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Senators Merkeley & Udall: ‘Let’s Not Linger in Afghanistan’

As a liberal who supported Pres. Obama’s Afghanistan plan when he first began it, I simply do not understand how anyone can support it today, at least not when judging what’s in U.S. interests. From their New York Times op-ed today: Nineteen months ago the president announced the surge strategy in hopes of stabilizing Afghanistan [...]

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LA Times Report: 10,000 Force Drawdown in Afghanistan this Year

**UPDATED** President Obama plans to announce a troop reduction in Afghanistan that Pentagon and other administration officials say is expected to bring home about 10,000 personnel by the end of the year. – Obama expected to announce major Afghan drawdown Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Zbigniew Brzezinski has [...]

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The Japan Syndrome

**UPDATED** IWAKI, Japan AP (Mar 12, 10:42 PM EST) — A partial meltdown was likely under way at a second nuclear reactor, a top Japanese official said Sunday, as authorities frantically tried to prevent a similar threat from nearby unit following a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. Some 170,000 people have been ordered to evacuate the [...]

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WikiLeaks Further Proves 2010 Middle East Story Is Sad

President Obama will not be thwarted on the START Treaty by Republicans, regardless of Sen. Lindsay Graham’s caterwauling. Today’s Republicans bear no resemblance of their hero Ronald Reagan, as Sarah Palin’s recent Iran op-ed proves. Reagan was a leader on nuclear zero, but today would be run out of his own party. Playing politics with [...]

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The Difference a President Makes

If John McCain had been elected president instead of Barack Obama, the repeal of DADT would have been headed for veto at his desk. With Pres. Obama, however, it will be signed. It’s things like this that make even the most annoyed voter understand why they voted for Obama, especially the people who don’t pay [...]

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Can the Warmongering Torture Crowd be ‘Christians’?

A White House review of President Obama’s year-old Afghan war strategy concluded that it is “showing progress” against al-Qaeda and in Afghanistan and Pakistan but that “the challenge remains to make our gains durable and sustainable,” according to a summary document released early Thursday. – Washington Post In the week that the latest Afghanistan war [...]

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Wikileaks Diplo Docu Dump

Italy’s Foreign Minister Frattini called the Wikileaks release the “Sept. 11 of world diplomacy.” Republicans are jumping on the leak, as expected, because transparency scares the bejeezus out of the Right. Rep. Pete Hoekstra using hyperbole to say what allies might ask, “‘Can the United States be trusted? Can the United States keep a secret?’” [...]

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Too Late, But Maybe Obama Will Hear Them Now

That dynamic, coupled with the GOP’s post-midterm swagger, emboldened leaders to insist that the president reschedule Thursday’s much-anticipated meeting until after Thanksgiving to accommodate their schedule, not his. The first post-election meeting between Obama and congressional leaders, billed by Obama as the fundamental first step in the post-election reconciliation process, will now take place Nov. [...]

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Not These Guys Again

The fat cats at the big corporations are drooling at the prospect of “Speaker Boehner,” and why not? The industries giving the most to Boehner: insurance companies, drug manufacturers and Wall Street firms, all of which now face new regulations adopted by the Democratic-controlled Congress. The political action committees and employees of insurance firms, for [...]

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Spy Novel Plot Under Our Noses

I’d like to introduce you to “Richard Murphy,” “Cynthia Murphy,” “Donald Howard Heathfield,” “Tracey Lee Ann Foley,” “Michael Zottoli,” Patricia Mills,” “Juan Lazaro,” and “Vicky Pelaez.” One alleged Canadian citizen is still at large, “Christopher R. Metsos.” They’re all on the hot seat for felony violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, and [...]

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Obama Administration Reacts to Iran ‘Fuel Swap’ Deal

“Of course they are not thrilled,” Leslie Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Pentagon official, said of the administration. “They thought [the Brazilian-Turkish diplomatic effort with Tehran] was going to fail and didn’t stop it, or couldn’t stop it. It looks like it undercut their diplomacy. – President Obama’s [...]

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They Came from Around the World

It was just an ordinary Wednesday night for many people in Washington, D.C., but not for the young women chosen by the U.S. Embassy in their home country to be part of Fortune Magazine and the U.S. State Depts. Most Powerful Women mentor program. A very windy, chilly day in D.C. turned into an evening [...]

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Obama Takes On Palin – Sarah Responds at SRLC

“In foreign policy now we’ve got the makings of the Obama doctrine, which is coddling enemies and alienating allies.” – Sarah Palin He just couldn’t help himself. George Stephanopoulos knew he’d bite. Never mind she doesn’t hold an official title. She isn’t running for office. She isn’t even in Barack Obama’s playing field. Yet Sarah [...]

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Obama and Medvedev Sign Treaty to Cut Nuclear Reserves by a Third

This is a live Twitter feed. 10:30:37 AM: Power outage edition. Coming to you via BlackBerry. 10:42:33 AM: @markknoller RT Picture of Obama-Medvedev after signing. http://twitpic.com/1e25tt 10:42:33 AM: 10:49:28 AM: Headline news: @politicalticker RT Palin hails Michael Steele as independent outsider http://bit.ly/9YLIbV 10:53:21 AM: Text of new START treaty via @markknoller http://bit.ly/b7zQKx 10:57:42 AM: For [...]

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Russian Terrorism Delivered by 2 Female Suicide Bombers

–updated– Senior lawyers in the Obama administration are deeply divided over some of the counterterrorism powers they inherited from former President George W. Bush, according to interviews and a review of legal briefs. The rift has been most pronounced between top lawyers in the State Department and the Pentagon, though it has also involved conflicts [...]

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