In today's New York Times (remember, we covered Fool to Cry's piece yesterday so we won't suffer through that twice), James Glanz offers up "In Iraq, a Failure to Deliver the Spoils." Basic story is this: A "Captain Burns" made promises to various people and never delivered. Jocolby Phillips is the American now in Captain Burns role re: reconstruction and Iraqis feel burned so he has to convince them that projects will go forward. (If they've been reading of the cost overruns and cancelled contracts, they probably have even more reason to fear the reconstruction won't arrive.) Phillips tries to convince them that promises made by him will be kept. (Want to bet that "Captain Burns" said the same words?) ("Captain Burns" because there seems to be some issues with locating him or verifying that he existed.) The response:
"Sir!" Abu Jawad interrupted. "You are not just a military man. You are also a politician and a very good one. Because we have gotten only a mirage."
AP is noting that Iraq's Health Minister (Ali al-Shemari) is stating that seven of his bodyguards were arrested by "U.S. forces." AFP notes the arrest (says it was five) and "an anti-American protest" that took place later in the day (protest against the arrests). The arrests/raid were Sunday events. Turning back to Saturday, AP puts the reported death toll for Saturday at "nearly fifty."
Noting quickly, Betty's latest chapter went up Thursday "Nobody pushes Thomas Friedman around!"; Trina's latest went up yesterday morning "Squash Soup in the Kitchen"; and here's links to the new content at The Third Estate Sunday Review:
Truest Statement of the Week A
Truest Statement of the Week B
A Note to Our Readers
Editorial: Forgetting Iraq when it can't afford to be forgotten
TV: Psyche?
Abeer
Bully Boy breaks pledges easily, Sheehan doesn't without doctor's orders
C.I.'s Wanted In The Green Zone
DVD Must See: Sir! No! Sir!
Damien Cave Plays the Fool so Perfectly
4 Songs worth checking out
Herbert Reed: Blood in his urine and stool, tumor removed, migraines, joint ache . . . D.U. exposure
Struggling for money, how did Iraq scrap together $35 million to pledge elsewhere?
(Ruth was helping with the edition and also went to an amusement park with others yesterday so she may or may not have a report this weekend. I haven't asked and everyone crashed as soon as the edition of The Third Estate Sunday Review was complete. Isaiah's comic goes up after this. If you haven't already, check your inboxes for the latest Polly's Brew and, in reply to Mia's question, I had no idea an action alert was going out about the topic I wrote about this week. Mia got an action alert on it -- save the show! -- this morning and copied and pasted it in her e-mail. I don't think the action alert's going to make much difference. But Polly, Pru, DK and Gareth's roundtable on the most recent events in England is a must read. Why didn't Tony Blair come off vacation to address the supposed terrorist snare? Don't miss Gareth's top ten list of "Reasons/Excuses.")
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
the new york times
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iraq
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trinas kitchen
the third estate sunday review
