Month: March 2011

You Lie, Mr. President

I couldn’t bear to watch the President’s why-we’re-in-Libya speech as it was broadcast: it’s Spring, after all, and my garden needs planting. Priorities, priorities, priorities: so important, in politics and in life. We all have our priorities: I have mine, and the President of the United States has his. As an indication of the latter, … Continue reading “You Lie, Mr. President”

War Without Representation

“The Congress shall have power to … declare war.” – United States Constitution, Article I, Section 8 In America, 2011, history is given yet another example of a nation in which one person, in this case called “the president,” can launch all of his subjects into war merely on his whim. Granted, if one reads … Continue reading “War Without Representation”

High Costs May Not Be the Worst Aspects of the Attack on Libya

As if getting enmeshed in a third simultaneous war—with costs soaring in a time of economic peril, yawning budget deficits, and national debt—when no vital national interest was at stake wasn’t bad enough, that is not the worst of it. As in George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq, analysis of the stated reasons for President … Continue reading “High Costs May Not Be the Worst Aspects of the Attack on Libya”

Intolerance ‘R’ Us

[Note for TomDispatch Readers: As of Wednesday, I’ll be off the grid for a week. Back April 8. TomDispatch will be unaffected and will post as usual thanks to associate editors Nick Turse and Andy Kroll. But for those writing in with comments, requests, or anything else, I probably won’t be particularly available. For all … Continue reading “Intolerance ‘R’ Us”

Tuesday: 63 Iraqis Killed, 108 Wounded

Updated at 9:12 p.m. EDT, Mar. 29, 2011 At least 63 Iraqis were killed and 108 were wounded today. The worst attack targeted the Salah ad Din provincial council and left several lawmakers dead. U.S. forces were called in to assist Iraqi security forces there. Also, Arab residents in Ninewa province are outraged the province has a new Kurdish governor and Turkmen council chief.

An Administration Out of Control

To hear Rep. Ron Paul deliver this address, click here. Last week the Obama administration took the United States to war against Libya without bothering to notify Congress, much less obtain a constitutionally mandated declaration of war. In the midst of our severe economic downturn, this misadventure has already cost us hundreds of millions of … Continue reading “An Administration Out of Control”

Who Is Annexing Whom?

In a rare late-night session, the Knesset has finally adopted two obnoxious, racist laws. Both are clearly directed against Israel’s Arab citizens, a fifth of the population. The first makes it possible to annul the citizenship of persons found guilty of offenses against the security of the state. Israel prides itself on having a great … Continue reading “Who Is Annexing Whom?”

Long-Term Afghan Presence Likely to Derail Peace Talks

The announcement by U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy in congressional testimony March 15 that the United States would continue to carry out “counter-terrorism operations” from “joint bases” in Afghanistan well beyond 2014 signaled that President Barack Obama has given up the negotiating flexibility he would need to be able to reach a peace … Continue reading “Long-Term Afghan Presence Likely to Derail Peace Talks”

Obama Lacks Clarity on Afghan War

“Let me be clear,” President Barack Obama is fond of saying—and his desire was on full display two years ago when he announced a “comprehensive, new strategy” for the war in Afghanistan. Obama laced his speech of March 27, 2009, with nine uses of the words “clear” or “clearly,” but his protestations about clarity looked … Continue reading “Obama Lacks Clarity on Afghan War”