This article is embarassingly histrionic and silly; it would not get past the critical thinking skills of a child. Thus:
"his own risky, unproven counterinsurgency strategy, which cost countless American lives"
1,955, actually, at least according o icasualties. I should have stopped reading there but it was instructive to see the emerging Dolchstoß narrative. The gluurrrious troops were prepared to die to the last... yeah, yeah, yeah.
The whole war was a crime, although few people had the courage to say so when it started. The real tragedy are the 'countless' Americans who died since Obama authorized his ridiculous surge in the face of many arguments against.
The real heroes of this war are the lonely drone operators and high-flying bomber aces who racked up impressive body counts, where the 'rules of engagement' include any wog over the age of 21.
The ground troops were given a political mission. If they failed, they failed. Poncing around like the old guard is silly and counter productive. Petraeus was a hack - Obama promoted him.
Anything less is overdeterminism. If just one of the myriad security council resolutions condemning israeli behavior in the occupied territories or Gaza was allowed to pass through, israel would be subject to the same sanctions that Iraq and now Iran has suffered.
It's not complicated. The US is the enabler of brutality. Full stop. Here they say, "israel is the man, and America is the donkey".
Irrational means doing something that will cause you harm, in exchange for little of value.
The israelis are perfectly rational. Nothing will come of this because of their absolute chokehold on American politics. In exchange they get to bully people. No worries.
Obama? Yes, he will condemn israel just before the American election. Yes, he will, sure, right away.
This is the sort of well-intentioned article that shows the complete lack of politics available to us: in effect, we have have to commit suicide to avoid being killed. We are compelled to support a President whose drone/torture/rendition/sanctioned murder policies we loathe because his possible successor would be worse. Is there a better recipe than that to guarantee the support of what's left of the American Left?
Better safe than sorry makes sense as long as those are the only 2 options available. We need a new political party.
"I fully agree with you: it’s vital for the survival of the USA that President Obama speaks on the mater, even if he fears it may cost him a second term."
Whew! Tough call, eh? Sadly we have been reduced to precisely this.
"But if the government now abruptly declares that Shafiq has won, despite the certitude of the Brotherhood that it came out ahead and knows the local poll numbers to prove it, then there is likely to be a blow-up. The Brotherhood will consider that it has had two elections stolen from it."
Will consider? If this happens it will vindicate MB as the only thing worth believing in, and rightly so. Any decent person would be bound to support its rights, or else be branded as a wretched hypocrite.
Somebody needs to alert the western press that there's more to Egypt than flash coffee bars on Zamalek island and the AUC bookstore in Tahrir Square.
Administrative detention has long been used against Arabs - no one cares, so it's ok. But now the peace and freedom loving Jewish state has turned its guns against, gasp!, black people! Africans, no less.
This sort of thing usually stirs up outrage and condemnation. This case will be the exception.
Oh, and somebody should ask the Israelis how illegal immigrants managed to get into Israel in the first place.
I hope this is the beginning or a worldwide pushback from whatever is left of the left, whether in France or in Greece.
All we need now is the same renascence of the American Left, one not beset with manipulated fear and able to make the Democratic Party a bit more receptive to its concerns.
"And he could say publicly that the US won’t try to starve Iranian children the way it did Iraqi children.
He won’t, of course, because he is running against a warmonger, and many among the American wealthy think wars are good for business, so he’d lose support if he spoke that way"
Support for what, exactly? A bit of reductionism and: "In order to have the Great Society, I had to give them Vietnam".
So how many dead Iranian children are worth...what?, What's the trade-off?
Is it Rumi or Saadi who talks about the Sufi and the sick king? Maybe Obama should read more.
"Obama remains relatively popular with Israeli Jews, not despite his commitment to a peace process rejected by the Likud government but because of it."
This is just silly. Committed to what process, exactly? Obama is just as much a contributor to the co-dependency between American politics and Israel as anyone else. Name one action that he has taken to block settlements, for example.
Why don't you ask Palestinians and Arabs how much Obama is committed to the peace process?
But who are the 'rebels'? Homs is certainly undergoing the Hama treatment but I've yet to hear who is spearheading the resistance to the regime?
Honestly, the lack of support suggests to me the fear of an ikhwan led resistance, although I've seen no identification of the nature/politics of the resistance in the Arab press. Certainly not on the satellite channels (I live in the region).
"If Israel does a unilateral strike, this could be a real problem for the national security interests of the United States," Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said today on CNN's "State of the Union."
That's all that should matter to Americans. For the Israelis, them to their way, us to ours - so to speak.
"In any case, rising Egyptian-Israeli tensions for the first time since the early 1970s present a severe challenge to US policy, which attempts to maintain good relations with both."
I'd qualify that with 'as long as Egyptians recognize their sub-altern status'. It seems as if the Bondsman has had enough - the challenge for the US is to accept that and work within a new Middle East.
At this wonderful historical moment when we are made aware of the struggle between the 99% and 1% it is vital to remember that the non-stop war mongering against Iran is cranked out by even less than 1% - the Zionists and their constant need to have anyone who opposes their project silenced or subjected to cruise missiles.
War against yet another brown skinned and/or Muslim people is Obama's last card option. Who could vote against the incumbent when we are a NATION AT WAR?
War against the Muslims is the definitive 1% war. The Zionists have been pounding the drums for war against Iran for years, this is just the latest effort. They are going for the cumulative effect here.
Zakaria supported the perfectly democratic invasion of Iraq, as I recall. I wonder if decidedly hardball tactics used to prevent a similar attack on Iran would be acceptable.
They would to me. I wish some of the go to the wall passion of the Tea Party could be put to use against some of the worst excesses that have characterized government over the past 10 years.
The map doesn't show the causeway that connects Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, the human pipeling for repressed Saudis to drive over and get hammered in Bahraini night clubs and cause all sorts of mischief. More conservative elements in Bahrain have been calling for the banning of alcohol and other curbs on what they feel has become far too licentious a society, a floating whorehouse held up as a 'model' of a modern Muslim country.
There are protests every day against the goverment; these have been going on for years. The 'Anerican' street outside the naval base has also witnessed some protests over the years.
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This article is embarassingly histrionic and silly; it would not get past the critical thinking skills of a child. Thus:
"his own risky, unproven counterinsurgency strategy, which cost countless American lives"
1,955, actually, at least according o icasualties. I should have stopped reading there but it was instructive to see the emerging Dolchstoß narrative. The gluurrrious troops were prepared to die to the last... yeah, yeah, yeah.
The whole war was a crime, although few people had the courage to say so when it started. The real tragedy are the 'countless' Americans who died since Obama authorized his ridiculous surge in the face of many arguments against.
The real heroes of this war are the lonely drone operators and high-flying bomber aces who racked up impressive body counts, where the 'rules of engagement' include any wog over the age of 21.
The ground troops were given a political mission. If they failed, they failed. Poncing around like the old guard is silly and counter productive. Petraeus was a hack - Obama promoted him.
Great, Juan. Let's use all of our accumulated leverage we've gained by blindly supporting the Democratic Party and the President to...what?
If you give someone a blank check, don't be surprised if they cash it. Cue hand washing...
Let the hasbara begin!
Anything less is overdeterminism. If just one of the myriad security council resolutions condemning israeli behavior in the occupied territories or Gaza was allowed to pass through, israel would be subject to the same sanctions that Iraq and now Iran has suffered.
It's not complicated. The US is the enabler of brutality. Full stop. Here they say, "israel is the man, and America is the donkey".
It's always been that way.
Irrational means doing something that will cause you harm, in exchange for little of value.
The israelis are perfectly rational. Nothing will come of this because of their absolute chokehold on American politics. In exchange they get to bully people. No worries.
Obama? Yes, he will condemn israel just before the American election. Yes, he will, sure, right away.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And whom, what, do we leverage with, and how? Write another column about supporting Obama/Clinton/Likud because, well, Romney is worse.
Well then there's nothing for it: vote for Obama!
This is the sort of well-intentioned article that shows the complete lack of politics available to us: in effect, we have have to commit suicide to avoid being killed. We are compelled to support a President whose drone/torture/rendition/sanctioned murder policies we loathe because his possible successor would be worse. Is there a better recipe than that to guarantee the support of what's left of the American Left?
Better safe than sorry makes sense as long as those are the only 2 options available. We need a new political party.
"I fully agree with you: it’s vital for the survival of the USA that President Obama speaks on the mater, even if he fears it may cost him a second term."
Whew! Tough call, eh? Sadly we have been reduced to precisely this.
"But if the government now abruptly declares that Shafiq has won, despite the certitude of the Brotherhood that it came out ahead and knows the local poll numbers to prove it, then there is likely to be a blow-up. The Brotherhood will consider that it has had two elections stolen from it."
Will consider? If this happens it will vindicate MB as the only thing worth believing in, and rightly so. Any decent person would be bound to support its rights, or else be branded as a wretched hypocrite.
Somebody needs to alert the western press that there's more to Egypt than flash coffee bars on Zamalek island and the AUC bookstore in Tahrir Square.
Administrative detention has long been used against Arabs - no one cares, so it's ok. But now the peace and freedom loving Jewish state has turned its guns against, gasp!, black people! Africans, no less.
This sort of thing usually stirs up outrage and condemnation. This case will be the exception.
Oh, and somebody should ask the Israelis how illegal immigrants managed to get into Israel in the first place.
A great idea. Someone should ask the President what he thinks about it.
Nah.
I hope this is the beginning or a worldwide pushback from whatever is left of the left, whether in France or in Greece.
All we need now is the same renascence of the American Left, one not beset with manipulated fear and able to make the Democratic Party a bit more receptive to its concerns.
"And he could say publicly that the US won’t try to starve Iranian children the way it did Iraqi children.
He won’t, of course, because he is running against a warmonger, and many among the American wealthy think wars are good for business, so he’d lose support if he spoke that way"
Support for what, exactly? A bit of reductionism and: "In order to have the Great Society, I had to give them Vietnam".
So how many dead Iranian children are worth...what?, What's the trade-off?
Is it Rumi or Saadi who talks about the Sufi and the sick king? Maybe Obama should read more.
"Obama remains relatively popular with Israeli Jews, not despite his commitment to a peace process rejected by the Likud government but because of it."
This is just silly. Committed to what process, exactly? Obama is just as much a contributor to the co-dependency between American politics and Israel as anyone else. Name one action that he has taken to block settlements, for example.
Why don't you ask Palestinians and Arabs how much Obama is committed to the peace process?
And the Democratic voices that supported Dempsey?
Netanyahu is loyal to Israel, General Dempsey serves the interests of the United States.
Israel Firsters will follow Netanyahu's lead.
But who are the 'rebels'? Homs is certainly undergoing the Hama treatment but I've yet to hear who is spearheading the resistance to the regime?
Honestly, the lack of support suggests to me the fear of an ikhwan led resistance, although I've seen no identification of the nature/politics of the resistance in the Arab press. Certainly not on the satellite channels (I live in the region).
Who are the rebels?
I read this today:
"If Israel does a unilateral strike, this could be a real problem for the national security interests of the United States," Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said today on CNN's "State of the Union."
That's all that should matter to Americans. For the Israelis, them to their way, us to ours - so to speak.
"In any case, rising Egyptian-Israeli tensions for the first time since the early 1970s present a severe challenge to US policy, which attempts to maintain good relations with both."
I'd qualify that with 'as long as Egyptians recognize their sub-altern status'. It seems as if the Bondsman has had enough - the challenge for the US is to accept that and work within a new Middle East.
No mention of Obama's surge, and its security objectives he was crowing about back in June?
He 'bought' the war with the surge, didn't he? What did we get in return?
At this wonderful historical moment when we are made aware of the struggle between the 99% and 1% it is vital to remember that the non-stop war mongering against Iran is cranked out by even less than 1% - the Zionists and their constant need to have anyone who opposes their project silenced or subjected to cruise missiles.
War against yet another brown skinned and/or Muslim people is Obama's last card option. Who could vote against the incumbent when we are a NATION AT WAR?
War against the Muslims is the definitive 1% war. The Zionists have been pounding the drums for war against Iran for years, this is just the latest effort. They are going for the cumulative effect here.
I a nominally secular country a person's religion is irrelevant, right?
If the Democratic nominee, presumably Obama, makes an issue of Romney's religion, he's a hypocrite.
I generally support Juan but I detect an agenda here.
Obama is a cringe inducing fraud. He approved the sale of bunker buster (Muslim killing) bombs to the Jewish state. Not even Bush did that.
War against Iran is coming.
Zakaria supported the perfectly democratic invasion of Iraq, as I recall. I wonder if decidedly hardball tactics used to prevent a similar attack on Iran would be acceptable.
They would to me. I wish some of the go to the wall passion of the Tea Party could be put to use against some of the worst excesses that have characterized government over the past 10 years.
The map doesn't show the causeway that connects Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, the human pipeling for repressed Saudis to drive over and get hammered in Bahraini night clubs and cause all sorts of mischief. More conservative elements in Bahrain have been calling for the banning of alcohol and other curbs on what they feel has become far too licentious a society, a floating whorehouse held up as a 'model' of a modern Muslim country.
There are protests every day against the goverment; these have been going on for years. The 'Anerican' street outside the naval base has also witnessed some protests over the years.