By Melvin A. Goodman
November 2, 2009
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates played the "ugly American" in Tokyo, cast in a quasi-diplomatic role he should not be given. This performance speaks to the need for a demilitarized national security policy.
Read on.
Monday, November 02, 2009
The Incredible Shrinking Public Option
By Robert Parry
November 2, 2009
When the U.S. health care debate began last spring, the insurance industry and its congressional defenders fretted over the prospect that 119 million Americans might defect from private insurance to a public option, thus devastating the business model of wealthy insurance companies.
Read on.
November 2, 2009
When the U.S. health care debate began last spring, the insurance industry and its congressional defenders fretted over the prospect that 119 million Americans might defect from private insurance to a public option, thus devastating the business model of wealthy insurance companies.
Read on.
Don't Miss Michael Jackson's 'This is It'
By Lisa Pease
November 2, 2009
Go see “This is It” while you can, even if -- perhaps especially if -- you are not a Michael Jackson fan. Seeing him for yourself allows you to get to know the man, not the media image of him, which is pretty far from the more talented reality.
Read on.
November 2, 2009
Go see “This is It” while you can, even if -- perhaps especially if -- you are not a Michael Jackson fan. Seeing him for yourself allows you to get to know the man, not the media image of him, which is pretty far from the more talented reality.
Read on.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Cheney and the Plame-gate Cover-up
By Robert Parry
November 2, 2009
If Dick Cheney is to be believed, he wasn’t very upset that former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson criticized the Bush administration for having “twisted” intelligence to support its false pre-war claim that Iraq’s Saddam Hussein was seeking uranium from Africa.
Read on.
November 2, 2009
If Dick Cheney is to be believed, he wasn’t very upset that former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson criticized the Bush administration for having “twisted” intelligence to support its false pre-war claim that Iraq’s Saddam Hussein was seeking uranium from Africa.
Read on.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Today's Lessons of Daniel Ellsberg
By David Swanson
October 30, 2009
October 30, 2009
On Thursday night, I had the privilege of viewing a premiere of a film together with its star. The theater was in the U.S. Capitol, and the film was "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers."
Kipling Haunts Obama's Afghan War
By Ray McGovern
October 30, 2009
The White Man’s Burden, a phrase immortalized by English poet Rudyard Kipling as an excuse for European-American imperialism, was front and center Thursday morning at a RAND-sponsored discussion of Afghanistan in the Russell Senate Office Building.
Read on.
October 30, 2009
The White Man’s Burden, a phrase immortalized by English poet Rudyard Kipling as an excuse for European-American imperialism, was front and center Thursday morning at a RAND-sponsored discussion of Afghanistan in the Russell Senate Office Building.
Read on.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Al-Qaeda Outwitted Bush, Neocons
By Robert Parry
October 29, 2009
October 29, 2009
As security worsens in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it is clear that al-Qaeda and its Taliban allies outwitted President George W. Bush and his neoconservative advisers by tying down U.S. forces in Iraq for five years while the Islamic militants rebuilt their forces for the war on their “central front.”
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Letting States Opt-in for Single-Payer
By David Swanson
October 28, 2009
October 28, 2009
The absence of a civilized healthcare system in the United States, almost alone among wealthy nations, results in tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths every year.
Inside Bush's Motivational Speech
WPost Misleads on Afghan History
By Melvin A. Goodman
October 28, 2009
The Washington Post is creating its own facts in order to support its argument for U.S. nation-building in Afghanistan.
Read on.
October 28, 2009
The Washington Post is creating its own facts in order to support its argument for U.S. nation-building in Afghanistan.
Read on.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Afghanistan Tests Obama's 'Patriotism'
By Ivan Eland
October 27, 2009
A recent article in the New York Times reported that the military has become frustrated with President Barack Obama because he hasn’t quickly decided to risk more of their lives in an Afghan war that is likely to be unwinnable.
Read on.
October 27, 2009
A recent article in the New York Times reported that the military has become frustrated with President Barack Obama because he hasn’t quickly decided to risk more of their lives in an Afghan war that is likely to be unwinnable.
Read on.
On Public Option, MSM Got It Wrong
By Robert Parry
October 27, 2009
The American mainstream media is in another snit, having misjudged the prospects for the public option on health care almost as completely as big-time journalists bungled the reporting on the Iraq War and a host of other important stories during George W. Bush’s presidency.
Read on.
October 27, 2009
The American mainstream media is in another snit, having misjudged the prospects for the public option on health care almost as completely as big-time journalists bungled the reporting on the Iraq War and a host of other important stories during George W. Bush’s presidency.
Read on.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
How a Torture Protest Killed a Career
By Craig Murray
October 24, 2009
I was just having dinner in a restaurant that was only a block from the White House. It must have been a good dinner because it cost me $120. Actually it was a good dinner. …
Read on.
October 24, 2009
I was just having dinner in a restaurant that was only a block from the White House. It must have been a good dinner because it cost me $120. Actually it was a good dinner. …
Read on.
Texas, Eyes of Justice Are Upon You
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
October 24, 2009
On Oct. 13, we lost a resolute champion of the law, a man who left his impact on the lives of untold numbers of Americans.
Read on.
October 24, 2009
On Oct. 13, we lost a resolute champion of the law, a man who left his impact on the lives of untold numbers of Americans.
Read on.
Friday, October 23, 2009
The High Price of Abu Ghraib Truth
By Sam Provance
October 23, 2009
I wish I could share with you a “success” story as a result of my being a “whistle-blower,” but the reality of things simply do not presently allow it.
Read on.
October 23, 2009
I wish I could share with you a “success” story as a result of my being a “whistle-blower,” but the reality of things simply do not presently allow it.
Read on.
Obama v. Military-Industrial Complex
By Melvin A. Goodman
October 23, 2009
The national security policy inherited by President Barack Obama has been increasingly militarized over the past two decades despite the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the demise of the Warsaw Pact, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war.
Read on.
October 23, 2009
The national security policy inherited by President Barack Obama has been increasingly militarized over the past two decades despite the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the demise of the Warsaw Pact, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war.
Read on.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
US Health Insurers Up the Ante
By Robert Parry
October 21, 2009
The chutzpah shown by the U.S. health insurance industry in taking aim at the weakest reform bill in Congress – the one approved by the Senate Finance Committee – reflects the insurers’ sense that they have beaten back other proposals that might have represented significant threats.
Read on.
October 21, 2009
The chutzpah shown by the U.S. health insurance industry in taking aim at the weakest reform bill in Congress – the one approved by the Senate Finance Committee – reflects the insurers’ sense that they have beaten back other proposals that might have represented significant threats.
Read on.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sorting Out the Facts of Afghanistan
By Ivan Eland
October 20, 2009
Washington’s corridors of power are abuzz with the complexities of the situation in Afghanistan. If only we send 40,000 more troops, say the military brass, the U.S. could have some hope of turning the situation around and preventing Afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorists yet again.
Read on.
October 20, 2009
Washington’s corridors of power are abuzz with the complexities of the situation in Afghanistan. If only we send 40,000 more troops, say the military brass, the U.S. could have some hope of turning the situation around and preventing Afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorists yet again.
Read on.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Wilkerson Get Intel Integrity Award
By Coleen Rowley
October 19, 2009
This year's award -- the 7th one given by the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence -- could not be more timely with regard to the wars being waged in Afghanistan-Pakistan and will be presented to former Chief of Staff at the State Department, Col. Larry Wilkerson, USA (ret.) this Wednesday, Oct. 21, at American University in Washington DC.
Read on.
October 19, 2009
This year's award -- the 7th one given by the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence -- could not be more timely with regard to the wars being waged in Afghanistan-Pakistan and will be presented to former Chief of Staff at the State Department, Col. Larry Wilkerson, USA (ret.) this Wednesday, Oct. 21, at American University in Washington DC.
Read on.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Riding Obama's Peace Prize on a Rail
By Michael Winship
October 17, 2009
Despite the graciousness of his speech at the White House, President Obama's acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize did have an air slightly reminiscent of Lincoln's story about the man who was tarred, feathered and ridden out of town on a rail -- if it wasn't for the honor of the thing he'd just as soon walk.
Read on.
October 17, 2009
Despite the graciousness of his speech at the White House, President Obama's acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize did have an air slightly reminiscent of Lincoln's story about the man who was tarred, feathered and ridden out of town on a rail -- if it wasn't for the honor of the thing he'd just as soon walk.
Read on.
Pakistan's Double Game
By Bruce P. Cameron
October 18, 2009
The core challenge to President Barack Obama’s Afghan War may not be the Taliban, nor even al-Qaeda, but rather Pakistan’s shadowy intelligence service, the ISI, with its dual loyalties when it comes to fighting Islamic extremists.
Read on.
October 18, 2009
The core challenge to President Barack Obama’s Afghan War may not be the Taliban, nor even al-Qaeda, but rather Pakistan’s shadowy intelligence service, the ISI, with its dual loyalties when it comes to fighting Islamic extremists.
Read on.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Old Testament Brutalities
By the Rev. Howard Bess
October 16, 2009
I decided I needed to do a refresher on basic Old Testament material. I reread the entire books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. I doubt if many folks have read these two documents, but they are in the Bible, so they must be worthy of our attention.
Read on.
October 16, 2009
I decided I needed to do a refresher on basic Old Testament material. I reread the entire books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. I doubt if many folks have read these two documents, but they are in the Bible, so they must be worthy of our attention.
Read on.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Politics of the Public Option
By Robert Parry
October 16, 2009
From the start, the health-reform debate has been about money – who will get the best break and who may have to pay more. That is why the issue of the public option, a less expensive government-run insurance plan, has been so central to both the policy and political debates.
Read on.
October 16, 2009
From the start, the health-reform debate has been about money – who will get the best break and who may have to pay more. That is why the issue of the public option, a less expensive government-run insurance plan, has been so central to both the policy and political debates.
Read on.
Unncessary Death & US Health Care
By Rosemarie Jackowski
October 15, 2009
Forty-three-year-old Edith Rodriguez lost on both of those counts. Her life was needlessly brought to a tragic end. She spent her last time on earth writhing in pain. Why?
Read on.
October 15, 2009
Forty-three-year-old Edith Rodriguez lost on both of those counts. Her life was needlessly brought to a tragic end. She spent her last time on earth writhing in pain. Why?
Read on.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Obama and the Left's Old Schism
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Saying 'No' to a Wider Afghan War
By Ivan Eland
October 13, 2009
Although the politicians, media and public believe few things are more important than preventing another al-Qaeda attack on America, defending the founding principles of the republic would seem to be one of them.
Read on.
October 13, 2009
Although the politicians, media and public believe few things are more important than preventing another al-Qaeda attack on America, defending the founding principles of the republic would seem to be one of them.
Read on.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Insurers Make Case for Public Option
By Robert Parry
October 12, 2009
By demanding that the Baucus health-care bill toughen the coercive penalties to force young Americans to sign up for private insurance, industry lobbyists have inadvertently made the most dramatic argument to date for including a strong public option in any health reform law.
Read on.
October 12, 2009
By demanding that the Baucus health-care bill toughen the coercive penalties to force young Americans to sign up for private insurance, industry lobbyists have inadvertently made the most dramatic argument to date for including a strong public option in any health reform law.
Read on.
Reasoning Behind Obama's Peace Prize
By Robert Parry
October 12, 2009
Okay, I’ll admit that when I first saw on the Internet that President Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize, I checked to make sure I hadn’t accidentally gone to The Onion’s satirical news site. But the more I think about it – and the more I hear the laughter from Official Washington – the more I appreciate what the prize committee did.
Read on.
October 12, 2009
Okay, I’ll admit that when I first saw on the Internet that President Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize, I checked to make sure I hadn’t accidentally gone to The Onion’s satirical news site. But the more I think about it – and the more I hear the laughter from Official Washington – the more I appreciate what the prize committee did.
Read on.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Obama's Deserving Peace Prize
By Melvin A. Goodman
October 11, 2009
October 11, 2009
President Barack Obama’s willingness to confront the lawlessness and the calumnies of the Bush administration makes him a worthy and obvious recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Prize has been given in the past to those who fight oppression and restore hope.
Regime Change v. Regime Modification
By Bruce P. Cameron
October 11, 2009
In weighing a future course on the Afghan War, President Barack Obama might want to ponder the lessons of two other recent American interventions, “regime modification” in Nicaragua at the end of the contra war and “regime change” in Iraq achieved though a U.S. invasion and occupation.
Read on.
October 11, 2009
In weighing a future course on the Afghan War, President Barack Obama might want to ponder the lessons of two other recent American interventions, “regime modification” in Nicaragua at the end of the contra war and “regime change” in Iraq achieved though a U.S. invasion and occupation.
Read on.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Revolving Door Shuts on Public Option
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
October 10, 2009
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Senate Finance Committee finally is scheduled to vote on its version of health care insurance reform. And therein lies yet another story in the endless saga of money and politics.
Read on.
October 10, 2009
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, the Senate Finance Committee finally is scheduled to vote on its version of health care insurance reform. And therein lies yet another story in the endless saga of money and politics.
Read on.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Health Insurers Threaten Rate Hikes
By Robert Parry
October 9, 2009
Though looking forward to millions of new customers who would be compelled by the U.S. government to buy health insurance, the insurance industry is threatening to raise premiums across the board if more of its demands are not met.
Read on.
October 9, 2009
Though looking forward to millions of new customers who would be compelled by the U.S. government to buy health insurance, the insurance industry is threatening to raise premiums across the board if more of its demands are not met.
Read on.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Can US Make Sound Decision?
By Robert Parry
October 8, 2009
As key choices loom for President Barack Obama – from Afghanistan to the economy to health reform – a troubling question must be addressed: Is it possible for the United States with its existing political/media structure to make sound decisions?
Read on.
October 8, 2009
As key choices loom for President Barack Obama – from Afghanistan to the economy to health reform – a troubling question must be addressed: Is it possible for the United States with its existing political/media structure to make sound decisions?
Read on.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Obama's Mideast Peace Dilemma
By Robert Parry
October 6, 2009
President Barack Obama’s quest for Middle East peace must navigate very tricky geopolitical straits, with some traditional American enemies emerging as possibly his best allies and usual U.S. allies arrayed as adversaries.
Read on.
October 6, 2009
President Barack Obama’s quest for Middle East peace must navigate very tricky geopolitical straits, with some traditional American enemies emerging as possibly his best allies and usual U.S. allies arrayed as adversaries.
Read on.
Pramatic Empathy for One's Enemies
By Ivan Eland
October 6, 2009
Empathy is a term that connotes the touchy-feely notion of getting in touch with someone else’s feelings or perspective. That’s what psychotherapists and social workers do.
Read on.
October 6, 2009
Empathy is a term that connotes the touchy-feely notion of getting in touch with someone else’s feelings or perspective. That’s what psychotherapists and social workers do.
Read on.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Afghanistan: Eight Years and Counting
By Dennis Loo
October 6, 2009
Eight years ago, on Oct. 7, 2001, the U.S. launched a war upon Afghanistan.
Read on.
October 6, 2009
Eight years ago, on Oct. 7, 2001, the U.S. launched a war upon Afghanistan.
Read on.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Democrats Ponder Health-Care Suicide
By Robert Parry
October 4, 2009
If Democrats enact something like the health-care bill emerging from the Senate Finance Committee, they may call it a legislative victory and it may keep the campaign donations flowing from the insurance industry, but the Democrats would surely infuriate millions of American voters.
Read on.
October 4, 2009
If Democrats enact something like the health-care bill emerging from the Senate Finance Committee, they may call it a legislative victory and it may keep the campaign donations flowing from the insurance industry, but the Democrats would surely infuriate millions of American voters.
Read on.
WPost Pushes Confrontation with Iran
By Melvin A. Goodman
October 3, 2009
The neocon editorial writers at the Washington Post used the run-up to the Geneva meetings between the United States and Iran to marginalize the significance of the negotiations, to endorse a policy of confrontation against Iran, and even to support steps to bring down the regime in Tehran.
Read on.
October 3, 2009
The neocon editorial writers at the Washington Post used the run-up to the Geneva meetings between the United States and Iran to marginalize the significance of the negotiations, to endorse a policy of confrontation against Iran, and even to support steps to bring down the regime in Tehran.
Read on.
Why Was the Berlin Wall Built?
By William Blum
October 3, 2009
Within a few weeks many of the Western media can be expected to turn on their propaganda machines to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, November 9, 1989.
Read on.
October 3, 2009
Within a few weeks many of the Western media can be expected to turn on their propaganda machines to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, November 9, 1989.
Read on.
Two Writers Depart a Strange Land
By Michael Winship
October 3, 2009
You certainly can argue that the depths to which our so-called democratic dialogue has sunk are nothing new. Politicians and advocates have been slinging mud since the earth was cool enough to hurl.
Read on.
October 3, 2009
You certainly can argue that the depths to which our so-called democratic dialogue has sunk are nothing new. Politicians and advocates have been slinging mud since the earth was cool enough to hurl.
Read on.
Friday, October 02, 2009
WTimes, Bushes Hail Rev. Moon
By Robert Parry
October 2, 2009
Since journalist John Solomon decamped from the Washington Post to become executive editor of the right-wing Washington Times in 2008, the newspaper has tried to shake its image as a political front for its founder, right-wing South Korean theocrat Sun Myung Moon.
Read on.
October 2, 2009
Since journalist John Solomon decamped from the Washington Post to become executive editor of the right-wing Washington Times in 2008, the newspaper has tried to shake its image as a political front for its founder, right-wing South Korean theocrat Sun Myung Moon.
Read on.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Obama and the Afghan Quagmire
By Ivan Eland
October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
Barack Obama does seem to have much better instincts in foreign policy than George W. Bush. But lest that be seen as damning by faint praise, let’s just say that Obama, like the Washington Redskins football team, is moving the ball down the field but needs to get it over the goal line more often.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
US Press Corps Fails Again on Iran
By Robert Parry
September 30, 2009
The U.S. press corps appears to have learned little or nothing from the Iraq debacle as a new crisis looms with Iran.
Read on.
September 30, 2009
The U.S. press corps appears to have learned little or nothing from the Iraq debacle as a new crisis looms with Iran.
Read on.
Why Afghanistan Really Fell Apart
By Bruce P. Cameron
September 30, 2009
Much of the U.S. conventional wisdom about how the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 led to the rise of the Taliban and the creation of al-Qaeda safe havens before 2001 comes from the popular movie, “Charlie Wilson’s War.” But that represents a dangerous misperception.
Read on.
September 30, 2009
Much of the U.S. conventional wisdom about how the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 led to the rise of the Taliban and the creation of al-Qaeda safe havens before 2001 comes from the popular movie, “Charlie Wilson’s War.” But that represents a dangerous misperception.
Read on.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
G-20 Protesters Faced New Weapons
By Mike Ferner
September 29, 2009
No longer the stuff of disturbing futuristic fantasies, an arsenal of “crowd control munitions,” including one that reportedly made its debut in the U.S., was deployed with a massive, overpowering police presence in Pittsburgh during last week’s G-20 protests.
Read on.
September 29, 2009
No longer the stuff of disturbing futuristic fantasies, an arsenal of “crowd control munitions,” including one that reportedly made its debut in the U.S., was deployed with a massive, overpowering police presence in Pittsburgh during last week’s G-20 protests.
Read on.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Review: Michael Moore's 'Capitalism'
By Lisa Pease
September 28, 2009
Michael Moore’s latest film, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” is his best, most mature film to date.
Read on.
September 28, 2009
Michael Moore’s latest film, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” is his best, most mature film to date.
Read on.
Intelligence Vets Back Torture Probe
By Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
Memo to President Obama dated September 27, 2009
We write you, Mr. President, as former intelligence professionals to voice strong support for Attorney General Eric Holder’s authorization of a wider investigation into CIA interrogation. We respectfully disagree with the direct appeal to you by seven former CIA directors to quash that wider investigation.
Read on.
Memo to President Obama dated September 27, 2009
We write you, Mr. President, as former intelligence professionals to voice strong support for Attorney General Eric Holder’s authorization of a wider investigation into CIA interrogation. We respectfully disagree with the direct appeal to you by seven former CIA directors to quash that wider investigation.
Read on.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
The Mystique of 'Free Market' Obama
By Jeff Cohen
September 26, 2009
September 26, 2009
No matter what the facts are, some liberal activists and leaders persist in seeing President Obama as a principled progressive reformer who lives and breathes the campaign rhetoric about “change you can believe in.”
An Insider's View of ACORN
By David Swanson
September 26, 2009
If someone told you that a bunch of low-income people, most of them African-American or Latino, most of them women, most of them elderly, had been victimized by a predatory mortgage lender that stripped them of much of their equity or of their entire homes, you might not be surprised.
Read on.
September 26, 2009
If someone told you that a bunch of low-income people, most of them African-American or Latino, most of them women, most of them elderly, had been victimized by a predatory mortgage lender that stripped them of much of their equity or of their entire homes, you might not be surprised.
Read on.
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Republican War on ACORN
By Jason Leopold
September 25, 2009
In recent days, the Washington Post, the New York Times and other major news outlets have recounted the “troubled” history of the poor people’s advocacy group ACORN, but left out the five-year anti-ACORN campaign waged by White House adviser Karl Rove and other Republican operatives.
Read on.
September 25, 2009
In recent days, the Washington Post, the New York Times and other major news outlets have recounted the “troubled” history of the poor people’s advocacy group ACORN, but left out the five-year anti-ACORN campaign waged by White House adviser Karl Rove and other Republican operatives.
Read on.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
WPost Blasts Obama's Missile Reversal
By Melvin A. Goodman
September 24, 2009
For the past several months, the editorial and op-ed writers of the Washington Post have railed against Russia as expansionist and assertive toward the West and have argued against improving bilateral relations between the United States and Russia.
Read on.
September 24, 2009
For the past several months, the editorial and op-ed writers of the Washington Post have railed against Russia as expansionist and assertive toward the West and have argued against improving bilateral relations between the United States and Russia.
Read on.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Why Obama Must Demand Openness
By Melvin A. Goodman
September 24, 2009
Last week, seven former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency, who made their own contributions to the CIA’s lost esteem over the past 35 years, asked President Barack Obama to make sure there is no criminal investigation of the crimes associated with the Agency’s detentions and interrogations policies over the past eight years.
Read on.
September 24, 2009
Last week, seven former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency, who made their own contributions to the CIA’s lost esteem over the past 35 years, asked President Barack Obama to make sure there is no criminal investigation of the crimes associated with the Agency’s detentions and interrogations policies over the past eight years.
Read on.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Neocon Judge's History of Cover-ups
By Robert Parry
September 23, 2009
Laurence Silberman, a U.S. Courts Appeals Court judge and a longtime neoconservative operative – part of what the Iran-Contra special prosecutor called “the strategic reserves” for convicted Reagan administration operatives in the 1980s – is back playing a similar role for the Bush-43 administration.
Read on.
September 23, 2009
Laurence Silberman, a U.S. Courts Appeals Court judge and a longtime neoconservative operative – part of what the Iran-Contra special prosecutor called “the strategic reserves” for convicted Reagan administration operatives in the 1980s – is back playing a similar role for the Bush-43 administration.
Read on.
Monday, September 21, 2009
The American Doomsday Machine
By Daniel Ellsberg
September 21, 2009
One day in the spring of 1961, soon after my 30th birthday, I was shown how our world would end. Not the Earth, not—so far as I knew then—all humanity or life, but the destruction of most cities and people in the Northern Hemisphere.
Read on.
September 21, 2009
One day in the spring of 1961, soon after my 30th birthday, I was shown how our world would end. Not the Earth, not—so far as I knew then—all humanity or life, but the destruction of most cities and people in the Northern Hemisphere.
Read on.
Was the Iranian Election 'Rigged'?
By Robert Parry
September 21, 2009
It is conventional wisdom in the U.S. press corps that Iran’s June 12 presidential election was rigged, with the word “fraud” now sometimes appearing without the qualifier “alleged.” But a new poll of Iranians uncovered a different opinion, an overwhelming judgment that the election was legitimate.
Read on.
September 21, 2009
It is conventional wisdom in the U.S. press corps that Iran’s June 12 presidential election was rigged, with the word “fraud” now sometimes appearing without the qualifier “alleged.” But a new poll of Iranians uncovered a different opinion, an overwhelming judgment that the election was legitimate.
Read on.
Why Not Look Backwards, with Clarity
By Dennis Loo
September 21, 2009
September 21, 2009
In the Sept. 19 Washington Post, we learn that the Justice Department’s investigation of torture by U.S. personnel will be even narrower than originally proposed by Attorney General Eric Holder.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Review: Reassessing 'The Informant!'
By Lisa Pease
September 20, 2009
I’m always disappointed when the film doesn’t match its advertisements, no matter how good the film or important its message. So I have to admit I was a little disappointed with The Informant! because I was expecting a comedy, but got something quite a bit darker.
Read on.
September 20, 2009
I’m always disappointed when the film doesn’t match its advertisements, no matter how good the film or important its message. So I have to admit I was a little disappointed with The Informant! because I was expecting a comedy, but got something quite a bit darker.
Read on.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
CIA Torturers Running Scared
By Ray McGovern
September 19, 2009
For the CIA supervisors and operatives responsible for torture, the chickens are coming home to roost; that is, if President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder mean it when they say no one is above the law – and if they don’t fall victim to brazen intimidation.
Read on.
September 19, 2009
For the CIA supervisors and operatives responsible for torture, the chickens are coming home to roost; that is, if President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder mean it when they say no one is above the law – and if they don’t fall victim to brazen intimidation.
Read on.
What Did Ahmadinejad Really Say?
By Robert Parry
September 19, 2009
It is an important principle of journalism that when someone makes a statement, especially a controversial one with grave implications, the comment should be put in the fullest possible context so the reader can make an informed judgment. But that rule doesn’t seem to apply when the New York Times writes about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Read on.
September 19, 2009
It is an important principle of journalism that when someone makes a statement, especially a controversial one with grave implications, the comment should be put in the fullest possible context so the reader can make an informed judgment. But that rule doesn’t seem to apply when the New York Times writes about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Read on.
Industries Battle Obama's Reforms
By Michael Winship
September 18, 2009
September 18, 2009
If you ever needed proof that Washington is governed by the Golden Rule - the one that says, he who has the gold, rules - you only have to look at the wagonloads of cash being dumped by big business into crushing President Obama's domestic agenda.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Hate Radio Hollows Out America
By Jay Diamond
September 17, 2009
For months radio lout Steve Malzberg screamed 10 times a day that "Folks, Barack Obama HATES! this country and his WIFE HATES! this country."
Read on.
September 17, 2009
For months radio lout Steve Malzberg screamed 10 times a day that "Folks, Barack Obama HATES! this country and his WIFE HATES! this country."
Read on.
Monopoly Looms in Electronic Voting
By Lisa Pease
September 16, 2009
While we’ve been concentrating on the healthcare debate, the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, another story important to American democracy has gotten inadequate attention: a single company is poised to monopolize the counting of over 75 percent of the nation’s votes.
Read on.
September 16, 2009
While we’ve been concentrating on the healthcare debate, the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, another story important to American democracy has gotten inadequate attention: a single company is poised to monopolize the counting of over 75 percent of the nation’s votes.
Read on.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Protest of War Games Prompts Arrests
By Linda Milazzo
September 15, 2009
Last Saturday, six members of various anti-war groups, including World Can't Wait and Military Families Speak Out, and an OpedNews journalist, were arrested at a protest organized to shut down The Army Experience Center, a venue at Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia that invites young people to engage in simulated war games.
Read on.
September 15, 2009
Last Saturday, six members of various anti-war groups, including World Can't Wait and Military Families Speak Out, and an OpedNews journalist, were arrested at a protest organized to shut down The Army Experience Center, a venue at Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia that invites young people to engage in simulated war games.
Read on.
Challenging Americans on Torture
By Ray McGovern
September 15, 2009
On April 16, President Barack Obama released official memoranda demonstrating serious crimes by the previous administration.
Read on.
September 15, 2009
On April 16, President Barack Obama released official memoranda demonstrating serious crimes by the previous administration.
Read on.
How the Soviet Menace Was Hyped
By Melvin A. Goodman
September 15, 2009
A recently declassified study on Soviet intentions during the Cold War identifies significant failures in U.S. intelligence analysis on Soviet military intentions and demonstrates the constant exaggeration of the Soviet threat.
Read on.
September 15, 2009
A recently declassified study on Soviet intentions during the Cold War identifies significant failures in U.S. intelligence analysis on Soviet military intentions and demonstrates the constant exaggeration of the Soviet threat.
Read on.
Torture First, Justify Afterwards
By Jason Leopold
September 15, 2009
The Bush administration gave its initial clearance for CIA interrogators to brutalize an al-Qaeda “high-value detainee” through verbal guidance and didn’t follow up with a formal legal opinion until “months later,” the CIA’s former inspector general said.
Read on.
September 15, 2009
The Bush administration gave its initial clearance for CIA interrogators to brutalize an al-Qaeda “high-value detainee” through verbal guidance and didn’t follow up with a formal legal opinion until “months later,” the CIA’s former inspector general said.
Read on.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Ray McGovern Warns of 'Two CIAs'
By Brad Friedman
September 13, 2009
During my interview last week with 27-year CIA analyst Ray McGovern on the Mike Malloy Show (which I've been guest hosting all this week), the man who used to personally deliver the CIA's Presidential Daily Briefings to George Bush Sr., among other Presidents, offered an extraordinarily chilling thought --- particularly coming from someone with his background.
Read on.
September 13, 2009
During my interview last week with 27-year CIA analyst Ray McGovern on the Mike Malloy Show (which I've been guest hosting all this week), the man who used to personally deliver the CIA's Presidential Daily Briefings to George Bush Sr., among other Presidents, offered an extraordinarily chilling thought --- particularly coming from someone with his background.
Read on.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Bush's Interrogators Stressed Nudity
By Robert Parry
September 12, 2009
The CIA shared with George W. Bush’s Justice Department the details of how an interrogation strategy – with an emphasis on forced nudity and physical abuse – could train prisoners in “learned helplessness” and demonstrate “the complete control of Americans.”
Read on.
September 12, 2009
The CIA shared with George W. Bush’s Justice Department the details of how an interrogation strategy – with an emphasis on forced nudity and physical abuse – could train prisoners in “learned helplessness” and demonstrate “the complete control of Americans.”
Read on.
Obama Faces Tough Afghan Choice
By Michael Winship
September 12, 2009
There was a certain ironic and painful symmetry at work last month. As one iconic image of war was called into doubt, another was being created, a new photograph of combat's grim reality that already has generated controversy and anger.
Read on.
September 12, 2009
There was a certain ironic and painful symmetry at work last month. As one iconic image of war was called into doubt, another was being created, a new photograph of combat's grim reality that already has generated controversy and anger.
Read on.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Old Hands Picked for CIA Oversight
By Melvin A. Goodman
September 11, 2009
The appointment of former Central Intelligence Agency director Michael Hayden to the Public Interest Declassification Board(PIDB) and former Sen. Warren Rudman to the CIA’s External Advisory Board (EAB) will ensure less openness in the intelligence community and more obduracy in the CIA.
Read on.
September 11, 2009
The appointment of former Central Intelligence Agency director Michael Hayden to the Public Interest Declassification Board(PIDB) and former Sen. Warren Rudman to the CIA’s External Advisory Board (EAB) will ensure less openness in the intelligence community and more obduracy in the CIA.
Read on.
The Real Lessons of 9/11
By Robert Parry
September 11, 2009
On this eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it’s worth reflecting on how even a mildly competent U.S. President might have prevented the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and drove the United States into a spasm of revenge that has wasted untold blood and treasure.
Read on.
September 11, 2009
On this eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it’s worth reflecting on how even a mildly competent U.S. President might have prevented the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and drove the United States into a spasm of revenge that has wasted untold blood and treasure.
Read on.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Careerists Pull Obama to Afghan Mess
By Melvin A. Goodman
September 8, 2009
September 8, 2009
President Barack Obama is currently facing the most two important decisions of his young presidency.
The Speech that Obama Should Give
By Ray McGovern
September 8, 2009
Good evening, both to you members of Congress assembled here, and fellow Americans in our wider TV and radio audience.
Read on.
September 8, 2009
Good evening, both to you members of Congress assembled here, and fellow Americans in our wider TV and radio audience.
Read on.
Ronald Reagan's Torture
By Robert Parry
September 8, 2009
Lost amid the attention given George W. Bush’s “war on terror” torture policies was the CIA’s cryptic admission that it also engaged in interrogation abuses during Ronald Reagan’s anti-leftist wars in Central America, another era of torture and extra-judicial killings.
Read on.
September 8, 2009
Lost amid the attention given George W. Bush’s “war on terror” torture policies was the CIA’s cryptic admission that it also engaged in interrogation abuses during Ronald Reagan’s anti-leftist wars in Central America, another era of torture and extra-judicial killings.
Read on.
Monday, September 07, 2009
At Glenn Beck's Call
By David Swanson
September 7, 2009
Fox News screaming head Glenn Beck now tells President Obama to fire White House employees, and Obama obeys.
Read on.
September 7, 2009
Fox News screaming head Glenn Beck now tells President Obama to fire White House employees, and Obama obeys.
Read on.
Obama Must Respect Afghan Humanity
By Sherwood Ross
September 7, 2009
The war in Afghanistan hangs like some cloud of poison gas over Washington that won’t blow away.
Read on.
September 7, 2009
The war in Afghanistan hangs like some cloud of poison gas over Washington that won’t blow away.
Read on.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Anti-Hillary Movie Tests Legal Limits
By Michael Winship
September 6, 2009
The envelope, please. And the winner for "most influential motion picture in American politics" is... “Hillary: The Movie.”
Read on.
September 6, 2009
The envelope, please. And the winner for "most influential motion picture in American politics" is... “Hillary: The Movie.”
Read on.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Colin Powell and Lessons of My Lai
By Robert Parry
September 4, 2009
September 4, 2009
In an Aug. 28 editorial, The New York Times applauded a belated “note of personal regret” from former Lt. William Calley for his role in the massacre of Vietnamese civilians at My Lai in 1968. But neither the Times nor any other leading U.S. news outlet has ever suggested that remorse might also be due from Colin Powell, who as a young Army major helped cover up the crime.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Broder Is Latest Torture Apologist
By Melvin A. Goodman
September 4, 2009
David Broder, the senior op-ed writer at the Washington Post, has joined his colleagues (Fred Hiatt, David Ignatius and Richard Cohen) in condemning Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to name a special counsel to examine possible law-breaking by CIA interrogators.
Read on.
September 4, 2009
David Broder, the senior op-ed writer at the Washington Post, has joined his colleagues (Fred Hiatt, David Ignatius and Richard Cohen) in condemning Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to name a special counsel to examine possible law-breaking by CIA interrogators.
Read on.
Mercenaries Hide Costs of War
By Sherwood Ross
September 3, 2009
The growing use of private armies not only subjects target populations to savage warfare but makes it easier for the White House to subvert domestic public opinion and wage wars.
Read on.
September 3, 2009
The growing use of private armies not only subjects target populations to savage warfare but makes it easier for the White House to subvert domestic public opinion and wage wars.
Read on.
The War on CIA's Inspector General
By Melvin A. Goodman
September 3, 2009
President Barack Obama is permitting CIA Director Leon Panetta to weaken the Agency’s’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Read on.
September 3, 2009
President Barack Obama is permitting CIA Director Leon Panetta to weaken the Agency’s’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Read on.
Ignoring the Truth about Lockerbie
By William Blum
September 3, 2009
If there's anyone out there who is not already thoroughly cynical about those on the board of directors of the planet, the latest chapter in the saga of the bombing of PanAm 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland might just be enough to push them over the edge.
Read on.
September 3, 2009
If there's anyone out there who is not already thoroughly cynical about those on the board of directors of the planet, the latest chapter in the saga of the bombing of PanAm 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland might just be enough to push them over the edge.
Read on.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Afghanistan for Dummies
By Ray McGovern
September 2, 2009
I’m going to ask for my money back. I’ve seen this Afghanistan movie before. The first time, Vietnam was in the title.
Read on.
September 2, 2009
I’m going to ask for my money back. I’ve seen this Afghanistan movie before. The first time, Vietnam was in the title.
Read on.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
WPost Misses Real Problem at CIA
By Melvin A. Goodman
September 1, 2009
It only took 24 hours for The Washington Post to go from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Read on.
September 1, 2009
It only took 24 hours for The Washington Post to go from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Read on.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Cheney May Balk at Torture Probe
By Jason Leopold
August 31, 2009
Dick Cheney says Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to have a federal prosecutor examine one dozen or so cases of torture that U.S. interrogators allegedly inflicted on suspected terrorists “offends the hell out of me” and may not merit the former Vice President’s cooperation.
Read on.
August 31, 2009
Dick Cheney says Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to have a federal prosecutor examine one dozen or so cases of torture that U.S. interrogators allegedly inflicted on suspected terrorists “offends the hell out of me” and may not merit the former Vice President’s cooperation.
Read on.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
WPost Takes Pro-Torture Side
By Melvin A. Goodman
August 30, 2009
The lead story in Saturday’s Washington Post, headlined “How a Detainee Became An Asset,” provides a one-sided and distorted account of the torture and abuse of Khalid Sheikh Muhammad (KSM) and demonstrates the need for a blue-ribbon bipartisan commission to create a comprehensive and authoritative narrative of the misgovernment of the Bush administration over the past eight years.
Read on.
August 30, 2009
The lead story in Saturday’s Washington Post, headlined “How a Detainee Became An Asset,” provides a one-sided and distorted account of the torture and abuse of Khalid Sheikh Muhammad (KSM) and demonstrates the need for a blue-ribbon bipartisan commission to create a comprehensive and authoritative narrative of the misgovernment of the Bush administration over the past eight years.
Read on.
WPost Helps CIA Defend Torture
By Ray McGovern
August 30, 2009
August 30, 2009
EXTRA! Read all about it in the Washington Post: Torture worked; Cheney and torture practitioners vindicated.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
What Would Jesus Really Do?
By The Rev. Howard Bess
August 29, 2009
The Bible is a collection of ancient writings. The Old Testament was first written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was originally written in Greek.
Read on.
August 29, 2009
The Bible is a collection of ancient writings. The Old Testament was first written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was originally written in Greek.
Read on.
Health Care for Camelot
By Michael Winship
August 29, 2009
Toward the end of George McGovern's failed presidential bid in 1972, I was helping advance a bus trip for vice presidential candidate Sargent Shriver.
Read on.
August 29, 2009
Toward the end of George McGovern's failed presidential bid in 1972, I was helping advance a bus trip for vice presidential candidate Sargent Shriver.
Read on.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
WPost Again Plays Torture Apologist
By Melvin A. Goodman
August 26, 2009
The Washington Post continues to campaign against any accountability for the detentions policies of the Central Intelligence Agency, using its own editorials and op-ed writers as well as outsiders who support the efforts of the newspaper.
Read on.
August 26, 2009
The Washington Post continues to campaign against any accountability for the detentions policies of the Central Intelligence Agency, using its own editorials and op-ed writers as well as outsiders who support the efforts of the newspaper.
Read on.
Closing In on the Torturers
By Ray McGovern
August 26, 2009
Do you think the wardens will let George Tenet wear his Presidential Medal of Freedom over the orange coverall?
Read on.
August 26, 2009
Do you think the wardens will let George Tenet wear his Presidential Medal of Freedom over the orange coverall?
Read on.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
US Interrogators Back Torture Probe
By Jason Leopold
August 23, 2009
Support for a wide-ranging criminal investigation into the Bush administration’s use of torture has grown to include a former top FBI interrogator and a career military intelligence officer with more than two decades of experience conducting interrogations.
Read on.
August 23, 2009
Support for a wide-ranging criminal investigation into the Bush administration’s use of torture has grown to include a former top FBI interrogator and a career military intelligence officer with more than two decades of experience conducting interrogations.
Read on.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
CIA: Osama Helped Bush in '04
By Robert Parry
August 22, 2009 (Originally posted July 4, 2006)
On Oct. 29, 2004, just four days before the U.S. presidential election, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden released a videotape denouncing George W. Bush. Some Bush supporters quickly spun the diatribe as “Osama’s endorsement of John Kerry.” But behind the walls of the CIA, analysts had concluded the opposite: that bin Laden was trying to help Bush gain a second term.
Read on.
August 22, 2009 (Originally posted July 4, 2006)
On Oct. 29, 2004, just four days before the U.S. presidential election, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden released a videotape denouncing George W. Bush. Some Bush supporters quickly spun the diatribe as “Osama’s endorsement of John Kerry.” But behind the walls of the CIA, analysts had concluded the opposite: that bin Laden was trying to help Bush gain a second term.
Read on.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Lockerbie Doubts
By Lisa Pease
August 21, 2009
In any kind of major transnational event, there is the historical truth, what actually happened, and the political truth, what must have happened for the nations involved to continue on as before.
Read on.
August 21, 2009
In any kind of major transnational event, there is the historical truth, what actually happened, and the political truth, what must have happened for the nations involved to continue on as before.
Read on.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Blackwater's Unwritten Death Contract
By Ray McGovern
August 20, 2009
August 20, 2009
Hats off to Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times for reporting that it was after CIA Director Leon Panetta’s holdover lieutenants finally told him that, under President Bush, they had farmed out assassinations to their Blackwater subsidiary, that he abruptly stopped the project and told Congress.
Tom DeLay Stomps Woodstock Nation
By Michael Winship
August 20, 2009
A sorry state of affairs. If it wasn't for all the 40th anniversary celebrations of Woodstock, the primary cultural contribution of the month would be the announcement that former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas will be a contestant in the next round of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Read on.
August 20, 2009
A sorry state of affairs. If it wasn't for all the 40th anniversary celebrations of Woodstock, the primary cultural contribution of the month would be the announcement that former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas will be a contestant in the next round of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Read on.
The Republican Ayatollahs
By David Swanson
August 20, 2009
You gotta keep 'em separated. My colleagues over at Velvet Revolution noticed a striking resemblance between certain Republican senators here at home and certain theocrats over yonder in Iran.
Read on.
August 20, 2009
You gotta keep 'em separated. My colleagues over at Velvet Revolution noticed a striking resemblance between certain Republican senators here at home and certain theocrats over yonder in Iran.
Read on.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Robert Novak Was a Liar
By Robert Parry
August 19, 2009
Washington’s punditocracy is in mourning over the death of right-wing columnist Robert Novak, with many warm remembrances about his outsized personality and his supposed love of reporting. But Novak often served as a dishonest propagandist and would have been condemned in a healthy journalistic world.
Read on.
August 19, 2009
Washington’s punditocracy is in mourning over the death of right-wing columnist Robert Novak, with many warm remembrances about his outsized personality and his supposed love of reporting. But Novak often served as a dishonest propagandist and would have been condemned in a healthy journalistic world.
Read on.
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