The United States on Sunday declared its readiness to provide technical support for Kenya's troops in Somalia.
The country's ambassador to Kenya, Mr Scott Gration, said although Washington would not send its troops to Somalia, it would go out of its way to help Kenya to restore its territorial integrity.
The diplomat was speaking in Lamu during a meeting with private investors and hoteliers hosted by Tourism minister Najib Balala.
Mr Gration, a retired major, said the US respected Kenya's decision to go into Somalia to rout out Al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader... myrmidons.
"We respect the right of a nation to take any decision to defend its borders as per article 51 of the UN charter on self defence and pursuit of hostile elements across international borders," he said.
He observed that the abduction of British tourist Judith Tebbutt and French woman Marie Dediue had adversely affected the Kenyan economy.
But he assured Kenyans that America would stand with them to ensure security was restored.
The envoy said some of security concerns in Kenya could not be tackled overnight, adding that the US was considering providing short- and long-term support to the government.
"Some of these problems can not be solved overnight. It is real there are challenges and Kenya needs to review its strategy. We will see what to do through our mutual relations," he added.
Heightened security
Mr Gration also said the US Government was content with the heightened security measures taken by the Kenyan authorities to avert terror attacks.
He hinted that the US would review travel advisories issued to citizens against visiting Kenya.
"We are in the process of reviewing travel advisories. The big review will be announced on November 1. The work by police, military and Kenya Wildlife Service officers is very positive. There is tremendous progress in terms of security measures put in place around this beautiful place (Lamu)," he said.
Mr Balala appealed to the Africa Union to fast-track reporting the Al-Shabaab provocation to the UN Security Council.
The minister said the group's activities had adversely affected the country's economy and brought tourism in areas like Lamu on its knees.
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10/24/2011 00:00 ||
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TUNIS - Tunisia's leading secularist party conceded defeat on Monday after unofficial tallies from an election at the weekend showed a victory for an Islamist party.
"The PDP (Progressive Democratic Party) respects the democratic game. The people gave their trust to those it considers worthy of that trust. We congratulate the winner and we will be in the ranks of the opposition," a PDP statement sent to Rooters said.
#1
Can anyone remember when Tunisia was the secular, "advanced" Arab state? Can anyone remember 6 months ago? One more left to go (Morocco) and the southern Med will be a wall of Irans and Saudis. Then Obama will have a country to bow and scrape to each day of the week. Who would have thought civil war among Islamic factions is the optimistic scenario?
#4
The Egyptian economy must be something special right now, what with tourism having dropped to nothing.
Israel should consider a "devil's bargain" with Egypt, to pay the government of Egypt a stipend for every Gaza Palestinian they grant citizenship, who will then be deported from Israel and the Gaza Strip for good.
Gaza has 1.65m Palestinians. The average Egyptian earns only $1,530 a year. This means that Israel could pay just $6,000 to the Egyptian government for each and every Palestinian they take, and the total cost would still be less than $10b a year.
They could even split the money, with $3,000 to the Egyptian government, and $3,000 to each and every Paleo. This would mean a family of six would get $18,000 a year, which would make them upper middle class by Egyptian standards.
Israel's GDP is $220b a year. $10b a year to be rid of the murderous and pestiferous Gaza Strip is such a bargain.
#8
MARIE ANTOINETTE + MEL "ITS GOOD TO BE KING" BROOKS ...
versus
* DEFENCE.PK.FORUMS > PAK TALIBAN DEMAND RS$400.00MILYUHN FROM OIL FIRMS [Shell Oil, State-run Pakistan State Oil] THREATEN ATTACK, widin 20 days iff sum not paid.
I cannot address you as "dear" because my human dignity refuses to allow me to address you with a term of endearment, given the inhumane, monstrous, demonic and despicable behaviour of your hordes over the last few months since February. Man, they're really bent out of shape over this whole Qadaffi sodomy thing...
This letter does not mean that the struggle between good and evil in Libya is over, for evil is always evil and good always wins. No doubt the writer, a former apparatchik in the Soviet Union, wrote that with a straight face...
The coming months and years will show very clearly what happens when foreign powers try to install bands of terrorists, rapists, racists, murderers, looters, arsonists, torturers and vandals by force. Sorta like what the old Soviet Union used to do? Or no...
To begin with, declaring a state of peace just because you have announced that Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qathafi was caught and killed is meaningless, for the people of Libya did not elect you, neither has there been any electoral process, nor by your behaviour have you deserved anything but deep and utter contempt by all decent human beings. Give the people of Libya a chance and chances are they'll elect the very ones who whacked Qadaffi. You see, it's not as if the man was really loved. Ask the East Germans what they really thought of Erick Honacker. Or the Romanians of what they thought of Little Nicky...
You see, to cohabit with and be considered as human beings, and not terrorist filth, you have to act like human beings Says the New Soviet Man...
and what we have seen from your gangs of rapists, torturers, murderers, arsonists, thieves, looters, racists and terrorists since February are nothing other than the most despicable outrages against the human condition and human dignity. Now, now, it's not like they were planting booby-trapped children's dolls in Afghan villages...
Israel said Sunday it had offered its assistance to Turkey after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the eastern part of the country, despite ongoing tensions between the formerly close allies.
Hopefully, the Turks find this humiliating.
But Turkey had said that for the time being, they would not need it.
An embassy front man in Ankara said Israeli President Shimon Peres has called his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, adding: "Peres expressed his sympathy regarding the recent earthquake and offered any help needed."
Eastern Turkey was struck by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake on Sunday afternoon, which the country's seismological institute said may have killed between 500 and 1,000 people.
Ties between Israel and Turkey, once strong allies, have been strained since May 2010, when Israeli naval commandos stormed a flotilla trying to sail to Gazoo in defiance of a blockade, killing nine Turks. The crisis deepened last month, with Turkey expelling the Israeli ambassador and axing military ties and defense trade.
But despite the frayed relations, the two countries have maintained a tradition of offering each other assistance in times of need. In December, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent firefighting planes to Israel to help tame a forest fire which killed 44 people, and sent aid to victims of the blaze. In 1999, relations between the two countries were cemented in part by the aid which Israel sent to assist in the aftermath of two massive earthquakes in northwest Turkey that killed some 20,000 people.
So -- in six months, thanks to The One, we now have Islamists controlling Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia (prolly), Libya, Lebanon, and prolly now, Iraq and in Syria. On the map, those countries, when connected by a single line, sorta makes the shape of a crescent.
Imagine that it's the middle of the Cold War. In an Asian country there's a revolt against a dictator. The opposition wants international recognition, so it seeks U.S. help. And the American government turns over direct management of this process to ... Communist China!
The resulting coalition is largely dominated by China's allies, the Communists, whose numbers far exceed their proportional role in the revolution. Some anti-Communist activists walk out in protest, but it makes no difference.
Wouldn't you be shocked that a U.S. government has done something so stupid? Is it treason or gross incompetence? After all, U.S. aid is going to be funneled into a largely Communist-led movement and it is now much more likely that Communists will run the country if the revolution succeeds.
Oh, and not a single mainstream media organ pointed out the above situation even though it was a matter of public record.
Well, that's just what's happened with Syria.
The names of 19 of the 29 members of the new, U.S.-backed Syrian National Council have just been announced and, as I explained in this article, 10 of the 19 -- a majority -- are identifiably Islamist. At least four of them are members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Moreover, two-thirds of the 15 Sunni Muslim Arabs are Islamists. Note that Sunni Muslim Arabs only comprise 60 percent of Syria's population. Assuming that no more than 20 percent of Syrian Sunnis are Islamists (a reasonable assumption), Islamists are over-represented on the Syrian National Council by 500 percent. You could challenge that assumption, but I believe you'd end up with at least a 400 percent over-representation. It's not like anyone in Syria is well disposed towards the U.S. If all the members were Alawites they'd hate us; if they were Shi'a well, they hate us too. I think the few remaining Syrian Marionites like us but I'm not sure. The Kurds? Depends.
Let's remember that the U.S.'s goal should be to push Islamist representation below a level that would be proportionate with its base of support within the country.
At most, only four of the Sunni Muslim representatives -- just one-quarter -- are liberals or leftists! And the non-Sunni Muslim Arabs are under-represented by 300 percent.
Remember, this is not some spontaneous choice made by the Syrian masses or even by external opposition groups. This was stage-managed by the Turks on behalf of the American government.
It should be well known by this point that the current Turkish regime is an enemy of the United States. That government not only rejected sanctions against Iran last year but tried to sabotage them. It has consistently supported Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and -- until recently -- the Syrian regime.
And the Turkish regime has also become so hostile to Israel that some observers in Turkey think it is going to the verge of war with the Jewish state.
But that's not all. WikiLeaks show that the U.S. embassy in Turkey has repeatedly warned about that regime's radicalism, anti-Americanism and Islamism. Yet despite this, the Obama administration continues to treat the Turkish government as a valued ally. For example, on September 11 of this year, the Obama administration chose Turkey to be a co-founder of an international counter-terrorist group described as the main U.S. initiative in that field marking the tenth anniversary of the terror attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.!
The Occupy Wall Street organizers have invited support from Muslim groups, and on Friday, their camp in New York Citys Zuccotti Park played host to an Islamist group with ties to Islamist anti-Semites, radicals and terrorists.
The Islamic group held a small prayer service that featured roughly 30 men and 30 women. As required by Islamist rules, the women sat in the back and wore head coverings, as the prayer leader cried out Allahu Akbar, or Allah is the Most Powerful of All.
[Dawn] Former head of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmed said the government must act according to the decisions made in the All Parties Conference, DawnNews reported on Sunday.
He also warned government against an army operation in Wazoo and said that his party will launch strong protests if such an operation is conducted.
Speaking to an anti-US rally in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, he said that the government should act upon the recommendations of the APC and distance itself from US policies.
Qazi Hussain said that the whole nation will come out on to the streets if an operation were launched Waziristan. He said that the government had pledged during the APC that it will not launch any new military operations in Waziristan but after the recent visit of Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Bainbridge Colby ... , it seems as if the government was thinking otherwise.
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10/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Pakistain Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan ... who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... has said that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Tallyrand ... will not be allowed to give orders to the rulers, who have stashed millions in foreign banks.
"We will never receive US dictates of killing our own people in someone else`s war," he told a pubic meeting here on Warsak Road on Saturday.
The former nazim ...small time big shot, the chief elected official of a local government in Pakistan, such as a district, tehsil, union council, or village council... of Town-III, Yasin Khan Khalil, announced at the meeting to quit PPP and join PTI.
Mr Khan said that his party would sweep the coming polls and then Hillary wouldn`t dare to visit Pakistain and issues orders of killing people.
"President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... and Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Müslim League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... are two sides of the same coin. The nation has got united under the banner of PTI to eliminate both the corruption-riddled leaders and their cronies and put the country on path of progress," he told the meeting.
Majority of the young participants of the public meeting rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud when Mr Khan mentioned Sharif brothers.
"Till now Nawaz Sharif used to say that he avoided protests against Zardari because he didn`t want to derail democracy. Both the partiers start levelling allegations against each others when elections draw nearer but they will not be allowed to befool the voters," he added.
He said that PPP and PML had ruled the country turn by turn and the people, who had been hit hard by severe price-hike, unemployment, energy crisis, had realised to bring about massive change in the country.
"Nobody can stop PTI from holding public meeting at Minar-i-Pakistain Lahore on October 30 where we will flex our muscles," he said. Mr Khan alleged that Nawaz Sharif played friendly opposition to PPP because both the parties had plundered the national wealth mercilessly owing to which they didn`t want a third party to emerge and take them to task.
The activists of Insaf Student Federation and other participants of the public meeting were holding party flags and banners inscribed with different slogans.
The PTI chief asked the workers of Pakistain People`s Party and Awami National Party to join PTI because their leaders had betrayed their trust and didn`t follow their manifestoes. "The slogan `to befriends with the US is treachery with the nation` was raised by workers in Z.A Bhutto`s public meetings but now the same workers have become demoralised when they see the slavery and helplessness of Zardari-led PPP to stand up to US pressure," he said.
Mr Khan said that failure of ANP had also been causing despair among its workers and PTI had become the last hope of the nation.
"The government is using army to kill its own people and it doesn`t have the courage to see eye to eye to the US," he said. He said that they would collect Rs1,000 billion from the rich class, who had been evading taxes owing to their political connections.
PTI local leaders Asad Qaisar, Shah Farman, Zafarullah and other were also present on the occasion.
Yasin Khan Khalil, a local leader of PPP and former nazim, said on the occasion that corruption had crept in the society. "A clean and educated person like Imran Khan is needed to cleanse it," he added.
He said that he had parted ways with PPP because its leaders had deviated from the party`s principles and manifesto and he saw Imran Khan the only leader to overcome the crisis faced by the country.
Mr Khalil said that PTI was gaining more popularity in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... owing to honesty, commitment and charity work of Imran Khan.
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10/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... on Sunday said that Pakistain had many achievements on the foreign front, saying its foreign policy was successful.
"Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... 's unconditional support to Pakistain against foreign aggression, India's vote to Pakistain in the UN Security Council and country's renewed role in the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... (EU) reflect the effectiveness of our foreign policy," he said during a presser after a meeting with PML-Q leadership at Zahoor Elahi House here.
Regarding Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif's recent statements, the Prime Minister said Shahbaz Sharif was merely tarnishing the image of his own fraternity through baseless allegations of corruption but others could also level similar allegations against Shahbaz Sharif, adding that PML-N's corruption mantra could not deceive people any more.
With reference to accountability of PML-N, Gilani said there was a fine line between accountability and Dire Revenge™ and Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Müslim League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... used Saif-ur-Rehman for political vendetta and victimization during his tenure, adding that PPP had not tried to be 'bitter' against opponents for their past mistakes.
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10/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The United States and Pakistain have 90-95 per cent agreement on a work plan to combat terrorists, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another John Foster Dulles ... said on Sunday while reflecting on her two-day visit to Islamabad.
During the visit, which ended on Friday, the chief US diplomat urged Pakistain to move against hard boyz who were attacking American forces in Afghanistan or risk dwindling support from the US and further instability at home.
But in a series of interviews to various US television networks on Sunday, Secretary Clinton tried to downplay the differences and also highlighted Pakistain's cooperation in the fight against Al Qaeda.
"We're about 90, 95 per cent in agreement between the United States and Pakistain about the means of our moving towards what are commonly shared goals," she said. "And we have a work plan and a real commitment to making sure we are as effective as possible together."
One of the interviewers noted that during the visit, she had sent an unmistakable message: Those who allow forces of Evil to operate in safe havens will pay a heavy price. "What are the consequences to this already fragile relationship, if, in fact, the United States launches another counter-terror operation inside Pakistain with US boots on the ground?" he asked.
Secretary Clinton said that the high-level delegation she led to Islamabad had "a very intense, frank, candid and open discussion" with Pak leaders.
The delegation, which included the CIA and US military chiefs, stressed two points: both countries have to work together to eliminate the threat from safe havens and they also need to back an Afghan-led reconciliation process.
"We, on the Afghan side, and we're upping the tempo of our efforts, and the Paks on their side," she said. "It's very important to stress that Pakistain, Afghanistan, and Americans are already facing consequences from the attacks that cross borders and kill innocent people."
She warned that the consequences could become "even more dire if we do not redouble our efforts to try to increase our security cooperation".
She defended US contacts with the Haqqanis, noting that Washington was following a policy of "fight, talk and build" and these contacts were part of this policy. The meeting with the Haqqanis, she said, was held at Pakistain's request to gauge whether there was any basis for further talking.
"So, what we are trying to gauge who among the groups would be sincere and serious about an Afghan-led grinding of the peace processor," she added.
"And it's very absolutely understood that in order for any process to have a chance to succeed, the United States and Pakistain have to work with Afghanistan. So, we responded to a Pakistain request."
The US, she said, was testing out "a lot of different approaches" but at the same time it will also keep finding those who were killing Afghans, Americans and others.
Responding to a question, Secretary Clinton said the US was not going to abandon its goals in Afghanistan for the sake of reconciliation with the Taliban.
"We're going to fight where we need to fight. We will talk if there's an opportunity to talk. And we will keep building towards a more secure, stable future for Afghanistan," she said.
Secretary Clinton explained that the US had certain "red lines" for any talking or any agreement.
"With whomever we talk, they have to abide by the following: They must renounce violence. They must renounce any and all ties to Al Qaeda. And most importantly, for the future of Afghanistan, they must commit to abide by the laws and constitution
of Afghanistan, which protect the rights of ethnic minorities and women.
"So I am very clear that I am not going to support any peace agreement that gives up the hard-won rights of the Afghan people. And in particular, I have a commitment to the women of Afghanistan."
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10/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... , who had so far been exercising restraint against the Sharifs, launched on Sunday a direct assault on the PML-N leadership, saying the party was taking an unconstitutional route and humiliating the parliament by holding rallies against the country's elected President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... Mr Gilani advised Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif not to take actions that would isolate the province politically.
Talking to journalists at the residence of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi where he had gone to greet the PML-Q leaders on the acquittal of Moonis Elahi in the NICL case, he said: "Holding of 'go Zardari, go' rallies is unconstitutional and a bid to disgrace parliament as Mr Zardari is an elected president."
He wondered why the opposition PML-N was taking "an unconstitutional route" when constitutional options were available (to pursue their agenda). "The PML-N should exhibit political maturity. The party is following an undemocratic and unconstitutional way against an elected president and if they are trying to warm up for elections then it is too early to do so," he said.
The prime minister then himself explained what he said were the reasons behind the Sharifs' policy, saying: "Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Müslim League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... is under tremendous pressure from (PTI chief) Imran Khan ... who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... 's growing popularity in Punjab."
He predicted that the PML-N would have to face a direct threat from Pakistain Tehrik-i-Insaf in Punjab in the coming elections and advised the party ruling the province to "concentrate on serving the masses by improving its performance as people are sick of politics of confrontation and agitation".
He advised Mr Shahbaz to bring Punjab back in the mainstream politics, saying that the chief minister's actions were isolating the province politically.
Referring to a recent statement by the chief minister accusing the federal government of indulging in corrupt practices, the premier said Mr Shahbaz was merely tarnishing the image of his own community by hurling such allegations and warned that others could also level similar allegations against him.
He said that Shahbaz Sharif's statement was unconstitutional because the Sharifs had publicly promised that for the sake of democracy they would not resort to unconstitutional ways.
He said the PML-N should respect the mandate of other parties, like the PPP which had never tried to topple the PML-N government in Punjab.
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10/24/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Daniel Webster ... warned Iran on Sunday not to "miscalculate" in Iraq, saying the U.S. military presence in the region would remain strong after the withdrawal of all American combat forces at the end of the year.
"No one, most particularly Iran, should miscalculate about our continuing commitment to and with the Iraqis going forward," she said in an interview with CNN from Uzbekistan.
Iraq refused to give legal immunity to a small residual force that Washington had hoped to leave behind, leading President Barack B.O. Obama to announce Friday that all 39,000 U.S. combat troops in Iraq would be out of Iraq by the end of the year.
The withdrawal, a key Obama promise, drew fire from conservatives in Washington who called it a victory for Iraq, and was welcomed in Tehran as long overdue.
Iran's diminutive PresidentMahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad was asked by CNN in an interview on its "GPS with Fareed Zakaria" show whether Iran would take over the training and support of the Iraqi military once the Americans were gone.
He said Iran had "special relations" with Iraq but its government "should decide how to provide training for the military personnel. We should wait for a decision of the Iraqi government."
Played a clip from the Ahmadinejad interview, Clinton said, "I'm used to the president of Iran saying all kinds of things, but I think it's important to set the record straight."
Clinton said the U.S. military would continue to train, arm and support the Iraqi military after the U.S. withdrawal, and that the United States would maintain a robust diplomatic presence to manage the relationship.
"In addition to a very significant diplomatic presence in Iraq which will carry much of the responsibility for dealing with an independent, sovereign, democratic Iraq, we have bases in neighboring countries, we have our ally in Turkey. We have a lot of presence in that region," she said.
However, a lie repeated often enough remains a lie... U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ...current SecDef, previously Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Panetta served as President Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff from 1994 to 1997 and was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993.... said Friday that the training mission must still be negotiated with the Iraqis, whose Shiite-led government is close to Iran and has had a torturous relationship with Washington.
U.S. conservatives, meanwhile, attacked the pullout as leaving the door open to Iran.
Senator John Maverick McCain ... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution... called it "a serious mistake. I believe we could have negotiated an agreement. And I'm very, very concerned about increased Iranian influence in Iraq."
Interviewed on ABC's "This Week" from Amman, Jordan, McCain said Obama's announced withdrawal "is viewed in the region as a victory for the Iranians. And I don't think there's any doubt there is."
Senator Lindsey Graham ... the endangered South Carolina RINO... , another influential Republican, took Obama to task on Fox News Sunday for what he said were "dangerous" policy decisions on Iraq that ignored military recommendations that up to 18,000 troops be kept there next year.
"He's putting in question our success in Afghanistan and he ended Iraq poorly, fumbled the ball inside of the tent. I hope I'm wrong about what happens in Iraq, but they are dancing in the streets in Tehran."
Clinton came to Obama's defense in a separate interview on Fox News Sunday, praising his "smart leadership in a complex world."
Clinton lauded Obama, her former rival, for making the call to send U.S. special forces to kill al-Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden ... who is no more... inside Pakistain, and for forging the coalition that ousted Libyan strongman Moammar Qadaffy ... who is now deader than a rock... Asked what foreign policy principle guided Obama to intervene in Uganda and Libya but not in Syria, Clinton responded: "I think it's important that in this very complex, dangerous world, we have somebody in the White House who understands that America has to lead.
"Our leadership is essential. But we have to look at every situation and make the right decision."
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10/24/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
You know I wonder if someone ever 'warned North Vietnam not to miscalculate over South Vietnam'...
The United States has pulled its ambassador out of Syria over security concerns after his cultivation of contacts with protesters led to attacks on his embassy and residence by backers of President Bashar Assad, diplomats said on Monday.
Robert Ford left Syria over the weekend, the Western diplomats told Reuters, following a series of incidents that resulted in physical damage but no casualties.
[An Nahar] U.S. Senator John Maverick McCain ... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution... raised the prospect Sunday of possible armed intervention to protect civilians in Syria where a crackdown on pro-democracy protests has killed more than 3,000 people.
"Now that military operations in Libya are ending, there will be renewed focus on what practical military operations might be considered to protect civilian lives in Syria," McCain told a World Economic Forum meeting in Jordan.
McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad's Trampler of Homs... "regime should not consider that it can get away with mass murder.
Libya's ousted leader Moammar Qadaffy, ...who single-handedly turned a moderately prosperous kingdom into a dictator's fantasyland, then, after 42 years, got the Mussolini treatment... who was captured and killed on Thursday, "made that mistake and it cost him everything," he said.
"There are even growing calls among the opposition for some foreign military intervention. We hear these pleas for assistance. We are listening to and engaging with the (opposition) National Council," he added.
The United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... has said more than 3,000 people, including 187 children, have been killed in a fierce crackdown on dissent since mid-March.
"The Syrian revolution may now be entering a new phase. The opposition has formed the Syrian National Council seeking to better organize itself. There are increasing reports of defections from the army," said McCain.
"More Syrians appear to be taking up arms against the regime."
McCain charged that "dark forces in this region, especially in Iran, are working harder than ever to hijack the promise of what many are calling the Arab Spring.
"These concerns are real and legitimate and merit our vigilance."
U.S.-Iran tensions have been running high since Washington accused Tehran of being behind an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington. Iran has denied any involvement.
McCain held talks with key U.S. ally King Abdullah II on Middle East issues, Jordan's state-run Petra news agency reported.
The United States and Jordan on Sunday signed a $250-million agreement under a "small and medium enterprise loan guarantee program" to support the cash-strapped kingdom's economy.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/24/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#3
IIRC, in WWII when the Brits were fighting Rommel in North Africa Winston Churchill called it pecking at the periphery because they weren't going directly after Hitler in Berlin. Back then it was probably the thing to do because the oil was important and the Brits didn't really have the wherewithal to challenge the Germans in Europe.
These days I would call Pencilneck a peripheral character who defers to the real problem in Qom. But the Iranians aren't exactly the Third Reich and Syria has no oil. So why bother with Pencilneck, Senator?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/24/2011 11:29 Comments ||
Top||
#4
And don't tell us it's to protect civilians.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
10/24/2011 11:30 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Pencilneck has no more cash anyways. Why defuse a bomb after it has gone off?
We DO NOT want to get involved in this. There are no clear "good guys" in Syria: just a lot of bad guys, weird religious minorities, and a Sunni majority "revolution" poised to devolve into genocide at the drop of a hat.
OTOH it's possible when all is said and done that Israel might be able to pickup a couple million perfectly good Druze and Christians to settle on their (suddenly expanded) northern boarder. Who knows: maybe some disaffected Ishmaili as well.
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.
l-Shabaab
TUNIS - Tunisia's leading secularist party conceded defeat on Monday after unofficial tallies from an election at the weekend showed a victory for an Islamist party.
Wazoo
Hillary Clinton
Nawaz Sharif
Prime Minister Syed 
Hillary Clinton
Punjab
Hillary Clinton
Mahmoud 
John 
Lindsey Graham
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
