October 2004 Stories about the failed war on Iraq...  (Circa 2004)  As much as things change they seem to stay the same.
Wrong War, Wrong Time, Wrong Place, Wrong Choices...   Incompetence.

This week at MiddleEastInfo.org  

Why America Has Waged a Losing Battle on Fallouja (2004-10-24 11:33:57 EST)
               Today the United States finds itself back where it started in April. Securing Iraq requires solving the problem of Fallouja. The U.S. military is bombing targets in the city almost every day, but few military analysts believe that will get the job done. A major offensive, perhaps the most significant battle of the unfinished Iraq war, is likely after the U.S. presidential election.

After Terror, a Secret Rewriting of Military Law (2004-10-23 22:57:05 EST)
               The story of how Guantánamo and the new military justice system became an intractable legacy of Sept. 11 has been hidden from public view.

Officials Fear Iraq's Lure for Muslims in Europe (2004-10-23 00:07:34 EST)

In Iraq Poll; U.S.-Supported Government Losing Ground (2004-10-22 08:50:02 EST)

Estimates by U.S. See More Rebels With More Funds (2004-10-22 01:38:38 EST)

Poll reveals world anger at Bush (2004-10-19 03:42:57 EST)
               George Bush has squandered a wealth of sympathy around the world towards America since September 11 with public opinion in 10 leading countries - including some of its closest allies - growing more hostile to the United States while he has been in office.

This week's casualty: the legal case for war in Iraq (2004-10-19 03:40:52 EST)
              In the first place we are still struggling with the legacy of our decision to conquer Iraq and the incompetence of an occupation that has compounded the original misjudgment. Iraq may have been no threat to us at the time of the war, but we have certainly turned it into one as a base for international terrorism. Instead of delivering a modern Iraq as a model for the region, we have made Iraq a source of instability in a Middle East that looks much more precarious than two years ago.

Why is war-torn Iraq giving $190,000 to Toys R Us? (2004-10-19 03:39:28 EST)
               The fact that Iraqis have been paying reparations to their occupiers is all the more shocking in the context of how little these countries have actually spent on aid in Iraq. Despite the $18.4bn of US tax dollars allocated for Iraq's reconstruction, the Washington Post estimates that only $29m has been spent on water, sanitation, health, roads, bridges, and public safety combined. And in July (the latest figure available), the Department of Defense estimated that only $4m had been spent compensating Iraqis who had been injured, or who lost family members or property as a direct result of the occupation - a fraction of what the US has collected from Iraq in reparations since its occupation began.

The Strategy to Secure Iraq Did Not Foresee a 2nd War (2004-10-18 21:43:19 EST)             
               "First, we did not have enough troops to conduct combat patrols in sufficient numbers to gain solid intelligence and paint a good picture of the enemy on the ground. Secondly, we needed more troops to act on the intelligence we generated. They took advantage of our limited numbers."

How Many Iraqis Are Dying? In One Week, 208 (2004-10-18 21:41:17 EST)

U.S. Forces Pound Fallujah, Fighting Rages on City's Edge (2004-10-18 09:26:09 EST)

General Reported Shortages In Iraq (2004-10-18 09:25:25 EST)

Broad Use Cited of Harsh Tactics at Base in Guantánamo (2004-10-16 20:45:48 EST)

Nuclear concerns: missing equipment at Iraq's nuclear facilities (2004-10-11 20:38:34 EST)

Sadr's Militia Answers Call to Yield Arms (2004-10-11 20:34:51 EST)

Stanley Hoffmann: Out of Iraq (2004-10-10 08:14:12 EST)

Pentagon Sets Steps to Retake Iraq Rebel Sites (2004-10-07 23:00:49 EST)