Antiwar.com

LONDON – The long-awaited inquiry report into intelligence failures that led Britain to join the invasion of Iraq reveals what went wrong, but stops short of saying who went wrong. The 196-page report by Lord Butler discloses "serious flaws" in intelligence that led to Britain’s involvement in the war. Key intelligence relied on third hand … Continue reading “Report Reveals Lies, Not the Liar”

According to several military analysts working both inside and outside of government, the Bush administration’s oft-repeated claim that militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is the direct link between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein does not ring true. Zarqawi, a Jordanian who heads a group that reportedly claimed responsibility Tuesday for killing a Bulgarian worker held captive … Continue reading “Experts Dispute Bush Line on Zarqawi”

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has concluded that the “key assessments” in the National Intelligence Estimate – which was the basis for the “Congressional Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq” – were “not supported by the underlying intelligence.” Hence, the Committee has essentially accused Director of Central … Continue reading “Dereliction of Duty”

The international goo-goos (Tammany Hall’s old name for the “good government” types) need their humanitarian crise du jour, and the Sudan currently fills the bill. The usual celebrities are wringing their hands and we are all supposed to care, deeply. The realist replies, “Yeah, that’s life in the global village,” but realism is out of … Continue reading “Fourth Generation War In the Sudan”

UNITED NATIONS – Lobbying has shifted into high gear on a resolution to be brought before the UN General Assembly on Friday that will call on Israel to tear down a wall it is building around the West Bank and pay reparations to affected Palestinians. The motion will be introduced in an emergency session called … Continue reading “US, Israel Against the World on Wall”

In my June 29, 2004, column, “Role Reversal,” I pointed out that now it is the Republicans who argue that government can be trusted with any amount of power in the name of the “war on terror.” I quoted from Al Gore’s speech at Georgetown University Law Center, in which Gore argued that the “war … Continue reading “Role Reversal: A Response to Readers”

If Dick Cheney isn’t F-you-ing Democrats on the floor of the U.S. Senate, George W. Bush is flipping off teenage boys in East Lampeter, PA, as the Bush-mobile swings through town and the residents come out to greet their sovereign Lord: "The action got started off right when we arrived on the scene, and seven … Continue reading “Bush on the Bus”

Members of the book industry and civil liberties advocates are scratching their heads over why House Republican leaders decided to bully their way out of passing a bipartisan piece of legislation intended to secure the rights of due process and privacy of library patrons and bookstore customers. “It should make people ask, what are they … Continue reading “PATRIOT Act Foes Lose Book Battle”

TORONTO – In the novel 1984, George Orwell depicts a world where powerful and secretive authorities – “Big Brother” – scrutinize the intimate details of citizens’ personal lives. That fiction may be closer to reality than most people think. Earlier this month, for instance, CNN reported that police officers across the United States are carrying … Continue reading “‘Homeland Security’ Beyond US Borders”

Key intelligence used to justify war with Iraq has now been shown to be unreliable, concludes Lord Butler in the British government’s report about the misinformation that caused a pointless war. Nevertheless, says Lord Butler, there is no one to blame for the thousands of deaths, the massive destruction, and subsequent creation of a new … Continue reading “Plenty of Blood, No Foul”