Is Barack Obama in some sense Clinton 2.0 when it comes to the public’s perception of what the candidate could do for the economy? Just as Clinton benefited in 1992 from a feeling of economic malaise in the country, so too is is Obama getting advantages from the public’s having announced to pollster’s that the […]
Bombs Kill 40, Wound Dozens; Al-Duri Calls for Continued Resistance; Gates Slams Militarization of Foreign Policy
Guerrillas launched a series of bombing campaigns in the eastern mixed province of Diyala and in the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday, killing at least 40 and wounding dozens. In Diyala, recruiting stations for security forces were hit, as potential recruits lined up. In Mosul, likewise, the targest were Iraqi security forces. Prime Minister […]
Obama Caricature Offensive to Muslims; US Government does not Secure Nuclear Material; Afghanistan slams Pakistan for Terrorism
It is typical of the atmosphere in America today that the New Yorker cover caricaturing the Obamas is called offensive by the Obama campaign but virtually no one is talking about how demeaning it is of American Muslims. A little detail like that. Imagine if a US candidate had been depicted as an Orthodox Jewish […]
Basra Security still Fragile; Offensive Planned in Diyala; Will Petrodollars Resolve Iraq Crisis?
Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that the Iraqi government is about to send troops into Diyala in an attempt to tamp down violence and combat local militias there, just as was done in Basra, Maysan and Mosul. I have begun to wonder whether the secret of these campaigns is not so much the show of military […]
Obama on Iraq and Afghanistan: A Friendly Critique
Barack Obama wants to get out of Iraq by summer 2010 but wants to send 10,000 extra troops to Afghanistan. Obama’s editorial is thoughtful and far more sensible than anything we are hearing from the White House or McCain, and I agree with most of it. But I have one quibble and one major critique. […]
Does John McCain’s sick sense of humor matter?
First, he sang ‘bomb, bomb, bomb/ bomb, bomb Iran’ to the tune of the Beach Boys’ ‘Barbara Ann.’ Now, on being told that Iran has increased its importation of American cigarettes, he quipped “Maybe that’s a way of killing them.” Let us review the things wrong with this statement as a joke. First of all, […]
Troops Injured Outside Combat Ignored in Media; Al-Maliki Gives Away Money
Greg Mitchell points out that the media continue to give little coverage to non-combat-related deaths among American troops in Iraq. Actually, they seldom mention the number of those wounded in combat, much less putting them and their stories on the screen. (It happens. It is rare.) Even as much press as the electrocuted soldiers got […]
2 GIs’ Bodies Found; US, Israel Reject Rumors of IAF Flights in Iraq
The bodies of two US troops MIA were recently discovered in Iraq. Have Israeli planes been flying in Iraq, in and out of US air bases, to case Iran for and attack? The Israelis are denying it. I also think it unlikely, since the US air force would have to give the Israelis its Identify […]
Crocker on Aljazeera The Iraq-US Security Agreement
Aljazeera International reports on the current situation in Iraq and the negotiations between Iraq and the US for a Status of Forces Agreement. US Ambassador in Baghdad Ryan Crocker is interviewed at great length. This is the sort of in-depth interview with no-holds-barred questioning that has become rare on US television. Part One: And, Part […]
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