US Policies a Jumble in Sovereign Iraq/Jordan Times---+ personal story

[Gloria]

Just got word this morning that my neighbors' grandson, graduate of West Point 2 years ago (When Bush gave his "pre-emptive" strategy speech) was the head of the motorized brigade that was hit in Samarra. 5 of his troops were killed, he was injured. He's numb down one side of his body and they may fly him to Germany. Practically nothing left of his platoon. He originally was trained on the Bradley, but then they stuck him with heading the motorized brigade. He deferred medical school so he could get experience working as a medic...Then, Iraq happened.


WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR JULY 9, 2004

1//The Independent, UK--BUTLER TO SINGLE OUT INTELLIGENCE CHIEFS FOR BLAME IN WMD INQUIRY (Lord Butler of Brockwell is to defy the Government by including personal criticism of Britain's intelligence chiefs in his inquiry into the information they gathered about Saddam Hussein's weapons before last year's war. The Independent has learnt that the Butler inquiry has sent letters to three crucial witnesses outlining draft sections of next week's report that will criticise them directly…Downing Street is said to be "very worried", fearing the report will criticise the intelligence services for not making rigorous checks about its information on Iraq's arsenal before it was included in the dossier, but also that it will criticise ministers' use of the material.)



2//The Jordan Times, Jordan--US MILITARY POLICIES A JUMBLE IN SOVEREIGN IRAQ (The US military's post-sovereignty strategy in Iraq is a confusing jumble of hands-on involvement in local politics and clear disengagement from cities considered strongholds of the resistance. In some regions, the US army is more deeply enmeshed in social policy than it has ever been, actually filling in the void left by the dissolution of the US-led occupation. On the other hand, Iraq's nastiest zones, like Fallujah, Bohrouz and Samarra, are now almost devoid of US forces despite the aspirations to root out the insurgency and stand up democratic institutions. The zig-zagging prompted one senior US military official to tell AFP in a moment of candor: "Lord knows we need a strategy.")



3//The News International, Pakistan--AFGHAN AUTHORITIES SPEAK WITH MULLA OMAR( Afghan intelligence agents have spoken with Taliban leader Mulla Muhammad Omar after commandeering a satellite phone being used by his top aide, an Afghan official claimed on Thursday. A man believed to be Omar’s aide, Mulla Sakhi Dad Mujahid, was captured on Tuesday, while carrying a satellite telephone containing the phone numbers of top members of the ousted regime, Kandahar intelligence chief Abdullah Laghmanai told AFP. "We contacted Mulla Omar by Mulla Mujahid’s phone," he said. At first Mujahid was forced to talk to his boss on the phone. "Salam-Alaikum, where are you," Omar asked Mujahid, according to Laghmanai, who did not say when the call was made. "But when he (Omar) realised the situation ... he cut off the phone," he said.)



4//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia--HOWARD TO LATHAM: DON’T BE SO SENSITIVE(Prime Minister John Howard today accused Opposition Leader Mark Latham of being "super-sensitive" in his response to the Bush administration's criticism of Labor's Iraq policy. US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has said Labor is divided over its policy to withdraw troops from Iraq by Christmas. Commentators say Mr Armitage's comments go further than previous criticism by US President George W Bush, who said recently that Labor's policy would be disastrous…Former Labor PM Mr Keating yesterday labelled the US dumb and thuggish and said it had made an unwarranted and untimely partisan intervention in Australian politics. His view was backed last night by former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser, who said Mr Armitage's intervention was "quite unforgiveable".)



5//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong---JAPANESE ELECTION COULD MAKE A SAMURAI FLINCH(There's no clear front-runner, and the outcome of Sunday's elections to the Upper House of Japan's Diet, or parliament, could usher in two-party governance, for decades an unknown system in the nation controlled - some would say ruled - by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of charismatic but politically troubled Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi…If Koizumi's LDP loses many of its 50 pre-election seats, he might be swept from office (although he is not personally contesting for a seat), taking responsibility for a potential massive defeat.)