The U.S. threat last week that “all options” are on the table if the Pakistani military doesn’t cut its ties with the Haqqani network of anti-U.S. insurgents created the appearance of a crisis involving potential U.S. military escalation in Pakistan. But there is much less substance to the administration’s threatening rhetoric than was apparent. In …
Continue reading “US Knows Pressure on Pakistan Won’t Change Policy”
The execution of a potentially innocent Troy Davis last week justifiably horrified many in the United States and around the world. Most of the non-police eyewitnesses had recanted or contradicted their testimony that he killed an off-duty police officer; they alleged that they had been pressured or coerced by the police to implicate Davis. The …
Continue reading “A Double Standard for the Ultimate Penalty”
It’s hardly a secret at this late date that, while the Obama administration arrived in office promoting “a new standard of openness” in government, in practice it’s cast not sunshine, but a penumbra of gloom over the workings of Washington. Talk about a closed and punitive crew. Its Justice Department has notoriously gone after government …
Continue reading “WikiLeaked at the State Department”
U.S. soldiers shot and wounded an Iraqi policeman in an apparent case of mistaken identity. He was just one of the nine killed and 35 wounded in today’s attacks. Meanwhile, the border situation between Iraq and its neighbors, Kuwait and Turkey remain uneasy. Also, Iraq made its first payment for new warplanes.
With the 10th anniversary of the crime that was 9/11, the question inevitably crops up: Who won, the United States or al-Qaeda? According to the politically correct answer, although al-Qaeda has been decimated, it has been a Pyrrhic victory for Washington. In defeating al-Qaeda, the U.S. government engaged in many unnecessary violations of human rights …
Continue reading “Why al-Qaeda Won”
This is the first profile in an occasional series about individuals taking on the Goliaths of war from inside the belly of the beast — Washington, D.C. In Washington, there are those who rattle the sabers, and then there are those who use them. The Project on Government Oversight, or POGO, does both, and according …
Continue reading “Meet the Empire Watchdogs”
Listen to Rep. Ron Paul deliver this address. The Palestinian Authority’s recent announcement that it would seek U.N. recognition as an independent state dominated the news and the political debate in the United States last week, though in truth it should mean very little to us. Only a political class harboring the illusion it can …
Continue reading “Let’s Get Out of the Middle East – and the UN”
At least 11 Iraqis were killed and 16 more were wounded in several attacks that each left just a few casualties. In several of them, gunmen seemed to pick specific political or religious targets. Meanwhile, the International Crisis Group warned that corruption was hampering Iraq’s development. Their report was issued just a couple weeks after the head of Iraq’s Integrity Commission, Raheem Uqaili, quit his post.
A wonderful speech. A beautiful speech. The language expressive and elegant. The arguments clear and convincing. The delivery flawless. A work of art. The art of hypocrisy. Almost every statement in the passage concerning the Israeli-Palestinian issue was a lie. A blatant lie: The speaker knew it was a lie, and so did the audience. …
Continue reading “Mahmoud Abbas Gambles”
In the days before the Empire, generals – particularly Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs – kept their mouths shut. The Founders’ justified fears of military intrusion into the political realm were still present in the American consciousness, and the idea that an American general might try to influence policy directly, by making public statements on …
Continue reading “Are We At War With Pakistan?” 
