Antiwar.com

Even Sean Hannity, always eager to consider gratuitous bombing and killing, had a hard time with Michelle Malkin’s latest book, In Defense of Internment: The Case for “Racial Profiling” in World War II and the War on Terror. The cringe-making crux of Malkin’s book is that, in light of the intelligence intercepts to which the … Continue reading “Internment Chic”

What do the president’s nomination of Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.), to head the CIA and the seemingly contradictory proposal of Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), to dismember the CIA have in common with tales of Swift boats once in Vietnam? Answer: The proven potential of all three to grab the headlines and draw attention away from … Continue reading “Swift Intelligent Smokescreen”

NEW DELHI – After the first extended round of India-Pakistan talks on the eight issues they have identified as bilateral disputes or concerns, it is clear that their dialogue has entered a phase of stagnation. Earlier expectations that at least some issues would be resolved in a series of discussions – the latest being earlier … Continue reading “India-Pakistan Dialogue Moves Between Stagnation, Hope”

What I took away from reading the entire James Schlesinger “independent” commission report [.pdf] and the executive summary and a skim of the rest of the Jones-Fay generals’ report [.pdf] on the abuses of prisoners at Abu Ghraib was a profound confirmation of what many of us have been saying for some time. The Bush … Continue reading “A Culture of Improvisation”

The DNC showed that the present path of the organized antiwar movement cannot lead to success. The antiwar movement within the Democratic Party was utterly defeated. It placed its hopes in John Kerry, in spite of Kerry’s call for greater military power for the U.S., in spite of his call for 40,000 more troops, in … Continue reading “The Silent Majority Is Ours”

Beneath the thin plastic veneer of American society, rage roils around the irrationality of life in the Empire, and occasionally it boils over. As it did in Hollywood, Florida, the other day, when Carlos Arredondo “snapped,” as the news reports put it: “Melida Arredondo said her husband knew what was coming as three uniformed Marines … Continue reading “Rage Against the Machine”

The first of four scheduled criminal hearings for Guantanamo Bay detainees went forward today, notwithstanding concerns from human and civil rights groups and a legal challenge in U.S. civilian courts. During the hearing, the defense challenged the military judges’ credentials and potential conflicts of interest, as well as the legality of the tribunals themselves. The … Continue reading “Defense Challenges Tribunals’ Legitimacy”

A commission of civilian military advisers established by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says that soldiers running Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq deserve most of the blame for acts of torture and abuse committed there, while high-ranking Pentagon officials are guilty only of mismanagement. The panel also suggests that much of the torture was the result … Continue reading “Rumsfeld’s Torture Panel Clears Rumsfeld”

"For all I care, they can starve to death!" announced Tzahi Hanegbi, after Palestinian prisoners declared an open-ended hunger strike against prison conditions. Thus the Minister for Internal Security added another memorable phrase to the lexicon of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hanegbi became famous (or infamous) for the first time when, as a student activist, he … Continue reading “Israel Must Rethink Prisoner Policy”

As we defend liberty and justice abroad, we must always honor those values here at home. – George W. Bush, October 28, 2003 George W. Bush came to the presidency promising prosperity, peace, and humility. Instead, Bush has spawned record federal budget deficits, launched an unnecessary war, and made America the most hated nation in … Continue reading “The Bush Betrayal”