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Monthly Archives: July 2009
Iraq: Biden's 'cool reception,' Maliki 'wants us to be targeted,' sucking 'from Uncle Sam's bountenous mammary glands' and more from the Reese memo
Michael Gordon reported yesterday on a memo written by a senior U.S. military advisor in Baghdad, Col. Timothy Reese. I’ve now read a copy the Reese memo, too. (Update: The Times has the full text here.) A couple more highlights … Continue reading
Iraq: 'We now smell bad to the Iraqi nose'
From Michael Gordon at the NYT comes a leaked memo from a senior military official saying we should “declare victory and go home.” For all of these problems, however, Colonel [Timothy] Reese argues that Iraqi forces are competent enough to … Continue reading
Interview: 'Columbine,' and how to write a tragedy
On a recent Saturday afternoon, I picked up Dave Cullen’s new book “Columbine” at a local bookstore. By Sunday night, I had finished all 400 pages, shaken, disturbed, and, yes, deeply moved. From a journalist’s perspective, I found Cullen’s book … Continue reading
Posted in Journalism, Uncategorized
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Public Enemies, the Baghdad version
The second bank robbery in two days in Baghdad. Eight security guards killed, $7 million stolen. As Reuters reports, many Iraqis are worried about whether the Iraqi troops can protect the cities after the U.S. pullout. [youtubevid id=”eS2HuRApwFA”]
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Iraq: Are we ever gonna get the oil?
[youtubevid id=”Jwq-TEvM_YU”] Next month, Iraq is going in for round two to sell its oil field development contracts at a meeting in Istanbul. Round one wasn’t successful–the government only managed to find a developer for one of its eight fields. (The … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized, World
Tagged BP, China, Iraq, Iraq War, Iraqi government, Middle East, Politics of Iraq, United States
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Iraq: Looking at the exit signs, wondering what to do
A must read from Newsweek’s Christopher Dickey on what our Iraq withdrawal might look like on the ground. He notes that even after the 2011 deadline for the U.S. to leave Iraq, there will still will be a “residual force” … Continue reading
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Iraq: Troubles ahead, troubles behind
Okay, so readers might have noticed that I’ve been Iraq focused lately. The reason: I’ve just started major-in-depth-mondo reporting on a story about the war that will, enshallah, keep me plenty busy for the next few months or so. Today, just wanted to direct your … Continue reading
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The Hastings Report 