Bush’s Last Stand

Delivered in a near monotone, and written by someone with a tin ear, the president's much-anticipated speech on the "new way forward" in Iraq has succeeded only in reinforcing the impression that he is deaf, dumb, and blind to reason when it comes to Iraq. As...

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The Presidential Lottery

As expected, President George W. Bush announced on Wednesday that he planned to increase the number of troops in Iraq. From his point of view, he had no other choice. To "stay the course" meant doing same thing with the same force. That hadn't worked; after...

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Still One More Card to Play

Wednesday night, George Bush seemed to play his last card in the Iraq war. It was not impressive. Consider. First, he warned of the awful consequences of a US defeat: "Radical Islamic extremism would grow ... in strength and gain new recruits. They would be in a...

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Where are the Republicans for Peace?

One definition of insanity is responding to failure by doing more of the same. Such as marginally increasing the number of troops in Iraq and making war on both Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite militias. Unfortunately, President George W. Bush has done no more than...

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Bush’s Prescription for More War

President Bush's alleged new strategy for Iraq, outlined in a mercifully brief prime time speech last night, is a recipe for disaster for Iraq, the United States, and the region. For Iraqis, the prospect of stepped-up US military action in Baghdad will spur a sharp...

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Jimmy Carter Speaks Truth to Propaganda

Jimmy Carter, probably the most decent man to occupy the White House, received a lot of grief during his term in office, most of it undeserved. His latest book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid has brought him even more grief, none of it deserved. My own appreciation of...

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Sound and Fury

Coverage of the Democratic takeover of the U.S. Congress in the past couple weeks has focused on Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.), the first female Speaker of the House, and her "100 hours" agenda. But if most of the voters who booted the Republican incumbents in...

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Hardliner’s Hardliner Led Bush’s Iraq Review

When President George W. Bush's unveils his long-awaited new strategy on Iraq Wednesday night, he will be relying heavily on the counsel of one J.D. Crouch II, perhaps the most hardline – if most obscure – of his hawkish advisers. Over the past 15 years, the...

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