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Monday, November 30, 2015

Obama The Traitor: His Plan To Defeat ISIS All Smoke And Mirrors

Obama is living up to his Islamic middle name: Hussein.

The entire November 27 article in the Telegraph (emphases mine):

Barack Obama plan to defeat Isil dismissed by US intelligence experts: Former and serving diplomats and intelligence officials tell the Telegraph that President Obama's hopes of defeating Islamic State are based on "smoke and mirrors"

By Ruth Sherlock, Washington and Richard Spencer, Middle East Editor
7:00AM GMT 27 Nov 2015

President Barack Obama's attempts to destroy Isil have been derided by Western diplomats and his own former intelligence officials.

Mr Obama has insisted that the United States will not change the strategy that he said was already “containing” Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) and would work eventually to “degrade and destroy” it.

But in a series of candid interviews with the Telegraph, Western diplomats and intelligence officials - current and former - have angrily dismissed the approach as a “smoke and mirrors” public relations exercise founded on little substantive or effective action.

“It’s smoke and mirrors and that is the dirty little secret,” said Derek Harvey, one of Mr Obama’s senior former intelligence officials, a Middle East specialist, who said he resigned from his job in frustration at the administration's handling of the conflict.

Many members of both the American and the European intelligence and diplomatic apparatus say the chaos in Iraq and Syria is caused by Mr Obama’s determination to press on with an “exit strategy” from the region, signalled by the withdrawal from Iraq.

The intelligence official said this had created a sense of apathy, with departments feeling they were being judged by how much they were focused on “detaching” from the Middle East, rather than on the success of the policies they were actually implementing there.

Experts in the region had also been withdrawn in case they concentrated on achieving results.

“Who is in charge?” Mr Harvey said. “Where is the intelligence community? It is totally broken on this.”

Two active intelligence sources told the Telegraph that there was a sense of disarray inside the various intelligence agencies.

Official policy is to defend the strategy of gradual disengagement and limited military action against Isil, saying that more direct options might have a “satisfying” immediate visible effect, but would prove damaging in the long run.

That policy depends on American “containing” Isil, as Mr Obama claimed shortly before the attacks in Paris, co-ordinated by Isil, which claimed 130 lives.

“Isil have expanded geographically to eight other countries, taking advantage of civil wars in Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Afghanistan and so on,” the intelligence source, who served in Baghdad at the height of the post-invasion period, said. “They are taking advantage in places where there is lack of effective governance and highly tribalised societies.

“We have not done anything to really hurt them. Even in the areas they have been formerly pushed out of, they continue to operate covertly and they mostly control the largest Sunni Muslim cities outside of Baghdad.”

Diplomats privately agree that a campaign of relatively sporadic air strikes alone cannot be the road to success.


“Isil is not the homogenous block they want us to believe it is,” one very senior Western diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous, said. “If you look at military tactics it’s clear that it’s not just one entity, so you cannot have one answer.”

Another diplomat said Mr Obama had allowed the idea to become prevalent that taking on Isil was a separate issue from countering the Assad regime, which could be left till later - even though that was not American or European policy.

The diplomat said it was not possible to rationally separate Isil from the Syrian regime. He said they were two mutually dependent evils.

Diplomats and analysts have been arguing for years now that the survival of the regime and its bombing of civilian areas drive support from the less successful Western-backed rebel groups to jihadists like al-Qaeda’s branch, Jabhat al-Nusra, and Isil.

Meanwhile, Damascus has itself remained a key funding source for Isil as it buys up black-market oil produced in wells under the extremists’ control.

A key problem remains that the current rules of engagement limit the US in what it can legally do militarily. Under the current authorities, it “takes months” to close down bank accounts belonging to Isil jihadists when they are discovered.

It also limits the US ability to fight against the jihadists’ powerful propaganda: “Why is the hacking group Anonymous able to take down 5,000 Isil Twitter accounts and the government not? It’s an authority issue," Mr Harvey, the former official, said.


The Obama administration’s legal authorisation for the use of military force against Isil derives from measures passed by congress in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

White House officials sought a new authorisation from Congress earlier this year that would allow it to better tailor rules of engagement and strategy to combat Isil, on and off the battlefield, but it was blocked by Republicans.

Whether any strategy that is envisaged by any side will do more than send an ever-increasing number of bombs on to an enemy that has shown itself capable of “sucking up” long-range attacks with relative ease so far is another question.
Think about the progression over the course of less than two weeks.

On November 12, Barack Hussein Obama tells George Stephanopoulos that ISIS is definitely "contained" and, in essence, not an existential threat because the Moslem savages are not gaining strength.

Then on November 13 come the Paris jihad slaughters.

Next, on November 21, Brussels, the headquarters of NATO and the seat of the European Union, goes on lockdown for several days.

On November 25, Barack Hussein Obama addresses the American people to tell us "the combined resources of our military, our intelligence, and our homeland security agencies are on the case" and "be vigilant."

Our intelligence agencies are "on the case"?  Really?  Remember this from the linked article?
“Where is the intelligence community? It is totally broken on this.”

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Musical Interlude

(Please scroll down for politics)

For this first Sunday of Advent 2015, Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, performed by The Choir of Queens' College Cambridge:


Latin lyrics:

Friday, November 27, 2015

Holiday Humor

I prefer eggnog "with" when I celebrate this auspicious moment:


Since turning 60, with each passing year, I decorate less and less. But I'm not quite as minimalist as the above graphic. Yet, that is.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

PSA: "Microcoft Calling" Scam

We interrupt Thanksgiving to bring you this message: Indian "Tech Support" Scam Catches My Wife. Read it. Now. Don't fall for this scam!

I've gotten this call, and so has former blogger The Merry Widow.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Thanksgiving Break

(Please scroll down for other material)


In spite of the grim political situation confronting us both worldwide and on our home soil, we do have much for which to give thanks:

Monday, November 23, 2015

Open Thread


So, what's on your mind?

Please opine on the topic of your choice according to the parameters below:

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Bill Maher On Bad Ideas

Bill Maher makes the obvious point that the phrase "shared values" doesn't apply to certain Muslims. Watch the female moonbat object to what Maher is saying:

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Flashback: Iraqi Refugees In 2011


Likely, Obama will unilaterally open the floodgates to the Syrian "refugees" — never mind that in 2011 he significantly curtailed the flow of Iraqi refugees because of national security concerns.

From the Navy Times back then:
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has dramatically slowed the resettlement of Iraqi refugees — including former U.S. military translators and embassy workers — in the midst of growing concerns about al-Qaida's potential ties with some asylum seekers, an administration official says.
More information at the Federalist.

So why is Obama so determined to bring in the Syrian refugees even after the recent jihad attack on Paris?  So detemined that he Tweeted this on November 18:
Slamming the door in the face of refugees would betray our deepest values. That's not who we are. And it's not what we're going to do.
An executive order even if Congress passes a refugee bill over Obama's veto?

If so, checkmate.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

John Kerry's "Rationale"


From CBS News, November 17, 2015:
Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday suggested that the "rationale" for the terrorist attack against the satirical French publication Charlie Hebdo, which left 12 people dead in January, is more understandable than any rationale for last week's attacks in Paris.

"There's something different about what happened from Charlie Hebdo, and I think everybody would feel that," he said in remarks at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. "There was a sort of particularized focus and perhaps even a legitimacy in terms of - not a legitimacy, but a rationale that you could attach yourself to somehow and say, 'Okay, they're really angry because of this and that.'..."
The full text of Kerry's statement is HERE at the U.S. Department of State's web site.

This creature is the U.S. Secretary of State?

Monday, November 16, 2015

Steps To The Caliphate

"Arabs, rise as one man and fight for your sacred rights. Kill the Jews wherever you find them. This pleases God, history, and religion. This saves your honor. God is with you.” — Hajj Amin al Husseini on German Nazi radio on March 1, 1944.
Seven steps to the caliphate, from this 2005 article based on material from Jordanian journalist Fouad Hussein, back when Al-Qaida was the primary Islamic threat (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance):

Friday, November 13, 2015

Jihad In Paris (Timeline Added)

The unfolding of a new model for jihad: striking multiple and proximate soft targets simultaneously.


Islamic terrorism in the City of Lights.

Multiple sites attacked.

Hostages held and being murdered one by one in Bataclan, the concert hall.

National borders closed.

France in a state of national emergency.

Fox News is reporting that a suspect arrested has told the police, "I am from ISIS." He has also said that he is from Syria and is on a mission for ISIS. This is the only arrest so far reported.

More coverage at France 24 and BBC News.

ADDENDUM

Paris terror attacks timeline: What happened where and when on night of terror and confusion in French capital.

Bring 'Em Home!

The video below is a must-watch! Yes, the video is a bit long but worth every minute.  Set down your beverage first, though; otherwise, you will have to buy a new keyboard. Keely Mullen attends Northeastern University.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Collegiate Tantrums


Have special little snowflakes, ever fretful about microaggressions, taken over the Ivy Leagues.

Student C: It is not about creating an intellectual space! It is not! Do you understand that? It’s about creating a home here! You are not doing that. You’re going against that.
Please watch the following brief video (1 minute, 20 seconds):


Full transcript HERE.

Back story from the YouTube link (hot links added):
On November 5, 2015, students at Yale University gathered on campus to protest an email sent by Associate Master of Silliman College Erika Christakis on October 30. Christakis’ email responded to a separate email from the school’s Intercultural Affairs Council that asked students to be thoughtful about the cultural implications of their Halloween costumes.

Christakis [advocating freedom of expression with regard to Halloween costumes] argued that the council’s email [emphasizing sensitivities with regard to Halloween costumes] was infantilizing and threatened free expression on campus. There was also a concern that because the email was long, detailed, had 13 signatories, and links to acceptable and unacceptable costumes, it would not be interpreted as a suggestion. But rather it had the “color of law” implicit within it.

FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff was on Yale’s campus during the protests on November 5 and captured this footage on his cell phone of Christakis’ husband, Nicholas, meeting with the protestors. By the time Lukianoff arrived on the scene, Nicholas had been speaking with the protesters for about an hour.

The Washington Post reports that students have begun to organize formal demands for the resignation of Christakis and her husband.
Additional reading (worth your time):

(1) The Coddling of the American Mind: In the name of emotional well-being, college students are increasingly demanding protection from words and ideas they don’t like. Here’s why that’s disastrous for education—and mental health (from the Atlantic)

(2) Mizzou And Yale Show Why It’s Time To Burn Universities To The Ground (from the Federalist).

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Veterans Day 2015

(Discussion thread for the GOP Debate of November 10, 2015, is HERE)

The Fourth GOP Debate

Parse the Fox Business Network event — live or later — in the comments section of this blog post.

Pre-debate comments are also welcome.


Please adhere to the following parameters:

Monday, November 9, 2015

Not Worthy Of Trust

Hillary's record speaks for itself:


From ABC News:
Former President Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, have sent $28,000 worth of household goods back to Washington after questions arose over whether the items were intended as personal gifts or donations to the White House.

“We have been informed that it is being shipped back, and the National Park Service is ready to receive it, take possession of it and take custody of it,” Jim McDaniel, the National Park Service’s liaison to the White House, said Wednesday.

“The property is being returned to government custody until such time that the issues can be resolved. It may well turn out that that property is rightly the personal property of the Clintons.”

Giving Back

After they were criticized for taking $190,000 worth of china, flatware, rugs, televisions, sofas and other gifts with them when they left, the Clintons announced last week that they would pay for $86,000 worth of gifts, or nearly half the amount.

Their latest decision to send back $28,000 in gifts brings to $114,000 the value of items the Clintons have either decided to pay for or return.....
Read the rest HERE.

Once a thief always a thief.

Nevertheless, many of the electorate want the Clintons to move back into the White House and will support Hillary for President — no matter what.

Recent video filmed in Alexandria, Virginia:

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Your Interpretation, Please

Photo from police-car dash cam

From the Dallas Morning News:
Dorothy Bland: I was caught ‘walking while black.’

Police chief: No, officers were doing their jobs.
Please read this link and watch the video.


The Washington Post calls the video a racial ‘Rorschach test’.

Your interpretation?

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Obama's DOJ Invades The Girls' Shower

Perhaps most ironic of all is this statement from the Chicago Tribune article cited in full below the fold: The student...does not want to be identified for privacy reasons!

Apparently, this one student's privacy concerns trump the privacy concerns of all the other students.



It's now the law of the land — a civil right — that transgenders who have male genitalia must be given full access to the girls' showers and the girls' locker rooms in a public school.

From the Daily Caller:
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has ordered a taxpayer-funded school district in the suburbs of Chicago to allow a male transgender student who dresses like a girl and otherwise identifies as female to use the girls locker room and shower on school premises.

The feds delivered the edict against Township High School District 211 in Palatine, Ill. on Monday [November 2, 2015], the Chicago Tribune reports.

The Department of Education has given the school district one month to let the student use the girls locker room. If the district does not capitulate, it risks losing federal funding....
The complete Chicago Tribune article is below the fold. Emphases mine.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Russian Airbus A321

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

Wreckage from Russian Airbus A321

Terrorism is no longer being ruled out — as first was the case.

According to Russian airline official rules out technical error as cause of crash, a Washington Post article dated November 2, 2015:

Ancient Wisdom

There is nothing new under the sun:


Partisans are a plague upon the land. They are incapable of considering evidence.

To discuss...Is there a remedy for this problem? If so, what is that remedy?

Related reading at Free Thinke's blog: FORMER CONGRESSMAN [TOM TANCREDO] "I’M QUITTING GOP."

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Reminder For Today

Today marks the return to Standard Time for most time zones in the United States. Did you remember to set your clocks back an hour?

Another reminder:

!--BLOCKING--