Blog Heap of Links for the day 20 March 2015

…That said, it is impossible to return to Iraq without a keen sense of opportunities lost. These include the mistakes we, the U.S., made here, and likewise the mistakes the Iraqis themselves have made. This includes the squandering of so much of what we and our coalition and Iraqi partners paid such a heavy cost to achieve, the continuing failure of Iraq's political leaders to solve longstanding political disputes, and the exploitation of these failures by extremists on both sides of the sectarian and ethnic divides.

Having said that, my sense is that the situation in Iraq today is, to repeat a phrase I used on the eve of the surge, hard but not hopeless. I believe that a reasonable outcome here is still achievable, although it will be up to all of us— Iraqis, Americans, leaders in the region and leaders of the coalition countries — to work together to achieve it. …

I think Iraq and the coalition forces are making considerable progress against the Islamic State. In fact, I would argue that the foremost threat to Iraq’s long-term stability and the broader regional equilibrium is not the Islamic State; rather, it is Shiite militias, many backed by — and some guided by — Iran.

[Emphasis added]

Pistol Pete's collection of the amazing for today.

"I was guilty of disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and verbal abuse of a minor. Allow me to plead my case…."

Vic gathers the threads and weaves the tapestry of today's news starting here.

"On this day in 1854 the Republican Party was organized in Ripon Wisconsin. After all this time it has taken Boner and McConehead only a few short years to destroy it."