Archive for the ‘iraq’ tag
Oregon calling Gordon Smith to account
Gordon Smith last ran for reelection in 2002. That was a mere 3 weeks after he voted yes to authorize the Iraq war. He has since, quite famously, turned against the war. It has been six years, so the expectation is that the public has forgotten about his position on the issue. I wonder, however, how many Oregonians have a long memory. I have not forgotten.
Speck:Log
The Pentagon says it has no indication that Iran has reduced what a spokesman calls its “meddling” in Iraq, even though attacks by Iranian-backed militias are down significantly.
So if Iran is “meddling” in Iraq, what should we call US involvement there?
The Language of War
It seems that insurgents in Iraq are getting resourceful:
U.S. commanders in Iraq are concerned that Shiite insurgents are using a new type of high-powered homemade weapon that uses rockets made in Iran and elsewhere. In the most recent attack, on Tuesday in northeastern Baghdad, an Iraqi soldier and a U.S. soldier were wounded. VOA’s Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
The U.S. military calls the weapons Improvised Rocket-Assisted Munitions (IRAM). They are propane gas tanks loaded with explosives and lashed to rockets. Several IRAMs can be packed in the back of an open truck, and launched by remote control.
OK, let me see if I can get this straight: Insurgents in Iraq are using Iram from Iran. It’s almost poetic. It is also convenient that the name of the weapon so closely matches its source. I would not be surprised if I start hearing “IRAM from Iran” more and more.
