Month: September 2007

Just when you thought the War Party was down, and nearly out, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did them the favor of paying a visit to New York, the town that trademarked rudeness. This gave the usual suspects an opportunity to rehearse, so to speak, for the coming war with Iran. Every symphony has a prelude, and … Continue reading “Dress Rehearsal for War”

Before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, discussion of Iraqi oil was largely taboo in the American mainstream, while the “No Blood for Oil” signs that dotted antiwar demonstrations were generally derisively dismissed as too simpleminded for serious debate. American officials rarely even mentioned the word “oil” in the same sentence with “Iraq.” When … Continue reading “Greenspan’s Oil Claim in Context”

World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism Norman Podhoretz Doubleday, 2007 240 pp. Norman Podhoretz’s new book, World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism, is a hate-filled, anti-American book of the first order. Podhoretz hates every American who does not support the neoconservatives’ views, the foreign policy they have devised, and the military … Continue reading “Why Does Norman Podhoretz Hate America?”

President Bush failed to see the irony in using a financial metaphor to explain his new benchmark for withdrawing troops from Iraq. He says the more we succeed in places like Anbar province, the more troops we can bring home. He calls the policy “return on success.” Only, “success” in Anbar is really just a … Continue reading “A Surge in Bribes”

Updated at 11:00 p.m. EDT, Sept. 25, 2007 During continued Ramadan violence, 49 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 71 more were wounded. Also, a Task Force Lightning soldier was killed during an explosion in Diyala province. In Baghdad, eight bodies were found, mostly in western neighborhoods. A pair of car bombs killed six … Continue reading “Tuesday: 1 GI, 49 Iraqis Killed; 71 Iraqis Wounded”

Does this generation possess the gravitas to lead the world? Considering the hysteria that greeted the request of Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lay a wreath at Ground Zero, the answer is no. What is it about this tiny man that induces such irrationality? Answer: He is president of a nation that is a “state sponsor … Continue reading “Infantile Nation”

Neoconservatives are great observers of war and warriors, though they are sometimes not in complete agreement about the numbering of the conflicts that they send other people’s sons and daughters to fight. Norman Podhoretz, the patriarch of the neocons, believes that the Cold War was World War III and that the U.S. is now fighting … Continue reading “What World War III
May Look Like”

Updated at 11:27 p.m. EDT, Sept. 24, 2007At least 105 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 118 others were wounded in the latest round of attacks. A mass grave was found in al-Abara, while in Baquba a suicide bomber attacked a meeting of local leaders. Kirkuk was the scene of several bombings as well. … Continue reading “Monday: 1 GI, 105 Iraqis killed; 118 Iraqis Wounded”

Author’s note: Sept. 17 was the 220th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. To commemorate that day, California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) held a public forum with a panel of four speakers: David Anderson, a history professor at CSUMB; Michelle Welsh, a lawyer and member of the ACLU; John Arquilla, a professor … Continue reading “War and the Constitution”

NEW DELHI – As India’s coalition government tries to complete the controversial nuclear cooperation deal with the United States, it finds itself caught between domestic opposition to the agreement from its left-wing allies and pressure from Washington to seal the deal. For the agreement to be completed, it needs to be approved by the International … Continue reading “Nuke Deal May Trigger Midterm Polls in India”