A Must-Read Article

Regardless of your political persuasion, this New York Times article is relevant to all of our lives.

Iraq Transforms a Filmmaker Into a Journalist

From The New York Times' Baghdad Bureau

By Diana Oliva Cave
Published: July 30, 2008
Before I went to Iraq, I was more of a filmmaker than a journalist. In fact, the last project I worked on was a Sundance Film Festival hit about a girl with teeth in her, well, let’s just say “private area.” It was a black comedy. Needless to say, when I got to Baghdad in early [...]

Iraqi Insurgents Prove Elusive In Diyala Stronghold

From The Wall Street Journal

The Road to Anbar

From The New York Times' "Baghdad Bureau"
By Alissa J. Rubin

The bridge over the Euphrates river in Falluja, as it looks today. Four years earlier, the remains of four private contractors were hung there after being killed and mutilated by insurgents. (Photo: Ali al-Saadi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images) BAGHDAD — This spring I needed to interview former detainees in American detention centers who had recently been [...]

Asleep on the Roof

From The New York Times' "Baghdad Bureau Blog"

By Mudhafer al-Husaini

Mudhafer al-Husaini is an Iraqi employee of The New York Times in Baghdad.

BAGHDAD — Throughout their history, Iraqis have slept on their rooftops in the nights of summer, with the cool air of the evening, the fresh breeze of the dawn and the beautiful image of the sky. We gave up many things for the sake of democracy and freedom lately, and unfortunately this tradition is one of them, basically because of the security situation.

Shiite Militia in Baghdad Sees Its Power Ebb

From the New York Times.

By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: July 27, 2008
The Mahdi Army has been profoundly weakened in a number of neighborhoods, in an important, if tentative, milestone for stability in Iraq.

4,000 U.S. Combat Deaths, and Just a Handful of Images

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/world/middleeast/26censor.html?ex=1374724800&en=d72cc33138760afc&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

From The New York Times.

"It is a complex issue, with competing claims often difficult to weigh in an age of instant communication around the globe via the Internet, in which such images can add to the immediate grief of families and the anger of comrades still in the field.

While the Bush administration faced criticism for overt political manipulation in not permitting photos of flag-draped coffins, the issue is more emotional on the battlefield: local military commanders worry about security in publishing images of the American dead as well as an affront to the dignity of fallen comrades. Most newspapers refuse to publish such pictures as a matter of policy."

Al-Qaida ‘Severely Disrupted’ in Iraq’s Babil Province

From American Forces Press Service. WASHINGTON, July 24, 2008 – Al-Qaida terrorists have been largely marginalized in Iraq’s Babil province, thanks to the joint efforts of Iraqi and U.S. security forces, as well as local “Sons of Iraq” citizen security groups, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said today.

10 wanted men detained, depot found in Baghdad

From Voices of Iraq. BAGHDAD, July 24 (VOI) - Iraqi army forces arrested on Thursday morning ten wanted men and found a stockpile of weapons and ammunitions in eastern Baghdad, a source from the Baghdad's operations command said.

U.S. Military Deaths

From Yahoo News. As of Thursday, July 24, 2008, at least 4,124 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Iraqi military prepares for offensives in Diyala, Babil

From The Long War Journal.

Iraqi Troops Massing

From the Times, UK

Baghdad Bureau: Leaving Baghdad: What Should the Americans Do?

From The New York Times' "Baghdad Bureau"

By Ahmad Fadam

Ahmad Fadam left Baghdad bureau in May to take up a visiting fellowship at the University of North Carolina. Self-portrait by Ahmad Fadam Almost every time I talk to an American here in the States, I hear the same question: “ What do you think about pulling our troops from Iraq?” I always answer [...]

Inside Sadr City

http://baghdadbureau.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/22/inside-sadr-city-the-wall/

From the NY Times' Baghdad Bureau Blog.

Electrical Risks at Bases in Iraq Worse than Reported Earlier

Shoddy work by private contractors is causing more deaths and injuries on U.S. military bases in Iraq than previously acknowledged, according to this article in the New York Times.

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Beyond the Headline

In addition to the Iraqi perspective on Obama, this NYT article, with its personal interviews of Iraqi citizens and leaders, includes views and observations of many aspects of the situation in Iraq.

Aggressive Cancers in Iraq Veterans

Is the military knowingly using cancer-causing munitions and subjecting their own soldiers to the effects -- not to mention the civilian population? Here's the story.

"For the people in Iraq, the war is full time."

And for the soldiers stationed there too. We must keep reading about, listening to, clicking on war stories. Here's an article from the New York Times about networks cutting back on coverage.

This Is A Big Story

Lara Logan is talking to us. Thank cod we are already searching for and clicking on every war story we can find. Right? Right!

Don't Let Him Think We Don't Care

A Soldier's Story

"The average American cares more about their $600 tax rebate than the War in Iraq. Just writing that kind of makes me depressed."