Pakistan
“America has disgraced itself”
I agree with this strongly worded assessment of the Cordoba controversy by Peter Beinart. Key point: Once upon a time, the “war on terror” was supposed to bring American values to Saudi Arabia. Now Newt Gingrich says we shouldn’t build a mosque in Lower Manhattan until the Saudis build churches and synagogues in Mecca—which is to say, we’re bringing Saudi
New year, same bloodbath
NYT: A suicide bomber rammed a pickup truck loaded with explosives into a playground crowded with families and children watching a volleyball game in northwest Pakistan Friday. […] All of the victims were civilians, one local official said. Over 20 suicide bombings by Pakistani Taliban since October 2009; over 500 people slaughtered. Who can seriously claim that these murderers are
Afghan reality checks
From reading Robert Greenwald’s antiwar website Rethink Afghanistan, or the work of pacifist Derrick Crowe, one of RA’s house bloggers, you would think that Obama’s plan is to reenact the My Lai massacre on a regular basis and maybe drink the blood of the victims in ritualistic triumph. Crowe writes: I held my nose and voted for President Obama last
About that Parenti piece
Yeah, this Parenti piece, because it needs to be said. Parenti writes: The real purpose of these 300,000 [sic] soldiers is to make Obama look tough as he heads toward the next US presidential election. […] There is nothing else to Obama’s Afghan strategy. Actually, there is nothing else to Parenti’s analysis of Obama’s Afghan strategy. And the careless error
The fire this time
NYT: LAHORE, Pakistan — Militants set off two bombs on Monday night in one of the busiest markets of this eastern Pakistani city, then sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing at least 30 and wounding more than 100 others, Pakistani authorities said. It was the latest in a litany of militant attacks against Pakistani civilians.
Held by the Taliban
David Rohde’s extended account of his hellish seven-month-plus captivity in Afghanistan and Taliban-held Pakistan is running this week in the NYT. Part one is here. It’s about as gripping a narrative as you can possibly imagine, and a testament to the man’s extraordinary bravery and sacrifice. Rohde took a risk in interviewing a Taliban commander because he felt duty-bound as
Obama’s Nobel
What do I think? It doesn’t matter what I think. As a fairly militant supporter of President Obama, I’m biased. Has he racked up a term’s worth of accomplishments? No. Has he changed the tone of world diplomacy radically for the better? Yes. So I’m happy this news annoys rightists who’ve been painting Obama as Hitler-Stalin-Satan. I’m also happy it
Pakistan WFP bombing PS
I like The Rachel Maddow Show, and I especially admire Maddow’s tenacious reporting on right-wing astroturf efforts to stymie health care reform. She’s getting through to a mass audience with a hugely important point: that in politics, all is not as it seems. Always look behind the curtain. For that very reason, Maddow’s comment last night on Afghanistan-Pakistan was frustrating.