Today in Iraq

War News for October 31, 2003 Bring 'em on: Grenade attack in Baghdad wounds two US soldiers. Bring 'em on: Troops clash with demonstrators in Baghdad. Two more US soldiers wounded, one Iraqi policeman killed, three Iraqi civilians wounded. Bring 'em on: Clashes in Baghdad escalate into urban firefight. Bring 'em on: Bomb causes fire in Baghdad. Two iraqis killed. Bring 'em on: Grenade attack on Iraqi police station in Baghdad's Green Zone. Bring 'em on: Polish army convoy mortared near Karbala. Bring 'em on: Mayor's office attacked in Fallujah. One Iraqi reported killed. Bring 'em on: Mayor's office attacked in Mosul, US base shelled. Bring 'em on: Two Iraqi civilians killed by land mine near Baquba. More insurgent attacks predicted. "'There are a number of rumours of a 'day resistance' throughout Baghdad on Saturday and Sunday, November 1 and 2,' the US statement said Friday." More US troops needed in Iraq. "President George W. Bush's declaration that no more GIs will be needed in Iraq may go down with his premature declaration of victory on May 1 as one of the worst foot in mouth gaffs of his presidency." If Bush said it you can't believe it. That settles it. Some units apparently select troops for R&R by lottery. Not sure what to make of this, but it might be very bad news for tank crews. From reading the article, it seems clear that whatever penetrated the crew compartment was some kind of a shaped charge. Idiot Watch Seattle P-I responds to Nethercutt's whining. "Thank you, George, for clarifying your callow, shallow position." Editorial: Nethercutt should apologize or stop snivelling. Commentary Editorial: The situation in Iraq is deteriorating. Casualty Reports Local story: South Carolina soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: North Carolina soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Kansas soldier wounded in Iraq. Required Reading Reader Serving Patriot posted this link in comments. It's a great series of reports from the tactical perspective, and well worth reading. It is also a tribute to the sad state of American journalism that the Asia Times provides better coverage of this war than almost anything published in the American media.

War News for October 30, 2003 Bring 'em on: Bomb attack against a freight train reported near Fallujah. Bring 'em on: US military vehilce bombed in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Office of Iraq's interim foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari was destroyed in an explosives attack two weeks ago. Bring 'em on: US soldier wounded in bomb ambush near Mosul. US casualties in Iraq not fully reported. UN withdraws staff from Iraq due to lack of security. Crony colonialism: "Firms doing US government-funded business in Iraq and Afghanistan donated more to President George W. Bush's 2000 election campaign than they gave any other politician in the past 12 years, said a new study." More on war corruption: "In one instance, the report said the husband of a senior Pentagon official was given sub-contracting work in Iraq." Halliburton no-bid contract doubled in cost as well as extended. Wolfie cracks under fire. "US deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz was visibly shaken as he fended off hecklers at Georgetown University during a speech Thursday." US soldier charged with cowardice in Iraq. "Pogany said he told his team sergeant he was headed for a "nervous breakdown" and needed help. After that, Pogany said, he did not request to go on missions and was not asked to go." Commentary Editorial: Bush needs a plan, not spin. "Putting a rhetorical Band-Aid on problems in Iraq won’t make them go away. It reminds us of a child closing his eyes and wishing the broccoli on his dinnner plate would disappear." Casualty Report Local story: Texas soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: South Dakota soldier wounded in Iraq.

War News for October 29, 2003 Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers killed, one wounded in bomb ambush near Balad. Bring 'em on: Seven Ukrainian soldiers wounded in ambush near As Suwayrah. Bring 'em on: Mortar attack on Baghdad bridge, RPGs fired at Baghdad University building. Bring 'em on: Police station in Mosul under RPG attack. Three civilians killed. Bring 'em on: Central Baghdad mortared. Bring 'em on: US soldier killed, six wounded in Baghdad RPG ambush. Bring 'em on: Katyusha rockets fired at US position near Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: Iraqi newspaper editor assassinated in Mosul. Bring 'em on: Two attacks on US troops reported near Samarra. Bring 'em on: Five US soldiers wounded in mine attack. Bring 'em on: Update. No link, but I just heard a report on NPR that there have been over 200 attacks on American troops in the last 7 days. I don't know if that number includes attacks on other coalition forces, Iraqi police and Iraqis working for the CPA. In any case, the US media has screwed the pooch covering this war despite Bush's snivelling about media bias. Halliburton contract extended. "Citing new damage to Iraq's oil industry from saboteurs, the Bush administration Wednesday delayed its planned replacement of a lucrative no-bid contract that was awarded to Halliburton--Vice President Dick Cheney's former company.' L. Paul Bremer: Not ready for Iraqi prime time TV. "To many Iraqis, though, Bremer's prime-time addresses are more reminiscent of the regular television appearances of former president Saddam Hussein, according to both American and Iraqi media specialists who have studied IMN, the Iraqi Media Network." You mean Iraqis aren't impressed with his designer combat boots? Analysis: Polls and propaganda. "There are important lessons here; lessons policy-makers ought to heed if they are to help Iraq move forward. What Iraqis appear to be telling us is that they have hope for the future, but they want the help of their neighbours more than that of the US. That may not be what Washington wants to hear, but it ought to listen. Because if policymakers continue to bend the data to meet their desired policy, then this hole they are digging will only get deeper." Troop health. Saddam's revenge to severe stress. Arrest warrants issued for AWOL soldiers. As far as I can tell, this is for real and not some cornpone version of "The Onion." US General: "There is no indication that Saddam Hussein is controlling or directing the present wave of attacks in Iraq." Idiot Watch Wolfie: "We'll stand and fight." Speaking from a FOX TV studio with Brit Hume kissing his chickenhawk ass, of course. Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS): "'Honestly, it’s a little tougher than I thought it was going to be,' Lott said. In a sign of frustration, he offered an unorthodox military solution: 'If we have to, we just mow the whole place down, see what happens. You’re dealing with insane suicide bombers who are killing our people, and we need to be very aggressive in taking them out.'" Spoken like a true chickenhawk! Seriously, I now realize why Trent and the cons were so opposed to American participation in the International Criminal Court. Commentary Beirut: "My vote for the Strange Statement of the Week Award goes to Brigadier General Mark Hertling, deputy commander of the 1st Armored Division of the US Army, stationed in Iraq, who told reporters Monday that the coordinated bombings in Baghdad that day were the work of “foreign fighters.”...He gets the award for the sheer audacity and haughty self-indulgence of being a foreign fighter in Iraq blaming other foreign fighters for the violence there." Casualty Reports Local story: Missouri soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Wisconsin soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Ohio soldier wounded in Iraq.

War News for October 28, 2003 Bring 'em on: Deputy mayor of Baghdad assassinated in drive-by shooting. Bring 'em on: Two bomb ambushes reported in Basra. One coalition soldier and two civilians killed. Bring ‘em on: Suicide bomber kills six at electric station in central Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: Three US and Polish soldiers killed in Karbala ambush. Thai troops warned to remain in barracks. Bring ‘em on: Four US soldiers wounded in separate convoy and patrol ambushes near Mosul. Bring ‘em on: Two US soldier’s were killed in yesterday’s firefight in Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi gunmen captured firing at Polish aircraft in Karbala. Anger flows on Baghdad streets. Arab media blames US security failure for bloodbath in Baghdad. Bushies blame Syria and Iran for infiltrating terrorists into Iraq. Saudi fighters join insurgents in Iraq. New Hampshire helicopter pilot shot down in Iraq. Ramadan begins in Iraq. Analysis: Wolfowitz’s Wake-up Call. “Until now, US officials have contended that resistance is confined to die-hard loyalists - or what the Pentagon often refers to as "deadenders" - of ousted President Saddam Hussein, foreign jihadis inspired by or associated with al-Qaeda and common criminals, several thousand of whom were released from prison in a general amnesty just before the US-led invasion.” Powell urges international NGOs to remain in Iraq. It would be nice if they had some security, Colin. And it might also be helpful if you could get Bremer to stop baiting these groups with his “cut and run” talk. Idiot Watch Rep. Mark Green (R-WI) reports from Baghdad: “Much like President Bush, Green said reporting of the attacks in the media had overshadowed the accomplishments.” And Rep. Sue Kelly (R-NY) said "the trip reinforces her support for President Bush's request for $87 billion in security and reconstruction aid for Iraq." That’s what I call ‘staying on message’ in the face of overwhelming evidence. George Nethercutt throws a tantrum about a newspaper story. Why won’t George Nethercutt take personal responsibility for his words and deeds? Why does he insist on quibbling about punctuation in a newspaper story when everybody know he clearly said that the good news from Iraq is a better story than a few dead American soldiers every day? It might be helpful to remember that Nethercutt criticized Sen. Patty Murray last December when she told a high school class that terrorist leader Osama bin Laden was popular in poor countries because he has helped pay for schools, roads and even day care centers. Nethercutt said her comments were "shocking, bizarre and uninformed," and implied she was unpatriotic. Nethercutt, who somehow avoided military service during the Vietnam War, should admit that he values Republican Party loyalty above the national interest and places his loyalty to Lieutenant AWOL’s political hide above the lives of American soldiers, including his own constituents in the 81st Armored Brigade of the Washington National Guard. Why can’t George Nethercutt admit he’s an asshole instead of just acting like one? Commentary Editorial: Move swiftly to put Iraq’s turmoil in Iraqi hands. “The sight of a shaken Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, broadcast around the world, undercuts any brave talk about improving security for international aid groups and private corporations eventually hoping to do business in that country. Nonetheless, President Bush tried to suggest afterward that the attacks were in some bizarre fashion a testament to our success.” Editorial: Make reality the new policy. “The Bush administration claims to be making progress on its Iraq plan, but it still isn't clear that the administration even has a plan.” Editorial: Iraq’s “liberators” need to regroup. “U.S. President George Bush sees nothing more than the "desperate" acts of a few renegades in the wave of Baghdad terror bombings that have taken 40 lives in the past few days and wounded 230. American military commanders, however, fear something much worse.” Editorial: A Hard Place. “But the killing of U.S. troops, the approach of the 2004 presidential campaign and the persistent -- and justified -- questions about the way Bush took the country to war could strain that commitment.” Casualty Reports Local story: Alabama Guardsman killed, five wounded in Iraq. Local story: North Carolina soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Florida soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Wisconsin soldier killed in Iraq.

War News for October 27, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers wounded in firefight near Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers wounded in bomb ambush near Balad. (Second-to-the-last paragraph of this story.) Bring ‘em on: US soldier killed, two wounded in mortar attack at Abu Gharib prison near Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: US troops reportedly open fire after bomb ambush in Fallujah. Four Iraqis killed. Bring ‘em on: Mortar rounds fired into US administration compound in central Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers killed, two wounded in bomb ambush in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Suicide bomber kills 18 at Red Cross headquarters in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Ten wounded, including seven Iraqi policemen, in bombing at western Baghdad police station. Bring ‘em on: Suicide bomber wounds seven at Al-Shab poilce station in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Three Iraqi policemen killed, ten US soldiers wounded in bombing at Al-Elam police station in Baghdad's Khark district. Bring ‘em on: Al-Sayidah police station in Baghdad struck by car bomb. Breaking News! L. Paul Bremer's CPA cuts and runs from al-Rasheed Hotel: "The U.S. occupation authority retreated from its headquarters Sunday after Iraqi insurgents, using a "science project" of a rocket launcher, attacked the heavily guarded hotel with a missile barrage that killed an American colonel, wounded 18 other people and sent the visiting deputy defense secretary scurrying for safety." Improved combat medicine means US soldiers more likely to survive grevious wounds. “The numbers are dramatic: Since the Iraq war began in March, one U.S. servicemember has been killed for every seven who are injured in combat. That's more than three times better than World War II, when one servicemember died for about every two wounded.” Wounded soldiers may deal with trauma for years. “The number of servicemen and women injured in Iraq has climbed to more than 2,000, according to the U.S. Central Command.” US troops prepare for Ramadan insurgent offensive. Is Iraq descending into civil war? US shelves plan for Turkish troops in Iraq. "The Americans are looking for cannon fodder." Japan increases death gratuity for troops deployed to Iraq. Lots of patriotic American civilians think George Nethercutt is an asshole, too. Not all soldiers will get mid-tour leave from Iraq. When is Lieutenant AWOL planning another extended vacation at Crawford? Rant of the Day Larry Di Rita says Wolfie wasn’t target of yesterday’s rocket attack. Yeah, right. And that bucket of shit in Iraq is really chocolate pudding. It’s pretty obvious that rocket attack was well-planned and the target hotel carefully chosen and reconnoitered, and whoever fired those rockets was just waiting for a nice juicy target like Wolfie to blithely step into the kill sack. Further, people just don’t wake up all over Baghdad one fine morning with a wild hair up their asses and say, “Gee, it look like a nice day to blow up a police station.” So in 24 hours in Baghdad we had three suicide bombings at the Red Cross headquarters and two police stations , a major rocket attack, car bombs at two other police stations, mortar attacks on Bremer’s palace and Abu Grahib, and a patrol ambush. A casual observer might think these incidents might be related. Any tactical intelligence analyst knows they were related, coordinated and synchronized. Go to the map links on your right and pull up a map of Baghdad. Plot the locations of these attacks, work out the timelines from the articles and you’ll see what I mean. The timing and pattern was deliberately intended to test and overwhelm the US reaction forces. Now, who has the capability, history and motivation to carry out these attacks? Well, Al Qaeda likes high-profile targets and they like suicide bombers. And the Iraqi Army (the same one you neo-con idiots disbanded) has the training to rig up those Katyusha and field-expedient anti-tank mines, as well as the tactical expertise to conduct guerrilla operations against a modern field army – something AQ has never done, even in Afghanistan. Now it appears these two groups are coordinating their activities, something that didn’t happen before since they hated each other’s guts. This isn’t the “flowers and music” scenario that the neo-cons planned for. And it’s not Condi’s flypaper scenario. This is a soldier’s worst nightmare. We’ve got a force trained and structured for a short, sharp high-intensity mobile campaign facing a prolonged low-intensity guerrilla war with a high-impact terror strategy. Worse, this isn’t some unfortunate by-product of a successful policy. This is a result that was clearly predicted beforehand, but the cons preferred to pursue wishful thinking instead of facing reality. Have another helping of pudding, Larry. I’m full. Casualty Reports Local story: Alabama soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: California soldier killed in Iraq Local story: Ohio soldier wounded in Iraq. Order of the White Feather WaPo reports that young Doug Landry, a 19-year old junior at George Washington University, exercised his constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of speech by heckling Americans protesting Bush's War by carrying a sign reading, "Go home, you commies." As a young man of military age, Doug's patriotism extends only as far as the atreet corner pro-war corner rally but not to the recruiting office. For conspicuous lack of moral courage in the face danger and failure to answer the call of duty, Doug is awarded the White Feather. Wear it with pride at your next freep, Doug!

War News for October 26, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Five US soldiers wounded in coordinated bomb and RPG ambush in Khaldiyah. Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers wounded by bomb ambush in central Baquba. Bring ‘em on: Four US soldiers wounded in RPG attack six kilometers southwest of Baquba. Bring ‘em on: Multiple rockets strike al-Rasheed hotel in central Baghdad. “Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who appeared shaken as he spoke to reporters after the 6:10 a.m. attack, said he had unconfirmed reports that there may be one American dead. The U.S. military command spoke of an ‘unknown number of casualties.’” Reuters reports 15 wounded. Other reports say one US soldier killed, 15 people wounded, including four US soldiers. Convoy of British contractors shot up near Fallujah. CENTCOM denies the survivor’s account that US troops were responsible. Wolfie calls insurgents “criminals.” Gee, that’ll really show ‘em, Wolfie! Call those nasty insurgents some names and bring the full firepower of your neo-con rhetoric to bear. Conservative sophistry is always an effective combat multiplier, at least in the neat little chickenhawk world Wolfie inhabits where corner offices are considered key terrain features and crew-served weapons are the fucking Xerox machines. Wolfie tries to diminish the threat by labeling deadly ambushes against Americans troops “hit and run attacks,” as if the ambushers do nothing more serious than throw eggs at a police car before scampering back to the frat house. The problem with these cons is that they live in a fantasy world. L. Paul Bremer struts around on the Persian carpet in the most secure facility east of NORAD wearing his combat boots and three-piece suits and thinks people are impressed. Wolfie dresses up in a flak jacket and thinks he went on a patrol when he really went touring. Either he’s so stupid that he doesn’t realize that the local commander used every resource at his disposal to ensure his safety – including countering the the extra risk Wolfie’s mere presence brings – or he’s so cynical that he thinks people actually believe he went on a real combat patrol. In either case, he’s a clueless asshole. The Curse of Wolfie: “On his last trip back in July, Wolfowitz single-handedly whipped up a huge anti-American demonstration in the heart of the normally US-friendly Shi’i city of Najaf. This right after he stepped out of Imam Ali’s mosque there and proclaimed that he was “very pleased” with how things were going. Back then, people just thought the bad luck was a result of Wolfie forgetting to place a Karabala stone on top of his prayer mat.” I don't usually link to other blogs, but it's nice to know somebody else loathes this prick as much as I do. US warns of suicide attack against Baghdad hotel. US media afraid to report war casualties. Shi’ite threat growing in Iraq. How will Wolfie spin the story when Karbala and Najaf blow up? Oh, yeah...blame Saddam...that's the ticket... “Coalition of the Willing,” my ass. “Yet when Iraqi police discovered armed men on a Karbala street after curfew earlier this month, it was American troops who went to disarm them. The Americans came under attack, and in the ensuing firefight three U.S. soldiers were killed and seven were wounded.” Military families protesting Bush’s War: “They may have held the record Saturday for most family members serving in Iraq: Their son, Joe, and his wife, Mary, are Army captains. A nephew is with the Army Reserve and in the military police in Baghdad. A niece with the Army Reserve is also with the military police in Baghdad. Another nephew in the Marines just returned from Baghdad. And another nephew in the Navy just returned from the war theater on a submarine.” I can’t wait to hear the cons call these people unpatriotic. Commentary Fight the war on terror by giving Iraq back to the Iraqis: “The real flaw in the Bush administration's approach to terrorism — and it's reflected in the Rumsfeld memo — is that it scrupulously avoids addressing the grievances that seem to drive people to terrorism.” War reporting: “It doesn't mean being stenographers for whatever administration is in power.” Howie Kurtz, listen up! Casualty Report Local story: Florida soldier wounded in Iraq.

War News for October 25, 2003 Bring ‘em on: US Army helicopter shot down by ground fire near Tikrit. One injured. They were probably trying to shoot down that dipshit Wolfowitz, who was in Tikrit earlier today. Bring ‘em on: Mortar and bomb attacks against US troops reported in Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi police attacked in Mosul. Two children killed, three other civilians and one policeman wounded. Bring ‘em on: Three US soldiers wounded in Baghdad bomb ambush. Bring ‘em on: US patrol ambushed in Baghdad. Three Iraqi family members accidentally crushed by armored vehicle. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi police chief assassinated in Amarah. Bring ‘em on: Bomb discovered in Baghdad press building. Bring ‘em on: Kurdish martial arts team attacked by small arms fire in Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: Demonstrators stone Iraqi police in Fallujah. Baghdad’s unreported attacks. Warning: Graphic discussion of a forbidden topic in this article. Mortar attacks against US troops increasing. CENTCOM reports two US soldiers died in Iraq during two separate non-combat related incidents. Soldiers’ families lead anti-war/anti-Bush protests. “I don't care what the administration says about flag-waving and children throwing flowers. It is just not true. The stories coming back are horrific. All he told me was that he had seen and done some horrible things, that they had all done and seen some terrible things.” Tennessee Guardsmen extended in Iraq. Military family members and veterans agree: George Nethercutt is an asshole. Curfew lifted in Baghdad for Ramadan. Muqtada Sadr says US is waging war against him. Miserable Failure: John Snow calls donor’s conference an “enormous success” because it got $13 billion in pledges while falling $30 billion short of minimum requirements. “Much of the money generated this week will be distributed by the World Bank and United Nations through two funds, the first major source of reconstruction money not controlled by the United States. Until now, postwar contracts have been awarded by US agencies to American companies in a tendering process that many have criticized as opaque and exclusionary; throughout the conference, US officials deflected questions about their management of Iraq's postwar expenses.” Why do you suppose donors insisted on separate reconstruction funds not administered by the United States? Because they know a lot of that money will get stuck to Bush’s nasty little fingers. And none of the US contributions will be administered by the UN reconstruction funds. Your tax dollars at work, folks! The price of Bush’s failure in Madrid: “The occupation of Iraq will be international in name only. On the streets, Iraqis will continue to see U.S. soldiers, reinforcing the unpopular notion that Iraq is under U.S. rule…The paucity of financial support could force the Bush administration to return to U.S. taxpayers for more money on top of the $165 billion in aid they have already shelled out.” CPA rides roughshod on Iraqi businessmen. “’We have ambitions to build large complexes and projects and undertake major operations...but what's on offer is peanuts,’ Bunnia said.” I thought we were trying to build a free-market democracy in Iraq? At least that what Bush told us he was trying to do. Halliburton launches astroturf campaign to defend gouging US taxpayers. “Lesar, who is president, CEO and chairman of the company, said, ‘Now I'm asking you to help by writing a letter to the editor of your newspaper.’ He listed ‘some facts that you can use to help deliver your letter.’” Casualty Reports Local story: Virginia soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: California soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Michigan soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Florida soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Montana soldier wounded in Iraq.

Reader's note: If you're having trouble with this page, go to "view" on your tool bar and change the text size. Change it to anything you want and then change it back. That should allow the entire page to load. Don't ask me why; as far as I know, it's PFM. (That means Pure Fuckin' Magic.) War News for October 24, 2003 Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers killed, four wounded in mortar attack near Samarra. Bring 'em on: US soldier killed in ambush near Mosul. Bring 'em on: One Iraqi civilian killed, two wounded in mortar attack on Baghdad power plant. Bring 'em on: "Several" US soldiers wounded in bomb attack near Fallujah. Bring 'em on: US soldier killed, two wounded in bomb ambush near Baquba. Bring 'em on: Thirteen US soldiers wounded in mortar near Baquba. Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers wounded in bomb attack near Baquba. Media analysis: "Most analysts agree that the major television networks, while reporting the combat deaths as they happen, have kept the issue on the back burner...'It's clear that the media has knuckled under, to some extent, to government pressure and conservative flack about negative reporting...'" Poll reveals the window of opportunity is closed. "Coalition forces have squandered the goodwill that resulted from removing Saddam Hussein from power, with nearly 43 percent of Iraqis viewing them as liberators six months ago but only 14.8 percent feeling the same way now." Skin parasite affects US troops. Bush revises Philippine history. US raid sends all village males to prison. Not exactly Howling Jake, but close enough. Details of aid pledges. Wolfie visits Iraq again. Casualty Reports Local story: Texas soldier dies in Iraq. Local story: Oklahoma soldier dies in Iraq.

War News for October 23, 2003 Bring 'em on: Two Iraqi Civil Defense soldiers killed in pipeline attack near Quayarrah. Bring 'em on Three US soldiers wounded in bomb attack in Habbinayah. Bring 'em on: US compound in central Mosul attacked. Bring 'em on: US soldier wounded in convoy attack near Mosul. Bring 'em on: Two car bombs discovered in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers wounded by bomb attack in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Four US soldiers wounded in Fallujah. Attacks on US troops are increasing. "Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez told reporters in Baghdad Wednesday that U.S. troops have come under attack as many as 35 times a day in the past three weeks." US will lift curfew in Baghdad for Ramadan. Anti-US demonstration in Baghdad. Future of Iraq: Not pretty. "Things have to be a lot worse than admitted in the official circles in Washington for the Bush administration to yield even partial control over aid to Iraq." Demonstarions protest US arrest of Iraqi women in Habbaniyah. Donors conference begins in Madrid today. Bushies lower expectations for international assistance. CPA "loses" $5 billion in funds. And I'll bet Halliburton "found" it all, too. War opponents lose out on CPA contracts. "Homesickness" blamed for GI suicides in Iraq. Casualty Report Local story: Alabama soldier dies in accident in Iraq.

War News for October 22, 2003 Soldier's letter from the front. The news update will be a little late today. My home computer is temporarily TU. UPDATE: There won't be any update today. I'll try to get this site updated tomorrow morning.

War News for October 21, 2003 No military honors for returning KIAs. “’There will be no arrival ceremonies for, or media coverage of, deceased military personnel returning to or departing from Ramstein [Germany] airbase or Dover [Del.] base, to include interim stops,’ the Defense Department said, referring to the major ports for the returning remains.” “Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said the policy covering the entire military followed a victory over a civil liberties court challenge to the restrictions at Dover and relieves all bases of the difficult logistics of assembling family members and deciding which troops should get which types of ceremonies.” This is a crock of pure shit. In order to save Lieutenant AWOL from the embarrassment of press coverage, Rummy is going to deny a military honor guard to American KIAs. “A White House spokesman said Bush has not attended any memorials or funerals for soldiers killed in action during his presidency as his predecessors had done, although he has met with families of fallen soldiers and has marked the loss of soldiers in Memorial Day and Sept. 11, 2001, remembrances.” In other words, Lieutenant AWOL is pleased to use wounded soldiers as campaign props at photo ops, but he doesn’t want the American people to see our fallen soldiers. This is true cowardice. Conservatives love to accuse “liberals” (meaning anybody who criticizes them) of military bashing. One of the favorite myths of con lore is the story of hippies spitting on soldiers returning from Vietnam. When I was a young 19-year old SP4 returning from Vietnam in 1972 nobody spit on me. In fact I got more respect from people my own age – who definitely hated that fucking war – than I did from the American Legion or the VFW. Those Republican assholes called me and my comrades a bunch of drugged-out psychos who “lost” a war. I guess people like to forget how hard it was for Vietnam vets to get a job when they got home. Having an RVN campaign citation on your DD214 wasn’t exactly a favorable recommendation to civilian employers who bought the conservative lie of the druggie nut jobs coming back from the war. People seem to have forgotten the reason why Congress passed legislation giving Vietnam vets Federal hiring preferences beyond the benefits given to veterans of other wars. At least our dead soldiers were welcomed with military honors during Vietnam. Maybe the living didn’t get a parade, as many Vietnam vets complained, but no president denied the dead a welcoming ceremony. Except this miserable poltroon, who swaggers in a flight suit, invites the enemy to “bring ‘em on” while safely protected by his Secret Service detail, and values his precious political hide more than he values the memory of his countrymen. So I really feel for the veterans of Bush’s War. Those guys aren’t even home yet and the Bushies are trying to hide their bodies. Conservatives like Bill Buckley trash-mouthed my generation of soldiers, but they’re not even going to honor the dead of this generation. I got real sympathy for you Bush War vets. Those Bush bastards are going to blame you for fucking up their war. You guys got a serious chickenhawk butt-fucking coming your way. You just don’t know it yet. Bring ‘em on: US troops ambushed in Fallujah. Ohio mother waits for her son to come home. Bush’s VA cuts hit home at VA hospital in New York. Veterans are pissed. These are real veterans. Not AWOL rich kids playing dress-up and make-believe for the camera. Casualty Reports Local story: Pennsylvania soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Indiana soldier wounded in Iraq.

War News for October 20, 2003 Bring ‘em on: The US Army reported 43 separate attacks on Americans across Iraq on Sunday. Bring 'em on: One US soldier killed, five wounded during patrol ambush in Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: Attempted assassination of US appointed governor thwarted in Baquabah. Bring ‘em on: Explosions reported overnight at US base in Fallujah. US troops recovering wreckage from yesterday’s ambush under RPG fire. Bring ‘em on: US convoy under RPG fire near Khaldiyah. CENTCOM published a clarification about the time and location of yesterday’s fatal ambush. Still, it would be better to have independent journalists reporting on the war. Journalists detained in Fallujah. “Baz and his colleague went to the police station after being told the local commander would hold a news conference about the attack. Once they arrived they were informed of their detention.” Team Bush: Bickering, backstabbing and catfighting. Despite Bush’s positive spin campaign, the Iraq war remains a quagmire. “Passing the particularly disturbing benchmark number of 100 led the television news Friday night, dashing administration hopes that the week would be remembered more for the unanimous United Nations Security Council approval Thursday of a new resolution that officials in Washington depicted as international endorsement of the US-led occupation. But even that achievement proved anticlimactic, as countries voting for the measure, including France, Russia, Germany and even Pakistan, made clear that they were not yet ready to contribute troops to Iraq and remained doubtful that Washington's strategy for restoring security to the country - if it actually had one - was working.” Friction reported between US troops and Iraqi police. But here’s the fair and balanced spin. Where’s Saddam? Hint: he’s sending mail. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will send troops to Iraq only on request of “Iraqi people.” I guess that UN resolution Shrubby was crowing about last week wasn’t so important after all. Military analysis: Guerrilla war becoming more intense as insurgents become more organized. Mortars, ambushes and searching for Elvis. “When the soldier's shattered body arrived at an aid station in the compound minutes later, officers tried to move younger soldiers away from the grisly scene. Some were sobbing, and a chaplain was summoned to help console them.” What Bush might say off-camera in Asia: “For President Phan Van Khai of Vietnam, it could go: ‘You guys fought and won the mother of all guerrilla wars. We forgive you. Saddam might be hiding in tunnels. So send over some Viet Cong and help us flush him out.’ To which the Vietnamese president might reply: ‘Hell no, you think we'd go?’” Cleric’s Veiled Threat. “’Sayed Muqtada has more support than anyone else because he is helping Iraqis improve their lives and he is not afraid to challenge the American occupiers,’ said Sheik Abbas Roubaili, a senior aide to al-Sadr. ‘He has tremendous support on the street, and that is what counts.’” Iraqi interim president wants Iraqi Army reconstituted. That was a real smooth move disbanding it in the first place, Bremer. Bernie Kerkik on America’s role in post-war Iraq: “Political criticism is our enemies' best friend.” A “troop reduction” plan suddenly emerges, despite deteriorating security in Iraq. This plan has more to do with Bush’s deteriorating poll numbers than military requirements and will quietly disappear when stability is restored to Bush’s throne. Contract cronyism hurts international reconstruction funding. “According to the facetious political slogan aired on US television, international donors were offered a piece of unsolicited advice: ‘If you are writing out checks, please make sure to spell Halliburton with two 'l's’.” Casualty Report Local story: Massachusetts soldier killed in Iraq. Other News Another former CIA type calls Shrub a liar. “’Never have I seen such a cynically orchestrated campaign over a year and a half,’ he said.”

War News for October 19, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers killed, one wounded in RPG attack near Tikrit. Bring ‘em on: US convoy ambushed near Kirkuk. Two US soldiers reported killed. There appears to be some confusion about whether these two reported.attacks were actually the same attack. CENTCOM has verified the Tikrit casualties as soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division, while the 4th Infantry spokeswoman cited in the press reports verified the Kirkuk attack. Kirkuk and Tikrit are almost 100 miles apart. Bring ‘em on: US convoy attacked near Fallujah; witnesses report US casualties. “The bomb was placed beside a concrete plinth bearing the words, ‘Welcome to Fallujah,’ at the eastern entrance to the city.” Bring ‘em on: Two Iraqis killed, 15 wounded by bomb near Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: “Resistance forces have mounted an average of 22 attacks a day on the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq in recent weeks, mostly in the so-called ''Sunni Triangle,'' a Sunni Muslim-dominated area stretching from the west of Baghdad to the north.” Bring ‘em on: US troops under mortar fire near Samarra. Bring ‘em on: US troops attacked with small arms fire and grenades near Hawija; US troops in Firefight near Beiji. US troops surround the house of Sayyid Mahmoud al-Hassani, a "sympathizer of radical Shi'ite leader Moqtada al-Sadr who opposes the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq" in Karbala. Iraqis warn crackdown will backfire. Hey, Ramadan begins on Saturday. Let’s get everybody really pissed off now. US troops conduct raids in Khaldiyah. Turkey may abandon plans to send troops to Iraq. Hey, I’m reporting some good news for a change. Bush touts new textbooks in Iraqi schools as a sign of progress. House Republicans cut funding for Basra children’s hospital. Bush launches full propaganda war against American people. “It started out as a little crowd control in Baghdad. But as U.S. troops entered the streets to restore order earlier this month, the protest turned ugly. Someone threw a homemade grenade at the Americans, wounding 13 servicemen. According to the Oct. 8 Daily Threat Assessment—the Coalition’s internal casualty report, which was shown to NEWSWEEK—eight soldiers were wounded seriously enough to be evacuated to military hospitals. Yet at a press conference the next day, there was no mention of the attack. Pushed by reporters, U.S. officials would only say the incident was under investigation. It was as if the ambush, and the casualties, had never happened.” The CPA now requires press minders for reporters in Iraq. Bremer’s CPA: Incompetent, corrupt, or both? “Hoping to speed up reconstruction work in Iraq, American officials in Baghdad are offering contracts totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, but giving companies as little as three days to submit competing bids.” Madrid conference may raise only $2 billion rather than the $20 billion Bush needs. (And that includes $1.5 billion from Japan.) Where is all the money going? “European countries have criticized what they say is a lack of transparency in the fund's activities. ‘The international community knows nothing about the fund's management,’ contended one unnamed ‘Security Council diplomat’ who is quoted in the study. ‘We know that $1 billion went into it from the U.N. Oil-for-Food Program in May. Since then, that money has disappeared, and there are rumors that the current balance is zero.’” Baghdad International Airport: Lots of money spent, but no commercial traffic. “Yet Iraq is still the only country in the world without any commercial-airline service, and Baghdad is the only capital city, aside from Mogadishu, where local residents cannot fly in or out.” Neo-cons ignored pre-war State Department assessment. “Several officials said that many of the findings in the $5 million study were ignored by Pentagon officials until recently, although the Pentagon said they took the findings into account. The work is now being relied on heavily as occupation forces struggle to impose stability in Iraq.” Larry Di Rita is in full ass-covering deny and deceive mode over this revelation of his incompetence. Remember, the neo-cons canned Jay Garner and replaced him with L. Paul Bremer when Garner tried to tell them about the significance of this study. Other News Bush activates missile defense brigade. “But a report from the General Accounting Office released last month warned that only two of 10 technologies in the defense system are ready. John Pike, director of Globalsecurity.org, a defense think-tank, said the military has shown that shooting down incoming missiles is ‘physically possible,’ not that it can work in a realistic attack scenario. ‘If the only thing standing between an American city and a North Korean missile is this (technology), we are in trouble,’ Pike said.”

War News for October 18, 2003 Starting today, I will email a copy of this page with all links and stories to George Nethercutt (R-WA) who thinks shilling for a failed president is more important than reporting on “a couple of dead soldiers every day. From his congressional homepage, I noticed that Rep. Nethercutt was born in 1944. Although apparently eligible for military service during the Vietnam conflict, Nethercutt opted to attend Washington State University and Gonzaga Law School rather than serve his country during wartime. Bring ‘em on: Five US soldiers wounded by bomb ambush in Mosul. Bring ‘em on: US troops ambushed in Fallujah. Where’s Osama? “Arabic television station Al Jazeera has broadcast two audio tapes purportedly from Osama bin Laden vowing more suicide attacks inside and outside the United States and demanding Washington quit Iraq.” Report from Landstuhl RMC. Support the troops! “Soldiers make their way by walking or using crutches through the sandy dirt to a communal bathroom, where they have propped office partitions between otherwise open toilets for privacy. A row of leaky sinks sits on an opposite wall. The latrine smells of urine and is full of bugs, because many windows have no screens. Showering is in a communal, cinder block room. Soldiers say they have to buy their own toilet paper.” Casualty Reports Local story: Massachusetts soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: New York soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Fort Campbell soldier killed in Iraq. Other News You know, when I was on active duty if I had heard a subordinate soldier say some shit like this, the only hard part of my decision would have been whether to ship him off to mental hygiene or alcohol rehab.

War News for October 17, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Three US soldiers killed, seven wounded in Karbala. Bring ‘em on: US soldier killed, two wounded in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Three US soldiers wounded in convoy ambush near Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: Car bomb explodes near US base in Kirkuk. Four Jordanians killed at US checkpoint in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Attempted car bombing in Irbil. US troops may remain in Iraq until at least 2006, says US general. And he’s talking about the best-case scenario. Roadside bombs counter US firepower advantages. Military families say AT&T gouging troops on morale calls. US general says Iraqis using unsecured explosives against American troops. Terry Gross interviewed Anne Garrels on yesterday’s edition of Fresh Air on KPLU in Seattle. KPLU is in the middle of their fall fundraiser so it may have been one of those abbreviated fundraiser formats because I can’t find a link at NPR. In any case, Garrels recently returned from a six-week spell in Iraq. Among her revelations were that the personnel turnover at Bremer’s CPA is unusually heavy, with most staffers leaving after a month or two at the CPA. There are no Middle-East experts on Bremer’s staff, making it an amateur operation staffed by ideologues rather than professionals. Despite new banknotes, US efforts to rebuild Iraqi banks are floundering. Casualty Reports Local story: Georgia soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Kentucky soldier killed in Iraq.

War News for October 16, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Mortar shells impact near CPA headquarters in downtown Baghdad. US convoy ambushed near Baquba. Bring ‘em on: Bomb explodes outside Kirkuk police station; one Iraqi police officer wounded. Bring ‘em on: Explosions and firefight reported in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Attempted bridge bombing near Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Roadside bomb targeting US troops kills 4-year old Iraqi girl in Tikrit. Bring ‘em on: US convoy under fire near Mosul. Bring ‘em on: Four US soldiers wounded in Baghdad on Tuesday. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi doctor assassinated in Basra. Explosion at oil pipeline near Hadeetha. Iraqi police evict Sadr supporters from municipal building in Sadr City. US may confront Sadr and followers. Bush gets UN resolution but no troops or reconstruction aid. Half of US units in Iraq suffer from low morale. Halliburton gouging US Army for fuel costs. L. Paul Bremer’s alternate universe. “Described by the UN as the world's most efficient food network, the system still keeps Iraqis from going hungry. But the US civilian administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, views it as a dangerous socialist anachronism. The coalition provisional authority (CPA) is planning to abolish it in January, despite warnings from its own technical experts that this could lead to hunger and riots.” Commentary Faked letters typify Bush’s propaganda war against the American people. Casualty reports Local story: Pennsylvania soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Georgia soldier drowned in Iraq. Local story: Montana soldier wounded in Iraq.

War News for October 15, 2003 Bring ‘em on: US troops in firefight at Syrian border. Bring ‘em on: Three US soldiers wounded in ambush near Shumayt. Iraqis riot over fuel in Safwan. Kuwaitis close border. Bring ‘em on: US troops in firefight in 4th Infantry sector. The information is buried deep in this story about Iraqi dinars. US increases security in Baghdad after receiving “specific threats.” Disorders continue in Karbala. Unemployment in Iraq at 70 percent. “Summarizing a half-year of occupation last week, U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer pointed to Baghdad's reopened shops and traffic-filled streets. ‘Anyone can see the wheels of commerce turning,’ he told reporters. His economic status report did not mention the millions of idle workers, but Iraqis see them everywhere, on their streets, in their homes. ‘This is our biggest problem today,’ said Nouri Jafer, labor undersecretary in Iraq's interim Cabinet.” Bremer needs to get out of the office a little more. Well, maybe a lot more. Like permanently. The silly little man in the combat boots is just plain incompetent. Read this article to find out how incompetent he really is. Bush consolidates contract management under Bremer’s CPA. “The Pentagon is planning a new office to oversee tens of billions of dollars in contracts, taking away some power held by the US Agency for International Development, US officials said yesterday.” George Nethercutt says the fiction of Iraqi recovery is a “better and more important story than losing a couple of soldiers every day.” Fuck you, George Nethercutt. Pathetic Bush snivels about media coverage of his war. “Too negative!” Bush’s War “has increased al-Qaida's recruiting power, morale and even its operational capability, a British think tank said in its annual report that was published on Wednesday.” The same report finds that Rummy’s military geniuses were unprepared for post-war administration, and are still floundering…”some half a year on, ‘the situation has hardly improved and small arms and light weapons are readily available to criminals and insurgents alike.’” Nice going, you idiots. Casualty Reports Local story: Texas soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Texas soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Minnesota soldier injured in Iraq. Commentary Baltimore Sun: “President Bush complains that the press accentuates the negative in its reports from Iraq. And he's almost right - far more is heard about ambushes in Fallujah than about the return of normal commerce to the shops of Kirkuk. But he misses two crucial points. One has to do with the nature of news; far more, after all, is heard about murders in Baltimore than about the planting of new flowerbeds along Pratt Street. The second point, the more important one, has to do with the nature of Iraq - because unless the fighting there can be contained, none of the rest of it matters.” Except, of course, to George Walker Bush’s political career which is the real reason we started this war and why Bush so desperately wants to hide the facts of his foolish war from the American electorate. The American press needs to do it’s job – hold him accountable.

War News for October 14, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Car bomb explodes at Turkish embassy in Baghdad. Hospitals report 10 wounded. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed, two wounded in bomb ambush near Jalawla. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed, two wounded in RPG ambush near Tikrit. Bring ‘em on: CNN reports a total of three US soldiers killed, 13 wounded in action during the past 24 hours. CENTCOM reports two US soldiers were killed in a vehicle accident in Baghdad. One was injured. CENTCOM reports one US soldier found dead in Euphrates River near Hadithah. Rival Shi’ite factions fighting in Karbala. US troops arrest imam at Grand Mosque in Fallujah. “Nizzal has frequently urged his flock not to cooperate with US-led occupation forces.” US Army officer organized “Astroturf” campaign. “The original letter was written by his staff, edited by him and then passed onto the soldiers. Lt Col Caraccilo said that some had chosen to send them home while some had not.” US Army reports Saddam sighted in Tikrit. US Army denies reports of Saddam sightings in Tikrit. News from the Chickenhawk Cheerleaders Tour The Tour goes on the road: “Commerce Secretary Donald. L. Evans, joining the new administration campaign to convince Americans and Iraqis that the occupation is succeeding, leaped from his motorcade in downtown Baghdad today when he spotted two teenagers selling Coca-Cola. Evans bought a round for a couple of youngsters and soon had about 20 more crowding around him, none seeming to mind that he called the beverage ‘lemonade.’” Kinda like knowing the difference between shit and Shinola, I guess. Bush says he’s in charge, demands sacrifices from American soldiers. Then he went to play golf with his buddies. Commentary Jimmy Breslin: “This column today is about young men who were playing in another world. You can find the names in virtually no other place. Obscure people dying in obscurity. The Pekinese of the Press do not feel dead soldiers are worth mentioning. Only the guy next to them knew what they were made of.” Casualty Reports Local story: California soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Michigan soldier killed in Iraq. Other News Sailors from USS Lincoln at Clark meet-up: One said of Bush's carrier PR stunt, "it was like a slap in the face."

War News for October 13, 2003 Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed, one wounded by anti-tank mine near Baiji. Bring ‘em on: Bomb ambush near Tikrit wounds US soldier. Bring ‘em on: US troops in firefight near Baquba. One Iraqi policeman wounded. Bring ‘em on: Four British soldiers wounded in two attacks near Basra. Bring 'em on: IGC Oil Minister escapes assassination attempt in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi provincial governor escapes assassination attempt near Baquba; two Iraqi policemen wounded. Three US soldiers wounded in yesterday’s car bombings in Baghdad. King Abdullah of Jordan says bringing Turkish troops into Iraq is a dumb idea. “Abdullah said Iraq's neighbours were incapable of being ‘honest’ if their military forces were sent in to help the United States conduct peacekeeping operations.” Iraqi Shi’ite group promises to kill foreign peacekeepers. US troops: “In an instant, Private Christopher Hollis faced the choice US soldiers in Iraq often have to make: whether to shoot or risk being shot…” Angry Islamic states tell US to leave Iraq. “The world's Muslims opened a major conference here with calls for the United States to set a timetable for leaving Iraq, fierce condemnation of Israel and anger over their treatment since the September 11 attacks. The three themes were highlighted by speakers at the opening session of a meeting of foreign ministers of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) preparing for a summit of heads of state on Thursday.” Report from Tikrit: Residents want “to get rid of US thieves.” Report from Hit: Resentment continues. Religion and political fusion in occupied Iraq. “Politics and religion, strictly kept apart during decades of Baath party rule, are interwoven in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq where almost unfettered freedoms and widespread distrust of politicians have thrust clerics on to center stage.” Troop morale: “At the Pentagon, officials say they expect some soldiers not to show up for their flights back to Iraq, and they expect others to be so deeply torn at leaving their families again that they will have trouble coping when they return to the war. But with 130,000 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq in a military occupation that has sometimes been bloody, and with tension mounting among service members and their families over yearlong deployments, military officials said they had little choice but to institute the program in an effort to boost morale.” Army begins internal investigation after 14 Army and Marine suicides in Iraq. Up to one million of Muslim pilgrims gather in Karbala. CPA can’t stop the oilfield sabotage. “Paul Bremer, the United States' proconsul who wears combat boots, is ‘sexing up’ the figures to a point where even the oilmen are shaking their heads. Take Kirkuk. Only when the television cameras capture a blown pipe, flames billowing from its wounds, do the occupation powers report sabotage.” More sabotage reported near Kirkuk. George Soros’ Iraq Revenue Watch faults CPA for lack of transparency. “The lack of transparency and oversight is a serious issue which fuels international skepticism about the way in which the CPA is conducting affairs in Iraq, says IRW. According to the report, one Security Council diplomat ‘predicts that absolutely no money will flow into the DFI from the international community unless there is a sudden change in CPA attitudes and practices regarding transparent management.’ This could have serious repercussions for the forthcoming donor conference in Madrid on 23-24 October.” News from the Chickenhawk Cheerleaders Tour The Cheerleaders tour has been indefinately postponed due to a serious outbreak of food fighting among the major chickenhawks. Reports from the front received at this headquarters indicate that Lieutenant Bush has been conspicuously AWOL from the post of Commander-in-Chief during this skirmishing.

War News for October 12, 2003 Bring 'em on: Car bomb explodes outside hotel reportedly used as CIA headquarters in central Baghdad. Reuters reports at least ten killed. Bring 'em on: Three US soldiers wounded in bomb ambush near Tikrit. Bring 'em on: Grenade attack kills Iraqi policeman and wounds six others at police checkpoint near Karbala. Bring 'em on: US troops under mortar fire near Tikrit. Bring 'em on: Roadside bomb kills two Iraqi oil workers, wounds four near Kirkuk. Anti-American cleric proclaims alternate Iraqi government. Bomb explodes near Iraqi cleric's convoy in Baghdad; four Iraqis wounded. My sources of information on Who's Who in Iraq say there is no information on this cleric, but he seems to be connected to the IRC's Ministry of Religious Affairs. Anti-US resistance increasing, becoming organized in Kirkuk sector. US troops accused of punishing Iraqis by bulldozing crops and orchards. "US soldiers driving bulldozers, with jazz blaring from loudspeakers, have uprooted ancient groves of date palms as well as orange and lemon trees in central Iraq as part of a new policy of collective punishment of farmers who do not give information about guerrillas attacking US troops." Bush's post-war security failure causes aid workers to withdraw from Iraq. "A great majority of foreign aid workers in Iraq, fearing they have become targets of the postwar violence, have quietly pulled out of the country in the past month, leaving essential relief work to their Iraqi colleagues and slowing the reconstruction effort." China proposes UN resolution to reduce US authority in Iraq. Pipeline fire near Kirkuk reported as sabotage. China and Russia to coordinate Iraq policy. "On the Iraq issue, Ivanov stressed that the United Nations should play a key role in resolving the issue and restoring Iraq's sovereignty as soon as possible." News from the Chickenhawk Cheerleaders Tour Bush says Iraq "is making progress" as a result of his "clear strategy." Bush says new dinars (without Saddam's portrait) are a sign of economic progress. Commentary WaPo asked five retired senior officers for their views on Iraq. The authors are not from WaPo's stable of beltway "journalists" so their comments are actually insightful, not exlusively based on insider gossip and worth reading. Four pieces: We Weren't Prepared to Stay, But We Must: "Our Bosnia experience suggests that the United States must allow time for Iraq's rival factions to make the kind of deals that will cement their nation together. That slow process of accommodation will only take place if we create the conditions for compromise." Lower Expectations, Set a Date, and Leave: "Absent a remarkable turnaround on the battlefield -- one that field commanders themselves do not foresee -- the pay-any-price option may be militarily unsustainable as well as politically untenable." A Risky Strain on an Overstretched Army: "We have created a failed state in Iraq. There is currently no effective control of its borders. Radical Arabs from outside Iraq have answered Bush's call to "bring 'em on" and entered the shooting gallery. They do not speak English. They do not have passports or flight training. They were unlikely, before the war, to be able to attack us here. But they can take their AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades and attack our troops next door in Iraq. This may also have opened up a fertile recruiting and training ground for al Qaeda." "Good Enough" Is Enough for a Good Exit: "We can leave Iraq with an interim governing authority, but we cannot leave it unable to defend itself internally and externally. Because we deliberately dissolved the Iraqi military as an institution, we are now trying to build a new Iraqi army (but not yet an air force or navy) by recruiting and training small numbers of individual Iraqis who had been for the most part either enlisted or low-ranking officers. A better and faster solution would be to recall and retrain entire Iraqi military units. The majority of the regular military units had little love for Saddam and suffered badly at his hands." I"m putting these articles here because they should serve as a baseline of thoughtful discussion for possible solutions to extricate ourselves from Bush's Iraqi quagmire. Bush himself wants to frame the discussion around two diametrically-opposed slogans: "cut and run"* or "stay the course." Neither slogan is a workable solution, but this administration prefers short-term sound bites to long-term solutions. Tha alone makes their own approach irrelevant to the problem at hand. *Unless you're L. Paul Bremer, our combat-boots-and-Gucci-suit man in Baghdad. During a memorable press conference at the Baghdad airport hours after a massive car bomb destroyed the UN's Baghdad headquarters and killed Simon de Mello, a terrified, knee-knocking, teeth-chattering L. Paul Bremer stammered "run and cut"? in response to a reporter's question. Shortly afterward, Bremer skedaddled off to calm his nerves on vacation to an undisclosed location.

War News for October 11, 2003 Shi'ite anger growing against US occupation. "Shiite Muslim anger against Americans spilled into Friday Prayers in Sadr City, the poor Baghdad district where two Iraqis and two American soldiers were killed Thursday night. The violence and subsequent public outrage raised fears of new dangers to United States troops from the followers of Moktada al-Sadr, a young anti-American Shiite cleric. Up to now, the main threat to American forces has come from loyalists to Saddam Hussein."? Background on Shi'ite resentment, Moqtada Sadr, and Bush's policy failure in Iraq. "Bremer, in line with Pentagon thought, has repeatedly said that Iraqis are disqualified from managing themselves. Sheikh Saleh says, 'Iraqis have been qualified to do it since the first month of the occupation, [but not being able to] has brought all sorts of problems to the Iraqis and also to the Americans.' The sheikh insists that "we still don't know the political and economic reasons for the occupation. They have used us as a training field, in the beginning of a big strategy.'" Angry Iraqi farmers threaten resistance. "Claiming his lush date and orange groves provide camouflage for resistance fighters, the U.S. occupation forces leveled Khalil's plantations." Source of Iraqi violence and instability: Bush's incompetence. "In Bush's own words: 'There are some who feel that the conditions are such that they can attack us...My answer is, bring 'em on' Twenty American soldiers were wounded in attacks across Iraq the day after the president's pugnacious statement, suggesting that the sources of violence may be more widespread and the ways of combating them much more complex than Bush hopes....In spite of Wolfowitz's assertions to the contrary, Iraqis did not regard Falluja, prior to the war, as a 'hotbed of Baathist activity'. To the contrary, Falluja has a reputation as a deeply conservative town, famed for the number of mosques and its adherence to Sunnis...The anger is certainly an expression of frustration with the continuing lack of stability and essential services. But it also has roots in a growing nationalist identity focused on rejection of the occupation." Moqtada Sadr announces alternate Iraqi government: Iraq "plunged into turmoil." Oil pipeline ablaze near Kirkuk. Military says cause "unknown." Islamic summit calls for US "eviction" from Iraq. "Divisions over Iraq threatened to prevent Islamic leaders from finding a unified voice to address a widespread feeling that the war against terrorism has turned into a war against Muslims." Mysterious "astroturf" letters from soldiers appear in unsuspecting newspapers across America. Foreign aid donors design trust fund to keep out of Bush's reconstruction funds sticky fingers. Crime soaring in Baghdad's post-war security failure. News from the Chickenhawk Cheerleaders Tour L. Paul Bremer tells Americans "life is near normal" in Baghdad. Wolfowitz of Arabia receives "Keeper of the Flame Award" from conservative pro-war group, and promises American troops will continue to fight for his failed policies. I hope he gets to hang that award on the wall of his prison cell. Veterans protest Bush's Chickenhawk Cheerleaders Tour in New Hampshire. "Dearborn served in the Army for 20 years, rose to the rank of sergeant first class, and served in Korea, Vietnam and Germany. On Thursday, he held a sign that read, "Out the door in 2004" - a snipe at Bush's tenure in office. 'I was a Republican all my life until about a month ago. I switched over to send a message,' said Dearborn...In response to the president's visit to Manchester, a three-story-high inflatable rat was set up in Veterans Park. The rat bore a sign saying, 'Hello, my name is George W. Bush.'" Emphasis added. Laura Bush stands by her rat. Casualty Reports Local story: Washington State soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Nebraska soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: California soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Wounded Oregon Guardsman returning to Iraq. Local story: Alabama soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Montana soldier wounded in Iraq. Commentary Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Iraqi Stabilization Group merely continues Bush’s non-policy of domestic spin. "Rice and other senior administration officials already have embarked on a vigorous effort to get the message out that the situation in Iraq is better than the press portrays and improving every day, really. Which of course contradicts the pressing need for an Iraq Stabilization Group." The Stuart News, Ft. Stuart, Florida: Why all the secrecy at Gitmo? News-Press, Falls Church, Virginia: WMD report cries out for application of the "L" Word. Be sure to stop by at TownHall.com for a full smorgasbord of conservative gasbaggery.