by Bernard Weiner, The Crisis Papers

I despise the implicit pro-Iraq War politics of “The Hurt Locker”: There is no examination or even mention in the film of why the U.S. might be fighting there, no look at the neo-conservative ideology that sent our troops there, no questioning of the aggressive tactics aimed at Iraqi civilians, no overt politics at all, for that matter. But I cannot deny the movie’s aesthetic power. It is a great film, one of the few war movies that really got into my gut. It well deserves its Best Picture Oscar.
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by Dave McGill

There was a time when America stood for certain ideals. There was a time when these ideals were pursued with an unyielding consistancy. There was a time when these ideals – classically described by Superman as “truth, justice and the American way” – may have even served as an example for other nations to emulate.
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by Dave McGill

Thirty years ago, the system was broken. Today?…..

The High Court is out of touch.

The Justices sent out a clear signal on Tuesday that they are ready to overturn local gun control ordinances and extend gun rights nationwide.
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by Dave McGill

If the Supreme Court can consider a corporation to be the same as a person and classify the buying of political influence as free speech, then I don’t think it’s unreasonable to nominate Goldman Sachs to be the devil. And it’s my feeling that after you read this you might agree with me, if you don’t already.
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by Dave McGill

One week ago, it was announced that the Marja campaign would take another month before the Taliban could be routed and the area secured.
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by Bernard Weiner, The Crisis Papers

I had a fascinating email conversation over the weekend on the Middle East conflict, and it seems worthy of reproducing here. Not just because of the issues raised but because they encapsulate the difficulty of even agreeing on what the central questions are.
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by Dave McGill

About the same time that India conducted a test demonstrating it now has the ability to deliver a nuclear bomb to any target in the Middle East – or China – Iran provided more evidence that it intends to continue attempting to join the nine nations that comprise the so-called nuclear club.
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by Dave McGill

President Obama uttered these annoying words yesterday and it is just another of the many reasons that incumbents in both parties are in serious trouble. The statement was annoying, not just because it was premature – which it was – but because it was obviously based on conditions in the corporate sector rather than on Main Street. Companies are currently basking in the luxury of lower labor costs, rock-bottom interest rates, soaring productivity (because of the fewer workers) and, in many cases, the falling dollar. These are all factors that are not considered to be sustainable but nevertheless they’re an important part of the financial results being reported these days.
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by Don Smith

In a recent Talk of the Town, The New Yorker’s Hendrik Hertzberg wrote:

And in the nether reaches of the left blogosphere the epithets flew. Obama is a “sellout.” He’s a “liar.” He’s a “Judas,” a “fraud,” a “corrupt fool.” He’s a “Liebermanite.” (Ouch!)

Was he referring to sites like OpEdNews? Sure seems that way. The point of Hertzberg’s essay was to suggest that the “system” is to blame for Obama and the Democrats’ failure to pass substantial health care reform. Hertzberg’s reasoning is flawed.
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by Jane Anne Morris

Before running off trying to counter the recent Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), we ought to sort out what this decision does and does not do.
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