Thomas Knapp

Thomas L. Knapp is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism, publisher of Rational Review News Digest, and moderator of Antiwar.com’s commenting/discussion community.

If You Have to Ask Why, the Answer is Usually ‘Money’

One major problem with writing political commentary is that it’s often difficult look at something that seems … well, crazy … and find a rational explanation for it. It’s easier to just write off what looks like craziness as craziness and move on. But in the real world, there is in fact method to most … Continue reading “If You Have to Ask Why, the Answer is Usually ‘Money’”

Manning Prosecutors: The Enemy is Us

Having held Private First Class Bradley Manning prisoner for nine months, under conditions tantamount to torture and beyond doubt intended to break his will, the US Army recombobulated its allegations against him on Wednesday, adding 22 counts to an already lengthy charge sheet. As a practical matter, these changes probably don’t make a lot of difference to … Continue reading “Manning Prosecutors: The Enemy is Us”

Let My People Go

As I write this, the Egyptian state seemingly totters on the brink of collapse. One last push from what appears to be a genuine, spontaneous popular uprising may be all it takes to send “president for life” Hosni Mubarak into exile or to a wall with (perhaps) a blindfold and final cigarette. That’s how it … Continue reading “Let My People Go”

The Valley of the Shadow of WikiLeaks

Leave it to the U.S. Department of “Defense” to continue fighting a war it’s already irretrievably lost. On Friday, the Pentagon “asked” online whistleblowing facilitator WikiLeaks to “do the right thing” by erasing all classified U.S. government documents from its servers and handing over any copies. I put the “asked” in scare quotes because although … Continue reading “The Valley of the Shadow of WikiLeaks”

The War Party’s Achilles’ Heel?

Those who pressed Congress to take responsibility for its actions in 2002 – in other words, to either unambiguously declare war upon Iraq or unambiguously decline to do so – were, of course, handled badly. Congress didn’t declare war, roundly defeated a resolution declaring war, and in fact specifically declared in its “resolution authorizing the … Continue reading “The War Party’s Achilles’ Heel?”