–Here’s some trivial President’s Day trivia: The folks at Smart Politics figured out that 20 percent of U.S. presidential elections (that would be 11) have been won by a candidate born under the astrological sign Aquarius. Before anyone gets too excited, it’s worth noting that one of the five presidents contributing to this number is …
Foreign Policy
Obama in the Briefing Room
The president made a surprise visit to the daily press briefing Tuesday, only the third time he has made such an appearance to date. He reported back on today’s talks with congressional leaders from both parties, and took wide-ranging questions from the press.
Obama said he asked Republican leadership this morning to end the practice …
Jack Murtha, 77, Dies
Pennsylvania Rep. John C. Murtha, died today of complications relating to a gallbladder surgery. He was 77.
A decorated Vietnam War hero, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi credited Murtha — who was her first choice for majority leader — with helping to turn public opinion against the war in Iraq after he announced his opposition to the war …
The World’s Worst Negotiators–Continued
Iran continues to play games with the rest of the world with regard to its nuclear program. This weekend, we’ve had the Foreign Minister claiming that a nuclear deal was close. And Ahmadinejad threatening the exact opposite: a further augmentation of its highly enriched uranium for use in a nuclear reactor to produce medical isotopes. …
The Latest Iran Outrage
Apparently, Iran’s military dictatorship is now moving to arrest its opponents–and there are many–among the Mullahs in the holy city of Qum. Word comes that Ayatullah Mohammed Taqi Khalaji has been arrested. His family does not know where he is being held.
Khalaji is a follower of the late reformist Grand Ayatullah Montazeri, whose …
Iran Nuclear Physicist Killed
This is one for the spy novels…in fact, David Ignatius’ most recent offering, The Increment, had a very similar situation: An Iranian nuclear physicist is killed. The Iranians blame the Great Satan, of course, but then we learn:
Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, 50, was described by colleagues as a respected Tehran University nuclear physicist.
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Ford Eyes Gillibrand Challenge; Schumer Eyes Ford (And Not in a Good Way)
Kristen Gillibrand may not have been their first choice to fill Hillary Clinton’s New York Senate seat (ahem, Caroline Kennedy) but the White House is sticking by her after former five-term Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford told the New York Post exclusively (note the interesting choice of Gotham publications for a Democrat):
It’s true: I am
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Responsibility Taking Cont’d: Hillary Clinton May Want To Revise And Extend
Last week I wrote about the impulse of federal department heads to cover their, um, backsides when something goes wrong. I also noted that this impulse often has poor results. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano tried to see the silver lining in the botched Christmas Day attack–saying that “the system worked”–only to put …
Meanwhile, U.S. Intelligence in Afghanistan Gets A Failing Grade
The senior military intelligence officer in Afghanistan has penned a stinging evaluation of his team’s ability to collect the right kind of information. In a paper for the Center For New American Security, Maj. Gen. Michael T. Flynn writes:
Eight years into the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. intelligence community is only marginally
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Graham is the New Maverick
As Republicans have become less and less inclined to reach out to the Democrats and the Obama Administration – those even willing to listen are becoming noteworthy. Lindsey Graham is one of those who’ll listen, though it remains to be seen if any major legislation will be produced from his talks. In researching this story, I was …
Hossein Ali Montazeri
Word comes that Ayatullah Hossein Ali Montazeri has died at the age of 87. He was Iran’s road not taken, a leading cleric–Ayatullah Khomeini’s designated successor for a time–who came to understand that the Islamic Republic’s religious dictatorship was taking a fundamentally irreligious path. He was a revolutionary who came to believe …
New Arrests In Pakistan: Another Homegrown Threat?
TIME’s Bobby Ghosh files this report:
AP is reporting that Pakistani authorities in the northeastern city of Sarghoda have detained five U.S. nationals. Three of the men are of Pakistani origin, one is of Egyptian descent and the fifth man is of Yemeni descent. All are aged between 18 and 20, according to local authorities.
It is …
The Hamid Karzai Timetable
Today, in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai gave his own assessment to the length of time U.S. forces will need to stay in his country. It did not overlap too exactly with President Obama’s plan to begin drawing down forces in July of 2011, less than two years from now. The Associated Press reports:
After meeting Tuesday with U.S. Defense
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