The Anthrax Follies and the Bizarro Effect

The release of the FBI's "evidence" against Bruce Ivins, the now-deceased Ft. Detrick scientist targeted by the FBI as the alleged culprit in the 2001 anthrax letters case, demonstrates either (1) the FBI is covering for the real culprits, or (2) what we are...

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Do You Feel Safe Now? Proud?

Now that military officers selected by the Bush Pentagon have reached a split verdict convicting Salim Hamdan, a onetime driver for Osama bin Laden, of supporting terrorism, but innocent of terrorist conspiracy, do you feel safe? Or are we superpower Americans still...

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Thursday: 22 Iraqis Killed, 36 Wounded

Updated at 6:30 p.m. EDT, Aug. 8, 2008At least 22 Iraqis were killed and 36 more were wounded in the latest violence. On a positive note, a thousand displaced families have returned to Diyala province. Meanwhile, a Sadrist spokesman warned of the consequences if U.S....

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My Energy Plan Is
Better Than Yours

In addition to dueling over Afghanistan (the subject of my last column), Senators McCain and Obama are trying to one-up each other when it comes to energy. Most notably, the McCain campaign recently released an ad that essentially blames Obama for $4-a-gallon gasoline...

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New Iraq Operation Gets Surprise Support

BAQUBA - A massive military operation in Diyala province has underscored the military and political gains by the Sahwa militia, despite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's earlier attempts to thwart them. Maliki has now apparently come around to involving the Sahwa...

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Bruce Ivins: The Movie

It sounds like a very bad made-for-television movie: a mad scientist – a violent sociopath, a "nerd with a dark side," who had already tried to kill several people, is obsessed with pornography, and is fixated on a particular college sorority –...

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Backtalk, August 5, 2008

Living Through the Age of Denial in America Engelhardt covers a lot of territory, but he engages the reader with a crisp writing style and a stunning grasp of information. His conclusion, that Americans have been living through an Age of Denial, is, alas,...

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Preparing for War Through Negotiations?

The latest series of test missiles launched by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the northern part of the Persian Gulf and the eastern Hormuz Strait has fueled new concerns over a military conflict in the region. Despite apparent diplomatic progress between Tehran...

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