When last we meet Mr. Calvan he was blogging on what he thought was essential knowledge for U.S. Soldiers in Iraq, namely the ability to identify employees of major newspaper chains. When people took issue with Mr. Calvan’s priorities and people skills, he removed most of the post and eventually his entire blog.

Well, Bobby’s back and he’s kinda sorta sorry and humbled:

Consider this my apology.

Overwhelmed by the e-mails, many of them vitriolic, I initially edited the post, then blocked further comments. Finally, I took down the site. Unfortunately, my actions were yet another faux pas, I was told; I should have left up the post and created a new one to share my reactions and issue an apology.

Yes, I am getting well-deserved criticism. But surprisingly, not all of the subsequent e-mails I got were vitriolic. Some were thoughtful. A few gave good advice.

There are many fine men and women serving in Iraq. There is no doubt about that. I’ve spoken to quite a few of them in my brief time in Baghdad. They have done their best to help many of us do our jobs. It is an environment that is extremely stressful and challenging.

The soldier at the checkpoint to whom I referred to in my earlier blog was doing his job. That much I do know. I was trying to do mine. In the end, he let me and my security guy in — after rightly taking the necessary steps to verify our identities.

For that I should have been thankful. My blog should not have upbraided the soldier. My personal reflections — ramblings, if you will — about the incident should have been kept private.

Perhaps any future incarnation of this blog should be private, too.

It seems he more sorry for getting caught and breaking blogging etiquette than acting like a self-important jackass but whatever. He's also put back the post and comments that started it all but given the fact that docweasel and others had them all along, Bobby doesn't too much credit for that.

I hope I can now go back to never thinking about Mr. Bobby Caina Calvan…Star Reporter for McClatchy News.

I know I should let this go but this guy just bugs the shit out of me. He says in his apology, “The soldier at the checkpoint to whom I referred to in my earlier blog was doing his job. That much I do know. I was trying to do mine.” Really, not so much. According to the original post:

Most of my entries into the Green Zone had been by car. I was running late to cover a news conference (because one of my security folks was late for work), and we decided to take a short cut through the Green Zone, instead of driving all the way around to get to the Iraqi foreign minister’s office. We had no trouble getting in. (Read the story here.)

We parked the car, and I headed out of the Green Zone (along with one member of my security staff) to attend the news conference. Getting out is seldom ever a problem.

When the news conference was over, we headed back.

That’s when trouble started.

So Bobby and his security guys parked in the Green Zone as a connivance while attending a meeting outside the Zone itself and then had trouble getting back in to get to his parking space. Is that ‘doing his job’? Bobby makes it sound as if he had to take on the Soldier to get a hot story and uphold the 1st Amendment. In reality he just wanted to get back to his car as quickly as possible and this soldier had the temerity to interfere with Bobby Caina Calvan’s ability to do that! For that unforgivable offense he had to be hassled and mocked.

Whatever Bobby, whatever.

Posted by: DrewM. at 08:33 PM | Comments (50)
Post contains 649 words, total size 4 kb.

When last we meet Mr. Calvan he was blogging on what he thought was essential knowledge for U.S. Soldiers in Iraq, namely the ability to identify employees of major newspaper chains. When people took issue with Mr. CalvanÂ’s priorities and people skills, he removed most of the post and eventually his entire blog.

Well, BobbyÂ’s back and heÂ’s kinda sorta sorry and humbled:

Consider this my apology.

Overwhelmed by the e-mails, many of them vitriolic, I initially edited the post, then blocked further comments. Finally, I took down the site. Unfortunately, my actions were yet another faux pas, I was told; I should have left up the post and created a new one to share my reactions and issue an apology.

Yes, I am getting well-deserved criticism. But surprisingly, not all of the subsequent e-mails I got were vitriolic. Some were thoughtful. A few gave good advice.

There are many fine men and women serving in Iraq. There is no doubt about that. IÂ’ve spoken to quite a few of them in my brief time in Baghdad. They have done their best to help many of us do our jobs. It is an environment that is extremely stressful and challenging.

The soldier at the checkpoint to whom I referred to in my earlier blog was doing his job. That much I do know. I was trying to do mine. In the end, he let me and my security guy in — after rightly taking the necessary steps to verify our identities.

For that I should have been thankful. My blog should not have upbraided the soldier. My personal reflections — ramblings, if you will — about the incident should have been kept private.

Perhaps any future incarnation of this blog should be private, too.

It seems he more sorry for getting caught and breaking blogging etiquette than acting like a self-important jackass but whatever. He's also put back the post and comments that started it all but given the fact that docweasel and others had them all along, Bobby doesn't too much credit for that.

I hope I can now go back to never thinking about Mr. Bobby Caina CalvanÂ…Star Reporter for McClatchy News.

I know I should let this go but this guy just bugs the shit out of me. He says in his apology, “The soldier at the checkpoint to whom I referred to in my earlier blog was doing his job. That much I do know. I was trying to do mine.” Really, not so much. According to the original post:

Most of my entries into the Green Zone had been by car. I was running late to cover a news conference (because one of my security folks was late for work), and we decided to take a short cut through the Green Zone, instead of driving all the way around to get to the Iraqi foreign ministerÂ’s office. We had no trouble getting in. (Read the story here.)

We parked the car, and I headed out of the Green Zone (along with one member of my security staff) to attend the news conference. Getting out is seldom ever a problem.

When the news conference was over, we headed back.

ThatÂ’s when trouble started.

So Bobby and his security guys parked in the Green Zone as a connivance while attending a meeting outside the Zone itself and then had trouble getting back in to get to his parking space. Is that ‘doing his job’? Bobby makes it sound as if he had to take on the Soldier to get a hot story and uphold the 1st Amendment. In reality he just wanted to get back to his car as quickly as possible and this soldier had the temerity to interfere with Bobby Caina Calvan’s ability to do that! For that unforgivable offense he had to be hassled and mocked.

Whatever Bobby, whatever.

Posted by: DrewM at 08:33 PM | Comments (51)
Post contains 653 words, total size 4 kb.

This idea strikes me more as a way to get women to take their underwear off (a noble goal in and of itself to be sure) or a college prank than a plan to bring freedom to a country but what the hell, itÂ’s worth a shot.

A campaign is underway to chastise Myanmar's military regime, not through dialogue or sanctions, but by flooding the country's foreign embassies with women's underwear, an activist said Thursday.

A pro-democracy group based in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai is urging people all over the world to "post, deliver or fling" their undergarments to Myanmar's international embassies.

"The Burma military regime is not only brutal but very superstitious. They believe that contact with a woman's panties or sarong can rob them of their power," the Lanna Action for Burma group said on its website.

Singer Tom Jones could not be reached for comment.

Posted by: DrewM. at 07:20 PM | Comments (20)
Post contains 157 words, total size 1 kb.

That's a quarter-pounder with cheese, in Dieppe.

Commissioner Stern says half his refs violated league gambling policies.

But will not punish, because the rules are outdated.

Fine (no pun intended).

If the rules are from the mists of antiquity, and no longer serve the common basketball good, erase them from the books. Erase I say.

Little quibble.

While the outdated and antiquated rules were on the books, the refs were aware of them, no?

Cause I'm thinking in light of the Donaghy plea that'd be a, what's the expression I'm looking for?

a big deal.

Yeah, that's the expression.

Posted by: Dave In Texas at 06:18 PM | Comments (15)
Post contains 103 words, total size 1 kb.

The singer's doing some kind of syncopated rap thing or something, but still kinda cute. The band is "Crunchy Frog."

Thanks to raff.

Posted by: Ace at 05:32 PM | Comments (27)
Post contains 29 words, total size 1 kb.

I thought I needed to include the honorific or else Ron Paul's Undead Army would get angry.

Not an earth-shaking story, but interesting. Doctor Paul's brand of conspiratorial resentment demagoguery does seem to attract those who wallow in conspiratorial resentment. Truthers, Nazis, those who never shut the fuck up about the Trilateral Commission -- all are welcome aboard Captain Ron's Ship of Crazy.

It got so bad at RedState, with "MoRons" robotically writing "go ron go" every other post, they had to ban all "Ron Paul pimping," except by those commenters grandfathered in by long-time association with the site.

Representative email from Doctor Ron's supporters: "I smell Hebrews [behind this decision]."

Meh. I don't completely buy that a candidate isn't responsible for his supporters. If a campaign attracts so many malcontents, racists, anti-semites, paranoids, America-haters, conspiracy-mongers, and political pornographers, well, I assume there's a reason for this grand crossing-the-streams of weirdness.

Thanks to Rightwingsparkle and, I think, someone.

Maybe... they can get these guys aboard the Freak-Train while they're at it.

Posted by: Ace at 04:46 PM | Comments (31)
Post contains 187 words, total size 2 kb.

Is that how you spell "bloodies"?

It's a weird word. I'm a goofball.

A superficially changed bill, with the same flaws.

Nancy pushes it through again, taking advantage of 10 representatives returning to California, 8 of whom are Republicans.

They could delay the vote for two weeks to run some attack ads. But not to allow for representatives who returned to California in the wake of the fires.

Still not veto-proof. Picked up no Republican votes.

265-142 today. Last week's veto-override vote was 273-156.

Fuck em. Let's see Bush's veto pen again.

It is a rare sighting.

*full disclosure. I hate the children*

Posted by: Dave In Texas at 04:44 PM | Comments (20)
Post contains 119 words, total size 1 kb.

I'm sure Andrew Sulivan, T-Bogg, Amanda Marcotte, DKos, etc., are all over this story, rather than squandering their talents on the distraction of l'affaire Beauchamp.

U.S. combat troop deaths and other violence in Iraq are down significantly in some of the most dangerous places of insurgent activity, including Al Anbar province, military officials in Washington and Baghdad said Wednesday.

Maybe most significant was that last week there was not a single military casualty — Iraqi or U.S. — in Anbar, said Maj. Gen. Richard Sherlock, a Joint Chiefs spokesman. It is apparently the first time since March 2003 that could be said.

...

The numbers might be the most positive sign yet of progress against insurgent activity since January.

Sherlock also listed several other statistics that he said showed terrorist activity is decreasing:

— Violence in and around Baghdad is down 59 percent.

— Car bombs are down 65 percent.

— Casualties from car bombs and roadside bombs are down by 80 percent.

— Casualties from enemy attacks down 77 percent.

— Operations against Iraqi security forces are down 62 percent.

— Assassination attempts for sectarian reasons are down 72 percent.

...

Earlier Wednesday Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, and Iraqi Gen. Abud Qanbar briefed reporters from Baghdad, also showing violence decreasing since the surge peak.

Odierno said that with the decrease in violence, he expected the U.S. military to be able to hand over 40 to 50 percent of operations to the Iraqis by the end of 2008.

"We are anxious for them to take over full responsibility as they are anxious to take full responsibility," Odierno said.

"You will see steady progress over the next 12 months of us turning large portions of Baghdad (over) to Iraqi security forces as we continue to have success. I think it will be somewhere between 40 and 50 percent by the end of the year," he said.

He added he "doesn't have a crystal ball" but this is the plan.

"The terrorist operations have decreased to their lowest levels," Qanbar said.

Obsidan Wings and other liberal blogs were whining that they didn't want to cover Beauchamp anymore.

Well, here's the thing: You guys don't cover the news, you cover right wing bloggers, so tough shit, what we're covering, you have to cover. It's your model of "covering the news," not mine. I didn't get into blogging to document what some douchebag typed into a computer. (Well, technically, I did get into blogging partly for that reason, but I've evolved.)

But, in case you find yourself so overwhelmed by Beauchamp coverage and aren't sure what the "real issues" might be, the "real issues" you're so eager to write about: You might want to consider finally acknowledging the remarkable turnaround in Iraq at some point.

Or will you just continue in your Community-Based Reality in which none of these horrible facts are true?

Posted by: Ace at 03:04 PM | Comments (100)
Post contains 530 words, total size 3 kb.

From NRO.

He gains 8% when asked whom Republicans would like to see President in a crisis.

Fred loses six.

Generally it's Rudy 31%, Fred 17, McCain 12, Romney 7.

When asked specifically about a crisis situation, it's Rudy 39%, McCain 12, Fred 11, Romney 3.

I suppose that's not terribly surprising. After all, Republicans are giving Giuliani serious consideration due to his positions on guns, gay marriage, and abortion.

More [Gabe]: Question 19 will ring your bell. 24% of Republican respondents think that Giuliani "speaks most clearly for what Republicans believe." McCain came next with 18%; Thompson with 13%; and Romney with 8%.

Posted by: Ace at 02:55 PM | Comments (39)
Post contains 128 words, total size 1 kb.

What?

For this sort of action, I'm guessing that George W. Bush had to be in on the loop at some point. Assuming we had him in our sights for a fairly long time (which seems implied by the article).

And he didn't give the order? Or immediately write out pre-emptive pardons for all soldiers who might be worried about prosecutions later?

I'm afraid I'm going to need some goddamned answers on this one, buddy.

Col. David Hunt rips this "criminal" incompetence:

Our men and women are being blown up and killed every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every family who is separated from a loved one during this war is being insulted by our government when they fail to kill those who have already killed us and will not hesitate to do so again and again. Damn it guys, PULL THE DAMN TRIGGER.

It's Old? Dan Riehl notes this was all covered in the blogosphere in August.

That's good to know. It's still, I think, an important article that deserves to be "re-broken," as it were, but I'm glad for Dan for informing me of this -- because I thought I remembered a previous story like this, and I'm glad to know that, at least, we have only one example of letting ObL (probably) go on living rather than two.

It should also be noted that there was a "70%" chance this was bin Ladin, which Hunt says is an intelligence touchdown with two-point conversion, but I sorta think he's already dead -- and I'm a bit dubious when intelligence keeps telling me that obviously-old videos are proof of current life.

Posted by: Ace at 01:58 PM | Comments (48)
Post contains 288 words, total size 2 kb.