US officials are now confident Iran shot down a Ukrainian jetliner with 176 people on board. Sources say US intelligence picked detected infrared blips of two missile launches, followed by the blip of an explosion. The Ukrainian jetliner crashed during takeoff in Tehran early Wednesday, killing 176 people — mostly Iranian and Canadian. Somehow, I don’t think the Iranians or … Read More
Trump Tones It Down
On Trump's meeting w/ the Saudi vice minister of defense that we only found out about because of the Saudis, @jonkarl says, "It is disturbing to see the government of Saudi Arabia have more transparency than the White House about a meeting with the President in the Oval Office." — Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 7, 2020 Remember Saudi Arabia and … Read More
Trump Steps Into War
That held up well. So did this…. “Our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate…So the only way he figures he’s going to get reelected, and as sure as you’re sitting there, is to start a war with Iran.” pic.twitter.com/CCKsY7SKoV — Tim O'Brien (@TimOBrien) January 3, 2020 It is hard to say … Read More
Baghdad Embassy Stormed
Trump’s penchant for embracing tyrants and stiff-arming allies and general bumbling idiocy on the international stage has calamitously degraded U.S. prestige and endangered and/or killed vulnerable populations in the regrettable position of depending on U.S. protection. That said, we’ve been lucky enough to avoid a major, organized and direct violent attack on the U.S. itself or its properties abroad. But … Read More
Are Congressional Republicans Growing A Pair?
The Hill: Frustrated Republicans say it’s time for the Senate to reclaim more power over foreign policy and are planning to move a measure Thursday that would be a stunning rebuke to a president of their own party. GOP lawmakers are deeply concerned over President Trump’s reluctance to listen to his senior military and intelligence advisers, fearing it could erode national … Read More
The Blessed Ban
[View the story “The Blessed Ban” on Storify]
Tony Blair Lied Britain Into The Iraq War (P.S. Bush Did, Too)
Across the pond, rather than running bullshit investigations like our Benghazi hearings, the parliamentarian body did something useful and tried to discern how they got involved in a huge quagmire. Sir John Chilcot delivered a devastating critique of Tony Blair’s decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003, concluding that Britain chose to join the US invasion before “peaceful … Read More
Why Is Anybody Listening To Dick Cheney On Foreign Policy?
First of all, Dick Cheney was the architect of the Iraq invasion after 9/11, which even conservatives agree (including all the GOP candidates) was a huge mistake. Cheney says we had faulty intelligence and that Saddam was a bad guy, both of which are/were true. But as this blog has attested, it was easy to see that the intelligence in Iraq … Read More
Obama Calls Out The Iraq War Prevaricators
President Obama’s speech on the Iran nuke deal was a classic. He made a convincing argument for supporting the agreement and provides a plausible overview of what will happen if Congress doesn’t approve it. But he also talked about those opposing the deal, pointing out that these people are the same ones who got us into a costly and pointless … Read More
Hey, Let’s Train The Iraqi Soldiers
Things have gone to hell in Iraq, especially in the fight against the Islamic State group (ISIS) in Iraq. The strongest evidence of this is the recent takeover of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province by ISIS forces. Although Iraqi soldiers “vastly outnumbered” their opposition in Ramadi, they quickly withdrew last week, leaving behind a half-dozen tanks, a similar number of artillery … Read More
The Stewart- Miller Interview
People wonder if The Daily Show will be as funny when Jon Stewart moves on. Maybe, Maybe not. But comedy aside, I wonder if the new host will have the same journalistic chops as Stewart. Judith Miller is making her rounds with a new memoir titled “The Story: A Reporter’s Journey.” She reportedly got a $1.2 million dollar advance for the book … Read More
Rambos Go To Prison
A little justice from Bush’s horrid war: A federal judge Monday sentenced a former Blackwater Worldwide security guard to life in prison and three others to 30-year terms for killing 14 unarmed civilians in a Baghdad traffic circle in 2007, an incident that fomented deep resentments about the accountability of American security forces during one of the bloodiest periods of the … Read More
The American Sniper Controversy
I don’t expect “historical” movies to be documentaries. I have no problem with some artistic license for dramatic purposes. I saw “American Sniper” recently, not knowing that it was based on the real life events of Chris Kyle, known as “The Legend” for his abilities during the Iraq War. It was clear from the end of the film (which cut … Read More
The Lesson From 2002
We all have felt it from time to time. The urge to simply go nuclear. It's understandable. Some backwoods jihadi moron slices off an American head, or a bunch of them band together and fly hijacked airplanes into sckyscrapers, and our natural reaction is: "Fuck you. NOW you're going to see the hand of God." The problem with that is … Read More
Senile Old Man Talks Crazy Shit On CNN
Dick Cheney: TAPPER: But do you think the decisions that you made, your administration really has nothing to do with what's going on in Iraq right now? CHENEY: I think, when we left office, we had, in Iraq, a very stable situation. January 18, 2009 — two days before Obama took office: Baghdad – A roadside bomb detonated in front … Read More