How Hasty Is "Hasty"?

Bush ties Iraq to Vietnam, South Korea, Japan - 22 Aug 2007 at 1:54pm - KANSAS CITY, United States (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Wednesday warned that a hasty withdrawal from Iraq would trigger a bloodbath like the one in Southeast Asia after the US defeat and retreat from Vietnam.... "A free Iraq is not going to transform the Middle East overnight, but a free Iraq will be a massive defeat for Al-Qaeda. It will be an example that provides hope for millions throughout the Middle East. It'll be a friend of the United States. And it's going to be an important ally" against terrorism, he said.

First, how does a free or not-free Iraq impact Al-Qaeda? Also, why would the U.S. base all of its foreign policy on what it thinks Al-Qaeda would consider a "defeat"?

"Negative message" if Japan ends Afghan mission - 22 Aug 2007 at 8:43am - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The failure of Japan to extend a navy mission in support of U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan would send the wrong message to the world and to terrorists, Japan's defense minister said on Wednesday.

Copter crash in Iraq kills 14 U.S. soldiers - 22 Aug 2007 at 8:43am - A helicopter went down in northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing all 14 U.S. soldiers aboard, the military said, the deadliest crash ...

U.S. sees limits, "manipulation" in Iran deal with IAEA - 22 Aug 2007 at 8:21am - VIENNA (Reuters) - A nuclear cooperation pact Iran struck with the International Atomic Energy Agency has "real limitations" and Tehran should stop trying to manipulate the IAEA to dodge more U.N. sanctions, a senior U.S. envoy said.

Iraqi PM hits back at US criticism - 22 Aug 2007 at 9:01am - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has hit back at US criticism of his government, saying nobody has the right to set timetables for progress in Iraq.

Bush must release global warming reports - 22 Aug 2007 at 10:24am - SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge ordered the Bush administration to issue two scientific reports on global warming, siding with environmentalists who sued the White House for failing to produce the documents.

Calif. Bush critic elected to Congress - 22 Aug 2007 at 10:31am - LOS ANGELES -- California voters are sending an outspoken critic of President Bush to Congress to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Democratic Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald.

Bush insists he supports "good man" Maliki - 22 Aug 2007 at 12:16pm - KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - A day after expressing frustration with the Iraqi leadership, U.S. President George W. Bush said on Wednesday he supported Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as "a good man with a difficult job."

Growing pains for terror appeals court - 22 Aug 2007 at 2:29pm - WASHINGTON -- The nation's new terrorism appeals court opens for business this week and among the first questions it faces is whether the court itself is even legal.

Pentagon cuts armored vehicles due in Iraq in 2007 - 22 Aug 2007 at 2:13pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. troops in Iraq will receive at least 1,000 fewer special armored vehicles than expected this year due to the amount of time needed for shipment, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

Justice Dept. argues limits of FOIA law - 22 Aug 2007 at 2:13pm - WASHINGTON -- Opening a new front in the Bush administration's battle to keep its records confidential, the Justice Department is contending that the White House Office of Administration is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Thought for the day:
Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear. -Harry S Truman (1884 - 1972), August 8, 1950