Clipmarks | jklugman's 'iraq' clips

Experts warned Blair of Iraq mess

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:30:53 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

Joffe got the impression of "someone with a very shallow mind, who's not interested in issues other than the personalities of the top people, no interest in social forces, political trends, etc".

Clip Source: blogs.cqpolitics.com

Jonathan Steele's Defeat: Why They Lost Iraq, which describes a prewar session that British Prime Minister Tony Blair held with outside-government experts who offered their views on what might occur in Iraq following an invasion:

George Joffe, an Arabist from Cambridge University,

"We all pretty much said the same thing," Joffe recalls. "Iraq is a very complicated country, there are tremendous intercommunal resentments, and don't imagine you'll be welcomed." He remembers how Blair reacted. "He looked at me and said, 'But the man's uniquely evil, isn't he?' I was a bit nonplussed. It didn't seem to be very relevant." Recovering, Joffe went on to argue that Saddam was constrained by various factors, to which Blair merely repeated his first point: "He can make choices, can't he?" As Joffe puts it, "He meant he can choose to be good or evil, I suppose."

Tags: tony blair, iraq, war, uk, incompetence

Chancellor of American U-Iraq a "pull-your-dick" kind of guy

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:16:12 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Via Henry at Crooked Timber

Clip Source: insidehighered.com

the American University of Iraq, a Western-style institution in the war-torn country’s northern region that promises to “lead the transformation of Iraq into a liberal and democratic society.”

The university’s lofty aspirations, as espoused on its Web site, make the selection of its first chancellor all the more puzzling. Owen Cargol, who took the helm at AU-Iraq in 2007 and resigned in late April of this year, had a checkered past

The sexual harassment scandal that brought down Cargol at Northern Arizona University in 2001 was well publicized,

Cargol’s 2001 resignation stemmed from allegations made by a Northern Arizona employee who alleged that Cargol, while naked in a locker room, grabbed the employee’s genitals, the Arizona Republic reported. In a subsequent e-mail to the employee, Cargol described himself as “a rub-your-belly, grab-your-balls, give-you-a-hug, slap-your-back, pull-your-dick, squeeze-your-hand, cheek-your-face, and pat-your-thigh kind of guy.”

Tags: american university, owen cargol, iraq, higher-education

VA Conceals Vet Suicide Figures to Downplay Epidemic

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:37:59 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: What do the constant lies from this administration tell you?

Clip Source: thinkprogress.org

VA Conceals Vet Suicide Figures From CBS To Downplay ‘Epidemic In Suicide’»

Yesterday marked the opening day of a class action lawsuit brought by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), arguing “that failure to provide care is manifesting itself in an epidemic of suicides” among veterans. The VA denies the charges, pointing to increased resources devoted to mental health.

Today, CBS News reports that the VA apparently concealed veteran suicide statistics, and fed the news organization faulty data for a story on the issue. The VA told CBS that there were 790 attempted suicides in all of 2007. Yet shortly after, the VA’s head of Mental Health, Dr. Ira Katz, wrote in an e-mail to the VA’s top media adviser that there were “about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among veterans we see in our medical facilities.”

Tags: war, suicide, bush, iraq

3rd marine cleared of Haditha charges

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:37:10 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

Officials close to the Haditha case said they think prosecutors dismissed the charges in order to pursue Wuterich aggressively at trial. The cases against three of the Marines accused of shooting civilians have fallen apart, and Wuterich remains the only one left for prosecutors to target for accountability. Wuterich led the Marine squad and allegedly told his troops, as they approached a group of civilian homes that day, to shoot first and ask questions later.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

The Marine Corps yesterday dismissed all charges against one of the Marines accused of killing women and children in the Iraqi town of Haditha in late 2005, the third time a Marine linked to the slayings has been exonerated

Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum, who has admitted shooting civilians inside their homes as part of a pursuit of insurgents, was cleared and granted immunity to testify in further hearings related to the investigation. The move leaves only Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich to face charges in connection with the shootings on Nov. 19, 2005.

Although the Marines were at first accused of going on a rampage, the case has evolved into a far more complex examination of the Corps' rules of engagement and the general conduct of wartime operations in hostile residential areas.

Tags: haditha, marines, iraq, war, civilian-killings, stephen tatum, frank wuterich

Iraqi Feel-Good Stories Prove Elusive

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:24:06 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Garrett Therolf, LAT reporter, talks about his efforts to report on good news in Iraq when he was there earlier this year.

The military prevented Therolf from following-up on the army's efforts to establish a local bank branch in a Sunni Arab neighborhood. The neighborhood was too dangerous for him to enter without military guard.

Therolf also pursued a story about a restaurant in Baghdad started by some Chinese nationals. They declined to be interviewed because they were scared, and they may even go back to China because of the danger.

For those of you who criticize the media for focusing on the negative in Iraq, this is something you should consider.

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

During a tour of Iraq a year earlier, I encountered mostly pessimism among the Iraqis I interviewed. A reader wrote me to say that I was an "Al Qaeda cheerleader" for a story that included quotes from U.S. soldiers troubled about the difficulties of fighting insurgents. Many more asked, "Isn't there some good news to report?"

Because of such fears and the inefficiency that pervades the capital, these "good news" stories evaporated before I could tell them. After only a month in Iraq, I once again left having filed mostly "bad news" stories.

Tags: iraq, journalism, media

The Volunteer Army: Who Fights and Why?

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:10:53 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Michael Massing went to Ft. Drum in New York to interview soldiers about why they joined the army.

("these books" he refers to in this clip are recently-published soldier memoirs; "Bradley's" is a military supply store)

Overall, the average bonus paid to Army enlistees jumped from $11,100 in 2005 to $16,500 in 2007. This is one of the main reasons why the Army has been able to meet its recruiting goals in spite of the ongoing specter of serving in Iraq.

Another is the relaxation of admission standards. In 2007, 11 percent of all new recruits received "moral waivers" for being in trouble with the law—double the proportion in 2003. Over that same period, the proportion of enlistees who had finished high school fell from 90 to 71 percent—the lowest level in twenty-five years. Due largely to the Iraq war, the Army now includes far more recruits from the troubled, truant, tattooed ranks of the population.

Clip Source: www.nybooks.com

In these books, the idea of joining the military to defend America or uphold its values is largely absent. Rather, these soldiers signed up to escape dead-end jobs, failed relationships, broken families, bills, toothaches, and boredom. The armed forces offered a haven from the struggles and strains of life in modern-day America, a place to gain security and skills, discipline and self-esteem.

That initial group of interviews at Bradley's would mirror those I had throughout my stay. In all, I would speak with about thirty soldiers, and roughly one of every four would tell me that he had joined the military mainly for idealistic reasons, for some larger cause. Often, in describing those reasons, these soldiers would sound vague—"I've wanted to be a soldier since I was young," they would say, or "my family has always served in the Army." (A family history in the military features strongly in the decision of many enlistees.)

Tags: iraq, war, military, recruitment

US made deal with devil to stabilize Iraq

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 15:03:55 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Chris Hedges is the author of this editorial.

...those who support the continuation of the war insist that "the surge" has been successful. But the surge...did little to thwart attacks.

"The big news of the past year, the smashing up of al-Qaeda in Iraq and the stabilization of a lot of Sunni Arab areas, has virtually nothing to do with the surge," said Wayne White, former deputy director of the State Department's Middle East Intelligence unit. "What we have done, in effect, is we have made a deal with the devil in order to get rid of al-Qaeda. We have allowed nearly 100,000 tough Sunni Arab fighters to organize and arm themselves as they never could before when they had to operate underground. We have destroyed a nasty insurgency and replaced it with a more deeply rooted and broad-based potential insurgency."

Clip Source: www.philly.com

In selling the American public on the "surge" strategy in Iraq, the White House and the military have praised the funding and support of Sunni Arab militias in Iraq. We are being told this strategy is yet another proof of "success" in Iraq - when in fact it is a short-term tactic that could result in horrific blowback.

These Sunnis, many of whom once belonged to extremist organizations that attacked U.S. troops, currently receive salaries (each fighter gets $300 a month) from the U.S. military. In return, they have been asked for support to control parts of the country where there is a Sunni Arab majority; target jihadists; and end assaults on U.S. troops. These militias have replaced local government officials, including police, and taken over local administration and security in many pockets of Iraq. They have carved out, with our assistance, independent fiefdoms.

Tags: iraq, chris hedges, surge, al-qaeda, sunni, civil war, war

Army Has Record Low Level of Recruits

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 03:48:23 GMT

clipped by: jklugman

Clip Source: ap.google.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army began its recruiting year Oct. 1 with fewer signed up for basic training than in any year since it became an all-volunteer service in 1973, a top general said Wednesday.

Gen. William S. Wallace, whose duties as commander of Army Training and Doctrine Command include management of recruiting, told reporters at the Pentagon that the historic dip will make it harder to achieve the full-year recruiting goal — after just barely reaching it in the year ended Sept. 30.

Achieving the Army's recruiting goals — a challenge in the best of times — is not only more difficult now but also of more consequence. That is because the Army has decided that it must grow its active-duty force by several thousand soldiers a year in order to relieve strain on war-weary troops.

Tags: army, military, iraq

Marine Recruiters Busted in Exam Fraud

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 03:51:23 GMT

clipped by: jklugman

Clip Source: www.chron.com

Nine Marine Corps recruiters who worked in the Houston area were punished for using fraudulent stand-ins to take military-entrance exams for prospective recruits who might not otherwise measure up, the military confirmed Wednesday.

Eight of the recruiters were reassigned and given non-judicial punishment, which could include fines and reduction in rank. Another, considered the worst offender, was discharged from the service.

Harold Hyman, a Rice University professor emeritus of history and a Marine in World War II, said he felt pity for recruiters who broke the law in a desperate race to meet quotas because of the Iraq war. He noted that recruiters have been known for generations to go to great lengths to sign anyone up.

Tags: marines, military, iraq

To be or not to be: Genocide & the Melancholy President

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:09:49 GMT

clipped by: ouyangwulong
clipper's remarks: Turkey is a lose lose situation for us. There's no way we'll pull them off of the Kurds through appeasement. Of all the times Bush stood strong, this is the time for a little bravado, where did it go?

What kind of President caves in on issues like genocide? He just took away Pansy of the Week award from Gordon Brown!

Clip Source: www.iht.com

Bush urges Congress to reject Armenian genocide resolution

WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush and two top cabinet members urged lawmakers on Wednesday to reject a resolution describing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Armenians early in the last century as genocide - a highly sensitive issue at a time of rising U.S.-Turkish tensions over northern Iraq.

"We all deeply regret the tragic suffering of the Armenian people that began in 1915," Bush said in a brief statement from the White House. "But this resolution is not the right response to these historic mass killings, and its passage would do great harm to relations with a key ally in NATO, and to the war on terror."

Tags: armeinia, genocide, turkey, kruds, iraq, bush, pansy

That Took Forever: Beauchamp Story Collapses

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:00:26 GMT

clipped by: jatfla
clipper's remarks: Very interesting. I never paid much attention to Beauchamp's claims. There's a lot of stuff *out there* that is fabricated or manipulated to deceive the public. However, how long is it going to take before these guys realize that there are people (bloggers) just waiting to investigate their stories AND publish their mistakes?

Clip Source: www.weeklystandard.com

That Took Foerever: Beauchamp Story Collapses

The Drudge Report has posted a a series of documents that reveal the lengths to which the New Republic’s editors, specifically Frank Foer and Peter Scoblic, went to cover up the truth about the Scott Beauchamp stories.

When we started looking into Beauchamp's stories back in July, we believed that the New Republic had simply been taken in by a huckster

not a single person could corroborate the existence of the mystery woman at Falcon. When confronted with this fact, Beauchamp confessed that the incident had not taken place as he'd described, a mere 48 hours after lashing out at those who questioned his account.

then came our report that Scott Beauchamp was no longer standing by his stories.

The documents posted by Drudge reveal that the New Republic’s editors have known for several weeks that the central anecdote of the story was untrue, that the other anecdotes were deeply suspect, and that the author was no longer standing by his work.

Tags: iraq, media, slander

Blackwater Actions Could Be Considered Treason

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:11:08 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: A US contractor disarming a US soldier in a war zone amounts to treason.

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The colonel was furious. "Can you believe it? They actually drew their weapons on U.S. soldiers." He was describing a 2006 car accident, in which an SUV full of Blackwater operatives had crashed into a U.S. Army Humvee on a street in Baghdad's Green Zone. The colonel, who was involved in a follow-up investigation and spoke on the condition he not be named, said the Blackwater guards disarmed the U.S. Army soldiers and made them lie on the ground at gunpoint until they could disentangle the SUV. His account was confirmed by the head of another private security company.

One military contractor, who spoke anonymously for fear of retribution in his industry, recounted the story of a Blackwater operative who answered a Marine officer's order to put his pistol on safety when entering a base post office by saying, "This is my safety," and wiggling his trigger finger in the air. "Their attitude was, 'We're f---ing security; we don't have to answer to anybody'."

Tags: blackwater, iraq, treason

Sniper team tells of pressure from above to get "Kills"

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:14:37 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

BAGHDAD -- Here they were, hardened combat soldiers, grounded on a military base far from the palm groves, canals and marshes where they once prowled.

But at least for a moment this week, they were still the Painted Demons, the elite sniper unit that struck fear in the so-called triangle of death south of Baghdad. That couldn't be taken away: not by breaking them up, as the Army had done, and not even by the murder trials of three of their members at Camp Victory.

They surrounded Sgt. Evan Vela, whose preliminary hearing on murder charges began Sunday morning. Vela, a stocky 23-year-old, bear-hugged them, smiling and laughing. He looked nothing like the man who had broken down on the witness stand days before, at the trial of a fellow sniper. Then, he had spoken in barely audible tones about firing two bullets at point-blank range into an Iraqi detainee's head, allegedly on the orders of Staff Sgt. Michael A. Hensley, the leader of the Painted Demons.

Tags: iraq, war, terror, soldiers, snipers, crimes

Iraq's Power Grid Nearing Collapse

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 21:42:10 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

"We no longer need television documentaries about the Stone Age. We are actually living in it. We are in constant danger because of the filthy water and rotten food we are having," said Hazim Obeid, who sells clothing at a stall in the Karbala market.

Clip Source: www.abcnews.go.com

Iraq's power grid is on the brink of collapse because of insurgent sabotage, rising demand, fuel shortages and provinces that are unplugging local power stations from the national grid, officials said Saturday.

Electricity Ministry spokesman Aziz al-Shimari said power generation nationally is only meeting half the demand, and there had been four nationwide blackouts over the past two days. The shortages across the country are the worst since the summer of 2003, shortly after the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, he said.

Power supplies in Baghdad have been sporadic all summer and now are down to just a few hours a day, if that. The water supply in the capital has also been severely curtailed by power blackouts and cuts that have affected pumping and filtration stations.

Tags: iraq, reconstruction, occupation, surge, war, infrastructure

Military: US Marines killed Iraqis ‘in cold blood’

Thu, 18 May 2006 18:06:27 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: Via QandO

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Lawmaker: Marines killed Iraqis ‘in cold blood’

Navy conducting war crimes probe into November violence in Haditha

By Jim Miklaszewski
and Mike Viqueira

NBC News

Updated: 9:27 p.m. ET May 17, 2006

WASHINGTON - A Pentagon probe into the death of Iraqi civilians last November in the Iraqi city of Haditha will show that U.S. Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood," a U.S. lawmaker said Wednesday.

From the beginning, Iraqis in the town of Haditha said U.S. Marines deliberately killed 15 unarmed Iraqi civilians, including seven women and three children.

One young Iraqi girl said the Marines killed six members of her family, including her parents. “The Americans came into the room where my father was praying,” she said, “and shot him.”

On Wednesday, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., said the accounts are true.

Military officials told NBC News that the Marine Corps' own evidence appears to show Murtha is right.

Murtha, a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, said at a news conference Wednesday that sources within the military have told him that an internal investigation will show that "there was no firefight, there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

Military officials say Marine Corp photos taken immediately after the incident show many of the victims were shot at close range, in the head and chest, execution-style. One photo shows a mother and young child bent over on the floor as if in prayer, shot dead, said the officials, who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity because the investigation hasn't been completed.

One military official says it appears the civilians were deliberately killed by the Marines, who were outraged at the death of their fellow Marine.

“This one is ugly," one official told NBC News.

Tags: military, iraq, civilian-killings