Month: September 2008

John McCain believes that he should be president because only he is prepared to meet the inevitable foreign policy challenges. Only he will put the nation’s interest first. Whatever you think of the economy, civil liberties, or social issues, they don’t matter. Only John McCain is ready to be the military’s commander in chief. It’s … Continue reading “The Hothead and
the Finger on the Button”

NEW DELHI – Chances of the United States-India nuclear deal being completed have greatly receded with the release by a key US lawmaker of a so-far-secret Bush administration document which says Washington will not sell sensitive nuclear technologies to India and will terminate nuclear commerce with it if India conducts a test. The disclosures by … Continue reading “Lawmaker’s Disclosure May Torpedo Nuke Deal”

The Palin-mania that is sweeping the GOP reminds me of the publicity surrounding “American Idol,” the popular American television program that catapults complete unknowns on to the national stage and gives them a chance at stardom: the anticipation, the gossip, the frenzy (and partisanship) of the fans. In the last days of the old Republic, … Continue reading “Sarah Palin: The Xena of
the War Party”

Here it is, as simply as I can put it: In the course of any year, there must be relatively few countries on this planet on which U.S. soldiers do not set foot, whether with guns blazing, humanitarian aid in hand, or just for a friendly visit. In startling numbers of countries, our soldiers not … Continue reading “Going on an Imperial Bender”

Updated at 6:52 p.m. EDT, Sept. 4, 2008At least 8 Iraqis were killed and 13 more were wounded during light attacks today. Two U.S. soldiers were killed as well, during a bombing in Baghdad. Also, U.S. forces detained another Iraqi journalist. He is the second one this week. Meanwhile, Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi says … Continue reading “Thursday: 2 US Soldiers, 8 Iraqis Killed; 13 Iraqis Wounded”

US counterterrorism policies and support for the Ethiopian-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Somalia have helped create an increasingly desperate humanitarian and security situation in the East African nation, whose population has become increasingly radicalized and anti-US, according to a new report by a major US human rights group. The report, authored by Ken Menkhaus, … Continue reading “US’ Somalia Policy Likely to Bring Blowback”

News that three more prisoners have been released from Guantánamo is cause for celebration, as all three men should never have been held in the first place. In a report to follow, I’ll look at the stories of the two Afghans released – one a simple farmer, the other a juvenile at the time he … Continue reading “Tortured in Egypt, Rendered to Guantánamo: Pakistani Heads Home After Six Years”

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Georgia last month, many commentators have been quick to proclaim that the war signals "the return of history." But attentive observers could be forgiven for responding to these pronouncements with a sense of déjà vu. History, after all, was already supposed to have returned once before – seven … Continue reading “The Return of the Return of History”

As Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman "crossed party lines" from War Party-D to War Party-R at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night, he exemplified the only kind of bipartisanship found in Congress since 2001: reaching across the aisle to hand a neoconservative pseudo-Republican whatever he wants. His speech was remarkable, though, in that the words "Iran" … Continue reading “Cherry-picking from Washington’s Tree”

Updated at 6:50 p.m. EDT, Sept. 3, 2008At least 15 Iraqis were killed and another 28 were wounded in the latest violence. In one incident, the U.S military fired back on Iraqi security personnel who did not know they were allied forces. An unknown number of policemen were injured during an incident in Tikrit as … Continue reading “Wednesday: 15 Iraqis Killed, 28 Wounded”