Iraq Study Group Releases Report – A Genuine Recipe For Disaster

The Iraq Study Group has put out the report that was promised, and it contains all that could be expected by politicians and diplomats. Lots of weasle wonkish words all balled up into an unmitigated miasma of mush. Instead of providing a concrete plan of action for the country that could be either accepted or dismissed, the report worked to find the middle ground.

And we all know that the middle ground is the only tried and true recipe for failure. Sit in any corporate meeting and once the group tries to find consensus that will please all constituancies the words cluster tend to come out of the mouths of those attending said meeting as soon as the doors open. 

And if you do not believe me, look past the jump page and see all the other bloggers talk about this from either side of the aisle. I am not alone in this assessment of Baker and Companies report. And if you are really eager to read this rubbish, we have a link here.

Update: We are Scared Monkeys ,,, much better than Surrender Monkeys. PS NY POST – If you need Photoshop help, call me. I know Klaasend could have done a much better job.

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139 Sleeper Cells Found and Arrested in Saudi Arabia

If you listen to the media these days, the war on terror is portrayed as a tool of the Republican party to take away civil liberties and invade oil producing countries. But if you pay attention to the stories that are happening out there, you will find that a concerted effort is being made across the world to root out Al Qaeda terrorists.

The Saudi Arabian government has broken a huge terror cell, or more accurately 139 individual sleeper cells, on the eve of what they considered a major attack within their country.

Saudi security officials said Saturday they foiled a planned terrorist suicide attack and arrested 139 suspected Islamist militants who were in “sleeper cells” believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda.
A senior official in the Saudi Interior Ministry told CNN that the suspects, who are from several Arab nations, were monitored by Saudi security agents for several months. They rounded the men up just before the expected attack was launched.The suspects, arrested in different areas of Saudi Arabia, were being interrogated Saturday, the official said.
In October 2005, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called the threat of al Qaeda in his country “madness and evil” and vowed to “eliminate this scourge” of terrorism. Fifteen of the 19 al Qaeda terrorists participating in the September 11, 2001, attacks were Saudis.via CNN.com

So folks, do not let those that want to downplay the war on terror win. It is an ongoing battle fought on many fronts. And this war will be fought for a very long time.

Anyone Have Buyers Remorse Yet? You get What you Elect … Democrats Reject Important 9/11 Panel Suggestion

Anyone with buyers remorse yet? Not that we didn’t tell you so … Democrats were saying anything to get elected and win back power. This goes way beyond a political white lie during an election.

All we heard in the run up up to the mid term elections from Democrats is that they would implement what the 9–11 Commission report  had suggested. They stated that George W. Bush resisted the suggestions and that they would implement them them all. We were not safer today than were were prior to 9–11.

“The Democrats pledged to implement all the remaining 9/11 reforms, not some of them,” said former representative Timothy J. Roemer (D-Ind.), who served on the commission

Isn’t it amazing what an election win can do and once one has the power. Suddenly all promises go by the wayside. I believe Nancy Pelosi also stated that this would be the most ethical and scandal free Congress. Just say anything Nancy and worry about it later. Don’t hold your breathe, they are certainly not off to a good start on the ethical part. However, as QandO states, Promises, promises.

It was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

But with control of Congress now secured, Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation’s intelligence agencies. Instead, Democratic leaders may create a panel to look at the issue and produce recommendations, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.

Because plans for implementing the commission’s recommendations are still fluid, Democratic officials would not speak for the record. But aides on the House and Senate appropriations, armed services and intelligence committees confirmed this week that a reorganization of Congress would not be part of the package of homeland-security changes up for passage in the “first 100 hours” of the Democratic Congress. (Washington Post)

Who is surprised? Not Wake up America, they would like a show of hands.

Venezuela President Hugo Chavez … Call him Mr. Democracy … Hugo the Concerned

Who knew Hugo Chavez was concerned about the fair and democratic process of voting? Chavez has adopted safeguards to prevent tampering with the electronic voting machines in Sunday’s Presidential Election in Venezuela.

Unlike with most U.S. electronic voting machines, Venezuelans will get paper receipts that verify their choices were properly recorded, and must deposit them into boxes before leaving the polls. After Sunday’s vote, election officials monitored by representatives of each candidate will count millions of the paper receipts for comparison to the electronic totals.

Of course there is no mention of the threats, intimidation or they gun to their heads by Chavez when the people cast their E–Vote. But of course the MSM looks at Chavez as a Democratically elected President, not a Dictator. Wonder why Jimmy Carter is not monitoring the vote?

Sunnis Burned Alive? Press Thinks So But US Military Says No

If you follow the news, you probably read over the weekend that in response to sectarian violence in Iraq that 6 Sunnis were burned alive leaving their prayer services. Almost every media site in the country reported this story breathlessly on a slow news weekend. The report from the AP went like this:

Revenge-seeking militiamen seized six Sunnis as they left prayers and burned them alive with kerosene yesterday in a savage new twist to the brutality shaking the Iraqi capital a day after suspected Sunni insurgents killed 215 people in Baghdad’s main Shiite district.

Iraqi soldiers at a nearby army post failed to intervene in yesterday’s assault by suspected members of the Shiite Mahdi Army militia or subsequent attacks that killed at least 19 other Sunnis, including women and children, in the same neighbourhood, the volatile Hurriyah district in northwest Baghdad, said police Capt. Jamil Hussein. AP

But wait one second, the blogger Flopping Aces has done some great investigative reporting and has come up with some interesting facts in the case.

Doing a search via Google I began reading the stories printed about the burned six and each and every one had one thing in common. The only person stating that this incident happened was one Capt. Jamil Hussein. Every news report printed this man as the source of the information.

So our hard working media all got the report from one individual, this Capt. Jamil Hussein. But there is more…

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