Colonel Davis, for example, disputes the testimony of General Petraeus that progress is significant but fragile.  Davis' 86 page report released to members of Congress was daring given his active status.  He has risked much, and, of course, for his trouble, he is getting some  trouble what with an investigation by the Pentagon as to whether Davis improperly released classified information to members of Congress.  

In today's NYT, it is also reported that we are getting our Taliban mixed up, the real ones and the fake ones.  Imposters are finding fertile ground for the "reintegration program" in which former Taliban are offered access to jobs programs. A man posing as an Afghan senator, for example, was given a VIP tour of sensitive military facilities, but he was such a poor fake that he did not even give the name of a real senator.  

The first surgeon says, 'I like to see Accountants on my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered.'

The second responds, 'Yeah, but you should try Electricians! Everything inside them is colour-coded.'

The third surgeon says, 'No, I really think Librarians are the best; everything inside them is in alphabetical order.'

The fourth surgeon chimes in, 'You know I like Construction Workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end, and when the job takes longer than you said it would.'

The answer was that Saddam was jerking the oil market up and down. One week, without notice, the man in the moustache suddenly announces he's going to "support the Palestinian intifada" and cuts off all oil shipments. The result: Worldwide oil prices jump up. The next week, Saddam forgets about the Palestinians and pumps to the maximum allowed under the Oil-for-Food Program. The result: Oil prices suddenly dive-bomb. Up, down, up, down. Saddam was out of control.

"Control is what it's all about," one oilman told me. "It's not about getting the oil, it's about controlling oil's price."

Two days ago Pepe Escobar wrote at Asia Times in US want SWIFT war on Iran...

The US is now forcing the EU to cut off Iran from Brussels-based SWIFT - the independent telecom mechanism/clearinghouse used by every bank in the world to exchange financial data (its official name is Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications). Iran's Central Bank itself may become a victim.

In a nutshell, SWIFT is the wheel that moves global financial transactions and trade. So if this is not an extended, remixed declaration of hardcore economic war against one country - nothing else is.
[snip]
If the Washington/Tel Aviv-promoted hysteria is already at fever pitch, wait for March 20, when the Iranian oil bourse will start trading oil in other currencies apart from the US dollar, heralding the arrival of a new oil marker to be denominated in euro, yen, yuan, rupee or a basket of currencies.

That would suit Asian clients - from BRICS members India and China to US allies Japan and South Korea, not to mention NATO member Turkey. But that would also suit European clients, to pay for oil in their own currency. Tehran - as well as many key players in the developing world - does want to sink the petrodollar. That may be the straw to break the American camel's back.

This morning RT informs us that Iran cuts off oil supplies to Britain, France

The move was confirmed by the country's Oil Ministry, with the spokesman saying that Iran will be "selling its oil to new customers".

The decision is not expected to have a big impact, as France only bought three percent of its oil − 58,000 barrels a day − from the Islamic republic last year, and Britain buys less than 1 per cent.

But it was seen as a warning shot to other EU nations that are bigger consumers of Iranian oil, including Italy, Spain and Greece. The latter would be the most affected, should Iran go ahead with the cuts, as crisis-hit Greece gets more that 30 percent of its oil needs from the Islamic Republic.

As a whole, the bloc currently buys about 18% of Iran's oil exports. Iran is the world's 4th largest oil supplier, with China, India and Japan its largest buyers.
[snip]
News of Iran cutting supplies to 6 EU member states caused a lot of concern in Europe - and in world's markets, with the price of Brent oil jumping above $120 a barrel.

The United States marks the 50th anniversary Monday of the first flight of an American into orbit. But the historic landmark is bittersweet: the first nation to land people on the Moon now depends on Russia for its manned space flights.

I thought the Downton Finale was really good - a couple of tear jerking moments, some laughs, some silly melodrama. Am I the only one who thinks Anna killed Bates' wife?  I really wanted Mary to come to America next season, but am happy to hear her grandmother will be paying a visit to Downton! I think the real clash there will be with Matthew's mother, not with the Dowager Duchess!