Saturday, June 12, 2010

Allawi and al-Maliki face-to-face

Muhanad Mohammed (Reuters) reports that the Council of Ministers' office was the location today of a meeting between Ayad Allawi and Nouri al-Maliki whose political slates came in first and second respectively in the March elections. No major issues are thought to have been resolved in the meeting. Meanwhile Nadeem Hamid (Los Angeles Times) reports:


The formation of the next government was the topic of conversation in Shiite and Sunni mosques across Iraq this weekend. With parliament to be seated on Monday, clerics demanded a better performance from their politicians, whose records have been checkered at best. The clergy alluded to the damage caused by the country’s bloodshed over the last four years and the public sector’s endemic corruption Until now, intense political competition makes the seating of the next government look unlikely before September. Even the formal merger of two competing Shiite-led coalitions late Thursday appears to have done little to break the deadlock.
Faced with the country’s political uncertainty, clerics spoke out and voiced the public’s frustrations and fears.
They made clear their impatience with the turgid negotiations since March elections and emphasized they wanted real results from the next government and not business as usual.

March 7th, Iraq concluded Parliamentary elections. Three months and two days later, still no government. 163 seats are needed to form the executive government (prime minister and council of ministers). When no single slate wins 163 seats (or possibly higher -- 163 is the number today but the Parliament added seats this election and, in four more years, they may add more which could increase the number of seats needed to form the executive government), power-sharing coalitions must be formed with other slates, parties and/or individual candidates. (Eight Parliament seats were awarded, for example, to minority candidates who represent various religious minorities in Iraq.) Ayad Allawi is the head of Iraqiya which won 91 seats in the Parliament making it the biggest seat holder. Second place went to State Of Law which Nouri al-Maliki, the current prime minister, heads. They won 89 seats. Nouri made a big show of lodging complaints and issuing allegations to distract and delay the certification of the initial results while he formed a power-sharing coalition with third place winner Iraqi National Alliance. Together, the two still lack four seats necessary (or so it is thought) to form the government.

In the US, the Gulf Disaster continues. Iraq has its own water disaster, the Shatt al Arab, and Steven Lee Myers (New York Times) reports:

Withered by decades of dictatorial mismanagement and then neglect, by drought and the thirst of Iraq’s neighbors, the river formed by the convergence of the Tigris and the Euphrates no longer has the strength the keep the sea at bay.
The salt water of the gulf now pushes up the Faw peninsula. Last year, for the first time in memory, it extended beyond Basra, Iraq’s biggest port city, and even Qurna, where the two rivers meet. It has ravaged fresh-water fisheries, livestock, crops and groves of date palms that once made the area famous, forcing the migration of tens of thousands of farmers.





Reuters notes 1 woman shot dead in her Mosul home, a Mosul grenade attack which injured two body guards for the Kurdistan Democratic Party and 1 man shot dead in Shirqat.


And we'll close with this from Dogu Ergil (Sunday's Zaman):

Mr. Massoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdish Regional Government of Iraq (KRG), has visited Turkey after a few years of tension between the Iraqi Kurdish leadership and the Turkish military-political establishment. Harsh words and accusations were voiced born out of distrust. The Turkish government believed the KRG was supporting the notorious armed Kurdish militia called the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) that organized bloody forays into Turkey from their sanctuaries in northern Iraq. In return the Iraqi Kurdish leadership believed the Turkish rulers were intent on wiping out the KRG, which they saw as a bad example for Turkey’s Kurds to emulate.
Nowadays most of these ill feelings and prejudices have been left behind. Iraqi Kurds know that after the US withdrawal, leaving behind vast devastation, they will be held responsible by the old ruling group, namely the Sunni Arabs. So they will not be their best ally. Shiite Arabs are too numerous and they lean heavily on Iran. So in the case of a breakdown of present-day Iraq, the best ally and protector Iraqi Kurds can find will be Turkey. This is also the will of the late Mullah Mustafa Barzani, the legendary leader of the Iraqi Kurds. He had no confidence in either the Iranians or the Arabs. The reason is obvious given the historical evidence.

Agree or disagree with what he's saying (I favor the latter) but ponder what he's saying.


The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
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US government targets whistle blowers

Witnesses said that the explosion on Friday could be heard far outside town, which is surrounded by foothills in the northeast of the fertile province. In the confused aftermath, gunfire erupted, sending survivors running from a scene that was littered with body parts. The blast collapsed several homes, witnesses said.
"They claim they are fighting the Americans, but the Americans are withdrawing now," said Zuhair Fadhil Hassan, a 61-year-old resident whose son was wounded in the chest. "All they're doing is directing their attacks at the hearts of Iraqis."

The above is from Anthony Shadid's "Suicide Car Bomber Kills 5, Including 2 U.S. Soldiers, in Iraq" (New York Times) on yesterday's bombing whose victims included 2 US service members. We noted the article in the snapshot and I wanted to note it today because it was a strong article. NYT is not known for their ability to provide context (the last 48 hours is not context) and this article did that, provided eye witness statements and much more.

Monday April 5th, WikiLeaks released US military video of a July 12, 2007 assault in Iraq. Bradley Manning has been accused of leaking the video and arrested. Now the Pentagon is hunting WikiLeaks' Julian Assange. Stuart Wavell (Times of London) reports:

Audio of the US air crew mocking the dead caused an international outcry and embarrassed the Pentagon — but it could do nothing. On YouTube alone the film promptly got more than 7m hits. Furious, the US military detained Bradley Manning, a military analyst in Kuwait, on suspicion of leaking the footage.
Investigators are now hunting Assange himself, who is thought to have been given a huge cache of classified State Department cables by Manning. Assange, in hiding, has promised to help Manning with his defence.
He'll need money and support to make good his promise: fortunately both seem plentiful. Assange is the founder of WikiLeaks, the whistle-blowing website that calls itself the “uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis”. Within days of putting the video out, it received £137,000 in donations and the figure increases daily.

And file it under the attacks on whistle blowers by the Obama administration. Scott Shane (New York Times) reports:


Hired in 2001 by the National Security Agency to help it catch up with the e-mail and cellphone revolution, Thomas A. Drake became convinced that the government’s eavesdroppers were squandering hundreds of millions of dollars on failed programs while ignoring a promising alternative.
He took his concerns everywhere inside the secret world: to his bosses, to the agency’s inspector general, to the Defense Department’s inspector general and to the Congressional intelligence committees. But he felt his message was not getting through.
So he contacted a reporter for The Baltimore Sun.
Today, because of that decision, Mr. Drake, 53, a veteran intelligence bureaucrat who collected early computers, faces years in prison on 10 felony charges involving the mishandling of classified information and obstruction of justice.

Meanwhile Press TV reports on a Karbala attack Friday in which US forces shot a man and his wife on the rooftop of their home and then went into the home and killed three more civilians.

The following community sites -- plus Antiwar.com -- updated last night and today:

Like Maria Said Paz
All This Time Later
22 hours ago



And we'll close with the opening of Matthew Rothschild's "Judge Sides with Guantanamo Detainee" (The Progressive):

If you haven't noticed, Obama is still holding prisoners down at Guantanamo Bay, even though he promised to have the place shut down by six months ago.
And leaving aside his upcoming shell game, whereby he’s going to shuffle prisoners over to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, consider for the moment the case of one individual still held at Guantanamo.
His name is Mohammed Hassan Odaini. He's been at Guantanamo for eight years now. He was just 18 when he was taken there, having been plucked by Pakistani police while he was at university and when he had spent one night at a guest house.



The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.













thomas friedman is a great man






oh boy it never ends
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Friday, June 11, 2010

Iraq snapshot

Friday, June 11, 2010. Chaos and violence continue, 2 US service members are killed in Iraq, rumors of a plot to kill Ayad Allawi circulate in Iraq, the US Pentagon is on the hunt for WikiLeaks, and more.
 
On NPR today, The Diane Rehm Show had plenty of time to trash Helen Thomas (including Yochi Dreazen insisting Helen only ever spoke at the White House press briefings to attack Israel -- and not one guest nor Diane bothered to correct him).  They just didn't have time for Iraq.  No, two sentences of refusing to shoulder the blame for the illegal war they sold -- two sentences from Yochi Dreazen -- does not count as addressing Iraq (especially when even that only came up due to a caller holding the Gang of Useless accountable).  No time for Iraq.  Good thing nothing happened in Iraq all damn week, right? 
 
 
Mohammed Tawfeeq and Jomana Karadsheh (CNN) report a Diyala Province bombing which has claimed the lives of 2 US soldiers with six more left injured, 6 Iraqis left dead and twenty-two more left injured. Leila Fadel (Washington Post) adds, "Jalawla lies in the restive Diyala province, a mixed region of Shiite Arabs, Sunni Arabs and Kurds that once was one of the most dangerous places in Iraq."   The two deaths bring the number of US service members killed in Iraq to 4405. Anthony Shadid (New York Times) provides this context, "The attack was the deadliest on the American military here in more than two months. It was also a grim reminder that while violence has diminished remarkably across Iraq, hundreds of people are still killed each month here. So far this year, 35 American soldiers have died in Iraq in combat or in what the military terms 'non-hostile' incidents."  Hannah Allam (McClatchy Newspapers) explains there have been three other attacks on US forces this week, "In the first, a roadside bomb exploded as a U.S. convoy traveled on a highway through predominantly Sunni Anbar province. No casualties were reported, but the blast left a large crater, and a McClatchy reporter at the scene saw a crane lifting a heavily damaged U.S. armored vehicle onto a flatbed truck. American forces cordoned off the area, blocking traffic, and didn't allow even Iraqi security forces near the scene. Later Thursday afternoon, a roadside bomb targeted a U.S. convoy as it headed toward Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official said. Iraqi authorities said they had no information on casualties because American forces didn't allow their Iraqi counterparts near the scene. At about 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, just south of Baghdad in Yusifiya, another roadside bomb exploded near U.S. forces. No casualties were reported."  Two US service members killed in a bombing in Iraq?  Sorry, Diane and NPR had others to cover, important things, trashing an outstanding journalist, for example.  What a proud moment for them.
 
The attackers of Helen missed the violence in Iraq today . . .
 
Bombings?
 
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing claimed 2 lives and left nine people wounded, a second Baghdad roadside bombing injured five people (two were Iraqi soldiers), a Mosul University bombing claimed the life of 1 military officer and, dropping back to yesterday, a Baghdad suicide car bombing claimed the life of the driver and the lives of 1 Sahwa commander, 1 woman, 1 military officer and 1 other man while wounding ten people. Reuters notes a Thursday Tikrit car bombing which claimed 1 life.
 
Shootings?
 
Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 police officer shot dead in Mosul. Reuters notes 1 woman was shot dead in Kirkuk last night.
 
Corpses?
 
Reuters notes 2 corpses were discovered in Kirkuk.
 
Fang Yang (Xinhua) observes, "Sporadic attacks and waves of violence continue across Iraq three months after the country held its landmark parliamentary election on March 7, which is widely expected to shape the political landscape of the war-torn country." March 7th, Iraq concluded Parliamentary elections. Three months and two days later, still no government. 163 seats are needed to form the executive government (prime minister and council of ministers). When no single slate wins 163 seats (or possibly higher -- 163 is the number today but the Parliament added seats this election and, in four more years, they may add more which could increase the number of seats needed to form the executive government), power-sharing coalitions must be formed with other slates, parties and/or individual candidates. (Eight Parliament seats were awarded, for example, to minority candidates who represent various religious minorities in Iraq.) Ayad Allawi is the head of Iraqiya which won 91 seats in the Parliament making it the biggest seat holder. Second place went to State Of Law which Nouri al-Maliki, the current prime minister, heads. They won 89 seats. Nouri made a big show of lodging complaints and issuing allegations to distract and delay the certification of the initial results while he formed a power-sharing coalition with third place winner Iraqi National Alliance. Together, the two still lack four seats necessary (or so it is thought) to form the government. Yesterday Muhanad Mohammed (Reuters) reported that the State of Law slate and the Iraqi National Alliance had officially "announced their merger". This morning Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) adds, "It still has to be formally approved by lawmakers when they convene for the first time on June 14."  Reuters notes they intend to operate "under a new name, National Alliance, but have yet to resolve differences over their nominee for prime minister".  BBC News adds, "The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says that both the Shia and secular-Sunni blocs will now be claiming the right to be asked to form a government. The constitution is unclear on the issue." In other political news, Maad Fayad (Asharq Alawsat Newspaper) reports, "Senior Arab and Iraqi security officials revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat what it described as an 'elaborate plot' to assassinate the head of the Iraqiya List, Iyad Allawi. The sources said that 'local groups are involved in this plot and it is also backed by a regional party'."  Meanwhile how much do Iraqi citizens pay their government officials? Guess what? They aren't supposed to know. So much for 'democracy' in Iraq. At Inside Iraq, an Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy notes Al Alam Newspaper has published possible salaries:

Iraqi president: About 700,000 USD a year          
Iraqi Vice presidents: 600,000 USD a year but Iraqi news agencies said that Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi said he receives a One Million USD a month, in total. 
Prime Minister office said that Al Maliki receives 360,000 USD a year. But some official sources said that the Prime Minister's salary is equal to the Iraqi President's - so they should receive the same salary.             
Head of the Judiciary council makes about 100,000 USD a month (not clear on allocations).     
 
Sahwa are also known as "Awakenings" and "Sons Of Iraq." They are, as former US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and then-top US commander in Iraq Gen David Petraeus explained to Congress (repeatedly) in April 2008, Sunni fighters who were put on the US payroll so they wouldn't attack US troops and equipment. Actually, Petreaus claimed they were "Shia as well as Sunni" when appearing before Congress on April 8, 2008 and discussing the "over 91,000" "Awakening."  He insisted, "These volunteers have contributed significantly in various areas, and the savings in vehicles not lost because of reduced violence -- not to mention the priceless lives saved -- have far outweighed the cost of their monthly contracts." Nouri was supposed to take over payment of them and bring them into the government.  Nouri does very little he promises.  Over the weekend, he pulled their right to carry firearms in Diayala Province.  Salah Hemeid (Al-Ahram Weekly) reports, "Leaders of the Sahwas controlling around 10,000 personnel in Diyala warned that they would stop cooperating with government security forces if their weapon permits and special badges were withdrawn. In other provinces, members of the Sahwas warned that they would not obey if they were ordered to disarm." Late 2005 through 2007 (or often reduced to 2006 and 2007) saw Iraqis attacking other Iraqis on a huge scale and is popularly known as the "civil war."  This level of violence dropped as it had to when a large number of Iraqis fled the country or fled their homes to other parts of the country.  (A large number?  One-sixth of the population.  Over four million Iraqis became refugees.)  In the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on April 8, 2008, Joe Biden noted, "Violence has come down, but the Iraqis have not come together.  Our military played an important role in the violence.  So did three other developments.  First, the Sunni Awakening, which preceded the surge.  Second, the Sadr cease-fire.  Third, sectarian cleansing that left much of Baghdad segregated, with fewer targets to shoot or bomb."  Joe Biden was then Chair of the Committee.  Today he's the US Vice President.  And that's changed.  But what about the situation he was describing?  If the three developments led to a decrease in the violence, what happens when one of the developments is no longer present?  Something to think about as Nouri continues his war on the Sahwa.   
 
And as the Iraq War continues -- long after the promise candidate Barack Obama repeatedly made while campaigning for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination -- people begin to ask if it ever ends.  Peter Symonds (WSWS) outlines a number of disturbing trends:
 
In his comments last Friday, General Odierno declared that the "drawdown" was ahead of schedule -- 600,000 containers of gear and 18,000 vehicles moved out; and the number of bases down from 500 last year to 126 and set to decline to 94 by September 1. What is actually underway, however, is not a withdrawal, but a vast consolidation in preparation for the long-term occupation of the country by US forces.                  
The Stars and Stripes newspaper noted in an article on June 1 that the ratification of the US-Iraq security agreement in November 2008 governing the drawdown was followed by a massive expansion of base construction work. "In all, the military finished $496 million in base construction projects during 2009, the highest annual figure since the war began and nearly a quarter of the $2.1 billion spent on American bases in Iraq since 2004. An additional $323 million worth of projects are set to be completed this year."
While the number of US bases may be declining, the Pentagon is establishing what are known as "enduring presence posts" -- including four major bases: Joint Base Balad in the north, Camp Adder in southern Iraq, Al-Asad Air Base in the west and the Victory Base Complex around Baghdad International Airport. These are sprawling fortified facilities -- Balad alone currently houses more than 20,000 troops. In addition to the 50,000 troops that will remain, there will be up to 65,000 contractors after September 1.
Under the 2008 agreement, the US military handed over internal security functions to Iraqi forces last year, but, under the guise of "training" and "support", retains tighter supervision of the army and police. Moreover the Iraqi government can always "request" US troop assistance in mounting operations. As Odierno explained in a letter to US personnel on June 1, even after all US combat troops leave, "we will continue to conduct partnered counter-terrorism operations and provide combat enablers to help the Iraqi Security Forces maintain pressure on the extremist networks."
The 2008 agreement sets December 31, 2011 as the deadline for all US troops to quit Iraq, but the construction of huge new US bases indicates a long-term US military presence under a Strategic Framework Agreement that is yet to be negotiated.
 
Another one noticing realities is Pentagon Papers whistle blower  Daniel Ellsberg and he shares them with Marc Pitzke (Der Spiegel): 
 
Ellsberg: I think Obama is continuing the worst of the Bush administration in terms of civil liberties, violations of the constitution and the wars in the Middle East.
 
SPIEGEL ONLINE: For example?
 
Ellsberg: Take Obama's explicit pledge in his State of the Union speech to remove "all" United States troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. That's a total lie. I believe that's totally false. I believe he knows that's totally false. It won't be done. I expect that the US will have, indefinitely, a residual force of at least 30,000 US troops in Iraq.
 
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What about Afghanistan? Isn't that a justifiable war?
 
Ellsberg: I think that there's an inexcusable escalation in both countries. Thousands of US officials know that bases and large numbers of troops will remain in Iraq and that troop levels and bases in Afghanistan will rise far above what Obama is now projecting. But Obama counts on them to keep their silence as he deceives the public on these devastating, costly, reckless ventures.      
 
Daniel Ellsberg was Scott Horton's guest for yesterday's Antiwar Radio. They're discussing Bradley Manning. Who? Monday April 5th, WikiLeaks released US military video of a July 12, 2007 assault in Iraq. 12 people were killed in the assault including two Reuters journalists Namie Noor-Eldeen and Saeed Chmagh. Monday June 7th, the US military announced that they had arrested Bradley and he stood accused of being the leaker of the video. Philip Shenon (Daily Beast) reports the US government is attempting to track down WikiLeaks' Julian Assange: "Pentagon investigators are trying to determine the whereabouts of the Australian-born founder of the secretive website Wikileaks for fear that he may be about to publish a huge cache of classified State Department cables that, if made public, could do serious damage to national security, government officials tell The Daily Beast."
 
 
 
Pentagon manhunt for WikiLeaks staff declared: http://bit.ly/cN1Kl8 just say no: http://bit.ly/ctRxAV about 12 hours ago via bitly
 
 Any signs of unacceptable behavior by the Pentagon or its agents towards this press will be viewed dimly. about 12 hours ago via bitly
 
Debra Sweet (World Can't Wait) notes the real crimes and WikiLeaks:
 
The Crimes Are Crimes statement has been published in The New York Review of Books, The Nation, and now, will next be placed in The Humanist. You can help spread this message and challenge the conscience of people by signing, donating and printing it out for your community (ask store owners if they will display this poster!).       
The more I've shown the 17 minute version of Collateral Murder -- even to seasoned anti-war activists -- the more I see how important it is that people SEE this video.                             
And the more outrageous it is that a 22 year old Army enlisted man, Bradley Manning, is being charged with leaking the footage to WikiLeaks.org. The war crimes, and criminal acts the whole world can see in this footage are justified and excused by the US government.  And a person who they say leaked it is criminally charged?!?         
Today the Iraq Inquiry announced that their next set of hearings will "run from 29 June to 30 July 2010, at the QE II conference centre in London" and the following will be witnesses:
 
*Cathy Adams (Legal Counsellor, Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, 2002 to 2005)
*Geoffrey Adams KCMG (HM Ambassador to Iran, 2006 to 2009)
*Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP (Minister of State for the Armed Forces, 2007 to 2009 Secretary of State for Defence, 2009)
*Andy Bearpack CBE (Director Operations and Infrastructure in the Coalition Provisional Authority, 2003 to 2004)
*Dr Hanx Blix (1st Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, 2000 to 2003)
*Rt Hon The Lord Boateng (Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 2002 to 2005)
*Douglas Brand (OBE) (Chief Police Adviser to the Ministry of Interior, Baghdad, 2003 to 2004)
*Dr Nicola Brewer CMG (Director General Regional Prorammes, Department of International Development, 2002 to 2004)
*Jonathan Cunliffe CB (Managing Director, Financial Regulation & Industry, 2002; Managing Director, Macroeconomic Policy and International Finance, HM Treasury, 2003 to 2007)
*Richard Dalton KCMG (HM Abassadort to Iran, 2003 to 2006)
*General Richard Dannatt GCB CBE ME (Assistant Chief of the General Staff, 2001 to 2002; Commander in Chief Land Command, 2005 to 2006; Chief of the General STaff, 2006 to 2009)
*John Dodds (Team Leader - Defence, Diplomacy and Intelligence; HM Treasury, 2003 to 2005)
*Lt Gen James Dutton CBE (General Officer Commanding Multi National Division - South East - 2005; Deputy Chief of Joint Operations 2007 - 2009)
*Lt Gen Andrew Figgures (Deputy Chief of Defense Staff -- Equipment Capability -- 2006 - 2009)
*Ronnie Flanagan GBE QPM (HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, 2005 - 2008)
*Lt Gen Robert Fulton KBE (Deputy Chief of Defense Staff Equipment Capability 2003 - 2006)
*John Holmes GCVO KBE CMG (HM Ambassador to Paris 2001 - 2007)
*Martin Howard CB (DIrector General Operational Policy MOD 2004- 2007)
*General Mike Jackson GCB CBE DSO DL (Commander in Chief Land Command 2000 - 2003;  Chief of the General Staff 2003 - 2006)
*Sally Keeble (Minister of State, Department for International Development 2002 - 2003)
*Paul Kernaghan CBE QPM (International Policing portfolio lead, Association of Chief Police Officers for England, Wales & Northern Ireland, 2001 - 2008)
*Iain Macleod (Legal Counsellor to the United Kingdom's Mission to the United Nations, 2001 - 2004)
*Tom McKane (Director General Resource & Plans, Ministry of Defence, 2002 - 2006)
*Bruce Mann CB (Director General Financial Management, Ministry of Defence 2001 -  2004).
*Manningham Buller DCB (Deputy Director General, Security Service, 2001 - 2002; Director General, Security Service, 2002 - 2007)
*Carolyn Miller (Director Europe, Middle East and Americas, Department for International Development, 2001 - 2004)
*General Kevin O'Donoghue KCB CBE (Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Health, 2002 - 2004; Chief of Defence Logistics 2005 - 2007; Chief of Defence Material 2007 - 2009)
*Rt Hon John Prescott (First Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister, to 2007)
*Carne Ross (First Secretary, United Kingdom Mission to New York, 1998 - 2002)
*Maj Gen Andy Salmon  CMG OBE (General Officer Commanding Multi National Division South East, 2008 -2009)
*Michael Wareing CMG (Prime Minister's Envoy for Reconstruction in Souther Iraq and Chairman of the Basra Development Commission, 2007 - 2009)
*Stephen White OBE (Directof of Law and Order and Senior Police Adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority, 2003 - 2004)
*Vice Adm Peter Wilkinson CVO (Deputy Chief of Defense Staff Personnel, 2007 to present)
*Trevor Wooley CB (Director General Resources & Plans, Ministry of Defence, 1998 - 2002; Financial Director, Ministry of Defence, 2003 - 2009)
 
The Iraq Inquiry is Chaired by John Chilcot and they believe a report will be completed by year's end and that there might also be a round of hearings in the fall.  Chris Ames (Iraq Inquiry Digest) observes, "Hans Blix is the headline name and there are some other witnesses who might not toe the government line." Though Blix should offer some very interesting testimony, he's not the only name of interest on the list.  For example, Carne Ross will probably pull in a number of the press when he testifies. A 2008 Time magazine profile by Jumana Farouky opened with:
 
As Carne Ross talks about how he resigned from the British Foreign Office in 2004 after Britain's decision to go to war in Iraq proved more than he could abide in a frustrating 15-year diplomatic career, the phone rings. "That'll be Kosovo," Ross says. Probably calling to say thanks.

 
 
A devastating attack on Mr Blair's justification for military action by Carne Ross, Britain's key negotiator at the UN, has been kept under wraps until now because he was threatened with being charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act.
In the testimony revealed today Mr Ross, 40, who helped negotiate several UN security resolutions on Iraq, makes it clear that Mr Blair must have known Saddam Hussein possessed no weapons of mass destruction. He said that during his posting to the UN, "at no time did HMG [Her Majesty's Government] assess that Iraq's WMD (or any other capability) posed a threat to the UK or its interests."
Mr Ross revealed it was a commonly held view among British officials dealing with Iraq that any threat by Saddam Hussein had been "effectively contained".
 
Click here for the BBC video of Carne Ross explaining how the Inquiry should have questioned Tony Blair.  Chris Ames has covered the Iraq Inquiry forever and a day -- and on the issues at the heart of the inquiry before Gordon Brown was even agreeing to allow a commission. Iraq Inquiry Digest is Chris Ames' site (his writing appears at the Guardian, The New Statesman and other outlets). At the Guardian today, he takes on Nick Clegg:
 
In opposition, Nick Clegg had some harsh criticism for the way that Gordon Brown's government restricted the ability of the Iraq inquiry to uncover the truth. Clegg's appointment as deputy prime minister seemed to promise a new attitude of openness and at the weekend he seemed to be promising to put this into practice. In particular, he promised that the inquiry will only be prevented from publishing documents for reasons of national security. But it looks as if nothing is going to change any time soon, if at all.
What Clegg said the Hay festival on Sunday -- as Today programme listeners will have heard this morning -- was true as far as it went, but his language about how to solve the problem is intriguing. He said that the inquiry's openness would be the key to determining its legitimacy and: "The battle that needs to be fought is to make sure in the final Chilcot report the presumption is towards real, meaningful, thorough disclosure." He added that "the challenge is to make sure there is real disclosure when they publish their findings." But Nick, you are the deputy prime minister. It's up to you.
 
The Guardian's Richard Norton-Taylor has been covering the Inquiry at length as well and he reviews the witness list and emphasizes Eliza Manningham-Buller who "told the Guardian last year that she had warned ministers and officials that an invasion of Iraq would increase the terrorist threat. Amid Anglo-US preparations to invade Iraq, she asked: 'Why now?'"
 
 
In the United States, the Arlington National Cemetery scandal continues to garner (deserved) attention.  Richard Sisk (New York Daily News) sums it up very well in two sentences, "They didn't arrive at Arlington National Cemetery as unknown soldiers. The Army just treated them that way." Julian E. Barnes (Los Angeles Times) offers this overview, "The inspector general, Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, found one case involving personnel killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. In that instance, two grave markers had been switched. Other cases involved areas of the cemetery used to inter personnel from earlier conflicts. [. . .] The extent of the problems at one of the nation's most venerated memorials was not entirely clear. In some cases, grave markers had been knocked over and not properly replaced, the report said. Other reported cases involved poor record-keeping. Whitcomb said there was no indication of mistakes at the point of burial." Michael E. Ruane (Washington Post) adds, "The investigators found that these and other blunders were the result of a 'dysfunctional' and chaotic management system at the cemetery, which was poisoned by bitterness among top supervisors and hobbled by antiquated record-keeping." Those looking for a strong audio report on the story should refer to The Takeaway where Salon's Mark Benjamin is one of the guests and Dorothy Nolte (her sister is buried into Arlington Cemetery).
 
TV notes. On PBS' Washington Week, John Dickerson (CBS News, Slate), Alexis Simendinger (National Journal) and Karen Tumulty (Washington Post) join Gwen around the table. This week, Bonnie Erbe will sit down with Jehan Harney, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Melinda Henneberger, Tara Setmayer and Genevieve Wood on the latest broadcast of PBS' To The Contrary to discuss the week's events. And at the website each week, there's an extra just for the web from the previous week's show and this week's online bonus is on drilling for oil. And turning to broadcast TV, Sunday CBS' 60 Minutes offers:

Cyber War
Could hackers get into the computer systems that run crucial elements of the world's infrastructure, such as the power grids, water works or even a nation's military arsenal, to create havoc? They already have. Steve Kroft reports. | Watch Video
The Great Explorer
Robert Ballard discovered the Titanic, the Bismarck and the PT 109 and now 60 Minutes cameras are there for his latest discovery, 1,500 feet down in the Aegean Sea off Turkey. Lara Logan reports. | Watch Video
60 Minutes, Sunday, June 13, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Radio. Today on The Diane Rehm Show (airs on most NPR stations and streams live online beginning at 10:00 am EST), Diane is joined the first hour (domestic news roundup) by Byron York (Washington Examiner), David Corn (Mother Jones) and Dayo Olopade (Daily Beast). For the second hour (international), she's joined by Yochi Dreazen (Wall St. Journal), Roy Gutman (McClatchy Newspapers) and Abderrahim Foukara (Al Jazeera).
 
 

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Withdrawal?

In opposition, Nick Clegg had some harsh criticism for the way that Gordon Brown's government restricted the ability of the Iraq inquiry to uncover the truth. Clegg's appointment as deputy prime minister seemed to promise a new attitude of openness and at the weekend he seemed to be promising to put this into practice. In particular, he promised that the inquiry will only be prevented from publishing documents for reasons of national security. But it looks as if nothing is going to change any time soon, if at all.
What Clegg said the Hay festival on Sunday -- as Today programme listeners will have heard this morning -- was true as far as it went, but his language about how to solve the problem is intriguing. He said that the inquiry's openness would be the key to determining its legitimacy and: "The battle that needs to be fought is to make sure in the final Chilcot report the presumption is towards real, meaningful, thorough disclosure." He added that "the challenge is to make sure there is real disclosure when they publish their findings." But Nick, you are the deputy prime minister. It's up to you.

That's the opening to Chris Ames' "Clegg's confused Iraq inquiry proposals" (Guardian). Ames, of course, has covered the Iraq Inquiry forever and a day -- and on the issues at the heart of the inquiry before Gordon Brown was even agreeing to allow a commission. Iraq Inquiry Digest is Chris Ames' site (his writing appears at the Guardian, The New Statesman and other outlets). Despite the fact that this Ames has led on the issue from the start, not only did NPR refuse to interview him (seeking out instead the bald idiot and professional New Labour apologist at the Guardian) but so did the very few Pacifica Radio programs that bothered to (briefly) note the Iraq Inquiry. Were we functioning on this site of the Atlantic, for example, Matthew Rothschild would have long ago booked Ames for Progessive Radio and spent the half-hour sorting through the issues and what the chances are that anything will come from the committee's investigation.

They should also be trying to book Peter Symonds who addresses the realites of US involvement in Iraq at WSWS:

In his comments last Friday, General Odierno declared that the “drawdown” was ahead of schedule -- 600,000 containers of gear and 18,000 vehicles moved out; and the number of bases down from 500 last year to 126 and set to decline to 94 by September 1. What is actually underway, however, is not a withdrawal, but a vast consolidation in preparation for the long-term occupation of the country by US forces.
The Stars and Stripes newspaper noted in an article on June 1 that the ratification of the US-Iraq security agreement in November 2008 governing the drawdown was followed by a massive expansion of base construction work. “In all, the military finished $496 million in base construction projects during 2009, the highest annual figure since the war began and nearly a quarter of the $2.1 billion spent on American bases in Iraq since 2004. An additional $323 million worth of projects are set to be completed this year.”
While the number of US bases may be declining, the Pentagon is establishing what are known as "enduring presence posts" -- including four major bases: Joint Base Balad in the north, Camp Adder in southern Iraq, Al-Asad Air Base in the west and the Victory Base Complex around Baghdad International Airport. These are sprawling fortified facilities -- Balad alone currently houses more than 20,000 troops. In addition to the 50,000 troops that will remain, there will be up to 65,000 contractors after September 1.
Under the 2008 agreement, the US military handed over internal security functions to Iraqi forces last year, but, under the guise of “training” and “support”, retains tighter supervision of the army and police. Moreover the Iraqi government can always “request” US troop assistance in mounting operations. As Odierno explained in a letter to US personnel on June 1, even after all US combat troops leave, “we will continue to conduct partnered counter-terrorism operations and provide combat enablers to help the Iraqi Security Forces maintain pressure on the extremist networks.”
The 2008 agreement sets December 31, 2011 as the deadline for all US troops to quit Iraq, but the construction of huge new US bases indicates a long-term US military presence under a Strategic Framework Agreement that is yet to be negotiated.

The US has announced it will close Camp Grizzly. Press TV reports that this is the camp next to the Iranian refugees that Iran wants Iraq to turn over to them. In other news of Iraqi and Iranian relations, UPI notes, "Iranian troops are reported to have crossed into Iraqi Kurdistan and built a fortified base, one of several recent military incursions as Iraq struggles to form a government amid efforts by Tehran to ensure that a pro-Iranian Shiite alliance takes power."


March 7th, Iraq concluded Parliamentary elections. Three months and two days later, still no government. 163 seats are needed to form the executive government (prime minister and council of ministers). When no single slate wins 163 seats (or possibly higher -- 163 is the number today but the Parliament added seats this election and, in four more years, they may add more which could increase the number of seats needed to form the executive government), power-sharing coalitions must be formed with other slates, parties and/or individual candidates. (Eight Parliament seats were awarded, for example, to minority candidates who represent various religious minorities in Iraq.) Ayad Allawi is the head of Iraqiya which won 91 seats in the Parliament making it the biggest seat holder. Second place went to State Of Law which Nouri al-Maliki, the current prime minister, heads. They won 89 seats. Nouri made a big show of lodging complaints and issuing allegations to distract and delay the certification of the initial results while he formed a power-sharing coalition with third place winner Iraqi National Alliance. Together, the two still lack four seats necessary (or so it is thought) to form the government. Yesterday Muhanad Mohammed (Reuters) reported that the State of Law slate and the Iraqi National Alliance had officially "announced their merger". This morning Caroline Alexander (Bloomberg News) adds, " It still has to be formally approved by lawmakers when they convene for the first time on June 14."

Sahwa are also known as "Awakenings" and "Sons Of Iraq." They are, as former US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and then-top US commander in Iraq Gen David Petraeus explained to Congress (repeatedly) in April 2008, Sunni fighters who were put on the US payroll so they wouldn't attack US troops and equipment. Nouri was supposed to take over payment of them and bring them into the government. Nouri does very little he promises. Over the weekend, he pulled their right to carry firearms in Diyala Province. Salah Hemeid (Al-Ahram Weekly) reports:
Leaders of the Sahwas controlling around 10,000 personnel in Diyala warned that they would stop cooperating with government security forces if their weapon permits and special badges were withdrawn. In other provinces, members of the Sahwas warned that they would not obey if they were ordered to disarm.
The government's hardline attitude towards the Sahwas came two days after the army had arrested Youssef Al-Hayalan, leader of the Sahwa in Buhruz, a district of Diyala province, who Iraqi authorities accuse of having contacts with Al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile how much do Iraqi citizens pay their government officials? Guess what? They aren't supposed to know. So much for 'democracy' in Iraq. At Inside Iraq, an Iraqi correspondent for McClatchy notes Al Alam Newspaper has published possible salaries:

Iraqi president: About 700,000 USD a year
Iraqi Vice presidents: 600,000 USD a year but Iraqi news agencies said that Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi said he receives a One Million USD a month, in total.
Prime Minister office said that Al Maliki receives 360,000 USD a year. But some official sources said that the Prime Minister’s salary is equal to the Iraqi President’s - so they should receive the same salary.
Head of the Judiciary council makes about 100,000 USD a month (not clear on allocations).



TV notes. On PBS' Washington Week, John Dickerson (CBS News, Slate), Alexis Simendinger (National Journal) and Karen Tumulty (Washington Post) join Gwen around the table. Gwen's column is "Unconventional Wisdom" and, Gwen, you flatter yourself. A part of me just wants to note that she doesn't see women as all that important from Tuesday's elections. That's her opinion and we could just zip along. But, wait, this is Gwen who never, NEVER, achieves equal parity in the gender of her guests. Never. This is the same Gwen who last week featured three men around the table and no female guests. Do you know how often she does that? Do you know she never features an all female panel? So Gwen's skated out onto a lake she thought was frozen but she's actually about to fall through.

Gwen insists that it can't be "year of the woman" (we'll come back to that phrase) because, "The truth is, none of these women made gender-based appeals". What? Is this not the same Gwen who wrote that bad book, full of silly claims about race, based on Barack's 2008 campaign? (A campaign, it should be noted -- even if Gwen didn't -- that refused to present an agenda of how to assist African-Americans of any class and instead attempted to pretend we live in a color-blind world -- when not, of course, screaming "racist!" at anyone who wouldn't drink the Kool-Aid.) I wasn't aware that a woman, to be successful, needed to make a "gender-based appeal"? But I am aware that Blanche Lincoln (and her campaign) knew that women were the key to her win and that they were actively courted (and that paid off, women of all races and African-American males were Blanche's strongest supporters according to exit pollng). I am aware that Jane Harman's campaign knew they had to shore up support from female voters (and that they didn't see this as especially difficult since her primary opponent had no interest in reaching out to that group). We could go on and on.

But women were successful and they were the story of Tuesday. I don't know why Gwen wants to trot out "Year of the Woman." We didn't use the phrase here, I haven't heard anyone use it on radio, when it's popped up in print this week, it's usually been to note 1992. And the phrase gets trashed a great deal but, if we're being honest, it's a powerful phrase and maybe those of us who've accomplished a few things in our lives need to stop being so prickly about it and start thinking of how it can sound fresh and inviting to a young teenage girl?

Regardless, Gwen has the chance each week to provide gender equality. But she doesn't. She chooses not to. That's her choice and she needs to be held accountable for it. And any time she wants to dismiss women's accomplishments, she doesn't get a pass. It needs to be noted that this woman with the power to present equality on TV repeatedly takes a pass.

"Unconventional Wisdom," Gwen? You flatter yourself on both counts.

This week, Bonnie Erbe will sit down with Jehan Harney, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Melinda Henneberger, Tara Setmayer and Genevieve Wood on the latest broadcast of PBS' To The Contrary to discuss the week's events. And at the website each week, there's an extra just for the web from the previous week's show and this week's online bonus is on drilling for oil. And turning to broadcast TV, Sunday CBS' 60 Minutes offers:

Cyber War
Could hackers get into the computer systems that run crucial elements of the world's infrastructure, such as the power grids, water works or even a nation's military arsenal, to create havoc? They already have. Steve Kroft reports. | Watch Video

The Great Explorer
Robert Ballard discovered the Titanic, the Bismarck and the PT 109 and now 60 Minutes cameras are there for his latest discovery, 1,500 feet down in the Aegean Sea off Turkey. Lara Logan reports. | Watch Video

60 Minutes, Sunday, June 13, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Radio. Today on The Diane Rehm Show (airs on most NPR stations and streams live online beginning at 10:00 am EST), Diane is joined the first hour (domestic news roundup) by Byron York (Washington Examiner), David Corn (Mother Jones) and Dayo Olopade (Daily Beast). For the second hour (international), she's joined by Yochi Dreazen (Wall St. Journal), Roy Gutman (McClatchy Newspapers) and Abderrahim Foukara (Al Jazeera).


The Senate Democratic Policy Committee continues to highlight daily videos and we'll note Senator Dick Durbin on science and global warming:



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2 US service members killed in Iraq

Mohammed Tawfeeq and Jomana Karadsheh (CNN) report a Diyala Province bombing which has claimed the lives of 2 US soldiers with six more left injured, 6 Iraqis left dead and twenty more left injured. Leila Fadel (Washington Post) adds, "Jalawla lies in the restive Diyala province, a mixed region of Shiite Arabs, Sunni Arabs and Kurds that once was one of the most dangerous places in Iraq."

The dead get buried. But where? The Arlington Cemetery scandal is the focus of Catherine Philp's commentary for the Times of London:

The lawns and glistening white headstones of Arlington National Cemetery are America’s most tended monument. Not for nothing is it known as America’s sacred ground. The US takes its duty to its war dead deeply seriously, even exploiting that reverence to keep away cameras from the flag-draped coffins arriving at Dover Air Force Base in the first years of President Bush’s War on Terror.
No country has invested as much money and effort in bringing its war dead home, dating back to the Second World War. A massive American operation continues in Indochina in search of the 1,700 American servicemen still missing in action since the end of the Vietnam War. The Department of Defence boasts on its website of its pride in having returned the remains of more than 700 Vietnam-era soldiers to their families.
The news of the careless treatment parcelled out to dead soldiers on their hallowed home ground will shock to the core the military, the dead soldiers’ families and the American public.

Richard Sisk (New York Daily News) sums it up very well in two sentences, "They didn't arrive at Arlington National Cemetery as unknown soldiers. The Army just treated them that way." Julian E. Barnes (Los Angeles Times) offers this overview, "The inspector general, Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb, found one case involving personnel killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. In that instance, two grave markers had been switched. Other cases involved areas of the cemetery used to inter personnel from earlier conflicts. [. . .] The extent of the problems at one of the nation's most venerated memorials was not entirely clear. In some cases, grave markers had been knocked over and not properly replaced, the report said. Other reported cases involved poor record-keeping. Whitcomb said there was no indication of mistakes at the point of burial." Michael E. Ruane (Washington Post) adds, "The investigators found that these and other blunders were the result of a "dysfunctional" and chaotic management system at the cemetery, which was poisoned by bitterness among top supervisors and hobbled by antiquated record-keeping."

Shane Nault was serving in Iraq when his Humveee was hit by an IED. He continued serving and another IED (May 2007) left him further wounded (the first IED reduced his hearing by 60%) with shrapnel in his brain and multiple injuries. We noted his parents have been accused of stealing his money. Sarah Netter (ABC News) reports on the court filings today, with both parents "charged with stealing more than $100,000 meant to finance his care and rehabilitation."

We'll note this from World Can't Wait:

Friday, June 11 we will be at the Mid-Atlantic Women's Studies Conference in Maryland, showing the film, "Abortion, Morality, and the Liberation of Women," and presenting a workshop.


June 22-26 World Can't Wait will be at the United States Social Forum in Detroit where thousands of activists from all over the country will be converging to discuss how to make a better world. We'll present workshops with Iraq veterans on the We Are Not Your Soldiers Tour and Standing up for Abortion Rights, and joining in the anti-war events. World Can't Wait will be connecting the issues in a way that very few organizations there will be doing.

July 23-25 we'll be at the National Assembly to End the Occupations of Iraq & Afghanistan in Albany, NY where Debra Sweet will be speaking.

July 17-24 World Can't Wait is calling for people to converge on Charlotte, NC to defend women's reproductive rights, and oppose Operation Save America's threats against the clinic there.

August 23-25 Portland, Maine at the Veterans For Peace Conference. World Can't Wait will be conducting a workshop on the We Are Not Your Soldiers Tour "Bringing Reality and Resistance into Classrooms with Anti-War Veterans" and on the "The Tea Party and the Anti-War Movement."

World Can't Wait will be at Warped Tour organizing for the We are Not Your Soldiers Tour. Warped Tour is a nationwide music festival tour which brings hundreds of thousands of young people (mostly high-school students) together for rebellious music - and will bring thousands into contact with our message that we can stand with our brothers and sisters around the world instead of pointing guns at them.

We'll be exposing and protesting the war criminals in our midst through War Criminals Watch all summer long.

If you want to see people in the streets stopping the wars, torture, the spying, the lying, the brutal destruction of the environment, the attacks on women's basic right to abortion, and the demonization of immigrants fund THE movement that is organizing that.

Make a one-time tax-deductible donation to help pay for:
* the production of educational materials & organizer kits for students,
* travel & lodging for volunteers,
* tabling equipment in order to have the most compelling set up at conferences and concerts.

How much can you give to get resistance going nationwide, especially among young people?

Donate $100 or more by June 14 and you will receive a copy a book of your choosing either This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Provider by Susan Wicklund or In the Name of Democracy: American War Crimes In Iraq & Beyond Edited by Jeremy Brecher, Jill Cutler, & Brendan Smith.

Join the movement by becoming a monthly sustainer at any amount of your choosing. For as little as $4 a month you can help worldcantwait.net deliver exposure like no else. Become a sustainer of $100 a month or more by June 14 and receive a copy of above book along with a T-shirt.

The following community sites updated last night:

We'll close with this from the Senate Democratic Policy Committee:

U.S.-based multinational companies should be subject to fair and balanced tax laws, just like hard-working American families. These big corporations should not be rewarded for shipping millions of jobs overseas. The American Jobs Act would close existing tax loopholes that allow big corporations to abuse the tax credit system and would put an end to tax breaks for companies that eliminate American jobs. All told, it would close over $14 billion of foreign tax loopholes, most of which relate to foreign tax credits. The bill would also give tax incentives to small businesses so they could create jobs in the United States and cut taxes for middle-class families.

Instead of helping families and small businesses, Republicans are blocking passage of this critical job-creating legislation. They are protecting big corporate interests and rewarding companies for shipping American jobs overseas.

The American Jobs Act would create jobs, protect middle-class families, and close tax loopholes for big corporations.

Tax Cuts for American Families and Workers

· Tax Cut for College Tuition - This bill extends a tax deduction for qualified education expenses including college tuition and fees, so Americans can get the world-class education they deserve without going bankrupt in the process.

· Property Tax Deduction - This bill extends the additional standard deduction for state and local property taxes to save families money on their federal tax returns. This deduction allows taxpayers who do not itemize their tax deductions to receive property tax relief as a standard deduction of $500 for single filers and $1,000 for joint filers.

· Tax Cut for School Teachers - This bill extends a $250 tax deduction for teachers who buy classroom supplies out of their own pockets, so teachers can continue to provide a quality education for tomorrow’s workforce.

· Sales Tax Deduction - This bill extends the option for taxpayers to deduct state and local sales tax on their federal tax returns, so families can continue to save money with the tax deductions they count on.

· Tax Cut to Improve Home Energy Efficiency - This bill updates the eligibility for tax credits for energy-efficient windows, so even more families across the country can take advantage of this tax cut.

Tax Cuts for American Business to Create Jobs

· Tax Cut for Payments to Activated Military Reservists - The bill extends a tax cut for small businesses that continue to pay employees who have been called to active duty, so these businesses can continue to support these jobs.

· Research and Development Tax Credit - The bill extends a tax cut for research and development to help American businesses spur innovation and grow.

· Tax Credit for Equipment Investments - The legislation allows companies to receive tax refunds on a portion of their Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) credits if they invest in capital equipment for use in the United States .

· Tax Benefits for Capital Investments - The legislation extends a tax cut to allow restaurant owners to depreciate new construction and improvements and retail store owners to depreciate improvements over 15 years rather than 39.5 years, supporting construction jobs, encouraging economic development and saving these businesses money they can use to reinvest in their companies and hire new workers.

· Tax Cut for Investing in Low-Income Communities - The bill extends the New Markets Tax Credit, a tax cut for private investment in low-income communities, bolstering local economies and creating jobs where they are needed the most.

· Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel Tax Credits - The bill extends a tax cut for businesses that produce biodiesel and renewable diesel, which supports energy independence and creates jobs.

Closing Foreign Tax Loopholes

The American Jobs Act includes a package of provisions developed jointly by the Treasury Department, the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Finance Committee to curtail various loopholes, mostly abuses of the U.S. foreign tax credit system. The $14 billion of foreign loopholes the bill eliminates includes:

· Splitting Foreign Tax Credits From Income - This bill implements a matching rule that would suspend the recognition of foreign tax credits until the related foreign income is taken into account for U.S. tax purposes. The bill targets abusive techniques and does not affect timing differences that result from normal tax accounting differences. It is estimated that the proposal would raise over $6 billion over 10 years.

· Covered Asset Acquisitions - The bill prevents taxpayers from claiming the foreign tax credit with respect to foreign income that is never subject to U.S. taxation because of a covered asset acquisition. It is estimated that the proposal would raise over $4 billion over 10 years.

· Tax Treaties - The bill prevents taxpayers from using U.S. treaties to artificially inflate their foreign sources of income and reduce their taxes beyond what is needed to avoid double taxation. It is estimated that the proposal would raise over $250 million over 10 years.

· Redemptions by Foreign Subsidiaries - The American Jobs Act ensures that earnings from the sales of stock between U.S. companies and their foreign subsidiaries would remain subject to U.S. tax when repatriated to a foreign parent corporation as a dividend. It is estimated that the proposal would raise over $250 million over 10 years.

DPC Fact Sheet | Democrats Are On Your Side: Creating Jobs, Protecting the Middle Class, and Closing Tax Loopholes



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leila fadel





thomas friedman is a great man






oh boy it never ends
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