Calculus
Two problems will make the administration’s attempts to take a hard line with Iran now that Teheran has been found to be secretly building a nuclear facility difficult. The first is the accusation that the administration is making a virtue out of a necessity. Revelations that Iran has been operating in bad faith can pull the carpet out from under the entire strategy of “engaging Iran”. Why make a deal with a double-dealer? The Politico describes how the administration raced to put together a tough public presentation just hours before the damning information about Iran’s nuclear cheating was about to go public.
But behind the scenes, the Obama administration was furiously preparing for a major public intelligence disclosure that it had not planned to make: that the U.S. had known for years about a previously undisclosed clandestine nuclear enrichment facility Iran has been building since 2005 in a mountain near Qom.
Interviews with administration and international officials, diplomats, non-proliferation and Iran experts suggest the administration had no plans to announce its suspicions before beginning international talks with Iran next week. But its hand was forced after learning some time during the week of a letter Iran had sent the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency in Vienna acknowledging construction of a previously undisclosed facility. …
Indeed, one international official who asked for anonymity said that to this person’s knowledge, it was an Associated Press reporter in Vienna, George Jahn, who having learned of the Iranian letter, may have first tipped off western officials to its existence.
Ralph Peters thinks that the administration has pie on its face. He rhetorically asks, “Did it surprise a single Post reader that Iran’s been hiding a big nuclear weapons development facility? It stunned our president when he learned about it months ago. Then he kept it secret from you. Obama didn’t want you to know how much progress Iran had made. It’s an embarrassment.”
The adminstration is advancing the line that it knew of the secret facility all along but held the news back as part of its overall strategy. David Ignatius describes it as a way of buying time while joint action was prepared, an objective so important the administration held their fire in order to lay the groundwork for an unstoppable demarche which would rock Teheran back on its heels. Ignatius describes the administration’s explanation of events:
So why didn’t the Obama administration lay down an even stronger marker in response to this breakout — by threatening, say, to intercept ships at sea that it believed were carrying parts for the Iranian nuclear program?
The answer, explained the senior official in a telephone interview, is that the U.S. wants to preserve consensus among its allies for much harsher sanctions, even as it heads toward a face-to-face negotiating meeting with the Iranians on Oct. 1.The U.S. has privately communicated with the Iranians in recent days that it wants those talks to go forward, the senior official said. …
If the negotiations fail and Iran makes a further breakout toward weapons capability, “we could always escalate,” says the senior administration official. It’s hard to see how this one will end short of military confrontation if the Iranians don’t start bargaining for real.
The Huffington Post is in absolute awe of the adminstration’s strategy. “The key to understanding today’s announcement on Iran is this: President Obama knew about the secret Iranian facility nine months ago. Before he began his strategy of engagement, he knew Iran was lying about its program. When he extended his hand in friendship, he knew Iran had built a secret factory to enrich uranium. Before he offered direct talks, he knew Iran was hiding a nuclear weapons breakout capability. Each move was denounced as “weak” and “naïve” by the right. That talk looks foolish today. These were the moves of chess master, carefully positioning pieces on the board, laying a trap, and springing it at the opportune moment.”
According to this interpretation, the Obama administration cannily wooed Iran, offered to meet without preconditions, released Iranian special forces who killed American troops in Iran, refused to support dissidents who were fighting for their lives in the streets of Teheran, made the withdrawal of US troops from Iran the centerpiece of its policy, dismantled the defense missile shield aimed at deflecting projectiles the Ayatollahs might launch at the West and offered to reduce its own nuclear stockpile to levels unknown since the 1940s to lull them into a false sense of confidence so that they could deliver their diplomatic bombshell. And then — to crown it all — just when Iran’s cat was almost out of the bag, they pre-empted the public release by hours to leave Teheran in no doubt that they were dealing with a strategic genius. The Huffington Post explains the game of grandmasters to us poor kibitzers:
He knew better than his critics that Ahmadinejad could not be trusted. He just had a better plan for how to deal with him. …Obama is now well positioned to unite world leaders in a long-term strategy to back Iran away from nuclear weapons. While some nations mistrusted the previous administration–fearing a repeat of the Iraq War–they have more confidence in Obama. They don’t believe he will use military force, except as a last resort. …
Obama has now backed Iran into a corner. The solution will not be easy or quick, however. A great deal depends on getting Russia and China to agree to tougher sanctions. There are options that Europe and the US could employ without them, but their agreement to UN sanctions would greatly increase the financial and diplomatic pressure on Iran. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking with Obama and French President Sarkozy this morning, laid down a December deadline for sanctions.
The obvious solution is for Iran to agree to intrusive inspections. Let the IAEA inspectors into all sites; give them access to all records; give them access to all scientists. If possible, we want a suspension of the program–both construction and operations.
All of this is now more likely than at any time in the past few years. We will know soon, within the next few months, if Obama’s sophisticated, comprehensive approach is working. For now, we have a new appreciation of Obama, the strategist.
But here the second fly in the ointment makes its appearance. David Ignatius’s source mentioned the need for strong measures in a pinch. He said “we [the administration] could always escalate”. But how this can credibly be threatened, given the administration’s arduous efforts to convince America’s allies that it won’t “use military force, except as a last resort” remains to be seen. A sheriff who spends months convincing gangsters that his gun is unloaded may suffer from a credibility deficit when he tells them to come out with their hands up or else. But all this may yet succeed in prying an agreement from a regime which just demonstrated its willingness lie until it is caught. And when that agreement is to hand it will resolve everything, as we all know, even if you can’t believe a word on it.
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Isn’t this all just more business as usual? Obama and company can stand together and thunder righteous indignation and more ‘sanctions’ until the cows come home. They could do their “sanctions n’ diplomacy” act on stages in Pittsburgh, Bitburg and ten other burgs if they wanted to and it would hardly matter. Iran has two solid votes on the so-called UN ‘Security Council’ already bought and paid for.
And another thing. What have sanctions and diplomacy done so far to stop the mullahs? Someone should ask Obama’s friends at HuffPo how many strongly-worded letters will it take to shut down Iran’s nukes.
So,…Let’s all agree that President Obama is a strategist. However, in chess, there are three possible results, Win, Lose, or Draw. A losing strategy is not a sign of brilliance.
This is all a joke right? “moves of chess master” Me thinks we should all step back and apply their “moves of chess master” to all of the messiah “0” administrations moves!
1. Spend Billions on businesses that should be “out of business” so the “people” will be in debt and “Slaves to the Debt holder” (your pick of who that is)
2. Take control of Auto industry (Fascist or communist)
3. Take control of Banks (Fascist or communist)
4. Start offending and snubbing your (US) closest allies and trusted friends
5. Call a “Legal” act of removing a national leader who is bent on becoming a dictator in his country a “coup d’état” and punishing that country diplomatically and economically
6. Reward your groups money bags/purse strings with contracts that you wouldn’t give to any country men or company and you are adamantly against domestically (see Soros’s and his South American oil drilling deal in the ocean, (Soros’s got big $ payback) and see Al Gore “Electric Car company pay off)
7. Cap-n-Trade passes that will knowingly hinder economic growth during a severe recession
8. Start a citizens “INFORMER” hot line.
9. Days after “terrorist” arrested potting and trying to execute plans announce the cut back in border guards on the boarder of choice for illegal’s to cross.
10. Trying to take control of Insurance industry via healthcare (Fascist or communist)
11. Allow a won and on the road to recovery military action to lapse back to a terrorist rout of our forces (causing a large drain on American Blood and resources, and don’t forget the future effect of this, higher body count equals fewer future recruits and reduced Military ability as hardware and resources are depleted, “0bama” is already cutting military funding of projects and services, especially as the world gets more dangerous)
The list goes on and on! So who is “carefully positioning pieces on the board, laying a trap, and springing it at the opportune moment.” On who?
Impeach 0bama, Pelosi and Reid! Impeach 0bama, Pelosi and Reid! Impeach 0bama, Pelosi and Reid!
The Good Book tells us it all must come to pass before our savior returns to reap the crop and burn the field!!!
It’s bluff ! this story about the 2nd site is an offense to our satellits survey, how comes none were reported ?
Also, yes American administration policy towards Tehran was forecasted, it wanted that Iran had no escuse to avoid negociations on the 1rst october, while Iran makes all its possible to get a clash and the opportunity to cancel them. Its problem is that it can’t afford to loose face among Arabs world, and HBZ and Hamas is the tool of this chess game. So until that the Iranian theocracy collapse, we ‘ll have the kind of announces and escalating discourses.
I think that Obama isn’t that idiot that lots of persons like to portray him, he is managing that consensual coalition to undermine this iranian regime : Medvedev agred on further sanctions, (pics show that Obama has bettter relations with the russian head than with Gordon, or even Sarkozy.
Now after G20, some kind of concessions toward China were made, and all granted her importance, China is on the way to rally the pressions on Iran, if China wants to remain among the “civilised” club of the 20
the actual true worry is that while Iran is making noise about its nuclear “void” sites, they accumulate yellow cake for the AFTERMATH.
Dreams of my Absent Father’s Absent Son
The Audacity of Ahmadinejad
The Occasional President
As the World Turns Around Me
Being Omnipotent does not Mean I can be Everywhere at the Same Time, only that I know it
I’m trying to think of titles for President Obama’s next volume of memoirs. I’ll help him write it!
the moves of (a) chess master
The sheer arrogance and stupidity of this cannot be beat. This is the Sheriff who boasts “Don’t worry I can always use force as a last resort” but who is already destroying his own gun before the bad guy comes out into the street. This is the chess player who tosses away a few pawns and a bishop and a knight and then points out a few moves to his opponent, just to be helpful. This is the conceited jerk who says “Go ahead I’ll tie one hand behind my back. You take the first punch.”
The only reason that this administration said anything is that they were caught. Why did the Iranians send the letter? Maybe just to shove a thumb in our eye. It would not surprise me if one day we find evidence that the administration sent messages to Tehran begging them not to reveal the truth and advising them on how to evade inspection.
This might explain yesterday’s Big Government headline that I blogged about, “Sarkozy Mocks Obama at UN.”
My take.
Sarkozy has done impressive work in restoring French credibility and cleaning up some of the legacy of corruption left by Chirac and Co. Not only does Sarkozy seem to speak more directly and honestly about the threats before us than Obama does but he also has better taste in women.
http://tinyurl.com/ye8qvyf
I rest my case.
M-C, if Russia and China turn out to have conned Obama, and they don’t support any action against Tehran, will you come back here and acknowledge that Obama is a naive liberal bungler?
And in the end Iran WILL have the bomb….Checkmate.
Zbignew Brzezinski told The Daily Beast that the U.S. must prevent Israel from bombing Iran. He explained that in order to bomb Iran, “They have fly over our airspace in Iraq. If they fly over, you go and confront them. They have a choice of turning back or not.”
Doug on the Elephant Bar reports that Hugh Hewitt says that would spell the end of the Obama Presidency. He would be the first US President to resort to the Final Solution.
US Jews would probably re-elect him in 2012, though, because in the voting booth they’ll just see a “D” after his name. American Jews would not hesitate to vote for Alois Brunner if he ran as a Democrat.
“A sheriff who spends months convincing gangsters that his gun is unloaded may suffer from a credibility deficit when he tells them to come out with their hands up or else.”
Frankly, I think Obama’s super-secret final option for dealing with the Iranians is a “Blazing Saddles Strategy.” Like Cleavon Little, he’ll simply point a pistol to his hand, alternately scream, “I’ll shoot him!” and “Help me!”…and manage to confuse the Iranians so much they’ll dumbly look at each other and mutter, “Whoa, better not shoot-that dude is serious.”
Angel, China can’t afford to con America, er hmmm, imagine that then she also wants to collapse, your two economies are too tied
why Sakozy gets to be heard ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fGYs1rg7qM&feature=player_embedded
Nevertheless,
Dinnerjacket may not need his jacket much longer.
The outcome is good.
There are more things in Heaven and Earth, BC’ers, than are dreamt of in our philosphy.
ADE
I just went over to the HuffPo piece and read it in its entirety. It’s worse than I anticipated. Its overly assertive mood is the tell. Obama is the political equivalent of a chess master, a grand strategist. Period. There is scarcely a “may”, “maybe”, “might”, “can”, “could” or other language used to condition this most bold assertion.
The problem with this line of argumentation is the conspicuous absence of Obama’s strategic genius in matters domestic in the last nine months. Who on the Left or Right would dare cite Obama’s handling of healthcare reform in similarly glowing terms? None, I suspect. Believing Obama to be a genius abroad while a bumbler at home–this is a bridge too far. I think the author knows this and he attempts to cover for it with bluster, a technique that reveals the post for what it really is: the most noxious combination of flattery, flackery, and willful ignorance that I’ve read since the last time I read something at HuffPo.
from “Iran-Resist”, a site hold by pro-Shah opponants to any theocrate regime in Iran (also anti “fake” greenies !)
Hier matin, avant le début du sommet du G20, Obama, Sarkozy et Brown ont ensemble dénoncé, la construction en secret d’un second centre d’enrichissement en Iran. Tous affirment qu’ils avaient connaissance de cette construction, gênés par le fait que l’information ait été divulguée par le régime des mollahs lui-même ! Les Six cherchent à minimiser ce nouveau stratagème de Téhéran pour faire capoter le dialogue.
La construction en Iran d’un second centre d’enrichissement est une véritable bombe à retardement. CNN s’interrogeait hier sur les raisons de cette divulgation, la jugeant mystérieuse. Cette constatation résulte d’une double méconnaissance de la crise nucléaire iranienne, mais aussi du régime des mollahs. Ce n’est pas la première fois que Téhéran diffuse des informations sur ses progrès nucléaires qui sont de nature à nuire à un apaisement avec les Six : ceci est même le composant de base de cette crise.
provocations | A chaque fois que les Six par leurs efforts réunissent les conditions pour un dialogue apaisé sur le programme nucléaire iranien : le régime des mollahs évoque l’installation d’une nouvelle génération de centrifugeuses, l’installation d’un grand nombre de centrifugeuses ou encore il annonce de tirs de missiles de nature à laisser un doute sur une déclinaison nucléaire militaire.
motivations | Comme nous l’avons précisé dans toutes nos dernières analyses, Téhéran agit ainsi avec les Six car il ne peut en aucun cas avoir un dialogue apaisé avec les Etats-Unis car cet Etat est l’allié et le protecteur par excellence d’Israël. Cet apaisement serait interprété comme une trahison par la rue arabe dont a besoin Téhéran pour déstabiliser la région. Si ce lien idéologique arrivait à rompre, Téhéran aurait du mal à conserver le Hezbollah, son bras armé régional, bien qu’il l’ait créé et largement financé depuis 26 ans. Sans le Hezbollah, le régime des mollahs n’a aucune puissance militaire.
surenchère | Il en résulte une nécessité absolue pour le régime de demeurer fermé à tout apaisement et aussi d’exagérer ses forces militaires pour séduire la rue arabe. Cette amplification délibérée de la crise permet aussi à l’Iran de pousser à l’escalade afin que par la peur d’une guerre touchant le détroit d’Ormuz, tous les grands pays industriels qui dépendent du pétrole du Golfe Persique fassent pression sur les Etats-Unis afin qu’ils cessent de sanctionner l’Iran.
prétextes | La première piste a été de proposer un ordre de jour très polémique et sans lien avec le contentieux : le 13 septembre, les Six ont accepté pour l’engager dans l’apaisement forcé. Téhéran a alors essayé de les énerver avec une date au-delà de la date limite préalablement fixée par les Six : ces derniers ont encore accepté et le rendez-vous a été pris pour le 1er octobre. La prochaine difficulté a été l’endroit : Genève a été finalement désigné.
Ne sachant que faire pour pousser les six et parmi eux surtout les Américains à claquer la porte le régime a renoué avec les déclarations négationnistes à l’occasion de la Journée de Qods, cela n’a rien donné malgré une surenchère des propos.
Le 21 septembre, Téhéran a sorti sa Grosse Bertha avec l’annonce dans la presse d’une nouvelle génération de centrifugeuse 5 fois plus puissantes en test à Natanz (c’est-à-dire en contradiction avec le dernier rapport de l’AIEA évoquant un ralentissement délibéré pour marquer la bonne foi de Téhéran), annonce suivie par une lettre à l’AIEA faisant état d’un second centre d’enrichissement. Avec de vieilles centrifugeuses d’aspect identique au modèle courant en activité à Natanz que l’on prétend différente à l’intérieur et un bâtiment encore vide, Téhéran a fait monter la tension d’un cran.
Le lendemain, le régime a fait défiler des vieux missiles Nord-Coréens portant les inscriptions « Mort à Israël » ou « Mort à l’Amérique ». Etant donné que tous les Etats signataires du TNP ont des ambassadeurs à l’AIEA, Téhéran s’attendait à ce que cette bombe médiatique à retardement explose pendant la visite d’Ahmadinejad à New-York pour l’Assemblée Générale de l’ONU, qu’elle donne lieu à des déclarations enflammées de renforcement de sanctions avant la rencontre du 1er octobre offrant ainsi au régime des mollahs un prétexte pour boycotter la rencontre.
esquive | Conscients de cette ruse de Téhéran, les Six et en particulier les Américains se sont gardés de tout commentaire et finalement quand ils en ont parlé au point de presse avant le début du Sommet des G20, ils ont évité toute déclaration intempestive pour ne donner aucune satisfaction aux mollahs.
analyse de cette réaction | Cette esquive a cependant un autre aspect car le Président américain qui a dénoncé cette construction a dit qu’il savait depuis longtemps pour ce second centre d’enrichissement ! Ce qui pose la question de son silence ! Pourquoi n’avait-il pas parlé de ce centre secret quand il parle si souvent de la menace nucléaire iranienne ? La réponse est simplissime : ce centre fictif inventé par les mollahs pour amplifier la crise contredit le rapport 2007 des services secrets américains (NIE 2007). Le rapport avait minimisé le danger du nucléaire iranien, rendant inutiles des sanctions trop lourdes. Washington a ainsi évité des sanctions susceptibles de renverser les mollahs qu’il souhaite avoir comme alliés régionaux pour pénétrer l’Asie Centrale.
Téhéran a réellement mis dans l’embarras Washington avec ce centre d’enrichissement sorti de nulle part. Ce scud médiatique des mollahs est une vraie calamité pour Washington car il a remis aussi en cause la fiabilité de l’AIEA juste au moment où cette agence onusienne venait enfin de rompre avec une direction anti-américaine.
C’est ce qui explique le silence de 3 jours de l’AIEA : on cherchait une pirouette pour sauver le dernier rapport de l’Agence sur le gel volontaire des activités et aussi le rapport américain sur les faibles progrès du programme nucléaire iranien. Cette pirouette est digne de la crise nucléaire entre Téhéran et Washington : on demande à Téhéran d’ouvrir le centre aux inspecteurs de l’AIEA. En fait, on demande aux mollahs de laisser Washington décider s’il faut valider cette rumeur pour permettre l’adoption de nouvelles sanctions ou l’invalider en minimisant le danger de ce site pour éviter à ce régime si utile d’écoper de nouvelles sanctions fatales.
En guise d’avertissement aux mollahs, nos amis Américains ont sorti de leurs étuis leurs marionnettes : les Moudjahiddines du peuple qui ont dans le délai accordé par l’AIEA sorti un communiqué de révélations sur les caractéristiques de ce centre, mais aussi sur les caractéristiques d’un troisième centre d’enrichissement grâce aux sources de la Résistance !
Ces sources sont probablement célestes puisque cette organisation qui n’a aucun satellite a, encore et sans respect pour notre intelligence, publié des photos satellites des bâtiments vides dont les coordonnées ont été transmises par les mollahs à l’AIEA.
The real problem with the Huffington Post approach is that it is necessary to introduce the “hidden victory” or “secret deal” theory into the rational model for it to remain ‘rational’. In other words, the game doesn’t make any sense on the face of it and to maintain the presumption that we are observing a rational game, a kind of ‘cosmological constant’ has to be introduced to keep the observer from concluding that he witnessing the absurd. When things don’t add up, a fudge factor is required to preserve the assumptions.
But if it gradually dawns on the observer that he is actually observing the absurd; that the ‘hidden victory’ thesis doesn’t hold water, then we rapidly move from the normal problem (which is that there is something wrong with the incumbent) to the far more dangerous conclusion: that there is something wrong with the system. This is a much more destabilizing situation, because it is a systemic failure that appears to be the problem. Washington is supposed to let little stupidities through on the understanding that really big ones are politically infeasible. Once Washington proves incapable of screening out truly dangerous policy courses then a crisis ensues. Crises are going to be difficult to resolve because they occur at the rarely visited design limits of the political process.
Ideally, the political pendelum should swing toward the center, where policies and their correctives are closer to the mean. Once they get to the end zones on each side, all kinds of the unusual outcomes can happen.
Obama offers Iran ‘serious, meaningful dialogue’ over nuclear program
http://tinyurl.com/ybm7fnh
Jerusalem Post has a bit the same approach
Saying “I see you loading your gun over there, Mr. Murderer.” does not stop him from loading the gun or shooting you.
Caught by surprise at the double dealing done dirty by Iran, Obama’s (PBUH) administration quickly announces, Oh We knew all about that secret nuke facility long ago.
Sure ya did Bubba, you pissed on your spy services and threaten to go after the agents with war crimes and these fine agent just went to work and found this stuff out.
I kinda floggin’ doubt it.
#14 Starling – true enough. The left is scratching for any kind of positive spin possible. At this point their encampment resembles the aftermath of an Apache raid around 1869: lots of sheared scalps, bewilderment, demoralization, their leader just as befuddled as themselves.
#7 Angel Martin,
“M-C, if Russia and China turn out to have conned Obama, and they don’t support any action against Tehran, will you come back here and acknowledge that Obama is a naive liberal bungler?”
Don’t hold your breath. Remember last November, if the US election had been held in Europe, Obama would have carried western Europe by 80 to 90%. Europeans love Obama because they saw in him a closet leftist that promised to cut America down to size. European elites feel an animosity towards America that is second only to what they feel towards Israel.
When I think of Europeans turning on Obama (remember that the alternative is perhaps the election of another Reagan), I think of the old Bolshevik whose faith in socialism is only ended by a NKVD bullet.
wretchard, I have no particular comment about the lunacy that prevails at HuffPo.
And I hesitate to say anything at all about the Obama adminstration’s various flounderings.
I never paid that much attention to the details of just what was publicly known, or hinted, about the locations of Iranian nuclear facilities, but everyone knew there were multiple, and extremely hardened, targets. What is absurd is that this is any kind of revelation.
But I still don’t care much about the absurdity.
The real problem is the moral, ethical, and practical dimensions of the problem. It is clear that only a massive military attack is going to dissuade (sic) Iran from continuing. We fear they are irrational – or perhaps we believe they are entirely rational and eager to build nuclear explosives and use them immediately, on Israel, on the US fleet, on the US homeland, or random allied targets, not excluding the Saudi oil fields. But, we have the greatest difficulty doing the math here, and we have all of our chattering classes either in favor of the freedom of Iran to do what they will, or unable to conjure the will to act. And of course our allies, excepting Israel, are even more pathetic than we are.
IOW, the problem is difficult, the only solution almost unprecedented in its parameters, and the Chocolate Caliph perhaps the most unlikely person on whom it has fallen. So, we get random mutterings and feints in all directions, by Obama, the administration, our allies, Israel – and I seriously doubt anyone will do what should be done, ethics and morals be damned, which is an unprecedented preemptive attack big enough to paralize all the forces of a nation of 50 million and destroy several hardened targets.
Per Wretchard, the purpose of the Huffington Post article is to provide psychic cover to the Obama True Believers, and to provide them with the new Line of Reasoning (minitruth!). They can now go out into the world and re-adjust their latest rationalizations, before too many people openly guffaw at Obama. It would be fun to document how many times in the next 24-48 hours in the present news cycle someone in the Big Media cites the “chessplaying” wizardry of the Obama Administration on this issue. Professor Starling gets full kudos for wading into that muck. If I had tne patience or a strong stomach, it would be fun to watch the Sunday talking heads to make the count.
It’s not just Obama, the whole system is cracked, per Mr Fernandez. Nobody wants to face these buffoons (Iran), which makes them look bigger than they are in the funhouse mirror. I’m sure that in the next cycle, someone will find a way to Blame Bush.
Harsher sanctions? Haw-haw!
UN Resolutions? 5 different ones ignored by Iran since 2005. Haw-haw!
China and Russia joining us in facing Iran? They’re COUNTING ON Iran makng trouble. They are the ones playing chess. Haw-haw!
Withdrawal of plans for ballistic missile defense in Eastern Europe? Our allies in Eastern Europe are more confident than ever, don’t you think? Now we’re really serious. Haw-haw!
The Iranians better watch out. This time we REALLY mean it. Or next time. Or the time after that. Or sometime soon. Maybe.
Joe Klein made the same desperate argument about secret genius at work last week when Obama threw threw the Czechs and Poles under the bus (amazing how much room there is down there) though I got the feeling he doesn’t really believe it himself.
This HuffPo piece is something else, though, a perfect example of a comedy in which everything is inexplicably horrible (I forget who inverted Wretchard’s phrase, but it certainly fits here).
“O Oysters, come and walk with us!”
The Walrus did beseech.
“A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach;
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each.”
The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said;
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head—
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.
But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat;
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat—
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn’t any feet.
Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more—
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low;
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.
“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
And cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings.”
“But wait a bit,” the Oysters cried,
“Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!”
“No hurry!” said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.
“A loaf of bread,” the Walrus said,
“Is what we chiefly need;
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed—
Now if you’re ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed.”
“But not on us!” the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
“After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!”
“The night is fine,” the Walrus said,
“Do you admire the view?”
“It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!”
The Carpenter said nothing but
“Cut us another slice.
I wish you were not quite so deaf—
I’ve had to ask you twice!”
“It seems a shame,” the Walrus said,
“To play them such a trick,
After we’ve brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!”
The Carpenter said nothing but
“The butter’s spread too thick!”
“I weep for you,” the Walrus said;
“I deeply sympathize.”
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
“O Oysters,” said the Carpenter,
“You’ve had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?”
But answer came there none—
And this was scarcely odd, because
They’d eaten every one.
~Lewis Carroll
‘Through the Looking Glass’
Lots of great comments, cept MC.
Loved Harles White’s list. Would like to add to the list though. Buraq sided with the hardliners and Dinnerjacket during the election riots and massaacres, even though at the time he already knew Iran had a second nuclear facility and was clearly building nuclear weapons.
No amount of spin can hide the fact that Buraq is acting against the interests of America to bring us down. Impeach the bastard.
Mark Razak, that’s why we almost all were/are voting for “right” !
Unsk, I don’t expect that you appreciate another version other than your own obsessive one !
Well it looks like Iran well have the makings for a fission bomb soon. The question is will they test fire to prove they have it, or gamble and try it out in the “field”.
If they test fire it, is it game over in the Middle East?
If they field test it will it be against a US base in the Gulf, Israel, or a European country in IRBM range? Are they nuts enough to thump Tel Aviv, and take their chances?
As much as I’d like you to be right: “…according to this interpretation, the Obama administration cannily wooed Iran, offered to meet without preconditions, released Iranian special forces who killed American troops in Iran, refused to support dissidents who were fighting for their lives in the streets of Teheran, made the withdrawal of US troops from Iran the centerpiece of its policy…”
Did you mean move troops out of Iraq?
One wonders if Barack Obama has ever played Risk. With people who don’t particularly like him.
I don’t think so.
The great and amazing Huffington Post should learn caution from history. People forget how brilliantly Neville Chamberlain bent Adolf over the barrel in forcing him turn away from war in accepting the Sudetenland, only to have the Netherlands, Belgium, and France break the peace anyway.
It could happen to The One.
Toad: Are they nuts enough to thump Tel Aviv, and take their chances?
Thump Tel Aviv? That’s a bastion of liberalism in Israel, filled with self-hating, Labor-voting Jews who read the Haaretz Daily and who call for restraint and negotiations when schools in the Negev are hit with rocket fire from Gaza lest Israel perpetrate the cycle of violence. The last thing Iran wants to do is kill hundreds of thousands of “good” left wing Jews who will roll over for Hezbollah and Hamas no matter what they do. That would be as stupid as al-Qaeda taking out Hollywood or Berkeley or Martha’s Vineyard.
“leave Teheran in no doubt that they were dealing with a strategic genius.”
I believe that’s spelled ‘sooper genius.’
1) The HuffPo piece is more concerned with Obama critics than Iranian nukes. Its a joke.
2) Obama’s “strategy” reminds me of Chamberlain’s Plan Z (yes, really). He’ll jaunt over to their capital on a SuperSecret mission, negotiate without the consent of congress, and return with a piece of paper promising peace in our time.
His endgame consists of relying on Russia & China to not sabotage already feeble sanctions? Really?
Or will he negotiate away our last Rook for the promise of future negotiations?
for true believers like mc, the truth is unbearable. unthinking bots, comfy in their programming. yes, the affirmative action president is mastering the russians (and chinese) in chess. because obama is a titan of intellect — i hear.
wretchard (#16), that one comment alone is certainly worth today’s price of admission! Though chilling, as far too much seems to be these days…
Would ya believe… Two Boy scouts in a rowboat? It’s the Get Smart Presidency. Only Obama isn’t as endearing as Agent 86, and who’s supposed to be Agent 99? Good grief, that HuffPo piece really earns the place it’s PuffHo nickname.
If Obama is a chess master, the problem is he’s playing chess and the Iranians are playing, y’know, Real Life. I think A-bombs trump a Queen and a pair of Rooks*. Plus, in real chess, the Black pieces don’t get to call the White pieces racist whenever they’re in trouble. “Duuude, you can’t checkmate the Black King with a White Bishop. That’s so totally racist. And Theocratic, man.” Anyway, Obama is trying to play with his own set of imaginary rules. “Czar to Queen Biship 6…”
Wretchard is so right about the problem being a systemic one. All the firewalls have failed. The checks that were supposed to ensure a sufficient level of honesty, seriousness and competency have failed. I’ve been listening to Frank Luntz’ new book “What American’s Really Want, Really” and he says there’s less optimism than any time since the early 40′s. Damn right, because we all sense that this isn’t an easy fix. This isn’t a matter of jiggling the handle a little, or even making a few jabs with the plunger. The whole house is going to need to be re-plumbed, and it’s going to be a nasty, smelly, unpleasant job. Paging Mike Rowe…
* edit: also, I’m pretty sure the Iranian strategy is just to have the bombs. They see the way things work. Iraq: no bomb, invaded, Saddam hanged, whelps killed. Pakistan: bomb, left alone to settle it’s own affairs. Whatever their desires about Israel, the Mullahs know that becoming a nuclear state makes them immune to foreign intervention.
Or so they think. They may be playing according to the old rules too. I’m taking a Strauss and Howe Saeculum approach and assuming all bets are off – the US populace is in the process of chucking the old rules out and going into full-on-fixit mode.
All you folks ragging on MC–do you even understand what she’s trying to say half the time? I surely don’t… especially not the one-liners…
The Lewis Carroll quote is dead on, if only because to believe in Buraq Hussein Obama you have to imitate the Red Queen and simultaneously believe multiple mutually contradictory things simultaneously and fervently.
The “Grandmaster Strategist” meme that our Left and Europe is trying to spin fails on two major points.
First of all, despite the fact that the IAEA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Jihadist movement, they are not very good at keeping secrets. It is undoubted that the intelligence services of all the nations concerned, be they nuclear powers or just within future target range; knew about this plant and probably many more. The only ones being kept in the dark were members of the public, the task being somewhat easier in Europe because of the blinders their public eagerly wears when dealing with either Muslims or Jews. The only ones his lies were aimed at were us.
Second, if all the states concerned had knowledge of the real situation, any moves by Buraq Hussein to craftily “build a coalition” against Iran were doomed to failure. And in fact there is no coalition. None of the European nations are willing to do more than threaten to write nasty notes. The key players, those on the Security Council; France, Russia, and China, are guaranteed to veto any move towards even sanctions. They WANT a nuclear armed Iran, figuring that it will be the US and Israel that will be struck and they will be left alone.
Buraq Hussein Obama’s “Grandmaster Strategy” exists only in his fevered mind, and those of his state controlled media. If he really was trying to stop an Iranian nuclear weapons program, his efforts can best be compared to a child playing with Tonka [TM] trucks in his yard, while contractors are building a house next door; believing that his toys were helping build. However, that actually may be, and likely is, the most charitable explanation possible.
Third, “Occam’s Razon”: the most simple explanation that fits all the facts is the most likely. Buraq Hussein Obama has consistently helped the Iranians conceal their program, has consistently sabotaged any efforts to pressure the Iranians in any way be it political, economic, or military to end that program, and has lied openly to all parties even when the truth was known. Is it not the most logical explanation that he really wants Iran to develop nuclear weapons, knowing the nature of their regime? Does that not fit the rest of his foreign and domestic policy? And if that is so, does that not make those who make excuses for him either co-conspirators or useful idiots? [Side note, someone should be keeping a list of such for after we are struck; for reference purposes.].
The entire concept of trying to build a coalition with Western Europe is folly, even if you discount Russia and China from the equation. Their perception of their national and EU interests are that any attack on the United States is a good thing. Further, they are willing to sacrifice any internal values they have in order to complete the work started by the Endlösung. As the French Foreign Minister called them, they would be overjoyed if “that shitty little country” [Israel] was destroyed and all of her people killed.
And I am sure that the Europeans will pick up where they left off shortly thereafter.
Right after hearing about the 9/11 strikes, the populations of Gaza and the West Bank took to the streets in celebration of American deaths. If we or Israel are hit by Iranian nukes, directly or indirectly, the celebrations will be Europe wide. Expect it.
That may come to an end if they ever come to the realization that they are also in range. At that point they will demand that the US protect them, just as those I call TWANLOC will demand that Patriots here protect them from the results of their own actions. I think we will be rather busy putting things back together here to say anything but Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius.
To be honest, I think that it is too late to do anything but wait for the inevitable, and be ready to strike back. And we will be alone in doing so. Europe, particularly Britain and France, will do nothing despite their nuclear deterrents. If they did something their Muslim minorities would tear their countries apart. I expect that the “Three Conjectures” will fall on us, that with the current National Command Authority in place there will be as many iterations of the initial attack as he can allow before the process comes to an end. And that Russia and China will side with the Ummah until they figure out that since we are being nuked already, if they side with our enemies we will add them to the list too. They may or may not back down. I consider it probable [Russia and China have no real commitment to being destroyed for the benefit of the Prophet] but far from guaranteed. I note that in one study, it would take 68 nuclear devices delivered in precise ways and locations and tailoring the use of the different effects of nuclear detonations to destroy the Ummah completely. There would be plenty left over for normal retaliatory strikes. We have literally been placed on the path to a possible global nuclear war at worst, and for our country to be struck at least.
I am sure that I will be lambasted by any Europeans who care to reply. I reply that that we and the Europeans have our own world views, loyalties, priorities, and percieved interests. I judge them by their past actions as they judge us. And I apply that same judgment domestically. In any case, all it will take to determine who is right will be to wait a bit. Time is very short. This weekend is Yom Kippur. There is a certain poetic justice in that date, and I am watching carefully. Even if that poetic justice does not come to pass, it will not be very long.
Subotai Bahadur
paralyze – I *knew* that didn’t look right!
#37 Maxwell Smart at least had a certain savoir faire, I’m thinking more of this guy-
if I were Israel, I would’nt just strike thier nuke development sites, I would try to decapitate thier regime as my main strategy to stop them.
have assets tracking the mullahs, and the heads of thier gov. and dinnerjacket.
that would be my primary objective, nuke developemnt sites would be second.
re: #39
Having gotten carried away by the flow of what I was writing, I forgot a point.
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking with Obama and French President Sarkozy this morning, laid down a December deadline for sanctions.
Just for the record, up until that announcement, the deadline for Iranian compliance was the end of THIS month, or be subject to sanctions. They have given Iran 3 more months before they extend the deadline yet again. Keep in mind that nothing new or unknown was revealed as far as the governments were concerned. They are using this as an excuse to once again run away. Some coalition.
Subotai Bahadur
I wish some constitutional lawyer would speak to what, exactly, would Obama have to do before we can impeach his skanky ass? At the level of the office of the President, when does “policy” cross over into “treason”? Or “incompetence” cross over into “selling out”?
It seems to me that defunding our military or throwing them into a war without adequate back-up might be a cause. Or that funding a slave-promoting tribe like ACORN and then lying about it. Or trying to ram through legislation that demonstrably a majority of Americans vehemently oppose and then paying for it by picking their pockets might fall under “taxation without representation” which Kings have been kicked out for in previous incarnations.
So what does ole Jug-Ears have to get caught doing before we can march in the streets demanding his removal?
39. Subotai Bahadur they will get to celibrate for aproximately an hour.
then they will disapear in a burst of white heat.
israel wont blink out of existence without some retribution.
count on it.
it’s quite reconforting for you to believe that Europe will do nuthin !
OK, still the glorious DDay nostalgy ? it is your adrenaline and your opium ! since that Day, did you ever had an army success story though ?
Iran, It isn’t Obama’s policy, it’s a policy that was defined by your elites in Pentagon, he is just the words of it, and at convenient times : how comes that this 2nd convenient nuclear site was suddenly unveiled ?
seems that the joultes are oral on both sides, Iran and the US.
Sarkozy can mouth whatever he wants, he isn’t the serious pawn of the stakes, even if he truly believes in what he says, but we had reasons to know that Iran is threatening us : idem as for the Americans, HBZ killed our soldiers in Lebanon, idem we had a plane crash in Tenere (conveniently attribuated to Kadhaf), but unlike the US, we had terrorists acts in Paris in the eighties and in the nineties, attibuated to Iran.
Now if you want to see an Obama weakness in this dilemn, then, rather say it’s your State deparment that is failing, so far, wether a politician of the right and or of the left, America’s policies and agendas don’t change for so, only the words outfits !
eh, you’re not going to purposely loose businesses, that would mean that there isn’t anymore Anglo-saxons in your country LMAO
NahnCee – As far as I know, impeachment is a political proceeding, not a legal one. Any of the reasons you set forth would do just fine. The only things standing in the way are the will of our supine Congress and the reprehensibly incompetent MSM.
Tel Aviv, major port city, location of the stock exchange, second largest city, richest city, and etc.
Or a high altitude air burst for the EMP effect.
I really can’t see Ahmadinejad really caring how the inhabitants of any Israeli city voted. He wants them all gone.
i would like to know exactly what HuffPo’s major malfunction is. is this delusion or propaganda? i can never understand these idiots. the only answer is regional war – either there will be a regional war subsequent to bombing iran’s installations, or it will come in a few years when the SCO has maneuvored everything into place and the West is deterred by an Iranian bomb. of course, the latter could already be the case – Iran may possess nuclear warheads or other devices as insurance for Russia’s investments. this is an ominous situation and Obama is completely outclassed. he was sent to disarm us. obviously he cannot also have been sent here with the ability to defend us. this is not good at all.
@46 MarieClaude
“Iran, It isn’t Obama’s policy, it’s a policy that was defined by your elites in Pentagon, he is just the words of it…”
I have to admire your consistent ability to work both ends against the middle and supply us with a cynical, dismissive remark for every occasion. Nice try here, but you don’t understand how the American system works. In fact you have it exactly backwards. The military here is under civilian control. The Pentagon does not make policy, it carries out the policy of the administration. Obama may well be dancing to someone else’s tune, but it ain’t the Pentagon’s.
eh, you’re not going to purposely loose businesses, that would mean that there isn’t anymore Anglo-saxons in your country LMAO
MC, tell the truth –you are still angry over Crecy and Agincourt, aren’t you?
The mistaken judgement of US policy makers during the 70′s and 80′s was to allow the US to go down the road of increasing reliance on overseas oil. The the great victory realized by OPEC during the 70′s was that for the first time non european had real world economic clout. They could control events. imho this is partly what set off the fundamentalist upsurge in saudi arabia and Iran. ie it was no coincidence that increasing economic clout coincided with the religious wars of the seventies in Iran and Saudi Arabia that resulted in the salafists and the khomeinists take over. The argument of the time was a matter of who gets the credit for higher oil prices, more money, more power, more prestige. I think they concluded that their religion was the reason for the increase. Why? Because everything they did in the 70′s was a total bluff. The west could have destroyed them for their temerity. certainly that’s what they would have done if the shoe were on the other foot. since that’s not what happened, they would have naturally concluded that they had the right stuff.
Fast forward 30 years and you notice that the US gets involved in wars in the area. What schools are winning in Saudi Arabia. This time its not the fundamentalists.
Saudi King Abdullah Inaugurates New Saudi University for Science and Technology
buddy, nah, we the women of France, can “nique” any anglo-saxon
A further insight into the mindset of the Obama regime came for me watching the Rahm Emanuel interview by Charlie Rose the other night. I’ve not yet paid him much attention and I’m not sure I could have realistically been less impressed: the man spoke ungrammatically, in half sentences, almost entirely in cliches, both verbal and physical (histrionics), and couldn’t put together coherent thoughts on just about any subject. His diction was poor, like that of a young man who is so full of nerves and competing thoughts that he can’t get around to pronouncing clearly or commiting his words to unambiguous sounds. He had to act politely to the esteemed interviewer, the uber liberal Rose, but even Rose was giving him some “I’m appalled” body language and trying to nail him down to a coherent thought by leading him repeatedly and Emanuel responded like a thug on his best behavior, trying to be sporting and jokey but really showing he is usually one who can’t stand being questioned and getsall heated in a threatening manner when you do. One imagines him being theatrically angry when anyone, even Obama and Michelle?, ask for clarity so that no one dare challenge him outright.
Emanuel reminded me of an undergraduate trying to impress the professor with how smart he is and how the student even appreciates just how smart the professor is, knowing just how the professor thinks, while putting on all the poses smart people put on, but not seeing that the professor has seen this kind of act a thousand times before and sees right through him. But Emanuel is not the type to ever allow himself to be destroyed by such a self-defeating thought.
Anyway, what kind of man would choose Emanuel for his Chief of Staff? It seems to me, someone who values never tipping your hand, never making the first move, someone who only pretends to make the first sign just so that he can pull the other guy offside and then react to his move. These are not people who really know how to lead change because, for starters, they are fearful of its unpredictable and uncontrollable nature, of which they wouldn’t know what to say or do.
This teaches me a little more about the Gnostic imagination, the belief in the unknown genius, the “secret deal” and “hidden victory”, which seem to be an outgrowth of the inability to make decisions, to take a stand that others are inevitably going to respond to, and variously change in their imitations and iterations, and yet still possibly hold you to account for all you could not have foreseen. THe world is fallen but the Gnostic elect must be seen to have always been the pure ones with the special insight none of us plebes can possibly appreciate.
But here’s a friendly challenge for BC commenters: is the increasingly obvious fact that Obama & Co. are great incompetents going to diminish or increase the prevalence of the very imaginative conspiracy theories from obviously intelligent members of the club, to explain the “real” forces behind this clown show?
impeachment will never happen. high crimes & misdemeanors + impeachment by House & Senate? impossible. obama will be forced to become a war president, probably as planned. i just wish we could get milquetoast Mullen out of there. we need a Marine as head of joint chiefs.
Speaking of which, i hope Patraeus is ready to get voted President by acclamation…
The HuffPo has officially broken free of the Earth’s gravity & hurled itself out into deep space. The problem is, there are plenty of loyal Cosmonaut imbeciles who will remain onboard until the bitter end.
People like Joe Cirincione are an incredible curiosity to me. Despite the secrets made public… regardless of what we learn as history unfolds before us, some people continue to tie reality in knots to presevere what Wretchard calls the rational model. I think this explains the genesis of 9/11 Truthers, who before the attacks, were rooted in the “America is evil/bellicose & foreign olive peoples are good” meme.
To Arianna’s Cosmonauts, your president has been making nice with Iran not because he’s a brilliant tactician, but because he’s a fool. His strategies governing whole nations & cultures fail because he (and you) do not understand the first thing about simple human nature. And those strategies do not just fail to work, they lead to epic catastrophe. As you may soon witness… then surely make excuses for.
We’ve had a world consensus on Iran for three years. And Iran has been developing its nuclear weapon unmolested with contempt for the world reaction. Unless there’s action –and there’s no evidence of any action whatsoever– this is a farce. –Charles Krauthammer (while on the FNC Allstars), 9-25-09
According to the story the “0bama” was surprised to learn the Irains were to release a letter? The Lefties, Messiah worshipers are calling “0bama’s” listed moves the “moves of chess master” I am sorry, the Chess Master just interrupted the Wanabe (they wish he was) Chess Master’s plans! I think the Messiah was just taught a lesson and he “0” tipped his supposedly hidden hand, Boy’s this is just more proof of a immature and out of his league player ‘0bama” is!
“Chessmaster?”
Didn’t the Persians invent chess?
By the way, how’s that ‘national intelligence estimate 2007′ looking now? Isn’t it obvious more than ever that that was an effort to undermine Bush? Now our intelligence weenies are being punished and demoralized by the very same kind of people they tried to bolster in the past.
#54:
“”"” Emanuel reminded me of an undergraduate trying to impress the professor with how smart he is and how the student even appreciates just how smart the professor is, knowing just how the professor thinks, while putting on all the poses smart people put on, but not seeing that the professor has seen this kind of act a thousand times before and sees right through him. But Emanuel is not the type to ever allow himself to be destroyed by such a self-defeating thought. “”"”
Not only can this administration NOT play ‘chess,’ they’re also lousy poker players. Only an arrogant fool would look at the economic calamity in January ’09 and pronounce, “never let a good crisis go to waste.” Nothing like showing your hand, Twinkletoes!
What is this ‘nigue’? Is that French for nookie? Or is it some kind of tech-nigue? Or nookie with tech-nigue?
W should have bombed them till they pipped when he had the chance.
Israel is alone.
I think Obama’s strategy is a variant of the time-honored method of damaging your opponent’s fists by repeatedly blocking his punches with your face.
How brilliant.
nique not nigue niquer is the slang equivalent to f***, it was an image :
I was referring to Joan of Arc in the occurence
MaryMCL
“I have to admire your consistent ability to work both ends against the middle and supply us with a cynical, dismissive remark for every occasion”
don’t believe your usual suspectted “clichés” ! LMAO
Ariana Huffington suddenly came to California not so long ago holding the robe of Mike Huffington. Mike lacked the charisma or manliness that his loyal king maker needed so she dumped him for the talk show circuit as a fire breathing conservative. Turns out she saw which way the wind blows and changed sides in order to wear her own petards. Politicians love political traitors every other move…
Ariana Huffington is nothing but the Zsa Zsa Gabor of all nascent political gadflies. Bill and John are jealous.
Sort of a brilliant strategy- on Huffpo’s part, not Obama’s. Wait until something significant happens, then claim to have known all along. Necessity is the mother of invention after all. Sorry, no chess master here- just a perpetuation of the “Obama is a genius” Myth. The truth shall soon be known and all the cheerleaders will remain silent and hope no one remembers what was said.
There is no doubt in my mind Israel will not wait for the Iranian nukes to fall. I mean, really, what do they have to lose? You can only die once and this way they do not die in vain. They have turned the other cheek so often they must have borrowed Garafalo’s ass for it.
Such a shame we have a man like Sarkozy in charge in France and a wuss like Obama in the White House. Wasted opportunity. And I do not mean war necessarily. With strong, unified leadership there are other possibilities.
MarieClaude, As one who was involved, we could have walked through Iraq in a matter of months leaving nothing but rubble behind us and probably could have done so losing less than 50 military if we were not so concerned with offending the Muslims and civilian casualties. Now, limiting civilian casualties is a GOOD THING- just so there is no misunderstanding. But your implication that we are not THE deadliest, most capable, elite military in the world is truly delusional. Nostalgia for Normandy? I used to think the French were sore because they were shown to be so feckless against Germany (they should not be, Germany was an awesome foe for anyone, us included.) but now I’m beginning to think they realise we did not fight for them- could care less about the French- it was just the logical tactic with regard to geography. And the truth sometimes hurts.
MC – You sure do a lot of laughing your ass off. A lesser mortal would have been out of ass by now butt it keeps on coming with you. Where do you get all or your ass? Truly sir, you are full of it. Oh and thanks for the novella but I can find perfectly apprehensible curd in my own tongue.
I was surprised that no one mentioned the 2007 NIE in this context.
As I see it the options are:
1. The 2007 NIE on Iran was a politically motivated lie and the intelligence services knew all along about the Iranian production facility but they lied about it to keep President Bush from attacking Iran.
2. The 2007 NIE was not a lie and the intelligence services only recently discovered the Iranian production facility within the last 12 months or so and President Obama and President Bush have kept its existence hidden from the public.
3. The 2007 NIE was not a lie and the intelligence services only discovered the existence of the Iranian production facility since the beginning of the Obama administration and President Obama has been keep its existence secret for some reason, strategic duplicitous or otherwise.
4. The 2007 NIE was not a lie and the intelligence services did not discover the existence of the Iranian production facility until very recently, perhaps after the Iranians revealed it, and now everyone in Washington is play cya.
I’m not sure which possibility I prefer.
5. Bush learned of it 2 months before leaving office, too late to do anything about it.
(That’s the version I heard that I’m betting on)
MarieClaude – I’m glad you got a good laugh, cause I don’t have a clue what your response means. Speaking of the Usual Suspects, isn’t that the home of the immortal line “In English, please?” Just kidding, laugh away
As for Joan of Arc (who I’ve always admired, btw) it was French men who “niqued” her, wasn’t it, and sold her to the English, who “niqued” her once and for all?
Crimony, who didn’t think the Iranians were hiding their nuclear weapons production while playing bellicose and obtuse in the offing? They all but advertised their capability. The reason that the US may fall or crumble into a civil war is precisely because the authors of the NIE chose to dishonor the conservative president, and as far as impeachment is concerned, are you kidding me? What, are our pols going to stand up to the call of racist? These yellow belly cowards wont standup for America, their only interest is their own, and as long as the Left cries first, loudest, and longest we are marching towards Marxism.
You cannot destroy the president without destroying the office and you cannot make the office by making a king.
SpeakEasy
yeah your bombings in Irak had more electronic assistances than in the Days before, though it still will never replace infantrymen and renseignments men.
“could care less about the French- it was just the logical tactic with regard to geography. And the truth sometimes hurts”
and of course you did and do think so
marymcl
it was French men who “niqued” her, wasn’t it, and sold her to the English, who “niqued” her once and for all?
nah the Burgondy people who were infeoded to Holland house and allied to the English, nanannère !
Of course the Great, the Magnificent, the Obama, the bringer of Hope and Change, knew all along about the Iranian hidden nuke facility. HuffPo is correct, the man is a Genius, a Bringer of Light to a dark and bitter world. And if your aim is to destroy that world, if your aim is to destroy an entire country and culture and remake it in your own Image, best to do it while the iron is hot. And best to do it while the mainstream media is on your side, telling people what you want them to hear, what you want them to think. You are the Messiah, the Chosen One, the creator of a new age of perfection and enlightenment, a brilliant post-partisan, post-racial age, where the wolf and the sheep shall lie down together. And you, oh Golden One, are the wolf.
All hail the One, the Hope and Changer
Bestow upon Him laurel wreaths
Accord to Him birth in a manger
Blessed be the air He breathes
Purple hemmed the robe He’s wearing
Golden sandals tread the floor
Ruby rings of worth past caring
Smiling smiles we all adore
Happy is the land He rules o’er
Happy are His subjects too
Happy teachers run His schools for
Happy children who on cue
Clap and sing we love each other
Clap and sing we love Barack
Clap and sing we love Big Brother
Never get our country back
Hail the One, the Hope and Changer
Bestow upon Him laurel wreaths
Clap and sing for there’s no danger
Blessed be the air He breathes
” You sure do a lot of laughing your ass off. A lesser mortal would have been out of ass by now butt it keeps on coming with you. Where do you get all or your ass? Truly sir, you are full of it. Oh and thanks for the novella but I can find perfectly apprehensible curd in my own tongue.”
all right, your nic is “annoy”, isn’t it ? your are free to read your only trustful own sources, but too bad if they don’t fit realities !
ah, poor Joan of Arc –captured (and sold to the enemy English) by the Burgundians –who a couple years later (with Joan –oops –incinerated) switched sides!
C’est la vie!
nah Buddy, a fake was incinerated in place of Joan, didn’ tour trusful informators tell you that ?
MC, that’s what you call either a VERY dedicated –or a misinformed –body double! “Burn me at the stake? HEY WAIT A MINUTE!”
Truepeers/54; i agree –there’s a whole lot of non-vberbal information in a tv camera trained on a face in full animated speech. Maybe that’s where the ‘cokehead’ rumors come from re Emanuel. Anyhoo as CoS he was supposed to be the voice for Israel in an admin that already had Arafat-symp written all over it LONG before November 2008.
Oops!
The double took the heat.
I wouldn’t steak my life on it.
Off topic: Typhoon in the Philipines
http://www.quezon.ph/2009/09/26/how-to-help/
HT: http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/
Say, does anyone remember Joe Biden’s remarks — I believe during the campaign — that Obama ‘would be tested’ some six months into his term?
You know, we love to make fun of Ol’ Joe as the goof with the doll-hair implants (and he does give us ammunition), but often he’s more like the ‘fool’ who blurts stuff out off-cue that just happens to be true, or close to true.
I wonder what he thinks now that Obama has had to endure a battery of ‘tests’?
no,no, ya don’t get it, youcan’t burn your own niece, as ancestry of England and of France were mixed, Charles VII being cousin of the king of England and Joan being a “hidden” sister of Charles, (her mother had numerous children, cuz of her numerous lovers, Joan might one of her infidelity gift ! I reassure you, she wasn’t really french but a germanic “Bavaroise”)Though little Joan had an education of the nobleness.
The rest is legend that catholic church forged, to boost the spirit of revenge and to chase those infidel Brits, that were embracing the daemonished religion of Luther and of Calvin
We all have an education of the nobleness here in American USA. We’re all prince’s sons and daughters. Every one. Though some of us are infidelity gift too.
…and we also have our own Bourbon Restorations here, too, MC.
( *hic* )
Okay, boys & girls, here’s a question for you.
Would you bet against this guy?
Only slighty OT, but here is another nettlesome display of a liberal think tanker spewing the most vile sorts of self-delusional rationalizations, this time over the missle shield, Russia, E. Europe and Iran.
http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2009/09/26/wpost%E2%80%99s-neocons-in-high-dudgeon-over-european-missile-shield/
(oh, and note the obligatory “neo-con” slanders)
Here, though not acclaiming The Once as a Chessmaster, the writer does grant him great common sense and wisdom. The article is so full of outright lies, red herrings, misstatements of facts, and conjectures and conclusions presented as facts that, were not the whole business so crushingly real, it should make any reader laugh out loud. That such drivel comes from someone with these sort of credentials,
Melvin A. Goodman,a regular contributor to The Public Record, is senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and adjunct professor of government at Johns Hopkins University. He spent more than 42 years in the U.S. Army, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Defense. His most recent book is “Failure of Intelligence: The Decline and Fall of the CIA.
makes of this a particularly chilling commentary. Our “elites” have clearly left this Earth and now live in other realms. If “policy makers” and their epigones, advisers and apologists can really believe this nonsense, as no small part of them surely must, then there is little hope of escaping devastating catastrophe and a profound weakened and humiliated USA.
Certainly it matters that people like Obama, his masters and his entourage have with calculation betrayed us, and no, they are not naive waifs, they understand just what they are doing and pursue it with a steady will and intent, and with even alacrity, but it may matter more that a substantial portion of the Liberal Nomenklatura actually believe the drivel which they write. It may matter even more that the rest of us are so beguiled or enfeebled as to let them get away with it without nary a peep out of us.
Why? What is the upsot? It means that all across the wide world now know that the USA has become effenitate, weak, decadent, hypocritical, irresponsible and foolish. It shows deep and prolonged rot; it is next to impossible to consider Obama as a temporary political hiccup. It is what the Jihadis have been claiming all long. This demoralizes our allies and those that should look to us to do what is right. It enblodens our enemies and fills them with glee at our state and contempt for our character. And they are not wrong by half. Only a fool cannot see what is happeneing. This is not a small or momentary matter. It will take much to undo it. Years of sustained effort and much blood will flow before they will ever be disabused of these perceptions. Much of that blood will be American blood.
Anyway you slice it, the actions of the democrats are profoundly irresponsible and traitorous. America as really never seen anything like this since the Civil War. The stakes are at the very least has high as they were then. I fear for us.
We are in big trouble.
Luddy, there’s quite a difference between Barack and Barak. One has distinguished himself in fighting for his country while the other has been made king while kvetching about his.
editing seem broken
profound weakened and humiliated USA. = profoundly weakened and humiliated USA.
effenitate=effeminate
Buddy
1 glass it’s OK, 2 glasses , hello the brain damages, I bet this is the only thing of french origin that you’re abusing though
This is just great. Oh sure, putting nukes in the hands of fanatical oppressive mullahs is not a problem!
Can you guys pls lynch the Western left, when Israel gets wiped out? I know, it’s small consolation for the deaths of so many, but at least it’s better than nothing.
We need to crush the leftoid ideology once and for all time. The ‘I told you so’ argument is a very strong one.
I don’t like genocide, but ideocide – death to people due to ideology – is becoming more attractive by the day.
The truly frightening thing is that Obama knew about the situation but apparently did nothing. Why not?
I suspect its because he was totally clueless about how to handle the situation, so he just pretended that it didn’t exist. I’ll deal with it tomorrow, and it will always be today. More and more I think this man is just a hollow shell. When reality is inconvenient he ignores it.
The sad thing is, both for him and us, is that you can ignore reality, but reality will never ignore you. And reality, like a vain woman, can turn vicious when they think they’re being ignored.
I don’t know Mongoose. The article took the view that the decision was a good one but I missed the lies, red herrings, and conjecture. I didn’t think that it arose to a treasonous offense. The author in question, though having quite a pedigree was after all, a government employee his whole life.
The same site posted this “http://jbjd.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/the-cheese-stands-alone/ “ which is a link to a lawsuit filed against Nanci Pelosi in the state of Virginia on the charges of Voter Fraud for her validating BHO’s candidacy.
Talk about fair and balanced.
AM, well then you need to reread the article and brush up on the facts.
The guy has a general dislike for missile defense and I disagree with him in that. That the missile defense capability is yet to be proven practical is unfortunately true, all the more reason to continue work on it. I suppose we ought to deploy it the best we can to protect ourselves too but deploying a prototype missile defense will do about as much good as deploying Patriots in the Gulf War (very little) if Russia decides to chance a first strike. We shouldn’t rely on missile defense to the extent that we are “selling” an unproved system to our allies.
Some of the authors so-called fact:
[Iran is not working on an ICBM]
Opinion: Not yet but they could buy the capability from Russia with ease.
[(the) notion of an Iranian threat to Europe is purely fanciful]
Opinion: I don’t think fanciful is the word, but really. They are predominately a threat to Israel.
[(the) public opinion in the Czech Republic was overwhelmingly opposed to taking part in the program]
True as far as I know.
[Gates was the first U.S. official to acknowledge that the radar would be able to see as far as the Caucasus Mountains inside Russia.]
True as far as I know.
[Both Kramer and Asmus are with the German Marshall Fund of the United States; they are major opponents of arms control with Russia.]
True as far as I know.
[In stopping the missile shield technology for East Europe that was nowhere near ready and would have directed $5 billion to the Boeing Corporation, the Obama administration has endorsed dozens of interceptors for U.S. ships in the North and Mediterranean Seas in 2011 as well as interceptors for West and East Europe in 2015 that will direct $5 billion to the Raytheon and Lockheed corporations.]
This is a fact. Funny thing, now that the “military industrial complex” is but a shadow of its former self, there is a lot of competition to be the last man standing and Boeing is one of the most abusive of political action committees.
If you should happen to not believe in missile defense then history will probably prove you wrong. Of course if this were a Russian system any good Stalinist would insist that he deserves a bullet in his head.
Wretchard writes:
Revelations that Iran has been operating in bad faith can pull the carpet out from under the entire strategy of “engaging Iran”. Why make a deal with a double-dealer?
What is the saying? To the man whose only tool is a hammer every problem looks like a nail.
To a man whose only tool is his tongue every problem is something that can be solved by a deal (negotiations).
The very idea that there are wolves who think such a state of mind is ludicrous never enters into the little tiny heads of the tongue masters. Nor can the tongue masters ever envision themselves as being considered by others to be prey. A mind set that has contributed to the downfall of civilization throughout history.
The pen or the tongue is mightier than the sword? Sheer sophistry and conceit on the part of the wielders of the pen and the tongue. In a fight to the death, the sword wins against the tongue and the pen every time.
M-C (regarding #46)
Mocking D-day veterans is way out of line. (Talk about ingratitude!)
However, just you so you know, next time, you’re on your own, we’re going to let the Kaiser keep you.
Angel did I mock the persons that were REALLY present on Dday ?
or RATHER the persons that keep talking of Dday,
as if we still had to rever them, even if they are insulting us ?
M-C #97.
Like I said, next time you are on your own. No-one from North America will be coming to bail out worthless “allies” like France.
Of course, next time it will be the Mahdi, not the Kaiser.
But hey, I’m sure you’ll look good in a burka!
yes like Georgia, BUT you aren’t anymore the America that came over in 1944
you’re an idiot, sorry to tell you that
Canada’s D-day beach was Juno.
I guess our special thankyou was De Gaulle’s 1967 visit.
In a locker room interview immediately after regaining consciousness, fighter “Mad Mullah” Borock recollected the events in the ring as follows:
“First, I seriously bruised the knuckles of his right fist with my chin. While he was reeling from that, I punished his Left fist with a sharp blow from my right eye. This obstructed his vision for several seconds with a carefully aimed spurt of my blood.
Then, before he could recover fully from that, I managed to distract him with a series of carefully timed alternating left and right impacts against his boots, using various parts of my face and ears. In short order, his boots were so slick with blood he almost slipped and fell, and had to withdraw to clean them off before he could even face me again.”
Borock, known to his training pals as “The Chief Executive,” took another few pulls from the oxygen mask and continued,
“As soon as I can walk again, I intend to start training for a re-match…”
“Did I just say that?”
“Seriously, that mean old Achtung Meanyjab gonna rue the day he messed with Borock Hosayn Borama!”
LOL –yep, what makes the “Rope-a-Dope” tactic the ‘rope-a-dope’ is, you win the fight. Otherwise, the ‘rope-a-dope’ is just a plain old ‘you got an ass-whuppin’.
***
MC is right –we are not the same country we were in 1944. But the military folks are –i hope we start living up to them again someday.
I heard a retired general on tv today say he was afraid the white house was already beginning to make the soldiers in the combat zone wonder what’s going on.
The one skill I believe our esteemed president has been sharpening while we pay him for on-the-job training is how to change his underware after soiling.
How did this lying incompetent spoiled brat ever get a job higher up the chain than doughnut and coffee wrangler?
The very idea that there are wolves who think such a state of mind is ludicrous never enters into the little tiny heads of the tongue masters. Nor can the tongue masters ever envision themselves as being considered by others to be prey. A mind set that has contributed to the downfall of civilization throughout history.
Obama and his Chicgoans think they’re tough guys because responsible, civilized Americans have been reluctant to, how does the saying go?, punch back twice as hard? So they imagine the rest of the world is as patient, forgiving and indulgent. Send in the clowns.
How did this lying incompetent spoiled brat ever get a job higher up the chain than doughnut and coffee wrangler?
Affirmative action.
WRT to S. Bahadur’s post 39,
Your judgment of IAEA is dead on.
Within about a month following the Israeli destruction of the Syrian nuclear refining facility near Al-Kibar three years ago now, associate professor Magdi Ragheb of UIUC published an article titled “Uranium Resources in Phosphate Rocks” in which he details the natural occurrence of Uranium in phosphate deposits around the world.
On page 12 of his article you will find this fascinating little bit:
“Syrian Phosphate
There are reports that Syria has conducted significant work to examine the feasibility of exploiting phosphate rock to recover uranium.
The country is rich in phosphate sediments deposits and produces around one fifth of the phosphate rock mined in the entire Middle East.
According to statistics, in 2001, Syria mined over 2.04 million tons of phosphate. A food grade phosphoric acid micro-pilot plant is already operating at the city of Homs under IAEA safeguard provisions.” [my emphasis]
- – - – - – - – - –
So Syria had already mined 2 million tons of phosphates, containing approximately .02 percent Uranium of all isotopes.
Okay, that seems to work out to 400 tons of Uranium by the year 2001. The weapons-grade isotope Uranium 235 occurs naturally as one part in 140, so 400 tons / 140 works out to about 2.857 tons of weapons-grade U235 already mined by Syria by year 2001.
Under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
I recommend that all readers take the time to re-acquaint themselves with the ancient forgotten wisdom of fallout shelter preparation, and purchase a good supply of Potassium Iodide tablets sufficient for your family for a minimum of two weeks. You can still purchase working radiation dosimeters and radiation flux detectors (“geiger counters”) online. Try eBay.
Nuclear Fallout is survivable, despite the doomsaying of the abject cowards. Europe in the 13th century survived repeated waves of the Black Death, which killed from one-third to one-half of the humans alive at the time.
It’s a lot.
But Stalin and Mao deliberately murdered starved and worked to death tens of millions of their own people for the purpose of consolidating their power over domestic foes. They found that this did not substantially impair their ability to prevail over their foreign adversaries, and may have actually helped them, simply by reducing the inconvenient population of dissenters.
If there is any actual plan in the annular manual strokefest currently underway by O, Reid, Pelosi, et al, that’s the only goal I can discern.
“After all, who needs a bunch of people around who always disagree and argue and want different things?” Or so I imagine their reasoning goes.
Sorry to keep harping on this, but the National Socialists governing the Reich during the period 1933 to 1945 executed over 20,000 German citizens for dissent during the war.
They beheaded many of those with the Guillotine, hung a lot too.
“Pour encourager les autres.”
Sorry.
should be “hanged a lot too.”
Fiddler,
Try contacting your local city council. Ask them if they have a list of buildings in the city suitable for fallout shelters. Ask if the police have any plan in the event of major fallout Ask if they might stock supplies. See what the reaction is. People downwind of the major targets, ie New York, Washington, San Francisco, Chicago, Disneyland etc., should definitely do it. Given that no one knows what the wind will be on that fateful day, a circle 150 miles from ground zero should include all possible places people need to be prepared.
Thanks, Presby, but I wouldn’t trust the local city council to wash my socks.
I am pretty familiar with principles of civil defense and disaster preparedness. Living for decades in areas affected variously by hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. has pricked me to get training.
The problem is as much as any thing else, the stubborn preoccupation of the dominant party (at all levels – federal regional state county municipal, school board, etc.) with rifling the public purse, alternating with stifling the competition.
These people can no more conceive of taking a few minutes off from stroking their treasures than they could hold their collective breath for a day.
The continuing shortage of ammunition in the stores is testimony to the growing recognition that we have been abandoned by the government.
You don’t need to be a genius to anticipate that cuts in Border Patrol officers will be echoed in cuts among the ranks of FBI, BATF, State Police, U.S. Marshalls, Sheriff’s Departments, and local police.
Until the heroism of Giles and O’Keefe firmly established the criminality of ACORN, it looked as though they would be made into O’s State Polizei, sworn in fealty to the person of the Messiah, with shiny badges, side arms and powers of arrest and warrantless searches.
That’s still possible. We need to resist the implementation of any national police force unless it can be absolutely guaranteed to be free of politicization. (Look at the blatant, unapologetic, brazen misconduct by the DOJ.)
Even in the best case, the current enfeebling of America will inevitably result in increases in assaults, robberies, crimes against persons, and home invasions.
No, my friend, we are on our own. We have to prepare ourselves, not depend on the wisdom of local authorities who have amply demonstrated their selfishness and delusional placidity.
The myth created by the Left, in a rare spasm of quick thinking, was that the problems experienced in NOLA with Katrina resulted from ineptitude by the Federal Authorities.
Lie.
New Orleans has historically been corrupt on a scale that Chicago politicians would admire and study. The Governor, the Mayor, and the local police performed a Mack Sennett routine, flapping their arms, and giving conflicting orders, compounding and multiplying catastrophes. Picture that now on a National Scale as the Democrats turn the Nation into a scaled-up version of New Orleans.
wish i could remember where, but i’ve read that according to high level defectors the russian ‘win a nuclear war’ plan has isolated 84 targets identified as the minimum that will render USA permanently incapable of ever threatening Russia again (given follow up civil control).
if the American Democratic Party gets to vet the list (ha ha, joking here) it sure wouldn’t want the cities hit –that’s where their voters are. Oops –oh yes –right –who’d need voters then –silly me.
Actually, you could defend O’s actions as constituting a “scorched earth” policy designed to discourage some acquisitive foreign power from attempting to invade and take over.
Make them turn away in puking disgust at the thought of having to set foot inside our borders.
Genius.
fiddler, did you know that Obama has a ‘spy sat’ czar –presumably in the loop responsible for ‘technical’ (iow, objective) warning of foreign nuclear attack preparations?
“Great!” you’ll be thinking, “tightening up the old line of command, eh?”
Well, here’s what: of ALL the people O could’ve picked for the job, THIS is who he appointed. Yes, this guy –the guy who this October 2001 Rush Limbaugh WSJ article says “…has made infiltrating groups like al Qaeda virtually impossible.”
Of ALL the people Obama could’ve picked. This is who he picked as his spy satellite ‘fixer’. Now just quick scroll the headers on the google search, the middle of the three links above. Look at say two or thee pages –the sqibs will do.
Does one have to wonder “why” this guy?
We are the knights who say “Nique”.
Sorry, couldn’t resist
Buddy at 102
I received this video today that speaks to the regard (or lack thereof) for our current president. Semper Fi !
Two Presidents Meet the Marines The Marines Show You How …. There’s a ‘message’ in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIHz5tevLAw
buddy, you are something else, I can’t believe it, John Deutsh, spotted after a ‘This Was Your Life’ segment on the biography channel, plucked from the unemployment lines and resurrected with the *new* title ‘Spy Chief’. I wouldn’t have believed it without the link.
BTW, my wife and I want to thank you personally for the “We Can Do It” sign. Thanks an awful lot. I guess those were some of the good ol’ days…
MarieClaude, I really do not mean to sound condescending but if you really want to know if the US military “aren’t anymore the America that came over in 1944,” you should read some of Michael Yon’s work, some of the first account books written over the past few years, or interview some of those who were there. Yes, the technology has improved in amazing ways but the men and women on the ground, the “infantrymen and renseignments men” as you say, are the reason we are so very effective. Our only limitation is trying to fight the “good war.” If our very existence is in doubt and the choker-chains are removed, you do not want to be anywhere in range. Again, not trying to be argumentative, but you seem to think our power lays in gadgets and if so, you are quite mistaken. Possibly I am mistaken myself and you were implying our national resolve is in doubt. I would have to wonder about that myself.
I know Michael Yon and my purpose wasn’t the Army, (I know how your soldiers work) but the people that are safe behind their computers
OF/114; –mercy sakes –you’re right, it couldn’t be more telling. Commander in Chief comes with the office, commander in chief comes with the office, i have to repeat over and over –
GP/115; yes, it really points out the existence of the smoke-filled room –that’d be Havana cigar smoke –in the Progressive ranks. Why else would O tap a guy Clinton had to pardon on a major spy beef (which is what it was, regardless that prress reported it as ‘an oversight’). Anyhoo, do a search, see that George Soros is a major donor to MIT as well as Johns Hopkins (remember the JH-affiliated policy wonk’s column that mongoose was going off on in a nearby thread).
Soros also sponsors picked foreign students (betcha they are all for free enterprise, too, whatcha wanna bet) as well as making the heavy donations, and wouldn’t ya know it but MIT is where the once and future spymaster was employed prior to getting back in the espionage game as one of O’s cossack untouchables.
Johns Hopkins co-sponsored that 2004 Lancet Report on civilian OIF casualtdies, a report soon debunked (overstated by 10 times, it was released just before the 2004 election, natch). The report was done by a statistical sampling maven who has now been appointed to O’s new census team. Soros sure knows how to work his $100K drops don’t he. anyhoo i realize i’m rambling –but let me leave you with one more –for now –albeit not an ICBM issue but still a major cultural morals and organized crime issue, search [ ogden doj porn ] and see what ya think. my first thought was again, why –with all the massive numbers of talented nice decent clean-smelling lawyers available to become assistant and deputy AG’s. why pick a (*cough*) mouthpiece for the organized porn industry?
also –hmmm–the ”we can do it” sign –i wish i could take credit but i can’t –is i bein’ cornfused wit another (better organized, already working the midterms) somebody?
SE/116; great letter, man –including that virtual ‘?’ in the last sentence. poor MC, she catches so much flak for sticking up for the froggies so knee-jerk style –that she gets stuck saying things she can’t possibly really mean. but OTOH look at all the foreign language practice she gets! –spunky l’il froggette, if at times a little harsh!
I think Iran has played a few Rooks and Knights on live TV in the form of lovely spin-stabilized missiles and off-road-portable multi-launchers.
I just checked on HuffPo for an update on the ineffable chess master’s cornering of poor, helpless Iran into a checkmate with a dunce cap on. I bet the Iranians are really embarrassed now – we caught them shooting off a bunch of missiles right before the big talks! Russia and China will certainly have no choice but to go along with President Obama now!
Hah! Those dumb Iranians never expected we’d see them on TV!
Sweet mother of mercy, it took at least three years for our enemies to run this wild with Jimmy Carter in the White House. Events are accelerating, nobody’s doing triage, critical path items are not even identified. Chaos is imminent under these conditions.
Somebody’s determined to win a checker game back home in America, thinking all of the rest of the world can’t touch the USA, because we’re Superman, you see. Clark Kent will find a telephone booth and come out and save us at the last minute. The World Chess Game goes on with us in it whether we’re playing or not. Universal Healthcare is our strategy, once we got that, financial, military, trade crises will be solved once and for all! Pax Obama
Superman is not a strategy.
Ahhh, just three minutes ago, the HuffPo updates us on the multi-dimension chess game being played by President Obama and all the world’s helpless fools at his mercy. This is hysterical. Seriously, they must be reading the Onion to be this funny.
Under pressure for nukes, Iran test fires missiles
Here’s how the AP story opens under that cheery breaking headline:
TEHRAN — Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said it successfully test-fired short-range missiles Sunday in drills meant to show Tehran is prepared to crush any military threat from another country.
The display of force comes days after the U.S. and its allies warned Iran over a newly revealed nuclear facility it was secretly constructing.
Those poor Iranians are obviously just desperate to surrender now, eh?
Reminds me of The 300 facing Xerxes. They don’t appear checked, much less checkmated.
“…to lull them into a false sense of confidence so that they could deliver their diplomatic bombshell.”
Or more precisely, as Yes Minister put it, “to lull them into a true sense of security”.
but OTOH look at all the foreign language practice she gets!
aw, how comes you finally perceive my true intententions ! LMAO
uh, the flaks are only virtual, and I got some scuds ready to blow them up, whenever opportunies are occuring !
Now, I can back you the “knee-jerk style” to towards us !
It will be important to see how Russia jumps on this. I hope that if this is genuine (& remember there is a lot of previous on WMD claims) the Russians will line up with America in which case, unless China makes a stand, we are likely to see effective sanctions. Russia can’t feel comfortable with Iran as a nuclear neighbour & with the US no longer rattling missile sabres in Poland are likely have reason to be supportive.