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WHO/WHAT: On July 9, Vets for Freedom will hold a press conference—featuring over a dozen Iraq war veterans—to launch a national “Four Months, For Victory” media and grassroots campaign. The effort will culminate on Veterans Day (November 11) and is intended to inform the American public and key lawmakers about the phenomenal success that our troops have achieved as a result of the surge and the importance of ensuring victory in Iraq, Afghanistan and the overall Global war on Terrorism. The launch includes a multi-million dollar television-advertising buy in target markets and on national cable that will air next week...

There is no challenge greater than the defense of our nation and our values. The men and women of our military –-– have signed up at a time when our troops face an ever-increasing load. Fighting a resurgent Taliban. Targeting al Qaeda. Persevering in the deserts and cities of Iraq. Training foreign militaries. Delivering humanitarian relief. In this young century, our military has answered when called, even as that call has come too often. Through their commitment, their capability, and their courage they have done us all proud. But we need to ease the burden on our troops, while meeting...

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama insisted Thursday he had not changed his plan to order immediate troop withdrawals from Iraq, despite earlier saying he might refine his policies. Obama's attempts to clarify his Iraq policy, before a looming visit to the war zone, drew a triumphant response from the campaign of Republican presumptive nominee John McCain, a staunch supporter of the current war effort. Obama held two press conferences within hours in North Dakota, in an attempt to dispel reports that he was softening his proposal to get all combat troops home within 16 months, in...

One of the most consistent messages we've heard through out Barry's campaign trail is "We need to get our troops out of Iraq. Bring them home. We'll be out within 16 months" .... and now (not surprisingly) it appears that what the Iraqi conflict needs (which according to Barry was the wrong move and the wrong direction for our country) is not an immediate troop withdraw, like he's been promising for months now. Evidently, the Illinois first term Senator would like to listen to what the men (and women) on the ground have to say, before bringing them home. Is...

Media: Four years ago this week, we noted how negative coverage of the Iraq War had become. But that was when things weren't going well. This is now, when things are going much better. So coverage must be much more positive, right? (with asterisks indicating page-toppers): • June 11: "Going to War Not Worth It, More Voters Say"* "NATO Not Expected to Send Force to Iraq" • June 13: "Retired Officials Say Bush Must Go"* "Insurgents and Islam Now Rulers of Fallujah" • June 14: "At Least 20 Killed in Baghdad (Car) Bombings" • June 15: "Iraq's Foreign Contractors in...

The U.S. Army's official history of the Iraq war shows military chiefs made mistake after mistake in the early months of the conflict. Failures to recognize the chaos engulfing the country and to send in enough troops to restore order after the 2003 invasion have long been highlighted by critics, but a new report shows the Army assessing itself.

WASHINGTON — Soon after American forces toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, Gen. Tommy R. Franks surprised senior Army officers by revamping the Baghdad-based military command. The decision reflected the assumption by General Franks, the top American commander for the Iraq invasion, that the major fighting was over. But according to an Army history that is to be made public on Monday, the move put the military effort in the hands of a short-staffed headquarters led by a newly promoted three-star general, and was made over the objections of the Army’s vice chief of staff. “The move was sudden and caught...

Whatever Became of Scott McClellan? by: Rachel Paulk, June 23, 2008 Scott McClellan’s book What Happened spans a range of events that occurred during the Bush years, including the 9/11 and Katrina catastrophes, the Plame scandal, and the controversial Iraq War. McClellan also provides scathing profiles of the star-studded White House, criticizing Karl Rove, Condi Rice, Dick Cheney, and George W. Bush, among others. McClellan joined the Bush team when George W. was governor of Texas and planning on running for presidential office. Following Bush’s ascent to presidency, McClellan worked under Ari Fleischer as the principal deputy press secretary; after...

Much has been made about the “when” of Barack Obama’s opposition to the war—before his opponents, before the war for that matter--but very little about the “why” or “how” of it. The “War in Iraq” page on Obama’s official web site leads with a speech he gave in Iowa in September 2007 that purports to answer the “why” question. “I made a different judgment,” says Obama, contrasting himself with senatorial naifs like Clinton and Edwards, “who took the president at his word.” Obama tells us that he was keen on “reading the intelligence for himself.” This intelligence led him and...

US Army reservist Matthis Chiroux has made liberals across America quiver with excitment as he publicly refused to report to active duty. Chiroux, a former sergeant in the US Army, has decided that since he does not agree with the Iraqi "occupation" that he is no longer obligated to follow orders. After serving 5 years in the Army, Chiroux was honorably discharged and placed in the Individual Ready Reserves (IRR) which essentially serves as a resource of former soldiers who can, at any time, be reactivated during war time or during a national emergency...very similar to the standard military Reserve...

US Army reservist Matthis Chiroux has made liberals across America quiver with excitment as he publicly refused to report to active duty. Chiroux, a former sergeant in the US Army, has decided that since he does not agree with the Iraqi "occupation" that he is no longer obligated to follow orders. After serving 5 years in the Army, Chiroux was honorably discharged and placed in the Individual Ready Reserves (IRR) which essentially serves as a resource of former soldiers who can, at any time, be reactivated during war time or during a national emergency...very similar to the standard military Reserve...

BUSH'S AMERICA: 100 PERCENT AL-QAIDA FREE SINCE 2001June 11, 2008 In a conversation recently, I mentioned as an aside what a great president George Bush has been and my friend was surprised. I was surprised that he was surprised. I generally don't write columns about the manifestly obvious, but, yes, the man responsible for keeping Americans safe from another terrorist attack on American soil for nearly seven years now will go down in history as one of America's greatest presidents. Produce one person who believed, on Sept. 12, 2001, that there would not be another attack for seven years, and...

Senator Obama’s speech on Tuesday in St. Paul, when he finally locked up the Democratic presidential nomination, was typical: rhetorically powerful, well-delivered, with some clever and well-constructed lines. But when you examine the substance of what he said, the speech breaks down. Some of his claims are questionable and misleading; others are ill-informed; and still others border on being intellectually dishonest. Obama’s statement on Iraq are particularly revealing. According to Obama: I won’t stand here and pretend that there are many good options left in Iraq. In fact, Obama doesn’t have to “pretend” there are many good options left in...

Inflated Costs of War by: Rachel Paulk, June 04, 2008 The Three Trillion Dollar War attempts to calculate the accurate total cost of the war in Iraq, covering factors not included in the government’s official $800 billion figure. Authors Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes estimate Iraq’s three trillion dollar tab by combining the budgetary costs of the war with their interpreted macroeconomic and social economic consequences of the conflict. When computing the budgetary costs of the war, the award-winning economists focus on four factors: current costs, predicted future costs, hypothesized “hidden” costs, and approximated interest. These scenarios are utilized to...

Military Occupation by: Ben Giles, June 04, 2008 David Edelstein argues for one major variable of success for military occupancy, and his research shows that the War in Iraq has done a poor job of recognizing this all-important factor. Edelstein, an assistant professor at Georgetown University, presented the findings of his new book, Occupational Hazards: Success and Failure In Military Occupancy, at the Cato Institute on May 29, a subject which moderator Justin Long called a “terribly important topic, and terribly timely as well.” “If only we had had this book before the invasion of Iraq,” said Jack Snyder of...

Don't look now, but the U.S.-backed government and army may be winning the war.

I’d like to stand up for the most spat-upon minority group in the United States right now—the “thirty percenters.” Like smokers and WASPs, those who continue to support President Bush are considered fair game for public ridicule. “Thirty percenter” is a slur used to describe those regarded by the left as ignorant cretins because they do not share the view that Bush is the worst President to ever set foot in the White House. While I’m disillusioned with Bush, who has (in my estimation) failed to match Ronald Reagan’s record of stellar achievement in Washington, I am not so arrogant...

As all the left wing pundits are promoting Scott McClellan’s new “Tell All” book about the Bush administration it’s been revealed that the publisher is a close ally of George Soros and has published Soros’ books along with a multitude of other left wing authors.

Last Thursday, the soldiers of the Third United States Infantry Regiment (the Old Guard) placed a small American flag in front of each of the 260,000 or so grave markers in Arlington National Cemetery. The soldiers remained on duty throughout the weekend, replacing flags that had fallen or been removed, to ensure that each grave was appropriately decorated and honored on Memorial Day. This decades-old tradition exemplifies the attention the military pays to honoring its veterans and, above all of course, its fallen warriors. But what of the rest of us? Most of us in the Washington area didn’t visit...

Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) has been a fairly undistinguished member of the House of Representatives for nearly a quarter of a century. He is a career member of the Financial Services Committee who has made little or no name for himself since his first electoral victory, and has maintained incumbency through the funneling of pork back to his district. Even his Wikipedia entry says that Kanjorski "usually plays behind-the-scenes roles in the advocacy or defeat of legislation and steers appropriations money toward improving the infrastructure and economic needs of his district." “But [in] the temptation to want to win back...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans have broken with President Bush to help Democrats add support for veterans and the unemployed to a bill paying for another year of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The 75-22 vote also added billions of dollars in other domestic funds such as heating subsidies for the poor and money for fighting wildfires to funding for military operations overseas. Shortly afterward, the Senate voted 70-26 to approve $165 billion to pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan into next spring, when Bush's successor will set war policy. All told, the measure contains $212 billion over...

When President Bush visits Israel next week, he should offer to bring that ally fully into the U.S. missile defense network - a step that might forestall an Israeli attack on Iran this year. Two of the most strategically minded Members of Congress I know - Reps. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.) - have enlisted 63 colleagues to urge the move as Bush prepares to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Israel's founding. Specifically, the bipartisan group is calling on Bush to give Israel the advanced X-band radar system that would enable Israel to knock down Iranian missiles early...

President Bush will never live down “Mission Accomplished” — and should not. When the White House’s spinners spun that claim five years ago (remember the aircraft carrier?), it seemed cocky and premature. As Mr. Bush continues his $526 billion war-without-end in Iraq, it seems stunningly deceitful. The only mission that needs to be accomplished is an orderly exit from Iraq, and Mr. Bush is no closer to acknowledging that reality. Neither is Senator John McCain. All Congress seems capable of is hand-wringing. So it is up to Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton to revive the national debate on...

A lesson of Vietnam that applies to Iraq is “the deeper you bog down in a morass, the more difficult it is to get out,” Sen. Chuck Hagel said Friday. “The more troops you put in, saying you need another six months or another year, a surge, five more combat brigades.” All of that runs counter to the reality that “we’re going to have to unwind,” Hagel said. “No foreign policy, no war policy can be sustained without the support of the American people,” he said. “Most of them say (Iraq) was a mistake and we want out.” Hagel’s remarks...

The Bush administration warned it will start furloughing civilian Defense Department employees to save money unless Congress quickly passes a new round of funds for the Iraq war, escalating a clash that has risks for both parties. The threat sets the stage for a likely fight over Iraq funding starting as soon as next week, when House leaders are expected to introduce their own version of the bill. President Bush may risk appearing rigid with his insistence that the bill be kept free of nonsecurity spending. But Democratic lawmakers could seem insensitive to the military if they push too hard...

The gloomy election-year refrain is that America is mired in Iraq, took its eye off Afghanistan, empowered Iran and is losing the war on terror. But how accurate is that pessimistic diagnosis? First, the good news. For all the talk of a recent Tet-like offensive in Basra, the Mahdi Army of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr suffered an ignominious setback when his gunmen were routed from their enclaves. This rout helped the constitutional - and Shiite-dominated - government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki renew its authority, and has encouraged Sunnis to re-enter government. Two great threats to Iraqi autonomy...

At Camp Victory, Counting Blessings — and Days by John McChesney Morning Edition, April 30, 2008 · On their last tour in Iraq, the soldiers of the Arkansas National Guard's 39th Combat Brigade Team saw heavy combat on a street in Baghdad known as "Purple Heart Boulevard." Now, in a short turnaround from that 2004-05 deployment, the Guardsmen are back. "You probably won't find anybody out there that was, you know, thrilled about the prospect of coming back. But there was very little in the way of soldiers ... being overly concerned about coming back," says Col. Kendall Penn, commander...

BAGHDAD - Dozens of fighters ambushed a U.S. patrol in Baghdad's main Shiite militia stronghold Tuesday, firing rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun bursts as the American push into Sadr City increasingly faces pockets of close urban combat. U.S. forces struck back with 200-pound guided rockets that devastated at least three buildings in the densely packed district that serves as the Baghdad base for the powerful Mahdi Army militia. The U.S. military said 28 militiamen were killed as the U.S. patrol pulled back. Local hospital officials said dozens of civilians were killed or wounded. Such street battles — in tight confines...

BAGHDAD - Bombardments by suspected militants killed four U.S. soldiers Monday as troops tried to push Shiite fighters farther from the U.S.-protected Green Zone and out of range of their rockets and mortars. At least 44 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq in April, making it the deadliest month for U.S. forces since September. The U.S. military said three soldiers were killed in eastern Baghdad by indirect fire, a reference to mortars or rockets. The statement did not give an exact location for the attack, but the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City has been the scene of intense fighting...

Two Sides of the COIN in Iraq Proving Grounds Theory One of the popularly noted negative affects of the war in Iraq has been that it would be a training ground for jihadists to gain real-world terrorist experience that would enable them to return to their home countries more lethally trained. This, of course, is true for those that make it out and back to their original homes (or next stops abroad.) But, as Europe is now realizing, fewer of its own are getting in - much less making it back out - and far fewer than feared are making...

During a recent appearance on Boston talk-radio star Reese Hopkins’ program, Phil Donahue waxed indignant about the way the Dixie Chicks were treated during the weeks preceding Operation Iraqi Freedom. Donahue, the producer of the new antiwar documentary Body of War, claimed that the Dixie Chicks and other celebrities who condemned the impending war were silenced by conservatives and forced off the airwaves by the mainstream media. The former TV star insisted that American broadcasting executives were nervous about strongly expressed antiwar views on their programs, and placed a muzzle over the mouths of those opposed to “Bush’s war.” Hopkins...

<p>The war in Iraq has become "a major debacle" and the outcome "is in doubt" despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday by the Pentagon's premier military educational institute.</p>

BAGHDAD — A company of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their positions on Tuesday night in Sadr City, defying American soldiers who implored them to hold the line against Shiite militias. The retreat left a crucial stretch of road on the front lines undefended for hours and led to a tense series of exchanges between American soldiers and about 50 Iraqi troops who were fleeing. Capt. Logan Veath, a company commander in the 25th Infantry Division, pleaded with the Iraqi major who was leading his troops away from the Sadr City fight, urging him to return to the front. “If you turn...

This is a scattered editorial. Rich begins by puffing an Abu Ghraib film supposed to excite the masses. It doesn't sound interesting and, to Rich's credit, he gives up on this score. He then confesses his confusion and unhappiness and blames the American people for disinterest in his and the NYT's preoccupation with Iraq an alleged atrocities. "...This is not merely a showbiz phenomenon but a leading indicator of where our entire culture is right now. It’s not just torture we want to avoid. Most Americans don’t want to hear, see or feel anything about Iraq, whether they support the...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The growing cost to the United States of fighting the war in Iraq "is not only linked to our economic skid, but is a leading cause of it," a Democratic congressman said Saturday. Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky linked the costly, unpopular war with the growing economic troubles -- some say recession -- in this country. Yarmuth said in the Democrats' weekly radio address that the testimony this week of Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker about the Iraq war served as reminder of the billions of dollars being poured into Iraq as the U.S. economy...

An upcoming joint US-Israel report on the September 6 IAF strike on a Syrian facility will claim that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein transferred weapons of mass destruction to the country, Channel 2 stated Monday.

Are the Republicans politically suicidal? I don't think so. The public can oppose you on a specific policy question but still favor you on the issue in general. Richard Nixon was fighting an unpopular war in 1972, but he still crushed George McGovern on foreign policy. Likewise, despite the unpopularity of the Iraq war, John McCain's general hawkishness might still be an asset for him. A Democracy Corps poll, highlighted by Ed Kilgore, suggests exactly that. When presented with the choice of a generic Democrat or Republican, voters strongly prefer a Democrat. But when asked to choose between John McCain...

When U.S. soldiers returned from the Vietnam War, many never got the welcome they felt they deserved. Instead of parades, many got sneers and lectures. Since the Iraq and Afghan wars began, Americans have responded much better to veterans returning from U.S. missions abroad. We throw parades. We wrap our arms around them. Then we forget about them as they try to enter the civilian work force, typically with less success than those who never enlisted. A recent survey for the Department of Veterans Affairs found 18 percent of vets recently back from tours of duty are out of work...

Many in America want the Iraq war to end now and believe if we "leave Iraq to the Iraqis," the Islamic extremists will leave us alone. That position recklessly ignores how America's decade-long refusal to deal more decisively with Islamic terrorism led to 9/11 and all that followed, and how every time America flinches in the face of Islamic aggression, the terrorists see it as a weakness to be exploited. In this environment, Gen. David Petraeus must have expected he would be criticized for recommending the suspension of further U.S. troop withdrawals in the face of the recent flare-up of...

In 2006, the Democrats had some success with a slate of veterans who used their military credentials to argue against the war... "Iraq's going to be a tough issue for everybody, but we're going to be uniquely positioned to deal with it," says former Marine Cpl. Keiran Lalor, a Republican running in the Hudson Valley of New York. "The Democrats went around and found the exception to the rule: They found the Iraq vets against the war." The Republican vets have linked themselves to Sen. McCain's presidential bid and hope to ride to victory on his coattails. While most of...

Data from the Defense Intelligence Agency indicates that enemy-initiated attacks on U.S. troops, Iraqi security forces and Iraqi civilians peaked in October 2006, the month leading up to the U.S. midterm elections. At the time, Vice President Dick Cheney said the insurgents were "very sensitive to the fact that we've got an election scheduled" and were trying to "break the will of the American people." Democrats, who cast the 2006 midterm election as a referendum on Iraq, ended up taking control of both the House and the Senate. The DIA data shows that between November 2006 and May 2007, attacks...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The State Department will renew its contract with Blackwater to provide security in Iraq, Greg Starr, acting assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, said Friday. No provisions have been added to the contract, Starr said, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ordered several changes to procedure after a September incident in which Blackwater guards shot and killed 17 people, including women and children. The incident placed the operations of Blackwater and other security firms under scrutiny in Iraq, where an estimated 25,000 private contractors protect diplomats, reconstruction workers and government officials. Under a provision instituted in...

British fear US commander is beating the drum for Iran strikes By Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent Last Updated: 1:53am BST 05/04/2008 British officials gave warning yesterday that America's commander in Iraq will declare that Iran is waging war against the US-backed Baghdad government. A strong statement from General David Petraeus about Iran's intervention in Iraq could set the stage for a US attack on Iranian military facilities, according to a Whitehall assessment. In closely watched testimony in Washington next week, Gen Petraeus will state that the Iranian threat has risen as Tehran has supplied and directed attacks by militia...

Pacifism’s Utopian Heart by: Bethany Stotts, April 04, 2008 ... "At its heart, utopianism is the denial of radical evil. It is a naive vision of social and political life that ignores the realities of history and human nature,” writes Professor Joseph Loconte for JJI. The Pepperdine University Visiting Professor expressed his concern that “despite some good intentions, the utopians have absorbed a number of sub-Christian views about human nature and [the] mission of the Church in a fallen world.” Such attitudes lead to moral relativism, he argues, prompting strong anti-Americanism from figures such as Jim Wallis, Arthur Schlessinger, Jr.,...

Affirmative Action for Foreign Policy by: Bethany Stotts, April 02, 2008 Foreign policy is overrun by a “religion avoidance disorder” so severe that foundations must offer grants in order to encourage international affairs departments to integrate faith issues into their curriculum, argues Thomas F. Farr. “I’ll tell you a dirty little secret: this is precisely why I am teaching at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. They received a grant from the Henry Luce foundation,” said the Georgetown University Professor. The Henry Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs has given grants to numerous universities, think tanks, and other organizations...

Tendentious Antiwar Scholarship by: Michael P. Tremoglie, April 01, 2008 The mainstream media is aghast and agog reporting yet another study, from another expert, claiming how wasteful the war in Iraq is, how Bush lied, and how the war is killing the country. This study is contained in a book titled, The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict, authored by economist Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes. The authors worked for the Clinton administration. Stiglitz was the former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors and Bilmes was also an economic adviser. Newspapers such as the...

Iraq War Spending Deconstructed by: Malcolm A. Kline, March 31, 2008 ...Two professors have actually made an earnest, exhaustive attempt to calculate the cost of the Iraq War but they look at it as two academics who have been through the revolving door to government jobs and back again to the Ivory Tower. “Defense comes to four percent of the Gross Domestic Product [GDP] but how much has GDP increased?” Linda J. Blimes said at the Center for American Progress (CAP) last week. “We are a wealthy country and in one sense can afford it but you have to look...

I'm told Stop-Loss opened to only $1.6 million Friday from just 1,291 plays. Although the drama from MTV Films was the best-reviewed movie opening this weekend, Paramount wasn't expecting much because no Iraq war-themed movie has yet to perform at the box office.

Democrats are congratulating themselves on the political cleverness of the cheap shots they are taking at Sen. John McCain over his already-famous “100 years in Iraq” comment. What McCain said at a townhall meeting in New Hampshire in January was inarguably true. He was asked about President Bush’s comment that we could stay in Iraq for 50 years. McCain replied, “Make it 100. We’ve been in South Korea . . . we’ve been in Japan for 60 years. We’ve been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That would be fine with me. As long as Americans are not being...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Barack Obama blamed the Iraq war for higher oil prices and skyrocketing debt Thursday as he sought to tie the unpopular war to the slumping economy in working-class West Virginia. The Democratic hopeful is trying to cut into Hillary Clinton's base in West Virginia. The state's demographics appear to favor Clinton, whose support is strongest among older white voters and blue-collar workers. "When you're spending over $50 to fill up your car because the price of oil is four times what it was before Iraq, you're paying a price for this war," Obama said. "When Iraq is...