It is as though I'm back as an analyst at the CIA, trying to estimate the chances of an attack on Iran. The putative attacker, though, happens to be our own president. It is precisely the work we analysts used to do. And, while it is still a bit jarring to be turning...
John Conyers Is No Martin Luther King
What do Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan), chair of the House Committee on the Judiciary, and President George W. Bush have in common? They both think they can dis Cindy Sheehan and count on gossip columnists like the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank to trivialize an...
Bush’s Wooden-Headedness Kills
President George W. Bush is convinced, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, that he is on the right course in the war in Iraq and the struggle against terrorism. He says he will not change his mind. Thus, we are at an historic moment; and we would be well...
July 14, 2003: Ill-Starred Day
For those tracking the long train of abuses and usurpations of a modern-day George who would be king and his eminence grise behind the throne, July 14 has a resonance far beyond the fireworks of Bastille Day. Four loosely related events on that same day four years ago...
Unimpeachably Impeachable
Last week's four-part Washington Post feature on Vice President Dick Cheney removed any doubt in my mind as to whether he and President George W. Bush have committed the kinds of high crimes and misdemeanors that warrant impeachment. While President George W. Bush...
Poor George Tenet;
He Still Doesn’t Get It
"If you can't say something positive about someone, don't say anything." This was drummed into me by my Irish grandmother and, like most of her admonishments, it has stood me in good stead. On occasion, though, it been a real bother – as when I felt called to...
Is Cheney Right About the Democrats?
The rhetoric over recent days and this morning makes it clear that Vice President Dick Cheney is still in charge of Iraq policy. He seems supremely confident that the Democrats can be intimidated into giving the White House the only thing it really wants – enough...
Brinkmanship Unwise in Uncharted Waters
MEMORANDUM FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) SUBJECT: Brinkmanship Unwise in Uncharted Waters The frenzy in America's corporate media over Iran's detainment of 15 British marines who may, or may not, have violated Iranian-claimed territorial...
Denouement on Iraq: First Stop the Bleeding
MEMORANDUM FOR: Speaker of the House Senate Majority Leader FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) SUBJECT: Denouement on Iraq: First Stop the Bleeding In the coming weeks a Congress that is willing to assert its prerogative as a co-equal branch of...
There’s Still Time to Rethink Iran
More than five years have passed since President Bush labeled Iraq, Iran and North Korea the "axis of evil." It is imperative that we try to piece together what role U.S. intelligence played in supporting the "axis" idea and the misguided policies and actions that...