The media and the Washington foreign policy elite breathed a sigh of relief when Barack Obama thumped John McCain in the election. Had John McCain won, there was always the chance that the neoconservatives would have beaten out the Republican realists for his...
The Russian military was clearly superior to that of a small country in its "near abroad" – Georgia – but is a "resurgent" Russia a threat to the United States? If the United States insists on expanding its informal empire into Russia's...
In the battle for endorsements in the presidential campaign, Barack Obama snared a strong nod from former Secretary of State Colin Powell and John McCain received an equally strong recommendation from al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda? Yes, you heard right, al-Qaeda! This...
Both candidates in the US presidential election have bought the questionable argument that the war in Afghanistan needs to be salvaged for the "war on terror" to succeed. On top of that, to accomplish this rescue, they both have called for an Iraq-like surge...
In politics, truth telling can be dangerous. Remember when Jimmy Carter was voted out of office, in part, for telling the American people, in a time of high inflation and unemployment, what they didn't want to hear – that they were self indulgent and consumed...
In the topsy turvy world of Washington, to combat what is being called the "most momentous financial crisis since the Great Depression," the Republicans have gone socialist and the Democrats are advocating the corporatism of Italian rightist dictator...
A recent US raid into Pakistan from Afghanistan using Special Forces on the ground is apparently part of the Bush administration's new "get tough" policy on the Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuary in the tribal areas of Pakistan. For many years, Osama bin...
In the twilight of his eight-year term, George W. Bush is the loneliest guy in town these days. Remember him? With the economy in the tank, the Iraq War dragging on with casualties at 2004 levels (which we were all horrified about back then), Bush's popularity is...
In her "I'm just a hockey mom" speech at the Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin – who has rapidly rocketed from an unknown, recently-minted governor of Alaska to Republican Vice Presidential candidate – questioned, with a straight face,...
Politicians regularly turn public fear into votes. President Bush proved a master at this in his 2004 reelection success. Most presidents who don't win the popular vote the first time don't get a second term, but fear pushed Bush over the top in 2004. In the 2008...
