Washington’s spin machine is in overdrive to counter the massive leak of documents on Afghanistan. Much of the counterattack revolves around the theme that the documents aren’t particularly relevant to this year’s new-and-improved war effort.

The White House seized on the timeframe of the documents released by WikiLeaks. “The period of time covered in these documents (January 2004-December 2009) is before the President announced his new strategy,” a White House email told reporters on Sunday evening. “Some of the disconcerting things reported are exactly why the President ordered a three month policy review and a change in strategy.”

Unfortunately, the “change in strategy” has remained on the same basic track as the old strategy — except for escalation. On Tuesday morning, the lead story on the New York Times website noted: “As the debate over the war begins anew, administration officials have been striking tones similar to the Bush administration’s to argue for continuing the current Afghanistan strategy, which calls for a significant troop buildup.”

Even while straining to depict the U.S. war policy as freshly hatched since last winter, presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs solemnly proclaimed that the basis for it hasn’t changed since the autumn of 2001. “We are in this region of the world because of what happened on 9/11,” Gibbs said on Monday. “Ensuring that there is not a safe haven in Afghanistan by which attacks against this country and countries around the world can be planned.” In other words: a nifty rationale for perpetual war.

To read all of this article by Norman Solomon, click here.

Norman Solomon wrote in a recent op-ed piece:

Statistics might not lie — but they easily go flat as wallpaper when high unemployment is routine.

Norman Solomon was interviewed by The Real News Network. For video, click here.

Norman Solomon spoke with Haydn Reiss about realms explored in Reiss' new film Every War Has Two Losers, based on journals of poet William Stafford. To watch the half-hour video of their discussion, click here. 

For the warfare state, it doesn't get any better than 99 to 0.

Every living senator voted on June 30 to approve Gen. David Petraeus as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

Call it the unanimity of lemmings — except the senators and their families aren't the ones who'll keep plunging into the sea.

No, the killing and suffering and dying will be left to others: American soldiers who, for the most part, had scant economic opportunities in civilian life. And Afghans trapped between terrible poverty and escalating violence.

The senatorial conformity, of course, won't lack for rationales. It rarely does.

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"President Obama and Progressives"
C-SPAN Washington Journal

Live interview — June 13, 2010

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Many are familiar with the adage, "When the people lead, the leaders will follow." But what happens when people enable leaders to follow the dictates of the powerful?

These days, the answers are arriving in the form of a news drumbeat that's apt to seem like a dirge.

From Afghanistan to Wall Street to the Gulf of Mexico, policies of military action and regulatory inaction are exacting terrible costs: in human life, economic resources and irreplaceable nature. Silence and inaction enable the destructive policies to continue.

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