Month: June 2003

Recently fired Army Secretary Thomas White said last week that senior defense officials "are unwilling to come to grips" with the scale of the postwar US obligation in Iraq. Similarly, in February, Army chief of staff General Eric Shinseki brought the same message to Congress: occupation of Iraq would take "several hundred thousand" troops. Both … Continue reading “Iraq: What Are We Getting Into?”

It is often said of the Palestinians, and not without justice, that they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Something similar might be said of the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq, now fretting and fuming about the difficulties of establishing order and security in a country just beginning to feel its oats after … Continue reading “Democracy Through Censorship”

Senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah) has denounced the widespread call for the U.S. to account for the "weapons of mass destruction" Iraq was supposed to have as "historical revisionism." This is odd phraseology. Our understanding of history is being constantly revised and updated, as new evidence comes to light, which is why "revisionism" – acting as … Continue reading “BEHIND THE LIES”

In the aftermath of the Iraq war, intense scrutiny has fallen on the search for weapons of mass destruction. The peace camp can barely suppress its glee as each day passes with no smoking vials or reactors, and that’s perfectly understandable. It’s nice to see one’s antagonists – especially this sorry mob – sweat beneath … Continue reading “No WMDs? Fabulous, but Still Beside the Point”

“If it was an accident, it was the best planned accident I’ve ever seen.” – USS Liberty Survivor The repurcusions of American foreign policy affect not only third world nations and the American taxpayer, but also the American servicemen at the front lines. One unforgettable example of the last involved the crew of the USS … Continue reading “Dead in the Water”

With each passing day, the questions surrounding Iraq’s missing weapons of mass destruction take on added urgency. Where are the massive stockpiles of VX, mustard, and other nerve agents that we were told Iraq was hoarding? Where are the thousands of liters of botulinim toxin? Wasn’t it the looming threat to America posed by these … Continue reading “Iraq’s WMD Intelligence: Where Is the Outrage?”

Whence comes the asserted power of the current President and his new Sicherheitsdienst to inspect, search, spindle, mutilate, etc., everything and everyone found within the generous bounds of their authority? Leave aside the claim of these people that US law prevails, or ought to prevail, everywhere in the galaxy, and just focus on the “internal” … Continue reading “A Homeland So Secure We Wouldn’t Want To Live There”

Let’s see: a con-man makes up a few non-facts, invents some quotes, and passes off his minor lies as legitimate news over a period of some 18 months. Result: the executive editor and the managing editor of America’s newspaper of record resign in disgrace. On the other hand, U.S. and British government officials, over roughly … Continue reading “LIARS ‘R US”

China finds itself once again in a tight spot vis-à-vis her "proxies." North Korea has rarely left the spotlight after being enshrined in the Bush Administration’s Hall of Evil, but China has avoided any direct accusations flowing from the West concerning N. Korea’s WMD programs and human rights abuses. The recent "runs for the border" … Continue reading “Tight Spot”

‘Tis the time for transitions and reflections in China these days. Next week, infamous photos of the "June 4th Incident" will emerge from the heap of glowing statistics that China shovels onto the world stage day in and day out. Old Deng will drift in from the grave and experts – and old freedom fighters … Continue reading “Summertime Plotting”