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Iraq: Three Years Later March 20, 2006 marked the third anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. American forces quickly toppled Saddam's regime but, three years later, the war continues – as the U.S. faces a dire terrorist enemy that seeks to prevent democracy from coming to Iraq and to impose a tyrannical Sharia state on the Iraqi people. To mark the third anniversary of this center of conflict in our war on terror, we have assembled a distinguished panel to assess: how are we doing and where are we headewd? Our guests today are: Captain Chuck Nash,...

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2006 – Three years after Saddam Hussein's statue, along with his regime, was toppled in Baghdad, an Army planner who served there at the time said he's optimistic about Iraq's progress in forming its government, repairing its infrastructure and establishing its security forces. Army Lt. Col. E.J. Degen works with 6th Iraqi Army Division before their validation exercise during his recent deployment to Iraq. About a month later, the Iraqi division assumed battlespace inside Baghdad. Courtesy photo    Army Lt. Col. E.J. Degen brings unique insights into Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was chief of plans for...

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2006 – Three years after his brigade seized control of Baghdad's international airport from Iraqi forces' control, Army Col. William Grimsley said he believes that country is taking the critical first steps toward reclaiming its past greatness. Grimsley, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Combat Brigade Team during the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, said history - not current events - will tell the true story of Iraq's metamorphosis. And that story will show how Iraq ultimately emerged from almost 40 years of a regime that ignored the people's needs and undermined its potential, Grimsley,...

IRAQ today marked the third anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, with hundreds of Shiites expressing joy at the ouster of the former dictator while the former Sunni elite denounced the presence of US-led foreign troops in the country. Shiites rallying in the capital took a huge poster of Saddam emblazoned with the words "fall of the tyrant" and trampled on it repeatedly, in memory of the toppling of the former ruler's statue in a Baghdad square on April 9, 2003. Chanting slogans in favour of embattled Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the demonstrators also marked the anniversary of...

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Saturday said the United States has made "serious mistakes" during the Iraq war that have led to the rising violence the country now faces. "We made some serious mistakes in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Baghdad," Powell told a crowd of thousands at the McCormick Place conference. "We didn't have enough troops on the ground. We didn't impose our will. And as a result, an insurgency got started, and . . . it got out of control." Now, American troops must "stick with the people of Iraq" until order is...

There have been scenes of jubilation in Baghdad as US tanks rolled into the very heart of the Iraqi capital, confirming that the government of Saddam Hussein has been ousted from power. In the main square in Baghdad, a group of Iraqi men attempted to pull down a massive statue of Saddam Hussein in an unprecedented show of contempt for the Iraqi leader. The metal plaque at the base of the statue was torn off and the statue's marble plinth attacked with a sledgehammer. The men scaled the statue to secure a noose around its neck but were unable to...

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2006 – Three years ago April 9, the world looked on, captivated by compelling television images of Iraqis ripping down a towering statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, and burning images of the Iraqi dictator on the streets. The statue of Saddam Hussein topples in Baghdad's Firdos Square on April 9, 2003. Three years later, Iraqi forces increasingly are taking the lead in securing their country.   Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld lauded it as an important sign of things to come. "We're seeing history unfold and events that will shape the course of a country, the fate...

WASHINGTON, April 7, 2006 – Insurgents may still be working to derail the democratic process in Iraq. But it's important to look at the bigger picture as a three-year milestone approaches, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesperson said during a briefing from Baghdad yesterday. "On the 9th of April (2003) ... the statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square was toppled," Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told reporters. "Sometimes we get so caught up in the event of the day ... we forget progress has been made over the last three years." Saddam's regime was toppled and now Saddam is being...

WHEN GEORGE Washington took command of the Continental Army in June of 1775, he wrote to his wife that he expected to be home by fall. He returned eight years later. Union and Confederate soldiers rushing off to fight the Civil War feared they wouldn’t reach the battlefields before the war was over. Americans have a habit of underestimating the length and horror of war. The difference between now and then is that Americans no longer are a patient people. The war is different, too, but that does not mean it is incapable of being won. As the Iraq war...

Three years after the invasion of Iraq, the United States does not feel much like a country at war. Nearly 20,000 American soldiers have been killed or injured to date, but the more comfortable among us find it shockingly easy to forget about the conflict for weeks at a time. Most middle-class professionals, academics, and journalists don't have relatives or friends serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. We have not been called upon to make any sacrifices, financial or otherwise. We hear less and less about the occupation on the evening news, and even in big cities it is unusual to...

"Something I hold so dear" by Wayne Boettcher Posted: 03/24/2006 It was a cool day in the desert on March 18, 2006, happy grey clouds scudded across the sky. The brisk wind rocked my truck, promising a sand-filled day as I ricocheted through the crazy Tucson streets toward the Military Recruiting Center at 2302 E. Speedway. In this town, many citizens seem to have replaced the gas and brake pedals of their vehicles with a simple toggle switch where up is full power, down is full brake. When I arrived at the Center at 8:00 am, at least ten...

March 22, 2006 Fmr. Saddam General Georges Sada On The Daily Show; Says WMDS Existed, Were Moved (VIDEO) (Hat Tip: Instapundit) General Georges Sada, who served under the command of Saddam Hussein, appeared on The Daily Show last night to discuss his new book “Saddam’s Secrets“: In his book and on The Daily Show, Sada says that Weapons of Mass Destruction existed, however they were moved to Syria prior to the American invasion in 2003. Stewart asks how he knows this; was it by documents or video, Sada responds: “I was the number two man in the air force”....

It has been three years since 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' began and for three years we debated whether the decision was right or wrong and until this moment we have different feelings and opinions about where this operation brought us and where its aftermaths are going to lead us. This disputed operation no doubt had-and will continue to have-major effects on the future of the region and the rest of the world and it's not limited to the boundaries of Iraq; a fact that makes rational debate legitimate by all standards. To me, each anniversary brings emotions, thoughts and expectations; some...

Today was a busy day for President Bush. This morning he gave a press conference at the White House and answered reporters' questions with fire and passion (including a priceless exchange with Helen Thomas). He then welcomed Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to the Oval Office at the White House, and accompanied her to a social luncheon in her honor, where they enjoyed entertainment by the dance group, Moving in the Spirit, and vocal star, Denyce Graves. Later he met with Iraq and Afghanistan non-governmental organizations (with First Lady Laura in attendance as well).Lots and lots of expressive pictures of...

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2006 – Sectarian violence that erupted after the Feb. 22 bombing of a mosque in Samarra, Iraq, could have led to civil war. But Iraqis stayed united and are working to build a united government, President Bush said here today. When violence broke out, the Iraqi army didn't break apart into sectarian divisions, and religious and political leaders stood up to the violence and committed themselves to progress, Bush said at a White House news conference. The efforts of the Iraqis, along with continued coalition support, are what kept the country out of civil war, he said....

Britain's involvement in the invasion of Iraq is to be defended by the prime minister, in the first of three speeches on foreign policy. Tony Blair is expected to say extremism in the world needs to be confronted and criticise those who argue otherwise. He will restate his conviction that the UK faces threats and must prevent terrorism, not merely react to it. The PM will tell an audience that foreign policy should be "strongly activist" and "justified by values". The speech comes three years after bombs started falling on Baghdad at the start of the US-led campaign that resulted...

The number of locals out numbered the stretched thin FReepers this week!!! FReepers from the D.C. area were in Richmond and Fayetteville representing us down thereSeven FReepers/Lurkers were in attendance: Spiff, Jimmy Valentine's Brother, [Mrs] Trooprally, myself, Lurker Lloyd, and locals Lurker Bill & Cindy-True-Supporter.Seven locals in attendance were Steve (with crutch, just moved to Nevada and was in town briefly), Stu, and five kids who stopped by for about an hour. The kids plan on being back next week with reinforcements and will be dressed for the weather. They only had on light clothing since they didn't plan on...

Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, tipped to be security supremo in a new administration, called on Tuesday for Iraq's forces to be reinforced to prevent sectarian conflict exploding into all-out civil war. Since talks on forming a national unity government were dragging on, leaders should consider a quick, temporary deal to install a crisis cabinet and review its line-up in a year or so, the secular, Shi'ite politician told Reuters in an interview. "We are in the early stages of a civil war. We hope we don't get to the point of no return," he said at the headquarters of...

Mar 21, 11:09 AM EST Bush Defends Decisions on Iraq War By TERENCE HUNT AP White House Correspondent AP Photo/RON EDMONDS Other U.S. Video WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Tuesday the decision about when to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq will fall to future presidents and Iraqi leaders, suggesting that U.S. involvement will continue at least through 2008. Acknowledging the public's growing unease with the war - and election-year skittishness among fellow Republicans - the president nonetheless vowed to keep U.S. soliders in the fight. "If I didn't believe we could suceeed, I wouldn't be there. I wouldn't...

Here is a partial text of President Bush's news conference on Tuesday, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions: --- BUSH: Yesterday, I delivered the second in a series of speeches on the situation in Iraq. I spoke about the violence that the Iraqi people had faced since last month's bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra. I also said that for every act of violence, there is encouraging progress in Iraq that's hard to capture on the evening news. Yesterday, I spoke about an important example of the gains we and the Iraqis have made, and that is in the northern...