Today in Iraq

War News for June 4 and 5, 2004 Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed, three wounded by roadside bomb in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Five US soldiers killed, five wounded in Baghdad ambush. Bring ‘em on: Informer’s brother assassinated in Mosul. Bring ‘em on: US troops under mortar and RPG fire at Baghdad police station. Bring ‘em on: CPA worker wounded, two Iraqi guards killed in Baghdad ambush. Bring ‘em on: Italian embassy mortared in Baghdad; one Iraqi killed, three wounded. Bring ‘em on: US troops under RPG and mortar fire near Najaf. Bring ‘em on: Five unidentified Westerners killed in ambush near Mosul. Bring ‘em on: Three Georgian soldiers wounded by mortar fire. Bring ‘em on: US ammunition site destroyed by rocket fire near Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Seventeen ICDC recruits wounded by rocket attack in Mosul. Cease-fire reported in Najaf. Marine units suffer high casualties. “Almost 10 percent of Kaifesh's battalion has been wounded, many of them during a three-week siege of the city of Fallujah. That attack was prompted by the April 5 massacre of four American civilian contractors.” Army units suffer high casualties. “The toll is easy to see in Cannon's platoon. It arrived here at full strength in early March; since then, nearly half the platoon has received Purple Hearts for combat wounds, and the unit has lost 10 of its original 39 members, with 2 killed and eight seriously wounded.” Rummy whines about media coverage of Bush’s War. "I suppose that for whatever reason, people seem to think that news isn't news unless it's bad news," Rumsfeld said, "because that's essentially what's getting reported." Pope John Paul II spanks Lieutenant AWOL. Stop-loss policy extended. “The first ‘unit-based’ stop losses went out in January 2002, applied to units identified in the Pentagon’s war plans for Iraq. Since that time, about 45,000 soldiers have been prevented from leaving the Army because of stop loss, Hagenbeck said.” Family members angry about extended deployment of Army reserve unit. “The unit, which has been serving in Iraq since April 2003, was supposed to return home last October, but the unit’s tour was extended another six months. Then last month, as reservists prepared to board a homeward-bound plane, their stay was extended by another 120 days.” Your tax dollars at work. “Since Iraq has little capacity to refine its own gasoline, the U.S. government pays about $1.50 a gallon to purchase fuel in neighboring countries and deliver it to Iraqi filling stations. A three-month supply costs American taxpayers more than $500 million, not including the cost of military escorts.” European press round-up on Lieutenant AWOL’s visit. “George W Bush is not the USA. If in Normandy on Sunday the president of the only remaining superpower receives the thanks of the people of Europe for liberation from the Nazi terror, then these thanks belong to the descendants of Franklin D Roosevelt and not the commander-in-chief in Iraq. This must be borne in mind, because Bush mentions the two military campaigns in the same breath.” From the Frankfurter Rundschau. Commentary Analysis: “For the Iraqis, soccer symbolized their struggle for life and dignity. But their U.S. occupiers were quick to seize on the publicity potential. Everyone from President George W. Bush to lowest-ranking Pentagon spin doctors has rushed to capitalize on the bonanza, eagerly touting the achievement as evidence that the U.S.-led invasion has revived Iraq's hopes and spirits.” Opinion: “Never burdened by reality, Bush says departing CIA chief George Tenet did "superb job." That assumes Tenet's job was to fail miserably to anticipate 9/11 and to goad Bush into going to war under false pretenses. Bush doublespeak is matched only by his amazing flip-flops, which are underreported. Armchair Strategist aims to fix this, with help from Center for American Progress, liberal (There, I said it!) think tank.” Opinion: “And fewer still challenged our political leaders on why, after 14 months of bloodshed, we're still taking hits in Iraq. After all, once upon a time these same cheerleaders were relentlessly proclaiming that the liberation would be quick and easy, and our forces would be welcomed with open arms.” Opinion: “The war in Iraq the United States has been waging is so drastically different from World War II that the parallels Bush has dredged up underline both his ignorance of history and a poorly disguised intent to confuse the public.” Casualty Reports Local story: California Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: Four New Hampshire Guardsmen wounded in Iraq. Local story: Indiana soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: South Carolina soldier wounded in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.