Month: June 2008

“[Chief Justice] John Marshall has made his ruling,” President Andrew Jackson famously blustered after the US Supreme Court overruled him on the issue of US treaty obligations with the Cherokee. “Now let him enforce it.”

We’ve come a long way, baby — these days, presidential revolts against the Court are advertised as “disagreements” and carried out with procedural foot-dragging and visits to the Hill in search of legislative workarounds. The Court’s third rebuke of the Bush administration on the rights of prisoners at DoD’s Guantanamo gulag is the premier case in point.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey claims that the Court’s ruling — which upholds the right of Gitmo detainees to appeal their detentions in the US courts — won’t affect ongoing illegal “trials” before “military commissions.” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), apparently forgetting the prohibition on ex post facto laws, proposed a constitutional amendment to legalize the Gitmo operation. Even more baffling as amnesia goes is the reaction of GOP presidential standard-bearer (and ex-“unlawful combatant” per Hanoi) John McCain, who expressed “concern” that the Court might prevent the US from treating its prisoners as poorly as his captors treated him.

Three “knock it off” orders from the Supreme Court; three “drag it out” operations from the War Party … and no end in sight for more than 200 victims left trudging along on the Treadmill of Tears.

Because it is getting harder to meet recruiting goals, the Marines are looking for a few good women–literally. The Marine Corps is marketing itself to women in magazines like Shape and Self and Fitness. The latest ad campaign shows a female marine in front of some men, captioned with: “There are no female marines. Only marines.”

The U.S. Military Academy now has gender-neutral lyrics in West Point’s Alma Mater and The Corps. For example, the line “The men of the Corps long dead” has been replaced with “The ranks of the Corps long dead.” Said Superintendent Lt. Gen. Franklin “Buster” Hagenbeck, singing “Guide us, thy sons, aright” at the funerals of two dead female soldiers was “unacceptable.” Preserving the words for the sake of tradition “disrespects the West Point women who serve,” said the Superintendent.

These are disturbing trends. As more women join the military, more women will die for a lie while in the military. It is bad enough that young men continue to join the military, but it is tragic that families are raising their girls to be soldiers. Yes, these young women are joining of their own free will, but it is tragic nonetheless.

Republicans are already beginning to defect from the McCainiac party line on Iraq. Here’s George Voinovich, speaking before the Chamber of Commerce, in Howland, Ohio:

“We need to get the hell out of Iraq. Do you hear me?”

Voinovich decried the impending bankruptcy of the US, wondering aloud at the legacy we’re leaving our young people, sounding more like Ron Paul than the GOP’s putative nominee.

For McCain, the top issue is the war — and even though the gist of every story emphasizes that Voinovich still supports McCain, Republicans who agree with the Ohio Senator are more likely to casts their ballots for Bob Barr, the former Republican congressman who just clinched the Libertarian Party presidential nomination.

Our own Tom Engelhardt is interviewed about his new book, The World According to TomDispatch, and the plan to put 58 US bases in Iraq.

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An action alert from the Campaign for a New American Policy on Iran.

The same people who called for attacking Iraq now are raising the drumbeat for military action against Iran. Despite the November 2007 U.S. National Intelligence Estimate concluding that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program, the Bush administration is bolstering its case for war by labeling Iran one of the greatest threats to American security.

Call your Congressional Representatives on Tuesday, June 10th: 1-800-788-9372

·Tell them to work for direct and comprehensive talks without preconditions between the U.S. and Iran.
·The U.S. and Iran share common interests in a stable Iraq, Middle East and Afghanistan.
·The U.S. pursued negotiations with North Korea and Libya – it’s time to talk with Iran.

Tell your Congressional leaders that you want dialogue, not war!

The Campaign for a New American Policy on Iran (CNAPI) is organizing an innovative “Time to Talk with Iran” event and press conference on Capitol Hill. With the U.S. Capitol as a backdrop, Members of Congress, celebrities, former officials, and other citizens will use a row of 60’s-era red “hotline” telephones to talk directly to ordinary Iranian citizens. Concurrently on June 10, the Campaign is organizing a nationwide Call-in to Congress for Diplomacy with Iran so those outside of DC can participate and make their voice heard. The event on Capitol Hill will be held Tuesday, June 10, 2008, from 10:00 am–1:00 pm EDT; Terrace on the West Side of Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC.

The Campaign for New American Policy on Iran (CNAPI) represents a transpartisan coalition of diverse groups which share the objective of promoting responsible and effective U.S. diplomacy and leadership in resolving long-standing tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Campaign supporters share the basic core beliefs outlined in the mission statement and urge direct, sustained, unconditional and comprehensive talks between the governments of the United States and Iran as a realistic way to resolve all outstanding issues.

Antiwar.com is a partner in the Campaign for New American Policy on Iran.