Month: October 2007

I have no idea whether the president will order an attack on Iran. Seymour Hersh, a reporter I respect, says the Bush administration has decided it would be easier to sell an attack on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards than on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Certainly all of the negative comments about Iran that are coming from … Continue reading “Making the Same Mistake Twice”

Well, according to the New York Times editorialists, the "good news" is that President Bush and Condi Rice are apparently "so eager for an enduring foreign policy victory, in hopes of offsetting their failures in Iraq" that they have agreed to be a party – along with China, Russia and Japan – to essentially a … Continue reading “Bush-Rice Enduring Victory”

Updated at 11:50 p.m. EDT, Oct. 5, 2007In an unusually active Friday, 62 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 62 more were wounded. Two incidents involving U.S. forces are the focus of controversy today as innocent civilians may have been killed. Police sources in Basra are admitting that over a dozen female bodies are … Continue reading “Friday: 4 GIs, 62 Iraqis Killed; 62 Iraqis Wounded”

The Republican Party once professed to promote fiscal responsibility. It sought to limit government growth, expected program benefits to exceed costs, and refused to give any agency a blank check. No longer. If there is a Republican Party consensus – other than the ever courageous presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) – it is that … Continue reading “The Price of Promiscuous Intervention”

On September 16, as a car approached Nisour Square, all the folly and tragedy of the Iraq war was enacted on a Baghdad street. In the vehicle were two Iraqis: Ahmed Haithem was driving his mother, Mohassin, to the local hospital, where her husband worked as a pathologist. They never made it. Instead, four armored … Continue reading “The Blackwater Massacre”

When, in mid-September, General David Petraeus testified before Congress on “progress” in Iraq, he appeared in full dress uniform with quite a stunning chestful of medals. The general is undoubtedly a tough bird. He was shot in the chest during a training-exercise accident and later broke his pelvis in a civilian skydiving landing, but until … Continue reading “Saving the Military from Itself”

This is an excerpt from Norman Solomon’s new book Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters with America’s Warfare State. A story could start almost anywhere. This one begins at a moment startled by a rocket. In the autumn of 1957, America was not at war … or at peace. The threat of nuclear annihilation shadowed … Continue reading “Sputnik, 50 Years Later: The Launch of Techno-Power”

Updated at 11:57 p.m. EDT, Oct. 4, 2007As Baghdad and Tal Afar were rocked by numerous bombings, the cities of Iskandariya, Samarra, Suwayra and Hilla were plagued with assassinations. Overall, at least 68 Iraqis were killed and 112 more were wounded during the latest attacks. And, one MND-B soldier was killed today during a small … Continue reading “Thursday: 1 GI, 68 Iraqis Killed; 112 Iraqis Wounded”

Almost surely President George W. Bush will keep the American military in Iraq until he leaves office. He will kick the war down the calendar and leave it to the incoming president. So what should the president do when he or she takes office? The president can retain the Bush policy of attempting to Iraqize … Continue reading “Will the Election Make a Difference?”

Updated at 11:25 p.m. EDT, Oct. 3, 2007Today’s most significant event left the Polish ambassador wounded and his bodyguard dead in Baghdad. Overall, 60 Iraqis were killed and 56 more were wounded during the latest violence. No foreign military deaths were reported. Also, 13 people were kidnapped in Khalis. In Baghdad, a triple bombing targeting … Continue reading “Wednesday: 60 Iraqis Killed, 51 Wounded; Polish Envoy Attacked”