[ Rumsfeld’s plan to “take” Iraq with a minimum number of U.S. troops — against the advice of the military leadership — has probably helped terrorists gain access to unguarded explosives south of Baghdad. From the piece: “[T]he U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency confirmed Monday that about 380 tons of explosives are missing from an Iraqi military complex” …. David Kay, the former chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq, said he was not at all surprised at the report, which was initially revealed in Monday’s New York Times. “Al-Qaqaa had been heavily looted in April and May,” said Kay, who left […]
Daily Archives: October 26, 2004
6 posts
26 October 2004 | World Socialist Web Site by Patrick Martin The shortage of flu vaccine has become a major social issue in the United States, with thousands of elderly people?those most at risk of life-threatening complications from influenza?lining up to receive vaccinations at the limited number of clinics and hospitals that have a supply. The total number of vaccines available in the US is estimated at barely 60 million, compared to the 90 million people in the categories most at risk, such as the elderly, small children, pregnant women and people with respiratory ailments. Nearly half the total supply, […]
[ Donald Rumsfeld has famously learned to ease consciences around him: “Things happen in war”; “People get hurt.” Apparently, innocent civilians’ moral weight is easily ignored if you just keep muttering platitudes. This might be why the U.S. military doesn’t see that it’s adding insult to injury when, after killing and injuring tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians during its bombing campaign, it continues to deny most claims of Iraqis seeking compensation on the grounds that they do not provide sufficient proof of having been harmed! One marine commander who supervised claims payments in Iraq [said,] “As soon as they […]
[ Although the timing of the “Levin” report — as its critics charge — is probably political and even gets some of its facts wrong (e.g., pertaining to the timing of meetings), it defends important conclusions that cannot be dismissed on the basis of technicalities. Thanks to Alexandra Dadlez for forwarding this editorial. –BL ] October 23, 2004 | New York Times It’s long been obvious that the allegations about Saddam Hussein’s dangerous weapons and alliance with Osama bin Laden were false. But as the election draws closer, the remaining question is to what extent President Bush’s team knew the allegations […]
22 Oct. 2004 | Reuters NEW YORK – The Army is laying the groundwork to let Halliburton Co. keep several billion dollars paid for work in Iraq that Pentagon auditors say is questionable or unsupported by proper documentation, according to a report published Friday.
5 October 2004 | USA Today by Youssef M. Ibrahim DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The costs and benefits of America’s occupation of Iraq vary, according to proponents and opponents, except when it comes to oil exports. The U.S.-led invasion has resulted in the loss of an average of 2 million barrels a day of Iraqi oil from world markets. That is a significant number with huge consequences for economies around the globe. Instead of rosy promises by the neoconservatives of the Bush administration who pushed for the invasion — partly on the premise that they would turn it into […]