Michael Carmichael is a senior political consultant, historian, author and broadcaster. Carmichael worked professionally in several US presidential campaigns: RFK; Gene McCarthy; Hubert Humphrey; George McGovern; Lloyd Bentsen; Jimmy Carter and Dennis Kucinich. In 2008, he supported Barack Obama.

From 1985, Carmichael was based in Oxford, England where he conducted academic research, held seminars and was invited to address international conferences in Modena, Malta, Lugano, Lucerne, Milan, Sardinia, London, Istanbul, Palermo and Kuala Lumpur. In 2003, Carmichael founded Planetary Movement Limited, a global public affairs organization based in the United Kingdom and the USA.

In 1998, Carmichael appeared as an academic expert on the British documentary series, Sacred Weeds. Carmichael has appeared as a public affairs expert on the BBC's Today, Hardtalk, PM, as well as numerous appearances on ITN, NPR and many other European broadcasts examining politics and culture. Carmichael’s political commentary has appeared on many websites including: The Huffington Post, Global Research; International Clearing House; Scoop; Counterpunch; Progressive Democrats of America; Dandelion Salad; Tea Break (Pakistan); Vijayvaani (New Delhi, India) and the Baltimore Chronicle. Carmichael can be reached through his website:

www.planetarymovement.org

Blog Entries by Michael Carmichael

Avatar Pulls the Political Trigger

3 Comments | Posted January 5, 2010 | 01:17 PM (EST)


Avatar is a popular and commercial phenomenon soon to break through the most cherished barrier in Hollywood to become the top-grossing movie of all time. In doing so, Avatar's creator, James Cameron, will only be besting himself - for his earlier blockbuster, Titanic, currently occupies the sacred top box office...

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Memo to Obama: Dismiss McChrystal

19 Comments | Posted October 6, 2009 | 11:32 AM (EST)


Mr. President:

As you are more than well aware General Stanley McChrystal is a highly decorated soldier who has served America fearlessly and capably for many years. Earlier this year, you appointed General McChrystal to the post of Commander of both the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and US Forces...

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The Most Ominous Monopoly

36 Comments | Posted September 19, 2009 | 06:22 PM (EST)


Last week the most ominous monopoly in America's long history opened its gaping jaws. Sniffing the air and casting its gaze around for victims, the horrifying leviathan took its first breaths amidst reports of the merger of Election Systems & Software (ES&S) and Diebold.

Black Box Voting published...

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The Lawmaker: A Eulogy for Ted Kennedy

Posted August 28, 2009 | 02:34 PM (EST)


He never lingered over the pain in his past. Memories echoed in the domes, surrounding him with an aura of destiny. The pain of tragic loss; a sister in perpetual absentia; the echoes of bullets lacerating his brothers; a spiraling plane crash that shattered his spine; a panic underwater and...

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Lockerbie and Kafka's Labyrinth

23 Comments | Posted August 21, 2009 | 10:34 AM (EST)


In December 1988, I was living in the United Kingdom when the searing news of the Lockerbie bombing exploded into the global consciousness. With 270 victims, Lockerbie was at once the worst act of terrorism on British soil and the most heinous act of terrorism yet perpetrated against Americans. Twelve...

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Kucinich Keeps Single-Payer Alive

3 Comments | Posted July 23, 2009 | 01:19 PM (EST)


The congressional health care reform bill, H.R. 3200, now contains the Kucinich amendment thus keeping hope alive for a single-payer system.

Two weeks ago, Dennis Kucinich proposed an amendment to the healthcare reform bill that keeps the single-payer option alive. Kucinich's amendment will permit states the power to introduce...

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Afghanistan is Not a Military Problem

Posted March 16, 2009 | 12:16 PM (EST)


To the jubilation of millions of his followers, Barack Obama announced the withdrawal of all US forces from Iraq by the end of 2011 when he addressed the Marines of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. While Obama's statement provided a jolt of clarity about American involvement in Iraq, his policy...

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The Strategy Vacuum

Posted February 11, 2009 | 04:54 PM (EST)


In spite of our elaborate pretensions to democracy, warlords rule the world.

The American media is constantly filled with stories about the war lords of Somalia and Afghanistan, but when NATO top brass takes aim at civilian targets -- the mainstream media obediently looks the other way.

Over the next...

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Craddock Scandal Rocks NATO

Posted February 1, 2009 | 10:08 PM (EST)


In the wake of an international scandal mushrooming around the career of US General Bantz John Craddock, American credibility has collapsed inside the top echelons of NATO. General Craddock is the Supreme Allied Commander for Europe (SACEUR) and simultaneously the Commander of the US European Command.

Described as a...

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Kucinich Leads Trend for Even Handed Foreign Policy

Posted January 26, 2009 | 11:13 AM (EST)


According to astute observers -- there is a new trend in Congress in favor of a more even-handed approach to foreign policy. The bipartisan group, Council for the National Interest hails Congressman Dennis Kucinich as the leader of the new trend.

The Council for the National Interest (CNI) was...

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Amaze Us

Posted January 19, 2009 | 07:20 PM (EST)


As Barack Obama approaches the helm of the American ship of state, he is facing many challenges.

Just as she was being born at the dawn of her journey into history, the American nation is poised on the brink of a new beginning. In those revolutionary times, America faced a...

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Key Witness in Rove Probes Killed

Posted December 21, 2008 | 05:55 PM (EST)


2008-12-29-ConnelRove.jpg

Mike Connell's untimely death will haunt Karl Rove and the Republican Party. As the key witness in investigations into election fraud and the destruction of White House emails relevant to the improper firing of US attorneys, Mike Connell recently informed investigators that he had...

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Caroline's Consummate Qualifications

Posted December 16, 2008 | 02:20 PM (EST)


America is transfixed. The world is transfixed. The Kennedy legend promises to open another chapter.

For days, Chinese whispers in the corridors of power trickled through the grapevines of political gossip that, Caroline, the sole surviving child of JFK and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy might be interested in serving in the...

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Seismic Diplomacy

Posted December 12, 2008 | 06:18 PM (EST)


Like a seismic tremor before a volcanic explosion, the pressure for peace in the Middle East is ratcheting upwards on the diplomatic Richter Scale.

Like rapid-fire explosions from the muzzle of a machine gun, an aggressive cascade of diplomatic moves and counter moves is coursing through the international community. The...

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Obama's Opening Gambit

Posted December 4, 2008 | 01:34 PM (EST)


To the dismay of many progressives, Obama named his centrist national security team: Hillary Clinton at State; Jim Jones at the NSC; Susan Rice at the UN; Janet Napolitano at Homeland Security; Robert Gates at the Pentagon and Eric Holder at Justice. Obama's opening gambit led with the deliberate sacrifice...

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Remanent Rivalry: Obama and Clinton

Posted November 20, 2008 | 12:05 PM (EST)


Amidst the rising tide of reports, leaks and speculation that President-elect Barack Obama will offer the key Cabinet position of Secretary of State to Senator Hillary Clinton, pundits have detected remanent rivalry between their two houses.

Most of the current rash of speculation centers on claims that top...

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Arc of Darkness

Posted November 1, 2008 | 11:25 AM (EST)


For eight years, the American people have been held hostage on a roller-coaster ride from Hell commandeered by their rogue Commander-In-Chief, "W.", and his senior sidekick, Dick Cheney.

Careening from the chaos of the Florida fiasco of 2000, when the winner of the presidential election was shunted aside and...

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If Democracy Is Denied

Posted October 24, 2008 | 04:38 PM (EST)


The sheer momentum of the Obama-Biden ticket has triggered frantic and massive Republican vote-rigging operations in key battleground states designed to manufacture a counterfeit majority in the Electoral College.

Tactical operations now stemming from the McCain-Palin campaign and its surrogates are designed to lead to litigation in the...

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GOP Endgame: Vote Suppression

Posted October 21, 2008 | 06:31 PM (EST)


Facing the political failure of the McCain-Palin ticket, official GOP strategy has shifted from futile attempts to win the popular vote by demonizing Barack Obama to a reversion to American voting standards of the 18th and 19th centuries. The GOP campaign is a blatant attempt to effect a surgical manipulation...

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McCain Fizzles as Obama Sizzles

Posted October 8, 2008 | 10:32 AM (EST)


McCain's big build-up promised a game-changing assault on Obama's credibility.

Led by the shrill Governor Sarah Palin, McCain's campaign shot a cannonade across the bow of the USS Obama to put them on notice of a historic showdown. Palin boasted that John McCain had the ammunition to redefine Barack...

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