Wednesday, March 24, 2004

The issue is Iaq instead of Al Queda, revealling a hidden agenda.. Posted here Wednesday, March 24, 2004 at 10:20:54 AM     From today's WSJ, via Slate The Wall Street Journal's Capital Journal columnist Gerald Seib says the Richard Clarke-fueled debate about the White House's approach to Iraq and AQ is too fuzzy: "The issue isn't whether President Bush was secretly plotting to invade Iraq even before terrorists struck on Sept. 11, 2001. He almost certainly wasn't, as a look back at the time indicates. The real issue is the Bush turn to war against Iraq some time after Sept. 11. Confusing the two scrambles what should be the most serious debate of this election year." As Seib notes, whatever Bush said in the hallways in the days after 9/11, the White House had actually adopted a go-slow approach to Iraq before attacks (to the frustration of neo-cons). And of course, immediately after Sept. 11 Bush invaded ... Afghanistan. Seib continues: So Iraq came later. And that's where the real debate ought to begin. Was it a mistake after 9/11 to devote the nation's treasure and blood to Iraq when al-Qaida seemed the bigger threat? Was it honest to link Iraq to the war on terrorism at all? Or were the real reasons for going after Saddam Hussein a belief that he was a thug and a destabilizing force in the region—reasons that should have been debated more openly? http://slate.msn.com/?id=2097733&;notification_id=19559543&message_id=0 ********

US bases in Iraq Posted here Wednesday, March 24, 2004 at 8:49:55 AM     While the hearings go on, the tide of policy keeps its momentum. 14 `enduring bases' set in Iraq Long-term military presence planned By Christine Spolar Tribune foreign correspondent Published March 23, 2004 BAGHDAD -- From the ashes of abandoned Iraqi army bases, U.S. military engineers are overseeing the building of an enhanced system of American bases designed to last for years. Last year, as troops poured over the Kuwait border to invade Iraq, the U.S. military set up at least 120 forward operating bases. Then came hundreds of expeditionary and temporary bases that were to last between six months and a year for tactical operations while providing soldiers with such comforts as e-mail and Internet access. Now U.S. engineers are focusing on constructing 14 "enduring bases," long-term encampments for the thousands of American troops expected to serve in Iraq for at least two years. The bases also would be key outposts for Bush administration policy advisers. As the U.S. scales back its military presence in Saudi Arabia, Iraq provides an option for an administration eager to maintain a robust military presence in the Middle East and intent on a muscular approach to seeding democracy in the region. The number of U.S. military personnel in Iraq, between 105,000 and 110,000, is expected to remain unchanged through 2006, according to military planners. ********