Great, just as the Obama administration confirmed that the U.S. will end its combat role at the end of 2013. The news is at London’s Daily Mail , ” So is it all worth it? Secret files reveal Taliban will retake control of Afghanistan when NATO troops withdraw “: The Taliban is set to return to power in Afghanistan when British and Coalition forces end their combat role in 2014, a damning leaked confidential report reveals. Despite 10 years of fighting by NATO forces and their huge sacrifices – 397 members of the British military alone have been killed and thousands wounded – the report says that in the past year there has been unprecedented interest, even from within the Afghan government, in joining the Taliban. And it points accusingly at Afghanistan’s neighbour Pakistan, a key ally of NATO, where powerful elements in the security and intelligence services support the Taliban and describes how insurgent leaders maintain homes within the heart of the capital Islamabad. Based on 27,000 interviews with over 4,000 Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners, the detailed report effectively questions the Coalition’s own assessment that it is winning the war in Afghanistan. The report – The State of the Taliban – was described as ‘devastating’ yesterday (W) by former soldier Ian Sadler, whose son Jack, a 21-year-old reservist serving with the Honourable Artillery Company, died in a roadside bomb blast in Helmand in December 2007. ‘It has been a waste of time operating in the way that the British have,’ he said, ‘Hearing details of the report makes me wonder why our soldiers were sent there in the way they were and the cost that has been paid.’ The report compiled by US forces describes how weapons and vehicles given to Afghan forces have in turn been passed on to the Taliban and says that Pakistan’s feared Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) is actively colluding with the insurgents by actually directing attacks. Continue reading . I can’t help but think that we’re screwed. Secretary of State Rice, upon leaving office, warned that if we wanted another 9/11, all we had to do was abandon Afghanistan. Let’s hope she was wrong. I’ll have more later.
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Taliban Ready to Seize Power in Afghanistan After NATO Pulls Out
I really hope Liz Cheney has a future in electoral politics, because she calls ‘em as she sees ‘em. I especially like her discussion of our massive bloat on entitlement spending. And I’m amazed at her uncanny resemblance to her father, her speaking mannerisms in particular:
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Liz Cheney Slams Obama’s Defense Cuts as ‘Irresponsible’
Look, I was only
At Black Five, ” Gloating About Something He Had Little to Do With “: Remember, this is someone who voted against funding for our soldiers in combat in Iraq. Also remember that this plan that has now been executed, i.e. our withdrawal from Iraq, was one negotiated by the previous administration before he ever took office. But that doesn’t at all keep him from using the event as a campaign ad. All in good taste, of course. I wrote on this earlier, ” War in Iraq Officially Over .” And at the Los Angeles Times , ” As last U.S. troops exit Iraq, they leave a troubled land behind .” It’s a good piece, despite the typically negative headline.
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As Last Troops Exit Iraq, Obama Spikes the Political Football
You see, Christopher Hitchens committed the ultimate sin for the neo-communist left: Once one of them, he turned on progressives with a vengeance in his denunciation of the left’s treasonous and enormously self-serving opposition to the Iraq war. Progressive asshat John Cook has this at Gawker, ” Christopher Hitchens’ Unforgivable Mistake .” It’s a bilious screed that simply ridicules Hitchens without substantively rebutting his arguments. And also Glenn Greenwald, ” Christopher Hitchens and the protocol for public figure deaths ” (via Memeorandum ). And progressive hate master Thers, at Pile ‘o Shit on Fire : Hitchens seems to have had a gift for making anyone who ever met him personally forgive him for talking horseshit. Well, fuck him anyhow. Stay classy, Thers, you f-king idiot. And that goes double for your morally impaired buddies at LGM. Bonus : DougJ at Balloon Juice almost quit the blog after John Cole issued a fatwa against “ugly corpse-kicking bullshit in this thread.” Thers obviously didn’t visit the thread.
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Progressives Demonize Christopher Hitchens Upon His Death
At Weasel Zippers, ” McCain Shreds Obama After He Takes Credit For Success of Iraq War: “History Will Judge His Leadership With The Scorn And Disdain It Deserves”… ” This is why I backed McCain in 2008. Good to hear him smack down the administration. We need to hear it. PREVIOUSLY : ” War in Iraq Officially Over .”
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Senator McCain Slams Obama’s Leadership on Iraq
Well that’s a surprise. At Fox Nation (via Memorandum ). I checked the Times ‘ homepage Friday morning, and there was no mention of Naser Abdo on the front page. In hard-copy, the paper’s report appeared on Page A11, ” Soldier Held Amid Claim of Terror Plot at Fort Hood .” Had Private Abdo successfully carried out an attack, the Democrat-Media-Complex would have provided cover, minimizing Islamist influence and attacking counter-jihad bloggers as bigots. Note : The Times has a report in its Saturday hard-copy edition on Page A15, ” Soldier Arrested in Suspected Bomb Plot Had Series of Disputes With Army .” I just caught this linked prominently at the homepage , so I guess that’s progress.
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New York Times Downplays Muslim Fort Hood Terror Plotter
At LAT , ” Accused plotter shouts out name of Ft. Hood killer at hearing .” See also Right Truth , ” Naser Jason Abdo.” And Ironic Surrealism ,” and Ironic Surrealism , ” Muslim Soldier Turned Jihadist Naser Abdo Part II: Yelled “Nidal Hasan Fort Hood 2009″ In Courtroom -Under Investigation For Making Anti-American Comments While on Duty [Updated] .” RELATED: at Christian Science Monitor , ” Accused Fort Hood plotter got bombmaking recipe from Al Qaeda .”
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Army Private Naser Jason Abdo, in Court Appearance, Shouts Name of Fort Hood Shooter Major Nidal Hasan
