IRAQ: The (ex) President and the private

Marine Pfc. Carl Abernathey, 22, of Mukilteo, Wash., was startled when one of his buddies told him he resembles a young Bill Clinton. It had never occurred to him.

True, he's tall, blondish, and broad-shouldered with a wide smile. Also he plays the saxophone and likes to party.

Abernathey decided to conduct a poll while he was doing chow hall duty to see if other people saw the similarity. The results: 10 no (mostly young enlisted), 10 maybe (officers) and 11 yes (mostly civilians).

He thinks it would be fun to get a Clinton mask from back home and wear it on patrol to see how the Iraqis react. But he figures some buzz-kill sergeant would probably nix the idea.

— Tony Perry in Al Asad