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    Authoritarianism is putting everything we value in danger

    Authoritarianism is putting everything we value in danger

    The future of all that we cherish is on the line and we—all of us—have to fight like hell to protect democracy, human decency, and a livable planet. Our reporters are working overtime to cover the onslaught of horrors as well as the resistance movements rising up to fight back. We must be prepared to do battle over the long haul. Will you donate to our Mid-Year Campaign to keep the progressive, nonprofit journalism of Common Dreams alive?

    Everything we care about is in danger, and Common Dreams is fighting back by exposing their lies and corruption and lifting up the voices of those working to stop them. If you believe in our work, we need you now more than ever. Your gift of any amount helps support our independent and fiercely unafraid journalism.

    Authoritarianism is putting everything we value in danger

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    john dean

    John Dean: Insurrectionist Senators are Co-Conspirators and Should Not Sit in Judgment of Trump

    John Dean: Insurrectionist Senators are Co-Conspirators and Should Not Sit in Judgment of Trump

    AOC: "Sen. Hawley is trying to wiggle out of inciting a riot that killed 5"

    Common Dreams Staff
    Jan 22, 2021

    On Friday evening Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial for Donald Trump over the deadly Capitol insurrection will begin the week of Feb. 8.

    "We all want to put this awful chapter in our nation's history behind us. But healing and unity will only come if there is truth and accountability. And that is what this trial will provide," said Senator Schumer.

    Keep ReadingShow Less
    News

    The Politics of Excusing Torture in the Name of National Security

    John Dean
    May 15, 2009

    Allow me to share some analysis about the way things work in Washington. President Obama's flip-flop on his agreement to turn over photographs of detainees being tortured by American soldiers is a message with broad and clear implications. Those who believe that the Obama Administration should expose and prosecute persons who committed war crimes should understand that it is not going to happen the way they would like, or as quickly, because Obama is having internal battles as well. His pullback is not occurring because he fears that Republicans will attack him (he knows they will); rather it is occurring because he needs the national security community behind him, and they fear they will be further embarrassed and humiliated if more information is revealed.

    According to The Washington Post, President Obama told White House lawyers he does not "feel comfortable" releasing the photos because of the reaction they could cause against U.S. troops, and because "he believes that the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented to the court," in responding to the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. [Emphasis added.]

    Keep ReadingShow Less
    Opinion

    The Damaged Institution of the Presidency

    How the Obama Administration Intends to Restore It, And What We Can Expect from New OLC Head Dawn Johnsen

    John Dean
    Jan 09, 2009

    As George Bush and Dick Cheney take victory laps, in order to pretend nothing is amiss because of the way they have governed for the past eight years, they are claiming to have strengthened the institution of the presidency. Needless to say, they are wrong. Even Chris Wallace of Fox News Sunday, a Bush/Cheney cheerleader, had his doubts about this claim, so he asked Cheney during an exit interview, "Did you overreach? Did you end up making the presidency weaker, not stronger?" Not surprisingly, Cheney responded, "I don't think so." When Wallace then mentioned all those Supreme Court decisions overruling Bush and Cheney's actions, Cheney employed his usual hubris and, with a straight face, explained that he and Bush were correct, and the Court was wrong.

    Most Americans now understand that Bush and Cheney see the world as they want to believe it to be, but few live in their alternate reality. Thankfully, it appears that the Obama transition team is very aware of the damage Bush and Cheney have done to the institution of the presidency, and they are taking appropriate actions.

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    Opinion

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    'Unprecedented Mass Deployment' of Warplanes Across Atlantic Fuels Fears of US War on Iran

    Trump Reportedly Greenlights Plan for US Attack on Iran Without Congressional Approval

    Stop Netanyahu Before He Gets Us All Killed

    Alarm as White House Says Trump Has Not Ruled Out Dropping Nuclear Weapon on Iran

    Hundreds of Thousands Form 'Red Line' Around The Hague

    Tim Kaine Moves to Force War Powers Vote to Prevent Trump From Attacking Iran

    House Democrat Under Fire for 'Reckless and Repugnant' Resolution Backing War on Iran

    Journalist Who Decried Trump's 'Deportation of Dissent' Says He Was Deported for Dissent

    Fury Grows Over Democratic Complacency in Face of Looming War of Choice in Iran

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