As the pendulum swings

Iraq: With casualties in Iraq at an eight-month low, why aren’t the Democrats cheering? | Jamie Dean

Just off Pennsylvania Avenue, small groups of workers stand in line for lunch at a 24-hour Burger King and sip triple lattes at a nearby coffee shop. After work, they might catch a movie at a local theater or check out the latest iPod accessories at a nearby electronics store.

But these aren't White House workers, and this Pennsylvania Avenue isn't in Washington, D.C. Instead, these workers are U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians, and this arid road runs through the largest U.S. military base in Iraq.

Balad Air Base—also known to U.S. forces as Camp Anaconda—sits 50 miles north of Baghdad in one of the most hostile regions in Iraq. Some 20,000 U.S. troops live and work on the base, which includes a logistics center and a massive airstrip of more than 11,000 feet—or just over two miles long. Air Force officials say it's the second busiest runway in the world, trailing only Heathrow Airport in London.