McManus: An elusive victory in Iraq

After almost nine years, the war ends, with questions.

by Doyle McManus

December 18, 2011

With the final headlong withdrawal this month of U.S. troops from Iraq, President Obama fulfilled a campaign promise to end the war. But was the nearly nine-year mission a success?

Iraq is still struggling even to ensure its own security. Its air force has no jet fighters, and U.S. officials say it would be unable to detect incoming aircraft in time to stop them. The Iraqi army is improving, but its ability to mount complex operations remains weak. The Iraqis still have a long way to go on intelligence, training and logistics.

On the political side of things, the democratic system the U.S. fought to establish is becoming increasingly authoritarian and remains divided along tribal and sectarian lines. Its ruling coalition includes parties allied with Iran. Its minority Sunni Muslims and Kurds are worried about their futures.

At the almost perfunctory ceremony Thursday in a dusty courtyard at Baghdad's international airport to formally mark the U.S. military mission's end, no one even tried to use the word "victory."

But that shouldn't come as a surprise.

Two years ago, the Army general who is now chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Martin E. Dempsey, commissioned a panel of historians to study how wars come to an end. Dempsey could see that the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, conflicts to which he and his colleagues had devoted almost a decade, weren't heading for the clear conclusions that Americans yearn for. "Whatever happened to good old-fashioned victory?" the general, a former English professor at West Point, wondered at the time.

The answer, the scholars told him, was that most wars don't end with clear-cut winners and losers, especially long counterinsurgency wars of the sort we've been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. In that kind of conflict, it's hard to know when it's safe to claim progress, let alone victory.

In Washington, the withdrawal is an election-year talking point for both Republicans and Democrats. Obama is claiming credit for ending an increasingly unpopular war. Contenders for the GOP nomination are charging that Obama has "abandoned" Iraq, and that he should have pushed harder to win permission for about 5,000 military trainers and advisors to stay behind. (Negotiations on that issue broke down after Iraq refused to grant legal immunity to the troops who would remain.)

In Baghdad, the withdrawal was an even hotter political issue. Iraqi politicians, including Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, have spent years promising to end the American military presence. Negotiating a new agreement to allow thousands of foreign troops to remain in the country would have divided the coalition that keeps Maliki in power. The prime minister decided not to risk his job and to take credit for an American withdrawal instead.

Because of the Iraqi order to leave, the job of training and advising Iraq's armed forces has been taken away from a U.S. military command with years of hard-won experience and handed to a newly formed (and necessarily untested) civilian organization run by the State Department.

Officials acknowledge that they are scrambling to set up the new Office of Security Cooperation, and say privately that they will need luck as well as skill for it to come out right.

The State Department has never tried to run a mission this big, with an estimated 16,000 civilians and contractors, many of them doing jobs — training security forces, advising intelligence agencies, even flying helicopters and driving armored vehicles — that are normally military functions.

Given these circumstances, even carefully hedged claims of success at the Baghdad ceremony Thursday sounded a little like bravado.

"We salute the fact that Iraq is now fully responsible for directing its own path," Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said. "The mission of an Iraq that could fully govern and secure itself has become real."

In other words: Mission Partly Accomplished.

Dempsey, a reflective man who is a student of both literature and history, put the outcome in a broader context after the gathering.

"The term 'victory' is so elusive because the objectives [in most wars] change over time," he said, adding that despite such shifts he would "unequivocally term what we did in Iraq over the last eight years a success."

Thursday's ceremony in Baghdad wasn't the end of the U.S. entanglement in Iraq. The U.S. military is already looking for ways to return with a smaller footprint and lower profile, mainly through temporary advisory and training assignments.

But it's hard to imagine the United States attempting again the kind of massive and costly counterinsurgency that has mired it in Iraq and Afghanistan for most of a decade.

At an estimated cost of as much as $1 trillion, with nearly 4,500 Americans dead, the Iraq war may stand as the definitive, chastening proof of what the historians told Dempsey two years ago: True victory is elusive, and a nation rarely exits a war with the same objectives it had on the way in.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mcmanus-column-iraq-war-ends-20111218,0,4878176,print.column

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arpaio's too-Wild-West ways

The Department of Justice concluded that the Arizona sheriff helped nurture a 'culture of bias' in his department that led to discriminatory behavior and 'unconstitutional policing.'

December 17, 2011

Joe Arpaio likes to call himself America's toughest sheriff. But the Department of Justice reached a different conclusion last week about the lawman from Arizona's Maricopa County: He helped nurture a "culture of bias" in his department, it reported after a three-year investigation, that led to discriminatory behavior and "unconstitutional policing" that routinely violated the rights of Latinos.

The findings are hardly news to Latinos in that state, who were up to nine times more likely to be pulled over by deputies while driving than non-Latinos. The federal probe, first launched under President George W. Bush, concluded that Arpaio and his deputies illegally arrested and jailed Latinos and initiated immigration sweeps in response to complaints that simply referred to people with "dark skin" but made no mention of an actual crime. The report also said that in its zeal to prosecute immigrants, the sheriff's office may have failed to properly investigate 432 cases of sexual assault and child molestation.

It's a damning report, and the behavior it describes is a shameful throwback to a less enlightened era. And yet Arpaio's overzealous enforcement of immigration law is exactly what has attracted the attention of Republican presidential candidates, several of whom sought his endorsement earlier this year.

In September, GOP hopefuls Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann rushed to meet with Arpaio in Iowa. A month later, then-front-runner Herman Cain traveled to Arizona to see the sheriff. Arpaio ultimately threw his endorsement to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who rushed to the lawman's defense on Friday, suggesting that Arpaio was a victim of an Obama administration witch hunt.

But Arpaio is hardly the victim of a conspiracy. The Justice Department's scathing report makes that clear. An expert hired by the department said this case involves "the most egregious racial profiling in the United States" that he has ever seen in the course of his work, according to the report. On Arpaio's watch, deputies went unchecked. One officer used his patrol car to intentionally hit and drag a Latino man and then instructed other deputies to "leave him there," investigators said. A Latino motorist was incarcerated for 13 days for failing to use his turn signal.

We understand that Americans are frustrated by an immigration system that fails everyone. But Arpaio's supporters should think hard about what his true legacy will be. He can't be America's sheriff if he can't play by the rules.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-arpaio-20111217,0,2335267.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Doubts on the death penalty

Even though the majority still support capital punishment, the percentage in favor is declining in the U.S. It's about time.

December 17, 2011

Back in September, much was made of the crowd's reaction at a GOP presidential debate after moderator Brian Williams noted that Texas Gov. Rick Perry had overseen more executions than any governor in modern times, and spectators burst into applause. Liberal pundits saw this as an example of the callousness of GOP voters, but we were more disturbed by the callousness on exhibit from Perry.

"I've never struggled with that at all," Perry said. Why not? Perry oversaw the execution of a man who may well have been innocent, then quashed an investigation of the matter; most people in such a situation would, we suspect, experience at least a twinge of conscience. Cameron Todd Willingham was convicted in 1992 of burning down his house and killing his three children inside, yet the forensic science and jailhouse testimony used to convict him were later discredited. Despite serious questions about Willingham's guilt, Perry signed off on his execution in 2004, then squelched an investigation of the evidence by replacing the members of a government commission just days before it was to consider a report about the shoddy science used to prosecute Willingham. The new committee chair, a close ally of Perry's, quickly scuttled the inquiry.

We bring this up now, three months after the debate in question, because new data have emerged showing that despite a certain bloodthirsty element in some parts of the conservative base, support is steadily eroding for the ethical, legal and financial morass that is capital punishment. The Death Penalty Information Center's annual report on capital punishment in America, released Thursday, showed that executions continued to drop in 2011, to 43; that's down from 85 in 2000 and 46 last year. More significantly, the number of death sentences across the country fell dramatically this year, to 78 from 112 in 2010. And perhaps most significant of all, the percentage of Americans who say they support the death penalty, which was 80% in 1994, fell to 61%, the lowest ever.

In California, one number in particular stands out: There were only 10 people sentenced to death in the Golden State in 2011, compared with 29 last year. That may be a statistical anomaly, or it may indicate that prosecutors and courts are finally concluding, correctly, that death sentences have become largely pointless; legal complications have prevented anyone from being executed here since 2006. A continuing conflict over the state's method for lethal injection and a shortage of a key drug often used to perform it, mean this situation won't be resolved any time soon.

Yes, a majority of Americans still favor capital punishment. But the approval curve is heading in the right direction — downward — providing reason to hope that as our society evolves, the death penalty will die off.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-death-20111216,0,5961286.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lowe's pulling of ads on Muslim TV show sparks protest

Protesters gathered at a Lowe's store in a Detroit suburb Saturday, calling for a boycott of the home improvement chain after it pulled advertisements from a reality television show about Muslim families living in Michigan.

About 100 people protested outside a Lowe's store in the Detroit suburb of Allen Park, the Detroit News reported.

The show, called “All-American Muslim” is filmed in nearby Dearborn, one of largest Muslim American communities in the United States.

The North Carolina company decided to stop advertising on the show, which airs on Discovery Communications Inc.'s TLC channel, after complaints by the Florida Family Assn., a conservative Christian group that lobbies companies to promote "traditional, biblical values."

The program follows the day-to-day lives of five Muslim American families. Cast members talk about how their faith affects their actions and choices.

After the Lowe's action got national media attention, Lowe's spokeswoman Karen Cobb said the company had a "long-standing commitment" to diversity and pulled the ads only after the show became "a lightning rod" for people to voice complaints from a variety of perspectives.

Dozens of demonstrators, both Christians and Muslims, carried signs that read "Boycott Bigotry" and "Lowes Remember All-American Muslims Shop Too." Some held American flags.

"We are going to come back out here again, form our coalition and we are going to boycott Lowe's until they make things right," said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Google News

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shooting Death of NYPD Officer Raises Questions of Negligent Court System

by Perry Chiaramonte

The fatal shooting of a New York City police officer allegedly during a botched robbery by a quartet of career criminals last week might have been avoided had a local judge acted on a warrant issued in another state for the alleged gunman.

It's a systems failure that experts say has become all-too-common in courtrooms across the country.

Lamont Pride, 27, who was arrested Monday and charged with the murder of NYPD officer Peter Figoski, was freed from custody in November by Brooklyn Criminal Judge Evelyn Laporte -- even though a prosecutor mentioned that he had an outstanding warrant for a shooting in North Carolina. The prosecutor then requested that bail be posted at $2,000, and soon after that, Pride was back on the streets.

Barely more than a month later, Pride was back in jail, this time charged with murdering a cop.

“There's something terribly wrong when a system functions like this for years and years,” said NYPD Sgt. Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association.

“There's no doubt that this would have never happened had things been done properly in court,” Mullins said, referring to the death of Figoski.

The conditions that put Pride back on the street happen often, due to negligence or a justice system tangled in red tape.

A 2002 report released by New Orleans-based Center for Society, Law, and Justice, titled “Consequences of Inadequately Integrated Justice Information Systems,” cited numerous similar examples.

In April 1998, Jose Serrano was arrested by narcotics officers in Brooklyn for heroin possession. He gave the officers a fake name, Joseph Figueroa. He was processed and released with a desk appearance ticket eight hours before results from a fingerprint check came back from the state capital, Albany.

When the prints were returned, cops learned that Serrano had given them a bogus name and was wanted for a parole violation.

Nearly one month later, cops went to Serrano's home to arrest him after he missed a court date, and they were ambushed by the criminal, who shot and murdered Officer Anthony Mosomillo.

Serrano was also killed during the shootout, and his girlfriend, Betsy Ramos, had pulled a gun from one of the officers, a decision that led to her trial for murder. A jury found her not guilty on the murder charge. She was convicted on lesser charges of second-degree manslaughter, assault and obstruction of justice.

A man named Leonard Saldana was arrested in Austin, Texas, in March 1998 for violating a court order to stay away from his common-law wife, Sylvia Hernandez. The judge set bail at $4,000. What he did not know was that Saldana had been jailed 19 times in 10 years for various incidents that included violation of protective orders and domestic assault.

The court was not aware of Saldana's priors because, at the time, the police department refused to grant municipal courts on-line access to criminal histories. The only way they could obtain the histories was orally in response to individual requests or in written copies if investigators from the court retrieved them from the police department.

After he was released on bail, Saldana stabbed his wife to death. He was then brought to trial where prosecutors sought the death penalty. Saldana was found guilty but sentenced to life in prison.

In February 2000, in New Orleans on the day before Valentine's Day, Leo Mitchell was released on $26,000 bail after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Elena Smith. At the time, he was on parole for a 1991 shooting. While out on bail, Mitchell returned to Smith's house, where he murdered one man and wounded Smith's brother before kidnapping Smith. Mitchell was charged with third-degree murder.

It was later discovered that an oversight in the Louisiana probation and parole office prevented a detainer -- which would have kept Mitchell in custody -- from being filed.

Despite these issues, no policies seem to be in place to prevent a repeat.

“It varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but unless there is a statewide adoption of policies, this could happen again,” said Steve Kardian, a former chief investigator for the New York City Department of Investigation.

“So many things have to be taken into consideration, and that could be difficult even on a state or national level.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/18/shooting-nypd-officer-peter-figoski-raises-questions-negligent-court-system/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Washington

Nonprofit leaders compose wish lists for Santa Claus

When the slightly overweight, jolly, bearded fellow in the always-stylish red suit drops down your chimney on Christmas Eve, what do you hope he leaves under your tree?

Most us have lowered our expectations this year. We're hoping to keep our jobs, keep our homes or keep our families together.

The most needy among us just want to have “hope.” They hope government funding won't disappear, that they can continue to operate free medical clinics, food banks and offer refuge for those in unhealthy relationships.

In that spirit, I asked the leaders of some nonprofit organizations what was on their Christmas wish list this year. Here's what they told me:

“My Christmas wish is for the time and talents of community members to help Left Foot to grow over the next five years into a truly sustainable organization with a permanent home. If you value what we do – bringing dignity, purpose and meaning to people with developmental disabilities through paid employment growing organic food – help us secure the farmland and build the infrastructure that will keep Left Foot growing and serving for the next generation.” – Ann Vandeman, Left Foot Organics.

“The greatest gift would be for each person reading your column to take 30 seconds to close their eyes, breathe deep, and imagine the world they want to live in. Then acknowledge the difference of world as it is, and take one step to close that gap. My Christmas wish is for more people in our community to enrich their own life by contributing their time, talents, money, and civic voice to a more just and sustainable world.” – Kim Gaffi, GRuB.

“Our work is to improve the quality of early learning at centers and at home. Materials we could use are new or gently used board books, toddler-size tables and chairs, infant and toddler toys, little purses, play money, pretend food and dishes, clean hats and costumes for dress up.” – Annie Cubberly, Child Care Action Council.

“If Santa were to help SafePlace this year he would end sexual and domestic violence and deliver the message that everyone has the right to a happy childhood, no matter how old they are. SafePlace needs active community support. Donated gift cards for gas, emergency food and diapers for their children. And Santa, we need the essential-living items of toilet paper, paper towels, phone long-distance cards and Intercity Transit daily bus passes. And dear Santa, our last wish is that the state budget will stretch to protect survivors and their families.” – Mary Pontarolo, SafePLace.

“Dear Santa – My simple Christmas wish is that every child everywhere will grow up in a loving home and surrounding community that is safe, stable, secure and supportive. Please be sure parents have the necessary knowledge, tools, resources, and support to raise their children to be successful, happy adults. Eliminate all forms of child abuse, neglect and cruelty. Be sure that parents avoid substance abuse and alcohol. Give all families access to quality, reliable health care.” – Charles Shelan, Community Youth Services.

“United Way wishes that every person would become more deeply engaged by contributing their time and money to help improve and sustain our wonderful community. Giving money helps our network of strong nonprofits provide services; improving lives every day. Volunteers are critical to all nonprofits and leverages staff resources, which allow them to focus on their mission. We wish for all to experience peace, joy and hope in this Holiday Season the throughout the coming year.” – Paul Knox, United Way.

ET CETERA

Now we know what happens to Lacey city managers when they retire: They bag their first hole-in-ones on the golf course. Greg Cuoio pulled out a 6-iron on the 167-yard 16th hole at the Fort Lewis course three weeks ago and found the cup … Tis the season for random acts of kindness. A woman walked into the Yelm Walmart recently with $5,000 cash, and paid for all the layaway items by single mothers ... Our heart-warming story published on Tuesday about the puppy, Scamp, who appeared to have died, but came back to life after a frigid night outside, has gone national. Scamp's family was interviewed via phone for the “Today” show and is scheduled to appear on “The View” on Monday.

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/12/18/v-print/1917779/nonprofit-leaders-compose-wish.html

.