Sunday, August 31, 2008

Headlines for 08-31-08

Russia warns it will respond to "aggression" Russia does not want confrontation with the West but will hit back if attacked, Kremlin leader Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday, a day before EU leaders meet to draft a response to Moscow's actions in Georgia.


Bush quietly seeks to make war powers permanent, by declaring indefinite state of war


Iran warns any attack would start 'world war' In recent months, several Israeli politicians have talked of the possibility of a preemptive military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities to avoid any possibility of Tehran acquiring an atomic weapon.


Report: Russia threatens to arm Iran Russia could supply Iran with a top new missile system if the United States pushes NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine....The news has raised alarms in the United States and Israel


'McCain VP choice unknown to US Jews' "Sarah's absolutely pro-Israel," he said, referring to conversations with her and comments she's made about Israel's security and its importance to the United States. He noted that as governor she signed a resolution honoring Israel for its 60th birthday. David Gottstein, who is active with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Alaska, said he had spoken to the governor about arranging a trip to Israel, but scheduling conflicts had kept it from happening to date


Lebanon deminers hang up their detectors as funds dry up The demining teams have been working all-out to clear the more than one million cluster bombs Israel dropped throughout south Lebanon during the last days of its devastating 34-day war with Hezbollah in the summer of 2006...."Many of the bombs were dropped on agricultural lands, which means farmers are staying away from their land,"....."The United Nations has repeatedly requested cluster bomb data from Israel (including maps and the type of ordnance dropped), but in two years plus, we still haven't received the requested data," No kidding?


Global energy companies promoting Iran The Anti-Defamation League on Friday criticized the companies for "hindering the effort to isolate Iran." THe ADL = agent of Israel.


Demonstration protests Steiner deal with Iran Pro-Israel groups demonstrated in Siegen, Germany to protest a major business deal between a local firm and Iran.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Headlines for 08-29-08

Report: Iran to install 54,000 centrifuges (Roundup)


US jury acquits ex-Marine over Iraqi killings


Iran 'operating 4,000 nuclear centrifuges' Iran is operating about 4,000 uranium enrichment centrifuges and it is installing several thousand more, the state news agency IRNA quoted the deputy foreign minister as saying Friday.


Iran warns US over interfering in Caucasus crisis


The Biden Betrayal It is difficult to overestimate the critical role Biden played in making the tragedy of the Iraq war possible. More than two months prior to the 2002 war resolution even being introduced, in what was widely interpreted as the first sign that Congress would endorse a U.S. invasion of Iraq, Biden declared on Aug. 4 that the United States was probably going to war. In his powerful position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he orchestrated a propaganda show designed to sell the war to skeptical colleagues and the American public by ensuring that dissenting voices would not get a fair hearing.


Source: Israel ready to stop Iranian nukes The Jerusalem Post said that members of the Israeli government are moving forward with precautionary plans including the purchase of advanced warplanes and receiving permission to use U.S.-controlled Iraqi airspace. Israel is a bellicose nation hell bent on dragging my country into yet another war on their behalf. All support thereof should be halted immediately for the sake of this nation - AMERICA.


The Ledeen Move I would think that FDD, while certainly part of the same Likudist network as AEI?s Middle East cadre, marks a major comedown in prestige and power for Ledeen, and I have a hard time believing that he would go there willingly unless he were offered significantly more money than he is able to earn from his AEI perch.


Goodbye by Charley Reese


AIPAC: We like Biden Biden does have a long record of working with AIPAC and Israel.


McCain hammers Obama on Iran "Terrorism, destroying Israel, those aren't "serious threats"?


Iran says can hit Israel with missiles if attacked Iran could hit back at Israel with missiles if the Jewish state attacked it and could also rely on allies in the region to strike, the commander of the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday.


Ads pushing Iran strike show Denver under missile attack from Boulder The Boulder attack ad shows a map of Denver being hit by flaming missiles, then an image of Israel being hit by the same weapons. It then displays an image of Iran, followed by ominous missile launches, a photograph of a man with a black hood over his face, Iran's president, and a silhouetted traveler with a suitcase.
Americans receive more (than their usual) propaganda from a pro-Israel outfit. At what point will Americans finally rise up and send these traitors packing? An attack on Iran is not in America's interest - ask Gates, Mullen , and those in the Pentagon who refuse to go along with it. Those that advocate a policy that endangers America to further a nation other than this one are in fact TRAITORS. And they should be shown the door.


Iraq's Palestinians still live in fear The doors are even mostly closed to the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel controls the borders, and rarely grants residency to Palestinian exiles.


Charley Reese Writes for the Last Time


UNIFIL denies reports of Israeli incursion in south Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) Monday denied reports of an Israeli incursion into southern Lebanon.



Obama's Cheney Biden prevented any and all antiwar voices from being given a podium at the Senate hearings.


IRAQ: Some Palestinian refugees to get special IDs The Iraqi government has launched a registration process for Palestinian refugees who arrived between 1948 and 1967 - and their descendants - to help ensure they benefit from government aid programmes.


On Mideast, McCain surrogates at convention likely to echo Bush When it comes to Israel and how to deal with Iran, Republicans are happy to tout the Arizona senator's consistency with the Bush presidency and his differences with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), his Democratic rival. With AIPAC stoolie Biden in the Dem corner, and McCain in the Republican corner, Americans cannot win when it comes to electing a president that puts the interests of America first.


Israel won't allow Iranian nukes A government committee is preparing a contingency plan to attack Iran, should diplomatic efforts to derail Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program fail, the paper reported.


Foreign Lobbyists and the Making of US Policy The Georgia lobby and the Israel lobby have much in common, including key supporters and personnel, as well as geopolitical and economic links. Israeli defense companies, which are virtually part of the Israeli state, armed the Georgians, and the IDF trained Georgian troops in preparation for the day they would ? as the mainstream media puts it ?"retake" (i.e., invade and crush) the breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. ...... In one of the most successful inversions of reality ever attempted, the Western media has convinced its audience ? and even itself ? that Russia invaded Georgia, instead of Georgia invading South Ossetia.


Obama derides GOP 'tough talk' on Israel Barack Obama said Republican "tough talk" was not protecting Israel.


Iraq's Palestinians still live in fear The doors are even mostly closed to the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel controls the borders, and rarely grants residency to Palestinian exiles.


Hezbollah hands over militant who shot at helicopter (2nd Roundup) The Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah Friday handed over to Lebanese authorities the militant who opened fire on a Lebanese army helicopter killing a crew member, official sources said.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Headlines for 08-25-08

Iranian leader backs Ahmadinejad The ayatollah praised the president for "standing up" to the West and predicted he would be returned to office for four more years at the 2009 election.


Pentagon's Intelligence Arm Steps Up Lie Detecting Efforts on Employees


Name on government watch list threatens pilot's career In a statement, the U.S. Justice Department said it will not confirm or deny that the couple's names are on a watch list for national security and privacy reasons.


The Evil Empire Revisited by Philip Giraldi why does Washington persist in demanding that an unwanted weapons system that has no purpose but to create fear in Moscow be put into operation? Perhaps Bill Kristol and John Bolton can provide an answer. But the end result will quite likely be Cold War II, huge new defense contracts, and more fear-mongering talking points for the neocons.


Iran will hit back if Israel attacks: Hezbollah "The first shot fired from the Zionist entity towards Iran will be met by a response of 11,000 rockets in the direction of the Zionist entity. This is what military leaders in the Islamic republic have confirmed," said Mohammed Raad, the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc. His remarks were reported by the National News Agency.


Hezbollah chief threatens to destroy Israel Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Sunday to destroy Israel if it carries out threats to hit Lebanon should the government give greater legitimacy to the Shiite militant group.


Syria-Israel talks focused on border: Moualem


Pentagon Finds Religious Bias In Army Probe The inspector general's report suggested that counterintelligence officers at the facility were influenced by a warning from the Defense Investigative Service (now the Defense Security Service) in 1995 that Israeli intelligence officers were trying to exploit nationalistic feelings in American Jews. The report noted that a polygraph test administered to Tenenbaum may have overstepped allowable questions and approaches, and that a request that he apply to upgrade his security clearance was a ruse to investigate his possible espionage.


Iran votes take center stage in debate over Democratic ticket "Biden has failed to recognize the serious threat that Iran poses to Israel and the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East," the Republican Jewish Coalition said in a statement. "In 1998, Sen. Biden was one of only four senators to vote against the Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions Act, a bill that punished foreign companies or other entities that sent Iran sensitive missile technology or expertise. Biden was one of the few senators to oppose the bipartisan 2007 Kyl-Lieberman Amendment labeling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization.?


Obama: Tighten screws on Iran "My job as president would be to try to make sure that we are tightening the screws diplomatically on Iran, that we've mobilized the world community to go after Iran's program in a serious way, to get sanctions in place so that Iran starts making a difficult calculation," the presumptive Democratic nominee said Monday at a campaign event in Iowa, according to news reports. "We've got to do that before Israel feels like its back is to the wall." Really now? Which country is he looking to lead?


Australia has its own version of AIPAC, called "AIJAC" guess what their web site is pushing for? That's right, pushing to get Australia involved in fighting another war for Israel, with these headlines: The Israeli lobbies in Canada and Australia are almost as powerful, if not moreso, than their American counter part.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Headlines for 08-23-08

Iran's Ahmadinejad in new verbal attack on Israel Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad renewed his verbal attacks on arch-foe Israel on Saturday, accusing it of dragging the world into turmoil and predicting its demise.


Israel's missile shield against Iran: Three Americans in a trailer A commander and two operators monitor missile radars in an armored trailer somewhere in Europe. Inside, they use satellite technology to track the origin and trajectory of long-range missiles. In true American fashion, each shift begins with calisthenics, followed by an intelligence briefing.
That is the envisioned routine of the U.S. team that will be responsible for protecting Israel from surface-to-surface missiles launched from Iran or Syria. Unf***ingbelievable.


Biden and the Jews: Strong ties and friendly disagreements The loquacious Biden, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 1973, has sparred frequently with the pro-Israel community and with Israelis, particularly on the issue of settlements. But he has a sterling voting record on pro-Israel issues, and has as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee helped shepherd through key pro-Israel legislation..... Biden said in an interview with Shalom TV last year, when he launched his own presidential bid. "When I was a young senator, I used to say, 'If I were a Jew I'd be a Zionist.' I am a Zionist. You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.'"



Siniora complains to Ban over Israeli threats to attack all of Lebanon The Lebanese government sent a letter to UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday protesting Israeli threats to attack all of Lebanon, as media reports on Friday carried accounts of Hizbullah buying Russian weaponry and a Hizbullah official saying the group would soon take "earth-shattering" action against Israel, which will "no longer exist on the map."


Obama played it safe, but is Biden good for Israel? Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matthew Brooks explained that "with the selection of Senator Joe Biden the Democrat's ticket has become an even greater gamble for the Jewish community. Throughout his career, Senator Biden has consistently been wrong on Iran and his voting record on Israel has been inconsistent. Like Obama, Biden fundamentally misunderstands the threat posed by an Iran determined to obtain nuclear weapons. Biden has continuously demonstrated poor judgment on Iran. He has voted against significant legislation that would pressure Iran to stop pursuing nuclear weapons. Biden has failed to recognize the serious threat that Iran poses to Israel and the US and its allies in the Middle East."

Friday, August 22, 2008

Headlines for 08-22-08

US-led forces kill '76 Afghan civilians' US-led coalition forces killed 76 Afghan civilians in western Afghanistan on Friday, most of them children, the Interior Ministry said.


US troops 'to quit Iraq by 2011'


US Marines refuse to testify in Iraq prisoner death trial Two US Marines facing murder charges in connection with the deaths of Iraqi prisoners in Fallujah in 2004 were declared in contempt of court Friday after refusing to testify against a former comrade on trial.



Iraq Still Demanding Withdrawal Date, Right to Try U.S. troops


And None Dare Call It Treason by Patrick J. Buchanan This is the situation in which the interventionists have placed our country: committed to go to war for countries and causes that do not justify war, against a Russia that is re-emerging as a great power only to find NATO squatting on her doorstep. Scheunemann's resume as a War Party apparatchik is lengthy. He signed the PNAC (Project for the New American Century) letter to President Clinton urging war on Iraq, four years before 9/11 Last paragraph has a line from George Washington's Farewell Address, one of my personal favorites (named my other blog after it). That's the second time in a week, that a favorite political commentator of mine has cited this speech. Last week, it was Michael Scheuer. Excellent!


Diplomatic effort on Iran nukes jeopardized by U.S.-Russia crisis The crisis between the United States and Russia has led to the suspension of diplomatic efforts to draft a new resolution imposing harsher sanctions on Iran.


Buchanan accuses 'McCain's neocon warmonger' of treason Go get 'em, Paddy.


U.S. won't sell refueling jets to Israel, fearing strike on Iran It emerged on Wednesday that the United States has refused to sell Jerusalem new refueling planes, fearing such a transaction could be interpreted as support for an Israeli attack on Iran.


Chill falls on Israeli-Russian relations Israel, which maintains friendly ties with Georgia and has sold weapons to the Eurasian country -- as have several Western nations -- fears Moscow will exact a price for this support by boosting its ties with Syria.


Israel Project launches TV ads Two ads, one focusing on Israel's role in creating energy independence from Middle East oil and the other on Iran's backing for terrorists and its suspected nuclear weapons program, will air 1,300 times on cable news networks over the next two weeks. Be warned America, the Israeli Lobby is coming to a TV set near you.


US 'very concerned' over planned Russian weapons sale to Syria Israel, a key US ally, is particularly concerned Russia could deliver anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Syria that could end up in the hands of Lebanon's Syrian-backed Hezbollah militia whose political rhetoric centres on the destruction of the Jewish state Geez, I wonder why?


Russia eyes new Syria arms deal Moscow has announced it is ready to sell new weapons to Syria, triggering alarm from Israel.


Group of Jews oppose Iran attack More than 150 Jews around the world have signed a statement calling on Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.


Georgia-Russia conflict requires Israel to balance competing interests Early on, Russia singled out Israel for criticism for providing military support to Georgia, and this week a Russian army deputy chief of staff, Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, rebuked Israel for arming and training the Georgian forces.


Cash crisis hits Lebanon cluster bomb clearance Many of the 44 teams clearing cluster munitions scattered by Israel in south Lebanon during its 2006 war with Hezbollah will have to stop work this month for lack of funds, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Friday. And how much has Israel paid up to clean up the millions of cluster bomblets it fired into Lebanon three days before a ceasefire that they knew was forthcoming? And if nothing, why?


'We won't place missiles in Syria' Russia has no intention of placing the advanced Iskander missile system in Syria, acting Ambassador Anatoly Yurkov told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.


Under Moscow's wing Events in Georgia have had some surprising repercussions in the Middle East, leaving Syria looking perkier than usual


Russia seeks to restore its prestige in the Holy Land

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Headlines for 08-21-08

Is war in air in the Gulf? Leading the joint naval task force is the nuclear-powered carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its Carrier Strike Group 2. In addition to the 80-plus warplanes the Roosevelt normally transports, it is carrying an additional load of Rafale fighter jets from the French carrier Charles de Gaulle, currently in dry dock. ......The deployment of the multinational naval task force is the largest show of military power from the United States and allied countries to assemble around the strategic waters of the Persian Gulf since the first and second Gulf wars.


US labels Russia an international outlaw


Libby questioned on forged letter linking Saddam to 9/11


Conyers Asks Intelligence Officials to Discuss Bogus Iraq/Al-Qaeda Letter Giraldi added that ?Tenet is for once telling the truth when he states that he would not have undermined himself by preparing such a document while at the same time insisting publicly that there was no connection between Saddam and al-Qaeda.


Georgia is Central to the Global War on Terror, Isn?t It? by Philip Giraldi


McCain Selects Doug Feith as Grand Poobah by Philip Giraldi


Lebanon dismisses Israeli warnings over Hezbollah Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salukh dismissed as "ravings" on Thursday Israeli threats to target the country's civilian infrastructure if the government gives greater legitimacy to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.


Pro-Israel blog Power Line Picks up the Giraldi Smear and Runs With It So did this Israeli 'news' website. Go figure.


Who Is Ready To Smear Philip Giraldi? You had to know that Giraldi would come under heavy fire from the Israeli Lobby at some point. I'm surprised it took so long.


Israel warns Israelis abroad of Hezbollah kidnap plans


Syria seeks weapons deal with Russia amid 'Cold War' ripples


Israel warns Russia over weapons sale to Syria Russia promised to consider the sale of "defensive" weapons to Syria during a visit to the country by President Bashar Assad. But in response to the visit, Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, said: "It is in nobody's interest to destabilise the region."



McCain's 'Judeo-Christian values' reference puzzles

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Headlines for 08-20-08

Russia Threatens Military Response if U.S., Poland Follow Through With Missile Defense Deal


Iranian missile with dummy satellite failed: US defense official


How Foreign Policy Affects Gas Prices by Ron Paul Recently I and other members of Congress spoke out against H Con Res 362 and exposed this seemingly innocuous bill for what it really is ? a call for a blockade and a build up to war with Iran. Thankfully it has not come to the floor for a vote as I had fully expected it would. But to even propose legislation like this, and get an alarming 261 cosponsors, makes the oil markets jittery and encourages more capital flight from the dollar.


Feb. 2007: US Generals ?Will Quit? If Bush Orders Iran Attack


Political transitions in Israel, U.S. leave Iran question unanswered In June, U.S. National Intelligence director Mike McConnell and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mike Mullen visited Israel and came out strongly against any Israeli attack. Both argued that Iran was still a long way from producing a nuclear weapon and that any Israeli attack would undermine U.S. interests. Israel and consequently its agents in America want to continue to make their problems OUR problems - to the detriment of AMERICA.


Big Three Block Iran Attack the Bush administration is hoisted with its own petard. Whatever the more hawkish denizens of Washington want to do to Iran, they are not going to get the international support necessary for their desired action.


Who started Cold War II? by Patrick J. Buchanan The swift and decisive action of Putin's army in running the Georgian forces out of South Ossetia in 24 hours after Saakashvili began his barrage and invasion suggests Putin knew exactly what Saakashvili was up to and dropped the hammer on him.


Iran says talks with IAEA "positive" Iran described talks with a top U.N. inspector over its nuclear program -- which the West fears is a cover to build atomic bombs -- as "positive," the official IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.


Israel, Turkey, U.S to conduct joint naval exercise


Olmert: Israel will unleash all its force if Hezbollah siezes Lebanon


Why Bush Will Pardon AIPAC for Espionage By the time Fulbright's public Senate hearings ended in 1963, it had been established that the Jewish Agency laundered over $5 million (around $35 million today) into U.S. public relations and lobbying initiatives over a two-year period. The true scope of the campaign was never revealed, in spite of diligent attempts at law enforcement.


Ex-Mossad chief: Ahmadinejad is Israel's greatest gift "Ahmadinejad is our greatest gift," Halevy told the Arab language television network Al-Hurra on Tuesday. "We couldn't carry out a better operation at the Mossad than to put a guy like Ahmadinejad in power in Iran."


Israel, Russia hold talks on Georgia, Middle East Russian President Dmitry Medvedev discussed Middle East peace moves with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday, in advance of an expected visit by Syria's leader to Moscow, an Israeli official said.


Lieberman advocates stronger Georgia defense He more than likely does so because of Israel's ties to Georgia. Lieberman is after all one of Israel's top agents on Capitol Hill.


Christians United for Israel and Attacking Iran CUFI's unequivocal "support for Israel" means the United States should stand against Zion's "enemies" ? Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and any serious Arab-Israeli peace agreement. This parallels policies advocated by prominent neoconservatives who have served in George W. Bush's administration, including Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, David Wurmser, Douglas Feith, and Elliott Abrams.


Top Russian general: Israel armed, trained Georgia forces Israel supplied Georgian military forces with elite training and arms, a top Russian general was quoted as saying on Tuesday, as Russia and Georgian forces exchanged prisoners of war in a goodwill gesture.


Monday, August 18, 2008

Headlines for 08-18-08

Nuclear envoy begins Iran talks "Iran still has a long way to go as far as satellites are concerned and it deliberately exaggerates its air and space successes in order to dissuade Israel or the United States from attacking its nuclear sites," the head of Israel's space agency, Yitzhak Ben Israel, told public radio.


US/IRAN: Nothing Behind U.S. Allegations?


AP's Iran-Trained Hit Squads Story: Iraq News Nadir? In covering the story of Iran's role in Iraq, far too many reporters have passed on blatant propaganda without the slightest effort to point out its inconsistency with documented facts, much less to try to uncover the truth. But a story by Pamela Hess of Associated Press distributed Aug. 15 sets a new standard for abetting official disinformation. The Associated Press AGAIN.


Robert Fisk's World: A region boiling with tales of kings, gangs and war Yet still the Middle East debates whether Israel or the US will bomb Iran. Personally, I don't believe this will happen ? but then again, that's what I told my friend Seymour Hersh before the Iraqi catastrophe, when he said we would invade and I said we wouldn't. Currently, he thinks an Iran attack is still on the cards. So, apparently, does the Emir of Qatar. He's generously handed the Americans yet more desert for their massive air base outside Doha, land that stretches away on the further side of the military installation. He's asked for the return of the side of the base closest to the capital. The reason? Well, if America bombs Iran, the Islamic republic's missiles are likely to come hissing towards US forces in Qatar. The Emir wants them exploding as far from Doha as possible.


Israel Factor: Panel doesn't worry about Obama on Israel-Palestine


"I WAS MURDERED!! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Forty one years ago, on June 8, 1967, my shipmates were murdered in cold blood by the Government of Israel in a sneak attack upon our ship in international waters. Our ship was attacked by jet aircraft using rockets and napalm to strafe our ship and burn us alive with their deadly napalm.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Headlines for 08-17-08

Iran rocket launch 'troubling': US


Iran launches satellite carrier Iran says it has successfully launched a rocket capable of carrying its first domestically built satellite.


Response to 9/11 Offers Outline of McCain Doctrine While pushing to take on Saddam Hussein, Mr. McCain also made arguments and statements that he may no longer wish to recall. He lauded the war planners he would later criticize, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney. (Mr. McCain even volunteered that he would have given the same job to Mr. Cheney.) He urged support for the later-discredited Iraqi exile Ahmad Chalabi?s opposition group, the Iraqi National Congress, and echoed some of its suspect accusations in the national media. And he advanced misleading assertions not only about Mr. Hussein?s supposed weapons programs but also about his possible ties to international terrorists, Al Qaeda and the Sept. 11 attacks.




U.S., Israel seal deal for missile radar defense system The United States and Israel have agreed on the deployment of high-powered, early-warning missile radars in the Negev desert, to be manned by U.S. military personnel. ......Under the terms of the agreement, U.S. military staff will be permanently based in Israel for the first time.
US military now officially literally being tasked with defending Israel. Iraq, our billions in taxpayer dollars, etc aren't enough.


Lebanese army opens fire after bomb thrown in Tripoli


Germany's Schroeder says Georgia sparked fighting Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder blamed Tbilisi on Saturday for sparking hostilities with Moscow and suggested its breakaway regions could not remain part of Georgia following the violent clashes of the past week.


Source: Secret IDF material went unguarded in Georgia Tomer said he and his friends had at first received guidelines for the handling of covert material, listing what they could and couldn't tell Georgian soldiers about IDF activities. But in actuality, he said, the Georgians were told top secret information......He added that the Georgian officers told their soldiers they would be going to help NATO forces in Iraq, while the real objective was Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Headlines for 08-16-08

Turkish president says more time needed for gas deal with Iran


GCC chides Iran over facilities on UAE-claimed island


Russia could strike Poland over U.S. shield: report


Turkey, Iran sign co-op agreements on fight against terrorism


Michael Ledeen Leaves AEI Ledeen is not alone in being scarcer at the influential think tank of late. Former Reagan administration Pentagon official Richard Perle is often in France and rarely makes public appearances at AEI any more; but there's no talk of Perle leaving AEI, although his role there is largely "emeritus" the associate described. Ledeen is now the Freedom Scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a small Washington think tank headed by former Republican National Committee spokesman Cliff May


Your contribution will ensure a voice for peace


Petraeus' visit focuses on military assistance However, the stopover last week came just a day after the Lebanese government agreed on a new manifesto, claiming "the right of Lebanon, its people, its army and its resistance to liberate its land in the Shebaa Farms, Kfarshuba Hill and Ghajar," areas currently under Israeli control


Sixty Minutes Becomes Israeli-Occupied Television As Philip Giraldi points out in his article "America?s Israeli-Occupied Media,"(1) the Israeli government is continuing its campaign to get the U.S. military to attack Iran or at least give a ?green light? for a massive Israeli bombing strike. In pursuit of this reckless and ill-conceived plan Tel Aviv has a willing co-conspirator in the mainstream American media, who will present the Israeli world-view without criticism or qualification. The recent CBS broadcast (2) of the Sixty Minutes segment "The Israeli Air Force" (3) provides a rather startling example of how the American news media will permit the Israelis to present their point of view to the exclusion of any competing narrative. The report, which is presented by correspondent Bob Simon, first aired on April 27 and was rebroadcast on August 10. Looks like CBS' Sixty Minutes is whoring for Israel. Attacking Iran is not in America's interest - in fact such an attack would run counter to our interests in the region, according to Admiral Mullen. So for whose interests does CBS work?

Friday, August 15, 2008

Headlines for 08-15-08

US eyes diplomatic solution to Iran nuclear programme: US envoy


Iranian president optimistic over power, gas deals with Turkey


Iran rejects Western charges of bank illegalities Iran rejected on Friday Western allegations that its central bank and other financial institutions were trying to skirt U.N. sanctions by covering their tracks, and threatened to seek compensation


Lavrov cancels trip to Warsaw over US missile deal


Mainers Unite to Prevent War With Iran: Concern is heightened by Administration voices insisting that Congress has delegated its declaration of war powers to the White House in its blanket approval of combating terrorism, and the action of House Majority Leader Pelosi, who has blocked legislation that would require Congressional approval for an attack on Iran.


Iran training Iraqi hit squads: US military The intelligence, if it proves out, raises the prospect of a deadly new security challenge at a time when the US military is hoping to make further cuts in its forces.


Blowback From Bear-Baiting by Patrick J. Buchanan Russia's response was "disproportionate" and "brutal," wailed Bush. True. But did we not authorize Israel to bomb Lebanon for 35 days in response to a border skirmish where several Israel soldiers were killed and two captured? Was that not many times more "disproportionate"?



How anti-Iran policy contributed to war in the Caucasus


Appeals court to hear arguments in AIPAC case Oral arguments in the U.S. government's leak case against two former AIPAC staffers have been set for October.


Lieberman reassures Muslims on security Lieberman, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, joined ranking member Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.) in responding to a letter from four Arab and Muslim advocacy groups raising concerns about a May report by the committee entitled "Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet and the Homegrown Terrorist Threat."




UNIFIL commander: Israel at fault An Israeli diplomat reprimanded the UNIFIL commander for saying Israel and not Hezbollah was violating the U.N.-mandated ceasefire in south Lebanon.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Headlines for 08-14-08

Iran open to dialogue on nuclear stand-off


Sanctions hurting Iran economic activity, says IMF


6 US sailors charged with detainee abuse in Iraq The U.S. Navy says six sailors have been charged with abusing detainees at U.S. detention center in Iraq and they will face court-martials.


Iran kills 3 Kurdish separatists in clash Iranian state radio says three Kurdish separatists and one Iranian soldier were killed in a shootout in the northwest of the country.


The Lobby Like No Other Wants a War Like No Other by Michael Scheuer AIPAC makes no pretense of doing things meant to benefit America; rather, its members take pride in seeking a goal that runs directly counter to the economic welfare and physical security of almost all other U.S citizens by seeking to keep them involved in a religious war in which no U.S. national interest is at stake. A reminder that Scheuer is former CIA - head of the Bin Laden unit. A big thank you to him for having the courage to continue to speak out.


UAE protests to Iran over facilities on disputed island The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday it has protested to Iran about the setting up of two facilities on one of three disputed Gulf islands and demanded they be dismantled.


US court rules Saudis not liable for Sept 11 attacks The court in its ruling said the "Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976" granted the Saudi defendants immunity from prosecution on US soil.


US warns Turkey over energy deal with Iran


Iran president holds Turkey talks


Iran, Turkey fail to reach deal on new pipeline


Israel's U.S. envoy: Barak harming diplomatic mission Meridor said Barak's decision limited the leverage of Israeli diplomats permanently placed in Washington because it made them seem detached from the leadership in Israel. "Your behavior seriously damaged that ability [to negotiate], and that of Israel to affect processes in the U.S. capital," Meridor wrote.


Hair Samples in Anthrax Case Don't Match Federal investigators probing the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks recovered samples of human hair from a mailbox in Princeton, N.J., but the strands did not match the lead suspect in the case, according to sources briefed on the probe.


Israel vague about reported U.S. rejection of Israeli request for Iran strike


Lebanon bomb inquiry seen to focus on Islamists


Lebanon-Syria to demarcate border However, Syria said the work on borders would not cover one of the most contentious areas, the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, until Israel withdrew.


Georgia president denies Israel halted military aid due to war


Rice welcomes Syria's move on ties with Lebanon


Israel fears war could hurt Iran effort


Israelis shoot Golan infiltrator Israeli troops shot an armed Syrian who crossed into the Golan Heights.


Lebanon attack is message for army: analysts "I see this within a spate of attacks against the army that could be reprisal attacks for the army's crushing of Fatah al-Islam last year," OR it could have been done by a group that seeks to sour warming relations by the two nations - Syria and Lebanon.


U.S. court to rehear case of Canadian sent to Syria A U.S. court will take the unusual step of rehearing a lawsuit it earlier rejected from a Canadian who claims the U.S. government sent him illegally to Syria where he was tortured for a year, lawyers said on Thursday.


Israel planning to kill Hezbollah leaders: Nasrallah In his address the Hezbollah chief also hailed the visit to Syria, which backs his movement, by Lebanon's President Michel Sleiman, calling it "a new stage" in relations between Beirut and Damascus.


McCain: US must reevaluate relations with Russia

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Headlines for 08-13-08

After combat, citizen soldiers turning to alcohol National Guard and Reserve combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to develop drinking problems than active-duty soldiers, a new military study suggests. The authors speculate that inadequate preparation for the stress of combat and reduced access to support services at home may be to blame.


Nine pro-Iranian group suspects arrested in Baghdad: US military


Cheney, Rove, Libby Win Plame Suit Dismissal Appeal


US against strike on Iran: Israeli defence minister


Ahmadinejad in new Israel tirade before Turkey trip "Our position is clear on this issue. A referendum should take place in Palestine. If they withdraw from invaded lands it would be a good step,"


Iran MPs round on Ahmadinejad aide over pro-Israeli remarks


Report: Fearing Israeli strike, Syria taking preventative steps Syrian sources told the daily that Damascus has taken several preventive measures against a possible Israeli strike. The sources added that the IDF drill in the north is increasing tensions in the region and is not in line with recent peace initiatives.


Will American Insouciance Destroy the World? With Bush 2nd, the neocons took over. Their agenda, American world hegemony, includes Israeli hegemony in the Middle East


McCain holds pro-Israel fundraiser U.S. Sen. John McCain held a fundraiser in New Jersey organized by a pro-Israel political action committee.


Israel denies weapons-Iran link "Because the election is coming up and things are going to change, this is the time to contemplate" whether or not military action is merited, said Tom Neumann, the director of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Bush is likely to back Israeli efforts to defend itself, he said


Israeli Arms Sales to Georgia Israel's immediate concern is that Russia will proceed with the sale of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran, which would help it defend its nuclear installations from aerial attack


Lebanon chief mends ties in Syria


Lebanon bus stop bomb kills 18 A bomb killed at least 18 people, including nine soldiers, as they boarded a bus in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli today, security sources said.




Sticks, carrots and nukes What a sad day to see the Guardian UK publishing a piece by a pro-Israel thinktank the WINEP chastizing folks for not taking Israel's view on Iran ('attack, attack'). The Guardian is fast falling under the auspices of the Israeli lobby. It began when CAMERA started going after them, and is now culminating with airtime being given to AIPACers. Shame.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Headlines for 08-12-08

US blacklists five Iranian entities citing nuclear, missile ties The US Treasury said Tuesday that it had imposed sanctions on five Iranian entities for alleged ties to the country's nuclear and missile programs.


Contractors reap 85 bln dlrs from Iraq war: US report


Resistance pays off, says Iran's Khamenei


'Where Are the Weapons of Mass Destruction?' by Scott Ritter


America's Israeli-Occupied Media by Philip Giraldi There should be little doubt that the Israeli government is making every effort to jump-start a war against Iran sooner rather than later. Many Israelis not surprisingly believe it is in their interest to convince the United States to attack Iran so that Israel will not have to do it, and they are hell-bent on bringing that about. Unfortunately, their efforts are being aided and abetted by a U.S. mainstream media that is unwilling to ask any hard questions or challenge the assumptions of the Israeli government. A big thank you to Mr. Philip Giraldi for his continued reporting on this issue, and related matters.


Biggest drop in U.S. oil demand in 26 years


U.S. rebuffs Israeli request for arms geared toward Iran strike The Americans viewed the request, which was transmitted (and rejected) at the highest level, as a sign that Israel is in the advanced stages of preparations to attack Iran. They therefore warned Israel against attacking, saying such a strike would undermine American interests. They also demanded that Israel give them prior notice if it nevertheless decided to strike Iran.....Senior Israeli officials had originally hoped that U.S. President George Bush would order an American strike on Iran's nuclear facilities before leaving office, as America's military is far better equipped to conduct such a strike successfully than is Israel's.....U.S. National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen both visited here in June and, according to the Washington Post, told senior Israeli defense officials that Iran is still far from obtaining nuclear weapons, and that an attack on Iran would undermine American interests. Therefore, they said, the U.S. would not allow Israeli planes to overfly Iraq en route to Iran.

Are you paying attention yet, America?


Oil price falls on lower demand


Neocons Now Love International Law It?s touching how American neoconservatives who have no regard for international law when they want to invade some troublesome country have developed a sudden reverence for national sovereignty.


Russian: U.S. should follow Israel on Georgia


Israel stages war games on occupied Golan Israel launched large-scale military exercises on Tuesday on the occupied Golan Heights along the Syrian border on Tuesday in the presence of senior political and military officials.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Headlines for 08-11-08

Iran rebels execute two policemen, capture three Guards: report An Iranian Sunni rebel group claimed on Monday to have kidnapped three Revolutionary Guard officers and executed two policemen captured in June after talks with Tehran failed to secure their release, Al-Arabiya news channel reported.


Iran says to pursue nuclear talks with EU


Georgian exit leaves vacuum near Iranian border


Jordan's king in first Iraq visit


Georgian invasion of South Ossetia sets the stage for a wider war


US stocks rise as oil prices fall Crude was down $US1.77 to $US113.43 a barrel, the lowest in more than three months.


Klein: Neocons think 'it's raining Nazis' in Georgia


'Oil, Israel and Iran' Among Factors that Led to Georgia War Channel 2's expert on the Muslim world, Ehud Ya'ari, told viewers of the central evening newscast that Russia and neighboring countries were vying for control of a strategic oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. This relatively new pipeline passes through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey and is the only pipeline between Asia and Europe that does not pass through Russia or Iran. Israel is expecting to receive oil and gas through the pipeline......The Georgian move against South Ossetia was motivated by political considerations having to do with Israel and Iran, according to Nfc. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili decided to assert control over the breakaway region in order to force Israel to reconsider its decision to cut back its support for Georgia's military. Really now.


Michael Savage rebroadcasts NewsMax extremist Ken Timmerman's warning on Iran


Diplomatic ties to top agenda of Lebanon-Syria summit


We're no friends of Israelis: Iran parliament speaker Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, a deputy of Ahmadinejad, has insisted that Iran is "friends with the Israeli people."


Iran VP says Iranians are 'friends' of Israelis


Jordan queen wraps up YouTube plan on stereotypes


No threat from Iran Darwish also refrains from explaining why we should believe that a regime which has done everything to preserve itself over the past three decades should suddenly commit collective suicide by attacking Israel. All in all, it's quite a story.


Israeli Has $1 Billion Invested in Georgia The Jewish state and private investors have provided military assistance and advisors to Georgia, where pipelines pump oil destined for Israel. A new pipeline is being built to bypass Russian territory.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Headlines for 08-10-08

Iraq Demands ?Very Clear? US Troop Timeline The United States must provide a ?very clear timeline? to withdraw its troops from Iraq as part of an agreement allowing them to stay beyond this year, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Sunday.


Sen. Joe Lieberman: Iran's Activities 'An Act of War' Sen. Joseph Lieberman termed Iran's training of Iraqi insurgents "an act of war" in a Florida appearance Wednesday evening on behalf of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign.


An Israeli Strike on Iran, a Plan That Just Doesn't Fly The authors of this article in the WP debunk the myths that Israel has put forth as a means to justify an attack on Iran.


Syria rules out new UN nuclear visit to bombed site

Headlines for 08-09-08

'2 US aircraft carriers headed for Gulf' The ship movements coincide with the latest downturn in relations between Washington and Teheran.


Tape: Top CIA official confesses order to forge Iraq-9/11 letter came on White House stationery A forged letter linking Saddam Hussein to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks was ordered on White House stationery and probably came from the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a new transcript of a conversation with the Central Intelligence Agency's former Deputy Chief of Clandestine Operations Robert Richer.


Bush classifies $200 million cybersecurity program, redacts questions about contractors According to CNET's Stephanie Condon, the Administration won't even related how the program's "mission relates to Internet surveillance."


Success of Attack on Iran's Nuclear Program Doubtful A military attack on Iran's major nuclear facilities by the United States or Israel would likely result only in a delay ? and not a particularly significant one at that ? in Tehran's ability to produce the fuel necessary to build a nuclear weapon, according to a report [.pdf] released Friday by an influential think tank on nuclear proliferation issues.


How Tenet Betrayed the CIA on WMD in Iraq


Neocons Stay on Message by Philip Giraldi Opening the New York Times and reading Brooks and Kristol is like being neoconned again twice a week. One wonders how pundits who have been wrong so many times continue to have a distinguished platform to present their nonsense.


Conservative Confusion on Iran by Philip Giraldi When a Sunday morning talk show has a "conservative" on a panel to provide "balance," he is more often than not a neoconservative. This access to the media as the purported standard-bearers of conservatism has proven useful, as it enables the neocons to continue to have a major voice on policy in spite of being wrong on every major issue.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Headlines for 08-08-08

Iran says latest atomic talks with IAEA "constructive": report


Russia Asks That Iran Be Given More Time Russia's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly I. Churkin, said the six nations should continue negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program. He dismissed assertions by the United States, Britain and France that Tehran had missed a deadline this week to respond to the offer, which would make a push for U.N. sanctions inevitable.


Anthrax case against bio-weapons expert 'staggering for lack of evidence'


Suskind Revisited by Philip Giraldi My source also notes that Dick Cheney, who was behind the forgery, hated and mistrusted the Agency and would not have used it for such a sensitive assignment. Instead, he went to Doug Feith?s Office of Special Plans and asked them to do the job.


Why the Pentagon Thinks Attacking Iran is a Bad Idea


Egyptian FM warns against military solution to Iranian nuclear issue


New evidence suggests Ron Suskind is right On Dec. 14, 2003, the Sunday Telegraph hyped the phony Habbush memo as a front-page exclusive over the byline of Con Coughlin, the paper's foreign editor and chief Mideast correspondent, who has earned a reputation for promoting neoconservative claptrap. As I explained in a Salon blog post on Dec. 18, the story's sudden appearance in London was the harbinger of a disinformation campaign that quickly blew back to the United States -- where it was cited by William Safire on the New York Times Op-Ed page. Ignoring the bizarre Niger yellowcake reference, which practically screamed bullshit, Safire seized on Coughlin's story as proof of his own cherished theory about Saddam's sponsorship of 9/11. The Brits evidently have a neocon problem of their own.


UN nuclear agency back in Iran


Iranian diplomat warns of harsh response to any strike "If Israel were to do something stupid ? it will face a shocking response the likes of which it has never encountered before,' Bashtestani told the Nazareth-based 'al-Sinara' newspaper.


Military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities may not be effective "Following an attack, Iran could quickly rebuild its centrifuge program in small, easily hidden facilities focused on making weapons grade uranium for nuclear weapons," principal author David Albright, ISIS president and a former UN weapons inspector, was quoted as saying. Albright gets something right?


EU expands Iran nuclear sanctions


Oil 'could hit $200 within years' A serious oil supply crisis is looming, which could push prices above $200 a barrel, a think tank has warned.


Up in smoke Many Israeli politicians are acquainted in one degree or another with the 70-year-old Silverstein Now that's interesting, and yet, not surprising.


Jewish Media Group, SITE, is the first to release another Islamic threat video


US to help Israel develop Arrow-3 Head of US Missile Defense Agency to recommend to Congress that America finance development of modern version of anti-ballistic missile system As if we American taxpayers don't give ENOUGH to Israel - a most unworthy nation - as it is. While you're struggling to pay your food and gas bills, Israel - a nation whose economy is booming - is being given $1.5-2 million per Arrow missile.


The Father of Lies by Philip Giraldi compared to the Israelis, the American neocons are neophytes when it comes to reshaping the past. Israel has long funded major archaeological projects intended to emphasize the Jewish presence in Palestine while minimizing or even denying the presence of others in the region, an attempt to demonstrate that Jews have a historical legitimacy that Arab inhabitants lack......In spite of views about Arabs and Muslims that most would consider extremist, Morris has been provided a bully pulpit by The New York Times to urge the United States to attack Iran before Israel is forced to stage a preemptive nuclear attack that would turn the country with its eighty million inhabitants into a "nuclear wasteland." .....the purpose in writing the piece is clearly to frighten the rest of the world into doing the dirty work so that Israel will not have to act. Obviously, the only country that can carry out the mission in a thorough fashion using non-nuclear weapons is the United States That's former CIA counterterrorism official Philip Giraldi breaking down Benny's BS for you.


Israel protests to Ankara over Ahmadinejad Israel formally complained to Turkey about the coming visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.


Al-Arian trial postponed as judge questions case The trial of a former Florida professor once accused of being a leading Palestinian terrorist was postponed Friday after a judge raised new doubts about whether prosecutors have been overzealous. The Lobby's going to be PISSED! How dare anyone ask questions?!


Iceland, Sweden to take in Iraq's Palestinian refugees


Israel: Lebanon is responsible for Hezbollah's actions This decision on Wednesday by the security cabinet represents a change in Israeli policy, after always firmly separating Hezbollah and the Lebanese government.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Headlines for 08-07-08

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,134


White House 'buried British intelligence on Iraq WMDs' MI6 told Tony Blair before the invasion of Iraq that a high-placed Iraqi source said that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction. The intelligence was passed to the US but was buried by the White House, according to a new book.


Author Claims White House Knew Iraq Had No WMD Suskind says he spoke on the record with U.S. intelligence officials who stated that Bush was informed unequivocally in January 2003 that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction. Nonetheless, his book relates, Bush decided to invade Iraq three months later - with the forged letter from the head of Iraqi intelligence to Saddam bolstering the U.S. rationale to go into war.




Iran tests 'new weapon' for use at sea Iran announced Monday that it has tested a new weapon capable of sinking ships nearly 200 miles away, and reiterated threats to close a strategic waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf if attacked.


US: UN must increase sanctions on Iran the founder and head of the global intelligence company Stratfor, George Friedman, told weekly magazine Barron's that the chance of a U.S. or Israeli attack on Iran is slim because the risks to the world economy far outweigh possible benefits.


Iran blames U.S. for failures in Iraq A senior Iranian diplomat on Wednesday rejected U.S. charges that Iran was trying to undermine stability in Iraq and accused the United States of trying to blame Tehran for its own failures there.


The Forged Iraqi Letter: What Just Happened?


When I say AP is the most criminally dangerous? The Associated Press most often acts as the Israeli Foreign Ministry. And most of our mainstream and local newspapers and websites carry the news from this wire.


Israel warns Russia: We'll neutralize S-300 if sold to Iran If Russia goes through with the sale of its most advanced anti-aircraft missile system to Iran, Israel will use an electronic warfare device now under development to neutralize it and as a result present Russia as vulnerable to air infiltrations, a top defense official has told The Jerusalem Post.




Doubts About Anthrax Story Survivors of the 2001 anthrax attacks and relatives of those killed by the deadly powder said yesterday that they want a full accounting from the FBI of its investigation to date, and they are not yet convinced that Bruce Ivins, the government scientist who killed himself last week, was responsible.


Going To Be An i-9/11 And An i-Patriot Act Lawrence Lessig, a respected Law Professor from Stanford University told an audience at this years Fortune?s Brainstorm Tech conference in Half Moon Bay, California, that "There's going to be an i-9/11 event" which will act as a catalyst for a radical reworking of the law pertaining to the internet.


Rice on possible IDF Iran strike: U.S. has no veto over Israeli military ops "We don't say yes or no to Israeli military operations. Israel is a sovereign country," Rice said in an interview with Yahoo! News.


Did Dick Cheney Give Bush Plausible Deniability? Asked about it last night on Keith Olberman?s ?Countdown? on MSNBC, John Dean, White House counsel in the Nixon presidency, said Cheney has been so successful at this that it will prevent impeachment proceedings against Bush.


'When You Have To Leave America To Be Free' despite the lack of a single conviction, Al-Arian remains in prison -- where supporters say he has often been held in solitary confinement and denied access to his family and legal counsel -- for refusing to testify in a trial against a northern Virginia Islamic think tank.



Israelis still prefer McCain McCain has gotten mostly positive Israeli coverage for his hard-line on Iran, said Barak, the pollster.


US commander in Lebanon for talks


Knesset to hold special recess session on Assad's visit to Tehran


Syrian leader gets top billing in Middle East by doing nothing The US will have to restore full relations with Syria. It will have to continue talks with Iran. It will have to thank Iran for its "help" in Iraq ? most of the Iraqi government, after all, was nurtured in the Islamic Republic during the Iran-Iraq war in which the US took Saddam's side. It will have to accept Iran is not making a nuclear bomb. And it will have to prevent Israel staging a bombing spectacular on Iran which will destroy every hope of US mediation. It will also have to produce a just Middle East peace. McCain or Obama, please note.


Iran root of all evil - Israeli MP


Mullen warns against USS Liberty redux In an Aug. 2 interview with the USS Liberty radio show, former army intelligence officer and CIA analyst Ray McGovern claimed Israel is planning a scenario similar to that of the 67 Liberty incident. "It is obviously something bigger. The name of the game is to 'decapitate the Iranian nuclear program' whether it is aimed at a weapon or not," said McGovern.


A War of Self-Destruction An attack on Iran, which Israeli and Bush administration officials appear set to carry out if Iranian uranium enrichment is not halted, would ignite a regional war in the Middle East and lead to economic collapse and political upheaval in the United States.?


Was Bruce Ivins the anthrax killer?


Ivins believed Jews were God's chosen Ivins killed himself as the U.S. Justice Department prepared to arrest him. Ivins' beliefs are significant because the 2001 attacker in notes appeared to be a radical Islamist, writing "Death to America, Death to Israel, Allah is Great."


Commentary: Holocaust II? An Israeli attack against Iran will automatically unleash the fury of the theocracy against U.S. targets in the Gulf, mining and sinking tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most vital oil route, with volleys of missiles. This would automatically involve the United States, which is why some Israeli hawks don't worry about the red light flashing in Washington.


Rumours Surround Syria 'Hit' "To the best of my knowledge we didn't do it," one Israeli source told Sky News. Oh. Ok then. Ahhh...

Headlines for 08-03-08

Francis Boyle: Iran Should Sue US in World Court to Stop Threats of Attack


Perle Linked to Kurdish Oil Plan Influential former Pentagon official Richard Perle has been exploring going into the oil business in Iraq and Kazakhstan, according to people with knowledge of the matter and documents outlining possible deals. Perle (and his fellow neocon cohorts) should be in a 12x12 cell, to say the least, for his role in pushing America into invading Iraq.


Oil prices could drop if Iran concerns allayed: OPEC president The price of oil could drop to between 70 and 80 dollars a barrel if the dollar strengthens and concerns over Iran are reduced, OPEC chief Chakib Khelil said Saturday.


Iranian military convoy rocked by mystery explosion Last month Seymour Hersh, the respected American investigative journalist, reported that US President George W Bush had authorised up to $400 million (£200 million) to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran to destabilise the regime


Ex-US advisors: Iran attack 'disaster' "If we get into a war with Iran, we know there would be disaster, we know there would be a disaster," said Zbigniew Brzezinski, ex-president Jimmy Carter's national security advisor on Tuesday.


Iran must choose between cooperation and confrontation: US


Bush Won?t Give Congress Papers in CIA Leak Probe


Americans Say No to War with Iran: Will Washington Listen? Two weeks ago, I was alarmed to learn that congressional Democrats were sponsoring Resolution 362, which encourages what amounts to an act of war against Iran. Today, there are more than 200 co-sponsors of the House resolution, but there is also growing mobilization to stop passage of Res. 362.



House Iran Resolution Would Send Alarming Message to President Bush "The Ackerman-Pence resolution includes a clause that could be interpreted as calling for a naval blockade of Iran," remarked Cara Bautista, Deputy Political Director of Peace Action West. "According to international law, that would be an act of war."


Karzai opposes U.S. use of Afghan soil against Iran


Retired Military Leaders Oppose Provocative House Resolution on Iran Three retired military leaders sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to abandon a resolution currently making its way through Congress that might lead to a blockade or the use of force against Iran. The retired military leaders say H.Con.Res. 362 is ?poorly conceived, poorly timed, and potentially dangerous.?


US officials can now tap phones officially


Russia Warns of Military Response If U.S.-Czech Missile Defense Agreement Approved


Is Iran Currently an Existential Threat to the United States? by nearly every quantifiable metric, Iran does not presently represent an existential threat to the United States based on its conventional arsenal.


US holds Navy exercise after Iran comments on Gulf The U.S. Navy said on Monday it was carrying out an exercise in the Gulf, days after vowing that Iran will not be allowed to block the waterway which carries crude from the world's largest oil-exporting region


"Virtual Iran War Resolution" by Congressman Ron Paul


The Secret War in Iran Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military intelligence and congressional sources.


Former Agent Says CIA Ignored Findings on Iran A former CIA operative who says he tried to warn the agency about faulty intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs now says that CIA officials also ignored evidence that Iran had suspended work on a nuclear bomb.


The Nuclear Expert Who Never Was by Scott Ritter David Albright has a track record of making half-baked analyses derived from questionable sources seem mainstream. He breathes false legitimacy into these factually challenged stories by cloaking himself in a résumé which is disingenuous in the extreme. Eventually, one must begin to question the motives of Albright and ISIS


House Panel Subpoenas FBI Interviews With Bush and Cheney


Soldiers risk ruin while awaiting benefit checks




Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Headlines for 06-29-08

U.S. escalating covert operations against Iran: report Funding for the covert escalation, for which Bush requested up to $400 million, was approved by congressional leaders, according to the article, citing current and former military, intelligence and congressional sources.


Iran says Gulf oil route at risk if attacked "Israelis know if they take military action against Iran ... the abilities of the Islamic and Shi'ite world, especially in the region, will deliver fatal blows," Jafari said, adding that Israel was in range of Iranian missiles.


Bolton: Israel Will Strike Iran if Obama is Elected Bolton thinks Israel may consider postponing the attack, however, if Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., emerges as the victor in the presidential race. He says McCain's stance on Iran ?is far more realistic than that of the Bush administration.?


'Ball of fire' if Iran attacked: IAEA chief His comments come after US media reported that Israeli jet pilots trained for a possible strike on Iranian nuclear sites.


Israel tries diplomatic route to isolate Iran Just about the only major adversary Israel isn't try to court these days is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . Instead, Israel appears to be laying the groundwork for a possible military strike meant to cripple Iran's nuclear program if international diplomatic pressure fails.


US still favors diplomacy to settle Iran nuclear issue: envoy The US ambassador to the UN said Friday said Washington favored diplomacy in the Iranian nuclear crisis for now despite reports of Israeli preparations for a possible air strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.


Russia's Lavrov warns against attack on Iran Russia's foreign minister on Friday warned against the use of force on Iran, saying there is no proof it is trying to build nuclear weapons......"I hope the actual actions would be based on international law," Lavrov said. "And international law clearly protects Iran's and anyone else's territorial integrity."


Iran warns of 'strong blow' if Israel attacks


Britain announces new sanctions against Iran Britain will freeze assets of Iran's largest bank in a further move to discourage the country from developing nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Monday.


Iran says uranium enrichment is a "red line"


US Senate panel approves tougher sanctions on Iran


US favours diplomacy in Iran nuclear row: Rice


US House passes Iraq war funds bill backed by Bush The US House of Representatives has approved enough new money to wage wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for another year, while abandoning attempts to set deadlines opposed by President George W Bush for withdrawing American combat troops.


Congressional proceedings would help prevent another mistaken war A move to impeach would bolster the resistance to Bush among our senior military leaders who know that attacking Iran at this time would be the strategic equivalent of the marches into Russia by Napoleon and Hitler.....When bombs are falling on Iran, it will be too late -- and our commander in chief is likely to give that order within the next couple of months. By Ray McGovern former CIA.


How Iran would retaliate if it comes to war "If you attack Iran you are unleashing a firestorm of reaction internally that will only strengthen revolutionary forces, and externally in the region," says Ranstorp. "It's a nightmare scenario for any contingency planner, and I think you really enter the twilight zone if you strike Iran."


Key Figure in USS Liberty Inquiry Dies Retired Navy Capt. Ward Boston, who in 2002 broke 35 years of silence to say the US Navy Board of Inquiry long cited to clear Israel of wrongdoing in attacking a US Navy ship during the Six Day War was a sham, died June 12 in California. He was 84.

We lost one of the good guys.


Japan calls for Iran nuclear issue to be resolved by dialogue


Threats to strike Iran concern Israel Fears are mounting in the defense establishment that comments by senior officials regarding an imminent Israeli military strike against Iran will spur Russia to complete controversial sales of anti-aircraft missile systems to the Islamic Republic, The Jerusalem Post learned on Monday.


Remaking the Middle East by Philip Giraldi While it is unrealistic to assume that Iran and the United States can resolve all of their differences, it is equally unrealistic to assume that sustained and serious negotiation will bear no fruit as the neoconservatives persistently argue in their case against Tehran.


How to silence that Iran war drumbeat Whether the rumblings are real or overinflated rumors, it's time to reverse any momentum that could unleash a potentially calamitous Middle East conflict, killing thousands, sending oil prices to $200 a barrel and beyond, and accentuating global recession......Members of a Bush delegation in mid-May reportedly assured Israeli officials in secret that a US attack on Iran was planned, according to Israeli Army Radio and in The Jerusalem Post as well as in American blogs and websites.


Ron Paul Claims Pelosi Spiked Iran Bill Paul says Pelosi?s first act as House Speaker in 2006 was to ?deliberately? remove a portion of a legislative spending bill which said the United States ?can't go to war with Iran without getting approval from Congress.? She did. Everyone knows it. Google Scott Ritter's article 'the Final Act of Submission'.


Israel appears to rehearse Iran attack: report


Israeli Ministers Mull Plans for Military Strike against Iran "We no longer believe in the effectiveness of sanctions," says Yatom. "A military operation is needed if the world wants to stop Iran."......even if Republican John McCain wins the race, politicians in Jerusalem do not expect him to be ordering an attack as his first official act -- despite his performance, at a campaign appearance last year, of the Beach Boys' song "Barbara Ann" with the lyrics: "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran."......Riedel sees an Israeli military strike, with the US government's consent, as the most likely attack scenario. But the consequences, according to Riedel, would not differ from those of an American attack....Nevertheless, many Israelis still hope that the Americans will do the job for them. "It could still be the case," says Yatom, "that George W. Bush wants to guarantee himself a place in the history books with this last act."
Israel wants US to attack Iran for them.


Critics Demand Resignation of U.N. Official Who Wants Probe of 9/11 'Inside Job' Theories Richard Falk, the special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, investigates alleged Israeli violations of human rights law for the U.N.'s Human Rights Council.
But the former Princeton professor would also like to investigate whether "some sort of controlled explosion from within" destroyed the Twin Towers, he told FOXNews.com.
Google Van Romero. View the towers falling, and the groundshake seconds prior to them falling. View video of controlled demolitions. See the similarities.


Report: U.S. urges Israeli pullout from disputed Golan area According to the report, Rice told Lebanese leaders during her unexpected visit to Beirut that the U.S. would bolster its efforts in the coming weeks toward pushing Israel to pull out from the Shaba Farms.


Who leaked the details of a CIA-Mossad plot against Iran? conversations with several sources who are familiar with the affair indicate that Risen has been asked to testify as part of an investigation aimed at revealing who leaked apparently confidential information about the planning of secret Central Intelligence Agency and Mossad missions concerning Iran's nuclear program.


Sneh: Israel will have to deal with the Iranian threat alone In the near future Israel will not be able to escape attacking Iran, Israel Radio quoted former deputy defense minister Ephraim Sneh as saying on Sunday.


IRAN: Stop nukes by bombing oil wells, neocons suggest The Washington Institute for Near East Policy is a famous Beltway think tank. It was founded in 1985 by Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel. You don't say?


Report: U.S., Canada warn Hezbollah set to strike Jewish targets Intelligence agencies in Canada and the United States are warning of mounting signs that the Lebanon-based guerilla group Hezbollah is planning to attack Jewish targets in retaliation for the assassination of top Hezbollah man Imad Mughniyah some six months ago, ABC News reported Thursday.


The Bush administration took action Wednesday against a Venezuelan official and others accused of providing financial support to the Hezbollah terror group.


Interpol says Syria "very cooperative" in combating terrorism


Damascus 'backs' Hamas-Israel truce


Lebanon spurns Israeli overture Fouad Siniora's office said Israel's withdrawal from occupied territory, as required by UN resolutions, was the key to peace, not a negotiation process.


Israel, Syria "extremely satisfied" with talks


A Fair Fight for Lebanon?s Army even though the Bush administration has provided more than $300 million in tactical aid to Lebanon since the Syrian withdrawal of 2005, it still apparently refuses to provide the kind of strategic weapons ? guided rockets, tanks, modern artillery and intelligence-gathering equipment ? that are desperately needed in this task


Syria lacks capability for nuclear facility-IAEA