History Repeating

Hundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

"Hundreds of people protested at New York’s Times Square on Thursday over possible US plans to strike Syria’s regime which it believes to be behind a deadly chemical attack. Supporters of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, backers of the opposition who want a US intervention, and Americans who say they can’t stomach another war all took to the iconic Manhattan Square. 'US, NATO, hands off Syria,' chanted hundreds of protesters, weaving through thousands of tourists, some carrying pictures of Assad, and some just declaring themselves against another US war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

Hundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

"Hundreds of people protested at New York’s Times Square on Thursday over possible US plans to strike Syria’s regime which it believes to be behind a deadly chemical attack. Supporters of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, backers of the opposition who want a US intervention, and Americans who say they can’t stomach another war all took to the iconic Manhattan Square. 'US, NATO, hands off Syria,' chanted hundreds of protesters, weaving through thousands of tourists, some carrying pictures of Assad, and some just declaring themselves against another US war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

Hundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

"Hundreds of people protested at New York’s Times Square on Thursday over possible US plans to strike Syria’s regime which it believes to be behind a deadly chemical attack. Supporters of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, backers of the opposition who want a US intervention, and Americans who say they can’t stomach another war all took to the iconic Manhattan Square. 'US, NATO, hands off Syria,' chanted hundreds of protesters, weaving through thousands of tourists, some carrying pictures of Assad, and some just declaring themselves against another US war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

Hundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

"Hundreds of people protested at New York’s Times Square on Thursday over possible US plans to strike Syria’s regime which it believes to be behind a deadly chemical attack. Supporters of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad, backers of the opposition who want a US intervention, and Americans who say they can’t stomach another war all took to the iconic Manhattan Square. 'US, NATO, hands off Syria,' chanted hundreds of protesters, weaving through thousands of tourists, some carrying pictures of Assad, and some just declaring themselves against another US war." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHundreds fill New York’s Times Square to protest attack against Syria

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

Politics of Bombing Syria Is Secondary to the President’s Power

"He will claim that it is not an act of war but a one-time retaliation. He will claim that he has the authority by his power to conduct foreign policy. Precedents that go back to the earliest days of the republic support the latter claim, even if the Constitution has nothing to say about the conduct of foreign policy. Obama, the constitutional lawyer, understands this. If he decides to bomb Syria, he will. His only political calculation will be what degree of public and Congressional support he wants to secure, but he has no doubt that he has the power to bomb. He already has been using this power in Libya, Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere since he became president." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolitics of Bombing Syria Is Secondary to the President’s Power

Dec. 20, 1983: Rumsfeld shakes hands with Saddam Hussein

"15 months after the massacre in Du'jail for which Saddam was eventually hanged in 2006, Reagan's Special Envoy to the Middle East, Donald Rumsfeld is in Iraq is shaking Saddam Hussein's hand and pledging our support in his war against Iran." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDec. 20, 1983: Rumsfeld shakes hands with Saddam Hussein

And the Winner of Bush’s Iraq War Is . . . Iran!

"Why did they vote for the resolution in 2003? 'They had weapons of mass destruction.' Well, no, they didn’t. Then why continue to vote to fund it? 'Support our troops!' Right. Get them killed. Get their limbs shot off. Once a President sucks in Congress on backing an invasion — which is 100% of the time — Congress keeps funding the carnage until the next President quietly pulls them out. Always. Support our troops! Today, the USA has zero influence in Iraq. Iran runs the show from the shadows." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnd the Winner of Bush’s Iraq War Is . . . Iran!

This Is What Winning Looks Like: My Afghanistan War Diary

"The US and British forces are preparing to leave Afghanistan for good (officially, by the end of 2014), and my time in the country over the last six years has convinced me that our legacy will be the exact opposite of what Allen posits—not a stable Afghanistan, but one at war with itself yet again. Here are a few encapsulated snapshots of what I’ve seen and what we’re leaving behind." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThis Is What Winning Looks Like: My Afghanistan War Diary