Iraq
Vietnam syndrome
It crops up in the strangest ways, doesn’t it? In 2004 Christopher Hitchens was berating Democrats and liberals for linking Iraq and Vietnam. Now it’s Bush himself who insists on the connection. People are picking apart Bush’s historical analogy, I’m glad to see. I’ll just add one bit of good news: at least Bush wasn’t president when that war was
500 killed, 1500 wounded
That is the newly revised toll, according to the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, of the coordinated and genocidal attack on the Yazidi community of northern Iraq that occurred on August 14. Over 1000 homes were leveled in the blasts. And U.S. politicians continue to travel to Iraq and report back that they felt very safe. Well, that’s what really counts.
The dogs of war, part III
For background go here. TNR has rechecked everything and stands by the story: Although we place great weight on the corroborations we have received, we wished to know more. But, late last week, the Army began its own investigation, short-circuiting our efforts. Beauchamp had his cell-phone and computer taken away and is currently unable to speak to even his family.
The dogs of war update
I’ve noted here that the Baghdad Diarist column in TNR, about a soldier running over dogs for fun with a Bradley, etc., has been called into question as a possible hoax. The author of the piece has written in, and he’s standing by his story. Some of the commenters aren’t buying it. TNR has pledged to recheck every detail and
Flacking the “resistance”
This Guardian piece by Seumas Milne details a new alliance among Iraqi “resistance” factions. Apparently the alliance, which is non-Baathist and non-Qaeda, is ready to come “out of the shadows” and position itself as a legitimate player, with offices abroad and everything. Harry’s Place takes issue with Milne’s tone and approach in what is supposed to be a hard news
The dogs of war
With the Michael Vick dogfighting story in the news, I thought I’d bring this up. In its July 23 issue, The New Republic printed this Baghdad Diarist, by an American soldier writing under the pseudonym Scott Thomas. The piece is meant to illustrate how war desensitizes soldiers and warps their sense of humor. So we’re treated to tales of Thomas
The horror continues
Nir Rosen’s NY Times Magazine article last week [$], on the Iraqi refugee crisis, shed some light specifically on the plight of Palestinians living in Iraq: Hussein was first threatened in 2005, when, he said, a letter containing a bullet and two drops of blood was sent to his house. ”If you do not leave Iraq, this will be your
Strained metaphor dept.
This is a few days old, but Edward Wong’s NYT analysis of the political machinations of Moktada Al-Sadr builds up to the following line: He has become a great improviser, the Miles Davis of the war. Wong in no way means to glorify Sadr or validate his positions. But coming on the heels of Gilad Atzmon’s latest call to jihad,