peHUB First Read

Some links to kick off your Wednesday:

* Adam Lashinsky thinks that Blackstone Group is a buy. He says the key is to think long-term.

* John Carney snarkily suggests that private equity titans are best qualified to help facilitate a timely withdrawal from Iraq.

* Glenn Kelman of Redfin opens up his company’s books, in order to help out other entrepreneurs with financial modeling.

* DealBook gets its own print section today, titled After the Party. If the party’s over, is this DealBook’s last special section?

* Chris Flowers is hedging his bets on Sallie Mae, and shareholders seem to know it. The exact opposite is true when it comes to Northern Rock.