18 Killed - Gunned down, Roadside Bombs and Corpses Recovered
Good morning,
Today gunmen raided a house near Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of Baghdad, and killed five Sunni family members, army Col. Hussein Sheyaa said. A roadside bomb also exploded in Baghdad, killing two policemen, 1st Lt. Nadum Nuaman said.
In addition, five members of the Iraqi Islamic party died when a roadside bomb exploded near their headquarters in Al-Khalis, 10 miles east of Baqouba, police said.
Police also said they found the bodies of six men who had been blindfolded, shot and dumped at a sewage plant in southeast Baghdad.
15 Killed
Good evening,
Violence went on unabated today (Friday), with at least 17 people killed in shootings, mortar attacks and a martyr car bombing in Baghdad. In the most serious incident, police said nine people were killed in a drive-by shooting _ apparently because they were drinking alcohol in public. Two Iraqi Army captains were also gunned down in the town of Dujail, north of Baghdad, as they drove home.
Have a nice evening.
13 Iraqis Killed, 5 Wounded
Good morning,
In violence today - Thursday, gunmen killed 12 members of an extended Shiite family near Latifiyah, a Sunni Arab-dominated town about 20 miles south of Baghdad. Police Capt. Hussein Shamil said the men were taken from their homes, packed into a minivan and shot. No further details were available.
A martyr bomber detonated his explosives belt on a street near the Interior Ministry, killing one police officer and wounding four, police said. Gunmen in Baghdad assassinated an Iraqi driver working with a French company, police Capt. Qassem Hussein said, adding that a university student in northwestern Baghdad was killed in a drive-by shooting.
U.S. airstrikes launched by two F-16 fighter jets in Kirkuk province killed 10 insurgents on Tuesday, the military said Thursday.
The military said the pilots saw three men planting roadside bombs. The pilots killed the three and seven others with them after dropping two 500-pound, laser guided bombs, the military said.
Also Thursday, a spokesman for Iraq's oil ministry said the country's largest oil refinery had suspended operations after insurgents threatened to kill drivers and blow up trucks that distribute its oil products across Iraq.
The 140,000 barrel-a-day refinery in
Good morning,
In violence today, an inmate in a Baghdad prison grabbed an assault rifle from a guard and opened fire, killing eight people, police said. One American soldier was injured in the attempted prison break, the U.S. military said.
Have a nice day.
10 Iraqis Killed, 40 Wounded
Good morning,
Gunmen shot and killed five police officers at a checkpoint north of Baghdad on Monday, and six vehicle bombs exploded in the capital, leaving another five people dead and wounding more than 40.
A martyr car bomber slammed into a police patrol in the capital, leaving three dead, officials said, and a suicide motorcycle bomber rammed into a Shiite funeral ceremony, killing at least two people and wounding 26, said Maj. Falah Mohamadawi of the Interior Ministry.
Four other car bombs killed at least two people and wounded 15, officials said.
Gunmen killed five officers and wounded four at a police checkpoint 30 miles north of Baghdad, a morgue official in Baqouba said.
In other violence:
_ Gunmen raided a house in southern Baghdad on Monday, killing three people, police Capt. Qassim Hussein said. Gunmen attacked the house again when police arrived to remove the bodies, wounding two officers, police said.
_ Gunmen in Baghdad killed a civilian driving his children to school and a professor in separate shootings, police and a hospital official said.
_ Gunmen abducted a Sunni police colonel in Diyala province who was a member of a Sunni political list in the parliamentary elections, said a politician on the list, Dr. Abdulalh Al-Jubori. Also in Diyala, a car bomb targeted the governor, killing a body guard, and gunmen killed a member of Diyala city council, authorities said.
_ Attackers blew up an oil pipeline south of Samara, 60 miles north of Baghdad, Sunday night, police Capt. Mohammed Hasan said. The pipeline has been a frequent target of insurgents, he said.
16 + people killed on Christmas Day
Merry Christmas:
In violence around Iraq on Christmas Sunday:
_ A car bomb targeting a police patrol in northern Kirkuk killed an Iraqi civilian, and injured eight others _ including three police officers.
_ A gunbattle between police and a group in Kirkuk left one attacker dead, the city's police director said.
_ Unidentified gunmen killed Salman Jadr, a bank employee in eastern Baghdad, Police Lt. Col. Hafiz Maan said, adding that the man had once reportedly been a member of Saddam's now outlawed Baath party.
_ Unidentified gunmen killed a man near his house in Jbala, 40 miles south of Baghdad, police said.
_The head of the Iraqi student union in northern Mosul, Qusai Salahuldin, was found dead two days after he was kidnapped, a hospital official said.
_ Three men were killed in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, when a mortar they were trying to fire exploded, police said.
_ Unidentified gunmen killed a man in Baghdad's southern Dora neighborhood as he was driving his children to school, a hospital official said.
_ Police Lt. Col. Fawzi Ali Uklaa was killed when a roadside bomb exploded as he was getting out of his car in eastern Mosul, Police Brig. Saied Ahmed Al-Jubori said.
_ Unidentified gunmen killed a police officer in civilian clothes in southern Baghdad, a hospital official said.
Have a happy holiday
18 Iraqis Killed, 20 Injured on Christmas Eve
Good morning,
At least eight people were killed by gunmen around Baghdad. Gunmen on Friday also tried to assassinate a judge on the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Court that is investigating Saddam Hussein and members of his regime, a court spokesman said Saturday. Gunmen stormed an Iraqi Army station killing 10, and injuring 20.
In violence today (Saturday):
_ Two security guards for Iraq's justice minister were killed in Baghdad's southern Dora neighborhood when gunmen opened fire on a three-cars convoy.
_ Unidentified gunmen fired on two police officers in civilian clothes as they were driving
through southwest Baghdad. One was killed the other wounded, police said.
_ Police found the bullet-riddled bodies of three men in eastern Baghdad.
_ Police said unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bakery in Baghdad's southern Saydiya district, killing an employee.
_ Unidentified gunmen killed two brothers who owned an appliance store in Baghdad's Mansour district.
_ Gunmen stormed an Iraqi Army unit and killed 10, injured 20.
Have a nice Christmas eve.
Kidnappings, Killings and Demonstrations - Bush ready to cut troops
Good evening,
A Sudanese diplomat and five other Sudanese were kidnapped as they left prayers at a mosque Friday, their foreign ministry said. It identified the diplomat as Abdel Moneam Mohammad Tom, second secretary at Sudan's mission in Baghdad.
About 20,000 people took part in a mass demonstration organized by 35 Sunni Arab and secular Shiite political parties after Friday prayers. Demonstrators were claiming election fraud. Some in Mosul said that Iran had a hand in the election fraud.
The U.S. military said two American soldiers were killed Friday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad. It also reported a bomb killed another soldier in the capital Thursday. No other details were released.
Gunmen attacked an Iraqi army checkpoint in the city of Adhaim in religiously and ethnically mixed Diyala province, killing eight soldiers and wounding 17, an Iraqi army officer said on condition he not be identified for fear of reprisal.
In Balad Ruz, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives belt outside a Shiite mosque, killing four people and wounding eight, police said. Among the dead was a policeman guarding the mosque.
Rumsfeld said President Bush had authorized new cuts below the 138,000-soldier level that has prevailed for most of this year.
He did not reveal a specific figure, but the top military commander in Iraq and the U.S. ambassador said in a statement that it would involve two combat brigades, or about 7,000 soldiers.
"That will bring down the total level from 17 brigades to 15," Gen. George Casey and Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said.
Have a nice evening
calm
Good evening,
Several days have passed without headline news of Iraqi citizen deaths. Today both Donald Rumsfeld and Mr. Blair were in Iraq in hush/surprise visits. Today Mr. Bush also announced that there will be a US troop reduction. A specific timetable for troop withdrawl was not given.
We are still awaiting the final results of the Parliment election.
Calm before the storm? We will see.
Have a nice evening.
2 Iraqis Killed, 11 Injured
Good afternoon,
A martyr bomber blew himself up near a children's school killing two people and injuring 11.
His apparent target was an Iraqi police patrol. Among those injured was a an Iraqi Police Colonel.
Have a nice day.
Two Dozen Iraqis Killed as Security is Lifted
Good morning,
Back to business. Now that security from the elections have been lifted, martyrs and insurgents continue their rampage against the people of Iraq. Nobody is protected from the violence, except perhaps Dick Cheney as he secretly visited Iraq this day.
Here is an accounting of the killings via AP that has happened the last couple of days:
A string of attacks late Saturday and early Sunday pierced three days of relative calm that followed the country's first election for a full-term parliament.
The violence, including two suicide bombings, came after authorities eased stringent security measures put in place for the Dec. 15 parliamentary election and traffic returned to normal on the first full working day since the vote.
A ban on vehicles was lifted and the country's borders reopened Saturday, although the frontier with Syria remained closed. Authorities said it would reopen in a few days and did not give a reason for the delay.
In the northern city of Kirkuk, two relatives of an official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of the two main Kurdish parties, were shot late Saturday as they walked near their house, police said. They were identified as Dhiab Hamad al-Hamdani and his son _ the uncle and nephew of party official Khodr Hassan al-Hamdani. The PUK is led by President Jalal Talabani.
In Baghdad on Sunday, a roadside bomb killed three police officers and wounded two. A similar attack Saturday night killed one policeman and wounded two in the northern town of Tuz, 68 miles south of Kirkuk, police said.
Unidentified gunmen killed a police officer and an Interior Ministry employee in separate attacks. Both were driving to work in western Baghdad when they were attacked. Four police officers were seriously injured when their squad car was sprayed with gunfire, and a tea seller was shot and killed in the same area.
A police captain and his driver were shot and killed in south Baghdad while two people, including an Interior Ministry driver, were killed in Baghdad's Shiite Sadr City slum.
A suicide bomber killed a police officer and injured two when he blew up a bomb in a minivan at a checkpoint along a Baghdad highway near the Interior Ministry.
A roadside bomb killed at least one woman and injured 11 in the northern Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah, police said.
Police also said a suicide bomber was killed in Amiriyah, about 25 miles west of Baghdad, when his explosives-laden belt prematurely detonated.
On Sunday, police found the body of a former Iraqi Army officer at a fuel station in central Baghdad. Abbas Abdullah Fadhl had been shot to death in his car, they said. Another unidentified man was found shot dead in east Baghdad.
Mr. Cheney made an unanounced surprise visit to Baghdad today. Even the Prime Minister did not know he was coming. Cheney knows that he is a huge target, so he had to sneak in there like a meek mouse to protect himself. He was extremely satisfied with the huge voter turnout, and is going to use that as justification for US Troop removal. What happens in the days, weeks and years to come will not deter this US regime from getting troops out of the country because the US public is creating much pressure to do so. The idea that "You broke it now you have to buy it", does not fare well with most here. So, the less we hear about the civil unrest and bloodshed, the better it will be to help them justify gradual withdrawl. Make no mistake, you can bet, that no matter how much bloodshed and violence remains in Iraq because of the US insurgency, the most of the US troops will be out of there before our next election. Many people here feel that major troop withdrawls will occur between 6 - 14 months from now.
Have a nice day.
Iraqi Policeman Killed, One Seriously Injured
Good morning.
After a few days of relative calm the quiet was broken.
Police in the northern city of Kirkuk reported that unidentified gunmen opened fire on a squad car, killing one officer and seriously injuring another.
Iraq is beginning to get back to "Normal" now. Security restrictions are being removed. Traffic is now allowed on the streets and all border entries have been opened except the one with Syria. No explaination was given for this delay. They expect that to be re-opened in a few days.
Have a nice day.
Two Iraqis Killed as Voting Begins
Good morning,
A civilian was killed when a mortar shell hit near a polling station in the northern city of Tal Afar, and a grenade killed a school guard near a voting site in Mosul.
Have a nice day.
2 Iraqi Policemen Killed, 4 Injured
Good morning,
Two police officers were killed and four others were wounded by a roadside bomb that exploded next to an Interior Ministry patrol in northern Mosul, according to officials at Jumhouri hospital.
Today Iraq is basically shut down, and quiet before the vote which is set for tomorrow. About 15 million citizens are expected to show up at the polling booths. Today Iraqi's are contemplating over their Parliment representatives. Iraq's election commission said it had registered 6,655 candidates on 996 lists and had certified 307 political groups either in the form of single candidates or parties and 19 coalitions. Baghdad is the biggest electoral district, with 2,161 candidates running for 59 of the 275 seats in parliament, according to commission's executive director, Adel Ali al-Lami. There are 33,000 polling stations around Iraq.
The Interior Ministry denied reports that a tanker truck filled with thousands of blank ballots had been confiscated in a town near the Iranian border.
This is the third time this year Iraqi citizens have gone to the polling booths. They are hoping that this vote for the permanent parliment will finally shut down the violence in Iraq.
1 Candidate Killed, 4 US Soldiers Killed, Tookie Killed
Good morning,
Gunmen killed a Sunni Arab candidate for parliament, and militants tried to blow up a leading Shiite politician in separate attacks Tuesday, the last day of campaigning for Iraq's election.
They killed Sunni Arab candidate Mezher al-Dulaimi as he was filling his car at a gas station in Ramadi, an insurgent stronghold 70 miles west of Baghdad. Al-Dulaimi took part in a conference last month in Cairo that was attended by representatives of Iraq's major factions
4 US soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb in Baghdad.
On another note. "Tookie" Williams was executed in California today for killing 4 people in 1979. He claimed his innocence up until his death. This execution drew particular interest among educators and youth as Mr. Williams wrote a series of books which was aimed at children to keep them away from gangs. His work got him nominated several times (Although he never won), for the Pulitzer Prize. Today, since his execution, I am certain there are a lot of upset youth and people out there who would not have normally become so personally involved in a death penalty case.
Although the Williams supporters could do nothing to change the outcome , I encourage these same people ( who would not have normally done so) to get their
asses into gear and become (or evolve to be) more politically active. People need to VOTE for representatives of government who are anti death penalty and more caring about the cause of black issues of inequity. They should not let their energy of conviction die just because Williams is dead. Whether the man was innocent or guilty should have no bearing on the decision a person can make for his own self-empowerment. One major step to self empowerment is to make decisions which will lead a person on a positive path towards his goals. And if one of his goals is to see a JUST NATION, or a nation that is ANTI-DEATH PENALTY, then dammit, go out there and try to make a change. Don't just sit there and cry like a baby on a high chair or beat down a few people, or even BLAME the man (Arnold), who did not give Williams clemency. For once, take responsibility and make good decisions, and if
each person does that, it will ignite a wave of social justice. Don't be trampled by a few people like Arnold, or George or whoever is pissing you off right now.
Stand tall, spread your passion, behave with integrity, and experience the miracle of your purpose and power.
Have a nice day.
Dossier of Civilian Casualities in Iraq A Must Read
Here is the latest dossier of civilian casualities in Iraq up to this point. It could be that Mr. Bush is reading similiar information as provided by Iraqi Body Count which verifies via at least two different independent and reputable sources each killing that takes place in Iraq.
A Dossier of Civilian Casualties in Iraq2003–2005
New analysis of civilian casualties in Iraq: Report unveils comprehensive details
"A Dossier on Civilian Casualties in Iraq, 2003-2005" is the first detailed account of all non-combatants reported killed or wounded during the first two years of the continuing conflict. The report, published by Iraq Body Count in association with Oxford Research Group, is based on comprehensive analysis of over 10,000 media reports published between March 2003 and March 2005.
Findings include:Who was killed?
24,865 civilians were reported killed in the first two years.
Women and children accounted for almost 20% of all civilian deaths.
Baghdad alone recorded almost half of all deaths. When did they die?
30% of civilian deaths occurred during the invasion phase before 1 May 2003.
Post-invasion, the number of civilians killed was almost twice as high in year two (11,351) as in year one (6,215). Who did the killing?
US-led forces killed 37% of civilian victims.
Anti-occupation forces/insurgents killed 9% of civilian victims.
Post-invasion criminal violence accounted for 36% of all deaths.
Killings by anti-occupation forces, crime and unknown agents have shown a steady rise over the entire period. What was the most lethal weaponry?
Over half (53%) of all civilian deaths involved explosive devices.
Air strikes caused most (64%) of the explosives deaths.
Children were disproportionately affected by all explosive devices but most severely by air strikes and unexploded ordnance (including cluster bomblets). How many were injured?
At least 42,500 civilians were reported wounded.
The invasion phase caused 41% of all reported injuries.
Explosive weaponry caused a higher ratio of injuries to deaths than small arms.
The highest wounded-to-death ratio incidents occurred during the invasion phase. Who provided the information?
Mortuary officials and medics were the most frequently cited witnesses.
Three press agencies provided over one third of the reports used.
Iraqi journalists are increasingly central to the reporting work.
Speaking today at the launch of the report in London, Professor John Sloboda, FBA, one of the report's authors said: "The ever-mounting Iraqi death toll is the forgotten cost of the decision to go to war in Iraq. On average, 34 ordinary Iraqis have met violent deaths every day since the invasion of March 2003. Our data show that no sector of Iraqi society has escaped. We sincerely hope that this research will help to inform decision-makers around the world about the real needs of the Iraqi people as they struggle to rebuild their country. It remains a matter of the gravest concern that, nearly two and half years on, neither the US nor the UK governments have begun to systematically measure the impact of their actions in terms of human lives destroyed."
15 Iraqi Deaths in Ongoing Pre-Voting Violence
Good afternoon,
Killings continue as the lead up to Thursday's vote approaches. The figure now stands at 15 Iraqi deaths.
Again, bravo to the person who asked Mr. Bush how many Iraqi's have been killed since the US invasion. And bravo to the media which finally put this information on the front page of the news. The big question is, how many people really give a darn? If it were 30,000 US citizens, I think Americans might give a rat's peep hole. We'll see if this figure FINALLY raises a few American eyebrows.
Have a nice day. More updates as they are available.
9 Iraqis Killed 24+ Wounded In Election Run Up. Bush admits 30,000 Iraqis Killed during US occupation
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Patients, soldiers and prisoners began voting Monday in parliamentary elections, a few days ahead of the general population, while insurgent violence killed at least nine people and wounded more than two dozen, police said.
Iraqi's are instituting a new curfew in hopes to control insurgent violence during this run-up to the December 15 vote for a new and permanent parliment.
Today Mr. Bush gave another speech. When asked by an audience member how many Iraqi's have been killed during US occupation, Mr. Bush said about 30,000. In his next breath, he attributed that to internal insurgent violence. Naturally he would not acknowledge that those 30,000 would not have been killed had the US not attacked and occupied Iraq.
I am glad that the man uttered that figure, and that the Iraqi death toll is now FINALLY front page news. I plan to keep the toll alive as my front, back and middle pages.
Have a nice day.
32 Iraqis Killed On Bus, 44 Wounded
Good afternoon,
A martyr bomber detonated explosives Thursday inside a packed bus bound for a southern Shiite city, killing 32 people and wounding 44, police said. The blast pushed the three-day death toll from martyr attacks in the capital to at least 75.
Have a nice day.
American Hostage Claimed to Have been Killed Today
Good morning,
FROM AP:
A statement signed by an Iraqi insurgent group said Thursday in an Internet posting that it killed a kidnapped U.S. security consultant. The claim's authenticity could not be immediately verified.
The statement, posted on an Islamic militant Web forum, did not identify the hostage and provided no pictures, video or other evidence he had been killed. It said pictures of the slaying would be released later. The U.S. Embassy said it had no information to confirm the claim.
It was the first time in more than a year that an insurgent group announced the slaying of an American hostage.
The Islamic Army in Iraq said it had killed "the American security consultant for the Housing Ministry," after the United States failed to respond to its demand of the release of Iraqi prisoners.
A video issued by the group was broadcast Tuesday on Al-Jazeera showing the hostage _ identified as Ronald Schulz, 40, an industrial electrician from Alaska _ sitting with his hands tied behind his back.
The group Thursday blamed President Bush for failing to respond to its demands.
"The war criminal Bush continues his arrogance, giving no value to people's lives unless they serve his criminal, aggressive ways. Since his reply (to the demands) was irresponsible, he bears the consequences of his stance," the statement said.
"Therefore the American security consultant for the Housing Ministry was killed after the end of the deadline set to respond to the Islamic Army's demands," it said.
On Tuesday, Bush said the United States will work for the return of captive Americans in Iraq but would not submit to terrorist tactics. "We, of course, don't pay ransom for any hostages," Bush said.
"What we will do, of course, is use our intelligence-gathering to see if we can't help locate them," Bush said.
Another insurgent group, the Swords of Righteousness, has set a Saturday deadline, threatening to kill four Christian humanitarian workers abducted two weeks ago, including an American, two Canadians and a Briton. A French aid worker and a German citizen are also currently being held by kidnappers.
43 Iraqis Killed, 73 injured at Police Academy
Good morning,
Two martyr bombers struck Baghdad's police academy Tuesday, killing at least 43 people and wounding 73 more, U.S. officials said, while Al-Jazeera broadcast an insurgent video claiming to have kidnapped a U.S. security consultant.
Have a nice day.
11 Iraqi Soldiers Killed
Good morning,
A roadside bomb in Baghdad killed 11 Iraqi soldiers and two wounded others today, following the deaths of 10 U.S. Marines in the deadliest attack against American forces in four months.
Have a nice day.
Iraqi Electoral Board Member Killed
Good morning.
Gunmen in Baquba targeted two brothers who serve on Iraq's electoral board, killing one and wounding the other, police in Baquba said. Police said that the gunmen who targeted the brothers who serve on the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, were dressed in Iraqi army uniforms. Majid Jabbar Brisem al-Hamdani was killed about 2 a.m. Friday, police said.
His brother, Hamed Jabbar al-Hamdani, the head of al-Zaghamiya election center, was wounded and hospitalized.
On Thursday, 10 US Marines were also killed by a roadside bomb. 11+ were injured in that incident near Fallujah.
All of this occured during a time where security has been significantly amped up for the run up to the December 15 election.
Have a good day.
Commentary: Stay The Course: On The Wagon Mentality
Good morning.
This morning I woke up with a re-occurring thought about Mr. Bush's black and white mentality. Most people wake up remembering their dreams of flying, or sitting on the crapper, or losing their teeth or something of that nature. While I as well do have those kinds of dreams (Which perhaps one day I will dedicate another blog lol) this morning I woke up with the same old thoughts I've had since Mr. Bush was on the campaign trail for his first presidential run. I have always questioned his mentality (irrespective of his political positions), and his mental capacity as an ex alcoholic to run this country.
It is important to remember, that our president was a severe alcoholic. The only way he could stop his alcohol intake was to quit "Cold turkey". The reason many people quit cold turkey, is that they believe that if they even have a single sip of alcohol, that they will not be able to control themselves and that one sip will lead to another and then to another and.... Then they are suddenly back to being alcoholic. Let me define cold turkey. Quitting cold turkey means that a person does not gradually wean himself off of a substance. It means that he makes a decision to stop it all at once and forever. Quitting cold turkey is a harsh and defiant act. It says there is no middle ground for weaning off. It says, there is no way that alcohol will come into this body again ... Forever. For the alcoholic, winning the battle against alcohol, even if it means having to go cold turkey, is a huge success. The person who wins this battle, can be proud, feels strong, extremely determined, in control, in charge, and knows in his heart and soul that nobody, but NOBODY, can make him take a sip of alcohol again in his life.
The irony of going cold turkey, is that while it does take all the strength, determination, control, and pride in the world to do it and make that sort of commitment.... Just one small shot glass of a heavenly liquid amber scotch, could so very easily undermine the toughest cold turkey mentality and send a man back down the rabbit hole.
Literally, Mr. Bush saved his own life by quitting alcohol in the only way he could, and that was yes, cold turkey. When a man saves his own life, that is a BIG thing. Shall I restate that? I said, when a man saves his own life, that is a REALLY big thing. As far as I know, he has never had another drink, and remains on the wagon to this day.
And now this same man, wants to save OUR life. He starts out by wanting to save our life by protecting our nation from Iraq, a country he convinced us as having weapons of mass destruction, even though there was substantial evidence otherwise. He played on the fears of the American people and congress, and congress allowed Mr. Bush to attack Iraq. Now that the verdict is in, and confirmed there are NO weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Mr. Bush decides that we are in Iraq to bring about a democracy. Nice and handy new goal huh?
You see, for Mr. Bush, 9/11 was like having a pretty big sip of alcohol. And, to retaliate not only against the invader country, Afghanistan or Bin Laden, would certainly not be enough. He had to try to take down the man he hated even more than Bin... He had to take down Saddam, the man who personally threatened to kill Mr. Bush's daddy. Mr. Bush got what he wanted, he got Saddam. Congratulations Mr. Bush. Now, what about the rest of the country? No, Mr. President, we were not greeted as liberators, and no sir, they are not paying for this "Liberation" with their oil as you promised us.
The US has now occupied Iraq for over 1,000 days. 2,112 US troops have been killed, but to my best information source Iraqi Body Count, approximately 30,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed. That is about 30 Iraqi civilians per day on the average have been killed during the USs occupation.
Yesterday Mr. Bush gave a major speech to a friendly military audience. He refused to give a timetable for USS withdrawal from Iraq. He also said that "We will never back down or give in or accept anything other than complete victory as long as I am your commander and chief".
For the defiant Mr. Bush, there are no shades of gray. His cold turkey mentality says that you are either "With us or against us". His cold turkey mentality says, "We will never back down or give in or accept anything other than complete victory as long as I am your commander and chief". "Staying the course" In Iraq, as he so defiantly quotes, = Staying on the wagon. I believe there is a parallel. How does Mr. Bush define "
Complete victory"? I am not sure.
What is victorious for Mr. Bush, my friends, has been his ability to constantly fight the evils of the tempting lucious scotch liquid that is constantly around him. He is victorious in haulting his natural pre-disposition and longing to partake in even one sip of the golden heaven.
What does victory look like in Iraq Mr. Bush? It is not so black and white and as simple and straight forward as you thought and even proclaimed in the beginning. Is it victorious to say that you snuffed out the ability for Iraq to utilize their non-existant weapons of mass destruction, or taken out a man who threatened to kill your daddy? Will it be a victory if some sort of democracy is installed, but civil war among the Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds continue and blossom? The road to victory, Mr. Bush, has been lined with the blood of 30,000 innocent Iraqi citizens who did not sign up for your agenda Mr. Bush. There will never be a "Complete Victory" in Iraq. They will end up in the shades of grey, a place that Mr. Bush cannot tolerate.
However, congradulations on your self control Mr. Bush. Your wagon has kept you staying the course. You, yourself have had a "Complete Victory" against alcholism. But you better get used to the fact that this "war" will never be as victorious as your ability to keep alchol off your lips.
Have a good day.
