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Archives: September 2008
Al-Maliki: US Cannot Afford to Stay; Physicians to Carry Weapons
In an interview with the Associated Press, PM Nuri al-Maliki warned that the future is dark if Iraq and the US do not agree on a security pact. And without a pact,…Karzai: Civilian Gov’t of Pakistan better against Terrorism; Pakistan Bajaur Campaign Leaves 15 Dead
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai believes that the new civilian government will take more effective steps against the Pakistani Taliban on the Afghan border. This stance is the opposite of that of John…Kaptur: Playing Wall Street Bailout
Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) on how the Reality Game, "Wall Street Bailout," is played: See also Chalmers Johnson at Tomdispatch.com on the Pentagon Bailout Fraud.Bombings in Baghdad Kill 34, Wound 100; Arab-Kurdish Violence in Diyala
A wave of deadly bombings and other attacks swept Baghdad on Sunday, killing nearly three dozen persons and wounding over 100.The attacks on Shiite neighborhoods were likely intended to remind the Iraqi…Daragahi: Damascus Bombing Payback from Radical Sunnis
These bombings in Baghdad follow a major such attack in Damascus, Syria, which was probably carried out by radical revivalist Sunnis ("Salafis") to punish the Syrian regime for cracking down on their…Obama Won: Gallup/USA Today Poll; 52% Say Obama best to Fix Problems, vs. 35% for McCain
In addition to those two snap polls done just after the debate on Friday by CNN and by CBS, there is now further evidence that Obama won the first debate handily. A…Saudi Oil Moguls fear Hybrid Cars
Saudi Arabia wants lower petroleum prices. As a country with enormous reserves, Riyadh would like to preserve their value. In contrast, countries like Algeria with relatively shallow reserves want to get top…Iraqi Hopes for US Troop Withdrawal
One of the things that struck me about Friday night's debate on the time line for troop withdrawal was that McCain appeared to believe that how long US troops remain in Iraq…Palin Says She did Not Have Money to Travel in Youth; But She went to College in Hawaii!
On seeing this part of the Couric interview of Palin, I suddenly remembered something about her:' Couric: In preparing for this conversation, a lot of our viewers … and Internet users wanted…Debate Fact Check 5
About that claim by McCain that he warned about the mortgage crisis:McCain: "But -- but let me -- let me point out, I also warned about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and…Debate Fact Check 3
Did Henry Kissinger advise direct talks with Iran at the highest levels?Yes.Kissinger gave an interview with Bloomberg Television News Service on March 14, 2008:' "One should be prepared to negotiate, and I…Debate fact-check 2: The Surge
In the debate, McCain promised 'victory' in Iraq and praised the surge.First of all, it isn't 'victory' if Baghdad's best hospital doesn't even have working elevators any more.Second of all, the violence…Fact-Checking 1
Fact-checking the debate (transcript available here).For Pakistan and the controversy over McCain's ridiculous assertion that Pakistan was a 'failed state' in 1999 when Musharraf made his coup, see my "McCain's Holiday from…Debate Fact Check 4
McCain said in the debate:' So we have a long way to go in our intelligence services. We have to do a better job in human intelligence. And we've got to --…CBS Poll of Independents: Obama Won
Keith Olbermann just read out the results of a snap poll of 500 uncommitted voters commissioned by CBS News just after Friday night's presidential debate:(The snap poll is here):Obama won: 40%Tie: 38%McCain…
Palin’s Russian Roulette
On being a Russia expert by virtue of contiguity:"We have trade missions back and forth," Palin told Couric. "We, we do, it's very important when you consider even national security issues with…US Helicopters Fired on By Pakistani Troops
Pakistani troops fired on US military helicopters on Thursday. Pakistani officials insisted that the helicopters, which were not hit, had strayed into Pakistani territory. The Pentagon denied this charge. President Asaf Ali…McCain Rushes Campaign to Nowhere
Mao Zedong announced the adage by which John McCain is clearly living now: "The enemy advances, we retreat. / The enemy camps, we harass. / The enemy tires, we attack." Mao was…Cole in Salon: Bashing Ahmadinejad
My column is out at Salon.com: "Obama goes over the top in bashing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:"Once again, U.S. politicians, including both Sarah Palin and Barack Obama, pile on the Iranian president. Why does…McCain admits Country has no current President
McCain says he will suspend his political campaign on Thursday morning and is calling for a cancellation of the debate.Joe Barton (R-Texas) just came on CNN and said there are not 50…Palin wasTalking with Karzai about his Son!
You know those ballyhooed meetings of Sarah Palin with world leaders? What if they weren't even talking about foreign policy? Since the press was kept out, how would we know? But the…McCain’s Aide’s Lobbying for Criminal Failed Mortgage Firm
Michael Tomasky writes: 'The lobbying firm of Rick Davis, the manager, was being paid $15,000 a month by Freddie Mac until last month. That fact is a direct contradiction of words McCain…US-Iran Relations
Riz Khan on US-Iranian relations, interviewing Gary Sick.Veteran diplomat Edward P. Djerejian also weighs in on US-Iranian relations:'You negotiate peace with your adversaries and enemies, not with your friends. That is what…Royal Dutch Shell Deal in Iraq
Aljazeera English on the Shell deal with Iraq to develop natural gas.Critics of the deal say there was no competitive bidding. Supporters say it will help the British, Dutch and Iraqi economies.GI Killed in Baghdad by Guerrillas; Mass Grave near Baquba with Dozens of Bodies; $13 Bn. in Taxpayer Money Embezzled or given to ‘al-Qaeda’
Reuters reports that "A U.S. soldier died after a small-arms fire attack on his patrol in Baghdad."Near Baquba, Reuters says, "Police found three mass graves containing tens of bodies in two areas…Chorev Reviews Hafez on Suicide Bombers
Suicidal Ambitions: Human Bombs and the War in Iraq By Matan Chorev Review of Mohammed M. HafezSuicide Bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom(Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace,…A Nation of Masochists
"I send my tormentor hurrying hither and thither in the service of my suffering and desire." - Mason Cooley (d.2002)I have concluded that Americans, who pretend in public to be straitlaced, are…8 Killed, 82 Wounded in Bombings, Attacks; Benchmark Laws Still Stalled
The guerrilla war continues in Iraq. On Sunday, guerrillas blew up the general manager of the Ministry of Finance, Ihsan Ridha, and a Brigadier General, Adel Abbas, who was a manager of…Baghdad Mayor: US Tanks Run Amok and There’ll Never be a Street Named for Bush in Baghdad
The USG Open Source Center translates a recent interview with Baghdad mayor Sabir al-Isawi in a Czech newspaper. The mayor 1) denies that the US troop 'surge' is the major reason for…Truck Bomb Caught on Tape
Aljazeera English shows and analyzes a just-released security tape from the Marriott in Islamabad, showing the bomb-laden truck ramming the security perimeter. There were two initial explosions on the truck, probably to…Islamabad Bombing puts Pressure on US-Pakistan Ties
Bloomberg argues that Saturday's bombing of the Marriott in Islamabad will likely put pressure on US/ Pakistani relations. The bombing was a clear signal from militants that the Pakistani government must back…German Left Stands up to anti-Muslim Fascists; Clashes in Cologne
3,000 progressives in Cologne clashed Saturday with far rightwing protesters trying to stop the building of a mosque. There are about 3.3 million Muslims in Germany, about 4 percent of the population.…40 Killed in Massive Bombing of Marriott in Islamabad
Guerrillas in Pakistan set off an enormous bomb blast at the Marriott in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad Saturday morning EDT. It left a 30 foot crater and set off a conflagration…Sunni Baghdad Dark on Satellite; Kagan Proved Wrong Again
Fred Kagan has once more been proved wrong. He called the ethnic cleansing of Sunni Arabs in Baghdad a 'myth.' For all their arrogance and academic credentials, the Neoconservatives keep having trouble…Crowds Protest US in Tikrit after Airstrike Kills Family of 8; Sistani Site Hacked
US troops targeting a Sunni Arab guerrilla appear instead to have killed an Iraqi family of 8 in a town 70 mi. north of Baghdad on Friday. Three women were among the…McCain: Deregulate Health Care just Like Banking!
H t Josh Marshall:John McCain: "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative…Ahmadinejad Censored, Distorted in US Media
60 Minutes Interviewed Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad a couple of years ago. They cut some key passages out of the interview.I've made the same point at Informed Comment in the past.It is…"Bring’em on"? Are the Sanaa Embassy Attacks Blowback from Iraq?
Newsweek asks if the fundamentalist vigilantes (my term) who hit the US embassy in Sanaa, Yemen included returnees from the fighting in Iraq. If the answer is yes, then it is a…Provincial Election Law Stalled Again; Arab-Kurdish Disputes Deepen; Da’wa Security Committees Protested by Badr Head
The Iraqi parliament failed for a fifth time to pass a law on provincial elections. Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that after months of wrangling in parliament over the enabling legislation for provincial…The Rain in Spain falls Mainly on McCain
John McCain seems to have gotten confused in an interview about Spanish prime minister Zapatero and someone in Latin America. When pressed he kept talking about Latin America and "this hemisphere."Did he…Arab Reaction to Ascent of Livni
Reuters on Tzipi Livni's likely stance on negotiating with the Palestinians.Palestinian reactions to Tzipi Livni becoming head of the Kadima Party, a rightwing party that splintered from the even more rightwing Likud…7 US Soldiers Killed; Al-Maliki Doubts Security Agreement
A helicopter crash in southern Iraq killed 7 US troops on Wednesday. The crash may or may not be the result of hostile action by elements of the Mahdi Army. Prime Minister…Obama smeared by Taheri on Iraq Troop Withdrawals; Journalist Notorious for False Story on Iranian Jews; Odierno Warns Iraq still Unstable
Amir Taheri, the rightwing Iranian 'journalist' who is the least accurate reporter to feign practicing journalism since Gutenberg invented movable metal type accused Barack Obama of seeking "a deal to delay US…20% Goal for Alternative Energy to be Set in Europe
The European Union is moving closer to a goal of 20% of European energy coming from renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels by 2020. Unfortunately, they left in biofuels, which in…We have Met the Environmental Poisons and they are US
They actually put it in baby bottles!Chemical in plastics gives you diabetes, heart attacks.We are now exposed to thousands of chemicals in daily life. My guess is, this is only the tip…Palestinians See no Hope in Kadima Leadership Change
Aljazeera reports on the dim view Palestinians are taking of the contest for leadership of the Kadima Party in Israel.35 Killed in Bombings, 73 Wounded; Petraeus Leaves Iraq Better than He Found It
In Baladruz, in Diyala Province east of Baghdad, a female suicide bomber attacked a homecoming party for an Iraqi soldier just released from nearly a year of detention in a US prison…
Is the Bush Administration at War with its Own Weapons in Pakistan?
The NYT reports,"the Department of Defense has agreed so far this fiscal year to sell or transfer more than $32 billion in weapons and other military equipment to foreign governments, compared with…28 Killed, 40 Wounded; Peshmerga Killed in Roadside Bombing; 4 Sharqiya Staff Kidnapped, Killed
In a continuing wave of violence in Iraq, 28 persons were killed and 40 wounded on Saturday. Among the dead were 9 members of the Kurdish Peshmerga paramilitary, killed by a roadside…Azizabad Survivors Demand Justice from US; S. Asian Britons "Boiling" with Anger over US Raids
Aljazeera English reports that the Afghans bombed by the US near Herat are demanding justice.Apparently an al-Qaeda operative named "Nadir" tricked the US, telling them that there was an al-Qaeda safe house…Palin: Not Governor of Alaska, Visited it once on Spring Break
Satire alertThe Republican campaign of Sarah Palin admitted on Satuday that contrary to their previous assertions,she had not actually visited US troops inside Iraq, only visiting a border checkpoint while she was…Bombings at Dujail, Sinjar Kill over 30, wound 85
Two big bombings targeted Shiites on Friday. A bomb killed over 30 persons and wounded over 40 in Dujail, a largely Shiite city northeast of Baghdad. Earlier on Friday, a bomb at…Afghanistan: Taliban hit US Security Firm, 23 Dead
Taliban in Afghanistan attacked the convoy of the US security firm, US Protection and Investigations, on Friday. 23 persons were killed in the clash,including 15 Taliban attackers.A US predator attack on a…Palin on World Affairs: Just not Ready for Prime Time
Sarah Palin revealed herself in the Charlie Gibson interview on ABC to be nervous,uninformed, green and generally not ready for prime time. The interview was full of stock phrases she was made…Bombings in Karbala; US Plot against Maliki? Japanese say Sayonara to Iraq
Two bombs in the Shiite holy city of Karbala were detonated near the shrine of Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The explosions killed 3 and wounded 15. Because of…On the Seventh Anniversary of September 11: Time to Declare the original al-Qaeda Defeated
The original al-Qaeda is defeated.It is a dangerous thing for an analyst to say, because obviously radical Muslim extremists may at some point set off some more bombs and then everyone will…Why is lying an acceptable tactic, asset, even, in campaigning for the most important job in the world?
E. J. Dionne: Does the Truth Matter any More? Subtitled at Reddit.com, "Why is lying an acceptable tactic, asset, even, in campaigning for the most important job in the world? "John McCain…Iraq F-16 Purchase Roils Relations with Kurds; Bush’s Minimal Withdrawal Points to Minimal Gains; Al-Maliki’s Head of Security Injured
Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that a big dispute has broken out between the three largest blocs in parliament. The government has so far been characterized by an alliance of the Shiite Iraqi…Eyewitnesses: Palin Asked Repeatedly about Removing Books: Eyewitness: "No Way it was Rhetorical."
Despite the whitewashing attempt being made by the Republican Party, it is obvious to me that the allegation stands, that Palin inquired pointedly and repeatedly with the Wasilla librarian about how to…Dirty Wars in Baghdad
We know Iraq has been the scene of several wars in recent years. But it seems increasingly clear that it has been a set of dirty wars.Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that Ali…Cole in Salon: What’s the difference between Palin and Muslim fundamentalists?
My column has appeared in Salon.com, What's the difference between Palin and Muslim fundamentalists? Lipstick!Excerpt: ' The GOP vice-presidential pick holds that abortion should be illegal, even in cases of rape, incest…Drake: In Pursuit of Osama Bin Laden
Richard Drake writes in a guest book review for IC, reprinted by the author's permission from The Great Falls Tribune, 7 September 2008 :In Pursuit of Osama Bin Laden Barack Obama’s early…Biden: And the Economy . . ?
Biden complains that his GOP rivals virtually ignored the economy in favor of snarky personal attacks.At a time when the Republican Party is forced into socialist policies in taking over two major…Biden to McCain: Now What? Shell to Develop Iraqi Gas
Joe Biden wants to know what exactly John McCain's plans are for Iraq, beyond this vague claim of 'victory.' Iraq has approved a preliminary deal with Royal Dutch Shell to develop its…US Missile Strike on Haqqani Compound; New President Faces Economic Mess in Pakistan
New Pakistani president Asaf Ali Zardari will face the challenge of a struggling economy. The stock market has lost 40% of its value since last March, currency reserves are deplete, and high…Zardari President; 65 Killed in Bombings, Clashes
For the nine years before 2005, Asaf Ali Zardari, widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was in prison facing corruption charges. On Saturday Zardari was elected president of Pakistan. Ironically, given…Marrin: Choice of Palin Dishonorable
A conservative Republican woman who idolizes Margaret Thatcher decries McCain's choice of Palin as cynical and dishonorable:' In choosing a woman he doesn’t know or understand, purely for electoral advantage, he reveals…
Capital of Khazar Kingdom said Found
Russian archeologists are saying they have found the capital of the Khazar state. This largely Turkic state was multicultural, but its ruling sept converted to Judaism, which it used as the state…Assassination Attempt on Chalabi; Baghdad Outraged at Bush Spying on Maliki; Iraq Seeks F-16s
A suicide bomber attempted to assassinate Ahmad Chalabi on Friday as the politician was returning home to the Mansur district. The bomb killed 6 bodyguards and wounded 17 persons, but missed its…Palin Watch
Reactions to Sarah Palin:Rick Steiner at Seattle P.I. slams the governor for her poor record on the environment. He says she has not taken climate change seriously, despite the thinning of the…Allegations of Israeli Plan to Attack Iran from Georgia
This story has been around for a week or so, alleging that Israel was planning to strike at Iran from Georgia.Arnaud de Borchgrave put it more cautiously, that the Israelis thought of…