Essays

Glenn Greenwald: David Frum, the Iraq war and oil

"Wars rarely have one clear and singular purpose, and the Iraq War in particular was driven by different agendas prioritized by different factions. To say it was fought exclusively due to oil is an oversimplification. But the fact that oil is a major factor in every Western military action in the Middle East is so self-evident that it's astonishing that it's even considered debatable, let alone some fringe and edgy idea. Yet few claims were more stigmatized in the run-up to the Iraq War, and after, than the view that oil was a substantial factor. In 2006, George Bush instructed us that there was a 'responsible' way to criticize the US war effort in Iraq, and an 'irresponsible' way to do so, and he helpfully defined the boundaries." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGlenn Greenwald: David Frum, the Iraq war and oil

John Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

"In response to Bashir Assad’s crossing of a 'red line' by allegedly using chemical weapons against his own people, Secretary of State John Kerry cites his own fatherly feelings as justification for the all-but-inevitable looming US military intervention in Syria. 'As a father, I can’t get the image out of my head, of a father who held up his dead child, wailing …' Hopefully CNN will try extra hard to sanitize the war footage from Syria once the bombing starts, now that we know how badly dead Syrian kids upset Kerry. Because there are a lot more dead Syrian kids on the way. This is the same John Kerry who served in Vietnam, and who backed two attacks on Iraq and one on Afghanistan, is it not?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJohn Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

John Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

"In response to Bashir Assad’s crossing of a 'red line' by allegedly using chemical weapons against his own people, Secretary of State John Kerry cites his own fatherly feelings as justification for the all-but-inevitable looming US military intervention in Syria. 'As a father, I can’t get the image out of my head, of a father who held up his dead child, wailing …' Hopefully CNN will try extra hard to sanitize the war footage from Syria once the bombing starts, now that we know how badly dead Syrian kids upset Kerry. Because there are a lot more dead Syrian kids on the way. This is the same John Kerry who served in Vietnam, and who backed two attacks on Iraq and one on Afghanistan, is it not?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJohn Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

John Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

"In response to Bashir Assad’s crossing of a 'red line' by allegedly using chemical weapons against his own people, Secretary of State John Kerry cites his own fatherly feelings as justification for the all-but-inevitable looming US military intervention in Syria. 'As a father, I can’t get the image out of my head, of a father who held up his dead child, wailing …' Hopefully CNN will try extra hard to sanitize the war footage from Syria once the bombing starts, now that we know how badly dead Syrian kids upset Kerry. Because there are a lot more dead Syrian kids on the way. This is the same John Kerry who served in Vietnam, and who backed two attacks on Iraq and one on Afghanistan, is it not?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJohn Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

John Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

"In response to Bashir Assad’s crossing of a 'red line' by allegedly using chemical weapons against his own people, Secretary of State John Kerry cites his own fatherly feelings as justification for the all-but-inevitable looming US military intervention in Syria. 'As a father, I can’t get the image out of my head, of a father who held up his dead child, wailing …' Hopefully CNN will try extra hard to sanitize the war footage from Syria once the bombing starts, now that we know how badly dead Syrian kids upset Kerry. Because there are a lot more dead Syrian kids on the way. This is the same John Kerry who served in Vietnam, and who backed two attacks on Iraq and one on Afghanistan, is it not?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJohn Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

John Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

"In response to Bashir Assad’s crossing of a 'red line' by allegedly using chemical weapons against his own people, Secretary of State John Kerry cites his own fatherly feelings as justification for the all-but-inevitable looming US military intervention in Syria. 'As a father, I can’t get the image out of my head, of a father who held up his dead child, wailing …' Hopefully CNN will try extra hard to sanitize the war footage from Syria once the bombing starts, now that we know how badly dead Syrian kids upset Kerry. Because there are a lot more dead Syrian kids on the way. This is the same John Kerry who served in Vietnam, and who backed two attacks on Iraq and one on Afghanistan, is it not?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJohn Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

John Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

"In response to Bashir Assad’s crossing of a 'red line' by allegedly using chemical weapons against his own people, Secretary of State John Kerry cites his own fatherly feelings as justification for the all-but-inevitable looming US military intervention in Syria. 'As a father, I can’t get the image out of my head, of a father who held up his dead child, wailing …' Hopefully CNN will try extra hard to sanitize the war footage from Syria once the bombing starts, now that we know how badly dead Syrian kids upset Kerry. Because there are a lot more dead Syrian kids on the way. This is the same John Kerry who served in Vietnam, and who backed two attacks on Iraq and one on Afghanistan, is it not?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJohn Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

John Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

"In response to Bashir Assad’s crossing of a 'red line' by allegedly using chemical weapons against his own people, Secretary of State John Kerry cites his own fatherly feelings as justification for the all-but-inevitable looming US military intervention in Syria. 'As a father, I can’t get the image out of my head, of a father who held up his dead child, wailing …' Hopefully CNN will try extra hard to sanitize the war footage from Syria once the bombing starts, now that we know how badly dead Syrian kids upset Kerry. Because there are a lot more dead Syrian kids on the way. This is the same John Kerry who served in Vietnam, and who backed two attacks on Iraq and one on Afghanistan, is it not?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJohn Kerry’s Tender Sensibilities

The risk of taking on Syria

"I lived in Lebanon in the fall of 1983 when the Reagan administration ordered the Marine peacekeepers deployed in Beirut to open fire on a Muslim militia. The commander bluntly warned Washington that a strike would have dire consequences for U.S. policy and his troops. 'We'll get slaughtered down here,' he predicted. Nonetheless, the cruiser Virginia stationed offshore fired 70 deafening rounds on the Lebanese fighters. It was supposed to be a quick hit. It was supposed to send a warning. But 34 days later, on Oct. 23, a yellow Mercedes truck carrying the equivalent of 6 tons of explosives drove into the Marine barracks as the peacekeepers slept." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe risk of taking on Syria

Seminal Moments

"They were big, intimidating fellows all decked out in dark, navy blue uniforms and bomber jackets. Each had their pants legs stuffed into black, leather boots, trying to go for that snazzy, SS look. None had the 'have a nice day' smile on their faces either. Now, I'm not a small guy, standing over 6' 2". But these guys were gorillas. Even the one female looked tough as galvanized nails. They were absolutely there to intimidate. I was both angry and curious. I was angry since I knew it was my taxes that paid for them to act like Xanax-fueled chimps. But I was also curious to see if all the stories of nasty US patrol guards from my Internet readings were true. I can assure you the answer is a resounding 'yes.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSeminal Moments