Italy Says No More Troops

Tornado Graphic source: Wikipedia Commons

Italian Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini, stated that his country will not send any extra troops. Italy has recently sent four Tornado aircraft to reinforce defence and Italy currently has the fourth largest, 2,350 troops, contingent in Afghanistan. Frattini rejected the idea of dialogue with the Taliban.

Italy will not be joining the recent increased efforts from other multi-national forces, Britain and Germany.

There are almost 53,000 troops in Afghanistan from around 40 countries that make up NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Note of Publication: Swiderski, Mercury

Richard M. Swiderski, Quicksilver: A History of the Use, Lore, and Effects of Mercury has been published by McFarland & Company.

American Charged with Illegalities in Pakistan

Authorities in Pakistan have charged Juddi Kenan Muhammad, a US citizen, with illegal entry and illegal possession of a weapon.

Afghan Anti-War Element: Not a Contradiction in Terms

A series of peace jirgas, or assemblies, that are taking place in Afghanistan are advocating the end of the war between the Taliban and Afghan government. Bakhtar Aminzai of the National Peace Jirga of Afghanistan, an association of students, professors, lawyers, clerics, and others are pressuring the Afghan government to find a peaceful solution. Another group, a loya jirga, or grand assembly of Afghans, agrees according to Fatana Gilani, head of the Afghanistan Women's Council (AWC), a leading nongovernmental organization (NGO). A third group asks for an end of Afghanicide-–the killing of Afghanisti-–states Israir Ahmed Karimizai, a leader of Awakened Youth of Afghanistan, a prominent antiwar group. International NGOs receive a great deal of attention, but Afghan NGOs actually make up the bulk of the NGO presence in the country, says M. Hashim Mayar, deputy director of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR), an umbrella organization of NGOs active in the country. ACBAR estimates that of the roughly 1,400 registered NGOs, nearly 1,100 are purely Afghan operations. Sheila Samimi, manager of the Afghan Women's Network (AWN), another prominent NGO that focuses on women's rights. AWN is composed of 63 small women-oriented NGOs that work around the country. In some instances, these groups will even critizise the Taliban.

Despite their organization, Afghan peace groups are also beset by weaknesses, states Habibullah Rafeh, a political analyst with the Afghanistan Academy of the Sciences. Their limitation is organizing along ethnic or tribal lines. The Awakened Youth and the National Peace Jirga, for instance, consist mostly of Pashtuns, the largest ethnic group, a rogue ethnic element.

Kagan on American Strategy After the Bush Doctrine

Robert Kagan, Senior Associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is more helpful than Stephen Van Evera. Kagan challenges the common misconception that Bush represents a radical change from past American foreign policy. Truman, Kennedy, and Clinton, Democrats all, along with Bush, have maintained a consistent American policy since the end of World War II: a "preponderance of power," rather than a balance of power (Cf. Leffler, Melvyn P., National Security, The Truman Administration, and the Cold War, Stanford Universtiy Press, 1992).

For example, "regime change" characterized all presidential administrations of the past half-century, Kennedy in Cuba, and Clinton in Bosnia and Haiti. The Clinton administration bombed Iraq over the objection of UN Security Council permanent members, and went to war in Kosovo without UN authorization.

What has changed is the world. The world is a less secure place with the ongoing crisis that transnational rogue elements will deploy WMD; in addition, the fragility of the world's financial situation should be clear in the light of Wall Street's meltdown in the Fall of 20008. Previously, the world acquiesced with an American predominance as a security measure. That world is gone. The American Left will revel in an American fall from grace, and the unrealistic solution is only to offer a multi-polar Concert of the World (p. 49). The world no longer shares what the Concert of Europe could assume, a "common morality and shared principles of government" (p. 49). Kagan suggests a League of Democracies (p.50), to advance American interests in concert with similar nations, since deep-seated divisions already exist between intermational multi-polar powers. This League could exert and extend our influence to advance our security. A similar proposal was made during the McCain 2008 presidential campaign.

Powell Endorsement on Meet the Press

Colin Powell has caused a buzz as a guest on "Meet the Press." It seems like a johnny-come-lately announcement though if all he plans to do is to support Obama. If it was a dramatic announcement with genuine impact it would have to be a clear negative. At this point it is just piling on since Obama has already convinced anyone who interested enough to support him. Since he does not have the requisite preparation as president Powell's endorsement is much less interesting as a result.

Ron Paul on the State of the Union

U.S. Representative Ron Paul, who has been one of the few voices of sanity opposing the Democratic, Republican, and government's bailout plan, was interviewed on CNN's "American Morning."

Paul advocates the position that says the bailout's infusion of government money will lead to inflation, that our current monetary system is coming to end, and the market, not politicians, can best solve the economic crisis.

Paul objected to the government intervention in that the complex plan expanded to an inflationary inducing, 450 page, $850 billion, $5 trillion debt levied on the American taxpayer, and, he stated: "I don't think it's going to do any good whatsoever."

Paul believes the bailout is an "attack on the dollar system. . . . the end of a monetary system that we've had since 1971."

Paul stated: "It's an immoral system. You're asking the poor people to bail out the rich. You're asking the innocent people to bail out the guilty. You're asking people to just totally defy the Constitution because there's no place in the Constitution that says that we can do these things."

Paul makes an analogy to a drug addict receiving a fix, the junkie feels tood for a day or two but it is an addiction that does not work.

Neither presidential candidate is offering a solution. There are some good parts to both candidates financial programs, but ultimately, but voted with the Bush bailout. Paul said: "how can we trust anybody?" For the record, Paul voted against the bailout.

Paul was asked about the likely scenario in the election, Democrat control of Congress, both houses, and the White House. What are its implications?

Paul responded: "it's a disaster for the country and everybody because, even with all the shortcomings of John McCain, his strongest argument to be president is keep the Congress and the presidency in separate hands."

The only thing that Paul has going for his position is that the government should get out of the way, quit spending money, balance the budget, bring our troops home, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, while letting the American people keep the money they earn. This may not be enough.

Supremes Say Democrats Should Take Ohio

The Supreme Court backed Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in an ongoing dispute over allegations of voter registration fraud. The justices in an unsigned opinion blocked a lower court order directing Brunner, a Democrat, to update the state's voter registration database after information provided by some newly registered voters did not match up with Social Security and driver registration numbers. The appeal follows a Tuesday ruling from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati that sided with the state GOP.

Brits Add to German Support in Afghanistan

General Sir David Richards, who will today be named as the British Army's new head, appeals for a dramatic, 30,000 troop increase in Afghanistan. Richards, advocates sending up to 5,000 more British troops to Afghanistan in addition to the 8,000 already there. The other 25,000 troops would be made up of U.S. reinforcements and newly trained Afghan soldiers. The British support for a surge follows the German pledge to send additional troops and the successful strategy in Iraq.

Germay to Increase Mission in Afghanistan

Germany's lower house of parliament approved an additional 1,000 soldiers and extended the mission's mandate by fourteen months. The extra troops raises the total number of German soldiers in Afghanistan to 4,500.

A majority of 442 lawmakers voted to support Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition to extend Berlin's participation in the NATO effort, which currently includes just over 50,000 soldiers. Ninety six delegates voted against the proposal and thirty two abstained.

During the last year, the security situation has deteriorated not only in the north where the German troops are, but all across Afghanistan. NATO and its allies would need to send further assistance if the situation is to improve. This move does seem to indicate though that the German government is supportive of the Coalition's efforts in Afghanistan. The international community has made it clear that securing the election will be one of the most important tasks in 2009.

Nonetheless, the morale of the troops is low because they feel that there is little support on the home front. The soldiers feel that the German population does not appreciate their work, which only makes headline news when attacks occur. "More appreciation of the efforts here would be welcome, after all soldiers here can die for Germany," an army spokesperson stated.

Grumpy Old Man Apologizes for Racist Comment

A grumpy old man apologized for his racist comment.

No, it was not that grumpy old man but Pennsylvania Representative John Murtha, an Obama supporter, who apologized for calling western Pennsylvania "a racist area." Now, it is not just one politician who makes condescending comments about Pennsylvania, yes, "that one," but this old codger. Obama insulted rural Pennsylvanians with his infamous "bitter" comments--about residents of Pennsylvania small towns, clinging to their guns and religion--which became a rallying cry for primary rival Hillary Clinton.

Murtha looks down on his constituents from his perch while "representin'" Pennsylvania's 12th District in the southwest corner of the state.

India: Regional Power, Anti-Islamofascist

Indian Ambassador to the UN, Nirupam Sen, told the Security Council that India has strongly advocated implementing robust measures within Afghanistan to fight the "barbarity" of resurgent Al-Qaeda and Taliban elements while expanding "coordinated politico-military efforts" beyond the country. This type of statement is too hot for an American politician to state but it may have been motivated by the Islamabad and India bombings. Sen added: "We need to go much further in realising the well established objective of degrading the ability of the Taliban to fight while simultaneously denying safe-havens, finances and armament." As most of the West misses the target on the actual situation, Sen made it clearer: "The escalating civilian death toll is truly distressing, but the ultimate responsibility for such casualties must be laid at the door of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and those who support and empower them."

It is on the basis of sentiments such as this, from a nation as alarmed by the rising risk of Islamofascism as the U.S., that Americans can coordinate their efforts. India has moved closer to the U.S. in the last eight years.

Air Force Crashes on Cyberspace Issue

The Air Force announced that it has backed off even further from its plan to establish a cyberspace command as the military entity primarily responsible for securing and conducting offensive operations in cyberspace. Meanwhile, at least two dozen countries have active cyberspace units. Maybe we need to take this whole Internet thing a bit more seriously.

Obama Would Cut and Run Before Iraqi Wishes

Obama wants to withdraw combat troops by mid-2010, while the Iraqis themselves have agreed to a withdrawal by 2011. In an Obama administration, the early, publically stated withdrawal date will surely embolden more hostile acts against the U.S. We would just have to return if Obama has his way.

U.S. and Iraq Agree to 2011 Withdraw Date

Washington and Baghdad have reached an agreement that would require U.S. forces to withdraw from Iraq by 2011. The bilateral pact replaces a U.N. Security Council resolution enacted after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and will give Iraq's elected government authority over the U.S. troop presence for the first time. Iraq will have the right to prosecute U.S. soldiers for serious crimes under certain circumstances. The final draft of the agreement had been agreed by both sides and would require U.S. troops to leave by the end of 2011, unless Iraq asks them to stay longer. For troops to stay longer, a new pact would need to be agreed. Obama wants to withdraw combat troops by mid-2010, while Republican John McCain opposes deadlines. The pact will not require approval by the U.S. Congress.

Analysis of Last Debate

McCain won the battle of the sound bites tonight; in fact, he may have won the sound bites of the campaign award. Most people, who are more interested in NASCAR or other frivolities, will just hear a clip or two. McCain got the right words in. He got to say what many people wanted to hear: "I am not George Bush and if you wanted to run against him you should have run four years ago." In addition, McCain scored on the economy by talking about Joe the Plumber. Ordinary people want a fighter; Joe wants someone who is a maverick. Obama is cerebral and he suffers from the "Al Gore Syndrome," professorial, stating nothing of substance, its just a flow of sweet words that he emits. McCain looks like he wants the job. If Obama is seen as so young and vigorous, why doesn't he act it? He just sits back and relishes the idea that Bush is so hated that he can waltz into the White House. I would think that if you were really willing to work hard for the American people, you might have a bit of passion about it. McCain pointed out how often Obama simple voted "Present." The American people deserve a harder worker than that and they need someone who can make a decision.

Am I the only one who notices that Obama likes to call McCain, "John," as if they are old buddies but it is as if he has no public respect for McCain. Many commentators seem to buy right into the erratic McCain portrayal but he is very respectful, even if he attacks Obama's record and campaign. He did not refer to Obama once by his first name.

Also, when asked what he would cut, Obama had no specifics to answer. When asked how he opposed his party; he had nothing. The independent voters in this election year are concerned that Obama is promising everything, he has nothing to cut, and he will tax and spend. They are correct. He can not deliver. Obama was not willing to state he would balance a budget. You heard it folks, he is criticizing Bush and his inflated budget but Obama is not promising the one thing that will help the economy the most: balance the budget. Stop Washington spending; he will not.

But perhaps the most revealing area of the debate related to our security needs, now. When asked when we can expect to be free from dependency of foreign oil, he stated, "ten years." It will never happen. If Obama can at best, be only President for two terms, he will be long gone in a decade. Energy efficiency will never happen with an Obama administration. The security policies he would favor as President will keep us dependent on foreign oil.

Voting Fraud Saga Continues

The full 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld a lower court ruling that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner must use other government records to check thousands of new voters for registration fraud. The full panel sided with U.S. District Judge George C. Smith in Columbus after hearing an appeal. Smith had ordered Brunner to develop a way to verify voter registration information and make it available to local election boards.

The federal appeals court ruled that the current system "is essentially useless — not unlike asking for a drink of water and being given access to a fire hose at full volume — and will do nothing to address the anti-fraud objective."

The order directs Brunner to verify new registrations by comparing that information with data from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles or the Social Security Administration.

Pakistani-American Re-arrested

Pakistani intelligence agents re-arrested Juddi Kenan, a man with dual American-Pakistani citizenship. He is now in the custody of intelligence agencies.

Nothing to Worry About

Five Afghanistan scholars, from their 20s to 30, visiting the University of Washington have been reported missing so there is nothing to worry about. Two scholars from Afghanistan disappeared last year after attending the same program. The visitors were selected by the Afghan eQuality Alliance, a Global Development Alliance sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through a cooperative agreement with Washington State University, Roseth said. The FBI has said that it's not concerned about a security threat and is handing the case over to immigration.

So seven young Afghans, "scholars" at 20-30 years old, sponsored by Afghan agencies, are running around unattended in the U.S. and there is nothing to worry about. The FBI didn't invite Louis Freeh to come back and run things did they?

U.S. Citizen Waltzing Through Pakistan Released

A man believed to be a US citizen who was arrested near Pakistan's restive tribal area near the Afghan border has been released. There are no additional details other than what was stated yesterday about his background. This story does not sound right but there are no additional data points about it so far.

Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Thoughts on the Current Situation in Iraq

Thanks to the Long War Journal there is a fascinating exchange on the status of Iraq that I am repeating here. The following excerpt is from a transcript arising in an 10 October interview in Baghdad between Bill Murray, from the Long War Journal, and Ryan Crocker, US Ambassador to Iraq.

Murray: You arrived in Iraq as Ambassador in March of 2007; it’s now been about 18 months. If you were to rate Iraq right now compared to March 2007 or perhaps October 2006, rating that period perhaps as a 1, as a time of fear and loathing, versus where we are here today two years later, on a scale of 1 to 10, where do you think we are here in October 2008?

Crocker: If it’s a relative comparison, it’s well beyond 10. This is a transformed country since the time I’ve arrived. I will always remember my first visit to a Baghdad neighborhood as Ambassador. It was to Dora and the surge brigade had just moved in to the area. I’d been here in 2003 and lived here in the late 1970s, and walking through the streets of Dora a year and a half ago, it reminded me of Beirut in the 1980s, it was a war zone.

People were afraid to go out in the streets, to the big Dora market, which had only a dozen shops open, out of maybe 400. The residents were afraid to cross the bridge to go to the hospital because they thought the national police at the checkpoint would kill them because they were Sunnis. It was deeply depressing.

Dora is now utterly transformed. Not only are all 400 shops opened, the market has expanded well beyond that and during the commemoration of the birth of the last Shia Imam, tens of thousands of Iraqi Shia walked through Dora on their way to Karbala and were given food and drink by the Sunni residents. Contrast that to a time when if any Shia had tried to walk into Dora they wouldn’t have walked out, period. It’s that kind of transformation that is, to me, utterly striking.

That said, the threats are still there. Al Qaeda is diminished and in retreat, but not defeated. The Iranians clearly are trying to follow a Hezbollah model here as in Lebanon. The big Jaish al Mahdi militia model didn’t work for them. That is transforming into a non-militant organization but they are still working with Special Groups that are trained, equipped and directed by the Qods Force out of Tehran and the training is done by Lebanese Hezbollah.

So the Sunni extreme of al Qaeda, the Shia extreme of Hezbollah-like groups directed by the Qods Force represent real threats to this country and we and the Iraqis are going to have to be absolutely diligent in not letting up and tracking them down and eliminating them.

You have the challenge of services. A year ago, everybody was talking about security. Nobody worries much about security anymore in most of the country so now they’re all complaining about services. Where is the power, where is the water, where is the job opportunities and the government is going to have to step up to that? They are making progress but there is obviously a very long way to go.

And then there is the question of political evolution. There are lots of strains and pressures in this evolving system and how that evolution takes place is going to determine the future of the country. But there has been enormous progress -- coming back from Dora, putting my head on my desk, wishing I was back in Pakistan, from that moment I never would have hoped that Iraq would have come as far as it has in these 18 months, but there is still a long way to go, so we’re going to have to stay with this.

Source: Cf. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/10/an_interview_with_am.php

McKiernan Optimistic on Afghanistan

The top Coalition commander in Afghanistan, General David D. McKiernan, who leads more than 65,000 troops from about 40 foreign countries, including 33,000 Americans, stated that there had been “too many” reports in the media recently asserting that the foreign forces and their Afghan allies were losing the war.

He said:

I absolutely reject that idea, I don’t believe it,” the general said, adding: “It is true that there are many places in this country that don’t have an adequate level of security. We don’t have progress as even and as fast as any of us would like. But we are not losing in Afghanistan.

McKiernan stated that progress is being made and the Coalition is winning in Afghanistan.

This was a tussle about this in the Biden vs. Palin debate.

Biden stated:

The fact is that our commanding general in Afghanistan said today that a surge – the surge principles used in Iraq will not – well, let me say this again now – our commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principle in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan, not Joe Biden, our commanding general in Afghanistan. He said we need more troops. We need government-building. We need to spend more money on the infrastructure in Afghanistan.

Biden seemed to downplay what McKiernan's actual assessment has been.

McKiernan had already clarified what he said in the Washington Post:

The word I don't use for Afghanistan is 'surge,' saying that what is required is a "sustained commitment" to a counterinsurgency effort that could last many years and would ultimately require a political, not military, solution.

McKiernan added in the Post that Afghanistan would need an infusion of American troops "as quickly as possible," i.e., a surge.

Afghanistan Expensive for Germany Too

Germany's army, the Bundeswehr, has cost Germans $3.27 billion U.S. through the end of 2007 for "deployment related additional expenditures" to the federal budget. The budget calls for a further spending for the ISAF mission in 2008. Actual expenditures for this year, however, will be considerably higher because the budget only includes expenditures through the end of the current deployment mandate, which ends on Oct. 13. Despite the cost, Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, is expected to extend the mandate by an additional 14 months. So far, Germany's military spending in Afghanistan has been almost four times greater than what it has contributed in civilian development aid.

Florida Man Visiting Extremists in Pakistan

A 20-year-old American man, identified on his passport as Juddi Kenan, and a resident of Florida, was arrested today in the Pakistani border region. Officers were investigating what an American was doing in the border area, believed to be a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and others. Kenan did not have permission to be in the region as is required by Pakistani law so he was arrested in the Mohmand agency. Kenan was wearing traditional Pakistani clothes; he related that he was a student at a community college and was in the tribal region to visit a friend. Kenan carried a laptop and a travelling bag. If he is not an AQAM operative, then he might be a CIA plant I would guess. No one is on a joyride to a lawless tribal region.

Obama - ACORN Connection

Graphic source: Social Policy Barack Hussein Obama pictured with ACORN in 2004

While Hussein Obama's involvement in a 1995 lawsuit on behalf of ACORN is usually reported, Obama's own website, as well as most major media, fail to reveal the full extent of his relationship with the organization or have subsequently scrubbed the evidence away. However, the advantage of the Net is that nothing disappears forever. The hidden web is full of information included in proprietary scholarly databases where these very same "missing" articles can be easily uncovered. Obama's campaign website states:

Fact: Barack was never an ACORN trainer and never worked for ACORN in any other capacity.

In a 2004 article--"Case Study: Chicago-The Barack Obama Campaign, by Toni Foulkes, a Chicago ACORN Leader, was published in the journal Social Policy. The journal recently pulled this particular article from their website, while leaving links to all other articles up.

The journal states:

Obama took the case, known as ACORN vs. Edgar (the name of the Republican governor at the time) and we won. Obama then went on to run a voter registration project with Project VOTE in 1992 that made it possible for Carol Moseley Braun to win the Senate that year. Project VOTE delivered 50,000 newly registered voters in that campaign (ACORN delivered about 5,000 of them).

Since then, we have invited Obama to our leadership training sessions to run the session on power every year, and, as a result, many of our newly developing leaders got to know him before he ever ran for office. Thus it was natural for many of us to be active volunteers in his first campaign for STate Senate and then his failed bid for U.S. Congress in 1996. By the time he ran for U.S. Senate, we were old friends.

Foulkes proclaims Obama's ACORN leadership training, but also clarifies Obama's post-law school organizing of "Project VOTE" in 1992 which was undertaken in direct partnership with ACORN. This is a tie between Project VOTE and ACORN with Obama's cooperation as ACORN has been accused of voter registration fraud. In addition, in March 2008, the Los Angeles Times also verified Obama's involvement with ACORN:

At the time, Talbot worked at the social action group ACORN and initially considered Obama a competitor. But she became so impressed with his work that she invited him to help train her staff. (LA Times, March 2, 2008)

Obama was an ACORN trainer.

Hussein is knee deep in ACORN nuts.

Nuts! to ACORN States Former Ohio Secretary of State

Ken Blackwell, the Ohio former Secretary of State, is calling for further investigation into voter fraud by ACORN as a challenge to democracy. The Obama campaign is reluctant to agree since they are so heavily involved with the organization.

Ohio Toss-Up

Ohio is more of a toss-up than many have stated: CNN's new Ohio poll of polls shows Hussein leading McCain by three points, 49 to 46%. 5% of the state’s voters were unsure about their presidential pick; previously, on 9 October, Obama led McCain by four points, in the 21 September poll, Barack led McCain by a single point. That's a horse race.

Current Developments in Afpak Illustrated

Graphic source: Department of Public Information

Information released to the public confirms the general sense of increasing urgency but coupled with significant inroads against AQAM in the Afpac region.

Obama Favors Delaying a Settlement in Iraq

The Washington Times quoted Iraqi Ambassador to the United States Samir Sumaidaie about a June 16 telephone conversation between Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and Obama. Obama urged Iraq to delay the (memorandum of understanding) between Iraqi and the United States until the new administration was in place. Sumaidaie was present apparently and reported his recollection to the newspaper. It is reasonable that Obama wants to be a player and his interests are before the country's during the heat of a close political campaign.

Farewell to Van Evera

Stephen Van Evera, Professor of Political Science at MIT, would have us believe that the U.S. is in a similar situation as in the Concert of Europe, c. 1815. After the era of Napoleon and the French Revolution, the Concert was adopted by the old great powers of Europe of meeting from time to time in an International Conference, or Congress, in order to plan a solution by mutual agreement (hence "concert"). Austrian Chancellor Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich was the primary architect of the Concert and its most famous participant. The Concert of Europe became a de facto government of the world. The British balance of power was in abeyance and there followed an era of stability where Europe engaged in no major conflict for 43 years which is no mean accomplishment.

But the historical analogy does not fit. The Congress' first primary objectives were to:

contain France after decades of war;

achieve a balance of power between Europe's great powers;

uphold the territorial arrangements made at the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815 and in doing so prevent the rise of another Napoleon-esque figure which would result in another continent wide war.

None of the objectives fit the requirements of effective U.S. foreign policy. There is no nation-state, such as France that needs containing; there is nothing advantageous for U.S. interests to simply maintain parity with other leading nations; and, no territory will contain a Napoleon-like figure to any one territory.

A Napoleon or any monster like him today is much more lethal today given the phenomenon of Islamofascism. Second, the U.S. has prospered during a period of American hegemony which is only more difficult today given the difficulties of the U.S. economy, ongoing international threats, and Islamofascism. Boundaries are not barriers today when you consider the role of the media in the information war and the porous nature of territories as in the case of places like Pakistan.

Van Evera equates the danger of a WMD and Napoleon as a threat-from-below. But as many nations are already engaged in actively defending themselves especially since the threats have often moved beyond threats to actual bombings and killings. Yet, the existing bulwarks such as NATO have proved less than successful in thwarting attacks. Van Evera seems to simply state the obvious. Nations need to cooperate. We already know that. The trick is to get them to move in harmony since they are not.

It is unilateral U.S. action that Van Evera reserves for especial disdain. But what is the alternative? America was under attack following 9/11 and if anything the U.S. dragged its feet, or failed to heed the warnings from Bin Laden experts such as Michael Scheuer during the Clinton administration. In large part the Bush Doctrine arouse from being attacked directly and during war no nation can wait for an international Concert before acting.

Van Evera's idealistic faith in diplomacy is laughable. Here is one such precious gem: "the United States should speak in respectful tones to other governments" (p. 19, Leffler). Maybe if the U.S. said "pretty please" to Hugo Chavez he wouldn't be such a bad guy after all. There are significant portions of the world, the lands where our enemies live, that openly applauded the attacks on 9/11. We can't wait for friends or enemies to take decisive action when our national security is on the line.

Van Evera simply recommends diplomacy to stop WMD. Every sane nation desires this but he never explains how the failed diplomacies of the past will now work. He just knows that Bush didn't excercise enough of it. Even our staunchest allies fail to deliver. For example, in July of this year, Japan backed out of an earlier commitment to dispatch its Self-Defence Forces (SDF) to Afghanistan now that the security situation has declined. The self-limitation of allies does not hinder AQAM (al-Qaeda and Allied Movements).

Another unexplained notion is that we have to have ideas to combat al Qaeda. This will convince them? Hardly. No war of ideas will convince AQ that we are right.

As things may get worse Van Evera has the "selective engagement" of Robert Art. This is all well and good but there is no way to distinguish Art from Bush since George would consider himself as targeting the right people and he has selectively chosen to attack the worse threats.

Nations selectively attack their biggest foes. Van Evera approves of Bismarck between 1871-1890 because he "bolstered peace" (p. 24). What Van Evera does not mention is that Bismarck had defeated each of his enemies-–Denmark, Austria, and France-–in isolation. After 1871 Bismarck was committed to preserving the peace of Europe only because he had already provoked and/or defeated his threats, selectively.

Since the U.S. suffered only 1.7% of war deaths in World War I, and only 3.6% of the deaths in World War II, this is evidence for Van Evera that the U.S. paid a relatively small price while forging great alliances that can work again. The only thing it seems to prove is that the U.S. assisted others in their life and death struggle that if successful, our common enemies would have come for us, and, of course Japan had hit the U.S. mainland.

Van Evera gets the historial parallels wrong so it is not surprising that his arguments for the present conflicts do not fit.

Cf. Leffler, Melvyn P., and Jeffrey W. Legro, To Lead the World: American Strategy After the Bush Doctrine.

Ayers, Buddy Chavez, Viva La Revolucion!

In November 2006 at the World Education Forum with dictator Hugo Chavez at his side, William Ayers, Obama associate and Weather Underground bomber stated his support for "the political educational reforms under way here in Venezuela under the leadership of President Chavez. We share the belief that education is the motor-force of revolution. . . . I look forward to seeing how . . . all of you continue to overcome the failures of capitalist education as you seek to create something truly new and deeply humane." Ayers added: "Teaching invites transformations, it urges revolutions large and small. La educacion es revolucion."

Whose Your Daddy? No One

A DNA test has confirmed what scientists thought: a mother shark had a virgin birth. The pup has no father. A pup carried by a female blacktip shark contains no male genetic material. This is something female sharks of many species can do on occasion since virgin births have been proven in some bony fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. The study appeared in the Journal of Fish Biology. The research does not indicate how frequently automictic parthenogenesis occurs in the wild.

Osama for President

Graphic source: Albany Times Union newspaper

If the chad fits wear it seems to be the slogan in Rensselaer County, New York state where absentee ballots went out with a typographical error. Ballots were printed with Barack Obama’s last name spelled as “Osama." Officials will re-send corrected ballots on request.

Indiana Voter Fraud by Obama's ACORN

In Indiana as well, there is evidence of voter fraud. More than 2,000 voter registration forms filed in northern Indiana's Lake County by ACORN have turned out to be bogus. In Lake County, home to the long-depressed steel town of Gary, the bipartisan Elections Board has stopped processing a stack of about 5,000 applications delivered just before the October 6 registration deadline after the first 2,100 turned out to be phony. "All the signatures looked exactly the same," Ruthann Hoagland, a Republican on the board. "Everything on the card filled out looks exactly the same." The attempted voter fraud this time around is more widespread and earlier than ever before.

Judge Orders Verification Required by Law in Ohio

U.S. District Judge George C. Smith in Columbus ruled that Ohio Democrat Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner must perform verification required by the Help America Vote Act. That includes matching new registrants' information against information in databases maintained by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles or the Social Security Administration. Perhaps a Judge is seeing through the fraud that is taking place, at least in Ohio.

Obama's ACORN Plucked Again

Graphic source: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Another state and not just in Ohio are there instances of voter fraud by Obama supporters in ACORN. A Nevada secretary of state's office spokesman said that investigators are looking for evidence of voter fraud at the office.

Creepy Video Parallels

I am going to have to weigh in on the Obama Children's Chorus which is just creepy. And, if no one sees the parallels, they need to be reminded of what happens when you capture the youth in song.

Ohio Voter Fraud Ongoing

The voter fraud in Ohio continues unabated since observers are being turned away by court order.

Who Is Erratic?

One guy attacks the other for his "erratic leadership." At least one nominee possesses leadership accomplishments, and, the other? In Obama's 1995 book Dreams of My Father, he writes that he was once headed in the direction of a "junkie" and a "pothead. Referring to his emotional struggles as a young man, Obama writes, "Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though."

Oh, ok, pot, booze, and blow are fine but the other guy is erratic: just checking.

NIMBY: Muslim Uigher Background

Graphic source: The Long War Journal

If the Uighers, Chinese Muslims, who are facing possible release, enter the U.S. we should be aware of what we are dealing with. The Muslims were captured in terrorist training camps as a fall-out of the search for al Qaeda after 9/11.

The Uighers who may be released are all connected to the most lethal of the Uighur groups to evolve out of the Soviet jihad called the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). Their near enemy is obviously China but no one can say for sure they these jihadists don't view the U.S. as the far enemy. The ETIM are international jihadists who share their ideology with al Qaeda and the Taliban. The swath of insurgency from various groups stretched from Western China through Central Asia.

The organization and related Uighur terrorist groups have been designated by the UN as one of the terrorist groups affiliated with the Taliban and al Qaeda; The US Treasury Department and the US Department of Homeland Security have also designated the ETIM a terrorist organization.

The Department of Defense has released unclassified documents produced at Gitmo for the Uighurs thus far incarcerated. The documents were produced during the detainee’s hearings before their Combatant Status Review Tribunals (“CSRT”) and Administrative Review Boards (“ARB”) between 2004 and 2006. All 22 of the Uighurs are alleged to have demonstrable ties to the ETIM and/or its sister organization the Sharq (East) Turkistan Islamic Partiyisa (STIP). All of the detainees were either: (a) identified as members of the ETIM and STIP and/or (b) received training at ETIM facilities and/or (c) resided at ETIM guesthouses or training facilities.

These are not people who should be released into any American's backyard.

Dow Down Again

I've heard the good Senators, as steady as they might claim, have solved the financial crisis. Yet, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost about 679 points--some 7 percent--again today. Maybe they should suspend the campaign and get to work. The Democrats have had a majority for two years. Yet, they have accomplished nothing.

Age Discrimination in the Presidential Campaign

Graphic source: Wikipedia Commons

With age discrimination so rampant in this presidential campaign it may be instructive to recall how other countries have handled the age issue of their leaders. Golda Meir was 76 when she ended her term as Prime Minister in Israel; French President Charles de Gaulle was 78, and Nelson Mandela as President in South Africa was 80. Mandela also was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

In a `you had to be there' moment from an earlier campaign, when Ronald Reagan was 73 he ran for re-election and in a 1984 televised debate against Walter Mondale, then 56, Reagan quipped: "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I will not hold my opponent's youth and inexperience against him." The audience laughed and Reagan won the election.

Ayers Bombing Victim in Public Email

John Murtagh, who said his home was firebombed by the Weather Underground in 1971, has gone public in an email. Murtagh's father was a New York State Supreme Court justice presiding over the trial of members of the Black Panther Party charged in a plot to bomb New York landmarks and department stores. Murtagh stated: "Barack Obama may have been a child when William Ayers was plotting attacks against U.S. targets -- but I was one of those targets. Barack Obama's friend tried to kill my family."

Africom Foreign Policy Blunder: Another Rummy Move

Another foreign policy blunder, the new United States Africa Command (Africom) became fully operational. This is the last major action proposed by former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld intended to support U.S. military and diplomatic initiatives across a huge continent and among an unbelievably complex population. Although there is little in the area that is critical to the security needs of the U.S., not to mention financial difficulties at home, is seems to be the height of folly to overextend our military resources to a new and largely hostile area. I believe that it is only a matter of time before the U.S. gets bogged down again in a Somalia like situation.

Emergency Filing Blocks Release of Terrorist Trainees

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals granted the Bush administration's motion for an emergency stay to prevent the release of seventeen Chinese Uighers found in terrorist camps after 9/11. In an emergency motion filed overnight, Justice Department attorneys said only the executive branch--not the courts--may decide whether to admit an alien into the United States. The government stated the decision to free the detainees "threatens serious harm to the interests of the United States and its citizens by mandating that the government release in the nation's capital 17 individuals who engaged in weapons training at a military training camp."

Chinese Plead for Release from Taliban

Graphic source: Afpax Insider

Two Chinese engineers kidnapped 29 August appeared on a video released by the Taliban. They pleaded for their release.

Call Those Two Running for President

Someone should be informing those guys who are running for President. Interior ministry spokesman Major General Abdel Karim Khalaf said today Iraq was ready to take over security responsibilities from U.S. security forces in Baghdad. Baghdad is now averaging four attacks a day, which according to US statistics was 89 percent less than in 2006, and 83 percent lower than in 2007. A majority of the benchmarks established by Iraq have been met already. It seems fair to state that the picture in Iraq is that any security is tenuous but characterized by clear rubrics.

The candidates are spending quite a bit of time, if they talk about the situation at all, discussing Iraq as if it were 2003. A heads-up Senators, it is 2008.

A Second Attempt at Analyzing the 2nd Debate

The second debate will go to Obama since he is exercising the better strategy. He is running against Bush c. 2003 and he has effectively painted McCain as third term Bush. It matters little what he actually says, since he says very little, and McCain needed a slam dunk to catch up in the polls which will not happen after this last performance.

Obama says that Iraq is wrong-headed and expensive but we were wrong to go there; yet, we should insert ourselves in Africa as a humanitarian gesture to stop human suffering. Moreover, we should enforce a no-fly zone as well. Uhh, Senator, this was the original policy in Iraq. Where have you been?

And, while on the topic of fixing other country's problems, aren't we broke as a nation? Didn't we just bail out Wall Street to the tune of $700 Billion? So, we should not support Iraq, in fact, we should set a timetable and get out because that is what Bush wanted. Yet, we should get out and go elsewhere? We should now go to Africa and extend ourselves there? Uhh, Senator, where have you been? We did this in Somalia, as a humanitarian gesture, and our troops were attacked. We left.

I know the words sound good but a greater grasp of the actual conditions and a review of what the U.S. has already tried would be instructive.

Who Is Qualified?

As an analysis piece of the second Presidential debate, a town hall setting, I would like to explore the question: who is qualified?

1) Break the rules and don't follow the time limits of what you agreed to while the American people are desperately seeking answers to the questions that concern them most;

2) Don't directly answer the questions of those Americans asking the questions.

If you follow number one and two listed above you are not qualified to be the next President. This is my disappointment with the second debate in the town hall round.

Unfortunately, these are the only two viable candidates available but neither McCain nor Obama followed the time rules that their campaigns agreed to nor did either candidate answer the questions they were asked. We know what we are in for: people who break the rules as they see fit and don't have answers to our questions.

At the same time, did you notice the voters? If there ever was a more subdued, concerned, and somber audience at a political event I have not seen it. The body language of the audience members transcended the cold screen of television. And, their revulsion reflects the general mood of Americans. These are dark days for the Republic.

Muslim Chinese Uighurs Terrorists Released in U.S.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina today ordered that seventeen Chinese Uighur Muslims held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison be released into the United States by Friday. It was the first time that a U.S. court has ordered the release of a Guantanamo detainee, and the first time that a foreign national held there has been ordered brought to the United States. This is a landmark ruling paving the way for former enemy combatants to be released into the U.S. Urbina said that "the Constitution prohibits indefinite detention without cause." The group has been released into the custody of Uighur families in Washington.

Churchill Quote

Graphic source: Cotswolds.info.com

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."

Sir Winston Churchill

Koranic Training Children: To Die For

Graphic source: AfPax Insider

The Taliban are back at it again and they have reconstituted a Spinkai Ragzai, South Waziristan camp that trains boys seven to fourteen years old to be suicide bombers. A video obtained AfPax Insider shows a camp maintained by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. The illustrations show the boys reading from the Quran with an adult Taliban training them. One slide shows a poster board with the words “Killing a Spy” written in English. The Pakistani army destroyed the camp previously and the computers, equipment, and training literature showed graphic details of the training ‘nursery.’ Young boys are seen carrying out executions, a classroom where 10- to 12-year olds are sitting in formations, with a white band of Quranic verses wrapped around their forehead, and there are training videos to show how improvised explosive devices are made and detonated.

The Spinkai camp is one of 157 training camps and more than 400 support locations in the Taliban-controlled tribal areas and in the Northwest Frontier Province.

John Palfrey, a professor at Harvard Law School and co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, has co-written two books examining online issues -- Access Denied, which examines global Internet censorship and filtering, and Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives. The latter book, published last month, set out to provide "digital immigrants" -- older generations of parents, teachers and others -- with a portrait of "digital natives," who were born after 1980.

Palfrey was asked questions and I posted his answer below:

Which findings in the book were most surprising to you? I didn't find as many young people taking advantage of doing everything they could do with technology. I didn't see the outpouring of creativity I was hoping to see.

I wanted to see that the technology was a gateway to get more young people involved in civic life. I didn't find a huge rush to use these technologies to improve the world. There are examples of incredible social entrepreneurs … but there is not a large-scale rush, which I was hoping to see.

Note on Norman Podhoretz, World War IV

This is a quick and easy read but one to stir up controversy if you follow his argument. There are not many people willing to take a positive view of the neocons, since currently they are regularly lampooned publicly, nor many who would dare say that Bush is right on foreign policy but Podhoretz is one such person who will. The closest analogy to Bush he argues is Truman in 1947 who unpopularly enunciated his Doctrine of containment against the Soviets. Eisenhower although differing in many ways did not alter the Truman Doctrine. Podhoretz argues that the Bush Doctrine of preemptive action against our enemies is correct and will be proven true historically.

U.S. Asks Allies/Euros to Pay for Their Defense

In a move that I've long advocated here the U.S. is asking allies such as Japan and NATO allies who have not sent troops to Afghanistan to pony up with the estimated $17 billion needed to build up the Afghan army.

This request may be a two-tiered NATO alliance that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned against early this year but there is no alternative. The Europeans are going to be hit harder, and most likely before the U.S. next gets attacked by terrorists trained in Afpak camps so they should be willing to pay for their own defense. Gates has been on the frontlines asking U.S. allies to pay for their defense, especially if they are not willing to send troops.

The U.S. has 33,000 troops in Afghanistan. About 22,000 are part of NATO's force of nearly 48,000 troops. The United States contributes the most troops by far among allies, followed by Britain with about 8,000.

The Afghan army plans to double in size to 134,000 soldiers over five years at a cost of $17 billion to $20 billion, according to estimates.

Presidential Candidates At the Bailout Trough

The bloated rhetoric of the two presidential candidates is only exceeded by the nonsense they have both expressed about the financial crisis. Thanks to research by the Center for Responsive Politics the figures they collected speak volumes about how likely the bailout will work. We should know who funds their campaigns. The financial services industries have funded both candidates.

Here is the tally at the trough:

McCain received $19.6 million and Obama garnished $22.5 million.

Two of the biggest financial groups in Washington, the Financial Services Roundtable and the Mortgage Bankers Association, have been holding meetings with McCain and Obama’s economic advisers. They are working to shift their bad debt to taxpayers. The Roundtable has met in private, closed-door sessions with Obama economic advisers Ian Soloman and McCain adviser Ike Brannon. Those lurking around Obama—-economists such as Paul Volcker, Robert Rubin, Lawrence Summers, and Laura Tyson-—are as guilty of dismantling of government regulation as those advising McCain.

I say a pox on both their houses.

Bailouts Work, Sorta'

An important question to ask during these days of bailouts is to ask how things have worked out in the past. The U.S. bailout took place in 1792. William Duer tried to monopolize the market in government bonds and depress the share price of the Bank of New York. His plan went astray which caused market panic. The first Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton authorized banks to accept bonds as collateral for loans, which were then underwritten by the government. He also borrowed money from banks and used it to buy government bonds. The U.S. did well enough then as prices recovered and all the banks involved survived.

On the other hand, Andrew Jackson nearly brought about the collapse of the Second Bank of the United States when he refused to deposit tax revenues in it. The collapse of the bank was an important cause of the Panic of 1837 in which the next president, Martin van Buren, refused to involve the government. This event was a harbringer of the Great Depression.

Thus far, the score is 1-1.

The next disaster was in savings and loans during the 1980s and 1990s. The crisis was caused by institutions lending good money after bad, then getting slammed by rising interest rates. Fraud was also a big factor. The government set up the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) to regulate hundreds of failed S&Ls and try to sell their assets. The taxpayers received back about 80% on the dollar. This one was largely a success.

Then there was the issue in 2001 when the airline industry faced collapse after 9/11. Carriers faced a money crunch when a flying ban was imposed and people were afraid to fly. The government provided compensation. But once flights resumed, the airlines could not get credit. The government set up the Air Transport Stabilization Board to provide up to $10bn in loan guarantees. The government received shares in the airlines in return for guaranteeing loans to them and also charged fees for participating in the scheme. Taxpayers eventually made a profit of $300m. The weaker carriers lost out, such as United Airlines, which was forced into bankruptcy, but most of them survived. Thus, the carrier bail-out largely succeeded.

Most of the bailouts seem to work, basically 3-1 as in this scenario, but what concerns me is the frequency. If the government has to bailout companies, half of the bailouts occurring since the '80s, how vibrant can that economy be?

Judge Considers Release of International Terrorists

The Uighur (pronounced "WEE-gurz") people are Muslims inhabiting the Western region of China. Five of the Uighurs, and twelve more have been mentioned, in filing court papers asking for release. The detainees held at Guantanamo Bay may now be released into the U.S. homeland since these Chinese Muslims are no longer considered enemy combatants. U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina is considering a release. If released, it would become a landmark legal decision in the years-long battle over the rights of terrorism suspects. The men have been held for nearly seven years but they are in a bind. They can not be sent home country because Beijing considers them terrorists and they might be tortured. Previously, the government released five Uighur detainees to Albania in 2006, but no other country wants to risk offending China by accepting the others.

I have two questions: why should the problems of former enemy combatants concern me? And, how did they become former combatants in the first place?

The answer to the latter question is time. Their attorneys argue that the men have been confined for too long. The attornies say authorities could supervise them much as they monitor criminal defendants released pending trial. Yes, I suppose it is a reasonable argument that Washington D.C. is a particularly crimeless area. I wonder if the Judge might like to have the former enemy combatants next door since he was intrigued by the question of release.

How these individuals become enemy combatants is clearer. In 2001, most of the Uighurs now in Guantanamo Bay were living in camps in Afghanistan until U.S. airstrikes drove them into neighboring Pakistan. They were captured there and turned over to U.S. authorities. It is likely then that most of these people were receiving terrorist training and have been biding their time in prison in preparation. Prisons in Britain and Iraq are leading places of terrorist training and development.

The two options that are presented, release into the Homeland, or continued incarceration are the only two choices offered by attorney's on behalf of the Uighurs.

However, I see no reason why Americans should be welcoming individuals who were found in Afghani camps in 2001. Yet, a Supreme Court ruling in June gave camp dwellers the right to have their cases reviewed by federal judges under the legal doctrine of habeas corpus. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon has been conducting closed-door hearings. There are six Algerians who were picked up in Bosnia in late 2001. The only way to block the continued incarceration or release is evidence that the incarcerated received terrorist training. The Justice Department is expected to make the same argument for the other detainees. The government has asserted that the Uighurs were members of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement and trained at camps affiliated with the Taliban or al-Qaeda. The Bush administration designated ETIM a terrorist organization in August 2002, after the Uighurs were taken into custody.

One academic sees no other alternative than the two options proposed: "It boils down to: either you keep these people in prison at Guantanamo Bay for the rest of their lives or you release them into the United States," said Donald E. Wilkes Jr., a professor at the University of Georgia Law School and an authority on habeas corpus rights.

I see no reason why the U.S. should harbor not only the poor and the tired yearning to be free but those training at terrorist camps while providing rights of habeus corpus to them as well. If there is no reason to hold them, then release them back to China or anywhere so it is not a problem for people in the United States. They voluntarily left their own country for Afghanistan so another move, elsewhere, should not bother them now.

Sharia-Compliant Citi Seeks Taxpayer's Money

Obamics and Sharia compliant, the code of law based on the Koran, Citigroup was blocked by a Judge in the Wachovia-Wells deal. However, New York State Supreme Court Justice Charles Ramoscourt will hold a hearing to allow Citi to press for its previous agreement to buy Wachovia.

In a deal struck last Monday with the assistance of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Citigroup had offered to take over Wachovia's banking operations for $2.2 billion.

The battle also has implications for taxpayers.

If Citigroup is successful in its takeover, taxpayers will pay more because of a FDIC offer. Citigroup has the support of industry regulators, and the FDIC stands behind its previously announced agreement with Citigroup, according to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chairman Sheila Bairwhich who promised to cover any losses on Wachovia's $300 billion loan portfolio beyond the first $42 billion. The Wells offer does not ask for FDIC assistance.

Wachovia spokeswoman Christy Phillips-Brown stated the company believes its agreement with Wells Fargo is "proper, valid and ... in the best interest of shareholders, employees, and the American taxpayers," the Associated Press reported.

Seems so to me too; I'm a taxpayer.

Obama's Favorite Domestic Terrorist

The wonder of the William Ayers terrorist connection to Obama is not that Palin finally unleashed it, it lies in the fact that the mainstream media was so reluctant to report it when the data become widely available in the spring. I suppose it means less to younger people but if one was alive during those heady days of domestic terrorism the charge sticks like mud. The fact that Ayers is now a professor hardly makes his earlier activities any more respectable. There are probably more anti-American sentiments being expressed in American universities than anywhere else anyway. Both Ayers and his wife are currently college professors.

The Obama camp has tried to downplay the relationship between the terrorists and Obama but that story is sketchy. The University of Illinois at Chicago has released hundreds of documents that solidify the relationship between the two. There are more than 50,000 documents, 128 boxes, and 946 files. The University archives on the pair comes out to 70 linear feet. This is no casual connection.

Ayers was a member of the Weather Underground, a radical group that claimed responsibility for a series of bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol, preceding the foreign terrorism problem by many years.

Ayers was a fugitive for years with his wife, fellow radical Bernadine Dohrn, Dohrn is now a professor at Northwestern University Law School. But after surrendering in 1980, the charges against Ayers were dropped because of prosecutorial misconduct. He got off on a technicality we might say.

Moreover, Obama and Ayers both live in the same Hyde Park neighborhood. They served together on the board of a Chicago charity, and in the mid-1990s when Obama first ran for office, Ayers hosted a meet-the-candidate session for Obama at his home. They are more than casual acquaintances, Obama and Ayers share a political ideology.

For a candidate who champions his better judgement over his opponent, Ayers is a curious political supporter to have. Ayers has not denied that he set off bombs and he is on the record that U.S. Marines are terrorists. All John Kerry did was toss a few medals over the White House fence, Ayers threw bombs that exploded. This is the support that Obama has elicited.

How Obama, McCain, Bush, Congress, and the Federal Reserve Benefit Egypt

While the House of Representatives adopted a wide ranging intrusion into the nation’s beleaguered financial sector, it is instructive to see how the bailout--and why exactly are we having a bailout?--plays out in the rest of the world.

Let us take a glance at Egypt, a nation with a heavy cash-based economy and relatively nascent set of financial tools, which should, in theory, provide haven from the “credit freeze” afflicting developed markets. Nonetheless, if not passed even in Egypt a financial crisis might occur, not without reason is this period best described as “global.” For with every advance in online communication, trading, banking and asset management, the flow of capital from one state to another is eased. In fact, the problem for Egypt and other foreign markets is that when outsiders panic, they aren’t just yanking cash out of their own markets, they disinvest elsewhere also.

The odd thing of course is that Candidate A is running against Candidate B--supposedly--yet both candidates come running to vote in support with the President, I suppose I should describe him as President B, further, the bailout was supported by all three and the Treasury Secretary and Federal Reserve Chairman. It seems like just about everyone favors the bill.

But wait, did the American taxpayers? Well, no, polls last week showed that less than 3 in 10 Americans supported the bailout.

I guess they don't count in this financial lovefeast between President B, Candidate A, and Candidate B.

At one time Republicans would have viewed the bailout as an abandonement of their small-government, free-market ideology that was once the cornerstone of their party’s economic ethos. Democrats at one time would not have wanted to use the little person's money to rescue the big money Wall Street megalomaniacs who drove the economy into the current mess in the first place. No more I take it.

Oh yes, and where does the bailout leave Egypt? Left to its out devices, the Egyptian economy is weak. Because of Egypt’s high poverty rates, and record inflation, Moody’s Investor Service lowered their rating on Egypt’s foreign currency country ceilings for bonds and bank deposits from stable to negative and downgraded the government’s local currency bond rating in July.

And as the past few weeks have shown, each bank collapse or whisper of impending economic chaos in the U.S. ties up nervous American investors-—a primary source of investment in Egypt—-who pull out of emerging markets as they try to recoup losses at home.

Egypt was bracing for Eid El-Fitr, which is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, and Armed Forces Day, so the American setback would be delayed in Egypt. But, once markets re-open on 7 October, Egyptians can rejoice, Candidates A, B, and President B, along with the U.S. Congress, as well as the financial tentacles of the U.S. government, will have helped them.

Only the American taxpayer will suffer from the bailout.

Note on Bergen, The Osama bin Laden I Know

I'll admit it, this was a book I did not get around to reading at first because of its style and a misunderstanding of the book's purpose. The style of the book is difficult in that it is a series of excerpts, often overlapping, of diverse sources. The players are difficult to keep track of, but they need to be introduced time after time. Thus, we are constantly being reminded of who was bin Laden's bodyguard, which player this guy is, and how they fit into the organization.

Despite its limitations, the book is a fascinating read, and excerpted by those who knew or met bin Laden personally throughout the years. Where else are you going to find detailed information such as in one visitor to bin Laden's hangout, two of bin Laden's sons were playing Nintendo while hiding out with their infamous father?

But most importantly, Bergen is one of those rare journalists who allows bin Laden to be bin Laden, without the distortions or biases built in many other sources. Although the book suffers from a lack of cogent analysis, and that has been done elsewhere by Michael Scheuer particularly, Bergen's work is valuable read in that an accurate oral history emerges from the text to reveal a bin Laden who is unremarkable in some respects, absolutely lethal, and a worthy adversary of the U.S. In addition, since he is engaged in religious war, and a typical product of Islam, the West should realize that more bin Laden's are going to follow his lead, regardless of the presence of Al-Qaeda, or the life of bin Laden.

Fury Explains How Bin Laden Got Away at Tora Bora

Afghan allies have been attributed before for allowing Osama Bin Laden to escape into the mountains of Tora Bora. In addition, a former Delta Force officer, "Dalton Fury," claims his superiors forestalled an effective plan of attack against al Qaeda. AQ has claimed the same thing for some time. Ten weeks after 9/11, and why did it take such a long time is what we should be asking, but Fury and a team of U.S. Army Delta Force soldiers joined CIA operatives and Afghan fighters under the command of a warlord named General Hazrat Ali to attack Bin Laden. The united force pursued bin Laden and an estimated 1,000 al Qaeda fighters into the Tora Bora Mountains. The U.S. strategy, says Fury, was to let Afghan allies do most of the fighting, while U.S. Special Operations Forces directed air strikes and provided support. Fury wonders whether the Afghans were really conspiring with al Qaeda. The forces heard bin Laden's radio communications and Fury noted the Afghan's demeanor. They were in awe and respected Bin Laden. Fury claims to have pushed for an attack from the Pakistan side and surprise the enemy. If does not know know whether the plan was stymied from central command or up to Clinton. Fury says that the Afghan fighters were ordered to take the lead and with the delay Bin Laden escaped. In a separate action following a bombing bin Laden seems to have been injured in the shoulder by shrapnel and then treated and hidden by local sympathizers. The general thrust of the story is in line with other evidence and if Fury is to be believed his story does seem credible.

October Order of Battle in Iraq

Graphic source: The Long War Journal

I wonder what it is about our nominees, and our journalists, who can not state the obvious. In the Vice-Presidential debate, Biden made a point that he thinks the Iraqis should provide for their own defense. Well Joe, just because the mainstream media does not cover this material, and the politicians do not want to recognize success in the field, does not make it so. Readers of this blog are kept up to date every month by the excellent field reports available. As of September 1st, Anbar Province became the eleventh of eighteen Iraqi provinces to revert to Provincial Iraqi Control (PIC). Doesn't Biden know this? Why can't the commentator call him to task for such a obvious gaffe. Even CNN, which puts much stock in fact-checking failed to correct this obvious mistake. I suppose after an election victory this would allow Obamaden to claim they are the architects of victory and withdrawal. It ain't so, Joe. The surge has been working and our military have done a stellar job in Iraq.

McCain Warned Senate About Economic Downturn Two Years Ago: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

McCain claims he has called for more oversight of lending institutions Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for two years. On the Senate floor, and thus a part of the public record, he cited a federal report, saying that "Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets." He also noted a $3.8 million fine Freddie Mac had recently paid to the Federal Elections Commission over problems with disclosure of its political lobbying. He added: "If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole." McCain correctly and accurately identified the economic malady of today and warned about it some time ago.

Analysis of Only Vice-Presidential Debate

The bar was set very low since Palin has been pilloried in the mainstream media and many did not expect much from her. However, she more than held her own, no, she is not an idiot as Saturday Night Live has lampooned her or as edited clips from Katie Couric would have you believe. You may not agree with her but she took on a eminent senior Senator, more qualified to run as President than his running-mate, and she delivered the message she planned. There was no home-run tonight for the Republicans, and it was not enough to nudge any votes for McCain, but she would do fine and develop along the lines as many no-name Vice-Presidents have before her. The Veep slot is a job in training, and often training leads nowhere but down and out. If people were expecting a train wreck they were disappointed. She should be judged on the issues and her policies just like any non-outsider, non-male candidate is.

Possible Veeps Silent on Iran Killing Our Troops

Graphic source: Pajamas Media

A Humvee interior view of the passenger side door shows how a copper projectile ripped violently through the door, fragmenting the interior door armor and causing significant damage before exiting though the dashboard. This is a typical Iranian-made EFP causing U.S. casualties.

Regardless of any analysis, it is quite embarrassing to hear two people running to be second-fiddle to the Commander-in-Chief not even mention the blood and sacrifice spilled by American troops. Instead, both vice-presidential nominees hid behind the skirt of defending Israel rather than take Iran to task for supplying weapons to kill American troops. It is just despicable. Let Israel take care of their own issues, and we can remain a solid ally as needed, but for God's sake, defend our troops.

Despite abundant evidence outside the mainstream media, in the debate tonight neither candidate mentioned Iran's role in killing our people. Coalition forces have documented how Iran supplys Sunni and Shia insurgents with deadly munitions in the form of explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs.

Their blood and sacrifice is worth more than silence.

Islamist Group Urges Pakistan to Deploy Nukes

Hizb ut-Tahrir Pakistan, an international Islamist group which aims to set up a Caliphate or Khilafat, a trans-national Islamic state, has announced a campaign urging Pakistan to deploy nuclear weapons if the US continues to violate Pakistan’s territorial integrity. Previously, the group asked Pakistan to attack US bases in Bagram and Doha with nuclear weapons and suggested all of Pakistan's 160 million citizens conduct martyrdom operations. In the latest statement the group states:

Deploy nuclear weapons all over Pakistan and warn the crusaders and their allies of a stern response should they persist in their violation of Pakistan’s territorial integrity. This maneuver will not weaken Pakistan. On the contrary it will bolster the country’s ability to effectively counter regional and international threats. If a small nuclear country like North Korea’s can spurn US advances, then Pakistan, a far stronger nuclear power with the seventh largest army in the world, is in a far better position to accomplish much more.

Pakistan should detonate nuclear weapons against the Coalition.

Biden Gets $51.5 Million from Taxpayers

Funding bills is a favorite project in Washington, many people have heard now how the crucial bailout fiasco includes funding for wooden arrows. If you have not heard this, I do not make this stuff up. An earlier bill included $51.5 million and was requested by Democratic vice presidential nominee Biden. Taxpayers for Common Sense analyzed the 2,321 special-interest items called "earmarks" in the spending bill.

Senate Ignores Wishes of the People

Since the Senate is ignoring the will of the people, the most we can hope for at this point is that a sane voice against the bail out will be raised in the house.

Who Am I?

I am under 45 years old,
I love the outdoors,
I hunt,
I am a Republican reformer,
I have taken on the Republican Party establishment,
I have many children,
I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor's office.

Who Am I?

I am Teddy Roosevelt in 1900.

Obama's Ties to Citigroup and Fannie Mae

A $100,000 state grant for a botanic garden in Chicago that then-state Senator Obama awarded in 2001 to a group headed by a onetime campaign volunteer is now under investigation by the Illinois attorney general. The money may have been misspent. State records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show $65,000 of the grant money went to the wife of Kenny B. Smith, the Obama 2000 congressional campaign volunteer who heads the Chicago Better Housing Association. Smith wrote another $20,000 in grant-related checks to K.D. Contractors, a construction company that his wife, Karen D. Smith, created five months after work on the garden was supposed to have begun, records show. K.D. is no longer in business.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Democrat who is supporting Obama's presidential bid, is investigating "whether this charitable organization properly used its charitable assets, including the state funds it received," according to Sun-Times article.

Obama vowed to "work tirelessly" to turn the lot into an oasis; today the garden site is a mess of weeds, chunks of concrete, and garbage.

Let the Obama Campaign respond I say (Cf. http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/07/suntimes_probe_as_state_senato.html).

In an official response the Campaign stated that Obama worked with the Chicago Better Housing Association, a non-profit that received funding from Fannie Mae, and the Citigroup Foundation.

A further tie to the discredited Fannie Mae program and the Sharia affiliated Citigroup is supposed to reassure us?

Obamics: Obama's Crooks and Cronies on Economics

Robert Rubin, former Secretary of the Treasury, later of Citigroup, Citi’s Global Islamic Banking operations were established in 1981 in London, and in 1996 Citi became the first international financial institution to set up a separately capitalized Islamic Bank: the Citi Islamic Investment Bank.

Former Secretary of Commerce William Daley, Mayor Daley's brother, Daley has been a lobbyist for the discredited Fannie Mae program that led to the economic crisis.

Former Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Energy Federico Pena who assisted Enron. Former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay asked Clinton to propose a power deregulation bill to forestall legislation promoting competition and consumer choice in electricity. Lay wrote the letter at Pena's urging. Internal Enron documents show Secretary Pena gave Lay key information about "key contacts from important constituents" who could pressure President Clinton.

Penny Pritzker lost her family bank to the FDIC when federal regulators cited "poor oversight by [Superior Bank's] board" when it chose to shut it down.

No wonder Obama favors the failed bailout bid.

American Professor Seeks to Silence Novel About Mohammed's Nine Year Old Bride

Denise Spellberg, an associate professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, is an expert on the life of Aisha and she was asked for a comment to put on the cover of a novel by Sherry Jones called The Jewel of Medina. She demurred since she was appalled by the novel.

How I would like to know, could she claim that the book was "sacred history?" Was she speaking as a detached, secular, scientific observer? She was further quoted as saying the work was "softcore pornography." Spellberg said: "I felt it my duty to warn the press of the novel's potential to provoke anger among some Muslims. London-based cleric Anjem Choudhary has called the book an insult to the Prophet's honour, and thus warrants a "death penalty" under Sharia law. Goodness, we wouldn't expect Muslims to conduct themselves properly in a diverse, secular setting now would we? Spellberg further stated: "When combined with falsification of the Islamic past, it exploits Americans who know nothing about Aisha or her seventh century world." Thank you for looking after my reading habits and noting my ignorance professor.

Moreover, Spellberg then continued into areas fields further outside her academic expertise, she teaches the history of the Middle East and Gender in Islamic History, and was quoted as stating that the novel constituted a "declaration of war" and "a national security issue."

The author Sherry Jones has called on Professor Spellberg to retract her comments.

Spellberg has published an academic study of Aisha's life called Politics, Gender and the Islamic Past: The Legacy of Aisha bint Abi Bakr; she is currently on leave.

British Kow-tow to Muslim Censorship

Graphic source: AP

As the West begins to cower before Islamic censorship, the novel Jewel of Medina may not be published in Britain. The Random House publisher of the work, Martin Rynja, had his London house firebombed which provoked the cancelling of the publisher's right to a free press. Author Sherry Jones has called on freedom loving people to protest the indefinite postponent of the work. The book fictionalizes the life of one of the prophet Mohammed’s wives, Aisha.

Despite the London action, the American publisher, Beaufort Books, will publish the book on 15 October.

Girls Are the Perfect Weapon

15 Year old girl suicide bomber awaits her fate.

Video source: The Times Online

A 15 year-old teenage girl, handcuffed to an iron railing, patiently waits as an Iraqi explosives expert cuts the trigger cords on a suicide vest strapped to her body.

The footage originates from an August incident when police found Rania Ibrahim Mutlib in a side road in Baquba, north of Baghdad, having failed to detonate her charge. The girl claimed that she had been drugged and did not wish to become the 16th teenage girl bomber said to have struck in the past year. Her husband, Mohammed Hussein Mohammed Sameet, 24-years-old, bade her farewell as she dressed that morning. Police have been given metal detectors to scan women because women would pass through checkpoints without being searched since Islam forbids a man to frisk a woman. Young girls are the perfect weapon.

Same Old Chicago Boss: Obama

What is wrong in Ohio?

"How can you run when you know?"

"Ohio," lyrics by Neil Young

As the bailout fiasco continues, the Democrats in Congress managed to attach funds in the bill for Acorn which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Among their many activities is to organize voter registration efforts for the Democratic Party. In 2006 their efforts registered 1,800 new voters in Washington but only six were later verified as authentic. Yet, the same organization has been involved in similar nonsense in the swing states of Missouri, Michigan, and Colorado, in addition to Washington and Ohio. Moreover, the New York Times reported that the group misappropriated funds.

Who else would such an organization attract but of course Barack Obama during his community organizing. He trained Acorn staff and later the Democratic nominee funneled money to the group through the Woods Fund, on whose board he sat, and through the Chicago Annenberg Challenge.

During this organization, Acorn promoted non-credit-worthy borrowers and now taxpayers are expected to foot the bill for the failing lending companies.

Why not just put our collective feet down, on Acorn and their crony?

But, there is more.

The likelihood of fraud is greater than ever in this election year.

Ordinarily, ballots are safeguarded with representatives from major parties who overlook the voting process. Not this year in Ohio.

A lawsuit by GOP-backed voters was dismissed against the Democratic secretary of state, Jennifer Brunner, and her interpretation of Ohio's absentee voting law. Ohio changed its election law in 2005 to allow any registered voter to cast an absentee ballot, beginning Sept. 30. The deadline for registering isn't until Oct. 6, so Brunner ruled there is a six-day window in which voters can register and vote at the same time.

In Ohio there are no safeguards, no validation of ballots, no oversight. Obama learned his Chicago style politics well: `vote early, vote often.' To quote the Who: "Here comes the new boss, same as the old boss."