Month: July 2006

As Americans celebrated the Fourth of July, North Korea shot off some of their own fireworks by test-firing four short-range missiles (that could reach South Korea and Japan) and a long-range missile that some analysts believe could reach parts of the United States with a light payload. This latter missile was the Taepo Dong-2, and … Continue reading “Wile E. Coyote’s Fourth of July”

The War Party has usually managed to maintain control of American foreign policy through its virtually ironclad grip on the political process. This has been achieved by its mastery of the two-party system that has enshrined the Democrats and the Republicans as the only two real options for American voters. Even when the American people … Continue reading “Taking Out Lieberman”

There really is no way of getting around it. Sen. Hillary Clinton may well be future presidential material. From Manhattan to Hollywood, Hillary Clinton is pocketing enormous amounts of cash for her reelection campaign. Yet, Hillary is facing what seems to be fierce opposition from within her own party, as well as from third parties … Continue reading “Hillary May Be Presidential Material, After All”

It seems like only yesterday American pundits were writing political obituaries for President George W. Bush and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill. With the anti-American violence in Iraq showing no signs of ending any time soon and helping to force Mr. Bush’s approval ratings in the public opinion polls to the low 30s, the … Continue reading “Nationalism: The Last Refuge of the Political Loser”

The Absurd Case of Naser Oric “Convicted but released” came the news Friday morning, striking the Balkans tinderbox like stray lightning. Naser Oric, the Muslim warlord of Srebrenica, was convicted of war crimes by the Hague Inquisition – and sentenced to less than time spent in prison. Upon hearing the verdict, he smiled and brandished … Continue reading “Crime and Punishment”

It was in 1776 that a group of British colonists living along the Atlantic seaboard of North America felt compelled to offer a public justification for their "Declaration of Independence" from their mother country out of "a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind." That justification, a bill of particulars against King George II for … Continue reading “‘Decent Respect’ Might Help Image Woes Abroad”

LA PAZ – Bolivia’s leftist government scored a victory in elections for a Constituent Assembly, but failed to win two-thirds of the seats, so it will have to negotiate the terms of the new constitution with its opponents. Four departments (provinces) also made clear their desire for autonomy. Surveys for a media network by the … Continue reading “Bolivia’s Morales Gets Half a Victory”

Last week the U.S. House of Representatives, on a party-line vote, passed an innocuous-sounding resolution that “expects the cooperation of all news media organizations in protecting the lives of Americans and the capability of the government to identify, disrupt, and capture terrorists by not disclosing classified intelligence programs such as the Terrorist Financing Tracking Program.” … Continue reading “Pols, Not the Press, Should Exhibit Prior Restraint”

Two hundred thirty years have elapsed since Jefferson’s document was signed in Philadelphia, declaring the 13 colonies to be independent forever of the England of George III. In his Farewell Address, Washington defined independence in a single sentence: “It is our true policy to steer clear of any permanent alliances with any portion of the … Continue reading “An Independent Republic Still?”

“My personal opinion is that the only way we will lose this war is if we pull out prematurely,” said Col. Jeffrey Snow, who commands a brigade of soldiers in Iraq. Snow, as reported by AFP on June 30, fears losing public support in the U.S. for the ongoing occupation of Iraq because of “negative … Continue reading “Snow Jobs, Zarqawi, and
Bogus Peace Plans”