Islamic militants controlling much of southern Somalia shut down a radio station Sunday for airing "music and love songs," the latest example of the region's new fundamentalist rule. The group closed Radio Jowhar because the programs were un-Islamic, Islamic official Sheik Mohamed Mohamoud Abdirahman said. It was the only radio station in Jowhar, some 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the capital, Mogadishu. "It is useless to air music and love songs for the people," Abdirahman said.
Since sweeping over much of southern Somalia, including the capital, in June, the Islamic group has brought a semblance of order after years of anarchy. But the imposition of strict religious rule has sparked fears of an emerging, Taliban-style regime. Islamists in the capital have banned movie viewing, publicly lashed drug users and broke up a wedding celebration because a band was playing and women and men were socializing together.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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Unfortunately, my Somali co-workers are supporting the Islamofascists. And they came here as refugees.
LONDON: An officer has resigned from the British army in protest its "grotesquely clumsy" campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan, a newspaper reported on Sunday. Captain Leo Docherty was aide-de-camp to Colonel Charlie Knaggs, a senior commander in the British task force in southern Afghanistan but quit last month after becoming disillusioned with its strategy in Helmand province, The Sunday Times said. The approach is "a textbook case of how to screw up a counter-insurgency," Docherty was quoted as saying. "All those people whose homes have been destroyed and sons killed are going to turn against the British," he said.
"We've been grotesquely clumsy. We've said we'll be different to the Americans who were bombing and strafing villages, then behaved exactly like them," he said. "We've deviated spectacularly from the original plan," Docherty was quoted as saying. "The plan was to secure the provincial capital Lashkar Gah, initiate development projects and enable governance. During this time, the insecure northern part of Helmand would be contained: troops would not be sucked in' to a problem unsolvable by military means alone," he explained.
Docherty said the plan "fell by the wayside" because of pressure from the governor of Helmand, who feared the Taliban were toppling his district.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:19 ||
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I am sure your fellow officers are glad to see you go, but the BBC will hire you as an 'expert' I am sure. You didn't like killing the Taliban and there supporters too bad now FOAD.
#3
I guess the good captain was never taught the old "No plan survives contact with the enemy" thingy. Notice also the offhand slander against the U.S. So long, cap. Don't let the door hit you in the ass...
#4
Goddamned American Cowboys. He has a plan and a better way. Soft power. This mantra has become a Western, if not global, meme. I note that its failures, such as the clusterfuck in southern Iraq, never get full coverage / equal billing. I'm glad this dink is quitting.
#6
I refuse to answer on the grounds that the Sink Trap is dirty and scummy cuz of some of the previous occupants. And cuz I've turned over a New Leaf thingy.
This single fact strikes me as the key to allied victory. It is to make the price of going Western very low, and the price of going Taliban very high, and let the hearts and minds sort themselves through the bargain.
Posted by: john ||
09/11/2006 10:11 Comments ||
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Make damn sure than ANY terrorists are killed quickly and without allies casulaties and you will find that the rest have a sudden intrest in harvesting their crops or something besides fucking with your forces.
A top US envoy was to arrive Monday in South Korea for talks with South Korean officials on how to jump-start the deadlocked negotiations on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The trip by US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill comes amid growing fears that the hard-line communist regime might soon test a nuclear bomb.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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HT Drudge. Total lack of class....
The fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was commemorated Monday in a ceremony that not only honored those who died, but saluted those whose actions on 9/11 made a difference.
Arlington remembers all responders, County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said at the event, held in the courtyard of the Arlington County Justice Center. The families, the non-profits, members of the public, victims who lost their lives, families and loved ones who lost their lives, and the spirit that brought us together.
At 9:37 a.m., the exact time the plane hit the Pentagon five years ago, Zimmerman called for a minute of silence. A bell was then tolled 184 times, to remember the victims who died when American Airlines Flight 77 was deliberately crashed by terrorists into the Pentagon.
U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-8th, lauded the perfect professionalism of Arlington's public-safety personnel, who responded to the Pentagon after the crash and won worldwide accolades for containing the damage with no additional loss of life.
He also praised the community-wide outreach effort that occurred after the attacks.
Arlington has woven together the fabric of a community that can't be torn apart, he said.
But Moran then maneuvered into more sensitive ground, suggesting that the country was not safer and intimating that the Bush administration's foreign policy was headed in the wrong directions.
More people hate us, Moran said, a comment that drew an outburst from the crowd.
My brother died on 9/11 - don't make this political, a woman in audience cried out.
Moran continued, calling on the nation to address the root causes of terrorism by the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.
Arlington will play host to a number of other commemorative events this week, including a Sept. 14 concert by the Arlington Philharmonic.
For details on other events that are part of the Sept. 11 commemoration, see the Arlington County government Web site at www.arlingtonva.us.
At the Pentagon, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld presided over a morning ceremony honoring those who died.
We honor the men, women and children whose lives were taken so suddenly and so coldly, Cheney said.
About 100 family members of those killed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11 attended the ceremony.
Cheney said that the events of Sept. 11, 2001, created a day of national unity.
At the event, Rumsfeld said that the highest tribute we can pay to them is to commit ourselves to doing everything possible to fight the extremists wherever they are, to making every effort to stay united as a country and to give our truly outstanding men and women in uniform all that they need to succeed.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/11/2006 17:12 ||
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Moran (D-Va) jeered at 9/11 memorial for political comments
Good. It's high time these idiots started getting some blunt feedback.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/11/2006 17:30 Comments ||
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#2
They just can't help themselves, can they? Someone in VA start a protest against this BDS suffering asshat.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/11/2006 19:34 Comments ||
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#6
"Not safer/Wrong directions" > Dem-speak for MORE GOVERNMENT + SPENDING IN THE NAME OF A WAR = EMPIRE THAT AMERICA = AMERIKA IS NOT ALLOWED TO WIN NOR TO GOVERN, where defective, errorprone, Limited Commie Fascist Amerika can wage war all it wants as long it doesn't hurt anybody + not destroy anything + not pollute the enviro + not cutback on spending to the UNO. American national security will be undeniably and unquestionable safer and secure in the hands of Gummy/Waffle-crats whom demand that their patriotism be unquestioned = unchallenged but whom prioritize/prefer IDEO AND INTERNAT-GLOBAL LEFTY UNITY-SOLIDARITY OVER NATIONALISM, WHOM HAVE TO TAKE A VALIUM OR ASPIRIN, ETC BEFORE THEY CAN PUBLICLY SAY "I AM FOR/AGAINST AMERICA".
#4
"Familiar stuff to Rantburgers, not so familiar to consumers of the MSM. It's encouraging."
I dunno if I'd call it encouraging. These are the same people who haven't come to terms with the fact someone wants them dead. Give 'em another 20 years or so to wrap their pea brains around that.
#6
Be glad the word "terrorist" is finally being connected to this in the media. The more that Americans see coverage of these security breaches being tied to terrorism, the more they will understand why and how we need to fight this battle.
The United States hasnt been hit by a terrorist attack in five years about five months longer than most had predicted immediately after 9/11. Vice President Cheney often reminds that this record isnt an accident. There are a number of reasons why we havent been hit. Some of the reasons we know about: the efforts of the military in Afghanistan and Iraq; the Patriot Act; generally heightened security; the SWIFT program; NSA surveillance; intelligence coordination with allies, etc. Other reasons are less discernable.
President Bush indicated that many of the victories against terrorists would be hidden from view; they will never be recorded in history. Many of these victories have been won by the militarys elite units special-forces/counterterrorism units and others that the media knows little, if anything about. Indeed, Kiefer Sutherland got more coverage in five minutes at the Emmys than all of the Rangers, Green Berets, Marine Force Recon, SEALs / DevGru, and Delta operators combined.
And thats as it should be. Very little public information is available about elite warriors so that terrorists are kept in the dark until its too late. Most of what the general public knows or suspects about elite forces comes from fictional accounts in movies, television shows or novels. Sure, lots of people know or have met Green Berets or SEALs, particularly people living near the southern Virginia and southern California coasts or in central North Carolina (its fairly certain, however, that every woman in the U.S. whos ever set foot in a local watering hole has met a SEAL, whos usually using the ingenious cover of a slightly overweight sales rep from Cleveland). Videos about SEAL and Green Beret physical training are a cottage industry. And there are several books by former Special Forces operators. But none of these accounts provides more than a non-classified peek into the training, techniques, and operations of elite warriors. Yet what the peeks reveal is astonishing nonetheless. . . .
Go read it all.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/11/2006 13:13 ||
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And this is the war that will be fought for decades, even when the line units leave the middle east.
#2
special-forces/counterterrorism units and others that the media knows little, if anything about. Indeed, Kiefer Sutherland got more coverage in five minutes at the Emmys than all of the Rangers, Green Berets, Marine Force Recon, SEALs / DevGru, and Delta operators combined.
Peter Kirsanow is a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He also is a member of the National Labor Relations Board. These comments do not necessarily reflect the positions of either organization.
#8
It will be a decade or two before some of the tales of the SOCOM Shadow War leak out. Then, they will be the recollections of old warriors, tales permitted to be told with only minor censorship.
Fortunately, many will be told, because they are tales of success and victory, the actions of gentlemen not dragged down to the level of their enemy, a circumstance that has cursed many battles before this, and doomed them to obscurity.
#9
I just want to say to 'Spook--and anyone else lurking out there who has anything to do with SOCOM--that we are grateful for your service. Good luck, continued good hunting, and get home safe (if only so you can spend your retirement picking up girls, using the ingenious cover of a slightly overweight sales rep from Cleveland!)
Posted by: Mike ||
09/11/2006 17:11 Comments ||
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Kirsanow left out the PJs and the SOAR guys. Same goes for a bunch of allied units--SAS, GROM, JTF2, etc. But hey, the sentiment is good.
#11
"You do not know these men. You may have looked at them but you did not see them. They are the wind that blows newspapers down a gutter on a rainy night...and sweeps the gutter clean."
Posted by: bruce ||
09/11/2006 17:44 Comments ||
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The more there is for me not to know, the happier I would be if I knew it. Thanks for all you do in the shadows, O You Who Work in the Shadows for the Demise of the Enemies of Freedom.
#15
To paraphrase ABE LINCOLN > iff someone wanted to kill him, there is very little or anything he can do to prevent it. Undoubtedly, the chances are America will get hit again wid an attack(s) of similar or greater magnitude than 9-11 - Iff ABE is any measure, what matters is that the Amer nation be resilient, persevere against those whom would corrupt or destroy it, and ultimately becomes better than what is used to be, and does so in truth, honor, God and the will of the people.
#16
Thank you for those heartfelt words, JosephM. You've made it clear long since that you stand with those who fight for what is right -- even if we may be a bit unclear on the details. ;-)
I used to live in Culver City, during the 80s. Neighborhood has changed some. But one family still there traces its presence to the days of the Spanish land grants, of which their ancestors were recipients.
CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Activists protesting radical Islam conducted a mock hanging of Osama bin Laden across the street from a mosque on the eve of the anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks.
With a crowd of about 100 people shouting "Remember 9-11!" and "No more Jihad!" two men on the back of a pickup truck Sunday slipped a noose around the neck of a dummy wearing a bin Laden mask and strung it up, while the crowd pelted the effigy with shoes.
The protest near the King Fahd Mosque was organized by the United American Committee, a group that says it promotes awareness of internal threats facing America.
About 70 counter-protesters described the mosque as a peaceful center for area Muslims and yelled "Racists go home!" during the ritual. A group of clergy joined hands with some of the mosque's worshippers and stood in a circle in front of the mosque.
"I think it's crazy," said mosque spokesman Usman Madha. "We have never encouraged extremism. We were the first mosque that condemned the Sept. 11 atrocities and we kicked out a few people that protested that condemnation."
The United American Committee claimed the mosque supports radical Islam. A report from the Sept. 11 commission said investigators believed two of the hijackers had visited the mosque after arriving in the United States in 2000.
There were several heated exchanges as protesters crossed the street to confront one another, but no violence and no arrests, Culver City police said.
#1
"We have never encouraged extremism. We were the first mosque that condemned the Sept. 11 atrocities and we kicked out a few people that protested that condemnation."
Sounds like they actually found the fabled Moderate Muhammadans.
#2
Don't know what the place is like now. When I lived there it was pretty diverse, ethnically, religiously and economically. One of my daughter's friends had Saudi parents who emmigrated here, were pretty secular so far as I could tell.
Vigil/Protest at the Culver City Mosque last Friday 1. Saudi 9/11 hijackers Nawaf al Hazmi and Khalid al Mihdhar upon their arrival in America, they promptly made the King Fahd mosque in Culver City the center of their lives.
2. Books and literature taken from the mosque say to that anyone who converts from Islam must be killed.
3. There is for some reason an escape tunnel that has been constructed below the mosque which runs under the street to a building across the street from the mosque.
4. Sgt. Akbar, the American soldier who threw grenades at his fellow soldiers and killed them went to the Culver City mosque.
Posted by: ed ||
09/11/2006 11:24 Comments ||
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Vigil/Protest at the Culver City Mosque last Friday The vigil was for our two soldiers who were recently brutally tortured and beheaded while the leaders of this mosque stay silent and continue to push terror supporting views and refuse to denounce the terrorist leaders. All of the middle easterners you see in the pictures below are Coptic Christians from Egypt, for the entire evening not ONE Muslim would join us in condemning the tortures of our two soldiers, and in fact some of them yelled out that the two soldiers deserved "what they had coming to them" because they were "in a Muslim land."
Posted by: ed ||
09/11/2006 11:27 Comments ||
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Well that is illuminating. Thanks, Ed. Glad we sold the house rather than renting it out when we moved.
#11
Sounds like they actually found the fabled Moderate Muhammadans.
*snort*
Yeah, so moderate they're pissed off someone hung Osama.
I said in another comment that the choice of location for this was clearly provocative. The Muslims, however, reactedly poorly. Getting defensive was the wrong choice; joining in would have been the right choice.
As ed pointed out, that's no surprise.
I have to wonder if this is the same mosque Charles Johnson was driving past -- long before 9/11 -- and had a ROPer act out shooting him...
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/11/2006 12:18 Comments ||
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We should have freedom of religion in the US. Death cults such as Islam are not legitimate religions. Islam should be banned, all mosques seized and dynamited, and all practitioners of the death cult deported to country of origin. Any indigenous members should be deported to Pakistan. Muslims hate this country and society and make no bones about it. In our own defense they should be immediately obliged to leave it.
Posted by: mac ||
09/11/2006 17:46 Comments ||
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By DAVID BAUDER
The Associated Press
Monday, September 11, 2006; 5:00 AM
NEW YORK -- ABC made several editing changes to the first part of its miniseries "The Path to 9/11" following furious protests by Clinton administration officials that it fabricated scenes about their actions prior to the terrorist attacks.
But the network resisted calls to cancel the $40 million miniseries, airing commercial-free over two nights. Part two is scheduled for Monday, with an interruption for President Bush's address to the nation.
Several scenes were cut or changed from the movie that aired Sunday and finished 20 minutes shy of its three-hour time slot. ABC has called it a dramatization, not a documentary.
One scene, in a copy of the movie given to television critics a few weeks ago, indicated President Clinton's preoccupation with his potential impeachment may have hurt the effort to go after Osama bin Laden.
In the original scene, an actor portraying White House terrorism czar Richard Clarke shares a limousine ride with FBI agent John O'Neill and tells him: "The Republicans are going all-out for impeachment. I just don't see in that climate the president's going to take chances" and give the order to kill bin Laden.
But in the film aired Sunday, Clarke says to O'Neill: "The president has assured me this ... won't affect his decision-making."
O'Neill replies: "So it's OK if somebody kills bin Laden, as long as he didn't give the order. It's pathetic."
Another scene in the critics' cut pictured O'Neill asking Clarke on the telephone: "What's Clinton going to do (about bin Laden)?"
Clarke replies, "I don't know. The Lewinsky thing is a noose around his neck."
This was cut entirely from the film that aired Sunday.
Another scene in the movie that depicted a team of CIA operatives poised outside of bin Laden's fortess in Afghanistan, ready to attack, was substantially shortened from the original. Pictures of the waiting Afghanistan operatives are interspersed with those of officials in Washington, who had to approve the mission.
The original version depicted national security adviser Samuel R. Berger hanging up on CIA chief George Tenet as Tenet sought permission to attack bin Laden. The movie aired Sunday did not include Berger hanging up.
The affect of the editing in that scene is to deflect specific blame. It ends with actor Donnie Wahlberg, head of the CIA team in Afghanistan, saying, "Are there no men in Washington, or are they all cowards?"
In the critics' version, Wahlberg's statement is followed directly by archival footage of Clinton's video testimony about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Sunday, that footage was not included.
Twice, the network de-emphasized the role of the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks in its film.
The critics' version contained a note in the opening credits that the film is "based on the 9/11 commission report." That was omitted from the film aired Sunday.
In a separate disclaimer that ran three times Sunday, ABC says that the material is "drawn from a variety of sources including the 9/11 commission report and other published materials and from personal interviews." That differs from a note in the critics' version that said the dramatization "is based on the 9/11 commission report and other published sources and personal interviews."
The disclaimer that ABC aired three times emphasized that the movie was not a documentary.
"For dramatic and narrative purposes the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, as well as time compression," the note said.
Clinton spokesman Jay Carson said in a statement Sunday night that ABC and its parent, The Walt Disney Co., "chose fiction over fact and entertainment over education in airing their TV show."
Critics, such as historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., said it was "disingenuous and dangerous" not to include accurate historical accounts in the movie.
Thomas Kean, head of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks and a backer of the film, said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that he hadn't seen the final cut of the movie but urged Americans to watch it.
"If people blame Bill Clinton after seeing this, then the miniseries has failed," said Kean, the former Republican New Jersey governor. "That's wrong and it shouldn't happen."
John Lehman, another Republican commission members, said on the ABC News show that he's told the film is equally harsh on the administrations of President Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush.
"And if you don't like the hits to the Clinton administration, well, welcome to the club," Lehman said. "The Republicans have lived with Michael Moore and Oliver Stone and most of Hollywood as a fact of life."
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/11/2006 06:38 ||
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Money quote:
It ends with actor Donnie Wahlberg, head of the CIA team in Afghanistan, saying, "Are there no men in Washington, or are they all cowards?"
And on another matter ...
Critics, such as historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., said it was "disingenuous and dangerous" not to include accurate historical accounts in the movie.
Michael Scheuer, no Bushie to be sure, relates at least 9 or 10 chances to neutralize Sammy were missed prior to 9/11.
Nero fiddled - Clinton diddled.
In Part 2, we'll see W's administration take the heat. Thus far, despite all the tumult and harsh criticism, his group has not resorted to Stalinist tactics in an attempt to throttle free speech, unlike his erstwhile predecessor.
#4
Same thing as argued since the late 1990's - the GOP-Right has to be the one to save the DemoLeft from itself, by and for the DemoLeft, but the DemoLeft don't have to explain anything + still get to kill us afterwards. The GOP-Right, otoh, has no right to retaliate or even get angry about anything. IN ANY CASE, IMHO AFTER WATCHING THE FLICK, AS A MATTER OF FILM PERCEPTIONS IT DOES LITTLE TO HIDE THE WAFFLINS + INCOMPETENCIES OF CLINTON - BILL AS POTUS, HOWEVER, GETS TO ESCAPE ANY LABEL OF TREASON. It is clear to me from this film, and despite any editings, that the true job description of Clinton's aides, staff, Heads and Cabinet was to protect the Clintons personally, NOT SERVE THE LAW OR TRUTH OR JUSTICE OR THE NATION/PEOPLE.
The United States has done enormous damage to al Qaeda in the five years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but the group -- and other wanna-be al Qaedas -- still pose a threat, Vice President Dick Cheney said today. Speaking on NBCs Meet the Press, Cheney said the United States and its allies have killed or captured hundreds of al Qaedas leaders and that the countries must have the will to continue the war on terror.
The enemy, he said, wants to recreate a Caliphate -- or supreme Islamic state -- that stretched from Spain all the way to Indonesia. They want to topple the regimes that are there today, Cheney said. They want to kick the United Sates out of that part of the world. They want to destroy Israel, and they want to equip themselves with weapons of mass destruction.
The terrorist strategy in this is to break U.S. will. They cant beat us in a stand-up fight. They never have. But they are absolutely convinced they can break our will, Cheney said. He added that the enemy thinks the American people dont have the stomach for a protracted fight. Allies also feel this doubt. He said Afghans and Iraqis want to know if they stick their heads up if the United States, in fact, is going to be there to complete the mission.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/11/2006 06:29 ||
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Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's visit to Harvard University on Sunday was met by protesters, many of whom called on him to stand up for human rights. Police estimated about 200 people protested, some carrying signs that said "Iran supports terror."
Many protesters outside the speech at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, blamed Khatami for failing to stop government crackdowns on student activists in Tehran during his two terms in office. Several human rights organizations say the crackdowns are believed to have been initiated by his rivals and approved by Iran's ruling Muslim clerics. "His speech is on ethics and violence. It would be very bizarre if he came here to speak on ethics and violence and did not acknowledge and discuss his own record in Iraq," said 21-year-old Harvard student Eric Lesser. "Students were arrested and thrown in prison for speaking their mind in the same way we're doing right now."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Wow. I guess not all of the spoiled children of privilege have swallowed the BDS poison pill - yet.
Of course, on the other hand, I wonder what percentage of each class are actually full tuition paying students... Isn't a big chunk of each composed of beneficiaries of various social engineering cabals? This speculation, if correct, may explain why these Ivory Towers are so eager to compete for and accept the hordes of Saudis getting "education visas" as well as those tainted "grants" from the Royals...
It's going to be very painful to unfuck our institutions of "higher" learning, methinks.
#3
Of course, on the other hand, I wonder what percentage of each class are actually full tuition paying students
Actually the worst are not the students from porr neighborhoods and social programs (did I say that I qualify in both aspects?) who are the worst dince most of them know a bit about life and try to get in real carreers. The worst are the poor, rich white kids in unmarketable disciplines and with complex of guiltiness (eg Pol Pot Fonda).
#4
It's going to be very painful to unfuck our institutions of "higher" learning, methinks.
Not really. It's just going to take patience waiting for all the boomers to retire or die and be replaced by the generation that came of age on 9/11. But that patience is going to be painful and not all of us will live to see it. But it will ahppen.
#5
I wish I had as much faith as you do, Nimble. Can't help thinking a dhimmi is a dhimmi, regarless of the historical context. I teach part time at a local University. Despite the fact that many of my students did 'come of age' on 9/11, it's shocking to hear their complete lack of understanding about what's actually happening. Robotic recital of the MSM's PC garbage is what passes for thought and analysis. And this, mind you, from a 'conservative' University. God I hope you're right, but the evidence seems sorely lacking.
#6
It's a challenge, but teaching them how to think critically, and why it's important, is THE most important thing for faculty to do no matter what their field.
I'm teaching freshmen this year. It's easier on that score than the previous several years when I taught seniors. At 22+ they think they have things nailed. However, the period from 18-22 or so is a time of great changes in the brain (demonstrable physical changes) and an opportunity to grow conceptually. After that it's a lot harder ....
Yes, the Democrats have shown their usual instinct for the capillary. While worrying about minor bits, they've missed that the real harm is simply the reminder of the terrorist threat, which they've tried to downplay, but which they've magnified in people's minds by making a stink. Going on the offensive like this just reminds people that they've been downplaying it for over a decade.
If they'd kept their mouths shut, this would be about the terrorists, which would be bad enough. Now it's about the terrorists and the Democrats.
MORE: Best line so far: "War is about killing the enemy and destroying his property. It's not about sitting around in a conference room and coverying your own asses." From 1998.
Clinton looks very bad. So does Sandy Berger.
Massoud: "Are there any men left in Washington, or are they all cowards?"
Madeleine Albright looks pretty bad, too, on the question of informing the Pakistanis that we were trying to kill bin Laden in time for him to get away.
Tenet looks like an ass-coverer. So, so far, I'd say it's pretty accurate . . . .
Upside for Clinton: Osama's jihadis emptying pistols into a TV screen showing him, and shouting "Clinton is Satan!"
FINALLY: I'll try to roundup critiques tomorrow. But I think it was a big mistake for Democrats to draw attention to this film by attacking it and trying to block its broadcast. I wouldn't have watched it without the hype, and I'll be that's true for a lot of people.
Meanwhile, Richard Clarke seems to be ass-covering in the after-show news segment. But George Tenet is getting hammered.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I said it "yesterday" but I'll say it again.
THE CUT SCENES DO NOT MATTER!
So why bother to cut them? Clearly the Clinton lawyers did not throw their weight around to get those scenes cut. So that means either they cut something else or the whole thing was hype.
Anyone who actually believes that ABC was forced by the Clinton team to cut those scenes is deluded.
#2
You know the Left > Dubya-GOP is "Fascist". Fascist Amerika > Hated Despicable Warmongering HItlerist-Nazi = also Well Meaning but error-prone Limited Commie-Totalitarian Amerika. The USSA = Amerikan Global SSR Amerikanski voters have to choose between the unpatriotic, undedicated George Adolf "I am for Germany, the German People, and for National Socialism" Bushitler; versus the undeniably patriotic, THEY-WHOM-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED, "I AM FOR EVERYONE = ANYONE = NO ONE", DemoLeft Waffle-crats and INSPECTOR "I SUSPECT EVERYONE AND NO ONE" CLOUSEAU-CRATS. Any and all agendas being equal, VOTE FOR THE PATRIOT WHOM DOESN'T WANNA SAY = CAN't SAY HE'S FOR AMERICA.
* FOR OWG, but doesn't know why or won't say.
*For SOCIALISM = NATIONAL/PERSONAL SAFETY-SECURITY, but doesn't know why or won't say.
* America = Amerika, but doesn't know why or won't say.
* Govt. is broke andor criminal, but doesn't know why or won't say.
* And so on - OBVIOUSLY IFF AMERIKA WAS 1930's GERMANY, BILLARY WOULD WIN IN A HEARTBEAT
AGAINST ADOLF AND HINDENBURG.
#3
Lol, tomorrow Mike? RB doesn't work that way, bro...
Observations...
We're all, I hope, aware of the 9/11 Commission's blatant political aspects. Since this TV event relies on the tainted report they produced, we should not expect too much. We'll never be happy with the level of honesty and we'll always resent the dishonesty. So what's new? There's mucho blame to go around. I'm prepared to get over it and focus on trying to win this goddamned war. I recommend this to everyone, from the balanced and honest folks to the seethers who demand perfection from everyone... a level of competence they don't demand of themselves, no doubt. Let's stop the freak-out shit over the Camelot II crowd as well as ankle-biting idiocy when Bush fails the perfection test. I think it's important to be honest. Laugh at the ass coverage and support what efforts toward victory come our way. It's never as easy as is portrayed or believed... Let's just do the right thing when we have the chance, say like in November, and support the efforts of those whose hearts are in the right place, though their approach doesn't yield immediate gratification and fulfilment of our personal agendas. If we survive, you can replay their failings at your leisure, lol. If we don't, I promise I'll sing your praises as I write songs of your legendary brilliance and bravery from my cave.
Back to the show... We know what's what and who's real, despite the best efforts of Clinton's lame legacy-building BS, so the dumbed-down indictments of the various players is only a diminution of the satisfaction quotient. IMHO, though they pulled or filed down some teeth to cover their asses with the Camelot II Crowd, this was well worth the effort and viewing time. Putting the cynic in me aside for a moment, I figure the average American watching this, assuming an IQ in excess of their shoe size and something less than a raging case of BDS, was surprised in a hundred different ways. By the "wall" BS. By the Law Enforcement model limitations. By the obvious level of political ass coverage that took first priority with every US Govt official. By the barbarian wackomatic world of PakiWakiLand. It's impossible to name all the ways in which the "I've never-been-anywhere like that!" folks were potentially surprised, if not shocked. I hope most were shocked - right out of their complacent gilded turd complacency. I hope they lost their collective dinner. I won't hold my breath, but I believe this helped with many, brought some to a new level of understanding, and likely convinced a few of the reality of the WoT being a fight to the death of either Islam or Freedom. All the marbles.
I did especially enjoy the Halfbright bits, lol. What a jackass. They captured the outrageous pomposity so well that I was laughing aloud every time she appeared. She's the perfect icon for State Dept fecklessness and its role as the most obviously pointless speedbump in the WoT.
It would be no understatement to say that this first episode was the Harvey Keitel, er Bill O'Neil, show, lol. Knowing now how he rewrote entire scenes and lines in almost all of his scenes, exercising his "rights" as a Hollyweird "star" ego powerhouse, I believe he has now superseded and stolen the throne from George Clooney as the biggest egotistical self-serving asshole in Hollyweird. It was quite the virtuoso performance of egomania, in fact. The real Bill O'Neil is probably a great guy, smart guy, a true patriot who did great things, but Harvey just couldn't resist making himself into the icon of Fibbie perfection, foresight, prescient badass uber-tough-guy, and button-down stud muffin.
The Fibbies were certainly given a shiny sheen... only the successes were shown. If the '93 WTC clown hadn't gone back for his Ryder van rental deposit, I wonder how the Fibbie role would have played out, heh. I'm sure they would've looked rather different, as they would've had few or no assets without rescuing the driver from Egyptian Security. Only the former Egyptian officer was presented as a useful source... and without his courage to re-enter the blind Sheikh Abdul-Rahman's world, they would've been out of the game until the next event. On such slender threads is Fibbie success hung.
Oh, almost forgot, Keitel was beyond gratuitous with his "Why is it always the females who are alert?" bit. I would hope it's rather obvious that I loves the wymyns more than life itself, but c'mon, that was simply inane and pointless - a Keitel thingy where he apparently thinks it needs saying - it doesn't. He didn't have the same regard for "Kirk" the collective CIA field agent who was almost whacked twice, in Africa and with Ahmed Shah Massoud in Afghanistan... Poor guys had the misfortune to be myns, so he / they weren't worthy of such special notice and regard, lol. Nope, no lines were altered for them, lol. We're all in this together and gender has NOTHING to do with it. Keitel. Sanctimonious PC-addled Fucktard.
I got quite a kick out of 2 particular bits: the images of beturbaned goatherders sitting at PC's in the bin Laden Afghan camp, doing what?, prolly trolling for pr0n, lol -- and the KSM / Yousef scenes in Filipino dives surrounded by tasty tarts and loud music, swilling Singapore Slings or whatever... It brought to mind something I've been thinking for a long time, but have never said before...
A primary difference between us and Islam is that we don't fuck our food before we eat it.
So they played the 8 years of the Camelot II "efforts" in the Wot in 3 hours... and probably deserve a good review for the eye-opening effect it will have on some folks. *golf clap*
Next up, 3 (?) more hours covering the 9 months of the Bush admin... I'm sure I'll enjoy the "handoff" sequences where the Camelot II crowd bravely tries to impress upon the stupid BusHitler crowd how important and vital the WoT is, lol. Should be fun if you can just grit your teeth and hang on. One thing is certain: the only substantive action against the Talebunnies was taken by Bush. The spin aspect of witless political Law Enforcement BS and Clinton Camelot II ass coverage should be taken as black comedy. Five years on, it's history so I rather echo Mr Bleat: let it go. It'll be interesting to see how it's characterized, but I won't let it spoil the hope the show opens some eyes. Keeping people engaged in this fight and waking up the short-attention-span dunderheads is what matters.
Oh well, enough of my woolgathering... apologies for the typos and shit.
#6
Hooray! Perspective!! Well said, .com. And necessary, periodically, with this crowd. This November the election is going to be about the War on Terror, and not just because we here at Rantburg want it to be. The day before yesterday I noticed an ad against one of our local Congresscritters, and it was all about how he voted against the War on Terror, against stopping illegal immigration, against... (Well, I already know how I'm going to vote, so the details didn't interest me as much as usual.) Paid for by the Republican Party. It's going to be an interesting election.
#7
"A primary difference between us and Islam is that we don't fuck our food before we eat it."
Dang. In one sentence, you've shoved aside the Prime Differentiator I've been relying on for the last five years: that this is a battle between those who wipe their asses with their bare left hands, and those who use toilet paper.
Paradigms change. Minds reel. But this new idea, I think it'll work...
"The spin aspect of witless political Law Enforcement BS and Clinton Camelot II ass coverage should be taken as black comedy. Five years on, it's history so I rather echo Mr Bleat: let it go."
If the debate over the "law enforcement approach" were merely about digging up that particular dead horse to beat it some more, I'd agree with you and Lileks: let it go.
But it's more than that, because over the last several months the Democrats have been making it increasingly clear that they actually want to return to those failed methods-- they've been vigorously peddling the idea that the "law enforcement approach" is (and was) the best way to deal with terrorism. No more of GWB's silly "war" stuff; that just makes enemies. They want to take us right back to the same ineffectual, limpdick stupidity that brought us 9/11 in the first place. And almost every one of them's been campaigning on that platform, explicitly or implicitly, for months.
Which explains why the Dhimmis went absolutely ballistic over ABC's "The Path to 9/11": it's not that it removes some of the polish from Bill Clinton's knob; it's that it undermines the entire platform they want to run on this year and again in 2008.
History I wouldn't get worked up about; the future, I do.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/11/2006 7:18 Comments ||
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#8
I did especially enjoy the Halfbright bits, lol. What a jackass. They captured the outrageous pomposity so well that I was laughing aloud every time she appeared. She's the perfect icon for State Dept fecklessness and its role as the most obviously pointless speedbump in the WoT.
.com
#9
For myself I note that the true "tiny minority" of muslims in "Path" was represented by the lone guy in Pakistan that snitched on Ramzi. Whether for $$$ or true idealism I won't say. Fact is I'm convinced the majority of muslims support jihad either actively or passively because their "holy" book and supporting doctrine (ahadith etc) tells them to do so.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
09/11/2006 8:04 Comments ||
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#10
We were almost all asleep at the wheel. It showed that. And it showed the Muzzies as being dead serious about hitting us and why they believed we'd just roll over again.
The mystery isnt that they did it, or why they did it, its that so many on the lunatic left here think they can reason with the fanatics, and the left wants to lie and twist everything for political gain in the US - they beleive they can return to the past.
That world is dead and gone. Learn to live in the new one.
Certainly true for me. I had no clue at all on 9/10.
It's too bad the Dhimmicrats can't just admit that as well; they could then get past a lot of triangulation and nonsense, and perhaps even start making some sense. BC, Maddy, Sandy Burghler and the heroic Richard Clarke can't admit that they missed the importance of Osama and islamofascism.
Lileks recently wrote that he's willing to forgive everyone on both sides for everything up to 9/10; it's what one has done from 9/11 on that matters. I'd be willing to do the same if only the Dhimmis would be man/woman enough to stand up and allocute.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/11/2006 10:01 Comments ||
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#12
Albright, Berger, Clinton, etc. all object because they "didn't say" some of the things in the film, or some scenes "never happened".
I've absolutely NO DOUBT that what did actually happen, and what was actually said is FAR WORSE than the film portrays. And, don't know why, but I'm still optimistic that the majority of the American people can see through the screaming and hollering. Albright alone makes the dems look like buffoons. "The Lady doth protest too much, methinks."
I agree that despite what the polls are saying about the economy, taxes, jobs, immigration, etc, terrorism will be at the forefront come election time. We shall see.
#14
Never forgive the foodfuckers, Paco. NEVER. :)
I've been noodling lately: if we could somehow magically jettison all the politically-correct, culturally-relative, multi-culti, non-judgemental, warm-fuzzy, progressive horse puckey we've accumulated since we fought WWII, how difficult would this current struggle really be?
I came across a boggling statistic a few weeks back that brought home just how lightly we're treading in this war: the annual number of combat dead in Iraq so far, is about the same as the number of Americans who die each year in recreational boating accidents.
For some reason, that just blows my mind...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/11/2006 11:42 Comments ||
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#15
Lol, Dave...
"I've been noodling lately: if we could somehow magically jettison all the politically-correct, culturally-relative, multi-culti, non-judgemental, warm-fuzzy, progressive horse puckey we've accumulated since we fought WWII, how difficult would this current struggle really be?"
Ooh, ooh, I know, I know, call on me!
Kill the sources of it. Like dead. Logic demands unvarnished unalloyed truth, IMVHO. There it is. How we disguise this "jihad" is all that remains. As always, some folks (self-described as 'sensitive') will demand it look like accidents 'n stuff.The hunter / killer teams will, therefore, have to be pretty clever. Mebbe this is like the Gary, the World's Greatest Actor thingy in Team America: World Police, y'know? We'll send our best assassins to study in NY and El Lay and...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/11/2006 11:54 Comments ||
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#17
We were almost all asleep at the wheel.
No. Looking in the wrong places, perhaps (the most radical Palestinian splinter groups, Saddam Hussein), but the things I'd been reading since the mid-1990s said the terror experts were waiting for something to happen. Mr. Clarke thought it would be an attack on our computers, and there was concern about suitcase nukes hidden in cities, or self-infected smallpox or ebola carriers. Watch some of the action films of that period, like the one on NBC/CBS/ABC a few weeks ago about the Muslim fanatics in Paris who met after services at the neigborhood mosque to inoculate themselves with stolen smallpox, then got on international flights as their chosen method of jihad; it was originally released in 1998 or -9, I believe. The zeitgeist said something was coming, and that it was going to be jihadis. In those days I read the New York Times and listened to NPR, exclusively, except for dipping into the International Herald Tribune when Mr. Wife brought it home from a trip abroad, so I learnt to be concerned about it from those sources. Mr. Clinton and his people knew that Al Qaeda was a real risk, hence the dramatic attack on empty tents and aspirin factories (although I still wonder whether that last was as much a cock-up as people said -- dual use facilities being all the rage in that part of the world); they just chose to push it down the line, and I imagine when the airplanes hit some people's first reaction was, "Thank god they held off until we cleared out."
That's why I'm not angry anymore, nor even sad; we knew something like this was going to happen, and we knew it was going to happen sooner or later. Post hoc research has shown that that there were a great many such things in Al Qaeda's pipeline (the anthrax letters, more hijackers whose flights never took off, shoe bombers later, and most recently the British airplane mass hijacking). Likely there were many things prevented before 9/11 that we'll never hear about, and many things prevented since, each one of which could have had the impact of 9/11, whether individually or cumulatively.
So what I'm left with is cold determination: we will win against this self-declared enemy of our freedoms. I can't do much in this war, being neither leader nor follower, having neither the necessary skills nor even (these days) the strength to do more than take care of my personal homefront. But what I can do -- contribute my mite here, ensure that we won't be a burden if something does happen, and that my children understand well what they are facing, VOTE (even if only for the lesser of two evils), inject the occasional mind-changing fact into a dinner conversation -- to support those are fighting, that I will continue to do until this is over.
#18
TW, you are so right about the zeitgeist of those times. My own example: on 9/11 I was living way out in Australia's Western Desert, getting my news from the relentlessly liberal Australian press, whenever someone came home with a paper.
It all happened overnight, there. In the morning my friend Richard told me the story, the first thing I said was, "Listen. Did anybody mention the name "Osama bin Laden?"
#20
"...BC, Maddy, Sandy Burghler and the heroic Richard Clarke can't admit that they missed the importance of Osama and islamofascism."
They can't admit that with good reason, they had no excuse not to know about the dangers of OBL and islamofascisim. Oliver North quite specifically warned about the dangers of rising islamism and Osama Bin Laden during the Iran/Contra trials.
#21
.com, glad to see you're back. You've been missed. TW, I suspect that those you know personally have at least as much regard for your assessment capabilities as we do here at the 'Burg. That means when you speak, they listen. Keep talking--we're going to need all the help we can get before this is over because the biggest of the battles we'll fight will be the one in America against the moonbats.
Posted by: mac ||
09/11/2006 18:10 Comments ||
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#22
I'm mostly with you, .com, but for these:
The real Bill O'Neil is probably a great guy, smart guy, a true patriot who did great things,
It's John O'Neill. And, as its security chief, he died in the WTC on 9/11. A bit of hagiography isn't surprising.
The Fibbies were certainly given a shiny sheen... only the successes were shown. If the '93 WTC clown hadn't gone back for his Ryder van rental deposit, I wonder how the Fibbie role would have played out, heh.
Oh, I think that was made pretty clear. Not to mention the FBI guy chewing out the locals about taking the van evidence in the first place, then taking credit for tracking it down.
#23
They didn't miss the significance of bin Laden. But, like that British officer who thought going to the country for the weekend was more important than sending orders off to the Generals in the Colonies, they had a dot com boom to preside over, celebrating the end of History.
mac, thank you. That's the mite that I can do, synthesize what all you knowledgeable people place so generously in front of me. That, and serve imaginary tea and cake (and stronger stuff on the sideboard (selected by AutoBartender hisveryownself! so you know it's the good stuff) for those who prefer it) for the momentary amusement of those doing real work.
HASSAN ABDAL: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Sunday vowed a "befitting reply" to anyone casting an evil eye on Pakistan. "This country has come into being in the name of Islam. The valiant people of Pakistan have given unprecedented sacrifices for it. A befitting reply will be given if some one dares to cast an evil eye on it," Aziz told a public meeting after inaugurating a tehsil headquarters in Hassan Abdal. He said that all conspiracies against Pakistan and Islam would fail.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:08 ||
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#2
I'm purdy a-skeered, aren't you, 3dc? Lol. I'd ask you to hold me, but I'm not that kind o' guy. I have someone closer at hand so I'll ask her. No offense intended, K? Lol.
#3
"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"
Posted by: Robert De Niro ||
09/11/2006 6:42 Comments ||
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LAHORE: Police raided an Ahmedi newspaper office on Saturday and arrested a printer and a journalist, charging them with offences under the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA). Ahmedi representatives condemned the raid as harassment and an attack on press freedom. Chenab Nagar (Rabwah) police raided the Daily Alfazal and lodged cases under 298B and 298C of the Pakistan Penal Code, 16 Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) and 9 ATA against the arrested men. The journalist, Abdul Sattar Khan, was later released but the printer, Sultan Dogar, is still in detention. "The raid was part of the government's campaign to confiscate hate-literature," DSP Saeed Tatla said. According to the FIR, the newspaper preached Qadiyani beliefs, and the newspaper described Ahemdis as Muslims, which is against the law.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:04 ||
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QUETTA: Balochistan National Party (BNP) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal said on Sunday that the unfolding situation in Balochistan showed that the government was intent on making it impossible for the Baloch to live in Pakistan, adding the two sides would soon have to part ways.
Addressing a public rally in Dera Murad Jamali, the former chief minister of Balochistan said that his party had last week decided to quit parliamentary politics - in protest against Nawab Akhbar Bugti's killing - because the current assemblies were being held hostage by the military and were therefore totally powerless. "The killing of Nawab Bugti and his controversial burial have disappointed us very much. We are now convinced that the Baloch cannot live with Pakistan in the long-term. We have to part ways as we can't stand under the same green flag with the killers of our elders."
"It is an undeniable fact that we never wanted to join Pakistan. Our accession was forcefully made. Despite that, we never protested and clung to the hope that the Pakistani rulers would treat us justly," Mengal told the rally, which had been organised by the Four Party Baloch Alliance and the ARD. He called on all political parties and people from all provinces to help end the ongoing military operations in the Marri and Bugti tribal areas.%2
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:03 ||
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#1
PAkistan is a conglomerate of peoples who dislike/hate one anothr and whose only commonpoint is Ialam. That is in order to preserve their privileges its mostly punjabi elites need to fanatize other ethnias in order to make them unaware of how they are being fleeced by Islamabad.
If Pakistan were split in homogenous nations it would not instantly reduce islamism but at least we would have states who would no longer need to promote islamic fanatism in order to survive. Some of them would fall, some would fight political islam and prhaps sopme othes Islam itself: it seems Baloch nationalists tend to be not that fond of Islam.
Pakistan, it has been said, is either unwilling or incapable of clamping down on the Taliban. According to CNN terrorism expert Peter Bergen, writing in the Washington Post on Sunday: "The key to the resurgent Taliban can be summarised in one word: Pakistan. The Pakistani government has proved unwilling or incapable (or both) of clamping down on the religious militia."
Bergen notes, quoting a United States military official, that not a single senior Taliban leader has been arrested or killed in Pakistan since 2001, nor have any of the top leaders of the militias headed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Jalaluddin Haqqani, who are fighting the US forces alongside the Taliban. The Taliban's Quetta Shura, is based in the Baloch capital, while the Peshawar Shura is based in the NWFP capital. Hekmatyar is said to operate in the tribal areas of Dir and Bajaur, while Haqqani is based in Waziristan and Al Qaeda has a presence in Waziristan and Chitral.
Bergen writes: "Finally, the peace deal announced this month between the Pakistani government and pro-Taliban militants along the Afghan border raises more concerns that such groups will operate more freely on and across the border. A US military official told me he is 'extremely worried' about the pact."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Pak's Punjabi masters have an special affinity for Pashtos, who they still need for the time when they are in a position to re-vive their "Pakistan in depth" strategy. The al-Qaeda arrests were mostly of Arab adventurers who joined bin Laden (honorary Pashto). Khalid Sheik Mohammad is a Balochi, and that is one reason why that sole link between WTC1 and 2 ratted on the Arabs, spoiling 2 future al-Qaeda operations.
The clandestine U.S. commandos whose job is to capture or kill Osama bin Laden have not received a credible lead in more than two years. Nothing from the vast U.S. intelligence world -- no tips from informants, no snippets from electronic intercepts, no points on any satellite image -- has led them anywhere near the al-Qaeda leader, according to U.S. and Pakistani officials.
"The handful of assets we have have given us nothing close to real-time intelligence" that could have led to his capture, said one counterterrorism official, who said the trail, despite the most extensive manhunt in U.S. history, has gone "stone cold."
But in the last three months, following a request from President Bush to "flood the zone," the CIA has sharply increased the number of intelligence officers and assets devoted to the pursuit of bin Laden. The intelligence officers will team with the military's secretive Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and with more resources from the National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies.
The problem, former and current counterterrorism officials say, is that no one is certain where the "zone" is. "Here you've got a guy who's gone off the net and is hiding in some of the most formidable terrain in one of the most remote parts of the world surrounded by people he trusts implicitly," said T. McCreary, spokesman for the National Counterterrorism Center. "And he stays off the net and is probably not mobile. That's an extremely difficult problem."
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
*bravo* WaPo - a brilliant spin piece which lets them have it their way regardless of how you look at it. Triangulation perfected. I eagerly look forward to their, um, demise.
#2
Fresh bullshit in time to heap on the masses for 9/11, fits nicely the donk narrative
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/11/2006 6:21 Comments ||
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#3
Binny boy would still be using satellite phones, were it not for our friends in the press.
Yes, freedom of speech is a wonderful thing, but like everything else, actions have consequences.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/11/2006 6:26 Comments ||
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#4
Rawalpindi.
Warmer now?
Posted by: john ||
09/11/2006 7:08 Comments ||
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#5
Maybe the trail is 'stone cold' because Binny is 'stone cold'. Check that cave in Tora Bora again. But if I'm wrong, what are they going to do with him when they catch him? We'll have to get permission from a Carter appointed judge to even feed and house him let alone bring him to justice.
#6
The "stone-cold' thought occurred to me, too. On the other hand, one way to avoid Carteresque judicial interference would be to simply "forget" to mention Binny's capture to the press.
#7
At least we know WaPo is a sucker to anonymous sources.
The colder this trail is described, the hotter it may be.
Posted by: john ||
09/11/2006 10:27 Comments ||
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#8
"Maybe the trail is 'stone cold' because Binny is 'stone cold'"
well the argument is that he cant be dead, cause theres no chatter that hes dead.
But OTOH it seems that the reason we cant find him is cause hes so hidden. Only Zawahiri, it would seem, is actually in contact with him.
Would anyone other than Zawahiri actually know if he died? (I presume any low level attendants could be shut up by Zawahiri, one way or another) So if he died, wouldnt it be up to Zawahiri to decided whether to let it out or not? What would be in it for Zawahiri to let the truth out?
NOt saying OBL IS dead, just saying theres real questions here.
#13
audio ain't video. All he has to do is hold up a DailyTimes copy with the date on it, and he'd gain a boatload of publicity and volunteers. The fact he hasn't tells me he's dead and Ayman doesn't want it to get out
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/11/2006 17:32 Comments ||
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#14
And when it does, look for the left to immediately declare the WOT to be over.
#17
Binny dead, Hmmmm, maybe. Maybe not. But the piss poor allocation of resources to bring his head to the fair citizens of this country is not debatable.
The Iraq war took preeminence. We all know it did. Right or wrong, I don't care, that is irrelevant to me. The Iraq war took resources away from the hunt for Bin Laden, and we might have him by now if resources were focused on his capture. I'm simply more interested in the righteous revenge on Bin Laden than Iraqi passification.
Is or has Binny been directing anything, operationally in recent years. Doubt it, but whatever the case, his head would be a welcome find.
I for one still want to see GW mount Binny's head on the front of a classic caddy. Add some bull horns for theatrics and sew a pig's head onto his corpse just for shits and giggles. Then take a Southern states tour with Toby Keith and Lynrd Skynrd to display the sorry fuck's corpse, but again that's just me.
#18
The Iraq war took resources away from the hunt for Bin Laden, and we might have him by now if resources were focused on his capture.
Really?
The proponents of the "we were distracted by Iraq" theory typically point to Tora Bora as the time and place more US troops could have captured bin Laden. Leaving aside the practical issues of a larger US presence in Afghanistan -- basing, force protection, logistics -- given that Tora Bora was in 2002, just how the fuck did events still a year in the future prove a distraction?
But now let's look at the practical issues...
More troops mean more supplies; how were they to get into Afghanistan? Obviously roads from Iran were out; roads from Pakistan would pass through FATA or Waziristan. There are roads from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, but those are far, far from deep-sea ports and there aren't that many passable routes.
More troops means more convoys for beans and bullets; more convoys means more targets. Convoys are the classic soft target for irregular forces; look at Iraq. So you have to put troops to protecting the convoys -- patrolling the convoy route, acting as QRFs, escorting -- and that means that the more troops you put in, the fewer will actually be able to do anything but force protection.
So those extra troops really don't contribute much, and eventually, start to cost you opportunities.
Yeah, keeping our forces light and relying on local forces cost some opportunities, too. But it also meant more strategic flexibility.
The flexibility that removed a major terrorist supporter and scared the piss out of another one.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/11/2006 21:42 Comments ||
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LAHORE: Lt Gen (r) Javed Nasir, former director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), said on Sunday the ISI was not answerable to anybody because of its authority, but the perception that it was a state within a state was wrong.
And who would ever think otherwise?
Talking on Geo TVs programme Jwabdeh, Nasir said, The ISI should keep itself away from politics, but rulers usually dont know the real job of the intelligence agency, which is to present a crystal clear threat evaluation after coordinating all intelligence activities. Its not the ISIs job to see whose wife is going out with whom, and who is making money, but unfortunately all intelligence agencies are engaged in similar activities these days. I turned down former prime minister Nawaz Sharifs offer to me to become the ISI chief because I couldnt pass on reports of peoples personal activities to the government, Nasir said, adding that the ISI should only work on the prime ministers directives.
Posted by: john ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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ISI is not state within state: Javed
Because Pakistan isn't a state.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/11/2006 5:17 Comments ||
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Multinational Corps Iraq held a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Al Faw palace here today, reminding everyone in attendance why servicemembers stand on foreign ground today.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said the monument for the victims and the heroes from that day is being constructed now.
The true monument for the heroes and victims of 9/11 will not be made of stone, but will be living monuments, he said. The 50 million people liberated from tyranny since that day. A free and prosperous Iraq will stand as the ultimate testimony to the sacrifices you are making to ensure that America remains secure from the threats posed by terrorists.
Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, gave everyone a sense of closeness to the victims from the horrific day half a decade ago.
They were mothers, fathers, daughters, sons and friends, he said. They were old, middle-aged and children. Men and women, boys and girls. They were Americans, but they were also citizens of a dozen nations.
He went on to say that some of them were innocent bystanders, while others were rescue workers and heroes who sacrificed their lives that day to save others. Chiarelli said the terrorists didnt realize Americas determination to seek justice when they attacked U.S. soil.
These murderers bet that the United States and its friends would stand by and do nothing, he said. They bet that we would shrink from our duty and our purpose. They bet wrong.
Over the last five years, the United States and its brave allies have waged an offensive campaign against those who hate free nations and free people, he continued. Let there be no doubt, we will prevail in this struggle.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/11/2006 16:39 ||
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No ceremony needed, really . . . they already honor those lost on 9/11 by their service.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/11/2006 22:49 Comments ||
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Just goes to show what he knows. He's obviously not talked to any Rockefellers lately...
Iraq is a better place because the US-led coalition deposed former dictator Saddam Hussein, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Monday on the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
However, the Australian leader said he never thought there was any concrete link between the al-Qaida terrorist who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks and the Iraqi dictator. "I never argued that," Howard told Sky News television before attending a September 11 memorial ceremony at the US Embassy. "The argument is very clear and that is Iraq is a better place for Saddam having been gone."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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Jordan and Egypt Sunday urged the Palestinians and Israelis to resume peace talks as soon as possible and said efforts to form a new unity government between Hamas and more moderate factions were critical. President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II, key US allies in the Mideast and Israel's only Arab peace partners, said "reviving the Palestinian-Israeli peace process" was a top priority.
The peace processor is back, it's plugged in, it's rarin' to go...
This included "both sides returning to the negotiating table in the soonest possible time," they said. Mubarak flew into the Jordanian capital on an unexpected visit Sunday. Accompanied by his foreign minister and his chief of intelligence, Mubarak held a closed-door meeting with Abdullah and top aides at an Amman hilltop palace.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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JERUSALEM - Three Israeli Arab lawmakers who went to Syria could face legal action on charges of visiting an enemy state without the governments authorisation, officials said on Sunday. This comes after Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz instructed police to launch a criminal probe against MPs Azmi Bishara, Jamal Zahalka and Taha Wasal who had held talks with Syrian leaders, including President Bashar Al Assad, in Damascus.
Earlier, Interior Ministry Ronni Bar-On told a weekly government meeting Sunday he had asked Mazuz to investigate the three MPs. All the necessary steps should be taken in order to bring them to justice and stop this phenomenon, a senior interior ministry official quoted Bar-On as telling the cabinet.
The Israeli Arab MPs travelled to Syria this weekend without obtaining authorisation from the interior ministry as is required for all visits to countries considered by Israel as enemies.
Negotiating a side-deal or receiving instructions?
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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Negotiating a side-deal or receiving instructions?
A week after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert shelved his realignment plan, he told the cabinet Sunday that the Palestinian issue is not going to disappear, and "creative ways" must be found to "kick-start" the diplomatic process. His comments came as the Arab League was expected to put forward a diplomatic process of its own at the UN later this month and amid increasing calls for an international peace conference.
Olmert told the cabinet that international conferences have historically been stacked against Israel and that the only international conference Israel would be willing to take part in was one focused on fighting terrorism. Olmert said discussions were currently being held at various levels on how to empower the moderates in Palestinian society so that progress could be made on the road map. This, he pointed out, was the focus of his talks with visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Saturday night, and would also be at the center of talks Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will hold in Washington on Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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To start a diplomatic process, you have to be holding some cards. You keep handing yours to the enemy, bonehead. All they have to do is wait and you'll eventually give them every card you have!
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas returned to the Gaza Strip on Sunday night "to make a final attempt" to reach an agreement with Hamas on the formation of a national-unity government, PA officials said. "This is Hamas's last chance," one official told The Jerusalem Post. "Either they accept our terms of the establishment of a national-unity government or we will have to form a new government."
Another official said Abbas, who is scheduled to hold a number of meetings with PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh over the next few days, is determined to make "courageous" decisions to change the situation in the Palestinian arena before the end of the month. He said Abbas was expected to issue a "final ultimatum" to Hamas to accept his conditions for the establishment of a national-unity government or else he would dismiss the Hamas-controlled government and establish a new one comprising independent figures and technocrats.
Abbas's major conditions, according to the official, include demands that Hamas accept the peace initiative announced by the Arab summit in Beirut in 2002, all United Nations resolutions regarding the Israeli-Arab conflict and honor all agreements that were signed between Israel and the Palestinians.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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Just invite them all to the same place at the same time, call the IDF, and stand back. Voila! Problem solved and the government goes to the last man standing!
When Iran's ex-president was having his picture taken with admirers at a gala dinner sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in northern Virginia, he received an unexpected message from some of his former countrymen. It was a summons to appear at the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.
On Thursday, lawyers representing seven Iranian Jewish families living in Los Angeles filed a lawsuit demanding that Mohammed Khatemi pay compensation for the disappearance of 12 of their relatives, who were detained, imprisoned, and in some cases tortured as they tried to leave Iran for Pakistan between 1994 and 1997. Mr. Khatemi became president of Iran in 1997.
The fact that Mr. Khatemi was served at all is a kind of victory for many Iranian-Americans, who were dismayed to learn that the former president had been granted a visa to launch a speaking tour in America. As if to add insult to injury, President Bush was quoted over the weekend by the Wall Street Journal as saying he personally approved the decision to grant Mr. Khatemi a visa because he was "interested" in what the ex-leader had to say.
A lawyer for the seven families, Pooya Dayanim, said the two former police officers who served Mr. Khatemi with the writs at the Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va., reported that the turbaned cleric expressed surprise upon receiving the court document. The complaint says the depredations the plaintiffs' kin suffered were "part of a pattern and practice of systematic human rights violations that was designed, ordered, implemented, and directed by the Defendant."
"It is a win-win situation," Mr. Dayanim said. "If he does not defend himself, then we will get a default judgment. If the State Department has to come in, they will embarrass themselves. It puts the administration in a bad position of defending him in federal court against victims of torture."
However, another lawyer with expertise in national security law, Mark Zaid, said it will be difficult to persuade a court that a former head of state should stand trial in an American court.
"My inclination is to think he would possess head of state immunity, and such a determination is not based on whether we view them as an enemy of the United States or not," Mr. Zaid, who represented the families of the victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing in their case against the Libyan regime, told The New York Sun. "Foreign sovereign immunity is a principle that every nation has to abide by. When you don't, your action is reciprocated by others."
During his visit to America, Mr. Khatemi has tried to position himself as a moderate, in line with his 2000 speech at the United Nations, in which he called for a dialogue of civilizations. At the event Friday at CAIR, Mr. Khatemi said it was every Muslim's duty to condemn the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. And in an interview with Time magazine, he contradicted Iran's current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, by acknowledging that the Holocaust is a historical fact.
#1
Heh. If the President of the United States cannot avoid giving grand jury testimony, I don't see how the head of a pistachio theocracy can get immunity from a civil action. But leave it to the Clinton Courts to figure out a way.
ABU DHABI: French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on Sunday that Iran would likely change tactics on its nuclear programme for fear that sanctions might spark a domestic backlash. "Discontent among the Iranian people over the prospect of sanctions could make the regime change tack," Douste-Blazy said in Abu Dhabi as he wrapped up a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates.
"The regime may fear the reaction of its own public opinion," he told a joint news conference with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan. "If it appreciated the risk of isolation hanging over the country, it would not be ready to pay the price of it," he added, stressing the importance to the Iranian regime of a negotiated settlement of the standoff over its nuclear programme. Iran said earlier said the question of it suspending uranium enrichment as demanded by the international community was a "thing of the past".
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:22 ||
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In truth, the only thing I fear is that Iran will accept the EU's "package" of goodies and pretend to suspend their program. If they did, they would win.
#2
The important thing to the Iranian regime is to look good so they can stay in power. It won't look good if they give it up after elevating it onto the highest pedestal possible. Duh.
Lol, you confuse your personal views with Persian Mullah calculus, methinks. They will do whatever suits their ends. If they can resurrect and sell the Hidden Imam to the faithful, then surely they can peddle the *wink wink nudge nudge* "Okay, we'll 'suspend' while we talk if it means you won't harm our wonderful people with your illegal sanctions." line - since every True Believer knows they would suspend nothing. It's even the headline on another story today... Or didn't you follow the "pretend" and "they'll win" aspects of my comment? I thought it was clear enough.
#4
Iran will do anything, say anything, sign any agreement, attend any talks necessary for whatever length of time if it stalls military intervention long enough for them to fabricate atomic weapons. Nothing else even remotely comes close on their agenda in terms of this priority.
They would stuff the 12th imam straight back down his well if it delayed their nuclear aspirations even a single millisecond.
To think otherwise is the height of suicidal folly.
I wasn't replying to your comment or disagreeing with it. It was a parallel comment. The "Duh" just means I think it's part of what they're thinking and stupid at the same time.
I've had this happen before. Just because one comment follows another doesn't mean there's a connection. Be careful! I once typed a comment and didn't hit the "Submit" button for a while. In the meanwhile, TW had submitted something and mine followed shortly thereafter. I didn't see it, but she thought I was attacking her because of the "wording" I used, even thought it wasn't related. It just so happened that the author of some LLL article happened to be a female, too. ;-)
#10
Perhaps what the esteemed Froggie Foreign Minister means is that sanctions would provide numerous oportunities for under the table business ventures like the charming Oil For Palaces deal and other sanction avoiding scams in Iraq.
And don't forget that lying is allowed, even encouraged, under Islam as long as it 'advances Islam' and since nutjob thinks he is (or at least acts for) the 12th Iman....
I might add that the French might be willing and knowing accomplishes to this as well. It wouldn't be the first time they sold people out.
If its because they think they might benefit when Europe is under the nuclear-islamic sword or because they might benefit from an Oil-For-Palaces type arrangement makes little difference.
1. Bolton is really persuasive, and hes gotten the French to go along
2. The French are tougher than we thought.
3. The Iranian behavior has been so outrageous, esp the defiant statements about the UNSC, that the French cant not support sanctions without losing too much face
4. The French think theres huge profits to be made in smuggling
5. The French figure that the Chinese and Russians will veto anyway, so no point in pissing off the US.
It's a perfectly valid approach. Usually the bone-headed stuff would work best if you don't care much about serving the lowest common denominator all the time by being PC!
We'll get you to be in charge of policy about Iran, Syria, and NorK. Anybody who whines about your policies should be taken out with precisely targeted operations. 100MT nukes should do the trick. Make sure you have several on hand because they don't learn easily. :-)
#18
I have a slightly different method Bobby, I just make boneheaded comments off the cuff and piss off everyone.
Hey! Don't be crowding my turf, bigjim-ky!
I appreciate the backup, JerseyMike, gromgoru and CrazyFool. So much of this world is delusional about Iran that it is simply incredible. I have no doubts that Russia and China comprehend exactly what Iran is up to. As with "The Three Conjectures", and unlike ourselves, they have zero compunctions about going in and glassing Iran if the mullahs make any trouble for them. Anything else is hunky-dory, as it complicates life for the West. Which is why Russia and China are the true terrorists. Islam is just a bothersome and distracting sideshow by comparison.
Iran is ready to consider suspending uranium enrichment for up to two months, diplomats told The Associated Press on Sunday. The diplomats, who demanded anonymity, spoke shortly after talks between senior Iranian and EU negotiators focusing on Teheran's defiance of a UN Security Council resolution demanding suspension of the activity, which can be misused to make nuclear arms.
It takes that long to get parts? The ayatollahs gotta read up on supply chain management.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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Either they're lying (my first choice) or, as Fred says, they're waiting on parts.
The EUnichs are beyond parody.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/11/2006 0:39 Comments ||
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#2
You can tell the Iranian negotiators are lieing because their lips are moving.
#5
They're probably trying to figure out how to smuggle parts in from some Russian company, and pushing forward on every other front possible in the meanwhile. And they're lying, of course.
Don't believe anything coming outta Javier Solona's piehole.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/11/2006 6:26 Comments ||
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#7
I think the time has been up for Iran for a long time now...
Posted by: DanNY ||
09/11/2006 8:53 Comments ||
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#8
Zenster had it right on another thread. Ahmadenijad and his cronies have a goal of developing nuclear weapons. Nothing will change this. They will say anything and do anything to divert the world's attention, but their goal will never change. Once we realize this, the task before us becomes apparent.
The European Union on Sunday described its negotiations with Iran as "very serious" and said they need to continue to commit Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities. Speaking in the margin of an EU-Asia summit, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country now holds the EU presidency, said the Vienna negotiations with Iran's top nuclear negotiator "have been very serious. And I think that now it is a good time to continue with those discussions."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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There is simply no limit in the degree to which Europe can fool itself. If more proof is needed than Iran, one look at how France has dealt with Muslim violence ends all doubt.
Any nations wishing to survive in the War Against Islam immediately must begin expelling and deporting all Muslims who dwell within their borders. No more visas shall be issued and no further immigration must be allowed. This is a fight to the death, most people just don't happen to realize it, yet.
As we watch the Euros roll back the UN resolutions even further ...
HELSINKI - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi insisted on Sunday that an EU mission along Lebanons border with Syria would be staffed by civilians and not troops.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a Europe-Asia summit in Helsinki, Prodi stressed that he and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad had agreed that the mission would have no military character.
Because the military is ucky, and it might upset people.
Prodi, whose country is playing a leading role in a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said that the border mission would focus on providing technical aid on such things as training.
Training for what? Not military training, perchance?
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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VIENNA - The UN nuclear watchdogs 35-nation board of governors will hear a report on Irans nuclear program at a meeting which starts Monday, but is not expected to take decisive action. No one expects anything any fireworks, a diplomat close to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told AFP, as the political action over Irans contested nuclear work is taking place elsewhere.
The IAEA has been investigating Irans nuclear program for over three years on US charges that Tehran is hiding the development of nuclear weapons.
And they'll keep investigating, you betcha ...
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei will present a report that documents how Iran failed to heed an August 31 United Nations Security Council deadline to suspend uranium enrichment, which makes nuclear power reactor fuel but can also produce atom bomb material.
But while the IAEA board has in the past taken key steps on Iran, such as in February finding it in violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) for hiding sensitive nuclear work, the stage is now set for the Security Council to ignore hear US pleas for sanctions against Iran.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/11/2006 00:00 ||
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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.
Islamic militants controlling much of southern Somalia shut down a radio station Sunday for airing "music and love songs," the latest example of the region's new fundamentalist rule. The group closed Radio Jowhar because the programs were un-Islamic, Islamic official Sheik Mohamed Mohamoud Abdirahman said. It was the only radio station in Jowhar, some 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the capital, Mogadishu. "It is useless to air music and love songs for the people," Abdirahman said. 
LONDON: An officer has resigned from the British army in protest its "grotesquely clumsy" campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan, a newspaper reported on Sunday. Captain Leo Docherty was aide-de-camp to Colonel Charlie Knaggs, a senior commander in the British task force in southern Afghanistan but quit last month after becoming disillusioned with its strategy in Helmand province, The Sunday Times said. The approach is "a textbook case of how to screw up a counter-insurgency," Docherty was quoted as saying. "All those people whose homes have been destroyed and sons killed are going to turn against the British," he said.
The United States has done enormous damage to al Qaeda in the five years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but the group -- and other wanna-be al Qaedas -- still pose a threat, Vice President Dick Cheney said today. Speaking on NBCs Meet the Press, Cheney said the United States and its allies have killed or captured hundreds of al Qaedas leaders and that the countries must have the will to continue the war on terror. 
Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's visit to Harvard University on Sunday was met by protesters, many of whom called on him to stand up for human rights. Police estimated about 200 people protested, some carrying signs that said "Iran supports terror." 
Yes, the Democrats have shown their usual instinct for the capillary. While worrying about minor bits, they've missed that the real harm is simply the reminder of the terrorist threat, which they've tried to downplay, but which they've magnified in people's minds by making a stink. Going on the offensive like this just reminds people that they've been downplaying it for over a decade.
HASSAN ABDAL: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Sunday vowed a "befitting reply" to anyone casting an evil eye on Pakistan. "This country has come into being in the name of Islam. The valiant people of Pakistan have given unprecedented sacrifices for it. A befitting reply will be given if some one dares to cast an evil eye on it," Aziz told a public meeting after inaugurating a tehsil headquarters in Hassan Abdal. He said that all conspiracies against Pakistan and Islam would fail.
LAHORE: Police raided an Ahmedi newspaper office on Saturday and arrested a printer and a journalist, charging them with offences under the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA). Ahmedi representatives condemned the raid as harassment and an attack on press freedom. Chenab Nagar (Rabwah) police raided the Daily Alfazal and lodged cases under 298B and 298C of the Pakistan Penal Code, 16 Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) and 9 ATA against the arrested men. The journalist, Abdul Sattar Khan, was later released but the printer, Sultan Dogar, is still in detention. "The raid was part of the government's campaign to confiscate hate-literature," DSP Saeed Tatla said. According to the FIR, the newspaper preached Qadiyani beliefs, and the newspaper described Ahemdis as Muslims, which is against the law.
Pakistan, it has been said, is either unwilling or incapable of clamping down on the Taliban. According to CNN terrorism expert Peter Bergen, writing in the Washington Post on Sunday: "The key to the resurgent Taliban can be summarised in one word: Pakistan. The Pakistani government has proved unwilling or incapable (or both) of clamping down on the religious militia."
Jordan and Egypt Sunday urged the Palestinians and Israelis to resume peace talks as soon as possible and said efforts to form a new unity government between Hamas and more moderate factions were critical. President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II, key US allies in the Mideast and Israel's only Arab peace partners, said "reviving the Palestinian-Israeli peace process" was a top priority. 
A week after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert shelved his realignment plan, he told the cabinet Sunday that the Palestinian issue is not going to disappear, and "creative ways" must be found to "kick-start" the diplomatic process. His comments came as the Arab League was expected to put forward a diplomatic process of its own at the UN later this month and amid increasing calls for an international peace conference. 
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas returned to the Gaza Strip on Sunday night "to make a final attempt" to reach an agreement with Hamas on the formation of a national-unity government, PA officials said. "This is Hamas's last chance," one official told The Jerusalem Post. "Either they accept our terms of the establishment of a national-unity government or we will have to form a new government." 
ABU DHABI: French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on Sunday that Iran would likely change tactics on its nuclear programme for fear that sanctions might spark a domestic backlash. "Discontent among the Iranian people over the prospect of sanctions could make the regime change tack," Douste-Blazy said in Abu Dhabi as he wrapped up a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates. 
The European Union on Sunday described its negotiations with Iran as "very serious" and said they need to continue to commit Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities. Speaking in the margin of an EU-Asia summit, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country now holds the EU presidency, said the Vienna negotiations with Iran's top nuclear negotiator "have been very serious. And I think that now it is a good time to continue with those discussions."
