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Author: TriSec    Date: 08/25/2009 10:32:33

Good Morning.

Today is our 2,351st day in Iraq.

We'll start this morning as we always do, with the latest casualty figures from Iraq and Afghanistan, courtesy of antiwar.com:

American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4335
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03): 4196
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3874
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3476
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 107

Other Coalition Troops - Iraq: 318
US Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 798
Other Military Deaths - Afghanistan: 538
Contractor Employee Deaths - Iraq: 1,395
Journalists - Iraq: 331
Academics Killed - Iraq: 423

We find this morning's cost of war has passed another milestone.

$ 901, 913, 475, 000 .00




Have you been following the elections overseas? You know, in those places where we built up democracy? Seems like both countries are having problems. We'll start in Afghanistan, where both sides are claiming victory. Of course, there's allegations of abuse, but what grabbed me is the line in the story about the full results not coming out for at least a month. That seems like a general excuse for mayhem and rioting for weeks, no?


KABUL — Afghanistan prepared Monday to roll out partial results from a hotly contested election marred by allegations of massive fraud and tensions as President Hamid Karzai and his top rival claimed the lead.

Officials will release preliminary results from Tuesday, but the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) has warned that the final result, due only next month, could be swayed by investigations into some of the 225 recorded abuses.

The United Nations threw its full weight behind the complaints commission's investigations and appealed for patience.

"It is not my job to define how significant and how widespread those irregularities have been. That is up to the process that now follows and where the ECC will play a critical role," UN special envoy Kai Eide said.

"I must say to the candidates, I must say to the campaigns, to the voters and perhaps the same to the media that you must respect this process. This is the critical part of it and respect also means demonstrating patience," he said.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) said it would release results piecemeal from Tuesday as they arrive from polling centres.

"We're going to announce some preliminary results, maybe 10 to 11 percent, tomorrow," IEC spokesman Noor Mohammad Noor told AFP.

Karzai had been tipped to easily clinch a second term. But a strong campaign by former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and reports of a miserable turnout in the president's southern powerbase have fuelled speculation of a run-off.

But while Abdullah on Sunday alleged widespread rigging in favour of the 51-year-old incumbent, some observers said he could be positioning himself for defeat and for a role in the political opposition.

"Negotiations are well under way for Abdullah to accept defeat at the first round. It may depend on what he gets in exchange," one Western diplomat in Kabul told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Abdullah could agree not to emphasise the irregularities, such as accusations of massive fraud, a low turnout and scarcity of observers, and instead accept an influential post-election role, according to diplomats.

In this case he could demand a far higher price than Mohammad Younis Qanouni, who was runner-up to Karzai at the first presidential election in 2004 and went on to become speaker of the national assembly.

"Abdullah can ask for more. The first results to be unveiled by the IEC on Tuesday can impact the result of these negotiations," said the diplomat.

A spokesman for Abdullah, who campaigned to introduce a more parliamentary system of government, left the door open to him becoming Afghanistan's first serious post-Taliban opposition leader.

"It's too early to talk about this but in general whether he wins or doesn't win, Dr Abdullah remains committed to his principles and goals," the spokesman, Sayed Aqa Fazil Sancharaki, told AFP.

"This is to bring change -- to amend the constitution, to change the system from presidential to parliamentary, and elected governors," he added.

The result could effectively divide the north and the south of the country, as Abdullah has his powerbase in the north, among ethnic Tajiks, while Karzai has strong influence in the Pashtun-dominated south.



Of course, we all know that Afghanistan has long been the 'forgotten stepchild' in Bush's "warron terra". While Iraq continues to dominate the headlines, our soldiers carry on in obscurity in the mountains. Word now is coming from NATO commanders on the ground that there's not enough troops to do the job.


BAGRAM, Afghanistan — American military commanders with the NATO mission in Afghanistan told President Obama’s chief envoy to the region this weekend that they did not have enough troops to do their job, pushed past their limit by Taliban rebels who operate across borders.

The commanders emphasized problems in southern Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents continue to bombard towns and villages with rockets despite a new influx of American troops, and in eastern Afghanistan, where the father-and-son-led Haqqani network of militants has become the main source of attacks against American troops and their Afghan allies.

The possibility that more troops will be needed in Afghanistan presents the Obama administration with another problem in dealing with a nearly eight-year war that has lost popularity at home, compounded by new questions over the credibility of the Afghan government, which has just held an as-yet inconclusive presidential election beset by complaints of fraud.

The assessments come as the top American commander in the country, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, has been working to complete a major war strategy review, and as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, described a worsening situation in Afghanistan despite the recent addition of 17,000 American troops ordered by the Obama administration and the extra security efforts surrounding the presidential election.

“I think it is serious and it is deteriorating,” Admiral Mullen said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “The Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated, in their tactics.” He added that General McChrystal was still completing his review and had not yet requested additional troops on top of the those added by Mr. Obama.

The American commanders in Afghanistan spoke this weekend with Richard C. Holbrooke, Mr. Obama’s special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Over the past two days, Mr. Holbrooke visited all four regional command centers in Afghanistan, and the message from all four followed similar lines: while the additional American troops, along with smaller increases from other NATO members, have had some benefit in the south, the numbers remain below what commanders need. The total number of American soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan is now about 57,000. It was unclear whether the commanders told Mr. Holbrooke exactly how many additional troops might be required.




So, if Afghanistan is crumbling around us, we can at least look to Iraq as a succes story, right? After all...we pulled our troops out of the cities and they have a democratically-elected leadership, right? Funny thing about that democracy....it appears that a coalition of Shiite leaders with ties to Iran is positioning itself to exclude Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Not only does that make it difficult to govern, but in the upcoming elections (they sure have a lot of those over there, huh?) the Sunnis may lose power entirely and we'll be faced with a strongly Iran-leaning government.


SAMARRA, Iraq, Aug. 24 -- Major Shiite parties with close links to Iran announced a new coalition Monday that excludes Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a development that appears to make him the underdog in the coming national elections.

If the new coalition remains intact and secures a majority of parliamentary seats in the Jan. 16 vote, Iraq's next government probably will be run by leaders with deep ties to Iran, which would considerably curb U.S. influence here as American troops continue to withdraw.

The new alliance and the likelihood that Maliki will be forced have to partner with Sunnis suggest that Iraqi politicians are increasingly willing to cross sectarian lines in the pursuit of power.

Maliki's exclusion from the alliance was not entirely surprising. Despite his considerable popularity, the prime minister has become a divisive figure, and a recent surge in violence has triggered criticism from Iraqis who view his administration as cocky and incompetent.

Because of the volatile nature of Iraqi politics and the fickleness of alliances, analysts cautioned that the political groupings are likely to change between now and the time the ballots are printed. Alliances could even be redrawn after the votes are tallied.

"All possibilities are open," said Shiite lawmaker Jaber Habib Jaber, who is part of the new coalition. "Negotiations are still ongoing with Maliki's camp."

The new Shiite coalition will be led by the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a conservative party that is among Iran's closest allies in Iraq. It also includes the movement of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr; the Fadhila Party; former Pentagon ally Ahmed Chalabi; and former prime minister Ibrahim al-Jafari.

Alliance leaders said they invited Maliki to join but refused to guarantee that he would keep his job if the alliance obtained a majority of seats.

Lawmaker Samira al-Musawi, who is close to Maliki, said members of the prime minister's new political wing, known as State of Law, were unlikely to join the new coalition. "We want to have a solid alliance that does not dissolve," she said in a telephone interview. Maliki is likely to ally himself with Sunni leader Ahmed Abu Risha, who gained prominence as one of the first Sunnis to join forces with the U.S. military in 2006 in western Iraq to fight the Sunni extremist group al-Qaeda in Iraq. In recent months, Maliki has also reached out to Sunni and Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq.

Deposed leader Saddam Hussein, who was Sunni, oppressed Iraq's Shiite majority.

The new Shiite coalition replaces the United Iraqi Alliance, which became the leading bloc in parliament after the country's first parliamentary elections, in December 2005.



It's all very interesting. I'm sure the former president didn't have this in mind when we invaded. But then again, I suppose the people now in power in Iraq and Afghanistan learned the tricks of the trade from Cheney and Rove. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree these days.


 

39 comments (Latest Comment: 08/26/2009 05:20:00 by trojanrabbit)
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Comment by Scoopster on 08/25/2009 13:05:48
Comment by wickedpam on 08/25/2009 13:06:31
Morning

Comment by Will in Chicago on 08/25/2009 13:16:54
Good morning!



Excellent post, TriSec!



I have to run out, so just checking in before I head out. Have a great day.

Comment by wickedpam on 08/25/2009 13:37:54
Beaker? Did I heard a Muppet reference to Beaker?

Comment by Raine on 08/25/2009 14:07:47
Quote by Scoopster:

Morning all!



Well it's official - the entire Republican party is on board with the bullshit death panel farce.


*sigh*



These are the same f*ckers who were trying to kill medicare a few years ago right?





Comment by Raine on 08/25/2009 14:08:24
Good Morning, btw!

Comment by BobR on 08/25/2009 14:10:02
Thanks for the depressing news from the Middle East, TriSec.... ooof.

Comment by BobR on 08/25/2009 14:12:13
Quote by Scoopster:

Morning all!



Well it's official - the entire Republican party is on board with the bullshit death panel farce.


So somehow they think that with medicare, the government isn't coming between the doctor and the patient, yet with the public option, it would??



EDIT: And they don't apparently don't care about budgets either...

Comment by wickedpam on 08/25/2009 14:26:59
so his answer is that neighbors should help? asshat.

Comment by Raine on 08/25/2009 14:32:04
So it is officially turning into a RW lie that Obama is coming to circumsize EVERYONE.



RUSH: By the way, leave our penises alone, too! This is getting out of hand. There is a story that some officials in the Obama administration are pushing for circumcision for all boys born in the USA to fight HIV/AIDS. Not that I'm against circumcision, but it's a family's decision. Leave our penises alone, too, Obama! You know who's going to be really upset about this news? NOCIRC, the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers. They're a San Francisco group, and they want to eliminate circumcision. So here's Obama out there saying we have to have circumcision of every young boy born in the country. This is not going to please the NOCIRC people at all.




This lie comes from THIS article: Public health officials are considering promoting routine circumcision for all baby boys born in the United States to reduce the spread of H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS.



The topic is a delicate one that has already generated controversy, even though a formal draft of the proposed recommendations, due out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by the end of the year, has yet to be released.


Comment by Raine on 08/25/2009 14:43:34
In Case you missed it about Colburn:





Comment by wickedpam on 08/25/2009 15:11:53
MGM shout out!

Comment by Raine on 08/25/2009 15:19:09








Comment by Scoopster on 08/25/2009 15:21:57
Quote by Raine:

So it is officially turning into a RW lie that Obama is coming to circumsize EVERYONE.



RUSH: By the way, leave our penises alone, too! This is getting out of hand. There is a story that some officials in the Obama administration are pushing for circumcision for all boys born in the USA to fight HIV/AIDS. Not that I'm against circumcision, but it's a family's decision. Leave our penises alone, too, Obama! You know who's going to be really upset about this news? NOCIRC, the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers. They're a San Francisco group, and they want to eliminate circumcision. So here's Obama out there saying we have to have circumcision of every young boy born in the country. This is not going to please the NOCIRC people at all.




This lie comes from THIS article: Public health officials are considering promoting routine circumcision for all baby boys born in the United States to reduce the spread of H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS.



The topic is a delicate one that has already generated controversy, even though a formal draft of the proposed recommendations, due out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by the end of the year, has yet to be released.


In tribute to Rush Limbaugh, I propose ritual vasectomies to prevent future right-wing drug-addled gasbags from being conceived! In fact, we shall rename the procedure the Limbaugh!





Funny, you say? Not in the bizarro world..

Comment by Scoopster on 08/25/2009 15:39:46
Comment by livingonli on 08/25/2009 15:46:09
Good morning everybody.



Have a cold today so I feel like crap.

Comment by Scoopster on 08/25/2009 15:54:05
~~~~healin' vibes to livin!~~~~

Comment by Mondobubba on 08/25/2009 16:01:31
Comment by Mondobubba on 08/25/2009 16:04:33






Is it covered by insurance?

Comment by wickedpam on 08/25/2009 16:05:32
Hope ya feel better Liv

Comment by livingonli on 08/25/2009 16:09:32
Thanks everybody.

Comment by Scoopster on 08/25/2009 16:13:19
Quote by Mondobubba:



Is it covered by insurance?


Doubtful.. and personally I don't think it should be either.

Comment by Mondobubba on 08/25/2009 16:16:24
Quote by Scoopster:

Quote by Mondobubba:



Is it covered by insurance?


Doubtful.. and personally I don't think it should be either.






Oh Scoop, Scoop, Scoop! You failed to detect my ironic intention. I do apologize.

Comment by Raine on 08/25/2009 16:17:51
Tosses a glass of OJ to Liv. Feel better....





This guy on Thom is an ass.

Comment by Scoopster on 08/25/2009 16:20:44
Quote by Mondobubba:

Quote by Scoopster:

Quote by Mondobubba:



Is it covered by insurance?


Doubtful.. and personally I don't think it should be either.


Oh Scoop, Scoop, Scoop! You failed to detect my ironic intention. I do apologize.


Hehehe it's a good thing I didn't go overboard with a diatribe about how substance rehab should be FREE..

Comment by Mondobubba on 08/25/2009 16:21:25
I am remiss, Mr Liv. Feel better. I am with Raine, OJ stat. Don't mix it with Mr Wodka though.

Comment by velveeta jones on 08/25/2009 16:29:14
Hello all. Great post TriSec. Afghanistan is, as I think many of us projected, turning into a nightmare. If only we'd kept our eye on the ball, as it were. But noooooo we had to go vacation in Iraq.



*sigh*

Comment by Raine on 08/25/2009 18:33:15
Damn I missed a Velveeta Drive thru!

Comment by Raine on 08/25/2009 19:50:13
Jon Elliot is filling on for Randi today... he is SOOOO much better than (aside from Frangela) all the other subs so far.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 08/25/2009 21:28:36
Hope you've downed that OJ and are feeling better, Liv.

Comment by livingonli on 08/25/2009 21:30:15
I downed a nice bottle of OJ and I'll have another one later with dinner

Comment by trojanrabbit on 08/25/2009 21:51:14
Looks like the number of days I'm going to be able to sit out and relax after work are dwindling down. It already looks like it's darkening. I just got out here.

Comment by livingonli on 08/26/2009 00:20:59
Senator Tom Coburn, the model for compassionate conservativism

Comment by trojanrabbit on 08/26/2009 00:48:34
RIP Kenmore washing machine. :(



Sucker just threw a bearing while in full spin. Sounded like an explosion. But in order to get my clothes back it still has to finish the spin cycle. Fuck@$#@#$%

Comment by livingonli on 08/26/2009 00:55:02
I guess it's time to give it a proper burial.

Comment by TriSec on 08/26/2009 00:59:36
Evening, folks. Yet another long day in training. But I think this is going swimmingly; there's a ton of things where I think I can do some good.



:thud:

Comment by trojanrabbit on 08/26/2009 01:08:50
Quote by livingonli:

I guess it's time to give it a proper burial.




Just from a quickie google it looks like



a) common problem for this machine

b) repair $ more than a new machine is worth.



You get more.....with a Kenmore...



Comment by trojanrabbit on 08/26/2009 05:20:00
RIP Senator Kennedy