Headlines for 12-14-07

Iran reformists criticize Ahmadinejad's policies A coalition of Iranian reformists on Friday criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his hardline policies and said they were worsening a crisis with the international community.


Iran asked to postpone talks with US: State Department US and Iranian experts postponed a meeting to discuss Iraq's security at Iran's request but the two sides will arrange a new meeting, the US State Department said Thursday.


Egypt and Saudi Arabia make new overtures to Iran David Frum, a former speech writer for President George W. Bush, who is credited with coining the phrase "axis of evil," wrote in Canada's National Post this week that the NIE is a "foundational political fact that will make it politically impossible for the Bush Administration to launch a strike at Iran's nuclear facilities."
Frum, author described here.


House Judiciary Trio Calls for Impeach Cheney Hearings "The issues at hand are too serious to ignore, including credible allegations of abuse of power that if proven may well constitute high crimes and misdemeanors under our constitution. The charges against Vice President Cheney relate to his deceptive actions leading up to the Iraq war, the revelation of the identity of a covert agent for political retaliation, and the illegal wiretapping of American citizens."


Al-Qaida No2 attacks Annapolis peace conference Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has attacked last month's US-sponsored Middle East peace conference as a "betrayal" of Palestine.


Bush: Syria must release arrested opposition activists


Inside Track: From Freedom Fries to War Powers by Philip Giraldi Walter Jones has introduced legislation that would change the rules for the White House and would, among other things, make it more difficult to start a new war.


U.S. lawmakers vote to hold Bolten and Rove in contempt The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee voted on Thursday to hold two top aides to President George W. Bush in contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate in its probe of fired federal prosecutors.


Israel, U.S. to meet to discuss differing assessments on Iran ** Until the release of the American report, the defense establishment believed Israel might find itself involved in a military conflict with Iran in the coming year if Bush decided to act against Tehran and Iran responded against Israeli targets as well The American intelligence community stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam. They stopped this nation from going into WWIII (at the behest of a foreign nation).


House approves nuclear fuel bank Lantos aimed the proposal at rogue nations like Iran that insist their plans are for civilian nuclear energy, and not nuclear weapons.



Ron Paul: Slings and Arrows, Left and Right "In the isolationist fashion of the nation's Pat Buchanans, he decries intervention in foreign nation's affairs and believes membership in the United Nations undermines U.S. sovereignty." Such a sentence, dripping with contempt for Paul's "no entangling alliances" keep-us-out-of-war stance, might easily have appeared in the Weekly Standard, or National Review.


Journalists probed for travel to 'enemy' states A top national security commentator, a popular blogger and a travel writer are under police investigation over reporting trips to Syria and Lebanon on behalf of their Israeli news outlets.


U.S. delays Saudi arms sale Pro-Israel sources said they expected the sale to be approved as early as January, albeit after close congressional review.


UN extends Golan force mandate for six months The Security Council on Friday extended for another six months the mandate of the UN force that has for more than 33 years monitored the ceasefire between Israel and Syria on the strategic Golan Heights.


Bill includes U.S.-Israel missile coordination Under the proposal, the secretary of defense must within six months present a plan to Congress a plan "to improve the coordination, interoperability, and integration of the U.S. National Ballistic Missile Defense System with Israel?s missile defense architecture," a statement from Kirk's office said Kirk up for the AIPAC asskisser of the year award. My condolences to his constituents.


McCain names Broxmeyer top Jewish adviser Broxmeyer, a New York property developer, is national chairman for JINSA, a group that promotes close Israel-U.S. security ties and that has been one of the most consistent supporters of the Bush administration's Iraq policy. Broxmeyer has taken the lead in promoting JINSA's exchange program for Israeli and U.S. law enforcement officials.


Bush reaffirms Lebanon tribunal President Bush slammed Syria and reaffirmed his support for a tribunal investigating assassinations in Lebanon Looks like Assad got too cozy with Washington for somebody's tastes in recent weeks. Hmm? Cui bono ? Who benefits? ? is a question that must ever be asked about Middle Eastern terror - Patrick J. Buchanan.


Bill pushes Iran to pay victims The legislation is based on an earlier stand-alone bill authored by two Jewish U.S. senators, Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.). It is aimed particularly at Iran, which until now has successfully resisted dipping into U.S. assets to pay close to $2.7 billion in damages won in courts by families of the 241 servicemen killed in the 1983 Hezbollah attack on a U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut.


The man with the silver tongue At the RJC forum in October, declaring that he would act to stop a nuclear Iran, Romney even spelled out some of the measures a military confrontation with Iran might entail, going further than several other candidates in raising the possibility of taking that course of action.


Lebanon mourns slain army chief