Musharraf has a huge credibility problem, and this video makes it crystal clear. Until now, Musharraf has resisted calls for an international investigation into the assassination. Today, CNN reports that the Pakistani government could reconsider that decision. If they do, the family of Bhutto could then agree to an exhumation and an autopsy by an independent coroner which will confirm the cause of death.
That will open up a lot of questions about the official government story and what prompted it. With so many eyewitnesses to the murder, why float such a ridiculous theory about a sunroof handle? What were they trying to cover up? The video also shows the vehicle surrounded by people; where was a security cordon? How could the police, seen standing around the vehicle, allow a gunman to get within a few feet of Bhutto?
Meanwhile here in the USA, since the front-page spotlight's not shining on her, Hillary's saying she risked her life on White House trips in yet another lie, after claiming she was pals with Benezir Bhutto. Siggy, however, has better memory than Hillaray and asks
One has to wonder why Senator Clinton would be so close to someone who referred to her supporters as 'chumps and loonies.'
While saying goodbye, at about 11am, he noticed a man leaning up against his car. Mike left his friend's apartment and caught the man keying his car on multiple sides.
After caught in the process, the man told Mike, "you think you can do whatever you want with Department of Defense license plates and tags". (In Illinois you can purchase veteran, Marine, or medal plates. Mike has Illinois Marine Corps license plates.) During the exchange, he made additional anti-military comments.
Mike called the Chicago police and had the man arrested. A citation against the man was issued for misdemeanor criminal damage to private property. ... As it turns out, the man is Chicago lawyer Jay R. Grodner, who owns a law firm in the city and has offices in the suburbs.
BlackFive carries a report of an alleged anti-military hate crime (vandalism). I can't speak to the facts, having seen just this one account; but I am curious about one legal question: When a complainant in a criminal case — or some other kind of witness, in a criminal or civil case — is about to become unavailable because he is being recalled to active duty, how does the legal system treat the matter? ... Note, incidentally, that I label this incident an alleged hate crime because, if the facts are as alleged, it is a hate crime, and because that's a clear quick way of describing the matter. I am not urging any specially heightened penalties for such crimes, nor to my knowledge is the complainant.
It is a hate crime.
The question remains, what can the Marine legally do?
The New Year's Eve Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean
Welcome to the New Year's Eve Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean. If you would like your post to be included in next week's Carnival, please email me: faustaw "at" yahoo "dot" com.
This week's big story-in-the-works is the purported release of three Colombian hostages, which has been delayed:
An operation by Venezuelan helicopters to collect three hostages due to be released in Colombia by the Farc rebel group has been delayed for a third day. Venezuelan officials said the group had not provided the co-ordinates for the handover and that there was not enough time to complete the mission on Sunday.
The rebels have promised to release the hostages as a humanitarian gesture to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Mr Chavez said on Saturday that he hoped they would be released by Monday.
Or whenever.
To a cynic like myself, it appears that Hugo's not willing to share the limelight with anyone so don't expect the hostages release to take place until the Bhutto story (and much else, for that matter) is not in the headlines. I hope I'm wrong, but my cynicism is greatly boosted by the fact that Oliver Stone's at the location to film the release. For now, the FARCical mission has been put on hold.
For more on the hostages, please read the links under Colombia and Venezuela.
The drug-financed FARC terrorists of the Colombian jungle, after offering up three hostages as a 'Christmas present' to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez, have thus far stood him up, along with some 15 international observers from that many countries, an ex-presidente of Argentina among them and film director Oliver Stone. It's like rain is coming down on their media circus and they're starting to look less like clowns than fools.
Spare a thought for them as they cool their heels in the hot fetid Colombian swamp jungle near Villavicencio with nothing to do but talk to each other. The Brazilian among them is starting to complain about missing his New Year's holiday, and they probably all are, wondering how the heck they got in that no-man's land, waiting for a bunch of jungle terrorists who are now snickering up their sleeves at the suckers for fooling them again.
It doesn't get more ridiculous than this. FARC, for the second time in about a month, has lied to Hugo Chavez and Hugo will go right on believing in them, worshipping them, trying to get their autograph, until they suckerpunch him again. After all, they know that Chavez's keister is in the wringer and he's just coddling them to try to win back his tattered international reputation. FARC doesn't care about international reputations, FARC kidnaps innocents, blows up villages, lays land mines, employs child soldiers and controls the cocaine trade for a living. It gave up international reputations a long long time ago. But Chavez still wants his and FARC is pulling the rug out from under him. Chavez must feel like mierda right now. Snort!
CUBA The Cuba Archive has launched a Database of Documented Deaths believed to have resulted from the Cuban Revolution. This is an invaluable resource.
The MSM channels Mad Magazine on Fred, and Sunday's items
When I was a kid I loved Mad Magazine. One of my favorite features was how they used to truncate really bad reviews of movies and books to make them sound glorious. Well, Fred's getting the same treatment from the MSM, only in reverse.
CNN and USA Today are taking a few select words from Fred:
"I'm not particularly interested in running for president," the former senator said at a campaign event in Burlington when challenged by a voter over his desire to be commander-in-chief.
"But I think I'd make a good president," Thompson continued. "I have the background, capability, and concern to do this and I'm doing it for the right reasons."
Here's the full transcript of what Fred actually said, which his people posted at Fred file:
[THIS IS A BEST-EFFORT TRANSCRIPT OF THE SPECIFIC QUESTION AND ANSWER] Q: My only problem with you and why I haven't thrown all my support behind you is that I don't know if you have the desire to be President. If I caucus for you next week, are you still going to be there two months from now?
...In the first place I got in the race about the time people normally get into it historically. The fact of the matter is that others started the process a lot earlier this time than they normally do. I think it was for some of them when they were juniors in high school.
APPLAUSE
That is a very good question, not because it's difficult to answer, because, but I'm gonna answer it in a little different way than what you might expect.
In the first place, I wouldn't be here if I didn't. I wouldn't be doing this if i didn't. I grew up very modest circumstances. I left government, I and my family have made sacrifices for me to be sitting here today. I haven't had any income for a long time because I'm doing this. I figure that to be clean you've got to cut everything off. And I was doing speaking engagements and I had a contract to do a tv show, I had a contract with abc radio like I was talking about earlier and so forth. I guess a man would have to be a total fool to do all those things and to be leaving his family which is not a joyful thing at all if he didn't want to do it.
But I am not consumed by personal ambition. I will not be devastated if I don't do it. I want the people to have the best president that they can have.
When this talk first started, it didn't originate with me. There were a lot of people around the country both directly and through polls, liked the idea of me stepping up. And of course, you always look better at a distance, I guess.
But most of those people are still there and think its a good idea. But I approached it from the standpoint of a deal. A kind of a marriage. If one side of a marriage has to be really talked into the marriage, it probably ain't going to be a very good deal for either one of them. But if you mutually think that this is a good thing. In this case, if you think this is a good thing for the country, then you have an opportunity to do some wonderful things together.
I'm offering myself up. I'm saying that I have the background, the capability, and the concern to do this and I'm doing it for the right reasons. But I'm not particularly interested in running for president, but I think I'd make a good president.
Nowadays, the process has become much more important than it used to be.
I don't know that they ever asked George Washington a question like this. I don't know that they ever asked Dwight D. Eisenhower a question like this. But nowadays, it's all about fire in the belly. I'm not sure in the world we live in today it's a terribly good thing if a president has too much fire in the belly. I approach life differently than a lot of people. People, I guess, wonder how I've been as successful as I've been in everything I've done. I won two races in TN by 20 point margins, a state that Bill Clinton carried twice. I'd never run for office before. I've never had an acting lesson and I guess that's obvious by people who've watched me. But when they made a movie about a case that I had when I took on a corrupt state administration as a lawyer and beat them before a jury. They made a movie about it and I wound up playing myself in the movie and yeah I can do that.
And when I did it, I did it. Wasn't just a lark. Anything that's worth doing is worth doing well. But I've always been a little bit more laid back than most. I like to say that I'm only consumed by very, very few things and politics is not one of them. The welfare of our country and our kids and grandkids is one of them.
If people really want in their president a super type-a personality, someone who has gotten up every morning and gone to bed every night and been thinking about for years how they could achieve the Presidency of the United States, someone who can look you straight in the eye and say they enjoy every minute of campaigning, I ain't that guy. So I hope I've discussed that and hope I haven't talked you out of anything. I honestly want - I can't imagine a worse set of circumstances than achieving the presidency under false pretenses. I go out of my way to be myself because I do't want anybody to think they are getting something they are not getting. I'm not consumed by this process I'm not consumed with the notion of being President. I'm simply saying I'm willing to do what's necessary to achieve it if I'm in sync with the people and if the people want me or somebody like me. I'll do what I've always done in the rest of my life and I will take it on and do a good job and you'll have the disadvantage of having someone who probably can't jump up and click their heels three times but will tell you the truth and you'll know where the President stands at all times.
Maybe once USA Today and CNN graduate from Mad Magazine Journalism School they'll start reporting on candidates who actually answer questions, instead of those who don't take any questions at all.
That is, if their reporters actually get to the venue where the words were spoken. As Fred noticed,
Incidentally, the audience in Burlington broke into applause in the middle of my answer. The reporter wouldn't know that because she wasn't even there.
she was grasping and self-interested, a beneficiary of Saddam's Oil for Food scam. Parade, in the kind of unvarnished look only possible before the assassination quotes Bhutto's own niece saying, "She has no legacy of her own except for corruption and violence."
Her deal with Pakistani President Musharraf to take the Prime Ministerial position for herself in the January 8 Pakistani elections would have broadened the regime's base of support by allowing many thousands more snouts from her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) into the trough. That was enough to make her a threat to the Islamists. Prophetically, Parade quotes a Musharraf insider saying, "She's the No. 1 target of the terrorists right now."
The assassination of Benazir Bhutto deals a blow to the hope for taking on the militants in the Pakistani sanctuary. It is also another sharp blow to the idea that political means can primarily or alone defeat Islamist terrorism. ... With Musharraf out as Army Chief, his ability to manipulate promotions and bonuses in order to defend himself against further al-Qaeda assassination attempts is weakened. And without the cooperation of Bhutto his chance to widen the patronage-based political support of the regime is threatened. ... In spite of all the blither about democracy in Pakistan, and the beatification of Bhutto by pundits and politicians eager to bask in her reflected false glory, the reality is that in the midst of the on-going carnage the so-called democratic forces are motivated by a desire for a piece of the action.
Finally, General Musharaf's government widened its military offensives during 2007 in the neo-Taliban zones, prompting terror counter strikes in various cities and a major Jihadi uprising in Islamabad. The escalation opened a window among political opposition to make gains against Musharaf. By the year's end, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif came back to the country and were leading the opposition in the next elections. The assassination of Bhutto was a setback to the political process. Musharraf and the secular forces need to coalesce around a platform of national security and democracy and move forward with elections and anti-Terror campaign in 2008. But for international security, the priority is to preserve Pakistan's nuclear assets and keep the Jihadists at bay. Will secular opposition and the President understand this higher national priority in 2008?
Even before Miss Bhutto’s murder, the election campaign had been bedevilled by political conflict and terrorism. The role of each of its main actors—including Miss Bhutto and Mr Musharraf—has been contested in the courts and on the streets, against a backdrop of worsening insurgency and Islamist terrorism.
The Pakistani government has no problem with officials from Benazir Bhutto's political party exhuming the slain opposition leader's body if they see a need to do so, an Interior Ministry spokesman said Saturday.
People have plenty of rational reasons to mistrust Musharraf, but it's difficult to see how he prospers with Bhutto's assassination. Between her and Nawaz Sharif, Musharraf would most want to deal with Bhutto. He also needed the elections to go as scheduled for political cover abroad, and Bhutto had all but guaranteed that they would proceed without having to reshuffle the judiciary again. Killing both -- Sharif got attacked as well -- would only send the nation into a chaotic tailspin that Musharraf can't afford with the insurgencies already active in the nation.
Obviously Osama's not happy over the fact that by now even Associated Press (that arm of the vast right-wing conspiracy) is reporting that Iraq: al-Qaida 75 Percent Gone
1. As prime minister of Pakistan, Ms. Bhutto proved to be one of the most incompetent leaders in the history of South Asia and was dismissed in November 1996 by Pakistan's president for what he called her regime's "nepotism, corruption" and "mismanagement." During her chaotic administration in the mid-1990s scores of people were being murdered in the streets of Karachi every day.
2. Her return to power, or that of her Pakistani People's Party, would almost certainly trigger a return to anarchy and open the door to a Taliban-style fundamentalist coup. Ms. Bhutto dismisses this possibility as "nonsense," asserting that "more than two-thirds of Pakistanis are distinctly moderate" in their religious views.
The attack yesterday at Rawalpindi bore the hallmarks of a sophisticated military operation. At first, Bhutto's rally was hit by a suicide bomb that turned out to be a decoy. According to press reports and a situation report of the incident relayed to The New York Sun by an American intelligence officer, Bhutto's armored limousine was shot by multiple snipers whose armor-piercing bullets penetrated the vehicle, hitting the former premier five times in the head, chest, and neck. Two of the snipers then detonated themselves shortly after the shooting, according to the situation report, while being pursued by local police.
A separate attack was thwarted at the local hospital where Bhutto possibly would have been revived had she survived the initial shooting. Also attacked yesterday was a rival politician, Nawaz Sharif, another former prime minister who took power after Bhutto lost power in 1996.
Links for a Friday afternoon, and General Petraeus's letter
Snapped Shot introduced Rageman yesterday, and today, ready for New Year's Eve weekend, he's got (drumroll, please!) the Rageman parody roundup and photoshop contest.
General David Petraeus's End Of Year Letter To The Troops
"A Great Deal Has Been Achieved In 2007"
28 December 2007
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Civilians of Multi-National Force-Iraq:
As 2007 draws to a close, you should look back with pride on what you, your fellow troopers, our Iraqi partners, and Iraqi Coalition civilians have achieved in 2007. A year ago, Iraq was racked by horrific violence and on the brink of civil war. Now, levels of violence and civilians and military casualties are significantly reduced and hope has been rekindled in many Iraqi communities. To be sure, the progress is reversible and there is much more to be done. Nonetheless, the hard-fought accomplishments of 2007 have been substantial, and I want to thank each of you for the contributions you made to them.
In response to the challenges that faced Iraq a year ago, we and our Iraqi partners adopted a new approach. We increased our focus on securing the Iraqi people and, in some cases, delayed transition of tasks to Iraqi forces. Additional U.S. and Georgian forces were deployed to theater, the tours of U.S. unites were extended, and Iraqi forces conducted a surge of their own, generating well over 100,000 more Iraqi police and soldiers during the year so that they, too, had additional forces to execute the new approach. In places like Ramadi, Baqubah, Arab Jabour, and Baghdad, you and our Iraqi brothers fought—often house by house, block by block, and neighborhood by neighborhood—to wrest sanctuaries away from Al Qaeda-Iraq, to disrupt extremist militia elements, and to rid the streets of mafia-like criminals. Having cleared areas, you worked with Iraqis to retain them—establishing outposts in the areas we were securing, developing Iraqi Security Forces, and empowering locals to help our efforts. This approach has not been easy. It has required steadfastness in the conduct of tough offensive operations, creative solutions to the myriad problems on the ground, and persistence over the course of many months and during countless trying situations. Through it all, you have proven equal to every task, continually demonstrating an impressive ability to conduct combat and stability operations in an exceedingly complex environment.
Your accomplishments have given the Iraqi people new confidence and prompted many citizens to reject terror and confront those who practice it. As the months passed in 2007, in fact, the tribal awakening that began in Al Anbar Province spread to other parts of the country. Emboldened by improving security and tired of indiscriminate violence, extremist ideology, oppressive practices, and criminal activity, Iraqis increasingly rejected Al Qaeda-Iraq and rogue militia elements. Over time, the desire of Iraqis to contribute to their own security has manifested itself in citizens volunteering for the police, the Army, and concerned local citizen programs. It has been reflected in citizens providing information that has helped us find far more than double the number of arms and weapons caches we found last year. And it has been apparent in Iraqi communities now supporting their local security forces.
As a result of your hard work and that of our Iraqi comrades-in-arms—and with the support of the local populace in many areas—we have seen significant improvements in the security situation. The number of attacks per week is down some 60 percent from a peak in June of this year to a level last seen consistently in the early summer of 2005. With fewer attacks, we are also seeing significantly reduced loss of life. The number of civilian deaths is down by some 75 percent since its height a year ago, dropping to a level not seen since the beginning of 2006. And the number of Coalition losses is down substantially as well. We remain mindful that the past year’s progress has been purchased through the sacrifice and selfless service of all those involved and that the new Iraq must still contend with innumerable enemies and obstacles. Al Qaeda-Iraq has been significantly degraded, but it remains capable of horrific bombings. Militia extremists have been disrupted, but they retain influence in many areas. Criminals have been apprehended, but far too many still roam Iraqi streets and intimidate local citizens and Iraqi officials. We and our Iraqi partners will have to deal with each of these challenges in the New Year to keep the situation headed in the right direction.
While the progress in a number of areas is fragile, the security improvements have significantly changed the situation in many parts of Iraq. It is now imperative that we take advantage of these improvements by looking beyond the security arena and helping Iraqi military and political leaders as they develop solutions in other areas as well, solutions they can sustain over time. At the tactical level, this means an increasing focus on helping not just Iraqi Security Forces—with whom we must partner in all that we do—but also helping Iraqi governmental organizations as they endeavor to restore basic services, to create employment opportunities, to revitalize local markets, to refurbish schools, to spur local economic activity, and to keep locals involved in contributing to local security. We will have to do all of this, of course, while continuing to draw down our forces, thinning our presence, and gradually handing over responsibilities to our Iraqi partners. Meanwhile, at the national level, we will focus on helping the Iraqi Government integrate local volunteers into the Iraqi Security Forces and other employment, develop greater ministerial capacity and capability, aid displaced persons as they return, and, most importantly, take the all-important political and economic actions needed to exploit the opportunity provided by the gains in the security arena.
The pace of progress on important political actions to this point has been slower than Iraqi leaders had hoped. Still, there have been some important steps taken in recent months. Iraq’s leaders reached agreement on the Declaration of Principles for Friendship and Cooperation with the United States, which lays the groundwork for an enduring relationship between our nations. The United Nations Security Council approved Iraq’s request for a final renewal of the resolution that authorizes the Coalition to operate in Iraq. Iraq's leaders passed an important Pension Law that not only extends retirement benefits to Iraqis previously left out but also represents the first of what we hope will be additional measures fostering national reconciliation. And Iraq’s leaders have debated at length a second reconciliation-related measure, the Accountability and Justice Bill (the de-Ba'athification Reform Law), as well as the 2008 National Budget, both which likely will be brought up for a vote in early 2008. Even so, all Iraqi participants recognize that much more must be done politically to put their country on an irreversible trajectory to national reconciliation and sustainable economic development. We will, needless to say, work closely with our Embassy teammates to support the Iraq Government as it strives to take advantage of the improved security environment by pursing political and economic progress.
The New Year will bring many changes. Substantial force rotations and adjustments already underway will continue. One Army brigade combat team and a Marine Expeditionary Unit have already redeployed without replacement. In the coming months, four additional brigades and two Marine battalions will follow suit. Throughout that time, we will continue to adapt to the security situation as it evolves. And in the midst of all the changes, we and our Iraqi partners will strive to maintain the momentum, to press the fight, and to pursue Iraq’s enemies relentlessly. Solutions to many of the tough problems will continue to be found at your level, together with local Iraqi leaders and with your Iraqi Security Force partners, in company and battalion areas of operation and in individual neighborhoods an towns. As you and your Iraqi partners turn concepts into reality, additional progress will emerge slowly and fitfully. Over time, we will gradually see fewer bad days and accumulate more good days, good weeks, and good months.
The way ahead will not be easy. Inevitably, there will be more tough days and tough weeks. Unforeseen challenges will emerge. And success will require continued hard work, commitment, and initiative from all involved. As we look to the future, however, we should remember how far we have come in the past year. Thanks to the tireless efforts and courageous actions of the Iraqi people, Iraq's political and military leaders, the Iraqi Security Forces, and each of you, a great deal has been achieved in 2007. Thus, as we enter a new year, we and our Iraqi partners will have important accomplishments and a newfound sense of hope on which we can build.
As always, all or your leaders, our fellow citizens back home, and I deeply appreciate the dedication, professionalism, commitment, and courage you display on a daily basis. It remains the greatest of honors to serve with each of you in this critical endeavor.
Sincerely, David H. Petraeus General, United State Army Commanding
Hillary's idea of a conversation: no questions allowed
When Hillary Clinton launched her campaign she was saying that she was starting "a conversation." Well, like everything else Clinton, it all depends on what "conversation" means.
As she races through Iowa in the days before next week's caucuses, Hillary Clinton is taking few chances. She tells crowds that it's their turn to "pick a president," but over the last two days she has not invited them to ask her any questions.
Before the brief Christmas break, the New York senator had been setting aside time after campaign speeches to hear from the audience. Now when she's done speaking, her theme songs blare from loudspeakers, preventing any kind of public Q&A.
The no-questions-allowed extends to the most obvious questions; for instance,
She was no more inviting when a television reporter approached her after a rally on Thursday and asked if she was "moved" by Benazir Bhutto's assassination. Clinton turned away without answering.
Considering that her campaign release actually said that Hillary had known Bhutto "over many years", the least Hillary could have done was to express some sympathy.
Unless she feared being caught in a lie, again. Sweetness and Light points out that all the contact Hillary had with Benezir came down to "an official luncheon and a little 'private conversation' afterwards".
Iowans certainly should ask themselves why Hillary feels she cannot handle extemporaneous questions -- especially after the revelations of planted questions at earlier events.
A moratorium on questions certainly won't dispel her image as haughty, arrogant, and ill-tempered. And a liar, too boot.
Clara Rojas is one of those expected to be freed Helicopters will soon be departing from Venezuela to pick up three hostages being held in the Colombian jungle, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says. ... The guerrillas have offered to free Clara Rojas, an aide to former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, kidnapped in 2002, and Ms Rojas's young son Emmanuel - who was reportedly fathered by one of her guerrilla captors.
The other hostage is former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo, who was kidnapped in 2001.
"We are awaiting the arrival of international envoys for this operation which will take place on Friday," Venezuela's ambassador to Colombia, Pavel Rondon, told Colombian radio.
And as Chavez lost his Constitutional gamble on Dec. 2nd. he found himself losing all over. A spat with the King here, a spat with Uribe there and a surprising rejection of his project from his supporters was certainly not a promising framework for his future. And as problems in Venezuela become harder to figure out, Chávez traveled and likely got some advice from the master puppeteer in Havana, who suggested he try to get something out of the FARC, just for show. Temporary relief. He fell for it and so has the media.
The FARC, who could care little about Chavez in the end, offered a very token gift of three hostages, out of the more than 400 in their hands and certainly not the big international catch that everyone is waiting for, as Ingrid Betancourt is not in the package.
But leave it to Chavez and his Cuban media masters to play it up and the stupid international media to fall for it. Chávez held a press conference yesterday, doing the only thing he enjoys and knows something about: military operations. So, while problems mount in Venezuela, including more than 200 homicides over the Christmas season, which must certainly be a new record, Chavez likely put his military uniform and played with little mock up planes and helicopters, reliving his days of failure as a military Commander, but enjoying himself. What else could he ask for?
The FARC meanwhile, gave up very little, but managed to slightly undermine their archenemy Alvaro Uribe, who was forced to accept the military operation cooked up in the depths of the Miraflores Palace. But Uribe keeps playing his game, he knows the FARC have their own agenda and have never given up anything of significance and will in the end make Chavez look bad.
Chávez meanwhile was relishing his role as a newly found “humanitarian”, which would almost be comic, except that it is simply pathetic. Never in the whole process has Chavez asked to have any of the Venezuelan hostages released. While not all eighty of them are in the hands of the FARC, as mostly they represent simply financial transactions in which if the relatives pay, the hostages will be released, in what has become the standard transaction of that guerrilla/mercantile institution called the FARC.
Of course, a true humanitarian would have released this Christmas or prior Christmases not one, but dozens of his political prisoners, held without trial or evidence, who languish in the country’s jails without even receiving due process. Remarkably, this nouveau humanitarian refuses to give others, some of them former friends and colleagues, the same treatment given to him when he got an unconditional pardon after leading to failure an unconstitutional and bloody coup that left many dead, mostly innocent civilians, in various cities of Venezuela.
You must go and read the whole post. It is a clear-eyed assessment that you must read.
Will the hostages be released while the big story on Bhutto is on the front pages? Don't bet on it.
Miguel has been my podcast guest twice, most recently on December 13.
Ron Paul blames the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on the "interventionist" policy of the United States, and says Al Qaeda is justified in being "annoyed" at us.
In Ron Paul's vision, all the problems of the world are caused by America. That he thinks that Al-Qaeda is justified in being "annoyed" at America is reason enough to dismiss him as the crank he is.
If there is any fallout from this tragedy at home, it is to remind us that radical Islam has the ability to change world affairs in a matter of minutes (at least if taking out a democratic leader vying for control of a nuclear Pakistan qualifies), that the war against Islamic radicalism goes on, and that we should look carefully at those who wish to be commander-in-chief in the years ahead.
As little confidence as we have in Musharraf, we don't buy into suspicions held by Bhutto's supporters that he ordered her assassination.
But we do share concerns about the lax security Pakistani authorities provided her. Bhutto personally asked Musharraf to beef up measures, such as providing jamming devices to thwart bombs, after she narrowly escaped a similar assassination attempt in October.
By all accounts, Musharraf ignored her pleas and never mounted an investigation of the earlier attempt on her life.
In an Oct. 16 letter to Musharraf, Bhutto reportedly shared information she'd received about three officials within his military intelligence services who wanted to kill her. And she asked him to help secure her safety ahead of the election.
That request, too, apparently fell on deaf ears.
The fact that this successful second attack occurred in Pakistan's military headquarters signals that "there may be some low-level military involvement," terror expert Peter Bergen said.
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton agreed, telling Fox News that "radical elements of Pakistan's military" may have had a hand in the attack.
Despite Musharraf's denials, it's well known that Pakistan's military intelligence — the ISI — is infested with al-Qaida sympathizers. And Bhutto tried to push ISI out of politics in her first term as prime minister.
Musharraf also has been the target of at least nine assassination attempts since he signed on to our war on terror seven years ago. But it speaks volumes that Bhutto, back in the country just a few months, would be killed before him.
Al-Qaida, we hear, took credit for the murder. And who is the bigger threat to al-Qaida?
We have to wonder if under Bhutto, Pakistani authorities would have allowed the mastermind behind 2006's trans-Atlantic sky-terror plot to escape from custody.
Last week, Rashid Rauf, who has ISI connections, went missing from a mosque after police let him pray there. He escaped just days before he was due to be extradited to Britain.
Earlier this year, Musharraf freed from jail an al-Qaida lieutenant who plotted to hit U.S. financial and government targets. U.S. officials privately protested the release of Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, but to no avail.
Even so, being realists, we understand Musharraf is still in control of Pakistan. While the terrorists just seem to get stronger under Musharraf's rule, he's probably still the only thing standing between Pakistan and chaos — or worse, a fundamentalist Islamic regime that would have access to nuclear weapons.
A faithful opposition leader and true friend of the West, Benazir Bhutto showed herself to be courageous in a way few leaders are.
Her death is a tragedy not just for Pakistan's fledgling democracy, but for all of us. We only hope that Musharraf has the strength and resolution to fight those who would drag Pakistan back into the Middle Ages.
NGOstan is (or was) of course Bhutto's faction. Its chief claim to fame is that it is sponsored by the Western establishment, ie the State Department, the Times, etc, etc. It is clean and sweet and true. At least, relatively clean and sweet and true.
Obviously, it is not a secret that Bhutto herself was a mob queen, at least that many of her associates were gangsters, but the Westernists had an easy solution for this. If they needed to come across as especially clean and sweet and true, they could just condemn Bhutto as a mob queen. She was not offended, at least not unusually offended. You think she didn't know she was a gangster? So, for example, this article by Jemima Khan did not terminate the membership of Imran Khan as a leading capo in NGOstan. If Musharraf goes down, there will be plenty for everyone to eat.
PakMil, NGOstan and Islamists, and how they play the brutal game: read it.
The Soldiers' Project offers free psychological counseling in private offices, with no red tape, a flexible schedule, and no limit to the number of sessions. We also offer free psychological counseling to your extended families (including girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses, children, parents and grandparents) - to help them get through deployment issues, and to reintegrate afterwards, and we offer free therapy to members of bereaved families.
Read more about it at the link.
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Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday outside a large gathering of her supporters where a suicide bomber also killed at least 14, doctors and a spokesman for her party said.
While Bhutto appeared to have died from bullet wounds, it was not immediately clear if she was shot or if her wounds were caused by bomb shrapnel.
President Pervez Musharraf held an emergency meeting in the hours after the death, according to state media.
Ms Bhutto was leaving a rally of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) supporters in a park in the garrison town of Rawalpindi when the attacker struck. Latest reports suggest that the attacker shot Ms Bhutto in the neck and then detonated a bomb which left some 15 other people dead. It is not clear if she was killed by the shots or the bomb, or a combination of both.
Rawalpindi houses the headquarters of Pakistan's military, but that has not stopped militants striking there at will. In November a suicide attack in the grounds of the much feared intelligence services left many dead.
A spokesperson for the al-Qaeda terrorist network has claimed responsibility for the death on Thursday of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
“We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat [the] mujahadeen,” Al-Qaeda’s commander and main spokesperson Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid told Adnkronos International (AKI) in a phone call from an unknown location, speaking in faltering English. Al-Yazid is the main al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan.
It is believed that the decision to kill Bhutto, who is the leader of the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP), was made by al-Qaeda No. 2, the Egyptian doctor, Ayman al-Zawahiri in October.
Death squads were allegedly constituted for the mission and ultimately one cell comprising a defunct Lashkar-i-Jhangvi's Punjabi volunteer succeeded in killing Bhutto.
Its very important to see what Musharraf does. If he does not arrest any terrorist sympathizers in the military, that’s a problem. Musharraf did kill Akbar Bugti, the Balochi leader, a few years ago.
Ali also noticed that firefighters were already hosing down all evidence of the bombing.
As the only nuclear-armed majority Muslim country, the home to a large population of Deobandi and Salafist Islamist radicals, and, possibly, the country that's hosting Osama bin Laden within its borders, Pakistan is a very sensitive country in a very sensitive condition since the unrest of a month ago. Whatever else may happen the situation has probably become more serious now.
While I do not know a thing about Pakistani politics, I can't help but notice the threat to stability, the continuing Jihadi activity, and the worrying nuclear situation. This is clearly Musharraf's gravest crisis, and I expect that the election will be cancelled.
BBC World has just reported that four people have been shot dead in rioting around the country.
Outlawed by Stalin in 1929, P G Wodehouse - or Pyelem G Vudhaus as he is known - has undergone a remarkable revival since the ban on his books was lifted in 1990.
There can be few fans as dedicated, however, as Mr Kuzmenko.
As president and founder of the Russian Wodehouse Society he has attracted over 3,000 members, some from as far away as Cheliabinsk and Omsk, thousands of miles to the east. His monthly Wodehouse dinners at the Cleopatra and elsewhere are always sold out.
The actors Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie have played their part. Ever since their acclaimed television portrayal of Jeeves and Wooster was dubbed into Russian, young fans have started flocking to the club.
Wodehouse translations have mushroomed and even a souring of Anglo-Russian relations has done little to dim the enthusiasm for this quintessentially English author.
The Colombian government has approved a plan by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to send planes into Colombia to pick up rebel-held hostages. The Colombian rebel group, Farc, said it would free two hostages and a child but only to Mr Chavez.
Colombia agreed but said any Venezuelan aircraft entering its territory must bear Red Cross markings.
Hugo claims,
Mr Chavez had told reporters in Venezuela's capital, Caracas: "The only thing we need is authorisation from the Colombian government. We hope they will cooperate with us."
Unfortunately the FARC was saying as much two weeks ago
Clara Rojos, her son Emmanuel, who was born in captivity, and Consuelo Gonzalez, a former lawmaker kidnapped in 2001, would be released in Colombia to Mr Chávez "or someone he designates", the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, said in a statement to Cuban news agency Prensa Latina. The statement, dated December 9, did not say when the release would take place.
The three hostages in question are Rojos and her son, and former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez, who was kidnapped in 2001.
We've learned that this exchange will cost $500 million. From where is this money coming? Colombian coffers? Venezuelan coffers? Private funds of the families/friends? No details were revealed. It seems like a lot, and to be sure it is; however, I am quite confident that Chavez would be willing to do as much as he could in order to get control over even part of Colombia, since Uribe isn't a pushover like Correa, Morales, and Ortega. Equally important, to where is this money going? Directly to the FARC, that is to say, in cash? In the form of food? provisions? medicines? The lack of transparency in this aspect, despite Chavez mentioning repeatedly how he insists on transparency in the physical act of the exchange is thoroughly disturbing. It is truly a shame that the lives of so many individuals --not just those being highlighted-- have become a political tool with which only Chavez can truly gain; and, it is even more unfortunate that many, particularly those in the US connected to the case, fail to realize that.
Former Argentinian president (and now First Husband) Nestor Kirchner will be heading the delegation, just in time to take people's minds off the moneybags from Hugo scandal.
Considering how much pressure France has been exerting on behalf of Ingrid Betancourt - France has even agreed 'to take in' Farc rebels - one can't help but wonder how much more money would be involved in her rescue ransom.
$500 million will go a long way towards financing further FARC terrorism, for sure.
HAVANA (AP) - Raul Castro said Monday that Communist Party leaders support his brother Fidel's re-election to parliament, saying he is exercising two hours daily and gaining weight while keeping his mind healthy with reading and writing.
A seat in parliament is the first step in a process that would allow Fidel to retain his post atop the Council of State, Cuba's supreme governing body.
Communist Party leaders ``defend him running again'' Raul Castro said of his brother's candidacy for re-election to the Cuba's National Assembly, or parliament, on Jan. 20.
Speaking of Cuba's electoral system, Raul Castro noted that U.S. democracy pits two identical parties against one another, and joked that a choice between a Republican and Democrat is like choosing between himself and his brother Fidel.
"We could say in Cuba we have two parties: one led by Fidel and one led by Raul, what would be the difference?" he asked. "That's the same thing that happens in the United States ... both are the same. Fidel is a little taller than me, he has a beard and I don't."
Today we'll be touching on the topic of fidel and his possible "run" for president in Cuba's sham elections. Cuba is a communist state where only one political party is legal. There is virtually no division between the communist party and the Cuban government. As a result voters have a choice of exactly one candidate for each and every position they "vote" for. raul castro, tyrant Jr., even joked about this recently. The international news media never notes these facts when it produces a story about Cuba. To an uninformed observer Cuba is a functioning democracy.
Just chalk it up to more Associated Press Deficit Disorder: it fits the narrative.
The real George Washington crossed the Delaware, a perilous endeavor at this time of year, and made history by winning the Battle of Trenton 231 years ago today.
The toughening environment has been coupled with a turndown in the U.S. economy, which has tipped the balance toward self deportation for many illegal immigrants left struggling to find work. ... Mexican consular sources in Phoenix say they are seeing a spike in the number of immigrants applying for Mexican citizenship for their U.S.-born children, which will allow them to enroll in schools in Mexico.
They are also seeing a rise in requests for papers enabling families to carry household belongings back to Mexico, free of import duties.
Members of the Brazilian community in the U.S. northeast, meanwhile, say they are starting to see an increase in the number of illegal immigrants heading back to their homes in Brazil in recent months.
"They are beginning to put in the balance the constant fear of being detained and deported, and many are deciding to leave," said Fausto Mendes da Rocha, executive director of the Brazilian Immigrant Center in Boston.
AMIA, the communal offices of the Argentine Jewish community, was struck by a massive suicide truck bomb on July 18, 1994 – 85 were killed and over 200 injured. Iran and Hezbollah were suspected from the beginning. The Argentine investigation has had several false starts and has been mired in corruption, but in recent years has gotten on track. Last month Interpol voted overwhelmingly to issue a red letter calling for the arrest of five Iranians (along with Hezbollah's external operations chief Imad Mughniyah) on the basis of the Argentine investigation. The publicly available report on the AMIA bombing offers tremendous insight into the Iranian regime's modus operandi and worldview.
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — The governor is under criminal investigation, crime and unemployment are soaring and the economy is faltering as foreign firms are shutting down factories.
But to hear the politicians on this gem of a Caribbean island tell it, the only real issue on the public agenda is whether Puerto Rico should become the 51st state, ending its decades-old status as a U.S. commonwealth.
A bill calling for a referendum on the issue recently won approval in a U.S. House committee, triggering a new round of intense debate on the island, despite the fact that final congressional approval and an actual vote are still iffy propositions at best.
Some tiring of debate After decades of rowdy argument, though, some Puerto Ricans appear to be tiring of the seemingly eternal debate over what is known here as the "status" issue.
Fausta was born and raised in Santurce, Puerto Rico and is a long-term resident of Princeton, New Jersey. She discusses New Jersey, taxation, current events, and how news are reported in the French and Spanish-language media at Fausta's Blog.
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Bhutto's son named as successor in what amounts to a feudal succession.
To a cynic like myself, it appears that Hugo's not willing to share the limelight with anyone so don't expect the hostages release to take place until the Bhutto story (and much else, for that matter) is not in the headlines. I hope I'm wrong, but my cynicism is greatly boosted by the fact that 
Two interesting articles at American Thinker (h/t Larwyn):
At CNN: 
The Beeb had this on the story: 
Yesterday this popped up in the news,
