Tag: Iran

Obama Calls the President of Iran, Refuses to Negotiate With Republicans

On By kingsjesterIn Politics6 Comments

michelleobama2Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition. I saw it firsthand as a child in Indonesia, where devout Christians worshiped freely in an overwhelmingly Muslim country. That is the spirit we need today. People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith-based upon the persuasion of the mind and the heart and the soul. This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive, but it’s being challenged in many different ways. – President Barack Hussein Obama, “A New Beginning”, Speech to the Muslim World at the University of Cairo, Egypt

Since the ouster of the Shah, Iran has been a thorn in the side of the Free World, and, especially, the United States of America.

As a Radio News Director in College, I covered the Iranian Revolution and the resulting Hostage Crisis from start to finish.

Are you old enough to remember the Hostage Crisis? If not, here is a summary, courtesy of u-s-history.com:

 On November 4, 1979, an angry mob of some 300 to 500 “students” who called themselves “Imam’s Disciples,” laid siege to the American Embassy in Teheran, Iran, to capture and hold hostage 66 U.S. citizens and diplomats. Although women and African-Americans were released a short time later, 51 hostages remained imprisoned for 444 days with another individual released because of illness midway through the ordeal.

…Upon the death of the shah in July [1980] (which neutralized one demand) and the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September (necessitating weapons acquisition), Iran became more amenable to reopening negotiations for the hostages’ release.

In the late stages of the presidential race with Ronald Reagan, Carter, given those new parameters, might have been able to bargain with the Iranians, which might have clinched the election for him. The 11th-hour heroics were dubbed an “October Surprise”* by the Reagan camp — something they did not want to see happen.

Allegations surfaced that William Casey, director of the Reagan campaign, and some CIA operatives, secretly met with Iranian officials in Europe to arrange for the hostages’ release, but not until after the election. If true, some observers aver, dealing with a hostile foreign government to achieve a domestic administration’s defeat would have been grounds for charges of treason.

Reagan won the election, partly because of the failure of the Carter administration to bring the hostages home. Within minutes of Reagan’s inauguration, the hostages were released.

And now, with America at her most vulnerable, with our economy in horrible shape and about to get worse, thanks to the implementation of a National-run Healthcare System which nobody wants, and with an ineffectual Foreign Policy,which is as big a global joke as the President behind it, that self-same wuss of a United States President is now looking to negotiate with the before-mentioned Islamic Terrorist State.

President Obama proudly announced yesterday that he had talked on the phone with the new “Moderate” Iranian President Rouhani.

“Just now I spoke on the phone with President Rouhani of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said. “The two of us discussed our ongoing efforts to reach an agreement over Iran’s nuclear program.”

This is the first time leaders from America and Iran have spoken since 1979.

“I reiterated to President Rouhani what I said in New York. While there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution.

“I’ve directed Secretary Kerry to continue pursuing this diplomatic effort with the Iranian government. We had constructive discussions yesterday in New York with our partners, the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China, together with the Iranian foreign minister, and going forward, President Rouhani and I have directed our teams to continue working expeditiously in corporation with the P-5 plus one to pursue an agreement. And throughout this process we will stay in close touch with our friends and allies in the region, including Israel.

“Now we are mindful of all the challenges ahead. The very fact that this was the first communication between an American and Iranian president since 1979 underscores the deep mistrust between our countries.”

Obama said that “Iran’s supreme leader has issued a fatwa against the development of nuclear weapons, President Rouhani has indicated that Iran will never develop nuclear weapons.”

This, from the same guy who will go down as the most partisan President in United States History, whose Administration has become notorious for calling Republicans everything but “children of God”.

And, who now, refuses to negotiate with Republicans about the Debt ceiling, Obamacare, or anything else.

So, what is the explanation for this? Naiveté? Stupidity? Ego? Yes, indeedy. However, there is something deeper behind this bonehead move by Obama. In fact, it’s soul-deep.

It goes back to a young Barack Hussein Obama, who, in one of his two books, written by Bomber Bill Ayers, “Dreams of my Father”, said,

Of course, not all my conversations in immigrant communities follow this easy pattern. In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans, for example, have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. They have been reminded that the history of immigration in this country has a dark underbelly; they need specific reassurances that their citizenship really means something, that America has learned the right lessons from the Japanese internments during World War II, and that I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.

Right now, in our nation, the political winds have shifted in an ugly direction, thanks to Obama’s lack of leadership. Political Partisanship has intensified to such an extent, that political pundits on both sides of the aisle, have labeled the situation a “Civil War”

Instead of seriously attempting to unite the country he is supposed to be serving and protecting, Obama is acting like a petulant child, insisting that everybody play by his rules, or else, he will take his ball and go home.

Now, on top of that, he reaches out to a country who sponsors Islamic Terrorism, and with whom we have not had diplomatic relations since their revolution in 1979.

What is he going to do? Help them with their “Nuclear Enhancement Program”, so they can launch one at us quicker?

He negotiates with those who want to kill us, and gives ultimatums to his own countrymen.

He truly is our first Anti-American President.

Until He Comes,

KJ

The Syria Situation: Style Over Substance

On By kingsjesterIn Politics2 Comments

ObamaSyriaOptionsWell, it’s 1…2…3 what are we fightin’ for?

Don’t tell me, I don’t give a da!@,

The next stop might be Iran.

Telegraph.co.uk reports that

Opposition forces battling Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria now number around 100,000 fighters, but after more than two years of fighting they are fragmented into as many as 1,000 bands.

The new study by IHS Jane’s, a defence consultancy, estimates there are around 10,000 jihadists – who would include foreign fighters – fighting for powerful factions linked to al-Qaeda..

Another 30,000 to 35,000 are hardline Islamists who share much of the outlook of the jihadists, but are focused purely on the Syrian war rather than a wider international struggle.

There are also at least a further 30,000 moderates belonging to groups that have an Islamic character, meaning only a small minority of the rebels are linked to secular or purely nationalist groups.

The stark assessment, to be published later this week, accords with the view of Western diplomats estimate that less than one third of the opposition forces are “palatable” to Britain, while American envoys put the figure even lower.

Fears that the rebellion against the Assad regime is being increasingly dominated by extremists has fuelled concerns in the West over supplying weaponry that will fall into hostile hands. These fears contributed to unease in the US and elsewhere over military intervention in Syria.

Charles Lister, author of the analysis, said: “The insurgency is now dominated by groups which have at least an Islamist viewpoint on the conflict. The idea that it is mostly secular groups leading the opposition is just not borne out.”

That goes against the narrative that Obama, Kerry, McCain and all of the rest of the new “Warhawks” have been issuing , about how “noble” the Syrian “Rebel Forces” are.

Another bit of rhetoric from Obama and his supporters has been their denial that, if we get involved in Syria’s Civil War, there will be no need for our servicemen to put their “boots on the ground”.

…Defense Department officials were less certain Thursday on whether U.S. military personnel might be sent to help secure or destroy Syria’s chemical weapons.

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little gave a vague answer when asked if U.S. troops were prepared to assist should an international agreement allow Russia to take control of the tons of chemical weapons believed to be in the stockpiles of President Bashar al-Assad.

“I’m not going to speculate on who may or may not be participating in a process that may or may not take place,” Little said. “We’ve got to see where the process goes” before the U.S. military considers involvement, he said.

The first steps in the process were taking place in Geneva, where Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting for a second day with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Moscow’s proposal to have international teams take control of the chemical weapons.

Syria has tentatively agreed to the Russian initiative and also agreed to join the international ban on chemical and biological weapons.

Lavrov has urged the U.S. to speed the negotiations by dropping the threat to launch strikes on Syria, but Little said “the threat of military action is driving the process forward.”

To back up the threat, the U.S. was keeping four destroyers off the Syrian coast and the Nimitz carrier strike group in the Red Sea, though some of the ships may be replaced if the negotiations are drawn out, Little said.

God’s gift to American Foreign Policy, the Lightbringer himself, appeared on ABC’s “This Week”, yesterday, where he said

“Folks here in Washington like to grade on style,” he said during an interview with ABC’s “This Week.” “Had we rolled out something that was very smooth and disciplined and linear they would have graded it well, even if it was a disastrous policy. … We know that because that’s exactly how they graded the Iraq War until it ended up blowing [up] in our face.

…“I’m less concerned about style points. I’m much more concerned about getting the policy right,” he said in a wide-ranging interview in which he talked about Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon and criticized House Republicans’ approach to fiscal negotiations, including an upcoming talk on increasing the federal debt limit.

Obama said the United States’ approach to Syria should show Iran that there’s the potential for diplomatic solutions to arms standoffs.

But he says Iran shouldn’t assume that his preference for diplomacy means the U.S. won’t strike Tehran.

Obama said Iranians understand that their pursuit of a nuclear weapon is “a far larger issue for us” than the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

The president also said he has exchanged letters with Iran’s new president, but the two have not spoken directly.

Obama said he believes Iranian President Hasan Rouhani understands the potential for a diplomatic solution to his country’s disputed nuclear program but will not “suddenly make it easy.”

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

On June 4, 2009, in his “Speech to the Muslim World, titled “A New Beginning”, given at the University of Cairo, United States President Barack Hussein Obama said,

It’s easier to start wars than to end them. It’s easier to blame others than to look inward. It’s easier to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There’s one rule that lies at the heart of every religion — that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. (Applause.) This truth transcends nations and peoples — a belief that isn’t new; that isn’t black or white or brown; that isn’t Christian or Muslim or Jew. It’s a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the hearts of billions around the world. It’s a faith in other people, and it’s what brought me here today.

When Obama became President, Britain and Israel were our allies, and the Islamic Terrorists Organizations, the Muslim Brotherhood and al Qaeda, were our sworn enemies.

Now, in 2013, Britain and Israel have been cast aside and the Muslim Terrorists have been invited to our White House, wined and dined, and supported in their efforts to take over the Middle East by our Administration.

Oh, these Terrorist Groups still want to kill each and every one of us infidels, but that doesn’t matter to Obama. He has another Nobel Peace Price to win.

Until He Comes,

KJ

The Syria Situation: Are We “On the Eve of Destruction”?

On By kingsjesterIn Politics9 Comments

atomic blastDon’t you understand what I’’m tryin’ to say

Can’t you feel the fears I’’m feelin’ today?

If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away

There’’ll be no one to save, with the world in a grave

[Take a look around ya boy, it’s bound to scare ya boy]

And you tell me

Over and over and over again, my friend

Ah, you don’t believe

We’re on the eve

Of destruction.

– “Eve of Destruction” Barry McGuire

I know that every generation since my parents’, the Greatest Generation, have had to live with the specter of nuclear annihilation hanging over their heads.

It has been a fact of life.

I even remember the old “Duck and Cover” movies, which they showed to school children. Those movies advised kids to get under their desk in the event of a nuclear attack by a foreign power.

Also, when I was young, I remember having the stew scared out of me by a low budget movie titled “This is Not a Test”. It concerned a Sheriff’s Deputy, out on a highway stopping people and herding them into a tractor trailer, because a bunch of nuclear warheads were on their way.

Then, of course, there was “The Day After” a made-for-TV movie starring the late, great Jason Robards and Police Academy’s Steve Guttenberg.  Again, this movie was about a nuclear attack and it’s aftermath.

All these images had an impact on me as I got older.

Now, the Republican Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, is trying to instill that same fear into all of us, over the Syria situation…

“I don’t want another Iraq or Afghanistan war because that’s just not what we need to do,” he said, before outlining his support for a contained military strike designed to degrade Syria’s ability to deliver chemical weapons in the future and assist those who want to overthrow President Bashar Assad.

But Graham has heard the counterarguments. He knows many are skeptical that replacing Assad would install leadership that’s any more favorable to U.S. interests, even in the military friendly Palmetto State. In fact, a common refrain across the country is that the alternative could be far worse.

“Rebel opposition forces are our sworn enemies. We’ve spent billions of dollars in one country trying to wipe them off the face of the planet ­ al-Qaida. And yet we employ the strategy of funding them and giving them weapons in Syria to get Assad?” asked Jesse Graston, who traveled nearly three hours from Rock Hill, S.C., and forked over the $12 in order to corner the senator.

Facing that strain of skepticism, Graham wound up his case on Syria intervention by raising the stakes considerably. He painted a frightening picture of cascading world events that would reverberate far beyond the borders of a civil war in one Middle Eastern country.

If the United States doesn’t deal with Syria, Graham promised Iran would acquire a nuclear weapon by 2014, the King of Jordan would be deposed and Israel would start preparing to protect itself.

“I believe that if we get Syria wrong, within six months — and you can quote me on this,” Graham said, pausing for dramatic effect. “There will be a war between Iran and Israel over their nuclear program.”

But it wouldn’t even end there, Graham surmised. Undoubtedly, he said ominously, the Iranians would share its nuclear technology with U.S. enemies.

“My fear is that it won’t come to America on top of a missile, it’ll come in the belly of a ship in the Charleston or New York harbor,” he said.

And now, for the first time in my 54 years, I am afraid of the President of the United States.

I am afraid that Barack Hussein Obama is leading us straight into World War III.

Lt. Col. Allen West, is as concerned as I am…

When you study history and understand the series of uncontrollable events that began WW I, we find ourselves not too far from that position now. It’s not just about taking military action against Assad (which in the press conference Obama seemed reticent about), it is about the unintended consequences. President Putin has vowed to continue arms shipments and support, and Iran is issuing orders to its Islamic terrorist dogs for release. The window of opportunity for a quick’ decisive response against Assad has closed. We cannot afford to destabilize another Middle Eastern country in favor of Islamists and establish terrorist sanctuaries. My recommendation? Instead of President Obama delivering a weak’ politically-scripted speech on Tuesday, read “The Guns of August” and learn something about leadership and strategic policymaking.

Growing up, my generation was always told that it only takes one weak, vacillating person in power, who hates America, pressing a button, to bring about total annihilation.

We just never dreamed that it could be the President of the United States.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Impeachment, Egyptian Style: Obama Still Stands with Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood

On By kingsjesterIn Politics4 Comments

Eqyptian Uprising 1Back in March of this year, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry rewarded Egypt for President Mohammed Morsi’s pledges of political and economic reforms by gifting the Administration’s new-found friend $250 million of OUR tax money to support the country’s “future as a democracy.”

At the same time, Lurch…err…Kerry also told Morsi that the Obama administration will keep close watch on how Morsi, who came to power in June as Egypt’s first freely elected president, honors his commitment and that any additional “gifts” would depend on it.

So, there’s $250,000,000 of OUR money down the cotton-pickin’- drain.

And, the sad thing is, even after his own countrymen threw Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood buddies out on their ear, our dhimmi president is still “standing with the Muslims”.

Bloomberg.com reports

The Obama administration’s call for an “inclusive” political process in Egypt with a role for the Muslim Brotherhood has been overshadowed by deadly clashes between security forces and supporters of the Islamist group.

Violent protests yesterday in Cairo and elsewhere over the military’s ouster of President Mohamed Mursi raised doubts about prospects for an eventual accommodation that would allow the Brotherhood that supports him to compete in new elections.

Enlarge image Obama Call for Muslim Brotherhood Role Eclipsed in Egypt Fight

While President Barack Obama’s administration has stopped short of condemning the July 3 military takeover, it has called on Egyptian leaders to pursue “a transparent political process that is inclusive of all parties and groups,” including “avoiding any arbitrary arrests of Mursi and his supporters,” Bernadette Meehan, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said July 4 in a statement.

The administration has urged the Egyptian military to stop using heavy-handed tactics, according to two U.S. officials who asked not to be identified commenting on private communications. They said the administration is concerned that some in the military may want to provoke the Islamists to violence and provide a rationale for crushing the movement once and for all.

Such a move would fail and probably prompt a shift to al-Qaeda type terrorist tactics by extremists in the Islamist movement in Egypt and elsewhere, the U.S. officials said.

In 2006, in an article titled “The Truth about the Muslim Brotherhood”, posted on frontpagemag.com, Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld and Alyssa A. Lappen wrote that…

Given that political subjugation of non-Muslims is built into Islamic law, and that the MB desires to return to “classical Islam,” it is not surprising that the organization was the fountainhead from which all Sunni terrorist organizations have flowed. Its offspring include Al-Qaeda,[157] HAMAS, [158] Palestinian Islamic Jihad, [159] Gamaat Islamiyyah, [160] the Philippine Abu Sayyaf group,[161] and the Algerian Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) [162]and Armed Islamic Group (GIA) [163]. Between 1992-1998, the Algerian terrorists murdered an estimated 200,000 people. [164] Today, according to Italian security agencies, and as reported by Kathryn Haahr-Escolano [165] of the Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis, GSPC cells in Italy not only target Italy, but “employ a dual-track approach to planning terrorist attacks and provide support infrastructure—safe houses, communications, weapons procurement and documentation—to GSPC networks in other European countries.”

The ties of all these terrorist groups to the MB are evident from their identical strategies and overall Islamist agenda, and they often carry out joint operations. The MB even influenced Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, [166] who developed the Iranian version of their ideology in the 1970s. Indeed, Khomeini adhered to the teaching of Egyptian MB leader Qutb [167]and followed the lead of Muhammad Navab-Safavi, [168] who was a guest of the MB in Egypt in 1953. [169] Navab-Safavi later formed the dreaded Iranian death squad, the Fedaiyon-e-Islam, or the ‘Soldiers of Islam.’

In Egypt, where the group was founded in 1928 and later banned, the Brotherhood worked under the Islamic doctrine of “concealment” (kitman) [170] in order to “Islamize” the country. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, the MB collaborated with the Nazis. Hajj Amin al-Husseini,[171] the MB chief in British Mandate Palestine, strongly supported Arab links with the Nazis, particularly in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, where he backed the short-lived pro-Nazi regime of Rashid Ali al-Gailani [172] in 1941. In Egypt too, the MB orchestrated riots, occupied police stations and attempted coups d’etat. Following their failed 1954 attempt to assassinate Gamal Abdel Nasser, [173] MB loyalists fled Egypt to the universities[174] of Saudi Arabia, where they were granted business monopolies to finance their future reemergence; in 1961 the sympathetic King Sa’ud [175] even funded their establishment of the Islamic University in Medina. In October 1981, an MB offshoot group assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. In the last decade alone, MB offspring including Gama’a al-Islamiya and the Abdullah Azzam Brigades repeatedly attacked Western tourists, killing hundreds and wounding many more.

Since the history of the MB is full of instigating civil wars and committing atrocities in countries such as Egypt, Syria, Sudan and Algeria, their expansion and success elsewhere is destined to wreak more havoc and destabilize every nation in which they are allowed to operate freely.

So, why is the President of these United States, Barack Hussein Obama, standing with an enemy of freedom? An enemy who wants every single American Infidel beheaded, and, who, to this day, refers to this sacred land as “The Great Satan”.

It is well known, that a young Obama, after his mother wed a  quite well-off fellow from Indonesia, attended a Madrassa, or Muslim School, in Jakarta.

I believe that the time he spent among “the religion of peace” in his youth, and the 20 years he spent under the “Reformed Muslim” (Liberation Theology) teachings of “ex”-American Muslim, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, molded and cemented his attitude toward Muslims.

Obama innately trusts Muslims…even radical ones.

Lari Regan, in an article for americanthinker.com, published in April of this year, wrote that…

Obama did not create the Islamist ideology that has fed the fervor of modern-day terrorism.  But from his Cairo speech through his speech Monday night just after the Boston bombings, in which he refused to call the attacks terrorism (he conceded the point the following day), he has made it clear that he does not believe that terrorism is a continuing threat to the lives and safety of Americans.  His refusal to use the terms “War on Terror” and “Islamic fundamentalism” are just examples of a belief either that he can wish away evil or that evil simply does not exist.  But what the country needs is a president who understands Islamic jihad for what it is — the totalitarian, fundamentalist dogma that drives the violence perpetrated by those who have waged holy war on the West.  And Obama has yet to give us any indication that he understands these very real threats, or that he is interested in, and capable of, protecting us from them.

Indeed.

Even after over 4 and 1/2 years in office, Obama, if he has a clue as to how barbaric and devious radical Muslims are, sure doesn’t let on.

Representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood have visited OUR White House several times now, during the Obama Presidency. Obama truly believes that he can broker peace in the Mid-East by standing by and supporting the Grandfather of all Islamic Terrorist Groups.

Naivete or a Fellow Traveler? You be the judge.

His love for, and embracing of,  these murderous barbarians could very well be the death of us all.

It sure as shootin’ hasn’t done the good folks living in the Land of the Pharaohs any good, whatsoever.

Until He Comes,

KJ 

The Petraeus Affair: A Matter of Timing

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics6 Comments

In a surprising, and fortunate (for the Administration) move, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, General David Petraeus, resigned yesterday, citing an extramarital affair as the reason.

The Wall Street Journal reports

A Federal Bureau of Investigation inquiry into use of Mr. Petraeus’s Gmail account led agents to believe the woman or someone close to her had sought access to his email, the people said.

Multiple officials familiar with the investigation identified the woman as the author of a biography on Mr. Petraeus.

It was the second national-security revelation to come to light in the two days after President Barack Obama won re-election. On Wednesday, the Pentagon acknowledged that Iranian fighter planes had fired on an unmanned reconnaissance drone five days before the election. Some Republicans on Capitol Hill were irked that the administration waited so long to make the incident public, while administration officials said they didn’t talk about the attack because the drone program was secret.

Mr. Petraeus’s resignation also comes at a time when the CIA is embroiled in controversy surrounding the events of Sept. 11, 2012, when four Americans were killed in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. After weeks of conflicting accounts of what happened that night, the CIA acknowledged it had played a central role in gathering intelligence and providing security for the U.S. presence there.

Mr. Petraeus was scheduled to testify before the Senate intelligence committee next week. Michael Morell, who was named acting director of the CIA after Mr. Petraeus’s resignation, will appear instead.

The resignation, which stunned the nation’s capital, represented a fall for a man who had been one of the most celebrated military leaders of his time, a four-star general credited with turning the tide in Iraq and reversing the Taliban’s momentum in Afghanistan.

Administration officials said the White House was briefed on the affair Wednesday by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Mr. Obama was informed Thursday by his staff and met with Mr. Petraeus that day. Mr. Petraeus then offered to resign. The announcement came Friday afternoon.

In a statement to CIA employees, Mr. Petraeus said, “After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair. Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours.”

CIA Director David Petraeus resigned as head of the intelligence agency, saying he “showed extremely poor judgment” by engaging in an extramarital affair. Neil King has details on The News Hub. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.

His wife, Holly, the daughter of a West Point superintendent, heads the office for service-member affairs in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency created by the 2010 financial-regulation law.

Multiple officials said Mr. Petraeus’s affair was with Paula Broadwell, a West Point graduate who recently wrote a book on the retired general, “All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.” Efforts to reach Ms. Broadwell were unsuccessful. A spokeswoman for her publisher, Penguin, did not immediately comment.

The computer-security investigation—which raised questions about a potential compromise to national security—points to one reason Mr. Petraeus and the White House decided he couldn’t remain in the senior intelligence position. An extramarital affair has significant implications for an official in a highly sensitive post, because it can open an official to blackmail. Security officials are sensitive to misuse of personal email accounts—not only official accounts—because there have been multiple instances of foreign hackers targeting personal emails.

Okay.  Let’s try to absorb this, shall we? The head of the CIA, an Army Legend, who has been married 37 years, all of the sudden resigns over an affair, just a few days before he is scheduled to testy before Congress about the Administrative negligence and possible treason that stood by and watched 4 brave Americans, including an Ambassador get murdered, in real time, and did nothing about it, except fallaciously blame the attack on a video no one has seen.

I question the timing. And, I’m not the only one.

Fox News Military Expert, Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters does, also:

The timing is just too perfect for the Obama administration. Just as the administration claimed it was purely coincidence that our Benghazi consulate was attacked on the anniversary of September 11th. Now it’s purely coincidence that this affair — extra-marital affair — surfaces right after the election, not before, but right after, but before the intelligence chiefs go to Capitol Hill to get grilled. As an old intelligence analyst, Neil, the way I read this — I could be totally wrong, this is my interpretation — is that the administration was unhappy with Petraeus not playing ball 100% on their party-line story. I think it’s getting cold feet about testifying under oath on their party-line story. And I suspect that these tough Chicago guys knew about this affair for a while, held it in their back pocket until they needed to play the card.

I don’t like conspiracy theories, I may be totally wrong, but the timing of this, again, right after the election and right before Petraeus is supposed to get grilled on Capitol Hill, it’s really smells.

Yes, sir. You’re absolutely right. 

As with the Iranian Drone Attack, it’s as if the Administration thinks that the citizens it is supposed to be protecting, and paying their salaries, are nothing but a bunch of sheep, who will believe anything they tell us.

By now, you newer readers are saying, KJ, you say you’re a Christian. Doesn’t the Bible say to obey your leaders?

Yes, it does, But, there is an often-overlooked addendum:

6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.

7a Render to all what is due them: b tax to whom tax is due; c custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

Romans 13:6-7

The underlined verses are the part that this Administration ignores, to their own peril…and ours.

As I wrote yesterday, this Administration reminds me of the old Soviet Union. 

And, we know what happened to them.

Mr. President, tear down this wall…of disinformation.

Until He comes,

KJ

The New Pravda

On By kingsjesterIn Politics7 Comments

I remember growing up in the 1960s, during the Cold War. Every news story that came out of Russia, through their state-controlled News Service, Pravda, was a lie. Lie after lie, told in such a brazen fashion, that if you did not have access to other news sources, you would have sworn it was the truth.

Every lie that was told, was told with the express purpose of masking the inner corruption of the Politboro, or Government, of the Soviet Union, which in turn was designed to reinforce the pablum that they fed their working-class citizens, or the Proletariat.

Since the ascent to the presidency of William Jefferson Blythe Clinton, thanks to the New Media, it has become more and more apparent that the United States of America has a Pravda of its own: The Main Stream Media.

Self-identified “Broadcast and Print Journalists” foresook the ideology of objectivity for subjectivity a long time ago. The main reason Americans began to notice was the advent of cable and satellite television, and, later, the World Wide Web.

In the past, the MSM would only interject themselves overtly, every now and then, as in the case of Dan Rather’s blatant falsification of George W. Bush’s National Guard Service Records.

Heck, ol’ Dan was a novice compared to this generation of journalists...propagandists.

From the very beginnings of Barack Hussein Obama’s collegiate career, on through his entry into Illinois state Politics, and on up to his re-election as President of the United States, these journalists have turned a blind eye to every shady deal the Manchurian President was ever involved in.

The questions remain, though.

How did Obama come up with the money to attend Columbia, Occidental, and fergoshsake’s Hahvahd? Why did he make an undocumented trip to Pock-ee-stahn during these years? How did a mediocre student at best become the Editor of the Harvard Law Review, without writing one paper?

Then there’s his Illinois Senate career. Why did all of his Democrat opponents have to drop out of the race? Why did he vote present so many times? Who was behind his push to prominence? What was the full extent of his relationship to “Bomber” Bill Ayers, ‘just a guy from the neighborhood”, who wrote “Dreams of My Father” for him?

When he ran for the US Senate, why did George Soros provide his finances? How did the “personal scandals” of his opponents Blair Hull and Jack Ryan get leaked to the MSM, and what did David Axlerod have to do with it? Why did Obama miss 24% of 1,300 roll call votes?

After 1 1/2 years in the Senate, Obama declared his candidacy for the Presidency of the United States. Who financed him before and after he received the nomination? What did ACORN/SEIU have to do with it? Who and where did all those unaccounted for small foreign donations come from?

When he was inaugurated, why did he screw up the Oath of Office to the extent that he had to re-take it that evening? Why was his first major speech in a foreign venue an address to the Muslim World? Why is it like pulling teeth to get him to refer to Muslim Terrorists as Muslim Terrorists?

Fast forward to BenghaziGate…Why did he place an openly gay Ambassador in a Muslim country , where they behead people for that? What was Amb. Steven’s doing in Benghazi that day? Why didn’t Obama save those 4 Americans? Why is he continuing to lie about the cause of the attacks of 9/11/12, still insisting that an un-watched video caused the attacks?

Why is the MSM not investigating BenghaziGate? For that matter why did we just find out about this?

Two Iranian Su-25 fighter jets fired on an unarmed U.S. Air Force Predator drone in the Persian Gulf on November 1, the Pentagon disclosed on Thursday.

The incident, reported first by CNN, raised fresh concerns within the Obama administration about Iranian military aggression in crucial Gulf oil shipping lanes.

The drone was on routine maritime surveillance in international airspace east of Kuwait, 16 miles off the coast of Iran, U.S. officials said. The Predator was not hit.

“Our aircraft was never in Iranian airspace. It was always flying in international air space. The recognized limit is 12 nautical miles off the coast and we never entered the 12 nautical mile limit,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said in responding to questions from reporters after CNN reported the incident.

Little said the United States believed this was the first time an unmanned aircraft was shot at by the Iranians in international waters over the Gulf. In December of 2011, a U.S. surveillance drone crashed in eastern Iran. Iranians claimed to have shot it down, and created a toy model of the drone to celebrate its capture.

Little stopped short of calling the incident an act of war although the Pentagon was concerned.

Gosh. Do you think that the MSM held onto the story until after the election?

Is Michelle Obama proud of her country…again?

Oh, about that re-election, it now being reported in several states, that more people voted than were on the Voters’ Registration Rolls.

Don’t hold your breath waiting on an in-depth investigation of this.

The MSM have an Inauguration to cover.

Until He comes,

KJ

The Odd Couple: President Obama and President Ahmadinejad

On By kingsjesterIn Politics2 Comments

In an interview to that aired last night on CBS’s 60 Minutes, President Barack Obama said that Israel’s concern over Iran’s march toward a nuclear program was  “noise.”

When it comes to our national security decisions — any pressure that I feel is simply to do what’s right for the American people. And I am going to block out — any noise that’s out there.

Here’s a partial transcript:

STEVE KROFT: “How much pressure have you been getting from Prime Minister Netanyahu to make up your mind to use military force in Iran?”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Well—look, I have conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu all the time. And I understand and share Prime Minister Netanyahu’s insistence that Iran should not obtain a nuclear weapon, because it would threaten us, it would threaten Israel, and it would threaten the world and kick off a nuclear arms race.”

STEVE KROFT: “You’re saying, you don’t feel any pressure from Prime Minister Netanyahu in the middle of a campaign to try and get you to change your policy and draw a line in the sand? You don’t feel any pressure?”

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “When it comes to our national security decisions—any pressure that I feel is simply to do what’s right for the American people. And I am going to block out—any noise that’s out there. Now I feel an obligation, not pressure but obligation, to make sure that we’re in close consultation with the Israelis—on these issues. Because it affects them deeply. They’re one of our closest allies in the region. And we’ve got an Iranian regime that has said horrible things that directly threaten Israel’s existence.

Romney press secretary Andrea Saul responded:

Tonight on 60 Minutes, President Obama called Israel’s legitimate concern about the impact of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons ‘noise’ and referred to Israel as merely ‘one of our closest allies in the region.’ This is just the latest evidence of his chronic disregard for the security of our closest ally in the Middle East. Governor Romney’s views stand in sharp contrast to the President’s. Governor Romney strongly believes that Israel is our most important ally in the Middle East and that support for Israel is essential to extending freedom, peace and democracy throughout the region. As president, Governor Romney will restore and protect the close alliance between our nation and the state of Israel.

Obama also said that he

understands and agrees with Netanyahu’s insistence that Iran not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons as this would threaten both countries, the world in general, and kick off an arms ace.

Romney, who was also interviewed on 60 Minutes last night, said that Obama not meeting with Netanyahu

is a mistake and sends a message throughout the Middle East that somehow we distance ourselves from our friends and I think the exact opposite approach is what’s necessary.

Well, I’m hope you’re sitting down. Guess who is in full agreement with the 44th President of these United States? Would you believe ol’ “Imadinnerjacket” himself?

In an interview with The Washington Post, Ahmedinejad was asked about the possibility of a war with Israel. He answered:

“We, generally speaking, do not take very seriously the issue of the Zionists and the possible dangers emanating from them,” he said early in the interview. “Of course, they would love to find a way for their own salvation by making a lot of noise and to raise stakes in order to save themselves. But I do not believe they will succeed.”

Asked if he thought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was bluffing in his threats to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, the Iranian president said he agreed with that view and asserted that this analysis was a “common consensus.”

Ahmadinejad’s bland self-assurance is partly a matter of style, for no politician ever wants to display weakness before his adversaries. But in this third interview I’ve had with the Iranian president, I had the sense that he genuinely believes the world is going Iran’s way. He sees an America that is facing reversals across the Muslim world — in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and most recently, in dealing with the Arab uprisings. Close U.S. allies such as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak are gone, and Ahmadinejad is still standing.

In discussing Iran’s negotiations with the international group known as the P5+1, Ahmadinejad said Iran was willing to make a deal to limit its stockpile of enriched uranium. But he implied that the Obama administration wants to slow the negotiations down until after the November election, to avoid bargaining concessions that might embarrass the president.

“We have always been ready and we are ready” to make a deal that will address the P5+1’s concerns, he said. “But experience has shown that important and key decisions are not made in the U.S. leading up to national elections.”

Ahmadinejad observed at another point in the conversation: “I do believe that some conversations and key issues must be talked about again once we come out of the other end of the political election atmosphere in the United States.”

In talking about America, Ahmadinejad several times referred to a country that, in his words, is tired of “back-breaking expenses” of foreign wars overseas and where public opinion is trending against Israel. He didn’t cite evidence for these views.

“Will the people of the U.S. accept meddling and intervention in the affairs of others?” he mused at one point, before answering his own question. “I don’t believe so. I believe the people of the U.S. are peace-loving people.”

Translation of Ahmadinejad: Their president does not like Israel either. I expect no trouble from that wuss.

Lord… I wish we had an American President. 

C’mon, November 6th.

Israel Warned Us about the Muslim Situation

On By kingsjesterIn Politics5 Comments

Israel warned us about the volatility within the Muslim countries in the Middle East.

Israel’s own haaretz.com has the story:

For months before the most recent attacks on U.S. embassies in North African states, Foreign Ministry and U.S. State Department officials had been arguing over developments in these countries. Senior figures in Jerusalem claimed that Washington was burying its head in the sand and ignoring the increasing radicalization in states such as Tunisia and Egypt.

The Obama administration, which since the beginning of the Arab Spring has aided, directly or indirectly, the forces that brought down the dictatorial regimes in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Lybia, now finds itself in a position of helplessness. The attack on the consulate in Benghazi, in which the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, was killed, and the storming of the U.S. embassies in Tunis, Sanaa and Cairo, proved the great hostility to the United States and the unwillingness of these country’s new leaders to challenge domestic public opinion.

Senior Foreign Ministry officials say their conversations with their Washington counterparts have focused on what Jerusalem terms “radicalizing trends” against not only Israel but also against the United States and the West in general.

One of the most recent such meetings took place a week ago, during a visit to Jerusalem by the acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, A. Elizabeth Jones.

“The Americans were constantly trying to supply explanations and excuses for events in the post-revolution Arab states, and simply ignored the problems,” one senior Israeli official said, adding, “In practice the administration’s ability to affect events in the Arab world has decreased immensely.”

The Foreign Ministry official presented the example of Tunisia, which was expected to be moderate despite the rise to power of the Muslim Brotherhood. Several weeks ago Israel’s ambassador to Poland, Zvi Rav-Ner, reported that the Tunisian ambassador to Poland had been called back to Tunisia unexpectedly, ending her posting there. Rav-Ner added that all five women serving as ambassadors of Tunisia in various countries had been recalled at around the same time.

The Israel embassy in Washington was instructed to report the matter to the State Department and determine whether it was aware of the development. Several days late U.S. officials reported that the measure was technical only, involving the replacement of all ambassadors from the previous regime, and had nothing to do with gender discrimination.

The Foreign Ministry conducted its own examination and determined that many male ambassadors from the previous regime had not been recalled. “We knew what was happening, but the Americans preferred to find excuses,” said the senior official.

Unlike our own namby-pamby leadership, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his nation’s leaders are not afraid of sending a message of strength and conviction to the Middle East…especially Iran:

Battleships, aircraft carriers, minesweepers and submarines from 25 nations are converging on the strategically important Strait of Hormuz in an unprecedented show of force as Israel and Iran move towards the brink of war.

Western leaders are convinced that Iran will retaliate to any attack by attempting to mine or blockade the shipping lane through which passes around 18 million barrels of oil every day, approximately 35 per cent of the world’s petroleum traded by sea.

A blockade would have a catastrophic effect on the fragile economies of Britain, Europe the United States and Japan, all of which rely heavily on oil and gas supplies from the Gulf.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most congested international waterways. It is only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point and is bordered by the Iranian coast to the north and the United Arab Emirates to the south.

In preparation for any pre-emptive or retaliatory action by Iran, warships from more than 25 countries, including the United States, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, will today begin an annual 12-day exercise.The war games are the largest ever undertaken in the region.

They will practise tactics in how to breach an Iranian blockade of the strait and the force will also undertake counter-mining drills.

The multi-national naval force in the Gulf includes three US Nimitz class carrier groups, each of which has more aircraft than the entire complement of the Iranian air force.

The carriers are supported by at least 12 battleships, including ballistic missile cruisers, frigates, destroyers and assault ships carrying thousand of US Marines and special forces.

The British component consists of four British minesweepers and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Cardigan Bay, a logistics vessel. HMS Diamond, a brand-new £1billion Type 45 destroyer, one of the most powerful ships in the British fleet, will also be operating in the region.

In addition, commanders will also simulate destroying Iranian combat jets, ships and coastal missile batteries.

In the event of war, the main threat to the multi-national force will come from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps navy, which is expected to adopt an “access-denial” strategy in the wake of an attack, by directly targeting US warships, attacking merchant shipping and mining vital maritime chokepoints in the Persian Gulf.

Defence sources say that although Iran’s capability may not be technologically sophisticated, it could deliver a series of lethal blows against British and US ships using mini-subs, fast attack boats, mines and shore-based anti-ship missile batteries.

Next month, Iran will stage massive military manoeuvres of its own, to show that it is prepared to defend its nuclear installations against the threat of aerial bombardment.

The exercise is being showcased as the biggest air defence war game in the Islamic Republic’s history, and will be its most visible response yet to the prospect of an Israeli military strike.

Using surface-to-air missiles, unmanned drones and state-of-the-art radar, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and air force will combine to test the defences of 3,600 sensitive locations throughout the country, including oil refineries and uranium enrichment facilities.

Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya air defence base, told a conference this month that the manoeuvres would “identify vulnerabilities, try out new tactics and practise old ones”.

At the same time as the Western manoeuvres in the Gulf, the British Response Task Forces Group — which includes the carrier HMS Illustrious, equipped with Apache attack helicopters, along with the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle – will be conducting a naval exercise in the eastern Mediterranean. The task force could easily be diverted to the Gulf region via the Suez Canal within a week of being ordered to do so.

The main naval exercise comes as President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, today to discuss the Iranian crisis.

Considering the way that the whole “Arab Spring” situation has worked out, it appears that President’s July 2009 speech to the Muslim World at Cairo University was nothing but a massive waste of time and taxpayers’ dollars.

I wouldn’t blame Bibi if he told Scooter, “I told you so”.

Obama: Apologizing to Our Enemies, Alienating Our Friends

On By kingsjesterIn Politics4 Comments

Yesterday, on the 11th anniversary of the worst attack on our soil in American History, the President and his Administration made a point of apologizing to our enemies.

USA Today reports

Egyptian demonstrators climbed the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo today and pulled down the American flag to protest a film they say is insulting to the prophet Mohammad.

Update at 2:07 p.m. ET: CNN reports that U.S. security guards fired a volley of warning shots as the crowd gathered outside the embassy walls.

CNN adds that the embassy had been expecting a demonstration and cleared all diplomatic personnel earlier from the facility.

Original post: The Associated Press reports that embassy officials say there was no staff inside at the time.

Reuters reports that protesters tried to raise a black flag carrying the slogan: “There is no god but Allah and Mohammad is his messenger.”

The news agency says about 2,000 protesters have gathered outside the embassy and about 20 have scaled the walls.

The AP says the protesters were largely ultra-conservative Islamists.

Iran’s FARS news agency says the film is the work of a group of “extremist” members of the Egyptian Coptic Church in the United States.

Al Ahram online says the film is reportedly being produced by U.S.-based Coptic-Christian Egyptians, including Esmat Zaklama and Morees Sadek, with the support of the Terry Jones Church in the United States.

Jones is the evangelical pastor who stirred controversy last year by threatening to burn a Quran in public.

CNN says the film in question is a Dutch production.

The AP says clips of the film available on YouTube show the prophet having sex and question his role as the messenger of Godâ??s words.

After the protest, the U.S. Embassy issued this statement on its website:

The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims â?? as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of other

The Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Ali Gomaa strongly condemned the movie, AllAfrica.com reports.

“Freedom of speech does not warrant desecrating sanctities,” Gomaa said in a statement Sunday.

But, wait. There’s more…courtesy of bbc.co.uk:

An American has been killed and at least one other wounded after militiamen stormed the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, officials say.

It is believed the protest was held over a US-produced film that is said to be insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.

The building was set on fire after armed men raided the compound with grenades.

Protests have also been held at the US embassy in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

In the attack in Benghazi, unidentified armed men stormed the grounds, shooting at buildings and throwing handmade bombs into the compound.

Security forces returned fire but Libyan officials say they were overwhelmed.

“One American official was killed and another injured in the hand. The other staff members were evacuated and are safe and sound,” Libya’s deputy interior minister Wanis al-Sharif told AFP.

The identity of the US official killed is not yet known. The consular worker was reported to have been shot.

***The official has been identified this morning as the U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. Three other members of the staff were killed as well, per the BBC.

P.S.: Late last night, the Administration tried to walk back the apology:

The White House is disavowing a statement from their own Cairo embassy that apologized for anti-Muslim activity in the United States.

“The statement by Embassy Cairo was not cleared by Washington and does not reflect the views of the United States government,” a senior administration official told POLITICO…

“Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a Tuesday statement.

Okay. So, Obama and his Administration apologized to those who want to kill us…and then, realizing that he’s trying to get re-elected, tried to disavow the apology?

And, on top of that, these Barbarians killed a United States Ambassador and 3 staff members???!!!

Well, you ask, then how is Obama treating our friends?  Answer: Like garbage.

The Washington CBS Affiliate has the story:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making it clear that Israel will not wait to take out Iranian nuclear facilities.

In heated comments toward the United States, the Israeli prime minister said that it’s becoming clear that diplomacy will not work with Iran.

“The world tells Israel, `Wait. There’s still time,’” Netanyahu said Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. “And I say: `Wait for what? Wait until when?’ Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don’t have a moral right to place a red light before Israel.”

The Obama administration has consistently stated that they don’t want to go the military route against Iran and give more time for the sanctions to force Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions.

Netanyahu worries Iran will continue developing nuclear technology without giving the Islamic nation a firm timeline to stop.

“If Iran knows that there is no deadline, what will it do? Exactly what it’s doing. It’s continuing, without any interference, towards obtaining nuclear weapons capability and from there, nuclear bombs,” he said, according to Haaertz.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak tried to downplay the harsh rhetoric, saying in a statement to Haaertz that the tension between the U.S. and Israel should be ironed out “behind closed doors.”

The Israeli paper also reports that the White House denied Netanyahu’s request to visit President Obama at the end of this month.

Bibi needs to understand. Scooter had more important plans, as Breitbart.com explains:

The president will chat with the “Late Show” host during a trip to New York City next week, according to the National Journal. Letterman’s nightly monologues mostly spare the president from satirical ribbing, saving his most cutting remarks for the Romneys … or even former President George W. Bush.

The news comes on the same day Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he couldn’t meet with him due to a scheduling conflict.

The interview will be the second Obama has had with Letterman since the comic made a crude, demeaning joke about former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s daughter.

Letterman later apologized.

Yeah? Well…I want an apology from the 52% of voters who elected this Terrorist-sympathizing, self-aggrandizing, anti-American apologizing wuss.

Pass the Tylenol.

Smart Power! Foreign Policy Still Dangerous

On By kingsjesterIn Politics1 Comment

I’m experiencing deja vu all over again as far as the barbarian country of Iran in concerned. They’ve got their finger on the trigger and the Obama Admniistration’s thinks they can negotiate with them.

Ynetnews.com has the story:

A PR duel will be in two and a half weeks during the United Nations General Assembly discussions in New York between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Iranian leader is expected to address the GA on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, while Netanyahu will speak the next day after arriving in the United States.

According to diplomatic sources in New York, the Iranian issue will be at the top of the agenda of the GA’s speakers, although there will be no votes during the 10-day assembly.

All Western leaders – including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Holland – are expected to speak. Their presence in New York will pave the way for discussions on the Iranian issue.

US President Barack Obama’s address will open the GA on September 25, and the Iranian president’s address is expected the next day.

Obama will not wait in New York to meet with Netanyahu, especially in light of his pressing election campaign. The window of opportunities for a meeting between the American and Israeli leaders will thus open on September 28 in Washington.

In his address, Obama will be expected to demonstrate his leadership skills on the Iranian and Syrian issues, which will be at the focus of Western leaders’ discussions.

So, what is this “great leader” doing at the present about the outlaw state of Iran? The answer is not a whole heck of a lot.

Per bloomberg.com:

The U.S. is “not setting deadlines” for Iran and still considers negotiations as “by far the best approach” to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

While Clinton said in an interview yesterday that economic sanctions are building pressure on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week the sanctions aren’t slowing Iran’s nuclear advances “because it doesn’t see a clear red line from the international community.”

Asked if the Obama administration will lay out sharper “red lines” for Iran or state explicitly the consequences of failing to negotiate a deal with world powers by a certain date, Clinton said, “We’re not setting deadlines.”

“We’re watching very carefully about what they do, because it’s always been more about their actions than their words,” Clinton said in the interview with Bloomberg Radio after wrapping up meetings at an Asia-Pacific forum in Vladivostok, Russia.

While the U.S. and Israel share the goal that Iran not acquire a nuclear weapon, Clinton said there is a difference in perspective over the time horizon for talks.

“They’re more anxious about a quick response because they feel that they’re right in the bull’s-eye, so to speak,” Clinton said. “But we’re convinced that we have more time to focus on these sanctions, to do everything we can to bring Iran to a good-faith negotiation.”

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has an different opinion (Thank God.) concerning this bunch of barbarians:

Mitt Romney used Sunday morning — prime TV time for politics — to depart from his core message about fixing the economy to tout a bare-knuckled foreign policy approach that would include “crippling sanctions” on Iran.

The Republican presidential nominee also was critical of President Obama’s handling of Iran, which is moving toward nuclear capability.

“The president hasn’t drawn us any further away from a nuclear Iran,” Romney said on NBC’s “Meet the Press. “That’s his greatest (foreign policy) failure.”

Romney said Obama’s mistake was coming into office trying to comprise with Iran’s leaders, instead of confronting them.

“I will have a very different approach with regard to Iran,” including “crippling sanctions that should have been put in place long ago,” he said.

Romney also said the greatest threat facing the United States and the rest of the world is a nuclear Iran.

Despite his criticism of the president, Romney acknowledged that Obama is moving closer to tougher sanctions and called his successful mission to kill Usama bin Laden a “great accomplishment.”

Romney’s remarks follows the Democratic National Convention speeches on the closing night in which Obama and others touted his foreign policy successes.

“Ask Usama bin Laden if he’s better off than he was four years ago,” said Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Romney didn’t limit his criticism Sunday to just Obama.

He said his fellow Republicans erred last summer when agreeing to automatic defense-spending cuts in exchange for an agreement to raise the country’s debt ceiling, which prevented the U.S. from defaulting on its borrowing obligations.

“I thought it was a mistake on the part of the White House to propose it,” Romney said. “I think it was a mistake for Republicans to go along with it.”

He also said the Obama administration broke the law recently by failing to provide specific details on how the proposed defense cuts would be implemented. The law was passed by Congress in July, then signed by the president.

“The president was responsible for coming out with specific changes they’d make to the defense budget,” Romney said. “He has violated the law that he in fact signed. The American people need to understand how it is that our defense is going to be so badly cut.”

Negotiations with barbarians only work when you negotiate from a position of strength. Ahmedinejad is watching how the Obama Administration is cutting our Defense Budget and cozying up to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Smart Power! is neither smart foreign policy nor negotiating from a position of power.

Come on, November 6th.