Iraq awash in violence; Bush denounces violence as a political act

[ProSense]

Germany admits its spies helped US in Iraq war
Reuters via Yahoo! News - 56 minutes ago
The German government released a report on Thursday that said two German spies provided the United States with intelligence on Iraq but rejected allegations it aided the U.S. bombing campaign during the 2003 invasion.


Baghdad curfew as Iraq seeks to stem violence
Reuters via Yahoo! News - 1 hour, 15 minutes ago
Iraq's government put Baghdad under curfew on Friday in a bid to stop sectarian violence among crowds from rival mosques on the Muslim day of prayer, setting a critical test for its authority and its U.S.-trained forces.


Bush: Iraq shrine attack aimed at fueling strife
Reuters via Yahoo! News - 2 hours, 57 minutes ago
U.S. President George W. Bush said on Thursday the destruction of a major Shi'ite shrine in Iraq was an "evil act" designed to fuel civil strife and he urged calm amid growing fears of an all-out civil war.


Iraq sectarian violence kills 130
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Feb 23 1:43 PM
Sectarian violence killed more than 130 people across Iraq and left dozens of mosques damaged or in ruins as the United States appealed on Thursday to Sunnis and Shi'ites to step back from the brink of civil war.


Bush denounces Iraq bombing
AFP via Yahoo! News - Feb 23 1:19 PM
US President George W. Bush denounced the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine in Iraq as a "political act" meant to sow "civil strife" and appealed for an end to bloody reprisals.


Days of Rage in Iraq
The Nation via Yahoo! News - 2 hours, 54 minutes ago
The Nation -- Iraq is in the early stages of a civil war, as events on the ground make painfully clear. At least 111 people have been killed since Sunni insurgents attacked one of the holiest Shiite mosques yesterday, in what the AP called "two days of rage." Sunnis claim that 168 of their own mosques have been hit in retaliation by Shiite militias. The crossfire claimed the lives of three Iraqi


US condemns murder of Al-Arabiya reporter, technicians in Iraq
AFP via Yahoo! News - Feb 23 12:09 PM
The United States condemned the murder in Iraq of a reporter and two technicians who worked for the Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya.


Roadside bombs kill 7 US soldiers in Iraq
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Feb 23 10:18 AM
Seven U.S. soldiers were killed in two separate incidents in Iraq on Wednesday when roadside bombs struck the vehicles in which they were traveling, the U.S. military said on Thursday.

[MichiganVote]

1. Repeat after me: Murtha is 100% correct, Murtha is 100% correct

[electropop]

2. Now Iraq, it's impordunt that we don't politicize the issue.

Now is not the time for finger-pointing (or grenade-launcher-pointing). Now is the time to come together, cooperate, and obey our Dear Leader, His Mediocrity King George.

[ProSense]

3. 'Boston Globe' Shuts Baghdad Office (security costs)

'Boston Globe' Shuts Baghdad Office, Others Face Foreign Bureau Cuts

By Joe Strupp

Published: February 22, 2006 12:55 PM ET

NEW YORK Budget constraints that have been reducing newsroom staffs nationwide during the past year are now hitting a number of foreign bureaus, with The Boston Globe closing its Baghdad operation and two of Tribune Co.'s top papers weathering foreign office shutdowns.

Martin Baron, editor of The Globe, said the paper had maintained a room at the Hamra Hotel in Baghdad, but will no longer keep it staffed or financed. While no reporter had worked out of the hotel room on a full-time basis for six months, a driver and translator, as well as security protection, had been kept on staff. "We had maintained a hotel room and infrastructure for periodic visits," Baron said. "We are no longer maintaining that and we are closing that infrastructure. We are giving up the entire apparatus."

Baron would not say if the paper had a reporter elsewhere in Iraq or how much savings would result from shutting the hotel operation. But he confirmed the shutdown was based on cost-cutting needs. "We can't afford to maintain the security," he said. "The Iraq bureau was never intended to be a permanent bureau."

The Globe will continue to operate its four other foreign outlets in Berlin, Colombia, South Africa and Jerusalem. The paper also has a foreign affairs reporter based in Washington, D.C.

more...

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002073187

[ProSense]

4. And OBL is still out there -- freedumb is on the march. n/t