Author Archives: RagBlog

We don’t understand how the UN official can say that “the use of mercenaries … has caught the US by surprise.” Perhaps the US public is surprised, but there is no doubt that no member of BushCo is the least … Continue reading →

Iraq Escalation Could Be Twice As Large As Bush Claimed A study released today by the Congressional Budget Office shows that the real troop increase associated with President Bush’s escalation policy could be as high as 48,000, more than double … Continue reading →

Castro’s LegacyBy Wayne S. SmithFeb 2, 2007, 12:20 Wayne S. Smith is now a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington, D.C. and an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He was Chief of the … Continue reading →

Cheney’s Fingerprint?By Dan FroomkinSpecial to washingtonpost.comFriday, February 2, 2007; 12:58 PM The revelation yesterday that Scooter Libby acknowledged in November 2003 that he and Vice President Cheney may have talked in July about whether to tell reporters that Valerie Plame … Continue reading →

Congress Has the Power, Do They Have the Will? Who Can Stop the War?By ALEXANDER COCKBURN Aside from winning, there aren’t that many ways of ending wars. Governments pay attention when the troops mutiny, when there are riots outside recruiting … Continue reading →

6. Propaganda in America – The Enemy Within

Engagement With WarBy Kathy Kellyt r u t h o u t | Guest ContributorTuesday 30 January 2007 Amman, Jordan – Earlier this week, I received a joyful phone call from Baghdad. Members of a family I’ve known since 1996 … Continue reading →

From Rahul Mahajan at Empire Notes Weekly Commentary — Our Profound Ignorance of Muslims Long-time readers of my commentaries will know that I do not subscribe to the liberal notion that our main problems in the Middle East derive from … Continue reading →

And after they cut off funding for this morass in Iraq, they can kick out the two smart-asses who started it. Congress can halt Iraq war, experts tell lawmakersBy Susan Cornwell – ReutersTuesday, January 30, 2007; 8:17 PM WASHINGTON (Reuters) … Continue reading →

Iraq in the strategic context: Testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations CommitteeBy Zbigniew Brzezinski, United States Senate, February 1, 2007 It is time for the White House to come to terms with two central realities: The war in Iraq is … Continue reading →

Dancewater at Today in Iraq characterizes this situation perfectly: “The US has a long history of arming and funding their future enemies. Turn-around time is short in this war, however. One might think this is done to make wars more … Continue reading →

Good news from Iraq — of courage and nightmaresThu Feb 1, 2007 7:51am ET30 Alastair Macdonald is about to end an assignment of almost two years in Baghdad as the Reuters Bureau Chief for Iraq. In the following story, he … Continue reading →