Center for a New American Security

So my boss is in New York debating Ralph Peters, Pat Lang and Steve Clemons on Afghanistan and Pakistan. The latter are defending the motion "America cannot and will not succeed in Afghanistan/Pakistan." Here's what's hilarious about this. Steve Clemons is a last-minute replacement for ... Pakistani Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani. I'm guessing Haqqani realized that arguing for U.S. failure in Afghanistan would have been something less than kosher/halal for the Pakistani ambassador, perhaps?

Speaking of Pakistan, Londonstani has been on fire with his reports from Pakistan. [Here, and here.]

Oh. My. Goodness. Boy, we sure picked the guy to restore working- and middle-class faith in capitalism, alright.

The incoming head of MI6 is exposed on Facebook.  This would never happen to Judi Dench's "M."

This from the NYT style manual blog:

I understand nothing about submarines. How the hell does this happen? Is it that crowded down there?

LONDON -- Nuclear-armed submarines from Britain and France collided in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, authorities acknowledged Monday -- touching off new concerns about the safety of the world's deep sea missile fleets.

The HMS Vanguard, the oldest of Britain's current nuclear-armed submarine fleet, and the French Le Triomphant submarine, which was also carrying nuclear missiles, both suffered minor damage in the collision. No crew members were reported injured.

Update: I just realized England-France is coming up in the Six Nations. The nickname of that game? Le Crunch. Ha! (I am probably the only person who thinks this amusing.)

Do you think "CIA Agent Drugs, Rapes Arab Women" is a story that will get much play in the Arabic-speakng world and further harm our image in the Middle East? Nah, me neither. We can probably let this one slide as I don't see any way in which this will be reported on Arabic-language satellite networks or in the newspapers tomorrow.

Carlos was traveling over the 9/11 week, and while Mrs. Carlos is never happy when that happens, he generally finds that extra vigilance (all that orange/red stuff) really is there in airports around that time.

So of course, it filled Carlos with joy as he was going through the checkpoint to hear, "Anything metal in your pockets, MA'AM?"

("Ma'am?" Carlos may not be big, but seriously, it'll take more than a few mind-altering substances to mistake him for female).

At which point the guard actually *looks up* and with a little laugh says, "Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attentions, sir."

To which you just gotta add: What exactly is the TSA supposed to do??

Carlos understands the mind-numbing job that screening can be, which is why he would, in all seriousness, like to include as one of the job qualifications (the actual ones can be found here) a healthy dose of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. These folks need patterns, and they notice when things don't fit.

How do you defeat an enemy that hides among the innocent?

Apparently you defeat them by partying hard with the VIPs in your sound proof luxury capsule. At least that must be the theory behind the development of the Senior Leader in-Transit Comfort Conference Capsule (good thing they changed the name...wouldn't want this to look like a foolish use of American taxpayer money)


While Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen going to and from theater watched the same in-flight movie for the last two years (oh I hate you Wild Hogs) on 1970s-era commercial charters and Kip's team spent the majority of their tour traveling dangerous roads without the benefit of armor, the Air Force spent over $300,000 in Global War on Terrorism money to develop an even better luxury trailer for senior leader transit (a decision it says it now will reverse). The total cost of the project will be at least $4.4 million according to an open letter sent to Secretary Gates by the non-partisan Project on Government Oversight.

Key concerns of the senior leadership included the length of the seat lamps, the color of the leather (from brown to blue for an additional cost of just over $100,000), and whether the module would be "world class." (see the personal emails and forms from senior leaders in POGO's appendices, truly petty stuff).

It's great to see that the Air Force is keeping the enemy down by aiming high when it comes to senior leaders' comfort.

(here is another editorial on the subject)

Kip isn't sure Apocalypse Now is a recipe for how you ought fight a counterinsurgency, although our forgotten advisors may understand Kurtz just a little better...Apparently some of the British feel a little differently:

With Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries booming out over loudspeakers, paratroopers embarked on large Chinook helicopters at Kandahar airfield to fly into enemy-held territory.

More in the category of "you can't make this sh*t up" from the AP:

BAGHDAD - Forget the rocket attacks, concrete blast walls and lack of a sewer system. Now try to imagine luxury hotels, a shopping center and even condos in the heart of Baghdad.

That's all part of a five-year development "dream list" — or what some dub an improbable fantasy — to transform the U.S.-protected Green Zone from a walled fortress into a centerpiece for Baghdad's future.

But the $5 billion plan has the backing of the Pentagon and apparently the interest of some deep pockets in the world of international hotels and development, the lead military liaison for the project told The Associated Press.

For Washington, the driving motivation is to create a "zone of influence" around the new $700 million U.S. Embassy to serve as a kind of high-end buffer for the compound, whose total price tag will reach about $1 billion after all the workers and offices are relocated over the next year.

"When you have $1 billion hanging out there and 1,000 employees lying around, you kind of want to know who your neighbors are. You want to influence what happens in your neighborhood over time," said Navy Capt. Thomas Karnowski, who led the team that created the development plan.

Karnowski said a deal already has been completed for Marriott International Inc. to build a hotel in the Green Zone. He also said a possible $1 billion investment could come from MBI International, a conglomerate that focuses on hotels and resorts and is led by Saudi Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber. . . .

Last week, a Los Angeles-based holding company for equity firms, C3, confirmed it was starting a $500 million project to build an amusement park on the outskirts of the Green Zone in an area encompassing the Baghdad Zoo. The first phase, a skateboard park, is scheduled to open this summer.

For more on the plans for the "Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience," which are being designed by the same company that developed Disneyland, see here, here, and here.

Dr. iRack invites you to nominate the carnival games and rides you'd like to see in this stunning new symbol of post-surge Iraq.