Paul Craig Roberts

Paul Craig Roberts wrote the Kemp-Roth bill and was assistant secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was associate editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and contributing editor of National Review. He is author or co-author of eight books, including The Supply-Side Revolution (Harvard University Press). He has held numerous academic appointments, including the William E. Simon chair in political economy, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Georgetown University, and senior research fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He has contributed to numerous scholarly journals and testified before Congress on 30 occasions. He has been awarded the U.S. Treasury's Meritorious Service Award and the French Legion of Honor. He was a reviewer for the Journal of Political Economy under editor Robert Mundell.

The Adulation of Ignorance

After three years of war in Iraq, reporting and debate continue to ignore the key fact: The U.S. invasion was a mistake. President Bush himself acknowledges this. He says the war was based on intelligence and the intelligence was wrong. So, then, what is right about the war? If we believe Bush, he would not … Continue reading “The Adulation of Ignorance”

How Conservatives Went Crazy

What happened to a formerly conservative press to reduce it to political partisanship and warmongering? Specifically, I have in mind National Review and the Wall Street Journal editorial page. When I was associated with National Review, the magazine understood that the U.S. Constitution and civil liberties had to be protected from government. It was not … Continue reading “How Conservatives Went Crazy”

Following Orders Is No Excuse

"A hoax on the American people, the international community, and the United Nations Security Council." That is how Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell’s February 2003 Iraq WMD speech to the UN was described last Friday (Feb. 3) on PBS by one who ought to know, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to Secretary Powell. … Continue reading “Following Orders Is No Excuse”

Rank Ignorance Reigns

In keeping with its established role as purveyor of disinformation, Fox “News” talking head Brit Hume misreported Fox’s own poll. On Special Report on Jan. 26, Hume said that 51 percent of Americans “would now support” air strikes on Iran. What the poll found is that if diplomacy fails, 51 percent would support air strikes … Continue reading “Rank Ignorance Reigns”

US Orders Syria to Do the Impossible

Is there a person anywhere in the world who still thinks there is an ounce of sanity in the Bush administration? If so, let that person read John Bolton’s orders to Syria in the Jan. 24 online edition of the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz. Bolton is Bush’s unconfirmed ambassador to the United Nations. Bolton, a neoconservative … Continue reading “US Orders Syria to Do the Impossible”

Unfathomed Dangers in PATRIOT Act Reauthorization

A provision in the "PATRIOT Act" creates a new federal police force with the power to violate the Bill of Rights. You might think that this cannot be true, as you have not read about it in newspapers or heard it discussed by talking heads on TV. Go to House Report 109-333 USA PATRIOT Improvement … Continue reading “Unfathomed Dangers in PATRIOT Act Reauthorization”

A Challenge That Cannot Be Ignored

Former vice president Al Gore gave what I believe to be the most important political speech in my lifetime, and the New York Times, “the newspaper of record,” did not report it. Not even excerpts. For the New York Times, it was a nonevent that a former vice president and presidential candidate, denied the presidency … Continue reading “A Challenge That Cannot Be Ignored”

Bush Has Crossed the Rubicon

Dictatorships seldom appear full-fledged but emerge piecemeal. When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with one Roman legion he broke the tradition that protected the civilian government from victorious generals and launched the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. Fearing that Caesar would become a king, the Senate assassinated him. From the civil … Continue reading “Bush Has Crossed the Rubicon”

A Criminal Administration

Caught in gratuitous and illegal spying on American citizens, the Bush administration has defended its illegal activity and set the Justice (sic) Department on the trail of the person or persons who informed the New York Times of Bush’s violation of law. Note the astounding paradox: The Bush administration is caught red-handed in blatant illegality … Continue reading “A Criminal Administration”

Three Books to Wake You Up

Since his retirement by Ronald Reagan, President Carter has given active service to the causes of human rights and peace. He has written a number of books, and now he has delivered a humdinger: Our Endangered Values (Simon & Schuster, 2005) in which he takes the Bush administration to task. Jimmy Carter is an uncommonly … Continue reading “Three Books to Wake You Up”