Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
Not the Pentagon Papers
The release of classified documents on the Afghanistan war by Wikileaks to three major newspapers has been compared to the Pentagon Papers, the top-secret study of US Vietnam War. But this is an inaccurate comparison: in fact, the differences between the two whistle-blowing incidents highlight how today’s Wikileaks story is much less meaningful in political […]
The special relationship
Well, an end to my radio silence. I travelled to London last week, and thought I’d have time to post from there, but discovered that I did not. As it happens, the news while I was in London was about America – namely, David Cameron’s trip to America. The Prime Minister first visited Washington for […]
The Russian “spies”
Apparently we’ve had Russian spies in our midst, pretending to be ordinary folks, for more than a decade. They exchanged orange bags at train stations, used invisible ink and buried money in fields. Who knew the Cold War was still raging all this time? The New York Times and others reported today that federal prosecutors […]
McChrystal: Afghanistan war spins out of America’s control
UPDATE: This post has been re-published as an article in spiked (here). President Obama fired General Stanley McChrystal from his post as commander of US military forces in Afghanistan today, and replaced him with General David Petraeus, who led the 2007 surge campaign in Iraq. This was in response to comments made by McChrystal and his aides […]
Obama: the Gulf between words and deeds
Instead of all the dithering, lofty rhetoric and tough talk, the US president should be honest about the need to keep on drilling. Read my spiked article in full here.
Democrats can’t count on Obama’s support in mid-terms
The Democrats look like they have a tough time ahead of them for the congressional mid-term elections in November. In the Sunday New York Times Magazine, Matt Bai raised the question of whether President Obama will provide leadership and support for his fellow Democrats. Bai, an astute observer, writes: Obama ran on the notion of […]
Exclusive: Spike Lee wants US soccer team to wear “BP Sucks” shirts vs. England
I did not attend last night’s Brooklyn Blogfest event (my invitation must have got caught in my spam filter). But my spy tells me that film director Spike Lee, the keynote presenter, took the occasion to bash the British about the Gulf oil spill. In doing so, Lee joined a growing chorus of high-profile Americans – […]
Criticism of Israel gives Washington cover to intervene more in Middle East
Leaders of the European powers were forthright in criticizing Israel’s raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla. French President Nicholas Sarkozy condemned “the disproportionate use of force,” and British Prime Minister David Cameron called the raid “completely unacceptable”. In contrast, President Obama’s response was more circumspect. A White House statement called the incident “deeply regrettable,” and Obama […]
Finding scandal where there isn’t
First, it was revealed that the White House orchestrated a job offer to senate candidate Joe Sestak, in the hope that he would stand down from the Pennsylvania primary. Now, there are reports that White House deputy chief of staff Jim Messina encouraged Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff to pursue one of three international development jobs, […]
Obama and emotional correctness
When it comes to assessing President Obama’s response to the Gulf oil spill, many pundits are asking whether the president is being sufficiently emotional in his response. In the New York Times, Charles M. Blow writes: “There are many things at which the president is extraordinarily gifted. Emoting isn’t one of them.” Blow says that […]