In a Blackout, Dimwits Are Easy to Spot

It’s been a strange two weeks since I wrote a column. I skipped last Monday’s installment because my girlfriend, O., was due to return the preceding Friday after spending the summer abroad with family. (She’s a legal resident, Mr. Ashcroft, and from a coalition country, no less). After arriving in New York that afternoon, she … Continue reading “In a Blackout, Dimwits Are Easy to Spot”

Gulf War Vets Sue Saddam’s WMD Suppliers

P>The class action suit names 11 companies and 33 banks alleged to have helped Iraq with its chemical weapons program in the 1980’s, despite knowledge Saddam Hussein was actively using WMD against both Iranians and his own people. At the time, Reagan’s Middle East envoy was one Donald Rumsfeld, hard at work opening doors for … Continue reading “Gulf War Vets Sue Saddam’s WMD Suppliers”

Wesley Clark: The Guy Who Almost Started World War III

General Wesley Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and Friend of Bill’s (FOB) is considering a run for President of these United States. In an AP report of 29 June, former-President William Jefferson Clinton stated that Wesley Clark would make a fine president, if he ran. After all, what are friends for? There is … Continue reading “Wesley Clark: The Guy Who Almost Started World War III”

AMERICA IN IRAQ: A GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT

Colin Powell is making the rounds, trying to drum up European support for the U.S. occupation of Iraq: the Google headline for the story in the Macon Telegraph reads “U.S. Seeks Reinforcements for Iraq” – but when you click on it, you get a story with a new rather more abstruse head: “U.S. Seeks U.N. … Continue reading “AMERICA IN IRAQ: A GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT”

Ledeen on the Run

On National Review Online, 8/14/03, Michael Ledeen addresses his apparently controversial dealings with his “old friend Manucher Ghorbanifar.” Nothing quite like seeing Ledeen write from a position of relative weakness, especially given how much face time he has gotten in the last couple of years. Ledeen, who David Frum claims has scored up to $25 … Continue reading “Ledeen on the Run”

Baghdad Bomb Blasted American Hubris

The bomb blast that blew up UN headquarters in Baghdad should have pulverized the smug complacency of the Washington policy wonks who openly hail the rise of an American Empire – but I doubt it made much more than a small dent. Only in Washington would it be possible to have a “debate” between Niall … Continue reading “Baghdad Bomb Blasted American Hubris”

Korean Prospects for Peace

The six-way multilateral talks over the North Korean nuclear threat and related issues – among North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States – scheduled for August 25-27, seem unlikely to yield notable breakthroughs. The best hope is probably that they will set up a framework within which the main issue of … Continue reading “Korean Prospects for Peace”

The Neocons Come Out

The neocons are – finally! – coming out of the closet. Irving Kristol, the Godfather of the neocons, has come out with the neocon equivalent of a papal bull outlining the ideological parameters of this heretofore mysterious sect, wherein he unveils the secrets of “The Neoconservative Persuasion.” I say “secrets,” because a spate of commentary … Continue reading “The Neocons Come Out”