Victory in Iraq

Over at Zombietime is a list of bloggers who are acknowledging that the US has achieved victory in Iraq. Inspite of the efforts of the Democrats we have prevailed. I understand why Obama wanted to have the Iraqi government delay until after the transition any agreement such as the one recently made. It would have allowed him to claim victory rather that accept that we have already achieved it.

Rather that wait for the media to grudgingly announce victory, which it will never do, I wish to join with my fellow bloggers and celebrate today, November 22, 2008 as:


Micheal Yon the intrepid photo journalist was quoted over at Instapundant.com making this very observation.

November 14, 2008

"THE WAR IS OVER AND WE WON:" Michael Yon just phoned from Baghdad, and reports that things are much better than he had expected, and he had expected things to be good. "There's nothing going on. I'm with the 10th Mountain Division, and about half of the guys I'm with haven't fired their weapons on this tour and they've been here eight months. And the place we're at, South Baghdad, used to be one of the worst places in Iraq. And now there's nothing going on. I've been walking my feet off and haven't seen anything. I've been asking Iraqis, 'do you think the violence will kick up again,' but even the Iraqi journalists are sounding optimistic now and they're usually dour." There's a little bit of violence here and there, but nothing that's a threat to the general situation. Plus, not only the Iraqi Army, but even the National Police are well thought of by the populace. Training from U.S. toops has paid off, he says, in building a rapport.

He says the big problem everybody is talking about now is corruption. But hey, we have that here, too. He'll be heading to Afghanistan next week. "Afghanistan is a bad situation, but on Iraq I can't believe things have turned out so well."

He thinks that Obama will be able to pull troops out, and send some to Afghanistan, without creating problems in Iraq. Michael will be reporting from Afghanistan soon, and sending back video, so stay tuned. Things aren't going swimmingly there...

...MORE: Yon emails this correction: "Actually, NONE of them have fired their weapons in combat during this tour, and about half of them are combat veterans from Afghanistan and/or Iraq." Sorry, I had misunderstood that bit.

Many thanks to the men and women who have served so faithfully. They deserve much more that the media has given. They deserve the presteige and praise of true sons and daughters of liberty as Shakespeare wrote in Henry V:

From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen [at home] now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

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Iraq, Media, Politics,