Glenn Greenwald's Blog, page 181

A glossary of terms in foreign affairs

As we debate the many scary enemies and exciting possibilities for new wars -- escalation in Afghanistan, our very own "Cuban Missile Crisis" against the Persian Hitlers, the Socialist Menace in Venezuela -- events can become very confusing.  Compounding that problem are the many complex, technical terms often used in media discussions of foreign affairs.  It's therefore helpful to keep track of the relevant terms --- ones just from the events of the last week alone -- to maximize clarity...

Should any Iraq lessons be applied to Iran?

(Updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV
)

Anonymous Obama officials yesterday dictated to Helene Cooper and Mark Mazzetti of The New York Times their version of the dramatic and exciting behind-the-scenes events that led to the administration's announcement this week about Iran's nuclear facility -- a late-night strategy session; secret consultation with allies; high-level diplomatic wrangling; the White House's decision to "outflank the Iranians."  Cooper and...

Jim Cooper primary challenge, TV episode on torture prosecutions, and various other matters

(updated below - Update II)

(1) Last year, Accountability Now was created in order, among other things, "to begin actively recruiting and promoting credible primary challengers" to unaccountable, corporate-owned, civil-liberties-destroying Congressional incumbents.  Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee is illustrative of everything rotted about both Washington and Congressional Democrats.  He has repeatedly endorsed the core Bush/Cheney Surveillance and War State policies -...

David Brooks: our nation's premier expert warrior

(updated below - Update II)

In today's New York Times, the grizzled warrior David Brooks performs a chest-beating war dance over Afghanistan of the type he and his tough guy comrades perfected in the run-up to the Iraq War.  It's filled with self-glorifying "war-is-hell" neocon platitudes that make the speaker feel tough and strong.  No more hiding like cowards in our bases.  It's time to send "small groups of American men and women [:] outside the wire in dangerous places."  Those o...

Victory on preventive detention law: in context

(updated below - Update II)

When Barack Obama gave his "civil liberties" speech at the National Archives in May, he advocated a new scheme of preventive detention for detainees whom he claimed "cannot be prosecuted yet who pose a clear danger to the American people," and he unambiguously vowed to develop a new statutory regime, enacted by Congress, to vest him with the power of what he called "prolonged detention":

I know that creating such a system poses unique challenges. . ...

Salon Radio: Rep. Alan Grayson on de-funding corrupt defense contractors

[updated below - Update II (w/transcript):]

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) -- my guest on Salon Radio today -- yesterday pointed out that the bill passed by both the Senate and House to de-fund ACORN is written so broadly that it literally compels the de-funding not only of that group, but also the de-funding of, and denial of all government contracts to, any corporation that "has filed a fraudulent form with any Federal or State regulatory agency."  By definition, that...

Glenn Beck and left-right confusion

(updated below)

Last night during his CBS interview with Katie Couric, Glenn Beck said he may have voted for Hillary Clinton and that "John McCain would have been worse for the country than Barack Obama."  This comment predictably spawned confusion among some liberals and anger among some conservatives.  But even prior to that, there had been a palpable increase in the right-wing attacks on Beck -- some motivated by professional competition for the incredibly lucrative industry of r...

Our war-loving Foreign Policy Community hasn't gone anywhere

[updated below - Update II (with correction):]

Advocates of escalation in Afghanistan chose Bob Woodward to "reprise his role as warmonger hagiographer" by publishing Gen. Stanley McChrystal's "confidential" memo to the President arguing for increased troops.  As Digby notes, the vague case for continuing to occupy that country is virtually identical to every instance where America's war-loving Foreign Policy Community advocates the need for new and continued wars.  It's nothing...

CIA Directors conclude CIA shouldn't be investigated for murder

(updated below)

In a truly shocking development being treated as major news, seven former CIA Directors -- including all three who served under George W. Bush -- jointly concluded that the CIA should not be criminally investigated for torture deaths, and they have written a letter to President Obama (.pdf) expressing that view.  Do leaders of organizations in general ever believe that their organizations and its members should be criminally investigated and possibly prosecuted for a...

The distracting benefits of ACORN hysteria

(updated below - Update II - Update III)

Earlier this week, I wrote about how the Fox-News/Glenn-Beck/Rush-Limbaugh leadership trains its protesting followers to focus the vast bulk of their resentment and anxieties on largely powerless and downtrodden factions, while ignoring, and even revering, the outright pillaging by virtually omnipotent corporate interests that own and control their Government (and, not coincidentally, Fox News).  It's hard to imagine a more perfectly...