Planning to put some of this [oil] money to work, the Iraqi government held a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday for a major project to refurbish the main road to the Baghdad airport. The road was once considered one of the most dangerous in the world but has become safer with the decline in violence in the country.

Iraq's prime minister said Saturday that the government has defeated terrorism in the country, a sign of growing confidence after recent crackdowns against Sunni extremists and Shiite militias.
<...>
"They were intending to besiege Baghdad and control it," al-Maliki said. "But thanks to the will of the tribes, security forces, army and all Iraqis, we defeated them."

The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program - a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium - reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.

The removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" - the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment - was a significant step toward closing the books on Saddam's nuclear legacy. It also brought relief to U.S. and Iraqi authorities who had worried the cache would reach insurgents or smugglers crossing to Iran to aid its nuclear ambitions.
<...>
The Iraqi government sold the yellowcake to a Canadian uranium producer, Cameco Corp., in a transaction the official described as worth "tens of millions of dollars." A Cameco spokesman, Lyle Krahn, declined to discuss the price, but said the yellowcake will be processed at facilities in Ontario for use in energy-producing reactors.

But that begs the question: if you had 500+ tons of nuculer material in storage in Iraq, would you tell the world?

(Via Hot Air)

I haven't got a copy, but a collectable copy of Day's out of print autobiography Return With Honor can be obtained via Amazon for $2,199.95 (+ $3.99 shipping). If you buy it, please send it to me after you're done reading it - I'll pay postage. ;)

For balance: John Kerry's out of print book The New Soldier for about 80 bucks, and Doug Brinkley's Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War for as little as 1 cent.

...two white helicopters arrived in a jungle clearing where the hostages were being held. The men in the helicopters looked like guerrillas, Betancourt later said, describing details of the rescue at the military airport.

"Absolutely surreal," she said, noting that some of the men who got off the helicopter wore T-shirts emblazoned with the iconic image of the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. "I thought this was the FARC," she said.

Video of the rescue:

The treadmill is always my last stop. I run outdoors, of course, but I like to do speedwork on a treadmill - it keeps me honest, and I live in flat country so the machine provides my only hills, too. Although I can't do quarter miles at what used to be my one-mile speed I think my half dozen sub-six minute/mile reps (with recovery jogs) are respectable for a man of middle age and limited time. I know it helps keep me lean, I like to believe it helps keep me young.

So I'm standing on the machine getting ready to start, plugging my mp3 player into my ears (I think this tune sets a good workout rhythm, if I say so myself...) when I glance up at the bank of televisions on the wall above me. (Did I say gym? I meant Fitness Center, and the one I'm standing in is barely a year old. It ain't your father's army post...)

The TV above me is tuned to CNN, but the sound is turned down. On the screen I see the unmistakable face of Colonel Bud Day, USAF (ret). I thought that was a remarkable coincidence - I'd just written about Col Day at MilBlogs. In an odd bit of synchronicity, this long time friend (and former cellmate) of John McCain had been the first commander of a unit in Vietnam that would later be briefly led by then-Major Merrill McPeak, who as co-chair of the Barack Obama campaign had made weekend news by spouting catty remarks about John McCain's weight.

For those who wouldn't recognize America's most decorated living veteran CNN provided his name in a caption - albeit without identifying him as such. There was only one thing CNN wanted the viewer to know about Bud Day - that was made clear in the frame around the video. The one thing CNN wanted Americans to know about Bud Day was that he was a member of the Swiftboat Veterans.

I made a mental note to check out why CNN was featuring Bud Day later. Then I pushed play, hit the quick start button, and cranked up the speed.

"Suckers one and all."

The best quote of the event comes from MNF-I Command Sergeant Major Marvin Hill: "I'll always remember the message you've sent to the adversary: the same guys and girls who've been kicking your butt for the past five years signed up for some more."

More video below. Don't miss it!

"He will, of course, not rely on some plan that he’s crafted as a presidential candidate or a U.S. Senator," she said at one point in the interview.

Power downplayed Obama's commitment to quick withdrawal from Iraq on Hard Talk, a program that often exceeds any of the U.S. talk shows in the rigor of its grillings. She was challenged on Obama's Iraq plan, as it appears on his website, which says that Obama "will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months."

"What he’s actually said, after meting with the generals and meeting with intelligence professionals, is that you – at best case scenario – will be able to withdraw one to two combat brigades each month. That’s what they’re telling him. He will revisit it when he becomes president," Power says.

But soon it might be conventional wisdom.

If so it will be interesting to see the media - and those who support Obama primarily for his firm pledge to withdraw troops from Iraq - respond.

I'd like to see the 180 - I suspect we'd be seeing a lot more coverage of progress in Iraq after that. But if he were elected I'm not sure how well he'd hold up - meaning how long that stay the course plan (albeit with a different, more nuanced name) would last - after the first high casualty suicide bombing of his as-yet hypothetical term.

Update: Clarity!

You may have read recent news reports that suggest I have modified my position regarding the redeployment of American military personnel in Iraq. Unfortunately, these reports have been the source of much confusion and anxiety among the millions of voters who have supported my campaign, and I would like to take this opportunity to address their concerns.

And more, from Lt Nixon: "As one voter, I'm willing to give Obama a pass on all the misguided policies for Iraq he proposed earlier in his campaign, now that the reality has changed. Expect me to be in the minority."

Meanwhile, an early Left react at Daily Kos:

Americans Prefer Candidates Strong On Science

A new poll conducted by Scientists and Engineers for America indicates an overwhelming majority of voters prefer candidates who support research into science and technology, with emphasis on the three E's: education, environment, and energy.

...before handing it off to some members of the 82nd Airborne with their version from Iraq.

I can't argue against that. But in some instances the details they claim aren't available actually are - if you know where to look.