Success

Iraq PM proclaims Basra assaults 'a success' - 1 Apr 2008 at 8:59am - BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Tuesday that a crackdown on Shiite militiamen in Basra was a "success" and that 10,000 extra troops would be recruited to keep order in the southern oil hub.

Keep order? Things seemed relatively orderly before Maliki himself ordered the Iraq army to stir up the Mehdi Army and its supporters.

Does the fact that Maliki has assessed that he was 10,000 troops short of accomplishing whatever-it-was-he-was-trying-to-accomplish lend credibility to his claim of success?

It was such a "success" that:

Basra residents hit by surging food, fuel prices - March 31, 2008 06:27:00 PM - BAGHDAD, 31 March 2008 (IRIN) - Residents of Iraq's second-largest city of Basra are breathing a sigh of relief after Shia radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his militia to end the clashes with government forces which erupted on 25 March.

Such a "success" that:

Iraqi casualties at highest level since August - 1 Apr 2008 at 8:31am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Fighting between Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite militiamen last month has driven civilian deaths in the country to their highest level in more than six months, government figures showed on Tuesday.

Such a "success" that:

Britain postpone Iraq pullout - 1 Apr 2008 at 12:21pm - Britain has announced that it will postpone plans to pull up to 1,500 troops out of Iraq, citing the recent unrest in the southern city of Basra.

Congress grills oil execs on pump prices - 1 Apr 2008 at 12:15pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five U.S. oil company executives appeared on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to explain why they were not to blame for record-high gasoline pump prices even as they reported $123 billion in profits in 2007.

Scientist: CDC bosses ignored warning - 1 Apr 2008 at 12:27pm - WASHINGTON -- A federal scientist said Tuesday his bosses ignored pleas to alert Gulf Coast hurricane victims about formaldehyde dangers in government-issued trailers and told him last year not to write e-mails about his warnings of potentially widespread health problems.

Rules may be waived for border fence - 1 Apr 2008 at 11:58am - WASHINGTON -- Federal officials say the Bush administration will bypass more than 30 laws and regulations in an effort to complete 670 miles of fence along the southwest U.S. border by the end of this year.

NYC Lawyers Subpoena Code - April 01, 2008 07:46:00 AM - RonMcMahon writes "Lawyers for the city of New York have subpoenaed the text message records of thousands of people involved in demonstrations at the 2004 Republican National Convention. Tad Hirsch, creator of the TXTmob code that enabled convention demonstrators to transmit messages to thousands of telephones, has been instructed to release the content of messages exchanged on the service and to identify people who sent and received messages. Hirsch argues that release of such information would be a violation of users' First Amendment and privacy rights. 'I think I have a moral responsibility to the people who use my service to protect their privacy,' said Hirsch."

Thought for the day:
An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought. -Simon Cameron (1799 - 1889)