Dominos

Gee. Aside from avoiding a few million deaths, wonder what would have happened had we restored relations in 1965? Minneapolis StarTribune (05.19.08):

"Destitute and war-ravaged a generation ago, Vietnam today boasts a fast-growing economy and a youthful workforce that has helped propel two-thirds of its 85 million people out of poverty since 1986.

The United States, which restored relations with Vietnam in 1995, 20 years after the 'American War,' is one of Vietnam's largest trading partners and investors."

Trade rules where guns once blazed

"In the process, Vietnam has become one of Asia's economic stars, surpassing neighboring Thailand by some measures."

The Vietnam War. What a monumental waste.

And now we have Iraq.

God help us.

Duh

Oh my what a shock. ABCNews (03.11.08), via Washington Monthly:

"ABC News' Jonathan Karl Reports: ABC News has obtained a comprehensive military study of Saddam Hussein's links to terrorism. The study, which is due to be released Wednesday, is based on the analysis of some 600,000 official Iraqi documents seized by US forces after the invasion.

It is also based on thousands of hours of interrogations of former top officials in Saddam's government who are now in U.S. custody."

U.S. Military Concludes No Saddam Link to Al Qaeda

That's What Friends Are For

What, no Iranians? NYTimes (11.22.07):

"Saudi Arabia and Libya, both considered allies by the United States in its fight against terrorism, were the source of about 60 percent of the foreign fighters who came to Iraq in the past year to serve as suicide bombers or to facilitate other attacks, according to senior American military officials.

The data come largely from a trove of documents and computers discovered in September, when American forces raided a tent camp in the desert near Sinjar, close to the Syrian border."

Foreign Fighters in Iraq Are Tied to Allies of U.S.

They found a bunch of biographies listing "hometowns and other details for more than 700 fighters brought into Iraq since August 2006."

"The records also underscore how the insurgency in Iraq remains both overwhelmingly Iraqi and Sunni."

And pathetically gullible. "'The bad imams tell the young people to go to Iraq and fight the American Army, because if you kill them or they kill you, you will go to paradise,' Sheik Adnan Khames Jamiel, a leader of the Albu Alwan tribe in Ramadi, said in an interview."

That religious fervor can be some nasty stuff, eh?

Promises, Promises

Parsons' "ability to plan, design, construct, and operate diverse facilities and infrastructure systems has satisfied our clients' needs for more than 60 years." Pretty much, for the most part. NYTimes (11.06.07):

"More than a year after the Parsons Corporation, the American contracting giant, promised Congress that it would fix the disastrous plumbing and shoddy construction in barracks the company built at the Baghdad police academy, the ceilings are still stained with excrement, parts of the structures are crumbling and sections of the buildings are unusable because the toilets are filthy and nonfunctioning.

The project, where United States inspectors found giant cracks snaking through newly built walls and human waste dripping from ceilings, became one of the most visible examples of a $45 billion American reconstruction program that is widely seen as a failure."

Iraqi Police Academy Remains Largely Unusable

Ahhh, company flaks. Don't ya just love 'em? "A company spokeswoman, Erin Kuhlman, said that Parsons, which is based in Pasadena, Calif., had strictly abided by the terms of the contract it had received from the United States Army Corps of Engineers to do the work at the academy."

"'Parsons completed its work at the Baghdad Police College in the spring of 2006,' Ms. Kuhlman said, adding that the Army Corps accepted the work as completed at about the same time."

"By July 2006, the company had been notified of problems with the plumbing. Parsons put the Army Corps, in effect the company’s client, in touch with the Iraqi subcontractors who actually carried out the construction, so that the Iraqis could fulfill their warranty to redress shortcomings in the work, Ms. Kuhlman said."

"'After we were notified by our customer of the issues, our customer worked directly with the subcontractor on the warranty work and Parsons has not been asked to provide any additional assistance on this project or with the warranty work,' Ms. Kuhlman said."

So, in a word, fuck off.

Perhaps the better question is has Parsons done anything right in Iraq? Aside from making a lot of money that is.

Oh My

The Department of Defense (06.28.05):

"(A)s we pursue the terrorists, our military is helping to train Iraqi security forces so that they can defend their people and fight the enemy on their own.

Our strategy can be summed up this way: As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.'"

'As Iraqis Stand Up, We Will Stand Down,' Bush Tells Nation

The training, it would appear, is going to take a while.

Better Call The Bank

USAToday (10.24.07):

"The cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could total $2.4 trillion through the next decade, or nearly $8,000 per man, woman and child in the country, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate scheduled for release Wednesday.

A previous CBO estimate put the wars' costs at more than $1.6 trillion. This one adds $705 billion in interest, taking into account that the conflicts are being funded with borrowed money."

War costs may total $2.4 trillion

"The new estimate also includes President Bush's request Monday for another $46 billion in war funding, said Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., budget committee chairman, who provided the CBO's new numbers to USA TODAY."

Spratt's Committee had a hearing today about these new numbers. Guess the Republican members didn't get the notice because none of them showed up.

Oh wait. They did get notice (h/t ThinkProgress).

Sigh

The records are too fucked up to audit. AP (10.22.07):

"The State Department so badly managed a $1.2 billion contract for Iraqi police training that it can't tell what it got for the money spent, a new report says.

Because of disarray in invoices and records on the project — and because the government is trying to recoup money paid inappropriately to contractor DynCorp International, LLC — auditors have temporarily suspended their effort to review the contract's implementation, said Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart W. Bowen Jr."

US Suspends Iraq Audit of DynCorp

Action will be taken. "DynCorp spokesman Gregory Lagana told The New York Times on Monday: 'There was no intentional misbilling. It could be just a documents problem.' Lagana acknowledged 'that we have some problems with invoicing. It's something we're working really hard to clean up.'"

Really, really hard, mind you.

But wait! There's more. NYTimes (10.23.07):

"A State Department review of its own security practices in Iraq assails the department for poor coordination, communication, oversight and accountability involving armed security companies like Blackwater USA, according to people who have been briefed on the report. In addition to Blackwater, the State Department’s two other security contractors in Iraq are DynCorp International and Triple Canopy."

Reports Assail State Dept. on Iraq Security

Last month, Condi ordered a review of the State Department's security practices. The panel reported back to her yesterday. It "found serious fault with virtually every aspect of the department’s security practices, especially in and around Baghdad, where Blackwater has responsibility."

Other than that, things are just peachy.

Go, team, go.

Yoiks

General Sanchez tees off. NYTimes, via BalloonJuice:

"In a sweeping indictment of the four-year effort in Iraq, the former top American commander called the Bush administration’s handling of the war incompetent and warned that the United States was 'living a nightmare with no end in sight.'

In one of his first major public speeches since leaving the Army in late 2006, retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez blamed the administration for a 'catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan' and denounced the current 'surge' strategy as a 'desperate' move that will not achieve long-term stability."

Former Top General in Iraq Faults Bush Administration

"'After more than fours years of fighting, America continues its desperate struggle in Iraq without any concerted effort to devise a strategy that will achieve victory in that war-torn country or in the greater conflict against extremism,' Mr. Sanchez said, at a gathering here of military reporters and editors."

Sounds like Ricardo's had a bellyful. "There was been a glaring and unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders,' he said, adding later in his remarks that civilian officials have been 'derelict in their duties' and guilty of a 'lust for power.'"

Ouch.

Believe it or not, "(t)he White House had no initial comment."

Let the smearing begin! Should be in full swing by Sunday morning.

You Get What You Pay For

Or maybe not. McClatchy (10.06.07):

"The latest problem with the trouble-plagued new U.S. embassy complex in Iraq is that the sprinkler systems meant to contain a fire do not work, according to officials in Congress and the State Department.

The previously undisclosed problem in the $592 million project was discovered several weeks ago when the fire-safety systems were tested and pipe joints burst, State Department representatives recently informed Congress."

Even sprinkler systems fail at U.S. embassy in Baghdad

"The embassy complex, being built by First Kuwaiti General Trade and Contracting Co., has been marred by repeated problems. In May, when kitchen facilities at a guard camp that is part of the embassy complex were tested, the electrical system malfunctioned and wires melted."

Why? "A subsequent inquiry showed that First Kuwaiti had used counterfeit electrical wiring that did not meet specifications, according to testimony at a congressional hearing in July."

But never fear; Krongard's here. "Former top investigators for State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard have charged that Krongard refused to aggressively investigate allegations of misconduct by First Kuwaiti and deficiencies in the Baghdad Embassy."

Ahhh yes. Howard. He may be many things, but at least he gets the job done. Financial Times (09.19.07):

"The chief internal watchdog at the state department has been accused by former and current officials of systematically interfering with investigations to protect the White House from political embarrassment.

Henry Waxman, the chairman of the House oversight committee, said the officials had contacted his office to complain that Howard Krongard, the state department's inspector-general, 'repeatedly halted or impeded' investigations undertaken by his office, including probes into wasteful spending and procurement fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan."

US probes 'halted' to spare White House

Welcome to the Ivy League, eh? Howard [Princeton - '61] has an older brother, Alvin [Princeton - '58]. Alvin's nickname is Buzzy. Buzzy's very well-connected too. Buzzy's also a little, uhhh, intense.

Howard's nickname is Cookie, BTW.

More To Come

Newsweek (09.10.07):

"Newsweek has learned that a separate internal report being prepared by a Pentagon working group will 'differ substantially' from Petraeus’s recommendations, according to an official who is privy to the ongoing discussions but would speak about them only on condition of anonymity.

Hirsh: Rating Petraeus’s Report to the Hill

"An early version of the report, which is currently being drafted and is expected to be completed by the beginning of next year, will 'recommend a very rapid reduction in American forces: as much as two-thirds of the existing force very quickly, while keeping the remainder there.'"

And the General is pissed. Washington Post (09.09.07):

"The polite discussion in the White House Situation Room a week ago masked a sharper clash over the U.S. venture in Iraq, one that has been building since Fallon, chief of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, sent a rear admiral to Baghdad this summer to gather information. Soon afterward, officials said, Fallon began developing plans to redefine the U.S. mission and radically draw down troops.

Among Top Officials, 'Surge' Has Sparked Dissent, Infighting

"One of those plans, according to a Centcom officer, involved slashing U.S. combat forces in Iraq by three-quarters by 2010. In an interview, Fallon disputed that description but declined to offer details. Nonetheless, his efforts offended Petraeus's team, which saw them as unwelcome intrusion on their own long-term planning. The profoundly different views of the U.S. role in Iraq only exacerbated the schism between the two men.

"'Bad relations?' said a senior civilian official with a laugh. 'That's the understatement of the century. . . . If you think Armageddon was a riot, that's one way of looking at it.'"

Thanks, But No Thanks

AP (09.10.07):

"Overwhelming numbers of Iraqis say the U.S. troop buildup has worsened security and the prospects for economic and political progress in their country, according to a poll released Monday that provides a strikingly bleak appraisal of the war.

Forty-seven percent want American forces and their coalition allies to leave the country immediately, the survey showed, 12 percent more than said so in a March poll as the troop increase was beginning.

Poll: Iraqis Say US Troops Not Helping

"And 57 percent — including nearly all Sunnis and half of Shiites — said they consider attacks on coalition forces acceptable, a slight increase over the past half year."

"Seventy percent in the survey said they believe security has worsened where the added forces were sent, with another 11 percent saying the buildup has had no effect. Similar numbers said security in other parts of the country has deteriorated and that overall economic and political conditions have declined."

"Every person interviewed in Baghdad and Anbar province, a Sunni-dominated area where Bush recently visited and cited progress, said the troop increase has worsened security."

By The Numbers

The Pentagon's numbers that is. Get ready for a ration and a half from these clowns. Washington Post (09.06.07):

"The U.S. military's claim that violence has decreased sharply in Iraq in recent months has come under scrutiny from many experts within and outside the government, who contend that some of the underlying statistics are questionable and selectively ignore negative trends."

Experts Doubt Drop In Violence in Iraq

Whether a death is counted or not depends on where you were hit. "'If a bullet went through the back of the head, it's sectarian,' the official said. 'If it went through the front, it's criminal.'"

It's not counted if it's too hard to count. From a spokesman for Multi-National Force: "'Given a lack of capability to accurately track Shiite-on-Shiite and Sunni-on-Sunni violence, except in certain instances,' the spokesman said, 'we do not track this data to any significant degree.'"

They're also not counting "(a)ttacks by U.S.-allied Sunni tribesmen -- recruited to battle Iraqis allied with al-Qaeda...."

Great, huh.

Getting Better All The Time

AP (09.04.07):

"On Aug. 18, President Bush hailed what he called 'political gains' made in various Iraqi villages. He was particularly encouraged by progress achieved in the western Sunni-dominated province of al-Anbar."

Accolades for Anbar

Credit where credit's due. Anderson Cooper interviews Michael Ware. CNN (09.03.07), via Balloon Juice:

"COOPER: The president flew to Al Anbar Province. We've talked about it a lot. He touted the security progress that has been made there. Undeniable, things are getting better. What is working in Al Anbar and how and really, frankly, can it translate into the rest of Iraq?

WARE: Well, certainly, one of the president's war counsel -- I believe it was Secretary Gates himself -- said that really the success of Al Anbar Province predates the surge."

360 with Anderson Cooper

"It's really an Iraqi initiative. And what that is is that the Sunni Baathist insurgency turned on al Qaeda and it offered America the same terms of negotiation that it first offered four years ago in 2003 in that it was willing to work with America, but not with the Iraqi government."

"And America, after four years of bloodshed, was finally ready to accept those terms. So it's the Sunni insurgency that has turned Al Anbar around and made it safe."

"And having just returned from that province ourselves, having been with those insurgents, we watched with our own eyes as the insurgents go in one door of a training camp and emerge as the so-called Iraqi police. So they're keeping those streets safe...."

And about those claims that the surge is working because American combat deaths have declined? Kevin Drum has some numbers for us to consider. Washington Monthly (09.04.07):

"Bottom line: you should be skeptical of any claims about reductions in violence unless they take seasonality into account. So far, though, I haven't seen any credible claims of reduced violence that even mention seasonality, let alone adjust for it.

That should tell you something."

Everything In Its Season

The Surge Is Working?

McClatchy (09.02.07):

"American combat deaths in Iraq have dropped by half in the three months since the buildup of 28,000 additional U.S. troops reached full strength, surprising analysts and dividing them as to why."

Combat deaths in Iraq decline; reasons aren't clear

Declined? Are you sure? Turns out it depends on how you count.

Either way, one thing's for sure: you're just as dead.

How Telling

Just kinda happened or something. LATimes (09.03.07):

"One of the most heavily criticized actions in the aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 was the decision, barely two months later, to disband the Iraqi army, alienating former soldiers and driving many straight into the ranks of anti-American militant groups.

But excerpts of a new biography of President Bush show him saying that he initially wanted to maintain the Iraqi army and, more surprising, that he cannot recall why his administration decided to disband it."

Bush can't recall why Iraqi army disbanded

Wasn't supposed to happen. "'The policy was to keep the army intact; didn't happen,' Bush told biographer Robert Draper in excerpts published in Sunday's New York Times.

"Draper pressed Bush to explain why, if he wanted to maintain the army, his chief administrator for Iraq, L. Paul Bremer III, issued an order in May 2003 disbanding the 400,000-strong army without pay."

Dunno why. "'Yeah, I can't remember; I'm sure I said, 'This is the policy, what happened?' ' Bush said, adding: 'Again, Hadley's got notes on all this stuff' -- a reference to national security advisor Stephen J. Hadley."

A nice encapsulation of what will become his legacy.

What A Shock, Eh?

The Nation (08.30.07), via TPMMuckraker:

"[A]ccording to the working draft of a secret document prepared by the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, the Maliki government has failed in one significant area: corruption. Maliki's government is 'not capable of even rudimentary enforcement of anticorruption laws,' the report says, and, perhaps worse, the report notes that Maliki's office has impeded investigations of fraud and crime within the government."

Secret Report: Corruption is "Norm" Within Iraqi Government

"The report depicts the Iraqi government as riddled with corruption and criminals - and beyond the reach of anticorruption investigators. It also maintains that the extensive corruption within the Iraqi government has strategic consequences by decreasing public support for the U.S.-backed government and by providing a source of funding for Iraqi insurgents and militias."

They're Only Suggestions, Mind You

Let the ass-covering commence. AP (08.30.07):

"Stung by the bleak findings of a congressional audit of progress in Iraq, the Pentagon has asked that some of the negative assessments be revised, a military spokesman said Thursday.

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said that after reviewing a draft of the Government Accountability Office report — which has not yet been made public — policy officials 'made some factual corrections' and 'offered some suggestions on a few of the actual grades' assigned by the GAO."

Pentagon Disputes Parts of Iraq Report

One, Two, Three. What Are We Fighting For?

Don't ask him, he don't give a damn. AP (08.30.07):

"The Iraqi government has failed to meet the vast majority of political and military goals laid out by lawmakers to assess President Bush's Iraq war strategy, congressional auditors have determined.

The Associated Press has learned the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, will report that at least 13 of the 18 benchmarks to measure the surge of U.S. troops to Iraq are unfulfilled ahead of a Sept. 15 deadline."

Little Progress Seen on Iraq Goals

The White House reaction? It's Congress' fault. "The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report has not been made public, also said the administration is preparing a case to play down the findings, arguing that Congress ordered the GAO to use unfair, 'all or nothing' standards when compiling the document."

The GAO has a suggestion. Washington Post (08.30.07):

"While it makes no policy recommendations, the draft suggests that future administration assessments 'would be more useful' if they backed up their judgments with more details and 'provided data on broader measures of violence from all relevant U.S. agencies.'"

Report Finds Little Progress On Iraq Goals

On another note, war may be hell, but at least it's profitable. AP (08.29.07):

"The Army will examine as many as 18,000 contracts awarded over the past four years to support U.S. forces in Iraq to determine how many are tainted by waste, fraud and abuse, service officials said Wednesday.

Overall, the contracts are worth close to $3 billion and represent every transaction made between 2003 and 2007 by a contracting office in Kuwait, which the Army has identified as a significant trouble spot."

Army to Examine Iraq Contracts

The Surge

It ain't working, folks. AP (08.25.07):

"This year's U.S. troop buildup has succeeded in bringing violence in Baghdad down from peak levels, but the death toll from sectarian attacks around the country is running nearly double the pace from a year ago.

Some of the recent bloodshed appears the result of militant fighters drifting into parts of northern Iraq, where they have fled after U.S.-led offensives.

Iraq Body Count Running at Double Pace

"Baghdad, however, still accounts for slightly more than half of all war-related killings — the same percentage as a year ago, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press."

What it came up with isn't pretty. "The figures are considered a minimum based on AP reporting. The actual numbers are likely higher, as many killings go unreported or uncounted. Insurgent deaths are not a part of the Iraqi count."

• Iraq is suffering about double the number of war-related deaths throughout the country compared with last year — an average daily toll of 33 in 2006, and 62 so far this year.
• Nearly 1,000 more people have been killed in violence across Iraq in the first eight months of this year than in all of 2006. So far this year, about 14,800 people have died in war-related attacks and sectarian murders. AP reporting accounted for 13,811 deaths in 2006. The United Nations and other sources placed the 2006 toll far higher.
• Baghdad has gone from representing 76 percent of all civilian and police war-related deaths in Iraq in January to 52 percent in July, bringing it back to the same spot it was roughly a year ago.
• According to the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization, the number of displaced Iraqis has more than doubled since the start of the year, from 447,337 on Jan. 1 to 1.14 million on July 31.

A Pentagon spokesman says "violence in Iraq "has continued to decline and is at the lowest level since June 2006", but "(h)e offered no statistics to back his claim...".

4000

Coalition death toll in Iraq hits 4,000

3704 of 'em, Americans.