In Iraq, on “December 13 [2003], the US Military captured Saddam Hussein, unshaven and apparently disoriented, pulling him from a hole near a farmhouse outside Tikrit.” – Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack, Page 425 […]
12/12/2003
According to a New York Times article on December 12, 2003, Halliburton: “The multinational defense and logistics contractor…was awarded a $15.6 billion no-bid contract after the Iraq invasion, for which [Vice President Dick] Cheney had been one of the leading advocates.” – Peter Lance, Cover Up, Page 252 […]
12/12/2003
“Defending his decision to maintain Iraq as an exclusive preserve for U.S.-based multinational corporations [as recounted in the December 12, 2003, edition of The Washington Post], [President] Bush explained why the victor is entitled to the spoils of war. ‘It’s very simple,’ he said. ‘Our people risked their lives…and therefore the contracting is going to […]
12/11/2003
On December 11, 2003, Department of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge raised the threat level to orange. ” ‘The U.S. intelligence community has received a substantial increase in the volume of threat-related intelligence reports. These credible sources suggest the possibility of attacks against the homeland around the holiday season and beyond. The strategic indicators, including […]
12/9/2003
On December 9, 2003, “At the Pentagon, [Deputy Secretary of Defense] Paul Wolfowitz announces that companies from a number of countries that opposed the war in Iraq–including France, Germany and Russia–will be barred from bidding on reconstruction contracts in Iraq.” – Todd S. Purdum and The New York Times Staff, A Time of Our Choosing, […]
12/9/2003
“Soon after the establishment of the Governing Council, a committee to look into the former regime’s crimes was formed under the Governing Council member and judge, Dara Nureddine, advised by [Future of Iraq Project member] Salem Chalabi. The Iraq Special Tribunal law was passed by the Governing Council on 9 December, 2003, in one of […]
12/8/2003
“The worsening security situation had been highlighted by [Secretary-General of the UN] Kofi Annan as he spoke of the ‘risk of failure in Afghanistan’ for the first time. He told the UN Security Council on December 8 [2003] that ‘unchecked criminality, outbreaks of factional fighting and activities surrounding the illegal narcotics trade have all had […]
11/28/2003
“In reply to written questions from the Washington Post, [Grand Ayatollah Ali al-] Sistani rejected the idea of a caucus system to select the TNA [Transitional National Assembly]. [On November 28, 2003, Sistani wrote:] ‘The mechanism in place to choose members of the transitional legislative assembly does not guarantee the establishment of an assembly that […]
11/21/2003
In an interview with Salon.com on November 21, 2003, 9/11 Commissioner and former Senator Max Cleland (D-GA) said, regarding the lack of access by the White House to classified documents: ” ‘It should be a national scandal,’… ‘It’s been painfully obvious that the [Bush] administration not only fought the creation of the Commission but that […]
11/20/2003
On November 20, 2003, five days after their synagogue bombings in Istanbul, Turkey, the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades “struck the British Consulate and the London-based HSBC bank in Istanbul. …Twenty-seven people were killed and approximately 450 were injured. The bombings coincided with a visit by President Bush to London.” – Antonia Juhasz, The Bush Agenda, […]