Iraq myths

Sur le même thème que "Iraq myths"

WaPo: It's a "Myth" the Surge is Working in Iraq…..

What a disgusting troll, he and the rest of his liberal comrades still can't accept the fact that we turned Iraq around and are now winning, snatching defeat from their hands. Sour grapes indeed…. As the fifth anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom nears, the fabulists are again trying to weave their own version of the war. The latest myth is that the "surge" is working. In President Bush's pithy formulation, the United States is now "kicking ass" in Iraq. The gallant Gen. David Petraeus, having been given the right tools, has performed miracles, redeeming a situation that once appeared hopeless. Sen. John McCain has gone so far as to declare that "we are winning in Iraq." While few others express themselves quite so categorically, McCain's remark captures the essence of the emerging story line. [lien] [EN]

Iraq in Meltdown?

It’s CNN’s headline, folks — “Al-Sadr in trouble, Iraq headed for meltdown.” The Independent has another alarming headline — “Iraq implodes as Shia fights Shia.” And if you need further alarming, read Juan Cole. Professor Cole says that violence is breaking out in many parts of Iraq, including Baghdad and Najaf, the latter of which is often mentioned in President Bush’s Iraq success myths. But even though Iraq is either melting down or imploding, or both, the warbloggers are curiously not on top of this so far. In fact, the only thing worrying the gang at the Weekly Standard site are a trip taken to Iraq in 2002 by some Dem senators that was bankrolled by Saddam Hussein’s government. Nothing going on in Iraq now is. [lien] [EN]

Robin Williams, Lance Armstrong, Kid Rock Headline Holiday USO Tour In Iraq, Afghanistan

Robin Williams, Lance Armstrong, Kid Rock Headline Holiday USO Tour In Iraq, Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Robin Williams and Lance Armstrong took a swipe at the French, Kid Rock strummed ‘’Sweet Home Alabama,'’ comedian Lewis Black grumbled about the falling snow, and Miss USA told the troops to keep ‘’kicking butt.'’[…]Read more! This entry was posted on Friday, December 21st, 2007 at 9:02 pm and is filed under Lance Armstrong. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. [lien] [EN]

Torture in Iraq

Al-Qaeda took up where Saddam Hussein left off. Actual evidence was uncovered of very real and very recent torture in Iraq, the BBC reported. I am outraged. Official Washington should do something to prevent this. Congress should return from its vacation and begin immediate hearings and investigations into how this could happen. And then re-double the efforts to rid the world of al-Qaeda. For it is not the CIA, Marines or KBR who are doing this. It is al-Qaeda. Reported the BBC: US and Iraqi forces have discovered a “torture complex” in an al-Qaeda safe haven near Muqdadiya in central Diyala province, the US military has said.Three buildings containing chains on the walls and ceilings, and a metal bed connected to a power supply were found during an operation on 9 December. [lien] [EN]

Iraq contractor in big trouble

More women come forth with stories of being raped by KBR co-workers. I bought the story from the day it went national, but I understood the skepticism. Jamie Leigh Jones, an attractive woman from Conroe, Texas, said she was raped in Iraq by co-workers at KBR, the former Halliburton subsidiary. Parts of her story didn’t quite hang together. But while the DNA evidence seems too have disappeared, other physical evidence collaborated that she suffered some sort of assault, particularly damage to her breast implants. Now 3 other women have come forward with similar accusations, Miss Jones testified before Congress. One of the 3 even said her name could be used. She is Tracy Barker. The AP story in full: WASHINGTON - A woman who claims she was raped by a fellow employee while working for a U. [lien] [EN]

Liberal Talking Points on Iraq: “We’ve Ethnically Cleansed most of Baghdad”

[Guest post by DRJ] On September 10, 2007, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va) assured us the “surge has failed to achieve its objective and must be defined as a failure.” Now he explains why violence is down in Baghdad: “Sure, there’s less violence, but that’s because we’ve ethnically cleansed most of Baghdad.” It seems Rosa Brooks of the LA Times agrees although she doesn’t credit Moran (while it looks like Moran’s statement preceded Brooks’ column, it’s possible Brooks wrote her column first): “It’s against this backdrop that we should evaluate the success of the Bush administration’s troop “surge” in Iraq. Yes, violence is down. Some of that is because of the surge itself: More troops — and smarter counterinsurgency tactics — have indeed translated into a reduction in violence. [lien] [EN]

Al Qaeda Torture Chamber Found In Iraq

From those champions of the Geneva Conventions at the Associated Press: In this image released by the U.S. Army, Thursday Dec. 20, 2007 bodies found in a mass grave near a torture chamber are seen near Muqdadiyah, Iraq. Torture chamber found in Iraq By BRADLEY BROOKS, Associated Press Writer Fri Dec 21 BAGHDAD - Blood-splotches on walls, chains hanging from a ceiling and swords on the killing floor — the artifacts left a disturbing tale of brutalities inside a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq torture chamber. But there was yet another chilling fact outside the dirt-floor dungeon. Villagers say they knew about the torment but were too intimidated by extremists to tell authorities until now. Stories such as these — claims of insurgent abuses and the silence of frightened Iraqis — have emerged with increasing frequency and clarity recently as U. [lien] [EN]

Christmas in Iraq

[Guest post by DRJ] Christmas in Iraq is surging: “Iraqis Crowd Churches for Christmas Mass Thousands of Iraqi Christians made their way to church through checkpoints and streets lined with blast walls, many drawing hope from a lull in violence to celebrate Christmas Mass in numbers unthinkable a year ago. *** Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the ancient Chaldean Catholic Church and Iraq’s first cardinal, celebrated Mass before about 2,000 people in the Mar Eliya Church the eastern New Baghdad neighborhood of the capital. “Iraq is a bouquet of flowers of different colors, each color represents a religion or ethnicity but all of them have the same scent,” the 80-year-old Delly told the congregation. Muslim clerics—both Sunni and Shiite—also attended the service in a sign of unity. [lien] [EN]

Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

I know, this sounds like the latest infomercial on late night television to get you to by some book that "doctors don't want you to have." Unfortunately, marketing tactics like this work. They sell books and my patients bring them in to ask me about them. (At least my patients come in and ask me about them, so that we can talk about it). The title of this post is "borrowed" from an article from yesterday's New York Times. Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine made a list of items thought to be in the "conventional wisdom" of physicians and of the general public. What they came up with is a list of seven items proven NOT to be scientifically sound -- according to their research. This is an interesting list... 1. People should drink at least eight glasses of water a day. [lien] [EN]

The New Face(s) of Conflict in Iraq

[Guest post by DRJ] There are many things to worry about in Iraq: Casualties, both American and Iraqi; the economy; insurgencies and threats from neighboring countries; and sectarian conflict. In addition, there is concern by some (including me) that America is overlawyering the Iraq war. However, at the end of the day, I suspect this Washington Post article comes closest to identifying the real long-term problem Iraq faces: Same-sect disputes and crime. It’s not a perfect analogy but, in some ways, Iraq faces a Middle Eastern version of the Mafia: “This year’s U.S. military offensive and dramatic shifts in tactics by both Sunni and Shiite groups are redrawing the balance of power across Iraq. With less violence between Sunnis and Shiites, festering struggles within each community may come to define the nature of the conflict. [lien] [EN]

Another Gamer Lost in Iraq

….another in an occasional series of reports about gamers who gave their all: The Californian reports that Army private George Howell, 24, died last week in Iraq when an IED detonated beneath the truck he was riding in. From the newspaper account: [George’s sister] Chardell, 33, remembered her brother for his sense of humor, thoughtfulness and love for his family. An outgoing person, George loved playing football and video games, she said… “Georgie could not find [a job]… so he went into the service,” Doyle Howell said.  “…he was a special kid … I just wish things could have turned out different.” Also lost: New Hampshire gamer Justin McDaniel, 19, who died in Baghdad. This entry was posted on Thursday, December 27th, 2007 at 12:56 pm and is filed under People. [lien] [EN]

Iraq Christians Return To Former ‘Caliphate’

From the UK’s Telegraph: As al-Qaeda’s grip eases, Christians flock home Date: December 24 2007 Aqeel Hussein in Baghdad and Colin Freeman IRAQI Christians who fled a district of Baghdad that declared itself an al-Qaeda caliphate have returned home to celebrate their first Christmas in two years. Known as the “Vatican of Iraq”, the small but long-established Christian enclave in the mainly Sunni district of Doura suffered constant terror at the hands of al-Qaeda gunmen who tried to impose a Taliban-style rule. Churches were car-bombed, women were threatened for not wearing Islamic headscarves, and families had to pay off local mosques to keep them safe from kidnap gangs. But now al-Qaeda has been rooted out of Doura and the hundreds of Christian families who left the area are returning. [lien] [EN]

Another Reason Why Iraq Is Improving

From the wire services: Iraqi female police officers are seen with their weapons during a ceremony for 92 women who completed a two month course in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq on Monday, Dec. 31, 2007. Iraqi female police officers are seen with their weapons during a ceremony for 92 women who completed a two month course in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq on Monday, Dec. 31, 2007. Iraqi female police officers are seen with their weapons during a ceremony for 92 women who completed a two month course in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq on Monday, Dec. 31, 2007. Female police officers demonstrate their skills during their graduation ceremony in Kerbala. [lien] [EN]

Jaybill McCarthy Dispells 10 PHP Myths

Jaybill McCarthy has written an excellent blog post to open the year with, “10 PHP Myths Dispelled”. In it he spends a paragraph on each of 10 myths about PHP and show why they are just not true. [lien] [EN]