Iran commentary in the United States generates more heat than light for the most part, and much of it is frankly driven by ignorance. Veteran journalist and Iran expert Robin Wright has attempted to redress this problem with an Iran Primer, 50 short entries by experts on key themes. I contributed a brief section on […]
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Uncategorized
Recommended Reading at Tomdispatch.com
Tomdispatch.com has been on a tear in the past two weeks. From Bacevich on the US military as quagmire specialists to Pepe Escobar on central Asian pipelines as the new silk road, and from Nick Turse on how oddly boosterist the books on the Afghanistan War have been to Tom Engelhardt’s poignant essay to young […]
Ahmadinejad Promises to Protect Qana in South Lebanon
The USG Open Source Center translates from Persian the speech of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Qana in South Lebanon on Friday (See below). Qana is significant as the site of several Israeli attacks and atrocities, most recently in summer 2006, in which Israeli bombing killed innocent non-combatants. Lead 9/11 hijacker Mohammad Atta was incensed […]
Ahmadinejad Pledges to Protect Lebanon
On Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed large and adoring crowds in the southern Shiite suburbs of Beirut, which had been intensively bombed by Israeli fighter jets in summer 2006, and then subsequently rebuilt, in part with Iranian aid. Ahmadinejad pledged that Iran will support Lebanon in any future case of aggression against the small […]
Palin Fear-Mongers on Iran, Sharia
Republican gadfly Sarah Palin said in an interview with Newsmax Tuesday that Russia should be warned against helping Iran because if Iran got a nuclear weapon it would bring about Armageddon. She also warned against the imposition of what she called Muslim sharia law on Americans and said they would never put up with it. […]
Ahmadinejad Greeted by Cheering Throngs in Beirut
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Beirut on Wednesday, being greeted enthusiastically by large crowds (probably mostly Shiites) who lined the streets as his retinue came into the city from the airport. The Iranian president said before he left Tehran that “Lebanon is the focus point of resistance and standing against those who demand too […]
Cole on Ahmadinejad at Truthdig
My column on Iran’s Ahmadinejad and Lebanon is up at Truthdig: Excerpt: ‘ Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Middle East’s populist answer to the American tea party, has stirred controversy with his trip to Lebanon, which will begin Wednesday. He is planning to visit villages in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel that have […]
O’Donnell SNL Spoof
Saturday Night Live spoofs Christine O’Donnell’s campaign spot in which she denies she is a witch.
Maddow v. GOP Candidate Art Robinson
Rachel Maddow debates Oregon GOP candidate Art Robinson on his secret campaign backers, his proposal to disperse radioactive waste in the oceans or ‘even over America,’ his denial that AIDS exists, and his climate change denial. When she quotes his own writings to him, he accuses her of smearing him.
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