The Talk Show American

THE TALK SHOW AMERICAN: 01/07/2007 - 01/14/2007

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Survey: Most Troops Have Positive View of Military

Most active-duty servicemembers have a positive view of their military service and aren't turning to alcohol or illegal drugs to cope with wartime-related stressors, according to findings from a Defense Department-sanctioned survey conducted in 2005.

"Despite the stresses of war and ongoing deployments, nearly all indicators of servicemembers' health and well-being continue to be quite good, especially when compared with civilian populations," Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said during a telephone interview with reporters.

The survey results also show that 66 percent of armed forces members polled view their military service positively and are satisfied with their jobs, Winkenwerder said, and nearly 50 percent of respondents said they'd like to serve in the military at least 20 years.

More than 16,000 active-duty military members assigned at 60 installations worldwide took part in the Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Military Personnel, which has been conducted every three to four years since 1980. The randomly selected respondents answered questions about their military service, substance abuse, deployment stress, mental health and weight management.

The survey was conducted by a DoD-contracted research firm, Winkenwerder said, and the information provides is used for programs that enhance troops' physical and mental well-being.

The survey's findings are consistent with military trends that began in the mid-1980s, said Dr. Robert M. Bray, director of the survey project for contractor RTI International. Servicemembers' use of alcohol and tobacco continues to decline, a circumstance that mirrors what's happening in civilian society, Bray said.

"Military rates of smoking are lowering to match civilian rates," Bray said.

Overall, military smoking for all age groups is at about 31 percent, according to survey data, compared to an overall civilian smoking rate of about 30 percent.

Yet, although smoking is declining within the military, servicemembers' use of smokeless tobacco has risen, Bray noted.

Regarding servicemembers' use of alcohol, heavy drinking has declined since 1988, Bray reported. "We see that the heavy drinking rate seems to be staying fairly flat," he said, noting that overall alcohol consumption in the military is going down.

In addition, overall incidence of illegal drug use by servicemembers of all ages has remained at 5 percent or lower since 1988, he said.

While more than 75 percent of survey respondents said they regularly engage in rigorous exercise, the incidence of overweight servicemembers is increasing, just like the average civilian's weight has increased over the last 10 years, Bray said. One culprit, he said, could be that the body mass index method of measure used today doesn't distinguish between fat and muscle, which weighs more.

Surveyed servicemembers reporting a lot of stress at work (32 percent) and family stress (19 percent) are similar to findings from the 2002 survey, Bray said.

The survey's findings also indicate a significant decline since 2002 in the incidence of serious injuries or accidents that put servicemembers in hospitals, Winkenwerder said. This could be partly explained by increased servicemember use of automobile seatbelts and motorcycle helmets, he said.

Just fewer than 18 percent of servicemembers surveyed said they believe they need mental health counseling, Winkenwerder said, adding that about 15 percent said they'd sought such counseling. Other respondents indicated that they'd visited a chaplain or talked things over with friends, he added.

"This is important, because I think it suggests that people are going for and receiving the mental health support and services that they need," Winkenwerder said.

In all, 56 percent of servicemembers polled said they believe it would not harm their military careers if they sought mental health help, Winkenwerder said. "We're pleased with that," he said,

Although wartime's circumstances are taxing servicemembers and their families, the survey's findings indicate that people are finding healthy ways to deal with stress. About 81 percent of survey respondents said they deal with stress by working out a plan, which may include exercise, hobbies, talking with family members or prayer, Winkenwerder said.

But That's Not What The Main Stream News Media Reported: Pentagon: Troops Fatter, Drinking More

Friday, January 12, 2007

"TV's Pre-Emptive War Against Iraq 'Surge'"

Before Iraq Plan Unveiled, Reporters Said It Was Unpopular, Wouldn�t Work & War Was �Lost Cause�

By the time President Bush delivered his Iraq speech Wednesday night,
the news media had spent several days engaged in what the military
calls "preparing the battlefield." The media's air war against the
plan to try to actually win the Iraq war assured that most of Bush's
audience would have already heard journalists claiming the new
mission is wrong-headed and doomed to failure.

# "Like a folly." Last Tuesday on NBC's Today, anchor emeritus Tom
Brokaw argued that the way Saddam Hussein was executed revealed Iraq
as "a deeply divided country along tribal lines," and that sending
more troops would "seem to most people...like a
folly." Brokaw added: "I think a lot of people who are raising their
hands to join the armed services are wondering, 'I'm giving my life
for that?'"

# "Wrong Way Corrigan." The next morning on Today, political analyst
Chris Matthews declared the President's plan dead on arrival: "I
expect it will be treated the way Richard Nixon's invasion of
Cambodia was reacted to. The American people aren't gonna like it."
Matthews insisted that the voters wanted to end, not mend, Bush's
Iraq policies and "for the President to go Wrong Way Corrigan on this
thing and to increase the number of troops, take us deeper into Iraq,
would be to reject the opinion of the
American people."

# "Absolutely no difference." This week, as more details of the
President's plan were revealed, the anti-surge drumbeat got louder.
On CBS's Early Show, co-host Harry Smith asked Baghdad reporter Lara
Logan if extra troops would make a difference. "The best thing we
have is to look at what has happened already. When the U.S. brought
in 12,000 more troops into Baghdad last summer, it made absolutely no
difference," Logan replied. "In fact, security here in Baghdad got
even worse."

# "Lost Cause?" On Tuesday's Today, NBC's White House reporter David
Gregory suggested even White House insiders have lost faith. "As the
President prepares to start a new phase of the war in Iraq, the White
House is fending off charges that key figures in the administration
have concluded the war is lost." NBC's graphic headline read "Lost
Cause? Can U.S. Win the War In Iraq?" Gregory also cited unnamed
"critics" to suggest Bush's motives were psychological: "U.S.
commanders who opposed adding troops to Iraq have been replaced,
prompting critics to charge the President's resolve has become stubbornness."

# Roll call of critics. On Wednesday's Good Morning America, Diane
Sawyer confronted White House aide Dan Bartlett: "I just want to run
through a partial roll call of the number of people who have either
opposed what the President is going to do, or expressed serious
reservations." As she read off names such as Colin Powell and Chuck
Hagel, their names and faces scrolled over her right shoulder. "I
could go on and on," Sawyer told Bartlett. "What don't they get? What
don't they understand?" Bartlett objected, saying some of the
generals she listed as critics "helped devise this plan."

# "Breaking Point." On yesterday's Today, co-host Meredith Vieira
doubted that the U.S. military could meet the challenge: "The
cornerstone of his plan is sending around 20,000 additional U.S.
troops into the war zone. But is the military stretched to the
breaking point already?" Reporter Jim Miklaszewski suggested it was:
"The pace of two wars has left two-thirds of the Army's combat
brigades rated 'Not Ready to Fight.'"

# "The cost has been enormous." Uniquely last night, CBS's Katie
Couric decided to introduce Bush's speech by repeating the war's
terrible toll: "Four years into the war, the cost has been enormous.
More than 3,000 American military killed, more than 22,000 wounded.
The dollar cost, close to $400 billion." Emphasizing her point, CBS
posted each demoralizing statistic as a full-screen graphic. The new
plan may succeed, or it may fail. But the media's mantra these past
few days has been that failure
seems inevitable, so we shouldn't even try.

December Recruiting Numbers Exceed Goals

Last month's recruiting figures for all military services exceeded goals, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during testimony today before the House Armed Services Committee.

"I'm pleased to report that all active branches of the United States military exceeded their recruiting goals for the month of December," Gates said, "with particularly strong showings by the Army and the Marine Corps."

In December, the Army recruited 861 soldiers, exceeding its goal by 23 percent, according to information released by the Defense Department. The Marine Corps recruited 1,761, exceeding its goal by 10 percent, and the Navy and Air Force met their recruitment goals of 2,071 and 2,330, respectively.

Additionally, the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve exceeded their recruiting goals in December.

Gates' comments come a day after President Bush announced his plan to increase the Army's and Marine Corps' overall strength.

"We propose to (increase) in annual increments of 7,000 troops a year for the Army and 5,000 for the Marine Corps until the Marine Corps reaches a level of 202,000, and the Army would be at 547,000," Gates said at a news conference this morning.

"We should recognize that while it may take some time for these new troops to become available for deployment," Gates said, "it is important that our men and women in uniform know that additional manpower and resources are on the way."

Gates then reflected on those who volunteer to serve in the U.S. armed forces.

"Our nation is truly blessed that so many talented and patriotic young people have stepped forward to defend our nation and that so many servicemen and women have chosen to continue to serve," he said at the news conference.

Gates' remarks today about the value of recruits echo President Bush's comments during his speech yesterday outlining the new way forward in Iraq.

"In these dangerous times, the United States is blessed to have extraordinary and selfless men and women willing to step forward and defend us," Bush said. "These young Americans understand that...the advance of freedom is the calling of our time."

TEARS OF A PRESIDENT


Tears run from the eyes of U.S. President George W. Bush during a ceremony in honor of Medal of Honor winner Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham in the East room of the White House in Washington, January 11, 2007.

Cpl. Dunham was killed when he jumped on a grenade to save fellow members of his Marine patrol while serving in Iraq.

Deficit Falls to Lowest Level in 4 Years

The federal deficit has improved significantly in the first three months of the new budget year, helped by a continued surge in tax revenues.

In its monthly budget report, the Treasury Department said Friday that the deficit from October through December totaled $80.4 billion, the smallest imbalance for the first three months of a budget year since The budget year ends Sept. 30.

Tax collections are running 8.2 percent higher than a year ago while government spending is up by just 0.7 percent from a year ago. Last year's spending totals were boosted by significant payments to help the victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The Treasury said for December, the government actually ran a surplus of $44.5 billion, the largest surplus ever recorded in December and a gain that reflected a big jump in quarterly corporate tax payments.

The $80.4 billion deficit for the first three months of the current budget year was down 32.6 percent from the imbalance for the same period a year ago of $119.4 billion.

For the year, analysts are still forecasting that the deficit will worsen from last year's total of $248.2 billion, which had been the lowest in four years.

The Congressional Budget Office is forecasting that the deficit for the 2007 budget year will rise to $286 billion, an increase of 15.2 percent from last year, but that figure could be lowered when the CBO releases its revised estimate later this month.

President Bush has said his new budget will outline a path to eliminate the deficit completely by 2012.

For the first three months of the current budget year, revenues total $573.5 billion, an increase of 8.2 percent from tax collections in the same period a year ago. Outlays totaled $653.9 billion, up 0.7 percent from a year ago.

Al Qaida in Baghdad traffics in weapons stolen from Saddam's arsenal

Al Qaida is a major player in Iraq's weapons trade.
U.S. officials said Al Qaida, in cooperation with former Saddam Hussein loyalists, has been acquiring large amounts of weapons stolen from Iraq army arsenals and acquired from Syria. Al Qaida has used some of the weapons and explosives to supply other cells assigned to attack Shi'ites and U.S.-led coalition forces.

"Al Qaida has the money and organization to play a major role in the weapons trade, particularly in the provinces of Anbar, Baghdad and Diyala," an official said.

On Jan. 2, the U.S. military reported a raid against an Al Qaida weapons dealer in Baghdad. The military said three insurgents were killed, one injured and two arrested.

"One of the men killed, an Al Qaida weapons dealer whom coalition forces were targeting, was identified by his wife," a military statement said.

The military did not identify the weapons dealer, said to have traded in rifles, explosives and ammunition. But officials said he was one of several in the Al Qaida weapons trade in the Baghdad area.

The Iraq army also captured an Al Qaida operative who facilitated the flow of improvised explosive devices to Anbar. The military said the unidentified operative maintained close ties to the Al Qaida network leadership.

Captured documents confirm Iran backing for all sides against U.S. in Iraq

The U.S. military has found evidence that Iran helped train and equip Al Qaida's network in Iraq as well as Shi'ite insurgents.

The U.S. military has been analyzing Iranian intelligence memorandums and other reports that represent the strongest confirmation of long-standing assessments that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is aiding both Sunni and Shi'ite insurgents in an effort to undermine Iraq and expel the U.S.-led coalition.

"The documents have been determined as authentic and provide the most detailed evidence of Iran's strategy in Iraq," an official said. "In short, Iran has been helping everybody, with the possible exception of the Saddam people, against us."


The U.S. military obtained the Iranian documents in December 2006 during the arrest of suspected Iranian intelligence commanders in Baghdad. The documents had been in possession of a suspected commander known only as Chizari. Chizari was captured inside a compound of Shi'ite leader Abdul Aziz Hakim, who earlier met President George Bush.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

US Troops Storm Iranian Consulate

US forces have stormed an Iranian consulate in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil and seized six members of staff.
The troops raided the building at about 0300 (0001GMT), taking away computers and papers, according to Kurdish media and senior local officials.

The US military would only confirm the detention of six people around Irbil.

The raid comes amid high Iran-US tension. The US accuses Iran of helping to fuel violence in Iraq and seeking nuclear arms. Iran denies both charges.

Tehran counters that US military involvement in the Middle East endangers the whole region.

A local TV station said Kurdish security forces had taken over the building after the Americans had left.

Irbil lies in Iraq's Kurdish-controlled north, about 350km (220 miles) from the capital Baghdad.

Reports say the Iranian consulate there was set up last year under an agreement with the Kurdish regional government to facilitate cross-border visits.

Iranian media said the country's embassy in Baghdad had sent a letter of protest about the raid to the Iraqi foreign ministry.

One Iranian news agency with a correspondent in Irbil says five US helicopters were used to land troops on the roof of the Iranian consulate.

It reports that a number of vehicles cordoned off the streets around the building, while US soldiers warned the occupants in three different languages that they should surrender or be killed.

In December, US troops detained a number of Iranians in Iraq, including two with diplomatic immunity who were later released.

Thursday's raid came as US President George W Bush unveiled his new strategy in Iraq, which included increasing troop numbers and a commitment to stop Iranian support for "our enemies in Iraq".

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

21,500 More Troops To Iraq

17,500 for Baghdad; 4,000 for Anbar

President Bush will tell Americans Wednesday he will send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq as part of a long-delayed new plan for the unpopular war, setting up a confrontation with Democrats.

The fresh infusion of troops will join about 130,000 already in Iraq. Senior administration officials said 17,500 would go to Baghdad and 4,000 to volatile Anbar province.

The first wave of troops are expected to arrive in five days, with others coming in additional waves. Under the plan, the Iraqi government will deploy additional Iraqi troops to Baghdad with a first brigade deploying Feb. 1 and two more by Feb. 15.

Senior administration officials said the cost of the troop increase would be around $5.6 billion. An additional $1.2 billion would finance a rebuilding and jobs programs.

Democratic leaders of the U.S. Congress say they plan to hold symbolic votes in the House of Representatives and the Senate on Bush's plan, which will force the president's Republicans to take a stand on the proposal in an attempt to isolate the president politically over his handling of the war.

They also could try to cut funding for the revised war strategy, but so far Democratic leaders have shied away from threats to do that, although some would like to do so.

Al Qaeda Chief in Somalia Killed; Somalia Expects US Ground Troops Soon

A senior al-Qaida suspect wanted for bombing American embassies in East Africa was killed in a U.S. airstrike, a Somali official said Wednesday, a report that if confirmed would mean the end of an eight-year hunt for a top target of Washington's war on terrorism.

The report came as U.S forces apparently launched a third day of airstrikes in southern Somalia. Witnesses said an AC-130 gunship attacked a suspected al-Qaida training camp. At least four separate strikes were reported Wednesday around Ras Kamboni, on the Somali coast and a few miles from the Kenyan border.

Also Wednesday, Somalia's deputy prime minister said American troops were needed on the ground to root extremists from his troubled country, and he expected the troops soon. It was the first indication that the U.S. military may expand its campaign.

Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who allegedly planned the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa, was killed in a U.S. airstrike Monday, according to an American intelligence report passed on to the Somali authorities.

"I have received a report from the American side chronicling the targets and list of damage," Abdirizak Hassan, the Somali president's chief of staff, told The Associated Press. "One of the items they were claiming was that Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is dead."

If confirmed, Mohammed's death would be a major victory for the U.S. in its hunt for the 1998 embassy bombers. The strike was part of the first U.S. offensive in the African country since 18 American soldiers were killed there in 1993.

The campaign is aimed at capturing al-Qaida members thought to be fleeing Somalia since the Islamic militia that sheltered them began losing ground to Somali government soldiers backed by Ethiopian troops last month.

Fazul, 32, joined al-Qaida in Afghanistan and trained there with Osama bin Laden, according to the transcript of an FBI interrogation of a known associate. He had a $5 million bounty on his head for allegedly planning the 1998 attacks on the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which killed 225 people.

He is also suspected of planning the car bombing of a beach resort in Kenya and the near simultaneous attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner in 2002. Ten Kenyans and three Israelis were killed in the blast at the hotel, 12 miles north of Mombasa. The missiles missed the airliner.

Somalia's Deputy Prime Minister Hussein Aideed said U.S. special forces are needed on the ground as government forces backed by Ethiopia are unable to capture the last remaining hideouts of suspected extremists.
"The only way we are going to kill or capture the surviving al-Qaida terrorists is for U.S. special forces to go in on the ground," Aideed, a former U.S. Marine said. "They have the know-how and the right equipment to capture these people."


"As far as we are aware they are not on the ground yet, but it is only a matter of time,"
Aideed said.

Defense Department officials, speaking privately Tuesday in Washington because the department was not releasing the information, suggested the military was either planning or considering additional strikes in Somalia.

With a U.S. aircraft carrier off Somalia's coast, commanders can call in strikes. Defense Department officials said that as of Tuesday, three other U.S. warships were conducting anti-terror operations off Somalia's coast.

Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said Tuesday the U.S. military assault had been based on credible intelligence. He would not confirm any details of the strikes, conducted by at least one AC-130 gunship. He would not say if any specific members of al-Qaida had been killed, or address if the operations were continuing.




Helicopters strafe al-Qaida in Somalia

Attack helicopters strafed suspected al-Qaida fighters in southern Somalia on Tuesday, witnesses said, following two days of airstrikes by U.S. forces � the first U.S. offensives in the African country since 18 American soldiers were killed here in 1993.

In Washington, a U.S. intelligence official said American forces killed five to 10 people in an attack on one target in southern Somalia believed to be associated with al-Qaida. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the operation's sensitivity, said a small number of others present, perhaps four or five, were wounded.

A Somali Defense Ministry official described the helicopters as American, but witnesses told The Associated Press they could not make out identification markings on the craft. Washington officials had no comment on the helicopter strike.

The U.S. is hunting down Islamic extremists, said the Somali defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

Earlier, Somalia's president said that the U.S. was pursuing suspects in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa, and that the effort has his support.

Col. Shino Moalin Nur, a Somali military commander, told the AP by telephone late Tuesday that at least one U.S. AC-130 gunship attacked a suspected al-Qaida training camp Sunday on a remote island at the southern tip of Somalia next to Kenya.

Somali officials said they had reports of many deaths.

On Monday, witnesses and Nur said, more U.S. airstrikes were launched against Islamic extremists in Hayi, 30 miles from Afmadow. Nur said attacks continued Tuesday.

"Nobody can exactly explain what is going on inside these forested areas," the Somali commander said. "However, we are receiving reports that most of the Islamist fighters have died and the rest would be captured soon."

In Washington on Tuesday, Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman spoke of one strike in southern Somalia, but would not confirm any of the details or say whether any al-Qaida militants were killed.

The assault was based on intelligence "that led us to believe we had principal al-Qaida leaders in an area where we could identify them and take action against them," Whitman said.

Somali Islamic extremists are accused of sheltering suspects in the 1998 embassy bombings. American officials also want to ensure the militants no longer pose a threat to Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government.

The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has arrived off Somalia's coast and launched intelligence-gathering missions over Somalia, the U.S. military said. Three other U.S. warships were conducting anti-terror operations.

U.S. warships have been seeking to capture al-Qaida members thought to be fleeing Somalia by sea after Ethiopia's military invaded Dec. 24 in support of the interim Somali government. The offensive drove the Islamic militia out of much of southern Somalia, including the capital Mogadishu, and toward the Kenyan border.

President Abdullahi Yusuf, head of the U.N.-backed transitional government, told journalists in Mogadishu that the U.S. "has a right to bombard terrorist suspects who attacked its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania."

Government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said it was not known how many people were killed, "but we understand there were a lot of casualties. Most were Islamic fighters."

Another attack by an AC-130 gunship reportedly occurred Monday afternoon on Badmadow island, in a group of six rocky islands known as Ras Kamboni � a suspected terrorist training base.

The U.S. military's main target on the island was thought to be Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who allegedly planned the 1998 attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 225 people.

50 militants reported killed in Baghdad

U.S. jets screamed low over the capital and helicopter gunships swooped in to pound a central Baghdad battleground Tuesday, supporting Iraqi and American troops in a daylong fight that officials said killed 50 insurgents in a militant Sunni Arab stronghold.

The battle raged on Haifa Street about 1 1/2 miles north of the heavily fortified Green Zone � home to the U.S. Embassy and other facilities � on the eve of President Bush's expected announcement that he would send 20,000 more soldiers to Iraq despite growing opposition on Capitol Hill.

It was the second major confrontation on Haifa Street in the four days since Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a new drive to rid Baghdad of sectarian fighters.

The U.S. military said about 1,000 Iraqi and U.S. soldiers carried out "targeted raids to capture multiple targets, disrupt insurgent activity and restore Iraqi Security Forces control of North Haifa Street."

"This area has been subject to insurgent activity which has repeatedly disrupted Iraqi Security Force operations in central Baghdad," said a statement quoting Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, spokesman for Multi-National Division Baghdad.

He said the U.S. jets buzzing the city did not conduct any airstrikes, but "attack helicopters were used to engage targets in support of the ground forces."

Bleichwehl said no American or Iraqi soldiers were killed. He did not address the number of militants killed, while the Iraqi Defense Ministry reported 50 deaths among insurgents.

U.S. strikes al-Qaida in Somalia

The U.S. military launched a strike against several suspected members of al-Qaida in Somalia, a government official said Monday night.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the operation's sensitivity, said at least one AC-130 gunship was used in the attack.

CNN, NBC and CBS first reported the military action. Citing Pentagon officials, CBS said the targets included the senior al-Qaida leader in East Africa and an al-Qaida operative wanted for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The same operatives are also believed responsible for a 2002 attack on Israeli tourists in Kenya and an attempt to shoot down an Israeli aircraft the same day, NBC News reported.

The 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed more than 250 people. The 2002 attack on an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya killed 15.

The White House on Monday night would not confirm the incident. Air Force Lt. Col. Todd Vician, a Defense Department spokesman, said he could neither confirm nor deny the reports of an airstrike.

Meanwhile, the Bahrain-based U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet announced Tuesday that "due to rapidly developing events in Somalia," the U.S. Central Command has sent the carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower to join three other warships in the coastal waters of Somalia.

It was not immediately clear whether any aircraft from those ships were involved in the attacks on the al-Qaida targets. It also was not clear whether any of the targets were killed.

The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, reported that one of the targets was embassy bombing suspect Abu Talha al Sudani. Somalia's deputy defense minister Salad Ali Jelle told reporters last week that al Sudani had led Islamic militiamen in a battle with government troops in which 10 people were killed.

Air Force AC-130 gunships are heavily armed aircraft with elaborate sensors that can go after discreet targets � day or night. They are operated by the Special Operations Command and have been used heavily against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

U.S. Navy vessels have been deployed off the coast of Somalia to make sure al-Qaida or allied jihadists don't escape the country, the State Department said last Wednesday.

The U.S. has believed for years that a group of al-Qaida operatives has been hiding in Somalia.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Greenspan: U.S. Economy Moving Upward

The U.S. economy is, overall, moving upward and showing signs of accelerating again, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Japanese Finance Minister Koji Omi, a Japanese Finance Ministry official said on Monday.

Omi, who is meeting top economic officials in Washington, met with Greenspan on Monday afternoon to discuss the U.S. and Japanese economies.

U.S. economic growth slowed in the latter half of 2006, and many Fed officials expect growth to be near or slightly below trend before picking up later this year.

Greenspan also said the stabilization of Japan's financial system was a welcome development, the MOF official said.

Omi, who also met U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson earlier in the day, said Japan's economy was on a steady recovery track. Paulson told his counterpart that the U.S. economy was solid, Omi said.

Experts: Economy Ready to Rebound

If experts' predictions are correct, then consumers who have been looking for signs the housing industry is ready to reverse the dismal course it's been on the last several months and be less of a drag on the economy may not have to wait much longer.
Chris Varvares of Macroeconomic Advisers Llc. says, "The worst of the drag on the economy from construction is behind us."

The president of the St. Louis, Mo.-based company says as a result, growth should increase to an annual rate of more than three percent in the second quarter, up from 2-� percent in the current quarter.

That, he adds, would lessen the pressure on the Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates disappointing bond investors who expect Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will cut rates as soon as May.

Another source at credit rating company Fitch Inc., New York, agrees, noting investors are optimistic a change in the momentum in the housing market is imminent.

The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of existing homes rose in Nov. 2006 for the second consecutive month, and the association opined that the level of sales activity suggested "a turn in the market." That was the first back-to-back monthly gain since late 2005. New home sales are also up.

Total housing inventory levels fell one percent at the end of November to 3.82 million existing homes available for sale, said NAR. That represents a 7.3 months supply at the current sales pace.

In addition, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported that for week ending Dec. 29, mortgage loan volume was up 3.6% from the previous week.

Looking back to 2006, NAR chief economist David Lereah said, "As the housing market recovers from its correction, existing-home sales should be rising gradually during 2007 � it looks like we may have reached the low point for the current cycle in September. We've entered a more sustainable period of home sales now, and we expect greater support for prices over time as inventory levels are eventually drawn down."

Terrorists Killed, Detained in Iraq; Weapons Discovered

At least three insurgents were killed, an al Qaeda cell leader was captured, and other suspected terrorists were detained through several recent operations in Iraq, military officials reported.

-- Soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, with support from coalition forces, are conducting raids today in Baghdad. Three insurgents have been arrested so far in the ongoing operation.

-- Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, detained seven suspects and discovered a weapons cache yesterday in northern Baghdad.

-- Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army, yesterday discovered five rocket-propelled grenade launchers, seven AK-47 rifles, one sniper rifle, ammunition, and six mortar fuses west of Ghazaliya.

-- Iraqi police provided medical screenings yesterday for children at a southern Ramadi school. Police forces visited classrooms, talked with students and handed out backpacks, Iraqi flags, soccer balls and jerseys, stickers, toys and candy.

-- 5th Iraqi Army troops and Task Force Lightning soldiers killed three insurgents, detained several suspected terrorists and discovered multiple caches Jan. 7 during operations in Tahrir village.

-- 6th Iraqi Army Division forces with coalition advisors captured the cell leader of an illegal armed group Jan. 7 during an operation in the Salaam district of northern Baghdad. The cell leader is responsible for kidnapping and murdering Iraqi civilians and security forces.

-- Following a firefight with terrorists Jan. 7 in Tameem, Iraqi police captured insurgents, confiscated a mortar tube and uncovered a weapons cache.

-- Iraqi army and coalition forces killed several insurgents, detained several suspected terrorists, and discovered several large weapons caches over the past five days during operations near Turki village. The caches contained hundreds of rockets, improvised explosive device-making materials, small-arms munitions and dozens of anti-tank weapons.

-- Iraqi troops working with 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, soldiers discovered an improvised explosive device Jan. 7 while patrolling the fish farm area west of Iskandariyah.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Pelosi Suggests Congress Could Deny Iraq Funds

Democrats now running Congress will not give President Bush a blank check to wage war in Iraq, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday, suggesting they could deny him the money should he call for additional troops.

Yet Pelosi's second-in-command and a Senate leader on foreign affairs questioned the wisdom and legality of using the power of the purse to thwart the White House as Bush prepared to announce his revised war strategy this week - perhaps on Wednesday.

Republicans, now in the minority, said more troops were needed to get a handle on the spiraling violence in Iraq. They also cast doubt whether Democrats would - or could - block the president's plans.
"Congress is incapable of micromanaging the tactics in the war,"
said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Pelosi made clear that her party supported boosting the overall size of the military "to protect the American people against any threats to our interests, wherever they may occur. That's different, though, from adding troops to Iraq." She also said Democrats would not cut off money for those troops already in Iraq.

"The burden is on the president to justify any additional resources for a mission," said Pelosi, D-Calif. "Congress is ready to use its constitutional authority of oversight to question what is the justification for this spending, what are the results we are receiving."

"There's not a carte blanche, a blank check for him to do whatever he wishes there," she added in an interview taped Saturday and broadcast Sunday.

Asked about Pelosi's remarks, White House spokesman Alex Conant said Bush welcomed any ideas on Iraq that "lead to success."

"We're glad the speaker wants us to succeed in Iraq," he said.

While leading Democrats reaffirmed their opposition to a troop buildup, several did not join Pelosi in suggesting it was possible Congress could deny Bush the money for the additional forces.

"I don't want to anticipate that," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

Sen. Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a 2008 presidential candidate, said increasing troops would be a "tragic mistake." But he contended Congress was constitutionally powerless to second-guess Bush's military strategy because lawmakers had voted to authorize the commander in chief to wage war.

"As a practical matter, there's no way to say, 'Mr. President, stop,"' Biden said, unless enough congressional Republicans join Democrats in persuading Bush that the strategy is wrong. "You can't go in and, like a tinker toy, and play around and say, 'You can't spend the money on this piece and this piece."'

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., criticized the Democratic proposal as a "formula for defeat," saying more troops are needed because the U.S. military never had enough personnel in Iraq to get the job done.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., wrote in Sunday's Washington Post that boosting troops for an indefinite time was necessary to secure peace in the Mideast.

"When we authorized this war, we accepted the responsibility to make sure they could prevail," he wrote. "Even greater than the costs incurred thus far and in the future are the catastrophic consequences that would ensure from our failure in Iraq."

But Pelosi, pointing to the November elections that ousted Republicans from control of the House and Senate, said Iraq already is in complete chaos.

"The American people have spoken very clearly on the subject in the election," she said. "And this war in Iraq is damaging our military readiness, so it is not making America safer, it is not making the region more stable."

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said she would like to see a congressional vote on whether Bush can send in additional troops.

"My belief is, the president's coming to us," she said. "He's going to ask for billions and billions of dollars. He's going to send more of our people into harm's way. I think it would be best for the country if we got to vote on that surge or escalation."

Democrats Stretch '100 Hours' Agenda

Nancy Pelosi and the new Democratic majority in Congress and their dust-up over a "100 Hours� of reform may be just that � a lot of dust.

We hear from the Hill that among Pelosi�s first acts was to give the House off from work Monday, January 8, which should have been its first "back to business� day.

But that�s not all. House Speaker Pelosi�s office has plenty of more "off days� marked, including February 19-23, April 2-13, May 28-June 1, July 2-6 and August 6-31.

No doubt,implementation of the Democrats� "100 hours� agenda could take months � not hours.

Democrats vowed to immediately launch a 100-hour push to pass a wide range of legislation, including raising the minimum wage, implementing 9/11 Commission recommendations, cutting subsidies to the oil industry, promoting embryonic stem cell research and making college educations and prescription drugs more affordable.

It sounded like major action in days. But the "100 hours� refers only to the time that Congress is actually in session. And none of those hours are being chalked up on Monday. And Congress can easily be in session for a few hours any given day � meaning a 100 hours can last a long, long time.

Troop Surge Only Option for Iraq

With President Bush slated to announce a revised policy for Iraq on Wednesday, a new study by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is recommending a large and sustained surge of U.S. forces to secure and protect critical areas of Baghdad.

AEI resident scholar Frederick Kagan and retired Army Gen. Jack Keane directed the report in consultation with military and regional experts, including former Afghanistan coalition commander Lt. Gen. David Barno, and other officers involved with the successful operations of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Tal Afar.

Entitled "Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq," the study concludes that victory is still an option in Iraq; that victory in Iraq is vital to America's security; and that defeat will likely lead to regional conflict, humanitarian catastrophe, and increased global terrorism.

"Iraq has reached a critical point. The strategy of relying on a political process to eliminate the insurgency has failed. Rising sectarian violence threatens to break America's will to fight. This violence will destroy the Iraqi government, armed forces, and people if it is not rapidly controlled," the authors conclude.

The basic outline of the plan for victory includes:


We must balance our focus on training Iraqi soldiers with a determined effort to secure the Iraqi population and contain the rising violence. Securing the population has never been the primary mission of the U.S. military effort in Iraq, and now it must become the first priority.

We must send more American combat forces into Iraq and especially into Baghdad to support this operation. A surge of seven Army brigades and Marine regiments to support clear-and-hold operations that begin in the spring of 2007 is necessary, possible, and will be sufficient to improve security and set conditions for economic development, political development, reconciliation, and the development of Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) to provide permanent security.

American forces, partnered with Iraqi units, will clear high-violence Sunni and mixed Sunni-Shia neighborhoods, primarily on the west side of the city.

After those neighborhoods are cleared, U.S. soldiers and Marines, again partnered with Iraqis, will remain behind to maintain security, reconstitute police forces, and integrate police and Iraqi Army efforts to maintain the population's security.

As security is established, reconstruction aid will help to reestablish normal life, bolster employment, and, working through Iraqi officials, strengthen Iraqi local government.

Securing the population strengthens the ability of Iraq's central government to exercise its sovereign powers.
This approach requires a national commitment to victory in Iraq, the authors of the report write, noting:

The ground forces must accept longer tours for several years. National Guard units will have to accept increased deployments during this period.

Equipment shortages must be overcome by transferring equipment from non-deploying active-duty, National Guard, and reserve units to those about to deploy. Military industry must be mobilized to provide replacement equipment sets urgently.

The president must request a dramatic increase in reconstruction aid for Iraq. Responsibility and accountability for reconstruction must be assigned to established agencies. The president must insist upon the completion of reconstruction projects. The president should also request a dramatic increase in Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) funds.

The president must request a substantial increase in ground forces end strength. This increase is vital to sustaining the morale of the combat forces by ensuring that relief is on the way. The president must issue a personal call for young Americans to volunteer to fight in the decisive conflict of this generation.

The president and his representatives in Iraq must forge unity of effort with the Iraqi government.

Ominously, the report concludes: "Other courses of action have been proposed. All will fail."

Israel Plans Nuke Strike on Iran

Israel has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons, Britain's Sunday Times newspaper said.

Citing what it said were several Israeli military sources, the paper said two Israeli air force squadrons had been training to blow up an enrichment plant in Natanz using low-yield nuclear "bunker busters."

Two other sites, a heavy water plant at Arak and a uranium conversion plant at Isfahan, would be targeted with conventional bombs, the Sunday Times said.

Israel has refused to rule out pre-emptive military action against Iran along the lines of its 1981 air strike against an atomic reactor in Iraq, though many analysts believe Iran's nuclear facilities are too much for Israel to take on alone.
The newspaper said the Israeli plan envisaged conventional laser-guided bombs opening "tunnels" into the targets. Nuclear warheads would then be fired into the plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce radioactive fallout.

Israeli pilots have flown to Gibraltar in recent weeks to train for the 2,000 mile round-trip to the Iranian targets, the Sunday Times said, and three possible routes to Iran have been mapped out including one over Turkey.

However it also quoted sources as saying a nuclear strike would only be used if a conventional attack was ruled out and if the United States declined to intervene. Disclosure of the plans could be intended to put pressure on Tehran to halt enrichment, the paper added.

Israel Denies Nuke Plan for Iran