In his column in today's Washington Post, Jackson Diehl discusses America's way forward in Iraq and the battle in Washington regarding troop levels needed to maintain the successes of 2007.

The British newspaper The Sunday Telegraph has done what many felt Time magazine should have - named General David Petraeus, the man behind the successful surge strategy in Iraq, as their "Person of the Year".  The Telegraph explains that while there were many candidates for this honor from a year of important headlines and luminous figures, Petraeus stands out as a man whose will and determination have led the dramatic turnaround in Iraq.

Below is an open letter from John Ellsworth, whose son was killed in action in Iraq in 2004, to his Senator from Michigan.  If you feel these thoughts would also apply to your representation in Washington, please contact your Congressman or Senator today.

The Associated Press is reporting that Osama bin Laden is set to release another tape, this time discussing Iraq and an anti-US and anti-Iraqi government terrorist group called the Islamic State of Iraq.  This is just the most recent of a number of messages this year, as Al Qaeda has been seen stepping up its outreach efforts in an attempt to gain more international supporters.

Thanks to you and thousands of Americans like you, the Freedom’s Watch holiday support-the-troops campaign was a resounding success. 

In The New York Post, Michelle Malkin writes a column advocating that the success of the surge strategy in Iraq should be the top story of the year. 

In the ensuing 12 months, Democrats tried and failed repeatedly to undermine this military strategy and starve the war of funding. Their poisonously partisan allies at MoveOn.org attempted to smear surge architect and patriot Gen. David Petraeus as a traitor. The New York Times and Associated Press fought tooth and nail to obscure the successes of the surge with their relentless "grim milestone" drumbeat.

David Ignatius from the Washington Post writes about progress in Iraq by General David Petraeus.  Reports have been funneling into Washington about the reduction in violence and a hopeful outlook for the Iraqi government in 2008.  Gen. Petraeus says the level of violence is down over half of what it was this summer, and chalks it up to what he calls his “Anaconda Strategy.”  The State Department hopes the reduction in violence coupled with increased diplomatic efforts will lead to progress on Iraqi political and economic reforms.

Jim Moran makes remarks on the House floor on Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Manu Raju reports in today's edition of The Hill about Senate Republicans tackling healthcare as a top priority for the next legislative session.  Senator Lamar Alexander, leading the charge to reform healthcare reform effort, has said "we want to put together four words that usually don’t go together — universal access and private sector." Alexander called it a major priority for Republicans in 2008. 

A Wall Street Journal editorial calls out Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Democrat Presidential candidate Chris Dodd for "wigging out" on renewing provisions of FISA which would allow US intelligence services to monitor overseas communications of suspected terrorists.

Who says the New York Times doesn’t have a comic section?

NY Times readers were this morning greeted to a full page cartoon masquerading as a serious issue advertisement courtesy of MoveOn.org.  After previously playing schoolyard name games with General Patraeus, MoveOn spent tens of thousands of dollars (assuming the Times didn’t give it another friendly “discount”) to make a mockery of the situation in Iran. 

Alexander Bolton reports in The Hill on the tremendous number of earmarks appearing in the omnibus bill that passed the House last night, many added to help vulnerable Democrats in their upcoming reelection battles next fall.  Many of these pork barrel additions were placed in the bill at the last minute so they couldn't be challenged and debated on the floor of the house.

In Human Events, columnist Jed Babbin calls this Congress the "most irresponsible wartime Congress in American history" as they rush to leave town while they have yet to pass war funding, leaving open the possibility of laying off 100,000 federal employees. 

This morning, the ultra-liberal, anti-war group Code Pink sent an email to its membership admitting defeat and calling on its members to blatantly break federal law. 

The Los Angeles Times runs a story by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar about the role of government in the American healthcare system.  Healthcare promises to be one of the top issues as we head into the 2008 election, and there is currently a stalemate between Republicans and Democrats regarding how far the government should go in helping the uninsured. 

A USA Today editorial argues that with the recent success of the surge in Iraq, its time to seize the initiative both in Iraq and at home.  In Iraq, political leaders need to take advantage of the relative calm in the security situation to form a more stable and inclusive government - as Secretary Gates and Ambassador Negreponte have recently traveled to Baghdad to encourage.

In this morning’s LA Times, Attorney General Anthony Mukasey discusses the critical importance of Congress renewing the Protect America Act.  This act closes a dangerous gap in our intelligence capabilities created by the expansion of new technologies since the original passage of FISA legislation in 1978, and applies only to intelligence targets overseas. 

Yesterday morning, Freedom’s Watch President and CEO Brad Blakeman was on Fox News to discuss NBC’s decision to run Freedom’s Watch holiday ads in support of our troops. 

FNC-TV (America's Newsroom): Brad Blakeman Discusses NBC’s Reversal On The Freedom’s Watch Holiday Ads

Lt. Pete Hegseth, Executive Director of Vets for Freedom, writes an editorial in this morning’s Washington Times entitled “The Toops are Winning”. 

As many of you have heard, over the weekend NBC relented and decided to air the Freedom’s Watch ads wishing our troops a happy holidays.  We are glad that NBC ultimately decided to do the right thing and air the Freedom's Watch television ads supporting our troops.  Thanking our troops is not a political statement – it is a patriotic one.

Hi Everybody,

I'm Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward, which is the largest pro-troops organization in the country with over a million members, www.moveamericaforward.com

In an op-ed appearing in this morning’s New York Times, National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell discusses the need for Congress to reauthorize the Protect America Act.  McConnell maintains that this act has enhanced “the speed and agility necessary to detect terrorist and other evolving national security threats. Information obtained under this law has helped us develop a greater understanding of international Qaeda networks, and the law has allowed us to obtain significant insight into terrorist planning.” 

AP reports this morning NBC has decided to reverse its previous course and run the Freedom's Watch holiday ads in support of the troops. 

In a Washington Post op-ed, Pete Hegseth and John Batiste argue that it is time to get beyond the stalemate in Washington in order to fund the troops and complete the mission in Iraq.  John Batiste, a retired Major General who commanded troops in Iraq has been an outspoken critic of the administration's handling of the war. 

Today, President of Freedom’s Watch, Brad Blakeman, issued a letter to John Kelly of NBC to express our deep disappointment in the station’s decision not to air our new ads thanking the troops for their service. The ads, seen here, are our way to express our appreciation for the sacrifices the troops make.

This morning in Human Events, Oliver North discusses his recent trip to Iraq and the mood of the soldiers on the ground.  North states that there has been an “awakening” of the Sunni population and this combined with the increase in citizen groups across Iraq has led to a “lifting of the blanket of fear”.

In an editorial appearing in National Review this morning, Cliff May cautions that the lesson of the National Intelligence Estimate is that we must continue to pressure Iran on their weapons program. 

Missed holidays are moments of reflection for soldiers.  I well remember coming in from combat patrols on holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas only to be gently reminded as I decompressed that it was a special day to a lot of people back home.  During those moments, the thought that it is just another day ‘in country’ seems to grip you.

Lolita Baldor of the Associated Press is reporting on Defense Secretary Gates’ sixth trip to Iraq this year.  Secretary Gates is using this latest unannounced trip to determine whether or not recent drops in violence in the country can be sustained, and if Iran has in fact quelled the shipment of arms to the insurgency. 

There is continued focus this morning on the funding battle in Washington over providing the support for our troops in Iraq.  As The New York Times reports, with Congressional Democrats still pushing a timetable for withdrawal, President Bush warned Monday that such a timeline would “threaten the security of our country,” adding, “It’s unconscionable to deny funds to our troops in harm’s way because some in Congress want to force a self-defeating policy.” 

In this morning’s New York Times, Paul von Zielbauer reports on the United States pressuring Iraq to take advantage of a greatly improved security situation to make significant political progress.  Ambassador Negreponte, the State Department’s second highest-ranking diplomat, has just returned from a week of meetings in Baghdad during which he urged the Iraqi parliament to pass several bills which would stabilize the government. 

Congressional Quarterly ran a story by John Donnelly and Josh Rogin about Democrats being pressured from all sides on Iraq War funding.  While the anti-war faction is demanding that congress end the war, irregardless of the success of the surge, immediately; it is becoming apparent that our armed forces cannot continue to operate without necessary funding.