Which do you want to hear first? I always want to hear the bad news first.
The bad news is jobless claims rose to their highest level in 9 months. It was the third straight week that first-time jobless claims rose. That ain’t good news, my friends. As I return to the job search (again) and struggle through interviews (again), I know that hundreds of people will also be applying to that one perfect job out there. I won’t truly start complaining yet. I will enjoy a few more weeks of summer in Mallorca before I start that. You’re welcome.
And the good news? Seven years and five months after the U.S.-led invasion, the last American combat brigade heads home. I loved this line for the AP “A line of heavily armored American military vehicles, their headlights twinkling in the pre-dawn desert, lumbered past the barbed wire and metal gates marking the border between Iraq and Kuwait early Thursday and rolled into history.”
Can you envision it? Isn’t it a lovely sight?
While the U.S. presence is far from over, there are still around 52,000 troops to stay for at least another year. But this move of the combat brigade makes me smile. It is time for the Iraqi security forces to defend their people. And with the U.S. support, they can. And will.
GOING NINETY MILES 