(JavaScript Error)
Archives
04/01/2002 - 04/30/2002
05/01/2002 - 05/31/2002
06/01/2002 - 06/30/2002
07/01/2002 - 07/31/2002
08/01/2002 - 08/31/2002
09/01/2002 - 09/30/2002
10/01/2002 - 10/31/2002
11/01/2002 - 11/30/2002
12/01/2002 - 12/31/2002
01/01/2003 - 01/31/2003
02/01/2003 - 02/28/2003
03/01/2003 - 03/31/2003
04/01/2003 - 04/30/2003
05/01/2003 - 05/31/2003
06/01/2003 - 06/30/2003
07/01/2003 - 07/31/2003
08/01/2003 - 08/31/2003
09/01/2003 - 09/30/2003
10/01/2003 - 10/31/2003
11/01/2003 - 11/30/2003
12/01/2003 - 12/31/2003
01/01/2004 - 01/31/2004
02/01/2004 - 02/29/2004
03/01/2004 - 03/31/2004
04/01/2004 - 04/30/2004
05/01/2004 - 05/31/2004
06/01/2004 - 06/30/2004
07/01/2004 - 07/31/2004
08/01/2004 - 08/31/2004
09/01/2004 - 09/30/2004
10/01/2004 - 10/31/2004
11/01/2004 - 11/30/2004
12/01/2004 - 12/31/2004
01/01/2005 - 01/31/2005
02/01/2005 - 02/28/2005
03/01/2005 - 03/31/2005
04/01/2005 - 04/30/2005
05/01/2005 - 05/31/2005
06/01/2005 - 06/30/2005
07/01/2005 - 07/31/2005
08/01/2005 - 08/31/2005
09/01/2005 - 09/30/2005
10/01/2005 - 10/31/2005
11/01/2005 - 11/30/2005
12/01/2005 - 12/31/2005
01/01/2006 - 01/31/2006
02/01/2006 - 02/28/2006
03/01/2006 - 03/31/2006
04/01/2006 - 04/30/2006
05/01/2006 - 05/31/2006
06/01/2006 - 06/30/2006
07/01/2006 - 07/31/2006
08/01/2006 - 08/31/2006
09/01/2006 - 09/30/2006
10/01/2006 - 10/31/2006
11/01/2006 - 11/30/2006
12/01/2006 - 12/31/2006
01/01/2007 - 01/31/2007
02/01/2007 - 02/28/2007


Contact
Subscribe
Now you can subscribe to this blog and receive new blogs direct to your email!



Daily Digest? No Yes

RSS/XML Syndication

Homepages

Douglas Kellner
Richard Kahn
Raymond McInnis
Link This Blog!
PermaLink

In the Blogroll

Video: Alternative Views
Censured Casualties
features rare footage of war crimes against the Iraqi people suffered during and after the Gulf War. The footage is from former Attorney General Ramsey Clark in his attempt to document the injustice of United States military actions in the region.

Censured Casualties
(58 mins):

Low-band (Modem) or
Hi-band (DSL, Cable, LAN)
Video: Alternative Views
Another Unknown War
features a film on the struggle of the indigenous people of West Papua to remain sovereign in the face of an Indonesian invasion backed by world capital. Footage of Noam Chomsky on Western involvments in the region and the relation to East Timor.

Another Unknown War
(59 mins):
Low-band (Modem) or
Hi-band (DSL, Cable, LAN)
Doug's New Books & Related
Friends
Subscribe
Red Rock Eater News Service

Subversive Media

Online

 

News Sources

Media Research

Magazines

Alternative Weeklies

TV/Radio

 
 
Friday, October 31, 2003

IBook market fire piles on the misery for broken Baghdad

Yet another tragedy visited upon Iraq thanks to Bush insanity, the books are burning...
Independent News

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/31/2003 10:39:32 PM | Permalink

Guardian | Microsoft runs search for a way to take over internet giant Google

Bill wants Google, indeed an excellent way to program the Search World
Guardian | Microsoft runs search for a way to take over internet giant Google

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/31/2003 10:38:01 PM | Permalink

Los Angeles Times: U.S. Rejected Davis on Aid to Clear Trees

the anti-environment Bush administration contribution to California fire devastation
Los Angeles Times: U.S. Rejected Davis on Aid to Clear Trees

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/31/2003 10:35:24 PM | Permalink

Calls to Jihad Are Said to Lure Hundreds of Militants Into Iraq

Jihadists pouring into Iraq, even from Europe and around the world
Calls to Jihad Are Said to Lure Hundreds of Militants Into Iraq

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/31/2003 07:59:31 PM | Permalink

Windfalls of War - The Center for Public Integrity

Big Bush contributers got more payoff then their contributions making the point that buying Bush is a good investment [albeit corruption of the polity]
Windfalls of War - The Center for Public Integrity

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/31/2003 03:41:00 PM | Permalink

U.S. Forces Battle Iraqi Guerrillas in Intense Firefight

more intense battles in Iraq and fear of accelerated terrorism this weekend, Bush progress marches on
U.S. Forces Battle Iraqi Guerrillas in Intense Firefight
More Iraq carnage
U.S. Soldier Killed Near Baghdad by Roadside Bomb
Clashes in Iraq Indicate Rising Tensions During Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/31/2003 01:12:28 PM | Permalink

White House accused of overpaying 'cronies'

heat on Bush giving fat Iraq contracts to cronies like Halliburton and Bechal, what effects ultimately will this story have?
News

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/31/2003 10:21:05 AM | Permalink

washingtonpost.com: Top Israeli Officer Says Tactics Are Backfiring

Israel realizes that its ultramilitarist tactics are backfiring, that negotiations and new policies needed to settle problems of Middle East
washingtonpost.com: Top Israeli Officer Says Tactics Are Backfiring

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/31/2003 08:35:35 AM | Permalink

U.S. Officials See Hussein's Hand in Attacks on Americans in Iraq

This article suggests that failure to get Hussein has created a hornet's nest where the Big One is directly assaults at US troops and others; better to have kept him in his box?
U.S. Officials See Hussein's Hand in Attacks on Americans in Iraq

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/31/2003 08:32:02 AM | Permalink

More Bush Lies: Denying US Military Responsible for Civilian Deaths in Iraq

Bush: “U.S. military was ‘striking the enemy with force and precision’."

Human Rights Watch claims the evidence disputes Bush's claim. And on another questionable claim by Bush, below, see Robert Fisk on Iraqi's "local freedom fighters"

Iraq: Civilian Deaths Need U.S. Investigation
Human Rights Watch Report Tallies Civilian Toll in Baghdad

The 56-page report confirms twenty deaths in the Iraqi capital alone between May 1 and September 30. In total, Human Rights Watch collected credible reports of 94 civilian deaths in Baghdad, involving questionable legal circumstances that warrant investigation. This number does not include civilians wounded by U.S. troops. The precise number of Iraqi civilians killed by U.S. soldiers since the end of major military operations is unknown, and the U.S. military told Human Rights Watch that it keeps no statistics on civilian deaths.

Joe Stork, acting executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch:

“It’s a tragedy that U.S. soldiers have killed so many civilians in Baghdad… But it’s really incredible that the U.S. military does not even count these deaths. Any time U.S. forces kill an Iraqi civilian in questionable circumstances, they should investigate the incident.”

The US military says it has concluded only five investigations above the division level, ordered by the deputy commanding general, into alleged unlawful deaths. Of these, soldiers were found to have operated “within the rules of engagement” in four cases. In the fifth case, a helicopter pilot and his commander face disciplinary action for trying to tear down a Shi`a banner in Sadr City in Baghdad, an incident that provoked a violent clash with demonstrators on August 13.


More from the Progressive [scroll down]

…At his hurriedly-called press conference, Wednesday, October 29, Bush claimed that the U.S. military was "striking the enemy with force and precision" -- an ironic claim, since on Monday U.S. soldiers killed six Iraqi civilians in a reckless response to a roadside bomb. And Human Rights Watch reports that U.S. soldiers have killed at least 94 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad alone.


On another issue, i.e., who is responsible for the car bombs, a military official told The Independent’s Robert Fisk that his forces were facing "local freedom fighters," as well. Fisk reports that many "ordinary Iraqis" have taken up arms against the occupation.

Here’s the actual quote from Fisk (scroll down):

Ordinary Iraqis - many of them long-term enemies of Saddam Hussein - are attacking the American occupation army 35 times a day in the Baghdad area alone


Posted by:
Raymond
at 10/31/2003 07:20:37 AM | Permalink

Thursday, October 30, 2003

Dean Endorsed by Huge California Teachers Association

Bay-area Tri-Valley Herald

... Dean picked up an endorsement Tuesday from the California Teacher's Association, an unusual move so early in the campaign season. The CTA represents 335,000 teachers statewide.

Posted by:
Raymond
at 10/30/2003 08:31:01 AM | Permalink

on the "electablilty of Howard Dean and Wesley Clark

Adam Nagourney in nyt:

"Wherever you go, far from Washington, Democrats share one thing in common: We've got to get George Bush out of the White House," said Eli Segal, Clark's campaign chairman. "I've never seen this kind of passion before."... Polling in early-contest states suggests that there is currency for the view that Democrats are aching for a winner. For instance, a survey taken earlier this month by Stanley Greenberg, a Democrat not aligned with any candidate, found that when asked what they preferred in their nominee, Democratic voters in New Hampshire chose electability over ideology by 53 percent to 40 percent...


Why is Dean seen as a "loser"?

...rarely has a candidate for president so banked on electability as Clark has. And rarely has a candidate who has proved so popular in states with early contests grappled with the doubts that have surrounded Dean.

The retired general's claim of electability is not without doubters of its own. Many of his supporters were surprised to learn that he had spoken warmly of Bush, had voted for Nixon and Reagan, and had said he probably would have voted for the Congressional resolution authorizing the war in Iraq, a stance he later recanted.

Advisers to some rival campaigns argue that positions like those would present an inviting target to the White House and that they fundamentally undermine Clark's case for electability...

... his aides say, the strongest argument for his candidacy is that he has the best chance of beating Bush. "Electability has emerged as a top issue in this race," said Chris Lehane, a senior Clark adviser. "And that is primarily a function of the fact that Democrats are so angry with the direction under Bush that above all else, they want to find a candidate who can beat Bush."...

... shrugging off the electability argument, Dean's campaign manager, Joe Trippi, said that Democrats underestimated his candidate's appeal in the early days of the primary race and that any assessment that he would be a weak general-election candidate would also be proved wrong. Voters, he said, respond to appeals that are based on issues and values. "Bill Clinton didn't say, `Vote for me because I'm going to win,' " Mr. Trippi said. "I don't think people vote that way."

Nonetheless, questions about Dean's electability have shadowed him even as he rocketed to the top of many polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. In an appearance on "Iowa Press," an interview program on public television, he was challenged as to whether he was capable of winning the general election. He responded intensely, if wearily.


Dean in Iowa:

"It's possible that I am the only Democrat who can get elected... And let me tell you why: Every other Democrat in this race believes that the way to beat Bush is to be like Bush. I believe the way to beat Bush is to bring a lot of new people into this process."




Posted by:
Raymond
at 10/30/2003 08:12:52 AM | Permalink

Salon.com Books | "There are leftists, but there is no left"

State of the Left a la James Weinstein
Salon.com Books | "There are leftists, but there is no left"

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/30/2003 07:42:23 AM | Permalink

Eyes Wide Shut

Maureen Dowd compares Bush's idiotic optimism on Iraq to much-maligned Iraqi information minister before the fall of Saddam
Eyes Wide Shut

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/30/2003 07:30:38 AM | Permalink

washingtonpost.com: One U.S. Soldier Injured as Violence Continues in Iraq

chaos continues in Iraq; conditions are so bad that in Baghdad parents are not sending children to school, this is BushProgress
washingtonpost.com: One U.S. Soldier Injured as Violence Continues in Iraq

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/30/2003 07:27:51 AM | Permalink

Clark fierce in denouncing Bush

Candidate's criticism as strong as Dean's, and as the article suggests, shows the fading of his support when he declared his candidacy for president a few weeks ago.

Excerpts from a report in the Milwaukee Journal

... Campaigning this week in Wisconsin and New Hampshire, Clark pulled no punches in his indictment of the war and the president who launched it.

Attacking Iraq, he argued, was not just a mistake but a "national tragedy" that will "be looked at as a disastrous turn of events in U.S. history."

President Bush not only exaggerated the Iraq threat, Clark said, but also deceived people about it, pulling a "bait and switch" by using Sept. 11 as a "pretext" for going after Saddam Hussein.

"If someone wrote it in a novel and said, 'Can you imagine this would happen to the United States, our country would be struck and we'd strike back at a different country that didn't have anything to do with it?', you'd say, 'Can't be!' " Clark told listeners in Milwaukee. "But it is."

In a speech Tuesday, Clark said Bush's description of Iraq, Iran and North Korea as the "axis of evil" was "probably the single worst formulation in the last half-century in American foreign policy."

And he assailed Bush not only over Iraq, but also over Sept. 11 - accusing him of trying to duck responsibility for the attacks - and Afghanistan, saying the United States should have gone through the United Nations and NATO as it struck back at Osama bin Laden.

The Bush record? "An almost unbroken string of foreign policy failures," the former NATO commander said.

"America needs a leader the world can trust," said Clark, "and we don't have one now."
An about-face

The scope and ferocity of Clark's foreign policy broadsides have been noted by his Democratic rivals and Republicans. Both have taken him to task. They say he's trying to score points with anti-Bush Democratic primary voters after praising Bush's leadership before he became a candidate - and after seeing the momentum of his much-publicized entry in the race fade....

Posted by:
Raymond
at 10/30/2003 06:55:26 AM | Permalink

Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Young enlistees have highest death rate in Iraq

As with other wars promoted by corrupt old men with sinister agendas, the young are often the victims of militarist fantasies, lust for power and profit, and other motivations for bad wars, of which Iraq is a textbook case
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=IRAQ-CASUALTIES-10-28-03&cat=AN

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/29/2003 09:40:09 AM | Permalink

Bush's latest lie: Joe Conason's Journal

Bush is never able to take personal responsibility and always finds someone to blame for his administration's mishaps, such as the banner proclaiming "Mission accomplished" in his Top Gun stunt. Joe Conason gets this one right: "Bush's latest lie, blaming the USS Lincoln crew for that embarrassing "Mission Accomplished" banner that was stage-managed by his aides, isn't surprising. The entitled always blame the enlisted"
Salon.com | Joe Conason's Journal

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/29/2003 07:45:52 AM | Permalink

Guardian | Give Iraqis control of security, leader tells US and 'Iraqification' Remains Focus of Administration

Iraqis on governing council beg to be put in charge of security
Guardian | Give Iraqis control of security, leader tells US
And remember "vietnamization"? Now its "iraqification" as the escape route but it still isn't clear how this will work

'Iraqification' Remains Focus of Administration

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/29/2003 07:42:18 AM | Permalink

According to Results of International Polls, Bush falls from favor abroad, too

Some of the content below is adapted by a Jim Lobe piece for Interpress, but I have added material from several other sources.

If United States President George W Bush was surprised on his recent trip to Indonesia by the negative image the country's Muslim leaders had of his administration, he is unlikely to be reassured by two new surveys from Latin America and Europe. The details are laid out by David Sanger in the nyt


Nearly 90 percent of more than 500 elite figures in six Latin American countries polled by the University of Miami School of Business and Zogby International gave Bush a negative rating. Fifty percent of respondents gave his performance the lowest possible rating: "poor".

Bush's highest negatives were found in the region's traditional powerhouses: Brazil (98 percent), Argentina (93 percent) and Mexico (92 percent), according to the survey. (incidentally, Brazil’s President, Luis 'Lula' da Silva is most Popular, according to that poll, because he is seen through his activities of in the G20 as one person standing up to US trade barriers, especially when the US is crowing about the virtues of “free trade” to the rest of the world. Check out this account of the results of the collapse of the recent WTO conference in Cancun. )


Here’s Jim Lobe on it:

The notion that a free-trade accord would favor Washington over Latin America was particularly strong in the region's two biggest economies, Brazil and Mexico, where three of four respondents said the US would benefit most.



European Opinion

A poll carried out by Eurobarometer
for the European Commission of all 15 European Union (EU) countries found that more than two-thirds of citizens saw the US-led war in Iraq as "not justified".

Only 6 percent of the 7,515 people polled said that they believe Washington should be in charge of security in Iraq, while 43 percent agreed the job should be given to the United Nations.

Only 4 percent of respondents there said they accepted Washington's main stated reason for going to war - to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. More than four in 10 said that they believed the principal objective was to secure Iraq's oil reserves.



Two Polls Conducted in Iraq


A third poll just came up in a google news alert, conducted a US agency, but be aware that James Zogby, brother of John Zogby, claims that US "bends" data on Iraqi surveys.

Gallup Poll Even in Baghdad itself, pollsters found skepticism about US intentions running high, according to a new Gallup poll of the Iraqi capital. (You need to subscribe to see this poll. On the page I viewed is the following abstract):

Gallup Poll of Baghdad: Gauging U.S. Intent

Although 62% of Baghdad residents who participated in Gallup's landmark poll of that city said ousting Saddam Hussein was worth any personal hardships they have endured since the invasion, most [Baghdad residents] are deeply skeptical of the initial rationale the coalition has given for its action.


John Zogby Poll

Similar findings are reported by John Zobgy in his Iraqi poll results, as he explained in an op ed written for the la times:

Zogby conducted 600 interviews in four metropolitan areas that would give a cross section of the population: Basra (mainly Shiite), Ramadi, (near Baghdad and mainly Sunni), Kirkuk (Kurd and Turkmen), and Mosul (Sunni and Christian). His results date from late August, but he believe opinions have not changed substantially since then.

What he found is that Iraqis like people all around the world, hold nuanced views.

They are glad to see Saddam Hussein gone — as shown by their desire to punish members of the old regime — but they don't really trust the Americans who drove him out.


Decline of Bush’s Ratings in the US too

The three polls conducted outside the US come amid continuing erosion in Bush's poll standings at home, where his approval ratings for the past several weeks have fallen below where they stood before Septembe

Posted by:
Raymond
at 10/29/2003 07:17:36 AM | Permalink

Tuesday, October 28, 2003

Clark Lays Responsibility for 9/11 at Bush's Feet

Gen. Clark feriously attacks Bush national security policy
Clark Lays Responsibility for 9/11 at Bush's Feet

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/28/2003 10:55:07 PM | Permalink

Dean Receives Coveted Endorsements From African-Americans

nyt

Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr. said Monday that he would soon endorse Howard Dean for the Democratic presidential nomination… Dean has "the best chance to be the next president of the United States."

Introducing Dean to a Chicago university audience, Jackson observed that I’ve seen him stand up for

• health care

• students

• ordinary Americans

“Now, I'm asking you to stand up for Howard Dean."

The support of Congressman Jackson, the son of Jesse Jackson, has been coveted by several presidential contenders in part because he carries some of the imprimatur of his father.


Dean needs this indication of from African-Americans to slew off the criticism that he’s strictly a candidate for white liberals.

Other African-Americans indicating, and/or edging toward, endorsement of Dean’s candicacy for president include are

Jonathan Jackson, brother to Congressman Jackson, Congressman Major R. Owens of Brooklyn as better-known black leaders backing Dr. Dean.

Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Detroit and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston.

Dean: "Congressman Jackson has been one of the major new up-and-coming African-American leaders in this country, and he has been enormously helpful already."

As for Mr. Jesse Jackson Sr., Dean said, "We've spent a lot of time on the phone with him," adding, "He is probably the pre-eminent spokesman for civil rights and economic justice, so he's enormously important to a candidate like me."




Posted by:
Raymond
at 10/28/2003 08:07:33 PM | Permalink

Vote Arnie? - Miniclip.com

hit the replay button on this site and your'll see President Arnie in action
Vote Arnie? - Miniclip.com

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/28/2003 04:48:31 PM | Permalink

Bush - Nazi Link Confirmed

Here's the Big Story about Prescott Bush and the Nazis that we've published several times and is starting to resurface:
Bush - Nazi Link Confirmed
And here's an interview about the story with John Loftus, former Justice Department official who broke the story in the 1994 book THE WAR AGAINST THE JEWS and has tried to circulate the story

And here's Joe Conason, disgracefully, saying
Bush ‘Nazi’ Smear Unworthy of Critics
Conason is way off of the mark on this one: Bush family history has been whitewashed and distorted for generations and what we need is good rigorous historical analysis and critique rather than liberals like Conason claiming the honorable researchers are "smearing" Bush. Shame on Joe for this!

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/28/2003 01:40:59 PM | Permalink

Monday, October 27, 2003

Black Box Voting Blues

worries that new voting machines could be fixed so the Republicans could steal another election
Black Box Voting Blues#BODY#BODY#BODY#BODY

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/27/2003 08:53:56 PM | Permalink

A Willful Ignorance

how ignorant is Bush? Paul Krugman raises good questions
A Willful Ignorance

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/27/2003 08:44:27 PM | Permalink

34 Killed in 5 Suicide Bombings in Baghdad

one of the worst days yet in Iraq and Bush has the gall to say that the chaos is a sign of US "success"!
34 Killed in 5 Suicide Bombings in Baghdad

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/27/2003 07:56:06 PM | Permalink

Transcript of Last Night's Dem Debate in Detroit

Wash Post. I forgot to watch. Pbs was running The Hound of the Baskervilles. Evidently Dean is considered the winner, because the target of the group was Bush.

Posted by:
Raymond
at 10/27/2003 08:09:57 AM | Permalink

Suicide Attacks Kill Dozens in Baghdad (washingtonpost.com)

more mayhem in Baghdad, the never-ending saga of horror
Suicide Attacks Kill Dozens in Baghdad (washingtonpost.com)

Posted by:
Douglas
at 10/27/2003 06:40:16 AM | Permalink

Bipartisan Group of Senators Call for Bush to Disclose 9-11 Documents

Bipartisan groups forming? Are we turning a corner? Ceci Connelly in Wash Post: Drew University president, Thomas Kean, chairman of the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has not received full access to pertinent government documents, called on the White House yesterday to be more forthcoming. Hearing this, Senators Call On White House To Share Records With 9/11 Panel. The more the Admin stalls, the more people assume that they have something to hide about their knowledge before 9-11 of the prospect for the attack.

And the bipartisan nature of the demand goes along with the bipartisan composition of the anti-empire group of preceding post. As Time's Michael Duffy notes, even Rummy is coming out against Iraq! Are we turning a corner?

Posted by:
Raymond
at 10/27/2003 06:11:14 AM | Permalink

Diverse Group Of Scholars And Analysts From Across The Political Spectrum Launch Anti-Empire Drive

This is a distillation of a report on the formation of the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy by Interpress's Jim Lobe , but a google news search shows that it has been reported widely. For some reason, while the group evidently announced its formation Thursday, news of it didn't come across my radar screen until today (Monday, 10-21-03), and -- oddly -- it was thru CNSNews, a rightwing group, but since they reported it approvingly, I take it that this new group has credibilty with all sides of the spectrum. Check out the members listed below!

Representatives of a new coalition of prominent foreign-policy scholars and analysts whose political views range from right to centre-left announced Thursday October 17, 2003 they hope to spearhead opposition to the imperial policies pursued by the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush.

Leaders of the 'Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy' charged that the administration is moving "in a dangerous direction toward empire," an idea that they said has never been embraced by the U.S. public.

The spokespersons said they will hold a series of policy forums and conferences around the country, publish papers and articles, and represent an anti-imperial viewpoint on television and radio, media that, since the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, have been largely dominated by pro-imperial or pro-war voices.

"We are a diverse group of scholars and analysts from across the political spectrum who believe that the move toward empire must be halted immediately," says the coalition's charter statement, signed by 44 foreign-policy specialists.

"We are united by our desire to turn American national security policy toward realistic and sustainable measures for protecting U.S. vital interests in a manner that is consistent with American values," it added.

"The time for debate is now," the charter states, noting that imperial policies "can quickly gain momentum, with new interventions begetting new dangers."

Among the more prominent right-wing signers are Doug Bandow, a special assistant to former president Ronald Reagan and now a senior officer at the libertarian Cato Institute, Scott McConnell, chief editor of The American Conservative magazine and Alan Tonelson of the U.S. Business & Industrial Council Educational Foundation.

Representing more centrist positions are Steven Clemons of the New America Foundation, former senator Gary Hart and Harvard international relations professor Stephen Walt.

More left-wing figures in the group include Charles Kupchan, an aide to former president Bill Clinton now with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Kenneth Sharpe, a prominent foreign-policy analyst from Swarthmore College in Philadelphia.

The launch of the coalition, which intends to recruit other members, comes amid growing concern in both the U.S. Congress and the public about the aftermath of Washington's invasion of Iraq last March. …

Kupchan noted that the public dialogue on Washington's global role had been far too muted, if one-sided, since the 9/11 attacks. "Now there's been a shift in the country that has taken place," he said. "The fact that we're all together here speaks volumes about the degree to which our foreign policy is off course."

The coalition … will … focus on the recruitment of foreign-policy specialists and analysts who can help frame the context for public and media debate. A major target of the group will be the "neo-conservative" strategists in and around the administration, especially those close to Vice President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who led the charge into Iraq, continue to argue for military and other actions against Syria, Iran, and North Korea, and promoted the larger strategic vision of global U.S. military dominance.

The coalition's purpose: … to publicly take on liberals and conservatives who support the administration's imperial policies, beginning with its 'National Security Strategy.'




Posted by:
Raymond
at 10/27/2003 05:46:09 AM | Permalink

Sunday, October 26, 2003

The Eight-Hundred Pound Gorilla in the 2004 Presidential Election

The Christian Right as a Force in Presidential Elections

Over a year has passed since I began writing for blogleft and during that period I have written often about the impact of the Christian Right, e.g., my html piece on Bush’s Religious Rhetoric One of the stats I quoted was the astonishing number of born again Christians in the US. According to a justly famous op ed by nyt's Nicholas Kristof (scroll down in my piece), a Gallop poll found that 46% of the population claim to be born again Christians, and guess what party they are inclined to support?

The Christian Right is, then, a force to be reckoned with, especially in Presidential elections, and in this light, I remain mystified about why Howard Dean took such a provocative, even defiant, position on gay marriage. For example, check out this piece from CNSNews, a rightwing news service:
… Democrats Fear Dean
Posted by NYC Republican PoliPundit.com |

Congressional Democrats are afraid of what a Howard Dean nomination would do to them: Vulnerable House Democrats are worried that Howard Dean’s negative coattails will whisk them out of office in 2004. The incumbent lawmakers — especially those from culturally conservative Southern states — are concerned that if he is nominated, the former Vermont governor’s antiwar, pro-gay positions will create a national mood that will make it more difficult for Democratic incumbents to keep their seats, let alone win back the House. If it's bad for House members, it's worse for senators. As I put it in June, when I...


This past week the General Boykin debacle has stirred up responses on both sides of the political spectrum. (This is a link to Time's account of Boykin; it contains the most info on the General that I have encountered.)For agnostic lefties like myself, it is an abomination. To the Christian Right, however, General Boykin is merely exercising his civil rights in voicing his beliefs about Islam. Here’s how one evangelical leader put it:

Focus on the Family [leader, James Dobson,] Decries Media Lambasting of Lt. General Boykin; Worldwide Ministry Alarmed at Anti-Christian Attacks

Focus on the Family Chairman Dr. James Dobson expressed outrage over the vicious media treatment Lt. Gen. William Boykin has received for making Christian statements in reference to the war on terrorism.

"We are extremely distressed by the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and others' treatment of Gen. Boykin. Since when does a man not have the right to express his private religious views in the company of fellow believers?" asked Dobson. "Does a man forfeit his freedom of speech when he becomes a military leader?"

Dobson also explained that Gen. Boykin's comments were directed to a Christian audience who clearly understood the meaning of his message.

"Every conservative Christian would understand the language that Gen. Boykin used to describe what is known as spiritual warfare. His words were consistent with mainstream evangelical beliefs and he had a right to express them."

Dobson further lashed out at Boykin's vocal media critics, describing a record of antagonism toward Christians in the public square.

"General Boykin was speaking about terrorists with no regard for human life, not peaceful Muslims. Nothing in the excerpts of his speeches can even remotely be construed as an attack on Islam. Yet, his critics are all too eager to draw inferences that don't exist. These diatribes against Gen. Boykin are consistent with the denigration of anyone in public life who has the temerity to speak openly about his faith. This is nothing more than an assault on the Christian faith, which is becoming a very common occurrence in the mainstream media."

Dr. James Dobson also addresses the issues raised by Lt. General Boykin's comments during the first part of today's Focus on the Family radio broadcast.

The entire broadcast can be heard by visiting http://www.family.org


Evidently Dobson fomented a “phone in” to the Pentagon:

Phone Campaign Organized in Support of US General Who Made Controversial Remarks on Islam

A conservative Christian activist has organized a phone campaign in support of a U.S. army general who has sparked controversy over his remarks casting the war on terrorism in religious terms.

Pentagon officials confirm that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's office has been flooded with phone calls in support of Lieutenant General William Boykin.

James C. Dobson, founder of the non-profit organization Focus on the Family, which produces his internationally syndicated radio programs, organized the campaign and publicized the secretary's phone number. …


Now comes this from the NYT (If you can't get the nyt piece, try this reprinting, with internal links that are lacking in the nyt -- kinda neat.)

Evangelicals Sway White House on Human Rights Issues Abroad
After Bush took office, a coalition arranged to ask Karl Rove to lobby Bush that the United States intercede in the civil war in Sudan. The group included Charles W. Colson, the born-again Christian who spent seven months in jail for his role in Watergate. … Although twenty-year war in Sudan was not that important in the Bush admin,… the religious strife between Christians and Muslims in a conflict that had killed two million people was of enormous concern to American religious groups, particularly the evangelicals who make up a major portion of President Bush's electoral base.

Rove, the participants in the meeting recalled, was unusually receptive during a nearly hourlong conversation. "He made it clear how seriously the administration was going to engage on this," said Rabbi Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

Close to three years later, the White House has lived up to Rove's promise to engage not only in peace talks in Sudan, but on other human rights issues of critical importance to American religious groups, most notably sex trafficking and AIDS.

Administration officials and members of Congress say the religious coalition has had an unusual influence on one of the most religious White Houses in American history. The groups have driven aspects of foreign policy and won major appointments, and they were instrumental in making sure that the president included extensive remarks on sex trafficking in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September.

No one disputes that Bush already cares deeply about those issues and has a personal faith that his advisers say brings a moral dimension to a foreign policy better known for war. "To put it simply, it's a fairly radical belief that a child in an African village whose parents are dying of AIDS has the same importance before God as the president of the United States," said Michael Gerson, Bush's chief speechwriter and an important White House policy adviser who is a born-again Christian.

But it is also true, religious leaders and administration officials note, that white evangelicals accounted for about 40 percent of the votes that Bush received in the 2000 presidential election. In 2004 , political analysts say, he is unlikely to be re-elected without the strong support of this constituency, which is predominately but not wholly Republican, and which in other years has thrown significant support to southern Democrats like Bill Clinton. Rove is now tending to the constituency with great care.

"You're not going to run into too many people who are smarter than Karl," said Dr. Richard D. Land, the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Co