Iraqi "Sovereignty"

Killing the News in Iraq: Justifying the Unjustifiable

dlindorff — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:35:14 -0400

By Dave Lindorff

Reuters may be “satisfied” with the Pentagon’s investigation
concluding that US troops were “justified” in their slaying of the news
organization’s working journalist Waleed Khaled back in 2005, but the
rest of us shouldn’t be.

Khaled and his driver were killed by US troops when they came on a
firefight involving US troops and Iraqi police who were allegedly under
attack. The Pentagon report into the incident concluded that the two
men came onto the scene, and American forces, seeing Khaled’s videocam
and tripod, thought it was a rocket launcher. They reportedly fired
warning shots. When Khaled’s driver did the logical thing, backing
slowly from the scene, US troops “assumed it was an insurgent tactic”
and fired to “disable” the vehicle, killing the two men.

First of all, let’s note that Khaled is not the only journalist to
have been killed by US forces in Iraq. There has been a pattern that
makes it clear that journalists who step outside the controlled bubble
of the embedded propagandist traveling with the troops are fair game,
which explains why we in America know so little about the reality of
the US assault on the people of Iraq.

But beyond this journalistic issue, what this story tells us,
besides the fact that an innocent reporter and his innocent driver,
just doing their jobs, were murdered by overly aggressive US soldiers
(whose initial response, and that of Pentagon “investigators,” appears
to have been to cover up their actions) is that any innocent parties
who stumble into a battle zone are liable to be slaughtered by US
forces in Iraq.

The only thing that distinguishes this tragic incident from
hundreds of others like it that occur routinely in Iraq is that Khaled
was a journalist employed by a major Western news organization with the
clout and prominence to demand a real, and public, investigation into
the case.

For Iraqis killed under similar circumstances, not only is there no
investigation; there is simply no report of their deaths. As US
commanders have famously and disgustingly said, “We don’t do
bodycounts.”

There is a reason why ordinary Iraqis are almost unanimously
opposed to the neo-colonial “deal” the Bush is trying to force their
puppet regime to approve, granting US forces legal immunity and a free
rein in Iraq to attack and arrest anyone they choose, and to be
protected from arrest by Iraqi authorities for any of their actions in
that country. Iraqis daily see the US behaving like Nazi stormtroopers,
killing their countrymen with impunity, and they want it to stop.

Anyone who thinks that running this kind of brutal occupation is
going to end any way but disastrously is delusional. Imagine if we had
Iraqi troops running around the US blowing up innocent drivers without
fear of any consequence. We’d have an army of vigilantes taking
action—which is just what is happening in Iraq.

The situation in Iraq for ordinary Iraqis has actually been getting
worse, as the Pentagon turns increasingly to aerial bombardment and
even the use of remote-controlled Predator drones, run by video jockeys
back in the US, to conduct its attacks on “suspected insurgents,”
instead of sending ground troops. This approach may reduce US
casualties, but it inevitably increases the number and the percentage
of so-called “collateral damage” deaths of innocent non-combatants.

Khaled’s murder by American troops is a personal tragedy for his
colleagues and his family, but at least it serves to demonstrate, if
anyone is paying attention, the wretched reality of the
Bush/Cheney/Democratic Congress war and occupation of Iraq.

Returning veterans of the war who have joined Iraq Veterans Against
the War IVAW), have been bravely speaking out against this ongoing
horror. They tell of soldiers and marines so brutalized and frustrated
by their repeated deployments to Iraq that all they want to do is
survive and get home. They tell of troops who hate all Iraqis, calling
them “hajjis” and “ragheads,” who are doped up and sent out on patrol
with diminished judgment—a sure recipe for the kind of thing that
happened to Khaled and his driver. One IVAW member, Camilo Mejia, who
refused redeployment and was sentenced to a year in the brig for
desertion, in an excellent book titled “Road from ar Ramadi: The
Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilio Mejia, an Iraq War Memoir”
(Haymarket Books), also writes of how US commanders push their troops
into pointless confrontations at which civilians are often the victims,
because they want to go home with combat badges on their chests.

Just ask yourself for a moment, what should Khaled and his driver
have done, when they came on the scene of the firefight? If they had
simply stopped their car, having already been fired on (and no doubt
not knowing who was doing the firing)? Sitting still was clearly a bad
option. Going forward was suicide. So they did the only logical thing:
they backed up slowly—surely the least threatening option available.
But the US troops saw that action as “a typical insurgent tactic,” and
opened fire on them.

If retreat is seen as an enemy “tactic,” then there is really no
hope for some innocent person caught up in a firefight.

No wonder over a million Iraqis have died in this criminal war, most of them victims of American weaponry!

No wonder Iraqis overwhelmingly want the US out of their country!

No wonder even the puppet regime established by the US is opposed
to the Bush/Cheney effort to establish a permanent occupation, with
legal immunity for US forces, with 58 permanent bases around the
country, and with the US getting control of the air and the right to
bomb at will!

The story of Khaled’s murder—and the fact that the Pentagon can
call it “justified”--should make it crystal clear that the only answer
to the ongoing crisis in Iraq is for the US to leave the country
immediately.
___________________
DAVE LINDORFF is a Philadelphia-based investigative journalist and
columnist. His latest book is “The Case for Impeachment” (St. Martin’s
Press, 2006 and now available in paperback). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net

John Bolton Must Support Feingold-Reid Plan for Iraq

Bob Fertik — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:58:55 -0400

John Bolton gave a truly remarkable interview to the BBC.

Q: Is there not an American responsibility, having invaded a country, dismantled all the apparatus of government, to ensure the citizens of that country are not murdered?

A. I think it's the responsibility which we've tried to fulfill to turn it back over to the Iraqis... We made a mistake in hindsight not turning it over to them earlier.

But we don't have a responsibility to make the government of Iraq succeed, that's their responsibility.

Q. Do you have a responsibility to keep the peace or not?

I think that's their responsibility too. I think we're all agreed the sooner the Iraqis can decide whether they're gonna to do that or not, the the better off everyone is.

If that's not clear enough, Bolton also said:

I don't think there's an American interest in what kind of Iraq emerges from the present circumstance.

I think the American strategic interest is in making sure no part of Iraq be used by terrorists as a base against us.

Bolton believes we have no responsibility to help the Iraqi government succed - only to fight Al Qaeda?

So why do we need 150,000 U.S. troops to fight 1-2,000 Al Qaeda?

Clearly Bolton must support the Feingold-Reid bill:

(a) Transition of Mission - The President shall promptly transition the mission of United States forces in Iraq to the limited purposes set forth in subsection (d).

(b) Commencement of Safe, Phased Redeployment from Iraq - The President shall commence the safe, phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq that are not essential to the purposes set forth in subsection (d). Such redeployment shall begin not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(c) Prohibition on Use of Funds - No funds appropriated or otherwise made available under any provision of law may be obligated or expended to continue the deployment in Iraq of members of the United States Armed Forces after March 31, 2008.

(d) Exception for Limited Purposes - The prohibition under subsection (c) shall not apply to the obligation or expenditure of funds for the limited purposes as follows:

(1) To conduct targeted operations, limited in duration and scope, against members of al Qaeda and other international terrorist organizations.

(2) To provide security for United States infrastructure and personnel.

(3) To train and equip Iraqi security services.

Will someone ask Bolton if he supports Feingold-Reid, and if not why not?

Another Botched Hanging, Saddam's Brother Loses His Head

CactusPat — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 07:58:14 -0500

The only good thing (for the US and Iraqi puppet gov't) is that a video of this botched hanging hasn't been released into the wilds of the internet, yet, like what occured with the "death squad" lynchin' of Saddam...

Sunnis blast hanging of 2 Saddam aides
BAGHDAD, Iraq - (AP) The Iraqi government's attempt Monday to close a chapter on Saddam Hussein's repressive regime — by hanging two of his henchmen — only appeared to anger many of Saddam's fellow Sunni Muslims after the former leader's half brother was decapitated on the gallows. A thickset Barzan Ibrahim plunged through the trap door and was beheaded by the jerk of the thick beige rope at the end of his fall, in the same the execution chamber where Saddam was hanged a little over two weeks earlier.

A government video of the hanging, played at a briefing for reporters, showed Ibrahim's body passing the camera in a blur. The body came to rest on its chest while the severed head lay a few yards away, still wearing the black hood pulled on moments before by one of Ibrahim's five masked executioners.... (more)

The decapitation appeared inadvertent, and Iraqi officials seemed anxious to prove they hadn't mutilated Ibrahim's remains....

....While Ibrahim's body was wrenched apart by the execution, his co-defendant, Awad Hamed al-Bandar, head of Saddam's Revolutionary court, died as expected — swinging at the end of a rope. Both men met death at 3 a.m. wearing reddish orange prison jumpsuits.

Prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi, who witnessed the hangings, said Ibrahim looked tense and protested his innocence as he was brought into the chamber. The condemned man had once ran Saddam's feared security agency, the Mukhabarat.

"I did not do anything," al-Moussawi quoted Ibrahim as saying. "It was all the work of Fadel al-Barrak." Al-Barrak ran two intelligence departments in Saddam's feared Mukhabarat.

Saddam was hanged amid shouted taunts and insults from Shiite witnesses — a scene Iraqi officials said was not repeated Monday.

All three executions took place in Saddam-era military intelligence headquarters, located in the north Baghdad neighborhood of Kazimiyah, a Shiite area.

By day's end at least 3,000 angry Sunnis, many firing guns in the air, others weeping or cursing the government, assembled for the burials of Ibrahim and al-Bandar in Saddam's hometown of Ouja, near Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad.

"Where are those who cry out in demands for human rights?" Marwan Mohammed, one of the mourners, asked in grief and frustration. "Where are the U.N. and the world's human rights organizations? Barzan had cancer. They treated him only to keep him alive long enough to kill him. We vow to take revenge, even if it takes years."... (full report)

By STEVEN R. HURST - Associated Press correspondents Bassem Mroue and Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report.

Also of great interest are Qassim Abdul-Zahra's first two draft reports immediately following the hanging/beheading. Grab 'em before they swirl down the memory hole..

Saddam Half Brother, Ex-Official Hanged
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, The Associated Press
Jan 15, 2007 4:14 AM (2 hrs 34 mins ago)
Current rank: # 26 of 11,379 articles

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein's half brother and the former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court were hanged before dawn Monday, two weeks and two days after the former Iraqi dictator was executed in a chaotic scene that has drawn worldwide criticism.

In confirming the executions, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the head of one of the accused, Barzan Ibrahim, had been severed during the hanging in what he called "a rare incident."

But he stressed that all laws and rules were respected during the proceedings, choosing his words carefully after Saddam's execution became an unruly scene that brought worldwide criticism of the Iraqi government. Video of the execution, recorded on a cell phone camera, showed the former dictator being taunted on the gallows.

"Those present signed documents pledging not to violate the rules or otherwise face legal penalties. All the people present abided by the government's rule and there were no violations," he said, adding the hangings occurred at 3 a.m. "No one shouted slogans or said anything that would taint the execution. None of those charged were insulted."... (full report)

Saddam Half Brother, Ex-Official Hanged
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, The Associated Press
Jan 15, 2007 3:32 AM (3 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 7 of 11,347 articles

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The half brother of Saddam Hussein, along with the former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court, were hanged before dawn Monday, a government spokesman said. The executions came two weeks after Saddam's chaotic hanging, which provoked widespread criticism of the Iraqi government.

Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam's half brother and former intelligence chief, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court, were found guilty along with Saddam in the killing of 148 Shiite Muslims after a 1982 assassination attempt on the former leader in Dujail, north of Baghdad.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh confirmed the executions took place, saying those attending the hangings included a prosecutor, a judge and a physician.

He also said Ibrahim's head was severed from his body during his hanging.

"In a rare incident, the head of the accused Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan was separated from his body during the execution," al-Dabbagh told reporters.

The executions reportedly occurred in the same Saddam-era military intelligence headquarters building in north Baghdad where the former leader was hanged two days before the end of 2006, according to an Iraqi general, who would not allow use of his name because he was not authorized to release the information. The building is located in the Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah.

The two men were to have been hanged along with Saddam on Dec. 30, but Iraqi authorities decided to execute Saddam alone on what National Security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie called a "special day."

Last week, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani urged the government to delay the executions.

"In my opinion we should wait," Talabani said Wednesday at a news conference with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad. "We should examine the situation," he said without elaborating.

Saddam's execution became an unruly scene that brought worldwide criticism of the Iraqi government. Video of the execution, recorded on a cell phone camera, showed the former dictator being taunted on the gallows.... (full report)

New Videos Show Graphic Saddam Images

CactusPat — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 17:35:04 -0500

(Graphic Cell-Phone Video w/sound - YouTube)

New Videos Show Graphic Saddam Images
Dec 30, 8:25 PM (ET) By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The scene was at once macabre and riveting. One of the most notorious dictators of the late 20th century, his hands bound behind him, was led up the stairs of the gallows by masked men in leather coats. A few seconds later, a trapdoor snapped open and - with a crash - Saddam was dead.

He may have been the first chief of state executed in the age of the Internet and the camera phone. Probably because of that, his death was graphically documented on video, and available worldwide, within hours... (more)

By several accounts, Saddam was calm but scornful of his captors, exchanging taunts and accusations with the crowd gathered to watch him die - insisting that he was Iraq's savior, not its tyrant and scourge.

State television did not broadcast footage of the actual hanging. But camera phone video, posted in full or in part on several Web sites, picked up where the TV coverage left off.

In the videos, Saddam calmly recited verses from the Quran in a calm, clear voice as the trap door opened.

Finally, his body can be seen swinging in the dim light - his neck apparently snapped.

Saddam had reportedly asked that, as Iraq's commander in chief, he be sent before a firing squad. Instead, he was condemned to die on the gallows - as though he were a garden variety murderer.

The 69-year-old former president struggled briefly as the U.S. military, which had custody of Saddam, handed him over to the Iraqis, said Sami al-Askari, a political adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Saddam did not wear his familiar military uniform with its jaunty beret but a black coat over a white shirt, black trousers and black shoes. His jet black hair was carefully combed, his salt-and-pepper beard neatly clipped.

From that moment on, his last acts of defiance, it seems, consisted of verbal jousting and silent contempt.

Saddam was taken to a former military intelligence headquarters in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah, in northern Baghdad. During his regime, he had numerous dissidents executed in the facility.

Munir Haddad, an appeals court judge who witnessed the hanging, told the British Broadcasting Corp. that Saddam was not sedated.

"Not at all, Saddam was normal and in full control," Haddad said. "He was aware of his fate and he knew he was about to face death. He said, 'This is my end, this is the end of my life, but I started my life as a fighter and as a political militant so death does not frighten me.'"

After his captors brought Saddam into the execution chamber, his hands - which were tied in front of him - were untied, then tied in the back, Haddad told the BBC.

"He said we are going to heaven and our enemies will rot in hell and he also called for forgiveness and love among Iraqis but also stressed that the Iraqis should fight the Americans and the Persians," Haddad told the BBC.

The New York Times reported that Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the national security adviser for Iraq, stood next to Saddam before he mounted the scaffold, and asked him if he felt remorse and fear.

"No," the Times quoted Saddam saying. "I am a militant and I have no fear for myself. I have spent my life in jihad and fighting aggression. Anyone who takes this route should not be afraid."

Al-Rubaie told the Times that one of the guards grew angry. "You have destroyed us," he reportedly shouted. "You have killed us. You have made us live in destitution."

"I have saved you from destitution and misery and destroyed your enemies, the Persian and Americans," Saddam responded, al-Rubaie told the Times.

"God damn you," the guard said.

"God damn you," Saddam said, according to the Times.

A silent, minute-long video that aired on Iraqi television showed Saddam on the scaffold. He seemed to have little to say, and his eyes appeared lost in a 1,000-yard stare.

Four or five burly men guided him gently but firmly toward a red metal railing marking the trap door. A thick rope hung like a sinister vine from the low ceiling. An unseen photographer's flash created fleeting stark shadows.

With a blank expression, Saddam refused a black hood - but he did so with a shake of his head that seemed more distracted than defiant.

Then he appeared to agree to let one of his executioners tie a black scarf around his neck. The Times reported that his guards explained the rope could cut off his head, and offered to protect his neck with the scarf.

In the televised video, Saddam stood stoically as the noose was slipped over his head. The noose was tightened. Then the Iraqi TV footage ended.

But the camera phone video, broadcast in part on Al-Jazeera and aired in full on Arabic-language Web sites, continued.

In the video, one of those attending the execution called out praise for Dawa Party founder and Shiite cleric Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr, who was executed along with his sister by Saddam in 1980. The Islamic party has been locked in a fierce decades-old battle with Saddam's now outlawed secular Baath party. Muqtada al-Sadr, the powerful and radical Shiite cleric in Iraq, is a distant relative of the Dawa founder.

Saddam appeared to smile at those taunting him from below the gallows, and said they were not showing their manhood.

Then Saddam began reciting the "Shahada," a Muslim prayer that says there is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger.

"Saddam did so but with sarcasm," Haddad said. But to others, Saddam's tone sounded calm and measured, neither sarcastic nor frightened.

Saddam made it to midway through his second recitation of the verse. His last word was Muhammad, according to a translation by the Associated Press.

The floor dropped out of the gallows, there was a crash and the chamber erupted in shouting.

"The tyrant has fallen," someone called. The video showed a close-up of Saddam's face as he swung from the rope.

Then came another voice: "Let him swing for three minutes."

Asked if Saddam suffered, Haddad told the BBC: "He was killed instantly, I witnessed the impact of the rope around his neck and it was a horrible sight."

Iraqi television broadcasts included a shaky image of the aftermath: a shot of what appeared to be Saddam's corpse, laid out on a hospital gurney, his head wrenched grotesquely to the right. His neck appeared to be bruised.

Saddam's half brother Barzan Ibrahim and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court, were originally scheduled to be hanged along with their former leader.

Iraqi officials, though, decided to reserve the occasion for Saddam alone.

Also see "World reactions on execution of Saddam"....

The Deluge: CHENEY AND RUMSFELD PLANNED FOR CIVIL WAR IN IRAQ

Bgilmore — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 00:09:17 -0400

THE DELUGE: CHENEY AND RUMSFELD KNEW ALL ALONG IRAQ WOULD DESCEND INTO CIVIL WAR. They wanted it, they planned it, they guaranteed it.

Just as they planned a war FOR terror, they planned a civil war FOR Iraq: In September 2002 it was revealed that Cheney backed a plan to merge Iraq with Jordan. Civil war was a necessary precursor to the execution of this plan.

For all true believers still loyal to the White House when it whimpers that NOBODY could have predicted planes would be used as WMDs, NOBODY could have predicted the levees would fail, or NOBODY could have foreseen that Iraq would descend into hellish civil war, your world is about to end.

Soon after sending death squad expert Negroponte to Iraq, the steady, daily stream of tortured & murdered Iraqis began. Civil war in Iraq was a GOAL, not a concern. This explains why they had NO PLAN to restore and maintain the infrastructure and civilian services in Iraq, NO PLAN to safeguard the museums despite expert warnings and advice on how to do it, and NO PLAN to protect the Iraqi people from the looting and anarchy of incipient civil war.

In marked contrast, the White House was quite diligent in organizing their own laundry list for Iraq, as seen in their 101-page document called PLAN B, a blueprint for the rape and selloff of Iraq. You can read this in Palast's book "Armed Madhouse," pp 55-59. Palast even interviewed Grover Norquist, who gleefully bragged of his own participation. These are not clues, but overt evidence that speaks directly to a consciousness of the crimes they would commit and a complete lack of concern for that criminality. Another overt "clue" lies in the pre-invasion article published in the International News on September 29, 2002, and filed from Islamabad under the title: U.S. PLANS TO MERGE IRAQ, JORDAN AFTER WAR. It said:

"The U.S. is working on a plan to merge Iraq and Jordan into a unitary kingdom to be ruled by the Hashemite dynasty headed by King Abdullah of Jordan with Amman as the capital of the proposed new country, reveals a startling report made available here Friday."

The plan was authored by Dick Cheney. Much of the article appears to quote Stratfor, a forecasting think tank in the U.S. The White House favored this plan because the then-current goal of replacing Hussein with a pro-US Iraqi government "still would not guarantee long-term U.S. control over the territory and its oil..."

And the reasons why hundreds of thousands of Iraqis had to be slaughtered instead of stabilized? Read on:

"FIRST, it may become too hard for a new government in Baghdad to control the whole country..... SECOND, the new government's attempts to establish control over all of Iraq may well lead to a civil war... Uniting them (Iraq and Jordan) will give the U.S. several strategic advantages....shifting the balance of forces in the region heavily in the U.S. favor..."

That's why they had to be slaughtered. It is all about killing and about creating an empire that kills.

Maybe we should joke about this, as Bush did about Iraq's nonexistent weapons of mass destruction: Do you see anything in there about democracy? Where is it? Where did it go? Is it under the bed? How about the table? Maybe it's in the garage. Where oh where did democracy go? To democracy heaven?

Because after they kill and instigate the murders of neighbor on neighbor in numbers that bring shame to all humanity in the New Killing Fields of Palestine Writ Large.... you may wonder, who will be next? History tells us they will not stop. These fabulously jealous failures took one look at Gorbachev's and Reagan's gift to the world, stabbed it to near death and is presently torturing and drowning the baby in the bathtub.

For over a year the experts have been telling us that terror attacks have increased significantly since the launch of the U.S. War For Terror. Do you see how the "incompetence" and sabotage of this White House has CAUSED the problem to worsen? And how it therefore makes a handy PRETEXT for Israel to start World War II for them?

We call it a failure and a tragedy. They call it part of the plan. They call it their due glory.

From wise people we learned the phrase, NEVER AGAIN. Yet cowards who have hidden in shadows have dared to plan it ALL OVER AGAIN.

I had hoped that the above thoughts were overwrought. But I have just read the output from Chomsky and Palast, and they too are bearing witness with equal urgency to this growing evil and vast conspiracy that is breaking out of its box.

Bevin Gilmore

Military denies withdrawal plan

Ted Kahl — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 07:30:58 -0500

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military in Iraq said on Sunday media reports that America and Britain planned to pull all troops out of Iraq by spring 2007 were "completely false," reiterating that there was no timetable for withdrawal.

Two British newspapers reported on Sunday that the pull-out plan followed an acceptance by the two governments that the presence of foreign troops in Iraq was now an obstacle to securing peace.

But a spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq reiterated previous statements by U.S. and Iraqi officials that foreign troops would be gradually withdrawn from the country once Iraqi security forces were capable of guaranteeing security.

"This news report on a withdrawal of forces within a set timeframe is completely false," Lieutenant Colonel Barry Johnson said of the stories in Britain's Sunday Telegraph and Sunday Mirror, which quoted unnamed senior defense ministry sources.

"As we've said over and over again, any withdrawal will be linked to the ability of the Iraqi security forces to maintain domestic order on behalf of a representative Iraqi government that respects the rights of all its citizens. This is an ongoing assessment and not linked to any timeframe," he said.

Despite Iraq Election, Bush Poll Numbers on Iraq Fall

Ted Kahl — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 00:18:13 -0500

Juan Cole writes:

The American public is not in a mood to be swayed by mere speeches or yet more "milestones" like the election in Iraq. All the recent brouhaha has not improved Bush's poll numbers.

As always, it is best to click on the link to poll results, which give a comparison between early December and more recently. A solid majority of 61 percent disapprove of his handling of the war in Iraq, and his rating on this matter has actually fallen two percentage points since early December. Likewise, more Americans (52%) think going to war in Iraq now was a mistake than thought so two weeks ago (48%).

Half of Americans think neither side is winning, and 9 percent think that the guerrillas are winning. Together, that makes 59% who think that the US is not winning. That is the key point. Bush had to convince them that the US is winning, or has the early prospect of winning. He failed. They don't buy it.

The great publicity blitz and attempt to re-cast the Iraq problem as a resolvable one has fallen flat on its face.

Sunni, Secular Groups Demand New Vote; Claim Election Rigged (WashPost) Sunni and secular political groups angrily claimed Tuesday that last week's Iraqi national election was rigged, demanded a new vote and threatened to leave a shambles the delicate plan to bring the country's wary factions together in a new government.

Iraq VP Disputes Bush on Training of Forces

Ted Kahl — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 19:19:49 -0500

(AP) The training of Iraqi security forces has suffered a big "setback" in the last six months, with the army and other forces being increasingly used to settle scores and make other political gains, Iraqi Vice President Ghazi al-Yawer said Monday.

Al-Yawer disputed contentions by U.S. officials, including President Bush, that the training of security forces was gathering speed, resulting in more professional troops.

Bush has said the United States will not pull out of Iraq until Iraq's own forces can maintain security. In a speech last week, he said Iraqi forces are becoming increasingly capable of securing the country.

Al-Yawer, a Sunni moderate, said he agreed the United States cannot pull out now because "there will be a huge vacuum," leaving Iraq in danger of falling into civil war. In particular, armed Shiite militias in the south might try to incite war if U.S.-led coalition forces leave, he said in an interview with The Associated Press and a U.S. newspaper at a conference here.

Chalabi Pushes Iran Card in Last Ditch Self-Promotion Offensive

davidswanson — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 12:41:23 -0500

The Insitute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution knew 48 hours before anyone else that Chalabi was meeting with Cheney. Here's what else they know:

"Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi has been playing hard ball with Bush administration officials during his eight day trip to Washington D.C.

"According to senior associates of the Iraqi official, who have accompanied him to meetings with Bush administration officials, Mr. Chalabi has been threatening his friends in the Bush administration that if they do not support his candidacy to become the next prime minister of Iraq that there will be no way to contain Iran. He has told them in no uncertain terms that he is the only one who can make the Iranians behave."

READ THE REST:
http://www.iimcr.org/blog/index.cfm

Blair denies fast troop withdrawal plan

Ted Kahl — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 14:50:06 -0400

(AAP) The British government has not decided to withdraw troops from Iraq, although contingency planning is under way, Prime Minister Tony Blair's office said.

A leaked government memorandum shows Britain is considering scaling back its troop presence from 8,500 to 3,000 by the middle of next year, saving an estimated STG500 million ($A1.18 billion) annually.

The memo, marked "Secret - UK Eyes Only", and signed by Britain's Defence Secretary John Reid, also says there is a "strong US military desire for significant force reductions".

"Emerging US plans assume that 14 out of 18 provinces could be handed over to Iraqi control by early 2006," which would see the multinational force cut from 176,000 to 66,000."

British officials on Monday confirmed the authenticity of the document, first published by The Mail on Sunday newspaper.

Hey, we need to free up troops for future adventures in Iran and Syria! Remember the PNAC plan...