Aurora Borealis

I saw the northern lights on the drive up to Albany. The pictures didn't turn out, but the experience was beautiful.

Here is a gallery of neat-lookin' pictures.

On an unrelated note: With such high taxes in New York, why the need for toll roads? More than 25 bucks I wasted on that state. I thought taxes were there to maintain roads and pay for police! Kick some bums off welfare and put some money into your highway.

Reading Assignments

Michael Fumento, a veteran and Iraq embeded journalist, has some great observations regarding the Democrats' "fetish" for Special Forces.

Senator Lieberman tells his colleagues not to undermine the General they confirmed during such an important time in the war.

With Blair's withdrawal of troops from Iraq, it now is really up to us. Max Boot has the numbers.

How About That Surge?

Unfortunately, the surge hasn't been getting as much attention since the Democrat leadership has cast their vote of "non-confidence" in the plan (but still, somehow, supporting the troops that are carrying it out). Here is a round-up of good news you're not hearing from CNN - and Fox News, for that matter.

Blackfive has photos of the honorable men fighting for what's right.

The facts are killer, too. Moqtada al-Sadr has fled to Iran, attacks are down 80%, and murders are down 70%. Patrick Ruffini calls out Time magazine's fear of silence in Baghdad.

Since the beginning of the surge in mid-February, more than 400 insurgents have been put to rest and another 400 captured.

"The number of bodies found [in February] in Baghdad--most shot and showing signs of torture--has dropped by nearly 50 percent to 494 as of Monday, compared with 954 in January." -Associated Press

I originally thought 21,000 was too few troops. However, I listened and took faith in General Patraeus' plan. I only wish 24 switchers and the leadership in Congress had the same confidence in our military.

UPDATE: In the March 1st edition of Stars & Stripes (Mideast Edition), Zeke Minaya reports that due to "shifted tactics and emphasized intelligence operations and humanitarian aid to win over residents," the residents of Hiwajah - a town previously known for it's mistrust of U.S. soldiers - rose up against insurgents that were"trying to take back the city."

Friday Quick Hits

Who knew a celebrity's death would upset me so much? But Anna Nicole's passing has shifted so much media focus away from important news - Iraq, domestic policy, and hating Bush - I hardly know what's going on anymore! Even O'Reilly has fallen victim to the meaningless story and trial.

The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto is claiming the L.A. Times has outed actual CIA agents. The paper provides detailed descriptions of the pilots, facing kidnapping charges in Germany regarding counterterrorism operation in 2003, such as personal vehicle types, ages, facial hair, and their home lives. Fitzgerald better get on this quick! I'm sure he'll have plenty of time after Libby's perjury acquittal.

Apple and Cisco finally settled their iPhone dispute. Both will continue using the iPhone name, but Jobs has reserved the right to outfit his iPhone in a black turtleneck and jeans.

Sen. Lieberman may join the other side of the aisle, reports claim. Interesting. I can only hope he throws the balance of power back to the fools who lost it.

Is America Still Supporting the Fight?

According to a new Public Opinion Strategies poll - for what that's worth - a majority of Americans want to win in Iraq. This, contrary to the majority of elected representatives. Here are some excerpts:

By a 53 percent - 46 percent margin, respondents surveyed said that "Democrats are going too far, too fast in pressing the President to withdraw troops from Iraq."

By ... 57 percent - 41 percent margin, voters agreed with these two statements: "I support finishing the job in Iraq, that is, keeping the troops there until the Iraqi government can maintain control and provide security" and "the Iraqi war is a key part of the global war on terrorism."

32 percent said "whether Iraq is stable or not, the U.S. should set and hold to a strict timetable for withdrawing troops."

However, the numbers still look bleak when those surveyed were asked if we should "do whatever it takes" to get Iraqis on their feet:

27 percent said "the Iraq war is the front line in the battle against terrorism and our troops should stay there and do whatever it takes to restore order until the Iraqis can govern and provide security to their country."

The icing on the cake for me is that only 17% feel that "the U.S. should immediately withdraw its troops from Iraq." More demoralizing, however, is the number of people who support "a strict timetable for withdrawing troops"; 32%. That's considerably less than the percentage of the representative majority in Congress who support timetables and a withdraw.

I'd like to say that these positive numbers would see more light had Anna Nicole not choked to death on her own stupidity, but I've seen more important news and tidbits fall through the media's cracks before.

What's more unfortunate, is that even though the numbers are surprisingly low, they will no doubt rise over the next two years.

Humpday Reading Assignments

It's been a while, but it's time to catch up.

Steve Jobs stands up to teachers' unions.

Walter E. Williams talks exploitation, trade, and stupid laws.

Michelle Malkin has more on the Democrats' myth of our troops not having enough armor.

Iraqi Soldiers Speak Out

Bill Ardolino, embedded with Iraqi soldiers in Fallujah, conducted an interview regarding the host-nation army's situation, progress, and feelings on the ongoing American presence.

The police and army have been working more cooperatively within the last month and they "need the U.S. Army [in Iraq] ... [to build] the Iraqi Army together."

Good stuff.

No Armor?

Democrats are once again pulling the "No armor for our troops" card. Fortunately, their words don't exactly match the facts on the ground. Spending the last 11 months in Baghdad, among touring eight other cities, I spotted only a handful of "soft-skinned" HMMWV's (the military version of the Hummer), and those were used on-base and did not have permission to leave the gate into the hostile "red zone."

What the decievers may be whining about is the lack of new body armor that has been promised to our troops. In this case, they are correct. The Army was scheduled to receive new state-of-the-art body armor, called the Future Warrior System, by 2010. Instead, they will receive it by ... 2010. Marines are due to receive it this year.

Michelle Malkin has an excellent round-up with pictures, military expertise, and more fact-checking.

YouTube Tuesday

Though I enjoyed Fox News' "1/2 Hour News Hour's" teaser from Limbaugh and Coulter, the show failed to meet my low expectation. In fact, I'd rather watch SNL's Weekend Update.

Real Questions To Ask

Since Operation Iraqi Freedom began, the media has been tracking the public's opinion. However, the questions they ask aren't the "fairest" or "most balanced." Here are some questions on which they should poll the nation at a more regular rate.

Can the troops on the ground accomplish their mission?

How important is it to the nation that we succeed in Iraq?

Do you approve or disapprove of the small unit leaderships' (NCO's) handling of their missions?

Is it possible to support the troops, yet disapprove of what they do?

Is the Democratic Party's latest plan for Iraq a plan for victory?

As a strategic move in the War on Terror, will a retreat from Iraq be positive or negative?