Tuesday, March 17, 2015

THIS JUST IN! CRANKY GOES A SHOOTING!

BULLY BOY PRESS &    CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL AID TABLE


REACHED FOR COMMENT BY THESE REPORTERS, CRANKY FIRST SNARLED, "WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE!"

HOWEVER, AFTER SHE HAD BURNED DOWN AN ORPHANAGE AND RESTORED HER EQUILIBRIUM, CRANKY ADMITTED THAT SHE WAS NOT "THE COMEBACK KID" THE WAY HER HUSBAND BILL WAS.

"BILL LIKED PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE LIKED HIM," HILLARY EXPLAINED.  "I LIKE SERVANTS AND THEY BETTER FEAR ME.  THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR OUTLOOK.  I'VE ALWAYS FELT THAT AMERICA NEEDS TO BE WORKING FOR ME AND THAT WHEN I'M HAPPY WE ARE ALL HAPPY.   LOTS OF STRIFE MEANS A HAPPY LOW LIFE LIKE ME."

AT THAT POINT, CRANKY STOPPED TALKING AS SHE SAW A 3-YEAR-OLD STUMBLING OUT OF THE STILL BURNING ORPHANAGE.  

OPENING HER PURSE, SHE PULLED OUT A SAWED OFF SHOTGUN.

"I CALL IT 'ANNIE OAKLEY,'" SHE EXPLAINED.

TAKING AIM, HILLARY PICKED OFF THE KID AT A DISTANCE OF SEVERAL YARDS.

"DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE HOW GOOD I AM AT SPORTS," CRANKY ORDERED.  "I'M HOPING TO GRAB THE GUN VOTE!"







Reuters reports, "Iraq said on Monday it had put its Tikrit offensive on hold and senior officials called for more air strikes to dislodge Islamic State (IS) militants,"

On hold?

Did they pause on Monday?

Because they paused on Saturday, remember?

Reuters explains in a longer report, "The offensive, the largest yet against insurgents has been stalled for four days after Iraqi security forces and Shia militia pushed into Tikrit last week."

Four days on hold.

And they took 12 days to reach Tikrit.

Loveday Morris (Washington Post) puts it this way, "Iraqi forces’ operation to retake the city of Tikrit has stalled as troops suffer heavy casualties at the hands of Islamic State militants, raising concerns about whether the pro-government fighters are ready for major offensives."


I would argue that the inability to reach Tikrit in a timely fashion made it clear that the Baghdad-Tehran forces were not "ready for major offensives."

Reaching it and then taking a break?  Then starting back up for a day before taking another break?


Anne Barnard (New York Times) reports:

As the days pass, critics are asking why the government’s 30,000-strong force has been unable to dislodge the last Islamic State fighters -- and whether the reduced pace is a bad sign for future efforts to root the militants out of their self-declared capital, the much larger city of Mosul.


Yeah, why can't do it anything?

"Hundreds" is the number of Islamic State fighters that were reported to be in Iraq when the Tehran-Baghdad forces arrived in Tikrit.

But the Islamic State is winning in Tikrit?


Nabih Bulos (Los Angeles Times) explains:

State media, meanwhile, displayed slogans announcing that there was "no backing down" from  the battle for Tikrit, hometown of Saddam Hussein, as reports came of the destruction of the former Iraqi strongman's grave in the city.
State media also broadcast interviews with various military officials who downplayed the stall, saying that military operations had not ceased and accusing opposition media of seeking to "demoralize people."



The destruction of the grave of former President Saddam Hussein?

Tikrit was chosen for one reason only: The motivation factor.

Shi'ites who loathed Saddam could be encouraged to charge, to behave like rabid dogs.

And with regards to Saddam's grave they did just that.

They destroyed it.

But apparently, that wasn't enough to motivate them to take on Tikrit.  (Saddam Hussein's grave is in nearby al-Owja village, not Tikrit itself.)

Recommended: "Iraq snapshot"
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