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Posted by New Neo on September 11, 2013 29 Comments

Obama's remarks last night on Syria, summarized: "Chemical weapons are bad. So I'm going to attack Syria, but maybe not. And I trust Putin, except maybe I don't. So perhaps let's have a diplomatic solution instead. And suddenly I believe in American exceptionalism---that is, regarding...

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Posted by David Gerstman on September 11, 2013 18 Comments
Yesterday the New York Times reported With the World Watching, Syria Amassed Nerve Gas. The article documents how, despite international efforts to prevent it, Syria built up its supply of chemical weapons.
Proliferation experts said President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and his father before him, former President Hafez al-Assad, were greatly helped in their chemical weapons ambitions by a basic underlying fact: often innocuous, legally exportable materials are also the precursors to manufacturing deadly chemical weapons. ... The growth of Syria’s ability was the subject of a sharply worded secret cable transmitted by the State Department under Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s name in the fall of 2009. It instructed diplomats to “emphasize that failure to halt the flow” of chemicals and equipment into Syria, Iran and North Korea could render irrelevant a group of antiproliferation countries that organized to stop that flow. ... Another leaked State Department cable on the Syrians asserted that “part of their modus operandi is to hide procurement under the guise of legitimate pharmaceutical or other transactions.”
The article describes how hard it was to stop a determined villain from improving his lethal capabilities. An evil person, or regime, intent on killing people will find a way to do it. Also, there are people, corporations and nations who will rationalize giving these evil people the means they need to reach their goals. The article is frustrating. Clearly, a serious, sustained effort to prevent the Assads from acquiring chemical weapons was needed. But it wasn't to be. Among other things the fall of the Soviet Union made it impossible to control the import of the necessary ingredients to create the gas. Executives at an American company were prosecuted for sending materials that Syria could use to manufacture chemical weapons. Of course, once those components were shipped, it was too late. But if there any lessons for preventing other villains from obtaining deadly weapons in the future to be drawn from this article, they are absent.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 11, 2013 39 Comments

I'll have to defer to pollsters as to whether this is consistent with professional polling protocol. PPP has admitted that it deliberately did not release a poll showing that Colorado State Senator Angela Giron was likely to lose the recall election by a wide margin: We did...

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 11, 2013 13 Comments

As Americans are debating over how to react to the situation in Syria, there have been some fascinating developments elsewhere in the world well worth noting. For example, one of Scandinavia's most nanny-state governments has had an election that tilted their state dramatically rightward: Conservative Party leader...

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Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 11, 2013 27 Comments
Something very curious has happened on the heels of the discussions between the U.S. and Russia regarding Syria "giving up" chemical weapons. Russia almost immediately began shipping large quantities of additional conventional weapons to Syria to bolster the regime, as reported by Israeli television (via Times of Israel):
Russia is stepping up weapons supplies to Syria’s President Bashar Assad, to help him prevail in the civil war, as part of the arrangements under which the Assad regime has agreed in principle to have its chemical weapons stockpiles placed under international supervision, Israel television reported on Tuesday night. Negotiations between Russia and Syria on the supervision arrangement, which seem to have drastically reduced the likelihood of US-led military intervention in Syria, have been ongoing for two full weeks, and have also involved Iran, the Israeli Channel 2 report said. Russian President Vladimir Putin, determined to ensure that his ally Assad not face a punitive US-led strike following Damascus’s alleged use of chemical weapons in an August 21 attack that the US says killed over 1,400 Syrians, essentially ordered Assad to submit to international oversight of his chemical weapons stocks, the report said. In return, Putin promised bolstered conventional weapons shipments, “some of which are already on their way” to Syria from the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
While certainly Russia has been shipping weapons previously, this would indicate a more intensified effort. At the same time, the Obama administration seems to be backing away from the rebels. The next time John Kerry testifies before Congress -- or holds a press conference -- he should be pressed as to any undisclosed understandings. Even if Assad doesn't use chemical weapons again, he has a long history of large-scale massacres without chemical weapons:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on September 11, 2013 11 Comments

As a Tea Party activist, I am aware of many cases where officials become very insistent that citizens have all their paperwork in order before exercising the right to peacefully assemble. And, like the I.R.S. review of tax exemption applications, the same set of stringent rules...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 10, 2013 27 Comments
The two recall races in Colorado have not received a lot of attention in the national media, but they sure will tomorrow. One of the Democratic State Senators, Senate President John Morse, whose district included part of Colorado Springs, has conceded the race: https://twitter.com/denverpost/status/377637779728891904 The Denver Post reports:
Colorado Senate President John Morse thanked and urged fellow lawmakers to continue fighting Tuesday as voters ousted him from office for his support for stricter Colorado gun laws. "It has been an honor to represent the 11th Senate District," said Morse, who is the first Colorado lawmaker to be recalled and thrown out of office. "It's been hugely rewarding." With about 86 percent of returns counted in the historic recall election of Democratic Senate President John Morse show 52 percent have voted "yes" and 48 percent "no." Morse called the legislative session where he and Democratic colleagues passed stricter new gun laws a successful one.
The second State Senator is trailing as of this writing, although the results are not final yet (update -- now final - recall succeeded): https://twitter.com/denverpost/status/377652263944474624 Someone we all know and love, and who is from Colorado Springs, is happy: https://twitter.com/michellemalkin/status/377635323754188800 https://twitter.com/michellemalkin/status/377633786382401536 https://twitter.com/michellemalkin/status/377640498699055104 The Democrats lost because of a grassroots effort. Here's a note over at Daily Kos this morning:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 10, 2013 42 Comments
As of this writing, it's unclear where things stand. There is a vague offer by Vladimir Putin agreed to by Syria to turn over chemical weapons, but Russia opposes a binding U.N. resolution to that effect and the details are to be worked out. Putin also insists that the U.S. agree not to use force. We will see how this all plays out, but it appears that Obama is negotiating the terms of a surrender to Putin and Assad. (Transcript here) Reactions: https://twitter.com/ChuckLane1/status/377606769259708417 https://twitter.com/NoahCRothman/status/377603647317630977 https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/377605225743269888 https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/377603196169891840

Posted by Mandy Nagy on September 10, 2013 4 Comments

The Syrian Electronic Army has claimed responsibility for another attack on media outlets, this time through a Hootsuite account associated with at least two international FOX television networks. The incident was first reported by Matthew Keys’ The Desk: The Syrian Electronic Army compromised a Hootsuite account used...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 10, 2013 63 Comments
Late Update: Police released the home security system raw video. The video looks like someone was videoing a screen, and was able to zoom in and out of the screen. The video doesn't show much until about the 6:45 mark, when several people including a large man confront George on the driveway. The man puts his hand on George. It then appears that the man either gave George or he had with him what likely was the iPad. It looks like George was doing something to it (Shellie said cutting) and then threw it on the ground: Zimmerman House Video iPad Other than that, the video doesn't show any sort of confrontation, although throughout it people, including what appears to be Shellie holding the iPad, follow him around in a somewhat aggressive posture, getting between him and the car he was filming. FOX 35 News Orlando --------------------------------- Lake Mary, Florida, police are holding a press conference as to video just released of the altercation between George and Shellie Zimmerman. Prior post: iPad video important to Zimmerman dispute as police continue to investigate. Police dash cam video (full embed at bottom of post) shows Zimmerman being placed into custody. It is not known if the police will have news about iPad video which may show the confrontation. UPDATE: The Police have not yet decided whether to charge anyone. The witnesses in the house did not clearly see the confrontation and are unclear as to what happened. The video on the iPad has not yet been recovered, but the police expect that it will be, and at that point they will make a decision. The police did not search the car because all witnesses, including Shellie and her father, told police that they did not actually see a gun, and the police did not believe they had probable cause to search the car. [Press conference over, will post video when available]

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 10, 2013 16 Comments

That could apply to so much of what is going on in the news. But I'm referring to Lawrence O'Donnell and Anthony Weiner. ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 10, 2013 22 Comments

He just keeps saying it. “You know, Senator Chuck Hagel, when he was senator, Senator Chuck Hagel, now secretary of defense, and when I was a senator, we opposed the president’s decision to go into Iraq, but we know full well how that evidence was used...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 10, 2013 20 Comments

Everybody wants an Insurrection. But you can't all have it. At least not peaceinsurrection.com, as of earlier this morning.  Need to protect the "brand" from Code Pink.  It's mine now. https://twitter.com/RosieGray/status/377426051875360768  ...

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