Thursday: 59 Iraqis, 3 GIs Killed; 42 Iraqis Wounded20 Dec 2006Excerpt: Bombings rattled Baghdad again today where at least two suicide bombers killed over a dozen people. Overall, at least 59 Iraqis were killed or found dead and another 42 wounded in violent incidents. Also, the U.S. military reported that three more U.S. servicemembers were killed, bringing the number of GI deaths in December to 69 servicemembers. Also a Polish soldier was wounded in Kut.
Wednesday: 132 Iraqis, 3 GIs Killed; 64 Iraqis, 6 GIs Wounded19 Dec 2006Excerpt: New U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made an unannounced trip to Iraq where he discussed with local military commanders the possibility of increasing the number of troops there. Meanwhile, President Bush talked about the need to increase the permanent size of the military during a news conference this morning. As the troop situation was being discussed three American servicemembers were killed and six were wounded in separate attacks. Also, 132 Iraqis were killed or found dead today, and another 64 were injured. Southwest of Baghdad, an American servicemember was killed and four others injured when a roadside bomb blasted them. In a second incident, this time in southern Baghdad, another roadside bomb killed an American soldier and wounded two others. These events bring the number of deaths to 65 American servicemembers killed in Iraq during December.
End of the Strongmen19 Dec 2006Excerpt: The era of the Middle East strongman, propped up by and enforcing Western policy, appears well and truly over. His power is being replaced with rule by civil war, apparently now the American administration’s favored model across the region.
Good Evening, Vietnam19 Dec 2006Excerpt: Although Vietnam flooded instantly back into American consciousness as the invasion of Iraq was launched in March 2003—along with its ancient vocabulary from “hearts and minds” to “quagmire” (or the deeply referential “Q-word”)—for the Bush administration the rhetorical reference point was World War II and its aftermath. From Churchillian phraseology to that famed “axis of evil,” modeled on the Axis powers of that global war, to endless invocations of the successful occupations of Germany and Japan, World War II was its analogous war of choice.
Broken Army, Broken Empire19 Dec 2006Excerpt: The insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan have thus far cost fewer U.S. lives than the Filipino insurgency of 1899-1902. Yet Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker warned Congress last week the U.S. Army “will break” without more troops.
Another Year, Another Iraq Plan19 Dec 2006Excerpt: At this time last year, the Pentagon was hinting that troop levels in Iraq would be reduced. Then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that two combat brigades scheduled for combat tours would not be deployed to Iraq. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, proclaimed, “If things go the way we expect them to, as more Iraqi units stand up, we’ll be able to bring our troops down and turn over that territory to the Iraqis.” But that was then and this is now.
Hamas Leader: We’ll Accept Israel Within 1967 Borders19 Dec 2006Excerpt: Khaled Meshaal is the political leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, which earlier this year came to power with a large majority in the free and democratic election in Palestine. In summer 2006, Israeli Minister of Justice Haim Ramon publicly confirmed his government’s order to kill Khaled Meshaal. In 1997 in Amman, Jordan, Meshaal survived a assassination attempt by Israel’s secret service Mossad by a narrow margin. Currently, the Hamas leader lives in Syrian asylum in Damascus under strong security. Khaled, a physicist, is married and has three daughters and four sons. He was interviewed by Rainer Rupp (RR), a German journalist for the daily Junge Welt, published in Berlin with nationwide distribution.
Slim Chance for Iraq Reconciliation Recedes19 Dec 2006Excerpt: ARBIL —Iraq’s national reconciliation conference held over the weekend highlights the gap between the country’s various political groups and their lack of consensus on a common basis for reconciliation.
Napoleon in the White House19 Dec 2006Excerpt: The standard right-wing myth when it comes to Vietnam is that “the politicians” sold out the military and lost a war that could have been won. Civilian interference with the strategy and tactics employed by military professionals led to U.S withdrawal from Vietnam, which was not a defeat so much as a victory aborted by subversives on the home front. Or so the story goes.
Holy Warriors Set Sights on Iran19 Dec 2006Excerpt: Over the past 20 years, the U.S. Christian right has evolved into one of the most powerful grassroots organizing forces within the Republican Party, and a host of Christian Zionists have taken a well-earned seat at the foreign policy table.
Tuesday: 110 Iraqis, 2 GIs Killed; 35 Iraqis Wounded18 Dec 2006Excerpt: At least 110 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and another 35 were wounded in violent attacks around the country. Also, the U.S. military reported on the deaths of a Marine yesterday in Anbar province and a soldier in Balad on Monday. Both were from small arms fire and raised the number of troop deaths in December to 62 servicemembers. The Red Crescent updated their numbers on the mass kidnapping that occurred Sunday in their Baghdad office to 42 abducted and 26 released.
Powell, Baker, Hamilton—Thanks for Nothing18 Dec 2006Excerpt: When Colin Powell endorsed the Iraq Study Group report during his Dec. 17 appearance on Face the Nation, it was another curtain call for a tragic farce.
America’s Original Foreign Policy18 Dec 2006Excerpt: Last week, I wrote about the critical need for Congress to reassert its authority over foreign policy, and for the American people to recognize that the Constitution makes no distinction between domestic and foreign matters. Policy is policy, and it must be made by the legislature and not the executive.
Person of the Year: Ahmadinejad18 Dec 2006Excerpt: Since 1927, the year Lindbergh flew the Atlantic in his single-engine Spirit of St. Louis, Time has devoted its final cover of the year to the Man of the Year. The Lone Eagle was first.
Top 10 Things Not to Do in Iraq18 Dec 2006Excerpt: Ever since the Iraq Study Group (ISG) issued its recommendations, the debate in Washington has swirled around what to do about the mess in Iraq. Unfortunately, both the recommendations of the study group and the contradictory inclinations of the Bush administration are “bridges to nowhere.” Both groups are in denial about the chaos in Iraq and are not yet ready to offer the tough solutions that could stabilize the country. Perhaps they should accept the top 10 things not to do in Iraq:
O-bomb-a and the War Party17 Dec 2006Excerpt: Among the Democratic Party’s liberal antiwar wing, hopes were high that Barack Obama would become their voice when he made an impressive speech in which he called attention to the likely consequences of an invasion and characterized the entire project as a “dumb war.” At last! A Democrat with the guts to call out the Bush administration in no uncertain terms!
Monday: 97 Iraqis, 1 GI Killed; 58 Iraqis, 1 GI Wounded17 Dec 2006Excerpt: At least 97 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and another 58 were wounded. Many of them were hurt and killed when several small bombs rocked Baghdad. Also, four people were kidnapped. One U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded when their Bradley fighting vehicle rolled over north of Baghdad. And, four alleged Americans helped a former Iraqi minister escape police custody for a second time; no word on his whereabouts.
Sunday: Dozens Kidnapped; 69 Iraqis, 2 GIs Dead16 Dec 2006Excerpt: Another mass kidnapping occurred in Baghdad where over two dozen people were kidnapped from the offices of the Red Crescent aid group. At least 69 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and six more were wounded. One American soldier died of natural causes in the United States after being medically evacuated from Iraq, and a Marine was gunned down on Saturday in Anbar province. At least 59 GIs have died while on duty in Iraq during the month of December.
The Trap of Recognizing Israel15 Dec 2006Excerpt: The problem facing the Palestinian leadership, as they strive to bring the millions living in the occupied territories some small relief from their collective suffering, reduces to a matter of a few words. Like a naughty child who has only to say “sorry” to be released from his room, the Hamas government need only say “We recognize Israel” and supposedly aid and international goodwill will wash over the West Bank and Gaza.
Put No Faith in the United Nations15 Dec 2006Excerpt: Now that John Bolton, our undiplomatic ambassador to the United Nations, will be stepping down, the Senate ought to take a hard look at the world body before confirming a replacement.
Reporter Summoned to Testify Against War Resister15 Dec 2006Excerpt: The U.S. military subpoenaed an independent journalist Thursday, demanding she testify as a witness for the prosecution of First Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to be court-martialed for refusing to serve in Iraq.
So Much for Inalienable Rights15 Dec 2006Excerpt: Two weeks ago, during his Senate confirmation hearings, nominee Robert Gates was asked if he believed the Iranians were trying to acquire a nuclear weapons capability. Gates said he did.
Take This War and Shove It15 Dec 2006Excerpt: Talk about stepping into the abyss. George Bush and his Pentagon allies are considering increasing the number of troops in Iraq by 40,000.
Imperial Dreams15 Dec 2006Excerpt: Well, our esteemed President has decided that he won’t make any adjustments, whether cosmetic or substantive, to his policy in Iraq until after the first of the year, so perhaps I’ll leave the topic alone for a while as well. Although it no doubt means more Americans and Iraqis will die for nothing much, it might actually be a shrewd move. Few Americans want the Christmas season spoiled by having to consider the pros and cons of cut-and-run, cut-and-walk, or sending more troops to be ineffectual
Antiwar.com original