Posted on Categories News & Comment

PBC News & Comment: Vietnam-Style Mission Creep in Syria, Iraq

Goaded by American hawks and Russia’s intervention, Pentagon boss Carter quietly breaks the news of mission creep: boots on ground….–Lindsay Graham and other hawks demand bigger US military intervention, but won’t debate or authorize it

–Iran agrees to join Vienna talks about Syria with US and Russia

–commentary in NY Times, Guardian and VICE agree that Obama’s strategy is incoherent, but downplay escalation of US involvement

–following last week’s deadly earthquake, Taliban takes over northern Afghanistan province

–Netanyahu continues provocations, orders “status review” of Palestinians in East Jerusalem

–University of California regents will re-work proposed policy to suppress pro-Palestinian speech on campus, after Israel supporters say it’s not tough enough

–Charlie Savage at NY Times discloses that 4 lawyers in Obama administration secretly wrote legal opinions to rationalize the killing of bin Laden

–former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert pleads guilty to one charge, sealing the coverup of much greater crimes

–federal judge blocks Alabama law to defund Planned Parenthood, because there is no legal basis for it

–federal judge in NY slams “Justice” Dept. for demanding that Apple unlock phone of crime suspect like they’ve done before; Apple is now resisting