Headlines for 01-14-08

Prankster linked to US-Iran naval incident "Filipino Monkey" is famous in the Gulf for listening to ship-to-ship radio traffic and then jumping in with insults and epithets, said Navy Times.


Gulf of Tonkin Will BeTough to Repeat by Ray McGovern** It is my view that the only thing that has prevented Bush and Cheney from attacking Iran so far has been the strong opposition of the uniformed military, including the Joint Chiefs.


Iran says Bush's accusations "words without value"


Bush talks oil prices with Gulf Arab leaders His Middle East tour has come amid worries that oil prices that recently hovered near $US100 a barrel could push the US economy into recession.


Iranian boats threaten, so the candidates step up rhetoric As usual, the talk on Iran eventually turned to Israel.


Bush seeks Saudi support for fragile Middle East peace talks Bush's talks in Riyadh were also expected to deal with Iranian policy in the region, including Tehran's nuclear ambitions and its support for radical groups such as Hamas, Hizbullah in Lebanon, and Shia militias in Iraq. Iran was the main focus of the president's keynote speech of his trip in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.




James Woolsey: Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind Woolsey has a remarkable record, even for a neocon; he has gone from searching for flying saucers at the CIA to claiming anybody who didn't believe in a Saddam/al-Qaeda connection was "illiterate." Now he's trying to provoke "World War IV" with half the Muslim world.


Newsweek: Bush 'disowned' NIE to Olmert President Bush reportedly "all but disowned" the recent National Intelligence Estimate in private talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.


Saudi public leery of Bush Among the reasons are the chaos in Iraq that followed the U.S.-led invasion and the widespread Arab feeling that the United States is biased in favor of Israel and not serious in seeking Mideast peace.


Bush's Arab world tour is significant for Israel** From an Israeli perspective, the three key elements were
isolating Iran, coaxing moderate Arab countries into moving toward normalization with Israel and getting oil-rich Arab states to honor their financial pledges to the Palestinians......Bush's post-NIE Mideast diplomacy can be read in two different ways: bolstering the moderate Arab coalition against Iran as part of an ongoing policy of containment through diplomatic and economic sanctions, or as laying the diplomatic groundwork for a possible military strike against Iranian nuclear installations before the president leaves office.


China says military buildup does not threaten U.S


Olmert renews threat on Iran Yediot Achronot reported that Israeli and U.S. officials will resume a strategic dialogue focused on Iran at the end of the month. Israel's representative will be Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz; his U.S. counterpart will be State Department official Nicholas Burns


Report: Bush praises Syria strike President Bush was quoted as saying Israel's airstrike in Syria last year was an "important preventive action."


It's Not About Iran Last year, King Abdullah II of Jordan delivered an address to a joint session of Congress. His focus was not on Iran or Iraq -- or even the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees his small country is painfully hosting. In urging American diplomacy, his message was clear: "The wellspring of regional division, the source of resentment and frustration far beyond, is the denial of justice and peace in Palestine." This address was hardly noticed in our press. In contrast, when the king highlights the Iranian threat to his American visitors, everyone listens.


Refugees still face dire conditions at Nahr al-Bared, despite relief efforts


Bush in new Saudi talks after first moves on arms deal The arms deal, which includes weaponry and high-tech munitions, has alarmed Israel and some US Congressmen, especially as Saudi Arabia refuses to recognise the Jewish state.