Its bad enough that over $1 billion dollars just goes missing under the watchful eyes of American picked Iraqi government officials, but I can't quite figure out why they're spending so much money buying weapons from arms merchants for a country that was only a couple years ago literally one big weapons depot? 

WMD jokes aside, I was always under the impression that since Saddam spent most of the country's wealth buying weapons and building the largest military in the Middle East that much of that equipment would still be left over, after all the Iraqis really didn't use any of it up during the invasion.  In fact, there were stories of US military units being surprised at the vast quantities of munitions they found hidden just about everywhere they went after the invasion.  Sure over time some of those weapons and military equipment will need to be replaced, but what happened?  Did we destroy a lot of that equipment during and after the invasion, and if so, why? 

A number of weeks ago there was a great stir over a story that the new President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejab, had been one of the radical students that seized the US embassy in Tehran twenty-five years ago.  This story rested on comparisons of a grainy black and white photo and the recollection of a very small number of the former hostages but it seems to keep popping up here and there. 

Just today, CNN tells us that the CIA believes Ahmadinejab wasn't involved but the bigger question hasn't been answered:  What the hell difference does it make if he was or wasn't involved in seizing the US embassy? 

Why is this even a story?  Sure relations between the US and Iran are not very good right now, but last I noticed we don't get to pick who becomes President in Iran.  For better or for worse that is determined by Iranians, through an admittedly flawed political process, developed also by Iranians, and although we might not like that the man is a hardliner and anti-American, he still won by a landslide and there's really very little we can do about it.  Stories like this are cute and typical of our personality obsessed news cycle, but even if they are true, no matter how defiant or anti-American Ahmadinejab is we would still have to find a way of realistically dealing with Iran and their new President.  That's the story that's missing.

All apologies to the Boss:

We sit in the car outside your house
I can feel the heat coming 'round,

I'm sick and tired of you setting me up
Setting me up just to knock-a knock-a knock-a me down, down, down, down,

I'm going down, down, down, down,

I'm going down, down, down, down,

I'm going down, down, down, down Hey!

Since being gay is apparently a choice, James Dobson, how did you finally decide not to be gay?

Is My Child Becoming Homosexual?

Evidences of gender confusion or doubt in boys ages 5 to 11 may include:

1. A strong feeling that they are “different” from other boys.

2. A tendency to cry easily, be less athletic, and dislike the roughhousing that other boys enjoy.

Damn,  the fact that I batted .000 in the first year of little leauge must of meant I was gay!  Don't tell my girlfriends!

Rob's post about Baghdad mayor, Dr. Alaa al-Tamimi, being removed from office by a local SCIRI-sponsored Shiite militia and the subsequent installation of the Shiite governor of Baghdad province, Hussein al-Tahaan, as mayor reminded me of this Christopher Hitchens article from Slate a couple days ago.  The article itself is sad lament to the possibility that we might lose in Iraq and reminds us that the consequences could be worse than imagined.  But more importantly for Hitchens it is another chance to take a swipe at opponents of the war, humanitarian groups and those on the "left" who he feels haven't done enough support the efforts of the American occupation and the Iraqi people.  I suspect if one did a search they would actually find plenty of stories of aid workers killed in Iraq working for organizations that opposed the Iraq War who are there nonetheless.  Marla Ruzicka comes to mind, killed by an IED last April near the Baghdad airport, although for her troubles she was described as "the Jane Fonda of our war on terror" by our friends at Free Republic.  Actually its interesting if you read the London Telegraph report of her death closely, you see the first line says, "One of the last western aid workers still in Iraq..." suggesting to me that most Western humanitarian organizations don't find it safe enough to operate in Iraq. 

I understand Hitchens' point, however, which is the "Left" needs to get over its squeamishness about imperialism and see that their own interests obviously lie with supporting those fighting "Islamic fascism" and that compassion and solidarity with the Iraqi people means trying to help people like Dr. Alaa al-Tamimi.  Now that Dr. al-Tamimi has been removed in such an illegitimate fashion, we can see how complicated things are in Iraq.  As an exile appointed by Viceroy Bremer, Dr. al-Tamimi was already at a disadvantage but saddle him with the problems cause by the ever expanding fortifications in the Green Zone, a small-town budget for a city the size of Los Angeles and constant pressure from militant Shiite on the City Council and the man didn't have a chance. 

Sadly I suspect since our presence in Iraq rests on not alienating the Shiites anymore than necessary our hands are pretty well tied in this matter but let's get back to Hitchen's critique: I think the main thing Hitchens misses is that almost nobody in the US beyond the military and their familiesis is being asked to do or sacrifice anything to support the Iraqi people.  Collectively we Americans don't truly understand or even care about what happens to the Iraqi people and that sentiment seems to be growing as we see more America casualties and no exit strategy.

Let's admit it, we're all "spectators" when it comes to Iraq.  This includes conservatives too, after all there's nothing preventing say Cincinnati, Salt Lake City or even Knoxville from becoming Baghdad sister cities but I haven't seen anybody in those conservative Republican bastions take Hitchens' suggestion and jump at the opportunity.  The closest you'll come are groups raising money to support the troops and their families but very little concern for the material, political or spiritual well-being of the Iraqi people.  The most the US government is asking us to do is attend events like "America Supports Your Freedom Walk" or at the very least hug a veteran or something. The government can't even bring itself to fund our Iraqi enterprise via the regular budget process, relying on supplemental spending so as not to draw too much attention to the mounting cost.  Maybe we should be ashamed but there's a lot more shame to go around then Mr. Hitchens is willing to admit. 

Armed men entered Baghdad's municipal building during a blinding dust storm on Monday, deposed the city's mayor and installed a member of Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia.

"This is the new Iraq," said Mr. Tamimi, a secular engineer with no party affiliation. "They use force to achieve their goal."

The group that ousted him insisted that it had the authority to assume control of Iraq's capital city and that Mr. Tamimi was in no danger. The man the group installed, Hussein al-Tahaan, is a member of the Badr Organization, the armed militia of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, known as Sciri.

P.S.  Who trained the Badr Brigades?  Why the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, of course.

In the summer of 2003, the UN mission in Iraq undergoes a number of setbacks:

• After passage of UN Security Council Resolution 1483 recognizing the US and Britain as "occupying powers" in Iraq, Special Representative Sergio Viera de Mello and his team assume they will be part of helping with the transition to an Iraqi government but are often kept at arms length by Bremer and others at CPA.  US administrators are far more focused on specific goals and only appreciate the UN contingent when it publicly supports US policy. (p.53-56)
• UN staff conflicted on role.  de Mello's staff are adamant that US needs a neutral party to bring as wide a selection of Iraqi groups and politicians into the process, are unsure the US can accomplish this and worry that a prolonged occupation will only give more fuel to the insurgency.  Since the UN has no experience running a post-conflict country the size of Iraq they ultimately recommend a faster transition to a new Iraqi government. (p.55-57)
• de Mello instrumental in helping get Bremer's Governing Council together but is unsuccessful in persuading others in the region and at the UN to recognize it.  When Governing Council members arrive at the UN in July, they are not formally recognized as representatives of an Iraqi government. (p.57)
• On August 19th, de Mello and twenty-one others working for the UN are killed in a suicide car-bombing of the UN compound.  This throws whole UN into turmoil as de Mello was one of the most respected diplomats and administrators it had.  UN mission is pulled out of Iraq and top officials wary of continued help for US efforts having very little to show for sacrifices made thus far.  US administration of Iraq seen as conflicted by its need for unilateral control over everything while at the same time being tasked with encouraging a legitimate broad-based Iraqi lead political process. (p.57-61)

By November 2004, some at the UN are again putting out feelers to the US government for a renewed UN role in Iraq.  Former de Mello assistant, Jamal Benomar is instrumental in floating the idea of  special representative Lahkdar Brahimi helping mediate disputes among different groups during the Iraq transition process.  Brahimi at the time was overseeing the Loya Jirga process in Afghanistan and is well-respected by the US.  Diamond consults with Benomar before leaving for Iraq.  His report to Secretary Rice about possible renewed UN help in the coming year is enthusiastically received and encouraged.  (p.62-66)

Well this is one way of getting the Iraqis to pay for part of the costs of the occupation?

A better title for this article would be, "Bulmiller, Redefining 'White House Correspondent".    

It is my hope that, regardless of which party controls the White House after the next Presidential election, the New York Times will do away with their consistently lame White House Letter section and lend Elisabeth Bulmiller to a paper or magazine more suited to her talents, maybe Reader's Digest, or something. 

This White House already has so many paid and unpaid political hacks they really don't need any help from a New York Times reporter.

The Washington Post announced today that the Pentagon has been drawing up plans to protect the continental United States in the event of another terrorist attack, especially various catastrophic or crisis scenarios involving nuclear, biological or chemical devices.  While this is a welcome development there is also some concern about whether the US military should take, or is even prepared to take, the primary role over other agencies and various forms of local law enforcement in restoring order and possibly even running things in a crisis situation.  I'd suggest, the planners at Northcom might need to spend a little more time thinking this one through.

Bandwagon Bush haters go home.  We were here first.  We knew he sucked.  You just jumped on the bandwagon.  Copiers! 

We are treating an insurgency like terrorism when we should be treating terrorism like an insurgency.

Instead of going to where the voters are, the Democrats should let the voters come to them.

625 registered voters upended conventional wisdom by showing a dead heat between Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Jerry Kilgore.

Kilgore. The message for him is trickier. The poll seems to say that Virginians overall aren’t sold on the anti-tax, anti-government focus that propels the in crowd at state GOP headquarters.

Last week, Republicans were busy debunking the key evidence, a poll result saying Virginians approve of last year’s $1.4 billion tax increase by a better than 2:1 margin. Kilgore terms that tax hike unnecessary. . .

 Nor, if the tax package was as unpopular as the critics suggest, does it seem likely that Warner could have earned the highest approval rating for any outgoing governor of the last two decades. . .

 For now, here’s the dominant assumption: Earlier conventional wisdom was wrong.

When I lived in Washington DC the Republicans in Congress were just starting their drive to make sure there were Reagan memorials all over the country, often whether the locals wanted them or not.  This of course was at least six years before the man died by why wait when you have the power to "make your own history" not just observe it.  My last couple years in DC the big push was to rename National Airport after Reagan, despite the objections of local residents in Fairfax Co., especially Alexandria, and the biggest battle was over making sure that the airport metro stop sign also had Reagan's name on it.  Congressman Bob Barr even threatened to withhold money for the Metro system from the federal budget if they didn't change those signs.  It's worth noting that there wasn't any similar move to change the Stadium/Armory metro signs to reflect the fact that the station sits next to RFK Stadium but you can see how silly this all is and was. 

Frankly, DC has always had to endure some of the worst ideas Congress could come up with and since most of its budget and valuable real estate are controlled by the Federal government its residents often have to fake a smile when Congressional pet projects are shoved down their throats.  I mentioned the National Airport saga above because Congress' latest bad idea is to rename 16th St. NW "Ronald Reagan Boulevard".  16th Street is one of DC main thoroughfares and cuts north-south throught its northwest quadrant in a city that is probably the least Republican in the nation.  In fact, I don't think there would even be a Republican on the City Council if there wasn't a mandate from Congress that there be at least one and we all know how hard Republicans and conservatives in general have fought to deny people in the District voting representatives in the House and Senate.  I spent most of my three and half years in DC living in apartments just off 16th street, from Dupont Circle up to Mt. Pleasant, and if Republicans truly value local autonomy (which I don't necessarily believe is true) then they'll drop their crusade and quickly.  If 16th needs to be renamed, name it after someone who gave a damn about the District, because Ronald Reagan sure as hell didn't.

Update:  The Post is saying that Tom Davis (R-VA) who chairs the committee with jurisdiction over the proposed change says no.  He's up for re-election in 2006, isn't he?

 

If you've ever wondered who's the ever indispensible "anonymous source close to the White House" spinning such an incredible line of bullshit, Ryan Lizza over at TNR provides a handy who's who guide for the Bush White House.

Many have noted that just when it looked like we'd all be saying "Global Struggle Against Violent Extremist" for the foreseeable future the President all but ended the speculation by saying we were still in a GWOT.  Since most people seemed confused by the disconnect between the White House and the Pentagon, today the President decided to clarify his concept of the war on terror and Atrios was there for the unveiling. 

How does SAIEWDNBIFSWHTUTAAWTTTSTCOTFW sound?

Juan Cole always provides an interesting counterpoint to our more mainstream or conventional perspective of what's happening in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East.  It's where I go to get new information that can't compete for airtime with 24 Marines getting killed in Western Iraq in the first three days of August; news like the Iraq Constitution committee deciding on a parliamentary system instead of an American-style republican government.  While perusing Informed Comment today I noticed he had a link to news of a series of recent conferences in Beirut sponsored by "pro-insurgent Iraqi intellectuals" and exiles meeting to discuss their plans for a post-occupation Iraq.  I guess a person can now be excused if they throw-up when they hear one more report of how foreign jihadists are the only thing keeping the insurgency going. 

Sometimes I think we don't know a damn thing about the people we're fighting against.

P.S.  If anyone's reading the summary pieces on Larry Diamond's Squandered Victory you might want to check out the links to the CPA orders and regulations webpage.

I was always fond of that phrase from the last election cycle.  I think Bush used it at least twenty times in the first Presidential debate but let's not dwell on what it takes to be President and let's celebrate a new milestone:  George W. Bush breaks Ronald Reagan's vacation record.  Someday I too hope to have a job that allows me to take at least five weeks of vacation each year but let's face it we can't all be President. 

By the way, if he's already spent almost an entire year of the 4.7 years he's been President on vacation, how many vacation days should he rack up by the end of his second term?  At least another year, or what?  I'm sure this will be spun as another sign of how "down to earth" the man is and lord knows we're going to hear about how occasionally flying across country to deliver a political speech is a lotta work, but I have just two words...Spare Me.  The people paying his salary deserve better.