Category: Uncategorized

As the U.S. Congress prepares to vote on the final version of a reauthorized USA PATRIOT Act, a major civil rights group claims to have proof that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has used the law to snoop into people’s library records – a charge the FBI has vigorously denied since the Act was … Continue reading “Secrecy Shrouds PATRIOT Act Powers”

Why Are We In Iraq? Justin’s takedown of the horrid Michael Young (WSJ op-ed, Aug. 19) was spot on. That piece is the poster child for the incoherence of the libertarian imperialists. While it is difficult to decipher exactly what Young is saying for most of his article, one point comes through. Blame the victims! … Continue reading “Backtalk, August 29, 2005”

In a recent column entitled "Powerless Non-Experts," syndicated columnist Charley Reese allowed as how "journalists" had no power. We journalists are mere observers. Like the fans in the bleachers, we watch the game, and some of us report it and some of us comment on it. But we don’t affect it. Charley was describing honest … Continue reading “Aluminum Tubes Déjà Vu”

Washington’s hawks are in a dither over the Iraqi constitution, as Eli Lake reports in the New York Sun, and the divisions illustrate the character and motives of the War Party, separating the everyday scoundrels from the truly villainous. Gauging the various reactions among today’s neoconservatives to the prospect of an “Islamic Republic of Iraq” … Continue reading “The War Party Unhinged”

President Bush is out of touch with the American people, the U.S. military, and international political reality. With every poll showing smaller and smaller minorities approving of Bush and his war in Iraq, with top U.S. generals sending signals that they want to reduce U.S. troops in Iraq, and with the world at large viewing … Continue reading “Does Anyone Know What We Are Doing in Iraq?”

According to the New York Times; “Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, confirmed Tuesday for the first time that a Pakistani nuclear scientist had provided North Korea with centrifuge machines that could be used to make fuel for an atomic bomb, a Japanese news agency reported.” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack promptly claimed Musharraf’s confirmation “reinforces … Continue reading “A Six-Party Mess”

Over the last four years, the message sent by neoconservatives to the rest of the nation has been clear: Get behind the Bush administration’s “war on terror” or be prepared to face the consequences. But when the grieving mother of a fallen U.S. soldier tops the neoconservative most wanted list of treasonous, terrorist-sympathizing, America-haters, you … Continue reading “What Are We Fighting For?”

Iraq has always been ruled by a strong central authority, whether the rulers were the Turks, the British or the Ba’athists. The reason is that the differences are too wide and too deep to be bridged by political compromise. Compromise requires that all the parties agree to the same basic premise. The easiest example is … Continue reading “A United Iraq Is a Western Joke”

Extraordinary renditions, torture, abuse, humiliation, detention without charge or end, an obsession with protecting American officials (and military men) from future foreign or domestic criminal charges for their acts – these are the cornerstones of foreign policy under George Bush, and they have produced horror stories galore. His is a presidency that has made the … Continue reading “The Achilles Heel of Torture”

Memo To: Gary Hart From: Jude Wanniski Re: The Leadership Vacuum. As you know, Gary, I did publicly announce my vote for Sen. John Kerry in last year’s presidential election, even though I had earlier in the year characterized him as a "cardboard candidate." Now and then, when he wasn’t programmed by his campaign consultants … Continue reading “Iraq and the Cardboard Democrats”