Sorry Democrats, no guts, no glory, no White House.

The Democrat party's strategy and end game for Iraq is taking shape. In spite of all the mounting and definitive evidence of The Surge success and good news coming from Iraq they have continued on their message of the past 3 years: "The war is not winnable", "there is no end in sight", "the Iraqi's aren't stepping up and taking responsibility for their fight", "benchmarks aren't being met" and on and on like a broken record. Never mind the facts, never mind the obvious, because it just doesn't square with the reality that success and victory is near.

I have asked the question many times, "When we win in Iraq, what will they do?" They seem to be answering the question.

Politically for the Democrats victory just can't occur, so they just refuse to believe, see, or admit it. So, off they go on their strategy to deal with the disaster of a victory in Iraq.

They are tipping their hand with the statements on the coming new battle for war funding forming on the Hill and the comments by Democrat leadership are indicative of their play. The statements and themes in my first paragraph have been echoed again in the latest statements by Pelosi, Durbin and Reid about the funding package for the Iraq war the President needs to continue the momentum and achieve the victory that our men and women have fought so hard to bring us. The honor and sacrifice our troops have committed to victory could be squandered because the Democrats will do anything to keep from an admission that they were wrong in their subversion of our effort to attain victory.

Their strategy entails demands that if the President doesn't agree to their timetables for withdrawal and/or benchmarks it will be the last funding for the war he gets. Really?

This would be like Truman's opponents (Republicans) in Congress who were against the war demanding an immediate pullout due to our high losses; just as General Patton is rolling his tanks to the outskirts of Berlin and a Russian private is stirring the ashes of Hitler and Eva Braun with the muzzle of his rifle at Adolf's Berlin bunker to see if they are cold yet.

By continuing with this dubious plan they will only attempt to appease the MoveON.org , Daily Kos and radical left wing of the party that "We did it"! We forced an end to the war and brought the troops home! Funny thing is, it would be wasted on them. They already know what gutless wonders they are, so in the end they will achieve no political capital whatsoever in trying to convince them they ended a war, that was already ended by the evil one George Bush.

The only thing it will do is jeopardize the hard work, sacrifice and gains made by our troops as they near the finish line. The troop withdrawals have begun already. Yesterday the announcement was made that a brigade is coming home for Christmas and would not be replaced. Decisions of this nature are to be made by the Commander in Chief based upon his advice from Iraq's government, General Petraeus, Ambassador Crocker, and Defense Secretary Gates; not Nancy Pelosi, Dick Durbin, or John "I wanna smear our troops" Murtha.

The Democrats can't let Bush control the ending of the war, because they have to make it appear to be a failure and defeat. Imagine that. They would impugn, discount and discredit all that our troops and allies have sacrificed and accomplished in Iraq; to save face on their disastrous policy and failed political play on an issue affecting our National Security for cheap political points and theater.

No shame, no shame. They are a gutless clump of empty suits these Democrat leaders (I except those that did have the guts to take on their own party, Sen. Lieberman, Congressman Brian Baird and I include the Repulicrats with the gutless Dem's like Snowe, Warner, Lugar, Hagel et al) They didn't have the guts to back a President of the other party in a time of National emergency for more than a mere year after 9/11. They didn't have the guts to back their authorization votes to go to war in Iraq. They didn't have the guts to run on a platform to end the war in Iraq. Then when they won with the help of the anti-war lefties, and they came calling for what they thought was collection of their political debt, they didn't have the guts to defund the war- when it really mattered to the anti-war left.

Do you think the Liberal mainstream media will point out any of this? Do you think that they will correctly show we are winning in Iraq so the American people can understand who secured the victory? No. That is why the Dem's are racing to get this done before the positive news of our success in Iraq is so overwhelming that they can't gull the willing dupes that the majority of Americans have become.

So now they try to make a gutless attempt to appear to end the war; when it is being won, as it is winding down and Bush is already withdrawing troops victoriously and intelligently per General Petraeus, Ambassador Crocker, and Malaki's advice and counsel.

Don't fall for it America. Our men and women in uniform, our allies and the Iraqi people who have endured so much in the face of great adversity and at great cost to earn their victory deserve better. This is serious business with dire consequences and now is not the time for Democrats to jeopardize success as we near the finish line for more of their cheap trite and failed political theater as lives and freedom for Iraq hang in balance.

Thank You Veterans.

"Thanks and Praise" from Baghdad captured by Michael Yon.

Thanks and Praise: I photographed men and women, both Christians and Muslims, placing a cross atop the St. John’s Church in Baghdad. They had taken the cross from storage and a man washed it before carrying it up to the dome.

Excerpted from the full article that can be viewed here at Michael's Blog.

"A Muslim man had invited the American soldiers from “Chosen” Company 2-12 Infantry to the church, where I videotaped as Muslims and Christians worked and rejoiced at the reopening of St John’s, an occasion all viewed as a sign of hope.

The Iraqis asked me to convey a message of thanks to the American people. ” Thank you, thank you,” the people were saying. One man said, “Thank you for peace.” Another man, a Muslim, said “All the people, all the people in Iraq, Muslim and Christian, is brother.” The men and women were holding bells, and for the first time in memory freedom rang over the ravaged land between two rivers. (Videotape to follow.)"

Michael Yon does not receive funding or financial support from Fox News, or from any network, movie, book or television deals at this time. He is entirely reader supported. He relies on his readers to help him replace his equipment and cover his expenses so that he may remain in Iraq and bring you the stories of our soldiers. If you value his work, please consider supporting his mission.

Iraqi Islamic Party says, "Al Qaeda of Iraq is Defeated" reports Michael Yon in Baghdad.

Recent events indicate that Al Qaeda of Iraq is on the ropes, if they are not already knocked out. From local sheiks and tribal leaders declaring victory, provinces being handed over to Iraqi control by U.S. and Coalition forces, to Bin Laden's mea culpa in his latest video asking for forgiveness of his transgressions against Iraqi's, to news of much lower U.S. and civilian casualties in Iraq; it appears that Hillary may have to re-think her decision not to "willingly suspend her disbelief" at what Petraeus reported to her just 2 months ago. She may just have to take the N.Y. Times, Washington Post, BBC and other liberal outlets word for it, instead of the word of the highly decorated expert military man who has lived, breathed, and experienced Iraq first-hand for several years.

A very interesting article written by Michael Yon in Iraq points out the good news. Amazing isn't it how you just don't see or hear these news stories in our mainstream media? Also amazing is how all you hear from the defeatist liberal politicians is that 'Iraq is in a full-fledged civil war..... our troops are caught in the middle of it...... they are wantonly killing innocent civilians.......the Iraqi Government is ready to collapse.......there is no political reconciliation...the Shiites and Sunni's are at each other's throats......you General "Betrayus" and US Ambassador of Iraq Crocker- are lying no matter what you say, see, or think is happening there is just not; we can see it on CNN '..... and on and on it goes in the parallel universe that the loony left and Democrats live in, a universe devoid of facts, reality, and truth. It is truly a universe of dogmatic fantasy in their effort to create failures in the face of success, defeat in place of victory, solely to further their political fortunes of gaining the White house and getting that evil George W. Bush and the anti-Christ Cheney.

It's as though Democrats by saying what they want to see happen in Iraq; a Bush and US defeat- that it will become so. They must think it's just a matter of consistently hoping and repeating the same trite drivel over and over again, in the Main Stream Media, on the floor of the Senate and House, and on the Democratic Presidential campaign trail to just make it so.

Michael Yon reported several years ago about a General in Mosul having great success in using counter-insurgency techniques to bring the local officials and leaders together to combat and defeat the terrorists. That General was David Petraeus. As early as March 2007, Michael Yon noted the incredible success of U.S. and British Forces in turning the tide with the "Surge". While the media frenzy overdosed on the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy, the anti-war left breathed a sigh of relief when the media completely failed to notice Coalition Forces led by British military command in Southern Iraq handed the first Province over to Iraqi government and security force authority.

Last week Karbala a major city and province in a once hot-bed area of opposition activity was handed over to Iraqi authority and control by U.S. and Coalition forces becoming the 8th of 18 provinces where U.S. and Coalition forces have transferred governance to the Iraqi government and forces. You probably missed that too, the mainstream media just wasn't paying attention.... again. Michael Yon is reporting that the situation is improving so dramatically and violence in Iraq is declining so rapidly as the tide has "Surged" against the Al Qaeda terrorists who are running for their lives. Michael predicted that he would be probably leaving a secure and stable Iraq for Afghanistan shortly into the New Year.

Political reconciliation is occurring. Ambassador Crocker and Petraeus explained to close-minded lawmakers in D.C. during their September briefings how it was working. It was building at the local level and going up from there. Iraq has always been about tribes, and sheiks. Saddam even allowed them their authority to a point. They are getting things done on a local level, Sunni's and Shiites, together. From killing Al Qaeda to forming local police units that they can have confidence in, to restoring power and utilities, it's happening now. They are setting the example and initiating the model for the regional and national authorities to emulate. They are taking up the fight with better trained and more capable police and Army units. Our casualties are dropping dramatically, and so are Iraqi civilian casualties, both are dropping as Al Qaeda's losses are mounting to unsustainable levels.

You know it's getting bad for Osama Bin Laden when he asks forgiveness for past transgressions for the heavy-handed and wanton attacks on Iraqi civilians in their effort to foment civil war. Bin Laden actually begged Iraqi's to give him and Al Qaeda a second chance, forgive them and stop the offensive against his forces in Iraq.


You also have to believe we are definitely on the path to victory when Osama Bin Laden and his Islamofacist followers are calling for the destruction of Al-Jazeera the pre-eminent source of news for the Arab world because they published his own words with commentary that was not flattering. Upon it's airing of the plea by Bin Laden to forgive the mistakes and carnage by Al Qaeda and his appeal to the people of Iraq for Unity against the "Crusaders" the Iraqi people responded by hoisting a big middle finger at Osama.

I close with the question I have asked previously of the anti-war left and the Democrat defeatists. I never had a doubt we would win and now I can't wait for them to answer the question.

What will they do when we win?

Michael R. Bednarz