War / Peace

What Would the Other George Do? An Interview with the Author of "Saving General Washington"

Saving General Washington cover I spoke with author J.R. Norton in June of this year about his book, Saving General Washington: The Right Wing Assault on America's Founding Principles. The following excerpts are from an interview on "A Public Affair" on WORT (89.9 FM), community radio in Madison, WI, and from a follow up in-person interview.

JSP: Why do George Washington and the rest of the Founding Fathers need to be saved?

J.R. Norton: Well, it's a bit of metaphor. It's in part aimed at rehabilitating and reintroducing these founding figures of American history, but on a broader level, on a more important level, it's about reintroducing the values that these guys stood for. Certainly over the last five or six years, I think we've really lost sight of those virtues.

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Will Bush Take the Hint?

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on December 26, 2006 - 11:29pm

"Public opinion experts say Americans are sending President George W. Bush a clear message as he considers his options in Iraq: Bring the troops home," reports Ron Hutcheson. "Polling experts say the overall sentiment is clear. A majority of Americans think the war was a mistake, don't think it will make America safer and don't think the United States will win.

Main Source:

Detroit Free Press, December 26, 2006

Topics:

Iraq

Iraq Study Group Suggests Accurate Counting of Iraqi Deaths

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on December 11, 2006 - 12:14pm

U.S. Army soldiers in Mosul, Iraq

Main Source:

Editor & Publisher, December 6, 2006

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A Tentative Thumbs-Up for Al Jazeera's English-Language Channel

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on December 6, 2006 - 10:12am

"If you briefly clicked by Al Jazeera International on television, you might mistake it for the BBC," the Project for Excellence in Journalism's Dante Chinni writes, citing AJI's "understated, clean graphics," "more-global view of the news," and its anchors' British accents. But AJI has "an Arab voice" and trumpets its "fearless journalism." "In a story the channel did about its own launch ... it happily pointed out that everyone criticizes Al Jazeera.

Main Source:

The Christian Science Monitor, November 27, 2006

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The First Casualty

The fate of Terry Lloyd has made headline news. But what of the reporter killed by Al-Qaeda who may have been an unwitting accomplice in the countdown to war in Iraq? Paul Rouse investigates.

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Neocontrarians

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on November 22, 2006 - 11:32pm

Neoconservative war hawk Ken Adelman has gone public with an attack on the Bush administration's handling of Iraq, saying that "the President is ultimately responsible" for what Adelman now calls a "debacle." The Washington Post notes that criticisms now coming from neocons such as Adelman and Richard Perle are the "most striking" examples of

Main Source:

Washington Post, November 20, 2006

Topics:

Right Wing

Iraq

Rhetoric

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The Media's Iraq Offensive

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on November 18, 2006 - 11:27am

"The American media establishment has launched a major offensive against the option of withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq," writes Norman Solomon. As an example, he cites a recent New York Times story by Michael Gordon which claims that many of "the most vehement critics of the Bush administration’s Iraq policies" believe withdrawal would be irresponsible.

Main Source:

TomPaine.com, November 16, 2006

Topics:

Iraq

Media

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Lantos Set for Promotion Despite Role in Incubator Scandal

Submitted by Bob Burton on November 16, 2006 - 10:55pm

California Democrat Tom Lantos is reportedly the frontrunner to chair the House International Relations Committee in the next Congress. In 1990 a Hill & Knowlton created front group, Citizens for a Free Kuwait, lobbied Congress for military action after Iraq's invasion.

Main Source:

Mother Jones, November 14, 2006

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At Long Last, Can We Please Start Counting the Dead?

Under the strange Bizarro rules that right-wing pundits use to interpret politics in the United States, election season is the time when no one is supposed to discuss any of the things that might actually have a serious impact on their voting decision.

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Murdoch Downplays Iraq Death Toll

Submitted by Bob Burton on November 7, 2006 - 4:17pm

Speaking to journalists at a conference in Tokyo, News Corporation Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Rupert Murdoch, downplayed the death toll following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003. "The death toll, certainly of Americans there, by the terms of any previous war are quite minute," he said. "I believe it was right to go in there.

Main Source:

Times of India, November 6, 2006

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