Connect the Dots for Iraq

Here we have a series of news, coming out today, that should bother those who believe that the Bubba Bush administration has done or is doing a good job in Iraq.

First off: Bubba Bush quietly and tacitly concedes defeat in the search for Iraqi WMDs:

The Bush administration has quietly withdrawn from Iraq a 400-member military team whose job was to scour the country for military equipment, according to senior government officials.

Second, a Carnegie report slams Bubba's "distortions" on the Iraqi threat:

Bush administration officials "systematically misrepresented" the threat from Iraq's weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to war, according to a new report to be published on Thursday by a respected Washington think-tank.

These distortions, combined with intelligence failures, exaggerated the risks posed by a country that presented no immediate threat to the US, Middle East or global security, the report says.

And now, just in case you thought that things were calming down in Iraq after catching our old US agent, Saddam Hussein, here's a new event:

Thirty-five U.S. soldiers have been wounded in a mortar attack west of Baghdad, as Washington planned to launch a carrot-and-stick peace drive that involves freeing hundreds of prisoners.

An estimated six mortar rounds struck in or near Logistical Base Seitz on Wednesday night, said a U.S. military statement, adding the wounded troops had been given first aid and evacuated for medical treatment.

No further details were immediately available of the attack or the seriousness of the injuries and where the soldiers were being treated. The soldiers belonged to the 541st Maintenance Battalion of the U.S. 3rd Corps Support Command.

The mainstream US press does not deliver a tone of seriousness for these events, but the world press certainly does.

And, oh yeah, for those who follow this blog, the Lisa Girman news alerts have died away entirely. This is a non-event.