Meet The New Boss

Syria strike may hinge on Nancy Pelosi

"While Boehner backs military action — a rare point of agreement with Pelosi in the hyper-partisan House — it's unclear how many votes he will deliver from his party members. Passage may well rely on strong support by the president's own party. Pushing for military action against Syria, even in a limited way, would seem an awkward position for Pelosi, whose party won control of the House in 2006 by tapping into public frustration with President George W. Bush over the war in Iraq. Her view that Obama could order a strike on Syria without congressional approval also puts her at odds with a number of fellow Democrats." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSyria strike may hinge on Nancy Pelosi

John Kerry, 1971: ‘I Don’t Think U.S. Can Apply Moralism Around The World’

"Taped on Nov 2, 1971. Five months before this show, WFB had taken as his text, for a commencement address at West Point, Mr. Kerry's sensational testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the barbarism of our activities in Vietnam. Neither host nor guest has changed his views since, but there is light as well as heat generated on Vietnam in particular and morality and foreign policy generally." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJohn Kerry, 1971: ‘I Don’t Think U.S. Can Apply Moralism Around The World’

Reporter Asks Obama if Nobel Peace Prize ‘Dilemma’ on Syria Attack

"President Barack Obama flew to Sweden on Wednesday for a diplomatic meeting ahead of a two-day G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Obama held a wide-ranging press conference in Sweden relating to the White House's effort to build support for a strike on Syria in the wake of that government's use of chemical weapons on civilians. One Swedish reporter cornered Obama on the contradictions contained in the fact that a Nobel Peace Prize winner is planning to launch his second war against a sovereign nation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReporter Asks Obama if Nobel Peace Prize ‘Dilemma’ on Syria Attack

US Senate panel approves use of force against Syria

"President Barack Obama's plan to conduct punishing military strikes on Syria passed its first congressional hurdle Wednesday, paving the way for a full Senate debate on the use of force. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved an amended resolution 10-7, with one senator, the chamber's newest member Edward Markey, voting present, that authorizes US military intervention with a 90-day deadline and bars American boots on the ground for combat purposes. 'What we've done today is a step in the right direction. I hope it makes a safer world,' said Senator Dick Durbin. The chamber's number two Democrat voted against the war in Iraq, but he insisted that 'this is different.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Senate panel approves use of force against Syria

David Stockman: The End of U.S. Imperium—Finally!

"Next week Congress can do far more than stop a feckless Tomahawk barrage on a small country that is already a graveyard of civil war and sectarian slaughter. By voting 'no,' it can trigger the end of the American Imperium—five decades of incessant meddling, bullying, and subversion around the globe that has added precious little to national security but left America fiscally exhausted and morally diminished. Indeed, the tragedy of this vast string of misbegotten interventions is that virtually none of them involved defending the homeland or any tangible, steely-eyed linkages to national security. They were all rooted in ideology." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Stockman: The End of U.S. Imperium—Finally!

John Kerry invokes apocalyptic ‘domino theory’ in call with House Democrats

"In a Labor Day conference call with 127 House Democrats, Secretary of State John Kerry invoked an apocalyptic scenario, summoning visions of American power and credibility incinerated in a terrible Middle East-wide conflagration laced with nerve gas and enriched uranium. Kerry warned that the failure to punish Bashar Al-Assad for using chemical weapons on Syrian civilians could lead to future chemical attacks on Israel and Turkey, emboldening Iran to forge ahead with an alleged nuclear weapons program and perhaps even enter the battlefield in support of Syria. Next, Kerry hammered on the Holocaust, declaring that the US faced a 'Munich moment' on Syria." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJohn Kerry invokes apocalyptic ‘domino theory’ in call with House Democrats

Signs of a Shift Among Egyptian Protesters to Antigovernment, From Pro-Morsi

"As tens of thousands gathered in the streets of Cairo for the ninth Friday of protests against the takeover, few carried the posters of Mr. Morsi’s face that were once the banner of the Brotherhood’s 'anti-coup' coalition. Instead, almost everyone held a sign with a logo memorializing the mass killing by security forces of hundreds of Morsi supporters on Aug. 14. In at least one march by thousands of demonstrators in the neighborhood of Mohandiseen, many carried signs opposing both the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement behind Mr. Morsi, and the new government installed by General Sisi." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSigns of a Shift Among Egyptian Protesters to Antigovernment, From Pro-Morsi

As Egyptians Ignore Curfew, Talk of a U.S.-Brotherhood Conspiracy

"When the conversation turns to politics, the predominant topic is a surprise to American ears: the conspiracy between the United States and the Muslim Brotherhood to destroy Egypt. The 'people’s committees,' which sprung up in Egyptian neighborhoods as a counterweight to the Muslim Brotherhood, in theory were disbanded last week. But that did not stop self-appointed guardians in the Zaki Street market of the Maadi neighborhood from repeatedly demanding identity documents, letters of permission and, especially, proof of not being affiliated with Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab news network, which is reviled because it is owned by Qatar, a strong supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAs Egyptians Ignore Curfew, Talk of a U.S.-Brotherhood Conspiracy

Egypt Crumbling: “The Most Important Event so Far of the 21st Century”

"The Saudi-Russia-China alliance is designed to break the Egypt-U.S. relationship. The new alliance reflects how U.S. influence is waning in the Middle East. After many decades of driving events in the Middle East — and spending incalculable national treasure — the U.S. is about to lose big. New alliances in Egypt reflect Saudi-Russian-Chinese efforts to help keep hard-line Islam under control. The Saudis fear Brotherhood-style religious fervor. Russia wants to control the spread of hard-line Islam in its southern regions — Chechnya comes to mind — while China has issues with hard-line Islam in its western regions. And the U.S.? There’s no sense of consistency coming from Washington." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgypt Crumbling: “The Most Important Event so Far of the 21st Century”