Bluey Blog - Official Blog of Robert B. Bluey

Al Qaeda Inspires Pentagon to Bolster Online Outreach

When Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested that al Qaeda did a better job of communicating online than America, the comment didn’t fall on deaf ears at the Pentagon. Jonathan Rick reports that the Department of Defense has responded to the challenge, and documents its progress in a new video.

Congressman Mike Pence Reports From Iraq

I just finished watching a couple of unedited videos from Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) about his recent trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. The former radio talk-show host was part of a bipartisan congressional delegation that traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan to get a glimpse of the two countries. Pence does a terrific job bring us the facts from the ground on his blog and on YouTube.

Part one of Pence’s visit to the Haditha market:

Part two of Pence’s visit to the Haditha market:

Operation MySpace

My friend Jonathan Rick reports that America Supports You is teaming with MySpace, AEG and Armed Forces Entertainment to produce a concert to support the troops next Monday at 2 p.m. EST.

The event will take place live from Kuwait and is being dubbed Operation MySpace — the first concert ever to be broadcast in high definition online. It will feature pop acts the Pussycat Dolls and Jessica Simpson, rock bands Disturbed and Filter, electronic artist DJ Z-Trip, and comedian Carlos Mencia.

Travel Industry Tries to Rip Off Taxpayers

Jeffrey Birnbaum has an outstanding piece in today’s Washington Post about the inner workings of lobbying effort from the travel industry to persuade the U.S. government to spend $200 million on a tourism marketing campaign — a massive boondoggle that was fortunately stopped by taxpayer watchdogs such as Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).

Hat tip to Mark Tapscott of the Washington Examiner for calling attention to the article. Tapscott noted that Bruce Kesler of the Democracy Project has previously reported much of the story on his blog.

Senator and Colonel: Lindsey Graham’s Other Duty

My brother-in-law and some of his fellow JAG officers got to meet Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, this week during his 10-day stint in Iraq. Graham has donned a military uniform three times in the past year, becoming the only member of Congress to serve in Iraq. Stars and Stripes has the story.

A Guide to Guantanamo Bay

Monday’s news that the Pentagon would pursue the death penalty against six terrorists tied to 9/11 gave my colleagues at the Heritage Foundation an opportunity to present a comprehensive guide to Guantanamo Bay and U.S. detention policies. It was a project started several weeks ago by Cully Stimson, a senior legal fellow at Heritage and former deputy assistant secretary for detainee affairs at the Department of Defense.

The guide to GITMO features the historic record of U.S. detention policies, the current policy issues at stake, and sensible recommendations for the future. The guide also includes views on Guantanamo from those who’ve been to visit and a Flickr photo tour of the facility (such as the shot above).

In the months ahead, we hope Americans interested in learning more about GITMO or the upcoming trial turn to this resource for a fair and thorough analysis of the what’s happening with our country’s detention of the enemy during wartime.

Al Kamen’s Uninformed Opinion

Washington Post reporter Al Kamen should stick to writing about subjects he understands. Clearly, the blogosphere isn’t one of them.

Kamen’s “In the Loop” column today takes a cheap shot at the Pentagon’s chief of new-media operations, Jack Holt, and the great work he’s doing at the Department of Defense. Holt regularly connects military officials with bloggers via teleconferences, giving bloggers access to information that reporters like Kamen have enjoyed for years.

It wasn’t exactly a FEMA moment, but there was something odd about the Department of Defense “Bloggers Roundtable” on Tuesday with Marine Lt. Col. David L. Coggins, chief of the mobile training and mentoring team for noncommissioned officer leadership, NATO training mission.

The session was hosted by Jack Holt of the Pentagon’s new media operation. Two bloggers spoke by phone with Coggins, who was in Baghdad. The idea was to reach out to the blogosphere and give bloggers access to military officers. We’re told most of those who’ve logged on have been defense community insiders. Some sessions attract more folks than others.

Holt turned to Jared Fishman — that was Lt. Jared Fishman — for the first question, which, Coggins said, was “a really great question.” Holt asked about “what type ships the Iraqi navy was working with?” That, too, was deemed a “really great question.”

Coggins at one point gave an answer that Holt deemed just “excellent.” Holt asked if “anybody else” in the blogosphere had “any other questions.” Apparently not, so Holt concluded the session, noting it was “a great news story.”

It’s always a great news story when the right bloggers are onboard.

First, a point of clarity. Kamen suggests that the Pentagon is limiting these calls to the “right bloggers.” That’s absolutely untrue. When I saw Holt speak at Blog World in Las Vegas last year, he made a point of stating that he reached out to bloggers of all political persuasions as well as those who cover military issues exclusively. Anyone is welcome to take part on the calls, but liberal bloggers have never expressed any interest. (And why would they when it’s so easy pontificate rather than report what’s actually happening.)

In my opinion, Kamen’s piece is yet another example of an elite, mainstream journalist expressing jealously about the emerging role of bloggers in the information age. His cushy job at the Post could soon be at risk with the more Americans turning to blogs for their news and information rather than page A17 of the newspaper.

UPDATE — 4:08 p.m.: Apparently this isn’t the first time someone has launched an attack on the Pentagon’s new-media operation. Danny Glover has details at Beltway Blogroll.

New Hub for the British Conservative Movement

My friends Peter Cuthbertson and Sam Coates wrote me today about the British conservative movement’s equivalent of The Corner on National Review. It’s called CentreRight.com, a group blog written by some of the country’s best conservative thinkers and commentators. As I’ve written in the past, conservative bloggers in Britain are well ahead of their American counterparts when it comes to organizing online. CentreRight is another tool in the toolbox.

Mad Markos

Scott Graves at Red County has posted video from the Blog World and New Media Expo in Las Vegas. One clip in particular is worth watching. It features Hugh Hewitt engaging in a debate with Jerome Armstrong of MyDD and Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of Daily Kos. In this particular scene, Markos, from his seat in the audience, loses his cool.

During the exchange, Hugh mentions “The Looming Tower,” a book he inspired me to read over Thanksgiving. It certainly helped me grasp the role of al Qaeda and the terrorist threat our nation faces. I hope Markos and Jerome take their hands off the keyboard long enough to read it as well.

Petraeus Praises Troops for Achievements in 2007

I just finished reading Gen. David Petraeus’ end-of-the-year letter to troops in Iraq. It’s a great summation of everything the brave men and women serving in Iraq have accomplished in 2007 and outlines the difficult challenges that still exist. I’ve reprinted it in full.

28 December 2007

Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Civilians of Multi-National Force-Iraq:

As 2007 draws to a close, you should look back with pride on what you, your fellow troopers, our Iraqi partners, and Iraqi Coalition civilians have achieved in 2007. A year ago, Iraq was racked by horrific violence and on the brink of civil war. Now, levels of violence and civilians and military casualties are significantly reduced and hope has been rekindled in many Iraqi communities. To be sure, the progress is reversible and there is much more to be done. Nonetheless, the hard-fought accomplishments of 2007 have been substantial, and I want to thank each of you for the contributions you made to them.

In response to the challenges that faced Iraq a year ago, we and our Iraqi partners adopted a new approach. We increased our focus on securing the Iraqi people and, in some cases, delayed transition of tasks to Iraqi forces. Additional U.S. and Georgian forces were deployed to theater, the tours of U.S. unites were extended, and Iraqi forces conducted a surge of their own, generating well over 100,000 more Iraqi police and soldiers during the year so that they, too, had additional forces to execute the new approach. In places like Ramadi, Baqubah, Arab Jabour, and Baghdad, you and our Iraqi brothers fought—often house by house, block by block, and neighborhood by neighborhood—to wrest sanctuaries away from Al Qaeda-Iraq, to disrupt extremist militia elements, and to rid the streets of mafia-like criminals. Having cleared areas, you worked with Iraqis to retain them—establishing outposts in the areas we were securing, developing Iraqi Security Forces, and empowering locals to help our efforts. This approach has not been easy. It has required steadfastness in the conduct of tough offensive operations, creative solutions to the myriad problems on the ground, and persistence over the course of many months and during countless trying situations. Through it all, you have proven equal to every task, continually demonstrating an impressive ability to conduct combat and stability operations in an exceedingly complex environment.

Your accomplishments have given the Iraqi people new confidence and prompted many citizens to reject terror and confront those who practice it. As the months passed in 2007, in fact, the tribal awakening that began in Al Anbar Province spread to other parts of the country. Emboldened by improving security and tired of indiscriminate violence, extremist ideology, oppressive practices, and criminal activity, Iraqis increasingly rejected Al Qaeda-Iraq and rogue militia elements. Over time, the desire of Iraqis to contribute to their own security has manifested itself in citizens volunteering for the police, the Army, and concerned local citizen programs. It has been reflected in citizens providing information that has helped us find far more than double the number of arms and weapons caches we found last year. And it has been apparent in Iraqi communities now supporting their local security forces.

As a result of your hard work and that of our Iraqi comrades-in-arms—and with the support of the local populace in many areas—we have seen significant improvements in the security situation. The number of attacks per week is down some 60 percent from a peak in June of this year to a level last seen consistently in the early summer of 2005. With fewer attacks, we are also seeing significantly reduced loss of life. The number of civilian deaths is down by some 75 percent since its height a year ago, dropping to a level not seen since the beginning of 2006. And the number of Coalition losses is down substantially as well. We remain mindful that the past year’s progress has been purchased through the sacrifice and selfless service of all those involved and that the new Iraq must still contend with innumerable enemies and obstacles. Al Qaeda-Iraq has been significantly degraded, but it remains capable of horrific bombings. Militia extremists have been disrupted, but they retain influence in many areas. Criminals have been apprehended, but far too many still roam Iraqi streets and intimidate local citizens and Iraqi officials. We and our Iraqi partners will have to deal with each of these challenges in the New Year to keep the situation headed in the right direction.

While the progress in a number of areas is fragile, the security improvements have significantly changed the situation in many parts of Iraq. It is now imperative that we take advantage of these improvements by looking beyond the security arena and helping Iraqi military and political leaders as they develop solutions in other areas as well, solutions they can sustain over time. At the tactical level, this means an increasing focus on helping not just Iraqi Security Forces—with whom we must partner in all that we do—but also helping Iraqi governmental organizations as they endeavor to restore basic services, to create employment opportunities, to revitalize local markets, to refurbish schools, to spur local economic activity, and to keep locals involved in contributing to local security. We will have to do all of this, of course, while continuing to draw down our forces, thinning our presence, and gradually handing over responsibilities to our Iraqi partners. Meanwhile, at the national level, we will focus on helping the Iraqi Government integrate local volunteers into the Iraqi Security Forces and other employment, develop greater ministerial capacity and capability, aid displaced persons as they return, and, most importantly, take the all-important political and economic actions needed to exploit the opportunity provided by the gains in the security arena.

The pace of progress on important political actions to this point has been slower than Iraqi leaders had hoped. Still, there have been some important steps taken in recent months. Iraq’s leaders reached agreement on the Declaration of Principles for Friendship and Cooperation with the United States, which lays the groundwork for an enduring relationship between our nations. The United Nations Security Council approved Iraq’s request for a final renewal of the resolution that authorizes the Coalition to operate in Iraq. Iraq’s leaders passed an important Pension Law that not only extends retirement benefits to Iraqis previously left out but also represents the first of what we hope will be additional measures fostering national reconciliation. And Iraq’s leaders have debated at length a second reconciliation-related measure, the Accountability and Justice Bill (the de-Ba’athification Reform Law), as well as the 2008 National Budget, both which likely will be brought up for a vote in early 2008. Even so, all Iraqi participants recognize that much more must be done politically to put their country on an irreversible trajectory to national reconciliation and sustainable economic development. We will, needless to say, work closely with our Embassy teammates to support the Iraq Government as it strives to take advantage of the improved security environment by pursing political and economic progress.

The New Year will bring many changes. Substantial force rotations and adjustments already underway will continue. One Army brigade combat team and a Marine Expeditionary Unit have already redeployed without replacement. In the coming months, four additional brigades and two Marine battalions will follow suit. Throughout that time, we will continue to adapt to the security situation as it evolves. And in the midst of all the changes, we and our Iraqi partners will strive to maintain the momentum, to press the fight, and to pursue Iraq’s enemies relentlessly. Solutions to many of the tough problems will continue to be found at your level, together with local Iraqi leaders and with your Iraqi Security Force partners, in company and battalion areas of operation and in individual neighborhoods an towns. As you and your Iraqi partners turn concepts into reality, additional progress will emerge slowly and fitfully. Over time, we will gradually see fewer bad days and accumulate more good days, good weeks, and good months.

The way ahead will not be easy. Inevitably, there will be more tough days and tough weeks. Unforeseen challenges will emerge. And success will require continued hard work, commitment, and initiative from all involved. As we look to the future, however, we should remember how far we have come in the past year. Thanks to the tireless efforts and courageous actions of the Iraqi people, Iraq’s political and military leaders, the Iraqi Security Forces, and each of you, a great deal has been achieved in 2007. Thus, as we enter a new year, we and our Iraqi partners will have important accomplishments and a newfound sense of hope on which we can build.

As always, all or your leaders, our fellow citizens back home, and I deeply appreciate the dedication, professionalism, commitment, and courage you display on a daily basis. It remains the greatest of honors to serve with each of you in this critical endeavor.

Sincerely,
David H. Petraeus
General, United State Army
Commanding