Month: July 2008

Barack Obama is getting plenty of flak for not acknowledging that he was wrong about the "surge," i.e. the wisdom of escalating a war we should never have started in the first place – and this is being compared to John McCain’s stubborn refusal to admit that we need to get out (although it appears … Continue reading “Is the Surge Working?”

John Pilger and Joshua Frank have written on Obama’s centrist positions and I would like to add my supporting views. Senator Obama’s views of late toward Iran and the Arab-Israeli conflict are not shifts to the center or flip-flopping in his policies. The senator has always viewed Iran as a threat to world peace and … Continue reading “No Flip-Flopper: Obama Has Always Been Belligerent on Iran”

Since he was arrested in Belgrade last week, there have been miles and miles of newspaper commentary on Radovan Karadzic: on his bloody past; his role in Srebrenica; his bouffant; his limp handshake; his transformation from war leader to bearded hippy therapist. Yet perhaps the most interesting article – or at least the most unwittingly … Continue reading “Bosnia, Hysteria Politics, and the Roots of International Terrorism”

The War Party’s Credo Great essay. The problem on the left is, of course, Marx. There are far too many who believe that Marxism failed because of (well, fill in the blank) but notwithstanding the murder, mayhem, and environmental destruction, Marxist analysis is still valid. It just needs a purer, more humane application, they say. … Continue reading “Backtalk, July 30, 2008”

Updated at 5:08 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2008Shi’ite pilgrims descended on Baghdad for the culmination of a religious observance. A vehicle curfew in the city has caused newspapers there to cease publication for the day, so reports of violence are scant. At least three Iraqis was killed and 10 more were wounded in northern Iraq. … Continue reading “Tuesday: 3 Iraqis Killed, 10 Wounded”

Many official and unofficial proponents of a long-term US military presence in Iraq are dismissing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s demand for a US timeline for withdrawal as political posturing, assuming that he will abandon it under pressure. But that demand was foreshadowed by an episode in June 2006 in which al-Maliki circulated a draft … Continue reading “Bush Forced al-Maliki to Back Down on Pullout in 2006”

"We have to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in," says Barack Obama of the U.S. war in Iraq. Wise counsel. But is Barack taking his own advice? For he pledges to shift two U.S. combat brigades, 10,000 troops, out of Iraq and into Afghanistan, raising American forces in that country … Continue reading “Obama’s War?”

Checking out the news this morning I came across a news article from AFP describing charges recently filed against four US servicemen who were stationed in Iraq in 2007. The charges included conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, among others. According to the military press release, these four soldiers conspired to kill Iraqi detainees while they … Continue reading “Conspiracy to Kill Iraqis?”

With a bit of foreign travel looming on the horizon, it was time to renew the passport of my youngest child. I gathered the requisite papers and brought them to the post office. A few weeks later, the coveted document arrived. I opened it up, expecting to find what I always had found inside US … Continue reading “Livin’ la Vida Barroca”

Updated at 11:55 p.m. EDT, July 28, 2008Four female suicide bombers staged attacks in two different cities today, killing and wounding hundreds of Iraqis. One attack targeted religious pilgrims, while the other focused on political demonstrators. Overall, at least 87 Iraqis were killed and 288 more were wounded across the country. No Coalition deaths were … Continue reading “Monday: 87 Iraqis Killed, 288 Wounded”