Investigators have confirmed five cases in which military personnel mishandled the Qurans of Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo Bay since 2002, but they have found no “credible evidence” that a holy book was flushed in a toilet.
Democrats said they hoped the Senate’s vote to delay confirmation of John R. Bolton as U.N. ambassador would force the White House to release long-sought classified information about the embattled nominee, or perhaps to pick someone else for the job.
Something notable happened in Iraq a few days ago – followed by something notable that did not happen. First, a horrendous car bomb went off outside a Baghdad restaurant, and then another outside a mosque. At least 17 were killed and over 100 injured. Second, as far as I can tell, no one in Muslim countries protested.
If we let our right-wing vs. left-wing squabbling continue to degenerate into non-productive, destructive, vituperative rancor, all our debates will be poisoned. There will be no difference between a Senate debate and a cable network screamfest. We will not fight another civil war using guns; but we will fight one using venom. The rest of the world’s growing disgust at us will be merited. Our democracy will no longer be a model for others.
A high school rendition of the musical “Big River,” based on Mark Twain’s incomparable treatise on the injustice of slavery, “Huckleberry Finn,” featured a black student as Huck and a white one as the runaway Jim, apparently using political correctness to once again distort the meaning of what many scholars believe is the greatest of American novels.
Amnesty International challenged the United States on Wednesday to fully investigate the abusive treatment of detainees under its supervision at Guantanamo and in the Middle East, and said foreign governments should conduct their own investigations if the Bush administration and Congress fail to act.
After tamping out a congressional attempt to delay military base closings, the Pentagon was faced Thursday with two more brush fires fanned by critics across the country.