Israel Will Accept Hezbollah Alive, but Not Kicking

Staff / Truthdig Jul 24, 2006 In a reconsideration of its goals, Israel has deemed a disarmed (as opposed to destroyed) Hezbollah an acceptable outcome to its actions in Lebanon. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Juan Cole: Bush’s Open-Mike Comments Leave Me ‘Trembling’

BLANK Jul 17, 2006 The University of Michigan professor and Middle East expert is horrified at Bush's belief (caught on an open mike) that Hezbollah is entirely to blame for the violence wracking Lebanon, and that Syria could easily stop Hezbollah if it chose to do so "It is an astonishingly simple-minded view of the situation I come away from it shaken and trembling" . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Open Mike Catches Bush Blaming Syria for Hezbollah Escalation

Staff / Truthdig Jul 17, 2006 At the G8 summit for world leaders, President Bush was caught on a live microphone telling Tony Blair that he held Syria accountable for Hezbollah's actions against Israel "What they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over," Bush told Blair while chewing on a buttered roll Important: This is not a hypocrisy alert Bush's unguarded statements were for the most part consistent with his public ones But it's still a fascinating glimpse into his manner of interaction with America's closest ally Article Best video/audio/transcript combo: CNNcom (The video link "The sh_t hear 'round the world" in the center of the page--not linkable)Blogger reaction: The Carpetbagger Report: "The president often comes across as an unsophisticated simpleton in publicbut incidents like thissuggest Bush is even less impressive in private Juan Cole: Bush's comments "astonishingly simple-minded" . Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Dream On, Condi

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Feb 15, 2006 There is no way to soft-pedal it: The astounding rise of an anti-American firebrand like Moqtada al-Sadr is an indicator of how wide and complete a political defeat pro-Western forces have suffered in Iraq. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Site Preferences

Travis Smith / Truthdig Jan 12, 2006 Dig deeper

Serious Miscalculations About Syria

Tyler Golson / Truthdig Dec 1, 2005 A young scholar who has lived in Damascus finds it not a "rogue state" but a complex, jittery mosaic surprisingly receptive to America. Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )