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Rachel Maddow

Host, MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show"

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Journal From Afghanistan

Posted: 07/03/10 05:05 PM ET
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Editor's Note: Rachel Maddow is in Afghanistan, where she will be broadcasting "The Rachel Maddow Show" from Kabul on Tuesday, July 6 and Wednesday, July 7. These are her and her producers' photos from the trip. The photos below originally appeared at The Maddow Blog, http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com.

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More Kandahar & Kabul photos (more photos below):

Me, in Kandahar
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At civilian side of Kandahar Airport. Somehow I think the glasses aren't really complemented by the headscarf.
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Kandahar & Kabul photos (more photos of Rachel & crew below):

Richard Engel preps us for Kandahar Airfield
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Most of this was filmed on a slant, and it's worth seeing anyhow.
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Fourth of July photos & video (more photos below):

"Me as Michael Dukakis"
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===================================
Traveling/Arrival photos:

Repacking
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Rachel Maddow Writes:
Repacking for internal Afghan travel. Not bringing the case of water or the desk lamp, but everything else. Ugh.

That's a medical pack on the right. The yellow tubes hold cigars.
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Editor's Note: Rachel Maddow is in Afghanistan, where she will be broadcasting "The Rachel Maddow Show" from Kabul on Tuesday, July 6 and Wednesday, July 7. These are her and her producers' photos fr...
Editor's Note: Rachel Maddow is in Afghanistan, where she will be broadcasting "The Rachel Maddow Show" from Kabul on Tuesday, July 6 and Wednesday, July 7. These are her and her producers' photos fr...
Related News On Huffington Post:
 

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MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has recently returned from Afghanistan. And, somehow, she got the keepers of the American flame in that country to answer her probing questions -- all of which led up to, "What are we doing in this forsaken place?"

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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Lorelei Shark
264 Fans
02:41 PM on 07/17/2010
She ought to cut the pieces together and NBC ought to air it as a special on Afghansitan. It's the first and only time that anyone has made the effort to understand why we're there. Her reporting was enlightening. She is a gift to all who want to listen and learn.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
eptjevi
190 Fans
07:34 PM on 07/10/2010
They look battle hardened.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
eptjevi
190 Fans
07:31 PM on 07/10/2010
Find those Annunaki Giants,, that the military been fighting in them caves.. The rumors are that the Giants of old has returned... woo hooo . Just like the day's of Noah ;) lol good job in that poor wretched country. I would not go there for all the potatoes in Ireland.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
sullavox
57 Fans
10:06 PM on 07/09/2010
Rachels reports are some of the best journalism i've seen in years. She deserves an award for just having the courage to go there and report so open and honest. This is true journalism at its best from not only Rachel but from Richard Engel as well. I'm very proud to say i'm a fan of Rachel and will be watching her on Meet The Press this weekend.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Behnaz Tavakoli
21 Fans
 
06:10 PM on 07/09/2010
I hope she gets out before the Afghan war escalation based on new relaxed rule of engagement starts.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
sofrito
207 Fans
 
05:34 PM on 07/09/2010
What would happen if this woman were to run for president in 2016? Would she win, lose or draw?
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AirForceZoomer
Erin Go Bragh.
85 Fans
10:17 AM on 07/09/2010
Rachel's looking kinda pis sed.......must be she's not getting any good info to burn somebody with now that the word was passed down and between the ranks to keep it zipped with "journalists" around.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
sofrito
207 Fans
 
05:23 PM on 07/09/2010
Too bad you post before you know all the facts. She specifically said that after the Rolling Stone interview she had expected this place to be tight as a drum. In fact, she says, the brass gives her the sound bytes, but she has complete and unfettered access to service men and women who are free to speak to her and give their own opinions on what is going on. So no, she doesn't look mad. She does look tired. That's one heck of a trip.
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AirForceZoomer
Erin Go Bragh.
85 Fans
05:59 PM on 07/09/2010
Actually, I received a couple emails during the McChrystal thing telling me exactly what I passed on to the good ol' guys & gals here at Hu ff Blo. Of course she is going to get something, but it has been same same on this end hearing it. Don't know if it has dawned on her yeat but some of the NCOs are already having some fun giving out circular leads concocted to embaress those doing the reporting.

No, I'm assured the word is out to zip it up and it is being followed.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
imacmadman
Fed up, dang it!
49 Fans
11:43 PM on 07/08/2010
Rachel is soooo awesome!!!
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Gotcha54
45 Fans
07:07 PM on 07/08/2010
Wow when I opened this page I thought I was going to get a "journal" as in words about what she's thinking. I didn't think it was going to be a picture journal. I like her brain and wanted to hear her thoughts.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Behnaz Tavakoli
21 Fans
 
09:37 PM on 07/08/2010
The video is OK.

We need interviews with NATO soldiers.
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SJML
697 Fans
07:04 PM on 07/08/2010
Excellent reporting from Rachel this week. Educational and informative - what a concept!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
exile
255 Fans
06:34 PM on 07/08/2010
it was nice to finally see where the billions of taxpayer funded aid ened up in afghanstain

the rows of mulit-million mansions built with usa funded aid sit on a dirt street.
next door is a city lot filled with garbage.

obviously
billions of dollars of tax money is stolen
basics like streets are ignored
nobody over there has any interest in services like garbage removal, sanitation, and fresh water.

why are we there again ??
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coltov mocktail
1 Fans
11:48 AM on 07/09/2010
It's amazing that after centuries of noble struggle, the functionality of our government
amounts only to a vacuity of platitudes coupled with symbolic action ennacted only
to further amass wealth for a select few. That this smiley-faced theivery exists is
insult enough, but that innocents are killed, maimed, and traumatized at its behest
makes it entirely damnable. Yes, even the laudable democracy of our country's
founders has been corrupted to an obliterated husk with which hucksters sham
their putrid self-absorption.

Am I surprised that this "reality reporting" debases the importance of war correspondence in the same way? what other example do the lemmings have to follow?
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collettethehedgehog
My micro-bio is So running on empty
1538 Fans
01:08 PM on 07/23/2010
An infinite no. of monkeys typing?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
scorpioleidy
I rant ... therefore, I am.
636 Fans
 
02:00 PM on 07/08/2010
So Rachel is Richard Engel now???
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Theatrixnyc
Remember John Lennon:Power To The People!
2471 Fans
05:37 PM on 07/08/2010
He was on the show with her, and it was quite the dynamic duo. Whenever Richard is reporting, he has to answer to a host who asks him the questions, and sometimes that limits what he would normally say, or finds important. Last night he was engaged in a real conversation, absolutely free to let out all of his observations and real reporting, with someone (Rachel) encouraging him to speak up, and inform. I wish we could have them both there in Afghanistan together...or just use Richard on Rachel's show more often. She's just incredible, and so is Richard.
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toggan
83 Fans
01:01 PM on 07/08/2010
Rachel's report from Afghanistan was an informed one, as well as interesting and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her anchor from Afghanistan Tuesday and Wednesday and I really looked forward to her show with a high level of anticipation each night. I was not disappointed. Rachel was amazing. Hats off to Rachel, her staff and NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent, Richard Engel.
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From the Raft
601 Fans
02:12 PM on 07/08/2010
Agree. I keep wondering about that luxury house with 100 bedrooms!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
dirtrunner
51 Fans
12:40 PM on 07/08/2010
I'm not a regular viewer, but Maddow's show from Afghanistan was very good stuff. I love this woman's style. She's definitely unique amongst the cable news crowed, and she does it with class and humor.
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Theatrixnyc
Remember John Lennon:Power To The People!
2471 Fans
05:38 PM on 07/08/2010
Did you see her lip tighten when she'd get answers she knew were B.S.? Her body language said it all, and with some of the military you could see them get confused when she asked a question that probed deeper than the script they'd been handed.
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AirForceZoomer
Erin Go Bragh.
85 Fans
10:23 AM on 07/09/2010
Ya got it way wrong. During the General McChrystal thing the word was informally passed down and between the ranks to not give "journalists" any thing to burn someone with 'cause that is their agenda. Now I understand, it's fun between the NCOs to make up things to throw "journalists" off. What goes around, comes around...........(chuckling).
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Reserved1
49 Fans
11:45 AM on 07/08/2010
I have long since stopped watching any network news because of the lack of journalism going on. But one of my clients told me about these Afghans shows that Miss Maddow was doing and its not really opinion piece just her and the troops. So I checked it out last night and was pleasantly surprised.

I loved seeing our proud and honorable soldiers explaining what they are doing and its good to finally see what is actually going on over there. Of course Rachel did skew a bit of her anti war feeling/spin in there but for the most kept it non opinionated. I will check out the rest of the shows from Afghanistan this week. Good job Ma'am

God bless our troops!
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Theatrixnyc
Remember John Lennon:Power To The People!
2471 Fans
05:41 PM on 07/08/2010
That was the best part of the show, for me, was her concentration in establishing exactly what kind of commitment we expect from our troops, and what our obligation is to them, in return.
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