The Next New Plan for Bananastan
The More Things Change
A presidential candidate opposed to the Iraq War is elected and enters the Oval Office. Yet six months later, there are still essentially the same number of troops in Iraq as were there when his predecessor left, the same number, in fact, used in the original invasion...
Mullen’s Mulligans
In golf and other sports, a "mulligan" is a second chance to get something right, sometimes referred to as a "do-over." In most sports, one do-over is all you get, and sports are just games. In war, humanity's deadliest undertaking, the folks in...
Kennedy Was a Lion,
but War Remains King
Nearly seven years ago this month a lion roared, attempting, however unavailingly, to compete with the Iraq war drums that had begun immediately after 9/11. Sen. Edward Kennedy said the following on Sept. 27, 2002, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced...
Alternative to ‘Victory’ in Afghanistan?
Different Country, Same Problem
Afghanistan: War Trumps Elections
The official results of Afghanistan's presidential elections won't be known for weeks. The ballots cast around the country need to be brought to Kabul -- some by donkey and helicopter -- and counted. Nevertheless, U.S. officials have rushed to celebrate the process,...
The Afghanistan Gap: Press vs. Public
Afghan Elections Reveal Growing Doubts About War
Washington continues to wait on results from last week's elections in Afghanistan, but few analysts here expect the outcome to provide much of a boost to the U.S.-backed campaign against the Taliban, regardless of who wins. This skepticism about the elections is just...
