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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (578351)	5/25/2004 8:50:01 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Respond to of 769670

Now that's potentially a very serious kettle of fish! Duped and used by the Iranians? Say it ain't so! An urgent investigation has been launched in Washington into whether Iran played a role in manipulating the US into the Iraq war by passing on bogus intelligence through Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, it emerged yesterday. Some intelligence officials now believe that Iran used the hawks in the Pentagon and the White House to get rid of a hostile neighbour, and pave the way for a Shia-ruled Iraq. Who handed Chalabi highly compartmentalized and classified US secrets? How in the world could he get his hands on such information? Other INC supporters at the Pentagon may have given away classified information in an attempt to give Mr Chalabi an advantage in the struggle for power surrounding the transfer of sovereignty to an Iraqi government on June 30.

To: stockman_scott who wrote (578351)	5/26/2004 12:10:12 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Occupation has boosted al-Qaida, says think tank Richard Norton-Taylor Wednesday May 26, 2004 The Guardian The occupation of Iraq has provided a "potent global recruitment pretext" for al-Qaida and probably increased worldwide terrorism, a leading thinktank said yesterday. Despite some losses, al-Qaida has more than 18,000 potential terrorists at large and its ranks are growing, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said, adding that al-Qaida now had a presence in more than 60 countries. Last night, a new warning emerged from the US that al-Qaida-type terrorists are preparing to launch a major attack in the US this summer. The warning came from a counter-terrorism official who told Associated Press that the intelligence was the most disturbing garnered since the September 11 attacks. The IISS survey said that despite the death or capture of half of its 30 senior leaders, as well as some 2,000 rank-and-file supporters, a rump leadership of the al-Qaida network was still intact. "Christian nations' forcible occupation of Iraq, a historically important land of Islam, has more than offset any calming effect of the US military withdrawal from Saudi Ara bia," the IISS said. It added: "With Osama bin Laden's public encouragement, up to 1,000 foreign jihadists have infiltrated Iraq." The earlier invasion of Afghanistan forced al-Qaida to change its tactics, said the IISS. "While al-Qaida lost a recruiting magnet and a training, command and operations base, it was compelled to disperse and become even more decentralised, 'virtual', and invisible". It delegated more responsibility to "local talent," with recruits becoming "less religiously absolute in mindset [and] closer to their enemies in background". This could make them more open to penetration by western security and intelligence agencies, the thinktank suggested. Any security offensive against al-Qaida must be accompanied by political developments, such as the democratisation of Iraq and the resolution of conflict in Israel, it said. In a report uncharacteristically critical of America, the IISS warned that Iraq is facing a "security vacuum". Middle-ranking members of the Saddam regime have been able to deploy their weapons, "gain ideological purchase and resonance with a new brand of Islamic nationalism, and to mobilise Sunni fears of Shi'ite and Kurdish domination and a growing resentment at foreign occupation. It is unlikely that there has been a 'hidden hand' centrally coordinating and funding the insurgency". The IISS report added: "Heavy-handed searches by US troops in hunting for leading members of the old regime have more to do with Falluja's becoming a centre of violent opposition to US occupation than does Ba'ath loyalism." The priority of a new Iraqi government, John Chipman, director of the IISS, said yesterday, must be a new army and police force. guardian.co.uk

To: stockman_scott who wrote (578351)	5/26/2004 12:54:42 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 769670

Anger Rising Americans Increasingly Frustrated With Bush Iraq Policy Analysis By Gary Langer May 25, 2004— Anger is up, pride is down, worry continues, and hopefulness — while still present — is in shorter supply. Those are among the changes in Americans' emotional responses to the situation in Iraq, compared with the early days of the war in March 2003. A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds the sharpest change is in anger. As the war began, 30 percent of Americans were angry about it; today, asked about the situation in Iraq, 57 percent are angry — almost twice as many. Anger is highest — 70 percent — among the roughly half of Americans who think that, given its costs versus its benefits, the war was not worth fighting. Despite broad concerns about the current situation, 62 percent of Americans remain hopeful about Iraq; that's down, though, from 80 percent at the start of the war. And 41 percent describe themselves as "proud" about the situation; it was 53 percent when the war began. Two other emotions are level: 67 percent are worried and 37 percent are frightened about the situation, both about the same as when the war began. Groups There are enormous differences among groups in these responses to the events in Iraq. Women are twice as likely as men to be frightened about the situation, and also far more likely to be angry and worried about it. Hopefulness is vastly higher among Republicans (82 percent) than among independents or Democrats (57 and 50 percent, respectively). Republicans also are far more apt to be proud — 63 percent, compared with four in 10 independents and a quarter of Democrats. Democrats, and independents as well, are more apt to be angry, worried and frightened. Many of these views also are dependent on opinions of whether the war was worth fighting, and on whether the administration has a clear plan for dealing with the situation now. For instance, among those who see a clear plan, 86 percent are hopeful and 71 percent are proud; among those who don't see a clear plan — nearly six in 10 Americans — only about half as many are hopeful, and just two in 10 express pride. People who don't see a clear plan in Iraq also are 30 points likelier to be angry about the situation there, and 26 points more apt to be worried about it. Changes Some of the changes from March 2003 have occurred across groups. Men are 24 points more likely to be angry now; the change among women is about the same — up 29 points. Anger is up by 26 points among Democrats, and also by 21 points among Republicans (and by 29 points among independents). And it's up by 20 points among war supporters, as well as by 21 points among war opponents. Other changes do show more differences among groups. Hopefulness has dropped by 22 points among women, compared with 14 points among men; and by 24 points among Democrats, compared with 11 points among Republicans. Pride has fallen farther among men than among women, and farther among Democrats than among Republicans. There are, naturally, political ramifications to these views. Among people who are angry about the situation in Iraq, for instance, just 35 percent approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job overall. Among those who aren't angry, his approval rating is 29 points higher, 64 percent. Methodology This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone May 20-23 among a random national sample of 1,005 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Sampling, data collection and tabulation was done by TNS of Horsham, Pa. abcnews.go.com