Billy Bob's Bulletins -- June 7, 2006

Sorry for the late post. Blogger has been having "database issues" all day.

Anyway, it was a fairly slow news day, at least as far as the primary topics of this coulmn are concerned:

Talks in Iran Described as Constructive (LAT)

Iran suggested Tuesday that it would seek changes in the package of incentives offered here on behalf of world powers by European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, but comments made by both sides also made it clear that for now, diplomacy had replaced confrontation over Iran's nuclear aspirations.)

Iraq to Release Detainees in Bid to Ease Tensions (NYT))

Iraq's new government said Tuesday that it would release 2,500 detainees, nearly 10 percent of those held in Iraqi and American detention centers, and that it would adopt a "national reconciliation" plan to reintegrate former members of Saddam Hussein's ruling Baath Party into society.)

Data Theft Affected Most in Military (WaPo))

Social Security numbers and other personal information for as many as 2.2 million U.S. military personnel -- including nearly 80 percent of the active-duty force -- were among the data stolen from the home of a Department of Veterans Affairs analyst last month, federal officials said yesterday, raising concerns about national security as well as identity theft.)

Terrorism Allegations Detailed In Canada (WaPo))

Suspects arrested last weekend in an alleged terrorism plot planned to storm the Canadian Parliament and hold politicians hostage, and at least one wanted to behead the prime minister if demands to withdraw Canada's troops from Afghanistan were not met, according to a summary of prosecutors' allegations read in court Tuesday.

Inquiry Ties European Nations to C.I.A. Prisons

Fourteen European countries acted willingly or indirectly with the Central Intelligence Agency in the secret transfer of terrorism suspects, and two of them — Romania and Poland — probably harbored secret C.I.A. detention centers, according to a report from the Council of Europe issued today.

And finally . . .

The best read of the day is this Op-Ed piece from the WSJ 'Lawfare' Over Haditha I will have more to say about this article later, but it bears on the same issues I was struggling with last week in "Fighting The Last War", except that I think the authors miss the real point of their own argument.