War! War! War!

In the words of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind, Memorial Day weekend was all about “War, war, war!” In addition to the real ceremonies, the History Channel and the old movie channels featured nonstop war movies and documentaries. This was quickly followed by the 60th anniversary of the invasion of Europe. Anyone with … Continue reading “War! War! War!”

How High Does the Abu Ghraib Scandal Go?

A classified Pentagon report, providing a series of legal arguments apparently intended to justify abuses and torture against detainees, appears to undermine public assurances by senior U.S. officials, including President George W. Bush, that the military would never resort to such practices in the “war on terrorism.” Short excerpts of the report, which was drafted … Continue reading “How High Does the Abu Ghraib Scandal Go?”

Superpower or Superdebtor?

Since the passage of the “Iraq Liberation Act” in 1998, the U.S. government has spent more than 40 million taxpayer dollars on the Iraqi National Congress and its leader Ahmed Chalabi. As we now know, Chalabi in turn fed the U.S. government lies about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and ties to al-Qaeda in the … Continue reading “Superpower or Superdebtor?”

The War on Terror: A Persistent Debacle

I just said goodbye to my son, age 21, as he went off to complete his studies at the University of Toronto. We were cleaning out the garage during the two weeks my son was home. I came across some old pictures and documents from my years in the Navy, including a copy of a … Continue reading “The War on Terror: A Persistent Debacle”

TURN TOWARD THE LEFT

A Note from the Author: This is a continuation of my Wednesday column on the formerly libertarian Cato Institute’s complete capitulation to the war hysteria, and is best read in that context. To summarize briefly: in endorsing Attorney General John Ashcroft’s decision to start "monitoring" political groups for evidence of subversive activities, I wrote, Cato … Continue reading “TURN TOWARD THE LEFT”

Reaganism versus ‘Neo-Reaganism’

The death of Ronald Reagan will no doubt prompt panegyrics from all the most prominent bastions of neoconservative thought – National Review, the Weekly Standard, Commentary, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, etc. ad nauseam. They will claim him for their own, aver that they are upholding his legacy, and give him an honored place … Continue reading “Reaganism versus ‘Neo-Reaganism’”

What Really Caused Tenet’s Departure?

If you thought the neo-crazies had lost control over President Bush, think again. A neo-crazy delegation – headed by Richard Perle – marched up to the White House last week and demanded that Bush fire Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) George Tenet. Quoth Perle, “There is a smear campaign under way, and it is being … Continue reading “What Really Caused Tenet’s Departure?”

To Drink From the Sea of Gaza

Perhaps Abe Lincoln was right that you can’t fool all the people all the time, but a lot of people can surely be fooled for a long, long time. Just look at Ariel Sharon. From the start, the “Disengagement Plan” was an exercise in deceit. But the world is eager to be deceived. The world’s … Continue reading “To Drink From the Sea of Gaza”