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Baghdadi's aide was key to his capture - Iraqi intelligence sources
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 4: Opinion
3 20:58 Skidmark [3] 
2 16:11 Bright Pebbles [4] 
1 13:38 3dc [3] 
8 17:41 swksvolFF [8] 
5 22:56 JohnQC [8] 
2 04:19 Dron66046 [3] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 2: WoT Background
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Page 3: Non-WoT
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Page 6: Politix
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11 14:29 rjschwarz [2]
2 17:54 Shaken Apple Fritter3867 [1]
7 21:25 swksvolFF [2]
2 11:05 JohnQC [4]
7 12:07 JohnQC [5]
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Economy
Rahm Emanuel: Face It. Medicare For All Is A Pipe Dream
[Hot Air] Now that Rahm Emanuel doesn’t need to worry about running for reelection as the Mayor of Chicago or grooming any Clintons for the White House, he has time on his hands and the freedom to say things that may be unpopular in his own party. This weekend he took full advantage of his unfettered position with an op-ed in the Washington Post where he takes his party to task for their obsession with Medicare For All.

By the time I finished reading the piece I was seriously surprised. This is some clear-eyed thinking that will see him burned to the ground among supporters of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and the rest of the significantly more socialist 2020 hopefuls. But this one section of the essay should really inject a dose of reality into the Democratic debates, assuming anyone is willing to listen.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/28/2019 05:55 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's all an unworkable pipe dream, but we're still getting free stuff, right?

The interesting questions are why is Rahm saying this and why is he saying it now. Trying to stand out among possible Dem candidates as the only one who isn't insane?
Posted by: SteveS || 10/28/2019 10:50 Comments || Top||

#2  Because

1) he's in close contact with the moneymen - remember, dialing for dollars was Rahm's only talent, the one that made him dear to Clinton in 1992 and for years afterward-- and those moneymen know that Warren is a buffoon who doesn't know WTF she's talking about

2) Rahm knows what everyone in the Dem elite knows but won't admit: Warren and Sanders are fools driving the Party toward the cliff, cheered on by The Squat and the rest of the Children's Crusade.
Posted by: Lex || 10/28/2019 11:02 Comments || Top||

#3  Because he knows pipe?
Posted by: Skidmark || 10/28/2019 20:58 Comments || Top||


Small oil-and-gas companies get cold shoulder from large banks
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The largest banking lenders to the oil and gas sector are becoming more cautious, marking down their expectations for oil and gas prices that underpin loans in a move expected to put further financial stress on struggling producers, industry and banking sources said.

Major banks including JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), Wells Fargo (WFC.N), and Royal Bank of Canada (RY.TO) have, as part of regular biannual reviews, cut their estimated values for oil-and-gas companies’ reserves, which serve as the basis for those companies to receive reserve-based loans (RBLs), according to more than a dozen sources familiar with the activity.

While the size of the RBL market is unclear, it is estimated that a few hundred companies take such loans, with the cumulative size in the billions of dollars.

Those lenders have marked down the perceived value for both oil and natural gas for the coming five years, with the changes kicking in as early as this month.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/28/2019 05:09 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is either an unprecedented disaster (oh noes!) or simply the result of lower oil prices (thank you frackers!) and a long-term outlook that prices will stay low.

Note that none of the recent disturbances in the Middle East sent oil prices skyrocketing as they would have in the past. I wonder why that is.
Posted by: SteveS || 10/28/2019 10:46 Comments || Top||

#2  Small companies shouldn't use banks...

I think BANKS put out these articles hoping some suckers will think OK they need a subsidy to loan (AKA taxpayer funded profits).
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/28/2019 16:11 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
The Untold History of Hillary Clinton's Vitriol for Tulsi Gabbard By David Helfrich, JD
[LewRockwell.Com] In January of 2013, Tulsi Gabbard (then just 31 years of age) was being promoted as the next rising star of the Democratic Party. At the time, Representative Gabbard was everything the Democratic Party alleges to care about as a walking embodiment of cultural diversity. Gabbard was one of the first female combat veterans elected to Congress and a member of both a religious and ethnic minority (as the first Hindu and American Samoan ever to sit in Congress). Being from Hawaii, Gabbard is also an avid surfer and is active in both physical conditioning and martial arts training. As a young, fit, and socially dynamic progressive woman committed to public service and ending wasteful regime-change wars, she was showered with praise from party leaders as she was unanimously elected to serve as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee:

"Congresswoman Gabbard’s story is an inspiration and her dedication to public service showcases the best of our party’s values." ~Former DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

"She’s an emerging star." ~House Leader Nancy Pelosi

"I think she’s wonderful. She’s been in combat in a leadership role, and she knows how to lead. She deals well with men and women, young and old, Republican and Democrat. She’s got an extraordinary political talent." ~Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer

So what changed? How and why did Tulsi go from DNC darling to Establishment enemy #1? (Well, maybe #2 behind Bernard Sanders). To understand the vitriol that Hillary Clinton and Establishment Democrats hold for Tulsi Gabbard, it’s imperative to put her trajectory in its historical context.

It was on the morning of February 28, 2016 that Tulsi Gabbard’s political life would forever change. I remember that day perfectly. It was a crisp, sunny winter morning in Kittery, Maine where I found myself drinking coffee at one of my favorite local cafes, when a headline buzzed across my phone:
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/28/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Anti-Russian smears = last refuge of a scoundrel in post-2016 USA.
Posted by: Lex || 10/28/2019 1:19 Comments || Top||

#2  She stood up to Hillary Clinton and the Establishment behemoth that controls the inner workings of the Democratic party.

Gabbard is lucky she didn't end up a suicide in Fort Marcy Park (not far from Langley and McLean, VA) with three bullets in the back of the head.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/28/2019 12:47 Comments || Top||

#3  Yet
Posted by: g(r)omgoru PB || 10/28/2019 12:57 Comments || Top||

#4  Has the the Establishment behemoth that controls the inner workings of the Republican party been similarly purged yet?
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/28/2019 16:17 Comments || Top||

#5  There seemed to be a Pub purge prior to the 2018 election. May be one of the reasons the House flipped blue.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/28/2019 22:56 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Washington Post Writes Glowing Obituary About A Terrorist
WaPo a Jeff Bezo's "Amazon" mouthpiece:
[Victory Girls] The Washington Post, in it's infinite wisdom, wrote a glowing obituary mourning the death of ISIS terrorist leader al-Baghdadi. Behold their headline:

"Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, austere religious scholar at helm of Islamic State, dies at 48"

When I first saw that via Twitter I thought it was a joke, but quickly found out that it was indeed real. Upon reading this slavering piece of dreck, I had to laugh at how much pretzeling it took to carefully gloss over the fact that this guy was the leader of one of the worst terrorists groups this world has seen.

"When Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi took the reins of the Islamic State of Iraq in 2010, few had heard of the organization or its new leader, an austere religious scholar with wire-frame glasses and no known aptitude for fighting and killing."

Oh sure, in the next paragraph they admit that his leadership spawned a group known for it's shocking brutality. However, as you read further, we find out that he was a messianic figure of some sort.

"And yet, despite the group's extremist views and vicious tactics, Mr. Baghdadi maintained a canny pragmatism as leader, melding a fractious mix of radical jihadists and former Iraqi Baathists and army officers into an effective military force. It was this combination of extremist ideology and practical military experience that enabled the group to seize and hold territory that would form the basis of a declared Islamic caliphate."

He built bridges between factions don't you know! What leadership! What intelligence! Super cool dude! He was very religious, very conservative, didn't like Western clothing, and as a college student was extremely critical of men and women dancing in the same room. But sure WaPo! Tell us again how his austerity and religious views meant he was reluctant to fight or kill?

And the reaction has already started. Trump was being MEAN when he described how al-Baghdadi died. He was heartless in his description of al-Baghdadi's running into the dead end tunnel and then blowing himself and three children up.

Sorry Dana, but I'm absolutely thrilled that a major terrorist leader is dead. I'm not alone in this either. Furthermore, we've celebrated the deaths of other terrorists in the past. Bin Laden's death is a prime example. People danced in the streets, New Yorkers wept in relief, and Americans all over the world took to social media to celebrate his ending.

First of all, those dogs are military K-9 soldiers. Heroes one and all. Secondly, the remaining terrorists in the region were just shown that our military doesn't mess around. Third, I disagreed then with giving Bin Laden a proper Muslim burial and disagree now. He was a terrorist and should've been treated as such. So no, Dana, I could care less about your hand-wringing over how al-Baghdadi died.

Back to the WaPo obituary. While writing this post, the WaPo changed their obituary headline for the THIRD time. Now he is the "extremist leader of Islamic State…"

It is indeed a major insult to Kayla's memory, to her parents, and to the other families such as the parents of James Foley. Speaking of whom, they are very glad this particular terrorist is dead.

The operation was named after Kayla Mueller. A fitting tribute to a young lady who died horribly at the direction of al-Baghdadi, an evil terrorist. A young lady whom the obituary only mentions in passing in favor of ‘be nice to dead terrorist guy!'

The Washington Post Compost should've written a piece about all those who this terrorist and his organization brutalized and murdered. But NOOOOO… instead they write an obituary. A fawning sniveling piece of dreck that celebrates and glorifies a serial rapist, criminal and terrorist.

For the Washington Compost – here's a suggestion for a new motto. Decency Dies In The Darkness
Posted by: 746 || 10/28/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  God, what shitty people these are.
Their hatred of Trump has rendered them delusional.

Take away their press passes. These people are not journalists. They're more like manic crack-addled performance artists.
Posted by: Lex || 10/28/2019 1:29 Comments || Top||

#2  military K-9 soldiers. Heroes one and all

"Man, they rock ! Sigh... I'd like to shake those paws one day."

Posted by: Dron66046 || 10/28/2019 4:19 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Overnight attack that killed Al-Baghdadi raises many questions
[Jpost] A nighttime raid. Helicopters. Special forces. A high-value terrorist target. Concerns about identifying him. All this would have been on the list of challenges facing the Bin Laden raid planners in 2011. On Sunday morning, it was another group of Americans hunting ISIS
...embracing their inner Islamic Brute...
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which had to go through the same complex set of obstacles to kill the bearded bully boy hiding out in Idlib province near the Ottoman Turkish border.

The raid began just after midnight when locals in towns near Barisha, just a few kilometers from the Ottoman Turkish border, reported hearing helicopters. Drones were already in the air from just before midnight. Newsweek says that US President Donald Trump
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/28/2019 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  Lots of dumb questions. The US got the intel on the guy and acted on it. Disinformation helps. Read Sun Tzu again. And al Baghdadi is still dead.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 10/28/2019 0:39 Comments || Top||

#2  In my opinion, these are questions the answers to which are best left to the public imagination. How who knew what and what placed whom where ?

One word - Spooks. Salute.
Posted by: Dron66046 || 10/28/2019 3:46 Comments || Top||

#3  When you don't know why actions are taken, they can seem "erratic". Only an idiot decides they know everything and thus "erratic" represents the other guys stupidity.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 10/28/2019 4:33 Comments || Top||

#4  Or was everyone in the dark? How could US helicopters operate so close to Turkey’s border and not trigger Ottoman Turkish air defense, unless Turkey was in the loop? Did the helicopters fly from Incirlik or from another base?

Bin Laden raid redux. Please, no more questions.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/28/2019 4:51 Comments || Top||

#5  Almost certainly the helicopters were loaded in Israel.
Posted by: Chereting Pelosi1889 || 10/28/2019 9:01 Comments || Top||

#6  No more questions. Thank you.
Now on to the next. Find and eliminate Bagdadi's successor, the "Destroyer."
Posted by: Lex || 10/28/2019 10:02 Comments || Top||

#7  All those questions are bull. The big questions are: When will the boys be home and where can we meet to buy them all shots of Jack!
Posted by: 49 Pan || 10/28/2019 13:34 Comments || Top||

#8  Good thing nobody is asking about the Quaid Class Tunneling Transports.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 10/28/2019 17:41 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
VDH: Our Bankrupt Nomenklatura
[AmGreatness] Donald Trump is now in the midst of another coup frenzy that has the Left accusing him of being crazy. But he already took the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test. It was a simple cognitive exam and he aced it, as would most people. The Left, remember, had called in a Yale psychiatrist to testify that Trump was demented, during the lulls between the first impeachment, the serial "Russian collusion" hoaxes, the emoluments clause psychodrama and Robert Mueller’s "walls-are-closing-in," "turning-point," and "bombshell" investigation.

Perhaps the wrong public figures took the test.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/28/2019 03:43 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Look at Adam S.... eyes and explain how sane he is.
Posted by: 3dc || 10/28/2019 13:38 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
25[untagged]
12Islamic State
3Taliban
3Arab Spring
2Govt of Pakistan
2Jamaat-e-Ulema Islami
2Moslem Colonists
2Sublime Porte
2Human Trafficking
2Govt of Iraq
1Hezbollah
1Narcos
1Commies

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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2019-10-28
  Baghdadi's aide was key to his capture - Iraqi intelligence sources
Sun 2019-10-27
   ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Killed
Sat 2019-10-26
  Pentagon chief: US troops, armored vehicles going to Syria oil fields
Fri 2019-10-25
  DOJ Review of Russia Probe Origins Is Now Criminal Investigation
Thu 2019-10-24
  California authorities seize enough fentanyl to make 4 million lethal doses
Wed 2019-10-23
  Senior ISIS leader surrenders to Afghan forces in Nangarhar province
Tue 2019-10-22
  Mexico sends in troops after failed 'El Chapo' son arrest
Mon 2019-10-21
  Spokesman: Governor of Wardak Survives Car Bomb
Sun 2019-10-20
  Kurdish politician appeals to Israel for help in northern Syria
Sat 2019-10-19
  Blasts collapse roof at Afghan mosque, killing at least 62 at Friday prayers
Fri 2019-10-18
  Heavy fighting between Turkish/SNA and YPG/SDF
Thu 2019-10-17
  Pence announces ceasefire at the US Embassy in Turkey.
Wed 2019-10-16
  Spain, Sweden, Canada, UK halting sales of military material to Ankara
Tue 2019-10-15
  Notre-Dame plot: Five women jailed over foiled car bomb attack
Mon 2019-10-14
  Trump tells Pentagon to begin withdrawing remaining troops from northern Syria


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