thanks to Politics in the Zeros

Another must read by Riverbend...

The Roof...

Hot. It's hot, hot, hot, hot. The weather is almost stifling now. The air is heavy and dry with heat. By early noon, it's almost too hot to go outside. For every two hours of electricity, we have four hours of no electricity in our area- and several other areas. The problem now is that the generators in many areas are starting to break down due to constant use and the bad quality of the fuel. It's a big problem and it promises to grow as the summer progresses. I have spent the last two days ruminating the political situation and... washing the roof. While the two activities are very different, they do share one thing in common- the roof, and political situation, are both a mess. The roof of an Iraqi home is a sacred place. As much planning goes into it as almost anything else. The roofs are flat and often surrounded by a low wall on which one can lean and look out into the city. During this last year, a certain sort of special bond has formed between your typical Iraqi and the roof of his or her home. We run out to the roof to see where the smoke is coming from after an explosion; we gather on the roof to watch the helicopters flying over head; we reluctantly drag ourselves out to the roof to fill the water tanks when the water is low; we hang clothes to dry on the clotheslines strung out haphazardly across the roof; we sleep on the roof during the endless, powerless nights.

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Billmon comments on the new approach in Iraq...

Hunkering Down

... If the New York Times story is correct, Centcom finally appears to have conceded the fact that it lacks - and will continue to lack - the force strength necessary to root out the insurgents and/or "foreign terrorists" in Iraq. Instead, it looks like the U.S. Army is about to become the most heavily armed bunch of security guards in history, responsible for keeping the new puppet government on its perch in Baghdad and - with luck - stopping the pipeline saboteurs from completely shutting down Iraq's oil exports: [U.S.] commanders argue that a new emphasis on protecting roadways, power plants, utility lines and the oil industry will help generate support for a new government and enhance the security situation as the economy improves. From a electoral standpoint, and probably a humane one as well, this isn't a dumb move, since it should drastically lower U.S and Iraqi civilian casualties - at least initially. But the strategic implications are pretty dour, at least for those diehards still dreaming of future Victory in Iraq Day parades. Everything I've read over the past year about counter-insurgency warfare stresses the importance of staying on the offensive - of taking the fight to the insurgents. Or, as one analyst put it: An insurgent force that is surviving is probably winning. By hunkering down now, Centcom will at a minimum hand the tactical initiative to the enemy, allowing the insurgents to accelerate their campaign of intimidation and assassination against all who collaborate with the occupation and its puppets.

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Dahr Jamail, at Iraq Dispatches, has some excellent posts form the ground. Here are three...

Slaughter in the Streets

Seventeen year-old Amir is crying during much of the interview. “We were coming home from work, and were shot so many times,” he says with deep anguish and frustration, “Walid told me to leave the car because he was hurt and needed help.”

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Daily Life

Sometimes I forget that burnout applies to me too. After nearly two months straight of chasing stories, it was obviously time for a break. Unlike home though, one can't go take in a movie, take a jog or even a casual stroll. Walking around anywhere in Baghdad, being a westerner, is never casual. So I've spent most of my day off inside.

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Disintegration

Late night writing due to the sweat alarm that has gone off, shortly after the electricity has cut out yet again. The electricity seems to have gotten worse lately, which is not surprising, in that this coincides with the gas shortage -- also growing more severe by the day.

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