“Based on several key assurances provided by Senator Hagel,” Mr. Schumer said in a prepared statement, “I am currently prepared to vote for his confirmation. I encourage my Senate colleagues who have shared my previous concerns to also support him.” Mr. Schumer is likely to have influence over many of his Senate colleagues, particularly Democrats, [...]
Tag Archives | Israel
Right Smears John Brennan as “Arabist,” Ignores Purge of “Arabist” James Baker Wing
IF YOU want to start dissecting what’s happened to the sane branch of the Republican Party, it dates back to Georg H.W. Bush and James Baker, a time when realism in foreign policy took over for Ronald Reagan’s ramshackle militarism that led to Iran-Contra and near impeachment. The big story in the Republican Party over [...]
News Desk: Hagel Nomination as Secretary of Defense “Locked Down”
The White House was calling senators’ offices Sunday to inform them Hagel’s nomination is imminent and to help build support for it, a source familiar with the nomination said. CNN reported Friday that the White House had told some senior members of Congress to expect the tapping of Hagel, and another source with knowledge of [...]
Bill Kristol is Leading Chuck Hagel Swiftboating, Launches Cable Ad Campaign [Video]
What I will say is this: Kristol is offensive, wrong, and this kind of swiftboating must stop, now. I know Chuck Hagel, and consider him a friend. I’m also Jewish. I know who Senator Hagel is, and what he stands for. I also know anti-Semitism when I see it, and for William Kristol to use [...]
Weekly Standard Plays Lap Dog to Iranian Propaganda Press and AIPAC
WHY WOULD the Weekly Standard choose to parrot Iran’s propaganda news organization by repeating their outlandish claims about former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s likely pick for Secretary of Defense, after Leon Panetta? It’s not easy trumpeting Iranian propaganda and AIPAC, while hitting Obama and a leading former Republican senator, all in the same [...]
John Kerry is a Better Choice for State Than Susan Rice
The problem with making Susan Rice secretary of state isn’t Benghazi. It’s war. Rice, like her “mentor,” former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and the current secretary, Hillary Clinton, has supported just about every proposed U.S. military intervention over the two decades. The president should nominate someone that occasionally opposes a war. [...] Rice is [...]
Secretary Clinton on What Lies Ahead in Foreign Policy [Full Remarks]
A FOREIGN policy speech given by Secretary Clinton at Foreign Policy’s “transformational trends” forum, also included a Q&A with Secretary Clinton. The speech comes as anticipation grows for President Obama to soon nominate her successor, perhaps even next week, with U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice in the eye of the storm and considered the leading candidate [...]
News Desk: Israel’s Ehud Barak Announces Resignation, Quits Politics
THE DEFENSE minister Ehud Barak’s resignation comes as reports swirled he would start a center-left party after the January elections. Instead, he has declared he’s quitting politics, effective upon the elections in the New Year. From CNN: [...] Some Israeli political commentators had speculated ahead of the announcement that Barak was planning to quit the [...]
News Desk: Netanyahu’s Likud Chooses Leadership List for January Election
Netanyahu’s Likud chooses list for January election (via AFP) The 123,000 registered members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling rightwing Likud party began casting votes in a leadership primary on Sunday ahead of a general election on January 22. Polling stations opened at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) and were to close 13 hours later [...]
News Desk: Arafat Body ‘To be Exhumed Tuesday’ for Poison Tests
Arafat body ‘to be exhumed Tuesday’ for poison tests (via AFP) Palestinian officials said Saturday they would exhume the body of their leader Yasser Arafat next week to see if Israel poisoned him with a radioactive isotope. The controversial announcement came as a group of international experts arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah [...]
Secretary Clinton Credits Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi for “Responsibility and Leadership” on Gaza Ceasefire [Full Remarks - Video]
“As I discussed today with President Morsi, as well as Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas, there is no substitute for a just and lasting peace. Now that there is a ceasefire, I am looking forward to working with the Foreign Minister and others to move this process.” – Secretary Clinton AFTER PRESIDENT Obama dispatched [...]
“Bittersweet” Clinton Quote, as Last Trip with Obama is Interrupted by Israeli-Gaza Violence
Sec Clinton passed through about an hour later as the pool was getting swept just off the main lobby. She cheerfully greeted the poolers and seemed in a good mood. Asked how the last trip with Potus was going, she said, “It’s been great. It’s been bittersweet, nostalgic, all the things you would expect.” [From [...]
U.S. Warships to Mediterranean, As Israeli Iron Dome System Proves Successful
“Some people think… Israel [is] testing the rockets that would be fired against [Iran] from Gaza, next from Lebanon,” Ignatius said during a roundtable discussion. “So we may see something with Lebanon soon because it’s a preliminary; this is a, kind of, warm-up round for the real conflagration that’s ahead that involves Iran.” [CBS News] [...]
Raining Bombs in Gaza, as Negotiations “Close,” Says Egypt’s PM Minister
The U.S. and Britain on Sunday warned about the risks of Israel expanding its air assault on the Gaza Strip into a ground war, while vigorously defending the Jewish state’s right to protect itself against rocket attacks. [Associated Press] Negotiations are going on as we speak and I hope we will reach something soon that [...]
Will Petraeus-gate Wake Up America on Homeland Insecurity Privacy Invasion?
THE QUESTION in all this is whether having an elite establishment player sucked into the turbine of America’s massive anti privacy establishment will result in any light dawning on how our country has changed and just how depleted our civil liberties are today. As far as I can tell it will not. Tom Ricks offered [...]
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