Mr. President, War Crimes Must Be Investigated
by Ruth Rosen
The memos about torture released by the Obama administration are horrifying to read. Nothing new, here, but they are like a punch in the stomach all over again. This is my country? This is the nation that stands for freedom and decency?I understand why President Obama doesn't want to prosecute those who believed they were acting under laws written by the Justice Department. But that is not the only policy he and other Democrats can pursue. |
Judgment Day for Tax Cheats
by Robert Scheer
One wonders if Phil Gramm has been made just a tad nervous by the news on Tuesday that one of UBS's super-wealthy private clients has pleaded guilty to tax evasion. That's the second case in two weeks involving the bank at which the former senator is a vice chairman, and 100 other clients are under investigation for possible bank-assisted tax fraud. |
Nearing 100
by Katrina vanden Heuvel
Three days after Senator Obama's historic election, I proposed an agenda for President Obama's first 100 days. As we near this iconic marker I'm surprised to see just how much of that platform is in motion - from passage of the stimulus and repeal of the global gag rule to the Administration's pledge to close Guantanamo. I'm frustrated at how slow progress is on other priorities, like health care and labor reform. And I'm troubled by the administration's direction on some issues, notably the bank bailout plan and Afghanistan. But as voices left and right move to grade Obama's progress, it is astonishing to see the energy and directness with which Obama's administration has confronted the issues of our time. |
The Torture Memos, Obama and the Banality of Evil
by Richard Kim
Even as President Obama acted in the name of transparency and accountabilty in releasing the Bush administration's OLC's torture memos, he made assurances that the CIA agents who used the "enhanced interrogation techniques" meticulously detailed within would not be subject to criminal prosecution. Glenn Greenwald at Salon, Jeremy Scahill on his blog, David Bromwich at Huffington Post and Ta-Nehisi Coates at the Atlantic all have good takes on why Obama's decision is wrong. I concur. However politically expedient, Obama's nearly carte blanche absolution of torture was morally wrong, and his justification of it, from a professor of constitutional law, is intellectually dishonest. |
Greens Hail Obama's OK to Regulate Greenhouse Emissions
by Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON - U.S. green groups hailed Friday's formal finding by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that carbon dioxide and several other greenhouse gases "endanger" public health and welfare as a landmark if long overdue step toward slowing global warming. |
Israel Stands Ready to Bomb Iran's Nuclear Sites
by Sheera Frenkel
JERUSALEM - The Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government.Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces for what would be a risky raid requiring pinpoint aerial strikes are the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack. |
Obama 'seeks a new beginning' with Cuba, talks
by Vivian Sequera and Ben Feller
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad Trading their warmest words in a half-century, the United States and Cuba built momentum toward renewed ties on Friday, with President Barack Obama declaring he "seeks a new beginning" including direct talks with the island's communist regime. As leaders of the Americas gathered for a summit in this Caribbean nation, the head of the Organization of American States even said he'll ask his group to invite Cuba back after 47 years. |
Twitters From Texas
by Gail Collins
Let us pause to consider Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, and his feelings about seceding from the union. This all started during the recent anti-tax protests. You undoubtedly saw the pictures of the demonstrations full of people wearing teabags or tricorner hats who kept comparing themselves to the founding fathers at the Boston Tea Party. True, when it comes to taxation without representation, they were slightly different from colonial New Englanders on the minor point of having representation. But lets not be picky. |
No Cause for Arrest
by Bob Herbert
The youngsters who were surrounded by New York City police officers and arrested for no good reason while walking along a street in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn nearly two years ago are being vindicated.The city has agreed to settle false arrest lawsuits brought by 16 of the youngsters and will pay them from $9,000 to $23,000 each. The settlement papers are expected to be signed by the youngsters on Saturday, according to their lawyer, Michael Scolnick. |
