Iraq Reviews > Iraq Today: War News for Thursday, February 05, 2009

[Iraq Today] He made this transparently clear by adding a signing statement to the defense appropriation bill, indicating that he would not be bound by the law’s prohibition against expending funds: “(1) To establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq,” or “(2) To exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq.”

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[Latest stories] Los Angeles CityBeat - MAHONY TO IRAQ WAR VET: SCREW YOURSELF: Last week, as lawyers for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles tried to downplay news that Cardinal Mahony had come under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office for his role in dealing with pedophilic priests, those same lawyers were taking an unprecedented step – quietly pushing a legal challenge in Los Angeles County superior court that would seek to deny John TH Doe, and potentially other California servicemen and women who were molested by members of the church, their chance

[chron.com World] Iraq elections a setback for Iran | World news | Chron.com ...: 13, 2009 file photo, Iraqis pass campaign posters, including those depicting Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, right, prior to the country's provincial election in the Shiite city of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad. Iran appears to have suffered a political setback in last weekend's Iraqi elections, with Tehran's closest allies suffering surprise losses in key races in Shiite areas of the country.

[NewMajority.Com Scroll] The New Majority | Building a conservatism that can win again: As its senior officials departed, the CPA issued a glowing report card on itself titled, “An Historic Review of CPA Accomplishments. Ambassador Bremer compared the reconstruction of Iraq to the Marshall Plan, and the CPA’s self-assessment ended with a list of achievements purporting to show that the CPA had done more in a shorter period of time in Iraq than the United States had accomplished nearly six decades earlier in postwar Germany.

[Pak Alert Press] Iraq’s Shocking Human Toll « Pak Alert Press: This gruesome figure makes sense when reading of claims by Iraqi officials that there are 1-2 million war widows and 5 million orphans. This constitutes direct empirical evidence of total excess mortality and indirect, though confirming, evidence of the displaced and the bereaved and of general insecurity.

[Scoop NZ - Education Most Read] Scoop: Iraq: Peace Maintained At Provincial Polls: “The members of theSecurity Council commend and congratulate the people of Iraqfor demonstrating their commitment to a peaceful anddemocratic political process,” Yukio Takasu of Japan,which holds the body’s presidency for February, said in apress statement.

[AlterNet.org: Coverage Areas] Bulldog Dick: Cheney Is Already Attacking Obama | War on Iraq ...: "When we get people who are more concerned about reading the rights to an Al Qaeda terrorist than they are with protecting the United States against people who are absolutely committed to do anything they can to kill Americans, then I worry," Cheney said.

[Docudharma - Recommended Diaries] Docudharma:: Iraq: Obama vs Petraeus? Or Good Cop, Bad Cop Kabuki?: Subsequently, as a result of cooperation between the U.S. government and several American oil companies, the United States replaced Great Britain as the chief Western power in the region.[5] In Iran and Saudi Arabia, American gains were British (and French) losses.[6] Originally, the dominant American oil interests had had limited access to Iraqi oil only (through the Iraq Petroleum Company, under the 1928 Red Line Agreement). In 1946, however, Standard Oil of New Jersey and Mobil Oil Corp., seeing the irresistible opportunities in Saudi Arabia, had the agreement voided.[7] When the awakening countries of the Middle East asserted control over their oil resources, the United States found ways to protect its access to the oil.

[The United Nations] US military deaths in Iraq war at 4237 (AP) | The United Nations: The United States runs the risk of wasting billions of dollars in aid money for Afghanistan unless it learns “hard lessons” from a disastrous reconstruction effort in Iraq, government auditors said .

[open Democracy News Analysis -] The Gaza war and the Syria-Israel front | open Democracy News Analysis: In addition, both western and Israelipoliticians have demanded that Damascus stop sheltering radical Palestinianorganisations and leaders. In September 2008, some media outlets reported thatHamas leader Khaled Mashal would be asked to leave Syria.

[Just Americans Making Ethical Statements Weblog] Was Obama Negotiating with Iran and Iraq Before he was Elected ...: It is still not known if the Intelligence Authorities in the United States have recovered the 3-6 Israeli ”˜suitcase’ nuclear weapons reported to be hidden in some of their largest cities and military bases, but if they have not, then their current rapprochement with Iran will, most assuredly, begin one of the most horrifying chapters in American history”¦and to which, and as always, the American people themselves remain totally unprepared for.

[SWJ Blog] 5 February SWJ Roundup (SWJ Blog): Metz concludes that the United States has a long-standing, continuing problem “developing sound assumptions when the opponent operates within a different psychological and cultural framework.” He sees a pattern of misjudgments about Saddam and Iraq based on Western cultural and historical bias and a pervasive faith in the superiority of America’s worldview and institutions. This myopia contributed to America being caught off guard by Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, then underestimating his longevity, and finally miscalculating the likelihood of a stable and democratic Iraq after he was toppled.

[Baghdad] Blog: Baghdad Observer: Based on a series of interviews McClatchy News did across the nation many Iraqis seemed to have cast their ballot for Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s Coalition of the State of Law. A large number of Sunni Arabs said they voted for Shiite secularist and ex-Baathist Ayad Allawi.

[Pat Dollard | Young Americans] Pat Dollard | Young Americans | Blog Archive » Iraq The Model For ...: The country is still far from united and its infrastructure still needs massive investment. But there are now real grounds to hope that Iraqis are finally on track to creating a far more decent society than they have ever had.

[SWJ Blog] 4 February SWJ Roundup (SWJ Blog): Metz concludes that the United States has a long-standing, continuing problem “developing sound assumptions when the opponent operates within a different psychological and cultural framework.” He sees a pattern of misjudgments about Saddam and Iraq based on Western cultural and historical bias and a pervasive faith in the superiority of America’s worldview and institutions. This myopia contributed to America being caught off guard by Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, then underestimating his longevity, and finally miscalculating the likelihood of a stable and democratic Iraq after he was toppled.

[Israpundit] Israpundit » Blog Archive » Iraq’s Victory, Iran’s Loss: Hussein, Iran was supporting terrorist groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank. It was seeking hegemony in Syria and Lebanon, and was well along in its clandestine program to acquire nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

[The Hill's Pundits Blog] The Hill’s Pundits Blog » David Petraeus: The Return of the ...: Scholars have recently pointed out that most Iraq war soldiers and veterans, including officers, are from red states: Republican states. We have a red-state Army, and that is good for the heartland but bad ”” and obviously dangerous ”” for the country as a whole, nor will it be good for the Democrats in the long run.

[Thomas PM Barnett :: Weblog] Endnotes for Great Powers, Chapter Five (Thomas P.M. Barnett ...: On this, see Jim Michaels, "Foreign Firms Investing in Iraq: U.S. Companies Slow to Make the Move," USA Today, June 17, 2008; and "Iraq Signs $3 Billion Oil Deal with China," CNN, August 30, 2008, found online at edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/08/30/iraq.china.oil.deal/.

[Buckrun Outdoors] Buckrun Outdoors » Blog Archive » Guns and Butter (Again): Currently, the United States has its finger in the dike in two pointless nation-building quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan, while Osama bin Laden is most likely in Pakistan and the U.S. is being severely debilitated by an economic meltdown at home. Of course, Barack Obama was not responsible for any of this mess but may become captive of the interventionist U.S. elite in trying to deal with these calamities.

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