Utah State University Student Newspapers | 2007-04-13 | Page 14

T4 ' • IRAQ From page 2 Leahy questions White House e-mails about fired prosecutors ing. Police blamed a suicide truck bomber for the attack on the al-Sarafiya bridge, which WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House's the British built in the 1950s. AP Television claim that e-mails sent on a Republican News video, however, showed the bridge broA bomb exploded in the cafeteria Party account might have been lost was ken in two places - perhaps the result of two of Parliament killing at least two challenged Thursday by Senate Judiciary blasts. Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, who Security officials at Iraq's parliament said lawmakers. Another quipped that even his teenage neighbor could they believed the bomber in the cafeteria IRAQ? bombing damaged find them. attack was a bodyguard of a Sunni law, n o V a major bridge. maker who was not among the casualties. "They say they have not been preserved. I The bombing, which wounded both Sunnis don't believe that!" Leahy shouted from the and Shiites, showed that determined suicide Senate floor as the dispute over the firing of Al-Sarafiya assailants remain capable of striking at will. federal prosecutors continued at a high pitch. "You can't erase e-mails, not today. U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. bridge bombed They've gone through too many servers," said William Caldwell said the attack bore the Leahy, D-Vt. "Those e-mails are there, they trademarks of al-Qaida in Iraq. The terrorist 2 mi just don't want to produce them. We'll subgroup is fighting not only to oust U.S. forces poena them if necessary." from Iraq but also against fellow Sunnis in the west of the country who have begun to Separately, Leahy's committee approved leave the insurgency and side with U.S. and P&rliamejit V a - but did not issue - new subpoenas to comIraqi soldiers. pel the administration to produce documents B A G H^D '0b and testimony about the firings. "We don't know at this point who it was. ^ * J B i . s ; Embassy We do know in the past that suicide vests White House officials insisted the adminhave been used predominantly by al-Qaida," istration was making a genuine effort Bomb the U.S. military spokesman said. to recover any missing e-mails that had been sent on an account sponsored by the One of the lawmakers killed in the attack, explodes in Tigris Republican National Committee. Mohammed Awad, was a member of the River Parliament moderate Sunni National Dialogue Front, "I understand his point, but he's wrong," according to party leader Saleh al-Mutlaq. A said spokeswoman Dana Perino. AP SOURCE: NIMA AP Photo/Meet the Press, Alex Wong female Sunni lawmaker from the same list "We're being very honest and forthcomSEN. PATRICK LEAHY, D-Vt., appears on "Meet the Press'" Sunday, April was wounded, he said. ing," she added. "I hope that he would under"It reminds us, though, that there is an 1,2007, at the NBC studios in Washington. stand the spirit in which we have come forA second Sunni lawmaker known to have enemy willing to bomb innocent people in a "I've got a teenage kid in my neighborhood ward and tried to explain how we screwed up been killed was Taha al-Liheibi, a key gosymbol of democracy," he said. that can go get 'em for them," he told reportour policy and how we're working to fix it." between in government efforts to negotiate But congressional Democrats said the ers. with Sunni insurgents about putting down Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, fightattack was evidence that substantial progress their arms and joining the political process. Retorted Perino: "I don't know if Senator ing to save his job, is to testify to Congress was not being made in the war. It would be the second time in less than next Tuesday. Leahy is also an IT expert." "How the president and people around a month that a bodyguard wearing a suicide White House officials could not say how In the meantime, Democrats have kept up him can say things are going well is really vest attacked a Sunni official. On March 23 many e-mails may have been lost. Meetings pressure on the administration with closedhard to comprehend," said Senate Majority a member of Deputy Prime Minister Salam door interviews of department officials and Thursday between lawmakers' aides and Leader Harry Reid. al-Zubaies security detail exploded his suivotes to authorize subpoenas for documents lawyers for the White House and RNC shed "This is the progress we've been hearing cide vest and seriously wounded al-Zubaie, and aides involved in the firings. little new light, according to letters sent to about?" asked Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. the highest-ranking Sunni in the Iraqi govThe investigation has revealed that White the Gonzales and the RNC by the chairmen "And tell me, how are more American troops ernment. of congressional committees. House e-mails about official business - on going to stop a single fanatic with explosives Security officials told The Associated electronic accounts intended for political Henry Waxman, chairman of the strapped to his chest?" Press then that the bodyguard was a distant matters may be gone, in violation of a law House Oversight and Government Reform Congress has passed bills that would force relative who had been arrested as an insurthat requires their preservation. TwentyCommittee, said RNC lawyer Rob Kelner the Bush administration to set a timetable gent, freed at al-Zubaie's request, then hired two White House officials, including politireported that roughly 50 White House offifor withdrawing American troops. Bush has as a bodyguard. At the time, the assassinacal adviser Karl Rove, have the accounts cials have had e-mail accounts on the GOP said he would veto any such measure and tion attempt was at least the third major committee's servers during Bush's tenure but that American forces need more time to curb sponsored by the Republican National security breach involving a top politician in Committee, administration officials say. the RNC may be able to recover only those the raging violence. four months. White House spokesman Scott Stanzel on sent from 2004 on. That's when the RNC put Hours after the bombing, Iraqi officials The parliament security officials, who Thursday could not rule out that some of the a hold on an automatic purge policy. including Deputy Prime Minister Barham spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity missing e-mails involved the attorney firings. It was unclear, Waxman wrote, whether Saleh met with the commander of U.S. forces because they were not authorized to release For the second day in a row, White House the RNC had or would be able to recover in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and decided to the information, said two satchel bombs also put the Interior Ministry in charge of secuofficials would not say whether the missing e-mails written by White House officials, were found in the parliament building near e-mails could be recovered. including Rove, and sent on the committee's rity at parliament, government spokesman the dining hall. A U.S. military bomb squad Leahy scoffed. account. al-Dabbagh said. The building was previtook the explosives away and detonated them Ali ously guarded by a private security company, without incident, the officials said. he said. Caldwell said eight were dead in the blast, Petraeus issued a statement saying the but hours after the bombing Iraqi officials U.S. military extended condolences to those were giving wildly varying accounts of how "martyred" in the bombing. It was "an attack many people died and who they were. The on democracy by individuals who oppose the government never gave a final death toll concept of government that is representative Thursday. of and responsible to the people," he said. WASHINGTON (AP) rently take an average of 177 tals to the VA's vast network J President Bush strongly condemned the The video of the bombing was shot by - The Army might be shortdays to process. of 1,400 clinics and treatattack, saying: "My message to the Iraqi gov- Alhurra, a U.S. government-funded Arabchanging injured soldiers "This is too long," ment facilities. ernment is 'We stand with you.'" language channel. by rating their disabilities Nicholson told a Senate In particular, critics conwith a system that is both Appropriations subcommittend the ratings are easily unwieldy and inconsistent, tee in written testimony. manipulated to limit disthe head of a special com"We must and will reduce ability payments and create mission said Thursday. the pending inventory and undue confusion. Pentagon officials denied shorten the time veterans "This is not a new issue," From page 2 they would cheat service must wait for decisions on said Sen. Carl Levin, Dmembers but pledged to their claims." Mich., who chairs the Senate resorts or buildings that might have been legally changed his name to Abdulmalek investigate. "I'm trying to In a preliminary review Armed Services Committee. targeted, but gives U.S. embassies, military Kenyatta in 1989, then to Christopher Paul make sense of this finding," of Pentagon and VA data, "Our nation has a moral bases and consular premises in Europe as in 1994, according to the indictment. said acting Army Secretary Scott's commission found the obligation to provide quality examples. After finishing his al-Qaida training in Pete Geren. Army was much more likely health care. We as a nation Paul later sent a wire transfer of $1,760 the early 1990s, he returned to Columbus to than the other active forces are not meeting this." Testimony to Congress on from a financial institution in the U.S. to an teach martial arts at a mosque, the indictto assign a disability rating Thursday by retired Lt. Gen. Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, alleged co-conspirator in Germany, prosecu- ment said. of less than 30 percent, the James Terry Scott, chairman the top Republican on the tors allege. Paul is married to a woman named in the typical cutoff to determine of the Veterans' Disability Senate Veterans Affairs A fax machine in his home contained indictment as F. Bashir, investigators said. whether a person can get Committee, decried the poor names, phone numbers and contact informa- Authorities seized a letter from Paul's apart- Benefits Commission, is the lifetime retirement payments latest to document problems coordination between the tion for key al-Q,aida leadership and associment that he sent to Bashir about raising and health care. in a system under extra Pentagon and VA after years ates, according to the indictment, issued "little mujahideen," or holy warriors. strain as thousands of serof warnings and recomVA ratings tend to be Wednesday. Paul and Jenhawi, who have known each vice members return from mendations by congressional higher, due to a separate sysPaul also is accused of storing material at other about a year, attend the same mosque Iraq and Afghanistan. committees and a presidentem that gives consideration his father's house in Columbus, including a and their daughters play together, Jenhawi Scott suggested there tial commission. to whether injured veterans book on improvised land mines, money from said. Paul's daughter is about 9 years old and could be an effort to keep are afflicted with multiple Geren defended efforts to countries in the Middle East and a letter to is homeschooled, he said. costs down as the military disabilities. improve care, saying he had his parents explaining that he would be "on Two other Columbus men have been rates the severity of sol"It is apparent that serconfidence in a new leaderthe front lines," according to the indictment. charged in federal investigators' terrorism diers' disabilities. He said vice members are not wellship team installed after Paul's sister, Sandra Laws, answered the investigation. Iyman Faris was sentenced the Pentagon "has strong served," Scott said at an disclosures in February of door at the two-story, pale green home she in 2003 to 20 years in prison for a plot to incentive to assign ratings unusual joint hearing of the shoddy outpatient treatment shares with her father, Ernest, in suburban topple the Brooklyn Bridge. Nuradin Abdi, less than 30 percent" so the Senate Armed Services and and bureaucratic red tape at Columbus but declined to comment on the accused of plotting to blow up a Columbusmilitary won't have to pay Veterans Affairs committees. Walter Reed Army Medical area shopping mall, is awaiting trial on case. disability benefits. Center. His commission was No charges are expected against family charges including conspiring to aid terrorSeparately, VA Secretary formed in 2004- to study An independent review members, authorities said. ists. Jim Nicholson said a presiways to improve the bengroup appointed by Defense Paul was born Paul Kenyatta Laws. He dential task force he is head- efits system and is to issue a Secretary Robert Gates said ing to improve troop and report later this year. this week that money woes veterans care is working During the hearing, lawand Pentagon neglect were WE NEED YOUR STUFF! vigorously and plans to issue makers recounted stories to blame for many of the recommendations next week. from injured troops and problems, concluding that One primary focus of veterans who described long "leadership at Walter Reed his department, he said, waits, lost paperwork and should have been aware of has been to pare down the subjective ratings as they poor living conditions and backlog of claims, which cur- moved from military hospiadministrative hurdles." 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