Pentagon plans Iraq escalation.
By on Nov 29th, 2006 at 5:59 pm
Pentagon plans Iraq escalation.
“The Pentagon is developing plans to send four more battalions to Iraq early next year, partly to boost security in Baghdad, defense officials said Wednesday.” The AP reports that the “extra combat engineer battalions of reserves, likely to be sent to Baghdad, would total about 3,500 troops.”
View Most Popular
Advertisement
What We're About
What We're Fighting For
What We're Fighting Against
Featured
Subscribe to the Progress Report
Topic CloudView topics sorted by popularity
Afghanistan
Bachmann
Beck
Boehner
Bush
Cheney
Civil Rights
Congress
Corporate Ethics
Dobbs
Economy
Election
Energy
Environment
Ethics
Fox News
Gingrich
Global Warming
Hannity
Health Care
Immigration
International Relations
Iraq
Justice
Kristol
LGBT
Lieberman
Limbaugh
Maddow
McCain
Media
Military
Obama
Palin
Pelosi
Public Plan
Race
Radical Right
Religion
Sports
Steele
Stimulus
Tea Parties
Technology
Women's Rights
Visit Our Affiliated Sites
Reports
In-depth studies on select topics
Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.
ArchivesBlog Roll
More guns and violence will solve it.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:02 pm(whispering) Impeach the Cheerleader, Save the World. Pass it on.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:04 pmBaghdad is just a temporary stop. Tehran is the final destination.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:06 pmIn a side note, in the spreading-the-blame folder:
An Open Letter to Ms. Marie Cocco, Washington Post Columnist, whose column entitled, “Public isn’t blameless in Iraq War debacle,†was printed in the Sacramento Bee on 29 November 2006.
Dear Ms. Cocco:
Your recent column, “Public isn’t blameless in Iraq War debacle†was extremely offensive. Many of us protested against this war on the Iraqi people before it was launched by Bush back in March 2003. Millions of people across the world protested against this coming war, but all to no avail. Your newspaper, the Washington Post, along with the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the rest of the so-called mainstream corporate television media, including Faux, CNothingNews, ABC, cBS, pBS and NothingBC were all happily goose-stepping right along with and actively cheerleading for Bush and his aggressive illegal criminal war on Iraq in 2002 and 2003. We protested, we wrote letters to our Senators and Congresspersons, all of our protests were ignored or sneered at by the powers that be. Public opinion polls indicated very little enthusiasm for the coming war. Most of Congress just followed along with the Bush pro-war propaganda and pro-war hysteria.
Bush and the GOP stole the Presidential Election in 2000. Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld committed treason on 9-11. Bush illegally invaded Iraq. Bush restole the Presidential Election in 2004, mostly with electronic vote rigging. And now that this stupid war has gone south, Bush, Cheney and the corporate media are trying to share the blame with others for the quagmire which they alone created.
The Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld gang all belong in jail for treason and war crimes. The so-called corporate “mainstream†media need to grow up start and start reporting a little bit of the truth each day, instead of endlessly repeating the propaganda and lies from Señor Boosh..
Yours truly,
James K. Sayre
sayresayre@yahoo.com
29 November 2006
November 29th, 2006 at 6:10 pmEngineers? WTF!!! Are they building a bridge to nowhere?
November 29th, 2006 at 6:11 pmWhen a situation they got themselves into proves to be a disaster, most people would look for a way out, a change in course, or some excuse to declare the task accomplished.
What does this administration do? Throw more money, throw more people.
Of course, it is not their money or their people. Someone else will have to pay the bill, while they rest comfortably in their vacation homes far away from the ugly realities they have created.
And think that 30-something% out there are still standing by their Great (mis)Leader. What a willing lot of cannon fodder they are.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:14 pmUm, I don’t think so…
Iraq just signed a security deal with…(drum roll please) IRAN!!!
Which explains why they refused to meet with Bush today. It looks like our “hosts” are on the verge of throwing us out!
November 29th, 2006 at 6:16 pmjurrasicpork,
That is the funniest, most clever tag line I’ve seen in a long while.
Brilliant.
(Heros is a really cool show, BTW. I wanted to hate it. Made fun of it when the ads ran in movie theaters.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:18 pmNow, I’m hooked! Did you know “Hiro” actually works for the company that does George Lucas’ special effects?)
another comma
November 29th, 2006 at 6:18 pmEngineers? WTF!!! Are they building a bridge to nowhere?
Comment by RUCerious
They’re the ones out front trying to build stuff, getting picked off like flies because they’re not issued body armor.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:18 pm#5…….
November 29th, 2006 at 6:20 pmmost likely to try and repair the highway to the airport, so that they can get the flock outa’ there……..
We really cannot allow this to happen.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:23 pmCENTCOM TO WH; WE need more canon fodder. And don’t forget the extra $100 Billion either
November 29th, 2006 at 6:29 pmThis is scary.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:29 pmZooey, actually I think they’re trying to defuse IED’s… I was being rhetorical, very poorly.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:29 pmIth Unka Deadeye thstill on his hunting twip in Fwowida?
November 29th, 2006 at 6:30 pmThomebody oughta keep a kwoth eye on the widdle wascal theeth daysth…he’th a swippery one………..
#12 – Yeah, another 3500 potential commas.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:30 pm#16 – Iss OK, I juth thlipped him another quart of lunch
November 29th, 2006 at 6:31 pmYeah, another 3500 potential commas.
Comment by RUCerious
It’s a number.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:37 pm#18…..
November 29th, 2006 at 6:38 pmThankth!
Probably a good idea to keep his blood thinned out, we wouldn’t want him to have a stroke and pull a “Ken Lay” on us …….
that was, I meant, another stroke……….
November 29th, 2006 at 6:39 pmRaven – better him than W.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:41 pmTo think of it, better him than pretty much anybody else!
RealScientist is correct, the goal is Iran. Why? Ask your masters.
But before you take that bold step, grab a world map and sit down. Find Iraq and Afghanistan (to allow for america’s youth I will take a quick smoke break)….okay (cough) now look at what is directly in between those two countries in which you have a minimum of 250,000 troops, numerous airfields, and multiple freshly built bases. Ah, it’s Iran!
Now, follow Iran’s coastline down to the Persian Gulf. Look at what is directly across that gulf…Saudi Arabia. Didn’t one of your top level officials just go there? Coincidence I’m sure.
Lastly, do a google search on “US navy Persian gulf war game” and peruse the various articles that appear. (Although the majority are from non-MSM outfits and some are a little too heavy on the conspiracy language, you will find some from AP and the likes that will provide the validity that many would doubt without such “reliable” sources) So, the US Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force are already assembled en masse all around Iran.
There are the facts for you. Simple, clean, and indisputable. The question on the table is this: Are you going to do something about it or are you going to wait until it happens and then claim ignorance?
I pray for the former. Wake up americans! You are on the verge of self-induced annihilation and you’re poised to take a large portion of the world with you!
May peace be with us all.
November 29th, 2006 at 6:43 pmThank you, Humanist, for your precise and to the point posting.
I believe this is exactly what is going on, and I am very concerned as to the whereabouts of Dick Cheney and Condi Rice.
I’m sure Dubious the Decider was told in sugar coated terms that he was expendable, when he began to be groomed for his role. Denial is a well worn track for an alcoholic, and I’m sure he was able to blow off the idea that anything could ever happen to him… and in his wettest dreams he could always rationalize martydom……… I pray he doesn’t do anything stupider than he has already done, and that he returns to the states where we can keep an eye on him…
I got my bags packed in case I need to go fight a fire… I pray for you to trust there are a lot of Americans who still know the meaning of the word honor……..
He is in a very vulnerable area at present
November 29th, 2006 at 6:57 pmGW Bush’s legacy…
The Middle East left in shambles & Americas prestige and reputation torn and shattered.
http://www.icasualties.org/oif/default.aspx
HECK OF A JOB jR!!!
Be a leader suit up and get on the frontlines of the Iraqi battlefield with our volunteers.
November 29th, 2006 at 7:10 pmWe can escalate Iraq perpetually or we can begin to consider our exit from this mess. Then, the US could begin to contribute to the $50 to $100 billion needed to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty in this world (according to the Borgen Project). So, we send more troops and spend more on defense or we dedicate our foreign policy to achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals.
November 29th, 2006 at 7:12 pmFrom Huffington Post:
Iraq’s president said Wednesday he had reached a security agreement with
Iran, which the United States accuses of fueling the chaos in the war-torn country. Iran’s president called on countries to stop backing “terrorists” in Iraq and for the Americans to withdraw.
Tehran is believed to back some of the Shiite militias blamed in the vicious sectarian killings that have thrown the country into chaos. The United States has said the Iraqi government should press Iran to stop interfering in its affairs in a bid to calm the violence.
November 29th, 2006 at 7:13 pmJames Sayre #4
Good letter. The utter disgust I feel when the media, like Ms. Cocco, who are duplicitous in war crimes, try to push the blame onto the people, who are not represented in all of this.
In the news today, Maliki refuses to meet with Bush because Maliki is trying to appease al Sadr, who threatens to leave the govt if Maliki and Bush meet.
Yet the mainstream media spins and distorts the story to make it look like Maliki and Bush agreed not to meet.
Then, the news that the military will move several thousand troops from outlining provinces back into Baghdad.
Any average Joe or Jane citizen can put 2 and 2 together and read the writing on the wall. Power is shifting in Iraq to al Sadr’s shiite, and Bush no longer matters to Maliki.
And our troops are going to put in the middle of a power struggle that al Sadr is destined to win.
So how is it the media is allowed to lie to us even now. Even now. After all we’ve been through and know, the media CONTINUES TO LIE to us.
Mad as hell in Texas
November 29th, 2006 at 7:19 pmunless these new guys are going over there to cover and help protect the existing troops’ exit, and they themselves follow, i can’t imagine anything good come of this…
November 29th, 2006 at 7:30 pmPentagon plans Iraq escalation, check.
The Iraq “situation” is already being called “a civil war”, check.
New check for the Pentagon, check.
Say “hello” to New Viet Nam.
November 29th, 2006 at 7:35 pm#3, RealScientist: Baghdad is just a temporary stop. Tehran is the final destination.
The Neocons’ next War
November 29th, 2006 at 7:41 pmHardliners in the Bush administration are trying to widen the Middle East conflict to Iran and Syria
Humanist
November 29th, 2006 at 7:49 pmTurn the channel? You’re not a humanist. You go along to get along. You’re a collaborator. Save your criticism for your self. f
on another thread, but worth reposting here:
Must it always be so? Can we not outgrow our need to use force to enslave others? Can we, the people refuse to fight the wars of the ruling class?
When humanity decides it will no longer fight the wars of the wealthy, then, and only then, will there be true peace and true freedom. If the rich and powerful cannot force the rest of us to die for them, they will no longer control us.
Comment by Briseadh na Faire — November 29, 2006 @ 7:59 pm
November 29th, 2006 at 8:04 pm#23 – Humanist,
astute observations.
November 29th, 2006 at 8:07 pm#32-tureen,
Now you see what a harebrained rant looks like from the other side. Not very appealing and definitely entangles the message.
I believe all here would agree that the MSM is no longer reliable and trustworthy. That is why it is important to carefully choose one’s sources and then actually take the time to perform in depth research. americans have become too reliant upon their sound-bite “media” and are paying a heavy price.
Hope I didn’t offend too much.
Peace to you and yours.
May peace be with us all.
November 29th, 2006 at 8:13 pm#33-Bideadh na Faire,
What robert does not understand or acknowledge is that american “freedom” began with the Declaration of Independence, ie; the pen. Look at how successful that was.
Now compare that to other conflicts that have followed.
Peace.
November 29th, 2006 at 8:17 pmHumanist, here’s another fact: last count the Iranian army has over 350,000 troops. They actually have a navy and an air force.
I am staunchly against any military action against Iran. It would make Iraq look like Grenada.
November 29th, 2006 at 9:31 pmits already started ! I live near a staging area for troops being shipped to Iraq. The planes ran for at least 6 hours Sunday night through Monday AM.
November 29th, 2006 at 9:59 pm#33 Please don’t encourage him. He hates all Americans, whether they supported the invasion or not. He is kind of a twit.
November 29th, 2006 at 10:01 pm#37 – hellinabucket,
November 29th, 2006 at 10:05 pmYou are much too optimistic. Iran would be much like Iwo Jima, with the US playing the part of the Japanese. I would guess at the max, we would have no Navy in the Persian Gulf or west Indian Ocean in about six days.
#41 – ren,
November 29th, 2006 at 10:35 pmYou forgot Turkey and the Kurds. An unholy mess is about to unfold. Merry Christmas (This is for O’Reilly).
40. I’m not being optimistic. I’m trying to look at this from all sides. Right now I don’t see an advantage for us to embark in a war with Iran. We aren’t prepared as a nation, we don’t have the military forces to win this now. The only way a war is truly won is with occupation. We would have to put troops on the ground. This administration has been reluctant to put less than 200,000 troops in Iraq and Iran is 4 times the size. We currently have only 1.4 million in all the military services and we’ve depleted our current resources of military supplies. As for our Navy against any others in the world, ours will be the last ships floating.
41. Sadr has been openly talking about dissention from the iraqi govt. since it was created. Maliki has no real power because of the way this current govt. is set up. the parliment, the president and Maliki have to agree on something (which means nothing) before moving forward. Hell, they haven’t completed their constitution yet. They put that off a year ago. Saudi Arabia might be able to muster up 200,000 troops but to fight what? The same cluster f*ck we ran into.
November 29th, 2006 at 10:45 pm#4 james
November 29th, 2006 at 10:51 pmI agree entirely – good letter.
I and my husband were among those protestors and letter-writers; I couldn’t believe it when Bush&Co actually went ahead with the invasion. I felt I was watching the beginning of the end of America as I knew it.