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POPSGAO: Faulty defense accounting, 3rd year in a row Little accountability, transparency; cites large contractor billings in "miscellaneous" category; we really don't know how our money is being spent, or if contractors are taking us to the cleaners in the GWOT (global war on terror)
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POPSThoughts on Nangarhar from an ex-Marine An interesting and nuanced perspective, combining an appreciation for the culture of the Marines (and its flaws), an awareness of the high strategic stakes involved in any civilian killings by U.S. troops, and a much-needed reminder that U.S. forces have generally respected the law much more rigorously than any previous occupying or counterinsurgency force in history.
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POPS 2008: THE GAS MASK ELECTION John McCain is WELL to the Left of the Bushes. So, conservative voters won't be able to even get into the voting booths - let alone PULL THE LEVER for the liberal McCain - without wearing a GAS MASK!
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POPS"24": Life imitates art (sort of) According to author Judith Warner, a new book of essays on the TV series "24" shows how policymakers and military officials have been taking cues from Hollywood on how to do their jobs. Not only chilling, but surreal to boot.
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POPSAnother view of Musharraf's latest move Musharraf's proclamation of "emergency" rule indicates that he feels he has no real need to worry about U.S. posturing about "freedom and democracy" in the region. He knows Bush needs him and he intends to take full advantage.
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POPSMusharraf's speech defending martial law You probably know that Musharraf declared martial law on Nov. 2 against the strongly expressed wishes of U.S. and other Western diplomats. The irony is that he claims (quite plausibly, in my view, but I don't know that much about it) to be doing it in order to prevent Pakistan being overrun by violent Islamist agitators, which would be a disaster of unfathomable proportions for the GWOT and U.S. policy generally (not to mention India and Afghanistan). I'm mystified about what the U.S. really wants Musharraf to do.
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POPSNaomi Wolf on Blackwater: "Are you scared yet?" Naomi Wolf points out that historically, every fascist regime has required a nongovennmental paramilitary force in order to set aside basic civil rights and the rule of law. Could Blackwater be that force? They were recently awarded $15 billion as part of a consortium to conduct counter-narcotics operations, including operations on US soil. Will a private army with no obligation to uphold the Constitution be policing your town soon?
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POPSOk, I'm OFFICIALLY worried SOME (and only some) of what Newt Gingrich is saying actually is making a bit of sense... Don't worry, I still find him to be a rather loathsome fellow, but in addition to calling out the administration on the phony war on terror, he's also promoting the idea of **gasp!** both parties working together to solve some of our problems. If the old boy's not careful, he may find himself kicked out of the GOP for being too reasonable.
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POPSOxford Research Group's assessment of GWOT The Telegraph reports on the recent study by the Oxford Research Group, which contends that the attempt to use military force to "contain" global attacks on the status quo will eventually backfire. Interesting, if tendentious.
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POPSHabeas corpus -- who needs it?, say Republicans Romney and Giuliani were asked how they felt about claiming Presidential authority to detain American citizens without charge or judicial review (which is unconstitutional). Romney says he'd want to consult some "smart lawyers" before coming down on one side or the other; Giuliani says he'd "want to use this authority infrequently." Those are Repulican moderates , folks.
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POPSWill 2007 be "the year of al-Qaeda"? A two-part series from the Asia Times based on interviews with al-Qaeda operatives. They have restructured their finances, established secure operating bases in Iraq, upgraded their technological capabilities, and are preparing to open several new fronts.
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POPSPakistan cuts deal with Taliban Presumably Pakistan has a pretty good sense of which way the wind is blowing. Also interesting bit on the growing distance between Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
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POPSRepublicans in Congress: don't mention the surge An internal strategy memo from Congressional Republicans lays it out with startling clarity: "Democrats want to force us to focus on defending the surge, making the case that it will work... If we let the Democrats force us into a debate on the surge, or the current situation in Iraq, we lose." As always, they advise, just keep repeating "9-11, 9-11, 9-11" until people agree with you.
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POPSHere's the "proof" of Iranian involvement in Iraq Talking Points Memo has posted the briefing, in the form of Powerpoint slides, given to reporters a few days ago in Baghdad, which purports to prove that Iran is behind attacks on US troops in Iraq. Worth a perusal. It's interesting to note what it does and doesn't say.
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