In sharp contrast to the lionization of Gen. David Petraeus by members of the US Congress during his testimony this week, Petraeus' superior, Admiral William Fallon, chief of the Central Command (CENTCOM), derided Petraeus as a sycophant during their first meeting in...
US Denies Visas to Iranian Religious Leaders
A religious delegation from Iran has canceled a scheduled visit to the United States this week after members of the group were denied visas by the State Department. The denial of the visa applications of four of the 14 delegation members was denounced by one of one of...
No Exit from Iraq Before Bush Leaves
After two days of Congressional testimony by Washington's top two officials in Iraq, prospects for a substantial withdrawal of US military forces there before the end of President George W. Bush's tenure at the White House look as remote as ever. Bush himself is...
Thursday: 41 Iraqis Killed, 20 Wounded
Updated at 6:15 p.m. EDT, Sept. 13, 2007In today's most significant event, an important Sunni tribe leader was assassinated in Ramadi along with several people in his retinue. Altogether, at least 41 Iraqis were killed and 20 more were wounded. No foreign military...
Surging Toward Iran
Amid all the back-and-forth between the administration and its critics about how to measure "progress" in Iraq, what gets lost is the question asked by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) at the Petraeus-Crocker hearings the other day: "I have to ask this question: where is...
Fighting Among Shi’ites Adds to Violence
BAGHDAD - Clashes between rival Shia militias in Karbala have spread across southern Iraq and Baghdad, adding a new dimension to sectarian violence. Clashes between the Mehdi Army militia of Shia anti-occupation cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the Badr Organization militia...
Bridging the Shia-Sunni Divide With Free Trade
DUBAI - While Iran and the United States exchange aggressive statements, the Arab countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have been busy building trade relations with Tehran and charting an economic course with the potential of mending ties in a tough...
Wednesday: 2 Marines, 53 Iraqis Killed; 21 Iraqis Wounded
Updated at 12:05 a.m. EDT, Sept. 13, 2007At least 53 Iraqis were killed and 21 were wounded in light violence today. A pair of heists in Baghdad netted $790,000 for criminals wearing police uniforms. Also, the DOD reported that two Marines were killed during combat...
Imperial Autism
The former Cockney flower-girl-turned-elegant- English-speaker Eliza Doolittle caught something of our moment in these lyrics from My Fair Lady: "Oh, words, words, words, I'm so sick of words . Is that all you blighters can do?" Of course, all she had to do was...
Henry Kissinger: Realist, or Neocon?
One of the most disturbing attributes of the neoconservatives is their willingness to subordinate the United States' national interests to those of Israel. To be sure, the attempt is frequently made to demonstrate that the two nations' interests are identical, but a...


