Thomas Ricks

Obama "Can No More Disown (McChrystal) Than I Can My White Grandmother"

David Quigg | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Thomas Ricks, Andrew Sullivan, Stanley McChrystal, Rolling Stone, Hillary Clinton, Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama, Afghanistan War, Andrew Exum, Video, Politics News
David Quigg

Obama made Hillary Clinton his secretary of state, putting all that she said during the campaign behind him. Obama can do the same thing with McChrystal. If he does, he should emerge with a tighter grip on the general.

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'Black Hearts' (Anatomy of a War Crime)

Gail McGowan Mellor | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Black Hearts, Ak-47, Tokyo, War on Terror, Black Heart, Triangle of Death, Al Qaeda, Ieds, David Petaeus, Shia, Tony Yribe, Warrior Monks, Women's Media Center, Abu Ghraib, Thomas Ricks, Iraq War, Sunni, Yusafiyah, Bagdhad, Books News
Gail McGowan Mellor

Black Hearts should be taught at West Point, Annapolis, and wherever else the styles and consequences of combat leadership are studied.

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Book Review Roundup

The Huffington Post | Amy Hertz | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Iraq War, Bestsellers, Paul Theroux, The Postmistress, Clinton, Thomas Ricks, Gadget, Book Reviews, Ken Starr, Naacp, Chronic City, Jonathan Lethem, Books News

If you missed any of the weekend's book reviews from around the country, we've gathered a few here for you. "The Postmistress", by Sarah Blake The W...

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Jason Linkins

Sarah Palin: Working Class Hero? (And The Rest Of Your Scritti Politti)

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: David Broder, Sarah Palin Resigns, Thomas Ricks, Al Franken, Ross Douthat, Death of Auto-Tune, Sarah Palin Resignation, Sarah Palin, Auto-Tune, Elitism, Washington Post, Sarah Palin Reaction, Counterinsurgency, Washington Post Salons, Eat the Press, Politics News

I appreciate that Ross Douthat is looking for a working-class hero for the future GOP of his book, Grand New Party. The sooner he can bring himself f...

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Fiasco Author: Obama's Iraq Optimism "Sounds a Lot Like Bush"

David Quigg | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Iraq War, John McCain, The Gamble, Thomas Ricks Fiasco, Thomas Ricks, Afghanistan, Success of the Surge, George W. Bush, David Petraeus, Iraq, Counterinsurgency, Barack Obama, World News
David Quigg

There's the saying about how people who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. But what about people who actively lie to themselves about the past, about something like the surge?

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While Obama Escalates War in Afghanistan, Iraq Could Blow Up in His Face

Jeremy Scahill | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Iraq Surge, Obama Afghanistan, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Thomas Ricks Fiasco, MoveOn.Org, Success of the Surge, Antiwar Movement, Afghanistan, Obama Iraq Withdrawal, Afghanistan Escalation, Iraq Occupation, Iraq Withdrawal, Barack Obama, Afghanistan War, Iraq War, Thomas Ricks, Myth of Iraq Surge Success, Iraq, Sunni Awakening, Obama Iraq, Nouri Al Maliki, World News
Jeremy Scahill

There is great reason to suspect that the timeline for withdrawal -- all troops out by 2011 -- announced in February by the Obama administration will prove to be a fallacy.

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"Mission Accomplished" Bush Gets the Last Laugh in Iraq and Afghanistan

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Al Qaeda, " Project for New American Century, "Afghan Arabs, Pakistan, General Raymond Odierno, George W. Bush, Xe, General David Petraeus, "Soft Power, Obama Administration, Iraq, Robert Kagan, Pnac, Dick Cheney, Kbr, Blackwater, Kashmir, Iraq Policy, Middle East. Baghdad, Inter-Services Intelligence, President Barack Obama, Isi, Halliburton, Iraq Occupation, Afghan Policy, Afghanistan War, The Foreign Policy Initiative, Thomas Ricks, " General Pervez Musharraf, " Iraq War, Afghanistan, India, William Kristol, "Mission Accomplished, Politics News
Joseph A. Palermo

For years, George W. Bush has been roundly criticized, even lampooned, for declaring "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq. But maybe declaring "Mission Accomplished" was not that crazy after all.

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Obama's Iraq: All Troops Out By 2011? Not So Fast

Jeremy Scahill | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Chuck Schumer, Obama Afghanistan, Mitch McConnell, Private Contractors, Afghanistan, George W. Bush, President Obama, Iraq Contractors, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, Barack Obama, Iraq War, Thomas Ricks, Mercenaries, Jim Miklaszeswki, Blackwater, Nancy Pelosi, Iraq Troop Withdrawal, Harry Reid, Status of Forces Agreement, Residual Force, Surge in Afghanistan, John Mchugh, World News
Jeremy Scahill

The contradiction between President Obama's speech at Camp Lejeune and his rhetoric before he was elected should serve as a warning to those who take his words at face value.

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Thomas Ricks: War In Iraq Is Not Over (VIDEO)

Huffington Post | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: War Wire, Thomas Ricks Video, Thomas Ricks on Meet the Press, Warwire, Video, Meet the Press, Thomas Ricks, Politics News

Thomas Ricks, author of the the book "Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq," which deals with the planning and execution of the Iraq War, a...

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Fiasco Author Thomas Ricks Plans To Leave Washington Post

Politico | Michael Calderone | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Thomas Ricks Washington Post, Washington Post, Thomas Ricks Buyout, Thomas Ricks Fiasco, Thomas Ricks, Washington Post Buyouts, Media News

Just two days ago, Washington Post staffers were clinking champagne glasses and celebrating a six-Pulitzer sweep. But now a two-time Pulitzer Prize wi...

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"Fiasco" Author: Don't Celebrate Iraq Turnaround Just Yet

Editor and Publisher | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Ricks on Iraq, Fiasco Author on Iraq, Thomas Ricks Fiasco, Thomas Ricks, Iraq Turnaround, Fiasco Thomas Ricks, Warwire, Fiasco, Politics News

Thomas Ricks of The Washington Post has been one of the level-headed, and accurate, reporters on the Iraq war since its inception. His book "Fiasco" w...

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