U.S. Veterans Say Iraq Insurgency Grows as the War is Mismanaged

Interview with Paul Rieckhoff, former U.S. Army lieutenant, and founder of Operation Truth conducted by Scott Harris

Dec. 12 marked the deadliest day for U.S. forces serving in Iraq in more than a month, when eight U.S. Marines were killed in operations in and around Falluja. Despite a series of pronouncements designed to assure the American public that the Iraq war is going well, the insurgency continues to grow with security deteriorating across wide swaths of the country. Yet, the White House and Iraq's interim government are determined to proceed with national elections scheduled for Jan. 30, ignoring calls for a delay by a number of important political parties.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, already the target of a lawsuit filed in Germany holding him and other Bush administration officials responsible for torture and war crimes committed in Iraq, recently visited U.S. troops in Kuwait bound for combat duty in Iraq for what he thought was a photo op. But in a meeting with 2, 300 soldiers, the Defense Secretary encountered tough questions from National Guard reservists who asked why they were forced to search out scrap metal to protect their vehicles. Meanwhile Arizona's Republican Sen. John McCain expressed his strong disagreement on the way the war is being run by bluntly telling a reporter that he has "no confidence" in Rumsfeld.

Paul Rieckhoff, a former U.S. Army first lieutenant who served in Iraq from January 2003 through February 2004, came back to the U.S. with deep concerns about the conduct of the war and the treatment of veterans. He recently founded the veterans advocacy group Operation Truth where he serves as executive director. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Rieckhoff about his own experience in Iraq and the reality of the war he is working to convey to the American people.

Call Operation Truth at (212) 982- 9699 or visit their website at www.optruth.org

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

www.btlonline.org
*
"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: www.btlonline.org
*
"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe-AT-lists.riseup.net
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe-AT-lists.riseup.net
*
betweenthelines-AT-snet.net
*
www.squeakywheel.net/
*
Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions, Inc.
(c)2004 Squeaky Wheel Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.