Current News and Resources for all active US Wars Updated 04/28/07

[Hugo Chavez]

This will be the total information thread for the Iraq and other US led conflicts around the globe.  Post all the news and commentary good or bad that you want and I'll index posted news and information in this post.  PM me with any additional items you want included in this first post.  All views across the political spectrum are welcome so if you don't want this thread to be bias one way, it's up to you to submit material for the thread.  Now that's fair and balanced.  On news items post a portion of the story and link to the site for the entire story.  You can talk about individual issues of the Iraq war here or grab it and start a new thread. The post image links to a discussion or relevent post to the topic.

News and Commentary:

• U.S. officials exclude bombs in touting drop in Iraq violence04/27/07
• U.N.: Iraq withholding figures on civilian deaths04/25/07
• Funding the Troops 04/23/07
• Dems reluctant to oppose Iraq funding 04/20/07
• Major Call from Experts for reinstating the Draft 04/19/07
• Training Iraqi troops no longer driving force in U.S. policy 04/19/07

Resources:

• Brookings Institution Iraq Index (pdf) Need hard numbers, data, stats, graphs--This is your source!
• Casualties of the Iraq Coalition
• Cost of The War in Iraq
• Iraq Veterans Against the War
• Timeline of the Iraq War
• What Iraqis Think: Polls, Reports and Blogs
• The Downing Street Memos

multimedia:

• (Documentary Video) Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War 90 min 2007
• (Video Documentary) The Fifth Estate: The Lies That Led To War 43 min 37 sec 2007
• (Video Link) Countdown: Cover Up Began Within Hours Of Tillman’s Death; Bush Giving Out Sensitive Info 04/21/07
• (Video Link) Blackwater: Our Secret Mercenary Army 04/21/07
• (Documentary Video) Iraq For Sale:A Robert Greenwald film about corporations in Iraq. 1 hr 15 min 40 sec 2006
• (Documentary Video) Iraq:The hidden storyThe story of what does not get reported in Iraq by the mainstream media. 48 min 40 sec 2006
  
• (Documentary Video) The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends 1 hr 18 min 8 sec 2006
• (Documentary Video) PBS Frontline: The Dark Side Uncovers the coordinated effort to falsify intelligence in making the case for war. 60 min 2006
• (Speaking Event) Scott Ritter and Ray McGovern on the Occupation of Iraq 1hr 42min 51sec 2006
• (Speaking Event) Case Against Iraq War: Scott Ritter Scott Ritter on Weapons of Mass Destruction. 1hr 29min 53sec 2002
• (Documentary Video) Iraq: The Petrodollar Conspiracy Unraveled Simon Reeves of British TV channel Sky travels across America to uncover the truth about Iraq. 45min 48sec 2006

[Hugo Chavez]

Continued...

[Hugo Chavez]

Dems reluctant to oppose Iraq funding

By Anne Flaherty, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Anti-war liberals worried about party unity are reluctant to mount opposition to war spending legislation in the House even if it does not set a firm date for troop withdrawal.
Their support would pave the way for Democratic leaders next week to send President Bush a bill that would fund the Iraq war and still call for troops to leave by March 31, 2008, albeit a non-binding withdrawal date.

The measure would be weaker than House Democrats wanted but is advocated by the Senate, where Democrats hold a slimmer majority and many party members oppose setting a firm timetable on the war.

Rather than let the bill sink, "we want to get it to the president and let him veto it," said Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., a party liberal who opposes funding the war at all.

In the Senate, the debate on the war grew sharper Thursday when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the war had been lost and that Bush's troop buildup is not stemming violence in Iraq. That statement prompted Republicans to declare that Democrats don't support the troops in Iraq.

cont... http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-20-us-iraq_N.htm

[Hugo Chavez]

Training Iraqi troops no longer driving force in U.S. policy

Military planners have abandoned the idea that standing up Iraqi troops will enable American soldiers to start coming home soon and now believe that U.S. troops will have to defeat the insurgents and secure control of troubled provinces.

Training Iraqi troops, which had been the cornerstone of the Bush administration’s Iraq policy since 2005, has dropped in priority, officials in Baghdad and Washington said.

cont...http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/17104704.htm

[240 is Back]

On Bill Mauer this evening - he mentioned that the VTech shooting got so much coverage that Americans didn't realize that they completely stopped the Iraqi military/police training program.

Is this true?  Can anyone confirm/deny?  Before any military folks say "well this week I...", does anyone have a link to any news on a sweeping policy change this week which would possibly destroy any chance of them managing their own cities.  Thanks!

[Hugo Chavez]

On Bill Mauer this evening - he mentioned that the VTech shooting got so much coverage that Americans didn't realize that they completely stopped the Iraqi military/police training program.

Is this true?  Can anyone confirm/deny?  Before any military folks say "well this week I...", does anyone have a link to any news on a sweeping policy change this week which would possibly destroy any chance of them managing their own cities.  Thanks!

Confirmed...

New phase seen in U.S. training of Iraqi troops
Americans, not new national forces, will have to defeat the rebels, officials say.

WASHINGTON -- Military planners have abandoned the idea that standing up Iraqi troops will enable American soldiers to start coming home soon and now believe that U.S. troops will have to defeat the insurgents and secure control of troubled provinces.

cont... http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/158195.html

[240 is Back]

Berserker, this is a huge story.

This completely removes an option for US forces.  After training them for over two years, we suddenly abandon it?  Perhaps the biggest story of 2007 so far in this war. 

Now, it's either
   A) The US stays for years until every bad guy is gone.
   B) We pull out and power vacuum becomes terrorville.

Why would they remove this option?  Did it fail that much?
What will be the fallout?  Are the generals upset?

[Hugo Chavez]

Berserker, this is a huge story.

This completely removes an option for US forces.  After training them for over two years, we suddenly abandon it?  Perhaps the biggest story of 2007 so far in this war. 

Now, it's either
   A) The US stays for years until every bad guy is gone.
   B) We pull out and power vacuum becomes terrorville.

Why would they remove this option?  Did it fail that much?
What will be the fallout?  Are the generals upset?

Pretty interesting there isn't much in the media on such a giant development... hmmmm... looks like Bill Maher is right, they're back to their old ways.

[Hugo Chavez]

Experts: Force increases may not be enough

Marine Corps Times

“If the United States is going to have a significant component of its ground forces in Iraq over the next five, 10, 15 or 30 years, then the responsible course is for the president and those supporting this open-ended and escalated presence in Iraq to call for reinstating the draft.”

cont... http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/04/military_groundforces_draft_070417w/

[sandycoosworth]

add the scott ritter vid on iraq (made before the invasion it predicted things to come perfectly)

http://video.google.ca/url?docid=-8272522943897937023&esrc=sr3&ev=v&q=scott+ritter+iraq&vidurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DjTIYNlSx24E&usg=AL29H23xPTbHO7Bz0Qr9__8k6sPr05hsYQ

and this one

http://video.google.ca/url?docid=8060230693312463524&esrc=sr1&ev=v&q=scott+ritter+iraq&vidurl=http://video.google.ca/videoplay%3Fdocid%3D8060230693312463524%26q%3Dscott%2Britter%2Biraq&usg=AL29H23pDu7j_XYuPy05Pf-zlDOpOTuEig

also when adding links in the rest of this thread you should also add them to the first post cause thats what most people will see

[Hugo Chavez]

also when adding links in the rest of this thread you should also add them to the first post cause thats what most people will see

that's what i'm doing, thanks.

[sandycoosworth]

are there other threads for agfan and iran ... they are all part of the same conflict and i have material for those

the taliban/pakistan link is something everyone here needs to understand, as is the importance of the afgan drug trade and the pipeline

as for iran, i think it would be cool to document the buildup to war ... what were hearing now is like a toned down version of the iraq buildup ... which leads me to believe the was is not imminent, or its already happening covertly

[Hugo Chavez]

is there other threads for agfan and iran ... they are all part of the same conflict and i have material for those

the taliban/pakistan link is something everyone here needs desperately understand, as is the importance of the afgan drug trade and the pipeline

as for iran, i think it would be cool to document the buildup to war ... what were hearing now is like a toned down version of the iraq buildup ... which leads me to believe the was is not imminent, or its already happening covertly

I'll figure something out tonight.  Probably just make this the thread for everything "war on terror" related or something like that...  war on terror... what a bogus concept, ya, that's what we're doing

[sandycoosworth]

how baout The War on Terror aka 21 Century Imperial/Resource Conflict Thread

[Hugo Chavez]

No, how about going with what Bush said the war should have been named: "The Struggle Against Ideological Extremists who do not Believe in Free Societies and who happen to use Terror as a Weapon to try to Shake the Conscience of the Free World." or The T.S.A.I.E.B.F.S.T.W.S.C. W War for short



"We actually misnamed the war on terror. It ought to be called: the struggle against ideological extremists who do not believe in free societies and who happen to use terror as a weapon to try to shake the conscience of the free world."--GW Bush

[sandycoosworth]

"they attacked us cause we are the brightest beacon for freedom in the world"

[Hugo Chavez]

thread fixed, you can submit material on all active us wars and I'll include links in the first post.