Petraeus promotion bodes ill for Iran
WASHINGTON (IPS) — The nomination of Gen. David Petraeus to be the new head of the Central Command not only ensures that he will be available to defend the George W. Bush administration's policies toward Iran and Iraq at least through the end of Bush's term and possibly even beyond. It also gives Vice President Dick Cheney greater...Clinton’s little-noticed Israel problem
Though Senator Barack Obama has never — neither in his Senate votes nor in his campaign literature — strayed from the conventional position of support for Israel, he has in this primary season been dogged by the issue. The flare-up last week surrounding Obama's allegedly "anti-Jewish" campaign co-chairman, sparked by a piece in the...Immigrants are important to economy
Editor's note: The following is a release published by the Immigration Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Tax Day would seem to be an appropriate time to inject some bottom-line reality into the long-running debate over whether or not immigrants in the United States "pay their own way" as...New American Jewish lobby wants to be alternative to AIPAC
WASHINGTON (IPS) — A new group of prominent U.S. Jews who believe that the so-called "Israel Lobby" has been dominated for too long by neo-conservatives and other Likud-oriented hawks has launched a new organization to help fund political candidates who favor a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a stronger...
Will there be an electoral upheaval in 2008?
April 18th, 20080 America seems poised for a great upheaval. While it would be rash to predict the winner of next November's elections, there seems to be an overwhelming desire for change right across the United States. The polls suggest that 75 percent of Americans think their country is on the wrong track. This is a stinging indictment of...Torturers in the White House
We now have confirmation that the president of the United States gave the OK for his national security team to violate international law and plot the sordid details of torture. The Democrats in Congress should be raising the roof. The biggest news of the last week went virtually uncovered by the mainstream, print...U.S. lawmakers invested in Iraq, Afghanistan wars
WASHINGTON (IPS) — U.S. lawmakers have a financial interest in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, a review of their accounts has revealed. Members of Congress invested nearly 196 million dollars of their own money in companies that receive hundreds of millions of dollars a day from Pentagon contracts to provide goods and...Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to lead study mission to Middle East
Atlanta — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter will lead a study mission to Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan April 13-21, 2008, as part of the Carter Center's ongoing effort to support peace, democracy and human rights in the region. ...U.S.-Arab Economic Forum promotes trade
WASHINGTON — The third annual U.S.-Arab Economic Forum, hosted by the American Middle East Economic Affairs Committee (AMEEAC) in cooperation with the League of Arab States, will be held here May 7-9, 2008. The Forum strives to enhance bilateral relations between the U.S. and Middle East. By bringing together top business,...We need to protect Michigan’s waterways
Current legislation puts our water at risk Both the Michigan House and Senate are currently holding important legislative committee hearings around competing packages of water legislation. In short, the debate is centered on corporate versus public control of our water. There are House Bills 4343 and 5065-5073, and...What Christians don’t know about Israel
American Jews sympathetic to Israel dominate key positions in all areas of our government where decisions are made regarding the Middle East. This being the case, is there any hope of ever changing U.S. policy? American Presidents as well as most members of Congress support Israel — and they know why. U.S. Jews sympathetic to Israel...The uncertain war against Iran
When Admiral William J "Fox" Fallon was chosen to replace General John Abizaid as chief of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in March 2007, many analysts reached a seemingly clear-cut conclusion: the Bush administration was preparing for war with Iran and had selected the most suitable man for this job. Almost exactly a year later, as...The torture of Sami al Arian
The storm of criticism that followed George Bush's weekend veto of Congressional limits on the CIA's use of torture might lead to the conclusion that, reprehensible as "torture" might be in remote, secret CIA locations, it could never happen here in the U.S. But the Bush administration's abuse of power in its treatment of Dr. Sami al...Five years into war, soldiers speak
Washington - This week marked the fifth anniversary of the day President Bush announced from the Oval Office the "opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign" to invade Iraq. On that day, he invested the military with a great and grave responsibility. "To all the men and women of the United States Armed Forces now...Not this time
Responding today to the media storm over his pastor's inflammatory words, Barack Obama turned a tempest into an eloquent teaching moment on race in America. Barack Obama could have responded to the controversy that has been ginned up with regard to comments made by his former pastor with a safe and predictable......
Hillary’s nasty pastorate
When it comes to unsavory religious affiliations, Hillary Clinton is a lot more vulnerable than Obama — as are a surprising number of Washington's most powerful politicians. Who knew they were involved in a right wing extremist cult? There's a reason Hillary Clinton has remained relatively silent during the flap over...The Democrats’ problem with democracy
If the Democrats fail to elect their presidential candidate and allow the "super delegates" to select him/her in the smoke-filled back rooms at the convention in Denver, the Democrats could create a long-term problem with their base. This, along with the decision to disenfranchise the Democratic voters in Florida and Michigan, could......
If the Dems don’t stop fighting, McCain will win
It was delightful, those early days when Republicans were in fractious disarray and the Democratic field bloomed with interesting candidates like a pasture full of daffodils — any of them! All of them! Bluebirds sang. We were rolling in good will. Now, however, John McCain has unified the right with a lizardy, smothering oil of...Stop the false religious slurs against Obama
The religious slurs against Sen. Barack Obama must stop. So, too, the insinuation that to be Muslim, which Obama is not, is somehow a disqualification for president. Voters chose John F. Kennedy to be the first-ever Catholic president. We accepted Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, as a viable Democratic Party vice...Dissenting views made Fallon’s fall inevitable
WASHINGTON (IPS) — Admiral William Fallon's request to quit his position as head of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and to retire from the military was apparently the result of a George W. Bush administration decision to pressure him to resign. Announcing the resignation, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he believed it...MPAC honors Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus
Announces launch of MPAC-NYC chapter at 2nd annual awards dinner in NYC New York — In front of a packed New York City audience last week, the Muslim Public Affairs Council honored Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, with the MPAC Foundation's 2nd Annual Human Security Award.......
Second Muslim elected to Congress from Indiana
March 14th, 20080 INDIANAPOLIS — The grandson of the late U.S. Rep. Julia Carson won a special election Tuesday to succeed her, keeping the seat in Democratic hands and becoming the second Muslim ever elected to Congress. Democrat Andre Carson had a 5,000-vote lead over Republican Jon Elrod out of nearly 59,000 votes counted. With 88 percent of 445...Behind the McCain lobbyist scandal
I don't know whether Senator John McCain had sex with lobbyist Vickie Iseman, but I do know, first hand, that he broke the rules while doing the bidding of media mogul Lowell "Bud" Paxson, a major contributor to McCain's 2000 presidential campaign. McCain's staff lied it about it then and they are inventing new lies even now. I......
Gaza, Obama’s religion and Al-Arian’s nightmare continues
In this new regular feature, I will break down media reporting about issues of interest to Arab Americans. The U.S. media have a responsibility to tell our stories accurately and to include our perspectives. This is unfortunately not the case, though there has been some improvement over the years. This...A bid to enroll Arabs in U.S. colleges
MIT students help dispel their fears and doubts about applying to American schools, where they remain a relative minority after 9/11. Cambridge — Like any good high school student, Lana Awad dreamed of an Ivy League education. But when the Syrian teen started applying to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton......