THE NORTH

It seems to me that this is where the real weakness is. We don’t have enough troops or materiel yet, thanks to the Turks. And if the Turks start anything, we could have a nightmare response from the Kurds. So far, so good. But unless we get major troops in there soon, we’re at real risk of things getting out of control. That’s why telling the Turks to cool it is probably the most important message we can send out right now. Sources reiterate to me that the sand-storms are our friend. We’re a little ahead of ourselves. Anything that can keep them in the dark while allowing us some rest and reinforcement can only be for the good. Meanwhile, I can’t help feeling that the Iraqi war crimes are only hardening morale and nerve at home.

COME, FRIENDLY BOMBS: From Kanan Makiya’s latest war diary: “”I have friends and relatives in Baghdad … But still those bombs are music to my ears.”