A Context for Iraq
As I wrote at the beginning of this column in April, context is what's missing in most reportage. In that vein, here is a fine piece by John Kifner in today's New York Times. It provides an historical perspective on Iraq; complete with its unique cast of characters. And, yes, history is repeating itself here.
This Eric Schmitt piece, in today's Times as well, is very disturbing. On a number of levels. I originally thought the trip to Iraq by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz was to gather information on how badly things were going, considering the lack of planning, and to figure out how to turn that info into a reconstructed process for the future. Silly me. He's doing the Princess Diana photo-op tour. His mission: Draw the press attacks away from the White House and point the cameras back towards what a bad man Saddam is. As the story states, these mass graves are over twelve years old. A time when George Bush (ol' 41), a former head of the CIA and ambassador to the UN himself, was in the White House. Can you say, "Callous Manipulation" boys and girls? Yes, I knew you could. As the Neo-Cons state repeatedly, "we're not here in Iraq to occupy you." No, we're here to exploit your dead for political gain.
It's All Beginning to Unravel Now at the White House...
And as we know from history, when negative stories move from the rantings of the fringe press to the mainstream press, it's definitely time to seek higher ground. Especially, when it's worldwide and not just the usual targets in the national press.
[I'm going to HAVE to make the time to post here on Gotham Notes more frequently. Worldwide, things are moving much too fast to digest it all at once. It has now turned into a roaring flood of negative mainstream press for the White House. It's hard to catch up with all of it.
But, this once, I'll try ...
'Cause that's the kind of guy I am.
But, since so much has happened in the last week or two, I'll just list the links to sites where the facts, and their reportage, can speak for themselves.]
The month began with President George W. Bush in full "the buck stops over there" mode.
That worked for a bit, but things quickly started catching up with our boy-president.
Ipsos/Cook Political Report Poll: Approval of Bush's Job Performance Slipping, Especially With Older Voters
Bush Job Performance Slips to 53% Positive
Economy, Iraq Lower Bush Approval Rating
The Preamble to the Week was given by David Broder in The Washington Post.
Yes, as we see here, it started as a very bad week for Shrub.
Then, our favorite C Student outed himself as the president no one at the White House tells anything to:
Joe Conason's Journal: President Bush's astonishing new reason for the war with Iraq
President Defends Allegation On Iraq
Then, it slowly just kinda unraveled on the philosophical front, as well. First, those fuddy-duddies at UNESCO threw a nasty wrench into the Neo-Cons' plans to create Pax Americanus, then Tennessee's Senator Lamar Alexander's legislative attempts to steer U.S. teachers towards teaching only "Conservative" history was outed.
Then, it just turned horrible for Young Mr. 43:
Bill Clinton's Name Cropping Up Everywhere on Bush Africa Trip
Bill Clinton as NATO Chief?
The jokes early on in his presidency were one thing, but now, Bush is even becoming the butt of parodies—never fun for a he-man leader.
***
Foreign Policy Issues
Iraq
Remember that little tea party Vice President Dick Cheney threw for the oil and energy company bigwigs right after the Inauguration? The one that no one could get the White House to divulge ANY info on? Even with a court order? Remember the "constitutional crisis" it was going to create, until people just gave up and forgot about it? Well, in keeping with the Bad Moon Rising Week at the White House, someone is starting to leak that info, as well. And, gee, guess what it turns out they were talking about??? With charts and maps, even...
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has bungled this whole Iraq affair.
First, there's the horrifically bad planning.
Lack of planning contributed to chaos in Iraq
Allies Didn't Share All Intelligence on Iraq: Mistrust Between Britain, U.S. Surfaces in Controversy Over Alleged Uranium Deal
Cold Warriors Long to Bring Back the Bomb
Questions Mount About Iraqi Resistance
Then, there's the wretched execution of that bad planning.
Harris Whitbeck: Iraqis cheer U.S. death
Of course, there's the ever-popular panicked response to failure.
Wolfowitz in Iraq as Experts Warn of Chaos
U.S. Considering Establishment of New Private Security Force in Iraq; Rumsfeld Deputy Visits Baghdad
U.S. Considers Private Iraqi Force to Guard Sites
U.S. Mulls Annual Cash Payout for All Iraqis (My personal favorite, since I thought Bush's Republican Guard wanted to cut welfare payments.)
It Happened in Baghdad
ESPN Rushes to Right
As well as the stunning hubris-filled panicked reaction:
U.S. Considers Returning to U.N. for Help in Iraq
Bush Woos Old Foes at the UN to Press for Peace Troops
The casulty reports have been badly handled, as well.
507th Families Upset
A Soldier's Life (Time magazine)
Despite frantic Pentagon efforts to control the flow of information about casulties, many Internet sites keep the world informed of just what this administration's blind folly has cost in human life.
List of Coalition Casualties
Casualties in the Iraq war (CBC)
Iraq Coalition Casualy Count
Media Underplays U.S. Death Toll in Iraq
Iraq Body Count
Seven Days, Seven Deaths
There's even blunt, no-real-effort-to-hide-the-fact-that-we're-lying reports about the financial costs of this little adventure:
Military Operations in Iraq Cost Nearly $4 Billion a Month
War's Cost Brings Democratic Anger
There's botched, anger-inducing efforts.
U.S. Hunt for Baath Members Humiliates, Angers Villagers: Deaths of Teenager and Two Others Spark Talk of Revenge
Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq Ambush
Iraq’s Shi’a – Prospects for a New Iraq
There's cheap and badly made equipment, training, weapons and vehicles which have all turned deadly. First, you can do a Google search and come up with 201,000 responses to the search string: Iraq military accidents. Among these pages are:
Accidents Taking Toll on U.S. Troops
Despite War's End, Military Deaths a Growing Concern: Accidents in Iraq—Even More than Hostile Attacks—Account for Most U.S. Military Fatalities, As They Do Globally.
M-16s Jammed During Ambush in Iraq: Unreleased Army Report Cites Weapons Malfunctions, Desert Conditions
507th's Weapons Failed in Combat, Army Report Says
Remains Found in U.S Helicopter Crash in Italy
Turbulence Injures 20 National Guard Airmen
The Pentagon has bungled their way right into an unprecedented incipient, full-scale mutiny by U.S. Forces, who seem sick and tired of being sick and tired. And shot at. And lied to. The spectre of Vietnam-era fragging begins to sit on the horizon.
Republicans Praise Troops, But Neglect Fiscal Support
U.S. Troops Struggle to Tell Friend from Foe in Iraq
U.S. Troops Frustrated over Iraq Tour Extension
A Big Letdown: Soldiers Learn They’ll Be in Baghdad Longer than Expected
Soldiers, Families Speak Out
U.S. Military Plane Escapes Iraqi Missile Attack
The CIA and the British
Does anyone else get a distinct Cold War feel out of any of this?
CIA: The World Factbook 2002 / Niger
U.S. Department of State / Republic of Niger
Iraq: Tale of the Cake (Timeline and Impact of the Uranium Falsehoods)
Pattern of Corruption
Spooked by the White House: A CIA Veteran Says a Growing Faction of the U.S. Intelligence Community Is Furious over the Way the Administration Corrupted the System—and that the Nation's Security Is at Grave Risk.
16 Words, and Counting
Uranium Claim Linked to Aide at White House: CIA Tried to Keep Error Out of Speech
A White House Smear
Mission to Niger (Robert Novak)
A Question of Trust: The CIA's Tenet Takes the Fall for a Flawed Claim in the State of the Union, But Has Bush's Credibility Taken an Even Greater Hit?
Credibility Gap Still Growing
MEDIA ADVISORY: Bush Uranium Lie Is Tip of the Iceberg; Press Should Expand Focus Beyond "16 Words"
Bush Declares His Faith in Tenet and C.I.A.
Bush Confident in CIA Despite Iraq Uranium Charge
Tenet: Wolfowitz Did It; The Yellowcake Blame Game
The Speech: What Else May Have Been Wrong?
What Is to Be Done with the CIA? A History of Flawed Intelligence
Rules for Terror Tribunals May Deter Lawyers
BBC Says Kelly Was Weapons Source
Admission 'Spells End for Blair'
THE FALLOUT: WHO WILL GO? Blair, Straw, Campbell, Hoon in the Line of Fire
Observer Focus: the Kelly Affair
The Prime Minister in the Dock
Leader: Spinning to Death
Blair Facing Crisis after Scientist's Death
And this is just the Foreign Policy media flood.
My lord...
The domestic madness that this administration has wreaked upon the country will have to wait until the next post.
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Realtime Iraq Invasion Cost Clock
posted by Gotham 3:24 PM
