Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Found at EnglishRussia - a great site for pics from Russia on all topics.
Maybe Russia's Olympic athletes should have worn Ushankas, hmm? They may have brought home more gold.
Luckily, they are now being sent to Kolyma where they will have a 2nd chance at bringing home the gold:
U/T: Video found at AskYakutia.
posted by Karl @ 12:03 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Maybe Russia's Olympic athletes should have worn Ushankas, hmm? They may have brought home more gold.
Luckily, they are now being sent to Kolyma where they will have a 2nd chance at bringing home the gold:
U/T: Video found at AskYakutia.
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 12:03 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Monday, November 09, 2009
20 years ago today. Here are some random items to commemorate the day.
Our movie trailer from last year's campaign. Right prediction, wrong candidate...
From ContraObama:
Doug Ross posts a must-read from an anonymous surviver of communism in Hungary who summarizes: "Citizenship is our birthright, but freedom is not."
Today's WSJ Editorial Page:
Reason.tv's latest video:
UPDATE 4:15pm: Found at Townhall.
posted by Karl @ 1:08 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Our movie trailer from last year's campaign. Right prediction, wrong candidate...
From ContraObama:
Doug Ross posts a must-read from an anonymous surviver of communism in Hungary who summarizes: "Citizenship is our birthright, but freedom is not."
SOCIALISM!!!! Seams a perfect, equal system for all, a Shangri-La if you will, not realizing it is nothing but a bridge to Communism, which is total government control! Socialism at its best is corrupt, rotten to the core, a government without overseers! The idea of Socialism is not new in the United States , but it is not openly identified as such in the places it exists. If you live near by, drove through, or happen to live in the projects, you have seen and experienced Socialism in America!
Government housing, government healthcare, government schools, government food stamps, and what you see there is as good as it gets, when the government decides what is good for the people, takes the power out of the hands of the people, and they spread the wealth. Our government imposed full blown Socialism on our inner cities, and in over fifty years hasn’t been able to raise the living standard of those who live there! And look how happy and motivated are those, living in the projects with all that the government is providing for them.
Is that the best we can dream for our children and grandchildren? Is that the America we want to see? I certainly hope not, but that is exactly what the government means when they tell you they want to spread the wealth. They will make us all poor by breaking down our economy, forcing on us taxation on a level never seen before, and if we don’t like it and cause too much difficulty for them, at that point they will have the power to no longer tax us at all, simply take over completely, shut down the borders and impose full blown Communism. Not in America you might say! Think again, look around and see how much we lost just in the last year!
Government housing, government healthcare, government schools, government food stamps, and what you see there is as good as it gets, when the government decides what is good for the people, takes the power out of the hands of the people, and they spread the wealth. Our government imposed full blown Socialism on our inner cities, and in over fifty years hasn’t been able to raise the living standard of those who live there! And look how happy and motivated are those, living in the projects with all that the government is providing for them.
Is that the best we can dream for our children and grandchildren? Is that the America we want to see? I certainly hope not, but that is exactly what the government means when they tell you they want to spread the wealth. They will make us all poor by breaking down our economy, forcing on us taxation on a level never seen before, and if we don’t like it and cause too much difficulty for them, at that point they will have the power to no longer tax us at all, simply take over completely, shut down the borders and impose full blown Communism. Not in America you might say! Think again, look around and see how much we lost just in the last year!
Today's WSJ Editorial Page:
And there was Ronald Reagan, who believed the job of Western statesmanship was to muster the moral, political, economic and military wherewithal not simply to contain the Soviet bloc, but to bury it. "What I am describing now is a plan and a hope for the long term—the march of freedom and democracy which will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash-heap of history," he said in 1982, to the astonishment and derision of his critics. Now, there was the audacity of hope.
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It is a tribute to Reagan's moral and strategic determination, as it was to everyone else who played their part in bringing down the Wall, that they could see through the sophistries of Soviet propagandists, their Western fellow travelers, and the legions of moral equivocators and diplomatic finessers and simply look at the Wall.
"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle," George Orwell once said. That is what the heroes of 1989 did with unblinking honesty and courage for years on end until, at last, the Wall came tumbling down.
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It is a tribute to Reagan's moral and strategic determination, as it was to everyone else who played their part in bringing down the Wall, that they could see through the sophistries of Soviet propagandists, their Western fellow travelers, and the legions of moral equivocators and diplomatic finessers and simply look at the Wall.
"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle," George Orwell once said. That is what the heroes of 1989 did with unblinking honesty and courage for years on end until, at last, the Wall came tumbling down.
Reason.tv's latest video:
UPDATE 4:15pm: Found at Townhall.
posted by Karl @ 1:08 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Today's American Thinker has an incredible 3.5 page piece on the origins and aspects of Marxism. Kelly O'Connell writes, If Obama were a Marxist, what would he believe? Not a hit piece, as the title may suggest. And, differing from the 'He's Not a Socialist' articles of late, O'Connell actually starts with definitions of Marxism, Communism and Socialism, and a term new to us, Neo-Marxism. Refreshing, in a dark way.
Charles Krauthammer writes about Obama's foreign policy mishaps - "amateurishness, wrapped in naivete, inside credulity" - at Townhall, Debacle in Moscow.
Rush Limbaugh warned David Checketts that if he joined the other investors interested in buying the Rams, some of those soulless leftyliberals progressives communists would attempt to derail the acquisition. Checketts said he's stand by Limbaugh. The efforts to paint Limbaugh a racist were echoed by Washington Post's Michael Wilbon, CNN's Rich Sanchez and NFL's union leader DeMaurice Smith. Limbaugh responds in today's WSJ, The Race Card, Football and Me:
James Taranto has a 4-page behind-the-scenes summary on the ACORN-Pimp story. How two 20-somethings not only brought down a nationwide corrupt organization, but who they went to for help and how they chose to release the story in 5 videos to expose and exacerbate the MSM bias. Taking On the 'Democrat-Media Complex'.
posted by Karl @ 3:20 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Critics warn reborn Marxism is exceedingly dangerous since it is delivered below the radar, and represents a devious bloodless communist assault, a polar-opposite of the violently murderous Bolshevik and Mao uprisings.
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Marxism is a violently revolutionary doctrine. Marx claimed capitalism's Armageddon was inevitable, but followers should bear arms to hasten change. Since the rich will never give up their capital voluntarily, it must be taken by force. After this, the arduous task of rebuilding society begins. Lenin's "New Man" is created by education. Those who don't adapt can be eliminated to purify the whole. But capitalism must be destroyed before healing can occur.
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Marxism is a violently revolutionary doctrine. Marx claimed capitalism's Armageddon was inevitable, but followers should bear arms to hasten change. Since the rich will never give up their capital voluntarily, it must be taken by force. After this, the arduous task of rebuilding society begins. Lenin's "New Man" is created by education. Those who don't adapt can be eliminated to purify the whole. But capitalism must be destroyed before healing can occur.
Charles Krauthammer writes about Obama's foreign policy mishaps - "amateurishness, wrapped in naivete, inside credulity" - at Townhall, Debacle in Moscow.
Having failed to get any movement from the Russians, Clinton herself moved -- to accommodate the Russian position! Sanctions? What sanctions? "We are not at that point yet," she averred. "That is not a conclusion we have reached ... it is our preference that Iran work with the international community."
But wait a minute. Didn't Obama say in July that Iran had to show compliance by the G-20 summit in late September? And when that deadline passed, did he not then warn Iran that it would face "sanctions that have bite" and that it would have to take "a new course or face consequences"?
Gone with the wind. It's the U.S. that's now retreating from its already flimsy position of just three weeks ago. We're not doing sanctions now, you see. We're back to engagement. Just as the Russians suggest.
But wait a minute. Didn't Obama say in July that Iran had to show compliance by the G-20 summit in late September? And when that deadline passed, did he not then warn Iran that it would face "sanctions that have bite" and that it would have to take "a new course or face consequences"?
Gone with the wind. It's the U.S. that's now retreating from its already flimsy position of just three weeks ago. We're not doing sanctions now, you see. We're back to engagement. Just as the Russians suggest.
Rush Limbaugh warned David Checketts that if he joined the other investors interested in buying the Rams, some of those soulless lefty
My racial views? You mean, my belief in a colorblind society where every individual is treated as a precious human being without regard to his race? Where football players should earn as much as they can and keep as much as they can, regardless of race? Those controversial racial views?
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Having brought me into his group, Mr. Checketts now wanted a way out. He asked me to resign. I told him no way. I had done nothing wrong. I had not uttered the words these people were putting in my mouth. And I would not bow to their libels and pressure. He would have to drop me from the group. A few days later, he did.
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Having brought me into his group, Mr. Checketts now wanted a way out. He asked me to resign. I told him no way. I had done nothing wrong. I had not uttered the words these people were putting in my mouth. And I would not bow to their libels and pressure. He would have to drop me from the group. A few days later, he did.
James Taranto has a 4-page behind-the-scenes summary on the ACORN-Pimp story. How two 20-somethings not only brought down a nationwide corrupt organization, but who they went to for help and how they chose to release the story in 5 videos to expose and exacerbate the MSM bias. Taking On the 'Democrat-Media Complex'.
Labels: Not a Socialist, Russia, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 3:20 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Randall Hoven asks What Would a Communist Do? in his American Thinker article this week. A good review of recent Communist Party USA posts at their site, and their opinions of current political events and proposed legislation. Regarding health care:
Mark Steyn writes at NRO, The Long Retreat: Our security will now depend on the kindness of strangers. This paragraph on missile defense was our favorite:
Charles Krauthammer analyzes Obama's communication skills in his Townhall article, Does He Lie? It appears Charles has figured him out. Obama's changing arguments for healthcare reform:
James Taranto does some analysis on the recent ACORN defunding vote in congress, specifically the votes from the Black Caucus members. In his Best of the Web series, Shrieker of the House:
posted by Karl @ 5:32 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
So what would a communist do about health care? Support Obama, tenaciously and with persistence, and especially insist on including a public option. And attack your opponents as right-wing extremists and racists.
Mark Steyn writes at NRO, The Long Retreat: Our security will now depend on the kindness of strangers. This paragraph on missile defense was our favorite:
Vladimir Putin is no longer president but he is de facto tsar. And he thinks it’s past time to reconstitute the old empire — not formally (yet), but certainly as a sphere of influence from which the Yanks keep their distance. President Obama has just handed the Russians their biggest win since the collapse of the Iron Curtain. Indeed, in some ways it marks the restitching of the Iron Curtain. When the Czechs signed their end of the missile-defense deal in July, they found themselves afflicted by a sudden “technical difficulty” that halved their gas supply from Russia. The Europe Putin foresees will be one not only ever more energy-dependent on Moscow but security-dependent, too — in which every city is within range of missiles from Tehran and other crazies, and is in effect under the security umbrella of the new tsar. As to whether such a Continent will be amicable to American interests, well, good luck with that, hopeychangers.
Charles Krauthammer analyzes Obama's communication skills in his Townhall article, Does He Lie? It appears Charles has figured him out. Obama's changing arguments for healthcare reform:
That transparent attempt to exploit Emanuel's Law -- a crisis is a terrible thing to waste -- failed for health care because no one is stupid enough to believe that the 2008 financial collapse was caused by a lack of universal health care.
So on to the next gambit: selling health care reform as a cure for the deficit. When that was exploded by the Congressional Budget Office's demonstration of staggering Obamacare deficits, Obama tried a new tack: selling his plan as revenue-neutral insurance reform -- until the revenue neutrality is exposed as phony future cuts and chimerical waste and fraud.
Obama doesn't lie. He implies, he misdirects, he misleads -- so fluidly and incessantly that he risks transmuting eloquence into mere slickness.
So on to the next gambit: selling health care reform as a cure for the deficit. When that was exploded by the Congressional Budget Office's demonstration of staggering Obamacare deficits, Obama tried a new tack: selling his plan as revenue-neutral insurance reform -- until the revenue neutrality is exposed as phony future cuts and chimerical waste and fraud.
Obama doesn't lie. He implies, he misdirects, he misleads -- so fluidly and incessantly that he risks transmuting eloquence into mere slickness.
James Taranto does some analysis on the recent ACORN defunding vote in congress, specifically the votes from the Black Caucus members. In his Best of the Web series, Shrieker of the House:
...fewer than 1 in 4 Black Caucus members voted to stop spending taxpayers' money on an organization that has been caught on video at least five times offering advice on how to practice slavery.
Labels: Healthcare, Russia, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 5:32 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Monday, August 31, 2009
An 18-minute interview (in 2 parts) with ex-KGB Uri Bezmenov from 1985. He explains the weakness within America that the KGB dedicated 85% of its resources to exploit.
Look out Kos Kids, Huffington Ho's, and Democratic Underground losers...
posted by Karl @ 5:24 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
To change the perception of reality of every American, to such an extent that despite the abundance of information no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interest in defending themselves, their families, their communities and their country.
It is a great brainwashing process which goes very slow and is divided in four basic stages. [Demorilization. Destabilization. Crisis. Normalization.]
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The useful idiots, the leftists, who are idealistically believing in the beauty of Soviet Socialist or Communist or whatever system - when they get the solution they become the worst enemies.
That is why my KGB instructors specifically made the point never bother the leftists. Forget about these political prostitutes. Aim higher.
It is a great brainwashing process which goes very slow and is divided in four basic stages. [Demorilization. Destabilization. Crisis. Normalization.]
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The useful idiots, the leftists, who are idealistically believing in the beauty of Soviet Socialist or Communist or whatever system - when they get the solution they become the worst enemies.
That is why my KGB instructors specifically made the point never bother the leftists. Forget about these political prostitutes. Aim higher.
Look out Kos Kids, Huffington Ho's, and Democratic Underground losers...
Labels: Crisis as a Means, Russia, Timeless Lessons
posted by Karl @ 5:24 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Happy 4th! Hurry and read these top picks before you start blowing stuff up!
L.E. Ikenga, a "first generation born West African-American woman whose parents emigrated to the U.S. in the 1970's from the country now called Nigeria" finds a disturbing comparison between our new president and a common trait among African leaders. American Thinker, Obama, the African Colonial.
Kyle-Anne Shiver, also at American Thinker, comments on our 'Wimp in Chief's' position on the crisis in Honduras in, Obama's True Colors Shine in Honduras.
Careful Ms. Shiver. We don't want to be rash and label Obama a Communist!
Another from American Thinker, America's Socialist Past by Ryan Siefert, is a short but necessary historical review of the damage from socialist inspirations.
"Russian media are now abuzz with speculation about a new war in Georgia, and some Western analysts are voicing similar concerns" - so reports Cathy Young in the WSJ Opinion section on Thursday. She asks, "What would the Kremlin gain" from a war with Georgia:
YES! That was our response when reading Gordon G. Chang's WSJ Opinion, How to Stop North Korea's Weapons Proliferation. He writes about that N.K. ship, Kang Nam, that has been trailed by US warships (as if trailing is a foreign policy). Chang explains a legal way to board or sink the Kang Nam, refering to the North's May 27 rejection of the armistice that ended the fighting (not the war) in 1953. When you read this, remember how Clinton turned down a chance at Bin Laden for a lack of legal justification...
Did the North wait for Obama to replace Bush before setting sail with illicit cargo? If so, pretty smart. The only way Obama will get tough is if the criticisms of his pathetic foreign policy migrate from here to the nightly news...
posted by Karl @ 8:56 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
L.E. Ikenga, a "first generation born West African-American woman whose parents emigrated to the U.S. in the 1970's from the country now called Nigeria" finds a disturbing comparison between our new president and a common trait among African leaders. American Thinker, Obama, the African Colonial.
Obama has been living on American soil for most of his adult life. Therefore, he has been able to masquerade as one who understands and believes in American democratic ideals. But he does not. Barack Obama is intrinsically undemocratic and as his presidency plays out, this will become more obvious.
Kyle-Anne Shiver, also at American Thinker, comments on our 'Wimp in Chief's' position on the crisis in Honduras in, Obama's True Colors Shine in Honduras.
Obama's response to the Honduran military removing a dictator-wannabe from office (at the behest, it must be noted, of the Supreme Court and the Honduran Congress), and escorting him to the border, was sure and fast. He declared the military action an "illegal coup" faster than you can say Fidel Castro. And just as quickly the rest of the region's socialist gang chimed in too. The real Castro brothers. Hugo Chavez. Daniel Ortega.
Birds of a feather do tend to flock together.
Birds of a feather do tend to flock together.
Careful Ms. Shiver. We don't want to be rash and label Obama a Communist!
Another from American Thinker, America's Socialist Past by Ryan Siefert, is a short but necessary historical review of the damage from socialist inspirations.
There seems to be a need in American society to have to relearn the same hard lessons over and over again, regardless of whether the results were seen on the other side of the planet or suffered through by our own people.
We're living in a country that elected a President that believes in redistributing wealth. He's mentioned this himself, from the "Joe the Plumber" incident[i] to his critique[ii] of the failures of the civil rights movement. Whether you call it Socialism, Communism, Marxism, or by its simpler name, theft, they are all part of the same economic system that destroys private property and puts everything in central control of the state.
We're living in a country that elected a President that believes in redistributing wealth. He's mentioned this himself, from the "Joe the Plumber" incident[i] to his critique[ii] of the failures of the civil rights movement. Whether you call it Socialism, Communism, Marxism, or by its simpler name, theft, they are all part of the same economic system that destroys private property and puts everything in central control of the state.
"Russian media are now abuzz with speculation about a new war in Georgia, and some Western analysts are voicing similar concerns" - so reports Cathy Young in the WSJ Opinion section on Thursday. She asks, "What would the Kremlin gain" from a war with Georgia:
A crushing victory in Georgia would depose the hated Mr. Saakashvili, give Russia control of vital transit routes for additional energy resources that could weaken its hold on the European oil and gas markets, humiliate the U.S., and distract Russians from their economic woes. Mr. Piontkovsky also believes the war drive comes from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is anxious to reassert himself as supreme leader.
YES! That was our response when reading Gordon G. Chang's WSJ Opinion, How to Stop North Korea's Weapons Proliferation. He writes about that N.K. ship, Kang Nam, that has been trailed by US warships (as if trailing is a foreign policy). Chang explains a legal way to board or sink the Kang Nam, refering to the North's May 27 rejection of the armistice that ended the fighting (not the war) in 1953. When you read this, remember how Clinton turned down a chance at Bin Laden for a lack of legal justification...
...an armistice as a legal matter cannot remain in existence after one of its parties, a sovereign state, announces its end. Today, whether we like it or not, there is no armistice.
Furthermore, there has never been a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War. This means the U.S., a combatant in the conflict, as leader of the U.N. Command, is free to use force against Pyongyang. On legal grounds, the U.S. Navy therefore has every right to seize the Kang Nam, treat the crew as prisoners of war, and confiscate its cargo, even if the ship is carrying nothing more dangerous than melons. Because the Navy has the right to torpedo the vessel, which proudly flies the flag of another combatant in the war, it of course has the right to board her.
Furthermore, there has never been a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War. This means the U.S., a combatant in the conflict, as leader of the U.N. Command, is free to use force against Pyongyang. On legal grounds, the U.S. Navy therefore has every right to seize the Kang Nam, treat the crew as prisoners of war, and confiscate its cargo, even if the ship is carrying nothing more dangerous than melons. Because the Navy has the right to torpedo the vessel, which proudly flies the flag of another combatant in the war, it of course has the right to board her.
Did the North wait for Obama to replace Bush before setting sail with illicit cargo? If so, pretty smart. The only way Obama will get tough is if the criticisms of his pathetic foreign policy migrate from here to the nightly news...
Labels: N. Korea, Not a Socialist, Russia, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 8:56 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Notice the absence of nuance? The lack of open-mindedness to bridge the gap and resolve the differences? To bring people of different backgrounds together in harmony? Where is the outreached hand of friendship?
WSJ, May 6:
Georgia is the front line in a war between a motivated hegemon and a leaderless West.
posted by Karl @ 6:21 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
WSJ, May 6:
TBILISI, Georgia -- Georgian authorities said they put down an attempted mutiny at a military base outside the capital Tuesday as simmering political tensions erupted on the eve of monthlong NATO exercises in the country.
President Mikheil Saakashvili said the uprising had been a serious threat and implied it was backed by Russia, an accusation Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, called "mad."
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"This was an attempt to undermine NATO exercises planned for tomorrow; it was not a coup attempt as its scale was so small," Georgian interior ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said in a telephone interview.
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The exercises, which Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has criticized as "muscle flexing," will comprise war games through June 3 involving 1,300 troops from more than a dozen NATO countries. Western-leaning Georgia, which lost a five-day war with Russia over its breakaway region of South Ossetia in August, aspires to join NATO. Moscow opposes the alliance's expansion in the region.
President Mikheil Saakashvili said the uprising had been a serious threat and implied it was backed by Russia, an accusation Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, called "mad."
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"This was an attempt to undermine NATO exercises planned for tomorrow; it was not a coup attempt as its scale was so small," Georgian interior ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said in a telephone interview.
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The exercises, which Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has criticized as "muscle flexing," will comprise war games through June 3 involving 1,300 troops from more than a dozen NATO countries. Western-leaning Georgia, which lost a five-day war with Russia over its breakaway region of South Ossetia in August, aspires to join NATO. Moscow opposes the alliance's expansion in the region.
Georgia is the front line in a war between a motivated hegemon and a leaderless West.
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 6:21 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Sky News shows this picture today of Reagan touring Red Square and visiting with tourists KGB officers. The KGB officer circled in red is identified now as Putin.
Can't blame him - is there anyone out there that wouldn't be honored to shake Reagan's hand?!? Our question (and we know the answer): Was Putin on duty that day, or did he skip his post to see Reagan?
Article Link.
U/T: Drudge
UPDATED: In some ways, Russia hasn't changed that much. Here is a picture we found from a Putin photo gallery link at the bottom of the same article. We see Reuters calls it a "queue" now instead of "line".
Nice hat!
posted by Karl @ 10:34 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Can't blame him - is there anyone out there that wouldn't be honored to shake Reagan's hand?!? Our question (and we know the answer): Was Putin on duty that day, or did he skip his post to see Reagan?
Article Link.
U/T: Drudge
UPDATED: In some ways, Russia hasn't changed that much. Here is a picture we found from a Putin photo gallery link at the bottom of the same article. We see Reuters calls it a "queue" now instead of "line".
Nice hat!
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 10:34 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Truth is anything that will promote Communism.
A 14-minute 1950's video with FBI informant, Herbert Philbrick, who infiltrated the commies:
My grandmother used to say 'what you don't know won't hurt you'. But today what you don't know can kill you.
Yes, the Communists have plans for you. As soon as they're in power, they will arrest many of you, seize your property. If you're important enough, they will shoot you, along with all community leaders. The rest of you will be regimented, and some of you forced into slave labor.
So where is today's Herbert Philbrick? Do we have to continue watching him and Ronald Reagan (click Truth about Communism link in Cinema section to left) in black and white?
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 9:02 AM Permalink 1 comments Post a comment
Friday, February 20, 2009
We are making up for no weekend reading last week to oodles of reading this week. Enjoy!
The assessments of Obama's foreign policy are rolling in and they are not good. At least as it relates to Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Venezuela. Not all is lost. Our relations with Canada are intact after Obama's promise this week to leave current trade agreements alone. For now.
Kim Zigfield at Pajama's Media comments on the first month of failures in Obama Hopelessly Adrift on Foreign Policy? Specifically, what Obama did not say about Russia in a recent press conference:
Charles Krauthammer continues in his Townhall article, The Biden Prophecy:
We are starting a new label called "Crisis as a Means". The following three articles discuss Obama's modus operandi - crying wolf to pass unpopular legislation.
One of our favorites at Townhall, Laura Hollis, writes The New Americans: Peasants by Choice:
Victor Davis Hanson writes at the NRO, The Audacity of Irony:
Thomas Sowell coins the phrase "Amateurism in Action" in his IBD Editorial - Obama Rushes to Capitalize on Emergency:
posted by Karl @ 9:01 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
The assessments of Obama's foreign policy are rolling in and they are not good. At least as it relates to Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Venezuela. Not all is lost. Our relations with Canada are intact after Obama's promise this week to leave current trade agreements alone. For now.
Kim Zigfield at Pajama's Media comments on the first month of failures in Obama Hopelessly Adrift on Foreign Policy? Specifically, what Obama did not say about Russia in a recent press conference:
Not a word from Obama about the Markelov killing, or about Russia’s equally terrifying litany of race murder, or about the fact that Medvedev’s “election” was shamelessly rigged after all serious opposition had been purged from the ballot, or about the fact that Medvedev support an extension of the presidential term widely viewed as a platform for the return of Russia’s real ruler, Vladimir Putin, to permanent formal power. Not a syllable about how Medvedev has begun abolishing the right to trial by jury, not a peep about Russia’s support for Hamas and Hezbollah terrorism, both directly and through Syria and Iran. Nothing about the fact that Russia just booted the U.S. out of a key military base in Kyrgzystan, signed a cooperation pact with Cuba, bribed Belarus into forming an anti-U.S. air defense program and started building military bases in the territory it seized from Georgia in Abkhazia.
Instead, Obama appears to let Russia off the hook, conveniently releasing the pressure of the nuclear arms race at exactly the moment the Kremlin needs him to do so. How can Russia possibly take this statement as anything other than an open invitation to escalate its crackdown on democracy and its efforts to dominate its neighbors?
Instead, Obama appears to let Russia off the hook, conveniently releasing the pressure of the nuclear arms race at exactly the moment the Kremlin needs him to do so. How can Russia possibly take this statement as anything other than an open invitation to escalate its crackdown on democracy and its efforts to dominate its neighbors?
Charles Krauthammer continues in his Townhall article, The Biden Prophecy:
With a grinning Goliath staggering about sporting a "kick me" sign on his back, even reputed allies joined the fun.
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I would like to think the supine posture is attributable to a rookie leader otherwise preoccupied (i.e. domestically), leading a foreign policy team as yet unorganized if not disoriented. But when the State Department says that Hugo Chavez's president-for-life referendum, which was preceded by a sham government-controlled campaign featuring the tear-gassing of the opposition, was "for the most part ... a process that was fully consistent with democratic process," you have to wonder if Month One is not a harbinger of things to come.
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I would like to think the supine posture is attributable to a rookie leader otherwise preoccupied (i.e. domestically), leading a foreign policy team as yet unorganized if not disoriented. But when the State Department says that Hugo Chavez's president-for-life referendum, which was preceded by a sham government-controlled campaign featuring the tear-gassing of the opposition, was "for the most part ... a process that was fully consistent with democratic process," you have to wonder if Month One is not a harbinger of things to come.
We are starting a new label called "Crisis as a Means". The following three articles discuss Obama's modus operandi - crying wolf to pass unpopular legislation.
One of our favorites at Townhall, Laura Hollis, writes The New Americans: Peasants by Choice:
This time, instead of our leaders inspiring us with uplifting – and historically true – accounts of America’s exceptionalism (yes, that is the right word), and the can-do attitude of the average American, our current government fills the airwaves with doom and gloom, and warns of impending “crises” and “catastrophes,” unless we sell ourselves to the government, which will take care of us by taking everything we have, denying us control over our own lives, and promising goodies that cannot be paid for. This is not stimulus; it is “stealfromus.” It is not security; it is slavery.
It is self-serving deception of the highest sort, completely and resoundingly refuted by history. Our Founding Fathers never saw the Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea, Cambodia, or the Sudan. And didn’t need to. They knew enough of government to know that a people dependent upon any form of government would be a people enslaved by it. Nothing in the 200+ years since they lived has proven them wrong.
It is self-serving deception of the highest sort, completely and resoundingly refuted by history. Our Founding Fathers never saw the Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea, Cambodia, or the Sudan. And didn’t need to. They knew enough of government to know that a people dependent upon any form of government would be a people enslaved by it. Nothing in the 200+ years since they lived has proven them wrong.
Victor Davis Hanson writes at the NRO, The Audacity of Irony:
Bush was pilloried for supposedly hyping al-Qaeda in order to create a security state. Obama trumped that by proclaiming that the present recession is a catastrophe, a disaster, a Great Depression. He ceased his scare-mongering only when he had exhausted the vocabulary of doom. “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” bragged Rahm Emanuel, reminding us that the envisioned Obama socialism could take root only if a climate of fear was created.
Thomas Sowell coins the phrase "Amateurism in Action" in his IBD Editorial - Obama Rushes to Capitalize on Emergency:
The urgency was real, even if the reason given was phony. Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, let slip a valuable clue when he said that a crisis should not go to waste, that a crisis is an opportunity to do things that you could not do otherwise.
Think about the utter cynicism of that. During a crisis, a panicked public will let you get away with things you couldn't get away with otherwise.
A corollary of that is that you had better act quickly while the crisis is at hand, without congressional hearings or public debates about what you are doing. Above all, you must act before the economy begins to recover on its own.
Think about the utter cynicism of that. During a crisis, a panicked public will let you get away with things you couldn't get away with otherwise.
A corollary of that is that you had better act quickly while the crisis is at hand, without congressional hearings or public debates about what you are doing. Above all, you must act before the economy begins to recover on its own.
Labels: Crisis as a Means, Russia, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 9:01 AM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Saturday, January 31, 2009
About 2,500 people marched across the far eastern port of Vladivostok to denounce the Cabinet's decision to increase car import tariffs, shouting slogans urging Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to resign. Many there make their living by importing cars.
Meanwhile in Moscow arrests were made as about 1,000 diehard Communists rallied in a central square hemmed in by heavy police cordons.
Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov told them the Kremlin must throw out Western capitalism and impose sweeping nationalisation.
Meanwhile in Moscow arrests were made as about 1,000 diehard Communists rallied in a central square hemmed in by heavy police cordons.
Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov told them the Kremlin must throw out Western capitalism and impose sweeping nationalisation.
Why not? America did that last November.
We just don't have the cool hats. Yet.
Pictures and story at Daily Mail UK.
UT: Drudge
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 6:24 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
From Reuters:
From the International Herald Tribune:
Washington Post: More Moscow Murder - Two critics of Vladimir Putin take bullets in the head.
Top blogs (listed to the left) are posting this interesting picture of Chavez with the daughter of our new CIA Director nominee.
And last, a man who campaigned on universal health care was sworn in as the next president of the United States.
So? When do we get our free stuff??
UPDATE 1.22:
We stand corrected! Doug Ross notifies us that our new CIA director does not have a daughter. No show trial necessary - we regret our mistake!
posted by Karl @ 6:33 PM Permalink
North Korea's army said on Saturday it would assume an "all-out confrontational posture" against the South and wipe out the conservative government in Seoul for refusing to cooperate with them.
From the International Herald Tribune:
Since Dec. 31, Russia has been playing a game of chicken with Ukraine over gas prices, transit fees and unpaid debts. On Jan. 7, after each side accused the other of cheating and stealing, Russia's Gazprom, the world's biggest natural gas producer, suspended supplies to Ukraine's transit pipelines, sending a chill through much of southeastern Europe.
The supplies were to resume after the two sides signed 10-year natural-gas contracts on Monday. Putin said gas shipments to the 27-nation bloc would resume in "full volumes" through all export routes.
The supplies were to resume after the two sides signed 10-year natural-gas contracts on Monday. Putin said gas shipments to the 27-nation bloc would resume in "full volumes" through all export routes.
Washington Post: More Moscow Murder - Two critics of Vladimir Putin take bullets in the head.
Another Russian fighting for human rights and the rule of law has been murdered in Vladimir Putin's Moscow. Stanislav Markelov, a lawyer who defended Chechens brutalized by Russian troops and journalists who wrote about the abuses, was shot in the head yesterday by a masked man carrying a silencer-equipped pistol. An opposition journalist who tried to intervene, Anastasia Baburova, was also fatally shot in the head. This occurred in broad daylight, on a busy street in central Moscow less than half a mile from the Kremlin. It was another demonstration that assassinations are a dominating feature of political life under Mr. Putin's regime.
Top blogs (listed to the left) are posting this interesting picture of Chavez with the daughter of our new CIA Director nominee.
And last, a man who campaigned on universal health care was sworn in as the next president of the United States.
So? When do we get our free stuff??
UPDATE 1.22:
We stand corrected! Doug Ross notifies us that our new CIA director does not have a daughter. No show trial necessary - we regret our mistake!
Labels: N. Korea, Russia, Venezuela
posted by Karl @ 6:33 PM Permalink
Sunday, November 09, 2008
We'll be busy moving our Commie Obama HQ in the coming days. In the meantime, please visit those great blogs in our Blogroll to the left.
Two WSJ editorials from Friday sum up this less than special week:
Obama's Russia Test - Regarding Russia's announcement this week to deploy missiles between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, and the worries that the "Congressional Democrats have given the impression that U.S. support for Poland or NATO aspirants Ukraine and Georgia is negotiable."
Palin and the GOP - a poorly hidden criticism of Palin, and of those who criticize her. We think the Journal is giving too many voters credit for critical analysis of the candidates - thinking Gov. Palin isn't ready for national politics - rather than choosing the guy who promised free stuff and receding oceans. Or maybe we are not ready to read negative opinions about the one candidate that best communicated our frustrations with government and our vision for the future. The WSJ did get these three paragraphs right:
posted by Karl @ 8:37 PM Permalink
Two WSJ editorials from Friday sum up this less than special week:
Obama's Russia Test - Regarding Russia's announcement this week to deploy missiles between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, and the worries that the "Congressional Democrats have given the impression that U.S. support for Poland or NATO aspirants Ukraine and Georgia is negotiable."
[Obama} could help U.S. interests and himself merely by putting on record that an Obama-led America won't be intimidated by threatening outbursts from Russian leaders and will be a reliable partner to its allies in Europe. Any hint of doubt from the next Administration on this point will send shivers through our NATO allies and encourage more bad behavior by Russia and others. The Kremlin is doing Mr. Obama a favor by testing him so early.
Palin and the GOP - a poorly hidden criticism of Palin, and of those who criticize her. We think the Journal is giving too many voters credit for critical analysis of the candidates - thinking Gov. Palin isn't ready for national politics - rather than choosing the guy who promised free stuff and receding oceans. Or maybe we are not ready to read negative opinions about the one candidate that best communicated our frustrations with government and our vision for the future. The WSJ did get these three paragraphs right:
...Mrs. Palin was clearly thrust into the spotlight before she was prepared for the rigors of a national campaign. The McCain camp also did her no favors, initially keeping her under a quarantine that raised the stakes for any media interview she did do. When it finally handed her over to Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, Mrs. Palin was set up to fail with ground rules that let CBS dribble out her uncertain answers night after night.
The nasty leaks and gossip about Mrs. Palin that are now emerging from sources inside the McCain campaign have the ring of score-settling. Staff aides who mishandled her, or set her up for the Couric embarrassment, are now saying she refused coaching. Perhaps these were the same advisers who told her to cite Alaska's proximity to Russia as a foreign-policy credential.
---
As for Mrs. Palin's Republican critics, they might consider if they can afford to write off a young leader with such natural political talent. We don't see a large constellation of other GOP stars on the horizon. Mr. McCain was right to understand that his party needs a new generation of leaders who haven't grown comfortable with the perks of Washington. Especially as Democrats once again grow the Beltway, the next GOP leaders will need to make a better case for entrepreneurship and limited government. Mrs. Palin deserves a chance to see if she has the skill and work ethic to become that kind of leader.
The nasty leaks and gossip about Mrs. Palin that are now emerging from sources inside the McCain campaign have the ring of score-settling. Staff aides who mishandled her, or set her up for the Couric embarrassment, are now saying she refused coaching. Perhaps these were the same advisers who told her to cite Alaska's proximity to Russia as a foreign-policy credential.
---
As for Mrs. Palin's Republican critics, they might consider if they can afford to write off a young leader with such natural political talent. We don't see a large constellation of other GOP stars on the horizon. Mr. McCain was right to understand that his party needs a new generation of leaders who haven't grown comfortable with the perks of Washington. Especially as Democrats once again grow the Beltway, the next GOP leaders will need to make a better case for entrepreneurship and limited government. Mrs. Palin deserves a chance to see if she has the skill and work ethic to become that kind of leader.
Labels: Russia, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 8:37 PM Permalink
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Andrew Osborn of the WSJ reports in today's paper, Moscow Will Boost Defense Spending to $50 Billion. His research includes analysis of performance of Russia's military in the recent Georgia invasion and the obvious: "...the boost highlights a gap between President Dmitry Medvedev's sometimes-conciliatory rhetoric and actual Kremlin policies". The graph below is from his article.
posted by Karl @ 9:29 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Last month's war against Georgia highlighted the weaknesses of Russian procurement policies, according to reports from Russian military officials that have since trickled out in the local media.
Though victorious, the Russian army discovered it had almost no spy drones, substandard satellite navigation and an aging arsenal of imprecise conventional weapons. When Russian commanders wanted to communicate with each other, they had to use cellphones because their own battlefield communications equipment was so poor. When the army wanted to observe Georgian troop movements, it sent a Tu-22 strategic bomber to do the job of a drone. It was shot down. Russian officers discovered that captured Georgian hardware -- of the same Soviet-era vintage as their own -- was actually better, since it had been modernized. Georgian tanks, unlike their Russian counterparts, had night-vision and fire-correction mechanisms.
Though victorious, the Russian army discovered it had almost no spy drones, substandard satellite navigation and an aging arsenal of imprecise conventional weapons. When Russian commanders wanted to communicate with each other, they had to use cellphones because their own battlefield communications equipment was so poor. When the army wanted to observe Georgian troop movements, it sent a Tu-22 strategic bomber to do the job of a drone. It was shot down. Russian officers discovered that captured Georgian hardware -- of the same Soviet-era vintage as their own -- was actually better, since it had been modernized. Georgian tanks, unlike their Russian counterparts, had night-vision and fire-correction mechanisms.
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 9:29 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
WSJ's Mary Anastasia O'Grady, in her op-ed Hugo Chavez's Russian Dalliance, expands the recent Russia-Venezuela cooperation to include Bolivia and all of Latin America. She adds perspective to Russia's motivations, Bolivia's struggling communist president Evo Morales, and Chavez's vision for Latin America.
Watch for finger-pointing, a new enemies list and show trials in Russia! Not a big news story in light of Lehman and AIG this week, but the Russian stock market has been closed for two days, having lost 55% in the past 4 months. The WSJ editorial, A Run on Russia, highlights the real reasons - putting the blame squarely on Comrade Putin, with well-deserved hits on the US State Department and those European 'powers'.
Garry Kasparov explains in his Friday WSJ article, Putin is Ruining Russia's Economy, the history that has led to the unfavorable business climate in Russia.
Maybe the US State Department lacks any will to fight, but don't count on Mike Adams to surrender in his latest battle! The North Carolina professor has been invited to mandatory sexual harassment training. Having attended these in the corporate world, I can share his frustration and thank him for some great ideas for my next class. From his Townhall article, F.A.S.H.I.S.T!:
Remember, Prof. Adams, "harass" is one word, not two!
posted by Karl @ 9:00 PM Permalink
Mr. Chávez is only too happy to be used. He thinks he's getting something in return. His Bolivarian Revolution -- a full-court press designed to impose communism throughout Latin America -- is in trouble, and as its popularity has waned, so too have his options for restoring confidence in his leadership. Yet there is still the fail-safe practice of Yankee-baiting. In the spirit of Fidel Castro, Mr. Chávez seems to believe that if the foreign devil can be painted as an imminent threat to sovereignty, the nation might rally behind him. This idea, shared by Bolivian President Evo Morales, explains not only Russian military tourism in the Caribbean but also last week's expulsion of the U.S. ambassadors to Caracas and La Paz.
---
It is true that Bolivia is witnessing a battle between regions for control of the nation's resources. But we are also watching a life-or-death struggle against the communist ideology that Mr. Morales -- also an admirer of Fidel -- wants to impose. He has admitted that Castro coached him on how to use the guise of democracy as a way of reaching his goal. Yet he hasn't been prepped to face resistance. His hard line has unified and emboldened his critics. Now he can no longer reach out to the governors without appearing weak.
---
It is true that Bolivia is witnessing a battle between regions for control of the nation's resources. But we are also watching a life-or-death struggle against the communist ideology that Mr. Morales -- also an admirer of Fidel -- wants to impose. He has admitted that Castro coached him on how to use the guise of democracy as a way of reaching his goal. Yet he hasn't been prepped to face resistance. His hard line has unified and emboldened his critics. Now he can no longer reach out to the governors without appearing weak.
Watch for finger-pointing, a new enemies list and show trials in Russia! Not a big news story in light of Lehman and AIG this week, but the Russian stock market has been closed for two days, having lost 55% in the past 4 months. The WSJ editorial, A Run on Russia, highlights the real reasons - putting the blame squarely on Comrade Putin, with well-deserved hits on the US State Department and those European 'powers'.
...the dive in Moscow began before the wider world cared about AIG's balance sheet, and its chief causes are home-grown. To wit, the bill for eight years of Putinism is coming due. And a Kremlin leadership that only weeks ago brimmed with menacing self-confidence is struggling to slow this financial free fall.
The first sign of trouble came in late July when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lashed out at a Russian coal and steel company, Mechel, for alleged price gouging and appeared to threaten personally its chief executive. Mechel shares fell by a third, and the incident sent a chill through the market as a whole. Investors woke up to the systemic risk to property rights and the lack of any rule of law in Russia. They did so belatedly, we'd add, considering the attempted or successful expropriation of Yukos, BP and Shell assets and the blatant use of state resources to menace private business.
Another trigger was last month's war in the Caucasus.
---
As it has turned out, much faster than anyone realized or hoped during the Georgian war in August, Western governments haven't had to do anything to have Russia pay a price for its aggressive behavior. Which is fortunate, considering the weak stomachs in Europe and at the State Department for any serious response to the war. Investors did it for them.
The war has also exposed the fiction that Russia is the next China -- an authoritarian political regime that's stable, predictable and on a path toward becoming a free-market economy.
The first sign of trouble came in late July when Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lashed out at a Russian coal and steel company, Mechel, for alleged price gouging and appeared to threaten personally its chief executive. Mechel shares fell by a third, and the incident sent a chill through the market as a whole. Investors woke up to the systemic risk to property rights and the lack of any rule of law in Russia. They did so belatedly, we'd add, considering the attempted or successful expropriation of Yukos, BP and Shell assets and the blatant use of state resources to menace private business.
Another trigger was last month's war in the Caucasus.
---
As it has turned out, much faster than anyone realized or hoped during the Georgian war in August, Western governments haven't had to do anything to have Russia pay a price for its aggressive behavior. Which is fortunate, considering the weak stomachs in Europe and at the State Department for any serious response to the war. Investors did it for them.
The war has also exposed the fiction that Russia is the next China -- an authoritarian political regime that's stable, predictable and on a path toward becoming a free-market economy.
Garry Kasparov explains in his Friday WSJ article, Putin is Ruining Russia's Economy, the history that has led to the unfavorable business climate in Russia.
The market's collapse, down 57% since May, is linked to the dysfunctional nature of the Russian state and economy. Nearly every aspect of commerce in Russia is deeply entangled with state power, if not with Mr. Putin personally. This, for obvious reasons, does not comfort most investors.
Maybe the US State Department lacks any will to fight, but don't count on Mike Adams to surrender in his latest battle! The North Carolina professor has been invited to mandatory sexual harassment training. Having attended these in the corporate world, I can share his frustration and thank him for some great ideas for my next class. From his Townhall article, F.A.S.H.I.S.T!:
a new campus group called “Faculty Against Sexual Harassment Initiatives and Sensitivity Training” - or FASHIST. I’m the founder of the new group.
---
Those who join UNCW FASHIST will not attend the sexual harassment training sessions biannually as has been proposed. We will attend every single one of them. And we will interrupt the meetings – just like the radical protestors of the 1960s – with a lot of tough questions for the administration. Some examples follow:
---
Those who join UNCW FASHIST will not attend the sexual harassment training sessions biannually as has been proposed. We will attend every single one of them. And we will interrupt the meetings – just like the radical protestors of the 1960s – with a lot of tough questions for the administration. Some examples follow:
Remember, Prof. Adams, "harass" is one word, not two!
Labels: Russia, Venezuela, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 9:00 PM Permalink
Thursday, September 11, 2008
President Medvedev gave the CIA some hard intelligence this week when he sent two Tupolev Tu-160 bombers to Venezuela yesterday.
Between the recent flights towards Norway, we now know how many bombers Russia has that are airworthy.
The strategic bombers will be used to fly patrols in the Pacific and Caribbean, and may be used to escort commie Chavez into the Caribbean. They are expected to return in mid-September.
NATO planes accompanied the bombers to Venezuela on their 13-hour flight.
We suspect the recent Russian bomber activity is a secret intelligence effort to get close-up shots of the F-16.
Media: CNN International, and Russia's loyal Novosti.
UPDATE 9.14: IBD has a good editorial on this topic, including the fact that 64% of US oil imports come through the Caribbean. Also:
posted by Karl @ 2:03 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Between the recent flights towards Norway, we now know how many bombers Russia has that are airworthy.
The strategic bombers will be used to fly patrols in the Pacific and Caribbean, and may be used to escort commie Chavez into the Caribbean. They are expected to return in mid-September.
NATO planes accompanied the bombers to Venezuela on their 13-hour flight.
We suspect the recent Russian bomber activity is a secret intelligence effort to get close-up shots of the F-16.
Media: CNN International, and Russia's loyal Novosti.
UPDATE 9.14: IBD has a good editorial on this topic, including the fact that 64% of US oil imports come through the Caribbean. Also:
He's [Chavez} also succeeded in getting the Russian navy to conduct exercises with Venezuela rather than just make a port visit.
The Russians have little respect for Chavez, but their anger over the U.S. missile shield treaty with Poland and the U.S. Navy's relief mission to Georgia coincide their interests with his.
This threat to sea lanes will increase the burden on U.S. forces who must monitor the new activity. It also underscores how important it is for Congress to permit new drilling for reasons of national security. If Russia can gain control of 25% of Europe's oil just by menacing Georgia, it could get an even more impressive return in the Caribbean.
The Russians have little respect for Chavez, but their anger over the U.S. missile shield treaty with Poland and the U.S. Navy's relief mission to Georgia coincide their interests with his.
This threat to sea lanes will increase the burden on U.S. forces who must monitor the new activity. It also underscores how important it is for Congress to permit new drilling for reasons of national security. If Russia can gain control of 25% of Europe's oil just by menacing Georgia, it could get an even more impressive return in the Caribbean.
posted by Karl @ 2:03 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Classless. That would be our reaction to Obama saying he would not have nominated Clarence Thomas. In an editorial about this, the WSJ points out a more telling message than Obama's judicial selection instincts - the real Obama (ie. without teleprompter and unscripted interview questions). Obama on Clarence Thomas, Monday:
More Saddleback fallout, as pointed out by Naomi Schaefer Riley in Wednesday's WSJ, Democrats Move Left on Abortion:
Disgusting.
More insight on the real Obama - and his communist inspirations - in Thursday's WSJ editorial page, Obama's Health-Care Tipoff:
Commie.
Last, Gabriel Schoenfeld writes in Thursday's WSJ, Russia's Nuclear Threat Is More Than Words.
He argues a ten-fold possession of tactical nuclear weapons has "emboldened the bear". Maybe. We wonder if the US' precision technology has allowed our strategy to defer to conventional weapons where tactical nukes once were the preferred, if only, option against certain targets. Tactical nuclear weapons are ideal for large, concentrated enemy forces. The border with North Korea, within artillery range of Seoul, comes to mind. Will Russia ever have such a situation? Even in a US-Russia conflict, US forces maneuver and attack in areas far larger than the kill radius of a tactical nuke. Plus, the US does have the forces at the strategic level to deter such a use of tactical nuclear weapons. We'll keep thinking this one through...
posted by Karl @ 11:10 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Even more troubling is what the Illinois Democrat's answer betrays about his political habits of mind. Asked a question he didn't expect at a rare unscripted event, the rookie candidate didn't merely say he disagreed with Justice Thomas. Instead, he instinctively reverted to the leftwing cliché that the Court's black conservative isn't up to the job while his white conservative colleagues are.
So much for civility in politics and bringing people together. And no wonder Mr. Obama's advisers have refused invitations for more such open forums, preferring to keep him in front of a teleprompter, where he won't let slip what he really believes.
So much for civility in politics and bringing people together. And no wonder Mr. Obama's advisers have refused invitations for more such open forums, preferring to keep him in front of a teleprompter, where he won't let slip what he really believes.
More Saddleback fallout, as pointed out by Naomi Schaefer Riley in Wednesday's WSJ, Democrats Move Left on Abortion:
Mr. Obama's flip-sounding response did not go over well with the evangelicals in the audience of Saturday night's presidential forum. After a week in which the Democrats have been renegotiating their abortion platform, Mr. Obama was supposed to provide a voice of clarity, and above all moderation, for the party. His middle-of-the-road views were supposed to appeal to independent-minded Catholics and evangelicals who agreed with Democrats on some issues, but couldn't pull the lever for him if he was too radical on abortion.
It didn't work out that way. Add Mr. Obama's recent admission that during his time in the Illinois legislature he voted against a law protecting babies who survive an abortion procedure, and it seems as if the Democrats have accomplished the impossible: They have moved to the left on abortion.
It didn't work out that way. Add Mr. Obama's recent admission that during his time in the Illinois legislature he voted against a law protecting babies who survive an abortion procedure, and it seems as if the Democrats have accomplished the impossible: They have moved to the left on abortion.
Disgusting.
More insight on the real Obama - and his communist inspirations - in Thursday's WSJ editorial page, Obama's Health-Care Tipoff:
'If I were designing a system from scratch, I would probably go ahead with a single-payer system," Barack Obama told an audience in Albuquerque on Monday. He was lauding the idea of a health-care market -- or nonmarket -- entirely run by the government.
---
Mr. Obama's health-care plan includes a taxpayer-funded insurance program, much like Medicare but open to everyone. The goal, like HillaryCare in the 1990s, is to displace current private coverage and switch people to the default government option. What's new is Mr. Obama's smoother political packaging.
With good reason, critics often call this a back-door route to a centrally planned health-care bureaucracy. For all his lawyerly qualifications, Mr. Obama has essentially admitted that his proposal is really the front door.
---
Mr. Obama's health-care plan includes a taxpayer-funded insurance program, much like Medicare but open to everyone. The goal, like HillaryCare in the 1990s, is to displace current private coverage and switch people to the default government option. What's new is Mr. Obama's smoother political packaging.
With good reason, critics often call this a back-door route to a centrally planned health-care bureaucracy. For all his lawyerly qualifications, Mr. Obama has essentially admitted that his proposal is really the front door.
Commie.
Last, Gabriel Schoenfeld writes in Thursday's WSJ, Russia's Nuclear Threat Is More Than Words.
the U.S., acting unilaterally and with virtually no fanfare, sharply cut back its stockpile of nonstrategic nuclear warheads. As far back as 1991, the U.S. began to retire all of its nuclear warheads for short-range ballistic missiles, artillery and antisubmarine warfare. According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, not one of these weapons exists today. The same authoritative publication estimates that the number of tactical warheads in the U.S. arsenal has dwindled from thousands to approximately 500.
Russia has also reduced the size of its tactical nuclear arsenal, but starting from much higher levels and at a slower pace, leaving it with an estimated 5,000 such devices -- 10 times the number of tactical weapons held by the U.S.
Russia has also reduced the size of its tactical nuclear arsenal, but starting from much higher levels and at a slower pace, leaving it with an estimated 5,000 such devices -- 10 times the number of tactical weapons held by the U.S.
He argues a ten-fold possession of tactical nuclear weapons has "emboldened the bear". Maybe. We wonder if the US' precision technology has allowed our strategy to defer to conventional weapons where tactical nukes once were the preferred, if only, option against certain targets. Tactical nuclear weapons are ideal for large, concentrated enemy forces. The border with North Korea, within artillery range of Seoul, comes to mind. Will Russia ever have such a situation? Even in a US-Russia conflict, US forces maneuver and attack in areas far larger than the kill radius of a tactical nuke. Plus, the US does have the forces at the strategic level to deter such a use of tactical nuclear weapons. We'll keep thinking this one through...
Labels: Russia, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 11:10 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, writes in the Opinion page of today's WSJ. Here is a glimpse into our thoughts as we read his "opinion" piece:
In some Western nations an utterly one-sided picture has been painted of the recent crisis in the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict. The statements of American officials would lead one to conclude that the crisis began when Russia sent in its troops to support its peacekeepers there.
Yep.
Meticulously avoided in those statements: The decision of Tbilisi to use crude military force against South Ossetia in the early hours of Aug. 8. The Georgian army used multiple rocket launchers, artillery and air force to attack the sleeping city of Tskhinvali.
Some honest independent observers acknowledge that a surprised Russia didn't respond immediately. We started moving our troops in support of peacekeepers only on the second day of Georgia's ruthless military assault. Yes, our military struck sites outside of South Ossetia. When the positions of your peacekeepers and the civilian population they have been mandated to protect are shelled, the sources of such attacks are legitimate targets.
Some honest independent observers acknowledge that a surprised Russia didn't respond immediately. We started moving our troops in support of peacekeepers only on the second day of Georgia's ruthless military assault. Yes, our military struck sites outside of South Ossetia. When the positions of your peacekeepers and the civilian population they have been mandated to protect are shelled, the sources of such attacks are legitimate targets.
Luckily the "surprised Russia" had staged two mechanized infantry divisions just North of the border. Did the Georgian army strike at Russian forces from the pipeline and bridges outside S. Ossetia - those parts of Georgian infrastructure targeted by Russian aircraft?
Our military acted efficiently and professionally. It was an able ground operation that quickly achieved its very clear and legitimate objectives. It was very different, for example, from the U.S./NATO operation against Serbia over Kosovo in 1999, when an air bombardment campaign ran out of military targets and degenerated into attacks on bridges, TV towers, passenger trains and other civilian sites, even hitting an embassy.
How about some caviar with that whine, eh comrade? Bet you didn't see the Polish-US missile defense agreement coming either. Did ya? The G8 conversion to the G7 is next. No thugs allowed.
In this instance, Russia used force in full conformity with international law, its right of self-defense, and its obligations under the agreements with regard to this particular conflict. Russia could not allow its peacekeepers to watch acts of genocide committed in front of their eyes, as happened in the Bosnian city of Srebrenica in 1995.
International law is what those with tanks say it is. Always has been. Always will be. This means, however, if the US has tanks, its opinion is important here too...
ut what of the U.S.'s role leading up to this conflict? U.S. involvement with the Tbilisi regime—past and future—must be addressed to fully understand the conflict. When the mantra of the "Georgian democratic government" is repeated time and time again, does it mean that by U.S. standards, a democratic government is allowed to act in brutal fashion against a civilian population it claims to be its own, simply because it is "democratic"?
Another real issue is U.S. military involvement with the government of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Did Washington purposely encourage an irresponsible and unpredictable regime in this misadventure? If the U.S. couldn't control Tbilisi's behavior before, why do some in the U.S. seek to rush to rearm the Georgian military now?
Russia, by contrast, remains committed to a peaceful resolution in the Caucasus.
Another real issue is U.S. military involvement with the government of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Did Washington purposely encourage an irresponsible and unpredictable regime in this misadventure? If the U.S. couldn't control Tbilisi's behavior before, why do some in the U.S. seek to rush to rearm the Georgian military now?
Russia, by contrast, remains committed to a peaceful resolution in the Caucasus.
Ok comrade. We're going to stop reading here. If you promised, yet again, in this 'opinion' piece to remove your forces from Georgia, our missing it won't matter. Will it?
So Sergey, you want a choice? Ok.
We choose a peaceful democracy.
We choose Georgia.
We choose an environment where journalists don't fear for their lives if they openly criticize their government.
We choose Georgia.
We choose those who are willing to fight a superpower for their freedom.
We choose Georgia.
We choose those who do not invade sovereign neighbors with 2 divisions and a weak claim of victimhood.
We choose Georgia.
In other "news", Pravda publishes a DailyKos-like opinion article about Secretary Rice: Condoleeza Rice and the insult to international diplomacy. This is hard-hitting journalism one should expect from the remaining Russian journalists... and their comrades in the US media!
In the equation which makes up the odious, criminal and murderous Bush regime and its murderous, criminal and odious foreign policy, the constant factor is constituted by a teacher, promoted to positions way above her personal and intellectual station by a gullible fool of a President. This teacher, whose sheer incompetence as National Security Advisor and as Secretary of State is today so blatantly apparent, goes by the name of Condoleeza Rice.
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The constant arrogance and hypocrisy of this failed female makes it that much more apparent that here is a person way out of her depth. Instead of regarding sensitive issues from a balanced viewpoint as she is supposed to do, this incompetent loud-mouthed, bad-mannered, bullshit-mongering bimbo takes one side, ignores the other and then speaks down from a holier-than-thou platform as if she were on a lecture dias.
This is not a classroom, Condoleeza Rice, and you are not a diplomat. You are a liar, a cheap, shallow, failed, wannabe actress on the diplomatic stage. This is the real world and out here, you have to be prepared to face up to your responsibilities.
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The constant arrogance and hypocrisy of this failed female makes it that much more apparent that here is a person way out of her depth. Instead of regarding sensitive issues from a balanced viewpoint as she is supposed to do, this incompetent loud-mouthed, bad-mannered, bullshit-mongering bimbo takes one side, ignores the other and then speaks down from a holier-than-thou platform as if she were on a lecture dias.
This is not a classroom, Condoleeza Rice, and you are not a diplomat. You are a liar, a cheap, shallow, failed, wannabe actress on the diplomatic stage. This is the real world and out here, you have to be prepared to face up to your responsibilities.
Can we assume the Kremlin is behind this language? Could we also assume that Secretary Rice may be applying the proper pressure in the appropriate places? In other words, can we say she is using a little more hammer than sickle?
U/T: James Taranto for the Pravda link.
posted by Karl @ 4:00 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Foreign Policy Association's Russia blog has a post called The CNN Effect: A Tale of Two Wars. This is a great review of media coverage of the Russian-Georgian conflict which suggests Georgia won the PR war while taking the inevitable loss on the ground. Is it possible the Russians have lost their ability to sway the useful idiots in the US media??
The blog Classical Values is calling Georgia the victor based on the cease-fire agreements. A very detailed review of the latest developments.
UPDATE 8.18: Let's see if this gains momentum...
posted by Karl @ 10:10 PM Permalink
What is troubling is the US media’s willingness to similarly tow the party line, but in the absence of any of the coercive measures, such as the state censorship, that the Russian press endures. There have been no William Dunbars on CNN, despite the fact that every report I’ve seen on the channel yesterday had been framed as “Russian invasion”, with endless clips of Saakashvili alleging Russian crimes etc, in a loop of totally pro-Georgian coverage. Georgia is a key US ally, the 3rd largest troop contingent in Iraq, and occupies a strategic, oil rich zone. The self-policing in the US media, which has basically been uncritically promoting government talking points, is very disturbing.
To the uninformed viewer, it was Russia, not Georgia, which used the cover of the Olympic games to invade; in reality, they both did.
To the uninformed viewer, it was Russia, not Georgia, which used the cover of the Olympic games to invade; in reality, they both did.
The blog Classical Values is calling Georgia the victor based on the cease-fire agreements. A very detailed review of the latest developments.
I can't find a link now, but at the start of the conflict Russians were asking the Georgian President to step down and that he be tried for war crimes. That is not going to happen.
UPDATE 8.18: Let's see if this gains momentum...
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 10:10 PM Permalink
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Bloomberg reports the US and Poland signed a deal today to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski:
Let's start negotiations to increase the number to 500. How does Friday sound?
posted by Karl @ 8:10 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski:
Only people of ill intent should fear this agreement.
Let's start negotiations to increase the number to 500. How does Friday sound?
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 8:10 PM Permalink 0 comments Post a comment
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
They're saying we are entering a new Cold War. Don't people have to stop dying for the war to be "Cold"?
Russia agreed to France's cease fire proposal two days ago. Reports of continued Russian aggression in S. Ossetia, Gori and the port city, Poti, are still coming in. To say this is still in response to some peacekeepers in S. Ossetia being abused - reports that are still unconfirmed - is to be generous at best.
To restate our motivation here at Ushanka.us: Communism is the biggest threat to the free world. Period.
Here is a wrap-up of three WSJ articles from today, the latest from President Bush, reported by Bloomberg, and our $0.02.
Melik Kaylan explains how this is a war for oil, that the conflict in Georgia is the start of pressure on other former Soviet states, that pressure on the Caucasus states and Central Asian states will negatively influence our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and any future pressure we wish to apply to Iran. Opinion article, Welcome Back to the Great Game.
In the WSJ editorial, Bush and Georgia, US credibility is rightly questioned, and suggestions offered.
The front page article, Russia Agrees to Halt War by Jay Solomon, Neil King and Marc Champion offers background on the tensions between the two countries. Here are the comments regarding NATO:
The latest: Holly Rosenkrantz at Bloomberg reports President Bush's latest warning to Russia. A US cargo plane is en route and Secretary Rice will be dispatched to Tbilisi. George W. Bush:
Our suggestions:
Harsh, you say? Then you haven't been paying attention to Russia's behavior these past few years.
Cartoons found at Townhall.com.
posted by Karl @ 12:41 PM Permalink
Russia agreed to France's cease fire proposal two days ago. Reports of continued Russian aggression in S. Ossetia, Gori and the port city, Poti, are still coming in. To say this is still in response to some peacekeepers in S. Ossetia being abused - reports that are still unconfirmed - is to be generous at best.
To restate our motivation here at Ushanka.us: Communism is the biggest threat to the free world. Period.
Here is a wrap-up of three WSJ articles from today, the latest from President Bush, reported by Bloomberg, and our $0.02.
Melik Kaylan explains how this is a war for oil, that the conflict in Georgia is the start of pressure on other former Soviet states, that pressure on the Caucasus states and Central Asian states will negatively influence our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and any future pressure we wish to apply to Iran. Opinion article, Welcome Back to the Great Game.
Having overestimated the power of the Soviet Union in its last years, we have consistently underestimated the ambitions of Russia since. Already, a great deal has been said about the implications of Russia's invasion for Ukraine, the Baltic States and Europe generally. But few have noticed the direct strategic threat of Moscow's action to U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Kremlin is not about to reignite the Cold War for the love of a few thousand Ossetians or even for its animosity toward five million Georgians. This is calculated strategic maneuvering. And make no mistake, it's about countering U.S. power at its furthest stretch with Moscow's power very close to home.
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According to Georgian authorities, Russian warplanes have tried to demolish the Georgian leg of that pipeline several times in the last days. Their message cannot be clearer.
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We could walk away from this challenge, hoping for things to cool off, and let the Russians impose sway over the lower Caucasus for now. But no one will fail to notice our weakness. If we don't draw the line here, it doesn't get easier down the road with any other border or country. We would be risking the future of Afghanistan, and the stability of Iraq, on the good will of Moscow and the mullahs in Tehran. This is how the game of grand strategy is played, whether we like it or not.
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According to Georgian authorities, Russian warplanes have tried to demolish the Georgian leg of that pipeline several times in the last days. Their message cannot be clearer.
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We could walk away from this challenge, hoping for things to cool off, and let the Russians impose sway over the lower Caucasus for now. But no one will fail to notice our weakness. If we don't draw the line here, it doesn't get easier down the road with any other border or country. We would be risking the future of Afghanistan, and the stability of Iraq, on the good will of Moscow and the mullahs in Tehran. This is how the game of grand strategy is played, whether we like it or not.
In the WSJ editorial, Bush and Georgia, US credibility is rightly questioned, and suggestions offered.
President Bush finally condemned Russia's actions on Monday after a weekend of Olympics tourism in Beijing while Georgia burned. Meanwhile, the State Department dispatched a mid-level official to Tbilisi, and unnamed Administration officials carped to the press that Washington had warned Georgia not to provoke Moscow. That's hardly a show of solidarity with a Eurasian democracy that has supported the U.S. in Iraq with 2,000 troops.
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The NATO leader also said Georgia's potential membership remains "very much alive" and that it would be a member of NATO one day. Georgia and Ukraine's applications come up again in December, and perhaps even Germany, which blocked their membership bids earlier this year, will now rethink its objections given that its refusal may have encouraged Russia to assume it could reassert control over its "near abroad."
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The Georgian people also deserve U.S. support. One way to demonstrate that would be a "Tbilisi airlift," ferrying military and humanitarian supplies to the Georgian capital, which is currently cut off by Russian troops from its Black Sea port. Secretary of State Rice or Defense Secretary Robert Gates should be in one of the first planes.
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The NATO leader also said Georgia's potential membership remains "very much alive" and that it would be a member of NATO one day. Georgia and Ukraine's applications come up again in December, and perhaps even Germany, which blocked their membership bids earlier this year, will now rethink its objections given that its refusal may have encouraged Russia to assume it could reassert control over its "near abroad."
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The Georgian people also deserve U.S. support. One way to demonstrate that would be a "Tbilisi airlift," ferrying military and humanitarian supplies to the Georgian capital, which is currently cut off by Russian troops from its Black Sea port. Secretary of State Rice or Defense Secretary Robert Gates should be in one of the first planes.
The front page article, Russia Agrees to Halt War by Jay Solomon, Neil King and Marc Champion offers background on the tensions between the two countries. Here are the comments regarding NATO:
Russia succeeded in its military goals. It punished Georgia's President Saakashvili and demonstrated to its neighbors that it is the sole military power in the region.
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President Bush has been a big supporter of expanding NATO membership to include former Soviet states including Georgia and Ukraine. NATO, a mutual defense pact, was started following World War II to contain the Soviet Union. Under its rules, an attack on any single member is considered an attack on all.
Mr. Bush pressed hard after the attacks of Sept. 11, seeing Eastern Europe as a proving ground for the "freedom agenda" he hoped would revamp the Middle East and Central Asia. He reveled in the gains U.S. policy produced, culminating in 2004, when Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia were accepted for NATO membership.
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President Bush has been a big supporter of expanding NATO membership to include former Soviet states including Georgia and Ukraine. NATO, a mutual defense pact, was started following World War II to contain the Soviet Union. Under its rules, an attack on any single member is considered an attack on all.
Mr. Bush pressed hard after the attacks of Sept. 11, seeing Eastern Europe as a proving ground for the "freedom agenda" he hoped would revamp the Middle East and Central Asia. He reveled in the gains U.S. policy produced, culminating in 2004, when Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia were accepted for NATO membership.
The latest: Holly Rosenkrantz at Bloomberg reports President Bush's latest warning to Russia. A US cargo plane is en route and Secretary Rice will be dispatched to Tbilisi. George W. Bush:
Russia's ongoing actions raise serious questions about its intentions in Georgia and the region.
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We're concerned about reports that Russian forces have entered and taken positions in the port city of Poti, that Russian armored vehicles are blocking access to that port, and that Russia is blowing up Georgian vessels
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We're concerned about reports that Russian forces have entered and taken positions in the port city of Poti, that Russian armored vehicles are blocking access to that port, and that Russia is blowing up Georgian vessels
Our suggestions:
1) Push for early NATO consideration for Ukraine and Georgia. December is too long of a wait. Threaten retroactive membership if Russia pushes.
2) Return the G-7 to the original seven.
3) Postpone WTO membership one year. Two if Russia pushes.
4) Supply the Georgians with useful supplies. A Russian plane falling from the sky, or several tanks destroyed by a land mine are paradigm-shifting events.
5) Open all US to drilling to bring the price of oil as low as possible for the foreseeable future.
6) Expedite both the missile shield in Europe, and the designs for its larger-scale successor.
7) Begin arrangements to move the US Army Division out of Germany and into Ukraine.
2) Return the G-7 to the original seven.
3) Postpone WTO membership one year. Two if Russia pushes.
4) Supply the Georgians with useful supplies. A Russian plane falling from the sky, or several tanks destroyed by a land mine are paradigm-shifting events.
5) Open all US to drilling to bring the price of oil as low as possible for the foreseeable future.
6) Expedite both the missile shield in Europe, and the designs for its larger-scale successor.
7) Begin arrangements to move the US Army Division out of Germany and into Ukraine.
Harsh, you say? Then you haven't been paying attention to Russia's behavior these past few years.
Cartoons found at Townhall.com.
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 12:41 PM Permalink
Most of the Hammer & Sickle cartoons we post are related to policies of the US Democratic Party.
Should we assume, now that the symbol has returned to its original owners, that the US and Russia will coexist in peace? Or just the US Democrats and Russia?
Cartoons found at Townhall.
posted by Karl @ 11:01 AM Permalink
Should we assume, now that the symbol has returned to its original owners, that the US and Russia will coexist in peace? Or just the US Democrats and Russia?
Cartoons found at Townhall.
Labels: Hammer/Sickle, Russia
posted by Karl @ 11:01 AM Permalink
Monday, August 11, 2008
We finished the June 2008 book today - Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent, by Fred Burton.
This is a great review of the terror attacks in the 80s and 90s from a State Department DSS counterterrorism agent on the front lines. Fred Burton was one of three agents in the CT group when he joined the department, and led the department's expansion into a full CT operation. Some interesting facts about Lybia, the KGB's role in the assassination of Pakistan's president AND the US Ambassador to Pakistan. He even shares some little-known information on Lee Harvey Oswald.
Buy Now - Amazon Link
posted by Karl @ 9:03 PM Permalink
This is a great review of the terror attacks in the 80s and 90s from a State Department DSS counterterrorism agent on the front lines. Fred Burton was one of three agents in the CT group when he joined the department, and led the department's expansion into a full CT operation. Some interesting facts about Lybia, the KGB's role in the assassination of Pakistan's president AND the US Ambassador to Pakistan. He even shares some little-known information on Lee Harvey Oswald.
Buy Now - Amazon Link
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 9:03 PM Permalink
We are still forming opinions on the Russia-Georgia conflict. Here are some early thoughts, some early clips, and some additional links.
Our thoughts:
Ok. Maybe we have formed some conclusions...
We're learning the history in this region as the story develops. We turned to the WSJ for some core facts:
Marc Champion and Andrew Osborn write the first full WSJ piece in Saturday's (Aug. 9) paper, Russia, Georgia Clash Over Breakaway Province:
Same paper, editorial War in the Caucasus:
Other Links:
HotAir - Ukraine Enters Caucasus Fray
Washington Post, Robert Kagan - Putin Makes His Move
New York Times, Bill Kristol - Will Russia Get Away With It?
WSJ, Georgia President MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI - The War In Georgia is a War For the West
Blog Link - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia is blogging the war.
posted by Karl @ 2:29 PM Permalink 2 comments Post a comment
Our thoughts:
1) Russia's aggression gives the US and Israel a green light for strikes against Iran. Let the cycle of violence continue!
2) Russia's aggression gives the US a powerful reason to begin drilling - everywhere. The hint of US drilling has brought the oil price down from $150/barrel to today's $113/barrel. Putin/Medvedev & Co. feel this dip, and deserve to feel more.
3) As a US taxpayer, I'd prefer my tax dollars to go towards a large, covert shipment of anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles to Georgia.
4) The whole "Democracies don't go to war with democracies" theory is dead. New rule: "Powerful democracies ruled by thugs go to war with other democracies".
5) This is all about Georgia's desire to join NATO. Russia caring about their peacekeepers in South Ossetia? If anything, Russia wanted their peacekeepers attacked to give some credibility to military action. The level of military action shows this has nothing to do with the well being of the Russian peacekeeper.
6) With over 2000 dead in three days, many of them civilians, we're still waiting for Pelosi, Reid and Obama to denounce this illegal war.
2) Russia's aggression gives the US a powerful reason to begin drilling - everywhere. The hint of US drilling has brought the oil price down from $150/barrel to today's $113/barrel. Putin/Medvedev & Co. feel this dip, and deserve to feel more.
3) As a US taxpayer, I'd prefer my tax dollars to go towards a large, covert shipment of anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles to Georgia.
4) The whole "Democracies don't go to war with democracies" theory is dead. New rule: "Powerful democracies ruled by thugs go to war with other democracies".
5) This is all about Georgia's desire to join NATO. Russia caring about their peacekeepers in South Ossetia? If anything, Russia wanted their peacekeepers attacked to give some credibility to military action. The level of military action shows this has nothing to do with the well being of the Russian peacekeeper.
6) With over 2000 dead in three days, many of them civilians, we're still waiting for Pelosi, Reid and Obama to denounce this illegal war.
Ok. Maybe we have formed some conclusions...
We're learning the history in this region as the story develops. We turned to the WSJ for some core facts:
Marc Champion and Andrew Osborn write the first full WSJ piece in Saturday's (Aug. 9) paper, Russia, Georgia Clash Over Breakaway Province:
The U.S. has strongly supported Georgia's bid to join NATO. Late last month, the U.S. conducted joint military exercises that included 1,000 U.S. troops and 600 Georgian troops just outside Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. The exercises were called "Immediate Response."
Both the Georgian and the Russian sides have been upping the ante of late. Moscow in April persuaded Germany, a NATO member, to block Georgia's bid to start membership talks, in part because of the unresolved disputes with Russia and separatists in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But NATO also set a date in December to review the question.
Since then, Russia has taken a series of provocative steps. They include offering legal recognition to Abkhazia's separatist government, sending additional troops into the territory, and shooting down a Georgian drone aircraft. Georgian officials have said these moves amount to a creeping annexation.
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"We are being attacked because we want to be free," President Saakashvili told CNN. Separately, he told a news briefing that Russia's actions flouted Georgia's sovereignty. "One hundred fifty Russian tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles have entered South Ossetia," he said. "This is a clear intrusion on another country's territory."
Both the Georgian and the Russian sides have been upping the ante of late. Moscow in April persuaded Germany, a NATO member, to block Georgia's bid to start membership talks, in part because of the unresolved disputes with Russia and separatists in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But NATO also set a date in December to review the question.
Since then, Russia has taken a series of provocative steps. They include offering legal recognition to Abkhazia's separatist government, sending additional troops into the territory, and shooting down a Georgian drone aircraft. Georgian officials have said these moves amount to a creeping annexation.
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"We are being attacked because we want to be free," President Saakashvili told CNN. Separately, he told a news briefing that Russia's actions flouted Georgia's sovereignty. "One hundred fifty Russian tanks, armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles have entered South Ossetia," he said. "This is a clear intrusion on another country's territory."
Same paper, editorial War in the Caucasus:
"War has started," Vladimir Putin said yesterday as Georgian and Russian forces fought over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia. War is certainly what the two countries have seemed to want for some time, and the chances of avoiding a drawn-out conflict now are slim.
It's unclear at this stage which side is more at fault for the current fighting. Georgia says it moved on the South Ossetian city of Tskhinvali yesterday after rebels there broke a cease-fire. But President Mikheil Saakashvili has long pledged to retake South Ossetia and another separatist area, Abkhazia, and may have underestimated Moscow's reaction.
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The biggest question now is whether Moscow will simply try to restore the previous status quo in South Ossetia -- with Russia and the rebels controlling most of the territory -- or go further and crush Georgia while deposing Mr. Saakashvili. Russian state TV yesterday reported that Georgian soldiers had killed at least 10 Russian troops and were "finishing off" wounded Russians, a worrisome sign that the Kremlin is trying to inflame public opinion ahead of a major operation.
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Western leaders should have seen this coming. Russia has baited the hot-tempered Georgian leader with trade and travel embargoes as well as saber-rattling. Georgia has had to tolerate a few thousand Russian troops on its soil -- only Moscow recognizes the self-declared independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. And in April, Russia downed a Georgian drone over Abkhaz -- that is, Georgian -- air space. Russia in recent years has also granted citizenship to the separatists. That looks like premeditation now: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pledged yesterday to "protect the lives and dignity of Russian citizens, no matter where they are located."
It's unclear at this stage which side is more at fault for the current fighting. Georgia says it moved on the South Ossetian city of Tskhinvali yesterday after rebels there broke a cease-fire. But President Mikheil Saakashvili has long pledged to retake South Ossetia and another separatist area, Abkhazia, and may have underestimated Moscow's reaction.
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The biggest question now is whether Moscow will simply try to restore the previous status quo in South Ossetia -- with Russia and the rebels controlling most of the territory -- or go further and crush Georgia while deposing Mr. Saakashvili. Russian state TV yesterday reported that Georgian soldiers had killed at least 10 Russian troops and were "finishing off" wounded Russians, a worrisome sign that the Kremlin is trying to inflame public opinion ahead of a major operation.
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Western leaders should have seen this coming. Russia has baited the hot-tempered Georgian leader with trade and travel embargoes as well as saber-rattling. Georgia has had to tolerate a few thousand Russian troops on its soil -- only Moscow recognizes the self-declared independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. And in April, Russia downed a Georgian drone over Abkhaz -- that is, Georgian -- air space. Russia in recent years has also granted citizenship to the separatists. That looks like premeditation now: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pledged yesterday to "protect the lives and dignity of Russian citizens, no matter where they are located."
Other Links:
HotAir - Ukraine Enters Caucasus Fray
Washington Post, Robert Kagan - Putin Makes His Move
This war did not begin because of a miscalculation by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. It is a war that Moscow has been attempting to provoke for some time.
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His war against Georgia is part of this grand strategy. Putin cares no more about a few thousand South Ossetians than he does about Kosovo's Serbs. Claims of pan-Slavic sympathy are pretexts designed to fan Russian great-power nationalism at home and to expand Russia's power abroad.
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Historians will come to view Aug. 8, 2008, as a turning point no less significant than Nov. 9, 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell. Russia's attack on sovereign Georgian territory marked the official return of history
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His war against Georgia is part of this grand strategy. Putin cares no more about a few thousand South Ossetians than he does about Kosovo's Serbs. Claims of pan-Slavic sympathy are pretexts designed to fan Russian great-power nationalism at home and to expand Russia's power abroad.
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Historians will come to view Aug. 8, 2008, as a turning point no less significant than Nov. 9, 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell. Russia's attack on sovereign Georgian territory marked the official return of history
New York Times, Bill Kristol - Will Russia Get Away With It?
But Georgia, a nation of about 4.6 million, has had the third-largest military presence — about 2,000 troops — fighting along with U.S. soldiers and marines in Iraq. For this reason alone, we owe Georgia a serious effort to defend its sovereignty. Surely we cannot simply stand by as an autocratic aggressor gobbles up part of — and perhaps destabilizes all of — a friendly democratic nation that we were sponsoring for NATO membership a few months ago.
WSJ, Georgia President MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI - The War In Georgia is a War For the West
Our offers of peace were rejected. Moscow sought war. In April, Russia began treating the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as Russian provinces. Again, our friends in the West asked us to show restraint, and we did. But under the guise of peacekeeping, Russia sent paratroopers and heavy artillery into Abkhazia. Repeated provocations were designed to bring Georgia to the brink of war.
When this failed, the Kremlin turned its attention to South Ossetia, ordering its proxies there to escalate attacks on Georgian positions. My government answered with a unilateral cease-fire; the separatists began attacking civilians and Russian tanks pierced the Georgian border. We had no choice but to protect our civilians and restore our constitutional order. Moscow then used this as pretext for a full-scale military invasion of Georgia.
Over the past days, Russia has waged an all-out attack on Georgia. Its tanks have been pouring into South Ossetia. Its jets have bombed not only Georgian military bases, but also civilian and economic infrastructure, including demolishing the port of Poti on the Black Sea coast. Its Black Sea fleet is now massing on our shores and an attack is under way in Abkhazia.
When this failed, the Kremlin turned its attention to South Ossetia, ordering its proxies there to escalate attacks on Georgian positions. My government answered with a unilateral cease-fire; the separatists began attacking civilians and Russian tanks pierced the Georgian border. We had no choice but to protect our civilians and restore our constitutional order. Moscow then used this as pretext for a full-scale military invasion of Georgia.
Over the past days, Russia has waged an all-out attack on Georgia. Its tanks have been pouring into South Ossetia. Its jets have bombed not only Georgian military bases, but also civilian and economic infrastructure, including demolishing the port of Poti on the Black Sea coast. Its Black Sea fleet is now massing on our shores and an attack is under way in Abkhazia.
Blog Link - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia is blogging the war.
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 2:29 PM Permalink 2 comments Post a comment
Friday, August 01, 2008
"Is the $300'ish/year subscription to the WSJ enough, or should we be paying them more?" That was the question on our lips Tuesday morning when we opened the opinion section. It is one of those days where we clear the next hour of our morning schedule and pour a large cup of coffee. The first three recommendations below are from Tuesday's paper, the fourth from Thursday's.
Garry Kasparov criticizes Obama for the missing message in his Berlin speech in Obama Should Stand Up to Russia's Regime. The missing message: lack of confrontation towards countries that do not respect human rights. Primarily, Russia and China.
Stanford economics professor Michael J. Boskin reviews the tax changes of an Obama Administration in Obamanomics Is a Recipe for Recession. Some high-income libs are in for a shock...
Editorial writer William McGurn exposes the generous offer from Blackwater's CEO Erik Prince to train African Union soldiers to fight the Darfur murderers, and comments on the lack of interest in the best and cheapest solution to date.
Karl Rove discusses the "Iraq problems" that both candidates suffer from in Obama's Iraq Fumble. How each candidate resolves his Iraq issues will provide the voters valuable information on judgement and character. His comments on Obama:
posted by Karl @ 11:09 AM Permalink
Garry Kasparov criticizes Obama for the missing message in his Berlin speech in Obama Should Stand Up to Russia's Regime. The missing message: lack of confrontation towards countries that do not respect human rights. Primarily, Russia and China.
The stage for his disappointing performance was set several weeks ago, when the Illinois senator rejected John McCain's proposal to eject Russia and exclude China from the Group of Eight (G-8). Mr. Obama's response during a July 13 interview on CNN -- "We have to engage and get them involved" -- suggests that it is impossible to work with Russia and China on economic and nuclear nonproliferation issues while also standing up for democracy and human rights.
It has repeatedly been shown that the exact opposite is true.
The U.S. does not cede leverage with authoritarian governments when it confronts them about their crimes. Instead, the U.S. increases its credibility and influence with foes and friends alike. Placating regimes like those in Russia and China today only entrenches hostile, antidemocratic forces.
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In short, the candidate of change sounds like he would perpetuate the destructive double standards of the current administration. Meanwhile, the supposedly hidebound Mr. McCain is imaginative enough to suggest that if something is broken you should try to fix it. Giving Russia and China a free pass on human rights to keep them "at the table" has helped lead to more arms and nuclear aid to Iran, a nuclear North Korea, and interference from both nations in solving the tragedies in Darfur and Zimbabwe.
It has repeatedly been shown that the exact opposite is true.
The U.S. does not cede leverage with authoritarian governments when it confronts them about their crimes. Instead, the U.S. increases its credibility and influence with foes and friends alike. Placating regimes like those in Russia and China today only entrenches hostile, antidemocratic forces.
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In short, the candidate of change sounds like he would perpetuate the destructive double standards of the current administration. Meanwhile, the supposedly hidebound Mr. McCain is imaginative enough to suggest that if something is broken you should try to fix it. Giving Russia and China a free pass on human rights to keep them "at the table" has helped lead to more arms and nuclear aid to Iran, a nuclear North Korea, and interference from both nations in solving the tragedies in Darfur and Zimbabwe.
Stanford economics professor Michael J. Boskin reviews the tax changes of an Obama Administration in Obamanomics Is a Recipe for Recession. Some high-income libs are in for a shock...
The top 35% marginal income tax rate rises to 39.6%; adding the state income tax, the Medicare tax, the effect of the deduction phase-out and Mr. Obama's new Social Security tax (of up to 12.4%) increases the total combined marginal tax rate on additional labor earnings (or small business income) from 44.6% to a whopping 62.8%. People respond to what they get to keep after tax, which the Obama plan reduces from 55.4 cents on the dollar to 37.2 cents -- a reduction of one-third in the after-tax wage!
Editorial writer William McGurn exposes the generous offer from Blackwater's CEO Erik Prince to train African Union soldiers to fight the Darfur murderers, and comments on the lack of interest in the best and cheapest solution to date.
Darfur gets plenty of news coverage from sympathetic reporters sickened by the carnage and devastation they have seen. What the people of Darfur do not get is an armed force capable of taking on the Janjaweed -- a horse-mounted militia. The Janjaweed has murdered men, gang-raped women, beaten children to death, and left poisoned wells and burnt-down villages in its wake.
---
Mr. Prince has a remedy. He believes that with 250 or so professionals, Blackwater can transform about a thousand of the African Union soldiers into an elite and highly mobile force. This force would also be equipped with helicopters and the kind of small planes that missionaries use in this part of the world. It would be cheaper than the hundreds of millions we are spending to set up a larger AU/U.N. force. And he says he'd do it at cost.
---
Strongly worded resolutions, sanctions and boycotts are generally what you do in place of decisive action. I understand that the whole idea of Blackwater helicopters flying over Darfur probably horrifies many of the same people frustrated by Mr. Bashir's ability to game the system. But it's at least worth wondering what that same Blackwater helo might look like to a defenseless Darfur mother and her daughters lying in fear of a Janjaweed attack.
---
Mr. Prince has a remedy. He believes that with 250 or so professionals, Blackwater can transform about a thousand of the African Union soldiers into an elite and highly mobile force. This force would also be equipped with helicopters and the kind of small planes that missionaries use in this part of the world. It would be cheaper than the hundreds of millions we are spending to set up a larger AU/U.N. force. And he says he'd do it at cost.
---
Strongly worded resolutions, sanctions and boycotts are generally what you do in place of decisive action. I understand that the whole idea of Blackwater helicopters flying over Darfur probably horrifies many of the same people frustrated by Mr. Bashir's ability to game the system. But it's at least worth wondering what that same Blackwater helo might look like to a defenseless Darfur mother and her daughters lying in fear of a Janjaweed attack.
Karl Rove discusses the "Iraq problems" that both candidates suffer from in Obama's Iraq Fumble. How each candidate resolves his Iraq issues will provide the voters valuable information on judgement and character. His comments on Obama:
Mr. Obama's problem is he opposed the policy that created the progress that makes victory in Iraq possible. Mr. Obama's unbending opposition to the surge undermines his fundamental argument that he has better judgment on national security. Mr. McCain needs to use Mr. Obama's retrospective mistake to shape voters' prospective conclusion, convincing them that Mr. Obama's badly flawed judgment on the surge shows he cannot be trusted with major foreign-policy decisions.
Mr. Obama also created a problem by canceling a visit to U.S. soldiers who were wounded in Iraq and are now recuperating at Landstuhl hospital in Germany. His campaign has offered a welter of explanations. What's the real one? My rule is that when in doubt, see what a candidate said at the time and judge his candor. In a July 26 London news conference, Mr. Obama explained: "I was going to be accompanied by one of my advisers, a former military officer. And we got notice that he would be treated as a campaign person, and it would therefore be perceived as political because he had endorsed my candidacy, but he wasn't on the Senate staff."
The solution was obvious. Leave the campaign adviser behind and visit the wounded troops. Mr. Obama's decision to work out in the hotel gym instead adds to his growing reputation for arrogance.
Mr. Obama also created a problem by canceling a visit to U.S. soldiers who were wounded in Iraq and are now recuperating at Landstuhl hospital in Germany. His campaign has offered a welter of explanations. What's the real one? My rule is that when in doubt, see what a candidate said at the time and judge his candor. In a July 26 London news conference, Mr. Obama explained: "I was going to be accompanied by one of my advisers, a former military officer. And we got notice that he would be treated as a campaign person, and it would therefore be perceived as political because he had endorsed my candidacy, but he wasn't on the Senate staff."
The solution was obvious. Leave the campaign adviser behind and visit the wounded troops. Mr. Obama's decision to work out in the hotel gym instead adds to his growing reputation for arrogance.
Labels: China, Russia, Tax, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 11:09 AM Permalink
Friday, June 27, 2008
Garry Kasparov writes in the WSJ of the new documentary of Anna Paolitkovskaya, one of the 13+ murdered Russian journalists during Putin's presidency. The title of the film is "Letter to Anna". He also expands on the political climate in Russia. Specifically the "soft censorship" that exists to keep political opponents from becoming a threat to the Putin-Medvedev reign. Article title: How Putin Muzzled Russia's Press.
John fund of the WSJ reminds us that "only one Democrat since FDR has won more than 50.1% of the popular vote". Article: No, McCain Isn't Doomed.
There is evidence that fall campaigns, which tend to focus voters on big-picture issues, usually help Republicans. In 1976, Gerald Ford was seen as a goner during the summer but rallied to finish only two points behind Jimmy Carter. A dozen years later, Michael Dukakis led George H.W. Bush in June and July. He lost by eight points in the fall. In 1992, Bill Clinton had a 10-point lead around Labor Day. He won by only five and a half points. Even Bob Dole closed a 12-point Labor Day gap to only eight points by November 1996. If that history is a guide, a focused McCain campaign that clearly contrasts conservative and liberal approaches to the issues should have a good chance of winning.
After all, it isn't easy for Democrats to win in a two-person race for president. Since FDR's last victory in 1944, only one Democrat – Lyndon Johnson in 1964 – has won 50.1% or more of the popular vote. Both of Bill Clinton's victories were aided by Ross Perot's presence on the ballot.
After all, it isn't easy for Democrats to win in a two-person race for president. Since FDR's last victory in 1944, only one Democrat – Lyndon Johnson in 1964 – has won 50.1% or more of the popular vote. Both of Bill Clinton's victories were aided by Ross Perot's presence on the ballot.
Michelle Malkin recommends we "bone up" on ACORN, the lefty group that gets 40% of its annual budget from the taxpayers and spends some of that $$ on political activism. This is the group Obama worked for as a 'Community Organizer'. (We'd like to see the improvements to that community that can be attributed to Obama... Do ACORN community organizers file fraudulent voter registrations, or is that another part of ACORN?) Two paragraphs selected below. See her full Townhall article, The ACORN Obama Knows.
Last July, ACORN settled the largest case of voter fraud in the history of Washington State. Seven ACORN workers had submitted nearly 2,000 bogus voter registration forms. According to case records, they flipped through phone books for names to use on the forms, including "Leon Spinks," "Frekkie Magoal" and "Fruto Boy Crispila." Three ACORN election hoaxers pleaded guilty in October. A King County prosecutor called ACORN's criminal sabotage "an act of vandalism upon the voter rolls."
...
As the Consumer Rights League points out in its new expose, the ACORN Housing Corporation has worked to obtain mortgages for illegal aliens in partnership with Citibank. It relies on undocumented income, "under the table" money, which may not be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Moreover, the group's "financial justice" operations attack lenders for "exotic" loans, while recommending 10-year interest-only loans (which deny equity to the buyer) and risky reverse mortgages. Whistleblower documents reveal internal discussions among the group that blur the lines between its tax-exempt housing work and its aggressive electioneering activities. The group appears to shake down corporate interests with relentless PR attacks, and then enters "no lobby" agreements with targeted corporations after receiving payment.
...
As the Consumer Rights League points out in its new expose, the ACORN Housing Corporation has worked to obtain mortgages for illegal aliens in partnership with Citibank. It relies on undocumented income, "under the table" money, which may not be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Moreover, the group's "financial justice" operations attack lenders for "exotic" loans, while recommending 10-year interest-only loans (which deny equity to the buyer) and risky reverse mortgages. Whistleblower documents reveal internal discussions among the group that blur the lines between its tax-exempt housing work and its aggressive electioneering activities. The group appears to shake down corporate interests with relentless PR attacks, and then enters "no lobby" agreements with targeted corporations after receiving payment.
Labels: Russia, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 10:07 PM Permalink
Sunday, June 22, 2008
We celebrated the end to this weekend's global warming with a Santa Damiana stogie and our new book from Ion Mihai Pacepa, Programmed to Kill: Lee Harvey Oswald, the Soviet KGB, and the Kennedy Assassination.
As we expected about the assassination.... Oliver Stone doesn't know s**t. We're only on chapter 3, yet there are already links between the Soviet Union, Romania and Cuba. Frick'in commies....
Programmed to Kill
posted by Karl @ 11:01 PM Permalink
Friday, June 13, 2008
What a great week for conservative thought. Here are about half of the articles worthy of our Weekend Reading posts from this week. Just too many!
On the topic of the need for more drilling, Victor Davis Hanson introduces a personal story that would sway those few liberals not dedicated to the destruction of the United States. Assuming they would read it. From Townhall:
A Bush Puff piece from Ushanka Babe Ann Coulter in Townhall. We predict we'll see more of these once the masses realize what the next fours years hold for the US, regardless of which candidate wins.
A credible witness to the horrors of communism speaks out about Obama. Ion Mihia Pacepa, author of Red Horizons and former advisor to Romania's Nicolae Ceaucescu, discusses Obama's chances with dictators. See the article for his former relationship with Cuba's Raul Castro.
Larry Elder attempts to put the 'new' Obama position on negotiations with Iran into perspective - at Townhall. We're still confused...
An Ushanka Tip goes out to the WSJ's Editorial Board for the latest Obama staff resignation - James Johnson. Here are quotes from Wednesday's "Friends of Barack", when James was still on the VP vetting team, and Thursday's "Ex-Friends of Barack" when he wasn't.
Johnson resigns Wednesday. Thursday in the WSJ:
"Obama Is No Post-Racial Candidate", so says Ward Connerly in Friday's WSJ:
posted by Karl @ 5:10 PM Permalink
On the topic of the need for more drilling, Victor Davis Hanson introduces a personal story that would sway those few liberals not dedicated to the destruction of the United States. Assuming they would read it. From Townhall:
Indeed, from my informal conversations at two very different gas stations, I would go even further: The wealthy, particularly those who are politically liberal, also like that high-priced gas translates into less burning of fossil fuels by others and will help accelerate research into alternative energies.
But what these elites don't seem to realize is that the energy policies they tend to advocate are for the present paralyzing almost everyone else in the country -- and that the truly ethical and environmental solution would require embracing positions long considered anathema to traditional liberalism.
But what these elites don't seem to realize is that the energy policies they tend to advocate are for the present paralyzing almost everyone else in the country -- and that the truly ethical and environmental solution would require embracing positions long considered anathema to traditional liberalism.
A Bush Puff piece from Ushanka Babe Ann Coulter in Townhall. We predict we'll see more of these once the masses realize what the next fours years hold for the US, regardless of which candidate wins.
I generally don't write columns about the manifestly obvious, but, yes, the man responsible for keeping Americans safe from another terrorist attack on American soil for nearly seven years now will go down in history as one of America's greatest presidents.
...
The sheer repetition of lies about Bush is wearing people down. There is not a liberal in this country worthy of kissing Bush's rear end, but the weakest members of the herd run from Bush. Compared to the lickspittles denying and attacking him, Bush is a moral giant -- if that's not damning with faint praise. John McCain should be so lucky as to be running for Bush's third term. Then he might have a chance.
...
The sheer repetition of lies about Bush is wearing people down. There is not a liberal in this country worthy of kissing Bush's rear end, but the weakest members of the herd run from Bush. Compared to the lickspittles denying and attacking him, Bush is a moral giant -- if that's not damning with faint praise. John McCain should be so lucky as to be running for Bush's third term. Then he might have a chance.
A credible witness to the horrors of communism speaks out about Obama. Ion Mihia Pacepa, author of Red Horizons and former advisor to Romania's Nicolae Ceaucescu, discusses Obama's chances with dictators. See the article for his former relationship with Cuba's Raul Castro.
As national security adviser to Romanian president Nicolae Ceauçescu, I dealt with many tyrants, and I learned that being nice to them never succeeds in making them nice to you. On April 12, 1978, I was in the car with Ceauçescu as he drove away from a meeting in the White House. He took a bottle of alcohol and splashed it all over his face, after having been affectionately kissed by President Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office. “Peanut-head,” my boss whispered disgustedly. Afterwards, two other American presidents went to Bucharest to pay Ceauçescu respect. None was ever able to twist his arm — or charm him.
...
In August 1991, the Soviet Communist Party was disbanded, and nobody within Mother Russia really missed it. But somehow, the KGB survived — as secret police often do. Today, some 6,000 former KGB officers are running Russia’s federal and local governments, and 70 percent of Russia’s leading political figures have some connection to the intelligence services of the old regime. Vladimir Putin proves how difficult it is to teach an old dog new tricks — particularly when that old dog is rolling in oil dollars.
...
In August 1991, the Soviet Communist Party was disbanded, and nobody within Mother Russia really missed it. But somehow, the KGB survived — as secret police often do. Today, some 6,000 former KGB officers are running Russia’s federal and local governments, and 70 percent of Russia’s leading political figures have some connection to the intelligence services of the old regime. Vladimir Putin proves how difficult it is to teach an old dog new tricks — particularly when that old dog is rolling in oil dollars.
Larry Elder attempts to put the 'new' Obama position on negotiations with Iran into perspective - at Townhall. We're still confused...
Obama rejects the Bush my-way-or-the-highway "cowboy" foreign policy. Obama repeatedly said he wishes to meet with enemy/thug leaders without preconditions. But wait!
He now says only if he decides to meet in the first place. And if he decides -- to which he may not -- he'll do so without preconditions. And if he decides not to, his decision will have been made without preconditions, unless, of course, he decides to meet after all -- but only without preconditions. And if he decides not to meet, he'll make that decision without any preconditions, just as he would make the decision to meet without the precondition of no preconditions. But if he decides to meet, without preconditions, he'll do so solely when, where and if he decides to -- without preconditions.
That's change.
He now says only if he decides to meet in the first place. And if he decides -- to which he may not -- he'll do so without preconditions. And if he decides not to, his decision will have been made without preconditions, unless, of course, he decides to meet after all -- but only without preconditions. And if he decides not to meet, he'll make that decision without any preconditions, just as he would make the decision to meet without the precondition of no preconditions. But if he decides to meet, without preconditions, he'll do so solely when, where and if he decides to -- without preconditions.
That's change.
An Ushanka Tip goes out to the WSJ's Editorial Board for the latest Obama staff resignation - James Johnson. Here are quotes from Wednesday's "Friends of Barack", when James was still on the VP vetting team, and Thursday's "Ex-Friends of Barack" when he wasn't.
Barack Obama may have come up with a creative way to solve the housing recession: Let everyone buy property at a discount the way he did from Tony Rezko, and give everyone in America a discount mortgage the way Angelo Mozilo of Countrywide did for Fannie Mae's Jim Johnson. Team Obama's real estate and mortgage transactions are certainly a change from business as usual. They suggest old-fashioned back-scratching below even current Beltway standards.
A former CEO of mortgage financing giant Fannie Mae, Mr. Johnson is now vetting Vice Presidential candidates for Mr. Obama. But he is also a textbook case for poor disclosure as regulators sifted through the wreckage of Fannie's $10 billion accounting scandal. Despite an exhaustive federal inquiry, Mr. Johnson managed to avoid disclosing one very special perk: below-market interest-rate mortgages from Countrywide Financial, arranged by Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo.
...
Since Fannie was buying Countrywide's loans, under terms set by Mr. Johnson and later Mr. Raines – or by people in their employ – the fact that Fannie's CEO had a separate personal financial relationship with Countrywide was an obvious conflict of interest. The company's code of conduct required prior approval of such arrangements. Neither Mr. Johnson nor Mr. Raines sought such approval, according to Fannie.
...
The irony here is that Mr. Obama has denounced Mr. Mozilo as part of his populist case against corporate excess, calling Mr. Mozilo and a colleague in March "the folks who are responsible for infecting the economy and helping to create a home foreclosure crisis." Obama campaign manager David Plouffe also said in March that "If we're really going to crack down on the practices that caused the credit and housing crises, we're going to need a leader who doesn't owe these industries any favors." But now this protector of the working class has entrusted his first big task as Presidential nominee to the very man who received "favors" in return for enriching Mr. Mozilo.
A former CEO of mortgage financing giant Fannie Mae, Mr. Johnson is now vetting Vice Presidential candidates for Mr. Obama. But he is also a textbook case for poor disclosure as regulators sifted through the wreckage of Fannie's $10 billion accounting scandal. Despite an exhaustive federal inquiry, Mr. Johnson managed to avoid disclosing one very special perk: below-market interest-rate mortgages from Countrywide Financial, arranged by Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo.
...
Since Fannie was buying Countrywide's loans, under terms set by Mr. Johnson and later Mr. Raines – or by people in their employ – the fact that Fannie's CEO had a separate personal financial relationship with Countrywide was an obvious conflict of interest. The company's code of conduct required prior approval of such arrangements. Neither Mr. Johnson nor Mr. Raines sought such approval, according to Fannie.
...
The irony here is that Mr. Obama has denounced Mr. Mozilo as part of his populist case against corporate excess, calling Mr. Mozilo and a colleague in March "the folks who are responsible for infecting the economy and helping to create a home foreclosure crisis." Obama campaign manager David Plouffe also said in March that "If we're really going to crack down on the practices that caused the credit and housing crises, we're going to need a leader who doesn't owe these industries any favors." But now this protector of the working class has entrusted his first big task as Presidential nominee to the very man who received "favors" in return for enriching Mr. Mozilo.
Johnson resigns Wednesday. Thursday in the WSJ:
As for Mr. Obama, Mr. Johnson now joins an intriguing and growing list of Mr. Obama's ex-associates that includes the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Father Michael Pfleger, and former terrorist bomber William Ayers. We might call this list eclectic, except that there is a consistent pattern of bad judgment followed by an initial defense, then followed by rapid disassociation and regret that none of them were the men Mr. Obama "knew."
"Obama Is No Post-Racial Candidate", so says Ward Connerly in Friday's WSJ:
By supporting race preferences, Mr. Obama is unmistakably attaching himself to despicable ideas like Rev. Wright's. And, if he believes in those precepts, how does he reconcile his impressive political success and that of Mrs. Clinton with this perspective? Thirty-six million Americans didn't vote for the two of them because the majority of the American people are racist and sexist.
If Mr. Obama wants to be the candidate of "change," why doesn't he change the idiotic racial classification system that burdens millions of Americans? Why doesn't he call attention to the barbaric "one-drop" (of hereditary blood) rule that continues to haunt our nation, and which drives him to identify with the "black community" at the expense of his white ancestry? If he wants to unite the American people, how does he propose to do that by asking some Americans to accept preferential treatment for others and discrimination against themselves?
If Mr. Obama wants to be the candidate of "change," why doesn't he change the idiotic racial classification system that burdens millions of Americans? Why doesn't he call attention to the barbaric "one-drop" (of hereditary blood) rule that continues to haunt our nation, and which drives him to identify with the "black community" at the expense of his white ancestry? If he wants to unite the American people, how does he propose to do that by asking some Americans to accept preferential treatment for others and discrimination against themselves?
Labels: Cuba, Russia, Weekend Reading
posted by Karl @ 5:10 PM Permalink
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
We bet Obama wishes he could do this with Reverend Wright...
From an article by Clifford J. Levy at the International Herald Tribune:
posted by Karl @ 1:25 PM Permalink
From an article by Clifford J. Levy at the International Herald Tribune:
On a talk show last autumn, a prominent political analyst named Mikhail Delyagin offered some tart words about Vladimir Putin. When the program was televised, Delyagin was not.
His remarks were cut and he was digitally erased from the show, like a disgraced comrade airbrushed from an old Soviet photo. (The technicians may have worked a bit hastily; they left his disembodied legs in one shot.)
Delyagin, it turned out, has for some time resided on the so-called stop list, a roster of political opponents and other critics of the government who have been barred from television news and political talk shows by the Kremlin.
The stop list is, as Delyagin put it, "an excellent way to stifle dissent."
His remarks were cut and he was digitally erased from the show, like a disgraced comrade airbrushed from an old Soviet photo. (The technicians may have worked a bit hastily; they left his disembodied legs in one shot.)
Delyagin, it turned out, has for some time resided on the so-called stop list, a roster of political opponents and other critics of the government who have been barred from television news and political talk shows by the Kremlin.
The stop list is, as Delyagin put it, "an excellent way to stifle dissent."
Labels: Russia
posted by Karl @ 1:25 PM Permalink
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