Madeleine Albright
Anne Applebaum
Dana Milbank
"According to Muslim speakers one fact stands out: When the cold war ended, America needed an enemy to replace Communism and chose Islam." - Madeleine Albright
"China is the one country that actually has influence over North Korea." - Anne Applebaum
"You need take no action and automatically will become a shareholder in the former General Motors Corp. or, as it can now accurately be called, Government Motors." - Dana Milbank
“On the question of whether or not Iraq was involved in 9/11, there was never any evidence to prove that” - Dick Cheney
Ever hear of the Haqqani Network? Neither had I, until I read this article from the Christian Science Monitor: "The Haqqani network is considered the most sophisticated of Afghanistan's insurgent groups. The group is alleged to be behind many high-profile assaults, including a raid on a luxury hotel in Kabul in January 2008 and a massive car bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul that left 41 people dead in July 2008.
The group is active in Afghanistan's southeastern provinces – Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Logar, and Ghazni. In parts of Paktika, Khost, and Paktia, they have established parallel governments and control the countryside of many districts. "In Khost, government officials need letters from Haqqani just to move about on the roads in the districts," says Hanif Shah Husseini, a parliamentarian from Khost.
The leadership, according to US and Afghan sources, is based near Miramshah, North Waziristan, in the Pakistani tribal areas. Pakistani authorities and leading Haqqani figures deny this, although former Haqqani fighters say this is indeed the case.
The network is better connected to Pakistani intelligence and Arab jihadist groups than any other Afghan insurgent group, according to American intelligence officials." This may explain why the next big front being touted by the Pakistani Army will be in the Waziristans. Half of the predator drones being sent are directed at the Haqqanis, and the Long War Journal tells about the recent raid on the Haqqani encampment that led in response to the kidnapping of 80 schoolkids and their escorts from a military school, some which have been freed already: "Afghan and Coalition forces killed 29 fighters from the Haqqani Network during a raid designed to capture a senior leader of the group.The target of the raid was a Haqqani Network commander known as Sangeen, or Fateh, who conducts attacks against Afghan and Coalition forces in Paktika. Sangeen was "operating a staging area for future attacks in Paktika province," the US military said in a press release. Sangeen "planned and coordinated the movement of al Qaeda senior leaders and hundreds of foreign fighters from Pakistan to Afghanistan through the Spreah District." One reason that Gen McChrystal is being put in charge is that the Haqqani leadership has been well trained in the past by Pakistani ISI and US special forces and poses the smartest and best organized military threat...
I'm beginning to think that Dick Cheney has been reading my blog, especially when a couple days after I had written about how the CIA's director had decided to focus on rogue states and terrorism to rebuild the company's credibility, he says on Fox News that it was George Tennant who gave them all of the information on the links between 9/11 and al Qaeda, that it was all George who deserves the blame and your public scorn...
And in between the predictable patter was yesterday's Google headline, that he supported a state's right to legalize gay marriage, and it was a state's responsibility, not the federal government's. The Cheneys, of course, have a daughter who is gay, and this is a good indication that they have a supportive relationship with her. Now, if only Newt could grow up, too. Anyway, the Sleuth over at the Washington Post has the mundane answer to why Dick has become a regular Chatty Cathy and wasn't when he was in office: "His wife, Lynn Cheney, who tried to pull him away, answered for him. "He's not shy, you've been misled," Mrs. Cheney said, tugging on hubby's arm.
Cheney momentarily resisted her pressure to leave and answered for himself: "I wasn't shy when I was secretary of defense."
He then explained that his role as vice president in the Bush administration kept him tongue-tied. "It was a job that required me to give advice. And I thought it better to do it in private than in public," Cheney said."
You just can't make this stuff up. Israel is not happy with the US policy of freezing their settlements on the West Bank, but so far the response has been, but what if the settlers have children, where will we put them? Today, the Christian science Monitor is reporting another creative idea to resolve the situation: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior members of his cabinet have pushed back hard against a renewed US demand to end settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories. Interior Minister Eli Yishai said Sunday that it amounted to "expulsion."
But 53 Israeli parliamentarians have moved to explore another kind of expulsion: Under a proposal to be reviewed this week, Jordan would become the official homeland for Palestinians now living in the West Bank.
Among the challenges facing the proposal is this: nobody asked Jordan if it would support such a plan.
Not surprisingly, it doesn't."
"China is the one country that actually has influence over North Korea." - Anne Applebaum
"You need take no action and automatically will become a shareholder in the former General Motors Corp. or, as it can now accurately be called, Government Motors." - Dana Milbank
“On the question of whether or not Iraq was involved in 9/11, there was never any evidence to prove that” - Dick Cheney
Ever hear of the Haqqani Network? Neither had I, until I read this article from the Christian Science Monitor: "The Haqqani network is considered the most sophisticated of Afghanistan's insurgent groups. The group is alleged to be behind many high-profile assaults, including a raid on a luxury hotel in Kabul in January 2008 and a massive car bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul that left 41 people dead in July 2008.
The group is active in Afghanistan's southeastern provinces – Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Logar, and Ghazni. In parts of Paktika, Khost, and Paktia, they have established parallel governments and control the countryside of many districts. "In Khost, government officials need letters from Haqqani just to move about on the roads in the districts," says Hanif Shah Husseini, a parliamentarian from Khost.
The leadership, according to US and Afghan sources, is based near Miramshah, North Waziristan, in the Pakistani tribal areas. Pakistani authorities and leading Haqqani figures deny this, although former Haqqani fighters say this is indeed the case.
The network is better connected to Pakistani intelligence and Arab jihadist groups than any other Afghan insurgent group, according to American intelligence officials." This may explain why the next big front being touted by the Pakistani Army will be in the Waziristans. Half of the predator drones being sent are directed at the Haqqanis, and the Long War Journal tells about the recent raid on the Haqqani encampment that led in response to the kidnapping of 80 schoolkids and their escorts from a military school, some which have been freed already: "Afghan and Coalition forces killed 29 fighters from the Haqqani Network during a raid designed to capture a senior leader of the group.The target of the raid was a Haqqani Network commander known as Sangeen, or Fateh, who conducts attacks against Afghan and Coalition forces in Paktika. Sangeen was "operating a staging area for future attacks in Paktika province," the US military said in a press release. Sangeen "planned and coordinated the movement of al Qaeda senior leaders and hundreds of foreign fighters from Pakistan to Afghanistan through the Spreah District." One reason that Gen McChrystal is being put in charge is that the Haqqani leadership has been well trained in the past by Pakistani ISI and US special forces and poses the smartest and best organized military threat...
I'm beginning to think that Dick Cheney has been reading my blog, especially when a couple days after I had written about how the CIA's director had decided to focus on rogue states and terrorism to rebuild the company's credibility, he says on Fox News that it was George Tennant who gave them all of the information on the links between 9/11 and al Qaeda, that it was all George who deserves the blame and your public scorn...
And in between the predictable patter was yesterday's Google headline, that he supported a state's right to legalize gay marriage, and it was a state's responsibility, not the federal government's. The Cheneys, of course, have a daughter who is gay, and this is a good indication that they have a supportive relationship with her. Now, if only Newt could grow up, too. Anyway, the Sleuth over at the Washington Post has the mundane answer to why Dick has become a regular Chatty Cathy and wasn't when he was in office: "His wife, Lynn Cheney, who tried to pull him away, answered for him. "He's not shy, you've been misled," Mrs. Cheney said, tugging on hubby's arm.
Cheney momentarily resisted her pressure to leave and answered for himself: "I wasn't shy when I was secretary of defense."
He then explained that his role as vice president in the Bush administration kept him tongue-tied. "It was a job that required me to give advice. And I thought it better to do it in private than in public," Cheney said."
You just can't make this stuff up. Israel is not happy with the US policy of freezing their settlements on the West Bank, but so far the response has been, but what if the settlers have children, where will we put them? Today, the Christian science Monitor is reporting another creative idea to resolve the situation: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior members of his cabinet have pushed back hard against a renewed US demand to end settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories. Interior Minister Eli Yishai said Sunday that it amounted to "expulsion."
But 53 Israeli parliamentarians have moved to explore another kind of expulsion: Under a proposal to be reviewed this week, Jordan would become the official homeland for Palestinians now living in the West Bank.
Among the challenges facing the proposal is this: nobody asked Jordan if it would support such a plan.
Not surprisingly, it doesn't."
Finally, what would a good old fashioned Forth of July celebration be without your favorite Iranian representative there to set off the fireworks? As reported in the N Y Times: "Having sent the Iranian people a video greeting on their New Year, President Obama is now inviting them to help celebrate a quintessentially American holiday, the Fourth of July.
Last Friday, the State Department sent a cable to its embassies and consulates around the world notifying them that “they may invite representatives from the government of Iran” to their Independence Day celebrations — annual receptions that typically feature hot dogs, red-white-and-blue bunting and some perfunctory remarks about the founding fathers.
Administration officials characterized the move as another in a series of American overtures to Iran. The United States has not had relations with Iran since the American Embassy in Tehran was seized by protesters in 1979; the country’s diplomats have not been formally invited to American events since then. Guess we'd have to rename the food to Shia dogs and jihadmelon for a rousing good time...
late night jokes:
"There were some tense moments yesterday here in Los Angeles with President Obama. A female reporter -- you probably saw this on the news -- [was] carried, kicking and screaming, away from Air Force One after she insisted on handing President Obama a letter. They picked the woman up, forcibly, [and] carried her away. Same thing they did when Joe Biden tried to get on the plane." --Jay Leno
"President Obama was here in Los Angeles this week to bring his message of change to Hollywood. And, really, is there any place in America that loves change more than Hollywood? The place that brought you four 'Terminator' sequels, 10 'Police Academy' movies and 29 'Star Trek' films. This town runs on new and innovative ideas." --Jay Leno
"Hey, tonight, former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton held a debate in Toronto. I wish I had one more day." --Jay Leno
"Tonight was the last 'Tonight Show' hosted by Jay Leno. Out of respect to Jay, I'd like to do the first joke he told on May 25th, 1992, when he took over the 'Tonight Show. He said, 'This, of course, is the 'Tonight Show,' the one TV program Dan Quayle hates even more than 'Murphy Brown.' That joke is about as topical today as it was back when he told it." --Jimmy Fallon
"Obama appointed a Latina to the Supreme Court this week. Sonia Sotomayor. Her background? Graduated first in her class at Princeton. Yale Law School, was a prosecutor, a sitting judge for 18 years, or, as conservatives call it, 'unqualified.' And, you know, her personal background, Puerto Rican, raised in the New York City housing projects. Will be played in a movie by Rosie Perez, or John Leguizamo in drag. One of the two." --Bill Maher
"She's, of course, being attacked by the right wing. A lot of the commentators saying she was wrong to say ... that a wise Latina woman ... with her experiences could be more often counted on to reach a better conclusion on issues than a white male without those experiences. Which prompted white males like Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh to go out and prove her point." --Bill Maher
"What is so ironic about this is that this is why the Republican party is so in the wilderness right now, because it is a party where policy has been made for so many years by people who never had these kind of experiences. Real-life, real people experiences: Poverty, lack of health care, racism. I mean, the last time Rush Limbaugh talked to a Hispanic woman, it was his maid getting in his drugs." --Bill Maher
"Rush and his ilk have come up with a name for the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court that's been 99% white men for 200 years, and that name is 'reverse racist.' She is a racist, and someone has to stop her, because for too long, white men have been kept down by powerful Puerto Rican women." --Bill Maher
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