News Headline

Iran Diplomatic Post Considered

OurFuture.org Staff — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:25:06 -0400

The Bush administration is considering establishing an American diplomatic presence in Iran for the first time since relations were severed nearly three decades ago, European and American officials said recently. The idea would be to establish a so-called interests section, rather than a fully staffed embassy, with American diplomats who could issue visas to Iranians seeking to visit the United States. The idea has not been approved by the White House and could be delayed or blocked by opposition within the administration.The proposal comes as the White House appears to be looking for new ways to bring a peaceful resolution to the impasse over Iran's nuclear program.

Bush Claims Executive Priviledge

OurFuture.org Staff — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:58:35 -0400

President Bush has asserted executive privilege to prevent Attorney General Michael Mukasey from having to comply with a House panel subpoena for material on the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. Among the documents sought by House Oversight Chairman Henry Waxman are FBI interviews of Vice President Dick Cheney. They also include notes about the 2003 State of the Union address, during which President Bush made the case for invading Iraq in part by saying Saddam Hussein was pursuing uranium ore to make a nuclear weapon. That information turned out to be wrong.

Radioactive Material Not Secure

OurFuture.org Staff — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:41:09 -0400

The government is taking too long to secure radioactive materials that could get into terrorists' hands, according to a government report. Radioactive material used for legitimate purposes in medical equipment and food, for instance, could be used to create a dirty bomb. According to a Government Accountability Office report, new requirements to ensure that a person purchasing or carrying radioactive materials has a reason to do so is more than three years behind schedule. In a probe last year that set up a bogus company, investigators said they were able to obtain a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that allowed them to buy enough radioactive material for a small dirty bomb. Officials hope the licensing requirements will prevent this from happening again.

Bill Extends Afghanistan Mission

OurFuture.org Staff — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:58:30 -0400

Congress has quietly used fiscal 2008 legislation on military construction to signal that it plans on a long-term military presence in Afghanistan. In the recently approved supplemental funding bill for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, legislators approved construction of a $62 million ammunition storage facility at Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base, where 12 planned "igloos" will support Army and Air Force needs. In another sign that U.S. troops will be there a long time, the Army requested, and Congress provided, $41 million for a 30-megawatt power plant at Bagram, capable of generating enough electricity for a town of more than 20,000 homes.

U.S. May Speed Up Iraq Pullout

OurFuture.org Staff — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:45:02 -0400

The Bush administration is considering the withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September, according to administration and military officials, raising the prospect of a far more ambitious plan than expected only months ago. Such a withdrawal would be a striking reversal from the nadir of the war in 2006 and 2007. One factor is the pressing need for additional American troops in Afghanistan, where the Taliban and other fighters have intensified their insurgency and inflicted a growing number of casualties on Afghans and American-led forces there. More American and allied troops died in Afghanistan than in Iraq in May and June.

U.S., Iraq Scale Down Negotiations

OurFuture.org Staff — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:09:10 -0400

U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of U.S troops in Iraq before the end of the Bush presidency, according to senior U.S. officials, effectively leaving talks over an extended U.S. military presence there to the next administration. Instead of the agreement expected by July 31, the governments are now working on a more limited "bridge" document, that would allow basic U.S. military operations to continue beyond the expiration of a U.N. mandate at the end of the year. The failure of months of negotiations over the more detailed accord deals a blow to the Bush administration's plans to leave in place a formal military architecture in Iraq that could last for years.

Petraeus Promoted

OurFuture.org Staff — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:55:04 -0400

The Senate has approved the appointment of General David Petraeus as head of U.S. Central Command. When he takes up the post, he will have responsibility for US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as dealing with Iran and Pakistan. He takes over from Adm. William Fallon who resigned in March, following reports that he opposed the White House policy towards Iran. In April the administration recommended that he should be succeeded by Gen Petraeus.

Pentagon Reopens Tanker Contract

OurFuture.org Staff — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:18:50 -0400

The Pentagon announced that it will reopen bidding for a $35 billion contract to start replacing the Air Force's aging fleet of aerial refueling tankers. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the Defense Department would solicit new bids from both Boeing, which complained bitterly after it lost the original competition, and a team composed of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., which won the original contract. A Government Accountability Office report concluded that the Air Force made a number of "prejudicial errors," and held "misleading and unreasonable" discussions with Boeing.

New War Powers Act Proposed

OurFuture.org Staff — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:20:12 -0400

A new report by bipartisan study group chaired by former secretaries of state James Baker III and Warren Christopher says the current law governing the nation's war powers should be repealed and replaced with new legislation that would require the president to inform Congress of any plans to engage in "significant armed conflict," or non-covert operations lasting longer than a week. Congress would act within 30 days, either approving or disapproving the action. Congress' involvement in approving combat operations became a central issue in the Iraq debate last year, when Democrats tried to cap force levels in Iraq and set a timetable for withdrawals. The White said the legislation would violate the Constitution by infringing upon the president's right as commander in chief to protect the nation.

Iraq Warns U.S. on Withdrawal Date

OurFuture.org Staff — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:57:15 -0400

Iraq will not accept any security deal with the U.S. which does not include a date for the pullout of foreign troops, Iraq National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said to reporters in Najaf.. The prospect of setting such a timetable was raised by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. The U.S. state department said any pullout would be "conditions-based." The U.N. mandate allowing a U.S. presence in Iraq will expire by the end of 2008.