Ford against Iraq War (Artifact Seven)

Ford: Reasons For Iraq War 'A Big Mistake'. 2007. CBSnews.com. 28 December 2006
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/28/politics/main2304283.shtml

Ford: Reasons For Iraq War 'A Big Mistake'
Thanks to a recently found video of an interview with the late Gerald Ford, we now know that the former president did not defend President Bush when it came to the war with Iraq. The interview has just recently been released, but took place in July 2004. "Ford strongly opposed the decision to go to war with Iraq, claiming that invading the country was not justified, as reported by the Washington Post." Ford also criticized his former Chief of Staff and Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld. The now Vice Pesident, and former Secretary of Defense for George W. Bush, were said to have a great deal of impact in the decision to send U.S. soldiers to Iraq. "His main problem, however, was that we shouldn't have put the basis on weapons of destruction, but he did strongly agree that we had to somehow get rid of the former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein."

Saddam is caught in a hole (Artifact Six)

Saddam 'Caught like a Rat' in a Hole. 2003. CNN.com. 15 December 2003

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/12/14/sprj.irq.saddam.operation/index.html



Saddam 'Caught like a Rat' in a Hole

After almost two years of searching, on December 15, 2003, they finally found Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi dictator was found in a hole by U.S. soldiers in Adwar, Iraq. "The city was about nine miles away from Saddam's original home, Tikrit. The soldiers got the most information they could out of Hussein's family members and former bodyguards. The mission to find the former dictator was called "Operation Red Dawn". After many failed attempts, a calvary of soldiers went into a hut, where they found a rug. They moved the rug, and the only thing keeping them away from capturing Hussein. Under the rug, they found a hole, which they went down into." In the hole, they found Hussein, who was armed with a pistol, but put up no recalcitrance. "Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez reported that Saddam was tired and put up no fight whatsoever." Hussein was easy to capture, and once he was in custody of the United States, everyone in the U.S. could breathe a sigh of relief.(picture below from http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2003/WORLD/meast/12/14/sprj.irq.saddam.operation/story.hut.jpg)

Al Queda mocks new strategy (Artifact Five)

Al Qaeda No. 2 mocks new U.S. strategy for Iraq. 2007. CNN.com. 22 January 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/22/qaeda.tape.ap/index.html

Al Qaeda No. 2 Mocks New U.S. Strategy for Iraq
Apparently, Al-Qaeda deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, is taking President Bush's new war strategy as a joke. "In a videotape intercepted by U.S. Washington-based SITE Institute, the Al-Qaeda terrorist challenged President Bush to send the entire army, stating that insurgents would defeat them all." The message hadn't been posted on Islamic militant web sites as of yet, so they don't think al-Zawahri is aware that the U.S. has seen the tape. The Al-Qaeda leader claimed that Bush's plan was doomed for failure. He asked Bush why he doesn't just send 100 thousand soldiers to Iraq, because the Iraqi insurgents are eager to kill American troops. "He also said that he would free the world of America's evil, with the help and power of the Muslim god, Allah."

Saddam confesses to execution order (Artifact Four)

Talabani: Saddam Confesses to Execution Order. 2007. CNN.com. 6 September 2005
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/09/06/iraq.saddam.confess/index.html
Talabani: Saddam Confesses to Execution Order
Following an interview with broadcaster al-Iraqiya, Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, Saddam Hussein confessed to mass killing of Kurds. Talabani talked to an Iraqi Special Tribunal judge about a conversation the judge had with Hussein. The Iraqi dictator confessed to the judge that he had indeed, gave orders to execute thousands of Kurds in the late 1980s.

Sunnis protest Saddam's execution (Artifact Three) by Lauren Frayer

Crowds of Iraqi Sunnis Protest Saddam's Execution. 2007. Buffalonews.com. 2 January 2007
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20070102/1028906.asp

Crowds of Iraqi Sunnis Protest Saddam's Execution
Not many people liked Saddam Hussein, or what he did during his dictatorship in Iraq. However, there are some exceptions because the Sunnis in Iraq supported him, while the Kurds and Shiites didn't. When Saddam Hussein was given the death penalty, most cheered and couldn't be happier. "The Sunnis are now enraged at the U.S. for Hussein's execution, and on Monday, protested in Baghdad inside the Golden Dome. The Golden Dome is a Shiite shrine, which was locked because earlier in the year, a group of Sunni extremists bombed the shrine and damaged it immensely. To show their displeasure towards the hanging of Hussein, a mob of angry Sunnis broke the locks of the shrine, and marched in with a mock coffin and photograph of their former dictator." If that wasn't enough, Sunnis became infuriated after watching a video of the execution, taken on a mobile phone inside the chamber. "They heard chanting in the background that were "Muqtada," which referred to a firebrand Shiite cleric who runs one of Iraq's most violent religious militias."

Baghdad bombs kill 26 Iraqi civilians (Artifact Two) by Alexandra Zavis

Car Bombs in Baghdad Kill at least 26. 2006. Latimes.com. 27 December 2006

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq27dec27,1,6474570.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true

Car Bombs in Baghdad Kill at least 26

On December 27, 2006 in Baghdad, three car bombs exploded within minutes of each other. "The bombs caught many civilains off guard, killing about 26, and injuring about 50 more." Normally, there wouldn't have been so many people around one place, but because it was nearly the Eid al-Adha holiday, everyone was out shopping. "While trying to remove explosive devices on the side of a street, three American soldiers were killed by the bomb." "During the explosions, nearly 100 Iraqi military members were killed." More bad news came out of these bombings though, as the total of U.S. soldier casualties reached 3,000.

Chronology of Terror (Artifact One)

September 11: Chronology of Terror. 2006. CNN.com. 12 September 2001

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/chronology.attack/index.html

September 11: Chronology of Terror

"On September 11, 2001 at 8:45 a.m, a hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center." This collision tore a momentous hole in the building and set it on fire. At 9:03, a second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center and exploded. Both buildings burned until the New York Firemen showed up to put out the flames. Soon after, all bridges and tunnels in the New York area were closed. The only thing President Bush could say was that 'The U.S. had suffered an apparent terrorist attack.' At 9:43 American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately. At 9:45, The White House was evacuated. About 10 minutes later, Bush left Florida, and returned to Washington D.C. (picture below from http://mceer.buffalo.edu/infoService/enews/issues/0109/articles.asp)

What I know, and What I want to Learn

What I know:

I know that the war between the U.S. and Iraq has been going on for years now. It was all triggered on September 11, 2001 when terrorists from the Middle East boarded planes heading for New York City. While in the city, the men on the planes somehow took control over the pilots, crashing them into the World Trade Center (The Twin Towers). There were no survivors on the plane after the crashes. Even the terrorists from Afghanistan were killed, and as it turned out, they were suicide bombers sent by Osama Bin Laden. The tragedy didn't just stop at the citizens on the plane though. The Twin Towers were destroyed completely, killing thousands. The towers were over one hundred stories tall, so when the planes caused the Twin Towers to cach fire, so many innocent workers perished in the fire, or died trying to escape. The same day, the Pentagon was also hit by a plane controlled by terrorists as well.

What I want to Learn:
I want to learn how the terrorists on the planes took control from the pilots, I want to know exactly how many casualties there were that day, including the people who died in the World Trade Center. I want to know if anyone predicted it, or knew of it beforehand. I'm also curious about when President Bush is planning on bringing the U.S. soldiers home from the Middle East. My friend Mike (23) is a medic in the army, and was sent home from Iraq about 2 years ago. He came back with painful memories, but was physically was in good shape. Unforunately, there are still thousands of soldiers who are seriously injured, or even killed before returning home.