Thursday, November 25, 2010

Petraeus Duped by Afghan Imposter

By Gareth Porter
November 25, 2010

The revelation that the man presumed to be a high-ranking Taliban leader, who had met with top Afghan officials in reconciliation talks, was an imposter sheds new light on Gen. David Petraeus's aggressive propaganda about the supposed Taliban approach to the Hamid Karzai regime.

Read on.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Is the Right Flipping on US Security?

By Michael Winship
November 24, 2010

To paraphrase that cult movie classic, Eating Raoul, frisk me, pat me down, make me write bad checks. If it keeps my flight from falling out of the sky, do what you must. Just don't expect breakfast in the morning and a thank you note.

Read on.

On Korea, Here We Go Again!

By Robert Parry
November 24, 2010

If American journalism should have learned one thing over the years, it is to be cautious and skeptical during the first days of a foreign confrontation like the one now playing out on the Korean Peninsula. Often the initial accounts from the “U.S. side” don’t turn out to be entirely accurate.

Read on.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Bush Gloats Over Dan Rather's Ouster

By Robert Parry
November 23, 2010

George W. Bush, in his memoir Decision Points, says he was shown a copy of a purported memo about his shirking of his National Guard duty before a story citing the document appeared on CBS’ “60 Minutes-2,” and the former president gloats over the resulting controversy that cost the jobs of anchor Dan Rather and his star producer Mary Mapes.

Read on.

Pat-Down Fury vs. Perfect Security

By Ivan Eland
November 23, 2010

After the initial hysterical security response to the 9/11 attacks — inane measures included posting 19-year-old National Guardsmen with automatic weapons at crowded airports and the temporary discontinuation of electronic tickets — lasting security augmentation entailed hardening of aircraft cockpit doors and beefing up passenger screening in airports.

Read on.

Monday, November 22, 2010

A Dark Humor Pervades US Politics

By Don Monkerud
November 22, 2010

A U.S. senator has an affair with the treasurer of his election campaign and political action committee. He then gives her a no-interest loan of $40,000, and pays $15,000 for her children's private school tuition. After their affair becomes public, he fires her, gives her husband a lucrative lobbying job to keep him quiet, and his parents give her $100,000 as a "gift."

Read on.

Iran-Nuke NIE Stopped Bush on War

By Ray McGovern
November 22, 2010

Why should George W. Bush have been “angry” to learn in late 2007 of the unanimous judgment of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies that Iran had stopped working on a nuclear weapon four years earlier? Seems to me he might have said “Hot Dog!” rather than curse under his breath.

Read on.

America's 'Christian Nation' Myth

By the Rev. Howard Bess
November 22, 2010

While people came to the American continent for many reasons, one prominent reason was to find a place to escape religious persecution. Sadly, those who were persecuted because of their faith often became the persecutors.

Read on.

Obama's Frantic Mideast Peace Gamble

By Lawrence Davidson
November 22, 2010

The U.S. government acknowledges that it is actively negotiating with Israel the price of a proposed 90-day cessation of settlement activity on the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem). It is reported that the Israelis are demanding two things be given them free of charge: 20 stealth fighters (worth $3 billion) and the release of the spy, Jonathan Pollard.

Read on.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Iranian Nuke Documents May Be Fake

By Gareth Porter
November 21, 2010

The most important intelligence documents used to argue that Iran had a covert nuclear weapons research and development program in 2003 turn out to have a fatal flaw: the technical drawings depict a reentry vehicle that had already been abandoned by the Iranian missile program in favor of an improved model.

Read on.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

George W. Bush: Dupe or Deceiver?

By Robert Parry
November 20, 2010

George W. Bush’s memoir, Decision Points, is without doubt a self-serving defense of his presidency – and Bush’s own words condemn him as a liar – but there is another nagging question that surrounds this curious book: Has the U.S. media/political system become so polluted with falsehoods that even people at the top now believe the propaganda?

Read on.

Friday, November 19, 2010

A Prince Pursues Ecological 'Harmony'

By Stuart Sender and Julie Bergman Sender
November 19, 2010

When we began production on HARMONY, people would understandably ask us about “The Prince.” But as HRH The Prince of Wales has insisted, HARMONY: A NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT OUR WORLD has never been about “The Prince,” but rather about “The Principles.”

Read on.

US Consumers Urged to Splurge

By Danny Schechter
November 19, 2010

Funny how, back in 1929, we had a black Thursday and then a Black Friday as the market crashed, plunging the country into a depression. Now we have every retailer in every mall in America on their knees praying for a prosperous “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving.

Read on.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

The World's Crisis in War Reporting

By Don North
November 18, 2010

At this complex and dangerous moment in history, we must recognize that journalists around the world are failing in their duty as watchdogs of the people and that – combined with economic stresses – the traditional role of journalism is diminishing.

Read on.

Did GOP's Cantor Cross Line on Israel?

By Lawrence Davidson
November 18, 2010

Zionists of all stripes incessantly complain about anti-Semitism. They tell us that it is on the rise and that is why Israel is so important.

Read on.

US Military at Ease over Gay Soldiers

By Michael Winship
November 18, 2010

Although I grew up in a small town, I live in the West Village of Manhattan, New York City, just three blocks from Christopher Street and the Stonewall Inn, where in 1969 a police raid led to angry demonstrations that marked the start of the gay rights movement.

Read on.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Obama's No-Win Afghan Quandary

By Bruce P. Cameron
November 17, 2010

As President Barack Obama looks toward his promised December review of the Afghan War, he faces tough options – both military and political – including whether he will risk sinking his own presidency to sustain a war long bungled by George W. Bush.

Read on.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Will Bush's Book Burnish His Legacy?

By Ivan Eland
November 16, 2010

As George W. Bush does a rash of media interviews to promote his new book, Decision Points, some people — even his post-Katrina nemesis, hip-hop star Kanye West — have begun to mute their criticisms of his presidency.

Read on.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Time to Apologize to Plame/Wilson

By Robert Parry
November 14, 2010

During the scandal known as “Plame-gate,” it became an article of faith in many Washington power centers that CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson wasn’t “covert” and thus there was no “underlying crime” when the Bush administration intentionally blew her cover.

Read on.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Dogmatism in an Age of Complexity

By Judith J. Johnson
November 13, 2010

We have all known people (some of whom we may be related to, or voted for) who act as if they're the sole expert on a topic.

Read on.