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WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2008 – An Army colonel working with Iraqi security forces in the country’s southern provinces said yesterday their proficiency and dedication have been impressive. "I am very impressed with the professionalism and the willingness of the Iraqi army to go out there and fight and go after the insurgents, smugglers or other special groups out there," Army Col. Philip F. Battaglia, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, told bloggers during a teleconference about the brigade’s mission in Iraq since deploying there in mid-June. Battaglia's brigade, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, works with...

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2008 – While some troops will deploy to Afghanistan in the near future, large units must wait until an assessment of needs in Iraq is completed, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a news conference that the situation in Iraq has improved. “I personally believe that there is a real possibility of some additional drawdowns as we look forward,” Gates said. Mullen agreed, saying conditions in Iraq have dramatically improved over the past year. In a briefing this morning,...

WASHINGTON - A new classified intelligence assessment on Iraq says there has been significant progress in security since the last assessment was delivered in August, a senior military official said. In most ways the new National Intelligence Estimate hews closely to the one delivered nine months ago. That document spoke of security gains since the increase in troop levels began in January 2007, the continued high rate of violence and uneven progress on the part of Iraqi security forces. "It does not differ significantly from August's NIE," a congressional official said in describing the document. The officials spoke on condition...

Petroleum supply specialist, Sgt. Kelvin Dedrick, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, searches a car with an Iraqi policeman during a recent raid outside Qayarrah. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bradley Clarks Army: Iraqi Police Skills Improving Daily The capabilities of Iraqi police to work independently of U.S. and coalition forces have grown in the past 10 months, U.S. Army soldiers say. By Pfc. Bradley J. Clark4th Brigade Combat Team,1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs FORWARD OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, Iraq, Sept. 19, 2007 — Iraqi police in southern Ninevah...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2007 – Quality of life in Iraq is getting better thanks to increased security, a chief Iraqi government spokesman said yesterday from Baghdad. Ali Aldabbagh spoke with online journalists and “bloggers” during a conference call two days after Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker testified before Congress about the future of a U.S. military presence in Iraq. “It is a positive report,” Aldabbagh said of Petraeus’ and Crocker’s assessments. “The security situation has been improved” but there are still “hot areas” that the government of Iraq must fix by itself,...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2007 – Iraq’s aging infrastructure, which suffered decades of neglect under Saddam Hussein’s rule, is being upgraded sporadically in “fits and starts,” a Joint Staff official said today. Coalition efforts to improve Iraq’s power grid, water and oil systems are hampered by the infrastructure’s deteriorating 1960s technology, Army Maj. Gen. Richard Sherlock, an operations specialist on the Joint Staff, said during a conference call. “If Iraq was a used car, Saddam got rid of it at the right time,” Sherlock said. “It was ready to fall apart.” During Saddam’s rule, the amount of electrical output was capped...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2007 – A U.S. task force focused on revitalizing Iraqi businesses is in Iraq again this month, this time bringing several dozen American and international business executives to meet with Iraqi officials and connect with the business community. The group, from the Defense Department’s Office of Business Transformation, includes agricultural and agribusiness representatives from major American universities and international businesses, who will be working to ensure that industry revitalization efforts are synchronized with the agriculture sector, Paul Brinkley, deputy undersecretary of defense for business transformation, told reporters in Baghdad today. Representatives from the U.S. Department of...

The Sweet Water Canal was rendered nearly useless from neglect by Saddam Hussein's former administration. Photo courtesy USAID. BAGHDAD -- The United States Agency for International Development, better known around the world as USAID, is making drastic improvements to the Iraqi infrastructure and improving the quality of life for millions. The agency maintains a myriad of projects at any given time, and spends millions of dollars to see them through from start to finish. Whether it’s improving Iraqi canals, ensuring local populations have clean drinking water or restoring city markets, the USAID footprint is prominent and welcome here.One such undertaking...

Excerpt: Polls show improving news for GOP in Senate The last few days have had some encouraging Senate polls for Republicans, while House polls are still mixed. Zogby has Talent up 3% in Missouri, Allen up 3% in Virginia,and Corker up 7% in Tennessee. He also has Kean up 2% in New Jersey where the New Republic exposes the smell of scandal emanating from Bob Menendez. Zogby has Dewine down 4% in Ohio and Bouchard in Michigan only 4% behind Debbie Stabenow (I would not bet on accuracy of this last one). Rasmussen, generally more reliable, has a new poll...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2006 – Iraqi police forces now are trained and equipped to almost 100 percent of the level promised by the coalition and are improving in quality and capability every day, the U.S. general in charge of training the police said today. About 128,000 of the 135,000 planned Iraqi police have been trained and equipped, and the 135,000th policeman is in school now and will graduate in mid-October, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Joseph Peterson, commander of the civilian police assistance training team, said in a news conference from Iraq. The coalition will meet and probably exceed the planned...

It's the Media, StupidCommentary: Contrary to what you read, economy is resilient and improving By Richard Yamarone, Argus Research Corp. NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Pick up a newspaper, watch the evening news (with or without Katie Couric), listen to the radio, or read a blog, and you'll inevitably get the same message: the U.S. economy is on the verge of calamity. --snip-- The media has led investors to believe that the Federal Reserve refrained from raising its benchmark interest rate in August amid fears of a widespread, housing-induced economic downturn. Meanwhile, economists have pointed to the slope of the yield...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2006 – Iraq’s military medical system is not equal to its U.S. counterpart, but is improving on a daily basis, the surgeon general of Iraq’s armed forces said here yesterday. “We are in the process of building this system,” Iraqi army Brig. Gen. Samir A. Hassan said. “We have expanded more and more to meet the expansion of the armed forces.” Samir is an orthopedic specialist by training who became surgeon general in June 2004 at the age of 38. His staff of fewer than 80 people serves more than 160,000 Iraqi soldiers, sailors and airmen. Samir...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2006 – Operation Together Forward, the Iraqi-led operation to reduce violence in Baghdad, is progressing well and is improving the security situation around the Iraqi capital, a Joint Staff official said here today. Over the last five weeks, the number of incidents of sectarian violence in Baghdad has decreased steadily, Army Brig. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, deputy director of regional operations for the Joint Staff, said at a Pentagon news conference. This success is a direct result of the efforts and dedication of Iraqis, he said. “I attribute it to an Iraqi government that has committed itself...

U.S. Army Soldiers from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, conduct an area reconnaissance mission in Baghdad, Aug. 22. Department of Defense photo by Navy Gunner's Mate 1st Class Martin Anton Edgil. BAGHDAD -- Operation Together Forward, the Iraqi-led operation to reduce violence in Baghdad, is progressing well and improving the security situation around the Iraqi capital, a Joint Staff official said Aug. 23.Over the last five weeks, the number of incidents of sectarian violence in Baghdad has decreased steadily, Army Brig. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, deputy director of regional operations for the Joint Staff, said at a Pentagon...

BAGHDAD — As news here this week centered on bolstering Baghdad security, quality of life projects are still progressing with notable results in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq. For nearly two years, the Al Wathba Water Treatment Plant has been undergoing a $22 million upgrade to bring fresh, potable water to Baghdad residents. That facility serves the Rusafa area in northeast Baghdad with markets, businesses, medical facilities, and about 300,000 residents dependent on its output. “Al Wathba is more than 40 years old and the dilapidated, poorly maintained equipment was producing about 1,000 cubic meters (264172.1 gallons) of drinking water...

LAKE TAHOE Lake Tahoe not losing clarity, test shows- Carl T. Hall Wednesday, August 9, 2006 Lake Tahoe's water clarity is nothing like it used to be, but the latest measurements revealed Tuesday that at least the murk doesn't seem to be getting any murkier. UC Davis scientists said the lake was clear to an average depth of 72.4 feet in 2005, based on how far from the surface they could see a white dinner-plate-size measuring tool known as a "Secchi disk." The disk is lowered every seven to 10 days at two locations. The depth at which the plate...

WASHINGTON, August 6, 2006 – The deployment of more than 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S. southwest border met a key objective in the government’s efforts to secure the border, President Bush said here yesterday. Bush visited the Rio Grand Valley Border Patrol sector Aug. 3, and saw firsthand how the National Guard troops are working with Border Patrol agents. “National Guard troops are helping with surveillance, construction and logistics,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. “They're building and repairing fences, maintaining vehicles and manning detection equipment on the border and in command centers.” The arrival of National...

DENVER – A 92-year-old man who was attacked by a bull moose while walking to church in a small mountain town was upgraded to serious condition on Monday. Authorities said the adult moose attacked Louis Heckert on Sunday in Grand Lake, a resort village of about 500 year-round residents 50 miles northwest of Denver on the western edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. The nature of Heckert's injuries was not disclosed. He was taken to St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver, where he was first listed in critical condition. The moose was shot and killed by a state Division of...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2006 – The Army will continue to improve body armor issued to soldiers, and will begin manufacturing side-panel inserts to the Interceptor ballistic armor, officials said here today. The side panels, which weigh 3 pounds, will be made of the same material as the small-arms protective inserts. Army Col. Thomas Spoehr is in charge of fielding body armor. He said the Interceptor body armor now issued to servicemembers protects against most of the threats they face in Iraq and Afghanistan today. "It's the best body armor in the world," Spoehr said. And the proof is in the...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2005 – U.S. and coalition initiatives to create well-trained and -equipped Iraqi security forces are paying off, with Iraqis taking on more of the fight, a U.S. Central Command general said Nov. 28 at the Heritage Foundation here. "Iraqi security forces are fighting hard. They're fighting well. They are not cracking under pressure, as you see in some armies, and they are making a tremendous contribution," Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, CENTCOM's deputy director of plans and strategy, told the audience. Kimmitt, who divides his time between Iraq and CENTCOM's Tampa headquarters, said Iraq's security forces, which now...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The U.S. military plans to ease conditions for some detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — housing them in a renovated section with televisions, stereos and a view of the Caribbean, the detention center's commanding officer said in court papers. For the past several weeks, the military has been renovating Camp Iguana for detainees who are deemed no longer a threat to the United States, Brig Gen. Jay Hood said in an affidavit filed late Tuesday in federal court in Washington. The renovations are scheduled to be finished around Aug. 15, and some of those designated...

WASHINGTON - Early in his first term, President Bush (news - web sites) proposed easing immigration restrictions and establishing a free trade zone throughout the hemisphere. His first two foreign trips were to Mexico and Canada, emphasizing their importance. Four years later, both initiatives are unfulfilled, not even on the agenda as Bush meets Wednesday in Texas with Mexican President Vicente Fox (news - web sites) and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. Instead, the North American leaders will sign a pact pledging to increase border security without hindering the flow of goods or the millions of people that cross the...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

Dear precious saints of our Lord Praise be to the Lord Jesus Thank you for your prayers for little Seenath. By God's grace she is improving slowly. Doctors were afraid that she may not live. Now they say that she overcame such situation. Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus for your mighty power ! Yet doctors have a doubt that either she may be paralised or lose the sight of her eyes. Also she needs a long term treatment.Tahira knows none of these details. Actually I do not know what to do. I don't know how to afford all these....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. machine tool demand in August rose sharply from a year earlier as manufacturers ratcheted-up purchases amid signs the economy is improving, two industry trade groups said in a report released on Sunday. The American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA) and the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) said U.S. machine tool demand stood at $225.52 million in August, up 54.2 percent from $146.27 million in August 2003. In the first eight months of 2004, machine tool demand stood at $1.779 billion, up 38.4 percent from $1.285 billion in the same 2003 period, according to the report. "Exhibitors...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2004 – As January elections loom in Iraq, Army Gen. John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command, said today the country is headed in the right direction. "We are in fact moving in the direction that will allow Iraq to emerge as a democratic and representational state. I think that our military activities there have moved it ahead in a positive manner," Abizaid told host Tim Russert on "Meet the Press." "It's a tough fight, it's a hard fight. But we shouldn't lose heart because there are difficult times. We know that there will be fighting through...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California's elementary and high school students are still improving their standardized test scores, but results released Monday indicate they're not improving as rapidly as before, state education officials said. According to the results of the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, fewer students are moving from the lower scores of basic, below basic and far below basic to the higher levels of proficient and advanced. The test compiles the results of two tests given to students in grades 2-11 and measures how well students are learning California's academic standards. "This is not where we want to be. This...

There’s no question that the U.S. economy is booming. Why isn’t this reflected in President’s Bush poll ratings? Why would Americans think that John Kerry would do anything but ruin the economy? Kerry: the King of All Waflers; the most liberal member of the Senate. He proposes increasing taxes by $700 billion over the next 10 years. Kerry plans to stifle the American economic engine. Faced with good economic times, just what are Americans thinking?Boom Times Yesterday, the Conference Board reported that U.S. consumer confidence reached its best level in two years. 248,000 new American jobs were created in May....

For Immediate ReleaseNovember 8, 2003 President's Radio Address      Audio THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week we heard some good news about the effects of tax relief on the American economy. The Department of Labor reported that our economy added 126,000 new jobs in October. And over the past three months, there were 286,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 6 percent. The four-week average for jobless claims has declined in six of the past seven weeks. And manufacturers reported that orders and shipments are both rising. This news comes one week after we heard that economic output rose at...