As to Places Not Named Cairo ...

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry's committee staff released a pretty worrisome report (PDF on the SFRC home page) on the State Department's level of preparation to take the lead in Iraq when the military fully withdraws at the end of the year. Or should I say, IF the military withdraws. There's been a lot of political posturing on that, but no final decision by the Iraqi and US governments. And if this report is to be believed, it's looking more and more like they really can't responsibly remove all combat troops. Kerry's imprimature lends some heft to that argument, but it's going to remain a really tough sell, both in D.C. and Baghdad. (CQ, subscription required)