Reply With QuoteHow about proof from a credible source?
What more proof do you need?
Administration Misleads on Prospects in Iraq
In late July, a report prepared for the President by his National Intelligence Counsel spelled out "a dark assessment of prospects for Iraq."1 According to the New York Times, "the estimate outlines three possibilities for Iraq through the end of 2005, with the worst case being developments that could lead to civil war, the officials said. The most favorable outcome described is an Iraq whose stability would remain tenuous in political, economic and security terms."2 But that didn't stop Bush and other members of the administration from telling the American people that Iraq was headed in the right direction.
On August 5, President Bush said, "[Iraq is] on the path to lasting democracy and liberty."3 On August 24, Vice President Cheney told voters in Iowa that "We're moving in the right direction [in Iraq]."4 And this Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Iraqis were "working at making a success out of that country...And I think they've got a darned good crack at making it." 5
The Daily Mis-
How about proof from a credible source?
You mean one that makes your boy look good?
That's interesting because a previous National Intelligence Estimate said Hussein had WMDs and was a major threat to the US.
I'll admit that I didn't take the time to read the whole thing but one thing I wanted to point out. This report was through the end of 2005, is anybody here expecting Iraq to make a miraculous turnaround in one year, regardless of who's in office??? This report has not shed any new light on the situation as far as I'm concerned.
I suppose the better direction for you guys would be to pull out completely and lose whatever the Iraqi people have gained (yes, there have been improvements there despite the negative media attention!), and let the insurgents have complete control.. So, IMO, Iraq is heading in a good direction. Freedom isn't easy.
I don't think going in that people thought that this would turn into the shooting quagmire that it is turning out to be. We have at least $200 billion and over 1000 or our troops lives invested in Iraq. Progress on rebuilding Iraq's oil infrastructure which was supposed to help with Iraqi rebuilding efforts, have been slowed to a crawl thanks to rampant hostage-taking and road side bombs. Building a democracy seems more like a pipe dream than any realistic outcome even by the governments own estimates.I'll admit that I didn't take the time to read the whole thing but one thing I wanted to point out. This report was through the end of 2005, is anybody here expecting Iraq to make a miraculous turnaround in one year, regardless of who's in office??? This report has not shed any new light on the situation as far as I'm concerned.
Have the American people really gotten a good return thus far on their investments in lives and money In Iraq?
I'm sorry, I was not aware that this was a business venture. My mistake.
1. Restoring Essential Infrastructure
Objective - Rebuild and rehabilitate the vital components of Iraq's infrastructure
Program Areas
Power/Water and Sanitation/Transportation
Airports/Umm Qasr Seaport
Irrigation Systems
Telecommunications Facilities
Schools, Health Facilities, and Select Government Buildings
Key Accomplishments
-Generated 4,518 MW on October 6, surpassing the pre-war level of 4,400 MW.
-USAID is working to add 827 MW of capacity through new generation and rehabilitation projects.
-Conducting water and sanitation projects worth $183 million that will benefit 14.5 million people.
-Rehabilitating three key bridges (Khazir, Tikrit, and Al Mat) critical to the flow of passengers and goods throughout Iraq. Al Mat Bridge was the first to be completed and reopened March 3.
-Reopened Umm Qasr seaport on June 17. Approximately 40 ships offload cargo per month.
-Completed emergency work to prepare Baghdad and Basrah airports for operations. More than 5,000 flights have arrived and departed Baghdad International Airport since July, which now averages more than 20 non-military movements per day.
-Restored international calling service and activated more than 140,000 subscriber lines in Baghdad.
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2. Supporting Essential Health and Education Services
Objectives - Ensure basic health care needs of population are met; improve access to and quality of education.
Program Areas
Emergency Health care/Health Care Education
Strengthening Iraq's Health Care System
School Renovation/Teacher Training
Accelerated Learning Program
School supplies to Iraq's Children
US/Iraqi University Partnerships
Key Accomplishments
-Vaccinated 3 million children through monthly national immunization days.
-Equipping 600 facilities in seven target governorates to provide essential primary healthcare services.
-Trained 750 people who are training more than 2,000 primary healthcare providers in maternal and child health services.
-Distributed high-protein biscuits to more than 240,000 children and pregnant and nursing mothers.
-Renovated 2,356 schools nationwide.
-Distributed 1.5 million secondary school student kits, 808,000 primary school student kits, and 81,735 primary school teacher kits.
-Printed and distributed 8.7 million revised math and science textbooks to governorates throughout Iraq.
-Trained 860 secondary school master trainers, who trained 31,772 secondary school educators nationwide.
-Awarded five grants worth $20.7 million to establish partnerships between American and Iraqi universities.
-Giving more than 600 out-of-school students a second chance through the Accelerated Learning Program.
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3. Expanding Economic Opportunity
Objectives - Rejuvenate the Iraqi economy and rebuild Iraq's agricultural sector.
Program Areas
Microenterprise/Tax and Regulatory Structure
Agriculture and Irrigation Rehabilitation
Private Sector Development/Agribusiness
Currency Exchange and Auction
Key Accomplishments
-Implementing 17 high-priority activities with the CPA to reform Iraq's currency, state-owned enterprises, small businesses, banking system, taxation system, budgeting, and utility administration.
-Began facilitating the Central Bank program to exchange new dinars for old on October 15, 2003, and completed the program January 15, 2004. There are currently 4.62 trillion new Iraqi dinars in circulation.
-Created more than 77,000 public works jobs through the National Employment Program.
-Developed a bank-to-bank payment system that allowed 80 banks to resume business by late October.
-Supporting the Iraqi initiative to revitalize agricultural production, stimulate income, and employment generation through the Agriculture Reconstruction and Development Program for Iraq.
-Coordinating the Marshlands Initiative to rejuvenate the marshlands ecologically, socially, and economically.
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4. Improving Government Efficiency and Accountability
Objectives - Enhance local government administrations and interim representative bodies; promoting community development in cooperation with the NGO community.
Program Areas
Improvements to Service Delivery
Rapid Response Grants
Local Governance Administration
NGO Community Development Programs
Increasing Citizen Participation
Interim Representative Structures
Key Accomplishments
-Local governance teams are working in all 18 governorates as part of CPA Governance Teams.
-Facilitated an interim structure of government, the Governorate Council, to represent the population of 18 governorates, including Baghdad.
-Established 16 governorate councils, 78 district councils, 192 city or sub-district councils, and 392 neighborhood councils, allowing more than 19 million people to engage in local policy discourse.
-Committed $2.4 million for the implementation of the CPA's nationwide Civic Education Program to introduce Iraqis to democratic principles and ideas in preparation for the upcoming transition to sovereignty.
-Awarded rapid-response grants worth $13.4 million to allow local governments to deliver essential services.
Rehabilitated nine key central government ministries, Baghdad mayoral buildings, headquarters of nine Baghdad municipalities, and urban water and electric authorities, while providing 40 directorates and agencies with enough furniture, equipment, and basic office supplies to enable them to return to service.
-Assisting local governments in budget formulation.
-Established more than 660 community associations in 16 governorates as part of a campaign targeting grassroots democracy.
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5. Humanitarian Assistance
Objectives - Anticipate and respond to emergency humanitarian needs.
Key Accomplishments
-Immediately after the conflict, provided 516,800 metric tons of food worth over $389 million through the World Food Program.
-Deployed one of the largest ever Disaster Assistance Response Teams, including doctors, public health professionals, water and sanitation experts, food distribution and agricultural specialists, and other experts.
-Pre-positioned substantial amounts of food and supplies before the war: water, hygiene and health kits, blankets, and plastic sheeting.
-Awarded grants to staff and prepare U.N. agencies and NGOs for response.
-Repaired water and sanitation facilities quickly and furnished emergency healthcare assistance.
-Distributed medical kits containing enough medicine and supplies for 10,000 people for three months.
And there's more in the works.. Link
Add to all that the elimination of Saddam Hussein and the undercutting of the support of terrorist regimes. Yeah, IMO, we've gotten a good return.
Yeah right, nice rhetoric, but you have to be extremely gullible if you believe that business never entered into the Republicans minds as part of the justification for this war. I'm sure they did it all out of the goodness of their hearts.
So you are a Republican, danny?
Well, many of the Republicans I know must have missed that memo and the paycheck on this one...
No you didn't. You get part-payment every time you fill up that gas guzzler and earn dividends and stock increases in Halliburton, Exxon, Chevron....etc..
..but it is the war profiteers, the military arms dealers, the people with the big contracts to rebuild Iraq, and security, the crony's in the administration that are walking away with fists full of blood money in Iraq.
..but it is the war profiteers, the military arms dealers, the people with the big contracts to rebuild Iraq, and security, the crony's in the administration that are walking away with fists full of blood money in Iraq.
Right, better that Saddam had remained in power and kept the REAL blood money flowing to German, French, and Russian contractors.
Hey, this intelligence stuff is old news, about 150 state poll topics ago.
p090.ezboard.com/ffullspo...1889.topic
Haven't you got the memo yet, Danny-Boy? Iraq is about to turn the corner. We are going to get flowers, and Iraq is going to get democracy. And the new rulers of Iraq will be so peaceful, they wouldn't even want a slingshot, much less weapons that their neighbors have or are building.
There are economic biproducts in every war. This doesn't mean they're the root cause.
You have to have a very shallow perception of humanity to believe thousands of soldiers would be sent to die for the sole purpose of lining a few people's pockets.
Implied - people will profit from the death of soldiers. I guess I have a shallow perception of humanity.You have to have a very shallow perception of humanity to believe thousands of soldiers would be sent to die for the sole purpose of lining a few people's pockets.
How about being misled into thinking that Islamic terrorism was no major threat to this country? I mean it's so predictable that anytime this nation contemplates or engages in military action that there appears a bunch of conspiracy nuts, aging hippies, and insulated academics who trout out the usual knee jerk anti-war arguments.
Had Bush decided on an invasion of Afghanistan prior to 9-11 then the same reaction we have seen with regards to Iraq would have occurred. Oh wait, there were still some spewing that nonsense while lower Manhattan was still smoldering.
Oh well, I guess I need to bury my nose in some Chomsky books and watch Michael Moore films nonstop until the election. Then I might be enlightened.
Only if you believe the soldiers were sent to die for the purpose of profit.Implied - people will profit from the death of soldiers. I guess I have a shallow perception of humanity.
Sure, just point to one bipartisan Commission that has proven that Saddam was in any way involved in the financing or strategic planning of Islamic terrorism against America or American interests.How about being misled into thinking that Islamic terrorism was no major threat to this country?
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