All the Poets They Studied Rules of Verse

Given that this decade (whatever you want to call it) is churning towards its conclusion, and the high probability that this decade will be prospectively defined by what took place on Sept. 11th, I've tried to read whatever I could get my hands on regarding the events leading up to Sept.11th as well as the events that have spiraled out of its aftermath.

Based on that reading, here's some recommendations for anyone who wants to do the same...

• The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
• Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone by Rajiv Chandrasekaran
• Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror by Richard Clarke
• The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
• Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib by Seymour Hersh
• Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet by James Mann
• The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq by George Packer
• Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks
• The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11 by Ron Suskind
• At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the C.I.A. by George Tenet
• Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward
• Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War by Evan Wright
• I'm currently making my way through Steve Coll's Ghost Wars right now, and it probably makes the Top 4 on this list along with The Looming Tower, The Assassins' Gate, and The Forever War.

So now I ask you, dear readers, what is my list missing?

I Survived the 80's One Time Already

Congratulations to Ms. Nina Patterson for correctly naming "Evil Urges" by My Morning Jacket as the Thursday Song of the Day.

After finishing up another quarter today (7 down, 2 to go), I've decided to take a little journey down to Austin tomorrow for the Lone Star State's version of David versus Goliath: Baylor/UT.
The Bears haven't won in Austin since 1991 (good old days, weren't they, U.S.S.R.?), and I don't expect that to change tomorrow, but if you turn on Fox Sports Net tomorrow around 11 a.m., I'll be the green dot in the sea of burnt orange.

Current Reading

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks

Don't Let the Days Go By

Congratulations to Mrs. Sarah Yee as the latest winner of the McLennan County (as opposed to World) Famous Running Down a Dream Caption Contest.

For this extremely troubling photograph of talk-show raconteur Larry King, she gave this response:

"A fork and this man = why the lights really went out in Georgia."

This Week's Photo

In honor of the Southwest Airlines Wii-homage commercial (which can be viewed here) and General Petraeus's appearance this week on Capitol Hill, here's my submission: "Iraq: Want to Get Away?"

As always, place your submissions in the comments section. The Caption Contest runs through Sunday (4/13).

Note: Once again, thanks to the good folks over at Deadspin for the photo.

With Happy Endings, Where Nobody Fights

• A very interesting post by George Packer of The New Yorker on what he describes as "The Kaleidoscopic War" in Iraq. Packer's The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq remains the best book that I have read so far on our involvement in the Middle East.
• I have yet to take Professional Responsibility from this man, but I'm pretty sure that trying to slip a judge $40,000 for a favorable ruling might fall outside the bounds of ethical behavior.