2 Americans killed in Iraq rocket attack (Green Zone)

[ProSense]

2 Americans killed in Iraq rocket attack

By STEVEN R. HURST, Associate Press Writer 1 hour, 33 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - Two Americans, a contractor and a soldier, were killed in a rocket attack on the heavy guarded Green Zone on Tuesday, according to statements from the U.S. Embassy and the military.

Five other people were wounded, one contractor who was seriously hurt and three with slight wounds. A second soldier also was wounded in the attack, but the military did not give a condition.

Insurgents and militia fighters routinely fire rockets and mortars into the Green Zone, the nominally secure area in central Baghdad that is site of the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi government and parliament. The attacks seldom cause casualties or damage because they are poorly aimed and the zone contains much open space.

"It is with a profound sense of sadness and regret that we announce the loss of a U.S. Government contractor as the result of a rocket attack on the International Zone in Baghdad,
Iraq," Charge d'Affairs Daniel Speckhard said in a statement issued late Tuesday.

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[KennedyGuy]

1. But...But..But..McCain says you can walk down the street..

and that General Petraeus drives around unarmed..

[Iwasthere]

2. Frankly I wish mccain would go over there and walk around

1 less lunatic over here.

[grytpype]

4. OMG, did you hear about the smackdown McCain got from CNN...

This is so cool (from dKos):

Wolf - Let's go live to Baghdad....right now CNN's Michael Ware is standing by - who's been ther efour years....

Michael Ware (Perhaps one of the BEST correspondents in Iraq - someone whose credibility is beyond question)-

Well I'd certainly like to bring Senator McCain up to speed if he ever gives me the chance. And if I have any difficulty hearing you right now Wolf, it's because of the helicopters circling overhead and and the gunbattle that is blazing away just a few blocks down the road.

Is Baghdad any safer? Sectarian violence - one particular type of violence - is down but none of the American generals here on the ground have anything like (Ware's stress) Senator McCain's confidence.

Senator McCain's credibility now on Iraq which has been so solid to this point ( REALLY?!? I beg to differ...) has now been left out hanging to dry... to suggest that there's any neighborhood in this city where an American can walk freely is beyond ludicrous.... I'd love Senator McCain to tell me where that neighborhood is so he and I can go for a stroll

.....and to think that David - General David Petraeus, travels this city in an unarmed HUMVEE, (clear incredulity in Ware's voice).....I mean in the hour since Senator McCain has said this ,(emphasis added) I've spoken to some military sources and there was laughter all the way down the line.... I mean certainly the general travels in a HUMVEE, there's multiple HUMVEES around it, HEAVILY armed, there's attack helicopters overhead, drones, sniper teams, ALL SORTS of layers of protection.... ... Senator McCain is WAY off base on this one...... Wolf....

Ware - I can say this quite simply NO

(he lists the dangers - insurgents criminals.....etc......)

......you'd barely last 20 minutes out there.... I don't know what Neverland Senator McCain is living in (my emphasis).....

[rodeodance]

6. well, Ware says it like it is McCain--got it now?

[Island Blue]

5. Here's what McCain says about the bill to set a deadline.

But presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the bill “should be named the State Certain for Surrender Act,” adding that “a second-year cadet at West Point will tell you if you announce to the enemy that you’re leaving, it’s a recipe for defeat.”

McCain called the provision “one of the most shameful things I’ve ever seen.”

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/democrats-win-senate-vote-on-iraq-withdrawal-date-2007-03-27.html

How does the man sleep at night, I wonder? Hopefully, not well.

[xchrom]

3. looks like there's a sale on surges at wal-mart. everyone has one.