At least 21 Iraqis were killed and 36 more were wounded in a string of attacks that targeted police and other officials. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Maliki met with his rival in talks that could break the political impasse that is fueling some of the violence.
read moreAfter McChrystal: What Now?
Nearly a week after the abrupt demise of Washington's top commander in Afghanistan, U.S. strategy for reversing the flood of bad news that has been recently pouring out of that strife-torn country remains as unclear as ever. Led by Sen. John McCain and many of the...
Military Spending Must Be on the Table
Click here to listen to this commentary. This past week various news events once again made it abundantly clear that our foreign policy is an abject failure. Unfortunately, in spite of this, the administration is determined to stay on this destructive course, despite...
What, Me McWorry?
Now we know why “King David” Petraeus fainted like a girl at his Senate testimony [.pdf] two weeks ago. Armed Services Committee chairman Carl Levin put Petraeus on the ropes by asking if his allegiance to President Obama's withdrawal timeline for Afghanistan...
Monday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 19 Wounded
Updated at 9:00 p.m. EDT, June 28, 2010
At least seven Iraqis were killed and 19 more were wounded in the latest violence. Also, Turkish warplanes conducted yet another bombing run on suspected Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) hideouts in northern Iraq.
read moreSupreme Mediocrity
“Your modesty overwhelms me, Yogi.” “Why not, Boo Boo? I've got a lot to be modest about.” Those are my two favorite lines from The Yogi Bear Show, a cartoon I watched when I was a kid. After his reply to Boo Boo, Yogi looks self-conscious as he realizes what he has...
Shalit Debacle Shows Netanyahu’s Incompetence
I am composing these lines while looking through the window at the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea and thinking about the young man who is being held not far from this sea, a few dozen kilometers from here. Can Gilad Shalit look out on the same sea through his...
The President Chooses the Guru
Much of the time, our wars may hardly exist for us, but in the age of celebrity, our generals do – exactly because they become celebrities. When Barack Obama picked Stanley McChrystal as his Afghan war commander, the general was greeted by the media as little short of...
Justice Department’s History Not Worth Celebrating
Statement on H. Res. 1422, made June 24, 2010. Madam Speaker, the House of Representatives recently considered H. Res. 1422, honoring the 140th anniversary of the Department of Justice. I voted against this resolution because of the Justice Department's history of...
Colonialism, Obama-Style
Everyone is shocked – shocked! – that the indiscretions of Gen. Stanley McChrystal failed to provoke a general reevaluation of our course in Afghanistan, rather than merely a review of who's in charge of it. I find this shocking. After all, as I recall, Obama ran on...
