DISPATCH FROM DOWN UNDER
Online Nude Photos Are Latest Chapter In Jeff Gannon Saga
The Jeff Gannon story is still bouncing around the Internet, and now there are pictures. The kind you shouldn't open up in the office.
The X-rated twist has made for a lot of clandestine clicking in a town where Deep Throat conjures images not of a porn star but of a man in a parking garage. But it has also deepened the debate over blogging and the tactics used to drive a conservative reporter from his job as White House correspondent for two Web sites owned by a Republican activist.
In most Beltway melodramas, the resignation ends the story. The problem for Gannon, whose real name is James Dale Guckert, is that he told The Washington Post and CNN's Wolf Blitzer last week that he never launched the Web sites whose provocative names he had registered, such as hotmilitarystud.com. But a Web designer in California said yesterday that he had designed a gay escort site for Gannon and had posted naked pictures of Gannon at the client's request.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27730-2005Feb15.html?referrer=email
Bush Barnstorms for Social Security Fix
President Bush is barnstorming the country, trying to convince the public that Social Security needs an urgent overhaul and offering a solution even the White House acknowledges won't fix the retirement system's future financial problems.
On Wednesday, Bush is taking his drive to remake Social Security, including the addition of private investment accounts, to his eighth state since his Jan. 20 State of the Union address. Visiting New Hampshire in yet another campaign-style event, Bush is dropping into the district of Rep. Jeb Bradley, a Republican who said during a 2002 campaign he was against Social Security privatization.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28123-2005Feb16.html?referrer=email
Four US soldiers die in Iraq
FOUR US soldiers have died in Iraq since yesterday the US military said today.One soldier died and another was injured in a road accident in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, early today. An Iraqi civilian was killed and another two hurt in the same incident. A second soldier died of a "non-combat injury" on a military base, said a statement, providing no further details.
The third was killed and another wounded in a crash near the northern town of Balad and the military announced the death of the fourth soldier in action yesterday in the volatile western province of Al-Anbar. The total number of American troops who have died since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq is 1460, according to Pentagon figures.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12276468%255E1702,00.html
Crowd kills suspected bomber
A CROWD of Shiite Muslims marking a religious ceremony spotted a suspected suicide bomber amongst them and, fearing he might blow himself up, beat the man to death, Iraqi police said today.The incident occurred in the western Baghdad neighbourhood of Bayaa, a largely Shiite district, where residents were celebrating Ashura, a religious ritual honouring the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
The police said the crowd spied a man mingling amongst them who appeared to be wearing a vest strapped with explosives, like those used in suicide bombings. "They attacked him and beat the man to death," a police source said, adding that security forces had been powerless to prevent the mass onslaught. It was not clear if the man had actually been planning a suicide attack.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12276453%255E1702,00.html
Sharon dismisses army chief
ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has stunned his army top brass by effectively dismissing a chief of staff for the first time in history.The decision, announced late yesterday by Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz, has prompted questions about the seriousness of Mr Sharon's intention to leave the Gaza Strip.
The decision would effectively see General Moshe Yaalon being forced to stand down at the end of his term in five months time, after the Government decided not to extend his mandate as is customary, military sources said.
Although the move was taken by Mr Mofaz, it is widely understood the decision has Mr Sharon's backing.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12272655%255E1702,00.html
DALLAS Former Congressman Martin Frost of Dallas has signed a deal to be a political commentator for the Fox News Channel
Frost lost his congressional seat in November after redistricting engineered by Majority Leader Tom DeLay forced him into a race with G-O-P Congressman Pete Sessions.
Frost served 26 years in Congress.
The Texan recently dropped out of the race for Democratic national chairman after failing to win the support of organized labor. Howard Dean won the chairmanship last week.
http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?s=2953317
Who Mobilized the Most in 2004?
According to the 2004 American National Election Study (NES), both major parties contacted record numbers of voters prior to the 2004 election. However, according to the NES data, the percentage of voters contacted by the Democratic Party increased much more dramatically than the percentage contacted by the Republican Party. 31 percent of respondents in the post-election phase of the survey reported being contacted by the Democratic Party, shattering the previous record of 22 percent set in 2000. 28 percent of respondents reported being contacted by the Republican Party, also breaking the record of 25 percent set in 2000. In addition, 18 percent of voters reported being contacted before the election by a non-party group or organization.»Read More http://www.emergingdemocraticmajorityweblog.com/donkeyrising/archives/001055.php
It’s the White Working Class, Stupid
There are many theories about what drove the 2004 election results, and some of the more fanciful ideas (exurbs, fast-growing counties, evangelicals, Hispanics, values voters) have been critiqued in various editions of Public Opinion Watch. Now, with the release of the raw data from the 2004 National Election Pool (NEP) exit poll, it is possible to do some closer analysis of trends that really were of high salience. One such trend was the movement of white working class voters away from the Democratic ticket.»Read More http://www.emergingdemocraticmajority.com/pow/powfebruary_16_2005.cfm
Social Security: That Dog Won’t Hunt Department
On February 6, Nick Confessore argued in the New York Times that “Going for Broke May Break Bush” and the next day Ron Brownstein commented that “Bush’s Social Security Equation Comes Up Short on Money, Trust.” And in last Friday’s New York Times, the bloody implications of indexing Social Security benefits to prices, instead of wages, were copiously detailed.
Things just aren’t coming up roses for the president as he continues to stump for his Social Security plan. It looks like it’s going to be harder than Bush anticipated to move public opinion in his direction. And that’s for a very good reason: the underlying structure of public opinion is hostile to Bush’s approach.»Read More http://www.emergingdemocraticmajority.com/pow/powfebruary_16_2005.cfm
Why we must lose this war
The United States needs to lose the war in Iraq as soon as possible. Even more urgently, the whole world needs the United States to lose the war in Iraq. What is at stake now is the way we run the world for the next generation or more, and really bad things will happen if we get it wrong.” Continued.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8077.htm
U.S. contractors in Iraq allege abuses
Four men say they witnessed shooting of unarmed civiliansBy Lisa Myers & the NBC investigative unitThere are new allegations that heavily armed private security contractors in Iraq are brutalizing Iraqi civilians. In an exclusive interview, four former security contractors told NBC News that they watched as innocent Iraqi civilians were fired upon, and one crushed by a truck. The contractors worked for an American company paid by U.S. taxpayers. The Army is looking into the allegations. Continued
Legacy of Fallujah
Video Report From FallujahThis amateur video was shot on the first day of one of the biggest festivals in the Muslim year. But instead of buying new clothes for their children and visiting family and friends, the men of Falluja are digging graves. Watch it online now!
Video: Shocking and Awful:
Dance of Death
What is life like for a U.S. Soldier In Occupied Iraq.The American military in Iraq: Lambs led to slaughter or centurions for the Empire? Soldiers and their families speak out against the war and their lost loved ones. Continued
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/
War Pimp Alert
IRAN, SYRIA MISSILES CAN TARGET U.S. INTERESTS
WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Iran and Syria have acquired the missile capability to target U.S. interests in the Middle East.
A senior U.S. official said Iran and Syria have developed ballistic missiles that can destroy U.S. targets in Iraq as well as in nations aligned with Washington. The official said both countries have received significant assistance from North Korea, which has sought to sell complete missile systems to the Middle East.
"Iran and Syria can currently reach the territory of U.S. friends and allies with their ballistic missiles," Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Stephen Rademaker said.
http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2005/february/02_16_4.html
War pimp alert:
Iran six months from having knowledge to build nuclear bomb: Israel
LONDON : Iran is only six months away from having the knowledge to build a nuclear bomb, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said during a visit to London. "They are trying very hard to develop this nuclear bomb," Shalom told reporters at a briefing in the British capital.
It is very important, because the question is not if the Iranians develop a nuclear bomb in 2009, 2010 or 2011," he said. "The main question is, are they going to develop the knowledge to do it? We believe that in six months from today they are going to end all the tests and experiments they are doing in order to have that knowledge." Iran's nuclear programme was a problem that must be tackled by the entire world, said Shalom, who arrived in London late Tuesday from Paris
It is very important, because the question is not if the Iranians develop a nuclear bomb in 2009, 2010 or 2011," he said. "The main question is, are they going to develop the knowledge to do it? We believe that in six months from today they are going to end all the tests and experiments they are doing in order to have that knowledge." Iran's nuclear programme was a problem that must be tackled by the entire world, said Shalom, who arrived in London late Tuesday from Paris
Powerful blast in Iran, witnesses report seeing missile fired:
TEHRAN (AFP) - A powerful blast occurred near Iran's Gulf port of Daylam, Iranian television reported, as witnesses said they saw a missile being fired from an unidentified plane.
Local officials have been despatched to the site to identify the cause of the blast in an uninhabited area in the south of the country, according to Arab-language television Al-Alam.
A government source told the television the explosion could have been the result of a fuel tank falling from an Iranian plane, contradicting the reports of a missile.
http://www.turkishpress.com/world/news.asp?id=050216145242.3cky2kul.xml
Hundreds of U.S. Nuclear Warheads in Europe
The United States still deploys approximately 480 nuclear weapons in Europe, according to a new report by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). The targets for these weapons are most likely in Russia, Iran and Syria, according to NRDC experts. The report, U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe, includes satellite images of the bases that store U.S. nuclear weapons. The report drew some media coverage.
"The fact that the United States has some 480 nuclear weapons still stationed in Europe will come as a surprise to a lot of Europeans," said Hans M. Kristensen, the author of the report. "The big question is: 'Why are they still there more than a decade after the Cold War ended?' Neither the United States nor NATO has been able to articulate a credible mission for the weapons."
http://www.usabroad.org/2005/02/hundreds_of_us_.html
Why Is The Bush Administration Quickly Fingering Syria For Yesterday's Assassination In Lebanon?:
After the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri yesterday in a suicide car bombing, the Bush Administration has managed to already tie the Syrians to the murder, even though there is already a claim of responsibility for the attack from an Al-Qaeda affiliated group, and the Lebanese themselves feel that there could have been any number of possible assailants. Yet the Bush Administration has already recalled its ambassador to Syria and used the killing to remind the Lebanese that they should break away from Syria.
Why has seeing the Bush Administration jump to such a conclusion look a little bit premature and all too convenient? We are seemingly quick to infer that the Syrians were involved in this killing, and that plays nicely into the PNAC view that eliminating Israel’s enemies is our foreign policy. Yet the Bush Administration has not told us yet what evidence they have that Syria was involved, and why they would immediately recall our ambassador. I mean, how often has the Bush Administration recalled its ambassadors at all in any attack like this in the last four years? And yet, we are ready to pin this conveniently on the Syrians?
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/003721.php
Iran blast report causes market jitters
A powerful explosion occurred near Iran's Gulf port of Daylam and witnesses reported seeing a missile being fired from an unidentified plane, local television reported.
The blast came at a time of high tensions between the United States and Iran, which is under intense international pressure over its nuclear activities.
Local officials have been dispatched to the site to identify the cause of the explosion in an uninhabited area in the south of the country, according to Arab-language television Al-Alam.
A government source told the television the explosion could have been the result of a fuel tank falling from an Iranian plane, contradicting reports that it was a missile.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/17/1108500185735.html
Iran, Syria unite against 'common threat'
Iran and Syria, both locked in rows with the United States, said on Wednesday they will form a common front to face challenges and threats.
"We are ready to help Syria on all grounds to confront threats," Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref said in Tehran after meeting Syrian Prime Minister Naji al-Otari.
Otari told reporters: "This meeting, which takes place at this sensitive time, is important, especially because Syria and Iran face several challenges and it is necessary to build a common front".
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/17/1108500165210.html
US sent investigator to follow up Iraq abuse claims
A US military investigator was sent to Australia in the second half of last year to interview the former defence intelligence officer and weapons inspector Rod Barton over his claims of Iraqi prisoner abuse, it was revealed yesterday.
Defence officials told a Senate estimates hearing that they wrote to the US embassy twice with concerns over the mistreatment of Iraqi detainees raised by Australians who had been in Iraq.
The first letter, to the US ambassador to Australia, Tom Schieffer, was over Mr Barton's claims and led to the US sending an investigator to Canberra to question him on the claims.
The second occasion was after a uniformed military officer came forward with information about the treatment of detainees - the day after the Defence Minister, Robert Hill, made a statement to Parliament declaring no Australians had been involved in the interrogation of Iraqi prisoners.
Defence officials also revealed that up to eight Australian officials were involved in the debriefing of Iraqi prisoners.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/16/1108500157280.html
Police find 8 bound, gagged corpses north of Iraqi capital
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Police on Wednesday found the bodies of eight Iraqis, mostly civilians who'd been working at a U.S. military base, gagged and shot in the back of the head north of the Iraqi capital.
Elsewhere, U.S. forces clashed with insurgents in the cities of Ramadi and Samarra, and militants attacked U.S. convoys with bombs in the northern city of Mosul.
The eight Iraqis had been missing since they were kidnapped three days ago by insurgents, said Mohammed Latif, chief of the local police force in Dejali, about 40 miles north of Baghdad.
The bodies were found in shallow graves in a desert area. Each corpse had been tightly bound around the legs and arms, their mouths taped shut. A piece of paper was attached to each body, on which was written: "This is the punishment of the traitors and those who work for the American occupation," Latif said.
Seven of the slain men were last heard from as they were heading from a military base in al-Bakr to their homes in Dejali. An eighth unidentified corpse was discovered along with them, Latif said
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/02/16/build/world/50-iraqviolence.inc
The Jeff Gannon story is still bouncing around the Internet, and now there are pictures. The kind you shouldn't open up in the office.
The X-rated twist has made for a lot of clandestine clicking in a town where Deep Throat conjures images not of a porn star but of a man in a parking garage. But it has also deepened the debate over blogging and the tactics used to drive a conservative reporter from his job as White House correspondent for two Web sites owned by a Republican activist.
In most Beltway melodramas, the resignation ends the story. The problem for Gannon, whose real name is James Dale Guckert, is that he told The Washington Post and CNN's Wolf Blitzer last week that he never launched the Web sites whose provocative names he had registered, such as hotmilitarystud.com. But a Web designer in California said yesterday that he had designed a gay escort site for Gannon and had posted naked pictures of Gannon at the client's request.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27730-2005Feb15.html?referrer=email
Bush Barnstorms for Social Security Fix
President Bush is barnstorming the country, trying to convince the public that Social Security needs an urgent overhaul and offering a solution even the White House acknowledges won't fix the retirement system's future financial problems.
On Wednesday, Bush is taking his drive to remake Social Security, including the addition of private investment accounts, to his eighth state since his Jan. 20 State of the Union address. Visiting New Hampshire in yet another campaign-style event, Bush is dropping into the district of Rep. Jeb Bradley, a Republican who said during a 2002 campaign he was against Social Security privatization.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28123-2005Feb16.html?referrer=email
Four US soldiers die in Iraq
FOUR US soldiers have died in Iraq since yesterday the US military said today.One soldier died and another was injured in a road accident in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, early today. An Iraqi civilian was killed and another two hurt in the same incident. A second soldier died of a "non-combat injury" on a military base, said a statement, providing no further details.
The third was killed and another wounded in a crash near the northern town of Balad and the military announced the death of the fourth soldier in action yesterday in the volatile western province of Al-Anbar. The total number of American troops who have died since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq is 1460, according to Pentagon figures.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12276468%255E1702,00.html
Crowd kills suspected bomber
A CROWD of Shiite Muslims marking a religious ceremony spotted a suspected suicide bomber amongst them and, fearing he might blow himself up, beat the man to death, Iraqi police said today.The incident occurred in the western Baghdad neighbourhood of Bayaa, a largely Shiite district, where residents were celebrating Ashura, a religious ritual honouring the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
The police said the crowd spied a man mingling amongst them who appeared to be wearing a vest strapped with explosives, like those used in suicide bombings. "They attacked him and beat the man to death," a police source said, adding that security forces had been powerless to prevent the mass onslaught. It was not clear if the man had actually been planning a suicide attack.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12276453%255E1702,00.html
Sharon dismisses army chief
ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has stunned his army top brass by effectively dismissing a chief of staff for the first time in history.The decision, announced late yesterday by Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz, has prompted questions about the seriousness of Mr Sharon's intention to leave the Gaza Strip.
The decision would effectively see General Moshe Yaalon being forced to stand down at the end of his term in five months time, after the Government decided not to extend his mandate as is customary, military sources said.
Although the move was taken by Mr Mofaz, it is widely understood the decision has Mr Sharon's backing.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,12272655%255E1702,00.html
DALLAS Former Congressman Martin Frost of Dallas has signed a deal to be a political commentator for the Fox News Channel
Frost lost his congressional seat in November after redistricting engineered by Majority Leader Tom DeLay forced him into a race with G-O-P Congressman Pete Sessions.
Frost served 26 years in Congress.
The Texan recently dropped out of the race for Democratic national chairman after failing to win the support of organized labor. Howard Dean won the chairmanship last week.
http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?s=2953317
Who Mobilized the Most in 2004?
According to the 2004 American National Election Study (NES), both major parties contacted record numbers of voters prior to the 2004 election. However, according to the NES data, the percentage of voters contacted by the Democratic Party increased much more dramatically than the percentage contacted by the Republican Party. 31 percent of respondents in the post-election phase of the survey reported being contacted by the Democratic Party, shattering the previous record of 22 percent set in 2000. 28 percent of respondents reported being contacted by the Republican Party, also breaking the record of 25 percent set in 2000. In addition, 18 percent of voters reported being contacted before the election by a non-party group or organization.»Read More http://www.emergingdemocraticmajorityweblog.com/donkeyrising/archives/001055.php
It’s the White Working Class, Stupid
There are many theories about what drove the 2004 election results, and some of the more fanciful ideas (exurbs, fast-growing counties, evangelicals, Hispanics, values voters) have been critiqued in various editions of Public Opinion Watch. Now, with the release of the raw data from the 2004 National Election Pool (NEP) exit poll, it is possible to do some closer analysis of trends that really were of high salience. One such trend was the movement of white working class voters away from the Democratic ticket.»Read More http://www.emergingdemocraticmajority.com/pow/powfebruary_16_2005.cfm
Social Security: That Dog Won’t Hunt Department
On February 6, Nick Confessore argued in the New York Times that “Going for Broke May Break Bush” and the next day Ron Brownstein commented that “Bush’s Social Security Equation Comes Up Short on Money, Trust.” And in last Friday’s New York Times, the bloody implications of indexing Social Security benefits to prices, instead of wages, were copiously detailed.
Things just aren’t coming up roses for the president as he continues to stump for his Social Security plan. It looks like it’s going to be harder than Bush anticipated to move public opinion in his direction. And that’s for a very good reason: the underlying structure of public opinion is hostile to Bush’s approach.»Read More http://www.emergingdemocraticmajority.com/pow/powfebruary_16_2005.cfm
Why we must lose this war
The United States needs to lose the war in Iraq as soon as possible. Even more urgently, the whole world needs the United States to lose the war in Iraq. What is at stake now is the way we run the world for the next generation or more, and really bad things will happen if we get it wrong.” Continued.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8077.htm
U.S. contractors in Iraq allege abuses
Four men say they witnessed shooting of unarmed civiliansBy Lisa Myers & the NBC investigative unitThere are new allegations that heavily armed private security contractors in Iraq are brutalizing Iraqi civilians. In an exclusive interview, four former security contractors told NBC News that they watched as innocent Iraqi civilians were fired upon, and one crushed by a truck. The contractors worked for an American company paid by U.S. taxpayers. The Army is looking into the allegations. Continued
Legacy of Fallujah
Video Report From FallujahThis amateur video was shot on the first day of one of the biggest festivals in the Muslim year. But instead of buying new clothes for their children and visiting family and friends, the men of Falluja are digging graves. Watch it online now!
Video: Shocking and Awful:
Dance of Death
What is life like for a U.S. Soldier In Occupied Iraq.The American military in Iraq: Lambs led to slaughter or centurions for the Empire? Soldiers and their families speak out against the war and their lost loved ones. Continued
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/
War Pimp Alert
IRAN, SYRIA MISSILES CAN TARGET U.S. INTERESTS
WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Iran and Syria have acquired the missile capability to target U.S. interests in the Middle East.
A senior U.S. official said Iran and Syria have developed ballistic missiles that can destroy U.S. targets in Iraq as well as in nations aligned with Washington. The official said both countries have received significant assistance from North Korea, which has sought to sell complete missile systems to the Middle East.
"Iran and Syria can currently reach the territory of U.S. friends and allies with their ballistic missiles," Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Stephen Rademaker said.
http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2005/february/02_16_4.html
War pimp alert:
Iran six months from having knowledge to build nuclear bomb: Israel
LONDON : Iran is only six months away from having the knowledge to build a nuclear bomb, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said during a visit to London. "They are trying very hard to develop this nuclear bomb," Shalom told reporters at a briefing in the British capital.
It is very important, because the question is not if the Iranians develop a nuclear bomb in 2009, 2010 or 2011," he said. "The main question is, are they going to develop the knowledge to do it? We believe that in six months from today they are going to end all the tests and experiments they are doing in order to have that knowledge." Iran's nuclear programme was a problem that must be tackled by the entire world, said Shalom, who arrived in London late Tuesday from Paris
It is very important, because the question is not if the Iranians develop a nuclear bomb in 2009, 2010 or 2011," he said. "The main question is, are they going to develop the knowledge to do it? We believe that in six months from today they are going to end all the tests and experiments they are doing in order to have that knowledge." Iran's nuclear programme was a problem that must be tackled by the entire world, said Shalom, who arrived in London late Tuesday from Paris
Powerful blast in Iran, witnesses report seeing missile fired:
TEHRAN (AFP) - A powerful blast occurred near Iran's Gulf port of Daylam, Iranian television reported, as witnesses said they saw a missile being fired from an unidentified plane.
Local officials have been despatched to the site to identify the cause of the blast in an uninhabited area in the south of the country, according to Arab-language television Al-Alam.
A government source told the television the explosion could have been the result of a fuel tank falling from an Iranian plane, contradicting the reports of a missile.
http://www.turkishpress.com/world/news.asp?id=050216145242.3cky2kul.xml
Hundreds of U.S. Nuclear Warheads in Europe
The United States still deploys approximately 480 nuclear weapons in Europe, according to a new report by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). The targets for these weapons are most likely in Russia, Iran and Syria, according to NRDC experts. The report, U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe, includes satellite images of the bases that store U.S. nuclear weapons. The report drew some media coverage.
"The fact that the United States has some 480 nuclear weapons still stationed in Europe will come as a surprise to a lot of Europeans," said Hans M. Kristensen, the author of the report. "The big question is: 'Why are they still there more than a decade after the Cold War ended?' Neither the United States nor NATO has been able to articulate a credible mission for the weapons."
http://www.usabroad.org/2005/02/hundreds_of_us_.html
Why Is The Bush Administration Quickly Fingering Syria For Yesterday's Assassination In Lebanon?:
After the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri yesterday in a suicide car bombing, the Bush Administration has managed to already tie the Syrians to the murder, even though there is already a claim of responsibility for the attack from an Al-Qaeda affiliated group, and the Lebanese themselves feel that there could have been any number of possible assailants. Yet the Bush Administration has already recalled its ambassador to Syria and used the killing to remind the Lebanese that they should break away from Syria.
Why has seeing the Bush Administration jump to such a conclusion look a little bit premature and all too convenient? We are seemingly quick to infer that the Syrians were involved in this killing, and that plays nicely into the PNAC view that eliminating Israel’s enemies is our foreign policy. Yet the Bush Administration has not told us yet what evidence they have that Syria was involved, and why they would immediately recall our ambassador. I mean, how often has the Bush Administration recalled its ambassadors at all in any attack like this in the last four years? And yet, we are ready to pin this conveniently on the Syrians?
http://www.theleftcoaster.com/archives/003721.php
Iran blast report causes market jitters
A powerful explosion occurred near Iran's Gulf port of Daylam and witnesses reported seeing a missile being fired from an unidentified plane, local television reported.
The blast came at a time of high tensions between the United States and Iran, which is under intense international pressure over its nuclear activities.
Local officials have been dispatched to the site to identify the cause of the explosion in an uninhabited area in the south of the country, according to Arab-language television Al-Alam.
A government source told the television the explosion could have been the result of a fuel tank falling from an Iranian plane, contradicting reports that it was a missile.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/17/1108500185735.html
Iran, Syria unite against 'common threat'
Iran and Syria, both locked in rows with the United States, said on Wednesday they will form a common front to face challenges and threats.
"We are ready to help Syria on all grounds to confront threats," Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref said in Tehran after meeting Syrian Prime Minister Naji al-Otari.
Otari told reporters: "This meeting, which takes place at this sensitive time, is important, especially because Syria and Iran face several challenges and it is necessary to build a common front".
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/17/1108500165210.html
US sent investigator to follow up Iraq abuse claims
A US military investigator was sent to Australia in the second half of last year to interview the former defence intelligence officer and weapons inspector Rod Barton over his claims of Iraqi prisoner abuse, it was revealed yesterday.
Defence officials told a Senate estimates hearing that they wrote to the US embassy twice with concerns over the mistreatment of Iraqi detainees raised by Australians who had been in Iraq.
The first letter, to the US ambassador to Australia, Tom Schieffer, was over Mr Barton's claims and led to the US sending an investigator to Canberra to question him on the claims.
The second occasion was after a uniformed military officer came forward with information about the treatment of detainees - the day after the Defence Minister, Robert Hill, made a statement to Parliament declaring no Australians had been involved in the interrogation of Iraqi prisoners.
Defence officials also revealed that up to eight Australian officials were involved in the debriefing of Iraqi prisoners.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/02/16/1108500157280.html
Police find 8 bound, gagged corpses north of Iraqi capital
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Police on Wednesday found the bodies of eight Iraqis, mostly civilians who'd been working at a U.S. military base, gagged and shot in the back of the head north of the Iraqi capital.
Elsewhere, U.S. forces clashed with insurgents in the cities of Ramadi and Samarra, and militants attacked U.S. convoys with bombs in the northern city of Mosul.
The eight Iraqis had been missing since they were kidnapped three days ago by insurgents, said Mohammed Latif, chief of the local police force in Dejali, about 40 miles north of Baghdad.
The bodies were found in shallow graves in a desert area. Each corpse had been tightly bound around the legs and arms, their mouths taped shut. A piece of paper was attached to each body, on which was written: "This is the punishment of the traitors and those who work for the American occupation," Latif said.
Seven of the slain men were last heard from as they were heading from a military base in al-Bakr to their homes in Dejali. An eighth unidentified corpse was discovered along with them, Latif said
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/02/16/build/world/50-iraqviolence.inc
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 3:58 AM
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