by beq
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For the average person, who is yet to be enlightened, yoga is a way to positively increase one’s spiritual awareness and cultivate their powers of perception.

What did he know about Sunni insurgents living in the area, asked Staff Sgt. Kenneth Braxton, who’s from Philadelphia. Nothing, the man said. Braxton said he knew the man was lying because of the way he moved his eyes. The sergeant tore an American flag Velcro patch from his sleeve and told the Iraqi to hold it to his chest. Then another soldier used a digital camera to take a picture of the man.

"So we’ve got a picture of you holding an American flag now," Braxton said. He told the man that if he didn’t cooperate, the photo would be posted around the neighborhood.
South of Baghdad, U.S. troops find fatigue, frustration, McClatchy, August 31, 2007

News & views …

The product role out of the War on Iran is gaining speed. At Juan Cole’s group blog Professor Rubin says a friend told him about a recent talk:

They [the source’s institution] have "instructions" (yes, that was the
word used) from the Office of the Vice-President to roll out a campaign
for war with Iran in the week after Labor Day; it will be coordinated
with the American Enterprise Institute, the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, Commentary,
Fox, and the usual suspects. It will be heavy sustained assault on the
airwaves, designed to knock public sentiment into a position from which
a war can be maintained. Evidently they don’t think they’ll ever get
majority support for this–they want something like 35-40 percent
support, which in their book is "plenty."

The campaign will not jump start after Labor Day, it has already begun. It makes four points:

• Iran is building nuclear weapons
• Iran is killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq by arming the resistance
• Iran is a threat to Israel
• An attack on Iran is militarily possible and will achieve a regime change

All four are demonstrably false, but that will not matter.

Bush’s recent speech to the American Legion and the accompanying ‘fact sheet’ include the first three of the above points. The last point will be made by some neocons. A few days ago Raw Story peddled a British study that claims a ‘successful’ strategic bombing campaign against Iran is possible. "Baloney" says Col. Lang. He adds:

The current IO campaign against Iran makes it seem more and more plausible that such an onslaught will be attempted.

Via Jim Lobe we learn:

On the heels of President George W. Bush’s latest threats against Iran for its “murderous activities” in Iraq, the Weekly Standard has obligingly published a 30-page report by Kimberly Kagan, spouse of Surge co-architect and American Enterprise Institute (AEI) fellow Frederick Kagan and director of an entity called The Institute for the Study of War, entitled “Iran’s Proxy War Against the United States and the Iraqi Government”.

In another post Lobe reports:

Just four days after the American Enterprise Institute will launch its September 6 “All or Nothing” campaign to save the Surge, it will debut “Freedom Scholar” Michael Ledeen’s forthcoming book, “The Iranian Time Bomb: The Mullah Zealots’ Quest for Destruction” (St. Martin’s Press), a rehash of neo-con arguments for “regime change” – by military force, if necessary – in Tehran.

And another part of the campaign is announced:

“This October 22-26, I am declaring Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week,” declared David Horowitz Tuesday in a friendly interview on www.FrontpageMag.com, one of Horowitz’s many front groups. “I will hold demonstrations and protests, teach-ins and sit-ins on more than 100 college campuses. Our theme will be the Oppression of Women in Islam and the threat posed by the Islamic crusade against the West.”

After a few month of such coordinated drumbeat, late this year or early next year, most of the public will be convinced that an attack is inevitable. The Democrats in Congress are either already convinced or have stopped to fight against it.

The only hope we might have is that parts of the Pentagon will somehow sabotage this new war. There is already some mutiny about the continuation of the ‘surge’. The Army and Marines folks will be against an Iran campaign. The evangelical Air Force will support it if only to show off the  ‘value’ of its useless toys. But even the unlikely event of a few generals leaving in protest will not make a difference.

Another unlikely hope is that the main stream media will refuse to be the echo chamber for this campaign, fact check the accusations against Iran and point out that these are wrong. They could also report that the idea of a winable air campaign is lunatic. Fat chance that they will do so. War sells.

Russia and China could probably prevent an attack. But why should they. They will stop a war justifying UN resolution and then stand by to see their biggest competitor tearing himself down in another unwinable ‘preemptive’ war.

Still the real big loser will again not be the U.S., but the Iranian people.

Muqtada Al Sadr makes an interesting move:

Al-Sadr suspends militia activity in Iraq

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a six-month suspension of activities by his Mahdi Army militia in order to reorganize the force, and it will no longer attack U.S. and coalition troops, aides said Wednesday.

The aide, Sheik Hazim al-Araji, said on Iraqi state television that the goal was to "rehabilitate" the organization, which has reportedly broken into factions, some of which the U.S. maintains are trained and supplied by Iran.

"We declare the freezing of the Mahdi Army without exception in order to rehabilitate it in a way that will safeguard its ideological image within a maximum period of six months starting from the day this statement is issued," al-Araji said, reading from a statement by al-Sadr.

This comes after two days of clashes during the pilgrimage in Kabala. The fighting were between alleged Sadr people and the Badr corps of al-Hakim supported by government troops. Hakim controls the Karbala shrine and the attached income stream. Sadr has denied that his forces were involved.

I have no real idea why Sadr is doing this, so these are just speculations:

Cont. reading: Sadr’s Interesting Move

The AEI speaks out against Congress’ sanction legislation against Iran and starts a fight with AIPAC.

Yes, that is pretty weird, but exactly what Danielle Pletka, the AEI’s vice president of foreign and defense policy studies, is doing in today’s WaPo op-ed: Congress’s Ill-Timed Iran Bills.

Pletka fears that U.S. sanctions on European companies which deal with Iran would stop European cooperation on any further U.N. sanctions against Iran:

Cont. reading: AEI vs. AIPAC – Pass The Popcorn

Some stupid headlines:

AFP: Turkey elects ex-Islamist as president

The Turkish parliament on Tuesday elected Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as president, making him the secular republic’s first head of state with an Islamist past.

Reuters: Ex-Islamist Gul elected Turkey’s president

There is nothing "ex-" with Gül’s believes. He is just as "islamist" (what does that mean by the way?) as he has ever been. He didn’t stop praying and visiting the mosque.

The predessor of Gül’s current AKP party, the Welfare Party, did win the elections in 1996 against a rightwing, militaristic and corrupt coalition. A year later it was pressed out of the government by the Turkish military for alleged attempts to endanger the secular state. In 1998 it was forbidden which led to the foundation of the AKP which officially puts a little less emphasis on religion.

The political spectrum in Turkey is pretty rightwing. Within that spectrum the AKP is on the left. (There are parties further left, but without much chance to play a role at all.) The Turkish military is traditionally far right and is supported by and supports the big industrialists.

Cont. reading: Turkey’s Muslim President

There was some rumor these days that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would be replaced by Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff.

Part one is now verified:

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress, has resigned. A senior administration official said he would announce the decision later this morning in Washington.

Mr. Gonzales, who had rebuffed calls for his resignation, submitted his to President Bush by telephone on Friday, the official said. His decision was not immediately announced, the official added, until after the president invited him and his wife to lunch at his ranch near here.

Mr. Bush has not yet chosen a replacement but will not leave the position open long, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the resignation had not yet been made public.

That’s the official story which is of course bogus. AGAG got fired by Bush and Bush certainly would not have done so without having someone else ready to take that job.

Prof. Balkin looks a bit ahead of what might be coming:

Cont. reading: Gonzo Resigns

News & views … open thread …

‘Blasphemous’ Bills Anger Americans
By Alastair Leithead
BBC News, Greenville, South Carolina

Demonstration over essentials dropped by Canadian troops – Currency imitation angered students of flooded university

A demonstration has been held on the campus of Bob Jones University
accusing Canadian troops of insulting America after they distributed
toiletry supplies bearing the cherished symbols of American heritage.

The toilet paper showed a repeating pattern of American $100 bills,
featuring the declarations, "E Pluribus Shoppum", and "In God We
Chi-ching", expressing American’s devout faith that God loves shopping
too.

Photo by Fox TV
Toilet Paper Dropped by Canadian Troops
The supplies were intended as a relief gift

Cont. reading: ‘Blasphemous’ Bills Anger Americans

UPDATE: Juan Cole has no government contract. See update section below:

There is some discussion in the blogsphere, recapped below, about experts who give ‘independent’ public opinions on Middle East affairs while having financial income by lobbying for partisan groups involved in these affairs, or from U.S. government related partisan entities.

The discussion illustrates that partisan financial relations, not disclosed voluntarily and preemptively but becoming public otherwise, arouses suspicions how far an expert can be trusted as an independent source of knowledge and valid opinions.

When the author of one of the most influential Middle East blogs, Professor Juan Cole, does undisclosed consulting work for the CIA and the State Department while offering ‘independent’  expert opinions in commercial media like Salon and Asia Times Online and at his blog questions may come up. 

First let us recap the current discussions:

Cont. reading: When Will Juan Cole Disclose His Government Contracts?

A deadly week in "unoccupied" Gaza:

August 19, 2007: IDF kills Gazan thought to be laying bomb
August 20, 2007: Six Hamas militants killed in IDF strike
August 22, 2007: IAF kills gunman, wounds companion near Karni crossing
August 22, 2007: IAF airstrike kills Hamas militant in Gaza Strip
August 25, 2007: IDF kills five Palestinians in W. Bank, Gaza gunfights

The above pieces are mostly daily collections. While the headline tells the worst, a lot of "minor" stuff is reported, if at all, in half sentences therein and here and there. Is there a central site for daily war news in Gaza and the Westbank?

Somewhat related a recommandable read:

Norman Finkelstein: There Went a Man – Remembering Raul Hilberg

As some here will know, I really like cranes.

I pictured one in its habitual environment this afternoon. The small size of us as human beings versus their natural surroundings is quite amazing.

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Afghan bombing ‘most accurate ever’

The US military believes the Afghanistan air campaign was the most accurate ever …

BBC, April 10, 2002

U.S. bomb kills 3 British soldiers in Afghanistan

Three British soldiers were killed by a bomb dropped by U.S. aircraft supporting them in a battle against Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan, …

Reuters, August 24, 2007

Which of course brings back the question: Why are the U.S. and its NATO vassals fighting the Pashtuns?

Yesterday Bush made some very distorted historical comparisons between the war on Iraq and on Vietnam. But some chapters of the war on Vietnam do rhyme with Iraq – like the Gulf of Tonkin incident and WMDs. Here is something else that, one way or another, will soon be comparable:

On orders from U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Henry Cabot Lodge, the American ambassador to South Vietnam, refused to meet with Diệm. Upon hearing that a coup d’etat was being designed by ARVN generals led by General Dương Văn Minh, the United States gave secret assurances to the generals that the U.S. would not interfere. Dương Văn Minh and his co-conspirators overthrew the government on November 1, 1963.

After Bush withheld support for Maliki a day before, yesterday Sen. Clinton and Sen. Levin (in a phonecall from Tel Aviv!) called for Maliki’s head. Having secured bi-partisan support, Bush’s administration is likely to launch the coup against the elected Iraqi prime minister during the next few days.

For the U.S. Maliki is not puppet enough and his recent travel to and support for Iran and Syria are simply unforgivable. There are some personal consequence for disobedience:

Cont. reading: The Coup Against Maliki

The "surge" was about pacifying Baghdad and giving space and time for political reconciliation. The first part didn’t work, but the second did – kind of.

Political reconciliation has taken place in Washington DC. While the Democrats were slightly against feeding more troops into the Iraq quagmire before the Congress summer recess, they have now turned around and will support Bush’s politics.

Quoting Clinton and Obama, WaPo reports:

The leading Democratic candidates for the White House have fallen into line with the campaign to praise military progress while excoriating Iraqi leaders for their unwillingness to reach political accommodations that could end the sectarian warfare.

To support the Democrat’s brave stand, the White House now adds to the
propaganda surge in form of a $15 million domestic TV and Radio campaign
run by former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

In a race to the bottom the leading Democrats and other Bush dogs try to get Congress’ approval number below those of Bush. Not only by following Bush on Iraq, but also with toothless investigations. Senator Leahy is now even threatening Cheney by offering him further negotiations. What a courageous man. Glenn Greenwald remarks:

Cont. reading: The Surge’s Success

Open thread: News and views …

The NYT writes:

While incomes have been on the rise since 2002, the average income in 2005 was $55,238, still nearly 1 percent less than the $55,714 in 2000, after adjusting for inflation, analysis of new tax statistics show.

It is actually worse as official inflation measured by the government is likely less than real inflation.

The numbers also do not show the very unequal distribution of income which has now reached levels last known in the 1920s. If the rich get richer, while the average income sinks, low income must have sunken a lot.

The growth in total incomes was concentrated among those making more than $1 million. The number of such taxpayers grew by more than 26 percent, to 303,817 in 2005, from 239,685 in 2000.

These individuals, who constitute less than a quarter of 1 percent of all taxpayers, reaped almost 47 percent of the total income gains in 2005, compared with 2000.

This is of course not unintended but official GOP policy as can be seen in the result of Bush’s tax cuts.

The group’s calculations showed that 28 percent of the investment tax cut savings went to just 11,433 of the 134 million taxpayers, those who made $10 million or more, saving them almost $1.9 million each.
…
The nearly 90 percent of Americans who make less than $100,000 a year saved on average $318 each on their investments.

There is a scene in Fahrenheit 9/11 that shows Bush speaking to a bunch of billionaires. He said:

What an impressive crowd: the haves, and the have-mores. Some people call you the elite, I call you my base.

He certainly made sure that the base was covered.

In a comment Dan of Steele points to an item in the Pakistani Daily Times about the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) pipeline. That piece is based on a report by the Pakistani private TV station Geo News:

The government of Pakistan has approved of awarding the mega-project to the US Company, International Oil Company (IOC) for the laying of Turkmenistan-Pakistan oil and gas pipeline at an estimated cost of $10 billion.

[…]
This pipeline with a capacity of supplying 2 million barrel of oil and 4 billion cubic feet of gas would be constructed up to Gawadar, where one refinery would also be constructed at a cost of $3.5 billion.
[…]
IOC said that the matters relating to the security in Afghanistan and insurance guarantee have been finalized and the ceremony of the mega-project agreement inking would soon be held.

There is a livid history about access to Central Asia’s hydrocarbons. The timeline of plans for this pipeline is quite long. I was therefore very suspicious of this sudden ‘news’ and having looked into it I believe the report is likely false. This for five reasons:

Cont. reading: A False Afghan Pipeline Report

Associated Press, August 10, 2007:
U.S. Military Says Al-Sadr in Iran Again

The U.S. military said on Friday that firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had returned to Iran, …

[…]
Col. John Castles, commander of the 82 Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, disclosed the information in a teleconference with Pentagon reporters and said it was based on U.S. intelligence reports. He did not elaborate.

Not so, says the The Independent on August 20, 2007:
Muqtada al-Sadr: The British are retreating from Basra

The British Army has been defeated in Iraq and left with no option but to retreat from the country, claims radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Violent resistance and a rising death toll among UK troops has forced a withdrawal, he said in an interview with The Independent.

[…]
Only two guards with AK-47 assault rifles appeared to be protecting Mr Sadr in his office, a clear sign that Kufa and the surrounding area is firmly under the control of Sadr loyalists. It is not patrolled by US troops and access is policed by Iraqi security at heavily armed roadblocks.

McClatchy, August 19, 2007:
U.S. says Iranians train Iraqi insurgents

For the first time, the U.S. military said on Sunday that Iranian soldiers are in Iraq training insurgents to attack American forces.
[…]
Conway said that U.S.-led forces have not caught any of the Iranians, but she said military intelligence and recently discovered caches of weapons with Iranian markings on them indicate that the Iranians are there.

[…]
"Just because we’re not finding them doesn’t mean they’re not there," Conway said.

Sure, those WMD Iranians must be somewhere …

But again, not so: The Independent, August 20, 2007:
Mehdi fighters ‘trained by Hizbollah in Lebanon’

Lebanon’s Hizbollah has trained Shia fighters from Iraq in advanced guerrilla warfare tactics, according to Mehdi army militants who have been fighting British forces in the south of the country.

[…]
Speaking in Tufa [typo – there is no Tufa but Kufa] in Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr, the head of the Mehdi Army, admitted to "formal links" with Hizbollah.

"We have formal links with Hizbollah, we do exchange ideas and discuss the situation facing Shiites in both countries," he said. "It is natural that we would want to improve ourselves by learning from each other. We copy Hizbollah in the way they fight and their tactics, we teach each other and we are getting better through this."