Bush, Maliki Agree Talks on Security Deal Going Well (www.voanews.com)

Tags: iraq,occupation,permanent bases,maliki,bush

Maybe someone ought to explain to Bush what "boqra, inshallah" really means. Oh, what am I thinking, he can't even understand English.

Baghdad Base's New Generators Run on Trash (blog.wired.com)

Tags: iraq,us military,logistics

Submitted 5 months ago by rmwarnick

"Those convoys that carry fuel are also known as targets," says Army biotech scientist Dr. James Valdes. "So our logic was...could we use the garbage to make fuel and thereby get rid of the garbage and help to keep the convoys off the streets."

'Curveball' Speaks, And a Reputation As a Disinformation Agent Remains Intact (www.latimes.com)

Tags: iraq,wmd,curveball,lies,intelligence

Submitted 5 months ago by rmwarnick

The Iraqi informant code-named Curveball has flipped burgers at McDonald's and Burger King... He also has faced withering international scorn for peddling discredited intelligence that helped spur an invasion of his native country.

The Greatest Story Never Told: Finally, the U.S. Mega-Bases in Iraq Make the News (tomdispatch.com)

Tags: iraq,occupation,permanent bases,us military

Submitted 5 months ago by rmwarnick

Imagine if just about no one knew that the pyramids had been built. Ditto the Great Wall of China. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Coliseum. The Eiffel Tower. The Statue of Liberty. Or any other architectural wonder of the world you'd care to mention.

Maliki: Permanent Occupation Treaty Talks At A Dead End (www.necn.com)

Tags: iraq,maliki,occupation,permanent bases

Submitted 5 months ago by rmwarnick

As Prime Minister Maliki point out, "the U.S. proposals "do not take into consideration Iraq's sovereignty."

Patrick Cockburn: 'Iraq Is Full Of Spurious Invented Turning Points, But This Really Is A Turning Point For Iraq.' (www.democracynow.org)

Tags: iraq,cockburn,occupation,sovereignty,permanent bases

Submitted 5 months ago by rmwarnick

"I think Senator McCain’s idea that somehow...where you can have a United States Army sitting there, wholly accepted by the local population, and that there will be no armed attacks on it is a complete misunderstanding of the situation"

How Special Are the Mahdi Army 'Special Groups'? (www.longwarjournal.org)

Tags: iraq,alsadr,mahdi army,shiites,insurgents

Submitted 5 months ago by rmwarnick

Information about the degree of division within the Mahdi Army is sparse and often contradictory, with many assumptions built upon little evidence ...although Sadr frequently gives the special groups autonomy, he maintains the ability to control them.

Iraqi Sheik Offers To Take Fight to Bin Laden in Afghanistan (www.nysun.com)

Tags: iraq,al qaeda,awakening,concerned local citizens,clc,sons of iraq,us military

Submitted 5 months ago by rmwarnick

Of his meeting with Mr. Bush, Sheik Ahmad said he was impressed. "He is a brave man. He is also a wise man. He is taking care of the country's future, the United States' future."