happy bush's day

NYT: Mugabe might go
Ind: maybe the opposition leaders can come out of hiding

WSJ: Sadr comes out on top after Basra, Baghdad battles
CSM: caught in the middle,
WP: civilians lose

WP: the fight for Helmand province between British forces and the Taliban
WP: allying with, arming Afghan tribes to defend communities
" 'You can call them night watchmen or home guards. They are not a formed militia, and there is no net increase in weapons. . . . It is simply creating an antibody to the Taliban in these communities,' a senior Western official said."

WP: meanwhile, finding allies in Pakistan's border region proving difficult
BBC: and the newly sworn-in government is signaling an end to coziness with the US

NYT: there's a black budget at the Pentagon - which funds action-figure-like badges for the military. oh, and war-related activites. (the badges reveal more about the secret programs than the budget.)
"Those billions [$32 billion] have expanded a secret world of advanced science and technology in which military units and federal contractors push back the frontiers of warfare. In the past, such handiwork has produced some of the most advanced jets, weapons and spy satellites, as well as notorious boondoggles."
(includes this gem from Dick: " 'We’ve got to spend time in the shadows,' Mr. Cheney said." By which he apparently meant that he'd bring more people into his network of underground lairs.)
Slate: how to reform the military (hopefully the badges can stay)

NYT: recovered computer files from assassinated FARC leader suggests Chávez supported the armed group; files' authenticity now being assessed by Interpol
" 'The main weapon they have now is the computer, the supposed computer of Raúl Reyes,' Mr. Chávez said. 'This computer is like à la carte service, giving you whatever you want. You want steak? Or fried fish? How would you like it prepared? You’ll get it however the empire decides.' " One file dated January 2007 "described efforts by the FARC’s secretariat to secure Mr. Chávez’s assistance for buying arms and obtaining a $250 million loan, 'to be paid when we take power.' "
WP: accusations that the Colombian military is racking up "false positives": killing civilians and claiming that they are guerrillas
National Security Archive: (pdf) the "body count mentality" has plagued the Colombian military for decades
BBC: French plane on stand-by to airlift Betancourt if released

Gdn: violence in Jamaican slums
"Armed gangs and corrupt police units have turned inner cities into arenas of mayhem and impunity, with killings taking place in daylight, Amnesty International says in a report published today...The Caribbean island's high crime rate has long been recognised. An annual murder rate of around 1,500 in a population of 2.7 million puts Jamaica on a par with South Africa and Colombia as among the world's most violent countries."

LAT: burriers: Euros carting cocaine from Peru

NYT: Turkey high court will hear case against ruling party

LAT: can't blame 'em: Sudanese island doesn't want bridge to the mainland

BBC: Ethiopian troops backing Somali government shell Mogadishu market

NYT magazine: a different take on the Asch and Milgram experiments - maybe conformity isn't so bad after all

the Onion: meet Dick's closest friends