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Bush had his Iraq, McCain will have his Iran
McCain sings about war and doesn't convey an understanding of war. The Iraq War is already crippling the US Economy. A War in Iran will destroy it.
McCain sings about war and doesn't convey an understanding of war. The Iraq War is already crippling the US Economy. A War in Iran wil... more -
'America has hardly even begun to repay its debt to Iraq' - Baghdad official
Iraq: U.S. has no claim to oil boom
BAGHDAD — As Congress gears up to debate the Bush administration's latest request for an additional $108 billion in war funding for Iraq and Afghanistan, Iraqis are fuming at suggestions being floated by lawmakers that Baghdad should start paying a share of the war's costs by providing cheap fuel to the U.S. military.
"America has hardly even begun to repay its debt to Iraq," said Abdul Basit, the head of Iraq's Supreme Board of Audit, an independent body that oversees Iraqi government spending. "This is an immoral request because we didn't ask them to come to Iraq, and before they came in 2003 we didn't have all these needs."
The issue of Baghdad's contribution to the costs of the war jumped to the forefront early in April during testimony to Congress of the Iraq war commander, Gen. David Petraeus, and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. Noting that the soaring price of oil is likely to give Iraq a revenue bonanza this year of up to $70 billion, senators quizzed the two on why Iraq isn't using its rising oil income to pay more of the costs of reconstruction.
Iraqi and U.S. officials say they are. Iraqis acknowledge the need for Iraq to take on a greater share of its reconstruction costs and say it is doing so. In fact, according to the latest report released Wednesday by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, the body established by Congress to monitor reconstruction spending, Iraq is now responsible for the majority of the money spent on reconstruction and the Iraqi security forces.
Iraqis say the criticisms in Washington grossly simplify the complexities of Iraq's situation and fail to take into account the vastness of Iraq's needs.
"I think Iraq now is able to depend on its own money. We do not ask for extra aid. We are spending on our own armed forces and reconstruction," Bayan Jabr al-Zubaidi, Iraq's finance minister, said in an interview.
By Liz Sly | Tribune correspondent Iraq: U.S. has no claim to oil boom ... more -
War, was it really for nothing? New studies say, yes!
This article discusses a study that says all the money put into Iraq hasn't actually done any good, mainly because none of the projects were ever completed. This article discusses a study that says all the money put into Iraq hasn't actually done any good, mainly because none of the project... more
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Could you spend 3 trillion dollars?
I spent this morning trying to spend a trillion dollars--and I couldn't.
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Pentagon institute: Iraq war 'a major debacle' - outcome 'in doubt'
By Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008
WASHINGTON — The war in Iraq has become "a major debacle" and the outcome "is in doubt" despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday by the Pentagon's premier military educational institute.
The report released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts about President Bush's projections of a U.S. victory in Iraq just a week after Bush announced that he was suspending U.S. troop reductions.
Follow link to read entire text of story, (which has a link to the full report.)
By Jonathan S. Landay and John Walcott | McClatchy Newspapers Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 ... more -
$300 Million A Day
$300 million a day.
On a war we don't even understand.
Nearly 4,000 dead Americans.
Over 40,000 dead Iraqis.
How many does it take?
When will you stand up? $300 million a day. On a war we don't even understand. Nearly 4,000 dead Americans. Over 40,000 dead Iraqis. ... more -
Cheney to 2/3rd's of the American Public: "So?"
"..When asked about how that jibes with recent polls that show about two-thirds of Americans say the fight in Iraq is not worth it, Cheney replied, "So?"..." "..When asked about how that jibes with recent polls that show about two-thirds of Americans say the fight in Iraq is not worth it, Ch... more
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A new war wages in Iraq –– a numbers war
President Bush says that the Iraq war must go on despite the "high cost in lives..." But how high is high? There's a new war waging in Iraq, and it's a numbers war. Exactly how high is the death toll after 5 years of fighting? According to this article, the US has washed its hands of counting the civilian dead ever since the response to the Vietnam war. Now nobody knows exactly how many people have lost their lives as a result of the Iraq war. Estimates vary widely. "We do know that more than two million have fled abroad. Another 1.5 million have sought safety elsewhere in Iraq. We know that the combined horror of car bombs, suicide attacks, sectarian killing and disproportionate US counter-insurgency tactics and air strikes have produced the worst humanitarian catastrophe in today's world. But the exact death toll remains a mystery.
"We do know that more than two million have fled abroad. Another 1.5 million have sought safety elsewhere in Iraq. We know that the combined horror of car bombs, suicide attacks, sectarian killing and disproportionate US counter-insurgency tactics and air strikes have produced the worst humanitarian catastrophe in today's world. But the exact death toll remains a mystery."
My question is this: do numbers matter in war? Is it any better if only 100,000 have died instead of 1,000,000? President Bush says that the Iraq war must go on despite the "high cost in lives..." But how high is high? There's a new war waging in... more -
5 years after Iraq's 'liberation' there are worms in the water
Lack of services, no electricity, polluted water, toxic land and rivers, and a population held under colonial rule. This is the PNAC definition of 'Democracy.' Our Founding Fathers would never have stood for this. I can't even begin to express my feelings about this after five years. The pain and sorrow that has been caused by this wreckless immoral and llegal action will forever render America a soulless country by our inaction to rectify it. Even should we pull all the troops out the damage to this land and its people is now complete. And this Congress should be ashamed of how it has conducted itself in allowing this occupation to go on as innocent people continue to be caught up in the crossfire. I hope someday the people of Iraq will be able to forgive us. Lack of services, no electricity, polluted water, toxic land and rivers, and a population held under colonial rule. This is the PNAC d... more
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Iraq and Afghanistan second only in cost to WW2
This really puts the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan into perspective...
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Iraq death toll over 'one million' and rising
More than one million Iraqis have died in the conflict started by the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, according to a new survey released as violence continues to plague the area. Just yesterday five more people were killed in a bomb blast in Baghdad.
The survey found that 20% of people in Iraq had at least one death in their household that was a direct result of the conflict, rather than natural causes. And the survey was unable to include data from two of Iraq's more dangerous regions, Kerbala and Anbar. The results give figures more than 10 times that of the Iraq Body Count website estimates, but the site's methodology has been questioned. More than one million Iraqis have died in the conflict started by the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, according to a new survey relea... more -
Iraqis Resort to Selling Children
Many Iraqi families are living in such desperate conditions that they're resorting to selling their children to families outside of Iraq in the hope of providing them with a better future. "Omar Khalif, vice-president of the Iraqi Families Association (IFA), an NGO established in 2004 to register cases of those missing and trafficked, said that at least two children are sold by their parents every week. Another four are reported missing every week."
I couldn't imagine being in the position of having to put a price tag on my child so they could have a better life. This is so heartbreaking. Many Iraqi families are living in such desperate conditions that they're resorting to selling their children to families outside of Ir... more -
120 Vets Commit Suicide Each Week
This shocking statistic was reported by CBS News. In this article, a widow of a Vietnam veteran who took his own life gives her perspective on the role of PTSD in this epidemic. This shocking statistic was reported by CBS News. In this article, a widow of a Vietnam veteran who took his own life gives her persp... more
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What are they trying to keep from us?
This award winning AP photographer will have his day in court. Eventually. And he still doesn't know what he is being charged with. But after 19 months in an Iraq prison, what's the hurry?
We need to wake up. This award winning AP photographer will have his day in court. Eventually. And he still doesn't know what he is being charged with. Bu... more -
Mass graves in Iraq - What is the REAL body count?
This article makes me wonder about the study that estimated 650,000 deceased Iraqis. I fear that this estimate is too low. What if many of the Iraqis that are missing or assumed to have fled are actually in mass graves like these in Baghdad? And what is the connection to the missing reporters? Are they finding truths that someone doesn't want us to know?
And my million dollar question:
How could removing hundreds of thousands of armed men and their weaponry from a country increase the violence in that country?
This article makes me wonder about the study that estimated 650,000 deceased Iraqis. I fear that this estimate is too low. What if man... more -
Uncle Sam's a playa
One out of four homeless are war vets. Uncle Sam doesn't call them anymore.
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Soldiers have a hard time with the VA
The military hospital is denying Tyler Ziegel's brain damage claims after he lost half his left arm, some fingers from his right hand and a section of his skull in a suicide bombing attack nearly 3 years ago. The military hospital is denying Tyler Ziegel's brain damage claims after he lost half his left arm, some fingers from his right hand ... more
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BILL O'REILLY THINKS THAT THE FAR-LEFT PUTS MILITARY AND ALL AMERICANS IN DANGER
I'm Speechless... it had to be FOX news...
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MORE SOLDIERS DIE IN OUR OWN SOIL THAN OVERSEAS...
They are the casualties of wars you dont often hear about - soldiers who die of self-inflicted wounds. Little is known about the true scope of suicides among those who have served in the military.
But a five-month CBS News investigation discovered data that shows a startling rate of suicide, what some call a hidden epidemic, Chief Investigative Reporter Armen Keteyian reports exclusively.
This is an issue that deserves at least a little bit of your time. Astonishing facts!
There is much more to the cost of the Iraq war than money... They are the casualties of wars you dont often hear about - soldiers who die of self-inflicted wounds. Little is known about the true... more
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Cost of Iraq War
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Cost of Iraq War
