Analysis: US now winning Iraq war that seemed lost
By ROBERT BURNS and ROBERT H. REID
07.26.08
BAGHDAD - The United States is now winning the war that two years ago seemed lost.
Limited, sometimes sharp fighting and periodic terrorist bombings in Iraq are likely to continue, possibly for years. But the Iraqi government and the U.S. now are able to shift focus from mainly combat to mainly building the fragile beginnings of peace - a transition that many found almost unthinkable as recently as one year ago.
Despite the occasional bursts of violence, Iraq has reached the point where the insurgents, who once controlled whole cities, no longer have the clout to threaten the viability of the central government.
That does not mean the war has ended or that U.S. troops have no role in Iraq. It means the combat phase finally is ending. The new phase focuses on training the Iraqi army and police, restraining the flow of illicit weaponry from Iran, supporting closer links between Baghdad and local governments, pushing the integration of former insurgents into legitimate government jobs and assisting in rebuilding the economy.
Scattered battles go on, especially against al-Qaida holdouts north of Baghdad. But organized resistance, with the steady drumbeat of bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and ambushes that once rocked the capital daily, has all but ceased.
This amounts to more than a lull in the violence. It reflects a fundamental shift in the outlook for the Sunni minority, which held power under Saddam Hussein. They launched the insurgency five years ago. They now are either sidelined or have switched sides to cooperate with the Americans in return for money and political support.
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told The Associated Press this past week there are early indications that senior leaders of al-Qaida may be considering shifting their main focus from Iraq to the war in Afghanistan.
Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, told the AP on Thursday that the insurgency as a whole has withered to the point where it is no longer a threat to Iraq's future.
"Very clearly, the insurgency is in no position to overthrow the government or, really, even to challenge it," Crocker said. "It's actually almost in no position to try to confront it. By and large, what's left of the insurgency is just trying to hang on."
Shiite militias, notably the Mahdi Army of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, have lost their power bases in Baghdad, Basra and other major cities. An important step was the routing of Shiite extremists in the Sadr City slums of eastern Baghdad this spring - now a quiet though not fully secure district.
Al-Sadr and top lieutenants are now in Iran. Still talking of a comeback, they are facing major obstacles, including a loss of support among a Shiite population weary of war and no longer as terrified of Sunni extremists as they were two years ago.
Despite the favorable signs, U.S. commanders are leery of proclaiming victory or promising that the calm will last.
The premature declaration by the Bush administration of "Mission Accomplished" in May 2003 convinced commanders that the best public relations strategy is to promise little, and couple all good news with the warning that "security is fragile" and that the improvements, while encouraging, are "not irreversible."
Iraq still faces a mountain of problems: sectarian rivalries, power struggles within the Sunni and Shiite communities, Kurdish-Arab tensions, corruption. Anyone could rekindle widespread fighting.
But the underlying dynamics in Iraqi society that blew up the U.S. military's hopes for an early exit, shortly after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, have changed in important ways in recent months.
Systematic sectarian killings have all but ended in the capital, in large part because of tight security and a strategy of walling off neighborhoods purged of minorities in 2006.
That has helped establish a sense of normalcy in the streets of the capital. People are expressing a new confidence in their own security forces, which in turn are exhibiting a newfound assertiveness with the insurgency largely in retreat.
Statistics show violence at a four-year low. The monthly American death toll appears to be at its lowest of the war - four killed in action so far this month as of Friday, compared with 66 in July a year ago. From a daily average of 160 insurgent attacks in July 2007, the average has plummeted to about two dozen a day this month. On Wednesday the nationwide total was 13.
Beyond that, there is something in the air in Iraq this summer.
In Baghdad, parks are filled every weekend with families playing and picnicking with their children. That was unthinkable only a year ago, when the first, barely visible signs of a turnaround emerged.
Now a moment has arrived for the Iraqis to try to take those positive threads and weave them into a lasting stability.
The questions facing both Americans and Iraqis are: What kinds of help will the country need from the U.S. military, and for how long? The questions will take on greater importance as the U.S. presidential election nears, with one candidate pledging a troop withdrawal and the other insisting on staying.
Iraqi authorities have grown dependent on the U.S. military after more than five years of war. While they are aiming for full sovereignty with no foreign troops on their soil, they do not want to rush. In a similar sense, the Americans fear that after losing more than 4,100 troops, the sacrifice could be squandered.
U.S. commanders say a substantial American military presence will be needed beyond 2009. But judging from the security gains that have been sustained over the first half of this year - as the Pentagon withdrew five Army brigades sent as reinforcements in 2007 - the remaining troops could be used as peacekeepers more than combatants.
As a measure of the transitioning U.S. role, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond says that when he took command of American forces in the Baghdad area about seven months ago he was spending 80 percent of his time working on combat-related matters and about 20 percent on what the military calls "nonkinetic" issues, such as supporting the development of Iraqi government institutions and humanitarian aid.
Now Hammond estimates those percentage have been almost reversed. For several hours one recent day, for example, Hammond consulted on water projects with a Sunni sheik in the Radwaniyah area of southwest Baghdad, then spent time with an Iraqi physician/entrepreneur in the Dora district of southern Baghdad - an area, now calm, that in early 2007 was one of the capital's most violent zones.
"We're getting close to something that looks like an end to mass violence in Iraq," says Stephen Biddle, an analyst at the Council of Foreign Relations who has advised Petraeus on war strategy. Biddle is not ready to say it's over, but he sees the U.S. mission shifting from fighting the insurgents to keeping the peace.
Although Sunni and Shiite extremists are still around, they have surrendered the initiative and have lost the support of many ordinary Iraqis. That can be traced to an altered U.S. approach to countering the insurgency - a Petraeus-driven move to take more U.S. troops off their big bases and put them in Baghdad neighborhoods where they mixed with ordinary Iraqis and built a new level of trust.
Army Col. Tom James, a brigade commander who is on his third combat tour in Iraq, explains the new calm this way:
"We've put out the forest fire. Now we're dealing with pop-up fires."
It's not the end of fighting. It looks like the beginning of a perilous peace.
Maj. Gen. Ali Hadi Hussein al-Yaseri, the chief of patrol police in the capital, sees the changes.
"Even eight months ago, Baghdad was not today's Baghdad," he says.
EDITOR'S NOTE - Robert Burns is AP's chief military reporter, and Robert Reid is AP's chief of bureau in Baghdad. Reid has covered the war from his post in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in March 2003. Burns, based in Washington, has made 21 reporting trips to Iraq; on his latest during July, Burns spent nearly three weeks in central and northern Iraq, observing military operations and interviewing both U.S. and Iraqi officers.
I greatly respect Michael Yon.
This missive of his, as others, rings true.
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As Iraqis stop living in fear, end of Iraq war is at hand
BY MICHAEL YON
Sunday, July 20th 2008
'The war in Iraq is over. We won. Which means the Iraqi people won."
When I wrote this on my Web site a few days ago, I set off a mini-firestorm. Perhaps because I have spent more time embedded with combat troops in Iraq than any journalist I know - and have interviewed countless Iraqis and members of the coalition military.
But I stand by my words, just as I stood by my assertion of February 2005 that Iraq was in a state of civil war, and later understood that Al Qaeda was its proximate cause. Those statements went against the vested interests of both Bush supporters who didn't want to admit how bad the situation was in Iraq, and war critics, who didn't want to admit that much of it was Al Qaeda's fault.
Back then, both sides brought out their dictionaries and muddied the water by arguing semantics: What exactly do you mean by a civil war? What exactly do you mean by Al Qaeda?
So I will be very clear what I mean when I say we have won the war. A counterinsurgency is won when the government's legitimacy is no longer threatened by the insurgents, the government is able to protect its own people and the people are participating in the government. In Iraq, all three conditions apply.
As early as July 2007, I was saying the surge was succeeding. Yes, the Sunni tribes were repulsed by Al Qaeda's cruelty and turned to fight against the terrorists. And Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr agreed to a ceasefire. Yet these developments came about as a direct result of the surge and the awakening in Al-Anbar Province.
The surge also made it possible for the government of Iraq and the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) to become effective. This year, offensives in Basra and Baghdad's Sadr City showed that the Shiite-majority government could take on Shiite militias. And while there were some defections and other problems in both campaigns, the ISF performed very capably. Sure, they had American support. But the fact that Iraqi troops liberated Iraqi neighborhoods went a long way to demonstrating the growing proficiency of the ISF and the legitimacy of the Iraqi government.
The sectarian violence is now mostly over. Al Qaeda has been pushed out of most of its urban enclaves and is now being chased into the hills. Even more important, Al Qaeda has been thoroughly discredited in Iraq. Similarly, now that the civil war no longer justifies their existence, the Shiite militias are largely seen as criminal groups rather than protectors or liberators.
The Iraqi government has reached 15 of the 18 benchmarks set by the U.S. Congress to measure security, political and economic progress. Ten of 18 provinces have been turned over to provincial Iraqi control, with the other eight provinces expected to be turned over by the end of the year. Violence is down to levels not seen since 2004.
There is still fighting in Iraq. But while there remain some terrorists at large, now we are truly fighting "the dead-enders."
The center of gravity in this war has always been the Iraqi people. And when you talk to them, as I have over the past three and a half years, you realize that victory is at hand. They no longer live in fear. Despite sectarian conflicts that are now political rather than military in nature, the feeling of Iraqi nationalism is palpable. Yes, they are Shiites and Sunnis and Kurds, but they are also Iraqis. Just like we are Floridians and New Yorkers, but also Americans.
Relations between Iraqis and Americans are very good and continue to improve. This does not mean that we will always agree on every issue. The Status of Forces Agreement, for instance, is particularly nettlesome, and the fact that the Iraqis are hanging tough in negotiations shows how confident the Maliki government is about its own sovereignty. Good for them.
We should keep some troop presence in Iraq to continue supporting the ISF in its peacekeeping mission. There will still be sporadic violence and even spectacular attacks. But I believe that by the end of the year, barring some unexpected setback, even the most ardent war critics will have to admit the obvious: The war is over. We won.
Yon, a former Green Beret, is author of the book "Moment of Truth in Iraq" and writes at www.michaelyon-online.com.
The policy of "Return On Success" has allowed the last of the surge brigades to return home, after having succeeded.
The greater stability which has been won (in large part due to the surge) now allows for shorter Deployments to Iraq of 12 months instead of 15.
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Bush Says Stability in Iraq Allows for Shorter Deployments
Bush: Surge in Iraq Is Success President Bush says there's encouraging news from Iraq, violence is down and that means tour lengths for U.S. troops can drop to 12 months from 15 months.
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By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 31, 2008
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va., July 31 -- President Bush declared Thursday that gains in Iraq had reached "a degree of durability," allowing the Pentagon to continue its plans for shorter military deployments and leading to the possibility of further U.S. troop reductions this fall.
"We are now in our third consecutive month with reduced violence levels holding steady," Bush said in Washington before leaving to deliver a speech at West Virginia's Greenbrier resort.
Bush's statement appeared to be aimed at highlighting significant movement toward a successful outcome in Iraq, while at the same time cautioning against the kind of firm withdrawal timeline championed by Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, and some senior Iraqi officials.
Bush's mostly upbeat assessment of developments in Iraq comes amid heated debate between presidential candidates John McCain (R-Ariz) and Obama over troop withdrawals, and comes ahead of recommendations expected from Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, in September. Bush said Petraeus's recommendations will include "further reductions in our combat forces as conditions permit."
Bush noted that the Pentagon has shortened troop deployments to Iraq from 15 to 12 months "to relieve the burden on our forces and it will make life easier for our wonderful military families." The shortened deployment schedule does not apply to troops already in Iraq, but only those who are headed there, officials said.
The president's message Thursday morning underscored the unusual rhetorical balancing act that the White House has been attempting in recent weeks -- on the one hand praising lower levels of violence as vindication of its "surge" strategy, while also warning that conditions in Iraq could worsen dramatically if forces are drawn down too quickly.
Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki agreed earlier this month to set a "general time horizon" for U.S. combat troop withdrawals. But Maliki and other senior Iraqi leaders have indicated they favor such withdrawals by 2010, putting them at odds with Bush and McCain and in line with a 16-month phased withdrawal of combat troops advocated by Obama.
The president said Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker "report that there now appears to be a degree of durability to the gains that we have made," while also cautioning "that the progress is still reversible."
Bush also focused on what he described as significant strides in the capability of Iraqi security forces, pointing to Iraqi-led military operations earlier this year against Shiite extremist groups in Amarah, Basra and Sadr City.
The last of five Army brigades and three Marine units that were added to U.S. forces in Iraq last year in the surge returned home last month. Bush and other Republicans have credited the surge in troops for sharp reductions in violence in Iraq during the past year.
After his Washington statement on Iraq, Bush flew to White Sulphur Springs to address a meeting of the West Virginia Coal Association, using the venue to argue for increased use of "clean coal" technologies as a hedge against rising energy prices. The focus on coal follows a high-profile White House campaign in favor of opening up most of the outer continental shelf to offshore drilling, including a move by Bush to revoke an executive order first issued by his father that banned such exploration. Pointing to skyrocketing energy costs and encouraging poll results, Republicans believe a push for drilling is a political winner during an election year.
Bush said Thursday that coal is also a crucial part of the country's long-term energy strategy, and called on Congress to approve money for research into clean coal technology and development.
"There's not a single solution," Bush said. "We've got to work to have a comprehensive plan that takes advantage of our assets . . . There's no more source of reliable electricity than coal."
During the speech, Bush also hailed a new report showing that the economy grew 1.9 percent in the second quarter.
Yea.. a new page! TY.
I was looking for it,
and posted some of the top news stories from the past little while on progress in Iraq on top.
Just a positive note to start the page. :)
Mr. Amar al-Hakim of the Al-Jazeera: There's openness to international Iraqi reality
Jazeera satellite channel hosted in Cairo Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, who paid an official visit to Egypt last week in the programme (for today). Has been addressed many topics and issues that concern and interest to the Iraqi affair. The following are acquainted meeting ........
Reporter: There dialectic between the political situation in Iraq and the withdrawal of foreign forces, we saw how to reconcile these two trends?
Mr. Amar al-Hakim: As you know, the presence of foreign forces in Iraq is to fill any security vacuum, there is a need to provide security as the Iraqi security forces are unable at the present time, and today there are talks to determine the frameworks for ending the presence of these forces through the rescheduling of its withdrawal after the completion of The readiness of Iraqi security institution and fill the security vacuum in full and are being organized this relationship, including broad authority to determine the presence of foreign troops and end its presence in cities prelude to terminate its presence on Iraqi land and enhancing national sovereignty of Iraq and contributes to remove Iraq from Section VII of the United Nations, and we believe that Mr. Prime Minister, as Party authorized to negotiate on this subject to authorization from the political council of national security depends on these principles in determining what works and addresses the problems of sovereignty.
Reporter: But how can achieve sovereignty with the presence of foreign forces?
Mr. Amar al-Hakim: As is well known, the presence of foreign forces is a fait accompli, and today we must think how to get out of these forces from our territory, and it is natural that the process needs to develop a framework for this task and those steps that we have to come to strengthen Iraq's sovereignty and end the foreign presence .
Reporter: how to achieve national reconciliation existence of certain parties that require the withdrawal of foreign forces? Is there a role for the Baath party in Iraq's future political life?
Mr. Amar al-Hakim: All Iraqi parties assembled on the need to identify agreed to end presence of foreign troops in Iraq, and everyone in Iraq were unanimous on the need to fill the security vacuum by Iraqi security institution.
As for the construction of the second question, every citizen has not been proven against him of abuse of Iraqis is the ordinary citizen and part of this nation is entitled to attend and participate, banned the Baath Party as stipulated by the Constitution or the Baathists who were not implicated abuse and damage to the Iraqis they have complete freedom to participate in nation-building And constructing and indulging in constitutional institutions.
Reporter: Is Iraq now able to attract Arab investments for the reconstruction of Iraq?
Mr. Amar al-Hakim: The real problem is the impressions experienced by the public opinion in Arab countries over the security situation in Iraq, fears and obsessions existing as a result, and we must be serious to break the cordon and notice that the world's other regions of Iraq as Kurdistan is an acceptable level of security, The level of private sector there are offers from Arab companies within the past few months, at the State level there is an expression of the will to open up to the Iraqi reality, we seek a new stage of Arab relations include the opening of embassies of Arab officials and visits to Iraq and exchange of interests, and I am happy with these positive developments.http://www.burathanews.com/news_article_46711.html
"President Jalal Talabani received in Baghdad US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and discussed with him the latest political developments in the Iraqi arena. During the meeting, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, the two sides exchanged views over the Provincial Council Election Law, particularly the Kirkuk issue. Talabani stressed the need to exert all possible efforts to reach a just and acceptable agreement on this law. The president of the republic pointed out that the Kurdish political leadership is determined to protect the constitution and the principle of national accord and work towards advancing the political process and the democratic march in the country. He, at the same time, stressed his great desire to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and civilized coexistence among all the components in Kirkuk and the need to ensure the participation of everybody in running the affairs of the city and its wealth."
- "Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki asserted today that the talks between the political blocs over the Provincial Council Election Law were held in a positive atmosphere. Following a meeting in Baghdad that brought together President Jalal Talabani, Vice President Adil Abd-al-Mahdi, Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Mas'ud Barzani, and a number of officials, the prime minister asserted that the talks over this issue will continue until the political blocs reach a formula to endorse the draft law in the Council of Representatives."
Al-Maliki is then shown saying: "The meetings are still going on in an atmosphere of understanding. There are issues that forced themselves on everybody; therefore, there should be a solution. Everybody realized all participants in the political process would lose if they failed to reach a solution. Based on this fact and in order to advance and protect the political process and continue to build the state, the meetings will continue with that in mind."
Barzani is then shown saying: "We came to Baghdad looking for a solution. There were very important talks yesterday and they are still going on. We hope to reach an acceptable solution."
Iraqi Council of Representatives Deputy Speaker Khalid al-Atiyah is shown saying: "Of course, this issue will be discussed on Sunday. The preparations are still under way to hold this session. There are contacts with all the blocs, with the mediation of the United Nations, which presented a compromise formula. We hope that the various blocs will agree on this formula, although there are still negotiations over the issue. God willing, we hope that this very important law will be endorsed through reaching an agreement on Article 24 of the law."
- "Vice President Adil Abd-al-Mahdi said that what Iraq wants from the agreement with the United States of America is to see a [time] horizon for the end of the Multinational Force's mission, Iraq restore its sovereignty, which it lost in 1991, the establishment of friendly relations with Washington, and the removal of Iraq from the Seventh Chapter without jeopardizing its security and money. Speaking to Al-Mada newspaper, the vice president denied that there was a rift in the strategic relations between the Kurdistan Alliance and the Unified Iraqi Coalition in the wake of the Council of Representatives' endorsement of the Provincial Counc il Election Law, which the Presidency Council vetoed immediately after its endorsement."
__________________
Though in California.. it is only a slim majority... as stated yesterday about the key states:
By margins of 27 to 30 percentage points, voters in each state say Congress should agree with President George W. Bush and allow offshore drilling for oil. Sen. McCain supports offshore drilling, while Sen. Obama opposes it.
A new CNN/Opinion Research poll released this week found that 69 percent of Americans favor more offshore drilling,
So I guess we see why Congressional popularity is at all all time historic low.. when we look at Pelosi's efforts to "save the planet" by blocking drilling.
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Pelosi Blocks Vote On Offshore Drilling
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Pelosi blocks offshore drilling vote GOP wants
Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Friday, August 1, 2008
(08-01) 04:00 PDT Washington — For weeks, pressure has been mounting in Congress to approve more domestic oil drilling, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has held the line, using her power to block a vote on offshore drilling.
President Bush has made almost daily calls for Democratic leaders to take action. House GOP leaders, citing a new poll showing that a slim majority of Californians now favor offshore drilling, issued a release Thursday saying “even (Pelosi’s) own California neighbors oppose her efforts to block new drilling far off American coasts.” GOP lawmakers are so disgruntled they’re urging Bush to deny Congress its August break by calling a special session on energy.
Even some Democrats are getting antsy, fearing the party’s stance could hurt them in the fall elections. But Pelosi, who has opposed offshore drilling throughout her two decades in Congress, insists opening new areas to drilling won’t lower gas prices in the short term. She believes a vote would only help the GOP blame Democrats for high gas prices.
“I will not … give the administration an excuse for its failure,” Pelosi said at an end-of-session roundtable interview Thursday…
Pelosi drew derision from her critics for telling the Web site Politico this week that she was blocking a vote on offshore drilling because “I’m trying to save the planet.” But she elaborated on that theme Thursday, saying she sees energy independence and fighting global warming as “my flagship issue.” She said she will use her power to resist a policy that could increase the country’s oil dependency.
“I’m not going to be diverted for a political tactic from a course of action that has a big-picture view - a vision about an energy-independent future that reduces our dependence on fossil fuels … and focuses on those renewables that are protective of the environment,” she said…
Some Democrats have already started to shift their views. Rep. Tim Holden, D-Pa., who voted two years ago against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and for a federal ban on offshore drilling, told a hometown paper last weekend he now wants to “drill everywhere.”
A new CNN/Opinion Research poll released this week found that 69 percent of Americans favor more offshore drilling, while 30 percent oppose it. But the poll found the public was split over whether more coastal drilling would lower gas prices, with 51 percent saying yes and 49 percent saying no.
But the poll’s more interesting finding was about who Americans blame for $4-a-gallon gas prices: About two-thirds said oil companies and foreign countries that produce energy were the major causes. Just over half blamed the Bush administration, the war in Iraq and the moratorium on offshore drilling. But only about 1 in 3 - 31 percent - blamed Democrats in Congress for high gas prices…
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When Ms. Pelosi ascended to the position of Speaker of the House we knew we were in for trouble.
But even we underestimated her hatred for this country and the unbelievable damage she has tried to wreak upon it.
She and Harry Reid are two of the most despicable public figures in the history of the country — and that is really saying something given the number of Democrats who have held office.
And just imagine what a triumvirate they would make with Mr. Obama as President.
Quote: "But only about 1 in 3 - 31 percent - blamed Democrats in Congress for high gas prices."
Gee, how could that be?
Well, have a nice (five week) vacation, Congress.
We’ll be thinking about you — every time we gas up.
This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Friday, August 1st, 2008.
Iraq's Basra set for multibillion-dollar investment
Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:39am EDT
By Luke Baker
LONDON (Reuters) - Most headlines about Basra, the port city in southern Iraq that is home to the bulk of the country's vast oil wealth, tend to focus on death, destruction and wasted opportunity after five years of war.
Yet after seven months as co-chair of the Basra Development Commission, a British-Iraqi body responsible for kick-starting the area's economy and attracting foreign investment, Michael Wareing is a confirmed optimist.
Not only has security shown sustained improvement in recent months, but large multinational companies are actively looking to pour money into the country, not just into oil and gas industries, but secondary ones such as fertilizer and finance.
In fact, says Wareing, the international chief executive of tax and consulting giant KPMG, a turning point may have been reached that could see billions of dollars of international investment flow into the city in the next two to three years.
"There's significant interest, with active investor visits," Wareing told Reuters at KPMG's headquarters in London.
"We're talking about a dozen companies, most of them, but not all, significant multinationals, who are looking at quite significant opportunities," he said, referring broadly to Middle Eastern, European and U.S. firms but not wanting to be more specific because of the imminence of contract announcements.
"Providing there isn't a fallback in the security position, my sense is that security today would not need to improve further in order for us to see quite significant investment."
When quizzed about the size of flows, Wareing prefers to talk in hundreds of millions or billions of dollars, saying investment when it comes -- and he believes the breakthrough will occur before year-end -- will be large and sustained.
Iraq has the world's third-largest oil reserves at around 115 billion barrels but it needs heavy investment to modernize and diversify its oil industry.
As well as oil and gas, the major areas of interest are ports and shipping, construction, infrastructure -- including the airport and railways -- and in industries that range from fertilizer production to iron and steel and banking.
"Basra has got an awful lot of things going for it," said Wareing, listing its geographic position as a port on the Gulf, its natural resources, its university and ready labor supply.
"In terms of a number of other countries in the world that have perfectly successful, healthy economies with growth and inward investment, it's much closer to those today than it would have been a year ago."
BILLION DOLLAR FLOWS
Security remains a concern, with militia groups and criminal gangs threatening to strike at any time. But Iraq's armed forces have made progress since launching a security sweep in March, Wareing said, and Britain, which has 4,000 troops based outside Basra, is cautiously confident about the outlook.
The sort of companies looking to do business in the region are well aware of its risks. At three Basra investment meetings this year, more than 70 companies attended, said Wareing.
"If you're used to operating in Kazakhstan, Venezuela or the Niger Delta, then actually you look at Iraq in a very, very different way than someone would sitting in London," he said.
Corruption is an issue, but not dissimilar to other parts of the world, Wareing argues. "You have to balance it in terms of a world view of Iraq as opposed to matching Iraq to whatever countries in the world you would judge to be best in terms of governance," the 54-year-old said.
In recent months, Iraq has issued tenders for an array of big-ticket contracts. It is those Wareing expects to be awarded in the coming months. The more contracts awarded, the more confidence will grow and investment flow, he believes.
"There's no question that, even on a one-to-two year view, it's actually quite easy to see that investment could be measured in billions," Wareing said. "I would very, very much hope and expect that within this calendar year we would see some real movement on that. It's the next thing to happen."
While he's happy to identify himself as an optimist, he's quick to point out examples -- like Northern Ireland -- where the security tide has turned and investment followed.
If jobs can be created for the swathes of young men among Basra's 30 percent unemployed, not only will there be growth, but it will have a reinforcing impact on security.
"Iraq is a significant economic country, certainly within the region, but arguably within the world," he said.
"It has real, serious natural resources and in today's world, having real serious natural resources is a tremendous advantage wherever you are."
(www.reuters.com)
01 August 2008 (Business 24/7)
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The Kurdistan regional government in Iraq has approved a project by Dana Gas and its partner Crescent Petroleum to build a gas city on an area of more than seven square kilometres, Dana Gas said yesterday.
The gas city is a joint venture between the Sharjah-based Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum and will be spread over an area of 461 million sqft (over seven sqkm) in Kurdistan, Dana Gas said.
"The 461 million sqft site for the Kurdistan Gas City has been officially assigned by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), for development by Gas Cities LLC, following extensive surveys that have been completed on potential sites within the Kurdistan Region of Ira," the statement said.
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan regional government of Iraq Nechirvan Barzani will join other ministers, officials and diplomats in a ground breaking opening ceremony for the project on September 21.
The Kurdistan Gas City is a major new sustainable and synergistic gas-utilisation industrial complex to be built over an area of 461 million sqft, designed to promote private sector investment in a variety of gas-related industries to further benefit the country's citizens through mass training, job creation in the many tens of thousands, and the promotion of general economic activity.
It will include industrial, residential and commercial components in an integrated city, with an expected initial investment in the basic infrastructure estimated at $3bn, preparing the land for possession by prospective residents. This initial investment will in turn facilitate further Foreign Direct Investment exceeding $40 billion (Dh147bn) during the operations phase.
The gas city is being structured to hold more than 20 varieties of world scale petrochemical and heavy manufacturing plants, and hundreds of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, served by state-of-the art civic facilities. "Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum have made a significant contribution to the Iraqi economy through their work in the Kurdistan region of Iraq thus far, and the new Kurdistan Gas City will be an extension of the considerable and commendable achievements to date," Barzani said.
"We highly appreciate their dedication towards our region and welcome their efforts to support the Iraqi people and the Iraqi economy. Through their professionalism and genuine concern for the community, we are making significant progress in spurring on economic growth and creating opportunity for our people."
Hamid Jafar, Executive Chairman of Dana Gas, said: "The gas city is an enormous step forward in Dana Gas' strategy across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (Menasa) region."
The gas city is the first in a series of gas cities that are being developed across Menasa region by gas cities, a joint venture company that has been established by and between Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum.
The gas city is projected to generate direct and indirect job opportunities for nearly 200,000 Iraqi citizens in infrastructure, industrial projects, support services and other business activities.
Meanwhile, pursuant to the service agreements signed in April 2007 with the Kurdistan regional government, construction is more than 80 per cent complete on 180km of natural gas pipeline and two LPG plants, carried out by Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum in the Kurdistan to supply, process and transport natural gas to fuel urgently needed local electricity generation.
The project is employing Iraqi contractors, professionals, skilled technicians and labour in phases of construction stages to maximise local content and economic benefit. The entire project is on track for first gas supply of 150 million cubic feet per day in the coming weeks, rising to 300m cubic feet by 2009.
The gas supplied to the two new plants under construction in Erbil and Sulymaniya, will generate 1,250 MW of electricity, and benefit more than four million Iraqi citizens in the Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq. The project involves an investment of $650m – the largest single private sector investment in Iraq for decades.
"As a result of this investment, urgently needed gas will be supplied to plants cost-effectively and also result in savings to the government's budget of more than $2bn annually," Dana said.
(www.iraqupdates.com)
Security in Iraq is a very important topic..
leading, as it does, to stability.. and a stronger currency.
===
Only ABC Runs Full Iraq Status Story After Fewest U.S. Deaths Ever
By Brent Baker
August 1, 2008
Not surprisingly given the past pattern, of the broadcast networks evening newscasts on Thursday, only ABC's World News devoted a full story to the fewest Americans killed in Iraq in any month since the war began. CBS and NBC gave the great news a few seconds before pivoting to full stories on the rise of female suicide bombers and the sexual assault problem in the military. ABC anchor Charles Gibson hailed:
[A] statistic out of Iraq today that is remarkable: Six Americans were killed in combat in the entire month of July. That's the lowest number since the war began. That compares to the 66 combat deaths in July of last year.
From Iraq, reporter Terry McCarthy proceeded to convey how “U.S. troops on the ground don't follow statistics. They follow their gut. And these days, that tells them things are getting better.” McCarthy pointed to how an Army Sergeant, seven months into his second tour, “hasn't fired his weapon once on patrol” and then McCarthy credited the surge: “The turning point was the surge, which began 18 months ago. Three months in, U.S. fatalities peaked at 119. Since then, violence has declined steeply.”
CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric on Thursday didn't mention the low number of deaths, but she gave it just under ten seconds on Wednesday evening: “The U.S. death toll this month is nine, and that is the lowest since the invasion in 2003.” She quickly set up a full story on another Iraq topic, citing:
A new trend: Women strapping themselves with explosives, killing themselves and others in the process. Richard Roth tells us why female suicide bombers are on the rise.
Brian Williams gave the subject a few more seconds on Thursday night as he reported how “President Bush made an unusual early morning public appearance to talk about progress in Iraq” as “the number of U.S. combat deaths there was five” in July, “the lowest number since the start of the war.” Williams then jumped to a full report from Jim Miklaszeski on “new efforts to address sexual assault in the U.S. military.”
The news choices on Thursday matched the practice of ABC's World News always showing more willingness to highlight improvements in Iraq.
The MRC's July 21 Media Reality Check, “TV Keeps Pushing Bad News Agenda on Iraq; Study: ABC, CBS & NBC War Coverage Plummets; Reporters Emphasize Casualties Over Surge Success,” determined:
A new study by the Media Research Center finds that network evening news coverage of Iraq has fallen 65 percent in the past twelve months — a mere 429 stories so far this year, compared to 1,227 on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening news shows during the first six and a half months of 2007.
Rich Noyes, author of the study, pointed out:
To its credit, ABC’s World News with Charles Gibson provided the most even-handed coverage, with 34 stories focused on positive developments compared to 56 stories emphasizing bad news. On June 21, ABC reporter Miguel Marquez told viewers of big progress in Samarra, where the bombing of the Golden Dome mosque triggered major bloodshed two years ago: “Last year, U.S. forces here were attacked about 80 times a month. Since February, there have been a total of four attacks, a dramatic turnaround.” Two days earlier, ABC’s Terry McCarthy told a similar story of progress in the southern city of Basra, “a city reborn out of fear.”
My July 8 NewsBusters item, “ABC Sees 'Impressive Gains in Iraq' While CBS Finds Bad Hospitals,” recounted:
As was the pattern earlier this year and last, ABC's World News is much more willing -- than its CBS and NBC competitors -- to acknowledge good news in the Iraq war. On Tuesday night, ABC's Martha Raddatz cited "some really impressive gains" as she reported the plummeting number of attacks in Baghdad, falling from 1,278 in June of 2007 to 112 last month. The night before, only anchor Charlie Gibson highlighted the "upbeat assessment of security in Iraq today from Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen."
Neither the CBS Evening News nor NBC Nightly News mentioned Mullen on Monday night while NBC's Jim Miklaszewski only noted less violence in Iraq in contrast to a "record number of Americans killed in Afghanistan last month," so "if there's any bright side here...it's that the level of violence in Iraq has come down enough" to allow the military to move resources to Afghanistan...
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
The 'Sheriff' in Iraq's Far West
August 01, 2008
Agence France-Presse
The midday sun turns the dusty streets of the Iraqi frontier town of Al-Qaim into a furnace. It's a heat that keeps many people inside, but it fails to deter the man known as "the sheriff" on whom a fragile peace seems to depend.
Wearing a saffron-coloured shirt, a 16-shot Beretta strapped to his hip and his head shaved in the style of Yul Brynner, Abu Ahmed patrols Al-Qaim in a new Japanese all-terrain vehicle, surrounded by bodyguards toting assault rifles.
"The law here is the law of the tribes," he said. "The rule of the tribes is stronger than that of Baghdad."
Abu Ahmed belongs to the Bou Mahal, the most powerful clan in this isolated region of Iraq, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) northwest of the capital. Exclusively Sunni, the tribe controls the nearby porous frontier with Syria -- a kingdom for those who smuggle cigarettes, fuel and weapons.
"We are ready to respect the law of Baghdad, but the government has to represent the people," he said in a scarcely veiled criticism of the central power, dominated by Shiites.
This reticence to acknowledge the state as the legitimate centre of authority and power illustrates the fragility of a nation in which people prefer to put their trust in the hands of men like Abu Ahmed.
The 40-year-old is a hero to the 50,000 residents of Al-Qaim for having chased Al-Qaeda from the agricultural centre where houses line the green and blue waters of the Euphrates.
In the main street, with its fruit and vegetable stalls, its workshops and restaurants, men with pistols in their belts approach Abu Ahmed to kiss his cheek and right shoulder in a mark of respect.
It was not always this way.
He tells how one evening in May 2005 he decided that the disciples of Osama bin Laden went too far -- they killed his cousin Jamaa Mahal.
"I started shooting in the air and throughout the town bursts of gunfire echoed across the sky. My family understood that the time had come. And we started the war against Al-Qaeda."
It took three battles in the streets of Al-Qaim -- in June, in July and then in November 2005 -- to finish off the extremists who had come from Arab countries to fight the Americans.
Abu Ahmed, initially defeated by better equipped forces, had to flee to the desert region of Akashat, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of Al-Qaim. There he sought help from the US Marines.
"With their help we were able to liberate Al-Qaim," he said, sitting in his house with its maroon tiled facade.
This alliance between a Sunni tribe and American troops was to be the first, and it give birth to a strategy of other US-paid Sunni fighters ready to mobilise against Al-Qaeda.
It resulted in the Sunni province of Al-Anbar being pacified in two years.
The US military, which since it led the Spring 2003 invasion of Iraq had sought to control the frontier with Syria, found in the men of Abu Ahmed an auxiliary force completely au fait with all the routes used by the smugglers.
And while Abu Ahmed has been able to receive the homage and rewards which are seen as his right as a warlord, he is very aware that the current calm is a fragile one.
"I've drawn up my will several times," he said. "I expect to die."
His town had an unhealthy reputation for years, and no Westerners other than US troops risked going there.
In the era of Saddam Hussein, Al-Qaim's huge chemical factory treated uranium to feed Iraq's nuclear programme.
But American air strikes in 1991 and then United Nations inspections transformed the factory into a metallic skeleton. Its destruction buried the town's only source of income.
And Al-Qaeda killers are still never far away. Recently men disguised as American soldiers approached a post near the frontier with Syria. Police manning it trustingly handed over their weapons.
The disarmed men were then forced to their knees and 16 of them had their throats cut.
Just one survived to tell the tale of what had happened to his comrades in west Iraq where law and order does not always rule -- despite the presence of men like Abu Ahmed.
(www.military.com)
Iraq: insurgents linked to US Marine deaths caught
Aug 1, 2008 19:00 /AP
BAGHDAD - The US military says that Iraqi soldiers have captured two suspected al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents linked to a May suicide bombing that killed four US Marines.
The military says the suspects have been linked to various wings of al-Qaida in Iraq and were seized during a raid on July 18 north of Baghdad.
Friday's statement says "intelligence reports connect the suspects to a May suicide vest attack that resulted in the deaths of four US Marines and several sheiks" during a meeting.
The military also says the two suspects are associated with an al-Qaida wing that "manipulates young boys to become suicide bombers" and that one of the suspects is believed to be a recruiter for that wing.
www.cbiraq.org now has pictures up on its site. These pictures are the only items on the page. Is there any guess when the new site is scheduled to be functioning?
The 1218 daily currency auction was held in the Central Bank of Iraq day Sunday 2007/07/30 so the results were as follows :
Details Notes
Number of banks 6 -----
Auction price selling dinar / US $ 1191 -----
Auction price buying dinar / US $ -----
Amount sold at auction price (US $) 97.065.000 -----
Amount purchased at Auction price (US $)
Total offers for buying (US $) 97.065.000 -----
Total offers for selling (US $) -----
Though there are rumors of a soon RV,
this one did not pan out.
Iran: We have started nuclear fusion
August 1, 2008
by Ed Morrissey
Internationally, the Iranians insist that they pursue nuclear technology as a means to produce energy, despite the fact that they sit on a sea of oil. They categorically deny attempts to build nuclear weapons and scoff at opposition to their efforts. Internally, though, they apparently have some other uses in mind, as this comment — reported by Iran’s official news agency — reveals:
QUOTE:
The official Iranian news agency (IRNA) quotes Expediency Council chief, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani as saying, “We have started the first activities of nuclear fusion.”
Rafsanjani made the remarks today during a speech delivered to a gathering of students at Tehran’s Jamaran Hoseynieh.
===end quote==
Civilian nuclear power comes from fission, the splitting of atoms and the heat it releases. Fusion, on the other hand, has other uses as well. Hydrogen bombs rely on carefully constructed stages of both fission and fusion for their enormous release of power. In fact, thus far, hydrogen bombs have been the only successful and reliable fusion reactions produced by man.
It’s possible that the Iranians have decided to skip over fission reactors in their pursuit of electrical power, even though no one else has been able to create a practical fusion reactor after several decades of research. It seems more likely that bragging about progress on fusion has a lot more to do with the construct of a weapon rather than any peaceful use of nuclear energy. Maybe those who believe that a chat will resolve this issue with the Iranians would like to explain how a hydrogen bomb figures into those calculations.
Comments:
1) I don’t think Sean Penn knows the difference between “fission” and “fusion”. Senator Obama remarked that Rafsanjani’s comments were inartful. /sarc
Dr.Cwac.Cwac
2) That’s OK, I’m sure the Iranians will only use the bombs they build for peaceful means. - NoDonkey
3) Just a thought. If the statement was correct - fusion - then that would mean that an atomic device already existed, and that they are attempting to move on to a thermo-nuclear device. That’s not good! - OldEnglish
4) How long will Israel wait? I’ve read various opinions that speak of retaliation based on the timing of OUR elections. In reality, I feel that Israel removing the threat will be based on their own best interest and chances for survival. With Olmert stepping aside and the possibility of Netanyahu replacing him, will they wait until Olmert is gone or neutralize Iran sooner? - mimi1220
5) We must neutralize the inartful Iranian threat by engaging them in diplomatic nuance. - petefrt
6) If they don’t know the difference between fission and fusion, perhaps they shouldn’t be playing with it. - GarandFan
Board - In your opinion..
Do they know the difference, and was this "inartful" words.. or intentional - expressing Iran's intent to obtain nuclear armaments?
Obama's lead is gone.
McCain and Obama are tied for the first time since June.
Gallup Daily: Race Tied at 44% Registered voters evenly split in their support for Obama versus McCain
August 1, 2008
PRINCETON, NJ -- According to Gallup Poll Daily tracking from July 29-31, John McCain and Barack Obama are now tied at 44% in the preferences of national registered voters. It is a substantial turnaround from earlier this week when Obama held a statistically significant lead coming off his high-profile trip to Europe, Afghanistan, and the Middle East.
Obama and McCain were closely matched in each of the three nights of interviewing included in today's result, with neither candidate ahead by more than three percentage points. This suggests that the recent surge in voter support for Obama has truly subsided.
This is McCain's strongest showing in over a month. The last time Gallup found the race exactly tied was in late June. By contrast, in the weeks just prior to Obama's overseas trip, he had led the race by an average of four points. -- Lydia Saad
In Iraq now, walked into Panhandlers office, but he was on medic leave, hi Panhandler, get well.
The fighting have definitely been lowered to a very low level.
Hardly anything is lobbed over the wire into the bases, even when a dust storm is at hand, when helicopters can't fly, the normal opportunity to set up mortar attacks, but lately they have been far and few inbetween.
Blown up trucks, so common in the past, have dried up to reports of kids throwing a stone, and cracked windshield.
So I can confirm that this is not as much of a hot bed anymore, now, I have not been here in the past, but listening to people that have been here, running to the bunkers more often that not, in the past, you can for sure say that peace is at hand here.
We're still not losing our guard, but peace is more in the hands than it ever have been in the past.
Ok, to talk Dinars for a while, rumors, I love those.
Here is a good one for you, and it is all based on the ordinary, heard it from a guy that heard it from a guy.
15 of August is supposedly the big day for the Dinar according to this rumor.
Don't know where it comes from, but it involves persons that have seen shipping manifests, and higer ups, ( of course). According to the source, Jordan and Kuwait have stopped dealing with Dinars, and claims that Dinars have dried up more or less at Dealers in the US. (Is that true?)
Furthermore, it is suppose to go onto the Forex, and open up between 30 and 80 cents.
And of course the source swears by it.
At least we have nother date at hand now, always fun to get those, but the interesting thing is that the word Forex was mentioned, and I think the word Forex was mentioned in another rumor, so either someone is very productive in inserting the Forex factor, or if the runor comes from a different source, the Forex is a real possibility.
We will see, hey, I didn't come up with a lot of actual data this time but at least I gave you another BIG date to look forward to.
I will probably be transferred to another base after some time here in Anaconda, but I will be able to find pjuters, as I go, and keep in contact.
It looks like hope and change works..
so long as it is Obama listening to the position of John McCain and the people of America.
Another flip-flop.. for political expediency.
===
Obama shifts position on offshore oil drilling
By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer Sat Aug 2, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling.
Shifting from his previous opposition to expanded offshore drilling, the Illinois senator told a Florida newspaper he could get behind a compromise with Republicans and oil companies to prevent gridlock over energy.
Republican rival John McCain has been criticizing Obama on the stump and in broadcast ads for clinging to his opposition as gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon. Polls indicate these attacks have helped McCain gain ground on Obama.
Asked about Obama's comment, McCain said, "We need oil drilling and we need it now offshore. He has consistently opposed it. He has opposed nuclear power. He has opposed reprocessing. He has opposed storage." The GOP candidate said Obama doesn't have a plan equal to the nation's energy challenges.
In Congress, both parties have fought bitterly over energy policy for weeks, with Republicans pressing for more domestic oil drilling and Democrats railing about oil company profits. Despite hundreds of hours of House and Senate floor debate, lawmakers will leave Washington for their five-week summer hiatus this week with an empty tank.
"The Republicans and the oil companies have been really beating the drums on drilling," Obama said in the Post interview. "And so we don't want gridlock. We want to get something done."
Later, Obama issued a written statement warmly welcoming a proposal sent to Senate leaders Friday by 10 senators — Drilling bans along the Pacific coast and the Northeast would remain in place under this compromise.
The plan also includes energy initiatives Obama has endorsed. "It would repeal tax breaks for oil companies so that we can invest billions in fuel-efficient cars, help our automakers re-tool, and make a genuine commitment to renewable sources of energy like wind power, solar power, and the next generation of clean, affordable biofuels," Obama noted.
"Like all compromises, it also includes steps that I haven't always supported," Obama conceded. Nevertheless, Obama said the plan, put forward by mostly moderates and conservatives led by Sens. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., "represents a good faith effort at a new bipartisan beginning."
Earlier in the day, Obama pushed for a windfall profits tax to fund $1,000 emergency rebate checks for consumers besieged by high energy costs, a counter to McCain's call for more offshore drilling.
Obama primed the crowd by noting new government figures showing 51,000 jobs lost last month and citing 460,000 jobs lost over the last seven months. He tied other bad economic news from the Bush administration to McCain and offered his energy program as one route to relief.
"This rebate will be enough to offset the increased cost of gas for a working family over the next four months," Obama said during a two-day campaign swing in Florida. "It will be enough to cover the entire increase in your heating bills. Or you could use the rebate for any of your other bills, or even to pay down your own debt."
Earlier in the day, Obama pushed for a windfall profits tax to fund $1,000 emergency rebate checks for consumers
Ah, yes, tax and spend... Obama is a modern day Robin Hood..
he will steal from the rich (the tax) and give $1,000 rebates to the "poor" voters to get them to vote for him.
And his plans ".. would repeal tax breaks for oil companies so that we can invest billions.."
No sense letting those rich people have their BILLIONS to do what they wish to do with it (like create jobs, open more businesses).
GOVERNMENT will be the solution to all our woes by how THEY spend those billions.. like they always are?
We all know how fiscally responsible the government is with those BILLIONS of dollars they rake in.
(Why are we in this difficulty in the first place.. ?? - Maybe because government..
didn't do what the people wanted them to until they were FORCED to - by political expediency?)
Too bad the "poor" or middle class outnumber the rich so they are a greater voting block.
Why is that?
(HINT: It might have something to do with the proposed 53% tax rate Obama plans, in order to SPEND it on his vision and priorities - instead of the money staying in the private sector and boosting its efforts to expand services and products.)
Roger!!
Good to hear from ya. :)
Thanks for the post.
GREAT news about the decreased danger in Iraq,
and the vast improvement in security.
AWESOME!!
- Thank You, Lord. :)
Good rumor.. I had heard it and this is another confimation that it may be so.
Hopefully, the Iraqis will move to a more open, market based currency this way.
A limited float, as Rob N is always saying. :)
It would be good for their economy to join the world at a reasonable value.
It is good to hear from you, please be safe. I have a friend planning to do some contractor work in the near future in Iraq. I'll keep you posted. As far as the rumor we will have to wait and see.
Thanks for the update and good rumor from Anaconda. Most people are very surprised when they see the quality of food being served to our Military...hope you like it! When you get a chance, let us know what the Dinars are selling for inside the bases. Take care!
Roger, good to hear from you. You have a rare opportunity. Very few people get to do what you are doing. You get to go to Iraq, and see for yourself, talk to people, and make up your own mind, of what you believe.
The rest of us collect and analyze information from others, and make judgements on the reliability of people and information that is sometimes 3rd hand.
I believe that the best information comes from reading about something, and direct experience itself. There's no substitute for direct experience. I envy you. I look forward to any observations you have, from Iraq.+
Obama Concedes Racial Dimension to 'Dollar Bill' Comments; Says McCain Campaign Not Racist, But Cynical
August 02, 2008
In Cape Canaveral, Fla., this morning, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., blasted off against the attacks coming from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. But Obama also admitted that, despite what Obama senior adviser Robert Gibbs told reporters, there was a racial dimension to his Missouri remarks in which he said McCain and the Republicans would make an issue of the fact that he doesn't look like presidents who have been on the dollar bills.
"I don’t think it’s accurate to say that my comments have nothing to do with race," Obama said. "Here's what I was saying and I think this should be undisputed: That I don’t come out of central casting, when it comes to presidential races. For a whole range of reasons. I’m young, I’m new to the national scene, my name is Barack Obama, I am African American, I was born in Hawaii, I spent time in Indonesia. I do not have the typical biography of a presidential candidate. What that means is that I’m sort of unfamiliar and people are still trying to get a fix on who I am, where I come from, what my values are and so forth in a way that might not be true if I seemed more familiar."
"And so what I think has been an approach [of] the McCain campaign is to say, 'He’s risky,'" Obama continued. "Let me be clear: In no way do I think that John McCain’s campaign was being racist; I think they’re cynical. And I think they want to distract people from talking about the real issues."
John McCain’s camp responded to Obama’s remarks that the presumptive Republican nominee was running a "cynical" campaign for highlighting Barack Obama’s worldwide celebrity status.
"We're glad the Obama campaign retracted Barack Obama’s accusation because it was absolutely false, and we’re moving on," said Tucker Bounds, spokesman for John McCain 2008, in a statement. "The only 'cynical' candidate in this election is Barack Obama, who has opposed every element of John McCain's comprehensive energy plan that includes additional oil drilling, affordable nuclear energy and gas tax relief for hardworking families."
As for the highlighting of Obama's worldwide celebrity status - and whether that is qualification enough for the Whitehouse, a job which includes dealing with a nuclear armed Iran and troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan during a time of war:
It is nice to hear from you. I think, Tim Bitts is right; it is far better to see for yourself first hand than to have second and third hand knowledge from others.
I think you stated that Panhandler is on medical leave. Any possibility of finding out what is up? I know he has had heart problems in the past and I am hoping that his health is not real serious.
I am glad of your report that security in Iraq is settling down. Hopefully, this security gain will help you and other americans stay safe. Keep checking in and let us know how you are doing.
I think that the Iranians know full well the difference between fission and fusion in dealing with nuclear power. That is why I believe the next months up through the swearing in of a new american President is going to be dangerous. I still believe that President Bush and the Israelis are going to attack Iran over their nuclear program. This will give Iran provocation to attack militarily in the open with a given reason to their people and rally their troops. As I believe Al-Qaida is working with the Iranians, this could set up the nuclear suite cases that Osama is reported to have received through his russian connections.
I also am of the opinion that the Iranian report of the remarks was not a mistaken quote, but that Mr. Rafsanjani knew EXACTLY what he was saying when he used the term fusion instead of fission. He was explaining to the people that they are now well on the way to nuclear arms.. with the eventual targets being Israel and the US, as the Iranians have openly stated. It is a dangerous time and needs true leadership from someone qualified to lead and hold the highest office in the land, not based on popularity ratings or celebrity status, but experience and proven military leadership (the successful surge strategy was advocated strongly, even against his own party, by John McCain - showing his good military judgement) - so to me that means electing John McCain.
The suitcase nukes you speak of make this a very serious and dangerous time for the American people with very serious issues at stake for the next persons who will hold the offices of President and Congress. The country must be able to depend on them - even to the point of trusting them with their lives. There must be change.. (Congressional approval is at an all time low) but it must be change to that which is trustworthy, solid and true.. not flippy-floppy and based on political expedience.
There is room in politics for political flexibility.. but no room for reversals on practically every single issue - as Obama has done. He has been for unilateral negotiation with Iran without preconditions.. then against it. Against all forms of war to the point of radical leftist peaceniks hailing him as their messiah, then for the war in Afghanistan and increasing troop levels and escalation of war there. Which of his myriad positions can we trust.. and will it change again if it becomes politically inconvenient? How then can the country trust him with the helm of the country when he has proven his direction will change with the wind?
(See my next post - which will point out ANOTHER change of Obama's for political expedience.. )
Thanks all for your concern, and I will try to post my observations as much as I can, the work schedule can sometimes take me out of the loop for long periods at a time.
So far, I have not been able to be on the outside of the wire, and observe, I have been busy in training maneuvering heavy trucks around obstacles (cones, Jersey barriers, and saw horses.) in day and night conditions.
I will however very soon be able to be outside the wire, and can then report a more accurate picture of the daily Iraqi life.
The exchange for the Iraqi Dinar on the base, I don't know, we're using Dollars, and it is illegal to bring Iraqi Dinars with you out of here, except in very small sums, so service personell, and contractors living the "camp" life, use Dollar.
The food here is superb, I can have King Crab every thursday, steak, in any fashion, any kind of meal I can dream up. The buffet, will easily rival those of better Casinos in Nevada. Desert is first class, icecreem, cheesecake, or whatever you wish.
On the base, there is several dining facilities, stores a bit smaller than WalMart, but not much. You can't buy tactical magasine pouches in WalMart.
I have been to one of the bases cinemas, a very big cinema, with balcony, marble, and all that, and saw Batman, a real bat was flying around in the theater at the time, probably not assiciated with the movie.
Movies shows here often before they are released in the US.
If you have a pretty girl sitting beside you in the theater, you have to watch up, she has an M-16 parked between her legs.
There are computer rooms, laundries, where you drop off and pick up, commuter busses that runns regular lines, Burger King, Popeye, and those other fast food chains here. Broidery shops, several work out places, with equipment that will put most gyms to shame, jevelerys, hair saloons, shoe shops , well anything that a town can offer.
The base is a town.
The heat is very intense, but it is the kind of dry heat you find in the southwestern states, suddenly you are very thirsty. Water is supplied in bottles per pallet loads, and you can grab it wherever you go. The place have it's own cement plant, and water plant, sewage treatment plant, airfield, and acres of acres of all kinds of equipment, construction, civilian and military.
I just want to show you all what involvement we have here, the military on this base alone is over 20.000 people , and when you add the logistics to it, you see that this adds up to a very big operation that will hardly even be possible to dismantle in a couple of months, I doubt that even a couple of years will do it, even if we did it full time from now on.
This is ONE base, and there are countless others in this country.
With all the faults of the Iraqi Gov, they still need us, and they need us pretty darn much.
If the enemy activity will subside and dissappear, the Iraqi Forces could probably hod their own by now, but the problem is that if any hotter action will happen, they ( the Iraqi Forces) are not really up to it just yet.
As for Panhandler, I have not any closer detail about him, other than he is on sick leave. I went up to his desk where he used to sit, but was told by the boss in the office that he had some convalesence time right now, that is all.
Have heard all kinds of fun and horrifying stories here.
Lets do a fun story.
This happened ( supposedly) in a convoy going to Kuwait.
A convoy went to Kuwait, and in the middle of the night one of the trucks hit a camel.
A convoy is always escorted by military, and they are ultimately responsibble for the convoy, they let the truck go, and started to deal with the camel herder, ( the camel owner).
Of course, all his camels were Studs, top of the line , award winning race camels and so on, and he demanded 10.000 Dollar for the camel.
The military with the US Gov checkbook in their hand, said that a camel was worth at most 800 bucks.
....uh what did you say, did you say 15.000 Dollar???
Anyhow, the military guy didnt care, he wrote out the 10.000 Dollar check.
The camel herder called all his friends and they gathered together probably the biggest camel heard in history in Kuwait.
Here came the next convoy, and the herders, all at once started.....Hiaaa, go your lazy camels...move em out....Hiaaa.
The truck convoy had to go zig zag between the camels, all a potential 10.000 Dollar bill.
Awesome post, Roger.
Loved the funny story.
The bases sound great.
As much home away from home as they can be.
I had to reformat my puter.
Back up just now.
Hope you are well.
Write when you can. :)
Thanks for sharing.
Sara.
PS Thanks for the post, Carl.
Long time no hear from you.
All's well? Any thoughts to share?
I don't think the author knows what he is talking about. I agree there may be shysters out there who may be forging notes, and the Saddam notes are worthless, but he thinks investing in the NID is a bad idea. Each to his own opinion I suppose. I also don't know whether or not he's a financial guru.
I was at Camp Diamondback and Camp Anaconda, enjoy Anaconda while you can, it has all of the luxuries. Mosul does not have the luxuries but not bad though. I look at the article shared by BritishKnite and my opinion is everyone has one; if he elected not to purchase Dinar, then he missed the boat. I like to look at the half full philosophy; the Iraqis want their currency to have purchasing power as well as us. This country has too many resources to offer the world, I am not paying it any mind. Cross our fingers for August 15th.
I found it interesting that the couple asking about the dinar said, "My wife and I are very excited about this possibility. We prayed for this opportunity and earnestly seek your advice." Isn't that the way? Ask God for an opportunity.. but run to an earthly expert for "advice" about whether this is the opportunity He is providing for you? As a Christian.. I think they should have sought THE LORD in prayer for the answer, not this man. Nevertheless.. my critique:
His first words were, "My father once described a goldmine as a hole in the ground with a liar standing on top and a chump looking up from the bottom. Certainly, the bigger the lie the more likely its believability."
Is that the real definition of a gold mine? What about real people who deal in goldmines.. real ones. They tend not to be chumps but very wealthy men. It is a question of supply and demand. The only thing you need to know is.. is there really GOLD in the ground or not? Have they found a good vein of the real thing? In the case of Iraq.. I think we can say there is a lot of "black gold" under it. The idea that Iraq is not gold but a LIE is based on his view that there is no gold there. Ask yourself.. IS there gold in that goldmine? I think there is, yes. Perhaps the largest supply of black gold in the world. Certainly, the world does admit the Iraqis have an incredible amount of black gold under Iraq, the third largest oil reserves in the world (see article below for quote on that). Recently I read about someone who kept digging for water in Iraq.. and only found oil. Iraq is a nation with the real goods.. not a liar on top and a person in an empty hole in the ground.
Next, he attacks their faith and the fact they said they were praying to GOD about this when he says, "Turning a $1,900 purchase of Iraqi dinars into $1.7 million U.S. dollars would take a miracle from God. But there are gullible Americans who believe God will momentarily stop what he's doing, listen to their prayers, snap his fingers and temporarily alter the natural, immutable laws of the universe just for them."
Here he states that you are truly a gullible person if you ask God for help in your finances and actually expect to get it. Such "miracles" in his view never happen. This man oozes his heathen credentials here. I don't care what school of economics this man came from, he is obviously ridiculing these people for their faith and belief that maybe.. this is an answer to prayer. He says there are "natural, immutable laws of the universe" which would be altered by the Dinar going. Where are these laws found, exactly? For instance, where in the Bible does it say that God is never going to bless people financially? Does it specify in what ways He will and what ways He will not? Ever remember Jesus telling one of His disciples to go fishing to pay the tax money they owed? The disciple found a piece of gold in the mouth of the fish and paid the tax.. not exactly an ordinary way to pay the tax man. So.. does that same God have to work only in the way this man thinks He should.. according to what he views as "fixed laws"?
As for the Bible, I have looked a lot in there.. and all I see is promises of His good and favor and blessing, but not one verse says, "And don't expect any financial blessing from Iraqi Dinars." If these people feel that God led them to this.. maybe this man is playing the devil's advocate for discouraging them.. and based on what? On what he says are "natural, immutable laws of the universe".. (what are those, how do they work?).. so if they are so fixed and immutable.. what about those who made mega millions in the First Gulf War with the Kuwaiti currency? THAT was altering the "natural, IMMUTABLE laws of the universe"?? (Immutable means unchanging.. but that is an example of them changing.) What I am asking is.. if it happened within recent history.. how can he argue these laws are immutable (unchanging)? Will he say that was an exception but that it can never happen again? Exactly how big are these "immutable laws" and how unalterable.. if we can point to modern day exception to those very laws he believes in.. ?? To ridicule their wondering about the possibility based on their faith in God is not to deal with these "laws" nor how "unalterable" they are. It is just scoffing at their belief in God at all.
He scoffs that they must presumably believe that "God will momentarily stop what he's doing, listen to their prayers, snap his fingers and temporarily alter the natural, immutable laws of the universe just for them." So the God he believes in.. does not answer men's prayer. Certainly not by showing them an investment opportunity out of the ordinary. This line of reasoning I see as an attack on their faith, more than an appeal to reason and logic, and therefore dismissable on the basis of it being both unbelief and ridicule of their faith, rather than an economic argument. It isn't an argument against the possibility of the investment to ridicule faith in a personal God who answers prayers.. as those who have prayed and received answers well know God is able to provide in many ways, conventional and unconventional.
Next he cites logistics and costs.. (which you can minimize)... and those who have charged too much for Dinar or given false money. Buyer beware.. but what of those who obtain the real currency, and at a reasonable rate? These arguments against the Dinar in this case are not against the Dinar, but how it is obtained and if it is the real thing. They are therefore not arguments against the Iraqi Dinar investment and are distractions to his only real arguments, which come next. But let me note here.. so far all he has done is say there are false bills (that does not mean there is not real) poor dealers (that does not mean there are not good) and belief in God is silly (his opinion) especially if this couple believes that God may answer their prayers and lead them in an unconventional way concerning finances (again, his heathen opinion). As Bob said, maybe this guy just isn't supposed to have Dinar. So these arguments, along with a brief picture of an empty goldmine, which Iraq is not, is all that he has given so far. This is not such a strong argument against the Dinar, IMO. Now comes the only real reasons with any possible merit, where he says,
QUOTE: " don't bet on an Iraqi economic resurgence. Neither the United States nor Europe is going to Marshall Plan Iraq. We lack the resources and money to return Iraq to the Saddam Hussein era of peace and prosperity. The Middle East will always be dominated by Muslim extremists whose ruling guards would quickly deny interest in steel plants, high-rise office buildings or an auto factory. Iraq has lots of potential petro dollars. But those petro dollars won't become infrastructure dollars for years to come. Most of those dollars will become lost in Iraq, given as bribes to government officials, put in politicians' pockets, gifted to religious leaders, paid to army generals and what little remains will be spent internally on products produced in Iraqi factories by Iraqis."
What his main argument is.. is that you should not "bet" on Iraq's economic resurgence. That is his view in a nutshell. This is too risky an investment, in his opinion. However, those of us who are in it, think the benefit outweighs the risk and that Iraq will have an economic resurgence. He then moves on to say that the Iraqis cannot be trusted.. they are a bunch of Muslim extremists and hoodlums who won't do fair business and "we lack the resources and money to return Iraq to the Saddam Hussein era of peace and prosperity." Well, maybe a long time ago the idea of peace, stability and prosperity in Iraq was not seen as possible, but the near miraculous turnaround in the situation there, documented recently by Roger's post.. shows us that Iraq is moving toward lasting peace and stability and we are there to a large extent already. We know from recent articles (Michael Yon, above in the first few posts on this page) that the insurgents can no longer threaten the Iraqi government, so that governmental stability is now assured from this threat. As for prosperity.. the incredible investment going into Iraq, documented on the board by the huge investments going in there.. says different (see two quotes below).
And another thing.. calling the Iraqis all a bunch of Muslim extremists who are incapable of doing business is a slap in the face to the Iraqis. Are the Saudis also, in this man's racist mind, "Muslim extremists".. and the Kuwaitis, too? Does Iraq have a different set of realities to those countries so that they are incapable of being able to prosper as those countries do? Look at what the SURROUNDING countries have for economic values.. is Iraq any less in ability? Being a democracy, I expect Iraq to allow freedom to a greater degree and prosperity to happen to a greater degree in their country than the others as well. He sees no reason to do business in that sector of the world at all, because, quote, "The Middle East will always be dominated by Muslim extremists." So.. the REASON for the Dinar not going is not based on DATA.. but on his racist prejudice that the region is full of Muslims (which he characterizes as all EXTREME, which is false) and they are all totally unreasonable people you cannot do business with.. is this characterization true? I argue it is not.. and that this man's viewpoint is racist against all Muslims (and the region of the Middle East) because of the extremists. We do now have business with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.. and other nations of the Middle East. They are not "impossible" to get along with in a business frame. His argument that Iraq cannot have this same good business relationship with the world, or better, is therefore false. Iraq can prosper and have good relations as do the surrounding countries and the Iraqis have said and acted in keeping with a business ethic which shows them to be open for business and not radical Islamics bent on keeping out all investors who are not of their own religious view.
He also implicates the Iraqi government as being lawless and impossibly sectarian with sectarian interests ruling as strongmen over the Iraqi government when he says, "The Middle East will always be dominated by Muslim extremists whose ruling guards would quickly deny interest in steel plants, high-rise office buildings or an auto factory." This is proven false by several recent developments including the Iraqi government going after Sadr and his militia. The Iraqi government is dealing with the sectarian problems and are seeking to bring about peace, security and proper lawful rule for all the Iraqi people - for their stability, peace and prosperity. I do not believe the government of Iraq will deny business its fair share, even foreign investors, and they are dealing with sectarian "ruling guards" and bringing it all under their duly-elected authority for the good and peace of Iraq and her people. Have you seen the investments going into Iraq.. have you read the posts on this board.. BILLIONS of dollars worth of investment going in.. this will all be stopped?
This man does not keep up on what is actually transpiring in Iraq.. he is still, like the Democrats, living in a time at least a year or two back. Living in denial that the surge worked or that the reality has changed for Iraq and its prospects on the ground... and in the economic sphere.
QUOTES:
"Security has improved in 2008 by more than 90 percent, that is what encouraged us to call on investors to invest in Iraq," Ridha said.
===
Investors flood Iraq with project deals
by Mohammed Abbas
17 July 2008
Investors are flooding Iraq's new government investment agency with proposals worth tens of billions of dollars, the agency's head told newswire Reuters this week, as violence has dropped in recent months to a four-year low.
"If you come in the beginning, you're going to get cheap labour, support and many privileges, because we want investors. Later, the chances will be less," Ahmed Ridha said in an interview with Reuters and a Lebanese magazine.
Ridha said that the proposals lodged with the National Investment Commission included a mammoth housing and tourism project from Gulf investors in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf.
"Security has improved in 2008 by more than 90 percent, that is what encouraged us to call on investors to invest in Iraq," Ridha said.
Politicians, religious clerics and even former insurgents are calling for investment projects to build on the security gains by providing jobs.
The Najaf project was proposed by Kuwaiti investment firm Al-Aqeelah. It includes the construction of 200,000 new homes as well as schools, medical facilities and an artificial island in Najaf lake, Ridha said.
A representative of Al-Aqeelah in Kuwait told Reuters a multi-billion dollar proposal had been lodged.
Shi'ite holy sites in the south - especially in the cities of Najaf and Kerbala - attract millions of visitors each year.
Ridha also said officials would lay the foundation stone for a new luxury hotel in the heavily fortified Green Zone government and diplomatic compound in Baghdad on Sunday.
Companies such as South Korea's Hyundai and Kia were considering building factories in the country, Ridha added.
Unlike many of its neighbours, Iraq has agricultural land, metal and mineral deposits, two rivers for fresh water, and crucially, it sits on the world's third-largest proven oil reserves, which could fund a building and construction boom.
Another concern is the legal and regulatory framework.
An investment law passed in 2006, "has given many privileges to investors, whether Iraqi or foreign," Ridha said.
"For 50 years Iraq's economy was socialist. The government bought, sold, imported and exported. We've now moved to a free economy."
Iraq's rebuilding planned at nearly $120 billion
Last Updated(Beijing Time):2008-07-31 07:05
Stuart Bowen, special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction Wednesday is releasing his quarterly report to Congress on efforts to rebuild Iraq -- a program now expected to spend $117.79 billion.
Aided by money from a postwar record in oil production, Baghdad itself is now set to spend an amount almost equal to the US share, the report says. That is, as of the end of the quarter on June 30 the US has appropriated $50.46 billion, the Iraqis are contributing $50.33 billion and international donors have pledged $17 billion.
Bowen said that on a number of fronts, Iraq made progress in the last quarter toward standing on its own -- a key to bringing home US troops.
Amid improved security, the Iraq economy has continued to expand and essential services to residents have improved.
"But they remain uneven and are not adequate to meet current demand," the 270-page report said. "Improved security across the country has helped reduce attacks on oil pipelines, and the electricity sector's expanded operations and maintenance programs have helped increase production."
The government of Iraq still struggles to develop effective water and sewer services.
"They obviously have made enormous economic progress by virtue of improving their oil sector and they've made significant security progress," Bowen said in an interview.
One success story was a $34 million project that built a system of ditches, berms, fences and other security to protect pipelines from attacks.
"The success of the program is evident in the fact that there have been no successful attacks on northern oil lines this year," the report said, noting that contributed to the increased oil production.
Other details in the report said:
The quarter's oil production averaged 2.43 million barrels a day, the highest reported since the reconstruction program began five years ago, and close to prewar levels of 2.58 million.
Lastly, he says two more things, that "petro dollars won't become infrastructure dollars for years to come." But they are indeed working on these areas and making progress and in time, they will be used properly for the infrastructure and Iraq will prosper. His incredible negative viewpoint is again not based on current data. (See the recent report quoted, above.) Yes, they need more improvements.. but they are working on it and making progress.
And as for his argument that, quote, "Most of those dollars will become lost in Iraq, given as bribes to government officials, put in politicians' pockets, gifted to religious leaders, paid to army generals and what little remains will be spent internally on products produced in Iraqi factories by Iraqis." THIS is his opinion. I doubt it is all that dire. As proof, I refer you to my earlier article about the Saudi's in the documentary I watched about their culture where the Saudis said that yes, there was some corruption as they used the money from oil to modernize their nation.. but look at the progress. They went from being a bunch of nomads in the desert to a modernized, technically savvy country in a very short time.. with a high standard of living and good educational standards for their people. Iraq can easily do the same, and that, my friend, IS an economic resurgence. That scenerio wins Iraq her prosperity and the Dinarians some return on their investment in the Iraqi currency.
So, quite obviously, I don't believe any of his arguments stand. What do you think, Britishnite.. board?
Sara.
PS I will get to the other post I was going to make in a bit.. I lost it in the backup file when I reformatted.. :)
PPS I found the post I made on the subject of the Saudi "corruption" and believe it is relevant. I will post it next as a final refute to this argument.
I was watching a documentary recently which I highly recommend called "Frontline: House of Saud" and it was nominated for an Emmy.
If you will bear with me, it relates to the corruption charges posted here.
The movie in brief is about, "The house of Saud has controlled every aspect of Saudi life and politics since the Kingdom was established in 1932. But little is known about Saudi Arabia's secretive royal family. Through interviews with members of the family, government officials, and other experts from Saudi Arabia and the U.S., the documentary also traces America's relations with the Saudi royal family from their first alliance in the 1930s through September 11 and today."
The movie gives a fascinating history which explains the history of Saudi Arabia from the time it was under a feudal lord system to today. Interesting and absorbing, with insights into the political and religious underpinnings of the country and how it now functions, I found the part about the allegations of CORRUPTION in it of note in this context of Iraq.
The minister of Oil from 1986 to 1995, Sheikh Hisham Nazer is interviewed. He states that the Saudis were getting in ONE BILLION dollars worth of revenue per WEEK.. or FOUR BILLION dollars per month through the years 1978 to 1980. (Obviously Iraq could have this degree of success and revenue, too.) He said that they were a bit errr.. 'backward' as a people.. undeveloped, and suddenly had these great gobs of cash. What did they do with it? They show a picture of the capital downtown which looks like modern Tokyo.. absolutely AMAZING from shepherders to this incredible modern city with skyscrapers in very little time. He said they were building 2 schools in 3 days, and the biggest concern was whether to import people who were foreigners to do the work which had to be done. They needed skilled workers and their own populace did not have those skills, but they feared "Western Corruption", but eventually said they would remain Muslim and keep them in separate compounds and keep them from contaminating them, etc. So they allowed in the foreign workers, many of which were expatriots (as would be the case with Iraqis going back to work in Iraq.) Bin Laden (YES, THAT BIN LADEN) and his family were the principle builders to the Royal family (and you thought of him as poor, right? He is a billionaire.) and yes, there were many allegations of CORRUPTION, as you have here with Iraq. Influence peddling, bribes and oversized commissions, Real Estate Fraud with unbelievable prices asked by the Saudi princes for pieces of land to build on...
Prince Ban Dar Bin Sultan Ambassador to the US from 1983 to now says "We have implemented a development program that was approximately close to 400 BILLION DOLLARS - Look at the whole country... where it was.. where it is now. I am confident you could not have done all that for.. say.. less than 350 BILLION. We had misused.. corrupt.. 50 Billion.. yes, but I'll take that anytime (when you see and contrast it with) so many countries in the third world that have oil and still are 50 years behind! More importantly, who are you to tell me this? So what?"
The documentary went on to say/imply from that comment that it was an internal country matter and considering everything, even WITH THE CORRUPTION, they have done commendably well in going from a backward undereducated country to a modern country with metropolis conditions rivaling the best cities in the world. And they are open to technological advancement and reasonable change (while holding to their own beliefs and values). They are an OPEN society and FRIENDLY to western influences.
The point is.. as far as this 18 billion in Iraq corruption.. SO WHAT? .. just as the Saudi Prince noted. It is crying over spilled milk.. let us move on and get an ally like we have in Saudi Arabia and stop bellyaching about the loss of revenue. We can't change the past and they will make up losses to the US in oil production. The politicians should stop going backward and looking back (the Democrats are perpetual backward looking.. if they were Lot's wife they would be pillars of salt by now) and look forward to getting for the Iraqis (and US!!) a prosperous future.
I get tired of the constant bickering and ridicule.. and looking back at what would have/could have/should have been done better.. let's see the laws pass.. the Dinar RV and the people of Iraq as prosperous, free, advanced and still be able to retain the best and most godly values they cherish, as the Saudis show it has some degree of success and the Iraqis can do one better than that, if they try. And they are fighting for that chance now.. we should let them have it and not stop their efforts with bemoaning this small glitch. And it IS SMALL compared to the revenue of 40 BILLION A MONTH which they will have.. (note the price of oil is 80.00 a Barrel!! will it be MORE?). Even using that statistic of 18 billion total loss and 40 billion a month.. that entire loss is less than half a month's revenue and they are acting like it is a HUGE sum.. well, not in context it isn't. So.... who cares? The fellow who says this "threatens Iraq's future" and those like him are "out to lunch".. it didn't threaten Saudi Arabia's future and they lost 50 BILLION not 18!! It didn't DESTROY their country, now, did it?
Obama’s oil flip-flop about place as well as issue
August 2, 2008
by Ed Morrissey
Barack Obama has proven himself slippery on oil for the second time in his campaign. In April, he accused his opponents of taking money from oil lobbies, when in fact Obama himself not only did the same thing but had oil executives as major bundlers to his campaign. Now he’s reversed himself on drilling, and he did it in a remarkable place — Florida: Quote:
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said today he would be willing to open Florida’s coast for more oil drilling if it meant winning approval for broad energy changes.
“My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices,” Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post.
“If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage - I don’t want to be so rigid that we can’t get something done,” Obama said.
==end quote==
Of course, this comes shortly after Obama called off-shore drilling “the latest scheme”, telling his supporters that drilling wouldn’t solve anything. How shortly? 48 hours! Here’s Obama in Springfield, Missouri, insisting that drilling wouldn’t work:
QUOTE:
Now the latest scheme is well, we’re going to drill offshore. Now, I want to be absolutely clear to everybody about this. If I thought that I could provide you some immediate relief on gas prices by drilling off the shores of California and New Jersey, I - I … I understand how desperate folks are. I met a guy who couldn’t go on a job search that lost his job, couldn’t go on a job search because of the high price of gas. Just couldn’t fill up his tank. I met a teacher in South Dakota who loved her job as a teacher on an Indian reservation, she had to quit because the drive was too far, it was taking up too much of her paycheck. I know how bad people are hurting. So If I thought that by drilling offshore, we could solve our problem, I’d do it.
===end quote===
So what happened in the following 48 hours to convince Obama to drill? He probably looked at the polls, especially in Florida. The Sunshine State had fiercely opposed off-shore drilling for decades, and would normally be a safe place to rail against Big Oil and talk about alternative energy sources. Not any longer, though; 60% of Floridians now support off-shore drilling, ten percent of whom acknowledge that their position has changed with the rise in gas prices.
The 48-hour flip-flop also arrives with a rebellion in the Senate Democratic caucus on drilling. The Gang of 10 threatens to undermine not only the leadership of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, but also the policy stand of Obama in the presidential election. Their compromise proposal to open certain areas of the Atlantic seaboard and the eastern Gulf of Mexico threatened to put Obama on the fringe of his own party on drilling. He had little choice but to eat his words from Springfield on the stage in St Petersburg.
Obama once again reveals himself as a traditional politician, one that will swing like a weathervane in order to get elected. The only quality remarkable about Obama is his shamelessness in policy reversals, expecting everyone to ignore his obvious change in stance as Obama pretends that he has always supported what he used to oppose. It’s more than vaguely Orwellian, and without any real track record, it should make voters across the spectrum wonder what Obama would do once in power.
Comments:
1) He precludes his changes with “as I’ve always said” and the media says, oh, okay. Not hard to figure out why he does what he does. If the media ever start doing their job, he’s toast. - Sue
2) Impressive flipflop, but still not the masterbaiter’s best.
I believe Barry said Iran was both no threat and then a grave threat over a 24 hour period. - Chuck Schick
3) Can one believe anything he says? No. Just the man we should trust with the presidency. /sarc - docdave
4) Isnt Obama the guy who said he wanted prices to be higher, but do so more gradually? - lorien1973
Should have sunk his campaign, but, of course, like everything else, he gets a pass. Had McCain said this, his campaign would be over, as the Democrats and mass media would nail him on it, over and over. But, because it is Obama… nothing.
He can make blunder after blunder, flip flop after flip flop, gaffe after gaffe, racist remark after racist remark, lie after lie… and either no one knows, because they aren’t paying attention or the mass media isn’t reporting it (or is spinning or covering it up)… or they don’t care, because they just are suffering BDS and hate Republicans no matter what or they are Obama cultists and nothing matters. - Michael in MI
5) “As I’ve always said” is just a code phrase meaining “I’m making a 180° change to my stated position.” -rmgraha
6) The only thing amazing about anything he says or does is the minimal effect it has on his poll numbers. That he isn’t trailing by 10 points is a tribute to something, I’m just not sure what exactly — his ‘eloquence’, the inattention of the majority of voters, a larger percentage of clueless younger voters, the strong leftward movement of the electorate since 2000, or something else. - JDPerren
7) “As I have always said…” is Obama-speak for “Heads-up media, cue historical re-write…”.
8) Obama once again reveals himself as a traditional politician, one that will swing like a weathervane in order to get elected.
I honestly can NOT remember any politician, not anyone anywhere that so blatantly and obviously lies thru his (or her) teeth nearly daily to the extent that obama does.
Even his surrogates lie for him beyond belief. The obama campaign has never once said they were wrong, maybe they could change, or that bho has a fault. Conservatives, for the large part, are honest about McCain and what we like and don’t like about him and his policies.
.
Dems and Barry can not and will not admit the slightest of a problem or a chink in the armor…maybe they know the whole obama thing will crumble like a house of cards in a tornado. I am sickened and disgusted at the Dems, the left and Barry ( I’m not arrogant, prove it) SNOBama. - shooter
9) Just one more thing for the Under the Bus Executive Summary.
Iraq trumpets capture of Al Qaeda kingpins
By Middle East correspondent Ben Knight
Posted 2 hours 50 minutes ago Aug 3, 2008
The Iraqi army says it has captured four of the country's senior Al Qaeda members.
Iraq's defence ministry says the weekend operation to flush out insurgents and weapons in the troubled province of Diyala has been a huge success, with the arrest of four suspects linked to Al Qaeda and its allied group, the Islamic State of Iraq.
The suspects include an alleged judge, district governor, and military head of the breakaway group, as well as a woman believed to be behind the recruitment of female suicide bombers.
Meanwhile, Al Qaeda has confirmed the death of its chemical and biological weapons expert, Abu Khabab al Masri, in a United States air strike in Pakistan.
Ahhh.. another day another Obama position.
It is hard to keep up on all the reversals all the time, you know.
Again.. he wants Florida's votes.. so he backs down on an issue dear to their hearts..
wooing them with.. wonder of wonders.. the promise of money, and continued jobs for Florida's NASA personnel.
Remember.. the last reversal was for Florida, too. about drilling for oil off Florida's shores, which they support.
Refer to the youtube video of the past position..
claiming the opposite again to today's.
===
Shocker: Obama Reverses Self On NASA
From the Orlando Sentinel and YouTube:
Obama says he will protect NASA jobs, budget
Robert Block | Sentinel Staff Writer
August 3, 2008
TITUSVILLE - In a dramatic reversal of policy, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Saturday told supporters on the Space Coast he no longer favors slashing NASA’s budget, declaring that the United States “cannot cede our leadership in space.”
Until Saturday, Obama had said he wanted to delay the Constellation man-on-the-moon program for five years to free up money for education programs. His change indicates he considers NASA’s future an important election issue, especially along the critical Interstate 4 corridor…
===
Of course he doesn’t mean one word he says.
He is just pandering for votes in Florida.
Once he is elected (or even out of earshot of Floridians) he will go back to singing his old tune.
This is what he means by “change.” That Mr. Obama can change his position on a dime, depending on which group of potential voters he is courting.
In case anyone has forgotten, here is Mr. Obama vowing to fund “No Child Left Behind” by cutting NASA and specifically its central “Constellation Program,” way back in November 20, 2007:
As the article notes, all mention of Mr. Obama’s plans to delay and thereby effectively kill the Constellation Program has just been carefully airbrushed from his campaign’s website.
It’s almost as if we can’t believe a word he says.
This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Sunday, August 3rd, 2008.
Comments:
1) 1sttofight - I am going to sue for Whiplash.
2) texaspsue - BO needs a nickname. How about “backtrack”? I’m with you 1st, I think I’m getting dizzy with all of BO’s spinning and “changing”. :-)
3) Diane - Things Obama says that you can bet on:
1) He will raise taxes. On everyone. Every chance he gets.
2) He will cut and run from Iraq.
3) He will work like the dickens to inaugurate government-controlled health care.
4) He has very little sympathy with or understanding of those of us who cling to our guns and our religion.
5) He really doesn’t like this country very much. (All right, he’s never said that last one explicitly, but he still says it quite often.)
MP Dayni calls on KA for legal instead of political guarantees on Kirkuk 04/08/2008 12:57:00
Baghdad (NINA) - Member of Parliament Mohammad Al Dayni, from the Arab Bloc for National Dialogue, has called on the Kurdistan Alliance to "provide legal, instead of political, guarantees to solve the Kirkuk problem.
(www.ninanews.com)
Blocs present political guarantees to solve Kirkuk's crisis, says MP 04/08/2008 12:34:00
Baghdad (NINA)- MP Omar Abdul Sattar al-Karbouli of the Iraqi Accord Front stated that some political blocs have submitted "political guarantees" in order to solve Kirkuk's issue. He told the National Iraqi News Agency Monday.
(www.ninanews.com)
More talk from Iran.
__________________________________________________________
Iran can close down "Hormuz" for an undetermined period - Iranian Commander
Military and Security 8/4/2008 4:31:00 PM
TEHRAN, Aug 4 (KUNA) -- Iranian Revolution Guard Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Ja'fari, said on Monday that his "country can shut down easily the Strait of Hormuz given the nature of the Iranian coastal location." During a press conference marking the anniversary of Revolutionary Guard Day, Ja'fari said that his country's forces could shutdown the strait for an undetermined period.
"Iran would try to use all its missile and defensive capabilities to strike enemies' targets," the Iranian commander said.
"The length of Iran's coastline along the Strait of Hormuz, its unique geographical position and the coastal heights make it possible for Iran to close off the strait," the Iranian commander noted.
Meanwhile, Iran's military tested a new naval weapon with a range of more than 300 kilometers (185 miles), Ja'fari added.
The technology in the anti-ship weapon hasn't been used by other nations, Ja'fari said in comments carried by state-run news agencies including Press TV and the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Ja'fari claimed the technology used to build the missile has not been tried by any other country.
Although, enemies might prefer to shorten the time of their possible war on Iran, "We, from the outset of any war, will try to prolong it in order to use all our missile and non-missile capabilities against enemies," said the commander.(end) ht.mb KUNA 041631 Aug 08NNNN
(www.kuna.net.kw)
Well-connected Iraqi paper reports tentative deal on troop pullout from Iraq
Politics 8/4/2008 10:07:00 AM
BAGHDAD, Aug 4 (KUNA) -- The United States and Iraq have reached a tentative agreement to pull American forces out of the country by 2010-2011, according to a local official newspaper.
"Al-Sabah" said in its edition published on Monday that Iraqi and US officials who have been involved in negotiations over the aspired troops' pullout "set a timetable for the withdrawal of the forces that can be changed according to circumstances, that is by 2010-2011." The negotiators have submitted reports about the talks to their superiors. The negotiations may conclude very soon and the two sides will sign a memorandum of understanding in this regard, said the government-run daily.
They have also agreed that the American forces must notify the Iraqi authorities about arrests of suspected insurgents in advance and must respect human rights of the natives.
The American forces, according to the reported deal, will continue training the national military forces.
Some local political forces have campaigned for limiting powers of the allied forces in the country and speeding up their withdrawal.
The US, along with allied nations, carried out the war for the liberation of Iraq in 2003, ousting the regime of the dictator, Saddam Hussein, who was executed by gallows after the liberation. Since the launch of the operation, these forces have been aiding the national authorities to maintain security and order. (end) ah.rk KUNA 041007 Aug 08NNNN
(www.kuna.net.kw)
04 August 2008 (Azzaman)
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International donors have agreed to lend Iraq $300 million on condition that the money is spent on developing the country’s agricultural industries, Baghdad Chamber of Commerce said in a statement.
The chamber said the donors have entrusted United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) whose experts will oversee the rehabilitation of the sector.
The interest-free loan has a 20-year service period and is expected to modernize the country’s agricultural industry.
Iraq used to have one of the world’s most developed date processing industries but the factories involved in date processing have aged and some of them are idle.
Iraq still has the largest number of date palm trees in the world but experts say date yields have receded and the country no longer tops the list of world producers.
The statement said new machinery is to be purchased and there will be new factories in some provinces.
Other agriculture-based industries to benefit from the loan include leather, dairy and vegetable ghee.
The statement said the loan is expected to revitalize the agricultural sector and even lead to a surplus in processed food.
(www.iraqupdates.com)
Baghdad, 04 August 2008 (Gulf News)
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Some 11,400 displaced families returned to Baghdad last month due to improved security in the city, Abdul Khaliq Zanqana, a deputy in the Iraqi parliament and chairman of the committee for the displaced told Gulf News.
He added the number of families displaced from Baghdad had reached nearly 130,000 with people either going to neighbouring countries or other parts of the world. The figure was 132,000 according to Baghdad government statistics and 92,000 according to figures provided by the Iraqi ministry of immigration.
The return of thousands of displaced families is considered one of the most positive signs of life returning to normal in Baghdad but this return is still modest compared to the total numbers of displaced people within Iraq and outside it.
"Returning is not easy, 3,000 houses belonging to the displaced in different regions of the Iraqi capital, are still occupied by strangers and they refuse to leave despite the incentives provided by the Government, including the payment of 300,000 dinars (Dh919) or $250 per month for six months to urge these outsiders who have seized the houses of displaced people to leave," Zanqana added.
The repatriation of the displaced is one of the main challenges and tests facing Nouri Al Maliki's government and this return will determine whether Al Qaida has been defeated or not, and if the return is in large numbers it will mean that the Government has succeeded in imposing its standing on the ground.
"The Iraqi government has embarked on a strategic policy for the return of the displaced to Baghdad. This policy includes ensuring the voluntary return of the displaced and providing effective mechanisms for reintegration into society and providing them with proper services and freedom from sectarian religion or denomination," Tahseen Al Shaikhly, civilian spokesman for the Baghdad security plan, told Gulf News.
The Iraqi government hopes to return nearly 60,000 displaced families by the end of 2008 but this goal seems unattainable for many reasons. For example individuals may feel unable to return due to painful memories, said Al Shaikhly.
"Painful memories and fears in the hearts of the displaced may prevent their return to their homes in large numbers," Al Shaikhly said
(www.iraqupdates.com)
Washington, 04 August 2008 (Middle East Online)
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The Pentagon said Friday it has notified Congress of proposed military sales to Iraq valued at more than nine billion dollars, including helicopters, tanks and armored vehicles.
The biggest proposed sale was for 392 Light Armored Vehicles, radios and anti-tank weapons at an estimated cost of three billion dollars, the Defense Security and Cooperation Agency said.
Congress also was notified of a possible sale of 140 upgraded M1A1 Abrams tanks as well as armored Humvees, tracked logistics vehicles, armored ambulances, vehicles to carry shelters and command posts, and trucks to transport heavy equipment.
It was valued at 2.16 billion dollars.
A separate 2.4 billion dollar helicopter deal would provide the Iraqi government with 24 Bell Armed 407 helicopters or 24 Boeing AH-6 helicopters, along with engines, missiles, mortars, machineguns, and rocket launchers.
Another proposed sale involved technical assistance in the construction of garrisons, training areas and operational facilities for the Iraqi security forces.
"The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as 1.6 billion dollars," the DSCA said.
On Monday, the DSCA announced a possible contract to sell Iraq six C-130J aircraft, with engines and other equipment, which it said was worth 1.5 billion dollars if all options were exercised.
(www.iraqupdates.com)
Al-Qaida Admits Death of Top Commander
August 04, 2008
Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida confirmed Aug. 3 the death of a top commander accused of training the suicide bombers who killed 17 American Sailors on the USS Cole eight years ago.
Abu Khabab al-Masri, who had a $5 million bounty on his head from the United States, is believed to have been killed in an airstrike apparently launched by the U.S. in Pakistan last week.
An al-Qaida statement posted on the Internet said al-Masri and three other top figures were killed and warned of vengeance for their deaths. It did not say when, where or how they died but said some of their children were killed along with them.
Pakistani authorities have said they believe al-Masri is one of six people killed in an airstrike on July 28 on a compound in South Waziristan, a lawless tribal region near the Afghan border.
The U.S. military has not confirmed it was behind the missile strike. But similar U.S. attacks are periodically launched on militant targets in the tribal border region.
Both Osama bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed to be hiding in the rugged and lawless region along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
The U.S. Justice Department has accused al-Masri, an Egyptian militant whose real name is Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, of training terrorists to use poisons and explosives.
He is also believed to have helped run al-Qaida's Darunta training camp in eastern Afghanistan until the camp was abandoned amid the 2001 U.S. invasion of the country. There he is thought to have conducted experiments in chemical and biological weapons, testing materials on dogs.
The al-Qaida statement called al-Masri and the other three slain commanders "a group of heroes" and warned of retaliation.
"We tell the enemies of God that God has saved those who will be even more painful for you," it said. "As Abu Khabab has gone, he left behind, with God's grace, a generation of faithful students who will make you suffer the worst torture and avenge him and his brothers."
The statement, whose authenticity could not be independently confirmed, was dated July 30 and signed by al-Qaida's top Afghan leader, Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed. It was posted on an Islamic militant Web site where al-Qaida usually issues official statements and videos of its leaders.
Kamal Shah, a senior official in Pakistan's Interior Ministry, said the government had "no official confirmation as yet" that al-Masri was dead. The White House declined comment Sunday.
Two Pakistani intelligence officials and at least one pro-Taliban militant have said they believed al-Masri had died in the July 28 attack. An American official in Washington had expressed cautious optimism al-Masri, whose pseudonym means "father of the trotting horse, the Egyptian," was among the dead.
Terrorism experts downplayed the significance of al-Masri's death.
"A big name does not mean a big impact on the ground," said Mustafa Alani, director of national security and terrorism studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai. "The bottom line is that those people are replaceable. The organization has developed in such a way that it can survive and fill in any gap even if Osama bin Laden was to die."
Dia'a Rashwan, a Cairo-based expert on terrorism and Islamic movements, said al-Masri's death could hurt morale among al-Qaida's followers, but it wasn't a huge loss for the terror group, especially in Afghanistan.
"Al-Qaida might be facing setbacks in Iraq, but not in Afghanistan ... and any loss will appear (to its fighters) as a triumph against the enemy, not a defeat," Rashwan said.
Little is known about the other three slain commanders. They may also be Egyptian because their pseudonyms included the name "al-Masri," which means Egyptian in Arabic. The Web statement identified the three as Abu Mohammed Ibrahim bin Abi Farag al-Masri, Abdul-Wahab al-Masri and Abu Islam al-Masri.
It gave no details about them beyond calling Abu Mohammed "the holy warrior sheik and tutor." It said some of their children were killed along with them but did not give any further information about them.
CBS News reported Friday that al-Zawahri, al-Qaida's No. 2, was killed or critically injured in the July 28 airstrike. CBS said it had obtained a copy of an intercepted letter dated July 29 from unnamed sources in Pakistan in which a Taliban leader urgently requested a doctor to treat bin Laden's top lieutenant.
A Taliban spokesman, Maulvi Umar, denied the report. Pakistan army and intelligence officials said they had no information that al-Zawahri was hit.
(www.military.com)
Finance announces tariff revenue exceeded 120 billion dinars, and the introduction of smart card
By HM By HM
Published 4.8.2008, 11:35 Published 4.8.2008, 11:35
نيوزماتيك/ بغداد Uzmatik / Baghdad
. Detect and Iraqi Finance Minister Baqer Jabr Al-Zubaidi said that the Ministry was able to achieve revenues of the Iraqi State by imposing tariffs on imported goods, estimated at more than one hundred billion dinars, announcing at the same time to start applying the credit card system for retirees and employees and a network of social protection.
جوالاستثمار. This came on the sidelines of the conference and Finance Minister Baqir Jabr Al-Zubaidi today, Monday, in Baghdad on customs tariffs as a source of wealth and investment.
". He explained in an interview with Al-Zubaidi "Uzmatik" that "has been since the day yesterday, Sunday, the application of smart card system in the Rafidain bank in collaboration with a foreign companies, pointing out that the first phase will include 20 branches of the bank in Baghdad, and then circulate to the rest of the governorates of Iraq" .
". The Minister of Finance that the "first phase will include the beneficiaries of the salaries of retirees and a network of social protection and some staff."
. The Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Sheikh Mahmoud Radi announced last Thursday on the application of smart card to pay beneficiaries of Social Welfare and from third Sunday in August.
قوله. Zubaidi stressed that "the application of smart card in Iraqi banks is a quantum leap in our banks and the trend towards global in their work" as he put it, adding that he "would reduce the burden of audit banks, and provides a tool for the efforts currently in retirement COMMENT transactions and reduction of corruption" as saying .
من ". Elsewhere Minister of Finance said that the "manipulation of the kind of imported products and duration of validity prompted Customs Authority to work on activating the customs tariffs which guarantee of charging and quality control in addition to combat smuggling."
". Zubaidi added that "the Customs Authority was able during the first half than in 2008 to maximize the state's resources through the revenue for the period from January through the end of the month of June amounted to 101.5 billion Iraqi dinars."
. He noted in his speech told Zubaidi "Uzmatik" to "make money via customs centres and regions during the month of June last imports of reconstructing Iraq and tax amounting to 5% or approximately 23.3 billion Iraqi dinars.
. It is noteworthy that the effects and remnants of the recent war on Iraq, and opposed by Iraqi officials, provides service and regulatory institutions in Iraq, which led to the breakdown of security and regulatory and clear on the border, in turn, has encouraged the entry of many goods and adulterated goods for local markets, and the recovery of the phenomenon of smuggling. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&langpair=ar%7Cen&u=http://iraqalaan.com/bm/Economy/-120--3.shtml
His adviser to the Iraqi Central Bank instructions to the new bank will be effective as from today, Sunday, the standardization of mandatory cash reserve ratio in government and private banks in the same ratio.
The appearance of Dr. Mohamed Saleh, told the Independent News Agency (Voices of Iraq), that there was a "new instructions issued by the Central Bank of Iraq apply to all banks, starting from today (Sunday), and provides for the Standardization of the compulsory reserve rate (25%) of all bank deposits , Whether governmental or civil deposits. "
He explained that the figure "will be distributed by (5%) will be kept in cash in the coffers of these banks, and the (20%) remaining deposited in their accounts with the Central Bank of Iraq, and are treated in accordance with the mechanisms and regulations currently in force in this regard."
Saleh pointed out that the compulsory reserve "the government by banks (75%), which was considered by those banks that affect the performance and limit the expansion in granting credit, has made the Central Bank of unifying with the compulsory reserve ratio for banks eligibility of the original (25% ) Only. "
The adviser added that the Central Bank of Iraq "new instructions not to be used surpluses bank deposits resulting from the government exclusively, to invest in the tools of monetary policy, investment in deposit accounts of existing facilities, or remittances CBE, or use for the purpose of financing the public debt through participation in Treasury auction remittances, as it prevents cross-loan lending between banks. " His "to allow it (banking surpluses) to go to invest about all forms of bank credit."
He d. Mazhar Saleh said this measure "designed to make the government deposits with banks geared towards the granting of loans and transaction banking, and went to other areas without returning good profits only to have a role in the economic process."
The instruction "allowed banks to invest all surpluses in the banking tools Central Bank of Iraq and remittances Treasury, and any other tools available, with the exception of surpluses arising from bank deposits, government, a rate not exceeding (35%) of the total surpluses resulting from public deposits exclusive."
An Iraqi official stated yesterday that his country was able to rehabilitate and repair 225 oil wells ,which their production rates ranging between 250- 300 thousand barrels per day in the context of plans to increase crude oil production. http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/34650
Of Obama: In July, he said he didn’t support tapping the reserve, saying it only should be used in a “genuine emergency.”
But now..
===
Obama Calls for Opening of Strategic Oil Reserve, Windfall Profits Tax
by FOXNews.com
Monday, August 4, 2008
Barack Obama unveiled another shift in his energy policy Monday, reversing his opposition to tapping the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve as a means of lowering gasoline prices.
During a speech in Lansing, Mich., Obama said he’d like to release up to 10 percent of the 700 million barrels of oil kept in salt caverns in Texas and Louisiana. Obama also called for a revival of the windfall profits tax on oil companies.
Obama also called for more land to be leased in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, he said “we should also tap more of our substantial natural gas reserves,” and called for collaboration with Canada to build an Alaska natural gas pipeline.
His long-term solutions included the windfall profits tax, investing in hybrid-electric technology, and renewable fuels.
The shift in Obama’s energy policy follows comments over the weekend that he would be open to limited proposals for new offshore drilling. The change drew a charge of flip-flopping from John McCain’s campaign.
Earlier this year, Obama supported capping new additions to the reserve as a way to ease pressure on gasoline prices, but not specifically tapping into the reserve. In July, he said he didn’t support tapping the reserve, saying it only should be used in a “genuine emergency.”
Obama campaign spokeswoman Heather Zichal said that while Obama didn’t initially support tapping the reserve, he has reconsidered. “He recognizes that Americans are suffering,” she said.
Sooo.. he once took a rational approach.. saying to only use this oil in case of a true EMERGENCY..
but now.. since high prices are making things tough at the pump..
Obama proposes using the EMERGENCY oil stockpiled for a true crisis?
And JUST as Iran announces it will attack the Strait of Hormuz and make it a VERY long war "if attacked"..
Rob N's post today:
Iran can close down "Hormuz" for an undetermined period - Iranian Commander
Military and Security 8/4/2008
TEHRAN, Aug 4 (KUNA) -- Iranian Revolution Guard Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Ja'fari, said on Monday that his "country can shut down easily the Strait of Hormuz given the nature of the Iranian coastal location." During a press conference marking the anniversary of Revolutionary Guard Day, Ja'fari said that his country's forces could shutdown the strait for an undetermined period.
"Iran would try to use all its missile and defensive capabilities to strike enemies' targets," the Iranian commander said.
"The length of Iran's coastline along the Strait of Hormuz, its unique geographical position and the coastal heights make it possible for Iran to close off the strait," the Iranian commander noted.
Meanwhile, Iran's military tested a new naval weapon with a range of more than 300 kilometers (185 miles), Ja'fari added.
The technology in the anti-ship weapon hasn't been used by other nations, Ja'fari said in comments carried by state-run news agencies including Press TV and the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Ja'fari claimed the technology used to build the missile has not been tried by any other country.
Although, enemies might prefer to shorten the time of their possible war on Iran, "We, from the outset of any war, will try to prolong it in order to use all our missile and non-missile capabilities against enemies," said the commander. 041631 Aug 08NNNN (www.kuna.net.kw)
Facing a PROLONGED war if Iran attacks Israel (or visa versa)...
with oil skyrocketing as they close off the Strait of Hormuz..
Obama wants to open up the emergency domestic supply?
Exactly who is he supposed to be helping in this policy?
The American people.. or Iran, in the case of a war?
At best, this man is militarily clueless..
and a babe whose policies can be a menace to Homeland security.
McCain pulls ahead of Obama in the Presidential Tracking Poll
Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
Monday, August 04, 2008
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows the race for the White House is tied with Barack Obama and John McCain each attracting 44% of the vote. However, when "leaners" are included, it’s McCain 47% and Obama 46%.
This is the first time McCain has enjoyed a advantage of any sort since Obama clinched the Democratic nomination on June 3. A week ago today, Obama had a three-percentage point lead and the candidates were even among unaffiliated voters. Today, McCain leads 52% to 37% among unaffiliateds.
McCain is currently viewed favorably by 55% of the nation’s voters, Obama by 51%. That is the lowest rating for Obama since he wrapped up the nomination. Obama is viewed favorably by 83% of Democrats, 22% of Republicans, and 47% of unaffiliated voters. For McCain, the numbers are 87% favorable among Republicans, 26% among Democrats, and 61% among unaffiliated voters.
Forty-six percent (46%) of voters trust McCain more than Obama on energy issues while Obama is trusted more by 42%. Two months ago, Obama had a four point edge on the energy issue.
You know.. they only study trends.. but it is interesting that the charts are going up at such a huge rate.. this study predicts that:
"By 2048, all American adults would become overweight or obese."
Others say that though that might be too far off the mark.. the figure of 86% being overweight or obese by 2030.. is correct.
86%?? More than 8 out of 10 individuals?
WOW.
===
Study Predicts Obesity Apocalypse by 2030
By DAN CHILDS
ABC News Medical Unit
Aug. 2, 2008
If new research released this week in the journal Obesity is correct, by the year 2048, nearly every American will be overweight or obese.
Currently, figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the prevalence of obesity in adults at about 66 percent. But lead study author Dr. Youfa Wang of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore says that if current overweight and obesity trends continue, 86 percent of Americans could be overweight or obese by the year 2030.
Even more troubling, the authors note, "By 2048, all American adults would become overweight or obese."
"The results of the study show clearly how the future situation might become if current trends continue," Wang says.
Wang says that the increase in metabolic disease and other weight-related conditions could have a catastrophic toll on public health -- and on the public pocket. If these predictions come to bear, Wang and his colleagues estimate that the additional overweight and obesity burden could add up to an extra $860 billion to $956 billion per year in health expenditures to treat these conditions. All told, this would mean that $1 in every $6 spent on health care would be spent as a result of the overweight and obesity.
While some obesity experts are skeptical of the prediction that nearly all Americans will one day be obese, all agree that the problem is a growing one.
"It will never come to pass that all Americans are overweight, not even in 2048," says Keith-Thomas Ayoob, associate professor and pediatrics nutritionist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y. "That may be a statistical possibility, but not a real one. However, the other prediction of 86 percent by 2030 could very well happen. We're almost there."
And other experts say that an almost completely overweight population, however frightening, could indeed be in store for the decades to come.
Wang says this new data used in his study takes into account three decades of research.
Others cite individual responsibility for diet and lifestyle habits. Dr. Neal Barnard, founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and a staunch supporter of a vegetarian diet, says dietary modification could be a crucial step in solving the problem.
"U.S. eating habits are nowhere near where they should be," he says. "The average American eats 50 pounds more meat and 20 pounds more cheese per year, compared to the 1960s. ... I would strongly encourage Americans to adopt more vegetarian meals.
Fernstrom, on the other hand, says drastic approaches to weight control turn most people away.
But no matter the means, most agree that the research could serve as a needed alarm to help jump-start solutions to the nation's growing weight problem.
"Predictions should always be viewed as possibilities, not guarantees, but the information presented in this study should cause all Americans to focus on how they can change behaviors to promote health, their health," says Connie Diekman, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis and former president of the American Dietetic Association.
"If the projected numbers do or do not come to be, this study is a good wake-up to the fact that Americans aren't taking control of their own health."
Iraq invites energy contractors to bid to drill new oil wells
AP / August 4, 2008
BAGHDAD -- Iraq is inviting bids from contractors to drill seven new oil wells and complete work on four natural gas wells.
The Oil Ministry says contractors have until September 15 to submit bids to drill in the East Baghdad oil field. Sunday's statement says bids to complete four gas wells in the Akkas gas field in western Iraq will be accepted until September 30.
Reserves in the East Baghdad oil field are estimated to be at least 5 billion barrels. Its prewar production was 50,000 barrels per day, but it has not been operational since 2003.
The Akkas gas field has estimated reserves of more than 2.15 trillion cubic feet. Iraq's Northern Oil Company says it will field questions from bidders at meetings in mid-August at its headquarters in the northern city of Kirkuk.
In case you were not aware, the Central Bank of Iraq has a new website; www.cbi.iq. The dinar's exchange rate is down to 1189. The good news is that inflation inside the country is down and the CBI dropped their reserve requirements in order to loan more money. The Iraqi's are making positive steps but there is more work to be done.
Plans for a free trade zone in Dohuk governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan, on the border of Iraqi and Turkey, have taken a step forward with announcement that initial research and feasibility studies have been carried out on the project.
(www.noozz.com)
Gallup/USA Today Poll: McCain +4
Posted by TOM BEVAN
This one should set the tongues wagging:
Quote:
Republican presidential candidate John McCain moved from being behind by 6 points among "likely" voters a month ago to a 4-point lead over Democrat Barack Obama among that group in the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. McCain still trails slightly among the broader universe of "registered" voters. By both measures, the race is tight.
The Friday-Sunday poll, mostly conducted as Obama was returning from his much-publicized overseas trip and released just this hour, shows McCain now ahead 49%-45% among voters that Gallup believes are most likely to go to the polls in November. In late June, he was behind among likely voters, 50%-44%.
You can see that the areas Obama is losing.. are in the SOUTH.. so of course, the MSM says they are all racists.
Play the "white guilt" card.. in order to TRY and make them vote for Obama out of guilt.
But the truth is these voters are examining the issues, and not voting out of "racism."
That is a very low (base) charge.. ANY criticism of Obama.. the MSM allege to be racism.
It isn't stated by the people themselves, so the media insinuate it into the comments of people as "code" for racism.
We knew we were in for this kind of race, didn't we?
===
MSNBC's Brewer: Does Obama Stand a Chance in the Racist South?
By Lyndsi Thomas
August 4, 2008
Newsweek Paris bureau chief Christopher Dickey rendered any hesitations white Southerners may have with Obama as thinly-veiled racism:
Quote:
The South is part of the country that’s had to deal with race as an issue for a very long time and often very painfully so the idea that Obama is a black man that may be the next President of the United States has raised hopes among African-Americans tremendously, uh, but it’s also raised a lot of concerns among whites who may not talk about it as a race question but raise lots of other issues that may in some cases be "code" for race. (end quote)
In following up with that response, Brewer noted that Southerners often deal with the stereotype that they are all racists, yet proceeded to depict them as clinging -- I suppose bitterly along with guns and Bibles -- to racist traditions:
Quote:
There are probably a lot of families, too, who are wary of that stereotype, that racist stereotype that gets slapped on the South so frequently, but in your travels, you found merchants who are selling what clearly are hurtful symbols of the South's racist past. And so how does Barack Obama really stand a chance in places where so many people do cling to their Southern, sometimes racist traditions?
Iraq's next political test: Kirkuk and its oil wealth
Published: August 4, 2008
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Since the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, the oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk has been a political tinderbox-in-waiting that was largely ignored as war-fighting took precedence. Now that violence is way down, Iraqi leaders have no excuse not to peacefully decide the city's future. Their failure to do so has raised tensions and could further shred Iraq's fragile social fabric - and unleash more bloodshed.
Kurds who run the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan should not be allowed to unilaterally annex Kirkuk, which they regard as their ancient capital but is also home to Turkmen and Arabs. They were promised a referendum in the Iraqi Constitution, but no durable solution can result without the participation of all groups.
Overconfident Kurds and their American supporters have not been looking seriously for compromise.
The problem came to a head two weeks ago when Iraq's Parliament passed a law again postponing a referendum on Kirkuk (it was supposed to be held by the end of 2007). The law contained a measure diluting Kurdish power in the area's provincial council.
The Kurds believe the referendum will endorse making Kirkuk and surrounding areas part of Kurdistan - giving them more oil revenue and furthering their goal of independence - while Turkmen and Arab leaders want the city to stay under the central government.
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Iraq's next political test: Kirkuk and its oil wealth
Kurdish parliamentarians boycotted the session, resulting in the election law being declared unconstitutional. Another session on Sunday dissolved without reaching a quorum.
The problem is not just with the Kirkuk referendum. If the Kurds continue to hold the election law hostage, provincial elections now expected in early 2009 will also be stymied. These elections are crucial to Iraq's political stability and reconciliation efforts because they will give minority Sunni Arabs a chance to be in government for the first time since they boycotted the 2005 elections.
Sunnis who played a key role fighting with American forces against Iraqi insurgents are already embittered by the failure of Iraq's Shiite-dominated government to hire enough of them for promised security jobs.
Compromises on Kirkuk are theoretically possible, but only the UN seems to be seriously trying to find one. That's baffling, since no one, other than the Iraqis, has more vested in keeping the lid on violence and on tension with Turkey and Iran than the United States.
Iraqis proved their post-Saddam political wheeling-and-dealing skills when they adopted budget, amnesty and provincial powers laws earlier this year. It's worth testing whether horse-trading on the crucial but deadlocked oil law and other issues like minority rights and redistribution of powers could produce a Kirkuk deal all ethnic communities could live with.
If Iraqi leaders cannot settle the matter, they might consider putting Kirkuk and its environs under UN administration as was done with Brcko after the Balkan wars. The imperative is to ensure that Kirkuk's future is not drawn in blood.
(www.iht.com)
Baghdad, 05 August 2008 (Reuters)
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Iraqi political leaders reached a tentative compromise on Monday that could resolve a stalemate over the fate of city of Kirkuk and allow local elections to go ahead, the deputy speaker of parliament said.
Lawmakers rescheduled for today a vote on a provincial election law, which had been held up by wrangling over Kirkuk that has threatened to escalate into renewed ethnic strife.
Washington has been pressing hard on Iraqi leaders to resolve the stand-off before it jeopardises the elections, originally scheduled for October 1 and seen as vital to reconciling the country's factions and solidifying its fragile democracy.
"The new date has been set after fresh hope appeared of reaching an agreement," said Khalid Al Attiya, deputy parliament speaker and a member of Iraq's largest Shiite bloc.
A vote had been planned for Sunday but it was scrapped when lawmakers failed to agree on how the elections would affect Kirkuk, which minority Kurds want to make part of their semi-autonomous northern region.
Rift
Vice-President Adel Abdul Mahdi, a member of the Shiite majority, gathered rival politicians at his home to broker an end to the stand-off over the elections, which the US and United Nations are urging Iraq to hold this year.
Washington hopes the vote will ease sectarian strife by giving Sunni Arabs a greater political voice after they stayed away from the last local elections in 2005. But wrangling over the law has exposed a rift with another minority, the Kurds.
An initial vote to approve the bill last month was marred by a walk-out by Kurdish politicians, who oppose measures they see as robbing them of control of their ancestral capital.
The Bill passed without Kurdish support, but President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, vetoed it and sent it back to parliament for a second vote.
If the vote on the Bill is delayed until after parliament's summer break, it could put the polls off until well into 2009.
"If this issue is not solved in the next two days and the rivals do not reach to a compromise, the vote on the bill will be delayed until after the summer break," said Hashim Al Taei, a member of the main Sunni Arab bloc.
One of the most divisive issues is whether or not the provincial election law will include a reference to a referendum on whether Kirkuk will be included in the Kurdish autonomous region. The referendum is called for in Iraq's constitution and Kurds believe it could tip the scales in their favour. But Arab and Turkmen residents oppose making Kirkuk part of Kurdistan.
Many Arabs moved to the city as part of Saddam Hussain's bid to "arabise" the area, and some now fear the Kurds want to drive them out. The Kurds' insistence on including the referendum article "brings the situation back to ground zero," Taei said.
Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish lawmaker, said yesterday's talks centred on a UN proposal designed to defuse tensions, which would set up a joint administration for Kirkuk as part of a temporary power-sharing solution.
(www.iraqupdates.com)
Lets look at the legislative work left to accomplish by the Iraqis.
Status of Forces Agreement,
Hydro Carbon Law, Election Law, and address either the annexation of Kirkuk by the Kurds or leave it under the control of the GoI.
I am sure I am forgetting something, but my point is these are major hinderences to the progress of the Dinar. The Iraqi Parliment is set to break for summer recess and both Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah are in September.
Roger's rumor of a change in the exchange rate by August 15th is very unlikely. It looks as though it will be at leaset October (my fifth year in this investment)before any significant Dinar or Iraq related news.
Sara, yes we should be able to take Obama at his word. But I don't. The first time I saw him, I remember thinking he was very similar to a friend I had in high school, who was a very smooth talker, with a quick mind, and a lot of social smarts, but who turned out to be an unprincipled con man, once you got to know him.
In my opinion, Obama's primary political belief is expediency: what will work, what will make me look good.
As I have said previously, America is at the start of a very long energy crisis. I think it will last decades, as we transition off oil.
Leaving Iraq is long term economic suicide for America, because I don't believe there is a lot of cheap oil left, and America needs oil to survive, and transition it's economy. That's why America can't leave Iraq. In time, both presidential candidates will come around to this view.
Thanks for your post Rob N about the CBI, and also your thoughts on the Dinar RV.
And thanks, timbitts, for your thoughts on Obama.. trust is a key.
I, too, see him as a politically expedient person who says whatever gets him votes.
I guess that means we must trust the American people to be more principled than that,
so as to choose the right things for the country...
including a principled leader who won't flip-flop according to which way the weathervane points today.
As for polls today.. including polls about Iraq.
I went to Rasmussen.. and here is today's poll:
===
Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll TIE today - with "leaners" included McCain leads the race by 1%
Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows the race for the White House is tied once again-- Barack Obama and John McCain each attract 44% of the vote. However, when "leaners" are included, it’s McCain 47% and Obama 46%.
McCain is currently viewed favorably by 55% of the nation’s voters, Obama by 53%. This is the second straight day showing McCain with an advantage nationally over Obama. Forty-six percent (46%) of voters trust McCain more than Obama on energy issues while Obama is trusted more by 42%. Two months ago, Obama had a four point edge on the energy issue
Other key stats of Election 2008 are updated daily at Obama-McCain: By the Numbers.
Critical of McCain, Obama quiet on his own energy vote
By TOM RAUM, AP / Aug 5 2008
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Democratic candidate Barack Obama criticized Republican John McCain on Tuesday for taking a page out of "the Cheney playbook" on energy, overlooking his own support of oil-friendly policies that the unpopular vice president helped to craft.
Vice President Dick Cheney, a former oilman, early in the Bush administration helped draft an energy policy that Obama asserted is biased in favor of tax breaks and favorable treatment for big oil. Obama's remarks were an attempt to capitalize on Cheney's unpopularity.
In stumping Tuesday in this key battleground state, Obama sought to link the troubled economy with Republican policies and offer his own energy plan in contrast. He has tried to cast McCain as more concerned about oil company profits and drilling than an overall energy strategy.
However, Obama himself voted for a 2005 energy bill backed by Bush that included billions in subsidies for oil and natural gas production, a measure Cheney played a major role in developing. McCain opposed the bill on grounds it included billions in unnecessary tax breaks for the oil industry.
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds, said, "Barack Obama is opposed to offshore drilling and is also opposed to admitting that he voted for the same corporate giveaways for Big Oil that he's campaigning against today."
Increasingly, with his appearances this week and with a new ad, Obama has been seeking to tie McCain to the oil and gas industry, although McCain, unlike Bush and Cheney, did not previously work in the industry.
A new Obama ad says Big Oil filled McCain's campaign with $2 million in contributions and that he "wants to give them another $4 billion in tax breaks."
That $4 billion consists mainly of potential revenue from a McCain proposal to lower corporate taxes on all American businesses.
The McCain campaign pointed out that the ad doesn't mention Obama has taken some $400,000 from oil company executives.
Obama has had trouble connecting with white working-class voters, who are a major factor in Ohio.
In an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday McCain leads among whites by 10 points.
Hi All,
Home from vacation. Just browsing through last 14 days of posts.
Hi Roger,good to hear from you. Be safe and if you ever see PH, give him my best.
Iraq spends little oil cash on rebuilding: U.S
Tue Aug 5, 2008 8:04pm BST
By Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq has spent little of its growing oil revenues on rebuilding its war-ravaged infrastructure, while the United States has paid billions of dollars for reconstruction, a new U.S. report said on Tuesday.
Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, American taxpayers have paid about $48 billion for stabilization and reconstruction activities in Iraq, said the report from the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog agency.
The report said despite oil revenues that will give Iraq an estimated budget surplus of $52.3 billion this year, its government ministries have made minimal outlays for reconstruction, including just $896 million last year.
Senior U.S. senators from both political parties who requested the report said it showed U.S. taxpayers should stop footing the bill for rebuilding things such as Iraqi sewage plants and electricity power lines.
"Despite Iraq earning billions of dollars in oil revenue in the past five years, U.S. taxpayer money has been the overwhelming source of Iraq reconstruction funds," said Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican.
"We should not be paying for Iraqi projects, while Iraqi oil revenues continue to pile up in the bank, including outrageous profits from $4 a gallon gas prices in the U.S.," said Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat.
"We should require that U.S. taxpayers be reimbursed for the cost of large projects."
The war in Iraq, where the United States has about 144,000 troops, is a major issue in the campaign for U.S. presidential and congressional elections on November 4, along with the flagging economy, a housing crisis and the price of gas.
The Iraqi government generated an estimated $96 billion in revenues from 2005 to 2007, with 94 percent of that attributable to oil, the GAO report said.
For 2008, the GAO estimates Iraq will generate $73 billion to $86 billion in revenues, primarily driven by the high price of oil.
Iraq's government has been slow to spend on rebuilding and outlays have been only a fraction of what Baghdad planned in its capital investment budgets, the GAO said.
Earlier this year, Washington's ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, said the era of U.S.-funded major infrastructure projects was over.
Levin and Warner said they wrote to the Pentagon this week to complain about a notable example in which U.S. taxpayers are paying about $33 million for the development of an "economic zone" at Baghdad's airport, including funding for two hotels and improvements to a business center that the Iraqi government will own.
The most recent war funding bill passed by Congress requires that reconstruction aid from the U.S. State Department and the Agency for International Development be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Iraqi government.
Mahmoud Othman: electoral law passed today after the approval of Kurds to give written guarantees for the Arabs and Turkmen
By GA By GA
Published 6.8.2008, 13:01 Published 6.8.2008, 13:01
نيوزماتيك/بغداد Uzmatik / Baghdad
. Sign deputy Mahmoud Othman, the Kurdish alliance would be to pass the election law provincial assemblies in the parliamentary session today, Wednesday,.
. The Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud scene decided to lift the parliamentary session today, Wednesday, after unable to reach any agreement on the Law of the provincial council elections yesterday, Tuesday, a day.
". Othman said in an interview with "Uzmatik", today, Wednesday, that the Kurdistan Alliance "and agreed to give written guarantees for the Arabs and Turkmen included in the electoral law to be voted on at today's meeting."
وأضاف . Uthman added that "the written guarantees were added to the proposal submitted by the United Nations yesterday, and who was given the desirability of most parliamentary blocs" as he put it.
". The MP for the Coalition of Kurdistan, Abdul Bari, who is revealed in an interview with "Uzmatik" yesterday, Tuesday, on "the United Nations to provide a new proposal contains a postponement of elections in the city of Kirkuk for up to the end of next year, and the continuing discussions in the Iraqi parliament to formulate a law regulating elections in Kirkuk That does not exceed the end of this year 2008, as well as the continuation of the governorate of Kirkuk current performance of his duties in full, until the organization of elections in the city, and reviewing records to determine where the demographic abuses that occurred before and after in 2003, in addition to the emphasis on the need to respect all the material relating to constitutional The city of Kirkuk, including Article 140. "
". Mahmoud Othman explained that the guarantees were "the consent of the Kurdistan Alliance to add a paragraph to the United Nations proposals stipulates the obligation for the House to implement those proposals in the event of any party whatsoever obstruction."
. He called on the Kurdistan Alliance "MPs who voted for the law of provincial assemblies last time not to obstruct the adoption of the amended Act," which he "enjoys the consent of the majority of parliamentary blocs" as he put it.
. It is noteworthy that the Iraqi parliament had voted, in the twenty-second month of last July, the approval of the provincial council elections law, which reversed the presidency one day after the approval, at the meeting raised a lot of controversy between the parliamentary blocs to vote because of their dependence overt and covert some of the paragraphs of the law , Which led to the withdrawal of the Kurdistan Alliance bloc of the meeting in protest against the method of voting http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&langpair=ar%7Cen&u=http://iraqalaan.com/bm/Politics/4310.shtml
We all know that the old dinar (saddams and the swiss dinar) was replaced in 2004. We have been told that the money was destroyed. Marked Red and burned. We also know that the new dinar that they have now looks an awful lot like the old swiss dinar because they used the same printing plates. Some rumors have come through here saying that they may bring those back and that they are sitting around in banks.
Who knows. But according to this article, those notes were never destroyed. The only problem with that is that many of the dinar we hold now have the same pictures of the old swiss notes. Like the 1000 Note we have now is the same picture as the One Swiss Dinar note So how could they bring them back...couldn't have the same picture.. the old 5 Swiss dinar is the same as the New 5000 dinar note note...
Nezavisimaya - Novosti
It is well known that Iraqi banknotes bearing the image of Saddam Hussein has been reprinted in Iraq and China but not widely known that Saddam Hussein's government asked Switzerland to end in 2002 to print large amounts of new banknotes, which were Iraqis called "Swiss dinar" .
The new Iraqi government has stopped the circulation of banknotes by the Zen image of Saddam Hussein in 2004, and raised the circulation of new cash cards. However, this government did not call for some reason destroyed "Swiss dinar," which has been stored in Swiss banks.
Investigations showed the Italian security authorities have begun in 2005 in the gang busters were able to withdraw large sums of "Swiss dinar" from the banks of Switzerland to replace the lines of a new Iraqi money. The Italian police had arrested 19 people suspected of being members of this gang.
Had busters able to achieve Murad got an estimated 30 million euros.
Chief among the questions facing the team is now investigating how the gang wanted to transfer the old Iraqi banknotes to Iraq because the Iraqi dinar replaced the old dinar not only in the new Iraq. Then we can replace the dollar or the euro. This question is still awaiting an answer.
The investigation team succeeded in detecting people to open stores full of old Iraqi money in three banks in Switzerland and Austria which is named Amanuel, the official in the office of the ICRC in Geneva.http://www.elaph.com/Web/NewsPapers/2008/8/354472.htm
I find it interesting this amount of the old Swiss Dinar kept from being destroyed. Currently the official currency is the new iraqi dinar; but there is nothing keeping the GoI of using the lower denominatiosn of the old swiss dinar instead of producing new currency.
The reasons why the old swiss dinar in these banks were not destroyed is open to all sorts of speculation; using them as the lower denominations is just one theory. Hopefully a GoI official will comment in order to clarrify but Its like everything else in Iraq, wait and see.
It looks as though the Iraqi Parliment made me out to be wrong. In fact, I am glad they apparently have. Passing the supplemental budget and the election law (if passed) are good steps toward completing unfinished business.
London meeting yields interest in Iraq’s industrial sector
Iraq’s Minister of Industry and Minerals headed a recent top level trade delegation to London to forge links with British to create investment opportunities in Iraq’s industrial sector.
(www.noozz.com)
Isolated Iran risks the same fate as Iraq: Gaddafi
Tue Aug 5, 2008
2007 TUNIS (Reuters) - Iran risks going the same way as Saddam Hussein's Iraq in its confrontation with the West and is too weak to meet the challenges it faces alone, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Tuesday.
"What Iran is doing is pure vanity," said Gaddafi. "If a decision is taken against Iran, it will suffer the same fate as Iraq... Iran is no stronger than Iraq and will be unable to resist."
Gaddafi was referring to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, an attack Washington said was intended to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction.
Iran is refusing to back down in a row with major powers over its civilian nuclear activities which the West says is a cover for a secret program to build atomic warheads. Tehran says its only goal is to produce electricity.
Pressure has grown for deeper United Nations sanctions against Iran after an informal deadline for it to freeze expansion of nuclear work passed this weekend.
Gaddafi, whose relations with the West improved when Libya scrapped its weapons of mass destruction programs in 2003, said countries that chose isolation were doomed to fail.
"No country will survive on its own in the future -- it will disappear," Gaddafi said. "The challenges facing Iran are greater than its ability to overcome them alone."
The future was with regional groups of states such as the African Union and European Union, Gaddafi said during a visit to neighboring Tunisia.
Gaddafi took power in 1969 in a military coup in his oil producing North African state and was shunned for decades by the West, which accused him of supporting terrorism.
(www.reuters.com)
well spotted cornishboy about the Zimbabwe dollar, who knows what might happen next over there, so it may be well wrote watching. If you check back on the currencies history, it could happen again...I wish i had and considered the possibilities, take care matt
P.S Good posts from you all lately...cheers
This could be interesting to watch regarding there currency, just a thought perhaps worth sharing....
EU condemns Mauritania coup
Wed Aug 6, 2008 3:32pm BST
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission condemned Wednesday's coup in Mauritania and demanded that President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi be returned to power.
The EU executive, which had allocated some 156 million euros of aid for the West African country for 2008-2013, said the coup could put this cooperation into question.
"The European Commission is very concerned by the situation in Mauritania, which puts into question the remarkable democratic progress in this country," it said in a statement.
"This situation could put into question our policy of cooperation with Mauritania," EU Aid and Development Commissioner Louis Michel said, adding the president and prime minister should be freed and returned to power quickly.
Presidential guardsmen seized the Mauritanian President in a coup on Wednesday after he sacked several top army officers, and announced that he had been deposed.
The EU froze aid to Mauritania after a coup in 2005. It resumed it after the then military-led government pledged to organise elections and release political prisoners.
(Reporting by Ingrid Melander; Editing by David Brunnstrom)
from a other sit.Originally Posted by po-cajun
Addy-- Not the right place to put this but--As you guys know I work in Afghanistan and don't post any more cause web is crazy here. But I called my wife today in the states as I do to ask her what the deposit was for my payroll. She told me when she got this info she ask about buying more dinar.
The man at the bank (Chase) said NO they were not selling and that something is going on in Iraq and could NOT tell her. We have been dealing with this bank for years. This is no BS just what the wife was told TODAY!!!
Its the same in the uk the banks have stoped selling dinar wonder why.!!!!
After some further research it seems the electoral law has been pushed back to September 9, 2008. I am assuming that the Iraqi Parliment resumes their sessions on this day.
Sara, thank you for your very insightful comments regarding the link to the article that I posted. I think the author does believe in God. I just think that he thinks that God would not grant money to anyone. You can read in the bible lots of references to people living prosperous lives. To live this way implies some sort of commerce, probably money (even if in the form of gold or silver). His article read more like a blog as he didn't seem to have too many references to facts to back up his opinion. Only his dad's quote about the definition of a gold mine! He should not be trying to discourage anyone from doing what they believe in, unless he knows for a fact that it is a bad idea. He didn't advise caution, or to reduce the amount to take a chance on, but flat out said the idea was ridiculous. To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me if he speculated and was actually holding onto a few million dinars "just in case", because speculating is not investing, and investing advice is what he actually dishes out.
The soaring price of oil will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year’s end an American federal oversight agency has concluded in an analysis released on Tuesday.
The unspent windfall, writes James Glanz for The New York Times, from oil sales from 2005 through 2008, appears likely to put an uncomfortable new focus on the approximately $48 billion in American taxpayer money devoted to rebuilding Iraq since the American-led invasion.
Iraq has spent little of its growing oil revenues on rebuilding its war-ravaged infrastructure, while the United States has paid billions of dollars for reconstruction.
Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, American taxpayers have paid about $48 billion for stabilization and reconstruction activities in Iraq, Susan Cornwell for Reuters says, citing the same GAO report.
Iraq resumed shipping oil through its northern pipeline to Turkey at a rate of 400,000 barrels per day (bpd), two high level officials from Turkey’s pipeline company Botas told Reuters.
The flow through the pipeline to Turkey stopped on Monday for an unknown reason.
The line is Iraq’s secondary export route, transporting crude from the northern fields around Kirkuk to the Turkish Mediterranean oil terminal at Ceyhan.
An Iraqi official stated that his country was able to rehabilitate and repair 225 oil wells ,which their production rates ranging between 250- 300 thousand barrels per day in the context of plans to increase crude oil production.
Jabbar Allaibi Director-General of the oil company clarified to al-Bayan Emirates paper “rehabilitation and repair of 225 oil wells during the past nine months will enhance the expected production from oil fields ranging between 250 and 300 thousand barrels of daily production rates, climb to 2 millions and 300 thousand barrels then the current rates that are about one million and 970 thousand barrels.”
Iraq’s Oil Ministry is inviting bids for drilling seven new oil wells and finishing work on four natural gas wells.
While the last date to submit bids for drilling in the East Baghdad oil field is September 15, for completing four gas wells in the Akkas gas field in western Iraq, its September 30, said Trade Arabia
Iraq’s Oil Ministry is reissuing an invitation to drill two deep exploration oil wells in a pair of major oilfields in southern Iraq.
The state-run Oil Exploration Co. says the new deadline to receive proposals for drilling in the South Rumaila and Luhais oilfields near Basra will be Aug. 20.
The expected depth of the two wells is about 21,325 feet, the AP said.
I also noticed that CNN yesterday highlighted a story on how Iraq was getting rich from oil revenue, without spending that oil revenue on rebuilding their own country, while America spent billions of American tax payer dollars rebuilding Iraq.
Good.
The media is starting to catch on: Iraq will be a very rich country soon, due to oil revenue.
We all knew that here a long time ago.
The mainstream media is usually the last to catch on to what is happening. So the fact that even CNN is catching on, is a good sign things are going well, and Iraq is progressing nicely, economically.
Almaliki will draw back money to run the state and serve the public, if it becomes necessary due to the budget being delayed.
And a postive note about most political blocs agreeing on the UN proposal about the elections.
===
Almaliki intends to draw back budget from Parliament
Baghdad, 07 August 2008 (Al-Sabaah)
PM Noori Almaliki intends to draw back additional budget from Parliament if its approval delayed, a step aims to run state's duties and serving public.
Almaliki's decision came after the legislative linked approval the additional budget with solving local elections' law to provide legal cover of extending the council's term.
Most political blocs agreed on proposal of UN Secretary General's representative in Iraq, Stephan De Mistora, about the local elections that included delaying Kirkuk ballot until Sep. 2009 as maximum and respect all constitutional articles related to this issue and enacting a law about the city by the parliament by end next October, MP Hassan Senaid, said.
411m oil barrels exported so far in 2008- ministry
Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Thursday , 07 /08 /2008 Time 3:33:27
BAGHDAD, Aug. 7 (VOI) – Iraqi has exported 411 million barrels of oil throughout the past seven months, an official spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Oil said on Thursday.
"The total amount of oil that has been exported through Iraq's northern and southern ports throughout the first seven month of the year 2008 has reached 411 million barrels, an average of 58,714 million barrels per month," Asem Jihad said in a statement to Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).
"The revenues from crude exports in this period reached $43 billion, at an average price of $104.62 a barrel," Jihad explained.
(www.aswataliraq.info)
You are welcome, Britishknite - The article was more like a blog, and I am glad you could see that, "he didn't seem to have too many references to facts to back up his opinion." Advising caution (don't bet the farm on Iraqi Dinar) might have been expected, but mockery and complete skepticism of the Dinar investment as a whole is a disservice, as it is not a "pyramid scheme" or suchlike scam, but speculation in a COUNTRY'S currency. And, as timbitts noted this morning, even CNN and governmental representatives in Congress are starting to say that the country of Iraq has revenue and should stand on its own two feet and look after its own reconstruction with their own money. That will indeed take money.. and must in time be reflected in the value of the currency. As I have said, if Iraq has so much of the world's most valuable resource, its currency at a minimum, must be worth at least the same value as the surrounding countries, if not more. The fact it is valued so low at this point in time in history must, of course, make room for speculators such as ourselves, as it did for those who speculated on the Kuwaiti Dinar when it was grossly undervalued during the first Gulf War.
As far as investment advice, I think this person is a "bean counter" and likely wants them to put all their money in "safe" investments with a slow but steady rate of return. Most people have a little portion of their portfolio set aside for risk. The Dinar fits in there for those who are willing to do a portion of their porfolio in higher risk investments. Some people cannot take any risk, some can. While no one should sell their home and put it into Dinar, as part of a portfolio which allows for higher risk investments, this one is a good one to speculate on.
His attacking their faith was out of line and destructive. How people come to their financial views, whether through prayer and reading the Bible or doing due diligence on the facts of the investment itself (or both) his job is to explain the investment (helping them do the due diligence) and then let them make the decision based on their own rationality and capability for risk. This is not a scam that the government is going to investigate and then shut down the perpetrators (the Iraqi government and its currency).. and his advising them like it is was a disservice to them, and lacked professionality.
His only criticism which I felt was of any worth was his saying that there are hucksters who have gotten in the middle - trying to make money in the middle transaction between the country of Iraq (and its currency) and the Dinarian, and THEY could be a problem - overcharging them perhaps, or possibly selling them fake goods. Those are legitimate concerns which they should take care to assure against, but actually owning the REAL Dinar from the country of Iraq - speculating on the currency of that country - is not a scam investment and we here believe it will pay dividends, eventually (hopefully sooner rather than later).
Iraq is paying for more of its own reconstruction but is still struggling to spend its multibillion dollar surplus as it copes with a flood of oil revenue and a cumbersome approval process meant to curb corruption, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
(www.noozz.com)
UN regrets non passage of bill for provincial elections in Iraq
Politics 8/7/2008 4:58:00 PM
BAGHDAD, Aug 7 (KUNA) -- The UN expressed on Thursday its regret over the postponement of Iraqi provincial elections slated for October as MPs failed to come to a consensus on the necessary legislation in time for the holding of these elections.
Assistant representative of the UN secretary general in Iraq Andrew Kilmore told reporters at the Iraqi parliament house that the UN strived to get all Iraqi factions to reach some of kind of an agreement on passing a draft of the bill on provincial elections, to no avail.
"We at the UN mission to help Iraq are quite ready to assist in any way we can to bypass this hurdle over the issue of the elections," he said, hoping that Iraqi factional leaders would come to an agreement at the parliament leading to the holding of the elections some time soon.
If the draft bill for the provincial elections is not endorsed by the parliament, the elections could not take place this year, during the remainder of the parliament's regular term, he noted.
He expressed the view that the vast majority of the Iraqi people condoned holding the elections as speedily as possible and that they were waiting for the nation's leaders to agree on the draft bill for the elections law.
The Kurdistan coalition had earlier accused the parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani of not facilitating a vote to take place regarding the draft bill and that he did not consult with the coalition on that at all.
MP Fuad Maasoum, who is a member of the Kurdistan coalition, said the parliament session today was supposed to discuss the UN proposals regarding the draft bill for provincial elections, but instead it opted to adjourn the session without any decision being taken on this vital issue.
The UN mission here and the independenst elections board announced that the provincial elections would not be held in October, in the light of the state of non-agreement among MPs as to the passing of the draft bill for these elections. (end) mhg.ajs KUNA 071658 Aug 08NNNN
(www.kuna.net.kw)
US military arrests 25 armed men in separate operations in Iraq
Military and Security 8/7/2008 5:14:00 PM
BAGHDAD, Aug 7 (KUNA) -- US forces arrested 25 armed men on Thursday during separate operations targeting Al-Qaeda in central and northern Iraq.
A statement from the US military said arrests operations were executed in Salman bak in the Iraqi capital and in Nainona governance in the northern part of the country.
A number of those arrested are leaders in Al-Qaeda organizations and dismantling car units, including foreign terrorist networks, the statement added.(end) ahh.mb KUNA 071714 Aug 08NNNN
(www.kuna.net.kw)
Israel Mulls Iran Military Option
August 07, 2008
Associated Press
JERUSALEM - Israel is building up its strike capabilities amid growing anxiety over Iran's nuclear ambitions and appears confident that a military attack would cripple Tehran's atomic program, even if it can't destroy it.
Such talk could be more threat than reality. However, Iran's refusal to accept Western conditions is worrying Israel as is the perception that Washington now prefers diplomacy over confrontation with Tehran.
The Jewish state has purchased 90 F-16I fighter planes that can carry enough fuel to reach Iran, and will receive 11 more by the end of next year. It has bought two new Dolphin submarines from Germany reportedly capable of firing nuclear-armed warheads - in addition to the three it already has.
And this summer it carried out air maneuvers in the Mediterranean that touched off an international debate over whether they were a "dress rehearsal" for an imminent attack, a stern warning to Iran or a just a way to get allies to step up the pressure on Tehran to stop building nukes.
According to foreign media reports, Israeli intelligence is active inside Iranian territory. Israel's military censor, who can impose a range of legal sanctions against journalists operating in the country, does not permit publication of details of such information in news reports written from Israel.
The issue of Iran's nuclear program took on new urgency this week after U.S. officials rejected Tehran's response to an incentives package aimed at getting it to stop sensitive nuclear activity - setting the stage for a fourth round of international sanctions against the country.
Israel, itself an undeclared nuclear power, sees an atomic bomb in Iranian hands as a direct threat to its existence.
Israel believes Tehran will have enriched enough uranium for a nuclear bomb by next year or 2010 at the latest. The United States has trimmed its estimate that Iran is several years or as much as a decade away from being able to field a bomb, but has not been precise about a timetable. In general U.S. officials think Iran isn't as close to a bomb as Israel claims, but are concerned that Iran is working faster than anticipated to add centrifuges, the workhorses of uranium enrichment.
"If Israeli, U.S., or European intelligence gets proof that Iran has succeeded in developing nuclear weapons technology, then Israel will respond in a manner reflecting the existential threat posed by such a weapon," said Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, speaking at a policy forum in Washington last week.
"Israel takes (Iranian President) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statements regarding its destruction seriously. Israel cannot risk another Holocaust," Mofaz said.
The Iranian leader has in the past called for Israel's elimination, though his exact remarks have been disputed. Some translators say he called for Israel to be "wiped off the map," while others say a better translation would be "vanish from the pages of time" - implying Israel would disappear on its own rather than be destroyed.
Iran insists its uranium enrichment is meant only for electricity generation, not a bomb - an assertion that most Western nations see as disingenuous.
Israeli policymakers and experts have been debating for quite some time whether it would even be possible for Israel to take out Iran's nuclear program. The mission would be far more complicated than a 1981 Israeli raid that destroyed Iraq's partially built Osirak nuclear reactor, or an Israeli raid last year on what U.S. intelligence officials said was another unfinished nuclear facility in Syria.
In Iran, multiple atomic installations are scattered throughout the country, some underground or bored into mountains - unlike the Iraqi and Syrian installations, which were single aboveground complexes.
Still, the Syria action seemed to indicate that Israel would also be willing to use force preemptively against Iran.
"For Israel this is not a target that cannot be achieved," said Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, former head of Israel's army intelligence.
However, it's unlikely Israel would carry out an attack without approval from the United States.
Recent signs that Washington may be moving away from a military option - including a proposal to open a low-level U.S. diplomatic office in Tehran and a recent decision to allow a senior U.S. diplomat to participate alongside Iran in international talks in Geneva - are not sitting very well with Israel.
That may help explain recent visits to Jerusalem by Mike McConnell, the U.S. director of national intelligence, and Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, each of whom delivered a message to Israel that it does not have a green light to attack Iran at this time.
Senior Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they do not wish to appear at odds with their most important ally, said they were concerned about a possible softening of the U.S. stance toward Iran.
Apparently to allay Israeli concerns, Bush administration officials last week assured visiting Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak that the U.S. has not ruled out the possibility of a military strike on Iran. And the U.S., aware of Israel's high anxiety over Iran's nukes, is also hooking Israel up to an advanced missile detection system known as X-Band to guard against any future attack by Iran, said a senior U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions over the issue have not been made public.
With sanctions and diplomacy still the international community's preferred method to get Iran to stop building the bomb, an Israeli strike does not appear imminent.
If it did attack, however, Israel would have to contend with upgraded Iranian defense capabilities, including 29 new Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile systems Iran purchased from Russia last year in a $700 million deal.
Russia has so far not gone through with a proposed sale to Iran of S-300 surface-to-air missiles, an even more powerful air defense system than the Tor-M1. An Israeli defense official said the deal is still on the table, however. This is a big source of consternation for Israel because the system could significantly complicate a pre-emptive Israeli assault on Iran.
Military experts say an Israeli strike would require manned aircraft to bombard multiple targets and heavy precision bombs that can blast through underground bunkers - something Israel failed to do in its 2006 war against Hezbollah. It's widely assumed that Israel is seeking to obtain bunker buster bombs, if it hasn't already done so.
Elite ground troops could also be necessary to penetrate the most difficult sites, though Israeli military planners say they see that option as perhaps too risky.
America's ability to take out Iran's nuclear facilities is far superior to Israel's.
Unlike Israel, the United States has cruise missiles that can deliver high-explosive bombs to precise locations and B-2 bombers capable of dropping 85 500-pound bombs in a single run.
Yet the cost of an attack - by the U.S., Israel or both - is likely to be enormous.
Iran could halt oil production and shut down tanker traffic in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which could send the price of crude skyrocketing and wreck Western economies.
It could stir up trouble for the U.S. in Iraq by revving up Shiite militias there just as Washington is showing some important gains in reining in Iraqi chaos.
It could activate its militant proxies in both Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, from where Israel could come under heavy rocket attack. And it could strike Israel with its arsenal of Shahab-3 long-range missiles - something Israel is hoping to guard against through its Arrow missile defense system.
Perhaps most importantly, any strike on Iran - especially if it's done without having exhausted all diplomatic channels - could have the opposite of the desired effect, "actually increasing the nationalist fervor to build a nuclear weapon," said Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian-born Israeli and expert on Iranian affairs.
Whether an attack on Iran would be worth its cost would depend on how long the nuclear program could be delayed, said Chuck Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser and now a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.
"A two, three-year delay is not worth it. For a five to 10-year delay I would say yes," he said.
(www.military.com)
"The UN mission here and the independenst elections board announced that the provincial elections would not be held in October, in the light of the state of non-agreement among MPs as to the passing of the draft bill for these elections." http://truckandbarter.com/mt/archives/2008/08/dinar_discussio_4.html#136343
I had felt, myself, that having these Iraqi elections in the same year as is the United States was a disservice to the Iraqi people because it causes too much to be in question all at the same time. This is so because an election year makes the political situation different than a non-election year, no matter which country we are speaking about. Such political upheaval and change is hard enough for one country, but for both - remember that Iraq is a top issue (if not the top issue) to Americans in the polls, and of course the US elections as to who gets into the Whitehouse (someone who will leave them in the lurch, OB - or support them, McCain) is of high interest to the Iraqis and their households, too.
Therefore, it seemed wiser to me to have a postponement of the Iraqi elections to another year for stability's sake. Next year looks wiser, when things will be settled under John McCain's presidency and they can navigate their course with more certainty that there will be continuing US support for their country, and less fears over Iran taking over or a loss of their lives as a result of a precipitous pullout. Political positions tend to gloss over these realities here, but I am sure in Iraq the implications are all too crystal clear, immediate and real to the Iraqis - brought home to them in every bombing or death they are forced to endure. Escalation of such activity to unbearable levels would indeed be on the Iraqi voter's minds and Obama's position of abandonment of their country as a "distraction" to the "real" war on terror in Afghanistan must weigh heavy on their minds and concerns for their collective future.
I believe that too much uncertainty now about the future of Iraq would have affected exactly how people vote in Iraq - for whom they cast their ballot. I am sure that there will be many who will vote differently in an election next year than they would have voted in an election this year in October - which a time before the November US elections are completed and a time fraught with uncertainty over the US support issue. This delay is in the interests of one of the Iraqi parties seeking governmental representation in the Iraqi parliament over another.. and I am sure it was all factored in concerning how it turned out.. by the good Lord on High. If this is how it turned out, I believe it is how it should be, for whomever is supposed to run the country of Iraq in the future to be assured that they will win. Directions of countries are in HIS hands, and believing this, I do not see this as a setback, but an event under the rulership of God for the good of mankind.
Dan 4:17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will..
God gives the rulership of a country to whomever He wills, and this is a part of that plan to assure them that power they seek.
The Central Bank Of Iraq started to unify the reserved monetary rate among the governmental and private banks
07 August 2008 (Iraq Directory)
The Iraqi Central Bank Consultant stated to Aswat Al Iraq about the new instructions will be effective from Sunday, the mandatory standardization of cash reserve ratio in government and private banks in the same ratio.
Dr. Modhir Mohamed Saleh, told the Independent News Agency (Voices of Iraq), that there was a "new instructions issued by the Central Bank of Iraq apply to all banks, starting from (Sunday), and provides for the Standardization of the compulsory reserve rate (25%) of all bank deposits , Whether governmental or civil deposits."
He explained that the figure "will be distributed by (5%) will be kept in cash in the coffers of these banks, and the (20%) remaining deposited in their accounts with the Central Bank of Iraq, and are treated in accordance with the mechanisms and regulations currently applied in this regard."
Saleh pointed out that the compulsory reserve "for the governmental banks (75%), which was considered by those banks that affect the performance and limit the expansion in granting credit, which made the Central Bank to unify the compulsory reserve ratio for the private banks of the original (25% ) Only. "
The Consultant of the Central Bank of Iraq added "the new instructions not to be used surpluses of bank deposits resulting from the government exclusively, investment in deposit accounts for facilitation, or remittances CBE, or use for the purpose of public financing debt through participation in Treasury auction remittances, as it prevents cross-loan lending between banks. "
He added " and to allow (banking surpluses) to go to invest about all forms of bank credit."
D. Madhar Saleh said this procedure "designed to make the government deposits with banks geared towards the granting of loans and bank transaction, and not proceed for returning good profits only without having a role in the economic process."
The instruction "allowed banks to invest all surpluses in the banking tools of Central Bank of Iraq and remittances Treasury, and any other tools available, with the exception of surpluses arising from bank deposits, government, a rate not exceeding (35%) of the total surpluses resulting from public deposits only."
Saleh said that these instructions "aimed to motivate banks to market orientation, and to assign monetary policy trends in the provision of credit and bank financing required by the local state, and address the unemployment and economic stagnation, and continuing to face the inflation and price signals adopted by Central Bank to target inflation and achieving a unified framework of stability and economic growth desired."
I thought the link to the pdf at this url worth noting to the board:
===
GAO: Iraq could have $79 billion budget surplus
Aug 6, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Iraqi government could end the year with as much as a $79 billion budget surplus as ever-increasing oil revenues pile on top of leftover income the Iraqis still haven't spent on their national rebuilding effort, congressional auditors say.
A report by the Government Accountability Office made public Tuesday prompted renewed calls from senators that Baghdad pay more of the bill for its own reconstruction, which has been heavily supported with U.S. funds.
The projected Iraq surplus, including unspent money from 2005 through 2008, has been building because of rising world oil prices, increasing Iraqi oil production, the government's inability to execute budgets for spending its money and persistent violence in the country, the GAO said.
Iraq already has a 79 billion dollar surplus, and the oil hasn't really started to really flow yet.
Currently Iraq pumps, what is it, 2.1 million barrels per day? (from memory)
And the production goal in 5-10 years is 10 million barrels per day.
That means way more government revenue, in Iraq.
And most oil executives and economists say oil will only go up. It' won't go down.
So what will this mean, in 5-10 years, for the Iraqi government budget? Surpluses of $200 billion per annum?
I wouldn't be too surprised.
That 79 billion surplus is just a taste things to come.
It's already a ridiculously large sum of money for a country with a population of only 28 million people in Iraq.
What about when agriculture and other heavy industries kick in? The economic multiplier effect will go nuts.\
Iraq will be a very very rich country, very soon.
Even when the Iraqis get up to speed on budgeting and spending and overseeing large projects, I doubt they will be able to spend their enormous wealth.
All good news for Dinar investors, as I think the Iraqi currency will eventually hit par with the Saudi Riyal.
Many non-Dinar investors who are thinking about investing in the Dinar will look back in 5-10 years, with enormous regret that they didn't jump in, on the best investment opportunity, in a very long time.
Iraqis: Deal close on plan for US troops to leave By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and ANNE GEARAN, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD - Iraq and the U.S. are near an agreement on all American combat troops leaving Iraq by October 2010, with the last soldiers out three years after that, two Iraqi officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. U.S. officials, however, insisted no dates had been agreed.
ADVERTISEMENT
The proposed agreement calls for Americans to hand over parts of Baghdad's Green Zone — where the U.S. Embassy is located — to the Iraqis by the end of 2008. It would also remove U.S. forces from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, according to the two senior officials, both close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and familiar with the negotiations.
The officials, who spoke separately on condition of anonymity because the talks are ongoing, said all U.S. combat troops would leave Iraq by October 2010, with the remaining support personnel gone "around 2013." The schedule could be amended if both sides agree — a face-saving escape clause that would extend the presence of U.S. forces if security conditions warrant it.
U.S. acceptance — even tentatively — of a specific timeline would represent a dramatic reversal of American policy in place since the war began in March 2003.
Both Iraqi and American officials agreed that the deal is not final and that a major unresolved issue is the U.S. demand for immunity for U.S. soldiers from prosecution under Iraqi law.
Throughout the conflict, President Bush steadfastly refused to accept any timetable for bringing U.S. troops home. Last month, however, Bush and al-Maliki agreed to set a "general time horizon" for ending the U.S. mission.
Bush's shift to a timeline was seen as a move to speed agreement on a security pact governing the U.S. military presence in Iraq after the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.
Iraq's Shiite-led government has been holding firm for some sort of withdrawal schedule — a move the Iraqis said was essential to win parliamentary approval.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad declined to comment on details of the talks. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nangtongo said the negotiations were taking place "in a constructive spirit" based on respect for Iraqi sovereignty.
In Washington, U.S. officials acknowledged that some progress has been made on the timelines for troop withdrawals but that the immunity issue remained a huge problem. One senior U.S. official close to the discussion said no dates have been agreed upon.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations have not been finished.
But the Iraqis insisted the dates had been settled preliminarily between the two sides, although they acknowledged that nothing is final until the entire negotiations have been completed.
One Iraqi official said persuading the Americans to accept a timetable was a "key achievement" of the talks and that the government would seek parliamentary ratification as soon as the deal is signed.
But differences over immunity could scuttle the whole deal, the Iraqis said. One of the officials described immunity as a "minefield" and said each side was sticking by its position.
One official said U.S. negotiator David Satterfield told him that immunity for soldiers was a "red line" for the United States. The official said he replied that issue was "a red line for us too."
The official said the Iraqis were willing to grant immunity for actions committed on American bases and during combat operations — but not a blanket exemption from Iraqi law.
The Iraqis also want American forces hand over any Iraqi they detain. The U.S. insists that detainees must be "ready" for handover, which the Iraqi officials assume means the Americans want to interrogate them first.
As the talks drag on, American officials said the Bush administration is losing patience with the Iraqis over the negotiations, which both sides had hoped to wrap up by the end of July.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and al-Maliki had a long and "very difficult" phone conversation about the situation on Wednesday during which she pressed the Iraqi leader for more flexibility particularly on immunity, one U.S. senior official said.
"The sovereignty issue is very big for the Iraqis and we understand that. But we are losing patience," the official said. "The process needs to get moving and get moving quickly."
The official could not say how long the call lasted but said it was "not brief" and "tense at times."
In London, Britain's defense ministry said it is also in talks with Iraq's government over the role of British troops after the U.N. mandate runs out. Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently said that early next year Britain will reduce its troops in Iraq, now at about 4,100, and that Britain's role in the country will change fundamentally.
Iraq's position in the U.S. talks hardened after a series of Iraqi military successes against Shiite and Sunni extremists in Basra, Baghdad, Mosul and other major cities and after the rise in world oil prices flooded the country with petrodollars.
As the government's confidence rose, Iraqi officials believed they were in a strong negotiating position — especially with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, pledging to remove all combat forces within his first 16 months in office if security conditions allow.
Standing firm against the Americans also enhances al-Maliki's nationalist credentials, enabling him to appeal for support from Iraqis long opposed to the U.S. presence.
On Thursday, a spokesman for Muqtada al-Sadr said the Shiite cleric will call on his fighters to maintain a cease-fire against American troops — but may lift the order if the security agreement fails to contain a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal.
The statement by Sheik Salah al-Obeidi came as al-Sadr planned to spell out details of a formula to reorganize his Mahdi Army militia by separating it into an unarmed cultural organization and elite fighting cells.
The announcement is expected during weekly Islamic prayer services on Friday.
"This move is meant to offer an incentive for the foreign forces to withdraw," al-Obeidi said. "The special cells of fighters will not strike against foreign forces until the situation becomes clear vis-a-vis the Iraq-U.S. agreement on the presence of American forces here."
Several cease-fires by al-Sadr have been key to a sharp decline in violence over the past year. But American officials still consider his militiamen a threat and have backed the Iraqi military in operations to try to oust them from their power bases in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq.
(www.yahoo.com)
Timbitts, I agree. The incredible amount of money to be made makes this "high risk" venture worth the risk.
Note this says that this year alone the revenue for Iraq will be 70 BILLION, with a realized revenue so far of 43 BILLION:
==
Iraq oil exports total $43 billion in Jan-July
08.07.08
Iraq - BAGHDAD, Aug 7 (Rheuters) - Iraq exported 411 million barrels of oil in the first seven months of 2008, bringing in revenues of $43 billion, the country's oil ministry said on Thursday.
"We expect, if the situation stays the same, that our income will be more than $70 billion this year," ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said.
Iraq has built up oil production this year due to more stable flows from the north, where sabotage and technical problems previously kept supplies all but idle.
Exports in May of 1.99 million barrels per day (bpd) were the highest since before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. June and July figures were slightly lower.
Iraq has the world's third largest oil reserves. As soaring oil prices swell Iraqi revenues, the budget surplus is expected to grow to as much as $50 billion in 2008.
That may shrink if the Iraqi government spends an extra $22 billion added to the 2008 budget, a measure approved by parliament on Wednesday.
Note they expect an additional 50 BILLION budget surplus.
Impressive.
Imagine.. soon Iraq will be a nation with no national debt.. and revenues in the tens of billions a year.
(What could any country do with 50 BILLION extra revenue??)
And their currency will remain worth less than one US penny on the world market?
Not likely.
How General Petraeus Saved the U.S. Economy
August 05, 2008
James Pethokoukis
With oil prices continuing to plunge—and they may have a lot further to go—I've started wondering about this "what if" scenario: Where would oil prices be today had we abandoned Iraq to civil war and al Qaeda? What if President Bush had announced on Jan. 10, 2007, that instead of surging U.S. troops under the command of General Patraeus, he was ordering their withdrawal? Imagine if Iraq had descended in complete chaos and terror and genocide. Somalia or Rwanda on the Tigris and Euphrates, I guess.
Right now, Iraq is pumping out some 2.4 million barrels of petroleum a day. (That's about what the country was producing before the war and double the level of production at its post-liberation low point.) But given tight global oil markets, what would the price of oil be—and what would the state of the U.S. economy be—with perhaps all of those 2.4 million barrels off the market? Actually, we don't have to imagine very hard at all. Hurricane Katrina took about 2.4 million barrels off the market (because of refining shutdown and a halt to foreign oil deliveries), and oil prices spiked. And then layer on top of all that a possible regional war. Saudi Arabia and Iran might well have intervened on the side of the Sunni and Shiite. Wouldn't we all be screaming about $200-a-barrel oil—or maybe twice that?
Instead, to quote a recent and much-overlooked Associated Press analysis, terrorists and insurgents "no longer have the clout to threaten the viability of the central government." Perhaps now the energy-stressed global economy can look forward to more Iraq oil coming onto the market, perhaps six 6 million barrels a day or more in time as western capital pours in. And while we're at it, don't forget about the costs of not liberating Iraq to begin with. In today's Wall Street Journal, columnist Bret Stephens presents an interesting counterfactual that raises all sorts of interesting questions about opportunity costs,
QUOTE:
Had [Saddam] remained in power, we would likely still believe he had WMD. He would have been sitting on an oil bonanza priced at $140 a barrel. He would almost certainly have broken free from an already crumbling sanctions regime. The U.S. would be faced with not one, but two, major adversaries in the Persian Gulf. Iraqis would be living under a regime that, in an average year, was at least as murderous as the sectarian violence that followed its collapse. And the U.S. would have seemed powerless to shape events.
Remember Hillary's comment about "anything can happen"?
Well, I wondered your thoughts on today's open thread on NB which said,
QUOTE:
Possible talking point: She's baaaaaack!
Sen. Hillary Clinton told a gathering of supporters last week that she's looking for a "strategy" for her delegates to have their voices heard and "respected" at the Democratic National Convention -- and did not rule out the possibility of having her name placed into nomination at the convention alongside Sen. Barack Obama's. "I happen to believe that we will come out stronger if people feel that their voices were heard and their views were respected. I think that is a very big part of how we actually come out unified," Clinton, D-N.Y., said at a California fundraiser last Thursday, in a video clip captured by an attendee and posted on YouTube.
Yes, hats off to General Petraeus for saving the American economy. The future economic benefit to America, of a successful outcome in Iraq, extends into the future, several decades.
Because Iraq will be a success, American oil companies will earn hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue, by helping Iraq develop it's resources, over the next few decades.
Because Iraq will be a success, the American government will be able to tax those oil revenues, which will add to the public treasury, lightening the burden of the American taxpayer, and help pay off the cost of the war.
Because Iraq will be a success, a lot more oil will be on the market, which will suppress it's price, compared to what it would be, with an unstable Iraq.
Because Iraq will be a success, America will have a dependable energy source, as the long transition, several decades long, to a non-oil based economy, takes place.
Because Iraq will be a success, the middle east will be a lot more stable, in the long run, which will stabilize oil prices into the future, which will be an incredible economic benefit to the American consumer.
You don't like $4 a gallon gas? Worried it will go higher, putting a crimp in your family's travel plans? Then thank General Petraeus for finishing his job in Iraq, which will ensure that a large future source of American gas and oil, will be stable.
This will stabilize gas prices, as much as supply and demand will allow.
Iraq has about 25% of all the cheap and easy to develop oil left in the world. Developing those resources in what will be a safe and secure country, will benefit the American consumer.
So, do you have a car? Do you like to drive? Thank General Petraeus for stabilizing oil prices.
So, yes, hats off to General Petraeus.
And Americans can also be thankful President Bush gave this great General the support he needed to finish the job.
I noted that you quoted the below to Rob N.'s article.
Dan 4:17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will..
God gives the rulership of a country to whomever He wills, and this is a part of that plan to assure them that power they seek.
I found it interesting as I am currently reading a book entitled: The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of The United States by Benjamin F. Morris. It's a book about how the United States was founded by the founding fathers on the Christian Faith. Although, I have only received it today and I am only on the Prelogue written by Byron Sunderland Washington, D.C., April 14, 1863-- I am indebited to him for writing this book about our Christian Heritage. Sunderland is writing in this introduction, about the spirituality of a nation and sin is a reproach to any nation and adds to the decay of any nation wherein it is found. He also spoke of the blessings of america and God providence and guidance and how Christians should separate themselves from all connection with openly vicious and corrupt, and from all countenance and support of those whose life and example will not bear the scrutiny of common decency and morality. I will quote his next statement that I found to be profound--- due to such partianship we (as a country) are seeing Washington these days.
"And if in a representative government like ours there must be political divisions, and a conflict of the suffrages of the people, let there be a Christian party, --a party that will not sustain by their sympathy or their votes ment who are known to be in sentiment and life, by precept and example, unchristian and untrue to the great principles of the Christian faith; for the highest treason of which mankind are capable is treason against the authority and law of the Divine government itself; and the most deadly enemies to human government are they who, with a great pretense of Loyalty, are nevertheless daily insulting the majesty of Him who has power to destroy nations at his will."
The author of this introduction is speaking of a people who have an obligation to learn righteous and of how God takes a nation down due to sin. It is quite a reminder.
It is quite a reading for all to learn of how this nation is founded on Christian principles and institutions for our nation. I know, I am gratiful to them for this great land and for protecting our freedoms in our great constitution.
I would listen to the Hillary quote except is appears the site has taken out the audio. My audio is on full and nothing comes out. It must be a democratic block to not allow us to listen.
My sister got on and she can listen to other sites---
So... the above is my conclusion. What Hillary said, must be a good one.
Timbitts, if these benefits you posted are ever to accrue to the American people.. the American people must vote to see this Iraqi project through to completion. That means not following Obama's plan based on an arbitrary and inflexible date to pull out, but one based only on conditions on the ground - allowing the Iraqi troops to stand up as the US and coalition forces stand down.
Tsalagi - it should indeed be interesting to see how the DNC convention will go. Perhaps they are seeking to stir up controversy just to have people tune in for the fight.. with all those entertainment people from Hollywood endorsing their party, someone has got to have advised them on how to get the greatest spectacle out of this fight.
Laura - Your quote, "they who, with a great pretense of Loyalty, are nevertheless daily insulting the majesty of Him who has power to destroy nations at his will." is the phrase that caught my eye from your excellent post. It is true that the founding fathers had a reverence for God and a recognition that the ability to establish or destroy a nation was in the hands of God alone. Certainly, few in the MSM believe this.
As for the youtube video.. do any of the other youtube videos work for you? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSpcxkKlEFA
That is the url, try again. Perhaps you need to reinstall flash player?
U.S. Lawmakers Take Aim at Homegrown Terrorist Threat
Thursday, August 07, 2008
By Catherine Herridge
WASHINGTON — Many Americans believe that the threat of homegrown terrorism is gravest in Europe, but according to the U.S. government, in the last 18 months more than a half-dozen plots were thwarted right here at home.
Sen. Joe Lieberman says the threat is growing.
"Bottom line: There is a threat of homegrown terror in America," he said. "It is not as great as in European cities, but it is growing and we have to take it seriously."
Three young Ohioans were convicted in June on terrorism charges after officials gathered evidence against them that included suicide bomb belts filled with ball bearings.
Mohammed Amawi, Marwan el-Hindi and Wassim Mazloum were part of a terror cell in Toledo that wanted to launch attacks against U.S. troops overseas — made all the easier by their status as Americans.
"Being an American gives you a passport around the world," said Andrew Cochran, chairman of the Counterterrorism Foundation and editor of the Counterterrorism blog. "These again are instances of homegrowns who take it to the limit. ... These people wanted to go all the way to Iraq."
Other homegrown terrorists have planned attacks on the homefront. Derrick Shareef, then just 22, was inspired by a violent Islamist ideology to plan a grenade attack against a shopping mall in Rockford, Ill. He eventually pleaded guilty to terror charges.
According to experts, young, middle-class American Muslims are most at risk — men who don't know a lot about their religion and in an effort to educate themselves fall victim to an extreme ideology.
Yet American Muslim groups say that formula amounts to racial profiling.
"Giving parameters as far as race, religious views or age groups really misses the point. We should be much more sophisticated in the way we approach threats against our country," Shora said.
U.S. lawmakers also are looking at ways of addressing the root causes of homegrown terrorism.
"We also have to ... reach out and grab the hearts and minds, particularly of young Muslim-American males," Lieberman said "We've got to count on their family members and close friends if they see them heading in this direction."
I thought this commentary put it very well concerning the Presidential campaign..
This is a shortened form (worth reading the whole thing if you have time).
===
POLITICS: Why Obama's Flip-Flops Matter
August 7, 2008
Let's compare the two:
John McCain was so loyal to the men he was imprisoned with he endured torture on their behalf.
Barack Obama associates with those who can help his career, and throws them right under the bus when they become inconvenient to his aspirations.
That single issue of character matters more than all the others combined. You can trust John McCain. You can trust Barack Obama to use you as a stepping stone.
Conclusion
John McCain has the strength and determination to be the Commander in Chief, in good times and bad; by long years of trial we have seen what he is made of, what he stands for, and when he is and isn't willing to change his position. His "maverick" nature may make it impossible to be 100% certain where he'll come out in particular domestic-policy debates, but on the whole, any reasonably astute observer of the political scene knows what we are getting with McCain.
None of that can be said with any confidence about Obama. He's a dot-com stock, a subprime loan, an email enticing you to help him transfer money if you send some now - no track record, no established management, no earnings, no visible means of support, just a lot of promises that keep changing every time you ask. He will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. Obama has staked his entire campaign on the value of "just words," and now even the words are changing. His appeal may prove durable to the young, seeing everything for the first time. But at the end of the day, how can we know what this man is made of? We can only hope. How can we know what he stands for? We can only hope. What can we do if we wake up early next year and discover he's not what we hoped for? We can only pray.
‘Two U.S. Aircraft Carriers Head for Gulf Region'
Written by Adam Gonn
Published Thursday, August 07, 2008
Two additional United States naval aircraft carriers are heading to the Gulf and the Red Sea, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper Kuwait Times.
Kuwait began finalizing its “emergency war plan” on being told the vessels were bound for the region.
The U.S. Navy will neither confirm nor deny that carriers are currently en route. U.S. Fifth Fleet Combined Maritime Command located in Bahrain said it could not comment because of what a spokesman termed “force-protection policy.”
Meanwhile, the Arabic news agency Moheet reported at the end of July that an unnamed American destroyer, accompanied by two Israeli naval vessels traveled through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean. A week earlier, a U.S. nuclear submarine accompanied by a destroyer and a supply ship moved into the Mediterranean, according to Moheet.
The ship movements coincide with the latest downturn in relations between Washington and Tehran. The U.S. and Iran are at odds over Iran’s nuclear program, which the Bush administration claims is aimed at producing material for nuclear weapons; however, Tehran argues it is only for power generation.
Kuwait, like other Arab countries in the Gulf, fears it will be caught in the middle should the U.S. decide to launch an air strike against Iran if negotiations fail. The Kuwaitis are finalizing details of their security, humanitarian and vital services, the newspaper reported.
Timbitts and Board;
A little sweetner to the Iraqi Dinar investment, quote:
Iraq has 115 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, the third largest in the world, but the government believes the country's actual oil reserves may be three times as high.
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Iraq to resume oil exploration after 20 year pause
Thu Aug 7, 2008
By Wisam Mohammed
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq will resume searching for oil on Friday for the first time in two decades, the oil ministry said on Thursday, in the hope of finding vast reserves that lay undiscovered because of sanctions and war.
Iraq has 115 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, the third largest in the world, but the government believes the country's actual oil reserves may be three times as high.
Asim Jihad, spokesman for Oil Ministry, said it had trained three teams of geophysicists, geologists and engineers and would kick off exploration in the Gharraf field in Nassiriya in southern Iraq on Friday.
"Tomorrow, the equipment will be turned on to start the first oil exploration for 20 years, at a ceremony which will be attended by the oil minister and senior officials," Jihad said on Thursday.
Jihad said Iraq had only used about a fifth of the country's 500 possible oil-producing sites and they needed to explore more to try and confirm potential reserves.
"These three teams are part of a group the oil ministry formed to renew exploration activity in order to change the unconfirmed reserves to confirmed ones," he said.
The first team will carry out seismic tests on the Gharraf field using up-to-date technology supplied by international companies, he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih told Reuters in April he had seen estimates from "reputable companies" that put Iraq's oil reserves at some 350 billion barrels, a massive figure which would put the country ahead of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is currently ranked first in the world with proven reserves of about 264 billion barrels, followed by Iran with some 137 billion and then Iraq on 115 billion.
POLL: Bring troops home from Iraq before winning the war falls below 50 percent
49% Say Bring Home the Troops, 42% Say Win the War First
Friday, August 08, 2008
The number of Americans who believe getting the troops home from Iraq is more important than winning the war there has fallen below 50% for the first time since Rasmussen Reports began polling on the question in May.
Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters still feel that way, while 42% place more importance on winning the war in Iraq. The latter shows a slight increase in that position.
By contrast, in mid-May, 52% said bringing the troops home was more important than winning the war, which only 39% rated as more important.
In recent weeks, Americans also have shown record confidence that the United States is winning the war on terror.
Voters continue to see the outcomes in Iraq as widely different depending on which of the presidential candidates is elected in November.
54% believe that the United States is likely to win the war in Iraq if McCain is elected, while only 25% think that is possible if Obama becomes the next president.
In the 2004 election cycle, 51% of voters said making sure Iraq becomes "a peaceful nation enjoying freedom and democracy" was more important than bringing U.S. soldiers home right away. Thirty-nine percent (39%) believed bringing the troops home was more important.
Americans also still trust McCain far more on national security issues than Obama. In the latest survey, the Republican leads 52% to 40%, up from the eight-point lead he held the week before.
Iraqi Minister of Transport, Amir Abdul-Jabbar, has announced that Mosul International Airport will reopen later this month once repair and upgrade works are completed that redevelopment work will soon start on Al-Maaqil port.
(www.noozz.com)
U.N. Iraq mandate renewed; Baghdad wants more U.N. help
Fri Aug 8, 2008 2:03am EDT
By Megan Davies
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council voted on Thursday to keep the United Nations mission in Iraq for another year, as Baghdad urged the world body to do more to help it transform into a functioning democracy.
Amid stalled provincial elections, Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations said he would like the body to boost its presence and clout. Part of the organization's task in Iraq, he said, is to help sort out internal border disputes and aid dialogue with neighboring countries.
"There is a lot to do," Hamid al-Bayati told reporters.
The five-year-old U.N. mission in Iraq, known as UNAMI, is made up of more than 1,000 troops, civilian staff and security personnel. Its mandate was beefed up a year ago to give the body an expanded political role.
Extension of the mandate, due to expire August 10, was unanimously approved by the 15-nation Security Council.
"Today's unanimous support for the extension of mandate is a recognition that what happened in Iraq is important for the world," said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad. "Everyone wants Iraq to succeed and for the U.N. to play its role in helping Iraqis."
The resolution says security for U.N. staff in Iraq, where insurgents continue to attack U.S.-led foreign troops, is "essential." The U.N. mandate for international troops, which currently provides security protection for the U.N. staff, is set to expire in December.
Washington is negotiating a bilateral security agreement with Iraq to cover the period once the mandate for foreign troops expires and Bayati said an agreement was close on this.
Still fresh in the minds of diplomats and staff is a truck-bomb attack which destroyed the U.N. office in Baghdad on August 19, 2003, killing 22 people. The blast led to a temporary withdrawal of U.N. staff from Iraq.
But security has improved dramatically since that day, Bayati said, adding that the government has also allocated a parcel of land in Baghdad to the U.N. for a new base there.
(www.reuters.com)
If Hillary were to have a chance to steal the nomination, she'd have to have some pretty heavy dirt on Obama, released "just in time" for the convention, by a supposedly neutral third party. The Clinton's wouldn't be that dirty, would they? They wouldn't set off a stink bomb at the convention, would they? Probably not. Oh well....
If Iraq really DOES HAVE, as many of us suspect, the lartgest oil reserves in the world, and if geologists are now assessing that possibility, what with gas at $4 a gallon, with an election coming up, with the price of energy the number one economic concern of voters, and with the voters already saying John McCain was far more likely to win the war in Iraq, and thus help stabilize Iraq, and oil prices, then under these conditions, it's not likely that the new oil data would be made widely known to the public, on the major networks, in time to influence the November election, would it? That would seem too obvious....
The Iraqi Central Bank Consultant stated to Aswat Al Iraq about the new instructions will be effective from Sunday, the mandatory standardization of cash reserve ratio in government and private banks in the same ratio.
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