Bush calls crisis talks as Iraq battles rage

[gate of the sun]

~SNIP~

Residents of Baghdad collect aid for the people of the besieged town of Fallujah, which endured a day of heavy fighting. The town was sealed off earlier by American forces.
Picture: Spencer Pratt/ Getty Images

Thu 8 Apr 2004
CHRIS MARKS
DEPUTY FOREIGN EDITOR


Key points

• President holds urgent talks with Blair and military commanders after battles
• 40 people estimated dead after air strike on Mosque where 12 marines died
• Casualties total at least 230 Iraqis and 30 coalition troops after four days
• Shia spiritual leader condemns coalition approach to militant uprisings

Key quote
"I call upon the American people to stand beside the Iraqi people ... otherwise Iraq will be another Vietnam for America and the occupiers" - Muqtada al-Sadr, militant cleric

Story in full GEORGE Bush, the United States president, held urgent talks with the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and his military and civilian leaders in charge of Iraq yesterday, as coalition troops fought bloody street battles with Iraqi insurgents in the heaviest fighting in the country since the fall of Baghdad a year ago.

Battles raged across Iraq as coalition troops clashed for a fourth day with supporters of the outlawed Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

In Fallujah, up to 40 people are thought to have died when US marines called in airstrikes on a mosque compound. Fighting continued in Ramadi, where 12 marines died in an ambush on Tuesday.

At least 230 Iraqis and more than 30 coalition troops have died in four days of intense fighting against both Shiite and Sunni rebels in a two-front war that is calling into question US plans to transfer sovereignty to Iraqis on 30 June.

... more ...

link: http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=397192004

[Malva Zebrina]

1. guess I am missing something

where exactly is the stupid president holding "urgent talks" with Blair and others, whoever they are?

He is supposedly on vacation in Crawford.

And he apparently thought it urgent yesterday to dress up in costume and pretend he was a baseball superstar. We have seen the pictures of the fool strutting out on the field.

Oh yeah--he then remembered there was great fighting going on in Iraq. Oh yeah--better call Tony and give him the talking points.

and they continue to die--all on his and Blair's lies. May they both never sleep another wink for the rest of their lives.

They , and Powell, are directly responsible for all that is going on there now.

There is no way they can blame anyone else for all of this useless slaughter and loss of life. No way can the buck be passed to Clinton on this one. And we are to believe this idiot actually is in charge of this. That is a funny joke. He is in charge of nothing. He is window dressing. What costume will he dress up in next?

[acmavm]

2. What crisis in Iraq? I heard that things were going quite well. Anyway,

that was the bush* administration's story last week.

[Must_B_Free]

3. PLus they said yesterday

that this was a long scheduled meeting with Blair and had nothing to do with the current situation in Iraq...

[htuttle]

4. Yes.

No.

[are_we_united_yet]

6. Ooooooooh yeah

it was that Bremer fella right?

[wtmusic]

5. al-Sadr holds nothing against the American people

he knows.

[cliss]

7. What on earth could this

man solve? And now he's calling for 'crisis talks'. This is the man who listens to no one but himself.

This is such a joke.

[Ganja Ninja]

13. He won't listen to anybody that doesn't agree with him.

That's exactly the problem here. He came into to office to fix everything even though nothing was broken. He had all the answers or so he thought. The only way to fix things now is to throw him and the rest of his corrupt and incompetent administration out on their asses.

[Voltaire99]

8. Alas, all but the brilliant Byrd, Kennedy, Kucinich and a few others...

...are calling for more troops.

So it's not as if Bush is alone in conspiring to further this madness.

[FlemingsGhost]

9. Anyone know the whereabouts of James Baker?

A crisis, huh? Call in "The Fixer".

Look for him to take the reigns if things get too far out of control...

[dbt]

10. No, we must call upon the Condo Lizard!

After all, she is The Unsticker, according to bu$h. It was but weeks ago that His Majesty told us all that Iraq would belong to Dr. Reissssssssss, that She Who Scowls would be in charge of whipping those nasty Muslims into line.

From AP via the St. Petersburg Times, 11/2/03:

Bush's top foreign policy adviser is now heading a new organization whose name - the Iraq Stabilization Group - attests to the continued violence in Iraq.

The president calls Rice the "unsticker," saying she helps "unstick" problems in Iraq that get caught up in the gears of government.

More here.

Go frown at 'em, Condi. Take a Dim View. That'll fix they ass!

:evilgrin:
dbt

[llmart]

11. Bunch of crap!

He's at his pig farm in Crawford clearing brush. Nothing to see here. Can't be bothered with dying people in Iraq. Gotta throw out the first pitch. Gotta dress up in another costume. Maybe he can pay another little "surprise visit" to our troops in Falluja for Easter and put a fake ham on a platter for another photo op for his campaign???

Friggin' war criminal!

[Triana]

12. the only 'crisis' for gwb is...

...saving his own a** from political ruin because of his own bad judgement - he's looking for someone to bail him out.

He poos his own political panties, then wants someone else to wipe his a** and clean up the mess around him. Meanwhile the rest of his country and the world (that's us) are left covered with his bu$hit because no one wants to clean *that* up.

Typical repub.