With latest success, ’strategic defeat’ of al Qaida within reach
From AP:
WASHINGTON — U.S. and Pakistani officials said Saturday that al-Qaida’s second-in-command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Pakistan, delivering another big blow to a terrorist group that the U.S. believes to be on the verge of defeat.
Since Navy SEALs stormed Osama bin Laden’s compound and killed him in May, the Obama administration has been unusually frank in its assessment that al-Qaida is on the ropes, its leadership in disarray. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month that al-Qaida’s defeat was within reach if the U.S. could mount a string of successful attacks.
“Now is the moment, following what happened with bin Laden, to put maximum pressure on them,” Panetta said, “because I do believe that if we continue this effort we can really cripple al-Qaida as a major threat.”
A Libyan national, al-Rahman never had the worldwide name recognition of bin Laden or bin Laden’s successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri. But al-Rahman was regarded as an instrumental figure in the terrorist organization, trusted by bin Laden to oversee al-Qaida’s daily operations….
Senior al-Qaida figures have been killed before, only to be replaced. But the Obama administration’s tenor reflects a cautious optimism that victory in the decade-long fight against al-Qaida could be at hand.
“It does hold the prospect of a strategic defeat, if you will, a strategic dismantling, of al-Qaida,” incoming CIA Director David Petraeus said in July.
Two weeks from tomorrow, we mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. It has taken longer than most Americans probably expected, and it has come at a higher cost than almost anybody anticipated, but we can now mark the occasion with at least some satisfaction that justice — at least the type of justice within our earthly power — has been served.
– Jay Bookman
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937 comments Add your comment
Good Little Liberal
August 27th, 2011
10:14 pm
Normal
If you think Beck is anti-Israel, you don’t know Beck. You really need to stop listening to the Bulls- – -.
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
10:15 pm
Just in case you have’t heard this in awhile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=wbV3lf1HzQI&vq=medium#t=18
getalife
August 27th, 2011
10:15 pm
They are “feral” cons in our country getting violent scout.
Bruno
August 27th, 2011
10:15 pm
And look for a negative campaign on the part of Obama, getalife. Since he can’t run on his own record, he’ll be in full attack mode. The Blame Bush strategy will have run its course by 2012.
Mick
August 27th, 2011
10:15 pm
kam
Things haven’t changed much-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15AFE7RhoA0
Brosephus
August 27th, 2011
10:17 pm
josef
I’m hoping I get to witness the “grand takeover”.
getalife
August 27th, 2011
10:18 pm
Bruno,
He is positioned better than your party.
Your party is way out there in radical territory.
Good Little Liberal
August 27th, 2011
10:20 pm
Mary Elizabeth
“Did Christ’s speeches mean nothing?”
When Obama feeds five thousand with a basket full of fish, I’ll give him a break.
Speeches mean nothing if the person giving the speech has no intention to do what he claims in his speech.
Kamchak
August 27th, 2011
10:21 pm
Mick
My absolute favorite Temptations!
Good Little Liberal
August 27th, 2011
10:21 pm
getalife
Radical, like prayer meetings?
Mick
August 27th, 2011
10:22 pm
bruno
This is what I want from my tenants every month, no excuses-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-BYzaDwNoE&feature=related
getalife
August 27th, 2011
10:24 pm
Our President governs center right and that is where he is positioned on this reelection.
The gop have to move left because they are radical right and it will divide their base.
Our President wins easily.
Bruno
August 27th, 2011
10:27 pm
And this is what I DON’T want:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeQ_S8G16Rw
josef
August 27th, 2011
10:28 pm
Brosephus
It would be interesting, wouldn’t it? I’ve often contemplated what Uncle Sam’s oldest colony would be if and when…
Good Little Liberal
August 27th, 2011
10:28 pm
1811/0311
You know, since 9-11 there have been so many patriotic songs conjered up, but the only one that makes me misty is this one: http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=america+ray+charles
Good Little Liberal
August 27th, 2011
10:35 pm
One more By Mr. Charles and I need to run. Have a good night guys.
http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=ray+charles+johnny+carson+oh+what+a
Mick
August 27th, 2011
10:35 pm
bruno
Great zappa, haven’t heard that in a long time, ever heard this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8A1avCPVOE&feature=related
Mary Elizabeth
August 27th, 2011
10:38 pm
josef @ 9:57
You have forgotten, or have never read, the specific flaws of MLK that I wrote of in one of my postings (in which I wrote to show how we all contain darker sides to our natures). I would think that Obama has a darker side, too, as we all do. However, being a political activist, myself, I am not going to be one to indulge in put downs of Obama, even if the masses go there. People are fickle, and, as I saw in Jim Crow days, 95% of the people can be wrong. I prefer to simply call truth – as I see it – hoping that others will also begin to see the truths I see. When I believe that Obama is wrong on an issue, long-ranged, I will call it as such. In the meantime, I see that politically, here in Georgia especially, Obama needs a few people who don’t follow the crowd to speak up for his thinking. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not he would want my “adulation.” It has to do with changing this state to a more progressive one. And why would you go in that direction of thought, anyway? Who can read another’s mind as to what Obama would want? I don’t give my opinions to make Obama happy; I give my opinions to change the consciousness of the people I touch in this state. Obama is a progressive thinker. I support that. It is not a matter of adulation.
Beyond that, there are many progressive thinkers, but I see in Obama a man of rare vision. It is that simple. Just because I see that rareness in him, does not mean that I “adore” him. I simply think that our nation is fortunate to have a man of his vision at this time in our history, just as I think Thomas Jefferson was a blessing to our nation at that time in its history when it was being formed. Now our nation is being transformed – for the better, I hope.
You say you have read my blog. Then, if you have, you will know that I think beyond the word “idealism” in the connotation you have used it of me, josef. Your connotation is much too simple to contain my thoughts.
out of the blue
August 27th, 2011
10:38 pm
GLL….You mean to tell me that Brother Ray just “conjered up” America the Beautiful?
I think the folks who wrote the song in the late 1880’s would say they conjered up the classic!
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
10:39 pm
Headline: “Obama takes charge at hurricane command center”
Ah ………………………….. nevermind.
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
10:41 pm
getalife:
A few. That’s why we have law enforcement.
You changed the subject as I was talking about the type of individuals who feel the need to riot when they think they can get away with it.
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
10:42 pm
Mary Elizabeth:
Mussolini was rare.
Bruno
August 27th, 2011
10:42 pm
Hadn’t heard that 10:35, Mick. Nice rocker.
getalife
August 27th, 2011
10:42 pm
Leadership scout.
w went to mccain’s b day party during Katrina.
What else you got?
Nothin.
Kamchak
August 27th, 2011
10:45 pm
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don’t ask why
It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
Good Little Liberal
August 27th, 2011
10:46 pm
out of the blue
I post Ray Charles singing America The Beautiful and you have a problem with it.
You could only be a liberal.
Mick
August 27th, 2011
10:46 pm
One more guest gig-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im3AUiCGqnk
josef
August 27th, 2011
10:52 pm
GLL
Your view of American Indian history in relation to the Federal policies is too limited to even attempt a discussion of the critical years 1861- 1924. The ghost dance? What do you think that movement was?
AmVet
August 27th, 2011
10:54 pm
blue, sorry i forgot it was you, but glad you got the credit for that sweet Impressions tune.
That Gil Scott heron was also great, B. I’m gonna have to check out more of his stuff…
I am stoked, Todd Rundgren is releasing a new LP called Reproductions, on which he covers a bunch of songs he produced for other fantastic bands, including this one that’s gotten stuck in my head lately…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuO_h-Ekaig
Mick
August 27th, 2011
10:54 pm
One thing is for sure, come as you are-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2pKPXNjg8Q&feature=related
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
10:54 pm
getalife:
You been drinkin’ ??
Bruno
August 27th, 2011
10:55 pm
Gotta start getting psyched for the run:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5tF_-AkU6U
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
10:55 pm
Nirvana?
I’ll take this any day !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0janfcZ8LUw&feature=related
getalife
August 27th, 2011
10:56 pm
josef,
What is the deal with kicking out slave descendents?
getalife
August 27th, 2011
10:57 pm
Scout,
I sip on Crown everyday.
AmVet
August 27th, 2011
10:57 pm
Freeze this moment a little bit longer
Make each sensation a little bit stronger
Experience slips away
Experience slips away
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGsQ5n9Qu0A
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
10:59 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07SiJ1W5uic&feature=related
AmVet
August 27th, 2011
10:59 pm
Run hard, my brother Bruno…
Time marches on
I learn to crawl, I learn to walk
You couldn’t stop me from running
Stop me from running
Before I heard my name
Before I learned to talk
I knew I was running to something
Running to something
Into the arms of my god
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXv67Ar2NL0
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
11:00 pm
I think you “slugged”.
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
11:00 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Zsci0Bg5I&feature=related
Kamchak
August 27th, 2011
11:01 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOEFnJ7JqUU
Mick
August 27th, 2011
11:01 pm
scout
I dig ricky too – here’s one we used to play-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6S9dCGwB8M
josef
August 27th, 2011
11:02 pm
Mary Elizabeth
President Obama is a centrist. I am not. The country is. He is not a “visionary,” but a politician. Some things he ’s done, I agree with, some I don’t. His legacy will be judged by the future. Right now it’s a work in progress.
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
11:03 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ohr4P8E_io&feature=related
moonbat betty
August 27th, 2011
11:03 pm
great song and movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQvUBf5l7Vw&feature=fvwrel
josef
August 27th, 2011
11:05 pm
Getalife
It isn’t slave descendants, but Dawes Roll vs non Dawes Roll…Dawes Roll descendants of slaves are not in question…
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
11:05 pm
I think this is his best one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWIzb5Iqhnw&feature=related
getalife
August 27th, 2011
11:09 pm
josef,
I read about it but did not understand it.
I have no idea what Dawes Roll is.
Help me out please.
Mick
August 27th, 2011
11:10 pm
1811
Here’s a throwback to those much missed simpler times-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ziSLGVQOSg&feature=related
Dusty
August 27th, 2011
11:12 pm
I tell you, this is the most horrific and disappointing blog I’ve read. Bookman leads in trying to act like we just won WWII again. And THEN a cheap shot at Bush. The whole thing is cheap. He calls it a celebration.
Obvious terrorism had started way back with the Cole attack when Clinton was president. 9/11 happened on Bush’s first year. He fought back every way possible. (@@ gave us the record.) Obama is only finishing what Bush started and using the same pattern with new equipment..
But Obama’s latest surge into Libya was without any legality. Bush never moved without the approval of Congress. We now have a president who does not think he needs the advice of American citizens. Then the far left liberals act like he can do what he wants and you are not patriotic if you don’t agree. (And I did not bring up the first mention of patriotism!)
There’s a sickness here that is provoked and nourished by Bookman. He wants it for politics (and his job probably). But it is poisonous and obviously divisive.to the country. How can we stand together when someone is forever kicking our legs out from under us? For instance, some “silly” wants to know what WE did to cause terrorism? Absolutely nothing except to be Americans.
I shudder to see us ruined by an element that cannot keep their mouth shut. The sick here thrive on blame. It’s a killer! I don’t care to divide our country with hate. That is what this blog is today.
getalife
August 27th, 2011
11:15 pm
Thanks for that patriotism dusty.
You are a prime example of a part time patriot.
Mick
August 27th, 2011
11:19 pm
dusty
What did iraq have to do with terrorism or 9/11? It was always bin laden and you know what triggered him into declaring war with america? It’s because we put a base in saudi arabia which he considered holy land and an embarassment that foreigners were needed to defend the monarchy. This was after they kicked out the soviets from afghanistan. In short, bush started it against bin laden, obama finished it and iraq was very costly in treasure and blood….
getalife
August 27th, 2011
11:23 pm
dusty can’t even celebrate a victory over aq and Libya .
Of course, w moved without congress.
Most of the stuff she writes are lies.
Divisive is the go dusty.
getalife
August 27th, 2011
11:25 pm
Just look at your party’s actions since they lost dusty.
Talk about divisive and you say nothing.
Mick
August 27th, 2011
11:26 pm
It’s time, night out…
Mary Elizabeth
August 27th, 2011
11:27 pm
josef @ 11:02
Just as in asking me two days ago, if I believed a public servant could have anything but self-interest at his/her core, you showed a basic cynicism, this evening you show some of that same trait not to acknowledge the visionary part of Obama. It is there, in his speeches.
He governs as a centrist. That is different from “Obama is a centrist.” The country is center right. The country is at a crossroads. It will move either more right or more left in the near future. We will watch it unfold.
I never have doubted that Obama’s legacy will be judged by the future, or that his work is in progress. I see what I see. I saw that my father was a public servant who served his community more than his self-interests. It happens. Some are better than you might think. And some have greater vision than you might be aware.
Dusty
August 27th, 2011
11:31 pm
MIck,
I doubt that I can revive your memory. The CIA and British Intel said tht Saddam had WMD. Bush, Congress and the British agreed. Kuwait had been invaded already.. The UN rules and assists had been broken ($ for feeding; children which they never got). If Americans disagreed on Iraq, they did not act like it then. The war against terrorism that has killed many Americans was started by terrorists, NOT BUSH.
Go ahead and talk about killing. Blame it on Americans. That’s falsity is one of the problems now.
1811/0311
August 27th, 2011
11:37 pm
Mick:
I had one just like this …………. ‘66 GTO ………. same color & everything. Oh, for the good old days.
http://www.youtube.com/user/marks66gto?blend=23&ob=5
Kamchak
August 27th, 2011
11:38 pm
Shorter Dusty:
Blah blah blah ….. Guilt trip.
Blah blah blah ….. Bush superman.
Blah blah blah ….. Obama evil
Blah blah blah ….. Guilt trip
Blah blah blah ….. Guilt trip.
Dusty
August 27th, 2011
11:41 pm
KAMCHAK,
Shorter, huh?
How about trying it yourself?
josef
August 27th, 2011
11:49 pm
Getalife
Pardon the delay. Had to come back to desktop for this!
The Dawes Roll is a nasty bit of bidness. Following the Civil War the Five Civilized Tribes underwent their own Reconstruction at the hands of the Feds in retribution for their having sided with the Confederacy. The bottom line was that they would lose their territorial integrity and be forced into an allotment of land process in preparation for the incorporation of what had been Indian Territory into the nation as what became the state of Oklahoma. In order to “qualify” for an allotment, the individuals had to register with the Dawes Commission. The shennanigans which went on are a dark page. Thousands were not allowed to register, thousands more had their applications rejected and even more chose not to play along, distrusting “the system.” Finally a little over 100,000 were registered. Among them were 20% who were classified as “freedmen.” Since that time, one may not be registered as a citizen of these nations if one is not a descendent of a Dawes Roll signatory. Race is not the issue. One can be a CDIB full blood and still not be a citizen, or have fractionals of 1/128 and be a citizen.
The current issue came about when a number of descendents of Freedmen who had not been allowed to register by the Feds but had long been identified with the Indian nations challenged that. Since by Federal Law as well as Five Civilized Tribes law, the Dawes Roll is the final word. these claims were denied along those lines. Neither the feds nor the Five Civilized Tribes are eager to reopen that can of worms because to do so would mean that literally millions of claims would have to be adjudicated since 50% of all African Americans and 40% of white Southerners claim Indian blood.
Kamchak
August 27th, 2011
11:50 pm
How about trying it yourself?
I don’t book guilt trips on the shame train.
Dusty
August 27th, 2011
11:54 pm
Kamchak,
You should.
Z
August 28th, 2011
12:00 am
A President can sign all the legislation he wants, its the not paying for it and leaving the next President to pay the bill, that is the problem. GWB and his Republican cohorts didn’t pay their bill’s, created a financial mess, created 1 war out of thin air and dropped the ball in the other, said he would put everyone in a home that wanted one(Via YouTube video) and nearly brought this country to its knees from his failed policy’s. History will find he was a failed President who’s policy’s created the monstrosities we are dealing with now.
Thankfully we elected a President in 2008 with some intelligence and hopefully he will be able to slowly bring this country back from the brink. Of course that will only be if the 112th Republican majority Tea Party congress decides they care about this country enough to drop their ridiculous ideologies and get some real work done like, creating jobs, housing, and passing real reform instead of blocking everything Obama is trying to do. The 112th congress is the problem, not Obama, thinking people know this, evidently the Tea Party fruitcakes haven’t received that message yet from outer-space.
Kamchak
August 28th, 2011
12:04 am
You should.
Not me.
The guilt trip is the purview of you born againers.
getalife
August 28th, 2011
12:10 am
Thanks Josef.
Now I get it.
100 k sounds very low but I understand why they did not trust the government.
They got screwed out of that casino money.
Dusty
August 28th, 2011
12:11 am
Poor ol’ Z,
Could you possibly be that mixed up? Your first paragraph had little truth in it. Bush put this country back on its feet after 9/11. That was why he was electedt two terms.
As to Obama’s efforts, you obviously have not read what Americans think about that. His popularity polls are getting down to the “the lowest in history”. He has a few good points but his overall “achievements” are few. He seems to have no idea of economics and little awareness of the indebtness of the USA.
But hang in there. You won’t have long to talk about the actions of Obama as president.
getalife
August 28th, 2011
12:13 am
Poor dusty.
So partisan she can’t be patriotic.
Dusty
August 28th, 2011
12:16 am
Kamchak
You were born guilty.
Shows up every day.
josef
August 28th, 2011
12:17 am
G’night
Dusty
August 28th, 2011
12:17 am
“they got screwed out of that casino money.”
That’s the funniest line so far today.
Bruno
August 28th, 2011
1:10 am
Alright, last man standing as usual. With a 5K under my belt to boot. In case Matti pokes her head in, some more killer YES:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0HnIr6jYWU
Bruno
August 28th, 2011
1:19 am
Don’t surround yourself with yourself…….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y430vq9wI7w&feature=related
Bruno
August 28th, 2011
1:30 am
Love will find a way, if you want it to……
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlhotgj9sOA
Fred
August 28th, 2011
2:31 am
BRUNO?????!!!!!!!! You (as usual) are a rat bastich. I saw that FIRST Yes tune and was about to reply with another Yes tune but then you played THAT one as well. I knew you went deep on music, but I was naive and thought you gave Yes the short shift. Give me a second for a good tune response………… oh and dude? You don’t stay awake long enough to be the last man (person) standing lol.
Sorry it took so long. I love the song you played soI had to listen to it first before I posted THIS. I see you aces and eights and raise you on on full house:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Cp1jvYSNA&feature=related
Fred
August 28th, 2011
2:45 am
Oh and Bruno? Not to dredge up old arguments, but your playing of Yes reminded me of something else…….. I also taught myself to play piano by ear. Yes was a major part of it. Rick Wakeman with his “Experts from the 6 wives of King Henry The 8th” was in fact my CROWNING achievement. Once I learned that, the rest was downhill……….. well until I saw Keith Emerson play once. I showed me that I was just a rank amateur………. I saw him doing a tour with “Emerson Lake and Powell” He did his solo. He was playing a rhythm and melody with one hand on a keyboard, and playing a different rhythm and melody with the other hand on a different keyboard. The SOB was also playing a foot bass pedal thing. He was chewing gum and he wasn’t even chewing the damn gum in time with the f’ing music. I was in front of the stage and saw him most vividly. He was also talking to someone back stage while he was making the same music that for normal people would take 6 musicians to make. I knew right then that I was just a wannabe.
In the interests of brevity, I’ll just link a short version of an example of Keith Emerson;’s mastery of the keys…….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Cp1jvYSNA&feature=related
Fred
August 28th, 2011
2:52 am
Oh and Bruno? What the hell, here is the Rick Wakeman song that i used as my learning tool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCLaDtsPmVc&feature=related
I an still play parts of it even now. Not well anymore, I don’t play now. Every once in a while though I still dream.
Fred
August 28th, 2011
3:00 am
On another note; I really hate those asshats who claim that “classical music” is the be all of music. Do they REALLY think that Bach, Beethoven and etal would be content mimicking crap done 300 years ago?
Oh wait, they weren’t they expanded upon the theme and pushed the boundries of the music of their time. They DEFINITELY weren’t Republicans……… They created, not stagnated or destroyed.
Given your taste in music Bruno, i see a conflict of ideology.
What te hell, since we are talking “Yes” (strange from a staunch supporter of the party of no) here’s another classic. Although at over 11 minutes, it’s way beyond the attention span of the common poster here……..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utBOYUw0YUw&feature=related
Paddy O
August 28th, 2011
3:55 am
Jay – got a question for a story. From my knowledge, BAchman has received federal money for farming activity. How would that be possible? Is the money not restricted to farmers who do farming full time? If not, should that NOT be a requirement? Also, how did Bachman vote on the last farm bill? If she voted for it, is she not violating ethics laws due to a a conflict of interest? Thank you.
Jack
August 28th, 2011
7:25 am
Much of what Bookman says is for effect. There’s nothing there but pre-existing bias: a foppish call to liberalism; a Hollywood based reality. Bush bashing is all that’s left for the Left.
Jack
August 28th, 2011
7:27 am
Give Fred a tum.
larry
August 28th, 2011
7:37 am
The first and second in command of AQ gets killed along with OBL and instead of celebrating, the Tea turds get all hot and bothered and claim that Obama is just finishing what Bush has started. Really ? If i recall, Bush didnt seem to care if he got any of the AQ leadership including OBL. I mean, if you are business partners with the Bin Ladens, are you seriously going after the black sheep of the family?
The CIA and British Intel said tht Saddam had WMD. Bush, Congress and the British agreed. Dusty, dear, they all believed because they wanted to believe . Are you seriously going to believe someone named ” Curveball” ? If Saddam had WMD, dont you think he would have used it against Isreal?
the wind whistler
August 28th, 2011
7:48 am
The U.S. should reactivate the Monroe Doctrine, that we will isolaTE OURSELVES FROM the problems of the eastern hemisphere. That is simple, all this talk about global economies and aid to foreign countries is all a lot of baloney. Let them help themselves. I know that we ARE capable of minding our own business. All foreign powers have wanted from the U.S. is money and giving it to them just makes them ask for more. See how simple it it is, need i say more?
Granny Godzilla
August 28th, 2011
7:55 am
Another great job by our President and government.
Sour partisan grapes make some folks appear so small.
Brosephus
August 28th, 2011
8:19 am
Yet another glorius day in the great state of GA….
Republicans in the state Capitol are about to put the finishing touches on a series of maps that are likely to make politics in Georgia more partisan, more racially polarized — and more predictable than at any time since the 1960s, a data analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution indicates.
People need to wake up and realize that politicians don’t give a sh*t about people other than on the 1st Tuesday in Nov. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. When you don’t swear allegiance to either party, this is no longer such a great state to live in. I can only see the partisanship growing more and more rancid here.
And if that wasn’t enough by itself, there’s this excellent investigative read…
The state’s top two ethics investigators were preparing in June to serve subpoenas on Gov. Nathan Deal, his chief of staff and other associates in connection with Deal’s 2010 campaign when one investigator’s salary was cut and the other’s job was eliminated, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned.
The AJC has reviewed drafts of subpoenas prepared, but never served, by the executive secretary of the state ethics commission and her deputy. The documents raise questions about $322,000 the campaign paid to companies that Deal owns or has an interest in, or to businesses controlled by his associates.
Too bad that APS and/or Beverly Hall didn’t have the authority to dismantle the very group that was investigating them. Power IS good!!!! Thank you, each and every person who voted for Nathan Deal. We’re all getting what YOU asked for.
marko
August 28th, 2011
8:23 am
Even before we nailed Bin Laden, Al Qaida was pretty much toast. Al Qaida never really represented main stream Islam anyway. The problem remains extremism of all shades. The idea that your views are the only correct views. The belief that God is on your side, and wants you to destroy those who disagree with you. Do the murdered children in Norway care whether they were killed by a homegrown right wing fanatic as opposed to Islamic extremist?
There will always be those among us that feel that their views are the only acceptable views and any form of compromise is unacceptable. Recently a fringe group of right wing extremist kidnapped the Republican party. They were so sure of their own agenda they were willing to risk economic catastrophe if they didn’t get their way. You can photo shop the president into a Nazi uniform, paint a Hitler mustache on his face, but ending Bush era tax cuts isn’t really quite the same thing as marching innocent women and children into gas chambers is it? Anyway let’s try to remember that crazy people are the problem, and not the solution.
the Truth
August 28th, 2011
8:42 am
2 QUICK ?S…
1.Why did we invade Iraq?..Going to Iraq have cost many Americans their love ones and also is the real reason why America is in debt!
2. If America could not handle having a black president, why did they vote for him?
Just Another Anonymous One
August 28th, 2011
8:57 am
I tell you, this is the most horrific and disappointing blog I’ve read.
Why does this “Dusty” hate our President Obama and our beloved nation so much?
Mick
August 28th, 2011
8:58 am
Good morning, have a good one-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmczPdqSz0M&feature=related
Jay
August 28th, 2011
9:05 am
GLL writes, regarding the Mission Accomplished banner:
“Please explain why the truth about the Mission Accomplished banner was spin. The banner was created by the crew on board the aircraft carrier and was not brought on by the President’s entourage. It had been created several days before the announcement was made that the president would be on board.
The carrier was headed back to the states after they had accomplished their mission.
Now please, if you have any information that disputes anything I have written, please offer it, but just calling my point spin is hardly any sort of intelligent arguemnt.
That was not true. The White House carefully stage manages such presidential events, especially those as high profile as that one. The notion that it was not responsible for framing the television coverage to ensure that the Mission Accomplished banner that it produced and hung — despite early claims to the contrary — was prominently displayed over Bush’s shoulder as he spoke is politically naive.
As Time magazine reported at the time:
“Asked at a news conference whether the “Mission Accomplished” banner had been prematurely boastful, the president backed away from it, saying it had been put up by the sailors and airmen of the Lincoln to celebrate their homecoming after toppling Saddam’s regime.
Not long afterwards, the White House had to amend its account. The soldiers hadn’t put up the sign; the White House had done the hoisting. It had also produced the banner — contrary to what senior White House officials had said for months. In the end, the White House conceded on those details, but declared them mere quibbles. The point was, they said, that the whole thing had been done at the request of the crewmembers. Even that explanation didn’t sit well with some long-time Bush aides. “They (the White House) put up banners at every event that look just like that and we’re supposed to believe that at this one it was the Navy that requested one?” asked a senior administration official. Others remember staffers boasting about how the president had been specifically positioned during his speech so that the banner would be captured in footage of his speech. “
Brosephus
August 28th, 2011
9:09 am
Jay
That last paragraph at 9:05 is a mouthful. I’m more than certain that Obama’s been taken to task over his choreographed appearances. To think that Bush or any other president has not done the same with their appearances reeks of intellectual dishonesty.
Jay
August 28th, 2011
9:13 am
GLL also wonders:
I can’t help but wonder what the media would have thought if GW Bush would have been launching such (drone) attacks, considering the hysteria surrounding the act of putting a damp cloth over a terrorist’s face and then pouring water on his face.
Contrary to GLL’s implication, GWB did launch a good number of such drone attacks. The fact that GLL doesn’t remember that fact illustrates how little controversy it created at the time.
AmVet
August 28th, 2011
9:13 am
Bro SoCo, I call them the new emboldened power brokers – but even more shameless and imperious. Their spineless constituents of ignorance and intolerance will never hold them accountable for any of their self-serving sins and the politicos themselves could truly give a flying ____ what anybody else thinks, feels, wants or needs.
On Friday, a song that really changed the soundscape for me, Roundabout, popped into my head. I can still remember the effect that dramatic opening and Howe’s harmonics had on me in 1971. I think for a lot of us it was a real game changer.
So I was really looking forward to getting into some big time Yes on Friday night, but was not here to do so. And yet this weekend I’ve seen all good people (get it?) here do that very thing.
Sweet.
From their debut LP and a cover of a Stephen Stills tune. (Sounds incongruous, doesn’t it?) And one of those crazyesque post-Beatles “running” vids to boot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGT0aZBK_Yk
And…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPOTg-7pV64
Brosephus
August 28th, 2011
9:13 am
oops.. 3rd paragraph, and not the last
Brosephus
August 28th, 2011
9:17 am
AmVet
I’m just amazed at how brazen and open this kinda stuff has become. They don’t even try to hide their intentions anymore.
@@
August 28th, 2011
9:24 am
Highly conceivable, but I’m hoping he’s wrong. Never really looked at it from that perspective.
The Arab spring has “delighted al-Qaida” and caused “an intelligence disaster” for the US and Britain, the former head of the CIA unit in charge of pursuing Osama bin Laden has warned.
Speaking at the Edinburgh international book festival, Michael Scheuer said: “The help we were getting from the Egyptian intelligence service, less so from the Tunisians but certainly from the Libyans and Lebanese, has dried up – either because of resentment at our governments stabbing their political leaders in the back, or because those who worked for the services have taken off in fear of being incarcerated or worse.
“The amount of work that has devolved on US and British services is enormous, and the result is blindness in our ability to watch what’s going on among militants.”
The Arab spring, he said, was “an intelligence disaster for the US and for Britain, and other European services”.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/28/arab-spring-intelligence-disaster-scheuer
1811/0311
August 28th, 2011
9:27 am
1) “Others remember staffers boasting about how the president had been specifically positioned during his speech so that the banner would be captured in footage of his speech.”
Kind of like Obama had his picture taken yesterday “in charge” at the Hurricane Center. Laughable.
2) “’strategic defeat’ of al Qaida”
May I remind you that the U.S. had by 1972 “strategically” defeated the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese. We went home and left it in the hands of the South Vietnamese for three years. The rest is history.
Al Qaida, communists, dictators, Islamic terrorists, the Mafia, serial killers, child molestors …………. they’re all the same. You don’t “defeat” them ………… you just keep pounding their ugly heads into the ground. The day you decide you have won …………. is the day you lose.
Mary Elizabeth
August 28th, 2011
9:29 am
I am not into “taking sides” to win a silly power play debate. I am writing to enhance the evolution of thought which fosters seeing ourselves, and others, with an egalitarian vision and heart. That is the same egalitarian vision that gave passion to the thoughts, and the words, of the founders of our nation when they “took sides” against the British).
Words of Marin Luther King, Jr. which I posted earlier and which are inscribed within his national monument: “Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective. . . Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole.”
Words of President Barack Obama, Cairo, Egypt, June 4, 2009:
“. . .Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.
For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations. When violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. And when innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience. That is what it means to share this world in the 21st century. That is the responsibility we have to one another as human beings.
This is a difficult responsibility to embrace. For human history has often been a record of nations and tribes subjugating one another to serve their own interests. Yet in this new age, such attitudes are self-defeating. Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail. So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners of it. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; progress must be shared.”
———————————————–
There is present in our nation almost an intellectual “fad” that says one must call equivalent different points of view. Differing points of view need to be weighed for value and credibility, but ultimately one may need to “take sides” so that an unworthy point of view does not prevail. The point of view of the segregationalist in the Jim Crow South was not to be ultimately valued, but transcended. The point of view of the slave owner in the Antebellum South was not to be ultimately valued, but transcended. The point of view of those corporate CEO’s who see their workers not as worthy human beings needs to be transcended. It is that same spirit that is making the common people in the Middle East fight for their rights, and for their inalienable value as human beings. over that of an autocrat who has control over most of the wealth, power, and even their lives, within their nations.
The American public needs to be educated to see who is trying to centralize most wealth and power in our nation. Speaking against this trend is not “taking sides” as in a game. It is trying to elevate the average Americans’ perceptions to realize that all have equal value simply because they were “created by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.” This consciousness is now moving worldwide, not simply in America, but throughout the globe – and it was foreseen to be coming in human evolution by MLKJr. and by President Obama, as stated above in their respective quotes. It is that transcendent vision, shared, that makes MLK’s vision similar to that of Barack Obama.
Brosephus
August 28th, 2011
9:32 am
@@
Interesting perspective. I think there’s a lot of if’s in the air with the whole Arab Spring movement. Only time will tell what the outcome will be.
Granny Godzilla
August 28th, 2011
9:33 am
#9
Blessed are those who just keep pounding their ugly heads into the ground for they shall never know peace.