Iraq

"A more capable enemy would probably have punished (our) shortcomings severely," it quotes a document as saying. Britain's role in the Iraq conflict - which triggered massive public protests at home - left 179 British soldiers dead. "Tony Blair consistently denied to Parliament and public that the U.K. government was preparing for war in Iraq, yet these documents show that planning began as far back as 2002," Alex Salmond, leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party, said Sunday. The revelations prove Blair took Britain "an illegal and disastrous war on false pretences,"

Read more: Report: Leaked UK documents detail Iraq war chaos | In this article: Tony Blair, Iraq War, Britain, European Union, Gordon Brown, Sunday Telegraph, Graeme Lamb, and Alex Salmond

"The things he saw in Iraq ate at him," said his father, Greg Bean. "He was just drifting. And little by little, bits of hope dropped away."

Read more: Military suicides increase as U.S. soldiers struggle with torment of war | In this article: Suicide, U.S., Panic attack, and Kirkuk

"I keep telling him he's going to get a big head," says Maj. Brian Dennis, the career Marine from St. Petersburg who rescued the German shepherd mix from Iraq. "Really, though, he's handling it like a pro. He's definitely on board for the adventure."

Read more: Dog saved from Iraq a tale of a mutt, a Marine and a miracle | In this article: Dog, San Diego, Pop-Tart, E mail, Wolves, German shepherd, and Military Channel

"People will say, 'Oh I read a Barry Egan interview, where you dabbled in heroin.'" Apropos of Jimmy Carr's recent un-PC/sick joke ("Say what you like about the servicemen amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan but we're going to have a f***ing good Paralympics team in 2012"), Dara says he feels disability jokes are "a cheap holiday on somebody else's misery".

Read more: Notes on an Irish funny man | In this article: Dara O Briain, Woody Allen, England, Heroin, Cystic fibrosis, Dublin, and Eddie Izzard

In Salinas, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, the uniformed forces patrolling "are still viewed as an occupying force," said Police Chief Louis Fetherolf.

Read more: US city turns to military strategy for help in stopping gang warfare | In this article: US, California, Nortenos, Mexican Mafia, and Naval Postgraduate School

"They're still capable of conducting singular high-profile attacks," said Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. "Those are very difficult to prevent."

Read more: Al-Qaida in Iraq may plan to cripple the government | In this article: Al-qaida, Hussein Kamal, Baghdad, U.S., E mail, Baath Party, Ray Odierno, and Saddam Hussein

"Those are very difficult to prevent." Other U.S. officials said the recent bombings were a last-ditch attempt by a marginalized, weakened group to regain relevance. "My own personal analysis is there are some dispersed groups trying to bond for some short-term common interest," said Col. Mark Stammer, a brigade commander in Anbar province, where recent attacks have been blamed on al-Qaida in Iraq.

Read more: With bombings, al-Qaida shows a rekindled strength | In this article: Al-qaida, U.S., Hussein Kamal, Baghdad, Baath Party, Ray Odierno, and Saddam Hussein

Brig Bruce Brealey, Britain's chief of operations support in Iraq, said: "The Government was only prepared for a humanitarian crisis and not a nation-building one, and yet it must have been clear from the outset ... that nation-building would be needed. "

Read more: Iraq report: Britain 'unprepared' for nation building | In this article: Britain, Saddam Hussein, Tony Blair, London, and Baghdad

"'Hey, Poppy, I really didn't understand what you were going through. Now I get it.'" "When people ask me how long we should be in Afghanistan or Iraq, my response is 40 years," he says.

Read more: A bad month in Afghanistan rippled across the US | In this article: Afghanistan and Barack Obama

"When people ask me how long we should be in Afghanistan or Iraq, my response is 40 years," he says.

Read more: A bad month in Afghanistan rippled across the US (AP) | In this article: Afghanistan and Barack Obama