Under growing political pressure at home, President Barack Obama inched closer Monday toward committing U.S. military power to at least protecting areas under rebel control, if not ending the 42-year reign of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. For the first time in the...
Buying Friends Creates More Enemies
Last week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and I had the opportunity to raise some of my concerns regarding U.S. foreign policy and the costs of our interventionism around the world. Many observers claim that the...
Iraqi Protests Make Washington Squirm
After news that a “Day of Rage” in Iraq had not only drawn tens of thousands of Iraqis demanding jobs, clean water and electricity, but the wrath of security forces—at least 29 dead, a hundred journalists rounded up and beaten and police firing into crowds—one...
Punished for Seeking a More Perfect Union
Reports that Bradley Manning is being held nude every night at the Quantico brig and is forced to stand naked in the hallway while he waits for his clothes shows the inconsistency of Manning's treatment with basic American values of due process, fair trial, and human...
It’s Their War, Not Ours
Before the United States plunges into a third war in the Middle East, let us think this one through, as we did not the last two. What would be the purpose of establishing a no-fly zone over Libya? According to advocates, to keep Moammar Gadhafi from using his air...
Monday: 3 Iraqis Killed, 4 Wounded; Protestors Beaten
(N)ever Again
Talking about secretaries of defense... Oh, we weren’t? Well, let’s. After all, they’re in the news. Take former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who, on leaving government service—and I hope you don’t mind if I mangle a quote from Gen. Douglas MacArthur here—...
J Street Offers Alternative to AIPAC
Hundreds of Jewish activists from J Street visited congressional offices on March 1 to talk about Israel and the settlements and to present a pro-peace agenda against the dominant views of the most powerful lobby in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs...
Brits Bollix Benghazi Caper
As the usual suspects started howling for Western intervention in the Libyan revolution – in the name of “humanitarianism,” of course – the objects of their concern made it clear they didn't want or need any such “help.” US Defense...