Month: January 2007

One of the lessons of the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials of Germans after Germany’s defeat in World War II was that obeying orders is no excuse for war crimes. U.S. prosecutors took the position that the German military should have refused to obey Hitler’s orders. Chief U.S. prosecutor Robert Jackson established that military aggression was … Continue reading “US Hypocrisy Reaches
All-Time High”

Updated at 11:55 p.m. EST, Jan. 3, 2007 Iraq, especially Baghdad, remains remarkably quiet as the Eid al-Adha holiday draws to an end, but at least 34 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 20 were wounded. Also, U.S. military authorities today reported that an American soldier was killed when a roadside bomb blasted his … Continue reading “Wednesday: 34 Iraqis, 2 GIs Killed; 20 Iraqis Wounded”

ARBIL – After an estimated 10 percent of active journalists in Iraq died in 2006, the rest are asking themselves what lies ahead for them in the New Year. A report released by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RWB, also known as Reporters sans Frontieres), on the last day of 2006 described Iraq as “the … Continue reading “Bloody Years for
Journalists in Iraq”

On Jan. 2, the BBC reported a leak from a "senior administration source" that President George W. Bush is going to give a speech, whose "central theme will be sacrifice," announcing an increase in U.S. troops in Iraq for security purposes. Speculation abounds whether the leak is designed to block Bush’s insane policy with protests … Continue reading “Keane/Kagan Plan Means More Bloodshed”

There was a certain end-of-an-era feeling in Washington in the last few weeks of 2006. In the aftermath of the Republican loss of Congress in November, interpreted by most pundits as the American public’s repudiation of President George Bush’s policy in Iraq, the expectation in the U.S. capital was that the city would enter the … Continue reading “Brace Yourself for 2007”

Okay, folks, it’s time for a year-opening sermon. And like any good sermon, this one will be based on illustrative texts, in this case from 2006, and inspirational passages plucked from them. Its goal, as in any such quest, will be to reveal a world normally hidden from us in our daily lives. Every day, … Continue reading “Doubling Down on the Imperial Mission in 2007”

Arnaud de Borchgrave – a conservative Washington Times columnist, but no neocon – recently had this to say about our president’s future course in Iraq: "Some political soothsayers in Washington predict Mr. Bush is limbering up for the biggest U-turn in his political life. Think again. The French have an expression for what will probably … Continue reading “Mission Accomplished”

In February 2003, President Bush argued that "a liberated Iraq can show the power of freedom to transform that vital region, by bringing hope and progress into the lives of millions. America’s interests in security, and America’s belief in liberty, both lead in the same direction: to a free and peaceful Iraq." According to the … Continue reading “Requiem for a Dictator”

Updated at 6:25 p.m. EST, Jan.1, 2007 In Iraq today, at least 70 Iraqis were killed or found dead and another 11 wounded in various attacks throughout the country. Also, U.S. authorities reported that an American soldier was killed yesterday, and in a separate incident a GI killed an Iraqi soldier during an “altercation.” The … Continue reading “Tuesday: 70 Iraqis, 1 GI Killed; 11 Iraqis Injured”

Updated at 12:30 a.m. EST, Jan. 2, 2007 Violence continued on Monday, following a weekend where Iraq saw the execution of Saddam Hussein and the 3,000th American casualty. At least 76 Iraqis were killed or found dead today, 10 were injured, and the deaths of two more GIs were reported. In Coalition news, military authorities … Continue reading “Monday: 76 Iraqis, 2 GIs Killed; 10 Iraqis, 2 GIs Wounded”