Departing political leaders offer two kinds of reflections: self-serving rationalizations by those still protecting their reputations and blunt truth-telling by people who realize they should have done more when they had the chance. Both are galling, though in different ways,…
Bird-Dogging Torturers in NYC
Exclusive: As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 nears, many ex-Bush administration officials who approved torture in the “war on terror” and botched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are back in the spotlight taking bows from appreciative audiences in tightly controlled settings. But…
Intelligence, Lost History, Obama Administration, October Surprise, Politics, Right Wing, Secrecy, The Bush-43 Administration
Bush’s ‘October Surprise’ File in Dispute
Exclusive: The enduring October Surprise mystery whether Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign sabotaged President Jimmy Carter’s efforts to free 52 American hostages in Iran has reached a possible turning point, whether details of George H.W. Bush’s activities on a key day…
Thanks to Our Readers
From Editor Robert Parry: I want to personally thank our readers who were able to contribute to our mid-year fund drive. We did come up short on our $25,000 target, but a late surge got us closer than I had…
A 9/11 ‘What If?’
From the Archive: In recognition of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we will be publishing some past stories about the consequences of that momentous day. On Sept. 11, 2008, the seventh anniversary, Peter Dyer reflected on “what if”…
Resetting the American Narrative
Exclusive: The U.S. political climate might change if Americans understood how much the federal government did to create the infrastructure behind many business fortunes, including the Internet and computer technology. That narrative would justify higher taxes on the rich to repay the nation…
The Absurd US Bases in Japan
Anticipating a return to power after Republicans win in 2012, the neocons are now in a delaying game to stop any serious cuts in the U.S. military budget, including in the global network of bases, even in countries like Japan…
The ‘Don’t Kill That Puppy’ Appeal
From Editor Robert Parry: A reader called to suggest that our lagging fund drive take a page from the Republican hostage playbook and threaten to kill, say, a lovable puppy unless we get the donations we need. (We’re too small…
Nuke Plant Battle in Kansas City
A dispute in Kansas City over a new plant for modernizing U.S. nuclear weapons has drawn local opposition and international attention as political and religious leaders question the Obama administration’s commitment to a nuke-free world, Lawrence S. Wittner writes.
Petraeus’s New ‘Killing Machine’
The CIA is now “one hell of a killing machine,” said one CIA insider, as lethal drones hunt down “bad guys” selected for death by a ramped-up force of CIA target analysts. This shift in emphasis has transformed the spy…
Demanding Hurricane Irene ‘Offsets’
Unlike Hurricane Katrina on George W. Bush’s watch, FEMA stayed on top of Hurricane Irene rushing help to flood-stricken Americans, from North Carolina to Vermont. But House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and right-wing Republicans are demanding spending “offsets” from other…
Last Call for Lagging Fund Drive
From Editor Robert Parry: For nearly 16 years, we have tried to give readers in the United States and around the world truly independent journalism, doing what the mainstream U.S. news media often doesn’t do: take on the hard stories…
Democracy v. the Greedy Rich
As the rich get richer, the poor poorer and the middle class smaller, America’s most prominent “populist” movement, the Tea Party, demands more tax breaks for the rich and less help for the rest. Kevin Zeese says only a true…
9/11: Incompetence and Dishonesty
At the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, there will be much commentary about lessons learned. To former FBI agent Coleen Rowley, who tried to ring the alarm before the attacks, one enduring realization is the incompetence, hubris and dishonesty…
A Labor Day Tale of Three Cities
For several decades, America’s political/media elites have song the siren song of a post-industrial economy based on “free trade” and “financial innovations” while silencing dissent that questioned this new-age group think. Now, the results are in, as Phil Rockstroh encountered…
Jesus: Redistributionist-in-Chief
If Christian conservatives truly understood and accepted the teachings of Jesus, they would not be at the Tea Party barricades fighting to protect the money, power and privileges of the rich; they would be demanding what Jesus wanted, a radical…
Turkey Stands Up to Israel
Often in the application of international law, it’s not what a country did but who its friends and who its enemies are that count. In that light, Israel, a close U.S. friend, got the blessings of a UN report for…
Health Reform, Human Rights, Lost History, Media, Obama Administration, Politics, Right Wing, The Bush-43 Administration
Is Obama to Blame for America’s Mess?
Exclusive: With the 2009 stimulus money running dry and with businesses unnerved by Washington’s political gridlock and brinksmanship, America’s weak “recovery” has stalled, prompting more criticism of President Barack Obama. Robert Parry explores whether these complaints are fair.
Real-World Motives for Libya War
The West has buffered the war in Libya with layers of propaganda, including Orwellian claims about “protecting civilians” even as NATO warplanes kill civilians. The obvious real goal was “regime change,” the removal of Muammar Gaddafi, but historian William Blum…
Why Do All Hail Gen. Petraeus?
Exclusive: Iraq continues its drift toward a failed state, amid terror bombings, sectarian violence and a devastated infrastructure. Also, the strategic winner from George W. Bush’s invasion looks to be neighboring Iran. So, asks Robert Parry, why is Official Washington celebrating…