Month: March 2007

Let me see if I’ve got this straight. Perhaps two years ago, an “informal” meeting of “veterans” of the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal – holding positions in the Bush administration – was convened by Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams. Discussed were the “lessons learned” from that labyrinthine, secret, and illegal arms-for-money-for-arms deal involving the Israelis, … Continue reading “A Journalist Writes Bloody Murder… and No One Notices”

The days are getting longer, but the media shadows are no shorter as they cover the war in Iraq through American eyes, squinting in Washington’s pallid sun. Debated as an issue of politics, the actual war keeps being drained of life. Abstractions thrive inside the Beltway, while the war effort continues: funded by the U.S. … Continue reading “‘Pragmatism’ Is Prolonging
the War”

Israel’s supposedly "defensive" assault on Hezbollah last summer, in which more than 1,000 Lebanese civilians were killed in a massive aerial bombardment that ended with Israel littering the country’s south with cluster bombs, was cast in a definitively different light last week by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. His leaked testimony to the Winograd Committee … Continue reading “Olmert Reveals the Real Goal of War in Lebanon”

In October 2002, President Bush made the case for waging war against Iraq by raising the specter of nuclear terrorism: "If the Iraqi regime is able to produce, buy, or steal an amount of highly enriched uranium a little larger than a single softball, it could have a nuclear weapon in less than a year. … Continue reading “Reducing the Risk of Nukes”

Updated at 1:10 a.m. EST, March 14, 2007 Civilian violence picked up today with several incidents occurring in the capital and elsewhere. At least 102 Iraqis were reported killed or found dead and another 31 Iraqis were wounded. A roadside bomb killed one American soldier today in southern Baghdad. A separate roadside bomb killed a … Continue reading “Tuesday: 103 Iraqis, 2 GIs Killed, 31 Wounded”

BOGOTÁ – U.S. President George W. Bush’s visit to Colombia was accompanied by signals that Washington may step up its efforts to secure the release of three U.S. intelligence operatives who have been held hostage by the main guerrilla group, the FARC, since early 2003. Bush said he had spoken with Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, … Continue reading “Military Rescue of Hostages in Colombia on Bush’s Agenda?”

With Ali al-Fadhily BAGHDAD – The security conference held last Saturday in Baghdad produced statements, drew mortar fire, and brought little hope of security. The conference attended by representatives from 13 countries, including Syria, Iran, and the United States, was held inside the heavily fortified “green zone” in central Baghdad. Representatives from Iraq’s six neighboring … Continue reading “Security Meeting Ends; Insecurity Does Not”

In its newly released annual report on the status of human rights around the world, the U.S. State Department disparages a long list of nations about their violations of individual freedoms. The report notes that countries in which power is concentrated in the hands of unaccountable rulers, whether totalitarian or authoritarian, continue to be the … Continue reading “China Returns Fire on US Human Rights Abuses”

Interview recorded Feb. 27, 2007. Listen to the interview. Although we’ve talked about this issue, your article in The New Yorker, “The Redirection,” a couple of times, Mr. Hersh, would you give us a thumbnail sketch of your story? Hersh: Yeah, basically, it’s a story saying that we’ve changed our policy in a very dramatic … Continue reading “Why Is the US Backing
Sunni Jihadists?”

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was just a liar and a hatchet man for Vice President Cheney in the White House. Douglas Feith was inside the Pentagon. Lying to cover up the reason for the war is one thing; responsibility for the disastrous occupation policies is another. In 2003 Antiwar.com published “All Roads Lead to Feith” … Continue reading “After Libby, All Roads
Lead to Feith”