Obama Won't Press for Middle East Peace at all Costs

President Obama's Chief Economic Adviser cited Israeli exceptionalism in his remarks celebrating the Jewish State's 61st birthday. YNET reported:

Summers stressed that the Jewish state did this (grew exports) with hard work and commitment, with the greatest values of humanity, a commitment to do the right thing, a commitment to knowledge, a commitment to beauty and culture, and a commitment to the highest level of civilization, all this while facing a constant threat. This is what Israel gave the world, he said.

Larry Summers spoke from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Summers, who is Jewish and served as the Clinton administration's treasury secretary, said that all US presidents since Israel's establishment have been committed to the Jewish state's security and independence. He added that Obama would continue this presidential tradition with great pride.

The message passed on by Summers from the White House was that during Netanyahu's upcoming visit to Washington, the two leaders would discuss peace, which he said was what everyone wanted, but not peace at all costs.

Israel doesn't want peace. The Arab League Peace Plan gathered dust since 2002. The new Netanyahu/Lieberman is a right wing/ racist wing nut administration. More violence is in order, likely planned by Obama's neocon Dennis Ross as he tours the Middle East.

From the U.S. end, both parties kow tow to our 51st state. Nearly $3 billion in annual military aid to the most heavy handed country in the Middle East? Actions speak louder than words, which are sad enough.

Obama Says Bond with Israel "Unshakeable"

President Obama offered the following words on Israel's 61st birthday. The Jerusalem Post reported:

"On behalf of the people of the United States, President Obama congratulates the people and government of Israel on the 61st anniversary of Israel's independence," said the statement issued Tuesday

"The United States was the first country to recognize Israel in 1948, minutes after its declaration of independence, and the deep bonds of friendship between the US and Israel remain as strong and unshakable as ever.

"The president looks forward to working with Israel to advance our common interests, including the realization of a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, ensuring Israel's security, and strengthening the bilateral relationship, over the months and years to come," the statement continued.

Congratulations to America's 51st state! The U.S./Israel team continues hegemonic violence throughout the resource rich world.

Netanyahu Says Terror Threat Greatest Ever

Eight years into the war on terror, I mean contingency overseas operation, how are we and our allies doing? Haaretz reported:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the global threat of terror was greater than ever and vowed that Israel would never cease to defend itself.

"We have no choice but to fight terror until it is obliterated and to defend our lives," he told bereaved families gathered for the official state ceremony on the Mount Herzl military ceremony in Jerusalem.

Not well, it appears. The greed and violence boys want another war. Israel let the Arab League Peace Plan linger on a dusty shelf since 2002. My guess? It will languish longer. Israel attacked Lebanon, its democratic neighbor to the north in 2006. In late 2008/early 2009 it pummeled Gaza. Both lasted roughly a month.

Senator Obama supported Israel's razing of Lebanon and the President elect explicitly supported the Gaza siege, via Hillary Clinton, General James L. Jones and Mayor Bloomberg. What happens in Israel doesn't always stay in Israel! What manipulations are occurring today? Obama's neocon visits the Persian Gulf. I voted against the guy who said, "There will be more wars, my friend."

Obama's NeoCon Headed to Persian Gulf

Haaretz reported Dennis Ross will visit the Middle East tomorrow. Ross is President Obama's Special Adviser for the Persian Gulf. He will visit Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar. Dennis will lead diplomatic efforts to steer Iran away from its suspected quest for nuclear weapons.

Apparently diplomacy involves a clenched fist. Accompanying Ross is deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, Lt. Gen. John R. Allen, and National Security Council official Puneet Talwar. Ross' preference for violence is documented.

The Unfriendly Skies

The United States is working to put directed energy weapons on unmanned aerial vehicles. ARC was the beneficiary of a $1 million earmark for that purpose.

Directed energy weapons include lasers, high-power microwaves, and radars with weapons effects. So much for beating our swords into plowshares.

Indonesian Politics and Economic Crisis

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. Recent elections indicate fundamentalist Islamic parties are out of favor. That stemmed the previous tide. The NYT reported:

While Indonesia has a long tradition of moderation, it was badly destabilized with the end of military rule in 1998, which gave rise to Islamist politicians who preached righteousness and to some hard-core elements, who practiced violence. The country has only recently achieved a measure of stability.

What else happened during that time? Indonesia endured economic crisis. The World Bank reported other negative impacts:

During the Asian crisis, Indonesia’s total public investment in infrastructure dropped from about 7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1995-97 to 2 percent in 2000, and private investment from 2.5 percent of GDP to 0.09 percent during the same period.

Did the IMF contribute to the problem with its intervention? Economic conditions impact the populace. Angry citizens may resonate with bombastic political parties.

What happens when war and its horrific burdens are added to the mix? The NYT contrasted Indonesia with Gaza and Lebanon. The latter two experienced month long wars at the hands of Israel, their democratic neighbor. What role does intentional death and destruction play in citizen voting patterns? In recent elections America went more moderate, while conservatives gained in Israel.

The economic crisis is global. Violence is a mainstay in many regions of the world. The Indonesian people endured economic hardship and voted for moderation. How will the rest of the world respond?

David Duke Arrested for Denying Holocaust in Czech Republic

Ex-Republican legislator and KKK leader David Duke was detained on suspicion of supporting or denying the Nazi Holocaust. He faces up to three years in jail. Duke was in Prague at the invitation of Neo-Nazi groups.

David Duke promotes racial separation, much like the new Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. However, Avigdor can travel to Prague. He's on the right side of the Holocaust.

Lieberman Calls America Israel's Lap Dog

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman finally revealed the new government's foreign policy. He did so to a Russian newspaper. Haaretz reported:

The Obama Administration will put forth new peace initiatives only if Israel wants it to, said Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in his first comprehensive interview on foreign policy since taking office.

"Believe me, America accepts all our decisions," Lieberman told the Russian daily Moskovskiy Komosolets.

The ever surprising Lieberman offered Israel's greatest threat was no longer Iran, but Afghanistan/Pakistan. That's odd, given the rhetoric in Israel for the last year. The Jerusalem Post has no special heading for the Afghan/Pakistani threat.

Lieberman wants to be the facilitator to improved U.S./Russia relations. Hardly, Avigdor wants to play Russia off the U.S. The hyper-competitive racist cannot be trusted.

The Foreign Minister called the two state solution a nice slogan that lacks substance. He added the Arab Peace Plan, on the table since 2002, is "a recipe for the destruction of Israel."

Israel doesn't want peace with its neighbors. Avigdor Lieberman will deliver more war. America should no longer accept this behavior. Neither should the nearly 80% of Israelis and Palestinians who want a two state solution.

America's Cyber Swords & High Tech Shields

The Pentagon confirmed reports that the U.S. was strengthening its cyber-security. The aim is protecting military computer networks and fielding new offensive cyber-warfare weapons. The U.S. creates another new industry from scratch. With this development, other documents need updating.

They shall beat their cyber swords into high tech plowshares.

Bush spent $17 billion on his cyber-strategy. How many more kajillions will the Pentagon, the National Security Agency and Defense Information Systems Agency spend on cyber-warfare? I can understand the defense, but question the offense.

Democratic Governments Fail People

Why is public will not transferred into policy in democratic countries? Take democratic Israel, which controls the Palestinian Territories. The West Bank is directly under Israel's purview, while Gaza is under an Israeli siege. Haartz reported:

74 percent of Palestinians and 78 percent of Israelis are willing to accept a two-state solution.

The Arab League Peace Plan has been on the table since 2002. It's clear the democratic government of Israel has failed its people. But they are not alone.

For years, 80% of Americans wanted their employer or the government to do more to cover health care costs. Business stepped back from the commitment, while the government hesitates to deal with legions of uninsureds. Congress and the White House claim uncertainty as to who would fund greater coverage. Isn't that their job?

Apparently, it's not to do the people's will.

Holocaust Rememberance

The world paused today to recall man's inhumanity to man. At Dachau I stood on soil where legions of innocent people perished at the hands of order following soldiers. It was dark and disturbing. Today should be a stark reminder to power hungry, violent leaders. But it won't. They see the stick in the other's eye, while ignoring the log in their own.

Israel's Foreign Policy No Longer Under Study

It took an inflammatory speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to get Israel's new government to clarify their foreign policy. Note: Israel's rascist Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the policy was under development. The new Prime Minister broke the silence:

P.M Benjamin Netanyahu called Ahmadinejad a Holocaust denier who wants to perpetrate another massacre of Jews. "We will not allow the Holocaust deniers to carry out another Holocaust against the Jewish people. This is the supreme duty of the state of Israel. This is my supreme duty as prime minister of Israel," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu was not alone.

President Shimon Peres denounced Ahmadinejad, likening him to World War II-era dictators for his strong rhetoric against Israel. "It is hard to fathom why despots such as Hitler the Nazi, Stalin the Bolshevik and Ahmadinejad the Persian chose the Jews as the main target for their hatred, their madness and their violence," Peres said in a speech commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The United States weighed in, calling Ahmadinejad's speech "vile and hateful." That should grease the skids for a proper pummeling from the heavy handed twins. Israel could be ready at an hour's notice. Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said the IDF was "capable of striking the farthest enemy." However, the U.S. wants a round of diplomacy first. Is it real or a diversion? Stay tuned.

Preparing for More Violence

The United States and Israel attacked four areas since the New Millennium, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza. The heavy handed pair prepares for more wars. The Jerusalem Post reported:

Defense Ministry Director-General Pinchas Buhris was scheduled to travel to the United States on Monday for talks at the Pentagon about the F-35.

Buhris will also seek to receive assurances from the new administration that the US will continue to fund the development of the Arrow 3 missile defense system.

More planes and missile defense for the most powerful military in the Middle East? It makes more sense to work on peace, which Israel clearly does not want. The Arab League Peace Plan gathered dust on a shelf since 2002. And there will be more wars led by Israel and the United States...

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Broke "after 2 Minutes" in 183 Waterboarding Sessions?

Emptywheel reported "according to the May 30, 2005 Bradbury memo, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times in March 2003 and Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times in August 2002. On page 37 of the OLC memo, in a passage discussing the differences between SERE techniques and the torture used with detainees, the memo explains:"

The CIA used the waterboard "at least 83 times during August 2002" in the interrogation of Zubaydah. IG Report at 90, and 183 times during March 2003 in the interrogation of KSM, see id. at 91.

Contrast the 183 waterboarding sessions with the fiction perpetuated by the Bush administration in 2007. ABC News reported:

When Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was strapped down to the water-board, he felt humiliated -- not by the treatment but by the fact that a woman, a red-headed CIA supervisor, was allowed to witness the spectacle, a former intelligence officer told ABC News. The al Qaeda mastermind, known as KSM, stubbornly held out for about two minutes -- far longer than any of the other "high-value" terror targets who were subjected to the technique, the harshest from a list of six techniques approved for use by the CIA and Bush administration lawyers, sources said. Then KSM started talking, in idiomatic English he learned as a high school foreign exchange student and polished at a North Carolina college in the 1980s, sources said. "It was an extraordinary amount of time for him to hold out," one former CIA officer told ABCNews.com. "A red-headed female supervisor was in the room when he was being water-boarded. It was humiliating to him. So he held out." "Then he started talking, and he never stopped," this former officer said. KSM was never water-boarded again, and in hours and hours of conversation with his interrogators, often over a cup of tea, he poured out his soul and the murderous deeds he committed.

Using the CIA's directives on waterboarding, how many sessions equal "two minutes"?

"where authorized, it may be used for two "sessions" per day of up to two hours. During a session, water may be applied up to six times for ten seconds or longer (but never more than 40 seconds). In a 24-hour period, a detainee may be subjected to up to twelve minutes of water appliaction. See id. at 42. Additionally, the waterboard may be used on as many as five days during a 30-day approval period."

Water may be applied for 10 to 40 seconds. That equals 5 to 18 sessions. If Khalid Sheik Mohammed broke in two minutes, why did he undergo 165 to 178 more sessions? Someone's not communicating in "good faith". The Bush administration was famous for poor communication. The Obama team granted CIA agents a free pass. Surely, highly trained agents questioned the Bush legal rationale. How many interrogators in the 183 sessions had misgivings about the legal basis for their torture tactics? They should speak out.

"If in fact it's true that they water-boarded him once and then he started talking and provided reliable information, then he falls under the category of the small minority of people on whom it works. But torture seldom works. Most people start talking...to get the pain to stop,"said Brad Garrett, an ABC News consultant and former FBI agent. Garrett has 30 years of experience interrogating terrorists. But in many cases, the harsh intelligence techniques led to questionable confessions and downright lies, say officers with firsthand knowledge of the program.

When did America become an oppressive state that holds no one accountable?

 

Update 11-1-21:  A military jury wrote the person they convicted for terrorism had been "subjected to physical and psychological abuse well beyond approved enhanced interrogation techniques, instead being closer to torture performed by the most abusive regimes in modern history."

Israel's Crazed Lieberman

How quickly things change in the Middle East. In early December Quartet Envoy Tony Blair revealed a secret peace agreement between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Chair Mahmoud Abbas.

Four months later, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel's foreign policy was yet to be determined and the Annapolis commitments were dead. His audience was the Russian Foreign Minister. The meeting occurred after Lieberman met with George Mitchell, President Obama's special envoy. Is Avigdor playing the U.S. off Russia? Highly likely.

The most violent country in the Middle East has a heavy handed nut job for a foreign minister. It's going to be a long few years.

Israel Thumbs UN, Gets America's Strongest Endorsement

The day after Israel said it would likely not comply with a United Nations War Crimes Investigation, America's special envoy for Israel-Palestine met with Israeli leaders. Did George Mitchell give them a stern warning about limits to U.S. support? Nope. BBC News reported:

Mr Mitchell's first meeting on Thursday was with President Shimon Peres. He assured the president of Washington's "absolute and strong commitment" to Israel's security.

Absolute commitment. That gives new Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman a free hand. The boys like violence more than their predecessors, who razed Lebanon in 2006 and pummeled Gaza in late 2008/early 2009. When's the next war?

Now Change Means "No Change from W."

Obama's Role in Spanish Case Disappearing

President Barack Obama addressed the Spanish torture case against six former Bush officials. He said:

"I have not had direct conversations with the Spanish government about these issues. My team has been in communications with them. I think that we are moving a process forward here in the United States to understand what happened, but also to focus on how we make sure that the manner in which we operate currently is consistent with our values and our traditions. And so my sense is, is that this will be worked out over time."

The Obama team communicated with the Spanish, who just today announced they would not pursue the case. I thought the big money boys intervened on behalf of the Bush cabal, maybe a James Baker, Henry Kissinger or some other leader of American branded global corporatocracy. But no, it was the team of our new President!

President Obama offered drivel in his response. "Think we are moving a process forward to understand?" Horse hockey!

The Executive Department investigates and brings charges or Congress uses its oversight powers. It's one or the other. The White House is a goose egg to date. Attorney General Eric Holder told Katie Couric his priority was closing Guantanamo Bay, not investigating torture. He did lay responsibility on Congress and the President. Here's the next layer of the fuckundrum:

How can the Attorney General investigate without the President ordering such?

The President senses that something may happen, but he's not clear what.

It's clear Obama hasn't ordered anything, except maybe for the Spanish to step away. That leaves Congress, which is tied up in blue-red hypercompetition. The American people can't get their long standing questions answered on torture or domestic spying. It's a very sad day for accountable democracy. It's a very good day for the established corporatocracy.

Spain to Clear Pinochet after Dropping Charges Against Bush Cabal

Spanish courts announced they would not prosecute Bush officials for torturing a Spanish citizen at Guantanamo Bay. Attorney General Candido Conde-Pumpido said the case had "no merit" as they were not present when the alleged abuse took place. Since when does the prosecutor have to be present at the crime in progress? Spain would have empty its jails under such a requirement. BBC News reported:

"We cannot support that action," Mr Conde-Pumpido told reporters. "If one is dealing with a crime of mistreatment of prisoners of war, the complaint should go against those who physically carried it out."

This is the same Spain that issued an arrest warrant for Chilean military leader Augusto Pinochet. Did Pinochet physically carry out the mistreatment or did he order it, like the Bush/Cheney cabal.

Obama's CIA Chief Leon Panetta said his employees won't testify and shouldn't be charged for their role in torture.

It's a fuckundrum. The people who ordered torture can't be charged, because they didn't carry it out. The people who did it can't be held responsible, they were just following orders.

I want to know the real way Spain changed its mind. Did Poppy, James A. Baker, Henry Kissinger or a member of the Council on Foreign Relations call Spanish CEO's wanting to do huge infrastructure work in the U.S.? Did they say something like, "reign in Candido and Cintras will get a big Trans Texas Corridor or D.C. commuter contract"? Bush like torture, warrants bush level political machinations.

The U.S. levers greed and violence to get its way. There's no reason to believe George W. Bush's latest social promotion came from anything else. The boy made a career on free passes.

Leading Middle East Democracy to Thumb Nose at UN War Crimes Investigation

Israel is touted as a leading Middle East democracy, even after razing its democratic neighbor to the north in 2006 and pummeling Gaza in late 2008/early 2009. Senator Obama parroted the Israeli line on Lebanon and stayed remarkably quiet on Gaza as President elect.

The latest move by the shining ME democracy? Not cooperating in a United Nations War Crimes investigation. Cluster bombs, white phosphorous, holding 1.5 million people under siege in an active war zone. Someone should look into that.

Conned Again!

I fell for the "Uniter, not a Divider" in 2000. It took me a few years to wise up, but by summer 2005 I found myself blogging against America's Slacker in Chief. I allowed myself the weest bit of hope under the newly elected people's President, but it's been a bad week. Consider the developments from a White House that vets nearly everything before it hits the media.

1. The Obama Justice Department reiterated Bush's "state secrets" defense in a domestic spying lawsuit. This is months after the new DOJ used it in a rendition case. Obama's DOJ will appeal a ruling allowing prisoners to challenge their detention in U.S. foreign jails.

2. The U.S. made a diplomatic move to "battle the anti-Israel crap". America's UN Ambassador used those words to describe her role in international diplomacy. Lovely.

3. CIA Chief Leon Panetta said agency officers who worked in secret prisons “should not be investigated, let alone punished.”

4. Mr. Obama assured corporate executives that he wants their companies to remain competitive, and that he is interested "over time" in lowering corporate rates in exchange for closing corporate loopholes.

I think I'll just call our nation's Chief Executive President Lucy. During the Presidential campaign candidates hold the football nice and straight. "It's safe," they say, "but I need you to vote for me first. Then you can whale away."

Vote done, President Barack Obama inaugurated. As I charged the football, small symbols came into view. The pigskin showed dollar signs with names of PAC's and million dollar bundlers. I planted my left foot, swung my right forward and crushed ...air? As I landed hard on my back, wind flew from my chest.

President Barack Lucy looked down on me and said, "It was never your ball. You believed it was your turn to kick? Ha!"

I wanted a witty retort, but I had no air. Everything hurt too much.

Obama Team Pours Over Schedule

An e-mail with the President's schedule was distributed to the media, only this one had White House staffers' notes. People in the Obama White House rarely stray from vetted buzz words. This drives home the team's use of "anti-Israeli crap" to describe legitimate world concerns over Israel's heavy handed treatment of citizens and neighbors.

UN Ambassador Susan Rice used a team approved phrase with the word "crap" in it. How low can leadership and diplomacy go? Bleedership and greedership continue.

Israeli FM Lieberman Declares Peace Talks Dead

Just weeks into office as Israel's Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman told the world peace is not at hand. Most of us figured that out after Israel razed Lebanon in 2006 and pummeled Gaza in late 2008-early 2009. But the Foreign Minister spoke clearly on the matter:

Peace talks with the Palestinians have reached a "dead end," Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman said Tuesday evening.

Speaking at an Israel Beiteinu conference in Jerusalem, Lieberman said "there's a withdrawal from talks, and we have to understand and acknowledge that we're at a dead end."

To think in early December Quartet Envoy Tony Blair titillated the world with news that Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian Chair Mahmoud Abbas signed a secret agreement. This is the nth time leaders approached peace only to have the slippery watermelon squirt through their violent arms. Next time, don't press too hard. And don't invite a racist hot head to the negotiating table.

How much worse can world leadership get? Greedership and bleedership are available in droves, leaders are lacking. That includes "25 day AWOL on Gaza" President Obama, whose UN Ambassador talks about defending "anti-Israeli crap." Diplomacy is dead, even with the silver tongued Chicagoan who magically turned a "recognize" into a "note" at the G20. Leaders like violence and money too much to stray from their collision course. As usual, the people suffer.

Military Pushes Back on Eliminating Don't Ask, Don't Tell

The United States Military broke down numerous barriers to serving our country. Today blacks, women, and women with children can openly volunteer to protect America. Gays are denied this right.

Removing a prohibition isn't difficult, other than reprinting documents. The military already does outstanding diversity training. Adding homosexuals to the list of people to respect shouldn't be hard. Yet, it is.

Pentagon Chief Robert Gates asked to push suspension of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" down the road. More than 1,000 retired military officers urged the White House and Congress to maintain the restriction. They suggested dropping it would "eventually break the All-Volunteer Force."

Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer and other gay service members helped make the force what it is today. Poor management practices will break the force long before honoring contributions made by homosexual soldiers. Lowering recruitment standards, sending soldiers with PTSD back to active war zones, and contracting out everything (but the fighting soldier) risk the volunteer force more than allowing gays to freely serve their country. It's time for change and one class of soldier.

Obama Blames Iran for European Missile Defense?

NATO formed to protect Europe against the Soviet Union. As it struggles for a reason for being, President Obama cited Iran as the looming threat. Never mind that Western nuclear weapons could obliterate the Persian country, in a one sided decimation. The AP reported:

Obama said Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile activity posed a real threat to the US and its allies, and Iran's neighbors.

And Israel's nuclear weapons and range of missiles don't pose a threat to its neighbors? Ask Lebanon and Gaza. Yet, President elect Obama stayed stoically silent during the 25 days of razing Gaza. He offered the Israeli line in support of Lebanon's pummeling summer 2006.

Israel paints the threat of Iran giving a nuclear bomb to terrorists, who would smuggle it into Israel or its allies. That could include Europe, however missile defense doesn't help in such a scenario.

The United States one strategic advantage is its overwhelming military might. Might the U.S. want to keep this relative position via disarmament? Restarting START with Russia could have nuclear warheads declining to 1,000 each. Do fewer missiles increase the odds of successful missile defense?

The US president called nuclear weapons "the most dangerous legacy of the Cold War" and saying the US has a moral responsibility to lead as the only nation ever to have used one.

The talk of world-wide disarmament is odd given the Pentagon's plans to implement the reliable replacement warhead. It helps to lead by example. But the President used the traditional nonspecific citation of "some talk".

"Some argue that the spread of these weapons cannot be checked - that we are destined to live in a world where more nations and more people possess the ultimate tools of destruction," Obama said to a huge crowd in a square outside the Prague Castle gates.

"This fatalism is a deadly adversary," he said. "For if we believe that the spread of nuclear weapons is inevitable, then we are admitting to ourselves that the use of nuclear weapons is inevitable."

The use of tactical nuclear weapons was argued by the Bush/Cheney cabal. They advocated using smaller nuclear weapons in a range of situations:

The Bush Administration s Nuclear Posture Review proposes building a new generation of small nuclear bombs to be used against terrorists hiding in caves, as well as against underground command posts and biological weapon facilities. The goal, says Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is to provide the president with a range of options to defeat any aggressor.

Does President Obama think the American people have no memory? Or is his talk a diversion? The current race is to weaponize space. That's where the next level of human pathology will express.

U.S. to Battle Anti-Israel Crap in United Nations

How inelegant can diplomacy get? YNET reported:

US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said that the new US administration wants to rejoin the sometimes troubled UN Human Rights Council, to – among other things – "battle the anti-Israel crap."

I don't want the other Rice back, but I'm not sure this one is an improvement. Cluster bombs, white phosphorous, and Obama's 25 day silence on Gaza echoed Bush.

Did Rahm Emanuel or David Axelrod come up the "battle the anti-Israel crap" framing? It sounds IDF tough, the image Rahm wants to project. Emanuel fixed Israeli military vehicles during the first Gulf War.

That doesn't get anyone a soldier slot in today's contracted out military. Leaders are sorry contract managers and politicians hollow word framers. It's a sad reflection on the state of leadership, now displaced by greedership and bleedership.

America the Free to Summarily Execute

An American drone fired missile obliterated a Pakistani home for the 30th time in the past year. The world's leading democracy summarily executed over 350 people in the contingency overseas operation, formerly called the War on Terror. Reuters reported:

Pakistani Taliban militants have threatened in recent days to launch attacks in the capital, in Afghanistan and in the United States in retaliation for the drone attacks.

U.S. commanders say the militant enclaves have to be eliminated, and Obama has said the United States will tackle them if Pakistan will not or cannot..

Isn't this how 9-11 started? America's tampering in the world turned into blow back. It will happen again, the question is when and how.

Charge of the Economic Unions

Economic Unions exist in Europe and the Middle East. Africa and the Americas are next in line. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi wants an African Union.

Gadhafi will attempt in his new role "to take a decision on establishing an executive instrument for the AU, to push Africa forward to become African united states, such as the United States of Africa."

Mexican ex-President Vincente Fox suggested an American version, one with Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

"It's an extremely successful model," said Fox. "My vision is to speed up the process of further integration."

Disaster capitalism goes global? The race to lowest global common denominator on taxes, worker pay/benefits, and regulation continues. Stay tuned.

Israel Proves Again It Doesn't Want Peace

How many ways does Israel have to tell the world to bugger off? General David Petraeus told Congress that Israel might unleash its third attack in the region in three years. After pummeling Lebanon and Gaza, Israel might take on Iran. Bloomberg reported:

Petraeus Says Israel Might Choose to Attack Iran

Army General David Petraeus told Congress that “the Israeli government may ultimately see itself so threatened by the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon that it would take preemptive military action to derail or delay it.”

Israel's Bibi Netanyahu promised to honor all agreements prior to his swearing in as Prime Minister. Apparently, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman didn't get the memo. BBC reported:

Israel FM rejects Annapolis deal

Israel's new ultra-nationalist foreign minister has said it is not bound by a US-sponsored 2007 agreement to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians.

"The Annapolis conference, it has no validity," Avigdor Lieberman said.

It's time to quit giving Israel $2.77 billion a year in military might. If Israel attacks, they should be on their own. Memo to Congress and the White House, Israel isn't our 51st state.