Theodore's World

Obama: U.S. not your enemy
Politico
President Barack Obama presented a humble and conciliatory face of America to the Islamic world Monday in the first formal interview since he assumed office, stressing his own Muslim ties and hopes for a Palestinian state, and avoiding a belligerent tone — even when asked if America could “live with” an Iranian nuclear weapon.

“I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries,” Obama said, according to a White House transcript. “My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy.”

The Al Arabiya interview, directed squarely at Muslims around the world,…

What I told him is start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating — in the past on some of these issues — and we don’t always know all the factors that are involved,” Obama said. “What we want to do is to listen, set aside some of the preconceptions that have existed and have built up over the last several years. And I think if we do that, then there’s a possibility at least of achieving some breakthroughs.”

Obama’s interview was marked by attempts to sympathize with the concerns of ordinary Muslims, particularly on the question of living conditions in the West Bank.

“Will the United States ever live with a nuclear Iran? And if not, how far are you going in the direction of preventing it?” asked the interviewer, Al Arabiya Washington Bureau Chief Hisham Melhem.

Obama responded only generally, expressing disapproval of an Iranian bomb but not the flat condemnation that is standard from American officials.

“Israel is a strong ally of the United States. They will not stop being a strong ally of the United States. And I will continue to believe that Israel’s security is paramount,” he said. “But I also believe that there are Israelis who recognize that it is important to achieve peace. They will be willing to make sacrifices if the time is appropriate and if there is serious partnership on the other side.”

Obama’s interview plan was made public only Monday afternoon, and the interview, which concluded just after 6:00 p.m., was distributed to reporters in the evening and embargoed for release at 11:00 p.m.
Asked why Al Arabiya had been granted the president’s first interview, and aide said: “We want to communicate directly to the entire world America’s new foreign policy.”

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Wild Thing’s comment……….
He sure is a lot like Carter, he trashes the USA and says “too often the USA starts by dictating and not by listening. ”
There are more parts to the interview, but my stomach could only handle this part one video.
“Israel is a strong ally of the United States. They will not stop being a strong ally of the United States..”
I see no affirmation from Obama of America’s support for Israel in this.
So the golden rule in politics must be …..he who contributes the most gets the first interviews.
Illegal Obama donors: Middle Eastern Arabs

Gazan brothers’ illicit contributions listed in government campaign filings

“Palestinian brothers inside the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip are listed in government election filings as having donated $29,521.54 to Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign.

Donations of this nature would violate election laws, including prohibitions on receiving contributions from foreigners and guidelines against accepting more than $2,300 from one individual during a single election, Bob Biersack, a spokesman for the Federal Election Commission.

U.S. Navy intercepts Iranian arms vessel
Covert operations aim to cut Tehran’s supply lines to terrorists
wnd
The U.S. Navy is conducting operations aimed at intercepting Iranian ships carrying weapons to rearm Hamas in the Gaza Strip, informed defense officials told WND.
The setup, which has already halted a vessel carrying Iranian munitions in recent days, acts on intelligence information provided by Israel, Egypt and Cyprus, the defense officials said.
The U.S. Navy refused to comment, but informed sources said the U.S. last week intercepted an Iranian-owned vessel found to be carrying weapons, including rockets, mortar and artillery shells. It is suspected the ship was attempting to reach the Egyptian Sinai area. If successful, the delivery would have represented a major escalation by providing Hamas with artillery, something the terrorist organization is not thought to possess.
The ship is now docked at an Egyptian port on the Red Sea after being escorted by the U.S. Navy out of the Suez Canal, which leads to the Mediterranean, the defense officials said. Due to complicated maritime laws, the U.S. and Egypt may let the ship sail to the Mediterranean, where either Israeli or Egyptian naval units would need to decide whether to entirely halt the vessel.
According to the sources, aside from patrolling the seas, the U.S. has also sent the Army’s Corps of Engineers to the Egyptian Sinai desert, bringing with them advanced machinery to help Egyptian troops locate weapons smuggling tunnels that snake along the Egypt-Gaza border.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Obama just might order that all missions we are conducting in international waters to cease. I can see it being done quietly, and without any media coverage or analysis. At which time we will lose the bubble on what we know is going on out there. God protect our troops!

….Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67

HOOAH!

Democrats now in control, say economy to get worse
wnd

“There’s been no good news,” said Vice President Joe Biden on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” “and there’s no good news on the immediate horizon.”

Lawrence Summers, head of the president’s National Economic Council, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Americans will need to be patient.

“These problems weren’t made in a day or a week or a month or even a year, and they’re not going to get solved that fast,” Summers said. “The next few months are, no question, going to be very, very difficult and it may be longer than that.”

Instead, the newly empowered party is asking for more time, money and power to attempt its fix on the nation’s economic woes.
Congress has already given Obama permission to spend the second $350 billion of a bailout package approved last fall, and the president is pushing Congress to pass an additional $825 billion economic recovery package.

House Speaker Nanci Pelosi further told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week” that “some increased investment” may be necessary and that spending the money would likely be tied to more government involvement in the banking sector.

“Whatever you want to call it, if we are going to put money into the banks, we certainly want equity for the American people,” Pelosi told Stephanopoulos when the host asked if more government involvement meant nationalization of the country’s banks. “In other words, if we are strengthening them, then the American people should get some of the upside of that strengthening.”

“Some people call that nationalization,” Pelosi admitted, but then qualified, “I’m not talking about total ownership.”

“I think a lot of Republicans will vote no,” Boehner said on NBC, “because they see this as a lot of wasteful Washington spending, padding the bureaucracy and doing nothing to help create jobs and preserve jobs.”

Rep. Mice Pence, R-Ind., said, “The American people know we cannot borrow and spend and bail our way back to a growing economy.”

Wild Thing’s comment………
People are not spending any money because anyone with money has zero confidence in this Kenyan-born marxist usurper and illegal alien, THTAT is the part of the story that the media is not covering.
BUT…..BUT….. he was going to do all these things…………..”This is the moment when the rise of the ocean began to slow and our planet began to heal” ………and oh wait will he part the Red Sea too?

….Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67

Obama, Iran Talks Next?
U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice restates President Obama’s calls for direct negotiations with Iran
FOX news
President Obama did a quick pivot Monday, shifting his focus to foreign policy by contacting a handful of major world leaders — including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nikolas Sarkozy — as his new U.N. ambassador restated the desire for vigorous and “direct diplomacy” with Iran.
Obama spoke with the foreign leaders ahead of a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and his Middle East envoy George Mitchell, who was leaving immediately afterward for a trip to the region. Mitchell will go to Cairo, Egypt; Jersusalem, Israel; Ramallah in the West Bank; Amman, Jordan; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He will also visit Paris and London.
Back in the U.S., U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, who was confirmed last week for the post, said Monday that Iran’s refusal to meet international obligations will increase pressure on Tehran to drop its nuclear ambitions and cooperate with the United States and global community.
Besides pursuing nuclear weapons, Iran has called for the destruction of Israel and support for Hamas, a terror group designated by the U.S., Israel and the European Union.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Rice’s remarks are not a departure from statements made previously by Obama the candidate. She merely restated the administration position that no forms of communication should be off the table with the Islamic regime.

“Whether you were on the campaign trail or not, clearly this was something that generated a lot of coverage over the past two years. And I think Ambassador Rice was simply restating the position that the president had,” he said.

Gibbs did not offer any specific initiatives on dealing with Iran, but said Rice’s remarks should come as no surprise.

“This administration is going to use all elements of our national power to address concerns” about Iran’s nuclear program.

As for the Mitchell trip, Gibbs said Mitchell was ahead overseas “to begin the process that the president promised to be actively engaged in, the peace process there in the Middle East.”

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Well he did say he would do these direct talks with Iran so he is right on schedule, or maybe even ahead of schedule. I bet he could hardly wait to start in with the Muslims. Getting back to his own people and all.

source
Timothy Geithner won confirmation as U.S. Treasury secretary on Monday and vowed to act quickly to protect the U.S. economy from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

“We are at a moment of maximum challenge for our economy and our country,” Geithner said as he was sworn into office shortly after the Senate approved him on a 60-34 vote.

Some lawmakers were disturbed enough by Geithner’s late payment of $34,000 in self-employment taxes to vote against the nominee even though they felt he was well suited for the job otherwise. Only 10 Republicans voted in support, while three Democrats opposed him.

“I would rather have a battle hardened veteran at the helm who knows the shoals and whirlpools than a neophyte who has to wade into these churning waters for the first time,” Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said in explaining his support.

Ten Republicans overlooked that matter and voted for confirmation. One Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, told reporters earlier in the day that he would vote yes, only to change his mind and vote no.
Three Democrats and one independent voted against Geithner’s confirmation, including Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., the longest-serving senator in history.

“Had he not been nominated for treasury secretary, it’s doubtful that he would have ever paid these taxes,” Byrd said in a statement.

Even so, not everyone was convinced that the need for a speedy confirmation should trump concerns about the candidate. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, didn’t buy Geithner’s contention that he skipped paying some taxes because he was confused by the complexities of the tax code.

“They were described by the nominee himself as ‘careless mistakes,'” Collins said in prepared remarks. “It has become clear to me that this is not merely a matter of complexity leading to mistakes, but of inexcusable negligence.”

Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., agreed and noted that his is one of the few voices of dissent.

“Nominees for positions that do not oversee tax reporting and collection have been forced to withdraw their nomination for more minor offenses. They have been ridden out of town on a verbal rail,” Enzi told the Senate. “The fact that we’re in a global economic crisis is not a reason to overlook these errors.”

“The Senate,” he scolded, “is not supposed to be a group of ‘yes’ men.”

Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa lined up against the nominee, asking how someone of Geithner’s “financial sophistication” could innocently not pay the taxes and then head up the agency that oversees the IRS.

“How can Mr. Geithner speak with any credibility or authority?” Harkin said.

ROLL Call
Grouped By Vote Position YEAs -—60
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Burris (D-IL)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Ensign (R-NV)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagan (D-NC)
Hatch (R-UT)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
NAYs -—34
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bennett (R-UT)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
DeMint (R-SC)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Grassley (R-IA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sanders (I-VT)
Sessions (R-AL)
Specter (R-PA)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)
Not Voting – 4
Bond (R-MO)
Brown (D-OH)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Wyden (D-OR)

Wild Thing’s comment…….
This guy, is unfit to hold this office. Our system is completely broken. A guy who wouldn’t pay his taxes is sworn in as secretary of the treasury. Like there isn’t anybody else in our country who could do that job AND has been paying their taxes??
I’m truly shocked that Cornyn voted ‘yes.’ He’s always been a reliable conservative. And I am just as shocked that Rino McCain voted no.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at the Sustainer Theater Jan. 21. Outside, the mission continued, a pair of F-16s could be heard taking off in the background. Inside was anything but the same as Joint Base Balad members danced in the aisles, laughed, sang and even cried during a special morale event.

332nd Air Expeditionary Wing
By Staff Sgt. Dilia Ayala
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at the Sustainer Theater Jan. 21. Outside, the mission continued, a pair of F-16s could be heard taking off in the background. Inside was anything but the same as Joint Base Balad members danced in the aisles, laughed, sang and even cried during a special morale event.
Country music group Lonestar and comedian Greg Vaccariello performed for more than 750 service members and civilians as part of “Inaugural Tour January 2009,” sponsored by Stars for Stripes; Morale, Welfare and Recreation; U.S. Army Europe; and Armed Forces Entertainment.
Opening for Lonestar, Vaccariello got the night started by setting an upbeat mood. The audience was all smiles as the show began.

“Greg was extremely funny. He really got things going, and most importantly, he did it without being vulgar,” said Staff Sgt. Michelle Stocker, 332nd AEW protocol non-commissioned, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

“I was really excited that Lonestar took time out of what they normally do to come and visit us,” continued the Sweetwater, Texas, native. “It really helped increase morale. What made it even better is that they are from Texas.”

During the performance, Lonestar keyboardist Dean Sams shared his appreciation for service members in attendance on behalf of the band.

“Let us share with each and every single one of y’all that we have the utmost respect for the manner in which you handle such an awesome, awesome task over here,” Sams said. “You are all truly amazing people. We have these little rubber wrist bands that were give to us by Stars for Stripes and they read, ‘Entertaining our Heroes’ and that is exactly what each and every one of you are. We just want to say, ‘thank you.’”

After sharing his admiration, the band played “I’m already there,” a song about missing the ones you love back home, which Lonestar dedicated to all those serving at JBB and throughout the area of operation.

“We’ve had a lot of hits over the years, but this song really ranks on top as one of the songs that means the most to us,” Sams said. “It’s not because of how many records we’ve sold, but because of all the letters and e-mails you all have sent to us telling us how much it means to you.”

“I want to tell you, we dedicate this song to [all service members] and [their] families every time,” he continued. “Thank you for the sacrifices you make. God bless each and every one of you.”

As the band played the song, service members and civilians alike listened, some cried and others sang along softly.

“When they played ‘I’m Already There,’ my eyes welled up,” Stocker said. “It meant a lot that they dedicated that song to us. It had the perfect meaning to how each and every one of us feel. Especially those who have been here for a while and are days from going home.”

The night continued with the band playing several well-known rock favorites and a few surprises as some service members were invited on stage to take impromptu group photos with Lonestar.
After all was said and done, the band and Vaccariello stayed for a few hours to meet, greet and take photos with those in attendance. By midnight, Sustainer Theater stood quietly in the night sky, both on the outside and the inside.

Brig. Gen. Brian Bishop, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander, speaks with the members of the country music group, Lonestar, before their performance at Sustainer Theater Jan. 21. Bishop thanked the group for their time and support of deployed service members.

Cody Collins of the country music group Lonestar sneaks up behind two Soldiers as they pose for a photo in front of the stage during a performance, Jan. 21. Lonestar held a meet-and-greet following the concert. The group is touring Iraq and Kuwait as part of a morale, welfare and recreation event.

Dean Sams of the country music band, Lonestar, plays harmonica during a performance at the base theater, Jan. 21. Sams also provides keyboard and background vocals for the band. The theater was filled with more than 750 military personnel from the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy.

Two ex-Guantanamo inmates appear in Al-Qaeda video
WASHINGTON
(AFP)
Two men released from the US “war on terror” prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have appeared in a video posted on a jihadist website, the SITE monitoring service reported.
One of the two former inmates, a Saudi man identified as Abu Sufyan al-Azdi al-Shahri, or prisoner number 372, has been elevated to the senior ranks of Al-Qaeda in Yemen, a US counter-terrorism official told AFP.
Three other men appear in the video, including Abu al-Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi, identified as an Al-Qaeda field commander. SITE later said he was prisoner No. 333.
A Pentagon spokesman, Commander Jeffrey Gordon, on Saturday declined to confirm the SITE information.
“We remain concerned about ex-Guantanamo detainees who have re-affiliated with terrorist organizations after their departure,” said Gordon.
“We will continue to work with the international community to mitigate the threat they pose,” he said.
On the video, al-Shihri is seen sitting with three other men before a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq, the front for Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
“By Allah, imprisonment only increased our persistence in our principles for which we went out, did jihad for, and were imprisoned for,” al-Shihri was quoted as saying.
Al-Shiri was transferred from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia in 2007, the US counter-terrorism official said.
The other men in the video are identified as Commander Abu Baseer al-Wahayshi and Abu Hureira Qasm al-Rimi (also known as Abu Hureira al-Sana’ani).
The Defense Department has said as many as 61 former Guantanamo detainees — about 11 percent of 520 detainees transferred from the detention center and released — are believed to have returned to the fight.
The latest case highlights the risk the new US administration faces as it moves to empty Guantanamo of its remaining 245 prisoners and close the controversial detention camp within a year.

Wild Thing’s comment……..
We show our weakness in releasing these enemy combatants and weakness begets more terrorist action. Obama’s election proves to the Islamist terrorists that America has no stomach for the fight and serves to increase theirs. That, historically, has been the record of radical Islam.
B.Hussein Obama is playing softball with these goons. These terrorists see humanitarian compassion as weakness, not morality or justice. The PC, appeasement policies of the leftist in the WH will make matters even worse.
I said once before on here, IF they have to lelt these subhumans go then before they do it put them to sleep and put tracker implants in every one of them. There ought to be a way to do it that would not look like anything was done to them so when they wake up from the forced sleep they have no clue what was done to them. The sleep could be induced by something in their food so even that would not raise suspicion.

….Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67

Kennedys Want Revenge
NBC Washington
The Kennedy family is seeking revenge against New York Gov. David Paterson for his treatment of Caroline Kennedy during her aborted bid for the senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, the New York Post reported
“The governor’s going to pay for this,” a prominent Democrat told the New York Post. “Ted is furious. The family is furious. The Kennedys are now against the governor.”
Patterson allegedly implored Kennedy not to suddenly withdrawal from contention, New York magazine reported.
“You can’t withdraw. You’ve got to stay in this thing, and I’ll just not pick you,” Paterson allegedly told her during a phone conversation Wednesday.
The governor’s office is also being blamed for unflattering leaks about Kennedy’s taxes, her nanny and her marriage, sources told the Post.

Wild Thing’s comment………
Where was this outrage when Mary Jo Kopechne was murdered by this blowhard Ted Kennedy.
HAHAHAHAHAHA – Kennedys are furious. CAMELOT is dead – get over it ! Caroline Kennedy was just the latest Kennedy buffoon. Totally unqualified.
Paterson had better watch his step! (Also, if he rides with Ted Kennedy anywhere, he (Paterson) had better drive!)
Yes I know Peterson is blind, but it still is safer for him to drive then to let Kennedy to it.
LOL Bill and Hillary Clinton must be really laughing so hard at all of this. Ted and Caroline Kenendy both endorsed B.Hussein Obama.

Pelosi signals willingness to add to TARP funds
Reuters
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday the federal government may need to pump more taxpayer funds into the faltering banking system and that taxpayers should receive equity as compensation.

Pelosi told ABC’s “This Week” program that “some increased investment” might be needed beyond the $700 billion approved last year under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, to stabilize the nation’s banks and get them to resume making loans.

Congress would require more oversight of any further bank bailout, the California Democrat said.

“Change has to happen in terms of what is done, what the transparency of it is, what the accountability of it is. Only then would we be able to pass any additional funding,” Pelosi said.

President Barack Obama’s pick for treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, said last week the Treasury had no current plans to request more bailout money beyond the $700 billion already authorized, but that the situation was “dynamic.”

“We have to be prepared to act flexibly and with speed if conditions worsen appreciably, to devote more resources if that is necessary to secure our objectives,” he wrote last week in reply to written questions during his confirmation hearing.

Billions of dollars in auto and credit card debt held by banks are expected to default in 2009, after the billions in mortgage-backed debt that initiated the financial crisis.
The first $350 billion in TARP funds has been committed and lawmakers agreed last week to release the second half.
Pelosi said the government should take an equity stake in banks that receive funds so taxpayers could share in any upside as banks return to health.

“If we are strengthening (the banks), then the American people should get some of the upside of that strengthening,” she said. “Some people call that nationalization. I’m not talking about total ownership.”

The government has obtained preferred shares for the capital it pumped into ailing institutions as part of the first half of the TARP program.
Geithner said on Wednesday the Obama administration in coming weeks would unveil a multi-pronged effort to stabilize the housing market, strengthen core banks and support consumer credit to help foster economic recovery.
One idea calls for the establishment of a “bad bank” that would take distressed assets off banks’ balance sheets to free them up to resume lending.
Geithner won Senate Finance Committee backing on Thursday, and the chamber’s majority leader said he expected the full Senate to confirm him.

Wild Thing’s comment……….
Sure just keep digging us deeper and deeper into the hole. GRRRRRR
I honestly don’t know how to respond except to feel such anger. They want us all broke, owned by big brother and dependent on these wackos, that don’t have one ounce of love for America in their blood.

….Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67