Great article from The Australian about David Kilcullen, an expert in counterinsurgency and adviser to General Petraeus in Iraq:
. . . [W]hen the invasion of Iraq was being planned, Kilcullen was one of a handful of senior military advisers in the coalition of the willing to voice a dissenting view. “I was one of a […]

The Tank has posted an editorial photograph from The New York Post making fun of Barack Obama’s discussion of sending troops to rout al-Qaeda in Pakistan:

I suppose no one remembers Bush’s inability to name Pakistan’s president before he was elected:
Andy Hiller, a political reporter for WHDH-TV in Boston . . . asked Bush to name […]

FYI:

(Source: The Gallup Poll)
[Hotel Tango: Air Force Magazine Daily Report]

Samantha Power, of “A Problem from Hell:” America and the Age of Genocide fame, an insightful book studying America’s indifference to various genocides throughout the 20th Century, had a great book review in last Sunday’s The New York Times.
While I started reading her review just because I respected her and wanted to read her thoughts […]

[Hotel Tango: Lindsay]

Bad News: Lindsay broke it off yesterday. I’m crying like a little bitch at work, which is just perfect considering I’m filling in for the receptionist. Nothing like coming into an office where the receptionist is crying. People must think, “What do they do? Beat their employees?”
The problem with breaking up, of course, is envisioning […]

Well, no wonder Karen Hughes has sucked as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs:
Threatened abroad, U.S. diplomats have been hit with unprecedented security restrictions, confining many to fortress-like compounds and frustrating Bush administration efforts to get out and counter anti-U.S. sentiment.
Lockdowns and prohibitions on travel now apply to Americans posted to […]

I’m going to post select excerpts from this article in today’s The New York Times that I think display the heart of COIN operations and the changes happening in the Sunni-populated areas outside of Baghdad. The article, of course, has some sour notes, but I think the overall conclusion is fairly optimistic.
Capt. Ben Richards had […]

The New York Times:
G.O.P. Support for Iraq Policy Erodes Further
Support among Republicans for President Bush’s Iraq policy eroded further on Thursday as another senior lawmaker, Senator Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, broke with the White House just as Congressional Democrats prepared to renew their challenge to the war.
“We cannot continue asking our troops […]

Oooh, here’s an interesting local Austin story just put out by Central Command that connects with Iraq:
In order to help Iraqi local governments move to self-sufficiency, the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalary Division is utilizing expertise from the Austin, Texas city manager’s office to examine concepts of governance from the standpoint of a […]