Thursday, April 09, 2009

I Hate The War

The activities of al-Qaeda in two of Iraq’s most troubled cities could keep US combat troops engaged beyond the June 30 deadline for their withdrawal, the top US commander in the country has warned.
US troop numbers in Mosul and Baqubah, in the north of the country, could rise rather than fall over the next year if necessary, General Ray Odierno told The Times in his first interview with a British newspaper since taking over from General David Petraeus in September.
He said that a joint assessment would be conducted with the Iraqi authorities in the coming weeks before a decision is made.

The above is from Deborah Haynes' "General Ray Odierno: we may have to ignore Iraq deadline to halt al-Qaeda terror" (Times of London) and before we go into the revelations, let's note a few things re: the source. Haynes has an important exclusive and good for her. Equally true is that she has produced more content for her outlet than whole divisions have for other outlets. Haynes usually files at least one report or blog post a week that has to do with a news topic and at least one that is a human interest story. In the last months, she's been filing repeatedly. She isn't the only Times correspondent filing on Iraq; but she's filing an incredible amount and finding stories that others are usually not covering. Her work won her a deserved award (and we noted her award back when she received it even though we're not interested in that aspect of the refugee topic) and when England draws down to approximately 400 troops at the end of July (if it sticks with that announcement), she'll most likely be move on to another region and will be missed but probably most people won't grasp what she offered and what she provided until she's gone.

Deborah Haynes is not with faults and we called her out loudly once here. The same blog post written the same way would result in the same calling out again. But if you look at her overall work, the key theme is curiousity. She finds out something and pursues it. For example, she was obviously not the only reporter to notice, back during provincial elections, that the ink smelled (the ink on your finger to show you had voted) but she didn't just file that away in her memory, she pursued it and found out other things about the ink and wrote it up. She's written up the special 'cabins' reporters can sleep in at the US base (now that the US has taken over Basra from the British). She's constantly found things of interest, dug around and found enough information worth filing something on.

She's leaving so I've been wanting to find a way to work in a nod to her work because, whether we've agreed with it or not, it's always demonstrated a curiosity and desire to know that should be the hallmark of reporting but often isn't. And before someone says, "Oh, well there's a story on cars and she didn't write about that." That's not something she would have discovered. That 'story' which won't go away (AP was pimping it today) was put out by M-NF. It's one of the many spoon feeds they do as they. Haynes wasn't picking up on M-NF and she wasn't picking up on what the British command wanted her to write about. Look at the topics she's covered for human interest stories including Iraqis woeful lack of knowledge when it comes to pregnancy. Those were topics she encountered. A passing remark, something she saw, and she pursued it and found the story.

The Times of London was very lucky to have her in Iraq and people who follow news from Iraq were very lucky to have her in Iraq. Her interest and curiosity will be hugely missed and she has a nice body of work that she and her paper can be very proud of.

Now for what she's reporting. That's really big and Ray Odierno went on the record which is how it's different than the whispers that this might happen or, earlier, Nouri al-Maliki stating that maybe US forces would just leave some cities.

It also underscores that the treaty masquerading as a Status Of Forces Agreement was never etched in stone, despite claims otherwise.

As noted in the snapshot, Baghdad saw a huge rally today calling for the withdrawal of US forces. Toss that back to the Status Of Forces Agreement. al-Maliki had to promise Parliament that the thing could be put to a vote (al-Maliki and the US State Dept had to promise Iraq's Parliament that). That vote was supposed to take place in July.

Where are the preparations for that? The Kurdistan Regional Government will be holding provincial elections shortly (May 19th) and they are making their preparations. Where are the preparations for the Iraqi people to vote on the Status Of Forces Agreement?

For those who don't remember the January 31st provincial elections in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces required extensive work and planning. If you've forgotten the legislation finally passed Parliament in September of 2008. They moved to hold elections as quickly as possible and all the work required meant as quickly as possible was January 31st.

Where are the preparations? And did the rally in Baghdad today worry or trouble Nouri? All those people making it clear how they wanted the US out?

For those thinking, "Well the ballot will be simplified . . ." The ballot wasn't the issue. Who was on it and campaigning were issues for candidates. The govermnent and the election commission required all those months to set up for the elections.

In other news, Ruth Gledhill (Times of London) reports, "Tony Blair has said that he cannot 'pass a single day' without reflecting on the aftermath of the war in Iraq." We may go into that more tomorrow but let's note right now how interesting it is that Blair surfaces with a 'lament' about Iraq after Gordon Brown's government promises the British people an inquiry into the Iraq War. Now Tony Blair wants the world to believe he's haunted by the illegal war.

It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)

Last Thursday, ICCC's number of US troops killed in Iraq since the start of the illegal war was 4263. Tonight? 4266.

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




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Iraq snapshot

Thursday, April 9, 2009.  Chaos and violence continue, if you play dumb it's easy to praise Barack's VA budget, a US soldier is wounded in a bombing, Baghdad sees a huge protest calling for the US to leave, a member of the US Congress asks questions about the targeting of Iraq's LGBT community, and more.
 
Phenola Lawrence (The Daily Collegian) reports on James Reilly who served two tours in Iraq:
 
Reilly's transition to civilian life was hard.  He didn't have a job and was strapped for cash, so he began delivering pizza in order to keep the bills paid.  His wife was a 911 dispatcher.  Money was always a problem for them.  His wife urged him to stay home at night, but he wanted to celebrate making it out alive.           
He drank excessively to cope with his memories.  After nights out, he would drive home inebriated.  He still wasn't afraid of death.  But this time, he realized it wouldn't only be his life on the line. 
[. . . .]
His wife complained and he became more frustrated.  He had a low-paying job, no prospects for the future and a crumbling marriage.  He separated from his wife in the summer of 2007.  Two months later, they got a divorce.  
At 26, Reilly is now a Penn State student, war veteran, divorcee and future engineer.
 
When Barack Obama's speech on veterans was scheduled last week (he gave it today), it seemed like Thursday snapshot would especially require a focus on veterans.  There was, however, the hope that some in the press would have done the heavy lifting by then.  Apparently not.  Last Friday, Maria Hinojosa (NOW on PBS) was mindlessly chattering away in her usual excessive praise of Barack, "His fiscal 2010 budget -- set to be approved this month -- would increase the VA's budget by $15 billion.  That's the largest increase ever requested by a president." Wow, Maria.  If we can all be mindless Obots (and hasn't the press proved that it is possible for many to be just that), we can be happy . . . and stupid.  Maria proves that.  She also proves this lesson: Always hide the context to strip news from the factoid you want to pimp. 
 
Barry gave his big speech today and, as a friend at the White House said, "He didn't say 'guys' this time."  Well good for Barry. It's a real shame that when addressing a (mixed) crowd in Iraq, he used the terms "guys."  What he did offer today was his usual bloated sense of bragging to the point that every speech is now an informercial for Barack.  Following the 2010 elections, look for the White House to bring in new blood for the speeches.  Until then, get used things like this: "I'm also pleased that the budget resolutions adopted by both houses of Congress preserve priorities that I outlined in my budget -- priorities that will go a long way towards building that 21st-century VA that we're looking for.  The 2010 budget includes the largest single-year increase in VA funding in three decades.  And all told, we will increase funding by $25 billion over the next five years." Cute, wasn't it?  Three references to himself in the first sentence alone. 
 
When not self-stroking, Barry was pushing "streamlined transition of health records."  This isn't his idea.  It predates him and he did no work on this in Congress, he's not on the committee.  (The House and Senate Armed Services Committees have worked on this and held hearing on this.)  But what Barry's done is advocate for money for it. How much money will go for that?  That is the fourth measure of the seven items the administration was promoting at the end of February ["(4) investing in better technology"].  So how much of the $15 billion will go to that?  Do we want to tell the veterans how much is allocated to the VA under "discretionary budget" and where that money will go? 
 
And at any damn point does the press plan to address reality?  The 2010 fiscal year increase is approximately 10%.  47.6 billion dollars was the 2009 fiscal year budget.  For eight years, Bully Boy Bush underfunded the Veterans Affairs -- despite the fact that two wars would be fought thereby increasing the number of veterans.  A ten percent increase is a joke.  This 'hallelujah' nonsense doesn't even grasp that Barack's insulting budget is less of an increase for the VA than what John Kerry was promising in his 2004 presidential run.
 
Barack promised open government and bills would be posted online and this would be and that would be and blah, blah, blah.  Didn't happen and most look the other way.  But it can't happen.  If it does, it'll make life hard for Barack cheerleaders like Maria Hinojosa who allegedly wanted to illuminate the plight of veterans last Friday on PBS but instead pretended cheerleading and distorting actually passed for reporting    NOW on PBS should either drop their we-care-about-veterans segments are learn to be a damn advocate.  The VA has been underfunded for eight years.  During that time, two wars have been fought.  Barack has decided to continue those words and is offering a pittance of a ten percent increase in the budget for the VA (with a huge amount of money going to "discretionary" spending -- which won't be explained or justified any more than the CERP funds in Iraq are).  It's shameful and it's disgusting.
 
And for eight years the press let Bully Boy Bush get away with underfunding so maybe it's not really a damn surprise that they'll now encourage Barack to do the same thing.  There's a legislative proposal by US House Rep Walter Jones that someone should build on.  HR 743 is the Executive Accountability Act of 2009 which Jones introduced January 28th, US House Rep Neil Abercrombie signed on as co-sponsor and reads: "To prohibit the President or any other executive branch official from knowingly and willfully misleading the Congress or the people of the United States, for the purpose of gaining support for the use of the Armed Forces of the United States." That is needed.  But notice how no one's rushing to push for its passage.  What's also needed is that before X number of service members are deployed to a combat zone, it needs to be established the potential VA costs.  And since Barack's committed to continuing Bully Boy's wars, a ten percent increase is an even bigger joke.  He will ensure the creation of a more than ten percent increase in the need for VA care in fiscal year 2010.  While the VA is supposed to be thrilled with the $15 billion increase to its tiny budget, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made his Pentagon budget proposal this week: $534 billion.  That's $21 billion more than for fiscal year 2009.  The always bloated Pentagon budget increased by $21 billion only further establishes what a pittance the $15 billion Barack tossed out was.  Patrick Martin (WSWS) observes that "Gates unveiled the biggest military budget in world history, in anticipation of an endless series of Iraq and Afghanistan-style wars by American imperialism.  Both the military budget itself and the official who drafted it -- Gates held the same position in the last two years of the Bush administration and is the first Pentagon chief to be retained by a new president -- underscore the fundamental continuity between Obama and Bush.  For all its pretensions of 'change' and all the popular illusions attached to Obama's supposed 'anti-war' stance, the new administration is as committed to the ruthless pursuit of the interests of American imperialism as its discredited predecessor." Jeremy Scahill (at CounterPunch) covers the bloated budget and the myths of 'cuts' while noting that US House Reps Lynn Woolsey and Jim McGovern are among those expressing distress over the proposed budget of the Pentagon.  The two budgets need to be placed side-by-side, they need to be talked about in connection with one another.  You can not grossly overfund the war machine and refuse to fund the care of veterans.  This might be a good time to note Cindy Sheehan has a new book out, Myth America: The 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution.  She will be hitting the road with her internet radio show to discuss the book and the stops include:
 
April 18 to 22nd, New Mexico (Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos)  
April 23rd Eureak Springs, Arkansas
May 3rd Chicago  
 
There are other dates, some confirmed, some tentative currently.  Refer to her website for more information.  And the VA budget and the Pentagon budget are not separate issues.  The budget of the Pentagon does effect the numbers the VA has to serve.  Staying with the costs of war, Deidra Walsh (CNN) reports, "The Obama administration will ask Congress for another $83.4 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of September, Democratic congressional sources said Thursday."
 
Barack wants more money to continue his illegal wars.  They're his now.  As Elaine noted  Kathy Kelly was a guest on KPFA's Flashpoints Wednesday.
 
Dennis Bernstein: We continue our series talking with high profile resisters of the US war in Iraq, the occupation there and the expanding war in Afghanistan.  And yesterday Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Iraq.  He congratulated the troops and all Americans on a  job well done there, quite a different visit and flavor from his last anti-war visit and people are concerned about the expanding war  in Afghanistan, Pakistan.  Now joining us is Kathy Kelly.  Kathy Kelly is co-founder for  Voices for Creative Nonviolence.  She is making her way, I guess you're in Nevada now, right? 
 
Kathy Kelly: That's right, Dennis, I joined a group of people who are intent on bringing attention to the Predator and Reaper drones -- the unmanned aireal vehicles that are headquarted inside of Creech Airforce Base and I think that there is now some increasing awareness of how it is that the United States is conducting escalated warfare in Pakistan and in Afghanistan.  There's increasing reliance on what might be called a sort of  remote control assassination squad or extrajudicial execution.  The drones don't have pilots inside the airplane the pilot is inside Creech Airforce Base or Langley Airforce Base if the pilots are working for the CIA. So we've been vigiling since April 1st outside the base.  We hold signs that say "Ground the drones lest you reap the whirlwind" and "Ending war: our collective responsibility" along with "Keep the troops home" and it's amazing the cordial response that we've had from people in the air force or others going inside the base. We've been given waves, peace signs, smiles, indications to keep going.  And yet they are themselves becoming very instrumental in the changing face of the United States military.
 
Dennis Bernstein: Well Bush War Secretary, now Obama War Secretary, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates loves these drones.  This is his vision for 21st century war along with a forward fighting force that is reinforced by depleted urainmium the drones,  this is the way he wants to move.  Talk a little bit about Gates and now the Obama pro-war policy.  I mean, after all when Obama says "Job well done" in Iraq, I think he's talking about an illegal war and occupation that destroyed a country and led to the deaths of about a million people.
 
Kathy Kelly: Well I think there is a certain blindside that both Mr. Gates and President Obama are not seeing. They seem not to be aware of the tremendous antagonism toward the United States that's been occassioned by a long history of United States regarding life in Iraq and Afghanistan and Pakistan as being expendable, cheap if you will.  Right now there are one million people in Pakistan who have fled their homes because they're afraid that they might be struck by a drone Predator or drone Reaper and, you know, I think if we could just imagine what would it be like if we looked up into the skies and heard a sound that was like a snow mobile or a leaf blower and realized that that vehicle up in the sky could carry two Hellfire Missiles and two 500-pound bombs.  We'd be terrified.  We wouldn't want to conduct our lives always afraid that maybe they're going to decide to launch one of those bombs at us. And so similarly people who have fled their homes because they're so afraid are going to feel increasing antagonism in a country that is already very angry with US policies. And I suppose the US miltiary might say "Well it's better than carpet bombing this is more precision bombing than what we're accustomed to and we don't have to worry about losing a single soldier." But I think, again, we have to be aware of the context of a region of the world where the United States has regarded people's lives as expendable.  There's a horrendous loss of life in Iraq amongst many people who meant us no harm.  And also in the United States occupation of Afghnaistan where people have been forced to become refugees as well.
 
Dennis Bernstein: Now Kathy I spoke with Adam Kokesh who I'm sure you know very well.  An Iraq War veteran and on the board of Iraq Veterans Against the War.  And we were speaking and I asked him how he felt or when he felt these War Crimes committed by the Bush administration become the War Crimes of the Barack Obama administration?
 
Kathy Kelly: Hmm.  Well I think that Barack Obama is the world's chief exporter of weapons. I mean that goes with the job.  And I think that you can't look at attacks on civilian populations using conventional military force and not discuss War Crimes.  And so the United States is certainly in the position of being easily accused of having committed war crimes and also in having given so much weaponry to Israel.  And Israel has, I think, in the Operation Cast Blood assault and in those twenty-two days certainly committed War Crimes.  And then when you think about the fact that we create and export more weapons than the next -- well we're six times greater in our weapon production and use than any following country.  We've placed our economy on a war footing throughout a time when we could very well have been repaing a peace dividend. And this is the world that President Obama inherets  but in the appointments that he made in the -- which are center-rightest appointments by and large --  and his indications -- since the time he was campainging, that there would be an uptick in military spending in an Obama administration the clue for all of us who want to abandon the military -- and I mean that, abandon the military -- our work is the same as it was under [Occupant] Bush.
 
"[Occupant]" is my insertion.  See Elaine's post if you're late to the party.  For more on the drones, see Tom Engelhardt's article at Information Clearing House. Dennis mentioned Barack's speech during the exchange (the above is not a full transcript of the segment) and we'll note these observations by Kenneth Theisen (World Can't Wait) about the for-show visit:
 
Obama made a short propaganda speech to the assembled U.S. troops and stated, "It is time for us to transition to the Iraqis. They need to take responsibility for their country." Obama told the troops, "You have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own as a democratic country. That is an extraordinary achievement." I wonder if Obama sensed the irony of declaring a country "democractic" in making this announcement at just one of the many U.S. bases used to occupy it. But in a deeper sense, the invasion and continuing military occupation of Iraq concentrate exactly what the U.S. delivers when it claims to bring democracy to any country.  
The so-called democratic government there was installed after a massive U.S. invasion that has resulted in the deaths of a million Iraqis. Millions more are external or internal refugees. Hundreds of thousands of medical personnel and other educated Iraqis have fled the country. The U.S. still occupies the country with more than 100,000 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of U.S. contractors. The U.S. is currently training tens of thousands of Iraqi puppet troops to help the U.S. to control the country, even after the so-called withdrawal of "combat troops."
 
While Barack wanted to talk 'democracy' to the Iraqis from one of Saddam's former palaces which the US military occupies, today saw something far more democratic: A protest.  Corinne Reilly and Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) report the sixth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad was marked by "tens of thousands of Iraqs" calling for the departure of US troops.  BBC News reports "tens of thousands" have taken to the streets in Baghdad to protest, carrying flags and chanting "No, no America. Yes, yes Iraq" to mark the sixth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. The protestors are said to be followers of Muqtada al-Sadr and "the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says the cleric is still showing that he has some political clout. His political followers did quite well in January's provincial elections and he is again showing that he has the ability to call tens of thousands of people out into the streets, our correspondent says."  BBC offers a photo essay here.  Assel Kami and Richard Balmforth (Reuters) add the chants also included, "Down, down USA."  Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) quotes protestor Nahab Nehme who states, "This is not democracy.  When America came, they didn't do anything for Iraq -- they moved Saddam out, but he was their servant, and the people who are in power now are their servants, too."  Wail al-Haforth (Times of London) quotes protestor Abu Alla stating, "I say to Mr Obama, we are Iraqis and we can solve our problems among ourselves.  The occupying forces must leave Iraq immediatly."  Xinhua quotes demonstrator Abdul Zahra Ali stating, "Demonstrations are part of our rights to peacefully express our rejection to occupation.  We will continue protesting the occupation from time to time until the remove of the occupation."  Al Jazeera went to the Strategic Studies Centre in Qatar to ask Abdel Wahab Al-Qassab his opinion: "The US has said verbally that it will end the occupation but we do not know what the real ambition of the invaders is.  They could yet say there is no stability in the country and extend their presence there.  The US has already said that 50,000 troops will remain in Iraq for what they say is training Iraqi troops.  But I think that every Iraqi wants US troops out of the country because what has occurred is the shattering of the Iraqi society." Of the speakers, Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN -- link has text and video) reports, "Hazem al-Araji, a senior aide to the radical Shiite cleric [al-Sadr], called on the Iraqi government to release all Sadrist detainees inside U.S. and Iraqi prisons."  Irish Times quotes the message from al-Sadr that was read at the rally, "God, unite us, return our riches, free the prisoners from the prisons, return sovereignty to our country . . . make our country free from the occupier, and prevent the occupier from stealing our oil.  God, make us liberators of our land."  Irish Times also quotes protestor Khalid al-Ibadi stating, "Iraq has experience of occupation . . . No country has emerged from it through politics and transparency.  It will only end through the sword."  Though most reports focus on the Shi'ites in attendance, McClatchy's Reilly and Issa note that Sunnis were present at the rally including Sahwa/"Awakening"/"Sons of Iraq" leader Hameed al Hayis:
 
In a speech Thursday, Hayis demanded that the government release Shiite Sadrist prisoners and that high-ranking government security officials resign. The recent spike in violence proves that they're unqualified, he said.     
His attendance Thursday suggests that his party may be looking to strike an alliance with Sadrists, a possibility that Hayis didn't rule out in an interview after the demonstration.
"Our Sadrist brothers have a clear vision. We appreciate that they don't compromise on that," he said. "They don't want an occupation on their land."       
Any alliance shouldn't come as a surprise, Hayis added: "This is only an unusual idea to people with short memories, because we must remember there was a time when we were all Iraqis. The divisions only came when the Americans came."      
 
 
Yesterday saw the Kadhemiyah neighborhood of Baghdad bombed for the second day in a row.  While the US has blamed al Qaeda and Nouri al-Maliki's blamed Baathists, Iran's Press TV reports this speculation:

An Iraqi lawmaker alleges that 'the occupiers' are behind the recent bomb blasts in Iraq basing his claims on the fact that the US has access to Iraq's security and intelligence files.          
Maha al-Dori, a member of Sadr fraction in the Iraqi parliament said that "the occupiers are causing disarray in Iraq with aim of at taking control over the country's affairs."              
Al-Dori, who was speaking to al-Alam on Wednesday, also noted that Sadr's anti-occupation movement has called on Iraqis to hold a demonstration, calling for the occupiers' - a term referring to American forces -- immediate withdrawal from Iraq.                
He added that the demonstration would also urge the release of the innocent detainees, while protesting at calls for the return of the Baath party.

 
It's not known who was behind the bombing but it's interesting what the US press makes time to serve up.  What makes the speculation they keep tossing out any more valid than the speculation above?  Nothing.  Repeating, no one knows who was behind the bombing.  
 
It is known that US House Rep Jared Polis just finished a visit to Iraq.  It is known that Michael Riley (Denver Post) is covering it even if others aren't.  While in Iraq, Riley raised concerns to the Iraqi government and the US State Dept employees in Iraq about "the case of a man allegedly sentenced to death in a criminal court for membership in a gay-rights group."  Riley notes how 'sensitive' the issues are for Iraq and the US government -- since the US government installed the current government in Iraq. Riley references Timothy Williams and Tareq Maher's "Iraq's Newly Open Gays Face Scorn and Murder" and notes how relatives are being "blamed" for the murders but "Polis said the most disturbing aspect of the persecution is that the government itself may be involved. The Boulder Democrat said that while State Department officials in Washington initially dismissed the claims of Iraqi Interior Ministry involvement, the charge d'affaires in Baghdad has requested more documentation and the chance to speak with witnesses and victims."
 
In some of today's reported violence . . .
 
Bombings?
 
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad sticky bombing which left eight people injured, a Baquba sticky bombing which claimed 1 life, another Bauqba bombing which claimed the life of 1 construction worker and left one more injured, a Balad Ruz bicycle bombing which wounded six people and a Salahuddin Province grenade attack on a US convoy: "One American soldier was wounded with one vehicle damaged."
 
Shootings?
 
Reuters notes 1 man was shot dead in Mosul. 
 
 
In legal news,  Rick Rogers (San Diego Union-Tribune) covers yesterday's closing arguments in the court-martial of the marine who twice confessed to murder on tape.  And the BBC reports he was aquitted.  What a proud moment for him and his hack of an attorney who demonstrate that the marine corp belief is lie and get your buddy to refuse to testify and somehow pretend that qualifies as "honor."  Belittle the dead and mock the fact that no one even knows their names.  That's the Hacket way, apparently.  What a proud, proud moment.  May he can cry in public again about those mean Democrats who promised him he'd have an easy run for Congress and then went back on their words which forced him out of the race because he's not running for office unless a political party's going to clear the field for him.  In someone's cracked mind that too translates as "democracy" and as "honor."  From crackpot justice to the real thing, famed prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, author most recently of The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, is interviewed by Michael Collins in "Murder Trumps Torture Says Bugliosi" (Dissident Voice) and we'll note this section:


Vincent Bugliosi: There was a cover story in, I think it was Harper's Magazine about two months ago, about prosecuting Bush. Obviously, I bought the magazine, and I opened it up to the prosecution. What was it all about? Torture. The New York Times had a pro and con in the op-ed section about two months ago, pro prosecution to Bush, anti prosecution to Bush. So I looked at what the prosecution was about -- torture. I'm offended by this.   
Who's fighting to bring about justice for the perhaps one million innocent Iraqi men, women, and children and babies in their graves? Actually, I shouldn't say I'm going to bring about justice for them, or try to, because I was unable to establish jurisdiction to go after Bush for the deaths of the Iraqi citizens. I did establish jurisdiction to go after him for the deaths of the 4,200 American soldiers. In any event, it would be a symbolic effort to bring about justice for the million people in their graves. Let's say that number's high. In my book I say over 100,000. Certainly there's over 100,000 innocent Iraqi men, women, children and babies who died as a result of Bush's war. Some numbers put it in excess of one million, and we know there's 4,200 American soldiers.    
Who's fighting to bring about justice for those in their graves, decomposing in their cold graves right now as I'm talking to you, Michael? Who's doing that out there?                       

MC: Right.                 

VB: No one seems to be interested in that. It's all torture, torture, torture, torture, so apparently torturing 24 or 200 Iraqi citizens or Iraqi insurgents or what have you is more important than bringing about justice, let's say, for 4,200 American soldiers who died in Bush's war. So you can see where I am offended about that.         
I'm not saying that Bush should not be prosecuted for torture.       
Let's talk about why it's even more offensive to me than I've already told you. I've given you the main reason why I'm offended by it, that that's all they talk about, as opposed to saying let's go after him for taking this nation to war under false pretenses, and then let's also add a count to the indictment for torture. Do you follow?         

Bugliosi is correct and among the reasons for the disconnect is that a lot of the torture 'prosecutors' have never prosecuted a thing, live in a sheltered world where they give lip service to "international law" but really can't visualize an American being forced to face the same sort of justice anyone else would have to. Torture becomes the "easy" path, the "low hanging fruit" they think they can grab or at least point to.
 
Last night Cedric's "Barack caught bowing and scraping" and Wally's "THIS JUST IN! BARACK WORSHIPS SAUDI KING!" dealt with Barack Obama's decision to violate etiquette and proceudre and bow to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.  A US president does not bow to any royalty.  It's considered offensive for anyone occupying that office -- that elected office -- to bow to royalty.  You shake the hand, that's it.  William Warren (Liberty Features Syndicate) has a comic on the issue -- click here -- and it's probably right-wing and I really don't care.  It's a comic.  And it's on an issue that the press really is working overtime to avoid.
 
We started with veterans health care and we'll end with it.  Stephen Soldz (CounterPunch) explores the lies the government resorts to in order to avoid paying for needed treatment:
 
 
Michael de Yoanna and Mark Benjamin in Salon have just published the first of a three-part series on pressure from the military to not diagnose soldiers with PTSD. They obtained a secret recording of a Denver neuropsychologist confessing to his patient, a sergeant wounded in Iraq, that he is under tremendous pressure to not assign PTSD diagnoses. [Thanks to Salon, you can listen to a portion of this recording here.]
"OK," McNinch told Sgt. X. "I will tell you something confidentially that I would have to deny if it were ever public. Not only myself, but all the clinicians up here are being pressured to not diagnose PTSD and diagnose anxiety disorder NOS [instead]." McNinch told him that Army medical boards were "kick[ing] back" his diagnoses of PTSD, saying soldiers had not seen enough trauma to have "serious PTSD issues."
"Unfortunately," McNinch told Sgt. X, "yours has not been the only case ... I and other [doctors] are under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD. It's not fair. I think it's a horrible way to treat soldiers, but unfortunately, you know, now the V.A. is jumping on board, saying, 'Well, these people don't have PTSD,' and stuff like that."
[. . .]
This article provides new confirmation of previous reports, several of which are by Mark Benjamin, that the military is seeking to reduce the number of PTSD diagnoses assigned to soldiers. In some cases they have been accused of assigning personality disorder diagnoses, presumed to have existed prior to enlistment, to soldiers more likely suffering from the traumatic effects of war. A personality diagnoses makes the soldier ineligible for veterans benefits, thus avoiding the government assuming the potential high costs of treatment.
 
 

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Still sending troops to Iraq

On the streets of Medina Wasl, merchants chant in Arabic, and a call to prayer blares over a loudspeaker. You can't understand the store signs, which are written in a foreign language. And you don't know who's your friend and who wants to kill you. The Iraq war has come to the United States.
"The only thing they haven't got down is the smell," said Capt. Jeff Vones of Clayton. "There is something very distinct about the smell in Iraq."
On 1,200 square miles in the Mojave Desert, members of the Army National Guard have just finished their final training before deploying to the real Iraq.

The above is from Ethan Hyman's "N.C. Guard troops prepare for Iraq" (News & Observer) and, yes, US troops continue to be sent to Iraq. No, the Iraq War is not over just because the media lost interest. The media lost interest in the illegal war they had to have. They worked overtime to sell it to the American people ("Case closed!" after Collie Powell lies to the United Nations) and they got it and then they didn't want it. Spoiled children ripping the wrapping off one Christmas present after another and then upset when there are no more to open. North Carolina's Army National Guard's 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team sends approximately 4,000 Guard members to Iraq next week. As Patrick Martin's "Pentagon budget envisions a series of Iraq-style wars" (WSWS) observes:

At a formal press announcement Monday and in media appearances over the next day, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates unveiled the biggest military budget in world history, in anticipation of an endless series of Iraq and Afghanistan-style wars by American imperialism.
Both the military budget itself and the official who drafted it--Gates held the same position in the last two years of the Bush administration and is the first Pentagon chief to be retained by a new president--underscore the fundamental continuity between Obama and Bush.
For all its pretensions of "change" and all the popular illusions attached to Obama's supposed "anti-war" stance, the new administration is as committed to the ruthless pursuit of the interests of American imperialism as its discredited predecessor.


BBC News reports "tens of thousands" have taken to the streets in Baghdad to protest, carrying flags and chanting "No, no America. Yes, yes Iraq" to mark the sixth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. The protestors are said to be followers of Muqtada al-Sadr and "the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says the cleric is still showing that he has some political clout. His political followers did quite well in January's provincial elections and he is again showing that he has the ability to call tens of thousands of people out into the streets, our correspondent says."



No news article on Iraq makes the pages of the New York Times today. The New York Times is under a lot more pressure than many seem to know as it tries to dance for it's new master and even the family which has long owned the paper is nervous. But while the cuts coming haven't yet hit the NYT staff (and they are coming), they have hit the Boston Globe (which NYT owns). Richard Perez-Pena's "Boston Globe Surprised by Size of Demand for Cuts" lists some of the outrageous demands NYT is making (and also notes that NYT refuses to show their books -- for good reason, NYT stock is actually worthless because of the two-tiered system but showing the books would result in it being even more worthless). So on the day that the Times reports on the cuts and sacrifices they are demanding of the Boston Globe, we're treated to an example of which staff really works and which doesn't? (A huge portion of NYT staff occupy desks and never work, haven't in years.)

How does it telegraph this. A18 of the nation edition appears to demonstrate the paper is so damn lazy it thought it could pose as Life magazine (original run of Life) and just offer a photo. No story. The photo requires a story and, in fact, the same photo runs in the Boston Globe and comes with a story, "Praising gains in Iraq, Biden welcomes home soldiers at Fort Bragg." Now it's an AP story the Times would argue. Uh-huh. And the Times runs AP stories all the time. What's the point? Where was the editor and why wasn't it asked, "We're running a photo of Joe Biden with the military and we're not offering more than a caption? Are we still a newspaper?" That's the question, after the heads start rolling at the Times, many will be asking, "Are we still a newspaper?" (They'll need a Magic 8-ball to answer that question.)


Yesterday at the Washington Post online, White House reporter Scott Wilson participated in an online chat, below are the sections on Iraq:

surprise: Scott,
Can't the media start eliminating the word "surprise" when a president visits Iraq? It will always be a surprise visit so it should just be a given when the visit occurs, the visit is naturally a surprise.
Thanks.

Scott Wilson: Totally agree...Unannounced is the better description.

Houston: What security procedures are in place for a President to visit a war zone like Iraq? I assume the rank and file troops are kept in the dark until the Prez shows up but obviously some people have to know to make security arrangements. Also, do you get the impression that the military really likes Obama as opposed to Bush or is it simply because they know they are going home with Obama's plan?

Scott Wilson: The Secret Service keeps the security details very private obviously, but I imagine that the morning of his arrival the word gets out among the soldiers (I've been to Camp Victory a few times, and it's huge. But I'll bet word travels fast in the enormous cafeterias.) There's probably clues ahead of time as the Secret Service makes preparations. And I wouldn't make a guess on your last point. I'd only say that many soldiers I met when I worked in Iraq were less interested in going home than in getting the job done correctly as they saw it.

[. . .]

in getting the job done correctly as they saw it. : What exactly is the "job" in Iraq? How do we tell when it is done? Does it involve getting the 5,000,000 refugees home? Taking the walls in Baghdad down? Stopping Kurdish exapnsionism? Gett the country drinking water, electricity? jobs?

Scott Wilson: Seems to me - yes.



In other news, Rick Rogers (San Diego Union-Tribune) covers the closing arguments in the court-martial of the marine who twice confessed to murder on tape. I'm not in the mood for it or for Paul Hackett having the nerve to talk about "moral character" -- the same Hackett who has argued that the dead have no names so they matter less. The same Hackett who is hoping to get his client off via the refusal of another marine to provide testimony. There's nothing about any of that which spells out "character."

Famed prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, author most recently of The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, is interviewed by Michael Collins in "Murder Trumps Torture Says Bugliosi" (Dissident Voice) and we'll note this section:


Vincent Bugliosi: There was a cover story in, I think it was Harper's Magazine about two months ago, about prosecuting Bush. Obviously, I bought the magazine, and I opened it up to the prosecution. What was it all about? Torture. The New York Times had a pro and con in the op-ed section about two months ago, pro prosecution to Bush, anti prosecution to Bush. So I looked at what the prosecution was about -- torture. I’m offended by this.
Who's fighting to bring about justice for the perhaps one million innocent Iraqi men, women, and children and babies in their graves? Actually, I shouldn't say I'm going to bring about justice for them, or try to, because I was unable to establish jurisdiction to go after Bush for the deaths of the Iraqi citizens. I did establish jurisdiction to go after him for the deaths of the 4,200 American soldiers. In any event, it would be a symbolic effort to bring about justice for the million people in their graves. Let's say that number's high. In my book I say over 100,000. Certainly there's over 100,000 innocent Iraqi men, women, children and babies who died as a result of Bush's war. Some numbers put it in excess of one million, and we know there's 4,200 American soldiers.
Who's fighting to bring about justice for those in their graves, decomposing in their cold graves right now as I'm talking to you, Michael? Who's doing that out there?

MC: Right.

VB: No one seems to be interested in that. It's all torture, torture, torture, torture, so apparently torturing 24 or 200 Iraqi citizens or Iraqi insurgents or what have you is more important than bringing about justice, let's say, for 4,200 American soldiers who died in Bush’s war. So you can see where I am offended about that.
I'm not saying that Bush should not be prosecuted for torture.
Let's talk about why it's even more offensive to me than I've already told you. I've given you the main reason why I'm offended by it, that that's all they talk about, as opposed to saying let's go after him for taking this nation to war under false pretenses, and then let's also add a count to the indictment for torture. Do you follow?

Bugliosi is correct and the reason for the disconnect is that a lot of the torture 'prosecutors' have never prosecuted a thing, live in a sheltered world where they give lip service to "international law" but really can't visualize an American being forced to face the same sort of justice anyone else would have to. Torture becomes the "easy" path, the "low hanging fruit" they think they can grab or at least point to. It's part of the cowardice of the left and part of the reason a lot of 'leaders' need to step aside and let some young blood in. And not just in the US. Look at the left 'leaders' in England who have refused to ride the avalanche of news and revelations about the lies of Tony Blair's government. The Socialist Worker wants to 'cover' it with a few paragraphs a week and a half after the Gordon Brown government says there will be an investigation?

The Kurdistan Regional Government notes:

President Barzani meets President Obama in Baghdad


Erbil, Kurdistan - Iraq (KRG.org) – President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani yesterday met US President Barack Obama in Baghdad. This was President Obama’s first trip to Iraq since his inauguration in January 2009.

In their meeting President Barzani and President Obama discussed many issues including the latest developments in the Kurdistan Region and the overall situation in Iraq. President Barzani made clear that the Kurdistan Region remains committed to being part of the solution in Iraq and invited President Obama to visit the Kurdistan Region on a future trip.

President Barzani said, “The Kurdistan Region has always worked to be a part of the solution not the problem in Iraq. We contributed in the political process, which culminated in the creation of the Iraqi constitution. We want to emphasise our full commitment to working with all parties and abiding by the Iraqi constitution to support a democratic, federal Iraq”.

With regards to the hydrocarbon law, President Barzani said that oil contracts in the Kurdistan Region were made in a legal and transparent manner in full accordance with the Iraqi constitution, stating “Oil and gas in the country belongs to all the people of Iraq and all revenues should be shared equally.”

President Barzani noted that America played an important role in Iraq’s liberation and expressed his appreciation for the many sacrifices made by the men and women of American and coalition forces. He fully understood that America would not stay in Iraq permanently, hence the importance of continuing to work together to resolve any outstanding issues and fight terrorism, both through military and political means.

President Obama thanked President Barzani for sharing his views. He said that he was mindful of the tragic history of the Kurds, and had good impressions of the progress in the Kurdistan Region which was the result of hard work and strong leadership.

President Obama also expressed his pleasure that relations between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey have been improving, and noted that during his recent visit to Turkey he discussed those relations. At the conclusion of the meeting, President Obama noted that strict adherence to the Iraqi constitution remains the best mechanism for peace and stability in Iraq and said he looked forward to hearing from President Barzani and working closely with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to make further progress.



President Barzani was accompanied by KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani; Dr Roj Nouri Shawis, President Barzani’s Special Envoy to Baghdad; Dr Fuad Hussein, President Barzani’s Chief of Staff; and Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations.

Accompanying President Obama were Mr Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff; General James L. Jones, National Security Advisor; General Raymond Odierno, Commander of the Multi-National Forces in Iraq; and Ms Patricia Butenis, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy in Baghdad as well as several other advisers and representatives from President Obama’s administration.



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