That’s not my spin. That’s what the Georgia Republican said, bragging that he “voted for torture.” I shudder to think what constituency he thought he was appealing to.

Sudan’s President blames the Jews for focusing attention on Darfur. Damn straight!

Neighbors react to the recent arrival of a White supremacist pop band on their block.

The upcoming Supreme Court term is ground zero for Justice Kennedy. And by extension, the whole Court.

Jonathan Adler reports that the U.S. government spent one billion dollars on anti-marijuana ads that not only didn’t work, but actually increased the likelihood that teens would use the drug. Worse, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which commissioned the report showing the increased prevalance, continued running the ads, sat on the report for a year, and then when they finally released it, claimed the results were “dated.” Even in my jaded state, that’s impressive.

Kofi Annan has again demonstrated that the UN is indispensable for world peace, perhaps more so than the US. His diplomacy has delivered the first significant gains of the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. If that fragile cessation sticks for some time, it will be because the UN imprimatur over the peacekeeping force is helping to allay Arab fear of Israeli power. At the same time, the presence of NATO troops from Europe and Turkey helps to allay Israeli fear that this is yet another trick to...

Iraq has moved a step closer to breaking up as Americans mark the anniversary of 9/11 and even Cheney seems less self confident about the subterfuge used to propel the Iraq war. A break up would seal the failure of the Bush administration’s interventions and policies in Iraq. In coming days, Shiite parliamentarians sponsored by the powerful Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) will try to push through legislation designed to help create a large autonomous Shiite region in...

Amid the mud slinging and fear mongering of America’s current democratic process, it is worth stepping back a little to survey the political arena since 9/11 with cooler heads. George Bush has much to answer for but is not as thoughtless as numerous Americans make him out to be. In fact, many seem more blinkered than Bush and confused about what it means to be an American among today’s global cultural and economic rivalries. For an outsider, it is awful to witness the self-absorption...

In small steps, the US is advancing towards a long war of attrition with all Islamic terrorists, both Sunni and Shiite. So far, hatred of America has inflamed mostly Sunni terrorists led by Al Qaeda but the Shiites may be just a few steps behind. Sunni rage resulted in 9/11/2001 and its aftermath including bomb attacks in Madrid and London, and the current terrorist plots in Britain, Germany and Denmark. It has also turned Iraq into a factory to manufacture battle hardened Sunni terrorists. Soon...

Washington and Teheran are embroiled in a strong-jawed staring match and each is determined never to blink. The standoff is in the UN Security Council but it signals another war where the US bombs Iran to set back Iranian nuclear ambitions for some decades. Whenever that happens, it may be more a war of religions than a pragmatic tussle to halt nuclear proliferation. Ideology, clashing worldviews and irrational beliefs seem to be driving this confrontation. Nothing good can come of going further...

As the dust settles following the Lebanon cease fire, Israel is less secure than before the war whatever the fig leaf of positive spin international diplomats put on events. Current indications are that Israel’s northern borders may not be secured without another bigger war, unless Israelis suddenly have a change of heart and decide to appease their enemies. It is increasingly clear that the edifice of peace is being built on a quicksand of hope rather than firmer foundations of tangible...

TMV NOTE: This was posted late last night. Due to its importance we’re re-posting it higher up today. There are NEWER POSTS under this so after you’re finished, please scroll down. Following the new terrorist bomb scares in Britain and Germany, the question America and the West should ask is not “Why do they hate us?â€? Rather, it is “Are we being tricked into helping radical Islamists dominate all of Sunni and Shiite Islam?â€? In its original essence, Islam of any stripe...

TMV’s Note: This post has been been reposted from late last night. Due to its importance, we have put it up at the top of this site at this time. After you read it please SCROLL DOWN since some NEWER POSTS are below it. The worst lessons to draw from the Lebanon war would be for Hezbollah or Hamas to imagine that terrorism can destroy Israel or for Israel to continue to think that it can create security through force alone. The right-wing Economist magazine of London has declared Nasrallah...

A child whimpers Choked, deafened by blast Bleeding mother, father shredded By rockets or bunker busters The children of Abraham Tangled in anger and fear Some mourning homes lost To a 1947 decision by aliens Thoughtless of them Others fighting to navigate A brutal sea of cousins Ablaze with hate A world held hostage By violence unprecedented Among followers Of The Name, Savior and Prophet Lurching to apocalyptic destruction Indians Chinese Russians Africans Facing death certain by millions For...

While the jury is out on whether Israel or Hezbollah attained their war objectives, a quick anecdotal poll of Russian, Chinese and Indian analysts suggests that in the eyes of the wider world the real loser is the United States. Together with the bloody mess in Iraq, the mess in Lebanon is a set back for American prestige and influence. In India, where President George Bush is more liked than in almost any other Asian country, there is concern that Hezbollah has outwitted him on all counts. President...

The king is being stripped in full public view. The Security Council, which Mark Malloch Brown the deputy to Kofi Annan calls the king of world governance, is naked beneath apparently useless clothes of laws regulating wars and civilian suffering. For long, we thought the international system led by the Security Council would help us to build a better world. We learn now, after decades of being taught to hope, that any government, terrorist group or militia can start a war as it pleases. It can also...

This was posted late last night. Due to its timeliness we put it higher up on the post list for today. There are NEWER posts underneath this so please scroll down when you finish reading it. UN Security Council resolution 1701 which was approved by consensus in recent hours is likely to make it hard for Israel to launch another wide war in Lebanon if Hezbollah attacks it in the future. The shooting will not stop until late August 13 because both Lebanon and Israel have yet to approve the resolution...

Instigated by Pakistan, which is no paragon of human rights, the new UN Human Rights Council roundly condemned Israel today for “grave violations of human rights and breaches of international humanitarian law in Lebanon�. The resolution’s operative paragraphs said nothing about Hezbollah or the killing of Israeli civilians. Even Amnesty International, no friend of Israel, and Switzerland, the global custodian of human rights laws, criticized the decision for absence of balance. The...

In recent hours, prospects for an end to fighting in Lebanon have worsened and agreement at the UN Security Council may not be possible for several days, if not longer. If nothing happens, the war could continue for several weeks. One reason is breathtaking cynicism on the part of Arab States advising Lebanon who have rejected a resolution that was almost complete. They would like to prolong the war because of the heavy cost to Israel in blood and treasure. The main influences on Lebanon are the...

The disdain for the United Nations of many American supporters of Israel is misplaced and thoughtless. Without the UN’s help, Israel will not be able to get out of Lebanon for a long time. It is easy to forget that Israel was founded by a UN resolution. Definitively ending challenges to its right to exist will also have to be legalized by UN resolutions. The US created the post World War II political order and put the UN at its core. So, Israel’s unconditional American supporters should...

The Middle East will not be at peace even if Israel were to suddenly withdraw to the pre-1967 borders, dismantle its settlements, return the Golan Heights and do everything else its enemies desire. All of those things might buy safety from rockets, but peace requires much more than that. Israeli generosity in peace will be a very powerful contribution but not sufficient. The other requirements are beyond Israel’s power to give. In Gaza, peace requires an end to low level civil war for...

Dire warnings about a wider regional war or a war of civilizations between the West and Islam are overblown. That would be the third World War. No Islamic state has the means to choose such an apocalyptic path. However, long insurgency and guerrilla warfare are feasible and probable in the region that Israel inhabits and in Iraq. The cause of this bloody and destabilizing prospect is not Israel but the unresolved sectarian and ethnic conflicts among the Islamic countries of the Middle East and West...

In recent hours, the US is being forced to back down in the UN Security Council because Israel seems unable to destroy Hizbullah on the battlefield despite steadfast support from Washington. It looks as if the Security Council, emasculated by years of US and Israeli scorn, may not be able to soon deliver the durable peace now so vital for Israel’s security. There may be a resolution within days but an unsatisfactory one from Israel’s viewpoint. The core issue is how to dismantle Hizbullah’s...

Western governments, in particular the US, see the world through narcissistic lenses. Europe had its way in the world for centuries while the US has led since the 1950s. The habit is so ingrained that they often ignore the effect that their actions have on the thinking of other nations. Instead, they repeatedly insist on their view of desired solutions expecting others to follow in a docile manner. In the past, there was no need for them to show restraint in pursuit of their interests. But times...

Sadly, the pessimistic scenario for Israel’s war in Lebanon outlined in this space earlier is becoming reality faster than expected. The situation on the ground may be worse than first hand analysts in Lebanon, Israel and the United Nations estimated. It would be prudent not to neglect these signals as rhetorical assumptions. Several Western reporters have now confirmed that moderate Amal party Shiites are starting to fight alongside Hizbullah to face the Israelis. For decades, both were...