| |
|
Monday, February 27, 2006
|
|
Speaking before the Council on Foreign Relations, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said "We meet today in the sixth year in which our nation has been engaged in what promises to be a long struggle against an enemy that in many ways is unlike any our country has ever faced. And in this war, some of the most critical battles may not be in the mountains of Afghanistan or the streets of Iraq, but in newsrooms -- in places like New York, London, Cairo, and elsewhere."
Consider this statement:
"More than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media. . . we are in a media battle in a race for the hearts and minds of [Muslims]."
The speaker was not some modern-day image consultant in a public relations firm in New York City. It was Osama bin Laden’s chief lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahiri.
I hearken back to a time when Rumsfeld wanted an information arm in his quiver of weapons, one to effectively wage the propaganda war against bin Laden. The democrats came to bin Laden's aid and quickly shot down the notion with help from the domestic mainstream media. Another example of the consequences of fighting a war with one hand tied behind your back.
Update 3/27/06: Yes. And this is what you get when you give the enemy that advantage, a year later.
5:04:38 PM 
|
|
In the not-in-the-mainstream-media department, Iraq's Interior Ministry forces captured a top aide to al-Qaida's leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi during a raid in western Iraq, state television reported Monday. Iraqiya TV identified the captive as Abu al-Farouq, a Syrian. It was reported that he was captured with five other alleged al-Qaida operatives in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad. The raid was carried out by the ministry's counterinsurgency Wolf Brigade.
These are Iraqis, not Americans, taking the charge. It is after all, the plan.
3:57:03 PM
|
|
 The next round of negotiations, based on the stall-proceed method which Saddam perfected (well he got away with it for over 12 years) seems to also be the MO of Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Stall the UN inspectors, for 3 years and counting, while continuing to refine uranium for nuclear warhead capability. The Russian 'deal' being accepted by Iran is the best and probably last hope for Iran to come to its senses and not provoke international sanctions, or more severe consequences. But no one is betting that that will happen. Not the IAEA or the White House, or Russia itself.
"It is regrettable and a matter of concern that the uncertainties related to the scope and nature of Iran's nuclear program have not been clarified after three years of intensive agency verification," said the report, obtained by Reuters.
Translation: Iran fooled us and evaded us so well for 3 years that we don't know what they're up to.
It said Iran had begun testing a cascade of 20 centrifuges at its Natanz pilot uranium-enrichment plant, pressing ahead with efforts to purify nuclear fuel.
Iran had also begun substantial renovations of Natanz's system handling UF6 gas, which is converted by centrifuges into enriched atomic fuel. It said the cascade of 20 centrifuge machines began to undergo vacuum testing on February 22.
The report came as the West reacted with deep skepticism to a tentative Russia-Iran deal on uranium enrichment intended to help resolve the dispute. The head of Iran's nuclear program said on Sunday that Tehran had reached a "basic" agreement with Moscow on a proposed joint venture to enrich uranium in Russia. But Russian officials were afterwards reported as saying Iran had so far made no commitment to renounce home-grown nuclear enrichment, as demanded by Russia and the major Western powers.
At the crux of Iran's argument is that they consider any treaty or agreement signed prior to Ahmadinejad's election to be void if they want it to be. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is one that he refuses to recognize.
Russia to Iran: Stop Enrichment
3:47:27 PM
|
|
|
© Copyright 2006 Ross Calloway.
Last update: 3/27/2006; 11:41:18 PM.
|
|
|
