IRAQ: Intelligence failures past, and present?

Three articles in Monday's L.A. Times show the disparate challenges facing the U.S. in Iraq.

Times intelligence beat reporter Greg Miller writes about the release of a report on a touchy subject some Americans believe is counterproductive and others of utmost importance: whether the Bush administration mishandled or lied about intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq War to veer the country into a conflict that has cost nearly 4,000 American and more than 100,000 Iraqi lives.

Underlying the subject is whether the U.S. should be in Iraq in the first place, and a crisis of confidence in America's security and foreign policy establishments.

Here's an excerpt from Greg's story:

The long-delayed document catalogs dozens of prewar assertions by President Bush and other administration officials that proved to be wildly inaccurate about Iraq's alleged stockpiles of banned weapons and pursuit of nuclear arms. But officials say the report reaches a mixed verdict on the key question of whether the White House misused intelligence to make the case for war.The document criticizes White House officials for making assertions that failed to reflect disagreements or uncertainties in the underlying intelligence on Iraq, officials said.

Meanwhile, from Baghdad, I write about new details regarding allegations that Iran is interfering in Iraq. Rear Adm. Gregory Smith didn't present hard evidence, but fleshed out a narrative that detainees have related to their interrogator. Many Americans refuse to believe the Bush administration's allegations regarding Iran, in large part because of the intelligence failures of the Iraq war.

Here's an excerpt from Monday's story:

"Groups and elements" including Iranians and militants attached to Lebanon's Hezbollah militia are training Iraqis in Iran to act as recruiters and trainers in Iraq, Smith said. "They're being trained as trainers to set up the teams inside Iraq," he said.... The U.S. gleaned the information from Iraqi detainees who had undergone such training late last year.... "All told the same story," Smith said.... "Handlers trained by Hezbollah inside Iran came back here purposefully to support anti-coalition and anti-security elements."

Finally, from Anbar province, Times San Diego bureau chief Tony Perry files a dispatch from a dilapidated oil refinery.The facility is 70 years old and in a terrible state, but still pumps out oil.

Writes Tony:

The ragged oil refinery in a barren corner of Anbar province looks more like something out of a post-apocalyptic Mel Gibson movie than the centerpiece of an ambitious energy project.

U.S., British and Iraqi officials are having a terribly difficult time patching up the refinery. But, as one Marine points out to Tony, there are worse things they could be doing:

"These people need our help," said Marine Lt. Col. David Bellon, commander of the 3-23. "And this beats the hell out of fighting them."

— Borzou Daragahi in Baghdad

Photo: After falling into disrepair and being bombed, the K-3 refinery is getting attention and investment in the hope that it will contribute to Iraq’s future productivity. Credit: Tony Perry / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Jaff Sassani]

President Barzani meeting with the US Vice President Cheney in Kurdistan region of Iraq

The meetings are very good for both the US Government and KRG President if both sides realize the need of Kurdish population in the region.

The US Government needs to be forceful in their demand about the improvement of the welfare of the people in Kurdistan region they are really suffering from the Kurdish administration mismanagement.

President Barzani is promising to be part of the solution in Iraq. The US Government certainly can count on President Barzani's leadership to help them conclude a new strategic relationship between the United States and Iraq as well as advance crucial peaces of national legislation in the months ahead. He has been doing that with President Talabani since the day one. But the hardship and problem of the population in the KRG Region needs to be improved otherwise will explode on the face of President Barzani soon or later.

President Barzani can promise but delivery will be impossible when his populations are not happy what they are doing in last few years. The region are surrounded by Kurdish enemy in 360 degree as soon as they know that President Barzani and President Talabnai genuinely supporting the US forces then they will try to encourage the population to revolt against their rule in Kurdistan.

President Barzani needs to pay attention to the demand of the Kurdish people instead of ignoring the problem facing the population. His corrupt Government is getting weak among the Kurds. The Jaff regions are suffering more than any other region in Kurdistan in the Hand of President Talabani and his mafia in our region. Where is President Barzani, you can work day and night for the Arab union but when your own people not happy with your administration that will count later on. You need to pay attention to your people, wake up don’t be so proud with your small military power. The Shah of Iran did have very strong military power but he end up homeless.

Sincerely,
Jaff Sassani
From the SKDC
Mar-18-2008

jaff.skdc@googlemail.com
http://www.jaff-sassanie.com/Default.aspx

[Ryan Essex]

to make Iraq an even safer place to live for the Iraqi people this administration should provide another "surge" . An additional 27 Million soldiers should be employed which would be a ratio of about 1 soldier to 1 Iraqi citizen. To realize this strategy a reinstating of the draft would be required. Most males in the US would be serving in Iraq as a personal body guard for each and every Iraqi citizen. Just imagine how safe and secure the country would become and our leaders can finally call their operation " democracy for Iraq" an overwhelming success.

[W. D. Hamm]

Having worked in Iraq under the enslavement contracts and seeing first hand how deep Halibuton had thier hand in our pockets, I stll have to ask. How many more hits did we have to take befor we returned the focus to thier land. If you think a U.N. controlled force was going to contain terrorism you are sadly mistaken. While I don't agree with nor support the sad history of foolish mistakes that has become our recent legacy, the next administration is going to have to think thier way out of this one not blindly pull out and create a greater mess. Of greater consern to me is the whinning of the Passivists and the hide in your shell Isolationists. "Those who pay no attention to History are doomed to repeat it." Since the end of the cold war we have been drifting in a planitary power void, history tells us someone will surely fill that void. And let's not succumb to the underinformed that actually believe the UN can fill that void. It will fall to one or more nations. I personally prefer the United States of America and it's unique Constitution to be that leader. Why you would dare ask, because all the other prospect are Socialist or it's impatient political sibling Communist.

[oxheadone]

All arguments asside, the US can no longer afford expensive foreign adventures - worthwhile or not worthwhile. We have a stubborn deficits in the balance of payments and the federal budget; we have suffered a tech boom collapse, followed by a housing boom collapse, and now have a serious credit confidence crisis and a growing recession. It is time to look seriously at saving our capitalist system from itself.

[John McGuire]

Let's face it: We ARE in Iraq for oil -- just like we went into Afghanistan to push thru the pipeline and to get back into the thick of the heroin trade.

The plans to invade Afghanistan were drawn up three months BEFORE the events of 9-11. If you look closely at the film clips, it is obvious that both Twin Towers were brought down by controlled demolitions ... it had nothing to do with a CIA Operative named Osama Bin Laden, coordinating a huge undertaking from the other side of the world with a cell phone ... get real.

If you wish to educate yourselves about the blueprint that is being played out, run a search on any internet search engine for PNAC. All of the major architects for this proposed course of action -- designed to establish an "American Empire", essentially -- were part of the original Bush cabinet.

This administration is nothing but a bunch of crooks, who know no bounds to their evil deeds. Heck, Cheney can shoot a guy in the face and get away with it. They can spy on Americans at will, with no repercussions. They can carry people anywhere in the world -- without presenting evidence, or even filing formal charges -- and hold them/torture them indefinitely.

There has never been a "War On Terror" -- otherwise, our borders would have been sealed tight by now. On the contrary, the opposite is true: our borders are more porous than ever. This whole thing has been a charade from the start, and people are too blind and apathetic to even question these bozos -- much less take (or even "demand") action.

If you were President of the US, and one of your staff came and told you that the 2nd second Twin Tower building had been hit, would you sit there and continue reading a goat story to young school kids?? [... Unless, of course, you knew it was going to happen, and you were "trying to act normal". (... And let's face it: Bush is anything BUT normal ...)]

A previous poster was correct in saying that we are all to blame, for allowing all of this to happen without uniting and raising our voice. I encourage anyone reading this to do some research ... read about the PNAC ... look closely at the 9-11 film clips ... read about all of the facts surrounding the events which have been suppressed ... read about the history between the Bin Ladens and the Bushes ... read about how Neil Bush himself was in charge of security at the Twin Towers at the time of 9-11 ... read about how Building 7 was brought down intentionally.

... How much evidence do you need?? ...

[Jaff Sassani]

The Iraq intelligence failures past, and present will be the subject of the research for many generations to come. It is similar to the defeat of the Sassanian Empire by the Arab nomad Islamic army. To this day there are many theories put forward without any meaning full explanations.

Both subject are similar, we want to say in one word is “over confidence”

The US is not failed yet. But if they follow the same doctrine then the real failure in Iraq will be possible. The US are over confidence as we said above and the US public are not helping very well, the cost of the war are running wild without any control, the people in charge of the cost and spending are acting as an enemy of the US Government and their own country in the field.

The leaders of the terrorist organization Osima Bin Laden and his company plus the Iranian Government are working hard to destroy the USA economically first, then continue on with final blow later on. Unfortunately there are lots of the people in the US Government spending money just like there are no tomorrow, by mismanaging the wealth of the state are providing help to the terrorist organization without realizing what will be the result in the country later on.

We are providing few example her to the reader based on our understanding.

The US officials are spending billions of dollars recruiting the linguists to help them with the intelligent material about Iraq and the region. They are paying the PhD and people with elementary degree the same. Many US company made lots of money in this war without providing any meaning full services just what they have to do provide linguist. They should recruit few good people with knowledge about the region working hand to hand with inelegant officer who understand and knowledgeable about the information process. Then the decision maker will have good idea about what is going on in the region and one hope they will make meaning full decision.

The rent of equipment and other services are provided with high cost than normal. One will think why they don’t care about how much money they are spending in this war.

The intelligence failures or decision maker’s failures what ever it is the cases are not making sense on the surface. The Iraqi Shiatte Moslem political parties in Iraq are very loyal to Iran; they have very close cooperation to undermine the US effort in Iraq. The President of Iraq Mr. Jalal Talabani are very close with Iran and major Shitte Islamic party so they can support him to become President of Iraq, so who is the US friend in Iraq.

The US used to be in war with the Sunni Moslem in Iraq and ally of Kurd and Shiatte Moslem but as we said in the above look like the US really don’t have lots of good friend in Iraq. Most of the people are opponent of the US policy in Iraq so why they have to work with them.

In conclusion the US Government problem are coming within the US government not Iraqis. The US Government should pick the loyal friends from Iraqis with vision to rebuild Iraq before going to elections, and then hold free election for local Government step by step. But instead they went ahead with forming the Government from opponents and corrupt Iraqi politicians to run Iraq.

It is not to late to fix Iraq. They need to dissolve Iraqi Parliament appoint the President to run the country under the supervision of the US advisors. They need to arrest all the corrupt Iraqi official starting with President of Iraq to simple Iraqi official who are involved with the corruption. Fire members of the Iraqi army and police who are member of the political parties loyal to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Bring in the UN legal system to divide the country to three regions with Kurd, Shiatte and Sunni regions based on historical document and population majority.

The budget of the war should be controlled. Start rebuilding Iraq in the stable area and secure the safeties of the population, the US need to win the war.

Sincerely,
Jaff Sassani
jaff.skdc@googlemail.com

[CdnObserver]

On Feb. 15/03, more than 33 million people around the world marched in peaceful protest against the looming US-led invasion of oil-rich Iraq and the 'spin' and lies of the Bush Administration about the Hussein regime and Iraqi WMD.

The fundamental reasons why Americans were 'misled' to war were because far too many of them failed to question what they were being told by the Bush Admin. and mainstream U.S. media, and far too few thought critically about the 'information' being spoon-fed to them.

Unfortunately, the 'herd' mentality in the U.S. was widespread by late Feb. 2003. The many facts that did not support the falsehoods and propaganda of the Bush Admin. were easily accessed online or at one's local library. How many Americans in late 2002 and early 2003 before the invasion took part of a day to do research and find out if what they were being told was congruent with what had been reported about Iraqi WMD since the end of the Gulf War in '91? Clearly, not enough.

As a result of what's happened in the past 5+ years, countless millions around the globe do not trust the United States or the American people. The U.S. government has repeatedly violated the U.N. Charter (Article 51) and the U.N. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The American military, the most powerful in history, failed in its primary responsibility to secure Iraq and create an essentially safe environment for its citizens.

The American people failed to organize themselves in sufficient numbers to get rid of a demonstrably inept and corrupt government and end the illegal U.S. military occupation of oil-rich Iraq. Why? Because of complacency, fear, an erroneous self-perception of not being powerful enough, laziness, patriotic zeal that blinded them to recognize what was really going on, and other factors.

Ultimately, the American people have only themselves to blame for the enormous loss of treasure and American and Iraqi lives as well as the decades of pain that both peoples will experience as a result of the Iraq War. Live and learn - hopefully.

[Edward Horner]

I am speaking from the perspective of a parent who has lost a son in Iraq . He c alled about two weeks before he was killed . He Said" Dad I used to think what we were doing was helpful, but we are dealing with boys in the police force who are like boys scouts They do not know in which direction the gun shold be pointed. After this tour is up, I am getting out. This war is really destroying my marriage. "He said this attitude was just like many who were serving with him in the MPS. He was killed before the surge had eached its full strength. But where he was was outside of Baghdad,. as the troops chased the insurgent s out of the city they fled to other places outside of the main city. These areas became m,ore dangerous because there wer e not enough troops to cover both places."The police and Iraqi Army were noit well trained and could not control these area", he said.

[james van looy]

Dear all:
It has been obvious since OPEC created long gas
lines in the U.S. with their oil embargo that the oil supply
from the Middle-east was tenuous at best. Carter tried
to put the nation on a new track/ path with his alternative
energy incentives in 1977 but the Iran hostage crisis gave the next election to Reagan who was totally con-
nected to the fossil fuel / automobile industries and he
took solar panels Carter put up on the White House
down, got rid of the alternative energy incentives and
created an exemption to mileage standards for light trucks that morphed into SUV's. Two resource wars in the Gulf later our domestic automobile industry has left
the country or is owned by foreign corporations, we
have almost no domestic steel industry left and none
capable of making armor, and instead of producing 70%
of our own oil we import over 70%. In the last three
decades we have gone from being the world's largest
creditor nation to its biggest debtor. After the collapse
of the housing bubble which Bush used to reinflate the
economy after the 'Tech" bubble crash of 2000 and to
provide the "Butter" for his guns and butter policies after
9/11 as he borrowed from China and Middle-east to fund
the Iraq occupation the oil prices continue to rise as the
dollar falls against the Euro. Our economy is in free fall
as our country attempts to swim an ocean of debt with
the anchor of Iraq (which is costing us more than ever
thank you to the "Surge") still around our neck. The Iranians continue to play all sides against the middle of
Iraqi nationalism in southern Iraq (which is where most of the oil actually is). Ahmadinejad was just a red flag in
Bush and Cheney's Green Zone pasture hugging and
kissing with the Kurds and Maliki. 9/11 has been much
compared by our hardliners to Pearl Harbor. A better
analogy would be the Wall Street bombing after WW I
which actually galvanized Wall Street and helped create the stock and real estate bubbles that led to the 1929
stock market collapse and the right wing attacks on
political dissidents known as the Palmer raids and the
anti immigrant movements of the 1920's which shut down
immigration from eastern and southern Europe and led
to the executions of Sacco and Vanzetti. 9/11 marked the very beginning of a crisis of the world order. The
actions of the Bush/ Cheney regime have actually sped
up that crisis. The Iraq occupation pursued as a
Republican congress enlarged Medicare with a costly
prescription drug benefit and gave huge tax cuts to the
richest Americans is a bleeding wound in a economy that
was already staggering under an inefficent "privatized"
medical system that costs 50-100% more than any other
industrialized nation's for an array of poor outcomes, an
educational system that spends vast sums to educate a
tiny minority of the upper class in country club facilities
while a large minority of inner city and rural students are
abandoned in delapidated schools, and the largest prison
industrial complex in the world. This is before we talk about our military industrial complex which just spent the
last almost seven years from 9/11 growing its budget and
making no real changes away from big budget 'cold war'
expenditures that make no sense in fighting the small
scale 'insurgencies' our occupation of Iraq has done so
much to foster all over the Middle-east and now Africa.
In short the post-WW II, oil based, U.S. centered world
order created not by the 'greatest' generation but folks
of the WW I generation (Truman, Marshall, Eisenhauer
age group) is ending all the more rapidly because of the
actions of the Bush/Cheney regime and their mis-reading
of history. They have bankrupted the country, exhausted
our ground forces, destroyed our international reputation
and undermined operations around the world as they
continue their torture policies, but most important they have divided the American people fatally in the process.
Everyone wants to look to the next president to rectify
these wounds to our system. However the presidency
itself has lost its legitimacy if the president really has the
absolute powers of taking, torturing and executing claimed by Bush/ Cheney regime. If Bush/ Cheney leave
office without their crimes (which involve abrogating
hundreds of laws with their infamous signing statements,
suspension of the Geneva Conventions (which caused
the Abu Ghraib debacle) which had the effect of national law, the violation of almost everyone of the Bill of Rights,
the complete disregard for the constitution's system of
checks and balances, and indeed the whole system of
accountability developed over 200 years of our history
then we will have lost the most valuable part of our real
national heritage. The one thing we as U.S. citizens can do is to hold these awful clowns to account. If we
do that we can redeem our nation in the eyes of the world and begin the process of creating a new order in
the world of which our country can be a constructive
part. Otherwise whoever is elected president will lead
an institutionally castrated nation with no credibility in
the world. If we continue fighting oil wars in the Middle-east to continue our obsolete automobile life style we
will never address the real crisis which is the danger of
regional and even global ecological collapses. Eastern
Africa, Darfur, Southern Sudan, Somalia, and now Kenya
some of the most water challenged places in the world
illlustrate how resource problems can underscore
ethnic, sectarian, faultlines and create 'lacunae" in the
rule of law. Unfortunately, out of pure hubris the current
leadership of the U.S. has placed our country in just such a "lacuna" (Condoleeza Rice's term before a Senate
hearings about the Blackwater massacre describing the
state of the rule of law for private contractors in Iraq).

Sincerely,
James E. Van Looy

[David D Smith]

We, the American people have been and are being lied to by our government. We have been lied to from the time President Bush took office until we actually went to war with Iraq Now we are being lead down another path by the "same people" who want to go to war with Iran. America "STOP THE INSANITY". Look for the truth behind the war and elect a president in November who does not answer to the Oil Cartel. As the theme to a past TV show implied: Do not trust the government--The Truth is Out There.

[Robert Maxwell]

dudewithaclue: When the US finally collapses completely it is less likely to be despite people with your viewpoint than because of them.

Of course the government is corrupt. Every government is corrupt. If you form a group to replace the existing government, the new group will be corrupt too. It's all a matter of degree. Some administrations, like this one, are more corrupt than others.

[ed]

dude with a clue. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you really are "clueless"

[dude with a clue]

everyone is talking about all this corruption, but no one is doing anything. one day we will all wake up and it will be to late. start forming groups to challange america and there politicians. the world powers are divided in many ways and these ways make them very weak. They have a strong front but mass movements by the people of america will show just how week they are. OH and everyone wants to look at bush and say what a bad job. He knows exactly what he is doing. ever noticed he has waited till his term is almost over to almost completely take over iraq. Its all a big scam. the media is in on it too. And everyone who thinks democrats in office are the answer. Your wrong. The only thing democrats want is to take away our freedoms completely. Look at there track record. the media isnt reporting on that topic. Nationalized healthcare. Are you kidding me. How many communist contries have nationalized healthcare. All of them. Do you like your guns you own. Get ready to give them up if clinton become president. She will be sending them all to be melted down. If we dont have any weapons, how can we fight for our freedom when our own government takes it away. We dont have anyone who is running for president who will be a good one. They're all fake. and if you plan to go to the ballot this november, have fun wasting a hour of your time. the ballots are little computers now. they got sick of changing all the paper votes to read how they wanted. now they can just make the outcome whatever they want from there home computer. Wake Up America. Its much worse than you realise.

[Patrick Drazen]

Nobody else has mentioned this, so I might as well. One of the reasons that the photographed oil rig, not to mention Iraq's entire power grid and other infrastructure, are so messed up is because of our sanctions levied against Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait. Seems we weren't content with just getting the Iraqi troops out of Kuwait and back into Iraq. We just had to apply sanctions: "the gift that keeps on giving" in terms of at best hampering, at worst threatening, the lives of civilian Iraqis, over and above whatever they were experiencing under Saddam. We mess with their country for a dozen years before we invade it and overthrow their government and army and courts and police, and then we wonder why "winning hearts and minds" is so difficult.

Are all American white men as dumb as Dubbya, or just the ones with money and power?

[Robert Maxwell]

I don't see al-Qaeda-in-Iraq inevitably establishing a firm base in Iraq if we withdraw most of our troops. I don't know why anyone else does.

The majority of Iraqis are Shi'ite moslems. Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq is a splinter group of Sunni, whom local Sunni leaders are already fighting. If the situation alters dramatically, then Shi'ite Iran might step in more dramatically to quash them. It's hard to imagine that Saudi Arabia would step in to support al Qaeda. The last thing the Saudi monarchy wants in the Middle East is increased instability and maybe another war.

A group of Iraqis who opposed Saddam's takeover have just asked the UN to step in and replace the US troops, which most Iraqis want OUT. The US, of course, has dismissed this out of hand.

It's no longer a question of "victory" or "waving the white flag of surrender," as John McCain phrases it. Our military has achieved victory a dozen times over. But Bush simply can't achieve his fantasy of a peaceful political state and he's long ago given up any hope of doing so. His object is to freeze the game until the mess is handed to his successor.

[David Rabe Jr]

Corporate greed is what is running America. It is not a country of the people for the people. Until the federal reserve is changed so that is no longer borrowing money from privately owned banks.

[william c ritter]

Greetings from the Bible belt. The article above stated that Lt. Col. so and so states,... It appears in the media that only senior officers and select enlisted ranks are ever quoted. The enlisted ranks are overwelmingly shifting to, I'll vote for whom ever is going to get us out of Iraq". I'm a Staff NCO National Guard, single dad who is headed back June of 2008(5th time). It's a mess, we quit the war on terror(Afganistan) and one more life lost in Iraq is tragic. It's too late for my children and I, but please think about your vote.
Thunderbird NCO, Oklahoma

[borzou]

This is a great discussion, and I think I'll weigh in with some comments.

I just got back from a two-week trip to Baghdad, and it does seem like some elements of the surge have truly created a safer environment for both Iraqi civilians and U.S. troops. It's a precarious and flawed relative calm, and it could easily collapse, but nonetheless fewer Americans and Iraqis are being killed each day and that's nothing to scoff at. Whether or not the U.S. went into Iraq on false premises, many would say Americans have a responsibility for Iraqis' security and future.

On the other hand, the continued U.S. military presence in Iraq along with ongoing Bush administration threats against Iran creates little incentive for the Iranian government to contribute to security in Iraq. U.S. officials allege that Iran is sending sophisticated weapons and trained fighters into Iraq in an effort to keep Americans on their toes. Iranians deny this.

But at the same time, all sides acknowledge that Iran has tremendous sway over Iraq, and Iranian officials have hinted broadly that they can control the temperature on the street in Iraq. It's understandable that a threatened Iran, with a huge amount of influence in Iraq, could train up a force to attack U.S. forces in case of a military attack on its nuclear facilities.

Why use Hezbollah, as Hamid wonders in his posting above? Maybe because of language issues. Despite years of schooling, few Iranians speak decent Arabic.

Bests,
Borzou

[Fred]

The question is not about the necessity of war on terror, the question is about how this administrative’s effort and spending our tax money effective?

Here are several questions to think about it for people vigorously supporting war in Iraq.

First question is; most of the terrorists, their financial and ideological support came from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other Gulf states. What we have done against them so far to prevent it happening again?
Other than declaring all them as are our allies, I cannot see anything else been done about these terrorist creators????
Since Most terrorists and their support came from Saudi Arabia, Bush administration always declared Saudis as our best allies??? I cannot accept any country as an alley who were and still are the main source of terror in the world . No way.

US hanged Saddam (one time he was US Alley against Iran),but the leader of terrorists is Bin Laden , he is still a live???, No need to mention that he is hiding in another strategic US Alley, Pakistan?????
If some one is the source of all these terror or hiding the head of all this terrorists that country cannot be my alley in my life time???
None of the terrorists came from Iraq before the war, and we declared war against Iraq .We invaded the country causing about million of death in that country. The results is from a terrorist free zone prewar to most terrorists breathing land in the world after war.????? We spent 3 trillion$ and about 4.000 young Americans life’s to get these results. Worst of everything there are still human being in this country trying to show these very horrible results as success????
There is no way this war results can be seen as success.

In Iraq most of the US soldiers been killed by Sunni Arabs, as most of the Al-Qaida terrorists source comes from them too.
Now the US government and media got in a race to defend Iraqi Sunni people rights?
On the other sides without Kurds and Shiites we would lost many more soldiers.
Especially Kurdish people supported USA 100% from starting point with their life.
Kurds didn’t kill single American Soldier in their land.
They approved by their action that they are the only real Muslim Alley of us in the Middle East .
In return of all these favors, You will think US will help Kurds any way they can. Especially in a time Turkey (a country even didn’t let US use their useless land) attacked them . American army should defend them because US is the only army power in their country too.
Wait a minute, US is giving all political and intelligence support to Turkey to attack innocent poor Kurds and their belongings in a American controlled country???
If that is not enough US became the first country to mark Kurdish guerrillas, whose goal is just freedom and democracy for Kurds and the region , as terrorist???
I thought US goal was the same too???
Kurds have created a democracy from scratch on the top of mountains without costing us a dime or a soldier to us. Now we are helping Turkey to kill them and destroy what we are trying to build in Mid-east.???

When you support war on terror please tell this administration to not do these fatal mistakes too.

[David M]

The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 03/11/2008 News and Personal dispatches from the front lines.
http://thunderrun.blogspot.com/2008/03/from-front-03112008.html

[Schuyler Thorpe]

What I find striking is the fact that so many war supporters continue to BELIEVE that Saddam still posed a threat to the world--this time insinuating that he supposedly killed *millions* of his own people--an assertion not born out by fact, but more on simple ignorance of the truth and historical accounts.

But they still believe that this is worth the cost of 4000 of our troops, upwards to $3T dollars of our own tax-paying monies, and anywhere between 600,000 to 1 million dead Iraqis--with triple that number displaced by war.

It's not just our intelligence failures which is the root cause of this mismanaged and bungled conflict, but old Cold War fears that we still have a duty to rid the world of those so-called *evil* regimes.

And replace them not with democracy in mind, but extended US capitalism and control of the region--so that powerful corporations like Halliburton can continue to screw the American taxpayer of tens of millions of dollars in ill-gotten profit.

This is what the war in Iraq is all about: CORPORATE GREED.

Combined with outdated and fixed intelligence, we can pretty much start any war we wish--and Corporate America is going to profit from it. And future GOP Presidents are going to continue to assert that a country the size of California or Texas poses a real-time danger to our nation's shores and security interests--just to get the greed machine running.

And supporters for Bush and McCain, and people following them--will continue to eat it up with a spoon; while blind to the facts and reality around them.

And who pays for these follies? Not just our American military, but everyone whom has to pay for this debacle.

Except for the rich, the wealthy, and the powerful movers and shakers.

[Nathan Alderman]

The reason many people do not trust the allegations against Iran is that this administration has no problem with lying to the American people. Many of the "intelligence failures" discussed in the media were outright lies told to the public. That anyone would believe any of the claims made by this administration astounds me.

[Hamid]

With respect to "nearly three-decade Cold War" between US and Iran, one needs to mention the brief naval battles in the 80s during which Iran lost 2/3 of its naval fleet in the Persian Gulf. That certainly cannot be characterized as Cold War. Indeed, professor Boyle of University of
Illinois has stated a number of times that the Reagan administration unofficially declared war on Iran (based on common International law) and indeed prosecuted it for a short time.

Another interesting point in US allegations against IRI that I find interesting is the insistence that Shia militia are trained by Hezbollah in Iran. This can certainly be done but why Iran would not take the lead in training on its soil? Afterall, Hezbollah itself is trained by
Iran (So it is claimed). IRAN may be guilty of some mischief but the Pentagon's framing of the situation is just too convenient and borders propaganda.

[CK]

We should be in afghanisstan. We were attacked from there. With that said, I hasten to add that we cannot win a war against the Pashtuns. They are trained to be fighters at an early age. Also, they make their own weapons. Therefore, we must find a way to get them on our side. One way to do this is to enter into protracted negotiations with them until we figure out what is workable and what is not.

[Ski]

Come on people... We pull out of Iraq, Al Qaeda establishes, a firm base. US troops and 'local allies' are the only ones fighting them on the ground right now. And those local Iraqi sheiks would not have a leg to stand on and would have to abide to threat of mass murder in Anbar, and up north. US made this mess. This war let Al Qaeda establish a foothold in Iraq. Now it's up to US to address that threat and to make Iraqis capable of standing up to it, before leaving.
Meanwhile, the situation on the primary battleground of Afghanistan, deteriorates each day with Taliban and Al Qaeda slowly gaining the upper hand in some regions, by threat of massacres and mass murder, while there isn't nearly enough coalition combat troops on the ground to both address this threat and prevent Taliban financing through opium and hash trade. Who(Taliban) do this, while taking over border kishlaks, and ambushing allied troops in the mountains as well as attacking certain bases en masse. Something has to be done. But with Iraq, as it is, nothing can be done, by US and is unlikely to be done by allies, many of which are mostly good weather friends. I do not see how, the incoming administration, be it Democratic or Republican can address this issue. Pull out of Iraq will result in AQ bases and conflict escalation between Shia and Sunnis. And Saudis will go in on behalf of SUnnis and Iran on behalf of Shia.. And if they fight, oil fields get bombed, tankers get sunk. Gas prices at the pump over $60 a gallon. You think the next administration will not go back in?

[kamal kishor]

Is there any doubt anymore that this occupation was for oil: an industry that funds Bush his gangs. I don't know why should american people suffer for Bush. Because of this war, per head debt has skyroketed. Out economy is going down, hate america campaign has increased many folds, we are now isolated in the world etc.

How to get out of it? Bush should be replaced by a Democrat. He is a liar and any one who supports him should not be allowed to continue his policies.

[Blake Austin]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The key to peace is education, diplomacy, increasing trade, and building friendships.

I am sure the US military is trying to build lasting frienships with the local residents and leaders beyond a handful of people. Key to their success is having not only great terror-fighting skills but also great public relations and interpersonal skills.

Working against the US military are those who ignored the Bojinka alarm bells going off both before 9/11/01 and before 8/11/06. Thankfully the second plot was stopped in time.

Ron Paul is the only candidate to adress this neglect with grit, honesty and courage. He exposed a cabal of Neo-cons who took control of foreign policy and matters of civil liberty - who in effect hid from the public the real catastrophic dangers we faced.

Thanks to Ron Paul's efforts to educate us about the risk of Neocon policy, Americans began days before 8/11 to demand better security as the crisis in Lebanon worsened. Pleas to "Stop the Bojinka Plotters Today" began appearing on the internet as well as reminders that 9/11 was only half the original plot. Three days later, British authorities rused to pull the plug on the Trans-atlantic Bojiinka plotters.

Atleast one investigator was confused however.thinking it was pre-mature as they were told only a test run was coming that weekend. And if hadn't been just a test run, what then?

[Eugene Danielsen]

I am a 20 year naval enlistee. I voted for President Bush.
this latest read above has further fueled my frustration of this Iraq war. When Mr. Bush first said the war was over that was a terrible miscue. This war is tantamount to vietnam and in day of the American Revolution fighting England. You can not infuse Democracy in Iraq like England's tyannical policies to American Colonies. Yes our military wants to press the fight to the terrorist but this is not the way to do it by being occupiers, doing walking and vehicle convoy patrols exposing our troops to unnecessary exposure to IEDs and Suicide Bombers. This is one Black male person who heed the writing on the wall. Pull our forces out or back and let the Iraq government stand or fall on its own.

Eugene in Hawaii

[Del Wasso]

God Bless America, and our troops.

But God have mercy on the GOP.