Man of the Hour?

It may be Kyl.

Defeat’s Killing Fields

Two critics of the Viet Nam War warn that the consequences of our defeat there pale against the probable consequences of defeat in Iraq.

The bottom line:

Our conduct in Iraq is a crucial test of our credibility, especially with regard to the looming threat from revolutionary Iran. Our Arab and Israeli friends view Iraq in that wider context. They worry about our domestic debate, which had such a devastating impact on the outcome of the Vietnam War, and they want reassurance.

When government officials argued that American credibility was at stake in Indochina, critics ridiculed the notion. But when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, he and his colleagues invoked Vietnam as a reason not to take American warnings seriously. The United States cannot be strong against Iran — or anywhere — if we accept defeat in Iraq.

A Western Woman in Saudi Arabia

Women, please note. Is this how you wish to be treated? Because it’s what dhimmitude would bring.

One afternoon, a candidate invited me to meet his daughter. She spoke fluent English and was not much younger than me. I cannot remember whether she was wearing hijab, the Islamic head scarf, inside her home, but I have a memory of pink. I asked her about the elections.

“Very good,” she said.

So you really think so, I said gently, even though you can’t vote?

“Of course,” she said. “Why do I need to vote?”

Her father chimed in. He urged her, speaking English for my benefit, to speak candidly. But she insisted: What good was voting? She looked at me as if she felt sorry for me, a woman cast adrift on the rough seas of the world, no male protector in sight.

“Maybe you don’t want to vote,” I said. “But wouldn’t you like to make that choice yourself?”

“I don’t need to,” she said calmly, blinking slowly and deliberately. “If I have a father or a husband, why do I need to vote? Why should I need to work? They will take care of everything.”

There’s more. Read the whole thing.

The Books of Salah al Din

A great dispatch from Michael Yon about efforts to get up to date medical books into Iraq.

Pass it along.

Iran’s Proxy War Against Us

Sure, it’s been obvious for years that Iran is waging war against us. Those who claim otherwise will have a lot of ‘splaining to do after they read this and this.