Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask

MOTHER JONES, America's largest-circulation lefty magazine, has a fascinating story about what it's like to be escorted around Iraq by private security contractors. The tagline?

They've given me a machine gun and 180 rounds of ammo, and told me not to pee for six hours.

That's because to get from Kurdistan to the capital, you have to "rely on darkness and speed to survive, making no stops and driving without headlights as fast as possible the 220 miles to Baghdad." Yeah, Mike Pence, Iraq is just like Indiana.

But mercenaries are not the Jonesers only interest. Six weeks ago, they decided it was high time someone explained to us what this Iraq thing is all about. ("Wait. You're saying there are TWO KINDS of Muslims!?!") Their excellent "Iraq Handbook for Dummies" includes all the background, charts, graphs, and liberal hand-wringing you have been dying to get your hands on.

The highlights include a study that argues global terrorism has increased since the start of the war even if one excludes events in Iraq and Afghanistan. If true, that puts a sizable dent in the Bush administration's rationale for continuing the war.

One final note: this is exactly the kind of opposition-based journalism that has fueled liberal-leaning magazines' resurgence in recent years. There's nothing like a hated rival in the White House to move subscriptions. Foliohas more.