Author Archives: Peter Van Buren

A Higher Loyalty is Jim Comey’s Revenge, Served Lukewarm

The spurned FBI director is presented as everything that Trump isn’t–and that gets old, quick.

Sacrificing Veterans Health Care on the Altar of Privatization

Think creating a ‘Medicare for Veterans’ is the answer to VA’s woes? Not so fast.

U.S. Officials Demand Al Jazeera Register as Propaganda ‘Agent’

The network is the latest in the big chill, is being called ‘anti-American, anti-Semitic, and anti-Israel.’

Gina Haspel: As If Nuremberg Never Happened

Nothing will say more about who we’ve become as a nation than if a torturer is allowed to head the CIA.

Rex Tillerson: The Pointless Secretary of State

His ominously hawkish replacement, Mike Pompeo, will prove far more consequential.

The New Surveillance State and the Old Perjury Trap

A significant number of Trump’s people were electronically monitored by a Democratic administration—many “by accident.”

What Mueller Has and What He’s Missing

So far there’s little of the former and a lot of the latter. Absent more evidence, skepticism remains a healthy stance.

How Rob Porter Got His Security Clearance

The system didn’t break down. Someone failed to uphold its standards, and the Trump administration paid the price.

Christopher Steele: The Real Foreign Influence in the 2016 Election?

His dossier was more than opposition research, it was part of a full-spectrum information operation.

Don’t Be Cynical About an Olympics Detente With North Korea

Both sides are sending signals that this is more than just global games.

The Nunes Memo Matters—But Not For the Reason You Think

If you’re in search of a constitutional crisis, here it is.

Why We Want Immigrants Who Add Value

Why merit-based immigration wouldn’t dishonor the American story.

Is Trump Truly ‘Insane’?

His opponents are trying to use the 25th Amendment as a backdoor to impeachment, but that’s more Maoist than American.

Spielberg’s ‘Post’: Clumsy, Inaccurate, Anti-Trump Twaddle

The movie is badly disguised virtue signaling by Hollywood, that, as usual, warps history for its own purposes.

Losing Control of the American Fear Machine

How soon before we start demanding dangerous solutions to our mass-driven anxieties?

2017: The Year the Iraq War Truly Ended

So why does it feel like Iran is the only winner?

No, Donald Trump Isn’t Going to Nuke North Korea

Listen beyond the din of ‘mushroom cloud’ case-building, if you can.

Trump Nominee Has History of Suing Colleges Over Israel Boycotts

Kenneth Marcus says schools that allow BDS protests should lose federal funding. How is this not a violation of the First Amendment?

Rex Tillerson ‘Is a Dead Man Walking’

Fresh rumors of his demise may not be greatly exaggerated. Here’s why.

Don’t Blame Donald Trump for Eclipsing the State Department

The real culprit is a much older one: our militaristic foreign policy.

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