Luster Is Off Obama’s ‘High Moral Ground’

Back in April, the U.S. government snatched Raymond Azar out of Afghanistan. His waist, wrists, and ankles were shackled; he was stripped naked and photographed, made to wear headphones, blindfolded, hooded, and stuffed into an executive jet and flown to the United States. Azar says his eyeglasses were taken and he was left in an … Continue reading “Luster Is Off Obama’s ‘High Moral Ground’”

The More Things Change

A presidential candidate opposed to the Iraq War is elected and enters the Oval Office. Yet six months later, there are still essentially the same number of troops in Iraq as were there when his predecessor left, the same number, in fact, used in the original invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Moreover, the new … Continue reading “The More Things Change”

Steve Rosen Accuses AIPAC of Espionage

Steven J. Rosen’s defamation lawsuit against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is now entering a critical phase. A series of cross-filings stakes out the critical court terrain. Rosen intends to show that obtaining and leveraging classified U.S. government information in the service of Israel is common practice at AIPAC. He claims it was … Continue reading “Steve Rosen Accuses AIPAC of Espionage”

Group Charges Complicity by CIA Medics in Torture

Did physicians and psychologists help the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency develop a new research protocol to assess and refine the use of waterboarding or other harsh interrogation techniques? This is the question being raised in a new report by a leading human rights organization. The group says that, if confirmed, it would likely constitute a … Continue reading “Group Charges Complicity by CIA Medics in Torture”

Tuesday: 4 Iraqi Killed, 12 Wounded

Updated at 8:05 p.m. EDT, Sept. 1, 2009 Four Iraqis were killed and 12 more were wounded in very light violence. Four of the wounded were previously unreported casualties from a bombing yesterday. Meanwhile, Iraq scheduled a national census for October of next year, hoping that the late date with thwart any sectarian tensions in the oil-rich north.