The Voices

Feinstein calls for talks with Iran

- Dianne Feinstein
"I believe we should begin to pursue a robust, diplomatic initiative with Iran on all issues and without preconditions. These [past] offers have been presented with preconditions and without the full engagement of the United States. We need a fresh approach and fresh ideas."

   9 April 2008 Source

Shadee Malaklou, "NIAC Conference: Feinstein urges 'robust diplomacy' with Iran without preconditions," National Iranian American Council, 9 April 2008. http://www.niacouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1079...

Powell: Troops in Iraq must be Reduced

- Colin Powell
""[Whoever] becomes president on Jan. 1, 2009...will face a military force that cannot continue to sustain 140,000 people deployed in Iraq and the 20 (thousand) odd or 25,000 people we have deployed in Afghanistan and our other deployments.""

   10 April 2008 Source

"Powell: Troops in Iraq Must Be Reduced," Associated Press, 10 April 2008. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hLBkzdVupoA9_e7D2-5tjiN8xzTAD8VV8UFO0

General testifies to lack of strategy in Iraq

- Army Vice Chief of Staff General Richard A. Cody
" "Right now, as I testified, I've been doing this for six years. As you know, I was at G-3 of the Army and vice chief now for almost four years. And I've never seen our lack of strategic depth be at where it is today.""

   1 April 2008 Source

Army Vice Chief of Staff General Richard A. Cody, Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Readiness, 4/1/08. http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1329823/

Cooperation and Communication in the War on Terror

- Ambassador Francis X Taylor
"There are six principles in the war on terrorism; and they go something like this: Cooperate, cooperate, cooperate, communicate, communicate, communicate."

   12 April 2004 Source

Robert L. Borosage, Robert Loper, et al. Straight Talk: Common Sense for the Common Good. http://ourfuture.org/straighttalk.

Progressive Opinion

The Underlying Reasons For The Shooting At Fort Hood

airamerica.com — It’s hard to pinpoint what’s the most shocking thing about Major Malik Nadal Hasan’s shooting rampage in Fort Hood, Texas. Let's start with this: there’s nothing all that ground-breaking about it. Happens all the time, it’s just that we’re a nation of amnesiacs who forget all the unpleasantness, and refuse to learn the valuable lessons.

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Fort Hood Has Enough Victims Already

guardian.co.uk — Whatever was in the mind of alleged shooter Major Nidal Malik Hasan is no reason to question the loyalty of Muslim Americans.

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Where Were the Anti-War Demonstrators?

commondreams.org — Campaign for Americas Future every so often carries stories along the lines of "Where is the outrage?". This article from a peace activist asks the question but takes it one step further and gets out to find out for himself why peace demos are so poorly attended

Great read, the comments too. The MANY excuses and the guilty consciences.

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Tough Decision on Afghanistan

koreatimes.co.kr — So what does ``our peace, our victory" require?

``It is necessary only that any rulers, whatever their inclinations might be, know that they and their entourages will be killed, surely and brutally, if any harm to Americans originates from within their borders," Codevilla wrote. ``Respect beats friendship."

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The Commander’s Duty Done

nytimes.com — In his midnight mission to honor the returning war dead, President Obama did more than personally extend the nation’s condolences to grieving families gathered at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Without uttering a public word, Mr. Obama erased President George W. Bush’s shameful attempts to hide the pain of war from Americans and to shield himself from paying public tribute to the thousands who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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More Schools, Not Troops

nytimes.com — Dispatching more troops to Afghanistan would be a monumental bet and probably a bad one, most likely a waste of lives and resources that might simply empower the Taliban. In particular, one of the most compelling arguments against more troops rests on this stunning trade-off: For the cost of a single additional soldier stationed in Afghanistan for one year, we could build roughly 20 schools

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Obama's Foreign Policy Report Card

salon.com — You'd never know it from the mainstream media, but he deserves high grades for his work so far in Iran, Iraq and Pakistan .

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Why Is Anyone Still Listening to Dick Cheney?

mcclatchydc.com — Former President George W. Bush has had the good grace to go into seclusion and not stand on the sidelines second-guessing every move made by his successor. Cheney, by contrast, has taken it upon himself to serve as the chief critic of the Obama administration and chief defender of the Bush administration, even if it requires rewriting history.

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America's Real Quagmire

guardian.co.uk — The biggest obstacle to reforming the U.S. economy, health care or foreign policy isn't Republicans — it's the media.

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What the U.S. Military Can't Do

salon.com — When the Nobel Committee awarded its annual peace prize to President Barack Obama, it afforded him a golden opportunity seldom offered to American war presidents: the possibility of success. Should he decide to go the peacemaker route, Obama stands a chance of really accomplishing something significant. On the other hand, history suggests that the path of war is a surefire loser. As president after president has discovered, especially since World War II, the U.S. military simply can't seal the deal on winning a war.

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