What Planet Is bush On?

WASHINGTON (AFP) - President George W. Bush warned Thursday that Iraq must repay the sacrifice of US soldiers with real progress, as Congress got set to pass a new war budget stripped of Democratic withdrawal timetables.

Read another bit of Bush's realism in the lefthand sidebar on this blog.


Ah yes, the "Benchmarks" again, and oh yes crackdown on the militias, anybody want to show them how to it?

The compromise between Democrats and the White House contains the first congressionally-imposed political and security "benchmarks" the Iraqi government will be required to meet or risk losing economic aid.

The 18 requirements include demands for a crackdown on militias, the need to train to Iraqi troops, the launching of constitutional review processes, and ensuring the fair distribution of Iraq's hydrocarbon riches. more