Gagged, but Still Going Strong

The appeal court’s decision on the Sibel Edmonds case is out: case dismissed, no opinion cited, no reason provided. The court’s decision of Friday, May 6, has generated a string of obituaries; “another major blow, maybe the last one, to Sibel Edmonds, a woman who has faced an unprecedented level of government secrecy, gag orders, … Continue reading “Gagged, but Still Going Strong”

Bush’s Nutty Referral

Well, according to Reuters, France-Britain-Germany "warned" Iran that they will "break off talks and join Washington in seeking UN Security Council action if Tehran makes good on its threats to resume atomic work." Poodle Blair promptly announced, “We certainly will support referral to the UN Security Council if Iran breaches its undertakings and obligations." What … Continue reading “Bush’s Nutty Referral”

The Iran Crisis in Global Context

At a moment when the North Koreans claim to have just “harvested a nuclear reactor for weapons fuel,” the latest flare-up in the Iranian/European Union negotiations involving the “Iranian bomb,” well described below by Dilip Hiro, only highlights the increasingly precarious state of nuclear proliferation on our poor planet. It’s almost impossible to tell quite … Continue reading “The Iran Crisis in Global Context”

Strengthen the NPT – or Else

One of the more hilarious charges leveled against Bonkers Bolton recently was that he was too preoccupied with winning confirmation as ambassador to the United Nations to prepare the U.S. delegation for the Seventh Review Conference of the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Levelers of this charge assume that Bush and Bolton want to … Continue reading “Strengthen the NPT – or Else”

A Terrorist Comes Home to Roost

The sudden and untimely arrival on U.S. territory of a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) asset and admitted terrorist, Luis Posada Carriles, poses an embarrassing challenge to the credibility of the Bush administration’s war on terrorism. Posada, who in an interview with the New York Times seven years ago admitted to organizing a wave of … Continue reading “A Terrorist Comes Home to Roost”

Senate Committee Rebuffs Bush’s Pick for UN Envoy

The U.S. Senate’s foreign relations committee, in a surprise move driven by a key Republican, voted Thursday to send the embattled nomination of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador at the United Nations to the full Senate without a recommendation – a rebuff to President George W. Bush. Republican Senator George Voinovich agreed to allow Bolton’s … Continue reading “Senate Committee Rebuffs Bush’s Pick for UN Envoy”

The Coming Shi’ite Showdown

Even as the Bush administration was hailing the heroism of the Iraqi Shi’ite majority for going to the polls last Jan. 30, it was secretly preventing the new Shi’ite government from having full control over its own intelligence services. The reason, it has now been revealed, is that the administration fears that the Shi’ites will … Continue reading “The Coming Shi’ite Showdown”

John Bolton’s Yellowcake

What role did John Bolton play in the Bush administration’s efforts to manufacture the intelligence needed to justify the invasion of Iraq? As it turns out, a hidden but important role. Remember the “yellowcake from Niger"? Briefly reported last week in Steve Clemons’ The Washington Note was that a Congressional subcommittee, citing a State Department … Continue reading “John Bolton’s Yellowcake”