A suicide bomber struck the offices of a Kurdish party in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 60 people in the bloodiest attack since a new government promising stability was formed a week ago.[...]
The bloodshed came a day after a new government was sworn in and three months after historic elections that Iraqis hoped would lead to improved security.
[...]
A health ministry official in Arbil said at least 60 died and 150 people were wounded. A defense ministry statement said the suicide bombing killed 45 people and wounded 16.
About 20 suspected insurgents and one Afghan policeman were killed in a bloody battle in the mountains of southeastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the U.S. military said. Six American soldiers were wounded.
The clash, one of the deadliest in recent months, occurred in Dehchopan district of Zabul province, the U.S. military said in a statement. It said helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft joined the fight against a group of about 25 insurgents.
Actually, that should have been the report for getting into Afghanistan and Iraq. The report for "future conflicts" while still engaged shouldn't be so optimistic, I think.The United States' most senior military officer, General Richard Myers, has reported to the US Congress that the deployment of US troops to Iraq and Afghanistan will make it more difficult for the US military to fight other potential conflicts and to deal with the threat of terrorism.
In a classified report to Congress, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff has concluded that while the US military would be likely to win any future conflicts, it might not be able to do so as quickly as planned and may have to sustain higher casualties.
Just another case of Butthead lying, or evidence of the claim that nobody tells him anything he doesn't want to hear?JOHN SHOVELAN: But what the General told the Congress seemed at odds with what he'd told the President, because President Bush only last week said General Myers has assured him forces were adequate to meet any threat.
GEORGE BUSH: The person I asked that to, the person I asked that to at least, is to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, my top military advisor. I said 'do you feel that we've limited our capacity to deal with other problems because of our troop levels in Iraq', and the answer is 'no', he doesn't feel we're limited. Feels like we got plenty of capacity.
And, hey, who leaked Meyers' classified report to Congress?JOHN SHOVELAN: The Pentagon sees North Korea and Iran – two remaining members of President Bush's 'axis of evil' – as two possible future conflicts.
The Pentagon hasn't given any estimate of when it will be able to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq to ease the pressure, but some generals have suggested it won't be before next year.
The problems are being compounded by poor recruitment figures. The numbers enlisting in the army, the marines and the national guard – the arms of the services bearing the brunt of the Iraq occupation – are well down on budgeted forecasts.
Where again are we going to get "additional resources"? Will that be the robots? New bunker-busting nukes? Hired assassins from third world countries? Or...drafted U.S. citizens?"We will prevail," Gen Myers said when asked about the report. "The timelines [to winning a new war] may have to be extended and we may have to use additional resources, but we’re going to be successful in the end."
Maybe just the big nukes we already have.
Randy Newman - 1972
No one likes us
I don't know why
We may not be perfect
But heaven knows we try
All around even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens
We give them money
But are they grateful
No they're spiteful
And they're hateful
They don't respect us so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them
Asia's too crowded
And Europe's too old
Africa's far too hot
And Canada's too cold
South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us
We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an all-American amusement park there
They've got surfing, too
Boom goes London
Boom Par-ee
More room for you
And more room for me
Every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll have Japanese kimonos
There'll be Italian shoes for me
They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Tom Toles
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