Biden: Implementation of Stimulus Package was "a serious mistake"

Speaking at the Biennial National Procurement and Grant Fraud Conference in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Vice President Joe Biden lightheartedly reflected on "a serious mistake" he had made in 2009.

I had written a “long and detailed memo to the president telling him exactly how I thought the Recovery Act should be implemented, ” the Politico quotes Biden as saying. During a lunch meeting at the White House, Biden handed the memo to Obama. After reading the memo, the President handed it back to Biden and said, “It’s great, Joe – go do it.”

“I have not since written him a memo,” Biden told the audience. “I should have known better.”

Putin & Obama, like-minded allies, ideological twins

US lawmakers on Friday dropped their opposition to $100 million in new military aid to Lebanon after the Obama administration had given them assurances that the aid would not be hijacked by Hezbollah.

In a related development: After meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced that Moscow would provide the Lebanese Army with helicopter gunships, tanks and munitions, including six MI 24 helicopters, 31 T-72 tanks, 36 cannons of 130 mm caliber, around half a million different munitions for medium-sized weapons, and 30,000 artillery shells - for free.

The Lebanese prime minister highlighted the importance of security and military ties between Russia and Lebanon.

Earlier this year, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman announced that Russia had agreed to a request for Mi-24 helicopter gunships instead of the MIG-29 fighter jets originally promised in 2008. On Sunday, however, Hariri had said he hoped to finalize that deal and said Lebanese helicopter pilots were already training for the new aircraft.

No word yet on whether Mr. Putin had given the Kremlin assurances that the aid would not be hijacked by Hezbollah.... Ahem....

Putin & Obama, like-minded allies, ideological twins - indeed.

News Briefs

Mr. President, how are those civilian trials working out for you?

Deadlock in First Civilian Trial of Gitmo Detainee, Ahmed Ghailani

The first civilian trial of a Guantanamo Bay terrorism suspect appeared deadlocked Monday when a juror asked to be dismissed because she felt "attacked" for being a lone holdout in reaching a verdict.

The potential for a hung jury and mistrial in the case of alleged Al Qaeda accomplice Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani threatened to further undermine the Obama administration's objective of trying "high-value" terror suspects in U.S. federal courts, including Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan declined to dismiss Juror No. 12 from his courtroom in Lower Manhattan and ordered the panel to resume deliberations despite the reported 11-1 impasse...

[Ghailani has been] charged with murder and conspiracy in the 1998 Al Qaeda bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The coordinated attacks killed 224 people, including 12 Americans, and injured thousands.

President Obama signed executive orders two days after taking office vowing to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility within a year and review prosecution options for the remaining terrorism suspects. In June 2009, Ghailani became the first foreign prisoner transferred from Guantanamo to the U.S. mainland for trial...

Obama's labor secretary to honor communist

The International Labor Communications Association, a national coalition of labor organizers, is bestowing its media award to John Wojcik, the labor editor for People's World, the official Communist Party USA publication...

According to an announcement of the Nov. 19 awards ceremony, President Obama's labor secretary, Hilda Solis, will be on hand for the awards dinner to lead a special session on how to respond to "expected" attacks from the new Republican-led House...

Petraeus warns Karzai on Afghan exit timing; He should have issued the same warning to Obama? Karzai=Obama

From CNN:

In what may be one of the most significant breaches between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Obama administration, Gen. David Petraeus personally warned Afghan officials over the weekend the U.S.-Afghan partnership could be "untenable" if Karzai wants U.S. troops out of Afghanistan prematurely...

Last year, President Obama told Gen. Petraeus in no uncertain terms that US troops must be withdrawn from Afghanistan in a shorter time frame than the one Petraeus had sought:

The president wanted to know why the Pentagon needed 21 months to send 40,000 troops to Afghanistan when it had taken only six months to send a similar number to Iraq in 2007. When Petraeus began to explain - saying that the Afghanistan escalation wasn’t modeled on his surge in Iraq -' Obama rejected this explanation. 'Petraeus was expected to work his magic' in Afghanistan in roughly the same amount of time that he had accomplished this feat in Iraq.

“The only way we’ll consider this [continuing the war with more troops], is if we get the troops in and out in a shorter time frame,” Obama told Petraeus and other advisers in the room that day.

[Obama also disagreed with Gen. Petraeus on the troop surge in Iraq.]

Why then, didn't Gen. Petraeus personally warn the President that the Petraeus-Obama partnership would be "untenable" if Obama insisted on withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan prematurely? Karzai=Obama, Obama=Karzai!

Obama, true to his word, brings 'real change' to America & Washington, DC

During his run for the Presidency, Barack Obama pledged that, if elected, he would bring about "real change" both in America and in Washington DC. And, lo and behold, less than two years into his Presidency, and Obama has already fulfilled his campaign pledge.

One only needs to read the following headline/article from the AP to realize that Obama has already ushered in the dramatic change that he promised to bring to the US and to Washington DC:

From the AP:

Obama lands back in CHANGED Washington

President Barack Obama landed in a politically-changed Washington after 10 days abroad...

Obama returned from Asia to reverberating aftershocks of mid-term elections which dealt Democrats a crushing defeat and handed Republicans the House of Representatives...

Flying into Washington on Air Force One on Sunday, after a trip that circled the globe, Obama reflected on the meaning of the election defeat two weeks ago...

As a result of his monumental policies, Barack Obama has managed - in his short tenure in office - to shift the balance in Congress, as evinced by the recent midterm elections. With newly elected members in the House and Senate, who represent the views of the American people - and not the views of a group of left wing fanatics - President Obama has indeed created change both in Washington DC and in the US - change we can believe in.

Obama has remained true to his word.

But one question still remains: Can Obama keep this incredible dynamic in motion until the 2012 Presidential elections and successfully bring about change in the White House and Oval Office too?

Only time will tell. But, if Obama turns out to be as successful over the next two years as he was during his first two years in office, 2012 will likely usher in some new, refreshing faces in the White House and Oval Office. And then Obama will have finally cemented his monumental legacy - the legacy of change - change we can ALL believe in.

Good luck, Mr. President!

WH surreptitiously dishes out 111 Obamacare waivers to Unions & Special companies

The information is buried on the Health and Human Services' website. It takes 6 separate clicks to find it. Watch the Fox News [video] report here.

Obama consumes Ice Cream, while Americans struggle to pull the economy out of the ditch

Although President Obama, last week, failed to reach a free trade agreement with South Korea and was unable get the G20 leaders to stand behind his criticism of China’s currency policies, that didn't stop him from indulging in one of his favorite pastimes: Eating Ice Cream.

While Americans here at home were focusing their attention on pulling the economy [the car] out of the proverbial ditch, President Obama, while visiting a statue of Buddha in the city of Kamakura - during his trip to Japan over the weekend - indulged himself, not in slurpee consumption, but in some delicious, Japanese-style, green tea [Matcha] ice cream.

In 2009, while visiting Japan, Obama extolled the virtues of Kamakura's Matcha ice cream, telling a Japanese crowd: "When I was a young boy, my mother brought me to Kamakura, where I looked up at that centuries-old symbol of peace and tranquility - the bronze Buddha. [However], as a child I was more focused on the Matcha ice cream..."

According to CNN, it was Obama's mention of Matcha ice cream, or Green tea ice cream, in 2009, "that really endeared President Obama to the locals. They even renamed the ice cream from Matcha to Obamatcha."

One of the town's ice cream vendors said that sales had shot through the roof after Obama mentioned the ice cream in his 2009 speech.

Adds CNN: "President Obama may be taking some hits at home over questions about his [current] policies when it comes to the US economy, But when it comes to ice cream economics in this [Japanese] town, he has single-handedly boosted conditions here."

U.N. report: North Korea exporting nuclear & missile technology to Iran & Syria

The report was prepared in May by a panel that had been appointed by the UN Security Council. The panel included specialists from China, France, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the UK and the US. However, the document's submission to the full U.N. Security Council had been held up for months by China, a staunch ally of North Korea. But now, China has finally acquiesced and allowed the report to be submitted - at least that's the official explanation that's been tossed out. Incidentally, the AP [and other news outlets] obtained this document back in May, and reported about it at the time:

From Global Security:

A newly released U.N. report charges that North Korea is annually exporting missiles and weaponry worth $100 million in contravention of international sanctions imposed on the isolated regime...

The report alleges that North Korea is taking part in "nuclear and ballistic missile related activities in certain other countries including Iran, Syria and Myanmar."...

The 75-page document was prepared in May by a panel that included specialists from China, France, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. They were assigned to assess Pyongyang's adherence to sanctions levied in response to its 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests.

The document's submission to the U.N. Security Council was held up for months by China, North Korea's historic ally and defender. Beijing dropped its opposition to the report's release last week.

The North in recent years has been linked to construction of a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor destroyed in a 2007 Israeli air strike, along with alleged efforts by Myanmar to develop a nuclear-weapon capability...

Responding to the report, the anticipated next head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), yesterday called on the White House to focus on penalties rather than diplomatic outreach to Pyongyang.

"Instead of continuing its failed strategy of seeking to engage the regime in endless negotiation, the administration must ratchet up pressure on Pyongyang," Ros-Lehtinen said...

George W. Bush Interview: Confronting Evil; 9/11 - Plus, flashbacks & footage from the past

Former President George W. Bush discusses the horrific 9/11 attacks, in an interview - November 8, 2010 - Plus, additional footage & flashbacks from the past:

Obama joined Muslim prayers at Jakarta school - despite his mother's objections, teacher says

From The Australian:

As a schoolboy in Jakarta, Barack Obama attended Muslim prayer sessions with his classmates against the wishes of his mother.

The US President's former grade three teacher [Mr. Effendi] said that Mr Obama - who was known as "Barry" when he attended the Menteng One school in Jakarta - studied the Koran and went to classes on Islam, despite the objections of Anne Dunham, a Roman Catholic...

Mr Obama attended classes on Islam while the Christians attended classes on Christianity, said Effendi. Barry, he said, was alone among the pupils in that he insisted on attending both.

"His mother did not like him learning Islam, although his father was a Muslim. Sometimes she came to the school; she was angry with the religious teacher and said 'Why did you teach him the Koran?'" said Effendi.

"But he kept going to the classes because he was interested in Islam. He would also join the other pupils for Muslim prayers."

Earlier this year, Indonesian filmmaker Damien Dematra announced his decision to make a film about President Obama's childhood years in Jakarta. The film's release was scheduled to coincide with the President's planned visit to Indonesia last June. [The President later postponed the visit.]

The movie was expected to include scenes of a young Barack Obama prostrating [in prayer] in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, as well as reciting from the Koran.

Mr. Dematra said he had proof that Obama prayed in the manner of a Muslim and recited the Koran...

“Tomorrow we’re going to finalize the movie script," Dematra said at the time, "including whether we’ll show Obama praying or reciting from the Koran."“The movie is an account of the people around him, friends, neighbors, teachers, schoolmates," he said...

However, several weeks later, M. Dematra announced that the depiction of Obama praying toward Mecca would not be included in the film.

Mr. Dematra said that, upon receiving "input from various parties", he had decided not to include the prayer scenes in the film. Mr. Dematra did not identify the "various parties".

"Whether the decision to nix the prayer scenes was due to 'outside political pressure' or not," I noted at the time, "is likely to remain unknown."

Obama on "Jihad" - EDITED & UNEDITED versions

A student from Mumbai's St. Xavier's college asks President Obama for his views on 'Jihad'. The video below contains both the unedited version and MSNBC's edited version of the exchange:

Heh - Obama: "The best is yet to come!" - Election night victory speech

During his election night victory speech on Tuesday, Barack Obama told the exuberant crowd of supporters that despite the difficulties of the first four years of his Presidency, "we know in hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come."

Obama post-election press conference - highlights, & flashbacks from the past

State Dept: Obama is pulling Iraq into an abyss - endangering US diplomats

From the AP:

The Obama administration could be overstating what U.S. diplomats can do to contain Iraq's ethnic and sectarian tensions without U.S. military forces, a State Department audit concluded Tuesday, raising fresh concerns about the planned pullout of American troops next year.

The auditors also questioned whether American diplomats who remain behind will be adequately protected against insurgent violence, and their report faulted Washington for its planning of the transition from a U.S. military-led mission in Iraq to one run by American civilians in 2011.

The audit's findings echo worries expressed by some U.S. defense analysts and former diplomats. They say hard-won security gains in Iraq could crumble if U.S. forces leave on schedule.

In the latest outbreak of violence, bombings and mortar strikes killed dozens and wounded scores across Baghdad's mostly Shiite neighborhoods Tuesday...

[Snip]

Stephen Biddle, an Iraq watcher at the Council on Foreign Relations, said it will be difficult for U.S. diplomats to keep a lid on Sunni-Shiite and Arab-Kurd rivalries in the absence of a sizable American military presence...

The report... questioned whether the U.S. can meet President Barack Obama's goal of ensuring a safe work environment for remaining U.S. personnel in Iraq in 2012. "Security risks are expected to increase," the report said.

The... planning process "requires clearer and more timely high-level focus and policy guidance from Washington," including the White House, it said...

Arabs and Kurds have managed to avoid large-scale clashes since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, with U.S. troops playing a critical security role. The U.S. now has just under 50,000 troops in Iraq, down from a wartime high of 170,000...

"Does the United States risk overselling what it can and will accomplish?" the report asks. It does not explicitly answer that question but implies that the U.S. is promising more than it can deliver.

Ryan Crocker, ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to 2009, said last week that the U.S. military's departure from Iraq will likely create a security vacuum and set Iraq on a dangerous course...

"I worry that what we're seeing is a transition from a military lead to no lead," he said.

"Simply put, the capacity does not exist on the civilian side to take on the vast array of roles and missions that the military has so ably performed in Iraq."

Obama tells supporters: "I don't want to relive the past!"

At campaign rallies across the country, President Obama told his supporters that he "doesn't want to relive the past." He then went on to wax nostalgic about the bygone days of the 2008 Presidential campaign, when, allegedly, according to his recollection, many Americans said "you can't elect a skinny guy with a funny name to the Presidency", "but", the President told his supporters, "you said, 'Yes We Can'." Mr. Obama then went on to exhort the crowds to defy conventional wisdom [and common sense] and to vote the Democrat ticket in Tuesday's midterm elections:

Obama: Republicans drove the economy into a ditch, kicked dirt upon us - Shovel-Ready projects

During a campaign rally in Chicago on Saturday, President Obama told the crowd that Republicans had driven the economy into a ditch, compelling the Democrats to lower themselves into the ditch to dig out the economy, while the Republicans fanned themselves, sipped slurpees and kicked dirt upon the Dems:

Obama tells Chicago supporters: "We don't have amnesia!"

Speaking at a campaign rally in Chicago on Saturday, President Obama said that Republicans were counting on voters' "amnesia" to win the midterm elections:

State Dept. Spokesman tweets Birthday Greetings to Ahmadinejad!

The Obama adminstration has now reached a new low in its policy of appeasement. Now they're sending birthday greetings to Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's top spokesman, P.J. Crowley, sent a birthday message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad via Twitter Friday, prompting a response by former Governor Sarah Palin who described the post as "mind boggling" foreign policy.

Crowley posted two short messages directed at the Iranian president, who turned 54 this week.

"Happy birthday President Ahmadinejad," the first tweet reads. "Celebrate by sending Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer home. What a gift that would be.

Fattal and Bauer were arrested near the Iranian border with Iraq in July of 2009 and have been held in Iran since on charges of espionage.

The second tweets reads: "Your 54th year was full of lost opportunities. Hope in your 55th year you will open Iran to a different relationship with the world.

Sarah Palin took issue with the message. Shortly after Crowley's post appeared she wrote, "Happy B'day Ahmadinejad wish sent by US Govt. Mind boggling foreign policy: kowtow & coddle enemies; Obama Doctrine is nonsense..."

The third tweet from the State Dept. will likely read as follows:

Dear Mahmoud,

Happy Birthday! We love you!

As a token of appreciation for all the assistance you've provided to our Taliban allies, we've permitted high-ranking Iranian officials to attend in-depth briefings [given] by American military commanders. It's our birthday gift to you!

Best wishes.

P.J Crowley

P.S. Please try to release the American hikers [detainees, aka hostages], preferably some time in the not so distant future; at your own convenience, of course. Thanks.

Obama offers a 60 Vote contradiction

President Obama voiced displeasure with the 60 vote Senate majority rule on Wednesday saying, "I would love not to have a 60 vote requirement."

The President suggested that procedural obstacles, like the aforementioned requirement, have made it difficult for him to advance his Progressive agenda.

The former Chicago pol added: "There are all kinds of things that happened during the course of these two years, in terms of process, that I would like to see changed."

Obama's words, however, appeared to contradict some of his past statements.

In an interview with CBS in 2004, Mr. Obama emphasized the importance of using a 60 vote Senate majority "to move an American agenda forward," rather than "a Democratic or Republican agenda." In a speech to the Center for American Progress in 2006, then-Senator Obama criticized the notion that: "We" can "identify our core base..., throw 'em red meat" and rely "on a 50 plus 1 victory."

"If we want to transform the country," he said, "that would require a sizable majority."

The President's contradictory statements, however, should come as no surprise, for indeed the rhetorician par excellence has been known to alter his statements according to the specific situation he is facing and the particular offensive/defensive strategy he is seeking at a given moment in time.



Update: I just discovered that "Naked Emperor News", from whom I culled the videos from '04 and '06, posted a similar video - to the one above - on Thursday, using new footage from '05 [as a juxtaposition], instead of the '04, '06 footage. As strange as this may seem, I was unaware of this.

DNC Asks Pentagon for Info on Potential Obama Challengers

Ed. Note: Also read "'Dirt Digger', Shauna Daly, Joins Obama's Legal Team", cited at the end of this post

From ABC News:

The Democratic National Committee formally has asked the Pentagon for reams of correspondence between military agencies and nine potential Republican presidential candidates, a clear indication that Democrats are building opposition-research files on specific 2012 contenders even before the midterm elections.

An internal Army e-mail obtained by ABC News indicates that the DNC has filed Freedom of Information Act requests for "any and all records of communication" between Army departments and agencies and each of the nine Republicans -- all of whom are widely mentioned as possible challengers to President Obama. [Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, John Thune, Mitch Daniels and Bobby Jindal.]

The agencies are asked to respond to the request by this Friday, just four days before Election Day...

The DNC's request is intriguing for its timing as well as for the singling out of nine particular Republicans who are expected to vie for the GOP presidential nomination.

In addition, the FOIA request provides a window into how deeply into potential candidates' pasts opposition researchers are looking, even at this early stage.

The request for information on Gingrich stretches back to 1979, when he was a freshman member of the House. The DNC is asking for information related to Palin's service on the Wasilla, Alaska, City Council in the early 1990s...

The requests for Daniels and Thune specifically reference their time as staff members for U.S. senators. Democrats are trying to learn more about Jindal's career going back to 1996, when he was secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the memo, the DNC's request asks for "Any and all records of communication (including but not limited to letters, written requests, reports, telephone records, electronic communication, complaints, investigations, violation and memos) between your department (and all divisions and agencies under your jurisdiction)."...

In February of 2009, in a post entitled, "'Dirt Digger' Joins Obama's Legal Team", I reported via the Washington Times as follows:

Shauna Daly, a 29-year-old Democratic operative, was named last month to the new job of White House counsel research director. Though she is inside one of the most powerful legal offices in the land, Miss Daly holds no law degree and doesn't list any legal training on her resume.

Her sole experience has been as an opposition researcher for Democratic political campaigns: She helped dig up dirt on rivals, or on her own nominee to prepare for attacks.

Miss Daly has been doing opposition research for Democratic politicians since just after graduation in 2001 from Smith College. ... Before joining the Obama campaign, she was the deputy research director at the Democratic National Committee.

I then went on to note the following:

In 2005, while working as opposition researcher for the DNC, Miss Daily, requested public records from state agencies on at least 11 potential candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, including Mitt Romney, George Allen, Haley Barbour, Sam Brownback, William Frist, Newt Gingrich, Rudy Guiliani, Chuck Hagel, Mike Huckabee, John McCain and George Pataki. [Sources - Boston Globe and Government Attic, PDF file, page 25]

During Sara Palin's run for governor of Alaska in 2006, Miss Daly requested copies of financial disclosure reports and ordinances for Palin's years as mayor.

When it comes to digging up dirt on the opposition, Shauna Daly is a consummate pro. She, undoubtedly, will prove to be a vital asset to the Obama administration.

Looks like Shauna Daly, Barack Obama and the DNC are back to their old tricks again. The midterm elections has them sweating profusely, and they're getting desperate - really desperate!

Did BofA bail out DNC with illegal campaign loans?

From Habledash:

It's been revealed by an exclusive by Pajamas Media that Bank of America loaned $32 million to Democratic campaign committees without any tangible collateral put up against the loan. The allegation is simple: This could be an illegal campaign contribution that would affect the election outcome.

After Labor Day, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), led by former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine..., took out a $15 million loan after polls suggested the election was going to be a tough battle. A few weeks later, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) followed suit with a $17 million loan, for a total of $32 million lent from Bank of America to Democratic campaign committees.

Without having anything to put up against the loan (their headquarters, an asset valued at $13.7 million, is owned by another entity), the DNC used their private email donor list as collateral. Sneakily, two days prior to the loan being approved, the DNC changed their online privacy policy to meet the requirements for their loan, stating that private information may be shared if it's the result of "an asset sale or in any other situation where personal information may be disclosed or transferred as one of the assets of the DNC."

During the '08 presidential election, John McCain attempted to secure a $3 million loan by using his campaign email list as backing, but the bank denied him. There is no way to put a value on an email list, especially without independent documentation, which wasn't included in this particular loan...

Pajamas Media notes:

The Democrats’ long-time sweetheart relationship with the banking world and with the Bank of America in particular creates the appearance of an insider deal.

BofA was very generous to Barack Obama when he ran for President. Campaign finance records show that in the 2008 election cycle, Senator Barack Obama was the top recipient of Bank of America campaign donations, reaping $421,000.

BofA’s new CEO, [Brian Moynihan], is considered one of the Obama administration’s top Wall Street allies on a whole host of issues, from the creation of a consumer regulatory agency to the defense of the administration’s home mortgage fiascoes...

As of this posting, the DNC has not replied to our inquiries...

Read article in full at PJM

Obama: Child Soldiers vs Child Obesity

President Obama is extremely concerned about Child Obesity, but when it comes to children being conscripted into military service, well, he's okay with that, as long as they're slim and fit.

The President issued a memorandum on Monday exempting several African countries from restrictions set forth by the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, which prohibits US military assistance to governments implicated in the recruitment and use of child soldiers:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, pursuant to section 404(c) of the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008..., I hereby determine that it is in the national interest of the United States to waive the application to Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Yemen.

Par for the course, I suppose. After all, this is a President who never expresses any concerns about human rights violations - except when a child's dietary and weight management program are being violated by rogue restaurants and brutal school cafeterias - then he speaks up.

Tea Party candidates funded by BP and other major polluters? HEH

The Guardian-UK published a misleading article on Sunday, entitled "Tea Party climate change deniers funded by BP and other major polluters". The sub-headline of the article reads "Midterm election campaigns of Tea Party favorites DeMint and Inhofe have received over $240,000."

This misleading statement is based upon an analysis made by the Climate Action Network which alleges that 8 major European industrial companies - emitters of carbon dioxide - contributed - via PACs - almost exclusively to the 2010 campaigns of senators who are opposed to climate change reform.

The aforementioned companies are actualy American companies whose parent companies are based in Europe. Nevertheless, the Climate Action Network alleges that these companies contributed $240,200 - almost 80% of their total spendings in the 2010 senate race - to senators who are opposed to climate change legislation. However, the Guardian's headline and sub-headline misleadingly, [perhaps unintentionally], states that Senators DeMint and Inhofe received the entire $240,000, when in truth, the money was spread out among many candidates, and Sen. Demint and Inhofe received only a fraction of that money.

Secondly, the Climate Action Network never suggested that the aforementioned companies were contributing to Tea Party candidates. In fact, many of the Senators listed as receiving money from these companies are indeed Democratic candidates, whom the Climate Action Network alleges are opponents of climate change reform, but certainly not Tea Party candidates

I perused the Open Secrets' website - the source of the Climate Action Network's analysis - and found that the aforementioned companies contributed approximately $112,500 to Democratic candidates and $175,000 to Republican candidates. Not much of a difference.

What's more, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) received roughly $11,000 from the aforementioned companies, while Democratic Sen. John Hall, another staunch proponent of climate change legislation, received $6,000 - as well as many other Democratic Senators, who received various sums of money from these companies.

Nevertheless, the Guardian-UK did a disservice to its readers [perhaps unintentionally] by misstating the facts.

Incidentally, according to the Open Secrets' website , foreign-connected PACs donated $6,271,803 to Democratic candidates in 2010 and $5,281,638 to Republican candidates.

It should also be noted that, during his time in the Senate and while running for president, Barack Obama received a total of $77,051 from BP - a British [foreign] based company and an emitter of carbon dioxide. Obama has also been the top recipient of BP PAC and individual money over the past 20 years, according to financial disclosure records.

It goes without saying, that were we to thoroughly vet the 2010 campaign contributions of all the Democratic Senate candidates, we would find wagon-loads of special interest money. But right now, when the Tea Party candidates are headed toward victory, the MSM can ill afford to vet the Dems, and Obama can ill afford to vet himself.

Iran funnels millions to Afghan Pols, while Obama cedes Afghanistan's future to Iran

As the President blindly and desperately gropes for an exit strategy in Afghanistan - in an effort to solidify his left-wing base before the onset of the 2012 Presidential campaign - even going so far as to allow Iranian officials to attend in-depth briefings by American military commanders on NATO’s strategy for transition in Afghanistan - the Iranian government is conducting an aggressive [financial] campaign inside Afghanistan to undermine the US and NATO mission and to gain influence inside the country, according to Afghan and Western officials.

Although the U.S. State Dept., American military commanders and Afghan officials have already attested to the fact that Iran is training and arming Taliban fighters, the latest reports - from the Boston Globe - indicate that Iran is also funneling cash into Afghanistan's Presidential coffers to advance its own interests and facilitate its global agenda:

One evening last August, as President Hamid Karzai wrapped up an official visit to Iran, his personal plane sat on the airport tarmac, waiting for a late-running passenger: Iran’s ambassador to Afghanistan.

The ambassador, Feda Hussein Maliki, finally appeared, taking a seat next to Umar Daudzai, Karzai’s chief of staff and his most trusted confidant. According to an Afghan official on the plane, Maliki handed Daudzai a large plastic bag bulging with packets of euro bills. A second Afghan official confirmed that Daudzai carried home a large bag of cash.

"This is the Iranian money,’’ said an Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Many of us noticed this.’’

The bag of money was part of a secret, steady stream of Iranian cash intended to buy the loyalty of Daudzai and promote Iran’s interests in the presidential palace, according to Afghan and Western officials here. Iran uses its influence to help drive a wedge between the Afghans and their US and NATO benefactors, they said.

The payments, which officials said total millions of dollars, form an off-the-books fund that Daudzai and Karzai have used to pay Afghan lawmakers, tribal elders, and even Taliban commanders to secure their allegiance, the officials said.

“It’s a basically a presidential slush fund,’’ a Western official in Kabul said of the Iranian-supplied money. “Daudzai’s mission is to advance Iranian interests.’'...

Daudzai and Karzai declined to respond to written questions about their relationship with Iran....

The Iranian payments are intended to secure the allegiance of Daudzai, a former ambassador to Iran who consistently pushes an anti-Western line on Karzai, the officials said. Daudzai briefs Karzai each morning....

The payments to Daudzai illustrate the degree to which the Iranian government has penetrated Karzai’s inner circle...

A senior NATO officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to discuss whether Daudzai was receiving money from Iran. But he said the Iranian government was conducting an aggressive campaign inside Afghanistan to undermine the US and NATO mission and to gain influence in politics.

The NATO officer said Iran’s intelligence agencies were playing both sides of the conflict, providing financing, weapons, and training to the Taliban. Iranian agents also financed the political campaigns of several Afghans who ran in last month’s parliamentary election, the NATO officer said.

Nevertheless, President Obama seems intent on having Iran dictate Afghanistan's future, which is why Iranian officials were permitted to attend a meeting with the US and NATO-dominated International Contact Group last week on the future of Afghanistan, and why Iranian officials were permitted to attend Gen. Petraeus' in-depth briefing on NATO’s strategy for transition in Afghanistan.

Obama's Afghan/Iran strategy may seem a bit confusing to the casual observer, but it is, nonetheless, consistent with his far-left ideology and pacifist foreign policy - and more importantly, it will help him retain the extreme left-wing base that got him elected in '08.

WikiLeaks' Reports Detail Iran’s Aid for Iraqi Militias

The attacks continued during Mr. Obama’s first year in office, with no indication in the reports that the new administration’s policies [toward Iran] led the Quds Force to end its support for Iraqi militants. The pending American troop withdrawals, the reports asserted, may even have encouraged some militant attacks.

During the administration of President George W. Bush, critics charged that the White House had exaggerated Iran’s role..., but the field reports disclosed by WikiLeaks, which were never intended to be made public, underscore the seriousness with which Iran’s role has been seen by the American military.

From the New York Times:

On Dec. 22, 2006, American military officials in Baghdad issued a secret warning: The Shiite militia commander who had orchestrated the kidnapping of officials from Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education was now hatching plans to take American soldiers hostage.

What made the warning especially worrying were intelligence reports saying that the Iraqi militant, Azhar al-Dulaimi, had been trained by the Middle East’s masters of the dark arts of paramilitary operations: the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Iran and Hezbollah, its Lebanese ally.

“Dulaymi reportedly obtained his training from Hizballah operatives near Qum, Iran, who were under the supervision of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) officers in July 2006,” the report noted, using alternative spellings of the principals involved. Read the Document »

Five months later, Mr. Dulaimi was tracked down and killed in an American raid in the sprawling Shiite enclave of Sadr City in Baghdad — but not before four American soldiers had been abducted from an Iraqi headquarters in Karbala and executed in an operation that American military officials say literally bore Mr. Dulaimi’s fingerprints.

Scores of documents made public by WikiLeaks, which has disclosed classified information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, provide a ground-level look — at least as seen by American units in the field and the United States’ military intelligence — at the shadow war between the United States and Iraqi militias backed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

During the administration of President George W. Bush, critics charged that the White House had exaggerated Iran’s role to deflect criticism of its handling of the war and build support for a tough policy toward Iran, including the possibility of military action.

But the field reports disclosed by WikiLeaks, which were never intended to be made public, underscore the seriousness with which Iran’s role has been seen by the American military.

[Snip}

The field reports recount Iran’s role in providing Iraqi militia fighters with rockets, magnetic bombs that can be attached to the underside of cars, “explosively formed penetrators,” or E.F.P.’s, which are the most lethal type of roadside bomb in Iraq, and other weapons. Those include powerful .50-caliber rifles and the Misagh-1, an Iranian replica of a portable Chinese surface-to-air missile, which, according to the reports, was fired at American helicopters and downed one in east Baghdad in July 2007.

Iraqi militants went to Iran to be trained as snipers and in the use of explosives, the field reports assert, and Iran’s Quds Force collaborated with Iraqi extremists to encourage the assassination of Iraqi officials.

The reports make it clear that the lethal contest between Iranian-backed militias and American forces continued after President Obama sought to open a diplomatic dialogue with Iran’s leaders and reaffirmed the agreement between the United States and Iraq to withdraw American troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.....

The attacks continued during Mr. Obama’s first year in office, with no indication in the reports that the new administration’s policies led the Quds Force to end its support for Iraqi militants. The pending American troop withdrawals, the reports asserted, may even have encouraged some militant attacks.

A June 25, 2009, report about an especially bloody E.F.P. attack that wounded 10 American soldiers noted that the militants used tactics “being employed by trained violent extremist members that have returned from Iran.”...

An intelligence analysis of a Dec. 31, 2009, attack on the Green Zone using 107-millimeter rockets concluded that it was carried out by the Baghdad branch of Kataib Hezbollah, a militant Shiite group that American intelligence has long believed is supported by Iran...

Obama's abandonment of Iraq compels Iraqi leaders to turn to Iran for guidance

"Iranian ambassador has a bigger role in Iraq than Biden," says Kurdish lawmaker

White House sees Iraq as "the bane of everyone's existence", says senior administraion official

As President Obama fulfills his campaign pledge to reduce America's role in Iraq, political leaders in Iraq say they are turning to neighboring countries - like Iran - for support:

American influence has so dwindled in Iraq over the last several months that Iraqi lawmakers and political leaders say they no longer follow Washington's advice for forming a government.

Instead, Iraqis are turning to neighboring nations, and especially Iran, for guidance — casting doubt on the future of the American role in this strategic country...

"The Iraqi politicians are not responding to the U.S. like before. We don't pay great attention to them," Shiite lawmaker Sami al-Askari, a close ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said Thursday. "The weak American role has given the region's countries a greater sense of influence on Iraqi affairs."...

"The Iranian ambassador has a bigger role in Iraq than Biden," said a prominent Kurdish lawmaker, Mahmoud Othman. He said the Americans "will leave Iraq with its problems, thus their influence has become weak."...

Washington, which has its hands full with the war in Afghanistan..., sees Iraq as "the bane of everyone's existence lately," said one senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the diplomatic issues...

The days of the U.S. calling the shots in Iraq are long over — largely because of President Barack Obama's intent to scale back America's presence [in Iraq]... That's led Iraqi leaders to reach out to Mideast neighbors for support and advice on brokering a new government....

It is Iraq's newly warmed alliance with Iran that worries the United States.

In a development that may have assured him a second term, al-Maliki this month won al-Sadr's backing. And this week, top Iranian officials gave al-Maliki their clearest nod of support yet during his trip to Tehran...

"There is U.S. influence in the political process..., but less so than before," said Sunni lawmaker Osama al-Nujaifi. "As they (the Americans) begin to withdraw their military, the Iranians are taking advantage of the empty space, and are ready to fill the vacuum."

Lebanon is Crumbling, Obama is Bumbling

It wasn't too long ago when Syria's influence in Lebanon appeared to be on the wane. In 2005, the Syrian army, at long last, packed up its bags and exited Lebanon, as a result of George W. Bush's bold and visionary foreign policy initatives.

As one commentator described the dramatic turn of events:

The United States was at war in Iraq, and Washington had accused Damascus of opening up its eastern border to the jihadis that were flooding into Iraq to fight and kill US troops. There are few things the U.S. government takes more seriously than another country facilitating the transportation of their enemies to battle American soldiers [obviously this commentator was not referring to the current administration], and Syria soon found itself in the United States’ cross-hairs.

As a result, the U.S. put its full weight on Syria to secure its border - and to punish Syria, the U.S. firmly backed the calls to end that country’s occupation of Lebanon. Massive anti-Syrian protests, dubbed the Ceder Revolution, took place in the street of Beirut, and in the spring of 2005, Syria bowed to the pressure and recalled its troops, ending its nearly 30-year occupation of Lebanon.

In April of 2005, the Guardian-UK reported as follows:

The US will press Syria to "get completely out of Lebanon", President George Bush said in an interview with Lebanese television last night.

"The United States can join with the rest of the world, like we've done, and say to Syria, get out - not only get out with your military forces, but get out with your intelligence services, too; get completely out of Lebanon, so Lebanon can be free and the people can be free," he told viewers of the LBC channel.

Under intense international pressure, Syria began withdrawing its forces from Lebanon in March and closed most of the offices used by its intelligence agents.

With George W. Bush standing on the side of freedom and Democracy, voicing his strong support for a free and sovereign Lebanon - unfettered by outside interferences from tyrannical regimes the likes of Syria - Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'd Al-Hariri felt at ease to speak out fiercely against the Syrian regime, who, in unison with Hezbollah, were responsible for the assassination of his father, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon.

But ever since Barack Obama set foot in the Oval Office and began to both reestablish U.S. diplomatic ties with Syria and ignore Syrian intransigence, the scene has taken a dramatic turn. The Syrians have begun to re-exert their influence in Lebanon, and Mr. Hariri has been forced to temper his criticism of Syria for fear that he might meet the same fate as his father. In September, the now-spineless Lebanese Prime Minister, who for years blamed Syria for his father's death, asserted that it was a mistake to accuse Syria of killing his father.

Tension has recently escalated in Lebanon following reports that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will soon issue its indictment into the 2005 assassination of Hariri's father. Syria and Hezbollah have been calling for the abolition of the Special Tribunal.

Meanwhile, Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, recently returned from a visit to Lebanon where he delivered words of encouragement to Hezbollah. Upon returning from Lebanon, Mr. Ahmadinejad and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz - via telephone - discussed, among other things, the volatile situation in Lebanon.

And, now, according to reports in the Arab media, Hariri is said to have told U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, that, upon Saudi counsel, he is considering stepping down from office. Mr. Hariri, however, expressed apprehension that such a move would lead to Hezbollah forming a new government under its leadership.

Now, let's follow the dots:

The Saudis held discussions with the Iranian President about the future of Lebanon, and shortly thereafter, they reportedly advised Mr. Hariri to step down from office.

The Saudis, [for whatever reason] - at least as far as Lebanon is concerned - seem to be taking their cue from President Ahmadinejad. Only time will tell how far Hariri will be willing to go to accommodate Mr. Ahmadinejad.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration recently announced plans to sell $60 billion in advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia - apparently, as an expression of gratitude to the Saudis, who magnanimously advised Prime Minister Hariri to step down, thereby easing angst among Hezbollah and its allies.

Will President Obama, the ultimate appeaser, continue to give Syria, Iran and Hezbollah full reign in Lebanon, so as not to rock the boat - in an effort to pacify Iran and its allies - and thereby bring about his unique vision of world peace and stability? Aka, Obama's New World Order?

Once again, only time will tell.

But one thing is for certain: During his short tenure in office, Obama has succeeded in creating an amazing and complete turnabout in Lebanon.

Undoubtedly, the President and his left-wing cronies, right now, are beaming over this incredible feat... and wondering how in the world they managed to accomplish all of this in such a short period of time.

Bill Clinton Lost Nuclear Codes while in office, say Former Military officials

For several months, during the Clinton administration, the nuclear launch codes were missing, writes Hugh Shelton, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Bill Clinton - in his newly released memoir, Without Hesitation, ABC News reported on Wednesday.

Several years ago, Retired Air Force Lt. Col., Robert Patterson told a similar account in his book Dereliction of Duty. Patterson says it was Bill Clinton who misplaced the codes.

"We called upstairs," Patterson told ABC News on Wednesday, "we started a pretty thorough search around the White House for the codes. And Clinton finally confessed hours later that he had in fact misplaced them. He couldn't recall when he had last seen them."

"Today, Clinton's office is not commenting," says ABC correspondent, John Donvan, "same as no one is confirming or denying" whether "Jimmy Carter once left his biscuit [containing the codes] in a suit that got sent to the cleaners."

Link to ABC News Report - VIDEO

Obama surrenders to Iran, hoists the White Flag to Ahmadinejad

As I noted yesterday: Iranian officials on Monday attended a meeting in Rome with the US and NATO-dominated International Contact Group to discuss the future of Afghanistan. Attendees at the meeting also included Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan.

Mr. Holbrooke admitted that the United States had been forewarned of the Iranian presence.

“We were asked if we had any problems with that, and we said no,” he said.

Holbrooke went on to defend the Obama administration's decision to hook up with the Iranians saying: Tehran "has a role to play in the peaceful settlement of the situation" and that "for the United States today there's no problem with their presence."

The New York Times reported that Mahmoud Ali Qanezadeh, a high-ranking Iranian diplomat, "even attended an in-depth briefing Monday morning by the American military commander, Gen. David H. Petraeus, on NATO’s strategy for transition in Afghanistan."

"Incredible!", I noted, "the Iranians, who are facilitating attacks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, are now privy to NATO's strategy [for transition] in Afghanistan. Splendid!"

Iran is supplying insurgents in Afghanistan with weapons, ammunition and explosives. Taliban fighters have been training in Iran.

The US State Department, in its annual report on State Sponsored Terrorism stated that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps have "provided training to the Taliban on small unit tactics, small arms, explosives, and indirect fire weapons. Since at least 2006, Iran has arranged arms shipments including small arms and associated ammunition, rocket propelled grenades, mortar rounds, 107mm rockets, and plastic explosives."

I had also noted yesterday that the aforementioned decision to hook up with the Iranian regime in Rome was a foolhardy decision.

But, in truth, a more significant and larger point needs to be made - namely, that this was not merely a foolhardy decision. The Obama administration, in essence, surrendered to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, hoisted up the White Flag to the Iranian regime, and emboldened the aforementioned thugs to further pursue their pernicious aspirations.

Here's the deal:

President Obama, ever fearful of alienating his left-wing base, refused to employ the necessary manpower in Afghanistan to overcome the insurgency. Consequently, the U.S military is currently unable to defeat the Taliban. And, now, Obama - out of political expediency - in an effort to further appease his base - is desperately seeking an exit strategy from Afghanistan before the 2012 Presidential election. At all costs!

The delusional and illusionary hope of the Obama administration is that a more moderate element of the Taliban will agree to join a future government in Afghanistan and also agree to shut the door on Al Qaeda. However, since Iran is largely pulling the Talibans' strings, unless President Ahmadinejad gives his stamp of approval to all of the above, no such deal can be reached, and Obama subsequently will lose both his left-wing base and the 2012 election.

Hence, the President and his cronies decided it was in their best interest that Mr. Holbrooke and Gen. Petraeus meet with the enemy in Rome and hoist up the White Flag.

However, as I have noted previously: Contrary to conventional Left-Wing propaganda, the Iranian regime has deep ties to Al Qaeda that predates the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.; and there is no reason to assume that this cozy relationship will end anytime soon. Iran and the Taliban now have their hands wrapped tightly around Afghanistan's throat - thanks to Obama, the ultimate appeaser.

Meanwhile, all indications seem to suggest that Iran is steadily exerting its influence in Iraq. It goes without saying, that President Obama is largely to blame for the inevitable downfall and collapse of Iraq, for it is he, who, during his run for the Presidency, selfishly, put the U.S. withdrawal from the region on the front burner and used it as a pathway to ascend to the Oval Office.

And, now, President Obama is sacrificing the future of Afghanistan - and ultimately America's future - for his own political expediency.

Make no mistake about it, this is nothing less than a complete victory for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and a total surrender for the good ol' USA.

Mr. Ahmadinejad has now succeeded in garnering his first victory against the US. Consequently, he has now been emboldened to pursue the rest of his goals.

Indeed, the Iranian leader will never be satisfied until he brings home the World Cup - the World Championship in all its glory!

Iran joins US, NATO to address Afghanistan situation‎

Despite the fact that Iran is supplying insurgents in Afghanistan with weapons, ammunition and explosives [in boxes marked "Food, Toys and Kitchenware"], and that Taliban fighters have been training in Iran, the Obama administration on Monday said it had "no problem" participating in high-level talks with Iranian representatives in discussions over the future of Afghanistan:

Iran took part in a high-level meeting on Afghanistan on Monday after the United States said it has no problem with its participation. [Attendees also included Richard Holbrooke, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan.]

The international "contact group" met in Rome amid a renewed push to end the nine-year-old war in Afghanistan, including bringing Taliban into peace talks. The group gathers the Afghan government, NATO, the EU, U.N. and other key players — including Iran this time — to assess progress in Afghanistan.

Richard Holbrooke, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said Washington was asked about possible Iranian involvement and responded it had no problem with it...

Other main topics of discussion were the transition process... and the process of reconciliation — or talks aimed at involving insurgents into the fold, including the Taliban...

Citing Iran's long border with Afghanistan and its problem of drugs and immigrants coming in from Afghanistan [like the Taliban "immigrants" who've been training in Iran. Heh], Holbrooke said that Tehran "has a role to play in the peaceful settlement of the situation" and that "for the United States today there's no problem with their presence."

Fools!

From the New York Times:

The Iranian, Mohammed Ali Qanezadeh, a high-ranking diplomat, even attended an in-depth briefing Monday morning by the American military commander, Gen. David H. Petraeus, on NATO’s strategy for transition in Afghanistan.

Incredible! The Iranians, who are facilitating attacks against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, are now privy to NATO's strategy [for transition] in Afghanistan. Splendid!

Richard C. Holbrooke, the Obama administration’s special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the United States had been forewarned of the Iranian presence. “We were asked if we had any problems with that, and we said no,” Mr. Holbrooke said.

What about the American hikers who've been detained in Iran since July of 2009? No problem with that one either?

Apparently, this administration has no problem with anything - except for the Tea Party..., and the midterm election/GOP landslide.....