Iraq Archives:

US - Iraq - Military - Intelligence - Torture - Prison - Psychology - Book - Political - History - "How Good People Turn Evil, From Stanford to Abu Ghraib." ... "[Psychologist Philip] Zimbardo conducted a now-famous experiment at Stanford University in 1971, involving students who posed as prisoners and guards. Five days into the experiment, Zimbardo halted the study when the student guards began abusing the prisoners, forcing them to strip naked and simulate sex acts." ... "His book, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, explores how a "perfect storm" of conditions can make ordinary people commit horrendous acts." ... "Wired: You were an expert defense witness in the court-martial of Sgt. Chip Frederick, an Abu Ghraib guard. What were the situational influences in his case?" ... "Zimbardo: Abu Ghraib was under bombardment all the time. In the prison, five soldiers and 20 Iraqi prisoners get killed. That means automatically any soldier working there is under high fear and high stress. Then the insurgency starts in 2003, and they start arresting everyone in sight. When Chip Frederick [starts working at Abu Ghraib] in September, there are 200 prisoners there. Within three months there's a thousand prisoners with a handful of guards to take care of them, so they're overwhelmed. Frederick and the others worked 12-hour shifts. How many days a week? Seven. How many days without a day off? Forty. That kind of stress reduces decision-making and critical thinking and rationality. But that's only the beginning." ... "He [complained] to higher-ups on the record, "We have mentally ill patients who cover themselves with [excrement]. We have people with tuberculosis that shouldn't be in this population. We have kids mixed with adults."" ... "And they tell him, "It's a war zone. Do your job. Do whatever you have to do."" ... "Wired: How did what happened at Abu Ghraib compare to your Stanford prison study?" ... "Zimbardo: The military intelligence, the CIA and the civilian interrogator corporation, Titan, told the MPs [at Abu Ghraib], "It is your job to soften the prisoners up. We give you permission to do something you ordinarily are not allowed to do as a military policeman -- to break the prisoners, to soften them up, to prepare them for interrogation." That's permission to step across the line from what is typically restricted behavior to now unrestricted behavior." ... "In the same way in the Stanford prison study, I was saying [to the student guards], "You have to be powerful to prevent further rebellion." I tell them, "You're not allowed, however, to use physical force." By default, I allow them to use psychological force. In five days, five prisoners are having emotional breakdowns." ... "The situational forces that were going on in [Abu Ghraib] -- the dehumanization, the lack of personal accountability, the lack of surveillance, the permission to get away with anti-social actions -- it was like the Stanford prison study, but in spades." ... "Those sets of things are found any time you really see an evil situation occurring, whether it's Rwanda or Nazi Germany or the Khmer Rouge. " (1, 2) -By Kim Zetter -Wired 

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Barack Obama - John McCain - US - Iraq - Military - Osama bin Laden - Terrorism - 2008 Election - Ohio - "Obama also has news for McCain." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama departed from his regular stump speech today in Columbus [Ohio's capital] to respond to [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain." ... ""John McCain may like to say he wants to follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but so far all he’s done is follow George Bush into a misguided war in Iraq," he said." ... ""McCain thought that he could make a clever point by saying, 'Well let me give you some news, Barack, Al Qaeda is in Iraq,' like I wasn’t reading the papers, like [I] didn’t know what was going on." Obama said, leaning into his developing McCain impression." ... "He then described the context -- a hypothetical question from Tim Russert -- and said, "First of all, I do know Al Qaeda is in Iraq, and that’s why I said we should continue to strike Al Qaeda targets."" ... ""I have some news for John McCain," Obama continued, "That’s there was no Al Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain" began the Iraq war, he said." ... ""They took their eye off the people who really were responsible for 9/11," he said." -By Ben Smith -Politico.com 

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US - Iraq - Afghanistan - "Post-drawdown troop levels will still be high." ... "When the current drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq is complete in July, about 140,000 should remain, a senior U.S. [United States] military official said Monday — 8,000 more than were present at the January 2007 start of the administration’s “surge” of five brigade combat teams aimed at helping stabilize Iraq." ... "Those 8,000 troops represent a sort of safety margin for U.S. ground commanders as they assess the U.S. ability to handle security demands across Iraq, such as backing up U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Iraqi forces, with five fewer combat units on hand, said [Lieutenant General] Lt. Gen. Carter Ham, the Joint Staff’s director for operations." ... "U.S. officials also project that about 32,000 U.S. troops will be stationed in Afghanistan “by late summer,” Ham said. That would be the highest level ever — an increase of about 4,000 troops over the current level. Most of these will come from the 3,200 additional Marines being deployed there this spring, he said." ... "Both figures, however, are estimates that will depend on security conditions on the ground, Ham said." -By William H. McMichael -AirForceTimes.com 

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John McCain - Corporate - Politics - Lawmaker - Jets - US_Debt - US - Iraq - Military - Children's - Health-Care - Barack Obama - 2008 Election - "Transcript: Howard Dean On John McCain And The Republican 'Culture Of Corruption'." ... "Q: So there is big news about [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain -- the story that is in the New York Times, raising questions about his relationship with a lobbyist. This is a story the McCain people are saying is unfair and untrue. What do you think?"

"[Democratic National Committee chairman Howard] Dean: I have no idea whether the affair story is true or not, and I don't care. What I do care about is John McCain -- and this has been well-documented -- is talking all the time about being a reformer and a maverick, and in fact, he has taken thousands of dollars from corporations, ridden on their corporate jets, and then turned around and tried to do favors for them and get projects approved. He has tons of lobbyists on his staff. This is a guy who is very close to the lobbyist community, a guy who has been documented again and again by taking contributions and then doing favors for it. This is not a guy who is a reformer. This is a guy who has been in Washington for 25 years and wants to give us four more years of the same, and I don't think we need that."

"Dean: Yes, he certainly has. This goes all the way back to the Keating Five Scandal and the S & L [Savings and Loan] scandals, where he took a hundred thousand donations, rode on corporate jets and then intervened on Charles Keating's behalf -- and again and again we see this. We even saw -- it's so hypocritical -- we even saw that he is trying to harass [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama about whether he's going to take public financing in the campaign, and he forewent his own public financing in the primaries after getting a loan, based on the idea that he might take public financing." ... "This is not a guy who is a reformer. He talks about change, and he makes a big deal about not being like [Republican President] Bush when in fact he is Bush. He voted for Bush's tax cuts after saying he didn't, and has been responsible for a $6 trillion national debt that our children are going to have to pay. He thinks we ought to stay in Iraq for 100 years. He thought it was great that the president vetoed health care for our kids under 18. This is four more years of George Bush, and I don't think the American people are going to buy it."

Noteworthy - Political - Military - Government - 2008 Election - Barack Obama - US - Afghanistan - Iraq - "Bush Pentagon." ... "It would appear that we have another case where the [Republican President] Bush Pentagon, particularly the Office of Public Affairs is forcefully inserting itself into the civilian election process. Earlier today I referenced [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama's anecdote from Thursday night's Democratic debate about an Army Captain in Afghanistan who said his unit had had to get from captured Taliban ammunition they weren't able to get quickly enough through standard Army supply channels. ABCNews' Jake Tapper talked to the soldier in question, who confirmed the story he'd told Obama. Now NBC News also appears to have confirmed the story by talking to the Army Captain in question." ... "But Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman is telling reporters he doesn't think it's true and that of course they can't confirm it unless the soldier -- still on active duty -- comes forward to discuss the issue with the Pentagon brass, a step that would surely do wonders for his future in the Army." ... "I don't know how far this is going to go. Phillip Carter, the military affairs writer who's in the reserves and did a tour in Iraq, says that from his own experience in Iraq and discussions with Afghanistan vets who report doing the same thing as the anonymous captain, he finds the story "eminently believable." But this is becoming a pattern in which political appointees at the Bush Pentagon volubly insert themselves into domestic political debate or even election campaigns." -By Josh Marshall -TalkingPointsMemo.com

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Military - Survey - US - Iraq- China - Iran - Politics - "Officers: U.S. military stretched 'dangerously thin'." ... "The Iraq war has strained U.S. forces to the point where they could not fight another large-scale war, according to a survey of military officers." ... "Of those surveyed, 88 percent believe the demands of the Iraq war have "stretched the U.S. military dangerously thin."" ... "On the other hand, 56 percent of the officers disagree that the war has "broken" the military." ... "Eighty percent of officers believe it is unreasonable to expect the U.S. military to wage another major war successfully at present." ... "Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for a New American Security on Tuesday issued the U.S. Military Index, a survey of 3,400 present and former U.S. military officers." ... ""We asked the officers whether they thought the U.S. military was stronger or weaker than it was five years ago," said Michael Boyer, who helped write the report." ... ""Sixty percent said the U.S. military is weaker than it was five years ago," Boyer told reporters." ... "The officers believe "that either China or Iran, not the United States, is emerging as the strategic victor" in the Iraq war." -CNN 

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Afghanistan - People- Military - Politics - Iraq - US - Canada - "140 Afghans Killed in 2 Days of Bombings." ... "A suicide car bomber killed 38 Afghans at a crowded market Monday, pushing the death toll from two days of militant bombings to about 140." ... "The marketplace blast, which targeted a Canadian army convoy, came a day after the country's deadliest insurgent attack since a U.S. invasion defeated the Taliban regime in late 2001. The toll from that bombing in a crowd watching a dog fight rose to more than 100." ... "The back-to-back blasts in the southern province of Kandahar could be a sign insurgents are now willing to risk high civilian casualties while attacking security forces. Though their attacks occasionally have killed dozens, militants in Afghanistan have generally sought to avoid targeting civilians, unlike insurgents in Iraq's war." ... "The previous deadliest bombing in Afghanistan killed about 70 people _ mostly students _ in November [2007], part of a record year of violence in 2007 that included more than 140 suicide attacks." (1, 2) -By Allauddin Khan and Noor Khan with contributions by Matiullah Achakzai, Rahim Faiez and Paul Ames -AP -WashingtonPost

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John McCain - US - Iraq - Military - Media - 2008 Election - Arizona - Fla - Calif - "McCain Overstates His Criticisms Of Rumsfeld." ... "As he gets closer to the Republican nomination, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain has been trying to balance his unqualified support for the Iraq war by reminding audiences that he was also a tough critic of how it was managed until [Republican] President Bush finally changed strategies a year ago. In recent weeks, McCain has gone so far as to tell audiences that he was "the only one" who called for Donald H. Rumsfeld's resignation as defense secretary." ... "The trick is that he never did, at least not publicly." ... "While campaigning in Fort Myers, Fla. [Florida], on Jan. [January] 26, he told a crowd: "In the conflict that we're in, I'm the only one that said we have to abandon the Rumsfeld strategy -- and Rumsfeld -- and adopt a new strategy." Four days later during a debate at the [Republican] Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., [California] aired on CNN, McCain said, "I'm the only one that said that Rumsfeld had to go."" ... "A McCain spokesman acknowledged this week that that was not correct. "He did not call for his resignation," said the campaign's Brian Rogers." ... "McCain's false account has been unwittingly incorporated into the narrative he is selling by some news organizations, including The Washington Post." -By Peter Baker -WashingtonPost

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US - Iraq - MRAP - Military - Vehicles - Science - People - Money - Government - Politics - "Study: Lack of MRAPs cost Marine lives." ... "More than 700 U.S. troops died from roadside bombs because the Marine Corps' devotion to a military vehicle years away from deployment kept it from buying available Mine Resistant, Ambush Protected (MRAP) trucks, according to an internal Marine report obtained Friday by USA TODAY." ... "Instead of fulfilling an urgent Marine request from the field for 1,169 vehicles in February 2005, Marine Corps leaders and analysts delayed fielding the MRAPs, and instead bought more armored Humvees, the report written by Marine science adviser Franz Gayl says." ... "Gayl, who filed for federal whistle-blower protection last May, has criticized the Marines' delays in fielding MRAPs and has briefed members of Congress about the problems in meeting requests from troops in the field. His report, dated Jan. 22, says Marine bureaucrats didn't understand the need for MRAPs and they delayed buying the large, armored vehicles because they wanted to save money for a future replacement for the Humvee called the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)." ... "Stopping the threat posed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq in 2005 was deemed secondary to developing the JLTV, Gayl wrote. The Marines, he wrote, saw JTLV "as a higher priority than the daily killed and wounded being experienced by … known IED threats in 2005."" ... "Improvised explosive devices are the largest single killer of U.S. troops in Iraq and are blamed for at least 60% of all U.S. casualties there. " -By Ray Locker -USATODAY

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Noteworthy - Secret - US - Iraq - Military - Government - Politics - "Army Buried Study Faulting Iraq Planning." ... "The Army is accustomed to protecting classified information. But when it comes to the planning for the Iraq war, even an unclassified assessment can acquire the status of a state secret." ... "That is what happened to a detailed study of the planning for postwar Iraq prepared for the Army by the RAND Corporation, a federally financed center that conducts research for the military." ... "After 18 months of research, RAND submitted a report in the summer of 2005 called “Rebuilding Iraq.” RAND researchers provided an unclassified version of the report along with a secret one, hoping that its publication would contribute to the public debate on how to prepare for future conflicts." ... "But the study’s wide-ranging critique of the [Republican President Bush] White House, the Defense Department and other government agencies was a concern for Army generals, and the Army has sought to keep the report under lock and key." ... "A review of the lengthy report — a draft of which was obtained by The New York Times — shows that it identified problems with nearly every organization that had a role in planning the war. That assessment parallels the verdicts of numerous former officials and independent analysts." ... "The study chided [Republican] President Bush — and by implication Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who served as national security adviser when the war was planned — as having failed to resolve differences among rival agencies. “Throughout the planning process, tensions between the Defense Department and the State Department were never mediated by the president or his staff,” it said." ... "The Defense Department led by Donald H. Rumsfeld was given the lead in overseeing the postwar period in Iraq despite its “lack of capacity for civilian reconstruction planning and execution.”" ... "The State Department led by Colin L. Powell produced a voluminous study on the future of Iraq that identified important issues but was of “uneven quality” and “did not constitute an actionable plan.”" ... "Gen. [General] Tommy R. Franks, whose Central Command oversaw the military operation in Iraq, had a “fundamental misunderstanding” of what the military needed to do to secure postwar Iraq, the study said." (1, 2) -By Michael R. Gordon -NYTimes

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Dick Cheney - Videos - Privacy - Politics - Colorado - US - Iraq - Military - "Cheney fights release of videos: The VP's [Vice President's] office worries depositions of two aides in a Golden [Colorado] man's civil lawsuit may show up on YouTube." ... "The office of [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney is seeking to block the release of videotaped depositions given by two aides who witnessed a physical encounter between an Iraq war opponent and Cheney." ... "In a motion filed Saturday, Cheney's office contended that the videotapes could be used to invade the privacy and embarrass two aides called to testify about the encounter in a civil lawsuit. " -By David Olinger -DenverPost.com

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Secretive - Iraqi - Religious - Law - Terrorism - Women - Torture - Executions -  - Human Rights - Police - Politics - "Violations of 'Islamic teachings' take deadly toll on Iraqi women." ... "The images in the Basra [Iraq] police file are nauseating: Page after page of women killed in brutal fashion -- some strangled to death, their faces disfigured; others beheaded. All bear signs of torture." ... "The women are killed, police say, because they failed to wear a headscarf or because they ignored other "rules" that secretive fundamentalist groups want to enforce." ... ""Fear, fear is always there," says 30-year-old Safana, an artist and university professor. "We don't know who to be afraid of. Maybe it's a friend or a student you teach. There is no break, no security. I don't know who to be afraid of."" ... "Her fear is justified. Iraq's second-largest city, Basra, is a stronghold of conservative Shia groups. As many as 133 women were killed in Basra last year -- 79 for violation of "Islamic teachings" and 47 for so-called honor killings, according to IRIN [Integrated Regional Information Networks], the news branch of the U.N.'s [United Nation's] Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs." ... "Amnesty International has raised concern about the increasing violence toward women in Iraq, saying abductions, rapes and "honor killings" are on the rise." ... ""Politically active women, those who did not follow a strict dress code, and women [who are] human rights defenders were increasingly at risk of abuses, including by armed groups and religious extremists," Amnesty said in a 2007 report." -By Arwa Damon -CNN 

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Secretive - Corporate - Government - Enforcement - Woman - Employee - Safety - Iraq - US - Texas - "Sex Assault Suit Vs. Halliburton Killed: Alleged Sexual Assault Victim's Case Forced Into Secretive Arbitration." ... "A mother of five who says she was sexually harassed and assaulted while working for Halliburton/KBR in Iraq is headed for a secretive arbitration process rather than being able to present her case in open court." ... "A judge in Texas [District Judge Gray Miller] has ruled that Tracy Barker's case will be heard in arbitration, according to the terms of her initial employment contract." ... "Barker says that while in Iraq she was constantly propositioned by her superior, threatened and isolated after she reported an incident of sexual assault." ... ""When I arrived in Basra [Iraq], there were about five men that worked on the camp for the company I worked for and they were waiting for me," Barker told ABC News in an exclusive interview that aired last December." ... ""I was told they wanted to see what I look like," she said, "to make sure I was decent looking before they approved my transfer."" ... "Tracy says her KBR boss in Basra repeatedly propositioned her and threatened her." ... ""The manager of the camp kept making gestures of how if I wanted my safety to exist on the camp, that I needed to sleep with him, and that's all he kept saying to me," said Barker." ... "In arbitration, there is no public record or transcript of the proceedings, meaning that Tracy's claims will not be heard before a judge and jury." (1, 2, 3) -By Maddy Sauer and Justin Rood -ABCNEWS.com

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US - Iraq - Politics - "Pentagon is split on Iraq withdrawals." ... "The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday that no decision had been made to stop the withdrawal of troops in Iraq this summer, a subtle rebuke of the top U.S. [United States] commander there, who suggested that reductions would pause after the current round of cuts was completed in July." ... "In a televised interview this week, Army [General] Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said that after extra troops sent last year return home in July, he would need "some time to let things settle down a bit" before deciding on further reductions." ... "However, Navy [Admiral ] Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the Joint Chiefs chairman, emphasized Friday that Petraeus had made no formal recommendation to halt the withdrawal." ... "Mullen also said other military commanders, including the Joint Chiefs themselves, would have a direct say in the decision." ... "Senior [Republican President] Bush administration officials privately acknowledge tension between the Joint Chiefs and generals in Iraq, particularly between Army Chief of Staff [General] Gen. George W. Casey Jr. and officers such as Petraeus and Army [Lieutenant General] Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the day-to-day operational commander." ... "Senior Defense officials said Casey and [General] Gen. James T. Conway, the commandant of the Marine Corps, expressed renewed concerns over the stress on their forces caused by repeated deployments during a high-level meeting of four-star commanders in the Pentagon this week." -By Peter Spiegel with contributions by Tina Susman -LAtimes 

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US - Iraq - Afghanistan - Military - Money - Politics - Nuclear - Terrorism - Disaster - "'Appalling Gap' Found in Homeland Defense Readiness: National Guard, Reserve Forces Lack Sufficient Personnel, Training to Respond to Crisis in U.S. [United States], Report Says." ... "The U.S. military is not prepared to meet catastrophic threats at home, and it is suffering from an "appalling gap" in forces able to respond to chemical, biological and nuclear strikes on U.S. soil, according to a congressional commission report released yesterday." ... "The situation is rooted in severe readiness problems in National Guard and reserve forces, which would otherwise be well-suited to respond to domestic crises but lack sufficient personnel and training, as well as $48 billion in equipment because of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a report by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves." ... "Guard readiness has continued to slide since last March, when the panel found that 88 percent of Army National Guard units were rated "not ready," said retired Marine [Major General] Maj. Gen. Arnold L. Punaro, the commission chairman." ... ""We think there is an appalling gap in readiness for homeland defense, because it will be the Guard and reserve that have to respond for these things," he said in an interview, noting that the reserves are present in 3,000 U.S. communities. The commission, which was established in 2005, has 12 members, including several other former military officers." ... ""Because the nation has not adequately resourced its forces designated for response to weapons of mass destruction, it does not have sufficient trained, ready forces available," the report said. "This is an appalling gap that places the nation and its citizens at greater risk."" -WashingtonPost

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US - Iraq - Afghanistan - Military - Money - Politics - Disaster - "Guard, reserves called inadequate for domestic disasters: The forces have been strained by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and hobbled by inadequate funding, a congressional report concludes." ... "National Guard and reserve forces remain inadequately equipped and unprepared to deal with a wide range of domestic disasters, particularly an attack with unconventional weapons, a congressional commission has concluded." ... "In its final report, the panel said Thursday that congressional and Pentagon policymakers had been reluctant to acknowledge that the military remains the only institution that can respond quickly to natural and man-made disasters. That reluctance "places the nation at risk," because it has led to shortfalls in planning and readiness, the report said." ... "Reserve units have been taxed by repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, but the commission said the inadequacies were not solely the result of the wars. Overall, it said, the Pentagon has failed to provide adequate funding, on the "flawed assumption" that current training for military operations overseas would suffice for domestic duties as well." ... "The commission was set up by Congress in 2005 to examine the needs of the Guard and reserves amid their heavy deployment to war zones. The panel sounded a special alarm over what it said was the Guard's insufficient training -- due to inadequate funding -- for a chemical, biological or nuclear strike." -By Peter Spiegel -LAtimes

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Terrorism - Politics - Rhetoric - Psychology - US - Iraq - Afghanistan - Military - Law - Foreign - Intelligence - Surveillance - Noteworthy - Civil Liberties - "Bush legacy: Setting a standard in fear-mongering." ... "When I [Richard A. Clarke, former leader of the National Security Council's counterterrorism efforts,] left the [Republican President] Bush administration in 2003, it was clear to me that its strategy for defeating terrorism was leaving our nation more vulnerable and our people in a perilous place. Not only did its policies misappropriate resources, weaken the moral standing of America, and threaten long-standing legal and constitutional provisions, but the president also employed misleading and reckless rhetoric to perpetuate his agenda." ... "This week's State of the Union proved nothing has changed." ... "Besides overstating successes in Afghanistan, painting a rosy future for Iraq, and touting unfinished domestic objectives, he again used his favorite tactic - fear - as a tool to scare Congress and the American people. On one issue in particular - FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) - the president misconstrued the truth and manipulated the facts." ... "Let me be clear: Our ability to track and monitor terrorists overseas would not cease should the Protect America Act expire. If this were true, the president would not threaten to terminate any temporary extension with his veto pen. All surveillance currently occurring would continue even after legislative provisions lapsed because authorizations issued under the act are in effect up to a full year." ... "Simply put, it was wrong for the president to suggest that warrants issued in compliance with FISA would suddenly evaporate with congressional inaction. Instead - even though Congress extended the Protect America Act by two weeks - he is using the existence of the sunset provision to cast his political opponents in a negative light." ... "For this president, fear is an easier political tactic than compromise. With FISA, he is attempting to rattle Congress into hastily expanding his own executive powers at the expense of civil liberties and constitutional protections." -By Richard A. Clarke "former head of counterterrorism at the National Security Council" -Philly.com 

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Mitt Romney - John McCain - US - Iraq - Military - History - 2008 Election - "Romney accuses McCain of using Nixon tactic on Iraq." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney accused Republican [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] rival John McCain of adopting underhanded tactics from [Republican President] Richard Nixon, the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] president who resigned in disgrace." ... ""I don't think I want to see our party go back to that kind of campaigning," Mr. Romney said in his most pointed rebuttal yet to front-runner Mr. McCain's claim that the former Massachusetts governor favors a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Mr. Romney denies this charge, and most media analyses have concluded that Mr. Romney wasn't using "timetable" in the same way Democratic candidates have." -AP via -DallasNews.com 

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Mitt Romney - John McCain - Rudy Giuliani - US - Iraq - Military - 2008 Election - Massachusetts - Florida - Arizona - New York - Florida - "Romney Accuses McCain of 'Dirty Tricks': Romney Accuses McCain of Resorting to 'Dirty Tricks' Over Iraq Timetable Issue in Debate." ... "Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney accused [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain of using dirty tricks by suggesting the former Massachusetts governor wanted a deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, in a spirited debate Wednesday night that underscored the intensity of their presidential rivalry." ... "Coming 24 hours after McCain defeated him in Florida, Romney vented his frustrations over the Arizona senator's claims from last weekend." ... ""I have never, ever supported a specific timetable" for withdrawing troops, Romney said. McCain's accusation on the eve of Tuesday's primary, he said, "sort of falls into the dirty tricks that I think [Republican President] Ronald Reagan would have found reprehensible."" ... "Former New York City [New York] Mayor Rudy Giuliani left the race earlier Wednesday [after losing Florida to McCain]] and endorsed McCain." (1, 2, 3) -By Liz Sidoti -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

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John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - New Orleans - Louisiana - Poverty - Homeless - People - Health Care - US - Iraq - Military - Money- 2008 Election - "Democrat Edwards exits presidential race: Clinton, Obama praise ex-rival, who refrains from endorsing one or other." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat John Edwards bowed out of the race for the White House on Wednesday, saying it was time to step aside “so that history can blaze its path” in a campaign now left to [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Rodham Clinton and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama." ... ""It is time for me to step aside," said Edwards, ending his second campaign in a hurricane-ravaged section of New Orleans [Louisiana] where he began it more than a year ago. “With our convictions and a little backbone we will take back the White House in November.”" ... "Edwards said Clinton and Obama had both pledged that “they will make ending poverty central to their campaign for the presidency.”" ... "“This is the cause of my life and I now have their commitment to engage in this cause,” he said before a small group of supporters. He was joined by his wife Elizabeth and his three children, Cate, Emma Claire and Jack." ... "Edwards said that on his way to make his campaign-ending statement, he drove by a highway underpass where several homeless people live. He stopped to talk, he said, and as he was leaving, one of them asked him never to forget them and their plight." ... "“Well I say to her and I say to all those who are struggling in this country, we will never forget you. We will fight for you. We will stand up for you,” he said, pledging to continue his campaign-long effort to end what he frequently said was “two Americas,” one for the powerful, the other for the rest." ... "Edwards burst out of the starting gate with a flurry of progressive policy ideas — he was the first to offer a plan for universal health care, the first to call on Congress to pull funding for the [Iraq] war, and he led the charge that lobbyists have too much power in Washington and need to be reigned in." (1, 2) -AP via -MSNBC 

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Tim Russert - John McCain - Hillary Clinton - US - Iraq - Military - Politics - 2008 Election - Arizona - New York - "Russert let McCain mislead on Clinton's Iraq withdrawal proposal." ... "Summary: [MSNBC political journalist] Tim Russert left unchallenged [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain's false claim that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton "would set a timetable within 60 days of withdrawal, complete withdrawal from Iraq." In fact, Clinton said that if she were to become president, "[W]e will start withdrawing within 60 days," and would continue to withdraw "one to two brigades a month" with the goal of having "nearly all the troops out by the end of the year [2009]," except for those necessary to "protect our embassy" and other "strategic interests."" -MediaMatters.org

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Mitt Romney - John McCain - Economy - US - Iraq - Military - 2008 Election - Florida - Massachusetts - Arizona - "Romney Slams McCain On Economy, Climate Bill." ... "After predicting a Florida victory in front of a raucous, heavily Latino crowd, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney told members of the media that [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain’s interpretation of Romney’s past remarks on Iraq timetables were “obviously false” and “yesterday’s news.” The former Massachusetts governor then changed the subject by rehashing some of McCain’s past comments, which seemed to disparage the Arizona senator’s own understanding of economic policy." ... "“I simply don’t think that the people of Florida are gonna say the nominee of our party ought to be a person who on more than one occasion has expressed lack of understanding of our economy at a time when the economy is the number one issue that people are talking about here in the state of Florida,” Romney said." -By Scott Conroy -CBSNews 

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Mitt Romney - John McCain - US - Iraq - Military - 2008 Election - Florida - Arizona - Massachusetts - "Republican Candidates Trade Attacks in Florida." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain of Arizona accused [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and] former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney of having once supported a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, sparking an angry demand for an apology from Romney, who called the statement "dishonest."" ... "Romney, who said in April the military should consider a "private timetable" but not public deadlines, shot back: "That's dishonest, to say that I have a specific date. That's simply wrong . . . I know he's trying desperately to change the topic from the economy and trying to get back to Iraq, but to say something that's not accurate is simply wrong and he knows better."" ... "Later, Romney added that McCain's comment on Iraq is "simply wrong and it's dishonest, and he should apologize."" (1, 2) -By Michael D. Shear and Juliet Eilperin -WashingtonPost

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Dennis Kucinich - US - Iraq - Military - Law - 2008 Election - Ohio - "Kucinich Starts New Impeachment Drive." ... "[T]oday [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Ohio Democratic Representative Dennis] Mr. Kucinich took to the floor to fire off his latest salvo at the [Republican President] Bush administration: his plans to introduce Articles of Impeachment against President Bush on Jan. 28 — the day of Mr. Bush’s State of the Union speech." ... "Accusing the [Republican President Bush] administration of lying about the need for the war in Iraq, Mr. Kucinich said he did not need to hear the president’s assessment. “We know the State of the Union,” he declared. “It’s a lie.”" ... "“If impeachment is off the table,” Mr. Kucinich said, “truth is off the table. If truth is off the table then this body [Congress] is living a lie.”" -By David M. Herszenhorn -NYTimes 

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Dick Cheney- US - Iraq - Military - Government - Intelligence - Politics - Language - Database - History - "Bush Administration Lied 935 Times About Iraq Before Invasion: Study: President [Republican President Bush] cited as most frequent liar, with 259 false statements about weapons of mass destruction and more." ... "For years, the [Republican President] Bush administration has faced charges that it bent the truth or flat-out misled the public about Iraq's alleged stockpile of weapons of mass destruction in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of the country. Now, a study by two nonprofit journalism organizations claims that President Bush and top officials in his administration issued nearly 1,000 false statements about the security threat posed by Iraq in the wake of 9/11." ... "Relying on what it described as a "massive database" of information that fed the results of the project, the authors said their research was based on juxtaposing what President Bush and the top officials in his administration said in public against what was known, "or should have been known, on a day-to-day basis." The searchable database includes public statements drawn from both primary sources like official transcripts and secondary sources like the reporting of major news organizations over the two years beginning on September 11, 2001. It also used information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews." ... "An example given in the report is a portion of an address given at the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars on August 26, 2002, during which Cheney said, "Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies and against us." According to the report, former CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] Director George Tenet later said Cheney's assertions went well beyond his agency's assessments at the time, and another CIA official, referring to the speech, told a prominent journalist, "Our reaction was, 'Where is he getting this stuff from?' "" ... "As for criticism that the report does not have any new information but rather rehashes already-reported facts, [Center for Public Integrity spokesman Steve] Carpinelli said, "The difference is that while there have been many intelligence reports that came out that contradicted a lot of statements from administration officials, there's been nothing that could show you how it was a coordinated effort." The report is accompanied by a bar graph that Carpinelli said shows how the false statements reached their peak in the months prior to the March 2003 launch of the Iraq war and how they tapered off soon after." -By Gil Kaufman -MTV.com