KARL ROVE WALKS 7:12 AM–Washington Post

“Top White House aide Karl Rove has been told by prosecutors he won’t be charged with any crimes in the investigation into leak of a CIA officer’s identity, his lawyer said Tuesday.”

ZARQAWI KILL DRIVES UP IRAQ WAR RATINGS
BEHIND THE WAR IN GAZA?
MORE ON OUR ZARQAWI DEBATE

Should we trust the military version of Zarqawi’s death? I for one remain convinced that more on this story will trickle out. But for now, one result of the massive media coverage of the Pentagon-hyped “elimination” has, as expected and no doubt intended, led to a “bump” upwards in public opinion SUPPORTING the War. CNN reports:

”WASHINGTON (CNN) — More Americans expressed optimism about the war in Iraq after the killing of terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, suggests a CNN poll released Monday, but a majority still believes the invasion was a mistake.

The poll found 43 percent of respondents said the war is going either very or moderately well, up from 38 percent in a March poll. Fifty-four percent said they still believe the war is going either very badly or moderately badly, down from 60 percent inK March.”

At the same time, while we are distracted by all the focus on the assassination (and “collateral damage) by 1000 pounds of bombs, and while we are debating it and while some of us are polling about it, new reports from Iraq tell of a US escalation of the war which has gone largely unreported because of all the focus on one dead boogie man.

CNN “breaking news” reports this morning: “70,000 coalition forces, most of them Iraqi, to begin crackdown on insurgents in Baghdad on Wednesday, Iraqi PM’s office says.”

The Islam Memo reports Ramadi is being targeted:

“A full scale American attack on Ramadi has commenced and fierce fighting is taking place in most districts of Ramadi. American helicopters withdrew from the area after one of them was hit by Resistance fire but was not downed. American fighter planes are now taking part in the offensive.”

http://abutamam.blogspot.com/2006/06/ramadi-attacked.html

Sometimes, the most important headlines are the least reported, like this:

“US planning to keep 50,000 troops in Iraq for many years”:

”America plans to retain a garrison of 50,000 troops, one tenth of its entire army, in Iraq for years to come, according to US media reports.”

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13580.htm

OOPS: THE “INCIDENTS” CONTINUE
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/06/12/iraq-raid-monday.html?print

WHAT THE MILITARY SAYS NOW ABOUT MR. Z

The Associated Press reports on the the US Military verdict/version:

“A medic spent about 20 minutes trying to save Abu Musab al-Zarqawi even as blood ran from the terrorist’s mouth after the airstrike that mortally wounded him, the U.S. military said Monday.

“But the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was not wearing the suicide belt he vowed to use if American soldiers ever caught him.

Seeking to dispel allegations that al-Zarqawi was beaten or shot while in U.S. custody, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said an autopsy performed Saturday proved the Jordanian-born militant died of “massive internal injuries” that were consistent with a blast caused by the two 500-pound bombs dropped on his hideout.
“A coalition medic treated Zarqawi while he did lapse in and out of consciousness,” Caldwell said at a news conference in Baghdad. “The medic secured his airway, at which point Zarqawi expelled blood.” He said the medic “noted the breathing was shallow …

The cause of death was listed as “primary blast injury of the lung,” with blast waves from the two bombs causing bruising and bleeding of the organs…..

WASHINGTON POST ON THE OFFICIAL VERSION:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/12/AR2006061200298.html?referrer=email&referrer=email

It was reported that he survived for an hour. Meanwhile more information trickles out about who he was and why he was NOT the the threat he was cracked up to be by most of the media. The Wonkette blog featured a piece from the Atlantic:

”You know who the real winner is now that al-Zarqawi’s gone? The people of Iraq? No, they’re pretty much still screwed. It’s the editors of The Atlantic, who have a huge Zarqawi profile in their July/August issue, conveniently added to the website yesterday. Abu Musab al-Zarqari: Terrorist mastermind, total idiot.

I just took time out to read the extensive and impressive Atlantic profile by Mary Anne Weaver and several points are hammered home.

1) There is no love lost between al-Zarqawi and bin Laden and never has been.

2) A life-long thug, al-Zarqawi’s image as omnipotent leader of the Iraqi insurgency was something of a U.S. creation.”

FIGHTING IN PALESTINE

Hamas and the old Palestine Authority (PLO) are at each other’s throats. See

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0612/p07s01-wome.htm

INSIDE HAMAS’ POWER STRUCTURE By Mohamad Bazzi

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wohama
014759067may28,0,4870479.story?coll=ny-wor

THE HORROR
A 7 year old Palestinian girl screams in horror as she watches her dead parents and other family members being removed from the beach:

- Warning -This video should only be watched by a mature audience.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13593.htm

THE ISRAELI RESPONSE: DON’T BELIEVE WHAT YOU SEE
(via Jeanette Friedman)

”Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s foreign media advisor Ra’anan Gissin said Sunday that Friday’s tragedy on the Gaza beach may indeed be similar to the shooting of Mohammed al-Dura in 2000. While the Palestinians originally pinned the blame on Israel, it has since turned out that al-Dura may have been killed by Palestinians. Gissin said that Israel should immediately have raised doubts after Friday’s incident about the Palestinian version of events that placed the blame squarely on Israel.

“We jumped to conclusions before the evidence, and we immediately assumed that it was probably an Israeli shell,” Gissin said. “But we don’t know that for a fact. The Palestinians moved in and destroyed all the evidence. People should be asking themselves, ‘why?’”

“Now we have a classic case where there is no real evidence, and all we have is a picture of a crying girl on the beach,” Gissin said. “

DANNY RUBENSTEIN OF HAARETZ OFFERS ANOTHER VIEW:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/725832.html

THE B-WORD: SHADOWY GROUP MEETS IN CANADA

AFP: ”The world’s political elite, top thinkers and powerful business folk gathered here for an annual, ultra-secretive Bilderberg conference as heavy security kept conspiracy theorists and curious onlookers at bay.

Global luminaries such as former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, US banker David Rockefeller and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands were greeted at the airport by limousine drivers holding single-letter “B” signs late Thursday, said local reports.

“They were quickly whisked away to the Brook street Hotel in a serene suburb of Ottawa for three-day talks on oil markets, security concerns tied to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, terrorism, and immigration, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

“Conspiracy theorists who follow the group accuse it of plotting world domination at its informal annual gatherings.

POLICE USE VIOLENCE TO BREAK UP WOMEN’S RIGHTS DEMO

”A women’s rights demonstration in Tehran was violently broken up by police, Iranian feminists say.”

http://direland.typepad.com/direland/2006/06/tehran_womens_d.html

MEANWHILE IN IRAN: FACTIONAL INFIGHTING INTENSIFIES

”Iran’s government has characterized an international plan designed to resolve a crisis revolving around the country’s nuclear research program as a “step forward.” At the same time, Iranian leaders stress that they will not be rushed into responding to the proposed incentive package.”

http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav061206a.shtm

WARNING: ANOTHER CHENEY AT WORK

Robert Dreyfuss writes in The American Prospect

”Since 2005, Dick Cheney’s daughter Elizabeth has held a powerful position coordinating Middle East policy. And like father, like daughter: Liz is a key player in the push for regime change in Iran.”

http://www.alternet.org/story/37490/