In what may be a significant step towards a confrontation with the Mahdi Army, CNN reports that U.S. and Iraqi forces have arrested the Iraqi deputy health minister after a raid on the Health Ministry complex this morning:

Deputy Health Minister Hakem Abbas al-Zamili is a senior member of the political group loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia has been blamed for much of the sectarian violence in Iraq.

Iraqi Health Minister Ali al-Shammari criticized the way forces seized his deputy, calling the raid a humiliating blow to the dignity of the ministry and the official seized.

Al-Shammari said he should have been notified and that he would have cooperated. He asserted that legal channels should have been followed, with the proper papers from justice officials.

"We know that American people and their government respect the law. So they should respect the law here," al-Shammari said.

Without naming al-Zamili, a U.S. military statement said Iraqi army forces had captured a senior Health Ministry official.

He is suspected of being a central figure in alleged corruption and the Mehdi Army's infiltration of the ministry, according to the U.S. statement.

"The suspect is implicated in the deaths of several [Ministry of Health] officials," the statement said. "He is reported to openly intimidate and threaten [Ministry of Health] officials who disagree with and question his actions."

The statement accused the official of orchestrating kickback schemes to funnel money to al-Sadr's Mehdi Army and members of the militia.

Can anyone shed a light on the $8.4 Billion dollars in cash that was delivered to Iraq via C-130 transports during Brenners reign. The largest amount of cash ever taken out of the federal reserve bank,(in New York)..ever. I caught a little of the grilling on C-span 2 a couple of days ago. From what I was able to make out of it, according to Brenner..the Iraqis wanted all this money in cash. Tons of it. Nobody really gave an explnation of what it was for, who it went to, who was responsible for the accounting, or even who actually had the power to authorize this rape of the federal reserve and pushed it through. Sounds like an inside job Robbery to me. What has become of this disclosure. It seems like it has come and gone away in another Hush Hush manner. A procedure that has become all to common when it comes to accountability. Brenner even acted like he was upset that he even had to stoop so low as to acknowledge that this took place. His attitude was that of a man that was above scrutiny. What in the H*#l is going on in Washinton anyway? Is it a war we are in..or a diversion for a colossel theft ring to get away with robbery, led by the leaders of our country, hell bent on depleting the U.S. Treasury? $8.4 Billion to pay for police & Iraqi civil service workers that did not exist..in 2003. Non traceable Cash...Thats good..thats real good, & the administration expects the American taxpayers to believe that. Geeze..what next?

I'm interested in that $8.4 billion also!

From Sidney Blumenthal of Salon, here's a surprising--or maybe it shouldn't be that surprising--relevation:

Deep within the bowels of the Pentagon, policy planners are conducting secret meetings to discuss what to do in the worst-case scenario in Iraq about a year from today if and when President Bush's escalation of more than 20,000 troops fails, a participant in those discussions told me. None of those who are taking part in these exercises, shielded from the public view and the immediate scrutiny of the White House, believes that the so-called surge will succeed. On the contrary, everyone thinks it will not only fail to achieve its aims but also accelerate instability by providing a glaring example of U.S. incapacity and incompetence.

The profoundly pessimistic thinking that permeates the senior military and the intelligence community, however, is forbidden in the sanitized atmosphere of mind-cure boosterism that surrounds Bush. "He's tried this two times -- it's failed twice," Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said on Jan. 24 about the "surge" tactic. "I asked him at the White House, 'Mr. President, why do you think this time it's going to work?' And he said, 'Because I told them it had to.'" She repeated his words: "'I told them that they had to.' That was the end of it. That's the way it is."

I'm interested in that money, too.

Reuters says that the amount of cash (U.S. currency) sent to Iraq on military transport planes in three shipments was $4 billion. It weighed 363 tons (!)

Though it came from the U.S. Federal Reserve, technically it wasn't from U.S. taxpayers. Instead, it belonged to the Iraqi people themselves.
The money, which had been held by the United States, came from Iraqi oil exports, surplus dollars from the U.N.-run oil-for-food program and frozen assets belonging to the ousted Saddam Hussein regime.

The $4 billion in cash was part of a larger sum of U.S.-held Iraqi assets--about $12 billion--that were distributed by the Coalition Provisional Authority, the military regime that the U.S. set up to rule Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

I think the $8.4 billion to which you're referring may be the portion of the funds that are unaccounted for--that is, the CPA couldn't document who it was given to. Reuters says that in 2005, the inspector general for Iraqi reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, found that $8.8 billion was unaccounted for.

On the other hand, I should mention that the CBS News web site makes it sound as if the entire $12 billion is unaccounted for. So I'll see if I can find out more about this.

But in any case, whether it was $8.4 billion or $12 billion...that's not the important issue.
Even though this wasn't U.S. taxpayers' money, in some ways, what the Bush Administration did was even worse. They essentially took a huge pile of money that rightfully belonged to the Iraqi people and squandered it. Who appointed them the authority to hand out somebody else's money?

"Hail to the Thief" indeed!

Well I stand corrected on the amount, But... shouldn't some off that oil go to help pay for the U.S. effort to stabilize Iraq. Shouldn't at least half of all oil revenues from Iraqi oil go to help subsidize the emmense cost of this war. Money to pay death benefits to the families, (widows/widowers and children) of the coilition soldiers killed in action. Money to help the now disabled veterens, (over 10,000), that will be handicapped for the rest of their lives, from injuries sustained in this ill concieved , badly planned war. If we keep handing out cash to these Devils, that are in colusion with the insurgents, and keep doing their fighting for them...then there is no incentive for them,(the New Iraqi Government), to take over their own destiny. Once we are out of there then we cannot collect any money for the cost of this war. Our government does not know how to manage anything. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing..and the brain doesn't care. like I've said before ..what a colossel mess. I heard recently on one of the cable channels, ( not the ultra right wing FOX), that we don't even have enough suitable equipment for new recruits to train on here in the U.S. So pretty much, our troops are arriving in the war zone not properly trained. The untrained Surge is heading to Iraq. Maybe we should take a few tons of cash and buy some military equipment from China since we are no longer capable of making it here anymore. Maybe we could ask Mexico to send us 50,000 guest workers to manufacture Humvees and weapons, since it is no longer acceptable for industry to Hire Americans at a decent wage. This gang of low life thieves, that we currently call our federal government needs to be run out of Washington. I'm convinced that the vast majority of our Government leaders are bought and paid for by Big Money. There is something else going on besides democracy & freedom for Iraq. No Government could possibly screw up as bad as we are doing right now without a plan to accomplish this kind of a mess,Even with the idiots that are currently in power. It's time for the CIA to do something about it before we wake up one morning and find out we are not the United States of America..but rather the United States of Halibuton..or Exxon..or Dupont.The war is a diversion I believe for other sinister purposes. G.W. is just a puppet. Again, no one could mess up day after day after day without making some sort of correction. But, it is business as usual. Something larger than Government is in control. Watch and see if the Democrats don't start knuckleing under even with majority control in the congress. i am already starting to see the steam leaking out of their make change doctrine..which got them elected into the majority. It's a Mystery for me and you, ( the American Public). The Surge is doomed before it starts. We will be discussing some new ill fated tactic this time next year with the death toll of American soldiers approaching 5,000 and the President asking for another $250/400 Billion to fight the WAR ON TERROR. If we are lucky and not at war with Iran. We need to Quickly find another source of Energy, drasticly cut our consumer consumption A.S.A.P., (TOP PRIORITY)...get out of the Mid East..tell Israel do what you gotta do..and let them Kill each other.A Shite and Sunnie Bloodbath is what they want. I don't think they will be concerned about Israel while they are killing each other. Historically..as long as they do not have foriegners on their Islamic soil..they will be satisfied with Killing each other. It's their way of life, we, ( the west ), can not & will not be able to change that. They embrace death, want it, and are willing to die for a cause, (what ever that may be), at the drop of a Turbin. LETS QUIT BEING THAT CAUSE & GET OUT!

My first post as a response was censored. I guess I was a bit raw. I just don't know how to say something without... just saying it. Why do we have to show respect to a gang of theives that are destroying our nation..is beyond me. I suppose I need to look for another forum that is less conservative, less constrictive, and more open to freedom of speech. As long as no one is threatened, no fowl language used, & one remains with-in the context of the thread, our views should be allowed. Being "politically correct" should not be a pre requisite to participate in these post. Being politically correct is what has brought America Down to the levels we are mired in, ( the evangelical right wing anti abortionist), The Wall Street Captitalist..destroying the middle class in the name of Global economy. The reverse discrimination that is taking place across America, (ie affermitive action..racial quotas, minority nepitism in the work place), that is politically acceptable. We need fierce debate, with respect to proper language,( no fowl words), and denouncing government officals, (without calling for violence), should be allowed. Does anyone know where such a debate is allowed...I want to go there, Because I am one P.O.'d American Citizen that does not accept what is happening in our Government. I want to speak with others that feel the same, (not radicals, not revolutionaries), just other concerned..P.O.'d good American loving citizens, that support our troops but hate this war and the Idiots that perpitrated it. We need to examine the soul of this nation. WHO ARE WE, What are we trying to become? I'm Lost, I think this nation has lost it's way. Staying on the Bus and just going along for the ride without asking why and where are we going is just not acceptable for me..especially if I'm paying for the ride.

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Koonism: not sure why your original message got caught in the filters, but I approved it as soon as I got the e-mail. Feel free to express yourself with passion about any subject.

Thanks again Pat for putting up with my bantor & frustrations. You're a good moderator. I have become very upset with the politics going on in Washington while we are in the midst of issues that are threatening the fiber of this nation. There seems to be no sense of urgency, quite frankly no one is stepping up to the plate with any concrete solutions to..the problems concerning the War..energy..immigration..health care/health insurance..the trade deficit.. the increasing national debt..the loss of the middle class.. the terrible effects of lobbying by special interest..the corruption in gov.,(local, state, and national), lack of education funding for kids from economically strapped families, global warming, increasing racial tensions, a disfunctional Federal emergency mamagement agency,(FEMA), within a disfunctional Government. Instead we are focused on the 2008 Elections, religious freedom, what kind of plane is appropiate for the Speaker of the House, and a host of other non essential BS items designed to take away the focus and importance of the REAL issues plagueing America and it's citizens today. Instead of telling the American public what they,(politicians), want to do..they need to show us what they are capable of doing. Anyone can talk a good show..putting one on is whole different ballgame. The only place our leaders are leading us to.. is trouble.. with a capital "T"! Back to the TOPIC..I go back to the British's occupation of Iraq and the surrounding region at the end of World War One..accurately protrayed in the Movie Lawrence of Arabia. Tribal warfare, shites against sunnis, sunnis against Kurds, shites against shites, sunnis against sunnis, tribes against tribes etc., etc. These acts of genocide have been going on of thouisands of years in that region. we have discussed this before when we looked ito the history of the region. The barbarians of that region have a saying, even though we are enemies, we are brothers of islam, and any foriegner on our soil is an enemy of all of us. So a BIG FAT YES, we must leave and leave quickly. We will never win, the Brits figured this out 85 years ago. It is part of their macabe culture to kill each other. It's like trying to teach Baboons Boleen Algabra. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN. The war was a mistake,(like most wars), we should admit it cut our losses and come home, throw the oil companies out of our Government, find a new Energy source, & shore up our homeland defenses. Allow them to do what they do best..kill each other.. & let ALLAH deal with them.

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Interesting...I'll have to rent "Lawrence of Arabia" and watch it again for all those sectarian angles. (The only part I remember is T.E. Lawrence leading the Arab army across the desert to Aquaba.)

According to the Los Angeles Times, it seems that a growing number of Republican congress members are embracing Koonism's viewpoint:

In a striking display of dissension, a group of Republican lawmakers broke ranks with the White House on Wednesday and embraced a resolution opposing more U.S. troops in Iraq — airing their criticism even as President Bush publicly defended his plan.

Bush questioned the message that expected House approval of the nonbinding resolution would send, saying at a news conference: "People are watching what happens here in America. The enemy listens to what's happening. The Iraqi people listen to the words…. They're wondering about our commitment to this cause."

Undaunted, 11 GOP lawmakers, including normally staunch Bush allies who represent districts he carried in his presidential campaigns, took to the House floor to express their support for a Democratic-sponsored resolution renouncing Bush's decision to add 21,500 troops to the roughly 135,000 already in Iraq.

The Republicans complained that the U.S. military finds itself in the middle of a civil war, that the Iraqis haven't done enough to make their country safe and that a "surge" in diplomacy — not troops — is needed.

"The Iraqis don't want us there," said Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.). "We're viewed as part of the problem, not the solution."

Rep. Ric Keller (R-Fla.) likened the U.S. mission in Iraq to dealing with a neighbor who refuses to mow his lawn.

"You mow his lawn for him every single week. The neighbor never says thank you, he hates you, and sometimes he takes out a gun and shoots at you," he said. "Under these circumstances, would you keep mowing his lawn forever?"

I've seen various news articles predicting that anywhere from 30 to 60 GOP representatives may break ranks with their party and vote for the anti-surge resolution.

Here's something else that's interesting from the LAT article:

Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) is set today to announce a strategy for imposing limits on Bush's ability to carry out the troop increase.

Murtha, chairman of the appropriations defense subcommittee, is expected to propose tying funding for the deployment to requiring that every unit sent to Iraq meet strict readiness standards of training and equipment — standards often sidestepped now, at a time when the military has been stretched thin.

Murtha's proposal is aimed at countering Bush's build-up plan without exposing Democrats to accusations of undercutting troops in the field.


I don't know if Murtha can move on this quickly enough to make a difference, but if he is able to do that, he could really put the Bush Administration in a difficult bind.

In the Movie lawrence of Arabia,(nominated for 7 acadamy awards), Lawrence, (Peter O'toole), takes itm upon himself to bring the different Arab tribes together to defeat the Turks. It's a constant endeavor for him to hold them together. In a scene in the movie..he has to kill a man he saved that was lost while crossing the desert on the way to Acaba a feat deemed impossible. He recieves admiration as a leader by accomplishing the crossing & respect for administering instant justice by all of the arab fighters and he holds them together. A brilliently written movie that carries credence today. He has to administer justice and shoot this man because the man killed a rival tribesman while in camp over nothing more than clan rivalry. He shoots this man with a pistol pont blank, (executes him for murdering his rival), a man he became friends with, whos life he saved by risking his own in the crossing of the great dessert. Through this act he holds the Arab army together.It is after this heart wrenching deed He begins to see the futile nature of organizing these tribes. At the end when the Ottomons,(Turks) are chased out of Damascus and victory is achieved while gathered in the great hall of Government in the city, he sees the tribes who fought together to defeat the Turks begin to attack each other and go back to Tribal conflicts. He becomes so depressed after the great victory that he no longer has any feelings for the Arabs he came to love. In other words it was all for naught other than the common goal in defeating the Turks. A great movie with a very important message. Freedom and democracy has no place in the Islamic culture. I think that the congress should take time out from the petty partisan bickering..and watch this movie from beginning to end and for the concreteheads maybe they should see it a few more times. They, ( our leaders ), are acting like the tribal rivalries depected in this Great movie. These countries primararily Iraq, Syria, & Iran,(which is Islamic but not Arab), unfortunately need tyrants like Saddam to keep the tribes in check. Without brutal leaders, violence will spill out of control...like what is going on today in Iraq. It's a No Win..No Win situation especially for the U.S. I can't believe our leaders can not come to grips with that reality..no matter how much common sense they lack!

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It's been a long, long time since I've seen the movie--I'll have to get it again from NetFlix. It certainly sounds relevant to what's happening today in the Middle East.

In what could be a sign that Sunni insurgents in Iraq already have adapted tactically to the planned U.S. "surge," a brazen, carefully coordinated attack on a U.S. outpost north of Baghdad killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded 17.


According to the New York Times,
suicide bombers drove one or more cars laden with explosives into the compound on Monday, while other insurgents opened fire in the ensuing chaos, according to witnesses and the American military.

Here is some more detail:
The assault on the American outpost, situated in the heart of a town called Tarmiya, was unusual because militants had largely avoided direct assaults on heavily fortified American positions. A similar attack occurred last summer, when a suicide driver plowed a truck full of explosives into a military outpost near the town of Baghdadi, in Anbar Province, but that did not seem as coordinated as Monday’s assault.

Shortly before dawn, suicide bombers drove at least one and possibly as many as three cars laden with explosives into the outer perimeter of the outpost. Witnesses said there were two explosions then a brief pause before another bomber drove his vehicle into the building, a former police station.

Sometime during the assault a gas storage container exploded, sending black smoke billowing into the sky as militants laid siege to the outpost, firing on the Americans from multiple directions, according to an Iraqi official and local residents. As the gun battle raged, at least four American helicopters swept overhead to evacuate the wounded soldiers. There were no reports of how many militants were killed.

The witnesses were reached by telephone and related their accounts only on the condition of anonymity, saying they feared for their lives. The accounts of the witnesses, some of whom live next door to the outpost, could not be independently verified. In a statement, the American military confirmed only the casualty figures and said at least one car bomb was involved in the attack.

Militants usually attack American bases by firing mortars from a distance, using snipers to wait for targets of opportunity, or planting explosive devices on roads frequented by Americans. Iraqi police and army stations, on the other hand, have come under frequent assault by suicide bombers.

There is evidence that Shiite militia leaders are lying low and heading to strongholds in the south during the security crackdown, but attacks by Sunni militants seem to be intensifying. In addition to the assault in Tarmiya, militants on Monday struck at Iraqi security forces and government officials near Kirkuk, Ramadi and Tikrit, and attacked civilians near Falluja.

The Washington Post noted that

Monday's coordinated frontal attack -- which occurred as hundreds of American soldiers are being deployed to small, similarly vulnerable inner-city posts -- appeared to be a shift toward more aggressive tactics.

The ONLY possible way to take control of Bagdad is for the U.S.Military to devide the city into Districts. After this is done, set up fire base stations in that district mine the surrounding buildings and streets and begin to set up an all Iraqi Police force for that district..going door to door and cleaning out suspected insurgents and locating and destroying weapons. 3 to 4 of these districts can be set up at a time ajoining each other. They can also simultaniously be set up as groups and be done in all 4 quardrants of the city. Once this is done and control is gained then they can begin to expand outwards say from the Green zone or central command. As each group of districts are set up..strict curfew with shoot to kill orders should be put into place until civil law is established. It will be a long protracted process..but probably the only way to establish civil order. This type of law inforcement should have been done right after the fall of Saddam...might be to late not enough willing Iraqis to become Police, Not enough American troops to oversee such a broad and wide ranging plan. Nothing else will work short of ,(Like I said before), Bombing the whole country to hell and back. Where did all of the posters go..we need to recruit some additional views. I guess everybody is just fed up with beating on a dead horse.

There's a certain twisted irony to this. Remember those chemical weapons that were part of the original rationale for invading Iraq? The ones that, as it turned out, Saddam didn't actually have?

Well, guess who now has obtained chemical weapons in Iraq and is using them? The insurgents. Here's what the New York Times is reporting:

BAGHDAD, Feb. 21 — A truck bomb that combined explosives with chlorine gas blew up in southern Baghdad on Wednesday, and officials said it might represent a new and deadly tactic by insurgents against Iraqi civilians.

It was at least the third truck bomb in a month to employ chlorine, a greenish gas also used in World War I, which burns the skin and can be fatal after only a few concentrated breaths. The bomb killed at least two people and wounded 32 others, many of them sent to hospitals coughing and wheezing, police and medical officials said.

Iraqi and American officials said the use of chlorine seemed aimed at bringing a new level of fear and havoc to Iraq as a new security plan for Baghdad takes shape.

Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, an American military spokesman, said the attacks highlighted the fluidity of insurgent tactics in Iraq, dominated by militant groups that often notice and repeat attacks that attract the most attention and cause the most suffering.

This is yet another example of how the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has created a problem that didn't exist there before.

quote:

Originally posted by pat_k:
This is yet another example of how the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has created a problem that didn't exist there before.

So let me get this straight--it's the fault of the U.S. that the Iraqi insurgents are using chlorine gas as a weapon? Did we teach them to do that, or what?

I think the fact that the insurgents are resorting to chemical warfare against civilians really underscores the point that we are fighting terrorism in Iraq, not just refereeing a civil war. Also, it shows that the Defeatocrats' latest claim--that this isn't the war they approved in 2002--is just bunk. Saddam was a Sunni terrorist. These insurgents are Sunni terrorists. What really is the difference?

OK..you win, everything is just great..Mission Accomplished! What yellow cake? WMD's ..where? I had tunnel vision too at one time, I was a Hippie and wanted to save the world, ha, ha. WE NEED TO GET OUT OF IRAQ!! We will "NOT" win, they the Arabs will fight us until hell freezes over. They do not allow foriegn occupation on their Muslim lands by infidels. The Brits found this out some 90 years ago. It's like trying to convert Baboons in the Wild into software engineers..it's not going to happen... Bet on it! You would have to completely wipe out whole cities and kill off huge populations and they would still keep coming. The more civilians killed.. the more sign up to oust the infidels. It's a way of life for them that has been going on since Before Islam. islam is a ralleying point. Foriegners deemed as occupiers are forbidden since biblical times. How many people have to die before it is understood that nothing can be accomplished further. It's time to leave, re-evaluate our strategies on the War on Terror and fight them another way. We are trying to beat them on the street where life and limb means nothing to them. For the Islamist...It's an honor to die for a cause in the name of Allah. We need to fight them in the Boardroom where the funding is coming from. Where the possibility of the lost of power and wealth means everything. We need to make them, ( Arab & Persian Islamic leaders ), a Deal..they can't afford to refuse.

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