Tony Snow Press Briefing On the House Resolution and Iran Weapons In Iraq

   A few excerpts from Tony Snow's press briefing this afternoon. As is usual, we get the same old tony Snow bullshit!

The White House

Press Briefing by Tony Snow
White House Conference Center Briefing Room    12:39 P.M. EST

Q The Democrats in the House are out with their resolution -- fairly straightforward. Is this something you can live with?

MR. SNOW: Look, Congress is going to do whatever it thinks it needs to do, in terms of resolutions. We're not going to get into the business of writing them. What the President lives with is the responsibility of being an effective Commander-in-Chief and advancing the cause of a democracy in Iraq. Although members of the House did not have an opportunity to vote on General Petraeus, members of the Senate did, and without objection they voted for him. And we believe that he ought to get what is necessary to move forward in Iraq.

So as we have said in all cases, members need to understand that their words do travel, and they need to assess what impact they think they may have. But other than that --

Q Tony, to be more specific on that point, there were Republican talking points on the Hill floating around that say that this House resolution Steve mentioned will, "weaken troop morale," and will, "give comfort to the enemy." Do you agree with that assessment?

MR. SNOW: Don't know. I mean, I've always said that -- and the President has said that those are things that people have to take into account. Certainly, General Petraeus and Secretary Gates thought that they would have an adverse impact when it came to morale, and also that they may provide some comfort to the enemy. But, again, I think these are serious matters that people voting on the resolution are going to have to take into account.

Q But the resolution, itself, the first line says that the United States Armed Forces are serving and have served bravely and honorably in Iraq. I mean, it's very clearly stating that the supporters of this resolution -- there is one Republican who has signed on -- believe that U.S. soldiers have served bravely and honorably. So what's the --

MR. SNOW: Okay, so they don't want to provide the additional support for their mission, and that helps how?

Q That's for them to answer. But they say that --

MR. SNOW: That's what I'm saying.

Q Okay. Well, then what is your problem with it? Because specifically after saying that they believe U.S. soldiers have served bravely and honorably, it says Congress disapproves of the decision of President Bush announced on January 10th to deploy --

MR. SNOW: Well, we disagree, and the President is Commander-in-Chief, and he has the obligation to do what he thinks is best to make this country safe, and that's what he's doing.

Q This brings up sort of a very interesting point that I think, if we pull back a second, that a lot of Americans are probably engaged in trying to get their arms around. There was an op/ed piece yesterday by a former Director of the NSA and a former Army senior intelligence official, and he asked the question, can you support the troops and still call for bringing them home? Is the only way to support the troops to follow out what -- follow what the President's sort of continued mission is? What do you think of that?

MR. SNOW: Well, what I think is I'm not going to quite rise to that bait, but I'll give you an answer that is responsive. The way you support the troops is help them complete their mission successfully. That's how you support them. And after a very long period of review, the President and senior military commanders came to the conclusion that it will require additional troops, but a completely different kind of mission.

I think there's a common misperception that all we're doing is we're throwing an extra 21,000 into exactly the same mission that existed before. You've got a different structure with the Iraqis, you have different rules of engagement, you have a different approach to trying to deal with problems of violence -- including integrating economic development teams, the provisional reconstruction teams -- in areas where we have cleared out some of the bad guys.

So the fact is, this is a significantly different approach to dealing with the problems of violence, especially in Baghdad, Anbar province and a couple of other places within Iraq. And, therefore, in order to make this particular approach succeed, the President came to the conclusion you need five brigades in Baghdad and you need another 4,000 Marines in Anbar.

Q Clearly, the underpinnings of what the President -- why the President decided on the policy he did -- and I don't think this is bait. I think it's a very important philosophical question, because right now, the way it's configured, you can't say "bring them home" without being accused of not supporting the troops.

MR. SNOW: Well, again, if "bring them home" -- I want somebody to fill in the blanks: Bring them home achieves victory in the following way. If the simple goal is to bring them home, that is different than having a goal of providing victory in Iraq, providing an Iraq that can stand up as a democracy. And we have said from the very beginning the members of Congress, yes, they've got a chip in the game, and one of the things they can do is that they can offer their own plan that they think is going to be -- if they think that they have a superior way to have a democracy that's going to be stable so that you do not have the opportunity for al Qaeda to use Anbar province as a launching pad; so that you do not create a power vacuum that may allow other nations to come in and try to take advantage of chaos within Iraq; and you do not set off a series of consequences throughout the region that may, in fact, make us less safe, make that region less stable and make the globe a less peaceful place.

So you put all that together, there are real consequences to leaving before the job is done. And if critics have a better way of achieving the aims that we've laid out, we'd love to hear them.

Q What direct evidence do you have that Iranian leaders authorized the smuggling of weapons into Iraq?

MR. SNOW: What I first would do is just point you back to the briefing. What they have are a number of serial numbers, and so on. I'd just take you back to the transcript on that. If you're looking for the granular evidence, that's what they presented.

Q But that wasn't direct evidence linking Iran --

MR. SNOW: Let me put it this way: There's not a whole lot of freelancing in the Iranian government, especially when it comes to something like that. So what you would have to do, if you're trying to do the -- to counter that position, you would have to assume that people were able of putting together sophisticated weaponry, moving it across a border into a theater of war and doing so unbeknownst and unbidden.

Q Could I just follow it just one more time? So the direct evidence would be the assumption, then, that it would have to be Iranian --

MR. SNOW: Again, what I would suggest, Victoria, if you really want to go into the details, is you go to Embassy Baghdad, because they're the ones who do the briefing. This really is -- it's a force protection matter. That's why they did the briefing. And I'm not going to be able to give you all the jot and tittles on it. That's why -- if you want to call them, or call DoD, they'll be able to give you more detail on it.

Q Do you think the American people deserve a little bit more than deduction? I mean, the evidence --

MR. SNOW: I think what the American people -- what our troops deserve is somebody who is going to protect them. Now, you cannot deny these weapons exist. You cannot deny that there is presently no manufacturing capability within Iraq able to produce those kinds of weapons. Beyond that, again I point you back to Defense briefing. What the American people need is somebody who is going to say we're going to protect our people from these weapons. The weapons exist. People have got to look at it, they've got to look at what happens when they detonate. It's hard for me to argue that that's a phantom menace. And it's also a lot harder to argue to our troops, who have been getting hit by them.

Technorati tags: Briefing, Tony Snow, Resolution, Troops, Iran, Weapons, Iraq

 

Bush Budget To Cut VA Healthcare

   Did you know that under the Bush administration's new budget that the veterans health care system is looking at a reduction in funds? This will take affect in two years which is really kind of a shitty deal considering that the VA will be looking after more people that will be coming home from the Iraq war.

   This is being done to help Bush balance the budget by 2012. This is kind of ridiculous to even claim any kind of a balanced budget by any Republican administration.

COMCAST

After an increase sought for next year, the Bush budget would turn current trends on their head. Even though the cost of providing medical care to veterans has been growing rapidly _ by more than 10 percent in many years _ White House budget documents assume consecutive cutbacks in 2009 and 2010 and a freeze thereafter.

The proposed cuts are unrealistic in light of recent VA budget trends _ its medical care budget has risen every year for two decades and 83 percent in the six years since Bush took office _ sowing suspicion that the White House is simply making them up to make its long-term deficit figures look better.

"Either the administration is willingly proposing massive cuts in VA health care," said Rep. Chet Edwards of Texas, chairman of the panel overseeing the VA's budget. "Or its promise of a balanced budget by 2012 is based on completely unrealistic assumptions."

 

Technorati tags: Bush, Budget, VA, Healthcare, Cuts

 

Zsa Zsa's Husband Filing Suit For Anna Nicole's Baby

Prince Frederic von Anhalt , husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, said that he is filing a paternity suit for custody of Anna Nicole Smith's daughter even if it costs him his marriage.

CNN

"If the court rules in my favor, I will go to the Bahamas and pick up the child," he said, noting that he would ask for a DNA test.

   On Gabor's feeling on bringing the baby home if he wins custody he said,

"She says, of course, 'If you bring a baby home then it's over,' " he said. "If my wife wants to divorce me then it's up to her."

 

Technorati tags: Zsa Zsa Gabor, Anna Nicole Smith, Nicole's Baby, Prince von Anhalt

 

Arabs More Concerned With U.S. and Israel Than With Iran

From IPS News

Arabs Less Worried About Iran, Poll Finds
Jim Lobe

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (IPS) - U.S. and Israeli hopes of forging of a Sunni Arab alliance to contain Iran and its regional allies may be misplaced, at least at the popular level, according to a major survey of six Arab countries released here Thursday.

The face-to-face survey of a total of 3,850 respondents in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates found that close to 80 percent of Arabs consider Israel and the United States the two biggest external threats to their security. Only six percent cited Iran.

And less than one in four Arabs believe Iran should be pressured to halt its nuclear programme, while 61 percent, including majorities in all six countries, said Tehran had the right to pursue it even if, as most believe, the programme is designed to develop nuclear weapons.

 

Technorati tags: Arabs, U.S., Polls, Israel, Iran, Nuclear

 

Sen. Dodd/Sen.Menendez Introduce Bill Restoring Habeas Corpus

   Senator John Dodd is introducing a bill to restore the writ of Habeas Corpus that the Bush Crime Family has taken away not only from prisoners of war but from the citizens of the United States as well.

   The bill is being co-sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) who originally voted to allow Bush to suspend our rights under Habeas Corpus.

   At least Menendez is trying to fix his mess-up which cannot be said about to many politicians.

Sen. John Dodd (D-CT)

On Tuesday, February 13th, I plan on re-introducing the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007. The bill will restore Habeas Corpus protections to detainees, bar information acquired through torture from being introduced as evidence in trials, and limit presidential authority to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions. Check back here tomorrow for the full text of the bill and a detailed explanation of what it does.

 

Technorati tags: Sen. Dodd, Sen.Menendez, Habeas Corpus, Bush, Torture

 

Anna Nicole Smith Taking Slim Fast And Methadone?

   From the New York Post we get the story of Anna Nicole Smith and her apparent drug diet consisting of Slim Fast and methadone judging by the contents of her refrigerator.

Howard K. Stern's lawyer in the Bahamas' went to the police  and accused the landlord of breaking into the house and staging the pictures.

 

"They staged photos, such as putting TrimSpa and Slim-Fast in a refrigerator to slight her," the furious attorney, Wayne Munroe, told The Post. "It was like grave robbery."

Smith had been a spokeswoman for TrimSpa, not Slim-Fast.

   This is going to be one hell of a soap opera before this gets anywhere close to being over! I would not usually even have this on this sight but this is getting to be so funny and ridiculous that I cannot just ignore it. The entertainment value alone is priceless!

 

Technorati tags: Anna Nicole Smith, Slim Fast Methadone.Howard K. Stern

 

Canada May Withdraw Afghanistan Troops

   The United States other neighbor, not Mexico for a change, says that it may pull it's troops from Afghanistan.

    A Canadian special senate committee report which was released on Monday, says that Canadian troops who add support to NATO could be withdrawn if more support is not forthcoming from NATO.

Al-Jazeera   

"Canada and Nato must deploy resources in Afghanistan and use those resources in a better way than we have done to this point," the report said.
"If this proves impossible, Canada should be prepared to consider withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan as soon as our current commitment ends."

Canada has 2,500 troops in Afghanistan. They are due to be based in the city of Kandahar until early 2009.

 

Technorati tags: Canada, Afghanistan, Troops, NATO

 

5 Killed In Utah Mall, The House Introduces Non-Binding War Resolution and No One In America Is Happy With It

   It is Tuesday morning, so let the day begin! I just cannot wait to see what the politicians in Washington have in store for us and the rest of the world today! All of this suspense is killing me!   Have a good day everyone!

   From the AP  We hear that a gunman in a Salt Lake City, Utah shopping mall went on a rampage with a shotgun and killed 5 people before being killed by police. Four people were hospitalized.

                    * * * *

    According to the Tucson Citizen , an I-19 checkpoint in a small artist community 35 miles south of Tucson may make what residence fear, smuggler on smuggler violence, even worse as the checkpoint goes from one that used to be moved around to various locations to one now in a permanent spot.

Smuggler-related violence - sometimes over loads of illegal immigrants, sometimes over drugs - is erupting more frequently in southern Arizona, with five people killed in the past 10 days.

                    * * * *

    On the non-binding war resolution which House Democrats introduced on Monday, anti-war supporters say that the resolution does not go far enough as it does not mention any cutting off of the funds for the war. This is really the only way that Congress can stop the war. The House will vote on the resolution at the end of the week.

  Washington Times

 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:  "we will vote on a straightforward position: Do you support the president's plan or oppose it?"

   She said the vote "will herald whether the House understands the message the American people are sending about the policies used to implement this war."

   But peace activists who voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidates in the November elections say Mrs. Pelosi and Democrats in Congress have gotten the message all wrong.
    "Congress is not listening to the voice of the people," said Gael Murphy, co-founder of the anti-war group Code Pink: Women for Peace.
    "We are disappointed that Congress is not moving forward expeditiously and we are being distracted by this nonbinding resolution that holds no one accountable," she said. "From what we can tell, nobody is interested in debating a real exit strategy."

  It is a sad day when the Democrats who are now in control, can already be alienating the voters who put them into office just 3 short months ago.

   Apparently, the batteries in their Beltones has gone dead.

 

Technorati tags: 5 Killed, Utah, Mall Shooting, Democrats, The House, War Resolution, Tucson, Arizona

 

Defense Department Inspector General's Report

   The Senate Armed Services Committee has been having hearings on the The Defense Department Inspector General's report (PDF) on the faulty intelligence which was used by the Bush clan to get the United States into a war in Iraq.

    The questions that are being asked need to go a little farther than they have been as the subject of Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith's role in the altering of the intelligence in question is not delving deep enough.

    Questions  about a meeting back in 2001 between two of Feith's  members and an Iranian arms dealer (Manucher Ghorbanifar), Iranian intelligence operatives, and the Italian intelligence service need to be asked and answered.

    There is plenty to be said on the hearings which are on-going, so if you want more insight than I can give you, visit HERE.

 

Technorati tags: DoD, Inspector General, Report, Douglas Feith, Iran

 

Alabama V.A. Hospital Missing Records On Hard Drive

   Another drive goes missing from a government institution! What a surprise this is.

   An Alabama VA hospital is missing a portable hard drive with info on it covering some 1.8 million veterans and doctors. The Department of Veterans Affairs says that personal and business information may be on the drive which has been missing for three weeks!

   It is nice if the VA to finally let these doctors and veterans know that they may no longer have any privacy when it comes to their medical circumstances.

AP   The hard drive may have contained Social Security numbers and other personal information from about 535,000 individuals and billing information on 1.3 million doctors nationwide, the VA said. That's more than 37 times more people than authorities initially believed were affected.

    Next thing you know, someone in the government will accidentally delete our social security numbers.

 

Technorati tags: Alabama, V.A.Hospital, Records, Hard Drive

 

Putin Courting Saudi Arabia With Atomic Energy

    I see that Russian President Vladimir Putin has volunteered to help Saudi Arabia to develop atomic energy.

    Putin is on a mission to create ties, both militarily and energy wise, with countries that have generally been U.S. allies and this can only get worse. Though it may not be said in public, I am sure that many of our allies have come to despise the U.S. because of the currant Cheney regime in the White house and his morally wrong policies towards other countries and everyone in general.

    Al-Jazeera  

Russia is also building a nuclear reactor in Iran amid an international standoff with the West, which suspects that the Islamic republic is seeking nuclear weapons. Iran denies this charge.

"Russia is determined to enhance cooperation with the Islamic world," Putin told a forum of Saudi and Russian businessmen on his first visit to Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia, a staunch Cold War ally of Washington, rolled out the red carpet for Putin, whose country's oil output is exceeded only by the Islamic kingdom's.

King Abdullah on Sunday hailed him as "a statesman, a man of peace, a man of justice".

   At this rate, With Russia chasing after our closest (?) allies, Saudi Arabia and the other Arab states will eventually be protected by the Russian military instead of the United States forces. then watch our oil and gas prices go way up!

 

Technorati tags: Putin, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Atomic Energy

 

Democrats To Vote On House Resolution

    You know by now that the U.S. House Democrats came up with a resolution opposing Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.

   The House is expected to vote on the resolution and it is expected to pass. however, once again it should be noticed that this will be just another non-binding note to Bush which will more than likely be tossed into the waste basket.

AFP   

However Democrats say the resolution might prompt the president to revise his plans. The short, two-sentence statement also offers strong support for the troops themselves.

"Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq," the resolution says.

"Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq."

        George Bush revise his plans? There is no way that Cheney and the others who are really running this country are going to let that happen. To much money to lose by stopping now!

    I'll bet you that Bush dreads even getting out of bed in the morning for fear of what Cheney and the rest have planned for the days events!

 

Technorati tags: Democrats, Congress, House, Vote, Resolution

 

Baghdad Deaths 120 with 150 More Wounded On Monday

    From Al-Jazeera it is reported that two car bombs in Baghdad killed 120 people and wounded 150 more.

 

Victims  were taken to the nearby al-Kindi
hospital [Reuters]

Twin car bombs in central Baghdad have killed up to 120 people and wounded more than 150.

The blasts on Monday came on the first anniversary of the bombing of the Al Askari mosque in Samarra, north of the capital.

The first car bomb exploded in a garage under a wholesale market in the Shorja district killing more than 40 people.

A second explosion hit the Haraj market just over one kilometre away, killing at least five more people and wounding more than 30.

 

Technorati tags: Baghdad, Iraq, 120 Deaths, Bombs

 

Iraqi Refugees Barred From Syria

   One of the few remaining countries in the middle east, Syria, is for all intents and purposes closing it's doors to any more Iraqi refugees which are numbering in the neighborhood of 40,000 per month.

AP   

The new rules — imposed without any official announcement — also strike fear of deportation into the 1 million Iraqis already here. The worsening humanitarian crisis has resulted in calls for action by members of the U.S. Congress and a plea from the United Nations for more countries to help out.

"It's not fair that the burden is not being shared effectively. A very limited number of countries is paying a very heavy price," Antonio Guterres, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said on a recent tour of the Mideast.

    This is some more of the mess which President Cheney and his puppet have created in the middle east for nothing more than illegal profits to the few select in the war profiteer group.

    It will be no time before the United States is having to send aid to these countries just to house the refugees which now have pretty much no place to go.

    Let us not forget the million or so that are in Syria who risk being deported because of time limits.

Until last week, Iraqis could come to Syria without a visa and stay for up to six months. At that point, they could drive to any border, leave briefly and re-enter immediately and stay for another six months — meaning they essentially were allowed to stay indefinitely.

But Iraqis in Syria say they now receive only a 15-day permit to stay when they enter, after which they must apply for a three-month permit that can be renewed only once. After six months, any Iraqi not a student or without a job or business must leave Syria for at least 30 days before being allowed back in.

    Syria has stated that they will not deport Iraqis. that would be a good thing, I would think.

 

Technorati tags: Iraqi, Refugees, Syria

 

Baghdad Bombs Kill 80 As 50,000 Iraqis Flee Iraq Every Month and The Congress Moves To Another Meaningless Resolution

     Central Baghdad got it on Monday when two car bombs exploded killing at least 71 people. Another bomb in the area killed 9.

   It is reported here that Iraqis are leaving the country at a rate of 50,000 per month because of the violence and targeted killings.

   The House is expected to announce their version of a resolution against Bush and his Iraq war.

   The House is seeking an up or down vote and as is par for the course, Republicans still want a piece in the resolution not cutting off the funding. This is also a non-binding resolution so either way it means nothing to the Bush Crime Family.

   More showmanship without any real substance to it! I'm already tiring of the Democrats as they are now.

 

Technorati tags: Baghdad, Bombs, Iraqis, The House, Congress, Resolution

Sami Al-Arian And Bush Justice

   This great piece comes to you from TruthDig.

      It is an interview/story on Dr. Sami Al-Arian  who has been accused of being a terrorist and is still locked up here in the United States. Just another example of Bush justice.

TruthDig Original

The Road Map to Despotism

Posted on Feb 11,2007

By Chris Hedges

Editor’s note: Despite spending an estimated $80 million, the government was unable to prove that Dr. Sami Al-Arian was a terrorist, yet he remains in prison and his sentence will likely be extended. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges warns that the abusive imprisonment of this nonviolent Palestinian dissenter does not bode well for the rest of us.

Professor Sami Al-Arian, whose persecution and show trial are parts of a long string of egregious acts of injustice perpetrated by the Bush administration, has been on a hunger strike since Jan. 22 to protest the prolongation of his imprisonment.

Al-Arian’s travels through the halls of American justice, and now the subterranean corridors of the nation’s Stygian prison system, reads like a bad rip-off of Kafka. Al-Arian was acquitted on eight of the 17 counts against him by a Florida jury, which deadlocked on the rest. He agreed to plead guilty to one of the remaining charges four months later in exchange for being released and deported. The judge gave Al-Arian as much prison time as possible under a plea deal—57 months at his sentencing. He was set to be released this April, something that now appears unlikely.

The trial was a stinging rebuke to the Bush administration’s drive to turn the American judicial system into kangaroo courts. Over the six-month trial a parade of 80 witnesses, including 21 from Israel, attempted to brand the Florida professor as a terrorist. The government submitted thousands of documents, phone interceptions and physical surveillance culled from 12 years of investigations. The trial cost taxpayers an estimated $80 million. The 94 charges against Al-Arian and his co-defendants resulted in no convictions. But because Al-Arian has twice refused to testify before a grand jury in Virginia in a case involving a Muslim think tank, he has now been charged with contempt of court. The date of his release could be extended by as much as 18 months.

Al-Arian, who is a diabetic, began a hunger strike in response.

“I believe that freedom and human dignity are more precious than life itself,” he said in a telephone interview from Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Va. “In, essence I am taking a principled stand that I am willing to endure whatever it takes to win my freedom.

“I am still OK,” he said. “I have lost 26 pounds by today. It’s definitely not easy, but I am determined to continue. It’s not a decision you make haphazardly or something that you take lightly. In the end, you have to make difficult decisions because of the larger cause. I drink four large cups of water a day, about 12 ounces each.”

Dr. Al-Arian said he will remain on a hunger strike until the government ends its campaign against him and allows him to return to his wife and children.

The case and continued harassment sets a dangerous precedent for American Muslims, who since 9/11 have been monitored, detained and deported in large numbers.  But it bodes ill for the rest of us as well. The new legislation suspending habeas corpus and creating the possibility of legally stripping U.S. citizens of their right to a fair and timely trial is a taste of what awaits us all should we enter a period of instability or national crisis. In many ways the assault against Al-Arian is an assault against the judicial system that lies like a barrier between us and despotism. 

“Much of the government’s evidence against me were speeches I gave, lectures I presented, articles I wrote, magazines I edited, books I owned, conferences I convened, rallies I attended, interviews I conducted, news I heard and websites no one accessed,” he said. “It was reminiscent of the thought crime of Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four.’ The scary part was not that these were offered into evidence, but that a federal judge admitted them. That’s why I am so proud of the jury, who acted as the free people that they were and saw through Big Brother’s tactics.

“I’ve been to nine prisons in nine months,” he explained. “I spent the first 23 months in Coleman Federal Penitentiary, where the conditions were Guantanamo-plus, that is they were like those of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay ‘plus’ one phone call a month and visits with my family behind glass.  I was in a nine-foot-by-eight-foot cell, where I was held under 23-hour lockdown. During the first few months, they wouldn’t even allow me to exercise unless I was strip-searched, which I refused to submit to, so I was inside 24 hours. During the first month, I was allowed only one 15-minute phone call, and for six months after that I was not allowed to make any calls.

“I was shackled and handcuffed every single time I left my cell for any reason,” he said. “When I needed to take my legal papers for meetings with my attorney, the guards would not carry them for me, even though they did for other prisoners. Though I was shackled, they forced me to carry them on my back, as I was bent over. I had to walk like that for half a mile. I should also mention the use of fire alarms in trying to disrupt life. In the Special Housing Unit [SHU], a punitive section of the prison where I was the only pretrial detainee, alarms and emergency sirens would go off 15 to 20 times every single day, at 12 a.m., 2 p.m., any time of the day. It was a deafening noise that would continue for five to 10 minutes. It was clearly deliberate. In the SHU, commissary was almost nonexistent. All they offered was potato chips, whereas in the general compound everything was available. The SHU was designed for disciplinary purposes, not for housing a pretrial detainee.

“Not only did they place me in the SHU, but they imposed additional restrictions on me,” he went on. “For instance, everybody else was granted contact visits, while I had to see my family behind glass. They also insisted on strip-searching me before and after these behind-the-glass visits. In May 2003, my wife drove two hours to see me, but they denied her the visit when I would not submit to a strip search.”

Al-Arian is a Palestinian. The injustice meted out to him in America is writ large in the Middle East. He has no passport, no home, no country. He must live on the charity of others, stateless, as most Palestinians are, and without the rights of the citizens around him. He once thought America would be his home.  He was, before this charade, in the process of gaining citizenship. All this is over. In George Bush’s America there is no place for activists or dissidents. And when they finish with those on the margins of our society they will turn, if we let them, on the rest of us.

 

Technorati tags: Sami Al-Arian, Bush, Justice Department, Terrorist, Prison

Iran And America, What's Next?

From WaPo

BAGHDAD, Feb. 11 -- Senior U.S. military officials in Iraq sought Sunday to link Iran to deadly armor-piercing explosives and other weapons that they said are being used to kill U.S. and Iraqi troops with increasing regularity.

During a long-awaited presentation, held in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, the officials displayed mortar shells, rocket-propelled grenades and a powerful cylindrical bomb, capable of blasting through an armored Humvee, that they said were manufactured in Iran and supplied to Shiite militias in Iraq for attacks on U.S. and Iraqi troops.

... The analyst's exact title and full name were not revealed to reporters. The officials released a PowerPoint presentation including photographs of the weaponry, but did not allow media representatives to record, photograph or videotape the briefing or the materials on display.

An official at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad called the U.S. accusations "fabricated" and "baseless."

"We deny such charges. We ask those who are claiming such evidence: Show the documents in public," said the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. "We cannot compensate for the American failure and fiasco in Iraq. . . . It is not our policy to be involved in any hostile operations against coalition forces here."

   On Sunday, it was we have a few serial numbers and pieces of bombs. It was then reported that there was no PowerPoint slide show and that pics would not be released, but if you check out the Wapo article, there is at least one photo.

   Of course, no one still does not know who the American officials were since they have to be kept in ' stealth ' mode so as not to contradict the White house when this war plan goes to shit.

 

Technorati tags: Iran, America, U.S., Iraq, Bombs

The New Congress, Iran, And The President

       I generally try not to cuss here but sometimes that cannot be helped because of something that some politician did or didn't do or something that one may have said that was totally bull. This spot does use some language that some of you may not like.  If you do not like it, tough s_ _ t!

It seems as if the Democrats that we voted into office have already gone soft on their rhetoric with Iraq and on getting our troops home.

   All that I can remember hearing when all of the campaigning was still going on was that we have a plan and that we will get our country out of Iraq.

   I also remember hearing that (p)resident Bush would no longer have a blank check handed to him and that the rubber- stamp days for his administration were all over.

   So far the Congress has focused on a minimum wage increase and a few House ethics rules, which is all well and good. They did get more passed in their 100 hour marathon than the GOP'ers could ever dream of doing!

    But still, they need to do something about the Bush Crime Family and their efforts to start another war just for profit.

   These non-binding resolutions that the Democrats have tried to put forth, and a few  Republicans also, sound good on the news and such, but where are the teeth? We did not put you into office, ladies and gentlemen, to come up with such bullshit as a non-binding resolution! We want binding and we want it fucking NOW!

    We elected you for office to stop this Iraq bullshit and yet resident Bush has still been able to send aircraft carriers and a fleet over to the middle east for his next adventure. I won't even mention the troop escalation that is taking place at this very moment.

    The Idiot in Chief has his budget request coming up with that $100 billion hand out for his mission in Iraq on top of the $70 billion or so that is already earmarked for Bush's Disneyland Adventure, Iraq style!

   It would be in the Congress and the Senate's best interest to not approve this part of the spending. Let me be clearer. It is in their best interest to not pass this part of the budget,period!

    It is time for you fuckers to grow a spine and to get with the fucking program. What the fuck do you think we put you back into office for?

   I do not think that you have to concern yourselves with public opinion on this ands the only people who are saying that cutting the Iraq funds would endanger our troops are the idiots in the White House and the unintelligent FoxNews viewers.

   Get off of your fucking asses and go do your fucking jobs!!

                  CUT THE FUNDING!

          IMPEACH! INDICT! IMPRISON!

 

Technorati tags: Congress, Iran, Bush, President, War Funds, resolution

 

Two ATF Senior Officials Get Demoted For Doing Their Job

The Washington Post

Two senior officials at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who opposed many questionable management and spending decisions by the agency's former director are being moved to lower-ranking positions effective Thursday, officials said.

Deputy Director Edgar A. Domenech, who also served as acting director last year, is being moved out of ATF headquarters to lead the agency's Washington field office. The assistant director for field operations, Michael Bouchard, will become an assistant to Michael J. Sullivan, a U.S. attorney who is temporarily running ATF.

The transfers are widely seen within ATF as demotions. They come seven months after the sudden departure of Carl J. Truscott, the former director, who clashed with Domenech and other senior executives over spending and management practices.

An inspector general's report issued after his departure showed that Truscott -- who previously served as head of President Bush's security detail at the Secret Service -- engaged in a wide-ranging pattern of questionable expenditures on a new ATF headquarters, personal security and other items. The report also said that he violated ethics rules by forcing employees to help his nephew prepare a high school video project.

Domenech took over for Truscott after he resigned and reversed a decision to include a costly engraved quotation from Bush's speech to Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the new headquarters entrance.

    Typical Bush administration policy. It is surprising that anything can get done in Washington under this administration since anyone who does their job right gets demoted or fired.

 

Technorati tags: ATF, Senior Officials

 

Al-Jazeera Ask It's Readers " Will The U.S. Attack Iran?"

     From even the United States did this question get some answers!

       Below are some of the comments/answers

    Al-Jazeera

Will the US attack Iran? Are you in Iran or the US and, if so, what do you think?

Added: Sunday, 11 February 2007, 07:55 AM

I am proud to be an American, as all people are proud of their country. But my government is totally out of control. It's not even an elected dictatorship. Our votes don't count. Some voting districts have one voting machine for over 3,000 people. Some folks stand in line for up to 8 hours. Electronic voting machines were manipulated. Our government lies to us. Most Americans are not truly aware of what goes on in the world because the news that comes in here is so filtered. Bush is absolutely planning on attacking Iran. That's what the troop build up is really about. We bombed Somalia but there was little mention about it on the news here. We're in trouble.

treehugger, Washington State, USA

               * * * *

Added: Saturday, 10 February 2007, 11:49 AM

Until all UN states are nuclear-free, the UN doesn't have the right to demand other countries quit their nuclear programs. No country in possession of a nuclear arsenal should speak out against other potentially nuclear nations, whether they aim for nuclear weapons or peaceful technology. And given this point, I still haven't seen any conclusive proof from Iran's accuser that it seeks nuclear weapons. Then again, until Israel dismantles its arsenal, Iran is entitled to defend itself.

Andreq, Cluj Napoca, Romania

               * * * *

  Added: Sunday, 11 February 2007, 07:50 AM

The US will attack Iran's nuclear development sites if Iran doesn't cease uranium enrichment and stop the provocations. It's no more complicated than that. The ultimate answer to the question lies entirely with Iranian leadership. Some point to the new weapons Iran has ostensibly test-fired this past week as a deterrent for the US, but the weapons are only new to Iran, and it's a major mistake to think they will provide insulation from the ultimate result, which is that Iran will not be permitted the capability of creating or deploying nukes under any circumstances. Iran stands virtually alone in the world, even (or should I say particularly) in the Middle East, thinking otherwise. Seattle-WA/US.

Steeley, Seattle, USA

               * * * *

Added: Saturday, 10 February 2007, 01:50 AM

To Andreq, Shafiq, no2wo: India and Pakistan have nuclear arsenals and in the same area and no one made fuss about them. This is because they never threaten other countries. On the other hand, Iran under Ahmadinejad and North Korea has threatened to destroy other countries. They keep having one military maneuvere after the other. These and other irresponsible actions lead the world to believe they will use their nuclear arsenal once it is in hand. It is responsible to keep their hands away from any WMD.

mishmish, , Egypt

               * * * *

Added: Saturday, 10 February 2007, 01:04 AM

I am convinced that the US or its 'allies' in the Middle East,namely Israel,will make surgical strikes on Iran. They will not attempt to destroy the whole country as they did with Iraq but will content themselves with destroying the atomic research facilities, airbases and other military installations thus leaving Iran unprotected. This sudden transformation will, they hope, bring about demands for swift and far-reaching change in the political structure in Iran. Their intelligemce services will provide Bush et al with the 'evidence' that Iran is planning a global war whereas we all know that only America is allowed to unleash a holocaust. Before the Iranians become too belligerent they should study aerial photographs of Germany after May 1945. They,the Germans,paid a terrible price for their 'liberation' then, just as the poor Iraqis have. I foresee chaos and destruction for Iran.

captain, Edgware middx, United Kingdom

               * * * *

Added: Saturday, 10 February 2007, 11:49 AM

I share the sentiments expressed by Koorosh, London and would add that even if Iran yearns for nuclear capabilities, it should be understandable as Iran is surrounded by countries with nuclear weapons, namely India, Pakistan, Russia and Israel. Iran has never invaded any country or involved in any wars except in self-defence but is sandwiched between two countries under hostile occupation by USA and in the throes of civil wars that would inevitably spill onto its territories. Nuclear weapons may be over the top but it sure needs a strong deterrent.

shaikanwar, Norfolk, United Kingdom

 

Technorati tags: Al-Jazeera, U.S., Attack, Iran

 

Blowup? America's Hidden War With Iran

    Iran and the United States had a half way decent relationship beginning after the 9/11 attacks as the Iranians sought to help the U.S. in Afghanistan.Things went sour after agreement was reached on how the Iranians would provide money and help to rebuild parts of Afghanistan and especially after Bush lumped Iran into his " axis of evil " group. But wait, there’s more!

Crossposted from TruthOut and edited for space.

Blowup? America’s Hidden War With Iran
    By Michael Hirsh and Maziar Bahari
    Newsweek

    Monday 19 February 2007 Issue

Jalal Sharafi was carrying a video game, a gift for his daughter, when he found himself surrounded. On that chilly Sunday morning, the second secretary at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad had driven himself to the commercial district of Arasat Hindi to checkout the site for a new Iranian bank. He had ducked into a nearby electronics store with his bodyguards, and as they emerged four armored cars roared up and disgorged at least 20 gunmen wearing bulletproof vests and Iraqi National Guard uniforms. They flashed official IDs, and manhandled Sharafi into one car. Iraqi police gave chase, guns blazing. They shot up one of the other vehicles, capturing four assailants who by late last week had yet to be publicly identified. Sharafi and the others disappeared.

    At the embassy, the diplomat’s colleagues were furious. "This was a group directly under American supervision," said one distraught Iranian official, who was not authorized to speak on the record. Abdul Karim Inizi, a former Iraqi Security minister close to the Iranians, pointed the finger at an Iraqi black-ops unit based out at the Baghdad airport, who answer to American Special Forces officers. "It’s plausible," says a senior Coalition adviser who is also not authorized to speak on the record. The unit does exist - and does specialize in snatch operations.

    The Iranians have reason to feel paranoid. In recent weeks senior American officers have condemned Tehran for providing training and deadly explosives to insurgents. In a predawn raid on Dec. 21, U.S. troops barged into the compound of the most powerful political party in the country, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, and grabbed two men they claimed were officers in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Three weeks later U.S. troops stormed an Iranian diplomatic office in Irbil, arresting five more Iranians. The Americans have hinted that as part of an escalating tit-for-tat, Iranians may have had a hand in a spectacular raid in Karbala on Jan. 20, in which four American soldiers were kidnapped and later found shot, execution style, in the head. U.S. forces promised to defend themselves.

  Sometimes it seems as if a state of conflict is natural to the U.S.-Iranian relationship - troubled since the CIA-backed coup that restored the shah to power in 1953, tortured since Ayatollah Khomeini’s triumph in 1979. With the election of George W. Bush on the one hand, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the other, the two countries are now led by men who deeply mistrust the intentions and indeed doubt the sanity of the other. Tehran insists that U.S. policy is aimed at toppling the regime and subjugating Iran. The White House charges that Iran is violently sabotaging U.S. efforts to stabilize the Middle East while not so secretly developing nuclear weapons. As the raids and skirmishes in Iraq underscore, a hidden war is already unfolding.

    Yet a NEWSWEEK investigation has also found periods of marked cooperation and even tentative steps toward possible reconciliation in recent years - far more than is commonly realized. After September 11 in particular, relations grew warmer than at any time since the fall of the shah. America wanted Iran’s help in Afghanistan, and Iran gave it, partly out of fear of an angry superpower and partly in order to be rid of its troublesome Taliban neighbors. In time, hard-liners on both sides were able to undo the efforts of diplomats to build on that foundation. The damage only worsened as those hawks became intoxicated with their own success. The secret history of the Bush administration’s dealings with Iran is one of arrogance, mistrust and failure. But it is also a history that offers some hope.

    For Iran’s reformists, 9/11 was a blessing in disguise. Previous attempts to reach out to America had been stymied by conservative mullahs. But the fear that an enraged superpower would blindly lash out focused minds in Tehran. Mohammad Hossein Adeli was one of only two deputies on duty at the Foreign Ministry when the attacks took place, late on a sweltering summer afternoon. He immediately began contacting top officials, insisting that Iran respond quickly. "We wanted to truly condemn the attacks but we also wished to offer an olive branch to the United States, showing we were interested in peace," says Adeli. To his relief, Iran’s top official, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, quickly agreed. "The Supreme Leader was deeply suspicious of the American government," says a Khameini aide whose position does not allow him to be named. "But [he] was repulsed by these terrorist acts and was truly sad about the loss of the civilian lives in America." For two weeks worshipers at Friday prayers even stopped chanting "Death to America."

    The fear dissipated after Sept. 20, when the FBI announced that Al Qaeda was behind the attacks. But there was new reason for cooperation: for years Tehran had been backing the Afghan guerrillas fighting the Taliban, Osama bin Laden’s hosts. Suddenly, having U.S. troops next door in Afghanistan didn’t seem like a bad idea. American and Iranian officials met repeatedly in Geneva in the days before the Oct. 7 U.S. invasion. The Iranians were more than supportive. "In fact, they were impatient," says a U.S. official involved in the talks, who asked not to be named speaking about topics that remain sensitive. "They’d ask, ’When’s the military action going to start? Let’s get going!’ Entire Article

Technorati Tags: America, War, Iran, Bush

 

Anonymous Sources Do Not Work In Building A War

   A lot is being made over the supposed evidence that the U.S. military has putting Iran as an instigator in providing bombs and such to the militia in Iraq.

   As you also know, U.S. officials had a news conference in Baghdad presenting their not quite substantial proof which was supposed to back up the governments ( Bush/Cheney ) claims. Yet the three that were hosting this news conference refused to be quoted by name.

    Ain't that some shit? I guess that they are not so confident in their report if they have to insist on being anonymous. We are supposed to believe anything that a ' stealth ' official tells us? I think not, Mr. President.

    Here's some of the reports that hit the paper today;

1)  The Washington Post

2)  AP

3)  BBC

    The evidence that the U.S. says that it has is being disputed by the Iranians and others. If the three officials are so sure of their evidence that they have, then why not step out onto the stage instead of hiding behind the curtain? Why not release the photo's that you supposedly have in your possession?

    There are many ' why not's ' in this mess and none of them can be answered in any acceptable manner.

Iraq Slogger   

After the bogus Iraq evidence debacle in 2002 and 2003 -- allegations that led to war, tens of thousands of lives lost, and hundreds of billions of dollars spent -- only a fool would accept as the gospel supposed evidence against another country that's presented by officials who insist on making their allegations anonymously.

We deserve better from the US government. We deserve better from the western news media.

   Yes indeed!

 

Technorati tags: Anonymous, Sources, U.S., Iran, Iraq

 

The Roman Empire Is Falling- So It Turns To Iran And Syria

   The following just about sums up the situation in the middle east, Iraq in particular.

   From Information Clearing House

The Roman Empire is falling - so it turns to Iran and Syria
By Robert Fisk
12/07/06 "The Independent" -- -- The Roman Empire is falling. That, in a phrase, is what the Baker report says. The legions cannot impose their rule on Mesopotamia.
Just as Crassus lost his legions' banners in the deserts of Syria-Iraq, so has George W Bush. There is no Mark Antony to retrieve the honour of the empire. The policy "is not working". "Collapse" and "catastrophe" - words heard in the Roman senate many a time - were embedded in the text of the Baker report. Et tu, James?
This is also the language of the Arab world, always waiting for the collapse of empire, for the destruction of the safe Western world which has provided it with money, weapons, political support. First, the Arabs trusted the British Empire and Winston Churchill, and then they trusted the American Empire and Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Truman and Eisenhower administrations and all the other men who would give guns to the Israelis and billions to the Arabs - Nixon, Carter, Clinton, Bush...
And now they are told that the Americans are not winning the war; that they are losing. If you were an Arab, what would you do?
Be sure, they are not asking this question in Washington. The Middle East - so all-important (supposedly) in the "war on terror" - in itself, a myth - doesn't really matter in the White House. It is a district, a map, a region, every bit as amorphous as the crescent of "crisis" which the Clinton administration invented when it wanted to land its troops in Somalia. How to get out, how to save face, that's the question. To hell with the people who live there: the Arabs, the Iraqis, the men, women and children whom we kill - and whom the Iraqis kill - every day.
Note how our "spokesmen" in Afghanistan now acknowledge the dead woman and children of Nato airstrikes as if it is quite in order to slaughter these innocents because we are at war with the horrid Taliban.
Some of the same mindset has arrived in Baghdad, where "coalition" spokesmen also - from time to time - jump in front of the video-tape evidence by accepting that they, too, kill women and children in their war against "terror". But it is the sentences of impotence that doom empires. "The ability of the United States to influence events within Iraq is diminishing." There is a risk of a "slide towards chaos [sic] [that] could trigger the collapse of Iraq's government and a humanitarian catastrophe."
But hasn't that already happened? "Collapse" and "catastrophe" are daily present in Iraq. America's ability "to influence events" has been absent for years. And let's just re-read the following sentence: "Violence is increasing in scope and lethality. It is fed by a Sunni Arab insurgency. Shiite [Shia] militias, death squads, al-Qa'ida and widespread criminality. Sectarian conflict is the principal challenge to stability."
Come again? Where was this "widespread criminality," this "sectarian conflict" when Saddam, our favourite war criminal, was in power? What do the Iraqis think about this? And how typical that the American media went at once to hear Bush's view of the Baker report - rather than the reaction of the Iraqis, those who are on the receiving end of our self-induced tragedy in Mesopotamia.

They will enjoy the idea that American troops should be "embedded" with Iraqi forces - not so long ago, it was the press that had to be "embedded" with the Americans! - as if the Romans were ready to put their legions amid the Goths, Ostrogoths and Visigoths to ensure their loyalty.

What the Romans did do, of course - and what the Americans would never do - is offer their subjects Roman citizenship. Every tribe - in Gaul or Bythinia or Mesopotamia - who fell under Roman rule became a citizen of Rome. What could Washington have done with Iraq if it had offered American citizenship to every Iraqi? There would have been no insurrection, no violence, no collapse or catastrophe, no Baker report. But no. We wanted to give these people the fruits of our civilisation - not the civilisation itself. From this, they were banned.

And the result? The nations we supposedly hated - Iran and Syria - are now expected to save us from ourselves. "Given the ability [sic] of Iran and Syria to influence events and their interest in avoiding chaos in Iraq, the United States should try to engage [sic] them constructively."

I love those words. Especially "engage". Yes, the "influence of America" is diminishing. The influence of Syria and Iran is growing. That just about sums up the "war on terror". Any word yet, I wonder, from Lord Blair of Kut al-Amara?

The strategies

The Baker panel considered four options, all of which it rejected:

Cut And Run

Baker believes it would cause a humanitarian disaster, while al-Qa'ida would expand further.

Stay The Course

Baker accepts that current US policy is not working. Nearly 100 Americans are dying every month. The US is spending $2bn (£1bn) a week and has lost public support.

Send In More Troops

Increases in US troop levels would not solve the cause of violence in Iraq. Violence would simply rekindle as soon as US forces moved.

Regional Devolution

If the country broke up into its Shia, Sunni and Kurd regions, it would lead to ethnic cleansing and mass population moves.

Baker outlines a fifth option - 'responsible transition' - in which the number of US forces could be increased to shore up the Iraqi army while it takes over primary responsibility for combat operations. US troops would then decrease slowly.

© 2006 Independent News and Media Limited

 

Technorati tags: Iraq, Iran.Syria, Bush, U.S., Baker Panel

 

U.S. Gas Prices Are Up and 25 Killed, 48 Wounded In Iraq

     The latest report on gas prices says that U.S. prices have gone up an average of 4 cents per gallon in the last three weeks to an over-all average of  $2.22 per gallon at self-serve pumps for regular gas.

    CNN    Between Jan. 19 and Feb. 9, the closing price of oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose nearly $8, from $51.99 to $59.89 per barrel. Given that each barrel contains 42 gallons, that's an increase of about 19 cents per gallon.

    While we are all here, CNN reports that 25 people were killed and 48 wounded in the usual violence in Iraq, on Sunday.

The highest death toll from the attacks occurred south of the Iraqi town of Tikrit Sunday morning. Twelve people were killed -- including eight police officers -- and 18 others were wounded when a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives-laden truck near Dour police headquarters, an official with the Salaheddin joint coordination center said.

 

Technorati tags: U.S., Gas, Prices, Iraqi Elections, Deaths

 

Genes Mapped For Type 2 Diabetes

   You type 2 diabetics  out there might be happy to know that scientist are saying that they have mapped the genes that put people at risk for type 2 diabetes.

   BBC     The findings could explain up to 70% of the genetics of the disorder which affects over 1.9 million UK people.

Family history is a major risk factor for the condition, along with obesity.

The Imperial College London team, working with Canadian colleagues, found four points on the gene map linked to a person's diabetes risk, Nature reports.

   For you type 2 diabetics, lay off of the fattening crap from the fast food joints and all of the sweets that many of you crave and you just may stay lucky enough  to not have to switch to both pills and insulin injections!

   I know more than a few type 2 who complain the next day because they feel bad after having eat cake and other assorted junk before they went to bed. How the hell do you expect to feel when you wake up?

   I have been telling some for years how they should be doing a little of their activities but they do not want to listen. I guess that falling over dead one day doesn't bother them to much.

   I've been doing insulin for type 1 for thirty five years so i do know a little on the subject, but what do I know?

 

Technorati tags: Genes, Type2, Diabetes, Obesity

 

Pat Robertson Threatens Bodybuilder Who Is Suing Him

    It looks like Pat Robertson’s “age-defying” weight loss shake may be loaded with a few steroids in it as it is being reported that Robertson has threatened someone who is suing him for using his image to push the sales of the Robertson shake on “700 Club”.

          AP

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A Texas bodybuilder suing Pat Robertson contends the religious broadcaster walked into federal court for a legal proceeding and told him: “I am going to kill you and your family.’’                                                                  According to a complaint Phillip Busch filed with the Norfolk police, Robertson made the threat when he entered a room in the courthouse Wednesday to be questioned for a deposition.                                                                     “There was no such threat,’’ said Robertson’s attorney, Glen Huff.                                                                                  Busch is suing Robertson for what he says is misappropriation of his image to promote Robertson’s protein diet shake.

the Article

 

Technorati tags: Pat Robertson, Christian, Death Threat, Lawsuit

 

U.S./Iraqi forces Found 14 Weapon Stashes and Arrested 140 In A Week

Al-Jazeera English

US and Iraqi forces have arrested 140 people and uncovered 14 stashes of weapons in a week as they ramp up a security operation in Baghdad, the US military has said.

The combined forces "uncovered 14 weapons caches and detained 140 insurgent suspects in and around the Iraqi capital during the week of February 3-9," a statement on Sunday said.

The US military said 34 operations had been carried out during the week in question, 20 of them joint actions and 14 led by US troops.

   This must have been when U.S. intelligence found the bomb parts with the Iranian serial numbers on them. I personally think that Cheney has been stamping them out while hiding down in his White House bunker.

 

Technorati tags: U.S., Iraqi, Weapons, Baghdad

 

John Edwards Will At Least Admit That " I Was Wrong"

    Something that Hillary Clinton has refused to do so far that John Edwards did do back in 2005, ""I was wrong."  Edwards wrote those words three years after he had approved the authorization of Bush to take us into Iraq. Mrs. Clinton has not done so to this day and until she does, she will never get the support that she desires in order to make it into the presidential race.

   John Edwards

Feb. 19, 2007 issue - In the fall of 2005, John Edwards sat down with a pad and pen and scrawled out three simple words: "I was wrong." It was nearly three years after he'd joined a Senate majority in voting to authorize war in Iraq. After an unsuccessful run as John Kerry's vice presidential candidate in the 2004 election, Edwards had returned home to North Carolina and watched as the war descended into chaos. Increasingly filled with regret, he concluded that the three-word confession would be the right way to start a Washington Post op-ed admitting his vote was a mistake.

But when a draft came back from his aides in Washington, Edwards's admission was gone. Determined, the senator reinserted the sentence. Again a draft came back from Washington; again the sentence had been taken out. "We went back and forth, back and forth," Edwards tells NEWSWEEK. "They didn't want me to say it. They were saying I should stress that I'd been misled." The opening sentence remained. "That was the single most important thing for me to say," Edwards recalls. "I had to show how I really feel."

 

Technorati tags: John Edwards, Iraq