"'Many of you are well enough off that ... the tax cuts may have helped you,' Sen. Clinton said. 'We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.' "

"They are possibly the dumbest people on the planet ... in thrall to conniving, thieving smug [pieces of the human anatomy]," Moore intoned. "We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance. We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing."

"That's why we're smiling all the time," he told a rapturous throng in Munich. "You can see us coming down the street. You know, 'Hey! Hi! How's it going?' We've got that big [expletive] grin on our face all the time because our brains aren't loaded down."

"You're stuck with being connected to this country of mine, which is known for bringing sadness and misery to places around the globe." In Liverpool, he paused to contemplate the epicenters of evil in the modern world: "It's all part of the same ball of wax, right? The oil companies, Israel, Halliburton."

"Don't go the American way when it comes to economics, jobs and services for the poor and immigrants. It is the wrong way."

Hail our true friends, the Great People of the United States of America; The Freedom giving Republic, the nation of Liberators. Never has the world known such a nation, willing to spill the blood of her children and spend the treasure of her land even for the sake of the freedom and well being of erstwhile enemies. The tree of friendship is going to grow and grow and bear fruit as sure as day follows night. And the people deep down at the bottom of their hearts, they appreciate. Make no mistake about that.

Glory and honor to the U.S. and Allied men and women whose blood is irrigating the tree of freedom in this land; and their sacrifices, suffering, and toil is laying the foundation for a future renaissance of the Mesopotamian People. Hail soldiers of freedom and enlightenment. Do not be dismayed by the trouble and turbulence of the present, for the future generations will remember and appreciate.

And last but not least; Hail, Great El Bush, a leader not only of the U.S. but a true hero of mankind. And Hail Mr. Blair and the other Leaders of the Free World.

European intelligence officials have for the first time confirmed that information provided by human intelligence sources during an operation mounted in Europe and Africa produced sufficient evidence for them to believe that Niger was the centre of a clandestine international trade in uranium.

Intelligence officers learned between 1999 and 2001 that uranium smugglers planned to sell illicitly mined Nigerien uranium ore, or refined ore called yellow cake, to Iran, Libya, China, North Korea and Iraq.

the problem is that in order to sustain, defend and expand the racial spoils system liberals have had to argue that affirmative action is no longer a "remedy" so much as an educational benefit in itself, i.e. "diversity." So now Lee Bollinger the former President of the University of Michigan whose case was decided in the Supreme Court last year, must now defend diversity as educational tool and not as a remedy. ... "The issue is not origin, but social practices," he told the Times. "It matters in American society whether you grow up black or white. It's that differential effect that really is the basis for affirmative action."

But one of the numerous ironies here is that the diversity fixation has created a market for qualified blacks that -- despite the protestations of Guinier & Co -- cannot be satisfied with the domestic supply. So, in the era of globalization there is a flight to quality. I think it's all just really, really interesting.

Presenting a just estimate of the Clinton presidency will pose perhaps insoluble problems to historians. The printed record of his doings, misdoings, and omissions is unarguably deplorable from start to finish. Yet he was reelected without difficulty, and some would argue that, had it been constitutionally possible for him to run for a third term, he would have been elected again. It is a fact that historians will have to take into account, for it is central to the success he enjoyed that William Jefferson Clinton was a formidable personality, at least in one sense: Face-to-face, it was almost impossible to dislike him. Indeed it was difficult not to like him very much. As Tony Blair put it to me: "I found I had to like him, despite all the evidence."

If Clinton had been a continent man, and so with time to be an activist president, the consequences would almost certainly have been disastrous for the American economy. As it was, with the president busy elsewhere, the nation thrived mightily, as always when the White House does nothing.

that political documentary filmmakers may not air television or radio ads referring to federal candidates within 30 days of a primary election or 60 days of a general election.

The opinion is generated under the new McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law, which prohibits corporate-funded ads that identify a federal candidate before a primary or general election.

Should the six members of the FEC vote to approve the counsel's opinion, it could put a serious crimp on Moore's promotion efforts.

The mainstream media is less to blame for my having to gin up this tell-all than is the administration. The Bush folks are so consumed with "defining" Kerry that they've forgotten they have a positive story to tell.

The economy rocks. The president needs to get positive now. If not for us, then - uh - for the children.

Since the first of the year, 1.5 million jobs have been created, and economists project that number may double by year's end. Americans' per-capita income is up. The Treasury Department reports an increase in tax revenues, which shrank the budget deficit by $100 million in the first quarter - far, far ahead of Congressional Budget Office projections.

1. Over the Rainbow, THE WIZARD OF OZ, 1939
2. As Time Goes By, CASABLANCA, 1942
3. Singin' in the Rain, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, 1952
4. Moon River, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, 1961
5. White Christmas, HOLIDAY INN, 1942
6. Mrs. Robinson, THE GRADUATE, 1967
7. When You Wish Upon A Star, PINOCCHIO, 1940
8. The Way We Were, THE WAY WE WERE, 1973
9. Stayin' Alive, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, 1977
10. The Sound of Music, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, 1965

Remember Air America? The brilliant pre-publicity campaign marred only by an ill-advised decision to actually launch the product? The hype was coast to coast, but the station was only in a handful of markets, and a couple of those dumped the station after a bounced check, and most of the senior executives departed after a couple of weeks, which, according to whom you believe, was either part of the original business plan or extremely necessary because one of them was a "former Republican activist from Guam" and thus likely a double-agent for the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.

Many decades ago, Richard Mellon Scaife planted scores of deep sleepers in Guam on the off chance it might get statehood in the next century.

"I think liberals were shocked, and maybe frightened, by the outpouring of love and respect this past week."

"I can tell you honestly that I could not have taken another four years of Jimmy Carter. I didn't want to turn the damn thermostat down or put on a sweater. I wanted to fix things. My dad had taught me not to whine when things went wrong. I can still hear him now: 'Get off your lazy *ss and get to work.' Well, I was ready to get to work, and then along came President Reagan."

"I thought recently about the old 1960s liberal-left tearjerker song 'Abraham, Martin, and John.' I don't remember the singer. There was something about 'freeing a lot of people' in the lyrics. Ronald Reagan freed hundreds of millions of souls who suffered under a tyranny akin to slavery and Hitlerism. Shouldn't the song now be sung as 'Abraham, Martin, and Ron'?"

"In retrospect all Bubba ever tried to do was save his own a** while Reagan and W. concerned themselves more with saving everyone else's, even those who despised them."

"But I voted for Ronald Reagan that year [1980] and his victory brought my presidential voting record to 1-1, and I will never discard that wallet and the sticker that can no longer even be read. My record is now 4-3 and I fully expect to open up a two-game lead this fall."

"When I heard of his passing, I immediately thought of these lines from Julius Caesar: 'His life was gentle, and the elements / So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up / And say to all the world, "This was a man!"'"

In fact, as Stephen Hayes writes in The Weekly Standard, the conventional wisdom in Washington long before George W. Bush took office was that Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden were partners in terrorism.

Two Clinton-administration stalwarts, Attorney General Janet Reno and U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White, brought an indictment against bin Laden and a deputy, Mohammed Atef, in 1998 — charging that Saddam and Osama "reached an understanding . . . that on particular projects, specifically including weapons development, al Qaeda would work cooperatively with the government of Iraq."

Meanwhile, back in 1999, ABC News reported that Saddam had offered bin Laden asylum, citing their "long relationship" and a December 1998 meeting in Afghanistan between Osama and Iraqi intelligence chief Faruq Hijazi.

That same year, the Congressional Research Service reported that if Saddam Hussein "decide[s] to use terrorists to attack the continental United States, [he] would likely turn to bin Laden's al Qaeda," which was then recruiting "Iraqi chemical weapons experts."

A proposal that would have encouraged the mass exodus of Southern Baptist children from the public school system was killed at this year's annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (search), supporters say because leadership felt it was too radical for the organization.

The proposal, sponsored by retired Air Force General Thomas Pinckney and home-school advocate and attorney Bruce Shortt, suggested that each parent in the estimated 16 million-membership of the SBC take their children out of the public school system because, they say, it has long fostered an anti-Christian world view.

"I often tell people that public schools are killing our children morally, spiritually and academically," Shortt told Foxnews.com. "Certainly, any side of that should be a concern to any parent."

The Southern Baptist Convention - the nation's largest Protestant denomination with about 17 million members - is meeting this week in Indianapolis, and among the resolutions it is considering is one calling upon parents to withdraw their children from public schools and either educate them at home, or enroll them in private Christian academies.

But when Reagan was elected, all of that changed. He started talking about the "Evil Empire." At one time I thought he was being overly simplistic and said so in Christianity Today. But he was right; I was wrong.

Reagan dared to challenge the Soviets on the basis of morality - good versus evil. Freedom and democracy were good, tyranny and communism evil. And so at the Berlin Wall, Reagan challenged Soviet tyranny with the unforgettable words, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" And it came down, and the Iron Curtain came down along with it.

'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!' declaims Dutch, trying hard to look infuriated, but succeeding only in an expression of mild petulance ... One braces for a flash of prompt lights to either side of him: APPLAUSE.

What a rhetorical opportunity missed. He could have read Robert Frost's poem on the subject, 'Something there is that doesn't love a wall,' to simple and shattering effect. Or even Edna St. Vincent Millay's lines, which he surely holds in memory ...

Only now for the first time I see
This wall is actually a wall, a thing
Come up between us, shutting me away
From you ... I do not know you any more.

• support internal disruption in Soviet satellites, especially Poland;
• dry up sources of hard currency;
• overload the Soviet economy with a technology-based arms race;
• slow the flow of Western technology to Moscow;
• raise the cost of the wars it was fighting;
• and demoralize the Soviets by generating pressure for change.

On June 7, 1982, the day before Reagan gave his "ash heap" speech at Westminster Abbey, he met alone with the pope in the Vatican. Richard Allen, Reagan's first national security adviser, says the two men "agreed to undertake a clandestine campaign to hasten the dissolution of the communist empire." Until it was legalized in 1989, Poland's Solidarity union was kept alive by the U.S. and the Vatican. Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, who later became president of free Poland, has said that "we owe our freedom to their unstinting efforts."

that the Reagan administration allowed a Soviet agent to steal gas-pipeline software that had been secretly designed to go haywire on a catastrophic scale. The ruse led to a June 1982 explosion in the Siberian wilderness that Mr. Reed says was "the most monumental non-nuclear explosion and fire ever seen from space." It crippled the Soviet's secret techno-piracy operation because they could longer be sure if what they were buying or stealing was similarly booby-trapped.

A myth has developed that Iraqis aren't grateful for their liberation from Saddam. So it's worth noting that the leaders of Iraq's new interim government have been explicit and gracious in their thanks, not that you've heard this from the U.S. media.

First in Arabic and then in English, Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said in his inaugural address to the Iraqi people last Tuesday that "I would like to record our profound gratitude and appreciation to the U.S.-led international coalition, which has made great sacrifices for the liberation of Iraq." In his own remarks, President Ghazi al-Yawer said: "Before I end my speech, I would like us to remember our martyrs who fell in defense of freedom and honor, as well as our friends who fell in the battle for the liberation of Iraq."

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told the U.N. Security Council much the same thing last Thursday: "We Iraqis are grateful to the coalition who helped liberate us from the persecution of Saddam Hussein's regime. We thank President Bush and Prime Minister Blair for their dedication and commitment."

We thought our readers might like to know.

Even now, the irony that so non-intellectual a man should choose to engage the Soviet Union on the battlefield of ideas has eluded most commentators and historians.

Reagan's was not the rhetoric of detente. His policy did not call for co-operative programmes in science, agriculture, space and energy. He took pains not to reassure but to discredit the Kremlin leaders. They ruled brutally. They ruled without consent. They built a military machine at the expense of the material wellbeing of ordinary citizens. Their economy produced only weapons, while their ideology produced cynicism at home and instability abroad. If pushed, they would fall.

... the truth is that Ronald Reagan was singular in understanding, and acting to exploit, the depth of Soviet vulnerability.

This was a life with size. It had heft, and meaning. And I am thinking of what Stephen Vincent Benet, a writer whom he quoted, wrote on the death of his friend Scott Fitzgerald. "You can take off your hats now, gentlemen, and I think perhaps you'd better."

He volunteered for action in World War II, was turned away by doctors who told him with eyesight like his he'd probably shoot his own officer and miss. But they let him join behind the lines and he served at "Fort Roach" in Los Angeles, where he made training and information films.

He studied communism, read Marx, read the Founders and the conservative philosophers from Burke to Burnham. He began to tug right. The Democratic Party and his industry continued to turn left. There was a parting.

[After losing the Republican nomination to Ford in 1976] He told his weeping volunteers not to become cynical but to take the experience as inspiration. He promised he wouldn't go home and sit in a rocking chair. He quoted an old warrior: "I will lie me down and bleed awhile / And then I will rise and fight again." Four years later, he won the presidency from Jimmy Carter after a mean-spirited onslaught in which he was painted as racist, a man who knew nothing, a militarist. He won another landslide.

Ronald Reagan told the truth to a world made weary by lies.

What an era his was. What a life he lived. He changed history for the better and was modest about it. He didn't bray about his accomplishments but saw them as the work of the American people. He did not see himself as entitled, never demanded respect, preferred talking to hotel doormen rather than State Department functionaries because he thought the doormen brighter and more interesting. When I pressed him once, a few years out of the presidency, to say what he thought the meaning of his presidency was, he answered, reluctantly, that it might be fairly said that he "advanced the boundaries of freedom in a world more at peace with itself." And so he did. And what could be bigger than that?

Wilson says his documentary tries to point out the biases behind Moore films such as "Bowling" and the highly anticipated "Fahrenheit 9/11," which will be released June 25 and which Wilson has not seen. He says it's not only a response to Moore but also to others who have added to "the shrillness that has engulfed the American conversation."

At least three months before its release, the film has catapulted Wilson into national prominence. When an item about "Michael Moore Hates America" appeared on a showbiz Web site earlier this week, Wilson says, he was contacted by nine distributors who want to help book the documentary into theaters.

...my mom worked two jobs when I was a kid, and it was like a personal slap to her to say you can't work two jobs and raise your children properly. My mom worked really hard, and she taught us right from wrong.

"The closest I got was I did run into him at the (University of Minnesota) when he was on his book tour, and he started screaming at me," says Wilson. The screaming began when Wilson mentioned the title of his film in the middle of asking a question. "It was quite a sight — 7,000 Michael Moore fans, just booing me."

A cultural establishment that (on the whole) doesn't give a damn about World War II or its veterans thinks it can undo a half-century of indifference verging on contempt by repeating a silly phrase ("the greatest generation") like a magic spell while deploying fulsome praise like carpet bombing.

They must know the price the Americans paid to free our continent. Half a million killed in world war II. More than 7000 killed on D-Day alone, in Normandy; 25,000 killed to liberate Italy. Some of them rest in peace in our country, buried in Anzio. I suggest you visit that cemetery, and see the names of people unknown to you: John, Charlie, Robert, Ted, Howard... Men aged 20, 22, who gave up their life for our freedom.

Dateline Baghdad: 16 May-19 May
Pomp and Circumstance, and One True Thing

Dear Kids,
As I said yesterday, I've had mondo computer problems, what with nit-wits burning through the fiber optic cable and technical experts unhooking my computer. Here is a little info on what has transpired recently. The biggest news was the doin's on 15 May. That day was we had an event of significance for us, and probably of no interest to anyone else. That was the day that Combined Joint Task Force Seven(CJTF-7), the overall command for all Coalition Forces in Iraq was disestablished and a new organization Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNFI) was stood-up to take its place. CJTF-7 evolved out of the American U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM), which deals with events in the Mideast. CJTF-7 was in many ways subordinate to the CENTCOM. The new, Mult-National Force will be largely autonomous, with its own resources and policy, much as U.S. Forces Korea are largely autonomous of the U.S. Pacific Command (the theater Commander for that geographic region.)

The new MNFI will have a significantly different headquarters structure, and is postured to work with international organizations such as the UN. The change is meant to be a step on the way to full Iraqi control, a big part of which will happen (God willing) on July 1 when a UN appointed and ratified Interim Iraqi Government (IIG) will take power. What the Iraqi people will think of this new government will have to wait 'till then, but the military forces take it very seriously and are working to realign themselves to workwith an Iraqi government that will have a major say in how security operations are conducted.

Anyway...back to my story. This was the "stand-up" of this new multi-national command. In the military that means a big ol' ceremony with flags and brass bands and such. Representatives from most (maybe all) of the Coalition nations traveled to Baghdad to attend the ceremony. It was held in the atrium under the dome of the Al Faw Palace, known to many Coalition soldiers as "Victory Palace" after its first U.S. occupants, the U.S. Fifth ("Victory") Corps HQ. From all over Iraq, soldiers from about forty nations mustered up at one of the regional chow halls to get a bite (I assume) and get on busses for transport to "The Palace". The largest contingents were from Poland, Britain and Italy, but there were also Philippine soldiers, Albanians and at least one Thai (among others). I as one of the local commuters, I was able to get to The Palace without a helicopter flight, and so a friend and I went over to see the festivities.

Upon arriving it was made clear that We were not considered important enough to be allowed in the front door (an impressive portal with a 15 foot high green and bronze door). Apparently there was a honor guard of saluting dudes inside and their salutes would have been wasted on Us. Instead we was directed to a servant's entrance around the side.

We walked through a warren of offices carved out of massive marble audience chambers by American cubical partitions and made our way to the gigantic four story high, octagonal atrium. It is a spectacular public space, made to make other powerful men feel like supplicants when they came to pay homage to Saddam. Inlayed marble floor, massive columns, and pointed Arab arch ways stacked level upon level. Although immense amounts were spent on marble, as is usual in Saddam's palaces, the quality of the workmanship is a bit dodgy when you get a close look at it. Poorly aligned joints, oozing mortar, gaps filled with caulk. From a distance though, it looked pretty good. The Real show stopper is a massive Phantom of the Opera style chandelier that hangs in the middle of the atrium. It is likely that as with all the other chandeliers in the building the "crystal" chandelier droplets are plastic.

My companion tolerated my wandering around in the atrium, taking happy snaps of all the multi-national dudes (and dudettes) in attendance. Different contingents are stationed in different parts of the country so we don't often see the troops from some countries. The 1st Cavalry Division (Armor) Band was there (as they had been at the PX Grand Opening) playing appropriate martial music. Eventually we removed ourselves to the second floor gallery where many of the on lookers, who were not distinguished guests, stationed themselves for the best view.

Jump forward. Most of the highest muckidy mucks were there. Ambassador Bremer, the President's Special Representative to Iraq and the boss of the CPA was front and center. So were diplomatic and military bigwigs from many of the Coalition nations. Many members of the Iraqi Governing Council were there as honored guests, as were many other politically important Iraqis.

The officiating officers were LTG Sanchez (The theater commander), LTG Metz (the Corps commander...in charge of activities in the filed), and General Amer Ahmed Bakr Hashemi the commander of the new Iraqi Army. (Gen Hashemi was a respected retired career officer who has come out of retirement to take a mind bogglingly hard, and spectacularly dangerous job...building a new non-political Iraqi Army while multiple groups are murdering such officers.)

Right from the beginning there was a strange note in the proceedings. In order to, I suspect, emphasize the expeditionary nature of their mission all the Coalition participants (including all the American Generals were wearing their helmets (and body armor!!) during the ceremony. Some spectators might have suspected that they feared that a bad guy rocket was about to punch through the Palace's dome and interrupt the parade. The fact that Gen Hashemi had chose to wear a more sensible beret made the picture stranger still. (Lt Col Simon just noted that the senior British General sent his regrets and did not attend because he felt that it was somewhat farcical that the mandated "dress code" was full "battle-rattle".)

The flags of all the participating nations (including Iraq) were paraded in. The 1st Cav band played a jaunty military tune. I was impressed at the military bearing of the flag bearers. Considering the small size of the military forces deployed from some nations, the flag bearer may have constituted a significant percentage of the nations' military detachment in Iraq. Then there was the "Casing" of the colors (flag) of CJTF-7 and the "un-casing" of the colors of MNFI and its subordinate "field" command Multi-National Corps-Iraq. The new logos are pretty cool and incorporate traditional Mesopotamian iconography. (I'll send them to ya'll later.)

After that there were typical military speeches, obviously crafted by Public Affairs officers. Someone has a tin ear for diplomatic speech in this region. The speeches were extremely positive, almost triumphalist in tone, describing all the (quite real) achievements of the outgoing CJTF-7, and the great work yet to be done by MNFI and MNCI. However, considering the dangerous security situation and fragile political situation they sounded somewhat inappropriate in tone. That was certainly the opinion of many Iraqis in attendance, especially the Arab language press, who seemed less than engaged in the American speeches. (Some sat and stared at the ceiling.)

The occasion was saved by General Hashemi, who stepped to the podium and delivered a heartfelt speech filled with love of country and yearning for a better day. His comments took note of the dangerous task ahead but addressed the risks with determination and courage. When he finished he walked away from the podium, and I stupidly put down my video camera. Instead of returning to his seat the General strode across the atrium to the massed flags. He stopped next to the Iraqi flag bearer. (The flag in question was the traditional Red, White, Green, and Black banner that has been Iraq's flag since 1963, not the much hated "pretend" Iraqi flag dreamed up by the Governing Council and rejected by pretty much everyone in Iraq.) General Heshemi gently picked up the flag and kissed it reverently. Then he stepped back and saluted the flag smartly. The reaction was electric. The Iraqis (who, as stated before were almost totally disengaged from the proceedings) cheered and applauded, as did everyone else. I, and everyone else I think,was moved by this act of unabashed patriotism in a troubled land.

He then returned to his place with the two American commanders, and sailed through the rest of the ceremony. After its' conclusion, General Heshemi was mobbed by guests and military members who wanted to speak to him, take his picture, or just shake his hand. Then he was spirited away to meet the Arab language press where he was mobbed again. He delivered a series of long series of animated interviews on his views on the difficulties facing Iraq and the way ahead. The reporters were engaged and receptive. I wish everyone involved with policy could have seen him in action, and the extremely positive reaction. It validated the opinion of everyone in theater, more Iraqi control ...as fast as possible...is better. I hope the General makes it. He is brave patriot, trying to do the best he can for his country.

Now on to a subject of much less import. Yesterday night I was walking home and passed the little old exchange. Far fewer people go there now (what with the big new one down the road), so they sometimes have interesting items that are sold out elsewhere. As I stated before, window shopping is a popular wartime recreational activity. Lo and behold they had Surefire flashlights! Ha! Now I have one too and Major Sean and I can engage in MAB (mutually assured blinding). This will possibly act as a deterrent to him. Ow! No it won't. I just said this out loud and he responded by shining his Surefire in my eyes. Apparently deterrence can fail, but at least I had the satisfaction of responding in kind.

Well, that's all the news that's not fit to print. See you next time, same Bat time, same Bat channel.

God Bless,
James

We have made great inroads in breaking up insurgent cells through ambushes and raids. Even more important, we have begun to establish an early and still fragile rapport with the people of these areas.

It was a 360 degree engagement that lasted 8 hours. An 8 hour firefight is an eternity. To put it in perspective, this guy was in both OIF 1 battle for Baghdad as well as the Fallujah fight. He states that the firefight up near this town was the toughest he has been in. We fired quite a bit of artillery and brought in a number of sorties of close air for them. By the time it was over, the estimates (now confirmed) are that they killed over a 100 muj. We could not understand why they kept coming but they did (more on that later). Throughout it all, very accurate mortar fire up to 120mm was falling inside the Marine position. Automatic weapons and RPGs were crisscrossing through the perimeter. The Marines just laid there in the micro terrain and squeezed off well aimed shots.

The Battalion Commander stayed that day until his guys broke the muj and he "owned the field" (his words). He then withdrew back to his original position.

It is to be expected that the most conspicuous representatives of antagonistic positions will pitch their voices in such a way as to please the ideological mobs. But time tends to dull political lances inordinately honed.

WORLD: Looking back at your life, what was a waste of time, and what should you have spent more time doing?

WFB: I waste a lot of time, and if I knew on what, I'd stop doing it.

"I see all of these girls who walk around with pants that show their belly button and underwear," she wrote. "Your clearks sugjest [sic] that there is only one look. If that is true, then girls are suppost to walk around half naked."

We like to call this new girl Miss Modesty. It's such a different feeling but still very pretty and feminine and sexy. It's just a little more covered up. It's kind of like a sexy take on a librarian. I think people are tired of seeing so much skin and want to leave a little more to the imagination.

Dateline: Baghdad, May 14, (14:00)
Tea, Crumpets, and Stout

Dear Kids,
Well time continues apace and I am working as hard as I am able. You can draw your own conclusions as to what that means. I have had the privilege of working for the last few days with a number of extremely bright young(ish) officers thinking big ideas and writing them down for the perusal of the senior folks. This is at the instruction of high level people, so theoretically the people with lots of gold braid on their hats will read these ideas. Knowing that such people are out here makes me feel better about the future of operations over here.

The most recent adventure was a journey to a nearby British compound as the guest of Lt Col Simon, the deputy commander of my team. Some important officers in the British military organization here are getting to the end of their tours, and their friends (or "Mates" as the British might say) were having a going-away party for them. Lt Col Simon just walked by, and I told him that I was writing a humorous description of our rip. He countered that I was "attempting" to be humorous.

The invitation was to go to the party and stay the night at the Brit compound. Although a bed would be provided, he could not guarantee linens, so he advised me to bring my "sleeping bag". Of course, I did not bring a sleeping bag to Iraq, so when I packed for the trip I was forced to pack up my giant orange and black tiger stripe U.S. army issue furry blanket. This monstrous and non-compressible item WOULD NOT fit in my back pack and so had to go in my airline carry on wheelie bag (which it filled to bursting). When I reported for departure, he looked at the two bags, and asked how many days I had packed for. Although I tried to
explain the whole furry blanket conundrum he responded that I had just verified his opinion about American officers in general, and the Navy in particular. (Let it now be said here, that I am quite fond of Lt Col Simon,
who possesses all the best qualities that British officers are so famous for. Key among them is his dry wit.)

After eating we reported to the Brit command post on base to meet a British shuttle team that would take us to the bigger British Headquarters. The transport team included drivers and security folks, all drawn from the Royal Highland Fusiliers. The Scottish origin of these gentlemen became apparent when the detachment commander began our pre-trip safety briefing. His speech was not overly rapid, but none the less incomprehensible. His Scottish accent made his English almost alien to me, only punctuated occasionally by phrases like "straight through", "overwatch", and "wheel hub". I began to understand the gist of his monologue, although not individual sentences, some times catching the meaning of a declaration several seconds after is had come and gone. Together with his hand gestures I was able to discern that he was giving us instructions on potential trouble scenarios and how we were all to react if trouble came. At the end the soldier asked if I we had any questions, and I in my dim witted pride said "no." Truth be told I had a pretty fair idea of how to behave if we had any difficulty, but probably only in the most general way. I vowed to follow Lt Colonel Simon's lead in the event of trouble.

Luckily it turned out to be unnecessary to try out my Scots-English to American-English translation skills. There was no trouble in transit, a trip that was accomplished with smooth competence by our Fusilier escorts.

When we arrived at the British headquarters we passed through several layers of security to enter, all conducted with top-notch British efficiency and civility. The compound was formerly a small Ba'ath Party executive residence (with privacy wall and various out buildings). The Brits did a much better job of keeping up the gardens and trees alive. On our base many of the plants have been allowed to wither and die out of carelessness. (The powers that be seem to be uninterested in whether their soldiers live in a garden or a desert. (The default choice is desert, since the palms and other plants on the American base need artificial watering to survive....which they are not getting.) Back to the thought, it was nice to see green. When we entered the main building to find that in addition to our visit, high-level members of the Iraqi government were being hosted that night. That meant that we had to absent ourselves and amble back to the pub building in the rear (the building also included a TV room, an exercise room, and a weight room.) The pub had not officially opened so we walked the grounds a bit and looked at the Tigris from a roof top gallery before returning to the pub.

There was still a bit to wait so we watched some Brit sports and some of the Crocadile hunter with some of the lads. Finally the holy hour came and the pub keeping private arrived to officially dispense the suds. The place quickly filled, becoming quite jovial. The building was prefab primitive, but had a certain expeditionary style. The pub room was decorated mostly with humorous beer adverts, with a display of local weapons (no doubt rendered safe) bolted to the wall. There was also a collage of photos of men from the 2 PARA (Second Battalion, The Parachute Regiment) engaged in some party like activity.

The pub keeper handed out the appropriate beverages to all. There was a wide variety of alcohol available, Guinness of course, but a wide variety of others too including a Lebanese beer the name of which escapes me. I of course as an American, was prohibited from consuming alcohol. The Arab language Coke was delicious. We also had mini French bread pizzas as pub food. Col Simon linked up with his friends and made all the requisite introductions. Then over the evening I enjoyed all the witty British Army anecdotes, and tried to keep my end up. (Unfortunately most Naval anecdotes center about lethal accidents, or drunkenness leading to physical illness.) Through the night more and more folks showed up to the warehouse/pub and the joint started rockin' out. There was a volunteer DJ in appropriate clubware in the corner layin' down the tunes in a manner worthy of a Brit rave or a German Loveparade.

Finally, there was heartfelt valedictory to the departing officers, and the presentation of Iraq oriented t-shirts (one already framed) signed with good wishes, jokes and the occasional lude joke. After things wound down I was escorted to our quarters. We roomed with one of Lt Col Simon's friends, who had unoccupied beds in his cube room. (Most of the rooms in the main building were created by putting partition walls in jumbo Saddam size rooms.) I got out my too short yellow sheet and fuzzy tiger stripe blanket and snuggled into bed. In the morning I got up early, and padded off to the bathroom It was gigantic, and signs instructed you how to use the toilets without breaking them. It seems that although they are gilded, they are built shoddily (Ha! What a surprise!) The shower was over a swimming pool size marble bathtub, and I only had one near fatal slip on the wet marble floor. (What a way to die in a combat zone!!) After shaving I found that I could not unlock the door to my section of the bathroom suite and had a traumatic moment imagining being trapped in there until I was rescued by some bemused British Sergeant. Unexpectedly the lock popped open and I escaped the trap and embarrassment worse than death. Soon Lt Col Simon was up, and we were off to a fine British cafeteria breakfast. Um, um, good. The bacon was extra robust, and the sausages were soft and tasty.

Finally, we met up with the security transport team for our ride home. We were treated to another monologue in Scottish, with only the slightest improvement in comprehension on my part. Then it was into the vehicles and off down the road.

There is nothing to say about the trip, it was fast and safe once again, and our Fusilier friends took us back to our lodgings. As we were getting out I thought of something. I had some of my "challenge coins" from my office back at Scott (AFB, Illinois) in my pack. They are a military item that people present as tokens appreciation in the military....a bronze coin (about the size of an old style Eisenhower dollar) with organizational logo and motto on them. Anyhoo...I had some in my bag and these fine Scots seemed the perfect recipients. I asked them to hold on a bit, dug them out of my bag and handed one to each. They were pleasantly surprised, and we shook a hearty hand shake.

The British military has no comparable do dads so Lt Col Simon was unable to give them a physical token of his esteem, but he did stride forward to express his thanks. "Well, You will get bugger all from me" He told them, as he smiled and shook their hands warmly. The drivers laughed, saluted and drove off.

Well, all back home safe and sound having seen how our Brit friends do things. We could learn a thing or two from them.

God Bless,
See you next time.
James

• School attendance is up more than 95 percent from prewar times, and more than 2,500 schools have been rebuilt or renovated, with 1,500 more scheduled to be completed by year's end.


• All Iraqi hospitals and primary health care clinics were operating by December, and U.S. soldiers, along with UNICEF, are teaching basic personal hygiene and sanitation techniques throughout the country. Health-care spending is 26 times what it was under Saddam.


• The CPA has been building playgrounds, sports fields, youth centers and places where Iraqi women can get child care.


• The vast marshlands area of southern Iraq, which had been drained and destroyed by Saddam to punish the rebellious Shia who lived there, are being restored through efforts of the U.S. government, along with Iraqi and international agencies.


• Three-quarters of Iraq's irrigation canals were choked by weeds because of neglect. The CPA reports spending $9 million to clear those waterways, providing water to thousands of farmers.


• The U.S. Agency for International Development, along with private foundations, is conducting conferences and training sessions promoting democracy and teaching democratic decision-making and problem-solving.


• Seven in 10 Iraqis say things overall are going well for them.


• Fifty-six percent say their lives are better now than before the war, compared with 19 percent who say things are worse (23 percent, the same).


• And the level of personal optimism is extraordinary: Seventy-one percent expect their lives to improve over the next year.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, however, said in a statement it would not deny Communion to those wearing sashes because "members of this group have previously assured us, in writing, that their attendance at the annual Pentecost Mass … is not in protest of the Church's teachings.''