barack obama – Page 6

Obama Declares Victory, but Will It Win Votes?

Over two years ago, President Barack Obama, who had campaigned declaring that Iraq was an unnecessary war, doubled down on the war that he declared to be a vital interest, Afghanistan. Today, the United States is departing Iraq and Obama is acting like it is his decision to go, but it is only because the … Continue reading

Supporting Torturers Against Torturers

I have authorized a small number of combat-equipped U.S. forces to deploy to central Africa to provide assistance to regional forces…. On Oct. 12, the initial team of U.S. military personnel with appropriate combat equipment deployed to Uganda. During the next month, additional forces will deploy…. These forces will act as advisers to partner forces … Continue reading

Another Potential Quagmire on the Horizon

Disregarding American public sentiment — weariness of years of war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya and robust drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia — President Barack Obama is now involving the United States in another potential quagmire, this time in Central Africa. At the urging of humanitarian groups, he is dispatching about 100 U.S. … Continue reading

Americans Should Worry About Obama, Not Uganda

President Obama has ordered about 100 U.S. troops into Uganda to “help” and “advise” in capturing Joseph Kony, the head of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The troops, Obama claimed, are not to engage Kony’s forces unless it becomes necessary for their own self-defense. Kony and the LRA were declared a terrorist organization under the … Continue reading

War and the Return of Populism

What’s behind the recent upsurge in anti-Iranian war propaganda coming out of the Obama administration? This is the question Stephen Walt posed on his blog at ForeignPolicy.com: “What’s the endgame here? What is the positive purpose to be gained from this new campaign? If there really is hard and reliable evidence of a serious Iranian … Continue reading

A Dangerous Precedent

Listen to Rep. Ron Paul deliver this address. According to the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Americans are never to be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. The Constitution is not some aspirational statement of values, allowing exceptions when convenient; rather, it is the law of the land. It … Continue reading

Obama Throws Palestine Under the Bus

The right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could not be more pleased. Not only did the allegedly most “anti-Israel” president ever repeat, for the nth time, that “America’s commitment to Israel’s security is unshakeable,” he also made it crystal clear that Washington will veto any Palestinian application to the U.N. Security Council for … Continue reading

Comparing Obama and Bush on Civil Liberties and War

Documents found in the files of Muammar Gadhafi’s intelligence services in Libya, which indicated that the now overthrown dictator cooperated closely with U.S. rendition of terrorist suspects to his torture chambers, should prompt questions about how much President Barack Obama has improved civil liberties from the bad old days of George W. Bush. Answer: not … Continue reading

Cut Back on Bad Policy or Quit Altogether?

In a recent New Yorker article, an anonymous Obama White House aide suggested that the administration had been trying to lead from behind on issues such as the overthrow of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi or the Egyptian and Tunisian revolts. Yet even some liberal interventionists have suggested that though this approach is fine for less … Continue reading

Mission Accomplished in Libya?

Even as a major hurricane hit America’s eastern seaboard, the administration was determined to expand the war in Libya while threatening the regime in Syria. Is there any limit to government’s appetite to create more problems for our nation and economy? Americans may be tempted to celebrate the apparent victory of U.S.- and NATO-backed rebels … Continue reading