Of all the countries for the White House to put on its enemies list, Japan hardly seems worthy of indignation, especially when it comes to the war. Japan was not only one of the handful of countries to endorse Bush’s decision to invade Iraq, it also sent 600 ground troops to Iraq, and kept the […]
Bush administration anonymously presents evidence against Iran
Bush administration officials have been hinting for weeks that they had quite a presentation to show reporters about Iranian meddling in the war in Iraq, and would provide proof just as soon as they could find some. I mean, as soon as they nailed down the details. Yes, that’s it. Yesterday, reporters in Iraq finally […]
‘Victory Is Not an Option’
As far as the debate over Iraq goes, opponents of the war clearly have the facts on their side. And domestic opinion. And history. And international consensus. And common sense. But, somehow, war supporters seem to have ended up with all the cool rhetoric. Sure, they’ve been wrong about everything from the start, but when […]
Kristol says war critics would have been pro-slavery
With increased desperation comes increased recklessness. William Kristol, unable to defend the war in Iraq with any kind of substance, seems to have bought a one-way ticket to Limbaugh Land, where reason, facts, and common decency have lost all meaning. A few weeks ago, it was Kristol rejecting the idea of dissent, insisting that critics […]
The more things change…
I’ll give Dick Cheney credit for one thing: when it comes to his authoritarian impulses, he’s entirely consistent. Returning to the White House after the Memorial Day weekend in 1975, the young aide Dick Cheney found himself handling a First Amendment showdown. The New York Times had published an article by Seymour M. Hersh about […]
Sunday Discussion Group
As presidential campaigns go, most aides have historically been invisible and irrelevant. One might occasionally find a human-interest profile in a local paper about a hometown native getting a job with a big-time candidate, but the general rule has always been that behind-the-scenes types were of no real interest to the public, better yet to […]
Obama formally kicks off presidential campaign
About a month ago, we talked about Barack Obama creating a presidential exploratory committee, and today, Obama made it official, giving a strong speech in front of what appeared to be thousands of very cold supporters in Springfield, Ill. The Obama campaign’s website has the video, but it seems to be facing quite a bit […]
The U.S., Iran, and ‘lethal support’ to Shia militias in Iraq
In talking to reporters yesterday about Iran providing weapons or technology for Iraqi militants, Defense Secretary Robert Gates sounded a little vague. Referring to “pretty good” evidence, Gates said, “I think there’s some serial numbers, there may be some markings on some of the projectile fragments that we found” that point to Iran.” For those […]
Dobson accused of distorting research — again
I’m starting to get the impression that Dr. James Dobson, of Focus on the Family fame, isn’t terribly concerned about the integrity of academic research. (via Ron Chusid) Truth Wins Out unveiled a new video today on YouTube featuring a Yale professor who claims Focus on the Family leader James Dobson “cherry picked” his research. […]
‘This can’t be the most articulate, most informed voices of the Republic Party, can it?’
From time to time, many of us, including me, suggest congressional Democrats aren’t nearly forceful enough in taking on the GOP. To help demonstrate the fact that there’s still plenty of fight in these guys, I offer this terrific clip of Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), on the House floor, speaking on the Republicans’ mind-numbing whines […]