Iraq Six Years After the U.S. Destroyed It

link to image

Nir Rosen has spent most of the last six years in Iraq.  This long article is worth reading.  He tells us about things we don't normally hear or pay attention to.

--

The Gathering Storm
The National in Abu Dhabi

by Nir Rosen

* Last Updated: April 10. 2009 3:06PM UAE / April 10. 2009 11:06AM GMT

Six years to the day since the statue of Saddam Hussein was toppled in Baghdad, the war that has dominated American politics for half a decade and upturned an entire regional order is being not-so-gently forced from centre stage. Iraq specialists at the National Security Council in Washington have hung signs on their office doors declaring that theirs is now “the good war”; the Obama administration is eager to declare victory in Iraq and shift its attention to the long-neglected conflict in Afghanistan.

It is difficult to predict what will occur as the Americans reduce their troop numbers, but few Iraqis feel optimistic, despite the recent reduction in violence: whatever comes next, it is unlikely that Iraq will recover quickly from six years of chaos and bloodshed.

Iraq’s economy remains in tatters. The central government has bought a provisional peace by placing hundreds of thousands of military-age men on its payroll. But the drop in oil prices has forced the state to slash its budget at a time when it is almost the only source of employment.

The oil sector, still Iraq’s most significant industry, is plagued by a rotting infrastructure. Pipelines in Basra are being kept together by “duct tape and spit”, according to one concerned American official. “They can burst at any minute.” Most Iraqis today might say much the same about their country. They are grateful for the temporary respite from extreme violence, but certain it will not take much to reignite the flames.

********************************

I have spent most of the past six years inside Iraq, but when I returned to Baghdad last month the city had unquestionably changed. The random violence that once took anyone and everyone as its target has subsided and conspicuous displays of wealth, unthinkable a year ago, are everywhere. Baghdad’s roads are full of Hummer H3s, 4x4s and other expensive and large vehicles that cost tens of thousands of dollars in cash. New restaurants have opened, expensive eateries that cater to a new elite – or one that has been in hiding. The girls at Baghdad’s universities are dressing more fashionably than ever before, while young men have adopted the trendy styles common in Lebanon...complete article

The Irony of Ignorance

After 4,000 soldier deaths - the Bush administration vows to continue.  Adding this to the million+ Iraqi deaths - creates such irony, since to proceed with the war - and the heavy troop presence is said to be the "right" thing - Recalling the statement that God helps the president decide what is best - would God really want an administration that feigns ignorance to the consequences of such massive carnage?

-----

Bush Says War's Outcome 'Will Merit the Sacrifice'
President and Petraeus Discuss Strategy as the U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Rises to 4,000

By Karen DeYoung and Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, March 25, 2008; A01

As the American military death toll in Iraq reached 4,000, President Bush conferred yesterday with top U.S. officials in Washington and in Baghdad and vowed in a public statement that the outcome of the war "will merit the sacrifice."

Bush held a two-hour videoconference with Gen. David H. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker. Petraeus reiterated his plan to halt U.S. troop withdrawals, begun late last fall, at the end of July. At that point, he has said, he will "evaluate" whether Iraqi forces and a reduced number of U.S. troops can maintain the lower levels of violence.

"We have every desire to continue with the withdrawal of forces" at some time after July, one military official said. "The issue will be once we remove over 25 percent of combat power plus other associated units . . . we let the dust settle . . . and look to see where we're at," he said, adding that the evaluation period would probably be at least six weeks. Petraeus has offered no guarantee that conditions will allow further withdrawals before Bush leaves office.

In congressional testimony next month, Petraeus and Crocker are expected to describe continued but slow improvement in military and political conditions, even as recent weeks have seen an increase in suicide bombings, along with Sunday's renewal of rocket attacks on Baghdad's Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy and much of the Iraqi government are located.

Among the wounded in four separate attacks were an American military contractor and an embassy employee from Jordan, both of whom remain in serious condition, a U.S. official in Baghdad said. Military officials said the munitions were Iranian-made, fired from northeastern Baghdad by renegade Shiite militia groups.

Late Sunday night, the U.S. command in Baghdad announced that four soldiers had been killed by a makeshift bomb in southern Baghdad, bringing the total number of U.S. troops killed to 4,000 since the war began in March 2003. Dozens of Iraqis were also killed in violence around the country Sunday.

Overall attacks in Iraq have sharply declined in Iraq, but the trend has begun to plateau over the past three months -- car bombings have decreased, but suicide bombings have increased. Military officials said that Petraeus will tell Congress that the withdrawal, which has now reached about 9,000 troops, will continue with three additional brigades to be withdrawn without replacement by July 31.

Although administration officials have said that U.S. troop strength at that point should be about where it was before a "surge" in deployments began last spring -- approximately 130,000 -- the military official said the net number remaining may be larger. "They're in the process now of trying to scrub the numbers," he said of Petraeus's command in Baghdad. "Figuring out boots on the ground is difficult because . . . units come in at different sizes, people have left, people have been wounded."

There are similar difficulties, he said, in determining the "battlefield geometry" that will enable the withdrawal of entire combat brigades. Brigades are seldom deployed intact, and their battalions are often scattered. While one battalion could be withdrawn without replacement, others may have to be replaced by U.S. or Iraqi forces from elsewhere.

During his testimony on April 8 and 9, Petraeus expects to present Congress with firm numbers on how many U.S. troops will leave Iraq and how many will remain by the end of July.

Crocker, who in previous testimony has cautioned against hopes of rapid progress, is expected to describe some political and economic achievements but to say that much work remains. In a mid-March interview with The Washington Post, he described Iraqi political and economic institutions as "like everything else here, still very much under development."

Another senior U.S. diplomat offered positive indicators yesterday, saying that Iraqis are "spending increasingly more money than we are" on reconstruction and some military programs. "We're not starting any new projects and [the Iraqis] are getting incrementally better," he said. Iraq's "Arab neighbors are gradually engaging, although not enough. They're not embracing Maliki the way they ought to," he added, referring to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

After speaking with Petraeus and Crocker yesterday morning from the White House, Bush attended a briefing by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the State Department on cooperation between military and civilian officials in Iraq and elsewhere. In a statement to reporters, he spoke of the U.S. civilians who have died in Iraq and said: "I will vow so long as I am president to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain."

Bush will attend a similar briefing by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and military leaders today at the Pentagon, but administration officials said they do not expect any new decisions or departures from current policy.

One official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that after months of friction among civilian and military leaders -- including over concerns about overall stress on the military -- there is little debate over the basic Iraq strategy for the next six months. The only real question, he said, is how long the "pause" in withdrawals after July will last.

In Turkey yesterday, Vice President Cheney told ABC News that "there's no reason now to decide what the force level is going to be in December of '08." The criterion, he said, "is how do we make certain we succeed in Iraq? It may be that we can make judgments about reductions down the road. . . . But I don't think [Bush] is likely to want to try to say now what the force level ought to be at the end of the year."

for link to WP article click the title of this post

we apologize for not having the source for the Bush photo

UK Denies Soccer Star a Work Permit

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-soccer27jan27,1,5478854.story

From the Los Angeles Times

Britain denies Iraqi soccer star's dream

Fans, ecstatic to see the athlete courted by a top team, are in an uproar over London's refusal to issue him a work permit.

By Kimi Yoshino
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

January 27, 2008

BAGHDAD — Iraqi soccer phenom Nashat Akram's face already graces hundreds of posters plastered around Baghdad. And in recent days, he had been poised to do what no Iraqi player has done before: Sign a professional contract with a top team in England's Premier League -- a trailblazing move that many predicted would open the "golden door" for future soccer stars.

The only thing standing in his way was a work permit.

Last week, British officials denied his application for a second time, consigning Akram to the same fate as thousands of other Iraqis, his dreams another casualty of war.

"This is a very, very unfair decision," said Akram's agent, Najim Mohammed. "We want to make good relations between Iraq and the U.K. and America. We want to show Iraqi people these people want to help give us a hand. But this is against Iraqi people. . . . They keep the people suffering. They don't give them any joy."

As the news spread Saturday across soccer-crazed Iraq, fans reacted with anger and disbelief. Iraqi government and sports officials vowed to appeal and threatened to launch large-scale protests that would be visible around the world.

Britain's Home Office, which issues passports, visas and citizenship to immigrants, said it could not comment on individual cases.

But Akram's would-be employer, Manchester City Football Club, said the government's rejection of the appeal was based on a technicality. The Iraqi national team has not recently played against any of the world's top 20 teams and its two-year average rank is 71. To meet the requirements of the visa, the team needs to be ranked in the top 70.

"I'm sure people aren't happy [in Iraq], but people aren't happy at Manchester City either," club spokesman Paul Tyrrell said. "We genuinely don't understand the decision. We thought the immigration authorities would take into consideration that Iraq, because of the domestic problems, would have difficulty playing against any of the top 20 countries."

Despite the low ranking, the team won the Asian Cup last year and placed fourth in the 2004 Olympics. The only way to move up in the rankings is to play more, but because of the war, it has been impossible for Iraq to play any home matches.

"Thanks to the Americans, we can't do this," said Ahmed Abbas, general secretary of the Iraqi Football Assn. Because of the country's security problems, he said, "we couldn't have games in Iraq."

"Even abroad, we can't have games."

To help persuade the government panel, Manchester City Football Club manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, another team official and a representative of the Professional Footballer's Assn. attended the appeals hearing last week in London to deliver personal pleas on Akram's behalf.

"This is a big blow and a great disappointment to us," Eriksson said in a statement released on the team's website. "I have huge sympathy for Nashat. He is a very good footballer with an excellent international pedigree. . . . He is somebody who we will maintain an interest in for the long term."

The 24-year-old midfielder is considered a rising star capable of creating scoring opportunities. He had been playing with the Al-Ain club in the United Arab Emirates, but Manchester City reportedly bought out the remainder of his contract for $800,000. Tyrrell said the team had been scouting him extensively and Akram had already begun training in Britain.

"We knew how good he was," Tyrrell said. "He would have gone straight to our first team squad. He's a top quality player."

The team said it had exhausted the appeals process, but planned to re-submit a request for a work permit in the summer.

Meanwhile, Iraqi sports officials called on the government to intervene.

"Before, they had the excuse that this was a rogue state because of Saddam Hussein and because of his human rights atrocities and attacking neighboring states," said Ahmed Sabri, a member of the Iraqi Olympic Committee.

"Now, they don't have any excuse, we're a democratic state. This makes us question: Is there another agenda?"

Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabbagh said he personally had requested that the Home Office reconsider its decision. After the appeal was rejected Wednesday, Dabbagh said, he spoke to the British ambassador in Iraq and sent a formal letter to the British government.

Iraqi lawmaker Fawzi Akram, a member of the parliament's Sports and Youth Committee, said he planned to ask the foreign ministry to look into the matter.

"Highly decorated Iraqi players from different kinds of sports are prevented from entering different countries regardless of their high level of professionalism," the lawmaker said. "They are trying to repress Iraqi professionals from attaining their objectives and goals."

In the last few weeks, as Nashat Akram headed to Britain to practice with the team, soccer fans across Iraq had been eagerly awaiting his start with Manchester City.

Ahmed Salman, 19, an aspiring player, said he spent a "big part of his savings" throwing a party for his friends when he found out that Akram would play in England.

"But now I am shocked that his work permit was denied," he said. "I thought it was a message to all Iraqi youth telling them not to work hard or make something out of yourselves because you will be rejected in the end as you are Iraqi."

Oday Fadhil Mahmoud, president of the fan club of Iraq's most popular team, Zawra, said, "They thought that this is the golden door for other Iraqi players. I am going to the club right now. I don't know how I'm going to face the people. This brings hopelessness to all Iraqis."

kimi.yoshino@latimes.com

Times staff writers Saif Rasheed in Baghdad and Janet Stobart in London, and a special correspondent in Hillah, Iraq, contributed to this report.

Image: http://www.nashatakram.org/index_english.html

Confronting Colleagues on Iraq and SCHIP

Photo of Rep. Pete Stark by Mike Kepka








Democrat Rep. Pete Stark calls Republicans "Chicken Hawks"-
California congressman shocked his colleagues with his statements on IRAQ and SCHIP.

link to video of Stark's speech: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DsGaNR9dVPM


Rep. Pete Stark stated on the floor of the U.S. House:

"You're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement..."


But Pelosi and others have distanced themselves, saying Stark's comments were inappropriate. Yet Stark is speaking the truth, with the current desperation of military recruiters, it seems like the U.S. is desperate to have more young people to go IRAQ. With $18,000 sign up bonuses - an 18 year old would have to be pretty mature to avoid the seduction of so much money - if they knew that college wasn't an option.

Makes me think of the kids who will be going to IRAQ after the DREAM ACT passes. If SCHIP is not important to this administration, why would undocumented young people fare any differently?

It's another story about the Emperor with no clothes... it's right in front of us - clearly in view - but no one is allowed to acknowledge this travesty.


_____

Pelosi backs away from Rep. Stark's criticism of Bush
Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau
San Francisco Chronicle
Saturday, October 20, 2007

(10-20) 04:00 PDT Washington --

Rep. Pete Stark may be Congress' foremost expert on health care, but on Capitol Hill the Fremont Democrat is better known for his explosive remarks that drive his critics - and sometimes his allies - crazy.

The 18-term lawmaker stirred the pot again Thursday when he attacked President Bush and congressional Republicans for backing hundreds of billions of dollars for the Iraq war, but blocking a $35 billion expansion of a children's health insurance program.

"You're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement," Stark told Republicans on the floor of the House.

The remarks during the debate over Bush's veto of the children's health bill drew howls of outrage from House Republicans and conservative commentators. His words were replayed endlessly on cable news and talk radio. By Friday, even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - who praised Stark for his leadership on the children's health bill a day earlier - was distancing herself from his comments.

"While members of Congress are passionate about their views, what Congressman Stark said during the debate was inappropriate and distracted from the seriousness of the subject at hand - providing health care for America's children," Pelosi, D-San Francisco, said.

What Pelosi also meant: Stark had handed Republicans an easy way to distract the public from what Democrats view as a winning stance on the popular children's health bill.

Stark, 75, declined a request Friday for an interview.

"He doesn't believe that he is the story," said his spokesman, Yoni Cohen. "He believes the story is that 10 million children are being denied health insurance."

Stark's remarks have drawn protests in the past. On the eve of the Iraq war, he said Bush would be committing a "terrorist act" by bombing Baghdad. He provoked a committee showdown in 2003 by calling a GOP member a "little fruitcake."

A closer look at Stark's comments Thursday - and how they were spun by Republicans - shows how his tart-tongued statement became headline news.

He began: "First of all, I'm just amazed that the Republicans are worried that we can't pay for insuring an additional 10 million children. They sure don't care about finding $200 billion to fight the illegal war in Iraq. Where are you going to get that money? You are going to tell us lies like you're telling us today? Is that how you're going to fund the war?

"You don't have money to fund the war or children, but you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement."

He went back to the same point moments later: "But President Bush's statements about children's health shouldn't be taken any more seriously than his lies about the war in Iraq. The truth is that Bush just likes to blow things up in Iraq, in the United States and in Congress."

On the left, Stark's comments drew rave reviews. They were posted on the blog DailyKos, stirring applause from the site's anti-war, anti-Bush readers: "Wow, this guy kicks ass," wrote one blogger.

But Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, who followed Stark on the floor, said: "It is despicable to have a member of this Congress accuse this president, any president, of willfully blowing the heads, quote, blowing the heads off our young men and women over in Iraq and Afghanistan."

The GOP spin machine went into hyperdrive. House Republican Leader John Boehner's press aides alerted reporters to Stark's comments. The National Republican Campaign Committee issued a press release, titled: "Democrat Disgrace: Pete Stark Drags SCHIP Political Circus to All-Time Low."

But Stark continued to taunt GOP members - clearly seeking to draw a reaction.

"What are you going to do for that 200 or 300 billion bucks, folks, that you're spending to kill these kids when they grow up? You can't answer that, can you?" he said.

Republicans tried unsuccessfully to have his words stricken from the official record.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said the remarks "were hateful and wrong, and should be labeled as such by the House Democrat leadership."

While Pelosi, in her statement Friday, said Stark had gone too far, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, provided him a measured defense.

"The Republicans are desperate to change the subject from the real issue at hand, which is an occupation that has cost us almost a half a trillion dollars, and there's no end in sight," she said. "That's the real issue here, and the Republicans, and the president, are desperate to avoid it."



article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/20/MNH9ST598.DTL&tsp=1
photo: http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2007/03/18/ba_stark1800048_mk.jpg

-----

The Caucus
October 19, 2007, 1:47 pm
Stark’s Remarks Set Off G.O.P. Lawmakers
New York Times
By David M. Herszenhorn


“Yesterday’s debate in the House to override the President’s veto of bipartisan legislation to cover 10 million children was heated on both sides,” she said. “While Members of Congress are passionate about their views, what Congressman Stark said during the debate was inappropriate and distracted from the seriousness of the subject at hand — providing health care for America’s children.”

Mr. Stark expressed neither shame nor remorse. Instead, he fired back a statement calling on Mr. Boehner and other Republicans to retract their opposition to the expansion of the state children’s health insurance program. “Leader Boehner and his Republican colleagues should apologize for their votes,” he said.

And he included another jab at President Bush. “I have nothing but respect for our brave men and women in uniform and wish them the very best,” he said. “But I respect neither the commander-in-chief who keeps them in harms way nor the chicken-hawks in Congress who vote to deny children health care.”

Before You Decide to Enlist - Tune into HBO Thurs. 9 13 07 - 9 pm Eastern

Now that the DREAM ACT is tied up in the STRIVE Bill encouraging undocumented students to enlist... everyone needs to watch the HBO documentary:


"Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq"

Airs on HBO: Thursday, September 13 9pm Eastern

Not only is it a good film... but it was produced by James Gandolfini (The Sopranos) -- giving even more reason to see it.

---

Amy Goodman

"Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have been injured in Iraq. And for the first time in American history, 90% of the wounded survive their injuries, but a greater percentage of these men and women are returning with amputations, traumatic brain injuries and severe post-traumatic stress.

A new HBO documentary provides an inside look at how the war has permanently changed the lives of these wounded troops. It is titled "Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq." The film premiered on Sunday night and is airing again on HBO this Thursday at 9pm Eastern."


Co-founder of Downtown Community Television Center and award-winning journalist, Jon Alpert co-directed and co-produced this documentary. His daughter Tami Alpert is a producer and reporter for DCTV. She also assisted in producing Alive Day Memories.

Jon Alpert, co-director and co-producer of Alive Day Memories. Alpert is also the co-founder and co-director of Downtown Community Television Center and an award-winning journalist.
Tami Alpert, assistant Producer of Alive Day Memories and producer and reporter at Downtown Community Television Center."


http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/12/1410249

ICE Still Trying to Deport Parents of Houston Soldier Killed in Iraq in 2004

Pfc. Armando Soriano




"Din and Venom" Over Immigration Reform Overshadows Individual Cases


Armando Soriano grew up in Houston. He died in Iraq on February 1, 2004. Since then ICE has continued to process deportation proceedings against his parents, even though the U.S. government allowed Soriano's family to apply for residency after he was killed.

What kind of inconsistency creates this type of problem? The stories of Soriano and Jimenez should be broadcast everywhere. Everyone needs to know what ICE is doing - Perhaps this will mobilize us as a people to stop this brutality.

_____

From the Military Times:

February 1, 2004. Army Pfc. Armando Soriano, 20, of Houston; assigned to the howitzer battery, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.; attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; killed while traveling in a two-vehicle convoy on a supply route Feb. 1 when weather conditions caused his vehicle to slide off the road and roll over in Haditha, Iraq.

_____

Respecting Our Troops
The cases of Spec. Jimenez and Pfc. Soriano
Washington Post Editorial
Sunday, August 26, 2007; Page B06


AMID THE din and venom of the debate over illegal immigration, the cases of Spec. Alex R. Jimenez of Lawrence, Mass., and Pfc. Armando Soriano of Houston deserve notice. Spec. Jimenez, of the 10th Mountain Division, disappeared in May when his Army convoy was attacked south of Baghdad. Pfc. Soriano, of the Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, died three years ago when his vehicle rolled off the road in Iraq. The two men are missed and mourned by friends and family, in both cases including illegal immigrants who have faced the threat of deportation...

Pfc. Soriano, who was born in the United States, his father, a Mexican national who entered the country illegally, continues to face deportation proceedings despite the government's decision to allow Pfc. Soriano's relatives to apply for green cards following his death

Their cases are unusual but hardly unique. An estimated 68,000 active-duty military personnel were born in foreign countries, and 8,000 others enlist every year, a third of them Mexican or Central American. Nearly half of them are not citizens of the United States. Although undocumented immigrants are not legally eligible for service in the U.S. armed forces, there are numerous instances of some who used phony green cards to enlist. No one knows how many soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have relatives who lack papers, but given that 12 million such people are in the country, it is probably not insubstantial. In some parts of immigrant-rich communities like Los Angeles, large percentages of those who enlist in the military are foreign-born residents of the United States...





______

this blog entry from Migra Matters

http://migramatters.blogspot.com/2007/06/good-immigrantsbad-immigrants.html




Spec. Alex Jimenez and wife Yaderlin Hiraldo

...The fate of the two other missing servicemen – Alex R. Jimenez, a 25-year-old specialist from Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Byron R. Fouty, of Waterford, Michigan, a 19-year-old private who had been in Iraq only a few weeks, - is still unknown.(1)

It's against this backdrop that we now learn that Jimenez's wife, Yaderlin, whom he married in 2004, is facing deportation.

Yaderlin Hiraldo, is a native of the Dominican Republican who first met her husband during his childhood visits to the island, but according to her attorney, Matthew Kolken, the 22 year old had entered the U.S. illegally prior to marrying him. It was when he requested a green card and legal residence status for her, that authorities were first alerted to her situation.

Despite Spec. Jimenez's status as a US citizen and active duty serviceman, the fact the Yaderlin had entered illegally meant that she would now have to return home and wait ten years before reapplying.

"I can't imagine a bigger injustice than that, to be deporting someone's wife who is fighting and possibly dying for our country," said Kolken in an interview with a local TV.

An immigration judge has put a temporary stop to the proceedings since Spec. Jimenez was reported missing. The soldier's wife is now living with family members in Pennsylvania...

Photo of Jimenez from Migra Matters

_____

For complete Washington Post article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/25/AR2007082501039.html?st=immigration&fn=&sfn=&sa=np&cp=2&hl=false&sb=-1&sd=&ed=&blt=

Photo of Soriano: http://soldiersangels.homestead.com/files/c5co-soldier_d.jpg&imgrefurl=http://soldiersangels.homestead.com/files/2004_02_01_archive.html&h=207&w=140&sz=7&hl=en&start=1&sig2=FT16_uDMMPKmFhf5jP8Ncw&um=1&tbnid=pRt9DzbAvixT-M:&tbnh=105&tbnw=71&ei=-7zSRp2XB4TAgQPvsNyTCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darmando%2Bsoriano%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DN

Bad Idea: Iraq, the Dream Act and the Military

"Do we continue to send our kids in the middle of a meat grinder based on a policy that is fundamentally flawed?" -- Joe Biden, July 10, 2007

With Iraq still in the Equation, Its a Bad Idea
The Iraq Bill that would have contained the Dream Act stalled again in the Senate last week. It doesn't look like our lawmakers want to stand up to the administration and the Republican Party. This is a dangerous position, combining the Dream Act with the military bill is unfair to students who cannot go to college.

Joe Biden's speech in the Senate tells of what could happen if the DREAM Act is passed as part of the Military Bill while we are still in Iraq.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EU7YA-VDSc

I realize that I wrote endorsing the the DREAM Act being tied to the military bill in previous posts. During NON-WARTIME - it can be a reasonable option. But now, especially after seeing our President continue to throw away lives in a illogical "surge" and our Senate being too afraid to stop this insanity, it looks like a very deadly idea.