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Been There	1,100 Days Posted: Friday, May 05, 2006 2:39 PM Today we've reached another important milestone in the presidency of George Dubya Bush. Exactly 1,100 days have gone by since he donned his presidential flight suit and flew fron San Diego to San Diego to make his Iraq "Mission Accomplished" speech. What, exactly, was accomplished? Today's headlines tell the story: Three U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq blast. BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Insurgents killed three U.S. soldiers Friday south of Baghdad and a police officer in the Iraqi capital, and authorities found five slain bodies around the city, the U.S. military and Iraqi police said. The three soldiers died when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Babil province, a military statement said. Eleven American troops have died in the first five days of the month in Iraq -- all but one in hostilities. The figures were compiled from Pentagon news releases. Other reported deaths this week include: Three soldiers died in roadside bombings -- one Monday south of Baghdad and two Thursday in the capital. Three Marines were killed in combat in Anbar province in separate incidents Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. An Army National Guardsman died Wednesday in Tammin, also in Anbar, when a suicide bomber in a vehicle detonated a bomb. A soldier died Wednesday in a noncombat-related incident. In the wake of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, 2,415 U.S. military troops and civilians have been killed in the Iraq war. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,686 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." Exactly 1,100 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Saturday, May 06, 2006 10:45 AM Iraqis Kill More Occupation Soldiers BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Crowds of Iraqis attacked British troops after a military helicopter crashed in the southern city of Basra on Saturday. At least two Iraqis were killed as young men clashed with British personnel sent to the scene, Basra police said. Shortly after the crash, video showed young men hurling rocks and at least one flaming Molotov cocktail at armored vehicles carrying personnel sent to secure the area. British officials said there were casualties from the British military helicopter crash, which occurred in a residential area, but they declined to give details or speculate on why the aircraft came down. The Associated Press quoted Police Capt. Mushtaq Khazim as saying the helicopter went down after apparently being hit by a missile or a rocket. "All I can tell you now is that there have been casualties," British military spokesman Maj. Sebastian Muntz told CNN. [Descriptions of a long list of killings and kidnappings] A U.S. soldier was killed on Friday when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, according to a statement from the Joint Operations Center released on Saturday. His identity was not released, and an investigation into the incident is under way, the statement said. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,687 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,101 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Monday, May 08, 2006 9:10 AM 3 G.I.'s Killed by Bomb South of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 5 (AP) — A roadside bomb killed three American soldiers south of Baghdad on Friday. The American military also reported that its forces had shot dead three insurgents on Thursday in Samarra, the site of the bombing of a Shiite shrine in February that set off a wave of sectarian killings in Iraq. The United States command provided few details about the bomb that killed the three soldiers, in Babil Province. But Capt. Muthana Khalid, of the provincial police, said the explosion heavily damaged a Humvee in an American military convoy about 11:30 a.m. near Mahaweel, 35 miles south of Baghdad. American and Iraqi forces placed Samarra under a curfew on Friday as they searched homes looking for insurgents, said a police spokesman, Capt. Laith Muhammad. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,689 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,103 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Wednesday, May 10, 2006 8:57 AM Suicide Bomber Kills 17; Another U.S. Soldier Killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 9 — A suicide bomber in a pickup truck drove into a public market in a Shiite neighborhood in the northern city of Tal Afar on Tuesday and blew himself up, killing 17 people and wounding as many as 65, officials said. ... An American soldier was killed in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Baghdad on Monday, the American military said in a statement. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,691 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,105 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Friday, May 12, 2006 10:41 AM 12 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq So Far This Week Three U.S. Army soldiers were killed Thursday when roadside bombs hit two U.S. convoys southwest of Baghdad, the military said. The U.S. command also announced that an American soldier died Tuesday from wounds not suffered in combat. The deaths brought to at least 12 the number of U.S. service members who have died in Iraq this week, according to an Associated Press count.   ...   Their deaths raised to at least 2,434 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. Three months ago, Iraq's freely elected Parliament took office, but the country's complex mix of Shiite, Sunni-Arab and Kurdish politicians are still trying to form a Cabinet that will make the government fully operational. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,693 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,107 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Saturday, May 13, 2006 9:36 AM Son of Top Iraqi Judge Killed in Baghdad; Another U.S. Soldier Killed BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Gunmen killed the son of Iraq's top judge along with two of his bodyguards and dumped their bodies in Baghdad, officials said Saturday. Other attacks outside the capital killed five Iraqis and a U.S. soldier, police said.   ...   A U.S. Army soldier died in a roadside bombing south of Baghdad at 4 a.m., officials said. His death raised to at least 2,437 the number of U.S. military members who have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,694 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,108 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Monday, May 15, 2006 10:34 AM 7 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq This Weekend BAGHDAD, Iraq May 15, 2006 (AP)— Insurgents shot down a U.S. helicopter south of Baghdad and killed two soldiers, the U.S. military said Monday. Their deaths, along with those of three other soldiers and two Marines, brought the weekend toll to seven U.S. service members. The mothers of those soldiers experienced a tragic Mother's Day this year. Losing a child is terrible, but losing a child because of a politician's blunder is unconscionable. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,696 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,110 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 1:25 PM Violence Claims 24 Iraqis, 3 GIs BAGHDAD, Iraq - Militants raided a parking lot in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 18 people with gunfire and a car bomb, police said. Earlier, fighting between suspected insurgents and Iraqi police killed at least six civilians in the capital, and roadside bombs killed three U.S. soldiers, officials said. ... One U.S. soldier died when a roadside bomb exploded near Rasheed airfield, a former Iraqi air force installation in southern Baghdad, damaging a Humvee and also wounding an Iraqi civilian, said police Lt. Mohammed Hanoun. The soldier was on a foot patrol near the convoy at the time, the U.S. command said. Two other soldiers from 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, were killed Monday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb near Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad. The attacks raised to at least 2,448 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died since the start of the war in 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,697 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." Exactly 1,111 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	1,700 Days Posted: Friday, May 19, 2006 9:36 AM Today we commemorate 1,700 days since president Bush made his pledge to bring Osama bin Laden to justice "dead or alive." Here is a transcript of his remarks to Pentagon employees on September 17, 2001: I want justice. Q    Do you want bin Laden dead?      THE PRESIDENT:  I want justice.  There's an old poster out west, as I recall, that said, "Wanted: Dead or Alive." Q    Are you saying you want him dead or alive, sir?  Can I interpret --      THE PRESIDENT:  I just remember, all I'm doing is remembering when I was a kid I remember that they used to put out there in the old west, a wanted poster.  It said:  "Wanted, Dead or Alive."  All I want and America wants him brought to justice.  That's what we want. If he had followed up on that pledge, we would be much safer today. Instead, he dropped the ball on bin Laden, telling the terrorists that we'd get involved somewhere else if they held out long enough. The result is -- and will continue to be -- an increase in terrorism around the world. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Friday, May 19, 2006 9:44 AM 4 U.S. Soldiers and 1 Sailor Killed in Iraq Elsewhere in the capital, four U.S. soldiers with the Multi-National Division - Baghdad and an Iraqi interpreter died Thursday "when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle northwest of Baghdad," the military said. The names of the soldiers were being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Since the start of the war, there have been 2,443 U.S. military fatalities in Iraq. Seven American civilian contractors of the military also have died in the conflict. The bombing came amid reports Thursday of violence that resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including a U.S. sailor, Iraqi police and civilians. The reports included: A U.S. sailor was killed in Anbar province Wednesday "due to enemy action," a military statement said. The sailor was deployed with the Marines' Regimental Combat Team 5. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: Exactly 1,700 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,114 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Agent	Iraq News Posted: Friday, June 02, 2006 10:10 AM Have you really been there?
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 2:00 PM The stupidity of using our soldiers to occupy a country for "nation-building" purposes, rather than for defending our nation, is beginning to dawn on even the fuzzy-brained voters who supported extending the Bush administration's time in office: Getting Used to War as Hell. According to the Haditha survivors, a small number of marines shot 24 civilians, in cold blood after a roadside bomb exploded as their platoon left their isolated base in the city, killing a 20-year-old lance corporal. Some accounts given to Western news organizations by survivors and by those familiar with the military investigations say that the killings extended over several hours, and involved several family homes next to the site of the bombing. The victims included women and children. Many were said to have died by gunshots to the head and torso. The longer foreign soldiers occupy a country, the more "incidents" happen that inflame the hatred of those suffering under the occupation. That always happens, and everyone with common sense knows it. By this time in Iraq, the only Iraqis who want us there are crooks who hope to make great profits now at our expense, to be enjoyed later on island resorts all over the world. There they will clink glasses with the rich Republicans who started the Iraq war fully intending to create profits from the blood of our young people. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,718 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,132 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Thursday, June 08, 2006 9:58 AM Good news: al-Zarqawi Killed in Iraq BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 8 — Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in an American air strike on an isolated safe house north of Baghdad at 6.15 p.m. local time on Wednesday, top United States and Iraqi officials said today. Bad news: More U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq As of Wednesday, at least 2,482 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,720 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,134 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Thursday, June 15, 2006 12:00 PM Pentagon: U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 2,500 BAGHDAD, Iraq - The number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq has reached 2,500, the Pentagon said Thursday, more than three years into a conflict that finds US-led forces locked in a struggle with a resilient insurgency. In addition, the Pentagon said 18,490 U.S. troops have been wounded in the war, which began in March 2003 with a US-led invasion to topple President Saddam Hussein. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,727 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,141 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Sunday, June 25, 2006 12:24 PM Our young people keeping dying in Iraq because of President Bush's blunders: 4 U.S. Soldiers Die; Cleric Is Freed After Protests. BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 24 — Three American soldiers were killed in combat here, and a fourth died from injuries unrelated to fighting, the military said Saturday, bringing the number of American soldiers killed in Iraq this month to 46. ... The area south of the capital has been unusually violent this week, after insurgents captured and killed two American soldiers. The soldiers were taken prisoner on June 15 after an ambush, and their mutilated bodies were found four days later, bearing signs of torture. The American military dispatched 8,000 soldiers to look for them, and in the process stirred up a flurry of guerrilla activity. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,737 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,151 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Saturday, July 01, 2006 9:51 AM Good people continue to die for the blunders made by President George W. Bush: 60 More U.S. Soldiers Killed in June in Iraq. At least 60 American soldiers died in Iraq in June, a slight decline from 69 in May and 76 in April. Yet, that was almost twice as many as in March, which, at 31, had the second-lowest monthly fatality count of the war. ... Deaths of Iraqi civilians dropped in June from previous months, according to a rough estimate by the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, an independent Web site. At least 840 Iraqi civilians died in June, compared with an all-time high of 1,100 the previous month, according to the site, which counts deaths from news reports. The June toll was about the same as that in February, the month that hundreds of civilians were killed in sectarian bloodletting after the bombing of a sacred Shiite shrine. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,743 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,157 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Monday, July 10, 2006 9:39 AM Everyone with real military experience warned George W. Bush that he needed a much larger force to occupy Iraq. He had more than enough firepower to kick out Saddam Hussein, if necessary to save our country from weapons of mass destruction. But he did not have the numbers to indulge his utopian "nation-building" dream. Instead, our president listened to the chicken-hawk advisers he feels most comfortable with and ignored the warnings he got from military realists. More than three years later, the mess in Iraq drags on: Massive Violence Flares in Baghdad. BAGHDAD, July 10 — A mob of gunmen went on a brazen daytime rampage through a predominantly Sunni Arab district of western Baghdad on Sunday, pulling people from their cars and homes and killing them in what officials and residents called a spasm of revenge by Shiite militias for the bombing of a Shiite mosque on Saturday. Hours later, two car bombs exploded beside a Shiite mosque in another Baghdad neighborhood in a deadly act of what appeared to be retaliation. Violence continued in Baghdad today, as a bomb killed 10 people and wounded at least 49 in the Sadr City section, a Shiite stronghold. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki responded with a plea for Iraqis to "unite as brothers," Reuters reported. "Our destiny is to work together in brotherhood to defeat terrorism and insurgency," he told the Kurdish regional parliament in northern Iraq, While Baghdad has been ravaged by Sunni-Shiite bloodletting in recent months, even by recent standards the violence here on Sunday was frightening, delivered with impunity by gun-wielding vigilantes on the street. In the culture of revenge that has seized Iraq, residents all over the city braced for an escalation in the cycle of retributive mayhem between the Shiites and Sunnis that has threatened to expand into civil war. The violence coincided with an announcement by American military officials that they had formally accused four more American soldiers of rape and murder, and a fifth soldier of "dereliction of duty" for failing to report the crimes, in connection with the deaths of the 14-year-old Iraqi girl who was raped and three members of her family. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,752 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,166 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 12:02 PM Car Bomb Kills Dozens Near Shiite Shrine in Iraq; 3 More U.S. Soldiers Killed: BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 18— A bomb killed 53 people and wounded more than 100 in the Shiite city of Kufa today, a day after at least 48 people died as dozens of gunmen suspected of being Sunni Arabs went on a rampage through a mostly Shiite market area in the town of Mahmudiya, according to Iraqi officials. News services said that the blast was the work of a suicide bomber who pulled a minivan into a market where day laborers had gathered and lured some on board with the promise of work. The attack in Kufa and other violence brought to about 150 the number of civilians killed in three days in the country, making it one of the deadliest periods since the appointment of the current government in May. ... The American military said a soldier was killed by small-arms fire in western Baghdad, another soldier died in a bombing south of the capital, and a third soldier was killed by “enemy action” in western Iraq. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,760 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,174 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Monday, July 31, 2006 11:11 AM As depressing as we all find the news from Iraq these days -- the Pentagon extends soldiers' tours of duty again and Baghdad faces increasing violence -- it follows a totally predictable script. Everyone with an ounce or more of sense saw this coming from the beginning. When George W. Bush failed in business after business, only a few people were hurt by each failure. But his failures as President of the U.S. have caused thousands of unnecessary deaths, and the toll continues to rise: 8 U.S. Marines Killed In 3 Days. In the continuing violence, the American military said four marines were killed in combat on Saturday in Anbar Province, a volatile region west of Baghdad where Sunni Arab insurgents have fiercely fought coalition forces. A total of eight marines have been killed in the province since Thursday, highlighting the danger still present in outlying regions as the Pentagon begins shifting American troops to Baghdad in an effort to quell rampant violence here. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,773 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,187 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Monday, August 07, 2006 2:47 PM Rape and Murder in Iraq; 3 More US Soldiers Killed: Three American soldiers were killed Sunday by an improvised bomb planted along a road southwest of Baghdad, the American military said in a statement early Monday. A suicide bomber wrapped in explosives detonated himself in the middle of a crowd of mourners attending the funeral of a member of the Tikrit city council, an Interior Ministry official said. Five people were killed and 15 wounded, the official said. At least 15 bodies, all with their hands tied behind their backs and gunshots to the head, were found in different Baghdad neighborhoods, according to the ministry official. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,780 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,194 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Thursday, August 10, 2006 6:39 AM 17 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq So Far This Month The deaths brought to at least 17 the number of American service members killed in Iraq this month. All but five died in Anbar, indicating the ongoing threat from Sunni insurgents at a time when attention has been focused on violence between Sunnis and Shiites in Baghdad. On Wednesday, deputy Health Minister Dr. Sabah al-Husseini said about 1,500 violent deaths were reported last month in the Baghdad area -- excluding members of the U.S.-led coalition. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,783 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,197 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 9:31 AM Number of Iraq Civilian Deaths Highest in July BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 15 — July appears to have been the deadliest month of the war for Iraqi civilians, according to figures from the Health Ministry and the Baghdad morgue, reinforcing criticism that the Baghdad security plan started in June by the new government has failed. An average of more than 110 Iraqis were killed each day in July, according to the figures. The total number of civilian deaths that month, 3,438, is a 9 percent increase over the tally in June and nearly double the toll in January. The rising numbers suggested that sectarian violence is spiraling out of control, and seemed to bolster an assertion many senior Iraqi officials and American military analysts have made in recent months: that the country is already embroiled in a civil war, not just slipping toward one, and that the American-led forces are caught between Sunni Arab guerrillas and Shiite militias. ... United Nations officials and military analysts say the morgue and ministry numbers almost certainly reflect severe undercounting, caused by the haphazard nature of information in a war zone. Many casualties in areas outside Baghdad probably never appear in the official count, said Anthony H. Cordesman, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a research group in Washington. That helps explain why fatalities in Baghdad appear to account for such a large percentage of the total number, he said in a recent report. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,789 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,203 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Our Iraq Nightmare Posted: Thursday, August 17, 2006 12:06 PM The situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, exactly as everyone with common sense knew it would when George W. Bush announced that U.S. forces would occupy Iraq for "nation-building" purposes after Saddam's weapons of mass destruction proved to be illusory: Bombs Aimed at G.I.’s in Iraq Are Increasing. WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 — The number of roadside bombs planted in Iraq rose in July to the highest monthly total of the war, offering more evidence that the anti-American insurgency has continued to strengthen despite the killing of the terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Along with a sharp increase in sectarian attacks, the number of daily strikes against American and Iraqi security forces has doubled since January. The deadliest means of attack, roadside bombs, made up much of that increase. In July, of 2,625 explosive devices, 1,666 exploded and 959 were discovered before they went off. In January, 1,454 bombs exploded or were found. The bomb statistics — compiled by American military authorities in Baghdad and made available at the request of The New York Times — are part of a growing body of data and intelligence analysis about the violence in Iraq that has produced somber public assessments from military commanders, administration officials and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. “The insurgency has gotten worse by almost all measures, with insurgent attacks at historically high levels,” said a senior Defense Department official who agreed to discuss the issue only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for attribution. “The insurgency has more public support and is demonstrably more capable in numbers of people active and in its ability to direct violence than at any point in time.” ... Bush administration officials now admit that Iraqi government’s original plan to rein in the violence in Baghdad, announced in June, has failed. The Pentagon has decided to rush more American troops into the capital, and the new military operation to restore security there is expected to begin in earnest next month. Yet some outside experts who have recently visited the White House said Bush administration officials were beginning to plan for the possibility that Iraq’s democratically elected government might not survive. “Senior administration officials have acknowledged to me that they are considering alternatives other than democracy,” said one military affairs expert who received an Iraq briefing at the White House last month and agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,790 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,204 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Thursday, August 24, 2006 8:28 AM 2 U.S. Soldiers Killed South of Baghdad One U.S. soldier was killed Wednesday during a raid to capture "foreign terrorists," the U.S. military command said. Two of the militants also were killed, it said, without elaborating. The other American soldier died Thursday when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb, the military said. In Baghdad, a car bomb in the mixed neighborhood of al-Mashtal in eastern Baghdad killed two civilians and injured five others, police said. The explosion occurred about 100 yards from a police station, police said. Another car bomb -- targeting a police patrol in the Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah -- killed two civilians and wounded four people, included two policemen, police said. Elsewhere in the capital, five day laborers were wounded when a bomb hidden in trash exploded outside a paint shop in downtown Tayaran Square, while a roadside bomb exploded next to an Iraqi police patrol, wounding two policemen. In the Azamiyah neighborhood, gunmen opened fire on a police patrol, killing one policeman and wounding another, police said. To the north, a bomb in a minivan killed three policemen and wounded a minivan driver in Baqouba, about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, police said. On the outskirts of that city, a roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army convoy, killing three soldiers and destroying their armored vehicle, said Baqouba army commander Brig. Salman al-Talabani. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,797 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,211 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, August 29, 2006 11:01 AM Violence in Iraq Increases; 9 More U.S. Soldiers Killed The American military announced Monday the deaths of nine American service members in attacks on Sunday. In Baghdad, a car bomb killed at least 13 people on Monday and wounded dozens at a checkpoint just outside the Interior Ministry headquarters. Over all, more than 100 Iraqis were killed Sunday and Monday. With sectarian violence soaring, American generals and the American ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, say that militias are now the single greatest threat to the stability of Iraq and that the Iraqi government must disband them. But, of course, the Iraqi government has neither the will nor the power to disband them. Our young soldiers are caught up in a foreign civil war triggered by the foolish actions of their commander in chief. And everyone with common sense saw this coming from the beginning. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,802 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,216 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Thursday, August 31, 2006 7:26 AM Bush's Blunders Kill Another U.S. Soldier The U.S. military reported an American soldier was killed in a bomb blast north of the capital while conducting a security mission Wednesday. It did not give details of the location. ... Violence across the country left dozens dead Wednesday. Twelve prospective army cadets were killed Wednesday in Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad as they waited outside a recruiting center. A bomb also ripped through a Baghdad market, and police said 24 people died. But the Iraqi Defense Ministry reported that 13 people had been killed in the blast. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,804 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,218 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
ZoneIII	Iraq News Posted: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 11:28 AM Wow!  You are actually carrying on a conversation with yourself!   That's kind of pathetic when you think about it.  I guess nobody is interested in the rants of a whining crybaby and terrified little girl.   I hope you aren't "thin skinned" and a "weakling" too.    Maybe you should spend your time growing a spine.
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Monday, October 23, 2006 1:05 PM Hi ZoneIII,   I can see where you're coming from, and I appreciate your cogent analysis of the problems facing our country. It's not just that we have an incompetent sleazeball as a president. It's that our country has enough idiots to elect a scumbag like George W. Bush (and I say that with all due respect to him and to you).   86 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq Already This Month BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Militants targeted police recruits and shoppers rounding up last-minute sweets and delicacies for a feast to mark the end of the Ramadan holy month, the highlight of the Muslim year. At least 44 Iraqis were reported killed across the country. The U.S. military announced the deaths of a Marine and seven soldiers, raising to 86 the number of American servicemembers killed in October -- the highest monthly toll this year. The pace of U.S. deaths could make October the deadliest month in two years. Six soldiers were killed Sunday, three by small arms fire west of the capital and three by roadside bombs within Baghdad, the military said. On Saturday, a Marine was killed during combat in restive Anbar province and another soldier died in fighting in Salahuddin province. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,857 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,271 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Thursday, October 26, 2006 10:09 AM 4 More U.S. Marines and 1 More Sailor Killed in Iraq for Bush's Blunders: BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The number of American troops killed in Iraq in October reached the highest monthly total in a year Thursday after four Marines and a sailor died of wounds suffered while fighting in the same Sunni insurgent stronghold. The U.S. military said 96 U.S. troops have died so far in October, the most in one month since October 2005, when the same number was killed. The highest monthly death toll prior to that came in January 2005, when 107 U.S. troops were killed. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,860 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,274 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Saturday, October 28, 2006 10:52 AM 98 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq So Far This Month BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told the U.S. ambassador that he was Washington's friend but ''not America's man in Iraq,'' ratcheting up his increasingly bitter dispute with the Bush administration, an aide said Saturday. The U.S. military, meanwhile, announced the death of a Marine in the restive Anbar province west of Baghdad on Friday, raising to 98 the number of American forces killed in Iraq in October, already the fourth deadliest month since the Iraq war began in March 2003. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,862 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,276 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Monday, October 30, 2006 10:59 AM Baghdad Bomb Kills at Least 26; U.S. Toll Hits 100 for October At least 26 Shiite laborers were killed and 60 were wounded in a bomb blast in Baghdad today, as the American death toll in Iraq reached 100 for the month with the announcement by the military that a marine had been killed in al-Anbar province. Four other bombs killed at least 10 people and wounded 26 around the capital today, and a geology professor who is a member of a Sunni political group was gunned down on his way to his college. The outbreak of violence comes despite the hopes of American military officials that the killings, which increased during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, might slacken following its end last week. The military said in a statement today that the marine died on Sunday from wounds suffered in combat in al-Anbar, the western province where the Sunni insurgency is based. October has become the deadliest month for American forces in Iraq since January 2005. And every one of these deaths was completely unnecessary, caused by the foolish actions of our worthless president, George W. Bush. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,864 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,278 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Tuesday, October 31, 2006 1:14 PM U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Hits 103 for October BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- U.S. troops on Tuesday abandoned checkpoints around the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City on orders from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the latest in a series of moves by the Iraqi leader to assert his authority with the U.S. administration. The U.S. military announced the deaths of two soldiers in fighting in the Baghdad area on Monday, one from small arms fire, the other from a roadside bomb. Those brought the number of troops killed in Iraq this month to 103. U.S. forces disappeared from the checkpoints within hours of the order to remove the around-the-clock barriers by 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT), setting off celebrations among civilians and armed men gathered on the edge of the sprawling slum that is under the control of the Mahdi Army militia run by radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Iraqi troops loaded coils of barbed wire and red traffic cones onto pickup trucks, while small groups of men and children danced in circles chanting slogans praising al-Sadr, who earlier Tuesday had ordered the area closed to the Iraqi government until U.S. troops lifted what he called their "siege" of the neighborhood. Extra checkpoints were set up last week as U.S. troops launched an intensive search for a missing soldier, who has yet to be found. Those of us who served our country during the Vietnam war know what it is like to put our lives on the line because of the stupidity of our so-called "leaders." George W. Bush is a chickenhawk who hid behind his daddy's skirt when it came time for him to fight, and our White House today is full of cowards just like him. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,865 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,279 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Thursday, November 02, 2006 1:25 AM U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Reaches 105 in October The U.S. military reported the deaths of two service members on Tuesday in Anbar province, an insurgent stronghold. A total of 105 American service members died in Iraq in October, the fourth deadliest month since the Iraq war began in March 2003. There have been only three months in which more U.S. forces died in Iraq: 107 in January 2005; at least 135 in April 2004, and 137 in November 2004. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,867 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,281 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Saturday, November 04, 2006 12:51 PM 7 U.S. Troops Die in Iraq BAGHDAD, Nov. 3 — John D. Negroponte, the director of national intelligence, met here with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki on Friday, the second high-level visit by an American official in a week. The American military, meanwhile, announced the deaths of seven more American troops. All were killed Thursday, three in a roadside bomb in eastern Baghdad and four in the roiling western province of Anbar in sniper and bomb attacks. Hidden killing continued across the capital, with 83 bodies and a severed human head found in the two days ending Friday. At least nine other Iraqis died in violence on Friday, Reuters reported, including a freelance journalist, a singer, a taxi driver and a gas station employee. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,869 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,283 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Monday, November 06, 2006 1:29 PM 18 Americans Killed In Iraq In November Monday's deaths push to 18 the number of U.S. troops killed in the first six days of this month. An unofficial tally by The Associated Press shows that at least 2,839 Americans have died in Iraq since the U.S. invasion. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,871 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,285 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Friday, November 10, 2006 9:22 AM U.S. Death Toll in Iraq at 23 for November BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Two U.S. soldiers and a Marine were killed in Iraq, the U.S. military said Friday, bringing the number of Americans who have died in the country so far this month to 23. ... The two American soldiers, assigned to the 89th Military Police Brigade, died when the vehicle they were traveling in was hit by a roadside bomb Thursday in western Baghdad, the U.S. command said. Another soldier was wounded, it added. The Marine, assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, died Thursday from wounds suffered in fighting in Anbar province. At least 11 of the 23 American deaths in November were in Anbar province. Most of the others died in the Baghdad area.   ... Since the beginning of the war in 2003, 2,843 members of the U.S. military have died, according to an Associated Press count. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,875 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,289 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Monday, November 13, 2006 10:30 AM Blasts Kill Dozens of Iraqi Police Recruits; 3 More U.S. Soldiers Killed BAGHDAD, Nov. 13 -- Two suicide bombers detonated explosives Sunday as a crowd of men gathered in front of a police recruiting center in central Baghdad, killing at least 35 people and wounding 56 in one of the deadliest suicide attacks in Iraq this year. The blasts, coming hours before Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced plans for a major cabinet shake-up, delivered the latest blow to U.S. and Iraqi efforts to strengthen the country's fledgling security forces. Such efforts are a key element of the U.S. strategy to draw down troop strength and contain the sectarian violence that is pushing the country toward civil war. ... In other violence, the U.S. military announced the combat-related deaths of three U.S. soldiers in Anbar province, bringing to 27 the number of American troops killed this month. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,878 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,292 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 12:43 PM Bush Seeks Iraq Help from Clinton WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 — The bipartisan commission examining strategic options for Iraq reached out on Tuesday to top Democrats from the Clinton White House — beginning with former President Bill Clinton himself. The Iraq Study Group interviewed at least four other members of the Clinton administration: both of Mr. Clinton’s secretaries of state, Madeleine K. Albright and Warren Christopher; the former ambassador to the United Nations, Richard C. Holbrooke; and the former national security adviser, Samuel R. Berger. The group also spoke Tuesday by video link with Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain. The Iraq Study Group is led by James A. Baker III, former secretary of state under the first President Bush, and Lee H. Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman. The panel is expected to issue recommendations by the end of the year. Iraqi Government Death Squads Run Amock; 6 More US Soldiers Killed Considerable confusion remained about the incident, which was carried out by gunmen in uniforms resembling those of police commandos and which led to the arrest of five police officials. According to news service reports, officials of the Ministry of Higher Education insisted today that many more people had been kidnapped, and that as many as 80 hostages were still being held. They quoted the minister of higher education, Abed Thiab al-Ajili, a Sunni politician, as saying that he was stepping down from his post until the remaining hostages are freed. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Brig. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf, said that security forces were continuing to search for victims and their kidnappers, and that it was unclear how many people had been seized because no list was kept of visitors to the office building that was raided. Also today, the American military announced the deaths of six American troops on Tuesday. Three marines and one soldier were killed in combat in Anbar province, the center of the Sunni insurgency in the country’s west, and two soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb during combat operations in northwestern Baghdad, the military said in a statement. US Soldier Admits Raping and Killing 14-Year Old Iraqi Girl One of four Army infantrymen charged with raping a 14-year-old girl last March in Iraq and then killing her and her family will plead guilty today in a military court in Kentucky, his lawyers said. The plea to charges of rape and premeditated murder will make the soldier, Specialist James P. Barker, 23, the first to resolve the charges against him in one of the most gruesome cases of illegal killings of Iraqi civilians. Specialist Barker and three other members of Company B of the First Battalion, 502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, were each charged with raping the girl and killing her, her parents and her 7-year-old sister in the family’s home in Mahmudiya, southwest of Baghdad, a volatile area known among American soldiers as the “triangle of death.” Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, Pfc. Bryan L. Howard and Sgt. Paul E. Cortez are also charged with rape, premeditated murder and arson; military prosecutors accused them of burning the teenager’s body with kerosene in an effort to conceal evidence. A fifth soldier, Sgt. Anthony W. Yribe, is charged with dereliction of duty for failing to report the crimes. Specialist Barker’s plea bargain means that he will not face the death penalty, his lawyers said yesterday, and although he will probably be given a life sentence, he could be released on parole in 20 years. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,880 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,294 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Friday, November 17, 2006 9:14 AM 44 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq So Far This November The American military command announced that four American soldiers had been killed. One was killed on Tuesday by small-arms fire in Baghdad, the military said. The other three were killed on Wednesday in Diyala, two when a bomb exploded near their vehicle and one by small-arms fire. At least 44 American soldiers have been killed this month. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,882 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,296 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Thursday, November 23, 2006 12:30 PM At Least 150 Killed in Deadliest Attack Since Start of Iraq War; 3 More U.S. Marines Dead BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- In the deadliest attack on a sectarian enclave since the beginning of the Iraq war, suspected Sunni-Arab militants used three suicide car bombs and two mortar rounds on the capital's Shiite Sadr City slum to kill at least 150 people and wound 238 on Thursday, police said. The Shiites responded almost immediately, firing 10 mortar rounds at the Abu Hanifa Sunni mosque in Azamiya, killing one person and wounding 14 people in an attack on the holiest Sunni shrine in Baghdad. ... In another development, the U.S. military on Thursday reported the deaths of three Marines who were killed while fighting in Anbar province, where many Sunni-Arab insurgents are based. So far this month, 52 American service members have been killed or died. The families of those soldiers face a bleak Thanksgiving today. So do the families of all the others killed in Iraq because of the foolish actions of a president who refused to listen to the adults around him offering honest, common-sense advice. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,888 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,302 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Monday, December 04, 2006 9:54 AM 8 More U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq The American military said Sunday that American forces killed two women, one child and six insurgents on Saturday in assaults on two buildings in the town of Garma, in the hostile Anbar Province. The women and child were killed, along with five insurgents, in an airstrike on one house, the military said. The American military announced eight deaths of service members on Sunday. Two soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Anbar on Saturday, and three Marines died the same day in Anbar from combat wounds. Another soldier was killed Saturday by a roadside bomb near Taji. A soldier died in combat in Baghdad on Sunday. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,899 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,313 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	1,900 Days Posted: Tuesday, December 05, 2006 2:21 PM Today we commemorate 1,900 days since president Bush made his pledge to bring Osama bin Laden to justice "dead or alive." Here is a transcript of his remarks to Pentagon employees on September 17, 2001: I want justice. Q    Do you want bin Laden dead?      THE PRESIDENT:  I want justice.  There's an old poster out west, as I recall, that said, "Wanted: Dead or Alive." Q    Are you saying you want him dead or alive, sir?  Can I interpret --      THE PRESIDENT:  I just remember, all I'm doing is remembering when I was a kid I remember that they used to put out there in the old west, a wanted poster.  It said:  "Wanted, Dead or Alive."  All I want and America wants him brought to justice.  That's what we want. If Bush had followed up on that pledge, we would be much safer today. Instead, he dropped the ball on bin Laden, telling the terrorists that we'd get involved somewhere else if they held out long enough. The result is -- and will continue to be -- an increase in terrorism around the world. The headlines each day demonstrate the depth of his failure: 30 Killed in Baghdad Violence; Another U.S. Soldier Slain About 30 people were killed in car bomb and gunfire attacks in Baghdad today, Iraqi officials and the American military said, as Iraq’s prime minister was quoted as saying he would call for a regional conference to search for solutions to the violence in Iraq. ... An American soldier was killed and five others were injured on Monday when their patrol was attacked in Baghdad, the American military reported today. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: Exactly 1,900 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,314 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Thursday, December 07, 2006 11:12 AM 11 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq Yesterday The attacks followed a particularly bloody weekend and raised to at least 31 the number of U.S. troops who have died in the first week of this month. At least 69 troops were killed in November and 105 soldiers were killed in October -- the highest monthly toll since January 2005. "Our thoughts are with all 11 families who lost family members yesterday. Taking care of them right now is the military's highest priority," U.S. spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said. The last time 11 Americans were killed in one day was Oct. 17. At least 2,919 service members have been killed since the war started in 2003, according to an AP count. At least 75 people were killed or found dead across Iraq on Wednesday, including 48 whose bullet-riddled bodies were found in different parts of the capital. Gunmen also broke into a school in western Baghdad, killing its Sunni headmaster in his office, then instructing teachers not to return, an Iraqi army officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. Back home, politicians work to find a way to get out from under the mess Bush created without losing face. The Baker-Hamilton report released yesterday is a prominent example. While the politicians ponder, our young soldiers die. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,902 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,316 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 10:10 AM Attacks in Iraq at Record High, Pentagon Says WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 — A Pentagon assessment of security conditions in Iraq concluded Monday that attacks against American and Iraqi targets had surged this summer and autumn to their highest level, and called violence by Shiite militants the most significant threat in Baghdad. The report, which covers the period from early August to early November, found an average of almost 960 attacks against Americans and Iraqis every week, the highest level recorded since the Pentagon began issuing the quarterly reports in 2005, with the biggest surge in attacks against American-led forces. That was an increase of 22 percent from the level for early May to early August, the report said. While most attacks were directed at American forces, most deaths and injuries were suffered by the Iraqi military and civilians. U.S. Death Toll in Iraq for December Reaches 60 In violence on Monday, a car bomb killed five people and wounded at least 19 near a vegetable market in Sadiya, a Sunni area in the south of Baghdad. At least 44 bodies were found around Baghdad, many showing signs of being bound and tortured. The United States military said three American soldiers had been killed. That raised the American death toll in December to 60, The Associated Press reported. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,914 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,328 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Friday, December 22, 2006 12:31 PM 5 More U.S. Soldiers Die in Iraq as Festive White House Celebrates Holidays As Gates spoke to reporters at the American military headquarters here, reminders of the continuing conflict were evident in the sounds of gunfire and artillery in the distance as well as the roar of American jets overhead, according to news service accounts. Also, the American military today announced the death of five soldiers, four of whom died in combat in Anbar province on Thursday, and one who was killed west of Baghdad today when a patrol came under mortar and machine-gun fire. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,917 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,331 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Sunday, December 24, 2006 1:34 PM Explosions Kill 4 More U.S. Soldiers in Iraq BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Four American soldiers were killed in weekend explosions, the U.S. military said Sunday, and a suicide bomber killed at least seven Iraqi policemen north of the capital. Three soldiers from the 89th Military Police Brigade, were killed Saturday in east Baghdad when a roadside bomb detonated, the U.S. military said. The fourth, assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, died Saturday in an explosion in Diyala east of the Iraqi capital. With their deaths, at least 2,969 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,919 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,333 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 8:37 AM 6 More U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq The U.S. military on Tuesday announced the deaths of six more American soldiers, pushing the U.S. military death toll since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003 to at least 2,978 -- five more than the number killed in the Sept. 11 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. The milestone came with military announcement that three soldiers had been killed Monday, Christmas Day. Three more service members were killed Tuesday in roadside bombings near Baghdad, the military said. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,921 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,335 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Thursday, December 28, 2006 3:06 PM 100 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq So Far This December On Wednesday, 4 American soldiers were killed, bringing the total of Americans killed in December to 100, according to The Associated Press — one of the deadliest months for the military in the past 3 years. One Marine was killed battling insurgents on Wednesday in Anbar Province, the Sunni stronghold in the west of the country. Two more soldiers were killed on Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol in southwestern Baghdad. In a separate bombing in the capital, another American soldier was killed. Scores of Iraqis also continued to die in bombings, clashes and abductions. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,923 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,337 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Saturday, December 30, 2006 9:42 AM Saddam Hanged; December Deadliest Month in Iraq for U.S. The U.S. military announced the deaths of three Marines and two soldiers, making December the year's deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq with the toll reaching 108. The Marines, all assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, died Thursday of wounds from fighting in western Anbar province, the U.S. military said. A soldier assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division and also died in combat in Anbar, and another was killed by a roadside bomb in northwest Baghdad, the military said. Their deaths pushed the toll past the 105 U.S. service members killed in October. At least 2,997 members of the U.S. military have been killed since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an AP count. Saddam was hanged early Saturday, after his conviction last month for crimes against humanity in connection with the 1982 killings of 148 Shiites. Despite concerns about a spike in unrest, Saturday's violence was not unusually high. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,925 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,339 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Sunday, December 31, 2006 10:10 PM A Grim Milestone in Iraq: 3,000 American Deaths On Sunday, with the announcement of the death in Baghdad of Specialist Dustin R. Donica, 22, of Spring, Tex., the list reached the grave milestone of at least 3,000 deaths since the March 2003 invasion. The landmark reflects how much more dangerous and muddled a soldier's job in Iraq has become in the face of a growing and increasingly sophisticated insurgency. Violence in the country is at an all-time high, according to a Pentagon report released last month. December was the third deadliest month for American troops since the start of the war, with insurgents claiming 111 soldiers' lives. October and November also witnessed a jump in casualties, 106 and 68 respectively, as American forces stepped up combat operations to try to stabilize Baghdad. Happy New Year from George W. Bush, the president who feared to risk his own skin in combat. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,926 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,340 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2007 5:21 PM U.S. Toll in Iraq Hits 25 on Deadly Day BAGHDAD, Jan. 21 — The United States military said today that an additional six American soldiers and one marine died on Saturday, raising the day’s death toll for American service members to 25, making it the third deadliest day for United States forces since the war here began. ... Saturday’s death toll was the highest for United States forces since Jan. 26, 2005, the worst day of the war for the Americans, when 37 service members were killed. On March 23, 2003, right after the war began, 28 American service members were killed. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,947 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,361 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Sunday, January 28, 2007 10:06 AM 7 More U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq Three American soldiers died when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle on Saturday north of Baghdad, Reuters reported. The news service said that the military confirmed the deaths of two other soldiers who were killed Thursday when their patrol was attacked in eastern Baghdad, and said that two additional soldiers died in separate episodes on Friday in Diyala Province. ... At least 3,065 American military personnel have been killed and at least 22,834 have been wounded since the start of the war in March 2003, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, a Web site that tracks Department of Defense numbers. The United Nations has estimated that at least 35,000 Iraqis have been killed each year since the war started. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,954 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,368 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Monday, February 19, 2007 5:53 PM Militants Attack U.S. Base in Iraq, Kill U.S. Soldiers BAGHDAD, Feb. 19 —In a coordinated assault on an American combat outpost north of Baghdad, suicide bombers drove three cars laden with explosives into the base, killing two American soldiers and wounding at least 17 more, according to witnesses and the American military. The brazen and highly unusual attack, which was followed by fierce gun battles and a daring evacuation of the wounded Americans by helicopter, came on a day of violence across the country that left more than 40 people dead in shootings, suicide bombings, mortar attacks and roadside explosions. The violence was directed at civilians, Americans and the Iraqi security forces. Al Qaeda Chiefs Are Seen to Regain Power American officials said there was mounting evidence that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, had been steadily building an operations hub in the mountainous Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan. Until recently, the Bush administration had described Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahri as detached from their followers and cut off from operational control of Al Qaeda. The United States has also identified several new Qaeda compounds in North Waziristan, including one that officials said might be training operatives for strikes against targets beyond Afghanistan. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,976 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,390 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, March 06, 2007 1:56 PM 9 More U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq Yesterday Six soldiers were killed and three others wounded by a blast that struck near their vehicles during combat in Salahaddin Province, the vast Sunni area that stretches north from the capital through Samarra and Saddam Hussein’s hometown Tikrit to northern Iraq. Another bomb attack killed three soldiers conducting combat operations in Diyala Province, the restive area northeast of Baghdad where Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias fight daily for control of the large city of Baquba and the fertile region around it. The latest violence follows the devastating attack by a suicide car bomber on Monday in Baghdad. The powerful bomb on Monday hit a book market, slicing through the heart of the capital’s intellectual scene and killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 65. The bombing in the book market on Monday was the latest of a half-dozen major blasts aimed at civilians in the capital in the three weeks since the Iraqi government and American military announced the start of a new Baghdad security drive. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,991 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,405 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Monday, March 12, 2007 11:52 AM 3 More U.S. Soldiers Die in Iraq The United States military also said in statements that three American soldiers died Sunday. A roadside bomb in Baghdad killed one soldier, wounding two others. Another soldier was killed in an explosion in Salahuddin Province. In northern Iraq, a soldier died in a noncombat-related incident that the military said it was investigating. Sunday’s bombs in Shiite areas capped an especially bloody week for Shiite pilgrims. On Tuesday, at least 150 of them, many traveling by foot, were killed by insurgents in a variety of attacks as they converged on Karbala. In the deadliest attacks, more than 100 people were killed in Hilla by back-to-back suicide bombers who lured pilgrims with cakes. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 1,997 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,411 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Sunday, March 18, 2007 10:38 AM 7 U.S. Troops Die in Iraq Violence BAGHDAD (AP) -- The U.S. military on Sunday announced the deaths of seven more troops in Iraq, including four killed by a roadside bomb while patrolling western Baghdad -- the latest American casualties in a monthlong security crackdown in the capital. ... Saturday's deaths brought to at least 3,217 members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. A Web video surfaced Sunday showing an alleged insurgent crawling under a U.S. military vehicle in Iraq and purportedly planting explosives in full daylight. Seconds later, the video cuts to an explosion ripping the vehicle apart. The footage was stamped with the emblem of the Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaida-linked militant group that disavows Iraq's elected government and seeks to establish Muslim law. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,003 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,417 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Four Years and Counting Posted: Monday, March 19, 2007 10:06 AM White House Marks Iraq War Anniversary Entering its fifth year, the war has claimed the lives of more than 3,200 members of the U.S. military. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier Monday staunchly defended going to war but acknowledged the administration likely erred by failing initially to send enough troops to quell the civil strife that followed the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Instead, they listened to neocon theorists instead of military experts. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,004 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,418 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 10:21 AM 9 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Suicide Bombing in Iraq BAGHDAD, Tuesday, April 24 — A devastating suicide car bombing on Monday killed nine American soldiers near a patrol base in Diyala Province, the military announced early Tuesday morning. That makes a total of 72 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq so far this April. As Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, all of the soldiers killed in this war died because of the blunders of our president and his cronies. Bush attacked Iraq without providing any solid evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Instead, we were expected to trust that our leaders had secret evidence they could not reveal. Bush proved unworthy of that trust. Everyone with common sense foresaw what would happen in Iraq if Bush tried to save face by turning the Iraq war into a nation-building exercise after failing to find his imaginary weapons of mass destruction. Our soldiers and their families now suffer the effects of the decisions of a president with no character and no moral compass. A deadly 6-month toll Rate of fatalities was on upswing even before the Baghdad crackdown. BAGHDAD  |  Over the past six months, American troops have died in Iraq at the highest rate since the war began. From October 2006 through last month, 532 American service members were killed, the most during any six-month period of the war. March also marked the first time that the U.S. military suffered four straight months of 80 or more fatalities. December saw 112 troops die, the most since November 2004, and the subsequent three months registered 83, 80 and 81 fatalities, respectively. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,040 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,454 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Four Years Since 'Mission Accomplished' Posted: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 10:21 AM Today marks the fourth anniversary of Bush's triumphant speech announcing the end of "major combat operations" in Iraq. On that day, every adult with any knowledge of the Middle East (plus a normal amount of common sense) looked at the president and thought, "What an idiot!" That group included many republicans (including several in Bush's cabinet and most everyone who had worked closely with Bush's father) as well as every top military officer, active or retired. That group also included every patriotic American, excepting those too unconcerned or lazy to think for themselves. Now our young soldiers, and very many Iraqis of all ages, continue to lose their lives due to the actions of the blithering idiot living in the white house. By allowing that nut case to run amock for eight years, we've alienated most of the world and will suffer the consequences of that alienation for decades to come. April death toll for U.S. troops in Iraq surpasses 100 WASHINGTON - At least 104 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq in April, capping the deadliest six-month period for U.S. forces since the war began more than four years ago. The military announced on Monday the deaths of five soldiers over the weekend. That made April the deadliest month so far this year and the sixth deadliest of the war. It also brought to five the number of consecutive months when the American death toll has surpassed 80, the longest such stretch of the war. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,047 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,461 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Mission Accomplished Posted: Monday, May 07, 2007 2:27 PM 25 More U.S soldiers Killed for No Good Reason BAGHDAD — A U.S. Army general on Sunday warned that American casualties would rise in the coming months, a prediction underscored by the deaths of six soldiers and a foreign journalist in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad. Five other American troops died elsewhere over the weekend. Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said casualties would climb as American troops went deeper into enemy territory as part of a stepped-up military operation ordered by President Bush in January. Lynch, who oversees a swath of territory to the south and east of Baghdad, gave his bleak prediction on the heels of the deadliest month so far this year for American forces in Iraq. In April, 104 U.S. troops were killed, only the fourth time since the beginning of 2005 that U.S. deaths have exceeded 100 in a single month. At least 25 troops have been killed so far in May, a grim start to a month in which Democrats are expected to keep up pressure on the White House to plan a withdrawal from Iraq. At least 3,376 American troops have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, according to the website icasualties.org, which tallies casualties. The latest American deaths came on a bloody day for Iraqi security forces and civilians as well. At least 58 Iraqis died in a string of attacks, including 42 killed when a car bomb tore through a market in the Baghdad neighborhood of Bayaa. North of the capital, in Samarra, 12 police officers died when a suicide bomber rammed a car into the police headquarters. Witnesses said scores of vehicles filled with people waving black flags representing the Islamic State of Iraq, an Al Qaeda-linked Sunni Arab insurgent group, cruised menacingly through the city before the attack. The occupants fired on police stations, killing one officer before the car bomber struck. Samarra's police chief, Col. Jaleel Nahi Hassoun, was killed in the blast. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,053 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,467 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Congress Must Act Posted: Sunday, May 13, 2007 10:10 AM 5 Killed and 3 Missing in Attack on American Patrol South of Baghdad BAGHDAD, May 12 — A coordinated attack on seven American soldiers and an Iraqi Army interpreter Saturday morning south of Baghdad left five of them dead and three missing, the United States military said. The attack occurred near Mahmudiya, a rural area that is a stronghold of militants in Al Qaeda, and military officials said they were not sure if the interpreter was among the dead. That suggested that the five bodies found at the site of the attack, near two burned vehicles, were unrecognizable. An extensive search for the missing three began right after the five bodies were recovered, military officials said. Helicopters, planes and ground troops secured a wide perimeter, set up checkpoints, searched streets and contacted local leaders for assistance. “Make no mistake,” said Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the top American military spokesman in Iraq. “We will never stop looking for our soldiers until their status is definitively determined, and we continue to pray for their safe return.” Army Career Behind Him, General Speaks Out on Iraq ROCHESTER, May 10 — John Batiste has traveled a long way in the last four years, from commanding the First Infantry Division in Iraq to quitting the Army after three decades in uniform and, now, from his new life overseeing a steel factory here, to openly challenging President Bush on his management of the war. “Mr. President, you did not listen,” General Batiste says in new television advertisements being broadcast in Republican Congressional districts as part of a $500,000 campaign financed by VoteVets.org. “You continue to pursue a failed strategy that is breaking our great Army and Marine Corps. I left the Army in protest in order to speak out. Mr. President, you have placed our nation in peril. Our only hope is that Congress will act now to protect our fighting men and women.” During the last presidential election, all of our retired generals, life-long republicans to a man, begged our nation to vote for Kerry to save the military from the Bush blunders. No one who voted for Bush then, or supports Bush now, truly supports our military. General Batiste is correct. We need Congress to protect our young men and women from the idiots and criminals in the White House. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,059 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,473 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
aroused and amused	Congress Must Act Posted: Monday, May 14, 2007 10:24 PM Been there- It looks like you haven't been anywhere except sitting in front of your computer talking to yourself. I'm very sorry for you. Obviously you have only seen the liberal traitorous media and the rest of the appeasing left for your source for news. Your new savior Nancy Pelosi would rather sit with all of this countrys enemies than sit with our President and work out a bill to fund the very people who are fighting and dying so that we can continue to enjoy our freedom. How do you explain that we haven't been attacked in the last 2059 days. I think it brilliant that the best trained soldiers in the world are fighting this war in someone elses sandbox. If we don't do this you would still be sitting under your desk in fear of another attack and when it came you would be one of the first to jump up and blame AMERICA. You disgust me. Aroused and amused
Been There	Congress Must Act Posted: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 10:45 PM AA, Nice to hear from you again. So you claim that the generals who've been telling us the truth about the chickenhawk Bush and his white house ass-kissers are all traitors? Sorry, I don't buy that, nor does anyone who (unlike you) has ever served his country with honor. The real traitors are the crooks and liars in the White House who are willing to sacrifice our young people's lives to buy votes. Bush does not know what war is like because he hid behind his own father's skirt to avoid combat. And if you had been there, as I have, you would not spout the stupidity that you do. And I say that with all due respect to you and yours. Take your head out of your ass and become a real American! Been There
Been There	Congress Must Act Posted: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 12:06 PM AA, Bed-wetters like you have such a need to save your own skin (and property) that you're willing to kill thousands of other people in what you call "someone elses sandbox" because those deaths make you feel snug and secure. Four years after Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech, the death toll for our young soldiers has risen to over 100 per month. That's okay with you? How about 200 per month? Or 1000 per month? How many deaths should real Americans accept to keep cowards like you from pissing your pants in fear of terrorists? You, AA, are part and parcel of the "me generation" attitude personified by the white house today, which counts on the votes of sniveling cowards and chickenhawks like you to stay in power. And I say that with all due respect to you and your ilk. If Bush had been a real leader, he would not have rested until Osama bin Laden was killed or captured and all those responsible for the 9/11 attack were punished. He would have mobilized the entire country, rich and poor alike, to demolish our attackers. That would have caused any would-be terrorists to think twice before attacking us again. Instead, Bush let our attackers off the hook and started a war "of our choosing" that had nothing to do with 9/11. Bush (and his ass-kissers) claimed that Iraq had "weapons of mass destruction," presenting no evidence that that his claims were true (because, of course, he had no such evidence) and attacked Iraq on that pretext. Bush ignored advice from the military on what it would take to secure and pacify a nation the size of Iraq. And when the "weapons of mass destruction" turned out to be imaginary, Bush switched the rationale for his attack to "nation building," again ignoring the advice he got from the military and from every level-headed person knowledgeable about the Middle East. Now his rationale for the war has turned to "fighting terrorism in Iraq" so that the pants-pissers at home can feel safe. The utterly stupid actions of our president have taken a huge toll on the very military forces we need to protect us from our enemies. The terrorists are in Iraq because they are educating themselves (very successfully, I might add) on the most effective methods to use against our soldiers. And our attack on Iraq has inflamed the Muslim world so that many, many more people are now ready and eager to act as terrorists against America. Because the actions of our Bush president are destroying the very military we need to protect us against terrorism, retiring officers feel duty-bound to call the nation's attention to the disastrous actions of the current administration. This has nothing to do with liberal or conservative. I am surely much more conservative than you are, AA. It actually has to do with being a real American, as I am, or with being a "me generation" pants-pisser, as you are. For everyone able to think for themselves, here is an article about another retired military officer who served our nation in two wars, a conservative republican, who lost his only son in Bush's Iraq war. AA would call this retired officer a traitor, but AA has not earned that right. Nor has anyone else who spouts the same crap that AA does: Former Soldier, Now a Professor, Loses His Only Son to a War He Actively Opposed Professor Bacevich declined to be interviewed on Tuesday, but his views on Iraq are well known, and they appeared to be given a certain weight in public discourse, in part because of his background as a retired Army lieutenant colonel, an observant Roman Catholic and a self-described political conservative. Last month in The Los Angeles Times, he wrote: “The truth is that next to nothing can be done to salvage Iraq. It no longer lies within the capacity of the United States to determine the outcome of events there. Iraqis will decide their own fate. We are spectators, witnesses, bystanders caught in a conflagration that we ourselves, in an act of monumental folly, touched off.” And in the May issue of The Atlantic Monthly, he called the conflict a “disastrous war,” and noted that “the thousands of Americans killed in Iraq include no members of Congress and not a single general.” The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,062 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,476 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Saturday, May 19, 2007 10:23 AM As AA once again slinks back into the underbrush like a whipped cur, his tail tucked between his legs, our soldiers continue to die in Iraq for no good reason: 5 More U.S. Soldiers Killed. Three of the Americans were killed Friday when a roadside bomb destroyed their vehicle in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, the military said. Two others were killed and nine U.S. soldiers were wounded during separate attacks Thursday in southern Baghdad. Their deaths raised to at least 3,408 the number of U.S. military members who have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press tally. At least 58 U.S. troops have been killed this month. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,063 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,479 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Sunday, May 27, 2007 10:26 AM U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Hits 101 This Month The American military command announced Saturday that 11 American service members had died, bringing the total of American military deaths this month to at least 101 and making May one of the deadliest months for the American forces since the start of the war, according to Pentagon data. Now everyone realizes what folks with common sense said from the beginning: this war "of our choosing" is a monumental disaster. It was certain to turn out this way. As Colin Powell warned Bush, "If you break it, it's yours." Now the lame-brained politicians from both parties are trying to figure out how to blame others for that disaster. In the meantime, people are dying for no good reason. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,071 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,487 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 12:19 PM Eight US soldiers die in Iraq 'copter crash, ambush BAGHDAD, May 29 (Reuters) - Two U.S. military personnel were killed when their helicopter came down under enemy fire north of Baghdad and six more died when a column of vehicles heading to the crash site was ambushed, the U.S. military said on Tuesday. The deaths on Monday brought the U.S. military death toll in Iraq to 112 this month, making May the deadliest for 2007 and equalling the record set in December 2006. A total of 3,463 U.S. soldiers have died since the March 2003 invasion. The worst month for U.S. forces was November 2004, when 137 were killed. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,073 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,489 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Sunday, June 03, 2007 9:47 AM 7 more U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq attacks; 127 were killed in May BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Seven U.S. soldiers were killed in six separate attacks across Iraq on Saturday, the U.S. military said on Sunday, days after it recorded its deadliest monthly toll in more than two years. All but one of the soldiers were killed by roadside bombs, by far the biggest killers of U.S. troops in Iraq. In the worst attack, two soldiers were killed when their patrol was hit by a roadside bomb in Nineveh province, northwest of Baghdad. Two others died in separate bomb attacks in volatile Diyala province to the northeast of the capital, where 3,000 extra U.S. troops have been sent to combat a rise in violence. Two were killed in Baghdad, one by a roadside bomb and the other by small arms fire, and a seventh soldier was killed by a suicide bomber while on patrol southwest of Baghdad. A total of 127 U.S. soldiers were killed in May, the third-highest monthly total behind November 2004, when 137 were killed, and April the same year when another 135 died. Nine have died in the first two days of June. A total of 3,487 soldiers have died since the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein began in March 2003. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,078 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,494 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Friday, June 15, 2007 12:36 PM 5 More G.I.’s Killed in Iraq BAGHDAD (AP) -- Five U.S. soldiers died in Iraq, the U.S. military announced Friday, a day after extremists fired shells into Baghdad's Green Zone during a visit by the State Department's No. 2 official. ... The U.S. soldier deaths announced Friday brought to at least 3,520 the number of American military personnel who have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,090 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,506 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Gordo	Ron Paul for President Posted: Sunday, June 24, 2007 1:55 AM Here is one canidate for president who voted against invading Iraq and would pull out our troops if elected. Also, Ron Paul is a firm believe in following the constitution when it comes to how our country should be govern.  Please go to youtube ron paul or ron paul 2008 to find out more about where he stands on other issues. My thanks to Been There for keeping us informed.             Gordo
Wutzup	Kudos to been there Posted: Monday, June 25, 2007 8:58 PM Man, I just want you to know, there's no way you are only talking to yourself. We are out here and we admire your fortitude and dedication. I'd like to see this whole thing printed up as a book to be read for years to come with all your comments and the side comments -but unfortunately that will only work if there's an end to it all. The only win in Iraq is by dropping a hydrogen bomb on them - that's the only way -and it is not a win either, it is only the end of the country once called Iraq and the beginning of a whole lot of trouble and pain and more guilt.
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Friday, June 29, 2007 1:47 PM Gordo, Many years ago a principled man like Ron Paul would have been right in the mainstream of the Republican party. Today he is viewed as kooky because he does not pander to idiots to get votes. If he took office, our country would be much better off than it is today, but I just can't see that happening. Good luck though! Wutzup, Clearly the mess in Iraq will not have a satisfactory solution, no matter what the eventual spin turns out to be. Success was a neo-con pipedream from the get-go.   It looks to me that politicians on both sides now care only about pinning the blame for the impending disaster on someone else. The fact that our young people -- and many more Iraqis -- continue to die every day for the blunders of our idiot-in-chief seems less important to them than placing the blame. 5 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq Attack BAGHDAD (AP) -- Insurgents launched a deadly coordinated attack on an American combat patrol, detonating a roadside bomb, then firing guns and rocket-propelled grenades at the soldiers, the U.S. military said Friday. Five troops were killed. Seven soldiers were wounded in the attack on Thursday in southern Baghdad and were evacuated to a military hospital; one has since returned to duty, the military said. The deaths brought to 99 the number of U.S. troops to die in Iraq this month, according to an Associated Press count. The toll for the past three months -- 329 -- made it the deadliest quarter for U.S. troops in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. At least 3,576 members of the U.S. military have died since then, according to AP figures. The number includes seven military civilians. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,104 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,520 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Saturday, July 07, 2007 12:25 PM 101 U.S. Soldiers Killed in June There are now 157,000 U.S. troops in the country. U.S. public opinion has grown increasingly hostile to the war and June was a costly month for U.S. forces, with 101 soldiers killed. That made the April-June quarter the bloodiest since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. While U.S. military officials say the number of attacks across Iraq has remained steady in recent months, there has been a reduction in the past few weeks in the amount of big car bombings that often cause a heavy loss of life. Bombings Kill Dozens in Iraq; 6 More U.S. Soldiers Killed TUZ KHORMATO, Iraq (AP) -- Suicide bombings killed nearly 50 people and wounded dozens in two Shiite villages to the north, including a large truck bombing Saturday that ripped through an outdoor market and buried victims in rubble, officials said. The blasts suggested that Sunni militants are regrouping to launch their deadliest form of attack -- suicide explosions, often against Shiites -- in regions further away from Baghdad, beyond the edges of a three-week old U.S. offensive on the capital's northern flank. Violence continued in Baghdad, though at a lower level. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed vehicle near an Iraqi army patrol in the capital's eastern Zayouna district, and there were reports of casualties, but the Interior Ministry could not immediately confirm the number. The U.S. military on Saturday also reported that six American servicemembers were killed in fighting in Baghdad and western Anbar province over two days, reflecting the increased U.S. death toll that has come with the new offensives. A British soldier was killed in fighting with Shiite militias overnight in the southern city of Basra. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,112 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,528 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush spouted his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 11:17 AM 78 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq in July BAGHDAD, Aug. 1 — The deaths, announced today, of four American soldiers in Baghdad on Tuesday brought the total American military death toll in July to 78, the lowest monthly figure so far this year. But the American-led coalition as a whole lost 86 service members in the month, including one Polish and seven British soldiers, one of whom died Tuesday in a roadside bomb attack. That toll was greater than in February or March and matched the toll in January, according to Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, a Web site that tracks military and civilian deaths using Defense Department data. Still, the July toll was a significant reduction from the second quarter of the year, when the American military suffered 331 deaths as it intensified military operations in Baghdad and Diyala Province. That was the deadliest three-month period of the war so far for American forces. Military spokesmen said that three American soldiers died in roadside bomb attacks on Tuesday, while one died from small-arms fire. On Monday, a marine was killed while conducting combat operations in Anbar Province, west of the capital, they said. Bloodshed Continues; Sunni Bloc Quits Iraqi Government BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraq's largest Sunni Arab political bloc announced its withdrawal from the government Wednesday, undermining efforts to seek reconciliation among the country's rival factions, and two bombing attacks in Baghdad killed at least 67 people. In one attack, 50 people were killed and 60 wounded when a suicide attacker exploded a fuel truck near a gas station in western Baghdad. Another 17 died in a separate car bomb attack in central Baghdad. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,137 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,553 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush crowed his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Our Soldiers Speak Posted: Sunday, August 19, 2007 5:31 PM Seven soldiers returning from a 15-month tour of Iraq decided to cut through the White House bullshit to explain to the folks back home what is really going on there. Sadly, one of those soldiers was shot in the head a week ago, on August 12. He is expected to recover. The War as We Saw It The claim that we are increasingly in control of the battlefields in Iraq is an assessment arrived at through a flawed, American-centered framework. Yes, we are militarily superior, but our successes are offset by failures elsewhere. What soldiers call the “battle space” remains the same, with changes only at the margins. It is crowded with actors who do not fit neatly into boxes: Sunni extremists, Al Qaeda terrorists, Shiite militiamen, criminals and armed tribes. This situation is made more complex by the questionable loyalties and Janus-faced role of the Iraqi police and Iraqi Army, which have been trained and armed at United States taxpayers’ expense. A few nights ago, for example, we witnessed the death of one American soldier and the critical wounding of two others when a lethal armor-piercing explosive was detonated between an Iraqi Army checkpoint and a police one. Local Iraqis readily testified to American investigators that Iraqi police and Army officers escorted the triggermen and helped plant the bomb. These civilians highlighted their own predicament: had they informed the Americans of the bomb before the incident, the Iraqi Army, the police or the local Shiite militia would have killed their families. As many grunts will tell you, this is a near-routine event. Reports that a majority of Iraqi Army commanders are now reliable partners can be considered only misleading rhetoric. The truth is that battalion commanders, even if well meaning, have little to no influence over the thousands of obstinate men under them, in an incoherent chain of command, who are really loyal only to their militias. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,155 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,571 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush spewed his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Saturday, September 01, 2007 10:14 AM 1,800 Iraqis, 81 U.S. Soldiers Killed in August At least 1,809 civilians were killed in the month, compared to 1,760 in July, based on figures compiled by the AP from official Iraqi reports. That brings to 27,564 the number of Iraqi civilians killed since AP began collecting data on April 28, 2005. The August total included 520 people killed in quadruple suicide bombings on Yazidi communities near the Syrian border. The horrific attacks made Aug. 14 the single deadliest day since the war began in March 2003. Eighty-five coalition troops -- 81 American and four British -- died in August, down from 88 the month before, including 79 Americans. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,168 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,584 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush tossed off his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 1:00 PM In Iraq, Bush Cites Gains AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq, Sept. 3 -- President Bush, making an unannounced visit to this isolated and well-fortified air base in Anbar province, said Monday that continued gains in security in Iraq could allow for a reduction in U.S. troops and called on the Iraqi government to follow up with progress toward rebuilding and political reconciliation. During more than seven hours on the ground here, Bush received an update on the war from Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker. He then met with Iraqi political leaders and Sunni tribal figures who have allied themselves with U.S. forces. In Iraq, Soldiers on the Ground Tell a Different Story If there is one indisputable truth regarding the current offensive, it is this: When large numbers of U.S. troops are funneled into areas, security improves. But the numbers only partly describe the reality on the ground. Visits to key U.S. bases and neighborhoods in and around Baghdad show that recent improvements are sometimes tenuous, temporary, even illusory. In many areas, U.S. forces are now working at cross-purposes with Iraq's elected Shiite-led government by financing onetime Sunni insurgents who say they now want to work with the Americans. The loyalties of the Iraqi military and police -- widely said to be infiltrated by Shiite militias -- remain in doubt. Even U.S. soldiers assigned to protect Petraeus's showcase remain skeptical. "Personally, I think it's a false representation," Campbell said, referring to the portrayal of the Dora market as an emblem of the surge's success. "But what can I say? I'm just doing my job and don't ask questions." The Iraqi Army and Police are Not US Allies Building up the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces has been a pillar of Gen. David H. Petraeus's counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq, but the Iraqi army in Kadhimiyah is so thoroughly infiltrated with Mahdi Army militiamen that U.S. and Iraqi soldiers say it is close to useless. Iraqi soldiers in Kadhimiyah have been arrested and accused of attacking Americans and other Iraqi troops. Those who are not affiliated with the militia, which is loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, tend to be too frightened for their families to pursue their corrupt colleagues. "I don't want you to expect that this battalion will do anything good in Kadhimiyah," an Iraqi army officer said, insisting on anonymity out of concern for his safety. "The Mahdi Army now controls the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police at the same time. Nobody can execute direct orders to do a raid to detain them." The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,171 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,587 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly broadcast his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Friday, September 07, 2007 12:07 PM Seven More U.S. troops killed in Iraq on Thursday BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Seven U.S. troops were killed in Iraq on Thursday, the U.S. military said on Friday. Four Marines assigned to Multi National Force-West were killed during a combat operation in Anbar province, the Sunni-dominated territory west of Baghdad. Three U.S. soldiers assigned to Task Force Lightning were killed by an explosion near their vehicle in Nineveh province in northern Iraq. The number of U.S. military deaths in the Iraq war stands at 3,760. The number in September alone is 18. And the cowardly idiot who started this war is still in charge. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,174 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,590 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly broadcast his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 9:45 AM U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,850 As of Monday, Nov. 5, 2007, at least 3,850 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,235 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,651 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly gave his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 9:54 AM 5 U.S. Soldiers Killed by Bombs in Iraq BAGHDAD (AP) -- The U.S. military on Tuesday announced the deaths of five more soldiers, making 2007 the deadliest year for U.S. troops despite a recent downturn, according to an Associated Press count. At least 852 American military personnel have died in Iraq so far this year -- the highest annual toll since the war began in March 2003, according to AP figures. The grim milestone passed despite a sharp drop in U.S. and Iraqi deaths here in recent months, after a 30,000-strong U.S. force buildup. There were 39 deaths in October, compared to 65 in September and 84 in August. Five U.S. soldiers were killed Monday in two separate roadside bomb attacks, said Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, director of the Multi-National Force-Iraq's communications division. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,235 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,651 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly read his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Another Veteran Speaks Out Posted: Thursday, November 08, 2007 10:53 AM The Cancer From Within Forty-two years ago, at the age of 18, I took the oath of office on my first day as an Air Force Academy cadet.  The mission of the academy was not only to train future leaders for the Air Force but for America as well, because, in the end, most academy graduates do not serve full military careers.  The honor code became an integral part of everyday life.  These are the values that I, and most graduates of the 1960s and early ’70s, took with us from our four years at the academy. I, as did many graduates, underwent pilot training followed by tours of duty in Vietnam. Like military men and women of today, we did our best to become technically competent and professional leaders.  Never, during my four years at the academy and subsequent pilot and combat training, was the word warrior used; nor, whether as a cadet or officer, did I ever encounter “Christian supremacist” rhetoric. In April of 2004, my son, after receiving a coveted appointment to the United States Air Force Academy, asked me to accompany him to the orientation for new appointees.  This 24-hour visceral event changed my life forever, and crushed my son’s lifelong dream of following in my footsteps. ... I no longer recognize the Air Force Academy as the institution I attended almost four decades earlier.  At that point, I had no idea how invasive this extreme evangelical “cancer” had become throughout the entire military, that what I had witnessed was far from an isolated case of a few religious zealots. ... Many are aware of the mercenary army, Blackwater USA, led by Eric Prince, former Ambassador Cofer Black and Joseph Schmitz, the same Joseph Schmitz mentioned above.  It is here where the ties become complex and suggestive of an even grander “crusade.” As described by Jeremy Scahill in his book “Blackwater,” Prince, who attended the U.S. Naval Academy, comes from a wealthy theo-con family, is a “neo-crusader,” and a Christian supremacist. He has been given billions of dollars in federal contracts to create a private army.  COO Schmitz, another Naval Academy graduate, is a member of the Order of Malta, a Christian supremacist organization dating back to the Crusades, and happens to be married to the sister of Jeb Bush’s wife, Columba.  And Cofer Black, former coordinator for counterterrorism at the U.S. State Department and former director of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, who was quoted by the BBC as saying “Capture Bin Laden, kill him and bring his head back in a box on dry ice,” brings his own skill set to the Blackwater team as vice chairman. The Christian supremacist fascism first reported at the Air Force Academy is endemic throughout the military. From the top down, there has been a complete repudiation of constitutional values and time-honored codes of ethics and honor codes in favor of religious ideology.  And we now have a revolving door between Blackwater USA, which is Bush’s Praetorian Guard, and the U.S. military at every level.  The citizen-soldier military dictated by our founding fathers has been replaced with professional and mercenary right-wing Christian crusaders in control of the world’s most powerful military.  The risks to our democratic form of government cannot be overstated.  This evangelical Christian supremacist fascism within our military and government is a cancer.  Officers, especially commanders, who violate the original code of ethics, must be rooted out of the military.  The undermining of the Constitution, especially by senior military officers, must end. As I look back at my 30 years as an active-duty officer, two combat tours in Vietnam, decorations including air medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross, I realize that not once was my service in support or defense of the Constitution.  For the very first time, I am upholding my oath of office. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,237 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,653 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly read his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Saturday, December 01, 2007 9:39 AM 38 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq During November The U.S. military reported one soldier killed, raising its toll for November to 38, the same figure as October but a large drop from the first half of the year, when more than 100 died each month in April, May and June. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,260 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,676 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly read his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Sunday, December 16, 2007 10:47 AM US Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,893 As of Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007, at least 3,893 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. ... A soldier was killed Friday by small arms fire in Nineva province. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,275 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,691 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly read his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
JohnFromBama	Iraq News Posted: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 12:15 PM I can see that you hate the immoral and unholy path that W has led our country as much as I do. I have battled my hatred because it hurts no one but me. This quote has helped somewhat.   Let no man pull you so low that you hate him. Always avoid violence. If you sow the seeds of violence in your struggle, unborn generations will reap the whirlwind of social disintegration Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.  --  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.   From one Bush hater to another. I think you'll understand.
JohnFromBama	Iraq News Posted: Thursday, January 17, 2008 9:27 AM Hey Been There! I hope that you understand that when I suggested some advice for dealing with the hatred we feel for Bush, I never meant for you to stop your posts. The world needs more people like you to bring Americans back to their senses so that we won't make the same mistake again by voting for another Bush clone. With the exception of Ron Paul, Bush clones are all I am seeing in the Republican candidates. I know I'm not a local (I really am from Alabama) and I probably have no business participating in this forum but while I was searching for an old friend who lives in the UP, I just happened upon this site and I found your post. You seem very knowledgable and very determined. I hope you continue to spread the truth but you should also take care of yourself!    "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." - - - Dwight D. Eisenhower   Peace!    John
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Monday, January 28, 2008 3:47 PM 5 More U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq BAGHDAD — Five American soldiers were killed in the northern city of Mosul on Monday when militants attacked them with a roadside bomb and then fired on their patrol from a nearby mosque with machine guns, military officials said. The troops returned fire and Iraqi forces raided the mosque, but the gunmen had fled, they said. It was the second catastrophic attack on United States forces this month, after a house rigged with explosives killed six soldiers in Diyala three weeks ago. The attack underscored the grim situation in Mosul, Iraq’s northern hub, which remains a stronghold for Sunni extremist fighters. In addition, as many as 60 people were killed and 280 wounded in a huge blast in Mosul on Wednesday as Iraqi soldiers entered a building packed with thousands of pounds of explosives. The following day the provincial police chief was assassinated after he visited the site of the blast and an angry crowd of people gathered around him. ... At least 36 American servicemen have been killed in Iraq so far this year, about two-thirds of them in the country’s four Arab-dominated provinces north of Baghdad. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,318 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,734 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly read his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Linda White	Mission Accomplished Posted: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 9:51 AM Hello:   It has been a long time since I have been to this site, but it is just fine.  But, it sounds like we have a lot of "lefties" operating here.  We need to diversify!!!   So, how many days has it been since Clinton chose not to go get Ben Ladin.  The result of that was Sept. 11th.  Too Bad.  All President Bush did was say "Mission Accomplished" when a mission was accomplished.  Only those living on a "Sky Pie" would think the war was over.  A lot of work and blood and guts it takes to fight a war and you do have to be brave, believe in your Country and your God.  As to weapons of mass destruction, maybe they were all used on the Kurds (documented), when Sadam killed them mercilessly.  You really didn't want him gone?  I believe the weapons are in Syria.    The war is not over, but the Surge has worked.  And I believe if Sadam had obeyed the treaty, if the country had united, if our so-called friends (France, Germany and Russia) had not been in bed with Sadam, there would never have been a war.  Who do you really want to be mad at?  Not these traitors who we rescued and rebuilt their countries and send the "bucks" to survive and live good lives, but you want to pick on President Bush.  Not too smart if you really think about it.   Anyway, have a good day.  You "lefties" have to believe in your country and start smiling.   In God We Trust,
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 11:10 AM Hello Linda, As a matter of fact, I am much more conservative than George W. Bush and you. Conservatives do not advocate fiscal responsibility, nor do they attack other countries without sufficient cause. And conservatives do not substitute wishful thinking for facts, as you've done in your post. I agree, though, that it's a good thing to read other opinions, even those of the frothy, bubble-headed variety. Keep on posting!   In God we trust. In Bush we do not. 8 U.S. Soldiers Killed in 2 Iraq Attacks BAGHDAD — A man walked up to a group of American soldiers on foot patrol in an upscale shopping district in central Baghdad on Monday and detonated the explosives-filled vest he was wearing, killing five soldiers and wounding three others and an Iraqi interpreter who accompanied them. In eastern Diyala Province, north of the capital, three more American soldiers and an interpreter were also killed Monday when they were attacked with an improvised bomb, according to the military, which did not release any more details. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,361 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,777 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly read his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Five Years of War in Iraq Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 12:53 PM On the fifth anniversary of our preemptive war on Iraq, it is comforting to remember the statements of our fearless leaders leading up to the war: I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks, or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that. Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense Interview with Steve Croft, Infinity CBS Radio Connect, November 14, 2002 As God is my witness, the President and I know this for sure The following facts underscore some other important truths about our president: 2,369 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,785 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly read his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	4000 Deaths Posted: Monday, March 24, 2008 10:29 AM Death Toll for Iraq War Reaches 4,000 BAGHDAD (AP) -- The overall U.S. death toll in Iraq rose to 4,000 after four soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing in Baghdad. ... Last year, U.S. military deaths spiked as U.S. troops sought to regain control of Baghdad and surrounding areas. The death toll has seesawed since, with 2007 ending as the deadliest year for American troops at 901 deaths. That was 51 more deaths than 2004, the second deadliest year for U.S. soldiers. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,374 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,790 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly read his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Monday, March 31, 2008 7:30 PM Anger follows the fight with Sadr's militia In August 2004, US and Iraqi forces battled Sadr's militias in Najaf, Iraq. It was billed as a crucial test of then-Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's ability to extend authority over a key city in Iraq that was controlled by armed militias. The Najaf showdown ended in much the same way this one did: a Sadr negotiated truce. But this time, analysts say, the widespread instances of surrender among the Iraqi forces and the seizure of their equipment and vehicles by the Mahdi Army shows that despite all the funding and training from the US, Iraq's soldiers remain greatly swayed by their sectarian and party loyalties and are incapable of standing up in a fight without US backing. ... Already Sadr is gearing up to capitalize on this comeback with a huge anti-American rally planned in Baghdad on April 9, the day Saddam Hussein's statue was brought down in the capital five years ago. In Baghdad, the government lifted a three-day curfew but US and Iraqi forces maintained a siege of sorts on Mahdi strongholds in eastern Baghdad, such as Sadr City and Shaab and Shuala on the northwest side. All vehicles were banned from going in and out except for authorized food and medicine deliveries. ... Militiamen also paraded in newly issued Humvees, which were taken from the Army in several neighborhoods, according to witnesses. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,381 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,797 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly read his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Been There	Iraq News Posted: Friday, April 04, 2008 9:49 AM Iraqis Refuse to Fight Fellow Iraqis BAGHDAD — More than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and policemen either refused to fight or simply abandoned their posts during the inconclusive assault against Shiite militias in Basra last week, a senior Iraqi government official said Thursday. Iraqi military officials said the group included dozens of officers, including at least two senior field commanders in the battle. The following facts underscore some important truths about our president: 2,385 days have now passed since since September 17, 2001, when President Bush pledged to take Osama bin Laden "dead or alive." 1,801 days have now passed since May 1, 2003, when President Bush proudly read his Iraq "mission accomplished" speech. Been There
Dodger	Iraq News Posted: Friday, May 23, 2008 2:56 PM Where have you gone. Surely you have not give up!