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

To: Bill who wrote (728006)	2/25/2006 4:47:18 PM
From: PROLIFE	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

U.S. Customs agents stationed in the United Arab Emirates are currently helping to inspect shipments destined for America at the ports of Dubai and Jebel Ali - the country's two biggest seaports - as part of an agreement signed by the UAE nearly a year before the Dubai ports controversy erupted. NationalReviewOnline's Mansoor Ijaz reports that Dubai was "the first Middle East government to accept the U.S. Container Security Initiative as policy to screen all containers for security hazards before heading to America." Two months later, Dubai signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to prevent nuclear materials from passing through its ports, which included installing radiation-detecting equipment. Announcing the container security agreement on the U.S. Custom's web site, Customs and Border Commissioner Robert C. Bonner said that by signing on to the program, Dubai "has acknowledged the absolute importance of securing cargo against terrorists. newsmax.com

To: Bill who wrote (728006)	2/25/2006 6:17:17 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 769667

How about this one, dude......were you on top of this one? While you're at it......has Bush dumbed down the entire gov't, including the Pentagon, with his relatives and friends???? The situation just goes from worse to more worse.......and there are Americans dying over there left and right. Pentagon: Iraqi troops downgraded No Iraqi battalion capable of fighting without U.S. support Saturday, February 25, 2006 Posted: 0129 GMT (0929 HKT) WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The only Iraqi battalion capable of fighting without U.S. support has been downgraded to a level requiring them to fight with American troops backing them up, the Pentagon said Friday. The battalion, made up of 700 to 800 Iraqi Army soldiers, has repeatedly been offered by the U.S. as an example of the growing independence of the Iraqi military. The competence of the Iraqi military has been cited as a key factor in when U.S. troops will be able to return home. "As we see more of these Iraqi forces in the lead, we will be able to continue with our stated strategy that says as Iraqi forces stand up, we will stand down," President Bush said last month. (Full story) The battalion, according to the Pentagon, was downgraded from "level one" to "level two" after a recent quarterly assessment of its capabilities. "Level one" means the battalion is able to fight on its own; "level two" means it requires support from U.S. troops; and "level three" means it must fight alongside U.S. troops. Though officials would not cite a specific reason for downgrading the unit, its readiness level has dropped in the wake of a new commander and numerous changes in the combat and support units, officials said. The battalion is still deployed, and its status as an independent fighting force could be restored any day, Pentagon officials said. It was not clear where the battalion is operating within Iraq. According to the congressionally mandated Iraq security report released Friday, there are 53 Iraqi battalions at level two status, up from 36 in October. There are 45 battalions at level three, according to the report. Overall, Pentagon officials said close to 100 Iraqi army battalions are operational, and more than 100 Iraq Security Force battalions are operational at levels two or three. The security force operations are under the direction of the Iraqi government. The numbers are roughly the same as those given by the president last month when he said 125 Iraqi combat battalions were fighting the insurgency, 50 of them taking the lead. "In January 2006, the mission is to continue to hand over more and more territory and more and more responsibility to Iraqi forces," Bush said. "That's progress." edition.cnn.com