Iraqi attempt to stop them. Unorganized raids by illegal combatants are not a significant threat to the forces achieving their objective. These illegal combatants are already being pointed out by civilians as well as their depots in hospitals and schools. They are very much like the Taliban who control the population through intimidation and coersion. Their lines of communication have already been severed, so as their supplies dwindle, they will become more and more vulnerable.
Civilian Casualties
Iraq propagand appears to have staged a missle attack on civilians ina Baghdad market timed to coincide with a presentation by their ambassador to the UN. Al Jazeera cooperated in this propaganda effort by broadcasting pictures of "wounded" Iraqi children. One of the problems with this staged event was their props did not make sense. One boy appeared to be bleeding from a head wound, but the gause bandage wrapping his head was clean. If he were really bleeding there would have been blood on the bandage. If the wound had been cleaned before the bandage was applied the dried blood dripping from the wound would also have been cleaned. The whole atmosphere around the site was too staged. Centcom now believes the missle that hit the area was more than likely an Iraqi missle that went astray or was fired into the location on purpose. The latter seems more probable.
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