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.

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”

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”

The Military-Gastronomic Complex

That long Labor Day weekend, traditionally a time of rest, lies ahead. It marks the end of this summer’s not-so-silly season, a few days when TomDispatch shuts down and everyone who can light a barbecue or visit that favorite end-of-summer vacation restaurant is likely to do so. Nick Turse plans to put in a pit … Continue reading “The Military-Gastronomic Complex”

The President, Cindy Sheehan, and How Words Die

“See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.” – George Bush, “President Participates in Social Security Conversation in New York,” May 24, 2005 Forced from his five-week vacation idyll in Crawford by the … Continue reading “The President, Cindy Sheehan, and How Words Die”

The Achilles Heel of Torture

Extraordinary renditions, torture, abuse, humiliation, detention without charge or end, an obsession with protecting American officials (and military men) from future foreign or domestic criminal charges for their acts – these are the cornerstones of foreign policy under George Bush, and they have produced horror stories galore. His is a presidency that has made the … Continue reading “The Achilles Heel of Torture”