Mar 11, 2011
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates just made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, and talk about embarrassment, even if in a minor vein: he was met at the tarmac by Afghan War commander General David Petraeus and here, caught on camera, was how they greeted each other:
General Petraeus: Mister Secretary. Welcome back, sir. Flying a little bigger plane than normal? You going to launch some attacks on Libya or something?
Gates (laughing jovially): Yeah, exactly.
Think of it as rule by frat boy. Hey, and have you heard about the CIA contractor, the Taliban commander, and the talking penguin...?
Of course, it's good to know that our leaders have their light side. I mean, they're always joking, aren't they? How about that one about the table? You know, the omnipresent table on which we keep "all options open." Right now, it's evidently piled very, very high with "options," including a Libyan "no-fly zone," including in fact "everything"!
That table, never photographed as far as I know, must be enormous and in a very public place because just in the last few days, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, and even Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who has been somewhat option-shy when it comes to plunging militarily into the Libyan situation, have alluded to it. And don't forget those hordes of table-loving anonymous "U.S. officials" who swarm through our news pages and can't keep themselves from talking about the option feast available to our country.
In Washington, as in Afghanistan, everything right now could be considered unintended farce, if it weren't so deadly serious. Unfortunately, it is. As a result, the last month of imperial chaos and confusion, as caught by David Bromwich in his latest piece "The Embarrassments of Empire," has been a strange spectacle of our moment.
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
© 2023 TomDispatch.com
Tom Engelhardt
Tom Engelhardt, co-founder of the American Empire Project, runs the Type Media Center's TomDispatch.com. His books include: "A Nation Unmade by War" (2018, Dispatch Books), "Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World" (2014, with an introduction by Glenn Greenwald), "Terminator Planet: The First History of Drone Warfare, 2001-2050"(co-authored with Nick Turse), "The United States of Fear" (2011), "The American Way of War: How Bush's Wars Became Obama's" (2010), and "The End of Victory Culture: a History of the Cold War and Beyond" (2007).
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates just made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, and talk about embarrassment, even if in a minor vein: he was met at the tarmac by Afghan War commander General David Petraeus and here, caught on camera, was how they greeted each other:
General Petraeus: Mister Secretary. Welcome back, sir. Flying a little bigger plane than normal? You going to launch some attacks on Libya or something?
Gates (laughing jovially): Yeah, exactly.
Think of it as rule by frat boy. Hey, and have you heard about the CIA contractor, the Taliban commander, and the talking penguin...?
Of course, it's good to know that our leaders have their light side. I mean, they're always joking, aren't they? How about that one about the table? You know, the omnipresent table on which we keep "all options open." Right now, it's evidently piled very, very high with "options," including a Libyan "no-fly zone," including in fact "everything"!
That table, never photographed as far as I know, must be enormous and in a very public place because just in the last few days, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, and even Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who has been somewhat option-shy when it comes to plunging militarily into the Libyan situation, have alluded to it. And don't forget those hordes of table-loving anonymous "U.S. officials" who swarm through our news pages and can't keep themselves from talking about the option feast available to our country.
In Washington, as in Afghanistan, everything right now could be considered unintended farce, if it weren't so deadly serious. Unfortunately, it is. As a result, the last month of imperial chaos and confusion, as caught by David Bromwich in his latest piece "The Embarrassments of Empire," has been a strange spectacle of our moment.
Tom Engelhardt
Tom Engelhardt, co-founder of the American Empire Project, runs the Type Media Center's TomDispatch.com. His books include: "A Nation Unmade by War" (2018, Dispatch Books), "Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World" (2014, with an introduction by Glenn Greenwald), "Terminator Planet: The First History of Drone Warfare, 2001-2050"(co-authored with Nick Turse), "The United States of Fear" (2011), "The American Way of War: How Bush's Wars Became Obama's" (2010), and "The End of Victory Culture: a History of the Cold War and Beyond" (2007).
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates just made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, and talk about embarrassment, even if in a minor vein: he was met at the tarmac by Afghan War commander General David Petraeus and here, caught on camera, was how they greeted each other:
General Petraeus: Mister Secretary. Welcome back, sir. Flying a little bigger plane than normal? You going to launch some attacks on Libya or something?
Gates (laughing jovially): Yeah, exactly.
Think of it as rule by frat boy. Hey, and have you heard about the CIA contractor, the Taliban commander, and the talking penguin...?
Of course, it's good to know that our leaders have their light side. I mean, they're always joking, aren't they? How about that one about the table? You know, the omnipresent table on which we keep "all options open." Right now, it's evidently piled very, very high with "options," including a Libyan "no-fly zone," including in fact "everything"!
That table, never photographed as far as I know, must be enormous and in a very public place because just in the last few days, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, and even Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who has been somewhat option-shy when it comes to plunging militarily into the Libyan situation, have alluded to it. And don't forget those hordes of table-loving anonymous "U.S. officials" who swarm through our news pages and can't keep themselves from talking about the option feast available to our country.
In Washington, as in Afghanistan, everything right now could be considered unintended farce, if it weren't so deadly serious. Unfortunately, it is. As a result, the last month of imperial chaos and confusion, as caught by David Bromwich in his latest piece "The Embarrassments of Empire," has been a strange spectacle of our moment.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.