Wed 8 Nov 2006
Yahoo! News and Fox are reporting breaking news: Donald Rumsfeld has resigned.
Who said there would not be ramifications in the execution of the war?
Tue 7 Nov 2006
It’s a sentance of life in prison for Dhiren Barot (aka Issa al-Britani, Esa al-Hindi, Abu Musa al-Hindi), who surprisingly plead guilty last month to charges of conspiracy to murder for ploting to use a radioactive dirty bomb in attacks on the US and UK. He must serve at least 40 years before being considered for parole.
“Bin Laden’s Mystery Man” had his plot discovered through on-the-ground intelligence gathering:
The attack plans were discovered in a document called Eminem2.doc, which was found on the hard drive of a laptop computer seized during the raid in Pakistan in July 2004.
Tue 31 Oct 2006
The hot topic on talk radio today is John Kerry’s comments from this weekend. Mary Katherine Ham and Michelle Malkin also lead the blogosphere coverage.
In case you somehow didn’t hear it:
Sure sounds like a condemnation of soldiers serving in Iraq. Of course, as Michelle points out, the only coverage by the MSM is over the White House reaction, not to the comments themselves. So we were left to wonder exactly what he meant.
My first reaction when hearing the audio was that it sounded like he was trying to slip in yet another “Bush is stupid” remark… but somehow it came out awkwardly. As southern expression goes, “his tongue got wrapped around his eye tooth and he couldn’t see what he was saying!” (But meanwhile the audience cheered him - I wonder which meaning (anti-military or anti-Bush) they thought they were cheering!!!).
Of course, either way he intended it, the remark doesn’t make a lick of sense. We’ve talked before how Bush is so stupid but at the same time he’s the evil genius who has manipulated all of the smart people in the Intelligence Services, Congress, and foreign governments as well. But I digress.
Later Kerry did manage to spin that he meant it to be a remark aimed at Bush. Washington Post gives the Kerry reaction. Of course, it’s not “I’m sorry”. Not even “I mis-spoke.” But rather… “It’s all Bush’s fault.”
He said he had been criticizing Bush, not the “heroes serving in Iraq,” and said the president and his administration are the ones who owe U.S. troops an apology because they “misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it.”
“This is the classic GOP playbook,” Kerry said in a harshly worded statement. “I’m sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did. I’m not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium.”
So Tony Snow is a “chickenhawk” and Bush should somehow apologize to someone for something. I guess that’s what Kerry means when he takes the fight to the enemy.
Coincidentally, earlier in the weekend Kerry was out baiting reaction with chickenhawk accusations on behalf of Pat Murphy’s campaign in Pennsylvania (per the Boston Globe):
“Attacking Patrick Murphy for his service is a little bit like Jessica Simpson attacking Albert Einstein’s IQ,” the Massachusetts Democrat proclaimed Thursday at a chilly outdoor rally at Bucks County Community College.
“A lot of these people in the GOP, the Republican Party — they think somehow that they served because they played with GI dolls when they were little,” Kerry said. “The guys who really served understand what it means, and we’ve had enough of these lies.”
Nice. Sounds more like Dean than someone who might have been President.
Anyway, I guess it’s Kerry who’s the smartest of all… he screws up his insult of the President and turns it into an insult of the troops, and that’s George Bush’s fault. Pretty “smart”.
UPDATE: Texas Rainmaker notes that the Boston Globe actually calls Kerry out on this one. Amazing! From their editorial: “The real shame is that while John Kerry stumps around the country, building up chits for his own possible presidential campaign rerun, he still has that D-Mass. after his name. And that’s an embarrassment to the good people of this state who sent him to the U.S. Senate.” Amen.
Wed 25 Oct 2006
Today President Bush gave a speech about Iraq. You can read the transcript here. This seems like a good (if overdue) idea, given the current election campaigning which seeks to cast the congressional election as a referendum on Iraq.
Is it just me, or do all of these headlines of news stories covering the same speech sound fairly negative? (I’m not saying that they are mischaracterizing the speech, but rather that they capture snippets here and there from the message, but not really conveying the meaning. Is it a conscious attempt to “Dowdify” something more?)
In contrast, here’s at least one headline that seems to capture more completely the message from Bush’s speech: Bush Says Iraq Goal the Same Even as Tactics Change (Bloomberg). But that’s the one I could pick out from Google News.
Is Bush ‘not satisfied’? Yes, but there’s much more that was said:
I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq. I’m not satisfied, either. And that is why we’re taking new steps to help secure Baghdad, and constantly adjusting our tactics across the country to meet the changing threat. But we cannot allow our dissatisfaction to turn into disillusionment about our purpose in this war. We must not look at every success of the enemy as a mistake on our part, cause for an investigation, or a reason to call for our troops to come home. We must not fall prey to the sophisticated propaganda by the enemy, who is trying to undermine our confidence and make us believe that our presence in Iraq is the cause of all its problems.
If I did not think our mission in Iraq was vital to America’s security, I’d bring our troops home tomorrow. I met too many wives and husbands who have lost their partners in life, too many children who won’t ever see their mom and dad again. I owe it to them and to the families who still have loved ones in harm’s way to ensure that their sacrifices are not in vain.
Our country has faced adversity before during times of war. In past wars, we’ve lost young Americans who gave everything to protect our freedom and way of life. In this war, we’ve lost good men and women who’ve given their lives for a cause that is necessary and it is just. We mourn every loss, and we must gird ourselves for the sacrifices that are yet to come. America’s men and women in uniform are the finest in the world. I’m awed by their strength and their character. As General Casey reported yesterday in Iraq, “the men and women of the Armed Forces… have never lost a battle in over three years in the war.” Every American can take pride in our troops, and the vital work they are doing to protect us.
Our troops are fighting a war that will set the course for this new century. The outcome will determine the destiny of millions across the world. Defeating the terrorists and extremists is the challenge of our time and the calling of this generation. I’m confident this generation will answer that call and defeat an ideology that is bent on destroying America and all that we stand for.
Is patience limited? Yes… But that’s not all that was said in response to a question about having the US set benchmarks to judge the success of the Iraqi government:
It will also be beneficial for the American people to be able to see that this Iraqi government is going to make the difficult decisions necessary to move forward, to achieve the goal. And that’s what we’re talking about when it comes to benchmarks. It’s — again, I repeat: One should not expect our government to impose these benchmarks on a sovereign government. You’d expect us to work closely with that government to come up with a way forward that the government feels comfortable with. And there’s probably going to be some bones of contention during these discussions, but, nevertheless, we’ll respect the fact that the Iraq government is sovereign, and they must respect the fact that we’ve got patience, but not unlimited patience.
That doesn’t sound to me that he was ‘warning’ anyone that we have lost patience, but rather that we are in this together. The US can not dictate, but also needs to see progress.
I am surprised that there were no headlines saying “Bush says military ineffective” when characterizing the following section:
A military solution alone will not stop violence. In the end, the Iraqi people and their government will have to make the difficult decisions necessary to solve these problems. So, in addition to refining our military tactics to defeat the enemy, we’re also working to help the Iraqi government achieve a political solution that brings together Shia and Sunnis and Kurds and other ethnic and religious groups.
Yesterday, our Ambassador to Iraq, Zal Khalilzad laid out a three-step approach. First, we’re working with political and religious leaders across Iraq, urging them to take steps to restrain their followers and stop sectarian violence.
Second, we’re helping Iraqi leaders to complete work on a national compact to resolve the most difficult issues dividing their country. The new Iraqi government has condemned violence from all quarters and agreed to a schedule for resolving issues, such as disarming illegal militias and death squads, sharing oil revenues, amending the Iraqi constitution, and reforming the de-Baathification process.
Third, we’re reaching out to Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan, and asking them to support the Iraqi government’s efforts to persuade Sunni insurgents to lay down their arms and accept national reconciliation. The international community is also supporting the international compact that outlines the support that will be provided to Iraq as it moves forward with its own program of reform.
These are difficult tasks for any government. It is important for Americans to recognize that Prime Minister Maliki’s unity government has been in office for just over five months. Think about that. This young government has to solve a host of problems created by decades of tyrannical rule. And they have to do it in the midst of raging conflict, against extremists from outside and inside the country who are doing everything they can to stop this government from succeeding.
But for those is misunderstand (or misrepresent) that the phrase “Stay the Course” should mean that we should just keep doing the things the same way:
As the enemy shifts tactics, we are shifting our tactics, as well. Americans have no intention of taking sides in a sectarian struggle or standing in the crossfire between rival factions. Our mission is to help the elected government in Iraq defeat common enemies, to bring peace and stability to Iraq, and make our nation more secure. Our goals are unchanging. We are flexible in our methods to achieving those goals.
This is an unprecedented activity taking place in Iraq right now. It’s amazing to see just how far it has come in such a relatively short time. Of course everything is not perfect. Is there more violence this month? Of course… especially timed to coincide with the latest election in the US. But, more than ever, this is a nation’s transformation that can help to serve as a blueprint in a region far too used to tyrannical control.
I hope that more people will read the speech, and not just the headlines. (Sadly, I know most won’t).
Mon 23 Oct 2006
Just last week, the ACLU was upset about Bush signing the Military Commissions Act, which the ACLU called “the new law one of the worst civil liberties measures ever enacted in American history.” That’s pretty tough stuff. A serious charge.
It also led to this breathless condemnation of Bush from Anthony Romero, their Executive Director:
With his signature, President Bush enacts a law that is both unconstitutional and un-American. This president will be remembered as the one who undercut the hallmark of habeas in the name of the war on terror. Nothing separates America more from our enemies than our commitment to fairness and the rule of law, but the bill signed today is an historic break because it turns Guantánamo Bay and other U.S. facilities into legal no-man’s-lands.
Or how about this gem, when discussing the SWIFT banking program:
The revelation of the CIA’s financial spying program is another example of the Bush administration’s abuse of power. The invasion of our personal financial information, without notification or judicial review, is contrary to the fundamental American value of privacy and must be stopped now. It seems the administration feels entitled to flip through all of our checkbooks. How many other secret spying programs has the Bush administration enacted without Congress, the courts or the public knowing? We need a full accounting of what information has been demanded by the U.S. government, how they have used it, with whom it was shared, and how they intend to repair this grave breach of trust. This program is a glaring example of how this government thinks nothing of widespread abuse of power.
Un-American activities. Invasion of privacy. Abuse of power. Other secret spying. Bush is really having his way flexing his control and power.
Or is he?
I meant to link this post earlier this weekend, but it’s not too late to read Public Figures… Beware’s excellent post: George W. Bush and Our Civil Liberties: A History Lesson. I won’t spoil it, other than to say it’s a great round-up of many actions which have occurred through the years during various conflicts.
As PFB summarizes:
While the existence of the Patriot Act or Military Commissions Act undoubtedly places restrictions upon some citizens that did not exist before their passage, neither of them (or any of the other pieces of legislation or actions taken by George Bush) even remotely rivals the legislative acts and actions of our past Presidents, Congresses, or Supreme Courts, even though we live in times of unprecedented vulnerability. I should note that we don’t even have a draft, despite the fact that liberals promised us one if George Bush was reelected in 2004.
Read it all. The ACLU should also read it before throwing around charges like “one of the worst civil liberties measures ever enacted in American history”.
Sat 21 Oct 2006
I guess that’s it’s fashionable to treat certain world leaders as children, unable to be held accountable for their words because they just don’t know better.
This week, we hear the reports of Iran’s leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, spout off again questioning the Holocaust, threatening violence on any European country who dares to support Israel, predicting the end of the “fake regime” of Israel, and celebrating the “victory” of Hezbollah.
I don’t hear Jimmy Carter condeming these remarks. Instead, the phrase “Axis of Evil” in the State of the Union address is being blamed for everything from North Korea nukes to ring around the collar.
As the stateman Carter has explained on Larry King’s show last month:
We had some enemies to begin with but as you well know in past years, for instance, countries like Jordan and Egypt were our strongest possible supporters in the Islamic world. And now the latest public opinion polls there show that less than five percent, in one case only two percent of the people look with favor on America.
So, we’ve kind of alienated a lot of people around the world that would have been with us. And, I don’t think there’s any doubt that right after 9/11 our country was more united than it had been maybe since Pearl Harbor and we had almost unanimous support around the world to join in with us in a unified commitment to combat terrorism.
Now the world is divided with us and Great Britain on one side and the rest of the world pretty much, certainly the Islamic world condemning American policies. So, I think if we can make some progress on getting out of Iraq and make some progress for the first time in five years in attempting to bring a resolution to the Mid East peace process that will heal very quickly some of the problems that have been created.
If only we could get them to like us.
If I am to believe Ahmadinejad, then not only would that entail running from Iraq, but also dismantling Israel and “sending millions of Israelis… back to their countries of origin.”
Or should we just ignore the ultimatums and rantings of this man, after all, he can’t be blamed for anything he says or does since being referred to as part of the “Axis of Evil”?
Tue 17 Oct 2006
Over the last week, there have been quite a few bloggers who sound beaten up and disgusted with the whole political process. It’s easy to feel that way… with the constant drumbeat of opinion polls, and campaign commercials disguised as news stories, and negative campaigning, and politicians who don’t always take the strong stands that we wish that they would.
But, when you think about it, it’s really a blessing. Regardless of the outcome of the elections, it’s a most amazing thing that we can have a government that can peacefully pass power between leaders without bloodshed. It’s easy to forget just how lucky we are to be able to choose those who govern us and give everyone a voice in the direction of the nation. Yes, it can be very frustrating when it feels like the politicians are not listening at times. It’s disappointing when we hear of leaders from both sides of the political spectrum that have human failings and suffer from character flaws. No matter all of this… our freedom to vote is a remarkable gift, and something that many throughout the world do not share.
Don’t be careless with that gift. No matter who you choose to vote for… just be sure to vote on Election Day.
Fri 13 Oct 2006
Both the AP and AJC are reporting that Mohamed Shorbagi, Imam of a mosque in Rome, GA, has plead guilty to providing material support to the Islamic militant group Hamas. Apparently, “some or all” of the money collected for the charity “Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development” was instead sent to Hamas, for the period 1997-2001.
Prosecutors say Shorbagi knew that money provided to HLF was actually funneled to Hamas in part because he was a Georgia representative for HLF and he had attended HLF meetings at which high-level Hamas officials made presentations condemning Israel.
Shorbagi also had hosted high-level Hamas officials at the Rome, Ga., mosque at which he served as Imam.
He is said to face up to 15 years in prison as part of the plea agreement.
It goes to emphasize the point that you can not provide any money to a designated foreign terrorist organization or you’re looking at 15 years in federal prison,” [US Attorney David] Nahmias said.
Thu 12 Oct 2006
The BBC is reporting that Dhiren Barot, born in India and a resident of London, has plead guilty to conspiracy to murder for ploting to use a radioactive “dirty bomb” as part of coordinated attacks on financial institutions in the USA, as well as synchronized attacks in the UK.
He’s believed to possibliy have used many names, including Issa al-Britani, Esa al-Hindi, Abu Musa al-Hindi.
Newsweek once referred to Barot as “Bin Laden’s Mystery Man”. As they noted at the time:
In the recently published report by the September 11 commission, Barot is identified under another name—Issa al-Britani, a veteran Al Qaeda operative who was dispatched by September 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed to case economic and “Jewish” targets in New York City in early 2001.
Even more intriguing, Barot, as al-Britani, is mentioned in an obscure footnote elsewhere in the report as having been dispatched by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in late 1999 or early 2000 to meet with Hambali, the notorious Asian terrorist who heads Jemaah Islamiah, an Al Qaeda affiliate dedicated to overthrowing the governments of Southeast Asia and replacing them with a pan-Islamic state.
The Times of India added more:
Barot aka al-Hindi also authored a book called The Army of Madinah in Kashmir , narrating his experience fighting Indian forces in Kashmir and describing ways to kill Indian forces in the Valley.
Although he did not appear to have secured financing for his attack and was not captured with bomb-making equipment, this has been a case with much interest because of Barot’s close ties to Bin Laden as well as information about his communications with al-Qaeda in Pakistan.
More from the BBC:
[The Prosecutor] Mr Lawson said this plot was designed to achieve “a number of further and collateral objectives such as to cause injury, fear, terror and chaos”.He said according to expert evidence, if the radiation project had been carried out, it would have been unlikely to cause deaths, but was designed to affect about 500 people.
Seven other suspects were arrested as part of the plot in 2004. I believe that he’s also been indicted in the USA, not sure if he will also come to trial here now.
UPDATE: This Scepter’d Isle asks a good question: “One wonders what their reaction will be to one of their cause célèbres admitting he is a terrorist.”
UPDATE2: Counterterrorism Blog has an excellent summary of the whole story.
Tue 10 Oct 2006
Hot Air replays a Fox News report: Arizona 9/11 memorial designers wanted to commemorate hijackers. The summary of one of the commissioners, Paul Eppinger:
Oh, and we also sort of deserved it because of our “total support of Israel.” And the Afghan civilians who were accidentally killed in a bombing run ten months later belong on the memorial because they’re all “part of the tragedy of war, terrorism, hatred, [and] mistrust of everyone else.”
Much has already been made about the moonbat statements which are part of the memorial. Forget just the professor from Arizona State who supposedly ‘fact-checked’ all of the statements, maybe many more of the commissioners had to wear tinfoil hats.
The Gov. Janet Napolitano’s online statement for the memorial reads in part:
As Governor, I charged this Commission with creating a memorial for Arizona the fully encapsulates the loses that America suffered on September 11, 2001. We must always remember the lives that we lost on that terrible day, as well as the strength and compassion that all Americans showed soon afterward. […] Together, we can create a memorial that touches on the loss that we all felt on September 11.
Would you say that this memorial accomplishes that goal? I sure don’t, but I guess it’s a learning experience for everyone.
