REALITY CHECK

Great read here by Oliver North taking on Paul O'Neill and Dr. Record (the Army War College professor who has recently heavily criticized the war on terror.)

Go read it all.

On page 28, Dr. Record baldly asserts, "Nonstate (sic) terrorism was notable for its absence in Saddam Hussein's Iraq." This "fact" is just plain wrong. Abu Nidal, the terrorist who tried to kill my wife and children, was found dead in Iraq -- not Libya. And Abu Abbas, the terrorist who organized the hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985 -- and who subsequently funneled millions to Hamas and Al Aksar suicide terrorists was captured in Baghdad -- not Syria or Lebanon. The hundreds of bomb jackets, detonators and explosive devices found at Salman Pak weren't intended for use in Iraq. They were "export items" -- designed for "Jihadists" willing to blow themselves up trying to kill as many "infidels" as possible.

And as for the future of Iraq? Dr. Record's discouraging assessment of where things are headed -- and his recommendation that the United States cede the mission of building security, infrastructure and democratic institutions in Iraq to a "U.N.-authorized multinational force encompassing contingents from major states that opposed the U.S. war against Iraq" defies reality. The U.N. cut and ran from Iraq after a foreign terrorist blew up a truck bomb outside their headquarters on August 19, 2003. Who would lead this U.N. contingent back to Baghdad -- the French? Does Hosni Mubarak want Egyptian troops in Iraq learning about democracy and eventually returning to Cairo with those radical ideas?

Politicians will use the O'Neill book and Dr. Record's depressing document for their own purposes. But military officers compelled to read the latter should also consider the extraordinary successes that they and their comrades in arms have enjoyed in the Global War on Terror -- and in Iraq. Those who doubt need to ask themselves how many attacks we have suffered since 9-11. That's the reality check.