Dawn Patrol

Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)

EDITORS NOTE: Top of the Morning to you, and Happy St Patrick's Day. Due to technical difficulties we've been offline, some of these stories today are couple of days old but well worth reading. Time to play catch-up

IRAQ

The Big Lie - embed vs embed -- [Back to Iraq - embed journalist in Iraq]
BAGHDAD — And no, I’m not talking about WMDs or anything like that. More in my quixotic feud with noted fiction writer Ralph Peters, who came here for a little while and declared All is Well, and “the media” are aiming to undermine the heroic mission here in Iraq with all that bad news. Why, he himself saw Iraqis cheering his patrol as he rumbled through Baghdad atop an up-armored humvee.

• Tonight on the Majority Report I’ll be appearing tonight on The Majority Report on Air America. (Check your local listings for time.) OK. I guess I do go on liberal shows.

Updates from the 222nd -- [Dispatches- Matthew D. LaPlante - embed jounalist in Iraq]
...Civil War? Ramadi is composed of about 90 percent Sunni, so we have not seen the sectarian violence you see in the media happening in Baghdad. However, talking to the local Iraqis, they say the media is exaggerating the violence between Sunni and Shia and things are getting better and not that bad. Time will tell what the future of Iraq will be. My personal opinion is that the Iraqi Government is making progress and there will not be a civil war, but the foreign insurgency sees a window time that is beginning to close, so they must do what they can now.

March 14, 2006 -- [Steffan Tubbs - On the road in Iraq - embed journalist in Iraq]
I will never leave a fallen comrade. I will always place the mission first." This trip has made me so much more aware of the military (obviously) and I've proved to myself that I took what they all do for granted big-time.
Again, this is a Pentagon-sponsored trip. Yet I am objective, as unbias as I can possibly be (save for the soccer ball/school supply thing) and I am not 'snowed' by my guides nor a military PR guy. But please believe me when I say there are POSITIVES here, as well as all the bad. And yes of late, things have been attrocious. But let's not forget the big picture. Thursday Iraq's newly-elected Parliament will take shape. It'll be ugly, rough and disorganized. Yet remember where this country was three years ago to this minute.

• March 16, 2006 ...This experience has changed so many perceptions. I wanted to come over and be the listener's eyes and ears and see if in fact there were positives. I found them; I found positive people proud to serve you, me and our country. It was an honor to have had even this brief glimpse into a war and a world I didn't understand or care about much.

Torniquets and other first aid training. -- [An independent look at Iraq - embed jpurnalist in Iraq]
...The classes in basic first aid were taught by teams of Iraqi and American medics. We didn't stay for long so the classes were short. It turns out the girls had been taught most of it before. It was a good time nonetheless.
What I saw really went beyond basic first aid classes. It was really about closing cultural gaps. The gap between Americans and the Iraqis is immense. While little events like this won't close it, they show them we're humans too.

Operation Swarmer: Legit or Theater? -- [The Fourth Rail]
Swarmer is the latest in a series of Air Assault missions, not a "wag the dog" moment
As soon as Operation Swarmer kicked off, the pundits rushed to assign political motivations to the operation. One author of this school of analysis is Richard Beeston, the Diplomatic Editor of the London Times, who claims the air assault is "politically opportune for both the Bush Administration and the fledgling Iraqi government in Baghdad," "a show of US strength" and a "demonstrate that that they [American and Iraqi commanders], in fact, are in charge."
Rubbish.

Operation Swarmer Fulfills Three Missions -- [The Rolling Barrage]
The military operation yesterday is satisfying three distinct missions:
1. The destruction of an assemblage of insurgents.
2. The dismissal of the impression that the United States Military has ceased offensive operations in Iraq.
3. The display of offensive capabilities to enemies in the region, including Iran.
While it is difficult to say that this operation provoked Iran to accept two party talks with the United States that thought is appealing.

Life in a combat zone; an information warrior’s perspective -- [The Will to Exist - in Iraq]
...I am a public affairs specialist - my mission is to refine and produce information for internal and external audiences. In plain English that means I am part of a unit filled with soldiers who have specialized technical training. We produce military newspapers. We run military radio stations. We take pictures. We shoot video and produce newscasts. We escort the civilian press and try to facilitate their access to other soldiers and servicepeople in theater, so they can tell our story and the story of Iraq to you folks back home.

Faith No More -- [Chapter War - in Iraq]
...Have Americans back home forgotten that the current President told us from the beginning that this would be a long war and that we would need strength and resolve to see it to its end?

What has happened to the ethic and strength of the American people?

Politicians back at the table while death goes silent -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqis in Iraq]
...The statements given by the politicians who attended the meeting were mostly vague but there were a few points they said they agreed upon; one is forming a committee from members of the major blocs to write down a draft system for the work of the cabinet. This draft system when written will be submitted to the leaders of the blocs to be revised, approved and later adopted by the new government. Which means there's an inclination towards making the new government work under the umbrella of a program written in accordance between the major blocs instead of one proposed by the PM or the largest bloc alone.

No One Left Behind -- [Green Again - in Iraq]
...For some of the young Marines, it would be their first exposure to traumatic death. Being in law enforcement, I already had the benefit, if it could actually be considered as such, of being exposed to death in various forms, although nothing on the scale of that caused by an IED blast. While concerned, I was also confident that these Marines were properly trained and prepared for what they were about to experience. I would not be disappointed.
Once on scene, my team leader and I met with the site commander, who gave us all of the pertinent details, plus an added caveat: They had also taken small arms fire after the IED was detonated, so we needed to be on our toes. To make matters worse, the nature of our task would require white lights, so we would truly be sitting ducks out there. Fortunately, our Marines were up to the task

Long time gone -- [Sappersgt - in Iraq]
...Still doing EOD escort, which is hit or miss. One day we are out 20 out of 24 hours, the next we staged out to a smaller FOD on standby for a few hours, and otherwise did nothing. We did get to see a cool show when we rolled out to the podunk town which had an IED on the bridge. Iraq doesn't have the transportation net it should, and frequently a small town will be served by perhaps 2 or 3 main arteries, and loosing a bridge would be a Big Deal. Still, the robot did its thing, the bridge was kept intact, and I'm learning a bit about water impulse charges and their usage. Any idiot can throw together a door charge, but EOD can do surgery with those things. It was fascinating seeing the interactions at that site because site security was IA, IP, Peshmerga (Kurdish 'militia') and US Army all together. Most of the roadblocks were manned by only one of the local forces and the ad hoc command post had all three.

Massive attack’ on Green Zone foiled -- [The Will to Exist - in Iraq]
As a resident of the International (aka Green) Zone, I have a deeply personal interest in this story:
Security officials foiled a plot that would have put hundreds of al-Qaida men at guard posts around Baghdad’s Green Zone, home to the U.S. and other foreign embassies as well as the Iraqi government, the interior minister told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Al-Qaeda is increasingly desperate. Their own foolish and murderous choices leave them with eroding support from Iraqis.

How Saddam Fooled Everyone, Including Himself -- [Strategy Page]
March 16, 2006: As thousands of captured Iraqi documents are translated, it becomes clearer why all the world's intelligence services were misled about Saddam's nonexistent weapons of mass destruction (WMD). A decade of UN WMD inspections did indeed destroy Saddam's WMD arsenal. But Saddam believed that he could not outright say he did not have any WMD. He believed that Iran would come after him if they believed Iraq did not have WMD.

BAGHDAD UNIVERSITY STUDENTS -- [2006 Tour of Duty - in Iraq]
These students are walking to class at the Baghdad University. A lot of the students walk as far away as two miles to get to class.

Dress up -- [Fun With Hand Grenades - in Iraq]
My interpreter is the coolest Iraqi ever.He’s kick ass to hang out with and I can ask him all sorts of questions about Iraqi culture without him getting offended or thinking I’m a dumb ass because of my sheltered American ignorance. On top of that he couldn’t give two shits what religion you are. I don’t meet too many people that don’t get up in arms about my views on organized religion.

Close Call - [Pass the Brass - in Iraq]
Almost got blowed up the other night…it’s all good though…noone hurt and minimal damage, so these wannabe terrorists were more along the lines of jokers because they suck at it.
It was after sunset too so that just made the whole thing that much more annoying in that there was no way we were gonna find a trigger man unless they started shooting at us, or something else stupid like that. We just drove on with our bad selves and called it a night.

Iraq Pictures 11 March 2006 -- [Iraq Pictures - in Iraq]
Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the commander of MNC-I talks with the Al Abarra Electric sub-station foreman about who does and who does not have power in the Abarra area.

I’ve learned so much today. -- [Just Another Thunderhorse Roughneck - in Iraq]
...Staff Sergeant mentioned something to me. The problem with some people is that they want people to like. You can’t do that as a leader. If they respect you and like you then that’s great. People want others to like them. That’s my problem. I wanted T-Rex to like me. I would do everything to appease him so he would like me. I shouldn’t be looking for that in him. I shouldn’t look to become liked. That’s where I failed. That’s where I fell apart.

Run to the Border -- [48th BCT - in Iraq]
...The “Road Warriors” of 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery Regiment, 48th BCT, take the lead for the combat logistics patrol; convoys of sometimes over 100 eighteen-wheeled trucks driven by “third country nationals,” that provide the fuel, water, food, repair parts and other classes of supply that are requisitioned by units operating in the western sector of Iraq.

Communicating from the Combat Zone -- [Wordsmith at War - in Iraq]
I find the way soldiers communicate with their families from the combat zone very interesting. Of course, I am an amateur radio operator, an Army trained Signal Officer, and a bit of a computer geek, so I sometimes find myself talking about a project I’m working on, while the person I’m talking to gives me that “Only you think this is cool” look. Walking aimlessly around Best Buy or Radio Shack for electronics is something my wife came to dread, because she couldn’t figure out what I wanted or how much cash I planned to spend. That’s the fun part – spontaneous gadget purchases. It’s almost as nice as searching the aisles of a vintage bookstore or cozy library…almost.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

JOURNALISM UNDER SIEGE IN BAGHDAD, Part 2 -- (Asia Times)
Remote reporting and the Green Zone
(For Part 1, click here.)
That Western journalists now find being embedded a kind of liberation from imprisonment in their bureaus is something of an irony, especially in view of the debate three years ago whether embedded reporters were accepting conditions that restricted their freedom to describe the war. Now they readily accept these limitations, because working as a "unilateral" has become practically impossible. At least with the military they see the killing in the streets at first hand.
... In fact, as I was told by those few Iraqis I was able to meet, the Ministry of the Interior has a deserved reputation for lawless, Shi'ite partisanship. Until Edward Wong's story on the ministry in the New York Times of March 7, no journalist I know of had been able to show in any detail just how the ministry works and what relations it may have with the Shi'ite militias.

U.S. Begins Big Assault in Iraq; New Parliament Convenes -- (NY Times)... Edward Wong
The American military announced today that it had begun its largest air assault since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, while Iraqi legislators convened the long-awaited first session of the new Parliament in the capital, even in the absence of any agreement to form a full government.

Iraq at a ‘very crucial’ time; no civil war but conflict could escalate: -- (United Nations News Service)
UN envoySaying that Iraq is at a “very crucial” time, the top United Nations envoy for the strife-torn country said today that while there is no civil war, the situation could descend into “ungovernability” unless all Iraqis come together in the political process.

Iraq's civil war threat tests US military strategy -- (Turkish Press)
Suddenly, subtly, the nature of the war in Iraq has changed, confronting the US military with the threat of a civil war and what may be its biggest test since the US-led invasion three years ago.

When the cheerleaders admit they were wrong, we'll move on -- (The Guardian)
By the time you get to bed tonight, more will have died brutal bloody deaths in Iraq. The toll in the two weeks after the destruction of the Samarra mosque was 500, which averages 35 people a day -...

Newly released document links Saddam to al-Qaida -- (World Net Daily)
Indicates regime was cooperating with bin Laden group to strike U.S.
Among the pre-war documents posted online yesterday by the Pentagon is a letter from a member of Saddam's intelligence apparatus indicating al-Qaida and the Taliban had a relationship with the regime prior to the 9-11 attacks.
The letter by the member of Saddam's Al Mukabarat to a superior, dated Sept. 15, 2001, reports a pre-9/11 conversation between an Iraqi intelligence source and a Taliban Afghani consul.

'Operation Swarmer' Air Assault Launched in Iraq -- (Fox News)
Coalition forces launched the largest air assault in Iraq since U.S. forces invaded that country in 2003, the U.S. military confirmed Thursday.

Iraqi PM 'prepared to step down' -- (ABC Online)
Iraq's Shiite Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari says he is willing to withdraw his nomination for a second term if asked to step aside.
"If my people ask me to step aside I will do this," Mr Jaafari said after Iraq's first parliamentary session was convened.

Was it worth it? An Iraqi family debates. -- (Christian Science Monitor)
On the eve of the three-year anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, the Methboubs, like most Iraqis, feel a mix of frustration, disappointment, and hope in the face of daily sectarian violence.

Report: Halliburton Didn't Protect Troops' Water -- (Fox News)
WASHINGTON — Halliburton Co. failed to protect the water supply it is paid to purify for U.S. soldiers throughout Iraq, in one instance missing contamination that could have caused "mass sickness or death," an internal company report concluded.

Kurds Destroy Shrine in Rage at Leadership -- (NY Times)
The violence was the most serious popular challenge to the political parties that have ruled Iraqi Kurdistan for the past 15 years.

AFGHANISTAN

Laptop and School Supply Donation -- [Fortunate Son - in Afghanistan]
I donated my old laptop and a bunch of school supplies sent from home to the neighborhood elementary school today! What a way to start the day. It was just an old laptop to me I've had for years, but to them it was a really big deal. These are the moments that really make all the sacrafices worthwhile.

Changes for Command & Me -- [AfghaniDan - in Afghanistan]
Yesterday my regional command held their transfer of authority ceremony, officially ending Task Force Devil--which is a shame, as answering to Devil was easy for me--and launching Task Force Spartan. It was a hectic day, as my section had to cover it all as well as escort local media, and we had arranged a press conference post-ceremony. But all went well, and Spartan it now is...I'm sure the local men will warm right up to that name on Thursdays.

"Education is the Future of the Nation" -- [Miserable Donuts]
As seen at a school opening in Parwan Province. I had the banner translated to me as "Education is the future of the Nation". I am glad the Afghans (at least in Parwan) think this way. Note the contrast with other banners recently seen in Pakistan:

Bombing a peacemaker -- [Misadventures of a Not-So-Intrepid Development Practitioner - in Afghanistan]
So I wasn't thinking about the implications of Mujaddedi's attempted assassination. But thankfully, fellow Kabubble occupant and blogger, Q, is keeping his finger on the pulse with this article from Washington Post.
The article, slightly deceptively entitled Kabul Bombing Could Set Back Talks With Taliban, focuses largely on the current enmity between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Afghan police arrest men with letters from Mulla Omar and Zawahri -- (Daily Times)
JALALABAD: Afghan police said they arrested two suspected Taliban insurgents on Thursday carrying letters from the movement’s fugitive leader and Al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri. The Afghan nationals were arrested separately close to the border with Pakistan in Nangarhar province, said Mohammad Ibrar, border security forces provincial deputy chief. “One of them was carrying letters from Mullah Omar and Ayman al-Zawahiri,” said Ibrar.

Afghan television stations banned -- (Gulfnews/ AP)
Quetta: Pakistan yesterday banned two Afghan TV channels and stopped cable operators from airing their content because they had blamed Pakistani security forces for trying to kill an Afghan politician, an official said.

US AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

The National Security Strategy -- [Peace like a River]
The White House has released an updated National Security Strategy. (It can be read here in html, or it can be read here in PDF.)
It is notable for the threats it identifies. It names names.

US Willing to Talk with Iran on Iraq -- [ThreatsWatch]
US Will Not Discuss Nuclear Issue, Zalmay Khalilzad Likely to Take Point In Any Discussions
The White House said today that the United States is willing to talk with Iran about Iraq, but will not allow any such talks to spill over into Iran’s nuclear confrontation with the West. US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, an American of Afghani birth, will most likely be the point man in any such talks.

MSM REPORTS ON US AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Irish fear St Patrick's Day mahem -- (TIMES Online)
As the world goes green for the day, all is not well in the old country
IT’S St Patrick’s Day so the Irish Government must be abroad. Every year Ireland celebrates its patron saint with a very public round of hand-wringing about how awful the occasion is

Bolton: U.N. Will Send Iran Strong Signal -- (AP)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Thursday the U.N. Security Council appears determined to send a "strong and clear signal" to Tehran about its suspect nuclear program, after a meeting of the powerful U.N. body that he described as the best so far. In an informal gathering of the 15 council members, diplomats agreed to hold the first formal Security Council consultations on Friday - a sign that a split between Britain, France and the United States on the one hand, and China and Russia on the other, may have closed somewhat.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

The Buck Stops at the Bottom in the TSA -- [The Jawa Report]
MSNBC headlines its report that federal investigators recently passed homemade bombmaking materials through checkpoints at 21 US airports, "Airline screeners fail government bomb tests":

The Captured al Qaeda Death List -- [Strategy Page]
March 14, 2006: Coalition forces in Iraq are believed to have captured some very sensitive al Qaeda documents. Apparently, one of these is a "Death List," giving the names of prominent Iraqis of all factions whom al Qaeda believes opposes its efforts to establish an Islamist state in the country. Perhaps not surprisingly, many of the names on the list are of Sunni tribal and religious leaders who have been less than enthusiastic in their support for al Qaeda. Sadly, a number of those on the list have already been slain.

How Many Terrorist Watch "Hits" Were Illegal Aliens? -- [The Counterterrorism Blog]
Here is an interesting story ("6,000 terror watch list hits inside U.S.") that leads to more questions about the supposed strategy of our nation in defending itself against the next possible terrorist attack. It is clear that there are people inside our country, even as you read this, who are believed to have an involvement with terrorism. While it is hard to know how many different individuals were encountered multiple times to generate the 6,000 hits noted in the article, it is clear that there are a significant number of individuals within our borders who may pose a threat to the safety and well being of our nation and our citizens. It only took 19 terrorists to create the disaster of 9/11.

MSM REPORTS ON WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

PAKISTAN: CONFIRMATION REQUESTED ON ARREST OF MADRID BOMBER -- (AKI)
Karachi, 16 March (AKI) - The US state department is reportedly seeking confirmation from Pakistan of the arrest of a suspected al-Qaeda leader believed to be the mastermind of the Madrid bombings in March 2004. In November, the Pakistani authorities said that they were trying to confirm if Syrian-born Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, 47, who holds Spanish citizenship, was arrested in Quetta.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Making It Legal to Comfort Wounded U.S. Troops -- [Strategy Page]
March 15, 2006: The United States, in an attempt to prevent corruption among military personnel in charge of purchasing, it's illegal for anyone to give anything worth more than $20 to a soldier. Exceptions can be made if there is a formal, and time consuming, ethics review. This proved to be a problem as people began sending goodies to U.S. troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Helping Heroes founder arrested -- [Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho]
This article just points to one more reason to donate to registered, reputable non-profit organizations like Soldiers Angels.
From the Herald & Review ...

Yale and Valour-IT, Update -- [Fuzzilicious Thinking]
[Update: Clinton Taylor's original column about directing donations away from Yale and toward troop support charities is getting a lot of attention. Today in the WSJ's Opinion Journal, John Fund looks into Yale's response.]
Last Wednesday I pointed out that Clinton Taylor had mentioned Valour-IT in a column on Townhall.com and that he would be trying to highlight Valour-IT during his appearance on Fox News last Thursday. His column had encouraged Yale alumni to donate to Valour-IT and four other charities rather than Yale, in protest of Yale's recent acceptance of a former Taliban spokesman as a student.

Pro-Victory Videos -- [Soldiers' Angels New York]
Here are some television spots that are actually pro-victory and supportive of our troops, which I doubt you will ever actually see on television. They are at America's Majority TV Ads & Videos.

"Don't Forget Them....They Haven't Forgotten Us" -- [Sleepless Mind -
My adopted soldiers have finished up and are, or close to being stateside. So I've adopted some new ones. Three so far, One Army, One Airman, and One Marine. Two are in Iraq and one is in Afhganistan. I told them in my letter that I think I might be a good-luck charm, cause those that I've been sending noodles and Jerky to, all came home safe to their families. So even though I may be more like a old rabbit's foot than a four-leaf clover, maybe I can send them some luck also. I certainly include my prayers.

T-Shirts for my Troopers -- [German Princess]
It's just a day ago that I was talking about HOOAHRADIO. Since I am listening to them I am addicted to it. Today I was talking to DJ Dom (Happy Birthday Dom) and we were talking about the Shirts you can get when you donate to the Radio. He said I should talk to his wife about the Shirts, and we did talk about them. Usually you donate and get a Shirt.
In my case they are donating the Shirts to my Troopers, isn't that awesome?

Scholarship programs for Veterans and Wounded Troopers -- [Miserable Donuts]
Take time to pass the information onto our comrades in arms. This school has been providing resident and online programs to military members and families for years.

MILITARY / MILITARY LIFE

'Sup? Of Snow and Purple Hearts -- [Some Soldier's Mom]
I have been following the post-deployment stories of the wives, mothers and girlfriends on a private 3ID website and it seems the number one topic of discussion almost across the board is dealing with some very short-tempered soldiers. We've been told that restlessness, impulsiveness and anger are normal reactions to re-integration and judging by the number of comments about it, the 3ID guys have it in spades. I had a hard enough time dealing with the short-tempered thing with Noah the first few months he was home and that was just on the phone.

MSM REPORTS ON MILITARY/ MILITARY LIFE

Gang Activity In The Military -- (KFOXTV)
The El Paso FBI office has renewed its focus on gang activity after discovering some U.S. soldiers are affiliated with one of the most violent gangs in country. El Paso FBI agents are now focusing on identifying soldiers they believe are affiliated with the Folk Nation gang.

POLITICS

Cindy's Flop -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
...At one point I heard a raised voice insistently screeching something about mass murder and whatnot. Two gentlemen from the other side had come over to talk with us. Funny how aggressive these "peace people" often are. Not being a masochist, I declined to engage but others did. As an example of their knowledge of actual historical facts, the gentleman was categorically stating that Saddam had nothing to do with terrorism as another reason the war is "illegal". Astonishingly, he had never heard that Abu Nidal was found in Baghdad in 2003. To his credit, he made a note of it.

HuffPost: One Stop Shopping For Fake, But Accurate Blog Posts -- [Villianous Company]
I will...not...laugh.
OK, I lied. Bwa-ha-ha-ha!!!
I'm glad we got that over with. Sadly for us, we're told Clooney's faux post has been airbrushed from the HuffPo. Whatever happened to the blogging convention of leaving up one's mistakes, annotated with the appropriate mea culpa or correction, we snarkily wonder?

Georgia Senator Wants To Honor Jane Fonda (VIDEO) -- [Expose the Left]
Darnell at The Independent Conservative writes in about legislation in the Georgia Senate that would honor Jane Fonda:

Georgia Senate Rejects Honor for Jane Fonda -- [Outside the Beltway]
The Georgia Senate easily defeated a resolution honoring Jane Fonda.
Jane Fonda’s 1972 trip to North Vietnam is haunting her again. The Georgia Senate on Thursday nearly unanimously defeated a resolution that would have honored the actress’ charity work in the state. The Democratic sponsor had tried to withdraw the resolution after a rocky reception from colleagues and a phone call from Fonda’s office, but a Republican leader forced a vote, saying members of his caucus wanted to go on record against it.

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Blogwars: Clooney clashes with Huffington over 'approved' posting -- (The Guardian)
George Clooney has no problem being called a liberal - too many people in the US, he said recently, act "like it's a dirty word" - but he draws the line at being called a blogger. The leftwing actor has fallen out with the leftwing commentator and socialite Arianna Huffington over whether he authorised his words to appear on her blog, The Huffington Post.

Senate Passes $2.8 Trillion 2007 Budget -- (AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress pushed the ceiling on the national debt to nearly $9 trillion Thursday, and the House and Senate promptly voted for major spending initiatives for the war in Iraq, hurricane relief and education. The House approved $92 billion in new money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and for relief along the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast.

GOP Irritation At Bush Was Long Brewing -- (Washington Post)
President Bush's troubles with congressional Republicans, which erupted during the backlash to the Dubai seaport deal, are rooted in policy frustrations and personal resentments that GOP lawmakers say stretch back to the opening days of the administration.

Bush Says Republicans Don't Fear Future -- (AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush delivered a partisan pep talk Thursday night to Republicans who may be jittery about midterm elections while his approval rating is at an all-time low....

THE MEDIA

Mark Steyn's position on commissions. -- [Radio Blogger
HH: I begin this Thursday as I do most with Mark Steyn, columnist to the world. Mr. Steyn, we begin a story that centers on you. What has happened to the Sunday Telegraph and the Spectator? The Hugh Hewitt listeners want to know where the Mark Steyn material is. ...

The Other Bill Putnam -- [An independent look at Iraq - embed jpurnalist in Iraq]
...The cases of mistaken identity picked up then. People would email us thinking they were talking to the right Bill.
...Most recently, Bill and I were mixed up by a NPR listener after she heard my Baby Noor story. She googled my name (hopefully not after Bill tried picking her up at a club) and found us both. Then she mixed up our pasts and said NPR shouldn't run any more of my work because of my past association with the military. Seems people are cynical these days.

MSM REPORTS ON MEDIA

Terror alert -- (The Scottsman)...STEPHEN APPLEBAUM
COULD AN ASTONISHING NEW MOVIE CHANGE the way Americans talk about terrorism? In mainstream discussions since 9/11, the question that few have dared to ask is: Why? Why does terrorism happen? What makes people turn to violence? "Why" is the elephant in the corner that hardly anyone wants to acknowledge. To do so demands that one break the taboo against seeing terrorists as human beings and move beyond the facile contention that they are simply evil people. End of story.

MILBLOGGING/ BLOGGING

Venue for the 2006 Milblog Conference -- [Andi - MilBlog Conference 2006 Blog]
The Milblog Conference will take place on Saturday, April 22 in Academy Hall at the AED Conference Center in Washington DC.
Address for the Conference Center:

1825 Connecticut Ave., NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20009

The Conference Center is only four blocks from the Dupont Circle Metro Stop. To plan your commute using Metrorail, click here.
Click here for driving directions.
More information on lodging opportunities

Blog of the Month: T.F. BOGGS -- [The Real Ugly American]
Filed by The Ugly American on March 14th, 2006 at 08:18 under News From Iraq, Blogs Of The Month
I am very happy to introduce the newest blog of the month T.F. BOGGS Tim Boggs is a 23 year old Sergeant in the Army reserves and is currently about half way through his second deployment to Iraq. He volunteered for his second tour.

The Technorati Top 100 Blogs List Has Jumped The Shark -- [Wizbang]
I was surfing around and ran across this link, Technorati 100 Here Today Gone Tomorrow, by Tristan Louis. In the piece Louis looks at changes in the Technorati Top 100 Blogs list between 2005 and 2006. There's quite a bit of theorizing about what the change in status for individual blogs indicates or doesn't indicate. In that regard it's somewhat entertaining, but one key point is not addressed... that the Technorati Top 100 Blogs as a measurement tool sucks ass.

CONGRATS

Right on! -- [An American in Italy]
...Hubby's getting promoted! All Sergeants First Class, watch out 'cause here my baby comes! The list isn't officially out yet, but they always let the people involved know a little early. I'm so proud of and happy for him! He's wanted this pretty badly and he's doing pretty well for having 11 years in the Army, if Ido say so myself. The downside is that he'll have to go to ANCOC at some point, more time away, but I'll deal. This is so cool. And it makes us eligible for Senior Quarters! Woohoo, a whole new set of bitches to fight with.

WELCOME HOME

Home for real! -- [A Soldier's Diary - home from Iraq]
I am home! Sweet, huh? It has been really wonderful to be back in the states and to spend lots of time with my family and friends. Susan and I spent most of a week alone together at my new apartment and then we had three different celebrations of Christmas. It was awesome to say the least. I got to see my sister from far far away and her husband and the entire immediate family.

Welcome Home, 29th Support Group!! -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
The 29th Support Group, 21st TSC returned home this week to Kaiserslautern, Germany from a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan.

Happy Days, He's home! -- [Patiently Waiting.... - husband home from Afghanistan]
...I started scanning the squads searching for him, hoping to make eye contact while they made their one minute speeches. I couldn’t find him, but kept searching. When the call for dismissal was made, my heart skipped a beat. Where the hell was he? I stood on my toes cursing my shortness, looking, searching and starting to get teary wondering where in the hell was my man? I turned and locked eyes on the woman who was sitting in front of me. Her eyes too had the look of panic, tears welling up as we both said to each other “Where the hell is my husband?”