Today in Iraq

War News for February 29, 2004 Bring 'em on: One Estonian soldier killed by small arms fire near Baghdad. Bring 'em on: One Iraqi police officer shot dead in Kirkuk. More on fundamentalist vigilantes in Basra. "Most worrisome have been the kidnappings and sometime murder of women whose actions have been deemed un-Islamic. A few weeks ago, local newspapers reported the shooting death of a young woman who worked in a video store--which extremists brand as pornographic." Kidnappings in Baghdad. IGC fails to meet deadline for interim constitution. Troop rotation. "A passing convoy of soldiers from an engineering unit, grizzled and weary veterans after a year in the country, stopped to help. 'I've gotta get out of this country,' one engineer said, shaking his head at the sight of the damaged Humvee." This is why war should always be a last resort. "Soldiers from the 25th were en route to a meeting Feb. 18 with tribal leaders, accompanied by remnants of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, which is leaving Iraq after a year. A bomb exploded near their convoy, the military said, and in the chaos that followed, soldiers chased the women and shot them after they didn't heed warnings to stop." Three stories of wounded soldiers. Lieutenant AWOL's revenge. See yesterday's item on thieves falling out. "The U.S.-led authority running Iraq decided Friday to reopen the competition for a multimillion-dollar contract to equip the new Iraqi army which had been awarded to a small Virginia company lacking arms-dealing experience. The decision by the Coalition Provisional Authority to reevaluate the $327 million contract will further delay the creation of a new Iraqi army of 40,000 men who would lessen the risk faced by U.S. soldiers who are performing the bulk of military patrols." Commentary Opinion: "So hell-bent were President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair to go to war that they were not only misleading the world by exaggerating Saddam Hussein's threat, they were also stooping to snooping on the United Nations for any scraps of intelligence to help line up enough votes to authorize war or, failing that, to discredit and ignore the world body, which is what they did in the end. Yet here we are, less than a year later, watching these two apostles of unilateralism turn to the U.N. to help extricate them from a mess of their own making. This near-miraculous turn of events is attributable to a combination of continuing chaos in Iraq and the advent of the presidential election in the United States, on the one hand, and on the other, the moral authority of an aging ayatollah in Iraq and the high priest of the U.N. in New York, Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Call it the triumph of democracy and decency." Analysis: "Meanwhile, an analogous dynamic is playing out at the worldwide level. In the past 20 years, the US has come to be perceived as a global market-dominant minority, wielding wildly disproportionate economic power. In the eyes of many across the globe, the US is the ultimate crony capitalist, ruthlessly using its minority economic power to dominate the politics and policies of other countries." Casualty Reports Local story: Iowa soldier wounded in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

War News for February 28, 2004 Bring 'em on: US troops ambushed by roadside bomb in al-Qaim. Two Iraqis killed, three wounded. Bring 'em on: Five US soldiers wounded in two bombings in Tikrit. (Last paragraphs.) Bring 'em on: Oil pipeline ablaze near Samarra. Bring 'em on: One Iraqi policeman killed, five policeman wounded by bomb in Baquba. Bring 'em on: Two suspects killed after attack on Iraqi police checkpoint in Mosul. Bring 'em on: Iraqi police officer killed in roadblock attack in Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: US troops under mortar fire near Fallujah. Bring 'em on: One Iraqi killed in RPG attack on PUK offices in Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: US convoy attacked near Ramadi. Bring 'em on: US convoy ambushed by roadside bomb near Khalis. Bring 'em on: British patrol ambushed by roadside bomb near Basra. Terror in Basra. "Gangs of armed militants, operating with almost complete impunity, are terrorizing the streets of Iraq’s second-largest city, assaulting and killing alcohol and video merchants in a campaign to impose their rules on what was once the most liberal city in the country." Bush administration opens new front in propaganda campaign against the US electorate. Shi'ite members walk out of constitutional discussions. Resolution 137 and the future of Iraq. Al-Sistani demands elections before end of the year. IGC unable to meet deadline for draft constitution. Donor conference begins in Abu Dhabi. Putin says Iraq is now a haven for terrorists. Ol' Pooty-poot knows all about terrorists. Ocotber surprise? "Iran's state radio, quoting an unnamed source, today said that Osama bin Laden was captured in Pakistan 'a long time ago.'" A falling out among thieves. "The senior officials said the White House's mood toward the INC changed markedly after Chalabi told a British newspaper Feb. 18 that it didn't matter whether the group's prewar information was correct because its goal of ousting Saddam has been achieved… Several officials said Bush was angered by Chalabi's comments and was determined to find out if the INC or anyone with ties to it is seeking personal gain from the war in Iraq. 'His (Chalabi's) time is rapidly coming,' said one senior official." Bullshit. Everybody knows these INC jokers are cashing in on the Iraq boondoggle. Lieutenant AWOL is pissed because Chalabi embarrassed him and now the Bushies want to get even. Ask Paul O'Neill how these assholes operate. "Moral clarity," my fat ass. A small town in Iraq. "Abu Yousef said some villagers sympathize with the fighters, and while they might not provide them with help, they don't report them to the Americans either. 'If this continues much longer, many people will be active fighters. The Americans are not welcome here.'" Commentary Analysis: "The American conundrum is that while Washington seeks to restore Iraqi sovereignty as soon as possible, it wants to ensure that the future leaders of Iraq will safeguard its interests. It is a tall order because the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq has unleashed forces which even America's military may not be able to control effectively." Opinion: "While some believe that, prior to the invasion of Iraq, supporters of the war abused the phrase 'support our troops' mostly as a tool to intimidate those who were unsure of the invasion's necessity, there must have been at least some genuine concern on the part of the war's supporters for the safety of our armed forces. Today, however, those same war supporters are virtually silent about showing support for our troops who are tragically being killed and maimed daily. Like so many others, they have become desensitized to the tragic and unnecessary loss of our soldiers' lives." Letter to the Editor. "The Iraq war has been nothing but an ill-conceived smokescreen. How naive could this bunch of warriors in Washington be to think that we would roll in and roll out—victorious, triumphant, with lasting peace and democracy in a region where America and all it stands for are reviled? Such beliefs by President Bush and his administration are simplistic and misguided at best, manipulative and Machiavellian at worst." Opinion: "When President Bush ran for office in 2000, one of the major messages coming from his campaign was 'military men and women, help is on the way.' He has since sent the United States military into two significant engagements and has relied on their professionalism and efficiency to support his reckless foreign policy. But surely, with soldiers so close to the President's heart, he has ensured that their needs are taken care of." Casualty Reports Local story: Massachusetts soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Arizona soldier killed in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

War News for February 25, 2004 draft Bring ‘em on: US contractor killed in Baghdad ambush. Bring ‘em on: Three Iraqi contractors killed, two wounded in Mosul. Bring ‘em on: Two Iraqi policemen killed in drive-by shooting in Mosul. Bring ‘em on: KDP offices in Mosul attacked, three DPK members killed in seperate attack. Bring ‘em on: Car bomb kills 10, wounds 45 in Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Oil pipeline sabotaged near Karbala. Bring ‘em on: US soldier wounded by roadside bomb in Kuwait. Bring ‘em on: Deputy police chief assassinated in Mosul. Bring ‘em on: RPG fired into Shi’ite mosque in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Four US soldiers wounded by roadside bomb near Baquba. (Incident buried deep in this elections story.) US helicopter crashes nearBaghdad . Demonstrations reported in Karbala and Hilla. CPA reports during the past week an average of 20 attacks against coalition military and four attacks daily against Iraq security forces. Report from Sadr City. “But for many, the welcome given to American troops has turned to distrust. Most residents say they have now put their faith in clerics and religious groups to keep the peace and serve the community. They talk of mosque volunteers handling chaotic traffic, schools run by clerics and street cleaning campaigns organized by religious groups, all taking the place of official public services.” Anser al-Islam expanding operations in northern Iraq. “According to interviews with captured Ansar members, the group is branching out from its former mountain strongholds to cities across Iraq. Its mission, too, has expanded, they say, from terrorizing local villagers to planning suicide bombings against the American-led occupation.” Fiasco to farce: “The deployment of 43 Filipino replacement personnel for the humanitarian mission in Iraq was deferred after US officials failed to release funds for the augmentation force…The government had earlier shouldered the expenses and allowance for the deployment of the first batch of the Philippine contingent to Iraq in August last year. ‘They are still here in the country because we don’t have the money needed for their stay in Iraq. From what I’ve heard, the US has yet to find a window in their budget to fund the deployment,’ Ramboanga said.” Commentary Editorial: “Battered by accusations focusing mostly on its contracts in Iraq -- worth $8 billion and climbing -- the politically connected Halliburton company has gone on a charm offensive. Television ads are running in Houston and Washington, and the company's chief executive, Dave Lesar, is telling journalists, as he told the Globe editorial board in a phone interview yesterday, that Halliburton gets a lot of this kind of work ‘because we're really good at it.’ But Halliburton's core business is oil field services, and much of its work in Iraq is nation building.” Analysis: “In varying degrees, several influential American conservatives close to (and in) the Bush administration apparently agree and see in Sistani and the majority Shi'ites (some 60 percent of the Iraqi population) the last best hope for a democratic Iraq, a democratizing Middle East, and a successful outcome for American intervention. I am afraid such hopes and expectations are ill-founded and not supported by the historical record or present-day realities.” Opinion: ‘The balance sheet has different elements. There has been the loss of many lives and much property, and the losses continue. The economic costs of the war are huge. The states which we would have expected to support and strengthen some basic principles of the UN order, in my view, set a precedent of ignoring or undermining this order by acting too impatiently and without the support of the Security Council. As a result, their own credibility has suffered and the authority of the UN Security Council has been damaged.” Casualty Reports Local story: North Carolina soldier dies in Iraq. Local story: Two Alabama soldiers wounded in Iraq. Local story: Wisconsin soldier wounded in Iraq. Awards and Decorations Local story: Two US Navy corpsmen decorated for valor. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

Note to Readers Yesterday and today have been difficult at work. Today's update will be posted around 11:00 am Pacific time.

War News for February 22, 2004 Bring 'em on: Sunni cleric assassinated in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: ICDC headquarters in Kirkuk attacked by insurgents. Bring 'em on: Insurgents attack home of Iraqi police chief in Mosul. Bring 'em on: US convoy ambushed by roadside bomb near Fallujah. Bring 'em on: Two Iraqi policemen wounded in roadside bomb ambush in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Polish troops under mortar fire near Karbala. British mediator warns against marginalizing Iraqi Sunnis. "Canon Andrew White, who is negotiating between the U.S.-led occupation authority and Iraq's rival sects, warned on Sunday of dire consequences if the once privileged Sunnis are increasingly marginalised as majority Shi'ites push for more power. 'My biggest fear is that if the Sunnis are pushed too hard, they will explode. They need to be won over, otherwise there will be dangers of civil war,' White, special representative to the Middle East for the Archbishop of Canterbury, told Reuters." Roadside bombs in Iraq. "Air Force Capt. David Malakoff, a coalition spokesman in Baghdad, said in a phone interview Saturday that 1,300 roadside-bomb incidents have occurred from mid-June to Feb. 6. They killed 120 and wounded 1,206. " Neo-cons at DoD continue to pay Chalabi for cooked intelligence. "The Department of Defense is continuing to pay millions of dollars for information from the former Iraqi opposition group that produced some of the exaggerated and fabricated intelligence President Bush used to argue his case for war. The Pentagon has set aside between $3 million and $4 million this year for the Information Collection Program of the Iraqi National Congress, or INC, led by Ahmed Chalabi, said two senior U.S. officials and a U.S. defense official." Bush's War isn't over for Americans, despite Lieutenant AWOL's carrier stunt. Home Front report. The Mortician's Story: "She didn't know his name. It was on a tag someplace and it had already been logged in. They did that the moment they brought the dead soldier off the plane from Iraq and into the morgue at Dover Air Force Base. The body had to pass through a metal detector in case there was some ordnance still there. He had been taken right from the dirt of Iraq and flown here." The next time your local fishwrap runs a headline about Michael Jackson and buries a story about the casualties of Bush's War on page 12, send them this Jimmy Breslin article so they can see what a real journalist looks like. Lieutenant AWOL's presidential priorities. The White House has a prominent press release displayed on their website about the passing of Spot, the family dog. But see how many press releases they post about the soldiers we lose every day. Idiot Watch Rep. George Nethercutt wants an apology from Sen. Patty Murray. "Sen. Patty Murray should apologize for frightening the families of the 81st Armored Brigade when she raised questions about the Defense Department's ability to provide adequate body armor and other essential equipment to the National Guard members on their way to Iraq, her main Republican challenger said Thursday." All the 81st Brigade members I know are still waiting for an apology from Featherbutt for his words quoted at top of this page. Commentary Opinion: "Americans aren't naive about war. They know it's a highly expensive enterprise, and a profitable one for defense contractors. Still, there will be little public tolerance for findings of price-gouging and overbilling by an outfit with ties to the vice president, who is nearly as invisible as Halliburton's troop meals." Opinion: "It was obvious that a nakedly American occupation was going to make Iraqis resent the United States. The Pentagon's ideologues couldn't see this, but Ayatollah Ali Sistani did. From the start he has refused to meet with any American, including Paul Bremer. But he met with the U.N.'s senior official, Sergio Vieira de Mello. When Washington argued that elections couldn't be held by this June, Sistani wouldn't buy it. But when Kofi Annan sent his envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, Sistani spent two hours with him and consented to a delay." Opinion: "Our president's political handlers want to compare the young Lt. George W. Bush to a man like Sgt. Elijah Wong of Mesa, the first Arizona National Guardsman to die in Iraq. That would be a mistake. I was in the room at the Guard headquarters in Phoenix last week when Sgt. Wong's sister, Helga, spoke of her brother. For anyone to compare the Elijah Wong of 2004 to the George Bush of 1972 would be a disservice to Wong and an embarrassment to Bush. At least if we are to believe Secretary of State Colin Powell. I'll get to him in a minute." Opinion: "As to the question of whom we should trust to be our commander in chief, I would pay much more attention to what these men did after Vietnam. It was President Bush, not his younger self, who took the advice of political advisers and decided not to attend the funeral of a single man or woman killed in Iraq. I, for one, thank God that Karl Rove wasn't advising Abraham Lincoln, or else President Lincoln might never have gone to Gettysburg. I would also pay more attention to Senator Kerry's work with the first President Bush, when in 1991 and 1992 they supported the use of diplomacy to end the war in Cambodia and to construct a roadmap towards normalization with Vietnam. Both of these men, along with Senator John McCain, were bitterly condemned for making peace. It was one of those rare and wonderful bipartisan acts that transcended politics. It is a story that could inspire us to believe that public service is worth it after all." Casualty Reports Local story: New York soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Wisconsin soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Connecticut soldier wounded in Iraq.

War News for February 20 and 21, 2004 Bring 'em on: Iraqi translator killed, four US soldiers wounded in ambush near Iskandariyah. Bring 'em on: One US soldier wounded in bomb ambush near Balad. Bring 'em on: Former Republican Guard officer assassinated in Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: Two attacks reported against US troops near Tikrit. Bring 'em on: US troops under fire in Ramadi, bomb discovered near mayor's residence. US soldier killed in traffic accident near Balad. Iraqi Resistance Report: February 15 - 18, 2004. L. Paul Bremer says no elections for elections 15 months. Al-Sistani calls for intifada if US troops remain past June 30th handover. Iraqi Kurds resist US demands for autonomy. " Iraqi leaders on both sides of the negotiations say the talks on the constitution are deadlocked over three main issues: the fate of the 60,000-member Kurdish militia, which Kurdish leaders want to keep; the boundaries of the autonomous Kurdish region, which Kurdish leaders want to expand; and the amount of oil revenue to be set aside for the Kurdish region…They say they are especially embittered by American leaders, who they say have forgotten the special relationship that grew up between the Kurds and the United States in the Persian Gulf war of 1991, when they were united against Saddam Hussein. 'Have the Americans forgotten that the Kurds are their best friends in the Middle East?' said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish member of the Iraqi Governing Council. Sorry, but you guys have just been Bush-whacked. Operation Cut and Run: Lieutenant AWOL wants UN help to clean up his mess. CIA replaces Baghdad station chief. Chalabi admits feeding bogus intelligence to gullible neo-cons, thumbs his nose at Lieutenant AWOL. "Mr Chalabi shrugged off charges that he had deliberately misled US intelligence. 'We are heroes in error,' he said. 'As far as we're concerned we've been entirely successful. Our objective has been achieved. That tyrant Saddam is gone and the Americans are in Baghdad. What was said before is not important. The Bush Administration is looking for a scapegoat. We're ready to fall on our swords if he [Mr Bush] wants.' General Myers won't say how long US troops will be in Iraq. "With more than 100,000 fresh U.S. troops beginning to arrive in Iraq, Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he could not say how many American troops would eventually be sent or for how long. 'It's unknowable,' Myers told reporters in Washington when asked how long U.S. troops will have to stay in Iraq to ensure a peaceful transition to democratic rule. 'If I gave a good professional estimate, then that would be a standard that people would point to,' Myers said. 'And knowing that we can't know it perfectly, we'd get hammered.' He said the Pentagon is 'going to have to let events dictate' when the military can leave." Remembering, of course, that Rummy shitcanned and humiliated General Shinseki, the last officer who gave a professional and honest estimate of occupation costs, and remembering Lieutenant AWOL selected Myers as CJCS for his ability to hype NMD, it's not surprising that Myers won't give a "professional" estimate. He doesn't have one. Lakeitel...er, entschuldigung, Herr Gerneral...Myers, you are a pussy. Shafted soldiers get bonus. "Army officials have settled on a compensation plan that would give soldiers whose tours in Iraq have been involuntarily extended a tax-free bonus of up to $1,000 each month." Childrens hospitals in Iraq. Slain soldier's mother sounds off. "Secretary of State Colin Powell's appearance at a Princeton University conference yesterday drew a group of protesters lined up on Nassau Street, across from the school's entrance. Among them was Sue Niederer, whose son, Army 2nd Lt. Seth Dvorin, was killed on Feb. 4 by a roadside bomb in Iraq. 'You killed my son,' Niederer shouted as the limousine passed by the crowd of people holding signs that labeled Powell a liar, murderer and war criminal." Mayor and two two US-trained ICDC members arrested in conjunction with Fallujah insurgent raid. Local Iraqi contract workers paying a high price. "One day last week, Iraqi driver Qassim Ali Al-Janabi rolled up to the Green Zone gate with a truckload of barriers. Al-Janabi has a short trip from a factory in downtown Baghdad, but he said Iraqis unhappy that he is working with Americans continually harass him. His truck is pierced with bullet holes, and someone broke his windshield with a rock. The most dangerous part of his work is when he is exposed while loading the barriers onto the truck, he said. Two drivers from his company were killed making deliveries, he said." I wonder how much Halliburton is paying these guys? Casualty Reports Local story: Kentucky soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Pennsylvania soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Florida soldier wounded in Iraq. Awards and Decorations Local story: Alabama soldier decorated for valor. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

War News for February 19, 2004 Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers, one Iraqi civilian killed in roadside bomb ambush near Khaldiyah. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier wounded in ambush near Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier wounded in heavy mortar attack at Abu Ghraib. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi scientist assassinated in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: One Iraqi policeman wounded in roadside bomb ambush in Baquba. US soldier seeks asylum in Canada. The soldier is a combat veteran of the Afghanistan campaign. Commentary Opinion: “Iraqis are suspicious of the United States’ motives there — not unreasonably, given reports of inflated contracts and expedited bidding processes. The United Nations’ stronger presence will give greater legitimacy to the postwar effort. It will deflect criticism that America is only after Iraq’s oil.” Casualty Reports Local story: Michigan soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: South Dakota contractor wounded in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

War News for February 18, 2004 Bring ‘em on: Two Iraqis killed, six coalition soldiers wounded in car bomb attack in Hilla. CPA reports an average of 17 attacks per day on Coalition troops and four attacks per day against Iraqi police during the last week. US mortar fire kills three Iraqi civilians near Tikrit. LTC Russell, please tell me you didn't authorize unobserved H &I fire missions in a populated area. Please tell me you didn't put that in your fire control plan and your targeting matrix doesn't include random H & I fire. Tell me your fire control plan requires a forward observer with eyes down on the target for every fire mission and every swinging dick in your battalion is supposed to know that. Because if you're shooting unobserved indirect fire in a populated area and civilians get killed, don't come crying to me that somebody fucked up the grid coordinates. It's your goddamb fire control plan. Richard Perle says “heads should roll” at US intelligence agencies. “Richard Perle, a chief proponent of last year's U.S. invasion of Iraq, yesterday called for the chiefs of the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency to step down because of their faulty conclusions that Saddam Hussein possessed mass-killing weapons. Perle, a close adviser to U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, said top officials made no attempt to skew the intelligence about Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction. Instead, he implied, top policymakers relied in good faith on the conclusions of the intelligence agencies.” Good idea! Let’s start with YOUR head, Dickie. Army issues draft After Action Report for invasion phase of Iraq War. CPA abandons caucus plan. “The development marks another major policy adjustment for the Bush administration in its efforts to install a stable, post-Saddam Hussein government in Iraq. It would rewrite a hard-won Nov. 15 agreement between U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer and Governing Council members.” US allies angered by crony contract. “The award of a major contract to equip the new Iraqi army has triggered an uproar in staunch U.S. allies Poland and Spain, where officials are questioning why their nations' experienced arms companies lost out to a U.S. company with little history in such project. The $327 million contract to supply everything from canteens to AK-47s was awarded in January to Nour USA, a Virginia-based company whose president is A. Huda Farouki. Farouki is a close friend of Ahmad Chalabi, a controversial member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council who has close ties with some Pentagon officials. The winning bid was so much lower than those by the Polish and Spanish companies — both for more than $500 million — that officials from the two nations have questioned Nour USA's ability to make good on the contract.” A soldier’s grim homecoming. Attacks on contractors jeopardize reconstruction. “While attacks on military targets and Iraqi citizens have received widespread attention, the assaults on the companies, which have left at least 17 dead and others wounded, are lesser known. Those attacks could jeopardize the success of the coalition efforts in Iraq, according to a Coalition Provisional Authority document reviewed by The Washington Post.” The Hollow Army. “While increasing America's worldwide obligations, the Bush Administration has been reluctant either to shore up traditional soft-power assets, especially alliances, or to take the steps necessary for maintaining hard power. In particular the Administration is dead set against increasing the military's end strength. This is partly because it would be expensive: each soldier adds $50,000 to $100,000 to the annual Pentagon budget. But mostly it is because Rumsfeld believes so strongly and argues so forcefully, inside and outside the Administration, that the military must become smaller, as part of a ‘transformation’ to a radically leaner and more agile force, before anyone can think about making it larger again. Rumsfeld's determination to reform the military is his most admirable trait. But as he showed by insisting on a disastrously small force for Operation Iraqi Freedom, when gripped by theory Rumsfeld can be blind to practical realities. The military—particularly the Army—is hidebound and inefficient. But right now, for the jobs it has been assigned, it is also too small.” Commentary Opinion: “Still, recent polls show that a lot of jaw-tensing is going on right now in the country. You have to wonder: Is this really a President who turned centuries of international law on its head, who misled Americans with justifications for invasion that have turned out to be spectacularly false, sent other sons and daughters into a war that continues to kill one or two of them every day, has concocted half-baked plans for rebuilding a land torn asunder, and plunged the U.S. budget into an ocean of red ink so he could figuratively stare into Saddam's eyes and say, ‘You tried to kill my father. Prepare to die.’ Bush has some explaining to do if he is to be reelected.” Casualty Reports Local story: Wisconsin soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Arizona soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Maryland soldier dies in Iraq.

War News for February 17, 2004. draft Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed, one wounded by roadside bomb ambush near Tall Afar. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi police patrol ambushed near Kirkuk. One insurgent killed. Bring ‘em on: One Kurd killed in drive-by shooting in Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: Iraqi trade official assassinated in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers, one Iraqi civilian wounded in RPG attack near Ramadi. Bring 'em on: US troops ambushed by roadside bomb near Mosul. Insurgent attacks become better organized. "The US military says that the tactics used in the al-Fallujah attack do not resemble those of al-Qaeda or other known terrorist groups. A US military official, speaking to the Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency on condition of anonymity, said that a group skilled in 'small-unit tactics' conducted the raid. These 'would not be the same tactics that al-Qaeda would employ', the official said. 'These are military tactics. It points to former military members.' Mayor of Fallujah questioned in recent insurgent attack. Anti-American sentiment in Baghdad. “It does not take much to ignite anti-American anger in Iraq - just a car accident with the U.S. military is enough to deepen suspicions over the occupation.” Report: One terror incident occurs every day in Kirkuk. Analysis: “One revelation of Bush's ‘Meet the Press’ interview last week is that the president views his ‘enemies of freedom’ equation as much more than a rallying cry: It guides his policy decisions. He clings with almost theological intensity to his belief that fighters in Iraq are terrorists determined to destroy freedom. ‘There are people who desperately want to stop the advance of freedom and democracy because freedom and democracy will be a powerful long-term deterrent to terrorist activities,’ Bush said, explaining why he was not surprised by the insurgency…But there's also little doubt that most of the roadside bombings and grenade attacks, particularly in the so-called Sunni Triangle, are by Iraqis who were not part of a larger terrorist organization before the war. On ‘Meet the Press,’ Bush referred to attacks by ‘disgruntled Ba'athists’ loyal to Saddam Hussein, but the weight of the evidence, especially since Hussein's capture, is against the view that anyone is fighting for a Hussein restoration.” Insurgents in Fallujah call for end to attacks on Iraqi police. Mass migration or ethnic cleansing? “In a quiet mass migration, Arabs are fleeing their villages in northern Iraq and Kurds are moving back in, reversing Saddam Hussein's campaigns of ethnic cleansing and effectively redrawing the demographic map.” Operation Cut and Run. “Ready or not, the process is beginning. US forces are already adopting a lower profile, moving their bases to the periphery of Baghdad and other urban centers. While the new Iraqi police, the civil defense corps, and Army will still receive backup from American-led coalition troops, Iraqi and US officials are voicing doubts about Iraq's ability to handle such hot spots as the volatile Sunni triangle west and north of Baghdad.” Brigadier General Kimmit says some Iraqi cities not yet ready for local control. “Each city's situation will determine when coalition forces move to the outskirts of the city, allowing Iraqi security forces to take responsibility, Kimmitt noted. ‘When the conditions in the city are right, the level of insecurity is down to a certain level, and Iraqi security forces are ready, then the coalition forces will make that determination,’ he said.” IGC members no longer support Bremer's transition plan; want sovereignty passes to IGC until elections. I wonder what Sistani thinks about this idea. Seems he was pretty clear about direct elections. Our national humiliation is complete. “'Bush could not debate a Cuban ninth grader, who knows more than he does,’ Castro said in a speech closing an international conference of economists hosted by his communist government. Castro had his audience of 1,400 economists in stitches when he read out some of Bush's more unfortunate statements. Commentary Opinion: Halliburton and corruption. “Defense Department officials declined to testify. You would think the Pentagon would be interested in reports of gouging. Just another evasion regarding Iraq.” Editorial: "The common thread here is that the Bush administration took unlikely worst-case scenarios and inflated them drastically to justify an immediate invasion without international support. The Senate committee will need to find out not just why the intelligence was so wrong, but also the extent to which the administration misused it to stampede the nation." Casualty Reports Local story: Alabama soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Minnesota soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Pennsylvania Guardsmen injured in Kuwait. Local story: Connecticut soldier wounded in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

War News for February 16, 2004. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed, one wounded by roadside bomb ambush in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: One US soldier killed, four wounded by roadside bomb in Baquba. Bring ‘em on: One US civilian missionary killed, three wounded in ambush near Mahmudiyah. Bring 'em on: Bomb at Shi'ite neighborhood school in Baghdad kills two Iraqis, wounds three. Fixing what’s broke in Iraq. First, you gotta change the dim bulb in the White House. Former UN Humanitarian Coodinator for Iraq says US policy in Iraq provoked insurgency. “While it may have started with ‘a few loyalists’, the discontent has gained more ground, he explains, when the people saw there was no promise of normalcy – ‘no electricity, no water supply, no allowing their children to go to school’.” Aftermath of Fallujah insurgent raid. “In Fallujah yesterday, little effort was being made to recapture the escaped prisoners. Instead, Iraqi security men were in a state of heightened alert after threats of an imminent car-bomb attack. ‘This is a terrible job to have,’ said Mohammed Abbas, 22, a local policeman. ‘Fallujah is too dangerous for the Americans to patrol in, so they've left it to us to get shot at and killed.’” Baghdad fashion maven and incompetent administrator L. Paul Bremer admits he doesn’t have a clue. “Mr Bremer insisted that Mr Bush's deadline to hand over power still stood, though he could not say how an interim government would be chosen. He said the Americans were waiting for the recommendations of an UN mission recently sent to find a way out of the impasse, under Lakhdar Brahimi, a veteran Algerian diplomat. Mr Bremer said: ‘We're waiting to see what he [Mr Brahimi] says when he issues his report, hopefully in the next week or 10 days.’ He said the eventual solution ‘may be different from the caucus plan.’” L. Paul Bremer blames “foreign fighters” for Fallujah raid. Bremer can’t seem to comprehend that these insurgents are pissed off former members of the Iraqi Army that he and Wolfie disbanded despite the advice of professional officers, State Department area experts and even members of the Iraqi Governing Council. If you want to fix “what’s broke in Iraq,” start by throwing this ridiculous little peacock in fake combat boots back to his perch at the Heritage Foundation. Growing signs of impending civil war in Iraq. Analysis: Applying conservative crackpot economic theory to Iraq. “If prospects are as dismal as my analysis suggests, international contributions to the US-driven reconstruction effort is likely to be little more than money flushed down the drain. This does not mean that the world should abandon Iraq. But the international community should direct its money and other resources to humanitarian causes, such as hospitals and schools, rather than backing American designs.” Neo-cons plan to avert civil war by ethnic cleansing. “The Kurdish issue could explode soon in Kirkuk, an oil-rich city that is home to a volatile mix of Kurds, Turkmen and Sunni Arabs. The Kurds want to ensure that the population of Kirkuk has a Kurdish majority – in hopes of adding the city to any Kurdish zone of autonomy. They want to move out Sunnis who were forcibly settled there by Saddam Hussein in the 1980s in an attempt to “Arabize” the region. This Kirkuk relocation scheme is backed by senior Pentagon officials, who think it would defuse tensions. But Paul Bremer, the US occupation chief, is said to be wary, arguing that Kirkuk is too risky a place to begin any nationwide policy of relocation.” (Emphasis added.) Great idea, Rummy! That's how Milosevic kept things from getting out of hand in Yugoslavia. I hear he's relaxing in Holland after that smashing policy success. The Despot of Messpot threatens to veto Iraqi constitution if Iraqis want to include Islamic law. "Asked what would happen if Iraqi leaders wanted to write into the constitution that Islamic sharia law is the principal basis of the law, Bremer suggested he would wield his veto. 'Our position is clear. It can't be law until I sign it.'" IGC member wants new Iraqi government to try Saddam Hussein, who may soon receive a visit from the Red Cross. Iraqis arrested for smuggling suspected uranium near Mosul. The $600.00 Elections. " With a knack for improvisation and little help from Baghdad, Bradley, the political adviser for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Nasiriyah, has carried out what may stand as one of the most ambitious democratic experiments in Iraq's history, a project that goes to the heart of the debate about how Iraq's next government should be chosen…With about a month of planning -- at a cost of about $600 each -- Bradley organized back-to-back elections this past week in Chebayish and Fuhud, towns of dirt roads, stagnant puddles and cinder-block huts that border the resurrected marshes Hussein sought to drain in the 1990s. Banners in Fuhud that called voting 'a moral, religious and national duty' competed with Hussein-era slogans still painted on walls of the one-story girls' school. 'Down with the Jews,' one intoned." Reading this article makes me realize how badly Bremer has mismanaged the entire post-war administration of Iraq, and also makes me wonder what the United States could have accomplished with General Garner's original State Department team (which was replaced by Bremer's outfit after some palace intrigue by Rummy.) Garner's team was composed of professionals like Bradley and based its post-war planning on the US State Department's Future of Iraq Project. In contrast, Bremer's crew based their post-war plans on fantasies hatched at the Heritage Foundation, and his "team" consists of conservative ideologues, Bush business cronies and 90-day ticket-punchers. A few months ago I posted a column by Joe Galloway describing the interview process Doug Feith used to select senior CPA administrators. Candidates were questioned about their views on abortion and personal faith, but no weight was given to a candidate's ability to speak Arabic or regional knowledge. Commentary Opinion: "What kind of idiots do these people take us for? Having failed to find the weapons of mass destruction they allegedly invaded Iraq for, having failed to be greeted with open arms by grateful Iraqis, and having arrested only a handful of foreigners among the thousands of suspects they have rounded up since the resistance movement started blowing up American soldiers and local collaborators, do they really think that they can persuade us that this 'foreign terrorist' -- they have just raised the price on his head from $5 million to $10 million -- is the source of all their troubles in Iraq?" Casualty Reports Local story: California Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: Rhode Island missionary killed in Iraq. Awards and Decorations Local story: Pennsylvania soldier decorated for valor. Local story: Washington State soldier decorated for valor. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

War News for February 15, 2004 Bring 'em on: Two US convoys ambushed simultaneously in Baghdad. One US soldier wounded, one Iraqi killed, six Iraqis wounded. Bring 'em on: Insurgents fire RPGs at Iraqi police near Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: Firefight reported between US troops and insurgents near Qaim. Bodies of missing US soldiers found near Mosul by Iraqi police. US soldier dies in vehicle accident near Baghdad. Instability may delay transfer of sovereignty. "By Saturday afternoon, rumors about the unknown gunmen were flying through the streets and in the corridors of Fallujah General Hospital, where angry tribesmen stormed in to demand the bodies of the dead, waving guns and smashing hospital windows." The "worst week yet." "The raid raised questions about the preparedness of some Iraqi police and defence units to take on security duties as the US administration wants. Guerrillas have killed more than 600 Iraqi security and police personnel since April in an attempt to undermine US efforts to prepare Iraqis to take over security of the country." Iraqis demonstrate at Abu Ghuraib for information about detainees. Analysis: "The warning cannot be dismissed by the White House as politically motivated since USAID is a government agency. Off the record at least, some US officials agree. Last week, speaking anonymously, one said the prospect of Iraq slipping into civil war was real. He pointed to the parallels with the civil conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and in parts of the former Soviet Union which broke out following the collapse of authoritarian rule." The schools. "For Iraq's young, the post-Saddam Hussein era has meant refurnished schools, the freedom to speak openly and the promise of a brighter future. But it's also meant a daily obstacle course of potential catastrophes, ranging from the violence in the streets to the domestic anxieties caused by energy shortages or suddenly unemployed parents." KBR recruiting soldiers for contractor jobs in Iraq. Planning for Lieutenant AWOL's Operation Cut and Run. The Permanent Scars of Iraq. "It's been nearly six months since Shrode and Bricklin arrived home from Iraq. Shrode lost most of his right arm, which was amputated just below the elbow in a Baghdad field hospital. Even healed, his face is pitted with purple shrapnel scars the size of raindrops. Bricklin, a broad-shouldered former competitive swimmer who came home honeycombed with shrapnel, bears larger, raw-looking scars from his thigh to his neck. Both men have significant hearing loss, cocking their heads like a couple of old-timers in order to grasp what's said. They are plagued by headaches and are convinced they've had some memory loss. Between them, they've had nine operations since getting, as they like to say, ''blown up'' in Iraq. Shrode, who is shorter and stockier than Bricklin and speaks with a soft Alabama accent, still visits the base hospital five days a week for occupational therapy. Once a month, he sees a military therapist. He has tried, without luck, to persuade Bricklin to get individual counseling too." Chalabi uses US taxpayer-funded reconstruction projects to get richer, create private army. "U.S. authorities in Iraq have awarded more than $400 million in contracts to a start-up company that has extensive family and, according to court documents, business ties to Ahmed Chalabi, the Pentagon favorite on the Iraqi Governing Council… But it is an $80-million contract, awarded by the Coalition Provisional Authority last summer to provide security for Iraq's vital oil infrastructure, that has become a controversial lightning rod within the Iraqi Provisional Government and the security industry. Soon after this security contract was issued, the company started recruiting many of its guards from the ranks of Chalabi's former militia, the Iraqi Free Forces, raising allegations from other Iraqi officials that he was creating a private army." Commentary Opinion: "Ten months after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s despotic regime, the situation is getting ever worse. According to aid agency USAID there were more attacks during January than any month since September. These included 642 organised assaults involving mortars, hand-grenades and small-arms, 522 ‘random’ incidents from drive-by shootings to rock-throwing, and 11 attacks on coalition aircraft. Little wonder that, as we report today, there is a growing demand for British machine-guns and other weaponry from security firms in Iraq." Opinion: "Well, that year will be up in a few weeks and we seem no closer to getting out of Iraq. And our soldiers are still dying at the rate of more than one per day. Those who don't see Iraq as another Vietnam are right in one respect. During Vietnam, America cared. Now it seems that only a handful of us even acknowledge there is still a war going on." Editorial: "Now, if you believe that Mr. Cheney’s status — he still owns stock in the company valued at $18.7 million, according to CNN, and he is still on the company payroll to the tune of more than $150,000 a year — has nothing at all to do with Halliburton’s ability to continue doing business with the government despite its record, you’d probably be interested in some nice beachfront property in Brogue. Given this record, the government should revoke all of its contracts with Halliburton and vigorously investigate whether Mr. Cheney, during his tenure with the company, was party to what appear to be multiple, serious violations of U.S. law." Opinion: "I always believed that preserving the army would be critical to reconstruction. I had been involved in rebuilding political, economic, social and security institutions in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and I knew that if we could reshape existing structures rather than starting from scratch, we would have an advantage. The regular Iraqi army -- not the Saddam-loyal Republican Guard -- offered this opportunity. I was surprised when the Iraqi army was disbanded. This decision, along with the complete 'de-Baathification' of the government, has proved a miscalculation." Opinion: "We are approaching another turning point in the Iraq saga. If this moment is handled well by U.S. officials, Iraq's prospects will improve. If it is handled badly, Iraq will sink, and U.S. casualties will soar. The turning point involves the Bush administration's promised handover of political sovereignty to Iraqis by June 30. U.S. officials haven't been able to come up with a workable formula for the handover. They're so panicked that they invited a U.N. delegation to Baghdad to try to devise a solution." Editorial: "That's why it makes little sense to wait until March 31 of next year -- nearly five months after the election -- for the report of the panel named by the president to look into the quality of the intelligence related to weapons of mass destruction. This panel must get to the bottom of what American spies and political leaders knew about Iraq's WMD and Hussein's terrorist connections. Did the president or his aides spin or hype the intelligence? Were senior officials, in and out of the CIA, pressured to 'improve' the intelligence product?" Opinion: April 16, 1972. Casualty Reports Local story: Florida soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Two Texas soldiers wounded in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

War News for February 13 and 14, 2004. Bring 'em on: One US soldier killed, two wounded in bomb ambush near Baghdad. Bring 'em on: ICDC routed by insurgent attack in Fallujah; 20 killed, 30 wounded. Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers killed, one wounded in roadside bomb ambush near Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Mortar attack reported in Samawah. Bring 'em on: General Abazaid's ground convoy ambushed in Fallujah; two Iraqis killed. Bring 'em on: Two US soldiers wounded in separate attacks near Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: Three US soldiers wounded in mortar attack near Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Two Iraqi policemen killed in Ramadi ambush. British soldier dies in vehicle accident near Shaibah. CENTCOM website now omits non-battle deaths. USAID report documents increasing violence in Iraq. "It attributed some of the civilian violence to rising ethnic tensions between Kurds, Shias and Sunnis, noting that several corpses, probably of ex-Ba'athists, were found in the south 'with hands bound and bullet wounds to the head'…Iraqi security advisers to the Governing Council have put part of the blame for the failure to contain the violence on the decision of Paul Bremer, US administrator, to abolish the country's security forces." Shi'ites losing patience with US presence and lack of security. UN elections envoy rules out early vote, warns of civil war. IGC members favor abandoning Bremer's caucus plan. "Opposition to the US plan among the Governing Council is significant because it was a signatory of the November 15 agreement, along with the US-led occupation authority. Following yesterday's meeting with Brahimi, several council members from different factions, as well as others familiar with the discussions, said opposition among Iraqi leaders was likely to quash the caucus formula." US military suicide rate increasing. Find this sorry bastard and lock his ass away. Halliburton's taxpayer-gouging investigated. " Company managers, they say, ordered employees to break up purchase orders into pieces of less than $2,500, the threshold at which a contractor must seek bids from more than one vendor. One vendor could receive several contracts under the threshold without sparking greater scrutiny." US troops accused of drowning Iraqi civilian near Samarra. Iraqi hospitals in ruins. Chalabi's exiles systematically lied to US intelligence. And Wolfie, Feith and Perle systematically sucked it all up, too. Support the troops! Bush-appointed panel recommends closing three VA hospitals. And they also recommended building a new hospital in Florida for Jebby Bush. Big surprise! British television covers the story the Americam media won't touch. "One patient, Staff Sergeant Maurice Craft, had his leg blown off in November by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He'd gone to liberate a land whose people turned out to be hostile. It was a nasty surprise...Says Sgt Craft, 'A lot of people are getting hit. What they are showing are the deaths. They are not showing this here. They have a death toll but they're not showing the number of people being hit and being amputated because of their injuries.' "Channel 4 News: 'And in you're opinion, the number of wounded in action, the number wounded generally, is quite high?' "'Yes'... "President Bush may have declared major combat operations in Iraq over ten months ago, but fresh planeloads of wounded soldiers continue to fly into Andrews Air Force base every week, unseen by most Americans." Commentary Editorial: Bush's Iraq adventure goes bad. "Of course, CPA flacksters might dismiss this on-scene reporting, insisting instead that the 'silent majority' is on our side. But, if so, why has the CPA opposed a genuine vote on the future of the country this summer -- breaking earlier commitments about bringing true democracy to Iraq? After all, if Americans could conquer Iraq in two weeks, couldn't they hold an election in 15 months? But maybe the Bush administration is afraid of the election results. After all, it would not be good for George W. Bush's own election results, this coming November, if post-Saddam Hussein Iraq elected a fundamentalist Islamic cleric, complete with beard, turban and anti-American zeal." Opinion: Conservative says Lieutenant AWOL is no Reagan. " If Reagan could deal with Lebanon and Iran-Contra within a few months, surely Bush could have done the same with Iraq. By choosing not to do so, Bush has shown himself unworthy to claim the Reagan mantle." Opinion: The Fear President. " Actually, President Bush wants you emotionally stuck in the horrible aftermath of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The weeks following the atrocities saw the president transformed into a forceful commander-in-chief and brought him sky-high approval ratings. With his ratings now down to about 50 percent, he'd love to flytrap American voters in a 9/11 mindset until November -- which, he thinks, would ensure his re-election." Casualty Reports Local story: California soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Oregon soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Wyoming Guardsman dies in Iraq. Local story: Arizona Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: Virginia soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Iowa soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: New York soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Ohio soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: Maine soldier wounded in Iraq. Awards and Decorations Local story: Two Virginia Marines decorated for valor. George W. Bush's military records. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

War News for February 11, 2004 Bring ‘em on: Four Iraqi policemen killed in Baghdad ambush. Bring ‘em on: Bombing in central Baghdad kills 23 Iraqi Army recruits. Bring ‘em on: Four Iraqi policemen killed in separate bombing in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: US troops break up insurgent ambush near Muqdadiyah. L. Paul Bremer’s caucus plan "fast becoming impossible to defend with a public that is finding its voice and wants to express its will directly.” Has the CPA had any plans that proved successful yet? Commentary Opinion: The US Secretary of State has no credibility. “Powell's ‘evidence’ and ‘facts’ have proved to be not only ‘assertions’ and ‘conjecture’, but erroneous ones at that. But one year, one war, no UN resolution and thousands of deaths later, we are still waiting for someone to pay the price for a conflict that never needed to start and sparked a resistance that shows no sign of ending. Fatal blunders like these, it seems, are priceless. The politicians who authorised the war say they were tricked. The intelligence agencies who provided the material to justify it say they were pressured or misinterpreted. The leaders who used that material to make their case for it say they were misinformed or misunderstood. And the military, of course, just follows orders. No one takes responsibility, no one has yet been held accountable.” Our own “president” refuses to accept responsibility, so why should Powell? Casualty Reports Local story: Ohio soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Washington State soldier killed in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

War News for February 10, 2004 Bring ‘em on: Car bomb kills 50 Iraqis at Iskandaryah police station. Bring ‘em on: Attempted rocket attack reported near Baquba. Bring ‘em on: Three Iraqi bodyguards wounded in assassination attempt against pro-US tribal leaders near Ramadi. Bring ‘em on: One Fijian security contractor killed, another wounded in mortar attack at Baghdad airport. Bring ‘em on: Attempted pipeline sabotage reported near Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Four Iraqi policemen assassinated in two attacks in Baghdad. Two US soldiers killed, five wounded in munitions accident near Mosul. Attacks against coalition military averaged 22 per day with three daily attacks against Iraqi police during the past week. Iraqis angry about US hostage policy. “’If they are dealing in the same methods that Saddam used to use, what have they come here for?’ the 35-year-old asked.” Good question. Over to you, Don Rumsfeld. Returning refugees cause ethnic friction in Kirkuk. “U.S.-led forces are trying to keep Kurds who lost their homes in Saddam's campaign of ethnic cleansing from coming back too quickly, hoping to avert humanitarian and political problems. Kirkuk, which sits on some of the world's largest oil reserves, is considered a difficult case in the political tangle of the new Iraq. Its inhabitants are made up of Kurds, Turkomen, Arabs and Christians. Rivalry among the three Muslim ethnic groups has led to bloodshed in recent months.” Analysis: “Generations of colonialism followed by Saddam Hussein's rule drove fissures through Iraqi society that are now widening as politicians and clerics appeal to religion and ethnicity in advancing their demands. In the angry clamoring of Shiite and Sunni Muslims, and of Arabs, Turkmens and Kurds in the north, many Iraqis, foreign diplomats and allied military officers say they discern the first smoke of broad communal strife.” From “embeds” to targets. “This latest report is not the first in which the military has ducked accountability in attacks on journalists covering Iraq. The Pentagon has yet to release a full report into its investigation of the shelling of a Baghdad hotel last April, in which two journalists were killed. And when a Reuters cameraman, Mazen Dana, was shot dead last August while filming near Baghdad, the military's subsequent conclusion was that the ‘regrettable’ shooting was ‘within the rules of engagement,’ but to date the details of the investigation remain secret.” The police chief in Fallujah. Regular readers may remember that the previous CPA-appointed mayor of Fallujah was arrested on corruption charges in November. This article includes this embarrassing revelation about the assistant mayor appointed by the CPA: “Worse, the mayor's chief assistant was accused last summer of calling in a mortar strike on his own city hall to scare off a visiting civilian delegation from the Baghdad-based Coalition Provisional Authority. No one was injured, but the assistant was arrested.” Actually, if the assistant mayor was calling insurgent mortar strikes I doubt if the intent was merely to “scare off” visitors. L. Paul Bremer sure knows how to pick the winners. Halliburton hires for Iraq contract positions. “The civilian wartime duty, hazardous and uncomfortable, offers a hard-to-find opportunity for blue-collar workers such as Hoehne: a paycheck of $80,000 to $100,000 and a chance to feel they are serving their country.” Halliburton subsidiary takes over Army postal operations in Baghdad. Let's see, Halliburton replaces a soldier making $20,000 with a civilian contractor making, say $60,000, add in profit for Halliburton, contractor support costs, transportation, and Dick Cheney's cut of this action and the question becomes just how is this particular contract in the taxpayers' best interest? Army Corps of Engineers changes its story on Halliburton's no-bid contract. "Faced with price-gouging allegations involving Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, the Army Corps of Engineers now acknowledges it alone awarded Halliburton new business in Iraq after initially suggesting experts from other U.S. agencies played an important role. The Army Corps of Engineers told The Associated Press that the Corps -- not an evaluation team cited on its Internet site -- chose Halliburton for a contract worth up to $1.2 billion. The Corps is refusing to release records showing on what merits it made the decision." Lieutenant AWOL knew he was peddling lies about WMD. "What that comparison showed is that while the top-secret version delivered to Bush, his top lieutenants and Congress was heavily qualified with caveats about some of its most important conclusions about Iraq's illicit weapons programs, those caveats were omitted from the public version." Whopper of the Day: Bushies say exporting jobs is good for the US economy. Commentary Opinion: The real voice of America. Canadian newspaper columnist gets letters. “I've received a huge e-mail response from around the globe in reply to my last Sunday Sun column. In it, I contended that George Bush's fabricated war against Iraq was a far worse crime than Watergate, and said the president and his men were either liars or unbelievably inept…Typically, half of my e-mail from Americans is hate mail of the vilest and most loutish kind from Bush-adoring rustics, neo-conservatives, and enraged religious militants. Last week, the vast majority was effusively supportive. In recent months, bitter resentment boiling up across the U.S., and surging public anger over Iraq, have become evident. More and more Americans believe they were lied to, misled and/or defrauded by the Bush administration over Iraq - which one witty reader calls ‘Mess-Opotamia.’” Opinion: Perle, Frum and PNAC. “Time could he running out for the ‘endless war’ brigade. Their loud-mouthed paranoia has ill-served the Bush administration. When push comes to shove, the American people may yet surprise us all... and pleasantly so.” Opinion: "The Bush administration is trying to evade accountability for its belligerent interpretation of the intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction that led us to war in Iraq last year. As citizens, we should not permit this to happen, despite the willingness of the major media to play along." Opinion: CPA bungling makes Iraqis demand direct elections. "Following liberation, many Iraqis, especially the oppressed Shiite and Kurdish populations, felt that at long last the country was coming back to them ­ that it was no longer Saddam Hussein’s Iraq but theirs. They were excited that a new chapter had opened and that a new Iraq was in the making, one that wouldn’t marginalize them. But ominously, a series of meetings on Iraq’s future was then held behind closed doors, and the people had only a distant vision of these, provided only by Arab satellite television stations. What Iraqis saw chilled them: American and selected Iraqi participants parading in and out of these meetings, occasionally issuing only the most general and noncommittal statements to the media. The rebuilding of the new Iraqi state still has not taken the shape of a real national project. So far, political parties recognized by the US have been scrambling to grab as large a slice of the pie as possible…Worse, some of them have a stronger commitment to Iraq’s neighbors ­ their old allies in the pre-war world of exile politics ­ than they have to building a healthy state." Editorial: "The polls suggest Bush has struck out three times with these ever shifting rationales. More Americans now mistrust him than trust him. Prime Minister Paul Martin must keep this flailing in mind, if Bush proposes to use force against other threats 'before they become imminent.' Americans were sent to war on false pretences. Allies don't have to oblige." Editorial: "The interview barely had begun when President Bush pitched his basic message: 'I'm a war president. I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign-policy matters with war on my mind. ... The American people need to know they got a president who sees the world the way it is. And I see dangers that exist, and it's important for us to deal with them.' In fact, the president saw dangers that did not exist, and he dragged America into a war because of that mistake. He has tried so many times to justify it that each new remark takes the nation further from the truth." Editorial: Lieutenant AWOL's circular logic. "Sadly, George W. Bush's performance during a 'Meet the Press' interview on Sunday was lackluster across the board. By now, Americans are familiar with a kind of contagious unease they sometimes feel, watching the president fumble for answers. What was downright unnerving this time, however, was the president's failure to betray even a whisker of the possibility that he has learned something from the collapse of prewar intelligence on Iraq." Casualty Reports Local story: Wisconsin soldier wounded in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

War News for February 9, 2004 Bring ‘em on: US soldier killed by roadside bomb ambush near Mahmudiyah. Bring ‘em on: US patrol ambushed by roadside bomb in central Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers wounded in bomb ambush near Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier wounded in RPG ambush near Mosul. Bring ‘em on: US troops attacked in Tikrit by insurgents including an Iraqi police major. Bring ‘em on: Bombing of Kurdish political offices by Iraqi Shi’ite insurgents thwarted after firefight in Kirkuk. US offers reward for two missing US soldiers in Mosul. Bush administration disappears the wounded. “Zwerdling contacted Sen. Chuck Hagel (Republican-Nebraska), a Vietnam veteran and former deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration. Hagel explained that he had been trying to obtain certain information from Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, including the 'total number of American battlefield casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq'…The Nebraska senator also wanted an updated tally on the number of US military personnel who had received Purple Hearts and the dates they were awarded. Six weeks later, Hagel received the provocative reply: the Department of Defense did not have the requested information.” Iraqi factions defy CPA directives to disband militias. “There are three groups the American military considers to be active militias. First, there is the pesh merga, whose 50,000 soldiers are split between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Next is the Badr Organization, a unit of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a powerful Shiite party. Then there is the Mahdi Army, formed by Moktada al-Sadr, a virulently anti-American cleric who is Shiite.” 1500 Kurdish Peshmerga deployed to guard PUK offices in Baghdad. Prince Charles visits UK soldiers in Basra. Doesn’t parade around like a fool waving a stuffed turkey for the cameras, either. British Army reserve forces "stretched to the limits." Operation Cut and Run: Lieutenant AWOL pressures reluctant UN elections expert to clean up his mess in Iraq. Engineers struggle to restore electrical power in Baghdad. “The current average is 12 to 14 hours of power a day. Residents of Baghdad and central Iraq cope with longer blackouts than Iraqis in the far north and south, Wheelock said.” Lack of security critical factor in electrical power reconstruction. Support the Troops! Lieutenant AWOL’s budget shafts veterans. GOP promises to release .Bush military records Commentary Opinion: "What the international community really wants now is an objective and intelligent answer from Bush on why America went to war in Iraq - not unconvincing explanations and preposterous historical comparisons." Editorial: "Yesterday, in an interview with NBC's Tim Russert, after a week in which it became obvious to most Americans that the justifications for the war were based on flawed intelligence, Mr. Bush offered his reflections, and they were far from reassuring. The only clarity in the president's vision appears to be his own perfect sense of self-justification." Opinion: "'Now everyone is saying George Tenet put too much reliance on humint and we need to go back to national technical means,' one senior administration official told me. 'What was wrong was not humint but specifically the humint we got from Ahmad Chalabi and his Iraqi National Congress people and their defectors -- who have all proved to be either totally wrong or, worse, double agents putting out a line straight from Saddam or his intelligence people.' That human intelligence was not foisted upon the decision-makers by the CIA or the NSA. It came out of Vice President Dick Cheney's office and out of the Office of Special Plans, run by Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith, in the office of the secretary of defense, Donald H. Rumsfeld….'They are really laying low, hoping the CIA takes all the hits while they skate,' the senior official said. 'But they had much more impact on how the intelligence was read and acted on.' Because the bosses, Rumsfeld and Cheney, didn't like the intelligence product and analysis they were getting from CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency, they created Feith's happy kingdom. He crafted reports much more to their liking, based largely on Chalabi's wishful thinking and Israeli intelligence that had the aim of pushing us to take on Iraq and take out Saddam. None of these folks will be in the pen when the bipartisan blue-ribbon investigative commission begins waltzing around the truth and pinning the tail on a target chosen by acclamation. Not the vice president, not Feith, not Rumsfeld, and certainly not Chalabi." Opinion: "Virtually all of the evidence is in - and it is compelling - that the administration made a decision to go to war and then hunted for the intelligence to justify the decision. This led to key Cabinet officials using specious information in congressional and international settings to make a case for war. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld created his own intelligence shop in the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans to provide inflammatory intelligence to the White House to bolster the decision to go to war and put pressure on the CIA to follow suit. The postwar deterioration in Iraq could lead to a civil war that would demand a decision to cut and run or to endanger even more U.S. lives." Opinion: "Last fall, in fact, acclaimed journalist Seymour Hersh detailed in the New Yorker how Cheney and Rumsfeld set up an independent intelligence unit in the Pentagon that would serve as a place where the 'right' intelligence reports would be funneled to the White House. Hersh quoted Kenneth Pollack, a former National Security Council expert on Iraq, as saying what the Bush people did was 'dismantle the existing filtering process that for 50 years has been preventing the policy-makers from getting bad information. They created stovepipes to get the information they wanted directly to the top leadership. Their position is that the professional bureaucracy is deliberately and maliciously keeping information from them.'" Opinion: Jerry Falwell says God is pro-war. Casualty Reports Local story: Illinois soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: New York soldier dies in Iraq. Local story: Arizona sailor dies in Persian Gulf. Local story: Pennsylvania soldier dies in Iraq. Local story: Florida soldier injured in Iraq. Local story: South Carolina Guardsman wounded in Iraq.

War News for February 8, 2004 Bring 'em on: Bomb at office of Iraq's deputy police chief kills three, wounds eight in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Polish troops ambushed by roadside bomb in Karbala. Bring 'em on: Rocket attack at US base near Balad. Bring 'em on: Iraqi CDC troops attacked in Fallujah. Bring 'em on: Two US troops wounded by roadside bomb near Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Three Iraqi policemen killed, 11 wounded by bomb at police station in Suwayrah. Bring 'em on: US troops under mortar fire near Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: US troops attacked by small arms fire in Samarra. Japan cancels military flights into Baghdad International Airport due to poor security. Our Ever-Changing Story: Lieutenant AWOL now says Saddam "could have" made WMD. Japanese evacuate Baghdad embassy due to increased terror threat. Arab League report says CPA plans threaten regional stability. Corruption in Iraq's Oil Police. "Several international security companies submitted blind bids last summer for the lucrative contract to guard the oil industry. After the Coalition Authority awarded the contract to Erinys, a relatively obscure outfit formed only two years ago, allegations of impropriety surfaced. Some senior Erinys officials are associated with Ahmad Chalabi, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council and the darling of officials in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. U.S.-trained militiamen from Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, or INC, were hired as security guards, and the son of a senior INC member is a director of Erinys's Iraq operation. Coalition and U.S. military officials deny any impropriety in the bidding process, and Jonathan Garratt, Erinys's managing director, dismissed the allegations as sour grapes." Ethnic tensions in Kurdish Iraq. Iraqis feel more fear than freedom. "Since late December, at least 803 Iraqis have been killed or wounded in bombings, according to a tally of news reports and military releases. That's more than 20 Iraqis killed or wounded a day on average by the explosions, including explosive devices, car bombs and suicide bombers." KIA: 92 US soldiers younger than 21 killed in Iraq. Iraqi Resistance Report, February 5 - 7, 2004. Soldier's father writes letter to Lieutenant AWOL: "Burying a child will no doubt be the hardest task that his mother and I shall ever have to do. The one question I have, and the one question I would like you to answer, is, 'Why did my son and every other soldier that was killed, maimed and wounded have to suffer settling your vendetta?' My son is gone just when he was laying a strong foundation to build upon for the rest of his life. Now, President Bush, his life has been snuffed out in a meaningless war. Where are all the weapons of mass destruction, where are the stock piles of chemical and biological weapons?" Pentagon discloses eight more US deaths. Commentary Editorial cartoon: Lieutenant AWOL explains his military "service." Casualty Reports Local story: Iowa soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: New Jersey soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Iowa soldier wounded in Iraq. Awards and Decorations Local story: Indiana soldier decorated for valor. Local story: Illinois Marine decorated for valor.