Today in Iraq

War News for Thursday, January 27, 2005 There are some who, uh, feel like that, you know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is: bring 'em on. We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation." - George W. Bush, July 2, 2003 Bring ‘em on: Bombing near police academy in Kirkuk as US military convoy passes by, no casualties reported. Three polling stations near Kirkuk bombed. Two civilians injured in mortar attack on police station in Kaza. One policeman killed, another wounded in bomb attack on police car in Tikrit. At least one person killed in bombing attack on governor’s office in Baquba. Two voting centers near Fallujah bombed within twelve hours of their opening by US troops. Bring ‘em on: One US Marine killed, four wounded in mortar attack on their base near Iskandariyah. Eight Australian soldiers injured in car bombing on Baghdad’s airport road. Three Iraqis killed and seven injured in roadside bomb attack on passing US military convoy near Mahmoudiya. Iraqi bystander killed in roadside bombing attack on passing US military convoy in Tikrit. School administration building scheduled to be used as voting center blown up in Samarra. One Iraqi civilian killed and another injured in firefights between US troops and insurgents in Samarra. Continued fighting between insurgents and US troops in Ramadi. Body of former colonel in Saddam’s intelligence services found in Baquba, after his abduction two days ago. One Iraqi police officer killed, four injured by suicide bombing in Baquba. US soldier killed by ‘accidental gunshot wound’ near Tikrit. US soldier injured in roadside bombing near Kirkuk. Three Iraqis wounded in mortar attack near Khalis. Four ING soldiers and one officer kidnapped in Baghdadi. The Elections The Iraq Election Primer: In the first of a series of dispatches from Baghdad, David Enders lays out an essential guide to the Iraqi elections. Threats: “Leave your work in the election commission immediately or you will be killed and your house blown up,” read the letter addressed to Abu Ahmed. Soldiers are wary: "A lot of guys might tell you they're not afraid," he said. "I'll admit it. We're scared as hell of the elections." By April All Will Be Well Rumsfeld speaks: "You're looking at, I would guess, well into March, possibly into April, for these things to sort themselves.” Lawyers Seven Senators worthy of praise: By early evening, seven Democrats had spoken against Ms. Rice's nomination. Torturer: US-based Human Rights Watch said it opposes Alberto Gonzales' nomination as US attorney general because he "played a key role in providing legal justification for policies that led to torture and abuse of detainees in US custody." Good riddance: Douglas Feith would be the highest-ranking Pentagon official to leave the administration. The No. 2 official, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, has said he plans to remain. Guns Breaking the Army: The force level has been maintained by the Pentagon only by "stop-loss" orders that coerce soldiers to remain in service after their contractual enlistment expires - a back-door draft. Money Fox finds a year-old story: Investigations into how the U.S-led coalition spent Iraq’s oil revenues after the fall of Baghdad in 2003 have found several problems. Report of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board of the Development Fund for Iraq (PDF file). Rule of Law Hoffman is a hero: In a scathing personal ruling, one of the Law Lords, Lord Leonard Hoffman, dismissed government arguments that such detention was needed to protect Britain. "The real threat to the life of the nation, in the sense of a people living in accordance with its traditional laws and political values, comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these," he said. Perceptions Poll results: Pew found that 76 percent of Democrats but just 32 percent of Republicans agree that "good diplomacy is the best way to ensure peace." The Human Cost War story: Sprinting toward the burning Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Sgt. Blake Quebedeaux sees a man in his squad, wounded and covered in oil, struggling to pull another soldier out of the back. Knocks on 31 doors: And 31 families on the other side who don't want to answer. Commentary Profile of Joseph Galloway Analysis: With suspicion, uncertainty and dread, governments across the Middle East are waiting for Sunday's landmark parliamentary election in Iraq. Briefing Report: The election will succeed in one important respect: it will confer greater legitimacy on the Bush administration's project in Iraq. (Thanks to Carl Conetta of The Project on Defense Alternatives for sending us this report.) Boondocks Opinion: If the cost of this war, which most Americans blandly oppose, were added to the property tax or the sales tax, maybe we'd pay more attention to what we're doing. Analysis: The liberation of Iraq was to have been the war that paid for itself in spades and gave U.S. corporations the inside track on the greatest energy bonanza of the 21st century. Analysis: An analysis of five decades of modern terrorism reveals two unexpected and disconcerting truths: that the engine of the armed struggle is money, and that the deregulation of finance has allowed terror networks deeply to penetrate legitimate institutions of the international financial system. Opinion: The failure of the American Dream has only been highlighted by the country's foreign-policy failures, not caused by them. The true danger is that Americans do not realize this, lost in the reveries of greatness, speechifying about liberty and freedom. Opinion: Iraq is Vietnam on speed - the false endings of that tragic decade re-enacted and compressed in jump cuts, a quagmire retooled for the MTV attention span. Casualty Reports Local story: Northumberland County, PA, soldier killed in Baghdad. Local story: Pitman, NJ, Marine killed in helicopter crash near Rutbah. Local story: Martinsville, VA, Marine killed in Anbar province ambush. Local story: New Orleans, LA, Marine killed in Fallujah. Local story: Wheelersburg, OH, Marine killed in helicopter crash near Rutbah. .