Musafir's Musings

Six more American soldiers died in Falluja,Iraq, June 24, 2005



From transcript of "Meet the Press with Tim Russert" Feb.8, 2004

"I'm a war president. I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign-policy
matters with war on my mind. Again, I wish it wasn't true, but it is true. ..."

Vice President Cheney on Larry King (CNN) May 30, 2005:

"The level of activity that we see today from a military standpoint, I think, will clearly decline. I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."

Excerpts from Thursday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Iraq war:

• Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.: "General Abizaid, can you give us your assessment of the strength of the insurgency? Is it less strong, more strong, about the same strength as it was six months ago?"
  

• Gen. John Abizaid, top U.S. commander in the Persian Gulf: "In terms of comparison from six months ago, in terms of foreign fighters, I believe there are more foreign fighters coming into Iraq than there were six months ago.
  

• "In terms of the overall strength of the insurgency, I'd say it's about the same as it was."
  

• Levin: "So you wouldn't agree with the statement that it's in its last throes?"
  

• Abizaid: "I don't know that I would make any comment about that other than to say there's a lot of work to be done against the insurgency."
  

• Levin: "Well, the vice president has said it's in its last throes, that's the statement the vice president _ it doesn't sound to me from your testimony or any other testimony here this morning that it is in its last throes."
  

• Abizaid: "I'm sure you'll forgive me from criticizing the vice president."
  

• Levin: "I just want an honest assessment from you as to whether you agree with a particular statement of his _ it's not personal. ...
  

• Abizaid: "I gave you my opinion of where we are."

*******
The President will speak to the American people on Tuesday, June 28th, at 8 PM. He will again emphasize that we are on right track and the need to stay there. There is no question that getting out of the mess in Iraq is not a simple matter of withdrawing our troops. But what the president will not touch upon is how we got there---the deceptions, the half truths, and the fact that plans were made to attack Iraq long before a cooked up scenario was presented to the nation.

The now famous Downing Street Memo published by the London Times on May 1, 2005, fully disclosed the secret plans for war that were made as early as July 2002.

Where is our money going?

There is a deep sinkhole in Iraq for our tax dollars. Newsweek (April 4th issue) covers the subject in detail in an article titled "Follow the Money". Corruption is rampant; our money is lining up pockets of unethical officials and contractors.