Carmichael's Position

Denver Lightning

Prior to leaving the office on Friday, we had a bit of a thunder storm hit the Denver metro area.  I managed to grab a couple of decent photos from my office window of some of the lightning. 

That's the Hyatt getting pounded on! 

Enjoy... 

Iraq Like Vietnam? No... More Like Cambodia...

In the Democrats rush to see who can surrender faster and increase the Francophication of the United States, they seem to be blissfully ignorant of historical precedence.

Many in the "People's Party" are quick to reference their nostalgic favorite, Vietnam War... or more accurately the protests, social uprisings and rifts caused here in the United States by our internal disagreements about the war.  Oh how they long for the "Good old days of Haight Ashbury listening to Jefferson Airplane!"  They rapidly draw parallels to how our current entanglement is identical to the "Un-winnable" Viet Nam Conflict, and how we need to withdraw our forces as soon as possible!  Just like Jane and Tom did in the early 70's!!!  Groovy Man!

Well, like in the 70's, our ability to grasp military fact of successes and set-backs is woefully wanting.  We were militarily successful in Viet Nam especially Tet! and could have been ultimately successful having had the support at home for what was truly taking place at the time.  The same fight taking place in Iraq... A fight against Tyranny and for Liberty!  Both truly noble causes, and ultimately noble in a warrior's mind.  Not however in the pacifists mind where timidity and placation are the foundations of their envisioned peace.  Peace through Strength is an oxymoron in their belief.   

But in an editorial today, in the Washington Post of all places Michael Gerson draws great attention to the failure of vision of the Democrats today and their complete ignorance of history and consequence.  Their greedy desire to make irrational decisions simply to get elected by a fundamentally un-informed and propagandized populace, will do more harm for decades to come relating to the trust (or what will become the Lack thereof) that other countries ever have in the United States... again.  What do you stand for Democrats?  I'm curious?  Defending Liberty? Eliminating Tyranny?  Defending the weak?  Encouraging peace?  How? 

When pressed to address these consequences, most of the Democratic candidates offer a response similar to Edwards's: "As we withdrew our combat troops out of Iraq, I would not leave the region." So America would defend its interests from a safe distance in Kuwait. But how effective has it been to fight terrorist networks in Pakistan from a distance? How effective has it been to fight genocide in Sudan from a distance? This is less an argument than an alibi.

In Mr. Gerson's critique, he calls our attention to a response by Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak during the fall of Cambodia in 1974-5, when the US did not honor our commitment to the region and his country.  Note that US forces were nearby (much like is proposed by Dems today in basing troops in Kuwait ready to react to a threat) but we were tired of war and offered retreat as a solution not defense, to wit the Prime Minister of our ally Cambodia, called a Spade a Spade... 

"...In 1974, a weary Congress cut off funds for Cambodia and South Vietnam, leading to the swift fall of both allies. In his memoir, "Years of Renewal," Henry Kissinger tells the story of former Cambodian prime minister Sirik Matak, who refused to leave his country.

"I thank you very sincerely," Matak wrote in response, "for your offer to transport me towards freedom. I cannot, alas, leave in such a cowardly fashion. As for you, and in particular for your great country, I never believed for a moment that you would have this sentiment of abandoning a people which has chosen liberty. You have refused us your protection, and we can do nothing about it. You leave, and my wish is that you and your country will find happiness under this sky. But, mark it well, that if I shall die here on the spot and in my country that I love, it is no matter, because we are all born and must die. I have only committed this mistake of believing in you [the Americans]."

Eventually, between 1 million and 2 million Cambodians were murdered by the Khmer Rouge when "peace" came to Indochina. Matak, Kissinger recounts, was shot in the stomach and died three days later.

Can history repeat itself?  You bet it can.  Pity we do not learn!

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

The Sexiest Woman Alive?  The Breck Girl?   Well... maybe best dooo!  Seriously... no Photoshop involved! Actual cover...

Well maybe the sexiest Democrat Woman...  When compared to...

Just Say'n...  Maybe some accuracy after all in the MSM!

Someone Forgot to Tell The Commandant of YOUR United States Marine Corps that the Democrats Are Right, We need to pull out of Iraq Immediately!!!!

(Ok, because Sarcasm sometimes doesn't convey well... trust me, My Little Red Choo Choo has NOT gone Chugging around the Corner!... Read the first half of this post picturing my tongue firmly ensconced in cheek! -- no more "Say it isn't so" and "Tell me you're not serious" e-mails please!  You know who you are! ;-)

I'm tired of fighting my domestic enemies.  In order to concede their point I have to acknowledge and accept all of their premises:  For they to be absolutely right in their mantra of "Bush Lied People Died..." and Cheney orchestrated the 9-11 attacks so we could go to War, because War is Fun for Republicans, and Cheney owns Halliburton! 

We need to let the Iraqis lose their own war now.  Because the following HAS to be true:

1. Pulling American Troops out of Iraq will make Americans so much more respected in the Arab World!
2. Pulling American Troops out of Iraq will gain the US full respect and admiration by those we most desire the love and respect from... Europeans, Muslims, Hollywood and the UN!
3. Iran will not take advantage of a weak Iraq! and is not the American Hating Country proclaimed by the Bush-Nazis and their propaganda machine Fox News!
4. If it saves just one soldier, we should get out now!
5. The members of the military hate being in the military... Don't let those pesky re-enlistment numbers fool you!
6. We didn't pay for our military hardware to USE it!  It is meant as a deterrent only!  It is meant to "LOOK THREATENING"
7. We removed Sadam, now the vacuum is meant to be filled by whoever wants the position!  Not our problem... we're in waste removal only!
8. Nobody is BAD in this world!  We each have our own perspective "good" and "bad" are just imagery...and most are just "Misunderstood"
9. Ooops, except of course Bush and Cheney... they are definitely "BAD"
10. We can always Spin the turmoil that is sure to follow in Iraq as "We were there for 4 years trying to help and protect you, but you didn't lift a finger to help us!"  Serves you right!
11. Since the War on Terror is "Unwinnable" that means it is "Tie-able" or is by definition "Already Lost"!  Thus, it isn't that we are "Giving-up" per se... one has to have had a chance to actually succeed in order to be able "Give-up."  We're just recognizing our rightful place in the world... Losers! Harry Reid and Rosie say so!
12. The US will be FAR safer now that we are not upsetting young impressionable Muslim Freedom Fighters.  They will leave us alone.
13. We need to stop funding the troops PRONTO!!! God Darwin help us if the Surge proves successful!!!  That would only justify violence!  And we all know that Violence=Anger=Hate=Leads to the Dark Side... George Lucas says so!

Yep I'm tired...

But Obviously Someone Forgot to tell General James T. Conway... Commandant.... Your United States Marine Corps!  Because he apparently is suffering delusions if he can parse together a speech like this at the Marines’ Memorial Association and World Affairs Council in frigg'n San Francisco, CA of all places!!!!  What was he thinking?

Hmmm... like he would know better than... Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn, Barrack Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Michael Moore, Jimmy Carter, Cindy Sheehan, Keith Olbermann and certainly not Jon Stewart!  Geeeze the Onions on this guy!!!

Wednesday, July 10, 2007 Remarks by Gen. James Conway USMC

I sat this week and listened to a United States Senator who criticized the U.S. effort in Iraq as being involved in an Iraqi civil war while ignoring the real fight against terrorism that was taking place in Afghanistan . 

With due respect to the senator, I would offer that he is wrong on two counts.  The fact is that there is no civil war taking place in Iraq by any reasonable metric.  There is certainly sectarian strife, but even that is on the declining scale over the past six months. Ironically, this strife was brought about and inflamed by the very terrorists some claim do not exist in Iraq .  The sectarian strife is a tactic aimed at creating chaos with little risk to the instigator while it ties down coalition forces. 

Other misnomers abound.  Many in our country routinely characterize what is taking place in the Gulf as the “War with Iraq .”  I would ask you to think of it differently.  I believe we are seeing the first real battles against the field forces of terrorism, both in Afghanistan and Iraq , in what will be a generational struggle.  Instead of the “War with Iraq ,” it is more correctly said, the “ Battle in Iraq ” or the “ Battle in Afghanistan .”  Words and phrases are important in terms of how we understand critical decisions that this Nation will face and how we frame our thinking as we go about dealing with them. 

Our Nation’s forces have been in Iraq over four years now.  No doubt that mistakes have been made and opportunities lost, but progress continues at an incremental pace — slower progress than our countrymen might like — but generally apace of historical norms — nine to eleven years that we see when we study successful counterinsurgencies.  We have over 170,000 U.S. troops in Iraq , roughly 25,000 of them Marines, and another 11,000-plus coalition troops.  Marines are almost exclusively located in the Al Anbar Province, west of Baghdad , until recently termed “the deadly” or the “volatile” Al Anbar. 

The region is still a dangerous place, make no doubt – but the Marines and soldiers assigned to the Marine Expeditionary Force have made tremendous progress over the past nine months.  At one point, Baghdad believed that the province would be the absolute last to achieve an acceptable level of stability and security.  Today, conditions in the province have become the model for what’s happening in the rest of the country.

The reason for the progress is that during October of ’06, the leading Sunni sheik’s in the province decided that U.S. forces were less an enemy to them than the al Qaeda.  They finally had their fill of the murder and intimidation campaigns the al Qaeda was subjecting them to, and suddenly, themes the Marines had held fast to for over two-and-a-half years began to resonate.  As was their culture, the tribal leaders determined that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” and thus began a partnership that has over the intervening months all but cleared the hard-core terrorists from the region.

The metrics show the results.  Attacks are down 60 percent.  Cache discoveries are up 400 percent because tips from the local population are up 150 percent.  Sunni tribes now offer more of their young men each month for the Iraqi Security Forces than the coalition can train.  And, yes, casualties are down almost 14 percent for U.S. troops.  A normalcy has returned to the province, not seen in over three years, and the people like it. 

Al Qaeda can be expected to counterattack, but they have lost the support of the populace, and when that happens, an insurgency cannot survive.  Economic progress must follow, however, for us to fully capitalize on the security gains, and that also is happening. Marketplaces in all of the major cities are opened and a decentralized economy flourishes.  International businesses have been watching the security situation closely in Al Anbar, and many now feel the time is right for those willing to accept some risk, but perhaps realize significant gains to act. 

The final leg of the stool is the political link.  At the national level, the political patchwork is problematic, and the Maliki government has been repeatedly cautioned that it must make better use of the time coalition forces have bought them.  In the Al Anbar Province, things are slightly more encouraging.  Prime Minister Maliki has met in Ramadi the lead sheiks and is scheduled to meet with them again in al Qa’im this summer.  The sheiks realize that in order for the country to stay together, there must be reconciliation with the Kurds and the Shi’as at the national level. 

Reconciliation conferences are taking place amongst tribal leadership, the clergy, and elected officials.  Recently, just such a conference was attacked by a suicide bomber.  While the attack may make subsequent efforts more difficult, it also shows the participants how much the al Qaeda fear the success of these efforts. 

As one might expect, the morale of the Marines and Sailors who are living the successes in the West is off the page.  Although our deployment tempo is intense – Marines are normally deployed for seven months and are at home for seven months — or in some cases less — the absolute best morale that our Corps has is found in units getting ready to go to Iraq or that are already there. 

I’ll give you a couple of examples.  The Second Battalion, Fifth Marines was in Ramadi on their last deployment and lost 15 Marines killed and another 150-plus wounded.  Scheduled to return to Ramadi again, the battalion commander approached his combat veterans who were nearing their end-of-active service that would occur either before or during the deployment. 

He expressed concern that his younger Marines who were not combat experienced would miss their leadership and their know-how.  He asked them to consider staying aboard through the next rotation.  Ladies and gentlemen, without a penny of incentive pay, 200 Marines — most of them NCOs — stepped forward to deploy again with that battalion. 

[Applause] 

In another instance that happened just last week, Corporal Garret Hawkins  had his right leg shattered in a IED blast northwest of Karma.  Before he was medevaced out by helicopter, he told his First Sergeant that he first needed to go back to the base.  Once at the treatment station, he announced he wanted to reenlist before he was evacuated.  His platoon commander read the oath, the corporal raised his right hand as he laid on the stretcher, and his fellow Marines shook their heads in amazement and could only say, “That’s motivating as hell.” 

[Applause] 

Another reason that Marines and Sailors feel good about their mission and themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan is that they are certain that they are defending this Nation against terrorism.  They feel that the reason the country has not been attacked since 9/11 is because they are killing the same terrorists in both places that might otherwise be attempting to find their way to the U.S.   Most would agree that a direct attack on terrorism was not the initial reason for going into Iraq in 2003, but it took a little less than three weeks for us to see religious extremists there. 

On the march to Baghdad , my division commander, then Major General Jim Mattis outside of a little town called Azzizah radioed back that he had just run into a beehive.  He said that there were about 300 fighters in the area who were not retreating, and to the contrary, they were dying in place on their guns.  These people were fanatics.  The last squad was cut down charging a 50-caliber machine gun on a tank.  When we searched the bodies, we found that they were not Iraqis — but were from Syria , Saudi Arabia , Jordan , and Yemen. 

In the interim years, we have watched the forces of al Qaeda increasingly make it their fight.  Indeed, they are the single most dangerous enemy we face.  There is no way our troops want to back down from that fight until they and their Iraqi counterparts have substantially destroyed the al Qaeda organization or forced it to go elsewhere. 

The al Qaeda in Iraq are increasingly on the run.  We have faced two enemies in the country — one we call the ACF, or the Anti-Coalition Forces — the other AIF, or the Anti-Iraqi Forces.  The Anti-Coalition Forces are basically local tribesmen or former Iraqi army who believe we have become occupiers.  These types are essentially nationalists.  They want to see a strong Iraqi government, the coalition forces gone, and ultimately, a better quality of life for their children. They might very well engage a U.S. patrol moving through their area with lethal fires, but if the patrol were Iraqi, they would cheer their boys on. 

The Anti-Iraqi Forces are different.  They are principally al Qaeda, foreign fighters, and criminals.  They do not want to see a strong Iraq government.  Indeed, their objective is to return to the caliphate and 15th-century law.  They are not likely to ever reach an agreement with a recognized authority and will simply have to be captured or killed.  For roughly 36 months, these forces allied together to oppose coalition forces.  For the past nine months, the Anti-Coalition Forces have joined with us to eliminate the Anti-Iraqi Forces. 

The terrorist leader Zarqawi foretold the day would come before his death.  He said to Iraqi Security Forces in 2004, “We fight them and this is difficult because of the gap that will emerge between us and the people of the land.  How can we kill their cousins and sons linked to the inhabitants by kinship, blood, and honor?  The real sons of this land will decide the matter through experience.  Democracy is coming; there will be no excuse thereafter.” 

We are hopeful that the so-called “Awakening Movement” of the tribes in al Anbar will continue to be a west-to-east phenomenon that has evolved.  Baghdad is admittedly different with the ethnic mix found in the city, but even there, we have recently some bonding against the al Qaeda influence.  The recent surge, or plus-up, that has been directed by the President comes at an advantageous time to keep pressure on the al Qaeda.

I must caution, however, that the source of the additional troops to Iraq has created an impact on available force flow that can only be judged as severe.  The effort has brought both ground services to a precipitous edge — for future rotations are in jeopardy of not being fully rested, trained, or manned to go forward.  Our message to the commanders in the field and to our leadership is that based on our current deployment model, the troop levels associated with the surge cannot be sustained indefinitely.

That said, I have heard this effort described as a Hail Mary — a last desperate attempt to achieve success.  The analogy follows that if the effort fails — that is to say, if the pass falls incomplete — then the clock runs out and the game is over.  Folks, I think that what we have at stake in Iraq is far too important for us as a Nation to take that view. 

The much-advertised September report from commanders in theater will provide us an insight as to the progress on the ground. In the wake of that report, we as a Nation need to take an objective look at where we are in this struggle.  We should not over-estimate our progress made or underestimate the momentum the enemy would gain if we were to conduct an unabated withdrawal of forces.  There are many options left available, and we need to be pragmatic in terms of what is best for the Nation — both in the near term and in the context of this Long War.

You know, ladies and gentlemen, the Iraqis are a very proud people.  They consider themselves fortunate to be Iraqis, and they look forward to the day when they can live in security and prosperous surroundings.  A professor told me long ago that a sovereign nation needs five things to make it prosper: fresh water, arable land, an educated population, an exportable product, and a seaport.  Iraq has all of those things. I would add the sixth element to the list, I think: leadership. 

But the point is, Iraq is potentially a very rich country.  Her neighbors look on that wealth with a lusty gaze, and al Qaeda would like nothing better than to control such resources for the Long War.  We in turn, when we do draw down, must develop a regional strategy that protects Iraq within such time as she can build back her armed forces sufficient to defend national sovereignty, and yet we need to limit the footprint of our forces inside the country. 

Let me switch topics at this point and talk about regional security and the next steps in the War on Terrorism.  The drawdown of our forces in Iraq is inevitable, and I would argue necessary in order to be able to reset our corps, train more broadly for other contingencies, and prepare ourselves for the next engagements with extremists. 

The key question will be, are we reducing our forces in Iraq, confident in the ability of Iraqi Security Forces to carry the preponderance of the fight and the ability of the Iraqis to self govern, or are we drawing down because we feel progress is not sufficiently dramatic — that Iraq is simply not worth the cost in treasure and blood — or because, as some say, we have already lost? 

For those who subscribe to the latter point of view, I would offer to you that there is something else inextricably tied to our presence in Iraq , and that is the credibility of the United States of America . Whether or not we want to admit it as a Nation, the fight in Iraq has evolved into a struggle between us and al Qaeda — the religious extremists of our modern-day world and the people we must defeat in this long war. 

Our enemies have said from the outside that Americans are weak of spirit and will lose our will to win if the fighting gets tough. He has looked at our other withdrawals in Vietnam , Lebanon , and Somalia , and has gained confidence that he can recreate yet another such scenario.  I said to you earlier that Iraq and Afghanistan are the first battles of the Long War.  He knows, just as we should know, that whoever wins the first battles gains incredible momentum.  The loser faces a vastly different and much more daunting set of circumstances. 

The keys to a successful struggle in Iraq are developing the rudimentary elements of self-governance sufficient for protecting citizens of the country, hold the nation together, and provide basic services to the people.  The keys to a successful regional strategy will be posturing the moderates for success and regaining control of the Muslim religion, preventing wider outbreaks of sectarian violence amongst nations, and containing the Iranian threat. 

Notwithstanding possible development of nuclear weapons, Iran is already the recognized power in the region amongst Gulf states . The nations in the region are watchful and uneasy — not yet willing to accommodate but in no position to challenge their Persian neighbor. 

Iran for its part is also uneasy.  She has significant coalition presence on both her eastern and western borders and an entire fleet of coalition combat ships in Gulf waters.  The Iranian response to this thus far has been covert – that is to say, deniable support for both the insurgents in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan .  She is exporting the successful Hezbollah model in an attempt to prolong both conflicts in order to avoid greater focus on Iran .  The strategy to date has only been minimally successful but carries with it a high degree of risk. 

The stability of the region is in the best interests of the industrial world as 30 percent of the world’s oil-supply flows from the Gulf ports, and that will continue to be the case through at least the next couple of decades.  However, the threats are also enduring: al Qaeda, Iranian-sponsored, and surrogate terrorist organizations, and internal movements associated with virtually every Middle Eastern nation, to name the most serious.

But there has been unrest in extremist movements in the past.  Indeed, there have been five previous jihads in history and relative peace were only possible after the moderates were sufficiently mobilized to say enough and regain control of their religion.  Western nations have had little impact on settling previous jihads.  The solution must invariably come from within.  But with wise statecraft, we can, with our partner nations, positively influence events in the region and help shape the environment for success. 

One of the things that Western nations can and must ensure is that this Long War does not somehow evolve into a cultural war between Muslims and Christianity.  Of course, the extremists would like nothing better, and just as they have been able to engineer sectarian strife in Iraq , we can accurately predict they will attempt to inflame religion on a global scale. 

We must continue to focus like a laser on extremism but extend the helping hand to other nations, particularly Muslim nations who seek it.  Secretary Rumsfeld used to say that the most important success we have had against terrorism to date was the tsunami relief, and we didn’t fire a single round.  There have been other successes in the wake of the tsunami disaster where our military responded magnificently: during the Pakistani earthquake, the Philippine mudslides, and even the Lebanon non-combatant evacuation. 

But the response should not, unless absolutely necessary, always be a military response.  Perhaps more than any other conflict we have engaged in, this generational struggle calls out for the application of other elements of American power.  A fledgling country in North Africa susceptible to fundamentalist ideologies might not welcome a squad of Marines in the back of an Osprey, but they would be anxious to have a fire team of Americans from Agriculture and Justice, Border and Drug Enforcement to help them get their institutions right and prosper a higher standard of living. We need to properly resource and develop a deployment mentality among our U.S. government agencies so they can stand at the shoulder of our armed forces during this Long War. 

Just as we must broaden our own ability to respond, we must welcome the contributions of other nations.  Who would have guessed it 10 years ago that NATO would be as engaged in Afghanistan as we see today. Moreover, I don’t think that when they did agree to go in that they did so realizing their forces would be under frequent attack by a resurgent Taliban.  By my estimation, however, NATO forces in the southern region have done pretty well this past spring, yet there are those in Washington who groused that “they owe us more” — that “this nation or that one is not doing as much as it should.” 

Folks, I am reminded of a phrase, “a nation will invariably do what is in the best interest of that nation to do.”  I’m convinced our country appreciates a coalition effort, and we need to do all in our power to encourage it.  If it’s not in a nation’s capability to provide combat troops, then we ought to ask for military advisor teams, police trainers, or those who can counter drugs. Each nation should be encouraged to do as much as it can, but the key is to keep their flag active in that circle of flags that are engaged in this Long War on Terrorism.

One more element of information for you that may impact how you see the problem:  Our Nation must make some very critical decisions in the next several months.  I am supremely confident in the power of democracy to make tough decisions.  We elect men and women of character, and the people of our great land feel free to engage in the debate.  It is therefore critical that our countrymen, certainly our elected officials, understand the enemy’s strategy.  We have both intercepted it and he has arrogantly placed it on his websites. 

The strategy has five phases.  The first phase calls for jihad — for all the brothers to rise up and slaughter the infidel. That phase has only been partially successful as we calculate there are probably a couple of thousand hardcore al Qaeda worldwide, and maybe a few tens of thousands of fighters. 

The second phase calls for the removal of all Western influence out of the old caliphate – read “the Middle East .”  I believe that that’s the phase we’re in now.  Based on the discussions taking place in our government, one can argue that the enemy is perhaps more on plan in Iraq than we are. 

During the third phase, the jihad plans to turn on and destroy what they would call the apostate governments of the Middle East , those that have partnered with the infidels; those that have sold us oil. In the execution of this phase, something very important happens.  The enemy knows that he cannot defeat us on the battlefield, but he believes he can defeat our nation by wrecking our economy — bankrupting and making it impossible for us to deploy our forces.  He intends to do that through control of the Middle East oil supply — either by destroying the capacity to produce, or if he takes it intact, by so distorting oil prices – hundreds of dollars per barrel – that Western economies come to a standstill.

The next phase includes the destruction of Israel and increasingly devastating terrorist attacks in the West.  Finally, he says – and this may take 100 years – he extends the caliphate to encompass the globe, and every nation adopts his laws and his religion. 

Folks, if you listen closely, you know that I mentioned at least two vital U.S. national objectives.  My view is if we don’t get the job done right in Iraq the first time, we will be going back, and things are always tougher the second time around. 

Let’s talk briefly about one last topic, and that is the role of the U.S. Marine Corps in the future.  There are those who point out that the Marine Corps has, over the past few years, started to perform the function and take on the look of a second land army.  That’s true.  That rather remarkable transformation began in 2003 when we lined up along side an Army Corps and then matched them stride for stride all the way to Baghdad — several hundred miles beyond our traditional operating ranges adjacent to sea.  Then a Marine Task Force attacked another 100 miles supported by organic air to capture Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit.

I mention it because it reflects the adaptability and the versatility of our Corps to respond to whatever the force the Nation needs.  My belief is that for this Long War, there is no more relevant or capable force in the Nation’s inventory than the U.S. Marine Corps.

To be that force, however, we must understand what the environment will look like in the out years and the role our expeditionary strategy will play.  We see a world in 2025 still suffering the effects of Islamic extremism.  The dangers of weapons of mass destruction being used against the homeland will increase.  Alternative energy sources will not be mature, so industrial nations and increasingly the developing nations will depend on the free flow of oil; however, fresh water will be equally important to petroleum products.  During the 20th century, while the population increased 300 percent, the demand for water increased 600 percent. Demographics and the aging of the population of industrial countries, accompanied by a youth bulge in developing countries will literally change the face of the world as we know it.  The U.S. technological advantage, economic power, and military might will still exceed that of other nations, but will not be nearly as dominant by 2025.

The Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard are developing a maritime strategy to meet this changing world.  It relies heavily on forward presence and extensive use of the global commons — in this instance, the oceans.  The key elements of our strategy include: integration with the naval forces of other nations to keep open sea lines of communication; a form of strategic distributed operations wherein a small number of Marines embark aboard ship and work in partnership with the forces of developing nations; sea basing, our capability in an effort to minimize U.S. presence ashore on any other nation’s land; and, yes, maintaining a sufficient forcible entry capability should the situation demand it.

To continue to be the Nation’s force of choice, the Corps of today will have to require some changes.  Post-Iraq, we will once again have to attain our expeditionary flavor.  We have grown heavy in our effort to accomplish the mission and protect our troops in an IED-laden environment.  Another layer of armor has a good feel to it, but it also limits the ability of an expeditionary force to be mobile and agile.

Our battalion equipment sets in the motor pools have become populated with over three times the gear that we once felt was sufficient.  Most of it’s good stuff for the environment we’re in now, but the day must come when we sort out what we can carry — what we must have versus what is nice to have.

We will have to intelligently add the 27,000 Marines the President has authorized.  Most of that number will be used to grow additional units that have been hard-pressed in this War on Terrorism. New capabilities, however, will also be created.  We see the need for a training and advisory group that will provide advisor teams to nations developing a professional military or who are perhaps already engaged in the fight with extremists.  We will have to train all our new Marines, active and reserve, in our bread-and-butter competencies — amphibious operations, combined arms maneuver, and mountain and jungle warfare training — to ensure that they are indeed ready for any clime and place.

There are a couple of other areas we have to fix as well.  Recently, an Army mental health study pointed to the fact that Marines in a recent rotation in Iraq – in percentages that I was not comfortable with – was a little loose in their interpretation, maybe even application, of battlefield ethics.  At the same time, we have a couple of incidents involving civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq under investigation or engaged in trial.  New information emerged just last week on yet another alleged incident.  Now we’re going to let those things play out.  No one is prematurely judging guilt or innocent, but the very convergence of all these events concern me, and so we are examining as a Corps how we prepare our young squad leaders to become that Strategic Corporal. 

The Long War is indeed a small unit leaders’ fight, and we have to make sure our young warriors, operating sometimes with little sleep and in 120-degree heat, are up to the task of making rapid tactical decisions that may have strategic impact. 

Because of the importance of the quality of the individual Marine, we will grow the force roughly 5,000 Marines a year over the next five years, but we do not intend to lower our standards.  That makes it tough, but our recruiters are working hard, and we are making our quotas.  I believe it helps that there will always be a certain number of great young Americans out there who want to be Marines.  Once again, however, I have concerns, this time not with our Corps but with the Army.  Folks, we have a great army, and I’ll be the first to tell you that the Marine Corps wins battles but the Army wins the Nation’s wars.  Our Army is not having a good time of it right now recruiting, and yet their successes are inextricably tied to the successes of the Nation.  I’ve encouraged our recruiters — I encourage you tonight, to help where you can.  If a young American is never going to be Marine, there is tremendous pride in serving this country as a soldier in the United States Army. 

Folks, let me leave you with just a couple of positive thoughts.  Everything we read about in the future indicates that well-trained, well-led human beings with a capacity to absorb information and rapidly react to their environment have a tremendous asymmetric advantage over an adversary.  That advantage goes to us.  Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our Nation, will be in great shape for a long time to come as these people continue to grow and assume greater positions of responsibility. 

Finally, I recently named the book, “First to Fight,” by Lieutenant General Victor Krulak as the Commandant’s selection — a must-read from our reading list.  In the book, he says that there will always be a Marine Corps because America loves our Marines.  That is, unless one of two things were to happen – one would be that we as an institution were found to be somehow abusing the sons and daughters of this great land.  The other would be if the Nation were to call on the Corps at a time of emergency and somehow we failed to answer that call.  Ladies and gentlemen, let me assure you here tonight.  Neither of those two things are going to happen on my watch.  Thank you very much.

Well Said General!  Semper Fi! 

JungleGrub Launches Their Blog

My friends Steve and Dr. Teresa Brandt have an awesome new product on the market called JungleGrub.  It is a Kid Focused Nutritional Snack Bar (kids of all ages I might add!... cuz there ain't no kids here at my office and my co-workers have all helped to burn through box after box of these treats!!!) 

What makes JungleGrub so good?  Well besides tasting better than anything else on the market today, offering up Berry Bamboozle and Peanut Butter Groove with a compliment of vanilla icing its...  Well hell, why don't you just mosey on over to the New JungleGrub News Blog and read for yourself? 

You can also order JungleGrub directly from the site, and I highly recommend you do.  You and your kids will not be sorry!

Congrats again Steve and "T"!  And by the way, I need to order another case or two to keep my office mates happy!

Comment Spam Made Me Do It!

Annoying...  Kinda like Chiggers in you Skivvies!  I do not understand the moral motivation of unethical sales, advertising, and marketing practices.  Granted to most of my audience... whom the demographic is primarily comprised of engineers, military officers, and other TCAMO types (that's Take Charge and Move Out for the uninitiated) "unethical" and "sales" are fundamentally synonyms.  Its the "Money at all costs mentality" rather than "doing things proper" mentality... Not the way I was raised!

Well, one of the drawbacks to gaining popularity... as Carmichael's Position has been doing lately I humbly note... is that the Vermin Cockroaches Spammers of the web begin to take note of you.  And begin to practice the voodoo they do!  That is, hit my comments with seemingly innocuous comments like "Hey nice site, I'll come back often..." or "It's nice to go golfing, I plan on going on a Golf Vacation soon..." then include a hyperlink or leave an e-mail address link directing back to some webpage for a business that they've been paid to link to.  Thanks but no thanks!!!!!

This is MY web page and it will best serve you not to trespass on it! I link to what I choose to direct my readers to... NOT YOU!!!!! 

Now, if you want to advertise on Carmichael's Position, fine... leave me a comment stating that you would like to have an ad tile placed on my site... Ask kindly and professionally and I will entertain the idea... FOR A FRIGG'N PRICE!!!!  I'm a Capitalist you Turds!!!!  My site is NOT your Freeware Shareware... Endurance Pill Billboard!!!! 

So, I've done a few things to the website as of today (sorry folks, the Spammers made me do it...) I know it is a bit inconvenient but blame the unethical plaid jacket - "Captain Herbal Life"- peddling - toe sniffers!!!!

1. I've reinstituted comment verification, this is where, after you click on "Submit" for your comment, you are then directed to a page where you have to enter the series of numbers and letters you see in a field above the entry box.  This proves you're a person and not a "Gee I can't seem to get a date with a real woman-- and I don't have a life", geek-boy created sniffer bot!
2. And second I've enabled Comment Filtering and Approval, so unfortunately you will not be able to see your comments on the post immediately... I have to approve them for publication.  But if your point is cogent, fun, witty argumentative, or supportive, I'll publish it.  But if you're only commenting to see yourself or your company's name in print... sorry you're outta luck!  Sell your snake oil somewhere else!

BASTARDS!!!

Hmmm.... Who Says Inspecting the Troops isn't Fun!

HT to Tommy today for this light hearted look at England's Royal Inspection!

Like I said to Tommy, "Hmm... Brings a whole new meaning to 'Inspecting the Troops! doesn't it?"

Keep it clean commenters!!!! Don't make me turn monitoring back on!

Delusions of Grandeur?

I love this!!!!!

From the AP:

Sheehan Considers Challenge to Pelosi

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) - Cindy Sheehan, the soldier's mother who galvanized the anti-war movement, said Sunday that she plans to seek House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's congressional seat unless she introduces articles of impeachment against President Bush in the next two weeks.

Here's what I love about this... Cindy's defining quote as to why she wants to run...

"Democrats and Americans feel betrayed by the Democratic leadership," Sheehan told The Associated Press. "We hired them to bring an end to the war. I'm not too far from San Francisco, so it wouldn't be too big of a move for me. I would give her a run for her money."

"Democrats... AND AMERICANS!"  See, I told you there's a difference! 

RUN CINDY RUN!  You go girl, live the dream!

Hmmm... What Will My Mom Think?

I'll be damned...  "Carmichael's Position" has been rated "R" . 

What I find extremely humorous is the "Why?"  Evidently it is because I have mentioned the following terms:

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

• breast (12x)
• stab (2x)
• death (1x)

Heheheh! 

• Breast?  I don't recall using this term at all, much less 12 times I probably have referenced BOOB!  But maybe the algorithm they use can figure out that I was referring to John F'n Kerry and thus the term was appropriate... just say'n. 
• Stab -- As in HOROZONTAL STABILIZER an aircraft control surface... Morons!
• Death -- Well hell!  What ever you do do not talk about death, this way no one will know its coming. We want happy idiots no need to scare folks by mentioning the word death.

A Cause Greater than Herself...

Ginger and I were headed to the local shopping mall yesterday after visiting a friend.  En route, we were pretty much one of the first vehicles on a not so pretty accident scene involving a Range Rover and a motorcycle. 

We were about 5 vehicles back from the intersection where the accident happened.  I could see from my driver seat vantage point that there was a victim on the ground writhing in pain.  I advised Ginger that this "Really didn't look good..." as many bystanders were running to the victim's aid, and many other drivers were rapidly dialing 911 on their cell phones. 

Ginger looked at me, and knowing her duty, popped open her door and headed toward the injured man, yelling back as she ran across the intersection "Pull Over Somewhere!" 

Uh... Yeah... Duh...

By this time, all traffic at the normally busy intersection was at a standstill.  I managed to move across the intersection, using a bit of an improvised routing, and pull over to the side of the road, (4 wheel drive is awesome!).

By this time there were five to seven people administering what care they could to the victim on the ground (obviously the motorcyclist).  As I observed, it rapidly became apparent to me that there were two professionally trained individuals among the care givers.  One appeared to be a physician and the other was Ginger. 

I watched from the sidewalk (there were enough people in the intersection and I assumed that all I could do would be get in the way at this point) as Ginger and the physician switched gears, from their average weekend activities into well trained professionals.  I could easily and immediately see the difference in the two, compared to the others tending to this injured man.  Ginger and the physician rapidly exchanged pedigrees establishing knowledge and an instantaneous working relationship as they triaged their unexpected patient. 

At one point Ginger came running toward, not our SUV, but the one parked in front of mine, the physicians.  Opened the door, grabbed the doc's stethoscope and charged back to the victim. 

Immediately the doctor began running an assessment on her charge's condition as Ginger focused on keeping the patient stable and more importantly keeping his head still and inline.  As I said before, this didn't look good, protruding leg bones and basketball sized black and blue marks are a clue.

It was about this time I heard the first sirens of emergency responders.  Understand that we are probably only some 3 minutes into this by this time.  The first to arrive... the police.  They immediately acknowledged that two professionals were tending to the injured man and let Ginger and the doc continue administering what care they could, while they took care of traffic control and checking on the less injured driver of the Range Rover.

Within another minute, the EMT's and Littleton Fire Department were on scene.  Ginger and the doc rapidly relayed what they knew of the victim's condition to the Paramedics and Fire Fighters as they began to digest the scene. (That's Ginger highlighted in the grainy cell phone photo on the right).  Another couple of minutes and the patient was urgently yet in a quite specifically controlled manner, lifted onto a backboard and secured.  At this point there was not much more for Ginger and the doctor to do, it was in the other professionals' purview now. 

And as quickly as their involvement began, it ended, and the two accidental professionals walked together, toward me and their hazard flashing vehicles all the while exchanging pleasantries and mutual thanks to each other for each other's service.  I learned that, much like Ginger, the physician while not currently a trauma doc, had recently been in a Level 1 Trauma Center back east (Ginger had been a Trauma Nurse here at one of Denver's Level 1 Centers before becoming an oncology nurse).  They both made a passing comment about Bicycle riding and never forgetting...  Obviously true.

I have to confess, at one point while watching my fiance' tend to the injured man lying on the 100 degree asphalt, I had an overwhelming sense of pride in her and her dedication.  Ginger, in that instant in time, epitomized the philosophy of duty over self.  And I loved her for it... That's my girl out there!  I'm a lucky man!  And because of the millions of nurses like her, we all are.  Next time you see a nurse, you might remember to thank them, their job certainly isn't easy, their knowledge is intense, and their dedication is astounding.

Thank you Ginger...Here's to you and those like you... Damn few left!

Today Marks the Birth of One of Students More Painful Courses... Calculus

That's right... today marks the 430th anniversary of Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica....

 Newton's Principia, a 3-volume work, represents one of the greatest milestones in the history of science. Volume 1 focuses on dynamics and includes Newton's 3 famous laws of motion; the 2nd portion details fluid motion and other topics; and the 3rd part is an essay on universal gravitation, including an explanation of Kepler's laws of planetary motion. Although Newton used calculus to derive his results, he explained them by use of older geometric methods.

Interested in Physics via Calculus? Go here... good reading for all the Nerds in us.  Yeah, like this wasn't painful enough in English!

Diana DeGette Claims Bush Disregarded the Rule of Law

From The Hill Blog Today comes this shocking post from Colorado Representative (Democrat) Diana DeGette... My tongue firmly ensconced in cheek! 

President Bush Disregarded the Rule of Law (Rep. Diana DeGette) July 3rd, 2007

I am outraged by President Bush’s decision to commute Scooter Libby’s sentence.

President Bush has shown his blatant disregard for the rule of law that our country’s entire judicial system was founded on. Mr. Libby was found guilty by a jury of his peers, and unfortunately, the President has chosen to ignore that decision.

The President’s actions today show this Administration’s disturbing view that they are above the law. I intend to continue to press hard in Congress to insure the integrity of the rule of law throughout all three branches of government.

Too bad Sandy Berger's Pants could not be reached for comment! (shamelessly stolen from Lex)  A couple of things here MZ DeGette...

Constitution of the United States of America (remember that document?) Article II Section II

...and he [the President] shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

Like it or not Diana, President Bush IS following the Rule of Law!  Granted him by the People of this great country expressed clearly in the primary governing document.

"... Chosen to ignore that decision...." Uh... If he chose to ignore the decision, ol' Scooter would be headed for the pokey!  He chose NOT to ignore this decision and act upon it by administering his rights of granting reprieves.  It comes as no wonder that you and your Democrat comrades will dive on this story like a starving man on a Christmas -- sorry politically incorrect reference there--- non-denominational-celebratory-holiday-free range--hormone-free-- Tofu Turkey!

Predictable... and certainly not productive.  As a voter and a Republican to boot, I am not real thrilled with the Bush Administration right now, most assuredly for different reasons than you and your constituents.  But Diana, it is PRESIDENT Bush's prerogative to commute the federal sentence of any damn person he wants!  For what ever reason he wants. And by the way, it is clearly stipulated in the LAWS of this land that he does not have to explain himself one bit!  I do not begin to defend Scooter's violation of the laws of this land especially perjury.  And yes people no matter where they work or for whom, if they violate those law they should be tried and punished... But it is clearly stipulated in the founding laws governing this land that EXCEPTIONS can be made!  Deal with it.  I don't give a crap if it is political!  Move on!

So the sooner we advance beyond these trivialities the better!  How about doing something about Winning the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, Securing our Borders, and enforcing the immigration laws we have on the books?  Or are those items not important to you?

Thoughts on "The Surge" from a Direct Source!

I'm taking a couple of days off of work to do, well pretty much nothing.  Amazing how occupied I can become doing "Pretty Much Nothing.."

Anyway one of the things I'm doing is catching up on some long overdue Blog reading, commenting and writing. 

One thing I would like to do in this post is point to a specific blog I came across in my pursuits to address the concerns of one of my extremely pacifistic liberal friends whom I found myself in a bit of an unfortunate spitting match at a party over the weekend.   

I instructed young impressionable one that before he proceed to step into yon deepend, he should, well, you know... educate himself.  Not from the likes of CNN, NBC, FOX News, MSNBC, NYT, but rather find some good credible intelligent well written "First Handers" to begin to gain a deeper understanding of what's actually happening in a war that... well he and a few million other Americans... "Don't Like."  Which were pretty much his exact words... and as irony would have it, in the particular post I am about to point you all to, a commenter expressed this very notion.

This article was written by Dr. David Kilcullen a Senior Counter-Insurgency Advisor to the Commanding General, Multi-National Force Iraq.  And based on the recommendations of a number of High Power "Been there Done That..." associates of mine, this is a guy who does not pull political punches... the guy know his stuff!  Oh yeah, and is actually IN COUNTRY with his finger on the pulse!  Read the whole thing here (highly recommend plowing through the comments too, lots to be learned from the dialog.)

Here's the lead-in:

I’ve spent much of the last six weeks out on the ground, working with Iraqi and U.S. combat units, civilian reconstruction teams, Iraqi administrators and tribal and community leaders. I’ve been away from e-mail a lot, so unable to post here at SWJ: but I’d like to make up for that now by providing colleagues with a basic understanding of what’s happening, right now, in Iraq.

This post is not about whether current ops are “working” — for us, here on the ground, time will tell, though some observers elsewhere seem to have already made up their minds (on the basis of what evidence, I’m not really sure). But for professional counterinsurgency operators such as our SWJ community, the thing to understand at this point is the intention and concept behind current ops in Iraq: if you grasp this, you can tell for yourself how the operations are going, without relying on armchair pundits. So in the interests of self-education (and cutting out the commentariat middlemen—sorry, guys) here is a field perspective on current operations.

Ten days ago, speaking with Austin Bay, I made the following comment:

“I know some people in the media are already starting to sort of write off the “surge” and say ‘Hey, hang on: we’ve been going since January, we haven’t seen a massive turnaround; it mustn’t be working’. What we’ve been doing to date is putting forces into position. We haven’t actually started what I would call the “surge” yet. All we’ve been doing is building up forces and trying to secure the population. And what I would say to people who say that it’s already failed is “watch this space”. Because you’re going to see, in fairly short order, some changes in the way we’re operating that will make what’s been happening over the past few months look like what it is—just a preliminary build up.”

The meaning of that comment should be clear by now to anyone tracking what is happening in Iraq. On June 15th we kicked off a major series of division-sized operations in Baghdad and the surrounding provinces.  [READ THE REST HERE]

As to the comment I mentioned before (for those who will not take the link...) A commenter (StevenL) to Dr. Kilcullen's Article wrote:

Dave,
I really appreciate your explanation. But I'm not buying it. Sorry.

I'm not a military expert, I'm just an ordinary private citizen and taxpayer, who linked to your article from realclearpolitics.com.

But I have to say: You haven't convinced me. Not one bit. And I'll bet that would be the reaction from a lot of other ordinary citizens too. For the following reason:

From what you described, our men and women in uniform could do everything expected of them and more--and yet the war can still be lost if the Iraqi government itself and the various factions don't start thinking of themselves as a nation, and if the Iraqi government cannot make sufficient political progress. In other words, in your model, the fate of this war is largely out of our hands.

I don't like wars like that.

And I would prefer to look at other solutions.

So if you care what the ordinary American citizens think, maybe you should ask them what they consider to be most important here. After all, it's on their behalf that you are fighting.

Well that opened the flood gates of debate by a number of actual Military Experts.  Reading their retorts, is an educational experience in philosophical debate.  In the end you may still fell the same way as commenter StevenL and my young friend, however as stated by another writer MAHolzbach on Small Wars Journal:

It is a truism that no matter what your plan is, how brilliant it may be, or how great your soldiers are, the enemy always gets a vote. If one's goal is just to get out as soon as things stabilize, then you could see the Iraqi people and their government as the enemy. But this is a mistake. There is an underlying reason (several actually, but one more than any) why the Iraqi people and their government have a hard time making progress: they are being cowed, on a daily basis, by the terrorists. And that is what our guys are there to stop.

You say that you don't like wars like that? Well, neither do we. The military personnel who would actually PREFER to grind through something counterinsurgency style rather than blast the enemy, plant your flag in his eye socket, and declare victory, are few and far between, if they exist at all. I'm not one of them. But what I, and my comrades here at the Small Wars Journal are, are professionals who know that you cant always get what you want...

Say it Isn't so Senator Reid! You said the Iraq War is Lost... But According to Someone Who Actually Knows..

Here's a compilation of articles on what's really happening on the ground in Iraq.  You don't see everyday on CNN!  (I know, that comes as a surprise to a number of you... ) Well worth the read!

This first portion are excerpts from articles contained in a compilation of "Positive Stories" little reported by our illustrious and fact oriented mainstream media.  [Link here]

• "The number of civilians killed in Iraq fell sharply in June to the lowest monthly total since a U.S.-backed security clampdown was launched in February..."
• ..."To his surprise, many of the Sunni Arabs welcomed the Iraqi soldiers who followed U.S. infantrymen through the dusty, bomb-scarred streets..."
• "High-level senior al-Qaeda leader killed during Coalition operations"
• ..."Fourteen gunmen were killed while booby-trapping a truck in al-Shurqat district, north of Tikrit..."
• ..."In an ongoing effort to improve electricity supply in Iraq, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has established new Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) networks to monitor and control electrical transmission and generation systems throughout the country.
• Coalition Forces killed three terrorists and detained 26 suspected terrorists during operations Friday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders and bombing networks.
• Marines from Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines,...The first day of the operation turned up two large vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (car bombs) under construction in a factory, along with a handful of explosive devices already placed on roadways within the area of operations. Continuing the sweep this morning, the BLT discovered three large weapons caches. The first cache reportedly contained more than 121 IEDs, more than half of which were already armed.

These are all confirmed stories, but unfortunately do not see too much of the light of day.  And why is that CNN? NYT? MSNBC? because these successes do not fit your desire to prove the US Led Liberation of Iraq from tyranny is... uh... what?... Evil?  Or just not conducive to getting Democrats here in the US elected.  The likes of our buddy Harry! 

Then also treat yourself to this interview here with Brigadier General Terry Wolff, US Army

GEN. WOLFF:...to think that our opponents aren't looking at our -- the Western media and determining will, American will, is silly.

Q So these statements have consequences, then, on the battlefield.

GEN. WOLFF: Well, yeah, of course. All of our statements do. And so, I mean, again, you know, our politicians have a responsibility to the American people, and so do we. And we have to recognize that things play out in the media. And there are -- that's just a fact.