Today in Iraq

War News for January 13, 2004 Bring ‘em on: Central Baghdad mortared, more explosions reported. Bring ‘em on: Iraqis riot in Kut over food and jobs. One coalition soldier and two Iraqi policemen injured. Bring ‘em on: Anti-American demonstrations reported in Fallujah, apparently caused by this incident of hostage-taking. Bring 'em on: US troops under RPG fire in central Fallujah. Four Iraqi civilians killed after US troops open fire. Bring ‘em on: Three Iraqi policemen killed in two ambushes in Mosul. Bring 'em on: US Apache helicopter shot down near Habbaniya. Goodwill of Iraqi Shi’ites towards US eroding. “But the relatively slow pace of reconstruction, soaring unemployment, fuel shortages, inadequate services and widespread charges of corruption have steadily eaten into that good will. Al-Sistani's warnings that more violence could beset Iraq if elections are not held may feed the rising frustration.” Iraqi Sunnis uniting for political leverage. Three years predicted before Iraqi electrical power is restored. Baghdad fashion maven and incompetent administrator L. Paul Bremer rules out compromise on Iraqi elections before he cuts and runs. Troops get their tours extended in Iraq. General Clark says Lieutenant AWOL was so obsessed with Iraq that he ignored warnings from Clinton administration about Osama bin Laden. Iraqis desperate for jobs. Human Rights Watch says US policies in Iraq may violate international law. Commentary Editorial: Iraq was a mistake and Bush is a liar. “Instead, the administration's case was based on two central pillars: Saddam possessed chemical and biological weapons in large quantities and was hot in pursuit of nuclear weapons; he also is closely tied in with Al-Qaida and other terrorist groups, to which he could at any time provide weapons of mass destruction for use against the United States or its friends. Neither of those assertions was true, and the administration had reason to know they weren't true. Indeed, according to a new book, former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill says that as early as January 2001 the Bush administration was talking about removing Saddam from power.” Editorial: Bush’s lies about Iraq are a legitimate issue for the 2004 campaign. “If WMDs and al-Qaida were not valid reasons for an American invasion, we must wonder whether bringing democracy and freedom to Iraq is the real justification for the American occupation. Or is this instead an exercise in projecting American military power into the heart of the oil-rich Middle East and closer to the borders of hostile states, including Syria and Iran? The American people should know, and we hope the election campaign will generate some answers.” Opinion: The Awful Truth. “People are saying terrible things about George Bush. They say that his officials weren't sincere about pledges to balance the budget. They say that the planning for an invasion of Iraq began seven months before 9/11, that there was never any good evidence that Iraq was a threat and that the war actually undermined the fight against terrorism.” Operation Cut and Run: Version 6.2 Team Bush "revises" Iraqi transition plan again. "Officials held a round of urgent meetings in Washington and Baghdad in the wake of the rejection on Sunday by a powerful Shiite religious leader, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, of the administration's complex plans to hold caucuses around the country to select an interim legislature and executive in a newly self-governing Iraq. Officials say they are responding to the cleric's objections with a new plan that will open the caucuses to more people and make their inner workings more transparent…The new hope in Washington, the officials said, was in effect to make the caucus system look more democratic without changing it in a fundamental way." Emphasis added. Casualty Reports Local story: Indiana soldier wounded in Iraq. Home Front Cheney raises cash for George "More Important Than A Couple of Dead Soldiers" Nethercutt in Portland, Oregon. "Oregon Republican officials said the event -- which carries a $1,000 admission charge, or $10,000 for those who want to have their picture taken with the vice president -- will attract at least 75 attendees."