Somalias powerful Islamists accused the United States on Friday of seeking to divide their movement by claiming it had been taken over by Al Qaeda militants. The Islamists, who are girding for all-out war with the weak Ethiopian-backed Somali government, said Washington was carrying out a smear campaign to split the movement and hurt its popularity. I confess. It was me. I dunnit an' I'm glad!
America wants to divide us by saying some of us are Al Qaeda operatives, said Sheikh Abdurahim Ali Muddey, the spokesman for the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS). We have no hardliners ... and America is just intending to derail stability in Somalia, Muddey said. We have only one motive and that is we want our country safe and at peace. "No matter how many people we have to bump off..."
His comments came a day after the United States blamed the Islamists for undermining efforts to avert a major conflict in Somalia and suggested that an east Africa cell of Osama bin Ladens terror network had seized control of the movement. US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said the development had dimmed hopes of clinching a negotiated settlement to the current crisis.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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Yeah? And what do you plan to do about it, goat-boy?
#3
Nope, not sowing divisions yet. They're all either in Afghanistan or Iraq, or on rotation home. But eventually we'll free some up and/or enlarge the Army.
The African Union has called on the Sudanese government to "immediately disarm" the pro-government Janjawid militias in Darfur region or face sanctions. This was disclosed by the deputy head of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS), Monique Mukaruliza, after a meeting of the Joint Ceasefire Commission on Darfur in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday. She said: "We understand from the report that was presented by the AMIS commander, the Sudanese government continues to arm the Janjawid."
The AU's Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council would enforce the sanctions, a text agreed at the meeting stated. "The meeting decided that where violations had clearly been proven to have taken place, punitive measures including sanctions should be taken against the violators." The commission examined "15 confirmed and documented cases of ceasefire violations by signatories and non-signatories of the peace accords" in Abuja and "decided to punish the violators", the AU statement said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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Killing Muslim jihadis is the best way to disband them.
Residents of the town housing Somalia's interim government are stocking up provisions as troops test weaponry before a feared attack by the Council of Islamic Courts. Islamic Courts fighters have threatened to attack Baidoa if Ethiopian troops protecting the government do not leave by Tuesday.
Hassan Aweys, the Islamic Courts leader, said on Friday his movement did not plan to attack the Horn of Africa's interim government but only "invading" Ethiopian troops. He said: "We do not intend to attack the government, but at the same time we are obliged to attack Ethiopians. "Our country has been invaded by Ethiopia ... we should have thrown them out a long time ago."
Abdullahi Yusuf, Somalia's president, reacted by saying that peace talks with the Islamic Courts, who took Mogadishu in June and expanded across most of south Somalia since, are no longer an option, warning that the group is "allowing al-Qaeda terrorists to set up shop in the Horn of Africa". He said: "This is a new chapter and part of the terror group's plan to wage war against the West."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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BRUSSELS/LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair defended on Friday a decision to halt a corruption inquiry into a multi-billion-pound defence deal with Saudi Arabia, but analysts questioned his argument that vital national security interests were at stake.
The decision to scrap the two-year corruption inquiry followed reports that Saudi Arabia had warned Britain it might cancel an order for 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from BAE Systems BA.L over the probe into past dealings involving Saudi officials and people working on behalf of BAE.
If we had allowed this to go forward, we would have done immense damage to the interests of this country, Blair told reporters in Brussels where he was attending an EU summit. Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is vitally important for our country in terms of counter-terrorism, in terms of the broader Middle East, in terms of helping in respect of Israel-Palestine, and that strategic interest comes first.
The Serious Fraud Office said in a statement it had decided to drop the inquiry after receiving representations concerning the need to safeguard national and international security. Blair said those arguments were paramount, quite apart from the billions of pounds and thousands of highly skilled British jobs at stake in the deal.
But the opposition Liberal Democrats accused the government of caving in to blackmail by Saudi Arabia.
That's about right.
Some security analysts challenged the governments argument that British national security was at stake. Its just nonsense ... Its actually worse than nonsense, its an extremely cynical use of security justifications for another purpose, said a consultant who asked to remain anonymous because of the political and commercial sensitivity of the issue.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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Tony has much more important things to occupy his time. Blair: Coming days crucial for ME peace
British PM to visit Egypt, Israel, the PA and the UAE over the next few days.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/16/2006 8:24 Comments ||
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Christ, he's got to squash this ASAP. If he allows any probing, BAE goes down. His "gifts" from the Sauds are in jeopardy. This discussion must be closed fast. The French understand.
#4
I think it may be time for Lockheed-Martin to open a can of WTO whipass on Blair; just cite something about subsidies and all as causing L-M to lose the sale of F-16/ F-22 to the UK. Let the WTO squirm about and if they happen to 'find' something, then Blair can still say that it wasn't his fault. And there is still time to revise the software in the JSF so they just happen to fall out of the sky at the most inopportune time.
Russian authorities have expelled a Christoph Wanner, a reporter for Deutsche Welle, from the conflict-wracked republic as he was working on a report about a German aid organization. Wanner had been taken into custody on Thursday, accused of working without the required oversight by Russian authorities. He had been in Chechnya working on a report for Deutsche Welle television, DW-TV, highlighting the reconstruction work being carried out by German aid groups, particularly the Hammer Forum, an organization which offers medical assistance for children in war-torn regions and build hospitals.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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North Korea may stage a second nuclear weapons test to strengthen its hand during upcoming negotiations on scrapping its nuclear programme, South Koreas new defence minister warned Friday. Kim Jang-Soo, a former army chief of staff, ordered the 650,000-strong military to step up combat-readiness to deter possible aggression from the North, the defence ministry said. We have to be thoroughly prepared to counter the possibility of a second or third nuclear test by North Korea and a possible hostile act by it in the process of negotiations over its nuclear weapons programme, Kim said in a written order to his troops. The six-nation nuclear talks are set to resume in Beijing on Monday, 13 months after the North walked out. They involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. The North staged its first nuclear test on October 9, sparking international condemnation and United Nations sanctions.
I don't believe they can do it. Show us little man. You'll have to do five or six and I won't believe any of 'em. Keep testing til you run out.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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Japan on Friday created a full-fledged Defence Ministry for the first time since World War II, when the United States stripped the defeated country of its right to a military. The upper house voted by a majority, with support from the main opposition Democratic Party, to create the defence agency. The lower house had earlier passed the bill, meaning it becomes law, a parliamentary official said. Post-war Japan has had a Defence Agency with lower standing than full-fledged ministries as the 1947 constitution declared the country to be pacifist. Despite calling its troops the Self-Defence Forces, Japan has one of the worlds biggest military budgets at 4.81 trillion yen (41.6 billion dollars) a year.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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On the one hand, timetable for Japan/China hostilities is guesstimated as 5 years or under.
On the other hand, World War II is clearly remembered, the Japanese are not the nice polite fiction portrayed.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/16/2006 8:29 Comments ||
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At this point we need to take any ally who is prepared to fight. Japan in one of its twenty year manic phases will get very ugly it is true. But that ugliness may be a better defense of civilization than the soft hands of Belgium or (spit) France.
#8
I think the more important facet of this is the schools being required to teach patriotisim. We won't see the effects of this for a while, but when we do, look for a much more agressive Japan.
#9
We're in a big poker game, so ya gotta play your cards well. Japan becomes our ace to relieve pressure from China's threat. When Japan stands up, ChiComs and even Putin will be forced to rethink their entire scenario. There is no way in hell Chinese can ignore a rearmed Japan. They know, that unlike mere US bluster, a false move with Japan will have real consequences.
#11
While I agree with the "Trust, but verify" attitudes here, I think a re-armed Japan is nothing but good for us. They look to us for a market, have been "pacified" for over 50 years now, and would make a GREAT counter to China and NKor. When India jumps in our boat too, watch all the Chicom's sphincters tighten (Pooty-Poot's too). I'm just about sick and tired of all the "under the table" shiite going on between China and Russia and the rest of our enemies (Iran, N Korea, heck, even though they're not our "enemy", Zimbobwe too). We need to start gettin allies in their neck of the woods to start "actin' up" too. Keeps them pre-occupied on their own back yard.
Posted by: BA ||
12/16/2006 21:15 Comments ||
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And talks with Norks about nukes start Monday. Wonder what the Japanese have up their sleeve for that.
BRUSSELS - The European Union accused Iran and Syria on Friday of destabilising the Middle East just as the United States is contemplating whether to talk to Tehran and Damascus in an effort to end violence in Iraq.
In a significant hardening of the 25-nation blocs tone, EU leaders charged that Iran was harming security in the region with its nuclear programme and threats towards Israel. The European Council expresses its concern about the negative impact of Iranian policies on stability and security in the Middle East, a summit statement said. It also condemned Irans questioning of the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews.
That oughta do it.
They also told Syria to stop interfering in Lebanon if it wanted normal relations with the international community.Syria must end all interference in Lebanese internal affairs and actively engage in the stabilisation of Lebanon and the region, the leaders said.
Rather obvious that they don't, isn't it?
The EU declaration on Iran reflected disillusion after three years of fruitless negotiations between Europes three leading powers -- Britain, France and Germany -- and Iran on the Islamic Republics nuclear programme, which the West suspects is aimed at developing atomic weapons. Talks collapsed in October when Iran rejected U.N. requests demands that it suspend uranium enrichment activities that it says are for civilian energy purposes.
The statement on Lebanon reflected a victory for the hard line advocated by French President Jacques Chirac over countries such as Italy and Germany that support dialogue with Damascus. In remarks to the summit distributed to journalists, Chirac condemned what he called a destabilisation offensive against the elected government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Chirac will next take on the Danish herring industry in a real battle of equals.
Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi noted differences within the EU over how to deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. If Europe were united, it would be stronger in the world, he told reporters.
If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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Downloaded it. Some good ideas, but loads of hearts and minds stuff that won't work where an occupier stands between warring sects. And they favor "deterrent patrols" vs the search and destroy tactics that skull fu*ked the Viet Cong. They put intelligence recruitment on a walk-in basis, when carrot and stick is a better idea. The trick is to make the enemy think both that their hold on support is tenuous, and that they are vulnerable.
I like the jargon: HN = Host Nation AO = Area of Operation COIN = Counter Insurgency CMO = Civil Military Operations OSINT = Open Source Intelligence HUMINT = Human Source Intelligence
As for "deterrent" patrols, the FM (Field Manual) writers recommend that two-thirds of forces be on patrol, 24-7. Brutal! Terror cells operate within short time frames. They can also play passive, if not supportive. Deterrence effect is limited. In the FM words, I would conduct CMOs to the end of HUMINT, and then air attack terror cells, using HN troops to mop up and gather locals for investigative detention.
Please keep these steps in mind:
1- Deploy snipers on the rooftops of buildings that lie close to the main entry points for each area.
2- Prepare positions for medium weapons at a distance from the entry point, and make pincers with sniper and PKC fire. When you choose a position, make sure you can retreat to alternate positions from it, in case the enemy overruns the area (do not choose a building that is not adjacent to another, or use ropes to quickly slide down the building).
3- RPG carriers should maintain their positions on side streets and take cover behind barriers. Do not fire just for the sake of it (attack the first and last vehicle).
4- Create heavy fire density to force the enemy to take cover, and then eliminate them by sniper fire.
5- Provide hand grenades and distribute them to the Mujahideen.
6- Fighters with light weapons should always change positions, fire from different angles and not stay at one place.
7- Prepare and plant roadside bombs on the entrance to every area.
8- Bomb the gathering locations for the army of filthy Muqtada.
9- Prepare a special group to deal with any breach, and it should be armed with RPGs, PKC machine guns and KIA vehicles.
10- Plan ambushes and lure the enemy by using bait vehicles that they chase to be dragged into the killing zone.
#2
from Jawa's comment section: "That Reuters photo is the best of the group. It really illustrates the F-35's ability to attack ambulances and garbage dumps".
Posted by: Mike ||
12/16/2006 6:45 Comments ||
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Ship,
Ya got 'em reversed - the -38 was the best. :)
The 20FW here at Shaw AFB is supposed to be the first to get that beast when they start turning them loose, and I plan to be there for the ceremony. Also, a little bit of trivia - there was a movement at LM to name the -22 the Lightning, but the USAF leadership shot it down. However a few coffee mugs managed to escape and I was able to latch onto one. Drove some pilots I knew crazy.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/16/2006 7:17 Comments ||
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Who knows Mike. I've heard some RAF pilots were still pining for their old Lightnings years after changing over to the Typhoon. Power-to-weight ratio difference I guess.
Agreed. My wife's great-uncle flew one (I don't know the model) in the 82nd FG in WWII. He had three confirmed kills and two probables and some more possibles in two months of combat with that bird. He made the ultimate sacrifice on Christmas Day of 1943 in the skies over Italy.
My father-in-law flew P-8's in Italy during the war also. He was an instructor in the states for a while before he got shipped over. It's possible he instructed your Wife's GrUncle.
I was always a big fan of the P-38 from when I was a kid. Long before I ever met my wife. Range, Firepower, Stability and Survivability. It was the unsung workhorse of WWII.
I have a picture of one in a book somewhere that flew through a telephone pole during a low level strafing mission. The out-board wing was bent nearly vertical and that beast still managed to fly all the way home.
Posted by: DanNY ||
12/16/2006 13:12 Comments ||
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I've got a copy of "Forked-Tail Devil", the most authoritative book about the P-38 in print. It's a great read - covering not only the wartime prowess of the P-38, but its teething problems and developmental woes as well. I hope the F-35 doesn't have such problems.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/16/2006 14:59 Comments ||
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I have a picture of one in a book somewhere that flew through a telephone pole during a low level strafing mission. The out-board wing was bent nearly vertical and that beast still managed to fly all the way home.
I remember reading that story. God, what a plane. God, what pilots.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/16/2006 15:01 Comments ||
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The P-38 remains one of my all time favorite propeller driven aircraft, with Northrup's P-61 Black Widow rating a close second. According to legend, the Japanese were terrified of "one pilot flying two planes".
Its fair to say that [the President] is faced - the country is faced - with a situation in which, because of the nature of the struggle and the fact that it is not well-understood by the American people, the president has the task of managing and maintaining sufficient support for the things he believes are necessary for our countrys safety. He has to take into account the reality that only if we persevere do we have an opportunity to succeed. The penalties and consequences of failure are so dire for the country that he has to recognize the center of gravity of this struggle, [which,] while to some extent is in the Middle East, is [also], in a very real sense, here in the United States of America. He has to take that into account in reviewing and considering the variety of proposals and suggestions he has received.
If you ask me my view, it is that the military cant lose, but the military cant win alone. It requires political solutions. Theyve got to have reconciliation. They simply have to take a series of steps that theyve not yet sufficiently taken. Set aside World War I and set aside World War II. Think more of the Cold War.
At any given moment during the Cold War, which lasted 50 years, you couldnt say if you were winning or losing. The Civil War, as well. There arent straight and smooth paths. There are bumpy roads. Its difficult. The enemy has a brain. Theyre constantly making adjustments. Think of the faces of the Cold War when Euro-communism was in vogue, and people were demonstrating by the millions against the United States, not against the Soviet Union. And yet, over time, people found the will - both political parties and Western European countries - to persist in a way that ultimately led to victory.
The circumstance we are in today is more like that than it is like World War II. People are going to have to get more familiar with that idea. Its not a happy prospect. There are people in the world who are determined to destabilize modern Muslim regimes and re-establish a caliphate across the globe, and anyone who wants to know about it can go on the Internet and read their own words and what their intent is. Theyre deadly. Theyre not going to surrender. Theyre going to have to be captured or killed. Theyre going to have to be dissuaded; people are going to have to be dissuaded from supporting them, from financing them and assisting in their recruitment, providing havens for them.
Were in an environment where we have to fight and win a war where the enemy is in countries we are not at war with. That is a very complicated thing to do. It doesnt happen fast.
#1
Winston Churchill he isn't but I'll readily concede Rumsfeld's moral authority to cite him.
Set aside World War I and set aside World War II. Think more of the Cold War.
At any given moment during the Cold War, which lasted 50 years, you couldnt say if you were winning or losing.
I debate this because of the incredible technological superiority that America (specifically) has always enjoyed and freely contributed to the fray. In Sir John Hackett's book, "The Third World War" (the non-fiction version), he accurately predicted a 10:1 kill ratio in NATO versus Soviet jet aircraft dogfights. We always had an advantage, despite Stalin's "quantity has a quality all its own" attitude. Lack of education in both our politicians and the general population was responsible for any perceived weakness.
Think of the faces of the Cold War when Euro-communism was in vogue, and people were demonstrating by the millions against the United States, not against the Soviet Union. And yet, over time, people found the will - both political parties and Western European countries - to persist in a way that ultimately led to victory.
Here again I dispute his version only because it seems like dumb luck prevailed in how even European opinion finally militated to an anti-communist position.
Of course, it wasn't dumb luck. It was America's military-industrial complex doing what it does best. Namely, evolving an entire suite of war-fighting technology that few, if any, nations on this earth could duplicate. For the nonce, we'll gloss over how our constitutional freedoms of religion, speech and right to bear arms had anything to do with this.
There are people in the world who are determined to destabilize modern Muslim regimes and re-establish a caliphate across the globe ...
A little too much an admixture of the old Religion of Peace [spit] Kool-Aid for my tastes, but Rumsfeld has to toe certain lines I don't.
Theyre deadly. Theyre not going to surrender. Theyre going to have to be captured or killed.
Here the man is spot on. No catch and release, no quarantine, no isolationism will suffice. Incarcerate or kill. Guess which is more expensive in the long run?
Theyre going to have to be dissuaded; people are going to have to be dissuaded from supporting them, from financing them and assisting in their recruitment, providing havens for them.
And from all indications, this will not happen without massive death tolls. exJAG summarised this with breathtaking clarity in the "Let the Muslims fight it out" thread with her observation that:
Our unwillingness to kill 40,000 in one night of bombing, is, in large part, why the need to arises more often. All this "enlightened, humane" stuff overlooks the fact that mass casualties are the point. By eliminating it, we remove the enemy's disincentive to make war.
So, it appears they'll have to nuke us out of the illusion that wars can be won without really hurting anyone.
Were in an environment where we have to fight and win a war where the enemy is in countries we are not at war with.
One of the very few and correct Vietnam analogies.
That is a very complicated thing to do.
Unfortunately, too complex for the vast majority of American voters and other decision-makers involved in this life-and-death struggle with the the most pathological enemy we have faced since the Soviets (excepting, maybe, the Chinese communists).
#3
If you ask me my view, NO ONE DID! THEY WERE ONLY LOOKING FOR YOUR SOLUTIONS! it is that the military cant lose, but the military cant win alone. YES IT CAN, TURN IT LOSE! It requires political solutions. Theyve got to have reconciliation. They simply have to take a series of steps that theyve not yet sufficiently taken. Set aside World War I and set aside World War II. Think more of the Cold War.
Yep, we've got it. Anyone living outside the beltway is a marooooon. His "I told you so you dumb a**es" book will no doubt, be out soon. When will he go away?
#6
Yes, democraticization hasn't worked in the Middle East. Yes, someone is to blame. Yes, I will point the finger...at the stinking Muslim herd who refuse to join the civilized world.
We write off broken lawn-mowers and washing machines; why not write off broken societies. I am all for occupying the Strait of Hormuz and making it a Muslim free zone. Yes, I have had a few beers already.
I think we'll like 2007 better than this stinking year. In the last week, the media sums up the year. Other than Evangeline Lilly, I can't think of anything good; even "Curb Your Enthusiasm" started to blow. 2006 Sucks!
#8
Glad you fun boys weren't around in December 1864. You certainly wouldn't add much to the year end party at the White House.
I received orders to move against Colonel Thomas Harris, who was said to be encamped at the town of Florida, some twenty-five miles south of were we then were Harris had been encamped in a creek bottom for the sake of being near water. The hills on either side of the creek extended to a considerable height, possibly more than a hundred feet. As we approached the brow of the hill from which was expected we could see Harris camp, and possibly find his men ready formed to meet us, my heart kept getting higher and higher until it felt to me as though it was in my throat. I would have given anything then to have been back in Illinois, but I had not the moral courage to halt and consider what to do; I kept right on. When we reached a point from which the valley below was in full view I halted. The place where Harris had been encamped a few days before was still there and the marks of recent encampment were plainly visible, but the troops were gone. My heart resumed its place. It occurred to me at once that Harris had been as much afraid of me as I had been of him. This was a view of the question I had never taken before; but it was one I never forgot afterwards. From that event to the close of the war, I never experienced trepidation upon confronting an enemy, though I always felt more or less anxiety. I never forgot that he had as much reason to fear my forces as I had his. I never forgot that lesson. Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant
Do people comprehend that the only source of a 'good' year that the enemy has is in what happens internal to the politics of their enemy? They must rely upon others for their victory. They are dependent upon others to supply their means of operation. They are unable to create nothing much other than with the limited means to inflict casualties upon us less than we lose every month on our highways. They are bleeding their manpower in the tens of thousands. Their network of finance becomes subject to exposure and attack everyday. They can not win a war of attrition or of time. They are in a desperate gamble hoping that the imagery of America as portrayed in the popular media is correct, which you disprove everyday here. Their hand is weak and only appears strong because of their bluff and the bluff provided by literally their agents in the MSM. And those in the MSM are suffering only second to the enemy as their credibility reaches new lows everyday. They are losing the monopoly once enjoyed over the flow of information. It's broken. The truth is being spoken to power. This technology is making it possible. Your voices are part of that long battle yet to be completed.
So quit worrying about what the enemy is up to and just make sure that the enemy worries about what we're up to.
#9
This fiction falls apart when the enemy has 20 aircraft to your one.
Redneck Jim, have your read "Deep Black"? If you have, then you know that the Soviets used every trick in the book to inflate their military inventory in the eyes of the West. Post Cold War investigations have routinely shown that the Soviet armaments were fewer in number or of such mediocre quality that their ability to overwhelm through sheer numbers was pretty much a fiction all along. While the Soviets has many more ground troops, large numbers of them were conscripted political prisoners who served only as construction crews. Additionally, huge numbers of troops were stationed on the eastern front with China and where America had some 8,000 troops supporting our air wings the Soviets had over 500,000 doing the same task.
Finally, Soviet C3 was entirely different from ours and, to this day, remains highly dependent upon command based decision making instead of relying on troop level skill. We're talking about a military where simple topological maps were considered classified information. The Soviet threat was way overstated throughout its history. The biggest threat they posed was ideological, as the persistence of communism and socialism proves to this very day.
#10
RJ: Agreed; doesn't matter what the kill ratio is, when you're out of airplanes and the other guy still has some, you are pretty much Phuqued.
feel free to insert the weapon of your choice for 'airplane'. I think in the final analysis, 'attrition' will beat 'technology' any day.
Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expressing his gratitude to American troops through a videotaped farewell message. Rumsfeld says during his six years as the Pentagon's chief, he has had the opportunity and privilege to serve with the greatest military the world has ever known.
The soon-to-be former defense secretary will bid an official goodbye to his constituents today. He steps down amid much criticism over the war in Iraq. "I leave knowing that the true strength of our military lies not in our weapons, but in the hearts of the men and women in uniform," says Rumsfeld.
He is the public face of the Iraq war. Donald Rumsfeld exits his job to standing ovations at the Pentagon, but to increasingly cold public assessments of the war blueprint he drafted as Secretary of Defense. "I wish I could say that everything we've done here has gone perfectly, but that's not how life works, regrettably," Rumsfeld says.
Rumsfeld's critics say history will remember him as the secretary who did not send enough troops to Iraq, then was in denial of the insurgency. But Rumsfeld remains unapologetic; emotional when he speaks of the troops. "It has been the highest honor of my life to serve with you, the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces," Rumsfeld told the troops. "You define the American spirit."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld receives applause from Defense Department employees as he arrives at the Pentagon on his final day in office, Dec. 15, 2006.
#2
They've carried the world on their shoulders for over 5 years.
President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, exit the Pentagon prior to the start of Rumsfeld's farewell parade, Dec. 15, 2006.
Pakistan's Supreme Court has blocked a fresh attempt to enact a Taleban-style law to enforce Islamic morality in North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
The court instructed the provincial governor not to sign the bill, which is opposed by President Pervez Musharraf. North West Frontier Province, which is governed by an alliance of religious parties sympathetic to the Taleban, passed the legislation last month. Last year a similar bill was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
President Musharraf, who says he wants Pakistan to espouse an enlightened, moderate form of Islam, has denounced the bill as fundamental breach of human rights.
Correspondents say it is almost unheard of for the same bill passed by a provincial assembly to be challenged twice in the courts by the federal government. The Supreme Court ordered the NWFP governor not to sign the Hisba (Accountability) bill into law until the case had been decided. It said it would take up the matter again in the third week of January, when the NWFP government is to be given a chance to defend the bill.
The ruling came after a petition from President Musharraf, Attorney General Makhdoom Ali Khan said.
NWFP Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai, a member of the ruling alliance of religious parties, accused the government of being undemocratic. "We are really surprised. We drafted the bill in light of the Supreme Court's directives," he told Reuters news agency. "The federal government's decision to go to the court exposes their claims that they believe in democracy."
The bill adopted by the NWFP assembly last month was a watered-down version of the legislation rejected by the Supreme Court last year, again after a petition from the president. The key difference between the bills is that the proposed department to be set up to enforce morality will not have its own police force. But it would, however, be able to requisition police "to promote virtue and prevent vice".
The plan is exactly the same as reminiscent of the infamous Department for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue, set up by Afghanistan's former Taleban rulers. It became a focus of criticism by human rights organisations. Religious police would patrol the streets in Afghanistan, forcing women to adhere to a strict dress code and men to pray and grow their beards, among other things.
Observers say the battle in the courts reflects a struggle between moderates and conservatives over the direction of Pakistan. Two of the country's four provinces are governed by the six-party Islamic alliance, the Muttahida Majlis-e Amal (MMA).
The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says President Musharraf has had a tacit alliance with the Islamic parties but he has become increasingly critical of them. His recent support for amendments to hardline Islamic laws on rape despite their strenuous objections prompted some analysts to think he might keep quiet about the Hisba bill as a trade-off. The fact that he has not, our correspondent says, will only fuel speculation that he is seeking to replace the Islamists with more moderate allies.
John D Negraponte, director of national intelligence, has joined the growing number of those who are blaming Pakistan for the dangerous situation now prevailing in the Pakistan-Afghanistan tribal belt.
In an interview published by the Washington Post on Friday, Negraponte said with new fighting expected to break out next spring in , the Pakistani government would soon have to decide what it could do about the tribal authorities who had not been living up to their agreement to prevent Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters from moving back and forth across the border.
Sooner or later, the government will have to reckon with it, Negroponte said, but added that with elections in coming, the US understood that President Pervez Musharraf has a domestic political balancing act to perform. Referring to the accord signed by Pakistani government representatives with tribal elders in South Waziristan, Negroponte said tribal authorities are not living up to the deal and that back-and-forth travel by the Taliban and others causes serious problems.
The Post noted that Negrapontes downbeat assessment was supported by a recent report by Anthony H Cordesman, a former Pentagon official, now with a think tank, who after his return from Afghanistan where he received briefings from a US embassy team, including US military commanders, said the Afghan insurgency grew in the past year because of financial and military aid from a sanctuary in Pakistan, while the weak Kabul government had not received enough military and economic support from NATO and the US.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
Negroponte's not the none to deal with it. It's now Gates' responsibility. I agree with the comment that we haven't been mean enough about the "insurgents". We need to flatten every town and village in the "NWFP", with or without Pakiland's permission. If that gets the pakis riled up, bomb the he$$ out of them, too. First their nuke weapons sites, then their military installations, then anything that sticks up higher than six inches above the surrounding surface. Maybe, just MAYBE, the rest of islam will be watching, and will actually learn something. We need one of Curtis LeMay's B-29 raids over Tokyo, or the assault of 1000 B-17s and B-24s over Berlin, but with modern weapons. We need to break a couple of hundred older model Buffs out of the Boneyard, refurbish them, fill them with iron bombs and iron men, and flatten a couple of mideast countries. Instead of "allah akhbar", it'll be "allah, save me!". Allah has no air defense weapons capable of doing that, so you lose, turban-tops.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/16/2006 15:12 Comments ||
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#3
I'm down with bombings and having a few fly off course and hit those bases deep in Pakistan.
Let's face it the people who live in these tribal areas there don't answer to Pakistan so expecting much help from duplicitous allies seems pointless at least on the NWFP (and killing AQ therein) issue.
I can see the value of their intelligence, having a foot in the door if India and Pakistan start going hot, trade...etc.
I realize their intel is valuable but how valuable, if it impedes us?
#2
Well, I'm just glad to see his conscience is clear regarding how he handled Rwanda and Darfur, among other places. Heaven knows I wouldn't want all the blood on his hands to keep him from resting peacefully at night.
Redacted by moderator. Comments may be redacted for trolling, violation of standards of good manners, or plain stupidity. Please correct the condition that applies and try again. Contents may be viewed in the sinktrap. Further violations may result in banning.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/16/2006 15:14 Comments ||
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#5
sinktrap.
OP can ya still see my initials carved on the North wall?
#6
I hope Annan develops AIDS, and dies a long and lingering death. That way he can experience the pain and agony he has inflicted on vast stretches of the world over the past decade or more. I've never seen such a worthless piece of walking feces in my entire life, and I've known a few. May you live long in total agony, koffing anus.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/16/2006 15:14 Comments ||
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A suspicious package leaking white powder was found near CNN's office at U.N. headquarters Friday, prompting officials to cordon off the area, but preliminary tests showed the substance appeared to be flour, U.N. officials said.
"On the basis of preliminary results, the substance does not appear to be harmful but some tests continue," U.N. associate spokesman Farhan Haq said Friday night. "It appears to flour."
Nonetheless, more than two dozen U.N. staff members and journalists were decontaminated by New York City police experts as a precaution. Those affected had to wash their hands, face, hair and other exposed areas, seal their clothes in a bag and wear a special decontaminated suit to go home. Security officials also closed off the surrounding area and a corridor off the main lobby near a security office where the package was taken for tests.
Hazardous material officials in yellow suits could be seen along the corridor with large orange plastic bags. The Associated Press office was initially closed off, but U.N. security guards later allowed reporters to leave.
The package was found on the fourth floor of the building near the media area Friday afternoon, Haq said. He said U.N. security guards immediately informed the New York City Police Department and the Department of Environmental Protection, who dispatched teams to examine and test the package along with U.N. security experts, he said. Haq said it wasn't clear whether the package was in CNN's mailbox, in a mailbag on the floor nearby, or elsewhere in the corridor.
Al-Qaeda leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri has big plans for new propaganda vehicle.
Broadcasting from a secret location in Syria, Al-Qaeda and its allies now have their own 24-hour television station, Pajamas Media has learned.
Known as Al-Zawraa, Arabic for first channel, the station broadcasts enemy propaganda and rebroadcasts of Western anti-war material, including Michael Moores Fahrenheit 9/11. It is not connected with Al-Jazeera.
Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, is delighted by al-Zawraa. A U.S. military intelligence officer told Pajamas Media that the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, al-Masri, has long-term and big plans for this thing. Previous attempts by al-Qaeda to set up media propaganda outlets have been limited to satellite radio and the Internet. Al-Zawraa, however, is seemingly well financed and striving for a broader appeal.
From that secret studio somewhere in Syria, al-Zawraa TVs signal extends to the entire Arab world thanks to a satellite owned by Egypt, Pajamas Media has learned.
Egypt is officially an ally of the United States in the war on terror. It receives more than $1 billion a year in U.S. foreign aid, more than any other country on Earth except Israel.
Continued on Page 49
#2
This could possibly be used to our advantage. It strikes me that households tuned to this station could be identified and located - even in a noisy environment and with the tv volume low. Feed a highly sensitive directional microphone and the tv audio signal into computer software that looks for correlation. An analogous process works for seismic oil exploration using 'Vibroseis'. Halliburton probably owns that technology now; they need an Al-Zawraa listening division.
#6
Glenmore,
Even if the technology is possible, what good would it do ? You'd just discover that every TV set in the country was tuned in. But, it might produce good data for supporting a cataclysmic end to the place.
#9
Actually the sat makes a better target than the earth station. Sat's go silent all the time for unknown reasons... Would make a point to Egypt. If it doesn't the next sat to carry it could go silent too. Pretty soon the message would get across some thick skulls.
#10
Take over the signal and broadcast some lurid porn videos for a couple of days. No one will watch it except the mad mullahs. There will be some inscenced muslims that might even cause trouble for the backers of this station.
It's not hard to jam a satellite signal. It's not even hard to over-ride a normal television signal. I'm sure the Halliburtan spook division can do it for us...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/16/2006 15:18 Comments ||
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#11
I remember when the Turbans broke up that sad day in April of '83, it was hard times, the fans were mainly poor trash engineers. The sounds moved 'em somehow, it was the last (and first) blooming of the Flower Shirt Blues Era. Sad, but that's show-biz for 'ya. The Commdore was already looking towards his future in coupe-de-totery.
/It was a long time ago, things were different then
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/16/2006 18:33 Comments ||
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#14
Still 2 carriers in the gulf? Tha is at least 8, maybe 10 EA-6Bs that could provide 24/7 JAMOPS against this particular frequency. Thay would drive a bunch of people batshit. Or they could just randomly jam it, cut out the last 5 minutes of the local goat p0rn.
From the Rantburg sports desk.
The bombs didn't stop and the gunfire wasn't celebratory. But nothing was going to distract millions of football-mad Iraqis from the on-field fortunes of the Lions of Mesopotamia yesterday as they battled to bring back the soccer gold medal from the Asian Games to their strife-torn homeland. Even a first-half ticker-tape message on state television reminding viewers to go and pray went largely unheeded.
Bill Shankly's declaration that football was more important than life and death had never seemed more fitting.
In eight games in just over two weeks, Iraq's national football team had defied the odds to reach the final against the hosts Qatar. The onward march of the team had provided rare respite from the daily kidnappings, death squads and suicide bombs. With Shia, Kurds, Sunni and Turkomen in the team, the young Lions, average age 21, carried on their shoulders the hopes of a country teetering on the brink of civil war.
There had been extraordinary scenes earlier in the week, after they had knocked out favourites South Korea 1-0 in the semi-final. Jubilant crowds briefly regained Baghdad's streets from the gunmen, dancing to patriotic songs, waving the flag, and firing shots into the air.
"These victories give us a deep sense of pride and unity," said Omar Riadh, a student at Baghdad university as he celebrated on the central Saddoun street. "We deserve as many happy moments as we can get. The team is a blow against the terrorists who want to destroy our country."
Even the normally divisive Sunni and Shia media had united to rejoice the team's success. "Iraq's heroes close to gold after great victory over Korea," read a headline in Al Sabah newspaper, controlled by the Shia-led government, while the Sunni-owned Al Mashriq daily proclaimed: "Our heroes in competition for gold medal."
Yesterday as the national coach Yehya Mehal led his players from the tunnel for the final in Doha's Al Sadd stadium, the streets of Baghdad emptied. Fans gathered in friend's houses, or in coffee shops, anywhere there was electricity and a television. At checkpoints and neighbourhood barricades across the city, police and local militias huddled in the dark around their portable radios. In the Amil district of western Baghdad, 11 friends had clubbed together to rent a generator for a day so they could watch the match.
"Look at us here in this room," said Azad Abdul Rahman, a Kurd from Kirkuk. "We are Kurds, Arabs, Shia and Sunni. We are all friends and all support the national team together."
A pre-match pep talk from President Jalal Talabani via mobile phone was not enough to prevent a 1-0 defeat in the final for a clearly exhausted Iraq side. He said "You are the young lions of Iraq. In these sad times, whatever today's result you have bought a smile to every Iraqi house from Kurdistan to Basra."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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Hard to follow what he's talking about with all that meal in his mouth, though... Former President Jimmy Carter issued a letter to American Jews on Friday, explaining the use of the term "apartheid" in his new book and sympathizing with Israelis who fear terrorism.
The letter was released by the Carter Center, a human rights organization founded by the former president. Carter wrote that the letters purpose was to reiterate that his use of "apartheid" did not apply to circumstances within Israel , that Israelis are deeply concerned about terrorism from "some Palestinians," and that a majority of Israelis want peace with their neighbors.
The rabbis said that they would not call for a boycott of the book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," but that they also would not suggest that anyone read it. "Even though he doesnt mean it in a racial term, to use that term can be nothing less than overly provocative," he said.
Carter wrote that "apartheid in Palestine is not based on racism but the desire of a minority of Israelis for Palestinian land and the resulting suppression of protests that involve violence." He called it "contrary to the tenets of the Jewish faith and the basic principles of the nation of Israel."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
He means to be as hateful as possible to a people and a country he loathes and despises, and anyway believes are destined for Hell as unbelievers in his personal faith.
#9
Oh please buy mah book. Ah'll take your money even if you are a Joooo.
Posted by: Jimmah Carter ||
12/16/2006 13:04 Comments ||
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#10
The rabbis said that they would not call for a boycott of the book but that they also would not suggest that anyone read it.
Why is it so difficult for people to understand that a statement like the above is, more often then not, counterproductive to their goal? If someone disagrees with an opinion or viewpoint, by all means, they should speak their mind. However, to suggest to others not to consume a particular message often breeds contempt for the advocate and provides publicity to what otherwise might not be worthy of even casual attention. Rather then encourage spiteful attention it might be best not to waste your time or energy on an inane message or a man with diminished relevance.
Gawd amighty, just the idea is a screech. Hell, it's like Brother Byrd rightin a lettr to The American Nigra. Lester Maddox had this SOB pegged from day 1, "biggest liar I've ever seen in my life", Maddox was a throw-back racist from the sixties, but noone ever accused him of not knowing people.
Good news is that this slime-snacker has had nothing to drink but baby sweet tea since he had lust in his heart. Was Rickover a self-loather? That would explain a lot.
#13
Someone needs to tell jimmah his 15 minutes are up, and he owes the world about 23,762,551 minutes of silence.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/16/2006 17:13 Comments ||
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#14
TW(#2): I'm a conservative Baptist (like Jimmuh) who also has a faith that tells me no one that does NOT accept Christ as a personal Lord and Savior is going to Hell too. BUT, I don't wish you all to go there. And, I don't loathe the nation of Israel, and actually almost all Southern Baptists (except for maybe the way-outs in Hick-ville) FULLY support Israel. In money, in trips to the Holy Land and in prayer. I feel like you're smacking my faith (or actually, denomination) with your statement, even though it's (theologically) true. Just don't lump all of us Baptists in as being like Jimmuh. In fact, I'd say 99%+ of us are the opposite of Jimmuh.
Posted by: BA ||
12/16/2006 21:02 Comments ||
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Against the backdrop of reports on explosives being sent to Sri Lankan Armed Forces triggering concern among political parties in Tamil Nadu, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday said the central authorities have assured her that no such explosives have been provided to that country which can be used against its civilians. "I have been assured by the central authorities that the policy of Government of India is not to provide the Sri Lankan authorities with any arms or materials that could be used against the civilian population, especially Tamil population", she said in a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, a copy of which was made available to press.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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Iran is not a threat to Middle East stability but it is a threat to the United States and its European ally Britain, a hardline cleric said on Friday. The mid-ranking clerics remarks came in reaction to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who on Tuesday called Iran a major threat to the regions stability. Regarding Blairs devilish remarks, I am telling him that if he means Iran is a threat to Britain, yes we are, Ahmad Khatami told Friday prayers worshippers in Tehran University. If he means we are a threat to Americas arrogance, yes we are and we are proud of it.
Khatami, who is not related to the reformist former President Mohammad Khatami and does not hold any positions directly related to policy-making, said the United States, Britain and Israel caused instability in the Middle East.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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The United States and Europe must talk to Syria and Iran if they want a comprehensive solution to Iraq and other Middle East conflicts, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published on Friday.
Assad told Romes la Repubblica newspaper Damascus was ready to cooperate with Washington to resolve regional issues and challenged Israel to open up to Syria. He also said Europe had a complex over the Jewish Holocaust. The fact is that we (Syrians) live in this region, we know it well, he said in the long interview, adding that Washington needs our help to formulate a plan for Iraq. Asked if he was ready to work constructively with Washington, he said: Certainly we are ready to do so. Because if you dont resolve regional questions - Iraq, Lebanon, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - it will be we bordering countries that will pay the highest price.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
How about taking out Syria and Iran and see if peace can prevail?
Amr Moussa, the Arab League chief, has not succeeded in brokering a deal to resolve Lebanon's political crisis. At a press conference, he reported progress in his mediation but said that more talks were required and he might have to return to Beirut to continue his discussions with government and opposition leaders to agree on a package.
Moussa, who arrived in Beirut on Tuesday, has been shuttling between rival Lebanese leaders in an effort to end the crisis which worsened after the Hezbollah-led opposition took to the streets to press its demand for veto power in the government of Fouad Siniora, the prime minister. He said the parties had agreed on a cabinet of national unity, which would also include opposition members - Hezbollah, the Free Patriotic Movement and Amal - but they wanted to discuss "guarantees" to make it work.
Abdullah Bushabib, the former Lebanese ambassador to the US, told Al Jazeera: "Amr Moussa is a very talented diplomat and he knows he also needs an agreement on a regional level. Every issue is connected to an outside [country] but all the problems are converging to Lebanon."
The opposition has declared Siniora's cabinet illegitimate and has been staging a round-the-clock protest in central Beirut since December 1. The anti-Syrian leaders who control the cabinet have so far refused to yield. They say giving in would allow more Syrian and Iranian influence.
Lebanese political sources said the centrepiece of Moussa's proposals was expanding Siniora's depleted cabinet from its original number of 24 to 30 ministers. In the proposed expansion, the majority coalition would have 19 ministers, the opposition 10 and there would be one neutral minister. The sources said the main stumbling block was who would name the neutral minister, Siniora or the opposition.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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Everybody wants to be in charge... Longtime Republican Senator Arlen Specter said he will visit Syria despite loud objections by the Bush administration, saying the situation in Iraq is so dire that it is time Congress step up to the plate and see what it can do. Who in the world is this man talking to?
Specter, who has been in the Senate for 26 years, said in an interview late Friday he is planning a trip to the Middle East that will include Israel and Syria. The senator said he and other Republicans are concerned that the administration's policies in the Middle East are not working and that other Republican members may follow him. "I've talked to my Republican colleagues, and there is a disquiet here," Specter said. Oh, this is all political. Okay. Got it. Right. You go, boy.
The visit, coming after a trip by Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, would be a direct affront to the White House. The United States has limited diplomatic ties with Syria because of its support for Hezbollah and Hamas, which the U.S. calls terrorist organizations. President George W. Bush has refused expressed reluctance to seek help from Damascus on Iraq until the Syrians curb that support and reduce their influence in Lebanon.
Specter's interest in Syria is nothing new. He has visited Syria 15 times since 1984 and even attended the funeral of Assad's father. The senator visited with then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 1990 and has tried repeatedly to engage officials in Iran, although to no avail. So he's a fan.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
No Specter can cure this problem. Only a Spectre can.
#6
Aw, let 'im go. He's just another RINO anyway and all of a sudden all the Dhimmis seem to think they're the Commander In Chief and can dictate US foreign policy.
TEHRAN -- Nineteen months after an upset election victory catapulted him to a controversial role on the world stage, firebrand Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is facing criticism from both the left and right, much of it from Iranians who believe he hasn't delivered on his populist economic promises.
In national elections today, many Iranians view the vote as a referendum on Ahmadinejad's performance. City council races nationwide focus on who can do more to improve people's daily lives, with some candidates vowing to accomplish what they say the president has failed to do. And candidates for a key national assembly of Muslim clergy are clashing over how much power Iran's supreme leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, should wield.
But at both the local and national levels, the races pit supporters of Ahmadinejad against members of the reformist movement, which pushes for democratization within Iran's Islamic government. And in some cases, traditional conservatives have banded together with reformists to oppose Ahmadinejad allies.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/16/2006 00:00 ||
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Iran vote seen by morons as referendum on Ahmadinejad
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.
Residents of the town housing Somalia's interim government are stocking up provisions as troops test weaponry before a feared attack by the Council of Islamic Courts. Islamic Courts fighters have threatened to attack Baidoa if Ethiopian troops protecting the government do not leave by Tuesday. 
North Korea may stage a second nuclear weapons test to strengthen its hand during upcoming negotiations on scrapping its nuclear programme, South Koreas new defence minister warned Friday. Kim Jang-Soo, a former army chief of staff, ordered the 650,000-strong military to step up combat-readiness to deter possible aggression from the North, the defence ministry said. We have to be thoroughly prepared to counter the possibility of a second or third nuclear test by North Korea and a possible hostile act by it in the process of negotiations over its nuclear weapons programme, Kim said in a written order to his troops. The six-nation nuclear talks are set to resume in Beijing on Monday, 13 months after the North walked out. They involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. The North staged its first nuclear test on October 9, sparking international condemnation and United Nations sanctions. 
Japan on Friday created a full-fledged Defence Ministry for the first time since World War II, when the United States stripped the defeated country of its right to a military. The upper house voted by a majority, with support from the main opposition Democratic Party, to create the defence agency. The lower house had earlier passed the bill, meaning it becomes law, a parliamentary official said. Post-war Japan has had a Defence Agency with lower standing than full-fledged ministries as the 1947 constitution declared the country to be pacifist. Despite calling its troops the Self-Defence Forces, Japan has one of the worlds biggest military budgets at 4.81 trillion yen (41.6 billion dollars) a year.
Its fair to say that [the President] is faced - the country is faced - with a situation in which, because of the nature of the struggle and the fact that it is not well-understood by the American people, the president has the task of managing and maintaining sufficient support for the things he believes are necessary for our countrys safety. He has to take into account the reality that only if we persevere do we have an opportunity to succeed. The penalties and consequences of failure are so dire for the country that he has to recognize the center of gravity of this struggle, [which,] while to some extent is in the Middle East, is [also], in a very real sense, here in the United States of America. He has to take that into account in reviewing and considering the variety of proposals and suggestions he has received.
Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expressing his gratitude to American troops through a videotaped farewell message. Rumsfeld says during his six years as the Pentagon's chief, he has had the opportunity and privilege to serve with the greatest military the world has ever known.
John D Negraponte, director of national intelligence, has joined the growing number of those who are blaming Pakistan for the dangerous situation now prevailing in the Pakistan-Afghanistan tribal belt. 
Al-Qaeda leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri has big plans for new propaganda vehicle.
Former President Jimmy Carter issued a letter to American Jews on Friday, explaining the use of the term "apartheid" in his new book and sympathizing with Israelis who fear terrorism. 
The United States and Europe must talk to Syria and Iran if they want a comprehensive solution to Iraq and other Middle East conflicts, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published on Friday. 
Amr Moussa, the Arab League chief, has not succeeded in brokering a deal to resolve Lebanon's political crisis. At a press conference, he reported progress in his mediation but said that more talks were required and he might have to return to Beirut to continue his discussions with government and opposition leaders to agree on a package. 
Longtime Republican Senator Arlen Specter said he will visit Syria despite loud objections by the Bush administration, saying the situation in Iraq is so dire that it is time Congress step up to the plate and see what it can do.
TEHRAN -- Nineteen months after an upset election victory catapulted him to a controversial role on the world stage, firebrand Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is facing criticism from both the left and right, much of it from Iranians who believe he hasn't delivered on his populist economic promises.
