Month: February 2009

KARACHI – The release of Pakistani rogue nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, underlines major issues confronting Pakistan – and indeed the world – ranging from nuclear proliferation to governance, corruption, hypocrisy, and how public opinion is shaped by falsehoods. Generally referred to, even by the international media, as "the father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb," A.Q. … Continue reading “Opening the A. Q. Khan Can of Worms”

Updated at 10:40 p.m. EST, Feb. 11, 2009At least 31 Iraqis were killed and 94 more were wounded during attacks that included a significant bombing in Baghdad. No Coalition deaths were reported, but the mystery of four Guantánamo detainees who were handed over to Iraq has apparently been solved. Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, … Continue reading “Wednesday: 31 Iraqis Killed, 94 Wounded”

Since entering office, President Barack Obama has promised sweeping changes in three aspects of governance: transparency, law enforcement, and stewardship of American tax dollars. For a public weary of law enforcement forever prosecuting street but never elite crime, Obama’s many statements about holding all individuals accountable under the law have been encouraging. He also called … Continue reading “Will Obama Break the Law
for Israel’s Sake?”

People have asked me, since I returned from Gaza, how people manage. How do they keep going after being traumatized by bombing and punished by a comprehensive state of siege? I wonder myself. I know that whether the loss of life is on the Gazan or the Israeli side of the border, bereaved survivors feel … Continue reading “How Do Gazans Keep Going?
How Do We?”

On Jan. 20, the answer to that question seemed obvious. In his inaugural speech, with George W. Bush standing just behind him, President Obama pointedly pledged to "reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals" – a clear indication that, as he promised in a speech in August 2007, he would dismantle … Continue reading “Who’s Running Guantánamo?”

On Super Bowl Sunday, President Barack Obama said most U.S. troops in Iraq would be home in time to watch Super Bowl XLIV. Yet a day later he was conferring with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates about plans for adding another 15,000 troops in Afghanistan (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen … Continue reading “Obama Wants a Surge
of His Own”

While the great debate over the "stimulus" spending bill was the focus of President Obama’s Monday sermon, some of the questions asked at a subsequent press conference dealt with foreign policy, including a pointed one by CNN’s Ed Henry, and it was a double zinger: "Thank you, Mr. President. You’ve promised to send more troops … Continue reading “The Audacity of Mendacity”

Updated at 8:06 p.m. EST, Feb. 10, 2009As French President Nicolas Sarkozy traveled to Baghdad for a surprise visit with Iraqi leaders, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki responded to accusations from U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden that the Iraqis are not moving fast enough on reform. Meanwhile, at least seven Iraqis were killed and 15 more … Continue reading “Tuesday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 15 Wounded”

President Barack Obama has cast doubt on his promise to put an end to secret government by allowing his Justice Department to follow a path frequently taken by his predecessor. Before a federal appeals court in San Francisco Monday, lawyers from the Obama Department of Justice invoked the same "state secrets privilege" used by the … Continue reading “‘State Secrets’ Privilege Not Gone With Bush”

The political maneuvering between President Barack Obama and his top field commanders over withdrawal from Iraq has taken a sudden new turn with the leak by CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus – and a firm denial by a White House official – of an account of the Jan. 21 White House meeting suggesting that Obama … Continue reading “Petraeus Leaked Misleading Story on Pullout Plans”