Photo Ops

General Petraeus gets bigger crowds at his photo-opportunites in Iraq than Angelina Jolie did on her recent visit

James Hider in Baghdad

If Santa ever set up his Christmas grotto in a war zone, it might look something like this.

Hundreds of men and women, many of them armed, line up in a marble hall inside one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, waiting patiently for more than half an hour for their hero to turn up.

The object of so much adulation is General David Petraeus, the 55-year-old commander of US and allied forces in Iraq. General Petraeus, widely credited with the military strategy that has clawed Iraq back from civil war to a semblance of stability, is in such demand for photographs that his aides have had to organise special mass photo-ops every six weeks inside the Green Zone and at the other huge US base at Baghdad airport.

“He's a real leader at a great time,” said Master Sergeant John Fife of the US Air Force, who had brought a group of comrades and local Iraqi staff across the vast fortified compound for the chance to have their picture taken with the general, who devised Iraq's counter-insurgency strategy.

Seems not everyone goes for the 'Wanted' star quite as much as the star of the War on Terror. I'd love to meet and greet with both of them, but the good General has done a lot more for the world than Jolie has (even though she's hot).

Tags: Angelina Jolie, General Petraeus, Iraq, War on Terror

Mottaki

Fareed Zakaria just Iviewed Iran's Foreign Minister - the semi creepy (un) Honourable (?)Manouchehr Mottaki for his TV show "GPS" on some cable channel and it was a hoot!

Mottaki - as underground Persian Cat 'Rooz' reveals in a dossier is one of the mullahs most precious minions.

"Mottaki joined the Foreign Ministry at a time when members of the Islamic Students Association were rapidly replacing diplomats and even experts at the ministry. After completing his first assembly term, Mottaki joined the ministry and was appointed director of the ministry's seventh bureau in 1984.

A year later, in 1985, Mottaki was appointed as Iran's ambassador to Turkey. At that time, Turkey was a desired destination for many Iranians who belonged to opposition groups and were fleeing either to Europe or Iraq through Turkey.

During Mottaki's tenure, many of the Islamic Republic's dissidents were killed across Turkey, prompting Turkish officials to accuse Mottaki of instigating instability and issuing him a persona non grata status, which meant he had to leave the country within 24 hours."

Fareed tried verbally fencing with the Fo Min and it was like watching a waltz or maybe a wrestling match. Subtle dances and feints that ultimately resolved little.
Here's a sample mix

ZAKARIA: Mr. Foreign Minister, one of the questions people have is really about Iranian intentions. What are your intentions in the region?

And one thing that gives a great deal of suspicion to people are the statements of your president with regard to Israel. Your president has said, "The occupying regime" -- meaning Israel -- "must be wiped off the map."

He has said, "This new wave started in Palestine. Eliminate this disgraceful stain from the world."And most recently, just a month or two ago, he said, "Israel will disappear from the geographic scene."What does he mean?

MOTTAKI: Our approach with regard to the Israeli regime is clear. An event happened in Europe, a horrible war ensued. Tens of millions of people were killed, and some were survivors. And it was said that these victims of war should be taken care of, restored in some way.

What we believe, what happened in World War II was a crime. We also have to ask ourselves: Who committed that crime?

So, Mr. Ahmadinejad's question is: If these victims are to be taken care of in terms of restoring some of what they lost, why should another place, another people pay from their own pocket the price for this crime?

For 60 years, this regime, as far as the public opinion of the region is concerned, does not have legitimacy, and has not reached a point where it can be liked by the people.
Of course, we cannot force others to accept what we say. But we think that, in a democratic country we have the right to say what we think.

ZAKARIA: Are you, then, categorically saying, as the foreign minister of Iran, that you have no intention to attack Israel in any sense or in any way?

MOTTAKI: We will defend our own country in the case of any attack or invasion, or any threat.

And the history of the past several years of our land, Iran, demonstrates that our country has never initiated an invasion or an attack that was carried out by the Iranian people against another people in the region.

This is the nature of our people, of our history, of our system, as well, in the past 30 years as the Islamic Republic of Iran.

ZAKARIA: You all have said recently that, were Israel to attack Iran, that it is possible that you would also attack not just Israeli targets, but also American targets.

And I want to be clear, why would you attack American targets, if there were an Israeli attack on Iran?

After all, the United States appears, at least in some ways, to be trying to move diplomatically, not militarily.

MOTTAKI: The Israeli regime is principally in no position to engage in another adventure in the region -- militarily. We do not believe that Israel is in a position to engage in a military act in the region.

However, if this were to happen -- as much as I would still add, the possibility of it almost very, very nonexistent -- but at the same time, if it were happen, it's quite possible that independent countries like Iran would see their first responsibility is to defend themselves.

ZAKARIA: Mr. Minister, you said recently that, in recent months, America's psychological warfare against Iran has increased exponentially. What exactly do you mean? Is it covert operations against Iran? Is it threats? What exactly are you referring to there?

MOTTAKI: But in the past two years, on certain cases, at different time junctures -- I'd say about every six months -- it would become a hot topic, meaning the idea of the possibility of a military attack was raised at some points of time in the last two years. There would be people who actually came to us to inform us, saying that on specific dates there would be an attack on a specific location.

So, our analysis at that time -- including now -- is that these measures are, in fact, sort of an attempt to add a spice to the political trends that have been going on from the past, but have never been serious ones.

So, our analysis is, in fact, that neither the region nor the United States of America, nor anyone elsewhere in the world, has the capacity to witness another military attack in the region.

So, I believe it's time that the West changes its eyeglasses and look at Iran through a different lens. By changing the eyeglasses, I would say they'd be able to see issues more clearly and better. Iran is committed to its constructive approach and the resolution of regional and international affairs and problems.

ZAKARIA: You know, when I listen to you, Mr. Foreign Minister, your words are different from before in some ways. Your tone is different.

I have met with President Ahmadinejad, and he speaks in a very different way

Now, what I am wondering is, is this part of an effort to confuse us? Is this what in America would be called a "good cop, bad cop" routine, where he says some things that are very fiery, and you say things that are very sweet? Or is there a genuine shift in Iran's attitude?

MOTTAKI: We hear new voices in America. We see new approaches. And we think that the rational thinkers in America can, based on these new approaches, see the reality as it is. We are ready to help them in this endeavor.

After the show hoes like Christiane Amanpour (CNN Internat'l Correspondant Babe), Vali Nasr (Tufts University) and Mikey Ware (CNN Baghdad's Palestine Hotel Balcony correspondant cat) gave up some fly and some not so fly analysis which ranged from informed to uninformed to highly suspect.

Tags: GSGF, Middle East, Iran, Israel

Destiny

Iran’s problems extend to the Gulf States and include occupation and destabilization operations, among other practices, and the same applies to Lebanon, Yemen and other states. This confirms that Iran’s problem is not with Saudi Arabia or Egypt only, as Damascus is trying to convince us, rather; it is with all the countries in the Arab world.

Iran is not a superpower but it has a specific goal and it relies upon some groups that believe that their sectarian affiliation to Iran grants them power and stature – with the knowledge that vast majority of Shia, on all different levels, are aware of and always warn about the threat posed by the incumbent regime in Tehran.

Iran’s real problem lies in its desire to expand in the Arab world and to resume its exportation of its Islamic revolution. Many of us overlook the fact that Iran’s fundamental problem since [Ayatollah Ruholla] Khomeini’s revolution was exporting it, in addition to its interference in internal Arab affairs – and this is what [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad’s regime and its supporters are seeking to implement today.

The question here is "Why? And what has changed?" But the answer is clear: The Iranian regime found an advantageous opportunity in the fall of Saddam Hussein to fill in the void that was created in the region and to extend its influence in Iraq, and the same applies to Afghanistan

Washington presented Tehran with a priceless service when it removed its archenemies; Saddam in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The conflict is not Iranian-American as some would like to imagine; Iran believes that this is its historical opportunity to extend its influence in Iraq and Afghanistan and expand in the region whilst exploiting the vacuum and the shock that perplexed the Arabs the day Baghdad fell.


Iran wanted to resume what it had started in terms of exporting the revolution following Khomeini’s rise to power, but which was disrupted for a number of reasons, including the eight-year war with Iraq. This was followed by the rationality that was displayed by Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammed Khatami during their presidential terms in Iran.

The godfather of rapprochement at the time was King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, who was crown prince then. During that time, Washington wanted Saudi’s testimony that Tehran was responsible of the al Khobar bombings [29 May 2004] but the Saudis knew that it would have meant war with Iran. Riyadh did not give Washington that validation.

During Khatami’s presidency, Egyptian-Iranian rapprochement was increasing, with some minor differences – but both were speaking openly. At the time, Khatami pledged to change the name of the street that was named after [Anwar] Sadat’s assassin [Khalid Islambouli], but the matter was delayed because of the mayor of Tehran. And do you remember who that mayor was? Ahmadinejad!

The problem with Iran is not one about dialogue, rather; it is the crisis of the Iranian desire for expansion in the Arab world. Tehran wants to seize control of the region’s states and its objectives are clear – how else can one explain the Iranian petition against Google Earth over the name of the Arabian Gulf

This is not the attitude of someone that seeks rapprochement; rather, it stems from nationalistic or religious intolerance – and what is concealed is always greater than what is revealed.

A change in Iranian attitude without war cannot come about except from within Tehran internally, or through a Saudi-Egyptian stance that can yield results on the ground – but results that are far removed from Damascus’s deception

submitted by TaRiQ

Peace

Israel sets demands for Syria

Israel demands that Syria stops supporting Hamas and Hezbollah and to cut ties with Iran [EPA] Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, says that Syria must stop supporting Hamas and Hezbollah for peace talks to resume. Livni's announcement came on Thursday after Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, confirmed that the two countries have maintained contact for a year, hours after it emerged that Turkey is mediating talks. Livni also wants Syria to cut its ties with Iran. Co-ordinated announcements on Wednesday by Israel and Syria that they had begun indirect talks in Turkey, the first confirmation of negotiations between the long-time enemies in eight years, drew a lukewarm response from the United States.

These talks are all well and good, but getting Syria to stop sponsoring terror or cutting it's ties to Iran may be more than Assad can do. Syria would be relegated to a very minor role in the region without those ties it has cultivated for so long and I'm not sure they are willing to do that. Not for simple peace and the promised Golan Heights.

I understand Israel's desire to achieve peace with it's neighbors (any of them) and I hope this doesn't come back to bite at them. Any peace would be welcome, but for their to be a lasting peace; the Islamic world will have to finally decide the Jews can live.

Related articles

• Olmert warns of Syria concessions [via Zemanta]
• Cheney assures Israel on security [via Zemanta]

Tags: Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, Golan Heights, Middle East, Israel, peace, Lord Nazh

Silence

The Arab Leagues recent hook up in Cairo to worry and wring hands while Lebanon gets devoured by the Mullahs and their bloody protrubrences like Hiz'B'Allah failed to speak out about the one thing that was everyone's minds.

Essentially - what will you do when Iran exerts their hegemonic guerrilla goons on your little spot of turf?

Tariq Alhomayed points out

"Do the Arab states accept Syria's proposal that maintains that the occupation of an Arab state at the hands of a party that follows and receives the orders of Tehran is a purely domestic affair and that the Arab League need not do anything about it?

Another hard-hitting piece from my favorite blogger Courtney. Head over there and check it out.

Tags: GSGF, Middle East, Syria, terrorists, Lebanon, war, Lord Nazh

Pakistan Moves

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan-- In an early sign of instability in the new government in Pakistan, the junior partner in the coalition said Monday that it was withdrawing from the cabinet over the failure to reinstate the Supreme Court judges dismissed by President Pervez Musharraf.

Nawaz Sharif during a press conference in Islamabad on Monday.

The move by the Pakistan Muslim League-N to vacate its nine posts in the 24-member cabinet, including the all important finance ministry, was a step short of leaving the coalition and the collapse of the government altogether. But it was a clear indication of just how fragile the coalition remained.

The leader of the party, Nawaz Sharif, said he was standing firm on a pledge made by the coalition in March to bring back 57 judges, including the Chief Justice, Iftikhar Mohamed Chaudhry, after their dismissal under emergency rule last November.

This is the move that will eventually get Musharraf back into power in Pakistan. When Sharif and his party finally remove themselves from the coalition, the ruling party will need allies and into that breach will step Musharraf.

Read the whole article of course, everything is basically the US and Bush's fault :)

Good news?

The 48 hour rule is in effect:

BAGHDAD - The Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman says the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq has been arrested in the northern city of Mosul.

Spokesman Mohammed al-Askari says the arrest of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, was confirmed to him by the Iraqi commander of the province.

There was no immediate confirmation from U.S. forces on the arrest.

This would indeed be good news if it's true, we'll have to wait and see.

Tags: Al-qaeda, Iraq, Baghdad, War on Terror, Lord Nazh

Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the state of Israel is a "stinking corpse" that is destined to disappear, the French news agency AFP reported. "Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken," the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as having said. "Today the reason for the Zionist regime's existence is questioned, and this regime is on its way to annihilation." Ahmadinejad further stated that Israel "has reached the end like a dead rat after being slapped by the Lebanese" - referring to the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Photo: AP

The rat speaks again. Of course this will be spun so many times that it will sound like he's just talking about what 'might' happen in some distant future and not what he plans. I'd be more interested in seeing the text before the AP got their hands on it to see what it really says. There are those that still believe Mahmoud isn't out to destroy Israel; some of those actually help him and some are just willfully ignorant.

Tags: Iran, Israel, Middle East, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, destruction, Lord Nazh

Shah'rade

Image by photoyogi via FlickrCourt has a new post up:

Russia's Peter the Great Military Academy is an ancient War College founded way back in the 1820's. Named after the cat who dragged Russia kicking and screaming into the age of sail and empire - the Academy today is cutting edge and egalitarian.

Russia's GRU site has a cool pic featurette featuring babettes learning and prepping for careers in Strategic Missile Forces.

"The academy offers career training in over 29 fields for the Strategic Missile Forces, Space Forces, Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as the Russian Defense Ministry’s main and central directorates."

With missiles, missile defenses and sheilding sprouting up all over Eurasia recent talk of buddying up with Tehran is a concern. The mullah's handpicked little rocketeer
"Iran and Russia are two major powerful countries, and cooperation between our states in settling various problems will serve the interests of Russian and Iranian
nations as well as regional and international security. We each serve an
efficient role in establishing a new model of international relations."

Go over and check it out. As always, lots of links and great research.

Tags: GSGF, Russia, Iran, Middle East, relations, armed forces, Lord Nazh

Rights (repost)

Reposting this while at work to get people to read it :)

As I sit here thinking (yes I know, what am I doing thinking being a 'close-minded wingnut') about life and people's rights in general, I keep going back to something that I've yet to figure out.

Why do you never see women's rights groups protest the treatment of women in the middle east? Why is there never a gay march to protest the way Islam treats gay people? And why do moonbats generally just not give a damn about people's rights in the middle east at all?

These are serious questions. You can't read the paper or watch the news without seeing someone protesting the treatment of someone in this country (or any other non-muslim country) and yet not a whimper about the plight of people in Islamic countries. I realize that the left is totally sold on the idea that 23 million or so Iraqis have no rights and should be abadoned post-haste to the tender mercies of their private little spat, but you'd think the treatment of said people would at least get them to write a petition or something.

Just to be fair, let's compare the plights of women and gays here and there:

In the U.S. women have to endure violence (sometimes), have to endure lower pay (research shows that most women are paid less than men in similar positions), have to endure sterotypical treatment (mother, homemaker, etc.) and have to endure degrading treatment by artists (rap music especially, but also magazines, et al.). Whew, that's rough. Let's see where they stand in Islam: Women can't work (homemaker), can't goto school, can't drive, can't be in public with a non-relative male, can be beaten (yes women are beaten in all societies, but in this one, it's actually illegal to do it, in Islam not only is it legal, they have guidelines on HOW to do it).

So on just a rough comparison we see that the women's groups are protesting the wrong party. But maybe they just don't know?

Ok, let's see how the gays fair:

In the U.S.: 'Steve' and 'Adam' cannot marry, might not be able to adopt... must live with insensitive remarks and the threat of physical violence if they happen to run into an ignorant group of people (this is a legitimate threat as ignorance doesn't seem to be abating).
In Islam: Really only one downside, they would be killed.

Seems on the same basis that these groups are fighting the wrong fight also. Maybe they just tag along to the women's groups parties?

After thinking about this, I finally came up with a hypothesis. Moonbats don't protest these people's plights simply because: They.Do.Not.Care.

A moonbat will protest anything that happens in a place they would like to live. Don't believe me? Find a protest about the 'religious right' or Christian fanatacs when you could only find them in rural Kentucky or the backwoods of Wyoming. There weren't any. Now that the 'rr' and the cf's are EVERYWHERE you see the protests and mock alarm. Moonbats don't want to live in the middle east, so they don't care what happens to the people there. Moonbats love to protest about the environment, yet most moonbats live in big cities, wierd huh?

Of course, alot of people simply won't believe me and that's ok, since this is my opinion anyway. But when the moonbats start actually caring about people then I'll start listening to them.
__________
Reason to seethe
Filed: moonbats, middle east, rights, LordNazh

One K'Ssam Away

"It begins with a single Qassam rocket, one of the thousands of homemade projectiles fired in recent years by the Islamic radicals of HAMAS from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel.

The rockets have made life nightmarish for many Israelis but have largely missed their targets. But this one gets "lucky": It smashes into an elementary school, wounding 40 children and killing 15."

From such a scary pic start off - random targeting of a school mind you - it gets worse. Little Satan finally says the heck with it and launches an old school panzer strip blitz. Lured into armor kill zones ala Kursk, house to house fighting like Fallujah and Jenin break out.

HAMAS screams "Massacre! Massacre!" and instantly the lame stream media does a 24/7 complete with Gaza Green Helmet guys, freshly displayed deceased innocents and the result is outrage and violent riots throughout the ME.

Body Parts Collector General of the Hiz'B'Allah begins to fire off like a billion K'tusha's at Little Satan's North 40. Knocking out batteries of foreign fed and led missile martyrs in Lebanon in record time (must have been all that study and rehearsal after the July August War of '06) - Little Satan's Air Force starts working overtime.

Basharopolis acts out with a real live military attack on the Golan Heights.

Little Satan absorbs the attack, counters and Syria retaliates with chemical warheads on Little Satan's cities. The IAF begins turning entire blocks of government ministries and complexes into huge smoking craters in the oldest continually inhabited city in the world.

About then Iran fires off hundreds of Shahab 3 rockets targeting Tel Aviv.

"Sound fantastical or too horrific to ponder? Not to Israeli intelligence analysts it doesn't. The Israeli military recently conducted a round of large-scale war games based precisely on this scenario.

In some rounds, Israel managed to humble Hamas and Hezbollah while shooting down most of the Iranian and Syrian rockets with its own Arrow and Patriot antimissile systems. But other forecasts went far less well: Israel survives but barely, with its cities devastated and countless civilians killed."

Now the cat who paints such a realistic(?) pic is Michael Oren. A very good historian, 2 of his books are def must haves - "Power, Faith, and Fantasy (America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present)" and the essential "6 Days of War - (the Making of the Modern Middle East)."

Dr Oren's prescrip is to point to the 6 Day War. The ME is a lot like it was way back then. And a lot different too.

"A conflict between Israel and Iran might not last six days but six hours, unleashing shock waves even more seismic than those of 1967."

Raining K'Ssam rockets (40 on Wednesday alone) with no end in sight is totally uncool in a dangerous way. Until recently, HAMAS has been faking it .

Little Satan so far has kept up a relentless stealth campaign as her spy guy military ops rip through the HAMAS terror fanboy groups, instead of unleashing an all out assault to retake Gaza and keep it this time.

All that could change very soon.

It's only one K'Ssam away.

Cross posted at GSGF's home.

The Audacity Of Victory

Disaster, quagmire, catastrophe, failure. Like witches cackling about a bubbly cauldron, critics and critiques enchant and re enchant a totally cursed cacophony. A pox on Pax Americana, defeat, retreat and repeat.

Such inappropiate (and boring) wickedness summoned something more than shades, spectres and hissing dissing daemoneocon denounciations.

It also requires a retarded redux more see through than Lindsay's see through Marilyn redux.

Decorated ex Combat historian and all around America Rocks y'all! PHD Bevin Alexander prophesied that chairborne handwringers, ex and future (maybe?) policy makers, are either educated doofuses, in heat with defeat or (even worse) - academic deceivers

"Many critics of American foreign policy - both at home and abroad - assert that the United States has overextended herself unnecessarily in other nations affairs. Some liberal critcs even chastise the United States for becoming an "Imperial Power."

These criticisms are completely off the mark. Those who worry about America's projection of power are overlooking how America got to the position she occupies at this moment in history: the world's dominant political and military, the only nation that will actually go into the world and strike down evil."

This is significant. For Great Satan, "National Interest" is not a 'geo mapi - graphical' phrase (well maybe for trade and enviro regulating) it is global. Tiny and small nations might appropiately feel that their nat'l interest begin and end at the border. Natch, their foreign policy would most likely be defensive only.

A larger nation has more extensive interests - by design. Like Soviet Union time Russia and Great Satan today - collective ID is ideological, big boys have ideological interests in addition to purely materialistic concerns.

Sans something weird and unheard of, Great Satan will always feel bound and obliged to defend any democracy under the gun from unfree, unhinged and undemocratic threats - external or internal. Kinda like the Euro escapade in both world wars.

Same thing with Japan, SoKo, Taiwan or Little Satan today. When geopolitical best girl friends forever are under attack - the claws come out. Nothing magic about it.

Fact is, the Great Satan's 30 years in the future military is super superior (and some are in denial about this - which says more about their world views than anything else) to any imaginable combination that could be arrayed against her. This wasn't an evil plot by pre emptive, preventive plotters.

It came with the turf. Just lucky - bad or good - Great Satan racked up one heck of a military biz during the half century since WWII time Deutschland and Nippon gave up fascist and imperial ghosts and succumbed to Regime Changes.

While Europa rebuilt, recovered and rehabbed, Warsaw Pact time Russia laid out of real combat (except for losing their hide in Afghanistan) and used Soviet homies and local fanboys to do the fighting.

Not Great Satan! She was involved with combat ops nearly everywhere. Korea, Greece, Vietnam, Cambodia, Dominican Repub, El Salvador, Grenada, Lebanon, Libya, Panama, Kuwait, Somalia, Kosovo, the Balkans, Afghanistan and of course, her latest regime change - Iraq.

When Russia tried to put down Grozny the 1st time in the Commonwealth era - it was horribly embarrassing. - like catching a longtime Gf hooking up with a guy that she KNEW you liked.

"The initial attack ended with a major rout of the attacking forces and led to heavy Russian casualties and nearly a complete breakdown of morale. An estimated 1,000 to 2,000 federal soldiers died in the disastrous New Year's Eve assault.

All units of the 131st "Maikop" Motor Rifle Brigade sent into the city, numbering more than 1,000 men, were destroyed during the 60-hour fight in the area of the Grozny's central railway station, leaving only about 230 survivors (1/3 of them captured). Several other Russian armored columns each lost hundreds of men during the first two days and nights of the siege."

The mighty Red Army quagmired in their own back yard with the first defeat suffered by Russia nearly 51 years to the day. Not since the wicked Wehrmacht desperately delivered a bloody nose at Zhitomir Ukrainia had the Red Army been defeated and retreated.

When an almost identical sitch occured at Ah Nasiriyah in '03 - Great Satan pretty much redecorated the place (in early millenium 'Steel on target' fashion), launched an on the spot counterattack that not only reached temporarily cut off units - but ended up capturing the entire burg.

Half a century of nigh constant confrontation cloned creative combat cadre that would never leave a comrade behind. Armed with the ultimate in Battlefield meds, real time communications and more precise firepower in hand, on hold and on call than panzer prima donna's ever dreamed.

Great Satan blinging for combat stuff rate wise expanded along with America's economic growth - while Euro powers blinged on social programs and refrained from fighting amoungst themselves, cut spending on their militaries and focused on trading and tech.

The Soviet Union spent cash (rubles, actually) at an alarming rate. Mostly wasteful, Mother Russia's military AND economy bashed heads and knocked each other all the way out in collapse.
Magically, after 20 years or so, despite faux school ideas like "imperial decline" Great Satan busted out of her cocoon as uniquely powerful - the only one of Her kind. Meds, science and high tech were off the hook - and generously applied to creating and upgrading everything from electric pencil sharpeners to cruise missiles.

Just like Spider - man, with all this great power came great responsibilities. It's a fact Jack - whether sought after, wanted, welcomed or not.

A lot like the armies of attention attracting sporty shorties at the mall that demand, deflect and encouragingly discourage players.

And, like little hottie drama magnets, Great Satan will find opportunities to use it - or the world will discover opportunities for Great Satan.

Despite faux obits, predictions of defeat, quad quarterly publications of recent event rewrites, realpolitik resurrectionists, and dissing defence of democracy - America's audacity of victory is nigh unstoppable.

Inspired by dR d at AmErIcAn PoWeR

Cross-posted at GSGF's home.

The Audacity Of Pride

Recently, much has been made about pride - or the lack of it or the acute aquisition of it in a certain lady who wants to be first by next January.

Born between the Fall of the Wall and the Fall of the Towers - pride was something only reserved for self - never shared or recog'd for others.

History was something to daydream through in class or ancient smelly books with funky photos to avoid. History was boring. Pilgrims. Yankees. Rebels. Wheee. So what?

Then one late summer day, sitting on the floor in front of the TV, breakfasting on Cap'n Crunch Berries history came alive and became very personal.

So did pride.

Pride that Ladder 8 rushed into burning buildings to save lives - and laid down their own.

Pride that Flight 93 was the first counterattack - a do and die effort to save lives.

Pride that Americans killed Al Qaeda's #2 on the very first day of retaliation.

Pride that only America could prevail in the Afghanistani 'graveyard of empires' - in only three weeks.

Pride that Pat Tilman gave up everything to literally save everything in a dark and scary time.

Pride that America blew off the Geneva Convention - instead of shooting captured Taliban and Al Qaeda combatants out of uniform on the battlefield.

And that's only in the first 90 days after 911

Dr Donald Douglas in SoCali teaches that

"Not only that, of all the great Western democracies, the United States has made the most radical committment toward the guarantees of full equality under the law and the pursuit of the unimpeachable human dignity in the history of Western civilization.

Have we always lived up to our ideals? Of course not. Thomas Jefferson himself embodies the contrast of our nation's lofty ideals and our ignominious crimes of injustice.

But we have overcome.

From Abraham Lincoln to George W. Bush, the march of American democratization - while not always swift - has been unrelenting."

And all of Great Satan's children and fans worldwide - truly - should be audaciously proud of that.

Cross-posted at GSGF's home.

"Globe Stomping"

Apparently rehabbed from last year's "Condi is a retard" rant, Dr Fred Kaplan is back sounding the alarm about how Great Satan has suicided herself in less than eight years by pursuing some weeded out buzz that never really was. Only now, he's got a new book to hawk with a dope title something like

"Why not sucking up to despots, the UN and enemies is uncool"

Loser lover Seymour Hersch raves it delivers the dirt on the "looney tunes" and "sci fi" fans who usurped America's weak, worthless ignoble waning power and totally ruined everything by taking their day gigs seriously, pretending Great Satan won the Cold War and that 911 could be a harbinger of future threats.

Refraining use of the "R" word out loud this time, Dr K tests the aqua with a toe or two in the LA Times.

"Downsizing our dominance" kicks off with a stealth surge success denial that heads straight down hill faster than popping 2 Xanex washed down with copius amounts of Jagermeister. Totally mentis non compos making.

Confusing American conviction for American arrogance is essential for understanding such subtle, nuanced worldviews like only Foreign Policy saavy stereophiles can.

"U.S. leaders stomped around the globe with wide-elbowed indifference to
the consequences of their actions."

Oh Snap! Globe stomping is what Great Satan does best. Actually called sticking to your guns. Besides - of all the things that could be listed about Globe stomping - indifference AIN'T on the list.

Should Great Satan really care about the regional aspirations of regimes like Iran that openly deny the Holocaust and openly plot the next? Or pitiful rats nests like Sudan that would happily skin a humanitarian lady alive because of some risable retarded (in the classic sense - no less) 8th century concept of sacrilege? Good luck with that.

Complaining that no one in either party really addresses Foreign Policy except for talking to allies, Dr Kaplan dodges the point. Americans kill enemies and only really talk when enemies scream "God! Please! Stop!"

In the New Millenium, scary unfree regimes and time traveling fanboys (rocket hot or not) should worry about what Great Satan thinks of them - not some fan club outreach to a place like Syria that is totally freaked about Facebook. SOTH Pelosi's trek to Basharopolis hasn't really seemed to help.

Like a mirror - Dr K seems to prefer the opposite - punish allies and court enemies

"Germany joins France in opposing resolutions on Iraq in the U.N.
Security Council -- and nothing happens to Germany"

Nothing except the elected PM gets sacked and Deutschers vote in a PM that wants to draw closer - not further from America. The same America that dissed the UN's collection of thug huggers, creepy blocs and leagues and took out the trash at the same time.

Click for the rest of the story

"The Turkish parliament votes against letting U.S. troops invade Iraq from
thenorth -- and nothing happens to Turkey"

Nothing except fighting a campaign to put paid to the idea of an independent Kurdistan. Kinda hard to deny Turkey's own Kurds that there's no such thing - when they see it across the border in northern Iraq - kind of a mini Kurdistan free and semi functional.

And Turkey's no closer to the EU than it was before the 20 Day war. And having to host Little Satan's Air Force sometimes to keep their rowdy, Lebanon meddling neighbor in Damascus somewhat in line WMD wise.

"Bush warns Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak not to trample on human rights; the trampling continues -- and not only does nothing happen to Egypt, but on his
recent trip to the Middle East, Bush commends Mubarak for his commitment to
democracy."

Actually, the last one is a play from Dr K's own "Suck up to Hosni Song" that he sang in a possible fit of jealousy last year. Nothing happens to Egypt? Only that Hosni is a lot like the guy who adopted a baby python (constrictus palestinianus) fed it, nurtured it and now it could devour his regime.

"The next president can begin to rebuild U.S. influence, but he or she cannot
do it alone. The task requires rebuilding alliances, and that is a harder task
than before."

YAWN. More nations are drawing closer to Great Satan - like Poland, India, Pakistan, Ukrainia, Japan, SoKo, Taiwan, Canada, Deutschland, France, Philippines, Australia, - the list goes on and on. More nations realize that downsizing American dominance isn't really helping anyone and like France - realizes that if America does split - the world is less likely to instantly become a happy place where stability, tolerance and enlightenment reigns.

Professor Michael Mandelbaum, Foreign Policy and Internat'l expert at Johns Hopkins University reveals in his killer crunk "The Case for Goliath" that

"Every threat to internat'l order for which the United States bore responsibility after the Cold War involved a government that fell short of Western and economic standards.

Every security problem that the American government felt called upon to address would be alleviated, if not solved altogether, if the regimes responsible for them could be remade to American specifications. For the global economy and internat'l security, the United States functioned, in the wake of the Cold War, as the world's government."

Dr K redefines that unhappy fact. Military misfits dug their poisoned claws into weak minded elected pols poisoned by disasterous, daemonic, democratic day dreams

"They believed, and acted, as if American power were not only undimmed but
supreme and unchallengeable -- as if a president's grimace would still make tyrants tremble and the dispatch of light armies could remake the world."

Oh Snap! America Unbound did remake the world -

Regime changing Ba'Athist Iraq (with the largest Arab army in history in 20 days - no less).

Libya's Colonel Khadaffy trembled and gave up the ghost with his surprisingly advanced secret WMD witchcraft.

Decapitating the Taliban and driving them into a giant kill zone like the former 'No Go' Federated tribal turf in Pakistan.

Staring down Iran in Iraq with multiple Mahdi army massacres, Tehran trembled enough to yank Mookie's asset out of the Surge's Mookie minion mashing Bahgdad sweep. And sack Larajani. And their Revo Guard Commander.

The NIE 2007 'nuke free since '03' is 'moderately confident' that Iran "trembled" enough to forsake nukes and are left with only Kamikaze motorboat flotillas to sortee periodically.

The Land of the Pure's General President for Life trembled and dropped the 'General', stopped fiddling about with caliphaters, began killing them off instead, promised to hold a real election and overtly covertly invited Great Satan right on in the house.

Getting Japan to pull naval ops (under a very thin veneer of UN 'legitimacy') to protect Nippon's skirt flirt with military projection along with constitutional pacifism frees up regime killing regime changing global platforms to prowl the seas.

Isolating the HAMAS and using the entire Arab League to do it at Annapolis. Global stomping?
Of all the things that could be listed about the last 8 years - "supreme and unchallengable" is right up there with "universal values of the human spirit."

"The next president might try to rally an anti-Iran coalition of Sunni leaders in
the Middle East. But those leaders will need some enticements from the United
States to take the necessary risks. What deal would the next president offer to,
say, the Persian Gulf states near Iran to encourage them to join the enterprise?"

How about their own survival? If Arabs leaders need to defuse Palestine to deprive Iran of a strategic propaganda ploy to militarize and revolutionize Arab kingdoms to overthrow their leaders or plant resistence movements that tend to resist sovereign legit democracies more than resisting Little Satan - then the fear of what the Islamic Republic could do with an 800 lb nuke in the hood is totally off the hook.

Dr Kaplan does realize that diplomacy is often non profit jaw flapping that doesn't solve everything everytime but then he totally blows it by trying to paint a weak Great Satan that is helpless without the aid and abetment of unfree regimes who are primarily interested in maintaining their own power at any costs, destabilizing the hood, projecting projectile proliferation and a penchant for bomb squads to torment their neighbors.

"In many situations, though, the vital interests of two countries are simply
irreconcilable -- and neither has the power to make the other give in."

Now that is flat out Realpolitk - not even good code - and after 60 years of failed Foreign Policy like Dr. K's fave - is so last year - totally out of date in the new millenium. No new ideas, no hope and no future for Great Satan except as a broke no game player trekkin through a bizarro global hood where it's getting dark.

"The next presidents will have to get down in the dirt, strike deals and
trade favors. It's no longer morning in America, but it's not quite twilight
either."

In a way - this piece by Dr. K could be interpeted as saying far more about publicizing an inner ethical wrestling match and coming to terms with Realpolitik's failure. A potential personal epiphany super slide from the old school Cold War amoral, corrupt, cult of stability towards a new school, amoral, corrupt cult of stability.

A history do over and rewriting Great Satan's response to 911 is a very weak excuse for some realthink pursuit to reignite magical mythical stability, detente' or neo isolationist coexistence.

Realpolitik's real history is of wars, genocide, terrorism - in a word - failure. Hopes of a resurrection should really be as incinerated as surely as the nearly 3K innocents who made it to work that late summer day.

Outsourcing Great Satan's ideals and diminishing her dominance will be a tough sell in the new millenium, just like weak, boring, enemy encouraging handwringing that anything that happens is entirely Great Satan's fault.

"The next president can begin to rebuild U.S. influence, but he or she cannot
do it alone. The task requires rebuilding alliances, and that is a harder task
than before."

Since 911, Great Satan has demonstrated her will power, fire power and staying power to hit up scary places in the world, adapting, annihilating and allying.

A better case could be made that Great Satan's Globe Stomping DID remake the world. And Great Satan knows Her way around.

Cross posted at GSGF

Iran

In the Holy Sh!t department:

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday she believed the nuclear stand-off with Iran could be resolved diplomatically but that Tehran must not be allowed to become a nuclear weapons power.

Just one day after getting agreement on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution against Tehran, Rice offered the incentive of a "more normal relationship" and expanded trade if Iran gave up sensitive nuclear work, according to the prepared text of her speech to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

"Ultimately, though, we believe that we can resolve this problem through diplomacy," Rice said according to the text, which was distributed by conference organizers.

"If Iran would suspend its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities - which is an international demand, not just an American one - then we could begin negotiations, and we could work over time to build a new, more normal relationship," she said.

Reuters

I wish I could find people that would trust me as much as the US government trusts Iran after the way it has acted.

heh and to make this 'special', this is my 666 post (cue eerie music)

Bhutto

Bhutto was assassinated today in Pakistan.
Click for the rest of the story

Rest in Peace

tag: assassination, Benazir Bhutto, terrorism, Pakistan, Middle East, Verlin Martin, Lord Nazh

Iraq and the Return

Courtney has a great write up on the 'Surge effect' in Iraq:

Knocking out the largest Arab army in history in 20 days, turning Iraq into a
giant sucking killing machine, grinding up Saudi rejects, wanna be jihadis',
Iranian Minions and Syrian agents. Leaving them dead on the side of the road for
a stranger to bury, has magically drawn the Great
Satan's enemies into a quagmire that has drained resources, volunteers and
their collective willpower. Going to Iraq for jihad now is a dumb thing to do.
[link]

Of course she goes on (in her special way) to say much more, so read the whole thing, it's a great write.

It's time now for the 'other' political animal to jump on board and ride the bandwagon; or essential to leave the playing field for the serious people to work with.

tag: terrorists, Iraq, GreatSatan, TWoT, Blogpower, LordNazh

It never fails, the Iraq situation is finally turning around and another problem asserts itself:

Iraq pledges to tackle Kurdish rebels

Haroon Siddique and agencies
Tuesday October 23, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

The Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, called the PKK a 'terrorist organisation'. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Iraq today pledged to shut down the operations of Kurdish rebels operating in the country amid frantic efforts to head off a Turkish attack.

The Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, called the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK) a "terrorist organisation" and announced that he would "shut down their offices".

The move came as the US and Iraq attempt to avert a threatened invasion by Turkish troops looking to crush PKK fighters operating on the Iraqi border.

"The PKK is a terrorist organisation and we have taken a decision to shut down their offices and not allow them to operate on Iraqi soil," Mr Maliki said.

"We will also work on limiting their terrorist activities, which are threatening Iraq and Turkey."

He gave no details of how the rebels could be prevented from launching attacks from their remote mountain bases in northern Iraq. [link]

Un-needed drama at the border. The last thing that country needs is for Turkey to come in and take on the Kurds; but, unless Iraq (and the U.S.) can control the PKK then Turkey will have to do something. Turkey can't continue to be targeted on cross-border raids without defending its people.

I hope Maliki can contain the PKK (and shut them down) for the sake of Iraq and his people. If Turkey has to come after them, the diplomatic situation will be a mess.

tag: Iraq, PKK, Turkey, Middle East, Blogpower, LordNazh

What happened

I have a link in the side to the site that Beth refers to, but I thought I'd link her post just so people may be interested enough to look at it.

What Really Happened In The Middle East

*click*

Maybe more people will learn what really happened.

Terrorism (deaux)

Fox news reports on new fighting in the West Bank between Israel and the Palestinians.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas militants called Sunday for a fresh wave of attacks against Israel after troops killed nine Palestinians in weekend fighting, straining a five-month-old cease-fire.

It's extremely hard to strain a cease-fire that has not stopped any fighting yet. Of course this has never stopped the terrorists of Palestine or the MSM from reporting it.

In response to the bloodshed, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' more moderate Fatah movement urged him to consider breaking off contacts with the Israeli government, despite his pledge to the United States to hold regular meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Hamas and Fatah are partners in a coalition government.

One of the best things that could happen is that Israel stop talking to the 'moderate' terrorists. It does not matter what Abbas promises, the terror mindset is too deeply imbedded with Hamas and Fatah.

Among the nine Palestinians killed in the weekend upsurge of violence were two gunmen and a 17-year-old who died Sunday in the West Bank. The fighting also included a Palestinian rocket attack on the southern Israeli town of Sderot that damaged a home.

Israeli officials defended the killings as part of operations that have drastically reduced the number of attacks against Israelis. Palestinian officials, however, said that the deaths jeopardized their efforts to expand the Gaza truce to the West Bank.

Of course, any movement by Israel will by default jepordize expanding the cease-fire. Of course, the fact that the cease-fire isn't even good on PAPER shouldn't come into the thinking of the reporter, nor his expected reader.

No one media outlet has ever been accused of actually reporting this story neutrally, but you would think that the 'right-wing' Fox would actually play more to the middle and call a spade a spade, but...

Hamas, which has killed scores of Israelis in homicide bombings, sought to rally other Palestinian militant groups in a new offensive that would shatter the truce in the Gaza Strip.

"The blood of our people is not cheap," a Hamas statement said, inviting Palestinians of every ideological stripe to unite and "use all possible means of resistance and to respond to the massacres."

Of course your people's blood is cheap. When (for any reason) you can't convince some promising teen-ager or 'ripe' mother to blow themselves up to kill the Jews, you spend your time killing yourselves or training the children to do it for you. If you really think your people's lives are precious, maybe it's time for the 'leaders' to actually start acting like it. Governing isn't that hard a process; people have been ruling countries since shortly after people arrived. One or another of those examples should help the terrorists out.

Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Olmert, said Israel "reaches out for peace, while at the same time we will always consistently fight against terror." Israel will continue its operations against Palestinian militants, she said, while "always doing our utmost to avoid any innocent casualties."

Troops killed the Palestinian teenager Sunday in a village near Ramallah. Palestinian officials said he was throwing stones at an Israeli patrol when he was shot. The army said soldiers opened fire as the youth was about to throw a firebomb at a military jeep.

Earlier, an army task force raided the militant stronghold of Nablus, killing two Palestinian gunmen, including Amin Lubadi, a top bombmaker who had been wanted by Israel for more than three years. The army said an Israeli soldier was lightly wounded in the battle.

Maybe one day they'll teach their young children and teens, that throwing stones (and/or firebombs) at soldiers does not lead to a healthy-long life. Yes shooting someone for throwing stones may be too much, but if you continue to do nothing, the stones will grow or the throwers will. Israel has acted more honorably than any country could expect in dealing with the terrorist menace of Palestine. How many countries can you think of that would not, by now, have razed most of the West Bank and Gaza to the ground? The palestinians have spent their anger, money and promise attacking the one country in the whole region that would have actually taken them in. It is no secret that every arab country bordering Israel has not made a home for their fellow arabs. It would hurt the despotic leaders of the region too much if they didn't have the palestinean-pawns to run the news and keep the eyes off of their regimes.

In unrelated violence late Sunday, four Palestinians were killed in Gaza, two in a gunfight among family members and two others in apparently random shootings by criminals, security officials said. Also, shadowy Islamic groups sent warnings to cigarette dealers to destroy their wares and to barbers to close their shops.

Internal violence has plagued Gaza for most of the time since Israel pulled out in 2005. Some has pitted Hamas and Fatah forces against each other, while other incidents involve family disputes or crime. (link)

How do they figure that this is unrelated violence? Any peoples that are governed by violence and beholden to terrorists will find a way to have violence if they cannot get to their 'enemies'. These people deserve a home, but not a state. There is no way that they can seriously be considered 'humane' enough to be given a state (note: if they already had a state, ex. N. Korea, then they'd simply be a horrible country) of their own. They simply cannot govern themselves. If the 'people' truly want a state, they will show it by getting rid of the terrorists. Unlike 'most' worldwide terrorism where the perpetrators are shadowy figures rarely known until they strike, in this land, their is common knowledge of who is who.

__________
Reason to weep

Filed:Israel, Palestine, arabs, terrorism, fatah, hamas, MSM, LordNazh