Obama Administration

Running from Right-Wing Clowns

September 21, 2011

By the late 1970s, there was a serious national debate about the blood-soaked Vietnam War, but then came Ronald Reagan rebranding it a “noble cause” and right-wing accusations against critics who “blame America first,” followed by the panicked retreat of everyone wanting to be part of the mainstream, as Phil Rockstroh observes.

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Afghan Raids Target Taliban Families

September 20, 2011

As the Afghan War drags on – and surviving Taliban commanders prove elusive – U.S. forces are targeting friends and families, according to a new study, Gareth Porter reports for Inter Press Service.

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The Dark Legacy of Reaganomics

September 20, 2011

Exclusive: For half a century – from the depths of the Great Depression until the rise of Ronald Reagan – the U.S. government invested in building the nation and funding key research. And the country flourished. But Reagan then reversed those priorities. The results are in, writes Robert Parry.

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A Death-Row Drama in Georgia

September 19, 2011

Georgia’s planned execution of Troy Davis, set for Wednesday, is drawing protests from around the world because of grave doubts that he actually committed the murder of an off-duty policeman 22 years ago. Dennis Bernstein explores the case in an interview with the NAACP’s Benjamin Todd Jealous.

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Cheney’s Unintended Admissions

September 16, 2011

Exclusive: Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s memoir is filled with accounts about the great and wonderful people who agree with him — and the evil buffoons who don’t. But the book offers some unintentional insights into how the American Republic got into today’s mess, writes Robert Parry.

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On Libya, Now They Tell Us

September 15, 2011

Exclusive: The Washington Post now admits that the key role of Islamists in Libya’s uprising “went largely unnoticed” before Muammar Gaddafi was toppled last month. But Robert Parry asks whose fault was that, since it was the Post and other Big Media that were acting more as propagandists for “regime change” than honest brokers.

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Taliban Narrative in Afghan War

September 14, 2011

Holdovers from the Bush administration helped sell President Barack Obama on a “surge” for Afghanistan, arguing that a counterinsurgency strategy could still work. However, two years later, the Taliban continues high-profile attacks almost anywhere in the country, reports Gareth Porter.

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The Lost Innocence of 9/11

September 14, 2011

Perhaps it was inevitable in America’s self-absorbed culture that the tragedy of 9/11 would be politicized and counter-politicized, forged into a weapon by ideological forces to wield against their enemies in the never-ending “culture wars.” But Michael Winship laments how that process has tarnished the memories and heroism of those who died.

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Surrendering Liberties After 9/11

September 13, 2011

After the 9/11 attacks, many Americans were ready to surrender constitutional liberties for an extra measure of security – and the Bush administration was more than willing to accept that deal. But the Independent Institute’s Ivan Eland says the trade-offs haven’t changed much under President Barack Obama.

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Ignoring Post-9/11 Deaths of Innocents

September 12, 2011

On Sunday, amid tearful remembrances of 9/11, the U.S. news media avoided any serious criticism of how the U.S. government responded to the attacks with 10 years of slaughter that has left hundreds of thousands dead, the vast majority having had nothing to do with al-Qaeda. Gareth Porter looks at the reasons for this oversight.

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