Month: December 2006

Updated at 11:35 p.m. EST, Dec. 5, 2006 Attacks in Baghdad and an intense battle in Ramadi easily brought today’s tally to 191 Iraqis killed or found dead and 91 injured. Also, one U.S. soldier was killed and five more wounded when militiamen attacked their patrol in Baghdad. In Diyala province, another U.S soldier was … Continue reading “Tuesday: 191 Iraqis, 3 GIs Killed; 91 Iraqis Wounded”

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s months-long diplomatic effort to get five other powers to agree to a tough United Nations Security Council resolution on sanctions against Iran now seems certain to fail, because of Russian and Chinese resistance. The beneficiaries of that failure in Washington will be Vice President Dick Cheney and other hardliners, … Continue reading “Rice’s Iran Strategy Fizzles, Cheney Waits in Wings”

In a new blow to the dwindling number of hawks in top administration positions, President George W. Bush Monday accepted the resignation of his ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton. The resignation came less than three weeks after Bush had resubmitted Bolton’s nomination to the Senate for confirmation, a move that was apparently designed … Continue reading “Bolton Resigns in
New Defeat for Hawks”

The Baker Commission report calls for a phased withdrawal of combat forces in Iraq and for the United States to talk to adversarial neighboring countries – that is, Iran and Syria – about playing a more constructive role in that country’s civil war. If his rhetoric before the release of the report is any indication, … Continue reading “The Coming Clash
Over Iraq Policy”

As the new Democratic majority in the U.S. Congress considers whether to revisit the Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA), the administration of President George W. Bush is proposing still more restrictions on detainees in U.S. custody. The government has proposed limiting contact between defense lawyers and detainees at Guantanamo Bay because it says detainees’ … Continue reading “US Seeks Near-Total Isolation for Gitmo”

The conservative movement in the United States has been stamped out, not by liberals but by neoconservatives. Conservative philanthropic foundations, conservative print media, and conservative think tanks have been taken over by neoconservatives, who have exiled real conservatives to voicelessness and joblessness. Neoconservative translates as "new conservative." However, there is nothing at all conservative about … Continue reading “Bush Is No Conservative”

During last summer’s Israeli-Hezbollah war, Condi Rice assured us that we were witnessing the “birth pangs of a new Middle East.” Condi may be right. But that new Middle East appears to be one in which U.S. influence is visibly waning and America is on the way out. Consider the returns from November. Bush’s war … Continue reading “The Stability Problem, Solved”

Finally, the president and the New York Times agree. In a news conference with the Iraqi prime minister last week, George W. Bush insisted that there would be no “graceful exit” or withdrawal from Iraq; that this was not “realism.” The next day the Times, in a front-page piece (as well as “analysis” inside the … Continue reading “The Iraq Study Group Rides to the Rescue – of the Empire”

The lame-duck Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee seems determined to force through confirmation of Robert Gates to replace Donald Rumsfeld as secretary of defense. The hurry is synthetic – and totally unnecessary. I know, I know – everyone but Barney the dog wants Rumsfeld out of the Pentagon tout suite. According to a Pentagon spokesman, … Continue reading “Confirming Gates:
Why the Rush?”

Updated at 11:15 p.m. EST, Dec. 4, 2006 At least 89 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and another 10 were wounded in violent attacks. Also, the weekend death toll for U.S. servicemembers grew by at least four when a U.S. helicopter made an emergency water landing in Anbar province. Those deaths are included … Continue reading “Monday: 89 Iraqis Killed, 10 Iraqis Wounded”