Month: January 2007

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 Republicans peel off in their support for his failed … Continue reading “Bush’s Last Stand”

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 the "drubbing" of the election, he had promised a … Continue reading “The Presidential Lottery”

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 better position to topple moderate governments, create chaos … Continue reading “Still One More Card to Play”

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 ritualistically acknowledge his past mistakes and still refuses to make a … Continue reading “Where are the Republicans for Peace?”

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 increase in civilian casualties, sectarian violence and recruitment by al-Qaeda … Continue reading “Bush’s Prescription for More War”

Updated at 1:05 a.m. EST, Jan. 12, 2007 In today’s developments, U.S. President George Bush’s latest speech is the subject of much international debate. Closer to home, at least 60 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and another 33 wounded. Also, military authorities reported today that U.S. troops killed 85 suspected militants during operations … Continue reading “Thursday: 60 Iraqis Killed, 33 Wounded; U.S. Forces Kill 93 in Raids”

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 Jimmy Carter is new found. It began with … Continue reading “Jimmy Carter Speaks Truth to Propaganda”

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 November 2006 did so because of Emperor Bush’s war in … Continue reading “Sound and Fury”

Updated at 12:20 p.m. EST, Jan. 10, 2007 At least 126 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and another 73 were wounded in violent acts across the country. Attacks were light in Baghdad where combined U.S. and Iraqi forces had been conducting raids. Also, the U.S. military reported that two American soldiers died from … Continue reading “Wednesday: 126 Iraqis, 3 GIs Killed; 73 Iraqis Wounded”

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 generally low-profile Crouch has taken any number of controversial … Continue reading “Hardliner’s Hardliner Led Bush’s Iraq Review”