MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — The Obama administration plans to bolster the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq this year, according to officials and diplomats. That repositioning could include new combat forces in Kuwait able to respond to a collapse of security in Iraq or a military confrontation with Iran.
The plans, under discussion for months, gained new urgency after President Obama’s announcement this month that the last American soldiers would be brought home from Iraq by the end of December. Ending the eight-year war was a central pledge of his presidential campaign, but American military officers and diplomats, as well as officials of several countries in the region, worry that the withdrawal could leave instability or worse in its wake.
After unsuccessfully pressing both the Obama administration and the Iraqi government to permit as many as 20,000 American troops to remain in Iraq beyond 2011, the Pentagon is now drawing up an alternative.
In addition to negotiations over maintaining a ground combat presence in Kuwait, the United States is considering sending more naval warships through international waters in the region.
With an eye on the threat of a belligerent Iran, the administration is also seeking to expand military ties with the six nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. While the United States has close bilateral military relationships with each, the administration and the military are trying to foster a new “security architecture” for the Persian Gulf that would integrate air and naval patrols and missile defense.
The size of the standby American combat force to be based in Kuwait remains the subject of negotiations, with an answer expected in coming days. Officers at the Central Command headquarters here declined to discuss specifics of the proposals, but it was clear that successful deployment plans from past decades could be incorporated into plans for a post-Iraq footprint in the region.
In short, this will keep the Saudis happy and Iran at bay. Which will keep gas prices down and oil flowing out of that region. Obama might be a green energy guy and all, but he is no fool. He knows how far off all that technology is, so he’s covering his bases here.
Some on the right might rattle their chains about this one; I will not. I know what he is doing here, and it’s a very smart move. I commend him for it.
You remember the posting that I wrote about the man who was hurt at the Oakland protest? Well, it turns out, that he is a leftist and Military hater, he also happens to be a rabid antisemitic twit; sort of like Tom Boggioni. Tom Boggioni is the idiot leftist blogger, who writes under the pen name of TBogg.
By the way, Tom Boggioni lives in San Diego, California, and he also has a facebook page.
Anyhow, the reason I write this is because Tom belched forth some rather nasty stuff on his blog about Israel and about Jews; in reaction to the fact that some of us on the right brought up the fact that this guy was a leftist and a Military hater.
Check out what he said in response to what Jim Hoft wrote about the guy:
About this little display of AntiSemitism, Tom writes:
So, with that apostasy, and for those of you keeping score at home…. Scott Olsen Is A Communist Who Hates Our Way Of Life + Hitler.
So, in Tom’s rather peanut sized brain, hating Jews and Israel is perfectly fine; as long you adhere to the political philosophy of the left in this Country. This is the true face of the left; racism, antisemitism and class warfare —- remember this come 2012.
Another thing that sickens me, is that Jane Hamsher allows this sort of bile on that blog of hers. Shame on her.
I admit it, I have been harsh on this President from the start and I take pride in knowing that I have defended the 1% in this Country; which truth be told, is a bigger percentage. One of the many reasons I have been hard on this President is this right here, as told in a story by the politico about Bill Daley, who seems to have a few problems:
So do you think, I ask, that President Obama would be satisfied saying, “We did a good job, we did good stuff,” and if he’s a one-term president, “That’s the verdict of history”?
“Nope, no, absolutely not!” Daley begins, shaking his head and then growing more outraged at the thought of a single term entering the president’s mind. “I think he’d be angry! Pissed! Unhappy! Frustrated! No, if somebody said yes to that, that would be crazy.”
But the polls stink.
“Considering the debacle that he came in with, the tough choices he’s made and how there have been few, if any breaks, he says it himself all the time,” Daley says. “He doesn’t know why he’s as high as 44 percent.”
That is supposed to be a laugh line, but, indeed, the RealClearPolitics average of leading polls currently has Obama at 44.0 percent approval and 50.7 percent disapproval.
That is due to many factors, Daley says, and he starts reeling them off: trying to stimulate the economy; trying to save the auto industry; trying to increase the debt ceiling; passing health care legislation; fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; and dealing with Syria, North Korea, Egypt and Iran. To name a few.
“It’s been a brutal three years,” he says. “It’s been a very, very difficult three years, an incredible three years. And we are doing all this under the overhang of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. F—k! It wasn’t like all this was happening in good times.”
Firstly, for a man who is serving in a public office, this man sure does have a very potty mouth. I mean, I know I have done the same thing here in the past and believe when I tell you, I regret that highly. However, it is one thing to be a lowly blogger as myself, but it is another to be one of the officers of the highest public office in the land and be using such vulgarity as this. It is unbecoming of the office and if I were the President, I would ask this man to resign and hire someone with a bit more respect for the office in which he serves.
Secondly and much more importantly, the man simply does not grasp the idea that the President’s economic policies have simply failed. The President’s energy polices have failed, the President’s leadership ability is that of a freshmen in college; the man simply cannot lead. Not to mention the Grand Canyon worth of political scandals that seems to be oozing from every corner of that White House. You would think that someone as intelligent as someone who is an advisor to the President would know this. Which leads me to my next question; have we set the bar this low in politics now? That someone who this close to the President of the United States is this inherently ignorant that he is so oblivious to the absolute failures of this administration?
If this is the case, I fear for the future of our Country.
For those of you who do not like the idea of posting what Pamela has to say; I have two things to say —- first, as Herman Cain would say, “I does not care.” Also, I would say to those who would have a problem with me posting this video, I would politely ask you to go see Helen Waite and ask for directions.
I will say one thing about the writer I just linked to; he is a liberal Democrat, I will say that, but he is a very consistent, Spencer Ackerman went after Bush and his handling of Iraq during the Bush era and now he is doing it with the Obama Administration. For this, he does get some credit, although, I doubt he would want to hear it from my quarters.
I give him props, at least he is a bit more brave than the MSM.
The Obama administration has decided to withdraw all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of the year after failing to reach an agreement with the Iraqi government that would have left several thousand troops there for special operations and training.
President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki spoke Friday morning to cement that agreement in a scheduled telephone call.
The two leaders also agreed to continue informally discussing the need for and the terms of a U.S. military presence in Iraq into next year, people familiar with the agreement said. As a result, the only U.S. military presence that will remain in Iraq after the end of the year will be the roughly 150 troops needed to protect the large U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad and its thousands of American diplomats and other personnel, as well as provide training related to new military sales and other tasks.
“The rest of our troops in Iraq will come home at the end of the year,” Obama said Friday at the White House. “After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over.”
I have some very mixed feelings on this little news story. In fact, my entire basis for returning to writing since my childhood days; as I was very good in English in school – and for my foray into the world of political blogging in the first place — was this subject right here —- Iraq.
As my about me page does say, I was not always a blogger on the right. I still do not consider myself a “Republican,” although I do find myself voting for them now, more than I do Democrats. This is because the Democrats are on the wrong side of the argument, polices that the Democrats have tried have failed miserably, as bloggers as myself predicted that they would. However, when I came into this thing called “blogging,” I was not in the camp of the Conservative thought. I came into this thing called blogging with fierce anger at President George W. Bush.
I was right then about George W. Bush and I still feel that I am; however, I am a bit more educated into what the motivating forces were behind the invasion of Iraq and I no longer believe the idiotic nonsense peddled by the far left about Bush and the invasion of Iraq. Put simply, we invaded Iraq, based upon some very bad intelligence from Germany. There was not plan to lie to the American people, so that we could invade Iraq to please Israel, which is what the far left believes in this Country. Which is a talking point that is rooted in fallacy and in an Anti-Jewish and Anti-Israel bias that exists on the far left and in some quarters of the far right as well.
The main underlining factor in the decision to go into Iraq was a foreign policy stance that I feel is one of the worst ever conceived by man — Wilsonian foreign policy. I believed that the day I pressed the “Create Blog” button over on blogger.com to create my first blog originally called “The Populist Moderate” and I still believe that today. Although, at the time, I did not know what it was called, I just knew something was not right and I felt the need to speak out about it.
AllahPundit over at HotAir.com notes some very interesting ramifications over this decision by the President’s decision to pull our troops out of Iraq. The political angle is that Obama actually wants to be reelected in 2012. Not that this will help him at all; the liberal left still will not vote again for him, because the economy is still in the proverbial toilet. I said back in 2010 that we were just making it a little harder for Iran to invade and overthrow Iraq; and it appears that I was at least partially correct. Like AllahPundit said, with this new terrorist plot being uncovered against an official of the Saudi Government, it looks like Iraq might be the new battleground for a proxy war between Iran and the Saudi Government.
Overall, it essentially looks as if Obama decided that if he could not get what he wanted from the Iraqi Government; that he essentially said, “Screw them, and let them deal with their own problems.” Which at first glance, might be a good thing, but when you really look at it, it does not look good at all. All the world would need right now is a horrible war between the Saudis and the Iranians. You think the gas shortage of the 1970’s was bad; you wait until the Saudis and Iranians go to war! We will all be driving bikes everywhere. Gas and other such fuels will become luxury items quick. The only people that are most likely breathing a sigh of relief are the Syrians, who are most likely glad that this proxy war will not be fought in their backyards.
So my bottom line is this: While this might be a minor victory for the liberal left; in the long run, this is going to be major pain various places, including our wallets in the very long run.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, for instance, is a hugely pro-American politician who believes Iraq’s security forces will be incapable of protecting the country without sustained foreign assistance. But in a recent interview, he refused to endorse a U.S. troop extension and instead indicated that they should leave.
“We have serious security problems in this country and serious political problems,” he said in an interview late last month at his heavily guarded compound in Baghdad. “Keeping Americans in Iraq longer isn’t the answer to the problems of Iraq. It may be an answer to the problems of the U.S., but it’s definitely not the solution to the problems of my country.”
Welcome to Post-Iraq Middle East; it is going to be an interesting next few years. 😯
This ought to be a lesson to every last Democrat who voted for Obama and Biden.
The Video:
The Story:
With the approval of the Obama administration, an electric car company that received a $529 million federal government loan guarantee is assembling its first line of cars in Finland, saying it could not find a facility in the United States capable of doing the work.
Vice President Joseph Biden heralded the Energy Department’s $529 million loan to the start-up electric car company called Fisker as a bright new path to thousands of American manufacturing jobs. But two years after the loan was announced, the job of assembling the flashy electric Fisker Karma sports car has been outsourced to Finland.
“There was no contract manufacturer in the U.S. that could actually produce our vehicle,” the car company’s founder and namesake told ABC News. “They don’t exist here.”
Henrik Fisker said the U.S. money so far has been spent on engineering and design work that stayed in the U.S., not on the 500 manufacturing jobs that went to a rural Finnish firm, Valmet Automotive.
“We’re not in the business of failing; we’re in the business of winning. So we make the right decision for the business,” Fisker said. “That’s why we went to Finland.”
Here is the real-world translation to that last line in that story; we did not want to have to deal with the labor unions in this United States, so we moved our manufacturing overseas.
Take note my Democratic Party friends who happen to read this blog, all two of you. This is what happens to the Democrats and their union counterparts, when they elect internationalist Democrats, who really do not give a care about what happens to American workers. Internationalist Democrats and their Republican counterparts, the globalists — like Richard Nixon, who do not care about American workers, they are corporatists, who support crony capitalism.
This right here is a perfect example of why the relations between the Democratic Party and the labor unions are frosty at best. That is because the Democratic Party for the last few instances that they have won elections, have been putting internationalist Democrats into the White House. This type of a Democrat talks a nice game, and puts out platitudes to the American autoworkers and their representatives in the unions; but when the “Rubber hits the road” so to speak, things change. They begin showing their true colors and start doing things to kick dirt in the face of the American worker.
I do not write this as a Conservative mocking the left, goodness no. I write this as someone who has a father, who is a retired General Motors worker, who is a member of the UAW. If anyone would know how the Democratic Party has treated the American autoworker in the last 30 years, it would be me. There was a time in this Country, when the Democratic Party used to respect the American autoworker and would literally step in front a train to defend them. Sadly, that time has passed, as the unions have lost their influence amongst the Democratic Party.
The loss of that influence in the Democratic Party is partially due to the actions of the internationalist Democrats, like Bill Clinton, who signed into law NAFTA and TAFTA. Some of that loss of influence is also due to the declining membership roles within the UAW and other said unions. Either way, it is sad transition in America, when our politicians in Washington D.C. put interests abroad before interests here at home.
Some of my readers, all three of you, might be shocked to see that I do not take a more mocking tone on stories like this and here is why I do not; Pat Buchanan said it best once, on one issue that I actually agree with him on — the American worker. Pat once said, “As goes Detroit, goes the Nation,” and you know what? Pat Buchanan is right about that, the United States of America used to be a manufacturing marvel. We produced everything ourselves, and other Countries used to come here to see how we did it all. Sadly, those times have come and gone, due to many reasons, a list of which is longer than the length of this blog entry will permit.
What is solution you ask, I know what it is; but most of the people who will come here to read, will not agree with it. However, I will give the solution. Firstly, the solution is NOT to bust up the unions, as they have as much right to proper representation, as the company owners have a right to make a profit. The solution to the problem is to get rid of these idiotic so-called “Free Trade” agreements. Secondly, the solution is to impose strict tariffs on EVERYTHING and I do mean everything that is manufactured overseas and imported into our Country.
These actions would do a couple of things; firstly it would protect the American workers from the globalists who want to undercut the American worker to make a quick dollar on the backs of cheap sweatshop labor in foreign countries like China. Secondly, it would solve our Nation’s revenue problem by creating a reliable source of income; one of which we did have in this Country for a very long time, before the globalists ripped it out, in favor of trade agreements.
Further, the solution is in whom we elect; Republicans and Democrats alike need to elect those who put America’s interests first, and not the interests who those abroad. To be fair, Republicans have done this too in this past and we as Americans need to watch what these new crop of Republicans really represent; do they represent the interests of the crony capitalists or do they have the American people’s interests in mind? Supposedly, the Tea Party movement brought some of this “America First” type of populism to the Conservative movement, but as of late, it seems that the Tea Party was nothing more than a passing fad. I just hope the people, who went to these protests, use the principles that were promoted at the Tea Party rallies, at the ballot box come November 2012.
HENRICO, VA (WWBT) – NBC12 has uncovered one of those stories that makes you think: “How in the world does that happen?!” A truck filled with President Obama’s podiums and audio equipment was stolen in Henrico just days before his visit to Chesterfield.
We confirmed an investigation with the U.S. Defense Department. There are still a lot of questions. The biggest one being did the thieves intentionally target the President’s truck or did they take advantage of a crime of opportunity and give a big “uh-oh” when they saw what was inside.
When you see President Obama speak, there is a pretty typical setup including the presidential seal on a podium, the see-thru Teleprompter and a portable sound system.
Thieves saw the truck carrying that equipment and couldn’t resist the target.
We’re told the truck was parked at the Virginia Center Commons Courtyard Marriott in advance on Wednesday’s presidential visit to Chesterfield.
Sources said inside that vehicle was about $200,000 worth of sound equipment, several podiums and presidential seals, behind which only the President himself can stand.
They told NBC12 around 12:30 Monday afternoon that truck was recovered in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express near the airport and hotel staff confirm police activity. One guest we spoke with said he saw various law enforcement agencies examining a white box truck parked there.
According to him, the entire back parking lot was blocked off as Henrico Police along with “lots of guys in suits” investigated. He said the truck had no markings and no indication anything special was inside. That leads to another big question of whether or not any of that was actually stolen.
Late Monday evening we found a truck with US government tags still parked in the Marriott’s lot. We are waiting to find out if that is the original truck returned to the staff or a second vehicle.
If I were the Defense Department or the Secret Service, I would be watching E-Bay. Although, I highly doubt they took anything. Most likely, these thieves stole the truck, and got it somewhere, busted the lock and opened the back; and most likely when they saw what was in it —- in unison, screamed “OH CRAP!” and quickly brought the truck back!
Ed Morrissey brings a more serious thought to the table:
Update: On a more serious note, commenter NeoKong points out just how bad this security breach could have been:
The story is funny and everything until you realize what a breach of security this really was.
Once somebody gained unsupervised access to that bus and it’s contents they could have done anything they want. What if somebody planted a device or some sort of miniaturized explosive….? What if somebody planted electronic tracking devices or audio or video devices….? They would know where the POTUS would be going days in advance. Can anyone imagine the sort of conversations they could listen in on if somebody planted as bug or the details of security they could see if there was surveillance equipment…?
This is a BFD. Getting to that podium is almost as good as getting up close to the POTUS.
As for the explosive: Must….resist….saying….what…I’m….thinking….I….serve…the…Lord. 😯
But seriously, Ed’s commenter makes a good point; sounds like someone didn’t think things through much at all. Doug Powers, who is Michelle Malkin’s new flunky, writes a very funny piece on this story. 😀
A trial is set to begin Monday for a Montgomery County teacher, accused of punching and choking several of her first grade students.
Susan Burke, 36, was arrested in February, after nine of her first grade students at Greencastle Elementary School claimed they were abused. According to investigators, Burke allegedly choked, kicked, punched and scratched children in her class.
Montgomery County police learned of one incident on Jan. 7, when a Greencastle Elementary School student complained of being physically assaulted on several occasions.
Police interviewed all of the students in Burke’s class, and their investigation revealed eight more victims, all ages 6 or 7, police said. In addition to being choked, some students also reported being kicked, punched, scratched or squeezed on the arms, police said. Additional students reported witnessing the attacks, police said.
Burke was also charged in an alleged March 2010 assault of a student as a result of this investigation, police said. The incidents allegedly took place on school property and during school hours.
I hate to be the one to do this; but something about this story smells fishy. For one, nowhere in that report does it say that any of the children came home with bruises or anything of the sort on them. For all we know, these black kids decided that they did not like their teacher and decided to tell their parents that the teacher was hurting them. Believe me when I tell you; I know kids can be, and it is a common thing nowadays, for students to level false accusations against a teacher, if they do not like them.
In fact, locally here, in one of the public schools in one of the cites around here — a teacher, who had been with the school system for over 30 years, was accused of rape. The student was a Latino girl, who did not like the fact that she was getting too much homework from this teacher. So, she devised a plan. She was a minority, she was a girl and she was going do this teacher in. She accused him of rape. Well, he was suspended and there was an investigation, that lasted for over 2 years. Finally, the teacher was cleared of the charges and the girl put on trial for making such a big false accusation like that. During the trial, when asked about why she would do such a thing, her reply was, “Revenge.” She went on to say that because she was a Latino and a female, she figured they would just convict him and remove him from the school.
I am quite happy to report that the man accused, ended up not only suing the school; but also the girl’s family, the school district, and also La Raza, who was providing the attorney pro-Bono and boasted to the media that they would “bring down this oppressive white man.” The defendants tried to get the man to settle for a very small amount and basically, he laughed in their faces and rejected the settlement; he went on to win the case for millions. He promptly sold his house and left the State. He now lives very well, I am told.
The point I am making is this; why are these school officials just believing what these silly kids are saying? Why? Because they are black and she is white? I also got a kick out of how the woman was made out to be the evil oppressive white woman, who was picking on those poor little innocent black children! (yes, that is sarcasm…)
If the truth be known in this case; these kids were most likely a bunch of spoiled brats and most likely made this woman’s life a living hell and they most likely deserved the little smacks that they got from this woman. But, because we live in society that treats white on black “Crime” differently than actual black on white crime. This woman will most likely lose her career; because a group of minority students decided that they did not like Mrs. “Whitey Teacher” no more and with the help of Mommy and Daddy, figured out a way to get rid of her, for good.
While most of the Republican presidential candidates have criticized President Obama about his waste of taxpayer money on the politically connected and now bankrupt energy company Solyndra, Rick Perry has remained silent. Why? Perhaps because he may soon have his very own Solyndra.
As governor, Perry created the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, which has doled out, at his discretion, nearly $200 million to 133 businesses. More than $16 million from the fund has gone to firms with officers or investors who were major Perry contributors.
One such firm is Convergen, which has developed a lung-cancer treatment that is under Phase II clinical trial. The company was successful in getting Texas taxpayers to put up $4.5 million through Perry’s fund, despite founder David Nance’s investing a measly $1,000. Did Nance’s $335,000 to Perry’s campaigns, association fundraisers, and TexasOne Foundation have anything to do with it?
It likely did, given that Convergen’s proposal failed the regional review process meant to extricate political influence — and was later approved by a state advisory panel that Nance formerly sat on. The amount awarded also happened to be highest amount ever from the fund. Perry and his team know that Convergen may soon look a lot like Solyndra, since only 33 percent of successful Phase II drugs make it to the market.
But this is not an assault on Governor Perry in particular: He is far from alone among his Republican gubernatorial colleagues in advancing corporatist policies.
For example, Virginia governor Bob McDonnell, who’s been mentioned as a potential vice presidential running mate for Perry, has also fallen to corporatism in a variety of ways. McDonnell succeeded in getting his state’s general assembly to increase funding for the Governor’s Opportunity Fund, a $54 million pot from which he can give grants to corporations that create jobs in the commonwealth. He has also created special tax incentives for the wine and film industries and provided the International Speedway Corporation a $1.5 million grant to keep one of its NASCAR races in the state.
I see his point; the Republicans and Conservatives are going ballyhoo Obama for his green energy debacle, they should be prepared to answer for some of their own misdeeds. Contrary to what some of the Bloggers on the right like to print, corruption and political favors are common on both sides. This needs to end, the era of backroom deals and favors, in this day of so-called transparency needs to end.
In other words; if we are going to point the accusing finger at the other side, we should clean the trash up in our own backyards.
Despite what Rush Limbaugh and what Max Fisher over at the Atlantic might be saying; the President is right to be sending troops in this region. I will explain what I mean. The Lord’s Resistance Army is not a group of Christian missionaries or anything of that sort; it is a group of terrorists, who maim and kill — all the while hiding behind some sort of perverted pseudo-Christian doctrine.
I realize that the Conservative Blogosphere’s goal is to discredit this President and everything that he does. However, in this case, the President, in fact, is taking the correct steps in stopping this crazed group of thugs from hurting any more people than they already have. It was the right thing to do and we as Conservatives, who believe that no one should have to suffer at the hands of crazed tyrants, should be supporting the President’s action in this case.
I also understand that this group has been fighting against Muslims in the area, while I do not agree with the tenants of the Muslim faith. I do not believe that the methods being used by the group are legal, sane, or even moral. Furthermore, I believe the slaughter of innocent people, including the elderly is very an immoral act to commit.
I also realize that there are some, who are Conservative, might feel that the President is engaging in too many conflicts. Let me say this, this is not an engagement for the protection of empire; this is an engagement for the cause of morality. For many years, the United States of America has been the beacon of Democracy and for Christian morality throughout the entire World. What this group is doing to the people of that region is vile and immoral; in the case, I believe it is the United States of America’s responsibility to the insure that innocent people are no harmed any longer.
In closing: While this blog and its owner might disagree with the President’s domestic policy, I do wholeheartedly agree with the President’s decision to put a stop to the treachery that is taking place in this Country and to its people. I commend the President for stepping up to the plate and insuring the protection of the citizens of Uganda. It is my fervent hope and prayer, that the Lord’s Resistance Army is stopped from inflecting any more violence on innocent people.
Here’s the Romney response via Mitt Romney’s campaign manager:
I admit it, and I have written here as such; I am not a Mitt Romney fan in the least. However, I find this to be quite a amusing, Mr. President insecure is now going after Romney. I think voters should look long and hard at this, when voting in November 2012.
The man that the GOP needs to pick, is Herman Cain:
FBI and DEA agents have disrupted a plot to commit a “significant terrorist act in the United States” tied to Iran, federal officials told ABC News today.
The officials said the plot included the assassination of the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir, with a bomb and subsequent bomb attacks on the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, D.C. Bombings of the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were also discussed, according to the U.S. officials.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in an announcement today that the plan was “conceived, sponsored and was directed from Iran” by a faction of the government and called it a “flagrant” violation of U.S. and international law.
“The U.S. is committed to holding Iran accountable for its actions,” Holder said. He said the White House will be meeting with federal agencies before announcing “further action” in regards to Iran.
FBI Director Robert Mueller said the arrest of a suspect in the plot shows the U.S. will “bring the full weight of [the] law to bear on those responsible” and that “any attempts on American soil will not be tolerated.”
The stunning allegations come against a backdrop of longstanding tensions between Iran and the United States and Saudi Arabia. In the last year, Saudi Arabia has attempted to build an anti-Iran alliance to push back against perceived aggression by Iran in the region.
This basically proves my point; that Bush did not do enough after 9/11. If Bush had acted like a real President and not like a wet rag after 9/11, we would not have this sort of troubles. Although, I will admit; I have sneaky feeling that this might spark some sort of Military action. Although, I do not believe it will be of the scale and scope of the War in Iraq.
If true, would that not be an act of war? We’re presently using drones in Pakistan and Yemen against al-Qaeda terrorist networks for plotting similar attacks, thanks to the AUMF from October 2001, even though we’re nominally allied with both nations. If the government of Iran plotted attacks on American targets, that should require a response from the US, should it not — or do we send a signal that even attacks from actual nation-states fall under the rubric of law enforcement?
[…]
If we’re charging an official of the Iranian government with complicity or worse in this plot, then it ceases to be a law enforcement issue and becomes a military and political issue instead. This isn’t a case of espionage but of sabotage or worse, which would be an act of war by anyone’s definition. If we’re not willing to respond in kind, we then send a signal to hostile nation-states around the world that attacks on the US are low-risk, high-reward affairs — and we’d better get ready for an avalanche of them.
There are some who would say, “Oh, he is just being a Neoconservative!” That might be so, but he is being a Neoconservative, who happens to be right. Ron Paul and ilk are just dead wrong. when it comes to Iran, Islam and the war on terror. They might have a point on Nation Building; but on this sort of thing, Ron Paul and his mindless followers are simply wrong.
Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen has confirmed the deaths of American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan, the young American propagandist killed alongside him in a U.S. drone strike late last month.
Al-Qaeda has also criticized the Obama administration for killing U.S. citizens, saying doing so “contradicts” American law.
“Where are what they keep talking about regarding freedom, justice, human rights and respect of freedoms?!” the statement says, according to a translation by SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist Web sites.
The Obama administration has spoken in broad terms about its authority to use military and paramilitary force against al-Qaeda and associated forces, and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula would find itself hard-pressed to claim the moral high ground in the debate over the killing of Awlaki and Khan.
This is not Chutzpah, this is just blind arrogance.
Just think, the people that did this here:
Which caused this to happen:
they also did this:
and this:
…and they want to lecture us about “freedom, justice, human rights and respect of freedoms”… 😡
My friends, this goes well beyond some Yiddish word for arrogance, gall, or nerve. This backward thinking is shared by the liberal left in this Country. In case anyone that happens to read this blog has forgotten, Al-Qaeda killed 2,977 of our citizens and injured over 6,000 of our citizens. This was an act of war and should have been treated more so, than it was by President Bush. What happened that day was on par with Pearl Harbor and should have resulted in the internment of all Arab citizens in this Country. What that day should have resulted in, was the suspending of the United States Constitution and an change to the first amendment by executive order; outlawing Islam in America forever, as a political philosophy and not a valid religion and the closing of all Mosques in this Country. What happened on that day; should have resulted in the deporting off all Muslims out of the United States forever and Arabs be given a choice, either embrace an American religion or leave. However, because of the weakness of Bush or a desire to please all, President George W. Bush chose the easiest path possible.
My friends, 9/11 is a living testament to the fact that Multiculturalism does not, in fact work. It is a lesson that the Far-Right people’s party in Switzerland is learning now, before it is too late. America did not learn that lesson on 9/11; we simply went after just one group, instead of the entire flock of them. This was the great mistake of America and is one that America will have live with for the rest of its existence. If you think, that Muslims will not attack America again, you a very highly mistaken. September 11, 2001 was the opening salvo in a war that will continue until the day that America realizes that Islam and its followers are not friends of America and will eventually destroy us from within, if we allow it.
Barack Obama may have 15 months left in his first term, but his supporters in Congress are already preparing for the day he’ll be an ex-president by introducing legislation that will allow him to keep his personal and presidential documents secret.
According to Judicial Watch, the Washington-based government corruption fighting organization, the proposal by Rep. Edolphus Towns of New York’s 10th District is “an obvious effort to protect President Barack Obama.”
“Ironically, Obama revoked a similar George W. Bush order in one of his first official acts as president. In 2001, Bush penned an executive order severely limiting public access to his presidential records. Shortly after swearing in, Obama killed it as part of his much-ballyhooed commitment to government transparency. At the time, the new president claimed that he was giving the American people greater access to ‘historic documents,'” Judicial Watch said.
“If the Democrats’ proposed measure (Presidential Records Act Amendments) becomes law, former presidents will be allowed to assert a new ‘constitutionally based privilege’ against disclosing records of their liking. Here is how it would work; the archivist of the United States would be required to notify the former president, as well as the incumbent, of intentions to make records public. Anything that either the former or current president claims should be kept private won’t be released,” the organization explained.
How ironic; the very President, who threw President Bush privacy under the bus, is now trying to protect his own skin; and with all of the scandal that is slowing trickling out of the White House, I do not think anyone should be shocked over this at all.
God Bless this Woman for having the courage to stand for Christian Morals. I admit it, the idea of her being President, after abruptly leaving office in Alaska was not a good idea. However, I do admire the woman for having the courage to stand against the liberals and take the punishment from the left — and also from people on the right, like me, who thought she should not be President. I think Palin will be a player for a very long time. As I wrote before, I also think she should run for Senate. Then, maybe President in 2016. She has a good message, she just needs to build a resume.
The Story:
During a speech focusing on faith and family, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin called for the “restoration of America” during the Extraordinary Women Conference at Liberty University in Lynchburg Saturday.
Palin’s 90-minute speech veered from stories about moose hunting to Tea Party politics to the challenge of raising a son with Down syndrome. Her message centered on the importance of having faith in God and steering America “back on the right track.”
“Now isn’t the time to retreat, now is the time to reload with truth so we can fight for this country and reload for America,” she said to more than 10,000 Christian women who traveled from across the country to hear her speak.
The theme for the evangelical Christian women’s conference was “extraordinary hope,” and Palin quipped:
“I’m talking about real hope, not that hopey changey stuff that some politicians try to get you go believe in.”
The visit was Palin’s first to Liberty, and hotels across the region sold out for the event.
Of course, you know that the liberal media; who lives under the whole “Eeek! Guns!” mentality will blast her for using gun phrasing. But real Americans, like me, know what she is talking about — which is why I run this blog and have ran it for 5 years with little or not pay at all. (in the beginning, there was NO pay, at all.) Because I love this Country, Because I very highly disagree with what the President is doing with this Country, because I want this Country to be what it was, when I was kid. That is why I — we are here, and a wake up call to the liberal left — we are not going away either. You may try and stop us; but we true Americans — are not going anywhere.
I guess the people like Andy Sullivan and his ilk are gonna be unhappy, because Sarah apparently has no intention of going away. I have to wonder what would have happened if they had just left her alone when she first went back to Alaska after the 2008 elections.
I happen to agree with that. Sully is was way too harsh on her and still is; I can understand wanting to get to the truth; but he has a very unnatural obsession with destroying her. It was terrible. I think it has more to do with her Christianity, than anything else.
Secondly, a rare occurrence here on political byline. I am going to disagree with a fellow Conservative blogger.
I think there’s a lot of truth there. Palin frequently is depicted as someone who sought out the spotlight and was a publicity hound, but the reality is that circumstances found her, not the other way around.
What if Palin had been allowed to function as Governor without the relentless attacks from the likes of Andrew Sullivan, various anti-Palin bloggers, the media, establishment Republicans, and frequent-filers of frivolous ethics complaints?
Attacking Palin became an industry, and when she fought back she was blamed. The derangement started the day she was designated by John McCain as the VP nominee, and it continues to this day from small people like David Frum.
Palin didn’t bring it on herself, but having found herself in the cross-hairs, she fought back. Good on her.
This is where I must disagree. Well, partially. The part I underlined and turned red is the part that I disagree with. Let me explain myself, least a blog war break out; and believe me, I really do not want that! 😯 Anyhow, there were times, when Sarah Palin, to use a phrase, shot herself in the foot. Mainly it had to do with messaging. Now, whether that was Sarah Palin’s fault or not; is another story. I believe a good amount of that was due to her poor handling in the beginning, by the McCain campaign and by the people who were originally advising her after the 2008 campaign.
The good thing is, that now, Palin has some very good people, giving her some very good advice — and it shows, greatly.
Last week, an Iranian Naval Commander threatened to deploy ships off the U.S. coast as a provocative show of force.
Now it looks like Iran might actually be serious.
A new map that allegedly shows the expected path of the Iranian Naval expedition to the U.S has leaked online from an Iranian website, according to MEMRI.
The unprecedented route for the Islamic Republic would take Iranian ships through the Suez Canal and into the warm waters of the Caribbean, a total nautical distance of approximately 9000 miles. According to MEMRI, Iranian media sources claim:
“In this new and feasible mission, the ships of the navy of the Iranian Army will sail west, towards the Strait of Gibraltar, after they enter the Mediterranean. Subsequently, they will enter the Atlantic Ocean, and from there they must traverse the long distance to their destination off Cuba, in the Gulf of Mexico, and Central and South America.”
[…]
MEMRI pulled a second map from the Iranian website that had no accompanying description, but showed a number of western countries in different colors, including the U.S., Cuba, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador and Brazil. See Below:
The Iranian regime has already established close ties to Venezuela and Cuba, but the inclusion of the other Central and South American countries remains unclear, according to MEMRI.
In addition, an unconfirmed report in an Italian newspaper in September claimed Hezbollah– a terrorist proxy of Iran– has opened up a base in Cuba. This allegation was repeated by Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann just last week.
Whether Iran launches this aggressive naval action or not, the Ayatollahs are clearly looking for ways to agitate the United States and complicate international efforts to contain the number one global sponsor of terrorism.
You can read the full report and detailed analysis on the Iranian maps here.
Shareef Allman, the man suspected of killing three people and wounding seven others during a workplace shooting, has been shot and killed this morning by Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputies, according to multiple law enforcement agencies.
Allman was fatally shot at about 7:20 a.m. after being found at a house in Sunnyvale, according to multiple law enforcement agencies.
Lt. Rick Sung of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said a man was shot this morning by sheriff’s deputies who had been searching for Allman in the same neighborhood of Wednesday’s massive manhunt. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety will investigate the officer-involved shooting.
A law enforcement source said Allman knew somebody who lives on Lorne Way.
I hate to be the one to say it; but, it could not have happened to a better person. Well, maybe Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton or even Ed Brayton. ( 😯 ) ‘
Anyhow, the point I am making here is this; if you use your race to act as a shield for your poor job performance, and when that does not work anymore — you kill people? You die, especially if you pull a gun on a police officer. I do not care what race you are, this sort of stuff is just wrong. What burns my rear about this; is the liberal left, will use this tragic incident to try and advocate for stricter gun laws.
Another thing that really burns my bottom side; is that the liberal left and their cohorts in the media; will act like this crime never even happened. If anything at all; the man will be seen as a martyr to the race-hustling crowd. That’s right, he will be seen as a hero to these people; and not as the criminal murder, that he really was.
But then again, we are talking about the liberal left — none of this should be a big surprise to the rest of America.
The dude was a lousy unsafe driver and used his race as a shield; and when that little gig was up, he started killing people.
Here is hoping that this morally depraved piece of human excrement is put out of his own misery by the police.
Shareef Allman is a disgrace to the black race. Not to mention a two-bit phony.
The really ironic part, he did not just kill white people; he killed Latinos as well. That alone ought to have the Latino community out in California pissed off.
But to listen to the NAACP out there talk; this dude was a Christian man. To which I ask; by what standards?!?
Another thing too; this sick incident, where an angry black man shoots and kills those, who he has a problem with, will be used to try and enact stricter gun laws — which is absolutely stupid.
INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY:Indict Eric Holder. “A major-league pitcher was indicted for lying to Congress about steroid use. Administration memos show Eric Holder lied about what he knew about Fast and Furious and when he knew it. What’s the difference?”
Plus this: “Somewhere, Scooter Libby must be scratching his head. He was indicted and convicted simply because his recall of when a meeting occurred differed from others. He didn’t lie about a gun-running operation that led to the deaths of two American agents and at least 200 Mexicans. But Attorney General Eric Holder did, according to memos obtained by CBS News and Fox News.”
Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona told The Daily Caller on Wednesday that Obama administration officials responsible for Operation Fast and Furious might be accessories to murder.
“We’re talking about consequences of criminal activity, where we actually allowed guns to walk into the hands of criminals, where our livelihoods are at risk,” Gosar said in a phone interview. “When you facilitate that and a murder or a felony occurs, you’re called an accessory. That means that there’s criminal activity.”
Gosar said the government should be held to the same standard as everyone else. Fast and Furious weapons were used to kill U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, as well as scores of Mexican citizens, and he thinks administration officials should be held accountable.
“We impugn the private sector, we impugn main street America, and the bureaucracy cannot be held to any different standard whatsoever,” Gosar told TheDC, insisting that Justice Department and ATF officials “intentionally — intentionally — violated the law.”
Gosar said the administration was “showing an intentional, wanton disregard for the law,” and that “there’s got to be consequences for that.”
“Leadership has a price,” he added.
Gosar said he’s confident the Congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious will eventually include either the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, or both.
This does not look good, at all.
For someone reason, in the pit of my gut; I have a feeling that there is going to another Saturday Night Massacre in Washington D.C. I was hoping that President Obama has not gotten that corrupt, not going be that removed from reality and into a bunker mentality. But something tells me, that I am wrong and that it is about to break.
With Governor Chris Christie confirming today that he won’t seek the presidency, some big-name donors are finally ready to commit themselves to Mitt Romney.
“A lot of us who normally would have been in this presidential race a long time ago, have been waiting for Christie to make a decision,” said Georgette Mosbacher, a Republican uber-fund-raiser and finance co-chair of the Republican National Committee who was among a group of Republican bundlers hoping to convince Christie to enter the race. “I think tomorrow, we’ll be contacting one another and probably put something together with Romney.”
“I’m going to go with Mitt Romney,” said John Catsimatidis, another donor who had been intrigued with Christie, in a brief phone interview this afternoon.
“You’re calling about yesterday’s news,” said Catsimatidis, who said he had gotten the indication Christie wouldn’t run from some of the governor’s advisers yesterday.
Catsimatidis said he had started pitching Romney in the last couple weeks, on the expectation the governor wouldn’t seek the nomination. At a meeting with other conservatives last Monday night, Catsimatidis said, he made the pitch for Romney’s electability.
“The speech I gave to my conservative friends was, if you pick somebody who makes you 100 percent happy, you only get 47 percent against Obama,” said Catsimatidis. “We have to capture the middle in order to win and make a change in this country. Ninety percent of them stood up and said, ‘You’re right.'”
Mosbacher conceded there was “some disappointment” at Christie’s decision, but said the public flirtation with Christie wouldn’t make it tougher to raise for Romney, especially with Texas governor Rick Perry suddenly slipping in the polls after a couple of disastrous debate performances.
“Look, we’ll raise the money that’s necessary to beat Obama,” she said. “It’s not going to be any harder than it would have been a month ago, or two months ago, or six months ago. Now it’s pretty clear. Perry has dropped pretty quickly. And I would say that the race is now Romney and Obama. Quite frankly, the enthusiasm wasn’t there at the outset. He’s less conservative than a lot of us would like. However, our first and foremost goal is to defeat Obama. And we do believe Romney, in terms of independents, will be a strong candidate. We will coalesce behind him now.”
Mosbacher said the big bundlers in her circle “do not consider a Perry factor.”
I will tell you right now; if this is what the GOP elite are saying, I will most likely vote libertarian party again, or not vote at all. Because I will tell you this; if Mittens is the nominee, we are sunk. It will be four more years of Barack Obama. Further, I consider this very highly offensive, because the GOP has a good candidate in the primary that could actually beat Barack Obama; that being Herman Cain. On the bright side, this will keep that two-bit, racist asshole Ron Paul out of the General election.
A while back this guy in this video talked about balancing the budget and it was a viral sensation.
Here is his new video that talks about child support. Now, I must warn you, this is some seriously hardcore stuff; straight out the ghetto and all that. So, consider this your official CONTENT WARNING. This is not safe for work, around children or anyone else who’s easily offended.
Props to Felonious Monk from a white guy from the suburbs, who grew up in Southwest Detroit; for having the gonads to tell it straight, without any sugar coating or anything. Good job!
With Governor Chris Christie confirming today that