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23 Oct 2011 16:33

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Politics, U.S., World: Bachmann: Iraq should repay money used in US invasion

  • I believe that Iraq should reimburse the United States fully for the amount of money that we have spent to liberate these people. They are not a poor country.
  • Rep. Michele Bachmann during an interview with CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday morning.• Bachmann added that Iraq was a “wealthy country” that would be “subject to dominance by Iran and their influence in the region” once American troops withdraw by the end of the year. source

06 Jul 2011 13:29

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U.S.: President changes military condolence policy for suicides

  • This issue is emotional, painful, and complicated. But these Americans served our nation bravely … we need to do everything in our power to honor their service, and to help them stay strong for themselves, for their families and for our nation.
  • President Barack Obama • Reversing a previous policy that didn’t send military families condolence letters if their family member had committed suicide. This is definitely a good thing, because suicide is actually a common cause of death in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just because a soldier isn’t killed by the enemy, doesn’t mean their life means any less — military families deserve a letter from the president, regardless of the cause of death. source

29 Jun 2011 18:03

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U.S.: Cost of last decade’s wars much higher than Obama said

  • $3.7 trillion cost for the United States’ post-9/11 wars source
  • » The wages of war: When President Obama referred to a $1 trillion price tag for America’s wars in the last decade, he clearly hadn’t spoken to the folks running the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute. The project determined the above figure through calculations that included future costs, such as health services for wounded veterans returning home, as well as counting what’s generally referred to as our “secret” war in Pakistan.

20 Jun 2011 17:07

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Politics: McCain worried about “isolationism” in GOP circles

  • Old school vs. new school: “He [Reagan] would be saying: That’s not the Republican Party of the 20th century, and now the 21st century. That is not the Republican Party that has been willing to stand up for freedom for people for all over the world.” Senator John McCain is right to warn of an “isolationist” streak growing within the GOP, as the default political positioning of the party is now simply the opposite of whatever President Obama supports. Therefore, as Obama continues to wage war (and enter a new foreign conflict in Libya), suddenly the “war party” of the last decade is tilting towards giving peace a chance. This strikes a violent discord with old hands in the GOP, McCain predictably among them — and will continue to cause internal strife for Republicans. source

15 Jun 2011 15:26

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U.S.: Obama faces lawsuit over American role in Libya conflict

  • With regard to the war in Libya, we believe that the law was violated. We have asked the courts to move to protect the American people from the results of these illegal policies.
  • Rep. Dennis Kucinich • Expressing anger over the current military presence in Libya. He and a bipartisan group of representatives have brought a lawsuit against President Obama for foregoing Congress on Libya and, in the process, violating the War Powers Resolution, a law meant to stop the President from sending troops overseas without Congressional approval. Kucinich has backing from unlikely allies such as John Boehner and Ron Paul on this matter. Meanwhile, the White House disputes the lawsuit: “The president has acted in a manner that is consistent with the War Powers Resolution,” said Press Secretary Jay Carney. Definitely one to watch. source

02 Aug 2010 10:38

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U.S., World: Obama’s ready to end major combat operations in Iraq

  • He plans to announce it in about a hour. Ready to see one of our wars go away? Well, get ready. Obama plans to announce that he plans to wind down major combat operations in Iraq. Instead, the U.S. will still take an advisory role. It’s not without risk, however – see, Iraq doesn’t have a stable government right now – but he still plans to make the announcement to a bunch of veterans today. He will not, however, declare “Mission Accomplished.” Probably a smart political move on his part, guys. source

27 Jul 2010 20:52

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U.S.: Nice try, Wikleaks: Congress passes war spending bill anyway

  • $37 billion in spending is about to hit the Afghan War source
 

25 Jul 2010 20:30

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World: Holy crap: Wikileaks just unleashed the Afghan War motherlode

  • 92,000 documents from Wikileaks source
  • three newspapersThe New York Times, The Guardian and Der Spiegel – were given first crack at the info
  • yes the papers each decided to run the news at the same time, but took great care not to reveal state secrets
  • no we have no idea who leaked the info online – our wildly inaccurate guess is Adrian Lamo

05 Jun 2010 12:01

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World: Could a full-scale war break out between North and South Korea?

  • NO but only if South Korea’s President isn’t wrong source

24 May 2010 11:02

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World: North, South Korea really freaking pissed at one another

The guy on the TV looks pretty angry. If you look at the soldiers, ten to one, also angry. If you look at North Korean soldiers right now, they’re probably angry too. source