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28 Mar 2010 10:02

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World: Benjamin Netanyahu’s probably gonna fire the guy who said this

  • We’ve got a real problem. You could say that Obama is the greatest disaster for Israel – a strategic disaster.
  • An anonymous quote from a Benjamin Netanyahu confidante • Regarding the Obama administration, who Netanyahu had a fun meeting with last week. The quote, which was paraphrased in a banner headline in Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, was bashed by Netanyahu’s office in a statement: “The prime minister emphatically rejects the anonymous quotes about President Obama that a newspaper attributed to one of his confidants, and he condemns them.” Who’s getting fired? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Mar 2010 23:35

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Biz: The U.S. could make bank by selling their Citibank bailout stake

  • 27%
    stake     the share of bailed-out Citibank the government currently owns
  • $8
    billion     amount they’d make on their investment if they sold today source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Mar 2010 15:07

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World: The U.S. is still accidentally killing Afghan civilians at high rates

  • We have shot an amazing number of people, but to my knowledge, none has ever proven to be a threat.
  • Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McCrysthal • Regarding deaths of Afghan civilians at checkpoints. Despite stronger rules at checkpoints designed to limit civilian deaths at the hands of the U.S. or NATO, it hasn’t worked. While other changes (particularly the limiting of airstrikes) have led to a 28 percent decrease in civilian deaths, according to United Nations researchers, on-the-ground civilian attacks have turned the tide against the coalition in some cases. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Mar 2010 22:16

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U.S., World: Russia and the U.S. decide it’s a good idea to give nukes a break

  • 90% of all nuclear weapons are owned by the U.S. or Russia
  • eight months of ongoing negotiations between the countries
  • yes they finally came to a deal to stash away their nuclear weapons source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Mar 2010 11:30

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World: Benny Netanyahu: We done (#^&(@ up that settlement thang

The Israeli Prime Minister admits it was a bad idea – “It was hurtful and certainly it should not have happened” – but won’t back down in the row with the U.S. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Mar 2010 12:07

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World: The U.S. is trying to help Somalia have a government again

  • There are limits to outside engagement, and there has to be an enormous amount of local buy-in for this work.
  • U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson • Regarding the off-in-the-distance assistance  the country is giving the Somalian government in re-capturing Mogadishu, its capital, block by anarchy-ridden block. Why now? Simple. The U.S. is scared about the anarchic country’s increasing ties to Yemen and al-Qaeda. (Oh, and the pirates.) But they’re trying to help in a way that doesn’t bring back memories of the U.S.’ 1994 retreat from the country, which led to the anarchic state of affairs in the first place. “This is not an American offensive,” Carson said. “The U.S. military is not on the ground in Somalia. Full stop.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2010 23:36

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World: Define “genocide”: The U.S. reignites WWI-era tensions with Turkey

  • The U.S. calls the World War I-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks “genocide.” Turkey pulled its ambassador from the U.S. today after the a house panel changed its stance on one of Armenia’s darkest hours. The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee made the decision in committee, voting 23-22 to tell Obama to refer to it as such. It’s unclear if it’ll reach the floor. Many historians refer to the killing of as many as 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, but Turkey views this as an affront to their honor. Not that this isn’t an awful issue, but it seems like bad diplomacy to change stance seemingly at random. (In fact, the Obama administration was wary on lighting this particular fire.) But on the other hand, we bet Armenians don’t feel that way. So we can see both sides of this. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 

15 Feb 2010 22:06

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World: Score! Taliban’s top military commander in Pakistan/U.S. custody

  • A top-secret mission nailed Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Baradar was captured as a result of a combined American/Pakistani intelligence mission, and he’s a big get. The New York Times says it’s the biggest in the entire eight-year Afghan War, and he’s second in command only to Mullah Muhammad Omar, Osama bin Laden’s close associate. Details are sketchy, but this sounds impressive. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Feb 2010 09:20

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U.S., World: Hillary Clinton has a prediction on what happens to Iran next

  • That is how we see it. We see that the government in Iran, the supreme leader, the president, the Parliament, is being supplanted and that Iran is moving towards a military dictatorship.
  • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Speaking at a televised town hall meeting at Carnegie Mellon University. She’s literally suggesting that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps could take power away from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and company based on the intelligence they have. She also notes that UN sanctions would focus on the guards, which control Iran’s nuclear program. Interesting take. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Feb 2010 17:31

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World: Time for action: The U.S. and Afghanistan take the Taliban head-on

  • Get your war on! In the first major assault since Obama moved to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, NATO and the U.S. are attacking the Taliban stronghold of Marjah, which is a new style of fighting for the region. Marjah is the last large stronghold the Taliban has in the rough and tumble Helmand Province. Here’s a lineup of the troops ready to kick ass and chew bubble gum:
  • 4,500 U.S. Marines are leading the offensive
  • 1,500 Afghan troops are joining in the attack
  • 300 U.S. soldiers are taking part, too source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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