Corrupting the Military: Petraeus as Bush’s Political Spear-Carrier

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Given the complicity between the Executive branch and the military industrial complex in feeding at the trough of the treasury, I’m not sure that there has ever been much “objectivity of voice” among the military leadership — but perhaps the myth itself was useful.

Michael Grace (& Kos) Prevail over Mary Bono in FEC Complaint Against Political Blogs

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This seems important, constructive and unusually non-partisan: The Federal Election Commission announced today that it has unanimously resolved two complaints alleging that Internet blog activity is subject to Commission regulation, finding that the activity is exempt from regulation under the media or volunteer exemption.

Haleh Esfandiari Released

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First of all, this is excellent news. Second of all, it will be interesting to learn the back story. There are three other Iranian-Americans still being detained, so there is still room for very bad things to happen in the relationship.

Bush: No Interest In How Iraqi Military Got Disbanded; No Effort To Reverse Decision?

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James Fallows and I are both still in utter disbelief about what appeared in the New York Times yesterday regarding Bush’s comments to biographer Robert Draper that he really didn’t know much about why his policy on keeping the Iraqi military intact was reversed. From the Times report: Mr.

Banned Books?

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Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings — Heinrich Heine (1821) I hadn’t paid much attention to the growing "banned books" problem in American schools and libraries, but I saw an ad on a Chicago train yesterday and dug in a bit.

Clinton, Obama, and Dodd’s Wrestling Match Over US-Cuba Relations

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US-Cuba relations are not high on the roster of priorities for many Americans, and yet small moves in the terms of that relationship could have enormous political consequences. Recently, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama did battle over what their policies would be towards Cuba if elected President.