Mothers Against the Draft

Iran's Growing Sway in Iraq Defies Neocons' Logic

The real long-term geopolitical winner of the 'War on Terror' could be Iran. No one in Washington would have imagined that with all the human and financial costs of the war, the United States would find itself supporting a government with close ties to Iran and that would conclude a military agreement with Tehran for the training of Iraq forces, even as nearly 140,000 U.S. troops remained on Iraq soil.

Top general downplays troop cuts Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers yesterday downplayed the prospect of deep cuts next year in U.S. troop levels in Iraq. There's a possibility we might be able to reduce forces," the Air Force general said at a Pentagon press conference. "But sharp reductions -- I mean, nobody -- no senior commander has talked about sharp reductions."	Waging the trillion-dollar war The human cost of the more than 2,000 American military personnel killed and 14,500 wounded so far in Iraq and Afghanistan is all too apparent. But the financial toll is still largely hidden from public view and, like the suffering of those who have lost loved ones, will persist long after the fighting is over.
In Iraq, a question of troop numbers In recent weeks, U.S. generals in Iraq have been telling congressional visitors that the disappointing performance of many Iraqi combat units has made early departures impractical. They say it will be two years or more before Iraqis can be expected to begin replacing U.S. units as the main guarantors of security.Commanders concerned for their careers have not thought it prudent to go further, and to say publicly what many say privately: that with U.S. troop levels - 139,000 now - they have been forced to play an infernal board game, constantly shuttling combat units from one war zone to another, leaving insurgent buildups unmet in some places while they deal with more urgent problems elsewhere.	U.S. backs down on Islamic law Even as insurgent groups were insisting the only binding law for Iraq should be the Quran and issuing threats to kill all secular politicians involved in drawing up nation's awaited constitution, the U.S., in an effort to meet tomorrow's deadline, conceded an expanded role for the Islamic religion in all future legislation.
Army Planning for 4 Years in Iraq The Army is planning for the possibility of keeping the current number of soldiers in Iraq -- well over 100,000 -- for four more years, the Army's top general said Saturday. In an Associated Press interview, Gen. Peter Schoomaker said the Army is prepared for the "worst case" in terms of the required level of troops in Iraq.	Iraqis Not Ready to Fight Rebels on Own, U.S. Says About half of Iraq's new police battalions are still being established and cannot conduct operations, while the other half of the police units and two-thirds of the new army battalions are only "partially capable" of carrying out counterinsurgency missions, and only with American help, according to a newly declassified Pentagon assessment.
Bush raises option of using force against Iran President Bush said he could consider using force as a last resort to press Iran to give up its nuclear program. But German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, one of the most prominent European opponents of the U.S.-led war on Iraq, told an election rally on Saturday the threat of force was not acceptable.	Worry Grows as Iraq's Defense Ministry Falls Short of Expectations The reformed Iraqi Ministry of Defense is riddled with crippling problems that have raised concerns about its ability to keep Iraqi units paid, fed and equipped once it assumes full responsibility for the army, according to American and Iraqi commanders. Hoping to withdraw large numbers of the 135,000 American combat troops in the next year, American commanders say their plans hinge on a functioning ministry. If American troops leave without one in place, they say, the Iraqi Army could quickly collapse.
Review Finds Iran Far From Nuclear Bomb A major U.S. intelligence review has projected that Iran is about a decade away from manufacturing the key ingredient for a nuclear weapon, roughly doubling the previous estimate of five years, according to government sources with firsthand knowledge of the new analysis.	Conflicts' costs may exceed $700 billion The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have already cost taxpayers $314 billion, and the Congressional Budget Office projects additional expenses of perhaps $450 billion over the next 10 years.