Congress’ Liability in a Nuclear Strike on Iran18 Feb 2007Excerpt: Madrid, Brussels, London, Berlin, Paris, Rome, and Vienna may well be off-limits to U.S. members of Congress soon. Just as well: they will still be able to enjoy pleasant summer breaks in Crawford, Texas, or Jackson Hole, Wyo., in the best of companies [1], [2]. That’s certainly preferable to ending up in a European jail for a very long time.
Does War Make Presidents Great?18 Feb 2007Excerpt: Today is Presidents’ Day in the United States. It’s a holiday declared by the federal government to celebrate the birthdays of two presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. George Washington is often called “the father of our country,” and for good reason. Without his having led soldiers in the fight for independence from the British, we might not have had a separate country as soon as we did. But Abraham Lincoln is more problematic. He is known, of course, for leading the Northern states during what has variously been called the “Civil War,” “the War Between the States,” and the “War of Northern Aggression,” and, of course, for ending slavery in the United States.
Murder, Inc.18 Feb 2007Excerpt: Lance Cpl. Robert Pennington was recently sentenced to a mere eight years in jail for the wanton, planned murder of an Iraqi man, in return for his testimony against the other monsters who participated in the crime. He told the judge, at his sentencing, that he felt regret “but that he and other Marines were frustrated by their ill-defined mission in Iraq and the inability to tell friend from foe. ‘As callous as it sounds,’ he said, every Iraqi was considered ‘guilty until proven otherwise.’”
Bush Continues to Serve Osama18 Feb 2007Excerpt: Everyone but the few remaining Republicans in this country understands that the purpose of the 9/11 attacks was to bait the U.S. into personally invading the Muslim World. Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri wanted to bog Americans down in the Afghan mountains and rally more Sunni radicals to their cause. They hoped against hope that the U.S. would overreach and invade their fourth and fifth worst enemies, Saddam Hussein and the Ayatollah Khamenei (the Saudi Kingdom, the United States, and Israel are numbers 1, 2, and 3). Bin Laden and Zawahiri wanted to extend their influence into the power vacuums created in our wake.
Monday: 9 GIs, 102 Iraqis Killed; 19 GIs, 129 Iraqis Wounded18 Feb 2007Excerpt: Updated at 1:40 a.m. EST, Feb. 20, 2007 Despite a security crackdown, violence continues unabated in Iraq. At least, 102 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and another 129 were wounded in various attacks around the country. Also, eight GIs and a National Guard member were killed in separate incidents; another 19 American soldiers were wounded in one of the attacks.
Sunday: 99 Iraqis, 2 GIs Killed; 157 Iraqis Injured17 Feb 2007Excerpt: Updated at 12:33 a.m. EST, Feb. 19, 2007 Three bombs killed dozens in Baghdad today despite a security crackdown that has hampered movement through the city for several days. Overall, 99 Iraqis were killed or found dead throughout the country today and 157 were injured. The U.S. military also reported the deaths of two American soldiers.
Credibility, a Precious Trait16 Feb 2007Excerpt: Credibility is a precious trait, but once it is lost, it’s darned difficult to restore. That’s the main problem of the Bush administration. After the outrageously false claims about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, it has no credibility. Hence, its new claims that the Iranian government is supplying weapons to the insurgents in Iraq are rightly met with great skepticism.
The Neocon Dog That Isn’t Barking16 Feb 2007Excerpt: For several weeks now, Washington has been abuzz with rumors that U.S. President George W. Bush is preparing to attack nuclear and other sites in Iran this spring—rumors deemed sufficiently credible that lawmakers from both parties are hastily preparing legislation precisely to prevent such an eventuality. The evidence cannot be ignored.
Rove Said to Have Received 2003 Iranian Proposal16 Feb 2007Excerpt: Karl Rove, then White House deputy chief of staff for President George W. Bush, received a copy of the secret Iranian proposal for negotiations with the United States from former Republican Congressman Bob Ney in early May 2003, according to an Iranian-American scholar who was then on his Congressional staff.
Guantanamo Trials Near Amid Myriad Challenges16 Feb 2007Excerpt: In the face of multiple legal and legislative challenges, President George W. Bush this week issued an executive order to allow cases against prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to move forward to trials by military tribunals.
Son of Agreed Framework16 Feb 2007Excerpt: No longer subject to the Agreed Framework, North Korea announced on the eve of Bush’s war of aggression against Iraq it was withdrawing from the NPT, restarting its “frozen” plutonium-producing reactor and its plutonium-recovery facility and—according to CIA estimates—now probably has a dozen or so plutonium implosion-type nukes…
America the Frightened16 Feb 2007Excerpt: We maintain a childlike faith in conventional military power. And we want to use it again and again, despite repeated disappointments, because against all rational calculation we keep convincing ourselves that various inferior ramshackle regimes are about to overrun us. Fascinating.
Bush Suffers First Iraq Defeat in Congress16 Feb 2007Excerpt: In a significant defeat for President George W. Bush, the House of Representatives Friday voted 246 to 182 to “disapprove” his plan to add an estimated 30,000 U.S. troops to the 140,000 marines and soldiers already deployed in Iraq. Seventeen Republicans voted with the majority Democrats to approve the nonbinding resolution.
Saturday: 55 Iraqis, 1 GI Killed; 108 Iraqis Wounded16 Feb 2007Excerpt: Updated at 7:25 p.m EST, Feb. 17, 2007 U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived for an unannounced visit to Baghdad this morning. A day earlier a Marine was killed in combat in Anbar Province. Also, at least 55 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and 108 others were wounded in violent incidents.
No Blank Check for the Pentagon15 Feb 2007Excerpt: Well, at some point we are going to have to decide do we want national defense for our people, or are we going to be the policeman of the world and provide international defense for all countries that claim to be our allies.
Scrambling to Frame Iran15 Feb 2007Excerpt: Faced with growing public opposition to the U.S. war in Iraq, the Bush administration has been desperately trying to divert attention to Iran. Washington has gone so far as to make a series of dubious and unfounded charges that blame the Iranian government for the difficulties facing American forces fighting the Iraqi insurgency.
US Ill-Equipped to Deal With Wave of Troubled Vets15 Feb 2007Excerpt: Staff Sergeant Don Hanks had served 15 years in the U.S. Army before he spent a year running patrols in the heart of Iraq’s Sunni triangle. He said he returned from the conflict a changed man.
US Religious Leaders to Visit Iran15 Feb 2007Excerpt: Amid rising tensions between their two countries, a group of U.S. religious leaders will leave Saturday for meetings with Iranian clergy and political leaders, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Tehran next week.
The Great Defense Budget Black Hole15 Feb 2007Excerpt: The Iraq war continues to consume lives, both American and Iraqi. The conflict also is burning mountains of cash. No wonder U.S. military outlays are spiraling out of control.
The High-Fivers15 Feb 2007Excerpt: It was very early on the morning of the 23rd when, scanning the headlines, I came across a Washington Post story by John Mintz: “60 Israelis Detained on Tourist Visas Since Sept. 11.” Odd, I thought, why go after the Israelis, probably the least likely suspects?
Friday: 26 Iraqis Killed, 7 Wounded15 Feb 2007Excerpt: Updated at 12:30 a.m. EST, Feb. 17, 2007 Friday is usually a quiet news days in Iraq. It is the weekly prayer day and curfews are in place in several cities; many reporters in Iraq consider this their day off. Overall though, 26 Iraqis were killed and seven were wounded in violent incidents. Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration released a grave report on the migration situation; millions have been displaced or fled the country. No foreign deaths were reported.
Thursday: 132 Iraqis, 1 GI Killed; 82 Iraqis Wounded14 Feb 2007Excerpt: Updated at 11:15 p.m. EST, Feb. 15, 2007 Despite a security crackdown in Baghdad, violence continues unabated throughout Iraq and the capital. At least 132 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and another 82 wounded in various incidents. Also, a Marine was killed during combat operations in Anbar province, and two British soldiers were injured in Basra.
Antiwar.com original