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In her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "Condi" Rice personified the Bush administration’s delusion-based "war against terror." Whenever a senator’s question penetrated to the harsh reality, Condi waffled and evaded, choosing to protect at the expense of her reputation the neocon delusion that invading Iraq was the "right thing to do." Exasperated, … Continue reading “Dying for Sycophants”

When a U.S. Marine company used downtown Toledo for "urban warfare" training Jan. 7-8, it provided an opportunity for activists to think and act beyond normal limits. With barely a week’s notice, an article in the local paper announced that a weapons company of the 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Reserves would spend a weekend running … Continue reading “Addressing the Persuadable Middle”

The thundering blast rocks me awake at 7:05 a.m. The first thing my eyes see are the curtains of my room flowing in, as if a strong wind is blowing into my room. "Holy sh*t, they hit the embassy," I think to myself, the blast was so close. I leave my windows cracked and curtains … Continue reading “Another Car Bomb … This Must Be Democracy”

Recently, I wrote once again about the spread of torture as a way of life in the Bush administration’s offshore imperium. I offered my version of a national “self-portrait” for the New Year (“American Gothic”) and considered the latest torture news, now practically pouring through leaks in the Washington and Pentagon bureaucracy. While I was … Continue reading “What Is Wrong With Torture”

During the presidential campaign last year, when John Kerry tried to be a bigger imperialist than George W. Bush, he chose the Balkans as his battleground. Here was a jewel in the crown of Clinton’s “humanitarian interventionism,” neglected by Bush as he went gallivanting about the Middle East, that candidate Kerry promised to resurrect to … Continue reading “A Broken Promise”

As George W. Bush prepares to be sworn in for his second term as U.S. president, a strong majority of the world’s people are concerned his tenure is likely to produce more setbacks to the cause of world peace and security, according to a major international poll released Wednesday. The survey of nearly 22,000 people … Continue reading “Survey: Benevolent Hegemony Not Appreciated”

LONDON – The court martial of three British soldiers for abuse of Iraqi prisoners has established that a soldier is only as bad as the photographs of the abuse that get taken. Three British soldiers face court martial over abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Which means only three among more than 65,000 British soldiers who have … Continue reading “For UK Troops, Abuse Only Happens if Photographed”

CAIRO – Iraq’s neighbors have begun to worry seriously about its national election scheduled for Jan. 30. Almost every day, a regional leader speaks out in favor of the vote because the alternative could be worse. High-ranking officials from Egypt, Jordan, and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council have recently called for voter participation. "I hope … Continue reading “Iraq Election Worries Neighbors”

After Arafat As Oscar Wilde once said, there are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it. Israel is now facing the latter tragedy. For years on end, we knew what we wanted: we wanted Arafat dead. Not that we just sat and waited for … Continue reading “The Threat of Peace”

Will the Bush presidency end as did Wilson’s? Will George W. Bush be defending to his dying day, against the pitiless evidence of events, his “global democratic revolution”? Contingent upon what happens in Afghanistan and Iraq, that may well be his fate. For, as Bush’s strength is Wilson’s strength, his flaw is Wilson’s flaw. Both … Continue reading “Does Wilson’s Fate Await Bush?”