Defeat is victory. Death is life: "By Robert Fisk | 02/26/06 'The Independent' -- --

Everyone in the Middle East rewrites history, but never before have we had a US administration so wilfully, dishonestly and ruthlessly reinterpreting tragedy as success, defeat as victory, death as life - helped, I have to add, by the compliant American press. I'm reminded not so much of Vietnam as of the British and French commanders of the First World War who repeatedly lied about military victory over the Kaiser as they pushed hundreds of thousands of their men through the butchers' shops of the Somme, Verdun and Gallipoli. The only difference now is that we are pushing hundreds of thousands of Arabs though the butchers' shops - and don't even care.

Last week's visit to Beirut by one of the blindest of George Bush's bats - his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice - was indicative of the cruelty that now pervades Washington. She brazenly talked about the burgeoning 'democracies' of the Middle East while utterly ignoring the bloodbaths in Iraq and the growing sectarian tensions of Lebanon, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Perhaps the key to her indifference can be found in her evidence to the Senate Committee on International Affairs where she denounced Iran as 'the greatest strategic challenge' facing the US in the region, because Iran uses policies that 'contradict the nature of the kind of Middle East sought by the United States'."
- posted by Editor @ 9:12 PM

Think Progress � 72% of U.S. Troops Want Out of Iraq Within One Year: "

Bush says pulling out of Iraq would undermine our troops’ morale:

It is also important for every American to understand the consequences of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. … We would undermine the morale of our troops by betraying the cause for which they have sacrificed. [12/18/05]

U.S. troops say they want out of Iraq within a year:

A new poll to be released today shows that U.S. soldiers overwhelmingly want out of Iraq — and soon. The poll is the first of U.S. troops currently serving in Iraq, according to John Zogby, the pollster. Conducted by Zogby International and LeMoyne College, it asked 944 service members, “How long should U.S. troops stay in Iraq?” Only 23 percent backed Mr. Bush’s position that they should stay as long as necessary. In contrast, 72 percent said that U.S. troops should be pulled out within one year. Of those, 29 percent said they should withdraw “immediately.” [NYT, 2/28/06]

American Progress has a plan that will drawdown the U.S. troop presence in Iraq within one year. If the troops support it, why can’t their Commander-in-Chief?"
- posted by Editor @ 7:19 PM

KR Washington Bureau | 02/28/2006 | Intelligence agencies warned about growing local insurgency in late 2003: "Tue, Feb. 28, 2006 | By WARREN P. STROBEL and JONATHAN S. LANDAY | Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - 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, according to former senior intelligence officials who helped craft the reports.

Among the warnings, Knight Ridder has learned, was a major study, called a National Intelligence Estimate, completed in October 2003 that 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 existence of the top-secret document, which was the subject of a bitter three-month debate among U.S. intelligence agencies, has not been previously disclosed to a wide public audience.

The reports received a cool reception from Bush administration policymakers at the White House and the office of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, according to the former officials, who discussed them publicly for the first time. ...
- posted by Editor @ 7:15 PM

William F. Buckley Jr. on Iraq on National Review Online: "February 24, 2006, 2:51 p.m. | It Didn’t Work
...
One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed. The same edition of the paper quotes a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute. Mr. Reuel Marc Gerecht backed the American intervention. He now speaks of the bombing of the especially sacred Shiite mosque in Samara and what that has precipitated in the way of revenge. He concludes that “The bombing has completely demolished” what was being attempted — to bring Sunnis into the defense and interior ministries.

Our mission has failed because Iraqi animosities have proved uncontainable by an invading army of 130,000 Americans. The great human reserves that call for civil life haven't proved strong enough. No doubt they are latently there, but they have not been able to contend against the ice men who move about in the shadows with bombs and grenades and pistols.

The Iraqis we hear about are first indignant, and then infuriated, that Americans aren't on the scene to protect them and to punish the aggressors. And so they join the clothing merchant who says that everything is the fault of the Americans.

The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, elucidates on the complaint against Americans. It is not only that the invaders are American, it is that they are "Zionists." It would not be surprising to learn from an anonymously cited American soldier that he can understand why Saddam Hussein was needed to keep the Sunnis and the Shiites from each others' throats.
...
Yes, but within their own counsels, different plans have to be made. And the kernel here is the acknowledgment of defeat.
- posted by Editor @ 7:32 PM

FT.com / Middle East & Africa / Iraq - Iraq economy falls below pre-war levels: "Iraq economy falls below pre-war levels
By Guy Dinmore in Washington | Published: February 16 2006 18:33 | Last updated: February 16 2006 21:16

ImageThe Bush administration on Thursday conceded that key sectors of the Iraqi economy had fallen below pre-war levels because of the insurgency, but insisted it was making enough progress on the political and security fronts to press ahead with reductions in US forces.

Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, told the Senate budget committee that production of crude oil and electricity was down from three years ago. Attacks had also hit oil exports.

According to latest statistics – which Ms Rice did not mention – crude oil production this month is running at 1.7m barrels a day, down from a post-invasion peak of 2.5m in September 2004 that was close to prewar levels.

Ms Rice initially asserted that “many more Iraqis” were now getting potable water and sewerage services. However, under intense questioning from Kent Conrad, a North Dakota Democrat, she conceded that although “capacity” had increased, fewer Iraqis were actually receiving those services.

Senator Conrad, citing the special inspector general, said almost all economic indices showed Iraq was better off before the US had invaded.
- posted by Editor @ 8:26 PM

Reuters AlertNet - IRAQ: Severe water shortage hits Baghdad suburbs: "06 Feb 2006 18:28:47 GMT | Source: IRIN | BAGHDAD, 6 February (IRIN) -

Residents of Baghdad's suburbs have been experiencing serious water shortages for a month due to poor infrastructure, leaking pipes and wastage, according to experts.

'Water wastage in the capital, along with bad infrastructure, has increased,' said Saleh Ra'ad, a senior official at the Ministry of Water Resources.

'Now Iraqis are suffering the consequences and have only a few hours of water daily.'

Nearly half a million people have been affected by the scarcity. In some areas, water is available for only a few hours at night and for less than two hours during the day in other areas.

Nearly 300 water tanks have been distributed by the government and the Iraqi Red Crescent Society in various areas of the capital. Some residents, however, must walk large distances to reach them.

'I have to walk almost 6 km to get clean water when the improvised tanks are empty,' said Safwat Ali, a resident of the Sadr suburb. 'It's a shame for a country surrounded by two of the biggest rivers in the Middle East.'" ...
- posted by Editor @ 5:36 AM

NATIONAL JOURNAL: Iraq, Niger, And The CIA (01/02/2006): "By Murray Waas, special to National Journal | � National Journal Group Inc. | Thursday, Feb. 2, 2006

Vice President Cheney and his then-Chief of Staff I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby were personally informed in June 2003 that the CIA no longer considered credible the allegations that Saddam Hussein had attempted to procure uranium from the African nation of Niger, according to government records and interviews with current and former officials. The new CIA assessment came just as Libby and other senior administration officials were embarking on an effort to discredit an administration critic who had also been saying that the allegations were untrue.

CIA analysts wrote then-CIA Director George Tenet in a highly classified memo on June 17, 2003, "We no longer believe there is sufficient" credible information to "conclude that Iraq pursued uranium from abroad." The memo was titled: "In Response to Your Questions for Our Current Assessment and Additional Details on Iraq's Alleged Pursuits of Uranium From Abroad."

Despite the CIA's findings, Libby attempted to discredit former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who had been sent on a CIA-sponsored mission to Niger the previous year to investigate the claims, which he concluded were baseless. ...

- posted by Editor @ 9:35 PM

CBC News: U.S. fired on Canadian diplomats without warning, envoy says: "Last Updated Wed, 01 Feb 2006 21:58:32 EST | CBC News

Canadian officials dispute the U.S. version of an event in Iraq and insist that American soldiers fired without warning on a consular vehicle carrying four Canadian diplomats, CBC News has learned.
...
But a Canadian diplomat who was in the vehicle told a very different version of the incident to CBC News reporter Eric Sorensen.

'Kaboom! They don't know what's happened'

The diplomat, who was not named, said no one in the Canadian vehicles remembered seeing anyone signalling to them. The first sign they had of a problem was when they heard a booming sound.

"They just remember kaboom! It happened," said Sorenson, who spoke to the diplomat by telephone from Ottawa. ...

- posted by Editor @ 9:32 PM