Theodore's World

Dumb answers of intelligence chief
* Key Democrat’s error over al-Qaeda
* Choice raises doubts over Pelosi
TimesOnline.co.UK
He is expected to have an acute understanding of terrorist groups and their threats to American interests. But the incoming chairman of a congressional intelligence committee was yesterday struggling to explain his ignorance of al-Qaeda and Hezbollah.
Silvestre Reyes, the Democrat chosen to head the House of Representatives committee, was asked whether members of al-Qaeda came from the Sunni or the Shia branch of Islam.

“Al-Qaeda, they have both,” he answered, adding: “Predominantly probably Shi’ite.”

In fact, al-Qaeda was founded by Osama bin Laden as a Sunni organisation and views Shia Muslims as heretics. The centuries-old now fuels the militias and death squads in Iraq.

Jeff Stein, a reporter for Congressional Quarterly, then put a similar question about Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia group. “Hezbollah. Uh, Hezbollah . . .” replied Mr Reyes. “Why do you ask me these questions at five o’clock? Can I answer in Spanish? Do you speak Spanish?” Go ahead, said Stein. “Well, I, uh . . .” said the congressman.

His apparent ignorance of basic facts have raised fresh questions over his suitability for the key intelligence post — as well as the judgment of Nancy Pelosi, the new Speaker of the House, who picked him for the job. She has already been criticised for trying to oust her deputy Steny Hoyer, in a poll among Democrat congressmen after the mid-term elections.
There was further controversy over her choice of Mr Reyes over the head of Jane Harman, who had been the committee’s most senior Democrat but was said to have upset Ms Pelosi.

At the time Mr Reyes said he had “very strong credentials” for the job — “credentials which could stand up to anybody”.

Yesterday he said in a statement:

“The CQ interview covered a wide range of topics other than the selected points published in the story. As a member of the intelligence committee since before 9/11, I’m acutely aware of al-Qaeda’s desire to harm Americans. The committee will keep its eye on the ball, and focus on the pressing security and intelligence issues.”

Earlier this year Stein flummoxed two Republicans on the committee, Jo Ann Davis and Terry Everett, with similar questions about the differences between Sunni and Shia. “One’s in one location, another’s in another location. No, to be honest with you, I don’t know,” replied Mr Everett.

Stein has also caught out Willie Hulon, chief of the FBI’s new national security branch when he was asked to which branch of Islam were Iran and Hezbollah belonged. “Sunni” he replied. “Wrong,” said Stein.

Stein has defended his use of such questions:

“To me, its like asking about Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland — who’s on what side? Its been five years since these Muslim extremists flew hijacked airliners into the World Trade Centre. Is it too much to ask that our intelligence overseers know who they are?” Indeed, Trent Lott, No 2 in the Republican Senate leadership, said recently: “It’s hard for Americans, all of us, to understand what’s wrong with these people . . . They all look the same to me.”

The report from the Iraq Study Group expressed amazement that more was not being done to “understand the people who explode roadside bombs”. Only six people in the US Embassy in Baghdad are fluent in Arabic, about two dozen of its 1,000 employees having some familiarity with the language.

Wild Thing’s comment……
OK so this shocks me. Not only that Silvestre Reyes knows so little about the enemy but also Republicans as well. When our leaders have put no effort into knowing our enemy it speaks volumes!! I think this is scary as heck.
We the people vote for these jerks, tell them now go to Washington D.C. and do us right. We gave them the power to speak for us, to vote for bills and legislation that we would approve of. We spoke out loud and clear how we felt about the terrorists, hell we had flags flying from cars, from business, even in Las Vegas the huge screens on the strip advertising their latest entertainers at each casino had ” Support the Troops”, “God Bless America” at every casino and in red, white and blue neon lights.
There were thousands of us showing support for the troops at rallies across our nation. Where many of us stood wearing special t-shirts showing support for our military, holding our flags high in our hands, and singing patriotic songs. Men and women that didn’t know each other meeting for the first time as parents brought enlarged photos of their sons and daughters that had enlisted after 9-11. Giving us all a chance to say thank you and show our appreciation to the families as well. I know this is a fact, because I have participated in these rallies in Las Vegas, California, New York and Florida.
The USO also let us help at some of their locations to welcome troops home, to help with the families to get to the airport, or take care of their pets so they could get away for a week after a soldier came home. Or to make videos sent to the troops with messages from us at Christmas time.
And our leaders can’t take the time out of their lives to LEARN about the enemy, not only the enemy of America but of the entire world. GOD HELP US!
These people are the Keystone Cops! You know if you study hard you can one day be President, if you don’t you’ll end up getting stuck in Congress.
Silveste Reyes is the first Hispanic to be the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. I shall assume that is what he meant by saying this when he had no knowledge of anything else.

“Why do you ask me these questions at five o’clock? Can I answer in Spanish? Do you speak Spanish?”

As some of you have read on here already. I started to read and learn about Islam in 1972 when the attack was done at the Munich Olympics. I don’t expect others to have done the same thing, but I sure as hell expect and demand for our leaders to read up on Islam the death cult.
To say a statement like this………..

“It’s hard for Americans, all of us, to understand what’s wrong with these people . . . They all look the same to me.”

OMG Yikes! So I guess the only way a Congressman knows it is a terrorists’ is if they look like this walking down the street……………………..

Country star raises the roof at
Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan –Hundreds of service members stepped away from the battlefield and into the honky-tonk as country star Aaron Tippin raised the roof with a special Thanksgiving concert held on
Bagram Airfield.

“I’m a child of the Vietnam War, and I watched a lot of veterans come home to a thankless welcome … I swore I wouldn’t let that happen to our troops nowadays,” Tippin said during a meet-and-greet with fans before the concert.

True to his word, Tippin has been traveling overseas to entertain deployed troops since 1990, when Bob Hope invited him to join his tour. Tippin said when he’s performing concerts back home, troops attending often bring photos of themselves with him taken from Afghanistan, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, and other locations around the world.

Many Coalition troops on Bagram will now be able to do the same, including Army Sgt. David Mick, Joint Logistics Command. Mick, who had his guitar autographed by Tippin, said he is a huge country music fan and jumped at the chance to meet with Tippin.

“I treasure this guitar because it has been handed down in my family, my dad to me. It’s definitely cool to have Tippin’s autograph on it,” he added.

Later in the evening, Tippin picked up his own guitar and performed many of his biggest hits for troops at Bagram’s clamshell. The singer was met with hundreds of wildly clapping, shouting and tapping troops throughout his one-and-a-half hour performance.

“My appreciation for what you people do is what brings me here. I wanted to make sure you all know that the vast majority of Americans reciate what you are doing and stand behind you,” Tippin told the troops.

Mick said he feels troops appreciate the support performers like Tippin provide. Aaron is so patriotic, what better way to boost our morale than with a concert?” Mick said.

Kennedy drops support for a Kerry presidential run in ’08
Boston.com news
WASHINGTON –Senator Edward M. Kennedy Monday dropped his public commitment to support Senator John F. Kerry in a 2008 presidential race, saying that he won’t wait “indefinitely” for Kerry to declare his intentions while the Democratic primary field takes shape.
Kennedy said he doesn’t currently plan to endorse another candidate and still might support Kerry if Kerry decides to run. But in an hourlong interview with the Globe’s Washington bureau, Kennedy offered strong praise for two of Kerry’s possible presidential rivals: senators Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, calling them “formidable figures” who are connecting with rank-and-file Democrats.
Kennedy said his oft-stated commitment to support Kerry again was based on the assumption that Kerry would state his intentions by early 2007.
Since Kerry pushed back his decision in the wake of following an election-eve “botched joke” that damaged his public standing, however, Kennedy said he has informed Kerry that he may get behind another Democrat for president.

“I was under more of the impression before that he was going to run and was waiting in time [to declare his candidacy], but now he’s deferred that decision,” Kennedy said. “I have no plans of supporting anyone else at this juncture. I’m also not going to just wait indefinitely until he’s made a judgment or a decision.”

Later in the day, Kennedy’s office issued a statement clarifying that Kennedy will support Kerry if he declares his presidential candidacy “in the near term,” though Kennedy aides declined to define that schedule.
Kennedy’s comments mark the first public fissure between the two Massachusetts Democrats on the issue of Kerry’s presidential aspirations.

Wild Thing’s comment…….
BWAHAhahahahaha
Kennedy is going to support the other Irishman in the race. ( O’ bama)

Afghan warlord: insurgents helped Democrats win U.S. mid-term elections
CNews
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) – In a rare video message, Afghan insurgent leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar claims that American troops will be forced out of Afghanistan like the Soviets before them.
The leader of the Hezb-e-Islami militant group also touts the Republican Party defeat in last month’s U.S. midterm elections as a victory for militants fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“It seems that every bullet that mujahedeen had fired toward the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan has turned into a vote against Bush,” Hekmatyar said in the undated video statement received by Associated Press Television in Pakistan.

“There is no doubt that is a great victory and success for Afghan and Iraqi mujahedeen,” he said. “I am convinced that the fate Soviet Union faced is awaiting America as well.”

The bespectacled and bearded Hekmatyar, who wore a neat black turban, speaks in an undisclosed location in front of a rattan backdrop. He is wrapped in a light grey shawl.
It was not clear where or when the three-minute video was made. But the reference to the mid-term elections, when the Republican Party of U.S. President George W. Bush lost control of the U.S. Senate and Congress to the Democrats, indicated it was recorded after Nov. 7.
Hezb-e-Islami is active in eastern Afghanistan along the Pakistan border where U.S. forces are deployed. Western security officials suspect Hekmatyar is hiding in the border area. This year has seen an escalation in the insurgency led by the former ruling Taliban.

“Very soon we will see that, God willing, American troops will leave Afghanistan and Iraq with their heads bowed down,” Hekmatyar said in the video.

Hekmatyar was a leader of the mujahedeen that fought the Soviet occupation of the 1980s and was briefly Afghan prime minister during the civil war of the early 1990s that cost tens of thousands of lives.

Wild Thing’s comment……
Ever notice how so many of these terroroists are pure ugly. Not only their hearts but on the outside as well.
Just some of the violence this guy has been responsible for include car bombs in downtown Kabul, a massive bridge explosion in Kandahar province, an assassination attempt on the interim Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and deadly exchanges of gunfire with U.S. troops at Spin Boldak. Such incidents suggest a galvanized commitment and growing confidence on the part of Hekmatyar and his cabal in destabilizing Karzai’s transitional government through violent means. Hekmatyar, a former Afghan prime minister, has repeatedly vowed jihad, or holy war, against not just the Karzai regime, but also the foreign military presence in the country, and anything else that blocks his goal of an Islamic Afghanistan under sharia jurisprudence.
Hekmatyar’s Hezb-I-Islami party — a mujahadeen Sunni-fundamentalist movement was one of the most active in fighting against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The Afghan warlord and his organization were the beneficiaries of millions of dollars of American aid during that period, as the CIA and Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence agency found them brutally effective in fighting Soviet occupation troops. Today, Hekmatyar and his followers still oppose the presence of foreign militaries in Afghanistan, and seek to kill as many of them as possible.

Iran Will Have Nuclear Weapons By 2008
WASHINGTON
Newsmax
Iran announced over the weekend it was launching a bomb-scale uranium enrichment program, despite a U.N. Security Council demand that it freeze its nuclear activities.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defiantly told a group of students Saturday that Iran had started the installation of 3,000 uranium enrichment centrifuges at its fuel plant near Natanz, calling it “the first step toward industrial production.”
Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Persian Gulf responded Sunday by announcing their intention to launch a joint nuclear development effort “for peaceful purposes.”
The United States and Europe have been seeking United Nations sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing programs, but Russia and China have refused to go along.

“Resistance of the Iranian nation in the past year forced them to retreat tens of steps over the Iran’s nuclear issue,” the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

Israeli nuclear experts told NewsMax that the installation of the 3,000 centrifuge “pilot plant” at Natanz was a key turning plant in Iran’s nuclear weapons development.

“The Iranians are calling this a ‘pilot plant,’ one Israeli analyst noted. “But this isn’t a pilot plant: 3,000 centrifuges give them the capability of producing one significant quantity of nuclear fuel per year.”

A “significant quantity” (SQ) is the amount of nuclear material needed to manufacture one nuclear device, currently defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as 25 kilograms of uranium, and just 8 kilograms of plutonium.

Wild Thing’s comment…….
I guess Russia and China will be making a toast to this IF it does happen.

PETERSBURG, Va.
Washington Post
As the World Trade Center rubble smoldered, Sharon Samuel felt determined to do something for her adopted country; she decided to enlist in the Army.
But the Army told the Brooklyn hairdresser she was too old.

“I wanted to serve. I wanted to give back,” said the 40-year-old Trinidad native. “I have felt the pain New Yorkers felt.”

Samuel got a second chance this year when the Army increased its maximum enlistment age to 42. So, off she went to Fort Lee, about 25 miles south of Richmond, for training in logistical support.
She has joined more than 1,460 people in the 35-to-42 age bracket who have enlisted in the Army and Army Reserve since Congress authorized extending the enlistment cutoff beyond age 35.

“The overall population that you’re talking about is minuscule, but what we’re gaining in terms of experience and maturity and desire is phenomenal,” Shwedo said. “Virtually every one of them is called Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, but they bring a special flair to every soldier in that group.”

Of the nation’s military services, the Army has the highest age limit, with the others ranging from 27 to 34, and up to 39 for reserve components. Most branches consider waivers for those over the age limit who have prior military service.

Wild Thing’s comment…..
I think this is great, anytime I hear about a person loving this country so much and wanting to serve in the military it makes me proud and grateful too.
We hear so many negative stories in the media, I thought you all might like to read one that is upbeat and positive. One of someone so determined to serve our country that even having to wait she never lost her desire.

Iraqi Politicians in Talks to Replace to Maliki as PM
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Major partners in Iraq’s governing coalition are in behind-the-scenes talks to oust Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki amid discontent over his failure to quell raging violence, according to lawmakers involved.
The talks are aimed at forming a new parliamentary bloc that would seek to replace the current government and that would likely exclude supporters of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who is a vehement opponent of the U.S. military presence.
The new alliance would be led by senior Shiite politician Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, who met with President Bush last week. Al-Hakim, however, was not expected to be the next prime minister because he prefers the role of powerbroker, staying above the grinding day-to-day running of the country.
A key figure in the proposed alliance, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Arab, left for Washington on Sunday for a meeting with Bush at least three weeks ahead of schedule.
News of the bid to oust al-Maliki, in office since May, came amid growing dissent over his government’s performance among his Sunni and Shiite partners and the damaging fallout from a leaked White House memo questioning the prime minister’s abilities.
Washington also has been unhappy with al-Maliki’s reluctance to comply with its repeated demands to disband Shiite militias blamed for much of Iraq’s sectarian bloodletting.
Bush publicly expressed his confidence in al-Maliki after talks in Jordan on Nov. 30. But the president told White House reporters four days later that he was not satisfied with the pace of efforts to stop Iraq’s violence.
It was not immediately clear how much progress had been made in the effort to cobble together a new parliamentary alliance. But lawmakers loyal to al-Sadr who support al-Maliki were almost certainly not going to be a part of it. They had no word on al-Maliki’s Dawa party.
They said al-Maliki was livid at the attempt to unseat him.

“We know what’s going on and we will sabotage it,” said a close al-Maliki aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivities involved. He did not elaborate.

A senior aide to al-Sadr, who insisted on anonymity for the same reason, said the proposed alliance was primarily designed to exclude the cleric’s backers and they would resist.

Wild Thing’s comment……
Maliki had better get out of bed with Al Sadr, or he is going to be toast. And Hakim is very close to Iran as is his militia. Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the Shiite cleric heads the SCIRI party. (“SCIRI” stands for “Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq) He is a real slippery snake well engrossed in Iranian influences.
It will be interesting to see what they are planning. I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens next.
One thng for sure they have got to get rid of al_Sadr.

The head of the research division of Military Intelligence, Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz, said Sunday that Syrian President Bashar Assad is preparing for a war with Israel.
He said that Assad has ordered increased production of long-range missiles and instructed the Syrian army to position its anti-tank missiles closer to the Syrian border with Israel, on the Golan Heights.

But, Baidatz told the cabinet, while Assad is “preparing the Syrian army for the possibility of a military conflict with Israel, on the other hand, he is not ruling out the possibility of reaching a political settlement with Israel.”

He stressed that in Assad’s view, his actions on the military front do not contradict his actions in the political realm.

“Assad is working in two parallel tracks,” Baidatz said. “On the one hand he is not ruling out a diplomatic solution with Israel and on the other hand he is preparing his forces for military conflict.”

Wild Thing’s comment…..
Even if all the Israeli’s were to leave Israel, the followers of Islam would still want all of the Jews dead.

Iran taunts the West with Holocaust debate
TimesOnline
DEFYING international condemnation, Iran will open a conference tomorrow questioning whether the Holocaust in which millions of Jews and other minorities were killed by the Nazis really happened.
An official at the Iranian foreign ministry claimed that delegates from 30 countries, including Britain, would attend the conference, initiated by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The president, who claims the Holocaust is a myth used to justify the occupation of Palestinian land, has called for Israel to be wiped off the map and suggested that its citizens could be resettled in Alaska.
Among the first arrivals in Tehran for the two-day forum, called Studying the Holocaust: An International View, was Frederick Töben, who describes himself as an “expert”. Töben, an Australian Holocaust denier, brought his own model of the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. He claimed that it proved there would have been no room for the Jews at least 1.1m whose deaths there were documented in Nazi records.
Asked why western countries were so outraged, he replied:

“The Holocaust equals a lie. Therefore Israel is built on a lie.”

The agenda is chilling. The Iranians have presented the forum in the banal manner of international conferences where experts examine evidence in open debate.
The seminars could have been designed to cause maximum pain to Holocaust survivors and their descendants. Gas Chambers: Denial or Confirmation, is the title of one. Others are entitled Freedom of Speech and the Stance of Holocaust Deniers in the West, and The Current Laws Against Holocaust Deniers.
With no trace of irony, Iranian officials said the conference sponsored by the Institute for Political and International Studies, a foreign ministry think tank would include archives, photographs and demographic evidence to establish whether the number of victims was exaggerated.

“Our aim is scientifically to study the Holocaust and listen to both sides before reaching a conclusion,” said Manouchehr Mohammadi, the foreign ministry spokesman for research. “We weren’t involved in this event so we can be a neutral judge. If we conclude that the Holocaust happened, we will admit it, but we are still going to ask why the Palestinians have to pay the price.”

Iranian sources said the conference emerged from a behind-the-scenes struggle. Foreign ministry officials are well aware that it will have a negative impact on the country’s image at a time when Iran is already under pressure at the United Nations over its nuclear programme, support for Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shi’ite groups in Iraq.
Hence, although Ahmadinejad has been publicly flagging the conference for almost a year, foreign ministry officials who were supposed to organise it have been dragging their feet. Forced to go ahead by the president, the foreign ministry tried to portray the conference as an exercise in free speech. It was at pains to point out that Iran has a community of 25,000 Jews. who are protected by the government.
One foreign ministry official said:

“Does this conference make sense politically for Iran? No. The conference is being held to answer the questions of the president.” Tony Blair, who was invited, called it “shocking, ridiculous and stupid”.

Wild Thing’s comment……
A cruise missile aimed at the conference would do a world of good. Afterwards we can tell their families that it never happened and they’re conspiracy kooks for thinking so. Is Jimmy Carter scheduled to be a guest speaker?

Rumsfeld Thanks Troops for Service, Calls for U.S. Patience
He spoke to more than 1,200 soldiers and Marines at this sprawling air base in Anbar province. Rumsfeld will leave his office Dec. 18, when Defense Secretary designee Robert Gates takes his place.
The entire speech to the troops that Rummy gave is HERE
And here are a few quotes from his speech:

“For the past six years, I have had the opportunity and, I would say the privilege, to serve with the greatest military on the face of the Earth,” Rumsfeld said. “I leave understanding that the true strength of the United States military is not in Washington, it’s not in the Pentagon, it’s not in the weapons. It’s in the hearts of the men and women who serve. It’s your patriotism, it’s your professionalism and indeed your determination.”

“I never cease to be amazed at the courage and resiliency of not only the troops, but of your families as well. You have undergone hardships and endured sacrifices, yet I always leave my meetings with the troops and your families with my feelings lifted – inspired by your hope, your determination and your unfailing good humor.”

The secretary pointed out that the highest reenlistment rates in all the services are found among those soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who are serving in combat. He said this speaks volumes about servicemembers’ character and commitment. “It tells us other things as well – that the men and women in uniform believe in what they are doing, they know it’s important, they know it’s worth the cost and in some cases the tears,” he said. “And they are convinced they can succeed and that our country can prevail. But only if we don’t lose our will.”
Rumsfeld told the servicemembers they serve a nation that is the greatest force for good the world has ever known. “America is not what’s wrong with the world,” he said. “Violent extremists – those who kill innocent men, women and children – they are what is wrong with this world.”

The secretary told the servicemembers that history will show that after America was attacked, hundreds of thousands of young men and women stepped forward to wear their nation’s uniform. “(These were) talented young people who could have done something else – something easier, something safer,” he said. “But instead they volunteered to defend our country.
“You are those men and women,” he continued. “You are the ones who took up the fight against the extremists far from home to prevent them from attacking our families, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens. For your service, your sacrifice and for the professionalism and the dedication you demonstrate every day, you have my profound admiration and my deep and everlasting respect.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve with you, and I will never forget it; I will treasure it always.”

Wild Thing’s comment……
Many soldiers and airmen at Balad said that if they have the patience and they haven’t lost faith, then the American people shouldn’t either. “This is my second year-long tour,” said a convoy commander at Anaconda Logistics Area. “Why am I more patient than someone sitting at home in ‘Fort Livingroom?’”
God Bless ’em, each and every one. I won’t lose faith or patience, and I’ll do whatever I can back here to support them and their mission.
The lack of will lies with the politicians, not with the military and not with those of us that support our military. Our military has pleaded time and time again to be left alone to do their job. And as far as Syria and Iran are concerned, the ONLY way to talk to Iran and Syria is from the business end of a big freaking gun. What the surrender monkeys are advocating show the Ben Laden types they can just wait us out and sooner or later we will fold.
The demonrats hauling Rummy before committee after committee was just too much. To see Hillary’s snarling demeanor when she addressed him……….the Dems most certainly are the enemy within and God help us and America.
Thank you Rummy, thank you for taking a stand ofr your troops all those times when being questioned by the vile media. Thank you for standing tall in not caving in to their slander and attacks on our military. You will be missed Rummy!

“I leave understanding that the true strength of the United States military is not in Washington, it’s not in the Pentagon, it’s not in the weapons. It’s in the hearts of the men and women who serve. It’s your patriotism, it’s your professionalism and indeed your determination.”…Rummy