 |  |
| Monthly Archives | [-] |
Prev|List|Random|Next |
Busy Day!
If you missed it last night, Michael Yon, Hugh Hewitt appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, opposite of Michael Ware of Time Magazine and Nic Robertson of CNN. Subject was the Medias coverage of Iraq.
Hugh weighs in on Michael Wares part of the interview here andMichael Ware's war coverage here
Hugh also interviews Christopher Hitchens on the media coverage of Iraq, and whether some on the other side are recognizing what they've wrought
Here's Christopher Allbritton, former AP and New York Daily News reporter with a blog. He's in Iraq now and reports for a variety of outlets including TIME Magazine. No Bias here (Cough)
Ian has more on Negative Reporting In Iraq
Here are a few headlines concerning Iraq:
From the Associated Press
Attacks in Iraqi Capital Kill Nearly 20
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A car bomb explosion at a major crimes unit in downtown Baghdad killed at least 15 people and wounded more than 30 Thursday, police said. A suicide bomber drove up to the entrance of the Karradah building housing the unit - which is run by the Interior Ministry - before detonating the vehicle, police Lt. Col. Falah al-Mohammadawi said
3 Western Peace Activists Freed in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Multinational forces freed three Western hostages early Thursday in a military operation, ending a four-month hostage drama in which an American among the group was shot to death and dumped on a Baghdad street....
AP's Bush 'Straw Man' Story: News Analysis Or Unlabeled Opinion?
The viewpoint, as often happens in Washington, depends on whose blog you are reading, and what you consider opinion and analysis. Still, the article by reporter Jennifer Loven sparked an interesting debate on the blogosphere, and in some newsrooms, over how such an examination of a public figure can cross the line from reporting to opining. Since the piece was not labeled a column, or even analysis, it raised some eyebrows as it veered into a sharp attack on Bush's use of such tactics.
The article has drawn reactions ranging from a supportive mass e-mailing from MoveOn.org to criticism by the conservative Powerline blog and American Federalist Journal. But an AP spokesman says editors want more of these types of wire stories.
From Reuters
Aid workers rescued in Iraq
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces freed three Christian peace activists held hostage in Iraq on Thursday in an operation mounted two weeks after the kidnappers tortured and killed their American colleague.
US targets Iraqi deaths "misinformation"
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military hit back on Wednesday at what it called a "pattern of misinformation" following Iraqi police accusations that its troops shot dead a family of 11 in their home last week.
From Time
Iraq hostages are freed -- Norman Kember, a Briton, and two Canadian aid workers freed in Baghdad today after four month hostage ordeal in which one colleague was murdered
Words can't fill in policy gaps left by the bombs -- By Bronwen Maddox
TONY BLAIR’S speech was a heavy-handed attempt to substitute a philosophy of the War on Terror for success in Iraq.
He was helped by President Bush, who gave a simultaneous press conference in the White House, to defend the Iraq invasion on its third anniversary.
He was not helped by Iraq itself, where gunmen stormed a police station north of Baghdad, killing at least 22 policemen and freeing 33 prisoners.
From MSNBC/ Newsweek/
The Salvador Option’
The Pentagon may put Special-Forces-led assassination or kidnapping teams in Iraq
What to do about the deepening quagmire of Iraq? The Pentagon’s latest approach is being called "the Salvador option"—and the fact that it is being discussed at all is a measure of just how worried Donald Rumsfeld really is. "What everyone agrees is that we can’t just go on as we are," one senior military officer told NEWSWEEK. "We have to find a way to take the offensive against the insurgents. Right now, we are playing defense. And we are losing." Last November’s operation in Fallujah, most analysts agree, succeeded less in breaking "the back" of the insurgency.
Attacks kill at least 68 in Baghdad {Editors Notes: Beware of gory pic}
Bush says Iraq, on brink of civil war, must choose between 'chaos and unity'
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A series of suicide attacks, car bombs and mortar barrages rocked Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 68 people and wounding scores as Iraq teetered on the brink of civil war.
Another attack kills U.S. soldier
Convoy struck near town of Ramadi; 2 others hurt
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. soldier was fatally wounded and two others were hurt in a blast near the flashpoint Iraqi town of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said Friday. It was the second confirmed death of a U.S. soldier in about 24 hours as Iraqi rebels stepped up their resistance to a massive counteroffensive the U.S.-led coalition launched last month.
From CNN
Peace group hostages freed in Iraq
U.S. and British forces have freed three Christian aid workers held hostage in Iraq, ending a four-month ordeal in which an American captive was found dead on a Baghdad street. No shots were fired and no captors were present when the hostages -- Briton Norman Kember, 74 and Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32 -- were freed early Thursday, officials said
Car bombs kill 23 in Iraq
For Iraqis, a time of confusion and danger
Manage Alerts | What Is This? BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Four car bombs exploded in Baghdad on Thursday morning, killing 23 people, including at least 13 police officers, Iraqi police said.
Six months for Abu Ghraib dog handler
FORT MEADE, Maryland (CNN) -- A soldier found guilty of using a military dog to terrorize inmates at Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison was sentenced Wednesday to 179 days confinement and will be discharged for bad conduct.
From NY Times
Insurgents Shower Iraq Police Center With Mortar Shells --By EDWARD WONG
In the predawn attack, insurgents laid siege to the headquarters of a police paramilitary unit near Baghdad, killing a senior officer.
Bush Pressing the Iraqis to Build a Governing Coalition Quickly
WHEELING, W.Va., March 22 — President Bush took his campaign to convince Americans that the United States is winning the war in Iraq to a former country music concert hall here on Wednesday and declared to applause, "If I didn't think we'd succeed, I'd pull our troops out."
Iraq Abuse Trial Is Again Limited to Lower Ranks -- By ERIC SCHMITT
In the conviction of a dog handler, a military jury again decided higher-ranking officers were not to blame for Abu Ghraib abuses.
From Washington Post
3 Hostages Freed in Iraq
The Christian peace activists -- two Britons and a Canadian -- were colleagues of Tom Fox of Virginia, who was shot to death two weeks ago.
In their own Words - Veterans' Voices On Iraq
Iraq was bad, nearly all of them agreed. "Not knowing day to day what was going to happen." "Hard to figure out who the enemy was." "Never being able to relax." "The rules are that there are no rules."
But it was not bad in the ways they see covered in the media -- the majority also agreed on this. What they experienced was more complex than the war they saw on television and in print. It was dangerous and confused, yes, but most of the vets also recalled enemies routed, buildings built and children befriended, against long odds in a poor and demoralized country. "We feel like we're doing something, and then we look at the news and you feel like you're getting bashed." "It seems to me the media had a predetermined script."
And here are a few from Centcom and Defense Links:
CITIZEN'S TIP HELPS MND-B SOLDIERS FOIL KIDNAP ATTEMPT
Description: BAGHDAD, Iraq – Responding to a tip from an Iraqi citizen, a patrol from Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, foiled a kidnapping attempt at approximately 2 p.m. March 19 in the New Baghdad district of Baghdad.
Soldiers received a tip from an Iraqi citizen that armed men were driving around in a black car. The patrol located and pulled over the vehicle.
Soldier Killed in Baghdad; Previous Casualties Identified
WASHINGTON, March 21, 2006 – A U.S. soldier was killed in Baghdad today, and the Defense Department has identified two previous casualties.
IRAQI CITIZEN'S TIP LEADS TO SEIZURE OF WEAPONS CACHE
Description: BAGHDAD, Iraq – After providing a tip to the whereabouts of a weapons cache, an Iraqi citizen led Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers to the site.
Bush Challenges Nation to Promote Freedom by Supporting Troops
WASHINGTON, March 21, 2006 – The best way for the American people to promote freedom and liberty around the world is to stand behind the U.S. armed forces, President Bush told a group yesterday at the City Club of Cleveland.
Iraqi soldiers roll in armor, thanks to Marines
CAMP HABBINYAH, Iraq -- Iraqi soldiers in Fallujah are rolling in armored humvees, just like their Marine counterparts.
U.S., Iraqi Forces Net Suspects, Seize Weapons, Foil Kidnapping
WASHINGTON, March 22, 2006 – U.S. and Iraqi forces have detained 32 suspects and seized three weapons caches in Iraq since March 19, with one detention resulting from an Iraqi citizen's tip that foiled a kidnapping, Multinational Division Baghdad officials reported.
New Water Pipeline Established to Iraqi Army Training Base
KIRKUSH, Iraq, March 22, 2006 – Building a 16-kilometer pipeline in eastern Iraq recently took well over its originally scheduled month and cost much more than dollars. But the water it carries will improve the quality of life for Iraqi soldiers and workers here.
STORAGE TANK PROJECT SUPPORTS FRESH WATER FOR IRAQIS
Description: TAJI, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers tested water storage tanks March 20 in four communities north of Baghdad, signaling the successful completion of the vital project to supply the local citizens with fresh drinking water.
Soldiers from 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment and Company A, 490th Civil Affairs Battalion, are building relationships with the Iraqi citizens of local communities by assisting them with infrastructure improvements and providing essential services designed to improve their quality of life.
“We are happy,” said Sheik Modar Thamir, the leader in one of the communities. “Now we have fresh drinking water.”
If you'd like to hear what the troops have to say start here
And this makes for interesting reading:
Rough Draft -- (Slate)
The gross unfairness of an all-volunteer Army.
Three years after the invasion of Iraq, the United States does not feel much like a country at war. Nearly 20,000 American soldiers have been killed or injured to date, but the more comfortable among us find it shockingly easy to forget about the conflict for weeks at a time. Most middle-class professionals, academics, and journalists don't have relatives or friends serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. We have not been called upon to make any sacrifices, financial or otherwise.
And:
Rober Ferrigno author of Prayers for the Assassin
And if you need a laugh, leave to Scott
Moussaoui Prosecutors Now Confident of Execution
Justice Department officials said today they have a new plan to get the so-called 20th hijacker executed, despite a TSA attorney’s bungling that may have allowed Zacarias Moussaoui to escape the death penalty under U.S. law.
