Resolving this crisis is in the interests of virtually everybody on the planet, with two exceptions: President Bush and Mr. Kim. They may have nothing else in common, except that their fathers also ran their countries, but they do share an interest in delay.

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But Philippines President Gloria Arroyo said she was "unlikely" to withdraw 100 soldiers and police officers stationed in Iraq. Mrs Arroyo, who faces a tight election on May 10, has been condemned by opposition politicians for the Iraq commitment.

Other coalition members, including Australia, Japan, South Korea, Italy and Poland, responded to the Spanish and Honduran defections by vowing to stay in Iraq.

The Honduran troops are attached to the Spanish regiment in Iraq, along with 374 Salvadoran and 302 Dominicans who are due to leave in July. Nicaragua's 115 troops left in February.

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Scott McClellan is the White House press secretary; having promoted to replace Ari Fleischer as press secretary after he left the post on July 14, 2003. Previously he served as Deputy White House press secretary, Fleischer's assistant.

McClellan, 35, began working for President Bush, in 1999 as the deputy communications director, when Bush was the governor of Texas. He served as the traveling press secretary during the 2000 Presidential Campaign.

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Iraqi officials blamed al-Qaida for the bloodiest attack in Basra, a mainly Shiite city, since the U.S.-led occupation began a year ago.

Bombers simultaneously detonated four cars packed with missiles and TNT just after 7 a.m. in front of three police stations ? one of them next to Basra's main street market ? and a police academy. An hour later another car bomb went off outside the police academy, located in Zubair, a suburb of mainly Shiite Basra.

Two bombers were captured before they could attack, Basra Gov. Wael Abdul-Latif said, adding that he believed al-Qaida was behind the bombings.

Iraqi Interior Minister Samir Shaker Mahmoud al-Sumeidi blamed "terrorists." He said the Basra attack resembled suicide bombings earlier this year against Shiites and Kurds that were blamed on foreign Islamic militants.

The explosions in Basra, four at one time and one an hour later, struck the three police stations and the academy in the suburb of Zubair just after 7 a.m., as many residents were headed to markets, work or school. An hour later, another blast targeted the same police academy.

A large crater, six feet deep and nine feet wide, was blown in the pavement outside the Saudia station, the facade of which was heavily damaged.

mr ed
as ive pointed to b4, weirdo joe is adamant that car bombs dont make craters. the only thing that creates craters is bombs underground, he says. his logic is something like 'energy from an explosion disperses according to the path of least resistance, ergo an explosion above the ground doesnt bother trying to dig a hole - its easier to get disperse energy in other directions'.

and here we see another crater, this time in basra.

__________________________________________________
but we were *saving* the village
wotisitgood4.blogspot.com


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fox is a running a story about the new attack ads from kerry and 'bush-cheney'.

they showed most of the attacks ad on kerry, and then played just one part of kerrys 'attack ad' on bush - the part where the ad says (something like) 'bush will stop abortions'.

niiiiiiiice.

__________________________________________________
but we were *saving* the village
wotisitgood4.blogspot.com