Blog Heap of Links for the day 11 July 2011

"The reason you guys are here is because on 9/11 the United States got attacked," Panetta told the troops. ... I always viewed Iraq more about changing the terms of the fight in the Mideast. Al Qaeda was offering a vision for how Muslims should live, not only in accordance with strict Islamic rule but also in confrontation with the West. For the most part the US had been offering support for despots in the region (think Egypt and Saudi Arabia). By getting rid of Saddam we'd be able to create a demonstration project as it were and offer an alternative path for the region. Oh and we'd be getting rid of a monster who also posed a major security threat to a vital part of the world in the process. Whatever Panetta meant, it's fun to see a Democrat on the receiving end of the media's narrative protection effort for a change.