Month: March 2008

On February 5, the New York Times published a front-page story by Carlotta Gall and myself, Time Runs Out for an Afghan Held by the U.S., about Abdul Razzaq Hekmati, a 68-year old Afghan detainee who died in Guantánamo on December 30, 2007, in which we established that Mr. Hekmati, known to the authorities in … Continue reading “The Afghan Hero Who Died in Guantánamo”

A new article on CENTCOM commander Adm. William Fallon confirms that his public statements last fall ruling out war against Iran last fall were not coordinated with the White House and landed him in trouble more than once with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. In an admiring article on Fallon in … Continue reading “Fallon’s ‘No Iran War’ Line Angered White House”

BAQUBA – After losing sight of what they knew to be normal life, residents across Baquba seem to have fallen into a depression. Close to the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, March 19, Iraqis today say they feel humiliated in their own country. "People have forgotten how to be happy," says resident … Continue reading “In Baquba, Happiness Is a Memory”

Well, here we go again. "Information" about Iran’s alleged nuke weaponization program, turned over to the Secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency late last year, was presented last week to the IAEA Board of Governors by IAEA’s Deputy Director-General Olli Heinonen. Iran’s Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh, who was present, was reportedly enraged that the … Continue reading “Operation Merlin II”

Sometimes President Bush sounds like an idiot. The most recent example is his statement that he still believes the Palestinians and Israelis can reach a peace agreement before the end of his term. This comes on the heels of an Israeli attack against Gaza that killed more than 100 people, most of them innocent civilians. … Continue reading “Cut ‘Sovereign’ Israel Loose”

Updated at 5:20 p.m. EST, Mar. 7, 2008Today, Mosul was the scene of multiple bombings just as Baghdad was recovering from yesterday’s major bombing in Karrada. Overall, at least 27 Iraqis were killed and 33 more were wounded across the country. No Coalition deaths were reported. Also, Shi’ite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr issued a statement explaining … Continue reading “Friday: 27 Iraqis Killed, 33 Wounded”

Iraq, where women once had more rights and freedom than most others in the Arab world, has turned deadly for women who dream of education and a professional career. Former dictator Saddam Hussein maintained a relatively secular society, where it was common for women to take up jobs as professors, doctors and government officials. In … Continue reading “Iraqi Women More Oppressed Than Ever”

As the Obama-Clinton primary tussle threatens to go right through, perhaps, November 2010, the political news is everywhere: The superdelegates are “feeling the pressure”; those 795 nabobs of the Democratic Party, once meant in part as a brake against a popular Democrat from off-the-ranch threatening to run away with the nomination, now find themselves under … Continue reading “Fidel Castro, the First Superdelegate”

Dear fellow Obama-maniacs, Okay, I’m coming out of the closet, and admitting I’m one of you. There, I can say it, at last, out loud and proud: I’m a conservative-paleo-libertarian with a man-crush on Obama. Whew! What a relief! Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I can speak freely, and openly, about my … Continue reading “Confessions of an Obama Cultist”