dan collier

A bizarre, unsolicited email from Gen. Petraeus’ spokesman – Glenn Greenwald, an author and blogger for Salon.com, received the linked email from Colonel Steven Boylan, the US Army spokesman for General David Petraeus in Iraq. It was sent in response to an article about the growing politicization of the Army in Iraq. It is striking that while the Marines are pressing to be redeployed outside of Iraq and all types of retired brass is urging withdrawl, the US Army command in Iraq is in lock-step with President Bush. Not just total agreement, but the same debatable talking points and semantic nonsense.

What is really interesting about General Petraeus’ spokesman’s email is that he follows it up by denying he sent it. Of course, it is simple to track the route email takes from sender to recipient. It is possible to fake email routing information, but I think it absolutely defies credulity that the US Army central communications offices in Iraq has such lax security that it is possible that this email is fake. I’ve studied network security and implemented security measures for communication protocols, including the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol used for sending email. Fake emails are easily prevented at this point in time.

Based on the evidence available, there are three possibilities:

1) The US Army computer network in Iraq has been compromised from the outside. The Army’s network security is virtually non-existent and at any moment someone may fake, or spoof, an email to FoxNews from Gen. Petraeus stating “In ten minutes, we start bombing Iran. I love the smell of napalm in the morning! Love, DP”.

2) The Army computer network was compromised from within Central Command offices. The Army and/or the spokesman failed to take the basic security precautions necessary to prevent unauthorized communications attributable to the highest ranking commander in Iraq. While it is an obvious or blatant lapse of security, this is more believable then the first possibility. Either the actual sender will be easily found or FoxNews can still expect the good news (for ratings).

3) Col. Steven Boylan, the personal spokesman for Gen. Petraeus, is a moron and lying.

I know which one I suspect. But whichever one it turns out to be, this incident seems to explain perfectly why the US is losing in Iraq. That is: wishful thinking (#1), poor planning (#2), and dishonesty (#3).

For Sale By Owner – I am trying to sell my house. After trying “for sale by owner” for four months and a Realtor™ for six months, I am once again trying to sell it myself. Iggys House Realty is a new company created by early innovators in online stock trading. Similar to E*trade introducing online consumer trading nearly a decade ago, the idea is to cut out the middle man, provide the consumer the tools of the trade, and compete for customers by offering lower commissions. Iggys House provides a free listing on Realtor.com (links to my house on Realtor.com) in an attempt to earn the good will of sellers who will choose them as their buyers’ agent when it is time to buy again. And as your buyers’ agent, they claim they’ll refund 75% of their commission. If Iggys House has a weakness for sellers, it is providing the information that informs pricing decisions. For comparable home sales, market trends, and sales history information Zillow is the best site I have found.

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I heard you… YouTube… – Natalie at CommunityChannel is hilarious. Yes, I am sure. If that first video didn’t convince you, try this one. Or this one.
Tagged: realestate video links

On Torture and American Values – The New York Times published this excellent editorial a few days ago.

Once upon a time, it was the United States that urged all nations to obey the letter and the spirit of international treaties and protect human rights and liberties. American leaders denounced secret prisons where people were held without charges, tortured and killed. And the people in much of the world, if not their governments, respected the United States for its values.

Senator Ted Kennedy wrote an editorial for Salon yesterday about the same topic.

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Ayaan Hirshi Ali on Colbert Report – A Somalian immigrant to The Netherlands, Ayaan became a member of the Dutch parliament. Her criticism of fundamentalist Islam has led to death threats. She is currently a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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The Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics – Previously, the only blog on the list I read was Carl Bildt, the current Foreign Minister and former Prime Minister of Sweden. I can’t think of a modern politician I like more than Bildt. His blog is interesting because it is really a typical blog, a running conversation (in Swedish) of his thoughts on just about everything.