Iraq

Dems in Congress seek Withdrawal Saudis intrigue against al-Maliki The Democrats are gearing up to try to pass an appropriations measure for Iraq that also specifies that US troops must come home by fall, 2008. A similar effort in the Senate failed when one Democratic Senator defected to the Republican side over the withdrawal issue. […]

Bush’s Top Ten Mistakes in Iraq during the Past 4 Years 10. Refusing to fire Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld when his incompetence and maliciousness became apparent in the growing guerrilla war and the Abu Ghraib torture scandal. 9. Declining to intervene in the collapsed economy or help put Iraqi state industries back on a […]

Iraqi Public Wants US Troops Out within a Year Sunni Parliamentarian Accused of Links to Bombers A poll of Iraqis commission by USA Today and several other news organizations revealed that: “In all, 83% of Shiites and 97% of Sunni Arabs oppose the presence of coalition forces in Iraq; 75% of Kurds support them. By […]

Iraq Friday Sermons on ‘Surge’ The USG Open Source Center translates and paraphrases Iraqi Friday prayers sermons, some of which speak of the ongoing “Surge.” Iraqi Friday Sermons for 16 Mar Discuss Security Plan, Political ProcessIraq– OSC SummarySunday, March 18, 2007 Major Iraqi television channels – Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah, Baghdad Baghdad Satellite Channel, Baghdad Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad […]

Kahl: The US Military and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq Professor Colin Kahl of the Political Science Department at the University of Minnesota shared the thoughts below on an email listserv and I thought them clear, concise and cogent and asked for permission to reprint here–which he kindly granted. There is a lot of confusion about precisely […]

6 US Troops Killed, 8 Injured or Sickened Chlorine Poison Gas attacks Kill 8, Sicken 350 Thousands Protest War on 4th Anniversary 6 US troops were announced killed on Saturday. Guerrillas killed 4 with a roadside bomb in west Baghdad, wounding one other and then shooting and injuring a sixth. Another 6 US troops were […]

Giving Aid and Comfort to the Enemy: the Plame Affair Valerie Plame Wilson, whose career Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney wanted destroyed in a fit of pique, was finally allowed to testify before Congress on Friday. Some in the blogosphere are arguing that the outing of Plame Wilson was an impeachable offense. Defenders […]

Senate Republicans Defeat Iraq Withdrawal Timetable; 5 US Troops Killed 5 US GIs were announced killed on Thursday. Militiamen or guerrillas killed 4 with a bomb as they were returning from Sadr City (Shiite East Baghdad). Another had been killed on Wednesday by Sunni Arab guerrillas in al-Anbar Province. Police found 20 bodies in the […]

Clinton Would Keep Troops in Iraq Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday that she would keep some US troops in Iraq to fight al-Qaeda, curb Iranian influence, protect the Kurds and assist the Iraqi military. The elements of this plan will not work or are unnecessary. 1. The Kurds don’t need protecting. Their Peshmerga military, […]