December 14-16, 2006
Dec 14 03:00 Tim Johnson Suffers Stroke Dec 14 03:29 Wishful Thinking vs. Reality Dec 14 04:22 Leahy to be a Tyrant Chairman; What's New? Dec 14 04:38 Tim Johnson Suffers Stroke (Update & Bump) Dec 14 10:57 Blown Out of the Water Dec 14 17:37 Light Blogging Until Tomorrow Dec 15 06:11 Castro Near Death Dec 15 06:40 Kerry In Cairo: Talk With Syria, Iran Dec 16 12:44 Plan for Victory
Tim Johnson Suffers Stroke
Sen. Tim Johnson, (D-SD), suffered a stroke today and was taken to a Washington, DC hospital for testing and evaluation. I strongly encourage LFR's readers to pray for Sen. Johnson and his family. Here's what the AP is reporting thus far:
Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota suffered a possible stroke Wednesday and was taken to a Washington hospital, his office said. Johnson became disoriented during a call with reporters at midday, stuttering in response to a question. He appeared to recover, asking if there were any additional questions before ending the call.I hope and pray that Sen. Johnson makes a full recovery. He's a young man with a family who needs him. His recovery or his inability to recuperate has national implications, as the AP reports here:
Johnson spokeswoman Julianne Fisher said he had walked back to his Capitol office after the call with reporters but appeared to not be feeling well. The Capitol physician came to his office and examined him, and it decided he needed to go to the hospital. He was taken by ambulance to George Washington University Hospital around noon, Fisher said. "It was caught very early," she said.
If he should be unable to continue to serve, it could halt the scheduled Democratic takeover of the Senate. Democrats won a 51-49 majority in the November election. South Dakota's governor, who would appoint any temporary replacement, is a Republican.Despite my desire for Republicans to be the committee chairs, I'm still praying for Sen. Johnson's recovery because I never want to be cheering for the disability of a man, especially for political gain. In the end, though, Sen. Johnson's health is in his medical team's, and God's, hands. I'll keep you posted to any improvements or developments in the case.
UPDATE: Here's the latest on Sen. Johnson's condition:
Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota underwent surgery on Wednesday, a source said, after suffering what a doctor called "symptoms of a stroke." The actions prompted concerns about his fellow Democrats' razor-thin majority in the incoming Senate.The information is still pretty sketchy. That's why I continue to urge LFR's readers to keep Sen. Johnson in their prayers. I'm sure his family will appreciate them.
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Just hours after Johnson was admitted to George Washington University Hospital, a spokeswoman for him said the senator had not suffered a stroke. She provided no other details.
Posted Thursday, December 14, 2006 4:39 AM
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Wishful Thinking vs. Reality
That's essentially what the difference is between the ISG report and facts from Iraq. Jed Babbin does his usual masterful job of explaining the actual facts on the ground in this article. Here's Mr. Babbin's opinion of the ISG's assumptions:
There is simply no evidence to support the ISG's assertion that both Iran and Syria have an interest in a stable and peaceful Iraq that is not torn apart by sectarian violence. As I wrote earlier this week, each of those nations, Syria, by running a jihadi welcome wagon to help terrorists coming from all over the world to transit through Syria into Iraq and Iran by funding, arming and providing every other support of Shia terrorist organizations in Iraq, have demonstrated convincingly that they want an unstable Iraq to fall prey to their proxy forces.As I wrote earlier this week, I suspect that the ISG's recommendations were based more on empty rhetoric than on reality. The problem with the ISG's recommendations is that they're political in nature. Their recommendations were never meant to propel us to victory. Their goal was to provide President Bush with political cover to rationalize away defeat. To his credit, President Bush wasn't interested in either political cover or defeat.
Here's where ISG's observations are shredded:
In Iraq last December, I learned that the deadliest type of "IED" (improvised explosive device) that is the insurgents' most effective weapon against our troops is a very sophisticated bomb. It compares to the 2002-vintage crude roadside bomb in the same way a Porsche compares to a Model-A Ford. It's called the "explosively-formed penetrator" ("EFP" in the inevitable Pentagon acronym.) A shaped explosive charge compresses a projectile and launches it with enough force to penetrate the armor of any vehicle, even a tank. It's made in only one place: Iran.In other words, the ISG's saying that Iran and Syria were both interested in helping stabilize Iraq was utter nonsense. Frankly, everyone in Washington knew it was pure BS (B as in Barbra, S as in Streisand). This information straight from the Pentagon tells the attentive part of the world that the ISG's claims are nonsense. As far as I'm concerned, it couldn't happen to a more useless report. Good riddance.
In one of the Tuesday briefings, I asked one of the senior military leaders presenting it whether there had been a measurable change in the numbers of EFPs coming into Iraq in 2006. He said there had been a "significant increase" in the number. Iran is clearly raising the pressure on us to leave Iraq by doing its best to increase American casualties.
Posted Thursday, December 14, 2006 3:29 AM
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Leahy to be a Tyrant Chairman; What's New?
That's the message sent by Patrick Leahy Wednesday at Georgetown's Law Center. It didn't come as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention to Sen. Leahy's career.
Mr. Leahy accused Mr. Bush of "corrosive unilateralism," eroding the privacy rights of Americans, erasing constitutional checks and balances, and "packing" the federal judiciary.I saw part of Leahy's speech on C-SPAN. Frankly, Sen. Leahy launched into a predictable diatribe about the NSA's intercept program by characterizing it as a domestic spying program. One of his most inflammatory remarks was by citing the RFK Justice Department wiretapping Martin Luther King. He also said that he couldn't imagine a more worrisome situation than the NSA intercept program in the hands of a modern day J. Edgar Hoover. Democrats routinely think that any Republican-nominated FBI director is the reincarnation of J. Edgar Hoover. It's a shame that they haven't paid attention to the actual facts. It's a shame that they've had countless diatribes about theoretical situations.
While images of J. Edgar Hoover's FBI wiretapping Martin Luther King conjure up strong emotions with some, they have nothing to do with reality. The reality is that the only warrantless intercepts are international communications. Leahy knows this because the man who ran the NSA Terrorist Surveillance Program, Lt. Gen. Michael Hayden, has testified to that in front of the Senate on this issue during his confirmation hearings to be the CIA director.
We can be fairly certain that Gen. Hayden told the truth because he was overwhelmingly confirmed and because he hasn't been charged with lying under oath. Obviously, Sen. Leahy couldn't care less about the facts, instead favoring a lunatic's rantings. I pray that the GOP Senate filibusters any legislation aimed at restricting the President's inherent Constitutional powers.
Posted Thursday, December 14, 2006 4:23 AM
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Tim Johnson Suffers Stroke (Update & Bump)
Sen. Tim Johnson, (D-SD), suffered a stroke today and was taken to a Washington, DC hospital for testing and evaluation. I strongly encourage LFR's readers to pray for Sen. Johnson and his family. Here's what the AP is reporting thus far:
Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota suffered a possible stroke Wednesday and was taken to a Washington hospital, his office said. Johnson became disoriented during a call with reporters at midday, stuttering in response to a question. He appeared to recover, asking if there were any additional questions before ending the call.I hope and pray that Sen. Johnson makes a full recovery. He's a young man with a family who needs him. His recovery or his inability to recuperate has national implications, as the AP reports here:
Johnson spokeswoman Julianne Fisher said he had walked back to his Capitol office after the call with reporters but appeared to not be feeling well. The Capitol physician came to his office and examined him, and it decided he needed to go to the hospital. He was taken by ambulance to George Washington University Hospital around noon, Fisher said. "It was caught very early," she said.
If he should be unable to continue to serve, it could halt the scheduled Democratic takeover of the Senate. Democrats won a 51-49 majority in the November election. South Dakota's governor, who would appoint any temporary replacement, is a Republican.Despite my desire for Republicans to be the committee chairs, I'm still praying for Sen. Johnson's recovery because I never want to be cheering for the disability of a man, especially for political gain. In the end, though, Sen. Johnson's health is in his medical team's, and God's, hands. I'll keep you posted to any improvements or developments in the case.
UPDATE: Here's the latest on Sen. Johnson's condition:
Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota underwent surgery on Wednesday, a source said, after suffering what a doctor called "symptoms of a stroke." The actions prompted concerns about his fellow Democrats' razor-thin majority in the incoming Senate.The information is still pretty sketchy. That's why I continue to urge LFR's readers to keep Sen. Johnson in their prayers. I'm sure his family will appreciate them.
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Just hours after Johnson was admitted to George Washington University Hospital, a spokeswoman for him said the senator had not suffered a stroke. She provided no other details.
UPDATE II: Here's the latest news on Sen. Johnson:
Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was in critical condition Thursday after late-night brain surgery, creating political drama about which party will control the Senate next month if he is unable to continue in office.This isn't good news so we'll need to keep praying for Sen. Johnson. Another goodwill gesture to the family is to contact Sen. Johnson through his Senate Contact Form to tell the Johnsons that you're praying for them. Sen. Johnson's staff is undoubtedly monitoring those emails.
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A person familiar with Johnson's condition said the 59-year-old senator has an underlying condition that caused stroke-like symptoms and doctors will be watching him closely for the next 24 to 48 hours. The person spoke on condition of anonymity out of respect for the senator's family.
Here's what bothers me about the coverage:
The Democratic Party holds a fragile 51-49 margin in the new Senate that convenes Jan. 4. If Johnson leaves the Senate, the Republican governor of South Dakota could appoint a Republican, keeping the Senate in GOP hands with Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking power.I know that Sen. Johnson's condition has Washington buzzing about the potential implications with regard to Democrats' control of the Senate. I understand that that's part of the landscape. What bothers me is that every wire service article lists the political ramifications in the second paragraph, before any mention is made about Johnson's family.
By putting that observation in the second paragraph, it's telling the world what the reporters' priorities are. Shame on the reporters, and their editors, for making political considerations such high priority.
In addition to that, the information isn't correct. The Senate must pass a resolution laying out the rules. Remember the fight back in 2001 before the 107th Senate convened. The Senate was tied 50-50 that year until Jumping Jim Jeffords switched parties. Remember that the Democrats negotiated a co-chairman system with Trent Lott.
In other words, in addition to being tasteless, the information is wrong. Let's hope that Sen. Johnson's medical team is more qualified in their jobs than these reporters are in their's.
UPDATE III: Something sounds fishy with this. Major Garrett just reported on FNC that GWU Hospital isn't letting reporters into the hospital. They aren't planning on addressing the media face-to-face, instead just issuing a press release.
Harry Reid spent a bunch of time at the hospital, saying that "I saw him, he looked great. To me, he looked very good," Reid said in a press conference on Capitol Hill after returning from visiting Johnson. How Reid could say that minutes before Sen. Johnson needed emergency brain surgery is anybody's guess.
Posted Thursday, December 14, 2006 12:23 PM
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Blown Out of the Water
The Strib's Katherine Kersten has blown the lid off of what's behind the 'Flying Imam Fiasco'. Here's what Katherine has written about the imams' motivations:
On Dec. 1, a curious report on the grounded-imams incident at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport appeared on the website of the Iranian Quran News Agency. The report quoted extensively from Madhi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation. The foundation is the American arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, "the world's most influential Islamic fundamentalist group," according to the Chicago Tribune.This isn't surprising to me; in fact, it's something that I posted in Flying Imams' Mission: To Weaken Airport Security? and in An Agenda Exposed. The truth is that this legislation was first thought of right before the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Here's what CAIR posted on their website on July 15, 2004:
Bray's initial statement about the incident had an all-American, see-you-in-court ring. He demanded "large financial compensation for the imams," adding, "We want US Airways and any other airline displaying this type of behavior against Muslims to be hit where it hurts, the pocketbook."
The report echoed statements made by the imams themselves. Omar Shahin, their spokesman, has portrayed the incident in a way that's consistent with a lawsuit and a public relations offensive. He's called for a Jesse Jackson-style boycott of US Airways, and applied classic civil-rights rhetoric to the incident: "This is prejudice; this is obvious discrimination," the Star Tribune quoted him as saying. "I cannot change the color of my skin," he told Newsweek.
But the report on the Iranian website, which has appeared on a variety of Muslim websites worldwide, had a larger primary focus. After the imams incident, it quoted Bray as saying Muslims want "new, broad-sweeping legislation that will extract even larger financial and civil penalties for any airline that participates in racial and religious profiling."
The report is optimistic that Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, will lend his support to new legislation. Ellison, it says, has expressed his opposition to "such racial and religious profiling." Ellison, through a spokesman, declined to comment.
One piece of legislation in the works is the End Racial Profiling Act. It is an important priority of Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, whose district includes one of the largest Muslim populations in the country. Conyers introduced the bill in 2004 and 2005, but it went nowhere. Now the alignment of forces may be changing. Conyers will probably be chairman of the House Judiciary Committee when the new Democratic-controlled Congress convenes next month.
Nancy Pelosi, who called herself a "proud" cosponsor of the Profiling Act in 2004, is the incoming House speaker. And in January, Ellison, who represents the district where the imams incident occurred, will take his seat in Congress.
The act, although it doesn't as yet impose large penalties, would bar any federal, state or local law enforcement agency from "relying, to any degree, on race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion in selecting which individuals to subject to routine or spontaneous investigatory activities." That would include questioning, searches and seizures.
Pelosi, Democratic Leaders Hold Roundtable Discussion with Muslim American LeadersHere's what was the centerpiece of their discussions, though:
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY), and other Congressional Democrats were joined yesterday by national leaders of the Muslim American community in a roundtable discussion on issues of mutual concern to Democrats and Muslim Americans. The discussion centered on working together to defend civil rights and to restore civil liberties.
"When the Patriot Act was enacted, it was intended to be accompanied by strong Congressional oversight to prevent abuses of our civil liberties. That oversight has not occurred, particularly with the mass detention campaign ordered by Attorney General Ashcroft, which to date has led to more than 5,000 foreign nationals being detained since September 11th. Moreover, individuals' assets have been frozen on the basis of secret evidence that they have no opportunity to confront or rebut, and such processes are a fundamental denial of due process. We must correct the Patriot Act to prevent abuses of our civil liberties."It's now apparent that the imam fiasco was a planned event meant to give momentum to this legislation in the 110th House. It won't succeed. This is proof that Nancy Pelosi has a tin ear towards what America wants. Couching this information in civil rights terms might sound good but it won't win people over permanently when the consequences are brought to light.
Working with Conyers, the Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Democrats have introduced legislation to end racial profiling, limit the reach of the Patriot Act, and make immigration safe and accessible. Leader Pelosi is a proud cosponsor of the End Racial Profiling Act, the Security and Freedom Ensured Act (SAFE), and the Safe, Orderly, and Legal Visas Enforcement Act (SOLVE).
"These measures are long overdue, and we call on the Republican leadership in Congress to bring them to a vote now," Pelosi said. "As we protect and defend the American people, we must protect and defend the Constitution and the civil rights that define our democracy. Ours is a country of great diversity and we must stand together as one America."
The ramifications are that this legislation will weaken airline security by essentially making it impossible for airline personnel to look for terrorists. The ramifications are that this legislation will make future terrorist attacks inevitable because it would strip airports and airlines of the tools needed to prevent terrorist attacks.
Posted Thursday, December 14, 2006 11:00 AM
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Light Blogging Until Tomorrow
Blogging will be light until tomorrow. It seems that I've got the flu. Hopefully, this won't last long & I'll be back soon.
Posted Thursday, December 14, 2006 5:37 PM
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Castro Near Death
That's John Negroponte's opinion according to this Reuters article. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
Cuban President Fidel Castro is very ill and close to death, U.S. Intelligence chief John Negroponte said in an interview published on Friday. "Everything we see indicates it will not be much longer...months, not years," Negroponte told The Washington Post.Castro has been in power since 1959.
The Cuban leader, 80, has not appeared in public since he underwent emergency intestinal surgery and temporarily handed over the presidency to his younger brother, Raul Castro, on July 31.
Posted Friday, December 15, 2006 6:42 AM
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Kerry In Cairo: Talk With Syria, Iran
Proving yet again why America made the right choice in 2004, John Kerry recommended holding talks with Syria and Iran. Here's what he said:
"Frankly, more people should have listened to him," he said after talks with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif. "It's very important for countries to talk to each other, even when you disagree. We have serious differences with Syria right now, we have serious differencess with Iran, but you can't begin to resolve those differences if you're not willing to try to understand..I think it's important to begin a discussion," said Kerry, a Massachusetts senator.Opening talks with either nation won't do a damn thing except give the countries greater prominence within the region. That's the last thing we should be trying to do.
Posted Friday, December 15, 2006 6:40 AM
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Plan for Victory
Fred Barnes has a must read column on President Bush's new plan for victory. Fred also links to an AEI plan by retired General Jack Keane and military expert Frederick W. Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute.
Posted Saturday, December 16, 2006 12:44 PM
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