THURSDAY, MARCH 18th.

Day 312.

I talked to CPT Patti yesterday. Since the reestablishment of cell phone service in Iraq, the Iraqi system is compatible with some of the personal cell phones (aka Handies, in Germany) that our soldiers took with them. She tells me that the phones must be "D2 Compatible". Readers in Germany will know what that means.

(Sarah...I'm hoping your idea bin just hit a big KA-CHING! as to the next item you buy and mail to your husband.)

Anyway, CPT Patti borrowed a friends D2 phone and purchased a calling card and was able to call me. We talked for nearly half an hour.

And gee whiz she sounded so good! Sounds as if she is right about where she should be two weeks after leaving command...the decompression has begun...the silliness has returned.

And though we weren't able to spend our anniversary together...we did share a remarkable phone call.

Thanks to all who wrote in sending your congratulations. That means a lot.

LACK OF SPIN WATCH

An abomination in Toronto:

The crudely sprayed swastika left Maria Leib speechless.

And it cruelly carried her back to the Jewish ghetto in the Ukraine where Nazis confined her during World War II.

"That was a bitter time," Leib said yesterday as York Region police continued their probe of anti-Semitic graffiti sprayed on 13 homes and vehicles in a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood in Vaughan early Monday.

"I feel at home in Canada," Leib said haltingly. "But for the first time I felt afraid."

Ichil Leib said he immediately sensed something was wrong when his mother opened the front door of their townhouse Monday morning.

The words JEWZ SUK had been scrawled above the Nazi symbol.

"This isn't the first time such hateful things have happened and it won't be the last," the 57-year-old man said.

"My mother wants to remove it, but I want to leave it so people can see that it's a crime."

Residents along Beverley Glen Blvd. and nearby streets in the Steeles Ave. W. and Dufferin St. neighbourhood awoke to find swastikas and other hateful symbols. All homes are owned by Jews and easily identified by a sacred scroll attached to the doorframe.

And out of sheer habit I read the article waiting for the reporter to attempt to link this story with The Passion of the Christ. ASTONISHINGLY they didn't!

I'm assuming they didn't because they have no evidence of such a connection.

But buddy boy, you better believe if this had happened in an American city - evidence or not - what passes for journalists in this country would have Gibson's movie mentioned by the fifth paragraph.

My hat is off to the Canadian reporters and editors for this example of reporting the facts.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17th.

Day 311.

And Saint Patricks Day...may the luck o' the Irish be yours.

As it is mine.

Because today is our wedding anniversary. I may have to lift a wee pint in our honor.

Sorry...my real life is intruding on my on-line life today...I'll do better later.

CHILDISH

I wrote earlier today that Prime Minister Zapatero is no statesman and is a political rookie. Rantingprofs has some astute comments to back that up as she links to this story.

Many here contend Aznar has adopted a servile stance toward the United States. In contrast, Socialist party leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero stressed his independence and willingness to criticize Washington. Many approvingly cited an incident during last October's Columbus Day military parade when Zapatero sat down as the American flag passed by. "It's not my flag," he reportedly said later.

And you won't believe how offended someone can get over a necktie selection. Go read both links.

SPIN WATCH

HEADLINE U.S. FAMILIES PROTEST WAR - THOSE WHO'VE LOST LOVED ONES IN IRAQ JOIN DISSENT

Question: Why doesn't this headline say "Those who have lost loved ones choose not to join in dissent"?

Both "states of being" exist for families of the fallen. And yet this headline presents only half (or less) of the story.

Oh...yeah...before my buddy Defense Contractor Guy has to write in again...the headline writers job is to sell papers, not report the facts.

ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT

Several European allies of the United States affirmed on Monday their determination to keep forces in Iraq despite last week's terror bombings in Madrid and Sunday's surprise election of a Spanish government bent on pulling out its own troops.

The declarations were made in response to the victory of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, which unseated a government that was a staunch ally of Washington. Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has pledged to withdraw Spain's 1,300 troops from Iraq by the end of June if the United Nations does not take over peacekeeping.

Spain is set to join France and Germany, once dismissed by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld as "old Europe," in opposing military involvement in Iraq. "Old Europe has been fortified. It is a lesson for the United States. The coalition is not permanent," said Stefano Silvestrini, an analyst for the International Affairs Institute here.

Nonetheless, Spain's defection does not seem to be causing a rush to the exits. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has been at odds with opposition groups about the military involvement in Iraq, pledged to keep the country's 2,300 soldiers there.

In Britain, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw disputed any suggestion that countries allied with the United States were more likely to be attacked by terrorists than countries without troops in Iraq. ...

Polish officials said they would keep the country's 2,400 peacekeeping troops in Iraq. "Revising our position on Iraq after terrorist attacks would be to admit that terrorists are stronger and they are right," Prime Minister Leszek Miller said at a news conference in the Polish town of Tarnow, according to news services.

Poland currently commands 10,000 multinational troops in south-central Iraq. Spain was due to take over the command in July, but that schedule is now in doubt. "If it is necessary, we will continue leading the multinational division. We are prepared to do that even if Spain is not able to fulfill its promise," Poland's ambassador to NATO, Jerzy Nowak, said in Brussels.

In the Netherlands, the government said that its small contingent would remain.

There is an astonishing amount of discussion on the internet over Spain's election and subsequent announcement of its intent to withdraw the their troops from Iraq.

And I disagree with Citizen Smash's assertion that

Reactions to this news from outside of Spain have been varied. Some have claimed that it demonstrates how vulnerable Blair and even Bush may be to voter backlash over Iraq. Others have accused the Spanish of knuckling under to terrorists.

These latter reactions are wholly inappropriate. Spain is not America, but it is an ally, and a representative democracy. It is not our place to criticize whom our allies select to be their leaders, so long as the elections are free and fair, and democracy is not undermined. The people of Spain have spoken, and the rest of us must respect their decision.

Let me make it clear up front that I respect Citizen Smash for his service and for his well thought-out positions. But in this case I believe he is wrong.

Representative democracies are established precisely on the premise that elected leaders are given license to make decisions that are "best" or, if you will "right". If we want it to be otherwise, in the days of instant communications, we could experiment with Direct Democracies.

It is among the roles of leadership in a Representative Democracy to make decisions of vision, to be smarter on the big picture than the average voter himself. In short, the elected leaders must take on the role of the grown-up. A role of the elected leader is to see that freedom loving nations "eat their vegetables".

I respect the right of Spain's people to elect whom they will. But there is no expectation of universal support of the actual decision they have made, as Citizen Smash insists there is.

In my view the Spanish population followed the lead of the German population, who, you recall, in a stunning turnaround, reelected the "unre-electable" Schroeder on the basis of his anti-war stance.

Yes...war is an awful thing in its conduct. But it is an instrument of foreign policy for which there is no substitute. Few among us...including most wearing military uniforms...would choose to go to war. That is why leader's must make the hard decisions, when such decisions are necessary.

President Bush made the decision it was necessary based upon the information available at the time. Some 49 countries signed on to agree with him. That is leadership. Leadership sometime means taking people where they do not wish to go. Leadership is not required to persuade people to do what makes them feel good. That they will do anyway.

CPT Patti's father, a minister by trade, speaks of the Christian concept of "loving the sinner but hating the sin". Similarly we must support democracy without supporting poor decision making under the framework of democracy. The Spanish have made a poor decision.

As I've argued before, the war on terror represents a universal threat that can not be evaluated strictly upon the basis of a country's "national interests". The threat of terror transcends any given state...and its response must also.

The upset victory in the Spanish elections, coming mere days after the bombing for which Al Qaeda has taken credit cannot help but create a cause/effect impression on the terrorists. Hence, we can expect to see this same tactic used in future elections of coalition partners, perhaps even US Elections themselves. Thus, Spanish actions have elevated the risk level to other countries. Their response has implications beyond Spain's national interests.

Thus, while respecting their right to elect their own leader, I believe they have made a collosal mistake, sending the message to terrorists that they, the population at large, can be cowed. Statesmen like to say "we do not negotiate with terrorists". In this case the terrorists decided to see if they could "negotiate" with the electorate, and found out they could.

And that does not bode well for the rest of the world.

Finally, while not wishing to send this discussion on a tangent...let me say this. The new Spanish PM proved within 24 hours that as a statesman he is a rookie. He won the election. He did not need to shore up his position at that point. But, instead of working behind the scenes with Spains allies to find a way to elegantly pull out of Iraq without damaging the coalition and its efforts, he rushed to the microphone to announce the intent to withdraw.

Statesmen do not do that to allies.

Now...to put this in perspective...Spain has 1300 soldiers in Iraq. We have nearly one-hundred times that many. My point: Spain's contribution, while important, is more symbolic than it is militarily significant. The military effect of Spain's withdrawal can be compensated for and ameliorated between now and the time it happens. The withdrawal of Spain's symbolic contribution has already happened...and is a victory for the terrorists.

The Spanish have let the world down.

UN TO PROBE OIL FOR FOOD PROGRAM

Pardon me if I don't hold my breath and quit eating...

"But they do not know how much has been spent, or on what. Incredibly, the oil-for-food program has never been audited. Yes: one madman, 10 agencies, 15 independently self-interested Security Council members, more than 50 billion smackers, zero audits," she added.

It now develops that instead of providing help for innocent Iraqi’s, the Oil for Food program became a gigantic multi-billion slush fund which Saddam Hussein, Durkin’s "madman" used to reward his supporters abroad, including, it is now alleged, the program’s top U.N. executive.

It is now clear that Saddam Hussein bribed his way around the world, buying the support of presidents, ministers, legislators, political parties and Christian churches, documents published in Iraq show.

LIFE IS BETTER NOW

A majority of Iraqis believe life is better now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a poll by broadcasting organizations released to coincide with the first anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion...

Some 57 percent of respondents said life was better now than under Saddam, against 19 percent who said it was worse and 23 percent who said it was about the same.

INTERESTING DISCUSSION

American soldiers in Iraq have been asked to make constant adjustments. Add the issues of living quarters, harassment by Iraqi men and desire for equal treatment, and female soldiers here have found challenges all their own.

Case in point: When the 389th Engineers Battalion from Dubuque set up tents in the sweltering Iraqi heat last summer, males and females shared tents based in part on their jobs.

They did so after most attempts at privacy were abandoned when the battalion slept in an open-bay warehouse in Kuwait and then outdoors when they arrived at Baghdad International Airport last summer. The one nod to privacy was a camp shower put up behind ponchos.

But they soon were segregated into separate tents, over the objections of some women who felt they would miss out on critical camp information. Other women, however, did not want to live with the men.

``Our lieutenant fought to keep us with the guys, but they made the females move out,'' and to smaller quarters, said Spc. Rachel L. Wenzl, 22, a medic from Clinton, Iowa. ``We were happy, there was nothing going on and it was working fine.''

Sgt. Holly E. Follmer, 26, of Topeka, Kan., didn't like the change either. ``The problem I had with being segregated was the females get the shaft, smaller tents and out of the communications loop'' she said, adding that her fears about the information flows weren't borne out.

STUPID BUSINESSES, DON'T THEY KNOW THIS PLACE IS A QUAGMIRE?

Pepsi is rebuilding its bottling plant. Mitsubishi is planning a dealership. A Kuwaiti firm envisions a $500-million hotel and shopping complex in the heart of Baghdad.

Nearly a year after bombs and looters wrought devastation on Iraq's already awful economy, the country is teeming with commerce, real and anticipated. Stores are filled with new products, foreign investors are circling, and unemployment -- while painfully high -- has fallen by more than half.

"It may not be palpable, but Iraq is booming," said Maria Khoury, chief of research for Atlas Investment Group, a Jordanian investment bank. "We're seeing a big increase in consumer goods flowing into the country."

Though still very low, Iraqi living standards are higher than at any time since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, economists say, despite the ongoing bombings and killings. Oil revenues, which fund the government and its social safety net, are near prewar levels.

IRAQIS TO THEIR ARAB "BROTHERS": STAY THE HELL OUT OF OUR COUNTRY

Ahmed Abdel Razzaq went to Iraq to fight the Americans and die a martyr. He ended up in a U.S. prison camp after the Iraqis he went to defend captured and sold him for $100.

"I went to be a martyr in God's name," said Razzaq, from poor north Lebanon, where Sunni Muslim militancy runs deep.

"I went to jihad (holy war) for the Iraqis but they are all traitors; the people, the army, the Kurds. They say Saddam was bad, but the Iraqis deserve 10 Saddams."

Hey genius...the message from the Iraqi's is "do not export your violence to our country."

Oh, wait a minute...excuse me. I should know better. I'm trying to argue rationally with a jihadist.

Ever notice how these jihadists can't wait to die for their cause? Our Soldiers, on the other hand...are prepared to...but will fight like hell to avoid it.

And that has made all the difference.

"I'M IN THE GREATEST PROFESSION IN THE WORLD"

One of my greatest rewards is watching young boys right out of high school turn into great men, without hesitation stepping into harm's way to help someone they don"t know - even more, to help out a fellow soldier. I am in the greatest profession in the world.

Can you name for me another profession that elicits this kind of pride from its members?

I know not all soldiers feel this way...but what is remarkable is how many do. And I understand that some folks, athletes perhaps, feel lucky to be paid so well for doing what they love.

But there is something special about a profession in which so many love what they do in spite of mediocre pay, awful hours, and yearlong deployments.

It makes me wonder...is there anyone in Hollywood who could be this happy earning $31,000 per year?

DISTURBING

An assailant stabbed and badly wounded an American army officer inside the Baghdad compound of Iraq's U.S.-led administration, a U.S. spokesman said Monday.

Dan Senor, chief spokesman of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), said the officer had been stabbed Saturday evening while walking in the "Green Zone," a sprawling, heavily guarded area on the west bank of the Tigris River.

"To my knowledge this was the first attack of its kind inside the Green Zone. We do not know at this point whether or not the attacker was Iraqi or an American," Senor said.

"The victim suffered serious stab wounds to his torso, head and neck," Senor said, adding that the officer, unconscious immediately after the attack, had been flown Sunday to a U.S. medical facility in Germany, where he was in stable condition.

However, I've learned that there doesn't seem to be a universal definition of "the Green Zone". For some it seems to mean that area where Mr. Bremer has his headquarters. For others the use of the term indicates a larger and more inclusive area. No way to tell from this story which they mean.

If it is in the former, the potential for a politically significant strike against Mr. Bremer certainly exists.

TUESDAY, MARCH 16th.

This is day 310.

And I just learned that occasionally there might be some of the Gunners checking in to read every now and again.

Hey guys...get home soon and safely. And say hi to my wife if you see her around the Providers' FOB

THE NEW YORK POSTS LEVELS A DAMNING CHARGE ON KERRY

MY FAVORITE LINE ABOUT KERRY

"Democrats finally found someone who is Al Gore without the flash and the sizzle." - Craig Kilborn

WAFFLE WATCH

''I'm pretty tough on Castro, because I think he's running one of the last vestiges of a Stalinist secret police government in the world,'' Kerry told WPLG-ABC 10 reporter Michael Putney in an interview to be aired at 11:30 this morning.

Then, reaching back eight years to one of the more significant efforts to toughen sanctions on the communist island, Kerry volunteered: ``And I voted for the Helms-Burton legislation to be tough on companies that deal with him.''

It seemed the correct answer in a year in which Democratic strategists think they can make a play for at least a portion of the important Cuban-American vote -- as they did in 1996 when more than three in 10 backed President Clinton's reelection after he signed the sanctions measure written by Sen. Jesse Helms and Rep. Dan Burton.

There is only one problem: Kerry voted against it.

Asked Friday to explain the discrepancy, Kerry aides said the senator cast one of the 22 nays that day in 1996 because he disagreed with some of the final technical aspects. But, said spokesman David Wade, Kerry supported the legislation in its purer form -- and voted for it months earlier.

The confusion illustrates a persistent problem for Kerry as Republicans exploit his 19-year voting history to paint the Massachusetts senator as a waffler on major foreign-affairs questions such as the Iraq war, Israel's security barrier and intelligence funding.

(via Instapundit)

NONE OF OUR BUSINESS?

Astonishing.

The town meeting was contentious at times, with 52-year-old Cedric Brown repeatedly pressing the candidate to name the foreign leaders whom Kerry has said are backing his campaign.

"I'm not going to betray a private conversation with anybody," Kerry said. As the crowd of several hundred people began to mutter and boo, Kerry said, "That's none of your business."

(via Instapundit)

A BUMPY REUNION

We all have dreams of what it will be like...but the classes I've attended - called "reunion training" says things like this may be common.

An excellent piece...go read it all.

Some of the changes in her husband trouble her. On a drive to Denver, he became unglued by the snarled traffic on Interstate 25.

"He told me, in Iraq, if people got in your way, you just drove over them. He has zero patience."

And lately, he is defined by a hyper-patriotism that borders on defiance.

"He used to be all about family," she says. "Now it's all about the Army."

Breck Howard says her marriage, now in its eighth year, has weathered difficult times before.

"We knew this would happen. I know we'll get through this. It's just a question of how long it will take."

For most of the past year, it seemed almost certain Howard would not re-enlist when his tour of duty was up in 2005. But in January, just weeks before his return, he signed on for six more years.

He says he did it for the $10,000 bonus he'll receive. The money will go toward the day-care business his wife wants to open.

Little Taylor cried when she found out. "I don't want him to go away again."

But Howard says he made the right choice for himself and his family. "I don't think I'll ever find a job that is more satisfying or makes me more proud."

"FOR WHOM IRAQ IS STILL THE ONLY STORY"

Somewhere out there is a war. Or whatever it is now.

Iraq has entered the gray courtyard of the national consciousness. Still too dangerous and too bloody and too unsettled to be forgotten. But too familiar now to always hold attention. Where there is shooting and dying but not always enough of it to lead the evening news.

That is what a year can do. With no conclusion, no happy ending, no exit line, no sunset to walk off into, the public is easily distracted. Gay couples are getting married at the courthouse, Haiti is a hot spot, Barry Bonds is being asked steroid questions. Events in Iraq must sometimes now fight for airtime.

Occasionally a plot twist from Baghdad comes out of the television screen. What'd they do now, attack a police station?

We stop, pause, take a closer look, and then get back to Martha Stewart.

Unless, of course, there is a son or husband or father or wife or daughter in Iraq. Then there is no gray area. And not a minute, worried day or wakeful night, when this is not a war.

There must be times they feel alone now. The loved ones at home, for whom Iraq is still the only story.

He's right. It is the only story. And although the number of days remaining in my own little hell is nearly down to the number of digits on my hands and feet, there is no comfort.

And there won't be until she is in my arms.

IT WOULD SEEM SO

“I guess you really don’t understand how lucky you are to live in a democracy until you get asked what it means to have a society function with a set of concrete laws instead of the whim of a psychopathic tyrant,” he said.

THE AMERICA I COME FROM IS POPULATED BY GUYS LIKE THIS

Tim Robbins isn't worthy to shine this man's shoes.

Part of a day´s work for an Idaho Falls man includes developing a postal zip code system for the people of Iraq.

Steven Lucks, 53, is a Vietnam veteran and U.S. Naval Reserve retiree. He left his wife and two daughters in November to volunteer to help rebuild Iraq.

His wife, Dee Ann, said her husband went to officer candidate school and worked his way up to the rank of captain.

Lucks now works for the Department of Defense. His official titles are senior technical liaison representative for the Ministry of Communications and deputy postmaster general for Postal/Savings Systems.

Over a cell phone connection and a 10-hour time difference, Lucks told the Idaho Falls Post Register there was nowhere he´d rather be. He said the Iraqi people are eager to learn. “Everyone I meet is pretty upbeat, and I meet a lot of people,” he said.

Lucks and his colleagues have developed a zip code system and an international service center for Iraqi Air, which allows parcels to enter Iraq with much less trouble than before.

SO I GUESS A TONY IS OUT OF THE QUESTION

Tim Robbins is not only wrong...he's also unfunny.

It’s difficult to imagine just who the audience is for this show.

Neoconservatives, of course, will dislike Robbins’ creation for its mega-ton Bush-bashing. Ultraliberals will wonder why, if the president and his policies are the targets, the show isn’t sharper and funnier.

But then, finding genuine wit in "Embedded" is as difficult as finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

And here is another review. Geez...this play must just rot from the inside out.

The average GI is sympathetically portrayed, though the officers and those above them are either sinister or ludicrous.

The piece de resistance consists of six White House bigwigs (with names like RumRum) in red or white masks chatting about the motives and meaning of the war. They are also, it is hinted, responsible for 9/11.

Unfortunately, Robbins is not a naturally comic writer, and entire scenes just lie there. He tries to exculpate the average American GI, but the logic of his position betrays him.

"Embedded" is neither bitingly satirical nor passionately angry. Whether you agree with it is irrelevant. It's just a bore.

(Emphasis added)

Oh...and Mr. Robbins...my wife is an Army Officer...and she is neither sinister nor ludicrous. In fact she is a noble, caring leader much beloved by her soldiers.

But that doesn't fit your liberal misconception of the military, now does it? Geez...if you can't be funny, perhaps you'd bother to try to be correct.

AND SPEAKING OF LIARS...

Read the story now making the rounds in the Arab press.

U.S. Unloading WMD in Iraq

IN MY OPINION: A DESERTER, A COWARD AND A LIAR

And not worthy to wear the stripes of a Non-Commissioned Officer

In Iraq last April, freshly promoted Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia led squads of Florida National Guard soldiers in the fight against insurgents in the deadly Sunni Triangle.

But Mejia became increasingly pained by his war experiences and decided not to come back from leave last fall. The staff sergeant, one of about 600 soldiers counted as AWOL by the Army during home leaves from Iraq, was labeled a deserter.

Now, after five months in hiding, Mejia plans to surrender in Boston today on the eve of the war's first anniversary, and he aims to become the first Iraq war veteran to publicly challenge the morality and conduct of the conflict. He intends to seek conscientious-objector status to avoid a court-martial.

In an interview, Mejia, 28, said he found the war and many of his combat orders morally questionable and ultimately unacceptable. He has been living in New York and other Eastern cities, traveling by bus instead of by plane or car to escape the attention of the police and military. He has avoided using his credit cards and cellphone.

Mejia accuses commanders of using GIs as "bait" to lure out Iraqi fighters so that US soldiers could win combat decorations. He also says operations were conducted in ways that sometimes risked injuring civilians. He has accused his battalion and company commanders of incompetence and has reiterated past guardsmen's complaints about being poorly equipped.

Those commanders defended their conduct. His immediate commander described Mejia as a poorly performing soldier who "lost his nerve" as bloodshed intensified in one of Iraq's more violent cities, Ramadi.

Now...compare what you just read of his actions to the standards that non-commissioned officers have held themselves to for over 200 years. The Non-Commissioned Officers' Creed.

No one is more professional than I. I am a Non-commissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as "The Backbone of the Army."

I am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the Corps, the Military Service and my country regardless of the situation in which I find myself...

Competence is my watch-word. My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind-accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my soldiers. I will strive to remain tactically and technically proficient. I am aware of my role as a Noncommissioned Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in that role. All soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own...

Officers of my unit will have maximum time to accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as that of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I serve; seniors, peers and subordinates alike.

A PROTEST ORGANIZED BY "MILITARY FAMILIES SPEAK OUT"

As one who wore the uniform for over two decades...I can say I respect their right to do this...but I would feel such participation of any family members of mine to be backstabbing.

Some military families who oppose the U-S operation in Iraq are planning a protest today in the nation's capital.

This comes as Washington officials prepare for various events to mark the first anniversary of the war at the end of the week.

The protesters first gather at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, the first stop for most of the casualties from Iraq. Then, they'll march to the White House.

The event is organized by a group called "Military Families Speak Out," which represents about a thousand military families who want U-S troops to withdraw from Iraq.

MOVE OVER CHIRAC, SCHROEDER...THERE'S A NEW WEASEL IN TOWN

And it looks like he's in an awful hurry to tell Al Qaeda they win.

Spain's general election winner Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero says he intends to withdraw Madrid's 1,300 troops from Iraq, news agencies reported.

Zapatero told a Spanish radio station that no decision would be taken until he was in power and without wide political consultation, Reuters reported.

"But the Spanish troops in Iraq will come home," he added in his first post-election interview with Cadena SER radio.

Sadly, the results of the Spanish election and the apparent immediate capitulation on Spain's part seem to ensure further terror attacks in days leading up to elections in the free world.

UPDATE: And Jonah nails it about Kerry's remarks.

THE FIRST CAV IN BAGHDAD

2nd Lt. Peter Balke's patrol had three objectives besides keeping an eye out for militants: stop by the Jordanian Embassy to check security, count the squatters in an old government building and investigate complaints that a new brothel had opened.

"Everybody got their money with them?" one of the soldiers shouted.

Balke smiled, then continued his briefing.

Balke, 22, is part of the new wave of troops replacing the one that stormed Iraq a year ago. He's a field artillery officer, freshly retrained in infantry tactics, and the eight-man squad he leads on nightly patrols through downtown Baghdad consists of cooks, mechanics and drivers.

When it comes to policing Iraq, he says, "Artillery, infantry -- whatever you are -- you can't expect to always get the mission of your branch."

Balke is assigned to Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, part of the Fort Hood, Texas-based 1st Cavalry Division which will take over control of all of Baghdad from the 1st Armored Division in the next few weeks.

Its commanders have had more time than any other unit to prepare for their yearlong stint with Operation Iraqi Freedom 2.

Balke's patrol has three new armored Humvees. Almost every leader above the rank of sergeant has had cultural awareness training. All his men have brushed up on their infantry skills, which is critical since the battalion's 500 men are responsible for a neighborhood of more than 800,000 people.

Col. John Formica, Balke's brigade commander, said the 1st Cavalry is well-prepared to achieve the U.S. military's mission of establishing a stable, democratic government in Iraq...

U.S. officers still do what ordinarily would be a civilian government's job: approve public works projects, settle property disputes, make sure the police do their duty. But Formica has ordered his officers to make the Iraqi neighborhood councils and other leaders reach decisions on their own.

"The cultural authority rests in the sheiks. You have the Islamic law that rests with the imams, and then you have what we're trying to work -- the democratic law," Formica said.

"You reach back to your 11th and 12th years of education, where you studied problems of democracies and civics lessons ... It is exciting, and at times it is also bewildering -- the responsibility that you have and the influence you have on people -- but it is absolutely rewarding."..

Asked which is harder, fighting insurgents or teaching democracy, Formica laughed.

"I've trained for 22 years to do one," he said. "The other one just seems to come natural. Because we're Americans, we grew up with it."

MONDAY, MARCH 15th.

The Ides of March.

And day 309.

STUPID TOURISTS...DON'T THEY KNOW THIS PLACE IS A QUAGMIRE?

The pilgrims had sold their cows and furniture to raise money for the trip and braved car bombs and shootouts to get here. When Habeeb Allah Jagha Kaboudi finally arrived at the gold-domed shrine of the man Shiite Muslims consider the rightful successor to the prophet Muhammad, he fell to his knees. He chanted. He prayed. He cried.
Then he went shopping.

Since war ended in May, visitors estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands have braved continuing violence to travel to a country that was virtually closed to outsiders during three decades of rule by Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party...

Before the war, Najaf and Karbala were tranquil places where women in black robes glided around among scholars engaged in decades-long study of the Koran. Now the sister cities have the hustle and bustle of a crowded bazaar. Vendors cooking sticky sesame sweets on the streets beckon for visitors to try a taste. Long buses crammed with all manner of goods — clothes, toys, washing machines, ovens — line up neatly on the streets.

Tourism has provided a much-needed boost to Najaf's economy, and in many ways it has brought out the best in many of its residents. Some have taken to hosting visitors as they might their own families, handing out tea, dates, blankets and even shelter for free.

VERY DISTURBING

U.S. forces arriving in Iraq are being singled out for kidnapping by insurgents, according to senior military officers. The insurgents, they say, might make a symbolic spectacle of abducted soldiers or use captives to negotiate the release of Iraqi prisoners.

Military commanders are also concerned about a possible new terrorist tactic to pose as police officers. U.S. officials are worried that Iraqi police -- not just impostors in Iraqi uniforms -- may have been behind the killings of two coalition staffers and their translator, the top American general in Iraq said yesterday.

The warning on kidnapping is being given to Marine Corps and Army ground forces rotating into Iraq. The military officers say the information has come from a number of intelligence discoveries, though they specified only one: a seized letter the Americans say was written by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian terrorist suspected of al-Qaida ties...

Army and Marine Corps commanders say that arriving troops express concern about the threat of kidnapping, but that, as one officer put it, any anxiety will diminish "once they're inside the country, once they've got their feet on the ground."

"You've got a gun in your hands, and you've got more than enough for a fair fight," the officer said.

YOU SEE, THESE GUYS WERE ON THE RIGHT SIDE...

British engineering firm Amec has won a major contract to help rebuild Iraq from the US Defense Department.
The Pentagon awarded the $500m (£278m) deal to rebuild Iraq's power plants to FluorAmec, a joint venture between Amec and US partner Fluor.

It is the biggest and most significant deal won by a UK firm in Iraq.

YES, BUT THERE IS THAT PESKY LITTLE MATTER OF THE TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS...

A distant cousin of White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, who was a press secretary to four members of Congress including U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren of San Jose, was charged Thursday with working with Iraqi intelligence before the war started last year.

Investigators said Susan Lindauer, 41, had tried to influence U.S. policy toward Iraq by presenting herself as an intermediary to a highly placed relative.

She was arrested Thursday morning by federal agents at her home in Takoma Park, Md., outside Washington. In New York, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment that said she had met repeatedly with representatives of the Iraqi intelligence service starting in 1999 and that she had traveled to Baghdad in 2002 for meetings with Iraqi intelligence officials.

She also accepted $10,000 for her work with the Iraqi intelligence service, according to the indictment.

``I'm an anti-war activist and I'm innocent,'' Lindauer told WBAL-TV as she was led to a car outside the Baltimore FBI field office. ``I did more to stop terrorism in this country than anybody else. I have done good things for this country. I worked to get weapons inspectors back to Iraq when everyone else said it was impossible. I'm very proud and I'll stand by my achievements.''

AWWWWW!

In a war that has cost some 550 American lives and wounded nearly 3,000, the two met last summer and survived everything from roadside bombs to mortar attacks.

"Yeah, there were a couple of little things here and there we had to worry about," said Spec. 4 Morgan, 21, who is scheduled to marry Grant in Shady Cove on Tuesday.

Both soldiers went into Iraq when the war started, eventually ending up in Baghdad. The brigade returned to its home base in Germany late last month.

The two met one July night in an Iraqi police station where he was on duty. Her unit stopped by during a routine patrol.

"I asked him if I could smoke in the building because I didn't want to go outside," said Grant, 26.

He told her it was fine with him, and they struck up a conversation while looking at some photographs he had taken of Iraq.

That pleasant interlude in the midst of war left each of them looking for the other after that initial meeting. "He was waiting at the IP (Iraq police) station each night, hoping I'd come by," she said.

They met again in October. Then, one night, "He took me up on top of the palace roof to propose," she said. "It was wonderful."

The 24-carat gold ring he gave her was hand-fashioned by an Iraqi. On the inside are the words, "All My Love K&D."

ON THE WRONG SIDE OF HALFWAY

The troop rotation passes the halfway mark and my darling wife is still in Baghdad...

The rotation of U.S. troops in and out of Iraq has reached the halfway mark.

“We’re about at the 50 percent point,” Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy director for coalition operations, said Tuesday.

That rotation — involving about 250,000 U.S. troops — has generally gone smoothly, he said.

“I think it’s a great credit not only to the logisticians who planned it, but the leaders who led it,” Kimmitt said.

FRIDAY, MARCH 12th.

Day 306.

WE ARE PROFESSIONALS...WE ARE PAID TO KNOW THESE THINGS. JUST AS I SUPPOSE YOU ARE PAID TO ASK INANE QUESTIONS.

Sent in by my old buddy Defense Contractor Guy

U.S. Marine Col. Charles Gurganus said gunfire broke out on the northeast corner of the plaza and several people were wounded before Marines spotted two gunmen. When the gunmen tried to attack the Marines, the troops shot and killed one of them, he said, adding that he did not know what happened to the other man.

Asked how he knew the man killed was a gunman, Gurganus said: "He had a gun, and he was shooting at Marines. That's what I call a gunman."

ANN COULTER IS WONDERFUL TO READ

OK, REALLY NOW...CAN'T WE JUST LET THESE GUYS SECEDE? PLEASE?

A formal censure for President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney over allegations they deceived the public about reasons for invading Iraq would be more appropriate than impeachment, the Berkeley City Council decided Tuesday night.

The council, known for its tradition of issuing various symbolic gestures on national and international issues, acted as chants from a pro-impeachment rally outside wafted through the chamber windows.

My poor brother-in-law, CPT Patti's brother, just finished a three year stint as a US Army Recruiter in California.

Poor guy.

HAD YOU NOTICED?

The best news: Between February 19 and March 2 not a single American soldier was killed in Iraq.

This is testimony to the fact that the American military units operating there - even in the midst of a huge movement of soldiers as the old U.S. force of 130,000 is replaced by a fresh new force of 110,000 - have ground down the opposition Sunni guerrillas to a much more manageable level both in terms of numbers and effectiveness.

This wasn't achieved with a few big battles or a few massive sweeps, but rather by a slow, steady weeding out of the bad guys, taking them down or out by ones, twos and threes and primarily doing it with information provided by Iraqis who want to see an end to this war and a future for themselves.

It doesn't hurt that the tribal leaders of the minority Sunni Arab population of central Iraq - which has provided most of the guerrilla recruits and sheltered them - have begun to realize that the only thing standing between them and extermination by their blood enemies, the Kurds in the north and the Shiites in the south, is the U.S. Army and now the Marines.

The awful days of the Ramadan offensive in November, when the Americans suffered record numbers killed and wounded in a seemingly endless series of roadside bombings, are no more. With luck and hard work they may not come again.

A new life is coming to many parts of Iraq. Shops have more goods to sell, people have more money to spend and inflation is beginning to work its way back down. Iraqi oil production now is around 2.3 million to 2.5 million barrels a day, or almost pre-war production levels of 2.8 million barrels, thanks to $1 billion in infrastructure repairs paid for by the American taxpayer.

THE G2 SAYS MORE UNPLEASANTNESS AWAITS

Today must be Army Lingo Day here...G2 is Army shorthand for Intelligence. And according to the intel, things might get noisy in northern Iraq.

U.S. soldiers of Task Force Olympia in northern Iraq are bracing themselves for ?spectacular attacks? as the desperation of enemy forces continues to grow, Army Brig Gen. Carter Ham said Tuesday.

?There is evidence that we are likely to see an increase in activity based on [an increase] in terrorists, foreign fighters, extremists, criminals [and] former regime elements,? Ham said during a press briefing in Baghdad, hooked in to the Pentagon. ?They are attacks against coalition and attacks on symbols of progress, whether economic or otherwise.?

The use of recent terrorist tactics is ?evidence of the desperation of our enemy,? Ham said.

TEN PERCENT - GUARANTEED

This piece describes a not-so-well-known perk of deploying to a war zone...the Savings Deposit Program. Soldiers can deposit up to $10,000 and earn a guaranteed 10% APR on that deposit, so long as they remain in the war zone.

I'm pretty certain there isn't another guaranteed 10% out there.

If your soldier has must gone downrange and somehow you didn't know about this...well now you do.

TOO SHORT TO LET ANYTHING GO WRONG

In the military the term "short" refers to having very little time remaining on your current assignment or deployment. So, in Army speak we can say that CPT Patti and her unit are "getting short", meaning, they are due to end their deployment soon.

But being short doesn't mean being out of harms way...and the leaders are stressing no lapses in vigilance.

Good article.

Soldiers washed Humvee windshields, loaded up the last pieces of cargo and checked to make sure they left no wrench or weapon behind.

The next day would be the first leg in their journey home after spending a year in Iraq. But before they reach a relatively safe, dusty camp across the border in Kuwait, their convoy must travel through areas known for roadside bombs, ambushes and mortar attacks.

Spc. Christopher Watson, 23, of Houston, scowls when asked about the risks. In the past 12 months, he has faced more than his fair share of danger, and he said he is not about to allow anything to happen to him or anyone in his unit — the Fort Still, Okla.-based 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery — especially this close to being home.

“I feel sorry for anyone who gets in our way,” Watson said.

Commanders want soldiers to treat their final days in Iraq with the same vigilance and attention to detail as their first few days last spring, when they stormed across the Kuwaiti border and toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime. But they are concerned that some soldiers might already be thinking about home, distracting them from the threats they face while still in Iraq...

“I’m actually hoping Murphy doesn’t kick me in my ass,” Bernard said, referring to Murphy’s Law, which states that if anything can go wrong, it will. “Once we’re finished, when we’re leaving and it’s all over, and I’m not flying, I’m sitting in the back letting them take me home, you think, ‘What if?’”

A few weeks ago, regiment commanders met to talk about the trip home. They did a “risk assessment,” ticking off all the hazards of the upcoming trip home, from Humvee accidents to roadside bombs. After the meeting, they put the word out to soldiers to not let their guard down.

The dilemma is that some soldiers have a tremendous amount of anxiety about the day they step foot on American soil again, especially those who know they are facing financial problems or divorce papers. Sergeants major and other noncommissioned officers are trying to identify those soldiers who are considered “high risk.”

Soldiers go through a series of briefings to help them reintegrate with their families, but those expecting to deal with marital or financial problems when they get home get extra attention. Troops who have angst about what awaits them when they return go through counseling before they leave.

“It’s maddening for our soldiers to try and keep their mind on the mission when they know their whole life is crumbling underneath him,” regiment Chaplain (Capt.) David Deppmeier said.

Suicide is one of the biggest fears...

Soldiers nervous about going home have a ton of time to worry about things during the final several weeks. Some units wrapped up their mission in Iraq, are packed up and just waiting for transportation.

Soldiers are counting the minutes.

Spc. Pedro Gonzalez, 22, of Miami, a flight operations specialist with the 571st, said the last week has been among “the most boring and longest days” of his life...

Staff Sgt. Joseph Peca, 28, of Philadelphia, who is married and has a 1-year-old son, said people are getting tired of seeing the same people and hearing the same stories over and over again.

“You know you’ve been in Iraq too long when you run out of things to talk about,” Peca said.

THURSDAY, MARCH 11th.

CPT Patti has been deployed to Baghdad now for 305 days.

Three hundred five.

Hey...that fits the opening of Beethovan's Fifth.

Three hundred five! Three hundred five. Three hundred five (three hundred five three hundred five...) Three hundred five (three hundred five three hundred five...) Three hundred five. Three hundred five. Three hundred five...five...five.

Er...excuse me. Sorry.

If you are licensed to practice in Germany....maybe you'll drop me a line...

By the way...wouldn't it make more sense if it were spelled "threee"?

LAME

Regarding Kerry's obscenity filled website, a spokesman offers this:

A spokesman for Kerry said he believed the Web site was struck by ``a virus'' yesterday. He then promised to get back to us with a better story, but never did.

What's next? Tourette's?

WAFFLE WATCH

Kerry is quoted supporting the President for unilateral military action against Iraq.

Only...it wasn't this president.

(via Sarah)

INTERNATIONAL REACTION

Yesterday I bemoaned the lack of international acclaim for the significance of the signing of Iraq's interim constitution. My point was that the world's most nascent democracy could certainly use a little encouragement.

I mean...there are those who believe "It Takes A Village" to raise a child. One might imagine a parallel supposition for raising up a brand new democracy.

My friend John sent a list of links overnight - links to news stories indicating international acclaim.

He translates for me a quote from Japan, saying "This is an important step towards the legitimacy of the new Iraq political process. Thus our country/government welcomes it."

I was unable to open a couple of the links John sent...but the ones I could open took me to comments made by officials of:

Iran: "The signing of the Iraqi interim constitution is an effective step in the transfer of power to the Iraqi people and Iran welcomes this favourably."

Saudi Arabia: "signing of the interim constitution by members of Iraq's Governing Council is a positive step on the road of drafting a permanent constitution for safeguarding Iraq's unity and territorial integrity."

Turkey: Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday that the interim constitution of Iraq enabled Turkmens to give education in the schools in their own language.

and United Arab Emirates (President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan has welcomed the signing of the interim constitution in Iraq, describing it as a major step towards achieving stability and reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.

(All emphases mine.)

Now...I want to take a look at this for a moment.

Only two of the five countries listed here are democracies, Japan and Turkey.

Of the five countries here, 3 border Iraq and one more (UAE) is a stones throw down the street. You might imagine anything that appears to hasten stability in the region would be welcomed.

And in fact when one reads closely these statements we find that the first two merely affirm it to be a good thing that Iraq is taking steps toward their own "legitimate" government...which can be construed as a poke in the eye of the USA.

The Saudi statement seems to hold out hope that Iraq will cease being a basket case in the region while that of the UAE also hopes that the neighborhood will quiet down.

And the Turks...the Turks seem to be damning with faint praise, if that is the best they can do.

Meanwhile, notable in their absence (in so far as I and the essaying readers can find) are the non-English speaking great democracies of the world...including one whose motto is "Liberté - égalité - fraternité"

I still don't get it.

THE BIG RED ONE TAKES THEIR FIRST KIA

Heartbreaking.

Another American soldier has been killed in Iraq after a roadside bomb went off near his convoy.

The military says the soldier is the first member of the 1st Infantry Division to die in Iraq. The 1st Infantry is replacing the 4th Infantry Division.

The soldier died after the Humvee he was riding in was hit by the bomb just east of the tense town of Baqouba. The area is part of the so-called "Sunni Triangle," which has been a hotbed of anti-American resistance.

A second soldier was injured in the explosion and is listed in stable condition.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10th.

Day 304.

News flash: Celibacy is overrated.

Posting could be light or late today...I actually have lots of stuff to do in my real life.

COULD WE AGREE TO LET THESE GUYS JUST SECEDE?

A proposed amendment to California's constitution would give 16-year-olds a half-vote and 14-year-olds a quarter-vote in state elections.

State Sen. John Vasconcellos, among four lawmakers to propose the idea on Monday, said the Internet, cellular phones, multichannel television and a diverse society makes today's teens better informed than their predecessors.

The idea requires two-thirds approval by the Legislature to appear on the November ballot.

"When we gave the vote to those who didn't own property, then to women, then to persons of all colors, we added to the richness of our democratic dialogue and our own nation's integrity and its model for the world," Vasconcellos said, calling it time to further extend the vote.

A Republican colleague said it was "the nuttiest idea I've ever heard."

Better informed? About who Brittney is sleeping with perhaps.

I got your "better informed" right here, genius.

SHOULD DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM BE BORN IN SILENCE?

I'm scouring the news on the internet trying to find expressions of congratulations by world leaders to the Iraqis on their new constitution.

None is being reported other than President Bush and Prime Minister Blair.

I sincerely hope that I am incorrect...but I cannot find a single quote attributable to any world leader on this amazing accomplishment.

Perhaps I'm looking at this incorrectly...and I'll count on the readers as usual to adjust my perspective. But Germany is a democracy. France is a democracy. Regardless of what one thinks of the road that brought the Iraqis here, don't the people of the world's most nascent democracy deserve the encouragement of those who have long since been down this path?

It is not an original thought with me...but a powerful one: Democracies don't attack democracies. Think about it. What was the last significant war waged between two democracies?

One would think this fact alone is worth celebrating.

Does anyone else find this to be sad?

A JERUSALEM POST WRITER UNDERSTANDS IT

Taking words from our own National Anthem to highlight the rocky road that progress demands.

The birth of Iraqi democracy


And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

– from the US national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner

As the Iraqi Governing Council signed its nation's new interim constitution yesterday, five rockets hit the Rashid Hotel in Baghdad and two rockets hit near the convention center where the council had gathered. The New York Times reported that Lt. Col. Randy Lane, standing near the spot where the rockets had been launched, said, "I think there are definitely people who are trying to stop the new Iraq from emerging."

Freedom and independence rarely come without a struggle, as Americans and Israelis know. The road ahead for Iraqi democracy is a long one and the outcome is not guaranteed. Yesterday's signing, however, was undoubtedly an historic moment in the history of Iraq, the Middle East, and the world...

This day also represents a sea change in American policy, and even for the Bush administration. In his first campaign, Bush opposed his Democratic predecessor's penchant for nation-building. Now, post 9/11, Bush is engaged in region-building, with the new Iraq as the centerpiece.

Politicians do not like to admit changes of mind, but this is one to be proud of. If anything, it is those who cling to the pre-9/11 notion of "stability" who have something to explain.

(Emphasis mine)

YOU GUYS ARE ANGRY

Overnight I received two separate links...with similar themes. John Kerry must not win...he hasn't the class to represent America.

Beth linked me to this story which includes this:

"I've met foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly, but boy they look at you and say, 'You've got to win this, you've got to beat this guy, we need a new policy,' things like that," he said.

As Beth points out, is it just a bit presumptuous for Kerry to be meeting privately with foreign leaders?

As for me, frankly, I don't see the leadership of the United States of America and the Free World as management by committee...with undue input from foreignors at that. "Leadership by committee" is what got us a decade of a pip squeak like Saddam thumbing his nose at the world. Round after round of "we really mean it this time...you better listen to the UN because we are running out of patience and boy howdy, you won't like us when we're mad" isn't leadership. It is complicity.

But that seems to be Kerry's message. Let's get back in touch and find out what the rest of the world wants us to be.

Which just smacks of Kerry, mister duplicitous, Mr. "I feel strongly both ways on this issue". Since he doesn't have a vision of his own...since he can't take a stand on anything, it doesn't strike him as odd that others must tell him who we should be.

UPDATE: Jonah names those foreign leaders who want Kerry to win.

UPDATE: Rantingprofs puts a pointy finger on just how unseemly this issue is. (via Instapundit)

And then I heard from Shannon at The Deployment Diary and she is on a tear! Shannon rightly points out that money can buy a lot of things, but it can't buy class. This story proves two things to me...that the far side of the aisle continues to be fascinated with the posterior of the anatomy...and that a liberal tosses around the word "evil" in various inappropriate places because liberals have long ago abandoned any belief in good and evil - thus the word has no true meaning in their lexicons.

And so Kerry's wife deems it - what?, cute? I guess, to refer to the President of the USA as "evil".

Is that really what the Kerry's believe? Or is this just another case of the Kerry family tossing words around without really meaning them

OK - For whatever reason I just can't take the madness today...so without comment I want to link you to guys who do a much better job than I dissecting the Jello that is Kerry. (I don't usually link to these guys...so if you haven't read them before, make time to do so...they are all just brilliant guys.)

Steven Den Beste gets it right, here.

Citizen Smash smashes Kerry here.

And the VodkaPundit serves it up "neat" here.

(Links via Instapundit)

Finished? Are you anymore certain as to what Kerry stands for now than y you were when you started?

Didn't think so.

UPDATE: Just for dessert.

TUESDAY, MARCH 9th.

Day 303.

Ya know, for a while this role as "waiting spouse" isn't bad...but, you know, after a couple or three-hundred days it actually begins to wear on ya.

So far I can only imagine one thing longer and more painful than this has been.

Eight more months of the run for the White House. Sheesh!

DRUDGE: "KERRY'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE RIDDLED WITH OBSCENITIES"

IN CASE YOU WERE RUNNING LOW ON REASONS TO BE SUSPICIOUS OF THE BBC

HEADLINE:

Greek conservatives seize power

A coup d'etat?

No...an election.

But the conservatives didn't "win". The masses didn't "elect" the conservatives, throwing out the socialists.

No...according to the BBC the conservatives "sezed power".

A VALID COMPLAINT?

It looks that way to me.

The family of an Ohio soldier killed in Iraq says the military needs a better way for relatives to reach injured soldiers overseas.

The wife of Army Staff Sgt. Sean Landrus wishes she had gotten a chance to say goodbye. Chris Landrus says one call isn't too much to ask.

The soldier died Jan. 29 in a hospital in Iraq from wounds he suffered from a roadside bomb two days earlier. His family says they didn't find out how bad his injuries were until after he died.

Ohio Rep. Steve LaTourette wants the Defense Department to do more to give families immediate telephone access to the places where wounded soldiers are treated.

The Army says it tries to share as much information as possible, but that security and extreme conditions make the job difficult.

On the one hand, this being the information age of sattelite uplinks and such, seems this complaint could be addressed.

On the other hand, such advances raise entirely new policy questions that would need sorting out. One issue I can foresee is the perception of a lack of parity. One spouse saying "Mrs. X got to speak to her husband as he was being treated for injuries...why didn't I?"

It is clear to me from reading, oh, I don't know, about a gzillion news stories over the last 302 days, that neither the press nor the average family member of a soldier understand that in a war zone, you get only what you make. And not all are able to make the same.

BRINGING A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO THE TERM "PALM PILOT"

A seven pound spy-plane...

A tiny spy plane developed by Lockheed Martin engineers in Palmdale is doing sentry duty around U.S. air bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Weighing seven pounds and looking like something out of a hobby shop, Desert Hawk controls itself without human guidance and carries video cameras and infrared sensors that allow security personnel to scout outside bases without exposing themselves to danger...

The Desert Hawk is just 32 inches long and has a wingspan of 52 inches, powered by an electric motor and able to fly for an hour to 75 minutes at a time.

INTERIM CONSTITUTION SIGNED!!!

Score one for President Bush...and one against the Islamofascists.

Iraq's Governing Council signed an interim constitution Monday, a key step toward a planned handover of sovereignty by U.S.-led occupation forces to Iraqis on June 30.

Go take a picture of yourself...so you can say "this was me on a hugely symbolic day in the history of the war on terror."

PAID BY AL QAEDA

A former Iraqi intelligence officer captured by police after last week's bombings in Baghdad and Karbala has revealed that he was paid by al-Qa'eda to carry out attacks on civilians.

Mohammed Hanoun Hamoud al-Mozani was detained with two associates on Wednesday, a day after almost 200 people were killed in simultaneous explosions at shrines packed with Shias.

After interrogating al-Mozani for 24 hours, Najaf police revealed that he had given important information on the network behind the attacks in Iraq.

"We think that this is a big breakthrough," said Major Mohammed Dayekh of the Najaf police. "Al-Mozani admitted that he was part of a terrorist cell that answered to a middle-man who works for al-Qa'eda and he gave us the names of the four other men in the cell, two from Baghdad and two from Najaf."

Al-Mozani and his associates were wearing police uniforms when they were seen in Najaf. After a car chase, the three men were caught and taken to the city's police headquarters. On Thursday they were handed over to American troops...

The middle-man, who went by the name of Abu Utthman, promised him tens of thousands of dollars for each successful mission. He allegedly told al-Mozani that he was a deputy of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist whom the coalition blames for most of the attacks in Iraq.

"Al-Mozani said they were offered between $20,000 (£10,900) and $30,000 (£16,400) to organise terrorist attacks and that they would get bonus money if the attacks led to the death of a large number of people," Major Dayekh said. "He said that he was tempted to work with them because it was such an easy way to make money and that he agreed to do it because he needed the money."

THIS ONE AN INERT GESTURE

Guerrillas have fired 10 rockets at the headquarters of the US-led administration in Baghdad, according to Iraqi police.

The attacks have come on the eve of the planned signing of a new and hard-won interim constitution for Iraq.

Police and the US military said there were no serious injuries from the blasts.

The rockets were fired from a car which the attackers abandoned.

Police said they found explosives in the car along with two rockets that had not been fired.

But the Islamists are hopping mad over that which they cannot control.

Jordan's powerful Muslim Brotherhood movement Sunday urged Iraqis to reject a new constitution due to be endorsed in Baghdad on Monday.

A statement issued by the influential Islamic group said the new Iraqi constitution, to be signed by all 25 members of the interim Iraqi Governing Council, was "dictated by the American occupation."

It said that U.S. Administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, had "refused for Islam to be the basic reference of the constitution."

The draft Iraqi constitution states that Islam is one of the sources for legislation but not the central one.

The Jordanian movement added that Islam "should remain the only source of legislation in Iraq and for Arabic to remain the only basic language," in an obvious reference to the constitution that adopted Arabic and Kurdish as the two basic languages in Iraq, Jordan's eastern neighbor.

AN EMBARASSMENT OF RICHES...

What this team should find as they begin preparing the case against Saddam.

The United States is sending a 50-strong team of lawyers, prosecutors and investigators to Iraq to prepare for the war- crimes trial of Saddam Hussein that could start this summer.

The group's main task will be to organise the accumulated, but still disparate, evidence of the former Iraqi president's atrocities into a report. This will probably serve as the basis for the case against the former dictator to be presented by Iraqi prosecutors in what American officials insist will be an Iraqi-run trial.

MONDAY, MARCH 8th.

Day 302.

CPT Patti and I had some time to "chat" via instant messenger yesterday. She told me she may be leaving Baghdad as early as April 6th. Which means, Holy Buckets...we might jolly well be INSIDE ONE MONTH!

This, frankly, is not real to me. But I want it to be.

TIRED OF THE MEDIA CREATED, KERRY ENDORSED, ENDLESSLY COVERED BY THE TALKING HEADS CRITICISM OF PRESIDENT BUSH'S CAMPAIGN ADS?

This will help.

More than a dozen families who lost relatives in the Sept. 11 attacks released a letter Saturday declaring their support for President Bush and his use of images of the destroyed World Trade Center in campaign ads.

"There is no better testament to the leadership of President Bush than Sept. 11," the letter states. "In choosing our next leader we must not forget that day if we are to have a meaningful conversation."

The "Open Letter to America," signed by 22 people who lost loved ones in the trade center, comes as other victims' families asked that the ads be pulled from the airwaves. The spots also show firefighters carrying a flag-draped stretcher...

Jimmy Boyle, former president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said he came up with the "Open Letter to America" after hearing that the president was being criticized for the ads.

"I don't think he's taking advantage of Sept. 11 and I feel that he's given us the leadership that we need," said Boyle, who said he will be voting for a Republican president for the first time in November.

(Emphasis mine)

IN MY OPINION...

Shock jock and self-proclaimed "King of All Media" Howard Stern believes his reign on the radio is coming to an end.

"The show is over," he announced Friday morning on his nationally syndicated radio program. "It's over."...

"There's a cultural war going on. The religious right is winning. We're losing."

Mr. Stern...you've been on the losing side from the beginning.

GOOD NEWS...

Unless your name is John Kerry...

A son of Osama bin Laden's deputy has given crucial information on the whereabouts of al-Qaeda leaders after being captured by Pakistani forces in a lawless frontier area close to Afghanistan, intelligence officials in Islamabad have revealed.

Ayman al-Zawahiri's son, Khalid, was seized with 20 other suspected foreign militants in a raid by Pakistan's security forces in the remote South Waziristan area 10 days ago, officials said.

Information gleaned from him by interrogators has helped direct Pakistani and US forces in their drive to capture bin Laden and other senior al-Qaeda figures, being conducted in the mountainous areas on both sides of the border.

The authorities in Islamabad are unwilling to announce formally the capture of the younger al-Zawahiri, but officials have confirmed privately that he is being questioned by officers from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency and the CIA at a secret location in Pakistan...

They say recent sweeps by British and US special forces in the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan have been linked to disclosures made by Khalid al-Zawahiri and others, including his wife, captured with him in raids on houses in Azam Warak, 15 kilometres from Wana, the main town of South Waziristan.

Pakistani security forces also recovered ammunition, passports, video cassettes and literature belonging to the al-Qaeda terrorist network in the raids in the frontier area. Al-Zawahiri is said to have been in touch with his father recently.

Hundreds of troops from Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps, backed by helicopter gunships, have been in the area to tackle the foreign militants and either capture bin Laden or drive him across the Afghan border into American hands.

FINALLY - A DECISION

SGT Akbar, the Muslim soldier accused of murdering two officers of his own unit, the 101st Airborne Division, will be court martialed...and the death penalty is on the table.

As it should be.

Akbar is accused of tossing grenades into fellow service members' tents while stationed at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait. The attack killed two officers and wounded another 14 during the early days of the Iraq war.

On Thursday, the Army announced that Akbar, 32, would face a court martial this summer and that the death penalty would be considered if he is found guilty.

Akbar faces two counts of premeditated murder and three counts of attempted murder.

It is the first time since the Vietnam War that a U.S. Army soldier has been prosecuted for the murder or attempted murder of another soldier during wartime, according to the Army.

DEBUNKING SENATOR KERRY'S COMMENTS

Sen. John Kerry slammed President Bush on his treatment of the U.S. military in Iraq Saturday, citing an admission by a senior military official that U.S. troops went into the war unprepared.

The Massachusetts senator, in the Democrats' weekly radio address, referred to an admission this week by acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee that U.S. troops were not prepared when the president sent them in to topple Saddam Hussein.

"Republican and Democratic leaders were right to join together to say to the Bush administration that this is just unacceptable," Kerry said. (Full story)

"If I am president, I will be prepared to use military force to protect our security, our people, and our vital interests. But I will never send our troops into harm's way without enough firepower and support."

Kerry said that U.S. helicopters in Iraq even now "are flying missions without the best available anti-missile systems" and that "un-armored Humvees are falling victim to roadside bombs and small-arms fire.

"The Bush administration waited through month after month of ambushes and only acted to start manufacturing armored door kits three months ago," he said.

It can only be one of two ways. Either John Kerry is an idiot, or he believes you are an idiot.

Let's take these one at a time.

"But I will never send our troops into harm's way without enough firepower and support."

We went from the Iraq-Kuwait border to owning Baghdad in less than 3 weeks with a little more than 2 divisions. Frankly, Senator, we kicked ass. Firepower wasn't an issue, and support was no more of an issue than it has been in any war...and much less of an issue than in some.

"are flying missions without the best available anti-missile systems" and that "un-armored Humvees are falling victim to roadside bombs and small-arms fire."

Senator, welcome to the US Military's procurement and development cycles...cycles influenced greatly by the Federal Acquisition Regulations which are Congress' work, Senator, not the Department of Defense. Oh yeah, and the fielding of new equipment is also a function of Congress' funding, Senator.

What anti-missile systems do you speak of Senator? When were they finally tested and approved? How long do you think it takes, Senator, for systems to be fielded? The limiting factor on fielding is money...if we have tons of money then we can hire an infinite number of contractors to upgrade the helicopters in short order. Where was the legislation to do that prior to our entrance into Iraq, Senator?

If you TRULY want to speed up the production of such armaments for our military, Senator, you will strip out the Buy American clauses and the "Small and disadvantaged business clauses" from the Federal Acquistion Regulations, Senator...because both of those cost the US Taxpayer money, and lengthen the amount of time to procure items, Senator. Where was the legislation to do this, Senator?

"Un-armored HUMMWVs" Senator? If you had a single solitary clue Senator you would know that HUMMWV's were never intended to be armored. As I've written here before, the HUMMWV replaced the Jeep. The Jeep was never armored. Nor was it expected to be. If you are so gol' darned concerned about HUMMWV armament, Senator, where was your "Congressional" inquiry to the Department of Defense asking about the absence of armor on HUMMWV's long ago?

The HUMMV was never designed to be an armored vehicle because on a traditional battlefield it doesn't need to be. And fighting on traditional battlefields is how Congress funds the US Military. The problem we face now is that this war on terror is not fought on a traditional battlefield.

I defy you to show me one solitary line in any Defense Department Budget for "occupation operations" Senator. But it is precisely because we are in this unforseen situation that the issue of armor on HUMMV's has even come up.

To be fair to former Army Chief of Staff Shinseki, the Stryker vehicle envisioned hostile urban operations, Senator. Were you out there introducing legislation to hurry this vehicle into production and fielding, Senator? I didn't think so.

Senator, spare us the intimation of your prescience...you didn't have it, you don't have it.

It is so easy for you to snipe, Senator...because sniping doesn't actually require any action...only what you are good at...criticizing and Monday morning quarterbacking.

You want to run on your record as a veteran, Senator? I mean, you know...veteran to veteran, Senator, not veteran to one who never served.

Then show me what you've done for the Soldier lately, Senator, other than to criticize the Commander in Chief and use the soldier as a pawn to get you elected.

A STUTTER-STEP TOWARDS PROGRESS

Top Shia leaders in Iraq have resolved issues delaying the adoption of the interim constitution, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council has declared.

Mowaffaq al-Rubaie made the announcement after he and another IGC member had talks with leading Shia cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

"There is going to be very good news very soon," Mr Rubaie said.

A signing ceremony was called off on Friday because Shia leaders objected to some aspects of the new constitution.

Mr Rubaie said the ceremony would now go ahead on Monday.

My guess is that everyone pretty much understands that although this is only an "interim" constitution, the precedents that it sets will be hard to break.

I'm not surprised that this process isn't without its speed bumps.

NOTE TO NEW YORK TIMES: WAR IS HELL

Sabrea Kudi cannot find her son. He was taken by American soldiers nearly nine months ago, and he has not been seen since.

"I'm afraid he's dead," Kudi said.

Lara Waad cannot find her husband. He was arrested in a raid, too.

In Abu Sifa, a village north of Baghdad, entire swaths of farmland have been cleared of males - fathers, sons, brothers, cousins.

Men are not available to do men's work. Women till the fields, guard the houses and hoist sacks of grapefruit on their backs.

Iraq has a new generation of missing men. Instead of ending up in mass graves or at the bottom of the Tigris River, as they often did during the rule of Saddam Hussein, they are detained somewhere in American jails.

Although the insurgency has cooled, with suicide attacks against civilians now eclipsing armed clashes with American troops, American forces are conducting daily raids, bursting into homes and sweeping up families. More than 10,000 men and boys are in custody.

I despise the damnation by insinuation in such liberal drivel as this. The article implies some parallelism between Saddam's mass graves and US POW camps.

The article says entire swaths have been "cleared of males". Are we to infer that the US Army has swept across the country side in some King Herod like round-up of all male-born children of any generation? Most certainly that is not the case.

Let's face it...war is hell. We've got US soldiers, who, whether you like it or not, happen to represent the arbiter of right and wrong in this country for the moment, on the ground and in harms way. There are less than 130,000 soldiers. There are 25 Million Iraqis. The odds are not in our favor.

And so - in Iraq - one can be smart or one can be stupid. You want to be smart...get into your fields, till your soil. Work for yourself...lots of Iraqis are.

You want to be stupid? OK - gather in the street in masses. Raise your fists before the Soldiers and the cameras. Chant "Death to America" whenever you can. Toss rocks at the nervous just-off-the-farm GIs that comprise America's front line. Sneak around at night. Challenge the guards at checkpoints.

Look...this isn't downtown Omaha, for crying out loud. Certainly, New York Times reporter, you can sit in your little hotel room and file such reports as if you are the ACLU in Baghdad. But let's be real. Reports of late indicate that you, New York Times reporter, have taken to carrying your own sidearm as protection. Which means at some level you have intellectually acknowledged that you are in a bleedin' war zone!.

Well, New York Times reporter...so is my wife. So is Sarah's husband. So is Beth's son! And they are there wearing Desert Camouflage Uniforms (in accordance with international law as established under the Geneva conventions) that effectively say "Hey, Jihadi Terrorist...point that IED at me!)

But you, pistol packing New York Times reporter, while you take extraordinary precautions in a war zone, you also park yourself way up upon your high horse and look down upon America's finest and don't give them the same break. The fact is our soldiers are doing what has to be done to reduce the odds against them (face it...at one soldier for every 200 or so Iraqis, Jihadists, terrorists, and foreign born miscreant the odds will never be "even). Perhaps that is why they say "War is Hell", New York Times reporter.

Of course, it can't be too much Hell....as there have been over 100 newspapers born since US forces have been in Baghdad.

Ironic, ain't it. The same GI's you damn with implication are daily allowing the creation of more folks who do what you do...

You disgust me.

SUNDAY, MARCH 7th.

Day 301.

Let me spell that our for you. T-h-r-e-e-H-u-n-d-r-e-d-O-n-e!

That is how many day's CPT Patti has been away (minus seven at Christmas). That is how many day's have interrupted this couple's marriage.

I know folks who have divorced, met another and remarried in less time than this.

No...our marriage isn't in danger...but you may have neighbors who are going through this as well...give them a break if they seem a little weird over it....