Why Are They Killing Us?

Who carried out the London massacre, we do not know. But, as to why they did it, we are already quarreling. President Bush says that the terrorists are attacking our civilization. At Fort Bragg, N.C., he explained again why we are fighting in Iraq, two years after we overthrew Saddam Hussein. “Iraq is the latest … Continue reading “Why Are They Killing Us?”

A Scolding From Miss Rice

From The Washington Post to The Wall Street Journal to the Financial Times, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is being hailed for her latest public scolding of America’s Arab allies. In what columnist David Ignatius calls the “signature line” of her speech at The American University in Cairo, Rice declared: “For 60 years, my country, … Continue reading “A Scolding From Miss Rice”

Reviving the Foreign Aid Racket

“Debt Cut Is Set for Poorest Nations” was the headline in Sunday’s Washington Post over the lead story. “The world’s wealthiest nations,” wrote Paul Blustein, “agreed yesterday to cancel more than $40 billion in debts that some of the world’s poorest nations owe to international lenders – a move inspired by the belief that full … Continue reading “Reviving the Foreign Aid Racket”

Bringing the Arab Street to Power

With no weapons of mass destruction found and nothing to tie Saddam to Sept. 11, the White House has justified the war as America’s way to democratize Iraq and, through it, the Arab world. Exhibit A in the White House case is the January elections. Kurds and Shi’ites courageously voted for an assembly to write … Continue reading “Bringing the Arab Street to Power”

Speed Bumps on Democracy Boulevard

“When the people of the Palestinian territories went to the polls,” said President Bush in Riga, Latvia, “they chose a leader committed to negotiation instead of violence. … The direction of events is clear in the Middle East. Freedom is on the march.” Well, freedom may be on the march, but in Palestine it may … Continue reading “Speed Bumps on Democracy Boulevard”

Was WWII Worth It?

In the Bush vs. Putin debate on World War II, Putin had far the more difficult assignment. Defending Russia’s record in the “Great Patriotic War,” the Russian president declared, “Our people not only defended their homeland, they liberated 11 European countries.” Those countries are, presumably: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, … Continue reading “Was WWII Worth It?”

What Is Bush Celebrating in Moscow?

To Americans, World War II ended with the Japanese surrender on Aug. 15, 1945, following detonation of atom bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9. But for Russians, who did not enter the war on Japan until Aug. 8, 1945, “The Great Patriotic War” ended on May 9, with the surrender … Continue reading “What Is Bush Celebrating in Moscow?”

Bye-Bye, Bush Doctrine

“The United States of America will not permit the world’s most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world’s most dangerous weapons.” This excerpt from his “Axis-of-Evil” State of the Union of 2002 is the heart of the Bush Doctrine. Under it, we invaded Iraq. To our eternal embarrassment, we found Iraq had none of … Continue reading “Bye-Bye, Bush Doctrine”

What Does ‘Democracy’ Mean – Over There?

“Life has changed for the worse,” said Bushra Mahmoud, a mother of three, sitting in the waiting room of the Princess Salon in Baghdad. “There is a creeping zealousness among men and women that is really frightening. You sit on the bus and have abuse heaped on you by the fanatics because you are not … Continue reading “What Does ‘Democracy’ Mean – Over There?”