5 years after 'Mission Accomplised,' Dems put war in the spotlight
Politico May 1, 08 3:15 AM CDT
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Five years ago today, President Bush bounded out of a fighter jet onto a deck of an aircraft carrier and, under a huge "Mission Accomplished" banner, boasted to cheering troops that major combat operations in Iraq had ended. As the war drags on into its sixth year, congressional Democrats are using the anniversary to highlight the administration's "arrogant" mishandling of Iraq, Politico reports.
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Hillary says opponent's pilfering all her best ideas
Chicago Tribune Apr 21, 08 4:32 PM CDT
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Hillary Clinton's campaign is fuming at what it perceives as Barack Obama's plagiarism of its policy ideas, the Chicago Tribune reports. "I came up with that a year ago,” Clinton said of the stimulus package her rival is boosting. Obama's formula, her advisers argue, is glomming onto a Clinton idea, adding extra millions, and pitching it as his own.
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Fighting in Baghad kills 12, wounds 130
Reuters Apr 19, 08 9:11 AM CDT
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In a major new clash, Iraqi troops backed by American and British firepower today captured a stronghold of fighters loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Basra, said Iraqi officials. In a show of force, American planes and British artillery attacked a deserted area outside the Sadr-controlled section of Hayaniya before Iraqi troops moved into the neighborhood and seized the center, Reuters reports.
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300K have depression or stress from combat, and half don't seek help
Associated Press Apr 17, 08 3:40 PM CDT
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300,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have either post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression, and another 320,000 suffered brain injuries, the AP reports. RAND Corporation, in the first private evaluation of mental injury from the conflicts, found 18.5% of combat troops suffered from major depression or PTSD. "There is a major health crisis facing those who have served," said a researcher.
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updated
British PM looking ahead to better relations with successor
Reuters Apr 17, 08 1:46 PM CDT
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Gordon Brown pointedly met with all three US presidential candidates before meeting with President Bush today. Britain’s unpopular prime minister seems eager to look to the future, Reuters reports, lest he be labeled “Bush’s poodle” as predecessor Tony Blair was. Brown said he wouldn’t endorse any of the candidates, but hopes the eventual winner will improve relations with Europe.
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'We don’t see any progress being made at all,' American soldier says
New York Times Apr 16, 08 11:51 AM CDT
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An Iraqi Army unit fled its position in Sadr City last night, despite American protestations, the New York Times reports, breeding further doubt among US commanders. A captain begged the Iraqi in charge to reconsider. “If you turn around … those soldiers will follow you,” he said. “If you tuck tail and cowardly run away, they will follow up that way, too.”
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GOP candidate's wife is quiet on trail, crusader off it
Chicago Tribune Apr 15, 08 2:02 PM CDT
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Cindy McCain is reserved on the campaign trail—a marked contrast to the sometimes-pugilistic style of husband John—but outside the public eye she has been a “one-woman philanthropic operation,” reports the Chicago Tribune in a profile. The would-be first lady has brought medical relief missions to Rwanda and Vietnam, land-mine education to Afghanistan, and awareness to Darfur.
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Proceeds will go to foundation
Reuters Apr 15, 08 6:04 AM CDT
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Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, one of the architects of the war in Iraq who resigned from the Bush administration when the US became mired in the insurgency, is writing his memoirs, Reuters reports. The 75-year-old former congressman won't take an advance and will donate the book's proceeds to a not-for-profit foundation. The memoirs will cover his life from the Depression through the Bush years.
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Iraqi prez condemns attacks but meets al-Sadr MPs
Reuters Apr 11, 08 8:02 PM CDT
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The murder of a Moqtada al-Sadr aide triggered heavy fighting in Baghdad today after al-Sadr’s men attacked US and Iraqi forces, Reuters reports. The cleric blamed “the hand of the occupier” for the death of Riyadh al-Nuri, a close relative, and vowed not to forget “this precious blood.” A US commander told CNN that battles broke out when a US patrol, backing Iraqi forces, ran into 10 roadside bombs and sustained heavy fire.
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Combat tours shortened to one year
Washington Post Apr 10, 08 4:00 AM CDT
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President Bush is expected to announce today that the drawdown of US troops in Iraq will be suspended—once forces reach their presurge level in July—because of a resurgence of fighting, reports the Washington Post . The decision, urged by Gen. David Petraeus, means the number of troops in Iraq could remain at their presurge levels until the end of the Bush presidency.
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General wraps up
two days of testimony before Congress
Washington Post Apr 9, 08 8:44 PM CDT
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Gen. David H. Petraeus told the House Armed Forces Committee today that he does not foresee another buildup of US armed forces in Iraq, calling the possibility of a new surge "a pretty remote thought in my mind." If violences escalates again, the Army will make do with American and Iraqi troops already there, the Washington Post reports. His testimony comes a day before President Bush will lay out his troop strategy.
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