Today in Iraq

War News for May 13, 2004 Bring 'em on: Two Iraqis killed in continued fighting near Najaf. Bring 'em on: Two Turkish contractors killed in Mosul. Bring 'em on: One Filipino worker killed, four wounded in mortar attack near Balad. Bring 'em on: One US soldier killed, one wounded in roadside bomb ambush near Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Italian embassy under mortar fire in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Heavy fighting near Karbala. Bring 'em on: Rocket attack sets oil refinery ablaze in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: One Iraqi wounded in Baghdad mortar attack. Rummy goes to Baghdad. "He denied on the secret, 15-hour flight from Washington that the Pentagon was trying to cover up the scandal, which emerged when proceedings were opened in January against seven military police, who have now been charged, but exploded into a global issue with the release of soldiers' photographs two weeks ago. 'If anybody thinks that I'm (in Iraq) to throw water on a fire, they're wrong,' Rumsfeld told reporters on board. 'We care about the detainees being treated right. We care about soldiers behaving right. We care about command systems working.'" Contractors. "While on missions in Iraq last year, 35-year-old Todd Drobnick was attacked by small-arms fire, grenades and makeshift bombs. Yet he continued to go out day after day, until he died in a vehicle crash on his way from one U.S. military base to another. For his loyalty and dedication, he was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Thousands of Americans in Iraq have received such honors, but Drobnick's case was unusual: He wasn't a soldier. He was a private contractor working with a translation company." Gold Rush. "As many people, and not just the scandal junkies, are aware, KBR was awarded by the administration of President George W Bush a contract worth at least US$5 billion for 10 years in Iraq, for engineering and construction services and the rebuilding of civil infrastructure. If war may be a blessing from heaven for aspiring truck drivers in the heart of Texas, war is certainly a very good business for KBR. A few days ago Halliburton executives confirmed that the oil giant was collecting no less than $1 billion a month for their work in Iraq. This includes US taxpayers being overcharged $61 million for fuel and $24.7 million for meals, apart from a confirmed $6.3 million in bribes. Accusations are still flying: Halliburton has not rebuilt key nodes of Iraq's oil infrastructure and has skimmed Iraqi jobs for away from Iraqis." Commentary Opinion: "Our rhetoric stressing freedom, democracy and the rule of law rings increasingly hollow. Ultimate responsibility for our self-inflicted wounds in Iraq lies not with the soldiers but with an administration whose approach to the region is grounded in hubris. It is an administration with a mind-boggling lack of concern for what Arabs and Muslims think -- even as it made the deliberate choice to invade and occupy an Arab-Muslim country." Editorial: "The wrong is not a matter of a few bad apples, but a pattern of ignoring warnings and encouraging poor treatment of prisoners. It’s amplified by battles between branches of military and intelligence services that Rumsfeld — and, more important, his commander-in-chief — can’t seem to control. Nearly everyone in the president’s inner circle shares blame for this mess." Casualty Reports Local story: Virginia soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Oklahoma Guardsman killed in Iraq. Note to Readers Every Thursday over at Eschaton, Atrios runs a fund-rasier for John Kerry's Presidential campaign. I always intend to post a link, and I always forget. Bear in mind that every week Lieutenant AWOL and Dick "The Artful Draft Dodger" Cheney are raking in millions from their fund-raisers, and soon their big-money cronies at the "Club for Growth" and other right-wing special-interests will start running slime ads on all the major markets. America can't stand another four years of Lieutenant AWOL's failed policies, corruption, cronyism and piss-poor leadership. On the other hand, the big-money boys, corporate crooks and the sex-obsessed, Bible-thumping loons think Lieutenant AWOL is just dandy. That's Dubya's political base. They are disciplined and organized. They feed on your taxes, they hate your guts and if they are successful they will wreck this country. If you want to see an end to our national humiliation, go over to Eschaton, get up off the gelders and give Kerry twenty bucks or whatever you can afford. Tell Atrios Yankee sent you. Thanks, YD. 86-43-04. Pass it on.