NEWS The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 30, 2005 - 5 Iraq withdrawal plans called into question WASHINGTON (AP) - The num- ber of Iraqi battalions capable of com- bat without U.S. support has dropped from three to one, the top American commander in Iraq told Congress yesterday, prompting Republicans to question whether U.S. troops will be able to withdraw next year. Gen. George Casey, softening his previous comments that a "fairly sub- stantial" pull out could begin next spring and summer, told lawmakers that troops might begin coming home from Iraq next year depending on con- ditions during and after the upcoming elections there. "The next 75 days are going to be critical for what happens," Casey told the Senate Armed Services Commit- tee. The Bush administration says train- ing Iraqi security forces to defend their own country is the key to bring- ing home U.S. troops. But Republicans pressed Casey on whether the United States was backsliding in its efforts to train Iraqis. In June; the Pentagon told lawmak- ers that three Iraqi battalions were fully trained, equipped and capable of operating independently. Yesterday, Casey said only one battalion is ready. "It doesn't feel like progress," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Despite the drop, Casey hailed sig- nificant progress in training Iraqi secu- rity forces and noted that U.S. troops 0 Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld gestures during a news conference on Tuesday in Washington. We are not the children of lithography. POSITIONS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE are embedded with more Iraqi units in mentoring roles than before. "Have we lost ground? Absolutely not," Casey said. Casey said the Pentagon's standard for what constitutes a fully capable Iraqi battalion is high and that it's been difficult to ensure logistic'al support for Iraqi units. "I understand what you're saying, how it could be perceived as disappointing," he told Collins. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., ques- tioned why the generals are discussing troop withdrawals when it's clear Iraqi security forces aren't ready. "You're taking a very big gamble here. I hope you're correct. I don't see the indicators yet that we are ready to plan or begin troop withdrawals given the overall security situation. And that just isn't my opinion alone," he said. Our tools are not emulsion plates, ink and large offset presses. We do not view the world in Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. We are the children of the Internet. We are the designers and developers behind the world where information does not wait 24 hours to reach its audience in print. Our tools are XHTML, CSS, PHP and MySQL. We view the world in Red, Green and Blue. We are the new media, and we bring our skills together to create a format necessary for a newspaper to survive. We are The Michigan Daily Online. 7be ::h/wiganda7iI 734.763.2459::http://www.michigandaily.com/ WEB DESIGNER Web designers are needed for the completion of a new Michigan Daily Online web design template. Designers must be students of the University of Michigan. Design- ers must be competent in XHTML, CSS and Adobe Photoshop or Macromedia Fireworks. Preference given to designers with knowledge of the Smarty templating system or Macromedia Flash. WEB DEVELOPER Web developers are needed for general site mainte- nance and the completion of a new site template. Developers must show strong background in PHP, mySQL, XHTML and CSS. Preference is given to develop- ers with knowledge of the Smarty templating system. ONLINE EDITOR Online edit staff is responsible for the quality control of online content. General Mac OS X experience required; Adobe InDesign training given to those not familiar with InDesign. All positions may send a proper resume, cover letter, and portfolio to Eston Bond at eston@umich.edu. A portfolio of past web design/development work is necessary for application to the design staff. Palestinians crack down on guns JERUSALEM (AP) - Palestinian authorities began enforcing a ban on public displays of weapons yesterday, arresting three people and confiscating the guns of off-duty police officers in a key step toward imposing order in the chaotic Gaza Strip. The crackdown came as dozens of Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank held municipal elections. The powerful Hamas movement was expect- ed to make strong gains, despite a con- tinuing Israeli offensive against Islamic militants. Pressing 'forward with its military campaign, Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinian gunmen during raids in the West Bank. Israel launched the wave of airstrikes and arrest raids last weekend in response to Gaza militants' rocket attacks on southern Israeli towns. The offensive raised pressure on Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to act against militant groups and armed gangs, which operate openly in Gaza. Israel says there can be no peace talks until the groups are disarmed. In a move to bring order to Gaza, Pal- estinian officials announced a ban on public displays of weapons yesterday, and Hamas said it would honor it. The Palestinian police chief, Ala Husni, said that in the wake of Israel's recent pullout from Gaza there is no lon- ger a reason for anyone other than secu- rity officers to carry weapons. "The role of resistance weapons has ended in the streets. They should go back into storage and they should not show up in the streets," he told a news confer- ence. "Any weapon now in the street is a criminal weapon." He said there were no plans to seize stored weapons. Interior Ministry spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa said authorities arrested three men carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles yesterday and confiscated their weapons. Several security officers also were arrested for carrying guns while off duty, he said. GOT A PROBLEM WITH THE DAILY? EDITOR IN CHIEF JASON Z. PESICK WANTS YOU TO ARGUE WITH HIM ON HIS WEBLOG. GO TO MICHIGANDAILY.COM TO FIND THE LINK. I What is law school? A place where convention is reinforced? .L 4f V P 5>y / x 6 I Q . Or more than that? A place to learn a broad repertoire of skills. A rigorous curriculum in a supportive environment. An intersection of theory and practice. .Explore the full potential of the law in a school devoted to the big picture.