Tom Engelhardt

An editor in publishing for the last 25 years, Tom Engelhardt is the author of The End of Victory Culture, a history of American triumphalism in the Cold War era, now out in a revised edition with a new preface and afterword, and Mission Unaccomplished, TomDispatch Interviews With American Iconoclasts and Dissenters. He is at present consulting editor for Metropolitan Books, a fellow of the Nation Institute, and a teaching fellow at the journalism school of the University of California, Berkeley. Visit his Web site. This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com.

Bush’s October Surprise

Those in the anti-fascist struggle of the 1930s who went off to fight in the Spanish Civil War were later termed “premature antifascists.” Perhaps, in the same spirit, I might be considered a premature Bush-administration implodist. On Feb. 1, 2004, reviewing the week just passed, I imagined us trapped in “some new reality show in … Continue reading “Bush’s October Surprise”

Putting the Plame Case in Perspective

As many now know, Patrick Fitzgerald, the special counsel in the Plame case, set up an official Web site last week. Something tells me he isn’t planning on going anywhere soon. While we await the indictments to come, consider the strange history of the 1982 CIA shield law that triggered the process (as Steve Weissman … Continue reading “Putting the Plame Case in Perspective”

Casualties of the Bush Administration

As the American toll in Iraq climbs toward 2,000 dead and 15,000 wounded, and the horror of those shortened or constricted lives continues to sink deep into American communities, various memorials to the fallen – American soldiers, journalists, contractors, and sometimes Iraqis as well – have sprung to life. Arrays of combat boots; labyrinths and … Continue reading “Casualties of the Bush Administration”

Last One to Leave, Please Turn on the Lights

Recently, our top commander in Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., was brought back to the United States, officially to consult with George Bush on what the president still calls “our strategy for victory.” Along with retiring Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard Myers, Centcom Commander Gen. John Abizaid, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Casey … Continue reading “Last One to Leave, Please Turn on the Lights”

Voices From the Frontlines of Protest

(Photos by Tam Turse) George was out of town, of course, in the “battle cab” at the U.S. Northern Command’s headquarters in Colorado Springs, checking out the latest in homeland-security technology and picking up photo-ops; while White House aides, as the Washington Post wrote that morning, were attempting “to reestablish Bush’s swagger.” The Democrats had … Continue reading “Voices From the Frontlines of Protest”

Why Immediate Withdrawal Makes Sense

Not long after Baghdad fell to American troops, it was already apparent that the United States was part of the problem, not part of the solution, in Iraq; and that, as long as the American military occupied the country, matters would just get worse. Every passing month has only predictably confirmed that reality. There’s no … Continue reading “Why Immediate Withdrawal Makes Sense”

More Blood, Less Oil

It has long been an article of faith among America’s senior policymakers – Democrats and Republicans alike – that military force is an effective tool for ensuring control over foreign sources of oil. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to embrace this view, in February 1945, when he promised King Abdul Aziz of Saudi … Continue reading “More Blood, Less Oil”

The Mosquito and the Hammer

We pull into the parking lot at the same moment in separate cars, both of us slightly vacation-disheveled. He wears a baseball-style cap and a half-length purple raincoat in anticipation of the downpour which begins soon after we huddle safely in a local coffee shop. As I fumble with my two tape recorders, he immediately … Continue reading “The Mosquito and the Hammer”