Amid growing pressure to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq and mounting charges by Democrats that senior administration officials misled the nation into war there, Vice President Dick Cheney appears to have taken charge of defending his boss and taking on the...
Shame on Congress
What's wrong with our Congress? Two and a half years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, they still refuse to vote against the war. They may carp and complain that the Bush administration lied about weapons of mass destruction, or that too many Americans soldiers have...
We Must Hold the Scoundrels Accountable
The BBC reports that two former British government employees have been charged with violating the Official Secrets Act. The Official Secrets Act is useful for protecting the British government from accountability. Anyone who reveals wrongdoing by government officials...
Can a Nuclear Strike on Iran Be Prevented?
The Bush administration has put together all the elements it needs to justify the impending military action against Iran. Unlike in the case of Iraq, it will happen without warning, and most of the justifications will be issued after the fact. We will wake up one day...
Murtha Is Right
"The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering....
Backtalk, November 19, 2005
In Praise of 'Virtual States'Might your virtual state concept suggest one human world and many divisions of government because the virtual states place the power of nations at rest?Clearly there is a human right, fully thwarted by the nation-state system, that...
Is Woodward’s Revelation a Bombshell or a Smokescreen?
Two presiding deities and lively ghosts they are continue to hover over the present administration: Vietnam and Watergate. Though the competition between them is fierce, this week Watergate suddenly surged to the fore as the Washington Post's Bob...
More Wheels Spin Off Iraq Policy
In a major new blow to President George W. Bush's determination to "stay the course" in Iraq, an influential Democratic hawk with close ties to the uniformed military has called for Washington to begin withdrawing U.S. troops immediately. In an emotional...
That Iraq Feeling Comes to Syria
The Rawda cafe in the center of Damascus is reputed to be an opposition hangout, and not many patrons are given to defending the Syrian government. The increasing international pressure from the UN investigation into the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq...
The Politics of Pushback
On Veterans' Day, Nov. 11, President Bush told troops gathered at Pennsylvania's Tobyhanna Army Depot that, "It is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war [in Iraq] began." He said that, "Some Democrats and antiwar critics are now...


