Thursday, November 13, 2003 :::
 
Our hearts go out to the families of those brave Italian Carabinieri who were killed by terrorists yesterday. The Italian news is of course dominated by the story, to the exclusion of all else. If memory serves, this is the worst loss for the Italian military since they were reconstituted after World War II. Silvio Berlusconi deserves our praise for being loyal to the cause of freedom and overcoming the derision of his less savory counterparts throughout the European Union. The Italian people are to be thanked for their sacrifice.

The French, in a touching show of solidarity, buried news of the attack towards the end of their main national news broadcast. (European news is, of course, generally delivered by government-run networks.)

The Washington Post this morning carries news that the Administration has decided on a faster timetable for handing the government back over the Iraqis. The wisdom of this is debatable, but it does mean that the Administration is well aware of what is going wrong. Indeed, all the news on Iraq listed on the Post's homepage is worth reading.

More disturbing is a report on the front page of today's Journal of an intelligence report that says that the insurgents have a plan laid out to strip off support until only the US is left. They have succeeded brilliantly with the international aid agencies, who turned and ran, and see no hypocrisy in abandoning a liberated Iraq when they function routinely in countries enslaved under creepy, thuggish dicatators. Now the terrorists are going after our allies. A disturbing poll last week showed that in certain European countries a majority of people do not think it is EVER worth going to war. Of course, when Winston Churchill showed up at the French foreign ministry just before the Germans attacked, he found the air thick with smoke from files being burned so the Germans couldn't get them. Talk about defeatism, and I guess things haven't changed.

In light of this, Prime Minister Berlusconi's stalwart determination and the sacrifice of the Italian people seem that much more honorable, and we should salute them and thank them with all our hearts.

::: posted by A Mind That Suits at 4:53 PM


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What doesn't kill me, makes me laugh... usually.