SATURDAY,  APRIL 11,  2009

TALKS BREAK DOWN - PIRATE LATEST - AT 5:40 P.M. ET:  From The New York Times:

Negotiations over the American captain taken hostage by Somali pirates broke down on Saturday, according to Somali officials, after American officials insisted that the pirates be arrested and a group of elders representing the pirates refused.

COMMENT:  One issue:  How long can the lifeboat holding the captain and his captors remain at sea, without provisions and fresh water?  Very serious situation.

April 11, 2009   Permalink

MEANWHILE, IN SOMALIA - AT 5:06 P.M. ET:  Related to the pirate saga taking place off Somalia, is the problem of terrorist groups, linked to Al Qaeda, within Somalia itself.  This will prove a major, and probably frustrating challenge to the new administration.  The Washington Post, in an excellent and balanced piece of reporting, explains:

Senior Obama administration officials are debating how to address a potential terrorist threat to U.S. interests from a Somali extremist group, with some in the military advocating strikes against its training camps. But many officials maintain that uncertainty about the intentions of the al-Shabab organization dictates a more patient, nonmilitary approach.

Al-Shabab, whose fighters have battled Ethiopian occupiers and the tenuous Somali government, poses a dilemma for the administration, according to several senior national security officials who outlined the debate only on the condition of anonymity.

COMMENT:  I recommend this piece for the background it provides on a growing problem.  We give credit where it's due here, and the liberal Washington Post has done a fine journalistic job in this article.

April 11, 2009   Permalink

CANNOT VERIFY - AT 3:50 P.M. ET:  We cannot verify this report from Bloomberg on the hostage situation, but felt it important enough to pass on to you:

April 11 (Bloomberg) -- A U.S. Navy negotiator and Somali pirates reached a tentative agreement for the release of Richard Phillips, the American ship captain held by them since April 8, a pirate said, adding that the deal might still break down.

“There were negotiations this morning between us and an American woman” from a U.S. warship in the area, a man calling himself Da’ud, who identified himself as one of the pirates, said today by phone from the area of Eyl, Somalia. “We agreed to release the captain and get back our four colleagues, but the process is still critical.”

The agreement would include the paying of a “small” ransom, Da’ud said, declining to be more specific.

There are also reports that a boat carrying U.S. Navy sailors trying to approach the lifeboat holding the hostage and his captors was fired upon, and had to turn back.  No further details.

Clearly, the administration is trying to get this captain out alive.  But then what?  If they succeed, and have paid ransom and made concessions, they only encourage the next hijacking.  We must get the captain out, then take some kind of punitive action that will make plain what punishment awaits pirates.  Will Obama have the stomach?  This will be fascinating to see.

April 11, 2009   Permalink

AND AGAIN - AT 11:18 A.M. ET: 

ON BOARD NRB CORTE-REAL, April 11 (Reuters) - A U.S.-owned, Italian-flagged tugboat reported hijacked in the Gulf of Aden has 10 Italian citizens among its 16-member crew, according to NATO alliance officials on a warship in the region.

Lieutenant Sergio Carvalho, on the Portuguese warship NRB Corte-Real, said the tugboat issued a distress call before communications went silent six minutes later.

COMMENT:  Obviously, the pirate issue is becoming bigger than it has been.  Look for the Mattel pirate toy, multicultural.

April 11, 2009   Permalink

OBAMA'S TRIP - A BRITISH SCORECARD - AT 10:12 A.M. ET:  We've written before in this space that some of the most discerning comments about American politics and government come from British journalists.  Here is new proof, should you need it.  Gerald Warner, in The Telegraph, writes a devasting critique of President Obama's recent trip to Europe, and its list of accomplishments:

President Barack Obama has recently completed the most successful foreign policy tour since Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. You name it, he blew it. What was his big deal economic programme that he was determined to drive through the G20 summit? Another massive stimulus package, globally funded and co-ordinated. Did he achieve it? Not so as you'd notice.

Ouch.  That is unkind.

On to Nato and the next big objective: to persuade the same European evasion experts that America, Britain and Canada should no longer bear the brunt of the Afghan struggle virtually unassisted. The Old World sucked through its teeth, said that was asking a lot - but, seeing it was Barack, to whom they could refuse nothing, they would graciously accede to his wishes.

So The One retired triumphant, having secured a massive contribution of 5,000 extra troops - all of them non-combatant, of course - which must really have put the wind up the Taliban, at the prospect of 5,000 more infidel cooks and bottle-washers swarming into the less hazardous regions of Afghanistan.

Mr. Warner will not be writing an admiring biography of Barack Obama.  And the president's response to the North Korean missile test, which occurred during the European trip?

President Pantywaist is hopping mad and he has a strategy to cut Kim down to size: he is going to slice $1.4bn off America's missile defence programme, presumably on the calculation that Kim would feel it unsporting to hit a sitting duck, so that will spoil his fun.

Finally...

Watch out, France and Co, there is a new surrender monkey on the block and, over the next four years, he will spectacularly sell out the interests of the West with every kind of liberal-delusionist initiative on nuclear disarmament and sitting down to negotiate with any power freak who wants to buy time to get a good ICBM fix on San Francisco, or wherever. If you thought the world was a tad unsafe with Dubya around, just wait until President Pantywaist gets into his stride.

COMMENT:  I'm afraid the man has a point, in fact many points.  We can admire the president's wish to engage in negotiation to settle problems, yet still wonder what very tough and brutal adversaries think of his approach, and how they will react.

As I said to a reader in an e-mail this morning, we can only hope that Mr. Obama learns before it's too late, and toughens up.  That's what happened with Kennedy, whose first year in office was a foreign-policy embarrassment, but whose second year, culminating with the Cuban Missile Crisis, was better.

April 11, 2009   Permalink

A LAUGH IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE - AT 9:25 A.M. ET: Excellent talk-show host Mike Scully (WVOX 1460 in the Westchester, New York, area, 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays) alerts us to a terrific bit of satire, traced to Jon at Exurban League.  President Obama is speaking:

For too long, America has been too dismissive of the proud culture and invaluable contributions of the Pirate Community. Whether it is their pioneering work with prosthetics, husbandry of tropical birds or fanciful fashion sense, America owes a deep debt to Pirates.

The past eight years have shown a failure to appreciate the historic role of these noble seafarers. Instead of celebrating their entrepreneurial spirit and seeking to partner with them to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.

Some of us wonder if our current Overseas Contingency Operation would even be needed had the last administration not been so quick to label Pirates as "thieves," "terrorists" and worse. Such swashbucklaphobia can lead to tragic results, as we have seen this week.

COMMENT:  Bull's eye.

April 11, 2009   Permalink

THE FINE PRINT - AT 9:05 A.M. ET:  Looks like all those contributions made by trial lawyers to the Democratic Party are bearing fruit.  From The Washington Times:

Self-proclaimed victims of global warming or those who "expect to suffer" from it - from beachfront property owners to asthmatics - for the first time would be able to sue the federal government or private businesses over greenhouse gas emissions under a little-noticed provision slipped into the House climate bill.

Environmentalists say the measure was narrowly crafted to give citizens the unusual standing to sue the U.S. government as a way to force action on curbing emissions. But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sees a new cottage industry for lawyers.

"You could be spawning lawsuits at almost any place [climate-change modeling] computers place at harm's risk," said Bill Kovacs, energy lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The bill was written by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman, California Democrat, and Rep. Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Democrat. Both lawmakers declined repeated requests for comment.

COMMENT:  This is utterly outrageous, but follows the usual liberal pattern:  If you can't get something through the normal democratic process, get it through lawsuits. We can easily see corporations entirely tied up with lawsuits, and many businesses forced to close.  This, of course, is the dream of the left - make the environment perfect and wreck free enterprise at the same time. 

We have only read about this provision in The Washington Times.  I wonder if any other news outlet that celebrates the "people's right to know" will cover it.

April 11, 2009   Permalink

PIRATE UPDATE - AT 8:50 A.M. ET: 

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- U.S. warships are trying to stop Somali pirates from sending reinforcements to a lifeboat where an American captain is being held hostage as the high-seas standoff off Africa's eastern coast entered a fourth day Saturday.

Underscoring the high stakes involved, France's navy on Friday freed a sailboat seized off Somalia last week by other pirates, but one of the hostages was killed, along with two bandits. Three pirates were captured.

A Nairobi-based diplomat, who spoke on condition on anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to reporters, said the pirates have summoned assistance but at least two American ships and an Orion surveillance aircraft are deterring pirate ships and skiffs from contact with the lifeboat.

The pirates have threatened to kill their American hostage, Capt. Richard Phillips, if the U.S. attacks them, according to a Somali who has been in contact with the pirates.

COMMENT:  It's the fourth day the captain is being held.  There are no significant late developments.  It's impossible to assess the quality of the American government's response as it is shrouded in secrecy, which is appropriate under the circumstances.

April 11, 2009   Permalink 

FRIDAY,  APRIL 10,  2009

WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS? - AT 3:58 P.M. ET:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Navy is moving a huge amphibious ship closer to the scene of the pirate hostage standoff off Somalia.

Defense officials say the USS Boxer will be nearby soon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss sensitive ship movements.

The Boxer is the flag ship for a multination anti-piracy task force. The Boxer resembles a small aircraft carrier. It has a crew of more than 1,000, a mobile hospital, missile launchers and about two dozen helicopters and attack planes.

COMMENT:  Yes, ship movements are sensitive.  And yet, here is AP publishing information about one of those sensitive movements - something that could put American sailors and Marines in jeopardy, and give the pirate groups advance warning of something we might do.  Brilliant, really brilliant. 

I guess the AP will tell us that the people have "a right to know."  Yeah, sure.  We will give you volumes at Urgent Agenda about what the American people apparently don't have a right to know - like the radical backgrounds and beliefs of many "progressives," including those in government.  Guess it depends on the kind of "knowledge" they want to give us.

April 10, 2009   Permalink

LATEST ON THE PIRATES - AT 3:12 P.M. ET: 

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The American ship captain taken hostage by pirates in the Indian Ocean jumped into the water from their drifting lifeboat in an attempt to escape early Friday, but he was quickly recaptured, a defense official said.

The standoff unfolding on the high seas off the coast of Somalia intensified Friday as American naval reinforcements moved toward the scene. There were also reports that the pirates, desperate to reach shore with their captive, had themselves called in additional vessels and men.

COMMENT:  It's pretty clear that you can't deal with piracy effectively unless you're willing to attack the pirate bases.  Will Obama, once this current situation is resolved, do it?  Well, do you recall last weekend's North Korean missile launch?  Have you noticed how tough we've been?

April 10, 2009   Permalink

CLINTON SLAPPED - AT 2:58 P.M. ET:  This must be considered a put-down of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by the French, who apparently are not overwhelmed with this new administration:

A day after US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton downplayed Iran's claim that it had developed new uranium enrichment technology, France expressed its concern over the assertion.

"These are worrying declarations," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier told reporters. "We need to check the accuracy of the figures ... and for that we'll wait for the International Atomic Energy Agency."

Chevallier urged Teheran to submit to a full IAEA inspection regime at all its nuclear sites and halt its uranium enrichment program.

On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced advances in the country's nuclear program, including the inauguration of a new nuclear-related facility and the testing of two types of high-capacity centrifuges that he said would speed up Iran's enrichment capacity.

COMMENT:  Clinton, in a display of foolishness, not only downplayed Iran's latest claim, but said that America didn't know what to make of the Iranian nuclear program.  (See our 7:38 a.m. post.)  The French are more vigorous.  We have a situation where the Obama administration, on some issues, may be to the left of Europe.  Incredible, isn't it?

April 10, 2009   Permalink 

THREAT IN BRITAIN - AT 2:45 P.M. ET:  From the Telegraph:

Police investigating an alleged al-Qaeda plot to carry out an "Easter spectacular" of co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on shopping centres in Manchester are continuing to search a number of addresses in Liverpool.

Eleven Pakistani nationals and one UK-born Briton were still being questioned at various locations in the UK in connection with the alleged plot.

The men, ten of whom hold student visas, can be detained for up to 28 days.

COMMENT:  Y'see, the problem here is that they didn't get the word that Barack Obama was elected.  If they had gotten it, they wouldn't be doing these things because all would be good with the world and their culture would be both respected and "understood."  Well, all right, maybe an occasional bomb on a bus, but we must recongize their legitimate grievances.  That's right, isn't it?

April 10, 2009   Permalink

DISGRACEFUL - AT 8:48 A.M. ET: 

April 10 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Federal Reserve has told Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and other banks to keep mum on the results of “stress tests” that will gauge their ability to weather the recession, people familiar with the matter said.

The Fed wants to ensure that the report cards don’t leak during earnings conference calls scheduled for this month. Such a scenario might push stock prices lower for banks perceived as weak and interfere with the government’s plan to release the results in an orderly fashion later this month.

COMMENT:  Oh, that is rich.  Now let's hear our pals in the mainstream media scream about "the people's right to know."  After all, these stress tests were federal operations.  We have a right to know what was turned up.  The ball is in the media's court.

April 10, 2009   Permalink

ON BARBARA LEE - AT 8:20 A.M. ET:  One of the things that has outraged me most about the mainstream media is its refusal to correctly identify domestic Marxists.  If you are on the right in American politics, every detail of your past will be examined.  If you are on the left, much is kept vague.  Some "journalists" argue that they don't want to be guilty of "McCarthyism," as if correctly identifying a Marxist as a Marxist is McCarthyism. 

This journalistic disease began during the Vietnam War, when some members of old red groups protesting the war were identified simply as "anti-war activists."  They weren't.  Most were on the other side.  If you dared to say anything, the McCarthyism card was played. 

A few days ago we reported on the trip to Cuba by members of the Congressional Black Caucus.  (Indeed, these patriotic gems won our Pompous Fool Award at the Angel's Corner this week.)  The head of the CBC is Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California, the most left-leaning member of Congress, and the only member to vote against military action after the 9-11 attacks. 

You might be interested in background information on Barbara Lee, and the Washington Times has provided it:

Declassified documents from the National Archives, posted to J. Michael Waller's PoliticalWarfare.org blog, reveal that Ms. Lee has been promoting the cause of Caribbean communism since the early 1980s. According to Mr. Waller, Ms. Lee “provided counterintelligence support to the regime in Grenada in 1980, tipping off the Cuban-backed government to a possible anti-communist spy in the office of Marxist-Leninist Premier Maurice Bishop.” A memo, captured in 1983 after the United States liberated the island from the communist New Jewel Movement, notes that Ms. Lee, then working on the staff of Rep. Ron Dellums, California Democrat, tipped off Grenada's ambassador to the Organization of American States about suspicious counterrevolutionary mailings Mr. Dellums' office had received, postmarked from Grenada.

Ms. Lee, along with Mr. Dellums' Chief of Staff Carlottia Scott, whom Mr. Waller says “was widely rumored to have been romantically involved with [Grenada's communist leader] Bishop,” worked tirelessly to promote the New Jewel agenda in Congress. At every step, they actively opposed the Reagan administration's anti-communist strategy. A 1982 letter from Ms. Scott to Mr. Bishop, typed on House of Representatives letterhead and opening “My Dearest,” details their work for the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on military construction, which Mr. Dellums chaired...

...Decades later, Ms. Lee, now representing Mr. Dellums' district, is still fighting for the same cause she was defending at the height of the Cold War. Sadly, this cause is Marxist totalitarianism in the Western Hemisphere. That's what we call antiquated thinking.

COMMENT:  Nice, huh?  Have you been given that material by any TV network, by any other news organization?  Why not?  Because the automatic exemption given to leftists is in play.  It is a journalistic scandal.

Another scandal is the painful historic fact that the civil rights movement has always had a destructive relationship with American communism.  Robert Kennedy warned Dr. King about that, and King understood.  King began separating himself from some of the more extreme elements.  But King was murdered, and the separation stopped.  The Barbara Lees come from that tradition.   Many of America's labor leaders worked to drive the reds out of the labor movement.  Tragically, that same commitment was never made in the civil rights movement. 

April 10, 2009   Permalink

HILLARY STUMPED?  ON IRAN?  WE ARE IN A DITCH - AT 7:38 A.M. ET:  From The Jerusalem Post:

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday night downplayed the significance of the reported increase in Iranian centrifuges and said it would not affect the US decision to resume participation in international talks on the Islamic republic's nuclear program.

"We don't know what to believe about the Iranian program," she said, adding that the US government did not "attribute any particular meaning" to Iran's statement with respect to the negotiations.

COMMENT:  WHAT!  She doesn't know what to believe about the Iranian program?  Can you imagine how this is being read in Tehran?  This is truly becoming Carter II, but worse.  This is an appeasement administration. 

April 10, 2009   Permalink 

I AM UTTERLY STUNNED - AT 7:14 A.M. ET:  In doing my research sweep this morning, I came across this:

This will be my last column for the L.A. Times. After four years, I'll soon be starting a stint at the Pentagon as an advisor to the undersecretary of Defense for policy.

The passage was written by Rosa Brooks, hard leftist columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and daughter of leftist author Barbara Ehrenreich.  Brooks has been a standout on the left, a lawyer/journalist, professional Bush basher, far to the left of most liberals.  She is director of Georgetown Law School's Human Rights Center.  She used to work for a George Soros organization.  She also worked for Harold Koh, the Yale Law School dean, currently nominated to be State Department legal adviser, who believes we should subordinate ourselves to international law. 

She will be in the Pentagon?  Don't you feel safer?

A wise observer said, when Obama started naming Cabinet officials, that those people didn't matter.  It was the troops at the mid-level who carried out policy.  So far this administration has appointed the most extreme mid-level staff in memory, especially in the Justice Department. 

I just hope Brook's appointment is just a political payoff for work done during the campaign, and that she will be ignored.

April 10, 2009   Permalink