I missed the interview, but Colonel Pat Lang, the former senior intelligence officer and Middle East expert whose blog I always find highly informative, plain-spoken, and not a little provocative, is certainly asking the right questions about Bill Kristol’s reference on Fox News today his recent visit, along with a “small group,†to Fort Hood to talk to Gen. Odierno, who has just been confirmed as Gen. Petraeus successor and Washington’s top military commander in Iraq. I can’t imagine what Kristol, who reportedly speaks with Sen. John McCain pretty regularly and has long been close to some of McCain’s top foreign-policy advisers (Randy Scheunemann, Bob and Fred Kagan, etc.), would tell Odierno about Iraq or military strategy that the general does not already know, so the question is why Odierno wanted to arrange a talk with one of the neo-conservatives’ top polemicists, if not to seek his advice about how to wage the war on the home front, or, worse, how to help boost McCain and the Republicans in the run-up to the November election. And did the Pentagon actually pay for the trip???
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Should be obvious what they want to talk about – how to gin up a war in Iran and how to get Maliki under control again, since he's now doing Iran's – and Ayatollah Sistani's – bidding directly by asking the US to set a timetable for withdrawal.
Odierno is one of the biggest idiots in Iraq. I've been following his nonsense since 2003 when he chasing down Saddam and claiming every week they were going to catch him "soon" for months. You can bet this jerk will do everything in his power – along with Betray-US at CENTCOM – to get a war with Iran going.
Neoconservatives have subverted the command structure of the US military with Petreaus, Odierno, Keene, etc. This really isn’t that new a story. If Obama doesnt toe the mark (there really is not reason to think he wont) then the neocons can push back through the generals. We already know that Bush and McCain do not adjust military policy without consulting the Generals in the field. F*****g ridiculous
On the face of it, there’s no reason for Kristol to visit General Odierno. The two have nothing in common. The former is a chickenhawk douche bag, while the latter’s a soldier.
Of course, if Odierno’s a neocon, that explains everything. General David Betrayus–er, Petraeus–is undoubtedly a neocon. That’s why he’s slated to take over CENTCOM in September. His predecessor, Admiral William Fallon, USN was fired because he’s opposed to war with Iran. (Fallon, by the way, called Petraeus an “ass-kissing little chickens**t” when they first met. Fallon’s a good judge of character.)
Betrayus just has to be the most egregious example of the violation of the principle of an apolitical military in the country’s long history. Do not be surprized if in the event of war with Iran and the attendant economic distruptions that would ensue, David Betrayus emerges to announce marshall law and the suspension of the Constitution. Here is a latter day Ernst Roehm and the legal groundwork is in process of being laid for him.
Petraeus declaring martial law would amount to the same thing as when Alexander Haig declared that he was ‘in charge here’ after Reagan was shot. Such a declaration would be emphatically illegal and if carried out would amount to an attempted military putsch…a coup d’etat. And if America is worth saving, it should also give rise to the people declaring open season on government and Blackwater goons patrolling the streets. Considering the dumbing down of Boobus Americanus in this day and age, I’m not sure that would happen. That said, it is not beyond the pale to expect that Cheney, through Bush, might make such a declaration.
The stage alerady set for declaring martial law ,all it takes a balck up operation blamed ,not on muslims this time,but on real blooded Americans opposed to the US govrenment polcies.It could happen under a democratic leadership too.
Oil hits $130 per barrel in Singapore. The ultimatum will apparently be a two week rollercoaster ride.
Meanwhile the comedy for today:
Rice says Iran not serious at weekend nuke talks
SHANNON, Ireland AP- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Iran on Monday of not being serious at weekend talks about its disputed nuclear program despite the presence of a senior U.S. diplomat, and warned it may soon face new sanctions….Rice said Iran had given the run-around to envoys from the U.S. and five other world powers….
At the meeting, Iran had been expected to respond to a package of incentives offered in exchange for halting enrichment of uranium, which can be used to fuel atomic weapons….
However, Rice said that instead of a coherent answer, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili delivered a “meandering” monologue full of irrelevant “small talk about culture” that appeared to annoy many of the others present at the table in Geneva.
“We expected to hear an answer from the Iranians but, as has been the case so many times with the Iranians, what came through was not serious,” Rice told reporters aboard her plane as she flew to the United Arab Emirates. “It’s time for the Iranians to give a serious answer.”
“They can’t go and stall and make small talk about culture, they have to make a decision,” she said. “People are tired of the Iranians and their stalling tactics.”
….Rice was dismissive when asked if Burns or another U.S. diplomat would be present to hear Iran’s response in two weeks.
“I think we’ve done enough to demonstrate that the United States is serious and to assure our partners that we’re serious,” she said.
[Excerpt]
"A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of 18 countries finds that in 14 of them people mostly say their government should not take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Just three countries favor taking the Palestinian side (Egypt, Iran, and Turkey) and one is divided (India). No country favors taking Israel's side, including the United States, where 71 percent favor taking neither side"
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/07/20…
More behind the scenes "shenanigans"?? You don't say.. Probably not a good idea to put a drunken cowboy in the top job……Even if reformed. Problems have a way of transmigrating………Like intemperance finding its way to MATTERS of STATE, and worse, LAW….. What we are witnessing is an ATTACK on the RULE OF LAW…….To enable ANY EXCESS….Intemperance?? You BET!! What about the alarming WHITEWASH of 911 (coer-up???) Perps kept FARAWAY?? Few COURT appearances by the perps, their cronys and proxies?? The DESTRUCTION of Evidence, 911 interrogation tapes by Hayden, 911 Air Controller Tapes by FAA, WTC rubbel by Giuliani!! Pentagon VIDEOS MISSING FROM VIEW?? 911 COMMISSION being KEPT in the dark……..(LIED to about evidence???????) WHAT ABOUT THE ANTHRAX ATTACKS? It was ONLY on those who OPPOSED the LEGAL OVERREACH of this NeoCowboy administration…& the photo editor who published DRUNKEN TWINS photos…. Should we take their WORD for this grand MESS?? There are too many of DEAD BODIES on this watch…Loss of basic rights….and too much debt… THE BUSH LEGACY:: DRUNKEN COWBOY!! WUZ gonnna conquer da World!!: Had Problems…I.E. Drunk on POWER…. …………Short on resources…….
Obama a ‘constituional scholar’? The man hasn’t a Const.-respecting bone in his body. Name the legislation that he has proposed that would pass original intent scrutiny. BHO was fought against gunownership since he was knee-high to an Orc. Other than having a palpable animus toward whites, what makes his wife any better? Both of them have milked the AA system to get where they are – let’s see their PSAT, SAT, AP, and LSAT scores if they are so brilliant. The odious pair are nothing but anti-white socialist bigots who hope to sleaze into the White House on BO’s black heritage. Even the meglomaniacal Spitzer had double-barreled 800’s or close on his SATs’. The system that gave the US BO and war-pig McInsane is hopelessly broken and needs to be eliminated post haste before our economy and worse are destroyed. ST
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Nothing like the smell of radiation in the morning…
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEkEtWzvT0s
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The American government is so heavily compromised at it’s highest levels by the number of Israeli agents holding positions in those levels,that it is no longer capable of governing the country.It is inertia that keeps the government going.Eventually a crisis will arise that cannot be overcome by inertia and the system will begin to unwind.It doesn’t matter which party is in power,the Israeli agents hold the power levers.With the economic crisis digging deeper and deeper,this crisis may come within the next two or three years.
Maybe it is for the better that only “politically reliable” officers receive high command positions. Competent officers would bring the US only victories like in the early part of WW2 for Germany, but as soon Military leadership is replaced with Political leadership the situation will only improve for the victims of the Wars of Aggression. Only a major defeat would have a sobering effect on the US government and population, Wars would no longer be profitable, and when they are no longer profitable then no one would want to start one. Sadly many young lives will be lost for the sobering effect to take affect.