Afghan and NATO security forces have recently rounded up several men like Hafiz Daoud Shah, a 21-year-old unemployed Afghan refugee who says he drove across the border to Afghanistan in September in a taxi with three other would-be suicide bombers, according to a New York Times article.
Every case, Afghan security officials say, is similar to that of Shah, who repeated his story in a rare jailhouse interview with a reporter in Kabul. The trail of organising, financing and recruiting the bombers who have carried out a rising number of suicide attacks in Afghanistan traces back to Pakistan, they say.
Every single bomber or Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in one way or another is linked to Pakistan, a senior Afghan intelligence official said.
Every single bomber or Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in one way or another is linked to Pakistan, a senior Afghan intelligence official said, referring to improvised explosive devices like roadside bombs. Their reasons are to keep Afghanistan destabilised, to make us fail, and to keep us fragmented, said the official on condition of anonymity. The charge is in fact one of the most contentious that Afghan and American officials have levelled at the Pakistani leadership, which often denies the infiltration problem and insists that the roots of the Taliban insurgency lie in Afghanistan.
The arrests of Shah and others like him, Afghan and NATO officials say, show that groups intent on carrying out attacks in Afghanistan continue to operate easily inside Pakistan. Shah said he was one of four would-be suicide bombers who arrived in Kabul from Pakistan on September 30. One of them killed 12 people and wounded 40 at the pedestrian entrance to the Interior Ministry the same day. The attack was the first suicide bomb aimed not at foreign troops but at Afghans, and it terrified Kabul residents.
Shah recounted his own involvement in the presence of two Afghan intelligence officers at a jail run by the National Directorate of Security. The Afghan intelligence officers offered up Shah because, unlike others in custody facing similar charges, his investigation was over. He is now awaiting trial. At first Shah denied that he intended to be a suicide bomber, but by the end of the hour-long conversation, he admitted that he had intended to blow himself up in Kabul, and said he regretted his actions.
He and his companions had all studied at the same madrassa, Masjid-e-Noor, in Karachi. The madrassa was run, until recently, by Maulavi Abdul Shakoor Khairpuri, who, Shah said, was a member of the banned jihadi group Harkatul Mujahedeen and had sent Shah and three others on the suicide mission.
He was vague about the target of his suicide mission. I did not know where I was going to do it, he said.
Shah himself is one of the 2.5 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan and who, officials on both sides of the border agree, frequently cycle through the ranks of the Taliban and other militant Islamic groups. Like Shah, several other would-be bombers arrested recently have also come from Pakistan or were run by commanders based there, Afghan and NATO officials said. In Shahs case, he and his companions had all studied at the same madrassa, Masjid-e-Noor, in Karachi. The madrassa was run, until recently, by Maulavi Abdul Shakoor Khairpuri, who, Shah said, was a member of the banned jihadi group Harkatul Mujahedeen and had sent Shah and three others on the suicide mission.
The Afghan intelligence official confirmed much of Shahs story. So did Shahs father, though he said he did not know where his son had gone after leaving home three weeks earlier. The gaps and discrepancies in the fathers and sons accounts seemed to indicate that neither was telling the full story. Khairpuri, also contradicted Shahs account, saying, he had no idea that Shah had gone to Afghanistan and denied sending him on the suicide mission.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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BRUSSELS - European Union countries agreed on Tuesday to send a fact-finding team to Afghanistan to study whether to answer NATOs call to train the countrys police force, EU diplomats said. But they said a training mission would only be launched if the EU could play a meaningful role, while also tempering expectations of a major operation.
So they want to be big heat but they don't want to commit anything. How typically Y'urp-peon.
This does not prejudice the final decision on whether there will be a mission or not in the end. And we are talking about a very small mission, said one diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity after a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels.
"It will be so inconsequental that it shall not be noticed, but we shall feel very good about it."
The fact-finding team is due to report to EU foreign ministers in December, making a final decision by the 25-member bloc doubtful before NATO leaders hold a summit in Riga on Nov. 28-29 focusing on Afghanistan.
Britain and the Netherlands had called on the EU on Monday to offer more help by training Afghan police. Along with Canada, they are the main NATO countries battling an insurgency in Taleban heartlands in south Afghanistan. They have pointed to the Afghan police force as a weak link in efforts to extend President Hamid Karzais authority across the country.
Germany, already training Afghan police on behalf of the United Nations, said at a meeting of EU foreign and defence ministers in Brussels on Monday that it would be ready to accept an additional EU mission.
That's good, and thanks Andrea. And now for the witched witch:
French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, whose country often resists US pressure for closer EU-NATO cooperation, questioned whether the training would fit with the logic of what the EU is doing in Afghanistan, but backed the fact-finding team.
Because you can't have too many facts, especially when you're trying to duck responsibility.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
EU to explore scope for Afghan police training.
A web of nations and armed groups are fuelling Somalias march to war, according to a U.N. commissioned report that offers detailed evidence of cooperation between Somali Islamists and established Islamic militants. An advance copy of the report to the U.N. Security Council, obtained by Reuters on Monday, paints the most comprehensive picture yet of disparate foreign interests hardening into alliances with Somalias interim government and its powerful Islamist rivals.
Earlier reports by the experts monitoring violations of a the worlds most flouted arms ban have documented state intervention, but for the first time the panels report gives evidence of organised intervention involving foreign militants.
The report said about 720 Somali Islamist fighters with combat experience went to Lebanon to fight Israel alongside Hezbollah in mid-July.
The Islamists have always denied the presence of foreign fighters in the ranks of their military, which far eclipses the government in size, strength and organisation. But the report said about 720 Somali Islamist fighters with combat experience selected by Afghanistan-trained hardline Islamist commander Adan Hashi Farah "Ayro" went to Lebanon to fight Israel along Hezbollah in mid-July. The fighters were paid $2,000 and as much as $30,000, to be given to their families, if they were killed, the report says. At least 100 Somali fighters returned, along with five Hezbollah members, while an unknown number stayed in Lebanon for advanced military training, it states. "In exchange for the contribution of the Somali military force, Hezbollah arranged for additional support to be given ... by the governments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic, which was subsequently provided," it says. That included shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, grenade launchers, machine guns, ammunition, medicine, uniforms and other supplies. Additionally, Syria hosted about 200 Islamist fighters for training in guerrilla warfare, the report says.
The report also gives a hint that Iran, locked in a battle with the West over its nuclear ambitions, may have sought help in finding uranium in the hometown of Somali Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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A security officers selfless bravery has been recognised, after he was named the recipient of the 2006 Sheriffs Award.
Muhammad Khalil, from Bracknell, is the first person to receive an Award in the Sheriffs name for 1,000 years.
A security officer employed by G4S Security Services (UK), Muhammad was on duty close to Kings Cross station on 7 July 2005. That day terrorists struck the London transport system by placing bombs on underground trains and a bus causing death, injury and widespread disruption.
Muhammad raced to the scene of the Kings Cross attack and in the chaos of people trying to escape from the blast, he quickly assessed the situation and utilised his first aid training to prioritise and give help to those who most needed it.
Muhammad then entered the tunnel and without concern for his own safety, assisted passengers to escape and tended to the injured and dying. He remained in the tunnel for over seven hours working tirelessly with other emergency workers, his face covered with only an improvised bandage mask to protect him from the fumes and smoke. Eventually, it was obvious that he was totally exhausted and he was instructed to leave the tunnel to rest.
The Lord Mayor of the City of London, David Brewer, himself a former Sheriff, will present the Award in a ceremony at Mansion House: "There were many acts of unsung selfless bravery that day but Muhammad Khalils actions went beyond what was expected of him. Unquestionably his heroic efforts helped to save lives."
* The Sheriffs Award is organised by the new City Livery Company of Security Professionals
* The annual award is a way to honour individuals or organisations who have shown unusual courage or initiative in protecting people, property or liberty. Nominations were invited from the public, businesses, emergency services and the Armed Forces.
* The Award and a cheque for £2,000 will be presented by The Lord Mayor at the Annual Dinner of The Company of Security Professionals at Mansion House on the 17 October and Muhammads name entered into a Book of Honour at The Old Bailey.
In the United States, it is considered 23 times more likely that the first individual on-scene in the case of an emergency will be a security officer rather than a member of the Fire Dept, police, or other emergency services.
In my own case, I have received extensive training on responding to a variety of emergencies and have personally been involved in situations involving potential bombs, heart attacks, chemical and/or biological weapon attacks (delivered via envelope), and a number of real emergency medical, fire & rescue, and accident situations.
Security officers, these days, working for reputable companies, are not your run-of-the-mill "rent-a-cops" the media so frequently tries to portray us as.
(Editorial Note: Most of our time is spent sitting, driving, or walking around or chauffering dignitaries here or there - just got a written commendation from the Deputy Director of the US Dept. of Energy today for chauffer work - but this afternoon I was one of the first responders to an incident where an employee was vomiting blood)
Hurray for S/O Muhammid Khalil who did his job in what was undoubtedly an extraordinary set of circumstances and stayed until he was ordered off-site.
He is a credit to security professionals everywhere.
#5
In a rebuke to the Prince's hopes of inviting Muslims, Hindus and others to take an equal role in Westminster Abbey, the Church declared that Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams will design the coronation service.
You ain't got no power, tampon head. If you don't like it, go to Vegas.
The convicted terrorist son of jailed radical Muslim preacher Abu Hamza al-Masri insisted he was proud to be British, in a BBC radio interview to be broadcast Tuesday. Mohammed Kamel Mostafa, 25, distanced himself from the views of his one-eyed, hook-handed father, who is appealing a seven-year prison term for inciting murder and racial hatred and battling extradition to the United States. Mostafa, who was jailed for three years in Yemen in 1999 for plotting a bombing campaign, insisted his message was one of peace.
"I'm into peace and stuff. Why can't you believe me?"
There was an outcry in Britain last month when it was revealed he had been working on the London Underground train network. He was fired immediately once his employers realised who he was. London is still on high alert after last years deadly suicide bomb attacks on the Underground and a bus. To defend myself Im just saying Im a British citizen and Ive got nothing against this country, this is my country and Im proud to be British, I love my country, its as simple as that, Mostafa told the BBC World Service.
"Look how stiff my upper lip is! Wanna see me play cricket? Got any foxes you need hunted?"
I was just working like everybody else, struggling like a young man, trying to get some money, trying to get my head together in life.
"That's me. Fish and chips. An occasional pint at the pub..."
Mostafa maintained he was innocent of plotting to sabotage economic and tourist sites in Yemen. And he said he did not agree with the controversial preaching of his father, who raised him.
"Naow, naow! Cert'nly not, guvnor!"
Everybody has their own beliefs. It doesnt mean if my dad believes something that I have to believe the same thing and thats how I look at it, Mostafa said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Of course he's proud to be British, look at how quickly government officials bend over for him. Of course he should be proud. Never a lonely night for that boy!
#3
There was an outcry in Britain last month when it was revealed he had been working on the London Underground train network. He was hanged fired immediately once his employers realised who he was.
Islamophobia! Racism! Give this man a job at once... and compensation for hurt feelings!
#4
No thanks. This welfare gig pays pretty well and requires no heavy lifting. Looks like that's one thing me and pops agree on. One that I'll admit to...
The Vatican on Tuesday stepped into the debate about Muslim women wearing veils, with a top cardinal saying immigrants must follow the laws of their host countries, including any bans on such face-covering. Countries "must require that guests who arrive from a different culture must respect the traditions, the symbols, the culture, the religion of the countries they go to," said Renato Martino, the Italian prelate who heads the Vatican's office on issues concerning migrants, itinerant workers and refugees.
Martino, responding to a question about veils from a reporter, said respect for local laws would include any bans on such coverings. "This seems to me to be elementary. It is quite right that (local) authorities insist on this," he told a news conference to present Pope Benedict XVI's annual message on migrant issues. Vatican Radio reiterated the stance, saying "the question of the veil for Islamic women" should be "considered in the context of respect for the laws of the countries which welcome" them.
The assertion by Martino, a former Vatican envoy to the United Nations, comes two weeks before Pope Benedict XVI begins his first visit as pontiff to a Muslim nation, Turkey. That officially secular nation has long been wrestling over whether Muslim women there should wear Islamic head scarves in such places as universities and public offices.
Flanking the cardinal, another Vatican official who deals with immigration issues, Monsignor Agostino Marchetto, referred to Italy's law requiring people to keep their face visible in public. That law dates to Italy's crackdown on domestic terrorism decades ago.
Posted by: Fred ||
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The Vatican on Tuesday stepped into the debate about Muslim women wearing veils, with a top cardinal saying immigrants must follow the laws of their host countries, including any bans on such face-covering.
I expect this means the Vatican will turn over the seven priests they have been sheltering from child-rape charges in the United States.
Washington, DC) -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi, urging the soon-to-be House Speaker to reject Florida Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings for the chairmanship of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Multiple press reports suggest Hastings may assume the chairmanship with Pelosis approval when the new Congress convenes in January.
Rep. Hastings, the letter notes, is one of only six federal judges to be removed from office through impeachment, and has accumulated staggering liabilities ranging from $2,130,006 to $7,350,000.My god..that was 17 years ago...when will these Swift Boat attacks cease?
Any ordinary citizen with Rep. Hastings demonstrated record of lack of integrity, ethical misdeeds and financial problems would be denied a security clearance, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton noted in his November 15 letter. Respectfully, you should not put our nations security at risk by placing Rep. Hastings at the head of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. C'mon now...Is that even an important Committee?
On August 3, 1988, the House of Representatives adopted articles of impeachment against then-Judge Hastings. After a trial, he was convicted by the Senate and removed from office on October 20, 1989, for perjury and conspiracy to obtain a bribe. As The Washington Post reported in 1989, the Senate found that Hastings engaged in the bribery conspiracy and repeatedly lied under oath at his [criminal] trial and forged letters in order to win acquittal.
Here comes Da Judge...Here comes Da Judge... Moreover, according to his most recent financial disclosure statements, Hastings indicated that he has no more than $15,000 in assets while listing millions of dollars in liabilities in the form of legal fees.
That (Hastings) was elected to Congress simply does not mean he meets the high standards that might entitle him to committee leadership posts, let alone select committee posts that concern highly secret national security information, Fitton wrote. I am confident there are other members of your caucus who could serve as head of the Committee.
Unlike most modern politicians, Webb hasn't spent his entire adult life running, or plotting to run, for political office. He is a man of unimpeachable physical courage and battlefield heroism, having been awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star and two Purple Hearts for his service as a Marine in Vietnam. Pimpslap on Kerry!
Webb may be a novice politician but he's also a natural. He was careful to keep his most conservative leanings well camouflaged during the campaign. He is, for instance, an absolutist on Second Amendment rights -- the right to keep and bear arms -- but he made sure the subject seldom arose as he campaigned in the liberal suburbs of northern Virginia.
He has written extensively about affirmative action, calling it "a permeating state-sponsored racism that is as odious as the Jim Crow laws it sought to countermand." He has praised the Confederate battle flag and the sacrifice of the Confederate soldier with an eloquence that Jefferson Davis might envy.
His revulsion for Bill Clinton and his administration is deep, longstanding and very public. "Every time I see him salute a Marine," he once told an interviewer, "it infuriates me."
National Democrats may not know what to do with him either. Webb's arrival in Washington is being hailed as part of a new wave of moderation and pragmatism sweeping the liberal party.
Yet Webb is neither a moderate nor a pragmatist: He's a radical and a populist. His populism explains, among other things, his disdain for the Clintons. Both Bill and Hillary, he wrote in 2001, embody a "a pervasive elitism, from people who were taught when young that the laws that applied to their countrymen did not necessarily apply to them." Well Said! Think McCain was a thorn in Repub sides? Wait till he locks horns with Pelosi's San Fran values people.
#1
Go read his book: Born Fighting, How the Scots-Irish shaped America. Cites Reagan, Stonewall Jackson, Grant, Patton, Nascar, the Scots-Irish value of military service and unapologetic patriotism, the central importance of Family and Bible-base Christianity, and populist, etc. Praised by Senator McCain back in 2004 when it was first published.
Blurb from the dust-jacket:
(Rantburgers, how does this fit in with your conservatism?)
Our rights come from God not the Government; all of us are born equal and "born aristocrats" don't exist; tread on either of these 2 truths and we'll fight you down to the last unbroken bone. the Scots Irish have fought *all* our wars for us, including Vietnam.
Goes all the way back to Hadrian's Wall, William Wallace, etc. All about individualism, liberty and the warrior spirit, clan and hearth.
And if you red the very first pagaragraph of the very first chapeter, he cites all the counties and towns where I grew up. I feel as if I know him. I grew up there, and know the very people he talks about, know the towns, know the way of life.
I think he is going to be a hell of a problem for the Liberals when they finally realize the conservative populist porcupine they have pulled into their embrace.
Disclosure: the names he cites in his family on page 7 overlap 3 times with my family from the same area - and sometimes the same towns he mentions, so we may be related way back in the mists some place (I'm having one of my brothers that still lives down that way check things as well as my cousin who is a VA State Trooper). Bit of tribal pride there on my part - I hope he rattles a lot of cages in DC. Hopefully my pride will not turn to shame.
#2
After voting on Election Day, Webb spent the rest of the day walking through Arlington Cemetary in the rain. Others with him included his Radioman from Vietnam.
Pelosi and the rest of the Donks were smoozing with their supporters.
#3
It will be instructive to watch how Webb votes when the Democrap party leader push gun control, Court Justice votes, immigration etc.
Webb may be a 21 century old Democrat.
After voting on Election Day, Webb spent the rest of the day walking through Arlington Cemetary in the rain. Others with him included his Radioman from Vietnam.
#4
It will be instructive to watch how Webb votes when the Democrap party leader push gun control, Court Justice votes, immigration etc.
Webb may be a 21 century old Democrat.
After voting on Election Day, Webb spent the rest of the day walking through Arlington Cemetary in the rain. Others with him included his Radioman from Vietnam.
Posted by: Mike ||
11/15/2006 6:38 Comments ||
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#11
The politics of the Karl Rove era were designed to distract and divide the very people who would ordinarily be rebelling against the deterioration of their way of life. Working Americans have been repeatedly seduced at the polls by emotional issues such as the predictable mantra of "God, guns, gays, abortion and the flag" while their way of life shifted ineluctably beneath their feet. But this election cycle showed an electorate that intends to hold government leaders accountable for allowing every American a fair opportunity to succeed.
hmmmm... I agree with this statement. But I think he's walking a fine line by looking to blame Rove to appeal to the left. It is the left who consider themselves "elites" and the left who make it possible to emotionally appeal to Gods, Guns, Gays and abortions by pushing too far in those regards.
It may be that he is walking the fine line between red and blue and we will be better for it. But it reminds me of a story from the civil war about a man in Natchez who attempted to invite both sides to his house for a lavish party so that when they were confiscating homes, that his might be left alone. The plan worked pefectly, except that he forgot to invite one bean counter. The bean counter was humliated and angry at having been left out and thus not only chose his beautiful home but had it razed.
#12
that WSJ article leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth, just like his campaign did. He seems to be operating from the principle that people are stupid and easily fooled. Maybe they are. Time will tell. Whatever, I wish him good luck, he's going to need it.
#13
If he's into class warfare protectionist economics how does he stand on controlling the borders? Kind of an inherent contradiction there, one way or the other. Lax border control works toward class warfare but against protectionist economics.
#17
Sounds like an old-fashioned populist to me (can anyone say "cross of gold"?) He claims to be into freedom, but essentially disses the market. Who cares what CEOs make - their activity helps the whole economy. Let's not redistribute the pie, let's make the pie bigger and let more folks grab bigger pieces themselves.
#19
Nah .com, I'd just rip you to shreds logically. Jefferson and Locke are wonderful allies. :-)
All - I was deliberately a bit optimistic with this post. His campaign and allowing the leftys to smear and burn brings a lot of doubt about his ability to be true to his core. His anti-capitalist populism also is a bit owrrisome. I grew up in coal/railroad country like him, and a lot of the poeple there have a permanent chip on their shoulders regarding the rich "executives, bankers and brokers". Tooke me leaving the region to get over it in my case. In his, he hasnt gotten there yet.
But in any event, I hope he causes as much chaos over there as Chaffee+McCain did on the conservative side of things. On economic policy he is going to be a headache. But I do beleive he will be a reliable ally on the second amendment.
#20
Lol. The age-old conundrum - for which there has never been a shortage of heartfelt emotion, but always a complete lack anything even remotely resembling proof.
We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking.
-Sam Clemens
#21
After voting on Election Day, Webb spent the rest of the day walking through Arlington Cemetary in the rain. Others with him included his Radioman from Vietnam.
Sounds to me like he made some promises a few years back and went to let them know he has not forgotten and will be good to his word.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
11/15/2006 9:29 Comments ||
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#22
We will see. Money talks bullshit and votes on the floor run the marathon.
Our rights come from God not the Government
Our rights come from how much we are willing to concede to the government and how much we are willing to protect...violently. 'Cus at the end of the day, what is the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution? Ink stains on paper. That is all they will ever be if we aren't willing to stand up for and fight for the values our founding fathers, military through the years and people willing to stand up for liberty fought for.
#23
It should be the first order of business for the new Congress to begin addressing these divisions, and to work to bring true fairness back to economic life....Once they understand that there are (and were) clear alternatives to the policies that have dislocated careers and altered futures, they will demand more accountability from the leaders who have failed to protect their interests.
And what might those alternatives be? Hm? ...crickets...
#25
Webb is what we used to call "liberal" 40 years ago, before the Far Left (e.g. Michael Harrington) deliberately hijacked the term. Some former liberals are now called "neo-cons." Others just resigned.
Think of Hubert Horatio Hornblower Humphrey, "Scoop" Jackson, LBJ, and many other Democrats from the 50s and 60s.
It would be nice if such were returning to the party, but the far left has too much power and too little sense of fair play and order.
#26
Senator Casey also leans conservative. The donks in the Senate have turned toward the right, The House also has a bunch of new member donks who lean right. The House repubs have more conservatives and far less RINOs, and the Senate repubs have also lost RINOs.
Who won this election again ?
#30
Clarification: his 2 favoreite presidents are Jackson and Reagan.
And his son is serving in Iraq, I have heard.
Definitely a different kind of Democrat in many ways. What remains to be seen is if he can maintain his "independant/conservatvie" qualities in the face of the hard left leadership.
#33
Nancy Pelosi has said that loyality to the Democratic Party is a prerequisite to obtaining any kind of appointment in "her" government. I don't think Webb fits in. I do believe the Pelosi-ites will devide the Democratic party by their failure to recognize that a Congressperson owes allegience to the Constiuents first. I may be disappointed in this but if they don't do what the people wnat they will not be reelected. Just ask the Republicans.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/15/2006 13:01 Comments ||
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#34
I do have issues with some CEO compensation, so his comments there don't scare me, but his solutions to the problem might. I don't have any problem with CEO's and senior management making a lot of money. But there is a difference between a lot of money and obscene amounts of money. This is something that I think the companies themselves need to get a handle on, and fast, or else the government is going to come in and legislate a "solution".
Webb seems to be an interesting guy. It should be fun to watch how this plays out.
#35
"Nancy Pelosi has said that loyality to the Democratic Party is a prerequisite to obtaining any kind of appointment in "her" government. I don't think Webb fits in."
Deacon, you're right. Webb DOESN'T fit in. He's a Senator, Pelosi runs the house. It will be interesting to see what Reid does about HIS mavericks and House confreres.
Senators, in general, disdain their colleagues from the House as junior partners.
#36
"Wait till he locks horns with Pelosi's San Fran values people."
*Sigh* The Body Politic has a way of quashing the ideals of freshmen congress critters. (Especially on the left side of the aisle.) Everything from the mundane, such as delivery of office supplies, to the horse-trading for committee assignments. Hopefully, the fragile centrist façade the Democrats so desperately need in 2008 will be to Webbs advantage.
#37
AlanC, you are right. He is Sanator and I goofed. Dopey me.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/15/2006 16:50 Comments ||
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#38
Webb has a good heart and I like him. He may be Protectionist, but he has Americas best interest at heart. I rarely get to see FDR blue dogs anymore - even if they flow left. I like him. Find more.
JFK would be considered a Republican these days. This guy went back to roots. It is so very encouraging to me to see a reformation of that party - even if so little shines through. This Man makes my veteran status look like a holiday leave. He is someone worth working with and as politically inarticulate as he may seem, he does have a good mind. I hope this is the change we were seeking from that party. I back him.
One note: The jobs we have may not be as good as the jobs we used to have, but 4.6 is a very good unemployment rate. Check the worldfactbook to see what other countries face.
Webb could do much good at sponsoring small business manufacturing to bring some of that base back to us. I do not want to live in an empty shell of an economic paradise - but the best protection is strong competition and that starts by being better and having better products cheaper than shipping them across 2,000 miles of ocean (Hint hint).
A former Pakistan military official who is now the Parliamentary Secretary of Defence startled the National Assembly by disclosing that he was an activist of the banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.
"I want to inform the house that I have been a member of this (LeT) organisation," retired Major Tanvir Hussain Syed, a member of the ruling pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q said in the Assembly yesterday.
Hussain was taking part in the Assembly debate on the Pakistan army attack on a madrasa in Bajaur tribal area killing 80 persons and the subsequent suicide bomb attack on Pakistani troops in Dargai in which 42 soldiers were killed.
"The government wanted to resolve all disputes through dialogue, but if someone opens fire on the army, our jawans will reply," he was quoted as saying by Daily Times.
Hussain, however, did not explain what role he played in LeT whose leader, Hafeez Sayeed has started yet another outfit called Jamat-ud-Dawa which was also kept under the watch list by Pakistan government.
Another newspaper, The Post, quoted him as saying that he was still a member of LeT even though it was banned. "I am still a member of the LeT. I go to its congregations and deliver speeches," he said.
He said he has no hesitation in "swimming against the tide" eventhough the government in which he is a part was trying to wash away the pro-jihad past from the memories of its people.
He added that he extends support to jihadi activists when they approach him, though he did not clarify the nature of support.
Posted by: john ||
11/15/2006 15:44 ||
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#1
I think this calls for a RB Surprise Meter graphic.
Major (r) Tanvir Hussain Syed, parliamentary defence secretary, disclosed on Tuesday that he was once a member of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LT). I was a member of the LT and I admit it on the floor of this house, he told the National Assembly while taking part in a debate on Bajaur and Dargai. The secretary did not explain what role he played in the banned outfit and when he joined it.
The retired major claimed that Indian consulates in Afghanistan played a part in the Dargai suicide attack. The government wanted to resolve all disputes through dialogue, but if someone opens fire on the army, our jawans will reply, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Monday denied that his country was responsible for the survival of the Taliban. There is trans-border cooperation in militant activities, with the base in Afghanistan but support from Pakistan. We need to isolate the two, and deal with whatever is happening from Pakistan on our side, while the main action will have to be taken in Afghanistan to counter militancy, Musharraf told a British TV channel.
The president told Channel 4 News in an interview how he wanted to suppress the Taliban. Asked whether he accepted that Quetta was the headquarters for Taliban operations in Afghanistan, he said, The base of the whole organisation is in Afghanistan. The whole of Afghanistan is divided into five command regions of the Taliban, each of which is headed by a commander. The financing comes from the drug underworld. However, they have support I will accept to an extent yes in Quetta, there are about 450,000 Afghan refugees, and this is a hotbed of all kinds of activity.
About the failure of coalition forces in countering the Taliban, he said, They are failing in Afghanistan they need to understand the realities, and convert the failure into success. We need to look into why they are failing. They have given a very, very easy cause, the scapegoat of Pakistan. They will keep failing in Afghanistan if they continue following this trend.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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cum granis salis - it is Ralph Peters after all, who seems to swing rather wildly at times on Iraq.
With Iraqi society decomposing - or, at best, reverting to a medieval state with cell phones - the debate in Washington over whether to try to save the day by deploying more troops or withdrawing some is of secondary relevance. What really matters is what our forces are ordered - and permitted - to do. With political correctness permeating our government and even the upper echelons of the military, we never tried the one technique that has a solid track record of defeating insurgents if applied consistently: the rigorous imposition of public order. That means killing the bad guys. Not winning their hearts and minds, placating them or bringing them into the government. Killing them. If you're not willing to lay down a rule that any Iraqi or foreign terrorist masquerading as a security official or military member will be shot, you can't win. Now where have I heard that before?
I've mentioned the principle of "pay me now, pay me later" a time or two in these pages. Here it is writ large.
We have the number of casualties we do now because when we went in we said we were going to do "shock and awe" and instead went out of our way not to kill the entire Iraqi army. That may have been Tommy Franks' mistake, but I suspect it was Colin Powell's — or at least the Powell party within the administration.
Subsequent to disposing as gently as possible of the Iraqi army, we set about bringing democracy to Iraq, an experiment that has demonstrably not worked. We all had high hopes, but I've also mentioned on a few occasions that democracy is not the same thing as invidual liberty. Without the latter, the former is just another form of government, no more or less desirable than an oligarchy, a monarchy, or a dictatorship. All have approximately the same chance of producing a society that's worth living in. Democracy as an expression of individual liberty is a different story. Pakistan's democracy rules the country, while in the U.S. our republican democracy governs. There's a big difference there.
With the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, it would have been better to install a McArthur and make sure the troops in the country were occupation troops and the legal system U.S. martial law. Rather than allowing the Iraqis to draft their own shariah-based constitution it would have been better to impose our own, or a close variant thereof, upon them. Had we done that, Moqtada al-Sadr would have been shot a couple years ago, before building a Mahdi army under our noses. The Association of Muslim Scholars would have been arrested and shot at approximately the same time. Sadr City would have been suppressed with tanks and infantry the first time it erupted, and Iranian and Arab infiltrators would have been shot, preferably on the spot.
We'd have taken enormous political hits in the UN and the press. Lotsa people wouldn't have liked us. But Iran wouldn't be tugging Uncle Sam's beard now, nor would North Korea. Syria would probably have joined Qaddafi in making a separate peace, and Yemen and Sudan wouldn't have gone back to the dark side. That kind of policy may even have kept the Paks a bit more honest.
#2
I would take it one step further. Go door to door and anyone unwilling to kneel, bow and submit with a smile would be shot dead. The effect would be to rip the testosterone out of their society. That would quiet things down some.
#3
Our "humanity" is cowardice masquerading as morality. We're protecting self-appointed religious executioners with our emphasis on a "universal code of behavior" that only exists in our fantasies. By letting the thugs run the streets, we've abandoned the millions of Iraqis who really would prefer peaceful lives and a modicum of progress.
We're blind to the fundamental moral travesty in Iraq (and elsewhere): Spare the killers in the name of human rights, and you deprive the overwhelming majority of the population of their human rights. Instead of being proud of ourselves for our "moral superiority," we should be ashamed to the depths of our souls.
All's we gotta do is convince Nancy Pelosi.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/15/2006 14:25 Comments ||
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#4
That is the problem. Our strengths have now become our weaknesses and we no longer have the will to win.
#5
True, DV, and some would even argue that we haven't had the will to fight (to win) since Korea. It's been fight to an armistice/cease fire. Where's that gotten us?
Welp, we still have troops in (increasing) harm's way at the DMZ of Korea. Yeah, we "pulled out" of Vietnam, but look at that country now (not to mention what happened in Cambodia). We "stopped short" (to borrow a Seinfeld saying) in GWI. Then our OFFICIAL policy on Iraq became regime change after overflights for years on end, under Clinton. Bush only IMPLEMENTED that policy. If we aren't willing to install a McArthur, then I say in the future, we just go in and break things and leave. As a Christian (and a human, honestly), I hate that approach for the locals who truly want freedom and/or to just go about their daily lives. But, it's obvious that some cultures just don't want/deserve "nation building." Bush HAD to try this theory, but unless we can do it full tilt, it really is NOT worth doing.
Posted by: BA ||
11/15/2006 15:32 Comments ||
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#6
We don't think out of the box enough.
It's a release 4.0 insurgency being fought with a release 3.0 standing army - state mindset...
#7
The Judeo-Christian roots of a constitutional republic operating within a democracy isn't something that can be delivered to any people. They have to do it themselves, and can with help. But in the Islamic world, it's still "might makes right," and unless you're willing to do in the totalitarians and their factions, it can't happen. The vision has to come from the people, and they have to be willing to enforce the vision. Islam will cloud any vision of freedom because it's opposed to freedom. The core belief is unquestioned submission.
#8
I still think old Ralph said it better last month, in his October 27th essay succinctly worded "KIll Muqtada Now" (See http://www.frontpagemag.com/articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=25145 ) in which he wrote:
And after we've killed Muqtada and destroyed his Mahdi Army, we need to go after the Sunni insurgents. If we can't leave a democracy behind, we should at least leave the corpses of our enemies.
#11
The route to civil society goes through cultural and ethnically homogenous (moreorless) states (or highly federal ones). There are no exceptions to this rule.
The mistake in Iraq was to buy into the multicult myth. The Iraqis are now rectifying this mistake.
#12
unless you're willing to do in the totalitarians and their factions, it can't happen.
Word, MagnonMan. One of our top priorities must be wet work by hunter killer teams that centers upon eliminating the upper tier of Islamic clergy.
The vision has to come from the people, and they have to be willing to enforce the vision. Islam will cloud any vision of freedom because it's opposed to freedom.
Sadly, democratic rule of law as constituted by man is seen as usurping the pronouncements of their god. This allows any corrupt clergyman to dictate whatever whim comes to mind but prohibits consensual rule.
Muslims will find that this single incompatibility with Western culture and governance shall eventually spell their doom.
#13
Goes to show some/certain LESSONS OF HISTORY, WAR, LEADERSHIP + GOVERNANCE, ETC. MAY HAVE TO BE RE-LEARNED THE HARD WAY.
C2CAM.com > NOORY + guest GLENN BECK > BECK claims that despite PC he + staff have closely reviewed-scrutinized IRANIAN MEDIAS for the proper intrepretation of Moud's = Iranian diplo-speak. Says what has been found is truly frightening and warns that MOUD > INDEED "MOUD OF THE [WORLDWIDE]APOCALYPSE" = WANTS TO THE DE FACTO INTRUMENT THAT USHERS IN BOTH THE 12th IMMAM + GLOBAL APOCALYPSE IN GENERAL, AND THAT RADICAL ISLAM IS HELL-BENT ON THE DESTRUCTION OF AMERICA + ENTIRE WESTERN/NON-MUSLIM WORLD. BECK claims that in Muslim world, WAY OF WAR, NOT WAY OF PEACE, MOHAMMED THE WARRIOR NOT THE PEACEMAKER ala JESUS CHRIST, is the prevailing, all-important difference in Islamist vs Western ways of thinking = perceptions. CHILDREN are being indoctrinated as young as 5 years old to want/desire to become jihadis and suicide bombers.
BECK additionally stated that PCorrectness is putting the USA-West at risk of pervasive self-delusion about to how to effectively deal wid Radical Islam, and eventually to OUR OWN [SELF?] DESTRUCTION.
BECK also said that where MOUD wants the 12th Immam of Islam to set up is by Western tradition where the ANTICHRIST will set up. *IOW, by Beck's comments ISLAM'S 12th IMMAM = ONE AND SAME ANTICHRIST OF WESTERN TRADITIONS.
LASTLY, BECK SAYS THAT IN MILITANT/HARDLINE RADICAL ISLAMISM, THE USA-EST IS DEALING WID ABSOLUTELY MALICIOUS, CORRUPT MEN > AMORAL/IMMORAL, CORRUPT, MANIPULATIVE, MEN OF THE DARKEST BLACKEST EVIL THAT COULD BE IMAGINED. THE USA-WEST NEEDS TO EMPOWER TRULY PRO-MODERATE, PRO-DEMOCRACY MUSLIMS WHILE DE FACTO KILLING OFF DEDICATED RADICALS/MILITANTS. To do otherwise is only to bring or invite MORE DESTRUCTION UNTO OURSELVES. NOORY > forecasts or predicts that some kind of attack = military action against IRAN will take place in approxi one month or so.
Once more, boyz, I believe BECK will agree that WOT > WAR TO THE DEATH + WAR FOR THE WORLD. WINNER TAKES ALL ANY AND EVERYTHING. AMERICA'S ENEMIES MAY TALK PEACE, JUSTICE + EQUALISM, BUT IN REALITY INTEND NEITHER + NOTHING EXCEPT THE DEFEAT + DESTRUCTION OF THE USA-WEST. IFF AMERICA CAN'T BE CONTROLLED/DOMINATED UNDER OWG + GLOBAL SOCIALISM AMERICA WILL BE DESTROYED. America's enemies want CONCESSIONS-APPEASEMENT + CONTROL OVER AMERICA-WEST > NO CONCESSION-APPEASEMENT = THEY'RE GONNA KILL US.
11/14/2006 - INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey (AFPN) -- Hundreds of miles away from the war zone, the efforts of Airmen here are helping keep Iraq-based troops off dangerous convoy routes that are plagued with roadside bombs and sniper attacks.
By flying critical supplies via C-17 Globemaster III from this eastern Turkey air base directly to servicemembers at remote locations in Iraq, more than 3,300 convoy truck missions are taken off the Iraqi roads each month, said Capt. James Burnham, aerial port operations officer with the 728th Air Mobility Squadron here.
The design of the C-17 allows it to land at small, austere airfields, and it has defensive measures against missile attacks.
During around-the-clock operations at the Cargo Hub here, supplies such as essential add-on humvee equipment or repair parts and medical supplies are examples of critically needed items that are loaded onto C-17s destined for Iraq, said 2nd Lt. Ryan Randall, officer in charge at the Air Terminal Operations Center.
Close to 60 percent of all air cargo destined for Iraq passes through Incirlik Air Base, said Col. Tip Stinnette, commander of the 39th Air Base Wing. He said three reasons influence the mission being operated here -- location, location, location.
More at link
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/15/2006 08:20 ||
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#1
Since the inception of the Cargo Hub mission in June of 2005...
Wow, that was quiet. Lessee... March 20, 2003... June 2005... divide by google and carry the 17...
So it took over two years from the back-stabbing before we were allowed by our gallant ally to use Incirlik in Iraq operations?
#3
I suspect that the Turks, like the Saudis, now WANT the Americans to be successful, stay, and provide a buffer now that the Iraqi Sunni minority have largely been beaten to a pulp. In addition, the Turks don't want the Kurds to go their own way during the increased civil conflict sure to come after an American withdrawal.
Posted by: Cold truth ||
11/15/2006 14:03 Comments ||
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#4
Hey. .com! That wuz s'posed to be a 'feel-good' story! You hadda go read between the lines and pee in my charcoal.
One of the most resonant arguments in the debate over Iraq holds that the United States can move forward by pulling its troops back, as part of a phased withdrawal. If American troops begin to leave and the remaining forces assume a more limited role, the argument holds, it will galvanize the Iraqi government to assume more responsibility for securing and rebuilding Iraq.
This is the case now being argued by many Democrats, most notably Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who asserts that the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq should begin within four to six months.
But this argument is being challenged by a number of military officers, experts and former generals, including some who have been among the most vehement critics of the Bush administrations Iraq policies.
Anthony C. Zinni, the former head of the United States Central Command and one of the retired generals who called for the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, argued that any substantial reduction of American forces over the next several months would be more likely to accelerate the slide to civil war than stop it. The logic of this is you put pressure on Maliki and force him to stand up to this, General Zinni said in an interview, referring to Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister. Well, you cant put pressure on a wounded guy. There is a premise that the Iraqis are not doing enough now, that there is a capability that they have not employed or used. I am not so sure they are capable of stopping sectarian violence.
#1
Pro-DRAFT commentaries have been showing up this week. Never mind the ideo, PC, the Left, or waffle-intensive dialectic GOP-DEM, LEFT-RIGHT POLITIX/POLISCHTICK - Americans wanna win, + that needs means doing what is necessary to win, even iff it means a draft. AMER'S ENEMIES > WOT > WAR TO THE DEATH. WE CAN DELUDE OURSELVES ALL WE WANT AND PRETEND IT ISN'T, BUT NO AMOUNT OF AMER SELF-DELUSION IS GONNA MAKE OUR ENEMIES THINK OTHERWISE. Americans either FIGHT + WIN, OR WE/OUR COUNTRY DIES. DO you prefer to an EMPIRE, or prefer to be a COLD WAR-STYLE, USSR-STYLE, WEAK SOVIET STATE/SOCIALIST "REPUBLIC" = WARSAW PACT PROXY NATION, i.e. un-annexed but externally controlled-domin provinces, sub i.e. NORTH KOREA whose only Manifest Destiny is to die first so that Chicoms won't=don't. The Cold War + post Cold War STATUS QUO is no longer acceptable or tolerable to Amer's enemies. As several famous Leaders-Personages have shown in world history, what ultimately matters is NOT the size of one's army BUT HOW IT IS USED + LED TO ACHIEVE VICTORY + ONE'S AGENDA. THE ARMY = WAR/BATTLE MUST "FIT THE TIME". AMERICANS MUST DECIDE WHAT THEY ARE AND BELIEVE, AND WHETHER TEMPORARY SAFETY IS WORTH DEFEAT + GEOPOL SIOLATIONISM-APEASEMENT. "To be Alone" did NOT prevent German interference in American affairs via Mexico [WW1], nor stopped Yamamoto from planning to attack Pearl Harbor or later Midway, nor Stalin from blocking Allied access to Berlin, nor stopped North Korea from unilater attacking South Korea in 1950. IFF POLS WANT OWG + UNIVERSAL SOCIALISM-GOVERNMENTISM, WHATS WRONG WITH EXPLAINING-JUSTIFYING WHY TO THE VOTERS!? WHY SHOULD ANY AMER BE SCARED OF A DRAFT = WAR = NUKE WAR, ETC. IFF OUR ENEMIES ARE GONNA KILL/DESTROY US ANYWAYS???
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/15/2006 2:24 Comments ||
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#5
Read my lips appeasers: if the US moves out, Iran moves in. If Iran moves in they will be positioned to control most known oil reserves in the world. Oil resource extortion will not mean world peace.
#6
Indeed, Sneaze Shaiting3550. Saddam Hussein had grand ambitions in that way as well, hence his invasion of Kuwait, and a key reason why he had to be removed.
#9
...I'm guessing - and this is just a thought - that the Donk leadership has very quietly and very privately decided that for at least a bit, regardless of what they've promised and/or are screaming, they're going to stay the course. If they actually got the Bugout they've advocated, there would be no three-year interval between the end of the deployment and the final collapse,as there was in Vietnam - it would take, at most a month or two before Iraq implosed, and the disaster would be laid squarely and inescapably at their doorstep.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/15/2006 9:43 Comments ||
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#10
If American troops begin to leave and the remaining forces assume a more limited role, the argument holds, it will galvanize the Iraqi government to assume more responsibility for securing and rebuilding Iraq.
Which is why Democrats favor a light hand in matters of government regulation and intervention in the market.
#11
if the US moves out, Iran moves in
BINGO ! Here's the plan, the US moves into the oil fields, and lets the sunnis and shias use up the universal supply of virgins. Oh, sure, the world cries foul and all that, but we can tell them that is a phased withdrawal. Besides, we can stabilize the price of oil.
Now that advice may cost President Whatisname.
The army has been using the roof of a Palestinian home in Hebron and has commandeered the entire top floor of the building without authorization from the military commander for the past five years, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) has charged in a letter to head of Central Command Maj.-Gen. Ya'ir Naveh and West Bank legal adviser Col. Ya'ir Lotstein. The four-story building is owned by a doctor, Taisir Zahada, and houses three families and Zahada's clinic.
According to ACRI, the army seized parts of the building as early as 1998 and established a lookout point on the roof. At one point in 2004, it allegedly took over the entire structure and ordered all its 17 occupants to leave. Currently, it uses the lookout on the weekends and Jewish holidays but has allegedly declared the roof and the floor beneath if off-limits to the family at all times.
ACRI attorney Limor Yehuda added that access to the roof is only from a staircase inside the building. Therefore, soldiers and border policemen enter the homes of the Palestinian families whenever they want. "On many occasions," she wrote, "the intrusion has included harassment, intimidation and injury to the dignity of the occupants by soldiers and border policemen. Sometimes, they also damage furniture and the ones stationed on the roof often soil it by relieving themselves and leaving behind food remains."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
to the dignity of the occupants
Vermin have no dignity. Just kill them if they objstruct you. The average intelligence and decency of the ME would go up a fraction of a point.
A senior Arab League official on Tuesday criticized the so-called "Quartet" of Mideast peacemakers for failing to promote peace between the Arabs and Israel. Ahmed Beni Heli's remarks came a day before representatives of "Quartet" the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations - meet in Cairo to investigate efforts to restart the deadlocked Mideast peace. "Regrettably, it has failed to play any role and was prevented to advance the peace process," said Ben Heli. Ben Heli, the undersecretary-general of the Cairo-based league, said the "Quartet's failure to stand up to the Israeli attempts to abort all peace initiatives" was part of the reason it's failed to bring peace to the region.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
A senior Arab League official on Tuesday criticized the so-called "Quartet" of Mideast peacemakers for failing to promote peace between the Arabs and Israel.
You might as well blame tuna for the popularity of sashimi.
JERUSALEM - Hamas insisted Tuesday it would not recognize Israel even after a unity government takes power in the Palestinian territories, complicating efforts to form a more moderate coalition that would clear the way for vital foreign aid. Mahmound, you donkey. Wait til after the plan is in effect.
The militant Islamic group suggested, however, that the emerging coalition would be free to stake out a different position, apparently hoping the ambiguity in its statements will allow it to preserve its anti-Israel ideology but loosen international sanctions that have crippled the Palestinian economy. Yaas. Thats our plan. Sshhh! Dont tell the infidels. Oh camel dung, did I say that aloud?
The tough talk came despite Hamas' promises to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that it would refrain from incendiary public statements during the delicate coalition talks. Barkeep, another round of taqiyaa, pls. Bills on the guy in the kaffiya.
Abbas was meeting with the leaders of Jordan and Egypt on Tuesday and Wednesday to win their blessing for what he hopes will be a broader package deal, including not only formation of a moderate government, but also a cease-fire with Israel and an Israel-Hamas prisoner swap. Well a hudna and a mass release of Palescumians anyway.
On Wednesday, envoys of the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators the United States, the U.N., the European Union and Russia were to meet in Cairo, in part to be briefed on the coalition talks. and burst into giggles on hearing The Plan
Abbas met the U.S. envoy, Assistant Secretary of State David Welch, on Tuesday night.
President Bush also called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a key peace meditator, to discuss the latest developments, Egypt's semi-official Middle East News Agency reported. Well, Hosni kept trying to lay out the plan and gameplay, but Bush wouldnt stop laughing.
here it comes, folks..
For Abbas' plan to work, Israel and the West must accept the premise that Hamas is largely ceding power by making room for a 24-member Cabinet of independent administrators even though the Islamic militants get to appoint nine of the ministers and would retain considerable control.
The monthslong deadlock over whether the new government would recognize Israel is to be solved by a division of labor: Abbas and his Palestine Liberation Organization would lead peace talks with Israel, while the government of experts runs daily life in the Palestinian territories. and Hamas runs the daily violence and terror. Beauty!
In such a constellation, the argument goes, the government does not need to take a position on whether to recognize Israel or renounce violence, because it deals with more mundane issues. and mundane issues like violence, terror, abuse and genocidal hatred belong to Hamas a division of Pal Schizoid Psychosis Inc.
However, the international community has demanded such declarations in exchange for lifting its aid boycott. aid from the people they want to kill, demand to kill. How thoughtless of us. And so very unreasonable.
So far, Israel and the West have withheld judgment on Abbas' efforts ... cause they keep breaking out into hysterical giggles when they try and respond
... and the latest Hamas comments might make it harder for the Palestinian leader to market a future agreement. Mahmoud, they may be onto us! Say you were misunderstood. Mistranslated. You were talking about figs.
Moussa Abu Marzouk, a top official in Hamas' exiled leadership, said demands that the group recognize Israel are "illegal and illegitimate." However, Abu Marzouk and other spokesmen differentiated between Hamas and a new government. "It's not Hamas that will pronounce on this subject," he said. Hamas appoints ministers, theyre govt. Hamas appoints enough ministers that they rule major with the sway of independents, theyre big govt. Read on.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the Palestinian political activity is an indication of Hamas' inability to govern. "It's a simple reflection of the reality that because of their policies, they have failed," he said. And here we go Hamas with nigh equal footing
Despite the latest damper, negotiators reported more progress Tuesday, saying they reached agreement on the division of Cabinet portfolios. Hamas would choose nine ministers, Fatah would appoint six, and four smaller factions would pick one each. Five more independent ministers would require the approval of Hamas and Fatah, negotiators said.
On Monday, the two sides reached agreement in principle on a new prime minister U.S.-educated microbiologist Mohammed Shabir, former president of the Islamic University in Gaza City. Shabir, 60, has ties to both Hamas and Fatah.
One sticking point could be control over the Interior Ministry, in charge of key branches of the security forces. Hamas seeks guarantees that its Executive Force, a security branch it set up in recent months, will not be dismantled, but Abbas has not made any promises being muslim and Pal, the very thought nauseates. So, Hamas is in charge of security.
In Cairo on Tuesday night, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the peace process could also be advanced if Israel and the Palestinians would agree to swap the Israeli corporal whom Hamas-allied militants kidnapped in June with some Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons. What peace process? This farce? I believe the staff writer probably had to wipe tears of laughter writing of this peace process.
They feel their balls are big enough now to tell us they are lying to our faces. And daring us to react. Or fall deeper in drawing the lines that will sever the EU and the west. Something evil this way comes. And this is the PR test.
#2
Are we Arabs not included in the transfer of the scientific genetic code? We, the descendants of Al-Khawarizmi, Al-Jahez, Al-Razi, Avicenna, and Ibn Al-Haytham are we all born idiots? Is there not a single scientist among us? Are we not included in the genetic code? Is intelligence not transferred down among us Arabs?
Short answer.....yes, as long as your idea of education is mindless recitations in a madrassah.
Crack open a book about science for any other reason than to figure out how to use the technology for evil purposes, and maybe you too can start racking up the prizes. Until then, consider yourselves the global village idiots.
#4
the short answer is that they don't award prizes for living on land where oil was discovered and then reaping profits while knowlegable, skilled foreigners extract it. They don't award prizes for remaining uneducated, accomplishing nothing, coupled with jealousy and seething. They don't award prizes for demanding a prize. They don't award prizes for blaming Jews for all the ills of one's own creation.
#5
I'm trying to remember the last major original breakthrough that came from an Arab state that didn't have to do with conflict, but I can't. it must be that my memory failing me . . . . :-)
#7
Whenever scientists discover something that's not in the Koran, the imams ask "Who knows more, you or Allah?"
Is it any surprise that Muslim scientists who want the truth emmigrate to the West?
Al
Posted by: frozen Al ||
11/15/2006 14:20 Comments ||
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#8
Arabs have done extensive research in the field with of animal husbandry via the cross species method. Records were not kept as far as we know, but rumors are that some successes exist. In spite of gentle stroking, few animals return for repeated experiments.
"Is intelligence not transferred down among us Arabs?"
Not so anyone can tell.
Any other questions I can help you with?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/15/2006 14:41 Comments ||
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#10
"Is there not a single scientist among us?"
Quite simple really. Until the concept of innovation is no longer synonymous with their concept of heresy their culture will continue to lag behind the more advanced by a couple thousand years.
#12
Arabs have done extensive research in the field with of animal husbandry via the cross species method. Records were not kept as far as we know, but rumors are that some successes exist. In spite of gentle stroking, few animals return for repeated experiments.
Ahmanutjob is one example. But he can't procreate because he's sterile.
#15
Read today that the Max Planck institute for comparative anthropology is using cutting edge technology to define the Neaderthal DNA code. Can't wait for them to finish and compare it to the average Arab. Can you say 100% equal with a straight face?
Posted by: Weird Al ||
11/15/2006 19:10 Comments ||
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#16
Well, Tookie won one. Is that not close enough?
Very interesting episode of Science Friday's podcast. This 13-minute long episode from June 23 covers various types of robots in use by the military in Iraq at the time.
Click link and look at "Archived Audio" box at right for "Robots" episode in desired format. Can also be accessed (and subscribed to) via iTunes--Science Friday podcast, episode 97.
Posted by: Dar ||
11/15/2006 13:23 ||
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Its bigger, easier to get out of and just a bit heavier but Corps officials say the new body armor vest will take care of Marines. Flash: a 360-degree look at the new vest
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 15 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan plans to send to the Security Council within 24 hours his plan for a special court to try suspects in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
The statement by U.N. chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric came a day after Lebanon's pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud, wrote Annan that the Lebanese government's approval of the plan had been illegitimate because he had not himself approved it.
Lahoud also said the Cabinet session that approved the draft was illegitimate. Six pro-Syrian opposition ministers, including all of the Shi'ite Muslims in government, did not attend the session.
But Dujarric told reporters, "We are moving on with the process and the secretary-general intends to submit his report to the Security Council within 24 hours."
The United States has called for quick Security Council action to approve the plan so the court can be set up quickly and be ready to start work once a U.N. inquiry identifies suspects in the case.
Five ministers from Shi'ite groups Hezbollah and Amal quit the Cabinet on Saturday when talks over giving the opposition a greater say in government collapsed.
A sixth minister, loyal to Lahoud, resigned on Monday before the Cabinet session.
Lahoud said the Monday Cabinet decision did not bind the Lebanese state, although he added he supported the idea of the tribunal, "but with regulations."
Emphasis added. 24 hours, eh? That leaves it up to Russia and China to expedite things. Their reaction should be interesting.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/15/2006 14:44 Comments ||
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#6
Say it ain't so
*throws up arms*
*rolls eyes*
Again, I've about come to the conclusion that we're gonna have to have an internal (civil) war in order to "clean our own house" before we can SERIOUSLY take on the jihadis. A house divided can not stand.
Posted by: BA ||
11/15/2006 15:20 Comments ||
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#2
Emperor Misha's category for the man is "President Milquetoast, useless swine". If he cannot bring himself to defend the United States from walking Mexicans there is little chance he will take on Iran and risk the wrath of Phrance.
I hope I am wrong. If this is the most belligerent leader we have got we need to start storing food and ammo for the coming suburban ground war.
#3
Lol. Fact check: Who's actually more useless, Bush or "Emperor Misha"?
As I see it, using his own scale of values, "useless swine" would be a step up for the Great Emperor.
Just another brave Blog-o-Spherian Opinion Mill - with all of the responsibilities and constraints that implies. In other words, he doesn't know shit, but he holds forth anyway.
#6
I gave up on Emperor Misha a long time ago and filed him away with a couple others in the "Bellicose Hand-wringers" category.
It's one thing to provide constructive criticism. Or aggressively promote a policy. Or expound vehemently on why something should be done one way, rather than the other. But his day-in, day-out, nonstop "President Milquetoast, useless swine" nonsense accomplishes nothing more than undermine support for the war, albeit from a somewhat different angle than Kos, DU and their ilk.
And it achieves EXACTLY the same result.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/15/2006 10:38 Comments ||
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#10
In WAR the rules change its all about the end result Who WINS. If you are weak look strong (so your enemy doesn't attack you when you will lose), when you are strong look weak (to draw your enemy into a fight he will lose).
Remember guys in March Bausher lights up and at that point on airstrikes are off the table. Their is no president going to sign off on a man-made chernobyl. March 07 is the point of no return. The next 4-5 months are going to be real interesting. And by the way GW2 started in Febuary 03. We will See.
#16
I'm just tired of this silliness. And the following sequence comes to mind, every time:
[nano-rant]
WTF is the major malfunction here?
People have been saying precisely the same half-brained / half-baked shit for over a year - maybe more. It prolly is easy to get caught up the drop-dead date game, I admit. So many sounded so "real". Well, lotsa drop-dead dates have come... and gone...
And here we are. They don't have the dire thingy. All there is is this endless repetitive stream of sure-fire blather - from DinnerJacket and from the Say Doom! types here.
Who'da thunk it?
Why Bush, that's who. Cuz he knows shit we don't. Prolly lots of stuff we don't.
#18
Well, if that's the case, DV, why don't we just do away with Ahmadinijad ASAP? That 2 birds/1 stone thingy....satisfy those blood-thirsty conservatives, AND the hard-core lefty greenies at the same time, lol!
Posted by: BA ||
11/15/2006 15:12 Comments ||
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#19
Or come to think of it, why doesn't President milquetoast just the Kyoto Protocol? I mean that would solve everything, right?
Posted by: BA ||
11/15/2006 15:13 Comments ||
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#20
"This is more a case of employing air power combined with limited ground forces."
US PRESIDENT George Bush has reassured Israel that America will not back away from its view that Iran and its nuclear program are a world threat, despite British Prime Minister Tony Blair suggesting Tehran and Syria could have a role in stabilising Iraq under "a new partnership".
He said that while his Administration was willing to discuss a way forward in relations, Iran must agree to verifiably suspend its uranium enrichment activities or face international isolation.
With Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at his side, Mr Bush continued his tough talk, saying a nuclear-armed Iran would not only threaten Israel but loom as an "incredibly destabilising" threat to the region and the world. He said that while his Administration was willing to discuss a way forward in relations, Iran must agree to verifiably suspend its uranium enrichment activities or face international isolation. Mr Bush's remarks come as his Administration is considering changing its policy in Iraq, after last week's Democratic election triumph that will give the party control of both houses of Congress next year.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
The Dems Congresional wins will probably be the greatest test for Dubya + his POTUS leadership skills - on one side, Amer faces the LT prospect of demands for US-only WORLDWIDE/GLOBAL FALLBACK-RETREAT; on the other is ever intensifying risk of dedicated, WMD-capable, new terror attacks against America under the PC/PDeniable guise of anti-US, anti-Dubya, "justified" retaliation, INCLUD ASSASSINATION DISGUISED AS TERROR. And he's gotta know that LEFT > ISOLATIONISM = SOCIALISM/GOVT-ISM, EMPIRE = SAME, MISTAKE/ERROR = SAME, OWG = GLOBAL SSR = USSA = SSR/USR = SAME, WOT > LIMITED TOTALITARIANISM vs FULL TOTALITARIANISM, etc. Dubya's place in history will be that much greater iff he = free America can deftly, wisely escape the Left's ninja TRAP(S) within a TRAP(S).
#3
This is a crippling disappointment for those of us who have supported Blair through the rest of his statist/"internationalist" nonsense.
Let us hope he is not saying what Bush is actually thinking. For all the President's tough talk the Iranians continue to make proxy war on the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel and continue to pay no price.
Posted by: BA ||
11/15/2006 14:53 Comments ||
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#6
Prime Minister Blair generally says what he believes, and he's a man of very focussed faith. I fear this is one of the idiotic things he believes in, like the necessity of Britain joining the United States of Europe, and the importance of respecting the human rights of armed housebreakers not to be hit by poker-armed homeowners.
Exactly three months after a UN-brokered cease-fire ended Israel's war in Lebanon, IDF officers told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that Hizbullah gunmen disguised as civilians were back on the border and collecting intelligence on IDF positions. Although 15,000 Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and 8,000 UNIFIL soldiers were deployed in southern Lebanon, between the border and the Litani River, the IDF said Hizbullah still had a presence in the area. "They [Hizbullah] are still there," an officer in the Northern Command said. "We are watching them and they are watching us."
Armed Hizbullah men, the officer said, were no longer along the border like it was before the war, when it maintained military outposts right next to Israel. But he said, the Hizbullah operatives lived in villages along the border and were spotted conducting surveillance on Israel. "They are there but they cannot operate freely like they used to," the officer said. "There is UNIFIL and the LAF there and this does complicate things for them."
UNIFIL rejected IDF allegations that Hizbullah guerrillas had returned to the border. The UN force's chief liaison officer, Col. Alexan Lalan, told the Post Tuesday that the IDF's actions, in particular the daily IAF flyovers, were strengthening Hizbullah and creating new militants for the Shi'ite group. "The flyovers harm the credibility of UNIFIL, the credibility of the LAF and the credibility of the state of Lebanon," Lalan said in a phone interview from his office in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura. "Every flyover creates new Hizbullah militants and new sympathy for Hizbullah since it shows and demonstrates that UNIFIL and the LAF are not powerful and able to stop them," Lalan said.
Following the cease-fire that went into effect on August 14, UNIFIL set up a liaison office in Northern Command headquarters in Safed and stationed several officers there. Lalan said the officers were responsible for maintaining a good "flow of information" between the IDF and UNIFIL.
UNIFIL also complained about the continued IDF presence in the northern part of the village of Ghajar, split in half by the border between Israel and Lebanon. The IDF has been in the Lebanese part of the village since the beginning of the war, saying it would only withdraw when it felt that UNIFIL and the Lebanese army had deployed effectively both inside the village and nearby. Ghajar was the scene of a thwarted Hizbullah attempt to kidnap IDF soldiers last year. "I cannot say when the IDF will withdraw from Ghajar but we hope it will be soon since it is important for the implementation of [Security Council] Resolution 1701," said Milos Strugar, a spokesman for the UN group and a civil affairs adviser to its commander, French Maj.-Gen. Alain Pellegrini.
Strugar could not confirm IDF claims that weapons were being smuggled into Lebanon from Syria - the justification for the continued IAF flyovers - but said Hizbullah was no longer present in UNIFIL's area of operations in southern Lebanon. "UNIFIL is not deployed along the border with Syria and therefore we do not know what happens there," he said. "In our area of operations, there is no physical presence of Hizbullah armed people, and on a few occasions UNIFIL came across weapons and [Hizbullah] assets and we informed the Lebanese army and they came and destroyed them."
The IDF officer said he thought the Lebanese army would prevent Hizbullah from taking up arms and returning to the border in the same numbers as before the war. "The Lebanese government does not want to repeat the events of this past summer," the officer said. "To ensure this they need to enforce their sovereignty in southern Lebanon."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Don't forget that there are French, German and Russian troops in Lebanon to ensure that Israel does nothing to prevent Iran hegemony in a country where Christians were a majority until recently.
#2
Oh, I son't think it's that specific, Sneaze Shaiting3550. Those who sent the French, German and Russian troops don't care who wins, so long as Israel loses.
#3
"The flyovers harm the credibility of UNIFIL, the credibility of the LAF and the credibility of the state of Lebanon,"
This particular flyover statement crashes and burns;....CREDIBILITY; capable of being believed. Worthy of belief or confidence, trustworthy.
Let the flyovers continue, case closed.
#4
The flyovers harm the credibility of UNIFIL, the credibility of the LAF and the credibility of the state of Lebanon
Pathetic. To begin with, UNIFIL has no credibility. Neither does the Lebanese "government(s)". Surreptitiously giving it "credibility" by making it the founding assumption of this accusation doesn't fly with me.
And, supposing there actually was some glimmer of credibility, the flyovers would just be showing that UNIFIL and the Lebanese "government(s)" are not doing their sacred duty. And people are going to die because of it. Can't have plausible deniability if the Israelis have evidence!
I think this may well be one of the reasons may be behaving in such a cooperative manner. Hopefully the evidence they gather ends up burying the UN once and for all.
#5
In other surprising news, the sun will come up tomorrow
Posted by: Weird Al ||
11/15/2006 19:16 Comments ||
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#6
In violation, blah blah blah. The UN works so hard to undermine civilization. High salaried wannabe diplomats. But the rubber never seems to meet the road. League of nations, 1938 - That is what you preside over, Kofi.
Hizbullah leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, vowed to press ahead with his group's campaign to replace the Lebanese government, saying Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's Cabinet had zero credibility after six ministers resigned, according to published reports Tuesday. Nasrallah, who has threatened to stage street demonstrations if Hizbullah's demand for a national unity government was ignored, also assured the Lebanese that there would be no new civil war as a result of mounting political tensions among the country's rival factions.
Nasrallah's remarks came a day after the government, defying the objections of the president and the resignations of six ministers, approved a UN plan for an international tribunal to try the suspected killers of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The vote dealt a blow to Hizbullah and its Shiite ally, the Amal Movement.
The two parties withdrew their five representatives from the government Saturday after the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority refused to meet their demand for a "national unity" Cabinet that would effectively give Hizbullah and its allies veto power over key decisions. A sixth minister, who is Christian and allied with the president, resigned Monday, citing similar objections.
Nasrallah said that after the resignations of its two ministers, Hizbullah has nothing to do with the government, promising to replace it with "a clean-handed government." The Hizbullah leader addressed about 6,000 people whose houses were destroyed in Beirut's southern suburbs by Israeli air strikes last summer. "This government will go, and we have nothing to do with it after the resignations. A new government will come," he was quoted as saying in the As-Safir newspaper, adding that the "credibility of the current government is zero."
Nasrallah has lashed out at Saniora's government, which is dominated by anti-Syrians, saying it was unable to rebuild the country from the devastation caused by the Israeli attacks in Beirut's southern suburbs and in eastern and southern Lebanon. "A clean-handed government will come and rebuild. We will not leave the people. As we have said on the first day of victory, we are committed to rebuild your houses and institutions with clean money. Hopefully, the reconstruction of the Dahiyeh (southern suburbs) will begin in three months," As-Safir quoted Nasrallah as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday said Iran would soon celebrate completion of its controversial nuclear fuel program. "With the wisdom and resistance of the nation, today our position has stabilized. I'm very hopeful that we will be able to hold the big celebration of Iran's full nuclearization in the current year," the hard-line president told reporters during a press conference. Iran's current calendar year ends on March 20. The hard-line president also claimed that international community was caving in to Tehran's demand for a nuclear program. He did not elaborate.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
Well,I Am glad that he thinks he is in charge of the world since everyone else has been useless at running the world. So glad anyone has stepped up to tell the world what to think and so glad that no one is left in the international "community" to challenge this.
And since you think he is a better lead on of the UN, I will expect you to face his Destiny, UN. ALL OF YOU.
Anyways, You want an attitude correction?
Fuck the entire world and iran FIRST.
Anything here, You be first.
It is amazing how mankind cannot recognize moral corruption at the highest level - yet still survive. If you do not know who the bad angels are, I dont care - follow that and follow them. No escape. You are running a death mill. Death is a Mankind entity.Never blame God for what you get.
#3
And not only are they caving in to our demands, brother islamists, but I am so bold as to tell the world to their faces what weaklings and cowards they are!
/Mahmoud A.
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/15/2006 6:18 Comments ||
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#4
Unfortunately, he's right - the world has grabbed its ankles.
#8
.com - so far yes. What have we done about it other than let the EUnucks take the lead? The only country with enough stones to do something is Israel because their backs are against the wall. No one else is feeling enough pain.
#9
Lessee, Spot. Proving negatives is always tricky business...
Perhaps it's a scheduling thingy. Perhaps your idea of the timeline differs from Bush's. I've been here in this precise position a dozen times with others - and I've heard folks say, more or less, that they get it and Bush doesn't. Funny, that. It implies you have more intel at your disposal than he does.
Sorry, I don't buy it. See the other story today about the Israeli Envoy to the US. See the tens of times Bush has made it plain, now - they will not be allowed to have nuke weapons.
Indeed, who to believe. Maybe Bush will do something maybe he won't. I don't trust him anymore. Besides, he is running out of time. Things have a way of going from "bad" to unrecoverable in the blink of an eye.
#12
That headline quote SHOULD make him known as the most arrogant leader of the world award. Will it?
Can anyone imagine reading such a quote as "The US president said, "the world is caving in to our demands?"
WHO needs the course in diplomacy?
Found this at the bottom link on the news page:
"Hamas won't recognize Israel even after a new national unity government takes power, the group said Tuesday, but suggested the emerging coalition would be free to stake out a more moderate position.
Hamas apparently hopes this ambiguity will allow it to preserve its anti-Israel ideology but open the door to an easing of crippling international sanctions, imposed to pressure the current, Hamas-led government to moderate."
And that comment is certainly the runner up for most arrogant comments from a political leader. Will we cave to such jihadi arrogance and trickery?
Can anyone imagine reading such a quote as "The US president said, "we won't recognize Palestine?"
Every American is watching what our government chooses to do. I pray they choose correctly.
#14
Jules - I'm not sure that they will. Bush so far has refused to retaliate against Iran and Syria for blatant arming of the insurgency in Iraq. Barbara Lerner has an excellent article today in NRO. Well worth the read as she looks back on Rumsfeld's tenure as SecDef. He asked repeatedly to take action against Syria. Bush refused. Michael Ledeen has argued for years that this is a regional war, not a war in Iraq. I'm not sure that Bush has the guts to do what needs to be done, and now that congress will be openly hostile, he's not going to get approval to expand the war, as the dems have already said that they want out in 4-6 months.
Posted by: ET ||
11/15/2006 11:17 Comments ||
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#15
"I'm not sure that Bush has the guts to do what needs to be done..."
But you're implying he doesn't.
Y'know, though he'd be strung up for it, Bush could whack Iran, as has been described here numerous, no make that countless, times on his National Security Authority alone. There'd be hell to pay, but he could do it. And you know what" He's said as much on many occasions.
#16
The point, .com, is that the US hasn't attached Iran and Lord knows we've had enough provocation for the last 27 years or so. When we do I will cheer, but until then I remain skeptical. As for Bush knowing more than us, I sure as hell hope so.
Y'know, though he'd be strung up for it, Bush could whack Iran, as has been described here numerous, no make that countless, times on his National Security Authority alone.
What's the downside? I say - GO FOR BROKE.
Posted by: ET ||
11/15/2006 11:41 Comments ||
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#18
I've signed off on the topic, but you've been a rock-solid Rantburger forever, so I'll respond...
Cool, bro. I hear you, honest. Yes, from my shoes, I wanted more. From my reality, I expected more. I dunno what he knows. That's his gig. If he blows it, the world will never be the same - it will devolve into shit. I have to believe that he knows this - cuz it really really obvious and, well hell, he's said it. So I think he'll do the heavy lifting and everyone will be surprised... for a minute or two. Then they'll say he shoulda done it sooner. And he shoulda done it this way, not that way. And he shoulda done some other shit, too. And what about my hangnail, eh? Why haven't you fixed that, slacker?
#22
Spot on, when Bush attacks Iran, I will cheer too, but that's the problem. We are in the minority. Most Americans will be agast and the media will screem that Bush is starting another unilateral war without and provocation.
Bush knows he is president of all the people, so will he ever attack ?
Only time will tell, but I am certain that it will not be a popular move. I suspect most would pull the borders covers up over their heads and pretend its not happening.
#24
regarding #18 - that's my thoughts exactly. What worries me is that Bush is just a man. If you think this irritates you and me, then think how he feels. I imagine he just shakes his head sometimes and wonders why he puts up with it.
I'm hoping that not having to coddle the fat, bloated, Republicans in the house and senate will actually be a release for him that allows him more flexability than less. But then I know that I'm probably dreaming.
He's a good guy and I don't think he will just back off and let us down. He's got that cowboy in him. I hope he doesn't let us down - but he's all we got now. We might as well cheer for him.
#25
Like many here I think that Bush should have told Syria and Iran in no uncertain terms to butt out of Iraq or else. When they ignored that threat, as the president knew they would, he should have bombed military installations in these countries as an escalated warning to their further involvement. This would be fighting the war seriously. Again, I am stating the obvious to many here.
But does this past inaction presuppose inaction when Iran goes fully nuclear? Perhaps not. At that point Iran does become a direct threat to the US, Europe and obviously Israel. I think /hope that force will be used at that point and all of Achmadinnerjacket's arrogant bloviating will be used as the justification.
But it is all pure speculation. President Busha has tried, in perhaps an overly sensitive manner, to bring freedom and opportunity to 25 million people. That is a noble effort and he is a noble man. Will that nobility be combined with grit to forestall a nuclear Iran. I believe it will.
#26
How many people here who are bashing Bush for inaction on Iran have gone out into the public and begun spreading support for such an attack?
I've made my commitment here to defend Bush, even if I have to demonstrate in the streets to protest any impeachment attempts for him nailing Iran. I've also carried this message to my friends and people I meet on the street. How many of you have worked to spread a similar message?
Imagine how hogtied the man must feel. I could hardly blame him if he initiated any attack on Iran five minutes before he left office so that the democrats could not impeach him for it.
I have to go with .com on this one. Unlike any president for the last several decades, Bush has pointed out what he thinks are active sources of evil in this world and then acted against them. That's a hell of a lot better than any of his predecessors. In light of that proactive posture, we need to take Bush at his word that he will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.
Do not forget that history will judge Bush very harshly if he should fail to act against Iran on his watch. He knows and we know that should a democrat be seated in the Oval Office next time around, there will be no action at all. Bush cannot possibly be unaware of the massive obligation that rests upon his shoulders with respect to this crisis. I do not envy the man.
I may not like other aspects of Bush's policies, especially here at home but, impatient as I might be myself, I refuse to horsewhip him just because he's not meeting my own timetable.
If all of you are serious about wanting Iran to be taken off line, GET OUT AND START SHIFTING PUBLIC OPINION.
#27
I'm listening, .com. Persuade me to your point of view. Tell me why and how later is better, or how it is even seen as the point? For me, it isn't so much 'timing' as 'what'. Bloggers' inquiries about this deadly serious matter aren't parallel to complaining about hangnails. I think our hashing it out could be useful.
I am not one of those who sees Bush as the embodiment of evil, though I disagree with him on a number of issues. Nor do I fail to appreciate the incredible amount of pressure Bush is dealing with, and the very poor options left. The world is slacking off on carrying its weight of human responsibility, and Iran is just one example of that.
Nor am I proposing that lurching to nukes rather than other options is best. Maybe something else is possible.
#28
As one of the lighter weight 'burgers around here, I'll back up .com on this one. Thus far (at least in the War on Terror Islamofascism), Bush has backed up every one of his threats with action. He's said NUMEROUS times that Iran can NOT be allowed to have nukes. I believe he'll back that up. How? I have no clue; When? It's not my timeline to produce. But, in this aspect (again WoIF), he's been 100% up front and honest with what he's gonna do (which is what drives the beltway Donks mad...can't stand a straight-shootin' plain-English speaker).
Posted by: BA ||
11/15/2006 14:50 Comments ||
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#29
I'm with .com here, too. Personally I wish Bush had done more visible stuff against Syria and Iran, but, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE KNOWS!!
This is the perfect example of why you have to vote for character NOT issues, except as they represent character.
You can neve know what issues are going to become critical at the time of your vote. You just have to vote for the one that you feel can deal the best with whatever comes up.
If I believed in such stuff I would pray for Bush. I can't imagine the pressure he is under but I'm sure that it's incredible. This situation is far more fraught, complex and dangerous than anything Saint Ronnie faced. The only thing I can think to compare it to is Truman and Korea and the nuke or no nuke, McArthur or no McArthur questions.
Hizbullah leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, said Tuesday his group has already transferred 300 million dollars to Lebanese residents whose homes were damaged during the Lebanon war this summer, Israel Radio reported. Nasrallah added that the funds had come from Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
And according to various MIL FORUMS the Hizzies also gave RUSSIA a lot of $$$.
Syria welcomes the suggestion that the United States might seek its help to stabilise Iraq and is waiting to see whether Washington will open the way for talks with Damascus, a government daily said on Tuesday. Syria is ready for dialogue with the United States to achieve security and stability ... and extends its hands sincerely as always waiting for a response. The ball is in their court, an editorial in Tishreen said. Statements on the need for dialogue with Syria and how to start addressing the problems of the region as a whole are interesting, Tishreen said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
The moment we didn't go on and smash Syria in the fall of 2003 was when things started to go wrong. A crushed, shattered, and unoccupied Syria in the full throes of civil war would have been ugly, but a magnet for every bit of bile that pooled in Iraq instead. It could have been a negative object lesson for the Iraqis, and attracted most of the bad actors who we ended up dealing with in Anbar instead.
Too late now, alas.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
11/15/2006 8:46 Comments ||
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Six major UN powers wound up another exploratory meeting on Monday on proposed sanctions against Tehran for refusing to suspend nuclear fuel work and agreed to meet again on Wednesday (today) after their experts tackle technical issues. We had a general exchange of views on a number of key difficult issues and we agreed to (have) our experts see whether we can come to agreement to clear those areas, Chinas UN Ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters after the 90-minute meeting at Frances UN mission in New York.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/15/2006 00:00 ||
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"In the 33-day war, the Lebanese Hizbullah destroyed at least 50% of Israel [and therefore] half the path to the liberation of Jerusalem equals 33 days. Now, only (at most) 50% of the path [to Israel's destruction] remains. This remaining 50% is easier than the 50% that was already accomplished.....
"According to this description, just as in one 33-day war more than 50% of Israel was destroyed ...it is likely that in the next battle, the second half will also collapse.
Expect this level of mathematics at a university near you soon: "If a mullah has both bollocks the same size, why is one smaller than the other?"
Answer: Because 33 days is nearly a half of some years. (What)? Correct.
If they going to spout shit, at least they could try to get it to make sense.
#4
Except that Israel started rebuilding immediately the shelling stopped -- properly, of course, not that shoddy work that isn't much happening on the Hizb'allah side of the border. So when Hizb'allah starts again, they'll be starting from the beginning, not from half way. And this time the Israelis have been watching closely as Hizb'allah emplaced the newly imported weapons, so the return fire should be even more effective...
They went to state run TV, and the "mainstream" Arab media over in the ME, and broguht back the stuff our press refuses to take seriously.
Childrens cartoons lauding children who become homocide bombers.
And the REAL words spoken by Iranian, etc, leadership about the destruction of the west and Israel, and thier true fanaticism -- and thier intent on establishing the Caliphate with Baghdad as the capitol.
#1
Thanks OS, I would never have turned to CNN, ever. Guess they will get me for an hour today.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
11/15/2006 17:25 Comments ||
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#2
Yep thats why I posted. Normally neve bother with Ted turner's propaganda network, but somehow Beck managed to slip one past them.
That'll teach em - them thar conservatives is dam sneaky! they'll sneak that truth right outto the regular folks without our eleite guidance to tell them what to think first.
#3
It's on CNN's Headline News , not the main CNN channel. On the main channel they're blithering on about politics -- the 2008 presidential candidates, the attempt to bribe Murtha back in the 1980s, all the stuff that should have been reported before Election Day. Good stuff -- Mr. Beck is asking all the right questions in the bit I've seen; I'll have to wait until 9 pm to see the part I missed while watching the other channel.
#4
Not bad, now that the donks will actually have to come up with a plan they will start to educate, read pull their heads from the sand, and explain the realities of this war on the MSMs. If this ran before the election...
snark
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
11/15/2006 19:54 Comments ||
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#5
Yep - funny they should wait until a week AFTER the election to show how serious and pervasive the threat of violent Islamic fundamentalism is.
This will be ereun this weekend.
Highly recommend people that havent seen it to tune in.
Yes, this is CNN - but this time its actually honest unbiased reporting.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Afghan and NATO security forces have recently rounded up several men like Hafiz Daoud Shah, a 21-year-old unemployed Afghan refugee who says he drove across the border to Afghanistan in September in a taxi with three other would-be suicide bombers, according to a New York Times article. 
BRUSSELS - European Union countries agreed on Tuesday to send a fact-finding team to Afghanistan to study whether to answer NATOs call to train the countrys police force, EU diplomats said. But they said a training mission would only be launched if the EU could play a meaningful role, while also tempering expectations of a major operation.
The convicted terrorist son of jailed radical Muslim preacher 
Washington, DC) -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi, urging the soon-to-be House Speaker to reject Florida Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings for the chairmanship of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Multiple press reports suggest Hastings may assume the chairmanship with Pelosis approval when the new Congress convenes in January. 
President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Monday denied that his country was responsible for the survival of the Taliban. There is trans-border cooperation in militant activities, with the base in Afghanistan but support from Pakistan. We need to isolate the two, and deal with whatever is happening from Pakistan on our side, while the main action will have to be taken in Afghanistan to counter militancy, Musharraf told a British TV channel. 
The army has been using the roof of a Palestinian home in Hebron and has commandeered the entire top floor of the building without authorization from the military commander for the past five years, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) has charged in a letter to head of Central Command Maj.-Gen. Ya'ir Naveh and West Bank legal adviser Col. Ya'ir Lotstein. The four-story building is owned by a doctor, Taisir Zahada, and houses three families and Zahada's clinic. 
A senior Arab League official on Tuesday criticized the so-called "Quartet" of Mideast peacemakers for failing to promote peace between the Arabs and Israel. Ahmed Beni Heli's remarks came a day before representatives of "Quartet" the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations - meet in Cairo to investigate efforts to restart the deadlocked Mideast peace. "Regrettably, it has failed to play any role and was prevented to advance the peace process," said Ben Heli. Ben Heli, the undersecretary-general of the Cairo-based league, said the "Quartet's failure to stand up to the Israeli attempts to abort all peace initiatives" was part of the reason it's failed to bring peace to the region.
Its bigger, easier to get out of and just a bit heavier but Corps officials say the new body armor vest will take care of Marines. 
Exactly three months after a UN-brokered cease-fire ended Israel's war in Lebanon, IDF officers told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that Hizbullah gunmen disguised as civilians were back on the border and collecting intelligence on IDF positions. Although 15,000 Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and 8,000 UNIFIL soldiers were deployed in southern Lebanon, between the border and the Litani River, the IDF said Hizbullah still had a presence in the area. "They [Hizbullah] are still there," an officer in the Northern Command said. "We are watching them and they are watching us." 
Hizbullah leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, vowed to press ahead with his group's campaign to replace the Lebanese government, saying Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's Cabinet had zero credibility after six ministers resigned, according to published reports Tuesday. Nasrallah, who has threatened to stage street demonstrations if Hizbullah's demand for a national unity government was ignored, also assured the Lebanese that there would be no new civil war as a result of mounting political tensions among the country's rival factions. 
Six major UN powers wound up another exploratory meeting on Monday on proposed sanctions against Tehran for refusing to suspend nuclear fuel work and agreed to meet again on Wednesday (today) after their experts tackle technical issues. We had a general exchange of views on a number of key difficult issues and we agreed to (have) our experts see whether we can come to agreement to clear those areas, Chinas UN Ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters after the 90-minute meeting at Frances UN mission in New York.
