Month: January 2007

Just five days after the September 11th attacks in 2001, in a Q and A with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, a president with a new mission, a new cause, and a new purpose in life told the American people that, though they had to “go back to work tomorrow,” they … Continue reading “George Bush’s Crusading Scorecard (01-2007)”

With some two million of its citizens having fled to other countries and another 1.7 million internally displaced, Iraq has become one of the world’s biggest and fastest growing humanitarian crises for which the United States should take far more responsibility, according to human rights groups and other experts. The administration of President George W. … Continue reading “US Offers Scant Help to Fleeing Iraqi Refugees”

Robert Higgs, Depression, War, and Cold War: Studies in Political Economy (New York: Oxford, 2006), 221 pp. Robert Higgs, a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, is a depressing fellow. Not in person – Bob is animated, interesting, and challenging, and makes a wonderful dinner partner and conference participant. But the natural consequence of reading … Continue reading “Depression, War, and Cold War”

Updated at 12:10 a.m. EST, Jan. 18, 2007 Bombings have been preferred method of attack during this week’s surge in violence. Today alone, at least 87 Iraqis were killed and another 117 wounded in several incidents. Military authorities also announced the death of an American sailor from non-combat-related causes. A British soldier was injured in … Continue reading “Thursday: 97 Iraqis, 1 GI Killed; 117 Iraqis, 1 Briton Wounded”

In January of 2003, shortly before the US bombed and invaded Iraq, I asked a dear friend, Umm Heyder, to tell me how she was feeling. "It is very hard," she said, "when all you can do is to sit and to wait for your city to be bombed. And, you see," she continued, "we … Continue reading “‘We Have Tasted War’”

with Ali al-Fadhily FALLUJAH – A stepped up military offensive that targets mosques, religious leaders and Islamic customs is leading many Iraqis to believe that the US-led invasion really was a "holy war." Photographs are being circulated of black crosses painted on mosque walls and on copies of the Quran, and of soldiers dumping their … Continue reading “The War Becomes More Unholy”

One way to look at the situation in Iraq is to try to identify variables, elements that could change. Without change, the war is likely to end with troops having to fight their way out, if they can. The military situation in Iraq is not a variable. All that can change is the speed of … Continue reading “Identifying Variables”

A bipartisan coalition of US lawmakers who favor an easing of the nearly 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba say the new Democrat-led Congress offers hope for progress this year. The coalition, which embraces Democratic liberals from the Northeast and the West Coast and conservatives from agricultural states in the Midwest and Mississippi Valley, say they … Continue reading “Foes of Cuba Embargo See Hope in New Congress”

Updated at 11:56 a.m. EST, Jan. 18, 2007 A second day of increased violence followed the executions of Saddam’s half-brother and the former head of Iraq’s Revolutionary Court. At least 238 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and 118 were injured. The U.S. military also reported on the deaths of two American soldiers; one … Continue reading “Wednesday: 238 Iraqis, 2 GIs Killed; 118 Iraqis, 1 GI, 3 Britons Injured”

Fifty-eight percent of the American people believe the U.S. government manipulated intelligence in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, i.e., they believe government officials lied in order to drag us into war. In this they have been way ahead of the politicians, the “experts,” and the pundits – in short, the Beltway crowd, which … Continue reading “Libby on Trial”