While everyone has been focused on New Hampshire, US and Iraqi forces have gone on the offensive again against the terrorists.

With the success of The Anbar Awakening keeping things quiet out west and the security situation continuing to improve in Baghdad, Diayalah Province is next.

While there were three US deaths yesterday, overall coalition forces are meeting less resistance than expected. But that hasnÂ’t stopped them from helping 20-30 bad guys find out if those virgins are everything they supposed to be.

Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling told reporters in Baghdad that in his area of control alone, 24,000 American troops, 50,000 members of the Iraq army and 80,000 Iraqi police were taking part in the offensive against al-Qaida in Iraq.

Diyala province northeast of Baghdad has not seen the same drop in violence that other parts of the nation have witnessed in the last six months. Commanders say that is because insurgents who were pushed out of Anbar province to the west and out of Baghdad fled north into Hertling's territory, specifically into Diyala.

"We're attempting to increase the tempo of operations in that specific province," Hertling said. "There are more U.S. and Iraqi security forces in Diyala now than there ever has been."

ItÂ’s not over by a long shot in Iraq but itÂ’s pretty clear who has the momentum.

Posted by: DrewM. at 08:17 AM | Comments (6)
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Looks like Fred is really starting it push for the NASCAR* vote, check out the new graphics on his pickup.

*Well at least the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series vote, which, for those of you with all your teeth, is sort of the AA minor league of NASCAR.

Posted by: Open Blog at 07:16 AM | Comments (10)
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Or somethin' to that effect. Totten has a new article up, required reading as usual.

This article is chock full of tasty quotes:

According to the conventional wisdom, Al Qaeda makes up only a very small part of Iraq’s insurgency. Maybe that’s true, overall. But I have not been able to find a single person on the ground in Western Iraq – not American, and not Iraqi – who says anyone other than Al Qaeda has played a significant role in the insurgency.

Mmmm, please sir can I have some more:

They have to be careful when they talk about politics even indirectly. One mid-level officer, whom I shouldn’t name so I won’t get him in trouble, strongly recommended that I read Fiasco by Thomas Ricks. “Especially make sure you read the chapter called How to Create an Insurgency,” he said. “Ricks gets it exactly right in that chapter. But you can’t quote me by name saying that because it’s another way of saying the insurgency is Paul Bremer’s fault. And Bremer outranks me.”

It is like a party in my mouth and everyone is invited:

Every mosque in the Fallujah area – and there are more than 200 of them – broadcast pro-American messages from minaret loudspeakers. The messages inside the walls are as pro-American as the ones outside. The Marines have fluent Arabic-speakers listening in so they can keep their ears close to the ground of public opinion. If the mosques turn against Americans again, the Marines need to know.

Oh I am so full I can't eat another bite...OK if you insist:

“The presence of American forces here proves that there is an Al Qaeda presence in this country,” Omar said. “This is why the American forces are here. Their purpose here is to fight the Al Qaeda organization. If the Americans want to accomplish any future missions, they need to support the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police with weapons and money and other things. Just get us so we can stand and fight side by side and accomplish our missions for the Iraqi lands. The more equipment you give us, and the more people you can get enlisted in the Iraqi Army, the more support you will have from our side.”

Posted by: Open Blog at 06:39 AM | Comments (33)
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Dan Riehl notes over the last week of polling, the polls that put Hillary behind only had her behind by a trifle and a couple of polls even put her ahead.

As he says, the facts were there, they were just ignored by all (including, ummm, me) in favor of The Narrative.

Posted by: Ace at 09:46 PM | Comments (46)
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Here's a nice story. A jerk TV presenter made fun of the uproar in Britain when the personal information of over 25 million people was lost in the mail. He printed his own bank information in his newspaper column to prove it was safe. You can guess what happened next, but I think he got off lightly.

"I opened my bank statement this morning to find out that someone has set up a direct debit which automatically takes £500 from my account," he said.

"The bank cannot find out who did this because of the Data Protection Act and they cannot stop it from happening again.

"I was wrong and I have been punished for my mistake."

The money was direct deposited to the charity Diabetes UK.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 08:49 PM | Comments (7)
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iPhone commercial from David Lynch.

Over at Blowing Smoke.

Posted by: LauraW. at 08:07 PM | Comments (8)
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As promised, something more to help buck up your spirits (those that need bucking up, I mean).

I picked these the other day when I was feeling a bit Lost about the campaign. DrewM. already approved them. more...

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 08:07 PM | Comments (16)
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I didn't watch it, truth be told. But Geraghty calls it one of his best ever and even terms it "Churchillian."

Key quote:

"The history of the world will not be determined by this unpardonable foe, but by the courage of free peoples. In this historic task, we will never surrender. They will."

Well, there is that, of course. Silver-lining and bright-side and glasses half-full and all that.

Posted by: Ace at 07:52 PM | Comments (25)
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AP Just Called It For Hillary. The Comeback Queen!!

Whoo-hoo!

Hillary Still the AoS Projected Winner. Now 7000 or so votes ahead with Obama's remaining bastions having to seriously overperform for him if he's to have a shot.

Western, Vermontish, ultraliberal NH will not help Hillary. Those towns are going for Obama but not by as much as the exit polls suggested.

Thanks for the latter to DrewM.

Dartmouth, Dartmouth, Dartmouth: Hanover has yet to report. 6000 people voted where they expected only 4000. This precinct alone could wipe out Hillary's thin 3000 vote lead.

Other college towns haven't reported yet, either.

The Ace of Spades Decision Desk is considering taking back its projection at this point. Though it should be noted that Hillary has re-opened a 4% lead with almost 50% off the vote in.

I don't know what the hell I'm talking about... but given the fact that the New Hampshire population is relatively homogeneous, really, the only thing that can lose this for Hillary is big college towns coming in gangbusters for Hillary.

But I don't think that'll be huge. Does New Hampshire even have colleges? I think they have some professional deer-butcher academies. I guess those count as colleges.

So I'm calling it: Hillary gets the win. more...

Posted by: Ace at 07:40 PM | Comments (234)
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AP Just Called It For Hillary. The Comeback Queen!!

Whoo-hoo!

Hillary Still the AoS Projected Winner. Now 7000 or so votes ahead with Obama's remaining bastions having to seriously overperform for him if he's to have a shot.

Western, Vermontish, ultraliberal NH will not help Hillary. Those towns are going for Obama but not by as much as the exit polls suggested.

Thanks for the latter to DrewM.

Dartmouth, Dartmouth, Dartmouth: Hanover has yet to report. 6000 people voted where they expected only 4000. This precinct alone could wipe out Hillary's thin 3000 vote lead.

Other college towns haven't reported yet, either.

The Ace of Spades Decision Desk is considering taking back its projection at this point. Though it should be noted that Hillary has re-opened a 4% lead with almost 50% off the vote in.

I don't know what the hell I'm talking about... but given the fact that the New Hampshire population is relatively homogeneous, really, the only thing that can lose this for Hillary is big college towns coming in gangbusters for Hillary.

But I don't think that'll be huge. Does New Hampshire even have colleges? I think they have some professional deer-butcher academies. I guess those count as colleges.

So I'm calling it: Hillary gets the win. more...

Posted by: Ace at 07:40 PM | Comments (234)
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