THIS ISN'T GOOD: TALIBAN LAUNCHES MASSIVE ATTACK ON US BASES IN AFGHANISTAN

Taliban Launches Large Coordinated Assaults

by: RockRichard
Tue Aug 19, 2008 at 13:56:13 PM EDT
http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=B7C9DFB4315A9BCFE27EBA51E74A5860?diaryId=1788

This isn't good:

KABUL, Afghanistan - Taliban insurgents mounted their most serious attacks in six years of fighting, one a complex attack with multiple suicide bombers on an American military base on Monday night, and another by some 100 insurgents on French forces in a district east of the capital, killing 10 French soldiers and wounding 21 others, military officials said Tuesday. ...

The attack on Camp Salerno in Khost Province was one of the most complex attacks seen so far in Afghanistan with multiple suicide bombers and a backup fighting force that tried to breach defenses on to the airport at the base. It followed a suicide car bombing at the outer entrance to the same base on Monday morning, which killed 12 Afghan workers lining up to enter the base, and another attempted bombing that was thwarted shortly after.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for all three attacks in Khost. Their spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahed, reached by telephone at an unknown location, said that 15 suicide bombers, equipped with machine guns and vests packed with explosives, with 30 militants backing them up, attacked the base, one of the largest foreign military bases in Afghanistan. He claimed that some of the bombers had gotten inside the base and had killed a number of American soldiers and destroyed equipment and helicopters. This last claim was denied by General Azimi of the Afghan military.

The article goes on to describe in detail the eight hour Taliban attack and the coalition/Afghan National Army response. Basically, the Taliban attackers were very precise, very coordinated, and very large in numbers.

This isn't an attack on a remote firebase.

Forward Operating Base Salerno is home to one of two U.S. combat brigades in Afghanistan. Along with the headquarters, there are significant numbers of support, aviation and field artillery assets. I can't locate exact numbers (probably unavailable for OPSEC reasons), but I'd estimate it is the second largest U.S. commanded installation in the country, behind only Bagram Airfield. A footprint this size comes with a proportional security operation. What the Taliban have demonstrated with this incident is that they are able to conduct large scale, coordinated attacks on significant coalition military bases, and that is unacceptable for a group we should have defeated several years ago.

Click on link to read more: http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=B7C9DFB4315A9BCFE27EBA51E74A5860?diaryId=1788

MUST SEE VIDEO: BILL O'REILLY DEFENDS FOX NEWS AND THEIR RACIST ATTACKS ON OBAMA

BARACK OBAMA has been the victim of a less than subtle racist attack by FOX NEWS and in this video from YOU TUBE FOX NEWS' BILL O'REILLY comes to the defense of FOX NEWS and claims they have been "fair and balanced" in their reporting on OBAMA.

Commentary: You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see how the FOX NEWS reports on BARACK OBAMA are a subliminal form of racism.

Watch video here:

http://www.youtube.com/v/fO0vX7YvZ7g&hl=en&fs=1

Click on diamond-shaped arrow in center of picture to activate video.

SHOCKING VIDEO: VIETNAM VETERANS AGAINST JOHN "SONGBIRD" McCAIN

This YOU TUBE video shows Republicans and Democrats from Congress attacking John McCain over the documents that have been buried about McCain's time in the Hanoi Hilton after he was captured and how McCain is not telling the whole truth about what really took place during the time he was a POW.

Watch video here:

http://www.youtube.com/v/9MUY9S6iCvk&hl=en&fs=1

Click on diamond-shaped arrow in picture to activate video

OBAMA HITS BACK AT McCAIN OVER IRAQ WAR: ACCUSES McCAIN OF QUESTIONING HIS PATRIOTISM

Obama hits back at McCain over Iraq war
Obama tells military veterans that McCain is wrong to question his character and patriotism

BETH FOUHYAP News
Aug 19, 2008 09:37 EST
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=304398

Democrat Barack Obama challenged his Republican opponent John McCain on Tuesday to stop questioning his "character and patriotism."

Addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, Obama reaffirmed his early opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and said the so-called "surge" strategy of sending 30,000 additional troops to Iraq last year had not produced the political reconciliation necessary to achieve lasting peace in the country. McCain supported the Iraq invasion and was an early champion of the surge.

"These are the judgments I've made and the policies that we have to debate, because we do have differences in this election," Obama said. "One of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can't disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.

I have never suggested that Sen. McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition. I have not suggested it because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America's national interest. Now, it's time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same.

"Let me be clear: I will let no one question my love of this country," Obama said to applause.

McCAIN TAKES CREDIT FOR VETERANS BILL HE FOUGHT AGAINST

In still another brazen display of lying to not only the American public but to veterans as well, GOP Presidential hopeful John McCain took credit for a veterans education bill he never voted for and actually opposed the bill.

Meanwhile, Demorcatic hopeful Barack Obama joined 96 other Senators in voting FOR the bill.


McCain takes credit for a bill he fought against (again)

Posted August 18th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/16597.html

In late June, the Senate approved a war supplemental spending bill, which included the Webb/Hagel GI Bill, expanding educational benefits for veterans. It passed 92 to 6, with John McCain failing to show up to vote. (Barack Obama was there, and he voted with the majority.)

The next day, McCain bragged to an audience in Ohio that “we … agreed to an increase in educational benefits for our veterans.”

Ali at TP noted that McCain made a related boast this morning.

Speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) once again tried to steal credit for the 21st Century G.I. Bill, which McCain had vigorously opposed, even submitting his own proposal to undermine the chances of success for the main bill. Today, McCain told the audience of veterans that he “sought a better bill” and declared the final passage of the GI bill “the result” of his efforts:

“As a political proposition, it would have much easier for me to have just signed on to what I considered flawed legislation. But the people of Arizona, and of all America, expect more from their representatives than that, and instead I sought a better bill. I’m proud to say that the result is a law that better serves our military, better serves military families, and better serves the interests of our country.”

OK, let’s unpack this a bit. First, McCain not only opposed the GI Bill expansion, he actively fought against it. Indeed, he bragged that his opposition to the bill was evidence of his character. McCain not only opposed the bill, he did so for all the wrong reasons. He even went so far as to say the GI Bill expansion would literally “hurt the military.”

And yet, he’s gone from characterizing himself as a supporter to arguing that he personally made the bill even better.Second, McCain’s argument flatly contradicts what the VFW knows to be true.

VFW’s deputy director for legislative affairs Eric Hilleman: The Graham-Burr-McCain plan is “very partisan and is seen as a way to convolute the GI bill, or to slow the Webb-Hagel proposal down.”

VFW National Commander George Lisicki: “People are leaving after their first enlistment because they are tired of being shot at, and their families are tired of the frequent deployments… Whether they stay in four years or 20, we owe this newest, greatest generation the gift of education.”

In context, McCain was admittedly in a tough spot. The VFW championed the Webb/Hagel bill and made it one of the group’s top legislative priorities of this Congress, while McCain fought against the VFW every step of the way. McCain couldn’t exactly be honest, and address the organization today with an explanation on why he tried to deny veterans better educational benefits.

So, McCain chose Door #2 — he lied to them, and hoped the veterans in the audience wouldn’t know the difference. The result is a situation in which McCain adds insult to injury — he fought against better benefits for veterans, then he misled veterans about his own efforts.

It’s pretty much the opposite of “support the troops.”

As long as we’re on the subject, McCain also used his speech to the VFW to:
* attack Obama’s judgment on Iraq, just one day after the NYT highlighted how spectacularly wrong McCain’s judgment on Iraq was after 9/11;
* tout his plan for a “Veterans Care Access Card,” which by all appearances, veterans completely oppose;

* repeat the claim that Obama is effectively committing treason, insisting that Obama wants the U.S. to fail in Iraq because of his personal “ambition.”

Something digby recently said continues to ring true: “I am really starting to hate this unctuous, double-talking creep.”

CNN REPORTS: WHEELCHAIR BOMBER KILLS 3 IN IRAQ

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A man in a wheelchair blew himself up Monday in a northern Iraqi police station, killing three National Police officers, including a commander, police said.
The attack also wounded nine officers on the police force, which the Iraqi Interior Ministry operates.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/25/iraq.main/index.html

The bombing in Samarra raises concern about the recent tactics employed by insurgents in Iraq. Bombs have been placed inside dead animals and hidden in carts. And in recent days, vagrants have been involved in bombings.

"As a sign of desperation, some of those terrorists resorted to some new methods and techniques," said Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, spokesman for Baghdad's security plan.

One of the tactics is the use of remote-controlled "sticky" bombs, small enough to tape under vehicles.

A high-ranking Samarra police official said the disabled man came to meet with Brig. Gen. Abdul Jabbar Rabei Muttar, deputy commander of security, at the security operations building in Samarra. The pair met last week as well.

The man was searched when he entered the building, but police didn't look under his wheelchair seat, where the explosives had been placed. The man, who police say was cogent, detonated the explosives when Muttar approached him.

Also Monday, a roadside bomb exploded in the middle of a crowd of Shiite Muslims in Baghdad, killing three people and wounding 15, an Interior Ministry official said.

The strike, in southeastern Baghdad's Zafaraniya district, is the latest attack against pilgrims trekking to Karbala for al-Arbaeen, one of the holiest days of the Shiite religious calendar. It falls on Wednesday.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber in Iskandariya killed at least 45 people and wounded 68 others, and armed militants attacked pilgrims in southern Baghdad, killing three and wounding more than 30 others.

SHOCKING DISCOVERY: MOLDY BARRACKS FOR WOUNDED VETERANS

Fail: More Moldy Barracks for Wounded Soldiers

by: Brandon Friedman
Mon Aug 18, 2008 at 12:55:05 PM EDT
http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1780

More problems with shitty barracks for wounded soldiers:

LAWTON, Okla. - Mold infests the barracks that were set up here a year ago for wounded soldiers after poor conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center triggered a systemwide overhaul, soldiers say.

Twenty soldiers, who spoke to USA TODAY early last week, said their complaints about mold and other problems went unheeded for months. They also said they had been ordered not speak about the conditions at Fort Sill.

Officers at the Army base last week ordered that ventilation ducts in two barracks be replaced and soldiers be surveyed, anonymously if they wished, about any concerns. Maj. Gen. Peter Vangjel, the commanding officer, said it was "inappropriate" for soldiers to be ordered not to talk about the mold.

Is it really that hard to square away barracks for the wounded? Given this latest eruption of maintenance incompetence and failure in leadership, I'd just like to direct everyone's attention back to a statement made in April by Brigadier General Dennis Rogers--Director of Operations and Facilities for Installation Management Command--in regard to the Fort Bragg barracks situation:

"I'll tell you right now before we even start: I assume responsibility for the shortfalls in barracks maintenance which were referenced in the video by Mr. Frawley. We let our soldiers down.

And I note that a number of you are veterans, or most of you are veterans, and you served. So you know that there is no excuse for that. We let our soldiers down."

Of course, this statement was made after the much-hyped "nationwide walk-through."
So what's the deal now?

Can we meet the standard, or what? This is pathetic. What incentive do you give people to enlist when this is what you offer them?

WAR NEWS TODAY: MASSIVE INCREASE IN VIOLENCE IN IRAQ AND AFGHNISTAN

There has been a massive increase in violence in both IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN according to the reliable source WAR NEWS TODAY http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

The shame of it all is the mainstream media keeps LYING to the AMERICAN public about conditions on the ground in IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN.

The are a total of nearly 200,000 AMERICAN troops stranded, yes, stranded, in both countries and the prospect of either war ending soon is slim and none.

As YOU go through this list of what is happening in IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN click on the part in BLUE and you will be able to read more on each topic.

Anyone reading the following list of violence in both IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN and claiming "the surge" has been a success is not only DUMB but BLIND.

COMMENT by BILL CORCORAN, editor of CORKSPHERE

Monday, August 18, 2008

War News for Monday, August 18, 2008
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an eastern province of Afghanistan on Saturday, August 16th. No other details were released. We assume this to be an American soldier.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from non-combat related injuries in an eastern province of Afghanistan on Sunday, August 17th. No other details were released. We assume this to be an American soldier.

The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier from an IED attack in the region of Forward Operating Base Attal, in the Gereshk area of Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Monday, August 18th. One other British soldier and an Afghan National Army soldier and the patrol interpreter were wounded in the attack. Here's the NATO statement.

Pakistan's Musharraf announces resignation:

Iran tests rocket for future launch of satellite:

Ex-Marine decries prosecution in civilian court:

Renewed violence grips Tal Afar:

Philippines drives rebels out; 34 people killed:

Record number of US contractors in Iraq:As of early 2008, at least 190,000 private personnel were working on US-funded projects in the Iraq theater, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) survey found.

Baghdad:#1: A roadside bomb wounded five people, including three policemen, when it exploded in the Mansour district of western Baghdad, police said.

#2: A roadside bomb wounded nine people, including three policemen, when it exploded near a U.S. military patrol in the Yarmouk district of western Baghdad, police said.In a separate incident, a roadside bomb detonated near a U.S. patrol while approaching an Iraqi police checkpoint in the al-Yarmouk neighborhood in western Baghdad, injuring three Iraqi policemen and six civilians, the source said. It was unclear whether the U.S. patrol sustained any casualty as the troops immediately cordoned off the area, he said.

#3: Gunmen killed one man and wounded his wife when they opened fire on the couple's car in Zaafaraniya district of southeastern Baghdad, police said.Faris Jabir Thahir, a Shiite cleric, was killed by unknown gunmen while he was driving his car with his mother and wife in Baghdad southeastern neighborhood of Zaafaraniyah," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Thahir's mother and wife were wounded by the attack and transported to a nearby hospital, the source said.

#4: A suicide bomber killed 15 people Sunday night, including at least six U.S.-backed Sunni Arab fighters, near a crowded outdoor market in east Baghdad, security officials and local leaders said. At least 30 people were wounded in the attack near the historic Abu Hanifa Mosque in the Sunni district of Adhamiya. Women and children were among the dead, said Abu Abed, the head of the U.S.-funded Sons of Iraq neighborhood security group there. The commander at the checkpoint, Farouq abu Omar, and four of his men were slain, he said.Also Monday, mourners in Baghdad's Azamiyah district fired guns in the air to show their grief during the funeral of Farooq al-Obeidi, deputy head of a group of U.S.-allied Sunni fighters who was killed by a suicide bomber. Nine other people were killed and at least 20 were wounded in Sunday night's blast, Iraqi officials said. They declined to be identified because they weren't authorized to release the information. The U.S. military put the toll at eight killed, including six U.S.-allied fighters, and 12 wounded.

#5: Another explosive device wounded two policemen and an Iraqi civilian in the central district of Karrada.Three police officers and a civilian were wounded in roadside bomb that exploded in the Karrada district of central Baghdad, police said.

#6: Sunday Police found 1 dead body today in Saidiyah neighborhood(south Baghdad).

#7: Iraqi forces killed three militants and arrested 33 others during last the 24 hours in different areas in Iraq, Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Diyala Prv:Khanaqin:#1: One civilian man was injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted the house of an Iraqi army officer northeast of Baaquba city on Monday, a security source in Diala said ."The IED went off inside the house of an Iraqi officer in the rank of captain in the village of Taja, Qarat Tabba district, Khanaqin, (155 km) northeast of Baaquba, wounding one civilian man near the house," the source told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq

Basra:#1: Masked gunmen ambushed a bus carrying electoral officials in southern Iraq on Monday, killing two and seriously wounding a third, officials said. The attackers opened fire from a passing car in the Abu al-Khasib area south of Basra, which saw bitter infighting among Shiite factions before a U.S.-backed Iraqi military operation curbed violence earlier this year. Two top members of a local committee preparing for provincial elections were killed, according to police and the head of Basra's elections panel, Hazim al-Rubaie.

Dawr:#1: A US military helicopter has reportedly crashed in Iraq's northern Salahuddin province 150 km north of the capital Baghdad. "We have received information that a US helicopter crashed in the Shwikhat area near the town of Dawr,” an anonymous source from Salahuddin's Joint Coordination Center (JCC) told Xinhua on Monday. "The helicopter crashed maybe due to technical failure because we did not see or heard any anti-aircraft fire before the incident," said the source, citing eyewitness reports. He added that US troops had closed off the crash site immediately following the incident. The US military has not yet confirmed the report.A media advisor for the U.S. army denied on Monday that a helicopter crashed in the al-Dor district, Salah al-Din province.

Mosul:#1: Gunmen killed a religious leader on Sunday outside a mosque in central Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

#2: An explosive device on Monday detonated near a U.S. patrol vehicle in eastern Mosul city, an official Iraqi source said."Today, an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a U.S. patrol in Mosul's eastern al-Nuaimi Street, but casualties have not been reported thus far," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq­- Voices of Iraq­. Speaking to VOI, a media advisor for the U.S. army denied the news, saying "None of our patrols has been hit by an explosion in Mosul city."

#3: Meanwhile, an official source from Ninewa police told VOI that an Iraqi lawyer, Faris Sadeeq, was seriously wounded on Sunday night when unknown gunmen driving a civilian vehicle attacked him in front of his house in Falasteen neighborhood, southeastern Mosul, and was taken to a nearby hospital.

#4: A member of the Kurdish security forces was wounded in an explosive charge attack that targeted his patrol in eastern Mosul, the second blast to hit the city on Monday, an official source said. "Today, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near a Zirfani forces patrol in al-Faisaliya neighborhood, eastern Mosul, wounding a patrolman," the source, who preferred to remain unnamed, told Aswat al-Iraq­- Voices of Iraq.

#5: A roadside bomb wounded three prison guards in eastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Afghanistan:#1: Nine Afghan civilians have been killed in a bomb explosion outside a US military base in the eastern province of Khost bordering Pakistan. A bomber detonated an explosive-laden car near the gates of the Salerno camp in Khost on Monday, killing 9 civilians and wounding 13 others, Afghan and US military officials said.

#2: Several militants were also killed Sunday when a group of insurgents attacked US-led forces during a search operation in the Tag Aab district of the north-eastern province of Kapisa province, a US military statement said. The troops responded to the insurgents’ attack with small-arms fire and airstrikes and recovered weapons and ammunition, it said.

#3: A helicopter of U.S.-led coalition forces made an emergency landing on Monday in Nangarhar province in the east, the U.S. military said, adding there was no report of injuries. It did not say why the aircraft made an emergency landing.

#4: The Interior Ministry said nine Afghan guards protecting a convoy of supplies for foreign forces were killed in a Taliban ambush on Sunday in Zabul province in the south.

#5: Several insurgents were killed during a clash with U.S.-led coalition forces in Kapisa province, near Kabul, on Sunday, the U.S. military said.

#6: Several militants were killed during a clash with Afghan and coalition troops in southeastern Paktika province on Sunday, the U.S. military said.

AP REPORT: RUSSIA MOVED MISSILES INTO GEORGIA

Report: Russia moved missiles into Georgia
Moscow claims it will pull back Monday, but may not remove all forces

The Associated Press
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26248480/

GORI, Georgia - The Russian military moved missile launchers into a breakaway Georgian province ahead of a pledged pullout, The New York Times reported, citing U.S. officials.
Russia's president promised to start withdrawing forces from positions in Georgia on Monday, but suggested they could stay in South Ossetia, the region at the heart of the fighting that has reignited Cold War tensions.

The Times, citing anonymous U.S. officials who were familiar with intelligence reports, reported that the Russian military moved missile launchers into the region on Friday.

U.S. officials told the Times that Russia deployed several SS-21 missile launchers to positions north of Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital. That would put the missiles within range of Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, the Times reported on its Web site.

The European Union-backed cease-fire agreement calls for Georgian and Russian troops to withdraw to the positions they held before fighting broke out Aug. 7.

In Washington, top American officials said Washington would rethink its relationship with Moscow after its military drive deep into its much smaller neighbor and called for a swift Russian withdrawal.

Read more http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26248480/

McCAIN'S CROSS IN THE SAND STORY---PLAGIARIZED

Long story short.

In 1973, a russian author, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, wrote about his time in in the book "The Gulag Archipelago" and relayed exactly the same story.From the book:"As he waited, head down, he felt a presence. Slowly he looked up and saw a skinny old prisoner squat down beside him.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/17/122230/161/...

The man said nothing. Instead, he used a stick to trace in the dirt the sign of the Cross.

The man then got back up and returned to his work.As Solzhenitsyn stared at the Cross drawn in the dirt his entire perspective changed. He knew he was only one man against the all-powerful Soviet empire. Yet he knew there was something greater than the evil he saw in the prison camp, something greater than the Soviet Union. He knew that hope for all people was represented by that simple Cross.

Through the power of the Cross, anything was possible."And here is a nice long excerpt from John McCain's book "Hard Call: The Art of Great Decisions " released in 2005, reprinted in the NY Sun, about what a big fan he is of Alexander Solzhenitsyn writings...http://www.nysun.com/opinion/solzhenitsyn-at-work/83117 /

Edited to add, apparently in 1973 he wrote a very detailed 12,000 word account of his time in Vietnam that was published in US News and world reports and wouldnt you know it, no mention of the cross in the sand...http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/17/15300/5629/...

WOW!!

McCAIN'S FORMER POW SPEAKS OUT: WHY I WILL NOT VOTE FOR JOHN McCAIN

As some of you might know, John McCain is a long-time acquaintance of mine, says Phillip Burtler, that goes way back to our time together at the U.S. Naval Academy and as Prisoners of War in Vietnam.

He is a man I respect and admire in some ways. But there are a number of reasons why I will not vote for him for President of the United States.People often ask if I was a Prisoner of War with John McCain. My answer is always "No - John McCain was a POW with me."

The reason is I was there for 8 years and John got there 2 ½ years later, so he was a POW for 5 ½ years. And we have our own seniority system, based on time as a POW.

John's treatment as a POW: 1) Was he tortured for 5 years? No. He was subjected to torture and maltreatment during his first 2 years, from September of 1967 to September of 1969. After September of 1969 the Vietnamese stopped the torture and gave us increased food and rudimentary health care.

Several hundred of us were captured much earlier. I got there April 20, 1965 so my bad treatment period lasted 4 1/2 years. President Ho Chi Minh died on September 9, 1969, and the new regime that replaced him and his policies was more pragmatic. They realized we were worth a lot as bargaining chips if we were alive. And they were right because eventually Americans gave up on the war and agreed to trade our POW's for their country. A damn good trade in my opinion! But my point here is that John allows the media to make him out to be THE hero POW, which he knows is absolutely not true, to further his political goals. 3)

John was offered, and refused, "early release." Many of us were given this offer. It meant speaking out against your country and lying about your treatment to the press. You had to "admit" that the U.S. was criminal and that our treatment was "lenient and humane." So I, like numerous others, refused the offer. This was obviously something none of us could accept. Besides, we were bound by our service regulations, Geneva Conventions and loyalties to refuse early release until all the POW's were released, with the sick and wounded going first.

I furthermore believe that having been a POW is no special qualification for being President of the United States. The two jobs are not the same, and POW experience is not, in my opinion, something I would look for in a presidential candidate. Most of us who survived that experience are now in our late 60's and 70's. Sadly, we have died and are dying off at a greater rate than our non-POW contemporaries. We experienced injuries and malnutrition that are coming home to roost.

So I believe John's age (73) and survival expectation are not good for being elected to serve as our President for 4 or more years.

I can verify that John has an infamous reputation for being a hot head. He has a quick and explosive temper that many have experienced first hand. Folks, quite honestly that is not the finger I want next to that red button. I'm disappointed to see John represent himself politically in ways that are not accurate. He is not a moderate Republican.

http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,164859_1,00.htm...

CNN REPORTS: BAGHDAD SUICIDE BLAST KILLS 15, WOUNDS 30

You NEVER hear or read about it anymore, but there is STILL a war going on in IRAQ and a suicide bomber killed 15 in Baghdad and wounded another 30 in the most recent act of violence in the capitol city.

Baghdad suicide blast kills 15
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/08/17/iraq.main/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A suicide bombing killed 15 people, including a leader of a U.S.-backed militia, and wounded nearly 30 others Sunday in a Sunni Arab district of Baghdad, Iraqi authorities said.

Faruq al-Obaidi, the deputy leader of the Awakening Council in Adamiya, was among the dead, and two of his sons were among the 29 wounded in the blast, an Interior Ministry official told CNN.

The bombing took place about 8 p.m. outside a coffee shop in Adamiya, a Sunni stronghold in northeastern Baghdad. The bomber parked his bicycle near the shop and approached al-Obaidi, who was in a car at the time, the official said.

"While I was shopping just across the street, I heard a huge explosion," said Omar Qassim, a member of al-Obaidi's group, told The Associated Press. "Body parts were flying through the air. I immediately realized that Farooq's party was targeted and he was probably dead."

The attacker was a woman or a man who wore a black abaya robe to conceal the explosives, Iraqi officials told AP.

The Awakening Councils have been recruited by the U.S. military to fight against Islamic jihadists loyal to al Qaeda in Iraq and other militias. U.S. commanders credit the movement for much of the sharp reduction in violence there over the past year, but the jihadists have denounced its leaders as traitors and have frequently targeted them.

An al-Obaidi aide told AP, however, that a rival in the Awakening Council may be behind the attack.

"We had received information that we would be targeted by groups within Azamiyah and within the awakening movement itself," Khalil Ibrahim told AP.

A police official also told AP there was suspicion the attack was part of an Awakening Council power struggle.

POLITICO: OBAMA SLAMS THOMAS; McCAIN SLIP MAY HAUNT HIM

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Given the sharp words exchanged between their campaigns in recent weeks, John McCain and Barack Obama put on a good show of civility Saturday at their first joint appearance of the all but officially begun general election race. Midway through the forum at Saddleback Church, McCain joined Obama on stage.

By: Carrie Budoff Brown August 17, 2008 01:30 PM EST
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12583.html

The rivals, who have spent the summer quarreling as much over the definition of “celebrity” as the details of their policy proposals, exchanged a man hug, a handshake followed by a one-armed embrace. Smiling and tieless, they took their place on either side of the Rev. Rick Warren, the evangelical preacher who brought them together.For one night, at least, Warren may have achieved his desired goal of comity.

Neither candidate spoke critically of the other. And perhaps most tellingly, their campaign’s rapid response teams fell silent for the night.

It may well prove a brief respite before a critical three-week stretch in which McCain and Obama will announce their vice presidential picks and accept their party’s nomination. Obama mentioned a potential vice presidential nominee, former Sen. Sam Nunn, when asked by Warren to name three people he considers wise and would rely on for counsel as president. Nunn was listed after Obama's wife and his 85-year-old grandmother.McCain threw in a vice presidential possibility, as well: former Ebay CEO Meg Whitman, whom he described as someone he valued in economically difficult times. He also mentioned Gen. David Patraeus and, surprisingly, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).

Warren sought introspection over confrontation, pressing the candidates in separate one-hour interviews to reflect on their most gut-wrenching decision, their biggest moral failing and their faith. Warren often asked blunt questions and, at one point, playfully warned Obama: “Don’t give me your stump speech on these.” Obama appeared at ease in the southern California megachurch, a setting that played to his comfort level with openly discussing his faith. He quoted a Biblical proverb and spoke at length about his faith as a “source of strength and sustenance on a daily basis.” “I know that I don’t walk alone, and I know that if I can get myself out of the way, that I can maybe carry out in some small way what he intends,” Obama said. The audience of several hundred inside the auditorium offered polite and occasionally enthusiastic applause throughout the forum. Yet Obama had trouble with the crowd when Warren asked, “At what point does a baby get human rights?” “Whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade,” Obama said in a response that elicited a low murmur from the audience. He went on to acknowledge that he supported abortion rights, a position that has proved an obstacle to Obama in increasing his share of evangelical voters.A few minutes later, however, the audience members thundered applause when Obama said he believes marriage is the union of a man and a woman. But the crowd also clapped when he said he would not support a constitutional amendment codifying that definition.As the candidate who often appears less at ease discussing his faith, McCain appeared comfortable as he wove bits of his religious views into his answers. He joked more often than Obama and told stories about the adoption of his 17-year-old daughter from Bangladesh and his captivity in Vietnam. Asked what his faith meant to him, McCain said it “means I’m saved and forgiven.” He referenced the works of his Southern Baptist church in Phoenix, and his reliance on prayer during his captivity in Vietnam.

McCain said his greatest personal moral failing was the “failure of my first marriage.”There was speculation as to whether Warren would press McCain on his divorce, which McCain addressed before Warren, who was critical of former Sen. John Edward’s ability to lead after he admitted he had an affair, had a chance to ask.

Obama cited his youthful experimentation with drugs as his greatest personal failure. “What I traced this to is a certain selfishness on my part,” Obama said. “I was so obsessed with me, and you know the reasons that I might be dissatisfied that I couldn’t focus on other people.”

The forum was an unusual setting for a first joint appearance, marking the first time that two general election candidates appeared together in a megachurch. But the event served the interests of both campaigns in their pursuit of evangelical Protestant voters, who overwhelmingly favor McCain, according to a June survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. That poll showed 61 percent of evangelical voters supporting the Republican senator, with 25 percent preferring Obama, figures that align roughly with June 2004, when 69 percent backed Bush and 26 percent Kerry. (Bush ultimately took 78 percent of this vote, up 10 percentage points from 2000.) The difference is that more than 11 percent of evangelicals are undecided this year, twice as many as in 2004, the survey found. Saddleback hosted 5,000 attendees Saturday on their sprawling college-like campus, with an amphitheater, cafés and beach volleyball nets. The auditorium looked more like a soundstage than a hall of worship. The audience in the auditorium, which accommodated only a small slice of the people who made the trip here, sat quietly through the commercial breaks, although at one point someone shouted an approval — “We love you, John” — of the sort more often heard at Obama events (and, McCain might add, teenybopper concerts).

Asked which justice he wouldn’t have nominated to the Supreme Court, Barack named Justice Clarence Thomas, the court’s only African-American.“I don’t think that he was a strong enough jurist or legal thinker at the time, for that elevation, setting aside the fact that I profoundly disagree with his interpretations of a lot of the constitution,” Obama said.McCain said he wouldn’t have nominated the four most liberal justices: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens. "This nomination should be based on the criteria of [a] proven record of strictly adhering to the Constitution of the United States of America, and not legislating from the bench," McCain said. “Some of the worst damage has been done by legislating from the bench.” Warren asked Obama to define rich: “Give me a number.”Obama drew laughter when he briefly hesitated, then quipped: “You know, if you’ve got book sales of 25 million ...”Turning serious toward the end, Obama said: “I want people to know me well,” and added that if they do, “they’re going to make a good decision and we’re going to be able to solve the big problems that we face.”Asked his definition of "rich," McCain tossed off “$5 million,” then seemed to recognize this could join the list of comments he has tossed off in the past that have come back to him in attack ads.”I'm sure that comment will be distorted," McCain said. "The point is we want to keep people's taxes low. ... I don't want to raise anybody's taxes." Mike Allen contributed to this story.

ONE EXPLANATION FOR WHY OBAMA'S LEAD ISN'T BIGGER

The handwringing over Barack Obama’s modest lead in the polls is already rather tiresome — “Why isn’t Obama up by double digits?” the political world demands to know — and there’s no shortage of competing rationales to explain it. But the NYT’s Frank Rich offers one of the more compelling explanations I’ve seen: “[T]he public doesn’t know who on earth John McCain is.”
What is widely known is the skin-deep, out-of-date McCain image…. With the exception of McCain’s imprisonment in Vietnam, every aspect of this profile in courage is inaccurate or defunct.

Posted August 17th, 2008 at 10:30 am
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/16585.html


McCain never called for Donald Rumsfeld to be fired and didn’t start criticizing the war plan until late August 2003, nearly four months after “Mission Accomplished.”

By then the growing insurgency was undeniable.

On the day Hurricane Katrina hit, McCain laughed it up with the oblivious president at a birthday photo-op in Arizona. McCain didn’t get to New Orleans for another six months and didn’t sharply express public criticism of the Bush response to the calamity until this April, when he traveled to the Gulf Coast in desperate search of election-year pageantry surrounding him with black extras.

McCain long ago embraced the right’s agents of intolerance, even spending months courting the Rev. John Hagee, whose fringe views about Roman Catholics and the Holocaust were known to anyone who can use the Internet. (Once the McCain campaign discovered YouTube, it ditched Hagee.) On Monday McCain is scheduled to appear at an Atlanta fund-raiser being promoted by Ralph Reed, who is not only the former aide de camp to one of the agents of intolerance McCain once vilified (Pat Robertson) but is also the former Abramoff acolyte showcased in McCain’s own Senate investigation of Indian casino lobbying.

Though the McCain campaign announced a new no-lobbyists policy three months after The Washington Post’s February report that lobbyists were “essentially running” the whole operation, the fact remains that McCain’s top officials and fund-raisers have past financial ties to nearly every domestic and foreign flashpoint, from Fannie Mae to Blackwater to Ahmad Chalabi to the government of Georgia. No sooner does McCain flip-flop on oil drilling than a bevy of Hess Oil family members and executives, not to mention a lowly Hess office manager and his wife, each give a maximum $28,500 to the Republican Party. […]

Most Americans still don’t know, as [TPM’s Josh] Marshall writes, that on the campaign trail “McCain frequently forgets key elements of policies, gets countries’ names wrong, forgets things he’s said only hours or days before and is frequently just confused.”

Most Americans still don’t know it is precisely for this reason that the McCain campaign has now shut down the press’s previously unfettered access to the candidate on the Straight Talk Express.

There’s a very good reason Republicans have worked so aggressively to make this election a referendum on Obama — because if the campaign is about McCain, the Republicans will lose. Badly.

GRAPHIC IRAQ WAR VIDEO: 10 SECONDS TO IMPACT: WARNING: ROUGH LANGUAGE

This Live Leak video is from the Iraq War and portrays how an Army combat platoon reacts to a 500 pound bomb being dropped on a house in Iraq. WARNING: The language may not be suitable for young children.

Watch video here: http://www.liveleak.com/e/876_1197364501

Click on diamond-shaped arrow in center of picture to activate video

REUTERS: ALCOHOL ABUSE AMONG COMBAT VETERANS SHOWS SHARP INCREASE

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A significant number of U.S. veterans back from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan begin abusing alcohol after returning, perhaps to cope with traumatic memories of combat, military researchers said on Tuesday. Younger servicemen and women, those who were previously heavy drinkers, and call-ups from the National Guard and Reserves were the most likely to increase their drinking and to develop alcohol-related problems, according to the study. "Increased alcohol outcomes among...

Continue reading Reuters story here: http://article.wn.com/view/2008/08/13/Alcohol_abuse_rises_among_combat_veterans_study_b/

BREAKING NEWS: CNN'S MICHAEL WARE REPORTS RUSSIANS BREAK CEASE-FIRE

CNN's Michael Ware, who is on the ground in Gori, Georgia, reported early Saturday morning the Russians have already broken the cease-fire and have destroyed a main railway bridge and are digging in for a long stay in Georgia instead of retreating.

Developing story....

STICKY IED USED IN BAGHDAD CAR BLAST

Baghdad blast resulted from sticky IED inside vehicle

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Saturday , 16 /08 /2008 Time 5:36:39
http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=89601&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

BAGHDAD, Aug. 16 (VOI) – Saturday's blast in the eastern Baghdad neighborhood of Ur was the result of a sticky improvised explosive device emplaced inside a civilian vehicle, the Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) said.

"Today's blast in Ur neighborhood resulted from a sticky IED inside a civilian vehicle," BOC official spokesman, Maj. General Qassem Atta, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq –

(VOI).Earlier on Saturday, the Iraqi authorities said seventeen civilians were killed or wounded in a car bomb attack that ripped through the neighborhood of Ur."Today, a roadside car rigged with explosives detonated in an Ur street, northeastern Baghdad, killing six civilians and wounding 11 others," a police source, who preferred to remain unnamed, told VOI.

CNN: THIRD DAY CAR BOMB EXPLODES IN BAGHDAD KILLING SIX

Why doesn't the Bush administration and their mouthpiece, FOX NOISE, tell us more about how well "the surge" is going in Iraq?

For the third day in a row a car bomb has gone off in Baghdad killing Iraqi civilians.

Car bomb explodes in Iraq; 6 dead

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/08/16/iraq.main/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A car bomb targeting Shiite pilgrims killed six people and wounded 10 others Saturday morning, an Iraqi interior ministry official said.
The attack happened in northeastern Baghdad's Shaab district, which is mostly Shiite, the official said.
The pilgrims were heading to the city of Karbala to take part in the Shaabaniya religious festival, the official

JEROME CORSI, AUTHOR OF ANTI-OBAMA BOOK,"THE OBAMA NATION," APPEARS ON PRO-WHITE RADIO SHOW

Corsi's previous appearance on "pro-White" radio show was streamed live on "White Nationalist" Stormfront.org

Summary: Jerome Corsi's appearance on the July 20 edition of The Political Cesspool Radio Show -- during which he promoted The Obama Nation and criticized Sen. Barack Obama -- was streamed "Live" on the self-described "White Nationalist" and "White Pride" website Stormfront.org. Prior to Corsi's appearance on the July 20 broadcast, host James Edwards claimed that "most Jews ... regard[] Jews and whites as two different races," and co-host Winston Smith repeatedly referred to Obama as a "mulatto."

As Media Matters for America and the Southern Poverty Law Center's Hatewatch blog have noted, Obama Nation author Jerome Corsi is reportedly scheduled to appear on the August 17 edition of The Political Cesspool Radio Show. Corsi's previous appearance on the July 20 edition of The Political Cesspool -- during which he promoted The Obama Nation and criticized Sen. Barack Obama -- was streamed "Live" on the self-described "White Nationalist" and "White Pride" website Stormfront.org.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200808150009?lid=524616&rid=12713599

Additionally, at several points during the July 20 broadcast prior to Corsi's appearance, host James Edwards and co-host Winston Smith expounded on their views on race. Edwards claimed that "most Jews ... regard[] Jews and whites as two different races," and Smith repeatedly referred to Obama as a "mulatto." According to its "Statement of Principles," The Political Cesspool Radio Show "represent[s] a philosophy that is pro-White."

According to a Google cache snapshot of Stormfront.org "as it appeared on Jul 21, 2008 00:01:06 GMT," text under the headline "Stormfront Broadcast Radio" stated: "Live NOW: Political Cesspool BACK ON AIR! - Special two-hour show starting for Internet listeners! - James Edwards, Winston Smith, Eddie 'The Bombardier' Miller! Our featured guest is author and columnist Dr. Jerome Corsi."

Read more http://mediamatters.org/items/200808150009?lid=524616&rid=12713599

WASHINGTON POST'S EUGENE ROBINSON: HERE COMES THE OBAMA SMEAR MACHINE

Obama Faces The Smear Machine

By Eugene Robinson
Friday, August 15, 2008; A21
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403057.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Here come the goons, right on schedule.

The "author," and I use the term loosely, whose vicious lies damaged John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign has crawled back out from under his rock to spew vicious lies about Barack Obama. Right-wing radio talk-show hosts are dutifully transmitting this concocted venom. This presidential campaign has officially gotten ugly.

(Comment: Obama campaign issues rebuttal to book's claims: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080814/ap_on_el_pr/anti_obama_book;_ylt=AnGMTzaclA7Rz41PAUJrk9qs0NUE)

The "author" I'm talking about is a man named Jerome Corsi. In a book published last year, "The Late Great USA: The Coming Merger with Mexico and Canada," Corsi claimed that George W. Bush was at the heart of a secret conspiracy to subsume the United States into a post-national, one-worldish North American Union. Corsi's writings on far-right blogs have been even more paranoid and delusional. He has written that pedophilia, for which he used a more graphic term, "is OK with the Pope as long as it isn't reported by the liberal press." He has referred to Muslims as "ragheads."

Corsi would be known as just another visitor from the outer fringe if he had not been the co-author of "Unfit for Command," the book that slimed Kerry's exemplary record as a Swift boat commander in Vietnam. The allegations in that book were discredited, but not before they had been amplified by the right-wing echo chamber to the point where they raised questions in some voters' minds -- perhaps enough to swing the election.

It was an abominable trick, but quite remarkable. Kerry's opponent, George W. Bush, had avoided Vietnam by taking refuge in the Texas Air National Guard. Kerry was a decorated war hero, yet somehow his valor and sense of duty were turned into a political negative and used against him.

Now Corsi, in what he acknowledges is an attempt "to keep Obama from getting elected," has come out with a book that similarly tries to turn one of Obama's strengths -- his compelling life story -- into a liability.

Corsi's new volume of vitriol, "The Obama Nation," seeks to smear Obama as a "leftist" and add fuel to the false and discredited rumor that he is secretly a radical Muslim, or at least has "extensive connections to Islam." The liberal Web site Media Matters has already demonstrated that the book is riddled with factual errors -- for example, Corsi repeats the charge, thoroughly disproved, that Obama was in church for one of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's most incendiary sermons.

But the point isn't to tell the truth. The point is to repeat the lie and thus give it new life.

Corsi's dirty work is more difficult this time because Obama has already written his life story in the autobiographical "Dreams From My Father." Since he can't reveal anything about Obama's past, Corsi is reduced to reinterpretation -- or, at times, invention.

It sounds like the kind of book that should quickly be consigned to the remainder bin, but -- unsurprisingly -- it is already a bestseller. The Post and other news organizations have noted that this and similar anti-Obama books win the imprimatur of best-seller status by being "pushed by conservative book clubs that buy in bulk to drive up sales."

This time, though, somebody is pushing back: John Kerry, whose political action committee has launched a new Web site, called Truth Fights Back, to "fight against the right-wing smear machine." The site weighs in vigorously on behalf of several Democrats who are being hit with unfair attacks, but its most urgent campaign is "making sure Jerome Corsi doesn't get away with his lies unchallenged."

The Obama campaign faces a classic dilemma. If smear attacks are left unanswered, voters can get the impression that the lies are true. But there's no way to respond without giving the falsehoods wider circulation.

Read the rest of the Eugene Robinson column here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403057.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

MARINE CORPS TIMES REPORTS: TROOPS CONTRIBUTE MORE TO OBAMA CAMPAIGN

Military personnel are contributing more to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois than to his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, according to a nonpartisan group tracking donations to candidates.

By Rick Maze - Staff writers
Posted : Thursday Aug 14, 2008 14:23:40 EDT
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/08/military_campaigncontributions_obama_081408w/


The Center for Responsible Politics says that in terms of total contributions during the 2008 election cycle, 859 service members have contributed a combined $335,536 to Obama as of June 31, an average of about $391 a person.

In comparison, 558 service members have contributed a combined $280,513 to Sen. John McCain, an average of $503 a person.

Running a close third in the contributions is Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who has suspended his run for the Republican presidential nomination but has not formally dropped out of the race. He has received $232,411 in contributions from 537 military members, an average of $433 a person.

Looking just at contributions from service members with overseas addresses, McCain trails far behind Obama and Paul.

Obama got $60,642 in contributions from 134 military personnel, an average of $453 a person. Paul got $45,512 from 99 military personnel, an average of $460 a person, while McCain received $10,665 from 26 people, an average of $410 a person.

Continue reading: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/08/military_campaigncontributions_obama_081408w/

ARMY TIMES: GREEN BERET KILLS AFGHAN AND KEEPS HIS EAR

Green Beret: Team waited to report killing

By Estes Thompson - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 14, 2008 15:43:30 EDT
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_newell_hearing_081308/

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Green Berets believed a fellow soldier had killed a civilian and kept his ear but didn’t report him because they wanted their team intact for a mission to a remote Afghan village, a team member testified Wednesday.

Sgt. 1st Class Eugene Greathead testified Wednesday that team members expected gunfire during the mission and so agreed to wait several days before telling commanders about the fatal shooting. He said they didn’t want Master Sgt. Joseph D. Newell immediately expelled from the team because they wanted “all the guns on the ground.”

Greathead denied suggestions from Newell’s attorney that team members conspired against Newell because he was too aggressive and his tactics could endanger members of the team.

He said team members held meetings without Newell only to discuss how and when they would report the March 5 killing.

Newell is accused of dumping the Afghan civilian’s body in the desert and keeping his ear as a souvenir.

Read more here: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_newell_hearing_081308/

CNN BREAKING NEWS: 18 SHIITE PILGRIMS KILLED IN BAGHDAD BLAST

You won't be reading or hearing about this in your local newspaper or on TV, but here is more proof the success of "the surge" is a myth.

18 SHIITE PILGRIMS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN BAGHAD BLAST

NEW: Coalition troops killed militant suspect during raid
Two suicide bombers kill 18 in attack on Shiite pilgrims, official says
Pilgrims en route to festival in Karbala south of Baghdad
Iraqi Interior Ministry official says 75 others wounded

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/08/14/iraq.main/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A suicide bomber attacked Shiite pilgrims Thursday evening as they traveled to a festival, killing 18 people and wounding 75, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.
The woman's attack took place in the Iskandariya district south of Baghdad.

The pilgrims were traveling to Karbala, about 60 miles southwest of the Iraqi capital.
Earlier Thursday, coalition troops in Baghdad killed a man during a raid targeting al Qaeda in Iraq, the U.S. military said.

Don't Miss
Navy guards accused of abusing detainees in Iraq
The incident occurred during an operation that led to the capture of an al Qaeda suspect "believed to conduct financial transactions for AQI and its car-bombing networks," the U.S. military said.

Troops killed the man when he "refused to comply with their instructions and made threatening movements toward them." Two other people were detained.

On Wednesday, a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi interpreter were killed when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in northwest Baghdad, military officials said in a statement.
The incident occurred about 10:10 a.m. (3:10 a.m. ET), the statement said.

The soldier was assigned to Multi-National Division -- Baghdad. The soldier's name was withheld pending notification of relatives, officials said.

The death brings to 4,141 the number of U.S. service members killed since the Iraq war began in March 2003.

CNN REPORTS: U.S. CONTRACTORS RAKING IN BILLIONS ON RECONSTRUCTION JOBS IN IRAQ

Report: U.S. using contractors in Iraq at unprecedented rate

Report says U.S. on track to spend $100 billion on contractors by end of 2008
Figures reflect reliance on contractors to fill jobs typically held by military personnel
Use of contractors for security criticized for lack of oversight, political favoritism
Donald Rumsfeld said contractors freed up personnel for combat roles

From Mike Mount
CNN Pentagon Producer
http://tinyurl.com/6gfljp

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States spent $85 billion on contracts in Iraq and other countries in the first four years of the war and is relying on contract employees at a greater rate than in any other war, according to a government report released Tuesday.

A report by the Congressional Budget Office says that a fifth of spending on the Iraq war has gone to contractors. Between 2003 and 2007, 70 percent of $85 billion in contracts were for work inside Iraq. The remaining 30 percent went to contracts in surrounding countries such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the report said.

The Government Accountability Office says the United States has spent $435 billion on operations in Iraq.

Based on war contract spending patterns since 2004, the United States could spend more than $100 billion on contractor operations in Iraq by the end of 2008, according to the report.

The U.S. military has used contractors in all of its recent conflicts, from the Gulf War to the Balkans. But military leaders are using contractors to a greater extent in Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the report, reflecting a reliance on contractors to fill jobs held by military personnel in past conflicts.

Contractors in and around Iraq help serve food, clean and provide security for the U.S. and Iraqi governments, according to the report. Most of the contracts were for logistics support, gas and diesel fuel, and food.

Read more here http://tinyurl.com/6gfljp

WASHINGTON POST: AFTER WARNINGS TO MOSCOW, US HAS FEW OPTIONS

The Washington Post is reiterating what this blogger said in a commentary on Wednesday when it comes to U.S. options regarding the conflict between Russia and Georgia.

The U.S. doesn't have the resources or the will to take on Russia and so whatever is coming out of the Bush White House is just more smoke and mirrors.

Someday some enterprising reporter from the mainstream media will level with the American public and spell out just how depleted the U.S. military is after seven years in Afghanistan and five years in Iraq.

There is absolutely no way the U.S. could take on Russia with our military begging for more recruits and in dire need of new equipment.

The Washington Post story below spells out what few options the U.S. has when it comes to Russia and Georgia:

After Warnings to Moscow, U.S. Has Few Options

By Dan Eggen and Karen DeYoungWashington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 14, 2008; A11
http://tinyurl.com/6cqbql

The Bush administration mixed strong rhetoric with modest action yesterday in response to Russia's continued military incursion in Georgia, warning that Moscow's international aspirations are threatened if it does not honor a negotiated cease-fire in the conflict.

President Bush announced the start of a humanitarian aid program for Georgia using U.S. military airplanes and ships, although officials said the effort so far includes only two scheduled flights. One shipment arrived later yesterday and another is to land today. He also dispatched Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for a diplomatic trip that will take her to Paris and then to Georgia's capital of Tbilisi to show "America's unwavering support."

"The United States stands with the democratically elected government of Georgia," Bush said during an appearance at the White House. "We insist that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia be respected."

Yet Bush's statement, along with the moderate measures that came with it, served to underscore the limited options available to the United States, which has neither the wherewithal nor the willingness to enter into a military conflict with Russia on its territorial border.

Read on http://tinyurl.com/6cqbql

WHO ARE BUSH AND CONDI KIDDING? COMMENTARY BY BILL CORCORAN

No wonder Russia is paying no attention to President Bush and Sec. of State Rice on their paper tiger threats about what the U.S. will do if Russia doesn't pullback on their invasion of Georgia.

The United States doesn't have a military that can do a damn thing about what Russia is doing.

The U .S. military is stretched way beyond their capabilities now and military commanders are crying for more troops for Afghanistan, but the U.S. doesn't have more troops.

Russia can and will tell the U.S. to go take a flying you-know-what at the moon because Russia knows the U.S. is now a PAPER TIGER.

The U.S. has 160,000 troops tied up in Iraq and 30,000 troops bogged down in Afghanistan and nothing in the military recruitment pipeline to take on Russia in Georgia.

I just saw Wendell Goler, the FOX NEWS White House Correspondent, say Russia does not want to take on the United States.

What the hell is Goler smoking?

The United States military couldn't take on a Boy Scout troop let alone the massive Russian military.

The mainstream media has to tell the truth about how the military is stretched to the breaking point, or U.S. cities will see Russian tanks rolling through them in a heartbeat.

The ONLY reporter I've seen so far tell the truth about the Russia/Georgia conflict is Shepherd Smith of FOX NEWS. He keeps asking meatheads from the right wing how the U.S. is going to take on the Russians and he gets nothing but BS from all the neocons FOX NEWS puts on the air.

If the U.S. peacekeepers and humanitarian helpers start getting their ass kicked by the Russians, the U.S. military's hand are tied because we just don't have the troops to do a damn thing about the situation and Russia knows it.

COMMENTARY BY BILL CORCORAN EDITOR OF CORKSPHERE

IRAQI STUDENTS ARE FAILING EXAMS IN RECORD NUMBERS

The fallout of invading and occupying Iraq continues way beyond what is being reported by the mainstream media.

The latest victims of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq are Iraq students who are failing exams and have resorted to cheating just to try and pass courses.

IRAQ: Students Fail, Like So Much Else

By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail*
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43491

BAGHDAD, Aug 8 (IPS) - Living from one crisis to another, without electricity or freedom to move under a collapse of security, massive numbers of Iraqi students are failing their exams."It is a natural result of what is going on in Iraq under this U.S. occupation that so many Iraqi students failed the high school exams," Mahmood Jassim, a teacher in Baghdad told IPS. "How can a student pass such difficult exams feeling terrified, exhausted in the heat, in darkness without electricity, having to work in the absence of a dead or detained father, and all the problems of the world over his head." Jassim says about 75 percent of his students are failing their exams. "I am ashamed of the results my school achieved this year," a school headmaster in Baghdad, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IPS. "I cannot tell you what percentage we achieved because that will reveal me and my school. You do not really believe we are living in a democratic country, do you?"

Two headmasters, who also spoke on condition of anonymity given the prevailing atmosphere of fear, said school results showed sectarian divisions – and not for the best of reasons. Shia schools, they alleged, ran a loose invigilation system that allowed students to cheat. Some teachers believe most students who passed their exams did so by cheating. "Those who cheated have passed while the honest failed," Ghanim Jamil, a teacher in Baghdad told IPS.

"If a student is the son of a senior government official or of a member of an armed group, how can we stop them from cheating? We would be killed."

Click on link to read full story: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43491

CNN REPORTS: TROOPS CHARGED BAGGAGE FEES ON WAY TO WAR ZONES

Story Highlights
Commercial airlines charge troops fees for military kits
VFW asks industry to enact across-the-board waiver for military personnel
American Airlines says troops are allowed heavier, bigger bags
Reimbursement available, but can require forms filled out in war zones

From Deborah Feyerick CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/08/13/troops.baggage/index.html

(CNN) -- Some airlines are charging U.S. soldiers extra baggage fees to take their military kits with them as they set off for war.

Military personnel carry large, heavy kit bags containing boots, clothing and gear. In the past few months, airlines have instituted fees for all travelers ranging from $15 for one bag to $250 for a third bag.

"What we want to do is nip this in the bud by exempting the military personnel who are traveling under orders from having to pay a fee on their third bag," said Veterans of Foreign Wars spokesman Joe Davis.

The VFW sent a letter to the Air Transport Association of America, the aviation industry's umbrella group, asking that U.S. troops be exempt from any extra baggage fees.

Watch how troops are getting hit with fees »

"If you have a family at home and you stand at that airline counter and you have three bags in your hand, and they say you can't get on board unless you pay $100 up front right now, what are you going to do?" Davis said.

American Airlines, and others reached by CNN, say troops are allowed heavier and bigger bags and can check two for free, unlike commercial travelers.

Troops are allowed 190 pounds each free of charge, American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said, adding: "If they pay, they get reimbursed, so at the end, they don't pay a dime."

That's not a good answer, the VFW's Davis said.

"These young troops are going to war," he said. "There's a lot more on their mind than to have to worry or try to remember to get a hundred dollars reimbursed to them when they get into a war zone."

The military usually issues vouchers authorizing extra baggage before a flight, but troops must pay up front if they don't have one.

And though reimbursement is likely, pending approval, as with any business expense, it is not guaranteed.

The Air Transport Association says it supports the troops, but baggage policies are "made independently by the individual airlines."

85 BILLION OF TAXPAYER MONEY GOING TO CONTRACTORS IN IRAQ

The Iraq War has cost U.S. taxpayers $85 BILLION in payoffs to contractors to rebuild the Iraq the U.S. military destroyed.

U.S. spending on contractors in Iraq reported to reach $85 billion

By James Risen
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/12/america/contractor.php

WASHINGTON: The United States has reached the $85 billion mark in spending on contractors in Iraq since the invasion in 2003, according to a new government report released Tuesday, a milestone that reflects the Bush administration's unprecedented level of dependence on private companies for help in the war.

The report by the Congressional Budget Office says that about one out of every five dollars spent on the war in Iraq has gone to contractors for the U.S. military and other government agencies. Employees of private contractors now outnumber U.S. troops in the war zone.
The numbers in the report provide the first official price tag on contracting in Iraq and raise troubling questions about the degree to which the war has been privatized, several outside experts on contracting said.

The Pentagon's reliance on outside contractors in Iraq is proportionately far larger than in any previous conflict, and it has fueled charges that this outsourcing has led to overbilling, fraud and shoddy and unsafe work that has endangered and even killed U.S. troops. The role of armed security contractors has also raised new legal and political questions about whether the United States has become too dependent on private armed forces on the 21st-century battlefield.

Contractors now employ at least 180,000 people in Iraq, forming what amounts to a private army, larger than the U.S. military force, whose roles and missions and even casualties have largely been hidden from public view.

Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/12/america/contractor.php