Gallows humor in Iraq

To be absolutely clear, there is nothing funny about attacks on Americans. Ever.

That said, this has a certain gallows-humor quality to it. First the set-up…

A military cargo plane carrying four members of Congress took evasive action and dispatched flares to avoid ground fire Thursday night after taking off from Baghdad. The lawmakers said three rocket-propelled grenades were fired at their plane, a C-130, over the course of several minutes as they left for Jordan.

“It was a scary moment,” said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), who reported seeing a bright flash outside the window just after he took off his body armor.

…and then the punch-line.

Despite the scare Shelby [Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.)], Martinez and Cramer [Rep. Robert E. "Bud" Cramer (D-Ala.)] said they believed the recent troop buildup had helped stabilize parts of the country.

Thankfully, no one was hurt and the plane was able to reach its destination without further incident. But c’mon. Despite an attempt on their lives, these lawmakers still believe the surge is producing encouraging results?

- Steve Benen