Michael Totten On The Anbar Awakening
Michael Totten visited Ramadi in Anbar and reports.
“It was nothing we did,” said Marine Lieutenant Colonel Drew Crane who was visiting for the day from Fallujah. “The people here just couldn’t take it anymore.”It is quite long. You should read the whole thing. Lots of pictures. Happy smiling faces.
What he said next surprised me even more than what I was seeing.
“You know what I like most about this place?” he said.
“What’s that?” I said.
“We don’t need to wear body armor or helmets,” he said.
I was poleaxed. Without even realizing it, I had taken off my body armor and helmet. I took my gear off as casually as I do when I take it off after returning to the safety of the base after patrolling. We were not in the safety of the base and the wire. We were safe because we were in Ramadi.
What happened? It seems like living under Islamic fascism is not as popular in practice as it is in theory.
Cross Posted at Classical Values and at The Astute Bloggers
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4 comments:
I know that clueing you into the reality of how the Anbar province was pacified will hardly matter given your political leanings, but here it is for the record.
George W. Bush got his friends in the Saudi royal family to pony up several hundred million dollars to buy off the numerous tribal leaders in Anbar. These are the same people who were responsible for killing more American troops than the other group in Iraq, just a few months ago.
They will remain our allies, only so long as the money flows, your tax money to be precise, because I have no doubt that George promised to reimburse the Saudis with the next war appropriation funding that Congress approves.
Wake up man, the people you support have told you nothing but lies, and even after they have been exposed for the proven liars that they are, you apparently continue to believe them.
I suppose fear is the primary motivator of your viewpoints and opinions, these days that's the only thing the Republican party and the Conservatives have left to sell.
You have my deepest sympathies.
Several hundred million a year to pacify Anbar?
Cheap at twice the price.
So you believe that it's a good idea to pay off our attackers. I suppose you believe in paying terrorist ransom and giving into terrorist demands as well? This is an extremely slippery slope to step onto, little more than an invitation to every extortionist that comes along.
Funny how the people we are paying through a third-party today, were called terrorist insurgents by the president while we were fighting them, but once they started taking our money, suddenly they were our allies.
Perhaps you think the United States of America should pay off Al Qaeda and every terrorist organization who attacks us?
If you're willing to spend several hundred million to stop the attacks on Americans in Anbar province, well then I suppose you'd be willing to pay several billion a year paying off all the terrorist organizations for a guarantee of not attacking the United States mainland. Does that sound like a good deal to you as well? With the way the war is going I imagine that prospect is looking more and more appealing to George W. Bush every day. Can't beat them, just pay them to stop attacking you.
There's a reason why you don't pay terrorists or buy alliances with those you can't trust.
Perhaps you should rethink your position on this one.
So you believe that it's a good idea to pay off our attackers.
Yep.
It is cheaper than warfare.
In any case they don't like Al Queda and we don't like Al Queda. So I would consider it aid to natural if temporary allies.
If we can keep Iraq reasonably peaceful for 10 or 20 years American culture will liquify theirs. Liberty is pretty intoxicating.
The military is a means to an end. If we can gain than end cheaper by aiding our natural allies rather than fighting them I'm all for it.
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