LEGITIMACY OF ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS
"The United States (says) is not talking with terrorists, we will not talk to terrorists and we do not endorse or in any way support those who do."
"... (however)... the West has only three options in dealing with Islamist organizations: we can bomb them, we can ignore them, or we can talk to them... The question of legitimacy is important because for democracies, legitimacy is not conferred, but (has been) earned at the ballot box (by)...
* The Muslim Brotherhood (the most recognizable as well as the oldest pan-Islamic party in the region) is the most widely respected Islamist organization in the Middle East and the second-largest party in the Egyptian legislature...
* Jamaat e-Islami is the most powerful and respected elected opposition to the Pervez Musharraf government in Pakistan...
* Hezbollah forms the second-largest bloc in the Lebanese parliament...
* Hamas is now the majority party in the Palestinian Authority."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HD01Ak02.html
Friday, March 31, 2006
U.S. WRECKING DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ
"... the United States has started to take measures in Iraq that would wreck its most cherished goal there: democracy... campaigning to either dump the United Iraqi Alliance's (UIA) candidate for prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, or force him to withdraw... Bush is making it clear that his version of democracy in Iraq means having his preferred candidate at the helm..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC31Ak01.html
"... the United States has started to take measures in Iraq that would wreck its most cherished goal there: democracy... campaigning to either dump the United Iraqi Alliance's (UIA) candidate for prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, or force him to withdraw... Bush is making it clear that his version of democracy in Iraq means having his preferred candidate at the helm..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC31Ak01.html
Thursday, March 30, 2006
SADDAM BETTER FOR WOMEN
''Under the previous dictator regime, the basic rights for women were enshrined in the constitution... women could go out to work, university and get married or divorced in civil courts. But at the moment women have lost almost all their rights and are being pushed back into the corner of their house... (they) want to see security restored so at least they can go out freely without being attacked, kidnapped or having acid thrown on their face. In addition, women want equality, freedom and their rights to be recognised in the constitution, and above all to be treated as equal human beings.'''
--Houzan Mahmoud from the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0330-02.htm
''Under the previous dictator regime, the basic rights for women were enshrined in the constitution... women could go out to work, university and get married or divorced in civil courts. But at the moment women have lost almost all their rights and are being pushed back into the corner of their house... (they) want to see security restored so at least they can go out freely without being attacked, kidnapped or having acid thrown on their face. In addition, women want equality, freedom and their rights to be recognised in the constitution, and above all to be treated as equal human beings.'''
--Houzan Mahmoud from the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0330-02.htm
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
SHIAS UNITE AGAINST U.S. AFTER MOSQUE KILLINGS
"... the three main Shia factions united yesterday to denounce an American raid on a Baghdad mosque...
"At evening prayers, American soldiers accompanied by Iraqi troops raided the Mustafa mosque and killed 37 people," said Abd al-Karim al-Enzi, the security minister, who belongs to the Dawa party of the prime minister, Ibrahim al Jaafari. "They [the victims] were unarmed. They went in, tied up the people and shot them all. They did not leave any wounded."
"Baghdad's governor, Hussein Tahan, a member of the rival Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution of Iraq (Sciri), announced that local officials were ending their contacts with the Americans in protest at the killings."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1740904,00.html
"... the three main Shia factions united yesterday to denounce an American raid on a Baghdad mosque...
"At evening prayers, American soldiers accompanied by Iraqi troops raided the Mustafa mosque and killed 37 people," said Abd al-Karim al-Enzi, the security minister, who belongs to the Dawa party of the prime minister, Ibrahim al Jaafari. "They [the victims] were unarmed. They went in, tied up the people and shot them all. They did not leave any wounded."
"Baghdad's governor, Hussein Tahan, a member of the rival Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution of Iraq (Sciri), announced that local officials were ending their contacts with the Americans in protest at the killings."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1740904,00.html
Friday, March 24, 2006
DEFINITION OF CIVIL WAR
"Sustained military combat, primarily internal, resulting in at least 1,000 battle-deaths per year, pitting central government forces against an insurgent force capable of effective resistance, determined by the latter's ability to inflict upon the government forces at least 5 percent of the fatalities that the insurgents sustain." (Errol A. Henderson and J. David Singer, "Civil War in the Post-Colonial World, 1946-92," Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 37, No. 3, May 2000.) '
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/03/23/civil_war/index.html
"Sustained military combat, primarily internal, resulting in at least 1,000 battle-deaths per year, pitting central government forces against an insurgent force capable of effective resistance, determined by the latter's ability to inflict upon the government forces at least 5 percent of the fatalities that the insurgents sustain." (Errol A. Henderson and J. David Singer, "Civil War in the Post-Colonial World, 1946-92," Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 37, No. 3, May 2000.) '
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/03/23/civil_war/index.html
OPERATION SWARMER
"... in Isshaqi, a small village near Samarra... the American troops, accompanied by helicopters , raided the modest rural home of a primary school teacher, Faiz Mratt. According to his neighbor Mohammad Al-Majma, the 27-year-old school teacher, his wife, their three children, his sister, her three children, his father and a woman who was visiting them were all arrested, tied, and beaten, and then the American troops opened fire on the family. “After they executed them, the troops put explosives in the house and blew it up,” said Mohammad, crying. “They killed even the farm animals” Faiz’s surviving sister was devastated. “They killed my mother, Torkiya Majid, who was 90 years old,” she cried. “They killed Faiz’s three children: Hawra, 4, Aysha 2, and Hussam, who was only 4 months old. They killed my sister Faiza, who was also a schoolteacher, and her children Osama 6, and Asmaa, 5.” Aziz Khalil, 30, and his fiancée Nidhal Mohammad, 23, who were to be married on Thursday, were also killed. All told, the operation to kill “insurgents” left six children and four women dead..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0324-20.htm
"... in Isshaqi, a small village near Samarra... the American troops, accompanied by helicopters , raided the modest rural home of a primary school teacher, Faiz Mratt. According to his neighbor Mohammad Al-Majma, the 27-year-old school teacher, his wife, their three children, his sister, her three children, his father and a woman who was visiting them were all arrested, tied, and beaten, and then the American troops opened fire on the family. “After they executed them, the troops put explosives in the house and blew it up,” said Mohammad, crying. “They killed even the farm animals” Faiz’s surviving sister was devastated. “They killed my mother, Torkiya Majid, who was 90 years old,” she cried. “They killed Faiz’s three children: Hawra, 4, Aysha 2, and Hussam, who was only 4 months old. They killed my sister Faiza, who was also a schoolteacher, and her children Osama 6, and Asmaa, 5.” Aziz Khalil, 30, and his fiancée Nidhal Mohammad, 23, who were to be married on Thursday, were also killed. All told, the operation to kill “insurgents” left six children and four women dead..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0324-20.htm
PERMANENT IRAQ BASES FUNDED
"... the Bush administration continues to request hundreds of millions of dollars for large bases there, raising concerns over whether they are intended as permanent sites for U.S. forces.
1. Al Asad air base -- By some accounts the second largest military air center in Iraq and the main supply base for troops in Al Anbar Province, which includes the insurgent strongholds of Fallouja and Ramadi. It houses about 17,000 troops, including a large contingent of Marines.
Spending: Unknown through 2005
Bush 2006 request: $46.3 million
2. Balad air base -- The U.S. military's main air transportation and supply hub in Iraq, with two giant runways. Also known as Camp Anaconda, it is the largest support base in the country, with about 22,500 troops and several thousand contractors.
Spending: $228.7 million through 2005
Bush 2006 request: $17.8 million.
3. Camp Taji -- One of the largest facilities for U.S. ground forces in Iraq, the base also serves as home to about 15,000 Iraqi security forces. It has the largest military shopping center (PX) in the country.
Spending: $49.6 million through 2005
Bush 2006 request: None
4. Tallil air base -- An increasingly important air and transportation hub, with a growing population of coalition troops and contractors. It has become a key stopping point for supply convoys moving north from Kuwait and is close to one of the Iraqi army's main training facilities.
Spending: $10.8 million through 2005
Bush 2006 request: $110.3 million
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-usiraq24mar24,0,4786811.story?page=3&coll=la-home-headlines
"... the Bush administration continues to request hundreds of millions of dollars for large bases there, raising concerns over whether they are intended as permanent sites for U.S. forces.
1. Al Asad air base -- By some accounts the second largest military air center in Iraq and the main supply base for troops in Al Anbar Province, which includes the insurgent strongholds of Fallouja and Ramadi. It houses about 17,000 troops, including a large contingent of Marines.
Spending: Unknown through 2005
Bush 2006 request: $46.3 million
2. Balad air base -- The U.S. military's main air transportation and supply hub in Iraq, with two giant runways. Also known as Camp Anaconda, it is the largest support base in the country, with about 22,500 troops and several thousand contractors.
Spending: $228.7 million through 2005
Bush 2006 request: $17.8 million.
3. Camp Taji -- One of the largest facilities for U.S. ground forces in Iraq, the base also serves as home to about 15,000 Iraqi security forces. It has the largest military shopping center (PX) in the country.
Spending: $49.6 million through 2005
Bush 2006 request: None
4. Tallil air base -- An increasingly important air and transportation hub, with a growing population of coalition troops and contractors. It has become a key stopping point for supply convoys moving north from Kuwait and is close to one of the Iraqi army's main training facilities.
Spending: $10.8 million through 2005
Bush 2006 request: $110.3 million
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-usiraq24mar24,0,4786811.story?page=3&coll=la-home-headlines
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
BUSH ON IRAQ LINK TO 9-11 & AL-QAEDA
"First, just if I might correct a misperception, I don't think we ever said -- at least I know I didn't say that there was a direct connection between September the 11th and Saddam Hussein."
--President George W. Bush, Cleveland address, March 20, 2006
See video links to this part of his address at:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/03/20.html#a7595
"(The President) stands by saying that Saddam Hussein's regime had ties to... al Qaeda..."
--Scott McClellan, press briefing, June 17, 2004
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/06/20040617-5.html
"The use of armed forces against Iraq is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations or person who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001."
--President George W. Bush, Letter to Congress, March 21, 2003
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030321-5.html
"Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda."
--President George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030128-19.html
"First, just if I might correct a misperception, I don't think we ever said -- at least I know I didn't say that there was a direct connection between September the 11th and Saddam Hussein."
--President George W. Bush, Cleveland address, March 20, 2006
See video links to this part of his address at:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/03/20.html#a7595
"(The President) stands by saying that Saddam Hussein's regime had ties to... al Qaeda..."
--Scott McClellan, press briefing, June 17, 2004
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/06/20040617-5.html
"The use of armed forces against Iraq is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations or person who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001."
--President George W. Bush, Letter to Congress, March 21, 2003
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030321-5.html
"Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda."
--President George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030128-19.html
TROOPS TO REMAIN IN IRAQ FOR YEARS
"President Bush said Tuesday that U.S. troops will be in Iraq until after his presidency ends almost three years from now... (withdrawal) will be decided by future presidents and future governments of Iraq."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/14153807.htm
FOUR SUPER BASES IN IRAQ
"Balad Air Base, Iraq - The concrete goes on forever, vanishing into the noonday glare, 2 million cubic feet of it, a mile-long slab that’s now the home of up to 120 U.S. helicopters, a “heli-park” as good as any back in the States. At another giant base, al-Asad in Iraq’s western desert, the 17,000 troops and workers come and go in a kind of bustling American town, with a Burger King, Pizza Hut and a car dealership, stop signs, traffic regulations and young bikers clogging the roads.
At a third hub down south, Tallil, they’re planning a new mess hall, one that will seat 6,000 hungry airmen and soldiers for chow. “I think we’ll be here forever,” the 19-year-old airman from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., told a visitor to his base. Balad's “master plan"... is nearing completion, a possible model for al-Asad, Tallil and a fourth major base, al-Qayyarah in Iraq’s north."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0321-10.htm
"President Bush said Tuesday that U.S. troops will be in Iraq until after his presidency ends almost three years from now... (withdrawal) will be decided by future presidents and future governments of Iraq."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/14153807.htm
FOUR SUPER BASES IN IRAQ
"Balad Air Base, Iraq - The concrete goes on forever, vanishing into the noonday glare, 2 million cubic feet of it, a mile-long slab that’s now the home of up to 120 U.S. helicopters, a “heli-park” as good as any back in the States. At another giant base, al-Asad in Iraq’s western desert, the 17,000 troops and workers come and go in a kind of bustling American town, with a Burger King, Pizza Hut and a car dealership, stop signs, traffic regulations and young bikers clogging the roads.
At a third hub down south, Tallil, they’re planning a new mess hall, one that will seat 6,000 hungry airmen and soldiers for chow. “I think we’ll be here forever,” the 19-year-old airman from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., told a visitor to his base. Balad's “master plan"... is nearing completion, a possible model for al-Asad, Tallil and a fourth major base, al-Qayyarah in Iraq’s north."
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0321-10.htm
Sunday, March 19, 2006
IRAQI CIVIL WAR
"Iraq is in the middle of civil war, the country's former interim prime minister Iyad Allawi has told the BBC.... Mr Allawi suggested there was no other way to describe the sectarian violence..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4821618.stm
"... Bush administration officials today reiterated their upbeat assessment of the American military effort and political progress in the country, insisting that the violence plaguing Iraq did not amount to civil war..."
http://nytimes.com/2006/03/19/politics/19cnd-anniversary.html?hp&ex=1142830800&en=cb9ef26149404fdd&ei=5094&partner=homepage
"Iraq is in the middle of civil war, the country's former interim prime minister Iyad Allawi has told the BBC.... Mr Allawi suggested there was no other way to describe the sectarian violence..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4821618.stm
"... Bush administration officials today reiterated their upbeat assessment of the American military effort and political progress in the country, insisting that the violence plaguing Iraq did not amount to civil war..."
http://nytimes.com/2006/03/19/politics/19cnd-anniversary.html?hp&ex=1142830800&en=cb9ef26149404fdd&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Thursday, March 16, 2006
IRAQ TRYING TO CAPTURE AL-QAEDA AND ZARQAWI IN 2002
"Iraqi documents collected by US intelligence during the Iraq war... were released last night via a Pentagon website at the direction of National Intelligence Director John Negroponte. Many were in Arabic – with no English translation – including one the administration said showed that Iraqi intelligence officials suspected al Qaida members were inside Iraq in 2002. However, one of the documents, a letter from an Iraqi intelligence official, dated August 17, 2002, asked agents in the country to be on the lookout for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi... ."
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=176240192&p=y76z4x898
"Iraqi documents collected by US intelligence during the Iraq war... were released last night via a Pentagon website at the direction of National Intelligence Director John Negroponte. Many were in Arabic – with no English translation – including one the administration said showed that Iraqi intelligence officials suspected al Qaida members were inside Iraq in 2002. However, one of the documents, a letter from an Iraqi intelligence official, dated August 17, 2002, asked agents in the country to be on the lookout for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi... ."
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=176240192&p=y76z4x898
Monday, March 13, 2006
IRAQI GOVERNMENT HAS NO SOVEREIGNTY
"... Sovereignty is made up of four ingredients: ultimate control over the means of coercion; sufficient resources to deliver government services; an administrative apparatus capable of carrying out these functions; and the acquiescence of most people in the exercise of such power. The government in Baghdad has none of these, nor will any of them soon be available to it... the impotent isolation of the Iraqi government within its Green Zone sanctuary becomes more visible to all. In the meantime, the various contending parties - the occupation, the Sunni resistance, the Shi'ite fundamentalists and the Kurdish nationalists - frustrate each other's designs on power while destroying any group's ability to establish sovereignty..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC14Ak01.html
"... Sovereignty is made up of four ingredients: ultimate control over the means of coercion; sufficient resources to deliver government services; an administrative apparatus capable of carrying out these functions; and the acquiescence of most people in the exercise of such power. The government in Baghdad has none of these, nor will any of them soon be available to it... the impotent isolation of the Iraqi government within its Green Zone sanctuary becomes more visible to all. In the meantime, the various contending parties - the occupation, the Sunni resistance, the Shi'ite fundamentalists and the Kurdish nationalists - frustrate each other's designs on power while destroying any group's ability to establish sovereignty..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC14Ak01.html
UK PLANNING TO WITHDRAW TRAINERS OF IRAQI ARMY
"Defence Secretary John Reid is to announce a reduction in the level of UK forces in Iraq, the BBC has learnt. The reduction will be "several hundred and probably around 800"... the forces to be withdrawn could comprise Army trainers of the Iraq security forces..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4801624.stm
"Defence Secretary John Reid is to announce a reduction in the level of UK forces in Iraq, the BBC has learnt. The reduction will be "several hundred and probably around 800"... the forces to be withdrawn could comprise Army trainers of the Iraq security forces..."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4801624.stm
Sunday, March 12, 2006
COMMENT ON RUMSFELD COMMENT ON CIVIL WAR
"The plan is to prevent a civil war [in Iraq], and to the extent one were to occur, to have the - from a security standpoint - have the Iraqi security forces deal with it, to the extent they are able to."
- US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, to the Senate Appropriations Committee
"The Iraqi security forces will certainly be "dealing" with a civil war. Many members of the security forces will be combatants, on both sides. Many are already fighting a low intensity civil war. What does Rumsfeld think a civil war is? If he really doesn't know, how is he going to prevent one? But we think he does know - he's not that stupid. The mystery is why the US Congress and public swallow the stream of mumbo-jumbo emanating from the Bush administration."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East.html
"The plan is to prevent a civil war [in Iraq], and to the extent one were to occur, to have the - from a security standpoint - have the Iraqi security forces deal with it, to the extent they are able to."
- US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, to the Senate Appropriations Committee
"The Iraqi security forces will certainly be "dealing" with a civil war. Many members of the security forces will be combatants, on both sides. Many are already fighting a low intensity civil war. What does Rumsfeld think a civil war is? If he really doesn't know, how is he going to prevent one? But we think he does know - he's not that stupid. The mystery is why the US Congress and public swallow the stream of mumbo-jumbo emanating from the Bush administration."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East.html
Saturday, March 11, 2006
IRAQI OIL RISKS DOWNGRADE TO A RESERVE RATHER THAN A SUPPLY
"... Iraq risks losing entirely the confidence of the international market as a supplier... If the situation continues as it is with the security and political problems, the market will discount Iraqi oil. "They will view it as a reserve rather than depend on it as a supplier."
-- Saad Allah al-Fathi, former Oil Ministry official
http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=reutersEdge&storyID=2006-03-09T131303Z_01_KAR926411_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENERGY-IRAQ.xml
"... Iraq risks losing entirely the confidence of the international market as a supplier... If the situation continues as it is with the security and political problems, the market will discount Iraqi oil. "They will view it as a reserve rather than depend on it as a supplier."
-- Saad Allah al-Fathi, former Oil Ministry official
http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=reutersEdge&storyID=2006-03-09T131303Z_01_KAR926411_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENERGY-IRAQ.xml
Friday, March 10, 2006
IRAQI ARMY AND POLICE ARE EXTENSIONS OF U.S. MILITARY
"... the Americans are recruiting and training both the military and the police in Iraq. What is less well known is that, once their training is complete, the Bush administration does not relinquish control over these forces...
"... (as for) the Iraqi army. Its troops are directly integrated into the occupation structure commanded by the American military... The Iraqi military has no air support, no artillery, and almost no armored vehicles; nor does it have a logistics capacity that would allow it to resupply its fighting units. As a result, even if the Iraqi government could "take command" of its army, it could not fight battles on its own... None of its units can go into battle unless they are integrated into the American military...
"... (as for the police) the number of U.S. troops assigned to Iraqi police and Special Forces units, (is being) increase(d) by a factor of 10, with as many as 500 Americans working with a Special Forces brigade of 2,500 or so Iraqis... "under the command of American officers." ... In other words, an already desperately weak Iraqi central government will have no enforcement apparatus at its command for its policy decisions, if these diverge from occupation desires..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0310-24.htm
"... the Americans are recruiting and training both the military and the police in Iraq. What is less well known is that, once their training is complete, the Bush administration does not relinquish control over these forces...
"... (as for) the Iraqi army. Its troops are directly integrated into the occupation structure commanded by the American military... The Iraqi military has no air support, no artillery, and almost no armored vehicles; nor does it have a logistics capacity that would allow it to resupply its fighting units. As a result, even if the Iraqi government could "take command" of its army, it could not fight battles on its own... None of its units can go into battle unless they are integrated into the American military...
"... (as for the police) the number of U.S. troops assigned to Iraqi police and Special Forces units, (is being) increase(d) by a factor of 10, with as many as 500 Americans working with a Special Forces brigade of 2,500 or so Iraqis... "under the command of American officers." ... In other words, an already desperately weak Iraqi central government will have no enforcement apparatus at its command for its policy decisions, if these diverge from occupation desires..."
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0310-24.htm
Thursday, March 09, 2006
NEOCONS CALLED FOR FRAGMENTATION OF IRAQ
"... major figures in the Bush foreign policy team, David Wurmser, Richard Perle and Douglas Feith predicted that a post-Saddam Iraq would likely be "ripped apart" by sectarianism and other cleavages but called on the US to "expedite" such a collapse anyway... One of the longstanding goals of such neo-conservative intellectuals has been to see the Middle East broken up into smaller ethnic or sectarian mini-states..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC09Ak01.html
"... major figures in the Bush foreign policy team, David Wurmser, Richard Perle and Douglas Feith predicted that a post-Saddam Iraq would likely be "ripped apart" by sectarianism and other cleavages but called on the US to "expedite" such a collapse anyway... One of the longstanding goals of such neo-conservative intellectuals has been to see the Middle East broken up into smaller ethnic or sectarian mini-states..."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC09Ak01.html
Friday, March 03, 2006
O'REILLLY: LEAVE IRAQ
"During the February 20 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bill O'Reilly suggested that the United States "hand over everything to the Iraqis as fast as humanly possible" because "[t]here are so many nuts in the country -- so many crazies -- that we can't control them." O'Reilly then claimed that the "big mistake" was actually "the crazy-people underestimation."
http://mediamatters.org/items/200602220007
"During the February 20 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Bill O'Reilly suggested that the United States "hand over everything to the Iraqis as fast as humanly possible" because "[t]here are so many nuts in the country -- so many crazies -- that we can't control them." O'Reilly then claimed that the "big mistake" was actually "the crazy-people underestimation."
http://mediamatters.org/items/200602220007
CIVIL WAR "MADE UP" BY MEDIA?
"Following Fox News' February 23 suggestion that a civil war in Iraq might "be a good thing," Neil Cavuto switched gears on the March 1 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto and displayed an onscreen caption that asked: " 'Civil War' in Iraq: Made Up by the Media?"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200603020002
"Following Fox News' February 23 suggestion that a civil war in Iraq might "be a good thing," Neil Cavuto switched gears on the March 1 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto and displayed an onscreen caption that asked: " 'Civil War' in Iraq: Made Up by the Media?"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200603020002
IRAN INVESTING $1 BILLION IN IRAQ
"Iran to invest $1 billion in Iraq... to rehabilitate the country’s industrial sector... A team of Iranian industrial experts is due in Iraq to map out the sectors of mutual interest, the statement said. Seven major Iranian companies will be involved. The Iranians would like to start up a new car company in Iraq as well as factories for the manufacture of electrical transformers and appliances, steel and glass...."
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news%5C2006-03-02%5C206.htm
"Iran to invest $1 billion in Iraq... to rehabilitate the country’s industrial sector... A team of Iranian industrial experts is due in Iraq to map out the sectors of mutual interest, the statement said. Seven major Iranian companies will be involved. The Iranians would like to start up a new car company in Iraq as well as factories for the manufacture of electrical transformers and appliances, steel and glass...."
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news%5C2006-03-02%5C206.htm
Thursday, March 02, 2006
ON ENFORCING DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ
"... Without something or somebody to monopolize the use of force and decide right from wrong, no man is safe from another and there can be no freedom for anyone. Physical security remains the primary human freedom. And so the fact that a state is despotic does not necessarily make it immoral. That is the essential fact of the Middle East that those intent on enforcing democracy abroad forget... (Saddam) may have kept in check an even greater anarchy than the kind that obtained under his rule..."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030101937.html
"... Without something or somebody to monopolize the use of force and decide right from wrong, no man is safe from another and there can be no freedom for anyone. Physical security remains the primary human freedom. And so the fact that a state is despotic does not necessarily make it immoral. That is the essential fact of the Middle East that those intent on enforcing democracy abroad forget... (Saddam) may have kept in check an even greater anarchy than the kind that obtained under his rule..."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030101937.html
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
IRAQ: A SOLUTION TO NOTHING
"... the third anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq... take some time out and reflect on how we got where we are, as well as where we are going in Iraq and the Middle East as a whole... Gone forever is any talk of song and flowers, economic recoveries paid for by Iraqi oil, or a blooming democracy in the cradle of civilization... The Sunni insurgency is stronger than ever, and Shiite death squads roam the street in the guise of government police... American troops appear to be powerless.."
--Scott Ritter, U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq (1991-1998) and Marine Corps intelligence officer.
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=scottridder01&date=20060301&query=ritter
"... the third anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq... take some time out and reflect on how we got where we are, as well as where we are going in Iraq and the Middle East as a whole... Gone forever is any talk of song and flowers, economic recoveries paid for by Iraqi oil, or a blooming democracy in the cradle of civilization... The Sunni insurgency is stronger than ever, and Shiite death squads roam the street in the guise of government police... American troops appear to be powerless.."
--Scott Ritter, U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq (1991-1998) and Marine Corps intelligence officer.
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=scottridder01&date=20060301&query=ritter
ADMININSTRATION WAS WARNED OF LOCAL INSURGENCY IN 2003
"U.S. intelligence agencies repeatedly warned the White House beginning more than two years ago that the insurgency in Iraq had deep local roots, was likely to worsen and could lead to civil war... a National Intelligence Estimate, completed in October 2003... concluded that the insurgency was fueled by local conditions - not foreign terrorists- and drew strength from deep grievances, including the presence of U.S. troops... The reports received a cool reception from Bush administration policymakers at the White House and the office of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld..."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/nation/13984788.htm
"U.S. intelligence agencies repeatedly warned the White House beginning more than two years ago that the insurgency in Iraq had deep local roots, was likely to worsen and could lead to civil war... a National Intelligence Estimate, completed in October 2003... concluded that the insurgency was fueled by local conditions - not foreign terrorists- and drew strength from deep grievances, including the presence of U.S. troops... The reports received a cool reception from Bush administration policymakers at the White House and the office of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld..."
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/nation/13984788.htm
MILITIAS AND GANGS RULE STREETS OF IRAQ
"Militias and armed gangs rule streets of Iraq... The sheer proliferation of armed groups underscores the lawlessness of Iraq, where neither US forces nor the Iraqi armed forces they trained have been able to impose their authority on the whole country.."
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C03%5C01%5Cstory_1-3-2006_pg4_13
"Militias and armed gangs rule streets of Iraq... The sheer proliferation of armed groups underscores the lawlessness of Iraq, where neither US forces nor the Iraqi armed forces they trained have been able to impose their authority on the whole country.."
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C03%5C01%5Cstory_1-3-2006_pg4_13