Too late to halt Iran’s nuclear bomb, EU is told
By Daniel Dombey and Fidelius Schmid in Brussels
Published: February 12 2007 22:18 Financial Times..complete article
Iran will be able to develop enough weapons-grade material for a nuclear bomb and there is little that can be done to prevent it, an internal European Union document has concluded.
In an admission of the international community’s failure to hold back Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the document – compiled by the staff of Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief – says the atomic programme has been delayed only by technical limitations rather than diplomatic pressure. “Attempts to engage the Iranian administration in a negotiating process have not so far succeeded,” it states.
“At some stage we must expect that Iran will acquire the capacity to enrich uranium on the scale required for a weapons programme,” says the paper, dated February 7 and circulated to the EU’s 27 national governments ahead of a foreign ministers meeting yesterday.
“In practice . . . the Iranians have pursued their programme at their own pace, the limiting factor being technical difficulties rather than resolutions by the UN or the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“The problems with Iran will not be resolved through economic sanctions alone.”
Wild Thing’s comment…….
Well, they can’t say Iran wasn’t warned. EU land where stopping global warming, free healthcare, and 30 hour work weeks are more important than national security, fiscal sanity, and the future. Europe is sick.
There is little that Europe can and will do to prevent the Iranians from developing the bomb. The reason these clowns bring this up is that they expect the US to step in to save their worthless asses again. There’s basically an anti-survival movement that’s taken over western civilization. Especially Europe. Even if they knew the date and time for sure when islamic nukes would go off, I doubt even their leaders would bother to evacuate.
Mont. Drivers Would Have to Know English
HELENA, Mont. TBO.com
State lawmakers are considering a proposal that would require drivers to prove proficiency in English before receiving a license.
Republican Rep. Dennis Himmelberger said the state has an interest in making sure everyone can read road signs and communicate with police.
“I think this is going to become almost inevitable, some type of bill like this,” he said.
Himmelberger said his proposal would require examiners to determine if an applicant needs a proficiency test. Examiners would also determine applicants’ citizenship and note their home country on the license.
A House committee took no immediate action on the measure Monday.
Jim Reed of the National Conference of State Legislatures said he was unaware of any other state that requires an English proficiency test. “Some states require that drivers’ tests be given only in English”, he said.
Wild Thing’s comment…….
If I moved to another country and planned to live there, any country that does not have English as their primary language. France, Italy, whatever just for my own sake I would want to learn the language of that country.
Defence ministers from Sunni Arab states are preparing to spend enormous sums at the Idex arms fair in Abu Dhabi next week
Gulf states load up on weapons of war Telegraph.co.uk…for complete article
Leaders of Sunni Arab states are embarking on a military spending spree in an attempt to contain the growing threat from Iran.
Alarmed by the progress of Iran’s nuclear programme and the prospect of a military clash between its Shia regime and the United States, Gulf leaders intend to use billions of dollars of oil revenue to purchase a huge array of military hardware.
Many of the deals will be finalised at a massive arms fair due to open in the United Arab Emirates next Sunday.
Saudi Arabia alone has a shopping list that runs to almost $50 billion, including fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, attack helicopters and more than 300 new tanks.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has earmarked $2 billion for a rapid reaction brigade – possibly to take a lead role in a regional protection force. Another $6 billion will go on missile defence batteries, airborne early warning systems and aircraft.
Both countries are members of the Gulf Co-operation Council, established in 1984 to provide security against the threat posed by Iran. Other members, including Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, are expected to spend heavily in the coming months.
Many are now convinced that the only way to avoid being sucked into a war between the US and Iran, or being caught up in the turbulence that would follow, is to beef up their own defences.
American plans for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear sites are reported to be well advanced, despite public denials, and many in the Gulf states fear that they could be caught in the backlash.
One highly placed Saudi diplomatic source said that there were concerns about America’s intentions and doubts about the real threat from Iran.
Wild Thing’s comment……
Thanks to the NY Times and other media outlets I guess they know about our shops in the Gulf.
President Vladimir Putin speaking at the Conference on Security Policy in Munich
US Hits Back After Putin Tirade
By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow The United States and Russia were locked in a bitter war of words yesterday as officials reacted furiously to a speech by Vladimir Putin that represented the most ferocious attack on US policy by a Russian leader since the Cold War.
Although Mr Gates sought to cool some of the angry rhetoric flying between the two former Cold War adversaries by describing Russia as a “partner”, he added: “We wonder too about some Russian policies that seem to work against international stability such as its arms transfers and its temptation to use energy resources for political coercion.”
The comments, echoed by officials across the US political spectrum, came a day after astonished delegates listened to an unprecedented tirade from the Russian leader that was at times reminiscent of Nikita Khrushchev’s shoe-banging rhetoric.
Reflecting the growing chill in relations between the two countries, Mr Putin accused the United States of trying to subjugate the world and termed its policy in the Middle East as “unilateral and frequently illegitimate.”
“Today we are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper-use of military force in international relations that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflict,” he said.
“The United States has overstepped its national borders in every way. This is extremely dangerous. It results in the fact that no-one feels safe because no-one can feel that international law is like a stone wall that can protect them.”
While many of the assembled European politicians may have secretly agreed with Mr Putin’s feelings on America’s invasion of Iraq, fear of Russia’s democratic trajectory and growing energy might united delegates in condemnation of the speech.
Mr Gates, a former CIA officer, tried to put Mr Putin’s comments down to the Russian president’s KGB background.
“I guess old spies have a habit of blunt speaking,” he said. “However I’ve been to re-education camp,” — a jibe that won approving laughter and applause from the audience. “One Cold War was quite enough.”
But western diplomats argued yesterday that Mr Putin’s speech reflected as much weakness as it did strength. Russia’s military hardware is largely rusting and, even though the Kremlin may be trying to develop new missiles, it has lost the nuclear race.
“Putin’s speech was in part impotent rage,” said a Western diplomat. “He’s a strong believer that the Cold War principle of Mutually Assured Destruction made the world a safer place.” “When he railed against a unipolar world, he was essentially acknowledging that for the first time in 50 years the United States has reached nuclear primacy.”
Wild Thing’s comment……
What did Putin run out of spies to poison?
Putin sounds like he is a member in good standing with the Democrat party and their same talking points. They’ve opened up weakness in the superpower…any other competing power is naturally going to take whatever advantage is there to take when the dominant power has a crisis of confidence, division or disruption. The Democrats, in their obsession for power and control, have given that to both our enemies and our competitors. So Putin takes advantage of it and tries to enhance it by jumping on. We should expect that, everyone’s going to have at us…that’s why the Democrats are so damned destructive to US.
It’s classic: The Democrats would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven.
All 435 House Members Can See Iraq Intelligence — and Talk on Iraq Next Week The Politico To the surprise of the Bush administration, the House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night to allow all 435 House members to see the classified version of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq sent to the White House last week. The report is classified in part because it contains information about sources and methods used in intelligence-gathering.
The document will provide fuel for a House debate, scheduled to begin Tuesday, on a resolution of disapproval of President Bush’s plan to boost U.S. troop strength in Iraq. Remarkably, each House member will be given five minutes to speak. The decision to provide such broad access to the microphones is based on the fact that each member got the chance to speak before the Iraq war began, according to House leadership aides. In announcing the vote to allow all members access to the classified portion of the NIE, the committee said those examining it “will be required to review the document in the Committee’s secure offices in the Capitol and sign a secrecy oath.” The members will not be allowed to leave with notes, congressional sources said.
The White House was not informed or consulted about the decision. Such access for members is rare but not unprecedented. The document had been made available to members of several committees with jurisdiction over the intelligence community, but other lawmakers would have needed to request permission to read it. The committee had received written requests from one Republican and one Democrat, plus some other informal inquires, and decided it would be better to allow blanket access instead of voting on each request, congressional sources said.
The report, called “Prospects for Iraq’s Stability: A Challenging Road Ahead,” was approved Jan. 29 by the heads of the government’s 16 intelligence agencies. It paints a generally bleak picture of conditions in Iraq and warns that without successful efforts to rein in insurgent violence and political extremism, the overall security situation “will continue to deteriorate” at current rates for the next 12 to 18 months, the period covered by the report.
The decision raised fears among some Republicans that members not used to dealing with classified information might play fast and loose with what they saw. But Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said in a statement: “It is critical that all Members of Congress understand the consensus view of the Intelligence Community on the gravity of the situation in Iraq and the consequences for U.S. troops and our long-term national security interests.” Republicans who voted for this:
Peter Hoekstra, Republican — Michigan
Ray LaHood, Republican — Illinois
Terry Everett, Republican — Alabama
Elton Gallegly, Republican — California
Heather Wilson, Republican — New Mexico
Jo Ann Davis, Republican — Virginia
Mac Thornberry, Republican — Texas
John McHugh, Republican — New York
Todd Tiahrt, Republican — Kansas
Mike Rogers, Republican — Michigan
Rick Renzi, Republican — Arizona
Darrell Issa, Republican — California
Wild Thing’s comment…..
Dear God … protect and save us! This is VERY dangerous and a totally insane move! When you think it can’t get worse, well.. IT DOES! This is beyond a slippery slope.
For pete’s sake………LET THE MILITARY RUN THIS WAR!!!! I am so sick of these politicians! And to have it set up for this…..”and sign a secrecy oath” ……Oh yeah an ‘oath” that sure as heck will work…..NOT. Like that means anything to them. These people will be leaking information like crazy and we all know it. Get ready for lots of secrets about our covert activities to get leaked. OMG
God help our troops, God help us all, this will be in the New York Times. NYSlimes Headline, “Hey look what we are doing and who is doing it” And what about the Muslim sympathisers who will see it and pass the sources and methods to our enemies, we do have some in our government.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R), Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal (C) and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (L) walk inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, early February 9, 2007. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
Wild Thing’s comment……..
LOL too funny, and maybe scary too if Hillary becomes President and if she is one of those women that is like this once a month. Very scary to think about ……Yikes. Thank you to John 5 for sending this to me.
Pentagon Rejects Speaker Pelosi’s Request for Military Aircraft abc news This is a long article, 4 pages, so I am just putting some of it here– Wild Thing…………………
A source close to the controversy over the request made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for use of a military plane that can fly to and from her home district in San Francisco, Calif., without having to stop to refuel, tells ABC News that the Pentagon has rebuffed Pelosi’s request.
The source says that Pentagon officials and the Bush administration have instead offered Pelosi use of the same plane made available to former Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois: a C-20, which seats about 12 passengers and five crew members.
A C-20 can make the 700-mile flight to Hastert’s Aurora, Ill., district easily but would generally have to stop to refuel to complete the 2,800-mile trip from Washington D.C. to the San Francisco Bay Area, depending on the headwinds.
Pelosi has expressed concern about having to stop and refuel, primarily for security reasons, her office says. Since 9/11, the Speaker of the House — second in line behind the Vice President in the line of presidential succession — has been able to use a military plane for travel, for security reasons.
Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. J.D. Gordon outlined the rules and restrictions governing Speaker Pelosi’s use of the C-20:
* No more than 10 passengers (C-20’s seat only 12 passengers, not including up to 5 crew members);
* No travel to political events;
* Members of the speaker’s family cannot fly unless the speaker makes a request in writing. The Pelosi family has to reimburse the U.S. Treasury for the cost of a coach ticket per person for the travel, as well as for any food;
* Members of Congress cannot fly on the plane unless their travel has been cleared with the House Committee on Standards (the Ethics Committee);
* Pelosi’s husband can travel for free, but only for official protocol purposes.
In response to the Pentagon offer, Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly tells ABC News, “We appreciate the Defense Department’s continuing concern for the Speaker’s security. We are reviewing their letter.”
Pelosi responded to Republican critics who have accused her of making unreasonable demands on the Pentagon for a luxurious airplane her Republican predecessor never requested.
“I want an aircraft that will reach California,” Pelosi told reporters Wednesday afternoon, insisting that she doesn’t care what kind of plane it is as long as it can fly nonstop to her home district. “
Because the C-20 generally would need to stop and refuel to make it all the way to the Bay Area, Pelosi requested a plane that could make it to California without having to stop along the way, and asked for clarification from the Pentagon about whether friends and colleagues could accompany her.
Various Republican officials in recent days have claimed that Pelosi has requested a C-32 plane for her travels — a luxurious and specially configured version of the Boeing 757-200 commercial intercontinental airliner.
The plane seats 45 passengers with business-class accommodations and a crew of up to 16, depending on the mission. It features a communications center, a fully enclosed stateroom for the primary passenger, a changing area, a conference facility, an entertainment system, and a convertible divan that seats three and folds out to a bed. The C-32 can cost as much as $22,000 an hour to operate. It’s normally used by the first lady, the vice president, Cabinet officials and members of Congress upon request.
Witchy Woman from the Eagles (1973) ROTFL
Wild Thing’s comment……..
She wanted 42 business class seats, a bedroom with a bed and an entertainment center. The plane she wanted had a crew of 16. $300,000 roundtrip.
The terrorists would think losing her would be tantamount to loosing Zarquawi or Bin Laden. They’ll put out an all point bulletin to stay away from her plane so she propbably doesn’t need too much protection. She doesn’t fight in the trenches, but behind the scenes, she undermines those trying to do the fighting. Maybe that female astronaught could be her personal driver. Just wear those diapers and drive straight through. heh heh
On a serious note, Ben Stein’s article from weeks ago was excellent, he described how the Democrats, unable to impeach Bush, have decided to simply marginalize him by conducting their own National and Foreign Policy agendas. Pelosi and the Dems want their own Air Force One, with their own press corps in tow, hoping all over the globe, meeting with Foreign leaders, making their own deals and treaties, and generally speaking for the nation, as if the President didnt exist. Air Force One is a very powerful symbol of American authority, and the Dems know they wont get their hands on one of the big -47s, so the 757 is their next best hope. The refueling and security issues are just a ruse, something they can use to get a willing media to back them.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards successfully has test-fired a land-to-sea missile with a range of about 350 kilometres (210 miles).(AFP/EPA/File)
Iran successfully test fires land-to-sea missile
TEHRAN (AFP)
The firing came on the second day of war games by the Guards’ air force and naval divisions amid mounting tensions with the West over Iran’s nuclear programme, state television reported.
“We have successfully test fired a cruise missile called SSN4, or Raad, hitting targets 300 kilometres (180 miles) away in the Sea of Oman and northern Indian Ocean,” deputy air force commander, Ali Fadavi was quoted as saying Thursday.
“This missile has the final range of 350 kilometres and can hit all kinds of big warships in all of the Persian Gulf, Sea of Oman and northern Indian Ocean.
“It can carry a 500 kilo (1,100 pounds) warhead and can fly at low altitude, evading radar jammings and immune to electronic measures.”
Iranian television showed footage of the missile being fired and hitting its target.
Iran’s leaders have repeatedly said the country’s armed forces are ready for any eventuality in the current standoff with the West over its nuclear programme.
Although the United States has said it wants the standoff solved through diplomacy, Washington has never ruled out military action to thwart Iran’s atomic drive. Wild Thing’s comment…….
They just gave our military the chance to monitor every single frequency, datum and radar pulse the missle uses to track to its target. In other words – they blinked first.
She made me laugh and we only knew each other slightly, but she could be funny and caring and real. More then associations but not what I would call a close friend. But I knew her and we ran into each other every so often at the Playboy Mansion, and it always left me with a smile.
We met several months before her Playboy’s Playmate of the Year luncheon in 1993 at the Playboy Mansion. And would see each other every so often at other parties that were thrown there. Her life moved on, a lot of things happened in her life to her and because of her. But one thing I do know is the part of life that I knew personally I am fine with and am glad I got to meet and know her in a small way. It was a positive relationship and she will be remembered.
She was many things to many people and her life was lived to survivie. She always wanted to find her father and used to search phone books for him. One day she did find him years later.
Something she said once that describes her very well in a part of her life that was the most important thing……
“The Marlboro man. I just love cowboys. I love all kinds of men. But they’ve got to love my son, because we come as a package.” Anna Nicole Smith.
Goodbye Vickie Lynn thank you for the laughter.
Recent Comments