Today in Iraq

War News for June 16, 2004 Bring ‘em on: Two oil pilelines sabotaged near Basra. Bring ‘em on: Oil pipeline near Kirkuk sabotaged. Bring ‘em on: One Iraqi killed in car bombing at US base near Hilla. Bring ‘em on: Two contractors killed in ambush near Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Oil company security chief assassinated near Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi police official assassinated near Hilla. Bring ‘em on: US patrol ambushed near Kut. Bring ‘em on: Four Iraqis killed by Ramadi car bomb targeting Iraqi police. Thailand to withdraw troops from Iraq by September. Poll results. “President Bush is fond of telling Americans they have liberated Iraq and that the country's future generations will be thankful. The current generation, however, overwhelmingly views U.S. forces as occupiers and wishes they would just leave, according to a poll commissioned by the administration.” Finders keepers. “U.S. President George W. Bush, careful to protect his biggest catch in his 15-month war, has made it clear he is in no hurry to hand Saddam Hussein over to the uncertain security overseen by an interim Iraqi government. Bush said yesterday it was in everyone's best interests to ensure the former Iraqi dictator faces justice for atrocities committed against his citizens and doesn't somehow avoid trial as Washington passes sovereignty to Iraqis in two weeks.” I’m sure Lieutenant AWOL has directed his elite legal team to prepare a brief explaining why the Geneva Convention doesn’t apply to his pampered ass. After all, we're a nation of laws. Wolfie’s back in Baghdad for “consultations.” Something you won’t see in the mainstream media. “Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., introduced legislation Monday he said would improve the system that allows worried families to track service members wounded overseas. Pryor said 44 of the 3,000 Arkansans deployed to Iraq in March as part of the 39th Infantry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, have been listed as "seriously injured" or "very seriously injured" and have been evacuated from the combat zone.” Commentary Opinion: “All of this is a ghastly scandal, one of the worst in American history. It is evident cause for impeachment of this president, if Congress has the courage to do it, and for prosecution of cabinet figures and certain commanders. However in view of the partisan alignment in Congress, quite possibly nothing will happen before the November election. What then? It also is quite possible that George W. Bush will be elected to a second term. In that case, the American electorate will have made these practices its own. Now that is something for our children to think about.” Opinion: “The key question is how high up the responsibility goes for these abhorrent acts. The War Crimes Act covers government officials who give the orders for inhuman treatment as well as those who carry them out. Since the War Crimes Act punishes for inhuman treatment alone, prosecutions under that act can by-pass any disagreement over the exact meaning of torture - and whether the Justice Department's absurdly narrow definition is correct. In addition, under international law, officials who know about the inhuman treatment and fail to stop it are also liable.” Opinion: “Bush was elected to lead the American people. With his arrogant conviction in the truth of his personal vision of God's will, he has led us into international and domestic disaster - the daily deaths of Americans in Iraq a year beyond his declaration of victory, revelations that reports of weapons of mass destruction were lies deliberately designed to justify a grab for power, graphic tapes and photos of grotesque American abuse of Iraqi Prisoners of War, the restriction of basic American freedoms at home and soaring oil prices affecting our local gas pumps. Our religious president should not only be asking God for forgiveness, he should also be asking the American people. He should ask us to forgive him for not being a better president.” Casualty Reports Local story: Two New York Guardsmen wounded in Iraq. Off Topic The Anti-Christ. “According to freelance journalist Wayne Madsden, ‘George W Bush's blood lust, his repeated commitment to Christian beliefs and his constant references to 'evil doers,' in the eyes of many devout Catholic leaders, bear all the hallmarks of the one warned about in the Book of Revelations--the anti-Christ.’” And Lieutenant AWOL recently asked the Pope to help him get re-elected and complained that “not all the bishops are with me.” 86-43-04. Pass it on.