Under the Radar Friday July 15, 2005

[soup]

On Monday a report on Iraq was due.

Rumsfeld has until July 11 to produce Iraq benchmarks
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x137744

also mentioned here:

Army study: U.S. facing hard choices
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1620743

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>>The information required is specific and detailed. It includes measures of the security environment, including the number of engagements per day, the count of trained Iraqi forces and more. It orders up indicators of economic activity. It directs Rumsfeld to provide -- either in public or in classified annexes -- an estimate of U.S. military forces needed in Iraq through the end of calendar 2006 and the criteria the administration will use to determine when it is safe to begin withdrawing forces.<<

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It wasn't released. Nothing, not a word - zero, zip, zilch.

DEFENSE SECRETARY DON RUMSFELD FAILS TO GIVE WAR PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Under the provisions of the defense bill, Rumsfeld
was supposed to give performance numbers

WASHINGTON POST -- President Bush is facing an early legal deadline to deliver what he has been most resistant to providing: a set of specific benchmarks for measuring progress toward military and political stability in Iraq.

Two weeks ago, David Broder pointed out that the Bush administration would soon face a congressionally mandated make-or-break moment regarding its Iraq policy: "Under a little-noticed provision of the defense spending bill passed by Congress in May, Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld has until July 11 to send Capitol Hill a 'comprehensive set of performance indicators and measures of stability and security' two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein." The deadline came and went Monday without a peep from DoD.
http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=23144

~credit to DUer norml for posting this information~

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I am not angry. I am not furious. I am LIVID.

The following headlines have been posted at Iraq Coalition Casualties this week. I have edited the list down to events that have occured on and/or after the date of July 11th:


07/11/05 AFP: Detained Iraqis suffocate in police van
Nine Iraqi bricklayers detained by security forces on suspicion of involvement with armed fighters have suffocated to death while held for more than 14 hours in a police van.
07/11/05 AFP: Two soldiers were shot dead in Al-Azisiyah
South of the capital, two soldiers were shot dead as they searched homes near the town of Al-Azisiyah for a fugitive suspect, the army said.
07/11/05 AFPS: Five Soldiers Hurt in IED Attack
Five Task Force Baghdad soldiers were wounded when their patrol of six Humvees struck an improvised explosive device in the Baghdad's Rashid district today, officials reported. The soldiers were taken to a military hospital and treated for their wounds.
07/11/05 AP: Car Bomb Kills 2 Iraqi Soldiers
At 6:30 a.m., a car bomb parked alongside a road exploded as an Iraqi army patrol passed, killing two soldiers and wounding another, al-Shimmari said.
07/11/05 Cox: Benefit helps wounded Fairfield soldier,family
Pfc. Tim Hines, 21, was seriously injured in Iraq on Father’s Day, resulting in the loss of his right leg. He is conscious, but can only communicate by blinking. He also has renal damage to both kidneys. Recently he developed pneumonia.
07/11/05 Dow Jones: Four Bodies Found in Latifiyah
Police said they found four corpses riddled with bullets floating in a river Monday in Latifiyah, about 20 miles south of Baghdad.
07/11/05 Khaleej Times: In other violence overnight
Gunmen also kidnapped a former official of Saddam Hussein’s Baath party in the northern refinery town of Baiji. In Baghdad, two officials from the Shiite-based Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq were shot dead in their car.
07/11/05 Kuna: US troops continue in Operation Sword, two explosions in Iraq
an explosive device blew-up early this morning near a US Army patrol vehicle, the statement said, adding that another explosion took place during a security patrol.
07/11/05 PIS Journal: Twelve Idaho soldiers awarded Purple Hearts
Sgt. Tim Swander, 1-163rd Inf., Spc. Jonathon Pemp, 116th Engr. Bn, Sgt. Kelly Nieskens, 1-163rd Inf., Spc. John Middlemas, 1-163rd Inf., Spc. Nathaniel Loomis, 1-163rd Inf., Sgt. Richard Kivett, 116th Engr., Bn.
07/11/05 PIS Journal: Twelve Idaho soldiers awarded Purple Hearts (cont.)
SSG., Allen Hunt, 1-163rd Inf., Spc. Chet Hoerner, 1-163rd Inf., SSG., Daman Hall, 116th Engr. Bn. SSG., Christopher Grudzinski, TF 1-163rd Inf.. Spc. Mark Cruz, 1-163rd Inf., Spc. Adam Bagley,, 1-163rd Inf.
07/11/05 Reuters : 39,000 killed in continuing violence
NEARLY 40,000 Iraqis had been killed as a direct result of combat or armed violence since the US-led invasion, a figure considerably higher than previous estimates, a Swiss institute reported today.
07/11/05 Reuters: Five civilians killed in Tal Afar
In the troubled northern town of Tal Afar, between Mosul and the Syrian border, hospital officials said five civilians including a child were killed and 18 wounded in shelling overnight. They said it was unclear where the firing came from.
07/11/05 Reuters: Seven Iraqi soldiers killed in checkpoint battle
Insurgents stormed an Iraqi army checkpoint north of Baghdad as dawn broke on Monday, killing seven soldiers, police sources said. Two soldiers and three civilians were wounded in the half-hour gunbattle at Khalis...
07/11/05 S&S: Army studying 1st ID's unusually high rates of TB exposure
Army medical officials are investigating why an unusually high percentage of 1st Infantry Division troops have tested positive for exposure to the lung disease tuberculosis after returning this spring from Iraq.
07/11/05 Tribune-Review: Purple Hearts awarded to four reservists
Staff Sgt. Grant Northrup, Sgt. Ian Beck, Sgt. Thomas Malewski and Spc. Sheldon Stewart were injured Aug. 4, 2003, while riding in a Humvee that was hit by a roadside bomb. Each suffered severe hearing loss, and injuries to the head and legs.
07/12/05 AFP: Iraq PM warns worse is yet to come
Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari yesterday told his violence-weary nation to brace for even larger attacks as insurgents exact revenge on the government for its “success” in rebuilding the country.
07/12/05 AFP: US forces arrest Iraqi Sunni leader
Shaikh Talal Abd al-Karim al-Matar, the head of the Samarra tribal council and chief of the al-Sood, was taken away late on Monday night by US troops from his home in al-Muatasim, east of Samarra...
07/12/05 aljazeera.net: Other killings
In Baghdad, armed men killed an Iraqi police officer who used to accompany the technical undersecretary for the Iraqi interior ministry. In Beiji...armed men assassinated the liaison officer between the US army and the Iraqi police...
07/12/05 AP: Car bomb in northern Iraq kills three in Kirkuk
A car bomb has exploded in the industrial district of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, killing at least three people and wounding 15...car was parked in the southern neighborhood when it exploded as people were passing in the street.
07/12/05 AP: Car bomb, gunmen and land mine claim lives in Iraq
Gunmen today assassinated a police colonel, Amir Mirza, in a market in Baghdad's Wahda district. An Iraqi civilian was killed and nine were wounded in a blast in Tal Afar when someone placed a suspicious object in the trunk of a car and fled the scene.
07/12/05 AP: Iraqi troops said ready to control some cities
Iraqi troops are ready to take control of some cities as a first step toward sending home American and other foreign soldiers, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said Tuesday. But he rejected any timetable for a pullout.
07/12/05 AP: Other Baghdad Attacks
Two roadside bombs struck U.S. and Iraqi convoys north and west of Baghdad, injuring six Iraqi soldiers and damaging one Humvee. In Baghdad, gunmen fired at security guards at a health clinic, killing a policeman and wounding a child, officials said.
07/12/05 AP: Two western Pa. Marines killed in Iraq
Two Marines from western Pennsylvania were killed during fighting in an insurgent stronghold in Iraq, military officials said Monday. Family members were told Kovacicek and Goodrich were killed while taking cover behind a building.
07/12/05 AP: Wounded Warriors Reach Annapolis on Cross-Country Bike Ride
Missing two legs he lost in Iraq, Heath Calhoun is nearing the end of a 4,200-mile, cross-county journey on his hand-propelled bicycle...Stephen Rice, 24, who was injured in Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded in December 2003.
07/12/05 Centcom: TASK FORCE BAGHDAD SOLDIER DIES
A Task Force Baghdad Soldier died of injuries sustained July 11 around 9 a.m. when his patrol west of Baghdad hit a land mine
07/12/05 KRT: Superficial calm settles on Sadr City
On the streets of Sadr City these days, there is a semblance of normalcy - an anomaly in the war-weary capital where neighborhoods' reputations are often based on their propensity for violence and their level of support for the insurgency.
07/12/05 middle-east-online: 14 insurgents killed near Mosul
US military said its forces killed 10 suspected insurgents Monday in clashes in the restive town of Tal Afar in northwestern Iraq. It said four other insurgents were killed the day before after they attacked US soldiers with small arms fire.
07/12/05 Reuters: Pentagon says key Zarqawi operative caught in Iraq
American forces have captured a key operative in the organization of Iraq's al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the top U.S. general said on Tuesday.
07/12/05 Reuters: Saddam's secret police still have long reach
Operating with ruthless efficiency, former Baathist agents are hunting down those who work for, or even voice support for, the new U.S.-backed government, say security experts who monitor the insurgency among Saddam's Sunni Arab minority in Iraq.
07/12/05 Reuters: Security incidents in Iraq, July 12
Gunmen stormed the offices of a construction company in western Baghdad, killing four people and wounding one, police said. The manager of the firm and the director of a human rights charity were among the dead.
07/12/05 Reuters: Security incidents in Iraq, July 12 (cont.)
The headless body of a man was found in Musayyib on Monday morning. An Iraqi was killed when a roadside bomb blew up next to his car in the northern town of Tal Afar, police said. Four women and children were wounded in the blast.
07/12/05 theeagle: Captain awarded Silver Star reflects on battle for Fallujah
Capt. Kirk Mayfield stood on the highway that led to the embattled Iraqi city of Fallujah and struggled to find answers to a question that tormented him on that November day last fall...
07/12/05 Turks.US: 3 injured in clash with Iraqi taxi drivers and police
Three people were injured when Iraqi police opened fire on taxi drivers forcing their way into Basra governorate on Tuesday to protest the ban on right-hand driven cabs.
07/12/05 UPI: Iraqi civilian casualties
An Iraqi humanitarian organization is reporting that 128,000 Iraqis have been killed since the U.S. invasion began in March 2003.
07/12/05 WBAL: Baltimore Soldier Dies Mysteriously In Germany
Sgt. Juwan Johnson left the war zone for check-out in Germany and that's where things went terribly wrong. She reported his family is left searching for answers about what caused his mysterious death.
07/12/05 WPost: Gunmen Kill Human Rights Activists in Iraq
Armed men stormed a house in Baghdad on Tuesday, killing four Iraqi human rights activists and wounding another, a member of the group said. The victims belonged to the local International Organization for Human Rights.
07/13/05 AFP: Car bomb toll now 32
Authorities have revised the death toll from the suicide bomb attack in a Baghdad neighbourhood up from 24 to 32. The victims, most younger than 15 years old...
07/13/05 AFP: Tortured bodies of 11 Sunni Arabs found in Baghdad
Meanwhile, a Sunni Muslim religious official said the tortured bodies of 11 Sunni Arabs, who had been killed execution-style with a bullet to the head, were found in Baghdad Tuesday after having been arrested by police commandos two days earlier.
07/13/05 AFP: US soldiers kill Iraqi soldier in Fallujah
US soldiers shot dead one Iraqi soldier and wounded another when the car they were travelling in failed to stop at a checkpoint in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, the US military said.
07/13/05 Aljazeera: Commander of RIF Dies of Wounds
The commander of a Rapid Intervention Forces unit in Diyala province, Colonel Shalan Abd al-Khaliq, died of injuries he sustained a few days ago when fighters attacked his car.
07/13/05 AP: Car Bomber Kills Iraqi Children
In a separate attack Wednesday, a roadside bomb exploded near an American patrol in eastern Baghdad, killing a 7-year-old child and seriously wounding a woman, police said.
07/13/05 AP: Official - Risk to Guardsmen Exaggerated
The dangers faced by American troops in Iraq have been exaggerated, adding to the difficulty of recruiting soldiers at home, the Army General in charge of National Guard forces said Tuesday.
07/13/05 AP: Three Killed in Two Incidents in Baghdad
Gunmen killed an Iraqi soldier while he was driving in western Baghdad, police said. Two other Iraqi soldiers, including one lieutenant, were killed in a gunfight in another west Baghdad neighborhood.
07/13/05 AP: US Soldier Killed by suicide car attack in Baghdad
A suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle Wednesday near a U.S. vehicle in eastern Baghdad, killing one American soldier and at least seven Iraqi children, the U.S. military said.
07/13/05 Blackanthem: Injured Airman Fights His Way Back to Iraq
Just as Air Force Senior Airman Douglas Batchelder bent over to pick up the fallen keys, a 122-mm rocket tore through his tent, careened off his back, hit the ground and exploded. Batchelder suffered numerous injuries from shrapnel.
07/13/05 Brownwood Bulletin: Soldier recovering after accident in Iraq
Sgt. Kevin Cox, Sgt. Roberto Villareal and Spc. Justin Purcell, were injured in a vehicle accident when their humvee rolled several times during a routine convoy escort mission on June 30.
07/13/05 Christian Science Monitor: Why Iraq oil money hasn't fueled rebuilding
First, the good news: With oil prices at record highs, Iraq is on track to bring in $20 billion or more in oil revenue this year ... But the bad news is that very little of that money will actually be used in the country's stalled reconstruction ...
07/13/05 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Sgt. Timothy J. Sutton, 22, of Springfield, Mo., died on July 11 in Baghdad, Iraq, where his HMMWV struck a land mine. Sutton was assigned to the Army's 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.
07/13/05 Focus: Vehicle of Greek Embassy Fired at in Baghdad
A vehicle of the Greek embassy in Iraq was fired at by unidentified persons in capital Baghdad. The Greek diplomat said that only the driver of the car was inside at the moment of the attack and he was not injured.
07/13/05 KY#: Land mine kills soldier from the Ozarks
A soldier who grew up in near here died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday. Sgt. T.J. Sutton was driving a Humvee when it hit a land mine.
07/13/05 MNF: U.S. Soldier, Iraqi children killed in attack (confirmed)
A Task Force Baghdad Soldier died July 13 from wounds sustained during a car-bomb attack at 10:50 a.m. in east Baghdad .
07/13/05 National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of July 13, 2005
This week, the Army and Air Force announced an increase in the number of reservists on active duty while the Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard numbers decreased. The net collective result is 195 more reservists mobilized than last week.
07/13/05 NYTimes: Assassination Atempt in Baghdad
An assassination attempt was made this afternoon on Abdul Karem Altalakani, the mayor of Rashidiya district in Northern Baghdad. He survived the attempt, but four of his guards, all policeman, were injured.
07/13/05 Reuters: Bomb hits Sunni mosque in Iraq
A bomb has exploded at a Sunni mosque in eastern Iraq, killing two people and wounding 16. Police say witnesses have told them the blast occurred on Tuesday night in Jalowla, near the Iranian border. Six of the wounded are in a serious condition.
07/13/05 Reuters: Suicide car bomb kills 24 in Baghdad
Twenty-four people were killed and at least 18 wounded by a suicide car bomb on Wednesday near U.S. forces in Baghdad, police sources said.
07/13/05 statesmanjournal: Dallas soldier given Bronze Star award
Lt. Col. Dan Hendrickson awarded the Bronze Star to 1st Sgt. Michael Storm during a ceremony for members of the 2-162 at Lane Community College. Assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, the 2-162 patrolled the city in vehicles and on foot.
07/13/05 UPI: Jordan paper: U.N. peacekeepers in Iraq
If international forces could not do anything if they cannot protect themselves, then it should at least provide "a concept for political supervision over the parties that are supposed to protect individuals and guarantee the rule of law."
07/13/05 WBIR: East TN soldier injured in Iraq
Dustin Washam of Huntsville was serving with the Army's Third Infantry Division, and according to his mother, he has been injured and is being flown to Germany for treatment.
07/14/05 ABC7: Marine Injured In Iraq Becomes A U.S. Citizen
Lance Corporal Angel Gomez is at the V.A. Hospital in Palo Alto. He was severely injured by a roadside blast in Iraq. Gomez lost part of his brain and his ability to speak. Today he was able to raise his hand and receive his oath as his family looked on.
07/14/05 AFP: Iraqi soldier killed in Kirkuk
In northern Iraq, a soldier acting as escort was killed when gunmen opened fire on a minibus ferrying civilians to work at army headquarters in the oil centre of Kirkuk, police captain Firas Hamud said.
07/14/05 AFP: Two policemen killed four wounded in west Baghdad
In other violence, two policemen were killed and four wounded when gunmen opened fire on their convoy in west Baghdad.
07/14/05 ANSA: Italian soldier dies in Iraq crash
An Italian soldier was killed and two others were injured in an auto accident in Iraq on Thursday. Sergeant Davide Casagrande died when his patrol vehicle veered off a desert road and overturned .
07/14/05 AP: Baton Rouge Marine awarded Silver Star
Major Jason E. Smith was cited for leading a rescue convoy through Al Fallujah on April 13, 2004, to reach Marines who had been surrounded by enemy forces and needed support to evacuate casualties.
07/14/05 AP: Bodies of 10 men shot in the head found in Baghdad
Security forces have discovered the bodies of 10 men handcuffed, blindfolded and shot in the head, police said Thursday. The bodies of men aged between 25 and 35 were found Wednesday night in the Maamel area on the eastern outskirts of Baghdad
07/14/05 AP: Civilian deaths in Iraq exceed those of military and police
Violent deaths among Iraqi civilians far exceeded those of soldiers or police during the first six months of this year, according to figures obtained Thursday from separate Iraqi government ministries.
07/14/05 AP: Five Iraqi Killed in Baqouba
Police said gunmen killed five Iraqi employees of an American base in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. The shootings occurred while the victims were driving outside the base.
07/14/05 AP: In Other Baghdad Violence
In other violence Thursday, Another group of assailants killed police Capt. Manhal Salim, an expert in defusing bombs. The body of another policeman with gunshots to the head was found late Wednesday, also in western Baghdad.
07/14/05 AP: Standstorms blanket much of Iraq
Flights were cancelled and traffic slowed to a crawl in Baghdad and much of Iraq on Thursday as choking sandstorms swept through a wide area of the country.
07/14/05 BBC: Baghdad rocked by double bombing
Two suicide bombers have struck near the Green Zone in central Baghdad, killing one person and injuring six, Iraqi interior ministry officials say.
07/14/05 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Benyahmin B. Yahudah, 24, of Bogart, Ga., died on July 13 in Baghdad, Iraq, where a vehicle borne improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol.
07/14/05 Joongang: Mongolian soldiers to join Zaytun forces
Mongolian soldiers are to provide security alongside South Korean soldiers for officials working in a UN building to be built near South Korea's base camp in Iraq, U.S. military sources said yesterday.
07/14/05 KRT: Amidst Doubts, CIA Hangs on to Control of Iraqi Intelligence Service
The CIA has so far refused to hand over control of Iraq's intelligence service to the newly elected Iraqi government in a turf war that exposes serious doubts the Bush administration has over the ability of Iraqi leaders to fight the insurgency.
07/14/05 KRT: General contradicted his sworn testimony on Pentagon, Abu Ghraib
An Army general who has been criticized for his role in the treatment of prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has contradicted his sworn congressional testimony about contacts with senior Pentagon officials.
07/14/05 manoramaonline: Italy not to reduce troop strength in Iraq
"Terrorists will not succeed in weakening Italy's determination", Italian Defence Minister Antonio Martino said after a meeting with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon.
07/14/05 Reuters: Gunmen kill three policemen near Kirkuk
Near the northern oil capital of Kirkuk, where ethnic tensions between Arabs and Kurds are running high, gunmen killed three policemen and wounded two when they shot up their car in the town of Rashad.
07/14/05 Reuters: Iraqi police capture failed suicide bomber
It is rare for forces in Iraq to capture people they know are involved in suicide bombing. They will be anxious to gather what intelligence they can, though it is equally likely the bomber knows little of the men who sent him on his mission.
07/14/05 Reuters: Loud explosion, fire hit central Baghdad
A loud explosion shook central Baghdad late on Thursday, sending a pall of oily black smoke into the night sky and flames that could be seen from half a mile away.
07/14/05 Reuters: Security incidents in Iraq, July 14
A policeman was killed and another wounded after gunmen shot them in the southern city of Basra, police said. Gunmen opened fire on a four-man crew of the state television station Iraqiya wounding Three journalists.
07/14/05 Reuters: Suicide barrage on Baghdad government compound leaves two dead
At least two suicide bombers attacked an entrance to Baghdad’s Green Zone government compound on Thursday, killing two bystanders and wounding 13.
07/14/05 Reuters: Two Police, One Soldier Killed in Seperate Attacks
A roadside bomb kills two policemen between the towns of Samawa and Diwaniya, police said. Gunmen killed an Iraqi army soldier and seriously wounded another female soldier in central Kirkuk in a drive-by shooting.
07/14/05 UPI: Oil revenue theft adds to problems in Iraq
The huge jump in oil prices should be a boon for Iraq's reconstruction, but a large part of the revenue is being siphoned off by smugglers and thieves.
07/15/05 AFP: 2 Iraqi soldiers killed in Al-Sharqat
In northern Iraq, two Iraqi soldiers were killed and one wounded when a suicide bomber, driving a motorbike, rammed a checkpoint in Al-Sharqat, 200 kilometres (120 miles) north of Baghdad, the army said.
07/15/05 AFP: Fighting Reported in Samarra
US troops were fighting insurgents on the streets in Samarra. Armed with Kalashnikov rifles, RPG's and mortars, the rebels were openly patrolling the streets of the Muhtassem neighbourhood as explosions and automatic weapon fire echoed around the town.
07/15/05 AFP: Four Civilians Wounded in Baiji
In the key refinery town of Baiji, four civilians were wounded when their car hit a roadside bomb, police said.
07/15/05 AFP: Iraq insurgents kill at least two, wound 15
At least two people were killed and 15 wounded, including two US soldiers, as a series of insurgent attacks rocked Iraq, Iraqi and US officials said.
07/15/05 AFP: Three Iraqis Killed in Latifiyah
Three people were killed and three wounded when gunmen opened fire on their car in Latifiyah, in the so-called Triangle of Death south of Baghdad, police added.
07/15/05 AP: Napoleon soldier dies in training accident
A local soldier in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, Pfc. Gregory B. Wertz, 19, was killed accidentally Wednesday during a live-fire training exercise at Fort Campbell, Ky., the Army said yesterday.
07/15/05 AP: Troops raid targets in Baghdad
U.S. officials said American and Iraqi forces raided suspected "terrorist safe houses" in the Ghazaliyah and the Abu Ghraib districts Thursday. The areas are two of the most dangerous in the city.
07/15/05 Bloomberg: Suicide Bombings Kill 15 Civilians, 5 Iraqi Soldiers (update)
At least 20 people were killed, including five Iraqi soldiers, when suicide car bombers detonated explosives in Baghdad today, the U.S. military said. A total of 17 civilians and six Iraqi soldiers were wounded.
07/15/05 CENTCOM: TWO MARINES KILLED NEAR TREBIL
Two Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, II MEF (Forward), were killed in action July 14 when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Trebil, Iraq.
07/15/05 CNN: Other developments in Iraq
Two Iraqi civilians were killed in separate incidents Thursday. One died in an insurgent mortar attack near a military checkpoint in Tal Afar. Another Iraqi civilian was killed after failing to slow his car as he approached a patrol in Mosul.
07/15/05 IBS: Local Soldier Wounded In Iraq Dies
Timothy Hines, 21, lost his leg on Father's Day when his convoy hit a land mine. Hines was a gunner on the back of a tank. He died Thursday after emergency surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
07/15/05 NYTimes: 8 Months After U.S.-Led Siege, Insurgents Rise Again in Falluja
Transformed into a police state after last winter's siege, this should be the safest city in all of Iraq. But the insurgency is rising from the rubble nevertheless....
07/15/05 Reuters: Car bombs on Iraqi patrols kill 6, wound 23
The first struck in northern Baghdad, killing six and wounding 15, the source said, requesting anonymity. Vehicles were destroyed and bodies charred making it difficult to identify whether they were troops or civilians.
07/15/05 Reuters: Five blasts reported in Baghdad suicide bomb spate
Five suicide car bombs blew up in different locations across Baghdad within hours of each other, including two attacks on Iraqi military patrols that police sources said killed six people and wounded more than 20.
http://icasualties.org/oif/news.aspx

~Please Note: Headline list used only after receiving permission from Michael at Iraq Coalition Casualties~ Thank you so much for the service you provide.

and from Rumsfeld? NOTHING

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Six coalition deaths reported since Monday. Six.
Five American troops have died. Five.
http://icasualties.org/oif/prdDetails.aspx?hndRef=7-2005

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What the hell is going on, Rumsfeld? You are responsible. HOW DARE YOU so blatantly disregard the deadline for a Congressionally Mandated Status Report? This failure is nothing short of criminal negligence.

Yes, I understand there is a whole pile of other issues that need attention right now. Yes, I know there are 'loud' headlines this week, so there's no surprise this has received no attention. Yes, I need to calm down considerably before I blast congress and the media - it's impossible to be even remotely coherent while blinded by tears of rage.

As far as I'm concerned, this crosses all political lines - doesn't matter if you carry an (R) or a (D) behind your name, neither does whatever category anyone places themselves under regarding the war in Iraq - from 'Yeehaw!' to 'should have never attacked in the first place'. We're there. That's a fact. The deadline for the detailed and specific status report was Monday, July 11, 2005. That's a fact.

In the name of the law, in the name of our troops, in the name of the citizens of Iraq, the failure of the DOD to provide the detailed status report as dictated by law is not only untenable, it's a crime.

[havocmom]

1. dog ate his homework?

Recommended

[soup]

2. Thank you havocmom.

:hi:
I'm slightly peeved.

and Rumsfeld? THAT dog won't hunt. :grr:

[havocmom]

4. it'a a good post. Rummy's derilection of duty should NOT slip under radar

We might wanna get vocal on this.

Good LTTE fodder for those who have not used up the one letter per month per person limit at most papers. ;)

[soup]

8. Working on it.

But I really need to calm down a notch or two first so I don't sound like the raving lunatic that I am.

[havocmom]

13. If you are doing letter writing, there are lots of editor wanna-bes around

who will jump in to iron out the finer points if you are anger when you write ;)

[dogday]

11. Yup

good work nominated

[sabra]

3. maybe he thought nobody would notice?

I totally understand your outrage! But Rummy's actions don't surprise that much anymore...

[soup]

9. criminal negligence, sabra.

Nothing less.

Thank you for your post. I'm not surprised, either - but dammit, I'm beyond angry.

[Just Me]

5. Since he's responsible for so much torture and death and destruction,

,...has he earned the label of "evil, ruthless dictator"?

The BushCo/neoCON occupation of Iraq has created hell on earth for those who had no responsibility for any violence against our people.

[soup]

10. Right there with you, Just Me.

Tears of rage. In solidarity.

[wli]

6. brilliant

Losing helicopters in in Afghanistan, getting overrun by hordes of suicide bombers in Iraq, ratcheted-up "tension" with Iran, and now the Sino-Russian alliance (for lack of a better name) is threatening to nuke if we touch Taiwan.

If we don't frog march the chimp ASAP we're in deep trouble.

[soup]

12. Ah, wli, what can I say?

I am so afraid right now. Completely overwhelmed by it all. Forcing myself to focus on something/anything is almost impossible.

As a mom, I'm used to being able to comfort, to say the right words to make things better. I'm so sorry I don't have those words for you. The only thing I have to offer is 'fight back'.

Rumsfeld - Criminal Negligence. Pass it on. Period.

[The White Tree]

7. The Story that worried me most in these was this -

07/13/05 AFP: Tortured bodies of 11 Sunni Arabs found in Baghdad
Meanwhile, a Sunni Muslim religious official said the tortured bodies of 11 Sunni Arabs, who had been killed execution-style with a bullet to the head, were found in Baghdad Tuesday after having been arrested by police commandos two days earlier.

That doesn't sound good. We liberated them from Sadam for what again?

[soup]

14. There's so many, The White Tree.

So hard to just read through that list of headlines, let alone the full articles. The death, the destruction, the pain.

Rumsfeld - Criminal Negligence

Help me here, please. Help them. In their name. Don't let this stay under the radar. Write your congress critter. Blast the media.

[The White Tree]

16. I been tryin

Here's a samplin of letters I've sent to the NYTimes that never saw the light of day (I did get one published) I can't link to the actual Op-Eds they refer too. Too many, but use any ideas if you like..

One of the things I don’t get about the Bush Administration’s strategy for Iraq is its refusal to set a timetable for withdrawing American forces. In refusing to do this a rationale we are given is that it would allow terrorists to lay low and wait us out. But isn’t that what we want?
If we said we were leaving in 2 years and used those 2 years to build up Iraq’s infrastructure, it’s army and used the opportunity to win the hearts and minds of the people while the terrorists lay low, wouldn’t that be worth it?
Our present course plays into their hands; we provide them a rallying cause. As long they believe we won’t leave the belief they need to drive us out will persist. Saying we are leaving may convince enough people who want us gone to pitch and make that happen rather than fighting us.

You say President Bush's critics can (should) put aside their anger at the administration for its hubris, its terrible planning and its inept conduct of the war in return for a frank discussion of where to go from here. I have one suggestion.
President Bush and Donald Rumsfeld should begin preparing an exit strategy immediately; an exit strategy for Mr. Rumsfeld that is. He was the hubris behind this war and the terrible planner. It was he who claimed that “old” Europe had no place in Iraq if they didn’t join the war effort at the start; one of the root causes of lack of support today.
Donald Rumsfeld said the insurgency could last up to 12 years. If this war is to last that long in Iraq, shouldn’t Mr. Rumsfeld immediately, given his advanced age, start preparing a successor who will be able to seamlessly take his place?

The irony of the President is he says the right thing but means it in the wrong way. When he said decades of American presidents' ''excusing and accommodating tyranny, in the pursuit of stability'' in the Middle East inflamed the hatred of the fanatics who piloted the planes into the twin towers on Sept. 11 he was right.
However, he got the tyrants wrong. It was our policies with Saudi Arabia that inflamed terrorist hatred of America. Our assistance of Saddam Hussein during the Reagan-Bush years, followed by a swift reversal before the Gulf War allowed them to build their case. The rally cry that galvanized the terrorists was the stationing of US troops in or around Muslim holy cities in Saudi Arabia during that war.
Now the President has exacerbated the situation by invading Iraq. What’s that saying; the road to hell is paved with good intentions.


Thomas Friedman makes the following statement about the Untied States, “We think that all we need to do is show up and everyone else will fold - because, after all, we're just competing with ourselves.”
That statement most accurately describes our countries thinking with regard to Iraq. We expected the Iraqi’s to fold and all the arguing amongst ourselves was not over what was best for the Iraqi people, but whether our actions would win the hearts and minds of our own people. Only later were we told that this would be “hard work”.
That’s a typical sales pitch in America, particularly in American politics and business – buy now; pay later. Perhaps that is why the rest of world is leaving us behind. They’ve seen the shallowness in our message or perhaps they realize that America is just a small part of the world after all.

It is interesting the dichotomy of thought that exists in the Republican Party today. When a Republican President proposed a strategy of pre-emptive war counter to 200+ years of tradition, there was no outrage. When Republican state legislatures broke with tradition to redraw district lines to produce a majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives, where was the outcry? But when Democrats break with tradition in the Senate to try to force the majority to give them meaningful input into the judicial nomination process, then there is outcry and concern about tradition from prominent Republicans like Bob Dole. If Senate Republicans want to destroy their checks and balances authority for the sake of partisan causes or because they fear the majority President, I say let, them. It is that type of entrenched arrogance and cowardice that lead to the creation of America long ago. The American people realize that.

This is the one that got published:

Ensuring a successful outcome in Iraq should be the hope and desire of all freedom-loving people. Sadly the misadministration of this war, from the false pretenses required to sell it to conservative America to the inability to demonstrate that there are no hegemonic motivations behind it, has greatly imperiled success. Democrats by all means should be involved in the process. Many probably are; even nay-saying has its value. However, when leadership from Republicans on Iraq too often seems either misguided or over-dosed with self-congratulatory hubris (stained GOP finger-wagging comes to mind), I can think of one Democrat in particular whose voice would be welcome right now. Had things gone slightly differently, John Kerry would be the one responsible for seeing Iraq through. Now is the time for Mr. Kerry to step up and lead on Iraq the way he would have had he been elected president.

[faithnotgreed]

19. exactly so soup (and white tree and everyone). they have perpetrated

everything imaginable and that which we could never imagine

thank you so much
all of you

another thing people can do is support vfp - they are having a national convention in dallas this august
they are trying to help end this destruction

www.veteransforpeace.org

prayers for everyone who have suffered under this regime

[LSK]

15. the Bush admin breaking a promise and getting away with it?????

Sounds like business as usual to me...

[newyawker99]

17. kick

:kick:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. Well, everybody knows everthing is hunky-dunky in Iraq. 'cept the Iraqis.

No need to trouble congress with details of how well everything is going. Besides, it might interfere with their obligation to keep funding the glorious victories that are being achieved by our magnificent military.

Do I need to add the /sarcasm thingy?

[soup]

20. In their own words,

by their own hands, Congress directed Rumsfeld to deliver the report. All I'm asking (yeah, I know, ~sigh~ I probably need sarcasm tags, too) is they act to enforce it.

-

Here's a floor statement made by Rep. Moran:

CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1268, EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR DEFENSE, THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR, AND TSUNAMI RELIEF ACT, 2005

The United States House of Representative

May 4, 2005

Section 29

>>Rep. James Moran : Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference committee report. But, Mr. Speaker, the American people whose sons and daughters are fighting this war and the senior military officers who are directing this war deserve to know what the White House will consider to be success in Iraq.

Now, this conference committee report includes language that would require the administration to fully evaluate the situation in Iraq and provide the Congress with measurable, achievable criteria, including the following: an assessment of the number of troops it will take to secure the peace and how those troops would be rotated; key measures of political stability, such as ratification of a national Constitution and permanent national elections now scheduled for next year; the estimated strength of the Iraqi insurgency and the extent to which it is composed of nonIraqi fighters; the operational readiness of Iraqi military forces, including the type, number, size, and organizational structure of Iraqi battalions that are capable of conducting counterinsurgency operations independently;

The fact is that our long-term presence in Iraq will only give our enemies in the region a greater ability to recruit terrorists and build public support for violence. That is the opposite of our objective there. I do think it is past time to lay out for the American people what is our strategy for success. This language that is included in the report will require the Secretary to report no later than 60 days after the enactment of the supplemental and every 90 days thereafter. That is progress.

We support our troops. We have to complete this mission, but we also need to work together. The fact is, the American people whose sons and daughters are fighting this war do not have the ability to require this of the administration, nor do the senior military officers. It is our responsibility, and I am glad that this Congress is committed to performing that responsibility. On balance, it is a good bill, and I support it.<<
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-h20050505-29&bill=h109-1268

[Karenina]

21. American citizens have allowed the word

A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y to be deleted from their lexicon.

Nuclear is henceforth to be pronounced NU-KU-LAR.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. Preceded, of course, by PUR-VEN-TU-TIVE or PUR-EM-TIVE.

and followed by STRIKE on EYE-RAN.

[Hissyspit]

23. And where are the add'l Abu Ghraib photos...? n/t

[soup]

24. They filed for an extension and an emergency fund

to purchase more scissors and permanent markers to redact content before release - in order to protect the identities of all involved as per the Geneva Convention rules.

:banghead:

Seriously, Hissypit - You got it. Exactly. That's what I'm talking about here. Accountability. Responsibility. They sure can spout it, but have shown very little proof that they can walk the walk.

[Hissyspit]

25. Of course, they did! n/t

[soup]

26. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Really having problems with this. Hope I can get some help. I've cut this down from a book-length tirade on the entire mess in Iraq. Edited and cut, edited and cut. It's still too long. Too wordy. It's not a letter to the editor, it's a nightmare. Don't quite know what to do to shorten it. Scrap it all and start over, Again?

Help please! :

Criminal Negligence, Dereliction of Duty or Contempt of Congress?

On Monday, July 11, 2005, under the provisions of the of the defense spending bill passed by Congress in May, the Secretary of Defense was mandated to deliver the first of a series of detailed status reports on Iraq operations. It was to be a 'comprehensive set of specific benchmarks for measuring progress toward military and political stability' in Iraq.

According to Rep. James Moran's (D-VA) statement in the House of Representatives on May 4, 2005, "this conference committee report includes language that would require the administration to fully evaluate the situation in Iraq and provide the Congress with measurable, achievable criteria, including the following: an assessment of the number of troops it will take to secure the peace and how those troops would be rotated; key measures of political stability, such as ratification of a national Constitution and permanent national elections now scheduled for next year; the estimated strength of the Iraqi insurgency and the extent to which it is composed of nonIraqi fighters; the operational readiness of Iraqi military forces, including the type, number, size, and organizational structure of Iraqi battalions that are capable of conducting counterinsurgency operations independently.".

The deadline came and went with nary a word from the Department of Defense.

Just scratching the surface during the week since July 11th - 9 American troops, 1 Italian soldier, 3 British soldiers, dozens of Iraqi soldiers and policemen, an Iraqi judge, 3 guards for the Iraqi President, and over 200 civilians (nearly 100 townspeople in Musayyib, alone) have been killed by violence in Iraq. For each death, many, many more have been wounded, some grievously. On Thursday, an American soldier wounded in June died from his injuries.

The insurgency is rising in Fallujah again, and U.S. troops are fighting in the streets of Samarra. It has been a week of mortar attacks, car bombs, roadside explosives, execution-style killings, suicide bombers, death, destruction, heat and sandstorms. There is sewage in the streets of Baghdad, water is not available for days at a time, electric service is sporadic and unreliable and explosions are a daily occurance.

Recruitment goals are not being met. Our children are being hounded at their schools. Members of the IRR are being called back to duty. There is talk of reinstating the draft. Many of our troops are on their third rotation in Iraq. The dead are brought home in secrecy under cover of night. The wounded fill our already overtaxed V.A. hospitals and clinics. A marine from Chicago is charged with having his cousin shoot him in the leg to avoid returning to Iraq.

During a television interview on Sunday, June 27th, Secretary Rumsfeld said, "The task for the president and the government and the military leadership is to show that progress is being made, which it is: political progress, economic progress and security progress. I mean, there's no question but that the Iraqi security forces are getting better and better and have the confidence of the Iraqi people.".

Yes, Mr. Rumsfeld, it is your task. It is your responsibility. It is your congressionally mandated duty. Do it. Pretty words and 'made for television' generalities are not enough. Saying there's 'no question' doesn't make it so. Our troops and the people of Iraq deserve better.

--

Falls under the 'don't get me started' category... and I just can't stop myself.