Articles
September 30, 2004
Winning time
Matthew May
During his playing days on the court, basketball legend Earvin 'Magic' Johnson relished the last two minutes of big playoff games. Usually, those final moments would see Magic single—handedly taking over the ball game with a tough hoop, a sleight... More
September 30, 2004
Carter, observed
A.M. Mora y Leon
American Thinker Exclusive Jimmy Carter has been acting like a grumpy old man this week, casting somewhat shocking aspersions on the fairness and legitimacy of the forthcoming Presidential election in Florida. Maybe his nasty streak has something to do with... More
September 30, 2004
Regime change in Iran
Olivier Guitta
Yesterday in Washington DC, the Committee on the Present Danger and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies organized an outstanding conference on the subject of World War IV. When Cliff May, President of FDD, presented Paul Wolfowitz to the audience, he inadvertently called... More
September 29, 2004
Winter Soldier Tales (2)
Steve Gilbert
This is the second of a series of excerpts from the so—called Winter Soldier Investigations held in Detroit, Michigan from January 31 through February 2, 1971. The Winter Soldier Investigation was a project of the Vietnam Veterans Against The War.... More
September 29, 2004
The real chain of connection
Douglas Hanson
Dan Rather and CBS News have had a rough couple of weeks coping with the forged Texas Air National Guard document scandal and their subsequent clumsy cover—up. Richard Thornburgh and Louis Boccardi have been appointed to investigate this mess, but... More
September 29, 2004
Bush lied?
Ronald Wieck
In a more rational world, a mass delusion that gripped millions of citizens of the strongest, richest, and most technologically advanced nation would set off alarm bells in the citadels of culture. The guardians —— thinkers, teachers, writers, print and... More
September 28, 2004
Letter from Iraq
The Major
[Editor's note: The letter which follows has reached me via a number of American military officers. They tell me that it has privately circulated widely in military circles, and is generally regarded as credible by knowledgeable people. The version which appears... More
September 28, 2004
A new and disturbing alignment
A.M. Mora y Leon
On the surface, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's plan to make common cause with the Islamic world looks mostly naive and maybe a little odd. Spain's history is a fierce crucible in the clash of Islam and the West,... More
September 28, 2004
Arab press review - September 24-27
Olivier Guitta
[Editor's note: Olivier Guitta scooped the American press last Friday, uncovering information in the Arab newspaper Al Hayat, on Syria's new hostile policy toward Palestinian terror groups operating in Damascus. The following day, Hamas terror master Khalid was targeted and killed... More
September 27, 2004
Big sister
Steve Gilbert
While John Kerry's younger sister is currently making headlines because of her efforts in Canada, Mexico and even Australia to get out the expatriate vote for her brother, Kerry's older sister has been keeping a lower profile. Indeed, not much has... More
September 27, 2004
Why so many class traitors vote Republican
Edward Bernard Glick
As the 2004 elections near, a question haunts the Democrats: why will so many lower—income voters 'betray' their brethren and vote for Republicans ? A deracinated descendant of Marxian "class interest" analysis still entices liberal thinkers with its siren song of economic... More
September 27, 2004
Battle Blog 20-26 September 2004
Douglas Hanson
Combat action continued this past week in the area known as the Sunni Triangle, particularly in and around Fallujah. In the last few weeks, a series of precision air strikes have hit terrorist hide—outs in the city, and ground... More
September 26, 2004
Determination
Thomas Lifson
There was no atonement yesterday in Israel for the car bombing in Damascus, which removed senior Hamas official Izz El—Deen Al—Sheikh Khalil. Today, the day after Yom Kippur, the solemn Jewish Day of Atonement, Israeli defense sources confirmed that Israel was... More
September 26, 2004
Winter Soldier Tales (1)
Steve Gilbert
This is the first of a series of excerpts from the so—called Winter Soldier Investigations held in Detroit, Michigan from January 31 through February 2, 1971. The Winter Soldier Investigation was a project of the Vietnam Veterans Against The War.... More
September 26, 2004
When law is not enough
Bob Weir
Weir thinking about it As American troops fight the battle against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, how can we protect ourselves from the enemy that lives among us? It is often said that we must not become tyrannical concerning the... More
September 25, 2004
Eye on CBS
Clarice Feldman
CBS announced this week it had named Richard Thornburgh and Louis Boccardi to head a panel to investigate what went wrong with the now notorious Sixty Minutes broadcast. Fake memos and the testimony of a Kerry fundraiser with a dubious... More
September 25, 2004
Kerry's Castrophile counsel
A.M. Mora y Leon
On Cuba, John Kerry has flipped and flopped like a wet marlin on a Key Largo yacht, in a desperate bid to win the Miami Cuban exile vote without alienating his Castrophile voter base. Ironically, it was Castro ally Hugo... More
September 24, 2004
Bush must be stopped
Steven Zak
Lie, cheat, twist, slant, forge —— whatever it takes. Bush must be stopped. So today's Democrats seem to believe. Law professor Susan Estrich —— her law school ethics classes apparently but a distant memory —— expressed the sentiment when she... More
September 24, 2004
More conspiracy theories
Thomas Lifson
I hope all my conspiracy theory—loving readers will put on their tinfoil helmets before they read any further. Their brains may explode and ruin a perfectly good computer monitor if they don't, once they absorb the information contained below. The... More
September 24, 2004
Advantage: Bush
Richard Baehr
The Baehr Essentials The national polls show varying leads for President Bush at the moment, with most in the 3—5% range, and a few suggesting a bigger lead. But the state surveys are telling a more consistent story, with Bush... More
September 23, 2004
A new day in Damascus?
Olivier Guitta
With virtually no attention from the major American media, France and a number of Arab regimes have joined with the Bush Administration, to bring pressure on Syria to step back from its occupation of Lebanon, and behave itself by halting... More
September 23, 2004
Burkett's internet footprints
Steve Gilbert
[Unless otherwise noted the following posts are from the Yahoo Group 'Texas Democrat 2.' Sections have been rendered in boldface for emphasis] Aug 10 From: BBurkett16@a... Date: Tue Aug 10, 2004 8:41 am Subject: Re: [TexasDemocrat2] Chairman Soechting Speaks His... More
September 23, 2004
Who knew?
Clarice Feldman
An examination of the timeline of publicly—reported events leading up to the Rathergate scandal raises some interesting questions about possible as—yet unrevealed collusion among Bill Burkett, members of the national press corps, and the Kerry campaign. Someone other than CBS and... More
September 22, 2004
Conspiracy theories
Thomas Lifson
Rathergate has opened wide the floodgates for conspiracy theorists. No less a figure than the chairman of the oldest political party in the world, Terry McAuliffe, is sticking by his guns, claiming that Rathergate is, or least could be, a... More
September 22, 2004
Dan Rather, philosopher-theologian
Geoffrey P. Hunt
It will come as a complete shock to most readers that Credo quia absurdum est ['because it is absurd, it is to be believed"] did not originate with Dan Rather and the sophists at CBS News. Aristotle and Tertullian beat... More
September 22, 2004
The 1988 Iran massacre: crimes against humanity
Roya Johnson
September 1st is recognized by Amnesty International as the 'International Day in Remembrance of the Massacre of Political Prisoners' in light of the massacre of political prisoners in Iran in 1988. In the span of several months, thousands of political... More
September 21, 2004
Putting tyrants on notice
Olivier Guitta
Today at the opening of the General Assembly of the United Nations, President Bush pronounced one of his most important foreign policy speeches. Here is, I think, the bomb in the speech: '...for too long, many nations — including my... More
September 21, 2004
A persevering optimism
John B. Dwyer
About two years ago, an acquaintance of mine, a retired Army colonel, Middle East expert and Arab specialist reported after returning from Baghdad that the shops were full, commodities plentiful, satellite dishes were mushrooming, Iraqis were watching American TV shows,... More
September 21, 2004
Bush snubs Venezuela's President
A. M. Mora y Leon
If President Bush is such a pariah in the eyes of the world, as liberals insist, why does someone like President Hugo Chavez crave his respect? Chavez is the leftist, populist, Castro—worshipping Venezuelan president, who survived an Aug. 15 recall... More
September 20, 2004
The light bulb economy
Steve Feinstein
There are certainly many points of contention between Democrats and Republicans, but perhaps none as stark—and misunderstood—as the issue of taxes. Both sides have bombarded the public with their arguments, but the Democrats, aided by their liberal mainstream media allies,... More
September 20, 2004
Battle Blog 13 -19 September 2004
Douglas Hanson
Terrorists from the Tawhid and Jihad groups aligned with Jordanian—born terror leader Abu Musab Zarqawi have been responsible this past week for a series of car bombings and the kidnapping of three 'foreign' construction workers. The two Americans and one... More
September 19, 2004
Viacom's Redstone dumps stock during Rathergate
Thomas Lifson
Unless someone has hacked the Security and Exchange Commission's website, it would appear that Viacom's Chairman and CEO Sumner Redstone chose to sell almost $12 million worth of stock in the midst of the Rathergate scandal roiling its wholly—owned subsidiary,... More
September 19, 2004
(Non)excessive punishments in the Quran
James Arlandson
For three years now after 9/11, many Westerners curious about Islam have walked softly around it and skipped over some of its customs. For example, all of us have heard of cutting off the hands of thieves and hitting wives.... More
September 18, 2004
It's the White House's fault
Thomas Lifson
The Los Angeles Times, with an assist from CBS News, once again earns the prize for most imaginative leftist political rationalization. Alert readers will remember the vicious attempts of the LAT to slander Governor Schwartzenegger as a groper prior to... More
September 18, 2004
The Road Less Graveled
Russ Vaughn
[A down home message for Dan Rather in the colorful Texas idiom he so loves] Y'all know what we all been thinkin' out here in Texas, Dan, since you started all this foolishness? We think y'all been whizzin' down our necks... More
September 17, 2004
Rathergate producer Mapes needs to get a lawyer
Douglas Hanson
American Thinker exclusive Mary Mapes, producer of the Rathergate fiasco, soon may have federal law enforcement officials knocking on her door, if a press story today holds water. In what could be another blow to the already scandal ridden Dan... More
September 17, 2004
Kerry's Middle East advisor wants to reward Syria
Richard Baehr
Martin Indyk served two stints as US Ambassador to Israel during the Clinton Administration. He is one of the individuals that the Kerry campaign has identified as part of its Middle East advisory team, and many think he will return... More
September 17, 2004
Bush-Rather fight would be stopped by a ref
Richard Baehr
The Baehr Essentials The wheels are flying off the Kerry campaign. In August, the Swift Boat Veterans' attack softened Kerry up. The Republican Convention then reinforced the contrast between President Bush as a strong leader, and John Kerry as somebody... More
September 16, 2004
Blind Anger
Thomas Lifson
Anger, the most toxic of emotions, has poisoned the American left and much of the Democratic Party. To the astonishment of many level—headed political professionals, the Kerry campaign is unable to let go of its charges that George Bush's Air... More
September 16, 2004
Who's in and who's out
Steve Feinstein
Every once in a while, a new word enters the popular American lexicon and enjoys its richly—deserved 15 minutes of fame, before receding into the dark recesses of the public consciousness, never to make an appearance again. We are fortunate... More
September 16, 2004
Lives lost and lessons learned
David Huntwork
The third anniversary of the deadliest enemy attack on US soil has come and gone, the memory once again fading. It is important to take stock of what we have learned from that fateful day. The lessons are clear and... More
September 16, 2004
CBS hangs tough - for today
Thomas Lifson
CBS's performance of September 15, 2004 was bizarre. First, they put—off for more than six hours the promised issuance of a statement. Then the Tiffany network released a puzzling vague promise ('we believe we should redouble our efforts to answer those... More
September 16, 2004
Kerry's Silver Star citations
Steve Gilbert
The importance of John Kerry's Silver Star to his political career cannot be overstated. Without the medal, it is fairly safe to say, we would have probably never heard of him. Kerry used his Silver Star to run for Congress... More
September 15, 2004
Tariq Ramadan, new favorite of the left
Olivier Guitta
Since it was announced that Professor Tariq Ramadan, a so—called moderate Muslim scholar, had his visa revoked on the advice of the Department of Homeland Security, an outpouring of outraged reactions rained down. Ramadan was supposed to start teaching at... More
September 15, 2004
Kerry, the executive
Thomas Lifson
John F. Kerry has already demonstrated a frightening level of incompetence as an executive. Regardless of any agreement or disagreement American voters may have with him on the issues, his demonstrated inability to handle the complexities of a presidential campaign... More
September 15, 2004
Reports of MSM's death are greatly exaggerated
Dennis Sevakis
MSM — Main—Stream Media — in the guise of CBS has received some heavy body blows over the past few days. However, the incessant, gleeful handclapping by conservatives at the well—publicized faux pas of Mr. Rather & Co. is, in... More
September 14, 2004
Fruits of a poisonous tree
Ed Lasky
CBS is being judged, albeit not in a docket, but rather in the court of public opinion. A well—established legal doctrine throws light on the extent of its troubles, and expands the dimensions of the Rathergate scandal. As the implications... More
September 14, 2004
Assault on the weapons ban
Selwyn Duke
The so—called assault weapons ban expired on Monday, ending with a fizzle, not a bang. The Republicans did not let the proposal to extend the ban come to a vote and, if I'm correct, the Democrats will not be reloading. ... More
September 14, 2004
A-hunting we will go
Douglas Hanson
The small band of terrorists thought that things were going their way. They had even succeeded in convincing a portion of middle class citizens that they were fighting for a just representation in their country's political process. This was a... More
September 13, 2004
Battle Blog 6 - 12 September 2004
Douglas Hanson
Apparently, reports last week that Saddam's number two man, Izzat Ibrahim Al—Douri, was captured were incorrect. US forces stated that they did not have him in custody, and Iraqi security forces said they were awaiting testing on confirmation of the... More
September 13, 2004
The U.S. is not really fighting terrorism
Rachel Neuwirth
Claims that America is engaged in a total war against terrorism are greatly exaggerated. President Bush cannot selectively fight some terrorists, while ignoring or even supporting other kinds of terrorists, and still claim to be fighting a War on Terror.... More
September 12, 2004
Is Bill Burkett a reliable source?
Steve Gilbert
With the media's latest iteration of President Bush's National Guard story, Lt. Col. Bill Burkett has once again managed to insert himself into the news. This article from the September 12th issue of Newsweek is typical of the latest crop:... More
September 12, 2004
An analysis of the typing skills of the forger
Lona Manning
Blogosphere analysis of the Killian documents to date has focused on the typography of the documents and whether they adhere to military style. This article examines what formatting commands the typist used to create the document and what this says... More
September 12, 2004
For the girls
Matthew May
A long time ago, in a galaxy that seems truly far away, a suburban Detroit mother got ready to take her two youngsters — a boy of seven and a girl of five — over to the city. The year... More
September 12, 2004
The Cruise of the Essex
John B. Dwyer
This Sunday the History Channel will air a program on the War of 1812, titled First Invasion. The War of 1812, a.k.a. 'Mr. Madison's War,' was fought essentially over maritime disputes between Britain and America. Impressment of American seamen by... More
September 11, 2004
Killian Memo Has Wrong Deadline, Cites Wrong Regulation
Steve Gilbert
Here is the text of the the May 1972 memo that is purportedly from Bush's Texas Air National Guard commander, Lt. Colonel Jerry Killian: 111th Fighter Interceptor SquadronP.O. Box 34567Houston, Texas 77034 04 May 1972 MEMORANDUM FOR 1st Lt. George... More
September 11, 2004
Rather ineffectual
Richard Baehr
Dan Rather is a mediocrity who is the CBS anchor today because on one horrible day he happened to be in the right place at the right time. Rather was in Dallas working for a local CBS affiliate on 11/22/63.... More
September 11, 2004
A war Kerry wanted
Steve Gilbert
On the anniversary of 9/11 it is useful to remember that John Kerry has not always been against the unilateral use of American force. It would seem he only opposes such use of American force when it is a matter... More
September 11, 2004
The first big network smear
John B. Dwyer
CBS aired it. Dan Rather was the reporter. The program attempted to damage the reputation of a commander—in—chief. Are we talking about Wednesday's 60 Minutes? No, we're talking about a CBS Reports program The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception, which ran... More
September 10, 2004
The blogosphere never sleeps
Thomas Lifson
Three years ago tomorrow, the awe—inspiring towers of the World Trade Center collapsed, following a completely unanticipated mode of attack. Today, the once proud tower of CBS News threatens to collapse under an attack clearly unanticipated by Dan Rather and... More
September 10, 2004
Threading a small needle
Richard Baehr
The Baehr Essentials The Democrats have all but formally written—off the entire South, except for Florida, as well as a few other states once considered prime pickup opportunities. The ad buys for the next month by the Kerry campaign and... More
September 10, 2004
Mel Gibson redux
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
Six months ago, it seemed that you could not open a newspaper or magazine or turn on a television without hearing mentioned the impending release of Mel Gibson's controversial film, The Passion of the Christ. Now, with the release of... More
September 09, 2004
The truth about stem cell research
Mary L. Davenport, M.D.
Scientists know that claims of imminent cures of disease using embryonic stem cells are junk science, whereas progress in adult stem cell research has been nothing short of spectacular. It is unfortunate that the mainstream media have exaggerated the prospects... More
September 09, 2004
Kerry loses traction
Thomas Lifson
It is all coming home to roost for John F. Kerry. He now has so many different positions on record that any time he makes a forceful declaration or proposes a policy initiative, a contradictory quotation or, worse, a video... More
September 09, 2004
Carter v. Miller
Joshua Sharf
Zell Miller's in for it now: he's made Jimmy Carter angry. In an open letter printed in the Atlanta Journal—Constitution, Carter accuses Miller of betraying the trust of every Georgia Democrat since Reconstruction: You seem to have forgotten that loyal Democrats... More
September 08, 2004
How the Democrats Flunked Physics 101
Geoffrey P. Hunt
Organization behaviorists have reduced the psychology of change to a mathematical equation. According to Michael Beer of the Harvard Business School, change is a function of dissatisfaction (D) multiplied by the vision of a new order (V) times leadership (L)... More
September 08, 2004
The academic/media complex
Ed Lasky
President Dwight Eisenhower's departing message upon leaving office famously included a warning about a new phenomenon in the American political economy: "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by... More
September 08, 2004
Was the election in Venezuela stolen?
Richard Baehr
Several weeks back, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman warned that the Presidential election might be stolen in Florida. This year, he warned, unlike the Presidential race in 2000, the election might be stolen even without help from the Supreme Court. The... More
September 07, 2004
Kerry, Kansas City, and the FBI files
Steve Gilbert
An American Thinker Exclusive must credit americanthinker.com By now you've probably heard that John F. Kerry attended a meeting of his Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) group in Kansas City in November 1971, where they considered a proposal to... More
September 07, 2004
Eight weeks to go
Richard Baehr
The Baehr EssentialsA food fight has broken out among a few political pundits as to the validity of recent polls by Time and Newsweek which appear to show a large growing lead for President Bush. The two surveys, conducted during... More
September 07, 2004
We want Zell! We want Zell!
Lona Manning
The New York Times says that Zell Miller is President Bush's 'new best friend.' The Georgia Senator's speech, Richard W. Stephenson writes, has 'touched a chord among voters of all stripes by voicing doubts about Mr. Kerry's record on... More
September 06, 2004
Let's apply tolerance to the pocketbook
Selwyn Duke
One day when I was just a wee lad, I and the rest of my grade school class received some very sage advice about how to balance our rights against those of our fellow man. Our teacher stood with... More
September 06, 2004
Facts v. Revelations in the Quran
James Arlandson
If anyone studies the Quran objectively, he or she will be struck by the verses that differ widely from cherished Biblical passages and one significant historical fact. Normally, these differences should not pose any problems, provided they remain in the... More
September 06, 2004
Battle Blog 30 August - September 5 2004
Douglas Hanson
As Battle Blog goes up on the web, there has been no confirmation that Saddam's number two man, Izzat Ibrahim Al—Douri has, in fact, been captured. The Multi—National Forces—Iraq (MNF—I) has stated that he is not under US control, but... More
September 05, 2004
Minnesota, again. This time, Republican
Thomas Lifson
When I was growing up in the Minnesota of the 1950s and 60s, the state was a proud bastion of national Democratic politics, producing Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Eugene McCarthy, Orville Freeman, and a host of lesser—known names active nationally,... More
September 05, 2004
Conspiracy theorists at the Times
Thomas Lifson
The left wingers on the op—ed page of the New York Times are becoming unhinged. Frank Rich today joins Paul Krugman in articulating conspiracy theories to explain the success of the political movement backing President Bush. You see, in Rich's... More
September 04, 2004
The smoking gun
Thomas Lifson
The Associated Press, a powerful worldwide news source owned by its member daily newspapers, has perpetrated a vile and slanderous lie about President Bush and his supporters, and been caught read—handed. The smoking gun exists safe and sound in the... More
September 04, 2004
Well, isn't that great
Steve Feinstein
Great is a misunderstood and often misused word. It's bandied about far too casually, and people, places, and events are described as great when in actuality, they are really nothing more than ordinary. The Merriam—Webster dictionary has eleven entries for... More
September 04, 2004
Why Chris Matthews doesn't get it
Lona Manning
Judging by his appearance on The Daily Show Friday night, Chris Matthews still doesn't understand why his treatment of Senator Zell Miller, and his earlier roasting of Michelle Malkin offended so many people. Matthews told Daily Show host Jon Stewart... More
September 03, 2004
Follow Through
Matthew May
Things are looking bright for President George W. Bush as the hugely successful Republican National Convention closed with his well—crafted and superbly—delivered speech. Sen. John F. Kerry and his campaign are retreating under the scrutiny of the devastating ads and... More
September 03, 2004
Sadr's reign of terror
Douglas Hanson
The terms most often used to describe the armed followers of the renegade Shia leader Muqtada al—Sadr have varied depending upon who is doing the reporting. The major wire services seem to prefer the term 'insurgent,' possibly to convey some... More
September 03, 2004
What's wrong with patriotism?
Bob Weir
Weir Thinking about it After former NYC Mayor Rudy Guiliani and Senator John McCain spoke at the Republican convention, one MSNBC commentator, with a frown on her face, said: 'Well, it looks like we're going to be bombarded with patriotism... More
September 02, 2004
Revolution in the infostructure
Thomas Lifson
Television news, the dominant source of political information for Americans, was transformed Tuesday night. A death knell for broadcast network news has pealed its initial toll. For the first time in history, coverage of an important news event by a... More
September 02, 2004
Kerry's Hanoi tapes
Steve Gilbert
As is now well known to everyone except those in the news media, John Kerry and other representatives of his group, the Vietnam Veterans Against The War (VVAW), met with the North Vietnamese and Vietcong peace delegations numerous times circa... More
September 02, 2004
The defense against tyranny amendment
Selwyn Duke
If I asked some of my countrymen what the most pressing issues facing the America of the twenty—first century were, I would get a multitude of different answers. Terrorism might be number one on the list and, indeed, it certainly... More
September 01, 2004
It gets worse for the liberal media
Thomas Lifson
Viewership of the Republican National Convention on cable news has swung decisively toward Fox News Channel, according to ratings figures published on Drudge today. Monday night, FNC pulled over three times as many viewers as CNN, and over four times as... More
September 01, 2004
Outrageous and groundless plea for Tariq Ramadan
Olivier Guitta
In an op—ed piece in the Washington Post dated August 28, 2004, Paul Donnelly is very upset that the 'peaceful moderate' Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan was denied entry to the US. In fact, Ramadan was supposed to start teaching last... More
September 01, 2004
The French are taken in again
Christopher Orlet
Last weekend's kidnapping of two French journalists by Iraqis protesting Jacques Chirac's government's head scarf ban caught many Frenchmen napping. Nothing unusual about that, except the French had hoped their opposition to the War in Iraq, and their continued and... More
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