By Lisa Pease
December 31, 2009
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has decried President Barack Obama for not taking a more belligerent tone against terrorism, accusing him of making Americans less safe when he “pretends we aren’t at war with terrorists.” But Obama is not Dick Cheney, and thank goodness.
Read on.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
The Danger of Defeatism
By David Swanson
December 31, 2009
December 31, 2009
In 2004 I began speaking at rallies and forums around the country on issues of peace and justice, something I've done off-and-on ever since.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Are Presidents Scared of the CIA?
By Ray McGovern
December 29, 2009
In the past, I have alluded to Panetta and the Seven Dwarfs. The reference is to CIA Director Leon Panetta and seven of his moral-dwarf predecessors — the ones who sent President Barack Obama a letter on Sept. 18 asking him to “reverse Attorney General Holder’s Aug. 24 decision to re-open the criminal investigation of CIA interrogations.”
Read on.
December 29, 2009
In the past, I have alluded to Panetta and the Seven Dwarfs. The reference is to CIA Director Leon Panetta and seven of his moral-dwarf predecessors — the ones who sent President Barack Obama a letter on Sept. 18 asking him to “reverse Attorney General Holder’s Aug. 24 decision to re-open the criminal investigation of CIA interrogations.”
Read on.
Obama's Unheralded Nuke Progress
By Ivan Eland
December 29, 2009
Attempting to make good on his pledge to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in the U.S. and other nations’ defense postures, and eventually eliminate them, President Barack Obama seems on the verge of reaching a new strategic arms reduction agreement with Russia.
Read on.
December 29, 2009
Attempting to make good on his pledge to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in the U.S. and other nations’ defense postures, and eventually eliminate them, President Barack Obama seems on the verge of reaching a new strategic arms reduction agreement with Russia.
Read on.
Monday, December 28, 2009
The Jesus Genealogy Myths
By the Rev. Howard Bess
December 28, 2009
The Matthew gospel does not start the story of Jesus with his birth. Rather Matthew starts the story with a genealogy.
Read on.
December 28, 2009
The Matthew gospel does not start the story of Jesus with his birth. Rather Matthew starts the story with a genealogy.
Read on.
'Avatar': a Metaphor for the 'Long War'
By David Swanson
December 28, 2009
Let's face it, if James Cameron had made a movie with the Iraqi resistance as the heroes and the U.S. military as the enemies, and had set it in Iraq or anywhere else on planet earth, the packed theaters viewing "Avatar" would have been replaced by a screening in a living room for eight people and a dog.
Read on.
December 28, 2009
Let's face it, if James Cameron had made a movie with the Iraqi resistance as the heroes and the U.S. military as the enemies, and had set it in Iraq or anywhere else on planet earth, the packed theaters viewing "Avatar" would have been replaced by a screening in a living room for eight people and a dog.
Read on.
What the New Year Demands
By Robert Parry
December 28, 2009
The U.S. political battle lines for 2010 are already clear. Despite having caused many of the severe problems the country faces, the Republicans and the Right are again in the ascendancy, having shifted the blame for most of the troubles onto President Barack Obama and the Democrats.
Read on.
December 28, 2009
The U.S. political battle lines for 2010 are already clear. Despite having caused many of the severe problems the country faces, the Republicans and the Right are again in the ascendancy, having shifted the blame for most of the troubles onto President Barack Obama and the Democrats.
Read on.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Reader: A Christmas Story for Truth
By Judith C. Berry
December 24, 2009
The Christmas story was indeed a wonderful story to me for many years. However, when I found out it was just a made-up story, like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” or “Pinocchio,” I was crushed. AND, that is what it is - a made-up story.
Read on.
December 24, 2009
The Christmas story was indeed a wonderful story to me for many years. However, when I found out it was just a made-up story, like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” or “Pinocchio,” I was crushed. AND, that is what it is - a made-up story.
Read on.
Legal Challenges to US Health Reform
By David Swanson
December 24, 2009
Does the United States Constitution allow Congress to force people to purchase a product (health insurance) from a private corporation, and fine them or tax them if they refuse?
Read on.
December 24, 2009
Does the United States Constitution allow Congress to force people to purchase a product (health insurance) from a private corporation, and fine them or tax them if they refuse?
Read on.
A Christmas Eve Battle for Freedom
By William Loren Katz
December 24, 2009
This Christmas Eve marks the 172nd anniversary of a battle for liberty in 1837 on the banks of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, that helped shape the United States of America.
Read on.
December 24, 2009
This Christmas Eve marks the 172nd anniversary of a battle for liberty in 1837 on the banks of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, that helped shape the United States of America.
Read on.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The Snows of Christmases Past
By Michael Winship
December 22, 2009
We had our first snowstorm of the winter in Manhattan this past weekend and it served to remind me that I have not actually shoveled snow in decades - the result of living in a city where other people are hired to do it for you.
Read on.
December 22, 2009
We had our first snowstorm of the winter in Manhattan this past weekend and it served to remind me that I have not actually shoveled snow in decades - the result of living in a city where other people are hired to do it for you.
Read on.
Woodstock's Link to the War Machine
By Laurie Kirby
December 22, 2009
I’m proud of my small town’s worldwide association with peace. Many times during the 24 years that I’ve lived here, I’ve stood in peace vigils on the Village Green – and provided a bit of local color for visitors’ snapshots.
Read on.
December 22, 2009
I’m proud of my small town’s worldwide association with peace. Many times during the 24 years that I’ve lived here, I’ve stood in peace vigils on the Village Green – and provided a bit of local color for visitors’ snapshots.
Read on.
'Gott Mit Uns': Christians Excusing War
By Gary G. Kohls MD
December 22, 2009
When Gulf War I ended (during George Bush the Elder’s presidency), General Norman Schwartzkopf, the field commander, triumphantly proclaimed, “God must have been on our side!”
Read on.
December 22, 2009
When Gulf War I ended (during George Bush the Elder’s presidency), General Norman Schwartzkopf, the field commander, triumphantly proclaimed, “God must have been on our side!”
Read on.
Break the CIA in Two
By Ray McGovern
December 22, 2009
After the CIA-led fiasco at the Bay of Pigs in April 1961, President John Kennedy was quoted as saying he wanted to “splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds.” I can understand his anger, but a thousand is probably too many.
Read on.
December 22, 2009
After the CIA-led fiasco at the Bay of Pigs in April 1961, President John Kennedy was quoted as saying he wanted to “splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds.” I can understand his anger, but a thousand is probably too many.
Read on.
Monday, December 21, 2009
How Myths Can Kill
By Robert Parry
December 21, 2009
Myths can be innocuous enough, providing pleasure and comfort to believers, for instance, the Jesus birth stories that are celebrated at Christmas or the legends of Abraham and Moses conveying God’s promised land to the Israelites.
Read on.
December 21, 2009
Myths can be innocuous enough, providing pleasure and comfort to believers, for instance, the Jesus birth stories that are celebrated at Christmas or the legends of Abraham and Moses conveying God’s promised land to the Israelites.
Read on.
Winning Wars -- and Losing
By Lawrence S. Wittner
December 21, 2009
Thus far, most of the supporters and opponents of escalating the U.S. war in Afghanistan have focused on whether or not it is possible to secure a military victory in that conflict. But they neglect considering the fact that, in war, even a winner can be a loser.
Read on.
December 21, 2009
Thus far, most of the supporters and opponents of escalating the U.S. war in Afghanistan have focused on whether or not it is possible to secure a military victory in that conflict. But they neglect considering the fact that, in war, even a winner can be a loser.
Read on.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Why Obama Is Failing
By Robert Parry
December 19, 2009
A year ago, as Barack Obama was assembling his administration, he was at a crossroads with two paths going off in very different directions: one would have led to a populist challenge to the Washington/New York political-economic establishments; the other called for collaboration and cajoling.
Read on.
December 19, 2009
A year ago, as Barack Obama was assembling his administration, he was at a crossroads with two paths going off in very different directions: one would have led to a populist challenge to the Washington/New York political-economic establishments; the other called for collaboration and cajoling.
Read on.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Merry Christmas from America's Banks
By Michael Winship
December 19, 2009
Never mind Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope. It's the audacity of the banks that takes your breath away.
Read on.
December 19, 2009
Never mind Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope. It's the audacity of the banks that takes your breath away.
Read on.
Sorting Through the Jesus Myths
By the Rev. Howard Bess
December 18, 2009
Jesus from Nazareth was still a young man when he was killed in Jerusalem. The best estimate is that he was in his early 30s.
Read on.
December 18, 2009
Jesus from Nazareth was still a young man when he was killed in Jerusalem. The best estimate is that he was in his early 30s.
Read on.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Elliott Abrams and 'Neocon-ing' Obama
By Robert Parry
December 18, 2009
For the eight years of the Bush-II administration, a key behind-the-scenes architect of U.S. strategy in the Middle East was Elliott Abrams, a neoconservative whose devotion to Israel is hard to overstate – and who is now engaged in what looks like a PR campaign to bend Barack Obama’s Mideast policies in the direction favored by Israel’s hard-line Likud government.
Read on.
December 18, 2009
For the eight years of the Bush-II administration, a key behind-the-scenes architect of U.S. strategy in the Middle East was Elliott Abrams, a neoconservative whose devotion to Israel is hard to overstate – and who is now engaged in what looks like a PR campaign to bend Barack Obama’s Mideast policies in the direction favored by Israel’s hard-line Likud government.
Read on.
Time to End the Neocon Con Game
By Bruce P. Cameron
December 17, 2009
As Washington’s long debate on the Afghan war unfolded, one group had an unhealthy advantage though – based on its record – it should have had no influence at all. These are the neoconservatives, and they have captured The Washington Post’s editorial pages along with other outlets of elite opinion.
Read on.
December 17, 2009
As Washington’s long debate on the Afghan war unfolded, one group had an unhealthy advantage though – based on its record – it should have had no influence at all. These are the neoconservatives, and they have captured The Washington Post’s editorial pages along with other outlets of elite opinion.
Read on.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
'Invictus': Mandela's Message of Hope
By Lisa Pease
December 16, 2009
The film “Invictus” dramatizes the real-world events of 1995, when newly installed South African President Nelson Mandela urged his country to come together behind its rugby team, the Springboks, when South Africa hosted the once-every-four-years Rugby World Cup.
Read on.
December 16, 2009
The film “Invictus” dramatizes the real-world events of 1995, when newly installed South African President Nelson Mandela urged his country to come together behind its rugby team, the Springboks, when South Africa hosted the once-every-four-years Rugby World Cup.
Read on.
The Risky Supply Line to Afghanistan
By Melvin A. Goodman
December 16, 2009
Logistics will be the key to introducing 30,000 soldiers and Marines into Afghanistan in the next six to seven months and to confronting the Taliban over the next 18 months. This reflects an old saying in the military - amateurs study strategy and professionals study logistics.
Read on.
December 16, 2009
Logistics will be the key to introducing 30,000 soldiers and Marines into Afghanistan in the next six to seven months and to confronting the Taliban over the next 18 months. This reflects an old saying in the military - amateurs study strategy and professionals study logistics.
Read on.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Opportunity Lost: Obama in Oslo
By Daniel C. Maguire
December 16, 2009
Whether Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize is not the point. He didn’t. The fact is he got it, and was gifted with the chance of a lifetime to make a classic speech on the politics of peace-making, a speech that in the glare of Nobel could have attained instant biblical standing.
Read on.
December 16, 2009
Whether Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize is not the point. He didn’t. The fact is he got it, and was gifted with the chance of a lifetime to make a classic speech on the politics of peace-making, a speech that in the glare of Nobel could have attained instant biblical standing.
Read on.
How Banks Fleece the Unemployed
By Barbara Koeppel
December 16, 2009
Just when you thought the big banks had maxed out their chutzpah account, think again.
Read on.
December 16, 2009
Just when you thought the big banks had maxed out their chutzpah account, think again.
Read on.
Getting Realistic about Afghanistan
By Ivan Eland
December 15, 2009
One of the reasons why most counterinsurgency campaigns fail is that they’re run by foreign occupiers who don’t know the culture of the invaded country.
Read on.
December 15, 2009
One of the reasons why most counterinsurgency campaigns fail is that they’re run by foreign occupiers who don’t know the culture of the invaded country.
Read on.
Is Joe Lieberman Protecting Israel?
By Robert Parry
December 15, 2009
Sen. Joe Lieberman’s latest threat to scuttle health-care reform – vowing to join a Republican filibuster to block an over-55 buy-in to Medicare, a proposal that he has long championed – is raising questions about his motives. But no one is mentioning the unmentionable, the cause that has come to define Lieberman’s career: Israel.
Read on.
December 15, 2009
Sen. Joe Lieberman’s latest threat to scuttle health-care reform – vowing to join a Republican filibuster to block an over-55 buy-in to Medicare, a proposal that he has long championed – is raising questions about his motives. But no one is mentioning the unmentionable, the cause that has come to define Lieberman’s career: Israel.
Read on.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Vanunu and Israel's Undeclared Nukes
By Eileen Fleming
December 14, 2009
Mordechai Vanunu was released from Ashkelon prison to open air captivity in east Jerusalem on April 21, 2004, after 18 years, mostly all in solitary confinement.
Read on.
December 14, 2009
Mordechai Vanunu was released from Ashkelon prison to open air captivity in east Jerusalem on April 21, 2004, after 18 years, mostly all in solitary confinement.
Read on.
Prosecuting Bush's Poodle
By David Swanson
December 14, 2009
December 14, 2009
Compare Tony Blair's latest confession to mass murder with Bush's.
Can Obama Face the 'Unspeakable'?
By Lisa Pease
December 14, 2009
If there’s one book I wish President Obama would read over the holidays, it would be JFK and the Unspeakable.
Read on.
December 14, 2009
If there’s one book I wish President Obama would read over the holidays, it would be JFK and the Unspeakable.
Read on.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Obama's Dirty War
By Douglas Valentine
December 13, 2009
In his Nobel Peace Prize speech, President Barack Obama declared “we’re in Afghanistan to prevent a cancer from spreading throughout that country.” The phrasing signals that his war escalation will follow the dictates of what the CIA calls political and psychological warfare, the cornerstones of counterinsurgency.
Read on.
December 13, 2009
In his Nobel Peace Prize speech, President Barack Obama declared “we’re in Afghanistan to prevent a cancer from spreading throughout that country.” The phrasing signals that his war escalation will follow the dictates of what the CIA calls political and psychological warfare, the cornerstones of counterinsurgency.
Read on.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
ACLU Blasts Obama on Bush's Crimes
By Jason Leopold
December 12, 2009
December 12, 2009
Despite Barack Obama’s high-minded words about “just wars” and human rights – most recently in his Nobel Peace Prize speech – the U.S. President has shielded officials from George W. Bush’s administration from accountability for torture and other war crimes, prompting stern rebukes from leading advocates of civil liberties.
Read on.Friday, December 11, 2009
The Land Mines Obama Won't Touch
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
December 11, 2009
December 11, 2009
Many people are troubled that Barack Obama flew to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize so soon after escalating the war in Afghanistan. He is now more than doubling the number of troops there when George W. Bush left office.
'Whatever Mistakes We Have Made'
By Nicolas J S Davies
December 11, 2009
The history of war has long included that of politicians who justify war in the name of peace.
Read on.
December 11, 2009
The history of war has long included that of politicians who justify war in the name of peace.
Read on.
Jesus and Prometheus
By the Rev. Howard Bess
December 11, 2009
December 11, 2009
There is no story that has captured the imagination of western civilization quite like the story of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Propaganda Success of the 'Surge'
By William Blum
December 10, 2009
They don't always use the word "surge," but that's what they mean.
Read on.
December 10, 2009
They don't always use the word "surge," but that's what they mean.
Read on.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Being Jay Bybee
By David Swanson
December 9, 2009
It's Oct. 23, 2002, and you're Jay Bybee, the man in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel in the United States Department of Justice. John Yoo and a bunch of other lawyers -- willing to claim that absolutely anything is legal -- work for you.
Read on.
December 9, 2009
It's Oct. 23, 2002, and you're Jay Bybee, the man in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel in the United States Department of Justice. John Yoo and a bunch of other lawyers -- willing to claim that absolutely anything is legal -- work for you.
Read on.
Pinochet's Mad Scientist
By Samuel Blixen
December 9, 2009 (Originally Posted January 13, 1999)
On Nov. 15, 1992, a terrified scientist -- trapped inside a white bungalow in the Uruguayan beach town of Parque del Plata -- broke a window to escape. Chubby, in his mid-40s, the man struggled through the opening.
Read on.
December 9, 2009 (Originally Posted January 13, 1999)
On Nov. 15, 1992, a terrified scientist -- trapped inside a white bungalow in the Uruguayan beach town of Parque del Plata -- broke a window to escape. Chubby, in his mid-40s, the man struggled through the opening.
Read on.
Why Journalist Gary Webb Died
By Robert Parry
December 9, 2009
December 9, 2009
Five years ago, a tragedy occurred in American journalism: Investigative reporter Gary Webb – who had been ostracized by his own colleagues for forcing a spotlight back onto an ugly government scandal they wanted to ignore – was driven to commit suicide. But the tragedy had a deeper meaning.
Read on.Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Gates Dissembles on Afghan History
By Robert Parry
December 8, 2009
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who last week was hailed in the Washington Post as someone “incapable of dissembling,” dissembled to a gullible press corps about the history of U.S. dealings with Afghanistan while en route to that country on Monday.
Read on.
December 8, 2009
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who last week was hailed in the Washington Post as someone “incapable of dissembling,” dissembled to a gullible press corps about the history of U.S. dealings with Afghanistan while en route to that country on Monday.
Read on.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Ray McGovern's Letter to Bob Parry
By Ray McGovern
December 7, 2009
At the end of a year that began with such hope, I am struck at how easy it would be to be discouraged.
Read on.
December 7, 2009
At the end of a year that began with such hope, I am struck at how easy it would be to be discouraged.
Read on.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
The Christian Myth of Jesus's Birth
By the Rev. Howard Bess
December 5, 2009
December 5, 2009
The Advent season is a fun time. For many Christians, it is the happiest season of the year. The joy comes from the anticipation: “Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her king.”
The Afghan Ambush
By Michael Winship
December 5, 2009
The decision has been made. The months of meetings and briefings are over. Tuesday night, the President made it official: 30,000 more American troops to Afghanistan.
Read on.
December 5, 2009
The decision has been made. The months of meetings and briefings are over. Tuesday night, the President made it official: 30,000 more American troops to Afghanistan.
Read on.
Friday, December 04, 2009
'Up in the Air' and Down to Earth
By Lisa Pease
December 4, 2009
If there’s one film I’d like President Obama to see this month, it’s the new film by Jason Reitman “Up in the Air.” Seeing all those people laid off in the course of the film made me want to run out and start a jobs program.
Read on.
December 4, 2009
If there’s one film I’d like President Obama to see this month, it’s the new film by Jason Reitman “Up in the Air.” Seeing all those people laid off in the course of the film made me want to run out and start a jobs program.
Read on.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Israeli Scholar Disputes Founding Myth
By Morgan Strong
December 3, 2009 (Originally Posted 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.
December 3, 2009 (Originally Posted 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.
Obama Pleases the Neocons
By Robert Parry
December 3, 2009
December 3, 2009
President Barack Obama’s escalation of the Afghan War has upset many rank-and-file Democrats who had hoped for a more peaceful strategy, but Obama’s order to dispatch 30,000 more U.S. troops is being welcomed by neoconservatives, a group that has long favored U.S. military interventions in Muslim lands.
US 'No-Fly' List Keeps Growing
By Ivan Eland
December 3, 2009
With the holiday travel season upon us, the U.S. government’s terrorism watch list and no-fly list get ever more bizarre.
Read on.
December 3, 2009
With the holiday travel season upon us, the U.S. government’s terrorism watch list and no-fly list get ever more bizarre.
Read on.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Afghanistan: 'Roach Motel' for Empires
By Zoltan Grossman
December 2, 2009
In his West Point speech on Tuesday, President Obama denied that “Afghanistan is another Vietnam” - -and in some senses he is correct. Vietnam was a far more unified state -- ethnically and politically -- than Afghanistan ever has been.
Read on.
December 2, 2009
In his West Point speech on Tuesday, President Obama denied that “Afghanistan is another Vietnam” - -and in some senses he is correct. Vietnam was a far more unified state -- ethnically and politically -- than Afghanistan ever has been.
Read on.
Colin Powell's My Lai Connection
By Robert Parry and Norman Solomon
December 2, 2009
On March 16, 1968, a bloodied unit of the Americal Division stormed into a hamlet known as My Lai 4. With military helicopters circling overhead, revenge-seeking American soldiers rousted Vietnamese civilians -- mostly old men, women and children -- from their thatched huts and herded them into the village's irrigation ditches.
Read on.
December 2, 2009
On March 16, 1968, a bloodied unit of the Americal Division stormed into a hamlet known as My Lai 4. With military helicopters circling overhead, revenge-seeking American soldiers rousted Vietnamese civilians -- mostly old men, women and children -- from their thatched huts and herded them into the village's irrigation ditches.
Read on.
Obama with Blood on His Hands
By Nicolas J S Davies
December 2, 2009
December 2, 2009
President Barack Obama carefully avoided describing his decision to dispatch 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan as an "escalation," but that is what he announced.
Read on.Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Larry McGovern on Obama's Escalation
By Larry McGovern
December 1, 2009
In one brief year, President Barack Obama has left a trail of shattered dreams, culminating in his option for more war in Afghanistan.
Read on.
December 1, 2009
In one brief year, President Barack Obama has left a trail of shattered dreams, culminating in his option for more war in Afghanistan.
Read on.
Explaining the Drop in Iraqi War Dead
By Robert Parry
December 1, 2009
The Iraqi government has announced that the civilian death toll for November – 88 – was the lowest since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, marking a two-year decline in killings that has corresponded with a less aggressive American military strategy and a pullback of U.S. troops to bases on city outskirts.
Read on.
December 1, 2009
The Iraqi government has announced that the civilian death toll for November – 88 – was the lowest since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, marking a two-year decline in killings that has corresponded with a less aggressive American military strategy and a pullback of U.S. troops to bases on city outskirts.
Read on.
The President Acting as a Caesar
By David Swanson
December 1, 2009
During a televised football game on Sunday, an announcer welcomed the members of the U.S. military viewing the game in 177 nations around the world.
Read on.
December 1, 2009
During a televised football game on Sunday, an announcer welcomed the members of the U.S. military viewing the game in 177 nations around the world.
Read on.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Why an Expanded Afghan War?
By Lisa Pease
November 30, 2009
November 30, 2009
President Barack Obama appears set to approve a dramatic increase in troops in Afghanistan. The original goal of the U.S. effort there was to find and capture Osama bin Laden. Why is Washington not still seeking the man who allegedly masterminded the attack on American on Sept. 11, 2001?
Obama's Weak Report Card on the CIA
By Melvin A. Goodman
November 30, 2009
President Obama has had nearly a year to make necessary changes in the intelligence community and the Central Intelligence Agency.
Read on.
November 30, 2009
President Obama has had nearly a year to make necessary changes in the intelligence community and the Central Intelligence Agency.
Read on.
How War Hawks Caged Obama
By Robert Parry
November 30, 2009
Two of President Barack Obama’s most acclaimed Cabinet appointments – keeping Republican Defense Secretary Robert Gates and picking former Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State – set the risky course that his administration is following toward a military escalation in Afghanistan.
Read on.
November 30, 2009
Two of President Barack Obama’s most acclaimed Cabinet appointments – keeping Republican Defense Secretary Robert Gates and picking former Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State – set the risky course that his administration is following toward a military escalation in Afghanistan.
Read on.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Prepare for the Obama-GOP Alliance
By Jeff Cohen
November 25, 2009
With Obama pushing a huge troop escalation in Afghanistan, history may well repeat itself with a vengeance. And it’s not just the apt comparison to LBJ, who destroyed his presidency on the battlefields of Vietnam with an escalation that delivered power to Nixon and the GOP.
Read on.
November 25, 2009
With Obama pushing a huge troop escalation in Afghanistan, history may well repeat itself with a vengeance. And it’s not just the apt comparison to LBJ, who destroyed his presidency on the battlefields of Vietnam with an escalation that delivered power to Nixon and the GOP.
Read on.
How Bugliosi Met the Bush Censors
By David Swanson
November 25, 2009
One of the best features of a visit to Los Angeles is the opportunity to hang out with the guy who put Charles Manson in prison, the most successful criminal prosecutor we're ever likely to see, Vince Bugliosi (105 convictions in 106 felony jury trials, 21 convictions in 21 murder trials).
Read on.
November 25, 2009
One of the best features of a visit to Los Angeles is the opportunity to hang out with the guy who put Charles Manson in prison, the most successful criminal prosecutor we're ever likely to see, Vince Bugliosi (105 convictions in 106 felony jury trials, 21 convictions in 21 murder trials).
Read on.
A Jane Goodall Thanksgiving
By Michael Winship
November 25, 2009
Give thanks. Because this isn't one of those Thanksgiving lists of things for which we should be grateful -- although health, family, friends, laughter, etc., would certainly all be on mine.
Read on.
November 25, 2009
Give thanks. Because this isn't one of those Thanksgiving lists of things for which we should be grateful -- although health, family, friends, laughter, etc., would certainly all be on mine.
Read on.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Obama's Profile in Courage Moment
By Ray McGovern
November 24, 2009
November 24, 2009
“It took a lot of courage on Kennedy’s part to defy the Pentagon, defy the military — and do the right thing,” said Col. Larry Wilkerson, USA (ret.), according to Robert Dreyfuss in his recent Rolling Stone article “The Generals’ Revolt.”
Read on.KSM Trial Helps Restore US Principles
By Ivan Eland
November 24, 2009
The Obama administration’s decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and four alleged co-conspirators in civilian court is a laudable return to the rule of law from the Bush administration’s kangaroo military commissions, which convened offshore in Guantanamo to avoid giving defendants full legal rights under domestic or international law.
Read on.
November 24, 2009
The Obama administration’s decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and four alleged co-conspirators in civilian court is a laudable return to the rule of law from the Bush administration’s kangaroo military commissions, which convened offshore in Guantanamo to avoid giving defendants full legal rights under domestic or international law.
Read on.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Why Afghans Dig Empire Graveyards
By Nicolas J S Davies
November 23, 2009
Afghanistan is known as the "graveyard of empires." But just why do empires keep sending thousands of their young people to die in Afghanistan?
Read on.
November 23, 2009
Afghanistan is known as the "graveyard of empires." But just why do empires keep sending thousands of their young people to die in Afghanistan?
Read on.
California Tuition Hikes Spark Protests
By Peter Phillips
November 23, 2009
Police are arresting and attacking student protesters on University of California (UC) campuses again.
Read on.
November 23, 2009
Police are arresting and attacking student protesters on University of California (UC) campuses again.
Read on.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Madness Returns
By Robert Parry
November 22, 2009
The hoopla over former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s memoir is the latest sign that the madness, which has dominated American political life for most of the last three decades, has returned – and may be on its way to a political restoration in 2010 and beyond.
Read on.
November 22, 2009
The hoopla over former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s memoir is the latest sign that the madness, which has dominated American political life for most of the last three decades, has returned – and may be on its way to a political restoration in 2010 and beyond.
Read on.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
New Yorkers Resist 9/11 Scare Tactics
By Michael Winship
November 21, 2009
If you want to royally tick off New Yorkers, try telling us what to do.
Read on.
November 21, 2009
If you want to royally tick off New Yorkers, try telling us what to do.
Read on.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Should Obama Fire Gen. McChrystal?
By Ray McGovern
November 20, 2009
It is not too late for President Barack Obama to follow the example of Harry Truman, who fired the famous Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1951 for insubordination. Then, as now, the stakes were high. Then it was Korea; now it is Afghanistan.
Read on.
November 20, 2009
It is not too late for President Barack Obama to follow the example of Harry Truman, who fired the famous Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1951 for insubordination. Then, as now, the stakes were high. Then it was Korea; now it is Afghanistan.
Read on.
The Vision of 'The Blind Side'
By Lisa Pease
November 20, 2009
“The Blind Side” is an amazing true-life story of the rich, white, Republican Tuohy family in Tennessee that adopted a homeless African-American kid named Michael Oher and made him a beloved member of their a family. Oher went on to become a professional football player.
Read on.
November 20, 2009
“The Blind Side” is an amazing true-life story of the rich, white, Republican Tuohy family in Tennessee that adopted a homeless African-American kid named Michael Oher and made him a beloved member of their a family. Oher went on to become a professional football player.
Read on.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Learning All the Wrong Vietnam Lessons
By Douglas Valentine
November 19, 2009
Evan Thomas and John Barry begin their Newsweek article, “The Surprising Lessons of Vietnam,” in a promising way, recounting a recent anecdote in which Afghan War commander Stanley McChrystal gets on the phone with author Stanley Karnow, whose book Vietnam is described as “the standard popular account of the Vietnam War.”
November 19, 2009
Evan Thomas and John Barry begin their Newsweek article, “The Surprising Lessons of Vietnam,” in a promising way, recounting a recent anecdote in which Afghan War commander Stanley McChrystal gets on the phone with author Stanley Karnow, whose book Vietnam is described as “the standard popular account of the Vietnam War.”
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
A Three-Step Afghan Strategy
By Bruce P. Cameron
November 18, 2009
November 18, 2009
No Afghan policy based on securing enemy territory and developing state institutions and a non-narcotics-based economy can be successful in all of Afghanistan without at least 250,000 – and probably 500,000 – soldiers.
KSM and the MSM
By David Swanson
November 18, 209
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and the corporate "mainstream" media make quite a pair.
Read on.
November 18, 209
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and the corporate "mainstream" media make quite a pair.
Read on.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Afghan Lessons from the Iraq War
By Ray McGovern
November 17, 2009
You don’t have to go back 40 years to the Vietnam War to feel the sting of déjà vu. Returning to the Iraq War just three years ago will suffice.
Read on.
November 17, 2009
You don’t have to go back 40 years to the Vietnam War to feel the sting of déjà vu. Returning to the Iraq War just three years ago will suffice.
Read on.
War and Remembrance in London
By Michael Winship
November 17, 2009
In Great Britain, Remembrance Sunday falls on the second Sunday of November, the one closest to November 11th, the anniversary of the end of the First World War in 1918. Once, the world called November 11th Armistice Day. Now, in the United States at least, it is Veterans Day.
Read on.
November 17, 2009
In Great Britain, Remembrance Sunday falls on the second Sunday of November, the one closest to November 11th, the anniversary of the end of the First World War in 1918. Once, the world called November 11th Armistice Day. Now, in the United States at least, it is Veterans Day.
Read on.
The Ugly Truth about Jobs
By Robert Parry
November 17, 2009
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke has given Americans a glimpse of the ugly truth about their future job prospects. Simply put, companies have found that they can shed workers and rely on technological advances and overseas factories to operate with a lot fewer U.S. employees.
Read on.
November 17, 2009
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke has given Americans a glimpse of the ugly truth about their future job prospects. Simply put, companies have found that they can shed workers and rely on technological advances and overseas factories to operate with a lot fewer U.S. employees.
Read on.
History's Bitter Guerrilla War Lessons
By Ivan Eland
November 17, 2009
November 17, 2009
In recent history, very few counterinsurgency wars have ended in success.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Will the Gun Carnage Ever Stop?
By Sherwood Ross
November 16, 2009
Every time the young stick-up man tugged at my companion’s purse with his left hand, she would pull back, causing the muzzle of the pistol he held in his right hand to swing back and forth.
Read on.
November 16, 2009
Every time the young stick-up man tugged at my companion’s purse with his left hand, she would pull back, causing the muzzle of the pistol he held in his right hand to swing back and forth.
Read on.
Facts Behind 'Men Who Stare at Goats'
By Lisa Pease
November 16, 2009
Can people really influence the physical world with thought alone? And if so, dare we use that power for evil, instead of good? Or will the effort come back to haunt us?
Read on.
November 16, 2009
Can people really influence the physical world with thought alone? And if so, dare we use that power for evil, instead of good? Or will the effort come back to haunt us?
Read on.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Shining Light on Roots of Terrorism
By Ray McGovern
November 15, 2009
Media commentary on the upcoming 9/11 trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has raised concern that state secrets may be divulged, including details about how the Bush administration used torture to extract evidence about al-Qaeda.
Read on.
November 15, 2009
Media commentary on the upcoming 9/11 trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has raised concern that state secrets may be divulged, including details about how the Bush administration used torture to extract evidence about al-Qaeda.
Read on.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
On Bended Knee to Bob Gates
By Melvin A. Goodman
November 14, 2009
Michael Crowley of the New Republic is the latest journalist to give absolution to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for his long record of politicizing intelligence and undercutting conciliatory policy initiatives.
Read on.
November 14, 2009
Michael Crowley of the New Republic is the latest journalist to give absolution to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for his long record of politicizing intelligence and undercutting conciliatory policy initiatives.
Read on.
Leaving Afghanistan to US 'Experts'
By David Swanson
November 14, 2009
The last time I was on Laura Flanders's GRIT TV I argued that the American public opposed the occupation of Afghanistan, but another guest -- some Washington, D.C., "progressive" -- argued that this had no relevance, since the American public didn't know anything about Afghanistan.
Read on.
November 14, 2009
The last time I was on Laura Flanders's GRIT TV I argued that the American public opposed the occupation of Afghanistan, but another guest -- some Washington, D.C., "progressive" -- argued that this had no relevance, since the American public didn't know anything about Afghanistan.
Read on.
Friday, November 13, 2009
The October Surprise Crystal Balls
By Robert Parry
November 13, 2009
In fall 1980, as President Jimmy Carter struggled to free 52 American hostages in Iran and as American voters focused on a crossroads election, key supporters of Republican candidate Ronald Reagan were confident not only of Reagan’s victory but that the hostages wouldn’t be released until after Reagan was sworn in.
Read on.
November 13, 2009
In fall 1980, as President Jimmy Carter struggled to free 52 American hostages in Iran and as American voters focused on a crossroads election, key supporters of Republican candidate Ronald Reagan were confident not only of Reagan’s victory but that the hostages wouldn’t be released until after Reagan was sworn in.
Read on.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Real Thanksgiving Day
By William Loren Katz
November 12, 2009
Thanksgiving Day remains a most treasured holiday in the United States. Work comes to a halt, families gather, eat turkey, and count their blessings. A presidential proclamation blesses the day.
Read on.
November 12, 2009
Thanksgiving Day remains a most treasured holiday in the United States. Work comes to a halt, families gather, eat turkey, and count their blessings. A presidential proclamation blesses the day.
Read on.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Another Option for the Public Option
By Robert Parry
November 12, 2009
Since the Democrats have already agreed to water down the health-insurance public option and to set its implementation date as 2013, there might be nothing to lose – and possibly a Republican vote or two to gain – if Democrats agreed to a trigger giving insurance companies the next three years to prove they can hold down costs and meet consumer needs.
Read on.
November 12, 2009
Since the Democrats have already agreed to water down the health-insurance public option and to set its implementation date as 2013, there might be nothing to lose – and possibly a Republican vote or two to gain – if Democrats agreed to a trigger giving insurance companies the next three years to prove they can hold down costs and meet consumer needs.
Read on.
Why the Blase Attitude about Torture
By Ray McGovern
November 11, 2009
November 11, 2009
“We’re going to talk about the policy of torture,” the radio producer said when she called me five years ago. “And you’ll have ten minutes to defend your side.”
Read on.Rev. Moon's Troubled Generation Next
By Robert Parry
November 11, 2009
November 11, 2009
Editor’s Note: In a normal world, the question of who will succeed a crazed cult leader like the 90-year-old Rev. Sun Myung Moon would not be an issue of much public importance. But – incredibly – Moon’s money-laundering empire was allowed to become a major funding source for America’s powerful right-wing media and key Republicans.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
America's Debt to Italian Justice
By David Swanson
November 10, 2009
The United States of America owes much of the hope it has right now of remaining what John Adams called "a nation of laws, not men" to Italian law enforcement.
Read on.
November 10, 2009
The United States of America owes much of the hope it has right now of remaining what John Adams called "a nation of laws, not men" to Italian law enforcement.
Read on.
Why Lieberman Blocks a Public Option
By Robert Parry
November 10, 2009
With the health-reform bill’s “public option” truly reduced to the “sliver” that President Barack Obama once called it – and indeed having become a feature that mostly benefits the insurance industry – the next question must be: why is it still being opposed by industry defenders like Sen. Joe Lieberman?
Read on.
November 10, 2009
With the health-reform bill’s “public option” truly reduced to the “sliver” that President Barack Obama once called it – and indeed having become a feature that mostly benefits the insurance industry – the next question must be: why is it still being opposed by industry defenders like Sen. Joe Lieberman?
Read on.
Monday, November 09, 2009
US Punditry's Anti-Obama Lens
By Michael Winship
November 9, 2009
Last Sunday, we visited the ruins of ancient Delphi, two hours or so from the Greek capital of Athens, an extraordinary site at the base of Mount Parnassus overlooking the Pleistos Valley, almost half a mile below.
Read on.
November 9, 2009
Last Sunday, we visited the ruins of ancient Delphi, two hours or so from the Greek capital of Athens, an extraordinary site at the base of Mount Parnassus overlooking the Pleistos Valley, almost half a mile below.
Read on.
Blaming the 'Dithering' Obama
By Robert Parry
November 9, 2009
Despite House passage of the health-care overhaul bill on Saturday night, the word “dithering” is getting attached to President Barack Obama, much as “hubris” was tagged to George W. Bush and “undisciplined” applied to Bill Clinton.
Read on.
November 9, 2009
Despite House passage of the health-care overhaul bill on Saturday night, the word “dithering” is getting attached to President Barack Obama, much as “hubris” was tagged to George W. Bush and “undisciplined” applied to Bill Clinton.
Read on.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Lost Commandment: Help Strangers
By the Rev. Howard Bess
November 8, 2009
I never cease to be amazed at the teachings of the Bible that are completely ignored. Typically preachers find preaching hobby-horses to ride and meticulously avoid some of the most important and difficult teachings of the Old and New Testaments.
Read on.
November 8, 2009
I never cease to be amazed at the teachings of the Bible that are completely ignored. Typically preachers find preaching hobby-horses to ride and meticulously avoid some of the most important and difficult teachings of the Old and New Testaments.
Read on.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
The American War on Pot Rolls On
By Sherwood Ross
November 7, 2009
Seven million Americans have been arrested since 1995 on marijuana charges and 41,000 of them are rotting in federal and state prisons. Thousands of other pot users and sellers are confined in local jails. But the public is starting to rebel against “the preposterous war on pot,” two political scientists say.
Read on.
November 7, 2009
Seven million Americans have been arrested since 1995 on marijuana charges and 41,000 of them are rotting in federal and state prisons. Thousands of other pot users and sellers are confined in local jails. But the public is starting to rebel against “the preposterous war on pot,” two political scientists say.
Read on.
Friday, November 06, 2009
The Crazy October Surprise Debunking
By Robert Parry
November 6, 2009
Patently absurd reasoning in someone’s argument can often tell you about the strength of the underlying facts. If an argument is deceptive on its face, you might suspect the supporting facts are pretty fragile, too.
Read on.
November 6, 2009
Patently absurd reasoning in someone’s argument can often tell you about the strength of the underlying facts. If an argument is deceptive on its face, you might suspect the supporting facts are pretty fragile, too.
Read on.
Obama Fails to Reset Foreign Policy
By Melvin A. Goodman
November 6, 2009
November 6, 2009
President Barack Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, will go down in history as one of America's worst presidents, squandering diplomatic, international and economic assets that were bequeathed to him.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
A 'Middle Way' on Afghanistan
By Bruce P. Cameron
November 5, 2009
U.S. policymakers may be contemplating some middle way on Afghanistan, but I haven’t seen it yet, at least not from the words and signals coming from President Barack Obama’s administration.
Read on.
November 5, 2009
U.S. policymakers may be contemplating some middle way on Afghanistan, but I haven’t seen it yet, at least not from the words and signals coming from President Barack Obama’s administration.
Read on.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Finding Vietnam War Positives
By William Blum
November 4, 2009
Not the crazy, hateful right wing, not racist or disrupting public meetings, not demanding birth certificates ... but the respectable right, holding high positions in academia and in every administration, Republican or Democrat, members of the highly esteemed Council on Foreign Relations.
Read on.
November 4, 2009
Not the crazy, hateful right wing, not racist or disrupting public meetings, not demanding birth certificates ... but the respectable right, holding high positions in academia and in every administration, Republican or Democrat, members of the highly esteemed Council on Foreign Relations.
Read on.
How Two Elections Changed America
By Robert Parry
November 4, 2009
Two clandestine operations during hard-fought presidential elections of the past half century shaped the modern American political era, but they remain little known to the general public and mostly ignored by historians. One unfolded in the weeks before Election 1968 and the other over a full year before Election 1980.
Read on.
November 4, 2009
Two clandestine operations during hard-fought presidential elections of the past half century shaped the modern American political era, but they remain little known to the general public and mostly ignored by historians. One unfolded in the weeks before Election 1968 and the other over a full year before Election 1980.
Read on.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Will a 'Surge' Work in Afghanistan
By Ivan Eland
November 3, 2009
Although President Barack Obama has more empathy for the opinions of the Islamic world than his predecessor and seems to vaguely understand that those opinions do affect U.S. security, he doesn’t seem to understand specifically that U.S. meddling in and occupation of Muslim countries inflames Islamic radicals and is the main cause of blowback anti-U.S. Islamist terrorism.
Read on.
November 3, 2009
Although President Barack Obama has more empathy for the opinions of the Islamic world than his predecessor and seems to vaguely understand that those opinions do affect U.S. security, he doesn’t seem to understand specifically that U.S. meddling in and occupation of Muslim countries inflames Islamic radicals and is the main cause of blowback anti-U.S. Islamist terrorism.
Read on.
Heeding George Kennan's Sage Advice
By Ray McGovern
November 3, 2009
I can’t remember how many times I have said that the U.S. military adventure in Afghanistan is a fool’s errand.
Read on.
November 3, 2009
I can’t remember how many times I have said that the U.S. military adventure in Afghanistan is a fool’s errand.
Read on.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Chomsky Doubts Change from Obama
By Mamoon Alabbasi
November 3, 2009
November 3, 2009
As civilized people across the world breathed a sigh of relief to see the back of former U.S. President George W. Bush, top American intellectual Noam Chomsky warned against assuming or expecting significant changes in the basis of Washington's foreign policy under President Barack Obama.
Pentagon's Gates Plays Ugly American
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Why the Right's Propaganda Works
By Robert Parry
August 19, 2009
August 19, 2009
Many on the Left are blaming President Barack Obama and middle-of-the-road Democrats for maneuvering health-care reform into a fast-approaching head-on collision. And some of that criticism is well deserved for foolishly letting Republicans get their hands on the wheel at all.
A Power Equal to a Thousand Words
By David Kasper
August 18, 2009
It may be that President Obama and those who surround him are fighting a losing battle in their effort to conceal and leave behind us the crimes of the Bush era.
Read on.
August 18, 2009
It may be that President Obama and those who surround him are fighting a losing battle in their effort to conceal and leave behind us the crimes of the Bush era.
Read on.
Monday, August 17, 2009
PanAm 103 Verdict: Justice or Politics?
By William Blum
August 18, 2009
The newspapers were filled with pictures of happy relatives of the victims of the 1988 bombing of PanAm 103.
Read on.
August 18, 2009
The newspapers were filled with pictures of happy relatives of the victims of the 1988 bombing of PanAm 103.
Read on.
Fromme-Peltier: Inequality of Mercy
By Dennis Bernstein and Miguel Gavalan Molina
August 18, 2009
August 18, 2009
Child protégé and Manson cheerleader Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme walked free last week, straight through the front doors of Fort Worth Federal Prison, into a brilliant Texas sun.
Iraq War's Winners and Losers
By Sherwood Ross
August 17, 2009
“On my last day in Iraq,” veteran McClatchy News correspondent Leila Fadel wrote August 9, “as on my first day in Iraq, I couldn’t see what the United States and its allies had accomplished. … I couldn’t understand what thousands of American soldiers had died for and why hundreds of thousands of Iraqis had been killed.”
Read on.
August 17, 2009
“On my last day in Iraq,” veteran McClatchy News correspondent Leila Fadel wrote August 9, “as on my first day in Iraq, I couldn’t see what the United States and its allies had accomplished. … I couldn’t understand what thousands of American soldiers had died for and why hundreds of thousands of Iraqis had been killed.”
Read on.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
WTimes' Hypocritical Obama-Nazi Slur
By Robert Parry
August 17, 2009
One of the ugly ironies in the Right’s depiction of President Barack Obama as Hitler and health reform as a plan for Nazi-style euthanasia is that the owner of the Washington Times, which has pushed this line of attack, has longstanding ties with World War II-era Nazis, neo-Nazis and rightist “death squads.”
Read on.
August 17, 2009
One of the ugly ironies in the Right’s depiction of President Barack Obama as Hitler and health reform as a plan for Nazi-style euthanasia is that the owner of the Washington Times, which has pushed this line of attack, has longstanding ties with World War II-era Nazis, neo-Nazis and rightist “death squads.”
Read on.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
A Gorilla Dust-up Over Health Care
By Michael Winship
August 15, 2009
When I was 15, my father was in a near-fatal car collision with a semi-trailer truck. At Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, he lay in a coma for two months.
Read on.
August 15, 2009
When I was 15, my father was in a near-fatal car collision with a semi-trailer truck. At Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, he lay in a coma for two months.
Read on.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Cheney's New Gambit
By Ray McGovern
August 14, 2009
The stenographers of the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM) are missing the most obvious explanation for former Vice President Dick Cheney’s widely reported “disappointment” with former President George W. Bush on the issue of pardons -- self-interest.
Read on.
August 14, 2009
The stenographers of the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM) are missing the most obvious explanation for former Vice President Dick Cheney’s widely reported “disappointment” with former President George W. Bush on the issue of pardons -- self-interest.
Read on.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Truth Will Not Out,, on Its Own
By Robert Parry
August 13, 2009
The right-wing fury at town hall meetings over health care and the Republican obstruction of any serious reform in Washington are not just symptoms of a complex debate on an issue packed with powerful special interests; it is a test of whether reality matters in the United States.
Read on.
August 13, 2009
The right-wing fury at town hall meetings over health care and the Republican obstruction of any serious reform in Washington are not just symptoms of a complex debate on an issue packed with powerful special interests; it is a test of whether reality matters in the United States.
Read on.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Rove Implicated in Prosecutor Firings
By Jason Leopold
August 12, 2009
Political adviser Karl Rove and other officials inside George W. Bush’s White House pushed for the firing of a key federal prosecutor because he wasn’t cooperating with Republican plans for indicting Democrats and their allies before the 2006 election, according to internal documents and depositions.
Read on.
August 12, 2009
Political adviser Karl Rove and other officials inside George W. Bush’s White House pushed for the firing of a key federal prosecutor because he wasn’t cooperating with Republican plans for indicting Democrats and their allies before the 2006 election, according to internal documents and depositions.
Read on.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Palin's 'Death Panel' and GOP Lying
By Robert Parry
August 11, 2009
False Republican claims about President Barack Obama’s health-care initiative, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s demagogic charge about a “death panel,” are part of a pattern of systematic lying that has marked the GOP’s political tactics at least since Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s.
Read on.
August 11, 2009
False Republican claims about President Barack Obama’s health-care initiative, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s demagogic charge about a “death panel,” are part of a pattern of systematic lying that has marked the GOP’s political tactics at least since Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s.
Read on.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Holder's Torture-Probe Plan Faulted
By Jason Leopold
August 10, 2009
Civil liberties advocates are criticizing an expected decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to limit a criminal probe of the Bush administration’s torture practices to CIA interrogators who exceeded Justice Department guidelines.
Read on.
August 10, 2009
Civil liberties advocates are criticizing an expected decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to limit a criminal probe of the Bush administration’s torture practices to CIA interrogators who exceeded Justice Department guidelines.
Read on.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Keeping an Eye Out for Planet Earth
By Michael Winship
August 7, 2009
August 7, 2009
For a bit of change, let's talk about a different kind of health care reform - the kind that affects the health of the planet.
Ex-CIA Analyst Criticizes State Secrets
By Melvin A. Goodman
August 7, 2009
My 24 years as an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (1966-90) taught me that national security is only the ostensible reason for using the state secrets privilege in cases before the court. The real reason usually has more to do with national embarrassment and not national security.
Read on.
August 7, 2009
My 24 years as an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (1966-90) taught me that national security is only the ostensible reason for using the state secrets privilege in cases before the court. The real reason usually has more to do with national embarrassment and not national security.
Read on.
Olbermann-O'Reilly 'Truce' Frays
By Robert Parry
August 7, 2009
The agreement between top brass at General Electric and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation – to tamp down the war of words between MSNBC host Keith Olbermann and Fox News star Bill O’Reilly – has broken down after the truce was revealed by the New York Times last weekend.
Read on.
August 7, 2009
The agreement between top brass at General Electric and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation – to tamp down the war of words between MSNBC host Keith Olbermann and Fox News star Bill O’Reilly – has broken down after the truce was revealed by the New York Times last weekend.
Read on.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Ellsberg's Hiroshima Remembrance
By Daniel Ellsberg
August 6, 2009
August 6, 2009
It was a hot August day in Detroit. I was standing on a street corner downtown, looking at the front page of The Detroit News in a news rack. I remember a streetcar rattling by on the tracks as I read the headline: A single American bomb had destroyed a Japanese city.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
GE Muzzles Olbermann about Fox
By Robert Parry
August 5, 2009
August 5, 2009
The emergence of liberal evening hosts on General Electric’s MSNBC has been welcomed by Democrats and others on the American Left as a counterweight to the right and center-right bias of much of the U.S. news media. But there is a difference between GE testing out whether this lineup will produce a ratings boost and actual independence in journalism.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Bush's Conspiracy to Riot
Robert Parry
August 5, 2009 (Originally posted August 5, 2002)
More than three decades apart, two political riots influenced the outcome of U.S. presidential elections.
Read on.
August 5, 2009 (Originally posted August 5, 2002)
More than three decades apart, two political riots influenced the outcome of U.S. presidential elections.
Read on.
Battling for Single-Payer Healthcare
By Siobhan Kolar
August 4, 2009
August 4, 2009
The people started lining up an hour early in Aurora, Illinois, 40 miles west of Chicago and not a hotbed of radical socialism, to hear Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, talk about HR 676, the single payer bill he co-authored with Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan.
Assessing Rumsfeld's Military Strategy
By Ivan Eland
August 4, 2009
In his new book, By His Own Rules: The Ambitions, Successes, and Ultimate Failures of Donald Rumsfeld, Bradley Graham argues that although ideology and arrogance played a role in the fiasco of invading and occupying Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld’s concept of transforming the military into a leaner, more deadly force also played a role.
Read on.
August 4, 2009
In his new book, By His Own Rules: The Ambitions, Successes, and Ultimate Failures of Donald Rumsfeld, Bradley Graham argues that although ideology and arrogance played a role in the fiasco of invading and occupying Iraq, Donald Rumsfeld’s concept of transforming the military into a leaner, more deadly force also played a role.
Read on.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Bashing Obama on Taxes
By Robert Parry
August 3, 2009
Across the cable TV news shows on Monday was a smirking cynicism about President Barack Obama supposedly reneging on his campaign pledge not to raise taxes on the middle-class, but this new conventional wisdom rested on a weak foundation.
Read on.
August 3, 2009
Across the cable TV news shows on Monday was a smirking cynicism about President Barack Obama supposedly reneging on his campaign pledge not to raise taxes on the middle-class, but this new conventional wisdom rested on a weak foundation.
Read on.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Panetta Pleads for No CIA Punishment
By Melvin A. Goodman
August 2, 2009
The ideological partnership between the Washington Post and the Central Intelligence Agency is becoming despicable.
Read on.
August 2, 2009
The ideological partnership between the Washington Post and the Central Intelligence Agency is becoming despicable.
Read on.
How Pay-to-Play Corrupts Washington
By Michael Winship
August 2, 2009
August 2, 2009
As we marvel over the depths of hypocrisy and greed currently plumbed in the health care reform debate, it may help to remember that even Honest Abe Lincoln had his share of tainted colleagues, one of the most notorious of whom was his first Secretary of War, Simon Cameron.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Christians Largely Mum on Torture
By Ray McGovern
July 31, 2009
Anyone harboring doubts that the institutional Church is riding shotgun for the system, even regarding heinous sin like torture, should be chastened by the results of a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.
Read on.
July 31, 2009
Anyone harboring doubts that the institutional Church is riding shotgun for the system, even regarding heinous sin like torture, should be chastened by the results of a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.
Read on.
US Judge Orders Afghan Youth Freed
By Jason Leopold
July 31, 2009
Rejecting arguments from both the Bush and Obama administrations, a federal judge has ordered the release of an Afghani who may have been as young as 12 when he was detained 6 ½ years ago for allegedly wounding two U.S. soldiers and an Afghan translator by throwing a grenade at their unmarked jeep.
Read on.
July 31, 2009
Rejecting arguments from both the Bush and Obama administrations, a federal judge has ordered the release of an Afghani who may have been as young as 12 when he was detained 6 ½ years ago for allegedly wounding two U.S. soldiers and an Afghan translator by throwing a grenade at their unmarked jeep.
Read on.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Cheney's Fondness for the Dark Side
By Sherwood Ross
July 30, 2009
Some in Congress are stung by charges that former Vice President Dick Cheney ran an international assassination op from the White House without telling them about it. They say he told the CIA to withhold the facts from Congress.
Read on.
July 30, 2009
Some in Congress are stung by charges that former Vice President Dick Cheney ran an international assassination op from the White House without telling them about it. They say he told the CIA to withhold the facts from Congress.
Read on.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Holder Ponders Limited Torture Probe
By Jason Leopold
July 29, 2009
Last year, in the heat of the presidential campaign, Eric Holder was a featured speaker at the American Constitution Society’s annual convention where he told a packed crowd that the “American people are owe[d] a reckoning” as a result of the “abusive” and “unlawful” policies of the Bush administration.
Read on.
July 29, 2009
Last year, in the heat of the presidential campaign, Eric Holder was a featured speaker at the American Constitution Society’s annual convention where he told a packed crowd that the “American people are owe[d] a reckoning” as a result of the “abusive” and “unlawful” policies of the Bush administration.
Read on.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Obama Faces Carter/Clinton Parallels
By Robert Parry
July 29, 2009
After six months in office, Barack Obama’s presidency reveals striking parallels not only to Bill Clinton’s troubled first term, but to Jimmy Carter’s only term. And, how those dangers are reappearing show that the Democrats and American progressives have learned little over the past 30 years.
Read on.
July 29, 2009
After six months in office, Barack Obama’s presidency reveals striking parallels not only to Bill Clinton’s troubled first term, but to Jimmy Carter’s only term. And, how those dangers are reappearing show that the Democrats and American progressives have learned little over the past 30 years.
Read on.
Sudan's Lesson for Iraq, Mideast
By Ivan Eland
July 28, 2009
Sometimes you just have to shake your head and wonder how the human race has avoided self-extinction and prospered on the planet.
Read on.
July 28, 2009
Sometimes you just have to shake your head and wonder how the human race has avoided self-extinction and prospered on the planet.
Read on.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Obama, the Great Wealth Creator?
By Robert Parry
July 27m 2009
In early March, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank to about 6,500, CNBC stock analyst Jim Cramer blamed Barack Obama for “the greatest wealth destruction” ever, citing declines in “all indices, since the inauguration of the President,” an attack theme that resonated across the right-wing and much of the mainstream U.S. news media.
Read on.
July 27m 2009
In early March, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank to about 6,500, CNBC stock analyst Jim Cramer blamed Barack Obama for “the greatest wealth destruction” ever, citing declines in “all indices, since the inauguration of the President,” an attack theme that resonated across the right-wing and much of the mainstream U.S. news media.
Read on.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Obama's Health-Care 'Waterloo'
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
July 25, 2009
July 25, 2009
Push finally came to shove in Washington this week as the battle for health care escalated from scattered sniper fire into all-out combat. If it all seems to be getting more and more confusing, join the club. It's hard to see what's happening through all the gun smoke.
Read on.US Has New Plan to Hold Afghan Youth
By Jason Leopold
July 25, 2009
Faced with impending defeat in a U.S. District Court habeas corpus case, the Obama administration devised a new strategy for continuing the detention of Mohammed Jawad, an Afghani who may have been as young as 12 in 2002 when he allegedly wounded two U.S. soldiers with a grenade.
Read on.
July 25, 2009
Faced with impending defeat in a U.S. District Court habeas corpus case, the Obama administration devised a new strategy for continuing the detention of Mohammed Jawad, an Afghani who may have been as young as 12 in 2002 when he allegedly wounded two U.S. soldiers with a grenade.
Read on.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Recalling the Downing Street Minutes
By Ray McGovern
July 24, 2009
Seven years ago this week, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair gathered his top national security advisers at 10 Downing St. to hear a report from U.K. intelligence chief Richard Dearlove, just back in London from face-to-face talks with then-CIA Director George Tenet in Washington.
Read on.
July 24, 2009
Seven years ago this week, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair gathered his top national security advisers at 10 Downing St. to hear a report from U.K. intelligence chief Richard Dearlove, just back in London from face-to-face talks with then-CIA Director George Tenet in Washington.
Read on.
Spinning Health Reform to Death
By Norman Solomon
July 24, 2009
July 24, 2009
"I want to cover everybody," President Obama said at his news conference Wednesday night. "Now, the truth is that unless you have a - what's called a single-payer system, in which everybody's automatically covered, then you're probably not going to reach every single individual ..."
Thursday, July 23, 2009
WPost Writer Weeps Again for the CIA
By Melvin A. Goodman
July 24, 2009
David Ignatius, the mainstream media’s leading apologist for the Central Intelligence Agency, has written another exculpatory brief for the CIA.
Read on.
July 24, 2009
David Ignatius, the mainstream media’s leading apologist for the Central Intelligence Agency, has written another exculpatory brief for the CIA.
Read on.
Dallas: Into the Belly of the Beast
Ray McGovern
July 23, 2009
The hellish-hot weather persuaded me that I was wise to ignore the caution expressed by a close friend who grew up in Dallas, as I set off to give talks there. Better wear a bulletproof vest, he told me.
Read on.
July 23, 2009
The hellish-hot weather persuaded me that I was wise to ignore the caution expressed by a close friend who grew up in Dallas, as I set off to give talks there. Better wear a bulletproof vest, he told me.
Read on.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Obama Lawyers Shield Cheney on Leak
By Jason Leopold
July 22, 2009
The Obama administration asserted a legal argument that a federal judge called the Jon Stewart “Daily Show exemption,” as the Justice Department continued a court fight to protect ex-Vice President Dick Cheney from disclosures about his role in the leak of a CIA officer’s identity six years ago.
Read on.
July 22, 2009
The Obama administration asserted a legal argument that a federal judge called the Jon Stewart “Daily Show exemption,” as the Justice Department continued a court fight to protect ex-Vice President Dick Cheney from disclosures about his role in the leak of a CIA officer’s identity six years ago.
Read on.
Christ's Teachings v. US Health Care
By The Rev. Howard Bess
July 21, 2009
In the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John, the writer tells the story of a man that had been crippled for 38 years. Jesus asked him a simple question: “Do you want to be healed?” Jesus told him to stand up and walk, and so he did.
Read on.
July 21, 2009
In the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John, the writer tells the story of a man that had been crippled for 38 years. Jesus asked him a simple question: “Do you want to be healed?” Jesus told him to stand up and walk, and so he did.
Read on.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Making Sense of Cheney's Madness
By Ivan Eland
July 21, 2009
July 21, 2009
The seeming irrationality behind the George W. Bush administration’s “against the grain” (and the law) policies on torture, warrantless domestic surveillance, and now notification of Congress about CIA covert operations was not irrational at all.
GOP & KAL007: 'The Key Is to Lie First'
By Robert Parry
July 20, 2009 (Originally posted in 1998)
It's not entirely clear when the Republican Party made disinformation a political weapon of choice.
Read on.
July 20, 2009 (Originally posted in 1998)
It's not entirely clear when the Republican Party made disinformation a political weapon of choice.
Read on.
To Save the Republic, Tax the Rich?
By Robert Parry
July 20, 2009
For all the laid-off “Joe the Plumbers” who share the Right’s fury about the “class warfare” of imposing higher taxes on millionaires, there is this hard truth: the rich don’t need as many of you as they once did – and taxing the rich may be the only way to make the economic system work for you.
Read on.
July 20, 2009
For all the laid-off “Joe the Plumbers” who share the Right’s fury about the “class warfare” of imposing higher taxes on millionaires, there is this hard truth: the rich don’t need as many of you as they once did – and taxing the rich may be the only way to make the economic system work for you.
Read on.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Cronkite's Unintended Legacy
By Robert Parry
July 19, 2009
With his measured calm and seriousness of purpose, Walter Cronkite set a high standard for television journalism that has rarely been met since his retirement in 1981. But the legendary CBS anchorman who died Friday also may have unintentionally contributed to the American Left’s dangerous complacency about media.
Read on.
July 19, 2009
With his measured calm and seriousness of purpose, Walter Cronkite set a high standard for television journalism that has rarely been met since his retirement in 1981. But the legendary CBS anchorman who died Friday also may have unintentionally contributed to the American Left’s dangerous complacency about media.
Read on.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Cronkite and the Tet Turning Point
By Don North
July 18, 2009
At midnight, heading into the fateful day of Jan. 31, 1968, 15 Vietcong gathered at a greasy car repair garage at 59 Phan Thanh Gian Street in Saigon.
Read on.
July 18, 2009
At midnight, heading into the fateful day of Jan. 31, 1968, 15 Vietcong gathered at a greasy car repair garage at 59 Phan Thanh Gian Street in Saigon.
Read on.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Oysters (or Profits) for Health Care
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
July 17, 2009
This is a story of health care and two Americans; a tale of two citizens, if you will.
Read on.
July 17, 2009
This is a story of health care and two Americans; a tale of two citizens, if you will.
Read on.
WPost's Ignatius Defends CIA Crimes
By Melvin A. Goodman
July 17, 2009
The Washington Post’s David Ignatius has become the mainstream media’s apologist for the Central Intelligence Agency.
Read on.
July 17, 2009
The Washington Post’s David Ignatius has become the mainstream media’s apologist for the Central Intelligence Agency.
Read on.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Wedding (From the Archives)
By Robert Parry
July 15, 2009 (Originally posted Oct. 3, 2007)
The light from the setting sun streamed through the windows of the East Room after the first White House wedding in more than two decades. Guests were picking desserts from a buffet table and conversing, some gesturing with crystal champagne flutes in hand.
Read on.
July 15, 2009 (Originally posted Oct. 3, 2007)
The light from the setting sun streamed through the windows of the East Room after the first White House wedding in more than two decades. Guests were picking desserts from a buffet table and conversing, some gesturing with crystal champagne flutes in hand.
Read on.
Bush's Hit Teams
By Robert Parry
July 15, 2009
July 15, 2009
Despite the new controversy over whether a global CIA “hit team” ever went operational, there has been public evidence for years that the Bush administration approved “rules of engagement” that permitted executions and targeted killings of suspected insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Cheney Sweats Out the Summer
By Ray McGovern
July 14, 2009
So far the summer has been mild in the Washington, D.C., area. But for former Vice President Dick Cheney the temperature is well over 100 degrees. He is sweating profusely, and it is becoming increasingly clear why.
Read on.
July 14, 2009
So far the summer has been mild in the Washington, D.C., area. But for former Vice President Dick Cheney the temperature is well over 100 degrees. He is sweating profusely, and it is becoming increasingly clear why.
Read on.
The CIA's Ghosts of Tegucigalpa
By Jerry Meldon
July 14, 2009
Billy Joya, security adviser to Honduras’s post-coup-d’etat President Roberto Micheletti, offered the following explanation for the armed forces’ June 28 insurrection ousting democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya:
Read on.
July 14, 2009
Billy Joya, security adviser to Honduras’s post-coup-d’etat President Roberto Micheletti, offered the following explanation for the armed forces’ June 28 insurrection ousting democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya:
Read on.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Bush Spying Relied on Faulty Theories
By Jason Leopold
July 12, 2009
George W. Bush justified his warrantless wiretapping by relying on Justice Department attorney John Yoo’s theories of unlimited presidential wartime powers, and started the spying operation even before Yoo issued a formal opinion, a government investigation discovered.
Read on.
July 12, 2009
George W. Bush justified his warrantless wiretapping by relying on Justice Department attorney John Yoo’s theories of unlimited presidential wartime powers, and started the spying operation even before Yoo issued a formal opinion, a government investigation discovered.
Read on.
Honduran Coup Blamed on Militarism
By Sherwood Ross
July 12, 2009
Oscar Arias, the president of Costa Rica and the man who will serve as mediator of the crisis in Honduras, wrote in a July 10 op-ed in the Miami Herald, “This coup demonstrates, once more, that the combination of powerful militaries and fragile democracies creates a terrible risk.”
Read on.
July 12, 2009
Oscar Arias, the president of Costa Rica and the man who will serve as mediator of the crisis in Honduras, wrote in a July 10 op-ed in the Miami Herald, “This coup demonstrates, once more, that the combination of powerful militaries and fragile democracies creates a terrible risk.”
Read on.
WPost's 'Select Few' Dine on Health Bill
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
July 11, 2009
July 11, 2009
If you want to know what really matters in Washington, don't go to Capitol Hill for one of those hearings, or pay attention to those staged White House "town meetings." They're just for show.
Read on.Friday, July 10, 2009
CIA's History of Lying to Congress
By Lisa Pease
July 10, 2009
On TV this week, with a measure of disbelief in their voices, the pundits ask, did the CIA lie to or deliberately mislead Congress? How is that not a rhetorical question?
Read on.
July 10, 2009
On TV this week, with a measure of disbelief in their voices, the pundits ask, did the CIA lie to or deliberately mislead Congress? How is that not a rhetorical question?
Read on.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Ancient Israeli Myths Deter Peace
By Robert Parry
July 9, 2009
The rationale for formally designating Israel a Jewish state – as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now demands – rests on three religious-political pillars: God’s purported covenant with Moses instructing the ancient Israelites to conquer the land, the injustice of the Roman-era Diaspora that supposedly removed them centuries later, and the brutal persecution of European Jews in the Holocaust.
Read on.
July 9, 2009
The rationale for formally designating Israel a Jewish state – as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now demands – rests on three religious-political pillars: God’s purported covenant with Moses instructing the ancient Israelites to conquer the land, the injustice of the Roman-era Diaspora that supposedly removed them centuries later, and the brutal persecution of European Jews in the Holocaust.
Read on.
Confronting a Torture Judge
By Cynthia Papermaster and Susan Harman
July 8, 2009
It's a problem that Jay Bybee is a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. How can he serve as a judge when he seriously violated the laws against inhumane treatment of detainees and gave legal approval to interrogation techniques that amount to torture.
Read on.
July 8, 2009
It's a problem that Jay Bybee is a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. How can he serve as a judge when he seriously violated the laws against inhumane treatment of detainees and gave legal approval to interrogation techniques that amount to torture.
Read on.
Inviting George Bush to Talk Torture
By Ray McGovern
July 8, 2009 (Letter was sent July 2, 2009)
Dear President Bush,
With this note I hope to make sure you know that I have been invited by the Dallas Peace Center to lecture next Thursday evening, July 9, at a dinner at FunAsia in Richardson. You and Mrs. Bush are cordially invited.
Read on.
July 8, 2009 (Letter was sent July 2, 2009)
Dear President Bush,
With this note I hope to make sure you know that I have been invited by the Dallas Peace Center to lecture next Thursday evening, July 9, at a dinner at FunAsia in Richardson. You and Mrs. Bush are cordially invited.
Read on.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Is Texas Harboring Torture Decider?
By Ray McGovern
July 7, 2009
Seldom does a crime scene have so clear a smoking gun. A two-page presidential memorandum of Feb. 7, 2002, leaves no room for uncertainty regarding the “decider” on torture. His broad-stroke signature made torture official policy.
Read on.
July 7, 2009
Seldom does a crime scene have so clear a smoking gun. A two-page presidential memorandum of Feb. 7, 2002, leaves no room for uncertainty regarding the “decider” on torture. His broad-stroke signature made torture official policy.
Read on.
Obama's Iran Peace Talk Dilemma
By Robert Parry
July 7, 2009
Before the disputed June 12 election, Iran’s senior leadership – speaking through backchannel intermediaries – outlined a possible framework for Middle East peace that foresaw a significant role for Russia and that raised hopes within the Obama administration.
Read on.
July 7, 2009
Before the disputed June 12 election, Iran’s senior leadership – speaking through backchannel intermediaries – outlined a possible framework for Middle East peace that foresaw a significant role for Russia and that raised hopes within the Obama administration.
Read on.
Monday, July 06, 2009
Iraq Still Facing the Abyss
By Ivan Eland
July 7, 2009
The Iraq War has been long forgotten and treated as a “mission abolished” after the new President pledged to withdraw U.S. forces and the American media, public and Congress turned their attention back to a war even liberals could love (or at least support) — Afghanistan.
Read on.
July 7, 2009
The Iraq War has been long forgotten and treated as a “mission abolished” after the new President pledged to withdraw U.S. forces and the American media, public and Congress turned their attention back to a war even liberals could love (or at least support) — Afghanistan.
Read on.
Judging the Iranian Election
By William Blum
July 6, 2009
What is there about the Iranian election of June 12 that has led to it being one of the leading stories in media around the world every day since? Elections whose results are seriously challenged have taken place in most countries at one time or another in recent decades.
Read on.
July 6, 2009
What is there about the Iranian election of June 12 that has led to it being one of the leading stories in media around the world every day since? Elections whose results are seriously challenged have taken place in most countries at one time or another in recent decades.
Read on.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Republicans, a Threat to the Republic?
By Robert Parry
July 5, 2009
Sarah Palin’s abrupt decision to resign as Alaska’s governor – and her rambling explanation – underscore again how the Republican Party over the past dozen years has put up candidates for top national offices who are unqualified or ill-suited for those sensitive positions.
Read on.
July 5, 2009
Sarah Palin’s abrupt decision to resign as Alaska’s governor – and her rambling explanation – underscore again how the Republican Party over the past dozen years has put up candidates for top national offices who are unqualified or ill-suited for those sensitive positions.
Read on.
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