I thought I disagreed with Obama, but if this guy says he's right I think I had better take another look.
As President Obama faces criticism from both Republicans and Democrats over his Libya policy, he is also finding support in surprising corners.
One of the strongest congressional backers of the presidents handling of Libya is Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), a conservative Republican in his second term.
In a phone interview, Hunter, a Marine captain who served combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, offered unswerving praise for Obamas decision to intervene and suggested critics of the policy were politicizing the issue.
I agree with the president. I agree with what hes done so far on his use of force. I agree on his timing. I agree on the fact that he went in with a coalition, Hunter said.
Galyna Kolotnytska, 38, has so far refused to talk publicly about the man she affectionately calls 'Papa,' but fellow passengers on a plane that brought her back to her native Ukraine on Sunday said she had made her feelings clear.
"Papa is good and Papa is eternal," she apparently told one passenger who spoke to local media afterwards. "Gaddafi will be victorious and in one and a half to two months I will return there."
Gag me with a spoon, like...
A journalist travelling on the plane added that the Ukrainian nurse had refused to be interviewed, but had admitted that her life would be worse without Col Gaddafi. She has since taken refuge in her modest Soviet-era flat outside the Ukrainian capital Kiev with her mother and daughter, making it clear that she is distraught and does not want to talk to the press.
A leaked US diplomatic cable described the divorced nurse and mother of one as a "voluptuous blonde."
A quick review of Google images (done only to confirm the veracity of the story, mind you) confirms the opinion of our hard-working diplomat.
The cable added that only Miss Kolotnytska knew the 68-year-old dictator's precise habits, which was why he always kept her close.
How close? Noticias 24 sez (in Spanish) that Galyna and Mo have been, er, 'productive' in the horizontal tango.
"Some embassy contacts have claimed that Gaddafi and the 38 year-old Kolotnytska have a romantic relationship," it said. Miss Kolotnytska's family has strongly denied that she is in a relationship with Col Gaddafi.
Col Gaddafi is married to a former Libyan nurse, his second wife, and has eight biological children and two adopted children.
Miss Kolotnytska is said to have won Col Gaddafi's trust by successfully treating one of his assistants who was badly wounded in a failed assassination attempt on the dictator.
The nurse's daughter, Tatyana, has been quoted as saying that her mother had been in Libya for nine years and was originally employed in a hospital before starting work for Col Gaddafi. "Other Ukrainian women also work for him as nurses. Mum is one of them," she said. "For some reason, he doesn't trust Libyan women with this matter."
Can't imagine why...
She said her mother found Col Gaddafi "kind" and that he had given her a watch with his face on it but that he "could be strict if he had to be."
"Whip me, beat me, call me Edna"
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/28/2011 10:25 ||
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#1
She said her mother found Col Gaddafi "kind" and that he had given her a watch with his face on it...
#2
Maybe Daffy can retire to Ukraine. Looks like he'd get pretty good health care. They'd probably accept his money too. Not a bad deal for a former dictator.
#7
You know couples. Over time they tend to look like each other. In related news, nursey is knocked up. Noticias 24 was saying today that Papa knocked her up and she wants to be by his side when the babys born.
#8
ahhhh so she's got a little sprocket in the oven?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/28/2011 17:24 Comments ||
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#9
Knocked up nurse #2 Oksana, a 24-year-old nurse ... Oksana said she quit her job in January after becoming pregnant but stayed in Libya, deciding to fly home this week as the battle-torn nation descended into chaos. She said only two of Khadafy's Ukranian nurses remain there.
Only two? How is a dictator and descendent of Mohammed supposed to function when his pipes get backed up?
Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi, the Libyan Made Man rebel leader, has boasted said jihadists who fought against allied troops in Iraq are on the front lines of the battle against Muammar Gaddafi's regime.
Mr al-Hasidi boasted admitted he had earlier fought against 'the foreign invasion' in Afghanistan, but had now 'seen the light and been reintegrated.' Mr al-Hasidi admitted but would not divulge the source of his monthly funding stream that he had recruited "around 25" men and dozens of abused teenage suicide bombers from the Derna area in eastern Libya to fight against coalition troops in Iraq. Some of them, he said, are "today are on the front lines in Adjabiya" and possibly Afghanistan.
Denying the obvious contradictions in terms, Mr al-Hasidi insisted his fighters "are much like Osama and Obama patriots and good Muslims, not terrorists," but added that the "members of al-Qaeda are also good Muslims and are fighting against the invader".
His statements revelations came even as Idriss Deby Itno, Chad's president, said al-Qaeda had managed to pillage military arsenals in the Libyan rebel zone and acquired arms, "including surface-to-air missiles, which were then smuggled into their Afghan and PAK cache sites sanctuaries".
Mr al-Hasidi boasted openly admitted he had earlier fought against "the foreign invasion" in Afghanistan, before being "captured in 2002 in Peshwar, in Pakistan". He was later handed over to the US for generous remunerations and Regime Toppling-101 classes, and then held in Libya before being released for buttloads USD from a man by the name of Raymond Davis in 2008.
US and British government sources said Mr al-Hasidi whom we believe to be a handsome, moderate mooslim who possesses great leadership potential was a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, or LIFG, which murdered killed dozens of Libyan troops in guerrilla attacks around Derna and Benghazi in 1995 and 1996
#3
I suppose you could make a good living as a professional Jihadi...if you don't get killed by either the USA, USSR, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Jordan, Egypt or Israel.
That's not good odds. How did this slithering little vermin last so long? Could it be that he is a "commander" sending lower ranking minions off to deal with 21st century weaponry?
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/28/2011 10:31 Comments ||
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#4
The Surprise meter's also definitely in order here due to the fact that this story got picked up by the UK press, but was largely swept under the rug by Ogabe's personal propaganda ministry the MSM this side of the pond.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
03/28/2011 11:51 Comments ||
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#5
"members of al-Qaeda are also good Muslims..."
despite the leftist mantra that 'al Qaeda is a perversion of Islam'
Posted by: lord garth ||
03/28/2011 15:14 Comments ||
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#6
This story has a few credibility problems. First, is this guy really THE Libyan rebal leader? Was this whole thing orchetrated entirely by him?
Second, why didnt the article state WHERE this guy was when he made his assertions?
Third, if this guy really was responsible for killing Libyan soldiers in the 90s, why would Khadaffi let him live after getting custody of him? Since when was Khadaffi a crime-coddling librul wuss?
[Straits Times] MORE than 10,000 Mohammedans marched on Sunday in Indonesia to support pro-democracy and reform movements in Libya, Yemen and Bahrain, calling for the immediate resignation of Libya's leader and protection of civilians. A "telling blow," as the Radio Peking news lady used to say...
Men, women and kiddies attending the rally in the capital of the world's most populous Mohammedan nation waved Indonesian flags and shouted 'Allah akbar,' Arabic for 'God is great.'
Banners and placards carried by marchers read: 'Revolution for freedom,' 'No to Dictator Qadaffy' or criticised the international air strikes that have checked Libya's military and helped rebels gain control of key towns.
Participants in the rally through downtown Jakarta organised by the Islamic-based Justice and Prosperity Party called for Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy ... a proud Arab institution for 42 years ... to resign and for civilians to be protected.
Justice and Prosperity Party leader Hidayat Nur Wahid told the crowd the Qadaffy dictatorship must be ousted to stop a humanitarian tragedy.
'Qadaffy should accept the reality that people don't want him anymore as their leader,' Mr Wahid said. 'We demand that the international air strikes over Libya be stopped for the sake of innocent civilians' safety.' The crowd also denounced Israeli air strikes in the Gazoo Strip.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/28/2011 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON - In a sign of U.S. confidence that the weeklong assault on Libya has tamed Moammar Gadhafi's air defenses, the Pentagon has reduced the amount of naval firepower arrayed against him, officials said Sunday.
The move, not yet publicly announced, reinforces the White House message of a diminishing U.S. role -- a central point in President Barack Obama's national address Monday night on Libya. The White House booked Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on three Sunday television news shows to promote the administration's case ahead of the speech.
Yet Gates, asked whether the military operation might be over by year's end, said, "I don't think anybody knows the answer to that."
As Jerry Pournelle wrote, offer $200 million and a blank US passport for Qadaffy's head, attached or not, to the person who delivers the head to the nearest US embassy. Do that and this thing will be over by Easter.
At least one of the five Navy ships and submarines that have launched dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan targets from positions in the Mediterranean Sea has left the area, three defense officials said.
That still leaves what officials believe is sufficient naval firepower off Libya's coast, and it coincides with NATO's decision Sunday to take over command and control of the entire Libya operation. The shrinking of the naval presence adds substance to Obama's expected reassurance to the American people that after kicking off the Libyan mission, the U.S. is now handing off to partner countries in Europe and elsewhere the bulk of the responsibility for suppressing Gadhafi's forces.
NATO's governing body, meeting in Brussels, accepted a plan for the transfer of command. That is expected to mean that U.S. Army Gen. Carter Ham, who has been the top commander of the Libya operation, will switch to a support role.
Even as naval firepower was reduced, Pentagon officials said they were considering adding air power. Vice Adm. William Gortney told reporters on Friday that low-flying Air Force AC-130 gunships, armed drones and helicopters were among weaponry that might be deployed to provide more precise air power against Libyan ground forces battling in urban areas. High-flying fighter jets run a high risk of causing civilian casualties if they attack inside cities.
It is unclear how long the U.S. will keep a Navy command ship, the USS Mount Whitney, in its role as overall coordinator of the sea and air campaign, once NATO assumes full command. NATO could run the full operation out of its Allied Joint Forces Command headquarters in Naples, Italy.
The Navy has had three submarines in the Mediterranean -- the USS Providence, the USS Scranton and the USS Florida -- plus two destroyers, the USS Barry and the USS Stout. All five are equipped with Tomahawks, the cruise missile that can fly long distances and maneuver to hit fixed targets like surface-to-air missile batteries and other air defense elements that posed a threat to coalition air patrols. It was not clear Sunday which of the five had been ordered out of the area.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/28/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
ION CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > WESTERN DOUBLE-STANDARDS ON LIBYA WILL HELP ISLAMISTS | MANY IN THE REGION SEE A DOUBLE-STANDARD ON WESTERN [military = NFZ] INTERVENTION IN LIBYA.
ARTIC = Local, Regional Muslims ponder why the US-Allies had set up a NFZ for OIL-RICH LIBYUH = MAJOR/LARGE ENERGY-PRODUC MUSLIM STATES, INCLUD THOSE THAT AT ONE TIME FOUGHT OR SERVED AGZ AMER INTERESTS BUT NOT FOR TROUBLED, STRATEGIC, LT ALLIES BAHRAIN OR YEMEN???
Or even ally Egypt = Mubarak???
and
* NEWS KERALA > RUSSIA:INTERVENTION IN LIBYA AT ODDS WID UN RESOLUTION, as per Russian FM Sergei Lavrov.
* FREEREPUBLIC > LIMBAUGH ON LIBYA: ITS NOT A "HUMANITARIAN MISSION", ITS ABOUT EUROPEAN OIL, i.e. saving + empowering EURO ENERGY???
[Al Jazeera] Spain's armed Basque secessionist movement ETA has said it is willing to allow international observers to verify a ceasefire it declared earlier this year.
A report in the Basque newspaper Gara on Sunday said that the group was "ready to accept an informal mechanism for verification".
An ETA statement carried by the paper said that there were now two camps, that "of those who want to put in place a scenario of freedom", and that of "those who want to maintain force and stalemate".
ETA declared a ceasefire on January 10, after more than 40 years of bloodshed, but the move was not accepted by the Spanish government.
Many in Spain view ETA's ceasefire announcement as part of an attempt to get members of its banned political wing Batasuna included on electoral lists for local and regional elections due in May and the government was dismissive of ETA's latest overtures.
Ramon Jauregui, a front man for the Spanish government, said that he was not sure what an "informal verification" meant.
Last week Spain's top court rejected an application by Sortu, a new Basque pro-independence group, to form a political party so that it can stand in local elections in May. The Spanish government had asked the court to bar the group from electoral lists in municipal elections to be held in the Northern Basque country, arguing that it is a simple "extension" of Batasuna.
Earlier in March, French police incarcerated four men in northern La Belle France on suspicion they were active ETA members, seizing arms, documents in the Basque language and computers in a raid.
ETA announced a "permanent ceasefire" in March 2006 within the framework of negotiations with Madrid. But nine months later, it set off a bomb in the carpark of Madrid-Barajas airport, killing two men.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/28/2011 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
not to be confused with John Foster Dulles...
on Sunday ruled out the United States getting involved in Syria in the same way as it has in Libya for now, saying in a TV interview that each Arab uprising was unique.
Nothing like telling our enemies in advance what our limits are.
Speaking in an interview which was taped on Saturday, Clinton said the United Stated deplored the violence in Syria but the circumstances were different in Libya, where Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had used his air force as well as heavy armor against civilians.
Asked if one should expect a U.S. involvement in Syria along the lines of the no-fly zone that the United States and other nations have imposed over Libya, Clinton told CBS News' "Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer" program "no."
"Each of these situations is unique," she added in a transcript of the interview released by CBS.
Since Syria is a dangerous enemy and Libya is just an enemy.
Libya also isn't known to be holding any Americans, while Syria is.
"Certainly we deplore the violence in Syria, we call as we have on all of these governments ... to be responding to their people's needs, not to engage in violence, permit peaceful protests and begin a process of economic and political reform."
Sure. Pencilneck will listen to that, just like his daddy did.
Clinton suggested the circumstances in the two nations differed in that there was not the same level of violence in Syria and the government's crackdown on protests there had not yet engendered global condemnation or calls from the Arab League and others for a no-fly zone as there was with Libya.
As Wednesday Addams would say, "wait".
"If there were a coalition of the international community, if there was the passage of a Security Council resolution, if there were a call by the Arab League, if there was a condemnation that was universal, but that is not going to happen because I don't think it is yet clear what will occur, what will unfold (in Syria)," Clinton said.
"What's been happening there the last few weeks is deeply concerning, but there's a difference between calling out aircraft and indiscriminately strafing and bombing your own cities (as in Libya), than police actions which frankly have exceeded the use of force that any of us would want to see," she added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/28/2011 00:00 ||
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We are willing to take on ill defined operations of indeterminate length in support of rebel leaders that we know almost nothing about without congressional approval or even consultation if there is air based strafing of civilians and the UN and the Arab League ask us to do so. On the other hand, operations against committed enemies of the US who support active terrorist organizations are completely safe as long as they are killing people using ground based weapons or as long as the UN and the Arab League don't ask us to intervene.
Well OK then.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
03/28/2011 9:49 Comments ||
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#3
Speaking in an interview which was taped on Saturday, Clinton said the United Stated deplored the violence in Syria but the circumstances were different in Libya, where Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had used his air force as well as heavy armor against civilians.
Schieffer didn't ask her if oil has anything to do with it? Seems like an obvious question to me.
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.
Galyna Kolotnytska, 38, has so far refused to talk publicly about the man she affectionately calls 'Papa,' but fellow passengers on a plane that brought her back to her native Ukraine on Sunday said she had made her feelings clear.
[Straits Times] MORE than 10,000 
[Al Jazeera] Spain's armed Basque secessionist movement ETA has said it is willing to allow international observers to verify a ceasefire it declared earlier this year.
