Month: October 2008

Few reports of violence came out of Iraq today. At least two Iraqis were killed and another was wounded in them. In a speech, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called for strengthening the federal government. Meanwhile, the head of Iraq’s independent electoral commission said that issues regarding a minority quota have made setting up elections more … Continue reading “Monday: 2 Iraqis Killed, 1 Wounded”

The year is 2010 and, yes, Saddam Hussein is gone and there are no American troops in Iraq, but, as the report suggests, “the challenge will be to see whether a modern, secular successor government emerges that does not threaten its neighbors” – especially since those dogged Iraqis are back at work on their nuclear … Continue reading “Spying on the Future”

Whatever one expected from the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian war, surely a car bomb was not among the first choices – yet that is precisely what has occurred. As Russian forces prepared to leave security zones in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the wake of Georgia’s humiliating defeat, they stopped a car with Georgian license … Continue reading “Al-Qaeda in the Caucasus”

Threatening an imminent economic collapse, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke have bamboozled Congress into enacting the most brazen confiscatory scheme ever concocted by government. The scheme would have American taxpayers fork over $700 billion of their cash to help recapitalize some of the country’s biggest banks – the same banks that … Continue reading “Down the Road to Serfdom”

The Oct. 2 debate between Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was disturbing for those of us hoping for a more enlightened and honest foreign policy during the next four years. In its aftermath, pundits mainly focused on Palin’s failure to self-destruct and Biden’s relatively cogent arguments. Here’s an annotation of the … Continue reading “VP Debate an Exchange of Disinformation”

I have had to listen to the presidential and vice presidential debates and comment on them, often enough in real time, as part of my job, but sometimes it feels as if it’s a form of penance for my sins. To keep this as understated as possible, these are not outstanding people. They are seeking … Continue reading “Evidence of Decline”

Updated at 8:08 p.m. EDT, Oct. 5, 2008At least 26 Iraqis were killed and 13 more were wounded in the latest round of violence. Reports resumed out of Mosul after several days of relative quiet, but now Baghdad appears unusually peaceful. Meanwhile, a Turkish general accused local authorities in northern Iraq of tolerating Kurdish separatists. … Continue reading “Sunday: 26 Iraqis Killed, 13 Wounded”

Updated at 5:02 p.m. EDT, Oct. 4, 2008In Baghdad, two U.S. helicopters collided during landing but left only a few causalties. Elsewhere, at least seven Iraqis were killed, including a suspected senior al-Qaeda leader. Only two Iraqi wounded were reported today. Also, 38 people were killed in clashes and air strikes between Turkish soldiers and … Continue reading “Saturday: 7 Iraqis Killed; 2 Iraqis Wounded; 2 US Black Hawks Crash”

According to the Guardian, a few months ago President Bush put the kibosh on Israel’s plan to take out, in a preventative strike, Iran’s nuclear facilities, despite all being duly subject to a Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, as required by the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Because Bush deemed such … Continue reading “Bomb-Bomb Iran: To Avert EMP Attack?”

In politics, truth telling can be dangerous. Remember when Jimmy Carter was voted out of office, in part, for telling the American people, in a time of high inflation and unemployment, what they didn’t want to hear – that they were self indulgent and consumed too much? Remember when Larry Lindsey, a top advisor to … Continue reading “In Politics, If You Have to Be Honest, Wait Until the End of Your Term”