Iraq - Quickhits
Zalmay Khalilzad ambassador to Iraq said the US has opened a Pandora's box in Iraq and that a regional war may be in the offing. His solution, of course, is more troops.
In a huge setback, the WaPo reports the one effective Iraqi general has just been killed.
In the IHT (the NYTimes int'l version) there's this little bit that didn't seem to get the same play in the US version:
80 percent of Americans think an Iraqi civil war is more likely. Also, 3 months since the "Strategy for Victory" tour, "Two-thirds of those interviewed said they do not think the president has a clear plan for handling the Iraq situation, the highest level of doubt recorded since the question was first asked three years ago."
And, the effort by Kurdish president Talabani to call parliament to session on March 12 failed, after the Shia vice president refused to sign off. The issue of contention is still Jaafari as eventual leader of the government. The Kurds and Sunnis say he has done too little to stop the militias. Bottom line, there is still no immediate prospect for a government in Iraq.
Last, and in the Iraq post just for the parallel, ABCNews is reporting that the US is finding IED's that it alleges were made in Iran. From what I can tell reading this, the evidence is that they are all made the same way, but there's no evidence they were made the same way in Iran.
Awfully convenient a couple days before the UN meeting on Iran. I guess with Libby and Judy Miller gone, they had to go to the ABCNews B-team to get a story planted.
I hate the catchall posts, but it seemed the best way.
(And, fellow locals, remember to vote in your Texas Primaries today.)
In a huge setback, the WaPo reports the one effective Iraqi general has just been killed.
Maj. Gen. Mubdar Hatim Hazya al-Dulaimi was one of the highest-ranking members of the new Iraqi army to be killed in insurgent violence. Under his leadership, the 6th Iraqi Army Division has been gradually assuming control of parts of the capital from U.S. forces.
In the IHT (the NYTimes int'l version) there's this little bit that didn't seem to get the same play in the US version:
For much of the war in Iraq, U.S. military commanders have said their most important mission here was to prepare Iraqi security forces to take over the fight against the Sunni- led insurgency. But with the threat of full-scale sectarian strife looming larger, they are suddenly grappling with the possibility that they have been arming one side in a prospective civil war.
80 percent of Americans think an Iraqi civil war is more likely. Also, 3 months since the "Strategy for Victory" tour, "Two-thirds of those interviewed said they do not think the president has a clear plan for handling the Iraq situation, the highest level of doubt recorded since the question was first asked three years ago."
And, the effort by Kurdish president Talabani to call parliament to session on March 12 failed, after the Shia vice president refused to sign off. The issue of contention is still Jaafari as eventual leader of the government. The Kurds and Sunnis say he has done too little to stop the militias. Bottom line, there is still no immediate prospect for a government in Iraq.
Last, and in the Iraq post just for the parallel, ABCNews is reporting that the US is finding IED's that it alleges were made in Iran. From what I can tell reading this, the evidence is that they are all made the same way, but there's no evidence they were made the same way in Iran.
Awfully convenient a couple days before the UN meeting on Iran. I guess with Libby and Judy Miller gone, they had to go to the ABCNews B-team to get a story planted.
I hate the catchall posts, but it seemed the best way.
(And, fellow locals, remember to vote in your Texas Primaries today.)
posted by mikevotes at
8:28 AM
2 Comments:
Do IED's not have a label to discern their origins for sure? OK. I am being cranky again. But this just takes the neurotransmitters in my brain and exhausts them. We keep looking at information and expecting other people to draw reasonable conclusions and then we are surprised when they do not. Its like hearing the same joke every day and laughing. Why can't I accept that the world's gone mad?
"See, the earth is round."
"No, it's not"
"Yes it is."
By
Anonymous, at 9:53 AM
The IED's showed manufacturing similarities which strongly implied they were made in the same shop or by the same person or persons. How they got from that to Iran, I don't know except that it's politically expedient right now.
And, Leslie, I'm kind of mixed on Delay. Honestly, in that district, Lampson would probably lose to a cactus if it had the (R) after it on the ballot, but he has a real shot at beating Delay because of everything.
Also, I think Delay would be a drag on the national tickets, and we might have the grand moment of Delay later withdrawing from the race.
On the downside, it looks like the Republicans there support him, and their is a reasonable chance that he could win reelection.
So, the purist in me wants him gone, but the political side of me thinks it might not be too bad for the Dems if he won the primary.
Fortunately, I'm two districts over so I don't have to make up my mind.
Also, in Texas, if you're registered as an independent, you can vote in either primary, so, I'm going to go vote against Rick Perry today. (most of my dem races aren't competitive.).
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 11:14 AM
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