NEWS YOU WON'T FIND ON CNN

In case you missed it?: Will Iran Be Next?: Those who have hoped that a U.S. military victory in Iraq would somehow bring about a more peaceful world are in for a rude awakening.

Mea culpa, that's what we want : Where are the tumbrels for those who actually voted for war, dispatching other people's sons and daughters to kill and be killed on a hoax? No minister on either side of the Atlantic has lost their job over the war or the subsequent shameful conduct of the occupation.

Rep. Ron Paul: Freedom vs. Security: A False Choice: The obvious lesson of September 11th is that government cannot protect us. Self-reliance and self-defense are American virtues; trembling reliance on the illusion of government-provided security is not.

Ray McGovern : Code Red : What’s going on?: “Intelligence” is being conjured up once again to serve the political purposes of the Bush administration. Merely recall the litany of spurious claims against Iraq, all said to have been based on the “solid sources”

New Padilla Info Not Part of Court Case : Some outside lawyers were skeptical of the government's motive in releasing the information on Padilla two years after his arrest as a suspected "dirty bomber."

Jose Padilla, American Terrorist?: Declassified document details al-Qaeda soldier's U.S. bomb plots

Israel wants Iraq to pay compensation: Israel looks set to pursue a compensation claim on behalf of Jews who left Iraq over 50 years ago, despite no such similar consideration for Palestinian refugees.

Israel: Nine more Border Policemen arrested for alleged abuse : "The policemen, were arrested after the Justice Ministry's internal police investigation division were informed that the troops had made a practice of abusing, attacking, and beating Palestinians during operations to apprehend Palestinians who are in Israel without required permits,"

Like sheep to the slaughter: "If they had taken a pistol and shot us in the head, a bullet for each of us, it would have been less terrible than what they did to us. They took the bread from our mouths," says Othman Jabarin, a resident of the Jimba cave village in the South Hebron Hills.

A gift of dust and bones : Sharon's plan for a pullout owes more to demographic shifts than a belated conversion to peace-making

Mosaic: World News Reports From Middle East TV For 06/01/04: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

Rick MacArthur and Scott Ritter On The Lies of Our Times: During the build-up to the invasion of Iraq, the New York Times served as a conveyor belt for the propaganda of the administration, cranking out stories rife with unsubstantiated claims and outright lies.

Details Emerge on Stint by Chalabi Niece at 'NY Times' : According to the article by Jane Mayer, "two months before the invasion began, the chief correspondent for the Times, Patrick E. Tyler, who was in charge of overseeing the paper's war coverage, hired Chalabi's niece

Will the NY Times Pay For Its Crimes?: A few felons are still roaming the corridors of power at the Pentagon and the New York Times. Even the shrinking number of Americans who still believe that this Iraqi venture is a "good war" should be up in arms and demand an investigation.

Rober Fisk Interview: Transcript:. The interesting thing, when Sept 11th happened, and it was an international crime against humanity, and nobody said why!

In case you missed it?: August 6, 2002: Briefing Depicted Saudis as Enemies : A briefing given last month to a top Pentagon advisory board described Saudi Arabia as an enemy of the United States, and recommended that U.S. officials give it an ultimatum to stop backing terrorism or face seizure of its oil fields and its financial assets invested in the United States.

Think-tank warns of anti-Islam 'time bomb': Growing Islamophobia in Britain in the wake of the September 11 attacks could lead to a dangerous backlash of riots and extremism, it was reported today.

Total Information Awareness II?: It is time for Gov. Jeb Bush and the federal government to provide solid privacy assurances to the public before continuing to use a computer database that was sold as a tool for criminal investigations but could be used as a back-door effort at data-mining for terrorist suspects.

Must do better: His poll ratings have slumped and each day brings more bad news from Iraq, but George Bush has one big advantage in the coming campaign: a ponderous, uncharismatic challenger with no clear message

Bush Thanks Veterans, Then Cuts Their Health Care: The Bush Administration announced new plans to slash veterans health care funding if it returns to power in 2005.

Enron Traders Caught On Tape: When a forest fire shut down a major transmission line into California, cutting power supplies and raising prices, Enron energy traders celebrated

Saudi Gunmen Tricked Way to Freedom Deal -Adviser: Saudi Arabia struck a deal to free three hostage-takers in a suspected al Qaeda attack at the weekend because it feared accomplices could blow up an entire housing compound, a Saudi security adviser said Tuesday.

Costs for Iraq war eat into U.S. deficits: Even by Washington standards, the $119.4 billion that President Bush and Congress have provided for the first two years of the war in Iraq is real money.

Other things Iraq war funding can pay for: It would take 3,785 years to spend $119.4 billion at the rate of $1 per second every day.

Where Does Iraq Stand Among U.S. Wars?: In total casualties -- that is, combined dead and wounded -- the U.S. military now has suffered more in Iraq than in the Spanish-American War. The wounded tally in Iraq -- but not the death total -- has surpassed the figures for the War of 1812 and the Mexican War.

The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century: It explains why we're going to war, and why we'll keep going to war.

In case you missed it?: November 10, 2002 : A New Age of Empire in the Middle East, Courtesy of the US and UK : British Member of Parliament George Galloway says that a plan for the division of the Middle East is circulating in the corridors of power on both sides of the Atlantic. In a recent interview, Galloway asserted that ministers and eminent figures in the British government are deliberating the partition of the Middle East

Coming Soon : The Return of the Draft, a Bipartisan Production: : Barring a sudden reversal in the direction of US foreign policy, a strong bipartisan push to reinstate the draft can be expected soon after the November elections.

Pentagon can't seem to kill idea of military draft: Defense officials say they don't want it. And polls show the American public doesn't either. So why do lawmakers keep suggesting that conscription be reconsidered?

Czech troops to leave Iraq early next year: defense minister : The Defense Ministry will submit the withdrawal proposal as soon as possible to the parliament

5,000 Marines Set for Rapid Deployment: The deployment occurs in the fierce heat of summer and under an extraordinarily tight schedule, with troops expected to land in the war theater a few weeks after receiving orders.

Border security contract worth up to $10 billion awarded to Bermuda company : Accenture LLP, a technology and management consulting company, was awarded a government contract Tuesday worth up to $10 billion to develop and expand biometric technology for checking identities of foreigners visiting America.

Oil futures hit all-time high: The price for the July contract for New York's main futures prices was still up 1.92 dollars a barrel from Friday.

MI5 Raises Terror Warning To "Severe" : AL-QAEDA suicide truck bombers are planning to strike at a British military base in the next two months, according to secret intelligence reports.

Hicks, Habib to be tried in US: "Our view (the government) is that Mr Hicks and Mr Habib should be made to stand accountable for their actions before a proper authority and in this case the US military commission's established for this purpose," Mr Ruddock told parliament.

Holding Egyptian as security risk four years called cruel : Mohammad Mahjoub was arrested in June 2000 and has been held at the Toronto West Detention Centre, a jail that normally houses short-term inmates and has been dubbed Canada's Guantanamo Bay after the U.S. military prison in Cuba.

06/01/04:  Scores killed in Somali clashes: At least 31 people have been killed and about 40 others wounded amid clashes in the southern Somali town of Bulohawo, near the Kenyan border.

At Least 25 Dead in Blast at Iraqi Kurdish Party HQ: At least 25 people were killed and many wounded by an explosion which tore through the headquarters of a Kurdish party in Baghdad on Tuesday, police at the scene said.

Afghan Official Says U.S. Forces Kill Six Taliban: U.S.-led troops killed six members of Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime in a raid on Tuesday in the southern province of Zabul, a provincial military official said.

Afghan Police Official Killed in Bomb Blast: Afghan authorities say a senior police official in the eastern city of Jalalabad was killed when a bomb attached to his office chair exploded.

U.S. Marine Killed in Western Iraq: A U.S. Marine assigned to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force has been killed in action in western Iraq, the military said Tuesday.

Profile of Sheikh Ghazi Ajil al-Yawar, who was appointed as Iraq's interim president. He was reported as saying that Paul Bremer, the head of the US-led occupation authority, had offered him "several posts," including ambassador to Washington, if he would pass up the presidency.

Iraq's new prime minister says troops will stay : Iraq's new prime minister is making it clear he wants troops from the U-S and other coalition countries to stay.

3rd of detainees who died were assaulted: More than a third of the prisoners who died in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan were shot, strangled or beaten by U.S. personnel before they died, according to death certificates and a high-ranking U.S. military official.

Let's face up to it - we are torturers too: Blair must answer fully to all the evidence of abuse by British troops

Australia: I was misled on abuse: Howard: Prime Minister John Howard says he did not mislead the public about when Australian officials became aware of allegations about the serious abuse of Iraqi prisoners. The Defence Department has revealed that its officials first learnt of the allegations last October.

Australia: The white gloves of ignorance: Once again, bureaucrats have taken the rap to protect the PM. John Howard has put on the white gloves of ignorance and blamed everyone else for not telling him about what he should have known of the Iraqi prisoner abuse.

On-the-ground-reality TV: Shocking footage of US military conduct in Iraq is available through major news services, yet the American public seldom sees what reporters see

Hawks Eating Crow : The Bush Administration has not made it easy on its supporters. David Brooks now admits that he was gripped with a "childish fantasy" about Iraq. Tucker Carlson is "ashamed" and "enraged" at himself. Tom Friedman, admitting to being "a little slow," is finally off the reservation.

E-mail 'links Cheney to Halliburton deal': The links between Dick Cheney and the Halliburton oil services company were under new scrutiny yesterday with the revelation of a Pentagon memo suggesting that the award to Halliburton of Iraq contracts was "co-ordinated" with the Vice-President's office.

In Iraq, tribal justice fills the post-war power vacuum: After his son was kidnapped by gang, father kidnaps ringleader in attempt to extort the extortionists

US hawks are forced to fly back into the House of Saud: The Bush administration and the House of Saud are being thrown back into each other's arms by the crisis in Iraq and the attacks on westerners in Saudi Arabia.

OPEC Has Already Turned to the Euro: As the dollar's rate of exchange continues to fall against the world's major currencies, there has been much speculation about the likely knock-on effect. One area receiving a lot of attention is crude oil in general, and OPEC in particular.

The spooks owe us all an apology: The Chalabi affair exposes a massive failure of intelligence. Last year he was America's most favoured Iraqi president-in-waiting. This year he's toast - and in a jam. "It's pretty clear that Iranians had us for breakfast, lunch and dinner," according to a ubiquitous "intelligence source" in Washington.

American contractors' role in Chalabi raid revealed: But eight armed American contractors paid by a US State Department program went on the raid, directing and encouraging the Iraqi policemen who, witnesses say, ripped out computers, turned over furniture and smashed photographs.

An empire of denial: The US is choosing to ignore the fact that it is to blame for the stifling of global democracy

The lying game: An A-Z of the Iraq war and its aftermath, focusing on misrepresentation, manipulation, and mistakes

Courting Disaster: Bush’s Real Strategy in Iraq: President Bush’s strategy in Iraq is now clear. And I don’t mean the five-point rehash of existing platitudes found in his recent “major” speech at the Army War College. I’m talking about the real, behind-the-scenes plan.

Electorate Is Wising Up to the Iraq Blunder: Despite Bush's claim again last week that occupied Iraq is "the central front in the war on terror," the grim consequences of this colonial-style adventure have finally gotten through to an electorate that understandably invested a huge amount of trust in him after 9/11.

The Choice This Year Is Between Empire and Democracy: I can say categorically that Hitler had (or at least his people believed he had) a Vision. It was a vision of a world at peace (for 1000 years, no less), a world purified of disruptive or "undesirable" people, a world united in what Hitler called "A New Christianity,"

Rumsfeld-military ties worsen : Retired officers and defence analysts say the problems have worsened during a war in which critics accuse Mr Rumsfeld's team of neglecting to provide enough troops to stabilise Iraq after ousting Saddam Hussein.

Robert Novak: U.S. is lost in Afghanistan: The handful of valiant American warriors fighting the ''other'' war in Afghanistan is not a happy band of brothers. They are undermanned and feel neglected, lack confidence in their generals and are disgusted by Afghan political leadership.

Bushido: The Way Of The Armchair Warrior: Knowledge is not important. The armchair warrior strives to attain a state beyond knowledge, a state of deep, non-knowing connection to the universe: in particular, to that portion of the universe which is rich, powerful, or related to him by blood.

Get Bush twins to enlist: President's daughters could flourish with service and show that war is everyone's responsibility

Betrayal in the Ranks: Thousands of women have been sexually assaulted in the United States military. Thousands more have been abused by their military husbands or boyfriends. And then they are victimized again. This time, the women are betrayed by the military itself.

The Fruits of Saint George : The Christian Right needs to take a long, hard look at George W. Bush and decide "What Would Jesus Do?"

Evangelicals Give U.S. Foreign Policy An Activist Tinge: Michael Horowitz was named one of the 10 most influential Christians of the year in 1997 by a Southern Baptist magazine. The only catch: He's Jewish.

In case you missed it: Ethicists Debate Morality and Foreign Policy: Most Americans reject the notion that Bush is leading the United States on a religious crusade, but many Muslims and even some Europeans see the president as "a God-driven cowboy,"

U.S.: Suspect Sought to Blow Up Buildings: The documents said al-Qaida officials were sceptical of Islam convert Padilla’s ability to set off a dirty bomb but were very interested in the apartment operation.

Paul Krugman: Dooh Nibor Economics: The Washington Post got hold of an Office of Management and Budget memo that directed federal agencies to prepare for post-election cuts in programs that George Bush has been touting on the campaign trail. These include nutrition for women, infants and children; Head Start; and homeland security.

IOF Wounds a Woman and Girl in Balata, Demolishes Houses in Qarara: Israeli occupying forces (IOF) shot and wounded late on yesterday night a Palestinian woman and a little girl in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, near Nablus City, as other IOF troops razed arable lands in the Gaza Strip town of Al-Qarara.

Turkey ’s Premier: Israel’s Assassination Policy ‘State-Sponsored Terrorism’ : Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, strongly criticized yesterday the Israeli assassination policy, being adopted against Palestinian resistance members, considering such a policy a ‘state-sponsored terrorism’.

The painful lesson Israel learned about torture : "The methods of interrogation which are employed in any given regime are a faithful mirror of the character of the entire regime."

Israel has no evidence Colombian militia leader is in country : The militia leader disappeared from Colombia on February 16 after the country's militias agreed to a government demand to disband. Castano, 39, was first moved to Panama under American guard and then sent to Israel, according to the French news agency's report.

Israeli Arab rights center calls to forbid talk of transfer : Thousands of Israeli Arab citizens are suffering from increasing racism, xenophobia, incitement and violence, according to the annual Racism in Israel 2004 report released Tuesday

Creating a 'secure Israel': Several mechanisms have been advanced to link Israeli security and the invasion of Iraq. Some say that neo-conservatives do indeed want to "install" democracy in Iraq. - Leo Strauss, the father of US neo-conservatism, tells us, however, that democratic masses are susceptible to political charlatans and innately anti-Semitic

It's business as usual: On its face, President George W Bush's recent endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's land grab in the occupied territories makes little sense. It has stirred rage in the Arab world, where, according to US ally Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, "there exists a hatred of Americans never equaled in the region".

Kerry's support for Israel repels Arab voters: A raft of statements by Kerry lauding President George W. Bush's unequivocal support of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has alienated some in a community that, though relatively small, is strategically situated in certain states expected to be closely contested in the November election.

High Court: Release report on Netanyahu fraud scandal : The High Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that Attorney General Menachem Mazuz must release former State Prosecutor Edna Arbel's position paper recommending that Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted for fraud and breach of trust over violations allegedly committed in the early 1990s.

For the good of U.S., as well as Iraq, President Bush should bow out: When Lyndon Johnson could have sought re-election, he decided that new leadership was needed to deal with the mess in Vietnam, so he announced that he would not be a candidate for re-election. I suggest that George W. Bush make the same decision.

Soros Admits Donating $16 Million to Defeat Bush : It amounts to the largest in-kind donation to a political candidate in American history.

The Big Money Election : For anyone who wants to reduce the role of big money in politics, the 2004 election is an object lesson in how not to solve the problem.

Clinton to rescue Kerry's campaign: The Kerry camp has decided that Mr Clinton's personal charisma is needed to bolster the appeal of Senator Kerry, who has been accused of running a lacklustre campaign and failing to take advantage of President Bush's problems in Iraq.

Six Firms Control, Exceed U.S. Oil Leases : A single New Mexico family and a dozen big oil companies, including one once headed by Commerce Secretary Don Evans, now control one-quarter of all federal lands leased for oil and gas development in the continental United States despite a law intended to prevent such concentration, federal records show.

Concerns rise over chemicals as targets: Homeland Security watchdogs call them "prepositioned weapons of mass destruction" for terrorists: huge tanks of concentrated deadly gases that the chemical industry stores near densely populated areas and that railroads bring through cities en route to somewhere else.

5,000 Hmong refugees expected: A wave of immigration unparalleled in recent history will begin late this month when the first of thousands of Hmong refugees make their way from a Buddhist

05/31/04: Bomb Kills at Least 15 in Karachi Shi'ite Mosque: A bomb killed at least 15 people at evening prayers in a Shi'ite mosque on Monday in Pakistan's southern city Karachi, where a senior cleric from the majority Sunni sect was shot dead a day earlier.

Four Afghans killed in raid by Taliban guerrillas: Taliban guerrillas riding in a fleet of vehicles shot up a government office in southern Afghanistan, killing four Afghan soldiers, an official said yesterday. One gunman also was killed.

Police officer killed in Kabul : A police officer was killed as unidentified gunmen attacked his car in the capital citylast night, a spokesman of Interior Ministry said Monday

3 Killed As Gunmen Target More Foreign Civilian Convoys: Gunmen targeting caravans of four-wheel-drive vehicles killed at least three people Sunday, and cheering bystanders doused two of the bullet-riddled SUVs with gasoline and set them ablaze, according to Iraqi police and witnesses.

Three U.S. Soldiers Die in Attacks Near Kufa, Baghdad : Three U.S. soldiers were killed in attacks near the Iraqi cities of Kufa and Baghdad, the U.S. military command said.

Baghdad car bomb kills 3: At least three people, including a woman, were killed and more than 20 wounded on Monday when at least one car bomb exploded in a western Baghdad neighbourhood.

Iraqi Leader Killed in Baghdad: Mohsen Abdel Hamid, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council and Secretary General of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), has been killed on Monday in an attack in Baghdad.

More Than 200 Troops Killed in April, May: Death Toll of American Troops in Iraq for April and May Moves Past 200; More Than 2 Killed a Day

Saudi security forces 'allowed kidnappers to flee': One employee of the Oasis compound said today that a hostage heard the gunmen shouting that they would release their captives if the security forces let them go.

British oil executive was among the first to die: Victim Body was dragged behind car, reports say

New Saudi attack 'probable' : Britain's ambassador to Saudi Arabia warned today that another terrorist attack in the kingdom was "probable", as Saudi security forces continued their kingdom-wide search for the gunmen whose weekend rampage through the city of Khobar left 22 people dead

Australia warns against more attacks in Saudi Arabia: Australians were told to defer non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia and those already in the country were advised to leave if they were concerned about their security.

Crisis hits Saudi oil industry : Traders warned that oil prices were likely to rise this week in response to the latest attack in the kingdom, the second in a month. Prices have slipped in the past fortnight from a 13-year high of $41.85 a barrel, but a renewed surge is expected when markets reopen tomorrow

Saudi attacks weaken dollar's footing : In Europe, safe-haven flows out of the dollar were much in evidence although thin trading conditions given the public holiday in Britain and the US were also having an impact, analysts said.

Al-Qaeda winning: Asian analysts: The al-Qaeda network is winning the global war on terror, while Washington's use of overwhelming force against Muslim extremists is creating a sea of hatred and is strategically flawed, Asian analysts said.

Stratfor Intelligence Report: "Al Qaeda's Next Strike" : Al Qaeda likely has a number of sleeper cells still embedded in the United States, and logic dictates that Houston, Texas, is high on their target list.

Can terrorist warning sway votes?: Political analysts say almost any renewed discussion of terrorism benefits President George W. Bush because the public -- even as it questions Bush's leadership on Iraq and the economy -- still regards him as best able to deal with that threat.

Council defies US over top job choice: At a stormy governing council meeting yesterday, Mr Bremer bluntly warned members not to hold another vote on who should be the new president. If they did he would ignore it.

The Abu Ghraib Scandal Cover-Up?: Some critics say Donald Rumsfeld's Defense Department is doing its best to stop potentially incriminating information from coming out, that it's deflecting Congress's inquiries and shielding higher-ups from investigation.

On Their Way To Abu Ghraib: "How could this happen?" nearly everyone asks these days. But as the U.S. now releases hundreds of men from Abu Ghraib prison, another question, "why were so many Iraqis locked up there in the first place?" is likely to become part of the debate.

Jailed - for showing dislike of US invaders: General Ryder, the army's provost marshal, reported that some Iraqis had been held for months for nothing more than expressing "displeasure or ill will" towards the US occupying forces.

America's battle to regain respect : The US has not been defeated in battle and is unlikely to be so but it can no longer impose its will on Iraq because it lacks the moral authority to do so.

Dahr Jamail : Iraq's Disintegration: For each step forward the coalition makes, two disasters occur... whether they take the form of deadly attacks on the occupying forces, more mortars blasting into the CPA, sabotage of a pipeline or powerplant, a murder, another SUV of secret service or security mercenaries taken out by an RPG, or something less obvious...

Iraqi doctors forced into exile: IRAQ's top surgeons, neurologists and other doctors are fleeing Baghdad, bullied into exile by a growing gang of kidnappers seeking hefty ransoms from the country's affluent elite.

Never mind the truth: Bush and Blair appear to think that making declarations on Iraq is enough to change the realities on the ground

Zbigniew Brzezinski : Face Reality: America's Iraq policy requires a fundamental strategic reappraisal. The present policy - justified by falsehoods, pursued with unilateral arrogance, blinded by self-delusion, and stained by sadistic excesses - cannot be corrected with a few hasty palliatives.

In case you missed it?: Zbigniew Brzezinski: A geostrategy for Eurasia : A power that dominated Eurasia would exercise decisive influence over two of the world's three most economically productive regions, Western Europe and East Asia. A glance at the map also suggests that a country dominant in Eurasia would almost automatically control the Middle East and Africa.

Memorial Day Special Video: The New Documentary 'Preventive Warriors': The film examines a bold new foreign policy paper introduced by the White House in September 2002 entitled: “The National Security Strategy of the United States.” A must watch video:

Draft dilemma : They are going to reintroduce the draft in the US. But it's such a vote loser, no one wants to mention it

We Want Our Country Back: Flash presentation.

Prominent U.S. Jews, Israel blamed for start of Iraq war : Despite the significant difference between the statements of Zinni and those of Hollings, certain members of the U.S. Jewish community are beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.

In case you missed it: 9/7/2002 : Yediot Ahronot: Iraq, Jordan to be converted into one Hashimite Kingdom: The correspondent of the Israeli Yediot Ahronot for military affairs said Friday that Israeli sides were briefed on plans prepared by the hawks of the American administration on changing the face of the Arab region, including perceptions to end the ruling regime in Iraq and bringing it back to the Hashimite Kingdom.

Israel Court to Army: Protect Palestinian Civilians: Israel's top court has told the army to safeguard "the lives and dignity" of Palestinian civilians in combat operations, a ruling welcomed on Monday by human-rights groups alarmed by the bloodiest Gaza raid in years.

Lieberman presents to Russia plan to expel 'disloyal' Arabs: The plan is based on the idea of separating the populations and territories of Jews and Arabs, including Israeli Arabs. According to the plan, only those Israeli Arabs who feel a connection with the State of Israel and are completely loyal to it will be allowed to stay.

In case you missed it?: Meet The New Zionist's: The members of the Christian Coalition of America are some of the most passionate defenders of Israel in the United States. There's just one catch: they want to convert all Jews to Christianity.

In case you missed it?: Israel's Evangelical Approach : In an effort to solidify its relationship with American evangelicals, the government of Israel has launched initiatives that include expense-paid trips to the Holy Land and strategy sessions with the Christian Coalition and other conservative groups.

N. Korea Accuses U.S. of War Pretext Plot : North Korea on Monday accused the Bush administration of making up reports about the North's nuclear weapons program as a pretext for war, saying it echoed similar allegations Washington made about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion.

Experts: Job market dismal for teens this summer: Only 37 percent of teens are likely to find a summer job, according to the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston.

05/30/04:

Saudi hostage crisis comes to a bloody end: Saudi forces have ended their offensive in the hostage crisis after a bloody standoff left at least 16 people dead.

Saudi Cell "Slaughtered" Italian, Swede, Japanese: Al Qaida, in a purported statement carried on an Islamist Web site, said on Sunday its militants in Saudi Arabia had "slaughtered" an Italian and a Swedish hostage in the oil city of Khobar.

Iraqi killed, 12 wounded in clashes in Najaf : An Iraqi was killed and 12 others were wounded during the past 24 hours as clashes continued in the holy city of Najaf on Sunday

Senior pro-Taliban cleric killed in Karachi: Armed men riding in two cars and a motorcycle shot and killed a senior Sunni Muslim cleric in violence-prone Karachi.

Militant Cleric's Killing Sparks Violence in Pakistan: Mass riots have erupted across Pakistan's largest city, Karachi, after the assassination of one of the country's top religious leaders.

Israeli Missiles Kill Senior Hamas Man, Two Others: Two missiles fired by an Israeli helicopter killed a high-profile Hamas militant commander on his motorcycle and two comrades in Gaza City early on Sunday, Palestinian witnesses said.

Iraq's new leader to recruit some of Saddam's soldiers: Iyad Allawi, Iraq's prime minister-designate, plans to recall four divisions of Saddam Hussein's old army to create a rapid reaction force and anti-terrorism unit to deal with the country's security crisis.

Dissent over US push for interim head: US officials and a United Nations envoy continued horse-trading with Iraqi leaders yesterday over the selection of an interim president, with many members of the country's Governing Council opposing the US and UN choice, according to Iraqi politicians and international officials

The handover that became a shambles: ten U-turns on the road to 'peace': The appointment of an interim Prime Minister who used to work for the CIA is one of a series of disastrous policy changes by the US.

Police surround Chalabi's office: Police in the central Iraqi town of Ramadi have surrounded the local office of Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress and ordered it to be evacuated.

Bush was sure that Iraq’s oil reserves would be flowing again by now: ... Another big mistake

The Empire at Oil's End: Angry truckers celebrated this May Day by blocking freeways in Los Angeles and container terminals in Oakland and Stockton. With diesel fuel prices in California soaring to record levels in recent weeks, the earnings of independent container-haulers have dropped below the poverty line.

Halliburton: The Paper Trail: Did Cheney Okay a Deal?: TIME has obtained an internal Pentagon e-mail sent by an Army Corps of Engineers official—whose name was blacked out by the Pentagon—that raises questions about Cheney's arm's-length policy toward his old employer.

ABC News Poll: Majority of Republicans Say Abusing Prisoners Is Okay: Go Ahead, Try And Tell Me They Are Not The Nazis

Bush has Saddam's pistol: report: US President George W Bush has been given a pistol Saddam Hussein had with him when he was captured and now proudly shows it to selected guests

Jewish Congresswoman says Bush's Policies a Danger to Jews: The simmering debate over the role of Jewish neoconservatives in drawing America into war in Iraq erupted with new fury this week.

Senator Hollings, responds to being charged as anti-Semitic: With Iraq no threat, why invade a sovereign country? The answer: President Bush's policy to secure Israel.

Gallery owner becomes target after showcasing painting of Iraqi prisoner abuse: After displaying a painting of U.S. soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners, a San Francisco gallery owner bears a painful reminder of the nation's unresolved anguish over the incidents at Abu Ghraib -- a black eye and bloodied brow delivered by an unknown assailant who apparently objected to the art work.

`Terror lady' in U.S. custody, says Pakistan : Pakistan's Interior Ministry has claimed that Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani-American woman who was declared as a terrorist threat (to the U.S.) by the FBI, had been arrested in 2003 from Karachi and handed over to the U.S. authorities.

From the Ranks to the Street: Nearly a fourth of the America's homeless are veterans. Reasons vary, but many fail to adjust to life's randomness after the order of military service.

Dogs alerted to explosives at gate; two detained by INS: NCIS detained the two men, both Israeli citizens, and turned them over to Immigration Naturalization Service in Savannah for further disposition and deportation.

Cameras embedded in pavement markings -- used in U.S. for past three years

NHS workers trial hi-tech panic buttons: UK health service workers are to be tagged with electronic tracking devices in a pilot scheme designed to promote the safety of NHS staff who regularly work on their own, such as district nurses.

Four US soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan : "Four US service members assigned to the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan were killed in action today here in southern Afghanistan," US Central Command said in a statement.

Three Marines killed in Iraq: The U.S. military says the Marines from the First Marine Expeditionary Force were killed in Anbar province west of Baghdad. The Marines were responsible for security in a wide area from just west of Baghdad to the borders of Syria and Jordan.

Top al-Qaeda leader spells out tactics for guerrilla warfare in Saudi Arabia : A SENIOR al-Qaeda leader in Saudi Arabia issued a battle plan yesterday for an urban guerrilla war in the kingdom, already reeling from recent attacks on western and security targets.

U.S. Urges Citizens to Leave Saudi After Attack: "We are reiterating our call to American citizens to depart the country in light of recent terrorist attacks," a U.S. embassy official told Reuters.

05/29/04: U.S. Forced Allawi On U.N., Iraqis: A senior State Department official told the daily, on condition of anonymity, that the U.S.-handpicked Iraqi body had merely ratified the U.S. selection in order to make it seem that the council had the final saying.

American Caligula: George W. Bush, the schizophrenic by-product of an influential American family grew up in a wealthy decadent world steeped in generations of treachery and political intrigue. 

Gov't in crisis as Netanyahu foils PM's mini-plan: Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not support any proposal that recognized the general plan and would agree only to the limited proposal to evacuate the three settlements.

Conservative Allies Take Chalabi Case to the White House: The group included Richard N. Perle, the former chairman of a Pentagon advisory group, and R. James Woolsey, director of central intelligence under President Bill Clinton.

5 Killed : Militia clashes with US as ceasefire fails: US officials said two soldiers were wounded in the latest fighting. "Their Humvee was completely destroyed and they were evacuated for treatment," a spokesman said.

Gunmen kill Kurdish politician and family north of Iraq : Gunmen killed a prominent Kurdish politician and members of his family in a drive-by shooting in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Saturday

Israeli soldier killed near Nablus: An Israeli occupation army captain has died of serious injuries sustained during clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank town of Nablus.

US distances itself from Iraqi PM: The UN response has been cool, speaking only of "respect" for the decision.

Exiled Allawi was responsible for 45-minute WMD claim: He is the person through whom the controversial claim was channelled that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction could be operational in 45 minutes.

Kurds feel betrayed once again: The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan believes that if the plight of the Kurds is ignored yet again and we are left with no say in the future of a new Iraq, the will of the Kurdish people will be too great for the Kurdish political parties to ignore, leading to a total withdrawal from any further discussions relating to the formation of any new Iraqi government. This will certainly not serve the unity of Iraq.

Iraqi Women Raped At Abu Ghraib: Report: Reports have emerged that Iraqi women held at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison were raped by both US and Iraqi jailers, according to human rights groups, following the reports of abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US troops there.

The silence of the healers at Abu Ghraib: Physicians too became complicit in the moral erosion which led to the shameful events at the Abu Ghraib prison.

For Shame: What becomes of a country that loses its capacity for repulsion?

Iraq prison abuse 'widespread': According to the military documents seen by AP, at least two detainees held at other sites died of their injuries.

Intelligence agents accused in abuses: Several U.S. guards allege they witnessed military intelligence operatives encouraging the abuse of Iraqi prison inmates at four prisons other than Abu Ghraib, investigative documents show.

Guantanamo Interrogators Played Major Role at Abu Ghraib: A published report says interrogators from the U.S.- run detention camp at the Navy Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba were sent to Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison late last year to train American intelligence teams.

Bagged By The U.S.: Owen Matthews goes on patrol with American soldiers in Afghanistan's 'Indian Country' and sees them capture and interrogate suspects

GI flagged for public comments about his Abu Ghraib experience: Sgt. Samuel Provance said he wasn’t surprised when Lt. Col. James Norwood summoned him to Wiesbaden on Friday, less than a week after the sergeant spoke to ABC News about his experiences at the Abu Ghraib.

Australia: PM, you're wrong: letters expose early reports of torture: Claims of multiple breaches of the Geneva conventions by US soldiers in Iraqi prisons - including prolonged shackling, forced nudity and humiliation - were dealt with by the Australian military lawyer Major George O'Kane last year, casting serious doubt on the Federal Government's version of events

Bulgaria Denies Iraq Abuse Report: The Defense Ministry denied an international news agency report that Bulgarian soldiers might have abused Iraqi prisoners.

Iranians sign up for Iraq attacks: Hundreds of protesters in the Iranian capital, Tehran, have been signing up to carry out suicide attacks against coalition forces in Iraq.

How Chalabi and the White House held the front page: The New York Times has burned its reputation on a pyre of lies about Iraq

The Manipulator: Between 1992 and the raid on Chalabi’s home, the U.S. government funnelled more than a hundred million dollars to the Iraqi National Congress. The current Bush Administration gave Chalabi’s group at least thirty-nine million dollars.

The Ahmed Chalabi Photo Gallery: Or, How to win friends and influence people

Get Ready for Kerry's War: Kerry has already made it clear that he intends to "stay the course." He will do the same thing, but better, he vows. He will do it on a grander scale. He will do a better job of pronouncing the names of the cities we bomb.

Report: Iraq being plundered : A US newspaper reports that military equipment and oil rig parts are being smuggled out of Iraq in a scale tantamount to looting.

Mosaic: World News Reports FromThe Middle East TV For 05/28/04: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

What the Arab world hears when Bush speaks: As he addressed the influential pro-Israeli American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) recently, US President George W. Bush repeatedly invoked the desire for security as a common denominator between the United States and Israel. Yet not once did he recognize the Palestinians' right to self-defense.

Barbarians at the Gates: Zionism is in intensive care ­ dependent on the oxygen of support from the Jewish Diaspora and drip fed funds by the United States. Given the human and financial toll, it is legitimate to query whether the apparent purpose of Zionism today -­ to satisfy the Jewish sense of belonging and the wackier elements of the Christian Right -­ is worth the price.

Group sues over Iraq deployment: A citizens' group filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking a halt to the deployment of Japanese troops to Iraq and a withdrawal of troops currently there, saying the government is violating Japan's war-renouncing Constitution.

Keep our slaves safe: Our military is one of the last bastions of slavery in the United States. - Yes, our slaves signed up of their own free will, but most of them were as misled about their job as the rest of us were about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Poking holes in the official story of 9/11: Citizens can choose to buy the official line on the events of Sept. 11, 2001 — or they can ask questions about holes in that story as big as the crater at Ground Zero.

Tillman likely killed by friendly fire: Former pro football player Pat Tillman was "probably" killed by friendly fire as he led his team of Army Rangers up a hill during a firefight in Afghanistan last month, the U.S. Army said Saturday.

Will Bush the Beheader use terrorism to become America's Pinochet?: Attorney-General John Ashcroft is priming the public for a terrorist attack, which can only mean Bush is sharpening his blades to behead the Constitution.

U.S. agencies collect, examine personal data on Americans: Numerous federal government agencies are collecting and sifting through massive amounts of personal information, including credit reports, credit-card purchases and other financial data, posing new privacy concerns, according to the General Accounting Office

GAO Report Reveals Four Potential Government Data-Surveillance Programs, ACLU Says: According to the GAO descriptions, all four programs draw on private-sector databases, contain personally identifiable information, and appear to constitute dragnets on the general population in efforts to detect wrongdoing.

ACLU Challenge to "National Security Letter" Authority: In an extraordinary sealed case, the American Civil Liberties Union has challenged the FBI’s unchecked authority to issue “National Security Letters” (NSLs), which demand sensitive customer records from Internet Service Providers and other businesses without judicial oversight

"Free Speech Zones" in the U.S.A.? I thought our entire nation was a "Free Speech Zone." I thought that is what "freedom of speech" meant in our Constitution. That we could say anything we wanted, anywhere on public property where we wanted to say it. What was I thinking? Welcome to "Free Speech, 2004, "Dubya" Bush Style."

05/28/04: 

Six allied troops killed during battle in Afghanistan: At least six allied troops were shot dead by unknown assailants in Paktia province of Afghanistan on Friday during a fierce gunbattle in the border area.

Five Killed in Clashes with U.S. Forces in Najaf: Five Iraqis were killed and 14 wounded in clashes between U.S. troops and Shi'ite militiamen in the holy city of Najaf and in nearby Kufa Friday, hospital sources said.

Two Japanese reporters 'killed' in Iraqi ambush: Two Japanese journalists have been killed today by militants who ambushed their car with rocket-propelled grenades near Baghdad, according to witnesses.

U.S. soldiers attacked during Abu Ghraib prisoner release: U.S. soldiers escorting a convoy of prisoners released from the Abu Ghraib facility briefly exchanged fire with unknown assailants today after they stopped in the middle of a highway outside the Iraqi capital.

New Iraqi PM named: Iyad Allawi, a member of Iraq's U.S.-appointed Governing Council with long-time links to the CIA, has been chosen as prime minister in Iraq's interim government. "There was a meeting of the Governing Council and Dr. Allawi was unanimously chosen as prime minister," Hani Adris said on Friday.

Colin Powell declined to confirm whether Iyad Allawi will be Iraq's new prime minister: Other U.S. officials said there was no consensus yet on who would be the prime minister, the key role in a caretaker government that is expected to rule only until elections due by January 2005.

Former Iraqi intelligence officer chosen as new leader: Mr Allawi, is a relative of Ahmad Chalabi, a former Pentagon favourite who has fallen out with Washington, but the two are not regarded as particularly close.

In case you missed it: Iraq Council Member Spends To Win Influence In Washington : -Mr Allawi, a member of Iraq's interim council with long ties to the CIA is undertaking an expensive, carefully crafted strategy to spread his views to influential Americans, an example of how those seeking power in Iraq continue to curry favor in the U.S. More on Iyad Allawi

Chalabi-gate: None Dare Call It Treason : Neocons behind bars? Sounds good to me….

US wants open-ended Iraq commitment: The US says it will oppose attempts by other members of the United Nations Security Council to set a date for coalition forces to leave Iraq.

On the threshold of failure in Iraq : Can you win in Iraq? I asked one of the key people in the Pentagon. "There's no such concept as victory in the war being waged today in Iraq," he replied. That differs from what was heard in the past in the Pentagon.

Bush-lite: Kerry Calls for More Troops to Bolster U.S. Military: Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry called for increasing the U.S. military by 40,000 troops, probably for a decade, in order ``to match its new missions'' in the war on terror.

Suspicion Surrounds Death of Iraqi Scientist in U.S. Custody: Dr. Qaiss Hassan, who performed the autopsy at Iraq's Forensic Medical Institute, noted in his report that Alazmirli had a massive amount of blood under his scalp.

Catch-22 revisited : The horrors of American military conduct are being documented every day. But one aspect of the leaked US report into prison abuse in Iraq has been little noticed. General Taguba, head of the investigation, painted a picture of an army which can be not only brutal, but is also riddled with incompetence.

Abuses in liberty’s name: The fight against terrorism is being carried out purportedly in defense of liberty and democracy. Unfortunately, the biggest victims of this war on terror have turned out to be liberty and democracy.

The death-dealing duo : As he never ceases to remind us, Bush is a bold, decisive leader. He wasn't about to be thwarted in his urgent crusade to sink the United States into a festering pit of depraved brutality -- the ideal condition for sustaining the power and privilege of a rapacious elite that regards itself "appointed by God"

'The American military violence must stop': A leading Iraqi politician who survived an ambush by gunmen that may have killed her son blamed American troops on Friday for spiralling violence gripping the country.

Poland denies troop abuse claims: Records of interviews by US army criminal investigation division agents, obtained by AP, include allegations that forces, including Polish personnel, had beaten prisoners before turning them over to US authorities.

Can't find Iraqis taped in arms plot, Powell says: "We can't find those guys. I don't know who those guys were. But the tapes were real tapes. We didn't make them up," Powell said in an interview

The arrest of Abu Hamza: So is he a dangerous terrorist - or just a political pawn? Downing Street was forced to correct a comment made yesterday by Mr Ashcroft, who said that if the cleric was convicted of the hostage-taking charge he could be executed.

Mosaic: World News Reports FromThe Middle East TV For 05/27/04: The nation's only uncensored compilation of daily television news reports from more than 15 countries in the Middle East. QuickTime Video.

Gold eyes $400 as investors shun dollar: Gold is firmly back in vogue, with analysts expecting more price gains towards $400 an ounce as a sinking dollar and security worries highlight the metal's status as a safe-haven for investors.

Israeli troops kill Palestinian farmer in Gaza: Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian farmer and wounded another woman, Palestinian medics said.

Palestinian Killed in Suicide Car Bombing in Gaza: A Palestinian militant was killed in a suicide car bombing against an Israeli convoy in an army-patrolled corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border on Friday, officials and witnesses said.

Turkish PM: Israel a 'terrorist' state: Turkey's prime minister has labelled Israel a "terrorist" state during a meeting with an Israeli minister in Ankara.

Don't give up 1967 lands, DeLay tells Israel lobby: House Majority Whip Tom DeLay suggested that Israel should not withdraw from territory captured in the 1967 war, and he equated Israel's struggle against the Palestinians with the U.S. war on terrorism.

Apocalyptic Revelations: Why do all of the professionally self- proclaimed Christians -- the ones who, like the hypocrites Jesus warned against, pray so loudly in public -- prefer the harsh first half of the Bible to the entirely Christian second book?

Briton says he was held in Israeli dungeon : A British journalist released from Israeli custody yesterday said that he had been held in a dungeon with excrement on the walls following his arrest on suspicion of espionage.

Pakistan confirms junior officers held in attempt to kill Musharraf: It was the first official confirmation that anyone from the military was implicated in the attacks

Pinochet stripped of immunity: A Chilean court stripped the country's former dictator, General Augusto Pinochet, of his immunity from prosecution today, paving the way for his trial on human rights charges.

Italy warns of Bush unrest threat: Italy has warned of "serious threats" when US President George W Bush visits Rome next week.

Ashcroft's job: Scare people into voting for Bush: Enter John Ashcroft – Mr. Doom and Gloom, himself – with another of his now-familiar warnings about terrorists about to strike the United States.

Bush shifting terror alarm onto Iraq: TWO DAYS after President Bush declared Iraq "the central front in the war on terror," Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller announced that major terrorist attacks are possible this summer -- not from Iraq but from operatives of Al Qaeda who are already inside the United States.

Some Republicans fear Iraq will color campaigns: Conn. congressman not afraid to put distance between himself, president

Govt Computer Surveillance Rings Alarm Bells: Nine months after Congress shut down a controversial Pentagon computer-surveillance program, the U.S. government continues to comb private records to sniff out suspicious activity, according to a congressional report obtained by Reuters.

Report: 1 of Every 75 U.S. Men in Prison : America's inmate population grew by 2.9 percent last year, to almost 2.1 million people, with one of every 75 men living in prison or jail.

Absentee ballot law is a joke that isn't funny: By taking away the witness requirement, the governor and the Legislature not only made it easier for corruption to take place -- which in itself is a fairly amazing feat -- but they have also made it more difficult to catch.

Getting All Veterans to the Voting Booths: As veterans we leave the military with medals, ribbons and a national debt of gratitude for our service. However, as result of post-traumatic stress that results high rates of alcoholism, poverty and other collateral hardships, many veterans also find ourselves faced with a felony conviction.

3 Killed as soldiers fire to disperse Lebanese strikers: Soldiers fired to disperse an anti-government demonstration, killing three people and wounding eight others yesterday, security and hospital officials said.

Governing Council member's convoy ambushed near Baghdad: At least one bodyguard was killed and another critically wounded. Officials said earlier that three bodyguards were killed.

US retreats after failing to capture militia chief: United States forces agreed to withdraw from the Shia holy city of Najaf and end fighting with the militia of the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. In a climbdown by the Americans, who had vowed to kill or capture Sadr, it now appears he will be allowed to remain free. His Army of Mehdi militia will also withdraw under the deal.

U.S. troop deaths in Iraq reach 800: The official death toll of U.S. troops in Iraq reached 800 on Thursday during a month that ranks as the deadliest for National Guard and reserve troops since the war began.

Military Says Oregon Guardsman Was Executed: Walters was killed by Fedayeen rebels who held him for a couple of hours before pulling him into a room separate from his fellow soldiers and shooting him twice in the back.

U.S. Will Retain Command of Its Forces in Iraq, Powell Says: Secretary of State Colin Powell says that after the transfer of sovereignty from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) to an interim Iraqi government U.S. Forces will work with their Iraqi counterparts but remain under U.S. command.

Rhetoric vs. Reality in Iraq: One of America's biggest problems in Iraq is its enormous credibility gap with Iraqis. Unfortunately, President Bush widened that disconnect this week by promising "full sovereignty" to an interim government on June 30.

Preventive Warriors: We play an excerpt from the new documentary "Preventive Warriors" examining how Bush has rewritten the rules of war. We hear from Chomsky, Chalmers Johnson, Tariq Ali and others.

U.S.: Cleric Tried to Start Terror Camp : A fiery Muslim cleric was arrested Thursday in Britain and accused of trying to build a terrorist training camp in Oregon. The United States will almost certainly have to rule out the death penalty to get England to hand Abu Hamza al-Masri, 47, over for trial.

Drug causing GIs permanent brain damage : Six U.S. soldiers have been diagnosed by the military with permanent brain damage from an anti-malaria drug used in Iraq and Afghanistan, and health officials must reassess its safety, a U.S. senator said.

Reserve recruiters' tactic may skirt edge of deception: Bryan Martinez thought his military service was over when he left the Army Reserves in 2000. But on Monday, the 26-year-old boat rigger from Fort Walton Beach got a phone call that threatened to shatter the life he and his wife had built together.

Some Question Florida National Guard's Recruiting Methods: Some Florida National Guard recruiters are warning inactive reservists that they risk being reactivated and sent to Iraq unless they enlist in their local Guard unit, a controversial tactic also being reported in other states trying to bolster their enlistment numbers.

National Guard's Family Assistance Centers: America’s Second Harvest today announced a new collaborative effort with the National Guard to make sure that the families of active National Guard units and families needing food assistance can find information about local hunger-relief agencies at Family Assistance Centers across the country.

Anti-war activists ordered away from school: Mills High School officials on Wednesday morning ordered an anti-war organization urging high school students to say "no" to military recruiters to leave the sidewalk in front of the school, where the group was passing out flyers to teens.

Looking the other way from Gaza destruction: The Bush administration's war in Iraq has been the perfect cover for Israel's move against the Palestinian refugee camps in Gaza.

Filmmaker Moore says he has Berg footage: The footage, of an interview with Berg, "is approximately 20 minutes long. Neither Moore nor his representatives would describe the nature or contents of the interview with Berg, who held staunch pro-war views.

05/27/04 Three Marines killed in action in western Iraq: A statement from the command said the deaths occurred in Anbar province "while conducting security and stability operations." No further details were released due to security, the statement added.

$191B for Wars: President Bush and Congress have so far provided $191 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and defensive military operations at home, and about two-thirds of the money has been spent or is owed, White House figures show.

Bush Plan Eyes Cuts for Schools, Veterans: The Bush administration has told officials who oversee federal education, domestic security, veterans and other programs to prepare preliminary 2006 budgets that would cut spending after the presidential election, according to White House documents.

UN fury over Bush attempts to install PM: The Bush administration was accused yesterday of undermining the work of the UN envoy attempting to put together an interim Iraqi government

Richard Perle: U.S. war policy 'grave error': This public criticism of U.S. policy from one of the leading advocates of the war — and a firm political ally of U.S. President George W. Bush — indicates just how much Bush's political fortunes are being damaged by post-war chaos.

The Bush orthodoxy is in shreds: At a conservative thinktank in downtown Washington, and across the Potomac at the Pentagon, FBI agents have begun paying quiet calls on prominent neoconservatives, who are being interviewed in an investigation of potential espionage, according to intelligence sources. Who gave Ahmed Chalabi classified information about the plans of the US government and military?

Iraqi dissidents: Down, far from out: US friend-to-foe Ahmad Chalabi is now being blamed for Washington's poor intelligence leading up to the Iraq war. This overlooks the fact that the leading candidate for Iraq's premiership, Hussain al-Shahristani, should also shoulder some blame.

The price of empire : What began on the wings of lofty moral tones is crashing into the mountain of war’s hideous debris, much of it -- from the deaths of yet uncounted civilians and soldiers to the abuse of prisoners -- singularly immoral.

Shooting itself in the foot: Does the American neocon junta have any idea at all as to what is happening in Iraq, and to the Iraqi people? If they have any sense of what the Iraqis are going through, and what they feel

The fall of the vulcans : Iraq may spell the end of an evangelical belief in American military power. Iraq has turned into a disastrous defeat for America and Britain. All the current debate is essentially about damage limitation.

Al-Sadr army pullout from Najaf on hold: Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr's offer to withdraw his troops from the holy city of Najaf is on hold until US occupation authorities agree to truce terms.

New photos show Abu Ghraib tactics: Naked Iraqis interrogated aggressively in images: In one of the photos, a U.S. soldier can be seen pressing his knee into the neck of one of the three prisoners, who have been forced to huddle together on the floor.

Rape at Abu Ghraib: Practically ignored in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal are the Iraqi female prisoners who have told their attorneys they were raped by U.S. soldiers.

In case you missed it: Bush calls for Saddam execution: "I mean, he is a torturer, a murderer, they had rape rooms. This is a disgusting tyrant who deserves justice, the ultimate justice."

Opposition Growing to U.S. Exemption on Global Court: The United States may not have enough U.N. votes to exempt American soldiers from prosecution by a new global criminal court, with China now questioning the action in view of the prison scandal in Iraq, diplomats said on Thursday

Thirty-five percent of Americans say torture is acceptable : 50% believe the U.S. government, uses torture as a matter of policy

"The Bright Side of War" : It is certainly nice to know that even though people are being killed, maimed, and made to act out scenes from porn videos, American workers in small towns are prospering making vehicles, equipment, and clothing for the troops.

Kissinger records offer parallels to war in Iraq: Transcripts reveal effort to suppress atrocities by U.S.: News had just broken of an unimaginable atrocity committed by U.S. soldiers, and the secretary of defense and the national security adviser debated whether there was any way to stop newspapers and TV news programs from showing graphic photos of the victims.

America Has Put Us All In Danger: GEORGE Bush's war on terror has caused the worst human rights abuses in 50 years, campaigners claimed yesterday.

John Pilger: Another fake: Will journalists allow Blair to get away with yet another charade? Or will they ask why Article 7 of the statute of the International Criminal Court, to which Britain is a signatory, is not being invoked? This makes clear that British and American behaviour in Iraq is categorised under "crimes against humanity", for which the ultimate responsibility lies, as ever, at the top.

Soldier left brain damaged after playing unruly prisoner at Guantánamo : A UNITED States soldier claims he was left brain damaged by a beating he received while posing as an un-cooperative prisoner at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.

America's Only Decent Way Out Of Iraq:  I believe America can get out of Iraq and save face at the same time; it’s not that difficult.

Ashcroft: al Qaeda 90 percent ready to attack: Terrorists will 'Hit the United States hard'

Background information On Ashcrofts summer "suspect" list:

Al-Qaeda's strength highlights urgent need for changes in US policy: Before the United States invaded Iraq, wise heads warned that far from being a decisive blow in the US-led global "war on terror," this latest adventure would only fuel international terrorism.

Chalmers Johnson: The Sorrows of Empire Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic: Former CIA analyst and retired University of California professor Chalmers Johnson examines the concept of blowback -- the unintended costs and consequences of American imperialism and how it is connected to the Sept. 11 attacks.

Analysts Say U.S. Threat Warning Is Back-Covering: Stung by accusations that the Bush administration ignored key intelligence in the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, officials may now be issuing warnings to prove to Americans they are on the ball this time, say terrorism analysts on both sides of the political fence.

More “Washington whispers” about possible pre-election terrorist attack: Two pieces published in the press in recent days point to a continuing discussion within the political elite in the US about the electoral consequences of a pre-election terrorist attack. Top officials ponder how such an attack would affect the outcome of the elections.

In case you missed it?: Calculating the Politics of Catastrophe : It is the nightmarish, unpredictable event that both the Bush and Kerry campaigns obsess about in private, yet rarely discuss in public. How would another terror attack before the presidential election, even one that proves a pale shadow of Sept. 11, affect the way voters view the president or his challenger?

Terrorism now a growth industry: Unfazed, the Bush administration forges ahead with its "war on terrorism", and its master terror watch list has swollen to 5 million names. Yet the real terrorist threat has been mostly fueled by US policies.

Envoy: Iraq Scientist Doesn't Want PM Job : With only a few days left, the U.N.-led hunt for candidates to fill the 30 posts in a new interim Iraqi government heated up Wednesday, but a nuclear scientist who had been jailed by Saddam Hussein took himself out of the competition for the top job of prime minister.

The New Draft U.N. Resolution Allows for Perpetual Occupation: Fox to Guard Henhouse - Subject to Periodic Review by Fox

'From Mistake to Mistake': A leading Shiite cleric discusses Iraq, suicide bombers, U.S. elections—and why he thinks George W. Bush should see