DirkaDirka.RedGriffins.org

What an amazing video. A total I was there story, and the full on about Iraq modern day. It’s over 20 minutes long, well worth the sit-down

Talk about people not getting it. I’m tired of people not understanding why Vets for Freedom and other prior active duty (read: veterans) aren’t so thrilled with the proposed education incentive boost. [The package] incentivizes getting out so you can get a free college education versus staying in and getting a free college education.

Best quote ever on this vid about the benefits package that McCain was against:

We’re in a time of war.. why wouldn’t we want to incentivize staying in?

Beyond being a democratic ally, Georgia is a link in a U.S.- backed southern energy corridor that connects the Caspian Sea region with world markets, bypassing Russia. The BP Plc-led Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is a major part of that route and runs about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali.

Robert Johnson, a specialist in energy at the Eurasia Group, said Georgia’s reputation as a viable, alternative route for transporting oil and gas from Turkmenistan and elsewhere has been “compromised” because of the conflict.

See Russian Offensive Imperils U.S. Aims on Iran, Energy - Yahoo! News

I don’t think anyone disputes the fact that Hussein wasn’t directly behind the 9/11 attacks. There are some strong indicators that he was still a threat, most of which I covered in a previous thesis / post.

Interesting information as always from Mark Eichenlaub’s Iraq Regime of Terror blog:

A closer reading of the study (see here, here, here, here, here and here) shows that Saddam Hussein’s Iraq cooperated with, financed and supported a number of Islamic terrorist groups, including al Qaeda proxies (at least five according to Thomas Joscelyn) and had a larger capacity for state apparatus terrorism (car bomb training, IED training, jihadist suicide bomber recruitment, etc.) than previously believed by many.

Of the many noteworthy findings in the report is the assertion made in the conclusion that Hussein had retained not only the capacity to launch anti-West terrorist attacks but the will to use those terrorist capabilities, including directly against the United States, which was also a matter of previous debate.

The report’s conclusion, while noting that a perfect grasp of Hussein’s mindset at the exact time of U.S. invasion remained elusive, states that "evidence that was uncovered and analyzed attests to the existence of a terrorist capability and a willingness to use it until the day Saddam was forced to flee Baghdad by Coalition forces."

Still, there are reasons that I have felt justified our actions.

My opinion on invading Iraq - three years later…