I really like my friend and former boss Peter Beinart’s new book about American hubris in foreign policy, The Icarus Syndrome. Read a section early; took it to the beach this week; probably will write a review here. Or maybe I won’t, because most of my critique of the book has been made by Matthew [...]

This is what we got you for Valentine’s Day, Marja. And to mitigate the emptiness of the “Government In A Box”? Militias: [A] Special Operations detachment has returned to southern Marja to work with tribal leaders to organize young men into armed neighborhood-watch patrols, and the Marines intend to destroy several footbridges spanning irrigation canals [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 475-10 June 09, 2010 DOD Identifies Marine Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two Marines who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The following Marines died June 8 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan: Sgt. Derek L. Shanfield, 22, of Hastings, Pa. Sgt. Zachary J. Walters, 24, [...]

It still feels weird to think of Afghanistan as subject to a (tentative, initial, seemingly unrequited) peace process. But in the spirit of the prior post, check out Caroline Wadhams’ warnings about the Karzai outreach plan. I’m a little unclear what her ideas are for bolstering the process — the international community pressing Karzai to… [...]

I see where Andrew Sullivan is coming from here, but the sight of a headline like “Was Israel A Mistake?” is enough to make me uncomfortable. Despite some really sleazy recent attacks on him, there isn’t an anti-semitic or anti-Zionist bone in Andrew’s body, and it’s sadly typical of a Manichean debate over the Arab-Israeli [...]

You tell me whether this is much of anything for the people of Gaza in the $400 million [Update, June 10: Sorry for the initial orders-of-magnitude error...] aid package President Obama just announced for the Palestinians: The President has described the situation in Gaza as unsustainable, and it demands a significant change of strategy. While [...]

Pivoting off Lindsey Graham’s abandonment of his own climate bill, Ezra Klein makes a broader observation: It’s further evidence that the “lone Republican” strategy doesn’t work. Time and again, Democrats have ended up in a room with a single Republican who seemed willing to cut a deal. It was Olympia Snowe on health care, Bob [...]

Well, if I knew how to make mashups, that would be the Usher-vs-Sleigh Bells beast I would create. But since I can’t, I guess the Hood Internet’s effort will have to suffice. The Hood Internet – Oh My Kids (Usher x Sleigh Bells) by hoodinternet Good morning!

Must read of the day: Eli Lake’s beast of a piece about how the establishment American Jewish organizations have abandoned their longstanding sub-rosa efforts lobbying on behalf of the former Israeli quasi-ally now that the Turkish government has broken with Israel over Gaza. On the one hand, the Shtetl Elders are throwing “Islamist” at the [...]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 471-10 June 08, 2010 DOD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Spc. Brendan P. Neenan, 21, of Enterprise, Ala., died June 7 at Jelawar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. [...]