With the current financial crisis, Iraq and Afghanistan haven’t been leading many news stories. But those conflicts are still going on and, just as importantly, the effects of those wars are still being felt by the soldiers who fought them.
Whatever you think of the policies behind our current wars, I think it’s always important to [...]

And no, it wasn’t a mistake.
From AP:
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) – U.S. military helicopters launched an extremely rare attack Sunday on Syrian territory close to the border with Iraq, killing eight people in a strike the government in Damascus condemned as “serious aggression.”
A U.S. military official said the raid by special forces targeted the foreign fighter [...]

Powell is a study in contradictions. As a consequence of failing to act on what he knew to be right in 2002, he has spent years explaining and justifying his actions. I cannot help but feel that this endorsement is yet another attempt to assuage his conscience, rehabilitate his reputation and wash the blood off his hands.

Who is the real William Timmons?
Okay, that’s a bit dramatic, but this is yet another reason why you want to get as far away from lobbyists as you can. Because if Timmons really is involved with this and had knowledge of what was going on, that’s bad news for McCain.
Murray Waas has more:
William Timmons, the [...]

There are four weeks until the election and I’m still not 100% sure who I will vote for.
While I hope that my posts over the last month have made clear my respect for and problems with both candidates, I thought I’d take a moment to update the regular readers on where I stand.
I’ve [...]

That’s right. Nobody there.
Let’s hope this ist true…
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi Prime Minister Prime Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday that an agreement had been reached in negotiations on a security pact with the United States to end any foreign military presence in Iraq by the end of 2011.
“There is an agreement actually reached, reached between [...]

“I am glad that the administration has finally shifted to accepting a timetable for the removal of our combat troops from Iraq.”
- Obama on the Bush administration’s new Iraq withdrawal agreement
So in response to Alan’s question of whether or not this new timetable helps Obama or McCain…my money is on Obama since it plays right [...]

There is a reported deal on the table that would have U.S. troops out of Iraq by 2012 with troops out of cities and towns by June 30, 2009. Both nations still have to approve the deal and there will be written-in wiggle room to allow Americans to stay longer at Iraqi request, but it [...]

With a start date of June 30, 2009 no less!
From AP:
The negotiations over a withdrawal timetable follow long insistence by President Bush that setting any schedule for U.S. troops to leave would be dangerous. The draft agreement with Iraq would link troop reductions to achievement of certain security milestones, although the details have not been [...]

We’re paying through the nose now because we didn’t plan ahead back then.
From CS Monitor:
The Army may begin paying a retention bonus of as much as $150,000 to Arabic speaking soldiers in reflection of how critical it has become for the US military to retain native language and cultural know-how in its ranks.
Only one other [...]

An unfortunate setback, but my guess is that somebody will fill Sheik Ibrahim al-Karbouli’s shoes quickly. Iraq is now starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel, and whoever is brave enough to stand up could reap some serious rewards.
From the AP:
Unknown gunmen attacked the convoy of Sheik Ibrahim al-Karbouli in Youssifiyah [...]

Who knew the views he expressed last fall would be so popular nowadays? And this overseas trip only put an exclamation point on the fact that many seem to adopting his stances in one way or another.
Frank Rich breaks it down…
First, on July 7, the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, dissed Bush dogma by raising [...]

Not all moderates and independents are enamored with a toe-the-party-line Democratic President, a 100 vote Democratic majority in the House, and a filibuster proof Democratic Senate all promising more taxes, more regulation, more spending programs, more faith based initiatives, less free trade, mandatory government service, no new drilling, anda return to corrupt single party K-Street earmark business as usual.

Watch…

Now remember, Maliki didn’t just say this once…he said it twice. And then other Iraqi officials said “2010″ specifically. There was no mistranslation. So when McCain says “he won’t,” well, that ship has already sailed. Maliki “has” and McCain not wanting to accept that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
More as it develops…

Rattling around the Internets yesterday was this report that, in an interview with CBS, John McCain misstated the timeline for the Iraq surge and the Anbar Awakening. The Awakening began before President Bush announced the troop increases but McCain’s statements made it sound as if the surge directly led to the Sunni revolt against al-Qaida [...]

Some sage advice for McCain from the columnist who once supported the Iraq war…
While we would like an Iraqi national movement — binding Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis — to coalesce, we don’t want it coalescing in opposition to us. Running against the continued U.S. presence in Iraq will be a very tempting campaign theme [...]

“This is a clear choice that the American people have. I had the courage and the judgment to say I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.”
- John McCain in Rochester, New Hampshire yesterday
Joe [...]

This strategy would do so many good things for McCain’s campaign. It would render moot Obama’s single strongest issue against McCain. It puts McCain on the same side as the majority of American voters. It creates space between McCain and Bush. It makes it easy for independents, moderates, and libertarians to vote for McCain on the basis of maintaining the checks and balances of divided government.

So, the New York Times has just rejected an op-ed piece from John McCain on the Iraq war. The paper said the piece was too focused on criticizing Barack Obama and, before they could publish such an essay, McCain would need to specifically address: “a clear plan for achieving victory — with troops levels, timetables [...]

And this time, just so there’s no confusion, they say it in English.

So…is this definitive enough for all of you who’ve been doubting that Maliki meant sooner rather than later? Is the word “timetable” specific enough?
Meanwhile, Obama is talking about a timetable that specifically states we would get out by 2010, and McCain has hinted [...]