War Games Should Include Media, Civilians

Our playlists are for running; soldiers' are for shooting—or relaxing

(NEWSER) - Thanks to iPods, the Iraq war has a soundtrack—and it’s different for each soldier, writes Jonathan Pieslak in his new book, Sound Targets. “People can put nanos in their flak jackets and they are ready to go,” Pieslak tells the New York Post, and CDs are popular in care packages or on the black market. And though soldiers might look uniform, their taste in music is anything but. More»

Interest wanes as news shifts from fighting to rebuilding

(NEWSER) - As Iraq stabilizes itself, withdrawals have finally begun—for the media. Journalists have left Iraq in droves this year, the Washington Post reports. Last September, military units hosted 219 embedded journalists; this month, that number shrunk to 39. Of the dozen newspapers that once maintained Baghdad bureaus, only 4 remain. “Everyone realizes it's an important story,” said one correspondent. “But it’s been six years of this.” More»

(NEWSER) - With Congress and the president now officially at war over Iraq, all parties scrambled yesterday to gear up for the coming firefight. The President promised to veto the spending bill with troop withdrawal deadlines attached, seeming to relish the fight ahead. Tthe newly aggressive and unified Democrats, notes the New York Times, seemed surprised at their own success at pushing for an exit strategy after years of wishy-washiness. More»

"This was an attempt to dupe the public and to promote this war."

(NEWSER) - Congress should investigate the Army's cover-up of Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death, his mother told ESPN Radio yesterday. A military inquiry concluded Monday that nine high-ranking military officials would face "corrective action," not criminal charges, for their role in claiming Tillman was killed by enemy fire long after they knew otherwise. More»

Iraq vote may not have been anomaly

(NEWSER) - Hillary may be more hawkish than liberal supporters realize, Michael Crowley concludes after a lengthy look at the senator's history. Many assume she supported the Iraq war to look tough and won’t back down to avoid the label of flip-flopper. But long before 9/11, she was scornful of those who support military action only in easily winnable, "splendid little wars." More»