I guess it’s easier to admit what a clusterfuck it was if you weren’t part of the clutsterfuck, but I give Jake Tapper a lot of credit for this in any case: When recently talking to Jake Tapper about his new show, I asked the CNN host for his reflection on the 10-year anniversary of …
War
When Your Talk Is Over Tilt That Bottle in the Air
It’s possible to believe that Rand Paul is the douchiest douche who ever douched, and also to believe that, like the blind pig that finds an ear of corn, he’s right once in a while. But before we go throwing roses at Rand, let’s review the bidding: Paul’s filibuster was about the use of drones …
When Your Talk Is Over Tilt That Bottle in the AirPost + Comments (156)
We’re the Drones in America
Eric Holder’s reply [pdf] to Rand Paul’s question of whether the President can order a drone strike in the US is getting some play from sober conservatives (Obama White House Thinks It Can Kill Americans in America is Doug Mataconis’ restrained take on it). Here’s the nut of what Holder said: The question you have …
Droning On And On
Joan Walsh on droooooooones and wrestling with her unbearable guilt of being Joan Walsh: There are (at least) two issues here: The use of drones generally, and their use to kill American citizens. Some values should apply to both. No doubt drone warfare is sometimes preferable to traditional combat – but can’t we debate when, …
Hang Your Head in Shame and Cry Your Life Away
We haven’t had a drone thread lately, so here’s Michael Isikoff’s story about the DoJ white paper laying out the rationale for killing American citizens who are al-Qaida leaders, as well as the white paper itself [pdf]: “The condition that an operational leader present an ‘imminent’ threat of violent attack against the United States does …
Hang Your Head in Shame and Cry Your Life AwayPost + Comments (270)
Sanctions Aren’t Harmless
While the war party goes apeshit over the selection of Hagel for SecDef because of his alleged “weakness” towards Iran, here is a graphic reminder that we are already doing plenty to hurt the people of Iran with crippling sancions: Already battered by international threats against their nation’s nuclear program, sanctions and a broken economy, …
You lie down with neocons
I completely agree with Glenn Greenwald about this (though I wish he hadn’t continued to flog SweetieGate): But much more importantly: when it comes to issues such as war, militarism, defense spending and Middle East policy, isn’t substance much more significant than whether someone has an “R” or “D” after their name? As Obama himself …