Pentagon: Iraq War a 'major debacle'

A McClatchy article from 17 April 2008 reports:

WASHINGTON — The war in Iraq has become "a major debacle" and the outcome "is in doubt" despite improvements in security from the buildup in U.S. forces, according to a highly critical study published Thursday by the Pentagon's premier military educational institute.

The report released by the National Defense University raises fresh doubts about President Bush's projections of a U.S. victory in Iraq just a week after Bush announced that he was suspending U.S. troop reductions.

The report carries considerable weight because it was written by Joseph Collins, a former senior Pentagon official, and was based in part on interviews with other former senior defense and intelligence officials who played roles in prewar preparations.

It was published by the university's National Institute for Strategic Studies, a Defense Department research center.

"Measured in blood and treasure, the war in Iraq has achieved the status of a major war and a major debacle," says the report's opening line.
...
The report said that the United States has suffered serious political costs, with its standing in the world seriously diminished. Moreover, operations in Iraq have diverted "manpower, materiel and the attention of decision-makers" from "all other efforts in the war on terror" and severely strained the U.S. armed forces.

"Compounding all of these problems, our efforts there (in Iraq) were designed to enhance U.S. national security, but they have become, at least temporarily, an incubator for terrorism and have emboldened Iran to expand its influence throughout the Middle East," the report continued.

We're number one!

A USA Today article reports that Lexington-Fayette County ranks number 1 in per capita carbon emissions according a report out of the Brookings Institution. Other cities in the top 10 include: Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, St. Louis, and Knoxville. On the other hand, among the cities with the lowest (per capita) carbon emissions include: LA, New York, San Jose, and San Francisco.

The counter-intuitive rankings are because (as the article summarizes), "Sprawling, car-dependent metropolitan areas with low-cost electricity emit more carbon dioxide per capita than densely populated cities with extensive mass transit systems where electricity is more expensive."

Here's a quick link to the Brookings report tables and supporting material (PDF).

She only grows stronger and more powerful

Here's a story of stunning political correctness. In May, Rachael Ray appeared in an ad for Dunkin' Donuts wearing a "black-and-white silk scarf with a paisley design." Conservative bloggers, led by Michelle Malkin, saw something far more sinister: they likened the scarf to a keffiyeh, the type typically worn by Muslim extremists, calling it “jihadi chic” and saying the ads “casually promote the symbol of Palestinian terrorism and the intifada, the keffiyeh, via Rachael Ray.”

The backlash was swift and the story soon went viral. A New York Times blog wondering if doughnuts have replaced social security as the undisputed "third rail" of American politics. For more laughs, there's the YouTube video, “Rachael Ray Is a Terrorist” (This story comes up about halfway through, but the rest of the video is pretty funny, too.)

Rachael's critics and enemies would do well to heed Anthony Bourdain, the celebrity chef and food writer, who has warned against her “strange and terrible powers,” and has earlier said: “Complain all you want. It’s like railing against the pounding surf. She only grows stronger and more powerful.”

Full disclosure: I have a thing for Rachael Ray.