On Iraq, 50% Trust Dems, 38% Prefer GOP

March 23, 2007
On Iraq, 50% Trust Dems, 38% Prefer GOP

As the House of Representatives narrowly passed legislation requiring most U.S. troops to leave Iraq by September 2008, 50% of Americans say they trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle the situation in Iraq. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 38% trust Republicans more on this topic. Those figures have been relatively constant for several months. On the eve of Election 2006, 49% trusted Democrats more on Iraq while 42% placed their trust in the GOP (see history).

A separate survey found that just 30% of Americans give the President good or excellent marks for his handling of the situation in Iraq.

Men prefer Democrats on Iraq by a narrow 48% to 43% margin. Women, however, have a very strong preference for Nancy Pelosi´s party. Fifty-two percent (52%) of women trust Democrats while just 35% have more confidence in Republicans.

Brzezinski: Bush is seeking a pretext to attack Iran

February 4, 2007
Brzezinski: Bush is seeking a pretext to attack Iran

Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, Zbigniew Brzezinski, the national security adviser in the Carter administration, delivered a scathing critique of the war in Iraq and warned that the Bush administration's policy was leading inevitably to a war with Iran, with incalculable consequences for US imperialism in the Middle East and internationally.

Brzezinski, who opposed the March 2003 invasion and has publicly denounced the war as a colossal foreign policy blunder, began his remarks on what he called the "war of choice" in Iraq by characterizing it as "a historic, strategic and moral calamity."

Iraq VP: Iraqi occupation was idiotic

January 25, 2007
Iraq VP: Iraqi occupation was idiotic

DAVOS, Switzerland - The US-led occupation of Iraq after Saddam Hussein was toppled was an "idiot" decision, Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi said Thursday during the World Economic Forum here.

However, Mahdi cautioned that winning the "war" in Baghdad, where US troop levels have recently been reinforced, would be crucial to ending the spiral of violence in the country.

U.S. soldier sentenced to 18 years after pleading guilty to murder in Iraqi detainees' deaths

January 25, 2007
U.S. soldier sentenced to 18 years after pleading guilty to murder in Iraqi detainees' deaths

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky: A 101st Airborne Division soldier was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to murdering an Iraqi detainee and taking part in the killings of two others, saying he went along with a plan to make it look like they were escaping.

Pfc. Corey R. Clagett, 22, was one of four soldiers from the division's 3rd Brigade "Rakkasans" who were accused in the detainees' deaths during a May 9 raid on the Muthana chemical complex in Samarra, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

Military confirms 4 U.S. soldiers were abducted, killed in Karbala

January 26, 2007
Military confirms 4 U.S. soldiers were abducted, killed in Karbala

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Four American soldiers were abducted during a sophisticated sneak attack last week in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, the U.S. military confirmed Friday. It said three were shot to death and a fourth was mortally wounded with a gunshot to the head when they were found in a neighboring province, far from the compound where they were captured.

Two of the four were handcuffed together in the back seat of an SUV near the southern Iraqi town of Mahawil. A third dead soldier was on the ground nearby. The fourth soldier died on the way to the hospital, the military said in a statement issued late Friday that confirmed details reported by The Associated Press earlier.

UPI Poll: Oil seen as factor for Iraq war

January 25, 2007
UPI Poll: Oil seen as factor for Iraq war

A total of 32.7 percent of the 6,909 U.S. respondents to a Jan. 16-18 Zogby interactive poll said Iraq's oil was a "major" concern and 23.7 percent said it was not a factor. Participants were asked to rate the role of oil in the invasion decision on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being "not a factor" and 5 representing a "major factor."

Iraq's billions & the White House connection

January 14, 2007
Iraq's billions & the White House connection

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, BearingPoint employees gave $117,000 (£60,000) to the 2000 and 2004 Bush election campaigns, more than any other Iraq contractor. Other recipients include three prominent Congressmen on the House of Representatives' defence sub-committee, which oversees defence department contracts.

One of the biggest single contributors to BearingPoint's in-house political fund was James Horner, who heads the company's emerging markets business which is working in Iraq and Afghanistan. He donated $5,000 in August 2005.

The company's shares have collapsed to a third of their value when the firm listed in 2001, and it faces being thrown out of the New York Stock Exchange altogether. Despite annual revenues of $3.4bn, the company made a loss of $722m in 2005. Those figures were released only last month, nine months late, and the company has not yet been able to report any fully audited figures at all for 2006.

Republicans in Congress are reaching for life vests

January 21, 2007
Republicans in Congress are reaching for life vests

For the legislators of today, this problem is largely framed in terms of Bush's proposal to send
21,500 additional soldiers to Iraq. In the next few weeks, the House and the Senate will take up
resolutions opposing the "surge." Though these measures will be non-binding, they will amount to a
no-confidence test for the Bush presidency. Losing his own party's support on the war would be an
unprecedented repudiation, marking the end of Bush's ability to govern or lead. If you are a House
or Senate Republican, how do you decide whether to join the dissidents or stick with Bush?