barack obama – Page 9

Remember Iraq?

Although assassination has become the leading cause of death among Iraqi males, the Iraqi government has its priorities straight: they’re enacting a ban on public smoking. As the New York Times reports, the law – already passed by the Parliament, and now up for an obligatory second reading – “would ban smoking from schools, universities, … Continue reading

Let’s Call It ‘VO Day’ and Get Out

Although the Obama administration has said that the killing of Osama bin Laden is not a VE or VJ day—which brought a return to normal times after World War II ended—perhaps it should be. President Obama should declare that the Bush-era “war on terror” has finally been won. The main trunk of al Qaeda has … Continue reading

The Partisan Temptation

It always seems like the presidential horse race starts earlier than in the previous election season: no sooner is our quadrennial agony over then the pundits start placing their bets on a fresh crop of colts, calculating the odds. This sped-up process is due to the degeneration of our old Republic into an Empire in … Continue reading

Rolling the Dice in Libya

President Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination in 2008 partly by reminding the party’s base of his early, prescient criticisms of the ill-fated decision to invade Iraq. “What I am opposed to is a dumb war … a rash war,” then-Senator Obama explained in 2002. Obama was right to call the Iraq War “dumb” and … Continue reading

Fair Trial for Manning Now Impossible

The credibility of the military justice system is being undermined by the prosecution of Bradley Manning. His abusive punishment without trial violates his due process rights, his harsh treatment in solitary confinement violates the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, and now the commander in chief has pronounced his guilt, making a fair trial impossible. … Continue reading

US Denies It Is Trying to Undermine Assad

As anti-government protests in Syria showed no sign of abating, the U.S. State Department Monday denied that it was seeking the regime’s ouster. “No, we are not working to undermine that government,” said spokesman Mark Toner in response to a front-page report in Monday’s Washington Post about secret U.S. financing of Syrian opposition groups, including … Continue reading

Are We Allied to a Corpse?

Of our Libyan intervention, one thing may be safely said, and another safely predicted. When he launched his strikes on the Libyan army and regime, Barack Obama did not think it through. And this nation is now likely to be drawn even deeper into that war. For Moammar Gadhafi’s forces not only survived the U.S. … Continue reading

Was Obama Stampeded Into War?

“NATO is moving very slowly, allowing Gadhafi forces to advance,” said rebel leader Abdul Fattah Younis, as the Libyan army moved back to the outskirts of Ajdabiya, gateway city to Benghazi. “NATO has become our problem.” Younis is implying that if NATO does not stop Libyan soldiers from capturing Ajdabiya, the rebels may be defeated—and … Continue reading

Obama Still Hammering Away

Was there ever an American president who publicly told more people on this planet what they must do than George W. Bush? I suspect not. He’s gone, of course, but America’s version of a “must-do” foreign policy didn’t exactly leave the scene with him—the only difference being that from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to Libya, … Continue reading

Obama Speech Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

Widely praised as an effective defense of Washington’s 10-day-old military intervention in Libya, President Barack Obama’s speech Monday evening appears to have left several key questions about his future intentions unanswered. While confirming that the ouster of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi remained a U.S. policy goal, Obama ruled out the use of military force to … Continue reading