[ Although Laura Miller complains that Justin Frank’s new book, Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President is sometimes simplistic, others uneven, she finds in it some insights, excerpted below. Thanks to Alexandra Dadlez for forwarding the original article. The underlining below is mine. –BL ] Three new psychological portraits of George W. Bush paint him as a control freak driven by rage, fear and an almost murderous Oedipal competition with his father. And that’s before we get to Mom. excerpted from 16 June 2004 | Salon.com by Laura Miller … What emerges is the image of a […]
Daily Archives: June 20, 2004
6 posts
[ Following up another story here, author Thomas Powers explains what he takes to be the CIA’s fighting back against the Pentagon. For instance, why would the Pentagon hawks’ man (Chalabi) be discredited by a CIA raid of his headquarters just prior to Brahimi’s announcement of the new Prime Minister (Allawi, the CIA’s man)? Thanks to Alexandra Dadlez for forwarding this article. –BL ] “A temporary coup” Author Thomas Powers says the White House’s corruption of intelligence has caused the greatest foreign policy catastrophe in modern U.S. history — and sparked a civil war with the nation’s intel agencies. 14 June […]
[ Holmes explains why Iran and Syria might now be less afraid of the U.S., what the neo-conservatives ignore in Machiavelli, and more … Thanks to Alexandra Dadlez for forwarding this article. Any underlining below is mine. –BL ] Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a speech given in Tysons Corner, Va., on May 27 to several hundred U.S. intelligence analysts from various agencies at their request. 17 June 2004 | Salon.com by Stephen Holmes Anti-Americanism has a long and complex history. But most observers agree that the Bush administration’s bellicose and unilateralist foreign policy has greatly enflamed smoldering animosities […]
It Depends What the Meaning of “Relationship” Is June 17, 2004 | Slate by Fred Kaplan Talking to reporters after his Cabinet meeting this morning, President Bush disputed the 9/11 commission’s conclusion that no “collaborative relationship” existed between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida. “There was a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda,” Bush insisted. Then the president drew a distinction: The administration never said that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated between Saddam and al-Qaeda. We did say there were numerous contacts between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda. For example, Iraqi intelligence agents met with bin Laden, the head of al-Qaeda in Sudan. Let’s […]
[ Robert Fisk draws out uncanny parallels between the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the early 20th century British invasion of the same. Thanks to Popi and Tom Natsoulas for forwarding this article. –BL ] 17 June 2004 | The Independent by Robert Fisk They came as liberators but were met by fierce resistance outside Baghdad. Humiliating treatment of prisoners and heavy-handed action in Najaf and Fallujah further alienated the local population. A planned hand-over of power proved unworkable. Britain’s 1917 occupation of Iraq holds uncanny parallels with today – and if we want to know what will happen […]
[ That’s right. Bad intelligence … Again. Even the Voice of America News (June 20) reports no sign of any insurgents in the house flattened by the bombing, although there are at least 20 deceased civilians. The VOA article continues with the regular story of bad intelligence: “U.S. General Mark Kimmitt said U.S. forces had intelligence that members of militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s terrorist network were in the house at the time of the attack Saturday.” What will these typical screw-ups mean after the alleged transfer of sovereignty? From the piece: If [Iraqi ministers] gave the go-ahead and there […]