Inspire Political Discourse

World Nuclear Security Summit Hosted by Obama

President Obama hosted 47 world leaders at a summit yesterday, with the goal being to find ways to reduce the threat that terrorists such as al Qaeda could obtain nuclear materials or weapons.

President Obama completed a first meeting of world leaders on combating nuclear terrorism with a list of specific commitments from dozens of nations to eliminate or lock down nuclear materials, in what he called a “bold and pragmatic” program to finish the task in the next four years.

The meeting that Mr. Obama convened, and to a great degree stage-managed, was unlike any negotiations over arms control with the Soviets during the cold war or, more recently, the so-far fruitless talks to get North Korea to disarm. This was a far broader effort to persuade African, Latin American, Asian and European nations to agree on steps to deny terrorist groups the two materials necessary to make a bomb: plutonium and highly enriched uranium.

Mr. Obama began the session arguing that while superpower confrontation was far more remote, the risk of nuclear terrorism had never been greater, and he quoted the warning of Albert Einstein soon after the beginning of the nuclear age: “We are drifting towards a catastrophe beyond comparison.” [……]

He achieved some success[emphasis is mine].

At the end of two days of meetings, Mr. Obama could claim two major accomplishments: The summit meeting forced countries that had failed to clean up their nuclear surpluses to formulate detailed plans to deal with them, and it kicked into action nations that had failed to move on previous commitments.

A second summit meeting will be held in two years in South Korea, Mr. Obama said, to make sure countries are on track. [……]

Image source: Doug Mills, New York TImes

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President Obama and World Leaders Meet to Develop Battle Plan on the Threat of Nuclear Terrorism

President Obama and 47 presidents, prime ministers, and other heads of state from around the world meet in Washington today to develop a plan to keep nuclear weapons from falling in to the hands of terrorists.

Confronting what he calls the "single biggest threat to U.S. security," Obama is looking for global help in his goal of ensuring all nuclear materials worldwide are secured from theft or diversion within four years.

On the eve of what would be the largest assembly of world leaders hosted by an American president since 1945 — the San Francisco conference to found the United Nations — Obama said nuclear materials in the hands of al-Qaida or another terrorist group "could change the security landscape in this country and around the world for years to come."

This follows on the heels of his recent previous steps to rid the world of the threat of nuclear weapons.

Keith Olbermann to Sarah Palin on Her Imaginary "Death Panels"

I just listened to this episode of Countdown, with Keith Olbermann. Two of the people Olbermann focuses on here are Sarah Palin and her inspired claims of "death panels", and Glenn Beck. Both are, in my view, among the most disgusting human beings I can imagine, and Olbermann speaks out for those of us who are bloody damn TIRED of the right wing's racist, fear mongering, violent, ignorant and un-American rhetoric.

 

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Obama Administration Releases Secret Bush Memos

 
Justice Department memos from 2001 are seen in Washington Monday, March 2, 2009. The Justice Department on Monday released a long-secret legal document from 2001 in which the Bush administration claimed the military could search and seize terror suspects in the United States without warrants. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

:: Nine documents/memos were released by the DOJ today, and posted online.
All are related to the war on terror, dated between 2001-2002, and one of the memos indicates that  the Bush administration was looking for ways to accomplish warrantless wiretapping within a couple of weeks of the events of 9/11,
In this excerpt from an AP report, the writer is referring to one of the documents.

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department on Monday released a long-secret legal document from 2001 in which the Bush administration claimed the military could search and seize terror suspects in the United States without warrants.

The legal memo was written about a month after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. It says constitutional protections against unlawful search and seizure would not apply to terror suspects in the U.S., as long as the president or another high official authorized the action.

:: Secret Bush Memo Authorizing Warrantless Seizure Of 'Terror Suspects' Released
:: Secret Bush Memos Released: FULL TEXT
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
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CIA Destroyed 92 Terror Interrogation Tapes

  :: The AP reports that close to 100 CIA terror interrogation tapes were destroyed, many more than previously acknowledged.
The 'good' news continues to be revealed in this ongoing disgrace to our country.

One word. Prosecute.
Four names. Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld.

From the AP:

WASHINGTON — New documents show the CIA destroyed nearly 100 tapes of terror interrogations, far more than has previously been acknowledged.

AP photo.
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Full Transcript: President Obama's Speech to Congress - February 24, 2009

Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery
Address to Joint Session of Congress
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
To view the video, click here.

“Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, and the first lady of the United States.

I have come here tonight not only to address the distinguished men and women in this great chamber, but to speak frankly and directly to the men and women who sent us here.

Video: President Obama's Speech to Congress - February 24, 2009

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Click here to read the transcript.

Keith Olbermann Takes on Cheney on Fear Mongering

John Yoo Blasts Obama for Banning Torture

:: The author of the Bush administration legal memos on torture, Yoo predicted dire consequences in an opinion piece on The Wall Street Journal online.

Eliminating the Bush system will mean that we will get no more information from captured al Qaeda terrorists. Every prisoner will have the right to a lawyer (which they will surely demand), the right to remain silent, and the right to a speedy trial.
Relying on the civilian justice system not only robs us of the most effective intelligence tool to avert future attacks, it provides an opportunity for our enemies to obtain intelligence on us.

In fact, the Army Field Manual explicitly permits good cop-bad cop interrogations under the name of “Mutt and Jeff” interrogations, which involve two interrogators “display[ing] opposing personalities and attitudes toward the source.” The Field Manual says the “goal of this technique is to make the source identify with one of the interrogators and thereby establish[ing] rapport and cooperation.”

Response to Yoo, from Think Progress:

Yoo has no idea what he’s talking about. Nothing requires anyone to “be polite” — although the rapport building method has often proved to be interrogators’ most effective technique. And the notion that good-cop/bad-cop would be banned is simply false, Media Matters pointed out earlier this week:

It’s no secret that Yoo is an ardent torture enthusiast: He famously said that only those techniques that inflict pain equivalent to “death, organ failure or permanent damage resulting in a loss of significant body functions” constitute torture, and last year refused to agree that the president could not order a detainee buried alive. With Obama signaling a clean break from the Bush administration’s terrorism policies, it’s no wonder Yoo is desperate to restore his crumbling torture regime.

AP photo.
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Ludicrous: Hamas to control relief efforts in to Gaza

An organization internationally recognized as a terrorist organization, an organization which took over the Gaza strip in a very violent coup in 2007, an organization which provoked the recent Israeli attack on Gaza by firing thousands of rockets at Israeli civilian areas, then proceeded to deliberately put Palestinians in harm's way during the recent conflagration, now wishes to control the flow of relief efforts in to Gaza.
Excuse me, but isn't that a little like putting the lions in charge of the zoo? From an AFP report:

GAZA CITY (AFP) — The Hamas-run government in Gaza said on Saturday it would create a committee of senior officials to oversee all relief efforts in the territory after Israel's massive assault earlier this month.
The National High Committee for Relief will be headed by Ahmed al-Kurd, the Hamas-appointed minister of social affairs, and will distribute some 35 million euros (45 million dollars) to those who lost family members or their homes.
"It will be the only body to oversee and supervise the rescue. We will be in contact with all other bodies, whether local, national or international, to organise[sic] the relief," Kurd said at a Gaza City news conference.

AFP photo.

Weekend Political News Summary: January 24-25, 2009

:: SURPRISE....No comprehensive case files on many Guantanamo detainees. From the Washington Post:

President Obama's plans to expeditiously determine the fates of about 245 terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and quickly close the military prison there were set back last week when incoming legal and national security officials -- barred until the inauguration from examining classified material on the detainees -- discovered that there were no comprehensive case files on many of them.

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:: Palin aides being charged with new ethics violations. From HUFFPOST:

In her current complaint against McAllister, McLeod sites a series of activities that she contends violate Alaska's "Executive Branch Code of Ethics," which prohibits public officials from using or authorizing "the use of state funds, facilities, equipment, services, or another government asset or resource for partisan political purposes."

"These campaign activities have absolutely nothing to do with the public's business, and everything to do with promoting Palin's personal endeavors and political aspirations," McLeod declared in an exclusive interview. "This must not go unchallenged."

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:: According to the complete dick, Rush Limbaugh, Republicans should be against the stimulus plan because it could hurt their electoral chances. Politics as usual. From Think Progress:

A Democracy Requires That We All Become Aware and Involved, or We Risk Losing it

My reasons for writing this post are solely to encourage you, and to arm you. I am compelled to do so not only by the events of the past eight years, but by what has been revealed in Keith Olbermann's interview with former National Security Agency analyst, Russell Tice.

My intent is simple: that you and your family, if you have not been focusing your attention on national politics, as indeed, I myself did not until last August, are able to become aware of and absorb the events that occurred in this country under the auspices of the Bush administration.

The events which sent the United States barreling towards becoming a Fascist Republic, and signified the end of our Democratic Republic. Indeed, in the 200+ year history of our nation, such a situation had never been allowed to occur, and yet it did, on our watch. We must guard our freedom well to prevent any possibility of a recurrence, because we love our children and our country. And guarding it requires awareness and action.

But..... it's over, you say. President Bush and Vice President Cheney are no longer in power. In part, certainly. However, in order to safeguard our freedom for future generations, we must all be aware of, and pass on what happened to this country to cause it to conform with the ideals of a fascist republic, and give up our constitutional rights to a group of men who sought power that was not their's under the tenets of our constitution.

This is so important, that this era of our history will forever become a part of all unbiased teachings about our constitution, the history of our republic, and so on. We as a country, came just this close to becoming what the constitution was supposed to have prevented.

It occurred because a group of men, led by President George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove, sought an inordinate amount of power in order to personally benefit from the wielding of that power. Their methods included the intent to instill so much fear in the American people that we would willingly accept restrictions upon our liberty, the revocation of the tenets of our constitution, and they were indeed highly successful. They benefited personally on a scale never before seen, and we have been left with the nation's coffers empty, the monies handed over to Halliburton, Blackwater, and others, a resulting economic crisis of a magnitude not yet reached, a global financial crisis that may take years to recover from, two wars, one of them completely unnecessary and immoral, and our reputation in shreds all over the world. 

videos after the jump

Full Transcript - This Week's George Stephanopoulos' Interview With Obama, January 11, 2009

George Stephanopoulos' Exclusive Interview with President-Elect Barack Obama

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Hello, again. In nine days he will be president of the United States. This morning Barack Obama is our exclusive headliner. Welcome back to THIS WEEK.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT-ELECT: Thank you, George.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Does it feel like you're president already?

OBAMA: No.

The Moral Clarity in the Israel-Hamas Conflict is a No-Brainer

While I feel terribly sad at the deaths of civilians (17% of the casualties in Gaza), it makes me even more sick that civilians were intentionally put in harms way by Hamas. But then, this is nothing new for this violent terrorist organization, who was duly elected by the citizens of the Gaza Strip. 

And, I feel just as much sympathy for civilians in Israel who have been under attack by Hamas since 1994, and over the past three years, have endured 6,000+ rocket attacks. I don't know about you, but I gotta say that I personally would have not had the patience to endure 6,000+ rocket attacks before getting down to some serious attempts to bring the perpetrators down.

For those of you who have noted, and remarked on the disparity in casualties and military might, reading some history might just give you some real perspective on this matter.

JAN 4 EDIT:This quote is from a German blog, Die Verwirrung im Walde, and it strikes to the heart of the matter on "proportionality".

5.1. Proportionality is not measured by the outcome but rather by the intention. Every single rocket Hamas fires on Israel is meant to cause civilian casualties. However, Israeli air and ground attacks against Hamas are meant to cause as less damage as possible to civilians, and as much damage as possible to the terrorists. The optimal result for Israel would be 100% Palestinian militant casualties, while Hamas’ optimal result is 100% Israeli civilian casualties.

END EDIT .......................................

The US Must Stand for Israel, and the Media Sucks

It's a sunny, cold Saturday morning, and you are outside getting ready to take your kids to their weekend activities. Your son has a one day camping trip with the boy scouts, and his ride shows up to get him.

A near by, huge, thundering, explosion causes you to jump and shake with fear. You look up and see smoke and fire rising from the street behind you. You tell your son and daughter to get back in the house, and rush in behind them. You hear the sirens and turn on the tv. The news has broken in to programming and is telling you that it's Canada, with whom we have had a peace accord for a year or so, launching rockets at us. They note that a woman died when this rocket struck a house.

Over the next months, you keep your children close. You are even afraid to send them to school, but you do because you must. More rockets fall, all from Canada. Two more casualties. It is a good thing that Canada is not nearly as well-armed as we are.

You wonder why the US does not respond with our own rockets, aircraft, whatever else they need to prevent more Canadian rockets from landing on US soil.

You wonder why Canada elected a terrorist group to run their government. A group called "al Qaeda" which has very vociferously announced it's intention to annihilate the United States. You think about what they have already done to us using airplanes, suicide bombers, and more. You cry, and you pray that the US will stop the rockets from Canada soon. The economic blockade that the US implemented when al Qaeda took over the Canadian government (elected by the citizens of Canada, knowing full well who and what al Qaeda is) has done nothing to solve the problems.

The Siege in Mumbai Ends - IPD Weekend Update Nov. 29-30, 2008

Sunday, November 30, 2008

►Top Indian security official resigns as death toll reaches 183, and questions are asked regarding India's preparedness for this type of attack.

 “As an investigation moved forward, there were questions about whether Indian authorities could have anticipated the attack and had better security in place, especially after a 2007 report to Parliament that the country’s shores were inadequately protected from infiltration by sea — which is how the attackers sneaked into Mumbai.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil, responsible for public safety and internal security as one of the most senior members of the government, resigned on Sunday to take responsibility for the failure of the country’s intelligence services and military to prevent the attacks in Mumbai.”  NYT

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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Terror in Mumbai - IPD Daily Political News Round-Up - Friday, November 28, 2008

 ►The State Dept. has ordered FBI agents to Mumbai today to investigate the terror attacks that killed four American citizens. Er, did I miss something, or isn't the FBI's mission to operate in the US, while the CIA operates out of the country??

“Intelligence officials looked urgently for clues about the identify of the attackers, a crucial unknown as Indian officials charged, without giving details, that "elements in Pakistan" were involved. A tentative rapprochement between the two nuclear-armed rivals could hang in the balance, and a U.S. counterintelligence official cautioned against rushing to judgment on the origins of the militants.”  AP report

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► According to ABC News, George W. Bush hopes to be remembered for "liberating" the Iraqi people, according to an interview conducted by his sister for the oral-history organization StoryCorps for the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
Excuse me, but WHAT the frack?? Does he really believe that that is what he did? Oh hell, never mind. This requires an entire separate post over the weekend. But I have to say in response to his statement --- freakin' ludicrous.

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►Senate democrats are preparing health, economic and spending legislation that they hope will land on Obama's desk when he takes office on January 20. Go dems!

“Given the severity of the problems facing the nation, officials on Capitol Hill and in the Obama team say Democrats have put their schedule on fast-forward rather than allowing the usual lull between the start of the new Congress, this time on Jan. 6, and President-elect Barack Obama’s swearing-in two weeks later.
Lawmakers and staff members are already laying the groundwork for a running start, and Congress is scheduled to remain in session once its expanded Democratic majorities are sworn in.”  NYT

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It's Torture, Not "Coercion" and Euphemisms are Unacceptable

An excellent op-ed piece by Andrew Sullivan of The Daily Dish, Sullivan refuses to go with the popular practice of using euphemisms to describe what exactly was authorized by the American government concerning the use of torture, and forces the reader to look at the reality.

“This is the defining line of torture: not some arbitrary comic book technique, but a psychological and physical fact: pushing another human being to the point where choice becomes unavailable to him or her. You can do this in any number of ways; it can take  three seconds of electrocution or it can take two months of sleep deprivation, hypothermia and darkness. But the line it eventually crosses is the same line.

(Photo: a detainee killed by US forces in Abu Ghraib prison, after being beaten and forced into a position with his arms bent back over and behind his head, with a hood restricting his breathing. All the techniques used against him were authorized by president George W. Bush.)” [.....]

RELATED - RECENT POST

>Full Transcript and Video of President-elect Obama's Weekly Video Address to the Nation, November 22, 2008
>Video of President-elect Obama's Weekly Address to the Nation as He Promises to Take Action on the Economy Immediately Upon Taking Office
>Jon Stewart and the Somali Pirates
>Sarah Palin and the Turkeys
>Daily Political News Round-Up - Friday, November 21, 2008
>The Obama Administration: a Listing of the Obama Cabinet, White House Staff, and Cabinet - Level Positions

Obama Confronts Guantanamo

As Obama plans for the close of Guantanamo, which is expected to occur early during his presidency, he is faced with tangled legal and moral decisions, some of which will bring down the wrath of the Republicans, and the ire of the Democrats.

Before you jump on the "Bash Obama" bandwagon re Guantanamo, take the time to research¹ and intelligently consider the issues. The choices he must make are not easily accomplished nor considered for this former professor of constitutional law, but I believe that he will make the best decisions re Guantanamo, while necessarily protecting our national security. There are no perfect choices in this matter.

The possibilities, in brief

More on the Al Qaeda Preference for McCain

The Endorsement From Hell

“From their perspective, a continuation of Bush policies is best for recruiting,” said Professor Nye, adding that Mr. McCain is far more likely to continue those policies.

An American president who keeps troops in Iraq indefinitely, fulminates about Islamic terrorism, inclines toward military solutions and antagonizes other nations is an excellent recruiting tool. In contrast, an African-American president with a Muslim grandfather and a penchant for building bridges rather than blowing them up would give Al Qaeda recruiters fits. [....]