Specter can’t justify escalation.
Specter can’t justify escalation.
Today on CNN:
WOLF BLITZER: Can you justify deploying more U.S. troops into what you believe is a civil war?
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA): On this day, for the record, Wolf, I would say no.
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The 3,000th U.S. soldier has died in Iraq.
The 3,000th U.S. soldier has died in Iraq.
“Spc. Dustin R. Donica, 22, of Spring, Texas, was killed Thursday by small arms fire in Baghdad, the Defense Department said.”
UPDATE: Flashback to Tony Snow at the 2,500th U.S. fatality: “It’s a number, and every time there’s one of these 500 benchmarks people want something.”
Lugar: Bush Must Consult Congress Over Escalation Or It ‘Could Get Ugly’
Lugar: Bush Must Consult Congress Over Escalation Or It ‘Could Get Ugly’
Today on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), the outgoing chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said President Bush should have congressional support before he announces any plan for escalation in Iraq. “[I]n the past, the administration has been inclined not to disregard Congress but to not take Congress very seriously. I think this time Congress has to be taken seriously.”
If Bush ignores Congress, Lugar said he should expect “a lot of hearings, a lot of study, a lot of criticism,” and “demands for subpoenas.” Fox host Chris Wallace said, “You’re saying this could get ugly.” Lugar replied, “Yes, it could.” Watch it:
Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Larry Korb, former U.S. assistant secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan, said last week that “Congress should intervene to block another troop surge unless the administration could adequately explain to it why such a policy was necessary.” Read American Progress’ full memo to Congress.
Full transcript: More »
“Few have ever risen so high
“Few have ever risen so high
with so little guile or calculation.” — Vice President Dick Cheney, on former president Gerald Ford.
NBC: Saddam’s Execution Could ‘Fuel The Civil War’
NBC: Saddam’s Execution Could ‘Fuel The Civil War’
Today on Fox News Sunday, Bill Kristol said that Saddam Huissein’s execution “could be a milestone on the way towards a more decent and democratic regime in Iraq.”
On NBC, reporter Richard Engle, who is actually in Iraq, provided a reality check. Engle noted that supporters of Hussein “are not the overwhelming majority of people in this country carrying out attacks against american soldiers or against iraqis themselves.” Moreover, because the execution was “tinged by…sectarian overtones” it could “fuel” the “civil war.” Watch it:
Transcript: More »
Big oil buying government contracts?
Big oil buying government contracts?
“The Justice Department is investigating whether the director of a multibillion-dollar oil-trading program at the Interior Department has been paid as a consultant for oil companies hoping for contracts.
The director of the program and three subordinates, all based in Denver, have been transferred to different jobs and have been ordered to cease all contacts with the oil industry until the investigation is completed some time next spring, according to officials involved.”
President Bush believes in fair trials,
“A chunk of ice bigger than the area of Manhattan
“A chunk of ice bigger than the area of Manhattan
broke from an ice shelf in Canada’s far north and could wreak havoc if it starts to float westward toward oil-drilling regions and shipping lanes next summer.” It was the “largest such break in nearly three decades,” and global warming “likely played a role.”
POLL: Active Duty U.S. Soldiers Disapprove Of Bush Handling Of War, Do Not Support Escalation
POLL: Active Duty U.S. Soldiers Disapprove Of Bush Handling Of War, Do Not Support Escalation
The Military Times released a new poll yesterday of 6,000 active duty U.S. military personnel. The results were revealing. Some highlights:
– Only 35 percent said they approve of the way President Bush is handling the war, while 42 percent said they disapproved.
– 50 percent believe success in Iraq is likely, down from 83 percent in 2004.
– 38 percent believe the United States should send more troops to Iraq. 39 percent believe we should maintain current levels or reduce the number of troops, including 13 percent who support complete withdrawal.
– 72 percent believe the military is “stretched too thin to be effective.”
– 47 percent disagree with President Bush’s mantra that the war in Iraq is part of the war against terrorism, while the same percentage agree.
– Only 41 percent of the military said the U.S. should have gone to war in Iraq in the first place, down from 65 percent in 2003. That closely reflects the beliefs of the general population today — 45 percent agreed in a recent USA Today/Gallup poll.
– 52 percent approve of the overall job President Bush is doing, down from 71 percent in 2004.
– 63 percent say the senior military leadership has the best interests of the troops at heart. That number is lower from President Bush (48 percent) and lower still for civilian military leadership (32 percent) and Congress (23 percent).
Greg Sargent and Steve Benen have more.
106.
106.
Number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq in December, making it the deadliest month for U.S. troops in 2006.
Fox News Pundit: Civil War In Iraq Is ‘Positive,’ Shows America Is ‘Winning’
Fox News Pundit: Civil War In Iraq Is ‘Positive,’ Shows America Is ‘Winning’
Today on Fox News’s Your World with Neil Cavuto, guest host Stuart Varney tried to “put out something positive about Iraq.” He suggested that since Iraq is “now fighting itself,” America is “in a way, winning and preserving our interests.” Watch it:
As the conservative Washington Times notes, a “fullscale civil war in Iraq would likely spread into neighboring countries — something that happened time and over the past century” — and would “conservatively speaking create hundreds of thousands of additional refugees — who would become an additional pool of recruitment for jihadists.”
Transcript: More »
“Grand Canyon National Park is not permitted
“Grand Canyon National Park is not permitted
to give an official estimate of the geologic age of its principal feature, due to pressure from Bush administration appointees. Despite promising a prompt review of its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah’s flood rather than by geologic forces, more than three years later no review has ever been done and the book remains on sale at the park.”
A victory for the Internet.
A victory for the Internet.
AT&T agrees to observe Net Neutrality principles for at least 24 months. Columbia University Professor Tim Wu has more on why deal is a “milestone in the history of the Internet.”
ThinkFast: December 29, 2006
ThinkFast: December 29, 2006
The incoming Senate — including Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) — plan to revisit the issue of “what legal rights must be protected for detainees held in the war on terrorism.” Reid’s spokesman said the senator would “‘would support attempts to revisit some of the most extreme elements of the bill’ including language stripping detainees of habeas corpus rights.”
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman: “[G]overnment by the radical right has been an utter failure.”
The capture of Osama bin Laden is “a success that hasn’t occurred yet,” according to White House Homeland Security Adviser Frances Frago Townsend.
According to a new AP-AOL News poll, Bush is the top villian of 2006, winning “by a landslide.” Bush “far outdistanced even Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader in hiding; and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who is scheduled for execution.” (Bush was also chosen as hero of the year, “by a much smaller margin.”)
Iraq “is in the midst of a housing crisis that is worsening by the day,” but “plans to address the problem are minimal.” While “1.8 million Iraqis are living outside the country, 1.6 million more have been displaced within Iraq since the war began. Since February, about 50,000 per month have moved within the country.” More »
“Many of the American soldiers
“Many of the American soldiers
trying to quell sectarian killings in Baghdad don’t appear to be looking for reinforcements,” the Associated Press reports. “They say the temporary surge in troop levels some people are calling for is a bad idea” and Baghdad “is embroiled in civil warfare…that no number of American troops can stop.”
Bush is busy holding “non-decisional” Iraq meetings
Bush is busy holding “non-decisional” Iraq meetings
at his Crawford ranch. White House advisers say Bush will deliver his Iraq speech “sometime between New Year’s and his State of the Union address on Jan. 23.” “Two defense officials” said yesterday “that some sort of troop increase appears likely,” but the size and nature of the escalation “still has to be worked out.”
Norton sails through the revolving door.
Norton sails through the revolving door.
“Gale Norton is back providing oversight of energy development issues on public lands in the American West, this time as a key legal advisor for a major global oil company. Months after she resigned her cabinet post as President Bush’s Interior Secretary — and then seemed to disappear from public view — the Coloradan apparently has accepted an offer to serve as counsel for Royal Dutch Shell PLC. Shell, one of the world’s largest producers of oil, was also one of the companies that Norton’s Interior Department routinely engaged on matters of drilling in sensitive ecological settings.”
Gerald Ford opposed the Iraq war.
Gerald Ford opposed the Iraq war.
In an interview in July 2004, the former president said he “very strongly” disagreed with the justifications the Bush administration gave for invading Iraq. “I don’t think, if I had been president, on the basis of the facts as I saw them publicly,” Ford said, “I don’t think I would have ordered the Iraq war. I would have maximized our effort through sanctions, through restrictions, whatever, to find another answer.” The interview “took place for a future book project, though he said his comments could be published at any time after his death.”
The National Review finds good news
The National Review finds good news
in Iraq via “a Marine.” One problem: it’s at least a year old and may not be authentic.
ThinkFast: December 27, 2006
ThinkFast: December 27, 2006
“The Bush administration has decided to propose listing the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, putting the U.S. government on record as saying that global warming could drive one of the world’s most recognizable animals out of existence.”
Seven U.S. troops were killed in Iraq yesterday, raising this month’s death toll to 87. December is now the “second deadliest month of the year” for American troops.
Michael Wallace, a former aide to Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), has “asked President Bush to withdraw his nomination” for a seat on the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The withdrawal comes after the American Bar Association, “for the first time in almost a quarter-century, unanimously rated” Wallace to be “unqualified.”
The Pentagon may be preparing for escalation. Army Gen. John Abizaid has requested a “call-forward” force of 3,500 troops to be sent “into Kuwait to stand ready for use in Iraq.” “If we’re going to surge, this makes sense,” a senior defense official said.
Incoming Senate Foreign Relations committee chair Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) opposes the escalation strategy. “I totally oppose the surging of additional troops into Baghdad, and I think it is contrary to the overwhelming body of informed opinion, both people inside the administration and outside the administration,” Biden said. More »
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