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The real war is quite different from the one we are seeing on television, as reported by journalists “embedded” so deeply in the militarist mystique that they no longer bother to disguise their role as cheerleaders. Their role is to shout “Hail Caesar!” at the appropriate moment, and otherwise shut their mouths. But sometimes a … Continue reading “The Real War”

This sad burlesque With miserable failures making entertainment of our fate Laughter cannot dignify or elevate This sad burlesque. —Elvis Costello Whom shall I ridicule this week? Why even bother? Better tyrants than ours might listen to their jesters; better morons might know their limitations. But there is no King Lear or Warren G. Harding … Continue reading “Laughter or Despair?”

This week Congress will be working on the $75 billion supplemental appropriations to pay for the war. Financing the war is not as simple as it appears. It involves more than just passing a piece of legislation labeled as support for the troops. It has now been fashionable to bash France and Germany and other … Continue reading “Don’t Antagonize Our Trading Partners”

As the propagandistic fervor on American television reaches a crescendo of triumphant self-righteousness, and our noble centurions gather at the gates of Baghdad, ready for the final assault, the battle-cry of the neocons is heard above the din: "On to Damascus! Go for Teheran!" Speaking at a UCLA forum sponsored by "Americans for Victory Over … Continue reading “World War IV”

Despite the insistence of high Imperial officials, it is obvious that after two weeks of fighting, the un-American war is going rather badly. Instead of gleefully surrendering, Iraqis are (gasp!) defending not so much their leader as their country. The same happened four years ago, during the attack on Serbia, when all but a few … Continue reading “Seeking Scapegoats”

On March 31st, ten women and children were killed near Najaf when a van they were in was riddled with fire from U.S. Marines who had tried to get it to stop at a military checkpoint. After Saturday’s suicide bombing that caused the death of four U.S. Marines at another checkpoint, coalition forces are now … Continue reading “Shedding No Tears for Iraqi Civilians”

While the battlefield success of the "coalition" forces may be the subject of a vigorous debate, none can dispute their conquest of the American media. They took out NBC this week, although Iraqi television flickers back after each bombing raid. We can’t be sure that Saddam Hussein was killed or seriously injured in that first … Continue reading “If This Be Treason”

Last October, the New York Times reported that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ordered the military’s regional commanders to rewrite all of their war plans to capitalize on precision weapons, better intelligence and speedier deployment in the event the United States decided to invade Iraq. That war plan, which Rumsfeld helped shape, has now failed … Continue reading “Rummy’s Failed War Plan and the Casualties That May Result”

Perhaps the oddest phenomenon of the current moment is the insistence by top military brass – and their doppelgangers disguised as retired-military consultants on TV networks – that the original plan for the invasion of Iraq was just hunky-dory and everything is right on schedule and anybody who suggests otherwise must be some kind of … Continue reading “Strange Insistence that No Miscalculations Were Made”

Fresh from our recent triumphs abroad, many Americans yearn for a break, a moment to celebrate. Such feelings are natural, yet they must be suppressed. Where would we be now if Bush Sr. had retired to Kennebunkport as the Berlin Wall collapsed? Not plowing through Baghdad, that’s certain. No, the elder Bush had nerves of … Continue reading “Liberate the Vatican!”