Braveheart Freedom Speech

An Updated Summary of the CMU Fiasco Part 2

The Peters Report has part two of their summary on the fiasco...

Comai’s call for trustee involvement doesn’t appear to have been taken seriously, and Rao asked his assistant to “tickle” the board and gauge how other members feel. However, this wasn’t the first time trustees were involved in the matter, even though CMU has denied they were aware of the Peters situation.

In an e-mail to Rao, dated March 5, 2007, Interim Provost Gary Shapiro formally recommended the Board of Trustees “be approached about selecting Peters as the new Griffin chair.”

It is unclear what involvement trustees played in Peters’ hiring and how they have reacted to the ongoing saga, which has subjected the school to scrutiny by the national media.

Caponigro, the board chairman, told The Saginaw News he “planned to consider reviewing the hiring procedure,” though no released public records show the trustees have taken any action to repair the damage to CMU’s integrity.

You can read the rest there. As this fiasco unfolds, I have found that it gets more and more complicated. I will continue to follow it, and just like with the Emory fiasco, I pledge for nothing but the unvarnished truth.

The Latest from Iraq

With the month starting, we are also going to be inundated with last month's casualty figures. The trend continues to come down as you can see by this graph.

The trend for the five months is decreasing deaths. We have seen this across the spectrum of measurements so to speak. Coalition deaths are down, Iraqi military deaths are down as well as civilian deaths.

At this point, even the MSM has stopped arguing that the surge has lead to a substantial decrease in violence.

The continued arguements against the surge are now two fold: the lull in violence is temporary and will increase once our troops are removed, and this lull in violence has not lead to any political compromise.

While there is no way to prove the first arguement, it does disregard that the surge stratey is not only an increase in troops. The strategy is multi pronged: increase troops, move more troops from F.O.B's to within the population, pair up with Iraqi troops so that they can do more and more of the work, and of course reach out to the VIP's within the local communities. If the other prongs to the strategy are being implemented effectively, the troop surge will only be necessary for a temporary period. We, of course, have seen examples of each of the other prongs all over Iraq and the Anbar Awakening is themost prominent.

The other arguement says that the troop surge has failed because the lull in violence has not lead to any political reconciliation. This arguement uses the ineffectiveness of the central government as the centerpiece of arguing against the troop surge. The central government is a mess and they will contribute little if anything to the overall health of the nation, however there is plenty of political reconciliation happening...it just isn't happening within the central government.

Here is the most recent example I found. A special hat tip goes to Jeff Emanuel of Redstate who has made several trips to embed with the troops in Iraq.

Called “basically a thumb in the eye at a Maliki government that won’t get its [act] together” by one American officer whose unit I spent time with in August, the Concerned Local Citizens program puts ground-level security in the hands of the individual tribes and groups who need it most. Under the program’s coalition-crafted guidelines, members of individual tribes are allowed to arm themselves and to conduct their own security operations and patrols, provided that, among other requirements, they submit to the authority of Coalition and Iraqi Security forces.

The main premise behind the Concerned Local Citizens program is simply the belief that Iraqis as a whole oppose the militias and terrorist groups that have plagued Iraq for the last several years – and that citizen empowerment, backed by the coalition, will lead to a rejection of the forces that terrorize the civilian population in a given area. The idea was borne out of the ‘Anbar Awakening,’ which saw tribal leaders and citizens rise up and band together to fight against al Qaeda in Iraq.

Fed up with those who offered, in the words of one tribal sheik, “only death,” the leaders of Anbar’s tribes – despite historical enmities – joined forces with the coalition and with each other to drive al Qaeda from their territory. Following this uprising, the Awakening blossomed into a grassroots movement to rebuild and reunite Anbar province around a free and independent network of tribes and clans.

Comparing the concerned citizens to the neighborhood watch is in my opinion quite accurate. It is also a firm sign that the Iraqis have taken it upon themselves to come together politically. They haven't done it on a national level and they don't have to in my opinion. We are seeing local and regional political reconciliation. It is frankly absurd to say that violence has had such a dramatic downturn without political reconciliation. The two things don't happen in a vacuum and they do depend on one another.

Michael Totten's latest should give you an idea just how brutal, intense and dangerous counter insurgency is.

“The threat's always there,” Sergeant Chuck Balley told me as he looked blankly at nothing in particular. “Everybody is sketchy.”

Maybe they are. But very few people in Fallujah try to kill Americans – or other Iraqis – anymore. It has been months since a single Marine in Fallujah has been even wounded, let alone killed. But at least a handful of disorganized insurgents still lurk in the city. Once a week or so somebody takes a shot at the Americans.

“Do you have plates in that Kevlar?” one Marine sergeant said to me as I donned my body armor on our way into the city. He was referring to steel SAPI plates that fit inside Kevlar vests that can stop even a sniper round.

“No,” I said, and I didn't care. The odds that I, personally, would be the first person shot in Fallujah for months were microscopic.

“Look,” he said. “You are not gonna get shot. But you should still carry some
plates.”One lieutenant forced me to wear Marine-issue body armor – which weighs almost 80 pounds – before he would let me go out on patrol with him. I felt like Godzilla lumbering around with all the extra bulk and weight, and I didn’t really feel safer. Running while carrying those extra pounds all of a sudden wasn’t much of an option. Sacrificing most of my speed and agility to make myself a little more bullet-proof might not be worth it. But perhaps that’s just what I told myself so I could justify wearing lighter and more comfortable armor. It’s hard to say. What I do know for certain is that Fallujah at the end of 2007 was neither scary nor stressful. No one can go there right now without feeling what is perhaps a dangerous sense of complacency.

Here is an interesting piece about what the lack of violence has done for normal life in Iraq...

Ilanded not too long ago after flying in a Blackhawk for nearly an hour back
and forth across Baghdad tonight. I've flown across Baghdad at night many times
before, but this time was different. The city was alive.

Most of the city had electricity, every main street and boulevard was
jam-packed with cars, stretching as far as I could see. Fireworks were shooting
up from every major intersection, and I could see outdoor markets and
restaurants brightly lit up and filled with people. It's like a black cloud has
been lifted off the residents of Baghdad, and they're finally able to do what
they want to.

Sure, flying low over the city in a helicopter while people are shootings fireworks and weapons into the air isn't the greatest place to be, but the beauty and energy coming up from the streets far outweighed my fears. I feel lucky to have been a part of it all.

After I landed I made my way back to my office to catch up on some last minute email before dinner ended, and this Drudge headline caught my attention."For hopeful Iraqis, New Year's parties at last"For once, Reuters got it right.

The situation remains fluid however ever more hopeful.

CHRIS ROCK - OJ SIMPSON - SICK BUT I UNDERSTAND

The Latest from the MNF in in Iraq

Here are some quick headlines coming from the Multi National Forces in Iraq...

Governance Center opens in Arab Jabour...

It was a great day for leaders and citizens in Arab Jabour when the Arab Jabour Governance Center officially opened Dec. 27 with a large ceremony on the grounds of the center. More than 250 people were in attendance.

The center will function similar to a city hall for Arab Jabour. It will be the headquarters for the Arab Jabour Governance Council and the Concerned Local Citizens (CLC) group of Arab Jabour. Local Iraqis will be able to bring infrastructure and political issues to Arab Jabour leaders at the center.

Lt. Col. Kenneth Adgie, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division commander, said the opening of the GovernanceCenter is a symbol of the progress in security that has been made in Arab Jabour during the last six months.

“This is where people can get problems solved,” Adgie said. He also said this is a step forward in the political progress being made in here.

Military Dogs: A Soldier's Best Friend

With their strong sense of smell and their immeasurable loyalty, the highly trained military working dogs (MWD) in the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, are proving to be essential in the fight against terrorism.

Military working dogs first entered the United States armed services in March 1942. Today, the dogs are still providing support to the troops on the battlefield.
A single dog can search more area in less time than an entire company could do, said Staff Sgt. Charles Graves, a dog handler with 241st Military Police Detachment, Fort Meade, Md.

“By using the dogs, you are leaving your shooters to other aspects of the mission, rather than having them go out to start a search capacity,” Graves said.

Concerned Local Citizens Deliver Weapons Cache to Battery Commander...

Members of a Concerned Local Citizens (CLC) group seized a large cache of munitions east of the city of Al Nijidat, southeast of Forward Operating Base Hammer, Dec. 26.

The cache consisted of 23 rocket motors, two 82 mm mortars, four 81 mm illumination shells, one rocket-propelled grenade, one 115 mm high-explosive tank round, one 106 mm high-explosive anti-tank round, and several other explosive items, including an artillery fuse.

The CLC group delivered the cache to FOB Hammer where Capt. Chas Cannon, from Moultrie, Ga., and commander of Battery A, 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, met with the group.
“The CLC allow us to focus more on governance and economics,” said Cannon.

The fight continues daily for our best and bravest so say a prayer or two in this new year for them.

A Plug for Dale Cardwell: Democratic U.S. Senator for Georgia

Here is the latest campaign note from Dale Cardwell.

Hi everybody,

I hope you all had a great Christmas, Hanuka and will have a wonderful new year. I wanted to ask a big favor. Most of you know I'm fighting a David vs. Goliath type battle for the US Senate against
Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss (R) Georgia.

Quite frankly, the pundits consider him a shoe in. Why? Not
because of his policies, (he's rated as one of President Bush's most loyal Senators) and not because of his popularity. (he's polling right at 50 %) So why is he considered a shoe in? Because the giant corporate special interest "pacs" are flooding his campaign with cash. He's raised four million dollars so far, and he'll raise a lot more. Insurance companies, health care corporations, tobacco companies and oil companies have found a great friend in Saxby Chambliss.

As you know, I'M NOT TAKING PAC MONEY.

Which brings me to my request. If things go according to plan, you're
going to hear about me doing something QUITE EXTRAORDINARY starting January first. I mean QUITE EXTRAORDINARY. EXTRAORDINARY TO THE POINT OF DRAWING NATIONAL ATTENTION to my efforts to take our country back.

That said, PLEASE go to my website ; and checkout my "webcam" beginning ten a.m. Tuesday. And please, if you believe in breaking the strangle hold of special interest pacs, dig down deep and PLEASE contribute anything you can to my effort. And PLEASE, tell your friends about our effort.
I can beat Saxby Chambliss, but I need your help.

Thanks for everything,

Dale Cardwell

Now, one might ask why a conservative from the Midwest would take any interest in the Democratic campaign for U.S. Senate for the state of Georgia. Before Cardwell faces off against Chambliss, he will have to beat Vernon Jones in the Democratic primary, and if you click the link you will see that Jones is someone that I know plenty about. Of course, so does Cardwell. He was an investigative reporter in the Atlanta area for years and he came across Jones' malfeasance many times.

Cardwell is a good and honest man, the opposite of Jones, and thus I have no problem supporting him in the primary at least.

A word about John McCain from A Supporter and More Election Coverage

My cohort, Josh Levy, of Win The War, wanted me to pass along this message about the candidate he supports, John McCain...

No one is as prepared as John McCain to lead in foreign policy. McCain will bring us victory in Iraq and stop radical Islamists in Iran and Syria. At the same time, he will cut federal spending, and appoint originalist Justices to the Supreme Court.

Now is the time to give. McCain needs to win New Hampshire in order to win the nomination, and he's on the verge of doing just that. $25 from you will help him run the commercials necessary to gain the lead.

Please go here to contribute.

Of course, Josh was much more forceful in drawing comparisons in his own blog...

Last summer it looked as if the U.S. was going to suffer defeat in Iraq - not because American troops had been defeated but because public support at home was disappearing. The new Democratic majority was pushing almost every day to "redeploy" (read: "retreat"), and it looked more and more as if Republicans were going to cave in. In July, one Republican senator after another started going wobbly.

Unlike the doubters, Sen. McCain put himself at the head of the political battle to win the war. When the odds were against him, he staked the future of his career on victory. To drive his point home, he launched the "No Surrender" tour and spent several weeks speaking to crowds in several states, almost single-handedly renewing Republican support for persevering in Iraq.

Meanwhile, where was Romney?

He was awfully quiet that summer.

When he did speak, he hedged his bets. As he told Chris Wallace on August 12, "if we’re making progress that suggests there's a reasonable probability of success in stabilizing Iraq, that’s a course I'm going to follow.”

Hardly a Churchillian moment.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for Senator McCain. I think he would make an excellent President, however I have found a candidate that I believe is even stronger. Rather than getting into an ideological battle here,
I will simply let the audience see why I support Rudy for themselves if they like.

Now, Josh is right about several things. First, McCain certainly stood alone for the surge long before it was fashionable if it is even now. Second, McCain does need to win in New Hampshire in order to get the nomination. The latest averages from RCP continue to have Romney leading however that lead is dwindling. The latest average has his lead down to 2.8%. The very latest poll out of NH even has McCain leading by 6 points though I am not a big fan of isolating one poll.

Interestingly enough, the biggest fan of John McCain in NH is probably my guy Rudy Giuliani. Just like Mike Huckabee has become Rudy's proxy in Iowa, McCain has become the same in NH. If Romney loses either state, he is in some trouble. If he loses both he can pack it in. If he wins both, he probably gets the nomination on the other hand. Rudy continues to do poorly in both states, however he continues to maintain tenuous lead nationally. He is counting on no other candidate gaining too much momentum going into late January when some delegate rich states like Florida, California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey vote. He maintains leads, sometimes dominating, in those states, and unless the momentum of early victories captures momentum for another candidate, he will maintain those leads.

This sure is the season for all junkies of politics.