George Bush’s Crusading Scorecard (2001-2007)18 Jan 2007Excerpt: Just five days after the September 11th attacks in 2001, in a Q and A with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, a president with a new mission, a new cause, and a new purpose in life told the American people that, though they had to “go back to work tomorrow,” they should now know that they were facing a “new kind of evil.” He added, “And we understand. And the American people are beginning to understand. This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while.”
See the Superpower Run18 Jan 2007Excerpt: No sooner had Sens. Hagel and Biden announced their resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Bush surge of 21,500 troops to Iraq was not in the national interest than the stampede was on. By day’s end, Sens. Dodd, Clinton, Bayh, Levin and Obama and ex-Sen. John Edwards had all made or issued statements calling for reversing course or getting out.
A Mea Culpa, But No Habeas Corpus18 Jan 2007Excerpt: A senior US defense department official who suggested that major corporations should stop doing business with large law firms who represent Guantanamo Bay detainees has apologized for his remarks—but his apology failed to satisfy some legal and human rights advocates.
Democracy Languishes, but Neocon Strategy Lives18 Jan 2007Excerpt: The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) may have effectively closed up shop two years ago and its key neoconservative allies in the administration, such as Scooter Libby and Douglas Feith, may be long gone, but the group’s five-year-old Middle East strategy remains very much alive.
What They Asked For, They Did Not Get18 Jan 2007Excerpt: The convoy of flatbed trucks picked up its cargo at Baghdad International Airport last spring and sped northwest, stacked high with crates of expensive medical equipment. From bilirubin meters and hematology analyzers to infant incubators and dental appliances, the equipment had been ordered to help Iraq shore up a disintegrating health care system.
Stop the Next War18 Jan 2007Excerpt: The times, they sure are a—changin’! Why, I remember when you could count congressional opponents of the war on the fingers of one hand. Back then, it was just the likes of Ron Paul and Neil Abercrombie who were introducing resolutions trying to get us out of the Iraqi quagmire, but today there are no less than eleven such resolutions vying for attention…
Friday: 37 Iraqis, GI Killed; 22 Iraqis, 3 GIs, 6 Britons Wounded18 Jan 2007Excerpt: Updated at 5:00 p.m. EST, Jan. 19, 2007 U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates made an unannounced trip to southern Iraq today to meet with Coalition leaders. Ahead of the visit one GI was killed and three were wounded in the capital; six British soldiers in Basra were hurt in a separate incident. Also, 37 Iraqis were killed and 22 wounded in violent attacks today.
Silent About Gaza17 Jan 2007Excerpt: A genocide is engulfing the people of Gaza while a silence engulfs its bystanders. “Some 1.4 million people, mostly children, are piled up in one of the most densely populated regions of the world, with no freedom of movement, no place to run, and no space to hide,” wrote the senior UN relief official, Jan Egeland, and Jan Eliasson, then Swedish foreign minister, in Le Figaro. They described people “living in a cage,” cut off by land, sea, and air, with no reliable power and little water, tortured by hunger, disease, and incessant attacks by Israeli troops and planes.
Foes of Cuba Embargo See Hope in New Congress17 Jan 2007Excerpt: A bipartisan coalition of US lawmakers who favor an easing of the nearly 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba say the new Democrat-led Congress offers hope for progress this year.
Identifying Variables17 Jan 2007Excerpt: One way to look at the situation in Iraq is to try to identify variables, elements that could change. Without change, the war is likely to end with troops having to fight their way out, if they can.
The War Becomes More Unholy17 Jan 2007Excerpt: FALLUJAH —A stepped up military offensive that targets mosques, religious leaders and Islamic customs is leading many Iraqis to believe that the US-led invasion really was a “holy war.”
‘We Have Tasted War’17 Jan 2007Excerpt: In January of 2003, shortly before the US bombed and invaded Iraq, I asked a dear friend, Umm Heyder, to tell me how she was feeling. “It is very hard,” she said, “when all you can do is to sit and to wait for your city to be bombed. And, you see,” she continued, “we have tasted war before.”
Thursday: 97 Iraqis, 1 GI Killed; 117 Iraqis, 1 Briton Wounded17 Jan 2007Excerpt: Updated at 12:10 a.m. EST, Jan. 18, 2007 Bombings have been preferred method of attack during this weekand#8217;s surge in violence. Today alone, at least 87 Iraqis were killed and another 117 wounded in several incidents. Military authorities also announced the death of an American sailor from non-combat-related causes. A British soldier was injured in Basra. Also, Shiand#8217;ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced the arrests of 400 members of the Mahdi Militia. Analysts blame the increasing violence on the threat of an Iraqi/U.S. security crackdown in the coming weeks. Prime Minister al-Maliki instead believes that Sunnis, angered by the execution of Saddam, are behind the attacks.
Wednesday: 238 Iraqis, 2 GIs Killed; 118 Iraqis, 1 GI, 3 Britons Injured16 Jan 2007Excerpt: A second day of increased violence followed the executions of Saddamand#8217;s half-brother and the former head of Iraqand#8217;s Revolutionary Court. At least 238 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and 118 were injured. The U.S. military also reported on the deaths of two American soldiers; one GI was wounded in a separate incident. Three British soldiers were wounded in Basra. Also killed were an American, a Hungarian and a Croatian working for a U.S. aid group. Two more foreigners were killed in Biji.
Iran: Thinking the Unthinkable16 Jan 2007Excerpt: Is Israel, supported by the Bush administration, preparing to launch an atomic war against Iran? On Jan. 7, the London Sunday Times claimed that the Israeli government is planning to attack Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons. While the Israeli government denies the story, recent statements by top Israeli officials and military figures—along with recent White House threats against Iran and Syria and a shuffling of American commanders in the Middle East—suggest that the possibility is real.
92,000 More Soldiers?16 Jan 2007Excerpt: Last week, most of the media’s and public’s attention was focused on President Bush’s announcement that he would be sending another 20,000-plus troops to Iraq—a move opposed by 70 percent of the American people.
A Military ‘Surge’ to a Political Nowhere16 Jan 2007Excerpt: It was the renowned Prussian military thinker Carl von Clausewitz who proposed in the early 19th century that “war is merely a continuation of politics”—an assertion that should continue to serve as a cautionary note to statesmen and generals who fail to take into consideration the political context in which their military strategy is being pursued.
Libby on Trial16 Jan 2007Excerpt: Fifty-eight percent of the American people believe the U.S. government manipulated intelligence in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, i.e., they believe government officials lied in order to drag us into war. In this they have been way ahead of the politicians, the “experts,” and the pundits—in short, the Beltway crowd, which cavils at the mere suggestion that our rulers don’t always have our best interests at heart. The trial of Scooter Libby—charged with lying to federal prosecutors who were trying to find out who “outed” Valerie Plame, a covert CIA agent dealing with nuclear proliferation—promises to confirm the public’s suspicions, and in spades.
Bush’s New Iran Policy: War Plan or Propaganda?15 Jan 2007Excerpt: President George W. Bush’s seemingly aggressive Iran policy of taking direct action against alleged Iranian “networks” involved in attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, combined with the deployment of a second carrier group off Iran’s coast, triggered speculation that it is related to a plan for an attack.
Furor Over Saddam’s Execution Continues Unabated15 Jan 2007Excerpt: BAGHDAD —Expressions of outrage over the conduct of the trial and the manner of Saddam Hussein’s rushed, chaotic execution are continuing unabated here as lawyers and human rights groups voice their criticism—although some are still cautiously asking the media to withhold their names from publication.
Mr. Bush, Meet Walter Jones15 Jan 2007Excerpt: America is four years into a bloody debacle in Iraq not merely because Bush and Cheney marched us in, or simply because neocon propagandists lied about Saddam’s nuclear program and WMD, and Iraqi ties to al-Qaeda, anthrax attacks, and 9/11.
Escalation Doomed by Shi’ite Opposition15 Jan 2007Excerpt: Although President Bush’s escalation of the Iraq War has been opposed by a substantial majority of the American people, many generals, the Iraq Study Group, and most Democrats and some Republicans in Congress, the most important opposition may come from Iraqis.
Antiwar.com original