Freed Hostages and Kerry is Orange

What a great day we had today. I'm sure you've noticed the lack of news coming out of Iraq today, and I assure you that it's not due to the increased coverage of John Kerry's outrageous tan. It's really been quiet all day, and that's good news. You might have heard about all those kidnapped hostages being released, but this isn't ALWAYS good news. It's certainly good for the people who were released, but there's a disturbing trend. You may be surprised to learn that Iraqi kidnappings are mostly criminals and thugs just chasing a few bucks. Very few of them are politically or religiously motivated. As the article clearly states, the kidnapping problem is a direct reflection of Iraq's current security problem. Right now, it's considered to be a relatively low-risk/high-reward industry. This will change as the security situation improves.

If you're wondering why so many people have doubts about the future of security in Iraq, I'll tell you that it's because the American people don't know what the plan is. I know what the plan is, and I'm telling you it's solid. I'll touch on it more in the next few days, but I'll start by telling you that Iraqi security is in the hands of my old boss, LTG David Petreaus. He's in charge of training the LEADERSHIP of the new Iraqi Security Forces, which is something we failed to do properly immediately following the invasion. His operation is considered to be the main effort in Iraq right now, and I'm quite certain that he is the most qualified man on this planet for the job. You haven't heard much about this so far, but that's about to change as the elections get closer. More to follow on that.

This was my favorite story of the day. It really gives you a sense of how tough your job can be when you're required to help those who wish to kill you. It happens EVERY DAY in Iraq, and you probably never hear about it.

While Delorimier, and Army Doctor, was cleaning the patient’s wounds, he said an American lieutenant began interrogating the patient.

“Apparently the guy I was working on was an Iraqi insurgent who was shooting [rocket propelled grenades] at a few of our boys, but he missed each time. When he realized our Soldiers were going to capture him, he decided he was going to take some American lives and be a suicide bomber. Instead he blew a hand grenade under his butt and it blew a bunch of shrapnel into his left thigh and hand.”

Delorimier said while the story of the patient he was working on unfolded, a fury began to build up inside of him.

“The more of the story I heard, the more angry I got,” he said. “But I was still able to do my job and realized I am a professional and I’m going to take care of this guy. If I was the doctor taking care of Saddam Hussein, I would still have bad feelings about it, but I would have bitten my tongue and taken care of him just like I do with any of my patients. It’s the professional thing to do.”

Read the rest here...