Month: December 2008

If anything underscores the tragic absurdity of the armed effort to "export democracy," it’s the comic opera that played out the other day in Baghdad. I realize that’s an ambiguous statement, because there’s lots to choose from in that arena, but, no, I don’t mean our hapless president’s encounter with a shoe-throwing Iraqi reporter. On … Continue reading “The ‘Coup’ That Wasn’t”

In what might be called their legacy interviews (their exit interviews), President Bush has tried to soften his image and project a sense of competence, while Vice President Cheney has, if anything, gone out of his way to confirm that he was the administration’s Darth Vader, devoted to protecting and extending the Empire and proud … Continue reading “A Legacy of Evil”

“First, let’s kill all the lawyers” may have made sense in that Shakespearean scene, but there is a far simpler solution to the legal ambiguities regarding what to do now about the torture approved by President George W. Bush. We suggest this variant: First, let’s have the lawyers review their notes from Criminal Justice 101. … Continue reading “Deterring Torture Through the Law”

Barack Obama’s choice of Pastor Rick Warren of Orange County’s Saddleback Church to give the invocation at his inauguration has sent the liberal blogosphere into a frenzy of apprehension and indignation. Warren is an advocate of Proposition 8, the measure that repealed gays’ right to marry in California. It is no doubt a poor choice … Continue reading “Obama Fans Suddenly Outraged by Bigotry”

Update at 7:25 p.m. EST, Dec. 21, 2008At least seven Iraqis were killed and four more were wounded in the latest attacks. Meanwhile a U.S. soldier died of non-combat related injuries. A Marine died in a non-combat related incident as well.. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he would not personally sue a shoe-throwing journalist, … Continue reading “Sunday: 2 GIs, 7 Iraqis Killed; 4 Iraqis Wounded”

Following the late November terror attacks in Mumbai, India has passed two tough laws being seen by rights activists as potentially eroding the country’s federal structure and limiting fundamental liberties. Parliament – meeting under the shadow of the November 26-29 attacks on India’s commercial hub resulting in close to 200 deaths – approved the legislation … Continue reading “New Anti-Terror Laws Draconian Say Activists”

At least five Iraqis were killed or found dead and another seven were wounded. Meanwhile, the fate of 23 “coup plotters” remains unknown, as is the actual reason for their arrests. No Coalition deaths were reported, but parliament again rejected a law that would oversee operations by foreign countries. The fate of 23 men who … Continue reading “Saturday: 5 iraqis Killed, 7 Wounded”

The head of Israeli Defense Ministry’s Security-Diplomatic Bureau visited the Kremlin this week, intent upon convincing the Russians that equipping Iran, and perhaps Syria, with an upgraded version of their S-300 air defense system “would disturb the balance of power in the Middle East.” What balance? The Russians had earlier supplied both Iran and Syria … Continue reading “Upsetting the Balance of Power”

On the heels of a bipartisan Congressional report blaming high-level officials of the George W. Bush administration for employing harsh interrogation techniques on detainees captured in the "global war on terror", many of the world’s most respected civil libertarians are calling for the establishment of an independent commission to investigate the alleged abuses. One of … Continue reading “‘Bad Apples’ Didn’t Fall Far From the Tree”

Although we thought that the signature moment of George W. Bush’s presidency would have been his standing in a flight suit before the "Mission Accomplished" banner on an aircraft carrier after the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, this episode may well have been booted to the side by the scene of the president being … Continue reading “Shoehorning the Bush Legacy”