Tom Hayden: The catastrophic spectacles of American troops urinating on Afghan bodies and burning Korans has provided Obama a new opportunity to cast the Afghanistan war as a hopeless cause.
No One Liked Vietnam Protesters, Either
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Simon Hall: Public opinion, at least as measured by opinion polls, was incredibly hostile toward the antiwar movement even as support for the war in Vietnam waned.
China, U.S. Square Off in the Eastern Sea
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What many viewed as a routine Presidential visit to Australia to finalize an agreement for a new deployment destination of American troops as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq wind down was anything but. Australian Networks Catherine McGrath reported that “post Iraq…America would have a permanent presence in Australia…in the interest of democracy and trade protection…” Prime Minister Julia Gillard stated [...]
Heart Attack Iraq
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Tom Hayden: Obama, the black candidate, the liberal candidate, the anti-war candidate, the candidate with not a moment of military experience, certainly saw a strategic opportunity to focus laser-like on bin Laden, from the 2008 primaries right through the first two years of his presidency.
Vet Leader: Afghan War Deaths an “Atrocity,” War Should End
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Thirty U.S. American troops reported killed Saturday in an Afghanistan helicopter crash emphasizes the need for the U.S. to end operations sooner rather than later in that theatre of war, according to a Iraq/Afghanistan U.S. Marine veteran, who now is chair of the Veterans Caucus of the California Democratic Party.
Dahlia Wasfi and the Tragedy of Iraq
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Mac McKinney: These two wars were also interspersed by severe sanctions against Iraq by Bill Clinton in the latter 1990s that led to hardship, impoverishment, even death for countless Iraqis, and through all these destructive events, Dahlia’s and Ross’s lives crossed, and here I was, interviewing them both.
Prediction: The U.S. Stays in Iraq
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Tom Hayden: It is becoming almost certain that the U.S. succeed in forcing Iraq to “invite” thousands of American troops to stay indefinitely in the latest imperial outpost of the United States in the Arab world
What’s in a Label?
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Nick Antonicello: Political labels do matter. That’s why Hahn has moved to the left in this effort to become politically acceptable to grass roots activists and rank & file party members.
Relentless Pentagon Pressure Mounts to Keep Troops in Iraq
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Tom Hayden: Any “new deal” will have to satisfy the power agenda of al-Sadr and his allies in Iran, or risk a renewal of fighting against the retention of the smallest contingent of U.S. troops in Iraq since 2003.
The Drain of Blood, Taxes and Hope in Afghanistan
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Tom Hayden: Persistent waffling on dates for American troop withdrawals has eroded any remaining patience with the Obama White House among peace activists and voters, a majority of whom favors a timeline for US troop withdrawals.
‘No Drama Obama’ Needs a Strong Second Act
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Walter M. Basch: The Obama administration is a welcome change from the Bush–Cheney years. However, much of what President Obama is doing appears to be an extension of Bush–Cheney values.
LA Progressive: January 24 to 30, 2010
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LA Progressive: January 24 to 30, 2010 — This week’s articles.
What Obama Must Do, and Cannot
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Tom Hayden: Obama may succeed in withdrawing 100,000 American troops from Iraq this year, and the rest by 2012. But even this goal faces opposition from the Green Zone to the Beltway, and any peace dividend will be swallowed by Afghanistan and the Long War.
Kicking the Can Down the Street
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I am afraid to say that President Obama is even risking his presidency by this decision. From this point forward, he will lack the support of the rank and file Democratic majority and become dependent on the very Republicans whose highest priority is to defeat him in 2012.
Five Facts About Afghanistan
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Fourth, ultimately, in a republic, escalating an unpopular war is political suicide. If the public and Congress are balking at sending a measly 40,000 additional troops, they will not ever be willing to send the number of troops needed to win.
Bold Feingold Could Lead the Way Out of Afghanistan
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The challenge for Feingold and other Democrats today is to dump the Afghanistan war without dumping President Barack Obama and the party’s congressional majorities.
Lesson of Vietnam Lost in Afghanistan
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As with the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese army, chances of our destroying the Taliban are slight. Eventually, the Afghans—Taliban or otherwise—will inherit their land and have to assume responsibility for governing.
War Stories: Explaining Why We Fight to the American Home Front
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When U.S. forces in Iraq located no weapons of mass destruction, the George W. Bush administration shifted emphasis to the goal of spreading democracy. In this case, the familiar invocation of America’s mission won some support, but did not avert disappointment and distrust.
Why Doesn’t Obama Make Iraq the 51st State?
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If President Obama plans to keep 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely after 2010, why doesn’t he just annex Iraq as the 51st State now? Iraqis would have our solemn promise we will never again lay their country to waste and we would work out a deal so that their motorists could have any oil [...]
U.S. Troops to Stay in Iraq Until 2012?
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by Joseph Palermo – In yet another cynical ploy from the good offices of the George W. Bush Administration, we are now told that after “tough” negotiations the Iraqi Parliament has approved a December 31, 2011 exit date for American combat troops.
Why John McCain’s “Surge” Success Story Is A Lie
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It really makes the Iraq debate easy for John McCain when he throws around words like “win” and “victory” and “prevail” and “success” without really defining what they mean. A short time ago he was calling for American troops to remain in Iraq forever and that Obama was “naive” for suggesting otherwise. Now that the [...]
When Congress Failed to Stop the Vietnam War
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Although polls show that two-thirds of the American public think that the war in Iraq is a mistake, Congress is having trouble stopping it. In fact, it continues to fund the war. Congress recently voted to appropriate $162 billion more for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In the bill, the Democrats included domestic benefits [...]
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