Empire Politician: A Half-Century of Joe Biden’s Stances on War, Militarism, and the CIA
The new president's paper trail reveals a man who has often betrayed his own bedrock principles.
Jeremy Scahill
Jeremy Scahill is co-founder of Drop Site News. He was previously a Senior Correspondent and Editor-at-Large at The Intercept and is one of the three founding editors of The Intercept. He is an investigative reporter, war correspondent, and author of the international best-selling books “Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield” and “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.” He has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Nigeria, the former Yugoslavia, and elsewhere across the globe. Scahill has served as the national security correspondent for The Nation and “Democracy Now!”. He continues to host the podcast Intercepted.
Scahill’s work has sparked several congressional investigations and won some of journalism’s highest honors. He was twice awarded the prestigious George Polk Award, in 1998 for foreign reporting and in 2008 for “Blackwater.” Scahill is a producer and writer of the award-winning film “Dirty Wars,” which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Follow Jeremy on Mastodon at @jeremyscahill@journa.host. He can be reached at jeremy@dropsitenews.com.
Scahill’s work has sparked several congressional investigations and won some of journalism’s highest honors. He was twice awarded the prestigious George Polk Award, in 1998 for foreign reporting and in 2008 for “Blackwater.” Scahill is a producer and writer of the award-winning film “Dirty Wars,” which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Follow Jeremy on Mastodon at @jeremyscahill@journa.host. He can be reached at jeremy@dropsitenews.com.
Contacts:
Posts:
2009-2016: The Occasional Dissenter
1998-2011: Global Targeted Killing Programs
Throughout his career, Joe Biden questioned the legality of U.S. assassinations. As vice president, he became a player in the drone wars.
2009-2016: The Occasional Dissenter
2010: Gaza Flotilla Raid
Joe Biden defended Israel’s deadly attack on a maritime humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza.
2000-2008: Warrior on Terror
2007: Extraordinary Renditions and Secret Prisons
Six years after 9/11, Joe Biden denounced the CIA’s extraordinary renditions as “extralegal kidnapping” and demanded that black sites and secret prisons be shut down.
2000-2008: Warrior on Terror
2006-2007: Military Commissions Act and Guantánamo
Joe Biden was an early supporter of sending prisoners to Guantánamo, but by 2006, he denounced the practice, saying it was providing “fodder” to Al Qaeda.
2000-2008: Warrior on Terror
2006: Position on War for Oil in the Middle East
Joe Biden didn’t say “we attacked Iraq for oil,” but he admitted that it was “in part about oil.”
2000-2008: Warrior on Terror
2006: Israeli Attacks on Lebanon and Gaza
Despite Israel’s indiscriminate killings of civilians in both Lebanon and Palestine, Joe Biden defended Israel.
2000-2008: Warrior on Terror
2006: Elections in Gaza
After Hamas won democratic elections in Gaza, Joe Biden called for the U.S. to cut off aid to the the Palestinian Authority.
2000-2008: Warrior on Terror
2004: Abu Ghraib Torture
After photos emerged showing the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, Joe Biden denounced the actions and demanded to know what Donald Rumsfeld knew about it.
2000-2008: Warrior on Terror
2003: Invasion of Iraq
Joe Biden voted in favor of the Iraq War, promoted lies about WMDs, and expressed support for regime change.