Veterans, Others Denounce Marchers  —  Counter-Demonstrators Number in Thousands  —  As war protesters marched toward Arlington Memorial Bridge en route to the Pentagon yesterday, they were flanked by long lines of military veterans and others who stood in solidarity with U.S. troops and the Bush administration's cause in Iraq.

4 Years After Start of War, Anger Reigns  —  Demonstrators Brave Cold to Carry Message to Pentagon, as Counter-Protesters Battle Back  —  Thousands of demonstrators protesting the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq marched on the Pentagon yesterday, jeered along the way by large numbers of angry counter-protesters.

Sunni Militants Disrupt Plan to Calm Baghdad  —  In January, when President Bush announced his plans to reinforce American troops in Baghdad, Shiite militias were seen as the main worry.  Some analysts predicted that bloody clashes with Shiite militants in the Sadr City district in northeastern Baghdad were all but inevitable.

One thing al-Qaeda excels at; making new enemies.  —  With this series of dirty chemical bombings a war between al-Qaeda and the tribes in Anbar is no longer a possibility.  It just became a fact.  —  I've read at least two very optimistic reports from al-Almada in the last week …

The paradox of Iraqi optimism  —  The Times of London has written a short article about a poll taken of Iraqis.  A couple of its findings are quite interesting: … Commentary  —  Iraqis seem to believe both that the "surge" is working and that security will improve still further after a withdrawal of the foreign armies.