...from Cursor.org

Jason Vest responds to reports that U.S. officials are considering the use of death squads to kill Iraqi insurgents by arguing that "the U.S. counterinsurgency tactics used in El Salvador are at best a case study in how to prolong an insurgency, not end it."

The 'Salvador option' provides futher evidence that President Bush is pushing the U.S. "toward becoming what might be called a permanent 'counter-terrorist' state," writes Robert Parry, who also suggests that Bush may be prepping brother Jeb for president as a way to guarantee "that any incriminating documents stay under wraps."

As a new Gallup poll finds Americans "tilting against the war in Iraq," with 50% now calling it a mistake to send U.S. troops, Pat Buchanan says that "Bush is nearing his Tet moment."

After interim Iraqi Prime minister Ayad Allawi admits that poor security will prevent "pockets" of Iraq from voting on January 30, Juan Cole writes that "I suspect the pockets amount to about 3 million persons."