Search Results for the Tag "War"
Just another crazy day in the health care reform battle:
The normally pro defense spending Republicians are not voting for cloture on a bill authorizing funding for the military, which would cause a huge headache considering the US is in the midst of two wars, but doing so would delay health care legislation, so hey, win some, lose some. The Democrats have to muster 60 votes, prompting anti war Senator Russ Feingold to agree to vote to invoke cloture, though he'll vote against the final bill.
The normally pro defense spending Republicians are not voting for cloture on a bill authorizing funding for the military, which would cause a huge headache considering the US is in the midst of two wars, but doing so would delay health care legislation, so hey, win some, lose some. The Democrats have to muster 60 votes, prompting anti war Senator Russ Feingold to agree to vote to invoke cloture, though he'll vote against the final bill.
President Obama accepts his Nobel Peace Prize with a robust defence of war.
Yesterday, Britain's Defense Secretary, Bob Ainsworth, criticized the Obama administration for not moving more quickly on the decision of whether to increase troops in Afghanistan. Yes, a close ally and partner of the United States in the Afghan war publicly critiqued the current administration's performance.
Today comes the announcement that President Obama will make a national address next Tuesday announcing and explaining his decision.
Is Ainsworth grandstanding or just out of his depth?
Today comes the announcement that President Obama will make a national address next Tuesday announcing and explaining his decision.
Is Ainsworth grandstanding or just out of his depth?
As the U.S. ambassdor to Afghanistan cautions against a troop surge in Afghanistan, President Obama is said to be dissatisfied with arguments both for and against adding additional troops to the country.
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The Senate Appropriations Committee has unanimously approved the 2010 Pentagon budget. The bill has a price tag of $636 billion (PDF summary) and covers all the Pentagon expenses, including $128 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A few notes:
* Adds 21,000 troops to Afghanistan, bringing total number to 68,000.
* Boeing Co. comes out nicely, with an orders for extra cargo planes and Navy jets which were not requested.
* $100 million requested by the Administration to close the Guantanamo Bay prison were strongly rejected and transfer, release or incarceration in the U.S. by any detainees is flatly forbidden.
* Adds 21,000 troops to Afghanistan, bringing total number to 68,000.
* Boeing Co. comes out nicely, with an orders for extra cargo planes and Navy jets which were not requested.
* $100 million requested by the Administration to close the Guantanamo Bay prison were strongly rejected and transfer, release or incarceration in the U.S. by any detainees is flatly forbidden.
On the heels of a NATO air strike in Afghanistan, which killed civilians, and declining support for the war among the American populace, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates argues that the administration's efforts in the region are just beginning.
"I think what is important to remember is the president's decisions on this strategy were only made at the very end of March; our new commander appeared on the scene in June," Gates said, adding that the extra troops Obama ordered are not even all there yet, nor is the "civilian surge" he wants on hand to help.Ironically enough, the President may need GOP support to add additional combat troops to the war.
"So we are only now beginning to be in a position to have the assets in place and the strategy or the military approach in place to begin to implement the strategy," he said.
The U.S. Congress has sent a $106 spending bill to President Obama, designed to provide money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill is about $20 billion more than the President requested, including:...$
4.5 billion, $1.9 billion above what the president requested, for lightweight mine-resistant vehicles, called MRAPs, and $2.7 billion for eight C-17 and seven C-130 cargo planes that the Pentagon did not ask for.
On the nonmilitary front, there's $10.4 billion in development and other aid for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and numerous other countries;
Cheney's Mission Accomplished. "What has Dick Cheney really accomplished in Iraq?"
Robert Gates, U.S. Secretary of Defense, has ordered a review of the Defense Departments ban on photographing flag draped coffins.
Originally enacted in 2003, shortly before the Iraq War began, the ban was brought up in Obama's Monday night press conference and the review was mentioned.
Originally enacted in 2003, shortly before the Iraq War began, the ban was brought up in Obama's Monday night press conference and the review was mentioned.
I don't know what to say about the latest conflict between Israel and Palestine, other than it's tiring. It's tiring to see both sides make repeated mistakes, tiring hear them blame the other while taking a self righteous stance, tiring to see adults so willing to bury their children for reasons that seem centuries old. Frankly, I've often wondered if the world shouldn't just build a wall around the area, lock the two sides in and be down with it. Wishful thinking, I know.
Still, every challenge presents opportunities and peace for the region still seems possible, if only, if only...
Still, every challenge presents opportunities and peace for the region still seems possible, if only, if only...
CNN’s Prisoner of War: He had been hunted, kidnapped, and told he was filming his own execution. But CNN correspondent Michael Ware had no plans to leave Iraq. Now, it won’t leave him. [Via]
Iraq: Violence is down – but not because of America's 'surge'. "If fewer US troops and Iraqis are being killed, it is only because the Shia community and Iran now dominate." [Via]
What Bush Will Surrender in Iraq. "Determined to shape his legacy in Iraq, President Bush has cut Congress out of his negotiations with the al-Maliki government. Despite repeated requests, the Administration has refused to share with congressional committees the text of its negotiating draft, even on a confidential basis. But elements of the proposals under negotiation have steadily leaked out from the Iraqi side, and now an Arabic-language newspaper, Asharq Al-Awsat, has published what it says is the full draft agreement. The draft agreement published by Asharq Al-Awsat would clearly contravene the U.S. Constitution."
The Wars of John McCain. "John McCain believes the Vietnam War was winnable. Now he argues that an Obama administration would accept defeat in Iraq, with grave costs to American honor and national security. Is McCain’s quest for victory a reflection of an antiquated pre-Vietnam mind-set? Or of a commitment to principles we abandon at our peril? Is there any war McCain thinks can’t be won?" [Via]
Return to the Valley of Death. "With the Pentagon requesting $20 billion more for Afghanistan, and American casualties mounting there, the author rejoins the men of Battle Company at their Korengal Valley outpost. The war has changed them; have they changed the war?"
The Rising Cost of the Iraq 'Surge': "Since Jan. 10, 2007, when George W. Bush announced his troop 'surge,' more than 1,000 U.S. soldiers have died in the Iraq War – about a quarter of the total war dead – but now an even higher cost may loom ahead, the indefinite continuation of the conflict under President John McCain."
Georgia and the Balance of Power. "The Russian invasion of Georgia has not changed the balance of power in Eurasia. It has simply announced that the balance of power had already shifted."
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