Huffington Post: McCain had planned to talk about immigration and other issues at the gathering at a public library, but Syria dominated the conversation. He was interrupted from the start by someone shouting that his response on the topic wasn't good enough. A few...
Many people cocked their heads when Secretary of State John Kerry told Congress this week that the Syrian rebel opposition is increasingly moderate and secular, while the jihadist forces aligned with al-Qaeda are faltering. That seemed wrong to many people who...uh,...
Whereas the President of the United States, in his remarks to a PBS interviewer on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 has declared that "I have no interest in any kind of open-ended conflict in Syria, but we do have to make sure that when countries break international norms...
Two weeks ago the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) succeeded through a FOIA request in compelling the Justice Department to release a 2011 FISA court opinion, which ruled significant parts of the NSA's surveillance unconstitutional. Today, another victory: In a...
One issue that came up several times in the congressional hearings on the authorization for the use of force in Syria is whether or not the U.S. will markedly weaken the Assad regime in its targeted bombing campaign. Secretary of State John Kerry equivocated when...
As I wrote earlier this week, much of the pretext for bombing Syria because of chemical weapons use is overshadowed by more fundamental motivations on the part of the Obama administration. Namely, to "send a message" to Iran - the idea being that if Assad can cross...
The debate over Syria is on, and it looks like libertarian-leaning Republicans like Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Justin Amash are leading a strong Republican charge against President Obama's plan for airstrikes in Syria. Much to the consternation of neocon spear points...
Over the past couple of weeks I've written multiple times about the illegality of the Obama administration's plan to bomb Syria. But the lack of legal legitimacy in what Obama is preparing to do should be reiterated. Even if Congress grants Obama authorization to...
William G. Howell at Foreign Policy explains that Obama's decision to go to Congress was not out of respect for the Constitution but to gain political cover for an action he knows is reckless. Or, as Howell puts it, "to force members of Congress to go on the record...
In a dazzling display of chutzpah, the White House is demanding that Congress demonstrate blind trust in a U.S. intelligence establishment headed by James Clapper, a self-confessed perjurer.That’s a lot to ask in seeking approval for a military attack on Syria, a...
