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Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and various sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.Refresh for updates.
Marines in Afghanistan hear a plea: Don't leave too soon -- [Los Angeles Times]
Others in Helmand would like them to leave immediately. And frustrating to most involved, the work of U.S. forces to instill a sense of security and confidence in the government is going slowly.
Reporting from Nawa, Afghanistan - It was at the end of a recent after-lunch meeting, with the two sides sitting cross-legged on a tattered rug, exchanging pleasantries and enjoying sweet tea and stone-baked bread.
Afghan Source: The U.S. Has Offered the Taliban Control in Return for Quiet -- [MEMRI]
An Afghan source in Kabul reports that U.S. Ambassador in Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry is holding secret talks with Taliban elements headed by the movement's foreign minister, Ahmad Mutawakil, at a secret location in Kabul. According to the source, the U.S. has offered the Taliban control of the Kandahar, Helmand, Oruzgan, Kunar and Nuristan provinces in return for a halt to the Taliban missile attacks on U.S. bases.
Whispers of Surrender in Afghanistan? -- [Threats Watch Steve Schippert]
I have tried to come up with scenarios of why someone would lie about it in a leak. What would be to gain? Who would gain, and what would they gain? Without sleeping on it, the options for such appear narrow at best.
What does seem logical is that an Afghan privy to the negotiations could have become (rightly) spooked that they might just pull it off, and leaked word in hopes that it might so anger American public opinion that the entire endeavor might be scrapped. That's the most logical explanation for motivation I see at the moment.
It would also fit in consistently with Ambassador Eikenberry's leaked cables recently railing against a 'surge' in forces in Afghanistan. He wouldn't voice such without thinking he has his hands on something else. Could this be it? The surrender of 25% of Afghan territory in exchange for some form of ceasefire?
How the US Funds the Taliban -- [The Nation]
...In this grotesque carnival, the US military's contractors are forced to pay suspected insurgents to protect American supply routes. It is an accepted fact of the military logistics operation in Afghanistan that the US government funds the very forces American troops are fighting. And it is a deadly irony, because these funds add up to a huge amount of money for the Taliban. "It's a big part of their income," one of the top Afghan government security officials told The Nation in an interview. In fact, US military officials in Kabul estimate that a minimum of 10 percent of the Pentagon's logistics contracts--hundreds of millions of dollars--consists of payments to insurgents.
Obama adds Afghanistan meeting to Monday schedule -- [Reuters]
President Barack Obama added a Monday night meeting with top advisers on Afghanistan to his schedule as he closes in on a decision on whether to send more U.S. troops.
The White House said Obama would meet Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other officials at an 8 p.m. EST/0100 GMT Tuesday meeting in the Situation Room.
Pakistan to US: Don't surge in Afghanistan, talk to Taliban -- [Christian Science Monitor]
The Pakistani government has some advice the Obama administration may not want to hear as it contemplates sending additional US troops to neighboring Afghanistan: Negotiate with Taliban leaders and restrain India.
Pakistan embraces US efforts to stabilize the region and worries that a hasty US withdrawal would create chaos. But Pakistani officials worry that thousands of additional American soldiers and Marines would send Taliban forces retreating into Pakistan, where they're not welcome.
EXCLUSIVE: Top Dem Threatens War Surtax if Obama Commits More Afghan Troops -- [ABC News] -- Rep. Obey Warns President Obama He Will Ask Taxpayers to Pay for War, Should More Troops Be Sent -- The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee has a stark message for President Obama about Afghanistan
A Plan C for Afghanistan -- [Washington Post]
When there is no good solution to a problem, a president has three options: to avoid the problem, to pick the least bad of the available options, or to mix and match among the proposed solutions and minimize the long-term damage any decision will cause. President Obama is soon likely to settle on something closest to the third approach regarding Afghanistan. This will make no one very happy.
Afghan tribes to the rescue? -- [Washington Post]
While military officers wait for President Obama to conclude his agonizingly slow review of Afghanistan policy, they've been reading a paper by an Army Special Forces operative arguing that the only hope for success in that country is to work with tribal leaders.
This tribal approach has widespread support, in principle. The problem is that, in practice, the United States has often moved in the opposite direction in recent years. Rather than supporting tribal leaders, American policies have sometimes had the effect of undermining their ability to stand up to the Taliban.
The paper by Maj. Jim Gant, "One Tribe at a Time," has been spinning around the Internet for a month. It contends that in an Afghanistan that has never had a strong central government, "nothing else will work" than a decentralized, bottom-up approach. "We must support the tribal system because it is the single, unchanging political, social and cultural reality in Afghan society," he insists.
An awakening in Afghanistan? -- [Powerline]
...The Taliban proved itself to be a vicious, blood-thirsty lot when it held power prior to 9/11. There is no evidence that it has changed and there's plenty of anecdotal evidence that it has not. Thus, it's quite plausible to believe that the Taliban is vulnerable to a large-scale tribal rebellion like the Sunni uprising in Iraq.
khaagbad, bo-ron and gel -- [Doc H's International Adventure - in Afghanistan]
Today was a hectic day.
...We spent the first half of the day meeting with our Afghan counterparts. There are about a dozen issues in which we are moving forward. I am proud that we have worked together to come up with a syllabus and book to teach a Trauma Assistance Program(TAP) to Policemen in the Northern Region. That gets us one step closer to actually starting the course and handing it over to our Afghan friends to run on their own. TAP is a police version of the Combat LifeSaver (CLS) course which has been so popular and necessary in the US Armed Forces. It is only right that the Afghan National Police, who are taking casualties at much higher rates than the Afghan National Army, or Coalition Forces, should have this information.
Eats, shoots and leaves -- [Embedded in Afghanistan... - in Afghanistan]
Thinking back on things, it does seem strange some of the things that went on. You walk around among, shake hands with, and eat and drink in homes of people you don't really know and may not like you. But I never felt any fear in those situations, though I knew some of these people collaborated with insurgents. Pashtunwali, or "the way of the Pashtun", simply does not provide for being dishonorable or inhospitable to guests. The concept goes so far that the Pashtun people are equally hospitable to some of our enemies as well. I'd say we returned the favor and were pretty darn hospitable to local people as well, however. On one occasion the local villagers brought men to the base with bullet and shrapnel wounds.
As Afghans Resist Taliban, U.S. Spurs Rise of Militias -- [NY Times]
ACHIN, Afghanistan -- American and Afghan officials have begun helping a number of anti-Taliban militias that have independently taken up arms against insurgents in several parts of Afghanistan, prompting hopes of a large-scale tribal rebellion against the Taliban.
Pricing an Afghanistan Troop Buildup is no Simple Calculation -- [Los Angeles Times]
As President Obama measures the potential burden of a new war strategy in Afghanistan, his administration is struggling to come up with even the most dispassionate of predictions: the actual price tag for the anticipated buildup of troops. The calculations so far have produced a sweeping range. The Pentagon publicly estimates it will cost $500,000 a year for every additional service member sent to the war zone. Obama's budget experts size it up at twice that much.
US rewards Afghans with 38.7 million dollars in drug fight -- [AFP]
The memorandum of understanding extends 38.7 million dollars to Afghanistan's counter-narcotics ministry, which will disperse the cash to the 27 different
Task force tries to supplant Taliban in info war -- [Army Times - in Afghanistan]
The previous day, a handful of insurgents in a nearby village had made the mistake of shooting at a pair of U.S. OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters. Stryker-borne infantry rushed to the scene and, together with the helicopters, engaged the Taliban, killing one, wounding another, who got away, and detaining three more.
Now, rolling slowly down the main street of the bazaar, came five Stryker vehicles with the weapons captured in that fight tied to their fronts on full display for the locals.
In 3 Tacks for Afghan War, a Game of Trade-Offs -- [New York Times]
Should President Obama decide to send 40,000 additional American troops to Afghanistan, the most ambitious plan under consideration at the White House, the military would have enormous flexibility to deploy as many as 15,000 troops to the Taliban center of gravity in the south, 5,000 to the critical eastern border with Pakistan and 10,000 as trainers for the Afghan security forces. The rest could be deployed flexibly across the country, including to the NATO headquarters in Kabul, the capital, and in clandestine operations. If Mr. Obama limited any additional American troops to 10,000 to 15,000, the military would deploy them largely as trainers, with some reinforcements likely in the southern province of Kandahar, the Taliban's spiritual home
Canadians begin new push to clear Taliban from towns -- [Globe and Mail]
Canadian soldiers have opened a new phase in their operation aimed at chasing insurgents from Panjwaii district, southwest of Kandahar city.
Border Crossings -- [Bouhammer]
After observing approximately 15-20 bad guys cross the Afghan-Pakistan border in the same spot for two nights in a row, I decided to take a squad of Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers, my Embedded Tactical Trainer (ETT) NCO, and myself to set up an overnight ambush along their avenue of approach. Now for all of you Monday morning quarterbacks who are already saying to yourself why didn't you set up an ambush after the first night or use mortars, artillery, or even call in air assets to eliminate this threat. Well, those are courses of action that were discussed but other priorities limited our manpower for maneuver capabilities, air coverage wasn't available at the time, and we could only get a few mortar rounds off before the enemy would scurry back across the border into Pakistan and then our hands were tied with the rules of engagement.
4 US service members die in Afghan attacks -- [Washington Post]
Bomb attacks and a firefight killed four U.S. troops in 24 hours in Afghanistan, the military said Monday, adding to the growing toll as NATO and the U.S. consider whether to send more forces to the war. Three of the Americans died in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, NATO said in a statement. Two of them were killed in a bomb attack and the third in a separate firefight.
Taliban clashes with Pakistan army, 20 militants dead -- [CNN]
Islamabad, Pakistan - The Pakistani military killed 20 militants during military operations in northwest Pakistan late Sunday night and into Monday
Al-Qaeda in Iraq regaining strength -- [Washington Post]
The Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq has rebounded in strength in recent months and appears to be launching a concerted effort to cripple the Iraqi government as U.S. troops withdraw, Iraqi and American officials say.
The group asserted responsibility for four powerful bombings that targeted five government buildings in Baghdad in August and October -- the deadliest attacks directed at the government in more than six years of war. Authorities say al-Qaeda in Iraq intends to carry out additional high-profile attacks in the months ahead and is attempting to regain its foothold in former strongholds just outside the capital.
Iraq Confronts Syria over Terrorism as U.S. Dithers -- [Pajamas Media]
Iraq has had enough. Faced with ongoing attacks from forces supported by Syria, the Iraqis are taking an increasingly hard line and are refusing to back down. They are fully aware that a confrontation brings the risk of further...
Iraq says October 25 Bombers Came from Syria: Spokesman Asharq -- [AFP / Aawsat]
Iraq on Sunday for the first time said that the bombers who killed more than 150 people in Baghdad on October 25 came from neighbouring Syria, but steered well clear of accusing Damascus of collusion.
Leaked British Documents Reveal Deception About Iraq War Entry -- [The New American]
Britian served as the main American partner in the "coalition" to invade Iraq and dislodge Saddam Hussein from his dictatorship. But British chief of staff
British, US military tensions over Iraq: report -- [AFP]
LONDON -- Hostility between US and British military leaders in Iraq ran deep, with one describing his US counterparts as "group of Martians," the Daily Telegraph reported Monday, citing leaked government documents.
The top British commander in the country, Major General Andrew Stewart, said "our ability to influence US policy in Iraq seemed to be minimal" in the first year of the conflict, according to documents published by the newspaper.
5 bullets per soldier in Iraq -- [Don Surber]
"British military operations in Iraq were so badly resourced that some soldiers went into battle with only five bullets each, secret documents have revealed," the London Daily Mail reported. "Troops were put at 'significant risk' on the
Iraq Reconstruction -- [Ramblings from a painter - in Iraq]
...I saw this article this morning. It is pretty accurate. I'm familiar with the Nasariyah water treatment plant. It was the single most expensive project we've done here. Within months of turning it over to them, it was running at 35% capacity. The reason is that the local government down there is run like a bunch of Tony Sopranos - they give the jobs to family and tribal members, not to engineers who know what they're doing. We (the US) went back in and spent a lotta money to fix it back up again. Haven't heard anything since we finished, but what do you want to bet that it's falling apart again?
USIP Field Mission in Iraq: The Baghdad Office -- [USIP - In Iraq]
It's difficult to describe a "typical" day in Iraq. The typicality depends partially on where I am in the country. For this piece, I'll describe a little about living conditions and moving around. In my next update, I'll discuss what its like to be in meetings and to work with our Iraqi counterparts.
Iraq parliament passes amended election law -- [BBC]
Iraq's parliament has passed an amended version of the new election law, which was vetoed by one of the country's two vice-presidents last week.
US military loses another GI in Iraq -- [Press TV]
Another US soldier has been killed in Iraq.
"A Multi-National Division South soldier was killed in action," according to a US Army statement issued on Sunday. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.
The latest casualty brings the death toll for US troops in Iraq to nine for the month of November and 145 so far this year.
Out of Iraq, into the Gulf -- [Asia Times]
A major reason for this is the plan, developed at the end of the George W Bush years and confirmed by President Barack Obama, to draw-down US troops in Iraq
Iran Removes Dollar from Currency Basket -- [Wall Street Journal]
LONDON-- The head of Iran's Central Bank said the country has gained $5 billion by excluding the US dollar from its currency basket and replacing it with
US Asks Tehran To Accept Nuclear Offer -- [RTT News]
The United States has urged Iran to "engage" with the West over its controversial nuclear program, warning that if persuasion does not work,
China slams US report warning of spying by Beijing -- [AP]
The annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission to lawmakers said last week that American officials believe Chinese spying is
China and North Korea defence ministers pledge ties -- [BBC]
China and North Korea are allies, but China has other interests in play too
Chinese and North Korean defence chiefs have pledged to strengthen their long-standing military alliance.
Russia's Gorbachev considers political comeback -- [AP]
MOSCOW -- Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev criticized Kremlin policies Friday and toyed with the ambitious idea of attempting a political comeback.
Terrorism Trial May Point Way for 9/11 Cases -- [New York Times]
David Raskin, chief of the terrorism unit in the United States attorney's office in Manhattan, suggested in court this summer that his office would seek to...
Holder answers to 9/11 relatives about trials in U.S.-- [Washington Post]
After enduring four hours of hostile questions in a crowded Capitol Hill hearing room about his decision to send the self-described mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes to Manhattan for trial, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. submitted himself to one more round of interrogation Wednesday.
9/11 NEVER FORGET COALITION TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING DECEMBER 5th RALLY AGAINST NYC TERROR TRIAL -- [911 Families]
The 9/11 Never Forget Coalition, a diverse group of 9/11 victims, family members, first responders, active and reserve members of the military, veterans, and concerned Americans, is holding a November 24th press conference to discuss the details of their December 5th rally protesting the plan to bring the 9/11 terrorist conspirators to trial in New York City.
The Coalition formed to fight the decision of President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to try the 9/11 co-conspirators in New York City's federal court, effectively giving war criminals the same rights as American citizens while endangering the safety of all New Yorkers.
Pelosi Won't Answer If Osama Needs to be Read His Rights At "Arrest" (Video) -- [Gateway Pundit]
Speaker Pelosi won't answer if Osama Bin Laden has to be read his rights when he is arrested. CNS News reported:
Lawyer: 9/11 Defendants Will Tell Jury 'Why They Did It -- [FOX News]
The five men facing trial in the Sept. 11 attacks will plead not guilty so that they can air their criticisms of U.S. foreign policy, the lawyer for one of the defendants said Sunday.
Gitmo detainees will use trials as "platform" to bash America -- [Michelle Malkin]
One of the Gitmo defendants' lawyers confirms the obvious: The civilian trials for 9/11-linked enemy combatants are nothing more than a grand excuse to use our legal system to bash America and spread the jihadi virus on the world stage.
Major Hasan and Holy War -- [WSJ]
A domestic Islamic threat is real, and the FBI is unprepared to fight it.
For those of us who have tracked Islamic militancy in Europe, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's actions are not extraordinary. Since Muslim militants first tried to blow a French high-speed train off its rails in 1995, European intelligence and internal-security services have increasingly monitored European Muslim radicals. Whether it's anti-Muslim bigotry, the large numbers of immigrant and native-born Muslims in Europe, an appreciation of how hard it is to become European, or just an understanding of how dangerous Islamic radicalism is, most Europeans are far less circumspect and politically correct when discussing their Muslim compatriots than are Americans.
Note said Hood-style shooting could happen -- [Army Times]
A box of hollow-point bullets and an anonymous note threatening an incident like the one at Fort Hood, Texas, were discovered Thursday at Fort Benning, Ga., sparking a criminal investigation and greater police presence, a witness told Army Times.
Shortage Slows a Program to Detect Nuclear Bombs -- [NY Times]
The Department of Homeland Security has spent $230 million to develop better technology for detecting smuggled nuclear bombs but has had to stop deploying the new machines because the United States has run out of a crucial raw material, experts say.
Gary Sinise, Mensch -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
He was here again yesterday. Not sure how many times he's been here all together now. You just can't help being impressed with his low key visits and how much time he spends with the patients and staff.
I was sitting with a patient in the ICU when I noticed a bit of a hubbub and looked up to see him walk by looking into each room.
Doing Pregnancy Alone -- [SpouseBuzz]
I am ready for a silver linings post, this time about pregnancy. --
My husband left for a nine month deployment right after we found out I was pregnant with our first child. He will miss the entire pregnancy. I can think of a million ways that it stinks that he's gone: no one to go with me to ultrasounds, no one to feel my belly when she kicks, no one to rub my feet or go downstairs to get me a glass of water. No pampering at all. That is lame.
But I have been trying to keep track of the good things about doing this alone. I have come up with a couple.
Top Ten -- [HERMANEUTICS: AFGHANISTAN]
Now that we are one month into this deployment, I have thought about a number of things that peg me as the wife of someone who is deployed....
TOP TEN INDICATORS YOU KNOW YOUR HUSBAND IS DEPLOYED:
1. You sit at your computer half the night waiting for the Skype icon to turn green, indicating that he is on line and able to talk.
2. You have your cell phone virtually surgically attached to your body for the year. (But, hey, he has a gun attached...so, I would rather have a cell phone.)
3. No matter what you are doing, you will drop everything and talk when that phone rings...because you don't have the option to call when it is convenient.
4. Your dog suddenly becomes the recipient of constant hugs and affection, along with
Soldier Blocks Ambush, Earns Silver Star -- [Military.com]
On the face of it, the Aug. 8, 2007, assignment to restore the flow of water to a village near Baqubah, Iraq, seemed simple enough. Find the damage to a system sabotaged by insurgents and repair it.
But from his vantage point on a Humvee turret, Spc. Jeremiah Church began to get nervous. There was a canal on one side of the narrow road, a steep drop-off on the other. And neither left his 82nd Airborne Division reconnaissance platoon room to maneuver if necessary.
"It might sound a little crazy, but the hair on the back of my neck was standing up," he said, "and something didn't feel right in my stomach."
I got the new dress uniform... -- [Wings Over Iraq]
Tom Ricks' latest post regarding the ethical conduct of generals has provided some off-topic remarks on Army uniforms. Today, there are many in the Army who look down on those whose uniforms don't spot significant amounts of ribbons, medals and badges (hereafter referred to as "bling"), but this hasn't always been the case.
A rousing welcome home -- [Rhineland Daily News]
An estimated 900 friends, family and well-wishers packed into the Rhinelander High School gym Saturday afternoon give an ecstatic welcome home to the 951st "Sapper" Engineer Company of the Wisconsin U.S. Army National Guard.
The unit included about 100 soldiers from Tomahawk and Rhinelander, who had been sent to Afghanistan one year ago to undertake the dangerous mission of clearing the terrain and roadways for passage and for dismantling explosives in areas of combat.
Fifteen Purple Hearts later, the 951st Sappers will be back in Wisconsin tomorrow -- [A World Away]
The most banged-up Wisconsin National Guard unit since World War II is scheduled to return home Saturday.
The 108 members of the 951st Engineer Company racked up 15 Purple Heart medals and 100 combat action badges in 250 combat missions in Afghanistan.
WYNONNA JUDD JOINS OPRAH WINFREY WELCOMING TROOPS HOME -- [Hollywood Outbreak]
Winfrey teamed with People magazine to hold a private celebration on the Ft. Bragg military base to welcome home the 82nd Airborne Division
Spies and Journalists in Pakistan -- [Abu Muqawama]
A story has been rumbling on in Pakistan for a couple of weeks now that just plain refuses to go away. The daily newspaper, the Nation, published an article on Nov 5 claiming US journalist Matthew Rosenberg, South Asia Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, was spying in Pakistan. Rosenberg left the country and the WSJ responded with an open letter signed by a bunch of US, British and French outlets along with Al Jazeera.
Now, Londonstani finds this "foreign journalists are spies" rumour mongering really distasteful. It looks like the article fulfilled a couple of aims for whoever thought it was a good idea.
1) It embarasses a couple of senior officials, who are named, for potentially providing information on military matters to an American spy
2) It plays to suspicions about America and might sell a few more copies
3) Last but not least, it gets rid of a journalist who might have been printing stories someone somewhere didn't like
All The News That's Fit To Bury -- [Ed Driscoll]
...And as a nice sequel of sorts to our previous post on leftwing cognitive dissonance, Orrin Judd spots this staggering moment of hypocrisy from the New York Times' Andrew C. Revkin of their "Dot Earth" blog on Friday:
The documents appear to have been acquired illegally and contain all manner of private information and statements that were never intended for the public eye, so they won't be posted here.
And they don't contain any obvious state military secrets as well, unlike say the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War or more recently, the secrets of War on Terror, or any of a number of other leaked documents the Times has cheerfully rushed to print.
Back in 2006, when his paper disclosed the previously confidential details of the SWIFT program, which was designed to trace terrorists' financial assets, New York Times executive editor Bill Keller said on CBS's Face the Nation, "one man's breach of security is another man's public relations." Of course, much like the rest of the media circling the wagons with ACORN, it's not at all surprising that the Times circles the wagons when it's necessary to save the public face of their fellow liberals.
CNN gets panties in a twist over 2007 execution of Iraq insurgents by US soldiers -- [Jawa Report]
There is heavy breathing at CNN tonight over a story they are breaking about an investigation by the US Army into the execution of four insurgents captured in Iraq in March 2007. The Army conducted an investigation in early 2008 and convicted the three sergeants who conducted the execution. They are currently serving life sentences at Ft. Leavenworth.
...I'm having trouble understanding exactly what CNN is trying to make of this. First off, there doesn't appear to have been any cover-up. The Army dealt with the matter expeditiously. Apparently, CNN is upset that they weren't informed immediately so they could make a major international incident about it while Bush was still in office. Boo-freaking-hoo.
Film Offers Gospel of the Surge -- [DoD Buzz]
Just what did the surge accomplish and how did it work. A new Washington thinktank the Institute For the Study Of War -- which some might consider The Surge thinktank -- produced a movie called "The Surge: The Untold Story," to answer just those questions.
New Executive Order Aims to Avoid Declass Deadline -- [Secrecy News]
Development of a new executive order on classification of national security information is now proceeding at an accelerated pace in order to preempt a deadline that would require the declassification of millions of pages of historical records next month.
A revised draft executive order was circulated to executive branch agencies by the Office of Management and Budget on November 16, with agency comments due back today, November 23. A final order is likely to be issued by the end of this year.
...But in order to meet this December deadline, several agencies would have to forgo a review of the affected historical records, which they are unwilling to do. And so it seems they will simply be excused from compliance. But in order to modify the deadline in the Bush order, it will be necessary to issue another executive order. If the comprehensive new Obama order on classification policy (which would assign processing of such records to a National Declassification Center that does not yet exist) is not ready for release by December 31, then another stand-alone order would have to be issued, canceling or extending the looming deadline. And officials are reluctant to issue such an order since they say it would be awkward for the avowedly pro-openness Obama Administration to relax or annul a declassification requirement that was imposed by the ultra-secret Bush Administration.
EXCLUSIVE: Top Dem Threatens War Surtax if Obama Commits More Afghan Troops -- [ABC News] -- Rep. Obey Warns President Obama He Will Ask Taxpayers to Pay for War, Should More Troops Be Sent -- The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee has a stark message for President Obama about Afghanistan
Top Democrat warns Afghanistan will bankrupt domestic programs, threatens war ... -- [Los Angeles Times]
Thirty years later, he is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and adamant that Afghanistan is a similar quagmire that could bankrupt President
Burris in Iraq with three other senators -- [Sun Times]
Roland Burris (D-Ill.) on Saturday voted to advance the Democratic health care bill to the Senate floor and then departed for an official visit to Iraq. Burris--on his first official overseas trip as senator--is traveling with Democrats
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