Month: March 2008

It is difficult to imagine that a plan concocted by the plump and studious Fred Kagan deep in the bowels of the American Enterprise Institute can be taken seriously, but life offers many surprises. The Bush administration and putative Republican presidential candidate John McCain are effusive in their praise of the grand illusion offered by … Continue reading “Surging in All Directions”

Updated at 7:55 p.m. EDT, Mar. 10, 2008Eight U.S. soldiers were killed in two separate incidents in Iraq. Overall, at least 30 Iraqis were also killed and another 77 were wounded across Iraq, during a spate of mostly suicide bombings. Even the relatively stable city of Suleimaniyah was the scene of violence. Meanwhile, Iraqis ask … Continue reading “Monday: 8 US Soldiers, 30 Iraqis Killed; 77 Iraqis Wounded”

U.S. President George W. Bush appeared headed toward another train wreck with Congress as he carried out his threat to veto an intelligence bill that would have banned the Central Intelligence Agency from using waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques" in questioning terrorism suspects. The bill, passed by both the House of Representatives and the … Continue reading “Just Waterboarding Under the Bridge”

The response to my "confession" of admiration for Barack Obama is instructive on several levels, the first being the amount of sheer emotion generated. Here, for example, is a response from some of Ron Paul’s more hard-core supporters: to hear them tell it, I’m an "opportunist," a "Benedict Arnold," and a "male Naomi Wolf"! My … Continue reading “A Strategy for Peace – and Survival”

Get ready for the horrible, honest reality of the American occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan like you haven’t heard it before. For three days, March 14-16, hundreds of U.S. veterans of the two wars will descend on Washington and testify in the "Winter Soldier" hearings about what they really did while they were serving their … Continue reading “Tune in to Winter Soldier Hearings”

Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai’s much publicized remark last week about Gaza facing a shoah – the Hebrew word for the Holocaust – was widely assumed to be unpleasant hyperbole about the army’s plans for an imminent full-scale invasion of the Strip. More significantly, however, his comment offers a disturbing indication of the Israeli … Continue reading “Israel Plots Another Palestinian Exodus”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just turned five years old. It seems like it was born just yesterday. The department’s growing pains have made it a slow learner and a downright ugly child. Born in an atmosphere of tension and fear, and cobbled together from pieces of other government departments and agencies, the prospects … Continue reading “Happy Birthday, DHS!”

Updated at 7:15 p.m. EDT, Mar. 9, 2008At least 28 Iraqis were killed and another 10 were wounded in the latest attacks. The U.S. military suggested that a recent surge in killings should not be taken as an overall return to violence. No Coalition deaths were reported. Military authorities reported that many U.S. soldiers became … Continue reading “Sunday: 28 Iraqis Killed, 10 Wounded”

Updated at 9:34 p.m. EST, Mar. 8, 2008Although reported violence was otherwise light, a mass grave containing about 100 badly decomposed bodies was discovered in Khalis. Overall, at least another 36 Iraqis were killed and 17 more were wounded in the latest attacks. One American soldier was killed as well. Meanwhile, talks to determine the … Continue reading “Saturday: 1 US Soldier, 36 Iraqis Killed; 17 Iraqis Wounded; 100 Bodies Found”

It’s not easy to tell, despite all the blustering on various sides and even the movement of troops, whether there is really a crisis brewing in South America that could lead eventually to military confrontation. But animosities that have been expressed for some time mainly in nasty words and insults have started to become more … Continue reading “Roots of Venezuelan-Colombian Crisis”