Dan Lyons

Next Year in Iraq/Afgh:
GOP knows Americans want out of these losing wars as soon as possible. But they also know that foolish Americans might blame the
govt. in power for the humiliating bug-out without victory.

Solution? Prolong the war until ’09, when Congress and Whitehouse will likely go to Dems. Then Dems will take the blame, and might lose in 2010.

What implication of this crass GOP stratagem?
Even in the unlikely event that the present low-rate of GI deaths continued (20 a month) with, say, 80 seriously wounded each month:

Even so, among GIs now healthy, over a thousand NEW casualties
will be killed, blinded, maimed, shell-shocked in ’08.

Happy New Year.

TURKEYthanksUSforAidingKurdAirstrikes:
LONDON TIMES
http://timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3095514.ece
Iraq kurds have been US’s only ally.

Bushies had to decide which ally to double-cross;
they chose to turn against Kurds.

If Kurds start attacking GIs, this will NOT look like a sound decision.

GREAT NEWS: Only 20 GIs killed in Iraq this month..
(plus probably 150 wounded
75 perhaps seriously; Pent. Won’t tell.)
LATIMES

GLOOM DESPITE SUCCESS:
US & Iraqi casualties are way down, due partly to Sunnni sheiks turning against Quaeda (despite binLaden’s ‘unity sermons’.)

But little progress toward (sHIA/sunni) reconciliation has been made,
“Outside Baghdad, central govt.is basically powerless.”

Full Reconciliation would take years.
US is banking on dencentralizing power to local authorities,
in other words, PARTITION !

What can stop autonomous local Shia regimes from uniting into one Shiastan, just as local Kurd leaders united into one Kurdland?
SEATTLEPI

If local 'authorities'DON'T unite, then US will have created neighbor-vs.neighbor chaos.

Pak.QaedaNow ‘nativized’:
Observers say Qaeda in Pak. Is now mainly composed of Pakistanis, NOT foreigners.

So much for claims that
Afghan invasion would deprive Qaeda of a sanctuary !

And this sanctuary has nukes !
NYTIMES

1 bomb,78 Iraqi casualties Friday
msnbc
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22417411/

Tho ignored by most mainstream media,
The war goes on.

QUAEDA 75% GONE, say Iraqi honchos.
IF this is true, that would be a good reason for us to bug out now—
IF this war were really related to ‘War on Terror’, which it isn’t.

SHOPS FLEE MIXED AREAS: In Baghdad,
shop-owners are moving their business-sites
to areas where their sect (Sunnni/Shia) predominates.

This suggests that the ‘ethnic cleansing’ is permanent,
That reconciliation is just a Bushie dream.
SEATTLEPI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iraq_sectarian_mechanics.html

In USATODAY (28Dec)
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/letter_to_the_editor/index.html

letters claim that ‘obsessive competition wipes out the joy of learning.’
These writers don’t understand US youth, who will always find some activity
to compete in, even if it’s proficient gang activity.

Obsessive competition has NOT wiped out the joy of football.

WhatDoTurksGain? From Bombing Iraq Kurdistan?
They certainly don’t harm the PKK guerillas,
who can recruit new members among Kurds
enraged by necessarily-indiscriminate bombs !

But they pacify revenge instinct of their own people,
enraged by PKK attacks on Turks.

KIRKUK VOTE POSTPONED:
Saddam drove Kurds out of oil-soaked region,
replaced them with his Sunni Arabs.
After invasion, Kurds drove out Arabs,
replaced them with Kurds.

Census is supposed to precede election (which Kurds would win)
about whether Kirkuk will go to Kurdistan or to Arab Iraq.
But census hasn’t been taken, due to stalling
in Arab-dominated parliament.
So vote is delayed.

How long will Kurds tolerate delay?
On the other hand, if they grab Kirkuk, that will give Turkey more incentive to invade.
LATIMES

Seventy-four casualties from 1 Iraq bomb
SEATTLEPI

CHRISTMAS CASUALTIES
120 Iraqi casualties on Christmas day.
CBSNEWS

MRAP OR WALK?
1500 huge MRAP vehicles (better protected vs. road-bombs) for ’07 delivery –these are criticized by Pent. Honcos, because they mean
fewer GIs out walking among Iraqis, cementing good-will !
LATIMES
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mrap27dec27,0,843075.story?coll=la-home-center

Not much worry: only one MRAP for every 100 GIs !

Critics don’t understand that
Americans care only about the rate of US casualties,
not much about befriending Iraq citizens.

In the long run, too many GIs will be dead.

SillyBodyCounts:
/Kharzai’s govt & US issue optimistIc counts of Taliban killed.

But then it’s admitted that terrorist attacks HAVE RISEN !
GUARDIAN

RUSS ARM IRAN, sell them anti-plane,
anti-missile missiles.
SEATTLEPI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107ap_iran_russia_weapons.html

These weapons' only real use is to
ward off US/Israel attacks
(at least make them costly—
let alone retaliation later !)

Russ can dare to ‘support terrorists’
even vs. Bushie prohibitions;

what can Bushies do to them?
They have a staggering 2d-strike deterrent (thousands of H-bombs and missiles) and enough oil-money now that they don’t need US help.

One wonders if Russ (smarting from the way US helped Afghans drive Russ out) might not be helping Taliban vs. US to retaliate.
(US could help Chechens--but Bushies are probably doing that already!)

GOLDEN POPE: In golden vestments, in front of golden throne,
Pope carries image of Jesus naked on the cross.
No shame, not even a sense of humor.

200 Iraq Kurd targets hit, with hundreds killed,
SAY TURKS.

SEATTLEPI

2Bombs, 115 casualties
(our new Sunni allies .targeted by Qaeda),
ABCNEWS

AnotherSelf-Righteous-Winger Exposed.

The son of GOP candidate Huckabee
once hanged a dog in a cruel way.
That’s not relevant to the election.

However, Daddy Huckabee definitely intervened
to stop his son from being prosecuted.

That IS relevant.
NEWSWEEK

WHICH THEM?
The ‘radical Islamic Nazis’ we face require a wartime President,
says H. Neely (24DecrMtnNews)

They will "bring [war] to us if we don’t..bring it to them first."

This is a familiar hawk chant, assuming there’s only one unified terrorist THEM. If we fight THEM in Iraq then they won’t fight us here.

There are 1000 millions of Muslims all over the world, of every race and color; many are enraged at us.

After some Saudis attacked us on 9/11,
Our present noble ‘war president’ invaded the WRONG THEM !

We don’t need another war president like HIM !

PARTITION: Who wants it, who predicts it?

A long, informed article says that Bushies are misrepresenting ‘intersectarian’ conflict as a religious struggle, whereas it is actually a fight over who will control future Iraq oil resources.

(We should remember that the Ulster conflict was never really religious, but a fight over who would get jobs!)
GLOBAL POLICY.
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/election/2007/0910oilvreligion.htm

I don’t personally want us to FORCE partition on them. Like practically all Iraqis, I want us to GET OUT and let them decide for themselves.

While most Iraqis say they WANT a unified central govt., what most PREDICT is a tri-state partition (Kurdland, SunniLand, and Shialand).

Bushies stand in the way, because they’re horrified by thought of huge Shialand, controlling Baghdad!, with most Iraqis, and MOST OIL, with the only seaport, and allied with Bush-hated Iran.

ISRAELI SAVAGES:
They dropped FOUR MILLION cluster-bomblets
(1 million as yet unexploded) on Lebanon,
in a war they lost anyway.

Israeli Army investigated, acquitted itself,
GUARDIAN

ChinaLosesBillionsFromCollapsingDollar

Other countries also—those which kept their reserve monies in dollars.
SaltLakeTribune

Implications: countries will substitute other currencies for the dollar.
If a large sale starts, all dollar-holders will lose, but
THOSE WHO SELL FIRST WILL LOSE LESS.

Presecription for a dollar-selling panic.

We HAVE TO sell bonds to finance our continuing deficit
(caused by Bushies carrying on expensive wars while
holding taxes down.)
So we’ll have to raise interest rates markedly to sell the bonds.

Then Americans will feel the impact.

Qaeda ‘surge’ in Northern province;
US patrols roads, but leaves villages undefended.
TIMEONLINE

Sunni militia are credited with cutting Quaeda violence; paid by Americans, they number 70,000. But Shia govt. says they will eventually be disbanded; even now they are not allowed any permanent buildings.
GUARDIAN
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7174423,00.html

The central govt. is toothless; it can’t ‘disband’ anyone.
(Can you imagine it invading Sunni Anbar province?)
When Iraq is partitioned (into Kurdland, Sunniland, and Shialand) then these forces will likely rule sunniland.

Bushie claims are discredited that we must stay on to stop Quaeda from taking over Iraq !

Poland prepares to bug out of Iraq in October.
LATIMES

RuthlessInsurgentNow OurAlly?

A warlord who likely has killed GIs
now has apparently turned vs. Quaeda.

Is he a RELIABLE ally?

How would we know,
when even our generals can’t understand the language!
LATIMES
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-ally22dec22,0,7318464.story?coll=la-home-center

$400,000MILLIONS already voted for Pentagon,
NOT COUNTING $ for 2 wars!
Only $35 billion for protection vs. terror-attacks
Vs. Homeland !
MSNBC,22Dec.

While IraqGIs go without needed equipment,
millions of dollars have been spent by AirForce
on equipment it doesn’t need.
CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/21/eveningnews/main3640606.shtml
BIG SURPRISE !

Since new budget for Pent is nearly $700,000MILLIONS,
with only a small part going for our 2 wars,
Likely amt. Wasted was in billions, not millions.

Blair turns RomanCatholic.
Now he can receive REAL absolution for the pointless mass murders he and Bush have caused in Iraq. (His proper penance would be to serve as
ordinary Brit soldier in Afghanistan.)

Bush is probably too dumb and arrogant even to ask for absolution.

ElevenGIcasualtiesThursday in 1 suicider attack.

1000 police fired as ‘shia militia’ infiltrators.
SEATTLEPI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/344450_iraq21.html
One wonder how many of our new Sunni allies are really
insurgent infiltrators.

SAUDIS IN QUAEDA
SAUDIS ARE BIGGEST GROUP OF QUAEDA FIGHTERS
FROM OUTSIDE IRAQ.
Reuters

USELESS FOREIGN BASES:
New bases in US for growing army—
locations count as ‘winners’ because of
prosperity near bases.
SEATTLEPI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/344259_army20.html

One wonders why we have over 100 bases overseasE.G. in EUROPE!
Most likely is that these are bribes to foreign govts. For such (mainly verbal) backing as we get.

35 casualties from pedestrian suiciders.
One victim-group was a conference between GIs
and new Sunni allies..oneGI perhaps killed.--how many wounded?
LATIMES
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq21dec21,0,5876665.story?coll=la-home-center

Pedestrian suiciders are harder to forestall, but
Less destructive than car-bombs.

ALL blame US !
EVERY Iraqi FocusGpBlamesUS for troubles,
want US pullout.
Every group from every ethnic group....!

Bushies cite ‘good-news’ aspect;
they don’t blame other Iraqi groups !
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22322180/

Need to relieve troops earlier in Iraq, Afgh. BUT
we must 1st make sure that ‘stabilization gains'
are permanent, before we draw down troops,
says Pent. Honcho.

United Press 19Dec

In Afgh, there ARE no stabilization gains! Situation is getting worse.

WhyTrustBushiesOnTerrorism? A recent study concluded that a) we are not ready for a disaster like a terrorist attack, and (b) that Bushie budgets are cutting already-underfunded $ for terrorism-Counters by 25%.
REUTERS
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1851291820071218/

Why should Bush care? If no repeat of 9/11-type attack, dumb Americans will credit this to Bush. If there is such an attack, they’ll cuddle even closer to Daddy.
It’s a win/win for Bushies.

TalibanAttacksConvoy/ 20 casualties.
Worst year for Afgh.violence& suiciders.
GUARDIAN
http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,,2229278,00.html

Hundreds of Turk troops invade Iraq.
(If US supports Turks, US may turn hitherto-friendly Kurds against us.
Kurd warns of possible attacks vs. GIs.)

70 Iraqis killed in Baghdad, Baquba.
REUTERS

FEWER MRAPS? Top Pent.Brass blocked introd. Of
Mine-resistant-Ambush-Protected vehicles (MRAPS),
even tho they are far safer in an Iraq bomb-attack than widely-used humvees.

Now they’re buying all that can be made, but top brass are again talking of cutting down the number later. (Troops in Iraq want all they can get.)

Road-bombs kill 60% of GI dead. Only 8815MRAPS have been ordered; only 2500 produced, and ONLY 916 HAVE ACTUALLY REACHED IRAQ (for oNE HUNDRED SEVENTY THOUSAND(?) GIs.)

(Pent. Won’t tell how many wounded; but it’s said here that for 80 killed in one time-period, 600 were wounded;
that’s SEVEN WOUNDED FOR EVERY GI KILLED.
So when we hear that only 1 GI is now killed each day, we can figure 7 more were wounded (4 seriously, acc. to other data.)

USATODAY,17Dec/

Dozens of casualties from car-bomb
in Sadrite Shia region.
MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22261765/

Sadr has called off his troops for now;
But he’s warned they will return to fight If Sadrites are attacked.

Nigerians call for UnitedAttack on OIL:
Already, N. output has been cut by ¼
bySabotage.

CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/17/world/main3625461.shtml

These groups are not obviously Qaeda;
but binLaden did call for his followers
to attack world oil industry.

Ten Yr.Gap: “Our army cannot defend Iraq
for ten years”, says Iraq honcho.
REUTERS

Tens of thousands of NOW-HEALTHY GIs
may be killed, blinded, maimed, shell-shocked
in next decade.

DEFICIT WARNING: ‘Entitlements’ (Soc.Sec,Medicare) are leading to a fiscal train wreck.”, say Bushies.
GUARDIAN
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7159401,00.html

No mention of the SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND MILLIONS to be shoveled to Pentagon
(its bombers useless vs. individual terrorists).

Rival Demands of Two Wars: Mil. Experts warn that worse situation in Afgh. calls for more troops there; but others warn that the lull in Iraq violence is only temporary, so we can’t afford to move troops to Afgh from there.

One observer says, “We can’t afford to have
Afgh. disappear from headlines”..but that’s exactly
what’s happening in the ‘forgotten war’.

Wash.Post

RICH RICHER,MUCH FASTER !
NYTIMES (15Dec)tells story:
top 1% gets 46% richer in2yrs;
lower 4 in 5 increase less than 5%.

This refutes idea that inequality comes from unequal education, etc.

Real Inequality comes from difference between ALL WORKERS and OWNERS.

You'd think in democracy the HUGE majority of workers
would 'soak' the tiny minority of owners.

But US workers are too dumb....
Middle workers often identify with owners "us winners vs. those losers'
and bottom workers vote distractions like abortion, gays.

“TroopCutsWon’tHurtSecurrity” says Bushie
mouthpiece-general.
REUTERS

They’re only cutting 1 in 8 troops.

If they’re wrong, we’ll know well before elections.

Afgh'DireStraits'Ignored:
AfghanEffort ‘inDireStraits’ say US/Brit analyses.
So, naturally, Mainstream Media
pretty well ‘forget’ about this war.
UnitedPress

(they cite story in NYTIMES).

‘PM says we’re winning in Afgh; sadly, he’s wrong !”
says HAWK commentator.
GUARDIAN

FUTUREcasualties:
DEAD GIs nowNEAR 4000,
plus tens of thousands more wounded
(many medically evacuated,but they won’t say how many!)

If we leave Iraq ‘gradually’ at a leisurely pace,
Tens of thousands of NOW HEALTHY GIs
Will be dead, blinded, maimed, shell-shocked.

OBAMA 2/TO /1 OVER CLINTON in Ill.
She says she knows how to ‘stand firm’
SEATTLE PI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1131ap_clinton_experience.html
HawkHilary is toppling like a statue with stone ankles.

Bushies worry about reversal of their ‘progress’ in Afgh,
BECAUSE OF reneging of our allies in helping out.
NatlPublRadioNews,16Dec

France, and Germany are now our VERBAL allies,
but they don’t seem eager to throw good lives after bad.

We persuaded them to help us break Afgh.
Now we own it.

MoreOilOutOfKurdArea

From ‘more security’ (ie.less successful sabotage)

USATODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-12-14-iraq-oil_N.htm

“100 bombs defused” So.&East of Baghdad, says
US general. “Insurgency dangers down there”
UnitedPress

ABANDONhopePlacedInDems: The House just pledged to shovel
$696,000 MILLIONS to Pentagon,
Including only $189 billion for the 2 wars.
FORBES

Pent. obviously controls BOTH PARTIES.

Baghdad is safer—for now, says vet reporter T.McCarthy—
safer both by govt. claims, and also by experience on the streets.
He isn’t sure how long this will last.
ABCNEWS
http://blogs.abcnews.com/bizarrebazaar/2007/12/when-is-safer-s.html

(Other observers have said that only the
75% of Baghdadcontrolled by Shia is safer.
And McCarthy asks, “How much ‘safer’ is safe?”)

ShiaRunBaghdad, control 75% of B..
P.Cockburn, a respected ‘on the ground’ observer, says this
(in INDEPENDENT, cited by InfoClearHouse

C. says that US SURGE had little to do with present lull in violence.

The only uniting force in Iraq is hatred of US;
57% think it’s OK to kill GIs (and that includes
pro-US Kurdistan, where GIs have been largely absent.)

NO anti-insurgent force has a chance where
this large a proportion of population approves of insurgent attacks.)

ThingsWorse in ‘ForgottenWar’:
Pent.honchoGates is begging for more Eur.troops to be sent to Afgh., to mitigate the ‘deteriorating’ security situation there.
CSMONITOR
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1213/p02s01-usmi.html

“Muslims already enraged, so..?”
..so we shouldn’t mind offending them further?
There are 1000 millions of Muslims
scattered worldwide, of every race and color.

Sympathizers with terrorists form 3 separate circles:

--outside circle: support with tongue, not real help.

--middle circle: real support with money and hiding.

--inner circle: the hard men willing to kill and die for the cause.

Further offense may move some from outer to middle circle,
or from middle to inner circle.

We have good reason to avoid offending Muslims further.

Top IS Iraq,NOTAfghanistan, says Gates.
Dems object, farcically
(Afgh. Is just as hopeless;
GI death RATE there is twice as high as in Iraq.
More troops wouldn’t help.)

Why this Dem Chatter? So they can advocate Iraq bugout
without seeming WEAK.
LATIMES

Brits willl stay ‘long-term’ in Afghan
Says new PM.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22214463/

That’s crazy. Most likely, Brown doesn’t dare say they’ll bug out of Afgh,
at the same time they’re bugging out of Iraq.

Most likely, after Iraq bugout is complete, they’ll begin talking of Bugging out of Afgh.

AfterDark,ShiaRule: Shia neighborhoods are well-lit, populated..Sunni areas (completely separate)
are dark and deserted.
That’s one reason ‘intersect violence’ has gone down;
Shia have taken over most Baghdad neighborhoods;
Sunni insurgents are suppressed—inside Baghdad !
SEATTLEPI

This is not the way to intersect reconciliation; this is the way to guarantee Sunni insurgents will fight to the death.
(3 bombs in Shia city & in Baghdad just caused 200 casualties.)

It looks like AFTER PARTITION, Shiastan will get Baghdad,
with its half-billion-dollar US embassy stuck amid
allies of Iran !

Two hundred casualties from carbombs in a Southern Iraq city,
in a province recently handed over to Iraqi forces by the Brits
--also in Baghdad .
BLOOMBERG
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aiblxaBIN9hs&refer=home
CBS12Dec

CHURCHGOERS’ BLOC:
It used to be that Catholics and Baptists disliked each other intensely, disagreeing over Mariolotry, nuns, infant baptism, transubstantiation, etc.

But a new political bloc has shown up; it was said that the surest predictor of support for Bush (& war) in ’06 was WEEKLY churchgoing..of whatever denomination.

Now the cynical LEADERS of these denominations (including the Catholics) are all in bed together, persuading unrich people to back the party of the WEALTHY, the party of the Pentagon, by chattering about abortion and gays.

Now even the outrider Mormons seem acceptable, with Romney running..
even though they apparently reject the ‘3-in-one’Trinity for 3 separate gods!

Even (right-wing) JEWS are now in the charmed circle, now that their takeover in Palestine is a sign of Jesus’ early return !
Who cares if they reject Jesus as God?

Truth is, these Americans don’t care at all any more about theological details, only about chemical reaction against ‘liberal’ positions!
(Unitarians, unlike right-wing Jews, are OUTSIDE the charmed circle, because they hold 'liberal' positions.)

RonPaul, sensible Isolationist:
He notes that when we set out to ‘help’ other countries,
We usually end up bombing them.

We should not have gone into Iraq.
abcnews

He omits the main reason we should quit meddling internationally;
our IGNORANCE of other nations.
Not enough of our youth will study FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES to provide an adequate cadre for reliable intelligence.

‘Better but not Ready’ saysUS honcho.

Earlier honcho said Iraq army could control
14 of 18 provinces by end of ’08.

Now it’s admitted that deadline won’t work;
“We’re not working on any deadline.”
REUTERS
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL0667667620071126

How much ‘better’ before they’re ‘ready’?

BlackIranComedy:
Germany & France (blood-lusting to attack Iran) balk at US report that Iranians haven’t worked for nuke bombs for FOUR YEARS.
This report rules attack off the table as option.

Sanctions won’t work; if Iran wants to go ahead again in nuke production,
it will. (Question is: does it NEED nukes to mount horrific retaliations
if we attack?)

InternatlHeraldTrib
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/10/america/politicus.php

‘Afghan army backed by 3000 Brit troops..’
sounds like a tabby cat backed by a tiger…

they’re attacking a town held by Taliban
for TEN MONTHS….
BLOOMBERG

8 attacks in 1 day in Baghdad, including attacks on an important oil warehouse and on the GreenZone (US HQ).
NYTIMES
Bushies won't tell how many casualties from these GreenZone attacks.

IRAN DROPS $ IN OIL DEALS, says Iran oil honcho.
GOOGLE

If this idea spread, $ would sink even faster than it has,
US bonds might need to offer higher interest rates to sell them.

Why NOW? Some have said that behind US threats vs. Iran lay,
NOT concern over nukes, but concern about this financial move.

Now Iranians apparently feel US wouldn’t dare to attack,
after their own 16 intel agencies have agreed that
Iran hasn’t been working toward nukes for THE LAST 4 YRS!

Let’s hope they’re right about the limits on Bushie craziness.

‘TELL WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW’ \Gen.Powell is alleged to have told this to an intel. Honcho.
NYTIMES,9DEC,
If this prescription were obeyed, our intel. Svces would have to confess
they don’t know much about the outside world.

Why? Most importantly, we have no large-enough cadre of youths knowledgeable enough in foreign languages and foreign cultures
from which to draw our ranks of competent spies.

We should start now an emergency rush to recruit such students into studying these things. But it would take years to produce this competent cadre.

Until then, we should walk carefully internationally,
Certainly not starting—or continuing--any wars!
As things are, we are a blind elephant
lunging recklessly around dangerous cliffs.

Areas Unsafe for Return, saysUNhoncho—
countering Pollyanna claims by Iraq govt.
that ‘thousands’ of refugees are now returning
because things are ‘safer’.

This guy says that ‘thousands’ are not returning,
that those returning are NOT returning because they think it’s safe--
that over four million (over 1 in 10 Arabs)
are stranded away from their homes, in Iraq and abroad.

US military worries that returnees will find
people from other sect have moved into their homes,
and the intersect war willl be reignited.

SeattlePI

FALSE GLIMMERS: Colo. Dem.Rep.Perlmutter returned
from Iraq with ‘glimmers of hope’ (rMtnNews,8Dec,p.16).
These rest on 3 points:
--Petraeus has started to ‘hold’ neighborhoods,
not just toclear them and move on.
However, we simply haven’t enough troops to ‘hold’
ALL the neighborhoods—NOT NEARLY enough.
So MOST neighborhoods won’t be held.

--“Iraqi army is starting to developing into a real force.”
But this is a SHIA army, hardly reassuring to the Sunnis,
who are the ones who have to be appeased
into stopping the insurgency. And we don’t know yet
if this is the kind of force that can
control insurgency in a neighborhood after GIs leave—
previous attempts have shown them unable.

--“All realize we’re not going to stay there forever.”
But when we leave, Shia will likely go for
deFacto secession, just as Kurds have already done—
there’s NO need for them to go for sustaining a ‘united’ Iraq.

--“the cooperation level has increased.”
The Shia Parliament just closed down for December WITHOUT passing
a bill to admit former Sunni Baathists into the central govt.
They MAY reconvene in January.

P. talks of a 'narrow(time)window' for success..
but these pols show NO sense of urgency.

Would this seem to the Sunnis an ‘increased level of cooperation’ ?

US MILITARY FAMILIES DROP BUSH

6 IN 10 DISAPPROVE OF HIS POLICIES;

6 IN 10 SAY WAR ISN’T WORTH IT.
CHINA NEWS

FOOL worse than Liar:
A dove recently denounced Bush as a bald-faced liar.

He is that, undoubtedly—but worse, he is a complete fool.
A president who bases his actions on truth, but lies to his people
is far less dangerous than one who chooses goofy aides
and believes obviously false reports.

US LOSING ALLIES in Iraq.
MSNBC(WASH.POST)

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-ONE CASUALTIES in one province
LAST WEEK.
REUTERS

Individuals canThreatenUS, Pent. Admits—
thanks to destructive, PORTABLE technology.
UnitedPress, 8Dec

Pent. Says it has new counters;
but truth is, its only talent is BOMBING--
USELESS against INDIVIDUAL terrorists.

(Pent. can't even protect GI vehicles vs. bombs!)

NO RECONCILIATION BILL PASSED:
Iraq Parliament takes off December without passing bill
accepting Sunni Baathists into govt,as US demands.
They MAY convene in January.
LATIMES

There will be no reconciliation until PARTITION into Kurdland
(already de facto accomplished), Sunni/arabLand, and Shialand.

US has no leverage vs. Iraq govt. while GOP says we'll stay in no matter what.

PIPELINE BLOWN UP—ALSO
40 CASUALTIES from bombs.
NYTIMES

3 attacks in 24 hours/SeattlePI8Dec

US goes DarthVader withRobots:

Govt. can mount a coup vs. our Republic.

US troops won’t fire on Americans;

US robots won’t hesitate.
MSNBC

EQIPMENT MISSING: $1000 MILLIONS OF MIL. EQ. Missing in Iraq.
CBS, 7Dec

Who’s arming the insurgents who kill GIs?
Perhaps we are!

SURGE WORKS IN D.C.: the drop in the RATE of US casualties
has worked to castrate the ‘pull-outNOW’ movement in Washington.
Hillary brazenly says she’d keep troops in;
Obama says he’d take 16 months to pull out,
and then keep a few troops in to fight ‘terrorism’.
(How ‘a few’ troops will defend themselves
he doesn’t say.)

Success in Anbar province is likely temporary.
A recent poll showed that
EVERY ANBAR RESIDENT approves of killing GIs.

Some refugees are returning from outside Iraq.
Many can’t afford to stay out longer;
they don’t necessarily feel safer than before inside Iraq.
Sunnis complain that Shia guards are really allowing
only Shia to come back in.
GUARDIAN 7dec

The temporary drop in GI casualties will likely end
far before the ’08 elections;
at least Hilary will be eliminated—
as well as the hawkish GOP candidates.

The drop in casualty-rates will likely extend the war,
& raise the TOTAL number of
GIs killed, blinded, maimed, shell-shocked.

MEDICAL EVACUATIONS FROM IRAQ
You CAN’T GET RECENT data on how many GIs have been evacuated FROM IRAQ—
Back in ’04, United Press got info that 18000 had been evac.
In FIRST year of the war.

http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55927

So we could infer that 4 times that number
(72,000) have been evacuated during the whole 4 years of that war..
not counting those evacuated from Afghanistan)
That’s far more seriously wounded or ill than Pent. Wants us to think.

United Press no longer runs such statistics.
They’ve gone tame.

Some wounds are fates worse than death.

Romney says he’ll serve NO ONE religion,
BUT will move ‘religion’ into public life.
Marx said every tyrant loves ‘GENERIC RELIGION’,
putting no limits on tyrant,
but encouraging obedience.

2 suicide bombs mark Gates Afghan Visit/
’Bloodiest year yet’(after 5 years of US intervention!)
YahooNews
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071205/pl_afp/afghanistanunrest

Even Gates didn’t have gall to say that AFGHAN successIs ‘within reach’ !

PENT.VS.IRAQ GENERALS /Pent. Wants cut to 100k soon: it would relieve ‘strain’ on army in general, and relieve pressure to end war after ’08.

But Iraq generals say the cutback would risk ‘gains’ made now by SURGE.
LATIMES

Question is: would these 'gains' be lost anyway
when extra SURGE troops are pulled out eventually?

More than 82 casualties from car bombs as Gates arrives in Iraq.
Sounds as if they knew he was coming.
NYTIMES

3 GIs killed Wed, just as Gates was announcing that
success is 'within reach'.

Smarmy hawk O’Hanlon (USATODAY5DECp.13A) praises Dems
for pressuring Bush into ‘successful’SURGE—but then deplores
their still insisting on a complete, vs. ‘gradual’ pull out.

--Polled Iraqis do NOT see improvement from SURGE.

--9 in 10 US journalists there say MOST of Baghdad is not safe for them to visit.

--‘gradual’pullout? Pent just notified natl.Guard of further Iraq call in ’09.

--in that time, thousands of NOW-HEALTHY GIs
may be dead, blind, maimed, shell-shocked.

Bushies say things are getting less bad in Baghdad and throughout Iraq.
One ought to consider opinion of polled Iraqis
on this issue.

There is a notable DROP in optimism in the last year—
--On whether their lives are better,
--on whether there will be improvement in next year,
--on whether their neighborhood feels safe.
--on whether things are now better off than under Saddam.

Things are even gloomier when you subtract the optimism of the Kurds--
where almost NO GIs are stationed !

USATODAY

Also, 9 in 10 US journalists say
MOST PARTS OF BAGHDAD ARE NOT SAFE FOR THEM TO VISIT.

POLICE KILLED:
117 Iraqi police were killed (as ‘collaborators with invaders’) in October.
LATIMES

Thousands more NatlGuars to Iraq,Afgh in ’09:
Hundreds of these NOW-HEALTHY GIs
May be doomed to be killed, blinded, maimed, shell-shocked.

OneInSix SunniGuardsToBePaidByShia Govt:
Govt has balked at accepting ‘concernedLocalCitizens’,
for fear they might be insurgent infiltrators.

But US pressure has made them bend somewhat.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL0342842320071204?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

Why the Iran Reversal? Sixteen US intel agencies
Suddenly say Iran gave up its nuke program FOUR YEARS AGO!

While Rice & Whitehouse & Israel are still talking doomsday. Why?

One guess: Intel agencies plus military decided that attacking Iran was nutty, so they told the truth.

(Mil. In Iraq has also softened accusations that Iran is helping attack GIs.)

White House won’t give up its false claims.

Iraq SuiciderCausesNearly 40casualties.
GUARDIANhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7125835,00.html

DOUBLETALK;
Pent.honcho Gates says:
1)”I’m not worried about a backslide in Afgh, only
a failure to go forward.”
2) He admits that Taliban violence has increased over the last 2 years.

Mil.honchos see signs of revived Quaeda in Afgh.
SEATTLEPI
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/342139_afghan04.html

NoIranNukeProgram !:the new estimate from SIXTEEN US intel agencies says that Iran QUIT trying for nukes BACK IN ’03.
An observer said this development makes basically impossible any US attack on Iran. Hooray.ABC/TV/NEWS

Bushies want Shia to offer gifts to Sunnis;
Can anyone believe that Shia would offer ENOUGH gifts
as to persuade Sunni insurgents to make peace? !!

“Waiting ForSURGEtoWithdraw” says Insurgent leader.
“We’re closer to QUAEDA than to (Shia) Sadrites,
even tho they also call for US pullout.
Sadrites have killed too many innocent Sunnis.”
GUARDIAN

55% of Americans think Bush deserves impeachment for misconduct.

(Fewer think Congress should actually try to impeach him.)
TIMES-RECORD

SECURITY VS. RECONCILIATION:
US honcho said people skeptical of likelihood of sunni/shia reconciliation should remember the surprising advance in security.
Two negative points:
--9 in 10 US journalists in Iraq say that most of Baghdad is
too dangerous for them to visit. (They rely on Iraqi helpers.)

--Security is a completely different issue from reconciliation. Lowered violence comes from several causes:
----Separation of shias from Sunnis in Baghdad.
----Pullback of Sadr’s militia from conflict.
----Decision of some Sunni leaders to switch alliance from Quaeda to US.

None of these factors generate momentum among Shia pols
to offer the gifts US wants for Sunnis:
-----A guaranteed share of oil $ for Sunnis.

-----Acceptance of ‘former’ insurgents into govt.

S Gottlieb (NYTIMES1Dec) repeats a new Hawk slogan:
"It would be foolhardy to rush out of Iraq in the same reckless way
we rushed in."

Consider a snakepit. After rushing in recklessly,
we would do well to leap out as fast as we can.

US SOFTENS IRAN ACCUSATIONS
Until 2 months ago, US was accusing Iran of helping Iraq insurgents, (seemingly to justify attack on Iran).

But now the accusations have softened, and US has released
9 Iranian prisoners. Perhaps Bushies have finally realized
they can’t ‘stabilize’ Iraq without Iran’s help.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-iraqiran1dec01,0,1911301.story?coll=la-home-center

So perhaps Bushies are NOT going to bomb Iran.
(If Israelis bomb, Iran will retaliate also vs. US.)

ALLIES OR INFILTRATORS?
US is recruiting Sunnis
(who often have openly backed insurgents AND QUAEDA in the past),
arming them minimally and setting them up on street-corners in Baghdad, supposedly to counter Quaeda & insurgents.

US honcho admits possibility that some are infiltrators;
Iraq govt. (Shia) blocks this recruitment and training all it can.

US honcho says we’re ‘vetting’them carefully.
How in the world can Bushies SCREEN them
when they don’t even speak the language? !

SEATTLEPI
Perhaps Bushies are going for the ‘Saddam lite’ option,
trying to restore secular Baathists in control of all Iraq.
Shia will never stand for this.

However, after partition, Shia won’t object to Baathists running Sunni/ArabLand. They can’t dream of controlling Anbar province!