With a 72 hour death threat hanging over her head, the Christian Science Monitor and the Council on American-Islamic Relations are stepping into overdrive to save kidnapped American reporter Jill Caroll.

The U.S. and coalition forces are holding 8 female Iraqi prisoners. The kidnappers have demanded their release. The Iraq Ministry of Justice says it will release six of them early in an action it says is unrelated to Ms. Carroll. Will it be enough?

I think Ms. Carroll will be saved. Here's a commercial-free link to the video of Ms. Carroll that appeared on al-jazeera tv.

Arianna calls upon President Bush to denounce those who are swift-boating Rep. Jack Murtha.

Read Bob Cesca at HuffPo as well.

60 Minutes has the video of Murtha's appearance last night.

The farce of the Saddam Hussein trial just got worse. The trial judge has submitted his resignation.

Many claimed he was being too lenient with Saddam in tolerating his speeches and outbursts. Apparently, the pressure got to him --either from the public or the Government, take your pick.

Saddam should not be tried in Iraq. He should be tried in an international tribunal like the Hague. Of course, since the death penalty would be off the table, that would never happen.

Human Rights Watch explains why Saddam should be tried in an international court.

The New York Times writes about reservists coming home from Iraq and the difficulty they have adjusting. Sad article.

Military studies already indicate that nearly one-fifth of returning soldiers struggle with depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Many veterans suspect the numbers are much higher. Military officials said they were especially concerned about National Guard soldiers and reservists who, according to a recent Army Medical Department study, have higher rates of post-deployment stress.

"I tell my friends in civilian practice that over the next 10 years, you need to be aware what's coming through your door," said Capt. Robert Sidell, an Army psychologist at the United States Military Academy at West Point. "You're going to be seeing a lot of these guys."

The casualties of war. More than 2,2000 dead and how many wounded and psychologically scarred? We'll probably never know.

Two Abu Ghraib soldiers accused of using military dogs to threaten and attack prisoners, Sgt. Santos Cardona and Sgt. Michael Smith, are set to go on trial next month. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the one-time Guantanamo commander sent by Bush to examine Abu Ghraib, has invoked his 5th Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and refused to testify. Army Col. Thomas Pappas has been granted immunity in exchange for his testimony.

Digby is justifiably outraged.

I'm wondering, what's up with the Pappas immunity? Maybe he is going to rat out Miller? Or someone in the CIA? This 2004 USA Today article from 2004 recaps the details, including a sworn statement it had reviewed from Army Lt. Col. Steven Jordan, the top military intelligence officer at Abu Ghraib who oversaw the interrogations. Here's what he had to say about Pappas, after a ghost detainee had died while being interrogated:

Defense Tech writes about a recent military study showing that 80% of U.S. Marine torso deaths in Iraq might have been prevented if they had had extra body armor. The study is here (pdf) and covered the period of March 2003 through June 2005.

The New York Times has this report on the study.

In all, 526 marines have been killed in combat in Iraq. A total of 1,706 American troops have died in combat there. The findings and other research by military pathologists suggests that an analysis of all combat deaths in Iraq, including those of Army troops, would show that 300 or more lives might have been saved with improved body armor.

Happy Blogiversary to Noah of Defense Tech, which turns three today.

by TChris

Other than a troop withdrawal, the one thing that might increase support for the U.S. in Iraq is a serious commitment to reconstruction. The Washington Post tells us that half the money already spent has been "eaten away by the insurgency, a buildup of Iraq's criminal justice system and the investigation and trial of Saddam Hussein." Although only 20 percent of the funds already authorized for reconstruction remain unallocated, the Bush administration has announced that it won't seek further funding from Congress, despite "what authorities say is tens of billions of dollars of work yet to be done merely to bring reliable electricity, water and other services to Iraq's 26 million people." Perhaps this is the administration's answer to critics who complain of its willingness to rebuild Iraq while largely ignoring the need to rebuild New Orleans.

No matter what money the administration spends in Iraq, it can't overcome the damage it causes by its continuing use of violence against the innocent:

A U.S. air strike that Americans said was directed at suspected bombers killed a family of 12 in their home north of Baghdad Monday night, Iraqi officials said Tuesday. A Washington Post special correspondent watched as rescuers removed the bodies of women and children still in their nightclothes.

BlairWatch is asking bloggers to publish the memos from Craig Murray, Britain's former ambassador to Uzbekistan, detailing how the Uzbek Secret Forces passed intelligence obtained through torture to the U.K. The documents show complicity in Uzbek torture by both the British and US governments.

Britain has an Official Secrets Act, which bloggers there are concerned may be used to prosecute them for revealing the contents of the memos. The more the memos appear on non-UK sites, the less the likelihood that will happen. As to the documents:

The first document is a series of Telegrams that Craig sent to the Foreign Office, outlining his growing concern and disgust at our use of intelligence passed to the UK by the Uzbek security services.

The second document is a copy of legal advice the Foreign Office sought, to see if they were operating within the Law in accepting torture intelligence, and according to Michael Wood the FCO legal adviser; it is fine, as long as it is not used as evidence.

Blairwatch has published the documents in full here, and ask that anyone who can do the same.

• http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/715
  
• http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/714
  
  

Daily Kos has posted the documents, as has Politics in the Zeros. As Markos reminds us:

Professor Juan Cole of of Informed Comment posts the ten greatest myths of the Iraq War. My favorites:

Iraqi Sunnis voting in the December 15 election is a sign that they are being drawn into the political process and might give up the armed insurgency

Iraqis are grateful for the US presence and want US forces there to help them build their country.

There is a silent majority of middle class, secular-minded Iraqis who reject religious fundamentalism.

The new Iraqi constitution is a victory for Western, liberal values in the Middle East.

Saddam Hussein had another outburst at his trial today. While a witness was on the stand testifying about his agents torturing people by tearing off their skin, Saddam claimed that he has been tortured during his time in detention.

"I want to say here, yes, we have been beaten by the Americans and we have been tortured," Saddam said, before gesturing to his seven co-defendants around him, "one by one."

After sitting quietly through several hours of testimony, Saddam said he'd been beaten "everywhere on my body. The marks are still there."

Chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Mousawi said Saddam's claims will be investigated.

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has issued his long awaited report , prepared by Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee, calling for the censure of Bush and Cheney for their mispresentations about the Iraq War. He has introduced a resolution calling for a full investigation. Chapter Four contains the 16 page legal analysis section. Chapter Five has recommendations. Don't miss Exhibit A containing an explanation of the criminal laws that our leaders may have violated. From the press release (received by e-mail):

"In brief, we have found that there is substantial evidence the President, the Vice-President and other high ranking members of the Bush Administration misled Congress and the American people regarding the decision to go to war in Iraq; misstated and manipulated intelligence information regarding the justification for such war; countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in Iraq; and permitted inappropriate retaliation against critics of their Administration. There is at least a prima facie case that these actions that federal laws have been violated - from false statements to Congress to retaliating against Administration critics.

by TChris

More details are available today regarding torture at the Iraqi Interior Ministry’s detention centers. Yesterday’s disclosure of the torture is discussed here.

Prisoners had their bones broken and their fingernails pulled out, were subjected to electric shocks and had burning cigarettes crushed into their necks and backs, said the Iraqi official. A 13th detainee there was starved to "bones and skin," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.

More than 120 prisoners in two detention centers have been abused or tortured, according to U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.