Month: August 2008

The release of the FBI’s "evidence" against Bruce Ivins, the now-deceased Ft. Detrick scientist targeted by the FBI as the alleged culprit in the 2001 anthrax letters case, demonstrates either (1) the FBI is covering for the real culprits, or (2) what we are witnessing is a dramatic drop in the intelligence of the average … Continue reading “The Anthrax Follies and the Bizarro Effect”

In a decision that will shock those watching the conclusion of the first full U.S. war crimes trial since the Nuremberg trials, the military jury that yesterday convicted Salim Hamdan of providing “material support for terrorism” has sentenced him to serve five and a half years in prison. Given that the judge in his case, … Continue reading “Hamdan’s Sentence Signals
the End of Gitmo”

BAQUBA – The crisis over electricity failure grows as summer temperatures climb and a drought plagues Iraq. It is a crisis Iran is using to help Iraqis where the U.S. has failed. The average house in Baquba, capital of Diyala province north of Baghdad, has less than 12 hours of electricity a day. "I cannot … Continue reading “Iran May Gain From Iraq’s Suffering”

Diplomacy between Iran and the United States has entered the opening gambit stage, and Iran appears to be winning at this point. The game began on July 19, when Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili met with European negotiators with an American diplomat, Undersecretary of State William J. Burns, present for the first time at such … Continue reading “The Iranian Chess Game Continues”

Seven years in the making, the Beijing Olympics are upon us. At enormous cost, an estimated $40 billion, China will be showcased, but which China? It is a land of enormous possibilities but equally enormous frustrations. The government’s conduct impresses and depresses simultaneously. Today Zhongnanhai, the Communist Party leadership compound, continues to control official policy, … Continue reading “Which China Will We See?”

Updated at 6:30 p.m. EDT, Aug. 8, 2008At least 22 Iraqis were killed and 36 more were wounded in the latest violence. On a positive note, a thousand displaced families have returned to Diyala province. Meanwhile, a Sadrist spokesman warned of the consequences if U.S. forces make no concrete plans to leave Iraq. Also, the … Continue reading “Thursday: 22 Iraqis Killed, 36 Wounded”

Now that military officers selected by the Bush Pentagon have reached a split verdict convicting Salim Hamdan, a onetime driver for Osama bin Laden, of supporting terrorism, but innocent of terrorist conspiracy, do you feel safe? Or are we superpower Americans still at risk until we capture bin Laden’s dentist, barber, and the person who … Continue reading “Do You Feel Safe Now? Proud?”

Updated at 7:24 p.m. EDT, Aug. 6, 2008The Iraqi parliament officially closed a special session and went on summer break today. Meanwhile, a second report in a British newspaper raises concerns about the relationship between British troops and the Maliki government. At least 27 Iraqis were killed and another 22 were wounded in the latest … Continue reading “Wednesday: 1 US Soldier, 27 Iraqis Killed; 22 Iraqis Wounded”

It sounds like a very bad made-for-television movie: a mad scientist – a violent sociopath, a "nerd with a dark side," who had already tried to kill several people, is obsessed with pornography, and is fixated on a particular college sorority – unleashes a strain of deadly anthrax through the U.S. mail, killing five, infecting … Continue reading “Bruce Ivins: The Movie”

BAQUBA – A massive military operation in Diyala province has underscored the military and political gains by the Sahwa militia, despite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s earlier attempts to thwart them. Maliki has now apparently come around to involving the Sahwa rather than opposing them. The Sahwa are the "Awakening Forces" created and paid by the … Continue reading “New Iraq Operation Gets Surprise Support”