Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, Tweet

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Försvarsministern Robert Gates anser att sända trupp till ett liknande krig som Irak igen skulle vara osmart.

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates bluntly told an audience of West Point cadets on Friday that it would be unwise for the United [...]]]>

Försvarsministern Robert Gates anser att sända trupp till ett liknande krig som Irak igen skulle vara osmart.

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates bluntly told an audience of West Point cadets on Friday that it would be unwise for the United States to ever fight another war like Iraq or Afghanistan, and that the chances of carrying out a change of government in that fashion again were slim.

“In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should ‘have his head examined,’ as General MacArthur so delicately put it,” Mr. Gates told an assembly of Army cadets here. (NYT)

Sista stridande trupperna har tagits hem från Irak som utlovat. Senare idag håller Obama ett stort tal till nationen med anledning av det. För en stund sedan tackade han trupperna.

Visit [...]]]>

Sista stridande trupperna har tagits hem från Irak som utlovat. Senare idag håller Obama ett stort tal till nationen med anledning av det. För en stund sedan tackade han trupperna.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Joe Biden spås av många bli Obamas vicepresident. Idag meddelades att hans son Beau Biden ska skickas till tjänstgöring i Irak med början den 3 oktober under ett års tid. Beau Biden är Attorney General i Delaware.

Andra bloggar om:

Joe Biden spås av många bli Obamas vicepresident. Idag meddelades att hans son Beau Biden ska skickas till tjänstgöring i Irak med början den 3 oktober under ett års tid. Beau Biden är Attorney General i Delaware.

Andra bloggar om: usa, presidentvalet, irak, irakkriget, joe biden, barack obama

Vita husets före detta pressekreterare, Scott McClellan, presenterar kritik av både Bushadministrationen och de amerikanska mediejättarna. I sin nya bok (”What happened”) beskriver McClellan hur han kände sig som en del av en ”politisk propagandakampanj” för att sälja in Irakkriget till det [...]]]>

Vita husets före detta pressekreterare, Scott McClellan, presenterar kritik av både Bushadministrationen och de amerikanska mediejättarna. I sin nya bok (”What happened”) beskriver McClellan hur han kände sig som en del av en ”politisk propagandakampanj” för att sälja in Irakkriget till det amerikanska folket. Han är även mycket kritisk mot journalister på de stora tv-kanalerna som undvek att ställa administrationen till svars.

Att medier i krissituationer ofta förvandlas till megafoner för den sittande makten är ingenting nytt, och kritiken mot hur amerikanska medier har spelat med på Pentagons villkor för att få tillgång till information (och möjligheten att rapportera från fronten i form av utsända ”embedded”-reportrar) har vädrats vid flera tillfällen tidigare. Det som gör McClellan så speciell är förstås att han har varit den bärande länken mellan Vita huset och presskåren. Han har haft unik insikt, både i administrationens sätt att sköta informationshantering såväl som i mediers underlag för rapportering kring Irakkriget.

Nu får han också medhåll från en del journalister som självkritiskt ser på den egna rapporteringen. CBS-ankaret Katie Couric anser att nyhetsledningarna under uppseglingen till Irakinvasionen mer verkade intresserade av att inte skada sina ägare genom att ifrågasätta Pentagons uppgifter.

(Video: Katie Couric intervjuar Scott McClellans företrädare Ari Fleischer om den kritik som boken lägger fram.)

En kommentator som säkert kommer att vara positiv till McClellans bok är Jeff Cohen (som bland annat arbetat på Fox News och MSNBC). I sin bok Cable News Confidential skriver Cohen om hur tv-kanalerna förhöll sig till militären som nyhetskälla i Irakkriget:

As the invasion of Iraq began in 2003, CNN news chief Eason Jordan admitted that his network’s military analysts were government approved:
” I went to the Pentagon myself several times before the war started and met with important people there and said, for instance, at CNN, here are the generals we’re thinking of retaining to advise us on the air and off about the war. And we got a big thumbs-up on all of them. That was important.”

Andra bloggar om: usa, presidentvalet, irak, george bush

Anders Lago, ordförande i Södertäljes kommunstyrelse har träffat Barack Obama i Washington.

- Jag skäms över att USA inte tagit ett större ansvar för att lösa flyktingproblemet, förklarade Obama när Lago mötte den demokratiske presidentkandidaten i USA-kongressen. (DN)

Södertälje beräknas ha tagit emot [...]]]>

Anders Lago, ordförande i Södertäljes kommunstyrelse har träffat Barack Obama i Washington.

- Jag skäms över att USA inte tagit ett större ansvar för att lösa flyktingproblemet, förklarade Obama när Lago mötte den demokratiske presidentkandidaten i USA-kongressen. (DN)

Södertälje beräknas ha tagit emot något fler invandrare från Irak sedan kriget började än hela USA. Detta har uppmärksammats idag i USA i bland annat Washington Post.

Dörrarna är mer eller mindre stängda för Irakier som vill ta sig till USA. Under åren har man bara tagit emot totalt 6000 irakier enligt State Department, varav en betydande del är översättare.

Invandringspolitiken i USA har handlat förvånadsvärt lite om flyktingar från Irak. Istället fokuseras debatten i USA på alla illegala invandrare från Mexico med Lou Dobbs på CNN som en av de främsta kritikerna av nuvarande politik.

Andra bloggar om: usa, invandring, barack obama, irak, irakkriget

Obama förde under utfrågningen resonemanget att beslutet om Irakkriget var en ”massiv strategisk blunder”, en tydlig attack på Clinton som röstade för kriget. Han fokuserade också på att pressa generalen och ambassadören till att specificera en definition av vad ”framgång” i Irak är.

Nu blir det fler uppdateringar igen på USAval.se efter att jag återvänt från tio dagars semester i Spanien.

Jag hittade lite intressant läsning om John McCains söner i The Hill. Båda är aktuella för militärtjänst i Irak. Den ena som [...]]]>

Nu blir det fler uppdateringar igen på USAval.se efter att jag återvänt från tio dagars semester i Spanien.

Jag hittade lite intressant läsning om John McCains söner i The Hill. Båda är aktuella för militärtjänst i Irak. Den ena som bara är 19 år har nyligen återvänt därifrån och den andra som är 21 år spås slå in på en karriär inom marinen. John McCain själv är dock väldigt försiktig med att nämna sina söner i intervjuer och i sina kampanjtal. Det kan man förstå med tanke på hotbilden och vad han själv utsattes för i Vietnam.

Michael Moore kritiserade i dokumentärfilmen ”Fahrenheit 9/11″ kongressledamöter för att inte ha skickat sina egna söner och döttrar till krig när de röstade för Irakkriget. Att sönerna och döttrarna kan antas ha en egen fri vilja var något Moore verkar ha missat. I vilket fall som helst har dock flera kongressledamöter nu ”skickat sina barn”, bland annat republikanske presidentkandidaten Duncan Hunter från Kalifornien och demokratiske senatorn Jim Webb från Virginia. Den senare valdes in 2006 och är motståndare till Irakkriget.

Andra bloggar om: usa, john mccain, irakkriget

Obama höll ett tal idag igen, det tredje på lika många dagar. Denna gång för att länka ekonomiska problem i USA till Irakkriget. Titeln för talet är ”The Cost of War”. En undersökning som gjordes nyligen visar att 71 % av amerikanarna anser att Irakkriget till [...]]]>

Obama höll ett tal idag igen, det tredje på lika många dagar. Denna gång för att länka ekonomiska problem i USA till Irakkriget. Titeln för talet är ”The Cost of War”. En undersökning som gjordes nyligen visar att 71 % av amerikanarna anser att Irakkriget till viss del är orsaken till landets ekonomiska problem. Den som blir demokraternas presidentkandidat kommer med stor sannolikhet utnyttja en sviktande ekonomi med just det argumentet mot McCain.

“At a time when we’re on the brink of recession…ordinary Americans are paying a price for this war.”

“No matter what the costs, no matter what the consequences, John McCain seems determined to carry out a third Bush term…. Because of the Bush-McCain policies, our debt has ballooned.”

Remarks for Senator Barack Obama
The Cost of War
University of Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Thursday, March 20, 2008

Five years ago, the war in Iraq began. And on this fifth anniversary, we honor the brave men and women who are serving this nation in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. We pay tribute to the sacrifices of their families back home. And a grateful nation mourns the loss of our fallen heroes.

I understand that the first serviceman killed in Iraq was a native West Virginian, Marine 1st Lieutenant Shane Childers, who died five years ago tomorrow. And so on this anniversary, my thoughts and prayers go out to Lieutenant Childers’ family, and to all who’ve lost loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The costs of war are greatest for the troops and those who love them, but we know that war has other costs as well. Yesterday, I addressed some of these other costs in a speech on the strategic consequences of the Iraq war. I spoke about how this war has diverted us from fighting al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and from addressing the other challenges of the 21st Century: violent extremism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.

And today, I want to talk about another cost of this war – the toll it has taken on our economy. Because at a time when we’re on the brink of recession – when neighborhoods have For Sale signs outside every home, and working families are struggling to keep up with rising costs – ordinary Americans are paying a price for this war.

When you’re spending over $50 to fill up your car because the price of oil is four times what it was before Iraq, you’re paying a price for this war.

When Iraq is costing each household about $100 a month, you’re paying a price for this war.

When a National Guard unit is over in Iraq and can’t help out during a hurricane in Louisiana or with floods here in West Virginia, our communities are paying a price for this war.

And the price our families and communities are paying reflects the price America is paying. The most conservative estimates say that Iraq has now cost more than half a trillion dollars, more than any other war in our history besides World War II. Some say the true cost is even higher and that by the time it’s over, this could be a $3 trillion war.

But what no one disputes is that the cost of this war is far higher than what we were told it would be. We were told this war would cost $50 to $60 billion, and that reconstruction would pay for itself out of Iraqi oil profits. We were told higher estimates were nothing but “baloney.” Like so much else about this war, we were not told the truth.

What no one disputes is that the costs of this war have been compounded by its careless and incompetent execution – from the billions that have vanished in Iraq to the billions more in no-bid contracts for reckless contractors like Halliburton.

What no one disputes is that five years into this war, soldiers up at Fort Drum are having to wait more than a month to get their first mental health screening – even though we know that incidences of PTSD skyrocket between the second, third, and fourth tours of duty. We have a sacred trust to our troops and our veterans, and we have to live up to it.

What no one disputes is that President Bush has done what no other President has ever done, and given tax cuts to the rich in a time of war. John McCain once opposed these tax cuts – he rightly called them unfair and fiscally irresponsible. But now he has done an about face and wants to make them permanent, just like he wants a permanent occupation in Iraq. No matter what the costs, no matter what the consequences, John McCain seems determined to carry out a third Bush-term.

That’s an outcome America can’t afford. Because of the Bush-McCain policies, our debt has ballooned. This is creating problems in our fragile economy. And that kind of debt also places an unfair burden on our children and grandchildren, who will have to repay it.

It also means we’re having to pay for this war with loans from China. Having China as our banker isn’t good for our economy, it isn’t good for our global leadership, and it isn’t good for our national security. History teaches us that for a nation to remain a preeminent military power, it must remain a preeminent economic power. That is why it is so important to manage the costs of war wisely.

This is a lesson that the first President Bush understood. The conduct of the Gulf War cost America less than $20 billion – what we pay in two months in Iraq today. That’s because that war was prosecuted on solid grounds, and in a responsible way, and with the support of allies, who paid most of the costs. None of this has been the case in the way George W. Bush and John McCain have waged the current Iraq war.

Now, at that debate in Texas several weeks ago, Senator Clinton attacked John McCain for supporting the policies that have led to our enormous war costs. But her point would have been more compelling had she not joined Senator McCain in making the tragically ill-considered decision to vote for the Iraq war in the first place.

The truth is, this is all part of the reason I opposed this war from the start. It’s why I said back in 2002 that it could lead to an occupation not just of undetermined length or undetermined consequences, but of undetermined costs. It’s why I’ve said this war should have never been authorized and never been waged.

Now, let me be clear: when I am President, I will spare no expense to ensure that our troops have the equipment and support they need. There is no higher obligation for a Commander-in-Chief. But we also have to understand that the more than $10 billion we’re spending each month in Iraq is money we could be investing here at home. Just think about what battles we could be fighting instead of fighting this misguided war.

Instead of fighting this war, we could be fighting the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and who are plotting against us in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We could be securing our homeland and stopping the world’s most dangerous weapons from falling into terrorist hands.

Instead of fighting this war, we could be fighting for the people of West Virginia. For what folks in this state have been spending on the Iraq war, we could be giving health care to nearly 450,000 of your neighbors, hiring nearly 30,000 new elementary school teachers, and making college more affordable for over 300,000 students.

We could be fighting to put the American dream within reach for every American – by giving tax breaks to working families, offering relief to struggling homeowners, reversing President Bush’s cuts to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and protecting Social Security today, tomorrow, and forever. That’s what we could be doing instead of fighting this war.

Instead of fighting this war, we could be fighting to make universal health care a reality in this country. We could be fighting for the young woman who works the night shift after a full day of college and still can’t afford medicine for a sister who’s ill. For what we spend in several months in Iraq, we could be providing them with the quality, affordable health care that every American deserves.

Instead of fighting this war, we could be fighting to give every American a quality education. We could be fighting for the young men and women all across this country who dream big dreams but aren’t getting the kind of education they need to reach for those dreams. For a fraction of what we’re spending each year in Iraq, we could be giving our teachers more pay and more support, rebuilding our crumbling schools, and offering a tax credit to put a college degree within reach for anyone who wants one.

Instead of fighting this war, we could be fighting to rebuild our roads and bridges. I’ve proposed a fund that would do just that and generate nearly two million new jobs – many in the construction industry that’s been hard hit by our housing crisis. And it would cost just six percent of what we spend each year in Iraq.

Instead of fighting this war, we could be freeing ourselves from the tyranny of oil, and saving this planet for our children. We could be investing in renewable sources of energy, and in clean coal technology, and creating up to 5 million new green jobs in the bargain, including new clean coal jobs. And we could be doing it all for the cost of less than a year and a half in Iraq.

These are the investments we could be making, all within the parameters of a more responsible and disciplined budget. This is the future we could be building. And that is why I will bring this war to an end when I’m President of the United States of America.

But we also know that even after this war comes to an end, the costs of this war will not. We’ll have to keep our sacred trust with our veterans and fully fund the VA. We’ll have to look after our wounded warriors – whether they’re suffering from wounds seen or unseen. That must include the signature injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – not just PTSD, but Traumatic Brain Injury. We’ll have to give veterans the health care and disability benefits they deserve, the support they need, and the respect they’ve earned. This is an obligation I have fought to uphold on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee by joining Jay Rockefeller to expand educational opportunities for our veterans. It’s an obligation I will uphold as President, and it’s an obligation that will endure long after this war is over.

And our obligation to rebuild our military will endure as well. This war has stretched our military to its limits, wearing down troops and equipment as a result of tour after tour after tour of duty. The Army has said it will need $13 billion a year just to replace and repair all the equipment that’s been broken or lost. So in the coming years we won’t just have to restore our military to its peak level of readiness, and we won’t just have to make sure our National Guard is back to being fully prepared to handle a domestic crisis, we’ll also have to ensure that our soldiers are trained and equipped to confront the new threats of the 21 century and that our military can meet any challenge around the world. And that is a responsibility I intend to meet as Commander-in-Chief.

So we know what this war has cost us – in blood and in treasure. But in the words of Robert Kennedy, “past error is no excuse for its own perpetuation.” And yet, John McCain refuses to learn from the failures of the Bush years. Instead of offering an exit strategy for Iraq, he’s offering us a 100-year occupation. Instead of offering an economic plan that works for working Americans, he’s supporting tax cuts for the wealthiest among us who don’t need them and aren’t asking for them. Senator McCain is embracing the failed policies of the past, but America is ready to embrace the future.

When I am your nominee, the American people will have a real choice in November – between change and more of the same, between giving the Bush policies another four years, or bringing them to an end. And that is the choice the American people deserve.

Somewhere in Baghdad today, a soldier is stepping into his Humvee and heading out on a patrol. That soldier knows the cost of war. He’s been bearing it for five years. It’s the cost of being kept awake at night by the whistle of falling mortars. It’s the cost of a heart that aches for a loved one back home, and a family that’s counting the days until the next R&R. It’s the cost of losing a friend, who asked for nothing but to serve his country.

How much longer are we going to ask our troops to bear the cost of this war?

How much longer are we going to ask our families and our communities to bear the cost of this war?

When are we going to stop mortgaging our children’s future for Washington’s mistake?

This election is our chance to reclaim our future – to end the fight in Iraq and take up the fight for good jobs and universal health care. To end the fight in Iraq and take up the fight for a world-class education and retirement security. To end the fight in Iraq and take up the fight for opportunity, and equality, and prosperity here at home.

Those are the battles we need to fight. That is the leadership I want to offer. And that is the future we can build together when I’m President of the United States. Thank you.

McCains kampanj svarar:

“Today Senator Obama once again displayed how fundamentally wrong he is on the central issues facing America’s future….”

Videoklipp kommer upp snart…

Andra bloggar om: usa, irak, irakkriget, barack obama, john mccain