Political paralysis, sectarian violence, terrorism on the rise, a failing economy, blood feuds, and a Vice President in exile having been accused of running a death squad. Other than that, things are going swimmingly in Iraq. New York Times: A truck with explosives hidden in its cargo of watermelons exploded on Tuesday in Diwaniya, a largely Shiite city in southern Iraq, killing at least 40 people, including a 6-year-old boy. It was the deadliest in a string of attacks in central and southern Iraq on Tuesday, continuing a surge in violence that began last month and exacerbating a sense of fatalism in the country. In general, Iraqis have seen little improvement in their security for nearly three years, despite periodic lulls in violence and the narrative offered by American and some Iraqi officials of steady gains after the departure of the American military more than six months ago. Antony J. Blinken, the national security adviser to Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., wrote...(Read Full Post)