12/09 Morning Report

So, what exactly are we doing to help Iraqis rebuild? The MSM won’t tell you, but 1st Lt. Dawn Harrison, a Mississippi Army Reservist, will.
(…H/T to Brat at Tanker Brothers…)

Meanwhile, showing their willingness to be helpful, Iran announced no negotiations UNLESS…the US declares defeat.

On the question of direct talks between Iran and the United States, "the first and most essential step ... is the United States announce they have decided to withdraw from Iraq", Mottaki told reporters at a security conference in Bahrain.

Basically, Iran is being typically Islamic: give us our way, and we will do what we want.

So, President Bush announced he will not accept all the ISG recommendations.

He has given a cool response to two key recommendations -- talks with Iran and Syria and pulling back U.S. combat forces by early 2008.

Well, in their testimony yesterday before the Armed Services Committee, they said their plan was risky “but no one else had a better idea”, I don’t blame him. That kind of planning is just as dangerous as anything the Liberal Democrats have accused Bush of to date.

And, the Iraqis are close to sorting out their oil revenues. This has been a major stumbling block between the ethnic groups. On the subject of oil, does anyone see where Bush is getting money off this deal?
(…just curious…)

Then there was a story of a Liberal dream come true. Want a free medical education? Just go study in Cuba, AND learn communism.

On the subject of communism, The NY Times reports that Hugo Chavez will tighten his grip on Venezuela. Already his allies control the courts, the legislatures, and the governorships. The military and the national oil companies are filled with his followers. In fact, the energy minister Rafael Ramirez in a video:

…told workers that they had no place in the company if they were not supporters of the government….Mr. Ramírez’s words, which Mr. Chávez promptly adopted as one of his refrains, point to a creeping “with us or against us” radicalization in Venezuelan society that goes beyond the government-run oil company to institutions like public schools and museums.

And this doesn’t even include Chavez’s efforts to re-write the constitution so he can remain in power. Yet, all the Liberals in America can talk about is how Bush is trying to take over.

With all that in mind, courtesy of the Castle, comes a historical reminder. Check out this comparison of pre-WWII negotiations and the current direction of things Iraqi.