No. 228-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2007
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Anthony Aguirre, 20, of Channelview, Texas, died Feb. 26 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Aguirre was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
For more information in regard to this release the media can contact the Hawaii public affairs office at (808) 257-8870.

New BloggingHeads out. Me vs. my main man Eli Lake. I'm particularly inarticulate in this go-round, which I'll chalk up to the fact that I had to take care of my taxes right beforehand. Let this be a lesson: don't diavlog after learning how much you owe the IRS.

More than one friend of mine, and one ex-girlfriend in particular, has been driven to agitation by the way I read things online. That is: I'm a compulsive highlighter. In order to puncture a text, I need to drag my touchpad mouse over to what I'm reading, click deeply and drag a gray bar of pure clarity over each grapheme as it reveals itself to me. Then, and only then, can I make sense of the world.

The New York Times is out to deny me my way of understanding. As you may have noticed, sometime over the last week, nytimes.com has equipped its text with an insidious function to pop open a dictionary window and define a word as a reader highlights it. All of a sudden I embrace, in blinding fury, the arguments against David Foster Wallace's aggressive digressioning.

Kriston Capps, valiantly, is coming to the defense of a tactile mode of reading. His Free Clicking campaign is that most important of crusades: the insistence on the dignities of civilization against the small erosions of vulgarity. Join him.

More Jamestown madness! From the latest Terrorism Focus, we learn that the awesome success story of the U.S.-backed Ethiopian war on Somalia's Islamic Courts Union is getting steadily less awesome:

Weeks after Ethiopia routed the ICU from Mogadishu and the rest of the country, violence is flaring in the capital and throughout Somalia. While some of this violence is being instigated by the Islamists who lost power, there is evidence that warlords who have returned to the country after being defeated by the Courts movement are also to blame (somaaljecel.com, February 22). Reports coming out of Mogadishu claim that some warlords are rearming their militias and planning attacks on Ethiopian and TFG troops. These warlords—such as Mohamed Dheere, Muhammad Qanyare Afrah and Abdi Nur Siyad, who have allegedly formed an alliance—are angry over their role in the TFG government that is now controlling Somalia; the three warlords were reportedly seen purchasing large supplies of arms at the Bakaara weapons market (Shabelle Media Network, February 22).

Goddamnit! Didn't anyone tell these people Somalia was a success story?

Since at least 2004, Iraq-style tactics -- suicide bombings, recorded kidnappings and executions, and in particular improvised explosive devices -- have been trickling into Afghanistan, to the point where some observers have feared the "Iraqification" of that country. It's not something to be sanguine about, as today's suicide bombing outside of Bagram demonstrates. But according to a new Jonestown Foundation analysis by Brian Glyn Williams and Cathy Young, there's something of a silver lining: suicide bombings are indeed up -- as of late February, there have already been 21 suicide bombings in 2007; that's nearly as many as in all of 2005 -- but they're ... not killing many people.

Astoundingly, of the 21 attacks carried out this year, in 16 cases the only fatality has been the suicide bomber himself. In the 17th case, the suicide bomber succeeded in killing himself and one policeman. In two other cases, the suicide bomber was arrested or shot. This translates to 19 Taliban suicide bombers for one Afghan policeman, hardly an inspiring kill ratio for would-be-suicide bombers. In most of these cases, the suicide bombers attacked foreign convoys on foot or in cars and were unable to inflict casualties on their targets. Typically, the suicide bombers' explosives went off prematurely or their bombs failed to kill coalition troops driving in heavily armored vehicles.

In only three of the 21 cases for 2007 were there notable fatalities. In the first successful case, a suicide bomber killed two Afghan policemen and eight civilians (Camp Salerno, Khost, January 23). In the second case, three policemen were killed (Zherai District, Khost, February 4). In the third case, the February 27 attack on Bagram Air Base while Cheney was visiting, the bomber succeeded in killing 15-23 people (including two to three coalition soldiers). Such numbers hardly compare to Iraq where suicide bombers often carry out synchronized attacks that regularly kill anywhere from 60 to 130 people. Such uninspiring statistics beg the question: what are Afghanistan's suicide bombers doing wrong?

Williams and Young studied 158 suicide attacks since 2001 and found an answer. While Iraqi suicide bombers target civilians and soft targets in order to sow destabilization and provoke/respond to sectarian violence, nearly all Taliban suicide bombings -- and in Afghanistan, resistance to the presence of foreign forces and the Karzai government is overwhelmingly Taliban -- are focused on Afghan or U.S./NATO security forces. The two researchers assess that unlike the Iraqi insurgents, al-Qaeda or Shiite militias, the Taliban has to cleave the population away from the Karzai government, but in the process must "avoid losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the Afghan people by needlessly killing civilians."

The trouble is that it works. Members of the International Security Assistance Force have in some cases balked at taking up operations in suicide-bomb-heavy territory. Worse still, Williams and Young find that freaked-out ISAF forces have responded by upping their tolerance for collateral damage. Little is more provocative in Afghanistan than civilian deaths at foreign hands; in that sense, the Taliban gambit does show some success.

Consider what you've got here: a localized insurgency that needs to deny Karzai and his allies control of Afghanistan and finds that even ineffective suicide bombing can have some utility as a deterrent force. Yet it remains a force with limited potential for growth among the civilian population and it's fearful of inflicting civilian casualties. Basically, this is about as favorable terrain for counterterrorism as ever there is (saying that while recognizing that no counterterrorism campaign is really favorable). Here's where you want to put Petraeus and his COIN wise men.

In light of the attack today on Bagram AFB during Dick Cheney's overnight visit, check out Matthew Cole's piece for Salon about braving the elevation of Afghanistan's lawless Nuristan province:

The Kamdesh base is the northernmost American outpost in Afghanistan, in an area of Nuristan so remote that local villagers asked American troops in August, when they arrived, if they were Russian. The base itself is not more than a quarter-mile wide, on a valley floor, next to a clear, trout-filled river. Three-thousand-foot mountains rise above the base on both sides of the river. The base is insecure, susceptible to rocket and small-arms fire from nearly every direction. A row of Humvees, all mounted with grenade-filled Mark-19 machine guns, face the closest mountain, which nearly hangs over the front of the base. When I was there the soldiers hadn't yet named the base, and had made up their own name, Warheight, for the imposing peak. From Kamdesh, a small outpost near the Pakistani border, to Naray, a larger base 25 miles south, to another border outpost called Camp Lybert, the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry -- the so-called 3-71 -- was supposed to control a 220-square-mile triangle of territory.

The Provincial Reconstruction Team in the area has limited mobility, leaving reconstruction and civil affairs to the 10th Mountain Division (just recently replaced by the 82nd Airborne), who face hostility from the locals:

The Americans had been feeling good about their progress. But it was clear that all the collateral damage had further strained a relationship with the locals that was already tense. The shura, a collection of middle-aged men from all the nearby villages, arrived complaining of the deteriorating situation. Forty strong, in stained salwar kameez and flat hats, they sat in rows of white plastic chairs inside an uncompleted building on the base. One man after another stood up to direct his anger, through a translator, at Feagin and the CIA chief. "You told us when you came here that you would not hurt innocent and peaceful people," said a man with an ink-black beard stretching to the middle of his chest. "You have big guns and helicopters with good technology, surely you can tell the difference between those who are innocent and those who are not. You told us if we helped you, the Americans would not harm us. We are prisoners in our villages now!" Several of the men nodded their heads as the man sat back down.

Lt. Col. Feagin, whose chest seemed to point upward, sat still on an unfinished stone wall facing the shura. "There was no intent to target anyone but our enemy," he told them. "If the enemy continues to fight us, many more will die. I am certain." A few gunshots echoed in the valley. Feagin pointed to the direction of the noise and said, "This is part of the problem. The only thing the enemy can bring is fear, intimidation and death." Feagin informed the shura that the injured villagers had been flown to Bagram Air Base to get "the best medicine and treatment the Army has to offer." He then offered to hire more fighting-age men for the Afghan army unit that would soon be posted in the valley.

Lt. Dan Dillow, executive officer of the 3-71's Bravo Company, later told me the counterinsurgency model was the only way to fight the war in Afghanistan. "I don't like civil affairs" -- building roads and schools, offering jobs -- "but you need it out here," he said. You have to give them something. You can't defeat the Nuristanis. They know who is ambushing us and when it's going to happen, but they won't tell us. They have us by the balls and they know it."

No. 225-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Ethan J. Biggers, 22, of Beavercreek, Ohio, died Feb. 24 in Indianapolis, Ind., of wounds suffered while on combat patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 5, 2006. Biggers was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

For more information in regard to this release the media can contact the Fort Campbell public affairs office at (270) 798-3025.

Ann adds her voice to the full-throated TAPPED denunciation of David Brooks's denunciation of hipster parents with a crucial point: these kids, force-fed into soi-disant leftism and hipsterism, are going to be the foot soldiers of a resurgent conservative movement when the grow up. Making the point in horrid, living color, she even links to a Cobrasnake shot of a kid in an... Anti-Flag t-shirt. I haven't seen one of those since Mio Alter wore one in high school.

While I can't speak for Mio, Ann is right that red diaper babies -- at least in the original sense of the term -- do have a tendency to move rightward as they age. Here I speak from personal experience, as my beloved, sainted mother is a socialist and I'm not. But to complicate the picture somewhat, it's also true that one can move sharply to the right -- say, in college, as I did -- and then slowly moor oneself back to the sensible harbors of liberalism. Controlling the irregular haircut of one's child is much simpler than controlling her politics, though no less obnoxious.

No. 221-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Jeremy D. Barnett,27, of Mineral City, Ohio, died Feb. 24 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained from a landmine detonation in Ad-Dujayl, Iraq, on Feb. 21. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

For more information on this Soldier, contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993.

My buddy and fellow Muckraker Paul Kiel points to an interesting squib in today's account of Dick Cheney's parley with Pervez Musharraf. Cheney raised the specter of the Democratic Congress cutting off aid to Pakistan unless Musharraf starts cracking down on al-Qaeda in Waziristan. What's up with that?

It's a smart play by Cheney. No foreign country's leadership straight-up fears and hates the Democrats like Pakistan. And from the perspective of the Pakistani military, it makes sense. There you are, in the 1980s, working out this kick-ass partnership with the Reagan administration to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan via the CIA station in Peshawar. Not only did you get a proxy regime in Afghanistan (after a while) and a whole bunch of western aid, but you also got some F-16s to deliver a nuclear payload to your Indian adversary if you so chose. (Bush the Elder actually stopped that sale, but whatever.)

Then the Democrats come to power, and all you hear about is nuclear proliferation and getting sanctioned. Steve Coll recounts in Ghost Wars how a State Department official basically ordered around then-President Benazir Bhutto. On top of all that, there's a drift toward India. Not without good reason, Richard Armitage once described Pakistan as being nervous about treated like "a dixie cup" by the U.S. -- in other words, used and then disposed of. Luckily, the GOP comes back to power, and after an early period of threatening you, you get a pass on the A.Q. Khan proliferation network, Major Non-NATO Ally status, and even those F-16s you've wanted forever. You'd see the Democrats as the root of all evil, too. Cheney's on solid ground to exploit this.

Few things induce as much vertigo as reading outdated Iraq talking points. Here's General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, just before the December 15 Iraqi election:

...When there's 300 parties, that tells me that that many different voices are going to be heard in this campaign, and that the elected individuals will come from a diverse background with diverse goals that will be put into the cauldron of their parliament that will produce the rules and laws that they want to live under.

At least he didn't say "melting pot" of their parliament. But truly there are few things as embarrassing as the recent past.

Also, building off Seymour Hersh's latest piece, here's my feeble attempt to shoehorn as many Alan Partridge references into national-security writing as I can. A-Ha!

No. 219-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualties


The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Feb. 23 of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on Feb. 22.

All three soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. Joshua R. Hager, 29, of Broomfield, Colo.

Pfc. Travis W. Buford, 23, of Galveston, Texas, and

Pfc. Rowan D. Walter, 25, of Winnetka, Calif.

For further information related to this release, contact the Fort Carson Public Affairs Office at (719) 526-5500.

Mike Huckabee: genius or knave? In his account of a meeting of prominent Christian conservatives:

He said he emphasized education, among other issues, and talked about a continuing war “with a radical form of Islamic fascism,” which he called “a bastardization of religion.”

One reading of this would hold that Huckabee takes a restricted understanding of the war on terrorism -- that most "Islamic fascism" is acceptable to Mike Huckabee; only a "radical form" of it is unacceptable. I can get on board with that! Presuming that Huckabee is referring to al-Qaeda as his radical form of Islamic fascism, the man is making sense, certainly a lot more than the "Iran is more dangerous than al-Qaeda" and "there is an undifferentiated jihadist enemy out there" contentions put out by the Bush administration. (Now, chances are Huckabee didn't mean anything of the sort, and just doesn't know what words mean. But, as David Jo Hansen once sang, I gotta have some fun.)

Conservapedia: for when the distributed intelligence of the internet just reinforces the pernicious influence of liberals. Defying parody, Conservapedia explains how Wikipedia offends conservative sensibilities:

1. The entry for the Renaissance in Wikipedia refuses to give enough credit to Christianity.Wikipedia allows the use of B.C.E. instead of B.C. and C.E. instead of A.D.The dates are based on the birth of Jesus, so why pretend otherwise? Conservapedia is Christian-friendly and exposes the CE deception.

2. The entry for the Renaissance in Wikipedia refuses to give enough credit to Christianity.

The C.E. deception! If that doesn't convince you, there are 25 other examples. Perhaps most unexpected: Wikipedia's entry on feudalism focuses entirely on European feudalism and "does not mention the feudal systems that developed independently in Japan and India." As it happens, I have some experience with this. While I can't speak for the state of the debate over India, the question of whether Japan's pre-Tokugawa period represents an instance of feudalism is a matter of some dispute within the academic community. For the record, that shit was feudalism, I say.

What implication this has for the great culture war is unclear. Does maintaining a strict definition of feudalism imply a hostility to European culture? Does feudalism suggest a particular barbarism? What, in other words, hinges on describing India and Japan as having their own experiences with feudalism?

The Sarah Silverman Program isn't remotely funny, but it has a ton of Mr. Show people on it: Brian Posehn, Jay Johnston, Jill Talley, Becky Thyre and Scott Aukerman were all on the one we TiVo'd. Little known fact! Becky Thyre is married to the brilliant Tony Millionaire. (And apparently the new definition of "little known" includes "featured on IMDB.")

No. 218-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Someone has to remind Hossein Derakhshan, the father of Iranian blogging, that he's not supposed to hate freedom. Today in Comment Is Free, the man behind Hoder contends that the U.S. is predisposed to attack any Iranian regime:

Increasingly, a lot of secular Iranians, like myself, are figuring that even if Iran is turned into the most democratic, secular, fair and peaceful state on earth, there is no guarantee the US won't find another excuse to try to overtrow its goverment. It will start bullying Iran for its "devastating role" in climate change, or animal rights, or - who knows? - for obesity.

The interests of the Islamic Republic, with all its internal struggles, challenges and flaws, have never overlapped more closely the interests of Persia as a historic nation. And here lies the surprising support of most Iranians, despite their serious dissatisfaction and frustration, for the Islamic Republic and its resistence towards the US, symbolised by its nuclear programme.

Surely this is overheated. The U.S. never attacked the Shah, so c'mon, Hoder! Iranians have a broad array of political options to choose from, ranging from pliability to outright clientism.

To be serious, Derakhshan's piece is fascinating barometrically. Not even the most fervently secular opponents of the clerical regime have any desire to extend to the United States the benefit of the doubt when it comes to a confrontation with Iran. It shouldn't take a National Intelligence Estimate to understand that Iranians will identify with Ahmadinejad when the Carl Vinson unleashes its fighter pilots. By contrast, notes Abbas Milani, the prospect of a U.N.-enforced sanctions regime creates an actual, behavior-modifying fear within Tehran.

Britney Spears's new career beckons. Courtesy of the Crewcial boards.

No. 212-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. David R. Berry, 37, of Wichita, Kan., died Feb. 22 in Qasim, Iraq, when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device.Berry was assigned to 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery, Kansas Army National Guard, Dodge City, Kansas.

For more information in regard to this release the media can contact the Kansas Army National Guard public affairs office at (785) 274-1192.

Peter's last TRB is one of the most honest, reflective, and insightful things I've read in a good long while.

We can't be the country those Iraqis wanted us to be. We lack the wisdom and the virtue to remake the world through preventive war. That's why a liberal international order, like a liberal domestic one, restrains the use of force--because it assumes that no nation is governed by angels, including our own. And it's why liberals must be anti-utopian, because the United States cannot be a benign power and a messianic one at the same time. That's not to say the United States can never intervene to stop aggression or genocide. It's not even to say that we can't, in favorable circumstances and with enormous effort, help build democracy once we're there. But it does mean that, when our fellow democracies largely oppose a war--as they did in Vietnam and Iraq--because they think we're deluding ourselves about either our capacities or our motives, they're probably right. Being a liberal, as opposed to a neoconservative, means recognizing that the United States has no monopoly on insight or righteousness. Some Iraqis might have been desperate enough to trust the United States with unconstrained power. But we shouldn't have trusted ourselves.

Peter explains his support for the war through his admiration for the Iraqi dissident Kanan Makiya. Kanan, one of the most guileless and brave people I've ever been privileged to meet, is someone I hold in similar esteem. (It probably says something about the times we live in that Cruelty and Silence -- an overview of Iraqi desperation and its apologists -- appears more apt and poignant than Republic of Fear does.) If there's anything I'd add to Peter's column, it would be this: it wasn't Kanan's fault that anyone supported the Iraq war --wait, wait, hang on, let's make this more personal. It wasn't Kanan's fault that I supported the Iraq war. It was for wanting to believe so badly in the righteousness of America's terrible swift sword. I wanted to be worthy of the respect of such a brave man as Kanan that I ended up unworthy of it by abandoning rigor.

One final thing. Many of you out there really, really dislike Peter Beinart. I hope you'll read his column and see him as I see him: a scrupulous, honest writer who doesn't stop challenging himself. If he falls short, he acknowledges it and tries to learn from the mistake.

What Kay said.

It an obvious (but often forgotten) point that women have nothing to gain in lying about rape. Nothing. If anything, a woman subjects herself to a barrage of criticism, doubt, and peering into her sexual history. As the news continues to leak out about rapes and assaults perpetrated by U.S. soldiers and U.S.-trained Iraqi police, it's not surprising that women like al-Janabi face such ardent criticism. Makes you proud, doesn't it?

No. 208-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of one soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Christopher K. Boone, 34, died Feb. 17 in Balad, Iraq, of a non-combat related injury.Boone was assigned to the 121st Infantry (Long Range Surveillance), Georgia Army National Guard, Fort Gillem, Ga.

The incident is under investigation.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Georgia National Guard public affairs office at (678) 569-6064.

No. 207-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Feb. 19 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when the vehicle they were in was struck by an improvised explosive device.They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Killed were:

Sgt. Shawn M. Dunkin, 25, of Columbia, S.C.

Pfc. Matthew C. Bowe, 19, of Coraopolis, Pa.

Pfc. Adare W. Cleveland, 19, of Anchorage, Alaska

For further information on these soldiers, contact the Fort Drum public affairs office at (315) 772-8286.

No. 203-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2007
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DoD Id's Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pvt. Kelly D. Youngblood, 19, of Mesa, Ariz., died Feb. 18 in Ramadi, Iraq, of wounds suffered during combat operations.He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

For further information on this soldier, contact the Fort Stewart public affairs office at (912) 767-2479.

Mugabe throws himself a birthday party while Zimbabwe starves.

Tawanda Mujuru, who runs a vegetable stall on Samora Machel Avenue in downtown Harare, said that she would be working in a factory if not for the failure of Mr. Mugabe’s economic policies.

“He has the guts to eat and drink when we are suffering like this,” she said. “Let him enjoy. Every dog has his day. We shall have our day.”

Insh'allah.

A certain pattern emerges. Adam Gadahn. Jose Padilla. John Walker Lindh. And now Daniel J. Maldonado.

All four are Americans who converted to Islam, brought their personal dementia with them, and joined the global jihad. In Maldonado's case, he traveled to Somalia to fight alongside the Islamic Courts Union, presumably leaving behind his banana kiosk. Now the 28-year old Boston-turned-Texan is in U.S. custody awaiting charges. As it should be. It's a dark day when an incarcerated American citizen gets due process and that's, you know, noteworthy.

Anyway, one might begin to conclude that messed-up converts to Islam are the most susceptible cohort of Americans to the jihadist argument. For more on this, see here.

THFTNR friend Noah Shachtman has fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine: joining the X-Men. Many of you know Noah from his unparalleled blog Defense Tech, your one-stop shop for the gadgetry of death and destruction. After four years of excellence, Noah's moving to the Wired website to run an expanded DT called... Danger Room. His mutant powers are on display in this interview with Tony Tether, the mixtape king turned chief of DARPA.

UPDATE: Yes, this post changed a ton, thanks to my steadily-diminishing powers of reading comprehension.

No. 203-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2007
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualties


The Department of Defense announced today the death of five Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Capt. Todd M. Siebert, 34, of Baden, Pa., died Feb. 16 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Lance Cpl. Brian A. Escalante, 25, of Dodge City, Kan., died Feb. 17 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Lance Cpl. Blake H. Howey, 20, of Glendora, Calif., died Feb. 18 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Pfc. Brett A. Witteveen, 20, of Shelby, Mich., died Feb. 19 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve's 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Sgt. Clinton W. Ahlquist, 23, of Creede, Colo., died Feb. 20 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Media with questions about Siebert can contact the II Marine Expeditionary Force public affairs office at (910) 451-7200.

Media with questions about Escalante and Howey can contact the Twentynine Palms public affairs office at (760) 830-5476.

Media with questions about Witteveen can contact the Marine Forces Reserves public affairs office at (504) 678-4177.

Scene from an occupation in twilight, even as it ramps up: Joshua Partlow of the Post has a great piece on an Army operation comprising about 350 soldiers who patrol the northern outskirts of Baghdad over two days. Supposedly there's an al-Qaeda presence in the neighborhood that harasses Shiites, terrorizes the local Sunnis and uses the area as a logistics hub to transport explosives and guns into the center of the capitol. The soldiers discover a weapons cache but no insurgents. Locals say they're nonviolent but don't appreciate the U.S. presence. The Iraqi police and Army have no interest in joining an operation that they're billed as leading. Then, finally, there's this:

Without such heightened presence, he said, even armed residents are afraid to confront the insurgents. "I know they have AK-47 weapons in their house. What they'll always tell you is, 'until you're out here full time we can't' " respond, (Lt. Col. Kurt) Pinkerton said.

If I were an Iraqi and I had an AK-47 in my house and U.S. troops asked what it was for, my response would be something on the order of yessir, I want to fight those insurgents, surely I do, but you've got to go out there first. Commanders like Pinkerton have little choice but to extend to them the benefit of the doubt -- population-protection doctrine dictating the need not to needlessly antagonize people who aren't clearly your antagonists. By the logic of the mission, accepting such a statement on face value is the right thing to do. But that still doesn't make it any less perverse for Pinkerton and his soldiers.

You are Dave Lombardo. You have returned to the Slayer fold. You have a mission: to propel the breakdown in "South of Heaven" with the relentless torque of pure blunt force trauma. Hundreds of frenzied Slayer fans at the 9:30 Club have just had their faces peeled off by the acidity of "Raining Blood"; they know that next they will be claimed by "Angel of Death." But between the two aural cliffs lies "South of Heaven," and you, Dave Lombardo, play the role of Charon.

But suddenly you decide to accelerate! You have cut time in half -- in fourths, even! For a brief moment, the breakdown ends. Confusion reigns. The conjoined hearts of hundreds of people were pulsating: Thoom. Thoom. Thoom. No more. Madness. Tom Araya suddenly beams a bemused grin. The fourth wall is broken. Things are less evil. You quickly realize your mistake and adjust, but the damage is done. Heaven is only one or two exits southward. Slayer is downright holy.

No. 197-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.They died Feb. 19 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their unit came under attack by enemy forces using multiple weapons.They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

Sgt. Pedro J. Colon, 25, of Cicero, Ill.

Spc. Montrel S. Mcarn, 21, of Raeford, N.C.

For more information on this release the media can contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993; after hours call (254) 291-2591.

No. 193-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. 1st Class William C. Spillers, 39, of Terry, Miss., died Feb. 17 in Baghdad, Iraq, from a non-combat related injury.Spillers was assigned to the 230th Finance Detachment, Jackson, Miss.

The incident is under investigation.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Mississippi Army National Guard public affairs office at (601) 313-6184.

Trillest post of the day goes to Sahar, a correspondent for McClatchy in Baghdad:

I know it is all about the oil. I know that those who thought to use the greed of US politicians to remove one rotten tyrant and impose the will of tens of others upon the people of Iraq, had oil in mind as payment for the services rendered by the US Administration.

I mean, it wasn't all about oil, but believe me, the post only gets triller from there. The guy has lost his son, his brother and his nephew.

More news on the emerging al-Qaeda/Sunni insurgent split. My friend Nibras Kazimi translates a report from the colorful Mishaan al-Jabouri -- ex-self-proclaimed governor of Mosul, ex-corrupt parliamentarian, rather contentious sectarian rabble-rouser -- on his insurgent TV network, al-Zawraa. The takeaway:

-Al-Qaeda provoked the Shi'as and then failed to protect the Sunnis from retaliation.

-Al-Qaeda is forcing all the other insurgent groups to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq under Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, and is punishing the hold-outs.

-Al-Qaeda is killing and abducting Sunni notables who were part of the insurgency.

-Al-Qaeda wants to impose a Taliban-like Islamic State on Iraqi Sunnis, who are the worse for it—they don’t even have enough to eat.

-Al-Qaeda killed an emissary sent by al-Jebouri, who has wanted to negotiate with al-Baghdadi.

-Iraqi Sunnis across the board are preparing to clash with Al-Qaeda as is already happening in Anbar Province.

Al-Jebouri gets into details and names names, and he addresses his speech to Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, questioning the validity of pledging allegiance to an anonymous phantom.

Beautiful. Al Qaeda's miscalculations in Iraq are becoming plainer and plainer to see.

After days of error messages, I've finally managed to set up my online home at the newest social-network phenomenon: John McCain's McCainSpace. I can be found at BenevolentHegemon.JohnMcCain.com. Won't you be my McCainSpace friend?

Welcome back to an earlier era: namely, the terror twilight between the Kenya and Tanzania embassy bombings of 1998 and 9/11. To boil down the best sources of information about this period -- Steve Coll's Ghost Wars, the 9/11 Commission Report, and the latter chapters of Richard Clarke's Against All Enemies -- the situation facing the Clinton and Bush administrations was roughly the following:

There's a metastasizing threat from al-Qaeda centered around Afghanistan. Judging from al-Qaeda's past actions and statements of intent, it will murder increasing numbers of Americans if allowed. The surest way of eliminating the threat is to invade Afghanistan and destroy al-Qaeda's bases of operations. But that option would never receive domestic or international support absent the very attack that you seek to prevent. U.S. covert action, whether through direct CIA or Special Forces operations or a reliance on local proxies, are all suboptimal, carrying with them the risks of outright mission failure, intolerable levels of civilian casualties, driving the Afghan population closer into the hands of al-Qaeda, or some combination of the above. What to do?

Clarke's answer, after the Cole bombing, was a multifaceted strategy that accepted the covert-action component. George Bush felt frustrated that the strategy amounted to "swatting at flies," and wished for something more robust. As a result, nothing significant in terms of strategy occurred before 9/11, which allowed for the more-robust option of invasion to become available. (At the cost of 3,000 lives.)

Five and a half years and two wars later, here we are again. In today's Times, U.S. intelligence officials raise the concern that al-Qaeda's core pre-9/11 leadership has achieved sufficient sanctuary in Pakistan's Waziristan province as to reassert a level of control over its disparate allies, confederates and franchisees. Whether this is a correct inference to draw is, of course, unclear. The publicly-available evidence for it centers around the increased volume of communications from "Core al-Qaeda" -- bin Laden and Zawahiri, basically -- and amorphous connections between last summer's would-be London airline bombers and Pakistan-based al-Qaeda operatives.

But to a degree, whether or not al-Qaeda Prime is reasserting central command and control is besides the point. What's clear is that al-Qaeda Prime has a level of sanctuary in Pakistan that allows it to do more than what we want it to do -- that is, run or, preferably, die. In a recent paper for the Jamestown Foundation, Chris Quillen, a former CIA terrorism analyst, intriguingly speculated that this sanctuary may in fact be sufficiently desirable to al-Qaeda Prime as to form the basis for deterring it from a chem-bio-radiological-nuclear attack. (That is, to do so would disrupt a balance of terror between the U.S., Pakistan and al-Qaeda and risk an unacceptable loss of the sanctuary through a U.S./Pakistan/joint invasion or assault.) Its efficacy as an organization from a remote location shouldn't be doubted.

All of this isn't to suggest that some qualitative change in al-Qaeda Prime's position has recently occurred. It's to underscore the larger strategic fact that after the invasion of Afghanistan, we find ourselves in a comparable situation to the unhappy 1998-2001 era. Invading Pakistan isn't politically tenable, nor, quite possibly, militarily sustainable beyond a few months. Indeed, Pakistan has opted to return to its pre-9/11 strategy of brokering truces with tribal leaders in Waziristan instead of harassing them militarily. If anything is to be done, it's to be done with a flyswatter -- something likely to remain obscured if al-Qaeda Prime pulls off another attack and an American political consensus demands an invasion of, say, Syria or Iran in its anger.

Because there's only so much shucking-and-jiving Chris Tucker one can watch, I flipped on an HBO showing of The Empire Strikes Back just at the moment when Luke is running through the Dagoban forest with Yoda on his back. The Jedi master entertains questions from his young charge about the relative power of the dark and light sides of the Force. Luke momentarily accepts that the Dark Side isn't more powerful, but wants to know: Why? "Here is no why," Yoda replies.

Here is no why! A reference to Survival in Auschwitz! Spoken by a puppet -- a puppet who happens to be the embodiment of justice in the universe. Clearly George Lucas is an antisemite.

No. 190-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 18, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualties



The Department of Defense announced today the death of three Soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Feb. 14 in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

Sgt. John D. Rode, 24, of Pineville, N.C.

Sgt. Carl L. Seigart, 32, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Spc. Ronnie G. Madore Jr., 34, of San Diego.

For additional information on these Soldiers, contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993; after hours (254) 291-2591.

And suddenly we're in Chechnya:

Then, shortly before 9 a.m., Mr. Ani said, he was brought to a table for one last step. He was handed a form and asked to place a check mark next to the sentence that best described how he had been treated:

“I didn’t go through any abuse during detention,” read the first option, in Arabic.

“I have gone through abuse during detention,” read the second.

In the room, he said, stood three American guards carrying the type of electric stun devices that Mr. Ani and other detainees said had been used on them for infractions as minor as speaking out of turn.

“Even the translator told me to sign the first answer,” said Mr. Ani, who gave a copy of his form to The New York Times. “I asked him what happens if I sign the second one, and he raised his hands,” as if to say, Who knows?

“I thought if I don’t sign the first one I am not going to get out of this place.”

Thanks to Major General Joseph Fil, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division in Baghdad, I see that I was wrong about what the surge actually is. The day that Bush unveiled the plan, I wrote that it was a reiteration of the "clear, hold, build" strategy announced in late 2005, only this time with greater resources devoted to it, and focused on Baghdad. This wasn't some idiosyncratic interpretation: the Wall Street Journal noticed the same thing, and General Petraeus's confirmation testimony strengthened the impression mightily. In a press conference yesterday, however, General Fil announced that what's being done in Baghdad is... something else:

This new plan involves three basic parts:clear, control and retain.The first objective within each of the security districts in the Iraqi capital is to clear out extremist elements neighborhood by neighborhood in an effort to protect the population.And after an area is cleared, we're moving to what we call the control operation.

Together with our Iraqi counterparts, we'll maintain a full-time presence on the streets, and we'll do this by building and maintaining joint security stations throughout the city.This effort to re- establish the joint security stations is well under way.The number of stations in each district will be determined by the commanders on the ground who control that area.

An area moves into the retain phase when the Iraqi security forces are fully responsible for the day-to-day security mission. At this point, coalition forces begin to move out of the neighborhood and into locations where they can respond to requests for assistance as needed.

During these three phrases, efforts will be ongoing to stimulate local economies by creating employment opportunities, initiating reconstruction projects and improving the infrastructure.These efforts will be spearheaded by neighborhood advisory councils, district advisory councils and the government of Iraq.

The charitable interpretation of this might be termed The Hold Steady. Contrary to, oh, everything we've been told by President Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and nearly two months of Weekly Standard editorials, U.S. forces supporting the surge aren't going to be doing the holding, much less the building in clear-hold-build. Instead, General Fil informs us, they're going to get a given area under "control," and then give it to Iraqi forces for the latter part of the "control" phase and then the "retain" phase. They'll then serve in a rapid-response capacity as necessary in case of any -- how to put this -- miscalculations in commanders' assessments of when that area was ready for the big Iraqi handoff.

And so this begs the question: what's a sufficient indicator for judging when an area is under "control"? No violence? Some violence? Kinda-sorta violence? General Fil:

Well, car bombs certainly are a major threat.And you're absolutely right; the targets for them have been primarily innocent civilians, men, women and even children.

Where they're taking these bombs has generally been where the crowds are the largest. And these are quite frequently the downtown shopping areas and market areas.

We're right now in the process of blocking those off, making them in fact pedestrian-only zones. And we've done that to the largest market in the city over the past couple days.

We're going to continue to do that to at least six markets that are in downtown Baghdad, and then we'll expand that to other areas of the city. And we'll therefore be denying these car bombs the ability to direct themselves as a precision weapon where people are the most vulnerable.

We also recognize, though, that there are many places in the city where lines form and where -- denied these first market areas, where these car bombs are likely to be redirected. And we're going to work very hard to increase security there, with forces, and also to alert the Iraqi people to be more careful about where they're actually gathering street-side.

So: car bombs to be "redirected." U.S. forces not to "hold" territory, but rather "control" it. Hand off to Iraqi forces to "retain" those neighborhoods. "Building" to be ultimately under Iraqi control with some unspecified U.S. civilian help (that has a pattern of not materializing). Why, it's... it's... the last four years of failed strategy in Iraq! I suppose there's no real cause for surprise. You already knew that everything The Hold Steady does always sounds the same.

No. 189-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Branden C. Cummings, 20, of Titusville, Fla., died Feb. 14 in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle during combat operations.Cummings was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993; after hours (254) 291-2591.

No. 183-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2007
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty


The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Daniel T. Morris, 19, of Crimora, Va., died Feb. 14 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.Morris was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Hawaii public affairs office at (808) 257-8870.

Sgt. First Class Allen Mosteiro, 42, of Fort Worth, Texas, died Feb. 14 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with the enemy using small arms fire during combat operations Feb. 13 in Taji, Iraq.Mosteiro was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993; after hours (254) 291-2591.

No. 182-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Classifies Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the classification of five Marines that died Feb. 7 in a helicopter crash to killed in action.The crash was determined to be a result of enemy action in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
Capt. Jennifer J. Harris, 1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker, Sgt. Travis D. Pfister, and Sgt. James R. Tijerina were assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Cpl. Thomas E. Saba was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.
Media with questions about Harris, Landaker, Pfister, and Tijerina can contact the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Public Affairs Office at 858-577-6000. Media with questions about Saba can contact the Okinawa Public Affairs Office at 011-81-611-745-0790.

No. 179-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Nickolas A. Tanton, 24, of San Antonio, died Feb. 13 in Kirkuk, Iraq, from non-combat related injuries.He was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

The incident is under investigation.

For further information on this soldier, contact the 25th Infantry Division public affairs office at 808-655-4815 or 808-655-8729.

Valentine's Day mixtape. The Gossip's That's Not What I Heard record, to be followed by Ice T, "Pulse of the Rhyme." Deglaze the pan with John Cale's Paris 1919.

As much as I hate the Red Sox, it's great to see Jon Lester not only beating cancer but showing up to camp.

Spc. Dennis L. Sellen Jr., 20, of Newhall, Calif., died Feb. 11 in Umm Qasr, Iraq, of non-combat related injuries. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, Fresno, Calif.

The incident is under investigation.

For further information on this soldier, contact the California Army National Guard public affairs office at 916. 854. 3304.

No. 172-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Brian A. Browning, 20, of Astoria, Ore., died Feb. 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire while conducting security operations. Browning was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Fort Drum public affairs office at 315. 772. 8286.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Robert B. Thrasher, 23, of Folsom, Calif., died Feb. 11 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with the enemy using small arms fire during combat patrol.Thrasher was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Fort Bliss public affairs office at 915. 568. 4505

No. 171-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2007
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Tarryl B. Hill, 19, of Shelby Township, Mich., died Feb. 7 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Hill was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve's 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Mount Clemens, Mich.
For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Marine Forces Reserve public affairs office at 504. 678. 4177

It was to be a thing of beauty: a pork chop with a pomegranate-wine sauce, creamy mashed potatoes and rosemary-steamed carrots. Instead, I managed to completely fail at making dinner.

Putting my water up to boil for my carrots and potatoes, Catherine and I exhaustedly collapsed in front of a TV blaring How I Met Your Mother, a truly horrible show. The horror compounded: I glared at Catherine after every inept joke, as if she were responsible for me watching this nightmare, until it became a joke to us, and suddenly something smells acrid and awful. The carrots outlasted their water and fused their charred husks to the pot. Meanwhile, the potatoes remained stubbornly immune to the effects of boiling water. My seasoned chop stared at me from the cutting board, as if to say, Top Chef 4, huh, motherfucker?

I shut the whole thing down, put everything in Ziplocs and Tupperware in anticipation of a more competent future and ate a pickle for dinner. It also turns out I slashed my pinky fingernail with my knife while washing up. I am asymptotically approaching total failure.

Looking on the bright side of seven helicopter downings in barely a month is Major General Jim Simmons, courtesy of his briefing in Baghdad yesterday:

It is the safest way I know of to get around here in Iraq.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.They died Feb. 9 in Baqubah, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an explosion during breaching operations.The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. Alan W. Shaw, 31, of Little Rock, Ark.

Staff Sgt. Eric Ross, 26, of Kenduskeag, Maine.

Spc. Leeroy A. Camacho, 28, of Saipan, Mariana Islands.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at 254. 287. 9993.

No. 163-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Identifies Army Casualties


The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.They died Feb. 8 in Karmah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their unit while on combat patrol.The soldiers were assigned to the 321st Engineer Battalion, Boise, Idaho.

Killed were:

Sgt. James J. Holtom, 22, of Rexburg, Idaho.

Spc. Ross A. Clevenger, 21, of Givens Hot Springs, Idaho.

Pvt. Raymond M. Werner, 21, of Boise, Idaho.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Army Reserve 70th Regional Readiness Command public affairs office at 206. 281. 3026.

No. 165-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. James J. Regan, 26, of Manhasset, N.Y., died Feb. 9 in northern Iraq of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on combat patrol.Regan was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the U.S. Army Special Operations Command public affairs office at 910. 432. 6005.

No. 162-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2007
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Matthew P. Pathenos, 21, of Ballwin, Mo., died Feb. 7 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Pathenos was assigned to Marine Forces Reserve's 3rd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Bridgeton, Mo.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Marine Forces Reserve public affairs office at 504. 678. 4177

No. 160-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of five Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Capt. Jennifer J. Harris, 28, of Swampscott, Mass.
1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker, 25, of Big Bear City, Calif.
Sgt. Travis D. Pfister, 27, of Richland, Wash.
Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, 30, of Toms River, N.J.
Sgt. James R. Tijerina, 26, of Beasley, Texas
All five Marines died Feb. 7 when the helicopter they were flying in crashed while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.
Harris, Landaker, Pfister, and Tijerina were assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Saba was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.
The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Media with questions about Harris, Landaker, Pfister, and Tijerina can contact the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing public affairs office at 858. 577. 6000. Media with questions about Saba can contact the Okinawa public affairs office at 011-81-611-745-0790.

A few weeks ago, I found myself drunkenly arguing with a conservative journalist about the wisdom of a war with Iran. It didn't go well for me. The unshakable response went roughly as follows: It's not us declaring war on them. They have declared war on us. They attack our troops. Your position amounts to requiring soldiers in a firefight to check the nationalities of their assailants before returning fire; and so you have reached absurdity. Victory is mine.

Perhaps you find this less than compelling, yet with today's long-delayed briefing into the extent of Iranian malediction in Iraq, expect us to move from the Age of the IED and enter the Age of the EFP. It's significant that the Bush administration chose to make the unveiling of the case against Iran occur outside of Washington and outside of civilian clothes, but no less obfuscatory.

The reasons why tensions are mounting against Iran have exactly nothing with Explosively Formed Penetrators and everything to do with much, much larger strategic concerns. But the Bush administration isn't making the case it believes, which, according to Condoleezza Rice, is that Iran is the source of instability in the region and must be confronted and made to stop. Instead, it's presenting the proposition that Iran has already attacked us -- precisely in order to put its opponents in the trap of arguing against what one official at today's briefing termed "force protection." This isn't a rationale the administration isn't presenting; it is a casus belli. It's the new WMD argument -- the proximate cause that, in Paul Wolfowitz's words, the bureaucracy can agree upon for public consumption, rather than the substantive rationale for war.

"Windowsill" by the Arcade Fire: it's not without its missteps. I'd prefer they'd trust our intelligence to figure out that America is "my father's house," as blurting out the line "I don't wanna live in America no more" results in an awkward quasi-reveal of something that was pretty apparent. Worse yet, it loses the broader application of the jihadist not wanting to "fight in a holy war" anymore, giving up on an interesting symmetry. But that said: a haunting, dizzying statement of remorse.

The world is as it should be: a dark house, Kriston and Becks blogging beside me, dogs nearby, the seventh season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the TV. I feel pretty much awful -- have for two weeks, almost -- and need to convalesce. But it's not a bad thing right now, whatever's happening.

One of the things that makes the world as lovely as it is is Rebecca Keith. Rebecca and I tormented one another in high school. It was all my fault. My efforts to deescalate hostilities were intermittent, belated and, on at least one occasion, blocked by circumstance. (As I was writing her an extended apology -- more like an apologia, really -- on a bus to New Jersey in June of 1998, my concentration was broken by a man seated nearby who began vigorously masturbating.) Lucky me: she doesn't hold a grudge, and over the last few years we've been getting closer to becoming the true friends we should have always been. Now you can see for yourself how rare a talent Rebecca is at her new blog.

No. 157-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 09, 2007
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Maj. Joseph J. Ellis, 40, of Ashland, Ohio, died Feb. 7 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq.Ellis was assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Camp Pendleton public affairs office at (760) 725-5044.

No. 156-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 09, 2007
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DoD Identifies Navy Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two sailors who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Petty Officer 1st Class Gilbert Minjares Jr., 31, of El Paso, Texas, and Petty Officer 3rd Class Manuel A. Ruiz, 21, of Federalsburg, Md., died Feb. 7 in a helicopter crash in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Minjares was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 14, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Cherry Point, N.C., and Ruiz was assigned to 2nd Medical Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Navy public affairs office at 703. 697. 5342.

Cpl. Jennifer M. Parcell, 20, of Bel Air, Md., died Feb. 7 while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Parcell was assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.
For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Okinawa public affairs office at 011-81-611-745-0790.

No. 153-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 08, 2007
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Joshua J. Frazier, 24, of Spotsylvania, Va., died Feb. 6 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Frazier was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

No. 150-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 07, 2007
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Brandon J. Van Parys, 20, of New Tripoli, Pa., died Feb. 5 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.They died Feb. 2 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their Apache helicopter was forced to land during combat operations.Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

Chief Warrant Officer Keith Yoakum, 41, of Hemet, Calif.

Chief Warrant Officer Jason G. Defrenn, 34, of Barnwell, S.C.

The incident is under investigation.

No. 145-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 06, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.They died Feb. 2 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.

Killed were:

Capt. Kevin C. Landeck, 26, of Illinois.He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

Staff Sgt. Terrence D. Dunn, 38, of Houston.He was assigned to the 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

For further information on this soldier, contact the Fort Drum public affairs office at (315) 772-8286.

No. 142-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 06, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Randy J. Matheny, 20, of McCook, Neb., died Feb. 4 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.He was assigned to the 1074th Transportation Company, Sidney, Neb.

For further information on this soldier, contact the Nebraska Army National Guard public affairs office at (402) 309-7302.

No. 141-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 06, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Richard O. Quill III, 22, of Roswell, Ga., died Feb. 1 from a non-hostile cause in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Quill was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Camp Pendleton public affairs office at (760) 725-5044.

Staff Sgt. Ronnie L. Sanders, 26, of Thibodaux, La., died Feb. 3 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.He was assigned to the 407th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

For further information on this soldier, contact the 82nd Airborne Division public affairs office at (910) 432-0661.

This is totally not racist!

It is entirely preferable for the Palestinians to have their rump and run it as they will or can. But, please, enough about how civilized they are. They are on their way to being Iraqis.

It's the end of an era. Daniel McKivergan appears to no longer be blogging for the Weekly Standard. Blogosphere, pour out a little liquor.

No. 133-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 05, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualties


The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.They died Jan. 30 at Ramadi, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle during combat operations.They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany.

Killed were:

Sgt. Corey J. Aultz, 31, of Port Orchard, Wash.

Sgt. Milton A. Gist Jr., 27, of St Louis.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the 1st Armored Division public affairs office at 011-49-0611-705-4859.

No. 132-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 05, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Eric R. Sieger, 18, of Layton, Utah, died Feb. 1 at Buritz, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle rolled over.Sieger was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

The incident is under investigation.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993; after hours (254) 291-2591.

Behold the new plan: America will draw, foster and materially support Iraqi factions by distinguishing between "extremists" and "moderates." The distinction relies on a willingness to use violence, according to the Washington Post. And yet.

And yet the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq is a major partner. SCIRI is a radical Islamist organization serving as an adjunct for Iran. It commands a death squad-cum-militia so fearsome that the CPA's doomed anti-militia strategy centered around dismantling it. Internal debates jettisoned a SCIRI-heavy strategy only because it was deemed too difficult to actually oust Nouri al-Maliki. Why does Bush like SCIRI so, even while threatening its Iranian sugar daddy?

SCIRI's own militia, the Badr Organization, is seen as more cohesive, "an actual organization with command and control" that might be integrated into the Iraqi military, said one State Department official. The administration has charged that both the Sadr and Badr militias receive assistance from Iran. But officials regularly note that Badr forces have not attacked the U.S. military and that SCIRI has voiced equal opposition to Iranian and U.S. domination. ...

Several officials said they believe that Hakim's backers in the Bush administration have been seduced by his forceful demeanor and Abdul Mahdi's fluent English. And while many emphasized the importance of a single, visible Iraqi leader, others have said it is a mistake to personalize the policy in one Shiite actor.

See, Adel Abdul Mahdi is the first mainstream Shiite, so clean and so articulate! You guys on the right have convinced me: this strategy is totally going to work! Another thousand dead Americans is worth the experimentation.

I'll be on MSNBC today at 3:30, representing Muckraker, talking about the NIE. Saturday afternoon cartoon, that's me.

There's a new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq you might have read about. And it puts me in mind of the one written in 2002.

Dafna Linzer points out in today's Post that CIA estimates done in January 2003 and summer 2004 hold up rather well in hindsight: the 2003 estimate warned of an insurgency, and the 2004 estimate -- whose time frame ran into mid-2006 -- said the spectrum of political-security outcomes ran from "tenuous stability" to "civil war." The 2002 NIE on Iraqi WMD was an embarrassment to the agency and to the United States. Linzer writes that:

After no such weapons were found, the intelligence community -- particularly the CIA -- significantly altered the way in which it would conduct future analyses, highlight uncertainty and acknowledge dissent.

But that's not really right. After all, the January 2003 estimate was completed months before the invasion, let alone the acknowledgment of phantom WMD. Linzer is, of course, right that the estimate process has changed significantly since the 2002 NIE, and she's also right that the specter of that NIE has driven those changes. But it's worth highlighting the differences behind the 2002 NIE and the 2003, 2004 and 2007 NIEs.

In short, what the 2002 NIE doesn't have is instructive. What it doesn't have, of course, is any assessment of Iraq post-invasion. That was by design. In the summer of 2002, Bob Graham, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, requested and received a letter from then-Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet spelling out, in balanced fashion, an assessment of both the threat from Iraq and what would happen during and after a war. Graham, knowing the debate over war was about to heat up, learned that there was no NIE on Iraq, and requested one be drawn up, hoping to inform the congressional debate. Tenet consented -- but he informed Graham that the NIE wouldn't cover Iraqi politics, and would only cover the Iraqi WMD question.

Why? Tenet understood what his bosses wanted, and understood it very well. An NIE that assessed Iraqi politics before the congressional vote on the war would be an NIE that predicted a fragile sectarian politics and Iraqi hostility to a U.S. occupation -- in short, an NIE that looked much like the January 2003 NIE would look. That, in turn, would jeopardize the prospects for the administration winning the war vote; and quite possibly jeopardize George Tenet's job. It was a pattern that had repeated itself throughout 2002. On the question of Iraq's relationship to al-Qaeda, the Directorate of Intelligence's Middle East analysts found no such evidence for collaboration, and a host of reasons to explain that case, but the counterterrorism analysts were more open to the idea. So, when it came time to write an assessment for the White House about Iraq and al-Qaeda in the spring of 2002 -- and compete with Pentagon analysts who insisted on a connection -- Jami Miscik, the head of the Directorate of Intelligence, simply gave the job to the counterterrorism shop. (Their product, still constrained by the facts -- it was subtitled "Assessing A Murky Relationship" -- was rejected out of hand by Doug Feith's analysts as being insufficiently alarmist.)

It's good that the intelligence community isn't bending over backwards to tell the administration what it wants to hear anymore. But no one should pretend that the 2002 NIE represented an honest, good-faith effort at understanding the truth about Iraq.

Sgt. William M. Sigua, 21, of Los Altos Hills, Calif., died Jan. 31 in Bayji, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with the enemy using small arms fire during combat operations.Sigua was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the 82nd Airborne Division public affairs office at (910) 432-0661; after hours (910) 303-0691.

No. 126-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 02, 2007
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cpl. Stephen D. Shannon, 21, of Guttenberg, Iowa, died Jan. 31, in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was hit by a rocket during combat operations Jan. 30 in Ramadi, Iraq. Shannon was assigned to the 397th Engineer Battalion, Wausau, Wis.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Army Reserve 88th Regional Readiness Command public affairs office at (312) 371-8024.

No. 125-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 02, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Identifies Navy Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Hospitalman Matthew G. Conte, 22, of Mogadore, Ohio, died Feb. 1 while his unit was conducting combat operations against enemy forces in the Al Anbar Province, Iraq.

Conte was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii serving as a hospital corpsman in Iraq under the command of I Marine Expeditionary Force (forward).

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Navy public affairs office at (703) 697-5342.

Time out from all the gloom and doom for the most adorable blog ever.

No. 123-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 02, 2007
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gunnery Sgt. Terry J. Elliott, 34, of Middleton, Tenn., died Feb. 1 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Elliott was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Hawaii public affairs office at (808) 257-8870.

You know, you mean to train Iraqi police, you end up training the Mahdi Army. Tom Lassetter:

U.S. Army commanders and enlisted men who are patrolling east Baghdad, which is home to more than half the city's population and the front line of al-Sadr's campaign to drive rival Sunni Muslims from their homes and neighborhoods, said al-Sadr's militias had heavily infiltrated the Iraqi police and army units that they've trained and armed.

"Half of them are JAM. They'll wave at us during the day and shoot at us during the night," said 1st Lt. Dan Quinn, a platoon leader in the Army's 1st Infantry Division, using the initials of the militia's Arabic name, Jaish al Mahdi. "People (in America) think it's bad, but that we control the city. That's not the way it is. They control it, and they let us drive around. It's hostile territory."

And about this fighting Iran stuff:

"Honestly, within six months of us leaving, the way Iranian clerics run the country behind the scenes, it'll be the same way here with Sadr," said Quinn, 25, of Cleveland. "He already runs our side of the river."

But don't worry because the surge is going to turn this all around. That's what General Casey told us today, after all.

Quick house note: substantive blogging will be at a reduced pace over here for a little while. I'm going to be spending the next couple weeks at TPMmuckraker. My first couple posts are up right now -- it's been all Senate Armed Services Committee & Intel Committee all the time today, so put on your dancing shoes.

No. 120-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 01, 2007
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131/697-5132
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DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Adam Q. Emul, 19, of Vancouver, Wash., died Jan. 29 from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. Emul was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

For further information in regard to this release the media can contact the Twentynine Palms Public Affairs Office at (760) 830-5476.