Kerry, the Antiwar Candidate?

With the Gallup Poll showing 51 percent of Americans want all U.S. troops out of Iraq by year’s end, John Kerry has made his move. The 2004 Democratic nominee is calling for complete withdrawal of U.S. forces, if Iraqis do not agree on a unity government by May 15. Even if the Iraqis pull a … Continue reading “Kerry, the Antiwar Candidate?”

Pentagon Eyes the Ultimate High Ground

After 50 years of international cooperation and peace in space, the U.S. military insists that it has no plans to usher in an age of space-based warfare. The Pentagon’s space-related research is not offensive, officials have told arms control experts and the news media, noting that the name of the branch that conducts much of … Continue reading “Pentagon Eyes the Ultimate High Ground”

Iran: The Next Neocon Target

It’s been three years since the U.S. launched its war against Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction. Of course, now almost everybody knows there were no WMD and Saddam Hussein posed no threat to the United States. Though some of our soldiers serving in Iraq still believe they are there because Saddam Hussein … Continue reading “Iran: The Next Neocon Target”

The People Speak

When even the pro-war London Telegraph starts having second thoughts about the wisdom of staying in Iraq, you know the War Party’s goose is cooked: “Three years after the original invasion, supporters of the war should assess the situation with pitiless clarity. Three years is more than enough time to have trained a new generation … Continue reading “The People Speak”

Report Details CIA’s Covert Rendition Fleet

As U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her team continue to face increasingly harsh criticism from Muslim communities, Amnesty International has issued a new report on one of the practices they condemn the most: rendition. The new report, "Below the Radar: Secret Flights to Torture and Disappearance," describes a U.S. covert operation in which … Continue reading “Report Details CIA’s Covert Rendition Fleet”

Cutting and Running in Baghdad

It didn’t take long after the invasion of Iraq began in March 2003 for one of the radioactive words of the Vietnam era to make its first appearance, even if in stunted, referential form. Media pundits, former military men, and others began fretting, even as American soldiers advanced, about the “Q word.” They were, of … Continue reading “Cutting and Running in Baghdad”

France: Reinforcing Addiction

The ongoing demonstrations in France suggest that a welfare state is very much like an addictive drug. Even though it no longer delivers the euphoric feeling that first lured users, even though almost all concerned, including the most dependent, know that continued use will eventually destroy or severely damage the body (politic and economic), the … Continue reading “France: Reinforcing Addiction”

Dutch Islands Caught Up in US-Venezuela Friction

CARACAS – Several Dutch islands in the Caribbean, off the coast of Venezuela, have been caught in the middle of the war of words between the Venezuelan and U.S. governments, while the United States is getting ready to carry out naval exercises in the area. Dutch Defense Minister Henk Kamp recently remarked that Venezuelan President … Continue reading “Dutch Islands Caught Up in US-Venezuela Friction”

Evangelicals Rally Their Flocks Behind Israel

Charismatic televangelist John Hagee thinks that the Rev. Pat Robertson’s suggestion that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke was payback from God for withdrawing from Gaza was “insensitive and unnecessary.” But he nevertheless appears to share Robertson’s concern that Israel may be giving up too much land to the Palestinians. To prevent the George W. … Continue reading “Evangelicals Rally Their Flocks Behind Israel”