Month: June 2008

Updated at 11:30 p.m. EDT, June 24, 2008In Sadr City, a bomb blast in a council building killed four Americans and wounded another. A dual Italian-Iraqi national and a number of Iraqis were also among the casualties. Overall, at least 22 Iraqis were killed and 107 more were wounded in this and other attacks. Two … Continue reading “Tuesday: 4 Americans, 1 Italian, 22 Iraqis Killed; 107 Iraqis Wounded”

Weak states already close to collapse at the end of 2006 moved closer to the brink last year, even before the latest explosion of food and fuel prices that are certain to feed instability in vulnerable countries, according to the latest edition of the annual "Failed States Index" released Monday by Foreign Policy magazine. The … Continue reading “Weak States Got Weaker in 2007”

No part of the world, not even the United States, has been more deeply affected by George W. Bush’s presidency than the Middle East. From the lofty goals of starting a “democratic revolution,” making a “new Middle East,” and helping the Palestinians to have their own independent state, to the bogus “war on terror,” invasions … Continue reading “Explosively False Propaganda”

We have been told endlessly that the U.S. Civil War was a good war, fought to free the slaves. About 110,100 Union soldiers were killed in action, and another 224,580 died from war-related diseases. An estimated 275,175 Union soldiers were wounded. In 1879, it was believed that the Union had spent $6.1 billion on the … Continue reading “How the South
Won the Civil War”

Enough Already! Dear Mr. Raimondo, Your caveat about Tim Russert is well taken, painful as it is in a time of grieving. But the problem goes much deeper than a self-congratulatory press corps. The problem, it seems to me, is that our so-called free press is in fact a commercially censored press that receives advertising … Continue reading “Backtalk, June 24, 2008”

Updated at 12:15 a.m. EDT, June 24, 2008Two American soldiers was killed and three were wounded during an incident near Baghdad. Also, at least 17 Iraqis were killed and 43 more were wounded in violent attacks across Iraq. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki promises to enfore the law after a security operation in Amara is … Continue reading “Monday: 2 US Soldiers, 17 Iraqis Killed; 43 Iraqis Wounded”

When the Marines came into the house they just started shooting, going from room to room, killing all where they found them. When they were done, they went on to the next house in the Iraqi village of Haditha, which they attacked with hand grenades, methodically executing everyone inside. When they were done, they had … Continue reading “Imperial ‘Justice’”

[Note for TomDispatch readers: It’s worth mentioning that the missing Iraqi oil story – see below – wasn’t missing online, and certainly not at TomDispatch. This site’s newest book, The World According to TomDispatch: America in the New Age of Empire, has a section labeled “The Petro-Industrial Complex and its Discontents,” including striking pieces by … Continue reading “No Blood for… Er… Um…”

Scott McClellan, President Bush’s former press secretary turned mini-nemesis, was back in the news, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, once again breaking omerta and urging the Bush White House to be more open about the Valerie Plame affair and other matters. "This is a very secretive White House," he lamented. "There’s some things that … Continue reading “The Media Did Fail Us”

Updated at 11:29 p.m. EDT, June 22, 2008At least 46 Iraqis were killed and another 79 were wounded in the latest attack. A female suicide bomber attacked a government center in Baquba at the end of the work day, leaving behind dozens of casualties. No Coalition deaths were reported. A female suicide bomber blew herself … Continue reading “Sunday: 46 Iraqis Killed, 79 Wounded”