11/30 Morning Report...delayed

As expected, the new Australian PM has declared they will be out of Iraq by mid-2008. Kevin Rudd still calls the U.S. our ‘great friend and allay.” But, the liberal Pm has made his stance on Iraq clear :

He has previously described the decision to go to war in Iraq as the "single greatest error" of Australian national security and foreign policy decision-making since the Vietnam war.

The 550 Australian troops are in the south of Iraq, providing much needed security, and training Iraqi forces. Bush is worried their abrupt withdrawal would send the wrong signal to insurgent and terrorist forces.


Meanwhile, the NYTimes finally recognized that Iraqi refugees are trying to return home. Of course, they only recognized after a problem was found! U.S. military officials are worried that no plan exists to re-absorb these people back into society. Over the last few weeks, attacks against military and civilian targets have dropped to the lowest since 2006. The real concern is the influx may spark increased violence.

“All these guys coming back are probably going to find somebody else living in their house,” said Col. William Rapp, a senior aide to Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq.

The expectation is that sectarian rifts will flare all over again as, for example, Sunnis or Shiites return to neighborhoods they fled in fear because of actions by the other sect against them. The other guys are still there.

(…this will be a true test of Iraqi government…I hope they can pass it…)


In other Middle East news, if you doubt the power that Iran and it’s lackeys, Hamas and Hezbollah, have in the Middle East peace process, you should read Time’s “Can Iran And Hamas Sink Annapolis.” The article details how Iran and these groups have used violence and intimidation to repeatedly undo the peace process. And, no surprise, the Iranians are still not making any nuclear concessions.

(…still think Ahmadinejad is a pretty nice guy who is just misunderstood?…like most of the media portray him?...)



Closer to home, could the media be talking us into a recession? Some people are wondering. And, it may be worth giving serious thought to the power of the words we use. There is no question that calling a child worthless repeatedly will build that mindset. Well, if all we hear from the media is “recession”, what might happen...simply because we act on what we hear repeatedly? Food for thought.

(…not to mention the liberal agenda the media pushes constantly…are we surprised that liberalism is spreading?...of course, the media thinks we should be…)