Word: als
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...unnamed Supreme Court nominee can rest easy. This week Senate Republicans named perennial bomb thrower Jeff Sessions, 62, of Alabama to be the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, promising to bring at least a few sparks to a confirmation process that - if Minnesota's Al Franken is seated - was bound to be relatively easy...
...Congress is weighing several bills to increase aid to the Pakistani government and step up assistance to the Pakistani military in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. But many on the Hill worry that the money will be misspent and want to attach strict conditions and benchmarks to the aid, some of which any Pakistani government might find difficult to meet...
...start, al-Maliki's original alliance with al-Sadr raises questions about the Prime Minister's scruples. Al-Maliki and the Iraqi policymakers close to him did not necessarily see a problem working with a murderous militia that held considerable sway in the Iraqi army and national police. In fact, al-Maliki, who is Shi'ite, appeared more inclined to accept Shi'ite militia support than U.S. military help...
Since then, Iraq has done little to encourage accountability for alleged human-rights abuses by Iraqi security forces working with Shi'ite militias at the height of the sectarian killings. General David Petraeus, the former top U.S. commander in Iraq, and former Baghdad Ambassador Ryan Crocker repeatedly quarreled with al-Maliki on the matter throughout 2008, pressing the Prime Minister to clear the way for the trial of at least one senior Ministry of Interior official accused of orchestrating prison abuses and murders. Al-Maliki resisted the U.S. pressure and largely seemed unconcerned about investigating a myriad of cases...
This week, al-Maliki's administration reiterated its call for U.S. forces to adhere to a withdrawal schedule that would take U.S. troops off the streets of Iraq entirely by June, despite the suggestion from some U.S. commanders that they may be needed in restive areas such as Mosul and Diyala province. After July, U.S. forces will presumably remain in significant numbers at bases outside urban areas and continue to offer support to the Iraqi army and police for the foreseeable future. That arrangement risks leaving U.S. troops providing military support to Iraqi security forces...