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WASHINGTON -- President Bush and his top advisers have decided, for now, against launching a war to overthrow Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in the next phase of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, according to senior U.S. officials and Western diplomats. With the al-Qaeda terrorist network all but vanquished in Afghanistan, speculation has been growing that Bush would turn his sights on Hussein, a longtime U.S. nemesis who is known to have chemical and biological weapons. Iraq also is believed to be working on obtaining nuclear weapons. But the officials and diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Bush's ...

Earlier this week, the campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., seized upon a column in the New York Post that described Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as having urged Iraqi leaders in a private meeting to delay coming to an agreement with the Bush administration on the status of U.S. troops. "Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a drawdown of the American military presence," Post columnist Amir Taheri wrote, quoting Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, who told the Post that Obama, during his meeting with Iraqi leaders in July, "asked why we were...

(CNSNews.com) - Ryan Crocker, who was a career diplomat with long experience in the Middle East, and who served as the U.S. ambassador to Syria from 1998 to 2001, says “there’s every chance we’ll lose aircraft” if U.S. planes enter Syrian airspace. During an August 23 National Public Radio (NPR) interview Crocker was asked about possible U.S. military action against Syria. “I was in Lebanon when the Israelis invaded in June of 1982, and the entire Syrian air force was basically just destroyed in a matter of hours because of inadequate air defenses,” said Crocker. “The Syrians learned from that...

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. - Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker, was twice the legal limit when he side-swiped a semi-truck at an intersection in Spokane Valley on August 14, according to Trooper Troy Briggs with the Washington State Patrol. Crocker, 63, who's from Spokane, was arrested for DUI and hit and run after a collision with the semi at the intersection of Sprague Ave. and Pines Road at 2:05p.m. Crocker's blood alcohol content (BAC) was .160 and .152 following two breathalyzer tests. The legal limit in Washington is .08.

SNIPPET: "A leading US expert on the Mideast has told Congress that the US should break with its policy and begin talking to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group that the US calls a terrorist organization. Ryan Crocker..

Today George W Bush visited the State Department for the last time as President where he presented the Medal of Freedom to Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice presented the President with a memento displaying the flags of European nations that entered NATO during his time as President during the ceremony to commemorate foreign policy achievements at the State Department during his Presidency. Later this evening the President will address the nation for the final time. The Vice President took part in a mock swearing-in ceremony for Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and United...

Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker trooped up to Capitol Hill this week to deliver their second Iraq progress report. It was all fascinating -- encouraging, really, if you're not invested intellectually or politically in American defeat there -- but you have to wonder why certain lawmakers bothered showing up. "Iraq progress report," for them, appears to be a contradiction in terms. There can be no progress there because (a) we've already lost or (b) they're convinced we can never succeed. Poor Petraeus and Crocker. They come all the way from Baghdad to appear at congressional hearings that they...

Didn't see one and we need one.

Men at Work, Children at Play September 24, 2007 The Weekly Standard Frederick W. Kagan & William Kristol The telling difference between General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, and their congressional inquisitors. Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself. --Mark Twain This week, America heard about Iraq from two serious men, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. They understand Iraq in all its complexity. They have an astonishing mastery of the details of what's going on in almost every part of the country and an amazing grasp of virtually every...

  For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretarySeptember 15, 2007 President's Radio Address   President's Radio Address  Audio  En Español       In Focus: Renewal in IraqTHE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before Congress on the progress of America's strategy in Iraq, including the surge in forces. They agreed that our Coalition faces formidable challenges. Yet they also said that security conditions are improving, that our forces are seizing the initiative from the enemy, and that the troop surge is working. Because of this progress, General Petraeus now believes we can maintain our security gains with...

President Bush gave formal notice to Congress today that he is renewing the national emergency that was declared after the 9/11 attacks. “Because the terrorist threat continues”--no matter how much the liberals (and some presidential candidates) pretend it doesn’t. (Transcript) President Bush will address the nation Thursday night. Press Secretary Tony Snow gave his final press briefing today (Transcript) . He will leave the White House on Friday. General David Petraeus and Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. (Video) Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Many did not have an opportunity to watch this presser today. So enjoy...

The Victory Caucus has joined with a coalition of other pro-victory groups to sponsor the Stand by the Mission petition below. We ask that you add your signature to the petition so that we can demonstrate to Congress and the world that the American public is committed to victory. Stand by the American Mission in Iraq Iraq is now the central front in the War on Terrorism - not because Americans want it to be but because America's enemies have said so and made it so. Al-Qaeda and Iranian-backed militias are determined to drive the United States out of...

Kirk Johnson, formerly the Deputy Director for Assessments in the Joint Strategic Planning and Assessment office at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, met with bloggers yesterday to help the community understand the elements that comprise the security improvements in Iraq that result from the troop surge. Fresh from Iraq (he left less than two weeks ago), Johnson relayed his take on the progress report, mentioning that the surge was initially put forth last year as a “new way forward.” Like any new plan, the surge required some tweaks. Johnson, who was also the chief statistician for Ambassador Ryan Crocker, said...

Ambassador Crocker: Iran the Winner if US Abandons Iraq September 10, 2007 Agence France-Presse From Correspondents in Washington US Ambassador Ryan Crocker warned overnight Iran "would be a winner" if the United States abandons Iraq and allows the Islamic republic to consolidate its influence. In testimony to the US Congress, Mr Crocker raised the specter of an Iranian intervention if the United States withdraws and Iraq plunges into civil war. "Undoubtedly Iran would be a winner in this scenario, consolidating

Gen. Petraeus' report to Congress

Stand by the American Mission in Iraq Sign the Petition We, the undersigned, call on our national leaders and fellow citizens to resist calls for a premature withdrawal from Iraq and to support America's troops under the new commander, Gen. David Petraeus, as they implement a bold new strategy designed to bring a successful completion to their mission. Iraq is now the central front in the War on Terrorism - not because Americans want it to be but because America's enemies have said so and made it so. Al-Qaeda and Iranian-backed militias are determined to drive the United States...

U.S. Envoy Says Iraq Report Will Sound Warning on Iran August 16, 2007 Reuters Ross Colvin BAGHDAD -- Washington's envoy to Iraq warned Americans on Thursday that pulling U.S. troops out of the country could open the door to a "major Iranian advance" that would threaten U.S. interests in the region. Ambassador Ryan Crocker also accused Tehran of seeking to weaken the Shi'ite-led Iraqi government so that it could "by one means or another control it". Iran has denied U.S. charges that it is arming and training Shi'ite militias in Iraq. Crocker and the top U.S. general in Iraq, General...

WASHINGTON -- The war against Islamic terrorism in Iraq is still a work in progress, but a few strategic victories in the past few months suggest the forces of freedom may be making some headway there. American and Iraqi forces have cleared several terrorist-infested areas, including Anbar province. Large swaths of Baghdad have also been made safer as a result of the surge of U.S. troops. "The level of violence is down in the two areas where the 'surge' is focused, Anbar and Baghdad," U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker said last week. There have been numerous reports that tribal sheiks in...

WASHINGTON - Iraq is a nation gripped by fear and struggling to meet security and political goals by September, U.S. officials said Thursday from Baghdad, dashing hopes in Congress that the country might turn a corner this summer. One general said not to expect a solid judgment on the U.S. troop buildup until November. "If there is one word, I would use to sum up the atmosphere in Iraq — on the streets, in the countryside, in the neighborhoods and at the national level — that word would be 'fear,'" Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador, told the Senate Foreign Relations...