In the News: May-13

US slashes reward for al-Qaida Iraq leader - 13 May 2008 at 3:03pm - WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has slashed its reward for the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq from $5 million to $100,000 because it feels he's lost effectiveness and is no longer worth such a steep price, officials said Tuesday.

Yet fighting al-Qaida in Iraq remains worth the cost of billions of dollars per month, plus the lives of U.S. servicemen & women?

Senate says halt oil shipments to gov't reserve - 13 May 2008 at 12:07pm - WASHINGTON -- The Senate is directing President Bush to temporarily halt the shipment of thousands of barrels of oil a day to the government's emergency reserve.

Gates: Reject tendency to focus on 'Next-War-itis' - 13 May 2008 at 11:54am - COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Pentagon must focus on current war demands, even if it means straining the U.S. armed forces and devoting less time and money on future threats, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.

IRAQ: Government negligent in tackling human displacement - MP - May 13, 2008 05:57:04 PM - BAGHDAD, 13 May 2008 (IRIN) - The problem of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Iraqi refugees in neighbouring countries is likely to grow into a regional and international problem because the government appears to have no clear policy to tackle it, a member of parliament (MP) said on 12 May.

Senate rejects GOP oil drilling plan - 13 May 2008 at 11:48am - WASHINGTON -- The Senate has rejected a Republican energy plan that calls for opening an Alaska wildlife refuge and some offshore waters to oil development. Supporters of the measure couldn't get the needed 60 votes to overcome a Democratic-led filibuster threat.

Shi'ite gunmen in Baghdad ignore truce - 13 May 2008 at 11:33am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An agreement aimed at ending fighting in the Baghdad bastion of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr appeared on the verge of collapse on Tuesday after gunmen launched a spate of attacks on U.S. troops.

Thought for the day:
You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake. -Jeannette Rankin (1880 - 1973)