The war in Iraq has been going on for 1,430 days. March 19th marks the beginning of our fifth year there.

A new feature on OTBKB.

The war in Iraq has been going on for 1,428 days. March 19th marks the beginning of our fifth year there.

People around here are angry about the war. They want it to end. Now. But they don’t know what to do. A civil war rages thousands of miles away and soldiers and civilians are dying every day. For what?

A solid majority of people in this country oppose this war. So, why is everyone (myself included) sitting on the sidelines? We need to do something!

This daily post will be a tally of the number of days the US has been in Iraq. It will also be a selective list of things to read and events to know about.

From United for Peace and Justice: “It’s up to all of us to make the peace movement visible in our communities every day and to inspire others to get involved.”

Protest in New York City on the 4th anniversary of the war: Sunday, March 18th 2007 1pm. 3 days of action planned citywide. Join UFPJ/NYC to mark the 4th anniversary of this immoral war. Let’s mobilize our communities, unions, schools and places of worship to march for peace and call on Congress to end the war.

Editorial in today’s New York Times: How do you explain to the thousands of American troops now being poured into Baghdad that they will have to wait until the summer for the protective armor that could easily mean the difference between life and death?

It’s bad enough that these soldiers are being asked to risk their lives without President Bush demanding that Iraq’s leaders take any political risks that might give the military mission at least an outside chance of success. But according to an article in The Washington Post this week, at least some of the troops will be sent out in Humvees not yet equipped with FRAG Kit 5 armor. That’s an advanced version designed to reduce deaths from roadside bombs, which now account for about 70 percent of United States casualties in Iraq.

Read Seymour Hirsh on Iran in the New Yorker:

The Bush administration said Monday there are no plans for shifts in policy or for ultimatums to Baghdad to force progress.

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers are calling on President Bush to change his war plan.

"We’re on the verge of chaos, and the current plan is not working," Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina ssaid in an Associated Press interview. U.S. and Iraqi officials should be held accountable for the lack of progress, said Graham.

Asked who in particular should be held accountable — Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, perhaps, or the generals leading the war — Graham said: "All of them. It’s their job to come up with a game plan" to end the violence.

Bush, in a CNBC interview, said, "Well, I’ve been talking about a change in tactics ever since I — ever since we went in, because the role of the commander in chief is to say to our generals, `You adjust to the enemy on the battlefield.’"

In other news: Bush has decided not to use the phrase "Stay the Course" in his speeches about Iraq policy anymore.