Obama through the lens of a teleprompter - Speech - 50th anniversary of Kennedy's inauguration

Obama speaking on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's inauguration - "Humble Roots"

Speaking at the 50th anniversary of JFK'S inauguration on Thursday, President Obama recounted how John F. Kennedy had once attended an event early in his career, "where, every speaker before him pompously claimed 'humble roots'. " The President immediately quipped, "Things haven't changed that much."

Russian opposition: Obama is ignoring Russia's human rights abuse; reset button is worsening the situation

President Obama, it seems, is turning a blind eye to Russia's human rights abuse, which should come as no surprise:

Russian opposition leaders and human rights activists pleaded with top US officials to support their plans for political and social change, but the request was apparently given short-shrift by Washington. [A Russian newspaper], which obtained fresh files from WikiLeaks, reports that the group was consistently critical of the Kremlin and wanted American help for reform.

The members of the opposition accused the US leadership of turning a blind eye to observance of human rights in Russia... Michael McFaul, Special Assistant to The President for National Security Affairs and senior director of Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the United States National Security Council, met with opposition leaders at the residence of the American envoy to Russia in Moscow. The opposition asked the US to be more critical of civil rights violations taking place in Russia...

Those who were present at such meetings at the US embassy in Moscow also showed some evolution of their opinions over the years. Previously, during George W. Bush’s presidency, they asked the US for softer criticism towards Russia, but these days it is a different story. They seem to believe that there is a lack of harsh critics of Russian policies on America’s part. They even proposed discussing Russia’s internal affairs in the format of representatives from the Russian and American governments and Russian NGOs, but Michael McFaul rejected the idea.

According to the reports, the opposition said: “Washington should pay more attention to significant incidents related to freedom of assembly in Russia. To solve problems in Russia's civic society, parties should sit down at the negotiation table – both Russian and US governments, and representatives from NGOs.” The US’ response was, “It is up to Russian activists to build up their relations with their administration, without relying on America.” Leaders of the Russian opposition also believe that the recent reset of Russia-US relations has had a negative influence on human rights in Russia...

[The Russian Opposition] said that, “To further improve relations between Russia and the US, the Obama administration has ostensibly refrained from vocal support for democratic reform.” In his report to Washington, ambassador John Beyrle proposed that the US should make its position on human rights issues and democracy in Russia more clear to the members of the Russian opposition and explain to what extent the US is willing to be involved in Russia’s domestic issues.

John Laughland, director of studies at the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation, believes that the parliamentary opposition in Russia does not have enough support in the country and that is why they are seeking help elsewhere.

“[WikiLeaks] documents show frustration on the part of these groups with the new Obama foreign policy – the “reset,” he said. “These opposition leaders and NGO leaders are going to the Americans and saying that they don’t feel the denunciation is active enough. They are the ones asking for more, and the Americans, in these documents at least, are being slightly reserved....”

Obama's egregious record on human rights is well known: His deafening silence over Iran's rigged election in 2009 received heavy criticism even among the Liberal elite.

In 2009, according to the AP, Egypt’s ambassador to the US expressed satisfaction “that ties [between the US and Egypt] are on the mend and that Washington has dropped conditions for better relations, including demands for ‘human rights, democracy and religious and general freedoms'."

"Conditionality" with Egypt "is not our policy," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview with Egyptian TV. "We also want to take our relationship to the next level."

[The Bush administration, on the other hand, took human rights violations very seriously. Just one example: Egypt released Ayman Nour, the imprisoned opposition leader, after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice canceled a trip to protest his arrest.]

The Daily Mail reported in 2009 that, "the Obama administration has turned off an electronic sign at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana that displayed pro-democracy and human rights messages to Cuban passers-by.

"The news 'zipper' on the fifth floor of the American Interest Section in the Cuban capital had riled the government...

"But it is now shut down amid the administration's efforts to engage with Cuba's leadership..."

President Obama, on several occasions, has indicated that Democracy building was not among his major priorities.

In 2009, the New York Times wrote that, "neither President Obama nor Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has even uttered the word democracy in a manner related to democracy promotion since taking office....

"The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor has put out 30 public releases, so far, and not one of them has discussed democracy promotion.

"Democracy, it seems, is banished from the Obama administration’s public vocabulary."

Appeasement, though, has not been banished from the Obama administration’s public vocabulary. Quite the contrary, it is the keyword and the very crux of Obama's lexicon. For ultimately the President believes his policy of appeasement will make the world all the more better. But in truth, it is this very policy that is emboldening the world's tyrants and, in turn, pulling the US, and the entire free world, into a dark, bottomless abyss.

Obama rewards Syria for supporting Al Qaeda

The new US ambassador to Damascus, Robert Ford, on Thursday handed his credentials to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem, the AFP reported:

The appointment comes almost six years after Washington withdrew its ambassador to Damascus, Margaret Scobey, in the wake of the February 2005 assassination of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri in a car bomb in Beirut...

The appointment of Ford "shows that President Obama wants to work with Syria even if we don't agree on every issue," a US embassy source said.

But it should not be viewed as a "reward" for the Syrian government, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said on January 7 as Ford was sworn in by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton...

It should be noted, however, that Syria is not only culpable for the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, it is also to blame for many of the bombing attacks currently plaguing Iraq, including today's attack:

Suicide bombers struck inside Iraq for the third day straight, killing 45 Shia pilgrims and wounding more than 150... Al Qaeda in Iraq continues its campaign to strike at Iraq's security forces and Iraqi Shia in an effort to weaken the government and divide Iraqis along sectarian lines...

Al Qaeda in Iraq is supported primarily through its networks in eastern Syria. The al Qaeda ratlines, which move foreign fighters, money, and weapons, pass from eastern Syria through the northwestern Iraqi cities of Sinjar and Rabiah into Mosul...

In 2009, al Qaeda's central leadership based in Pakistan reportedly sent a senior ideologue to Syria to partner with a dangerous operative who ran the network that funnels foreign fighters, cash, and weapons into western Iraq.

Sheikh Issa al Masri is thought to have left Pakistan's tribal agency of North Waziristan and entered Syria in June 2009, where he paired up with Abu Khalaf, a senior al Qaeda operative who had been instrumental in reviving al Qaeda in Iraq's network in eastern Syria and directing terror operations in Iraq, a US intelligence official told The Long War Journal.

Although the US killed Abu Khalaf during a Jan. 22, 2010 raid in the northern city of Mosul, Sheikh Issa is alive and is believed to be based in Damascus and is protected by the Mukhabarat, Syria's secret intelligence service...

Nevertheless, according to Philip Crowley, the appointment of Robert Ford should not be viewed as a "reward" to Syria for supporting Al Qaeda and eliminating Rafik Hariri. But rather, the appointment is just one more indication of Barack Obama's profound diplomatic prowess.

Sigh....

Syria, Lebanon discuss military cooperation - US, Syria, Saudi Arabia, France etc. to negotiate settlement to Lebanese crisis

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with Jean Kahwaji (Qahwaji), the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Syrian news agency reported on Monday. The two discussed future cooperation between the Syrian and Lebanese armed forces. The talks also focused on the role that the Lebanese army would play in controlling the increasingly tense situation in Lebanon.

Mr. Kahwaji also met with the Syrian Defense Minister and his Chief of Staff to discuss the latest developments in the region. The meeting also focused on the Lebanese army's capability to effectively wage war with the Israeli army - which raises the question as to whether the Obama administration's $100 million military aid package to Lebanon and a series of shipments of weapons and ammunition delivered to the Lebanese army in April would ultimately be used against Israel, a former US ally.

The talks between Assad and Kahwaji came in the wake of a meeting on Monday between the Syrian President, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Ahmad ben Khalifi al-Thani, in which the three leaders voiced support for Syrian-Saudi mediation to settle the political crisis in Lebanon.

Mr. Erdogan reportedly has also agreed to participate in the international “contact group” proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to deal with the Lebanese crisis. The meeting, according to reports in the Arab media, is to be hosted by France, and will include the participation of the Lebanese Prime Minister, the Presidents of Syria and Turkey, Saudi King Abdullah, the Emir of Qatar and President Obama. The idea, according to the AFP, was discussed in a meeting last week between Mr. Sarkozy and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. No date, as of yet, has been set for the meeting.

According to Arab media reports, Mr. Sarkozy received American authorization to produce a solution to the Lebanese crisis.

Likewise, a European diplomat in Beirut told the AFP that France had proposed the creation of an international "contact group" to negotiate a settlement to the crisis:

"The contact group would include Syria, Saudi Arabia, France, the United States, Qatar, Turkey and possibly other countries," said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The group would meet outside of Lebanon given the current tensions in the country."

The French foreign ministry refused to confirm or deny the proposal.

Syria's involvement in Lebanon's internal affairs, during the Bush administration, had been largely diminished and nullified as a result of international pressure spearheaded by former President Bush. Armed with the strong support of the former US President, the Lebanese people took to the streets and waged massive protests against the Syrian regime. Under intense international pressure, Syria reluctantly withdrew its troops from Lebanon.

President Obama, however, shortly after taking office, began to re-establish US-Syrian ties. The Syrian regime seized upon this new-found relationship to re-exert its influence in Lebanon

Nevertheless, President Obama, in December, offered some additional carrots to Syria, when he bypassed the senate during the holiday recess, and appointed the first US ambassador to Syria since 2005. The Bush administration withdrew its ambassador from Syria in February 2005 in response to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri.

Meanwhile, Syria, with an apparent wink of the eye from the Oval Office, is increasingly re-exerting its influence [including military cooperation with the Lebanese army] and tightening its grip over Lebanon.

Wink, Wink...

Obama: Disrespect towards potential murderers is to blame for the murders in America

The recent shooting rampage in Tuscon Arizona raises some uncomfortable, but necessary questions about immorality in our society, specifically the blatant disrespect exhibited by Rep. Gabrielle Gifford's in 2007 - which ultimately provoked a despairing and hopeless young man to commit murder.

Some of you may be deeply offended by the aforementioned premise, but I base it, not upon my own musings, but upon the wisdom and philosophies of one our nation's greatest thinkers: Barack Obama.

Here's the deal:

At a 2007 event, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords took questions from members of the audience. Jared Loughner, one of the attendees at the event, asked her a seemingly incoherent question. Sadly, Rep. Giffords failed to give him a satisfactory response, which prompted Mr. Loughner to later complain, ‘Can you believe it, they wouldn’t answer my question.’

This lack of respect on the part of Ms. Giffords apparently irked Mr. Loughner - and the rest is history.

In his 2006 Call to Renewal speech and in his highly acclaimed memoir, The Audacity of hope, Barack Obama touched upon this subject. Obama stated that it is precisely this kind of immorality and disrespect toward the soon-to-be murderers, and the less fortunate among us, that is largely to blame for both the murders and the increase in violence in our society.

"The problems of poverty and racism... are not simply technical problems...," said Obama. "They are rooted in both societal indifference and individual callousness... Solving these problems... will also require changes in hearts and minds."

"I believe in keeping guns out of our inner cities," he went on to say. "But I also believe that when a gang-banger shoots indiscriminately into a crowd because he feels somebody disrespected him, we've got a moral problem. There's a hole in that young man's heart — a hole that the government alone cannot fix."

Indeed, it was this lack of respect and total disregard for a fellow Arizona citizen that elicited a sense of hopelessness in a young man's heart - ultimately inciting him, in the prime of his life, to commit murder. A hole had been drilled into his heart as a result of both "societal indifference" and Ms. Giffords' "individual callousness", hence, he had little choice but to bore a hole in the hearts of those who disrespected him and to those, who through their callousness and indifference, facilitated both his mental and emotional demise.

It goes without saying, that another contributing factor to the shootings was the coarse public discourse among Republicans, which ultimately squashed the bright and promising future of a young left-wing, George W. Bush-hating, flag-burning idealist, who will now sit in jail for the rest of his life.

Sad, but true.

Obama played politics with Virginia Tech tragedy, Arizona shooting

On April 16, 2007, the day of the Virginia Tech massacre, then-Presidential candidate, Barack Obama, spoke at a campaign rally in Milwaukee WI, where he cunningly associated the tragic act of violence to a host of unrelated political issues, thereby politicizing the tragedy, as he did last week, during memorial services for the victims of the Arizona shootings:

Russia inserts amendment into START treaty prohibiting unilateral deployment of Missile Defense system

The Russian Parliament on Friday added several amendments to the new START treaty and subsequently approved the document in the second of three votes. A final vote on the treaty is expected later this month.

The amendments stipulate grounds for Russia's withdrawal from the treaty, including one provision that would allow Russia to back out of the deal if the US were to unilaterally deploy a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted - contrary to White House claims - that the treaty's preamble specifically links offensive and defensive armaments.

"There would have been no treaty without this preamble, and our U.S. partners are perfectly aware of that," he told the Russian Parliament on Friday. “A break of this linkage will force the weakened side to use the right to secede from the treaty."

Senate Republicans, wary of trusting the White House on matters of national security, added a non-binding resolution to the new START treaty [last month] stating the Senate's 'understanding' that the new treaty 'does not impose any limitations on the deployment of missile defenses.'

The Russian Parliament, however, sought to counter the Senate resolution by inserting the aforementioned amendment.

President Obama, however, has said that he plans to develop a joint missile defense system with Russia - a precarious and complicated deal, if there ever was one.

Russians, unlike Obama, in no hurry to reduce their nuclear arsenal

From Reuters:

Russia said on Thursday the United States had to allay its concerns about conventional warheads and weapons in space if it wanted further cuts in the two countries' nuclear arsenals... Obama has set out a vision of a world without nuclear weapons...

When the U.S. Senate approved the New START treaty last month, it ordered Obama to seek talks with Moscow within a year on reductions of tactical nuclear stockpiles.

But Lavrov said discussions of future nuclear arms cuts "must take into account other factors that increasingly influence strategic stability".

"Let's imagine that everyone abandons nuclear weapons, but that in parallel non-nuclear strategic weapons are developed ... that may be even more effective in military terms -- what then?"...

In addition to long-range missiles with conventional warheads, Lavrov expressed particular concern about the possibility of "the militarization of space".

In 2006, U.S. President George W. Bush signed an order opposing Washington's participation in treaties that would restrict its right to develop space-based weapons. In July, a U.S. arms control official said the United States could consider proposals to limit or ban weapons in space.

Mr. Lavrov also said that a new round of talks aimed at slashing Russia's large arsenal of short-range tactical nuclear weapons must also involve other nuclear powers, the Wall Street Journal reported. Additionally, Mr. Lavrov said that, "Before talking about any further steps in the sphere of nuclear disarmament, it's necessary to fulfill the New Start agreement."

That process could take years, as the former Cold War enemies shrink their long-range nuclear warheads to a limit of 1,550 each, down from the current ceiling of 2,200.

"Then it will become clear what further steps must be taken to strengthen global security and strategic stability," Mr. Lavrov said.

When those steps are considered, he added, other nuclear-armed nations must take part and the agenda must include weapons in space, strategic missiles equipped with conventional explosives and other non-nuclear conventional weapons. Russia opposes U.S. plans for space-based weapons.

Truth be told, if we're already going down the path of appeasement, I see no reason why we shouldn't ban space weapons. It seems only logical, considering Obama's ultimate goal is to end America's military superiority, so that Russia, the US and the entire world can be on equal footing. It's all about Global equality, right?

What's more, US Military officials have expressed concern over China's advances in space weapons. "In 2007, China demonstrated that it could shoot a satellite out of low Earth orbit. And for years, corporate and government computer systems in the U.S. and elsewhere, including those of American defense contractors, have been hit by cyberattacks traced back to China." Hence, if the US were to ban space weapons, it would give the Chinese a decisive edge in that department, which, in turn, would foster good will between China and the US, and ultimately assist President Obama in his goal of creating a global alliance, one, in which the US is no longer the domineering, snobby Superpower it once was.

Appeasement, acquiescence and pacification are the cornerstones of Obama's foreign policy and his new world order. And, quite frankly, I'm satisfied with that approach; We don't need to ruffle anyone's feathers, not now, not in today's dangerous world.

Obama desecrates Arizona memorial with duplicitous, political speech

Speaking at a memorial service Wednesday for the victims of Saturday's shooting attack in Tucson, Arizona, President Obama said that "lack of civility" did not "cause this tragedy", but he, nevertheless, called for more civility and less opposition.

Out of all the speakers, Obama was the only one who couldn't refrain from turning the memorial service into a political spectacle. He did it furtively and craftily, in a way that only he is capable of doing. But you don't have to be a rocket scientist to discern the political ploy, it was obvious for all to hear.

Sheriff Dupnik - Dems, in '09, asked him to apologize for 'Inflammatory' Remarks on Immigration

"Whether you are talking about school performance, or dropouts, or gang affiliation, or one-parent homes or poverty, you name the social problem..., that has to do with illegal immigration."

Schools should help "identify the people that are here illegally by the thousands" and ICE will "send them back, kids and parents."
Arizona Sheriff Clarence Dupnik

From CNS News:

Arizona’s Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who on Saturday suggested radio and television talk shows were somehow responsible for inciting a man... to kill six people and wound 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords..., once [in 2009] suggested that local schools should check the immigration status of students and that many of the social problems in his county were attributable to illegal immigration--remarks that some fellow Democrats cited as “inflammatory” while demanding an apology from the sheriff...

"It's wrong for the taxpayers in this country to spend the millions and millions and millions of dollars that we do catering to illegals," Dupnik said... "I don't think you'll find other countries doing that for other citizens."

Dupnik had argued that reducing the number of illegal immigrants would reduce crime and other problems in the area.

“Fewer illegal immigrants, he [Dupnik] said..., “would help reduce crime and other social problems because most of the social problems that plague Pima County originate on the South and Southwest sides, where many illegal immigrants reside.”...

"Whether you are talking about school performance, or dropouts, or gang affiliation, or one-parent homes or poverty, you name the social problem, that's where they are all concentrated," Dupnik told the Daily Star. "That has to do with illegal immigration."...

U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) told the paper that the type of remarks Dupnik had made created “racial tensions.”

"To make a categorical statement that all the crime and the dysfunction in Tucson and Pima County emanates from one part of the community is outrageous and it's stereotypical and based on who lives there, creates racial tensions where they shouldn't be," Grijalva said.

On Saturday, shortly after the shooting attack in Arizona, Mr. Dupnik said that "the anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And, unfortunately, Arizona I think has become sort of the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”

Mr. Dupnik also recommended that schools report their findings to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who would identify students "who are here illegally by the thousands and send them back, kids and parents."

Some border county sheriffs want Arizona schools to start asking students whether they're in this country legally.

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik originated the idea and said millions of dollars in Arizona taxes go to teach English to children who have no legal right to be here. He also said there's a link involving illegal immigration, social problems and gangs.

Only thing is, a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision appears to make it illegal for school officials to ask. In a 5-4 decision, the justices overturned a Texas law that authorized school districts to refuse to enroll anyone who couldn't prove legal residence.

But Dupnik said it may be time for Arizona to have a test case to put the issue back before the high court — to see if the current justices agree...

Dupnik [said that schools should] report their findings to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"They would identify the people that are here illegally by the thousands and send them back, kids and parents," he said.

Jared Loughner; Sheriff Clarence Dupnik; Political ideology

Obama and the Hariri murder investigation

Saudi Arabia and Syria are currently working on a joint initiative to undermine the UN Special Tribunal's investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik Hariri. Details of the Saudi-Syria initiative remain under wraps. But one thing is certain: The Saudis and Syrians are taking whatever steps are necessary to either squash the investigation completely or to dilute the indictment, so that Syria and Hezbollah can continue to maintain their choke hold over Lebanon. The Saudis apparently believe that placating Syria and Hezbollah is their only option.

The question, however, arises: Where does President Obama stand on the issue?

Both the Obama administration and the mainstream media would have us believe that the President would like nothing more than for the perpetrators of Hariri's murder to receive their due justice and to be punished to the full extent of the law. But I suspect otherwise.

While the President perhaps is not seeking to totally squash the investigation, I suspect that, like the Saudis, he would prefer that Syria and Hezbollah come out of this mess in one piece. For indeed, the President is not only the ultimate appeaser, he, by his own admission, has little interest in bolstering Democracy. Hence, he couldn't care less whether Syria and Hezbollah tighten their noose around Lebanon's neck.

Incidentally, Barack Obama's chief adviser on counter-terrorism, John Brennan said about Hezbollah in 2009: "Hezbollah started out as purely a terrorist organization back in the early ’80s and has evolved significantly over time. And now it has members of parliament, in the cabinet; there are lawyers, doctors, others who are part of the Hezbollah organization... And so, quite frankly, I’m pleased to see that a lot of Hezbollah individuals are in fact renouncing that type of terrorism and violence and are trying to participate in the political process [in Lebanon] in a very legitimate fashion. "

Nevertheless, the following tidbits will perhaps shed some additional light on the matter and help us to better ascertain Obama's position on the STL [Special Tribunal for Lebanon] investigation:

In July of 2010, Syrian President Bashar Assad met with Saudi King Abdullah and, according to the Lebanese media, proclaimed: "The international tribunal’s work should come to an end. We in Syria feel the tribunal’s investigation has become a heavy diplomatic burden on Lebanon and its stability." This meeting, I suppose, was likely the prelude to the Syrian/Saudi initiative [mentioned at the onset of this post].

Arab news outlets reported that the Syrian President called King Abdullah on December 26, while the King was recuperating from back surgery in a New York hospital. The two leaders reportedly discussed the Saudi-Syrian initiative. The very same day, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri traveled to New York to visit the King. He met with him the following day, on December 27. It goes without saying that the Saudi-Syrian initiative was the primary focus of their discussion. According to the aforementioned sources, Hariri's visit to New York suggested that progress had been made with regard to the Saudi-Syrian initiative. President Obama, coincidentally, also placed a call to the King on December 26. He reportedly, "wished the King well and congratulated him on the progress that he had made toward a full recovery.”

Question: Did the President also make the call [on the same day Assad spoke to the King] in order to discuss the Saudi/Syrian initiative prior to Hariri's meeting with the King the following day,?

I don't know.

Mr. Hariri, in November, met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss the situation in Lebanon. One month prior to that meeting, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met with Sarkozy. A 1982 profile of Mr. Berri, from History Commons, pretty much sums up where his sympathies lie:

Nabih Berri takes over the Amal Militia, a Shi’a Lebanese paramilitary organization... Although not a fundamentalist Muslim, Berri allies himself with the new regime in Iran and Hezbollah, a fundamentalist Lebanese Shi’a party backed by Iran. Berri also manages to convince Syrian authorities that he will represent their interests in Lebanon...

Last week a Lebanese news outlet reported as follows:

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to head to Beirut as soon as a compromise settlement over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon indictment is announced to end the country’s political impasse , French diplomatic sources revealed on Friday.

The sources told [a Kuwaiti newspaper] that the visit would be aimed at asserting France’s support to the compromise settlement.

Sarkozy recently stated that it is unacceptable for Lebanon to slip again into violence...

Saudi and Syrian officials have reportedly been working on a compromise [settlement]...

Sarkozy is traveling to the US next week to meet with President Obama. The two of them, will discuss, among other things, the situation in Lebanon, according to an Arab daily.

The President, last week, bypassed the senate, during the holiday recess, and appointed the first US ambassador to Syria since 2005. The Bush administration withdrew its ambassador from Syria in February 2005 in response to the assassination of Rafik Hariri.

So, to answer the question I posed earlier: Where does President Obama stand with regards to the STL investigation?

Well, whether the information I cited above provides a 100% concrete answer, I do not know. But it does raise my suspicion level significantly higher, and my suspicions were already quite high, due to the fact that Obama is the ultimate appeaser, who finds no greater pleasure in life than to coddle tyrants.

Robert Gibbs speaks about Obama's 2012 re-election campaign

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is reportedly stepping down from his post. Beginning next month Mr. Gibbs will assume a leading role in the President's 2012 re-election campaign.



Related Post from October 14, 2010: "Gibbs & Biden: 'Obama spends next to no time/some time thinking about 2012' "

Pelosi pays tribute to herself before swearing in Boehner as Speaker of the House

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi paid tribute to herself before handing over the Speaker's gavel to the new Speaker of the House John Boehner, during Mr. Boehner's swearing-in ceremony Wednesday:

Karzai & Obama: The "Meddling" Conundrum

Afghan president Hamid Karzai on Tuesday lambasted "foreign" leaders who accuse him of running a corrupt government.

Normally, a rebuke of this sort would appear to be meaningless, due to the fact that Mr. Karzai, for all intents and purposes, is indeed running a corrupt government.

The problem, however, lies in the fact that Mr. Karzai's argument, and his rationale, are completely in line with President Obama's previously-stated position and political ideology:

During the widespread protests which broke out in Iran following the country's 2009 presidential election, President Obama said it would be inappropriate of him to interfere with the outcome of the election:

"It's not productive..." for "the U.S. president" to be perceived "as meddling in Iranian elections," he said.

And here's what President Karzai said on Tuesday:

"I ask our foreign friends not to interfere in our internal affairs, not to interfere in our constitution. They must stop meddling in our implementation of the law in our country."

And therein lies the problem: Were President Obama to interfere in the Afghan government's corrupt internal affairs, he would be directly contradicting his previous position, and his previous statements, regarding Iran's farcical election in 2009. This would be seen by the world as hypocrisy of the first order.

On the other hand, Obama has never been one to shy away from hypocrisy. In fact, the words 'hypocrisy' and 'Obama', by their very nature, are synonymous - they seem to go hand in hand. What's more, the President appears to be extremely comfortable and highly content wearing the moniker 'hypocrite'.

And, I suppose, therein lies the solution to the conundrum.

Problem solved!

Shave Ice: Obama gets the last licks!

President Obama managed to get in his last licks Monday, on the final day of his Hawaiian vacation: He feasted once again on his favorite treat: Shave Ices!


Considering the President's obsessive craving for Shave Ices - as evidenced by the number of times he has treated himself to the cold and frosty treat during his trips to Hawaii - he would be well-advised to purchase a shave-ice machine for his residence in the White House. The political squabbling in D.C. is sure to heat up soon, and shave ices would be the perfect way to cool things down.

The decision is ultimately his, of course. I'm just trying to help.

Signing Statement to nullify Gitmo provisions

White House officials have indicated that the President will likely issue a signing statement nullifying at least some of the provisions added by senate Republicans to the defense spending bill which limit the president's options on Guantanamo Bay detainees.

Several administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the White House is still uncertain how many of the provisions will be targeted, and nullified, in the President's signing statement.

Among the issues at hand: Prosecuting detainees in US civilian courts and transferring detainees to foreign countries. The former, however, seems certain to be targeted by the President.

The President will likely face heavy criticism if he chooses to override the provision banning Gitmo detainees from being tried in US civilian courts: In November of last year, a federal court in New York City acquitted Ahmed Ghailani, an al Qaeda terrorist, of all but one of the 286 charges levied against him, including one count of murder for each of the 224 people killed and the thousands who were injured in the 1998 attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Luckily, the President, last week, was able to use the holiday recess to appoint James Cole as Deputy U.S. Attorney General. Mr. Cole, who believes terrorists attacks are akin to domestic crimes of murder and rape, and who also served as a former defense attorney for a renowned Saudi terrorism financier, will likely be of immense assistance to the President as he formulates his new signing statement.

The Justice Department is also filled with a whole host of former defense attorneys who have previously represented Gitmo detainees. Working in unison with Mr. Cole, the aforementioned terrorist sympathizers will provide the President with much needed assistance as he drafts bold new legislation [aka executive powers] to defend the rights of deprived, despairing and hopeless murderers, who are merely seeking a second chance in life.

Sanctions prove futile, Iranian exports surge

Iran's non-oil exports have surged in the second half of 2010, passing the $22 billion mark, according to Iranian news outlets, citing the latest figures issued by the Iranian customs office.

Non-oil exports grew by 21 percent between March and December 2010, compared to the same period in 2009, the office said on Saturday.

“The figures are sound and correct, this shows that sanctions have not effected Iran seriously and instead its non oil exports have surged, and given the rise in oil prices, the revenues from oil have increased,” said one Iranian lawmaker.

Vaqef Behrouzi, who runs foreign investment projects in Iran's Ministry of Economics and Finance, said that Iran is ranked sixth in the world in absorbing foreign investments. Mr. Behrouzi noted that Iran absorbed more than three billion in foreign investments until July 2010, despite the global financial crisis and sanctions imposed against Iran.

Mr. Behrouzi went on to say that according to statistics published by the UNCTAD, Iran experienced a growth rate of 86 percent in absorbing foreign investment, while the average growth of other countries has been negative 37 percent.

Last month, President Obama emphasized the need to quickly ratify the precariously flawed START treaty in order to sustain Russia's purported support of the UN backed sanctions.

However, shortly after meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in November, Russian President Dimitry Medvedev issued a statement saying that: "following the" adoption of the UN "sanctions resolution" certain countries "sought to intensify sanctions against Iran, to which Russia strongly opposed and took stances against."

Clearly, Russia's efforts to block robust sanctions against Iran are having the desired effect. For indeed, the sanctions, in their currently feeble form, are having little effect, if any at all.

Chavez, Clinton enjoy friendly chat at Brazil inauguration

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were seen having a brief, friendly chat at the inauguration of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff on New Year's day:

A Brazilian official who witnessed the encounter told AFP, "It looked like a social conversation, both were smiling," and Chavez later confirmed the amiable tenor of their conversation in an interview with Venezuelan state television.

"Mrs Clinton, the secretary of state, appeared. She was smiling, very pleased, and so was I," said Chavez. "We greeted each other and spoke about a few things," he said.

"It was a pleasant moment, but we took advantage of it and spoke of two or three timely things," he said...

Obama in '08: Oregonians, who approved Physician-assisted suicide, 'did a service for the country'

Since it has recently been revealed that the President has stealthily resurrected the hideous 'death panels', as part of his new medicare regulations, I've decided to post the following tidbit:

In March of 2008, while campaigning in the state of Oregon, then-Presidential candidate was asked by a local newspaper about his views on physician-assisted suicide; Oregon voters narrowly approved a measure to legalize the ghastly procedure.

Obama, the master politician, who is is always heedful to express his views ambiguously, in order to cloak both his true feeling and his extreme left-wing agenda, replied:

"I am in favor of palliative medicine in circumstances where someone is terminally ill... I'm mindful of the legitimate interests of states to prevent a slide from palliative treatments into euthanasia. On the other hand, I think that the people of Oregon did a service for the country in recognizing that as the population gets older we've got to think about issues of end-of-life care."

As I've noted several times in the past:

In an interview with the New York Times in April of 2009, President Obama expressed concern over the huge costs of end-of-life care, saying:

"I actually think that the tougher issue around medical care... is what you do around things like end-of-life care... I mean, the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80 percent of the total health care bill out here!"

Michael Vick more important to Obama than family of slain soldier

The parents of Sgt. Sean Collins - who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month - say they're extremely grateful for the letters of condolences they've received from friends and strangers alike, the News Tribune reported on Thursday.

“As a father of someone killed, it is overwhelming,” said Sean's father, retired Lt. Col. Patrick Collins.

Nevertheless, Sean's parents say they feel slighted by the response, and lack of response, of two U.S. politicians: Sen. Maria Cantwell [D-Wash.] and President Barack Obama.

Sen. Cantwell did indeed send a letter of condolence to the Collins family, but strangely, the final paragraph of the letter reads:

"May your memories of Bryn and the knowledge that he made a positive impact on the lives of so many serve as a source of comfort to you during this time of sorrow."

The Sergeant's name was Sean, not Bryn.

Sen. Cantwell's office, it appears, sent the parents a form letter, and much to the family's chagrin, neither the senator, nor the senator's staff, had even taken the time to proofread the letter.

Sean's mother, Linda Collins, lamented: "I’m sure if [Sen. Cantwell's] son had died, she would’ve at least wanted his name spelled correctly."

The lack of response from President Obama, however, only added insult to the injury.

Mr. Collins recently called the White House and asked if President Obama could call his ex-wife, Linda, to talk about their son:

Collins was told [by the White House] that Obama did not regularly make phone calls to the families of fallen soldiers.

Later, Patrick Collins read a story about Obama’s phone call to Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie. Obama reportedly praised Lurie for giving quarterback Michael Vick a second chance to play football after serving time in prison for running a dog fighting ring.

“That burns,” Patrick Collins said Thursday.

“Any soldier that gets killed in action, you’d think the president would be calling someone in the family. There’s no politics in it. His predecessor did it.”

Apparently, the vacationing President is too busy to fulfill the request of a fallen soldier's grieving father.

Obama's plate is filled to capacity - filled with ice shaves and other Hawaiian goodies - and he simply doesn't have time to thank Mr. and Mrs. Collins for their son's sacrifice. But he did find time to call the owner of the Philadelphia Eagle's to thank him for, what can only be described as, the ultimate sacrifice: offering Michael Vick a second chance to play football.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the President also found time to call Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah [who's recooperating from back surgery in a New York hospital] to wish him well.

It is doubtful, however, whether King Abdullah even noticed that the President was actually bowing before him over the telephone....

Obama & Chavez, Striking Similarities

Here's a few excerpts from a Yahoo News article entitled, "Hugo Chavez pushes through law to rule by decree". In between paragraphs I interject and insert related developments pertaining to President Obama:

At Christmas, most Venezuelans put politics aside to occupy themselves with whiskey-laden celebrations, heart-stopping firecrackers and visits to far-flung relatives. So few were surprised when President Hugo Chávez chose that annual party time to push through a law that allows him to rule by decree for 18 months, effectively superseding the new, less friendly National Assembly poised to take office on Jan. 5. Most Venezuelans were just too busy enjoying themselves to object — for the moment.

U.S. President Barack Obama has used a controversial strategy to appoint the first U.S. ambassador to Syria in nearly six years... Under the constitution, the Senate must vote to approve such decisions. But since the legislative body is in recess until January, Mr. Obama is able to [bypass the senate] and push through his nominees without a vote... Mr. Obama first nominated Ford [as ambassador to Syria] in February, but the Senate refused to confirm him... The U.S. state department designates Syria a “state sponsor of terrorism.”

Mr. Chavez's supporters have also rushed through a stack of last-minute laws that regulate the Internet... and make it easier for the government to intervene in banks...

President Obama on Tuesday used the FCC to impose government controls over the Internet... Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has urged the President to leave the Internet alone, as he has already nationalized healthcare, banks and student loans.

Mr. Chavez's supporters have also rushed through a stack of last-minute laws...

The White House closed out last week with a last minute push to rush its agenda through the short Lame Duck session of Congress...

It's not the first time Chávez has taken steps to challenge those who oppose him... Critics have also accused his government of using politically charged corruption probes to disable his opponents and laws to limit the power of opposition governors.

"It's the way he's acted in the past when he's suffered a setback," says Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based think tank Inter-American Dialogue. "Chávez obviously doesn't like to be challenged politically."

In his first race for office, seeking a state Senate seat on Chicago's gritty South Side in 1996, Obama effectively used election rules to eliminate his Democratic competition.

As a community organizer, he had helped register thousands of voters. But when it came time to run for office, he employed Chicago rules to invalidate the voting petition signatures of three of his challengers.

The move denied each of them, including incumbent Alice Palmer, a longtime Chicago activist, a place on the ballot. It cleared the way for Obama to run unopposed on the Democratic ticket in a heavily Democrat district.

"That was Chicago politics," said John Kass, a veteran Chicago Tribune columnist. "Knock out your opposition, challenge their petitions, destroy your enemy, right? It is how Barack Obama destroyed his enemies back in 1996... He made sure voters had just one choice."

Mr. Chavez scoffed at critics who allege he will use his decree powers to slide the country toward dictatorship, saying, "There will be democracy, democracy and more democracy."

At a BBQ stop this afternoon, Obama received an unwelcome greeting from one woman - Diane Fanning - who yelled "socialist, socialist, socialist – get out of here!"

Obama responded: "I know some people have been hearing rumors about it, but as far as I can tell that's just not something that's happening. We would never give up our sovereignty in that way."

"We would never give up our sovereignty in that way" ?

"There will be democracy, democracy and more democracy" ?

Deputy AG, James Cole, a former defense attorney for Saudi terrorism financier, likens terrorists attacks to Domestic Crimes of Murder, Rape

President Obama took advantage of the senate's holiday recess to appoint several new members into his administration, including the appointment of James Cole as Deputy U.S. Attorney General.

Recess appointments enables the President to bypass the normal Senate confirmation process.

Why was it necessary for the President [to use the senate recess] to sneak in Mr. Cole as Deputy AG ?

The answer, according to the Washington Post, is that "Cole's nomination had stalled in the Senate because of Republican concerns about his comments about terrorism and his work as an independent contractor for the insurance giant AIG."

However, while Mr. Cole's comments about terrorism are indeed troubling, his legal work on behalf of Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family, who'd been involved in financing terrorists [aka Al Qaeda], is even more troubling.

Prince Naif ran the Al Haramain Foundation, a Saudi charity designated by the U.S. Treasury Department as a facilitator of terrorism, which diverted charitable funds to Al Qaeda both before and after Sept.11, 2001. Mr. Cole, as defense attorney at the law firm of Bryan Cave, represented Prince Naif. Eric Holder had already stacked the Justice Dept. with several former Defense Attorney's who previously worked on behalf of suspected terrorists [Gitmo detainees]. Mr. Cole has now been added to the list.

Here's what I wrote in June shortly after the President nominated Mr. Cole as Deputy AG:

It should come as no big surprise that President Obama nominated James Cole to be Deputy Attorney General. Mr. Cole, after all, shares the President's view that terrorists should be treated as ordinary [civilian] criminals rather than enemy combatants.

It should also be noted that Mr. Cole, as defense attorney at the law firm of Bryan Cave, represented Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family, who'd been involved in financing terrorists [aka Al Qaeda].

Oh, I forget to mention that Mr. Cole had been hired by the DOJ and SEC to work as an independent consultant to monitor business [investment] practices at now-bailed-out AIG. On the same day that the President nominated Mr. Cole to be Deputy AG, the Department of Justice closed its two-year investigation of several AIG executives and exonerated them of all criminal wrongdoing. More on that at the end of this post.

From CNS News:

Despite a resolution by Congress authorizing war against those responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President Obama’s nominee to be the number two official at the Justice Department, James Cole, wrote an op-ed in 2002 likening the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to the domestic crimes of murder, rape and child abuse, while arguing that the attackers ought to be treated like domestic criminals.

“But the attorney general is not a member of the military fighting a war--he is a prosecutor fighting crime,” Cole wrote in a Sept. 9, 2002 article in Legal Times that critiqued the way then-Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft was handling the 9/11 case.

“For all the rhetoric about war, the Sept. 11 attacks were criminal acts of terrorism against a civilian population, much like the terrorist acts of Timothy McVeigh in blowing up the federal building in Oklahoma City...,” said Cole. “The criminals responsible for these horrible acts were successfully tried and convicted under our criminal justice system, without the need for special procedures that altered traditional due process rights.

“Our country has faced many forms of devastating crime, including the scourge of the drug trade, the reign of organized crime, and countless acts of rape, child abuse, and murder. The acts of Sept. 11 were horrible, but so are these other things,” Cole wrote in his op-ed...

Read the rest.

James Cole is a personal friend of Attorney General Eric Holder and is currently a defense attorney at Bryan Cave. Mr. Cole served as a former federal prosecutor at the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Division during the Clinton administration while Holder was serving as Deputy Attorney General.

From The Hill:

“Jim is going to be a great deputy attorney general,” Holder said during a news conference to discuss a recent drug bust. “I’ve known him for a good number of years; we worked together a long time ago in [Justice’s] Public Integrity Section. To have him on board in aconfirmed position, in confirmed status, is extremely important to the running of the Justice Department.”

Republicans likely will grill Cole about his representation of Saudi Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud after insurance carriers and Sept. 11 survivors tried to sue him and others after allegations surfaced that they had been involved in financing terrorists.

Editor's Note: Prince Naif ran the Al Haramain Foundation, a Saudi charity designated by the U.S. Treasury Department as a facilitator of terrorism, which diverted charitable funds to Al Qaeda both before and after Sept.11, 2001.

As the second-highest official at Justice, Cole would... likely play a key role in decisions involving terrorist prosecutions.... Republicans have blasted Holder for reading the failed Christmas Day bomber his Miranda rights just hours after ascertaining him and beginning to question him...

The AIG Connection - From Main Justice:

When Deputy Attorney General nominee James Cole appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, Republicans plan to question him on his work monitoring insurance giant American International Group (AIG)...

Cole’s firm earned fees of about $20 million for its work as a compliance monitor [at AIG], according to The Wall Street Journal. Some of the transactions Cole examined had been structured by AIG’s Financial Products group, the same unit that would later write billions of dollars worth of credit default swaps that almost destroyed the company and forced the government into a costly rescue deal fearing the potential damage to the overall economy.

As a monitor, Cole regularly attended AIG Board of Directors committee meetings, including at least two February 2008 meetings where board members were told of findings of “material weakness” in the company’s accounting systems that were uncovered by auditors at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the Journal reported.

A Bryan Cave representative declined to comment on Cole. Calls to Cole were referred to the White House. A Justice Department spokeswoman also declined to comment.

From Whistle-Blower:

On May 21st, the White House nominated James Cole of Bryan Cave, LLP for the position of Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Cole was the Independent Consultant at AIG in the years leading up to the September ’08 bailout there.

On the same afternoon, the Department of Justice closed its two-year investigation of Joseph Cassano, Andrew Forster, and Thomas Athan of the London-based Financial Products Unit of AIG and informed them that they would not face criminal charges.

Cassano was the CEO at AIG-FP, Forster was the head trader and executive vice president and Athan was a managing director. None of them will be the subject of criminal prosecution, according to the Washington Post.

So, just about two years after AIG nearly runs the international economic system over a cliff, the Justice Department decides there was no criminal wrongdoing and the former AIG monitor is selected to run the day-to-day operations of the Justice Department...

Conclusion: Taking all of the above into consideration, it is perfectly understandable why President Obama chose Mr. Cole to be Deputy Attorney General. In the post 9/11 era, Mr. Cole would seem to be the perfect man for the job. It goes without saying that he will serve this country well.

Sigh.....

Exploding Bullets - Not Hairspray - Caused Bomb Scare at Miami Airport: TSA

From NBC Miami:

A man has been arrested after FBI and TSA officials said his luggage contained volatile gun parts, which caused his bag to explode Tuesday just before it was about to be loaded on a plane.

The unidentified 37-year-old man had 500 to 700 bullet primers in his luggage. Primers are considered the "spark plugs" of a bullet and ignites the gun powder, projecting it toward the intended target.

Officials originally said the exploding bag was caused by a hairspray aerosol can.

The situation turned out to be much more serious and could have been even more dangerous if the bag containing the combustible elements would have exploded while the plane was in the air.

The Miami-Dade bomb squad was called to the airport around 11:30 a.m. after a baggage handler said he was taking luggage to an American Airlines plane that had just arrived from Boston and a bag exploded, sending pieces of metal flying.

The FBI confirmed the passenger and the exploding checked bag got on the flight in Boston and the luggage was being transferred to another flight headed for Jamaica.

The 148 original passengers from Flight 2585 had already departed the plane before the incident...

While it is legal to have a gun and ammunition in your checked bags, it is illegal to pack primers or percussion caps.

Perhaps the TSA should conduct pat downs on our luggage too.

Obama gives terror suspects access to frozen assets

Please do not misconstrue the title of this post. I'm not referring to the frozen assets currently being consumed by the President in Hawaii...

Obama is certainly entitled to treat the terrorists to ice shaves, if he so desires.

But these frozen assets are of a different nature:

Caving in to the demands of liberal civil rights groups, the Obama Administration has quietly amended a counterterrorism sanction so that accused terrorists can pay for their defense with assets frozen by the U.S. government.

The exemption to the government’s Global Terrorism Sanctions was made official this week by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control... The office operates under presidential national emergency powers...

Among its duties is to freeze the assets of individuals or groups engaged in terrorist activities... That means that individuals charged with terrorism can’t access money to pay for attorneys, something that has long bothered the left. This week the Treasury Department gave in, making it possible for terrorism suspects whose assets have been frozen by Uncle Sam to use the money to pay for legal representation....

Jim Kouri adds: This latest instance of the Obama Administration assisting terrorists is not a surprise to many working in law enforcement or the intelligence community. For example, the issue of Attorney General Erich Holder’s past legal papers came up after some Republicans asked why lawyers who had previously done legal work for terror detainees now had jobs in the Justice Department, something President Barack Obama successfully avoided discussing...

Classified maps show security in Afghanistan is worsening, despite Obama's assurances that the war is 'on track'

From the Wall Street Journal:

Internal United Nations maps show a marked deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan during this year's fighting season, countering the Obama administration's optimistic assessments of military progress since the surge of additional American forces began a year ago...

The U.N.'s October map upgraded to "high risk" 16 previously more secure districts in Badghis, Sar-e-Pul, Balkh, Parwan, Baghlan, Samangan, Faryab, Laghman and Takhar provinces; only two previously "high risk" districts, one in Kunduz and one in Herat province, received a safer rating.

A Pentagon report mandated by Congress drew similar conclusions when it was released last month. It said attacks were up 70% since 2009 and threefold since 2007. As a result of the continued violence, the Taliban still threaten the Afghan government, according to the report. The White House's National Security Council declined to comment.

The director of communications for the U.N. in Afghanistan, Kieran Dwyer, said he couldn't comment on classified maps. But, he said, "in the course of 2010, the security situation in many parts of the country has become unstable where it previously had not been so. There is violence happening in more parts of the country..."

The assessments of the U.N. accessibility maps, based on factors such as insurgent activity, political stability, coalition operations and community acceptance, contrast with President Barack Obama's recent statements that hail the coalition's progress in the war.

"Today we can be proud that there are fewer areas under Taliban control and more Afghans have a chance to build a more hopeful future," Mr. Obama told American troops during a visit to the Bagram Air Field northeast of Kabul earlier this month.

The President also stated in a press conference earlier this month that the U.S was on track to start pulling out troops next July as planned. While the President's assessment appears to be incorrect, his pledge to begin withdrawing U.S. troops as early as July is nevertheless a morale booster for the Taliban and will ultimately create the strategic balance that he is seeking in Afghanistan.

Afghan Vice President, Marshal Fahim, meets with Iranian brass, discusses military cooperation

During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Barack Obama stated that Iran had a vital role to play in the future of Afghanistan. Hence, it should come as no surprise that Afghanistan's Vice-President, Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, met with both the Iranian President and Defense Minister over the weekend.

Mr. Fahim toured Iran's Defense Ministry Abilities exhibition on Saturday and held talks with Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, where he thanked Iran for its support of the Afghan nation and called for increased cooperation, particularly in the area of defense.

Fahim decribed Iran’s role in helping to restore security to Afghanistan as 'Excellent', and added that he expected to see the development of bilateral relations in all fields during the construction era of Afghanistan.

Defense Minister Vahidi, for his part, praised Afghan martyrs, who died for freedom of their own country. The Defense Minister also announced Iran's readiness to help Afghanistan strengthen its army, and noted that Iranian-Afghan relations are strategic.

During his meeting with President Ahmadinejad, Mr. Fahim praised Iran as a “powerful state” in the region, and added that Iran could play a major role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, and help restore peace and stability to the war torn nation.

Clearly, Barack Obama's plans for the bolstering of ties between Iran and Afghanistan are forging ahead, just as he had envisioned.

As the year 2010 comes to a close, it is worthy to note some of the foreign policy accomplishments which President Obama has achieved during his short tenure in office.

1) The START treaty, Obama's crowning achievement.

So great was this achievement that a prominent Russian official conceded that: "If one reads the text of the document [of the START treaty] carefully, then it becomes clear that Americans will really have to reduce the number of [nuclear] warheads, while if we [Russia] want to reach the levels defined by the document, will actually have to increase the amount of warheads."

Amazing!

2) Russia acquiesced to Obama's wishes and agreed to impose sanctions on Iran. So great was this feat that Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, during a meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad several weeks ago, issued a statement saying that "following the" adoption of the UN "sanctions resolution", certain countries "sought to intensify sanctions against Iran, to which Russia strongly opposed and took stances against."

The Russian President added: "Russia seeks to improve its political, economic and even military ties with Iran."

Indeed, Russia is not only a major facilitator of Iran's nuclear program, it is also providing Iran with various kinds of armament and weaponry - thanks to President Obama's unparalleled diplomatic prowess.

According to President Obama's close ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Russia has also agreed to loan Venezuela $4 billion to buy Russian military hardware. What's more, Russia recently sold Venezuela nearly 2,000 advanced, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles capable of hitting aircraft as high as 19,000 feet.

"Equally and perhaps more alarming," says Mike McDaniel, "is an October agreement between Iran and Venezuela. The agreement establishes a joint ground-to-ground missile base on Venezuelan soil and calls for the sharing of missile technology and the training of technicians and officers..."

These weapons gives "Venezuela the ability to strike targets throughout South and Central America and throughout the U.S."

Without Barack Obama's "reset button", none of this could have come about. Simply incredible!

3) 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 Syrians have begun to re-exert their influence in Lebanon. Consequently, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who for years blamed Syria for his father's death, changed his tune several months ago and asserted that it was a mistake to accuse Syria of killing his father. Hariri is now bowing before the altar of Bashar Assad and Hassan Nasrallah. Were it not for Barack Obama's diplomatic skills, could this rapprochement, between once-forsworn enemies, have come to fruition?

Incredible!

I could go on and on, listing all of Obama's diplomatic successes. But suffice it to say that no other US President in the annals of American history has ever come close to matching Barack Obama's foreign policy achievements.

What can I say? Obama is truly unique, he's one of a kind, and he deserves to win the Nobel Piece Prize again - and again - and again - each and every year - from now until the end of time.

Death Panel resurrected by Obama - in stealth fashion

The New York Times is reporting that "starting Jan. 1, the government will pay doctors who advise patients on options for end-of-life care, which may include advance directives to forgo aggressive life-sustaining treatment."

Democrats in 2009 dropped a similar proposal from the health care reform bill due to Republican opposition. The Obama administration, however, will achieve the same goal, starting Jan. 1, "through the regulation-writing process, a strategy that could become more prevalent in the next two years as the president deals with a strengthened Republican opposition in Congress."

According to the Times, Democratic lawmakers are keeping mum about the new policy for fear of provoking another furor like the one that erupted last year during the congressional health care reform debate. They are also urging their supporters not to publicize the new policy, saying that, thus far, they've been fortunate that the aforementioned policy has received scant press coverage.

According to the Times, the new policy is included "in a huge Medicare regulation setting payment rates for thousands of services including arthroscopy, mastectomy and X-rays."

The Times goes on to say that the rule was issued by Dr. Donald M. Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...

Mr. Berwick has been quoted as saying that “using unwanted procedures in terminal illness is a form of assault."

In an interview with the New York Times in April of 2009, President Obama expressed concern over the huge costs of end-of-life care, saying: "I actually think that the tougher issue around medical care... is what you do around things like end-of-life care... I mean, the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives are accounting for potentially 80 percent of the total health care bill out here!"