Visiting the Vassals

Following in the footsteps of Bill Clinton, two more former Imperial dignitaries have toured the occupied Balkans this past weekend. Onetime stepfather of Bosnia Richard Holbrooke and former Kosovo viceroy Bernard Kouchner visited Sarajevo and Pristina, reminiscing about their glory days. The adulation of local media and politicians must have made them believe they actually … Continue reading “Visiting the Vassals”

Bush Stance on Syria Hit Shows Neocons Still Hold Sway

The neo-conservatives in and around the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush may be on the defensive, but Washington’s reaction to the Israeli attack on Syria Sunday shows that they remain in the driver’s seat at the White House. The fact that Bush has himself refused to in any way criticise the Israeli attack … Continue reading “Bush Stance on Syria Hit Shows Neocons Still Hold Sway”

Meeting Al Jazeera, Hearing Hamid Karzai

The war on the war, so to speak, is going rather well these days, with numerous standard journalistic organizations fascinated with the CIA-White House leak and showing signs of eventually getting it right. In addition, the interim report from former UN weapons inspector David Kay was reduced to noting plaintively that the absence of (miscategorized) … Continue reading “Meeting Al Jazeera, Hearing Hamid Karzai”

Washington APlame, or The Lady’s Not for Burning

One has to feel sorry for Republicans. Although they control both houses of the U.S. Congress and the White House, they must think they’re living through a bad dream. Consider Republicans on Capitol Hill in particular: After campaigning for a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget, they’re forced to … Continue reading “Washington APlame, or The Lady’s Not for Burning”