Rusty and the rest of the outstanding crew at The Jawa Report received a bit of recognition regarding the work they do “combating violent Islamist material and support on the Web“.

For all their hard work, I think they deserve a reward. This, my friends, is for you.

How often do you get to post an islamist takedown Rule 5 post? Sweet!

The BBC, Reuters, and Fox News are quoting an un-named U.S. official suggesting that Obaidah al Masri has died in Pakistan.

Senior al Qaeda planner Obaidah al Masri, considered a key suspect in the 2005 London subway and bus bombings and a foiled 2006 plot to blow up commercial airliners, is believed to have died, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

“The sense is that he is dead,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. McClatchy newspapers reported that Masri died of hepatitis in Pakistan. The official said Masri appeared to have died of natural causes.

“He was a major operational figure,” the U.S. official said of al Masri, a pseudonym.

He confirmed that Masri was suspected in the plot to blow up airliners over the Atlantic Ocean. The Washington Post in 2006 also said he was believed to be al Qaeda’s conduit to British-Pakistani cells that carried out the July 7, 2005, public transit bombings. The bombings killed 56 people. [Reuters]

FOX News notices that,

The news of al-Masri’s death comes just hours before the House Select Intelligence Committee is set to hold an open hearing on “Assessing the Fight Against Al Qaeda.”

[...]

Terrorism investigators are expected to present evidence showing that the terror organization’s network has weakened, according to prepared testimony obtained by FOX News. Experts will also discuss the hydra-like nature of Al Qaeda leadership in explaining the difficulty in fighting the terror organization, as new militants continually emerge.

That “hydra-like” nature is one of the key differences and challenges of the war against radical Islam and terrorism. Any good news regarding the death or capture of these so called leaders has to be tempered with the understanding that there are more cockroaches ready to crawl out from under whatever rock we turn over. Still, buh bye. Hope you like it warm.

This will be a very short post, because of the clarity of the choices before us.

Here is the message OBL has for the American people.

“There are two solutions to stopping it. One is from our side, and it is to escalate the fighting and killing against you. This is our duty, and our brothers are carrying it out,” bin Laden said.

“The second solution is from your side,” he said. “I invite you to embrace Islam.”

In other words, convert or we will kill you. If either of those alternatives are acceptable then we should leave Iraq, Afghanistan, and let the jihadist have America as well. If those alternatives are not acceptable, we stay and fight.

It really is that simple.

Coffee is good for talent, but genius wants prayer. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy 1st Blogiversary to:
Ron’s Musings

If you have Ron on your blogroll, please update the link. It is now http://www.ronsmusings.com/

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) Afghanistan’s Turn

The real story is that Democrats do not have the stomach to fight wars to victory. They will eventually start undermining the war in Afghanistan the way they have in Iraq, issuing defeatist analyses to prove that we’re losing, that America cannot defeat its enemies, and that we should admit defeat and retreat to Okinawa, or perhaps even further away this time.

Michael Yon Online Drilling for Justice

Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) had tarnished its name here by publicly attacking and murdering children, videotaping beheadings, all while imposing harsh punishments on Iraqi civilians found guilty of violating morality laws prohibiting activities like smoking. The AQI installed Sharia court had sanctioned the amputation of the two “smoking fingers” for those who violated anti-smoking laws. In part because local sentiment was shifting against it, AQI synthesized with other groups and undertook an image makeover, christening itself “The Islamic State of Iraq.” But the new name was just lipstick on a pig here.

Michelle Malkin is liveblogging the “Shamnesty” bill on the Senate floor. Refresh for updates.

Coffee, according to the women of Denmark, is to the body what the Word of the Lord is to the soul. ~ Isak Dinesen

Happy 1st Blogiversary to:
Symblogogy
Happy 2nd Blogiversary to:
The Right Track

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) CAIR Named As Terrorist Supporter

Federal prosecutors have named the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as an unindicted co-conspirator in support of the terrorist group Hamas. CAIR joins Islamic Society of North America and The North American Islamic Trust as accused terror-supporting organizations in the case against The Holy Land Foundation’s officers, as well as 300 other individuals and entities:

As Ed says later in the post, this should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the actions of this group.

Ankle Biting Pundits (Bull Dog Pundit) Thoughts On The Democrat Presidential Debate

I’m going to share my thoughts in no particular order. But I will say it was a very useful and better debate than the first one. And when I say “useful” I don’t mean I agree with what was said, just that it helped to expose them a lot better than before. But if there was a “winner” (which in this case was like being the tallest midget at the circus) it was Joe Biden.

Don Surber Pork and nepotism

Democratic Congressman Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania had a great plan. He steered $10 million in federal contracts to his nephew’s company. In all 4 nephews and the congressman’s daughter were key players in this venture.

What could possible go wrong?

No coffee can be good in the mouth that does not first send a sweet offering of odour to the nostrils. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Happy 1st Blogiversary to
Vanishing American

Blue Crab Boulevard (Gaius) A Presumption Of Stasis

Lindzen is a huge thorn in the side of the First Church of the Presumptuous Assumption of Global Warming™ for a very good reason. He’s rather good a pointing out the Emperor’s lack of knickers. Which is why the true believers want all debate closed off and critics silenced. They hate trying to answer these annoying questions.

Scott Ott at ScrappleFace has a post that fails to provide the tongue in cheek humor that we’ve come to expect and love. Instead it is quite simply the speech that President Bush should give. Here’s a taste:

Calling it the ‘global war on terror’ is accurate in this respect: This is a not a national conflict. It belongs to no country and respects no borders. No legitimate claim to sovereignty exists. When we triumph over the terrorists, no nation of people will be humbled. The losers will be the terrorists. No sensible person in any nation will mourn their loss. And some who now cower in caution, appearing to give tacit approval to the terrorists, will dance with joy on their graves.

Read the whole thing. I think I should send a copy to the President.

Read The Rightosphere Temperature Check For April at Right Wing News

Nancy Astor: “If I were your wife, I would put poison in your coffee.”
Sir Winston Churchill: “And if I were your husband, I would drink it.”

Blogiversary Database Update

The Blogiversary Database has reached a new milestone. There are now 100 blogs incorporating the BDB display code on their sites! 221 blogs have added and confirmed their information (17 have not confirmed). Add your blog or find out more about the Blogiversary database today.

In The Bullpen (Chad Evans) American Muslim Group Backs ‘John Does’ in CAIR Suit

An American Muslim group I had never heard of before, the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, has pledged to raise legal fees for the ‘John Does’ listed in the CAIR sponsored suit of the six Imams who were ejected from a flight from Minneapolis.

Sister Toldjah Gore accused of violating Environment & Public Works Committee’s hearing rules (UPDATED)

Maybe in order to further accomodate Mr. Oscar-winner, they can provide him with two chairs to sit in. The other one will be for his gigantic ego, which has proved to be much more of a pressing issue than ‘global warming.’

Wizbang (Jay Tea) They don’t know Jack

Recently, Hillary Clinton caught a bit of flak after comparing herself to President Kennedy. Other candidates have also made comparisons, and it occurred to me that it might be entertaining to take a look at some aspects of our 35th president — and which current candidates might best embody them.

The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce. ~ Oliver Wendall Holmes, Sr.

In The Bullpen (Chad Evans) CAIR Plans on Suing Airline Passengers

For the sake of argument, let us assume all passenger complaints were right in line with what CAIR alleges. They were religiously motivated. It’s not illegal to be a bigot, nor is it a civil action to say some bad about another on that basis. Tom Cruise is an idiot who believes space aliens invade the human mind. See? I just did it.

Gina Cobb The Global Warming Storybook

Pirate’s Cove (William Teach) Plameout To Testify In Political Play Of Comedy

Fitzpatrick spent almost 4 years on his investigation, and, since no one was actually charged with violation of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, including the person who actually released her name, Dick Armitage, I’d have to say that her status has been pretty well cleared up. This whole comedy of errors is just another way that the Democrats can take shots at the Bush Administration, circumventing the law, and grandstanding.

The coffee is prepared in such a way that it makes those who drink it witty: at least there is not a single soul who, on quitting the house, does not believe himself four times wittier that when he entered it. ~ Charles de Secondat Montesquieu

There are two stories out this morning that are sadly ironic in their stark opposition to one another.

The surrender monkeys on the left will be having all sorts of hissy fits if there is any indication that operations are succeding. It flies in the face of their “it’s unwinable” theme. And while there are those on the right who have caved under the pressure of political expediency, others are still standing strong.

In a speech Thursday, Bush said he expects Congress to live up to its promise to support the troops.

“We have a responsibility, Republicans and Democrats have a responsibility to give our troops the resources they need to do their job and the flexibility they need to prevail,” Bush said.

In the third day of a House debate on the war, GOP combat veterans spoke out against the Democratic resolution.

“The enemy wants our men and women in uniform to think their Congress doesn’t care about them,” said Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, who was a prisoner of war during Vietnam. “We must learn from our mistakes. We cannot leave a job undone like we left in Korea, like we left in Vietnam, like we left in Somalia,” Johnson said.

Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, called the political maneuvering by Democrats “extremely dangerous.”

“It could stop reinforcements from arriving in time to stop major casualties in any of a number of scenarios,” said Hunter.

Democrats will have to fight critics in the Senate as well.

“I will do everything in my power to ensure the House resolution dies an inglorious death in the Senate,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

As it should, Sen. Graham. As it should.

It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity. ~ Dave Barry

Happy 2nd Blogiversary to:
And What Next…

Blogs for Bush (Mark Noonan) Early in the “Surge”

The critics have it that we can just pick up and leave and all can be smoothed over – presumably by a French-led diplomatic effort to kneel before our terrorist masters and promise we won’t harm them again, if they’ll only refrain from killing us in large numbers…you know, a dozen is ok, but if they kill 3,000 in a couple hours, that gets really difficult for liberals on the political front.

Right Wing News (John Hawkins) Big Announcement: I Am Now Consulting For The Duncan Hunter Campaign

On February 3, Nathan Tabor from TCV Media got in touch with me and asked if I’d be interested in consulting for the Duncan Hunter campaign. We bantered back and forth, came to a basic understanding that Saturday, and then finalized the deal the next day. Long story short, TCV Media brought me on board to be their point person in building up buzz for Duncan Hunter online.

Iowa Voice (Brian) Stewart Smalley (Tries) To Go To Washington

Not being from Minnesota, I can’t tell you one way or another whether he has a chance or not…but I’m sure a few playbacks of his shrill performances on Air America would be enough to turn of just about any voter who was thinking of voting for him.

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) That Hudna Didn’t Last Long, Either

Remember the wedding between Hamas and Fatah, and the big reception held by the Saudis in Mecca? It seems that the bride and groom have started consulting lawyers already:

If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee. ~ Abraham Lincoln

My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (Martin) The Iraq Surrender Group must be obeyed!! — “The opinions of 9 old men and an old woman are no more likely to be the right prescription than mine. Less so. A camel is a horse designed by committee, and that’s what this report is.”

Blue Star Chronicles (Beth) Ahmadinejah tells West, Follow God or Vanish — “Ahmadinejah warns us once again that his intention is to have us convert to islam or die. As per his own words, there are no other choices. Still we don’t listen to what our enemies tell us over and over and over again.”

Confederate Yankee Just the Facts, Ma’am — “Kathleen Carroll, the Executive Editor and Senior Vice President of the Associated Press, just can’t seem to do the required legwork necessary to resolve the questions surrounding six immolations and four mosque burnings alleged in news reports by anonymous reporters working for her organization. She does, however, try her best to deflect criticism in her latest response to the emerging scandal this afternoon.”

Don’t forget to vote in the 2006 Weblog Awards.

Well, let’s have some coffee and then take a swim. ~ Johnny Weissmuller

Happy 2nd Blogiversary to
SmadaNek

Right Wing News (John Hawkins) The Return Of Conservative Grapevine — “In the latter part of 2005, I ran Right Wing News and a blog called Conservative Grapevine. Conservative Grapevine was a link blog dedicated to highlighting the best posts from around the right side of the blogosphere as well as covering articles about blogging. Unfortunately, the work load got to be too much for me on top of RWN and so after only 4 months, I decided to kill off CG.

Well, after a 14 month long hiatus, Conservative Grapevine is back, but this time, it’s not going to be a solo project.”

Flopping Aces (Curt) Responding To The New York Times — “The New York Times has a new article out tomorrow in which they skewer blogs for having the audacity to question them:”

Right Truth (Debbie) Palestinians threaten violence, I’m shocked! — “Actually the article headline is Israel and Palestinians threaten violence. As Israel continues to defend herself, Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Hamza said that Israel would be responsible “for any response in the coming hours” by Islamic Jihad. Translation, ‘we’re going to attack you, but it will be your fault’.”

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) It’s The Electability, Stupid — “Rumors have swirled around HIllary Clinton regarding her presumed run for the presidency in 2008, with some saying that a Barack Obama run will keep her out of the race and that she has not discovered the inner fire for the grueling campaign, a la Mark Warner. Now, however, she’s begun meeting with Democratic power brokers, indicating that she’s plowing ahead — but Democrats do not appear completely thrilled by the prospect.”