tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94776812011-07-14T19:41:42.041-05:00Igor Volsky is an undergraduate at Marist College and the host of the Luske-Volsky Show (with Dr. Bruce Luske) and Political Thought, two public affairs programs airing every Monday and Friday from 4-6 p.m. on WMAR 1630AM. Both shows can be streamed online. Igor is a regular contributor to "The Circle" and The Citizen Magazine. He is currently at work on a book.Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.comBlogger2321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1123432770872515692005-08-07T11:37:00.000-05:002005-08-07T12:04:43.910-05:00

President Bush, on 8/1/05, congratulating King Abdallah on assuming the Saudi throne: "On behalf of the United States, I congratulate my friend, King Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, on assuming the Saudi throne and the position of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. We wish Saudi Arabia peace and prosperity under his leadership. I have spoken today to the new King, and the United States looks

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1123340482837393692005-08-06T09:57:00.000-05:002005-08-07T12:05:10.426-05:00

The explosions in London are a reminder of how the cycle of attack and response could escalate The recent explosions and casualties in London are yet another reminder of how the cycle of attack and response could escalate, unpredictably, even to a point horrifically worse than Hiroshima or Nagasaki. The world's reigning power accords itself the right to wage war at will, under a doctrine

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1120330518817881552005-07-02T13:54:00.000-05:002005-07-02T13:56:20.480-05:00

Last week, the Veterans Affairs Department announced that its health care costs had risen faster than expected, "forcing the agency to shift money among accounts to cover the shortage." On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously approved $1.5 billion in emergency funds for VA health care programs."[Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim] Nicholson told lawmakers Tuesday that the administration had vastly

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1120318634593481242005-07-02T10:15:00.000-05:002005-07-02T10:41:51.466-05:00

The O'Connor resignation raises great uncertainty. The President will most likely be rewarded with another vacancy, (Rehnquist will also resign) and thus the Democrats must be careful in how they play their cards. We must pick and choose our battles, fighting conservative reactionaries (yes, that's redundant) while agreeing to disagree with more moderate appointees (i.e. Alberto Gonzales). The

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1120173341893945062005-06-30T18:15:00.000-05:002005-06-30T18:16:34.490-05:00

Extending impunity and strengthening American foreign policy doctrine: The Pentagon has promoted or nominated for promotion two senior Army officers who oversaw or advised detention and interrogation operations in Iraq during the height of the Abu Ghraib prisoner-abuse scandal.The Army promoted Maj. Gen. Walter Wodjakowski, the former deputy commander of American forces in Iraq, earlier this

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1120172856222486772005-06-30T18:07:00.000-05:002005-06-30T18:12:21.386-05:00

The President's lack-luster primetime address confirmed what we have all long suspected: the Bush administration is out of ideas when it comes to defeating the ever-growing insurgency in Iraq. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, has endorsed a voting system that would elect candidates via provinces, not national lists, giving the

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1120172821249702682005-06-30T18:06:00.000-05:002005-06-30T18:19:59.846-05:00

The Bush administration claims that the Central American Free Trade Agreement would bring tougher labor standards to Central American workers. But the agreement, which would encompass the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, would have just the opposite effect. Such was the conclusion of the Department of Labor, only it chose

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1120172777326490592005-06-30T18:05:00.000-05:002005-06-30T18:11:08.193-05:00

The Washington Post is reporting that President Bush's proposed budget would "eliminate many of the federal rules requiring public housing authorities to serve extremely low income people" resulting in "one of the most dramatic policy shifts in the 68-year history of public housing." The President has wrapped the rule change in the rhetoric of "self sufficiency and encouraging home ownership."And

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1120172691167884912005-06-30T18:03:00.000-05:002005-06-30T18:22:19.163-05:00

The Senate has voted to approve an additional $1.5 billion in emergency funds for Veterans Affairs health programs. The House is expected to vote similarly tonight. Yet President Bush and Republicans in Congress have previously obstructed Democratic efforts to make up for the anticipated shortfall. In a rather embarrassing “mistake,” (foreseen by many lawmakers and veteran advocates) the V.A.

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1120172602668667832005-06-30T18:02:00.000-05:002005-06-30T18:09:43.946-05:00

For those who heard or read President Bush’s Saturday June 25th radio address, his speech last night, touting a connection between 9/11 and Saddam, was hardly surprising. In an article published on Scoop, investigative reporter Jason Leopold, the journalist who broke the California Blackout and Enron stories, weighed in on Bush’s radio deception-- providing the context and framework within which

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1119473700102735662005-06-22T15:43:00.000-05:002005-06-24T10:53:17.793-05:00

A classified CIA assessment has revealed that young jihads are leaving Iraq "experienced in and focused on acts of urban terrorism" and "form a potential pool of contacts to build transnational terrorist cells, groups and networks in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other countries."According to the report, President Bush's invasion is "likely to produce a dangerous legacy by dispensing to other

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1119237709800154622005-06-19T21:36:00.000-05:002005-06-20T07:47:51.536-05:00

The House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) by 25% in October. The original proposal would have completely eliminated "funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 2008, but a Democratic amendment earmarked $400 million so that public broadcasting could use the money in the future."CPB "provides less than

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1119057481929424552005-06-17T20:02:00.000-05:002005-06-24T10:54:36.306-05:00

Thirty U.S. lawmakers gathered in the basement of the U.S. Capital on Thursday to discuss the so-called Downing Street Memo. Chaired by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), the hearing featured former ambassador Joseph Wilson, veteran CIA analyst Ray McGovern, and attorney John Bonifaz.Audio excerpts of the hearings:Part IPart IIPart IIRay McGovern introduces and discusses the memo on the May 6th edition of

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1118599420451147722005-06-12T12:25:00.000-05:002005-06-12T13:38:55.506-05:00

Kevin Danaher, founder of Global Exchange explains the politics of debt relief (mp3, 50 sec) Finance ministers of the world's wealthiest nations agreed to wipe out "$40 billion in debt owed by 18 of the world's poorest countries as part of a major assault on global poverty." G8 nations (Britain, the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Russia) will replenish the reserves of

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1117659149788303782005-06-01T15:48:00.000-05:002005-06-27T23:37:21.516-05:00

The Sunday Times UK is reporting that Blair and Bush “more than doubled the rate at which they were dropping bombs on Iraq in 2002 in an attempt to provoke Saddam Hussein into giving the allies an excuse for war.”Tommy Franks has also “admitted this operation was designed to ‘degrade’ Iraqi air defenses in the same way as the air attacks that began the 1991 Gulf war.”Was the United States in

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1117140877137073472005-05-26T15:50:00.000-05:002005-06-27T23:38:58.626-05:00

DOES BUSH SHARE YOUR PRIORITIES FOR THE COUNTRY?Yes 34% No 61%DOES CONGRESS SHARE YOUR PRIORITIES FOR THE COUNTRY?Yes 20%No 68%BUSH’S OVERALL JOB RATINGApprove 46%Disapprove 48%DIRECTION OF COUNTRYRight direction 34%Wrong track 60%Source: CBS Poll

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1117110453046019532005-05-26T07:24:00.000-05:002005-06-27T23:39:52.936-05:00

"The central question is no longer whether the government's antiterrorism powers should be scaled back in the face of criticism from civil rights advocates, but whether those powers should be significantly expanded to give the F.B.I. new authority to demand records and monitor mailings without approval from a judge.The divergent views were on full display Tuesday as the committee began its debate

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1117108851829238342005-05-26T06:50:00.000-05:002005-06-27T23:40:35.026-05:00

North Carolina Republican Walter Jones, "the brains behind French toast becoming freedom toast in Capitol Hill restaurants" and critic of France in the lead-up to the Iraqi invasion recently told the North Carolina News and Observe that the U.S. went to war "with no justification.""If we were given misinformation intentionally by people in this administration, to commit the authority to send boys

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1117109939614635112005-05-26T06:48:00.000-05:002005-06-27T23:41:23.986-05:00

A House subcommittee appropriated another $45 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, bringing total military costs to more than $300 billion. The Pentagon had just received $76 billion for the wars from an $82 billion emergency bill Congress passed this month.But fiscal discipline is still in effect, you see. Republicans just recently passed a budget that "would shave automatically increasing

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1117061456003828892005-05-25T17:49:00.000-05:002005-06-27T23:42:16.946-05:00

"Nearly a dozen detainees at the Guantánamo Bay military prison in Cuba told FBI interrogators that guards had mistreated copies of the Koran, including one who said in 2002 that guards "flushed a Koran in the toilet," according to new FBI documents released today."Newsweek and Michael Isikoff should be ashamed for allowing themselves to be boolied by the administration. Their behavior is

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1116987114520852692005-05-24T21:11:00.000-05:002005-06-27T23:42:57.060-05:00

The House voted to "lift limits on embryonic stem cell research." Two different bills were passed. The more controversial measure "would lift Bush's 2001 ban on federal funding for new research using stem cells from embryos that had not been destroyed before August 2001."William Saletan of Slate provides the appropriate background: "Four years ago, Bush restricted federal funding of embryonic

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1116804869381552152005-05-22T18:32:00.000-05:002005-05-22T18:41:38.110-05:00

The Bush administration has spent $1 billion over the past 5 years on abstinence-only education.These programs are required (if they want to remain eligible for federal funding) to teach students that condoms don't work.88% of all the 20,000 teens that has taken the abstinence pledge have broken it and 1/3 of all schools teach an abstinence only sex-ed program-- they too are required to talk

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1116454312559658162005-05-18T17:11:00.000-05:002005-05-18T17:11:52.563-05:00

Those familiar with the IMF/World Bank and "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" will find the following story troubling, but not at all surprising."Iraq's Industry Ministry plans to partially privatize most of its 46 state-owned companies as part of the government's plan to establish a liberal, free-market economy. Under the former regime of Saddam Hussein, only Arab countries were allowed to

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1115406497566327162005-05-16T23:23:00.000-05:002005-05-18T17:16:52.596-05:00

The Newsweek bash is a smokescreen. Previous accounts of 'cultural defamation' and religious abuse have been widely reported. American corporate (and for the most part conservative) media chooses to focus on the messenger, not the message. They have also ignored our president's culpability.The deaths that resulted from the story are tragic. I just wish that American reactionaries would extend the

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1115364069566248872005-05-06T02:19:00.000-05:002005-05-11T00:23:34.830-05:00

Conservative reactionaries have expressed their dislike for the ‘homosexual agenda’ and their tentacles have penetrated the American political system. Strong evangelical efficacy has ensured political compliance from weak politicians.Yet human consideration must supersede short term political gain. An individual’s humanity should not be sacrificed to votes. Public relations experts and high

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1114903733240571212005-04-30T18:28:00.000-05:002005-05-02T12:14:52.386-05:00

Progressive policy critics and moderate government insiders have long cautioned against a sustained American presence in the Middle East. American encroachment, they warn, radicalizes young Muslim fundamentalists and substantiates Bin Laden’s message of religious Jihad.Administration officials dismiss these critics publicly (although rare words of candor do sometimes escape—CIA Chief Goss

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1114064607899522132005-04-21T01:20:00.000-05:002005-04-21T01:23:27.900-05:00

The passing of the pope John Paul II has led to an outpouring of world emotion. Iconic-like devotion portrayed the pope as a flawless global leader and has cost him his humanity. While the pope’s accomplishments are noteworthy, his shortcomings provide critical insight.Great emphasis has also been placed on the future of the Catholic Church and the role of a to-be-name pope within it. But before

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1113584377375550992005-04-14T11:57:00.000-05:002005-04-15T11:59:37.376-05:00

On its surface, the final report of the presidential commission on intelligence is another whitewash and rehash of previous investigations into pre-war intelligence debacles. The president appointed the commission reluctantly, delayed its final report calculatingly and “did not authorize it to investigate how policy makers had used the intelligence they received.” Yet a close read and a cursory

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1112968030775267492005-03-10T18:00:00.000-05:002005-04-08T08:47:10.776-05:00

Morality extends beyond the bedroom. Yet Americans are still focused on the mating habits of their fellow citizens. When we have sex, with whom we have sex and what results in the wake of that sex has preoccupied and often outraged the public. On the contrary, America's direct participation in humiliating, immoral and illegal prisoner abuse has garnered only modest indignation. Popular media and

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109962914037844912005-03-04T13:59:00.000-05:002005-03-04T14:01:54.040-05:00

My last column addressed the army's recruitment shortage. "For the first time since 2001, the Army began the fiscal year with just 18.4 percent of its recruitment goal met ... that amounts to less than half of last year's figure and falls well below the Army's goal of 25 percent."The cost of troop recruitment has also gone up. The army is forced to offer large bonuses to secure troop reenlistment

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109351627533049162005-02-25T12:09:00.000-05:002005-02-25T12:13:47.543-05:00

The occupation of Iraq has made Americans less secure. Bush administration policy has radicalized Muslim extremists and drastically enhanced the Muslim call to jihad. Bush did this knowingly and deliberately.In his testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Porter Goss, the new CIA Director confessed that the war in Iraq "was giving terrorists experience contacts for future attacks... They

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109351303217893732005-02-25T12:06:00.000-05:002005-02-25T12:08:23.216-05:00

A Harris poll found that 44% of Americans now believe that several of the 9/11 terrorists were Iraqis. This is up from 37% in November.

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109188511984630972005-02-23T14:55:00.000-05:002005-02-23T15:04:04.543-05:00

The CIA has been operating "a global 'ghost' prison system, where terror suspects are secretly interrogated [in foreign countries that practice torture]... several of the Gulfstream flights allegedly correlate with other 'renditions,' the controversial practice of secretly spiriting suspects to other countries without due process."One former terror suspect tells the story of how "he was taken off

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109187397388834902005-02-23T14:36:00.000-05:002005-02-23T14:36:37.390-05:00

The New York Times is reaffirming the obvious: malpractice law suits are not the root-cause of higher insurance premiums for doctors. Instead, "the more important factors appear to be the declining investment earnings of insurance companies and the changing nature of competition in the industry."In the late 1990s, insurers discovered that they had dropped prices below the cost of paying claims.

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109184392491940702005-02-23T13:46:00.000-05:002005-02-23T13:46:32.493-05:00

Bush giving a pep talk to German troops: "There is only one option for victory...We must take the fight to the enemy."But by taking the fight to 'the enemy' in Iraq, "Iraq has replaced Afghanistan as the training ground for the next generation of 'professionalized' terrorists...Iraq provides terrorists with 'a training ground, a recruitment ground, the opportunity for enhancing technical skills.'"

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109183879275571502005-02-23T13:37:00.000-05:002005-02-23T13:39:07.106-05:00

Bush to Iran: "We believe that the voice of the people ought to be determining policy, because we believe in democracy and freedom."Oh really? A recent Zogby Poll showed that, 82% of Sunnis and 69% of Shiites now favor a U.S. pullout. As the Post points out, "many Iraqis viewed the election as one way to accelerate the U.S. withdrawal rather than a vindication of U.S. policy."The administration

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109183354813868292005-02-23T13:29:00.000-05:002005-02-23T13:29:14.813-05:00

President Bush on Iran:"It's vital that the Iranians hear the world speak with one voice that they shouldn't have a nuclear weapon...all options are on the table...I also reminded people that diplomacy is just beginning. Iran is not Iraq." (emphasis added)Yes Mr. President, Iran might actually have nuclear weapons...

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109149496085398742005-02-23T04:03:00.000-05:002005-02-23T04:06:03.646-05:00

"When there is a self-sufficiency regarding security, then the existence of foreign forces in Iraq, be they in the form of individual troops or in the form of military bases, will not be justified."

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109128900137033192005-02-22T22:19:00.000-05:002005-02-22T22:21:40.140-05:00

1) Iraqis want Islamic law to be the bedrock of their constitution. Jafari has said that that Iraq's constitution should be drafted by an Iraqi national assembly and have its foundation exclusively in Islamic law. The final constitution has to find a balance between the religious Shiites (with 140 seats), the secular Sunnis (with 40 seats) and the ‘autonomous’ Kurds (with 75 seats).2) While

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109127291285446472005-02-22T21:53:00.000-05:002005-02-22T21:54:51.290-05:00

The papers are reporting that all 26 NATO members have agreed to train Iraqi security forces, the first step to an American withdrawal and an Iraqi take-over of security. This could be very promising. Much of course depends on the level of commitment-- both monetary and physical.Still, the President is intent on resisting diplomatic negotiations with Iran and has refused to join the "big three,"

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1109004776415239572005-02-21T11:52:00.000-05:002005-02-21T11:52:56.416-05:00

While al-Zarqawi and his allies have refused to negotiate "with the occupiers," former Saddam loyalists and members of the Sunni resistance have met with U.S. officials to voice the conditions upon which they'll agree to a ceasefire.What do the insurgents want?They support a secular democracy in Iraq but resent the prospect of a government run by exiles who fled to Iran and the West during

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108926552278837652005-02-20T14:09:00.000-05:002005-02-20T14:11:47.250-05:00

"80% of... trade moves through only 10 ports, with the biggest loads passing through Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland in California and New York. That is why the nation's biggest ports are seen as particularly attractive as terrorist targets. Severely damaging one would not only cause deaths, injuries and property damage, but could also disrupt the flow of many basic goods into and out of the

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108924552411652692005-02-20T13:35:00.000-05:002005-02-20T13:43:06.700-05:00

The New York Times fronts the release of secretly taped phone conversations between then Governor George Bush and Doug Wead a former Bush I aid. Although the online article stretches 5 pages, the tapes themselves are not too enlightening. Still, Bush's faith seems genuine and his refusal to discuss his "youthful transgressions" is almost admirable.Two points of note--1) "Mr. Bush told Mr. Wead, '

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108834971359446742005-02-19T12:42:00.000-05:002005-02-19T12:42:51.363-05:00

Bush's social security privatization plan would disproportionately affect the poor. Under Bush's plan, Americans who choose to divert 4% of the incomes into personal retirement accounts would be able to "invest the money in a small menu of stock and bond funds that they could not touch until they retire. Unlike in the current retirement system, they could pass on the money accumulated in the

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108833307902271752005-02-19T12:14:00.000-05:002005-02-19T12:15:07.906-05:00

Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, asked two national organizations that oppose Bush's "Clear Skies" initiative to turn over their financial and tax records to the Senate.Inhofe claims he wants to determine "whether the groups represented only regulators' views or whether they also were subsidized by outside interests, including

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108748701558943242005-02-18T10:42:00.000-05:002005-02-18T12:45:50.123-05:00

Shortly after September 11, University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill authored an essay in which he suggested that "'technocrats of empire' working in the World Trade Center were the equivalent of 'little Eichmanns.' ([Nazi] Adolf Eichmann was not charged with direct killing but with ensuring the smooth running of the infrastructure that enabled the Nazi genocide.)" Churchill argued that

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108629497878674342005-02-17T03:38:00.000-05:002005-02-17T03:38:17.880-05:00

War Helps Recruit Terrorists, Hill ToldIntelligence Officials Talk Of Growing InsurgencyBy Dana Priest and Josh WhiteWashington Post Staff WritersThursday, February 17, 2005; Page A01Goss tacitly admits that war in Iraq made us less safePosted Wednesday, 8:42 p.m.Hehe...

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108606488067737332005-02-16T21:14:00.000-05:002005-02-16T21:14:48.070-05:00

While the United States is demanding that Iran and North Korea anbandon their nuclear ambitions, energy secretary Samuel Bodman is asking Congress for "$2 billion in the next fiscal year for the nuclear weapon stockpile stewardship program, which verifies that America's aging atomic arsenal remains operational." Bodman said the administration remains convinced the "readiness posture" of the

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108604546957466842005-02-16T20:42:00.000-05:002005-02-16T20:42:26.960-05:00

In his testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee, new CIA Director Porter Goss said that the war in Iraq "was giving terrorists experience and contacts for future attacks.""Those jihadists who survive will leave Iraq experienced in and focused on acts of urban terrorism. They represent a potential pool of contacts to build transnational terrorist cells, groups and networks," Goss said.Goss

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108571995875668622005-02-16T11:38:00.000-05:002005-02-16T11:39:55.880-05:00

"Michael Chertoff, a federal appeals court judge and a former head of the Justice Department's criminal division, was unanimously confirmed by the Senate as homeland security secretary on Tuesday, virtually completing the second-term makeover of President Bush's cabinet. The vote, 98-0, makes Mr. Chertoff the ninth and final cabinet secretary to win Senate confirmation since Mr. Bush was sworn in

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108570065699308932005-02-16T11:06:00.000-05:002005-02-16T11:07:45.700-05:00

The FDA has announced it will create a panel to ensure the safety of drugs after they hit the market. The panel will publicly release information about drug risks and "uncover dangerous side effects in drugs already on the market." But while the panel is a nice PR touch in the wake of numerous drug recalls, its effectiveness has already come into question.The panel won't really be independent;

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108522668305561522005-02-15T21:56:00.000-05:002005-02-15T21:57:48.306-05:00

Krugman writes that the ascendancy of Howard Dean to the chairmanship of the Democratic party will reign in a new era of steadfastness. That is, the Democrats will finally stand up for what they believe in.But in order to hold a strong position, the Democrats have to hold a single position. This is not the case. Just last Thursday, flocks of Democrats crossed the aisle to vote for class-action

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108521720949369102005-02-15T21:41:00.000-05:002005-02-15T21:42:00.950-05:00

Iraqis voted for troop withdrawalA recent Zogby Poll showed that, 82% of Sunnis and 69% of Shiites now favor a U.S. pullout. As the Post points out, "many Iraqis viewed the election as one way to accelerate the U.S. withdrawal rather than a vindication of U.S. policy."Al-Jaafari says he will keep U.S. troops in Iraq"In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Al-Jaafari said that if he

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108521391279957052005-02-15T21:35:00.000-05:002005-02-15T21:46:12.856-05:00

The Iraqi elections were successful. Now comes the hard work of securing the country and training the Iraqi security forces. The Independent UK, is reporting that out of 270,000 Iraqi forces there are "only 5,000 troops who could be considered combat ready."The gap is growing wider. Between October and November of last year, "the shortfall more than doubled, from 69,400 to 159,000. At current

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1108520462425304832005-02-15T21:20:00.000-05:002005-02-15T21:21:02.426-05:00

President Bush is once again using fear to quickly push through an extension/renewal of the Patriot Act. "We must not allow the passage of time or the illusion of safety to weaken our resolve in this new war."A press release by the ACLU notes that as "10% of that act is set to sunset at the end of this year," the country deserves, in the words of the 9/11 Commission, "a full and informed debate

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1107888668619730002005-02-08T13:50:00.000-05:002005-02-08T13:51:08.620-05:00

Shiite list: 57-62% of the vote Kurdish alliance: 22% Allawi's slate: 18% Turnout is estimated to have been between 59 and 63% of eligible voters. Only 20% of Sunnis voted. Source: Washington Post

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1107444720892416452005-02-03T10:31:00.000-05:002005-02-19T19:49:58.096-05:00

Dear readers:I again apologize for my absence. It has gotten increasingly difficult to allocate 'blogging time' in the midst of school work, show-planning and book writing. My second chapter is due on Valentines Day, February 14th, and thus I can't promise constant blogging from now until then. However, I will try to resume my pace that Tuesday.For analysis of the President's State of the Union,

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1107203469656245102005-01-31T21:22:00.000-05:002005-01-31T21:23:03.863-05:00

Sunday's elections were a great success. An estimated 60% of Iraq's 14 million eligible voters cast their ballots and all went as expected. While Sunni turnout was low, the Shiites voted in great numbers. In the insurgent-Sunni stronghold of Ramadi for example, only 1,700 of the eligible 400,000 went to the ballot box, but in the Shiite town of Najaf, 85% of eligible Iraqis voted. The Iraqi

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106928699467050482005-01-28T11:10:00.000-05:002005-01-28T11:33:18.143-05:00

Speaking at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy cautioned Americans against falling into another Vietnam and called for a phased-withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Republicans and conservative talk radio instantly labeled Kennedy an irresponsible liberal extremist out of touch with America; but the numbers tell a different story.

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106848760597032082005-01-27T12:59:00.000-05:002005-01-27T12:59:20.596-05:00

The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq released the names of all the candidates for Sunday's vote yesterday but has so far withheld the names of 5,600 polling centers. That information will be released on Sunday morning. David Enders, a Mother Jones reporter stationed in Iraq, writes that while the location of many polling stations is a secret to many Iraqis, "guerillas have made claims

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106846642888362432005-01-27T12:23:00.000-05:002005-01-27T12:24:02.890-05:00

Douglas Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy is stepping down. Feith ran the Office of Special Plans where he manufactured and cherry picked evidence to support the administration's claims of large WMD stockpiles in Iraq. Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks called Feith "the stupidest guy on the face of the Earth."

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106846056390622882005-01-27T12:22:00.000-05:002005-01-27T13:02:48.923-05:00

The Bush administration is instating a new play-plan in which employees of the Department of Homeland Security will have their salary ranges determined by geographic location, annual market surveys of what similar employees earn in the private sector and other government entities. Workers will be assigned to 1 of 4 pay bands, based on skill and experience, and promotions will be dolled out

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106812763711137752005-01-27T03:00:00.000-05:002005-01-27T03:01:19.093-05:00

Speaking to reporters for the first time since his second inauguration, President Bush distanced himself from speculations that his second term foreign policy will "confront all manner of autocrats around the planet" and acknowledged, like his handlers had on Friday, that the inaugural "reflected the policies of the last four years," not a major policy shift. But then, in an attempt to clarify

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106673311404958382005-01-25T13:14:00.000-05:002005-01-25T12:18:39.020-05:00

According to Human Rights Watch, "Iraqi police, jailers and intelligence agents, many of them holding the same jobs they had under Hussein, are ‘committing systematic torture and other abuses.'" As a result, Iraqis are routinely beaten, hung and shocked with electrical wires. Meanwhile, the ACLU has released more documents of prison abuse in American-controlled prisons. Although it is unclear

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106582531481415052005-01-24T11:01:00.000-05:002005-01-24T11:02:11.480-05:00

The Republicans are desperate. To boost their claim that Social Security is in crisis, Bush administration officials are taking a page out of Rush Limbaugh and claiming that Bill Clinton and other Democrats had previously supported a SS privatization plan. But there is only one problem: "Clinton's repeated calls during his second term to 'save Social Security first' were specifically to thwart

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106521198144664152005-01-23T17:58:00.000-05:002005-01-23T18:11:16.500-05:00

Rumors of large budget cuts began swirling in May 2004 when a White House budget memorandum warned government agencies that if Bush won reelection, his 2006 budget would seek cuts in education, veteran’s affairs, environmental protection, and urban development. While on the campaign trail, Bush boasted of his administration's commitment to education and veteran affairs but his 2006 budget is

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106433737918269802005-01-22T17:42:00.000-05:002005-01-22T17:50:37.316-05:00

"Don't cut Medicaid pa!" From the AP: "President Bush is readying a new budget that would carve savings from Medicaid and other benefit programs, congressional aides and lobbyists say...White House officials are not saying what Bush's $2.5 trillion 2006 budget will propose saving..." But back to (what the media likes to focus on) the inauguration festivities. New Energy, one of the nation's

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106412434515830922005-01-22T11:47:00.000-05:002005-01-22T14:51:17.380-05:00

On Thursday, Cheney accused Iran of building a "fairly robust new nuclear programs, "announced that it had become the top threat to world peace," and suggested that Israel might attack it first. "Given the fact that Iran has a stated policy that their objective is the destruction of Israel, the Israelis might well decide to act first, and let the rest of the world worry about cleaning up the

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106409932192749392005-01-22T11:04:00.000-05:002005-01-22T11:05:32.193-05:00

A BBC World Service Poll of 22,953 people in 21 countries found that 58% of respondents, and a majority in 16 countries, considered the world more dangerous because of Bush's reelection. But I thought bin Laden and the terrorists were the biggest threat to world stability...

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106409083817687202005-01-22T10:51:00.000-05:002005-01-23T12:21:45.853-05:00

It now appears that not only was Bush's inaugural address full of um... hypocrisy, but his "ultimate goal" of "ending tyranny in our world" represents no significant shift in U.S. foreign policy. The speech was rhetorical, a public relations ploy, smoke and mirrors. It wasn't binding. Thus, the president will continue to support tyranny and poor human rights in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan,

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106319309318254612005-01-21T09:43:00.000-05:002005-01-21T09:58:24.556-05:00

Igor is back on radio Today 4-6pm Listen Live!Confirmed guests: Michael Scherer of Mother Jones Magazine "Aside from the usual corporate suspects, there's a second tier of (deliberately) low-profile donors underwriting Bush's inaugural." Eric Boehlert of Salon.com "News outlets couldn't get enough of 'Memogate.' But the failure to find Saddam's weapons? That's right up there with the

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106245569399736142005-01-20T13:25:00.000-05:002005-01-20T13:29:56.440-05:00

"So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world." (MSNBC) Josh Kurlantzick reports on how government organizations financed by the U.S. government has been promoting the overthrow of elected leaders in Haiti, Venezuela, and Cambodia. Listen to my

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106241707940342412005-01-20T12:21:00.000-05:002005-01-20T12:21:47.940-05:00

This writes Washington Post reporter Dana Milbank, is the way Bush cabinet nominees have been avoiding accountability and explanation. In written answers to Sen. Ted Kennedy, Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales used the words "I am not at liberty to disclose" at least 10 times; "I do not recall" or "I have no recollection" six times; I did not "conduct a search" seven times; "I am not at

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106239262730259892005-01-20T11:40:00.000-05:002005-01-20T11:41:02.730-05:00

As noted in the post below, the Iraqi troop-training debate is one of different standards. Sen. Biden, who now says that no more than 14,000 battle-ready troops, disputes the administration's claim that 120,000 Iraqi soldiers are capable of fighting the insurgency. U.S. military commanders acknowledged that some of the more than 120,000 are not yet capable of waging effective operations against

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106228355556937072005-01-20T08:39:00.000-05:002005-01-20T08:39:15.556-05:00

The media is reporting that the theme for Bush's forthcoming inauguration address will be 'freedom.' The context: Iraq. I have previously written of the disparity between American and Iraqi perception (as it pertains to the progress and invasion of Iraq). While Americans are more likely to accept Bush's rationale for war, a greater number of Iraqis see some of the positive progress on the ground.

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106225471939764942005-01-20T07:51:00.000-05:002005-01-20T07:52:18.930-05:00

If you heard the Biden-Rice exchange about the number of trained Iraqi troops you'll find that it's very telling. Here is how the papers are covering it: "Rice estimated the number of Iraqi security forces at more than 120,000." We think that, among those people, there clearly continue to be questions about on-duty time, that is, people who don’t report for duty. And so this is being looked at,"

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106150643693396872005-01-19T11:03:00.000-05:002005-01-19T11:08:34.530-05:00

Fred Kaplan points out that Condi didn't answer any substantive questions (Would Americans pull out if the elected government asked them to? How do you define torture? Would it be possible to invade Iran? etc...) and didn't explain how Bush's second term policies would differ from his first. Something most Americans have hoped for. But Rice also didn’t' admit any of Bush's um... mistakes.

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106104186059596922005-01-18T22:09:00.000-05:002005-01-18T22:16:10.680-05:00

"I have never, ever, lost respect for the truth in the service of anything. It is not my nature. It is not my character." - Condoleezza Rice at her senate confirmation Rice on aluminum tubes: On October 7, 2002, the president announced that "Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106072291823597942005-01-18T13:18:00.000-05:002005-01-18T13:18:11.823-05:00

From the Center for American Progress: 1. In a January 2002 memo to the president, Colin Powell said excluding detainees from the Geneva Conventions, as White House legal counsel Alberto Gonzales had recommended, would "undermine the protections of the law of war for our troops" and have "immediate adverse consequences for our conduct of foreign policy." The president rejected Powell's advice,

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106065900077230872005-01-18T11:31:00.000-05:002005-01-18T11:34:32.400-05:00

Norma Cohen asks: "Conservative government sweeps to power for a second term. It views its victory as a mandate to slash the role of the state. In its first term, this policy objective was met by cutting taxes for the wealthy. Its top priority for its second term is tackling what it views as an enduring vestige of socialism: its system of social insurance for the elderly. Declaring the current

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106065439561874042005-01-18T11:23:00.000-05:002005-01-18T11:23:59.563-05:00

While the Bush administration is denying that it used faith based initiatives to win over socially conservative African American voters, Republican strategists are using the faith program to win a quarter of the African American vote by 2006. Administration record-keeping has made it difficult to track where the faith-based money has gone. I wonder why...Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas), a member of

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1106061918616888052005-01-18T10:25:00.000-05:002005-01-18T10:25:18.616-05:00

A U.N. report has concluded if rich countries are to meet their 2000 pledge "to halve extreme poverty by 2015 for the world's 1 billion people who survive on less than $1 a day, and to reduce hunger and reverse the spread of AIDS and malaria," they would have to increase their aid to 1/2 of 1% of GDP, up from the average of .25 percent. The U.S. currently gives .15% or $16.3 billion, last among

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1105849404563963012005-01-15T23:23:00.000-05:002005-01-15T23:23:24.563-05:00

Dear readers, I finally finished the first chapter of the book and should be back at “full throttle” on Monday. We'll talk then. Yours, Igor Volsky

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1105665856907463072005-01-13T20:24:00.000-05:002005-01-13T20:35:08.820-05:00

Driving back from the city, I caught an NPR "Marketplace" segment concerning the heavy tariff burden the U.S. places on countries devastated by the Tsunami. Apparently, the average U.S. duty rate on products from rich nations is about 1%, while the average rate on Sri Lankan goods is 13.8 %. Just recently, Washington imposed anti-dumping duties on shrimp imports from India and Thailand. As a

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1105454621414633802005-01-11T09:43:00.000-05:002005-01-11T09:43:41.413-05:00

Dear readers, I'm going to have to take most of this week off. The first chapter of the book is due on Saturday and so I really have to get cracking. I'll try to post one or two entries a day, but won't have time for any more. Once I get back to school this upcoming Monday I should be back to my normal schedule of 3-4. Sorry, but time is truly of the essence. In the meantime, please welcome our

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1105388118959941112005-01-10T15:14:00.000-05:002005-01-10T15:15:18.960-05:00

The Pentagon is "intensively debating an option [in Iraq] that dates back to a still-secret strategy in the Reagan administration’s battle against the leftist guerrilla insurgency in El Salvador in the early 1980s. Then, faced with a losing war against Salvadoran rebels, the U.S. government funded or supported "nationalist" forces that allegedly included so-called death squads directed to hunt

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1105380920229479032005-01-10T13:15:00.000-05:002005-01-10T13:15:20.230-05:00

In news from Iraq, the entire 13-member electoral commission in the province of Anbar has resigned after being threatened by insurgents. The head of the commission told a newspaper that insurgent attacks made it "impossible to hold elections" in the Sunni province, which includes the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi. Last month, Iraq's largest Sunni political party also decided to drop out of the

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1105107275892296392005-01-07T09:14:00.000-05:002005-01-12T19:59:57.870-05:00

I have been reading all of the papers in hopes of fully understanding yesterday's Gonzales confirmation hearings. But even after going through many if not all of the related articles, I'm still scared. Gonzales could not recall his original position on the August 2002 "torture memo" he helped draft but added that "I don't have a disagreement with the conclusions then reached." But in what has by

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1105026565539353292005-01-06T10:48:00.000-05:002005-01-06T10:58:37.900-05:00

In light of Alberto Gonzales's confirmation hearings, all of the papers lead with torture coverage. The Washington Post reminds us of the lawsuit filed by an Australian detainee in Guantanamo who had been rendered to Egypt. When he returned, three eye-witnesses confirm that he was missing his fingernails, was electrocuted, beaten, and nearly drowned. His lawyers are trying to stop plans to send

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104781174089035582005-01-03T14:39:00.000-05:002005-01-03T14:39:34.090-05:00

Dear readers, I'm down with a very severe case of strap throat and have to cut back on blogging. Thoughtful Points should be back up and running by the end of this week. Please comment and support the blog in my absence. Yours, Igor Volsky

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104672215761589122005-01-02T08:23:00.000-05:002005-01-02T08:23:35.760-05:00

Ever since the U.N. lifted sanctions against Libya, U.S. oil executives have been flocking into the country to get their hands on the newly available Libyan petroleum. Even though Bush cut a deal with Gadhafi that compromised U.S. national security and Libya is still on a U.S. government list of states that sponsor terrorism, most oilmen "feel comfortable enough to put our money down."

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104670400560019202005-01-02T07:53:00.000-05:002005-01-02T22:08:27.416-05:00

The Bush administration is preparing to indefinitely detain suspected terrorists, "whom the government does not have enough evidence to charge in courts." CIA and Pentagon officials are hoping the White House will issue "a more permanent approach for potentially lifetime detentions." For now, in what are called renditions, the CIA transfers "captives it picks up abroad to third countries willing

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104667268941756332005-01-02T07:01:00.000-05:002005-01-02T07:01:08.940-05:00

Afghanistan, the world's largest opium producer, is experiencing an explosion in poppy cultivation. In 2003, 150,000 acres were cultivated by 2004 that number rose to 510,000. And with this year’s planting season approaching, poppy cultivation is expected to bring in as much as $7 billion in profits (up from $2.2 in 2004) for Afghan warlords, Taliban fighters and terrorists in Afghanistan and

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104538661788599572004-12-31T19:17:00.000-05:002004-12-31T19:48:52.866-05:00

Despite reports of an improving economy, charities are experiencing an increase in the number of people asking for "help to pay the rent or feed their children." At the Sullivan Center, requests for aid have doubled. North Fulton Community Charities is reporting that requests for rent money or food from the pantry are up about 20%. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, poverty rates rose from

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104527121509364732004-12-31T16:04:00.000-05:002004-12-31T20:02:52.996-05:00

The Bush administration has issued a new directive retreating from its previously permissive view of torture. The new memo doesn't repudiate the previous policy, which allowed interrogators to inflict pain approaching that of organ failure or death, but it does concluded that the 2002 memo was wrong when it found that only "excruciating and agonizing pain" constituted torture, and that

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104431180133012932004-12-30T13:26:00.000-05:002004-12-30T13:28:05.080-05:00

The Nation looks into the Oil for Food Scandal: Listening to the cable pundits, you would never suspect that there is no proof at this point that Annan, or indeed anyone else at the UN, did anything wrong. Charges of corruption against UN official Benon Sevan are suspect at best, given that they come via Ahmad Chalabi, who was also the source of the discredited information about Iraq's illusory

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104422356124256872004-12-30T10:59:00.000-05:002004-12-30T11:09:54.896-05:00

The NYT editorial page weighs in on the "Are We Stingy?" relief efforts debate and concludes that yes, we are. The paper contrasts the public perception that the U.S. gives 24% of its budget on aid to poor nations and the reality that we only spends a quarter of 1%. In 2003, America gave $16.2 billion in development aid, while the European Union gave $37.1 billion. In 2002, America offered $13.2

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104340465557100992004-12-29T12:14:00.000-05:002004-12-29T12:16:41.250-05:00

From Democracy Now! President Bush has pledged to send $35 million in tsunami relief. To put the figure in perspective, Bush plans to spend $30 to $40 million for his upcoming inauguration celebration. "The U.S. has spent an average of $9.5 million every hour on the war and occupation of Iraq. With a current price tag of $147 billion, the U.S. has spent on average of about $228 million a day in

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104338882192251282004-12-29T11:47:00.000-05:002004-12-29T11:49:47.760-05:00

The NYT is reporting that in an effort to offset deficits and the costs of the war in Iraq, the Pentagon is considering "cuts in the Air Force's program for the F/A-22, the most expensive fighter jet in history." Where is Zell Miller now? (I wonder if he'll be screaming about this from his new soap box at FoxNews...)

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9477681.post-1104338295759791372004-12-29T11:38:00.000-05:002004-12-29T11:38:15.760-05:00

In the latest Ohio recount, spearheaded by Green and Libertarian, Bush's vote margin shrunk by 318 votes, from 118,775 to 118,457. The NYT notes that "the state has become an emblem of continuing ailments in the nation's electoral process, because of Election Day events like seven-hour lines that drove voters away from the polls, malfunctioning machines, poorly trained poll workers who directed

Igor Volskynoreply@blogger.com0