US politics

By Derek Davison | Lobelog | Foreign Politicy in Focus | – – On foreign policy, the Vermont independent’s “political revolution” hasn’t done much to distinguish itself from Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Foreign policy has taken a backseat to domestic issues in the Democratic primary thus far. There are two explanations for this. One […]

Foreign Policy

Pentagon, running out of Smart Bombs, will Double anti-ISIL Budget

contributors

TeleSur | – – Despite the deep social and economic issues President Barack Obama is confronted with, military expenditure was conceived as a priority. The Pentagon plans to spend four more times in [Europe] defense in 2017 than in 2016 in order to have sufficient military capability to support to its European NATO allies, the […]

Bernie Sanders

Is the future Socialist? Bernie Sanders swept 84% of the Youth Vote in Iowa

contributors

TeleSur | – – Sanders captured the youth vote in Iowa. However, youth voter turnout was down 4 percent from when President Barack Obama ran in 2008. In what the Iowa Democratic Party is calling its closest-ever vote, there is one demographic that was far from close: young voters. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders swept the […]

Bernie Sanders

Foreign Policy Winners and Losers in Iowa

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The Iowa Caucus voters likely voted mainly on domestic policy issues, though security and terrorism have been a big part of the campaigns as well. Now that the smoke is clearing, it is worth considering the foreign policy implications of the winners of the primary. Iowan […]

Far Right

Also-Ran Trump urges Thugs to Knock ‘the Crap’ out of Protesters, will cover Legal Fees

contributors

Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks Video Report) | – – “Donald Trump has encouraged his followers to commit violence before. Now he’s taking it up a notch, offering to pick up the tab for any lawsuits incurred while beating down protesters. Cenk Uygur, host of the The Young Turks, breaks it down. “Republican presidential […]

Central Intelligence Agency

The Great War of Our Time: Book Review

contributors

Book Review By Brian Glyn Williams | (Informed Comment) | – – Michael Morell. The Great War of our Time. The CIA’s Fight Against Terrorism, from Al Qa’ida to ISIS. New York; Twelve. 2015. 362 pages. $28.00. ISBN 978-1-4555-8566-3. The author of this memoir, Michael Morell, spent 33 years at the CIA, ultimately rising to […]

Campaign Finance

The “Democracy” of Billionaires & the Most Expensive Election ever Bought (Except for Bernie Sanders)

contributors

By Nomi Prins | (Tomdispatch.com) | – – Speaking of the need for citizen participation in our national politics in his final State of the Union address, President Obama said, “Our brand of democracy is hard.” A more accurate characterization might have been: “Our brand of democracy is cold hard cash.” Cash, mountains of it, […]

Bernie Sanders

Will Iowa’s Women Dems choose Hillary or Bernie?

contributors

Judy Woodruff | (PBS Newshour Video Report) | – – “Three days out from the Iowa caucuses, Democrats are weighing whether to go with the presumed favorite, Hillary Clinton, or to defy expectations by championing Bernie Sanders. For both candidates, women are a crucial demographic. Judy Woodruff reports on how Iowa’s female voters see the […]

Republican Party

Iowa Primary wins Predict Nothing: #Iowasowhite & doesn’t look like America

contributors

By Donald Kaul | (Otherwords.org) | – – Who prevails in the Iowa caucuses won’t matter much, except in the fevered imaginations of the political reporters covering the spectacle. The Iowa caucuses are upon us. Hooray, whoopee, and two cheers. The contests mark the official beginning of the 2016 presidential campaign, which already feels like […]