Bush vetoes Iraq bill. And Dreams Into Lightning comments: Yaaaaay! MSNBC: 'President Bush used his veto pen for only the second time Tuesday after Congress sent him a war spending bill that would impose timelines to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, which he called a “prescription for chaos.” The bill is unacceptable because it “substitutes the opinions of politicians for the judgments of our military commanders,” the president said in a nationally televised address to explain why he was vetoing a bill that would also provide more than $100 billion in emergency spending for the war. “This is a prescription for chaos and confusion, and we must not impose it on our troops,” Bush said. “... It makes no sense to tell the enemy when you plan to start withdrawing.”'
Abu Ayyub al Masri reported dead. DIL hopes to add his name to the Dead Terrorists tag shortly, but we're not there yet. Here's what we've got so far: The Fourth Rail says 'Representatives from Iraq's Interior Ministry are reporting that Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, has been killed in a battle in the town of al-Nibayi, near Taji in Salahadin province. "We have definite intelligence reports that al Masri was killed today," Brigadier-General Abdul Kareem Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. "We too have security and intelligence reports that Abu Ayyub al-Masri was killed as a result of fighting between insurgents and al Qaeda yesterday near Taji," said Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih.' Goldfarb at The Standard includes this in his Iraq roundup.
From the Debka news ticker. Debka is reporting: 'Olmert may be forced to step down after damning report on his government's Lebanon war performance_ ... Turkey faces elections after supreme court annuls Abdullah [Gül]'s election as president_ ...'
LtGen Shahak to head Winograd team. JPost: 'Former IDF Chief of Staff Lt-Gen (res.) Amnon Lipkin-Shahak is to head the special team which will implement the Winograd Commission's interim report, Israel Radio reported Tuesday night.'
More on Winograd. YNet: 'Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office confirmed that he intends to attend the special Knesset plenum session scheduled for Thursday to discuss the Winograd interim report.' Also from YNet: 'Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will convene the Kadima faction on Wednesday at 6 pm to discuss the manner in which it plans to implement the findings of the Winograd Committee interim report.'
Debka on Israel after Olmert. Debka says "for Olmert it is over": 'Livni, Peres, Mofaz Lead the Field to Replace Olmert as Prime Minister. The resignation on live television of minister of trade and commerce, Eytan Cabel, Labor, declaring Ehud Olmert must go as he had lost the country’s confidence, was the first open crack in the government coalition. It occurred Tuesday morning, May 1, less than 24 hours after the Winograd commission handed down its harsh condemnation of Olmert, defense minister Amir Peretz and chief of staff, Lt. Gen Dan Halutz, for their handling of the Lebanon War. But behind the scenes and its leader’s back, Kadima’s coalition chairman Avigdor Yitzhaki scurried around the ranks, front man for one of the key contenders for the succession, foreign minister Tzipi Livni. The prime minister’s other deserters included vice premier Shimon Peres, Israel Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and most of Labor, including the three contenders for the party leadership, former PM Ehud Barak, Ami Ayalon and Ophir Pines-Paz. That was only the first wave to batter against Olmert’s defenses. Another wave threatened Thursday, April 3: The Knesset has been called into emergency session to consider the Winograd report; so too has the ruling Kadima faction. Foreign minister Tzipi Livni has held silent so far but is expected to join the chorus demanding that Olmert step down.' He's going to hear from a bunch of protesters, too, in a couple of days. Read the report for Debka's political analysis.
Israeli bombers versus Iranian nukes: Not so hard after all. The DEW Line:
Some of the good folks at MIT have just figured how many bombs it would take for the Israeli Air Force to blow up Iran's entire nuclear weapons infrastructure. Apparently, it isn't so hard after all. For those keeping score at home, here's what the Israelis would need:- 24 5,000-pound BLU-113 penetrator warheads to collapse the underground centrifuge halls at Natanz,
- 2 2,000-pound bombs to destroy the above ground pilot production plant at Natanz
- 12 2,000-pound BLU-109 penetrator warheads to blow up the underground uranium conversion facility at Esfahan
- 10 2,000-pound GBU-10s laser guided bombs to hit the heavy water production plant and reactor site at ArakAccording to the MIT, there is one major catch: the air strike on Natanz could fail if Iran's air defenses succeed in downing only two of the IAF's strike package of 24 F-15Is if each is loaded with a single BLU-113.
More at the link. You can download the full report in PDF at this address: SSP Working Paper April 2006 - Osirak Redux? Assessing Israeli Capabilities to Destroy Iranian Nuclear Facilities' by Whitney Raas and Austin Long.
Bush to Coalition forces. Here's CENTCOM covering President Bush's address: 'President George W. Bush vowed to keep talking and educating Americans about the “consequences of failure” and praised Coalition members for their support during an address Tuesday morning at the U.S. Central Command Coalition Conference at MacDill Air Force Base. Bush said he came to Tampa to thank America’s partners who continue to stand with the United States on the Global War on Terror. His visit was significant in that it’s the first time he has been to the command since Adm. William J. Fallon became commander in March. Bush admitted the past four years haven’t been easy, especially in Iraq, but that they were necessary if that nation and Afghanistan are to emerge as free societies. “Once again, history has called on great nations to assume great responsibilities,” Bush said. “The broad coalition has protected millions of people.” Bush reminded everyone that on Sept. 11, 2001, 19 terrorists went on a rampage that killed more than 3,000 people from 80 countries. Since that time, some 90 nations have worked in some capacity to stop Al Qaida and the Taliban. The president likened the radical Islamic push for a caliphate to that of Nazi Germany.' Good for him. Bush added that sectarian violence has been increasing in Iraq since 2005: “A new strategy has emerged to curb the unrest. It’s still in its early stages and it could take months to determine the success of it, however, some early successes have already been noted, mainly a decline in sectarian violence.” Read it all at the link.
Iraqi, Coalition forces gain support. MNF-I:
BAQOUBA — Iraqi and Coalition forces conducted a cordon and knock in Hadid, Iraq, to gather intelligence on terrorist activity April 21.“When we have no intelligence driving an operation, we inform the [Iraqi Army] leaders that this is more of a presence-type mission [where] you knock on the doors, and [find out] what information they can give you,” said U.S. Maj. Dominique Dionne, the Military Transition Team leader.
The 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army led the way into Hadid along with U.S. Soldiers from the 3rd “Grey Wolf” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which formed the MiTT, to meet with the city’s citizens and gather information about the presence of al-Qaeda within the city.
“The main reason the mission was [a cordon and knock and not a cordon and search] was because we didn’t have specific targets,” said Dionne.
As operations in Iraq continue, the purpose of the MiTT is to help Iraqi security forces gain experience to conduct missions with less Coalition support. ...
More at the link.
Remarks. If the reports about this Masri scumbag are true, it won't bring the violence in Iraq to a halt but it will certainly put a dent in the enemy's leadership capabilities, not to mention its morale.

