Month: May 2008

Late on Thursday evening, I joined in the widespread celebrations – at least in those parts of the world that care about the injustice of holding people in prison without charge or trial – that attended the repatriation of al-Jazeera journalist Sami al-Haj from Guantánamo, his home for the last six years, to Sudan. Although … Continue reading “Who Are the Latest Gitmo Detainees to Be Released?”

Updated at 8:00 p.m. EDT, May 7, 2008At least 26 Iraqis were killed and 35 more were wounded in light violence. A US soldier was killed during an armed attack in Fallujah yesterday. Also, U.S. forces arrested four Iraqi journalists in Diyala province. In Baghdad, Iraqi forces came under fire in Amin; eight gunmen and … Continue reading “Wednesday: 1 US Soldier, 26 Iraqis Killed; 35 Iraqis Wounded”

Note for TomDispatch Readers: Think of this dispatch, in TV terms, as counterprogramming. While much of America sits, couch- and Earth-bound, checking out the latest 24/7 bout of Democratic primary coverage, TomDispatch soars into the heavens on the wings of historian and retired Air Force Lt. Col. William J. Astore. No couch-potatoes we. And while … Continue reading “Coming Down to Earth”

With Barack Obama sweeping North Carolina – in part due to massive turnout by students and African-Americans – and Indiana (as of 5:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time) very possibly a close call, the numbers should be telling us Hillary Clinton is finished – at least as far as the elected delegates are concerned. The mathematics … Continue reading “Why Isn’t It the End of Hillary?”

GAZA CITY – It’s been strangely quiet for some time at the port in Gaza. No clanging of hooks, no sounds of creaking cranes or of thumping of nets upon decks. Boat engines, normally puttering and spewing exhaust, lie entombed under covers. Of the 40,000 fishermen and others who make a living from the catch, … Continue reading “Still Waters in Gaza”

Every time I hear the voice of David Ben-Gurion uttering the words "Therefore we are gathered here…" I think of Issar Barsky, a charming youngster, the little brother of a girlfriend of mine. The last time we met was in front of the dining hall of Kibbutz Hulda, on Friday, May 14, 1948. In the … Continue reading “Israel: The Next 60 Years”

Last week was the five year anniversary of President Bush landing on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, striding along the flight deck in flight suit and stating triumphantly that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" while standing under a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished." For the neocons and chickenhawks, it was a giddy moment. … Continue reading “Mission Accursed”

Updated at 12:14 a.m. EDT, May 7, 2008At least 57 Iraqis were killed and 90 more were wounded in the latest violence. One U.S. soldier was killed and another was wounded during an armed attack in Ninewah province. Also, 3,500 U.S. soldiers, who were part of last summer’s “surge” will be withdrawn in the coming … Continue reading “Tuesday: 1 US Soldier, 57 Iraqis Killed; 90 Iraqis Wounded”

Three weeks after the 9/11 terror attacks, former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld established an official military objective of not only removing the Saddam Hussein regime by force but overturning the regimes in Iran, Syria, and four other countries in the Middle East, according to a document quoted extensively in then Undersecretary of Defense for … Continue reading “Pentagon Targeted Iran for Regime Change After 9/11”

Amid regional fears of a summer war between Israel and Syria, the two countries may in fact be inching closer to a deal. Not even President George W. Bush’s recent disclosures to Congress, intended to prove Syrian-North Korean nuclear cooperation, appear able to dent the resolve for peace, or at the very least, a reduction … Continue reading “Washington Cool on New Israel-Syria Talks”