Today in Iraq

War News for November 30, 2003 Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers killed, one wounded in ambush near Husaybah. Bring 'em on: Two Japanese diplomats killed in ambush near Tikrit. Bring 'em on: Two South Korean workers killed, two wounded in ambush near Tikrit. Bring 'em on: Colombian civilian contractor killed, two wounded in ambush near Balad. Tikrit is open for business! "In a tightly guarded ceremony, the governor of Saddam Hussein's home province declared Saturday that the region was open for business, and thanked foreign businessmen who attended a gathering wearing flak jackets and helmets." Is Neil Bush in town? Iraqi exiles criticize pre-war planning. "The fact that the administration embraced their encouragement to go to war but apparently discounted their warnings is an insight into the Pentagon's prewar planning." Thanksgiving for wounded soldiers at Landstuhl Army Hospital. NATO plans force cuts in Bosnia to reinforce Afghanistan and Iraq. Starving success to feed failure. Deaths of Japanese diplomats may delay troop deployments. Japan warns citizens to leave Iraq. Update: Seven Spanish intelligence officers were killed, one wounded in yesterday's ambush. Army Psyops in Baghdad. Meanwhile, the main effort in the information war is flat on its ass. "On Wednesday, the former chief of Iraq's interim administration, retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, said the United States did a 'bad job' of communicating with Iraqis, adding that 'the consequence of that is who they got to listen to is Al-Jazeera.'" "The station's ties to the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority have hamstrung its credibility, said Don North, an adviser and trainer at Al-Iraqiya who later left the network…'IMN has become an irrelevant mouthpiece for CPA propaganda, managed news and mediocre foreign programs,' North wrote in a letter to The Associated Press." Thai troops expect more insurgent attacks near Karbala. Report from Samarra. More on the Army reservist mentioned yesterday. Brown & Root is recruiting. Commentary Opinion: Bush has created an image of American lawlessness. Editorial: All stuffing and no meat. "Nobody has supported this war more than I did since the threat of war against Saddam became war itself. However, it has come time to question just exactly what we are accomplishing in Iraq. For that matter what did we accomplish in Afghanistan? It seems that we moved around a lot of dirt in Afghanistan, but what real progress has been made?" Cartoon: By Jeff Danziger. Danziger is an Army Vietnam veteran, which is why I sometimes find his cartoons so entertaining. Operation Cut and Run Bushies want NATO to take command in Afghanistan. Casualty Reports Local story: Texas soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Florida soldier wounded in Iraq.

War News for November 29, 2003 Bring 'em on: One US soldier wounded in roadside bomb ambush near Samarra. Bring 'em on: Explosion in Baghdad damages highway bridge. Bring 'em on: Spanish intelligence team ambushed near Najaf. Witnesses report four killed, two captured. Bring 'em on: US patrol ambushed by roadside bomb north of Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers wounded by land mine near Syrian border. CENTCOM reports US soldier dies from "non-hostile gunshot wound." Attacks on US troops are down to 22 per day. How much has the US operations tempo has increased to suppress insurgent activity? And how long can US forces sustain a high optempo? Insurgents developing effective intelligence network. Bremer's Iraqi police may be helping insurgents. Iraqis wonder why Lieutenant AWOL didn't stay very long. Bush's Baghdad trip: Turns out Andy Card had to put a boot in Lieutenant AWOL's ass. "For a president fond of a tough-guy image, George W. Bush was uneasy when an aide casually asked him, 'You want to go to Baghdad?'" Sen. Clinton arrives in Baghdad. Neil "Silverado" Bush cashes in on Iraq reconstruction with a little help from Joe Allbaugh. If this was a story about Bill Clinton's brother, the press would be all over it. Tomorrow morning you'd see Orrin Hatch on the talk shows doing back flips and squirting diarrhea all over Tim Russert's suit and tie. Chalabi reviews reconstruction contracts. Montana soldier describes Iraq duty before returning. "A Great Falls police officer for five years, Badgley was activated by the Army Reserve on Feb. 7. His 889th Quartermaster Company left for Fort Lewis, Texas, on Feb. 10 and arrived in Kuwait April 22. Badgley entered Iraq on May 15." Army hospital in Baghdad. " The worst that Maj. Michael Hilliard, 33, an emergency physician, saw back home in San Antonio were car crash and gunshot victims. Here, he estimates that he has treated the broken bodies of more than 1,000 U.S. soldiers." Patrolling in Tikrit. One of the hidden casualties. Casualty Assistance Officer: The hardest job in the Army. " Relatives dread nothing more than the unexpected drop-in by a military officer while a family member is on duty overseas." Pipeline Watch: Summary of insurgent attacks against oil targets. Army reservist sounds off about back-to-back deployments. I don't condone this shit, especially from an officer. But it's a strong indicator of the state of morale that a soldier with previous tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan sounds off like this. Bush and Rummy continue their "Bone the Troops" policy. "Joyce Wessel Raezer, director of government relations for National Military Family Association, said it’s time to stop raising anxiety levels among military families with 'business-case' attacks on military support systems such as schools and the $1 billion-a-year commissary subsidy. 'Why is it so important right now to nickel and dime the commissary benefit?' she asked. 'It’s just raising stress. And it is small potatoes compared to some of the other items in the defense budget.'" Nick Kristoff announces results of "Name That War" contest. Commentary Opinion: A nation at war. "That we support our troops cannot be denied, and should never be questioned. When they return, they will be honored and they will have tales to tell and questions to ask. They deserve our ears and our answers. That we should look with pride and trust to a man who put these men and women at grave risk under false premises, who squandered the good will of nations, to say nothing of lost opportunities, and whose actions have polarized the country, is incomprehensible to me." Opinion: Bush delivers a turkey. "The May 1 campaign appearance produced the Flight-jacket George doll, and perhaps the Thanksgiving photo op will give us Army-jacketed George delivering a plate of turkey. The turkey can symbolize his Iraq policy." Operation Cut and Run Back to the drawing board. "But the administration's initial plan for that transfer of authority has unraveled, raising doubts about whether the June 30 deadline for ending the U.S. occupation authority in Baghdad remains feasible." Have these neo-conservative clowns had any plans that didn't "unravel?" When reality meets ideology, reality always wins. Casualty Reports Local story: North Carolina soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Indiana soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: North Dakota soldier dies in Iraq.

War News for November 28, 2003 Bring 'em on: One US soldier killed in mortar attack near Mosul. Bring 'em on: US soldier killed in Ramadi. Total US casualies from Bush's War approach 10,000. "Military officials deny they are fudging the numbers. But the latest figures show that 9,675 U.S. troops have been killed, wounded, injured such as in accidents, or become sick enough to require airlifting out of Iraq." Lieutenant AWOL makes brief campaign visit to Baghdad. Somebody tell the mess sergeant that the turkey's here... CNN not included in Lieutenant AWOL's press pool. "When the president travels, the White House uses a rotating system for a pool that includes newspaper, wire-service and television reporters, but news executives were not sure Thursday whether the standard procedures had been followed, according to a story in the Washington Post." New White House media policy: brown-nosers only. Coalition of the Wobbly: Poll reveals 67 percent of Poles want their troops out of Iraq; support dropped ten percent in past month. Pipeline attacks occur weekly. (Link fixed.) Iraqis unimpressed with Lieutenant AWOL's midnight visit. "'We cannot consider Bush's arrival at Baghdad International Airport yesterday as a visit to Iraq,' said Mahmoud Othman, a member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council. 'He did not meet with ordinary Iraqis. Bush was only trying to boost the morale of his troops.'" 3d Infantry Division after-action report confirms that Bushies screwed up post-war phase through lack of realistic planning and adequate guidance. Military families form Iraq peace mission. US troops kill two Iraqi civilians near Baquba. More about soldiers wounded in Bush's War. Montana soldier serving in Iraq. Casualty Reports Local story: Iowa soldier wounded in Iraq.

War News for November 27, 2003 Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers wounded in mortar attack near Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Insurgents fire RPG at Italian embassy in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: US troops ambushed near Abu Ghraib. Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers wounded, five insurgents killed in two attacks on US troops in Mosul. Bring 'em on: Police sergeant assassinated in Mosul. Iraqi general dies during US interrogation. Iraqi police reported as supporting insurgency. US takes Iraqi family members as hostages. Analysis: Why the insurgency is spreading north. Report from Mosul. "It is not too late, residents say, to rebuild trust, but few Iraqis express much hope. Since the attacks against Americans increased, commanders have sent more troops into the city and detained dozens of suspected militants. The result appears to be a descending spiral, in which the crackdown is draining away much of the good will that remains." Additional 3000 Marines deployed to Iraq. Bush is losing the war against the insurgents, so he wages war to keep the American electorate from learning about it. Counterterrorism experts say Bush is lying about Iraq and the war against terrorism. "Experts who have served in top positions in both Republican and Democratic administrations are increasingly suggesting that the Iraq war has diverted momentum, troops and intelligence resources from the worldwide campaign to destroy the remnants of al-Qaeda. They note that the presence of U.S. troops in an Arab homeland is serving as a major recruiting tool for signing up and motivating new jihadis, or Islamic holy warriors. 'Fighting Iraq had little to do with fighting the war on terrorism, until we made it [so],' said Richard Clarke, who was a senior White House counterterrorism official under Bush and President Bill Clinton." Casualty Reports Local story: Utah soldier dies in Iraq.

War News for November 26, 2003 Bring 'em on: Insurgents give Jack Straw the Wolfowitz Welcome in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: US troops mortared in Tikrit. Bring 'em on: Central Baghdad mortared again. Bring 'em on: Oil pipeline ablaze near Beiji. Bring 'em on: Two Iraqi police wounded in RPG attack in Baghdad. General Gerner admits Bushies screwed up post-war occupation of Iraq. "'He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I don't think we are speeding things up now, I think we are trying to catch up to where we should have been a month ago.' He also acknowledged that not enough effort was put into winning over ordinary Iraqis by getting America's message across to them after the war. ˜We did a bad job of executing that. There's no excuse for that. The consequence of that is all they got to listen to was [Arab-language TV station] al-Jazeera,' he said." And now Rummy is whining about all this. Do these neo-cons ever take responsibility for their own fuck-ups? Bush's Foreign Policy: "When (George W.) Bush came into office, he had a five-man hate list," Gregg said. "These were men he wanted nothing to do with, men he would rather blow out of the water than negotiate with." The speaker was one of Poppy Bush's National Security advisors. Shi'ite cleric criticizes Bush's sovereignity plan as as "incomplete and insufficiently Islamic." Sen. Hillary Clinton spends Thanksgiving with troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Lieutenant AWOL has pressing engagements at Crawford and at a fundraiser in Nevada. Norwegian officers in Iraq worry about safety. "...Norwegian politicians must now realize that far from operating in a humanitarian situation, the situation in Iraq is war-like." Cheney's deceitful fundraiser rhetoric. Military blames AP for "false report. "'Personally, I would fault the AP as a member of the coalition and really as an American citizen,' Coalition Spokesperson Sgt. Danny Martin said. 'The AP is an American-based media outlet. They have the right to freedom of speech, freedom of press. They pretty much print what they like. I do find it somewhat irresponsible in their journalism that instead of perhaps showing some patience and waiting for the initial military report, that they just went from eyewitness accounts that have proven in just about every instance here to be exaggerated, embellished, or just false.'" Lieutenant AWOL is more frightened that the troops might sound off than he is of the press. "Before the press was herded into the giant hangar in advance of George W. Bush's pep rally/photo op with the Fort Carson troops, we were given the rules. No talking to the troops before the rally. No talking to the troops during the rally. No talking to the troops after the rally." And except for this reporter, the lapdog American media rolled over and complied with Bush's desires. Wounded soldier: Reports of his death were greatly exaggerated at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Wrongful death payments to Iraqi civilians. Casualty Reports Local story: Florida soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: California soldier dies in Iraq.

War News for November 25, 2003 Bring ‘em on: CENTCOM reports US troops engaged insurgents planting roadside bomb near Fallujah. Three Iraqi insurgents killed. Bring ‘em on: CENTCOM reports Iraqi insurgents attempted to bomb train near Iskandariyah. Bring 'em on: Bomb at Kirkuk hotel used by US contractors wounds two Iraqi policemen. Bring 'em on: One US soldier wounded during raid in Ramadi. Three Iraqi insurgents killed. Bring 'em on: Explosion reported at offices of British mine clearance agency in Arbil. Bring ‘em on: Two Bulgarian checkpoints attacked with small arms fire near Karbala. Insurgency spreading to northern Iraq. US troops withdraw from Kirkuk municipal and provincial police stations. Insurgent attacks against Americans decrease while insurgent attacks against Iraqis escalate. BBC director criticizes the gelded American media on coverage of Bush's War. "He said there was an appetite for impartial news in the US, judging by the growth in demand there for BBC News…'Our online services have experienced enormous growth too and have regularly received e-mails back from people here in the US saying ‘Thank you for trying to explain events, thank you for being impartial’,” Mr Dyke added. Violence continues in Baghdad. Home bomb making in Iraq. Operation Cut and Run Analysis: Why now and will it work? “Most importantly because U.S. casualties are rising too fast…This trend is awkward for Bush's re-election campaign.” Casualty Reports Local story: Kansas soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Indiana soldier dies in Iraq. Local story: Georgia soldier soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: California soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Kentucky soldier dies in Iraq. Local story: Michigan soldier dies in Iraq. Local story: California soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Ohio soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Indiana soldier wounded in Iraq. (Last paragraph of this story.) Local story: Nebraska soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: North Carolina soldier wounded in Iraq. Home Front Lieutenant AWOL interrupts Crawford vacation for urgent fundraiser in Nevada.

War News for November 24, 2003 Bring ‘em on: US convoy attacked by RPG fire in central Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier wounded in bomb ambush in Mosul. Bring ‘em on: RPGs fired at offices of Care Australia in Baghdad. CENTCOM reports two US soldiers died and one was injured in a traffic accident near Baghdad. US officials warn of more anti-US attacks in Iraq. Lawlessness increases in Baghdad. Tampa VA hospital treats soldiers from Iraq with brain injuries. Report from Samarra. PUK says coalition troops raided its office in Mosul. Korean businesses withdraw from Baghdad. "An official at KOTRA's head office in Seoul said that the staff members at KOTRA's Baghdad office were withdrawn because the city has become too dangerous. He also said that diplomats and businesses from other countries, along with many rich Iraqi citizens, have been reportedly fleeing the city, jamming the roads to the border." Concrete production soars in Iraq. "Power shortages and lack of security have kept the brakes on Iraq's reconstruction, but concrete producers are finding consolation in the demand for blocks used as fortification against bomb attacks." Reservists sound off about poor equipment. Bush to meet a few carefully selected families of Americans killed in Iraq. Rummy wants to transform the entire US Army into an occupation force dedicated to Bush's War. "The US has begun to look seriously at creating military forces that would be dedicated to peacekeeping and reconstruction after future conflicts, defence officials say. It would involve new brigades or whole divisions made up of engineers, military police, civil affairs officers and other specialists critical to postwar operations." US launches media blitz to put a positive spin on Iraq occupation. It's kinda hard to tell if this is a "hearts and minds" campaign directed toward the Iraqi people or "prop up Lieutenant AWOL" political propaganda aimed at the American electorate. Iraqi police shut down Arab TV offices in Baghdad. Life gets tougher for Iraqi donkeys. Bush proclaims Iraqi donkeys as members of the Asses of Evil. Commentary Editorial: Bush’s campaign against Al Qaeda is a miserable failure. “Bush probably doesn't want to admit any strategic failures as he prepares for next year's presidential election. Nevertheless, it was the United States that misjudged the difficulties of managing postwar Iraq, and that provided an excuse for a holy war to remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime and other extremists in Iraq and elsewhere.” Opinion: Jolly bad show for Bush in London. "The spectacle of the American president in tails wining and dining at Buckingham Palace, when he apparently has little time to attend the funerals of American servicemen killed in the war he started, only compounded the folly of his London rescue operation for Mr. Blair." Operation Cut and Run Bush and Blair work out “exit” strategy. As the administration develops a new "strategy," the neo-con fantasy world lives on. “One official who was involved in the post-war planning argued that many of the administration's key assumptions have come to pass in Iraq, including the prediction by Vice President Dick Cheney that U.S. forces would be ‘greeted as liberators.’ ‘How dare anyone say that we were not?’ said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ‘I've been to the north [of Iraq]. They threw flowers on us. Let's be fair, we were greeted as liberators and we still are. That is a bum rap.’” Just remember that whatever the Bushies do about Iraq, nut jobs like this are still in charge. Fisher House. On some other boards, I’ve seen posts from people who want to know how they can help wounded troops. Here’s one option. Fisher House is a kind of Ronald McDonald House for the families of sick, wounded and injured soldiers who are recovering in military hospitals. There are Fisher Houses at Walter Reed, Landstuhl, Brooke Army Medical Center and about 25 other military and VA hospitals. You can help sponsor a family, buy some groceries, or help build another house at Walter Reed. For more information, click here.

War News for November 23, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers killed in central Mosul. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed, two wounded in bomb ambush near Baquba. Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers wounded in bomb ambush near Baquba. This may or may not be the same incident cited above. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi police colonel assassinated in Mosul. Bring ‘em on: Four American, three Iraqi KBR employees wounded in rocket attack on oil installation near Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: Iraqi police chief assassinated in Latifiyah. US soldier drowns in vehicle accident near Baghdad. (Last paragraph of this story.) Baghdad International Airport closed to commercial traffic. Schools may be open in Baghdad but parents fear to allow their children out. Bush’s Iraq economic policies will bring further instability. “Experts say the U.S. plans, which aim to upend Iraq's closed state-run economy and convert it to one of the most open, capitalist economies in the world, would unleash new waves of unrest in an already strife-weary Iraqi population. International law forbids occupying powers from making such deep changes, they say.” Some military families aren’t too thrilled with Bush using them as campaign props. “I don’t think (Bush) understands the true sacrifice we’re all making, and I am concerned he doesn’t know the repercussions of the decisions he has made,” said Dawn April, whose husband, Capt. Douglas April, is in Iraq. The US media is starting to notice our wounded soldiers. Three stories: From the Denver Post. From the Baltimore Sun. From the Philidelphia Inquirer. Bush’s War is draining the military. “Perhaps the most troubling statistic is the drop in retention for the Army Reserve, first disclosed by Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker on Wednesday in testimony before Congress. The drop was due to the Reserve falling 9.3 percent short of its retention goal among career soldiers.” Army MPs in Iraq; Private Broadwell decorated with Bronze Star for valor. Commentary Opinion: MoDo hits one out of the park: “The president is trying to make the campaign about guts: he has the guts to persevere in the war on terror. But the real issue is trust: should we trust leaders who cynically manipulated intelligence, diverted 9/11 anger and lost focus on Osama so they could pursue an old cause near to neocon hearts: sacking Saddam? The Bush war left our chief villains operating, revved up the terrorist threat, ravaged our international alliances and sparked the resentment of a world that ached for us after 9/11.” Opinion: Stealing from dead soldiers. “If Bush is trying to hide the cost of war, as Kerry claims, by hiding the dead, he robs Schultz and Gilmore of one of the rights of soldiering.” Casualty Reports Local story: New York soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Indiana soldier wounded in Iraq.

War News for November 22, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Five soldiers wounded in missile attack in Baghdad on Thursday. Bring ‘em on: CENTCOM reports one US soldier killed by roadside bomb ambush near Baquba. Bring ‘em on: Car bomb kills six Iraqi policemen in town north of Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Car bomb kills 15 – 25 at Iraqi police station in central Baquba. Bring ‘em on: Insurgents strike civilian cargo aircraft with SA-7 missile at Baghdad International Airport. Bring ‘em on: Kuwaiti sportscaster killed near Basra; Fedayeen target Kuwait. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi mosque mortared in Baghdad. Rummy says Bush’s War will be “long and costly.” That’s what the professional soldier General Shinseki tried to tell us back in January but amateur Feldherr Rummy der Grosse shouted him down. Everything is long and costly with these clowns in charge. Anti-US attacks increase in Mosul. Instability in Nasiriyah causes foreign journalists to abandon city. Rummy throws tissy-fit about Arabic TV stations. Hey, Rummy, here’s something else you screwed up. You and your neo-con buddies deliberately undercut efforts by Charlotte Beers to conduct a pro-American information campaign in the Muslim world. Instead, you focused on a pathetic attempt by fashion maven L. Paul Bremer to run an Iraqi TV station. Within two months the entire Iraqi staff resigned, saying the bullshit Bremer was trying to peddle was unbelievable. The US information campaign is a miserable failure and you’re in charge. Stop blaming others for your incompetence. L. Paul Bremer fires 28,000 Iraqi teachers. Probably the stupidest he’s done since he fired 400,000 Iraqi soldiers. Army plans for 100,000 US troops in Iraq until at least 2006. Why didn't Feldherr Rummy der Grosse didn't listen to General Shinseki back in January? Bush’s War provides a boost to al-Qaeda. “The American invasion and occupation of Iraq has provided al-Qaida with a powerful propaganda tool in its holy war against the West, injecting new energy into the worldwide network even though many of its key operatives are in jail or dead, its top leadership is on the run and its sources of money are shrinking, according to international security analysts…’Iraq is a rallying cause for al-Qaida - it's allowed them to attract new recruits,’ said Kenneth Katzman, a terrorism specialist at the Congressional Research Service, the think tank for the House and Senate. ‘This was an organization that was under enormous pressure. Iraq has put new wind in its sails, definitely.’” Bush is losing the war against Al-Qaeda. “Struggling in the intelligence war, Bush is being suckered into escalating cycles of violence in Iraq - lashing out with a resumption of high-powered aerial strikes - and at home he seems to be losing the political war.” Capturing Osama “not essential” says General Pace. What happened to Lieutenant AWOL’s “dead or alive” bullshit? Breaking News: Republicans say Bush is a Great Leader in the war on terror. Insurgents using deadly ingenuity. Four days in Baghdad. Two CPA officials under investigation by Pentagon for taking bribes. These are the same investigators who cleared Richard Perle of influence peddling. Commentary Editorial: Bush’s War is a distraction from the real threat. “But Bush chose instead to focus on Iraq. He presented to the world evidence that Iraq threatened the world and was linked to terrorism, and he went to war, with Britain and Spain by his side. The evidence proved untrue, and the quick conventional war he started has turned into a prolonged war of attrition. It's now clear that Iraq did not pose an imminent threat to the United States or anyone else.” Casualty Reports Local story: North Carolina soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: North Dakota soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: US Army Sergeant Major loses son in Iraq. Local story: Illinois soldier dies of wounds. Operation Cut and Run Back to the drawing boards: “It's being called ‘Plan C' for Iraq: Establish security by June or sooner, and transfer authority to a provisional Iraqi government by July.”

War News for November 21, 2003 Bring 'em on: Multiple rocket attacks at Oil Ministry, Palestine Hotel and Sheraton Hotel in central Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Another rocket launcher discovered near Italian embassy in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: US troops continue Operation Iron Hammer. Bring 'em on: Thai military base near Karbala mortared. More police needed to prevent insurgent attacks. Perle admits Iraq invasion violated international law. Profiteers cash in at sold-out Pentagon contracts conference. "'There is just so much money that we can tap into. It's just wonderful to have this opportunity,' one prospective bidder gushed to the Defense Department's director of procurement, Deidre Lee." US troops shoot Hungarian contractor at checkpoint. Oil facility sabotage continues. Korean National Assembly members were staying in rocketed Baghdad hotel. Commentary Editorial: When soldiers go without paychecks. Casualty Reports Local story: Washington State soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Indiana soldier wounded in Iraq.

War News for November 20, 2003 Bring 'em on: Car bomb at pro-US political office in Kirkuk kills five, wounds 30. Bring 'em on: One US soldier killed, two wounded by roadside bomb near Ramadi. Bring 'em on: Insurgents attack convoy near Samarra. Ten insurgents killed in firefight. Bring 'em on: Iraqi policeman killed in attack on Jordanian embassy in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Pro-US politician assassinated in Basra. Bring 'em on: Three US soldiers wounded in roadside bomb attack in central Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Car bomb attack on home of US-appointed councilman in Ramadi kills two. Bring 'em on: Roadside bomb wounds guard near Basra. "Four or five incendiary devices are detonated near coalition forces in the Basra area every week, but yesterday's incident was the first for two weeks in which anyone was wounded." Bring 'em on: US positions near Khaldiyah attacked with RPG and mortar fire. (Last paragraph of this story.) Bush' War is straining the US Army. Two children killed in clasrrom explosion in Karbala. Insurgents say they're not fighting for Saddam Husein. "I am fighting for my country -- not Saddam Hussein -- to get rid of the infidels. Very few people are fighting for him. They gave up on him at the end of the war." Commentary Opinion: Honor our fallen soldiers, don't hide them. "As long as we don’t see their coffins, the president apparently believes, maybe we’ll forget about them. He’s wrong. We won’t forget their sacrifice. And we won’t forget how many young Americans never came home from a war that, to this day, President Bush is still trying to find a reason for — just like he’s still trying to find weapons of mass destruction, yellow-cake uranium, long-range missiles, bomb-carrying drones, Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein." Opinion: Bush plays politics with war. "This is the mess we find ourselves in six months after the president pranced about in a flight suit on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln..." Casualty Reports Local story: Utah soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: California soldier killed in Iraq.

War News for November 19, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Major counter-insurgency operations continue across Iraq. Bring ‘em on: US conducts tactical air strikes in central Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi official assassinated in Diwaniyah. Bring ‘em on: Two Iraqi policemen and Iraqi translator wounded in attack on police station in Mosul. Australians working for CPA evacuated from Iraq after threats. Report from Fallujah. “This city is a case study in how U.S. war planners appear to have underestimated the complexity of Iraqi society, including the role of tribes and different ethnic and religious groups. As casualties grow, the Americans are discovering how hard it will be to create a government of these disparate interests.” Back to the future in Baghdad. Insurgents are locals, according to US general. “’I want to underscore that most of the attacks on our forces are by former regime loyalists and other Iraqis, not foreign forces,’ said the officer, Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr., commander of the 82nd Airborne Division.” So why does Lieutenant AWOL keep yapping about “foreign fighters?” Iraqis complain about targets. “But residents are wondering why some of the targets were picked, saying they are on land that's fully controlled by coalition forces.” Media Analysis: The collapse of American values. “Three things America cherishes and prides itself more than anything else are its democratic values — absolute freedom of the media to report anything it wants, as it wants according to its best judgment; and indiscriminate and fair dispensation of justice. The US government could not imagine to advise media about the coverage or otherwise of a story or the mode of the coverage.” Commentary Opinion: Take a close look at Bush’s “exit strategy.” “But I worry that this new strategy, like the last one, has too much wishful thinking and too little hard analysis about what could go wrong.” Keep worrying. All of this administration’s military and diplomatic policy is coming exclusively from the political office. Lieutenant AWOL and his buddies really don’t give a rat’s ass about either the Iraqi or the American people. Opinion: Former US Marine sounds off. Opinion: Bush’s taxpayer-supported propaganda network is a bad idea. Casualty Reports Local story: California soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Minnesota soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: California soldier dies in Iraq. Local story: Mississippi soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Tennessee soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: New York soldier killed in Iraq. Operation Cut and Run Report from Samarra. “Mowafaq Hameed, a police captain in Samara, speculated the Americans pulled back after pressure from the city's religious leaders and tribal chiefs. He said the police had no prior knowledge of the move. The soldiers had barely left Saturday when an army of looters arrived in pickup trucks to strip the bases of whatever they could lay their hands on, including bricks from walls and glass from windows.” Emphasis added. Name That War! In an otherwise incoherent piece in today’s New York Times, Nicholas Kristoff announced that he is sponsoring a contest to name the current war in Iraq. “We need a name for this war. 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' never rolled off the tongue, and 'Iraq war' creates confusion with the 1991 war. So send in your entries by mail or e-mail. I'll report the top five suggestions and give those writers Iraqi 250-dinar notes with Saddam's portrait.” As Kristoff himself acknowledges, “Mr. Bush has gotten us into this mess” so I suggest Bush’s War is an appropriate title both for history to remember this folly and for Americans to remind Lieutenant AWOL (and future Presidents who might contemplate their own vanity wars) about where the buck stops. Send in your own suggestions. Mr. Kristoff’s email is at the link above.

War News for November 18, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers wounded in bomb ambush in Mosul. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed, two wounded in RPG ambush near Balad. Bring ‘em on: US soldier killed in bomb ambush near Balad. Bring ‘em on: RPG attacks reported on two oil pipelines near Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Surface-to-air missiles fired at US C-130 transport aircraft at Baghdad International Airport. Bring ‘em on: Gunfire reported near Japanese embassy in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: US contractor killed by land mine near Tikrit. CENTCOM reports one US soldier died from a non-hostile gunshot wound. Major power disruptions continue in Baghdad. New Iraqi police force receives minimal training and screening. US troops begin joint patrols with new Iraqi police in Ramadi. US Army will provide more pipeline security by November 15. US troops accidentally kill three Iraqi civilians at Baghdad gun market. Oil for food program ends on Thursday. Another GI’s mom who didn’t get a hug sounds off. Some American politicians find time to visit wounded US troops. US troops begin to destroy homes of suspected insurgents. Whose brilliant idea was this? Who approved this policy? This is exactly what the Israelis have been doing for the last 20 years, and you can see how much success they have had. Lieutenant AWOL continues to milk the sympathy vote. “’I understand particularly when I go and hug the mums and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of those who died,’ today's edition of The Sun newspaper in London quoted him as saying.” The reality is that the lying poltroon doesn’t even want the casualties to receive military honors because he’s afraid the pictures might make him look bad. Analysis: Deteriorating situation in Iraq. “Unfortunately, like so much else associated with the US-led war against Iraq and its aftermath, events appear to be driven primarily by America’s political agenda rather than one that is in the best interests of the Iraqi people.” Which, of course, is exactly why the situation is deteriorating so rapidly. Attacks on oil facilities increasing. Chicago father visits soldier son in Iraq. The banner on the family home says it all: Proud of our soldier - Ashamed of our President. Wounded US soldiers are overloading the Army’s medical system. “Because of the overloaded system, the Army's treatment and evaluation process is taking far too long, according to Robinson and other critics. ‘It doesn't make sense. I know of people who are giving up their benefits to simply be allowed to go home, and others are leaving to go back to their homes without filing proper claims and not receiving proper medical care,’ said the veterans advocate.” Coalition of the Wobbly: Philippine President says she will withdraw troops from Iraq if security continues to deteriorate. Casualty Reports Local story: Mississippi soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Texas soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: South Dakota soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: West Virginia soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: More about a young North Carolina soldier killed in Iraq and already mentioned in yesterday's Casualty Report. Local story: Missouri soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Pennsylvania soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Illinois soldier wounded in Iraq. Operation Cut and Run Bushies want UN to save Lieutenant AWOL. “Nevertheless, Powell said in Washington, ‘I think it's time now with this new plan for the United Nations to determine whether or not circumstances will permit it to play a more active role inside the country.’” Bush’s “strategy” may lead to civil war in Iraq. “Clearly Bush wants the imagery of thousands of troops coming home as a backdrop for his election campaign. But that would be a dangerous collision of his foreign and domestic agendas because in truth, the US is likely to be stuck in its Iraq quagmire - we can now call it that - for years to come.”

War News for November 17, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Bomb in Kirkuk wounds Iraqi civilian. Bring ‘em on: Insurgents mortar central Baghdad. Bring 'em on: US troops conduct counter-insurgency raids in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: US troops conduct counter-insurgency operations near Tikrit. Bring 'em on: US troops conduct counter-insurgency operations near Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Oil pipeline bombed near Baiji. US raids antagonize Iraqi civilians. Power failures reported again in Baghdad. Time to take spaghetti off the White House menu! Italian official bolts Bremer's Mesopotamian satrapy. "The provisional authority simply doesn't work," the Italian daily Corriere della Sera quoted Calamai as saying. "It's neither fish nor fowl. Reconstruction projects that were promised and financed have had practically no results." Update: At Marine's Girl real Marines have landed and the situation is well in hand. Commentary Opinion: Insurgency is more than “dead-enders” and “hold-outs.” Opinion: This quagmire was predictable. “Had a peaceful resolution of these disputes been attempted, Bin Laden might now be in custody, Iraq might be a pliant and largely peaceful nation finding its own way to democracy, and the prevailing sentiment within the Muslim world might be sympathy for the United States, rather than anger and resentment.” Opinion: The empty suit. “Unlike Presidents Reagan, Bush I and Clinton, who all attended memorial ceremonies for troops killed in overseas terrorist attacks, Bush II declines to be present at services for soldiers who have died in Iraq. The pictures wouldn't be helpful.” Opinion: “I don't think the Bush administration lied to us about Iraq. It's worse than that. I think they fooled themselves. I think they were conned by Ahmad Chalabi. I think they indulged in wishful thinking to a point of near criminality. I think they decided anyone who didn't agree with them was an enemy, anti-American, disloyal. In other words, I think they are criminally stupid.” Casualty Reports Local story: Washington State soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: North Carolina soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: New Jersey soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Illinois soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Three Wisconsin soldiers killed in Iraq. More here. Local story: New Jersey soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: North Dakota soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: New York soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Oregon soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Ohio soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Texas soldier wounded in Iraq. Operation Cut and Run Bush wants the chocolate makers to get him out of his quagmire. “There have been no specifics yet about how the international community would control the mainly American and British forces in Iraq. Nato remains the only strong possibility because it would provide international credibility while leaving control with a military organisation which Washington dominates.”

War News for November 16, 2003 Bring 'em on: Three US soldiers wounded in ambush near Mosul. Bring ‘em on: Three Iraqi policemen wounded in Katyusha attack on police post in Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Seventeen soldiers killed, five wounded, one missing in yesterday’s battle in Mosul. South Carolina town has lost three soldiers in Bush’s War. Kidnapped Portugese journalist freed. NYT reports on wounded soldiers. Florida Guardsmen return from Iraq. “Great deal of hostility” toward US troops in Mosul. This place was friendly towards the United States back in April. On patrol in Baghdad. No chickenhawk here. This soldier should be an inspiration to all those conservative laptop commandos who expect somebody else to do their fighting for them. Lies come home to roost. I never planned to post a PFC Jessica Lynch story on this blog, because I think that soldier has had enough manipulation and victimization. But the serial lying and fabrications that characterize this administration are so well documented in this particular story, as well as the consequences of their lying. Those are lessons most children learn early, but the Bushies are slow learners. In one way, the story is wrong. Unless you completely fuck up all over yourself while in captivity, most POWs receive a Bronze Star Medal, as did PFC Lynch. Update: I was cruising around the ‘net tonight and I found that USNDEMVET did a follow-up to a story I posted earlier about the courageous Alabama bidnessman Winton Blount IV, who is braving shot and shell in Iraq to land those yummy CPA contracts. Turns out plucky young Winton is the grandson of Winton Blount, whose Senate campaign employed George W. Bush while he was AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard back in 1972. What a co-inky dink! Pure fucking intimidation. Marine’s Girl is closing her blog. Another Saddam Hussein tape turns up on Arab TV. Hey, Lieutenant AWOL, where is this guy? And where's Osama? What about that asshole who was sending all that anthrax through the US mail? Any luck with that traitor who compromised Valerie Plame? Could you find your own ass with both hands and a flashlight? Commentary Opinion: The beginning of the end. “With the US election only a year away the White House must find a way out of the Iraq nightmare. That is why George Bush’s man in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, returned to Iraq last week after emergency talks in Washington carrying a brand new strategy in his briefcase.” Opinion: What Iraq won’t get is self-rule. “The Prime Minister can't say it, but more than unilateralism, it was dishonesty that doomed George W. Bush's war on Iraq and soured much of the world on America. Incompetence — exacerbated by imperial arrogance and cultural ignorance — turned the occupation into a nightmare. Now, all those traits are in play in the American plan to ostensibly turn Iraq over to the Iraqis.” Editorial: From “stay the course” to “cut and run.” “Running away is not an option for the United States. President Bush, who promised again Friday that our troops ‘will stay . . . until the job is done,’ can't allow domestic political considerations to alter the timetable for finishing the job.” Oh, but you can bet your bottom dollar that Lieutenant AWOL will put his precious political ass above national interest. You don’t realize that Bush is nothing more than a big-talking pussy of the first order. Opinion: “In Vietnam, we faced more than 1 million enemy combatants backed to the hilt by North Vietnam and its superpower… In Iraq we confront a few thousand Baathists and jihadis with, at most, limited support from Iran and Syria.” I love the way these chickenhawks use the word “we.” This conservative armchair field marshal wasn’t in Vietnam, nor is he anywhere near the shooting in Iraq. Editorial: Time to make a decision on Iraq. “It's time to stop this nonsense and either beef up the military presence in Iraq or fold up our tent and skulk home.” Editorial: Extricating America from Bush’s Quagmire. Opinion: A truly foolish adventure. “As things stand, the coalition must now choose in Iraq between two different kinds of disaster. If their troops stay the course, they seem certain to face increasing popular hostility and military threat. If they depart relatively soon, Iraq will almost certainly descend into chaos of a fearful kind. To remain will be terrible; to leave probably worse. In my years of observing Western foreign policy, I have never witnessed a more foolish adventure than the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq.” Operation Cut and Run Bush wants out. “Bush said the United States will not spend ‘years and years’ in Iraq as a new government takes shape.” L. Paul Bremer will “help” write new Iraqi constitution. Analysis: Saving Lieutenant AWOL. "If the plan succeeds, Mr. Bush could declare an end the formal American occupation of Iraq by early summer, just as the presidential campaign heads into its final and decisive stretch."

War News for November 15, 2003 Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed, two wounded in Baghdad bomb ambush. Bring ‘em on: Total casualties from Bush’s War exceed 9,200. Bring ‘em on: US forces Iraqi translator killed in Mosul ambush. Bring ‘em on: Witnesses report US casualties in second Baghdad bombing. Bring ‘em on: Large explosion, smoke plumes reported near Bremer’s compound in central Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Twelve US soldiers killed, 9 wounded after helicopters collide during RPG attack in Mosul. According to this report, the US helicopters were responding to assist a US infantry patrol that had been ambushed in a residential section of Mosul when one was struck by an RPG. Bring 'em on: Train derailed by explosion near Samarra. Cleric warns US military operations will “make things worse.” Walter Reed Hospital: The wounded “just keep coming.” German defense minister visits wounded US troops at Landstuhl Army Hospital. Soldier sounds off on talk radio. “Macek's strident criticism of President Bush may have opened her up to disciplinary action according to US Central Command Spokesmen Major Pete Mitchell based at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida. ‘If she has said these things about the Commander-in-Chief she has opened herself up to disciplinary action,’ said Mitchell.” What about those two dingbat colonels in the 82d Airborne who are busy organizing phony astroturf campaigns from a combat zone? European views of Bush’s Quagmire. Which is about to become their quagmire. Analysis: Lots of potential for corruption when the Bushies cut and run. L. Paul Bremer tosses some scraps to the poodle. “Paul Bremer, the US civil administrator in Baghdad, has been pushing for British firms to be included in the new round of bidding. He told The Times last weekend that he was "entirely sympathetic" to the argument that Britain's military contribution had earned that right. Commentary Editorial: Japan must look closely at Iraq. “Conditions on the ground in Iraq are too far removed from those envisioned by the special measures law passed by the Diet for sending SDF troops.” Editorial: Bush can’t hide the human toll from Iraq. “It may seem parochial, but the death of one American soldier at the hands of enemy forces will matter more to American citizens than the issuance of new currency for 20 million Iraqis. On any given day, that is the story from Iraq, the story of the ultimate price of this war. It cannot, should not, be minimized.” Editorial: “‘You not only have a former Guardsman in the White House, you have a friend,’ President Bush declared during a 2001 visit to an Air National Guard base.” Read this to see how Bush screwed Guardsmen. Casualty Reports Local story: Pennsylvania soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Florida soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Texas Guardsman wounded in Iraq. Rant of the Day The Bushies are getting ready to cut and run. How do I know? When was the last time you heard them chanting their “stay the course” slogan? This war was always about domestic politics and keeping Bush’s poll numbers propped up. There were never any WMDs in Iraq and they knew it. There was never any connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda and they knew it. Professionals in our own government warned them that all hell would break loose if they invaded Iraq, but they chose to believe the neo-cons and Chalabi’s exiles. They went in half-assed, without a plan, without support and now they find themselves in a political trouble at home. The problem is that the Bushies never think about long-term consequences. From the minute they launched the first Tomahawk strikes on Baghdad in March, the Bushies painted the United States into a very small corner. There are no good options for America, thanks to the ineptitude and incompetence of George W. Bush and his handlers. Some options are better than others. But you can bet that the Bushies will choose the course of action that limits their short-term political pain at the expense of long-term cost to America. So we’re back to domestic politics and propping up Bush. Cut and run, blame somebody else, and to hell with the consequences. I'm starting a new section on this blog just to track Operation Cut and Run. Like everything else on this blog, it'll evolve with time as the Bushies make their "plans" (for want of a better word) clear. Oh, by the way, there's one other way I know they're going to cut and run: that's Dubya's style. The pattern of his entire wasted life has been to leave an enormous pile of shit everywhere he goes and expect others to clean it up for him. Operation Cut and Run: Watch what they do, and listen carefully to what they say. What they’re doing: US works to expedite handover. Reports say US will hand over power by June. CENTCOM reinforces forward command post in Qatar. Sure looks like a precursor for a retrograde operation. What they’re saying: Bush says US will remin until Iraq is “free and peaceful.” The goalposts are moving. Rummy says no troop reductions in Iraq. Lieutenant AWOL begs international aid groups to remain in Iraq. “’It is very important for the leaders of the NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to recognize that if they don't go into Baghdad, they're doing exactly what the terrorists want them to do,’ Bush told reporters.” Translation: Clean up this pile of shit while I cut and run.

War News for November 14, 2003 Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers killed, three wounded in bomb attack near Samarra. Bring 'em on: US contractor killed in convoy ambush near Balad. Bring 'em on: Portugese journalists attacked near Basra. One wounded, one kidnapped. Bring 'em on: Three US troops wounded in bomb ambush near Mosul. Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers wounded in Baghdad bomb ambush. Bring 'em on: Four US soldiers and Iraqi policeman wounded in three seperate ambushes near Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: Three US soldiers wounded by bomb ambush in Fallujah. Coalition of the Wobbly: Japan delays troop deployment to Iraq. Coalition of the Wobbly: South Korea limits future deployments to 3000 troops, orders troops already in Iraq to remain in barracks. Coalition of the Wobbly: Berlusconi now says he "tried to stop Bush." US in Iraq casualties exceed total US Vietnam casualties from 1962 - 1964. Returning Guardsmen find themselves unemployed. Bremer's CPA creates propaganda network in Baghdad to target US electorate. "Mr. Smith, the Coaliton Provisional Authority's senior media advisor and a Bush family friend, said it would be a live feed consisting of press conferences and daily highlights, with open satellite coordinates available to anyone--including the local affiliates to whom President Bush recently gave exclusive access in his end-run around the networks. Mr. Smith said it would free up the American public--and the CPA--from reliance on network news 'interpretation.'" Casualty Reports Local story: New York soldier killed in Iraq.

War News for November 13, 2003 Bring 'em on: One US soldier killed, one wounded in bomb ambush in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: US troops attacked in Fallujah. Six Iraqi attackers killed, four wounded. Bring 'em on: Ukranian troops wounded in convoy ambush near al-Aziziyah. Bring 'em on: US troops seize explosive-packed ambulances at checkpopint in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Iraqi police fire on demonstrators in Samawah. Bring 'em on: US troops under RPG fire in Mosul; Iraqi guard killed. (Second-to-last paragraph of this story.) Bring 'em on: US troops conduct counter-insurgency operations in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: US troops conduct counter-insurgency raids near Mosul. Bring 'em on: More explosions reported in Baghdad. US losing "hearts and minds" campaign in Iraq. "'We had one of our workers out here the other day who said, `We take your money today, and we will shoot you tomorrow,'" said Capt. Tammy Galloway, a public affairs officer with the 82nd Airborne Division, stationed in Ramadi, 60 miles west of Baghdad." Relations sour between US troops and journalists in Iraq. Soldier's mother says Bush "personally responsible" for son's death. I guess she didn't get a hug. Bush begins Operation Cut and Run. Casualty Reports Local story: Tennessee Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: Florida Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: Texas soldier killed in Iraq. Home Front Anti-Bush War veterans removed from VFW-sponsored Florida parade. "A group of 30 military veterans critical of the war in Iraq hoped to use Tuesday's Veterans Day parade to call attention to the increasingly deadly conflict but instead found themselves fighting for something much more fundamental. Members of Veterans For Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against the War were yanked off a downtown Tallahassee street, directly in front of the Old Capitol, while marching in the holiday parade they had legitimately registered in." This is why I hate the VFW.

War News for November 12, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Twenty Italian soldiers and civilians killed in truck bombing in Nasiriyah. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed, two wounded by roadside bomb on patrol near Tajii. Bring 'em on: One US soldier killed, two wounded by roadside bomb ambush in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Explosions again reported in Baghdad. US military operation reported in progress. 21,000 reported killed in Iraq since begnning of Bush's War. US troops accidently kill five Iraqi civilians near Fallujah. CIA says Iraq security posture will deteriorate across the entire country. The future Bush and the neo-cons have created in Iraq. US troops mistakenly fire on car carrying a member of the IGC. IGC President wants immediate provisional government in Iraq. Gee, I wonder why? You can’t tell the players without a scorecard. Some brief biographies of members of the IGC. "Groundhog Day" for US troops in Iraq. I really want to thank the Aussies for covering this war while the US media is flat on its ass. Some Vietnam veterans think Bush is a liar. “’I don't think we should be there,’ said Richard Wright, who served in the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam. “’At the beginning, I was behind the president 100 percent. But the truth wasn't told.’” Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice… Concerns increase that commercial troop carriers might get shot down at Baghdad airport. Eric Schmidt calls bullshit on Cheney's lies about Iraq and Al Qaeda. Sen. McCain says situation in Iraq is worsening and time is running out. Another Army colonel thinks he's Rush Limbaugh; diversifies into the propaganda business. "'In spite of what you hear from the hyped-up, election-year media, we are winning this fight,' Fuller wrote in an August newsletter. He says he was tired of seeing television reporters portray the situation in Baghdad as out of control, when in his opinion, conditions actually were improving." Proving once again that the most lasting effect of airborne training is the part where they drill a hole in your head and suck out half of your brain. Commentary Opinion: What Americans didn’t see on Veterans’ Day. “And what of those who come back on stretchers and in wheelchairs, to Andrews Air Force Base, not in aluminum cases, to Dover? ‘The wounded,’ Vermont's Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy told his Senate colleagues last month, ‘are brought back after midnight, making sure the press does not see the planes coming in with the wounded.’” Opinion: The Bush-Blair Iraq is a catastrophe in progress. Casualty Report Local story: Virginia soldier killed in Iraq.

A Veteran’s story for Veteran’s Day: Georgia soldier wounded in Iraq. “Martinez became a one-man pep squad several months ago, when nurses in BAMC's world-renowned burn ward asked him to speak to some depressed patients who were refusing to do their physical therapy. His words helped, and he's been volunteering ever since.” And some last letters home. War News for November 11, 2003 Bring 'em on: Attacks against US troops have escalated to 30 per day. Bring 'em on: Baghdad civil court bombed. Six wounded, including two Iraqi policemen. Bring 'em on: Three US soldiers wounded in roadside bomb attack near Mosul. Bring 'em on: More explosions reported in central Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Four Iraqi civilians killed by roadside bomb in Basra. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi oil executive ambushed in Mosul. Bring 'em on: British security consultant wounded in ambush. A war in search of a strategy. L. Paul Bremer returns to Washington for "consultations." Gen. Myers says US is "revising" strategy in Iraq. "Gen. Richard Myers said warplanes, bombs, and aerial assaults are now a part of that plan." Iraq faces severe health crisis. Oil facility sabotage expected in Iraq and now Saudi Arabia. Veterans compare Iraq to Vietnam. Press wants to interview wounded soldiers, but it takes several weeks to process the requests. A story you won’t see in the US media, but you can bet the rest of the world will see it. Troop morale in Iraq. Commentary Opinion: The Names Bush Won’t Mention. Opinion: Support the Troops. “But it's hard to deny the stunning insensitivity of President Bush's remarks back on July 2: ‘There are some who feel like that, you know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is bring 'em on. We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation.’ Those are the words of a man who can't imagine himself or anyone close to him actually being in the line of fire.” Opinion: “For all its fine words, this CEO White House has little empathy for workers or soldiers, the ''grunts'' who make this country go. Enlisted men and women in Iraq have been treated badly. Many go into occupation with useless flak jackets that date from the Vietnam era.” Opinion: Remember the wounded. "...an even deeper anger is for those who start such conflicts without thinking about what will happen to young Americans, carelessly saying: 'We must accept casualties for the national good.' Such statements are made by men who never were in combat and never were in harm's way. At the top of that list is a president who did not serve in Vietnam though he had the chance; who said "bring 'em on!" when he was not the one to fight; a president who dared to pretend that he had been in combat by landing on the flight deck of a carrier, claiming falsely that the war was over; a president who flew over Baghdad, safe in an airplane, when earlier presidents - Lincoln in Richmond in 1865 and Kennedy in Berlin in 1963 - risked their lives to show an American presence in places of great tension and danger." Opinion: Soldiers die when leaders lie. "I was a lieutenant in 1969 and 1970 with the First Brigade Fifth Infantry Division in the Quang Tri province of South Vietnam." Casualty Reports Local story: Maine soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Pennsylvania soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Texas soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: North Dakota soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Arizona soldier wounded in Iraq. Home Front Lieutenant AWOL celebrates veterans' day by laying wreath at Arlington, signing Fallen Patriots Tax Relief Act, (a cleverly-named piece of legisaltion that doubles the tax-free death gratuity payment given to the families of soldiers KIA and which the AWOL rat bastard fought tooth and nail) and the National Cemetery Expansion Act, and then running off to a nice, friendly Heritage Foundation fundraiser.