For 30 months, 9/11 was a huge political blessing for George W. Bush. This week, the media halo fell off. Within the space of a few days, culminating with his testimony to the Sept. 11 commission Wednesday afternoon, former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke did...
Political aphorisms don't get any more cogent: "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past." George Orwell's famous observation goes a long way toward explaining why – a full year after the invasion of Iraq...
To encourage restraint in war coverage, governments don't need to shoot journalists – though sometimes that's helpful. Thirteen journalists were killed while covering the war and occupation in Iraq last year, says a new report by the Committee to Protect...
Tony Blair and George W. Bush want the issue of spying at the United Nations to go away. That's one of the reasons the Blair government ended its prosecution of whistleblower Katharine Gun on Wednesday. But within 24 hours, the scandal of U.N. spying exploded further...
Ninety-five days before the invasion of Iraq began, I sat in the ornate Baghdad office of the deputy prime minister as he talked about the U.N. weapons inspectors in his country. "They are doing their jobs freely, without any interruption," Tariq Aziz said....
Reuters is one of the more independent wire services. So, a recent news story from Reuters – flatly describing American military activities in Iraq as part of "the broader U.S. war on terrorism" – is a barometer of how powerfully the pressure...
We can argue about George Will's political views. But there's no need to debate his professional ethics. Late December brought to light a pair of self-inflicted wounds to the famous columnist's ethical pretensions. He broke an elementary rule of journalism – and...
Media outlets are filled with bad news about Iraq. A theme is emerging: This administration doesn't know how to run an occupation! Those who oppose President Bush may welcome the recent shift in the media climate. But when war-makers get frustrated, they're inclined...
Strong critics of U.S. foreign policy often encounter charges of "anti-Americanism." Even though vast numbers of people in the United States disagree with Washington's assumptions and military actions, some pundits can't resist grabbing onto a timeworn...
Here's the real-life plot: A famous documentary filmmaker puts out a letter to a retired four-star general urging him to run for president. The essay quickly zooms through cyberspace and causes a big stir. For Michael Moore, the reaction is gratifying. Three days...
