The Laughing Wolf

Given where I am going with some of this, I want to reiterate that I have never had the honor of serving my country in uniform. That said, I did train for it and have college ROTC to go along with classroom and other studies/activities. I learned a small amount in the Boy Scouts. My work has over the years given me the privilege of working for and with serving members of the military. I have seen many positive changes take place over the last 20 or so years, much needed changes in my opinion. The quality of recruits is way up, as is the general quality of officers. Are there problems? Yes, and there will always be some. The difference is that right now, the problems are not nearly as tolerated or encouraged as they once were, at least that is how it seems from my vantage point.

Which leads to the question: Was what happened isolated? I certainly hope so. Jailers/Gaolers have long had a bad reputation, and one well-earned from a historical standpoint. It is not an occupation that has tended to draw the best of the best, and there are many opportunities and a lot of temptation to abuse power. Is that what happened here? We are about to find out with the court-martials.

There is no doubt that the people pictured took part in something well outside the norm. All the publicity the lawyers and family members have drummed up have proven their guilt beyond any shadow of a doubt, and far more thoroughly than any prosecutor could have dreamed of doing in court. They have admitted their guilt and they and their supporters are reveling in it, somehow convinced it will save them. I hate to remind them, but military law is different from civilian law, and Nuremberg put paid the “just following orders” defense.

For what they did, these people should be put to the wall. It was more than just humiliating some prisoners, and abusing authority. These people knowingly and willingly put the lives of their fellow soldiers, along with all civilian workers, in jeopardy. They knew that what they were doing was wrong, and they had to know that the release of the pictures would have that consequence. Their ignorant, illegal, and short-sighted actions have made the job much more dangerous, and the future a bit less clear.

Yet, as much as I am disgusted with their selfish and self-serving behavior, I have far more contempt with the way in which some of the chain of command has reacted. There are investigations underway, and it is my hope that all those in a supervisory role will be held to appropriate account. No, this does not mean Rumsfeld, it means the people on the spot who are now pulling a Sgt. Shultz and claiming that they “Know Nothing!” and were in the dark. I am thinking that this needs to run all the way up to at least one general from all that I have been able to dig up.

The mark of a good leader is that they take responsibility for what happens on their watch. They work hard to make sure that nothing bad happens, and that they live up to their obligations. They encourage in every way possible their subordinates to do the same, and while reasons are considered, excuses are never allowed. They take hits even when they did nothing wrong, because someone below them frelled up on their watch. I have seen this done both in the military and in the civilian world, just as I have seen the shameless CYA of lesser individuals who attempt to evade their responsibilities. In terms of the direct military chain, it is to me glaringly obvious as to who some of the true leaders are, along with others who clearly have failed their duties. A housecleaning is in order, political patrons of the field grades be damned.

If any of those leaders, or others not in the direct official chain ordered this to be done, they too should go against the wall. There must be no stonewall, whitewash, or other shelter allowed.

Which brings us to another interesting point. The lies and the spin. Greyhawk has put together a very detailed and well-supported timeline, that makes a lot of the lies and spin very plain. Others have pointed out interesting facts.

The main fact is, the military was aware of the allegations and was and is investigating. A fellow soldier, one who deserves the appellation and many others, did the right thing and turned in the people and the situation. Others now claim that they did as well, but from the ICRC on down, there seems to be a serious lack of documentation. From that, I would presume a fair amount of salt is in order. In addition to the investigations, changes were already being made.

No, this became news because a relative of one of the jailers tried to influence the process, to get them off. Blackmail is an ugly word, but it would certainly seem to fit at least in part. It also played into the hands of the media, who had been aware of this and reporting on it to some extent since early this year.

A while back, I believe it was Blackfive who asked the question: “Do they want us to loose?” The answer is, yes, many in the media do want to see us loose, and will do all they can to promote such as it is integral to achieving what they perceive as a desirable domestic political goal. This is the subject of a much longer and more involved post that I hope to get done sometime soon.

This leads to a question posed today by Teresa, along with some commentary in a post on the media’s attention span by Blackfive. The Old Media has no interest in running any good news story, or tale of heroism, because it goes against their agenda and their prejudices. They justify it as not newsworthy, but that is absolute hooey. What you will see in the next few months is that the media will focus on these images to the exclusion of all else, and use the Jackson and Bryant trials as a convenient excuse to continue to fail in their duty to report honestly and accurately on what is going on in Iraq.

They will also use it to continue to demand the resignation of Rumsfeld, who scares them badly. The man is good, he lets them come across as the idiots and bigots they are, and is even polite to them in the process. Rumsfeld scares them on several levels, along with many others on the far left, so expect to see that frenzy continue. This is pure politics, and nothing more or less. As for the facts of the case, the system was already working, and Rumsfeld was backing it, not blocking it. That is not a failure of leadership, and I imagine he has already been to the woodshed for failing to keep the President appropriately informed.

I think that we have made a mistake with the amount of apologies issued, to the point that such is now playing into the hands of those who have sworn to destroy us and our way of life. Remember them? So, with that in mind and my time to blog today drawing to a close, I want to pose some challenges to all:

To the Old Media: For everytime you show one of the so-called “atrocity” photos by us, run a picture of what happened to the contractors in Fallujah, or some of the footage from the rape chambers, or of people being fed into the shredders. You have it all, so how about equal time so a reasonable comparison can be made. After all, how can you condemn the military for failing to live up to their responsibilities and codes, when you fail to even come close to your own?

To the Politicians, as opposed to what few Statesmen we have: Quit playing to our enemies for domestic advantage. The country matters the most, not a damned political party.

To the Arab/Islamic World: I want an apology for all those killed and injured in the Pentagon and the WTC on 9-11; the U.S.S. Cole; the Marine barracks in Beruit; the other “minor” rapes, tortures, and attacks against my fellow Citizens; and, most of all, I want personal apologies to all those tortured, raped, etc. by Saddam, and to the families of the thousands he murdered. To those who feel it is wrong to lump Islam in with this, when I see you take a stand against all this, and not cater to it, I will break it out and down as needed, but not before.

To the loons who equate nudity with rape and shredding: I want an apology for daring to compare what happened to real torture, to murder, to the horror of the Holocaust; and, for the insult to the intelligence of anyone who has to listen to the puerile drivel of this academic and moral bankruptcy.

I am not holding my breath on any of this, but will be content with some court martials and a good housecleaning of some officers who clearly need to go. As for the other, there is the New Media and the Blogosphere, to keep some honesty in the process. No apologies for that are needed.

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Yet, I am not shocked or dismayed. Indeed, I am glad it is not worse. This is the vicious urban combat scenario that was the favorite of armchair warriors and anti-war types before the invasion. This is the fighting that was going to take the cocky administration and the great American war machine and grind them up and spit them out. This is what was going to bleed us dry, and give us our just desserts a thousand fold.

Thirteen killed.

Not thirteen thousand, not thirteen hundred, not even one hundred thirty.

Thirteen.

Their loss is a real and painful loss, and I resent it having to happen. But my resentment is not aimed at the administration, nor even to those who are trying to make things worse in the name of partisan politics. No, I will save my ire for those that truly deserve it: The people responsible.

For I hold Osama and his merry band as being solely responsible for 9-11 and kicking off the war.

For I hold Saddam and his murderous and barbaric regime responsible for not honoring their commitments under treaty and for their support of the war Osama started.

For I hold other murderous thugs and barbarians in capitals and palaces around the Middle East, and elsewhere, responsible for not merely supporting Osama’s war, but for directly aiding and abetting that war and what is going on right now.

It is the latter group that is most worried right now. They have to, not want to but have to, destabilize Iraq and give the U.S. a black eye. Nothing else will return even a shred of their credibility and remove the most significant threat to their power in decades. Nothing else can save them.

Yet, from all appearances, their plan while flawless, was based on some false assumptions and kicked off prematurely and skewed when the U.S. did not act as planned. All the weapons, all the support, and all the planning appear to have misfired.

The fighting going on will be vicious, all the more so for us since we will try to minimize civilian casualties even as the other side tries to maximize them. It will be bloody and hard on our troops, and I have no doubt that the Old Media will play it for all it is worth, since it is not just our foreign enemies that have failed to grasp change. Yet, this may well be the best thing that could have happened.

The fight has kicked off early and has not gone well for the enemy. They are out in the open, identified, and the “treat them all equal and nice” doctrine no longer applies. We have the right and the ability to go in and remove a grave danger to the new republic before it even forms. In the process, we not only remove troops, but leaders. We have the opportunity to identify command and control centers, people, and methods. We have the ability to track communications and run things all the way back to the sources and identify them. We have the opportunity to turn various elements and play them as needed.

It will not be easy, or pretty, but it is not a tragedy, a mistake, or even a bad thing. What happens now is a good thing, no matter how painful it may be. For what is going on right now is killing a cancer before it can spread or grow. It is catching the cancer early, so that it can be more easily treated and destroyed. It comes at a cost, but that cost is small in comparison to what it would be had it not been discovered early. It is a far lower cost than if we let that cancer take over, and spread to other places.

For all that, this cancer we face is spread from elsewhere. Despite the cost, we now have additional means to track that spread and see where the most dangerous source infections lie. Once we have this metastasis dealt with, we need to look at the sources, and begin treating them as well, wherever they may lie. Let us not miss the opportunity, and let us not fail to honor those who are giving their all to give us this opportunity. We must not let their sacrifice be in vain.

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Yes, there can be little doubt that Saddam and those loyal to him are indeed desperate. While their actions hurt, for every life lost does do so, the pattern of the actions and the locations of the actions tell a very revealing story. They tell of weakness, despair, and a serious misunderstanding of history. They also tell of a new history being made.

The malignant enemy they face is hope, which the majority of the people in Iraq are experiencing for the first time in many years. Even by some of the most biased of reports, the general infrastructure is the best it has been in decades. Electricity has been restored, and has been taken to new areas or to areas that long ago lost it courtesy of Saddam. Water, sewage treatment, and other services are also reported to be at, or well beyond, pre-war levels. Some of this is even true in the Triangle, where sabotage and other problems are common.

Worse yet, the people are discovering that they have power. They have the right to an opinion, to express those opinions, and that they are in control of their destiny. Politics is flourishing, and the populace is discovering that that local political machines are not tanks. Women are discovering rights as well, and are starting to get blessedly uppity in terms of the previous regime.

The economy is still bad, but even at its worst most people are apparently far better off than they were under the old regime. Free markets are flourishing, and once some of the problems of pay and jobs are addressed, things will only continue to improve. Even better will be the repudiation of most of the debts owed, such as those to France. France should remember what happened the last time it insisted on the repayment of onerous debts, especially since it involved their close friend and ally Germany marching through the streets of Paris. Indeed, one wonders if some of the insistence by France and others on the repayment of debts is not designed to breed the very problems created last time.

None of this is good news for the old regime and those outside forces who support it.

The great hope they have is that America will, once again, cut and run; abandoning solemn promises and betraying the people of Iraq once again. In the turmoil that would be the result, they can and would move to re-establish control and resume what they were doing.

They have studied America and how we operate, and they have decided to take a playbook straight out of the worst of our past. They see the Old Media reading from the Vietnam playbook and seek to exploit that to the fullest extent possible. They seek to play the quagmire card for all it is worth, and hope and pray that the Old Media will respond in the same old way, make the same old mistakes and misunderstandings, and help them along. Indeed, I would say that this is having considerable success, and that the Old Media is not just being duped, but is in many respects actively aiding and abetting in this effort for partisan reasons of their own.

They have seen America cut and run too many times. We cut and ran from Lebanon after the Marine barracks bombing there. We cut and run from Somalia after we ran into trouble there. We have cut and run too many times in too many areas for them to believe that we will not do so now.

Yet, they are missing an important point. The Old Media is not America, and it no longer has the influence it used to have. Soldiers and military leadership are not stupid, and have seen (and often knew at the time) that cutting and running is almost never a good option. They fail to understand that America has changed, courtesy of them and their actions.

The Old Media is still strong, but it is starting to wane. The New Media, of which the Blogosphere is the lead, is challenging them and worse yet – from the view of the Old – putting out facts and exposing the ignorance and lies in their coverage. This is starting to weigh in public opinion and while the big lie can and does work, it is no longer the only game in town. Can the big lie still win? Yes, through saturation and the use of all media channels, such as the entertainment arms of the Old Media, it can. Can it be fought? Yes, through the many channels of the New Media.

The Old Media has been caught out by ignorance and bigotry before. Tet is a great example, where a military victory was turned into a propaganda defeat by the Old Media. Most of this was sheer ignorance of the military and military operations, and this willful ignorance continues to this day (see previous posts on military and the media). Yet, at the same time you have the blogs and you have the embeds, who now have firsthand knowledge of what things are like and how they work. Note also that most of them at the Old Media are now no longer reporting on military matters or on Iraq for that matter. It is the old Caravel Bar, excuse me, the Hotel Crowd that did not have that experience that are once again leading the charge. This fact is not lost on a growing number of the general public.

Soldiers and military leadership have learned as well, and are sharing those lessons with the political leadership. They know the true cost of cutting and running, and they are also very well aware that the problems in Somalia did not really start until the Rules of Engagement changed. You see, before we responded to any incident with overwhelming force, and that kept things in check. Once we stopped doing that was when we had outsiders come in, and locals feel that they could get away with hurting us. Once we had a public black eye, we ran. The soldiers learned, and good politicians have learned as well.

Saddam failed to learn, and as a result he reaped a lesson that our soldiers had previously learned. We studied the battlefields of the world, we studied what had worked and what had not worked before. We learned from our defeats as well as our victories, and the result was the fastest campaign in history. Some of the problems we now face may be a result of it working too well, because the follow-on troops could not keep up and secure all the arms depots and the like as fast as should have been done. More troops may not have been the answer, because the logistics could not keep up.

Most of all, they fail to realize that America has changed. On 9-11, we were attacked in a way we have never been attacked before. Prior to that, the only attacks against the continental U.S. were some balloon bombs from Japan and some extremely ineffectual shelling by some German submarines. No foreign enemy has ever successfully mounted a realistic attack on us. The American public was shocked, but it was also exceedingly unamused. The underlying public opinion was and still is “Never Again.”

America understands somewhere deep inside, that what happens in Iraq is crucial to the War on Terrorism. So does Saddam and all those who are flocking in from elsewhere to fight us there. The idea is that they can give us a black eye, sap our will, and make us cut and run. They are convinced that we will do nothing else, and they are very much hoping that the loss of the Chinook will be the Blackhawk Down, Marine Barracks, or Tet of this war.

They are, I hope, wrong. While the administration can’t come out and admit it, because we would not want to stop the flow, the influx of outside fighters into Iraq is good for us. They are coming out, standing up, and being removed. While they are there, they can’t be causing problems elsewhere and they are tying up critical logistics and supply as well. Flypaper works, but it works only for as long as the flies don’t catch on. Some reporters know this very well, and are – I think – using it shamelessly to attack the administration knowing the administration can’t and won’t respond. This is despicable.

The point is also being missed that these are signs of desperation. Do you really think that if they had large quantities of these weapons, that more would not have been used and the use started sooner? If they had anything other than improvised munitions, don’t you think they would be used? Where they are getting supplies and support is also a very good question, and the more improvised they use, the more forensics evidence we get.

The attacks themselves show the desperation in another way. Look at the targets. The UN and the UN-affiliated agencies are well known for cutting and running at the first sign of trouble. Just look at operations in Afghanistan, where they button up if someone so much as sneezes near them. The International Red Cross is somewhat better, but still does not have a great track record. Other organizations are the same way. If you get them to quit, then you stop the malignant growth of infrastructure, economy, and health that is infecting the populace. No real surprise there, but the fact that they are having to work so hard to stop this is not a sign of strength on their part.

Make no mistake, they can and will hurt us every chance and in everyway they can. The showier the better for propaganda purposes. With support from the Old Media, they can wage a propaganda and psychological war that they hope and pray will make us once again cut and run. Meantime, the fact that no serious military resistance is underway goes unreported, as does most of the realities of life in modern Iraq.

Expect more of this in the days ahead, but remember that it is a sign of weakness, and nothing else. If they were strong, there would be a real resistance and it would be a heck of a lot more than a few showy bombs and isolated ground-to-air attacks. It will not be fun, and it will not be pretty. Yet, if we stay the course and do not cut and run, the victory will not just be ours, but it will be that of the Iraqi people and all the people in that region when they see what is built.

That is the thought that drives the enemy mad. For they see it being done before their eyes, and they are most afraid that they can not stop it. Nor can they. The only ones who can stop it are us, through failure of will and of courage. We must not betray the people of Iraq, or the world, that way again. We must not give them that victory.

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First, it is clear that the invitation to various terrorist organizations to come to Iraq and play has been received. They have indeed brought it on and as a result, many of them have gone on to whatever reward awaits them. This is the same tactic used by troops during the conflict, when challenges were broadcast over loudspeakers and the attackers that were brought out were dispatched by snipers or gun crews well away from the troops, simply writ large.

It escapes many, or is ignored by many with various axes to grind, that by providing a playground for these delightful people, that they are not busy elsewhere and are otherwise distracted from doing other things. The more distracted they are, the easier they are to locate and deal with elsewhere, as recent events in Thailand rather dramatically prove. The more of them who go to Iraq to fight and die, all the better. Yes, it will be hard on the Iraqi people to some extent, but it also provides an opportunity for them.

This opportunity is one to mature, to learn, and to develop a strong dislike for such terrorists. It is a chance for them to work for themselves to identify, turn in, or otherwise deal with the trash. By implication, once they start doing this to the foreigners, it will then become more natural for them to do it within their own ranks, both eliminating the thugs and removing a base of support. They will also grow to appreciate more fully the joys and responsibilities of self-governance.

Second, the behavior and choice of target are not surprising. Much of what is going on is in the mistaken belief that continuing casualties will make the U.S. pull out. These people have seen it happen before time and time again, particularly in the Middle East. They also listen to politicians, from the nine Dem Wraiths seeking the one presidency to others like the congresscritter on Fox this morning yammering on about how we should never have gotten involved in the first place and we need immediately to turn all over to the U.N.

They would love that. They are counting on that. The fact is, the people behind this are very well aware that in Afghanistan as well as other locations, that if any shots are fired near, much less at, UN personnel that the UN will cease operations and withdraw from the area, leaving it to the bad guys.

Exercise for the curious: compare Afghanistan where the U.S. has left the rebuilding largely in the hands of the UN and associated NGOs. Take a look at how much improvement there is in terms of governmental control, improved economy, improved infrastructure, etc. Then take a good look at Iraq and what has been done under the 20-something member coalition.

There is a tremendous difference. There have been significant infrastructure improvements, and not just to those things damaged during the war. Governance is already far ahead, even if behind what many would hope. From medical care to education, there is almost no area that is not already vastly improved.

Far from “the tragedy of the American occupation” that a wonder bliffy from the UN described, the tragedy lies in how long the previous status quo was allowed to continue by the UN. To the best of my knowledge, no one has been fed into a tree chipper under this so-called tragedy.

Therein lies the problem for those still loyal to the old regime or the power they had under said tyranny. They see how much is being done, and how fast. They see the general population improving, learning, growing, and that is a real problem for them. They need an ignorant and unhappy population to be slaves, and they are being robbed of it before their eyes.

Which brings us to the third point. That this is just one more mark of desperation. They are having to attack critical infrastructure and use car bombs not because they are strong or well organized, but because they are weak and rapidly loosing power. Their control over the people, even those previously loyal to them, is slipping. It is taking the use of outside assets to do the job.

This is all good news. Yes, the bombings and loss of life by our soldiers and Iraqi civilians is a tragedy, and we must mourn them. Yet we must not let their deaths be in vain. We will see more desperate acts, and there will be more tragedies to come. The greatest tragedy would be to misread what is happening just as the press and politicians misread Tet all those years ago, and pull out and leave it to the bad guys.

The fact is, they are desperate and what is going on proves that. It proves that they do know the UN, that they have very much misread this president and the current election debates. It is also clear that an awful lot of outsiders have come in to create trouble. This is all good, as we have the chance to show them the difference between the coalition and the UN; the difference between this President and many previous, as well as not to take the bleatings of various politicians too seriously; and, it provides a target rich environment.

We must waste none of this opportunity. There is so much to gain in terms of a free and democratic state in the Middle East, an end to many terrorist and terror networks, and a chance to ensure the safety of all humanity in the process. It truly is worth the price.

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I hope the Iraqi people will rise up, rise right up and deal with these people for themselves. I hope that they get tired of no power, no water, food problems, and everything else that the die-hards and outside fighters are causing, and will report them, disown them, and even kill them. The die-hards are used to the Iraqi people being easily manipulated sheep, but the sheep have looked up. They have looked up, out, and around and while it will take generations to achieve the change that they and we desire, it is starting.

With their help, coalition troops can and will arrest or destroy those who want to bring back the glory days, the days when the people were mere slaves and objects. With their help, repairs can be made, order restored, and services provided. With the help of the Iraqi people, the schools can and will begin the long process of eradicating the lies and ignorance in which they have been held.

It will not be an easy road, but nothing truly worthwhile is ever easy. This point will be missed by The Media, opposition politicians, and enemies of peace and growth ranging from France to North Korea. Or at least it will be missed in public. In private, they are as scared as those still loyal to the Butcher of Baghdad. That is why some countries are sending fighters and providing support to troublemakers in Iraq. That is why they do everything they can to obstruct, obfuscate, and otherwise be pains in the process. The thought of a future in which pain, terror, and ignorance are reduced or eliminated is a direct threat to them.

Yet, to those who do think the writing is indeed on the wall. It says those opposed to change, to growth, and to ultimate true peace are desperate. Good.

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Matt has a theory that he asked me to post, and I am glad to do so. You see, he thinks that it may really have been about oil, just not in the way most people think. He points out that the leader of Saudi Arabia is not in good health, and that it is not his son who will rule after him but his brother. This brother reportedly lives in a tent and is much more comfortable with the hardliners than with the West. When he takes over, an immediate break is not likely, but a slow break is very likely. What if the war was not merely to break an evil regime, destroy a base and supporter of various terrorist groups, and give us a way to remove everything of ours from Saudi? What if it is to secure the second largest oil reserves in the Middle East for the West, with a pro-Western government in place? A location that is also a base for other actions against terrorism and such?

This does make some sense, and echos some things already discussed at Winds of Change, if my memory serves (SFX: Best Chairman Kaga impression). What do you think? Matt wants to know and I will share any and all comments with him.

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