Month: November 2007

On much of the Right the U.S. military has become sacrosanct. Those most enthused about making war around the globe while never donning a uniform seem most determined to turn the Pentagon into a national idol. But if we are to have a national idol, it should be our system of ordered liberty, which the … Continue reading “Worshipping the Military, or the Society it Defends?”

Updated at 12:10 a.m. EST, Nov. 16, 2007A day of otherwise light violence was marred by a suicide bombing attack in Kirkuk that left over two dozen killed or injured, many of them children. Overall, 22 people were killed or found dead and 47 more were wounded throughout the country. Two U.S. soldiers were also … Continue reading “Thursday: 2 US Soldiers, 22 Iraqis Killed; 47 Iraqis Wounded”

More than seven weeks ago, US media attention on Iraq peaked as Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador to Iraq Ray Crocker delivered their much anticipated evaluation of the George W. Bush administration’s "surge strategy" before Congress. By most official and media accounts, security in Baghdad and in surrounding provinces has improved markedly since then, with … Continue reading “What Does Iraq’s ‘Good News’ Really Mean?”

Based on a speech given at The Citadel, we now know that Fred Thompson believes we need to spend the equivalent of 4.5 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP) on the military (exclusive of ongoing military operations) and expand the size of our armed forces to one million men and women in uniform. According … Continue reading “Fred Thompson and the Kitchen Sink”

In the name of clamping down on "terrorist uprisings" in Pakistan, General Musharraf has declared a state of emergency and imposed martial law. The true motivations behind this action however, are astonishingly transparent, as the reports come in that mainly lawyers and opposition party members are being arrested and harassed. Supreme Court justices are held … Continue reading “Entangling Alliances”

Before I met Jonathan Schell, I already knew him in the best way possible: on the page. Even in his days as a neophyte journalist in Vietnam, he committed a writer’s greatest act of generosity. First in the pages of The New Yorker, and then in his books, he took readers to places most of … Continue reading “Are You With Us… or Against Us?”

Updated at 12:40 a.m. EST, Nov. 15, 2007Once again, U.S. security contractors have fired upon civilians in Iraq, this time injuring two family members in Baghdad. Overall, 80 Iraqis were killed and 37 more were wounded. Among the dead were 22 unidentified people who were buried in Kirkuk. Also one U.S. soldier was killed today … Continue reading “Wednesday: 1 US Soldier, 80 Iraqis Killed; 37 Iraqis Wounded”

As I predicted last month, the only consistently antiwar candidate on the Republican side of the aisle is breaking through – but in a spectacular manner that I certainly did not foresee. Suddenly, Paul is everywhere, from the Sunday morning talk shows to the length and breadth of the blogosphere. His amazing $4.2 million-in-one-day fundraising … Continue reading “Why Are They So
Afraid of Ron Paul?”

U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could cost U.S. taxpayers as much as $3.5 trillion through 2017 if both direct and indirect, or "hidden," costs are taken into account, according to a new report released Tuesday by Democrats in Congress. The 27-page report, entitled "War at Any Price?" [.pdf], concluded that the total economic costs … Continue reading “Dems Put War Costs at $3.5 Trillion Through 2017”

Unlike most U.S. journalists who went to Iraq to cover a war, Dahr Jamail went to try to stop it. In his new book, Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq, Jamail writes of volunteering as a rescue ranger at Denali National Park in Alaska while news of the invasion … Continue reading “Outrage in a Time of Apathy”