Charley Reese

Sen. John McCain has said he will be Hamas’ worst nightmare. It’s a juvenile thing to say. The line sounded more convincing when Sly Stallone said it in one of his Rambo movies. What does the senator propose to do to Hamas? Refuse to recognize the Hamas members who are the legitimately elected representatives of … Continue reading “Senator Rambo”

When our government acts, it acts in our name. If its acts are lawful and honorable, all’s well and good. When they are dishonorable, we have a choice: Either we dissent or assent, even if by our silence. In the case of Dr. Sami al-Arian, the Bush Justice Department has acted in a most disgraceful … Continue reading “The Un-American Treatment of Sami al-Arian”

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ended some years ago. In Iraq, the war ended with the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government; in Afghanistan, with the fall of the Taliban government. What’s been happening since is occupation and resistance to occupation. It’s always helpful to call things by the right name. One of the ways … Continue reading “It’s Occupation, Not War”

Sen. John McCain is already spreading the old "strategic interests" fertilizer along the presidential campaign trail while pretending to be an expert. Let’s hope he really can explain what interests require us to maintain troops in Germany and Japan 63 years after the end of the war. What exactly is the purpose of those troops? … Continue reading “Strategic Manure”

Here are some rules for being a good citizen. They date back to the American Revolution, but most Americans today have forgotten them. Rule No. 1 is that people given power will tend to abuse it. This applies to everyone from local government to national government. It applies to Democrats and to Republicans. The reason … Continue reading “Rules of Citizenship”

Sometimes President Bush sounds like an idiot. The most recent example is his statement that he still believes the Palestinians and Israelis can reach a peace agreement before the end of his term. This comes on the heels of an Israeli attack against Gaza that killed more than 100 people, most of them innocent civilians. … Continue reading “Cut ‘Sovereign’ Israel Loose”

President Bush is correct to refer to the proposed military trials of the six alleged terrorists as similar to the Nuremberg trials of several Nazis. In both cases, the law is made a farce. In the case of the Nazis, if the Allies wanted vengeance, and they did, they should have rounded up the Nazi … Continue reading “The Rule of Law Is Not Charity”

To understand the failure of the president’s trip to the Middle East, which is foreordained and doesn’t have to be completed in order to fail, take note of two words that the president will not utter: "occupied territories." Let’s review the situation from the standpoint of international law. The West Bank, Gaza, the Golan Heights, … Continue reading “Bush Fails Again”

I should clarify something during this season when everyone hopes for peace and good will: I am not a pacifist. If war is forced upon us, we have no choice but to fight it. Ernest Hemingway said it well when he observed that there are several things worse than war, and they all come with … Continue reading “It’s Common Sense, Not Pacifism”