The Cool Blue Blog

Magic gas

According to recent polls, no matter how much people complain about gas prices, people think they aren't paying enough for gas. And as a result, either because they are uneducated in economics or are simply idealistsic, Democrats have their confidence.

But it is clear that people are confused about the issue of energy. When asked if it is more important to protect the environment or find new energy sources 62% said finding energy source was more important than protecting the environment (21%). Fourteen percent said it was important to do both.

But 57% think we should not exploit the oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

With regards to energy in general, 47% disapprove of building more nuclear power plants (45% approve, however). Fifty One percent don't want any more coal powered plants to be built either. People seem to like the idea of power plants that use natural gas. Only 37% think this is a bad idea even though it emits green house gases. And, unsurprisingly, 87% think building wind and solar power plants are a good idea. In this case, it seems that idealism wins over practicality for most people.

Now with regards to gasoline, people are in favor of the Government forcing car manufacturers to be more energy efficient, which is the Obama solution. They must be blind to the fact that people have the power to make that change without government intervention: They could simply choose to buy more energy efficient cars. Car makers respond to consumer demand; If you buy them, they will make them.

Capitalism at work.

But people in general do not seem to have a firm grasp on capitalism, or markets in general.

People in the polls complain that higher gas prices are hurting them financially (60%) but the obviously do not understand that the only way to bring those prices down is for more, not less, oil to be available on the market. It is a simple economic principle that if there is more supply than there is demand, prices will come down. The reason that gas prices are so high is precisely because the United States is producing less oil than it could be producing AND because it is producing less gasoline than it could be producing.

But people do not believe this. They believe that the reason gas prices are a high is because a) Oil companies are making too much profit (83%) and b) the War in Iraq (64%).

Most people do not blame their own driving habits (4%).

Yet, to the extent that people use less gasoline as a result of high gas prices, is the extent to which gas prices will fall (baring other factors).

Wind and solar power will not run your car no matter what. At least not in the foreseeable future.

And it is a fact that if there is more oil and gasoline on the market, prices for these commodities will fall regardless of the "Big Oil" companies.

But it seems that consciously, or unconsciously, people want to pay more for gas because they do not want to do what it takes to bring gas prices down. They do not want to conserve; they want the government to encourage conservation (68%). But they do not want that encouragement to come in the form of higher gasoline taxes. Fifty Eight percent oppose that idea. They want more oil on the market, but they want to depend on other countries, most of whom are hostile to US interests, to produce it. They want more gasoline on the market, but they do not want more refineries to be built.

What they want is magic. They want gas prices to magically go down. They think that if Government makes a law for automakers to make cars that get 500 miles to the gallon, that's what will happen.

Magic.

They think that if oil companies were forced to give up their profits, gas prices will go down.

Magic.

They think that if the war in Iraq ended, gas prices will come down.

Magic.

Forget the fact that the world, with China and India becoming first world countries, is demanding more oil.

Forget that with problems in Iran, Nigeria and Venezuela, oil supplies are being disrupted.

Forget that with Russia producing less oil, there is less supply.

Forget that with the US producing less oil and gas than it could so there is less supply.

And forget that al Qaida and the Islamists are targeting oil supplies in their war on us, and succeeding in places like Nigeria and with oil tanker piracy.

No forget all of that.

The answer is magic.

If you want to win the political debate on energy, you have to encourage magical thinking.

Something Democrats are much better at than Republicans.

Last ditch effort

The US military has announced that not only is Iran aiding the Shi'ite militias in Iraq, but their Lebanese surrogate, Hezbollah, is also participating

Iraqis are receiving the training at camps operated by the Quds Force, Air Force Col. Donald Bacon told the Associated Press. "We have multiple detainees who state Lebanese Hezbollah are providing training to Iraqis in Iranian IRGC-QF training camps near Tehran," said Bacon, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad. (The Quds Force is also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force, or IRGC-QF. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem.)

In the past, Iran's participation has also been noted on many occasions. In a News Briefing with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff two weeks ago, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen was quite clear on this

...on Iran, I've been clear lately that I'm extremely concerned about what I believe to be an increasingly lethal and malign influence by that government and the Qods Force in particular in Iraq and throughout the Middle East. I believe recent events, especially the Basra operation, have revealed just how much and just how far Iran is reaching into Iraq to foment instability. Their support to criminal groups in the form of munitions and training, as well as other assistance they are providing and the attacks they are encouraging, continues to kill coalition and Iraqi personnel. The Iranian government pledged to halt such activities some months ago. It's plainly obvious they have not. Indeed, they seem to have gone the other way.

Iran, of course, denies such involvement while Mark Kukis and Abigail Hauslohne writing for TIME Magazine attempt to sow doubts as well

...the U.S. allegations appear to be based on speculation, spurred by the appearance about a year ago of a new breed of roadside bomb in Iraq. Explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, proved effective at piercing American armor by firing a concave copper disc from a makeshift cannon, which transformed the slug midair into a molten jet of super-heated metal. Accusations that Iran was shipping the things into Iraq grew louder as U.S. casualties from the weapon rose. But no concrete evidence has emerged in public that Iran was behind the weapons. U.S. officials have revealed no captured shipments of such devices and offered no other proof.

Instead, the Americans argued their case publicly with deductive reasoning: the copper slugs used in EFPs had to be precisely tooled with a heavy press in order to work properly, they said; no such heavy presses were in operation in Iraq, according to the Americans, therefore the slugs had to have been machined in Iran and moved into Iraq. It is, however, not impossible that such heavy presses may well be operating in Iraq. Three major cities in southern Iraq (Basra, Karbala and Najaf) have gone without a significant U.S. military presence for more than a year. These cities, which U.S. officials believe form hubs for the flow of arms into Baghdad, may indeed have such presses.

And the Iraqi Government seems reluctant to outright blame their neighbor, and some in the US media take this as yet another opportunity to discern ulterior motives is the US Government's claims against Iran.

Back in February of 2007, the US Military put on display for the first time evidence of the Iranian-made EFPs found in Iraq.

Regardless, the US and Iraqi combat operations in Sadr City and Basra aimed at destroying the primary Iranian-backed militia continues, unabated, now entering its 5th week.

The leader of the Shi'ite militia, Muqtada al-Sadi has tried threats and negotiation to stop the decimation of his force; while remaining in Iran for the past year, all to no avail.

Now, in a last ditch effort to preserve the Shi'a insurgency, Iran itself is trying to get the operation halted.

As American strikes on Shiite fighters in Baghdad have widened, Iran has suspended talks with the United States on Iraqi security, with the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Monday citing the continued offensive as the reason...

“The focus of discussions with the U.S. is Iraq’s security and stability,” said Mohammad Ali Hosseini, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran, according to IRNA, the official Iranian news agency.

“We are witnessing indiscriminate bombardment of Iraqi residential areas by the U.S. occupying forces,” Mr. Hosseini told reporters at his weekly news conference.

But if they are not involved as they say, why does Iran care so much about these militias? It's not as if the Government were Sunni's trying to destroy Shi'as; no, the Government is mostly Shi'a and trying to assert itself. Isn't the point of "security talks" to find ways to increase the integrity of the Iraqi Government? It certainly should not focus on anti-Government forces, unless, of course, this is Iran's hidden agenda.

And it's not like most Shi'a support these militias

Above all, Hassan and his neighborhood watchmen do not like the Mahdi Army.

“Originally, the Jaish al Mahdi [Mahdi Army] in our area used to deceive people by using the name of the religion to do their purposes,” said Dhia, Hassan’s executive officer. “They were all corrupted. They have history in crime, robberies, murders, rapes, and all kinds of bad things. They even reached the level of kidnapping people and demanding ransoms just because they have money. It didn’t matter if he is Shia or Sunni; just because he has money. They gave a bad reputation for Islam.”

American officials assert that the final factor that has improved security is the citizenry’s fatigue with violence and the militias.

“They’re still intimidated by [the Mahdi Army], but they’re tired of them,” said Thornburg.

In the past the Mahdi Army commanded local support because of the need for security in a vacuum and intimidation tactics. But as security improved and other forces are gaining prominence, support for the Mahdi militia in Rusafa is evaporating.

But Iran had to know that once al Qaida had been dealt with, that we would come after them. Perhaps they thought they would do better then they have.

They were wrong.

Technical Sergeant Shawn Foust

Confronting the challenges presented by the unconventional war in Iraq, Air Force Technical Sergeant Shawn Foust was assigned to Joint Logistic Task Force 1144, becoming a Convoy Commander for the 424th Medium Truck Detachment. In 212 missions during his second tour of duty, Foust encountered various obstacles and challenges while amassing over 507,000 cumulative miles on the dangerous roads of Iraq.

Convoy mission 57-459 would present the greatest challenge, earning Foust praise for his ability to overcome such a daunting task. As his convoy was approaching Forward Operating Base Al Asad, a roadside bomb detonated, wounding the driver and passenger of the third truck, and leaving the vehicle partially disabled. A possible full-scale ambush was upon them as scattered mortar and small arms fire landed on their position. The intermittent insurgent fire raised the threat level for the entire convey and Foust knew he had to remain calm and professional. He immediately moved the convoy past the kill zone and went back for the wounded men. Foust organized his Airmen into a defensive posture, and prepared to repair the damaged truck. Working tirelessly and on constant guard for six hours, throughout the night, Foust and his fifteen man squad replaced each of the damaged 250 pound tires until the vehicle was operational. Foust successfully completed this mission all those before and all those that followed.

In the six months he spent in Iraq, he exhibited a sense of service, devotion to duty, and commitment to the overall success of his unit that went above and beyond what was expected, earning him the Bronze Star Medal for exceptionally meritorious service.

                                       

Sgt. Cameron Davis

While stationed in Iraq as a combat engineer, Sgt. Davis operated the Buffalo Armored Vehicle. Sgt. Cameron Davis was tasked with the dangerous and difficult duty of clearing improvised explosive devises – the number one killer on the battlefield-- for his following comrades on ground military missions. As a Buffalo arm operator, Davis noticed that most IED’s were buried and the Buffalo were inefficient in retrieving them.

Sgt. Davis used his engineering and operating background to design and build a new piece of equipment called the "claw" to dig out buried IED’s. The "claw" attached to the Buffalo arm allowed the soldiers to pick up objects and IED’s just like a hand would. The claw was more efficient, weighed less, moved faster, could pick up heavier objects and allowed the combat engineers to spend less time on target in the kill zone, saving the lives of the Buffalo operators as well as soldiers on follow-on ground missions.

Davis modestly shares credit with his entire unit saying, "Every one of the soldiers in my unit including the command was extremely supportive while I was building the claw and gave me all the tools and resources I needed. A fellow soldier named Sgt. Morgan helped me assemble the claw."

Sgt. Davis’ invention was recommended to a four-star general of supply. Davis created a manual on how to build the claw so other route clearance teams could construct them and assist the manufacture of the Buffalo to possibly integrate the "claw" into its design. Sgt. Davis used brains and brawn inventing the "claw" and should be honored for the impact he made on the safety of soldiers in Iraq.                   

Diminishing returns

The destruction and elimination of Iran's proxy force in Iraq continues as US and Iraqi forces systematically disassemble the Mahdi "Army" in the Sadr City section of Baghdad.

Yesterday

A four-hour battle Tuesday between U.S. soldiers and Shiite militiamen left at least 28 Iraqis dead in the capital's Sadr City neighborhood, making it one of the bloodiest days in a month of sustained street fighting...

The battle Tuesday erupted as U.S. forces tried to evacuate a soldier injured by small-arms fire about 9:30 a.m., according to the U.S. military. During the evacuation, the troops were attacked with roadside bombs, as well as rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire from houses, storefronts, alleyways and rooftops, said Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a U.S. military spokesman.

...U.S. soldiers responded by firing rockets armed with high-explosive, 200-pound warheads, killing 28 fighters, Stover said. In a separate incident in Sadr City, a fixed-wing aircraft dropped a bomb at 5:15 p.m. that killed two fighters firing mortars at a joint U.S.-Iraqi outpost, the U.S. military said....

U.S. officials emphasized that U.S. troops responded only after they were attacked and that it was the fault of the militiamen if there were civilian casualties. "The sole burden of responsibility lies on the shoulders of the militants who care nothing for the Iraqi people," Stover said in an e-mail.

He said the militiamen purposely attack from buildings and alleyways in densely populated areas, hoping to protect themselves by hiding among civilians. "What does that say about the enemy?" Stover said. "He is heartless and evil."

...U.S. and Iraqi troops are fighting together to clear the southern portion of Sadr City, where militia fighters have launched their rocket and mortar attacks.

Lackeys for the Iranian backed militia of Moqtada al-Sadr complain that US forces are indiscriminately shooting up that place

"Sadr City is under the American hammer and nobody is monitoring it," said Leewa Smeisim, the head of the Sadr movement's political bureau. "Eighty percent of the military operations are targeting innocents, because the Americans want to make people turn against the Mahdi Army so they can enter the city and control it. Nobody is safe in Sadr City, neither women nor children."

True enough; no one is safe because the Mahdi's doesn't care who gets killed so long as it isn't them. They are fighting for their very existence. As Bill Roggio reports, the US Patrol was ambushed and a soldier wounded

During the evacuation, Mahdi Army fighters triggered three roadside bombs and fired rocket propelled grenades and machineguns at the US patrol. Five more soldiers were wounded in the attacks and two vehicles were damaged. None of the soldiers' injuries are reported as life-threatening.

During the battle, US soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division directed "a combination of weapon systems available," including munitions from a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, at Mahdi Army fighters "firing from buildings, alleyways and rooftops" in the dense urban areas of Sadr City. "The enemy continues to show little regard for innocent civilians, as they fire their weapons from within houses, alleyways, and rooftops upon our Soldiers," said Colonel Allen Batschelet, the chief of staff for Multinational Division Baghdad.

The Mahdi Army took heavy casualties during the single engagement. "A total of at least 28 militants were killed in the four-hour engagement," Multinational Forces Baghdad reported.

Stover refuted reports that US forces used aircraft to attack civilians in Sadr City. "Our Soldiers have a right to defend ourselves," Stover said. "This engagement began as we were evacuating a US Soldier shot while on patrol in south Sadr City and continued as militants continued engaging US Soldiers. We are NOT targeting law-abiding civilians. Those targeted were firing weapons at US Soldiers."

Laughingly, Moqtada al-Sadr says that such aggressive action on the part of the Maliki Government, who has ordered the Shi'ite militas disbanded one way or another, threatens the Sadr-ordered "cease-fire".

The Mahdi Army is flush with Iranian Arms, and the Shi'ite militias are the tool of the Iranian Government in Iraq: A tool being used to attempt to undermine the Iraqi Government and the US efforts there.

But with each successful operation, an effort which began a month ago in Basra, with each death of a Mahdi soldier, with each loss of a Mahdi stronghold, Iranian influence is diminishing.

And the influence of the Iraqi people strengthens.

The legitimate issue

On Fox News Sunday, Senator Barak Obama told Chris Wallace that his former pastor of twenty years, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, was not off limits politically as far as he is concerned

The fact that he is my former pastor I think makes it a legitimate political issue.  So I understand that.

Well good, because the Reverend Wright is out there being an Obama-associated nutcase for all to see. This is causing the Senator problems not just on the Right, but among Democrats as well. Ed Morrisey points out the consternation Reverend is causing among Obama supporters. But more importantly Captain Ed notes

All of these commentators came to see Wright as a narcissist, egotist, provocateur, and a shameless self-promoter in the last 48 hours. Why? In reading the pieces, their ire and scorn come exclusively because of the damage he does to Barack Obama, and with the exception of the Post editorial, not because what he says is ridiculous.

Not one of these columnists mentions his defense of Louis Farrakhan as misunderstood and his anti-Semitism as misreported. Not one of them mentions his strange views on neurology and the supposed synaptic differences between white and black brains. None of them offer even a questioning sentence on Wright’s theories on “tonality” or on the purportedly racial differences between marching bands, let alone his silly and offensive demonstrations of them on stage. Only the Post mentions his repeated assertion that the American government created AIDS as a means for genocide against people of color.

Why not? Because to point these out would be to confirm Wright’s status as a racial demagogue and borderline lunatic, which would really damage Obama.

But the damage this is doing to Democrats goes way beyond Obama.

Yes, it is true that Wright could very well cause Obama to lose the Indiana primary as well as most of the other remaining primaries. And if that happens, if it hasn't already happened, it will dawn on the Superdelegates that Obama is unelectable.

But they will be powerless to do anything about it because regardless of what happens between now and June, Obama will likely still lead in the delegate count and the popular vote when the convention rolls around. And for there to be any nominee other than Obama coming out of the convention, the result will be a split among Democrats; possibly an irreparable split in the Party.

But nominating Obama will lead to defeat for Democrats who this time last year, thought there was no way they were going to lose the Presidency this time.

When it all comes crashing down, will the after action report recommend that Howard Dean be shot? and then once the execution occurs will it business as usual?

Or will Democrats take a long , hard look at themselves and instead of executing anyone, they purge the Party.

They purge the Party of the hard Socialists, Communists, and anti-Americans....

They purge the Party of the nutroots....

And most importantly, they purge the Party of Identity Politics.

All of these things are legitimate issues with which the Democratic Party will have to deal with eventually, or risk becoming irrelevant.

Lance Corporal Moses Cardenas

On one hot August morning near Rawah, Iraq, Lance Corporal Moses Cardenas of the Marines 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion found his platoon barraged by an insurgent suicide bomb, numerous rocket-propelled grenades, and heavy machine gun fire. In the chaotic moments that followed, Cardenas would have to decide between attempting the rescue of his wounded sergeant or remain in his covered position until reinforcements arrived. The choice was simple.                   

Cardenas thought, "He was my sergeant; I had to do something," and with that he courageously charged 50 meters through the kill-zone to his wounded comrade. Running the gauntlet through enemy fire, he was shot in the neck by the spray of weapons’ fire. Undeterred, he arrived at Sgt. Randy Roedema’s exposed position and performed first-aid to stop the flow of blood from Roedema’s severe wounds.                   

With both Marines wounded and under the sights of numerous insurgents, Cardenas knew if he was to save his friend he must evacuate both of them to safety. With his M249 Squad Automatic Weapon charged and a grip on his injured sergeant, Cardenas rotated between firing his machine gun and pulling Roedema across the battlefield. Reaching the relative safety of his platoon’s convoy, Cardenas continued laying down suppressive fire until the situation came under control and medics could tend to the wounded Marines.

Cardenas was awarded the Silver Star, the third highest military award. Roedema would later reflect "I owe him my life." Four days after Cardenas saved his life, Roedema’s wife gave birth to their first child – a child that will have a father because of the selfless act preformed by Cardenas on that summer morning in Iraq.

From The North Shore Journal

Cardenas and Sgt. Randy M. Roedema were on a routine early morning zone reconnaissance patrol with the quick reaction force last year in Western Anbar province in Iraq. They happened upon a vehicle which crossed their sector, so they moved in to check it out, according to Cardenas.

After repeated attempts to get the driver and passengers of the truck to submit to a search, three men burst from the top of the vehicle and opened fire. The Marines quickly attempted to bound back to their vehicles for cover, and to allow their turret gunners an open line-of-fire.

Three Marines were hit. Lance Cpl. Christian Vasquez was killed, and Cardenas was hit in the neck. After he hit the deck, he looked up and saw that Roedema was on the ground.

“I saw my sergeant laying down and I said, ‘Not today,’” Cardenas recounted after the ceremony.

Already injured, Cardenas began dragging Roedema to safety, but they had more than 50 meters to cover, so Cardenas alternated dragging Roedema with applying suppressive fire with his squad automatic weapon.

“’You’re going to see you’re daughter,’ that’s what he said when he was pulling me,” said Roedema, 25, from Denver, Colo. “He saved my life.”

Cardenas was again hit with a round from the insurgent’s weapons, but he continued pulling Roedema until they we both safely behind cover, and only later, after a corpsman arrived, did Cardenas receive attention for his wounds.

Asked why he risked his life for Roedema, Cardenas answers simply, “He’s my sergeant; he’s the chief scout; it really didn’t register how dangerous it was. After sleeping, eating, and laughing with my fire team everyday, you get really close, like brothers.”

Roedema was treated and taken to medical facilities. Even better than the diagnosis that he was going to recover from his wounds was the news that he had just become a father, after his wife, Sharla, gave birth to baby Juliannah.

“Without [Cardenas], I’d never be able to see my daughter,” Roedema said. “Words don’t explain what he means to me and my family.”

Attacking oil

Our enemies know that the life-blood of our economy and our society is oil. And it is no coincidence that as a result, oil prices have now risen to highs that were a short time ago, unimaginable. And there is no doubt that the Islamists have a strategy in place for making this situation as bad as possible.

Back in 2005, Christopher Dickey writing for Newsweek wrote

"They're watching Katrina. They're watching Rita.  They're watching what it's doing to the United States," says former CIA agent Robert Baer, who has written extensively on Saudi Arabia's vulnerabilities.  A few ruptured pipes could be repaired quickly, says Baer, but a concerted attack at several points could bring on the kind of nightmare scenario that U.S. officials have been dreading since the Reagan years, pushing oil prices up from their current prices in the range of $60 to $70 a barrel to well over $100 for weeks or even months.

That same year

Al-Qaida's deputy leader called for attacks against Gulf oil facilities and urged insurgent groups in Iraq to unite to drive out American forces, according to a videotape posted on the Internet Wednesday.

There were attempted attacks on Saudi Oil fields and more recently Nigeria's oil fields are under constant attack.

World oil prices yesterday hit a record of $117.40 a barrel following militants attacks on pipelines in Nigeria...

The militant group behind the attack who claimed that they have launched two more attacks on oil pipelines yesterday says they are doing that to stop injustice to the region but the governor of Rivers State,Rotimi Amaechi, had, at a Niger Delta oil security forum in Abuja, debunked this claim by the militants saying that they are only self seeking criminals who are into purely economic venture for themselves.

The groups perpetrating these attacks are mostly Nationalists, but radical Islamists are looking to support them as a way of furthering their own goals

Although the majority of Muslims live in the northern region of Nigeria, the presence of Islamic extremism in the country presents an unsettling possibility that the extremist movement could reach the Niger Delta. If it does, there’s a strong possibility that the MEND may form a temporary alliance with Islamic radicals, if only to receive logistical support or training. This temporary union would most likely take the form of an objective-oriented alignment between radical Muslims and the MEND.

It has long been a goal of al-Qaeda to damage American economic power by attacking oil facilities and targets. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross notedin his article “Al-Qaeda’s Oil Weapon” that in a December, 2004 audiotape, Osama bin Laden stated that “one of the main causes for our enemies' gaining hegemony over our country is their stealing our oil; therefore, you should make every effort in your power to stop the greatest theft in history of the natural resources of both present and future generations.” Moreover, Ayman al-Zawahiri gave an interview in 2005 where he called for the mujahideen to “focus their attacks on the oil wells stolen from the Muslims, because most of the revenues of this oil go to the enemies of Islam.”

There can be little doubt that recent attacks on oil tankers were perpetrated by Islamic extremists.

March 24th

Suspected militants in Pakistan have blown up 36 oil tankers that supply fuel to U.S.-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

Pakistani officials Monday said the attackers set off two bombs near the trucks, triggering fires and explosions Sunday night in the Khyber tribal district. At least 70 people were wounded.

More than 80 oil tankers bound for Afghanistan were parked in the area when the explosion happened.

Three days ago

Heavily armed pirates Monday attacked and damaged a huge oil tanker off the Somali coast using machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, a Malaysian-based maritime watchdog said...

"Pirates on five speed boats attacked the tanker, the size of a football field. It was a night raid. A missile-like rocket was launched at the ship. Initial reports said the ship suffered some damage," he said.

"I believe the Somali pirates could have used rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire on the tanker with the aim to board and possibly hijack her," Choong said.

"But the tanker increased speed and managed to prevent the pirates from boarding and taking control of the oil tanker," he added...

The waters off Nigeria and Somalia are the world's most dangerous hotspots for seafarers, with pirate attacks increasing globally in the first quarter of this year, the IMB said Wednesday.

Two days ago

...off the coast of Yemen, a Japanese tanker was hit by a rocket. Meanwhile, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta warned that it would intensify attacks on Shell pipelines.

In fact, the latest ICC Commercial Crime Services Weekly Piracy Report notes in addition to the above incidents

16.04.2008: 0640 UTC: 14:02.0N-050:35.9E: Gulf of Aden.
A tanker underway was approached and trailed by two, 15-meter long boats. One boat had three persons in it and had a yellow hull. The other boat had five persons in it and had a white hull. Crew alerted and all anti piracy, preventive measures enforced.  Ship took evasive manoeuvres.  The two suspicious boats moved away and headed in a southwesterly direction.  Ship reported to a coalition warship in the area.  When warship arrived in the area, the suspicious boats disappeared....

15.04.2008: 0600 UTC: 14:35.8N - 050:55.7E, Gulf of Aden.
Three speedboats approached a LPG tanker underway. The boats crossed the bow of the tanker several times. Master altered course and contacted coalition warship in the vicinity. After five minutes the boats moved away and stopped 2.5nm from the tanker.

14.04.2008: 1622 UTC: 15:17N - 052:23E, Gulf of Aden.
Four speedboats approached a tanker underway. At 3nm master altered course and the boats moved away.

And that's just so far this month.

It is clear that the strategic imperative of the US needs to be less reliance on Foreign Oil. Alternative energy sources and more fuel efficient cars are fine and will eventually help.

But not today.

More nuclear power plants are required and they will help.

But not today.

More drilling in ANWAR and off our coasts could have helped today, but Democrats and other opponents prevented that from happening back in 2005, the same year al Qeda was announcing their anti-oil strategy.

Roger Hedgcock

After the Democrats victory in 2006, the Carter mentality took over. Oil drilling was out, big oil was evil, higher taxes the remedy for greed, and conservation and "alternatives" were in. I paid $4.05 per gallon for my last fill up. Is it too low yet?

...In the Gulf of Mexico, Jack No. 2 well documented massive oil reserves in U.S. waters similar in scope to these Brazilian fields. The U.S. reaction? No more drilling there. Instead, the nearby Cubans (aided by the oil-thirsty Chinese) will drill in international waters in the same field....

Last year, Congress even forbid the purchase by the U.S. Navy of this Canadian oil because of the "damage" the extraction of the oil did to the planet.

When you go to the gas pump and the $4 gas becomes $5 and then $10 per gallon, remember this is a self-inflicted price brought to you by the Carterite Democrats in Congress. The ghost of Reagan pleads with us to drill the oil literally bubbling up under our feet and shatter OPEC once more.

It seems, it's not just Islamic extremists who are attacking our oil supplies

Pants on fire

A new audio tape released by al Qaeda's number 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, denounces all who try to give credit for the destruction of the Twin Towers to anyone but themselves. And Zawahri is particularly upset with suggestions that Israel (or the Joos) perpetrated the crime.

"The purpose of this lie is clear — (to suggest) that there are no heroes among the Sunnis who can hurt America as no else did in history. Iranian media snapped up this lie and repeated it," he said.

I find it amusing that Zawahri blames Iran for "disparaging" them is such a way while at the same time accusing the Persian leadership of collaborating with America.

"Iran's aim here is also clear — to cover up its involvement with America in invading the homes of Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq," he said.

Iran cooperated with the United States in the 2001 U.S. assault on Afghanistan that toppled al-Qaida's allies, the Taliban.

Gee, maybe al Qaida should start an "insurgency" in Iran. That would be fun.

And in a segment to be completely ignored by the Democratic Candidates for President, al Qaida's chief mouthpiece reaffirms that Iraq is the centerpiece of their global struggle for the ascendancy of Radical Islam

"The Islamic State in Iraq ... remains to this day the main force confronting the crusaders and their collaborators and challenging Iranian greed," Zawahri said.

And, like Baghdad Bob before him, he reports that America is being defeated by the glorious fighters in Iraq

"The truth is that if Bush keeps all his forces in Iraq until doomsday and until they enter hell, they will only see crisis and defeat by the will of God," said al-Zawahri, the deputy of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

"If the American forces leave, they will lose everything. And if they stay, they will bleed to death," he said....

"Bush declared that he will grant Petraeus all the time he needs, a ridiculous show to cover up for the failure in Iraq and to allow Bush to evade the decision to withdraw the forces, which is an admission of the failure of the crusader invasion of Iraq, by passing the problem on to the next president," al-Zawahri said.

But such rhetoric is belied by the fact that he continues to call for new recruits

Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri urged Muslims to join the insurgency in Iraq in a new audiotape posted today on the internet.

“I urge all Muslims to hurry to the battlefields of Jihad (holy war), especially in Iraq,” Zawahiri said in the message, the second in a two-part series to answer about 100 questions put to him via online militant forums....

“I call upon the Muslim nation to fear Allah’s question (at judgment day) about its failure to support its brothers of the Mujahedeen (holy Warriors), and (urge it) not to withhold men and money, which is the mainstay of a war,” he added.

Well, now we know the truth of the situation: Iran is spreading rumors that it was the Joos, not al Qaida who took down the WTC, Iran is our ally in the War on Terror, and al Qaida is winning in Iraq.

Oh, and you know about the recent trend of al Qaida female suicide bombers?

They don't exist

Asked if there are any women in al-Qaida, the terror leader answered simply: "No."

Well, maybe not anymore....

Corporal Ian Dollard

June 24, 2007 on patrol in Saqlawiyah, Iraq, Corporal Ian Dollard’s team investigated an abandoned dump truck for signs of explosives when insurgents ambushed them. Immediately, one Marine was hit once by a spray of machine gun fire and several Marines rushed to his aid. Dollard provided suppressive fire from behind his up-armored Humvee for the rescuers and wounded Marine. Suddenly, a second position opened fire on the Marines. An enemy round hit his platoon commander, 1st Lt. Paul Brisker, instantly dropping Brisker to the ground and presenting the young corporal with a life threatening decision.

Dollard recalls adrenaline took over, and he rushed towards his wounded comrade – as well as the second enemy machine gun position. The 21-year-old Marine selflessly used his body as a shield to protect Brisker from additional gunfire while he began performing first aid. 

In his exposed position, Dollard was hit not once, but twice by machine gun fire in his armor, causing him only temporary pause. He knew Brisker would die if not pulled to the safety provided by his platoon, so he dragged the injured officer more than 25 meters to a Humvee under constant gunfire. In the final steps of the rescue, Dollard was hit a third time, this round bypassing his armor and hitting him in the leg.

Ignoring his injuries, Dollard continued supporting his platoon as they left the engagement to rush back to their operating base and get Brisker the critical care he needed. Only then did Dollard tell his platoon sergeant, Staff Sgt. Marc Navai, "Oh, by the way, I got shot too."

Without delay, Navai started working on the citation, arguing, "That’s what a Silver Star is all about." Dollard was credited with saving the life of his platoon commander, who eventually made a full recovery. After only six weeks recuperating, Dollard was back on the frontlines, serving his country and the Corps with the same heroism he brought that June day in Anbar province.

Any Marine would brave enemy fire to rescue a wounded comrade when you have friends that "got your back."

Cpl. Ian M. Dollard exemplified that sense of brotherhood when he risked his life to save a fellow Marine.

For his actions while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Dollard received the Silver Star — the nation’s third highest award for combat heroism.

His former company commander, Maj. George D. Hasseltine, pinned the award on Dollard during a ceremony on Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field here March 21.

Defensless in Vermont

Vermont has one of the most "liberal" gun policies in the nation: That is you don't need a license to carry a gun, openly or concealed. Chapter 1, Article 16 of the State Constitution is quite clear about this

“That the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and the State as standing armies in time of peace are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be kept up; and that the military should be kept under strict subordination to and governed by the civil power.”

No permit is required to purchase a rifle, shotgun, or handgun. In fact, Vermont is unique among States in that you don't have to me a resident to carry a weapon in Vermont, you just have to be here. But apparently this courtesy, this right to defend yourself, does not extend to the campus of the University of Vermont.

The students of UVM are not allowed to carry a taser, or even pepper spray, let alone a gun, for fear of being expelled.

"The university's position is that weapons or likely facsimiles thereof, are not allowed on campus," said UVM Police Chief Gary Margolis.

Margolis says the UVM ban on tasers and mace pepper spray makes sense because the greatest threat comes from the devices themselves-- not attacks by a stranger.

Is that so.

In the early morning hours of October 7 , Gardner-Quinn was walking home to her [UVM] campus dormitory after a night out with friends. She borrowed a cell phone rom a passerby,Brian Rooney , to call an acquaintance. A jewelery store surveillance camera captured Gardner-Quinn walking north with Rooney at approximately 2:34 am. [1]Six days later, her body was found by hikers near Huntington Gorge in Richmond, Vermont. An autopsy revealed she had been sexually assaulted, beaten and strangled. [2]

This particular incident has encouraged many a UVM student, particularly females, to risk expulsion in exchange for personal safety.

"I own a stun gun. It doesn't shoot out, it's direct contact. Not a taser," she explained.

The UVM student spoke with us with her identity concealed because she owns a stun gun that temporarily paralyzes with high voltage and excruciating pain. Carrying a stun gun or other self-defense items like pepper spray on campus could get her expelled because it violates the UVM weapons policy.

But she says she has good reason to own one.

"A good friend of mine got it for me after what happened last year with Michelle Gardner-Quinn."

...Our student stun gun owner doesn't want that to happen to her."I'm using it for my own safety and to me that's more important than anything."

Reporter Brian Joyce asked: "Worth expulsion?"

"Well if it came to my life, I would rather be expelled then to not be here today," she answered.

Other students across the nation are reminded about how vulnerable they as we mark the 1st Anniversary of the shootings at Virginia Tech

"Would you rather just sit there and cower underneath a desk when someone executes you or would you rather have a chance to defend your life? That's what it really boils down to."

That was said by  Michael Flitcraft, a 23-year-old sophomore at the University of Cincinnati. He's a member of  Students For Concealed Carry on Campus.

Police are great: after the fact. But no one can expect them to be at the scene of a crime while it is happening except by random happenstance. The ability to prevent a crime is reserved for the individuals involved at the time and place of its actual occurrence. And for that, the victim must be armed, trained in the weapons operation, and have the will to defend themselves.

Vermont, with its obvious lack of gun restrictions remains 48th out of 50 States for violent crime. So it is clear that UVM Police Chief Gary Margolis is wrong when he claims that "greatest threat comes from the devices themselves". I mean when was the last case of someone using a stun gun, taser, or mace in anger, or even accidentally on the UVM campus?

It's not like they are not being carried by students, especially female students, in violation of the campus rules. So where is the evidence that the greatest threat comes from the devices themselves?

"I'd go back to the discussion we have to have with men and women about where are violence-against-women crimes most likely to occur and how do we educate our population about those crimes, versus this belief that simply carrying a weapon of some sort is going to be the best defense," said Margolis.

How about you allow theses self-protection devices, and yes even guns, on campus after the student has registered the device, passed a background check, and can demonstrate that they have been trained to use the device? Something like a concealed carry permit?

I've mentioned that Vermont has one of the lowest violent crime rates and it doesn't require a concealed carry permit. Since Texas allowed concealed carry in 1995,

• Per 100,000 population, rates for aggravated assault fell from 429.3 to 370.
• Robberies declined from a rate of 179.8 to 146.8.
• The rape rate was down to 38.1 per 100,000 from 45.5.
• And murders fell from 9 per 100,000 to 6.1.

Since carrying a concealed weapon in the Lone Star State was legalized, overall violent crimes have declined from 644.2 per 100,000 to 561.

What's more, people with concealed carry permits are less likely to commit a crime

One study found that in Florida CCW holders were 300 times less likely than the general population to commit a crime. A Texas study found that CCW holders in that state were "5.7 times less likely to commit a violent crime, and 14 times less likely to commit a non-violent offense." There's a simple reason CCW holders as a group are so law-abiding -- they have to be law-abiding citizens in order to qualify for a permit in the first place.

And they are prepared to be first responders in the case of a violent incident that is either directed at them personally, or as part of a group.

With the one year Anniversary of the shootings at Virginia Tech upon us, it does us no good to set a policy the ensures a population is unarmed and then advertise the fact in a way that a deranged killer can take advantage of.

Why do you think that is?

Maliki's failure

News that Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki was defeated by the pro-Iranian Mahdi Army is lost on the residents of Basra

Three weeks after Iraqi troops swarmed into the southern city of Basra to take on armed militiamen who had overrun the streets, many residents say they feel safer and that their lives have improved.

The fierce fighting which marked the first week of Operation Sawlat al-Fursan (Charge of the Knights) has given way to slower, more focused house-by-house searches by Iraqi troops, which led on Monday to the freeing of an abducted British journalist.

Residents say the streets have been cleared of gunmen, markets have reopened, basic services have been resumed and a measure of normality has returned to the oil-rich city.

The port of Umm Qasr is in the hands of the Iraqi forces who wrested control of the facility from Shiite militiamen, and according to the British military it is operational once again.

After the gunfight, the militia's leader Muqtada al-Sadr graciously offered conditions for a cease-fire

Just as the new Iraqi forces began to arrive in Basrah and US and British forces were gearing up to augment the Iraqi military, Muqtada al Sadr, under orders from Iran’s Qods Force, called for his fighters to withdraw from the streets. Sadr issued a nine-point list of demands, which included that operations cease.

All nine points were rejected and the Iraqi Army and security forces remain in control of the city

...the city is flooded with troops, innumerable checkpoints constantly snarl the traffic, residents are scared to go out at night despite the curfew being relaxed, and the sound of sporadic gunfire can still be heard.

An AFP correspondent said three northwestern neighbourhoods once under the firm control of the Mahdi Army militia of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr -- Al-Hayaniyah, Khamsamile and Garma -- are now encircled by Iraqi troops who are carrying out door-to-door searches.

Two other neighbourhoods once dominated by the Mahdi Army, Al-Qiblah in the southwest and Al-Taymiyyah in the centre, have been cleared of weaponry and many people have been arrested, military officials say.

Residents expressed relief at the improved security.

The performance of the Iraqi Army was mixed, and a number of Iraqi soldier and policemen were fired. But that just serves to strengthen, not weaken these organizations. And Maliki isn't stopping there. My favorite crew of soldiers, the 1st Battailion, 14th Infantry Regiment is stryking at the Madhi Army's home base in the Sadr City section of Baghdad. They are working with the Iraqi Army, again, with mixed results.

A company of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their positions on Tuesday night in Sadr City, defying American soldiers who implored them to hold the line against the Shiite militias.

The retreat left a crucial stretch of road on the front lines undefended for hours and led to a tense series of exchanges between American soldiers and about 50 Iraqi troops who were fleeing.

Capt. Logan Veath, the commander of Company B, the U.S. unit on the scene, pleaded with the Iraqi major who was leading his troops away from the Sadr City fight, urging him to return to the front.

"If you turn around and go back up the street those soldiers will follow you," Veath said. "If you tuck tail and cowardly run away they will follow up that way, too."

Veath's pleas failed...

But other, less cowardly elements of the IA filled in

...senior American and Iraqi commanders mounted an urgent effort to regain the lost ground. An elite Iraqi unit was rushed in and with the support of the Americans began to fight its way north...

Senior Iraqi commanders hurried to the scene and a special Iraqi reconnaissance unit was ordered to advance up the road. With the help of an American bomb-clearing unit, Stryker vehicles and attack helicopters, the Iraqis rumbled north, spraying rounds as they went. According to the last reports monitored by Company B, the Iraqis were stopped short by several roadside bombs, and planned to resume the push in daylight.

Regardless, if the defeat of Sadr's Mahdi Army which is seeminly inevitable at this point is Maliki's failure, then what is it for al-Sadr?

And Iran....

 

Too late to stop now

Muqtada al-Sadr, who only weeks ago when the uprising in Bashra began was being painted as the victor in his struggle with the Iraqi Government by the media, not only has had his "peace offering" rejected, but the Iraqi Government is more determined than ever to root out his militia.

Iraqi forces will battle militiamen in Sadr City relentlessly until the sprawling Shiite district of east Baghdad has been cleared of gunmen, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh vowed on Sunday.

"We will continue until we secure Sadr City. We will not come out, we will not give up until the people of Sadr City have a normal life," Dabbagh told AFP.

"(The security forces) will do what they have to do to secure the area. I can't tell you how many days or how many months but they will not come out until they have secured Sadr City."

And the fighting continued in the Sadr City area of Baghdad even while Basra is being put back together

Days after intense fighting, and the call to peace from Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr March 30, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers patrol the outskirts of Sadr City, a district of Baghdad, ensuring the safety of the city’s residents. 

Sadr City has been the backdrop of many conflicts for Coalition forces since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The city is the poorest of all the Bagdad districts and has historically been a safe haven for terrorists.

The Soldiers from Company A and a platoon from Company B, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B are tired, dirty, and work 24-hours a day with only cat naps to sustain them, but they relentlessly take to the streets in their mission to drive terrorists out of the area.

What began as a 96-hour tasking on March 26 turned into an open ended mission.

Capt. Scott Bailey, Company A commander, said the mission in support of combat operations was a success.

“We had some significant contact when we first arrived,” said Bailey, a Running Springs, Calif., native, “but we planned good company attacks and now it is pretty quiet here.”

       

Sadr himself, after being snubbed in his efforts to save his "army" is now being belligerent

Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says he will  not enter any political process that would allow U.S.  forces to remain in Iraq.

Al-Sadr also denounces U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates  as a terrorist and says he will never work with Iraq's  occupiers.

But Secretary Gates recognizes Sadr's role in Iraq even if Sadr himself won't admit it

On Friday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said al-Sadr was a significant political player due to his large following in Iraq's Shiite community. Gates also called on al-Sadr to take part in the political process.

But when the last of Sadr's militants are disarmed, all that will be left are the politicians and Sadr will have no choice but to become one himself, or leave the stage altogether.

My guess is, he can not resist having an audience.

The Illusion of Desperate Times

Everywhere in the news there are reports of disaster

Americans' confidence in the economy fell to a new low, dragged down by worries about mounting job losses, record-high home foreclosures and zooming energy prices.

According to the RBC Cash Index, confidence dropped to a mark of 29.5 in April, down from 33.1 in March. The new reading was the worst since the index began in 2002. It marked the fourth month in a row where confidence has fallen to an all-time low.

"Consumers are very pessimistic," said Mark Vitner, economist at Wachovia. "There are not a lot of happy campers out there."

And

More than 80 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, the highest such number since the early 1990s, according to a new survey.

The CBS News-New York Times poll released Thursday showed 81 percent of respondents said they believed "things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track." That was up from 69 percent a year ago, and 35 percent in early 2002.         

Oh there's more

A poll released Monday by Rasmussen Reports found that 63% of Americans believe the U.S. government isn't doing enough to help out the economy, while 19% believe the government's response has been adequate this election year.

But, as always, that's not the whole story. Part of America's problem with the Government's response is that many think the Government is doing too much, not too little.

...48% of voters say the best thing the government can do is get out of the way by reducing taxes and regulations.

Speaking of taxes, it is not a given that Americans want the tax cuts to expire as a way of fixing the economy. When asked "Would you favor or oppose making those tax cuts permanent?", 54% favor making them permanent while only 40% want to see them expire.

And all that anxiety about the economy? It's not the respondent's own financial situation that is the concern; the respondent is concerned about everyone else

When looking at the state of their own finances, more than 70% claimed that their personal financial situation was fairly good or excellent.

And that concern about the sub-prime mortgages, not many are interested in bailing out the homeowners who are falling behind. A recent survey showed that 53% do not want the federal government to help homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage.

These results are consistent with earlier surveys showing that most Americans believed individual borrowers were to blame for the mortgage crisis.  

A separate survey found that most believe the troubled homeowners should buy a smaller house.

And yet, the picture that is being painted is that we are living in desperate times and that the Government should do more to fix things.

Yet the unemployment rate is still only 5.1% which is historically quite low and 70% deem their personal financial situation just peachy.

But all of this distress, according to Back Obama, is driving people to love guns and the baby Jesus

``You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them,'' Obama said, according to an audio recording on the Huffington Post Web site.

``And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns, or religion, or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment, or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations,'' Obama said.

Oh, and did I mention that one of the things that people want the government to do is stop illegal immigration?

Fifty-six percent (56%) believe that stopping illegal immigration would help the economy.

Yeah, and 73% of Americans support the right to own and use guns

So it seems pretty clear that desperation is not the cause of these sentiments. People are concerned about gas prices but our efforts to make us more energy independent by drilling in our country have been stymied by disagreements in Congress. And people are confused about what actually causes high gas prices: they believe energy companies are the problem and conservation is the solution.

People are concerned about rising health care costs, but everyone wants to live forever and they think the health care system is broken.

And People are concerned about the cost of education.

But these are not issues that directly relate to the economy and jobs. These are not the kinds of issues that cause desperate people, living in desperate times to run to guns and religion.

The illusion of desperate times serves a political purpose to populists if they can convince you that that a Depression is on its way, if not already here.

Is the fact that the media abets this illusion a political statement?

I'd say it very much is.

CWO4 Michael Zanders

April 15, 2006 would prove to be unlike any other day during his near 800 hours of combat flight in Iraq. In Mosul around mid-day, Zanders received a "911" call from a nearby combat outpost. Zanders took off in one of two Kiowa Warrior helicopters from Forward Operating Base Mosul and arrived on site in minutes. As they approached, they saw gunfire and explosions blackening the desert. The heavy dust rising from the chaos obstructed the choppers’ view of the kill-zone, forcing them to fly as close to the ground as possible. After frantic communiqués from the combat outpost warning their position could be overrun, the Kiowas helicopters went into action. Zanders’ sister ship took the lead. Both choppers unloaded on the attacking insurgents with volleys of high explosive rockets and 50 caliber machine gun fire.               

After several low-flying orbits of the battlefield, the other chopper took hostile fire and was forced to pull out of the fight. The pilot had smelled gas and performed an emergency landing within a kilometer of the engagement zone to assess the damage. Zanders kept one eye on the downed aircrew and the other on the still pitched battle.                 

The Army pilots had feared such a situation could arise. With insurgents threatening to overwhelm their haphazard landing zone, the pilots knew there was no time to wait. Without pause, Zanders landed next to the downed crew – the most vulnerable sort of maneuver for a helicopter – and signaled to the pilot and copilot of the fellow Warrior to climb onto his craft’s weapons struts and hold on. With a "thumbs up" from the precariously secured aircrew, Zanders climbed back into the sky, and flew at over 80 knots back to FOB Mosul.               

Flying through the Iraqi air with an additional aircrew barely on board made for a challenging flight in the insurgent–contested territory. In the air, as Zanders flew passed a Black Hawk helicopter that had scrambled to perform the rescue, Zanders saw the surprise on the face of the passing pilots as they took in the sight of the downed aircrew strapped to the side of Zanders’ chopper. That heroic act – which Zanders modestly called "instinct" – was later confirmed to be the first ever attempted of its kind.                 

Successfully evacuating the aircrew at the base, Zanders prepared to head back out. The situation at the besieged combat outpost was stabilized while he refueled and rearmed, but instead of debriefing, he took off again to provide security around the downed chopper until it could be recovered.

3013 words about Iraq

Three slides from General Petraeus' Report to Congress. The pictures speak for themselves.

Cancelled

After getting spanked in Basrah by Iraqi forces and Sadr City by American forces, Iranian proxy Muqtada al-Sadr sued for peace.

Just as the new Iraqi forces began to arrive in Basrah and US and British forces were gearing up to augment the Iraqi military, Muqtada al Sadr, under orders from Iran’s Qods Force, called for his fighters to withdraw from the streets. Sadr issued a nine-point list of demands, which included that operations cease.

But al Sadr's demands were snubbed

Maliki refused and Iraqi and US forces continued to move into Basrah and conduct pinpoint raids against Shia terror groups. More than 200 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 700 were wounded, and 300 captured during the six days of fighting in Basrah alone.

What's even worse for al Sadr, and by extension Iran, is that Maliki then introduced legislation to bar all political parties that refused to disband their militias.

“A decision was taken that they no longer have a right to participate in the political process or take part in the upcoming elections unless they end the Mehdi Army,” CNN quoted Al Maliki as saying on Monday.

The first step will be adding language to a draft election bill banning parties that operate militias from fielding candidates in provincial balloting this fall, the officials and lawmakers said. The government intends to send the draft to parliament within days and hopes to win approval within weeks.

All of the major political players moved to support Makiki

Iraq's major Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties have closed ranks to force anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to disband his Mahdi Army militia or leave politics, lawmakers and officials involved in the effort said Sunday....

"We, the Sadrists, are in a predicament," lawmaker Hassan al-Rubaie said Sunday. "Even the blocs that had in the past supported us are now against us and we cannot stop them from taking action against us in parliament."

Al-Sadr controls 30 of the 275 parliament seats, a substantial figure but not enough to block legislation.

Al Sadr tried a political counter-offensive, a Million Man Anti-American March, then backed down

Moqtada Al Sadr has called off a mass rally in Baghdad planned for Wednesday, his aides said on Tuesday, as clashes continued in the conflict-ridden region.

Al Sadr’s followers had been blocked by Iraqi security forces from traveling to Baghdad from the Shiite areas where he garners great support as well.

Al Sadr had called for a "million-strong" protest to mark the fifth anniversary of the capture of Baghdad by US troops, in what was seen as a show of force in his conflict with the government, but two aides in the Shiite leaders office said the rally had been cancelled.

But even as he is being countered on both the political and military fronts, he still plays to the US Press by talking tough

Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is demanding the Iraqi government protect the public from "the booby traps and American militias" or he may formally end the freeze he imposed seven months ago on his Mahdi Army fighters.

The statement was being circulated to the press and public Tuesday as U.S. and Iraqi troops stepped up their pressure on Shiite militiamen in their Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City.

His only remaining hope is with the Press who continue to spin this as a victory for al Sadr and a defeat for Maliki. But the fact is that it is Sadr that keeps retreating, not Maliki

Maliki has said the military will continue to operate against the Mahdi Army, and US and Iraqi forces have kept Sadr City and Shula in Baghdad under curfew. US and Iraqi forces fought pitched battles in Sadr City over the weekend. At least nine Mahdi Army fighters were killed by US helicopters after attacking Iraqi patrols in the city. Twenty Iraqis were reported killed and more than 50 wounded during the fighting.

Maliki has said the military would continue to operate in Sadr City and other Mahdi Army strongholds in Baghdad. "We have opened the door for confrontation, a real confrontation with these gangs, and