Washington Babylon

John McCain is on a world tour, and after flunking Middle East Politics 101 on the Jordan leg of his trip, he’s now on his way to London, where his…

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For years it has been rumored that Brigadier General Teodoro Obiang, the long-time dictator of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, is a cannibal. “In similar fashion to Idi Amin, Obiang has also…

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If you’re planning to cash in on the Eliot Spitzer scandal, it may already be too late. “When the chips are down for the Governor of New York, the people…

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As previously noted here, the Bush administration has welcomed a host of controversial foreign rulers and officials to the White House . The latest: Samir Geagea (pronounced Jaja) of the…

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I posted an article Wednesday on the unfolding scandal at the National Republican Congressional Committee, in which a former Committee treasurer named Christopher Ward is the central figure. I noted…

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Gannett, by far the greediest newspaper chain in America and one that typically seeks to obtain profit margins otherwise available only to crack dealers, is cracking down on perks for…

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I hate to argue with my colleague Scott Horton, but I’m not sold on the notion that Eliot Spitzer was targeted by the feds. Scott wrote earlier today: Today’s Times…

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Remember that financial scandal at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)? The one that involves all sorts of apparent financial improprieties and lots of money missing from the NRCC’s coffers?…

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Yesterday I posted a note from a reader wondering why Eliot Spitzer’s name leaked out of the Justice Department so quickly, while Senator David Vitter’s didn’t leak after the arrest…

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A reader emails with an interesting observation: Amazing how Senator David Vitter’s name never leaked out of the Justice Department after the arrest of the D.C. Madam, but Eliot Spitzer’s…

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When Sami Al-Arian was arrested in 2003, then-Attorney General John Ashcroft declared a major victory in the “war against terrorism.” Two years later, after the Justice Department had spent an…

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I’ve been assuming, like most everyone else, that Barack Obama has a far better chance of defeating John McCain in November than Hillary Clinton. Obama has broader appeal to independents…

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With Fidel Castro giving up power in Cuba, might there be a change in American policy towards Havana, such as scrapping the ancient, spectacularly unsuccessful trade embargo? Probably not as…

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Former CIA official: concessions by Israel cannot be discussed ”rationally” in United States The week opens with President Bush’s “peace plan” for the Middle East in shambles, more than 100…

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Meeting with dictators sends the wrong signal, he says From “Bush Assails Democratic Candidates’ Foreign Policy Views,” published today in the Washington Post, with links added for clarification: “Sitting down…

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His kids’ private schools are prime beneficiaries The charitable contributions of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have received a fair amount of press scrutiny. The same is not true of…

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Last week, the Washington Post’s “In the Loop” column asked readers to predict who John McCain and Barack Obama would pick as their vice presidential nominees. The Obama contest is…

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“The bombings are continuing by land and by air; the clashes are becoming heavier.” This was a Turkish military source quoted in a story today in the Guardian, referring to…

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Today I’ll be on To the Point, the NPR show hosted by Warren Olney, to discuss Barack Obama’s campaign for a segment on “Money and Influence on the Campaign Trail.”…

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There’s been a lot of speculation in the media and in the blogosphere about the origins of the New York Times story on Senator John McCain’s murky relationship with lobbyist…

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Glenn Greenwald, Salon’s popular media critic, is a former constitutional law and civil rights litigator in New York. He has authored three books, including Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big…

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House Minority Leader John Boehner frequently portrays himself as a no-nonsense fiscal hawk and friend of the little guy and gal. “While families struggle with rising costs of living, politicians…

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Last year, I published a story (“Parties of God: The Bush doctrine and the rise of Islamic democracy”), that discussed whether or not it was desirable for the U.S. government…

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A.J. Rossmiller, a fellow at the National Security Network, served with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) for nearly two years. He was awarded the Joint Civilian Service Achievement Award and…

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A few months I reported on internal disputes at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), where critics allege that President Andy Stern has been conducting a power grab. Ever since,…

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“I’m here three or four times a week,” Congressman Tom Price of Georgia told a small crowd last Thursday at the Capitol Hill Club, a private establishment for Republicans and…

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The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) makes it difficult to sue foreign governments in U.S. courts for crimes committed against American citizens, including murder and torture. The U.S. government has…

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In 2006, Harper’s and TPM Muckraker reported extensively on Trident Systems Incorporated, a Fairfax, Virginia-based firm that had an excellent record of winning federal earmarks with the help of Representative…

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