Exclusive: The hot new thing in U.S. journalism is to trace the failures of Barack Obama’s presidency to his supposed personality flaws, thus explaining why the unemployment problem has not been solved and why the Democrats are in such a political fix. But…
Category: Politics
Politics, Money and Propaganda
One of Washington’s thriving industries is the business of destroying political opponents (sometimes called “oppo”) while making allies look good (under the rubric of “perception management”). These techniques (and the flood of money) are changing U.S. politics, says Danny Schechter.
Barack Obama: Drone Warrior
President Obama has taken personal command over lethal drone strikes against alleged al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen and other countries. To some, this is an inappropriate use of presidential power. But ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar sees some benefit in Obama…
Pity the Poor Billionaires
Billionaires, who are in the process of buying elections across the United States, want to carry out these “investments” in secret. They bristle at demands for disclosure and say listing their names and business interests may open them to public criticism, Bill Moyers…
Showing that Hostage-Taking Works
Exclusive: The U.S. news media has been quick to cite the lousy May jobs report as proof that President Obama’s economic stimulus has failed and that Mitt Romney’s odds of winning have improved. But the real winner is the Republican…
GOP’s Strategy of Deception
Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, two veteran centrists who disdain partisan labels, finally said what nearly everyone knows to be true. In April, they penned a Washington Post article entitled, “Let’s just say it, the Republicans are the…
The Moral Challenge of ‘Kill Lists’
Exclusive: Counterterrorism adviser John Brennan has been called President Obama’s “priest” as they wrestle with the moral dilemma of assembling a “kill list” of “bad guys,” a role that recalls how established religions have justified slaughters over the centuries, writes ex-CIA…
Pope Paul VI’s Error on Birth Control
After conservative U.S. Catholic Bishops sued the Obama administration over its health-insurance requirement for contraceptives, many assumed the Bishops were upholding settled doctrine. But Catholic theologian Paul Surlis says Pope Paul VI incorrectly removed the issue from the Second Vatican Council in 1965.
New Voice for Jailing Bank Execs
In a new book, Predator Nation, Charles Ferguson (who directed the Oscar-winning film “Inside Job”) says banking executives implicated in the fraud that devastated the economy in 2008 should go to jail, a position applauded by Danny Schechter, who has…
Courting Failure in Iran Nuke Talks
In rebuffing Iran’s concessions on its nuclear program, the Obama administration is bending to hard-line neocon pressures at home and Israeli demands abroad. But it also appears stuck on the notion of permanent U.S. hegemony in the Middle East, says…