Of Note

The NY Daily News asked Michael J Totten to wrote a short piece on whether or not he thought the surge was working. His response...

While American politicians bicker among themselves from eight time zones away about whether the surge led by Gen. David Petraeus is working or not, I returned to Iraq to see for myself.

This trip - from which I returned this month - was my fourth reporting stint in the country since the conflict began. And this time, what I saw was overwhelming, undeniable and, like it or not, complicated: In some places, the surge is working remarkably well. In others, it is not. And the only way we will know for sure whether the tide can be turned is to continue the policy and wait.

I know that's not what many Americans and politicians want to hear, but it's the truth.

Take some time today to read the column in its entirety.

Of Note

Michael J. Totten has post up detailing an intelligence gathering session he was privy to in Iraq.
It does a great job of pointing out the difference between cultures:

"This is how soldiers spend most of their time when they gather intelligence on terrorists and insurgents in Iraq. Not until the very end of the meeting, which is almost strictly social and takes many hours, does anyone get down to business. Jumping right in with a list of intelligence questions is considered the height or rudeness except in extreme or unusual circumstances."

Take some time today to read the whole story.