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Re-Defining the Terror Fight under a New AdministrationToday

Spencer Ackerman writes for the Washington Independent:

Buoyed by high expectations for the first year of Barack Obama's administration, an informal coalition of progressive national-security and civil-liberties experts are urging the president-elect to redefine the war on terrorism.

Eight years of the Bush administration's approach to counterterrorism have yielded two open-ended and bloody wars; a massively expanded security apparatus, and spending on defense far outpacing outlays on domestic programs, even during a crisis-plagued economy.

Yet while liberals have spent much of this time opposing the Bush administration's agenda, many of their proposals for Obama go beyond merely rolling back President George W. Bush's policies - withdrawing from Iraq, shuttering the Guantanamo Bay detention complex, abolishing torture - to offer new areas of emphasis, like stabilizing Afghanistan, an Arab-Israeli peace and a re-envisioned balance between security and liberty.

One of those interviewed by Ackerman for some outside-the-box thinking was VetVoice's own RockRichard:

Richard Smith, an Army veteran of Afghanistan who is now a member of the progressive veterans' organization VoteVets, urged a less conventional approach to the Afghanistan war that Obama has pledged to reprio

Open ThreadToday

Because no one likes scrolling.

Race and TerrorismYesterday

What is worse than a leader of an international terrorist network hellbent on the destruction of the United States? How about a racist leader of an international terrorist network hellbent on the destruction of the United States:

Al-Zawahri says in an audio message, which appeared on militant Web sites Wednesday, that Obama is "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X. He calls Obama a "house negro."

Spencer Ackerman points out the IO benefits to this statement.  Ilan Goldenberg develops this idea further.  Al-Qaeda sees a threat to their narrative with the election of Barack Obama. Particularly, that we have illustrated tolerance in our society by electing an African-American President with Muslim ancestry.  It flies in the face of their portrayal of an evil Zionist empire.  Al-Qaeda is scared of international respect for America and the restoration of our nation as a moral leader. This fear has exposed the racial hatred of upper echelons of Al Qaeda leadership.

The Stupid Spreads: Now it's Beards in AfghanistanYesterday

Who's in charge of policy formulation in the military these days?  This is getting ridiculous.  It's not just a ban on masks for Iraqi interpreters anymore.  Now it's beards in Afghanistan:

KABUL--As the U.S. military garners increasing counterinsurgency experience in America's long-standing war in Afghanistan, soldiers are questioning one military restriction that has long been the norm within the U.S. armed forces: the prohibition against beards.

The military says it has good reasons for the beard ban for most American troops--including hygiene, soldierly discipline, and the ability to get a good seal on gas masks should troops need them.

Right.  Real big threat of chemical attacks in rural Afghanistan.  Good thinkin' guys.

There is an exception, though, for special operations forces to enable them to better blend with locals. Senior military officials point out that special operations forces have more experience and maturity than other troops, so that lax grooming standards will not lead to a degeneration of other forms of discipline.

Do these "senior military officials" see the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and think Delta Tau Chi?  Probab

Backlash Builds Over New Iraqi Interpreter/Mask PolicyYesterday

The traditional media and the military blogosphere are up in arms over the new policy that bans Iraqi translators from wearing masks--and for good reason it now seems.

When I wrote about this yesterday, I withheld judgment.  Army Lt. Col. Steve Stover's comments about translators in the Washington Post just seemed too careless.  I assumed there had to be more to the story--maybe something I wasn't seeing.  For those who missed it, here's what Stover said with regard to the new policy banning Iraqi translators from wearing masks:

"We are a professional Army and professional units don't conceal their identity by wearing masks," Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a spokesman for the U.S. military, wrote in an e-mail. He expressed appreciation for the service and sacrifice of the interpreters but said those dissatisfied with the new policy "can seek alternative employment."

He went on to callously conclude:

Stover, the U.S. military spokesman, said he didn't know how many interpreters have resigned or been reassigned as a result of the mask rule.

In any case, he said, the Baghdad command "is not having problems, as the contractor is not having any issues filling our translators/interpreters requirement."

Unfortunately, it seems