Imperial Presidency

Newly Released Watergate Wiretap List Raises Questions On ’72 Break-In

"Chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1972, Larry O'Brien has long been said to be the target of the Nixon White House 'plumbers,' the off-the-books squad of political dirty-tricksters, break-in artists and wiretappers arrested in the Watergate office building on June 17, 1972. But O'Brien's name is not on the list of bugging targets released Monday by the National Archives and Records Administration, on order of Chief Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. And that throws a wrench into generally accepted answer to the affair's central question: What were the burglars doing in the Watergate?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNewly Released Watergate Wiretap List Raises Questions On ’72 Break-In

Audacious Hack Exposes Bush Family Pix, E-Mail, Clinton Friendship

"The apparent hack of several e-mail accounts has exposed personal photos and sensitive correspondence from members of the Bush family. In a December 27 e-mail to his four siblings, Jeb Bush saluted his ailing father’s 'kindness and good nature' and pointed to 'how kind he was with President Clinton and he helped restore his sordid reputation. A very tough thing to do but with kindness, dad probably helped Bill Clinton than anything he himself has done.' In a December 26 e-mail to his siblings, George W. Bush's mention of 'bubba' is apparently a reference to Clinton, whom Bush has referred to as a 'brother' due to his close relationship with George H. W. Bush." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAudacious Hack Exposes Bush Family Pix, E-Mail, Clinton Friendship

Protesters gather in DC to demand no strike against Syria

"As Congress prepares to consider a proposal for airstrikes in Syria against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, public sentiment is tilted against the idea. Protesters gathered to make their objections felt in the nation's capital this weekend, calling into question President Barack Obama's case that action is necessary to maintain international law, deter other 'bad actors' and protect American credibility." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingProtesters gather in DC to demand no strike against Syria

Pepe Escobar: Dogs of war versus the emerging caravan

"Not even the ghost of Machiavelli would come up with an adjective to describe the whole planet waiting in disbelief to see whether the almost universally despised House of Representatives (15% approval rating, according to RealClearPolitics) decides, Roman Empire style, to give the thumbs down and authorize the bombing of one of the oldest cities in humanity (well, they have an illustrious precedent of applauding Shock and Awe over Baghdad, which topped the Mongols going medieval in the 13th century). And all this against the will of the 'American people' who, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll support this folly by an overwhelming 9%. Yes We Bomb. But what for?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: Dogs of war versus the emerging caravan

A war the Pentagon doesn’t want

"They are embarrassed to be associated with the amateurism of the Obama administration’s attempts to craft a plan that makes strategic sense. None of the White House staff has any experience in war or understands it. So far, at least, this path to war violates every principle of war, including the element of surprise, achieving mass and having a clearly defined and obtainable objective. They are repelled by the hypocrisy of a media blitz that warns against the return of Hitlerism but privately acknowledges that the motive for risking American lives is our 'responsibility to protect' the world’s innocents." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA war the Pentagon doesn’t want

Paul Craig Roberts: Why Are Obama and Kerry Desperate to Start a New War?

"Isn’t it a threat to international security when a superpower can, acting on a whim, demonize a leader and a country and unleash mass destruction, as the US has done seven times in the past twelve years? There are millions of innocent but demonized victims of the 'indispensable, exceptional USA,' the 'light unto the world.' Forget about the US media, which is nothing but a propaganda ministry for the Israel Lobby. What the members of Congress and what the American people need to ask obama is why does the White House only represent the Israel Lobby? No one supports an attack on Syria but the Israel Lobby." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Why Are Obama and Kerry Desperate to Start a New War?

Obama, the US Liar-in-Chief

"If these leaders in Washington cannot even tell the American people about what the real military contingency plans are for Syria, why should we believe them on all their other claims about chemical weapons used in that country. It’s a con trick, and the American people know it. Moreover, Liar-in-Chief Barack Obama and his partners-in-crime know that the people know it. It really is saying something of the collapsing legitimacy of the US presidency when foreign leaders such as Vladimir Putin or even Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad - the latter vilified as a despotic tyrant - project more moral authority and credibility to the American people than their own leaders do. The American people are right." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama, the US Liar-in-Chief

Obama: Our ideals and principles, national security at stake in Syria

"Obama repeated his pledge that a prospective U.S. attack on his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad’s forces would not draw American troops into a ground-based conflict. 'The United States military doesn’t do pinpricks,' Obama said. 'Even a limited strike will send a message to Assad that no other nation can deliver.' 'To my friends on the right, I ask you to reconcile your commitment to America’s military might with a failure to act when a cause is so plainly just,' Obama urged. 'To my friends on the left, I ask you to reconcile your belief in freedom and dignity for all people with those images of children writhing in pain and going still on a cold hospital floor.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama: Our ideals and principles, national security at stake in Syria

Syria tentatively accepts surrender of alleged chemical weapons arsenal

"Obama warned Monday he had not taken military strikes off the table but, in agreeing to consider the Russian initiative, he effectively pushed back the timetable for possible action. 'I think what we’re seeing is that a credible threat of a military strike from the United States, supported potentially by a number of other countries around the world, has given them pause and makes them consider whether or not they would make this move,' he told NBC television. 'And if they do, then this could potentially be a significant breakthrough. But we have to be skeptical because this is not how we’ve seen them operate over the last couple of years.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSyria tentatively accepts surrender of alleged chemical weapons arsenal

Patrick Buchanan: America Says ‘No!’ to a Beltway War

"How many Syrians should we kill to restore the credibility of Barack Obama? How many Syrians should we kill to impress upon Iran how resolute we are? How many Syrians should we kill to reassure nervous allies that Uncle Sam will forever come fight their wars for them? In America, before we put a man to death, we prove him guilty of murder 'beyond a reasonable doubt.' Should we not set as high a standard of proof before we kill a thousand Syrians and plunge the United States into another war?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPatrick Buchanan: America Says ‘No!’ to a Beltway War