Month: March 2008

Recently, photographic portraits of nine World War I vets (all 105 or older when taken) were unveiled at a Pentagon ceremony. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates then noted that, when it comes to their war, “There is no big memorial on the National Mall. Hollywood has not turned its gaze in this direction for decades.” … Continue reading “The Golden Age of the Military-Entertainment Complex”

It has long since come to universal notice that Time and Newsweek, the Coke and Pepsi of weekly print journalism, have slid to the level of what were once considered lowbrow publications like People and Entertainment Weekly. Needless to say, these latter two journals threaten to assume the Darwinian niche previously occupied by the lamented … Continue reading “For God’s Sake, Don’t Mention the War!”

Updated at 8:50 p.m. EDT, Mar. 20, 2008 At least 25 Iraqis were killed and another 28 were wounded in the latest round of violence. No Coalition casualties were reported, but Turkey resumed air attacks on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) hideouts in northern Iraq. U.S. forces targeting gunmen shelled and killed six civilians by accident … Continue reading “Thursday: 25 Iraqis Killed, 28 Wounded”

VANCOUVER – Buoyed by the recommendations of a government-appointed blue-ribbon panel, Canada’s parliament last week approved a motion to extend its combat mission in Afghanistan until the end of 2011. The outcome of the motion was effectively predetermined, as the two largest parties in the House of Commons – the Liberals and the governing Conservatives … Continue reading “Pro-US Panel Was Key in Extending Canada’s Afghan Mission”

I stayed home Tuesday morning to watch the much-hyped Barack Obama speech on race and Jeremiah Wright. I was glad I did. I’ll forgive him his 35-minute, Bill Clinton-style delay before speaking because this speech was obviously one of the most important of his campaign. I had wondered how Obama would both speak to white … Continue reading “Jeremiah Wright: True and False”

So why, exactly, did the US invade Iraq five years ago this week? The official reasons – the threat posed to the US and its allies by Saddam Hussein’s alleged programs of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the possibility that he would pass along those arms to al-Qaeda – have long since been discarded … Continue reading “Why Did the US Invade Iraq?”

Four years ago this week, Kosovo burned; tens of thousands of ethnic Albanians – armed, organized and determined – systematically went after the province’s Serbs. They burned churches and monasteries, destroyed entire villages, and drove over four thousand people out of their homes. NATO troops occupying the province cowered before the rampage, with a few … Continue reading “Blood”

When historians look back on the war in Afghanistan, they may well point to last December’s battle for Musa Qala, a scruffy town in the country’s northern Helmand province, as a turning point. In a war of shadows, remote ambushes, and anonymous roadside bombs, Musa Qala was an exception: a standup fight. On one side … Continue reading “A River Runs Backward”

Updated at 11:55 p.m. EDT, Mar. 19, 2008As President Bush marked the five anniversary of the invasion of Iraq with a speech, at least 32 Iraqis were killed and another 45 were wounded in the latest violence. Two American soldiers were also killed. An American soldier was killed in a vehicle rollover in Diyala province … Continue reading “Wednesday: 2 US Soldiers, 32 Iraqis Killed; 45 Iraqis Wounded”

One of the nation’s most respected counterterrorism experts is predicting that Congress will take action to rein in the "unchecked power" of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to spy on U.S. citizens without court approval – and then forbid them from publicly protesting the violation of their civil liberties. He is Mike German, a 16-year … Continue reading “Reforms Failed to Curb FBI Spying”