Heart of McDarkness

The latest bunker mentality bunk to emanate from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, is that he has too many civilian contractors hoofing around on his turf. Back in June 2009, a "civilian surge" was a key component of...

read more

Israel Support Letter Unsupported by Reality

The Boxer-Isakson "Israel Support Letter" [.pdf] addressed to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and currently signed by 76 senators [.pdf] answers a question no one needed to ask: Does the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have the support of...

read more

Monday: 1 US Soldier, 4 Iraqis, Masri, Baghdadi Killed

The confirmation of the deaths of two al-Qaeda figures on the U.S. most wanted list outweighed even the revelation of a secret Iraqi prison where hundreds of Sunni men may have tortured and the recount of votes from the national election. Meanwhile, at least four Iraqis were killed and 11 more were wounded in other attacks. Also, a U.S. soldier died of non-combat injuries in Basra.
read more

Populism, Left and Right

The rise of an often militant right-wing populist movement – the tea partiers, the Ron Paulistas, the tenth amendment restorationists and the regionalists – has the powers-that-be in a tizzy. On the "progressive" left, we have Rachel Maddow sounding the...

read more

The Two-Guantanamo Solution

It all began in Afghanistan (the War on Terror, of course). It was there as well that, in late 2001, the Bush administration first "took the gloves off," a phrase its top officials then loved to use. So the first torture and abuse of prisoners, including the use of...

read more

Sunday: 1 US Soldier, 6 Iraqis Killed; 7 Iraqis Wounded

At least six Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded in a second day of unusually light violence. Meanwhile, one U.S. soldier was killed and three more were wounded in what is being treated as a non-hostile helicopter crash. Also, Gen. Ray Odierno said in a television interview that the U.S. drawdown is on track; however, there are signs that a full withdrawal could spell more sectarian violence.
read more