A Little Success is Exactly That

Now that the glow has begun to fade from the removal of Osama bin Laden from the equation, it would pay for us to evaluate that particular action in view of its long-term effects (hopefully ignoring the ignorant and foolish rants of the Rosie O’Donnell faction).

To begin with, although the Osama readjustment achieved the promise made on behalf of America nearly a decade ago by then-President George W. Bush, by no means is the war against radical Islam completed.  Certainly not from their perspective and it definitely should not be considered so by America and its leaders.  The danger of fanatical attacks will not lessen until the enemy decides that it is time to go back underground and regroup, as they did following the shattering of Islam’s dreams of European conquest in the mid-seventeenth century.

The successful execution of bin Laden was billed as a special-ops triumph and yes, the tip of the spear accomplished the mission.  Realistically, the success of that tiny band of warriors depended upon coordination on the part of all components of the American defense establishment.

The Navy, besides supplying the SEAL contingent, lent credence to the effort by the presence of one of its fleets that acted as a certain deterrent to foreign interference while playing a prominent part in the final disposition of the body of the terrorist mastermind.

The Army bolstered the “Big Dog” image with its forces already deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq and played a major part in preparation for the operation with its logistical support, not to mention its ability to insert the attack team with surgical precision and withdraw them with equal proficiency.

The Air Force stood by with air cover and communications jamming equipment poised for immediate assistance.

Marines were standing by for backup.

The Defense establishment provided invaluable information through its management of intelligence operations, not the least of which was the CIA.

All of these components together made it work.

But now Washington is returning to “normal” – which means that it is forced to begin to try to deal with an equally insidious and dangerous enemy: the overspending of government and the skyrocketing national debt.  One of the most pressing issues is a move by Democratic leadership to raise the deficit ceiling, following the same tired game plan of “spending our way out of the recession”.

Such a move has, of course, inspired a new round of proposed “cuts” that will supposedly allow the U.S. to have its cake while continuing to decimate the bakery.  This is simply dishonest politics at its most blatant.  Reallocating funding while continuing to spend more money than our country takes in does nothing to solve the basic problem.

Even worse, it appears that both sides have given in to the temptation to hoist Defense as a prime target for “cost-cutting”.  The military is already undermanned and unable to replace damaged and destroyed equipment at a pace needed to maintain operational effectiveness.  New weapons programs have fallen by the wayside, leaving the path to dominance in readiness and capability open to countries that America has long overshadowed.

Do we currently need massive armored capability?  Depends on the mission.  It sure made a difference in actions taken in the desert combat featured over the last few decades.  Should we restructure our military to fit the concept of small unit operations?  Not if we want those kinds of actions to be overwhelmingly successful (see the first couple of paragraphs to refresh your perception).

We do not live in a peaceful world.  No matter what our policies evolve into in regard to overseas commitments, we had best remain prepared to counter a full spectrum of attacks, let alone provide a modicum of support to our allies.  Notice I specified allies – not the “one world” idiocy propagated through the abysmal foolishness that is the trademark of the corrupt and incompetent United Nations.  Not to mention appearing to be the guiding light for the Obama administration.

Yes, we need to control spending.  But let’s not attempt to achieve it through the hollowing out of our nation’s defensive capabilities.  Without that basic protection, we would have no entitlement programs to squabble over.

Small successes can be employed as building blocks – or foundational support.  Failed policies will eventually result in an erosion of our country’s structure and foretell collapse.

America Settles a Score

When you mess with the big dog you will get bit – even if it takes him some time to find the right opportunity.

In this particular case it took nearly a decade for our country to track down and administer what most would regard as belated justice to a crafty and elusive mass murderer who planned the act of war that took the lives of over 3,000 innocent civilians.

The death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of a Navy Seal Team has already begun to show positive results.  The Saudi Interior Ministry today reported that Khaled al Qahtani, a senior al Qaeda member who was high on Riyadh’s most wanted list, has turned himself in to them.  And the successful hunt for and killing of bin Laden sends a long overdue message to the rest of the world (terrorists in particular) that the United States is fully capable of exacting revenge on those who attempt to destroy us.  So much for the “helpless, pitiful giant” label that some have been so eager to bestow upon our nation.

There is a lot of credit to share on this one.

First, to the truly excellent performance of the Seals involved in the “boots on the ground” segment.

Second, the President and his staff are to be commended for making the monumental decision to terminate the career of the world’s most wanted man.  And equally important was their success in keeping this operation a secret throughout its entire lengthy planning and preparation stages.

Third, kudos to the large numbers of support personnel from different branches of the military who planned, directed and supported a true team effort.  Everyone from pilots to logistics specialists, to the construction personnel who created in Afghanistan a mockup of the villa in which bin Laden was reported to be hiding deserve a heartfelt, “Well done!”.

Fourth, the entire U.S. intelligence community deserves special recognition for their untiring pursuit of the information that would give our troops the opportunity to deliver the payback.

And let us not forget the Bush Administration, which initially set the wheels in motion and kept the effort going that would eventually produce the opportunity for vengeance.

There are those, of course, who decry the “savagery” of America’s attack and wail that every attempt should have been made to bring back Osama bin Laden for trial rather than “executing” him.  One of Maine’s Congressional Representatives (House Member Chellie Pingree) expressed confusion as to why bin Laden’s body had been buried at sea.  That such action prevented the possibility of the establishment of a shrine to be a beacon for the world’s collection of terrorists apparently did not occur to this clueless nincompoop – let alone that Muslim custom that the body should be buried with the head facing toward Mecca was thusly circumvented.

There will undoubtedly be many more details to be provided for the media to endlessly expound upon over the days and weeks to come.  It is one of the major events of this year and should provide endless attraction for a worldwide audience.

But for me, there is simply one irrefutable fact.  One of the most deadly, destructive, potent conduits of evil in the world is gone.

And that is just reason for ongoing celebration.

While the World Watches

Events in Egypt continue to provide the high drama that captivates the news media.  Yesterday’s events, highlighted by Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak “agreeing” to leave Cairo and turn over the reins of the government to Vice President Omar Suleiman (while retaining his Presidency) has accomplished nothing more than to fan the flames of protest.

Suleiman’s military background and his lengthy involvement as head of Egyptian intelligence services hardly serve to convince the demonstrators that their insistence on a change in regime policies will be effected.  Indeed, this most recent evasive development engineered by Egyptian leadership has exponentially increased the size and fervor of the masses clogging the streets and squares of Egypt’s major population centers.

The Associated Press reports that, “Showing deepening dismay, President Barack Obama is questioning whether Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s promised transfer of power has any credibility or meaning. As a defiant Mubarak stayed in office, Obama challenged the autocratic Egyptian government to explain its path toward democracy to its people and the world.”

As usual, Mr. Obama is losing his cool when faced with a situation in which his rhetorical pronouncements are ignored by foreign leaders motivated by their own agendas.

To be fair, I believe it is likely that nothing this President does in this instance will have much effect on foreign actions.  What he (and his Cabinet) should be doing is making preparations on how to deal with what may well be the longed-for (on the part of more dogmatic Muslim world) emergence of the new Middle East Caliphate.

The current Administration would be well-served to look closely at the example of Iran following the deposing of the Shah and the ascension of the theocratic state.  The people of Iran joined in rising against what was regarded as tyrannical rule, planning to take the first steps toward a more democratic society.  What resulted was rule under the theocracy of the ayatollahs, which set Iranian society on a backward path to a 7th-century rigid ruling structure whose current aims show clear signs of a nuclear-assisted urge to gain regional prominence.

Should Egypt wind up with a fractional coalition form of government, strongly influenced by the growing power of The Muslim Brotherhood, Iran’s opportunities for dominance could expand.

At this point, no one seems to have a handle on how this major regional disruption will turn out, least of all our State Department, the CIA (under the disastrous stewardship of the unqualified Leon Panetta), and of course the White House.

At the very least all foreign aid ($1.5 billion plus at this point to Egypt’s military alone) should be suspended.  Not as an attempt to influence the outcome of the uprising, but simply to make at least one step in preparation for what may become a long and difficult period in our relations with the Middle East.

It is not our place to dictate the outcome of Egypt’s turmoil, but this is not the time for America to show weakness.

Is Egypt on the Brink?

For the last few days the demonstrations have been spreading and the mobs growing.  Today, the U.S. government is taking steps to advise American citizens to avoid travel to that troubled country and to leave immediately if they are there for any reason.

Considering that the Muslim Brotherhood has its roots in Egypt and a number of other radical groups have flourished there, I find it difficult not to believe that the current unrest has no connections to radical Islam.  I would predict at this point that the Mubarak government will soon fall and, as in the past in countries such as Palestine, Lebanon, etc., a coalition dominated by members of radical Islamic groups will soon emerge.

What the world is presently observing is the culmination of years of careful and subtle undermining of a totalitarian regime by Islamic fundamentalist groups, who, for their own purposes, are now fanning the flames of an uprising masquerading as a democratic revolution against tyranny.  The irony is that once Mubarak is deposed a worse tyranny will be installed and the fundamentalists will add another country to the list of the conquered.

This outcome will meet little resistance from Europe, who has their own growing problems with the results of their open immigration policy toward followers of Islam, nor from the United States, whose titular head has abdicated the historic position of leader of the free world and resorted to an apologist for and a submissive attitude to the growing Islamic juggernaut.

This is not a good scenario for Middle East stability, nor for the best interests of all Western nations, but I view it as inevitable.