Free Republic

The Republican leader of the state Senate said Friday he expects recall elections to proceed against three of his colleagues, despite challenges they made to thousands of signatures on petitions seeking their ouster from office. Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said he is hopeful, though, that his election can be blocked through the challenges he made to the Government Accountability Board on Thursday. As for the others, Fitzgerald said, "They're not even close." Fitzgerald was the only one of the four who clearly challenged more than enough signatures to void an election. But whether to reject the signatures is up to...

Just a few months ago, FOX News reported on polling data which suggested that "[i]f Americans could cast a 'confidence' vote in the style of European parliaments, President Barack Obama would not fare well. A 56-percent majority would give his administration a vote of 'no confidence.'" Ample evidence abounds for Americans to have no confidence that the economic justice activist-turned-politician is working out for the good of the country. Even at the most fundamental level, doubt remains as to whether the man occupying the White House is constitutionally eligible for the job.

The D.C. area earthquake caused a huge scare in some of the major political centers of the nation, and, Sean Hannity argued, that “crisis” has already been adopted as a talking point by liberals to call for more spending on infrastructure. Citing Rahm Emanuel’s famous “never let a crisis go to waste” quote, Hannity and panelist Mercedes Viana Schlapp challenged Kirsten Powers to explain where the infrastructure came from and dispute the dubious claim that Democrats “get away with” more name-calling than Republicans. Hannity began the segment on the infrastructure point, which Powers explained

Thank Joshua Green of the Atlantic, who recently profiled Cain, for digging this up. I’m not sure if the clip was considered “lost,” exactly, but I’d never seen it before and a quickie YouTube search of “herman cain bill clinton” reveals nothing on point until Green uploaded this yesterday. He writes, “If this video goes viral among conservative activists, Cain’s candidacy will be even more interesting to watch.” Let’s see what we can do about that. This takes awhile to get hopping but stick with it for his rebuttal to Clinton at around five minutes in. You’re not watching for...

A New Orleans law firm is challenging government assurances that Gulf Coast seafood is safe to eat in the wake of the BP oil spill, saying it poses “a significant danger to public health.” It’s a high-stakes tug-of-war that will almost certainly end up in the courts, with two armies of scientists arguing over technical findings that could have real-world impact for seafood consumers and producers. Citing what the law firm calls a state-of-the-art laboratory analysis, toxicologists, chemists and marine biologists retained by the firm of environmental attorney Stuart Smith contend that the government seafood testing program, which has focused...

The first family should publicly submit to the new scanning device and "enhanced" pat-downs before requiring Americans to do the same, suggested rumored Republican presidential hopeful and ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee while blasting President Obama this morning over controversial new airline security measures.(snip) "'If it's OK for your wife, your daughters, and your mother-in-law, then maybe the rest of us won't feel so bad when our wives, our daughters and our mothers are being put through this humiliating and degrading, totally unconstitutional, intrusion of their privacy.'"

Democrats have filed their first legal challenges before polls even closed on Election Day, asking for an extension of voting hours in Connecticut and questioning the denial of provisional ballots in Illinois. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCCC), told reporters at party headquarters that officials had gone to court in two states. In Connecticut, the party has asked for a one-hour extension of voting in Bridgeport, a Democratic stronghold where turnout was reported so high that officials ran out of ballots, Menendez said. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D) is battling Republican Linda...

Read reports on the files at:Der SpiegelThe New York TimesThe GuardianIntro by Der Spiegel:Close to 92,000 US documents have been uncovered that shed new light on the war in Afghanistan. In an unprecedented development, close to 92,000 classified documents pertaining to the war in Afghanistan have been leaked. SPIEGEL, the New York Times and the Guardian have analyzed the raft of mostly classified documents. They expose the true scale of the Western military deployment -- and the problems beleaguering Germany's Bundeswehr in the Hindu Kush. A total of 91,731 reports from United States military databanks relating to the war in...

About a half-dozen civil rights groups have asked a federal court to block Arizona from implementing its new law cracking down on illegal immigration until a ruling is made on its constitutionality. The groups' late Friday filing argues that delaying the scheduled July 29 implementation of the law would discourage other states from enacting similar legislation until the constitutionality issue is resolved. Other states including Texas, Utah and Minnesota have talked about passing laws similar to Arizona's, which requires police enforcing other laws to check immigration status if they suspect someone is in the country illegally. The groups that made...

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2010 – Stability in Afghanistan is no longer on the decline, and most Afghans believe that despite increased violence, security actually has improved since this time last year, according to a new report Pentagon officials sent to Congress today. The congressionally mandated Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan attributes the 87 percent increase in violence from February 2009 to March 2010 largely to increased U.S., coalition and Afghan national security force activity, particularly into areas where they previously had not operated. The report, which covers the situation on the ground from Oct. 1 to...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., April 22, 2010 – With a cocky grin and larger-than-life presence, Cornelius Madison commands attention when he walks down the high school hall here, always with a hint of a swagger. From left, Darien Crank, Chelsea Jarvis and Cornelius Madison head to class at Fort Campbell High School on Fort Campbell, Ky., April 15, 2010. DoD photo by Elaine Wilson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Bumping fists and cracking jokes, Cornelius seems impervious to stress or worry. It’s only when discussing his deployed mother in an interview does he reveal a small chink in his otherwise...

KABUL, March 31, 2010 – After visits to U.S., coalition and Afghan forces in Afghanistan’s Helmand and Kandahar provinces, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today that “never has our partnership … been stronger, or the challenges we face, clearer.” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen completed a rigorous three-day visit to Afghanistan that took him to the region of the recent offensive in Marja in Helmand province. Mullen also attended a “shura” – a meeting of community leaders -- at the governor’s palace in downtown Kandahar. In central Helmand, Mullen saw the results of the offensive. Though combined...

WASHINGTON - Scott Brown’s Senate victory Tuesday sent shock waves through the Massachusetts congressional delegation, many members of which saw key communities in their districts vote overwhelmingly Republican.....Gleeful Republican strategists said three House members looked particularly vulnerable after the strong Republican turnout for Brown in their districts: Niki Tsongas of Lowell, James McGovern of Worcester, and William Delahunt, of Quincy.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2010 – Kelly Henry was hoping for a picture-perfect reunion when her husband returned after a yearlong deployment to Iraq. Army Lt. Col. (Dr.) Michael Henry, his wife, Kelly, and four children enjoy a Hawaiian holiday vacation. Henry, a family medicine doctor, had returned home to his family Dec. 2, 2009, after completing a yearlong deployment in Iraq. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But what she got was far from a Hollywood scene. “All four [of my kids] cried within 48 hours of my husband coming home,” said Henry, wife of Army Lt. Col....

GENEVA, October 16, 2009 -- Today's emergency UN Human Rights Council debate on the Goldstone Report predictably saw a line-up of the world's worst abusers condemn democratic Israel for human rights violations. In a heated lynch mob atmosphere, Kuwait slammed Israel for “intentional killing, intentional destruction of civilian objects, intentional scorched-earth policy,” saying Israel “embodied the Agatha Christie novel, 'Escaped with Murder'.” Pakistan said the “horrors of Israeli occupation continue to haunt the international community’s conscience.” The Arab League said, “We must condemn Israel and force Israel to accept international legitimacy." Ahmadinejad’s Iran said “the atrocities committed against Palestinians during...

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2009 – The United States continues to face severe security and governance challenges in Afghanistan this year, but U.S. efforts remain fixed on defeating extremism and boosting the Afghan government. That’s the conclusion drawn in the latest Pentagon assessment of U.S. achievements and setbacks in Afghanistan. Congress requires the so-called “1230 Report” every 180 days. The report released today covers the first half of 2009, a period during which President Barack Obama’s administration assessed the multinational effort in Afghanistan, unveiling a new strategy in late March. The strategy has yielded the appointment of a new top U.S....

After his reelection as Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad extends an invitation to his American counterpart Barack Obama for a debate before the eyes of the world. Addressing Iranian heads of medical universities on Saturday, President Ahmadinejad offered to debate President Obama at the United Nations headquarters in New York before the eyes of all nations of the world. President Ahmadinejad had previously urged a debate with former US president George W. Bush. The Iranian president wrote an 18-page letter to President Bush in 2006 that touched on religious values, history and international relations. The letter was viewed as an offer...

The Obama administration’s disputes with government watchdogs do not end with fired Inspector General Gerald Walpin. Behind the scenes, the Treasury Department is embroiled in a disagreement with Neil Barofsky, the watchdog for the $700 billion government bailout Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. The dispute was revealed in a letter that Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent on Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, first reported by the Los Angeles Times’ Peter Wallsten.

WASHINGTON – A White House document says EPA regulation of the gases blamed for global warming will have serious economic consequences throughout the U.S. economy. The document is a compilation of opinions from numerous federal agencies about the EPA's finding that greenhouse gases are a danger to public health. It was released Tuesday by Republican senators. The nine-page document says that if the EPA proceeds with the regulation of heat-trapping gases, factories, small businesses and institutions would be subject to costly regulation.

COMBAT OUTPOST DEYSIE, Afghanistan, April 23, 2009 – Nothing illustrates the difficulties of combat in Afghanistan’s Regional Command East like this base on the Gardez-Khowst road. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the base yesterday to hear from the soldiers on the ground what life is like in Afghanistan. He flew from Kabul to Forward Operating Base Airborne, and then to this combat outpost. Mullen met with leaders and servicemembers who explained their duties and talked about the challenges they face. The area is “geographically challenging,” said Army Brig. Gen. Mark Milley, deputy commander...

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2009 – The war in Afghanistan poses the biggest challenge to the Defense Department, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday, but he expressed confidence that Iraq “is in a better place” and warfighters and wounded warriors are better provided for than two years ago. Speaking on PBS’ “Tavis Smiley Show,” Gates reflected on the challenges he faces as defense secretary and the accomplishments he has helped to bring about. “Clearly, the war in Afghanistan is our biggest current challenge,” he said. “Getting the strategy right on that, having a path forward, and having clear and attainable...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's pledge to seek a worldwide ban on weapons in space marks a dramatic shift in U.S. policy while posing the tricky issue of defining whether a satellite can be a weapon. Moments after Obama's inauguration last week, the White House website was updated to include policy statements on a range of issues, including a pledge to restore U.S. leadership on space issues and seek a worldwide ban on weapons that interfere with military and commercial satellites.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats will pack greater clout when the new Congress convenes on Tuesday but they face enormous expectations from voters as they grapple with two wars, a financial crisis and record budget deficits. Lawmakers begin work 14 days before Barack Obama is sworn in as president. When he takes the oath on January 20, Democrats will control the White House and Congress for the first time in 14 years. Having rolled to victory in the November election with a promise of change after eight turbulent years under Republican President George W. Bush, Democrats need to produce results. Their...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2008 – Afghanistan is making progress, and despite challenges, it can rely on America to help it defeat terrorists and grow its fledgling democracy, President George W. Bush told Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the capital city of Kabul today. “There’s been good progress made, but there are a lot of tough challenges” ahead in Afghanistan, said Bush, who made a surprise visit to Afghanistan following his unannounced visit to Baghdad yesterday. “I told the president that you can count on the United States -- just like you’ve been able to count on this administration, you’ll...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2008 – Afghanistan’s complex environment colors military operations in the nation, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan told the Atlantic Council of the United States here yesterday. Army Gen. David D. McKiernan said Afghanistan’s culture of violence, exacerbated by more than three decades of warfare, combines with the opium poppy trade to produce a toxic brew in the nation. Afghanistan’s heroin trade funds the insurgency, McKiernan said. While the Taliban is the main group in the country, various other extremist groups continue to merge and fall apart and find common ground with drug traffickers,...

“Mark my words,” Joe Biden told a group of wealthy contributors. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like it did John Kennedy.” A moment later Biden added, “Watch, we're going to have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.” So let’s play Name That Crisis, the one Biden says will test Obama within six months of his inauguration. Understand any answer will be tentative. Even if the prognosticator correctly identifies the antagonists and the battlefield, the actual sequence of events will defy astrologers, political science-fiction scenarists and intelligence...

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today challenged military officers to become forward thinkers with the courage to advance new approaches needed to confront current and emerging threats. U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Lorenz, Commander of the Air War College, presents a memento to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to commemorate his speech at Polifka Auditorium, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., April 21, 2008. Defense Dept. photo by Cherie Cullen  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “An unconventional era of warfare requires unconventional thinkers,” Gates told Air War College students at Maxwell Air...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A huge survey of the world's Muslims released Tuesday challenges Western notions that equate Islam with radicalism and violence. The survey, conducted by the Gallup polling agency over six years and three continents, seeks to dispel the belief held by some in the West that Islam itself is the driving force of radicalism. It shows that the overwhelming majority of Muslims condemned the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001 and other subsequent terrorist attacks, the authors of the study said in Washington. "Samuel Harris said in the Washington Times (in 2004): 'It is time...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2008 – The Afghan army air corps is going through rapid growth, but it will take eight years for the force to be self-sustaining and independent, the commander of the Combined Air Power Transition Force said from his headquarters in the Afghan capital of Kabul today. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jay H. Lindell told Pentagon reporters via video-teleconference that the air corps has doubled its capability since October and that he expects it to double again in the next six months. His 133 U.S. servicemembers are helping the Afghan National Army establish the air corps. Ultimately, the...

TALLIL, Iraq, Jan. 22, 2008 – Of the nearly 3,800 projects the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division has completed across Iraq in four years, one stands out because of the special challenges it posed. Circuits come together and split to different directions in the country at the Amarah, Iraq, electrical substation outdoor switchyard. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Built at a cost of nearly $37 million, a 400–kilovolt electrical substation in Amarah, the capital of Iraq’s Maysan province, was built in an area deemed volatile and high-risk from a security perspective, with...

SAN DIEGO – Environmental groups filed 13 lawsuits Wednesday against the Bush administration, alleging that it fails to protect imperiled species because of political meddling and other inadequacies. Mentioned in the litigation were at least five species with current or former habitat in San Diego County: the spreading navarretia, thread-leaved brodiaea, San Diego ambrosia, red-legged frog and arroyo toad. Dozens of related lawsuits are in the works, signaling a heightened battle with national implications for how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service takes care of plants and animals close to extinction. The agency already was reeling from investigations that found...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2007 – Though the rapid growth of Iraq’s Interior Ministry has posed challenges, the Iraqis are forging ahead with the process, the commander of the coalition police assistance training team in Iraq said yesterday. Army Maj. Gen. Michael Jones spoke to Web journalists and “bloggers” via telephone from his headquarters in Baghdad. The Interior Ministry has grown 450 percent since 2003, he said. “As I thought about it, I tried to imagine if this was the U.S. Army,” he said. If the Army grew at the same rate, there would be an active force of more than...

KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2007 – Mentoring Afghan national security forces puts coalition soldiers everywhere in Afghanistan, which means a lot of wear and tear on their vehicles. But that’s not stopping them. U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division soldiers drive a Humvee through a wadi in Afghanistan’s Khowst province. Photo by Staff Sgt. Luis P. Valdespino Jr., USMC  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Soldiers recognize that the dirt and rocky roads, mountain sides and random paths are hard on even the toughest of all-terrain vehicles, so the troops handle mechanical breakdowns in stride. During a recent morning...

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., Sept. 21, 2007 – Problems facing reserve-component servicemembers are universal, regardless of which country they come from, international officials here this week learned. Representatives from the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand here to discuss reserve personnel issues all agreed that the biggest challenges facing reserve-component family programs are communication and overcoming the stigma of receiving support. The group, known as the ABCA Information Team -- for America, Britain, Canada and Australia; New Zealand joined only recently -- has met for the past eight years to ensure member armies have necessary capabilities...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2007 – The top U.S. military commander and diplomat in Iraq entered their third round of congressional testimony this afternoon reiterating their belief that although the mission in Iraq is challenging, it’s making progress the United States can’t afford to let slip. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker reported to the Senate Armed Services Committee the signs of progress they’ve seen in Iraq, as well as the frustrations. Much of the testimony mirrored discussions aired during marathon sessions over the past two days. Petraeus...

WASHINGTON - Two prominent Senate Republicans have drafted legislation that would require President Bush by the end of the year to dramatically narrows the mission of U.S. troops. The legislation, which represents a sharp challenge to Bush, was put forward by Sens. John Warner and Richard Lugar, the ranking members of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations. It came as the Pentagon acknowledged that a decreasing number of Iraqi army battalions are able to operate independently of U.S. troops. "Given continuing high levels of violence in Iraq and few manifestations of political compromise among Iraq's factions, the optimal outcome in...

MARINE CORPS BASE, CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii, June 15, 2007 — Born on the land, bred in the water and now a lethal and effective hybrid of both – one hospital corpsman has worked through and trained in the trenches to become the dedicated, life saving “Devil Doc” he is today. Petty Officer 2nd Class Angelo Catindig, a native of the Philippines, has tasted three different branches of military service. His military career began on the ground side as an infantryman in the Army. However, it was the events at the outset of his next experience – a naval career...

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2007 – It’s still too early to assess the impact of the new strategy in Iraq, but more progress is expected as additional troops come on line to boost security in Baghdad, according to the latest quarterly report to Congress, released today. The June 2007 report, “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq,” assesses trends in terms of the security environment, political process, economic activity and development of Iraqi security forces. The report measures both progress and setbacks between mid-February and mid-May. It’s the first report for which the entire period took place under the new strategy...

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, June 5, 2007 – Although acknowledging he’d like to see faster progress in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today refused to point fingers at the Iraqi army and said that force is standing up to challenges confronting it. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates meets with Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 5. Photo by Cherie A. Thurlby  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We would certainly be happy if there was faster progress on the political front in terms of reunification,” Gates said in response to a question during a joint news conference with...

WASHINGTON, March 28, 2007 – The crackdown on insurgents in Baghdad is showing progress, but a senior military official there warned that it’s likely to drive the enemy to strike out dramatically before succeeding. “Like backing a rat into a corner, increasing pressure on the extremists by limiting their available resources and places to hide leads to desperate changes in tactics,” Navy Rear Adm. Mark Fox, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters during a roundtable session in Baghdad today. Fox cited a Feb. 23 suicide-bomb attempt in Ramadi as an example of that desperation. When Iraqi police...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2007 – When troops ask the military’s highest-ranking officer questions about the war in Iraq, force levels or tour lengths, Marine Gen. Peter Pace is eager to answer frankly and completely. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff fielded questions Feb. 22 and 23 from active duty, National Guard and Reserve troops in Alaska at the Army’s Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, and at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage. After brief opening remarks, Pace told the troops he’d rather answer their questions than “talk at them.” The troops responded with questions on the global picture...

AMES, United States (AFP) - Senator Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) piled pressure on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, questioning how she would live up to her vow to end the war in Iraq, a day after launching his White House bid. "I am not clear on how she would proceed at this point to wind down the war in a specific way," Obama, 45, told reporters when asked to critique Clinton's plans for ending the bloody US engagement during a campaign stop in Iowa. "I know she has stated that she thinks the war should end by the start...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2007 – When additional troops arrive in Iraq's Anbar Province, they will be welcomed and put to work, said the commander of a regimental combat team responsible for more than 30,000 square miles in the area. “I don’t think there’s a commander in any conflict in American history that wouldn’t say he’d take more forces,” Marine Col. William Crowe, commander of Regimental Combat Team 7, told reporters today during a video teleconference from Asad, Iraq. “When we do get additional forces … my commanding general knows where they need to go. And when they come here,...

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Nov. 16, 2006 -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other NATO defense chiefs reaffirmed their commitment yesterday to the alliance’s security mission in Afghanistan as they evaluated successes made, new approaches under way and challenges ahead. Marine Gen. Peter Pace met at NATO headquarters here with members of NATO’s Military Committee for talks that will lead up to the NATO Summit in Riga, Latvia, later this month. The discussions, led by Canadian Air Force Gen. Raymond Henault, Military Committee chairman, focused heavily on NATO’s historic role in the International Security Assistance Force in...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2006 -- This week’s elections sent a signal that America, just like Iraq, is in a period of transition, but in no way diminish the two countries’ mutual commitment to success in Iraq, the spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq said today in Baghdad. “Here in Iraq, we look forward to working with a new secretary after the Senate confirmation process,” Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told military analysts by phone. “We are aware that there will be changes on Capitol Hill and at the Pentagon and that a period of transition will occur,” he said. “But...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2006 -- Iraq’s elected leaders are taking measures to address the sectarian strife that has gripped Baghdad and other parts of that country in recent weeks, a senior U.S. military officer said yesterday. “The most telling sign of progress towards reconciliation is that the leaders from diverse factions with different interests are working together and are communicating with each other,” Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told reporters at a Baghdad news conference. Caldwell, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, cited a meeting chaired by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad on Oct. 8 in which...

BAGHDAD — Iraq's young government is making significant progress despite recent violence, the spokesman for Multi-National Force - Iraq said at a press briefing here Monday. Major Gen. William Caldwell IV outlined steps the new government is taking, while reminding attendees of the pressing issues the government faces. “Iraq's young government, though still in its infancy, is facing extremely complex issues, issues that would cripple many mature nations. Today the elected government of Iraq is only 142 days young,” he said. Caldwell highlighted the government’s new plan to quell sectarian violence as an example. "The most telling sign of progress...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reflected today, the fifth anniversary of the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, on successes already achieved in Afghanistan and those under way, noting that “the trajectory is a hopeful and promising one.” Writing an op-ed in today’s Washington Post, Rumsfeld recalled five years ago today, when President Bush announced the mission, designed to disrupt and destroy al-Qaeda operations in Afghanistan and the regime that had harbored and supported Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. “It was never going to be an easy mission. Afghanistan was among the world's poorest nations, with little...

BAGHDAD — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Baghdad Oct. 5 to discuss progress being made and challenges ahead and to reaffirm that the United States remains “a committed friend for Iraq.” Rice praised Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for his “excellent leadership” during a critical period in his country’s history. “This is an important time and a challenge for the Iraqi people, but they are a strong people, they are a committed people and we know that they will overcome these challenges,” Rice said. Maliki said he looks forward to discussions about issues important to both the United States...

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region South District Outdated and non-functional transformers fill the electrical maintenance yard of the Ministry of Electricity in An-Nasiriyah, awaiting disposal. Recent efforts by the U.S. Army's Gulf Region South District helped to provide 50 new transformers on short notice. Department of Defense photo by Tim Salthouse. Reconstruction in Iraq is not without its challenges, as members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division, learn everyday. Many are aware of the media criticism concerning IraqÂ’s recurring problems of electrical power outages and rationing throughout the country. But seldom is the overall...