Month: December 2012

In the fortnight since Chuck Hagel’s name was floated for secretary of defense, we have witnessed Washington at its worst. Who is Chuck Hagel? Born in North Platte, Neb., he was a squad leader in Vietnam, twice wounded, who came home to work in Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign, was twice elected U.S. senator, and is … Continue reading “Why the War Party Fears Hagel”

There is plenty of evidence that the earth is actually flat. I have personally driven on route 66 out west and noted that the road is perfectly flat and runs in a straight line. Those pictures you see of the globelike earth allegedly taken from the moon are fake, as was the fraudulent moon landing … Continue reading “A Flat Earth New Year”

Protests took place for the fourth time since Finance Minister Rafi al-Issawi’s bodyguards were arrested last week. In one protest, thousands blocked the main highway through Anbar province. Another protest erupted in neighboring Salah ad Din province. The Sunni demonstrators believe the arrests are part of the Shi’ite-dominated government’s campaign of marginalization against them. The … Continue reading “Two Killed as Protests Continue in Iraq”

I’m taking Christmas off, which means no column the day after. I don’t usually take off for this particular holiday, but this year I’m, frankly, quite tired: exhausted, really. I need a break, however brief: I’ll be back on Friday. I don’t know how many Christmas columns I’ve written over the years, but it is … Continue reading “A Christmas Message”

My dad called me and left a message the other day, having just heard that former Senator Chuck Hagel was being considered for Secretary of Defense. “You have a connection to him, no?” he asked, before hanging up. A connection, yes — a very brief and limited, but very memorable one, at least from my … Continue reading “Give Us Chuck Hagel for Christmas”

At least 10 people were killed nine more were wounded in the latest violence. Although one fatality was a heart attack, his colleagues are blaming the Iraqi government for withholding medical care.

This Christmas is a bleak one for those who hold out hope that there might be peace on earth — or just a more peaceful earth. In the Middle East, wars and rumors of war roil an already volatile region. A proxy war in Syria shows every sign of metastasizing into a larger, regional conflict, … Continue reading “The Crucifixion of Chuck Hagel”

At least seven Iraqis were killed and 15 more were wounded in today’s attacks. The Iraqiya party threatened a walkout if the government bans ndependent observers during the interrogations of the finance minister’s bodyguards.

The Iraqi government has admitted to detaining several bodyguards working for Finance Minister Rafi al-Issawi. Meanwhile, at least three Iraqis were killed and three more were wounded in new violence.