‘What the Hell Is Barack Obama’s Presidency For?’

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Feb 24, 2014 "His ascent to power had meaning," Gary Younge writes at The Guardian. "But now his interventions are too rare and too piecemeal to constitute a narrative." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

How Did the Gates of Hell Open in Vietnam?

By Jonathan Schell, TomDispatch Jan 17, 2013 In Kill Anything that Moves, Nick Turse has for the first time put together a comprehensive picture, written with mastery and dignity, of what American forces actually were doing in Vietnam. Dig deeper ( 16 Min. Read )

Eight Things I Miss About the Cold War

By Jon Wiener, TomDispatch Jan 16, 2013 It couldn’t be a sadder thing to admit, given what happened during the Cold War, but -- given what’s happened in recent years -- who can doubt that the America of the 1950s and 1960s was, in some ways, simply a better place than the one we live in now? Dig deeper ( 12 Min. Read )

Bill Moyers: The Case for Medicare

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Aug 6, 2012 With Medicare marking its 47th anniversary last week, Bill Moyers, who was a key aide to President Lyndon Johnson when it was passed, has a radical idea on how to save the health care program: Make it available to everyone. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Robert Caro, LBJ and the Pursuit of Power

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jun 12, 2012 Robert Caro has so far spent 36 years writing the saga of Lyndon Johnson -- more time than the ambitious Texan spent climbing from Congress to the White House. Caro just released his fourth installment, “The Passage of Power,” which chronicles Johnson’s exit from a strong position in the Senate into the relative powerlessness of the vice presidency. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Keeping Afghanistan Safe From Democracy

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Nov 4, 2009 The most idiotic thing being said about America's involvement in Afghanistan is that the best way to protect the 68,000 U.S. troops there now is by putting an additional 40,000 in harm’s way. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Obama’s Meaningless War

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Sep 2, 2009 True, he doesn’t seem a bit like Lyndon Johnson, but the way he’s headed on Afghanistan, Barack Obama is threatened with a quagmire that could bog down his presidency. LBJ also had a progressive agenda in mind, but it was soon overwhelmed by the cost and divisiveness engendered by a meaningless, and seemingly endless, war in Vietnam.The way he’s headed on Afghanistan, Barack Obama is threatened with a quagmire that could bog down his presidency. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

McNamara’s Evil Lives On

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Jul 8, 2009 It was the stark evil Robert McNamara perpetrated as secretary of defense that must indelibly frame our memory of him. To not speak out fully because of respect for the deceased would be to mock the memory of the millions he caused to be maimed and killed in a war that he later freely admitted never made any sense. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Lady Bird Johnson Dies at 94

Staff / Truthdig Jul 12, 2007 Lady Bird Johnson, widow of President Lyndon B. Johnson, died Wednesday at 94 at her home in Austin, Texas. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )