Month: November 2006

Compared to the current Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s former president Mohammad Khatami is regarded in Western foreign affairs circles as a moderate. When Khatami visited the U.S. in September, he called on the U.S. and Iran to stop verbally assaulting each other in the interest of dialogue that could build trust and eliminate the … Continue reading “Evil Is as Evil Does”

Iraq was about many things, supporters of the war intone. The fact that no WMD were discovered is irrelevant. President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, and a host of Republican (and many Democratic) legislators solemnly proclaim that knowing what they know now they would go to war all over again. Why? It was … Continue reading “The Painful Death of Humanitarian Intervention”

Updated at 12:40 a.m. EST, Nov. 3, 2006 The November tally of U.S. military deaths has quickly risen to eleven. Eight servicemembers were reported killed today and another two were added to yesterday’s count. Also, several prominent Iraqis and members of their families were assassinated in different parts of the country. They are among the … Continue reading “Thursday: 8 GIs, 60 Iraqis Killed; 98 Iraqis Injured”

Less than a week from midterm elections that are expected to bring at least one house of Congress under Democratic control, neoconservatives, whose foreign policy ideas dominated most of the first half of the administration of U.S. George W. Bush, are having a hard time. Not only do they stand to lose a number of … Continue reading “The Neocons’ Nadir?”

President George W. Bush has promoted himself as single-mindedly tough on terrorists and those who protect them. “We make no distinction between those who committed these acts and those who harbor them,” he told the nation on Sept. 11, 2001. But while Arab suspects with no evidence or charges against them get “rendered” to other … Continue reading “Terror, Torture Fine for Some”

Updated at 11:45 a.m. EST, Nov. 2, 2006 Another 91 Iraqis were killed and 42 more wounded in violent acts today. November’s first U.S. military fatality occurred today west of Baghdad; a soldier was killed when a roadside bomb blasted his vehicle. The U.S. military also reported that a soldier was killed by small arms … Continue reading “Wednesday: 91 Iraqis, 3 GIs Killed; 42 Iraqis, 1 Marine Wounded”

In a major policy address, Sen. Hillary Clinton Tuesday called for a "sea change" in U.S. foreign policy that would include direct talks with Syria, Iran, and North Korea and greater U.S. engagement in promoting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "Let us never negotiate from fear, but let us never fear to negotiate," she … Continue reading “Hillary Urges ‘Sea Change’ in Mideast Policy”

With Ali al-Fadhily FALLUJAH – Increased violence is being countered by harsh new measures across the Sunni-dominated al-Anbar province west of Baghdad, residents say. "Thousands have been killed here by the Multinational Forces [MNF] and Iraqi allies, and the situation is getting worse every day," a member of the Fallujah city council speaking on condition … Continue reading “US Military Adopts Desperate Tactics in al-Anbar”

It’s hard even to remember anymore the true state of the U.S. military as the Vietnam War ground toward its bloody end. By the late 1960s, the statistics flowing back to Washington about the American war machine were enough to give any general nightmares. Drug-taking was rampant. (By 1971, up to 60 percent of returning … Continue reading “Move Over, GI Joe and
Han Solo”

So we are in the trenches of another election season, and if you peer closely you can see the explosions on the horizon. I’ve yet to be convinced the Democrats have the capacity to take back Congress, and to tell you the truth I don’t really care if they do. Not only do they not … Continue reading “Snake Oil and the
Midterm Elections”