February 11, 2009 5:37 PM
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The Skinny: More U.S. Troops To Iraq?
The Skinny is Hillary Profita's take on the top news of the day and the best of the Internet.
'Double Down' On Iraq?
And now, a card game analogy for Iraq, courtesy of the Los Angeles Times, which reports that "strong support has coalesced in the Pentagon behind a military plan to 'double down' in the country with a substantial buildup in American troops, an increase in industrial aid and a major combat offensive against Muqtada Sadr, the radical Shiite leader impeding development of the Iraqi government."
That decision "would disregard key recommendations and warnings of the Iraq Study Group," notes the Times, not to mention how much it will irk those who are increasingly gunning for the U.S. to leave Iraq.
Nonetheless, "a defense official" told the Times: "I think it is worth trying. But you can't have the rhetoric without the resources. This is a double down." And yes, the Times points out, the proposal "would be a gamble."
Bush Delays Release Of Iraq Plan
While originally President Bush was going to present a plan for Iraq to the public before Christmas, internal debates among advisers led the White House to determine that Bush would delay such an announcement until early next year. The issues being debated include whether to send more troops to Iraq for a short period, how to pressure Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki to provide basic services and quell violence and "whether to back a Shiite government in the conflict with the Sunnis, or to seek a new strategy for national reconciliation between Sunni and Shiite factions," says the New York Times front page. Such a reconciliation plan would seek to expand Maliki's reach, while undermining that of Shiite cleric Moktada al Sadr.
Get Out of Baghdad?
In another front page Iraq story, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser told the Times that he thinks it is "extremely important" that the U.S. military reduce its presence in Baghdad.
As such, Iraq "has presented the United States with a plan that calls for Iraqi troops to assume primary responsibility for security in Baghdad early next year," writes the Times.
While that poses some obvious advantages for the U.S. – especially considering continuous poll results like these -- it also presents some significant risks. For example, that "the Americans do not want to become complicit in sectarian violence," writes the Times.
The demands upon troops in Iraq and Afghanistan "have sharply decreased the readiness of Army and Marine Corps units rotating back to the United States, compromising the ability of U.S. ground forces to respond to other potential conflicts around the world."
That has motivated the Army and Marine Corps to plan on requesting "permanent increases in personnel" from incoming Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, writes the Washington Post's front page. That also means that the Army will "press hard for 'full access'" to the National Guard and the Reserves – requesting that by asking Gates "to take the politically sensitive step of easing the Pentagon restrictions on the frequency and duration of involuntary call-ups for reservists," writes the Post. That should make him a popular new guy.
Feds Give Thumbs Up To Faux Crab Meat
Now, for the good news. On a completely unrelated subject. And I guess it's really only good news for the seafood industry. "After a dozen years of lobbying," the industry has gotten permission from the FDA to stop calling imitation crab meat, well, imitation crab meat, writes the Wall Street Journal.
The product will probably be referred to as "Crab-flavored seafood, made with surimi, a fully cooked fish protein." All the best to the advertising firm who wins that account. Although, in order to fit the entire statement on product packages "companies may end up using large type for 'crab-flavored seafood' and much smaller type for the rest."
"Hopefully, people who were turned off by the word 'imitation' will take another look and give it a try," one seafood company spokesman told the Journal.
On The Web: The Dangers of Wi-Fi
In today's edition of Things You Didn't Know That Could Kill You: Wireless Internet. It's a regular rhetorical photo finish between those who argue there are some serious health hazards associated with Wi-Fi ("Sufferers report headaches, nausea, stomach upsets, tinnitus, brain fog and short-term memory among the symptoms"), and those who think that's basically a load of hooey, Wired reports.
"Riding in on peer-reviewed research, but flunking every major test, the idea that wireless technology amounts to a modern health threat presents a conundrum to proponents and skeptics alike," says the magazine.
One electromagnetic field sensitivity advocate (that's what the estimated 1-3 percent of the Wi-Fi-illness-sensitive population is called) is none too pleased with the kinds of dismissive reactions he's received from some in the academic community about the potential damange that wi-fi can reap: "A professor called it Compulsive Risk Assessment Psychosis, otherwise known as CRAP."
One engineering professor essentially agrees: "The fields that are induced by Wi-Fi transmissions are well below those that could cause problems to humans," said Chris Guy, head of The University of Reading's School of Systems Engineering. "The maximum power that is allowed to be transmitted by any Wi-Fi unit is one-tenth of a watt."
"What isn't yet agreed upon is whether or not it is attributable to the electrical devices being accused of being the problem, or whether it is psychological," said Graham Philips of an organization that "seeks to highlight the alleged dangers of EMF."
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. 'Double Down' On Iraq?
And now, a card game analogy for Iraq, courtesy of the Los Angeles Times, which reports that "strong support has coalesced in the Pentagon behind a military plan to 'double down' in the country with a substantial buildup in American troops, an increase in industrial aid and a major combat offensive against Muqtada Sadr, the radical Shiite leader impeding development of the Iraqi government."
That decision "would disregard key recommendations and warnings of the Iraq Study Group," notes the Times, not to mention how much it will irk those who are increasingly gunning for the U.S. to leave Iraq.
Nonetheless, "a defense official" told the Times: "I think it is worth trying. But you can't have the rhetoric without the resources. This is a double down." And yes, the Times points out, the proposal "would be a gamble."
Bush Delays Release Of Iraq Plan
While originally President Bush was going to present a plan for Iraq to the public before Christmas, internal debates among advisers led the White House to determine that Bush would delay such an announcement until early next year. The issues being debated include whether to send more troops to Iraq for a short period, how to pressure Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki to provide basic services and quell violence and "whether to back a Shiite government in the conflict with the Sunnis, or to seek a new strategy for national reconciliation between Sunni and Shiite factions," says the New York Times front page. Such a reconciliation plan would seek to expand Maliki's reach, while undermining that of Shiite cleric Moktada al Sadr.
Get Out of Baghdad?
In another front page Iraq story, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser told the Times that he thinks it is "extremely important" that the U.S. military reduce its presence in Baghdad.
As such, Iraq "has presented the United States with a plan that calls for Iraqi troops to assume primary responsibility for security in Baghdad early next year," writes the Times.
While that poses some obvious advantages for the U.S. – especially considering continuous poll results like these -- it also presents some significant risks. For example, that "the Americans do not want to become complicit in sectarian violence," writes the Times.
The demands upon troops in Iraq and Afghanistan "have sharply decreased the readiness of Army and Marine Corps units rotating back to the United States, compromising the ability of U.S. ground forces to respond to other potential conflicts around the world."
That has motivated the Army and Marine Corps to plan on requesting "permanent increases in personnel" from incoming Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, writes the Washington Post's front page. That also means that the Army will "press hard for 'full access'" to the National Guard and the Reserves – requesting that by asking Gates "to take the politically sensitive step of easing the Pentagon restrictions on the frequency and duration of involuntary call-ups for reservists," writes the Post. That should make him a popular new guy.
Feds Give Thumbs Up To Faux Crab Meat
Now, for the good news. On a completely unrelated subject. And I guess it's really only good news for the seafood industry. "After a dozen years of lobbying," the industry has gotten permission from the FDA to stop calling imitation crab meat, well, imitation crab meat, writes the Wall Street Journal.
The product will probably be referred to as "Crab-flavored seafood, made with surimi, a fully cooked fish protein." All the best to the advertising firm who wins that account. Although, in order to fit the entire statement on product packages "companies may end up using large type for 'crab-flavored seafood' and much smaller type for the rest."
"Hopefully, people who were turned off by the word 'imitation' will take another look and give it a try," one seafood company spokesman told the Journal.
On The Web: The Dangers of Wi-Fi
In today's edition of Things You Didn't Know That Could Kill You: Wireless Internet. It's a regular rhetorical photo finish between those who argue there are some serious health hazards associated with Wi-Fi ("Sufferers report headaches, nausea, stomach upsets, tinnitus, brain fog and short-term memory among the symptoms"), and those who think that's basically a load of hooey, Wired reports.
"Riding in on peer-reviewed research, but flunking every major test, the idea that wireless technology amounts to a modern health threat presents a conundrum to proponents and skeptics alike," says the magazine.
One electromagnetic field sensitivity advocate (that's what the estimated 1-3 percent of the Wi-Fi-illness-sensitive population is called) is none too pleased with the kinds of dismissive reactions he's received from some in the academic community about the potential damange that wi-fi can reap: "A professor called it Compulsive Risk Assessment Psychosis, otherwise known as CRAP."
One engineering professor essentially agrees: "The fields that are induced by Wi-Fi transmissions are well below those that could cause problems to humans," said Chris Guy, head of The University of Reading's School of Systems Engineering. "The maximum power that is allowed to be transmitted by any Wi-Fi unit is one-tenth of a watt."
"What isn't yet agreed upon is whether or not it is attributable to the electrical devices being accused of being the problem, or whether it is psychological," said Graham Philips of an organization that "seeks to highlight the alleged dangers of EMF."
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