By Sherwood Ross
May 31, 2009
Efforts by President Obama to put an end to the nation’s failed “War on Drugs” can’t come an hour too soon – if that’s his intent. From his actions, it’s hard to know.
Read on.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Taking a Troubling Measure of Torture
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
May 30, 2009
In all the recent debate over torture, many of our Beltway pundits and politicians have twisted themselves into verbal contortions to avoid using the word at all.
Read on.
May 30, 2009
In all the recent debate over torture, many of our Beltway pundits and politicians have twisted themselves into verbal contortions to avoid using the word at all.
Read on.
Friday, May 29, 2009
'Scaredy-Cat Nation' Risks US Security
By Robert Parry
May 29, 2009
Some Americans may think they’re looking tough by refusing to allow any Guantanamo Bay detainees to enter the United States, whether as prisoners to face trial or as people who were incorrectly swept up – like the Chinese Uighurs – and have been deemed no threat to U.S. security.
Read on.
May 29, 2009
Some Americans may think they’re looking tough by refusing to allow any Guantanamo Bay detainees to enter the United States, whether as prisoners to face trial or as people who were incorrectly swept up – like the Chinese Uighurs – and have been deemed no threat to U.S. security.
Read on.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Colin Powell: No Good Samaritan
By Ray McGovern
May 28, 2009
Watching retired Gen. Colin Powell cite Jesus's parable of the Good Samaritan during Sunday’s Memorial Day ceremonies on the Mall in Washington, it struck me that Powell was giving hypocrisy a bad name.
Read on.
May 28, 2009
Watching retired Gen. Colin Powell cite Jesus's parable of the Good Samaritan during Sunday’s Memorial Day ceremonies on the Mall in Washington, it struck me that Powell was giving hypocrisy a bad name.
Read on.
Fear Trumps Reason on Guantanamo
By Ivan Eland
May 28, 2009
Unfortunately, politicians claim they don’t read opinion polls, while scrutinizing them even more closely than options for their next junket. This has been most evident recently in the civil liberties arena.
Read on.
May 28, 2009
Unfortunately, politicians claim they don’t read opinion polls, while scrutinizing them even more closely than options for their next junket. This has been most evident recently in the civil liberties arena.
Read on.
Top Ten Ideas to Obama's Outreach
By David Swanson
May 28, 2009
You might want to hurry because the open government is about to close. Participation in the "Brainstorming" phase 1 of President Obama's online Open Government Initiative only lasts from May 21st to May 28th.
Read on.
May 28, 2009
You might want to hurry because the open government is about to close. Participation in the "Brainstorming" phase 1 of President Obama's online Open Government Initiative only lasts from May 21st to May 28th.
Read on.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The Audacity of Hopelessness
By Phil Rockstroh
May 27, 2009
From time to time, events unfold that are so large in scope, so all-encompassing in their implications that one's initial response is muted by an inability to categorize it all within the realm of experience.
Read on.
May 27, 2009
From time to time, events unfold that are so large in scope, so all-encompassing in their implications that one's initial response is muted by an inability to categorize it all within the realm of experience.
Read on.
Obama Caves to 'Scaredy-Cat Nation'
By Robert Parry
May 27, 2009
A paradox of the modern United States is that it wields unprecedented military power in the world yet its people are constantly kept frightened about unlikely foreign dangers. Its politics, too, are dominated by fear.
Read on.
May 27, 2009
A paradox of the modern United States is that it wields unprecedented military power in the world yet its people are constantly kept frightened about unlikely foreign dangers. Its politics, too, are dominated by fear.
Read on.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
America's 'Emerging Church'
By the Rev. Howard Bess
May 26, 2009
In the last half of the 20th century, Evangelicalism swept the American religious scene.
Read on.
May 26, 2009
In the last half of the 20th century, Evangelicalism swept the American religious scene.
Read on.
The War on the Public Health Option
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
May 26, 1009
In 2003, a young Illinois state senator named Barack Obama told a local AFL-CIO meeting, “I am a proponent of a single-payer universal health care program.”
Read on.
May 26, 1009
In 2003, a young Illinois state senator named Barack Obama told a local AFL-CIO meeting, “I am a proponent of a single-payer universal health care program.”
Read on.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Colin Powell Skates on Torture
By Robert Parry
May 25, 2009
There is no one, it seems, that the U.S. mainstream news media loves more than Colin Powell, a “moderate” Republican who gives a careerist journalist the chance to do some smart positioning in the “center.” But the truth about this retired four-star general is that he is the ultimate careerist.
Read on.
May 25, 2009
There is no one, it seems, that the U.S. mainstream news media loves more than Colin Powell, a “moderate” Republican who gives a careerist journalist the chance to do some smart positioning in the “center.” But the truth about this retired four-star general is that he is the ultimate careerist.
Read on.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Think Who Might Be 45th President
By David Swanson
May 24, 2009
The United States has had 44 presidents and nobody knows who the 45th will be.
Read on.
May 24, 2009
The United States has had 44 presidents and nobody knows who the 45th will be.
Read on.
After the Parades and the Picnics
By Johann Christoph Arnold
May 24, 2009
Everybody loves a long weekend. But this year's Memorial Day ought to be a lot more meaningful to all of us. We need to see it as a chance to pray for lasting peace and for our President, that he may lead our country to a new vision.
Read on.
May 24, 2009
Everybody loves a long weekend. But this year's Memorial Day ought to be a lot more meaningful to all of us. We need to see it as a chance to pray for lasting peace and for our President, that he may lead our country to a new vision.
Read on.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
On Death Row: Murder and Innocence
By Dennis Bernstein
May 23, 2009
May 23, 2009
If you believe the claims of death row prisoner Kevin Cooper, that he is innocent, and that there are many reasons to do so, then the state of California should be brought up on charges of attempted murder and false imprisonment.
The Cheney Channel
By David Swanson
May 23, 2009
An association representing top advertisers on broadcast and cable television has proposed the creation of a new Cheney Channel dedicated exclusively to the Cheney family, the primary motivation apparently being to get Dick and Liz off all the other channels where their presence seems to be hurting the sales of advertised products.
Read on.
May 23, 2009
An association representing top advertisers on broadcast and cable television has proposed the creation of a new Cheney Channel dedicated exclusively to the Cheney family, the primary motivation apparently being to get Dick and Liz off all the other channels where their presence seems to be hurting the sales of advertised products.
Read on.
The CIA's History of Deception
By Melvin A. Goodman
May 23, 2009
“Let me be clear about this,” CIA director Leon Panetta told his troops last week, “it was not CIA policy or practice to mislead Congress. That is against our laws and our values.”
Read on.
May 23, 2009
“Let me be clear about this,” CIA director Leon Panetta told his troops last week, “it was not CIA policy or practice to mislead Congress. That is against our laws and our values.”
Read on.
Friday, May 22, 2009
The GOP's 'Era of Apologizing'
By Robert Parry
May 22, 2009
Republican National Chairman Michael Steele says, "the era of apologizing for Republican mistakes of the past is now officially over." But that must have been a very brief “era,” since it’s hard to remember any significant mistakes that the GOP has owned up to – except perhaps that George W. Bush wasn’t right-wing enough.
Read on.
May 22, 2009
Republican National Chairman Michael Steele says, "the era of apologizing for Republican mistakes of the past is now officially over." But that must have been a very brief “era,” since it’s hard to remember any significant mistakes that the GOP has owned up to – except perhaps that George W. Bush wasn’t right-wing enough.
Read on.
Cheney Goofs on Israel
By Ray McGovern
May 22, 2009
If we hear in the coming days that former Vice President Dick Cheney has fired one of his speechwriters — or perhaps grounded Lynne or Liz — it will be clear why.
Read on.
May 22, 2009
If we hear in the coming days that former Vice President Dick Cheney has fired one of his speechwriters — or perhaps grounded Lynne or Liz — it will be clear why.
Read on.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
NYT Helps the Bushies, Again
By Robert Parry
May 21, 2009
The New York Times, which helped sell the Iraq War with a bogus story about aluminum tubes for nuclear centrifuges and withheld evidence of illegal spying on Americans for more than a year, is again mishandling a sensitive story in a way that panders to the Right.
Read on.
May 21, 2009
The New York Times, which helped sell the Iraq War with a bogus story about aluminum tubes for nuclear centrifuges and withheld evidence of illegal spying on Americans for more than a year, is again mishandling a sensitive story in a way that panders to the Right.
Read on.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Risk of Letting Ukraine into NATO
By Ivan Eland
May 21, 2009
Of all the countries lining up to get under the United States’ protective shield in the NATO alliance, the Ukraine is the most important for the United States and Russia.
Read on.
May 21, 2009
Of all the countries lining up to get under the United States’ protective shield in the NATO alliance, the Ukraine is the most important for the United States and Russia.
Read on.
Who to Trust -- Pelosi or the CIA?
By Jason Leopold
May 20, 2009
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is under fire for complaining that the CIA misled her in classified briefings about the Bush administration’s abusive treatment of “war on terror” detainees. Republicans and many media pundits have accused Pelosi of scapegoating the CIA for her failure to protest those techniques in a timely fashion.
Read on.
May 20, 2009
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is under fire for complaining that the CIA misled her in classified briefings about the Bush administration’s abusive treatment of “war on terror” detainees. Republicans and many media pundits have accused Pelosi of scapegoating the CIA for her failure to protest those techniques in a timely fashion.
Read on.
Obama May Slide High Court to Right
By Jeff Cohen
May 20, 2009
I learned long ago, while working at the media watch group FAIR, to be wary of New York Times headlines.
Read on.
May 20, 2009
I learned long ago, while working at the media watch group FAIR, to be wary of New York Times headlines.
Read on.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Obama's Warfare Budget
By Sherwood Ross
May 20, 2009
Although the United States is not in imminent danger of attack from any country, President Barack Obama’s first budget further expands the Pentagon’s already dominant global operations.
Read on.
May 20, 2009
Although the United States is not in imminent danger of attack from any country, President Barack Obama’s first budget further expands the Pentagon’s already dominant global operations.
Read on.
Monday, May 18, 2009
How Torture Trapped Colin Powell
By Ray McGovern
May 18, 2009
Four days before trying to sell the invasion of Iraq to the United Nations, Secretary of State Colin Powell was ready to scrap dubious allegations about Saddam Hussein’s ties to al-Qaeda but was dissuaded by top CIA officials who cited a new “bombshell” that now appears to have been derived from torture, a top Powell aide says.
Read on.
May 18, 2009
Four days before trying to sell the invasion of Iraq to the United Nations, Secretary of State Colin Powell was ready to scrap dubious allegations about Saddam Hussein’s ties to al-Qaeda but was dissuaded by top CIA officials who cited a new “bombshell” that now appears to have been derived from torture, a top Powell aide says.
Read on.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Knowing 'What's Good for the Country'
By Robert Parry
May 17, 2009
When President Barack Obama reversed himself on releasing photos of U.S. soldiers abusing detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq, he offered the usual “patriotic” excuse, that the images might fuel anti-Americanism and cost the lives of U.S. soldiers.
Read on.
May 17, 2009
When President Barack Obama reversed himself on releasing photos of U.S. soldiers abusing detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq, he offered the usual “patriotic” excuse, that the images might fuel anti-Americanism and cost the lives of U.S. soldiers.
Read on.
Responding to WP's Cohen on Torture
By Ray McGovern
May 17, 2009
Richard Cohen ["What if Cheney's Right?" op- ed, May 12] started out on a high moral plane with the observation that "[t]orture is a moral abomination."
Read on.
May 17, 2009
Richard Cohen ["What if Cheney's Right?" op- ed, May 12] started out on a high moral plane with the observation that "[t]orture is a moral abomination."
Read on.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Giving Some Love to the Inquisition
By Robert Parry
May 16, 2009
May 16, 2009
At a Senate hearing this past week, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, rallied to the defense of ex-President George W. Bush’s torture techniques by implicitly endorsing the Spanish Inquisition’s brutal treatment of Jews, Muslims, Protestants and other alleged heretics from the 15th to 17th centuries.
Friday, May 15, 2009
How Washington Misses the Joke
By Michael Winship
May 15, 2009
A joke is a sometime thing, as wide as a church door or as delicate as a rose. The right or wrong word, too many or too few, their placement or emphasis can determine whether it's a total dud or fall down funny; the difference, as Mark Twain said, between the lightning bug and lightning.
Read on.
May 15, 2009
A joke is a sometime thing, as wide as a church door or as delicate as a rose. The right or wrong word, too many or too few, their placement or emphasis can determine whether it's a total dud or fall down funny; the difference, as Mark Twain said, between the lightning bug and lightning.
Read on.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tortured Logic; Tortured Results
By William Loren Katz
May 14, 2009
Each day the evidence piles up - highlighted by the unconvincing (and self-incriminating) rants of Dick Cheney.
Read on.
May 14, 2009
Each day the evidence piles up - highlighted by the unconvincing (and self-incriminating) rants of Dick Cheney.
Read on.
The Right Bullied Obama on Photos
By Jason Leopold
May 14, 2009
In reversing an earlier commitment to release photos of U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners, President Barack Obama succumbed to a propaganda barrage unleashed by former Bush administration officials, their congressional allies, the right-wing news media and holdovers who retain key jobs under Obama.
Read on.
May 14, 2009
In reversing an earlier commitment to release photos of U.S. soldiers abusing prisoners, President Barack Obama succumbed to a propaganda barrage unleashed by former Bush administration officials, their congressional allies, the right-wing news media and holdovers who retain key jobs under Obama.
Read on.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
'Impolite' Questions for Gen. Myers
By Ray McGovern
May 13, 2009
Tuesday evening offered an unusual opportunity to question the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2001-2005), Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, at an alumni club dinner.
Read on.
May 13, 2009
Tuesday evening offered an unusual opportunity to question the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2001-2005), Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, at an alumni club dinner.
Read on.
Murtha's Caring Corruption
By Michael Winship
May 13, 2009
Headline in the May 2 New York Times: "Murtha's Nephew Named a Lobbyist for Marines." Headline just three days later in the May 5 Washington Post: "Murtha's Nephew Got Defense Contracts."
Read on.
May 13, 2009
Headline in the May 2 New York Times: "Murtha's Nephew Named a Lobbyist for Marines." Headline just three days later in the May 5 Washington Post: "Murtha's Nephew Got Defense Contracts."
Read on.
Obama, Pakistan and the Rule of Law
By Peter Dyer
May 13, 2009
In the first hour of his administration President Barack Obama affirmed his dedication to the rule of law:
Read on.
May 13, 2009
In the first hour of his administration President Barack Obama affirmed his dedication to the rule of law:
Read on.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
WPost Columnist Winks at Torture
By Robert Parry
May 12, 2009
These days, the Washington Post has the look of one of those Southern newspapers in the 1960s standing firm for segregation as the wave of civil rights swept across the region. Except for the Post, the blind commitment is to neoconservatism.
Read on.
May 12, 2009
These days, the Washington Post has the look of one of those Southern newspapers in the 1960s standing firm for segregation as the wave of civil rights swept across the region. Except for the Post, the blind commitment is to neoconservatism.
Read on.
Credit-Card Law Has Painful Impact
By Brent Budowsky
May 12, 2009
As Memorial Day arrives, veterans and military families will be victimized by continued credit card interest rate and fee hikes, and under the House-passed credit card bill, abuses will continue until next Memorial Day, because the effective date of the key provisions of the House bill is a year from enactment.
Read on.
May 12, 2009
As Memorial Day arrives, veterans and military families will be victimized by continued credit card interest rate and fee hikes, and under the House-passed credit card bill, abuses will continue until next Memorial Day, because the effective date of the key provisions of the House bill is a year from enactment.
Read on.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Bloated Empire and the Financial Crisis
By Ivan Eland
May 11, 2008
A few — and only a few — prescient commentators have questioned whether the U.S. can sustain its informal global empire in the wake of the most severe economic crisis since World War II. And the simultaneous quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan are leading more and more opinion leaders and taxpayers to this question.
Read on.
May 11, 2008
A few — and only a few — prescient commentators have questioned whether the U.S. can sustain its informal global empire in the wake of the most severe economic crisis since World War II. And the simultaneous quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan are leading more and more opinion leaders and taxpayers to this question.
Read on.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Cheney Learned Iran-Contra Lessons
By Jonathan Schwarz
May 9, 2009
In a new article by Stephen "W.W. Beauchamp" Hayes, former Vice President Cheney gripes extensively about the Obama administration. It's exactly what you'd expect.
Read on.
May 9, 2009
In a new article by Stephen "W.W. Beauchamp" Hayes, former Vice President Cheney gripes extensively about the Obama administration. It's exactly what you'd expect.
Read on.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Republicans Play a New Fear Card
By Sherwood Ross
May 9, 2009
The mean-spirited attitude of Republican politicians over repatriating Guantanamo’s remaining 241 inmates in the U.S. reflects both their irrational fears and loss of moral compass.
Read on.
May 9, 2009
The mean-spirited attitude of Republican politicians over repatriating Guantanamo’s remaining 241 inmates in the U.S. reflects both their irrational fears and loss of moral compass.
Read on.
'Central Front' in the Health-Care War
By Margaret Flowers, M.D.
May 9, 2009
On May 5, eight health-care advocates, including myself and two other physicians, stood up to Sen. Max Baucus and the Senate Finance Committee during a “public roundtable discussion” with a simple question: Will you allow an advocate for a single-payer national health plan to have a seat at the table?
Read on.
May 9, 2009
On May 5, eight health-care advocates, including myself and two other physicians, stood up to Sen. Max Baucus and the Senate Finance Committee during a “public roundtable discussion” with a simple question: Will you allow an advocate for a single-payer national health plan to have a seat at the table?
Read on.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Torture? Rudman to the Rescue
By Ray McGovern
May 6, 2009
The announcement in mid-March that CIA Director Leon Panetta had picked former Sen. Warren Rudman to act as CIA “liaison” with the Senate Intelligence Committee during its “review” of interrogation and detention practices has drawn virtually no criticism from the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM).
Read on.
May 6, 2009
The announcement in mid-March that CIA Director Leon Panetta had picked former Sen. Warren Rudman to act as CIA “liaison” with the Senate Intelligence Committee during its “review” of interrogation and detention practices has drawn virtually no criticism from the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM).
Read on.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
The Need to Hold the GOP Accountable
By Robert Parry
May 5, 2009
Perhaps it was the image of Jeb Bush expounding on the future of the Republican Party or Condoleezza Rice channeling her inner Richard Nixon with the imperial logic that “by definition, if it was authorized by the President, it did not violate our obligations under the Convention Against Torture.”
Read on.
May 5, 2009
Perhaps it was the image of Jeb Bush expounding on the future of the Republican Party or Condoleezza Rice channeling her inner Richard Nixon with the imperial logic that “by definition, if it was authorized by the President, it did not violate our obligations under the Convention Against Torture.”
Read on.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Can the Neocons Jump to the Dems?
By Ivan Eland
May 4, 2009
Neoconservatives used the Republican Party as a vehicle to promote and employ their policies of muscular nation-building overseas.
Read on.
May 4, 2009
Neoconservatives used the Republican Party as a vehicle to promote and employ their policies of muscular nation-building overseas.
Read on.
The Iraq War's Other Contractors
By Carol Burke
May 4, 2009
The most impressive contracting effort of the Iraq War to date is not the shoveling of treasure to Halliburton, but rather the low-profile hiring of over 100,000 Sons of Iraq over the last two years to guard the towns, neighborhoods and highways of Iraq.
Read on.
May 4, 2009
The most impressive contracting effort of the Iraq War to date is not the shoveling of treasure to Halliburton, but rather the low-profile hiring of over 100,000 Sons of Iraq over the last two years to guard the towns, neighborhoods and highways of Iraq.
Read on.
'One More Bubble!'
By Robert Parry
May 4, 2009
When I took an editing job at Bloomberg News in March 2000, my arrival coincided with the bursting of the Internet bubble. As once-hot IPOs tanked and the Nasdaq crashed. I would joke to other editors that what the U.S. economy needed was “to build a better bubble.”
Read on.
May 4, 2009
When I took an editing job at Bloomberg News in March 2000, my arrival coincided with the bursting of the Internet bubble. As once-hot IPOs tanked and the Nasdaq crashed. I would joke to other editors that what the U.S. economy needed was “to build a better bubble.”
Read on.
Friday, May 01, 2009
WPost: All the Ex-President's Excuses
By Melvin A. Goodman
May 1, 2009
Under the stewardship of Fred Hiatt, the editorial and op-ed pages of the Washington Post have gradually moved to the right.
Read on.
May 1, 2009
Under the stewardship of Fred Hiatt, the editorial and op-ed pages of the Washington Post have gradually moved to the right.
Read on.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Who Betrayed 'Objective' Journalism?
By Robert Parry
April 30, 2009
The mainstream U.S. news media often laments the decline of objective journalism, pointing disapprovingly at the more subjective news that comes from the Internet or from ideological programming whether Fox News on the Right or some MSNBC hosts on the Left.
Read on.
April 30, 2009
The mainstream U.S. news media often laments the decline of objective journalism, pointing disapprovingly at the more subjective news that comes from the Internet or from ideological programming whether Fox News on the Right or some MSNBC hosts on the Left.
Read on.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Memo to President Obama on Torture
By Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
April 29, 2009
April 29, 2009
This memorandum is VIPS’ first attempt to inform you on a major intelligence issue, as we did your predecessor; thus, some background might be helpful.
House Dems Seek Special Prosecutor
By Jason Leopold
April 29, 2009
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and other committee Democrats formally have asked Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to probe and, “where appropriate, prosecute,” Bush administration officials for the torture of “war on terror” detainees.
Read on.
April 29, 2009
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and other committee Democrats formally have asked Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to probe and, “where appropriate, prosecute,” Bush administration officials for the torture of “war on terror” detainees.
Read on.
Grading Obama's First 100 Days
By Ivan Eland
April 29, 2009
Attention always focuses on a President’s first 100 days. The media — and the rest of Washington — correctly realize that historically a President’s power is at its zenith during the honeymoon period following his inauguration to a first term.
Read on.
April 29, 2009
Attention always focuses on a President’s first 100 days. The media — and the rest of Washington — correctly realize that historically a President’s power is at its zenith during the honeymoon period following his inauguration to a first term.
Read on.
Should Dem Voters Accept Specter?
By Stephen Crockett
April 29, 2009
Most Pennsylvania Democrats are Democrats for good reasons. It is not because they like the letter “D’ more than the letter “R.” They are Democrats because they support the Democratic approach on a wide array of issues more than they support the Republican policy positions on those issues.
Read on.
April 29, 2009
Most Pennsylvania Democrats are Democrats for good reasons. It is not because they like the letter “D’ more than the letter “R.” They are Democrats because they support the Democratic approach on a wide array of issues more than they support the Republican policy positions on those issues.
Read on.
Specter's JFK Specter
By Lisa Pease
April 29, 2009
Given that Arlen Specter has decided to leave the Republican Party, I think it's worth examining Specter's history to see if he will be an asset or a burden for the Democratic Party.
Read on.
April 29, 2009
Given that Arlen Specter has decided to leave the Republican Party, I think it's worth examining Specter's history to see if he will be an asset or a burden for the Democratic Party.
Read on.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
What Should Obama Do?
By Melvin A. Goodman
April 26, 2009
April 26, 2009
President Obama is displaying ambivalence in handling the issue of torture and abuse. He clearly wants to do the right thing and, as a result, has put a stop to torture and closed down the CIA’s secret prisons where the worst abuses occurred.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Democrats' 'Battered Wife Syndrome'
By Robert Parry
April 25, 2009
April 25, 2009
In recent years, the Washington political dynamic has often resembled an abusive marriage, in which the bullying husband (the Republicans) slaps the wife and kids around, and the battered wife (the Democrats) makes excuses and hides the ugly bruises from outsiders to keep the family together.
Needed: Another Ferdinand Pecora
By Michael Winship
April 25, 2009
For policy wonks near and far, the celebrity of the hour isn't Susan Boyle, the Scottish church marm who belted out "I Dreamed a Dream" with the voice of an airy angel, or ex-Somali pirate hostage Richard Phillips, or Carrie Prejean, the Miss USA contestant from California who's against gay marriage because the Bible tells her so.
Read on.
April 25, 2009
For policy wonks near and far, the celebrity of the hour isn't Susan Boyle, the Scottish church marm who belted out "I Dreamed a Dream" with the voice of an airy angel, or ex-Somali pirate hostage Richard Phillips, or Carrie Prejean, the Miss USA contestant from California who's against gay marriage because the Bible tells her so.
Read on.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Real World Reasons Against Torture
By Coleen Rowley
April 24, 2009
Back in December 2007, when I wrote "Torture is Wrong, Illegal and It Doesn't Work," I mentioned that "the FBI agent who reportedly had the best chance of foiling the 9/11 plot, Ali Soufan, the only Arabic-speaking agent in New York and one of only eight in the country, and who has since resigned from the FBI, could and should tell people the truth of how the CIA's tactics were counterproductive."
Read on.
April 24, 2009
Back in December 2007, when I wrote "Torture is Wrong, Illegal and It Doesn't Work," I mentioned that "the FBI agent who reportedly had the best chance of foiling the 9/11 plot, Ali Soufan, the only Arabic-speaking agent in New York and one of only eight in the country, and who has since resigned from the FBI, could and should tell people the truth of how the CIA's tactics were counterproductive."
Read on.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Bush Team Ignored Waterboard Cases
By Jason Leopold
April 23, 2009
George W. Bush’s Justice Department said subjecting a person to the near-drowning of waterboarding was not a crime and didn’t even cause pain, but Ronald Reagan’s Justice Department thought otherwise, prosecuting a Texas sheriff and three deputies for using the practice to get confessions.
Read on.
April 23, 2009
George W. Bush’s Justice Department said subjecting a person to the near-drowning of waterboarding was not a crime and didn’t even cause pain, but Ronald Reagan’s Justice Department thought otherwise, prosecuting a Texas sheriff and three deputies for using the practice to get confessions.
Read on.
Torture-Spinning Punditry
By David Swanson
April 23, 2009
April 23, 2009
While much of elite U.S. punditry is backing away from torture, Jeff Jacoby is claiming to have opposed it but to now find it excusable.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
How Bush's Torture Helped al-Qaeda
By Robert Parry
April 23, 2009
Captured al-Qaeda operatives, facing the threat or reality of torture, appear to have fed the Bush administration’s obsession about Iraq, buying Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders time to rebuild their organization inside nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Read on.
April 23, 2009
Captured al-Qaeda operatives, facing the threat or reality of torture, appear to have fed the Bush administration’s obsession about Iraq, buying Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders time to rebuild their organization inside nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Read on.
On Torture, the Pressure Builds
By Ray McGovern
April 22, 2009
Well, well. The New York Times has finally put a story together on the key role that two controversial psychologists played in devising the Bush administration's torture policies. Guess we should be thankful for small favors.
Read on.
April 22, 2009
Well, well. The New York Times has finally put a story together on the key role that two controversial psychologists played in devising the Bush administration's torture policies. Guess we should be thankful for small favors.
Read on.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Obama's Tortured Stance on Torture
By Ivan Eland
April 21, 2009
Although Barack Obama should be applauded for stopping torture by the U.S. government and pledging to close the infamous Guantanamo and worldwide CIA secret prisons, he is nevertheless playing politics with the issue to get the best of both worlds.
Read on.
April 21, 2009
Although Barack Obama should be applauded for stopping torture by the U.S. government and pledging to close the infamous Guantanamo and worldwide CIA secret prisons, he is nevertheless playing politics with the issue to get the best of both worlds.
Read on.
Greedy Bankers Fuel Public Outrage
By Brent Budowsky
April 21, 2009
"Bank Lending Keeps Dropping," went the Monday headline in The Wall Street Journal. As Congress returns, bailout backlash will become road rage unless the President and Congress take action that is strong and credible.
Read on.
April 21, 2009
"Bank Lending Keeps Dropping," went the Monday headline in The Wall Street Journal. As Congress returns, bailout backlash will become road rage unless the President and Congress take action that is strong and credible.
Read on.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Connecting CIA Torture to Abu Ghraib
By Robert Parry
April 21, 2009
By blurring the lines between terrorism and combat – and by linking the 9/11 rationale to groups only tangentially connected to al-Qaeda – the Bush administration spread the policy of harsh interrogations far beyond terror suspects who worked directly for Osama bin Laden, newly released Justice Department memos reveal.
Read on.
April 21, 2009
By blurring the lines between terrorism and combat – and by linking the 9/11 rationale to groups only tangentially connected to al-Qaeda – the Bush administration spread the policy of harsh interrogations far beyond terror suspects who worked directly for Osama bin Laden, newly released Justice Department memos reveal.
Read on.
GOP's Civil Liberties Hypocrisy
By Nat Parry
April 20, 2009
Just as Republicans have refashioned themselves as fiscal conservatives in the age of Obama, apparently forgetting that they allowed a budget surplus to be transformed into a record deficit while George W. Bush was President, they now seem to be taking up the cause of civil liberties – at least as far as right-wing groups are concerned.
Read on.
April 20, 2009
Just as Republicans have refashioned themselves as fiscal conservatives in the age of Obama, apparently forgetting that they allowed a budget surplus to be transformed into a record deficit while George W. Bush was President, they now seem to be taking up the cause of civil liberties – at least as far as right-wing groups are concerned.
Read on.
Friday, April 17, 2009
How Bush's Tortured Legal Logic Won
By Robert Parry
April 17, 2009
April 17, 2009
Almost as disturbing as reading the Bush administration’s approved menu of brutal interrogation techniques is recognizing how President George W. Bush successfully shopped for government attorneys willing to render American laws meaningless by turning words inside out.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Bush's Hypocrisy on War Crimes
By Jason Leopold
April 16, 2009
In March 2003, after Iraqi troops captured several U.S. soldiers and let them be interviewed on Iraqi TV, senior Bush administration officials expressed outrage over this violation of the Geneva Convention.
Read on.
April 16, 2009
In March 2003, after Iraqi troops captured several U.S. soldiers and let them be interviewed on Iraqi TV, senior Bush administration officials expressed outrage over this violation of the Geneva Convention.
Read on.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Exaggerating China's Military Threat
By Ivan Eland
April 15, 2009
The Pentagon’s annual publication, “Military Power of the People’s Republic of China 2009,” accused China of stocking its military with weapons that can be used to intimidate or attack Taiwan and mitigate U.S. air and naval superiority near its territory.
Read on.
April 15, 2009
The Pentagon’s annual publication, “Military Power of the People’s Republic of China 2009,” accused China of stocking its military with weapons that can be used to intimidate or attack Taiwan and mitigate U.S. air and naval superiority near its territory.
Read on.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
NYT's American Blind Spot
By Robert Parry
April 15, 2009
On Tuesday, the New York Times ran two editorials that staked out sound positions – on the need for the American Bar Association to resist right-wing pressures in evaluating judicial nominees and on the value of holding tyrants accountable. But in both cases, the Times demonstrated blind spots about parallels to itself and the U.S. media.
Read on.
April 15, 2009
On Tuesday, the New York Times ran two editorials that staked out sound positions – on the need for the American Bar Association to resist right-wing pressures in evaluating judicial nominees and on the value of holding tyrants accountable. But in both cases, the Times demonstrated blind spots about parallels to itself and the U.S. media.
Read on.
Anatomy of Bush's Torture 'Paradigm'
By Ray McGovern
April 14, 2009
The prose of the recently leaked report of the International Committee of the Red Cross on torture seems colorless. It is at the same time obscene — almost pornographic.
Read on.
April 14, 2009
The prose of the recently leaked report of the International Committee of the Red Cross on torture seems colorless. It is at the same time obscene — almost pornographic.
Read on.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Reagan, Media and Heroes
By Robert Parry
April 13, 2009
When we write about a U.S. media culture that reflexively bends to the Right, some people dispute our analysis. After all, they’ve heard those endless complaints about the “liberal media.”
Read on.
April 13, 2009
When we write about a U.S. media culture that reflexively bends to the Right, some people dispute our analysis. After all, they’ve heard those endless complaints about the “liberal media.”
Read on.
US News Media Fails America, Again
By Robert Parry
April 13, 2009
Watching Glenn Beck of Fox News rant about “progressive fascism” – and muse about armed insurrection – or listening to mainstream pundits prattle on about Barack Obama as the “most polarizing President ever,” it is hard to escape the conclusion that today’s U.S. news media represents a danger to the Republic.
Read on.
April 13, 2009
Watching Glenn Beck of Fox News rant about “progressive fascism” – and muse about armed insurrection – or listening to mainstream pundits prattle on about Barack Obama as the “most polarizing President ever,” it is hard to escape the conclusion that today’s U.S. news media represents a danger to the Republic.
Read on.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Re-Fueling the Terrorism Scare
By David Swanson
April 12, 2009
Virginia is for lovers, but there's a terrorist behind every dogwood.
Read on.
April 12, 2009
Virginia is for lovers, but there's a terrorist behind every dogwood.
Read on.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Israeli Scholar Disputes Founding Myth
By Morgan Strong
April 12, 2009
The founding narrative of the modern State of Israel was born from the words of Moses in the Old Testament, that God granted the land of Israel to the Jewish people and that it was to be theirs for all time.
Read on.
April 12, 2009
The founding narrative of the modern State of Israel was born from the words of Moses in the Old Testament, that God granted the land of Israel to the Jewish people and that it was to be theirs for all time.
Read on.
CIA Videos Predated Bush Memo
By Jason Leopold
April 11, 2009
The CIA began videotaping interrogations of two alleged “high value” terrorist detainees in April 2002, four months before Bush administration attorneys issued a memo clearing the way for CIA interrogators to use “enhanced interrogation techniques,” the Justice Department disclosed in court documents.
Read on.
April 11, 2009
The CIA began videotaping interrogations of two alleged “high value” terrorist detainees in April 2002, four months before Bush administration attorneys issued a memo clearing the way for CIA interrogators to use “enhanced interrogation techniques,” the Justice Department disclosed in court documents.
Read on.
Friday, April 10, 2009
US Media and the Memory Hole
By Norman Solomon
April 10, 2009
A headline in The New York Times announced a few days ago: "Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory." This news ran above the fold on the front page.
Read on.
April 10, 2009
A headline in The New York Times announced a few days ago: "Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory." This news ran above the fold on the front page.
Read on.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
America, Torture and Hypocrisy
By Robert Parry
April 9, 2009
The International Committee of the Red Cross’s torture report should be required reading for all Americans not just because its contents are shocking – which they are – but because it reveals that the United States is not the special nation that it often pretends to be, and won’t be as long as it chooses to look away from such crimes.
Read on.
April 9, 2009
The International Committee of the Red Cross’s torture report should be required reading for all Americans not just because its contents are shocking – which they are – but because it reveals that the United States is not the special nation that it often pretends to be, and won’t be as long as it chooses to look away from such crimes.
Read on.
'Let the Railsplitter Awake!'
By Michael Winship
April 9, 2009
A number of years ago, when I was writing a public television series for the Smithsonian Institution, I watched a woman in one of the museum's conservation labs, restoring what appeared to be an old top hat.
Read on.
April 9, 2009
A number of years ago, when I was writing a public television series for the Smithsonian Institution, I watched a woman in one of the museum's conservation labs, restoring what appeared to be an old top hat.
Read on.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Gates's Up-Is-Down Military Budget
By David Swanson
April 8, 2009
The largest military budget in the history of the world is being increased. Certain weapons are being cut back, others expanded. But the overall budget is going UP. Not that you would readily know that from these fine news sources:
Read on.
April 8, 2009
The largest military budget in the history of the world is being increased. Certain weapons are being cut back, others expanded. But the overall budget is going UP. Not that you would readily know that from these fine news sources:
Read on.
Easter Hope: Justice Against Torture
By Ray McGovern
April 8, 2009
April 8, 2009
Three years ago, Easter dawned in Crawford, Texas, for the many friends of peace gathered to celebrate new Easter hope.
Read on.The Gates Doctrine for More Wars
By Melvin A. Goodman
April 8, 2009
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has learned very little from the military trials and tribulations of the United States over the past 50 years.
Read on.
April 8, 2009
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has learned very little from the military trials and tribulations of the United States over the past 50 years.
Read on.
Bush's CIA Suspected of More Torture
By Jason Leopold
April 8, 2009
The Bush administration may have abused or tortured many more detainees at secret CIA prisons than the 14 “high-value” terror suspects already known, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a confidential report.
Read on.
April 8, 2009
The Bush administration may have abused or tortured many more detainees at secret CIA prisons than the 14 “high-value” terror suspects already known, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a confidential report.
Read on.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Fixing the Real Wall Street Blame
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
April 7, 2009
A cartoon in the Sunday comics shows that mustachioed fellow with monocle and top hat from the Monopoly game - "Rich Uncle Pennybags," he used to be called - standing along the roadside, destitute, holding a sign: "Will blame poor people for food."
Read on.
April 7, 2009
A cartoon in the Sunday comics shows that mustachioed fellow with monocle and top hat from the Monopoly game - "Rich Uncle Pennybags," he used to be called - standing along the roadside, destitute, holding a sign: "Will blame poor people for food."
Read on.
Saving Mexico by Legalizing US Drugs
By Ivan Eland
April 7, 2009
While the U.S. superpower has meddled in many far-flung nations around the globe in the name of enhancing its security, as prior to 9/11, it has ignored a threat much closer to home.
Read on.
April 7, 2009
While the U.S. superpower has meddled in many far-flung nations around the globe in the name of enhancing its security, as prior to 9/11, it has ignored a threat much closer to home.
Read on.
Monday, April 06, 2009
El Salvador Turns a Page
By David Corbett
April 6, 2009
April 6, 2009
On March 15, El Salvador made history by electing the first left-wing president in its history.
Another Bush Intelligence Failure
By Robert Parry
April 6, 2009
Add to the list of President George W. Bush’s failures his inability to straighten out what he regarded as one of the top national security needs, a more effective U.S. intelligence community.
Read on.
April 6, 2009
Add to the list of President George W. Bush’s failures his inability to straighten out what he regarded as one of the top national security needs, a more effective U.S. intelligence community.
Read on.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Cowardice in the Time of Torture
By Ray McGovern
April 5, 2009
I used to take a certain pride by association with prominent Bronxites who have “made it.” Cancel that for Attorney General Eric Holder and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Read on.
April 5, 2009
I used to take a certain pride by association with prominent Bronxites who have “made it.” Cancel that for Attorney General Eric Holder and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Read on.
Conyers Again Seeks Bush Prosecutor
By Jason Leopold
April 5, 2009
April 5, 2009
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers has renewed his call for a special prosecutor to conduct a criminal inquiry into “war on terror” policies of the Bush administration, including whether “enhanced interrogation techniques” used on alleged terrorist detainees violated international and federal laws against torture.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
WPost Sees Neocon Hope in Obama
By Robert Parry
April 4, 2009
When reading Washington Post editorials, one often is reminded of the famous question from “Shawshank Redemption”: “How can you be so obtuse?”
Read on.
April 4, 2009
When reading Washington Post editorials, one often is reminded of the famous question from “Shawshank Redemption”: “How can you be so obtuse?”
Read on.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Miss Universe's Excellent Adventure
By Michael Winship
April 3, 2009
April 3, 2009
"A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in." That was Frederick the Great of Prussia's take on the pain of being royalty.
'Torture Memo' May Finally Go Public
By Jason Leopold
April 3, 2009
The world may finally get to read the Bush administration’s infamous “torture memo,” the Aug. 1, 2002, document that provided legal cover for the brutal and humiliating treatment of detainees in George W. Bush’s “war on terror.”
Read on.
April 3, 2009
The world may finally get to read the Bush administration’s infamous “torture memo,” the Aug. 1, 2002, document that provided legal cover for the brutal and humiliating treatment of detainees in George W. Bush’s “war on terror.”
Read on.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Leahy Faults GOP Partisanship on Bush
By Jason Leopold
April 2, 2009
April 2, 2009
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy said the refusal of Republicans to act in a non-partisan way has hobbled his plan for a “truth commission” that would examine alleged Bush administration abuses.
Truth, Crimes, Commissions and Hope
By David Swanson
April 2, 2009
Good news is being taken as bad. Vermont constituents of Sen. Patrick Leahy report that he's finding very little support for his proposed truth and reconciliation commission from Republicans or Democrats in the Senate. Numerous people have taken this as bad news and cause to despair. I disagree.
Read on.
April 2, 2009
Good news is being taken as bad. Vermont constituents of Sen. Patrick Leahy report that he's finding very little support for his proposed truth and reconciliation commission from Republicans or Democrats in the Senate. Numerous people have taken this as bad news and cause to despair. I disagree.
Read on.
I.F. Stone's Son on New Izzy Award
By Jeremy Stone
April 2, 2009
Amy Goodman and Glenn Greenwald shared the first "Izzy Award" for independent journalism named for the legendary I.F. Stone.
Read on.
April 2, 2009
Amy Goodman and Glenn Greenwald shared the first "Izzy Award" for independent journalism named for the legendary I.F. Stone.
Read on.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Leahy Bails on 'Truth Commission' Plan
By Charlotte Dennett
April 1, 2009
Those of you following the George W. Bush prosecution trail will be interested to know that Patrick Leahy’s “truth commission” is a no-go. I was in a meeting with Leahy and four other Vermonters on Monday when he broke the news to us.
Read on.
April 1, 2009
Those of you following the George W. Bush prosecution trail will be interested to know that Patrick Leahy’s “truth commission” is a no-go. I was in a meeting with Leahy and four other Vermonters on Monday when he broke the news to us.
Read on.
Bush Aides Changed Watchdog Report
By Jason Leopold
April 1, 2009
Before leaving office, senior Bush administration lawyers secured changes in a Justice Department watchdog agency’s report that reportedly was sharply critical of legal opinions granting President George W. Bush sweeping powers, including the right to abuse “war on terror” captives.
Read on.
April 1, 2009
Before leaving office, senior Bush administration lawyers secured changes in a Justice Department watchdog agency’s report that reportedly was sharply critical of legal opinions granting President George W. Bush sweeping powers, including the right to abuse “war on terror” captives.
Read on.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
To Bush's GWOT, RIP
By Robert Parry
March 31, 2009
President Barack Obama has come under some criticism for slowing his promised withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and for beefing up U.S. forces in Afghanistan, but his 70-day-old administration at least has dumped one part of George W. Bush’s bellicose foreign policy: the phrase “global war on terror.”
Read on.
March 31, 2009
President Barack Obama has come under some criticism for slowing his promised withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and for beefing up U.S. forces in Afghanistan, but his 70-day-old administration at least has dumped one part of George W. Bush’s bellicose foreign policy: the phrase “global war on terror.”
Read on.
The President's Troublesome 'Friends'
By Ivan Eland
March 31, 2009
President Warren Harding once said, “I have no trouble with my enemies,” but noted that his friends “keep me walking the floor nights.” That maxim should have applied to U.S. foreign policy since 9/11 and even before that.
Read on.
March 31, 2009
President Warren Harding once said, “I have no trouble with my enemies,” but noted that his friends “keep me walking the floor nights.” That maxim should have applied to U.S. foreign policy since 9/11 and even before that.
Read on.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Democrats Duck Bush Torture Probe
By Jason Leopold
March 30, 2009
Despite now overwhelming evidence that ex-President George W. Bush and many top aides engaged in a systematic policy of illegal torture, national Democrats appear to be shying away from their recommendation last year for a special prosecutor to investigate these apparent war crimes.
March 30, 2009
Despite now overwhelming evidence that ex-President George W. Bush and many top aides engaged in a systematic policy of illegal torture, national Democrats appear to be shying away from their recommendation last year for a special prosecutor to investigate these apparent war crimes.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Spanish Judge Probes Bush Torture
By David Swanson
March 29, 2009
Spain has begun a criminal investigation into six of Bush and Cheney's torture lawyers, and our own Justice Department has got some 'splaining to do.
Read on.
March 29, 2009
Spain has begun a criminal investigation into six of Bush and Cheney's torture lawyers, and our own Justice Department has got some 'splaining to do.
Read on.
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