http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-only-the-turkeys-dont-look-forward-to-thanksgiving-1825373.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-only-the-turkeys-dont-look-forward-to-thanksgiving-1825373.html ]]> <p>One late autumn day each year, the United States takes leave from the business of humanity. Some things, of course, observe no time out: the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, for instance, and the interest payable on Americans' mountain of credit card debt. Otherwise, life pretty much comes to a halt. And so it will be again this coming fourth Thursday of November.</p> Rupert Cornwell Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-obama-will-be-on-trial-with-the-911-accused-1820847.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-obama-will-be-on-trial-with-the-911-accused-1820847.html ]]> <p>At the time, as America reeled from the horror of the 11 September attacks, the idea seemed perfect: a remote and instantly available high-security prison for the country's most implacable enemies – "the worst of the worst", as the Pentagon boss Donald Rumsfeld called them, when the place opened for business in January 2002.</p> Rupert Cornwell Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-burden-of-sending-men-to-their-deaths-is-starting-to-show-1819912.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-burden-of-sending-men-to-their-deaths-is-starting-to-show-1819912.html <p>George Bush, famously, followed his gut instincts – and took the US into a misbegotten war in Iraq. His successor, on the other hand, prefers to take his time and think a problem through. Alas, it would seem that the more Barack Obama thinks about Afghanistan, the more intractable the problem becomes.</p> Rupert Cornwell Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-why-cant-the-us-learn-to-love-its-government-1816868.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-why-cant-the-us-learn-to-love-its-government-1816868.html <p>What is it about Americans and government? The tea-party crowd were back in town the other day – more than 5,000 of them, gathered on the West Lawn of the Capitol to rail against the historic healthcare reform bill that the House of Representatives is expected to pass this weekend.</p> Rupert Cornwell Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-a-warning-for-both-democrats-and-rightwing-conservatives-1814800.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-a-warning-for-both-democrats-and-rightwing-conservatives-1814800.html <p>This week's off-year elections sent the same lesson to both Democrats and Republicans. In the US, as in every other democracy, elections are won and lost in the centre. Parties that ignore that truth do so at their peril.</p> Rupert Cornwell Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-gridiron-faces-crunch-time-over-head-injuries-1812755.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-gridiron-faces-crunch-time-over-head-injuries-1812755.html <p>The scene is as evocative, as quintessentially American as a Norman Rockwell painting: noisy schoolchildren on an autumn evening in the park opposite where I live, assembled for sports practice. Only one element jars – the helmets and bulky shoulder padding worn by these diminutive athletes, as their instructor takes them through a routine of sprints and tackles. But whatever the contrast with the innocence of the moment, no coach or parent would have it otherwise. Such is the reality of the troubled sport of American football.</p> Rupert Cornwell Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-spot-the-hoax-in-the-land-of-fox-news-1808959.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-spot-the-hoax-in-the-land-of-fox-news-1808959.html ]]> <p>This summer, I finally managed to see Schtonk!, the German movie about the fake Hitler diaries affair of 1983. As hoaxes go, this was among the very best: a rip-roaring, reputation-shredding, utterly riotous scam that provided innocent entertainment for all (except for the hapless Stern magazine, which wasted millions on buying and publishing its "scoop" of the century). The movie, itself now almost two decades old, is no less terrific. It also has a very modern relevance. These days, America lives in a permanent state of schtonk.</p> Rupert Cornwell Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100