Security deal could see Iraqi authorities handed thousands of prisoners they can't handle
New York Times Oct 25, 08 7:56 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The new security agreement negotiated with Iraq could leave the US military with 5,000 tough problems, the New York Times reports. US forces currently hold 17,000 Iraqi prisoners—including 5,000 considered dangerous radicals. Under the latest draft of the deal, the US would lose the right to either arrest or hold suspected insurgents after Dec. 31. But Iraqi officials acknowledge they are nowhere near ready to deal with the prisoners.
More »
OPINION
Obama endorsement brings Powell's judgment into question — again
National Review Oct 21, 08 2:07 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Just as Colin Powell overlooked UN corruption before the Iraq war, he's overlooking Barack Obama's flaws as a candidate, Claudia Rosett writes in the National Review . His endorsement lacked any specifics about the transformations Obama will bring about, leading her to revisit Powell's previous "blind spots." Rosett doesn't "question Powell’s integrity"; instead, it's "his perception of how the wider world actually works that is at issue."
More »
Actor and anti-American leader tour natural gas pipeline
New York Post Oct 21, 08 11:22 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Sean Penn is again in Venezuela visiting President Hugo Chavez, the New York Post reports. The two met last year, and the actor calls Chavez—who tends to be critical of the US, to put it mildly—"a fascinating guy," while the prez and equally ardent Bush-hater has praised Penn's anti-war stance. This trip, the pair reportedly visited a natural gas pipeline.
More »
General assembles brain trust for 100-day review of regional efforts
Washington Post Oct 16, 08 2:37 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Gen. David Petraeus is assembling a panel of experts to carefully reconsider US strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan, Iran and the surrounding region, reports the Washington Post . He's recruiting a handpicked brain trust of advisers from the private sector, State Department and Pentagon. The group will study the situation for 100 days, with a primary focus on Afghanistan, which Petraeus admits has been "spiralling downward."
More »
Bilateral pact, which gives Iraq control over troops, must be approved by parliament
Reuters Oct 15, 08 4:32 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Iraq's government could soon be in charge of US troops for the first time, a prelude to their full withdrawal by 2011 under a deal now awaiting approval by Iraqi politicians, Reuters reports. The deal sets a firm timeline, and lets the Arab nation prosecute American soldiers for some serious crimes committed off of US bases—previously a major stumbling block.
More »
Insurgent leader specialized in recruiting
Associated Press Oct 15, 08 10:48 AM CDT
(AP)
-
American troops acting on a tip killed the No. 2 leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq—a Moroccan known for his ability to recruit and motivate foreign fighters—in a raid in the northern city of Mosul, the US military said today. The man, known as Abu Qaswarah, was a charismatic leader who had trained in Afghanistan and managed to rally al-Qaeda followers in Iraq despite US and Iraqi security gains.
More »
Post Traumatic Stress a 'bigger problem than we realize,' says chief
USA Today Oct 13, 08 4:03 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Every member of the US military should undergo screening for post-traumatic stress disorder upon returning from combat in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has recommended. As many as 1 of every 5 returning combat vets suffers from mental health problems, USA Today reports. "I think it's a bigger problem than we know," said Michael Mullen, an admiral whose post gives him authority over all four service branches.
More »
Interest wanes as news shifts from fighting to rebuilding
Washington Post Oct 11, 08 1:55 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
As Iraq stabilizes itself, withdrawals have finally begun—for the media. Journalists have left Iraq in droves this year, the Washington Post reports. Last September, military units hosted 219 embedded journalists; this month, that number shrunk to 39. Of the dozen newspapers that once maintained Baghdad bureaus, only 4 remain. “Everyone realizes it's an important story,” said one correspondent. “But it’s been six years of this.”
More »
OPINION
Conservatives may have turned against him, but the National Review hasn't
National Review Oct 10, 08 2:01 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Wall Street is reeling, but the real depression has set in among Republicans who seem resigned to losing the White House. "Yet for all the gloom, there are several reasons why this race is by no means over," Victor David Hanson writes for the National Review. The neocon Democrat sees "certain deer-in-the-headlights moments among Obama’s handlers."
More »
Saddam-era budget network can't provide to expanded security forces
USA Today Oct 9, 08 1:11 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
As Iraq becomes safer, the Marines have focused on the next challenge: weaning the country’s security forces off US financial and logistical support, USA Today reports. To spur the independence of the nascent Iraqi police, the Marines now refuse to refuel their vehicles, and it's gotten the Iraqis' attention. "Things get real hard and they go, 'OK, we've got to fix this ourselves,'" says a Marine major general.
More »
Veteran McCain has support, but wars' toll pushes many toward Obama
Boston Globe Oct 6, 08 1:56 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Members of the US military and their families are looking to the November election to address the hardships of military life, but opinions vary as to which candidate will serve them best, the Boston Globe reports. John McCain’s vows to honor service—and promise of higher pay—have clear appeal, but so do Barack Obama’s goals of ending the Iraq war and reuniting families.
More »
ANALYSIS
Bailout bucks could fund 7 space stations, pay salaries for 16M teachers
San Francisco Chronicle Oct 5, 08 6:03 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
With the Treasury Department now in charge of figuring out what holes to plug with its $700 billion in bailout bucks, the San Francisco Chronicle takes a look at what else that money could do. Some highlights: Hire 16,062,414 public-school teachers. Pay the average weekly wages of 22 million Americans for one year (based on Department of Labor’s figure of $612 per week).
More »