Anbar, Georgia, Energy, and Palin

Written 1 September 2008

Security for the once troublesome Anbar Province was turned over to the Iraqi’s from our Marines this week. At one point an intelligence analysis of the province deemed it a lost cause. However, the counter-insurgency led by our Marines which opened the door to the Anbar Awakening and the Iraqi’s fighting back against Al Qaeda proved successful. Maybe it’s time to follow up on the Marines’ desire to head to Afghanistan?

We learned this week that 3500 terrorists were “taken off the streets of Baghdad” during the last 18 months by the British SAS. Most of the 3500 were members of Al Qaeda and involved in suicide bombings. What’s that argument from the left about Al Qaeda not being in Iraq?

The Georgia-Russia conflict continues to be tense, not only between those two countries, but between Russia and the west as well. Russia continues to threaten while the west scrambles for diplomacy. If this is the start of another cold war, we must be wary of an advantage the Russians have this time that they lacked before, a tremendous stream of income from petroleum exports. They are in a much better place financially than they were before, especially compared to our unwillingness to use our own energy resources.

On the energy front, T. Boone Pickens has been criss-crossing America sharing his plan for energy independence. Congratulations to him for having a plan, especially one that has a use for many available energy sources. We do need to be cautious of one part of his plan, using natural gas so heavily. Because our agricultural nitrogen fertilizers are based on natural gas, we need to know the impact such a dramatic increase in its demand would have on the agricultural economy and food prices before proceeding.

Does anyone else find it humorous during an election year that Presidential (and VP) candidates who are very far removed from our daily lives try so hard to relate to the struggles of jobs, family, and the economy? Although McCain’s ideas in these areas are much preferred to Obama’s, neither they nor Biden really have a clue what it’s like to try and make it as a middle class family. They’ve been pretty far removed from every day America for quite some time. Governor Sarah Palin being selected by John McCain as his running mate is an exciting turn of events though.

How many of us have often wondered at the possibilities of having someone in the White House who actually understood our lives and governed accordingly? Well, it looks like we have that with Palin. The hockey-mom who spends time hunting and fishing, has very recently lived a blue collar life (her husband still is), has some tough roots, and is working through many of the same family challenges you and I are doesn’t have to go through seven degrees of separation to relate to us, she’s living it.

McCain’s choice of Palin was an unconventional move and solidified his position as a maverick, which brings up a point for us to ponder about the left and his maverick status. They used to applaud his willingness to go against President Bush and other Republicans. The very public differences McCain had with his own party were praised by the left and earned him a maverick reputation and that title from them. I find it curious they are now trying so hard to say he’s the same as Bush, when not so long ago they hailed him as a hero for being very different.

What will be the far left’s next attack? McCain and Palin have taken away at least one of their assaults. A mantra from them was that neither Bush nor Cheney were volunteering their children to go fight the war against terrorists, how dare they ask anyone else to? McCain and Palin both have children serving in the military. What next lefties?

The radical, kooky far left did answer that question in one way this week with their smear against Governor Palin’s family, her infant son, and pregnant daughter via the radical Daily Kos website. That attack had to be about as low as politics have ever gotten.

Speaking of the Daily Kos, after that despicable attack on the Palin family, is U.S. Senate Candidate Scott Kleeb regretting his associations with them?

Lastly, based on the response to hurricane Gustav, it appears that many lessons were learned with Katrina. Initial indications are that individuals and government at all levels responded much better this time, “kudos” to all.