World-News

Despite Antiwar Rhetoric, Clinton-Obama Plans Would Keep US Mercenaries, Troops in Iraq for Years to Come

Jeremy Scahill reports Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will not “rule out” using private military companies like Blackwater Worldwide in Iraq. Obama also has no plans to sign on to legislation that seeks to ban the use of these forces in US war zones by January 2009. Despite their antiwar rhetoric, both Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton have adopted the congressional Democratic position that would leave open the option of keeping tens of thousands of US troops in Iraq for many years.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/2/28/jeremy_scahill_despite_anti_war_rhetoric


Informant: John Calvert



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Obama
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Hillary
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Blackwater
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=mercenaries
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Jeremy+Scahill

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/02/28/7363/



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=fallacies

Steve Lannen reports for McClatchy Newspapers: "Iraq's three-man presidency council Wednesday announced that it's vetoed legislation that US officials two weeks ago hailed as significant political progress.... The rejected bill, which sets out the political structure for Iraq's provincial governments and establishes a basis for elections in October, was only the second of 18 US-set political benchmarks that the war-tore nation needs to reach."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022808O.shtml

http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/7211/


Informant: jensenmk

From ufpj-news



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Chomsky

Molly Hennessy-Fiske, writing for The Los Angeles Times, reports, "Investigators say a GI had a friend wound him in the leg and made up a story about it so that he would avoid duty in Iraq."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022708T.shtml



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Molly+Hennessy-Fiske

Turkish military leaders as well as Turkish papers have reported ringing success in northern Iraq, but how effective has the invasion been? US and Iraqi leaders are impatient, while Kurdish militants have probably melted away.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,538169,00.html


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Turkey

Fremont Tribune

02/26/08

In an about-face, Senate Republicans on Tuesday agreed with Democrats to advance an anti-war bill because they said the debate would give them time to hail progress in Iraq. The change of heart came after months of blocking similar measures. But unlike most of last year, security conditions in Iraq have improved, and Republicans say they now feel they have the upper hand on the debate...

http://tinyurl.com/yprp7z


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Iraq+funding

USA Today

02/26/08

The Army’s top general said Tuesday he hopes to reduce combat tours for soldiers in Iraq from 15 months to 12 months this summer and would not go back to the longer tours even if President Bush decides to suspend troop reductions for the second half of the year. Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, told a Senate panel that the Army is under serious strain from years of war-fighting and must reduce the length of combat tours as soon as possible...

http://tinyurl.com/2r25el


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=combat+tours
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=strain+on+troops
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=George+Casey

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the first confirmed Turkish military ground operation in Iraq in about a decade was a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

http://tinyurl.com/28ge2t



Turkey says military operation in Iraq might last a year

According to the Turkish military 230 PKK fighters, 24 Turkish soldiers and three state-employed village guards have been killed since Turkey launched 'Operation Gunes' on the night of February 21.

http://tinyurl.com/25g349



Iraq Press Roundup: Turkey Invades Iraq

"These demands through diplomatic channels mean little in comparison to the deep Turkish penetration, which, according to international relations and political measurement, is a declaration of war," it said.

http://tinyurl.com/2ctf85


From Information Clearing House



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Turk

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/02/26/7299/



http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Obama
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Hillary
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Kevin+Martin