contributions

by Douglas Herman June 20, 2005
Before the war in Iraq began—the covert black operation known as Operation Iraq Freedom—then-Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill predicted a cost of approximately $200 billion for the operation. The media storm that greeted his forecast cost O’Neill his job. Unfortunately, the meter’s still running, while the war machine idles at the curb, like an overheated Abrams tank. Now the estimate is $300 billion and rising.
I’d rather be a Pollyanna than a Cassandra. (…)

To: milbankd@washpost.com, Sketch@washpost.com, ombudsman@washpost.com
Mr. Milbank---
Regarding Friday’s WashingtonSketch ("Democrats Play House To Rally Against the War"): what an offensive, intelligence-insulting, childish rant, totally lacking in professionalism and propreity. Give me a break.
First of all, the Washington Post--- as well as much of the mainstream press--- seems more than a bit confused about the Downing Street Memo. (In this age where apparently the words (…)

Iraqi lawmakers from across the political spectrum called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from their country in a letter released to the media June 19.
The move comes as U.S. President George W. Bush is under increasing domestic pressure to set a timetable for the pullout of American forces in the face of an increasing death toll at the hands of insurgents.
Eighty-two Shiite, Kurdish, Sunni Arab, Christian and communist deputies made the call in a letter sent by Falah Hassan (…)

It is clear the insurgency, contrary to the Bush administration’s view, is homegrown and is exacerbated by every week longer that the U.S. occupies Iraq. American troops are still dying daily and the security situation in Iraq is still a mess two years after Saddam’s ouster.
It is also clear now that ousting Saddam wasn’t the primary goal.
The Bush administration has steadfastly refused to tell Americans the real reasons for invading Iraq: having a permanent U.S. military presence in the (…)

As I said in this space two weeks ago, if Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about having sex with an intern, then George Bush needs to be impeached for the deliberate lies he and his cabal told to start a war that has now taken the lives of more than 1,700 young American men and women and countless Iraqi citizens, plus threatens to bankrupt the country.
One of our "Sound Off" callers insisted last week that only "Bush haters" would say such things.
Another took to task the Wisconsin (…)

by John Hanchette Olean, NY - Even casual readers of newspapers and watchers of TV know the nation’s health care system, if you can call it that, is broken. Americans who get sick know they’ll pay plenty for it, even if they’re lucky enough to have insurance.
Yet, while President George W. Bush and his sycophants dither about trying to "reform" a Social Security system that isn’t half as dilapidated as health care into a windfall gift for Wall Street fat cats, the numbers predict a (…)

US Asks Japan For Half A Billion Dollars For Missile Defense The Yomiuri Shimbun June 20, 2005 The United States has asked Japan to contribute 58 billion yen toward a joint missile defense development project expected to begin in fiscal 2006, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Sunday.
The U.S. government estimates it will spend a total of 545 million dollars (about 58.3 billion yen) on the project by fiscal 2011 and it has requested Japan make an equal contribution.
Japan contributed 26.2 (…)

GM’s Health-Care Shakedown Shows Systemic Flaws In Bush’s America Bill Gallagher June 21, 2005 Detroit - General Motors and the United Autoworkers are on a collision course over health-care costs and the issue underscores the refusal of George W. Bush and the Republicans in Congress to do anything to fundamentally change our failed system. It also shows how gutless GM executives and the other suits in corporate America are in refusing even to discuss the issue in real terms. What’s good (…)

What Will US Do With The Terrorist Carriles? Jose Pertierra June 20, 2005 The author, a Cuban lawyer, explains the case of Luis Posada Carriles, who entered the United States illegally in March. He also predicts the outcome of legal proceeding against him in the U.S. Carriles is a former CIA operative who is suspected of masterminding the bombing of a Cuban passenger aircraft, killing 73 people. Luis Posada Carriles’ lawyer insists his client is not an undocumented alien. He has told an (…)

Amnesty international releases reports on UK, Spain, Italy
(Brussels 20 June 2005) European Union countries are increasingly violating their international obligations on asylum according to three reports released simultaneously today by Amnesty International to mark World Refugee Day.
The reports, covering a range of issues relating to the detention and expulsion of people seeking asylum in the UK, Spain and Italy, show up the terrible human cost of "Fortress Europe".
Amnesty (…)