When the military figured out the occupation of Iraq was bound to be long and bloody, they began looking for ways to bolster recruiting efforts that were beginning to flag because many potential recruits were beginning to realize that between Iraq and Afghanistan, the odds of serving in a combat zone were really, really . . . → Read More: Army sings the blues, or at least the “Too Fat Polka”
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Al Qaeda hasn’t killed all that many Americans during the past 10 years or so—leaving that work mostly to those who resist the US in the countries we invaded and occupied and are otherwise bedeviling—and most of them have been military or intelligence targets. Americans haven’t killed all that many al Qaeda people during . . . → Read More: The dead civilian contest continues: US outscores Al Qaeda 100:1 I’m sure everyone has heard by now that combat operations in Iraq have ended, witness the exit of the last Stryker brigade from the country. “Stryker”—what was the compelling reason to go with the “y”?** But I digress, and it’s only the second sentence. All but a few of the institutional press outlets are . . . → Read More: Through the looking glass, or, What is this Iraq of which you speak? Evidence to the contrary flushed down the memory hole, top US military and intelligence officials past and present are talking up the threat of Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program. Despite an open-ended commitment to the war in Afghanistan, victory there is assured; it’s Iran that scares them most. The nominee to replace magical general . . . → Read More: General to Senate: Kabul’s a done deal; on to Tehran! As I’ve mentioned before, I like to peruse the AP’s Strange News stories because every now and then there’s something really strange. Usually it’s some element of the strange story that the AP reporter didn’t notice. Last time it was that some guy drew a life sentence in Alabama for theft. This time, the . . . → Read More: Things you would think one would be curious about, Part II Somebody had to replace David Petraeus, the magical four-star general who just vacated his post as head of US Central Command to take personal charge of that thing in Afghanistan. President Obama’s choice is Marine Corps General James Mattis. McClatchy’s Nancy Youssef—one of the stars of the only institutional press outlet offering aggressive, independent . . . → Read More: Petraeus replacement: “It’s fun to shoot some people.” Looking forward to the day when America’s interminable wars finally grind to a halt? Don’t. There are any number of reasons to be way less than confident that our armies are ever leaving Iraq or Afghanistan, not least among which is that the people responsible for getting US troops out of Iraq and . . . → Read More: In which we remember why US troops will never leave Iraq and Afghanistan Specifically, our freedom to do whatever it is we want to do to them and their part of the world without consequence. Disclaimer: I don’t support terrorism as an expression of political or ideological frustration, or in any event, but I understand the impulse and one has to admit that as a negotiating . . . → Read More: They really do hate us for our freedom! George W. Bush’s public statements have been absurd for so long, that it’s almost poor sport to continue to skewer them. Nevertheless, because I haven’t done so on BTC News in quite a while, and because this may be my last opportunity, I can’t resist one last shot. For auld lang syne, as it . . . → Read More: Shooting the last fish in the barrel: Bush’s “biggest regret” You don’t try very hard to please me; with what you know it should be easy … this could be the last time, this could be the last time, may be the last time, I don’t know … If I had an audience large enough, I’d make “The Last Time”, a pre-punk Rolling Stones . . . → Read More: Mood music: what to hear when writing about politics, Part I |
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