Some related posts from Technorati and Google.

 [Consul-At-Arms] NYT - Governors Concerned Over National Guard Deployments In Iraq: DES MOINES, July 16 - The nation's governors are expressing growing concern that the extended deployment of National Guard soldiers in Iraq is depleting troop resources at home, threatening to leave states unable to respond to the natural disasters, civil unrest and other domestic emergencies that traditionally lead governors to call out the Guard.

 [The Common Ills] Democracy Now: Damu Smith, Niger; Matthew Rothschild, Norman Solomon, Amanda Griscom Little, Lisa Graves, Bernice Powell Jackso: The money, fresh $100 bills shrink-wrapped on pallets, which filled three Blackhawk helicopters, came from oil sales under the UN's Oil for Food Programme, and had been entrusted by the UN Security Council to the Americans to be spent on behalf of the Iraqi people. The CPA didn't properly check out the courier before handing over the cash, and, as a result, according to an audit report by the CPA's inspector general, 'there was an increased risk of the loss or theft of the cash.' Paul Bremer, the American pro-consul in Baghdad until June last year, kept a slush fund of nearly $600 million cash for which there is no paperwork: $200 million of this was kept in a room in one of Saddam's former palaces, and the US soldier in charge used to keep the key to the room in his backpack, which he left on his desk when he popped out for lunch.

[Dark Bilious Vapors] Bush give world "the finger" again; in other news, dog bites man....: Today, she is calling for an immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq, leaving them....For the first three innings, at least.

[Iraqwarnews.net] Iraq War Today: NOTR's got the skinny on the Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act (USFSPA) - a lovely 1980's law, which automatically awards 50% of military retirement pay to a divorced spouse. Not the best idea from the start, in my opinion, it's rapidly showing itself to be in serious need of addressing.

[Juancole.com] Informed Comment: Now, after a second attack on London in as many weeks, which might easily have been as bad as the first, I can't help but notice (as you yourself have done) that my government's policies are putting me, my fellow Londoners and everyone else in Britain at an increased risk of falling victim to terrorists. What's worse is that in doing so they've been deliberately and repeatedly ignoring the advice of the UK's intelligence services, departmental advisers and independent experts, as well as strenuously avoiding any honest discussion of the problem, preferring to obscure the issues with self-serving mendacity.

 [Freedomstruth.blogspot.com] Liberating Iraq: Nope, I'm not going fishing, but a year after I focussed this blog on "Liberating Iraq", and a year into the sovereignty of Iraq, I need a break this summer to focus on other projects, travel and activities (aka 'my life'). My little blog hasn't turned any tide against the weak-kneed behavior of the elites in Washington and the defeatist media returns again and again, like a bad TV Land rerun.We've been kicking terrorist butt over there, day in and day out, and what we need is patience to complete the job.If you forget that We've already won, and you need a reminder of the three basic facts in Iraq, here they are.

 [Alternet.org] AlterNet: War on Iraq: The Girl Blogger from Iraq: I’m an example of a modern-day, Iraqi female who is a part of a tribe- I’ve never met our sheikh- I’ve never needed to”¦ I have a university degree, I had a job and I have a family who would sacrifice a lot to protect me”¦ and none of this hinders me from having ambition or a sense of obligation towards law and order. I also want democracy, security, and a civil, healthy society”¦ right along with the strong family bonds I'm accustomed to as an Iraqi.

 [Salon.com] Salon.com Politics: Bush settles into the first full day of his five-week vacation in Crawford, Texas, we want to be the first to wish him a happy anniversary. It was four years ago this week, also in the midst of a Crawford vacation, that Bush received the presidential daily briefing that warned, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US."

Reflected tags on Technorati: Blog, Powell, Unitednations, Iraq Reviews