Author Archives: RagBlog

Robert Gates – All Ready a Victim of the Bush Self-Delusion PlagueA. Alexander, December 19th, 2006 Robert Gates, Bush’s nominee for Defense Secretary, was sworn in on Monday. Gates immediately exhibited the single most important characteristic that the President seeks … Continue reading →

Iraq is Vietnam-and You’d Better Believe Itby John Graham I was a civilian advisor/trainer in Vietnam, arriving just as US troops were going home. I wasn’t there to fight, but I hadn’t been in country a week when I learned … Continue reading →

KNOWING THE ENEMYby GEORGE PACKERCan social scientists redefine the “war on terror”?Issue of 2006-12-18Posted 2006-12-11 In 1993, a young captain in the Australian Army named David Kilcullen was living among villagers in West Java, as part of an immersion program … Continue reading →

How is it that we only begin to hear of the failed state in the past few weeks when the first days after the fall of Baghdad saw the first symptoms of state failure? Remember Don Rumsfeld’s cynical remark that … Continue reading →

Missing: a functional Iraqi stateBy Howard LaFranchi | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor WASHINGTON – As President Bush weighs his options for forging a new Iraq policy, he faces this big conundrum: Many proposals call for greater reliance … Continue reading →

“Absolutely, we’re winning.” George W. Bush, Press Conference, October 25, 2006 “We’re not winning, we’re not losing.” George W. Bush, interview with the Washington Post, published December 20, 2006 What a difference an election makes! -m h/t Today in Iraq. … Continue reading →

The Original Foreign PolicyDecember 18, 2006 It is our true policy to steer clear of entangling alliances with any portion of the foreign world. George Washington Last week I wrote about the critical need for Congress to reassert its authority … Continue reading →

As I imagine most of you know, these little fellas are pretty bad. Cute as can be, but bad. A friend of mine took this pic on Vancouver Island, but I could just as well have taken it here in … Continue reading →

Mariann Wizard was kind enough to contact Marilyn Buck and obtain permission from her to ‘rebroadcast’ a little of her poetry. This is a beautiful, haunting piece that invokes visions of youth and carefreeness, and consequences and darknesses. Many thanks … Continue reading →

Sean Penn Accepts ‘First Amendment Award’ — Hits Media, Calls for Impeachment By E&P StaffPublished: December 19, 2006 11:00 AM ET updated 2:45 PM NEW YORK Sean Penn, the actor and occasional foreign correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle, hit … Continue reading →

USDA appoints corporate agribusiness reps to Organic Standards BoardPublished on Tuesday, December 19, 2006.Source: News Target (NewsTarget) The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week that it has appointed four corporate agribusiness representatives to positions on the National … Continue reading →

Much AdoBy: Jane Hamsher Via Josh Marshall, we learn that the AP is trying to find out what happens to Guantanamo Bay detainees once they are released. These are, after all, the people who were so very dangerous that we … Continue reading →