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Today's
Stories
December
6, 2004
Paul
Craig Roberts
Paranoia and Pre-emption: Is the
Bush Administration Certifiable?
December
4 / 6, 2004
Alexander
Cockburn
Politicize the CIA? You've Got to
be Kidding
Joe
Bageant
Dining with the Rhinos
Alan
Maass
Reporting from the Ground in Iraq: an Interview with Patrick
Cockburn
Brian
Cloughley
Democracy, Bush-style, in the Gulf
Laura
Carlsen
Latin America Shifts Left
Lenni
Brenner
Jefferson, Madison, Bush and Religion
Anna
Ioakimedes
Brazil's Haitian Mission: Doing God's Work or Washington's?
Uri
Avnery
Widow of Opportunity?
Fred
Gardner
Supreme Court Hears Medical Pot Case
Dave
Zirin
Steroids to Heaven
Jackie
Corr
Mining Camp Blues: the Red State Variation
Don
Fitz
Will Greens Abandon IRV?
Lucy
Herschel
"Art can be a Weapon of the Oppressed": an Interview
with Artist Anthony Papa
Richard
Oxman
No Angels in America: Bashing the Gay Play
Ron
Jacobs
Holiday Greeting Card
Poets'
Basement
Collins, Albert, LaMorticella
December
3, 2004
Dave
Lindorff
Lie Then Escalate
Ben
Tripp
Fun With Boycotts: How to Shop in a
Time of Crisis
Joe
Allen
Murder in El Salvador: the Assassination of Teamster Organizer
Gilberto Soto
Matthew
B. Riley
Human Rights Court Fails Lori Berenson
Meir
Shalev
In the End, It is the Violin that Wins
Bob
Wing
The White Elephant in the Room: Race and Election 2004
Christopher
Brauchli
When McCain Bit His Tongue
Sasan
Fayazmanesh
The EU, the US, Israel and Iran
December
2, 2004
Tito
Tricot
No Justice in Chile: I'm a Torture
Survivor in a Country Where Torturers Still Run Free
Behzad
Yaghmaian
The Murder of Theo Van Gogh and Muslim Migration
Dr.
Susan Block
Lana and Me: Meetings with Remarkable Apes
Frank
/ Chowkwanyun
Liberalism and Its Bounds
Lee
Sustar
Standoff in Ukraine: the Bad v. the Corrupt
Patrick
Cockburn
Another Grim Record in Iraq
Mark
Engler
Seattle at Five
Michael
Donnelly
Something Stinks in South Bend: the Firing of Tyrone Willingham
Nate
Collins
The Bay Area Mall on an Ohlone Burial Grounds
Saul
Landau
The Assassination of Danilo Anderson
December
1, 2004
Phillip
Cryan
Associated with Whom? Rightist Bias
in Wire Coverage of Colombia
Dave
Zirin
What's the Matter with "Leon"?:
Budweiser's Racist Commercial
Ghali
Hassan
Iraq's Health Care Under the Occupation:
200 Children Die Every Day
Donna
J. Volatile
Beware Western Nations Threatening "Democracy"
Patrick
Cockburn
How Saddam Tried to Arm the Insurgency
Nick
Meo
Chemical War Over Afghanistan
Mike
Ferner
The Battle of Toledo
Mokhiber
/ Weissman
Shame and Determination on Global AIDS Day: 40 Million and Rising
Kathy
Kelly
Looking the Other Way: the Real Crimes
of the UN in Iraq
November
30, 2004
Jennifer
Van Bergen
The Veil of Secrecy
Toni
Nelson Herrera
Meeting Kurtz: When Art is a Crime
Paul
Craig Roberts
The Bush Delusions: Successful at Incompetence
Patrick
Cockburn
The Insurgency Strikes Back: There Are No Safe Havens in Iraq
Chuck
Munson
WTO Protests Five Years Later: Seattle Weekly Trashes Anti-Globalization
Movement
Adam
Williams
Citizenship Sold: Back to Business in Indiana
Gregory
Elich
A Dangerous Turn in the US Plans for
North Korea
Website
of the Day
Read Lynne Cheney's Lesbian Novel Online!
November
29, 2004
Dave
Lindorff
Blowback in Ukraine: The Hand of
the CIA?
Omar
Barghouti
"The Pianist" of Palestine:
Roadblock Concerto at Gunpoint
Mike
Whitney
The US Media and Fallujah: How to
Market a Siege
Uri
Avnery
The Abu Mazen Style: "Give Me
Some Credit!"
Matt
Vidal
Globalization and Economic Inequality: a Look at the Numbers
Patrick
Cockburn
An Interview with Iraq's Foreign
Minister
Alan
Farago
Sex Change and Salvation: God, Girly Men and Endocrine Disrupters
Justin
Huggler
Bhopal 20 Years Later
Antony
Loewenstein
How Australia Reported Arafat's Death and Legacy
Gary
Leupp
Ukraine: Poll Results Aren't the Real
Issue
Website
of the Day
Mosul: Images from a Kill Zone
November
27 / 28, 2004
Peter
Linebaugh
Torture & Neo-Liberalism with
Sycorax in Iraq
Alexander
Cockburn
What Happened to O'Reilly's Loofa?
Fred
Gardner
Ashcroft v. Raich: Medical Marijuana and the Supreme Court
Kathy
Kelly
What We Can Control
Diane
Christian
The Other Cheek: "Empire Doesn't Analyze, It Acts"
Gary
Leupp
One More Neocon Target: South (Yes, South) Korea
Lenni
Brenner
Equality and Rights of Return: Jefferson Instructs the New York
Times
Ron
Jacobs
Death Squads and Iraq's Elections: the Mysterious Murders of
the AMS Clerics
Joshua
Frank
An Interview with Kevin Zeese on Nader, Kerry and the ABB Crowd
Toni
Solo
The Murder of Danilo Anderson
Saul
Landau
Fallujah, the 21st Century Guernica
JoAnn
Wypijewski
Matthew Shepard Case 6 Years Later: Why Hate Crimes Laws are
No Cure for Homophobia
Justin
Taylor
Empire's Lawless Opportunities
Amos
Harel
The Case of Captain R.
Walter
A. Davis
Tabloid Justice
Stephen
Hendricks
God's Kind of Men
Poets'
Basement
Albert, LaMorticella and Ford
November
26, 2004
Peter
Feng
Gavin Newsom: Man or Machine?
Greg
Moses
It's the White Vote, Stupid
Liaquat
Ali Khan
The Devil's Work: Bush's Minority Appointments
Michael
Mandel / Gail Davidson
Why Bush Should Be Banned from Canada: a Memo to the Ministry
of Immigration
Dave
Lindorff
Nation of Sheep, Turkey of an Election: Urkrainians Show the
Way
Gary
Corseri
When Black Friday Comes...
Paul
Craig Roberts
Whatever Happened to Conservatives?
Website
of the Day
Iraq Pipeline Watch
November
25, 2004
Willliam
Loren Katz
Giving Thanks to Whom?: "Thanks
to God We Sent 600 Heathen Souls to Hell Today"
Mitchel
Cohen
Why I Hate Thanksgiving
Mike
Ferner
An Uncommon Mom
November
24, 2004
Gila
Svirsky
License to Kill: the Example of Violence
is Set by the State
Winslow
T. Wheeler
The
Other Mess in Congress
Christopher
Brauchli
The Company He Keeps: the Syndicate of Tom Delay
Dave
Lindorff
Double Standards on Exit Polls: Hypocrisy Sans Irony
Ron
Jacobs
The Occupation of Iraq is the Root of t he Problem
Ken
Sengupta
Witnesses: War Crimes in Fallujah
Diana
Barahona
The Final Holocaust or Why I Voted for Ralph Nader
John
L. Hess
Safire the Shameless
Jason
Leopold
Did Harvard Hire (Another) War Criminal?
Jeffrey
St. Clair
The Mark of McCain: the Senator Most Likely to Start a Nuclear
War
Map
of the Day
Now and Then: 2004 v. 1860
November
23, 2004
Forrest
Hylton
Bush and Uribe at the Beach
November
22, 2004
Dave
Zirin
Fight Night in the NBA: Selective Outrage
in Detroit
Paul
Craig Roberts
On to Iran: We Won't Get Fooled Again?
Michael
Mandel / Gail Davidson
Why Bush Should be Banned from Canada
Kathie
Helmkamp
Our Son: a Marine Who Won't Kill
Ken
Sengupta
The Triangle of Death: "This is Now the Most Dangerous Place
in Iraq"
Mike
Whitney
Greenspan's Hammer
Roger
Burbach
Why They Hate Bush in Chile
Website
of the Day
Fed Up with Government Lies and Corporate Spin?
November
20 / 21, 2004
Alexander
Cockburn
The Poisoned Chalice
Todd
May
Religion, the Election and the Politics of Fear
Abbas
Ahmed Ibrahim
The Horrors of Fallujah: a First-Hand Account
Kevin
Zeese
Mishandling Nader
Landau
/ Hassen
After Arafat
Tom
Barry
The Vulcans Consolidate Power: The Rise of Stephen Hadley
Fred
Gardner
Pot Shots: Ask Dr. Todd
Justin
E.H. Smith
Triumph of the Will: the Sequel
Carl
Estabrook
Where We Are Now
Gary
Leupp
Imperial History-Making vs. Reality-Based Thought: a Dialogue
Dave
Lindorff
Apocalypse Soon
Jenna
Michelle Liut
Plans Colombia and Patriota: Wanton Wastes of Money, Manpower
and Lives
Mickey
Z.
The Granma Moses of Radical Writing: an Interview with William
Blum
Greg
Moses
The Same Old Struggle Against Imperial America
Sharon
Smith
Abortion Rights and the Election: What Now?
Ron
Jacobs
Sandwiches and Car Bombs
Ben
Tripp
Raising d'Etre: Finding Money in Hollywood These Days
Richard
Oxman
Basketbrawl Two Pointer: Iraq Rules!
Gilad
Atzmon
Politics and Jazz
Poets'
Basement
LaMorticella, Albert, Ford, & Anon.
Website
of the Day
Voice of the Forest
Hot Stories
Alexander Cockburn
Behold,
the Head of a Neo-Con!
Subcomandante
Marcos
The
Death Train of the WTO
Norman Finkelstein
Hitchens
as Model Apostate
Steve Niva
Israel's
Assassination Policy: the Trigger for Suicide Bombings?
Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams
CounterPunch Exclusive:
20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians
Steve
J.B.
Prison Bitch
Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber
True Lies: the Use of Propaganda
in the Iraq War
Wendell
Berry
Small Destructions Add Up
CounterPunch
Wire
WMD: Who Said What When
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
Click
Here for More Stories.
|
December 6, 2004
Paranoia and
Pre-emption
Is
the Bush Administration Certifiable?
By
PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
Has President Bush lost his grip on
reality?
In his December 1 speech in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, President Bush again declared his intention
to pre-emptively attack "enemies who plot in secret and
set out to murder the innocent and the unsuspecting." Freedom
from terrorism, Bush declared, will come only through pre-emptive
war against enemies of democracy.
How does Bush know who and
where these secret enemies are? How many more times will his
guesses be wrong like he was about Iraq?
What world does Bush live in?
The US cannot control Iraq, much less battle the rest of the
Muslim world and beyond. While Bush threatened the world with
US aggression, headlines revealed the futility of preemptively
invading countries: "Pentagon to Boost Iraq Force by 12,000,"
"US Death Toll in Iraq at Highest Monthly Level,"
"Wounded Disabled Soldiers Kept on Active Duty."
We are getting out butts kicked
in Iraq, and Bush wants to invade more countries? It is clear
as day that we do not have enough troops to deal with Iraq.
The 12,000 additional troops "to improve security"
are being acquired by extending the combat tours of troops already
on duty in Iraq. More US soldiers were killed in Iraq in November
than in any previous month. The US is so hard up for troops
that the Pentagon is deploying soldiers who have lost arms and
legs in combat. On December 1 the Washington Post reported:
"US armed forces have recently announced new efforts to
keep seriously wounded or disabled soldiers on active duty."
Redeploying the disabled is
presented as a heroic demonstration of our gung-ho warriors'
fighting spirit. But what it really means is we have no more
troops to throw at the few thousand lightly armed Iraqi insurgents
who have tied down eight US divisions.
According to the US military
hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, the hospital has treated 20,802
US troops for injuries received in Iraq. According to the Pentagon's
figures, 54% of the wounded are too seriously injured to return
to their units. If that figure is correct, it would mean that
the insurgents have put 11,233 US troops out of action. Add in
the 1,254 US troops who have been killed for a total of 12,487.
That's 9% of our total force in Iraq and a much higher percentage
of our combat force.
There is no indication that
we have put 12,487 Iraqi insurgents out of action. Indeed, until
very recently the US military estimated that there were only
several thousand active insurgents in all of Iraq.
Someone needs to tell Bush
that terrorists are stateless and that invading states creates
insurgencies. In Iraq our soldiers are not fighting terrorists.
They are fighting an insurgency that Bush created by invading
Iraq. Bush's pre-emptive wars are a good way to depopulate the
US and bankrupt our country.
For all our firepower, we are
not winning the war. Falluja has been destroyed, but the US
military can claim only 1200-1600 insurgents were killed. Many
of the dead counted as insurgents are probably civilians killed
by the US military's indiscriminate use of high explosives.
But even if we assume the military's estimate of enemy dead is
accurate, it is an unimpressive figure in view of the 850 wounded
and 71 dead Americans. US Falluja casualties of 921 is a strikingly
high figure considering the heavy armor, artillery, helicopter
gunships, jet fighters, and sophisticated communications that
back up US troops.
Why was Bush in Nova Scotia
advocating pre-emptive invasion unless Bush has other Middle
Eastern countries targeted? Iran and Syria are the only two
remaining Middle Eastern countries that are not ruled by US puppets.
Lacking sufficient military
forces to successfully occupy Iraq, how is Bush going to engage
in pre-emptive wars against Iran and Syria without bringing back
the draft? If eight US divisions can't do the job in Iraq, sixteen
US divisions won't be enough for Iran. Defeating standing armies
is a different game from occupying a hostile country. The US
military is good at the former, not at the latter.
Bush would serve our country
and the rest of the world far better by ceasing his macho aggressive
talk and working to create trust and good will. Bush is a very
foolish man if he thinks America will bear no consequences for
his support for Israel's appalling treatment of the Palestinians.
Is Bush really as stupid as he sounds? Is the President of
the United States so poorly informed that he believes that the
attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have nothing
to do with US support of Israel's destruction of the Palestinian
people?
Surely the American president
is not so dumb as to believe that Osama bin Laden went to all
the trouble of bringing down the World Trade Center simply because
Muslims hate freedom and democracy? If all terrorists want to
do is to show their disdain for western freedom and democracy,
they have much closer and softer targets in Italy, Greece, France,
Germany, England, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium.
The American public is totally
uninformed about the true character of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. Americans could learn a great deal by reading Israeli
newspapers and the reports of Israeli peace groups. However,
it is impossible to believe that the US government is equally
in the dark about the consequences of Bush's support for Israeli
aggression against the Palestinians and the impact Bush's support
of Israel has on Muslims' attitudes toward the US.
A president who misled us about
Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and terrorist links will also
mislead us about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, about Iran's
intentions--indeed about everything. Bush proved that his word
cannot be trusted; yet Americans reelected him.
Bush got the voters' message:
"Lie to us some more."
On December 3, Russian President
Vladimir L. Putin replied to Bush's Hallifax speech by declaring
Bush's policy "dictatorial and hypocritical." Russia's
leader warned that policies "based on the barrack-room principles
of a unipolar world appear to be extremely dangerous."
Russian Air Force commander General Vladimir Mikhailov announced
that Russia, too, can engage in pre-emptive attacks. Russia has
informed neighboring Georgia that Russia might use cruise missiles
and strategic bombers in preventive strikes against Chechen terrorists
sheltering on Georgian territory.
Bush's insane doctrine of pre-emptive
war promises a 21st century more bloody than the 20th.
Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the
Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of
National Review.
Weekend Edition
Features for November
27 / 28, 2004
Peter
Linebaugh
Torture & Neo-Liberalism with
Sycorax in Iraq
Alexander
Cockburn
What Happened to O'Reilly's Loofa?
Fred
Gardner
Ashcroft v. Raich: Medical Marijuana and the Supreme Court
Kathy
Kelly
What We Can Control
Diane
Christian
The Other Cheek: "Empire Doesn't Analyze, It Acts"
Gary
Leupp
One More Neocon Target: South (Yes, South) Korea
Lenni
Brenner
Equality and Rights of Return: Jefferson Instructs the New York
Times
Ron
Jacobs
Death Squads and Iraq's Elections: the Mysterious Murders of
the AMS Clerics
Joshua
Frank
An Interview with Kevin Zeese on Nader, Kerry and the ABB Crowd
Toni
Solo
The Murder of Danilo Anderson
Saul
Landau
Fallujah, the 21st Century Guernica
JoAnn
Wypijewski
Matthew Shepard Case 6 Years Later: Why Hate Crimes Laws are
No Cure for Homophobia
Justin
Taylor
Empire's Lawless Opportunities
Amos
Harel
The Case of Captain R.
Walter
A. Davis
Tabloid Justice
Stephen
Hendricks
God's Kind of Men
Poets'
Basement
Albert, LaMorticella and Ford
|