The Iraqis have, you know, have invited us to be there. But they share a goal with us, which is to get our combat troops out as conditions permit. Matter of fact, that’s what we’re doing.
~ President Bush
That, we think, would be the right timeframe for withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes. Of course, this is by no means an election endorsement.
~ Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, on Senator Obama’s idea for a time table
While the Prime Minister has claimed it is not an election endorsement and that something was lost in translation, his spokesperson, Ali al-Dabbagh said:
We can’t give any schedules or dates, but the Iraqi government sees the suitable date for withdrawal of the U.S. forces is by the end of 2010.
In related news, a prominent GOP strategist who “occasionally provides advice” to the McCain campaign, on al-Malaki’s statement supporting Obama’s troop withdrawal plan had this to say:
I just realized that it’s been over a month since I’ve done one of these posts, so I wanted to get another post of music samples up.
The first is from one of my long-time favorite bands, Death Cab for Cutie. Their new album, Narrow Stairs was recently released, and I think it’s a worthy successor to their previous efforts. I am pretty sure that this record will be on my year’s best-of list. Here’s a sample from their recent single, “Cath.”
Death Cab for Cutie - “Cath” from Narrow Stairs
The second track is from a new discovery in the alt-country world. Fleet Foxes hail from Seattle and have garnered a nice following since their debut LP was released this year. The harmonizations on their vocals are gorgeous. I am positive this record will be in my top 10.
Fleet Foxes - “White Winter Hymnal” from Fleet Foxes
Last, but not least is a sample from the Soundtrack for the film, Once. The film is a modern musical in which the songs were all written by the two starring actors, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. The duo have been touring as The Swell Season, and unfortunately, I missed them when they were in my neighborhood.
Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová - “When Your Mind’s Made Up” from the Once Soundtrack
This weekend we decided to remove the weeds from our flower bed. While not technically weeds, the plants we removed had overrun everything and had to go. It was a lot of work and it’s been really hot out, but it looks a lot better. Here’s a gallery of the project.
You may have noticed an extra button at the top of the blog called “Tumblr.” This is a page that pulls the info from my Tumblr page. I mentioned this awhile ago, but Tumblr is a service where I post links that I find interesting.
Also, I’ve built a photoblog over at vassego.com. I may try to figure out how to get those posts pulled here as well, but for now, it will remain an independent site.
Take some time to check them out please. Danke schoen.
Update: I’ve changed the URI of my Tumblr to tumbl.brandonhirsch.com. The link is above.
Washington experienced an incredible tragedy this week. A lovely 22 year-old young woman was run over by a garbage truck while riding her bike. I know that cyclists may often not deserve the respect they expect, but tragedies like this remind all of us that taking out your frustration on a bike with a 2,000+ pound vehicle can end horribly wrong. It is my hope that the driver won’t be let off with the ridiculous excuse of “She was in my blind spot,” but from what I understand of DC Police’s history of cyclist deaths, I shouldn’t hold my breath.
Please show cyclists some respect and give us space. Thank you.
New York Times Editorialist Bob Herbert had a great column recently on the Iraq War. He mentions the relatively non-existent sacrifices that Americans have made and how this only hurts those serving, because it diminishes the effect of the war that is felt at home.
The crux of Herbert’s piece is to bring to light a recent study on the mental state of returning soldiers that was published by the RAND Corporation.
The study found that approximately 300,000 individuals who served in Iraq or Afghanistan are currently suffering from P.T.S.D. or depression, and that 320,000 have most likely experienced a traumatic brain injury.
I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment of Herbert’s:
Support the troops? Too often that’s an empty slogan. Flag waving and bumper-sticker patriotism don’t add up to much when there are many thousands of G.I.’s in need of first-class care who are not getting it.
However one feels about the nation’s war policies, we have an ironclad obligation to look out for the short- and long-term needs of the troops we send off to combat. In the absence of any general call for sacrifice, it’s the least we can do.
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