Author and journalist Rick Freedman is in Europe to compile a photo essay of the European anti-war, anti-Bush protests. He's got some good pictures up on his blog, World on Fire. Rick describes his journey:

I'm in Europe developing a photo essay illustrating the European anti-war,
anti-Bush action that doesn't get covered by the docile US media. I've posted a
photo essay with some of my exclusive new stuff on my "World on Fire" blog. I
think you'll find it pretty interesting - the atmosphere of conflict and tension
here is impossible to grasp by watching the CNN ten-second newsbite. Please stop by and take a look.

Here's our favorite picture, from Munich.

Former President Jimmy Carter is the latest critic of the War in Iraq. From an interview with London's Independent:

"There was no reason for us to become involved in Iraq recently. That was a war based on lies and misinterpretations from London and from Washington, claiming falsely that Saddam Hussein was responsible for [the] 9/11 attacks, claiming falsely that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. And I think that President Bush and Prime Minister Blair probably knew that many of the allegations were based on uncertain intelligence ... a decision was made to go to war [then people said] 'Let's find a reason to do so'."

[link via Political Wire.]

by TChris

The tranfer of power to the people of Iraq, scheduled to occur on June 30, will be largely symbolic, as the United States will still exercise the real power in the country.

The fledgling Iraqi government will be capable of tackling little more than drawing up a budget and preparing for elections, top U.S. and Iraqi officials say.

Since the U.S.-led occupation regime will have a hand in choosing Iraq's next government, the body will lack a mandate for anything but administrative tasks. Many envision a team of nonpartisan Iraqi technocrats who concentrate on keeping the country functioning.

The interim government is not expected to enact any laws or enter into significant contracts. Rather, the government will try to create a budget while preparing for elections. In the meantime, the U.S. government will direct spending of much of the U.S. aid package, giving the U.S. "a huge tool with which to influence Iraq's affairs."

The U.S. influence on Iraqi affairs is expected to last beyond the formation of a democratically elected government. For example, Paul Bremer is appointing inspectors general for Iraq's ministries that, according to current rules, can't be replaced by an incoming Iraqi government.

Six U.S. soldiers have been charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.

It's "the kind of cancer that you have to cut out quickly. You've got to address it very, very quickly," said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the U.S. military's deputy director of operations.

17 soldiers have been suspended for abusing prisoners at the prison. As to these six,

The probe of the six MP's is being handled by the Army's Criminal Investigation Division Command. They face an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury, which will decide whether there is enough evidence to prosecute them, Kimmitt said.

by TChris

Anti-war protestors took to the streets today. A crowd of 30,000 attended a rally in Manhattan, one of 250 protest sites across the country. Other protests around the world commemorated the one year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

Juan Cole, writing for Salon says Welcome to the Quagmire:

The Bush administration invaded Iraq a year ago expecting a shower of rose petals. Today, the country is on the verge of chaos, and there may be no way to stop it.

It's a war that isn't ending. More explosions in Iraq. This just developing--two more hotels that house foreigners have been hit. With the one year anniversary of the Iraq invasion coming up, Al-Jazeera reports:

Explosions and shootings have racked Iraq in what appears to be an intensification of anti-occupation resistance ahead of the first anniversary of the US-led invasion.

A car bomb destroyed a Baghdad hotel Wednesday night, killing 27 (as of now.)

The Bush administration offered prayers for the victims but said such attacks would not change U.S. policy. "Democracy is taking root in Iraq and there is no turning back," said Scott McClellan, White House spokesman. "This is a time of testing, but the terrorists will not prevail."

Here's an open thread to discuss it and all things Iraq war-related.

Colorado Green Beret, Chief Warrant Officer William Howell, killed himself during a confrontation with police who had responded to his home on a domestic disturbance call. He returned from Iraq three weeks ago. He was 36.

The military requires troops returning from combat to be screened for post-traumatic stress disorder and other problems. The policy was enacted after four military wives of special forces soldiers returning from Afghanistan were killed by their husbands at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2002.

Steve Robinson, executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center, an advocacy group for veterans of both conflicts, said at least 23 service members committed suicide in Iraq since the war started and six, excluding Howell, killed themselves after returning stateside.

Read Joe Conasen today on the decline of the Western alliance:

Rather than using the events in Spain to retroactively justify the Bush administration’s policy in Iraq, honest analysis must acknowledge that last year’s invasion of Iraq was a serious strategic error. By rejecting multilateralism in pursuit of their "pre-emptive" doctrine, the President and his advisers damaged American credibility, weakened the Western alliance and created the situation now being exploited by Al Qaeda.

...The neoconservative strategy in Iraq has proved wrong in almost every particular. The costs of the war have been far greater than predicted, while the benefits remain in grave doubt. Meanwhile the Western alliance continues to decline, as does the moral reputation of the United States.

This is an official database of the Administration's statements on Iraq set up in the House of Representatives at the request of Rep. Henry Waxman.

Background:

One year after the Iraq invasion, many doubts have been raised regarding the Administration’s assertions about the threat posed by Iraq. Prior to the war in Iraq, the President and his advisors repeatedly claimed that Iraq
possessed weapons of mass destruction that jeopardized the security of the United States. The failure to discover these weapons after the war has led to questions about whether the President and his advisors were candid in describing Iraq’s threat.

The Database:

The Iraq on the Record Report, prepared at the request of Rep. Henry A.Waxman, is a comprehensive examination of the statements made by the five Administration officials most responsible for providing public information and shaping public opinion on Iraq: President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.

This database identifies 237 specific misleading statements about the threat posed by Iraq made by these five officials in 125 public appearances in the time leading up to and after the commencement of hostilities in Iraq. The search options on the left can be used to find statements by any combination of speaker, subject, keyword, or date.

by TChris

As we approach the one year anniversary of Bush's Folly (a/k/a The Invasion of Iraq), take time to read this overview of disclosures that have come to light in recent months concerning the runup to the invasion. Of particular interest:

• evidence of the link between the invasion and the administration's thirst for oil;

• the administration's efforts to boot Jose Bustani out of his position as head of the UN’s Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, for fear that he would succeed in his attempt to persuade Iraq to join the Chemical Weapons Convention, which would have thwarted the administration's justification for going to war;

• the stealthy creation of the Office of Special Plans at the Pentagon (the "special plan" being the invasion of Iraq), where Bush's holy warriors overrode the judgment of career specialists in Middle East policy while publicly pretending to support a diplomatic solution; and

• enlisting the British government's assistance in spying on UN officials in New York.

The article also discusses the administration's (largely successful) efforts to delay or control any investigation into its actions, and to avoid responsibility or accountability for its decisions.