By Juan Cole The GOP talking points in response to the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in a trade for five former officials of the 1990s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) focused on a few basic premises. !. You don’t negotiate with terrorists; 2. such a swap would encourage terrorists to capture Americans; 3. these […]
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Barack Obama
Republicans Attack Obama For Negotiations Leading To Release Of American POW
The negotiations that led to the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl represent one thing to Republicans: another excuse to attack President Obama. “Trading five senior Taliban leaders from detention in Guantanamo Bay for Berghdal’s release may have consequences…
Obama’s Just Right Foreign Policy
By Daniel Wagner via IPD A plethora of pundits, lawmakers and think tanks continue to criticize the Obama administration for presiding over what appear to be persistent failures in the foreign policy arena. President Barack Obama speaking during a town hall. Chuck Kennedy/White House Whether it is Israel, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Russia, or […]
Sarah Palin: Veterans died waiting for VA care because ‘Barack Obama is lazy’
Fox News contributor and half-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) said this week that veterans had died waiting for health care from Veterans Affairs facilities because President Barack Obama was “lazy” due to his upbringing. “The problem starts…
Operation American Spring aims to drive Obama from office this Friday
Operation American Spring promises to drive Obama from office this Friday (via Raw Story ) Self-styled revolutionary patriots plan to converge on Washington, D.C., this week to drive President Barack Obama and disloyal lawmakers out of office. “We are calling for the removal of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, John…
Reich on Obama Walmart Photo-Op: “What numbskull arranged this?”
(By John Queally) A low-wage Walmart employee in California has a simple message for President Obama on behalf of the millions of workers who find themselves in situations just like hers: "Help us." President Obama's … speaking engagement at a Walmart superstore in California on Friday has attracted widespread criticism for those who think the […]
Dear GOP: Here are Some Basic Real Questions to ask about Benghazi & CIA
(By Michael G. Roskin) With a Congressional committee about to seize on the Benghazi question (as part of the 2014 election campaign), some previously unasked but basic questions should come before the committee: Who was the consul? Yes, the person—a State Department Foreign Service Officer—-in charge of a consulate. (A consul general is in charge […]
Did the GOP Obsession with Monica Lewinsky contribute to 9/11? Is the Benghazi hysteria deja vu?
(By Juan Cole) The reemergence in the news of Monica Lewinsky is also a reminder of one of the lowest deeds in modern politics, the impeachment of Bill Clinton by House Republicans in December of 1998. What is too little noted is the effect of the GOP circus on our national security. The partisans howled […]
Curious about the biggest trade deal in history? Sorry, it’s classified
BANGKOK — The Trans-Pacific Partnership sounds deadly boring. It’s not. The potential impact on humanity from this proposed mega-deal is impossible to measure. TPP could bankrupt families in Kansas and enrich them in Kuala Lumpur. Or make patented…