Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari speaks during a news conference at the National Press Club in Tokyo June 19, 2009. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon)
..."The Iraqi government, about the security forces, are confident (they) are capable of taking over its full responsibility after the withdrawal of American forces" from cities, Zebari told a news conference on a visit to Tokyo.
"We are confident about the ability of our security forces. They've become more mature, more efficient," he said.
U.S. combat troops, who invaded Iraq in 2003, are scheduled to leave urban centers by June 30 and redeploy to bases outside to hand control back to Iraqi security forces, according to a security pact that took effect in January....
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,316 (click here)
By The Associated Press – 8 hours ago
As of Friday, June 19, 2009, at least 4,316 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
The figure includes nine military civilians killed in action. At least 3,454 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is two fewer than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Friday at 10 a.m. EDT.
The British military has reported 179 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Korea, one death each.
The latest deaths reported by the military:
_ A soldier died Friday as the result of a non-combat related incident.
The latest identifications reported by the military:
_ Army Sgt. Joshua W. Soto, 25, San Angelo, Texas, died Tuesday in Iraq of wounds suffered when an explosive device detonated near his vehicle; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.
On the Net:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/
Emerging Threats
U.S. envoy to Iraq calls for talks (click here)
Published: June 19, 2009 at 10:26 AM
Baghdad - June 19 (UPI) -- There are political solutions to the outstanding issues in Iraq despite a modest rise in the level of sectarian violence, the U.S. envoy to Iraq said.
Iraq has seen a rise in sectarian violence in recent months as U.S. military forces prepare to pull out of cities and villages by June 30 under the provisions of a bilateral security pact.
Christopher Hill, the U.S. envoy to Iraq, said there was no evidence to support claims that insurgent militias were on the rise, adding there was a marked increase in political negotiations to resolve many of the problems facing Iraq.
"We work very hard to make sure that there is dialogue among the various political interlocutors in the country," he said. "We continue to do what we can to help people get together."...
US Congress approves money for IMF, Afghanistan, Iraq (click here)
June 19th, 2009 - 8:11 am ICT by IANS
Washington, June 19 (DPA) The US Congress has approved a $106-billion spending bill that includes money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a loan to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).The wide-ranging legislation includes money for foreign aid, preventing a flu pandemic and a “cash-for-clunkers” initiative that encourages consumers to trade in older, less efficient cars to help revive the auto industry.
The Senate passed the measure in a 91-5 vote Thursday. The lower House of Representatives approved the same bill 226-202 Tuesday, largely along partisan lines amid complaints from Republicans over the addition of items unrelated to the wars.
The legislation, which now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature, includes about $80 billion for the ongoing war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq....
I think 'bankrupt' is a good word for the GOP. Remarkably correct in all venues. The article below speaks to the visceral politics of the Republicans. Where their politics depart from 'the truth' they call it 'Counter Intuitive.' Hello. Does the USA really need leadership that counts on 'intuition' most of the time? I don't think so.
The Republicans have no 'insight' they simply count on electorate 'instinct' and that is why their Culture of Fear works so well. It has nothing to do with reality, or the science of possiblity, it has to do with 'that feel good feeling.'
In regard to education? Why the Republicans rely heavily on 'the trades and sameness' in regard to higher education? Why educate an electorate that will only 'think' rather than 'react?' Republican politicians like to predict the reaction of their electorate to every word they utter. It is why they are so rhetorical in the face of reality, "Heck of a job, Brownie."
Good Job Brownie! KBR Katrina Work Blasted by the Pentagon. Millions Squandered (click here)
On Iran, GOP leadership bankrupt (click here)
Friday June 19, 2009
Categories: Iran
Daniel Larison speaks truth:
One reason why Cantor and Pence have been demanding that the President take a stronger public line in support of the protesters in Iran is that supporting Mousavi's voters openly is the emotionally satisfying, easy, almost mindless thing to do, so it is very appealing for opposition figures who have no ideas. But there is more to it than that. All of this comes back to the problem of Republican denial about why they lost power. They are supremely confident about their views on national security and foreign policy, and they cannot conceive that a majority of the country would reject them because of the policies they advocated and enacted. Worse still, they remain wedded to the hectoring, moralistic and aggressive approach of the last administration, in which sanctions and condemnation are the only "soft" tools they understand. They are so wedded to this approach that that they think this is not only the best kind of foreign policy, but that anything other than this is fecklessness and surrender.
This impulsively Romantic habit of mind that many (most?) conservatives have is deeply irritating, and deeply irresponsible. I remember arguing with a Republican friend about democracy in Iraq. Every prudent objection I'd make about the difficulty, even the folly, of trying to impose liberal democracy on a country with no history of it was met with some version of, "So you don't think Iraqis are good enough for democracy?" The simplistic point was that to draw prudent, realistic conclusions about the possibilities of what might be accomplished in Iraq was to reveal one's moral cowardice, and even one's racism. This kind of emotionalism makes a rational debate about policy difficult, and even impossible. It's the equivalent of shouting "Racism!" to shut down a debate about affirmative action....
