Tag Archives: Iraq
Where is the left on US military action in Libya? Continue reading
An R next to a politician’s name might as well be a scarlet letter in 2006. Voters have tired of Republican President George W. Bush for his ignorance of reality in Iraq and abuses of power at home. And Americans have soured on Republican custodians of Congress for lining their pockets with lobbyists’ bribes and concealing the depredations of individual congressmen. Because of these failings of national Republicans, the incumbent Republican Senator for Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, must win re-election … Continue reading
President George W. Bush’s penchant for cronyism has achieved infamy by now. Apparently, he thought a friend with no judicial experience and simplistic legal reasoning, Harriet Miers, a dandy choice for the Supreme Court. The highest court in the land isn’t for brilliant thinkers, after all, but long-time pals. Also, of course, the President believed a failed horse breeder with no disaster response ability, Michael Brown, a fine selection to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency. New Orleanders know what … Continue reading
As anyone who has opened a newspaper or watched the news over the past few years knows, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been pursuing nuclear capability. Iran’s government insists its only goal is to develop nuclear power plants that would not threaten anyone. The United Nations, though, is concerned Iran might instead covet nuclear weapons. The United States is convinced that is the case. In any event, for an aggressive and fanatical theocracy such as Iran to research nuclear … Continue reading
How did the members of President George W. Bush’s foreign policy team rise to power? What events shaped their policy viewpoints and political worldviews? James Mann, in The Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush’s War Cabinet, seeks to answer those questions. He describes the careers of the six top “Vulcans”—officials who worked in the foreign policy apparatuses of past Republican presidents and returned under the latest Bush: Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Richard Armitage, Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Cheney, and … Continue reading
Dec. 31, 2011, edit: How amazing the effect the passing of a decade can have on one’s perspective. While I still stand by the thesis we are not in a “clash of civilizations” with the Muslim world, I of course must vacate the propositions that American interventions have been warmly greeted in targeted countries. And I believe American foreign interventionism clearly does inspire loathing of the United States that sometimes ignites terrorist ambitions; I would strongly dismiss the Bush explanation were … Continue reading
