For most television personalities, the release of a book is akin to tossing a giant, bleeding hunk of red meat to their most fervent admirers. Substantive content be damned, Daddy needs a new yacht! But Rachel Maddow's Drift addresses questions that people of every political persuasion should be asking as we approach our twelfth year embroiled in wars both acknowledged and covert. How did American society become so disengaged with its military? When did the executive branch effectively swallow Congress' warmaking powers and how do we shift the balance back? more ›

The attorney for the U.S. soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians says that the military is preventing him from collecting evidence to build a defense. "We are facing an almost complete information blackout from the government," attorney John Henry Browne told Reuters. "When prosecutors don't cooperate, it's because they are concerned about the strength of their case." more ›

American military officials now believe that Staff Sergeant Robert Bales committed the murder of 17 Afghan civilians in two separate incidents, sources told the AP. While this scenario would mean that Bales had more time to commit the alleged crime, it also implies that Bales somehow left the base undetected twice. An Afghan parliamentary team still believes that as many as 20 American soldiers were responsible. more ›

Staff Sergeant Robert Bales was formally charged with the premeditated murder of 17 Afghan civilians and the attempted murder of six others yesterday. Though initial reports stated that Bales may have stabbed and set fire to several of his victims (photos lend credence to these claims) the military's "charge sheet" only mentions a firearm. Bales' wife's attorney told ABC that her husband called her shortly after the alleged attacks occurred. "[Bales] told her something terrible had happened," and spoke with her for around three minutes before the call was disconnected. more ›

The soldier accused of massacring 16 Afghan civilians, including women and children, made an ominous and disturbing Facebook comment during an exchange with a friend back home in 2010. The Wall Street Journal reports that the comment was made in response to a childhood friend's message: "Sup brother?" wrote the friend, Steven Berling. "Hope all is well overseas!!! Been a long time, look me up when you get back in town,,, we'll go drink some brews!!!" The accused soldier, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, replied, "You got it. Overseas is boring this trip, pretty dumb. Giving money to Hagi instead of bullets don't seem right." more ›

More details have emerged about the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, last week. According to the AP, 38-year-old father of two Robert Bales had, "joined the Army after a Florida investment job went sour, had a Seattle-area home condemned, struggled to make payments on another and failed to get a promotion or a transfer a year ago." more ›

The soldier who allegedly shot or stabbed 16 Afghan civilians—including nine children—has been identified as Staff Sgt. Robert Bales. He is being held in a cell at Fort Leavenworth's military prison, where he is awaiting possible criminal charges. The murders, which occurred last Sunday, have further pushed Washington's relations with Afghanistan into crisis-mode. more ›

The unidentified soldier accused of massacring 16 civilians in Afghanistan had been drinking the night of the murders, a government source tells the NY Times. (Alcohol consumption is a violation of military rules in combat zones.) According to the Times' source, the soldier was also having marital problems, as well as the accumulated stress from his four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. "When it all comes out, it will be a combination of stress, alcohol and domestic issues — he just snapped," says the anonymous source. "There will be questions raised about his emotional and mental stability for a fourth deployment." Gosh, ya' think? more ›

The U.S. staff sergeant who allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians on Sunday served three tours in Iraq and was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury in 2010 in a vehicle rollover incident. According to the Washington Post, the 38-year-old soldier, who the military refuses to identify until they are able to formally charge him, joined the Army 11 years ago as a sniper, is a married father of two and was deployed to Afghanistan for the first time in December. After sustaining the brain injury, he was declared fit for duty. “We’re going to do a thorough investigation," commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. John Allen told CNN. "We’re going to hold this individual accountable.” more ›

By now you've probably seen the video of U.S. Marines urinating on dead bodies in Afghanistan. (In case you missed it, we embedded it below.) It's unclear whether the corpses were Taliban or "collateral damage," but Defense Department spokesman Capt. John Kirby says, "Whoever it is, and whatever the circumstances — which we know is under investigation — it is egregious, disgusting behavior." Yeah, this kind of thing isn't exactly ideal for winning hearts and minds, but on the plus side, it's making John McCain feel bad. more ›

The last U.S. soldiers left Iraq ten days ago, as the nine-year, $800 billion-dollar war that cost hundreds of thousands of lives ended quietly. Days later, the country's fragile government threatened to collapse and bombs allegedly detonated by an al-Qaeda affiliated organization killed at least 65 people in Baghdad. Considering the elusiveness of "victory" in the war, the country's enduring turmoil, and the current war in Afghanistan, should there be a parade for the veterans of the Iraq War? more ›

Yesterday, the U.S. military announced the eight soldiers would be charged in the death of Private Danny Chen. The 19-year-old Chinatown resident was found dead at an outpost in Afghanistan, due to a "self-inflicted gunshot wound" but it was revealed that he had been taunted and physically harassed by fellow soldiers. more ›

In October, Private Danny Chen's family was informed by the Army that the 19-year-old killed died of an "apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound" while stationed in Afghanistan. However, his family was also told that he had been bullied and harrassed, and pressed the Army for more information. Now U.S. military officials have charged eight soldiers in Chen's death. more ›

In our modern era of political "analysts" who are paid to scream mindless talking points written by D.C. thinktanks on slick TV sets, Glenn Greenwald is a reasoned laser beam, armed with copious citations and his experience as a constitutional and civil rights attorney. Though he's often hailed by the left, his columns are dense and unsparing of Democrats and Republicans alike. Greenwald is a graduate of NYU Law and currently splits his time between New York City and Rio De Janeiro, where he lives with his boyfriend. more ›

The United States has scrapped plans to leave as many as 5,000 troops in Iraq, and will stick to its year-end deadline to remove all combat and support troops. According to the AP, all but approximately 160 soldiers that are attached to the US Embassy will be removed. A senior military official told the news outlet that the withdrawal would allow for limited combat-training missions if requested by the Iraqi government. more ›

19-year-old Private Danny Chen, a Chinatown native who died last week in Afghanistan, was allegedly bullied and abused by his fellow soldiers prior to his non-combat related death. Now, the Army's Criminal Investigation Division is looking into the matter to figure out exactly what happened. more ›

"Were you wearing yoga pants, the type that are really sexy and tied up top and flare out at the knee?" Colbert asks. more ›

As more details become available on yesterday's helicopter crash in the Wardak Province of Afghanistan that killed 30 Americans and 8 Afghans, authorities have determined that the aircraft was shot down by insurgents aligned with the Taliban, most-likely with a rocket-propelled grenade. The Times points out, "they could have hardly found a more valuable target," as 22 of the dead were members of the elite Navy SEAL Team 6, the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden in May. However, authorities say that none of the SEALs who were on the bin Laden raid were killed in yesterday's incident, which was the deadliest in the decade-long war in Afghanistan. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg, as you know, has no qualms about voicing his opinions, even if they concern issues outside the boundaries of NYC, like Arizona's lax gun laws, or Wisconsin's labor troubles. But according to an article in today's Times, Bloomberg is haunted by one thought: If a billionaire opines in the woods, but no one really cares what he thinks, will they still name shit after him once he dies? Bloomberg wants his opinions to resonate around the globe, and like any good mogul he's willing to pay for all those hearts and minds. more ›

An ambitious three-star general in Afghanistan ordered a team of soldiers specializing in "psychological operations" to help manipulate visiting American lawmakers into kicking more money into the Graveyard of Empires, according to a fascinating article in Rolling Stone. Reporter Michael Hastings, whose fly-on-the-wall profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal prompted the general’s resignation last June, says that for four months last year, Gen. William Caldwell pressured the psy-ops unit to target visiting senators and other VIPs. His subordinate, Lt. Colonel Michael Holmes, says that after he questioned the legality of the order, Caldwell retaliated with a spurious investigation. more ›

Influential diplomat Richard Holbrooke lived in Manhattan but died in Washington Monday night after two long operations failed to repair a tear to his aorta. For the past two years, Holbrooke served as Obama's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and had worked for every Democratic president since the late 1960s, including a stint as President Clinton's representative at the UN. He was known as a tough, sometimes abrasive negotiator who also made millions as an investment banker on Wall Street. more ›

BSA brings the sad news that Brooklyn street artist "Sure" recently was killed in Afghanistan where he was stationed as an Intelligence Officer in the Marine Corps. Writes his friend "Faust": more ›