Blog

My running commentary on events: local, national, and international. Areas of special interest include Israel, Iraq, and dissidents in the Muslim world.

Israel, Iceland Lead the Way in Providing Earthquake Relief to Haiti

January 22, 2010

 

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In the wake of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti last Tuesday, killing between 50,000 and 200,000, …

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Thank Yoo, Mr. Yoo!

January 13, 2010

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John Yoo, former deputy assistant attorney general in the office of legal counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice during George W. Bush’s first term, sat down with me Tuesday evening prior to his talk before a Manhattan audience of the Federalist Society to promote his book, “Crisis and Command.” …

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Good Morning, Mr. President, Would You Like Some Security With Your Coffee?

January 7, 2010

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Looks like President Obama is waking up to some harsh realities.

Earlier this week the President announced he would not be sending any Guantanamo Bay detainees home to Yemen, an impoverished Arab country that has emerged as a hotbed of terrorist activity. The would-be Christmas Day bomber had recently …

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Sister of Human Rights Attorney Detained During Week That Iranian Mullahs Kill 12

December 31, 2009

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During this week of uprising that left 12 pro-democracy protestors dead in Iran, the sister of Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, a human rights attorney and activist, was detained by the Iranian government because of her sister’s human rights work, according to Ebadi.

In a statement, the Nobel Prize winning human rights …

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Ahmadinejad Mocks President Obama as Iran Steps up Aggression

December 24, 2009

During the Bush years, some thought the main obstacle to successfully negotiating with Iran was President Bush. In fact, Bush was condemned by some for his unwillingness to engage Iranian leaders.

Fastforward a year. President Obama has extended to Ahmadinejad one olive branch after another and been rebuffed. Wednesday night in an interview with the United …

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Conservative Michael Moore Shines Light on U.N. Corruption

December 21, 2009

Ami Horowitz’s documentary “U.N. Me” screened at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam in November to rave reviews. Horowitz, who co-directed and co-produced the film, says he’s inspired by Moore although he doesn’t share his views.

Apparently the documentary deals with many instances and levels of corruption at the United Nations, ranging from the oil …

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Iraqi Parliamentarian Warns, Obama’s Vision to Become ‘A Joke and a Tragedy’ if Iran Gets the Bomb

December 17, 2009

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Distressing news out of Iran yesterday as that nation’s theocratic leaders continue to defy the international community by testing a long-range missile that could reach Europe or Israel.

In a number of interviews I have conducted with him since September, Iraqi Parliamentarian Mithal al-Alusi has warned that Iran is much closer to …

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Iranian Democracy Protestors Await Obama’s Action

December 13, 2009

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In this week’s Wall Street Journal, columnist Amir Taheri reports that Iran’s pro-democracy movement is “deepening and growing.”

On Monday, thousands of Iranian students risked their lives and safety to protest the rule of the mullahs in Iran. Some protestors allegedly burned photographs of Supreme leader Ayatollah  Ali Khamenei, a taboo-shattering move …

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President Obama’s Back to the Future Surge Strategy

December 6, 2009

President Obama’s recently announced plans for a troop surge of 30,000 service members to Afghanistan echoes former President Bush’s 2006 troop surge to Iraq.

Bush decided on a surge at a time when he faced great public outcry, was demonized in much U.S. media, and was shrilly opposed by many members of the U.S. Congress (including, …

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Churchill’s Words on Importance of Alliance, and Squarely Facing Hard Decisions, Relevant Today

December 3, 2009

Just read this sage and sobering passage from “The Gathering Storm,” Winston Churchill’s account of World War II:

“Those who are prone by character or temperament to seek sharp and clear-cut solutions of difficult and obscure problems, who are ready to fight whenever some challenge comes from a foreign Power, have not always been right. On …

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