To paraphrase a old classic political line (Rome burns while Cecero plays the Fiddle).....Tehran burns while CS talks of the Bhurka.
Really Zarkozy was only supporting the status quo position that France has had on Bhurka wear for a long time.
The likely reason he got into the debate was because President Obama in his Cairo speech took a different view. In the middle of that, you have the Iranian election, the burning of Tehran and crack down on the reformers.
See many of the young reformers in Tehran wearing Bhurka? One of the things the young women are fighting for is the freedom to dress in a style of fashion and personal statement of choice.
But Zarkozy was also playing a political card in his timing of this position. As was President Obama in Cairo. The Iranian election was coming for one.....and had occurred to the other. Allowing them to take a split positions on it wear.
I wonder if Pres. A's wife and daughters wears them. Does anyone know?
One of OReilly of FOXX biggest complaints with the Obama Administration is that he feels Obama is going to put both civilian and military Americans at greater risk.
I think that OReilly might be on to something.
Article in yesterday WSJ. US Revisits Afghan Battle Rules by Yochi J. Dreazen.
First, President Obama just made a command change in Afghanistan. The new US Commander there is one, Gen. McChrystal. McChrystal has been rewriting the engagement rules of using bombs and large caliber weapons. This comes after the incident of the Granal, that occurred during the Karzai and Obama meetings. Where a disputed number of Afghans were killed by airstrikes.
But this is how the new rules of engagement have been changed.
First, the rules for using airstrikes for NATO and Afhgan forces are different than using airstrikes for US Forces. For NATO and Afghan forces only "danger" needs to be determined for a airstrike order. For US Force can call in airsrikes if they are in "fear of being overrun, can't leave an area safety or need to evacuate wounded."
A big difference between the rules of engagement for NATO and Afghan forces and for US Forces.
Rear Adm Gregory Smith, Gen. McChrystal spokeman, says "this is trying to make it clear as possible that risking civilian lives for the sole goal of killing the enemy is not acceptable."
In my opinion, these new rules put American combat forces into greater danger. NATO commanders saw this and refused them, that is why the NATO rules are different.
Under the new rules, two of the airstrikes at Gramal would not have occurred. Investigator are thinking that it was these airstrikes that killed the civilians. The preliminary reports on Gramal, was that the Taliban used human shields.
The last line in the article reads "Those two strikes would have been prohibited under the new rules because they were designed to kill Taliban fighters, not to allow US and Afghan forces to safely leave the village."
Does anyone remember bombing rice paddies in Vet Nam??? Sen John McCain does. When the rules of engagement are written by the White House in such a narrow manner, American lives on the ground and in the air are placed into greater risk.
New economic projection from DC. Unemployment will hit 10% in the US sometime this summer. Even thought the rate of unemployment is slowing....the number of unemployed is still growing. So looks like 1 in 10 Americans are projected to be without work soon.
If those Hummer stamping dies and CAD designs program from GM don't work in Chinese machines, we are going to be honoring the warrantees on a lot Chinese HumVees that don't work.
No, it was the DEMs that were circling Polosi. If she fell from her position, a ranking DEM in the house would have been chosen to replace her. Would be number 3 in the gov't.....and a shot at running for the Oval office in 2012
All I can say is this Iran crisis sure got Nancy Polosi off the hot seat......
if in 25 years we find our from declassified CIA documents that they set the Iranian election crisis into motion.....can we call it a Obama plan to protect Polosi from the sharks???
President Obama is losing his chance to inspect the N.Korean Ship. It is already past Singapore. He has new destroyer following it.
NKoreans are playing a cagey game here. They know a ships stopped on the high seas is technically an act of war. So they run the ship down there...with munitions and weapons? or without them?
Only way to find out......board the frigin ship. In which case you just committed an act of war...Soul, Toyko and Pearl can be history.
I think that it is time for a long line fishing net to meet one NKorean screw (propellor for you none mariners) and then for one US Destroyer to offer assistance on the high seas to one distressed NKorean vessel.
Obama has come out and strongly critisized iran this morn.
As for n.korea, i honestly believe if they attacked the south or japan, then Obama would not sit on his hands about it.
He is close to pulling the Iran democracy trigger, I do agree Magneta. But I am thinking we are about to see one the biggest flip flops in modern times here.
What was so well politically played in Reagon dustbinning of the Soviet Union....was its simplicity. "Take down the wall,Mr Gorboceva."
President Obama is in the same position....only he has to make the wall of hate that Pres. A has made between Iran and the west/US and Israel....his target. Obama likes to talk, so is long winded. That make him complicated. Reagon liked to sleep, kept it brief and to the point.:-)
President Obama needs to find that 'one line of resonating words' that ripples, waves and tsumia thru out the Muslim world. To change heart and minds.
Lincoln could do it. T. Roosevelt could do it. Reagon could do it.
Maybe we should offer Indy and his 6 word sentences to President Obama as phrase maker to end the middle east crisis, put Iran to democracy, solve the nuclear issues, kick the Taliban out of Pakistan and Afghanistan and end terrorism in the world.
No pressure Indy.....we will even give you a extra word or two....:-)
I don't think the US should try to change its image.....if we did .......President Obama campaign promise of change would resonate in the world....and consider the problems the world would have then.
Enough of the yokes.
But thought seriously of this earlier today.
If President Obama stays neutral on the issues of Iran election, seems to me that he is supporting the 'status quo'. Pretty hard to pull that 'change' thing a mig gee out of the teleprompter, if one is standing for status quo.
We don't wear halos here unless one has made it to the White House......
speaking of White House....some liberal media are calling the White House...... "His House"......Glenn Beck did a filet and a shake and bake on them today. Reminded them that the 1600 Pennsylvania Ave is still owned by the people of the US and it has a temporary resident that changes every four or eight years.
Indy! How in 6 words, you can bring 3 completely unique and unrelated entities and a misspelling into one paragragh is beyond me......it must be that IN water......
The info I give comes from Bing West book..."The Strongest Tribe".
West was at the battle of Falluga. Interviewing Marines and soldier that had fought there.
How the Marines fought this battle....they would slip reconn units and snipers ahead of units that were doing house to house searches. Eventually they had a general idea to where this command post was...and had it under surviellance by these forward units or UAVs.
So the Marines are getting close to the command post. Reconn units had not seen any bhurka covered women going into the command post. But they did see two leaving. They likely have heard al-Zharki in the radio network. If so electronically, they can tri angulated his location to the command post. Or maybe captured foreign fighters gave them intell to al-Zharki presence there.
So? The Marine takes the command post. But no al-Zharki. Pretty solid reasoning that al-Zharki and his number two left in the Bhurkas. Yes?
Vouyager, lots of reasons why you don't take a shot. Specially if it was a Bhurka dressed person, you are shooting at. Range....light....disclosing your position......maybe it is a woman....
You must get highly filtered news in Denmark. Three DC analysis...one liberal, one consverative and one independant....all agreed that he was very defensive in the new conference.
But his tone is changing and getting stronger....11 days it took him to this point. France was there in 3 day after the election. Germany 3 days after the election.
He needs to look beyond Iran. If comes out strong for a pro reform position....it effects reform in many other Islamic countries. Remember AlQeada is in some 40 Islamic countries. Radical clerics as many.
Now is his time to engage them all.
Sure he is worried that by being vocal in this, will make the American Great Satan cleric's appear. But they are already. Iranian reformers that have been caught are saying that they were motivated by VOA and the BBC.
So if the US and UK are going to the blamed.....get blamed for being strong in your best suit....democracy.
Russia by the way announced they had accepted the Iranian election results.....who would guess? A country that can tell people how to vote or lose their jobs....is still a immature democracy.
One thing you have to give President Obama thanks for.....is keeping VP Biden's fingers out of Iran......if Jumpin Joe Biden got into this one.....the US would be sending troops into Iran for the next 100 years.
President Obama has said he is "appalled and outraged" by the violence going on in Iran. When questioned by reporter Thomas Dodd on what steps he might take on Iran, President first mentioned a international coalition. Then when Dodd pressed for more information to the coalition, its goals and means....President Obama gave no answer and then got 'testy' with the reporter.
Get testy with President A., is my suggestion. Pick on someone your own size for a change, President Obama.
President Reagon was appalled and outraged with the Soviet Union as well. That did not stop him from going to Berlin and asking that the wall be taken down. He called the former Soviet Union, a evil empire.
Seeing that the United States backed...just in words....democracy in their country...Poland, East Germany, the Baltic Countries, and even the Soviet Union did break aways from the communist regime. Not a shot was fired and Europe became what it is today.
Today, President Obama can those words. He can be a President of leadership vs a President of following. But the choice is his and his alone. No one can say....this was GWB created mess.....this was left over from his administration.
Think about this some. If you want American forces out of the middle east in YOUR lifetime.....then reform in Iran has to occur. Else this country (the USA) will be in Afghanistan for your lifetime, as Iran exports revolutionary Islam to it.Because if Iran regains its revolutionary Islamic feet....one can expect American forces in those Persian Gulf countries and Afghanistan for a long long time.
President has the ability to say.....President A. take down this wall of hatred, take down this wall of rhetoric that you have created between the your country and west, open your country, join the rest of the world in the 20th century, open your nuclear facility to inspection.....
History is made by men and women that understand when to speak and what to speak in times of crisis and pressure....time to speak President Obama.
ttom500 Forum Posts (10,523)
Eight years of indecision and smiley faces in DC.
and 
and
it away........
RE: Sarkozy bans burqa wearing.
To paraphrase a old classic political line (Rome burns while Cecero plays the Fiddle).....Tehran burns while CS talks of the Bhurka.Really Zarkozy was only supporting the status quo position that France has had on Bhurka wear for a long time.
The likely reason he got into the debate was because President Obama in his Cairo speech took a different view. In the middle of that, you have the Iranian election, the burning of Tehran and crack down on the reformers.
See many of the young reformers in Tehran wearing Bhurka? One of the things the young women are fighting for is the freedom to dress in a style of fashion and personal statement of choice.
But Zarkozy was also playing a political card in his timing of this position. As was President Obama in Cairo. The Iranian election was coming for one.....and had occurred to the other. Allowing them to take a split positions on it wear.
I wonder if Pres. A's wife and daughters wears them. Does anyone know?