Concluding his final meeting with world leaders at the G8 summit, U.S. President George W. Bush pumped his fist into the air and boldly announced, “Goodbye from the world’s biggest polluter.” Probably thinking he was being amusing, Bush got no props from the other world leaders who stood by with looks of shock on their […]

Neo-conservatives and the Bush Administration like to paint the 1994 Agreed Framework deal on North Korea’s nuclear program as a failure of Bill Clinton’s foreign policy efforts. They point out that North Korea continued to manufacture plutonium after agreeing not to, and that their breach of the agreement amounts to Bill Clinton having let the North […]

Today’s media has conditioned us to view “official” denials of events as proof that the story is true. Whether it is the latest celebrity gossip (so and so are breaking up- no they aren’t- oops, yes they did) or news from the government (The U.S. does not torture- wait, yes we do), whenever an “official […]

A newly released Gallup Poll shows that a majority of Americans believe that presidents should talk to the leaders of “enemy” countries in an effort to solve problems. The poll shows citizens of all parties favor this sort of diplomacy over the staunch view held by John McCain who says that sitting down for meetings with […]

We expect parents to help their children through tough times as they are growing up, but by the time most people become adults, mommy and daddy usually don’t have to worry about picking up the pieces after their kids screw up. But every now and then we come across an adult who never seemed to […]

There’s something about being an independent politician that must allow these maverick “people’s candidates” to feel free to speak their minds, especially when doing so goes against the grain of not just their supposed “peers,” but most of the country (including their constituents) as well. Sometimes, these kinds of political statements are refreshing, opening what […]

Remember when George W. Bush was still a presidential candidate in 2000 and he decried the notion of nation building? Talk about your all time flip-flop. But I digress. With Bush, the destruction of Iraq and the subsequent efforts of his administration to make it a permanent vassal state for his oil CEO pals was […]

I’m starting another book, American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century by Kevin Phillips. It looks to be a good, informative read, but as I’ve said, I just started. I’m nowhere near the radical religion or borrowed money chapters yet- Phillips begins by talking about […]

At my house, we like to spend some time putting together jigsaw puzzles. It’s a fun family activity that also stretches our minds spatially. So it’s no real surprise that I am a ‘puzzle’ kind of guy. I’ve been looking at a few new puzzle pieces lately though and I am not in the least […]

Early reports regarding the New and Improved Bush Iraq plan show little more than shell game, with a dash less accountability thrown in for good measure, and a nod to concerted status quo plus. For a while now, we’ve heard Team Bush lubricate the public with the notion that more troops in Iraq are inevitable, […]