The only defense is vigilance.

Our Marine scout/snipers exploit lapses in the enemy's vigilance... they exploit ours. If you can see far enough to shoot someone, they can see far enough to spot you and that's just the way it is.

A lapse in vigilance is the reason that a suicide bomber recently managed to get inside our mess tent in Mosul, yet in March of 2003, in Kuwait, we managed to catch a poisoner working in OUR mess tent. We were fresh then. Vigilant.

Constant vigilance is impossible to maintain forever. And that is why we need to spin up the new Iraqi forces as fast as possible and then leave. It is my opinion the President Bush understands this very well.

I agree with you, however, that it's staggering how vulnerable were are as long as we're there. 1,000 yards!

Sure. I was also referring to things like how the Secret Service protects elected officials against such technology as well. Seems difficult.

The saying goes like this:

If you can see it, you can hit it.

And if you can hit it, you can kill it.

The Secret Service investigates every possible angle of fire in order to protect its charges. The job is extremely difficult, and very stressful. The problem is that an experiences and able shooter probably can do it, no matter how good your security is. The good news is that relatively few people would attempt such a thing. Most attacks are by people with mental illnesses. And most attacks are stopped before they happen.

Bill a little trivia for your info.

While 1000 yards may be impressive. Master Cpl. Arron Perry (Canada) working with US forces in Afganistan in 2002 scored the longest confirmed sniper kill in combat history, at 2430 meters (about a mile and a half), breaking the previous record held by US sniper god Carlos Hathcock in Vietnam.

He was awarded the Bronze star (US).

I don't read a whole lot of military history, but I recommend "One Shot One Kill". Gripping stuff. The aforementioned sniper god Carlos Hathcock once had the enemy's top sniper sent out to kill him. (This was besides the bounty the VC had put on his head.) Carlos finally shot the guy, with the bullet going through the enemy sniper's scope. He said he saw the glint and was just a little quicker on the trigger. IIRC, Hathcock won his Bronze Star for pulling Marines out of a burning vehicle while he was being severely burned. The injuries ended his career and led to his somewhat premature death.

Good reference d'a'fork. CH was the Shit.

While tragically fictional the Movie "Enemy at the Gates" has some great sniper scenes, while still trying to be biographic.

Despite the sniper melodrama the defense of Stalingrad scenes are 2nd only to Saving Private Ryan.

Consider that Michael Moore has published the route of the inauguration parade.

Er, doesn't the inauguration parade always follow the same route?

Not that I'm defending <strike>Fat Bastard</strike> Michael Moore, but...

Weren't Charles Whitman and Lee Harvey Oswald both Marine trained? My step father is ex Marine and I'd swear he could hit a deer from at least half a mile away.