Hoon Admits Iraq Screwups

Maliki crackdown may herald return to authoritarian rule

(NEWSER) - As the US prepares to depart Iraq, some in the West see worrying signs that the country may be sliding back toward authoritarian rule. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who met with President Obama in Washington yesterday, has been moving swiftly to consolidate power as the Americans head for the door. Western companies have been evicted from the Green Zone and hundreds of former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party have been arrested in recent raids, raising fears that Maliki plans to crush political foes in the name of national security. More»

(NEWSER) - British troops will begin withdrawing their 4,000 troops from Iraq in March and will have all but a few hundred out by the end of June, the Guardian reports. They will be replaced at their base in Basra not by Iraqis but by Americans, who are worried about keeping supply routes safe from Kuwait. The withdrawal will effectively end Britain's six-year mission in southern Iraq. More»

CNN tours the former dictator's US detention cell

(NEWSER) - The dictator who ruled with a murderous fist spent his time writing in his journal and tending to a small garden his captors allowed him in the prison courtyard. And on his execution day, the man known as "Vic" told guards to tell his daughter he was going to meet God with a clear conscience, a soldier for Iraq. CNN toured Saddam Hussein's detention cell, and reports these details of his last days. More»

Prez suffers worse 'burden' than military families, Cheney says

(NEWSER) - President Bush sympathizes with the families of 4,000 Americans slain in Iraq, he said today. They "were not lost in vain. One day, people will look back at this moment in history and say, 'Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve,'" CNN reports. In an ABC interview, Dick Cheney said Bush's "burden" in the war is even greater than that of grieving American families. More»

Promises 'unwavering commitment' of US as war begins 6th year

(NEWSER) - Leading Iraq war architect Dick Cheney made an unannounced visit to Baghdad today, beginning a nine-day Middle East tour by promising Iraq the "unwavering commitment of the United States in finishing the difficult work that lies ahead." John McCain, traveling as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, simultaneously met with other Iraqi leaders in the capital, AFP reports. More»