Air America Staffer Killed in Iraq

Just heard about this on Air America’s “The Rachel Maddow Show”:

LA Times story:

American woman killed in Baghdad attack
The victim helped train Iraqi political parties. Three security guards also are slain in the ambush.

BAGHDAD — An American woman working for a U.S. nonprofit organization in Iraq to help strengthen the fledgling government was among four people killed Wednesday in a roadside ambush.

The woman, whose name was withheld pending notification of her family, worked for the National Democratic Institute, a Washington organization that advises political parties around the world.

Les Campbell, director of the group’s operations in the Middle East and North Africa, said the three other people killed — a Hungarian, a Croat and an Iraqi — were bodyguards from the private security firm Unity Resources Group.

The woman’s name was Andi Parhamovich, according to Randi Rhodes‘ personal show web site. Up until a few months ago, she was a member of the public relations department at Air America.

Rachel was devastated announcing the news at the beginning of her show. It was apparently first announced during Al Franken’s show; I haven’t listened to the podcasts of either him or Randi to hear how they handled the news.

The war comes home to haunt all of us yet again. For those of you marching on January 27th, whether in Washington DC or in locales across the country (I’ll likely be in San Francisco if I can get myself into marching shape), hold Andi and all the victims of this cruel and unnecessary occupation in your thoughts and prayers.

Godspeed, Andi…

Update [2007-1-18 19:14:19 by Cali Scribe]: Tip o’ the nib to Kossack peraspera, for the following MSNBC article:

Insurgents say they killed Ohio woman