Sticky Bombs in Baghdad

The latest in the ever escalating battle of wits between the insurgent's ingenuity against the US military appears to be the increasing usage of "sticky" bombs. No, not those grenades from Halo.

The so-called "sticky" improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, can be quickly tucked under a car bumper, and held in place by magnets. Which means any vehicle in Iraq can now be turned into a car bomb, or an assassination tool. The driver often has no idea of the deadly modifications to his vehicle. Which makes stopping the bombs that much tougher.

Read more here.

For Sale: Saddam's Yacht

The Iraqi government is selling what used to Saddam Hussein's yacht. In addition to cup holders and reclining seats, this boat comes loaded with some additional features:

The 270-foot pleasure boat, expected to fetch $30 million, has gold-tap bathrooms, a mini-operating theater, a helicopter landing pad, and a secret escape passageway, according to a report from the British Sunday Times.

Oh yea, and bulletproof glass and storage for surface-to-air missiles for when those dang seagulls keep interrupting your picnic on the deck.

[Via]

INTERVIEW: BUSH GIVES UP GOLF (!) TO HONOR SOLDIERS

Giving up golf is how President Bush honors the sacrifice of US soldiers in Iraq as he stated in a recent interview with Politico and Yahoo News:

“I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” he said. “I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal.”

Bush said he made that decision after the August 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which killed Sergio Vieira de Mello, the top U.N. official in Iraq and the organization’s high commissioner for human rights.

What an asshole.

Read more here and full transcript here.

SEN. MCCAIN'S FRIENDLY IRAQI NEIGHBORHOOD

Last week, channeling his inner Mr. Rogers (RIP), Senator and Presidential hopeful John McCain--trying to put a positive spin to put it lightly on the violence in Iraq--stated that things in Iraq are safer than the biased and liberal MSM makes it out to be:

On Monday morning's Bill Bennett's Morning in America radio show, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) said that there were parts of Baghdad where he and the host could go for a walk.

"There are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods, today," he said, when asked to highlight something positive about what American forces have been able to accomplish in Iraq.

And what about that recent leisurely stroll McCain took in Iraq to demonstrate his point that some parts of Iraq are no different than Main Street, USA ?  Oh, along with reporters obviously, he was also accompanied by:

100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters, and two Apache gunships overhead.

The man ROLLS DEEP.  That's quite an entourage.  And along with the bulletproof vest he was wearing, even 50 Cent was impressed.