Metro Spirit national security blog

-- President Bush to the Washington Post.

Reset. Right, like when you're playing Duck Hunt on the old Nintendo, and you miss too many times and the dog laughs at you. (Struggling for a Cheney joke.)

Some undercurrents:

LA Times: "A once-prominent Iraqi American, jailed on corruption charges, was sprung from a Green Zone prison this weekend by U.S. security contractors he had hired..."

There have been no suggestions that American officials had a role in [the] escape Sunday afternoon. But the B-movie scenario of a rich businessman hiring armed muscle to bust himself out of jail from inside the fortress-like, U.S.-protected enclave could further contribute to Iraq's image of instability and lawlessness. The flamboyant former government minister's arrest and prosecution were held up by Iraqi and U.S. officials as a rare example of good government prevailing in the new Iraq.

AZ Star: "Tucson military recruiters ran cocaine"

In one case not mentioned in the plea agreement, [a Nat'l Guardsman] is said to have recruited a Nogales woman named Leslie Hildago, then in her early 20s, to join the drug ring after he had recruited her to join the National Guard.

Iraqslogger: "Jihadists Read, Mock New U.S. Army Guide"

Notable Arabic-language comments from readers of the Tajdeed posting include "Bless you, you who have broken the U.S. and its military and made it resort to booklets." Also: "The Pentagon is distributing the booklet to save whatever is left of it!," referring to the U.S. military.