Friedman Unit: A neologism coined last year by Atrios (the nom de blog of Duncan Bowen Black). A Friedman Unit, or FU, equals six months. It's named for New York Times columnist Tom Friedman (no relation to your correspondent), who since 2003 has repeatedly written that U.S. victory or defeat in Iraq will be determined "in the next six months."
Huffington Post contributor Robert Naiman reported on April 18 that the last "Friedman" in Iraq was the worst so far for the United States:
From October 2006 through last month, 532 American soldiers were killed, the most during any six-month period of the war. March also marked the first time that the U.S. military suffered four straight months of 80 or more fatalities. April, with 58 service members killed through Monday, is on pace to be one of the deadliest months of the conflict for American forces.
I think I can safely speak for most Friedmans when I say that we'd have preferred a different route into the Eponym Hall of Fame.
About the photo: Yes, there really is a Friedman Memorial Airport in--of all places--Hailey, Idaho, the gateway to Sun Valley. The airport honors a 19th-century Blaine County merchant and his family--again, no relation. (I'm not related to Milton or Kinky, either.)
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