Ike’s Nightmare: America’s National Intelligence Complex Exposed

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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy The Pulitzer Prize-winning Dana Priest and William Arkin have in the Washington Post blown the top of America’s fear-fueled national intelligence complex that has grown so large and extensive that the government can’t track redundancies, costs, personnel, and the like.

No More Troubles in Belfast…?

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(Photo Credit: lyng833’s Photostream) This is a guest note by Sean Kay, who is a professor of politics at Ohio Wesleyan University and an associate of the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at the Ohio State University.

China Credit Card Fun: Black Cat, White Cat & My Cat

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It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice. — Deng Xiaoping Li Zhaoxing, pictured to the left, on my new Capitol One credit card is a very cool diplomat. During part of the Cultural Revolution, he worked in China’s Embassy in Kenya and learned Swahili.

ObaMao

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(Shop along South Luogo Alley, Beijing; photo credit: Andrew Oros) I have seen a lot of foreigners wearing this ObaMao shirt, but no Chinese yet.

Let the Sun Shine Through

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When James and Deborah Fallows lived in Beijing, Jim regularly featured on his blog pictures of the weather — well, the smog — from his balcony. This is not from my balcony but it does capture just how thick the smog is in Beijing right now.

China’s Gravitational Pull

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On this trip to China, I haven’t yet made it up to the Shanghai Expo, but I hope to go soon. China’s Pavilion towers among the rest and is a testament to the fact that after a few hundred tough years, China is back.

Beijing Wonk Shops

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I’ve been in Beijing for a few days, but in contrast to most of my previous trips here, my schedule thus far has been driven more by happenstance and serendipity than planning.