Maj Gen Benjamin Freakley says it was Jalaluddin Haqqani who recruited and sent unemployed and untrained men to fight in Afghanistans Paktika province, most of whom were killed in an encounter this week with US forces. According to an AP report, Haqqani whom the general said was operating from inside Pakistan sent some 200 ill-equipped fighters, some wearing sandles on their feet, into battle where most were killed in a major battle this week.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) Somalia speaker of the parliament Saturday has strongly condemned the new plan approved by the parliament imposing martial law on the country as illegal. Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden who is in self-imposed exile with 21 of his parliamentarians in Djibouti ...
Brave, brave Sharif Hassan ...
... said the new law is unacceptable to Somali people and it only makes the situation harder than before.
Speaking to the local Radio Shabelle in Mogadishu by telephone, Mr. Hassan expressed his anger to the approval by the MPs to the plan, which bans civilians and clan militiamen from possessing weapons. He said the state of emergency law approved by the parliament violates the countrys constitutional law. The parliament in Baidoa has adopted illegal plan that might put the country into disastrous way and create clan conflict because the problem of Somalia can not be solved by military force but needs via peaceful means, Hassan said.
Peaceful resolution of disputes has worked so well in Somalia to date ...
About 154 lawmakers in Baidoa city, 245km southwest of Somalia capital voted in favor of new powers banning unauthorized demonstrations. "After long debate on this issue, most of the MPs have voted in favor, so that law has been passed by parliament," deputy speaker, Osman Boqore told the lawmakers. The martial law will last for three months in which the country will be ruled under state of emergency.
Prob'ly necessary, and for more than three months ...
The move came after clashes this week in the capital Mogadishu between government forces and militiamen supporting clan faction leaders. The new law will give special power to the president, a military man He said that he and other group of MPs have nowhere to return to since their country is in occupation by outsiders. We are lawmakers whose country is occupied by foreign troops and we are asking the international community to put more pressure on Ethiopian government to pull out its troops from Somalia, said Sharif Hassan.
So I take it you're not grateful that the Aethiops got your country back for you? Sounds familiar, I think I've heard this somewhere else ...
The speaker and other 21 MPs were expelled from Kenya following warning issued from the Kenyan foreign ministry that all the Somali lawmakers opposing the transitional government should leave Kenya within 72 hours.
Perhaps they could take a boat to Yemen ...
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) Somalias president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed admitted that there are still Islamist elements hiding in the capital who are responsible for the recent explosions and attacks that rocked Mogadishu. Mr. Yusuf made the statement in special meeting with the intellectuals, politicians and elders of the Saad sub-clan of Habar-Gidir clan of Hawiye tribe over how they would support the transitional government. It is certain that the Islamists leaders who were ousted from Mogadishu left behind elements... they are hiding in the city. Those who are throwing bombs every night are the ones left here, said president Yusuf citing early pledges by the Islamist leaders that they had changed the strategy of their war into guerrilla fighting, mining, bombing, hit and run attacks.
Mr. Yusuf who has for the first time met with the Saad sub-clan since his arrival in the capital said he is asking that the government should be helped restore the peace and stability in Somalia, particularly in Mogadishu. If we are all honest in restoring the dignity, nationalism the stability in the country, actually no one can hide inside the capital and kill the peace. We must collectively prevent the troublemakers and destroy all the eggs left by the ousted Islamists, president Yusuf told the attendees of the meeting which took place in the presidential palace.
Mr. Yusuf said that it is essential to immediately form an administration for Banadir province and its districts and also build up the police stations to bring peace and security in the capital and then whole the country. The administration can do nothing alone without security forces who will deal with criminals, he said.
Todays meeting with the key members of Saad sub-clan is part of the presidents efforts to seek solution for the insecurity in Mogadishu which has seen days of insurgents attacks against the allied forces of Somalia and Ethiopia. Hussein Mohamed Aideed, the deputy minister and interior minister who was chairing the meeting confirmed the full support of his Saad sub-clan for the government and showed readiness to work with the government to get out of the current crisis.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Dr. Merkin's Jihad Cure...LMAO!!!! He used to be an awful crab. .....but now he's doorknob dead! Hurrah!
That one is a beauty, Fred!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/14/2007 17:59 Comments ||
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Egyptian security forces detained five members of the banned opposition Muslim Brotherhood on Sunday, security sources said, in the latest round-up of Islamist critics of the government. Security sources said the five Brotherhood members were arrested on charges of belonging to an illegal organisation and possessing Muslim Brotherhood leaflets and documents. The Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition movement, confirmed on its web site (www.ikhwanonline.com) that "a number" of members were detained.
The arrests were the latest in a campaign that has intensified since Islamist students at al-Azhar University angered the government in a protest march last month in which they wore militia-style uniforms and black balaclavas. Security forces detained scores of Islamist students and the deputy leader of the Brotherhood, Khairat el-Shatir, following that protest. State media, in charges dismissed by the Brotherhood, said the march showed the group was training a militia.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said last week that the Brotherhood poses a threat to Egypt's security because the country would face international isolation should the Islamist movement become more powerful.
The Brotherhood said that those arrested on Sunday included Mohamed Ali Bashar, a member of the Brotherhood's Guidance Office which acts as its executive, as well as Essam Hashish, an engineering professor at Cairo University.
#1
I briefly considered turning the Muslim Brotherhood website into a link on the post before reconsidering. Am I right in thinking that linking to organizations with direct jihadi ties - apart from the UN and major news organizations, of course - would generally be a bad thing?
CAIRO Egyptian authorities detained Saturday a journalist from the pan-Arab Al Jazeera TV network for fabricating scenes of torture staged inside Egyptian police stations, an interior ministry statement said.
Egyptian TV producer Howaida Taha Matwali was banned earlier this week from traveling to Qatar, the headquarters of the Al Jazeera network, after airport police seized 50 video tapes she was carrying in her luggage, the statement said. Prosecutors ordered her detention on Saturday for further questioning, a police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
A special arts committee affiliated to the interior ministry viewed the video tapes and said they showed unedited scenes of fabricated torture incidents, and assaults by individuals wearing police uniforms on others playing roles of male and female suspects inside studios decorated to look like police stations, the statement said. The tapes have not been made public and the actors are not registered in actors syndicate, it added.
The bureau chief in Egypt for Al Jazeera, Hussein Abdel-Ghani, said that the footage was reconstruction which Matwali intended to use in a documentary film about torture in Egypt. Reconstructing scenes with actors is a well known method in the production of documentaries, and Al Jazeera is not the only network to talk about torture, Abdel-Ghani said.
'Reconstructing' scenes is something Al-Jizz learned from the AP, Reuters, AFP, CBS and the NYT.
He said the detained journalist had also twice obtained permissions from the Egyptian interior ministry to interview police officers about torture.
Al Jazeera said on its Arabic Web site that Egyptian prosecutors accused Matwali of: filming footage that harms the national interest of the country; possessing and giving pictures contradicting the truth, and giving a wrong description of the situation in the country.
Rights groups say torture, including sexual abuse, is routinely conducted in Egyptian police stations and in the interrogation of prisoners.
Particularly if they've said something negative about Mubarak or Junior.
The government denies systematic torture, but has investigated several officers on allegations of torture. Some were convicted and sentenced to prison time.
Two security officers were detained in December on accusations they tortured and sexually abused a prisoner in a case that sparked a public uproar. Several Egyptian bloggers posted on the internet a video showing the prisoner naked from the waist down while being sodomized with a stick. Another video showing an unidentified woman tied to a stick and wailing with pain during what appeared to be a police interrogation was also recently posted on the Internet.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Why is it not god news when Al Jizz gets busted?
Forgive my ignorance, but anytime that "All Al Queda All The Time" Network takes a hit that seems pretty damn good to me....
North Korea on Saturday condemned the deployment of US stealth fighters in South Korea as an act of aggression aimed at launching war against the communist country. A squadron of F-117A Nighthawk warplanes and some 300 airmen from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico arrived in South Korea earlier this week for routine training. The deployment typically lasts four months. The United States is "driving the situation to the brink of war through their reckless arms buildup and military provocations," the committee said in the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
It's funny, but the last thing I had read on the subject of f-117's was that they were in the process of being decommissioned as of October 2006.
If thats the case, whats a couple of squadrons doing in Skor? 300 airmen (mechanics, pilots, ground support) isnt exactly a small contingent, and dont tell me its training, because thats a real expensive deployment for something that A) is going to be demobbed in the next couple of FY's and B) could be done pretty cheaply and easily in NM or NV.
Sure, theres a mammas boy with a bad haircut living just a few miles north of there, and maybe its worth it just to freak the little dork out, but really, its a long way to go just to get someone to 'wet the bed'.
Do you think someone is misdentifying something else? A global hawk derivative or other ucav-like 'players to be named later'? What confirmation do we have that the f-117 is in fact the aircraft that is "on site"? sure, its our public affairs guys that are saying that its on site, but so what? They have been known to ahem, 'bend the truth' before, right?
You park a couple of squadrons of spooky jets, known for their ability to sneak around other 'peoples republic of fill-in-the-blank' with great success, it does tend to make you return phone calls, but then again, so does having a carrier off the coast.
unless...the carrier task force is 'otherwise occupied' in parts further south as it were...
hmmmm... lotsa carriers moving around out of pattern lately, aint there?
Posted by: frank martin ||
01/14/2007 1:25 Comments ||
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#2
I concur
Posted by: Kim ||
01/14/2007 3:22 Comments ||
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#3
Why are they decommissioning these? Seems like only yesterday they were the cat's meow. Do they have something that can do its job better?
The reason the -117s are eventually going away is because as stealthy as they are they have two serious drawbacks. First, they're 1970s technology. As much as I hate to say this, don't forget it was Jimmah Cathuh who approved development of the -117 and the B-2 - mainly to keep the USAF happy as he tried to dismantle everything else. (Little known fact - he tried very hard to convince the Joint Chiefs that we could safely discard 90% of the ICBM force, 75% of the missile sub force, and all of the bombers). Secondly, the -117 is not a dogfighter and although it's had some electronics upgrades, it is comparatively slow and cannot be plugged into the new system we've designed around the F-22 and F-25 - both of which are an order of magnitude or so more stealthy than the -117, and both of which can actively defend themselves (by speed or maneuver) if need be. The decision to get rid of them was made last October, but it's going to be some time yet before they're gone. In the meantime, they still have a place in the order of battle, but as soon as the new birds are in full production they'll be retired. In fact, their biggest asset right now is that the whole world is scared sh*tless of them. Kimmie's air defense system isn't as good as Saddam's was (there's more of it, but it's the same vintage and it's ALL ex-Soviet as compared to the French and Chinese stuff he had in the mix)and he knows that if we wanted to, the -117s could fly right through it.
Mike
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/14/2007 8:35 Comments ||
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#5
And the -117 is probably not subject to being detected over NK by distortions it causes to the cell phone network, which was a potential problem in Iraq.
#8
That's the logic behind shutting them down. Even the F-35 is stealthier. But when you consider how far things have come in electronics since 1980 there's no reason to expect the same isn't true of stealth technology, especially with 25 years of operational experience.
#9
Ol Kimmy knows these planes are not fighters, they are bombers. They hold a small payload and take mutiple passed to expend the ord that is on it. But they still could take his bad hair out.
We were debating a few days back on why it even carried the"F" designation. Now with Carter being the approving prez it is all clear. He's so stupid he could not tell the difference between a bomber and fighter. Slick one forthe air force.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/14/2007 11:08 Comments ||
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#10
Oh Mercy! Do tell! Are you serious?
Yes, Ship - unless we're being fed clever disinformation. I assume your question is serious.
F-117 The F-117 had a radar signature about a hundredth as large as that of conventional airplanes, making it appear little larger than a bird on radar scopes.
F-22: "Radar signature approximately the size of a bumblebee, thereby avoiding detection by the most sophisticated enemy air defense systems
I couldn't find a similar analogy for the F-35, but it's probably comparable to the F-22.
With an attitude like that it's no wonder the USAF owns everything they engage.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/14/2007 14:48 Comments ||
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#12
Thanks, Mike. Interesting that he was using it as a bone for the USAF. I understand that bone got taken away, however, and reinstated by Reagan. Am I thinking of the B-1 here?
In any case, I don't care if it was enormous flying Oscar Meyer Weiner cars, if you can't see 'em and if they can drop JDAMs on you, it's something to worry about. :-) The F-117s will probably wear out before they are retired.
#14
It seems to me that coordinated radars could pick up the F-117, as some of the radar energy is absorbed and some is reflected and scattered away from the radar transmitter. I would imagine that Kimmie's defenses are not as up to date as others, including his sugardaddies suppliers. We are putting carrier groups and air groups well within striking range of a$$holes like Kimmie and Dinnerjacket. Let them sweat for a while about our intentions. I am sure that our intentions cover a broad range of actions. About time we get off the defensive and be poised for the offensive.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/14/2007 18:11 Comments ||
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#15
AP, the idea of coordinated radars requires that 1) you know where to point the thing and 2) the reflection is bounced back at a true angle. The 117s claim to fame was not that it was invisible to radar, but that due to its faceted shape, any radar beam that painted it was deflected away from the originating radar site. Think of a disco ball; all those mirrors catch a flashlight beam, but only a fraction of them are shot back at you (the flashlight holder) and you know where the disco ball is; Kimmie would only be guessing where the wobblies are. The 117 that got shot down in Kosovo several years ago was not due to any sort of radar lock, but rather the USAF was running flight ops on a pretty regular schedule and the ingress / egress routes were known to the bad guys. They knew how long it took to reach any given point and their runway spotter simply called in that a bird was on the way and they started their stopwatches.
Re the #12 comment about flying Oscar Meyer wiener cars: Google up "Tacit Blue" sometime; this was a Skunk Works project thet was used for the next generation of stealth development (post 117) At first glance it looks more like a flying UPS truck, but its RCS is reportedly an order of magnitude smaller than the 117. (sorry I do not have the link to that, but it may be in Ben Rich's book "The Skunk Works.")
#16
The B1 was canceled by Carter and reinstated by Reagan. Carter had the B2 approved for initial development, but I wonder if he would have ordered actual production.
We say that if our pilots are ever in a "fair fight," we contractors haven't done our jobs.
#17
USN, ret.---I realize that about the F-117. I just wondered if you had arrays of radar stations, like some kind of a grid, and they received the scattered or a smidgen of scattered energy from another radar station, that they might be able to somewhat "paint" the F-117. Only thing is that our side could spoof the radar and creade a mass of confusion. I would imagine that if the enemy had some kind of solution, that things would change so fast that their solution would be out of date pdq.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/14/2007 21:38 Comments ||
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#18
Various mil boards report that elements within the USAF-MIC are arguing to keep the B-2 around for up to 50 years, plus an unknown number of REBUILT [REWIRED?] F117's for 20 more years. As for "brink of war", it was the CHICOMS whom first said that full-scale war agz the USA may begin as early as Year 2014, which is only 8 yarns/years away, and exclusive??? of the Russians.
#19
AP: thoretically I guess you colod, but realisticall it would be superexpensive and given all the variables the many 117 could present ( among other factors: course, speed, altitude, and then you would have to have computing power to deduce all this after you got a reflection at station n# 2 that began at station #1.) And that would only be one data point; you would need to collect several to be able to predict the course of the bird to vector anti-aircraft defenses towards it.
A bit of stealth trivia: When Jack Northrop built his first flying wing, radar was in its infancy, but was a reliable tool. There are stories that even when his aircraft were visually spotted by tower personnel, the radar screen was blank, even with the transmitter / receiver pointed dead at the plane. Too bad we didn't know then what we know now, the Korean War might have turned out different and this thread wouldn't even exist.
#21
That series of radar thing seems far too difficult to put to use. It would seem that every transmitter would have to also have its own identifying signal, which would be the easiest part part, but how do you get this signal to reflect off the planes surface? At least that's how I see it. If you don't know which transmitter the radar came from, how the hell can you figure out where the object it hit was? It would seem to me that it would just be an incoming signal with no origin.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/14/2007 23:06 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush on Saturday warned opposition Democrats against cutting funds for the Iraq war, and challenged those who oppose his new plan to put an alternative on the table. Those who refuse to give this plan a chance to work have an obligation to offer an alternative that has a better chance for success. To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible, he said in his weekly radio address.
Bush also downplayed hostility to his blueprint among Democrats who now control the US Congress and his Republican allies, as some opponents of the US presence in Iraq have threatened to try to withhold spending.
He called his new plan an important mission that will in large part determine the outcome in Iraq and warned that our brave troops should not have to wonder if their leaders in Washington will give them what they need.
Whatever our differences on strategy and tactics, we all have a duty to ensure that our troops have what they need to succeed, the president said. We recognize that many members of Congress are sceptical. Some say our approach is really just more troops for the same strategy. In fact, we have a new strategy with a new mission: helping secure the population, especially in Baghdad. Our plan puts Iraqis in the lead, said the president.
Only the Iraqis can end the sectarian violence and secure their people. Their leaders understand this, and they are stepping forward to do it. But they need our help, and it is in our interests to provide that help, he said.
Bush said that his new strategy fixed flaws that doomed previous efforts to pacify Baghdad by deploying some 21,500 US troops and giving them a freer hand to quell sectarian violence.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"Yeah! We want your other other plan. Or else."
...the Democratic policy is that anything good in Iraq they supported, anything bad they opposed. And they will now harp yet do nothing except whine in fear the surge might actually work.
#4
Bush should take a stand on this funding issue immediately. And not just a radio address stand or a press release stand.
He should give a speech on Prime Time national television and call these people out to the American public.
If he pushes them he can force them to commit political suicide make a public stand against the war or STFU. Enough with the politics from these pricks.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/14/2007 0:39 Comments ||
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#6
The Donks have a plan - The Killing Fields Part II.
Being a socialist liberal means never having to say you're sorry for the consequences, like the third Holocaust of the 20th Century in Cambodia.
Very simply this along with "we are going to fight the Iranian and Syrian elements in Iraq and change the ROE and Maliki its our way or we are out and we are increasing the military by 92+ troops in size for long war ect.... Me and most other Rantburgers have been screeming since 01' and I hope to God Bush has finally got the message ITS ALL OR NOTHING.
#9
That's their plan Proc... Vietnam / Cambodia all over again. It was their 'glory days'....
I saw a video-article the other day (Hot Air) where someone compared what Ted Kennedy is saying now and what he said when he advocated cutting the funds for S. Vietnam / Cambodia. They speeches were almost identical.
No the liberals (and Kennedy in particular) have a lot of blood on their hands - and I'm not talking about Mary Jo.
#12
From purely political BS viewpoint.... Tricker Dick never would have let the NVA win...... George Bush isn't going to resign. He can hammer them for 2 years.
No shit. What took so long George, to busy smuggling in illegal mexicans?
Liberal's plan = surrender and embrace Dhimmitude. Fight for more Keith Ellisons. Print more pig skin Qurans, Empty the Supreme court and put CAIR in place. Spit.
#14
Dubya knows the message - its the Polls-centric Congress that doesn't. E.g. the Border - its well-established that the Congress has venue over imigration + the border issues. As long as the Congress refuses to legislate the Border issues as a de facto National Security concern of the USA, Dubya can rant but its the Congress that must inevitably legislate.
ISLAMABAD President General Pervez Musharraf has said the fomer premiers Nawaz Sharif and Ms Benazir Bhutto would not be allowed to return and take part in elections; there would be no deal with any of them nor would there be any seat adjustments outside the components of the ruling coalition.
"Nope, nope, can't do it, nope."
He said the elections would be held on schedule, these would be fair and transparent and all political parties would be allowed to take part freely.
Except for the people who might be a threat to Perv.
The assemblies would complete their term and the present set-up of the ruling alliance would not be disturbed. "The ruling alliance should chalk out a strategy to contest the next polls as a united force," Musharraf told an unusual meeting of the parliamentary party of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) at a dinner hosted by the prime minister.
The meeting was convened apparently to firm up election strategy and refurbish confidence among PML members that has been severely jolted by consistent reports of covert contacts with Ms. Benazir Bhutto.
Gotta keep the party in line ...
The president emphasised the need for selecting winnable candidates and promised to personally oversee this selection. He said the allied parties would contest the coming elections as coalition partners with clear plan to win.
Winnable but not too winnable; someone who's charismatic, intelligent and efficient could become a threat in the future. They need to win but need to depend on Perv for their margin of victory. That way they always know whom to thank for their offices.
PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, former president Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari, Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Chief Minister Sindh Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim Khan and Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Muhammad Yousuf also attended the meeting.
The president said the government was committed to hold free, fair and impartial elections in which Perv and his hand-picked candidates win. The allied parties would go into the polls with confidence that their performance during past four years has been impressive.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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The NWFP police and federal intelligence agencies have failed to identify the cause behind bomb blasts and suicide attacks in the province, which has seen a number of attacks in recent months that have heightened tensions between the provincial and federal governments.
It is not clear who is behind the bombings in Peshawar the most serious of which killed at least nine people in October 2006. Police have set up checkposts within the city and its suburbs, but they have not made any arrests or managed to control terrorist activities. Police sources said that only one step had been taken to identify the cause of blasts and suicide attacks the formation of investigation committees but we have not seen any reports on the cause of these disturbing events yet. The province witnessed eight blasts and the murder of a senior police officer during the last quarter of 2006.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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A top Taliban leader in Pakistan said in remarks aired on Saturday his group would protect and guard Al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri if they turned up in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. I have not met Osama or Zawahri and they did not come to our region. We hope to see them and if they show up in our area we will protect them with our bodies and souls, Mullah Mohammad Nazir told Al Jazeera television in remarks dubbed into Arabic. US intelligence chief John Negroponte said on Thursday Al Qaeda leaders were holed up in a secure hideout in Pakistan, but the Pakistani government says the United States has not given it any information about their presence in Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Excerpts:
"I wouldnt have engaged in negotiations with Iran in the first place. The policy has failed. Sanctions wont stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons." Bolton thinks the Bush administration would rather find a way for diplomacy to succeed but time is running out. He added as an afterthought, Thats me speaking
...Bolton believes that Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, is wasting her time trying to restart the Middle East peace process. The Arab-Israeli conflict was not a priority, he added. I dont see linkage to Iraq, and Hamas and Fatah are in a state of civil war.
...One of his greatest concerns is the threat to Israel and the West posed by Irans nuclear programme. Regime change is preferable to striking Irans sites, he noted, but the only course worse than the use of force is an Iran with nuclear weapons.
The EU3 nations years of negotiations with Iran were not a neutral activity. Iran used the time to develop its mastery of uranium enrichment as its own leaders have boasted....
[On Iraq] The fundamental point is whether the civil war that exists is going to continue. Bolton has often been mistaken for a neocon, but while he considers democracy preferable to other forms of government, he does not consider it Americas duty to spread it.
The shape and form of the nation is irrelevant: what matters is that Iraq is either tolerably pro-western or de-fanged. He has no regrets about the removal of Saddam Hussein; now it is up to the Iraqis if they want to engage in fratricide. The same goes for partition: If the future of Iraq is to stay together, thats fine. If not, I couldnt care less from a strategic perspective.
#1
He's right about Iraq. Maliki needs to go and get replaced with a dictator we can live with.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/14/2007 1:03 Comments ||
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#2
Sorry, no. Putting in another dictator means we'll have to go back in the future and clean the place out again. Or somewhere else close by.
The whole point of this operation is that the past fifty years of American (and western) policy in the Middle East -- putting pliable dictators in charge so that we can guarantee a stable supply of oil -- has failed. Failed utterly and completely, because in the end people who can't live free lives will eventually pick up with the most violent and crazy ideology that promises them something better.
That's al-Qaeda. And we remember 9/11.
No. No dictators. No thugs. No 'realism' from James Baker or Brent Scowcroft. They represent the mentality that got us into this mess.
We might not be able to help the Iraqis to a democracy, but we're damned sure stupid if we put another mans' foot on their necks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/14/2007 1:29 Comments ||
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#3
Aristotelian thinking SW. Just because dictators didn't work out, doesn't mean democracy is possible in MME.
p.s. Once USA leaves, military coup in Iraq is a matter of weeks---if not days.
The room, with a view of the Jefferson memorial, is still sparse but he has made it his own by placing his favourite gift from colleagues, a bronzed hand-grenade inscribed with truest Reaganaut, on the coffee table.
#7
For democracy to "take" in Iraq its infrastructure has to be set up - which'd be the oligarchy that actually runs it. To date Iraq's "powers that be" are controlled from either Teheran or Syria. The reason Kurdistan is working is because Talabani and Barzani worked out a modus vivendi.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 10:20 Comments ||
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#8
The time is fast arriving for a little reverse logic - we've played the divide and conquer hand, maybe since the conquering went os quickly, it's time to start dividing. Three nations, which allows the Kurds to focus on their ethnic brethren to the east and west. Good luck to the north/Turkey.
#9
Bolton has the capacity to think and speak quite clearly. He knows a big part of turning left when we should have turned right is to be laid at Rice's feet. She's totally out of her depth. She, to this day, thinks these blood thirsty bastards can be persuaded to play nice and hold hands and live happily ever after. Bolton is available. Pubs need a real candiadte for 2008. Any comments?
#10
Unfortunately, Mr. Bolton, esq. is not at all a politician, SpecOp35. I wish he were -- that combination of intelligence, rigorous thinking, and plain speaking is entirely too rare, and I would be much happier if Secretary Rice were to clarify her thinking about Israel and its neighbors. I wouldn't at all mind seeing Bolton heading State, but he isn't candidate material in my opinion. I'd still like to see Guiliani in the race, fwiw.
He is the kind of diplomat that is utterly lacking at State.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/14/2007 14:22 Comments ||
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#12
There will be nobody at State worth anything because they will never be approved by the Senate. Also, the President has not shown to be willing to fight for some good, tough candidates, with a few exceptions. Guilliani may have traction in NYC, but I would not like to seem as a pres candidate.
Actually, John Bolton would be an EXCELLENT pres candidate. But he would not put up with the HEAVY DUTY INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH smear campaign that would accompany his putting his hat in the ring. The Dems would do it to him, and so would some of the Republicans, in a quiet and respectful way, of course.
Bolton is a straight shooter, and that is why he got in trouble.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/14/2007 18:22 Comments ||
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#13
He might serve if drafted in a crisis, say after a terror strike that destroyed a sitting vice president but left the country's political structure mostly intact. The peacetime national electoral process has grown so dysfunctional no competent candidate with a sense of decency would want to run.
#14
If Mr. Bolton had the kind of drive necessary to be a politician, he would have been one long since. Or, he would have been one of those "political diplomats", much like General Wesley Clark is well-known to have been a political general.
Posted by: Senator Voinovich ||
01/14/2007 20:22 Comments ||
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#16
Bolton's cool. If the future of Iraq is to stay together, thats fine. If not, I couldnt care less from a strategic perspective. - awesome, tells it like he sees it.
U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who opposes Bush's plans to send more U.S. soldiers, met Saturday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the two top American commanders during her first visit to Iraq in nearly a year.
The New York Democrat, who was expected to run for her party's presidential nomination, called the situation in Iraq ``heartbreaking'' and said she doubted the al-Maliki government would live up to promises it had made about cracking down on violence.
``I don't know that the American people or the Congress at this point believe this mission can work,'' she said in an interview with ABC News in Baghdad. ``And in the absence of a commitment that is backed up by actions from the Iraqi government, why should we believe it?''
If/when she's president, of course, no one from the other party will dare go to a foreign country and criticize her plans. She'll make sure of it.
Clinton, who was making a one-day visit to the country, was traveling with Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y. All are members of armed services committees.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/14/2007 01:57 ||
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#2
remember when Americans had some class and didn't criticize from foreign shores? The Donks, Dixie Chicks, Hollywood's left continually show how low they are. She's got her finger in the breeze and desperately trying to keep her "frontrunner" image, as the polls show her sinking to fourth or worse for '08. Bitch
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/14/2007 7:57 Comments ||
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Six Iranians held in a US military raid in northern Iraq were working there with the approval of the authorities, Iraq's foreign minister has said. In that case, why are authorities engaged in allowing forces inimical to their country to roam around?
The Iranian liaison office in Irbil did not yet have full consular diplomatic status but it had been operating for years, Hoshyar Zebari said. The US said it believed the six people seized in Thursday's raid had targeted Iraqi and US-led coalition forces. Russia said the raid was "unacceptable" and a violation of international law. "It is absolutely unacceptable for troops to storm the consular offices of a foreign state on the territory of another state," Russian foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said. Tell that one to the Medes and the Persians.
"It is also not clear how this fits in with American statements that Washington respects the sovereignty of Iraq," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
What an absolute piss off. I'm all for kicking insurgent ass, but I see no reason for our troops to fight for this Iraqi government. If Maliki sides with the Iranians on this, our troops should start pulling out tomorrow. Let Maliki try to protect himself. He wouldn't last 6 months.
I think Sistani and Sadr are planning on controlling Iraq once the Americans are gone, so... If the Sunnis don't kill him, Sadr will.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/14/2007 1:28 Comments ||
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#2
Which might be the reason for the 2 Kurdish brigades being brought south to Baghdad : loyal to the present government, with no tribal or sectarian allegiances to get in the way of wiping out the Sunni/Shia militias there. Using a favored tribe to exterminate an enemy tribe has always been a popular and generally successful way to pacify a tribal zone.
President Bush and the neocon democratization plan are the last best hope for these people. If they cannot even make a show of acting like civilized people it is time for us to retreat to the oil-fields. Anything and anything else that represents a passing threat should be smashed from the stratosphere.
#6
Can't we make some sort of coup happen? When it does we can just say "we didn't want to interfere with Iraq sovereignty" "Now we have to work with new Iraqi leaders."
On a more serious note, if Maliki keeps proving to be useless, I doubt Bush will be willing to tie our boat to his lead ass much longer.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/14/2007 11:40 Comments ||
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#2
Personally, I think he should have a banner printed up and go into combat : "Cry 'God for Harry, England and Saint George!'". That ought to set some turbans spinning.
Abu Mazen had planned those meetings in Damascus Tuesday. DEBKAfiles Palestinian sources report that when they met in Ramallah Sunday, Jan 14, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice informed the Palestinian leader that Washington is determined to derail any collaboration deals he and his Fatah might conclude with Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip or Damascus. The Bush administration likewise strongly opposes a non-political Palestinian government of technocrats or any administration based on Fatah-Hamas parity. Rice argued that Hamas is under great strain and an Abbas turn to Damascus would ease its distress. The US official said Saudi rulers now regret their past support for terrorist elements like al Qaeda, and Abu Mazen would be ill-advised to make their mistake.
Rice and Abu Mazen were clearly at odds in their statements after their conversation. While The US secretary of state reiterated the deep American commitment to progress on the roadmap toward a two-state solution - without skipping any of its stages, Abbas flatly rejected interim arrangements or provisional borders (part of the road map) and demandeda diplomatic track that led directly toa comprehensive, just and durable peace.
For the moment, Rice managed to deter Abu Mazen from taking his first step into the Iran-backed Syrian fold or a reconciliation with Hamas - a signal feat in the first lap of her Middle East tour. His change of heart paves the way for the secretary to demand immediate Israeli concessions to the Palestinians when she meets Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem Monday.
Our sources report that Rice will want such concessions confined to the West Bank and exclude the Gaza Strip. First, she will ask him to transfer to the Palestinian leader $100 m of the revenues held back from the Palestinian Authority as he promised Abu Mazen when they met last month. Next, she will ask Israel to ease access and movement by reducing the roadblocks inhibiting Palestinian traffic.
Rices first mission on her tour was finding a handle on the Israeli -Palestinian conflict in order to ease her bid for backing from Arab rulers for the US drive in Iraq. Her first obstacle was the decision by Mahmoud Abbas to explore the advantages available should he decide to ditch US sponsorship and accept Syria backing for a Palestinian unity government and a rapprochement with Hamas
Ahead of her visit to Ramallah, she and Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni joined in supporting all stages of the Middle East roadmap. From Cairo, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak reported he had sent President George W. Bush details of a new Egyptian peace proposal as an alternative to the road map, which he said had failed.
Rice also spoke with defense minister Amir Peretz and minister for strategic threats Avigdor Lieberman. The latter informed her that Israels reoccupation of the Gaza Strip to halt the stream of missiles against Israel was inevitable and suggested that NATO dispatch 30,000 troops to hold and secure the Palestinian territory thereafter.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/14/2007 19:59 ||
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#1
Rice also spoke with defense minister Amir Peretz and minister for strategic threats Avigdor Lieberman. The latter informed her that Israels reoccupation of the Gaza Strip to halt the stream of missiles against Israel was inevitable and suggested that NATO dispatch 30,000 troops to hold and secure the Palestinian territory thereafter.
Interesting. Not a hope in hell that NATO will find any troops for such an endeavor, when they couldn't find the 15,000 committed to for Lebanon. A pity, because 30,000 Europeans plopped down in the midst of Gaza Palestinian games would return home rabid Zionists.
Israeli counter-terrorism officials explain that a major reason for the continued drop in Palestinian terrorist attacks inside Israel (only two last year, while killed eleven people), has been the destruction of the terrorist organizations that plan and carry out these attacks. In the past year, Israeli counter terror operations in the West Bank resulted in the arrest of 187 Palestinians who were involved in terrorist activities, with another 130 killed. One Islamic Jahad group, which operated in the northern West Bank, was basically destroyed last year, with the loss of 33 of 38 members (killed or arrested.) This group had been responsible for several successful attacks in Israel.
During 2006, two Israeli soldiers and six civilians were killed in the West Bank, which is the result of good intelligence, and the careful planning of operations. The Israelis have a large informer network in the West Bank, and several hundred police commandos selected for their ability to pass as Palestinians (the commandos speak Arabic, and are from families who once lived in Arab countries, but were forced to flee by Islamic radicals.)
The damage done to West Bank terrorist groups has been so extensive that most of the remaining cells spend a disproportionate amount of their time avoiding the attention of the Israeli police. Because of this, more terrorists from Gaza are showing up, as well as aid from Hizbollah in Lebanon. The Gaza terrorists can leave via Egypt, and enter the West Bank via Jordan. Hizbollah operatives also use the Jordan route. Border security with Jordan is tight, but not perfect. Attempts to smuggle weapons and cash are often foiled, but a lot of this stuff does get through.
However, the basic Israeli tactic, of detecting, and going after, the terrorist cells that recruit, train, equip and guide (into Israel) the suicide bombers, has proved highly effective. It takes quite a bit of organization and skill to get a suicide bomber into Israel, and if you keep the terrorist groups in disarray, and constantly watching their backs, fewer bombs go off inside Israel.
#2
Since Israel is terribly cowed by the thought of a grand solution, the answer lies in gradualism that will, sooner or later, end the situation. But instead the Israelis worship the status quo, holding a bizarre "live and let live" philosophy with Paleos who utterly reject that philosophy.
#4
Many modern Jews abhor impoliteness. Men like Ariel Sharon do not, and it was a great tragedy to Israel when he became incapacitated. Hopefully, other Jews with equal intestinal fortitude will step forward, when weakness, pity, empathy, and indecisiveness again threaten to destroy Israel.
I do not advocate that the Jews wait until only by massacre they can force the Paleos to stop fighting, which is the ME way. If they would just act with firmness now, they they would not have to act with brutality later.
Envoys of Palestinian Authrity President Mahmoud Abbas have been holding secret talks with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Syria for the past two weeks, in another attempt to form a Palestinian unity government, an official close to the talks said Saturday. But don't tell nobody, okay? They're secret.
Some progress has been made, the official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the negotiations with reporters. The envoys, independent lawmaker Ziad Abu Amr and Mohammed Rashid, a former adviser to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, were heading to Damascus on Saturday for another round of talks. If an agreement is reached, Abbas would meet with Mashaal in Damascus, the official said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of the ruling Palestinian movement Hamas has urged national unity after weeks of deadly feuding. He went on TV to say that Palestinian infighting, which has claimed about 30 lives, was utterly unacceptable. Yet somehow it continues to be accepted, doesn't it?
Accepted? It's a way of life.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads the rival Fatah party, made a similar appeal two days ago. To approximately as much effect...
Meanwhile, government workers called off a strike over unpaid wages, saying they had been assured of payment. Mr Haniya called on the Arab League to implement its promise to break the Western- and Israeli-led economic embargo, which has prevented the government from paying its employees' wages.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
Yeah, it looks like they're not trying very hard. Obviously, their heart isn't in it, they just stand around, blasés, shooting at each others with ennui from time to time when they summon the will to emerge from their angst. In fact, they're not paleogunnies, they're left-bank existentialists.
Ehud Barak will give his first official appearance as a contender for the Labor Party Primaries Monday, when he speaks to a United Kibbutz event in the north. The former prime minister officially announced that he was joining the race last week, but has not yet set forth a platform. A spokesman for the Labor Kibbutz Movement said that it was "significant" that Barak was kicking off the campaign at the kibbutzim, where he has traditionally enjoyed very strong support, and which symbolizes a return to Labor's key demographic.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Maybe his campaign slogan can be, "I still have more to give. away"
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/14/2007 16:32 Comments ||
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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice landed in Israel on Saturday afternoon. Rice is expected to meet with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Amir Peretz during her stay in Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel and the US on Saturday of trying to inflame the conflict between Hamas and Fatah in the Palestinian territories.
"The United States and Israel are making an effort to ignite a Palestinian civil war," he told Arab media outlets in Gaza, emphasizing that Palestinian unity was an Islamic obligation and a national imperative. "We cannot allow differences in opinions to turn to armed conflict. The guns have to be aimed solely at the occupier."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#4
Always somebody else's fault for their own prehistoric behavior. I think my denial meter just busted off the upper peg again. They'll never solve anthing. Ever.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Venezuela Saturday at the head of a Latin American tour where he hopes to strengthen ties with leftist governments seeking to reduce Washington's influence in the region.
Ahmadinejad was given a red-carpet welcome at Caracas' international airport, where Vice President Jorge Rodriguez greeted him at the start of a trip that will also take him to Nicaragua for meetings with newly inaugurated President Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla, and to Ecuador, where President-elect Rafael Correa will be sworn in Monday. The Iranian leader will meet Saturday with President Hugo Chavez, whom Ahmadinejad described as "brother" during his first visit to Venezuela in September. Officials did not provide details on what he and Chavez planned to discuss.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
It would be sweet if Iran got bombed by the joos while Chavez and The Mad Midget were fellating each other having a meeting.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/14/2007 0:45 Comments ||
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#4
WND.com > Chavez's self-proclaimed "SOCIALIST CITIES" in country = Americas > read MARX + LENIN to understand concepts. Once again, boyz, with feeling > "9-11/WOT IS ABOUT AND ONLY ABOUT RADICAL ISLAMIST TERROR".
Hizbullah-led opposition groups rallied outside the Justice Ministry in the Lebanese capital on Saturday, as part of ongoing sit-ins and demonstrations against the US-backed government of Fuad Saniora.
The gathering near the so-called Justice Palace drew several hundred people and came as Hizbullah vowed to intensify the street campaign to topple Saniora's embattled government. "We are not going to leave the street and we are not going to stop the sit-ins. We are going to intensify them," Hizbullah legislator Hussein Haj Hassan said in a televised interview Saturday.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Hizb allah's protest in now in its 3th month.
I wonder if even the Shia faithful to Narz will stay with him if it goes another two months without a clear victory.
As I understand it this protest is being subsidized by Iran while the govt's resistance is being subsidized by the Saudis. Works for me.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday termed the new Iraq policy by US President George W Bush as "just a change of rhetoric," the ISNA news agency reported. "Unfortunately the US continues the trend of taking wrong decisions [in Iraq], and just changing the rhetoric will not stop this trend," Ahmadinejad was quoted by ISNA as saying in reference to new Iraq policies announced by Bush on Wednesday which include the dispatch of more than 20,000 extra troops into Iraq.
"The main problem of the current US administration is ignoring the interests and welfare of the Iraq people. Any policy not considering this basic principle is doomed to fail," Ahmadinejad said. "The only way out for the US is leaving all state affairs to the elected government of Iraq," he added.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned Bush's new policies calling them "de facto just another US effort to continue occupation of Iraq."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Occupation is such a strong word. I hope it turns into something more like a symbiotic relationship that doesn't need to exist for very long after which we can walk away with our backs turned and our guns down.
#2
Hmmmm...No. If everyone had behaved themselves we'd already be out of there. However, all sorts of miscreants have spent three years in one big temper tantrum requiring adult supervision. And you sir, are asking for special attention. You don't want to see us when we are really mad.
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.
Maj Gen Benjamin Freakley says it was 
(SomaliNet) Somalia speaker of the parliament Saturday has strongly condemned the new plan approved by the parliament imposing martial law on the country as illegal. 
(SomaliNet) Somalias president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed admitted that there are still Islamist elements hiding in the capital who are responsible for the recent explosions and attacks that rocked Mogadishu. Mr. Yusuf made the statement in special meeting with the intellectuals, politicians and elders of the Saad sub-clan of Habar-Gidir clan of Hawiye tribe over how they would support the transitional government. It is certain that the Islamists leaders who were ousted from Mogadishu left behind elements... they are hiding in the city. Those who are throwing bombs every night are the ones left here, said president Yusuf citing early pledges by the Islamist leaders that they had changed the strategy of their war into guerrilla fighting, mining, bombing, hit and run attacks. 
North Korea on Saturday condemned the deployment of US stealth fighters in South Korea as an act of aggression aimed at launching war against the communist country. A squadron of F-117A Nighthawk warplanes and some 300 airmen from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico arrived in South Korea earlier this week for routine training. The deployment typically lasts four months. The United States is "driving the situation to the brink of war through their reckless arms buildup and military provocations," the committee said in the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush on Saturday warned opposition Democrats against cutting funds for the Iraq war, and challenged those who oppose his new plan to put an alternative on the table. Those who refuse to give this plan a chance to work have an obligation to offer an alternative that has a better chance for success. To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible, he said in his weekly radio address.
ISLAMABAD President General 
The NWFP police and federal intelligence agencies have failed to identify the cause behind bomb blasts and suicide attacks in the province, which has seen a number of attacks in recent months that have heightened tensions between the provincial and federal governments. 
A top Taliban leader in Pakistan said in remarks aired on Saturday his group would protect and guard Al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri if they turned up in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. I have not met Osama or Zawahri and they did not come to our region. We hope to see them and if they show up in our area we will protect them with our bodies and souls, 
U.S. Sen. 
Six Iranians held in a US military raid in northern Iraq were working there with the approval of the authorities, Iraq's foreign minister has said. 
Israeli counter-terrorism officials explain that a major reason for the continued drop in Palestinian terrorist attacks inside Israel (only two last year, while killed eleven people), has been the destruction of the terrorist organizations that plan and carry out these attacks. In the past year, Israeli counter terror operations in the West Bank resulted in the arrest of 187 Palestinians who were involved in terrorist activities, with another 130 killed. One Islamic Jahad group, which operated in the northern West Bank, was basically destroyed last year, with the loss of 33 of 38 members (killed or arrested.) This group had been responsible for several successful attacks in Israel. 
Envoys of Palestinian Authrity President Mahmoud Abbas have been holding secret talks with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Syria for the past two weeks, in another attempt to form a Palestinian unity government, an official close to the talks said Saturday. 
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of the ruling Palestinian movement Hamas has urged national unity after weeks of deadly feuding. He went on TV to say that Palestinian infighting, which has claimed about 30 lives, was utterly unacceptable. 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Venezuela Saturday at the head of a Latin American tour where he hopes to strengthen ties with leftist governments seeking to reduce Washington's influence in the region. .JPG)
Hizbullah-led opposition groups rallied outside the Justice Ministry in the Lebanese capital on Saturday, as part of ongoing sit-ins and demonstrations against the US-backed government of Fuad Saniora. 
