Iraqi politicians are beginning to challenge the Bush administration’s overly optimistic assessment of the security situation in Iraq, according to veteran Baghdad reporter Tom Lasseter of McClatchy Newspapers.
"The American policy has failed both in terms of politics and security," said Moahmoud Othman, a Kurdish member of Parliament, "but the big problem is that they will not confess or admit that."
Privately, some soldiers agree, says Lasseter. One intelligence officer — speaking anonymously because he feared reprisals — said that "our leadership has no real comprehension of the ground truth. I wish that I could offer a solution, but I can’t."
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported this week that about 3,400 Iraqi civilians were killed in July — the highest monthly death toll since the war began — figures that "seem to bolster an assertion that many senior Iraqi officials and American military analysts have been making in recent months: that the country is already embroiled in a civil war, not just slipping toward one, and that the American-led forces are caught between Sunni Arab guerrillas and Shiite militias."
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Wichita’s population, like the nation’s, has grown more diverse — and that diversity enriches the community. Witness, for instance, the Vietnamese Community Association of Wichita’s announced plan this week to privately fund and build a Vietnam War memorial in a Wichita park that would honor both American and Vietnamese soldiers who died in that war.
Many of the founders of Wichita’s Vietnamese community came to America as refugees from that conflict. Many left behind or lost family members. Some fought in it alongside American GIs.
Wichita has a Vietnam memorial (in photo), but one that honors only American soldiers. Another memorial that expresses the shared sacrifice of American and Vietnamese, and the intermingling of cultures here, would be fitting.
As parks director Doug Kupper said, "We’re a diverse community, and we embrace and rejoice at that diversity. The Vietnamese people are a big part of our community and the city is supportive of that."
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Alan Bjerga from The Eagle’s Washington, D.C., bureau wrote a column Sunday comparing and contrasting Rep. Todd Tiahrt’s re-election race with Tiahrt’s 1994 race, in which he unseated Dan Glickman. Could the underdog win again? Not likely.
Bjerga noted that Tiahrt overcame a huge funding disadvantage against Glickman, but it was not as sizable as that of Tiahrt’s current opponent. Garth McGinn (in photo) had $2,700 available on July 12; Tiahrt had $1 million. Bjerga said Gov. Kathleen Sebelius might bring more Democratic voters to the polls, which might help McGinn. Then again, Phill Kline may bring out conservative Republican voters.
Still, as was the case in 1994, there is a lot of passion against incumbents, particularly related to the war in Iraq and gas prices. And as Bjerga noted, "this is shaping up to be an unconventional year in American politics. People in both parties are seeing a wave forming."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
With at least six and possibly 10 debates in the Kansas attorney general’s race, no voter should find himself asking "Paul Who?" on Nov. 7. It makes you wonder why the high-profile GOP incumbent, Phill Kline, would be so eager to share a stage with Democrat Paul Morrison so many times. Kline said last week: "I want all Kansas voters to have the chance to hear the clear difference between how I have protected our most vulnerable citizens — our children, seniors and those with mental and physically challenges — compared to my opponent’s positions."
Meanwhile, a Morrison spokesman said Kline "should explain his bad judgment and wrong priorities as attorney general."
These appearances shouldn’t be boring.
One of the confirmed dates is Sept. 14 at Wichita State University.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The Hutchinson News opined that the Sedgwick County commissioners "deserve credit for their decision last week to increase property taxes in the face of strong opposition." Noting some of the extra dollars will fund an aviation training center, the editorial concluded: "Reno County has not been successful at tapping into those jobs, so it might be time to try a different approach. Perhaps it should pay for a portion of the training center in return for a certain number of slots. Those slots could then be used to build our own highly skilled work force and, eventually, capture some of the spill-over from Wichita as more companies need expansion or relocation options."
Posted by Rhonda Holman
