Good Show, Mr. Blair!

Former British leader Tony Blair to donate proceeds of high-profile memoir to military charity

Tony Blair, who took Britain to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, is donating millions in earnings from his forthcoming memoir to a charity for injured troops.

The Royal British Legion said Monday that the former prime minister has agreed to give all proceeds from "A Journey" to its Battle Back Challenge Center. The center opens in 2012 and will provide state of the art sports facilities and rehabilitation services for seriously wounded personnel.

Publisher Random House paid an estimated $7.5 million for Blair's personal account of his time in power, due to be published next month.

Blair spokesman Matthew Doyle said Monday that Blair's donation includes the advance and all royalties.

Chris Simpkins, director-general of the Royal British Legion, said the organization "is delighted to accept this very generous donation."

Regardless of his politics, Blair took a lot of kicks to his privates for being one of the very few Euro "allies" to stand with the US against Islamofascism!

McChrystal and Obama - Two Men "Acting Stupidly"

One the one hand, we have General Stanley McChrystal; like all military officers, he was trained to comport himself in a gentlemanly manner: obey the chain of command and follow the orders of his civilian leaders. And when those orders raise questions, the conflict is best handled behind closed doors, among equals and in a manner that doesn't create dissent among the rank-and-file.

McChrystal broke from that training and stuck his boot in his mouth when he allowed Rolling Stone Magazine to interview him. General Stanley McChrystal is no longer in charge of operations in Afghanistan.

Was it a calculated move to change policy gone bad, or was it the final straw of a commander, cut off at the knees and saddled with a winnable war fought under unwinnable rules? Maybe we'll find out in his Playboy interview....

On the other hand, we have the root cause of all this military angst: one Barack Obama, President of the United States, Command-in-Chief of it's military, and presumptive "leader of the free world."

President and Commander Obama is currently engaged on a whirlwind, four-year apologia tour of the world. He bows and supplicates before our subordinates. He apologizes to our enemies and alienates and embarrasses our allies.

Like the last Democratic president, he has no military experience. That president bartered away our military might in favor of a "peace dividend" all while ignoring a growing worldwide threat.

This president? Well, let's just hope he treats Afghanistan the same way he should be treating the Gulf disaster: STAY OUT OF IT AND LET THE PEOPLE WITH THE EXPERIENCE MAKE THE DECISIONS!!!

** Hoo-ahh! THAT'S MY OPINION AND YOU'RE ENTITLED TO IT!! **

Vee Know Nuthink!

Israel says no proof it carried out Hamas Dubai killing
Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said there is no proof the Mossad spy agency carried out the killing of a Hamas commander in Dubai.

But he did not fully deny that Israel carried out the killing, citing its "policy of ambiguity" on such matters.

Dubai believes 11 "agents with European passports" killed Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.

Seven foreign-born Israelis named as suspects say their identities were stolen and they were not involved. UK passports used were said to be fake.

France, Germany and the Irish Republic also said they believed the passports from their countries used by the alleged killers were false.

'Israel never confirms'

Hamas has accused Israeli agents of murdering their operative - a view shared by many commentators because Mossad has in the past used forged foreign passports in its operations.

But in Israel's first official comments on the affair, Mr Lieberman said there was no reason to blame Israel and Mossad.

"I don't know why we are assuming that Israel, or the Mossad, used those passports," he told Army Radio.

"There is no reason to think that it was the Israeli Mossad, and not some other intelligence service or country up to some mischief."

He did not outright deny Israeli involvement.

"Israel never responds, never confirms and never denies," he said. "There is no reason for Israel to change this policy."

On the 6th Day of the 6th Month,...

Operation Overlord was the beginning of the end for Nazism in Europe.




Never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom!

On the Bush Legacy,...

A retort on liberals who say the Iraq War was pointless:

Sunni political voice gets tuned for elections

Thursday, January 29, 2009
By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer

An outpouring of such Sunni emotions _ resentment, frustration, desire to step off the political sidelines _ is expected in Saturday's elections for provincial council seats.

Across the Sunni Arab heartland _ a vast wedge of Iraq between the Kurdish north and Shiite south _ the voting offers the region's first real political personality test since the 2003 invasion swept away the Sunni benefactor and guardian, Saddam Hussein.

The contests for local councils are about who will be carrying the strongest Sunni voice in the years ahead as the U.S. military presence shrinks and Iraqi authorities struggle with every conceivable challenge _ from preventing the insurgency from rebuilding to keeping the lights burning.

Sunnis, who widely boycotted the last provincial council elections in 2005, are believed to be falling in two general directions: either toward the Sunni Iraqi Islamic party in the current government or the newly influential Sunni tribes who rose up against al-Qaida in Iraq and other jihadist groups.

And then there's this story:

Iraqi city of Mosul key electoral battlefield

Friday, January 30, 2009
By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer

MOSUL, Iraq — This weekend's election in Mosul is a showdown for power between Arabs and Kurds, with the outcome likely to influence whether al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgents lose their last major urban foothold in Iraq.

U.S. officials say the insurgency remains a potent force in Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, in part because the majority Sunni Arab population believes it is poorly served by a local government dominated by Kurds.

Voters have a chance to change that when they select members of ruling provincial councils here and in most of the country in Saturday's balloting, the first election in three years.

And the Leftist, Anti-Semitic Piling-On Continues,..

More lies and BS bouncing about the leftisphere today:

From Suburban Guerrilla (and posted with glee):

From The Sunday Times
January 11, 2009
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is not self-defence – it’s a war crime

ISRAEL has sought to justify its military attacks on Gaza by stating that it amounts to an act of “self-defence” as recognised by Article 51, United Nations Charter. We categorically reject this contention.

The rocket attacks on Israel by Hamas deplorable as they are, do not, in terms of scale and effect amount to an armed attack entitling Israel to rely on self-defence. Under international law self-defence is an act of last resort and is subject to the customary rules of proportionality and necessity.

The killing of almost 800 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and more than 3,000 injuries, accompanied by the destruction of schools, mosques, houses, UN compounds and government buildings, which Israel has a responsibility to protect under the Fourth Geneva Convention, is not commensurate to the deaths caused by Hamas rocket fire.

For 18 months Israel had imposed an unlawful blockade on the coastal strip that brought Gazan society to the brink of collapse. In the three years after Israel’s redeployment from Gaza, 11 Israelis were killed by rocket fire. And yet in 2005-8, according to the UN, the Israeli army killed about 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza, including 222 children. Throughout this time the Gaza Strip remained occupied territory under international law because Israel maintained effective control over it.

Israel’s actions amount to aggression, not self-defence, not least because its assault on Gaza was unnecessary. Israel could have agreed to renew the truce with Hamas. Instead it killed 225 Palestinians on the first day of its attack. As things stand, its invasion and bombardment of Gaza amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s 1.5m inhabitants contrary to international humanitarian and human rights law. In addition, the blockade of humanitarian relief, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and preventing access to basic necessities such as food and fuel, are prima facie war crimes.

We condemn the firing of rockets by Hamas into Israel and suicide bombings which are also contrary to international humanitarian law and are war crimes. Israel has a right to take reasonable and proportionate means to protect its civilian population from such attacks. However, the manner and scale of its operations in Gaza amount to an act of aggression and is contrary to international law, notwithstanding the rocket attacks by Hamas.

And from some other Philly leftist garbage pile,....

Israeli strike on civilian house may be 'war crime' says UN
The United Nations has called for Israel to be investigated for war crimes over the shelling of a house full of Palestinian civilians which left dozens dead.

Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the attack, first revealed in The Telegraph, on members of the extended Samouni family in the Gazan town of Zeitoun "appears to have all the elements of war crimes."

Her remarks came after the International Committee of the Red Cross accused Israel of breaking the rules of war by failing to help the wounded in the incident.

According to the ICRC, four infant children were found too weak to stand after clinging for 48 hours to what ambulance crew believed to be the corpses of their mothers while Israeli soldiers were less than 100 yards away.

Under the rules of war, soldiers have an obligation to treat properly the survivors of combat.

Speaking to an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council Miss Pillay said Palestinian militants firing rockets into Israel was "unacceptable'' but that it did not justify alleged abuses committed by the Israeli army.

She said conditions currently being endured by the 1.5 million strong population of Gaza "constitute egregious violations of human rights".

"Accountability must be ensured for violations of international law,'' she said.

"As a first step credible, independent and transparent investigations must be carried out to identify violations and establish responsibilities.

"I remind this Council that violations of international humanitarian law may constitute war crimes for which individual criminal responsibility may be invoked.''

Israel has denied there is any humanitarian crisis in Gaza and said it is working in concert with international agencies and doing everything possible to reduce civilian casualties.

But,...let's remember that Hamas isn't just a terrorist organization chartered to the destruction of Israel, the replacement of the Palestinian Authority with an Islamist state on the West Bank and Gaza, and to raising "the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine," it is the legally-elected political party that leads the Palestinian Authority.

But, conveniently, the left overlooks THEIR atrocities while attacking Israel's right to self-defense!

Blue & White!

This one,.....



NOT this one,....

We're Losing in Iraq, Right?

For first time, Christmas official holiday in Iraq
By JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press Writer Jim Heintz, Associated Press Writer – Thu Dec 25, 6:41 am ET

BAGHDAD – Iraq's Christians, a scant minority in this overwhelmingly Muslim country, quietly celebrated Christmas on Thursday with a present from the government, which declared it an official holiday for the first time.

But security worries overshadowed the day for many, particularly in the north where thousands of Christians have fled to escape religious attacks.

Overall security in Iraq has improved markedly in the past year, but a fatal car bombing in Baghdad on Christmas morning was a gruesome reminder that serious problems remain.

In his homily on Thursday, Chaldean Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly praised the establishment of Christmas as an official holiday as a step toward easing tensions.

"I thank the government for giving chances to all to serve each other for the general benefit, and I thank it too for making this day an official holiday where we pray to God to make us trust each other as brothers," he said at the Christmas Mass before several dozen worshippers in the small chapel of a Baghdad monastery.

A senior Shiite cleric, Ammar al-Hakim, attended the Mass flanked by bodyguards in a gesture of cooperation with Christians.

"I thank the visitors here and ask them to share happiness and love with their brothers on Christmas; by this they will build a glorious Iraq," the cardinal said.

"We came here to bring a message of love, respect and gratitude to our Christian brothers and to share happiness with them as we have shared sadness with them during the cruel targeting they came under," al-Hakim said in an interview with al-Furat TV. "We will do our best for equality between people and a good life for all, whatever their religious, sectarian and ethnic background."

He is the son and heir-apparent of Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, Iraq's biggest mainstream Shiite party.

Iraq's Christians, estimated to number only a few hundred thousand of the country's 26 million people, have often been the target of attacks by Islamic extremists in Iraq. Tens of thousands have fled; many of those who stayed were isolated in neighborhoods protected by barricades and checkpoints.

A coordinated bombing campaign in 2004 targeted churches in the Iraqi capital and anti-Christian violence also flared in September 2007 after Pope Benedict XVI made comments perceived to be against Islam.

For Mariam Polis, who fled her home in Mosul a year ago after anti-Christian threats spread and two priests were killed, this Christmas was a day of bitterness.

"There's not enough money, no house, no stability to prepare for Christmas Eve," said the 55-year-old woman who now occupies a one-room clay house in the northern village of Ein Kawa. "It is better for us to die."

But for another woman who fled to Ein Kawa, there was a bit of cheer thanks to money sent from abroad by her brother.

"We got a bright Christmas tree — it is a symbol we love," Raeida Anwar Abid said.

In the city of Sulaimaniyah in Kurdistan, which is comparatively orderly, many Christians spent hours at a Christmas Eve Mass at the Mar Joseph church.

"Iraq is bleeding and we have to heal the wounds with united hands," priest Dinha Toma said the service.

___

Associated Press writers Yahya Barzanji in Sulaimaniyah and Sinan Salaheddin in Baghdad contributed to this report.

But THEY Don't Vote for OUR President,...

All Countries in BBC Poll Prefer Obama to McCain

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --- All 22 countries
in a BBC World Service poll would prefer Democratic nominee Barack Obama
elected US president instead of his Republican rival John McCain. Obama is
preferred by a four-to-one margin on average across the 22,000 people
polled.

The margin in favor of Obama ranges from just 9 percent in India to 82
percent in Kenya. On average 49 percent prefer Obama to 12 percent
preferring McCain. Nearly four in ten do not take a position.

The poll also explored the expected impact of the US election. In 17 of
the 22 countries surveyed the most common view is that, if Barack Obama is
elected president, America's relations with the rest of the world are
likely to improve. If John McCain is elected, the most common view in 19
countries is that relations will stay about the same.

On average 46 percent think that US relations with the world would
improve with Obama, 22 percent that relations would stay the same, and 7
percent that they would worsen. However only 20 percent think relations
would improve under McCain. The largest number -- 37 percent -- think
relations under a McCain presidency would stay the same and 16 percent
think they would worsen.

Despite the preference for an Obama victory in all countries,
significant proportions in several said they do not favor either candidate,
favor both equally or do not know which would be preferable.

Americans also believe an Obama presidency would improve US relations
with the world more than a McCain presidency, with 46 percent of Americans
expecting relations to be improved with Obama's election and 30 percent
with McCain's.

The survey of 22,531 adults across 22 countries was conducted for the
BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan together with
the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of
Maryland. A parallel poll surveyed 1,000 US adult citizens. GlobeScan
coordinated fieldwork between July 8 and August 27, 2008.

GlobeScan Chairman Doug Miller comments, "Large numbers of people
around the world clearly like what Barack Obama represents."

"Given how negative America's international image is at present, it is
quite striking that only one in five think a McCain presidency would
improve on the Bush Administration's relations with the world."

For more information, visit http://www.WorldPublicOpinion.org.

It's Because "Bush Lied," Of Course,....

Jordan's king extends hand in Iraq
He is the first Arab head of state to visit since 2003. He urged his counterparts to do the same.

By Qassim Abdul-Zahra

Associated Press

BAGHDAD - Jordan's King Abdullah II held talks yesterday with Iraq's prime minister after coming to Baghdad on an unannounced visit, the first by an Arab head of state since the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Abdullah called on Arab governments to "extend their hand to Iraq" because a strong Iraq "is a source of strength for the Arab nation," according to a statement released by the royal palace in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

An Iraqi government statement said Abdullah had "frank and positive talks" with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on relations between the two countries. Al-Maliki told the king that Iraq wanted to improve ties with all Arab countries, the statement said.

In turn, Abdullah expressed Jordan's support for Iraqi "efforts to impose stability," the statement added.

Ties between the two neighboring countries had been strained since the fall of Saddam because of Jordanian fears that Iraq's Shiite-led government was too friendly with Shiite-dominated Iran.

But U.S. officials had been urging Abdullah to visit Iraq to bolster ties between the two countries as part of Washington's campaign to shore up support for the Iraqi government as a counterweight to Iranian influence.

Al-Maliki visited Jordan in June for the first time in nearly two years, and since then, the two nations appear willing to put their differences behind them. During that visit, al-Maliki agreed to renew oil supplies to Jordan for the next three years at discounted prices.

Jordan agreed to ease restrictions on the entry of Iraqi students and those transiting to a third country. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have sought refuge in Jordan to escape the sectarian violence that swept the country two years ago but has receded.

Jordan has also named an ambassador to Iraq, joining other Arab countries that have agreed to upgrade their relations as the Iraqi government becomes more stable and security has improved - despite sporadic attacks and ongoing military operations.

Iraqi officials have been eager to improve their ties with their Arab neighbors now that the government's confidence has risen with improvements in security.

Yesterday, about 250 Iraqi refugees were flown home from Egypt free of charge aboard the prime minister's personal plane in what Iraqi officials said was an affirmation of improved security.

The TrekMedic muses:

So, a moderate Arab ruler extends the hand of friendship to a stable Iraqi government and...oh, yeah, gets something from them that he needs: cheap oil! Not American oil, but Iraqi oil!! And Iraq is making money off of it's exports again. I believe some people would call that "capitalism." I could be wrong. After all, we all know Bush lied to start this war and make money for his "oil buddies" here in the US, right??

64 Years Ago,....

NEVER forget it!

64 years ago today, brave, young men from Allied forces braved overwhelming odds and launched a daring attack on an enemy of world freedom.


Photo credit to Tony Phyrillas

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it,..right, Mr. Chamberlain,...um, I mean, Mr. Obama?

Vive La France?

The more this guy speaks, the less I dislike France,...

Bush and Sarkozy declare Iran aim

US President George W Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have said they will work jointly to convince Iran to give up its nuclear programme.

After talks at Mount Vernon, near Washington, Mr Bush praised his French counterpart as "a partner in peace".

Mr Sarkozy earlier received a standing ovation during the first address in more than a decade by a French leader to a joint session of Congress.

He pledged to US lawmakers that France would support the US in Afghanistan.

But he also urged Americans to do more in the fight against global warming and complained that the Bush administration had allowed the dollar to plummet against the euro.

'Unacceptable'

In a press conference later following talks at Mount Vernon, the historic home of inaugural US president George Washington, Mr Bush said the pair had agreed to "work jointly to convince the Iranian regime to give up their nuclear ambitions for the sake of peace".

"The idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon is dangerous and therefore now is the time for us to work together to diplomatically solve this problem," he added.

Mr Sarkozy told reporters: "It is unacceptable for Iran at any point to have a nuclear weapon."

But the French leader emphasized that Iran was entitled to develop civilian nuclear energy, which Tehran argues is the sole aim of its programme.

The BBC's Justin Webb, in Washington, says Mr Sarkozy has taken on the mantle of the former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in the affections of the US.

It is a stark contrast to the frosty relations under Mr Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, he adds.

'Eternal debt'

At Congress earlier, the current resident of the Elysee Palace was cheered for more than three minutes before he even began his 45-minute address.

He delighted his audience by saying: "Let me tell you solemnly today, France will remain engaged in Afghanistan as long as it takes, because what's at stake in that country is the future of our values and that of the Atlantic alliance."

Mr Sarkozy, 52, who was elected in May, said he wanted France to "resume its full role" in Nato's military command structure after several decades outside it.

He also urged Americans to "stand alongside Europe in leading the fight against global warming".

And he raised concerns over the dollar's fall against the euro, warning "monetary disarray could morph into economic war" and "we would all be its victims".

Mr Sarkozy devoted much of his speech to expressing gratitude for US heroism on French battlefields in World War II, and to praising American values, spirit and culture.

"America liberated us. This is an eternal debt," he said, adding: "I want to tell you that whenever an American soldier falls somewhere in the world, I think of what the American army did for France."

'L'Americain'

Analysts say Mr Sarkozy's warmly-received visit went a long way towards achieving his promise to "reconquer America's heart", which he declared upon his arrival on Tuesday.

Relations were strained in 2003 when France opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq - and French fries were renamed "freedom fries" on Congress canteen menus.

At a White House dinner with Mr Bush on Tuesday, Mr Sarkozy said differences over Iraq should not weaken their alliance and Mr Bush agreed.

The French leader, who spent the afternoon with Mr Bush while on holiday in New England in August, is widely known back in France as "l'Americain" for transatlantic leanings.

In 1996, many US lawmakers boycotted an appearance by Mr Chirac at the US Congress to protest against France's nuclear testing in the South Pacific.

History Repeating?

20 years ago, President Ronald Reagan, standing before the Berlin Wall, famously challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in a speech that signaled the end of the Iron Curtain.

There are some real parallels to that episode in history and this story:

Bush Receives Hero's Welcome in Albania
By JENNIFER LOVEN

(AP) U.S. President George Bush greets Albanians in Fushe Kruje, Albania, Sunday, June 10, 2007. (AP...
Full Image


TIRANA, Albania (AP) - President Bush, enthusiastically welcomed as the first U.S. president in this former communist nation, served notice Sunday he is running out of patience with Russia's objections to independence for neighboring Kosovo.

"Sooner rather than later you've got to say 'Enough's enough - Kosovo is independent,'" Bush said, telling Albanians what they wanted to hear. He said independence was a certainty.

Nearing the end of an eight-day trip, Bush got a hero's reception in this desperately poor country, still struggling to recover from being cut off from the rest of the world for four decades under the harsh rule of dictator Enver Hoxha. Hoxha died in 1985, and Albania emerged from isolation in 1990 but still is one of Europe's most impoverished lands.

Cannons boomed salutes from mountains overlooking the capital. Huge banners proclaimed "Proud to be Partners," and billboards read "President Bush in Albania Making History."

At home, Bush's job approval rating stands at its all-time low. But here, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said Bush was Albania's "greatest and most distinguished guest we have ever had in all times."

(snip)

While the United States supports Albania's bid for membership in NATO, Bush said this country still has to make more political and military reforms and crack down on corruption and organized crime.

"We are determined to take any decision, pass any law and undertake any reform to make Albania appropriate to receive the invitation" to join the western military alliance, Berisha said at a news conference with Bush.

Albania has eagerly embraced democracy and idolizes the United States. Three stamps have been issued featuring Bush's picture and the Statue of Liberty, and the street in front of parliament has been renamed in his honor.

(snip)

Kosovo has been run by the United Nations and NATO since 1999, when Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic's forces were ousted after a NATO air war ended his crackdown on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians, who make up 90 percent of Kosovo's population.

The U.N. Security Council has been divided over Kosovo's independence. The United States and key European countries support Kosovo's statehood while Russia, traditionally a Serbian ally, opposes it. Moscow says it would set a dangerous precedent for other breakaway regions.

Bush said diplomats from the United States, Russia and European Union will try to find common ground on a formula for independence.

"But if it's apparent that that's not going to happen in a relatively quick period of time, in my judgment, we need to put forward the (U.N.) resolution," Bush said. "Hence, deadline." He did not specify a date.

Negotiations must result in "certain independence," Bush said. "That's what's important to know."

Bush said the summit in Heiligendamm had tried to determine whether there was a way to make Kosovo independence acceptable to Russia. French President Nicolas Sarkozy unexpectedly called for a delay on the issue, and the summit failed to reach agreement.

Bush urged Albania to help maintain peace and calm in Kosovo as the independence talks move forward.

Predominantly Muslim, Albania has 140 troops in Afghanistan and about 120 troops in Iraq - a presence that President Alfred Moisiu says will not end as long as the Americans are engaged there. Bush met here with some of the troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Albanians know the horror of tyranny," the president said. "And so they're working to bring the hope of freedom to people who haven't known it. And that's a noble effort and a sacrifice."

In saluting Albania's democracy, Bush praised it as a country that has "cast off the shackles of a very oppressive society and is now showing the world what's possible."



The TrekMedic ponders:

One has to ask, "Why Kosovo and not Kurdistan (here) and (here)?" Is it OK to stick it to Russia, but not to Turkey,who opposes an independent Kurdish homeland?

Both are predominently Muslim countries casting a strong gaze towards the West as their future.

The Trekmedic has, in the past, called for a partition of modern Iraq, citing the parallels between it and the former Yugoslavia.

Is there something the TrekMedic is missing here??