For those of you in the Washington area, I am chairing a book event and public policy discussion with two-time Pulitzer winner and Washington Post Pentagon correspondent Tom Ricks, whose new book, Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq is hitting the book stores today. Col.

The most interesting item I came across tonight on the Middle East crisis came by way of an email from former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and former Asst. Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Chas Freeman.

Like many Americans I guess, I received an email from George W. Bush this morning asking for my contribution to the Republican National Committee. Bush’s appeal starts out: Republicans have a record of dealing with some serious economic times during my presidency.

Last Thursday night, my colleagues and I at the American Strategy Program of the New America Foundation hosted an extraordinary dinner at which Zbigniew Brzezinski spoke about America’s stakes in the worsening Middle East crisis. I am working this weekend to review the transcript of Dr.

It’s hard to imagine something more cynical than the White House exploiting Middle East convulsions — in which many innocents on all sides are dying in real time — to divide Americans at home in order to try and squeeze through the Senate confirmation of the pugnacious radicalizer and international de-stabilizer, John Bolton.

Senator Lugar is now considering options on how to manage action on John Bolton’s renomination to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations — requiring confirmation by the United States Senate. Technically, Bolton was renominated last September when his recess appointment went into affect.

This is unofficial, but word is that Senator Richard Lugar has called a hearing about John Bolton’s confirmation status for next Thursday. More later.

Both sides in favor and opposed to John Bolton being confirmed by the U.S. Senate in this Congressional Session are drawing their battle plans. TWN and Bolton Watch are big parts of the picture.

NEW YORK–I’ve just seen two reports about absolutely looney Bush administration steps in Iraq and Lebanon that have more to do with public relations management than they do, in either case, with “on the ground realities.

Today, TWN is heading to New York after a successful planning retreat in Pittsburgh. Planning to hear George Soros this evening speak about his new book, The Age of Fallibility: Consequences of the War on Terror at a meeting hosted by Eric Alterman and The Century Foundation.