2006 Continued - February
3 February 2006Arrest First, Apologize Later
Prior to the State of the Union address, Capitol police physically removed high-profile activist Cindy Sheehan from the House chamber for the non-crime of wearing a non-approved ("Protestor!") t-shirt.
December 2006
27 DecemberCoalition Partners Pull Out of Iraq, Poland Stays
Coalition soldiers from Bulgaria and the Ukraine pulled out of Iraq today, with Polish troops soon to decline to 600.
12 December
Bush Concedes 30,000 Iraqis Dead; Would Do It Again
Validating estimates of war dead provided by Iraq Body Count, President Bush conceded today that this war has imposed a toll on Iraqi civilians. "I would say 30,000 more or less have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis," he said, in a rare response to a question from the audience
November 2005
30 NovemberUS Military Places "News" In Iraqi Newspapers
According to the Los Angeles Times, the US military has paid Iraqi newspapers to print articles that are authored by military sources, then translated and placed in Baghdad newspapers by a DC public relations firm, Lincoln Group. The articles are presented as though they were sourced by the papers when they are, in effect, paid advertisements. Such government action would be illegal if it were to take place domestically, and the White House has been criticized for similar actions here: Armstrong Williams, James Dale Guckert (aka James Gannon), and Video News Releases.
29 November
Contractors Shoot Civilians in Iraq?
The London Telegraph reports that four video clips, linked "unofficially to Aegis Defence Services," show security contractors in Iraq firing at civilian cars with automatic rifles. (tip) The web site hosting the clips (which have been removed), www.aegisIraq.co.uk, stated: "This site does not belong to Aegis Defence Ltd, it belongs to the men on the ground who are the heart and soul of the company." The Telegraph reports this official government statement:
20 November
First Iraq Kickback Case Filed
A convicted felon hired by the US-run Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq to administer $82 million for Iraqi rebuilding projects has been charged with accepting kickbacks and bribes.
16 November
Senate Breaks With the President on Iraq
In yet another sign that he has lost clout with his party, President Bush saw the Senate demand Tuesday that he explain the Administration's strategy in Iraq and report regularly to Congress on plans to withdraw. The bi-partisan vote (79-19) is the first public break between Congressional Republican leaders and the President on the war in Iraq. However, they rejected a Democrat-sponsored measure that would have specified a timetable.
2 November
Senate Closes Doors to Discuss Iraq Probe
In a rare parlimentary maneuver, Democrats forced a closed two-hour Senate session Tuesday afternoon to discuss the investigation of intelligence prior to the Iraqi war. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said that the Senate Intelligence Committee had dragged its feet in completing the investigation, which the GOP postponed in 2004 to avoid possibly affecting the election. Yesterday, the Senate appointed a bipartisan group of six senators who will report by 14 November on the status of the investigation.
October 2005
6 OctoberBush on Terrorism, Iraq
President Bush said today that since September 11, 2001, the United States and its partners have thwarted 10 al Qaeda plots, three inside US borders. In remarks made at the National Endowment for Democracy Bush asserted that these radicals have "set their sights on Iraq." (transcript) In the face of declining US support for the war in Iraq, Bush framed the terrorism conflict in traditional battle terms, making the "us against them" case appear black-and-white:
June 2005
22 JuneCheney On Iraq, Afghanistan; Not the Common Man's View
"Our country is safer today because Afghanistan and Iraq have governments that fight terrorists instead of harboring them," Vice President Cheney told 906 Air Force Academy graduates on June first, and he promised them that there are more "great victories to come."
2 June
Bloody May in Iraq
More Americans died in Iraq in May (at least 77) than in any month since January (107), according to MSNBC.
April 2005
26 AprilCIA/Pentagon: No WMD in Iraq
In an addendum to its September 2004 report, the head of the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) has announced that the search for WMD has "gone as far as feasible" and found no evidence that WMD were moved to Syria. According to Fox: "After more than 18 months, the WMD investigation and debriefing of the WMD-related detainees has been exhausted." Vice President Cheney disagreed with its conclusions last year.
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