be just

Bush’s America : " “No American President can stand up to Israel.” These words came from feisty Admiral Thomas Moorer, Chief of Naval Operations (1967-1970) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1970-1974). Moorer was, perhaps, the last independent-minded American military leader. Admiral Moorer knew what he was talking about. On June 8, 1967, Israel attacked the American intelligence ship, USS Liberty, killing 34 American sailors and wounding 173. The Israelis even strafed the life rafts, machine-gunning the American sailors leaving the stricken ship. Apparently, the USS Liberty had picked up Israeli communications that revealed Israel’s responsibility for the Seven Day War. Even today, history books and the majority of Americans blame the conflict on the Arabs. "

The Bipartisan Guarantee of More War in Iraq : "'Even as they call for an end to the war and pledge to bring the troops home, the Democratic presidential candidates are setting out positions that could leave the United States engaged in Iraq for years. John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, would keep troops in the region to intervene in an Iraqi genocide and be prepared for military action if violence spills into other countries. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York would leave residual forces to fight terrorism and to stabilize the Kurdish region in the north. And Senator Barack Obama of Illinois would leave a military presence of as-yet unspecified size in Iraq to provide security for American personnel, fight terrorism and train Iraqis.' My word, this is certainly a surprise! "

Online NewsHour: Analysis | Iraqi Government Losing Stability | August 15, 2007 | PBS : "MARGARET WARNER: It's been a week of spectacular violence in Iraq: suicide bombings in the north taking a toll of hundreds; the kidnapping of a government minister; and random attacks across the country. It's also been a week of further political stalemate in Baghdad, seemingly fruitless meetings among opposing factions and, amidst boycotts and defections, growing questions about whether the government of Prime Minister Maliki can even survive. We get four assessments of the situation now from Rend al-Rahim, a former Iraqi ambassador to the U.S., she's now executive director of the Iraq Foundation, which promotes democracy there, and she was in Iraq earlier this summer. Jessica Mathews, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, she served in the Carter and Clinton administrations. Trudy Rubin, foreign affairs columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, she travels f...

The Raw Story | Kucinich: DLC agenda 'indistinguishable' from Neoconservative agenda : "Stephanopoulos quoted Ford as saying, ''George W. Bush is handing us Democrats our Hoover moment'' and told Kucinich, 'They believe that if the party follows your path, they're going to blow this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.' 'You have to keep in mind that the center has shifted in our politics,' Kucinich responded, smiling. 'I'm really at the center, and all the other candidates are to the right of me. And they're to the right of the American people.'"

Oslo Revisited - by Uri Avnery : "But the problem of the Oslo agreement goes far beyond the personal fate of its creators. Lacking a clear and agreed-upon aim, the Oslo agreement gave rise to a situation that has almost no precedent. That was not understood at the time, nor is it clearly understood today. Usually, when a national liberation movement reaches its goal, the change takes place in one move. A day before, the French ruled Algeria, on the morrow it was taken over by the freedom fighters. The governance of South Africa was transferred from the white minority to the black majority in one sweep. In Palestine, an entirely different situation was created: a Palestinian authority with state-like trappings was indeed set up, but the occupation did not end. This situation was much more dangerous than perceived initially."

Iraqi officials: Truck bombings killed at least 500 - CNN.com : "BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The death toll in the suicide bombings Tuesday in northern Iraq has risen to at least 500, local officials in Nineveh province said Wednesday. "

Army Suicides Highest in 26 Years | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited : " Army soldiers committed suicide last year at the highest rate in 26 years, and more than a quarter did so while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new military report. The report, obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its scheduled release Thursday, found there were 99 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers during 2006, up from 88 the previous year and the highest since the 102 suicides in 1991. "

Today's Article: # 564 : "My last column highlighted the false accusations made by Nayirah, a 15-year-old Kuwaiti girl, against the Iraqi army in October 1990. Her lies led to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Almost 13 years later, a member of the British Parliament lied to the world about Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Her message was different from that of Nayirah, but the results were identical: death and destruction."

US Blames Iran for Casualties from Its Own Attacks - by Gareth Porter : "When a top U.S. commander in Iraq reported last week that attacks by Shi'ite militias with links to Iran had risen to 73 percent of all July attacks that had killed or wounded U.S. forces in Baghdad, he claimed it was because of an effort by Iran to oust the United States from Iraq, referring to 'intelligence reports' of a 'surge' in Iranian assistance. But the obvious reason for the rise in Shi'ite-related U.S. casualties – ignored in U.S. media coverage of Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno's charge – is that the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al-Sadr was defending itself against a rising tempo of attacks by U.S. forces at the same time attacks by al-Qaeda forces had fallen. "

The State Perpetuates Itself by Failing - by Ivan Eland : "If a restaurant, dry cleaner, or home-repair business provided inferior goods or shoddy services, it is likely that the concern would go belly-up. Yet when the U.S. government makes a blunder, the more its citizens reward its failure with further money and authority."

Psychologists to CIA: We condemn torture | Salon News : "The American Psychological Association, the world's largest professional organization of psychologists, is poised to issue a formal condemnation of a raft of notorious interrogation tactics employed by U.S. authorities against detainees during the so-called war on terror, from simulated drowning to sensory deprivation. The move is expected during the APA's annual convention in San Francisco this weekend. "

FT.com / World - Learn from the fall of Rome, US warned : "The US government is on a ‘burning platform’ of unsustainable policies and practices with fiscal deficits, chronic healthcare underfunding, immigration and overseas military commitments threatening a crisis if action is not taken soon, the country’s top government inspector has warned."