Earthside Comments: The first story here demonstrates how Bush lost his illegal and immoral war in Iraq. If the so-called constitution gets voted down, chaos will take over. But conversely, if the so-called constitution is approved, an Iranian-allied, Islamic Republic will be empowered. Good going, George. This is where we have come at the cost of 1,933 killed U.S. troops sent to Iraq on Bush's orders. This is what Bush's invasion has accomplished at the cost of thousands and thousands of killed Iraqi civilians. It is no wonder that the military is missing recruiting goals ... the American people are not completely stupid. Who wants to suffer death or permanent physical disablement for Bush's political foolishness? We need to get the hell out of Iraq now, pay reparations to what ever government finally takes power, and chalk-up this disaster to the lying and scheming of the worst presidential and Congressional regime in American history.
Link: Officials Fear Chaos if Iraqis Vote Down the Constitution | New York Times
Senior American officials say they are confident that Iraq's draft constitution will be approved in the referendum to be held Oct. 15, even though Sunni Arabs in Iraq are mobilizing in large numbers to defeat it. In testimony before Congress on Thursday, the senior American military commander in Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey Jr. of the Army, said the most recent analysis of intelligence from across the country supported the Bush administration's optimistic predictions that the referendum would pass. But if the constitution is defeated, several officials said they feared that Iraq would descend into anarchy. Approval "is critically important," a senior administration official said, "to maintain political momentum. That is the critical thing for holding this whole thing together."
Link: Decline in Iraqi Troops' Readiness Cited | Washington Post
The number of Iraqi army battalions that can fight insurgents without U.S. and coalition help has dropped from three to one, top U.S. generals told Congress yesterday, adding that the security situation in Iraq is too uncertain to predict large-scale American troop withdrawals anytime soon.Gen. George W. Casey Jr., who oversees U.S. forces in Iraq, said there are fewer Iraqi battalions at "Level 1" readiness than there were a few months ago. Although Casey said the number of troops and overall readiness of Iraqi security forces have steadily increased in recent months, and that there has not been a "step backwards,"
Link: Army's Recruiting Lowest in Years | Associated Press
The Army is closing the books on one of the leanest recruiting years since it became an all-volunteer service three decades ago, missing its enlistment target by the largest margin since 1979 and raising questions about its plans for growth. ... The Army has not published official figures yet, but it apparently finished the 12-month counting period that ends Friday with about 73,000 recruits. Its goal was 80,000. A gap of 7,000 enlistees would be the largest - in absolute number as well as in percentage terms - since 1979, according to Army records. The Army National Guard and the Army Reserve, which are smaller than the regular Army, had even worse results.
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