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War in Iraq
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Crowds gather across the nation to rally for U.S. troops |
July 7, 2007 - With a son-in-law in Iraq and a son who served in Afghanistan, Kathy Johnston says she wants to make sure her five grandchildren know that it's important to support U.S. troops, no matter how they feel about the war.
That's why she, her daughter and daughter-in-law took them Saturday afternoon to the Oklahoma version of Operation America Rising, an event touted as a nonpartisan way to express appreciation for the job that U.S. soldiers are doing. "Her husband wants to be here (at home)," Johnston said, motioning toward her daughter-in-law, Melissa Morning of Fort Bragg, N.C. "But he knows what he is doing is right. "There is a lot of good going on over there, and we hear about it firsthand, even if the media doesn't report it," she added. Similar rallies - some numbering in the hundreds, others with a handful in attendance - took place in cities and towns across the United States, including Ford City, Pa.; Baton Rouge, La.; Bristol, Conn.; and Denver. By Murray Evans, AP |
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McIntyre, Blue Dog Coalition meet with Bush on Iraq war |
May 9, 2007 - President Bush is unrealistic in the standard he has set before he'll bring American troops home from Iraq, and in the meantime wants a "blank check" for continuing the war, an Arkansas congressman says.
U.S. Rep. Mike Ross said he was among a group of fiscally conservative Democrats - mostly members of the Blue Dog Coalition that included Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C. - who met with Bush on Tuesday at the White House. Ross said the group told Bush that while the "American people weren't ready to leave (Iraq) tonight," some form of accountability must be placed on the floundering Iraqi government so U.S. troops can return home. "His response was he believes we should stay until there was an open, free and democratic Iraq, which I don't believe could ever happen," said Ross, D-Ark., in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "We overthrew Saddam and we provided a police, military and security force while they held open and free elections. We can't spend the next 35 years in Iraq fighting their civil war for them." During an hour-long meeting in the White House, Ross and 13 other representatives pressed Bush on "turning down the political rhetoric" surrounding both the war and a recent vote on a $124.2 billion funding bill for the war. The bill, which Bush vetoed, called for a U.S. troop withdrawal to begin by Oct. 1 with a goal of a complete pullout six months later. By JON GAMBRELL - AP |
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Veto expected on war spending bill |
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April 23, 2007 - Democrats are considering their next step after President Bush's inevitable veto of their war spending proposal, including a possible short-term funding bill that would force Congress to revisit the issue this summer. Another alternative is providing the Pentagon the money it needs for the war but insisting that the Iraqi government live up to certain political promises. Or, the congressional Democrats could send Bush what he wants for now and set their sights on 2008 spending legislation. The options are being weighed as Bush and Congress head toward a showdown this week on his Iraq policy. House and Senate appropriations committees meet today to negotiate a final bill that, if approved by both chambers, could reach the president's desk as early as the end of the week. Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the Iraq war, is expected to brief lawmakers behind closed doors as they cast their final vote. The legislation is expected to fund the Iraq war but call for combat troops to leave, probably by March 31, 2008. Bush has promised to reject it, and Republicans say they will back him, leaving Democrats short of the two-thirds majority support needed to override the veto. By Anne Flaherty |
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GOP opposition to troop increase grows |
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Jan 23, 2007 - President Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq evoked increasing Republican opposition as a Democratic-led Senate panel prepared tough questioning for the man who would carry out the plan as the new war commander. Lt. Gen. David Petraeus was to testify Tuesday in a bid for his fourth star and command of the Iraq war. Petraeus would replace Gen. George Casey, who has been tapped to become the next Army chief of staff. Petraeus, a former division commander and once the head of the Iraqi training mission, is considered a shoo-in for the position. Devoted early in the war to trying to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis, Petraeus later wrote the Pentagon manual on how to tackle insurgencies. He also previously supported expanding U.S. forces in the region. But Petraeus will have a tough sell before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which must approve his nomination, if he is going to back the president in sending 21,500 troops in addition to the estimated 130,000 already there. Sen. John Warner of Virginia and two other Republicans on Monday announced legislation denouncing the increase, as House leadership drafted what they called "strategic benchmarks" for the war. By Anne Flaherty |
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Service to country takes toll in N.C. |
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May 29, 2006 - The war in Iraq has taken a tough toll in North Carolina; since last Memorial Day, at least 124 service members stationed in North Carolina died in Iraq. That's more than any other state, according to an analysis of casualties recorded by the Associated Press. All told, at least 163 soldiers with ties to North Carolina perished in Iraq or Afghanistan since last Memorial Day. "The price of freedom hit home when David died," Diana Pasquinelli said, hands on hip, offering a nod to a neighbor passing by their beige, two-story home. "I took it for granted, but I can't now." By Mandy Locke
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