Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s victory in the recall gubernatorial election campaign over his Democratic Party rival is being read like tea leaves with regard to the national presidential campaign. This argument from the local to the national is always an error, and there are many reasons to believe that the results in Wisconsin tell us […]
Top Ten Silver Linings for Democrats in Wisconsin Outcome
Despite Airport Incident, Henry Kissinger is Wrong about Libya
I spent May 27 through June 3 in Libya, and flew out of Tripoli airport to Cairo a day before a small Tarhouna militia came there to demonstrate against the disappearance of its leader. Despite that close call, I came back optimistic about Libya over-all. The Tarhouna demonstration was dealt with efficiently by the new […]
CIA ‘revives attacks on rescuers’ in Pakistan (Woods)
Chris Woods writes at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism: CIA drones are reportedly reviving the use of highly-controversial tactics that target rescuers and funeral-goers. On Monday US drones attacked rescuers in Waziristan in western Pakistan minutes after an initial strike, killing 16 people in total according to the BBC. On May 28, drones were also […]
“Surgeon of Damascus” Promises more Blood, Blames West for Syria Violence
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that the 14-month-old attempted revolution in his country is being instigated by outside forces. He defended the bloody crackdown on the rebellion by the regime, saying that when a doctor operates on an eye, we don’t complain about all the blood but rather thank him for saving the victim’s […]
Heartland Climate Scam Sinking, but so is Planet (McKibben)
Bill McKibben writes at Tomdispatch.com: A hard-hitting campaign from a new group called Forecast the Facts persuaded many of the corporations backing Heartland to withdraw $825,000 in funding; an entire wing of the Institute, devoted to helping the insurance industry, calved off to form its own nonprofit. Normally friendly politicians like Wisconsin Republican Congressman Jim […]
Protests, Politicking around Mubarak Verdict Continue in Egypt
Scattered protests took place around Egypt for a second day on Sunday, in reaction to a court judgment against deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak. On Saturday, over 10,000 protesters had gathered in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, while other, smaller rallies were held in a number of cities, including Alexandria. The verdict delivered by the Cairo […]
Thousands Demonstrate in Alexandria Against Shafiq as Egypt Faces Election Turmoil
Some 7,000 Egyptians demonstrated on Friday, demanding that Gen. Ahmad Shafiq be disqualified as a candidate for president of Egypt in the run-off elections scheduled for later this month. Smaller demonstrations were held in other cities, including in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Alexandrians seem upset, but thec capital was more jaded. The turnout in Cairo was […]
Top Ten Reasons Romney Shouldn’t Arm Syrian Rebels
GOP presidential hopeful Willard “Mitt” Romney has called on President Barack Obama to arm the Syrian opposition, accusing the president of lacking leadership for declining to do so. Romney can’t decide whether he is afraid of Muslims or wants to give them sophisticated weapons. He once explained that he did not want to focus on […]