Iraq Press Roundup

The al-Basaer newspaper of the Association of Muslim Scholars carried an editorial Wednesday with the title "Is it time yet to hold Bush and Cheney responsible?"

The editorial said the Bush administration has fabricated the fear of the Iranian nuclear threat in the Gulf region.

With the passage of time, rejection of the evil leaders in the world, being U.S President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, has increased, the newspaper said.

It supported the argument by highlighting that Bush was viewed unfavorably during his latest visit to Europe.

European protesters said Bush should be tried for crimes against humanity in Iraq and demanded he face an international court as the man who stoked the fires of war and brought wanton bloodshed to the region, the newspaper said.

In spite of the clear indication that the policies of the Bush administration have led to failure in Iraq, the leaders of the Black House, a veiled reference to the White House, have let the Iraqi government continue to brag about the improved security situation, the editorial said.

"Bush has used media propaganda to convince the American public that the security situation in Iraq has improved, despite the real situation on the ground," the Saudi-based al-Basaer newspaper said.

It noted the people of Iraq have stopped talking of the improved security situation because there is simply no evidence it really exists.

The global admiration for the United States has declined since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, because many people see the Bush administration as forcing its ideologies on the world in order to appease the security concerns of the American public, regardless of the views of the global community, the editorial said.

The column said the American public lacks a sense of self-awareness.

"(The United States) refuses the rights of other countries to obtain nuclear weapons, while their armies have the biggest military bases in the world. ... They demand other governments respect the rule of law while their government continues to violate the Geneva Conventions," the newspaper said.

The newspaper slammed the Bush administration for accusing Iran of interfering in Iraqi affairs, while it continues with its own military occupation of the country.

The newspaper condemned the U.S. policy of opposing Chinese military advancement while at the same time spending billions of dollars on its own military infrastructure.

The weekly al-Basaer newspaper also highlighted the fact that the U.S. military budget eclipses the total yearly budget of other nations.

It accused the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States of using scare tactics against the American public. Each party uses the threat of transnational terrorism, illegal immigrants and complaints about a declining U.S. economy to create a climate of fear in the American public, the newspaper said.

"At the same time Bush and Cheney have made the war on terrorism the main focus of their administration, their policies in Iraq have actually encouraged and increased the prevalence of terrorism," the newspaper said.

The influential Sunni al-Basaer newspaper said five years of immature and incorrect U.S. strategies in Iraq have only turned the country into a fertile ground for terrorism and insurgency.