Thomas Friedman
Kathleen Parker
Bernard Zand
Everyone wants peace, but nobody wants to buy a ticket." - Thomas Friedman
Thomas Friedman has a good interview with Barack Obama before he left for the Middle East, on what he plans to say and hopes to accomplish. And Osama bin Laden has supposedly popped up again with an audio tape, the report is from CNN: "Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden purportedly issued another statement Wednesday, saying U.S. policy in Pakistan has generated "new seeds of hatred and revenge against America."
Zeroing in on the conflict in Pakistan's Swat Valley, where Pakistan's troops are taking on Taliban militants, the message asserts that President Obama is proving that he is "walking the same road of his predecessors to build enmity against Muslims and increasing the number of fighters, and establishing more lasting wars." Of course, bin Laden was last seen in 2003, so who knows who actually recorded the message. CNN tried to verify it, but could only make an educated guess. If he is alive, the subject of the message supports my hypothesis that bin Laden has been holed up in one of the resorts in the Swat Valley, kicking back in a swimming pool, glass of iced orange juice in his hand while his al Qaeda minions die all around him...
CQ had an interview with the ex-head of Saudi intelligence, Prince Turki al Faisal on what to do if bin Laden is still alive: "Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, an influential member of the Saudi royal family and former head of its intelligence service, says the U.S. should kill Osama Bin Laden and then " get the hell out" of Afghanistan.
Turki, who was also Saudi ambassador to the United States from 2005 to April 2009, likened al Qaeda to a "cult" and its leader to a "hydra head with venomous snakes."
To destroy the cult, he said, "you have to cut off the head. After that," he advised, "declare victory...then get the hell out of Afghanistan."
"No one will be able to get all the jihadis," he added. "They will always evolve into something else," like the permutations of the Ku Klux Klan in America. But it is important to eliminate Bin Laden, he said, because the terrorist kingpin is an "icon." Notice that the Prince only offered hot air and not one shred of concrete advice we could use...
Our top headhunter that we placed to command US troops in Afghanistan, presents a bleak picture of his job to the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to the Washington Independent: "The ultimate goal of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan should be the “reduction, [and] hopefully the complete elimination of al-Qaeda inside Pakistan,” or at least the “reduction of their ability to operate transnationally,” McChrystal said. The U.S. in Afghanistan needed to out-govern the Taliban, removing what he called the Taliban’s “shadow government,” in which the insurgency collects taxes, administers a form of justice and provides services to the populace. He credited a subordinate with the insight that the “challenge in Afghanistan is to make [the Taliban] irrelevant,” something that would be accomplished through “steady growth” economically, “underpinned by a solid government,” rather than merely killing or capturing insurgents.
While McChrystal did not express outright skepticism about the prospect for reconciling Taliban fighters with the Afghan government — he said there was a greater likelihood of “fractur[ing] the Taliban” by sowing divisions within the insurgent coalition than there was of dividing the Taliban from al-Qaeda — he said he found it “very unlikely” that the Taliban would accept the precondition of abandoning its al-Qaeda partners that the government has set for accepting the Taliban as a political entity. An Afghan “working coalition might have former Taliban” within it, but “right now I can’t see them being credible” partners for governance. Reconciliation with what the Afghan government has called “mid-level Taliban” — that is, those not connected to al-Qaeda — is one of the government’s highest priorities.
The new US ambassador to Iraq has finally taken up residence in Baghdad, reports the NY Times: "Among Iraqis there are two conflicting views of America’s policy now: the American military is leaving too soon, or the American military is not ever going to leave.
Persuading its friends of continued American support while convincing its skeptics that the Americans really will go is the conundrum faced by the recently installed American ambassador, Christopher R. Hill. He takes office at a time of profound change in the American footprint here, the end of an era of military occupation and the beginning of an era of civilian diplomacy.
“The key thing is to ensure a successful handoff from the military to the civilians and to make sure the Iraqis see that not as a reduction of U.S. influence or interest, but simply a change in how we present ourselves in this country,” he said, describing his mission in an interview Saturday with The New York Times.
Or, as Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group, an experienced Iraq hand, put it, “Hill’s role is to close the door softly and not to make a bang so that the whole house collapses.” Because, after eight years, we have not even completed rebuilding the infrastructure we bombed to smithereens, and in its place we built, choose your metaphor, a house of cards, or an elaborate castle of sand...
The Jerusalem Post reports that its foreign minister is in Moscow, trying to cement seeds of their own: "Israel does not intend to bomb Iran, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday, stepping back from suggestions it might attack the Islamic republic to thwart its nuclear program.
Speaking at the end of a three-day visit to Russia, Lieberman said Iran's nuclear program was the world's problem, not just Israel's. He said other nations should not expect Israel to solve the problem for them.
"We do not intend to bomb Iran, and nobody will solve their problems with our hands," Lieberman told reporters. "We don't need that. Israel is a strong country, we can protect ourselves.
"But the world should understand that the Iran's entrance into the nuclear club would prompt a whole arms race, a crazy race of unconventional weaponry across the Mideast. That is a threat to the entire world order, a challenge to the whole international community," The leaders of Iran were too busy kissing babies before the election and accepting 4th of July picnic invitations to officially respond...
late night jokes:
"Dick Cheney said today, he supports gay marriage. I think he only supports gay marriage because he sees marriage as a form of torture, but anyway, he supports it." --Craig Ferguson
"There's also the good news that today, Dick Cheney received a marriage proposal from Senator Larry Craig." --Craig Ferguson
"I want to congratulate General Motors' newest CEO, us. General Motors filed for bankruptcy earlier today, but it's not all bad. I kind of like our chances. They say that the company will emerge from bankruptcy in three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first." --Jimmy Fallon
"President Obama and his wife, Michelle, had a date night Saturday and they flew here to New York to see a Broadway play. Meanwhile, Sasha and Malia stayed home and watched 'High School Musical 3' with Joe Biden." --Jimmy Fallon
"Please, I'll correct this for everybody. The correct pronunciation is Sota-Mayor. Unless you're a Republican, and then I believe it's pronounced 'Sodomizer.'" --Jon Stewart
"So Sotomayor is clearly a Latina woman. What affect will that have on her opposition? [on screen: South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham asking, 'My question is, does she really understand what America is about?']. Excellent question for the American-born judge." --Jon Stewart (Watch video clip)
"Now, folks, I've said it before, I am a member of a persecuted minority: white males. Last week, my people were marginalized even more when President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court! There wasn't a single white male on his short list! That sends a terrible message to all the little white boys out there who dream of one day having their judicial reputation destroyed by the media." –Stephen Colbert
"Sotomayor brings up the most despicable discrimination against white males out there, that we have no life stories! Sure, Obama's life story shaped him. Same goes for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. And now everyone's saying it about Sonia Sotomayor. Notice how no one ever talks about the unique journey of a white male like Mitt Romney! You don't think his judgment and empathy were forged by long, hard days working at his family's mayonnaise farm?" –Stephen Colbert
"Plus, if we conservatives try to stand up to this reverse racism, we're going to lose crucial Latino votes, just as GOP leaders were beginning their outreach to Hispanics! Many have even asked their gardener what his name is!" –Stephen Colbert (Watch video clip)
Turki, who was also Saudi ambassador to the United States from 2005 to April 2009, likened al Qaeda to a "cult" and its leader to a "hydra head with venomous snakes."
To destroy the cult, he said, "you have to cut off the head. After that," he advised, "declare victory...then get the hell out of Afghanistan."
"No one will be able to get all the jihadis," he added. "They will always evolve into something else," like the permutations of the Ku Klux Klan in America. But it is important to eliminate Bin Laden, he said, because the terrorist kingpin is an "icon." Notice that the Prince only offered hot air and not one shred of concrete advice we could use...
Our top headhunter that we placed to command US troops in Afghanistan, presents a bleak picture of his job to the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to the Washington Independent: "The ultimate goal of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan should be the “reduction, [and] hopefully the complete elimination of al-Qaeda inside Pakistan,” or at least the “reduction of their ability to operate transnationally,” McChrystal said. The U.S. in Afghanistan needed to out-govern the Taliban, removing what he called the Taliban’s “shadow government,” in which the insurgency collects taxes, administers a form of justice and provides services to the populace. He credited a subordinate with the insight that the “challenge in Afghanistan is to make [the Taliban] irrelevant,” something that would be accomplished through “steady growth” economically, “underpinned by a solid government,” rather than merely killing or capturing insurgents.
While McChrystal did not express outright skepticism about the prospect for reconciling Taliban fighters with the Afghan government — he said there was a greater likelihood of “fractur[ing] the Taliban” by sowing divisions within the insurgent coalition than there was of dividing the Taliban from al-Qaeda — he said he found it “very unlikely” that the Taliban would accept the precondition of abandoning its al-Qaeda partners that the government has set for accepting the Taliban as a political entity. An Afghan “working coalition might have former Taliban” within it, but “right now I can’t see them being credible” partners for governance. Reconciliation with what the Afghan government has called “mid-level Taliban” — that is, those not connected to al-Qaeda — is one of the government’s highest priorities.
The new US ambassador to Iraq has finally taken up residence in Baghdad, reports the NY Times: "Among Iraqis there are two conflicting views of America’s policy now: the American military is leaving too soon, or the American military is not ever going to leave.
Persuading its friends of continued American support while convincing its skeptics that the Americans really will go is the conundrum faced by the recently installed American ambassador, Christopher R. Hill. He takes office at a time of profound change in the American footprint here, the end of an era of military occupation and the beginning of an era of civilian diplomacy.
“The key thing is to ensure a successful handoff from the military to the civilians and to make sure the Iraqis see that not as a reduction of U.S. influence or interest, but simply a change in how we present ourselves in this country,” he said, describing his mission in an interview Saturday with The New York Times.
Or, as Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group, an experienced Iraq hand, put it, “Hill’s role is to close the door softly and not to make a bang so that the whole house collapses.” Because, after eight years, we have not even completed rebuilding the infrastructure we bombed to smithereens, and in its place we built, choose your metaphor, a house of cards, or an elaborate castle of sand...
The Jerusalem Post reports that its foreign minister is in Moscow, trying to cement seeds of their own: "Israel does not intend to bomb Iran, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday, stepping back from suggestions it might attack the Islamic republic to thwart its nuclear program.
Speaking at the end of a three-day visit to Russia, Lieberman said Iran's nuclear program was the world's problem, not just Israel's. He said other nations should not expect Israel to solve the problem for them.
"We do not intend to bomb Iran, and nobody will solve their problems with our hands," Lieberman told reporters. "We don't need that. Israel is a strong country, we can protect ourselves.
"But the world should understand that the Iran's entrance into the nuclear club would prompt a whole arms race, a crazy race of unconventional weaponry across the Mideast. That is a threat to the entire world order, a challenge to the whole international community," The leaders of Iran were too busy kissing babies before the election and accepting 4th of July picnic invitations to officially respond...
late night jokes:
"Dick Cheney said today, he supports gay marriage. I think he only supports gay marriage because he sees marriage as a form of torture, but anyway, he supports it." --Craig Ferguson
"There's also the good news that today, Dick Cheney received a marriage proposal from Senator Larry Craig." --Craig Ferguson
"I want to congratulate General Motors' newest CEO, us. General Motors filed for bankruptcy earlier today, but it's not all bad. I kind of like our chances. They say that the company will emerge from bankruptcy in three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first." --Jimmy Fallon
"President Obama and his wife, Michelle, had a date night Saturday and they flew here to New York to see a Broadway play. Meanwhile, Sasha and Malia stayed home and watched 'High School Musical 3' with Joe Biden." --Jimmy Fallon
"Please, I'll correct this for everybody. The correct pronunciation is Sota-Mayor. Unless you're a Republican, and then I believe it's pronounced 'Sodomizer.'" --Jon Stewart
"So Sotomayor is clearly a Latina woman. What affect will that have on her opposition? [on screen: South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham asking, 'My question is, does she really understand what America is about?']. Excellent question for the American-born judge." --Jon Stewart (Watch video clip)
"Now, folks, I've said it before, I am a member of a persecuted minority: white males. Last week, my people were marginalized even more when President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court! There wasn't a single white male on his short list! That sends a terrible message to all the little white boys out there who dream of one day having their judicial reputation destroyed by the media." –Stephen Colbert
"Sotomayor brings up the most despicable discrimination against white males out there, that we have no life stories! Sure, Obama's life story shaped him. Same goes for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. And now everyone's saying it about Sonia Sotomayor. Notice how no one ever talks about the unique journey of a white male like Mitt Romney! You don't think his judgment and empathy were forged by long, hard days working at his family's mayonnaise farm?" –Stephen Colbert
"Plus, if we conservatives try to stand up to this reverse racism, we're going to lose crucial Latino votes, just as GOP leaders were beginning their outreach to Hispanics! Many have even asked their gardener what his name is!" –Stephen Colbert (Watch video clip)
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