 |
HavenWorks.com/opinion/archive/2003 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Opinion Archive
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
ARCHIVES NEWS Opinion News History Archives Opinion Archives 2002 Opinion Archive 2001 Opinion Archive "A Blog" |
|
 |
|
 |
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- "Iraq
arms hunt may hinder other U.S. aims." ... "In nine
months, not a single item has been found in Iraq from a long and classified
intelligence list of weapons of mass destruction which guided the work
of dozens of elite teams from Special Forces, the military, the CIA and
the Pentagon during the most secretive, expensive and fruitless weapons
hunt in history." ... "For U.S. allies, arms control experts and some involved
in the hunt, the lack of evidence in a war premised on the threat of proliferation
will have far reaching consequences in the coming year for the United States
in its efforts to curb Iran, North Korea, Syria and others." ... "While
some argue the Iraq war helped push open the doors of closed regimes such
as Libya and Iran, others say it has only strengthened convictions that
negotiations, U.N. inspections and sanctions work." -By
Dafna Linzer -AP
via -MercuryNews-BayArea
- 
- 
Consumer
News - "It's
not called 'Can' Spam for nothing." ... "After six
years of wrangling over legislative ways to stop spam, Congress was still
faced with a fundamental choice: Give consumers control over the growing
flood of unwanted spam e-mail that fills their in-boxes, or give in to
the powerful advertising and marketing industries who want to be the ones
filling consumer in-boxes." ... "In the end, consumers lost." ... "The
Can-Spam Act, signed
into law Tuesday, is being touted as relief for the millions of consumers
beset with unwanted e-mail. But careful readers will notice that the law
is not called the "Can't-Spam" Act. There's a good reason: The law is little
more than an instructional guide for how to keep pumping out millions of
e-mails per hour while avoiding legal liability." -By
Ray Everett-Church -CNET/News
- 
-
-
- Execution
News - "Analysis:
Putting Saddam on trial: The Iraqi Governing Council
intends to put Saddam Hussein on trial by an Iraqi court." ... "It is determined
to resist calls for an international tribunal. Saddam Hussein could face
the death penalty. It has been suspended by the occupation authorities
but could be reinstated by an Iraqi government." ... "That in itself would
be controversial. Britain, as a coalition partner, objects to execution
on principle. But Iraqis may want it." ... "The British Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw said that Iraqis would "express a strong preference" for a trial
in Iraq. International law, he said, also called for a domestic trial in
such cases if possible." ... "The United States is firmly behind the Iraqi
desire to try Saddam Hussein themselves" -By Paul
Reynolds -BBC/News
- 
- "Editorial:
Big spenders/Bush & Co. remortgage nation." ...
"Someone recently called President Bush "the mother of all big spenders."
It wasn't Howard Dean or any of the other Democratic presidential candidates.
It wasn't a Democratic member of Congress. It was fiscal analysts for the
conservative-libertarian Cato Institute." ... "Right now the total accumulated
federal debt stands at $6.9 trillion. Over the next decade, Bush's policies,
if not adjusted by either raising taxes or cutting spending, or both, will
almost double that debt. Goldman Sachs, a prominent Wall Street"
-StarTribune
-
- 
- 
-
- 
- 
-
- "Al Qaeda’s
terror style spreading: Analysts see a form
of franchising at work around globe." ... "Leaders of the al Qaeda
terrorist network have franchised their organization’s brand of synchronized,
devastating violence to homegrown terrorist groups across the world, posing
a formidable new challenge to counterterrorism forces, according to intelligence
analysts and experts in the United States, Europe and the Arab world."
... "The recent attacks in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Chechnya and Iraq show
that the smaller organizations, most of whose leaders were trained in al
Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, have fanned out, imbued with radical ideology
and the means to create or revitalize local terrorist groups. They also
are expanding the horizons of groups that had focused on regional issues."
-By Douglas Farah and Peter Finn with contributions
from Dana Priest, Dan Eggen, and Margot Williams -WashingtonPost
via -MSNBC
-
-
- ELECTION
2004 - "U.S.
must catch Saddam and soon, Clark says." ... "Retired
general Wesley Clark warned Sunday that the failure to capture Saddam Hussein
was likely to undermine any new Iraqi government. And he said it was important
to capture Saddam alive so he could be tried for war crimes." -By
Susan Page -USATODAY
-
-
- - 
- "New urgency,
risks in ‘Iraqification’: Some fear handover
could look like abandonment." ... "At least four factors forced the administration
to overhaul its military and political strategy in Iraq, despite the danger
that a new approach might actually diminish U.S. control over the country’s
future." ... "The foremost factor is security — from an Iraqi opposition
that has become more intense, more effective, more sophisticated and more
extensive. The other three are the failure of the Iraqi Governing Council
to act, the looming U.N. deadline of Dec. 15 for an Iraqi plan of action
and the U.S. elections just a year away, according to administration and
congressional officials and U.S. analysts." -By Robin
Wright and Thomas E. Ricks with contributions from Mike Allen
-WashingtonPost via -MSNBC
-
- Microsoft
News - "Probable
last gasp on Microsoft antitrust case still matters."
... "On Tuesday, an appeals court in Washington heard arguments that the
so-called ``remedies'' for what everyone agrees were illegal acts were
not adequate to punish the crime or prevent its recurrence. The state of
Massachusetts and two technology trade organizations asked the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to tell U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly
to stiffen her order that, by virtually all accounts, has led to almost
no change of behavior on Microsoft's part." ... "Robert Bork, formerly
a judge on that appeals court, argued on behalf of the trade groups, calling
the infamous settlement with the Justice Department ``utterly inadequate,''
according to news reports." -By Dan Gillmor
-MercuryNews-BayArea
- 
- "Our
Mission In Liberia." ... "The past weeks of waffling
in Washington over what role, if any, U.S. forces would play in bringing
peace to Liberia has sorely eroded America's credibility in West Africa,
a region that is supplying an increasing amount of oil to the United States.
Besides calling for Taylor to leave the country and helicoptering in approximately
a half-dozen Marines, President Bush has failed to adequately handle a
humanitarian crisis in which timely and decisive American action could
have saved countless lives." ... "The establishment of a humanitarian corridor
in Monrovia and the funneling of aid supplies and staff to the city will
not, by itself, dispel the overwhelming sense among Liberians that they
were abandoned by the United States and left to die. Only visible and concerted
U.S. leadership on the ground in Liberia can change the perception among
the people of West Africa and the rest of the world that the indiscriminate
shelling and shooting of civilians was not deemed in America's national
interest to stop." -By Raymond C. Offenheiser and
Kenneth H. Bacon -WashingtonPost
- 
- "Is
sin in? Centuries after the seven deadly sins
[gluttony, anger, pride, envy, sloth, lust, and greed] became the ultimate
measure of moral depravity, a new series of essays asks if they are still
relevant." ... "The list that Pope Gregory I refined was first arrived
at by a 4th-century monk named Evagrius of Pontus. He choose eight: gluttony,
lust, avarice (greed), sadness, anger, acedia (spiritual sloth), vainglory,
and pride. Gregory I added envy, and merged vainglory with pride and acedia
with sadness (which eventually became sloth)." -By
Kim Campbell -CSMonitor
- 
-
- "Free
Suu Kyi now." ... "Burma's military junta is refusing
to free Aung San Suu Kyi, the popular politician and Nobel Peace Prize
winner ambushed and arrested by the regime's thugs at the end of May. Outraged
western governments are threatening sanctions. Asian leaders say sanctions
might backfire; they want discreet talks with Burma's generals and some
even want Burma included in future Asia-Europe meetings." ... "So far,
so normal. Fortunately, there is a chance of a diplomatic denouement very
different from the usual slanging match between east and west." ... "One
reason for optimism is that not all Asian countries are playing their usual
roles. Japan has suspended new aid for Burma following the latest arrest
of Ms Suu Kyi. Malaysia, more surprisingly, has also lost patience with
the regime in Rangoon." -FT.com
-
- "'Road
map' for Mideast peace leads nowhere." ... "Successful
negotiations are impossible when one side won't recognize the other's right
to exist." ... "The new peace process, just like its predecessors, is premised
on the notion that Israelis and Palestinians need to make mutual concessions
to end their war: The Israelis need to give up the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
and the Palestinians need to stop terrorism. The problem is that most Israelis
are willing to meet their obligations, but most Palestinians aren't." ...
"... while some radical groups may make a show of a temporary cease-fire,
they remain committed to a strategy of annihilating the "Zionist invaders."
Hamas' charter still states: "There is no solution to the Palestinian question
except through jihad."" -By Max Boot
-USATODAY
&
- "Needed:
road map for the marital journey." ... "Convinced
that the skills needed for a successful marriage can be taught, Ms. Sollee,
a marriage and family therapist, founded the organization [Coalition for
Marriage, Family, and Couples Education] in 1996. She describes it as nonpartisan,
a blend of conservatives and liberals, "the churched and the unchurched.""
... "When she started, the term "marriage education" didn't even exist,
Sollee says on the phone, her voice still registering amazement. Now she
wants all states to follow Florida's lead in mandating marriage classes
in high school. She is also urging the federal government to create a public
education campaign, explaining the benefits of marriage and outlining what
to expect in a good marriage." -By Marilyn Gardner
-CSMonitor
-
- "ALA
denounces Supreme Court ruling on Children's Internet Protection Act."
... "The American Library Association (ALA) today expressed disappointment
in today's very narrow decision from the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the
Children's Internet Protection Act." ... ""The decision, however, is very
narrow in that Justices Kennedy and Breyer did not join Chief Justice Rehnquist's
opinion, they only joined the judgment," said Judith Krug, director of
the American Library Association s Office for Intellectual Freedom.
"Justices Kennedy and Breyer joined the judgment because they believe adult
patrons need only ask the librarian to please disable the filter
and need not provide any reason for the request. In light of this,
we expect libraries that decide they must accept filters to inform their
patrons how easily the filters can be turned off."" ... "Justice Kennedy's
opinion requires that filtering companies create filters that can be immediately
and easily dismantled to meet the information needs of library users."
... "The American Library Association again calls for full disclosure of
what sites filtering companies are blocking, who is deciding what is filtered
and what criteria are being used. Findings of fact clearly show that
filtering companies are not following legal definitions of "harmful to
minors" and "obscenity." Their practices must change." ... "To assist
local libraries in their decision process, the ALA will seek this information
from filtering companies, then evaluate and share the information with
the thousands of libraries now being forced to forego funds or choose faulty
filters. The American Library Association also will explain how various
products work, criteria to consider in selecting a products and how to
best use a given product in a public setting. Library
users must be able to see what sites are being blocked and, if needed,
be able to request the filter be disabled with the least intrusion into
their privacy and the least burden on library service." ... "The ALA will
do everything possible to support the governing bodies of these local institutions
as they struggle with this very difficult decision." -ALA.org
- American Library Association -ALA.org/oif
- Office for Intellectual Freedom
-
- "News Analysis:
Can Bush also walk the walk?" ... "Two events forced
George W. Bush's decision to sit under a tree Wednesday afternoon, finally
acting as the essential mediator between the hawk who leads Israel and
the new, untested and struggling prime minister of the Palestinian Authority."
... "The first was the president's quick victory in Iraq, which established
new respect along with new resentments - for him in a region that respects
power and must now deal with him as the leader of an occupying power in
the heart of the Middle East. The second was the emergence of Mahmoud Abbas
as an alternative to Yasser Arafat as Palestinian leader, meeting Bush's
stated condition for American intervention, or, perhaps, calling his bluff."
-By David Sanger -NYTimes
via -IHT.com
-
-
- "President's
journey full of diplomatic challenges." ... "Most
of President Bush's overseas trips are carefully scripted and largely risk-free
occasions, notable for smiling photo ops and innocuous official statements,
not for difficult diplomacy." ... "The weeklong trip that begins Friday
is different. It will challenge Bush's diplomatic agility and leadership
as his political opponents at home wait to exploit any missteps. The president's
direct manner and charm have disarmed many world leaders, but grins and
straight talk won't be the only measure of success this time." -By
Judy Keen -USATODAY
- 
- 
-
- "State
of the Air 2003: Nearly Half the Nation at
Risk from Smog - Overshadows Temporary Improvement. American Lung
Association Forecasts Continued Unhealthful Air from Coast to Coast."
... "New York) Nearly half the American population—more than 137 million
Americans—continues to breathe unhealthy amounts of the toxic air pollutant
ozone (smog), according to the American
Lung Association State of the Air: 2003 report released today."
... "The annual report cites that moderate improvements in smog levels
are due to a break from summer heat, not air pollution cleanup activities,
further illustrating the urgency for Americans to fight for cleaner air
in the face of potentially devastating changes in the nation’s environmental
policies. The Lung Association anticipates increasing numbers in its 2004
report, which will include data from the hot 2002 summer." ... "The report
was released in the shadow of the Administration’s rollback of key Clean
Air Act provisions and additional proposals that would weaken public health
protections of that law, thereby denying tens of millions of Americans
healthy air for the foreseeable future." ... "The AmericanLung
Association urges Americans to contact members of Congress to
oppose any bills that would weaken the Clean Air Act and to contactEPA
by May 3, 2003 to oppose the proposed changes that would
weaken the New Source Review provisions. Americans can log on to www.lungusa.org
to make their voice heard to Congress and EPA on these critical issues."
-American Lung Association
-Action Network
- 
- 
- "You
Have a Voice in Bringing Executive Pay Back to Earth."
... "It appears the directors of AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines,
are shocked -- shocked! -- that the millions the company lavished on chief
executive Donald J. Carty and other top executives enraged the workers
from whom the company was demanding major wage and benefit concessions."
... "One director, the only one talking late last week, seemed to be saying
that Carty should have been fired, had he not resigned, for failing to
tell the unions about the executive package while letting the board think
he had." ... "Other than the moral malodorousness of it all, an executive
compensation system that detaches pay from performance to the extent that
you get a bonus if you lead your firm into bankruptcy does not seem likely
to function in investors' best interests." -By Albert
B. Crenshaw -WashingtonPost
-
- "Shiite power
and Iranian intentions: Weighing the
chances of an Islamic state in Iraq." ... "Soon after the “liberation”
of Iraq, or more correctly, the collapse of organized resistance from the
regime of Saddam Hussein, many in Iraq’s majority Shiite community began
demanding not only their share of power in a new government, but also the
establishment of an Islamic republic. Such developments evoke the specter
of another Iran — an oil-rich, anti-West theocracy. What are the prospects
that this might happen?" -By Rick Francona
-MSNBC
- 
-
- 
- "Kim
plays a nuclear game he cannot win." ... "Whether
North Korea has started reprocessing plutonium for nuclear weapons, or
(depending on the translation) simply completed preparations, the regime's
statement on Friday was a deliberate provocation ahead of this week's talks
with the US and China in Beijing." ... "Mr Kim is trying to have his cake
and eat it. The regime demands negotiations to obtain security assurances
and aid from the US and its allies, but it also wants to pursue a nuclear
weapons capability. The reprocessing declaration, coming after a US commitment
to talks, epitomises this dual strategy. If this is North Korea's new game,
then no one in the region is likely to play. For the US, a North Korea
that is reprocessing plutonium and hiding fissile material in the country's
thousands of caves (and which could then be sold to a third party) poses
an unacceptable threat to homeland security." -By
Victor Cha -FT.com
-
-
-
- "Overseas
Pundits See Real Threat of War With Syria." ... "Is
Syria next?" ... "The Bush administration's warnings to the government
in Damascus not to harbor Iraqi leaders or weapons of mass destruction
are reverberating in the international online media. From Paris to London
to Beirut to Tel Aviv, the possibility of war with Syria is seen as real,
if not desirable." -By Jefferson Morley-WashingtonPost
- "Analysis
/ Two-step deception." ... "A foreign statesman who
recently held a long conversation with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was
asked afterward if he had the impression that Sharon would be ready for
a deal with the Palestinians that would involve Israeli concessions. "Not
a chance," said the statesman. "Sharon believes security depends on holding
onto the territories."" ... "Sharon never says "no" on diplomatic issues,
preferring to wrap his tough line with "yes, but...." Any hint or promise
for a future concession is always attached to a costly price the other
side has to pay first. Every speech or interview that includes a mention
of flexibility and concessions, is always accompanied by a toughening of
positions." -By Aluf Benn -Ha'aretzDaily
-
-
-
-
-
- "After
Iraq, where will Bush go next: 'fascist' Syria, theocratic
Iran, or communist North Korea?" ... "The mission begins in Baghdad but
it does not end there. Were the US to retreat after victory into complacency,
new dangers would soon arise. War in Iraq represents but the first instalment.""
... "With US troops securing positions in Baghdad, it is hard to imagine
a more concise formulation of what so unnerves much of the world about
the possible direction of 21st century America than this last sentence
of a new book co-written by an influential Washington conservative and
a liberal internationalist." ... "William Kristol and Lawrence Kaplan,
in their recently published War Over Iraq, argue for a course of
action that has come to be seen by many outside America as the settled
course of US foreign policy after Iraq. Mr Kristol is the founder of the
Project for the New American Century, the neo-conservative think-tank that
has among its friends in the Bush administration Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy
defence secretary and architect of the Iraq strategy. Mr Kaplan is a senior
editor at the left-leaning New Republic." -By Gerard
Baker -FT.com
-
-
-
-
-
- "Some
see victory extending beyond Iraq." ... "The fall
of Baghdad is a victory not only for the U.S. military but for an influential
group of foreign policy hard-liners who have realized the first step in
a bold plan to reorder the Arab world and global institutions." ... "The
loose-knit group, whose core includes Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, sees the war in Iraq as
a model for the world's lone superpower. The group believes that with or
without international consensus, the United States should move with force
to pre-empt security threats and spread democracy and free-market economics
to remaining pockets of authoritarianism, primarily in the Middle East."
... "While U.S. officials emphasize the enormity of the tasks that need
to be completed in Iraq, some administration supporters already are proclaiming
the birth of a new historical period and suggesting that regime change
in Iraq could be followed soon by Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt."
-By Barbara Slavin -USATODAY
-
-
-
-
- "Analysis:
Three stages to a new Iraq." ... "The British have
proposed that the UN should give its approval to a three-stage process
under which Iraq will move from essentially military rule through an interim
Iraqi administration to a representative government." ... "Stage one:
Military rule." ... "US and UK military will be in charge of security
and in overall command." ... "Stage two: Interim Iraqi Administration
(IIA)." ... "This is where the British Government wants the UN to take
a leading role by organising a conference in Baghdad which would appoint
members of the IIA." ... "Stage three: Representative government."
... "It could be a year or so before this is organised. And the phrase
"representative government" will have to be defined." -By
Paul Reynolds -BBC/News
- 
-
-
- "Analysis:
Show of strength in Baghdad: With television
pictures showing US forces inside a presidential palace in the heart of
Baghdad, there can be no doubting the dramatic advance made by US forces
during the early hours of Monday morning." ... "But this operation has
as much a psychological as a purely military purpose." ... "We are told
here [US Central Command, Qatar] that it is all part of a carefully orchestrated
plan to try to persuade ordinary Iraqis that the messages that they are
getting from the regime's leaders are simply wrong." -By
Jonathan Marcus -BBC/News
- -
- "Analysis:
British dominance in Basra signal to rest of Iraq: Saddam's finished."
... "The British thrust into the center of Basra is a signal achievement
in its own right." ... "But it is also important for the larger campaign
to topple Saddam Hussein and win the battle for Baghdad." ... "American
and British commanders hope the capture of Iraq's second-largest city will
be a vivid demonstration that Saddam's government is fast losing control
of major population centers and that the fate of Saddam is sealed. That,
they hope, will encourage resistance to Saddam throughout Iraq, including
in Baghdad." -By Michael R. Gordon
-AP via -StarTribune.com
-
-
-
-
- "How
to think about this war if you're against it:
I hope for a U.S. victory with minimum bloodshed and maximum freedom for
the Iraqi people. But I also want the cakewalk conservatives to pay for
their hubris politically." ... "With U.S troops poised on the outskirts
of Baghdad, a surreal political phenomenon is unmistakable: So far the
loudest establishment voices criticizing the Bush administration's war
plan belong to retired generals, unnamed active military leaders and former
Republican officials, while most prominent Democrats either proclaim their
support, or remain silent." ... "Why are so many war critics flummoxed
by talking about the war? Isn't it possible to critique the president without
giving aid and comfort to the enemy? And is pointing out the effort's shortcomings
the same as glorying in them? I've been struggling with these questions
since the war began. I'm not an antiwar Democrat; I'm just anti-this war,
at this time. I think Saddam is a bigger menace than most of the left seems
to; I think his flouting U.N. resolutions merited a tough international
response; I thought the world was on its way to crafting one when the Bush
administration pulled the plug on diplomacy. Yet even though I opposed
its timing, once the war commenced I reflexively wished it would be over
quickly. Now, though, while I didn't root for the administration's setbacks
in the war's early going, I have to admit they served to prove its hubris,
its dishonesty and the dashing arrogance of the administration's frightening
first-strike doctrine that the war on Iraq was meant to kick off. And even
if the battle for Baghdad ends quickly, there remains plenty to critique."
-By Joan Walsh -Salon
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- "Ex-CIA
director: U.S. faces 'World War IV': Former
CIA Director James Woolsey said Wednesday the United States is engaged
in World War IV, and that it could continue for years." ... "He said the
new war is actually against three enemies: the religious rulers of Iran,
the "fascists" of Iraq and Syria, and Islamic extremists like al Qaeda."
... "Singling out Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and the leaders of Saudi
Arabia, he said, "We want you nervous. We want you to realize now, for
the fourth time in a hundred years, this country and its allies are on
the march and that we are on the side of those whom you -- the Mubaraks,
the Saudi Royal family -- most fear: We're on the side of your own people.""
-By Charles Feldman and Stan Wilson
-CNN /World
-
- ELECTION
2004 -
-
- "Kerry
says US needs its own 'regime change'." ... "Senator
John F. Kerry said yesterday that President Bush committed a ''breach of
trust'' in the eyes of many United Nations members by going to war with
Iraq, creating a diplomatic chasm that will not be bridged as long as Bush
remains in office." ... "''What we need now is not just a regime change
in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States,''
Kerry said in a speech at the Peterborough Town Library." -By
Glen Johnson -Boston/Globe
-
-
- "On to Baghdad
— but when [analysis]? Rapid advance presents dilemma
for U.S. commanders." ... "The rapid advance of the Army’s 3rd Infantry
Division and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force to the outskirts of Baghdad
yesterday presents Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks and his subordinate commanders
with the biggest battlefield dilemma they have faced in the two-week-long
Iraq war: whether to assault the capital now or to wait two weeks or more
for reinforcements." ... "Essentially, Franks has to decide whether to
wait for the tank-heavy 4th Infantry Division, which defense officials
say won’t be ready to join the attack until the middle of the month." -By
Thomas E. Ricks and Jonathan Weisman -WashingtonPost
via -MSNBC
-
-
-
-
-
-
- "Supplying
the Enemy." ... "Whatever one may think of Russia's
political opposition to the war in Iraq, no one denies Moscow's right to
it. Supplying arms to Iraq is something else. Not only is this a clear
violation of U.N. sanctions, but Russia has weapons that pose a lethal
threat to U.S. and British soldiers. Those are exactly the kinds of weapons
that the Bush administration has accused Russia — and now Syria — of supplying
Iraq. Whether President Vladimir Putin chooses to acknowledge the sales
or not, he would be well advised to make sure they are stopped right now."
-NYTimes
-
-
-
-
-
- "Hunting
for Iraq's Terror Weapons." ... "America will not
be able to claim victory in Iraq until it secures Saddam Hussein's missing
troves of unconventional weapons, the ingredients for making them and the
network of scientists able to produce them. This is a long-term challenge.
But over the next days and weeks, American commanders face an urgent task:
to make sure that none of this deadly arsenal leaks out to terrorist groups
or neighboring states like Syria or Iran." ... "Some experts believe that
to avoid detection, Iraq may have retained only seed stocks, growth media
and the technical know-how to be able to start up production again quickly.
These basic ingredients are likely to be hidden at locations known only
to a very select group of leading scientists and top regime loyalists."
... "This means that the main tools for tracking down Iraq's hidden weapons
caches must include offers of financial bounties to ordinary Iraqis and
a pragmatic openness to plea bargaining with detained Iraqi security officials
and scientists. These include leaders of such notorious formations as the
Special Republican Guard and the Special Security Organization. Some of
the sadistic members of the Iraqi Baath leadership may have to be offered
a measure of leniency." -NYTimes
Search
Iraq News - Search
Google:
- -
-
- "Operation
Commentary Storm." ... "The Internet is brimming
with so much Iraq war commentary that a crop of new directories has sprouted
to help people sift through it all." ... "Other sites publishing extensive
links to war reports from mainstream media include the Poynter Institute
(www.poynter.org), which also features a gallery of home pages from the
war's opening night. And the American Press Institute's Media Center (www.cyberjournalist.net)
includes its own war blog, encapsulating coverage of the fighting from
many sources." -By Leslie Walker-WashingtonPost
via >TechNews
- 
-
-
-
- "Analysis:
Arab world faces turmoil: Three days into the
US-led military campaign against Iraq, Arab governments must be praying
for the fall of Saddam Hussein's leadership as quickly as possible." ...
"The "Arab street", derided in recent years as politically inert and powerless,
appears to be showing signs of life." ... "Cairo, Sanaa in Yemen, Bahrain,
Jordan, Lebanon and the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott have all witnessed
clashes of varying decrees of seriousness between riot police and citizens
enraged by what the US is doing in Iraq." -By Martin
Asser -BBC/News
Search
Iraq News - Search
Google:
-
- 
-
-
- "Bush's
new tax cut bid stirs outcry." ... "The Bush administration
is pushing for a new round of tax cuts even before it explains how much
war with Iraq will cost the American taxpayer, triggering cries of fiscal
irresponsibility and charges of a Texas political two-step." ... "''It's
indecent that we are debating reducing taxes for wealthy individuals when
our American servicemen are being fired upon in Iraq,'' Kennedy said."
-By Glen Johnson
-Boston/Globe
-
-
-
-
-
- "ANALYSIS-As
war starts, financial cost to U.S. still secret."
... "Wars cost money as well as lives and estimates for the attack on Iraq
are high and rising." ... "Bush has been conspicuously silent on what the
action will cost U.S. taxpayers. But conservative calculations, assuming
a swift campaign that matches the speed of the 1991 Gulf War, reach up
to $100 billion." ... "This would be equivalent to one percent of U.S.
gross domestic product. But if the war gets bogged down, for example in
street-to-street fighting to take Baghdad, costs would rise." -By
Alister Bull -Reuters
via -Forbes /Magazine
-
-
-
-
- "Fantasy
Budget." ... "Following a surreal timetable, the
Senate and House are apt this week to approve budget resolutions that would
lock in huge tax cuts without setting aside a penny for war in Iraq. Then
the administration would unveil a "supplemental" spending request -- and
demand that a check be cut immediately." ... "For the administration, this
schedule carries two advantages. No war numbers are released to jeopardize
the tax package; then, once war is underway, Congress dares not challenge
a spending request. But why should Congress go along with such a charade?"-WashingtonPost
-
-
-
-
-
- "Blix:
Iraq unlikely to use chemical, germ weapons:
But still a lot of questions, the chief inspector says." ... "Iraq is unlikely
to use chemical or biological weapons to defend itself from a U.S.-led
invasion because world opinion would turn against it, chief U.N. weapons
inspector Hans Blix told CNN Wednesday." ... ""If they have any -- and
still, that's a big if -- I would doubt that they would use it because
a lot of countries and people in the world are negative to the idea of
waging war," Blix said." ... ""If the Iraqis were to use any chemical weapons,
then I think the public opinion around the world would immediately turn
against Iraq, and they would say, as well, that the invasion was justified.""-ABCNEWS.com
-
-
-
-
- "Analysis:
Allies leave Saddam choice: to fight or escape into exile."
... "The Bush administration presented the world with a non-negotiable
demand Sunday regarding Iraqi President Saddam Hussein: It is time for
him to go." ... "In the Azores and on Washington talk shows, President
Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell made
clear that it was too late for Iraq to disarm, too late for further weapons
inspections and too late for more diplomacy to get the world to support
the U.S. case for war. Although giving the United Nations another day to
agree with the U.S. position, Bush and his lieutenants made clear that
was mere symbolism. The only means to avoid war, they said, was Saddam's
exile." -By Dana Milbank-WashingtonPost
via -RegisterGuard
-
- "On
brink of war, few exits remain: Avenues to
avert a conflict exist, but the US risks losing face." ... ""The only way
I can see a solution to this for the US - short of war - is to reach an
iron-clad agreement for Saddam Hussein to destroy his weapons, all his
stocks, his chemicals, everything very quickly - say, within two weeks,"
says Henri Barkey, a former State Department Iraq analyst who is now a
professor of Middle East affairs at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn.
"Either that or Saddam exits."" -By Howard LaFranchi
-CSMonitor
-
- "27 views on
war: What some prominent people think about
an Iraq invasion." ... "Feb. 19 — With war in the offing, Slate asked
prominent people in politics, the arts, entertainment, business, and other
fields to answer the following question: Do you favor a U.S. invasion of
Iraq? The respondents run the gamut, from those who believe war is a bad
idea (Spike Lee says we’re being “hoodwinked” by the Bush administration)
to those (like Mark Bowden) who think we should have invaded already."
-Compiled by Julia Turner
-Slate.com -MSNBC
- -
"'Be
Responsible': First Lady Criticizes Some Terror Alert News Reporting."
... "First lady Laura Bush said TV news channels may be looking to "entice"
viewers with nonstop news stories about terror alerts and what might happen
in a possible terrorist attack on the United States." ... ""I know that,
you know, channels — all the many, many channels now — and cable television
are looking for viewers and they do whatever they can to try to entice
viewers," Bush said on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America."
-ABCNEWS.com
-
-
- 
- 
- "News analysis:
U.S. inaction on rift puzzles allies: Europe
asks why Bush has not tried to keep old friends." ... "Faced by a sharp
trans-Atlantic rift that has split NATO, many officials here are wondering
why the Bush administration has not tried harder to preserve what Senator
John McCain last week described as "the greatest political military alliance
in the history of mankind."" ... "That question, senior administration
officials say, has not been answered within the circle of President George
W. Bush and his advisers, in part because there are divisions among them
over how important old Cold War allies like France and Germany are to the
new war against terror." -By Patrick E. Tyler
-NYTimes via -IHT.com
Space
Shuttle Columbia Disaster
- "Turning
point for US space effort." ... "... Nasa will now,
for the first time, have to think seriously about what takes astronauts
into space after the shuttle is phased out, which could come sooner than
once thought." ... "Space travel will never be 100% safe. The space shuttle
has had 113 missions with the loss of the crew on two of them." ... "Considering
what it does, this is a good safety record and there is no shortage of
people willing to accept these odds." -BBC/News
-
- "Poll
Suggests Public Is Growing Increasingly Cautious About Iraq As Bush Pushes
War." ... "A majority of Americans, 54 percent, say
they fear the Bush administration will move too quickly to take military
action against Iraq, according to a poll taken at a time administration
officials are giving strong signals that war will be necessary to disarm
Iraq." ... "Nearly four in 10, 39 percent, said they are concerned the
Bush administration will not move quickly enough, the poll by ABC News
and The Washington Post found." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
-
- TIA:
Total Information Awareness
- "Bush's
Year of U.S. Surveillance: It may seem unreasonable,
unfair and downright mean-spirited to compare the Bush administration to
the minions of Sauron, the granddaddy of evil in The Lord of the Rings
trilogy." ... "But here goes." ... "The executive branch's attempts in
2002 to peer into the lives of Americans were more than a little similar
to the exploits of Middle Earth's
would-be rulers." ... "Take, for example, the Bush team's most notorious
proposal of the year: the Total Information Awareness system. TIA is an
"ultra-large, all-source
information repository" (PDF) meant to track citizens' every move,
from Web surfing to doctor visits, travel plans to university grades, passport
applications to ATM withdrawals." -By Noah
Shachtman -Wired
-
-
- "We
Don't Invade Iraq. Then What?" ... "The responsibility
today, especially for those who wish to oppose a conflict, is to think
about what will happen if war is avoided. The central pillar of any plan
needs to be deterrence, with commitments from American allies — possibly
backed by a Security Council resolution — for a crushing military response
so credible that the regime will understand that any use of weapons of
mass destruction, or indeed any threat to its neighbors, would bring its
immediate demise." -By Robert Malley
-NYTimes via -Google-News
