International:

Israeli War Report

[to have fun -substitute "President" for prime minister, "Sec. of Defense" for minister of defence, and "US" for Israeli]

"The prime minister bears supreme and comprehensive responsibility for the decisions of his government and the operations of the army. His responsibility for the failures in the initial decisions concerning the war stem from both his position and from his behaviour ... The prime minister made up his mind hastily, despite the fact that no detailed military plan was submitted to him and without asking for one."

"All of these add up to a serious failure in exercising judgment, responsibility and prudence."
"The minister of defence did not have knowledge or experience in military, political or governmental matters. He also did not have good knowledge of the basic principles of using military force to achieve political goals. Despite these serious gaps, he made his decisions during this period without systemic consultations ... His serving as minister of defence during the war impaired Israel's ability to respond well to its challenges."

"Israel's government in its plenum failed in its political function of taking full responsibility for its decisions."

"We hope that our findings ... will not only impel taking care of the serious governmental flaws and failures ... but will also lead towards a renewed process in which Israeli society, and its political and spiritual leaders will take up and explore Israel's long-term aspirations and the ways to advance them."

Report: al Qaeda leader killed

Iraqi officials have received reports that the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq was killed by Sunni tribesmen, but the chief government spokesman said today that the information has not been confirmed.

The statement by spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh followed a welter of reports from other Iraqi officials that Abu Ayyub Masri had been killed -- either by rivals in al Qaeda or Sunni tribesmen who had turned against the extremists.

Iraqi officials have released similar reports in the past only to acknowledge later that they were inaccurate. Read full story here.

National:

Mission Accomplished?

Let us evaluate...(click here)

Bush vetoes troop withdrawal bill

President Bush vetoed legislation to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq Tuesday night in a historic showdown with Congress over whether the unpopular and costly war should end or escalate.

It was a day of high political drama, falling on the fourth anniversary of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech declaring that major combat operations had ended in Iraq.

In only the second veto of his presidency, Bush rejected legislation pushed by Democratic leaders that would require the first U.S. combat troops to be withdrawn by Oct. 1 with a goal of a complete pullout six months later. [You won't hear the bill's actual name when listening to the 'drive by media' -but the official name is the Iraq Accountability Act. Funny, they called the "USA Patriot Act" by its official name]

"This is a prescription for chaos and confusion and we must not impose it on our troops," Bush said in a nationally broadcast statement from the White House. He said the bill would "mandate a rigid and artificial deadline" for troop pullouts, and "it makes no sense to tell the enemy when you plan to start withdrawing." Read more.

In the meantime Pelosi calls out Bush for 1999 statement on timetable. Reacting to President Bush’s veto of the Iraq supplemental bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi noted this evening that Bush once believed it was important for a president to lay out a timetable

Bush, Dems set for Round 2 on war funding

In a move that is no surprise to anyone, President Bush on Tuesday issued the second veto of his administration, setting up a new battle with congressional Democrats over a war spending bill to fund troops in Iraq that also sets a timetable for withdrawal.

Bush addressed the nation late Tuesday from the White House after the veto saying the bill mandates "a rigid and artifiical deadline" that will not help end violence in Iraq.

"I believe setting a deadline for withdrawal would demoralize the Iraqi people, would encourage killers across the broader Middle East and send a signal that America does not keep its commitment"

In Other News...

The number of terrorist attacks worldwide rose by 20,000 (40 percent) last year, "mostly due to greater violence in Iraq. ... Iraq alone accounts for nearly two-thirds of all terrorism-related deaths last year."

"Paul D. Wolfowitz defended himself vigorously on Monday, declaring that it would be 'unjust and frankly hypocritical' for the World Bank's board to find him guilty of ethical lapses. But he also hinted that he would discuss whether to resign as bank president if the board cleared him of misconduct."

Scott Bloch "

has demonstrated a willingness to go after [Karl] Rove, at least on the small stuff: The [Los Angeles Times] has learned that Bloch investigated complaints that Rove's politically related travel had been improperly billed to the government. Bloch's action resulted in a reimbursement to the Treasury Department for what some described as a bookkeeping error."

"

The Senate homeland security committee plans to hold hearings this summer on the Bush administration's handling of offers of foreign aid after Hurricane Katrina. ... Of $854 million offered after the storm -- in cash and oil that was to be sold for cash -- only $44 million has gone to disaster victims or reconstruction so far."

"

The largest bloc of Sunni Arabs in the Iraqi Parliament threatened to withdraw its ministers from the Shiite-dominated cabinet on Monday in frustration over the government's failure to deal with Sunni concerns. President Bush stepped in to forestall the move."

Biden on Iraq bill: "We're going to shove it down his throat." See video here.

House oversight chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent a letter today to Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan, urging him to be ready to answer questions about specific topics at his hearing on May 8. Among other topics, Waxman tells Duncan he will need to discuss the names of all White House officials who have used RNC e-mail accounts, the number of communications each White House official sent or received using RNC e-mail accounts each year, and the policies “relating to the preservation, storage, or destruction of communications transmitted using RNC e-mail accounts.”

British Prime Minister Tony Blair “began the final countdown to his departure today by promising a resignation announcement next week and anointing Gordon Brown as his successor,” The Guardian reports. … Meanwhile, a new poll by The Independent found that 69% of the British public ‘believe he will be remembered most for the Iraq war. Remarkably, his next highest ‘legacy rating’ — just 9% — is for his relationship with the American President.

From The Right: Dennis Prager: Even If Entering Iraq Was a Mistake, Leaving Is Worse
Even if the war was a major blunder and even if everything the Left charges -- including "Bush lied" -- were true, none of these contentions has any bearing on the question of what should be done now.

From The Left: Ron Hutchenson: Price Tag for War in Iraq to Top $500 Billion The bitter fight over the latest Iraq spending bill has all but obscured a sobering fact: The war will soon cost more than $500 billion. That's about ten times more than the Bush administration anticipated before the war started four years ago, and no one can predict how high the tab will go.

Quote Of The Day: "major combat operations in Iraq have ended." ..."In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." George W. Bush 4 years ago standing under a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished"

(Sources: AP, FOXNews, NYT, TownHall, WashingtonPost, BBC, WashingtonTimes, LATimes, WhiteHouse.gov, CNN, DrudgeReport, ThinkProgress, USHouseOfRepresentatives, PoliticalWire, ThePolitico)