Presidential Candidate Ron Paul Votes for Mad Man Mahmoud

Ron Paul was one of only 16 House members to vote against a bill calling for sanctions on Iran!

Is anyone surprised?

Five Reasons Iranian Madman Mahmoud Wants YOU to vote for Ron Paul:

Mahmoud's Murderous Message Muddied by Lib President at Columbia

Will wonders never cease?

Clearly feeling the heat of a political firestorm for inviting the Hitler of the 21st Century to speak at Columbia, University President Lee Bollinger showed liberals it is possible to have a spine after all....

New York Times photo. NYTimes story here.

President Lee C. Bollinger's Introductory Remarks at SIPA-World Leaders Forum with President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Columbia University
Sept. 24, 2007

...[T]o those among us who experience hurt and pain as a result of this day, I say on behalf of all of us we are sorry and wish to do what we can to alleviate it.
...
[T]o be clear on another matter - this event has nothing whatsoever to do with any “rights” of the speaker but only with our rights to listen and speak. We do it for ourselves.
...
We cannot make war or peace. We can only make minds. And to do this we must have the most full freedom of inquiry.

Let me now turn to Mr. Ahmadinejad.

--THE BRUTAL CRACKDOWN ON SCHOLARS, JOURNALISTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES ...The arrest and imprisonment of these Iranian Americans for no good reason is not only unjustified, it runs completely counter to the very values that allow today’s speaker to even appear on this campus.

But at least they are alive.

According to Amnesty International, 210 people have been executed in Iran so far this year – 21 of them on the morning of September 5th alone. This annual total includes at least two children – further proof, as Human Rights Watch puts it, that Iran leads the world in executing minors.

There is more.

Iran hanged up to 30 people this past July and August during a widely reported suppression of efforts to establish a more open, democratic society in Iran. Many of these executions were carried out in public view, a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party.

These executions and others have coincided with a wider crackdown on student activists and academics accused of trying to foment a so-called “soft revolution”. This has included jailing and forced retirements of scholars. As Dr. Esfandiari said in a broadcast interview since her release, she was held in solitary confinement for 105 days because the government “believes that the United States . . . is planning a Velvet Revolution” in Iran.

In this very room last year we learned something about Velvet Revolutions from Vaclav Havel. And we will likely hear the same from our World Leaders Forum speaker this evening – President Michelle Bachelet Jeria of Chile. Both of their extraordinary stories remind us that there are not enough prisons to prevent an entire society that wants its freedom from achieving it.

We at this university have not been shy to protest and challenge the failures of our own government to live by these values; and we won’t be shy in criticizing yours.

Let’s, then, be clear at the beginning, Mr. President you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator.

And so I ask you:

Why have women, members of the Baha’i faith, homosexuals and so many of our academic colleagues become targets of persecution in your country?

Why in a letter last week to the Secretary General of the UN did Akbar Gangi, Iran’s leading political dissident, and over 300 public intellectuals, writers and Nobel Laureates express such grave concern that your inflamed dispute with the West is distracting the world’s attention from the intolerable conditions your regime has created within Iran? In particular, the use of the Press Law to ban writers for criticizing the ruling system.

Why are you so afraid of Iranian citizens expressing their opinions for change?

In our country, you are interviewed by our press and asked that you to speak here today. And while my colleague at the Law School Michael Dorf spoke to Radio Free Europe [sic, Voice of America] viewers in Iran a short while ago on the tenets of freedom of speech in this country, I propose going further than that. Let me lead a delegation of students and faculty from Columbia to address your university about free speech, with the same freedom we afford you today? Will you do that?

--THE DENIAL OF THE HOLOCAUST
In a December 2005 state television broadcast, you described the Holocaust as a “fabricated” “legend.” One year later, you held a two-day conference of Holocaust deniers.

For the illiterate and ignorant, this is dangerous propaganda. When you come to a place like this, this makes you, quite simply, ridiculous. You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated.

You should know that Columbia is a world center of Jewish studies and now, in partnership with the YIVO Institute, of Holocaust studies. Since the 1930s, we’ve provided an intellectual home for countless Holocaust refugees and survivors and their children and grandchildren. The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history. Because of this, and for many other reasons, your absurd comments about the “debate” over the Holocaust both defy historical truth and make all of us who continue to fear humanity’s capacity for evil shudder at this closure of memory, which is always virtue’s first line of defense.

Will you cease this outrage?

--THE DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL Twelve days ago, you said that the state of Israel “cannot continue its life.” This echoed a number of inflammatory statements you have delivered in the last two years, including in October 2005 when you said that Israel should be “wiped off the map.”

Columbia has over 800 alumni currently living in Israel. As an institution we have deep ties with our colleagues there. I personally have spoken out in the most forceful terms against proposals to boycott Israeli scholars and universities, saying that such boycotts might as well include Columbia. More than 400 college and university presidents in this country have joined in that statement. My question, then, is: Do you plan on wiping us off the map, too?

--FUNDING TERRORISM According to reports by the Council on Foreign Relations, it’s well documented that Iran is a state sponsor of terror that funds such violent group as the Lebanese Hezbollah, which Iran helped organize in the 1980s, the Palestinian Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

While your predecessor government was instrumental in providing the US with intelligence and base support in its 2001 campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan, your government is now undermining American troops in Iraq by funding, arming, and providing safe transit to insurgent leaders like Muqtada al-Sadr and his forces.

There are a number of reports that also link your government with Syria’s efforts to destabalize the fledgling Lebanese government through violence and political assassination.

My question is this: Why do you support well-documented terrorist organizations that continue to strike at peace and democracy in the Middle East, destroying lives and civil society in the region?

--PROXY WAR AGAINST U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ In a briefing before the National Press Club earlier this month, General David Petraeus reported that arms supplies from Iran, including 240mm rockets and explosively formed projectiles, are contributing to “a sophistication of attacks that would by no means be possible without Iranian support.”

A number of Columbia graduates and current students are among the brave members of our military who are serving or have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. They, like other Americans with sons, daughters, fathers, husbands and wives serving in combat, rightly see your government as the enemy.

Can you tell them and us why Iran is fighting a proxy war in Iraq by arming Shi’a militia targeting and killing U.S. troops?

--FINALLY, IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM AND INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS
This week the United Nations Security Council is contemplating expanding sanctions for a third time because of your government’s refusal to suspend its uranium-enrichment program. You continue to defy this world body by claiming a right to develop peaceful nuclear power, but this hardly withstands scrutiny when you continue to issue military threats to neighbors. Last week, French President Sarkozy made clear his lost patience with your stall tactics; and even Russia and China have shown concern.

Why does your country continue to refuse to adhere to international standards for nuclear weapons verification in defiance of agreements that you have made with the UN nuclear agency? And why have you chosen to make the people of your country vulnerable to the effects of international economic sanctions and threaten to engulf the world with nuclear annihilation?

Let me close with this comment. Frankly, and in all candor, Mr. President, I doubt that you will have the intellectual courage to answer these questions. But your avoiding them will in itself be meaningful to us. I do expect you to exhibit the fanatical mindset that characterizes so much of what you say and do. Fortunately, I am told by experts on your country, that this only further undermines your position in Iran with all the many good-hearted, intelligent citizens there. A year ago, I am reliably told, your preposterous and belligerent statements in this country (as in your meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations) so embarrassed sensible Iranian citizens that this led to your party’s defeat in the December mayoral elections. May this do that and more.

Ouch! That's got to leave a mark! And for every left winger in denial about the threat Iran poses to world peace and their beloved concept of "social justice" we can direct them to this statement from the president of one of the most liberal universities in the nation. Hard to argue Bollinger is part of some neocon conspiracy.

Of course the downside of Mahmoud's appearance is that it lends him legitimacy in Iran, where his visit will be used for propaganda purposes. And just to prove that point:

IRI President addresses students at Colombia (sic) University New York
Islamic Republic News Agency
Sept 25,2007

Despite entire US media objections, negative propagation and hue and cry in recent days over IRI President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's scheduled address at Colombia University, he gave his lecture and answered students questions here on Monday afternoon.

On second day of his entry in New York, and amid standing ovation of the audience that had attended the hall where the Iranian President was to give his lecture as of early hours of the day, Ahmadinejad said that Iran is not going to attack any country in the world.

Before President Ahamadinejad's address, Colombia University Chancellor in a brief address told the audience that they would have the chance to hear Iran's stands as the Iranian President would put them forth.

He said that the Iranians are a peace loving nation, they hate war, and all types of aggression.

Referring to the technological achievements of the Iranian nation in the course of recent years, the president considered them as a sign for the Iranians' resolute will for achieving sustainable development and rapid advancement.

The audience on repeated occasion applauded Ahmadinejad when he touched on international crises.

At the end of his address President Ahmadinejad answered the students' questions on such issues as Israel, Palestine, Iran's nuclear program, the status of women in Iran and a number of other matters.

And of course nothing in the Iranian press about the absurd statements little Mahmoud made at C.U. But members of the "Petty and Cruel Dictators" club were eager to show their support. Venezuelan Dictator Hugo Chavez said: ""I congratulate him, in the name of the Venezuelan people, before a new aggression of the U.S. empire," Chavez said, adding that it seemed Ahmadinejad was the subject of "an ambush."

Maybe Columbia needs to invite Chavez up for a discussion and have environmentalists ask him why he wants to cut a 5,000 km path through the Brazilian Rain Forest for a natural gas pipeline? (4th item here)

New York Media Whacks Ahmad!

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Even the Spanish newspaper got it:

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U.S. House Votes Economic Sanctions on Iran

In a stunningly swift move, the U.S. House of Representatives today voted overwhelmingly (397-16 roll call here) for economic sanctions against Iran.

Sponsor Tom Lantos (D-CA) described the bill (summary here) this way: "Iran faces a choice between a very big carrot and a very sharp stick," said Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "It is my hope that they will take the carrot. But today, we are putting the stick in place."

In another direct rebuke to Iran, French President Nicholas Sarkozy told the United Nations in his maiden speech that: "if we allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, we would incur an unacceptable risk to stability in the region and in the world...weakness and renunciation do not lead to peace. They lead to war."

It's about time we had more stick and less carrot where Iran is concerned. How many more Americans will Iran kill before we respond in a way they understand?

Hillary Clinton Deja Vu

Here it is... the report you've all been waiting for!

Hillary Clinton took to the Sunday morning news programs yesterday in what could only be called a "Sunday surge."

In this well choreographed display, she proved her mettle at spinning the hard questions and always, always sticking to her prepared talking point script. When asked a tough one, like Chris Wallace did regarding Hillary and Bill's "hyper-partisan view of politics," Hillary responded with what Ben Smith of the Politico described as her"signature cackle" (audio here).

No doubt, as Halloween approaches, children across the land will begin emulating that cackle as they prepare for Trick or Treat.

Hillary did face one question on the Hsu fundraising scandal outlined in posts below. She dodged it expertly by repeating her commitment to public campaign financing. But it's this new scandal which reminds us all how of what we all lived through in the 1990's and what we would likely face again if the Clintons were returned to the White House.

Clinton Campaign Finance Scandal: History Repeats Itself!

For those of us who know history didn't start on the day George Bush was elected President (ooops! for Democrats that would be the day Bush STOLE the election). We remember the Clinton years that preceded the Bush presidency.

It was a time of willful ignorance as terrorist threats to our country mounted. It was also a time of seemingly never-ending scandal in the Clinton White House.

And yet, those scandals had their roots years before anyone every dreamed of Special Prosecutor Ken Starr, Newt Gingrich or Linda Tripp. The roots of those scandals grow deep in the soil of Arkansas.

And in the present day, when the Hsu Chinese funny money scandal reared it's ugly head, yours truly hopped on a plane and jetted off to Little Rock and Hot Springs Arkansas to kick over a few rocks and shine light once again on the naked truth behind the real Bill and Hillary Clinton.

What follows is a photo-report of that trip. A walk down memory lane. It starts appropriately enough at the Chinese Restaurant which sparked the Chinese funny money scandals which rocked the Clinton White House:

Fu Lin's Restaruant: With Eggroll you get Illegal Chinese Contributions

Fu Lin's is the Little Rock Chinese Restaurant once owned by Charlie Trie. One translation of "Fu Lin" is ""enrich your neighbor." Certainly that was the intention of those who frequented the restaurant which became a hangout for the Clinton's and Little Rock big shots.

Charlie promised his Chinese communist friends that Bill Clinton as President would be a good thing. And even before Clinton took office "hordes" of Chinese communists beat a path to Little Rock to cash in.

Charlie, along with the other Chinese bag man Johnny Chung (pictured with Bill and Hillary at a White House Christmas party escorting Chinese cronies), ended up dumping bags of money orders for various Clinton schemes at the DNC and escorting the same "hordes" who descended on Little Rock to the infamous White House Coffees (guest lists here). Campaign contributions were also arranged using Chinese Communist funds to reimburse contributors.

Charlie skipped the country rather than testify to congressional committees investigating these events. But he did return to face criminal charges in a very lenient plea deal that required no jail time, probation and a small fine.

So next time you hear Hillary express her support for public financing of campaigns. Ask which public she's referring to. Americans or Chinese?

For fun, test your memory and play the campaign finance scandal match game!

Seeing the World Through Rose Law Firm Glasses

Next stop on our Clinton Scandal Tour is the Rose Law Firm.

Not every Yale Law grad rates a partnership in a prestigious law firm. Not even in Arkansas. But in Hillary Clinton, the partners of the Rose Law Firm recognized a certain quality they wanted. She was the wife of then Attorney General and later Governor Bill Clinton. That's a pretty solid recommendation if you want to make things happen in Arkansas.

And things happened all right. Mrs. Clinton must have spent a lot of time at Fu Lin's Chinese Restaurant as she seemed to develop an instant knack for "enriching" her neighbors and herself while at Rose. CNN has the Whitewater timeline which describes endless shady financial dealings, including the infamous cattle futures scandal.

The Rose Law Firm also introduced a host of Arkansas characters to the nation's attention:

• Partner Vince Foster, the White House Counsel who later committed suicide in circumstances which continue to raise questions.


• Partner Webster Hubbell, who later became Associate Attorney General and went to jail for tax evasion and mail fraud in connection with billing records at Rose. Hubbell later received hundreds of thousands of dollars in "consulting" contracts to keep him quiet.


• Partner William H. Kennedy III became Associate White House Counsel and played a role in the White House Travel Office firings and the 900 Republican FBI files scandal. He left Washington when it was learned he didn't pay taxes for his family's nanny. Before leaving office, President Clinton rewarded him by appointing him to the Board of the Student Loan Marketing Association.


• Carolyn Huber, former Office Manager at Rose went on to work as an Assistant to First Lady Hillary Clinton. Carolyn's job was to look after the personal and private correspondence of the Clintons. It was Ms. Huber who found the infamous missing Rose Law firm billing records which were found with Hillary Clinton's fingerprints. Huber is also reported as removing sensitive Clinton papers from Vince Foster's death following his suicide.

The significance of the Rose Law Firm records cannot be overstated. They directly contradict Hillary Clinton's statements on Whitewater where Hillary claimed she played only a minor role. (two resources for more information: PBS Frontline and the Washington Post -- No right wing conspiracy here)

Court House for Some Friends of Bill.... Justice Still to be Done for Others

Above is the Federal Court House in Little Rock. It was to become famous as the spot where a Grand Jury indicted Susan McDougal for Obstruction of Justice for failing to answer questions regarding the White Water land and bank scandal.

Without McDougal's cooperation, there was no possibility of indicting Hillary Clinton for her role in White Water. In Clinton's Presidential Library McDougal is praised for her role in protecting Hillary.

Charlie Trie entered his lenient plea deal here also.

Refresher on White Water in this extensive Washington Post report.

Hillary Was Busy.... So Was Bill

While Hillary was busy making a fast buck and signing up partners in crime, Bill was busy...busy being Bill:

Saying it with Flowers.... Gennifer Flowers!

Quapaw Tower overlooks a Catholic school and MacArthur Park in downtown Little Rock. According to the sworn statement of Gennifer Flowers taken in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, then Governor Bill Clinton recommended Gennifer lease an apartment there as he had aides who lived in the building and it wouldn't be so suspicious for him to visit there.

Bill Clinton's affair with Gennifer Flowers went on for 12 years and Gennifer even saved audio tape phone messages. Clinton even arranged for Flowers to be hired to work as a state employee for the Arkansas Board of Review Appeals Tribunal. But that didn't buy her silence

When the news of their affair leaked during Bill's 1992 campaign for President he denied it categorically. And of course Hillary was trotted out in a 60 Minutes interview with Bill on Super Bowl Sunday (partial transcript) as they attempted to save Bill's struggling campaign in New Hampshire. It was during that interview where she made her famous statement: "I'm not sitting here – some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette."

Oddly enough, she would have to replay that Tammy Wynette role again in the White House and deny the Monica Lewinsky allegations. But like nearly all of Bill and Hillary's denials, they would eat their words. And their supporters would lap up that meal of crow right along with them!

For a Gennifer Flowers refresher, here is a transcript of Ms. Flowers 2001 interview with Larry King.

"I did not have Sex with that woman...Ms. Lewinsky"..... Ms. Flowers.... Ms. Jones.... Ms. Broadderick...Ms. Kyle-Browning... (more) "I never told anyone to lie, not a single time - never!"

Gennifer Flowers statement and President Clinton's admission in his March 1998 testimony that he had lied about their relationship was necessitated by the lawsuit Paula Jones filed claiming that then Governor Bill Clinton exposed himself to Ms. Jones here in what was then the Excelsior, now the Peabody, Hotel.

In her declaration to the court, Ms. Jones described how she was lured to the hotel room and Bill Clinton's unwanted advances eventually leading to Clinton dropping his pants, exposing his penis and telling Ms. Jones to "kiss it." If only Senator Larry Craig had done something similar instead of tapping his foot in men's room he might still be in the Senate!

Jones lost her sexual harrasment suit, but President Clinton agreed to an out of court settlement of $850,000 while the dismissal was on appeal.

"You Better Put Some Ice on That:" The Rape of Juanita Broadderick

Juanita Broaddrick, then Mrs. Hickey owned a nursing home in Van Buren, Arkansas and it was there that candidate for Attorney General Bill Clinton stopped in 1978 for a campaign event. Bill invited her to visit him at the campaign office in Little Rock if she was ever down that way.

While attending a nursing home convention in the capital, she phoned and Bill arranged for the two to meet for coffee at the Camelot (now the Doubletree) coffee shop. Bill rang later and suggested they meet in her room instead.

Once inside Bill forced his attentions on Juanita, biting her lip in the process. When he was finished, he turned and told her to "put some ice on that."

(full transcript of NBC Dateline report here)

Two weeks later, Hillary insisted on meeting Juanita at a campaign event. Juanita describes the strangeness of that meeting in this video interview with Sean Hannity.

In October 2000 as Hillary was running for Senate, Ms. Broaddrick sent Hillary a letter titled "Do you remember me?" In it, she recalls that meeting with Hillary:

Do You Remember Me?
An Open Letter to Hillary Clinton
by Juanita Broaddrick
October 15,2000

...Do you remember how you thanked me, saying "we want to thank you for everything that you do for Bill". At that point, I was pretty shaken and started to walk off. Remember how you kept a tight grip on my hand and drew closer to me? You repeated your statement, but this time with a coldness and look that I have seen many times on television in the last eight years. You said, "Everything you do for Bill".
...
What did you mean, Hillary? Were you referring to my keeping quiet about the assault I had suffered at the hands of your husband only two weeks before? Were you warning me to continue to keep quiet? We both know the answer to that question.

Yes, I can answer Brit Hume's question. You are the same Hillary that you were twenty years ago. You are cold, calculating and self-serving. You cannot tolerate the thought that you will soon be without the power you have wielded for the last eight years. Your effort to stay in power will be at the expense of the state of New York.

I only hope the voters of New York will wake up in time and realize that Hillary Clinton is not an honorable or an honest person.

You Deserve A Break Today....

After all that heavy lifting with Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Juanita Broaddrick and so many, MANY more Bill always seemed to need a bit of comfort food. The McDonalds on Broadway was one of his favorites.

And it's a good place for us to reset the visual pallette as we head off into fantasy land:

The Clinton Liebrary: A Fantasy Paradise for Nostalgia Starved Liberals!

It sits jutting out over the Arkansas River like a mobile home that someone backed up a bit too far over the bank. It almost connects to a rusted out and disused railroad bridge that extends over the river. Is it that elusive "Bridge to the 21st Century" that Bill talked about?

Inside, you won't find Monica's blue dress, and barely a mention of impeachment. What you will see is one long, highly partisan display of historical revisionism run rampant.

The interior is well designed and appealing, and the Cabinet Room and Oval Office recreation to scale are interesting.

But what I found most interesting was one of the alcoves titled "Fight for Power." It begins with a photograph of Newt Gingrich and a description of how "radical Republicans" (highlighted in the exhibit) sought to bring down Bill Clinton. The display went on to glorify the government shutdown, (Clinton's 1995 address here) which gave federal workers a week's paid holiday, then remarked on how the Republicans had forced Clinton to sign the renewal of the law authorizing Special Prosecutors. Next, cue photo of Ken Starr and again those wascally wepublicans were at it again, this time impeaching good ole Bill.

It was as if all the history which we have reviewed above had never happened. Indeed, the above is just the tip of a very large iceberg that melted in Washington, D.C. during the Clinton years and continues to melt today.

It certainly requires, in the words of Hillary Clinton: "the willing suspension of disbelief" to view the Clinton years with any short of nostalgia. Nor to relish their return! It's clear from the statements of both Bill and Hillary, not to mention the self serving exhibits in the Clinton Library, that neither of these sociopaths has ever learned to accept any responsibility for their actions.

Another Clinton Administration would be little more than a sad sequel of the first!

More Questions in Democrat Fundraising Scandal

Can you say "culture of corruption?" I knew you could!

Readers will recall that when news of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal broke, Democrats across the board rushed to the microphones to declare, as Senator Harry Reid so often did, that this was a "Republican scandal." That line was repeated so often in so many different forums that the ties from Abramoff client money to Democrats and the influence it bought were lost in the noise.

Democrats succesfully tarred Republicans with the epithet "culture of corruption" which they also repeated incessantly at every available opportunity and it helped them to win control of both houses of Congress in the 2006 election.

Now, we have the Norman Hsu Chinese funny money scandal spilling over from Hillary Clinton to Democrats across the board. Nothing could be more clearly a "Democrat scandal" and yet you'll hear crickets chirping if you listen for the drumbeat from Republicans leaders pointing to the issue.

Curt at Flopping Aces found this excellent research breakdown from Suitably Flip who covers the story like asphalt on a highway:

Unlike the Abramoff scandal where 70% of the money went to Republicans, Hsu gave over 99% of the suspect contributions to Democrats.

Suitably Flip also breaks down the contributions in this online spreadsheet and I highly recommned you take a look at the tab for amounts by contributor and by date.

Where Did Hsu Get the Money?

The connections to Clintonista brigades continue. Last week we learned that Hsu was connected in business dealings to aging hippie, now converted to capitalism, Joel Rosenman who started the Woodstock hippie jamboree back in the 1960's. Rosenman was a contributor to Hillary Clinton and received an indirect benefit of $1million in taxpayer funds from a Hillary congressional budget earmark to build a museum to hippies and Woodstock.

A new wrinkle in the story is the connection to the mail order business of Lilian Vernon, whose catalogs you may have seen in your mother or grandmother's house. It's mostly crap, probably manufactured in China which may explain the connection.

Suitably Flip discovered that Norman Hsu, who previously had not donated to ANY political candidates, began his personal crooked crusade at the exact same time that Fred Hochberg, owner of Lillian Vernon was making similar contributions.

Fred Hochberg's other claim to fame is that he joined the Cabinet of the President Bill Clinton as Administrator of the Small Business Administration in 1998. That was three years after Hochberg was a participant in another Clinton finance scandal: the infamous White House Coffees.

There's so much that smells here. So many questions unasked, let alone unanswered. But the biggest question is WHERE ARE THE REPUBLICANS? When are our party leaders and spokespeople going to begin connecting the dots? Or will we just let Democrats have a pass on this one too?

We cannot blame the "news" media for not covering a story that we don't highlight with the same message discipline as our opponents! If "culture of corruption" is a winning campaign issue for Democrats, surely it is for Republicans when the "Hsu" is on the other foot!

Columbia University Invites Iranian President to Speak

But Columbia radicals riots when Americans present their viewpoint!

Columbia University's School of Public and International Affairs has invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to give a speech following his appearance at the United Nations.

Columbia's president, Lee said: "Opportunities to hear, challenge, and learn from controversial speakers of different views are central to the education and training of students for citizenship in a shrinking and still dangerous world. This is especially true for students, many of whose careers will require them to confront human rights and security issues throughout the globe," said in a statement.

In September 1986, I began graduate study at. Shortly thereafter, Jeanne Kirkpatrick, then U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and a graduate of Columbia's Barnard College had to decline her invitation to speak on campus because of left wing protests that threatened to disrupt the event if she spoke.

Twenty years later, In October, 2006, we saw how leftists at Columbia rioted to shut down the event where the border security group "Minutemen" were speaking. For a reminder, see this brief video of the riot that ensued.

Iran under the leadership of radicals like Ahamdinejad is directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans.

No doubt, the same left wing fascists who brazenly shut down free speech from "controversial speakers of different views" will embrace the appearance of the lunatic Iranian President.

Whose side are they on?

Bush Slams Moveon.Org

In today's press conference, President Bush had this to say about the Moveon.org advertisement in the New York Times which slimed General Petraeus:

Q What is your reaction to the MoveOn.org ad that mocked General Petraeus as General "Betrayus," and said that he cooked the books on Iraq? And secondly, would you like to see Democrats, including presidential candidates, repudiate that ad?

THE PRESIDENT: I thought the ad was disgusting. I felt like the ad was an attack not only on General Petraeus, but on the U.S. military. And I was disappointed that not more leaders in the Democrat Party spoke out strongly against that kind of ad. And that leads me to come to this conclusion: that most Democrats are afraid of irritating a left-wing group like MoveOn.org -- or more afraid of irritating them than they are of irritating the United States military. That was a sorry deal. It's one thing to attack me; it's another thing to attack somebody like General Petraeus.

UPDATE: Senate Votes to Condemn Moveon.org Ad

By a vote of 72-25 The U.S. Senate approved the following resolution:

Question: On the Amendment (Cornyn Amdt. No. 2934 )
Vote Number: 344 Vote Date: September 20, 2007, 12:36 PM

Statement of Purpose: To express the sense of the Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.

The roll call for the vote is here. Voting no, or not voting, were all the Senate Democrats running for President as well as the most of the sourpuss defeatists like Harry Reid and friends.

You'll hear the left wing spin machine in overdrive trying to say that efforts like the Swift Boat Vets expose of John Kerry are just as bad. However, it's important to point out that General Petraeus is NOT a political candidate running for office, but an apolitical military commander.

The fact that so many Democrats, in obedience to a hard core left wing group, vote against a resolution of support for a General which many of them voted to confirm is the latest and clearest sign of the corruption of duty which afflicts that once proud party and it's leaders.

Confederate Heritage Still Held in Honor in Clinton Country!

Bill Clinton grew up in Hot Springs:

The race baiters only protest Confederate Flags in states run by Republicans!

Clinton's favorite BBQ joint in Hot Springs:

McClard's (or Lard for short) in Hot Springs. Bill was here in May.

Little Rock Commemorates 50th Anniversary of School Desegregation

So much progress and yet.....

Now that you've figured out where Mike's America is hiding... I thought I would share with you an historic scene I witnessed yesterday:

I visited Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas as they prepare for the 50th Anniversary of the civil rights struggle to desegregate the school.

It was a Republican President, Dwight Eisenhower, who in 1957 federalized National Guard troops which had initially blocked the nine black students from entering the school and ordered them instead to protect the student's right to enter.

Democrats fought hard AGAINST against every early effort to extend the full blessings of liberty to ALL Americans. They've changed of course in later years, even to the point where they now would extend virtual citizenship to terrorists captured while attempting to kill Americans overseas!

As a contrast and a sign of how some things have yet to change, this tumbledown home of a black family sits less than a block away from the school. Trillions of dollars in tax payer funds to fight poverty and blacks who vote overwhelmingly for Democrats still live like this in the heart of "Clinton Country?" I thought Clinton cared so much more for the less fortunate? Apparently, "caring" doesn't count!

Left Wing Moonbat Tasered by Police Mob at John Kerry Event!

We're living in a police state.... and it's run by DEMOCRATS!

At an event with failed Presidential candidate John Kerry yesterday at the University of Florida, a student named Andrew Meyer stood up to make a rambling moonbat statement about how Kerry won the 2004 election, blacks were disenfranshised and he wondered why Kerry did not move to impeach President Bush. Then, when he asked if John Kerry were a member of the secret Yale society Skull and Bones Meyer's microphone was cut off and he was approached by police. As he was being led away, more police arrived as he continued to protest his removal. He was thrown to the ground, handcuffed then tasered repeatedly as he continued to protest.

Only in America would left wing moonbats think President Bush runs a police state, only to be tasered by police protecting a Democrat from being questioned about his past.

The best You Tube video of the question and tasering is here.

You may also find this video, which shows Meyer in the hallway after being led out claiming to be afraid that the police will take him out and kill him.

No doubt this student has had his brain washed by the best university professors taxpayer dollars can buy. But the lesson for him here isn't how rotten Bush is..... Think the kid will learn?

Where in the World is Mike?

Hint: It's a Confederate War Memorial.

Shiites in Southern Iraq Seek U.S. Help in Battles against Iranian backed Extremists

The Anbar model for success spreads to the Shiites!

U.S. Expands Anbar Model To Iraq Shiites
Shiite Sheiks Seek To Expand Anbar Model To Southern Iraq, With Help Of United States
CBS News (From AP Report)
KUT, Iraq, Sep. 16, 2007

AP) American commanders in southern Iraq say Shiite sheiks are showing interest in joining forces with the U.S. military against extremists, in much the same way that Sunni clansmen in the western part of the country have worked with American forces against al-Qaida.

Sheik Majid Tahir al-Magsousi, the leader of the Migasees tribe here in Wasit province, acknowledged tribal leaders have discussed creating a brigade of young men trained by the Americans to bolster local security as well as help patrol the border with Iran.

He also said last week's assassination of Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who spearheaded the Sunni uprising against al-Qaida in Anbar province, only made the Shiite tribal leaders more resolute.

"The death of Sheik Abu Risha will not thwart us," he said. "What matters to us is Iraq and its safety."

The movement by Shiite clan leaders offers the potential to give U.S. and Iraqi forces another tactical advantage in curbing lawlessness in Shiite areas. It also would give the Americans another resource as they beef up their presence on the border with Iran, which the military accuses of arming and training Shiite extremists.
...
U.S. officials at the heart of the effort hope to tap a wellspring of public frustration with militias and criminal gangs to recruit the tribal volunteers, although they stress it is still in the early stages.

"It's an anti-militia movement ... Shiite extremists of all stripes," said Wade Weems, head of a Provincial Reconstruction Team leading the dialogue in the Wasit province southeast of Baghdad.

"We see consistently expressed deep frustration or anger with the activities of militia that appear to be untethered to any sort of guiding authority, appear to be really criminal in nature," he added.
...
In Wasit, which borders Iran, the goal is to rein in armed Shiite groups, some of them probably armed by Iran, which are locked in a power struggle that is making life intolerable for ordinary people.

U.S. officers believe last month's fighting among rival Shiite militias during a religious festival in Karbala may have been the last straw. Up to 52 people died in the clashes, which marred what was supposed to be a joyous celebration.

Anger also rose after the assassinations of two southern provincial governors that were seen as part of a brutal contest among rival Shiite militias to control parts of Iraq's main oil regions.

Fearing a backlash, Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of Iraq's biggest militia, ordered a six-month freeze on his Mahdi Army's activities and began reorganizing the force to purge unruy elements.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the militias appeared to be alienating the Shiite community with internal violence in the same way al-Qaida in Iraq caused Sunni leaders to turn against it.

"There are some signs that the Shia are perhaps beginning to have the same _ get the same kind of wake-up call with respect to their extremists that the Sunnis in Anbar did," he said.

Since Karbala, Weems said he has attended a "flurry of meetings" with sheiks interested in ways they can use their formidable influence to help restore order.

"They are well aware of what's happened in Anbar province, the role that the tribes played in securing some of the less secure areas in that province," he said. "There has been a good deal of success with those, not just in Anbar but in other areas."

Cooperation now between U.S. forces and both Shiites and Sunnis to battle jihadis of every flavor! I call that GOOD NEWS!

If Moveon.Org Were Around During World War II

Curt at Flopping Aces found this:

But of course the Hate America left was around during WW2. They were just known by their original name: communists who would weaken America at any price.

Not much has changed.

The Iron Lady Back in Number 10

Margaret Thatcher goes to tea at 10 Downing Street Thursday!

Lady Thatcher is the last great lion of the 20th Century still living. And it was a pleasant surprise to see the now frail Iron Lady come to tea with new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah on Thursday.

From 1979 to 1990 she "lived above the shop" at Number 10, the official residence and office of the British Prime Minister. On her return she took a tour of the changes to the residence and offices before taking tea in the "flat" she shared with her husband Denis.

Thatcher fans will enjoy this comprehensive web site dedicated to her life and maintained by the Thatcher Foundation. In the online archives you can walk through history with Mrs. Thatcher and read the correspondance she shared with world leaders, such as this first handwritten letter with then Governor Reagan.

If you're interested in a "virtual tour" of Number 10 Downing Street, the official 10 Downing Street website has a photo tour.
I won't forget my own Thatcher experiences. Her appearance on the White House Lawn with President Reagan at her last State Visit in November 1988 was a thrill. I described that experience in a post here, but the photo at left, which I took that day captures it best.

The admiration shown by President Reagan for his ideological soulmate and trailblazer for conservativism is clear.

Later, while walking through Belgrave Square in London I was treated to another thrill as Lady Thatcher's motorcade pulled up to her townhouse and out she popped from a green Jaguar and bolted up the stairs with husband Denis close behind.

Margaret Thatcher's record and her success as a politician with conviction and principle stands strong as an example for would be leaders today.

Rudy Giuliani Responds To Moveon.Org "General Betray Us" Ad with One of His Own!

Rudy Giuliani took out the following ad in Friday's New York Times:

Full size image here.

Apparently, Rudy did get the discount rate that Moveon.org received for it's abominable ad attacking the integrity of General Petraeus.

Rudy Ramps it up with Video Ad:

More Shoes (spelled Hsu) Drop in Hillary-Chinese Funny Money Scandal

• Curt at Flopping Aces asks: Where did Clinton fundraiser Norman Hsu get the money? Apparently, he stole $40 million from another big lib, Joel Rosenman, who was one of the creators of the Woodstock rock festival in 1969. That money, Mr. Rosenman told investors this week, is missing.
• But oh, what is this? Joel, who also just happens to be a big contributor to Hillary Clinton, would also be prominently featured in a hippie museum commemorating Woodstock that is slated to receive $1 million dollars in taxpayer funds in a Congressional funding earmark proposed by Senators Clinton and Schumer.
• Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has said she will return all the money that Norman Hsu bundled from other contributors and directed to her campaign. But she also says that if those who sent the money via Hsu wish to redonate it, she will accept it. As a reminder of times past, I guess it all depends on "what the meaning of "return" is."
• Suicidal Hsu: It's now confirmed that Norman Hsu sent suicide notes to several individuals before boarding the train as he fled again from California justice. Hsu is now in jail after being released from the hospital in Grand Forks, Colorado when he was discovered in a delirious condition in a pill splattered train compartment.

Meanwhile, the American media spent more time covering the odd bathroom habits of Senator Larry Craig than they did this reprise of Clinton scandals from the past.

Bush Addresses the Nation at 9 PM est Thursday.

President George W. Bush goes over a draft of tonight's address to the nation with members of the White House speechwriting staff Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007, in the Oval Office. With him, from left, are: Marc Thiessen, Bill McGurn and Christopher Michel. White House photo by Eric Draper

Full text of the speech is here. Excerpts follow:

Address by the President to the Nation on the way forward in Iraq
The White House
September 13, 2007

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. In the life of all free nations, there come moments that decide the direction of a country and reveal the character of its people. We are now at such a moment.

In Iraq, an ally of the United States is fighting for its survival. Terrorists and extremists who are at war with us around the world are seeking to topple Iraq's government, dominate the region, and attack us here at home. If Iraq's young democracy can turn back these enemies, it will mean a more hopeful Middle East and a more secure America. This ally has placed its trust in the United States. And tonight, our moral and strategic imperatives are one: We must help Iraq defeat those who threaten its future and also threaten ours.

Eight months ago, we adopted a new strategy to meet that objective, including a surge in U.S. forces that reached full strength in June. This week, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before Congress about how that strategy is progressing. In their testimony, these men made clear that our challenge in Iraq is formidable. Yet they concluded that conditions in Iraq are improving, that we are seizing the initiative from the enemy, and that the troop surge is working.

The premise of our strategy is that securing the Iraqi population is the foundation for all other progress. For Iraqis to bridge sectarian divides, they need to feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods. For lasting reconciliation to take root, Iraqis must feel confident that they do not need sectarian gangs for security. The goal of the surge is to provide that security and to help prepare Iraqi forces to maintain it. As I will explain tonight, our success in meeting these objectives now allows us to begin bringing some of our troops home.
...
Anbar province is a good example of how our strategy is working. Last year, an intelligence report concluded that Anbar had been lost to al Qaeda. Some cited this report as evidence that we had failed in Iraq and should cut our losses and pull out. Instead, we kept the pressure on the terrorists. The local people were suffering under the Taliban-like rule of al Qaeda, and they were sick of it. So they asked us for help.

To take advantage of this opportunity, I sent an additional 4,000 Marines to Anbar as part of the surge. Together, local sheiks, Iraqi forces, and coalition troops drove the terrorists from the capital of Ramadi and other population centers. Today, a city where al Qaeda once planted its flag is beginning to return to normal. Anbar citizens who once feared beheading for talking to an American or Iraqi soldier now come forward to tell us where the terrorists are hiding. Young Sunnis who once joined the insurgency are now joining the army and police. And with the help of our provincial reconstruction teams, new jobs are being created and local governments are meeting again.

These developments do not often make the headlines, but they do make a difference. During my visit to Anbar on Labor Day, local Sunni leaders thanked me for America's support. They pledged they would never allow al Qaeda to return. And they told me they now see a place for their people in a democratic Iraq. The Sunni governor of Anbar province put it this way: "Our tomorrow starts today."

The changes in Anbar show all Iraqis what becomes possible when extremists are driven out. They show al Qaeda that it cannot count on popular support, even in a province its leaders once declared their home base. And they show the world that ordinary people in the Middle East want the same things for their children that we want for ours -- a decent life and a peaceful future.

In Anbar, the enemy remains active and deadly. Earlier today, one of the brave tribal sheikhs who helped lead the revolt against al Qaeda was murdered. In response, a fellow Sunni leader declared: "We are determined to strike back and continue our work." And as they do, they can count on the continued support of the United States.
...
One year ago, much of Diyala province was a sanctuary for al Qaeda and other extremist groups, and its capital of Baqubah was emerging as an al Qaeda stronghold. Today, Baqubah is cleared. Diyala province is the site of a growing popular uprising against the extremists. And some local tribes are working alongside coalition and Iraqi forces to clear out the enemy and reclaim their communities.

One year ago, Shia extremists and Iranian-backed militants were gaining strength and targeting Sunnis for assassination. Today, these groups are being broken up, and many of their leaders are being captured or killed.

These gains are a tribute to our military, they are a tribute to the courage of the Iraqi security forces, and they are the tribute to an Iraqi government that has decided to take on the extremists.
...
Americans want our country to be safe and our troops to begin coming home from Iraq. Yet those of us who believe success in Iraq is essential to our security, and those who believe we should begin bringing our troops home, have been at odds. Now, because of the measure of success we are seeing in Iraq, we can begin seeing troops come home. The way forward I have described tonight makes it possible, for the first time in years, for people who have been on opposite sides of this difficult debate to come together.
...
The success of a free Iraq is critical to the security of the United States. A free Iraq will deny al Qaeda a safe haven. A free Iraq will counter the destructive ambitions of Iran. A free Iraq will marginalize extremists, unleash the talent of its people, and be an anchor of stability in the region. A free Iraq will set an example for people across the Middle East. A free Iraq will be our partner in the fight against terror -- and that will make us safer here at home.

Realizing this vision will be difficult, but it is achievable. Our military commanders believe we can succeed. Our diplomats believe we can succeed. And for the safety of future generations of Americans, we must succeed.
...
Whatever political party you belong to, whatever your position on Iraq, we should be able to agree that America has a vital interest in preventing chaos and providing hope in the Middle East. We should be able to agree that we must defeat al Qaeda, counter Iran, help the Afghan government, work for peace in the Holy Land, and strengthen our military so we can prevail in the struggle against terrorists and extremists.
...
To our military personnel, intelligence officers, diplomats, and civilians on the front lines in Iraq: You have done everything America has asked of you. And the progress I have reported tonight is in large part because of your courage and hard effort. You are serving far from home. Our nation is grateful for your sacrifices, and the sacrifices of your families.
...
Some say the gains we are making in Iraq come too late. They are mistaken. It is never too late to deal a blow to al Qaeda. It is never too late to advance freedom. And it is never too late to support our troops in a fight they can win.

Good night, and God bless America.

Anbar Ally Assasinated

President Bush made mention of the killing of Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, also known as Anbar Awakening, an alliance of Sunni clans backing the Iraqi government and U.S. forces to push al-Qaida fighters out of western Iraq.

Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha greets President Bush on his visit to Anbar, September 3, 2007.

Sheik Sattar also signed the letter to President Bush dedicating the Anbaris victory over Al Queda to American victims of September 11th:

"In the month when the terrorists attacked the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, we dedicate the victory of Anbar Province to the families of the victims who suffred that criminal act...With the help of the president of the United States, we pledge to continue to cooperate and communicate with you to continue to get good results."

Further proof that we are not alone in this fight and sadly in the sacrifices called upon by all men and women of goodwill. We are indeed fortunate to have friends who lay down their lives along with us in this struggle. Let not their sacrifice be in vain!

9/12/2007

A day of Thanksgiving!


President George W. Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Mrs. Lynne Cheney bow their heads for a moment of silence on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007, in memory of those whose lives were lost on Sept. 11, 2001. White House photo by Chris Greenberg .

Yesterday, September 11th, was a day to remember. You can't know where you are going if you don't know where you have come from. And looking six years back on September 11, 2001 many of us woke on September 12, 2001 and worried about what might be next.

Thankfully, in the six years that followed we have been spared further horror. September 12, 2007 is a day to be thankful for the tireless efforts of all those who work to keep us safe. From President Bush, members of our military, intelligence services, homeland security, the FBI, local police and citizens who brave accusations of racial profiling to report suspicious behavior; all have contributed to keeping us safe.

It's not like the jihadis haven't been trying. Despite the comments from Ron Paul cultists at Flopping Aces who echo Michael Moore's absurd suggestion that "there is no terrorist threat."
Whether it's the amateurish ,but still deadly, plot by Iyman Farris to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge in New York or the plots to attack Fort Dix, New Jersey, or JFK airport, or the Empire State Building, or the Library Tower, or Sears Tower, or flights from Britain over the Atlantic. More recently, foiled plots uncovered overseas in Denmark and in Germany.

I am so thankful we have been spared those horrors. And I am doubly thankful that thousands of innocent Americans are alive today because of aggressive efforts to keep us safe.

Therefore, I declare September 12th, 2007 a day of Thanksgiving. It's a tribute to so many unsung heroes whose contributions we may never know, but appreciate nonetheless.

Anbar Province government dedicates success vs. Al Qaeda to 9/11 victims

Another story you won't see in your local paper or on the nightly news:

Wordsmith found this via A Soldier's Mind:

Anbar Province government dedicates success vs. Al Qaeda to 9/11 victims
By STEPHANIE GASKELL
New York Daily News
September 10th 2007

RAMADI, Iraq - When members of the government of Anbar Province met with President Bush last week, they presented him with a letter dedicating their success in wiping out Al Qaeda here to the victims of Sept. 11

The letter, which was obtained by the Daily News, was signed by Anbar Governor Mamoun Sami Rashid, Provincial Council Chairman Abdul-Salam Abdullah, and Sheik Sattar abu Risha, the sheik credited with beginning the Anbar Awakening.

"In the month when the terrorists attacked the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, we dedicate the victory of Anbar Province to the families of the victims who suffred that criminal act," the letter said, which was addressed directly to Bush.

"With the help of the president of the United States, we pledge to continue to cooperate and communicate with you to continue to get good results," the letter said.

Bush traveled to Anbar Province to highlight the dramatic decrease in violence there, just days ahead of the progress report that Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker presented to Congress Monday.

We're constantly told by the delusionist on the left that Iraqis want us OUT! Had the Anbaris handed Bush a letter demanding we get out now you bet it would have been on the front page of every newspaper and lead the newscast of every "news" outlet in the country.

GOP members of both the House and Senate should go to their respective chambers and read this letter into the Congressional record until it gets the coverage it deserves!

No Words To Describe The Horror

Remembering a day that is impossible to forget!

photo by Mike's America

My habit is to start my computer first thing when I get up and check the news and email. On Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 the Drudge Report had a headline about a plane striking the World Trade Center in New York. No photo, just the headline. I thought it must be a joke and went about my day until I turned on the television.

This was no joke. And I watched live as the Towers fell. The horror of knowing what was happening to the lives of so many people will never leave me. People often talk of this as being the "Pearl Harbor" for our generation. In contrast, those alive at the time of Pearl Harbor only learned of the attack after it happened. We watched every minute of the September 11th attacks live.

photo by Mike's America

In the years I spent living in the New York City area the World Trade Center Towers were the first welcoming sight as I returned to the city traveling up the New Jersey Turnpike. You saw those Towers and you knew you were home. They were the backdrop for so many scenes I witnessed as an area resident. It's still difficult to know that they are no longer there.

photo by Mike's America

And today we also remember, and can never forget ,the brave men and women who died retaking United Flight 93 and crashing it in the field in Pennsylvania, thus saving our nation's capital a further assualt. We remember also our brave men and women in the Pentagon who also took a direct hit with many lives lost.

The Best 9/11 Tribute

Relive that day for a few moments with me. The best tribute is this flash presentation. A shorter You Tube version is here, but the longer tribute carries so much more imagery and depth. Play it here. Both use the music of Enya, "Only Time."

"Only Time"
Enya

Who can say where the road goes,
Where the day flows, only time?
And who can say if your love grows,
As your hearth chose, only time?

Who can say why your heart sights,
As your live flies, only time?
And who can say why your heart cries
when your love lies, only time?

Who can say when the roads meet,
That love might be ,in your heart?
and who can say when the day sleeps,
and the night keeps all your heart?
Night keeps all your heart.....

Who can say if your love groves,
As your heart chose, only time?
And who can say where the road goes
Where the day flows, only time?

Who knows? Only time
Who knows? Only time

As the Sun rose this Monday morning, a momentary hush settled over the Capital. General Petraeus was in town and he came to report on Iraq. His first stop, the House Armed Services Committee.

As the General made his way through the Halls of Congress the loony left was out in force, doing what they do best: behaving like spoiled children and dressed as if they were headed to a Halloween party.

As the General spoke, the circus show briefly disrupted his remarks. Apparently they feel their right to be heard trumps the American people's right to be informed. They were expelled from the hearing.


What message where the circus clowns above so desperate to block? Here it is. The Petraeus Report (text in pdf, slides in pdf)

General Petraeus: "At the outset, I would like to note that this is my testimony. Although I have briefed my assessment and recommendations to my chain of command, I wrote this testimony myself. It has not been cleared by, nor shared with, anyone in the Pentagon, the White House, or Congress.
...
We endeavor to ensure our analysis of that data is conducted with rigor and consistency, as our ability to achieve a nuanced understanding of the security environment is dependent on collecting and analyzing data in a consistent way over time. Two US intelligence agencies recently reviewed our methodology, and they concluded that the data we produce is the most accurate and authoritative in Iraq. "

"Coalition and Iraqi operations have helped reduce ethno-sectarian violence, as well, bringing down the number of ethno-sectarian deaths substantially in Baghdad and across Iraq since the height of the sectarian violence last December. The number of overall civilian deaths has also declined during this period, although the numbers in each area are still at troubling levels."

"Though the improvements have been uneven across Iraq, the overall number of security incidents in Iraq has declined in 8 of the past 12 weeks, with the numbers of incidents in the last two weeks at the lowest levels seen since June 2006. One reason for the decline in incidents is that Coalition and Iraqi forces have dealt significant blows to Al Qaeda-Iraq.
...
In the past six months we have also targeted Shia militia extremists, capturing a number of senior leaders and fighters, as well as the deputy commander of Lebanese Hezbollah Department 2800, the organization created to support the training, arming, funding, and, in some cases, direction of the militia extremists by the Iranian Republican Guard Corps’ Qods Force. These elements have assassinated and kidnapped Iraqi governmental leaders, killed and wounded our soldiers with advanced explosive devices provided by Iran, and indiscriminately rocketed civilians in the International Zone and elsewhere. It is increasingly apparent to both Coalition and Iraqi leaders that Iran, through the use of the Qods Force, seeks to turn the Iraqi Special Groups into a Hezbollah-like force to serve its interests and fight a proxy war against the Iraqi state and coalition forces in Iraq."

"In view of this, I do not believe it is reasonable to have an adequate appreciation for the pace of further reductions and mission adjustments beyond the summer of 2008 until about mid-March of next year. We will, no later than that time, consider factors similar to those on which I based the current recommendations, having by then, of course, a better feel for the security situation, the improvements in the capabilities of our Iraqi counterparts, and the enemy situation. I will then, as I did in developing the recommendations I have explained here today, also take into consideration the demands on our Nation’s ground forces, although I believe that that consideration should once again inform, not drive, the recommendations I make.

This chart captures the recommendations I have described, showing the recommended reduction of brigade combat teams as the surge runs its course and illustrating the concept of our units adjusting their missions and transitioning responsibilities to Iraqis, as the situation and Iraqi capabilities permit. It also reflects the no-later-than date for recommendations on force adjustments beyond next summer and provides a possible approach we have considered for the future force structure and mission set in Iraq.
...
Before closing, I want to thank you and your colleagues for your support of our men and women in uniform in Iraq. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen with whom I’m honored to serve are the best equipped and, very likely, the most professional force in our nation’s history. Impressively, despite all that has been asked of them in recent years, they continue to raise their right hands and volunteer to stay in uniform. With three weeks to go in this fiscal year, in fact, the Army elements in Iraq, for example, have achieved well over 130% of the reenlistment goals in the initial term and careerist categories and nearly 115% in the mid-career category. All of us appreciate what you have done to ensure that these great troopers have had what they’ve needed to accomplish their mission, just as we appreciate what you have done to take care of their families, as they, too, have made significant sacrifices in recent years.
...
In closing, it remains an enormous privilege to soldier again in Iraq with America’s new “Greatest Generation.” Our country’s men and women in uniform have done a magnificent job in the most complex and challenging environment imaginable. All Americans should be very proud of their sons and daughters serving in Iraq today."

Brit Hume of Fox News will interview both General Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, who also testified, tonight at 9 PM est.

Osama bin Laden: MoveOn. Org, Daily Kos and The New Republic Subscriber?

Or did his speech writer just graduate from an American liberal arts university?

Osama sent the American people an anniversary gift to mark the sixth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. I didn't know that the proper gift for a sixth anniversary of a terrorist atrocity was a gasbag of a rehashed Marxist America-hating speech, but I'll keep that in mind for next time.

If you haven't had the opportunity to read the speech in full you should. It's here in a clear, copyable pdf from the SITE Intelligence Group.

Titled "The Solution" it reads more like the ravings of former professor Ward Churchill, or any other America hating loon you might see at one of the small anti-war protests that pop up from time to time.

The speech credits Noam Chomsky, one of the lefties favorite self-loathing, America hating intellectuals for inspiration. That in itself is surprising. You wouldn't think that Chomsky's work undermining the United States would get great play in the caves of Waziristan.

This address, differs markedly from previous efforts in both style and substance. The old demand that the U.S. totally withdraw from "Muslim Lands" (meaning anywhere Muslims live, presumably including Dearborn, Michigan) is gone. The followers of hopeless presidential candidate Ron Paul, who demand we "listen" to our enemies will be relieved they are no longer duty bound to obey and abandon all our allies around the world.

While previous speeches referred to stealing the oil wealth of Muslim nations (at $70 a barrel?) this speech makes one brief reference to a curious variation of the lefty chant "no blood for oil" saying: ""no to spilling red blood for black oil."

But what drives this speech, and is truly mystifying from an Islamist perspective is the constant refrain about evil American corporations.

Here's a montage:

Osama: "The life of all of mankind is in danger because of the global warming resulting to a large degree from the emissions of the factories of the major corporations, yet despite that, the representative of these corporations in the White House insists on not observing the Kyoto accord.

"The democratic system, which confirms its massive failure to protect humans and their interests from the greed and avarice of the major corporations and their representatives."

"The capitalist system seeks to turn the entire world into a fiefdom
of the major corporations under the label of “globalization.”"

"Warmongering owners of the major corporations realize that you have lost confidence in your democratic system."

"It has now become clear to you and the entire world the impotence of the democratic system and how it plays with the interests of the peoples and their blood by sacrificing soldiers and populations to achieve the interests of the major corporations."

Gee whiz! It's like that episode of South Park with the Hippie Jam Fest!

There's only one thing a hippie Osama hates worse than corporations and that's neocons.

"And among the most important items contained in Bush’s speeches since the events of the 11th is that the Americans have no option but to continue the war. This tone is in fact an echoing of the words of neoconservatives like Cheney, Rumsfeld (pictured right with Gerald Ford) and Richard Pearle."

But when the neocons get together with the evil corporations, WATCH OUT!

"In the Vietnam War, the leaders of the White House claimed at the time that it was a necessary and crucial war, and during it, Rumsfeld and his aides murdered two million villagers. And when Kennedy took over the presidency and deviated from the general line of policy drawn up for the White House and wanted to stop this unjust war, that angered the owners of the major corporations who were benefiting from its continuation.

And so Kennedy was killed, and al-Qaida wasn’t present at that time, but rather, those corporations were the primary beneficiary from his killing. And the war continued after that for approximately one decade. But after it became clear to you that it was an unjust and unnecessary war, you made one of your greatest mistakes, in that you neither brought to account nor punished those who waged this war, not even the most violent of its murderers, Rumsfeld."

Let's see now, Donald Rumsfeld first became Secretary of Defense in 1975. John F. Kennedy had been dead for nearly 12 years. Pretty neat trick for Rumsfeld the neocon to mastermind that while murdering two million Vietnamese especially since most U.S. forces had already left Vietnam by the time he became Defense Secretary.

Ah, but don't let a little thing like history or facts get in the way of a jihadi/Marxist rant.

Like many on the left, Osama also had some choice words for Democrats. Obviously, he was disappointed they haven't been able to assure surrender and he had to renew the lease on his cave instead of pack up for one of Saddam's palaces:

"People of America: the world is following your news in regards to your invasion of Iraq, for people have recently come to know that, after several years of the tragedies of this war, the vast majority of you want it stopped. Thus, you elected the Democratic Party for this purpose, but the Democrats haven’t made a move worth mentioning. On the contrary, they continue to agree to the spending of tens of billions to continue the killing and war there, which has led to the vast majority of you being afflicted with disappointment.
...
So in answer to the question about the causes of the Democrats' failure to stop the war, I say: they are the same reasons which led to the failure of former president Kennedy to stop the Vietnam war. Those with real power and influence are those with the most capital. And since the democratic system permits major corporations to back candidates, be they presidential or congressional, there shouldn't be any cause for astonishment - and there isn't any- in the Democrats' failure to stop the war. And you're the ones who have the saying which goes, "Money talks." And I tell you: after the failure of your representatives in the Democratic Party to implement your desire to stop the war, you can still carry anti-war placards and spread out in the streets of major cities, then go back to your homes, but that will be of no use and will lead to the prolonging of the war."

Like any good Marxist, Osama is down on the whole concept of democracy:

"And among the things which catch the eye of the one who considers the repercussions of your unjust war against Iraq is the failure of your democratic system, despite it raising of the slogans of justice, liberty, equality and humanitarianism. It has not only failed to achieve these things, it has actually destroyed these and other concepts with its weapons.
...
So it is imperative that you free yourselves from all of that and search for an alternative, upright methodology in which it is not the business of any class of humanity to lay down its own laws to its own advantage at the expense of the other classes as is the case with you, since the essence of man-made positive laws is that they serve the interests of those with the capital and thus make the rich richer and the poor poorer."

"The rich richer and the poor poorer?" Osama is a Democrat after all. The only thing he missed is "tax cuts for the rich." Maybe next time.

But what is that "alternative, upright methodology" which will free us from our evil ways?

You guessed it. Covert to Islam:

To conclude, I invite you to embrace Islam, for the greatest mistake one can make in this world and one which is uncorrectable is to die while not surrendering to Allah, the Most High, in all aspects of one's life - ie., to die outside of Islam. And Islam means gain for you in this first life and the next, final life. The true religion is a mercy for people in their lives, filling their hearts with serenity and calm.

Ah yes, the religion of peace, the hearts of whose adherents are filled with "serenity and calm" like Rage Boy here.

There's so much more to this speech for America haters to admire and no doubt Osama's speech will be required reading for college freshman in humanities courses at public universities where America hating lefties monopolize the trough of taxpayer supported education.

But this speech is such badly written tripe, it's likely to set off a new revolution in comedy writing. Just make sure you don't use any images of the prophet when you do.

They can pair the speech up with that other approved teaching aid, the comic book for San Francisco schools written by America haters which seems to have been the source material for the speech.