Karl Blanke

Karl Blanke was a Georgetown University Law Student and a 2005-2006 staff member on the Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy.

Blanke is a former U.S. Marine infantry platoon commander, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, who served two tours of duty in Iraq. Blanke is a member of Vets for Freedom.

On war in Iraq
"And although there are indications that troop strength and readiness are insufficient to augment ongoing surges and redeployments the president and some military leaders continue to suggest that increasing troop levels is well within the realm of U.S. military capability. There is even talk in some quarters that to rein in an insurgency like the one in Iraq our presence would be required for many years to come.

"That opinion was expressed by Karl Blanke of 'Vets for Freedom' on Washington Journal over the weekend. Blanke, an Iraq Marine vet, reiterated the rhetoric that has become standard-issue over time about fighting terrorism and not allowing Al Qaeda to gain a foothold in the region, something that seems to have already occurred. And six years into the current administration and an even longer period of Republican control in Congress he blamed President Clinton for intelligence failures and a depleted military. According to Blanke not only would we need to keep a massive troop level in Iraq for at least ten years in order to bring the insurgency under control, the kicker is that would require reinstating the draft."

Related SourceWatch articles

 * war propaganda

By Karl Blanke
Note: These articles at SCOTUSblog may be by a different Karl Blanke, who is a University of Miami law professor. It is most likely, though, that they are related.
 * "Comments on LULAC v. Perry," SCOTUSblog, June 28, 2006.
 * "After Hamdan: Reclaiming Congressional War Power," SCOTUSblog, June 29, 2006.
 * "More on the Texas redistricting cases," SCOTUSblog, June 29, 2006.
 * "More on Hamdan," SCOTUSblog, June 30, 2006.

External articles

 * "Do the Iraqis want us there? A Marine explains," Republican Dan Blogspot, January 5, 2005.
 * Wretchard, "All Together Now," The Belmont Club Blogspot, June 29, 2006.