"Today Was a Good Day, Because I Had to Use My AK"

Ten Fingers, 6 Strings would like to announce that in spite of the severity of last night's beatings seriousness of our staff meeting, we all collectively rejoice in this news:

U.S. and Iraqi forces raided a suspected guerrilla training camp and killed 85 fighters, the single biggest one-day death toll for militants in months and the latest in a series of blows to the insurgency, Iraqi officials said Wednesday.

Politicians helping shape a postelection government expected within days said negotiators are considering a Sunni Arab as defense minister in a move aimed at bringing them into the political process — and perhaps deflate the insurgency they lead.

The U.S. military announced late Tuesday that its air and ground forces backed Iraqi commandos during a noontime raid on the suspected training camp near Lake Tharthar in central Iraq. Seven commandos died in fighting, the U.S. military said. It did not give a death toll for the militants.

Iraqi officials said Wednesday 85 insurgents died in the clash — the largest number killed in a single battle since the U.S. Marine-led November attack on the former militant stronghold of Fallujah left more than 1,000 dead. On Sunday, U.S. forces killed 26 attackers after an ambush south of Baghdad.

One staffer was quoted as saying, "With all do respect to the pitiful reporting of the San Francisco Chronicle, the only thing that seems to be going to hell in a handbasket is an 85-man contingent of malnourished, ass-shaven knuckleheads. Good thing I told my broker to short Jihadi stock last month."

Yes, but don't tell "intellectual" Noam Chomsky, as he is riding this stock into the ground. I guess his perplexing investment strategy is understandable since he has no understanding of how capitalism works.