2007.09.12 Politics and National Defense Roundup
Contributed by Bill Faith
Petraeus: Iran Trying to Bolster Influence in Iraq
By William Branigin
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, accused Iran today of seeking to "create a Hezbollah-like force" in Iraq to exert Tehran's influence there, but denied that he was preparing the ground for a U.S. attack on Iran.
In a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington after two days of testimony on Capitol Hill, Petraeus and Ryan C. Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, defended their assessments of incremental progress in Iraq and again warned that the way forward will be difficult.
"It will be a long, hard grind," Crocker said. "Right now, I think that grind is making progress."
Asked whether his testimony about Iran could be viewed as part of a campaign to build toward an attack, Petraeus said: "I'm not blaming Iran for all that's gone wrong in Iraq." But he said Iran has contributed to sophisticated attacks in Iraq that otherwise would not be possible, including strikes with armor-piercing "explosively formed projectiles" and 240mm rockets. ...
See also:
Syrian Air Strike Explained?
John Hinderaker
Last week's strike by Israeli aircraft against a site in northern Syria has been a bit of a mystery. Possible explanations are now emerging, as reported by Ynet. Some say the target was weapons caches sent by Iran to Hizbollah. The more dramatic possibility, however, is that the Israelis took out a nuclear facility that was funded by Iran and supplied by North Korea: ...
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After the Hill Surge
The Iraq debate now.
By Peter Wehner
General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, testifying before the House and the Senate during the last two days, did what many people thought was impossible: They reset the Washington clock. These good men, by what they have achieved in Iraq and by the force and power of their testimonies, have recast the terms of the debate. They will now have until next summer to build on their successes, which in turn could eventually lead to a decent outcome in Iraq. To appreciate how extraordinary this is, it’s worth recalling how far we have come. ...
The Decline & Fall of the New York Times
Thomas Lifson
The disgraceful full page General "Betray Us" ad published Monday was a new low for both MoveOn.org and the New York Times. Newspapers can and do decide to reject advertisements which are below acceptable standards. It might be the case that the Times is deeply in thrall to its obsessions that it saw nothing wrong with "General Betray Us." Or maybe the Times is so hard-pressed that standards no longer matter, in both advertising and editorial dimensions. The figure of one hundred thousand dollars was mentioned by one commentator as a rough price for the ad.
Those pieces of silver did no good for the company's stock price, which hit a five year low Monday and then fell even further yesterday, down about 59% from its 5 year peak above 50, and now perilously close to the going below $20 per share. ...
Has the WSJ tracked down Hsu’s cash?
Update: Was Hillary warned?
Update: Hillary wants refunded donations to be re-donated
See-Dubya
The Wall Street Journal reporters who’ve been dogging the Paw family and Norman Hsu may have uncovered another piece of the puzzle: New documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal may help point to an answer: A company controlled by Mr. Hsu recently received $40 million from a Madison Avenue investment fund run by Joel Rosenman, who was one of the creators of the Woodstock rock festival in 1969. That money, Mr. Rosenman told investors this week, is missing.
*** Hsu Ran With The Money
Ed Morrissey
The Wall Street Journal has tracked down the source of Norman Hsu's cash, and the good news is that the People's Republic of China didn't provide the funds -- at least, not some of them. However, the bad news is that Hsu apparently moved from Ponzi schemes to outright embezzlement as a former Woodstock backer proved as inept at background checks as the Democratic Party:
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John Doe in Post-9/11 America
Michelle Malkin (H/T)
"If only." Those are the verbal crutches America must discard in a post-9/11 world.
If only the State Department hadn't been so sloppy in issuing visas to the 9/11 hijackers. If only police and state troopers had been able to check the immigration status of the hijackers who were pulled over for speeding before the attacks. If only universities had been more diligent in monitoring the hijackers' whereabouts. If only the feds had listened to alert agents' recommendations to profile young Arab students in our flight schools. If only someone, anyone, had said something when they saw the suspicious behavior of the jihadists on dry runs.
We have borne the bloody costs of coulda-woulda-shoulda. Nearly 3,000 dead. The World Trade Center in ruins. The Pentagon on fire. The fields at Shanksville, Pa., scarred. Six years later, we can no longer afford hindsight heavy breathing. Memory must guide action. And action must be taken without apology. ...
Quick hits:
- Lefty admits the truth
Don Surber: James Taranto mocked him, but Juan Cole’s observation that a Democratic president cannot surrender Iraq easily is a very candid look both at Iraq and Vietnam. Here is what the lefty Cole wrote: ...
- Rumble in Brussels
Michelle Malkin: I mentioned the “Stop the Islamisation of Europe” protest in my main 9/11 commemoration post. It deserves stand-alone coverage. The demonstrators are putting the “I will not submit” rallying cry into action, and the dhimmis are cracking down on them. Baron Bodissey continues his wall-to-wall coverage.
- Hillary Clinton channels Moveon.org
Paul Mirengoff: I just finished watching a replay of the appearance of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker before the Senate Armed Servcies Committee. In contrast to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the questioning by members of the Armed Services Committee was mostly intelligent and probing. I include not just the questions of supporters of the surge like Senators McCain and Lieberman, but also those of critics, especially Senators Levin and (Jack) Reed. Unfortunately, Hillary Clinton was a huge exception. ...
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