Target Rich Forced Dinner

For those of us watching the news (other than the latest Kardashian travesty foisted on society) there is a truly target rich environment developing in Iraq.  The Iraqi Army is doing what it clearly does best – world class, pell-mell retreating in the face of a rag tag bunch of pickup truck borne assailants.  Obama has a real opportunity here to deal with a bunch of the Sunni idiots before they establish an autonomous region in northern Iraq and Eastern Syria.  A Sunni enclave would instantly become a haven of the next wave of Islamic terrorists to descend on the West.

Iraqi Uniforms Abandoned in Flight

Here is a text book case where American air power could be used to remove a dangerous cadre while they’re relatively exposed and before they can burrow into the ground again.  If I could hazard a guess, Obama will dither, wring his hands and commit too late; the first air strikes should have already gone home.  The Iraqi government has asked us for this and there would be no need for ground forces.  By the time he does do something the Islamists will be inside Baghdad.  The most dangerous outcome strategically will be the US appearing to have let our ostensible Arab ally (Iraq) hanging in the breeze which will have region wide implications for American credibility.

Running from These Guys!  C'Mon!!

Back on the home front I was doing my own part for US-Arab relations.  One of my subordinate managers here is a Palestinian American and devout Muslim.  He’s a great guy who I enjoy poking fun at.  As with most Arabs I’ve met he’s a warm and genuine person.  All of the managers at work yesterday were forced into attending an annual dinner that our planners host.  It’s always an extremely painful enterprise involving speeches congratulating other planners for, you guessed it, planning; so not exactly the most exciting turn of events.  Our planners are awesome people though so we had to support them in their annual love fest; plus we weren’t given an option

The event was held at a local country club and was preceded by a cocktail hour in the bar (we’re talking silver lining here).  My Arab friend was not used to being in a bar for obvious reasons so I took it upon myself to educate him.  He was able to benefit from the extensive, lifelong research I’ve conducted into bar etiquette.  I instructed him about the proper way to lean on the bar (even if he was only sporting a diet coke) and make use of the foot rail as well.  By the end of the cocktail hour he was an expert and looked totally at home, Insha’Allah.

The Results of my Instruction - A Truly Proper Bar Lean

The dinner was nice until the speeches started.  The head planner is a really nice guy but he should have retired many years ago.  He spoke for more than twenty minutes in the face of a glassy eyed audience ready to succumb to the monotone at any minute.  The final straw was when he spoke about a huge snowstorm in New York City in 1889.  I was tempted to ask if he was speaking from personal experience but my boss wisely told me to shut up.  The speaker toyed with us as well.  He used the word “finally” no less than four times and each time we thought our ordeal was ending only to continue on to next “finally”.

Transportation Secretary Speaking Last Night

Just as the audience was in danger of severe head trauma as our sleep induced foreheads closed on impacting the tables we were rescued by the key note speaker – the state Transportation Secretary.  He was a very engaging speaker and had some important things to say.  He’s a relatively young man and I think he’ll become a force in Massachusetts state politics in the future because he’s guy who actually gets things done instead of political dealing.  Then again this is the People’s Republic of Taxachusetts, so he’s probably doomed.