Fallujah

Here is a discussion and link about the advance in reverse in Fallujah.

Pacification!?

Patrick Cockburn has been writing from Iraq for a few weeks now. The problem with allowing a "free" press during war and occupation become apparent while reading PC. It still amazes me though how in the US the respectable debate is more about 150,000 troops, the hawks vs. 180,000 troops, the doves or multilateral occupation vs. unilateral occupation or we should torture "terrorists" vs. silence.

Who Is John Negroponte?

The new Ambassador to "Iraq" is now being interviewed in the Senate. Who is the rogue?

Multiple Choice Test

Funny!

The Burden of Empire

Here's how some in the foreign policy elite are talking about Iraq these days. Is it time for partition? I highly doubt it but it goes to the depths of soup they are in.

The Lessons of History

The war with Spain in 1898 was "splenid little war" (John Hay) and a long brutal occupation. Myself and others argue that the war with Spain is probably more of a proper historical analogy than Vietnam is to Iraq.

Funny!

An open letter to the neo-con puppet masters. Thanks Scott for this hilarious site.

Here's a Beauty From the War Camp!

My own mistake was thinking more about the justice of overthrowing Saddam Hussein's tyrannical regime than about the difficulty of building a new postwar Iraq. I still think the war was a just cause, but I worry that its costs may one day outweigh its benefits. I don't regret my support for toppling Hussein, but I wish I had followed those red flags and examined more carefully how America could win the peace, after it won the war.

David Ignatius in yesterday's Washington post.

I'm speechless, but follow the link for some commentary on the parlor chair killers. These guys have influence and now they say "sorry I didn't really think lots of people would get killed!" DESPICABLE!

Remember Less Terrorism and the Collapse of Resistance?

Saul Landau makes the obvious point that the resistance has not collapsed after the capture of Saddam Hussein and that terrorism has certainly not declined sice the invasion.

Sovereignty?

The BBC puts it very politely. Who will rule Iraq after June 30?

Doomed To Repeat?

Rashid Khalidi has a new book on western imperialism and Iraq. I heard him on the radio last night and I whole heartedly recommend Sean Hannity and Bill O'Liely read it. The problem is that Bill and Sean don't seem to have the attention span that would get them through. Imperialism has followed a remarkedly similar process since the French revolution. Khalidi's quotes from Napoleon, the British colonial authorities and Rummy are golden. Go to this site and read the 12 page summary. Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East, by Rashid Khalidi.

Why Does Bush Still Have Support On Iraq?

The question of how Bush can still have support on Iraq given he lied, it's a unmitigated disaster, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel baffles me. Three ideas are out there that seem plausible.

1. People in the United States for the most part are gullible fools who for the most part are just plain ignorant on issues concerning the rest of the world. Exhibit A: MOST AMERICANS STILL THINK THERE ARE WMD's AND SADDAM IS LINKED TO AL-QUEDA AND 9/11 (see this report from the U. of Maryland).

2. There is no alternative put forward by the "opposition." Kerry's plan is more troops.

3. If people in the US admit that the policy is now a failure they have to admit that they made a mistake in supporting Bush et al to begin with. They can't do this now particularly now that hundreds of US soldiers have died (I would mention Iraqis here but most US citizens could care less about them). This is why Bush is going to win. This idea comes from Joshua Micah Marshall.

SEIU Kicks Off Campaign To Take On the "New Economy"

The Fight for the Future campaign was kicked off today by the Service Employee International Union, SEIU, a campaign to take on the downward trend of wages and work conditions in the US. Go to the site and contribute, not just economically, to this plan of action.

Probably One of the Funniest Onion Lines Yet

Libertarian Reluctantly Calls Fire Department

Let's Go Noodling

Here's a film/documentary worth the 53 minutes. Ever go fishing by hand? It's only legal in 4 states. A must see.

John Kerry On War Crimes

Here's what John Kerry said about his conduct in Vietnam in 1971 and 2001. For a more thorough discussion see The Atlantic article of December 2003.

Kerry Says My Family Owns A SUV Not Me

Kerry says that his family owns the SUV not me!

Anything For the Cause

The Canadian answer to the WAR ON TERROR.

Pundits Say: "Kerry Should Move Right"

FAIR has a good analysis here. The mainstream pundits for years have argued that Democrat presidential candidates need to move right because they are out on the left wing. Kerry too left wing? Have you seen his proposals? More troops in Iraq and cut corporate taxes, renegade Trotskyist!

Mouse Gives Birth Without Male

Maybe the rantings of the Campbell Scott in Roger Dodger have some truth about the future of men?