News Tidbits

Obama plays golf with pal who was arrested for prostitute solicitation:

On his first full day of vacation on the Hawaiian island of Oahu on Sunday, President Obama sang Christmas carols with his family, attended church services and then played a round of golf with several of his friends, including longtime pal, Bobby Titcomb, who was arrested in April [of 2011] in a prostitution solicitation sting.

The President also played golf with Mr. Titcomb last month while attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hawaii and during his previous Hawaiian vacations.

On Dec. 30, 2010, the President, and his family, spent the day at Titcomb’s beachfront home in Mokuleia, where they ate barbecue, played volleyball and hung out on the beach.

So far, no solicitation of prostitutes has been reported at any of the Titcomb/Obama outings.

Obama's longtime pal was also previously arrested for driving under the influence and for criminal contempt of court.

Suicide attacker kills 7 at Baghdad checkpoint, raising concerns about Iraq's future/Obama's foreign policy:

At least seven people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack outside the Iraqi Interior Ministry on Monday. Over 30 people were wounded.

The attack followed a series of of explosions last week that killed at least 72 people, raisng fears [and concerns] about Iraq's future after U.S. troops withdrew this month. President Obama opted against leaving behind even a residual force of U.S. troops in Iraq, and lo and behold, all hell is breaking out

Iranian commander congratulates Iraq on US troop withdrawal:

The Chief of Staff of Iran's armed forces, General Hassan Firouzabadi, on Sunday, sent a message of congratulations to his Iraqi counterpart, Lieutenant General Babaker Zebari, and to Iraq's defense minister, Saadun al-Dulaimi, upon the recently completed withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and added that Iran stands ready to bolster its military, defense, and security cooperation with Iraq.

Last month, Mr. Zebari called for the expansion of military ties between Tehran and Baghdad during a meeting with the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards' ground forces, Gen. Mohammad Pakpouron.

Likewise, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, after meeting with Mr. Zebari last month, said that "we can have great cooperation against the common enemies of Iran and Iraq in the region and outside the region. This cooperation can be in the fields of security, training, joint maneuver and sharing experiences."

Jafari said that several memorandums of understanding had been inked between Iraq and the Revolutionary Guards.

Related Post: Iraqi General, Babaker Zebari, sought extended US military presence, now forced to befriend Iran