Sandstorms are unpredictable, but in the case of Barack Obama's rushed trip to Iraq
the one that hit Baghdad just as he was landing on Tuesday afternoon
was highly unfortunate. US officials were forced to cancel the
president's helicopter flight to the Green Zone to meet Iraqi leaders.
WASHINGTON - Despite President Barack Obama's statement at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina Feb. 27 that he had "chosen a timeline that will remove our combat brigades over the next 18 months," a number of Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs), which have been the basic U.S. Army combat unit in Iraq for six years, will remain in Iraq after that date under a new non-combat label.
CommonDreams.org Editor's note: This article was orignally published in the Fall 2007 issue of YES!
As the world marks the sixth
anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, corporate media's most
prominent journalism critic is wondering if Barack Obama's Iraq policy
isn't being sufficiently scrutinized. As Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz asked recently on his CNN program (3/15/09):
"What about the previous president? I mean, he famously landed on that
aircraft carrier, declared 'Mission Accomplished,' and we're still
there.
On March 2nd, the liberal organization MoveOn.org--known for mobilizing opposition to the Bush administration through the Internet--sent an e-mail to its membership that declared the U.S. war on Iraq effectively over:
Dear MoveOn member,
I'm sure you've heard about President Obama's plan to finally bring an end to the disastrous war in Iraq. It will bring most of our troops home by August of next year--and by the end of 2011 there won't be any more troops left in Iraq. This is a major turning point in the fight to end the war.
Six years ago this week, President George W. Bush launched our nation into one of the most disastrous, misguided and dangerous military actions in our history - the initial invasion and proceeding occupation of Iraq.
Now, as a new administration seeks to withdraw troops from Iraq, it's essential that the media, the public and those of us in elected office hold them accountable.
Today marks six years since the start of the Iraq War and six years and
five months since troops invaded Afghanistan. These wars were
presumably started in response to 9/11 in the attempt to stop terrorism
and protect us from Saddam's caches of WMD.
So, how are we doing? Let's take a look.
Over the past six years in Iraq we have buried 4,261Americans and 317
coalition troops and seen 31,102 Americans wounded
(www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties).
If you haven't thought about the Iraq war as
a story of U.S. allies systematically torturing and executing
women, you're not alone. Likewise if you were under the impression
that Iraqi women were somehow better off under their new,
U.S.-sponsored government.
In the spring of 2003, Fatin was a student of architecture at
Baghdad University. Her days were filled with classes and hanging
out in her favorite of Baghdad's many cafes, where she and her
friends studied, shared music, and spun big plans for successful
careers, happy marriages, and eventually kids.
