San Juan Peace Net

By MAUREEN DOWD

Washington

The new Democratic sweep conjures up an ancient image: Furies swooping down to punish bullies.

Angry winged goddesses with dog heads, serpent hair and blood eyes, unmoved by tears, prayer, sacrifice or nasty campaign ads, avenging offenses by insolent transgressors.

1999 war games foresaw problems in Iraq – Yahoo! News
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government conducted a series of secret war games in 1999 that anticipated an invasion of
Iraq would require 400,000 troops, and even then chaos might ensue.
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In its “Desert Crossing” games, 70 military, diplomatic and intelligence officials assumed the high troop levels would be needed to keep order, seal borders and take care of other security needs.

by Bill Shein

Has “Animal Farm,” George Orwell’s 1946 satiric fable about the rise of totalitarianism, become the blueprint for the president’s re-election campaign? It seems unthinkable, but review the following and judge for yourself.

Bush Campaign—“The mother of a soldier killed in Iraq was arrested Thursday after interrupting a campaign speech by first lady Laura Bush … [she] screamed questions at the first lady as the audience tried to drown her out by chanting, ‘Four more years! Four more years!’ “—UPI, Sept. 17.

Independent Online Edition > Middle East
Iraq is in flight. Everywhere inside and outside the country, Iraqis who once lived in their own houses cower for safety six or seven to a room in hovels.

Many go after they have been threatened. Often they leave after receiving an envelope with a bullet inside and a scrawled note telling them to get out immediately. Others flee after a relative has been killed, believing they will be next.

The Guardian reported Saturday on the 8 options for Iraq allegedly being considered by the Bush administration:

1. British out now. This is possible, but as the events in Amara on Friday show, will be attended by instability.

2. US and Coalition troops out now: ’ “We could pull out now and leave them to their fate,” a [British] Foreign Office official said. “But the place could implode.” ’

3. Phased withdrawal. (Can be easily derailed by events.)

4. Talk to Iran and Syria.