As President Obama’s strategy review for Afghanistan commences, let’s hope he’s balancing the information coming to him from his happy-talking generals with some independent news reading of his own.

With General Petraeus’ stop on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric now halfway over, it’s worth taking a moment to unpack the unchallenged, false assertions and implications he’s piled up thus far on his media tour. We decided to look into the claims he made about “oil spots” of “progress” during his interview with NBC’s David Gregory. Both claims were absolute fantasies, and the remaining journalists on Petraeus’ tour owe their viewers more rigorous skepticism than what we saw on Meet the Press.

General Petraeus’ media blitz is just getting started. We’ve got to push our media–hard–to ask real questions and prevent easily disproved spin from polluting the debate. Petraeus wants to change public opinion, and he’s spending your money to sell you a brutal, futile war that’s not making us safer. If you’re tired of this kind of manipulation, join the tens of thousands of other people working to end this war with Rethink Afghanistan.

Article about AIPAC and Obama policies

Another example of how screwed up AFPAK has made us.

Today is veterans day and this always gets me thinking about the people I have known who have served in the military. I would like to share some of their stories with you.

it is one thing to argue for a continued presence in Afghanistan, it is quite another to do so when we do not have the tools needed to have success (however that is defined). Given the mental cost our wars have inflicted on our troops, and the long time lines is seems it is less likely we can actually do anything effective there.

Wherein a 39-year-old unemployed man opts to enlist in the Army so he will have medical coverage for his wife’s chemotherapy.

They’re asking why the recruiters are killing themselves, but never asking if we really should be recruiting people to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Brief description of current situation and call to action in response to conduct of Muriel Mining in Colombia