Author Archive

The Assassination of Greg Craig »

By Steve Clemons on Nov 17, 2009 in Current Affairs | 25 Comments

Editor’s Note: Reprinted from The Daily Beast with the express permission of Steve Clemons, whose excellent blog is Washington Note. Steve is Director of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation, and you’ll often see his seminars on C-Span. This article has been featured at Memeorandum.com.
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The White House counsel was done [...]

Do Obama’s Private Promises on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Matter? »

By Steve Clemons on May 9, 2009 in GLBT, Gay Rights | 33 Comments

Second Lietenant Sandy Tsao is being discharged from the military for informing her chain of command that she is gay. She wrote in a letter to President Obama that she could not live according to one of the “seven army values” of personal integrity and not be truthful about the issue — even though [...]

Surge in Pakistan Violence: U.S. Central Command Warns Patrick Cronin to Stay Home »

By Steve Clemons on May 9, 2009 in AfPak Border, Afghanistan, Obama Administration, Pakistan, President Barack Obama | 8 Comments

Published at The Washington Note.
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Quite a number of serious and informed observers predict a spike in mass casualty violence hitting this week in Pakistan. President Obama is about to have both collective and separate meetings with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari — and many believe that Taliban insurgents will [...]

Bush Administration’s Dark Side: Torturing a Clerk »

By Steve Clemons on May 6, 2009 in 9/11, Al Qaeda, GWOT, Terrorism, Torture | 19 Comments

Joseph Margulies in the Los Angeles Times offers anyone who wants to defend the Bush administration’s embrace of torture a chilling retort.
His bottom line: the administration sold out the values Americans cherish most to torture not a kingpin in the al Qaeda network, but a clerk.
Margulies writes:

Will Obama’s Foreign Policy Legacy Be Built on Rock or Sand? »

By Steve Clemons on May 5, 2009 in Foreign Policy, Middle East, President Barack Obama | 11 Comments

Joe Klein has written one of the best 100 day nutshell reviews of the Obama administration’s performance I have read.
Klein’s take squares almost perfectly with a piece I have coming out in the next few days in World Politics Review — not there yet though.
One of the portfolio downside risks that Obama currently [...]

Doing the the Doha Scene »

By Steve Clemons on May 4, 2009 in Current Affairs, Middle East | 0 Comments

Universities, think tanks, defense contractors, insurgent groups and new media operations all seem to be leaning towards Doha.
Part of George Patton’s own 3rd Army Division is based near Doha. Al Jazeera is headquartered in Doha. Until recently, there was an Israeli trade mission open in Doha and there is even an Israeli Embassy [...]

The Brits Tortured Too »

By Steve Clemons on Apr 30, 2009 in Current Affairs, President Barack Obama, Torture | 82 Comments

Barack Obama’s press conference last night punctuating the ritualistic 100-day review of new presidencies showed this President at his best I think — thoughtful, human, willing to take quite a roster of questions, and well . . . wonky.
But Guardian US editor at large Michael Tomasky found a pretty significant error in Obama’s [...]

America’s Cuba Policy is the “Edsel” of the US Foreign Policy Portfolio »

By Steve Clemons on Apr 10, 2009 in Cuba, Foreign Policy, Latinos | 13 Comments

Latin America policy uber diva Julia Sweig chaired a news-making gathering at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington yesterday morning. It was excellent, and the CFR has audio of the entire event here.

Give Us Netanyahu. Please. »

By Steve Clemons on Feb 8, 2009 in Benjamin Netanyahu, Current Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Middle East, Obama Administration, Palestinians | 16 Comments

Editor’s Note: Steve Clemons’ blog is The Washington Note; read more about Steve below.
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Peter Berkowitz’s essay in the latest issue of the Weekly Standard provides good insight into what I think is the strategic irresponsibility of those in Israel’s leadership who think that they can hold steady on a course that justifies failure on an [...]

Obama Concedes Defeat on Daschle while Republicans Declare Victory on Judd Gregg and Daschle’s Downfall »

By Steve Clemons on Feb 4, 2009 in Commerce, Health Care, Obama, Obama Administration, Republicans, Tom Daschle | 26 Comments

(Steve Clemons’ blog is The Washington Note; he was a finalist for “The Best Very Large Blog” in the 2008 Weblog Awards. Steve Clemons serves as Senior Fellow & Director, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation and, in his spare time, as Director of the Japan Policy Research Institute.)
OF NOTE: Steve operates his blog [...]

Thoughts on Reorganizing the Hamas Problem »

By Steve Clemons on Jan 29, 2009 in Current Affairs | 27 Comments

(Steve Clemons’ blog is The Washington Note; he was a finalist for “The Best Very Large Blog” in the 2008 Weblog Awards. Steve Clemons serves as Senior Fellow & Director, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation and, in his spare time, as Director of the Japan Policy Research Institute.)
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My New America Foundation/Middle East Task Force [...]

Watching Death Day and Night So Close By. . . »

By Steve Clemons on Jan 6, 2009 in Current Affairs | 159 Comments

(Steve Clemons’ blog is The Washington Note; be sure to vote for Steve’s blog as “The Best Very Large Blog” in the 2008 Weblog Awards. Steve Clemons serves as Senior Fellow & Director, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation and, in his spare time, as Director of the Japan Policy Research Institute.)
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I have just been [...]

John Bolton’s Best Friend in Senate Will be Declared Loser to Al Franken »

By Steve Clemons on Jan 6, 2009 in Current Affairs | 35 Comments

(Written Sunday night. Steve’s blog is The Washington Note, and be sure to vote for Steve’s blog as “The Best Very Large Blog” in the 2008 Weblog Awards. NOTE to your right that you can vote for NoQuarter too! Steve Clemons serves as Senior Fellow & Director, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation and, in [...]

View From a Palestinian Leader: Palestine’s Guernica and the Myths of Israeli Victimhood »

By Steve Clemons on Jan 3, 2009 in Current Affairs | 14 Comments

A guest post by Steve Clemons from his blog, The Washington Note, with his express permission. Steve’s most recent guest post here was “Send Caroline Kennedy to Court of St. James.”
Steve Clemons serves as Senior Fellow & Director, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation and, in his spare time, as Director of the [...]

Send Caroline Kennedy to Court of St. James »

By Steve Clemons on Dec 26, 2008 in New York State | 56 Comments

(A guest post by Steve Clemons from his blog, The Washington Note. Steve Clemons serves as Senior Fellow & Director, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation and, in his spare time, as Director of the Japan Policy Research Institute.)
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(UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown receiving bust of John F. Kennedy from Caroline Kennedy)
Caroline Kennedy is [...]