Gustav swirled toward Cuba on Wednesday after triggering flooding and landslides that killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean. Its track pointed toward the U.S. Gulf coast, including Louisiana where Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc three years ago.
Oil prices jumped above US$119 a barrel as workers began to evacuate from the offshore rigs responsible for a quarter of U.S. crude production and much of America's natural gas.
"We know it's going to head into the Gulf. After that, we're not sure where it's heading," said Rebecca Waddington, a meteorologist at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. "For that reason, everyone in Gulf needs to be monitoring the storm. At that point, we're expecting it to be a Category 3 hurricane."
On Wednesday, Gustav was moving off of Haiti's southwestern peninsula into the waters between Cuba and Jamaica. Its tentative track pointed directly at the Cayman Islands, an offshore banking center where residents boarded up homes and stocked up on emergency supplies in preparation for a possible direct hit Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Looks like it unexpectedly stalled a bit over Haiti and got chewed up by the terrain there. That and there is some upper atmosphere shear that developed unexpectedly as well, that's keeping it from reforming as quickly as was forecast. Still, its a wild card once it enters the Gulf of Mexico and those warm waters.
#3
...And IIRC, they told us we'd have years to get ready for the next direct hit on Nawlins.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/28/2008 6:59 Comments ||
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#4
Heh, the two different maps tell exactly the same story. "It'll hit somewhere in here, but we're not sure."
Oh, and storms have a tendency to curl at the last minute and miss New Orleans. It's what happened with Hurricane Georges in 1998, when people went into the Superdome for the first time. We remember Katrina and not Georges because it didn't miss.
#10
This could be VERY destructive for the US. Speculation is starting that once Gustav gets to 100-200 miles off the Gulf coast-it will just stall for a couple days. All the time spinning and intensifying over very warm water.
#12
At this point, it is JUST speculation. And given that spot oil prices were DOWN today, there is obviously much dispute on what will happen in 6 or 7 days.
#13
I've never been good at Cassandra, so I think I'll wait. Granted, Gustav is likely to give Cincinnati a miss altogether, but even so, I refuse to panic. ;-)
Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president, has said he will form a new government with or without the opposition. "In fact, preferably without."
But Zimbabwe's two opposition factions said on Wednesday they will not take part in any government formed by Mugabe before power-sharing talks have been concluded.
Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), are deadlocked in power-sharing talks over how much control Mugabe should surrender.
Mugabe told The Herald, a government-controlled newspaper, that he would form the government and a new cabinet even without a resolution to currently stalled power-sharing talks with the MDC. "We shall soon be setting up a government. The MDC does not want to come in apparently. This time they have been promised by the British that sanctions would be more devastating, that in six months' time the government will collapse. I do not know when that day will come. I wish Tsvangirai well on that day."
Meanwhile, Nelson Chamisa, the MDC spokesman, said: "You can't just have a cabinet without a mandate".
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Gee Bob, consolidate your power...........MUCH?
A former Liberian warlord whose drugged fighters once appeared on camera holding up a human heart dodged questions Wednesday and refused to accept any wrongdoing during an appearance before a public commission.
Sekou Conneh is the former head of the rebel group that encircled Liberia's capital and heavily shelled it in the final months of Liberia's 14-year conflict in 2003.
Conneh appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and argued he should be treated as a hero for having launched the attack that led to the defeat of President Charles Taylor, himself on trial for war crimes at The Hague, Netherlands.
Taylor's forces have been accused of numerous atrocities -- including eating the hearts of their slain enemies. But the rebel group Conneh led is also blamed for barbaric actions.
Besides shelling the capital, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy is tied to massacres of entire villages. The group's siege of Monrovia and indiscriminate shelling of the capital led to so many deaths that Liberians began piling up the bodies in front of the U.S. Embassy in a plea for help.
Conneh argued the shelling was the work of Taylor's forces, even though Conneh's rebels allowed themselves to be filmed as they assaulted the city.
He made a brief opening statement before the commission, then said he was willing to answer questions. But the ex-rebel asked more questions of the commissioners than he answered.
"If a minister embezzles or carries out any act of corruption, would you hold the president liable? The president is not responsible for a minister's mistake," Conneh said in response to a question of whether he was accountable for his men's actions.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Home Affairs Adviser MA Matin yesterday said there is no legal bar to releasing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her elder son Tarique Rahman from jail to facilitate their treatment abroad. If I recall correctly, that's what they originally tried to do, but Khaleda was determined she wasn't going to be exiled. I guess things look different after a few months in clink.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Politicians facing no corruption cases or investigations won't be barred from participating in elections if they voluntarily approach the Truth and Accountability Commission (Tac) for clemency, surrendering their ill-gotten wealth.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
In 2006, the Mexican death toll in their drug war was 2,000. Already this year it is about 1,500. A few days ago, much was made about the drug gangs sending assassins North to kill competitors in the US.
Hah. That's been going on for over a decade now. There's a patch of desert in West Phoenix that is looking like a toxic waste dump in New Jersey because of all the dead bodies found there. Almost all execution style and in shallow graves, or no graves at all.
When the count hit 35, the local papers stopped reporting it. Bad for tourism.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan - China and several Central Asian nations rebuffed Russia's hopes of international support for its actions in Georgia, issuing a statement Thursday denouncing the use of force and calling for respect for every country's territorial integrity.
A joint declaration from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization also offered some support for Russia's "active role in promoting peace" following a cease-fire, but overall it appeared to increase Moscow's international isolation.
France, meanwhile, said the European Union was considering imposing sanctions against Russia. "Sanctions are being considered ... and many other means as well," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said at a news conference in Paris. He did not elaborate.
Continued on Page 49
#1
The Central Asian countries have a substantial Russian minority from the Soviet era, and are in the process of acquiring a substantial Chinese minority because of long and porous borders (perhaps manned by bribable border guards), combined with rapidly expanding trade ties. Accepting RussiaÂ’s land grab in Georgia would be to legitimate what Russia and China might do in these Central Asian countries in the future.
#6
As per REGNUM.RU Artiiikles > I'm interpreting this as subtle recognition of Russ ASIA neighbors that Russ is only asymmet endangering itself vv PAN-ASIAN RADICAL ISLAMIST THREAT by dissing the US-NATO/EU as per GEORGIA. * "WAR OUTSIDE OF IRAQ" > IMO THE REST OF ASIA IS AWARE THAT NUKE-AMBITIOUS RADICAL ISLAM BROADLY INTENDS TO DESTABILIZE AND DISMEMBER RUSSIA + ASIA, i.e. "ATTACKING WHERE THE US-NATO IS NOT", + "THE GREAT GAME" IS NO REASON TO ALIENATE US-WESTERN FIREPOWER + FORMAL MIL PRESENCE AT THIS TIME.
IOW, ASIA > IFF RUSS WANTS TO COMMIT SUICIDE VV ANTI-US/NATO-EU RUSS-LED EMPOWERMENT OF RADICAL ISLAM, LET IT - ASIA IS GOING PROTECT ASIA!?
#7
ION CHINESE MIL FORUM > CHINESE ARMOR AND TROOPS ON THE MOVE TOWARDS INNER MONGOLIA [MILEX
"Libing 2008"]. Testing the PLA's ability to fight SUDDEN UNPLANNED WARS = OPERATIONS-OTHER-THAN-WAR???
#4
WAFF.com > DAILYMAIL.UK > ANY [US-NATO]MILITARY HELP/ASSISTANCE TO GEORGIA IS A "DECLARATION OF WAR", SAYS RUSSIA IN NEW EXTRAORDINARY WARNING TO THE WEST.
Also from WAFF > LARGE NATO FLEET IN THE BLACK SEA [6-10 Destroyers = 1 ea DD per NATO Member includ US]. Reported anchored in a Romanian port.; + RUSSIA IS REJECTED BY CHINA.
Georgia's foreign minister says the ethnic cleansing of Georgians from the separatist province of South Ossetia has nearly been completed.
Eka Tkeshelashvili says Georgians have been cleared from their homes across the disputed territory. In some villages, Georgians had lived alongside South Ossetians. She did not specify who she was accusing of carrying it out. She was speaking Thursday in Vienna at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2008 08:38 ||
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#1
She did not specify who she was accusing of carrying it out.
Probably those damn Chinese Methodists. Can't have been Russia, Red Czarism is a Religion of Peace (tm).
Russia has sent a missile cruiser and two other ships to a Georgian port, while a US military ship has docked at another southern port in a show of force amid an escalating standoff with the West over a nation devastated by war with Russia.
The dockings came a day after Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, recognised the two Georgian breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, prompting harsh criticism from Western nations. Georgia reacted by recalling all but two diplomats from its embassy in Moscow.
The US Coast Guard cutter Dallas, carrying 34 tons of humanitarian aid, docked in the Black Sea port of Batumi, south of the zone of this month's fighting between Russia and Georgia.
The arrival in Batumi avoided Georgia's main cargo port of Poti, which is still controlled by Russian soldiers. The US embassy in Georgia had earlier said the ship was headed to Poti, but then retracted its statement.
Zaza Gogava, the head of Georgia's joint forces command, said the port in Poti could have been mined by Russian forces and still contained several Georgian ships sunken in the fighting.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Just a note, Zaza Gogava is an Ossetian. More than 60% of South Ossetians live within Georgia, compared to less than 40% within S Ossetia territory.
#2
The US needs to force them out of Poti - it is an illegal act of war and agression for them to occupy that terriroty and to have demolished it and mined it.
#3
Not sure how we'd do that without starting a war ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/28/2008 1:02 Comments ||
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#4
Steve, one problem, war is there already, it's just in a ceasefire stage. You mean widening the war, I presume.
A lotsa international observers and peacekeepers (real ones) would go a long way to effectively contain RA and possibly displace it out as it would become ineffective, eventually, from Georgian held territory.
#5
sooo.. if their rust-bucket navy is anything like it used to be, does that mean that our coast guard cutter could kick the a** of one of their warships? Hmmm, I don't know, but I suppose that's probably asking too much. For some reason I get the image of an aggressive little yappy dog and a big doberman having a stand off. The only question is which will tuck its tail and run first.
#6
It would be stupid for a CG cutter to take on a destroyer or frigate. Very different weapons systems, the cutter would be toast. Not to say the Coasties don't have the guts - they do, but they do have more brains. A slugging match would be very one sided. That said, the Russians are unlikely to fire on the cutter, given the same one sidedness. They would be more likely to bump it, damage it.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
08/28/2008 6:57 Comments ||
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#7
A Russian cruiser isn't something to take lightly. Especially not their supersonic antiship missiles, something that will cut any ship smaller than an aircraft carrier in two.
Reuters 8/25: Russia's flagship cruiser re-entered the Black Sea on Monday for weapons tests hours after the Russian military complained about the presence of U.S. and other NATO naval ships near the Georgian coast.
The 'Moskva' had led a battle group of Russian naval vessels stationed off the coastline of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia during Russia's recent conflict with Georgia and sank smaller Georgian craft.
The assistant to the Russian Navy's commander-in-chief told Russian news agencies the cruiser had put to sea again two days after returning to its base at the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2008 8:03 Comments ||
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#8
They're more likely to watch as the cutter hit a mine and say "See what the nasty georgians did to you? Why do you even bother."
A. A column of Georgian civilians marches into Poti. Accompanied by TV cameras. Let the Russians do what they think appropriate
B. Surround Poti with civilians in tent camps.
I mean, cmon, wheres creative non-violence when you need it?
And yeah, Im quite aware the Russians may go ahead and use tear gas and billy clubs and say to hell with the bad PR. But you inflict a COST on them, and you prepare for the next steps.
In this sense delivering supplies to Batumi was a brilliant idea. We need MORE good ideas, to keep embarrassing the Russians, uniting the Georgians, shaming the world, WITHOUT starting a shooting war.
#10
Another example of why the UN, like Global Warming, is a money sucking hoax. Any member of the UN Security Council can do whatever they want and not suffer the ridicule of sanctions, reproach or universal aggression. For the US to show some force using its naval power and air power at this time would I believe convince the Soviets cum Russians to back down. Deep down they are basically bullies and chicken shit cowards that need a good spanking.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/28/2008 11:38 Comments ||
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#11
Any member of the UN Security Council can do whatever they want and not suffer the ridicule of sanctions, reproach or universal aggression
When the UN was formed, the decision was made to have the veto to preserve great power interests. While I dont accept great powers right to pursuse aggression, I personally think that having the UNSC reflect the real existence and interests of great powers is very good to insure such credibility and influence as the UNSC has. Meanwhile there are other forms of recourse when one of the P5 goes too far.
#13
Yeah, nothing like marching your family in to be beaten, raped or murdered for good international PR. You first
Didnt say it was easy. How badly do they want to be independent? Im betting the Russians are gonna stick to tear gassing and knocking heads though - you really think they will rape and murder in full view of the world? Even I dont think they would do that.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
08/28/2008 19:49 Comments ||
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#17
Abkhazia is were Shamil Basaev got his start leading the Russian and muslim forces that massacred thousands of Georgians. That he then turned on his Russian benefactors is rather ironic.
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2008 20:10 Comments ||
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#18
No, I don't think they will rape and murder in full view. Do you think that the Russians and their helpers won't rape and murder?
This is not a greenpeace fest where he who gets the best press coverage wins This is true war and the Russians have no intentions of playing fair or nice. They just intend to win.
Sure, we care about human rights and are affected by that kind of coverage. They have already made it clear they don't give a &**^
President Dmitry Medvedev, addressing the nation in a live television broadcast, said he signed decrees recognizing South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states to protect residents of the regions from Georgian attacks, which he described as "genocide." "Yeah, those Georgians do that stuff all the time. The place used to be crawling with Veps and Malamutes and Urdmurts -- you never see them anymore. We're putting a stop to that!"
"This is not an easy choice to make, but it represents the only possibility to save human lives," Medvedev said, arguing that Moscow had shown "restraint and patience" for years in the face of Georgian "provocations."
The Russian decision was not likely to change the situation on the ground, as both territories have enjoyed de facto autonomy from Georgia for more than a decade. But it amounted to a bold reassertion of Russian power in a region that Moscow considers part of its sphere of influence and a pointed challenge to President Bush, who had warned the Kremlin not to recognize the territories the day before.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Then I guess Russia will withdraw from these new states so as not to infringe upon their sovereignty.
Posted by: Scott R ||
08/28/2008 0:40 Comments ||
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#2
Fine - the get your troops the hell out of Georgia proper.
#3
Scott R, Putin will point to our presence in Iraq as justification for his actions in Georgia.
I'm not saying they're equivalent - they're not. But he will use that as the thin pretext he needs to gain support of people who haven't liked our actions since 9/11.
Putin is an advanced black belt in judo and he plays geopolitics the same way.
#4
So lets declare Chechnya and Dagestan independent for them. Two can play at the independent regions game, and russia has way, WAY more regions to lose than Georgia. We could get every separatist in the russian region fired up if that's how they want to play it.
#5
Problem is if the West started handing out passports, the entire region would empty out in no time.
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2008 8:22 Comments ||
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#6
The Russkies have been handing out Russian passports to people from those regions for years. They aren't independent - they're Russian now, de facto if not de jure. And so goes the old Russian game of absorbing the margins.
#7
Even the ChiComs aren't buying the official Russian line. Sure, the Russkis have boots on the ground, but they seem to be standing in a giant pile of poo.
This is the Headline: PARADE OF 4,000 Iraq war veterans protest at convention This is the story:
About 50 Iraq war veterans led a parade of thousands of demonstrators Wednesday afternoon in a boisterous march that was Denver's largest protest so far this week.
The Iraq Veterans Against the War group led the four-mile procession from the Denver Coliseum to the Pepsi Center, site of the Democratic National Convention, calling for Barack Obama to end U.S. involvement in Iraq and improve health care for veterans. As many as 4,000 protesters took part, according to a police estimate.
The 50 veterans who led the demonstration included some in full military dress. As they marched along an industrial area far from downtown, they chanted, "My buddy's in the foxhole with a bullet in his head. . . . I called to get the medic, but he's already dead."
#2
Holy Shit...that's my hometown newsrag!!! I stopped buying that toilet paper when the NYT bought em out. Thanks for the heads up on this, the ed is gonna hear from me on this one.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/28/2008 15:31 Comments ||
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#4
IIUS, in the Marine Corps, at least, it's not called a foxhole any more. It's called a fighting hole.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
08/28/2008 16:54 Comments ||
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#5
IIUC, not IIUS
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
08/28/2008 16:54 Comments ||
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#6
If BO gets elected, every splinter group will be protesting about some thing or other. It is the way of the donks and the left--politics of the street.
Well, here we are again, my friends. We stand together at a time of great challenge and opportunity.
As conservatives, I think itÂ’s fair to say that not everything has gone our way this election, and as many of us prepare to gather up in Minneapolis, we are faced with some tough choices. I truly believe that given those choices, if you care about judges who will make decision based on the Constitution, not their political leanings, if you care about shrinking a bureaucracy that will take more of your money and do less for you, if you care about the security of our homeland and the defense of freedom abroad, the choice is pretty clear.
I continue to look ahead with optimism and high expectations for the future Â… of our country, the Republican Party, and our conservative movement. ThatÂ’s because by any measure, we live in the greatest country in the history of the world, and like generations of Americans before us, like conservative leaders before us, we have both the opportunity and the obligation to keep it that way and I know we can and we will.
We know what it will take. It means we stick to the fundamental, conservative principles that have unified us for over two centuries. It also means supporting leaders and causes who adhere to the principles that are the foundation of America and which we hold dear. They are:
* The role of the federal government is limited to the powers given to it in our Constitution, and the bigger the government gets, the less competent it is to run our lives, and we must have leaders who understand that the market works best when it regulated and legislated least.
* A dollar belongs in the pocket of the person who earns it unless the government has a compelling reason why it can use it better.
* We donÂ’t spend money we donÂ’t have or borrow money that our children and grandchildren will have to pay back, and we must have leaders who understand this and will listen to the will of the people.
* The best way to avoid war is to be stronger than our enemies. But if we are in a fight, we win it because not doing so makes us more likely to be attacked in the future, and we must have leaders who understand this.
* The federal judiciary is supposed to decide cases, not legislate from the bench or dictate social policy and we must have leaders and judges who understand this.
These are principles that made our country free, prosperous and strong. These principles are the foundation of a conservative movement that I have been faithful to. They are principles that we share, and they are principles that represent the future of our nation.
They are also principles we must support and defend, because these principles are under assault– from the extremist, big-government, high- taxing, weak-on-defense radical left and the Democrat Party.
That is why it is important that we accept the mantle of leadership. IÂ’m going to do my part. IÂ’m proud that IÂ’ve been able to help good, honorable and conservative men like Rep. Tom McClintock in California, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder of Missouri, and Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell during this election cycle. IÂ’m pleased to have helped state parties around the country raise money to put good conservatives in statehouses, and to put forward innovative, federalist-based policies. And IÂ’m happy to carry our conservative message wherever IÂ’ve been given the opportunity.
All of these endeavors are going to continue, and I want you to be a part of it. ThatÂ’s why IÂ’m pleased to announce the formation of FRED PAC. FRED PAC will help identify and support candidates on every level who support a platform of conservative, principles-based leadership and policies.
I want to make clear that FRED PAC is nothing like what has been set by others with an eye toward their own political futures four or eight years from now. IÂ’m doing this with an eye toward OUR political future right now. We need conservatives on every level of politics winning, taking seats from Democrats and holding seats to rebuild our majorities. We need to develop and promote the kind of innovative, free market and principles-based policies that led to our great political victories in 1980 and 1994.
FRED PAC and its supporters will do all that. And perhaps most important, the support of FRED PAC will send a clear message to our fellow conservatives and supporters nationally that our causes and candidates who believe in our principles and who will defend them are in need of our help, leveraging the kind of support and activism that has served our movement well for two generations. Now itÂ’s our turn to make it work.
The American people are waiting for us to step up, protect our values, defend our principles and our country. Together we can do something great for America. I welcome that challenge, and I hope you will join me in this effort.
As conservatives, I think it's fair to say that not everything has gone our way this election
Hmm, is that a dig at McCain?
FYI, I got some back channel info on this from some of the other original FredHeads. The website for this should be up next week, to coincide with the start of the GOP convention.
Basically going to do candidate support independant of the "Country Club" types, direct to conservative candidates, and eventually run "issues" ads that hilight conservative causes and solutions. Nice thing is thre are plans afoot to do this at the state and local level, meaning it could turn into a grassroots remake of the GOP from the bottom up, getting rid of the self-entilted porkers, earmarkers, and ineffective RINOS.
#4
I'm hoping that instead of an acceptence speech, McCain gives as state of the union message laying out where we are and where we need to go. Good words from Fred. We lost a lot when he dropped out of the race.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
08/28/2008 14:59 Comments ||
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#5
Yes indeed Richard! He might also consider making his acceptance speech from an operating oil rig in the Gulf with Boone Pickens over a couple of beers.
#8
I don't see why people get all worked up over Fred. He's a great guy and I do like his politics, but it was abundantly clear he didn't really want to run. His candidacy was a half-hearted at best.
#9
CNN this AM [DNC Coverage] > comment was made that POST-JAN 2009 BOTH THE DEMS + GOP DESIRE TO SEE AN END TO THE WOT + US FORCE INVOLVEMENT IN IRAQ + AFHGAN-PAKIS, + THAT BOTH CAMPS WANT THEIR POTUS NOMINEES TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IN THEIR FIRST TERM.
Irony > US NPE Politicos, etc. desire 2008-2012 for the USA to end the WOT at time when Radical Islam is going all out to NUCLEARIZE AND CONQUER ASIA + WHEN SAID WAR IS ENTERING ITS MOST DANGEROUS, "MAKE OR BREAK" DECISIVE PHASE AS PER OWG-NWO/"GLOBALISM"!
DENVER -- Amid a spate of awkward on-air conflicts among MNSBC anchors at this week's Democratic convention, some staff members say there are sharp internal disputes at the cable network over whether its opinion and personality-driven political coverage has crossed the line. "The situation at our channel is about to blow up," a high-ranking MSNBC journalist told Politico on Wednesday.
Two other MSNBC sources said some of the testy on-air exchanges between Keith Olbermann -- whose quick-witted and often caustic commentary has fueled ratings growth -- and other network personalities were a public glimpse of much more intense behind-the-scenes turmoil.
As replays of the conflicts became YouTube hits, MSNBC President Phil Griffin gave his first public defense in a Politico interview. "MSNBC does not have an ideology," Griffin said. "We hire smart people who are passionate about their love of politics and love of news."
"Do I want them to have squabbles?" Griffin asked. "No. But I understand they're human."
Your understanding of Olbermann is different from ours ...
In addition to Olbermann, MSNBC personalities Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough and David Shuster were involved in Denver controversies.
On Monday evening, Olbermann interrupted Scarborough while he was talking about McCain being competitive in the polls. "Jesus, Joe, why don't you get a shovel?" Olbermann remarked.
On "Morning Joe" the following day, a clearly agitated Scarborough went off on Shuster during a discussion of Iraq, which quickly devolved over several cringe-worthy minutes into personal attacks, such as Scarborough telling the world how his colleague missed the show three times by oversleeping. "Are you Rip Van Shuster?" Scarborough asked. "Have you been sleeping for the past couple of months?"
But Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida, became enraged when Shuster made a reference to "your party." Asked by Scarborough what his party was, Shuster said he was an "independent."
"I feel so comforted by the fact that you're an independent," Scarborough said, in a mocking tone. "I bet everybody at MSNBC has independent on their voting cards. Oh, we're down the middle now." (Shuster left the set, but returned later to hug it out, "Entourage"-style.)
That night, Scarborough told NPR that he "get[s] frustrated by people who have an obvious partisan bias that don't proclaim that bias."
The old debate over election coverage bias was given new life on Sunday, when Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell -- who'd remarked during the primaries that Fox News was the "most objective" network -- told a panel of Sunday show anchors, including NBC's Tom Brokaw, that "MSNBC was the official network of the Obama campaign."
#1
yawn. Watsa matter MSNBC?? Are your ratings falling so low that you are attempting to promote this faux controversy to get some sort of buzz going your way?
A few testy on air exchanges showing the "passion" of their anchors isn't going to save their sinking ship. Besides who cares? Other than the staff, there is no one else on board.
#3
But, but ... if the MSM dies, what will we have to post here and snark at?
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/28/2008 6:02 Comments ||
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#4
Timing is everything. With this revelation now the MSM will be harder than usual on republicans next week with this new found "religion" never realizing that maybe they should have gotten religion before the DNC 08.
#10
Olbermann is widely despised at MSNBC by everybody but the bosses. There is a waiting line to mess him up if the opportunity ever presents itself. But he is in the same position as a newspaper sob sister. Unless people continue to send Olbermann hate mail, he is out of there.
This usually means that over time his opinions will get so grotesque that they become comic, like advocating the kicking of puppies, just to piss people off.
#12
And some cheap booze, Darth, to make the ensuing fights more interesting.
Posted by: Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields ||
08/28/2008 9:56 Comments ||
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#13
Two other MSNBC sources said some of the testy on-air exchanges between Keith Olbermann -- whose quick-witted and often caustic commentary dip-shit mouth has fueled ratings growth plunge
WHAT A LIE! Olbermann has been in the TANK since he been on the air.
He's NEVER beatten FOX or even CNN's Larry King who's always behind FOX himself.
PMSNBC = PURE BULLSHIT
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/28/2008 10:08 Comments ||
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#14
But Red Dawg, this is precisely why a LIVE, networked gunfight is so necessary.
#16
Give em all a sawed shotgun and a bowie knife and turn em loose in a vacant lot........
What a bunch of crap.
How a net work that employs an ex speech writer for Clinton as a commentator and claims to be impartial is just assinine.
Posted by: James Carville ||
08/28/2008 11:02 Comments ||
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#17
But, but ... if the MSM dies, what will we have to post here and snark at?
Individual reporters who post their content online. Besides, last time I checked one of those "news" shows, this was the entire menu:
Caylee is still missing.
Look how well Barack is doing!
Video footage of reporters outside Caylee courthouse.
Republicans did something bad.
The economy is bad! bad! People are hurting.
Is John McCain a bad man?
Breaking Update on Missing Caylee
Iraq bomb stats
non-informative news story about georgia
Caylee's mom's stripper footage.
Rinse, repeat for 24 hours except for opinion shows that tell us how great Barack is doing despite the poor economy and racist Republicans.
#18
Olberman was a jerk when he was all-sports at ESPN. Everyone thinks he and Dan Patrick were the greatest thing in sports reporting since sliced bread but he was despised there because of his antics and left-wing political views. He is still a jerk and an arrogant misogynist that will get his some day. You just cannot continue to be this narcissistic and sarcastic and slanderous with out someone coming by and punching your lights out.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/28/2008 11:44 Comments ||
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#19
I expect Kenneth is seeking him out, even now.
#23
Caylee is still missing.
Look how well Barack is doing!
Video footage of reporters outside Caylee courthouse.
Republicans did something bad.
The economy is bad! bad! People are hurting.
Is John McCain a bad man?
Breaking Update on Missing Caylee
Iraq bomb stats
non-informative news story about georgia
Caylee's mom's stripper footage. Caylee and Gretta Van Sustern go out seaching for real killer(s).
#26
It's a quagmire, an unwinnable conflict that NBC should have never started, and one in which the troops have committed journalistic war crimes out of desperation and inflamed sectarian violence. The NBC Board of Dircetors should cut off funds to Olbermann and withdraw Chris Matthews and his technical crews to Okinawa. That'll force Scarborough and Shuster to settle their differences politically; but even if they don't, their civil war is none of our business.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/28/2008 17:49 Comments ||
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#27
Mike those guys on the NBC BoD are from GE -- our nation's largest aider and abettor of Iran.
Posted by: regular joe ||
08/28/2008 18:06 Comments ||
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Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/28/2008 19:29 Comments ||
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#33
If you'd like a foretaste of an Obama administration, take note of the MLK theme and listen to the Motown Invesco stadium warm up and the list of performers selected. It is difficult for me to get my head around the idea that this empty suit has amassed such a cult following. I'm sadly becoming indifferent to the entire ordeal.
Former President Bill Clinton is to deliver a keenly awaited speech at the US Democratic Party convention in Denver, Colorado. I have a mullet under my tongue. I'm waiting with baited breath.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I thought his comments regarding "setting the example" were particularly rich. Most disappointed however by the appearances and comments of LTG(Ret) Claudia Kennedy and Gulf War Veteran Tammy Duckworth.
I recall attending a annual commander's conference many years ago where LTG Kennedy spoke. She was at that time the Army's Deputy Cheif of Staff for Intelligence. In attendance were commanders and senior enlisted leaders from each of the command's brigades as well as other key members of Army the intelligence community. As I recall, she spoke for about 45 minutes on the topic of future space strategic collection platforms and the necessary interelations necessary for joint planners. It wasn't a topic not particularly well suited to the audience. She took one or two quick questions, then rushed off the stage. We were to learn later that she had to get over to the gymnasium to link-up with her personal trainer.
While assigned to the NCR, LTG Kennedy regularly held coaching and mentoring "teas" (2 hour lunches) for female members of her staff and by invitation only, selected others. In her pentagon office LTG Kennedy proudly displayed a photo of herself posing with President Clinton.
Kennedy's three year, after-the-fact allegation and subsequent charges of sexual misconduct (attempted kissing and groping) against MG Larry Smith are legendary. General Smith received an administrative repremand which immediately ended his career. There was however, no finding of insanity with respect to General Smith, a condition he would certainly have had to have been suffering to consider "forcably kissing or groping" Claudia Kennedy.
I will not even address the comments made by Ms. Tammy Duckworth, Director of Illinois Department of Veteran's Affairs, who as an amputee declined medical retirement to serve in the National Guard. Suffice to say her very public and slanderous statements regarding our Commander in Chief were both shameless and dispicable and represent a clear violation of her oaths of enlistment and commissioning. In 2006, Duckworth ran for U.S. Congress in the 6th District of Illinois but lost to her Republican opponnent. Obviously she still longs for public office.
#2
Bill, the man who treated the ugly mole of Al Qaeda was a mere cosmetic dermatology issue instead of the killing cancer that it was, allowing it to fester and grow for eight years. Oh, for the good old days. Cheer delegates, cheer. /sarcasm off.
Remember if you're a Trunk White House aide you go to jail [with throngs of cheering Donks] for perjury before a federal grand jury. If you are a Donk, you get no such penalty but with even more cheering party masses. One set of rules for me, another set of rules for thee.
SHARE DENVER--Police in Denver arrested an ABC News producer today as he and a camera crew were attempting to take pictures on a public sidewalk of Democratic Senators and VIP donors leaving a private meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel. Remind me to not go to Denver
Police on the scene refused to tell ABC lawyers the charges against the producer, Asa Eslocker, who works with the ABC News investigative unit. We have nuttin' ta say!
A cigar-smoking Denver police sergeant, accompanied by a team of five other officers, first put his hands on Eslocker's neck, then twisted the producers arm behind him to put on handcuffs. Aw-right, putcher mitts behints ya!
I must admit, there are some reporters I'd like to try that on. But I would be arrested.
A police official later told lawyers for ABC News that Eslocker is being charged with trespass, interference, and failure to follow a lawful order. He also said the arrest followed a signed complaint from the Brown Palace Hotel. Yeah 'E wuz trespassin' on this hear Publik Sidewalk! Sidewalks is fer the Publik, not fer some crummy reporter!
And the Hotel complained 'bout the smell! They even signed it! Youse guys just move along, now, er I'll putcha inna paddywagon!
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Thous shalt not expose fat cats, lobbyists, panderers, money men and other hangers on who would display the hypocrisy of the Obamessiah without suffering the wrath of his Democrat Party Guardians and local party apparatchiks.
More of Obama's and the Dems elitism on display.
I wonder when the press will catch on as to how corrupt the Dem Party has become?
#2
If this had happened at the Republican convention, it would be on all the nightly news, the video of the reporter being arrested would be played more than the Rodney King video, and mass hysteria would ensue.
But, it was at the Democratic convention. You see, it's OK if certain things get done, because getting the Obamamessiah into office is most important and all other ideals must be set aside.
#5
The fact that this tidbit is getting no play in the media........especially you would think ABC would be howling like a turpentined dog...........speaks volumes about how the fourth estate is completely in bed with the dems.
They want to compare the GOP to the Nazis and its the Dems who are practicing totalitarianism. This Parthaneon that they are building for BO in Denver is so reminiscent of Hitler's venues in Nurnberg and Munich. Everyone needs to watch "Triumph of the Will" and see where all of this current leftist imagery is coming from.
If BO gets elected, no one's privacy or civil rights are safe. The Dems will turn the Patriot Act on anyone who dares to counter them.
I am not a big fan of the direction of the Democratic party right now. SO you guys in the GOP have to win this one for the freedom of everyone.
Posted by: James Carville ||
08/28/2008 11:08 Comments ||
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#6
"If BO gets elected, no one's privacy or civil rights are safe. The Dems will turn the Patriot Act on anyone who dares to counter them."
I've wondered with the concentration of power in the president, the weakening of civil liberties, how long until we get someone who wants to be president for life?
I just hope it isn't a problem during my lifetime. But just in case, I am preparing the bumper stickers...
In a move condemned by the country's lawyers as a political stunt, the country's weakened coalition government on Wednesday returned eight of the dozens of judges sacked by Musharraf last year to their posts.
Agha Rafiq, the Sindh provincial law secretary in Karachi, said: "Eight former judges of the Sindh High Court took oath today." He said the eight had not been reinstated, but rather freshly appointed - a technicality that allows the government to hold off on any change to the status of the other judges removed from office.
Just two days earlier, Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister and leader of the PML-N party, quit the government over differences with Asaf Ali Zardari, the leading coalition partner, on the issue of the deposed judges.
Sharif and Pakistani lawyers are calling for reinstatement of all 63 judges sacked under a state of emergency, including Iftikhar Chaudhry, the chief justice.
Rashid Razvi, leader of the Karachi bar council, speaking on the reappointed judges, said: "This is a conspiracy aimed at dividing the judges and lawyers."
The judges had previously refused offers to return to their jobs, insisting on reinstatement of all, including Chaudhry.
Aitezaz Ahsan, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and a leader of the lawyers' movement, said: "We are deeply sad and disappointed." He said the eight who took office "gave up when our victory was in sight".
Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, deposed dozens of judges under a state of emergency last November when it appeared they would challenge his re-election as president the previous month. The sackings sparked large and sometimes violent protests by Pakistan's influential lawyers.
Musharraf, whose allies suffered a setback in February parliamentary elections, resigned under a threat of impeachment last week. But the ruling coalition has since collapsed after failing to agree on how to restore the judges.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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(PTI) Amid criticism of his visit to China first instead of India after assuming office, Nepal's new Premier Prachanda today said his maiden "political" trip will be to New Delhi and that it will take place "very soon." Prachanda, who undertook a five-day visit to Beijing to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympics, was criticised in the political circle here for visiting China first in a sharp departure from tradition where India has been the first port of call for most of the previous Nepalese prime ministers.
"My first political visit will be to India," the Nepalese Prime Minister told reporters at the Tribhuvan International Airport here after arriving from China.
Prachanda, the chief of the CPN-Maoist party, said his visit to India will take place "very soon." The former guerrilla leader also noted that Nepal-India traditional ties were characterised by religious and cultural similarities.
He said his CPN-Maoist's cooperation with India started when it reached a 12-point agreement with political parties of Nepal in Delhi, "which cannot be undermined." Prachanda, who met Chinese President Hu Jintao and other political leaders during his stay in Beijing, termed his Beijing visit as "fruitful".
He, however, said he visited China merely to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Northrop Grumman Corp. received a $6.5 million U.S. Army order to fast track construction of what is thought to be super-secret drone used by the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan. The work will be done in Sierra Vista, home to the U.S. Army's Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca.
The Pentagon originally awarded Northrop a $22.5 million contract to build the Hunter Green Dart in 2007. The new award aims to speed up deployment of more Green Darts. The U.S. has used drones in the two war zones, in particular in the hunt for Al-Qaeda leaders and Osama Bin Laden.
Los Angeles-based Northrop (NYSE: NOC) has not commented on the nature of the Green Dart and company officials did not respond to a request for comment on the new contract.
#2
NG's got a nice facility at the North end of Sierra Vista. Looks brand new
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/28/2008 14:14 Comments ||
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#3
Per link at comment #1.
"Beginning in January 2003, Northrop Grumman developed a repackaged version of their BAT (Brilliant Anti-Tank) guided anti-armour submunition, which can be deployed by suitably modified Hunters."
Deterent to Russian armored shinanangins in former Soviet Republics? Will equal the player field if used by small republics against Russian armor.
#4
Punky has hit the immediate PR efforts, but it seems it's simply a convergence of various remote controlled warfighting systems, particularly the discussions of the relay capabilities, and the package orders and rush deliveries.
That, or the upcoming persian field testing trials.
#10
Deterent to Russian armored shinanangins in former Soviet Republics?
Nope. Killing jihadis in urban areas. Hellfire is too big for Hunter but can carry two 44 pound BAT. BAT is dropped vertically so is not affected by tall structures.
An even better UAV weapon will the Navy's 5 pound Spike when it is operational. Load 10 or 12 of these babies on a Hunter UAV and it's hunting season. No bag limit.
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2008 20:01 Comments ||
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#11
Sierra Vista, what a glory vacation spot, right there with E-town and Olongapo...
#12
LOL - I visited a couple times when my son was at Ft H. - actually enjoyed the drive over from San Diego, the Caverns, Tombstone (love history), and Sierra Vista is a new booming town from what i saw (hotel(s) by the mall). Looks like the influx of $ was being spent on infrastructure, but that's just my take as a Civil Engineer ;-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/28/2008 21:40 Comments ||
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#13
Don't wanna sound like a civic booster, but Lawton, OK, outside of Ft. Sill, could use the same upgrade
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/28/2008 21:41 Comments ||
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#14
What I liked labeling many years ago as the US Army's-DOD's MARVEL = MARVEL/DC COMMICS Project.
#15
OldSpook: Later, of course, it was Ft. Chewbacca.
BTW, judging from what I gleaned on the Internet, I wouldn't be making too many inquiries about this system, because if it is what I suspect it might be, I would understand.
Riot police in Thailand have surrounded Bangkok's Government House, where thousands of protesters are camped out after storming the compound to demand Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister, step down.
Thousands of police massed outside Thailand's seat of government early on Wednesday, Channel Seven, an army-run television station, said. The interior minister was reported to have entered the compound to negotiate with protest leaders.
A Thai court also issued arrest warrants for nine leaders of an anti-government campaign on charges of inciting unrest and trying to overthrow the government. "The court has approved the arrest warrants as requested by the police," Narach Imsuk, Bangkok Criminal Court secretary, told reporters on Wednesday.
The protests have been led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is aligned with conservative factions of the monarchy and the military. The group has been protesting across Bangkok, the capital, since May to demand the Samak's resignation.
The prime minister confronted the protesters, refusing their calls for his resignation. "There is no way that a country of 63 million, like Thailand, will let a group of five people form a street gang to seize control," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Malaysia's opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, is set to be sworn in as a member of parliament two days after a landslide by-election win marked his return to mainstream politics. Anwar, a member of the Keadilan (Justice) party, won a decisive victory on Tuesday in a contest for Permatang Pauh, a constituency in his northern home state of Penang.
Pandikar Amin Mulia, the speaker of Malaysia's lower house of parliament, said Anwar will be formally sworn in as legislator on Thursday. This will allow Anwar, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister, to attend the tabling of the annual budget in parliament on Friday by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysia's prime minister.
His return to mainstream politics after a decade is expected to boost the opposition voice in parliament led by a loose coalition known as Pakatan Rakyat, or People's Alliance.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2008 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Gustav swirled toward Cuba on Wednesday after triggering flooding and landslides that killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean. Its track pointed toward the U.S. Gulf coast, including Louisiana where Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc three years ago. 
Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president, has said he will form a new government with or without the opposition.
A former Liberian warlord whose drugged fighters once appeared on camera holding up a human heart dodged questions Wednesday and refused to accept any wrongdoing during an appearance before a public commission. 
As many as 71 illegal migrants drown after their boat sinks in the Mediterranean Sea, their companions tell Maltese police.
Introducing FRED PAC
DENVER -- Amid a spate of awkward on-air conflicts among MNSBC anchors at this week's Democratic convention, some staff members say there are sharp internal disputes at the cable network over whether its opinion and personality-driven political coverage has crossed the line. "The situation at our channel is about to blow up," a high-ranking MSNBC journalist told Politico on Wednesday. 
Former President Bill Clinton is to deliver a keenly awaited speech at the US Democratic Party convention in Denver, Colorado.
SHARE DENVER--Police in Denver arrested an ABC News producer today as he and a camera crew were attempting to take pictures on a public sidewalk of Democratic Senators and VIP donors leaving a private meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel. 
Northrop Grumman Corp. received a $6.5 million U.S. Army order to fast track construction of what is thought to be super-secret drone used by the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan. The work will be done in Sierra Vista, home to the U.S. Army's Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca. 
