Month: December 2007

Updated at 11:30 p.m EST, Dec. 17, 2007At least 47 Iraqis were killed and 59 more were wounded in the latest round of violence. A bomber tried to collapse a dam in northern Iraq that could have cost the lives of tens of thousands of people downriver. Another bomber in Balad Ruz caused over two … Continue reading “Monday: 2 US Soldiers, 47 Iraqis Killed; 59 Iraqis Wounded”

The word-bite coming out of Mike Huckabee’s Foreign Affairs manifesto is "arrogant bunker mentality," this in reference to the Bush administration, a mindset which, the new Republican front-runner avers, "has been counterproductive at home and abroad." Mitt Romney is demanding an apology from Huckabee to the president, but this grasping at straws only confirms Huckabee’s … Continue reading “The Huckster’s Foreign Policy”

I have for some time now publicly articulated my sympathy and support for the state of Israel, even while criticizing those cases that I believed constituted poor judgment and bad policy. My stance was based upon my past experiences with Israel, which began indirectly in 1990-1991 when I was involved in counter-SCUD activities during Operation … Continue reading “US Must Reevaluate Its Relationship With Israel”

Two years after being cleared for release from Guantánamo by a military review board, Adel Hassan Hamad, a hospital administrator who worked for a Saudi charity, and Salim Muhood Adem, who worked with orphans for a Kuwaiti NGO, have been repatriated to the country of their birth, where, as lawyer Clive Stafford Smith explained, they … Continue reading “The Shocking Stories of the Aid Workers Just Released From Gitmo”

On the surface, and even below the surface, the latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons is good news. The major U.S. intelligence agencies are now saying that the Iranian government abandoned its direct quest for nuclear weapons in 2003. This finding, and the wide publicity it has been given, will make … Continue reading “Don’t Lean on the NIE”

Updated at 12:15 a.m EST, Dec. 17, 2007Although analysts argue that a major Turkish invasion is not imminent, Turkish warplanes crossed deep into Iraq and bombed several purported rebel locations. In other news, Britain formally handed over control of security in Basra to the Iraqis. Overall, 90 Iraqis were killed and 30 more were wounded … Continue reading “Sunday: 1 US Soldier, 90 Iraqis Killed; 30 Iraqis Wounded”

Updated at 10:10 p.m. EST, Dec. 15, 2007At least 32 Iraqis were killed and 43 more were wounded on a day heavy with small attacks. Many of these attacks involved Awakening Council (Sahwa) patrolmen in several cities. These Awakening Councils began working with Coalition forces several months ago. Also, an MND-B soldier was killed in … Continue reading “Saturday: 1 US Soldier, 32 Iraqis Killed; 43 Iraqis Wounded”

Winston Churchill – icon for President George W. Bush and the neo-crazies – is revered for declaring “I did not become Her Majesty’s First Minister so that I might oversee the liquidation of the British Empire!” Churchill is – understandably – much less revered for proceeding to do just that. With just a year to … Continue reading “Liquidation of Empire”

I hardly ever agree with David Brooks, the New York Times‘ token quasi-neoconservative columnist, on policy, but he is a shrewd observer who can often offer insights into what the purported influentials are thinking. His column this week suggesting that we are in the midst of a postwar election rather than a wartime election is … Continue reading “Postwar Elections and Peace Prospects”

The government’s assaults on our common sense, our wallets, and our dignity are becoming so numerous that one is hard pressed to keep up. The media pivot like a herd of wildebeests from one scandal to the other – from illegal wiretapping, to torture, to mercenaries, to saber rattling in the Persian Gulf, to $4 … Continue reading “Rumble in the Jungle: The AFRICOM Boondoggle”