IRAQ
Occupation and Resistance Report

As the United State and its allies engages in yet another colonial occupation, it is essential that the real nature of this occupation be recorded. Further, as resistance to this occupation spreads, it is critical that information on this resistance be made available from a variety of sources.

[Speaking of and documenting this resistance in no way means that all opponents of US occupation are likeable folks who necessarily have the well-being of the Iraqi population as their priority. There is no reason to believe that the well-being or freedom of the Iraqi population figures in the calculations of the occupying powers, either. In any case, in the post-colonial world, it should not be up to the "occupying powers" to choose the way of life or the rulers of Iraq.]

Interviews with & Writings by Antiwar GIs & Vets

Key Documents

The Occupation

Occupation

Resistance

Analysis

Tens of Thousands in NYC Protest War. (POSTED: April 30, 2006)

Kurds quietly angle for independence. Oil revenue could give Iraq's Kurds greater economic distance from Baghdad, experts say. (POSTED: April 30, 2006)

Tim Lezard: A struggle to exist. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

"Our main problem is terrorists because they are targeting workers every day, especially labourers queuing for work." As he says this, there is a murmur of agreement from the other Iraqis gathered round the restaurant table, together representing more than a million Iraqi workers. One of them adds: "The terrorists are killing poor people; wealthy people are safe...."

Apart from terrorism, the 22 Iraqis present agree that their single largest problem is Decree 8750. Passed by Iraq's ruling body last August, this decree permits the government to "take control of all monies belonging to trade unions and prevent them from dispensing any such monies".

Al-Sistani speaks: Top Iraqi Ayatollah Urges Action to Rein In Militias. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani said it had "become necessary to have weapons only in the hands of government forces." See also: The militia issue not easy. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

New government doesn't slow Iraq killings. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

An interesting claim that would portend increased increased Kurdish-Iraqi government tensions. I have no idea if the source is reliable: Iraq: Kurds seize equipment destined for South Oil Company. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

Iraq spending probe expands to security forces. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

Claim that Al-Jafaari is doing Iran's bidding: Al-Jafaari Expells Ahwazi Arabs from Iraq. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Treating the new leaders as puppets doesn't help their legitimacy: Visit by Rumsfeld, Rice Sets Off Criticism in Iraq. Some leaders worry that the Americans' surprise trip could hurt talks on forming a government. Analysts see an effort to shore up U.S. opinion. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Iraqis Building Makeshift Roadblocks. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Life is getting better? Bush has created hell on earth for Iraqis. I hope he's very proud: Young lovers court danger from puritan moral militia. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

In Basra late last year a couple were ambushed while walking in the zoo. The man was shot dead and his young partner was partially blinded by the gunmen, who stripped and photographed her, saying that they would send the pictures to her family. She ran home and killed herself.

Iraqis faking their IDs to hide religious affiliations. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

And what's going on now? Militias could spark Iraq civil war - PM-designate. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Widow numbers rise in wake of violence. More than 90 women become widows each day due to continuing violence countrywide. Since not all the dead are heads-of-households, this would mean that well over 100 a day are dying in Iraq, or over 36,000 a year, by official figures. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Increasing numbers of displaced families in need of assistance. Some 25,000 people have fled their homes in the past three weeks alone, in fear of becoming the next victims of escalating sectarian violence, a government official said on Tuesday. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Iraq oil hit by graft and attacks. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Iraqi Strife Seeping Into Saudi Kingdom. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Build your own Iraqi police squad for a little cash. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Balad Air Base: Threat’s reminders all around Iraq base. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Syria to admit nearly 200 Palestinians stranded on the Iraq-Jordan border. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Thousands more victims: Brain injuries common for Iraq war vets. Thanks to body armor, thousands survive combat but face lengthy rehab. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Another scapegoat for the Torturers-in-Chief: Abuse Charge Set for a US Colonel. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

EU Lawmakers Allege Numerous CIA Flights. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

The enduring occupation: US ambassador: America is facing long stay in Iraq. Baghdad envoy says effort extends to the entire region. (POSTED: April 26, 2006)

Appealing to his right-wing "base". Yeah, whatever: Bush threatens to veto Iraq funding bill. (POSTED: April 26, 2006)

Defying bombs, Baghdad school teaches music, ballet. (POSTED: April 26, 2006)

Sectarian lines divide Iraq's university system, too. (POSTED: April 26, 2006)

The coming Shia-Kurd battle: Shiite Militias Move Into Oil-Rich Kirkuk, Even as Kurds Dig In. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

And Turkey eyes the Kurds: Turkish military action in Iraq will take place if needed. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

US calls in Paras for Baghdad secret war. British paratroopers secretly operating in support of the SAS in Iraq are using American uniforms, weapons and vehicles as part of their cover. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Say anything time: Rumsfeld say Iraq, Afghan missions key to containing Iran. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

In the atmosphere of hate: Artists become targets in rising atmosphere of intolerance. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

No punishment for slavers in Iraq. [Yes, thanks to the American occupation, tens of thousands of "third country nationals" are tricked into slavery on US bases. We're supposed to believe no American official ever noticed their treatment.] Over two years after the phenomenon became known, the US finally tells the slavers to stop: Commander: Contractors violating U.S. trafficking laws. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Inspectors Find More Torture at Iraqi Jails. Top General's Pledge To Protect Prisoners 'Not Being Followed'. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Iraq Air Force Needs More Than New Coat Of Paint. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

US troops still haven't removed detainees from Iraqi ministries where abuse occurred. `They tell us,If you leave us here, they will kill us,''' said the Iraqi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because, he said, he and other Iraqis involved with inspections had received death threats. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Returning province to the colonials, if they behave: Iraq province handover 'in weeks'. British troops in Iraq could hand over the Maysan province to local security forces within a matter of weeks. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Let no talk get in the way of another dandy war: Bush adviser dismisses call for talks with Iran. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Secrets of the CIA. A former colleague says the fired Mary McCarthy ‘categorically denies’ being the source of the leak on agency renditions. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Another effect of occupation and destruction of a society: The Missing Girls of Iraq. Sex trafficking, virtually nonexistent under Saddam Hussein, has resurfaced in Iraq. TIME reports on a seldom-discussed epidemic: girls being kidnapped and sold to brothels. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Michael Hirsh in Newsweek: Stuck in the Hot Zone. Don't dream about full exits. The military is in Iraq for the long haul. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Toward a sectarian armed forces: Iraq's Maliki says militias must join armed forces. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Tony Blair, the anti-liberator: Blair savages critics over threat to civil liberties. In Tony Blair's Britain, Freedom's just another word for no rights left to loose. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Equipment cut to pay for V-22s. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

After 4 months, PM replaced with pal: Iraq's PM-designate Maliki faces major test. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

The payoff? No government, but: Iraq says ready to negotiate oilfield contracts. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

End the bickering, weary Iraqis tell politicians. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

The Growing Pains of Democracy. Despite greater freedoms, life has in many ways become harder since the overthrow of Saddam. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Child Labour Fears. Poor enforcement of labour laws leaves children vulnerable to exploitation. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Like elsewhere, the rich play: In Iraq, a zone of hedonism and safety. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

A Baghdad Security Guard’s Tale. A young Iraqi explains why he chooses to work in one of the capital's most dangerous occupations.. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

UN damns 'illegal' Iraq detention. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

We fought them there so we can fight them everywhere: Sharp rise reported in terrorist attacks. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Armor Holdings profit up with strong Iraq demand. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Iraq Leader Cedes His Nomination As Premier. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Unforeseen Spending on Materiel Pumps Up Iraq War Bill. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Iraq Shias move to end deadlock over PM. The cost of the war in U.S. fatalities has declined this year, but the cost in treasure continues to rise, from $48 billion in 2003 to $59 billion in 2004 to $81 billion in 2005 to an anticipated $94 billion in 2006, ignoring long-term expenses. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Al-Dulaimi Named as Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker . (POSTED: April 21, 2006) <

Briton jailed for 15 years in Iraq. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Reports of rebellion at the CIA as officials fear being scapegoated for Bush-ordered torture: The CIA “Wehrmacht”. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Some profited: US Contractor Bloom Pleads Guilty in Iraq Bribery, Fraud Case. And: Military officer accused in scandal: She denies profit from Iraq chaos. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Ethnic cleansing continues in the religiously mixed Dora neighborhood: Signs of Panic in Mixed Iraq Neighborhood . (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

According to the RAND Corporation: US faulted on efforts to rebuild nations: Healthcare called too low a priority. After all, focusing on healthcare would mean putting people before corporate profits, anathema to these occupiers. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

At Heart of Iraqi Impasse, a Family Feud: Militia-Backed Shiite Factions Vie for Political Dominance. Moqtada al-Sadr and Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim head the two leading dynasties of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Political wrangling worsens in Baghdad. ``I don't think anybody is in a hurry,'' said Mahmoud Farhad Othman, a Kurdish leader who has lambasted fellow politicians. ``They are completely out of touch with the voters.'' One reason for that, he said, is that most Iraqi leaders live in the U.S.-protected ``green zone'' and aren't faced with the lack of security that most Iraqis feel every day. ``They are protected,'' Othman said. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

In 3 1/2 months! Nearly 20,000 people kidnapped in Iraq in 2006. Report says thousands of abducted Iraqis are primarily victims of political rivals, common criminals seeking ransom. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Is there still one Iraq? ` Iraq's Kurds Aim for Own Oil Ministry. The regional assembly may vote as early as next week on creating the agency. Setting it up could further destabilize the divided nation. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

He gives the "Coalition" occupiers hope? Sunni sheik calls for jihad against foreign terrorists. "I am doing this job because the foreign terrorists kill the civilians," said Sheik Jadaan, 52, at his heavily guarded villa. "None of them ever attack the Americans except occasionally; they just attack the innocents. This is to restore the reputation of jihad." (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Ministry copes with rising numbers of orphaned children. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Sunni politicians condemn "government (or was it "death squads") attack on Adhamiya: Fears grow over Sunni backing for Iraq insurgency. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

The prominent Iraqi newspaper al-Zaman claimed that the “people of Adhamiya had foiled a night assault” by a ‘’death squad’’ whose members were disguised as police” and quoted members of the “Adhamiya Defense Committees.”

Bush won't exclude Iran nuke strike. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

US refuses to discuss Iran's nuclear plans in face-to-face talks on Iraq . (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Al-Jaafari's Party Stands Behind Him. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Allawi and the Sunnis fight: New rift mars Iraq unity government talks. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Najaf's Elite Clerics Playing Key Role in Iraq Now. Although it has traditionally stood aloof from politics, the top Shiite clergy based in the holy city finds itself drawn into the fray. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

For two years they did nothing as Sunnis died, Tom Lasseter reports: US knew Shiite militias were a threat but took no action largely because they were focused on Sunni insurgency. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Pessimism reigns in Iraq as politicians stall again: Latest failure to name prime minister leaves nation paralyzed. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Hope springs eternal: US hope local elections will calm Anbar. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Billion-Dollar Start Falls Short in Iraq: US Officials Worry About Leaving Baghdad Without Basic Services. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

And yet, daily life goes on, sort of: Baghdad postmen pine for days of vicious dogs. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

All Iraqis working for the Americans are treated as the enemy, by those Americans: Iraq's 'terps' face suspicion from both sides. The US has isolated its Iraqi interpreters, worried they could be working with insurgents. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

The paramilitary militia, the Facilities Protection Services, now reportedly numbers 146,000, with loyalties to many distinct leaders: Phantom Force. In the 'Year of the Police,' a murky security group is mutating and growing. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Maybe the war wasn't about oil: US firms suspected of bilking Iraq funds. Millions missing from program for rebuilding. US dictator Bremer gave the crooks amnesty, so they could steal at will! (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Jettison the constitution says former US puppet: Secular Iraqis Propose Emergency Government. The coalition says it aims to bring the nation to its feet and curtail violence. Meanwhile, Shiites discuss how to preserve their power. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Funding Iraqi torturers and death squads is illegal, "according to an internal State Department review": US arming of Iraq cops skates close to legal line: Required checks on rights abuses skipped. Evidently funding US military torturers and death squads is just dandy. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Iraqi Violence Sweeps Up Unlikely Group - Bakers. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

In Iraqi Divide, Echoes of Bosnia for US Troops. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Once wasn't bad enough! US plots ‘new liberation of Baghdad’. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

“You would have to come down like a hammer on the Sunni areas of Baghdad and go house to house and nobody wants to do that,” Gerecht said. “It’s inevitably going to come and it’s going to be convulsive. The Americans will be there, but not in the numbers needed because American casualty rates will go up.”

Beaten, burnt and bullied: the families hounded out by religious vigilantes. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Retired colonel claims U.S. military operations are already 'underway' in Iran. (POSTED: April 16, 2006)

Chicago Tribune: On the ground, it's a civil war. The debate over what to call Iraq's war is lost on many Iraqis as shadowy Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents wage their deadly conflict. (POSTED: April 16, 2006)

Dahr Jamail and Arkan Hamed: Baghdad Morgue Overflowing Daily. (POSTED: April 16, 2006)

Secretary of Torture: What Rumsfeld knew. Interviews with high-ranking military officials shed new light on the role Rumsfeld played in the harsh treatment of a Guantánamo detainee. (POSTED: April 16, 2006)

The new palace for the new colony: 21 buildings on 104 acres: US Building Massive Embassy in Baghdad. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Sunni group demands action as body count surges in Iraq. Sunni Arab political leaders said Thursday that nearly 90 Sunnis had been reported abducted or killed in the past two days. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

What's in a name? Maybe survival... "I changed my name to Abdullah because it is a neutral name. It could be Sunni or Shi'ite. My life is more precious than my name." (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

By any name, civilians see civil war in Iraq. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

In Iraq army, going AWOL is going with policy's grain. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Anfal Widows’ Sad Fate. Women widowed by Saddam’s Anfal campaign still struggle to get by nearly 20 years on. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

In a reversal: Military to Protect US Aid Teams in Iraq. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

A little late: US officer offers apology over Babylon destruction. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

US faltering in Iraq, Qaeda deputy declares. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Spending lags on training for Iraqi security forces. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Another day, another General: Retired general: ‘Uplifting’ if Rumsfeld removed. Six former senior officers have publicly called for change due to Iraq. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

US reporter's kidnap a mistake; ransom paid: Iraqi insurgent. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Dahr Jamail and Jeff Pflueger join the critiques of Iraq Body Count: Learning to Count: The Dead in Iraq. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Women were more respected under Saddam, say women's groups. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Iraq's refugee problem surges as violence rages. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Shiities Ask: Why Convene Iraqi Parliament? (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Christopher H. Sheppard, a former Marine Corps captain on the Iraqi/Kuwaiti border participating in the invasion of Iraq: Coming home — disillusioned. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

U.N. Official Reaches No Clear Outcome in Iran Talks. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Shifting alliances in colony: Pressure on Shiites Is Giving the U.S. New Ally in Sunnis: Rice Visit Seen as Highlighting a Shift. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Violence-weary Iraqis turn to dominos, Oprah. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Iraq Parliament to Meet; 3 Soldiers Killed. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Too Little, Too Late on Haditha? Three Marine officers are reassigned, in response to the massacre first reported by TIME, but Iraqis are unlikely to be satisfied. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Fighting over oil spoils: Iraq: Acting Iraqi Oil Minister recommends suing DNO. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Amid violence, health workers appeal for blood donations. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

In Stock Market, the Bears Gnaw at Iraq's Confidence, as market falls by over half. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Detention without trial now an American reality: Padilla Can't Wait. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Washington Post reports Bush repeated discredited biolabs claim for a year: Lacking Biolabs, Trailers Carried Case for War: Administration Pushed Notion of Banned Iraqi Weapons Despite Evidence to Contrary. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

US corners Iraq wheat market. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

In that other occupation: Gaza families watch in awe and fear as Israelis pour in 300 shells a day. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Thanks to "liberation": For quality of life, Baghdad ranks last in world, survey finds. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

In one of the calmest areas of Iraq. Imagine what the infant mortality must be elsewhere: Doctors, NGOs warn of high infant mortality in Basra. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

As the Iraqis stand down, we will stand up: US Troops Again Patrolling in Baghdad. According to the article, it appears that the Americans are in denial about the extent to which the "Iraqi forces" are the sectarian militias and death squads. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Killing most foul: Report finds US shooting of Reuters soundman unlawful. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Get out while you're alive and whole: Young Officers Leaving Army at a High Rate. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Army recruiting below last year's levels. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

But: Army surpassing year's retention goal by 15%. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Saudi Arabia plans 560-mile fence on Iraq border. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Patrick Cockburn: Situation in Iraq could not be worse. [F]or the first time, I am becoming convinced that the country will not survive. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Health workers decry lack of medical supplies. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

How did she hold out so long? Iraq's Beauty Queen Resigns After Four Days. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Spreading al-Zarqawi fantasies: Documents raise doubt about Iraq terrorist's importance. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Mubarak sounds alarm on Iraq, Iran: Arab leaders' unease growing. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

There's money in that there colony: DNO strikes oil in Iraq. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Good news in Iraq; firefighters remain loyal to fighting fires: Dousing the Flames of War: Insurgent Bombings in Baghdad Challenge Newly Equipped Firefighters. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Professionals are new targets of kidnappers. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Iraqi PM's future in doubt after Kurdish, Sunni veto. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Nerve Center of Shiite Opinion Became Target. Bratha Mosque, hit by bombs, and its imam are seen as a barometer of public sentiment. The cleric recently urged the premier to step down. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

We now find out that Marine Lieut. General Greg Newbold resigned four months before the war "in part because of my opposition to those who had used 9/11's tragedy to hijack our security policy. Until now, I have resisted speaking out in public. I've been silent long enough": "Why I Think Rumsfeld Must Go": A military insider sounds off against the war and the "zealots" who pushed it. Two senior military officers are known to have challenged Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the planning of the Iraq war. Army General Eric Shinseki publicly dissented and found himself marginalized. Marine Lieut. General Greg Newbold, the Pentagon's top operations officer, voiced his objections internally and then retired, in part out of opposition to the war. Here, for the first time, Newbold goes public with a full-throated critique. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Iraq's Shi'ites face decision on PM Jaafari. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Evidently for getting caught at mass murder: 3 Marine officers fired after Iraq deaths. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Could it be the beginning of the end of a dark era? Hamas in call to end suicide bombings. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

According to the Israeli army, since October 2000, Hamas carried out 51 suicide attacks, killing 272 Israelis. Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade carried out 34 each, killing 98 and 80 Israelis respectively. Almost 5,000 people, mostly Palestinians, have been killed over that period....

Ghazi Hamed, the spokesman for the government, said in future any military action would be restricted to the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel.

US Is Studying Military Strike Options on Iran: Any Mix of Tact, Threats Alarms Critics. See also: Bush warned against attacking Iran. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

A 'Concerted Effort' to Discredit Bush Critic: Prosecutor Describes Cheney, Libby as Key Voices Pitching Iraq-Niger Story. One striking feature of that decision -- unremarked until now, in part because Fitzgerald did not mention it -- is that the evidence Cheney and Libby selected to share with reporters had been disproved months before. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Tenet interceded to keep the claim out of a speech Bush gave in Cincinnati on Oct. 7, 2002, but by Dec. 19 it reappeared in a State Department "fact sheet." After that, the Pentagon asked for an authoritative judgment from the National Intelligence Council, the senior coordinating body for the 15 agencies that then constituted the U.S. intelligence community. Did Iraq and Niger discuss a uranium sale, or not? If they had, the Pentagon would need to reconsider its ties with Niger.

The council's reply, drafted in a January 2003 memo by the national intelligence officer for Africa, was unequivocal: The Niger story was baseless and should be laid to rest. Four U.S. officials with firsthand knowledge said in interviews that the memo, which has not been reported before, arrived at the White House as Bush and his highest-ranking advisers made the uranium story a centerpiece of their case for the rapidly approaching war against Iraq.

Mosques are frequent targets in Iraq. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Ending the Deadlock. Iraq’s leading Shiite cleric is urging the country’s leaders to form a new unity government quickly—before sectarian violence gets out of hand. (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

A deal for PM? Ali Al-Adeeb a possible compromise candidate? (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

The charade is over: It's a 'state of civil war', admits Iraqi government official. (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

New York Times article: US Study Paints Somber Portrait of Iraqi Discord. (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

Shia assassins 'worst threat in Iraq'. (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

Arrested and never heard from again: Blair envoy reveals plight of Iraqis lost in jail maze. (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

Oh My God! US considers use of nuclear weapons against Iran. See Seymour Hersh: The Iran Plans: Would President Bush go to war to stop Tehran from getting the bomb? (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

Mixed marriages confront sectarian violence. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

If they wish to live: Wary Iraqis Steer Clear of US Troops. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Kurds' quest for justice overshadowed by economic discontent. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Withdrawal? Bush would accept more US troops in Iraq if necessary. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Limits? What limits? Gonzales suggests that Bush has the authority to order warantless wiretapping of calls, emails. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

What a waste: US Aid in Iraq Now Equal to Assistance in Germany After World War II. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Iraqis Scathing of Leaders. Political vacuum angers Baghdad residents as violence mounts. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

In "Iraq's safest province": Police Hiring Boom in Sulaimaniyah. Villagers and workers are leaving low-paying jobs to join the police. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Another media worker gone: Conflict Claims IWPR Trainee. Kamal Manahi Anbar, a young journalist with enormous promise, died last week while researching a story in Baghdad. The bottom of the article has instructions for making contributions to help Kamal's wife and unborn child. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

In deteriorating security environment, Palestinian refugees flee capital. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Another Saddam era mass grave: 1 000 bodies found in Iraq. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

The Guantanamo Military Commission farce hurts real people, as well as the very idea of justice: Khadr Vows Boycott as Shouts Rock U.S. Court. Toronto teen moved to solitary confinement. Accused terrorist demands `humane and fair' treatment. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

CBS News makes: A Rare Trip Into Baghdad's Sadr City. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

While Iraq's leaders continue to try to form a government, the Madhi army is consolidating its hold in Sadr City by doing something politicians have not — protecting the area of 2 million Shiites from outsiders and helping to provide general services that are still absent. [No wonder the American occupiers view the Mahdi Army as the enemy. Their not corrupt enough to be bought.]

As ethnic cleansing proceeds: Uprooted Shia Flood into Kut. Fleeing Baghdad’s sectarian violence, Shia families find shelter in southern city. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

In near-secrecy: Royalty for a Year: Iraq Elects A Beauty Queen (Discretely) (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

In Britain, two grandmothers arrested under new "anti-terrorism" law: Helen and Sylvia, the new face of terrorism. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Empire's waning influence: Iraqis Say Rice Trip Stiffened Premier's Resolve to Stay. "They complicated the thing, and now it's more difficult to solve," said Mahmoud Osman, an independent member of the Kurdistan Alliance, speaking of Ms. Rice and Mr. Straw. "They shouldn't have come and they shouldn't have interfered." (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Working the Iraqi health system. Corruption at all levels means millions of dollars of investment is making no difference to suffering citizens. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Dom Stasi: Iraq redux. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Iraq's religious leaders to meet in Amman. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Iran, US 'to begin direct talks on Iraq in a week'. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

A year after being arrested and detained in Abu Ghraib: CBS Cameraman Is Acquitted by Iraqi Court. After aquittal, he was returned to Abu Ghraib so the Americans could decide his fate. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Walter Reed's World of Hurt, Hope: Suffering of Iraq Casualties Takes Toll on Hospital Staff. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Young, Female and Guarding Detainees in Iraq. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Amnesty links ‘rendition’ flights with torture. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

US says Saudi individuals still funding terrorism. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Iraq shelves political talks despite US pressure. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Defying the Empire: I will not be forced out by US and UK, says Iraqi PM . (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Ex-Defense Minister Ordered to Stand Trial on Corruption Charges. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Gun glut in Iraq. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Middle-class Sunni take up weapons to counter rising sectarian threat. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Rising number of displaced in south need aid, say relief agencies. A growing number of displaced families in the southern city of Najaf are in urgent need of food supplies and health care, local aid agencies said. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Claiming useless debt write-offs as aid: West accused of fiddling figures on Iraq aid . (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Martin Sieff of UPI Analysis: Figures show that Iraq's civil war is underway. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Despite President Bush's repeated denials, the figures are clear: 900 sectarian killings in a single month in Iraq means a civil war is well under way. Iraq is a nation of 25 million people. In the United States, that level of killing would proportionately equal almost 11,000 people killed in riots, reprisal killings and sectarian clashes in a single month. By comparison, the 30 years of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland from 1968 to 1998 saw 3,600 people killed in a small population of 1.5 million. Proportionately, that would equate to 60,000 dead over 30 years in Iraq, or 2,000 killed per year....

he rate of killings in Iraq is already as bad as during the horrendous 1975-1991 Lebanese Civil War, in which 150,000 to 200,000 people were killed over 16 years -- an average of between 9,375 and 12,500 people were killed there per year.

No to Imperial Legions. Yes to sectarian police: Iraq's interior ministry refusing to deploy US-trained police. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

From Foreign Affairs: Saddam’s Delusions. An exclusive report in the May/June Foreign Affairs by the key authors of the Pentagon's secret study of Saddam Hussein's regime, based on captured Iraqi documents and prisoner interviews. The article: Saddam's Delusions: The View from the Inside. The full declassified report: A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam's Senior Leadership. See also: Civilians in Iraq flee mixed areas as killings rise. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

More than 40,000 displaced, ministry estimates. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

A victory for freedom of the press, thanks to an international outcry: Kurdish journalist released. Notice, the didn't abolish the law under which Karim was convicted and senetenced: (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

The US firms got their dough, but the Iraqis get little. How nice of them to "try" and finish 20 clinics: US Plan to Build Iraq Clinics Falters: Contractor Will Try to Finish 20 of 142 Sites. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Education hampered by sectarian violence, say officials. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Iraq still at impasse over government. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Let them eat garbage: Food Rations Cut Hurting Poor. The government has slashed subsidised food, despite rising poverty. And: Dump Second Home for Children. Despite economic growth in some quarters, extreme poverty is forcing youngsters to pick through trash. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Violence Drives Doctors From Iraq. Patients suffer as medics under threat leave the country. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Iraq north oil exports via Turkey need months to return. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Why not an end to occupation? Iraq Shi'ite ayatollah wants US envoy sacked. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Syrian TV Correspondent In Iraq is Set Free. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Protest, Resistance, and Civil War

Occupation

Resistance

Analysis

Insurgent Attacks on Iraqis Soared, Report Says. The number of insurgent attacks on civilians in Iraq skyrocketed last year, resulting in almost 8,300 deaths and accounting for more than 50 percent of those killed in terrorist attacks worldwide, according to a State Department report released Friday. (POSTED: April 30, 2006)

3 Insurgents, US Soldier Killed in Iraq. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

Insurgent attacks in Iraq's Baquba kill 30. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

Three Italians and a Romanian die: Iraq blast kills coalition troops. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Six Iraqis killed in clashes northeast of Baghdad. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Bullet-riddled bodies surface as Iraq political crisis deepens. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Gunmen kill sister of Iraq's Sunni vice president. In south, four coalition soldiers killed when Italian convoy bombed. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Gunmen kill senior Baghdad judge. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Ten killed in Iraq violence. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Four bodies found in Iraq. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Iraqi Shi'ite, Sunni friendship meal ends in death. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

In War-Wrecked Ramadi, Marines Keep Moving or they get shot at. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Large fire at oil and gas complex in northern Iraq. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Wave of bombs hits Baghdad as Saddam on trial. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

US, Iraqi Forces Fight Ramadi Insurgents. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

11 Bodies Found in Iraq. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

8 Americans killed over the weekend. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

6 Iraqi Soldiers Captured, Shot to Death. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Attacks in Iraq Kill 13 Today. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

In Ramadi: Clashes between US troops, insurgents kill four civilians in Iraq. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

A new horror? Teachers gruesomely slain in day of violence in Iraq, according to a government statement. However: Iraq Police Deny Report of Teachers Killed. Ali al-Obeidi, the director of the police in the Shaab district, said there was no attack against any school in the area. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Wednesday: Baghdad District Calm After Gunbattles. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

At least that's the official story: Iraqi forces search Baghdad's Sunni bastion for rebels. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Fighting off the death squads: Clashes Continue in Sunni Area of Baghdad. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Baghdad street battle smacks of open civil war. It appeared to be the first example of a large-scale, open sectarian street battle in the capital, if not all of Iraq. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Another bloody day in Iraq leaves 26 dead. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Bomb Under Couch at Baghdad Cafe Kills 7. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

US Marines Repel Coordinated Assault. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

In Adhamiya: Clashes in Sunni district of Baghdad. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Body of brother of top Iraq Sunni leader found. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Car bomb explodes near U.S. post in Iraq. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Easter Sunday: Five U.S. Marines killed in Iraq. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Marines Suffer 2 Dead, 22 Wounded in Iraq. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Marine, Soldier Die in Iraq as Senior Al-Qaeda Operative Killed. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Bomb wounds 4 British soldiers in Iraq. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

11 construction staff killed. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Bombs kill four at mosques in Iraq's Baquba. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Friday: 17 Iraqi Officers Are Killed In Ambush of Police Convoy. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Iraq car bomb kills 13 near Baghdad. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Rockets, mortar rounds hit U.S. base near Iraq's Fallujah. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Wednesday: Over 20 dead in Iraq mosque car bombing. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Gunmen kill three Iraqi government workers . (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Tuesday: US Reports 5 More Troops Killed in Iraq. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Sixteen bodies found in Iraq. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Four new U-S deaths announced. (POSTED: April 12`, 2006)

AFP employee kidnapped in Baghdad. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Saddam’s pilots hunted down by death squads. According to official military statistics, 182 former pilots and 416 senior military officers had been killed by the beginning of January 2006 as part of the campaign. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Iraqi police arrest 30 security employees believed to be plotting attacks. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Sunday 6 blasts, 5 deaths mark Iraq 'Freedom Day'. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

US marine shot dead by Iraqi soldier. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Saturday: Fresh bomb targets Iraq's Shias killing at least six. (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

Friday: Three explosions at Shi'ite mosque in Baghdad. Later news brought word that over 70 were killed. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Militant leader arrested in Iraq, says US military. The prime suspect in last year's abduction of an Italian journalist in Iraq is in custody, the U.S. military said on Thursday. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Death toll up: At least 13 dead in Iraq car bombing. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Thursday in Najaf: Car Bomb Strikes Holy City. Juan Cole relays a report that US Marines went into Karbal and arrested followers of al-Sadr. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Iraqi: Kidnap victims freed in northern Iraq. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Wednesday: Three car bombs leave three dead, 18 wounded in Iraq. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Saddam faces genocide trial over '180,000 Kurd deaths'. Will Cheney & Rumsfeld be in the dock with him? (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

New Iraq Violence Kills Woman, Two Sons (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Tuesday: At Least 16 Die in Iraq Attack (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Report: `Zarqawi replaced at head of Iraq resistance`. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Two families murdered as 14 die in Iraq. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Monday: Three U.S. Marines, Sailor Killed in Iraq Three U.S. Marines and a Sailor Killed in Iraq's Anbar Province. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Iraq Violence Kills at Least 50; 6 U.S. Personnel Reported Dead. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Sunday: Eight Marines, One Sailor Killed in Iraq Incidents. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Analysis, Commentary, & Domestic Reaction

Occupation

Resistance

Analysis

Iraq Body Count has responded to criticism by MediaLens [and myself] in a: BBC interview and in a report: Speculation is no substitute: a defence of Iraq Body Count. See also: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4951508.stm. I'm still thinking over they're response. On first blush, I suspect they make some valid points, but also avoid many issues. (POSTED: April 30, 2006)

Report: Fitzgerald to Seek Indictment of Rove. (POSTED: April 30, 2006)

Progressive challenges powerful Dem Harman in CA congressional race. (POSTED: April 30, 2006)

Andrew Greeley says what I've been thinking: Generals may be preventing another Iraq. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

Sami Moubayed: Iraq's choice: Revolution or nation-building. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

Feingold amendment would require troop return by end of year. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

Ellen Goodman on John Kerry: Dear John: We won't take you back. All of this leads me to blurt out: "Stop Him Before He Kills (the Democrats' Chances) Again." (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

Remember Bush versus Anybody But Bush? Remember websites like KerryHatersforKerry.com announcing, "He's awful and I'm for him"? In the end, a majority of likely voters thought we were on the wrong track and voted for the conductor anyway. In the end, the president who lied to us about war and weapons of mass destruction looked like the straight talker. That's how bad it was.

Scheuer: US policy is bin Laden's 'indispensable ally'. Ex-CIA analyst says US policies in Islamic world have given boost to Al-Qaeda and its leaders. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

Rami G. Khouri: Bin Laden v. The Brotherhood. (POSTED: April 29, 2006)

Must Read! Paul Street: Iraq Not Vietnam, 3. Different Imperial Stakes and the Comparative Difficulty of Geographic Self-Extraction. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

The U.S. strategic "stakes" in Iraq are so great that much current U.S. discussion of American withdrawal from Mesopotamia seems hopelessly naïve. Even on what passes for a left in the U.S., many commentators seem to think that the invasion is properly understood as a bungled effort to spread democracy - an incompetent occupation that genuinely sought to "liberate" and would have been undertaken even if Iraq's only raw materials were chicory, lettuce, and bananas....

The biggest contrast between Vietnam and Iraq, perhaps, is that no such "destroy and exit" option is available to the U.S. Empire in Mesopotamia. It's not that controlling Iraqi and Middle Eastern oil is a bigger U.S-imperial "stake" in the 21st century than containing Vietnamese and other revolutionary Third World nationalisms was in the 1960s....

t's about the difference between killing people, revolutions, and hope (the "rational" U.S.-imperialist goal in Vietnam) and controlling a spatially fixed concentration of super-strategic raw material (the equally "rational" U.S.-imperialist goal in Iraq). Vietnam's all-too human and mortal revolutionaries could be "bombed to Hell" and then safely abandoned to their crippled fate....

By pivotal contrast, Iraq's inanimate oil reserves and related social infrastructure cannot really be "saved" for "critical [imperial] leverage" and global-economic windfall through wanton annihilation. Iraq's critical raw material cannot be removed from Iraq along with U.S. soldiers and

Hany Khalil, Organizing Coordinator of United for Peace and Justice: A Way Forward, Out of Iraq. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Lawrence Wilkerson: Is U.S. being transformed into a radical republic? (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Robert Scheer: Denouncing The Iraq Deception. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Punished for exposing Imperial lies: Danish reporters charged after publishing leaked intelligence reports on Iraq. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

New York Times: The Iraqi Oil Pipeline Fiasco. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Winslow T. Wheeeler: How Many US Troops are Really in Iraq? How Much is the War in Iraq Costing? blic estimates of the number of troops deployed for Iraq do not always include those performing support in Kuwait and elsewhere in the region. CRS estimates total troop deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom in September 2005 to be 260,000. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Steve Clemons: Bush Should Polygraph Staff on Plame Outing: Dana Priest's Sources were Multiple and Were Most Likely in Europe. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

President receives cold reception, protesters rally outside Cisco Systems. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith: Attack Iran, destroy the US constitution. (POSTED: April 28, 2006)

Erik Leaver: Iraq: Mo' Money, Mo' Problems. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Ultimatum for the colonies: Iraq must make progress to keep US troops: senators. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Boston Globe: The stubborn truth in Iraq. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Jonathan Freedland believes the wolf is real: The problem is: Iran does pose a threat in every way Iraq did not . The G8 leaders can exploit Tehran's fear of international isolation to get a nuclear deal, but only if they are united . (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

David Hirst on Iran's nuclear weapons search and Israel's possession, the: Original Sin. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Conservative former Reagan official endorses nuclear disarmament: Former Officials Finally See The Light. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Two weigh in on the Israeli lobby issue. Molly Ivins: Pro-Israel 'Nutjobs' on the Attack. And Richard Cohen: No, It's Not Anti-Semitic. An abridged version of the Mearsheimer-Walt paper was published by the London Review of Books and is available online at http://www.lrb.co.uk/. Read it and decide for yourself whether it is anti-Semitic. Whatever the case, their argument is hardly rebutted by purple denunciations and smear tactics. Rather than being persuasive, Mearsheimer and Walt's more hysterical critics suggest by their extreme reactions that the duo is on to something. These tactics by Israel's friends sully Israel's good name more than Mearsheimer and Walt ever could. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Joshua Frank on the second time as farce: Kerry's Halfhearted Reversal. If the fallible John Kerry is the best the Democrats have to offer, we have a long, treacherous road ahead of us. Not to mention many more Iraq war anniversaries, and countless deaths. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Joseph Hughes believes in the President's "Ownership Society": Republicans own it. Refusing to be held accountable for its many failings, the party is fleeing the ownership society of its own making. But running won't get them anywhere. This mess we're in? Republicans own it. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

John W. Dean: If Past Is Prologue, George Bush Is Becoming An Increasingly Dangerous President. (POSTED: April 27, 2006)

Bush plan will do little to ease pain at the pump. No quick fix for high global oil prices, tight gasoline supplies. (POSTED: April 26, 2006)

More top brass blast Rumsfeld. Two retired generals and an admiral denounce his leadership -- and say he's protected by a handpicked ring of high-ranking yes men. (POSTED: April 26, 2006)

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts has done his share of intelligence leaking: Is There A Double Standard On Leak Probes? (POSTED: April 26, 2006)

Public not listening to liar-in-chief: Poll suggests Iraq PR push falls short: Majority favors diplomatic efforts on Iran's nuclear program. (POSTED: April 26, 2006)

Zbigniew Brzezinski: Do not attack Iran. (POSTED: April 26, 2006)

In the absence of an imminent threat (with the Iranians at least several years away from having a nuclear arsenal), the attack would be a unilateral act of war. If undertaken without formal Congressional declaration, it would be unconstitutional and merit the impeachment of the President. Similarly, if undertaken without the sanction of the UN Security Council either alone by the United States or in complicity with Israel, it would stamp the perpetrator(s) as an international outlaw(s).

Must Read! Jane Smiley: Notes for Converts to the anti-Bush camp. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Now you are fleeing him, but it's only because he's got the earmarks of a loser. Your problem is that you don't know why he's losing. You think he's made mistakes. But no. He's losing because the ideas that you taught him and demonstrated for him are bad ideas, self-destructive ideas, and even suicidal ideas. And they are immoral ideas. You should be ashamed of yourselves because not only have your ideas not worked to make the world a better place, they were inhumane and cruel to begin with, and they have served to cultivate and excuse the inhumane and cruel character traits of those who profess them.

Opinions on Jawad al-Maliki. Michael Howard in the Guardian: Pragmatist who doesn't mince his words. Sami Moubayed in Asia Times: Iraq's next premier: Spot the difference. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

[Howard:] In contrast to his predecessor, who would engage in long rambling speeches that often baffled both colleagues and journalists, Mr Maliki talks clearly, sometimes stridently, and is more of a pragmatist than Mr Jaafari.

[Moubayed:] There is nothing in his background, however, to show that Jawad al-Maliki will be any better than Ibrahim al-Jaafari. Maliki, after all, has all of Jaafari's weaknesses and none of his strengths. Jaafari is more experienced, better connected in the Arab world, and more politically independent than Maliki.

Robert Dreyfuss: A Paper Lid On Iraq's Volcano. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

General's revolt not over: Another General wants Rummy to go. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Sean Wilentz: The Worst President in History? (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Peace Activists Acquitted in Federal Court of Protesting Against Iraq War. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

John Brown: On Waking Up Sleepless in the Middle of the Night. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Your decision to go to war has led to the death of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis. Do you have any remorse for this, Mr. President? Or was it that, for you, Iraqis only really deserved to serve as props in "shock and awe" -- your name for your made-for-TV porno/violence program at the beginning of the war, produced and distributed directly into our living rooms by the mainstream media? (Thank you, Fox News.)

Paul Street: Iraq Is Not Vietnam. Part 1: Imperial Continuities. Part 2: "Dominance Without Hegemony," Early Opposition, and Post-Democracy in the Imperial Core. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Jackson Diehl on the upcoming meeting with the dictator of Azerbaijan: Retreat From the Freedom Agenda. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

According to Madeleine Albright: Iraqi war 'US worst blunder'. You have to kill Iraqis with sanctions, not bombs. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Arthur Schlesinger Jr.: Bush's Thousand Days. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Haroon Siddiqui in the Toronto Star: Bush all at sea over China, Iraq and Iran. Why is Harper hitching wagon to lame-duck president? (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Bob Burnett: Iraq - What's Next? More of the same. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

All the sudden, those "little countries" matter: Once marginal, now kings of the oil world. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Down, down, down: Bush's approval ratings slide to new low. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

For those who care. Or for the humor value. Larry C Johnson: Christopher Hitchens, Clueless in a Class by Himself. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Iraqi Bloggers Weigh in on Changing Nation. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Baker, Bush Family Fixer, Will Advise President on Iraq`. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Bush Impeachment - The Illinois State Legislature is Preparing to Drop a Bombshell. Utilizing a little known rule of the US House to bring Impeachment charges. (POSTED: April 25, 2006)

Must Read! Christian Parenti analyzes why GIs continue to fight, even when they oppose the war: When GI Joe Says No. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Abdulkhaliq Hussein supported the war. No more: After three years, after 150,000 dead, why I was wrong about Iraq. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Ahmad Faruqui: Cost-benefit analysis of Iraq War. Through the year 2015, the authors expect the total global costs to reach $1 trillion and benefits to reach $429 billion, yielding a net global loss of $571 billion.... Of course, these are just the US costs. By estimating costs to the coalition countries and Iraq using the Wallsten-Kosec approach, the total global costs work out to $1.710-3.732 trillion. Subtracting the $429 billion benefits, we obtain a global loss of $1.281-$3.303 trillion. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Larry Beinhart: In the Silence, War Continues. Once upon a time we hung people for the crime of waging an aggressive war. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Jonathan Steele: The viceroy of Baghdad. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Ex-CIA official on administration ignoring inconvenient intelligence: A Spy Speaks Out. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Alfred P. Doblin, editorial page editor of the Herald News (NJ): George W. and 'the decider' house rules. First, he was a uniter. Now, he's a decider. George Bush has done more for "er" than George Clooney. (POSTED: April 24, 2006)

Jeremy Scahill: Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater. "Blackwater sent my son and the other three into Falluja knowing that there was a very good possibility this could happen," says Katy Helvenston, the mother of 38-year-old Scott Helvenston, whose charred body was hung from the Falluja bridge. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

"We were actually told," recalls Zovko's mother, Danica, "that if we wanted to see the paperwork of how my son and his co-workers were killed that we'd have to sue them."

Stephen Dick, city editor for The Herald Bulletin in Anderson, IN: White Phosphorous use violates Geneva Convention. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Hamed el-Hmoud in Al-Hayat: Next Iraqi Government and Shiite Militias. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Tom Engelhardt: History Ambushes the Bush Administration. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Stephen Zunes: Iraq Three Years after “Liberation”. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

In Australia: Iraq troop support hits low. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Geoffrey Wheatcroft: Worse Than Bush. Why Tony Blair deserves more blame than the president. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Conservative calls for UK troops to quit Iraq. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Gerard Baker: The Month of Short Spoons will not save George Bush's reputation. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

James Klurfeld: Dems should admit they, too, were wrong on Iraq. (POSTED: April 23, 2006)

Bob Herbert: Our Dirty War. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

David Swanson: Iranian Irony. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Matthew Yglesias: Iran: Don't Do It. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Arnaud De Borchgrave: Eye of Beholder. At least three unofficial Iranian emissaries have been in Washington this spring with the same recommendation: Send a high-ranking current or former U.S. official to Qom for secret talks with Ayatollah Ali Khameini to explore the possibility of a geopolitical deal before Iran passes yet another nuclear milestone. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Boston Globe: The strangest bedfellows. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Louisville Courier-Journal: 'A free-fraud zone'. This sheriff appears to have deliberately locked his deputies and prosecuting witnesses in the holding cell. The most plausible explanation is fear of what they might prove -- and citizens might learn -- about life in a free-fraud zone. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Sami Moubayed: Coup and counter-coup: The struggle for Iraq. Baghdad is swirling with rumors that former prime minister Iyad Allawi is planning a military coup to end the gridlock over the choice of Ibrahim al-Jaafari as prime minister-designate. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Adil E. Shamoo: Permanent US Bases in Iraq are Immoral. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Fox News poll finds Bush approval dropping 3 percentage point in two weeks, 6 points in a month. Now at 33%: Bush Approval at New Low. (POSTED: April 21, 2006)

Mark Morford: Chips down, Bush prepares a Hail Mary bet in Iran. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Greg Mitchell: A Crisis Almost Without Equal. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Savage advocated "kill[ing] 100 million" Muslims. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Russian analyst Mikhail Zygar on the inevitability of war on Iran: A Timely Death. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Joost Hiltermann : External forces on Iraq's new government. The US and Iran should put their interests aside and work together to stabilize Iraq. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Alon Ben-Meir, professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs and is the Middle East Project Director at the World Policy Institute, New York: In Defiance of Mr. Bush. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Could conflict with the US unite Shia Iran with Sunni Arab countries? Many Arabs favor nuclear Iran. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Arab League chief Amr Moussa said on Tuesday policies toward nuclear programs in the region needed thorough review. "These policies which are based on double standards will blow up and escalate this issue and this escalation will not include only Iran and Israel," he said. The Arab League represents 22 Arab governments, from Morocco to the Gulf.

The useless party: As rhetoric builds, Democrats in Congress lie low on Iran. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Most Democratic offices declined to comment for this story. Many said they couldn’t comment because their congressperson was away for Easter recess, though they were eager to talk about other issues or criticize the Bush Administration’s approach. Aides said they weren’t able to speak on the record or on background, and even some who have often commented anonymously in RAW STORY articles did not return calls for comment.

Angus Reid: Most Americans Do Not Trust Bush on Iran. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Floyd J. McKay: Sharing the sacrifice. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

David Corn: Rove on the Stand? (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Pro-war, despite all: Breaking the Mikulski Code!. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Martin Sieff: The cost of keeping Rumsfeld. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Condi Says Number Of US Mistakes Closer To A Billion. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

Down for third month in a row: Bush's Approval Remains Low, Pessimism Grows, Poll Shows. (POSTED: April 20, 2006)

One of the top liars bailing ship. Wants to do more lying for his family: McClellan Out, Rove Leaves Policy Post. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Not very long ago Dahr Jamail was among those denying that Iraq was headed for civil war. he has apparently changed his mind`: The Ongoing War on Truth in Iraq. See also: US version contradicts Iraqi reports of Aadhamiya attacks. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Maureen Dowd: U.S. policy turns radioactive. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Talk about a fearful symmetry. Iran was whipping up real uranium while America was whipped up by fake uranium....

To paraphrase Raymond Chandler, if brains were elastic, these guys wouldn’t have enough to make suspenders for a parakeet.

Richard Clarke and Steven Simon: Threatening Iran: Bombs that would backfire. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Michael Kinsley: Hey, gang! Now let's go help the Iranians! (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Jim Lobe: Roll Call On Rumsfeld. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Jack Random: Designated Fall Guy: Replacing Rummy. Blaming Donald Rumsfeld for the disaster in Iraq is like blaming Robert McNamara for Vietnam. (Somewhere the ghosts of LBJ and Dick Nixon are laughing.) (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Carl Bernstein: Senate Hearings on Bush, Now. In this VF.com exclusive, a Watergate veteran and Vanity Fair contributor calls for bipartisan hearings investigating the Bush presidency. Should Republicans on the Hill take the high road and save themselves come November? (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Pessimism About Iraq Is a Common Thread Among Rumsfeld's Critics and Defenders. Even those who support the Defense secretary see flaws in planning for a postwar recovery. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Ted Galen Carpenter of the Cato Institute: Don't Let Iraq's Sunni-Shia Conflict Spread Through the Mideast. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Stephen Biddle wants the US to stay in order to resolve intercommunal tensions. Its amazing how silly foreign policy experts can be: Seeing Baghdad, Thinking Saigon. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Joshua Holland ask, if the Democrats retake Congress: Then what? Not much, he figures. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Not very long ago Dahr Jamail was among those denying that Iraq was headed for civil war. he has apparently changed his mind`: The Ongoing War on Truth in Iraq. See also: US version contradicts Iraqi reports of Aadhamiya attacks. (POSTED: April 19, 2006)

Juan Cole: Breaking the silence. The overwrought response to John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt's brave paper only confirms its thesis. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

An alternate view on the pro-Israel lobby: Blaming the lobby. As someone who has been facing the full brunt of the might of the pro-Israel lobby in the US, Joseph Massad* explains the deceit behind blaming the lobby for US policies towards the Palestinians and the Arab world. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

White House was told Niger-uranium claims were false before the President uttered them. Yea, they lied: State Department Memo: '16 Words' Were False. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Must Read! Robert Dreyfuss: Iraq War, Round Two. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Missing from the discussion over Iraq in the United States is the growing likelihood that the Bush administration will escalate, not de-escalate, the war. If they do, their goal will be to employ another round of “shock and awe”—namely, massive U.S. military air and ground”—in a desperate effort to tip the balance in Iraq in America’s favor.

Senators push for U.S.-Iran talks. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

The Gallop Poll: Only 4 in 10 Americans Expect Victory in Iraq: Majorities say it was a mistake, and want U.S. troops withdrawn. Interestingly, 44% of Republicans want to withdraw some or all the troops. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Neil Young sets his sights on Bush. He is country rock's biggest icon, and he is angry. Recorded in secret, his forthcoming album savages the war in Iraq. One track says it all: 'Impeach the President.' (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Kevin Zeese: Jim Abourezk on Bush's "Unparalleled Mendacity" and the "Complete Sell Out" of the Democrats: An Interview with the First Arab-American Senator. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Suzanne Nossel: 10 Lessons from the Corporate World for Rumsfeld's Fight to Keep His Job. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Gareth Porter: General reveals rift with Rumsfeld on insurgents when a military assessment at the end of 2004 asserted that the "insurgency" had the support of millions of Sunnis and Rumsfeld and Cheney stuck to the Saddam dead-ender and foreign jihadi delusion. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

Vines' revelation thus provides the first serious evidence of past differences between the US command in Iraq and top US policymakers over the nature of the insurgency and what to do about it.

New York Times writes of the unbuilt health clinics promised the Iraqis: An Unkept Promise in Iraq. (POSTED: April 18, 2006)

During defense of Rumsfeld: General Defends Army Chief Who Spoke Out. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

David Hirst,: Down a dangerous road. Like Lebanon in the '70s, Iraq may be descending into civil war. Worse, it threatens to take the region with it. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Anatol Lieven reviews America's Century of Regime Change From Hawaii to Iraq by Stephen Kinzer: Depose and Conquer. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Among the US establishment: New voices weigh in on Iraq. As doubts rise over the war's handling, the Iraq Study Group aims to be a fresh influence. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Pentagon Memo Aims to Counter Rumsfeld Critics. The Memo in action. Promoted by Rumsfeld: Former Joint Chiefs chairman dismisses criticism of Rumsfeld. See also: General vs. General. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

New York Times: A Bad Leak. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

The White House says Mr. Bush was not aware of that report, and was relying on an assessment by the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency. This is hardly the first time we've been told that intelligence reports contradicting administration doctrine somehow did not make it to Mr. Bush's desk. But it does not explain why he and Mr. Cheney went on talking about the trailers for weeks, during which the State Department's intelligence division — about the only agency that got it right about Iraq — debunked the mobile-labs theory....

Since Mr. Bush regularly denounces leakers, the White House has made much of the notion that he did not leak classified information, he declassified it. This explanation strains credulity. Even a president cannot wave a wand and announce that an intelligence report is declassified.

To declassify an intelligence document, officials have to decide whether disclosing the information would jeopardize the sources that provided it or the methods used to gather it. To answer that question, they closely study the origins of the intelligence to be disclosed. Had Mr. Bush done that, he should have seen that the most credible information made it clear that the Niger story was wrong.

Tim Harper: US strike on Iran could make Iraq look like a warm-up bout. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

Former officials warn against US attack on Iran. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

More Americans feel US should mind its own business. (POSTED: April 16, 2006)

Larry Johnson: Throwing Rummy from the Train. (POSTED: April 16, 2006)

Richard Holbrooke: Behind the Military Revolt. (POSTED: April 17, 2006)

The Right attacks the Generals: A Resolute Fantasy World. In response, Bush followers have publicly speculated about every defamatory motive which could be fueling these Generals -- they have embraced every possible explanation except for the possibility that these Generals might actually hold these views sincerely. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Martin Sieff: Iraq War Dilemmas For US. A thousand dead here and a thousand dead there, and pretty soon people will have to admit there is already a civil war raging in Iraq. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Rumsfeld Told to Step down by His Own Mother. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Jonathan Steel: US allies are behind the death squads and ethnic cleansing. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

With biased wording, 45% support censure, and 33% impeachment and removal: Washington Post FINALLY Polls on Censure and Impeachment. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Molly Ivins: Making (non)sense of it all. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Ellen Goodman: A less than manly scam. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Robert Parry: George W. Bush IS a Liar. (POSTED: April 15, 2006)

Fred Kaplan: The Revolt Against Rumsfeld: The officer corps is getting restless. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Sam F. Ghattas: Parallels – and lessons – for Iraq from Lebanon's civil war. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Occupation and mass killing follow from Imperial ambitions: Historian: Iraq, Afghan Wars Parallel Philippine Invasion; a Long-Hidden War for Empire and 'Nation-Building'. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Richard Armitage: US ex-official urges talks with Iran. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Jim Lobe: Iran Showdown Tests Power of "Israel Lobby". (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Americans Wary of Action on Iran, Gloomy on Iraq, Poll Shows. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Chris Westley provides a right-wing libertarian view: Don't Create a Government in Iraq. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Katrina vanden Heuvel. Haditha, Iraq. (POSTED: April 14, 2006)

Here is the Democratic message on Iran. What the author thinks it should be, not what it will be. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Why is this almost believable? The White House's latest spin on Bush lying about WMD: Bush wasn't in the loop, but pretended he was anyway. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Victory at UC Santa Cruz: Military recruiters, confronted by crowd, leave campus job fair: Anti-war protesters at university block doors to building. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Abdel Wahab Badrakhan in Al-Hayat: The Search for Iraq. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

John Nichols: Bush's Crumbling "Coalition" in Iraq. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

David Ignatius: An Iranian Missile Crisis? (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

The assessment of Iraq Bush didn't want out. The U.S. Embassy in Iraq, in conjunction with military officers, this year produced a confidential report. It concludes that only three of Iraq's 18 provinces are stable. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Robert Dreyfuss: Hawk-Tied Democrats. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Electorally: 2008 Looking Like 1968 says David Corn. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Robert Scheer: Now Powell Tells Us. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Paul Wolfowitz’s Heart of Darkness. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

As McCain moves steadily to the right: Gingrich Criticizes President On Iraq War and Wiretapping. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Rolling Stone: The "Selective Leak". (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

As part of an unfolding campaign, a fourth General speaks out: Retired US Iraq general demands Rumsfeld Resign. (POSTED: April 13, 2006)

Sheikh Hasan al-Zarqani, foreign spokesperson for the Sadr Tendency: Iraq: Standing Firm in Face of the Occupation. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Martin Sieff of UPI on the new American delusion: Belfast, Beirut rules in Baghdad. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

At a high-level Pentagon planning conference on the Iraq insurgency earlier this month two three-star generals attended and new tactics to cut down on IED attacks were much discussed. But participants told UPI that not a word was mentioned about the possibility of a Shiite militia uprising against U.S. forces in Baghdad and southern Iraq.

Iraq After 3 Years of US 'Democracy': Iraqis are dying by the hundreds every week. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Walid Khadduri in Al-Hayat : $18 billion - Iraq's Annual Oil Losses. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

MediaLens continues their attempts to engage IBC: Iraq Body Count - A Shame Becoming Shameful: John Pilger And A Leading Epidemiologist Challenge IBC. [Note: I am quoted in the piece.] (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Retired general's Iraq critique hits a nerve at the Pentagon. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Ivan Eland: Is Veneration of the Military Good for the Republic? NO! (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Jim Lobe: Mind Games Over Iran. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

(POSTED: April 12, 2006)

In Florida: Councilman refuses oath over Iraq war. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Dalack, an appellate lawyer who recently won a seat on the Tequesta Village Council, is refusing to take the oath of office because it requires him to "support, protect and defend" the federal and state governments. To him, that's the equivalent of "blind support" of the war and of Bush administration policies. If Dalack took the oath, he says, he'd have "the blood of all those Iraqi and American kids on my hands."

With One Filing, Prosecutor Puts Bush in Spotlight. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Dan Froomkin: Some Explaining To Do. And: Wild but True?. Craig Gordon and Timothy M. Phelps write in Newsday: "White House and Pentagon officials are using language to describe Iran that is reminiscent of the run-up to the Iraq war -- saying the Pentagon was doing routine 'contingency planning' on Iran that didn't signal a coming attack. "Bush famously said in May 2002 -- when Iraq war planning already had been under way for six months -- that he had 'no war plans on my desk.' Pentagon officials frequently cited contingency planning to explain what the behind-the-scenes preparations were for the March 2003 Iraq invasion." (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

James Cogan: Daniel Pipes and the unfolding civil war in Iraq. He thinks its no sweat if Iraqis kill each other and could have advantages for American interests: “When Sunni terrorists target Shiites and vice-versa, non-Muslims are less likely to be hurt.” ore importantly for Pipes, however, civil war in Iraq would end what he views as the dangerous talk of establishing democracy in Iraq or anywhere else in the Middle East. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Richard Cohen: Vietnam's Forgotten Lessons. (POSTED: April 12, 2006)

Gareth Porter: US Wonks Warming to Iran, Arab Roles in Peace Talks. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Special prosecutor links White House to CIA leak. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Noam Chomsky: U.S. follows footsteps of 'failed states'. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

James Carroll: Iraq and the Legacy of Abraham. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

One of the weakest minds of our generation. We destroyed the country, so we need to stay and destroy it some more: Powell: U.S. made 'serious mistakes' in Iraq. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Bush's Job Approval Rating Hits New Low: Forty-Seven Percent of Americans 'Strongly' Disapprove of Handling of the Presidency. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Fewer Americans Trust Bush on Iraq War. 63 per cent of respondents disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, up five points since March. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

William D. Hartung: Where's 'Real Security'? Not with the Democrat's policy. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Ray McGovern: Blowing Cheney's Cover. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Joan Vennochi: A leaky president. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Scott Laderman: Iraq, Vietnam, and the Bloodbath Theory used as an excuse for maintaining a bloodbath. (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

John Simpson: How predictions for Iraq came true. Just over three years ago, when I interviewed the Saudi foreign minister, I asked him why he thought the US was determined to invade Iraq. He said he had put the same question to Vice-President Dick Cheney. Mr Cheney had replied: "Because it's do-able." (POSTED: April 11, 2006)

Tomgram: De la Vega on the President's Final Jeopardy Question. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Sana Abdallah: From one to a thousand dictators. Keeping in line with dark Iraqi humor, a popular Iraqi joke says: 'Our one tyrant is gone, but now there are a thousand new dictators.' (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Michael Scheuer weighs in: Does Israel Conduct Covert Action in America? You bet it does. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Charles D. Brown who "spent 26 years in the U.S. Air Force as a helicopter rescue and reconnaissance pilot, and eventually as a coordinator of surveillance missions over Iraq’s “No Fly Zones” in the 1990s.... He is running for California's 4th District Seat in Congress": Iraq: A Crisis of Incompetent Leadership. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Justin Raimondo: The People Speak: Are the elites listening? Of course not… (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Democracy Now! Robert Fisk on Iraq, Palestine and the Failure of the U.S. Corporate Media to Challenge Authority. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll: Is Iraq worth it? (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

As if a "government" would make the difference at this late stage: Can Iraqi Pols Make a Deal? A nervous Bush administration wades deeper into Iraqi politics to try to break a dangerous stalemate. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Ahmed Amr: Yellow Think Tanks and Yellow Journalism. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Christopher J. Kelly: Claiming perch above law portends long, painful fall. It all has an eerily familiar ring, but something is very different this time around. We’re no longer talking about a cancer on the presidency, but a presidency that’s a cancer on the nation. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Joel Peskoff: The Credibility Gap. (POSTED: April 10, 2006)

Must Read! Nir Rosen provides needed background on the slide into sectarianism and civil war: On the Ground in Iraq: The roots of sectarian violence . (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

Is the John Kerry of 30 years ago returning? O the one who follows which way the wind blows? Kerry Sharply Criticizes Bush on Several Fronts. "The Bush administration is wondering when Iraq will have a functioning government. I want to know when we're going to have a functioning government." (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

The London Times claims the Niger uranium documents were forged in the Niger embassy in Rome: 'Forgers' of key Iraq war contract named. Josh Marshall points out that the source is the Italian government, which many believe had a role in the forgery and has many reasons to cover it up. (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

Murtha tells City Club the war is lost. (POSTED: April 9, 2006)

Interview: Iraqi blogger Riverbend. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

The Wall Street Journal on Healing Iraq: Iraqi's Blog Chronicles Daily Life of a Nation in Turmoil. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Still fooling 36%: Bush, GOP Approval Ratings Hit New Lows. Democrats have 16% preference for Congress. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Joshua Casteel: Iraq veteran touts pacifism. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Edward S. Herman reviews: Tragedy & Farce: How The American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, And Destroy Democracy by John Nichols and Robert W. McChesney. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

The empire's last warrior. The Bush administration, writes Ayman El-Amir*, has replaced politics with PR. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Claude Salhani: Iraq`s last chance for peace. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Chaim Kaufmann believes the US should help separate the Sunnis and Shia, aid the Shia, and leave: Divided and Conquered, Iraq Descends Into Civil War. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

In Connecticut: GOP centrist caught in the middle on Iraq: Rep. Shays defends support for war in district that leans Democratic. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

So loud, maybe one days we'll be able to hear it: Debate in Congress over Iraq war grows louder. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Author Kinzer Charts 'Century of Regime Change' in his book Overthrow. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Not enough "on the one hand, on the other hand": US media too polarized on Iraq news: panel. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Russ Baker: The Media's Chance At Redemption. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

Latest leak scandal. New York Sun: Bush Authorized Leak to Times, Libby Told Grand Jury. Murray Waas: Libby Says Bush Authorized Leaks. (POSTED: April 7, 2006)

"The War Is Bad for the Economy". Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, 63, discusses the true $1 trillion cost of the Iraq conflict, its impact on the oil market and the questions of whether the West can afford to impose sanctions on Iran. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Gene Lyons on the right-wing smear campaign against, of all people, Jill Carroll. No foul deed is beneath them: No news good enough for right-wingers. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Must Read! Nicolas J S Davies: The enemies of a free Iraq. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

In 1990, U.S. National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft advised against an invasion of Iraq because, sooner or later, there would have to be an election, which “our guys will lose.” The purpose behind all the reactive twists and turns of U.S. policy in Iraq has been not so much to form a sovereign government as to prevent the formation of the government Scowcroft predicted, one that will undermine the primary goals of U.S. policy by asking the U.S. to withdraw its forces or charting an independent oil policy.

Sidney Blumenthal: The tethered goat strategy . Amid an internal crisis of credibility, Condoleezza Rice has washed her hands of her department . (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Robert Parry: A 'Humbled' News Media? [E]ven the tactical retreats by “humbled” pro-war columnists like Cohen have focused on U.S. incompetence in waging the war, not any outrage over the illegality and immorality of invading a country that wasn’t threatening the United States. By failing to expand the criticism of Bush beyond success or failure, the mainstream U.S. news media implicitly embraces Bush’s assertion of a special American right to attack wherever and whenever the President says. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Gabriel Ash: News of Neoconservative Demise are Somewhat Premature. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Noam Chomsky remembers the destruction of Fallujah: U.S. in Iraq: Returning to the Scene of the Crime. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Many Wisconsin voters demand Iraq troop pullout. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Even symbols of Iraqi deaths are destroyed: A display of differences over war: Vandalism alters Holy Cross debate. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Lawrence Pintak: Reflections in a Bloodshot Lens: America, Islam and the War of Ideas. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Another Republican congressman questioning [or seeking reelection]: Gilchrest joins call for debate on Iraq. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Kevin Zeese: An Interview with Norman Birnbaum. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Anthony Gregory reviews Attention Deficit Democracy by James Bovard: American Democracy Indicted. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Lebanon Experience Provides Civil War Pointers. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

I guess better late than never. John Kerry calls for partial US withdrawal [of "combat troops", not "trainers"]: Two Deadlines and an Exit. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Several House Republicans call for debate on Iraq war, breaking with GOP leadership. (POSTED: April 6, 2006)

Tony Karon: The Trouble with Ousting Jaafari. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Baghdad by Night. NPR Baghdad producer JJ Sutherland sends this dispatch from the dark side. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Steve Rendall of FAIR on four who did their job: Wrong on Iraq? Not Everyone: Four in the mainstream media who got it right. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Iraq illusions shattered, with a terrible cost. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Noam Chomsky doesn't buy the Israel lobby argument: The Israel Lobby? James Petras does: Noam Chomsky and the Pro-Israel Lobby: Fourteen Erroneous Theses. So does Justin Raimondo: Israel and Moral Blackmail: The Israel lobby is bringing out the big guns. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Bob Burnett thinks the Democrats have a better plan: Iraq - Finally, the Democratic Position. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

JohnPeebles: Waiting for an End to Iraq. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Republican voters jumping ship on Iraq occupation. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Aziz Huq: In The Dark On Wiretaps. (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Bangor Daily News editorial: Abu Ghraid: Dog Handler As Scapegoat . (POSTED: April 5, 2006)

Breakup not in Israel's interests: Disintegration of Iraq would pose multiple problems for Israel. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Gareth Porter writes on the new stage of colonial warfare: Is US Planning More Attacks on Shi'ite Militias?. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Steve Coll: Deluded. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Patrick Cockburn: Iraq is Splitting. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Ali Allawi, the finance minister, told me that corruption had reached Nigerian levels and that the government is just a parasitic entity living on oil revenues. It's not merely that a percentage of spending disappears into official pockets: entire budgets vanish.

Massoud Derhally: Iraq’s economic abyss. Three years since the fall of Saddam, and US$21 billion later, Iraq’s economy is in chaos. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

How America Lost Iraq. Unembedded reporter Aaron Glantz on what the left didn't want to hear. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

When he arrived in Iraq shortly after the 2003 U.S. invasion, far from finding universal hatred for the U.S., he found scores of Iraqis who welcomed the American troops. The Iraqis talked about how happy they were to finally be out from under the yoke of one of the 20th Century’s worst dictators. Astoundingly, even Iraqis who had their homes destroyed and who were living without any basic services told Glantz that they were thankful for the American forces and President Bush. Not surprisingly, this isn’t what his editors at Pacifica wanted to hear.

US and UK forces establish 'enduring bases' in Iraq. Despite talk of withdrawal 'when the job is done', there are signs that coalition troops will be there for the long term. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

David R. Francis : US bases in Iraq: a costly legacy. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Phil Sands: Like Jill Carroll, I was lucky to live to tell my tale. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Official: Iraq war led to July bombings. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Eric Margolis views the Arab League meeting as: A lost opportunity. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Ghassan Attiyah, Director of the Baghdad-based Iraqi Foundation for Development and Democracy: It's time to tackle Iraq's civil war. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

It's time to tackle Iraq's civil war. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Ehsan Ahrari on the campaign to dump Jaafari: A silver bullet aimed at Iraq's head. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Michael Hirsh: Real and Surreal. Condoleezza Rice went to Baghdad to tell the Iraqis to ‘get governing.’ What she did was highlight the disconnect between the Green Zone and the rest of the country. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Baghdad Blues. For three years, the U.S. has tried to build Iraq's police force. Why it's still a mess. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

John Chuckman: America's brutal tactics. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

New York Times editorial calls upon the Empire to save itself: The Endgame in Iraq. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Iraq is becoming a country that America should be ashamed to support, let alone occupy. The nation as a whole is sliding closer to open civil war. In its capital, thugs kidnap and torture innocent civilians with impunity, then murder them for their religious beliefs. The rights of women are evaporating. The head of the government is the ally of a radical anti-American cleric who leads a powerful private militia that is behind much of the sectarian terror.

Tom Engelhardt: The Hyperpower Hype and Where It Took Us. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Peter N. Kirstein He debated David Horowitz on his campus in Chicago on March 29 on "The Iraq War: In the Classroom and Beyond." These were his remarks on the Iraq war: Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

Joni Balter: Applying classic GOP accountability to the ongoing mess in Iraq. (POSTED: April 4, 2006)

l Jazeera staffer former U.S. Marine Colonel Josh Rushing: Former Marine spokesman describes Iraq war spin. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

US deserter in Canada: Would-be refugee tells of Iraq horrors. A “trigger-happy” U.S. army squad leader shot the foot off an unarmed Iraqi man and soldiers kicked a severed head around like a soccer ball, a U.S. war deserter told an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing Thursday. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

David Ignatius: Courage in Coverage: The Risks in Reporting Real Stories in Baghdad. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Ben Tanosborn: No yellow ribbons from this ex-marine. The question of morality for the troops, or morality for the government, or our own morality, is one that begs not to be asked. Not out loud. And, if morality is not the test, what other choice do we have but to support the troops? (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Laith al-Saud: Iraq is Not in Civil War (Yet): Iraq is Under Occupation. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Charles Pena: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly solutions to the Iraq debacle. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Muslim Children Put Blair on Spot Over Iraq. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Eric Alterman: Prescient and Patriotic: America's Honor Roll "of people in a variety of fields whose prescience and patriotism led them to risk their positions and/or prestige in public life to warn their nation of impending catastrophe." (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Rep. John Conyers: Release the Hadley Memo. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Dan Froomkin: A Compelling Story. Slowly but surely, investigative reporter Murray Waas has been putting together a compelling narrative about how President Bush and his top aides contrived their bogus case for war in Iraq; how they succeeded in keeping charges of deception from becoming a major issue in the 2004 election; and how they continue to keep most of the press off the trail to this day. Yet Froomkin can find not one mention in the corporate press: (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Don Monkerud: George W. Bush: Dishonest and Delusional or Criminal? (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Former US presidential advisor Brzezinski presents plan to quit Iraq. (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

Robert Klose: Americans prefer star-spangled news . (POSTED: April 1, 2006)

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