George W. Bush: Neocon Napoleon

George W. Bush wants to “change the world”: he said so a few dozen times the other night in his Q&A with reporters. That was his ultimate answer to everything. When confronted at his recent press conference with the embarrassing paucity, in retrospect, of the case for war – the complete absence of WMD in … Continue reading “George W. Bush: Neocon Napoleon”

The US Was Once Considered a Rogue Nation

Because we forget that the United States was once considered a rogue nation exporting terrorism, the nation’s senior officials risk making serious policy mistakes today. The United States a rogue nation? Though it may be hard to believe, before the Civil War, people in Latin America, Western Europe, and even the faraway Hawaiian kingdom were … Continue reading “The US Was Once Considered a Rogue Nation”

How the “NewsHour” Changed History

When the anchor of public television’s main news program goes out of his way to tell viewers that he’s setting the record straight about a recent historic event, the people watching are apt to assume that they’re getting accurate information. But with war intensifying in Iraq, a bizarre episode raises some very troubling concerns about … Continue reading “How the “NewsHour” Changed History”

Hubris and Nemesis

Almost a month since the pogrom in Kosovo, both its consequences and lessons seem to have faded from memory. Indeed, the occupation authorities are rewarding violence and appeasing its perpetrators, even as they grow more bold and hostile. They, too, see reports from Iraq, where a mass uprising against the occupation authorities has the Empire … Continue reading “Hubris and Nemesis”

Feeling a Draft

Lawrence Kaplan, neo-Jacobin ideologue and shameless apologist for the carnage in Iraq, claims that Americans wouldn’t mind having 30,000 of our troops killed in Iraq if it achieves Bush’s “strategic objectives.” No one knows any longer what these objectives are unless it is to start World War III. The original strategic objectives were all propagandistic … Continue reading “Feeling a Draft”

Their ‘Battle Stations’ Were No Defense

When terrorists plan to strike America, should they call in advance and make reservations? If not – if they aren’t specific about time and place – should President George W. Bush and the rest of the federal government be held blameless for failing to stop them? That’s been the view of the White House for … Continue reading “Their ‘Battle Stations’ Were No Defense”

An Ally I Can Do Without

If you need any more proof of how badly the occupation in Iraq is going, look no further than a couple of recent articles in those hotbeds of Bush-bashing, the Weekly Standard and the American Spectator. Neocon Pollyanna Fred Barnes, writing in the former last week, bemoans the enormity of the imperial burden and rattles … Continue reading “An Ally I Can Do Without”

Soldier On, Escalate, or Get Out?

This is “George Bush’s Vietnam,” railed Sen. Kennedy last week in a charge that angered Sen. John McCain. And by any traditional measure of war, McCain is right. While Vietnam lasted a decade and took 58,000 U.S. lives, Iraq has lasted a year and cost 650 US dead. Even the Filipino insurrection of 1899-1902 was … Continue reading “Soldier On, Escalate, or Get Out?”
Refugees Stream Out of Fallujah “As the struggle for Fallujah entered a fifth day, hundreds of women, children and the elderly streamed out of the city. Marines ordered Iraqi men of ‘military age’ to stay behind, sometimes turning back entire families if they refused to be separated.” This sure does sound familiar. Oh yeah, we … Continue reading “”