The Cable Guy
In an Afghan version of the chicken-or-egg question, cables by U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry leaked today urged President Obama to continue to delay a decision to deploy more t

At Our Worst
It is my sincere hope that before I die the American media will present me with a national tragedy that horrifies and saddens me on its own merits, unaided by horrifying and saddening press coverage. From what I've seen of the reports and analysis of the shooting at Ft. Hood, it looks like I will die disappointed.

Watchmen: Moral Outrage as Marketing
Like luncheon meat, sometimes it's best if we don't know how news is made, and that's especially true of the Sunday political talk shows. A case in point was Jon Krakauer's plug for his book Where Men Win Glory at the end of NBC's Meet the Press yesterday. The appearance was justified by the fact th

Sleep Safe
I don't usually fall for this kind of stuff, but this particular story got to me, maybe because I've been gone for three months now and am starting to feel my separation from my kids. The Afghan girl in the picture was shot in the head when her entire family was executed by insurgents. She was treated in a coalition hospital, wher

Reason to Quit?
Matthew Hoh's resignation from the State Department is a great story. A Marine hero scarred by the Iraq war becomes a government aid worker in Afghanistan and finds nothing but greater disappointment. His letter of resignation is an eloquent testimony to the power of his convictions. I only wish the reasons behind those convictions--the reasons that he ended his career in the Foreign Service--made more sense.Hoh is convincing on the human toll of the war, but in my opinion there are holes in his analysis of the regional security situation and the nature of the insurgent and