It's November 2007 in Iraq

i have no idea which emoticon to use here

I salute your restraint (which I often lack).

holy shit ied video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_PsyfHhEx4

This seems a proper moment to recall once more our august leader spreading a shit-eating grin across his face and telling the insurgents to "bring it on!"

What does everyone think about Keith Olbermann, by the way?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=arWJ358tZgU

I'm usually pleasantly surprised that something like that can even be said on US TV anymore, when I see most of his clips, but then I'm not there so I don't know. How is he generally regarded? Do people listen to him? Or is he seen as just an anti-Bush propagandist? Or both?

http://wikileaks.org/wiki/US_Military_Equipment_in_Iraq_%282007%29

This spectacular 2,000 page US military leak consists of the names, group structure and equipment registers of all units in Iraq with US army equipment . It exposes secretive document exploitation centers, detainee operations, elements of the State Department, Air Force, Navy and Marines units, the Iraqi police and coalition forces from Poland, Denmark, Ukraine, Latvia, Slovakia, Romania, Armenia, Kazakhstan and El Salvador. The material represents nearly the entire order of battle for US forces in Iraq and is the first public revelation of many of the military units described. Among other matters it shows that the United States has violated the Chemical Weapons Convention.

I don't know if I'm being overly cynical (or overly naive?) but I think the Democrats should just give up on Iraq withdrawal right now. It's not going to happen, and their half-assed efforts make them look worse. (Here's the cynical part), I think they'd be better off focusing on other issues where they're more likely to be able to achieve something the public will take note of, however small, and tackle withdrawal when we (hopefully) have a Democratic president. Right now I think they're just hurting themselves.

http://img475.imageshack.us/img475/4162/08xf7.jpg

"Have a free t-shirt, son."

Absolute must-read

nothing new under the sun, Ned

It's about the only Veteran's Day thing I want to read this year around, at least.

I resent puff pieces full of old news written by 26-y.o. intl relations freshmen at Georgetown. As has been pointed out elsewhere, the entirety of the wapo editorial section is a disaster; I don't believe "sitting behind a desk in the green zone for a year was weird, now I'm at a really expensive college and I think that's weird too" does much to disprove that assessment.

Just because we've been at war forever and a day doesn't mean it's time to stop talking about maimed and disfigured kids and their dead colleagues. That kid's write-up is almost a slap in the face when shit like this is going on elsewhere: http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/644621,CST-CONT-vet11.article

seriously why does it take the CSM and a bunch of red state papers to actually bring up PTSD this weekend
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ncl=1123478736&filter=0

argle bargle etc

Just a quick reflection on Veterans Day, to say that I realize that I did not for one moment reflect on the fact that it was Veterans Day in spite of the fact that there is a war going on. And no one posted to this thread all day either.

Which I don't mean as a criticism at all, because in fact I think it's our own government's attitude toward the war that creates this aloofness in everyone not in some way directly connected to the war.

Veteran's day was the 11th. There are several posts here from the 11th. Veteran's day ALWAYS falls on the 11th of November because that's when the Great War ended.

By the way, do you know where that foot has been? Oh, it's yours. I see.

Chalabi redux.

Heavens! Couldn't we just kill Chalabi now? It is just too dangerous to keep him at the other end of a leash, because it is never very clear just who is holding the leash.

ha, you sunnis want running water? move to fucking egypt or syria or jordan or wherever. maybe you can go ask your caliph. ZING.

It's Operation ENDURING RELATIONSHIP!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/26/world/main3539432.shtml

Two senior Iraqi officials familiar with the issue say Iraq's government will embrace a long-term U.S. troop presence in return for U.S. security guarantees as part of a strategic partnership. The two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the subject is sensitive, said U.S. military and diplomatic representatives appeared generally favorable, subject to negotiations on the details, which include preferential treatment for American investments....

The Iraqi officials said that under the proposed formula, Iraq would get full responsibility for internal security and U.S. troops would relocate to bases outside the cities. Iraqi officials foresee a long-term presence of about 50,000 U.S. troops, down from the current figure of more than 160,000.

its December now but whatever