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 ›

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

Anonymous sources tell Fox News that President Obama has decided to draw down American troops in Iraq to 3,000 soldiers at the end of the year, and senior commanders are reportedly pissed. Unidentified generals had wanted at least 27,000 soldiers to stick around and compete to be the last to die for a mistake, but Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is reportedly complying with the administration's order. And it makes sense; now that all the weapons of mass destruction have been found and the liberated Iraqis are drunk on unlimited democracy, whiskey, sexy, what more is there for our brave men and women to do? For one thing, military brass says they should stick around Iraq... in order to keep each other safe in Iraq. more ›

Finally, NY Times op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd is weighing in on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case, which has turned from the authorities believing they had a strong sexual assault case against the leading international politician to revelations that the accuser has been lying a lot. She begins, "So what’s the moral of this Manhattan immorality tale? That the French are always right, even when their hauteur is irritating? They were right about Iraq and America’s rush to war. And they may be right about Dominique Strauss-Kahn and America’s rush to judgment." more ›

Donald Trump is a friend of the Birthers. He's also a Friend of Fox. Having friends in such high places is extremely advantageous to his potential 2012 presidential run. Nothing can stop this scrappy underdog's wholesome PR campaign now except for the cruel network hacks at NBC and FOX, who may have to suspend his appearances on Celebrity Sweatshop Apprentice and Fox & Friends if he chooses to run for president. more ›

Imagine you've spent months fighting in Iraq, surrounded by hostile locals who don't want you there, and ignored by the folks at home who can't bother paying attention to what our government is doing with their $845 billion mission. You've finally returned from that sunstroke-inducing hell, the experience of which will forever haunt and partially define your life. And how are you welcomed back into civilian life? With a Kafkaesque journey into parking ticket hell. more ›

Last night Stephen Colbert kicked off a two-part tribute to the troops who have served (and continue to serve) in Iraq. The show started with Colbert riding in a tank Armored Security Vehicle [ASV] outside the Comedy Central studios near the West Side Highway, and ended with an interview with Vice President Joe Biden, who served hot dogs to a studio audience packed with recently returned troops. Biden quipped that breaking tie votes in the Senate is only one of the vice president's constitutional duties, "the other one is giving hot dogs to returning warriors." Here's an excerpt: more ›

Rep. Charles Rangel, who has repeatedly called for bringing back the draft, was at it again yesterday outside the military recruiting station in Times Square. Rangel believes Congress should stop funding the war and any further expenditure should go toward bringing the troops home. Spoke the Rangel: more ›

The story reads like a Bruce Springsteen song: hardworking Americans sent to fight for their country, only to come back and find they don't have jobs. That happened to Sgts. Alvin Taylor and Anddy (Angel) Moreno, who both lost their jobs as bus drivers when the MTA began downsizing. TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen called the layoffs "despicable." He told the Daily News, "[The MTA] should honor their military service and not lay them off." more ›

The list of possible candidates considering challenging Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand keeps on growing. Dan Senor—a former advisor to Pres. Bush and a one-time spokesman for Iraq's provisional government—is reportedly "very interested" in running on the Republican ticket. more ›

Vice President Joe Biden appeared on morning talk shows today and hit a number of topics—including the 9/11 terror trial as well as his predecessor, Dick Cheney. Of where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other alleged 9/11 terror plotters may eventually be tried, Biden said that a military tribunal has not been ruled out. Of Cheney, Biden said, "Let me choose my words carefully here... Dick Cheney's a fine fellow. He's entitled to his own opinion. He's not entitled to rewrite history. He's not entitled to his own facts." more ›

Today, President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize from the Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway. The committee's decision had set off controversy, because Obama hasn't even completed a year in his presidency—something that he acknowledged in October, calling the prize "as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century." In his remarks today, Obama struck a similar tone, "I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations - that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice." more ›

Kathryn Bigelow's directorial visions have spanned genres, from the freewheeling surfing bank robbers of Point Break to heady science fiction voyeurism in Strange Days, from the police thriller Blue Steel to submarine intrigue in K-19: The Widowmaker. We spoke with the former painter this week about her new movie, the Venice Film Festival Grand Prize-winning The Hurt Locker, which is set in a land that Americans seem increasingly inclined to look away from: Iraq. more ›

The Iraqi journalist who threw both of his shoes at President George W. Bush last December received a reduced sentence from Iraq's highest court yesterday. Mutandhar al-Zeidi was sentenced to three years in prison last month, but now a court spokesman said he will face one year, "he's still young and doesn't have any previous convictions." Plus he could be free in five months with good behavior, according to the Daily News. al-Zeidi's family and lawyer are happy with the decision; al-Zeidi had explained the incident as a reaction to Bush's smiling and joking as "a whole people are saddened because of his policy... I was blind to anything else. I felt the blood of the innocent people bleeding from beneath his feet and he was smiling in that way... So I reacted to this feeling by throwing my shoes." more ›

President Obama arrived in Iraq earlier today unexpectedly. The Caucus reports, "Air Force One landed at Baghdad International Airport at 4:42 pm, according to a pool report from reporters traveling with the president," and Politico says, "White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, speaking to reporters aboard the president’s plane, said Obama chose to visit Iraq instead of Afghanistan for three reasons: because of its closeness to Turkey, where he was thought to have concluded his week-long trip; to discuss the country’s post-war progress with Iraqi officials; and to thank American troops." There are sand storms, so Obama will only be able to speak with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki by phone. Yesterday, Obama discussed his opposition to the war to an audience in Turkey, adding, "Now that we're there, I have a responsibility to make sure that as we bring troops out, that we do so in a careful enough way that we don't see a complete collapse into violence." more ›

The Iraqi journalist who threw both of his shoes at President George W. Bush last December was sentenced to three years in prison. Mutandhar al-Zeidi's lawyer said the decision came after a short trial today. Al-Zeidi said last month that he spontaneously decided to throw his shoes after being enraged by Bush's jovial demeanor during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, "A whole people are saddened because of his policy, and he was talking with a smile on his face …and he was joking with the prime minister and saying he was going to have dinner with him after the press conference... I was blind to anything else. I felt the blood of the innocent people bleeding from beneath his feet and he was smiling in that way... So I reacted to this feeling by throwing my shoes." more ›

The shoe-ing that former President Bush received during a trip to Iraq has inspired an Iraqi artist to create a large "sofa-sized" copper and fiberglass shoe statue. The shoe also seems to double as a planter, given the greenery inside it. The Post reports, "Baghdad-based artist Laith al-Amari described [it] as a homage to the pride of the Iraqi people. The statue also has inscribed a poem honoring Muntadhar al-Zeidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw his footwear at Bush." The statue was unveiled in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. al-Zeidi is reportedly seeking asylum in Switzerland and is interested in becoming a journalist for the United Nations. more ›

First Lady Laura Bush spoke to Fox News's Chris Wallace and she wasn't very happy with the shoe-y reception her husband got on his surprise trip to Iraq two weeks ago. Wallace said though many Americans thought it was a joke, the First Lady didn't, which she confirmed, "Of course I wasn't amused. It was an assault. And that's what it is. And it would be an assault to anyone for -- if anybody had been there. And the president laughed it off. He wasn't hurt. He's very quick. As you know, he's a natural athlete. And that's it. But on the other hand, it is an assault, and I think it should be treated that way." She said whatever happens to the Iraqi reporter who threw the shoes is up to the Iraqis, "But I know that if Saddam Hussein had been there, the man wouldn't have been released. And he probably wouldn't -- you know, would have been executed. So it is -- as bad as the incident is, in my view, it is a sign that Iraqis feel a lot freer to express themselves." more ›

Governor David Paterson headed to Iraq for a surprise visit to deliver gifts and say thank you to the troops. The Daily News reports, "Paterson, joined by Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn,Queens) and Steve Israel (D-L.I.), arrived in Iraq with Yankees andMets baseball caps for the soldiers." more ›

Naturally the double shoe-throwing attack that put President Bush under siege during a press conference in Iraq is a gold mine for the tabloids. The Daily News explains that when Muntather al-Zaidi threw the first shoe, he yelled, "This is a gift from the Iraqis. This is the farewell kiss, you dog!" And, casting the second shoe, Zaidi said, "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq." more ›

In the twilight of his presidency, President Bush made a surprise trip to Iraq today--and he had to deal with a journalist who threw shoes at him. Seriously. During a press conference of Iraqi Prime Minister Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Al Baghadadia reporter Muntadar al-Zaidi, seated 12 feet away, threw both his shoes--one right after the other--at President Bush while yelling "This is the end!" See the video: more ›

Playwright Michael Weller, who made his big theatrical debut in 1972 with a play about America's convulsions during Vietnam, is again dramatizing our deeply dysfunctional national psyche during yet another catastrophic war. His new play Beast is described by Weller as "a fever dream in six parts." And while some of those parts are definitely less compelling than others, Weller's "fever dream" is staged vividly here by director Jo Bonney. It's also brutally funny, in the tradition of other dark, absurd war stories like Full Metal Jacket. (If you're going to see it and hate spoilers, here's where you'll want to stop reading.) more ›

The city spent five years and an estimated $1 million, give or take, fighting off a lawsuit brought by a group of 52 activists who were arrested en masse during an Iraq war protest in April 2003 outside the offices of the Carlyle Group, an investment firm with ties to the Bush family and major holdings in the military-defense sector. And that “bonfire of legal expenses,” as the Times puts it, is just the cherry on top of the $2,007,000 settlement that will now be paid by the city to end the suit. more ›

Mike Bartlett’s modest drama Artefacts, in town as part of the Brits Off Broadway festival, peers into the abyss of post-war Iraq society through the eyes of the aptly named Kelly, an indifferent English teenager played with nervy brio by Lizzy Watts. Kelly’s ordinary life with her single mom (Karen Ascoe) is upended by the sudden appearance of the father she never knew, an erudite Iraqi named Ibrahim (Peter Polycarpou) who runs the National Museum of Baghdad. Ibrahim has just an absurd ten minutes to introduce himself before catching a flight back to his war-torn home, but the eventful encounter climaxes when Kelly callously smashes his reconciliation gift: a priceless Mesopotamian vase he “borrowed” from the museum. more ›

Speed Racer, from the mysterious sibling filmmakers behind the Matrix trilogy, is opening to well-deserved critical derision. It’s a 135-minute insipid, soulless commodity that lifts some of the Japanese original’s storyline but absolutely none of the charm. The movie opens with a 34% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes; perhaps J. Hoberman’s pan gets it best: “Ideologically anti-corporate, previous Wachowski productions aspired to be something more than mind-less sensation; Speed Racer is thrilled to be less. It's the delusions minus the grandeur.” more ›

Academy Award-winning director Errol Morris was on hand last night for a Tribeca Film Festival screening of his new documentary Standard Operating Procedure, a nuanced exploration of the detainee abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Those familiar with Morris’s innovative oeuvre won’t be surprised to hear that, far from a tendentious indictment of the perpetrators, his film is a circumspect consideration of some of the factors that contributed to those infamous photographs of humiliation. [Today, the NY Times' movie critic Manohla Dargis calls it a "blockbuster of a documentary."] more ›

Who knew that Laura Bush and daughter Jenna Bush's children's book tour would prompt violence? The Post reports a wheelchair-bound girl was assaulted by a Bush protester after the Bushes' 92nd Street Y appearance on Tuesday. more ›