MERGED-> the surge goes flaccid + Iraq successful: Cheney + US nears 4000 dead

[MrsSpringsteen]

oops I forgot about this one-yes it's 4,000 now

 

[deep]

During a briefing with reporters Monday, White House press secretary Dana Perino said the president "definitely feels the loss."

"He gets a report about every single soldier who passes away," she said. "And he always pauses a moment to think about them and to offer a prayer for their loved ones and their family and friends."

pauses a moment to think about them and to offer a prayer for their loved ones and their family and friends


just think he has had to this 4000 times!!!!!


that can't be easy, could you do it?

I know I couldn't,
without shiting myself, a few times.

 

[anitram]

All 4000....

 

[deep]

maybe just send that

as a post card or poster

Bush: U.S. deaths in Iraq 'laid foundations for peace



President Bush vows to make sure U.S. deaths in Iraq "were not lost in vain"



Democratic presidential candidates call milestone "heartbreaking" and "a tragedy"


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush expressed sympathy Monday for the families of the 4,000 Americans killed in the war in Iraq, promising to make sure their loved ones "were not lost in vain."


President Bush addresses the press with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Monday.

"One day, people will look back at this moment in history and say, 'Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve, because they laid the foundations for peace for generations to come,' " Bush told reporters after a meeting at the State Department.

a corner stone for peace?

or just another brick in the wall?

 

[Se7en]

I disagree with your statement that Cheney is the most irrelevant VP ever, BVS. In terms of impact on policy, Cheney may actually be one of if not the most relevant VP we've had. Unfortunately.

don't forget that apart about attempting to set a precedent that the vp's office is accountable to no one.

 

[Vincent Vega]

Interview with Lynndie England:
http://www.stern.de/politik/ausland/614356.html?nv=ct_cb

 

[MadelynIris]

A great, great article about "4000" from a soldiers point of view:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1725642,00.html?cnn=yes

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Happy Anniversary "Mission Accomplished"!

Bush pays price for 'Mission Accomplished' sign
White House admits fault on banner seen to declare Iraq victory 5 years ago
The Associated Press
updated 5:29 a.m. ET, Thurs., May. 1, 2008

WASHINGTON - The White House said Wednesday that President Bush has paid a price for the “Mission Accomplished” banner that was flown in triumph five years ago but later became a symbol of U.S. misjudgments and mistakes in the long and costly war in Iraq.

Thursday is the fifth anniversary of Bush’s dramatic landing in a Navy jet on an aircraft carrier homebound from the war. The USS Abraham Lincoln had launched thousands of airstrikes on Iraq.

“Major combat operations in Iraq have ended,” Bush said at the time. “The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on Sept. 11, 2001, and still goes on.” The “Mission Accomplished” banner was prominently displayed above him — a move the White House came to regret as the display was mocked and became a source of controversy.

After shifting explanations, the White House eventually said the “Mission Accomplished” phrase referred to the carrier’s crew completing its 10-month mission, not the military completing its mission in Iraq. Bush, in October 2003, disavowed any connection with the “Mission Accomplished” message. He said the White House had nothing to do with the banner; a spokesman later said the ship’s crew asked for the sign and the White House staff had it made by a private vendor.

“President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific and said ‘mission accomplished’ for these sailors who are on this ship on their mission,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said Wednesday. “And we have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner. And I recognize that the media is going to play this up again tomorrow, as they do every single year.”

She said what is important now is “how the president would describe the fight today. It’s been a very tough month in Iraq, but we are taking the fight to the enemy.”

At least 49 U.S. troops died in Iraq in April, making it the deadliest month since September when 65 U.S. troops died.

Now in its sixth year, the war in Iraq has claimed the lives of at least 4,061 members of the U.S. military. Only the Vietnam War (August 1964 to January 1973), the war in Afghanistan (October 2001 to present) and the Revolutionary War (July 1776 to April 1783) have engaged America longer.

Bush, in a speech earlier this month, said that “while this war is difficult, it is not endless.”

 

[deep]

Iraqi first lady escapes attack

SUNDAY, MAY 04, 2008

Hero Ibrahim Ahmed's convoy was struck by the bomb nearby the National Theatre [AFP]

The wife of Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president, has escaped unhurt after her convoy was hit by a roadside bomb.

The attack in the centre of the capital on Sunday wounded four of her bodyguards but left Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, the first lady, unhurt, the president's office said.

"One of the vehicles of Ms Hero Ibrahim's convoy hit an improvised explosive device in the road this morning," an office statement said.

"She was heading to the National Theatre to attend a cultural festival."

Two Iraqi soldiers and two civilians were also wounded in the attack in Baghdad's Karrada district.

The bomb hit the convoy which was passing by the National Theatre at about 10am [0700GMT].

The assailants are unknown.

 

[Vincent Vega]

http://www.spiegel.de/international....de/international/world/0,1518,551828,00.html

An interview with Lawrence Kaplan, a neoconservative who published a book in 2003 together with William Kristol, "The War over Iraq: Saddam's Tyranny and America's Mission", who spent two years in Iraq. His experience changed has mind quite a bit.

However, this is a completely different question from whether or not having invaded Iraq we should stay or leave. On this I am equally clear: We turned this country upside down and we have an obligation to put it back together again. No matter how long it takes.

This is what I think, either.