Baghdad Orders Lockdown As Petraeus Testifies

Unauthorized vehicles will be banned in Baghdad from 5 a.m. to midnight on Wednesday, the fifth anniversary of the city's capture by U.S. troops, the AP reports.

The decision by the Iraqi military command for Baghdad was announced on Iraqi state TV.

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is threatening to lift a seven-month freeze on his Mahdi Army militia if the Iraqi government does not halt attacks on his followers or set a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal.

Keep reading here.

Mother Jones reports that while while Petraeus testifies, U.S. personnel in Iraq are taking cover:

As General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker testify before Congress this week about the security situation in Iraq, telling the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that the surge is working and progress is under way, U.S. embassy officials in Baghdad have been ordered to take heightened security precautions in light of stepped-up attacks on the Green Zone, including one on Sunday that killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded 17 others.

Under this new security boost, says a U.S. Embassy official who asked not to be identified, embassy personnel have been told to remain under "hardened cover." Instructed to avoid their trailers, some embassy staffers are now sleeping in their offices and on cots in the new embassy building, currently under construction, according to a source who has spoken with embassy officials in Baghdad. Embassy personnel have also been cautioned to limit their trips outdoors and, when they must leave the protection of reinforced structures, to wear flak jackets, protective eyewear, and helmets.

Keep reading here.

Click here for updated coverage of the Iraq hearings.

Comments

[robodweeb]

Things Bush said but didn't really mean (lies?):

The president also said that sending more troops would undermine the U.S. strategy of training Iraqis to be able to as quickly as possible take over the security of their country.

"Sending more Americans would suggest that we intend to stay forever," he said. - WASHINGTON, June 29, 2005

"Victory means exit strategy, and it"s important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is." - George W. Bush, 4/9/99:

"I think it"s also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn." - George W. Bush, 6/5/99

"Deadlines are important," the president said at a retirement community, less than a week before the last day for most seniors and the disabled to enroll in the program without facing higher prices. "Deadlines help people understand there's finality and people need to get after it." - May 2006

"Even the most noble ends do not justify any means." G.W. Bush - 8/9/2001

Touring Florida in a last-minute push to get seniors on board, Bush said the May 15 deadline was "important" because "deadlines help people understand there's finality and people need to get after it."

Cont'd...

[researcher]

we americans are imperialists and many of us are war mongers. until we come to grips with that aspect of our society nothing will change. we will continue to have these illegal wars and trying to police the world.

what may change us is our economic downfall. someday hopefully we will quit trying to kill others all over the world and come to admit our imperialism.

wont happen soon we americans are a self rightous society about to be brought to our knees. we will leave iraq like we did vietnam pretending we left with honor rather than admit defeat.

jefferson time in america. 30 years overdue. we have become a nation of war mongers and in denial so we blame our politicans not realizing they are reflection of us.

[comingawakening]

USA Republicans = Iraqi Democrats

I have never seen Republicans building schools, roads, bridges, and hospitals. Unfortunately, they want to do it in Oil-raq to help their corporate friends have a great place to land and send their kids to school while they work out the contracts for profit sharing in 2-5 years. Maybe they will name one of the schools George W. Bush Elementary? High School would be too advanced for him.
---
http://perezpolitics.com

[AbbieXHoffman]

This war is costing each household $16,500 a year.

[Jaxxon]

One half of it is going into the pockets of Bush & Co. The shark always gets his cut.

[lornejl]

Stay the course !

Don't stop now, we're almost there !

Full speed ahead !

Damn the Torpedoes ! ( I have no idea what that means, but it sounds cool )

[SCG]

don't give them ideas.

[Fathoms]

Iran is Shiite . . .
Al Qaeda in Sunni . . .
Beltway Chuckle Heads . . .
Mighty Looney . . .
When Tires Go Flat . . .
We Don't Debate 'Em . . .
Give General his Hat . . .
Excoriate 'Em . . .

[IntelligentDesign]

The latest Bush administration satanic subliminal was foisted upon the nation via the Patraeus-Croker show up on Capitol Hill today: the dreaded failed Iraq state - the domino effects of which would be so immense and unimaginable that, well let's not even go there - this very same scare tactic was used in the run up to the Iraq warboogeyman-like tale as so eloquently woven by Ms. Rice in the run up to the Iraq invasion, 'we don't want the evidence of Saddam's WMD program to come in the form of a mushroom cloud...') - ever resorces we have and borrow the rests to ensure that it does not in fact come to be, ala the mushroom cloud that we staved off in the nic of time by invading and occupying a defensless oil rich nation in the Middle East - these guys are pretty good at this stuff, they bring you right up to the too-scary-to-even-think-about visual and then pull you back at the last second lest your eyes take in the full affect of the abject horror; and while this drama unfolds a critical mass (say oh around 28% or so) swallow the whole bit and morph into zombie-like evangelicals for the cause to such an extent that they render still sane dissenters as unpatriatic malcontents and terrorist sympathizers - presto-chango, the people are neutralized and the master criminals are left virtually free to do their bidding.

[GrainOSand]

ID, that 28% percent is permanently impaired I am afraid. Watch the ball as we go round and round.

[larry278]

The fact that W, Cheney, any one who has ever been connected with W & Co in any way & neo-cons are afflicted with terminal hubris can make it difficult to determine if every one of them were always ignorant motherf#ckers, aka IMF's,or born stupid & have experienced a constant loss of abilities since birth. It's also difficult to determine if these interesting individuals also feel that they're smarter than their critics & American voters & treat them like lesser IMF's or if they are so ignorant that they are unaware of how stupid & copeless they are. The spin the Gen, the Ambasabor & Sen McCain fed during the hearings on 4/8/08 couldn't be believed by anyone save an IMF. Hearing about incoming rounds hitting Baghdad's Green Zone during the testimony killed the cred of the Gen, the Ambasador & Sen McCain. The surge was a failure from day 1. A 'pause' in sending troops home in July will accomplish nothing but make the US troops in Iraq into sitting ducks for the militias.

[williamg]

Breaking News

NBC reports that Presidential candidate, John McCain (R-AZ) recently made anti-communist threats toward Japan. While holding a townhall meeting in Savannah, Georgia, McCain was asked about our diplomatic relations with China in which he replied, "We need to hold these communists governments responsible for their human rights violations, especially the communist Chinese government of Japan"

Before McCain could move on to the next question, Sen Joe Lieberman (I-CT) whispered in his ear that Japan and China are actually different countries. Microphones could overhear McCain whispering back to Lieberman, "They are all Vietnamese to me".

[racom]

Great report williamg, now who told holy joe they are different countries? Hell of a report on insane mccain on the raw story blog today, temper, temper, temper. The man just cannot control himself.

[SCG]

Williamg , Your pulling my leg right?

[williamg]

Just a joke.

[NotWaldo]

If elected, McCain will finish the job in Vietnam. Count on it. He says they have a bouddhist branch of Al-Quada over there. It's called Al-Quadong. They're planning to use Vietnamese food as WMD,s. It's the next phase of the war on terra.

[BWonka]

Al-Quadong!! TOO funny!

[dbdzen]

Once people understand the full implications of Obama's line of questioning and the key admissions made by Crocker and Petraeus about what is and is not militarily attainable, the Bush-McCain argument will not stand up to objective analysis.

Once that happens, retired Generals are going to start questioning the direction of this war. Bush forgot the Powell doctrine and he misused the military power of the United States via obtaining a fraudulent approval from Congress for an unattainable ideological goal in Iraq.

[JessWonderin]

Whoa . . you JUST getting here???

It is a fact that EVERY military mind that knew it was a misuse and fraudulent waste of American military . . . the road is littered with greater military heroes than Betrayus - Sensiki, Clark, Btiste, Lt Gen Newbold, Packer et al. We hardly need a "sudden" revelation from Obama to reveal the bullshit lies of the Bush-McSame "stay the course" mentality . . . . but we welcome your "understanding" of the last 5 years and hope this "implication" is more than political posturing . . .

[HumeSkeptic]

OBAMA: I just want to close with a couple of key points.

Number one, we all have the greatest interest in seeing a successful resolution to Iraq -- all of us do. And that, I think, has to be stated clearly in the record.

I continue to believe that the original decision to go into Iraq was a massive strategic blunder, that the two problems that you've pointed out -- Al Qaida in Iraq and increased Iranian influence in the region -- are a direct result of that original decision.

OBAMA: That's not a decision you gentlemen made. I won't lay it at your feet. You are cleaning up the mess afterwards. But I think it is important as we debate this forward.
...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/08/AR2008040802607.html
-------------------------------------


What Obama says in his first paragraph is essentially what he had predicted in his speech before the war started. It has now happened.

What Obama says in the second paragraph is that he is not about to let the criminals who got us into this, including McCain, off the hook. He is going to bring up the lies and deceptions that led to this disaster as we go forward.

[VivaZapata]

not much room left on his uniform for anymore ribbons or brass. what color goes with lying more people into dying?

[momofsonofwar]

I was instant messaging my son earlier from Iraq and I also posted the soldiers new name for the gen. but huff. did not post it. It is a great name for him.... Oh Well

[SupremeIdiot]

post it again. please.

[Probus]

The facts speak for themselves, if the surge is going well and if progress is being made why has a lockdown been imposed? The Green Zone used to be considered the safest place in Iraq, not any more since embassy personnel have to wear protective gear and can't sleep in their trailers. The surge has failed. It is time to bring all combat troops home. However, this is not likely to happen as Bush will hand over the mess in Iraq to the next president.

[Democrab]

I have such a hard time watching these hearings with these "grownups" playing TV and trying to look impressive while young Americans suffer and die.
So what if Al Queda recruits in Iraq? It's their country. So what if Sadam kills Kurds, it's their country.
So what if al-Maliki likes Mahmoud Ahmadinejad better than George Bush, it's his country.
Who cares whether Iraqi oil pays for reconstruction. It's a moot point.
We're not suppose to be there shockin' and a awin' and blowing Iraqi babies out of their cribs.
We were never suppose to be there. It's all just a big nightmare created by that stupid lying little man.
And don't whine to me about patriotism, my son's been there twice.
I just wish one of those great senators would say, "General, can we pull out tonight and just let the Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds and Iranians just kill each other now. After all, it's their country."
Everybody's waiting for some majic bullet from the next president. Congress can shut this thing down right now, they have the power. This is our country, not George Bush's, and these are our children and treasure certainly not his.

[Indyfromny]

Bingo!

[momofsonofwar]

thank you

[johnfoirdfw]

Well put. I think we try sometimes to make thing too complicated. Thankyou and thank your son.

[JeninMN]

Kudos

[iPolitics]

let's donate to obama every time "3primecubed" posts: https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/dt2nsl?source=mainnav

[Indyfromny]

lol...3primedschizo.