Month: January 2005

It seems the mark of a superior politician is the inherent inability to admit to a mistake. Bush has certainly proven he is no exception. When asked last week by Barbara Walters whether going to war in Iraq was worth it considering that no weapons of mass destruction were found, Bush replied, "Oh, absolutely." Bush’s … Continue reading “Know Bush by the Company He Keeps”

The latest polls show that most Americans are critical of the war in Iraq. But the option of swiftly withdrawing all U.S. troops from that country gets little media attention. So far this year, many news outlets have lapsed into conjecture on what George W. Bush has in mind for the Iraq war. At the … Continue reading “Time to Talk Withdrawal”

LONDON – The court martial of three British soldiers for abuse of Iraqi prisoners has established that a soldier is only as bad as the photographs of the abuse that get taken. Three British soldiers face court martial over abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Which means only three among more than 65,000 British soldiers who have … Continue reading “For UK Troops, Abuse Only Happens if Photographed”

As George W. Bush prepares to be sworn in for his second term as U.S. president, a strong majority of the world’s people are concerned his tenure is likely to produce more setbacks to the cause of world peace and security, according to a major international poll released Wednesday. The survey of nearly 22,000 people … Continue reading “Survey: Benevolent Hegemony Not Appreciated”

During the presidential campaign last year, when John Kerry tried to be a bigger imperialist than George W. Bush, he chose the Balkans as his battleground. Here was a jewel in the crown of Clinton’s “humanitarian interventionism,” neglected by Bush as he went gallivanting about the Middle East, that candidate Kerry promised to resurrect to … Continue reading “A Broken Promise”

Recently, I wrote once again about the spread of torture as a way of life in the Bush administration’s offshore imperium. I offered my version of a national “self-portrait” for the New Year (“American Gothic”) and considered the latest torture news, now practically pouring through leaks in the Washington and Pentagon bureaucracy. While I was … Continue reading “What Is Wrong With Torture”

The thundering blast rocks me awake at 7:05 a.m. The first thing my eyes see are the curtains of my room flowing in, as if a strong wind is blowing into my room. "Holy sh*t, they hit the embassy," I think to myself, the blast was so close. I leave my windows cracked and curtains … Continue reading “Another Car Bomb … This Must Be Democracy”

When a U.S. Marine company used downtown Toledo for "urban warfare" training Jan. 7-8, it provided an opportunity for activists to think and act beyond normal limits. With barely a week’s notice, an article in the local paper announced that a weapons company of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Reserves would spend a weekend running … Continue reading “Addressing the Persuadable Middle”

In her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "Condi" Rice personified the Bush administration’s delusion-based "war against terror." Whenever a senator’s question penetrated to the harsh reality, Condi waffled and evaded, choosing to protect at the expense of her reputation the neocon delusion that invading Iraq was the "right thing to do." Exasperated, … Continue reading “Dying for Sycophants”

ARBIL – My journey back to Iraq began, as most trips to the north of the country do, at the airport in Diyarbakkir, the largest Kurdish majority city in Turkey. From there it’s a four-hour taxi ride to the border, provided you don’t get stopped by the Turkish army, whose war with Kurdish separatists was … Continue reading “Welcome to Kurdistan”