Illegal To Be Republican?

The double standard that exists for crimes, either real or imagined, for Republicans and Democrats.

From Ann Coulter

This makes it official: It's illegal to be Republican.

Since Teddy Kennedy walked away from a dead girl with only a wrist slap (which was knocked down to a mild talking-to, plus time served: zero), Democrats have apparently become a protected class in America, immune from criminal prosecution no matter what they do.

As a result, Democrats have run wild, accepting bribes, destroying classified information, lying under oath, molesting interns, driving under the influence, obstructing justice and engaging in sex with underage girls, among other things.

Meanwhile, conservatives of any importance constantly have to spend millions of dollars defending themselves from utterly frivolous criminal prosecutions. Everything is illegal, but only Republicans get prosecuted.

Conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh was subjected to a three-year criminal investigation for allegedly buying prescription drugs illegally to treat chronic back pain. Despite the witch-hunt, Democrat prosecutor Barry E. Krischer never turned up a crime.

Even if he had, to quote liberal Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz: "Generally, people who illegally buy prescription drugs are not prosecuted." Unless they're Republicans.

The vindictive prosecution of Limbaugh finally ended last year with a plea bargain in which Limbaugh did not admit guilt. Gosh, don't you feel safer now? I know I do.

In another prescription drug case with a different result, last year, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (Democrat), apparently high as a kite on prescription drugs, crashed a car on Capitol Hill at 3 a.m. That's abuse of prescription drugs plus a DUI offense. Result: no charges whatsoever and one day of press on Fox News Channel.

I suppose one could argue those were different jurisdictions. How about the same jurisdiction?

In 2006, Democrat and major Clinton contributor Jeffrey Epstein was nabbed in Palm Beach in a massive police investigation into his hiring of local underage schoolgirls for sex, which I'm told used to be a violation of some kind of statute in the Palm Beach area.

The police presented Limbaugh prosecutor Krischer with boatloads of evidence, including the videotaped statements of five of Epstein's alleged victims, the procurer of the girls for Epstein and 16 other witnesses.

But the same prosecutor who spent three years maniacally investigating Limbaugh's alleged misuse of back-pain pills refused to bring statutory rape charges against a Clinton contributor. Enraging the police, who had spent months on the investigation, Krischer let Epstein off after a few hours on a single count of solicitation of prostitution. The Clinton supporter walked, and his victims were branded as whores.

The Republican former House Whip
Tom DeLay is currently under indictment for a minor campaign finance violation. Democratic prosecutor Ronnie Earle had to empanel six grand juries before he could find one to indict DeLay on these pathetic charges -- and this is in Austin, Texas (the Upper West Side with better-looking people).

That final grand jury was so eager to indict DeLay that it indicted him on one charge that was not even a crime -- and which has since been tossed out by the courts.

After winning his primary despite the indictment, DeLay decided to withdraw from the race rather than campaign under a cloud of suspicion, and Republicans lost one of their strongest champions in Congress.

Compare DeLay's case with that of Rep. William "The Refrigerator" Jefferson, Democrat. Two years ago, an
FBI investigation caught Jefferson on videotape taking $100,000 in bribe money. When the FBI searched Jefferson's house, they found $90,000 in cash stuffed in his freezer. Two people have already pleaded guilty to paying Jefferson the bribe money.

Two years later, Bush's Justice Department still has taken no action against Jefferson. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently put Rep. William Jefferson on the
Homeland Security Committee.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (news, bio, voting record), Democrat, engaged in a complicated land swindle, buying a parcel of land for $400,000 and selling it for over $1 million a few years later. (At least it wasn't cattle futures!)

Reid also received more than four times as much money from Jack Abramoff (nearly $70,000) as Tom DeLay ($15,000). DeLay returned the money; Reid refuses to do so. Why should he? He's a Democrat.

Former Clinton national security adviser Sandy Berger literally received a sentence of community service for stuffing classified national security documents in his pants and then destroying them -- big, fat federal felonies.

But Scooter Libby is facing real prison time for forgetting who told him about some bozo's wife.

Bill Clinton was not even prosecuted for obstruction of justice offenses so egregious that the entire Supreme Court staged a historic boycott of his State of the Union address in 2000.

By contrast, Linda Tripp, whose only mistake was befriending the office hosebag and then declining to perjure herself, spent millions on lawyers to defend a harassment prosecution based on far-fetched interpretations of state wiretapping laws.

Liberal law professors currently warning about the "high price" of pursuing terrorists under the Patriot Act had nothing but blood lust for Tripp one year after Clinton was impeached (Steven Lubet, "Linda Tripp Deserves to be Prosecuted," New York Times, 8/25/99).

Criminal prosecution is a surrogate for political warfare, but in this war, Republicans are gutless appeasers.

Bush has got to pardon Libby.

Good News From The War On Terror 3/5 - 3/6

IRAQ

AIR STRIKE DESTROYS BUILDING USED TO BUILD IEDS

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A Coalition Forces air strike destroyed a building housing a large cache of materials used to build roadside bombs in Mosul Monday evening.

Intelligence reports stated terrorists were accumulating weapons and were believed to have knowledge of suppliers and producers of improvised explosive devices in the Mosul area.

Upon arrival at the targeted building, two individuals pulled weapons on the ground force. Ground forces took proper self-defense measures and killed the individuals.

While searching the targeted building, ground forces discovered an underground room that was being used to store large amounts of IED-making materials, including approximately 50 IEDs, 200 bags of fertilizer, blasting caps and multiple grenades.

Coalition Forces called in for air support to destroy the building to prevent the IED-related material from being used against Iraqi citizens, Iraqi military and Coalition Forces in the future.

“Considering the amount of human suffering and damage inflicted by VBIEDs, it is always significant when we are able to eliminate or detain terrorists involved in these attacks,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson.

LARGE CACHE DISCOVERIES HIGHLIGHT SECURITY EFFORTS

BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers, together with Iraqi security forces uncovered more than 10 times the number of mortar rounds and small arms ammunition this week, thanks in large part to several large cache finds southwest of the Iraqi capital.

More than 21,000 small arms rounds were confiscated this week, up from 2,160 the previous week; while 937 mortar rounds were discovered, up from 89 the week before.

“Our operations are denying terrorists and extremist elements the ability to wage war against innocent Iraqi citizens and our own forces,” said Brig. Gen. John F. Campbell, deputy commanding general for maneuver for MND-B. “Together with our Iraqi counterparts, we continue the effort to provide a lasting peace here in Baghdad.”

Noting the impact of the arrival of U.S. and Iraqi troops into Baghdad to implement the new security plan, Campbell pointed to the districts of Adhamiyah and Sadr City as recent success stories, based on the decrease in the number of attacks in those areas.

In December, the two eastern Baghdad districts accounted for 440 total attacks, which include small arms fire, improvised explosive device explosions and sectarian murders. From Feb. 5 through March 5 this year, however, Campbell said those attacks dropped to 91.

“Over the past month, there were 18 small arms attacks and 19 murders,” Campbell said. “That is a dramatic decrease from December totals of 116 and 254, respectively.”

The number of IED attacks decreased by nine, compared to the December 2006 monthly total, from 40 down to 31. Campbell said efforts continue in and around Baghdad to take weapons out of the hands of extremists.

The 10th Mountain Division’s 2nd “Commando” Brigade alone uncovered 23 caches during the week of Feb. 24 through March 2. In all, MND-B units found 51 caches, up 11 from the previous week.

In one mission alone, Operation Eagle Viper conducted March 1, the Commando Brigade uncovered eight caches and detained 42 suspects in Janabi Village, Iraq.

With additional troops arriving in the Iraqi capital every day, Campbell noted a steady rise in the number of security patrols in and around Baghdad.

“This week, we conducted more than 24,000 patrols in support of Operation Fardh Al-Qanoon,” Campbell said. “That’s up more than 2,500 from the previous week. Of those 24,000 patrols, more than half were conducted by the Iraqi police and national police forces.”

As security forces throughout Multi-National Division Baghdad expand into the neighborhoods and streets of the city, setting up patrol bases and Joint Security Stations, Campbell said there is an immediate impact on the enemy.

“We’ve seen in a continuing downward trend in attacks,” he said. “For the fourth straight week, attack volume within the city of Baghdad has declined.

“Despite determination by terrorists with Al Qaeda in Iraq to instigate sectarian violence through senseless killing of Iraqi civilians, we are seeing the lethality of these vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices and suicide attacks declining, significantly,” Campbell added. “And sectarian murder levels remain lower than prior to the start of Operation Fardh al-Qanoon.”

Even as the level of violence continues to decline in and around the Iraqi capital, civil affairs operations, especially construction projects were slowed this week. The slow down was not due to violence in the city streets, but rather because of heavy rain and religious holidays, according to Navy Cmdr. Michael Sanchez, a civil military affairs plans officer with MND-B.

However, Sanchez said, the division hosted a team of industry executives, who visited several state-run enterprises in and around Baghdad to gain an appreciation for the existing capabilities and to begin developing strategies to revitalize industry.

“The executive team was sponsored by Paul Brinkley, the Defense Undersecretary for Business Transformation,” Sanchez said. “They went to factories in Iskandariyah, Mussayib and Al Doura.”

Another group brought in by Brinkley focused on agriculture, according to Sanchez.

“This team of agricultural experts met with division representatives to discuss agriculture-related initiatives being conducted in the farming regions around Baghdad,” Sanchez said.

The level of violence in the city remained relatively steady, Campbell said, showing no major increase or decrease over the past week. However, he lauded the weapons cache finds during the week.

“Three full weeks into the new security plan, we’re seeing the fruits of our labors,” he said. “There is progress being made on the streets of Baghdad as we take the fight to the enemies of a free Iraq.”

CLEARING SADR CITY: MND-B GENERAL PLEASED WITH INITIAL RESULTS

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – A combined force of Iraqi police, national police and Multi-National Division – Baghdad troops completed a second day of security operations in the eastern Baghdad Sadr City district March 5.

Members of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team and the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division conducted security operations with their Iraqi counterparts and reported no hostile contact for a second day in an area known to be a stronghold of Muqtada Al Sadr, the extremist leader of rogue elements known for extrajudicial killings and attacks against coalition forces. Some residents seemed genuinely pleased to see the troops arrive, as small children were seen smiling and waving to coalition forces.

"It's a promising first start,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil Jr., commanding general of MND-B. “We sense there is an opportunity opening here that we want to immediately take advantage of while working with the Iraqi security forces and the people of Sadr City.”

The citizens of Sadr City appear to welcome the respite from recent violence over the last few months. The killings have fallen off from more than 200 in December and January to less than 20 during the past 30 days as the new security plan for the Iraqi capital is carried out by newly arrived troops.

“Although much too early to tell,” Fil noted, “we sense that the people of the city are ready for a change."

At the conclusion of the security operations a Joint Security Station will be established in the District Police Station for Sadr City. This security station will allow a 24-hour presence in the Sadr City district and facilitate coordination between all security forces.

Fil said the key to future success is the newly-established Baghdad Operational Command, and the close coordination and cooperation that have been established.

“The Baghdad Operational Command became fully operational on the first of this month and they are off to a great start,” the general said. “Lt. Gen. Abud is directing and controlling Iraqi security forces throughout Baghdad. We are coordinating between our commands in a way that is having an immediate effect on the streets. Feedback from the Iraqis has been positive and we feel at this time we are on the right track."

AFGHANISTAN

5 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS ARRESTED IN KHOWST PROVINCE

KABUL , Afghanistan – Afghan and Coalition forces arrested five suspected terrorists, two of whom attempted to flee to a neighboring building, during an operation the evening of March 5 west of Khowst city.

The men were arrested without further incident following a thorough search of the buildings, which also uncovered a cache of grenades and armor-piercing rounds.

Credible information in connection with anti-government activities and known terrorist groups at the suspected compound led the Coalition forces to the building in Khowst province.

No shots were fired during the operation and there were no reported injuries or damages. The grenades and ammunition were destroyed at the scene.

Dems to Bush: Don't pardon Libby

CNN.com

"It's about time someone in the Bush administration has been held accountable for the campaign to manipulate intelligence and discredit war critics," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

"Lewis Libby has been convicted of perjury, but his trial revealed deeper truths about Vice President Cheney's role in this sordid affair. Now President Bush must pledge not to pardon Libby for his criminal conduct."

Added House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, "This trial provided a troubling picture of the inner workings of the Bush administration. The testimony unmistakably revealed -- at the highest levels of the Bush administration -- a callous disregard in handling sensitive national security information and a disposition to smear critics of the war in Iraq."

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said the investigation should go deeper.

"There's a lot more going on here than just this," Dean said on CNN's "The Situation Room."

"We know that the president was not truthful with the American people when he sent us to war," he said. "... We don't know if the president committed a crime or not; it would be interesting to find that out." (Watch Dean tar Bush and Cheney Video) (This was directly from CNN's website)

Here you have Pelosi and Reid misunderstanding what the trial was about. The trial was not about who 'outed' a 'covert' CIA agent. The trial was about Libby's recollection of conversations and whom did he talk to first. He was supposed to remember all of this 2+ years later. Ridiculous!

When all the appeals and other judicial nonsense is done, and if Scooter Libby is 'still' convicted, I pray that Bush pardons him. The president needs to grow a pair and tell the Dems "I'm pardoning Libby and there's nothing you can do about it". I hardly think this will be as questionable as the pardons given by former President Clinton. Of course they have short memories and won't remember that.

Appeal For Courage-Military Asks Congress To Support WOT

Appeal For CourageVia Jawa Report

Appeal for Courage is a non-partisan, grass-roots effort to communicate to Congress the troops' desire to remain in Iraq until our mission is complete. We feel calls to retreat embolden our enemy and hurt our support within the American public and Iraqi people. We accept no funding from any source, and do not speak for any group or organization other than those military members who have signed the Appeal.


Appeal for Redress

This site is an Appeal For Redress in support of our mission in Iraq.

An Appeal For Redress is an authorized means for active duty military to submit a grievance to Congress. It can be signed by Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard military personnel.

It is authorized by DoD Directive 1325.6 and DoD Directive 7050.6.

The wording of the Appeal for Redress is:
As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack.

Most service members fully support the war in Iraq and feel calls to retreat by Congress and attacks by our media on our conduct and mission act to motivate our enemy while demoralizing our support at home, directly increasing the threat we face and resulting in greater American casualties. This Appeal for Redress provides a way in which individual service members can appeal to Congress to fully support us and actively oppose media attacks on our mission and our morale.

This Appeal will be delivered to members of Congress.

It's great to hear from members of the military that are supporting the cause. I couldn't imagine what it must be like to be fighting for our freedoms and having elected politicians continually stab you in the back.

A quote from a former Marine I talked to, "It's better we fight them there, than here".

Scooter Libby Guilty on 4 Out Of 5 Counts.

The charges were obstruction and perjury. He was found not guilty of lying to the FBI during an investigation.

An absolute travesty of the justice system. He's been found guilty because he doesn't remember casual conversation. I chat with people everyday and no way do I remember the details of the conversations.

At least the whole Scooter Libby circus can be put to rest now. The whole thing was ridiculous. How you can 'out' a 'covert' CIA agent when she can be seen coming and going from CIA headquarters is beyond me. Anyone who wanted to put in the effort could find out she worked for the CIA without using any classified material.

I will update as needed.

***UPDATE***

Editor&Publisher.com

NEW YORK A spokesman for the jury that convicted "Scooter" Lewis of four counts today of perjury and obstruction of justice today in a federal courtroom told reporters immediately afterward that many felt sympathy for Libby and believed he was only the "fall guy."

Denis Collins said, "We asked ourselves, what is HE doing here? Where is Rove and all these other guys....He was the fall guy."

He said they believed that Vice President Cheney did "task him to talk to reporters."

He said, "some jurors said at one point, 'We wish we weren't judging Libby...this sucks."

Asked about Vice President Cheney not testifying, he said, "Having Cheney testifying would have been interesting." And when the defense opened the trial by suggesting that Libby was scapegoated by the White House, "I thought we might get to see President Bush here."

I think this juror did the Libby legal team some favors. It appears that they were wanting to convict anyone in the Bush administration. The political bias they are demonstrating should cause the verdict to be thrown out and a new trial to proceed.

I question why they feel that Rove, Bush, and/or Cheney should have been there. This was an obstruction of justice and perjury case. It only involved whether Libby could adequately remember conversations that included Valerie Plame. This had nothing to do with who 'outed' Valerie Plame.

FYI "Good News" Posts

After today, all of the "Good News From Iraq/Afghanistan" posts will be titled "Good News From The War On Terror". I will then break the news down by whatever regions are provided by CentCom.

Top Iranian General Disappears

The Blotter

The mysterious disappearance of an Iranian general in Turkey in early February has led to speculation he either was kidnapped or defected.

Iran has reportedly asked Interpol to investigate the general's disappearance. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted by Iran's news agency today as saying that a foreign ministry official was currently in Turkey to investigate the disappearance and has asked the Turkish government "to inquire into the issue and give explanation on Asgari's whereabouts."

One respected analyst with sources in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard says Gen. Ali Reza Asgari has defected and is now in a European country with his entire family, where he is cooperating with the U.S.

Other reports have suggested that the general may have been kidnapped by the Israeli secret service, the Mossad. A spokesperson at the CIA declined to comment on the reported defection.

"This is a fatal blow to Iranian intelligence," said the source, explaining that Asgari knows sensitive information about Iran's nuclear and military projects. Iran called tens of its Revolutionary Guard agents working at embassies and cultural centers in Arab and European countries back to Tehran out of fear that Asgari might disclose secret information about their identities, according to the analyst.

There are conflicting reports about how and when Asgari disappeared. The general, according to Turkish and Israeli press reports, arrived in Istanbul from Damascus on Feb. 7. Initial reports speculated he may have been kidnapped because he failed to show up at a hotel that had been booked for him by two non-Turkish men.

The source, however, believes Asgari's disappearance was prompted by the detention of five Iranians after the raid on their government's liaison office in Irbil, Iraq in January. Asgari, 63, knew and may have worked with some of the detained men, said the analyst.

Asgari's years with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Iranian defense ministry would make him an invaluable source of information. He was reportedly based in Lebanon in the 1990s and was in charge of ties with the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah.

At one point he was also in charge of military purchases at the defense ministry and exposed widespread corruption there which led to the arrest of a number of officials. Most recently, he worked as a consultant for the same ministry

If he was kidnapped, hopefully he's in a CIA secret prison being water-boarded. If he defected, good. If we or one of our allies are involved, the amount of intelligence that can be gained would be great.

CIA Hot On The Trail of Bin Laden?

The Blotter

Armed with fresh intelligence, the CIA is moving additional man power and equipment into Pakistan in the effort to find Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahri, U.S. officials tell ABC News.

"Reports that the trail has gone stone cold are not correct," said one U.S. official. "We are very much increasing our efforts there," the official said.

People familiar with the CIA operation say undercover officers with paramilitary training have been ordered into Pakistan and the area across the border with Afghanistan as part of the ramp-up.

Although never publicly acknowledged, Pakistan has permitted CIA teams to secretly operate inside Pakistan.

Pakistan officials say they are aware that CIA teams have increased their presence in northern Waziristan since last September when Pakistan withdrew its troops from the area under a much-criticized "peace deal" with tribal leaders.

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell testified last week that current intelligence "to the best of our knowledge" puts both bin Laden and al Zawahri in Pakistan. It was the first time a high-ranking U.S. official publicly identified Pakistan as bin Laden's hiding place.

Past intelligence has indicated that bin Laden often changed locations in March, traveling to hiding places in the mountains once the snow cover begins to melt.

Once again, I expect a big letdown. This is something we've heard several times, and each time we narrowly missed him. I actually think the chances of him still being alive is 50/50. Mr. Zawahiri has been the mouthpiece for Al-Qaeda for quite some time and it's just gives me a feeling Bin Laden is either dead or in grave condition. Just show us the body, I don't want him alive. If he is found alive, hopefully he will be tortured before his last breaths.

Al-Qaeda Leader In Iraq Captured?

The Fourth Rail Via Jawa Report

Unconfirmed report indicates Bagdadi captured in Salahadin province

Iraqi security forces are reporting that Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the leader of al-Qaeda's political front organization the Islamic State of Iraq, has been captured in the northern city of Duluiya in Salahadin province, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. The report has not been confirmed by the U.S. military at this time. The mid February news that Abu Musab al-Masri was wounded and subsequently captured by Iraqi security forces turned out to be a false report from the Interior Ministry. However today's report of al-Baghdadi's capture was issued by the Salahadin provincial administration.

Al-Baghdadi's real name is reported as Muharib Mohammed Abdullah, and he is “a former legal expert from the city of Balad.” Baghdadi's capture would be a largely symbolic victory, as al-Masri is the real power behind al-Qaeda and its Islamic State.

After so many false reports, you can't help but doubt this. Hopefully, it will turn out to be good news.

Good News From Iraq And Afghanistan 3/2-3/4

IRAQ

EIGHT TERRORISTS KILLED DURING SALMAN PAK RAID

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition Forces killed eight terrorists during a raid Thursday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq operating in the Salman Pak region.
Intelligence reports indicate a significant number of individuals involved with the AQIZ terrorist network currently operating in the area. Activities in this area have been linked to a roadside and vehicle-borne explosives network. Terrorists in the area are also believed to be involved in smuggling weapons and facilitating foreign fighters.
During the raid, in which Coalition Forces were repeatedly confronted by small arms and mortar fires, Coalition Forces identified three armed terrorists maneuvering toward them with hostile intent. Ground forces engaged the enemy, killing the three terrorists.
Twenty minutes later, ground forces were again confronted by eight terrorists who began firing upon them. Ground forces returned fire, killing four terrorists. The other four fled the area.
Ground forces also witnessed armed terrorists in a vehicle who were accessing a weapons cache and removing small arms. Coalition Forces engaged, killing one terrorist. Two terrorists were wounded and fled.
Coalition Forces recovered several sniper rifles, AK-47s and rocket-propelled launchers from one of the engagement sites.
"Successful coalition operations continue to disrupt al-Qaeda in Iraq operations, restricting freedom of movement and reducing the organization's manpower pool," said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesman.

THREE SUSPECTED TERRORISTS DETAINED IN BAGHDAD RAID

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces detained three suspected terrorists during a raid in Baghdad Sunday morning.

The targeted suspected terrorist, who was detained on the scene, is reported to be involved in the procurement and distribution of weapons, including explosives to conduct improvised explosive devices attacks against Iraqi citizens and Coalition Forces.

While conducting the raid, Coalition Forces entered a mosque where the targeted suspect was hiding. Coalition Forces detained the targeted suspect along with two other suspected terrorists.

During the operation, one local Iraqi woman received wounds to her thigh and head. Coalition medical personnel treated her onsite and she was transported to a local hospital for further care.

“Coalition forces soldiers respect the sanctity and holiness of all places of worship and exercise the utmost restraint when planning for and considering the conduct of operations in and around mosques,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson.

“We do not enter mosques for the sole purposes of disrupting insurgent activities or conducting a show of force. Mosque entries occur only as a last resort, and only when substantial and credible evidence shows insurgent activity is occurring there – i.e., meetings, storage of weapons, harboring of insurgent leaders,” he said.

IRAQI FORCES CAPTURE SUSPECTED WEAPONS SMUGGLER IN BASRA

Baghdad – Special Iraqi Army Forces captured an alleged weapons smuggler and trafficker during operations with Coalition advisers Mar. 4 in Basra.

The suspect reportedly funnels weapons and improvised explosive devices to rogue Jaysh Al Mahdi elements for use in attacks against Iraqi and Coalition Forces.

Iraqi forces captured the alleged trafficker without incident. The operation, against a suspected rogue JAM member, demonstrates that Iraqi forces operate at will throughout Iraq to combat criminal and violent elements undermining the security of Iraq.

CLEARING OPERATIONS BEGIN IN SADR CITY

BAGHDAD - More than 600 Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers and 550 Iraqi security forces began a clearing operation in the eastern district known as Sadr City March 4.

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, with two Stryker companies from 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, conducted a combined clearing operation beginning in the early morning hours March 4, teaming up with the 8th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Division and the 3d Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army Division.

"During operations today, local residents were receptive and cooperative with coalition and Iraqi forces," said Lt. Col. Scott R. Bleichwehl, MND-B spokesman. "The operation is designed to set secure conditions for the citizens of Sadr City."

During the operation March 4, Bleichwehl said no weapons caches were reported or suspects detained. He added there were no incidents of violence, and no casualties to coalition forces, Iraqi security forces or civilians.

AIR STRIKE LEADS TO HOSTAGE RESCUE; WEAPONS CACHE UNCOVERED

BAGHDAD, IRAQ – An assessment performed by Coalition Forces following an air strike in Arab Jabour on Saturday led to the rescue of four Iraqi citizens and the uncovering of a terrorist weapons cache today.

Four Iraqi citizens were liberated from a building near the site of yesterday’s air strike. According to one of the liberated hostages, the terrorists holding them captive fled immediately after the air strike. All four hostages were treated on site for various injuries. One of the hostages said he had been held captive for 50 days.

At the site of the air strike, Ground forces also found remnants of an anti-aircraft heavy machine gun known as a DShK and multiple rocket propelled grenades and grenade launchers. Additionally, a DShK Tripod was found dug in the ground along the Tigris River with spent ammunition cartridges.

Coalition Forces called in the air strike yesterday after they began receiving small arms fire from several armed men across the Tigris River and were unable to safely subdue enemy fire.

Coalition Forces used two precision guided bombs in the strike destroying a small structure and killing seven terrorists hiding inside. A large secondary explosion was noted after the initial bombs were dropped on the target, indicating the presence of explosive material within the structure.

AFGHANISTAN

8 ARRESTED IN COMBING AFGHAN-COALITION OPERAT ION

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN – Afghan and Coalition forces arrested one known terrorist and seven other suspects early Friday in the Gorwek Valley area of Paktika Province in connection with aiding terrorist fighters and facilitating terrorist operations.
Reliable information led the combined force to the compound, where the inhabitants complied with a request for peaceful surrender.
No shots were fired, and there were no injuries to Afghans or Coalition forces or reported damages during the operation.

Inmate Hugo Chavez Escapes From Mental Institution Again

FOXNews.com

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez on Sunday said he believes enemies including the CIA are out to kill him, and called U.S. diplomat John Negroponte a "professional killer."

Chavez said Venezuelan officials have intelligence that associates of jailed Cuban anti-communist militant Luis Posada Carriles also are involved in plotting to assassinate him.

He said the death plot idea has "gained weight" due to various factors, including the recent appointment of Negroponte, the former director of national intelligence, as deputy to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"Who did they swear in ... there at the White House as deputy secretary of state? A professional killer: John Negroponte," Chavez said.

Chavez did not elaborate, but his government has previously accused Negroponte of playing a key role in the Contra war against the leftist Sandinista government of Nicaragua when he served as ambassador to Honduras — a haven for clandestine Contra bases — from 1981 to 1985.

Whoever is trying to kill him should hurry up and do it. He's already crazy, the more he believes this, the worse he's going to become. It's actually amazing that he thinks he's that important.

Nuclear bomb materials frighteningly available

MercuryNews.com

WASHINGTON - The number of experts who believe that terrorists could obtain the apparatus for a nuclear bomb is impressive and growing.

The Sept. 11 Commission described in 2004 the relative ease with which terrorists could conceal the needed weapons-grade plutonium or highly enriched uranium, which it said would be ``about the size of a grapefruit or an orange.''

Since 2001, law enforcement officials have developed training exercises on how terrorists might smuggle eight components for an improvised 10-kiloton bomb into the United States and then detonate it near the White House.

Experts in and out of the government worry that the most likely source of nuclear material is Russia and the former Soviet bloc nations, where stocks of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium are stored at loosely guarded sites.

And some people are trying to get their hands on them.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reports 976 incidents of illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials since 1993 -- with 149 of them last year alone. In 2006, a man in the former Soviet republic of Georgia was arrested for allegedly trying to sell highly enriched uranium to terrorists.

I believe we are at a point where it's not if, but when some type of nuclear device is detonated inside the United States. With the combination of lack security of nuclear material in foreign countries and our ridiculously open border, it's just a matter of time before it happens.

Pakistan Makes A Deal With The Taliban?

Asia Times Online Via Victorycaucus.com

KARACHI - The Pakistani establishment has made a deal with the Taliban through a leading Taliban commander that will extend Islamabad's influence into southwestern Afghanistan and significantly strengthen the resistance in its push to capture Kabul.

One-legged Mullah Dadullah will be Pakistan's strongman in a corridor running from the Afghan provinces of Zabul, Urzgan, Kandahar and Helmand across the border into Pakistan's

Balochistan province, according to both Taliban and al-Qaeda contacts Asia Times Online spoke to. Using Pakistani territory and with Islamabad's support, the Taliban will be able safely to move men, weapons and supplies into southwestern Afghanistan.

The deal with Mullah Dadullah will serve Pakistan's interests in re- establishing a strong foothold in Afghanistan (the government in Kabul leans much more toward India), and it has resulted in a cooling of the Taliban's relations with al-Qaeda.

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Al-Qaeda does not fit into any plans involving Pakistan, but mutual respect between the al-Qaeda leadership and the Taliban still exists. All the same, there is tension over their ideological differences, and al-Qaeda sources believe it is just a matter of time before the sides part physically as well.

One would think that the threat of cutting off aid to Pakistan and the deal to help India with nuclear energy would be enough to discourage these kinds of acts. Of course the U.S. has threatened to cut off the palestinian terror-tory but yet we keep pouring millions to them. I guess it just goes to show you that none of those people can be trusted. They will pat you on the back with one hand and stab with you the other.

Terrorist Bill Of Rights-NY Times

New York Times Via LGF

Restore Habeas Corpus

One of the new act’s most indecent provisions denies anyone Mr. Bush labels an “illegal enemy combatant” the ancient right to challenge his imprisonment in court. The arguments for doing this were specious. Habeas corpus is nothing remotely like a get-out-of-jail-free card for terrorists, as supporters would have you believe. It is a way to sort out those justly detained from those unjustly detained. It will not “clog the courts,” as Senator Graham claims. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has a worthy bill that would restore habeas corpus. It is essential to bringing integrity to the detention system and reviving the United States’ credibility.

Stop Illegal Spying

Mr. Bush’s program of intercepting Americans’ international calls and e-mail messages without a warrant has not ceased. The agreement announced recently — under which a secret court supposedly gave its blessing to the program — did nothing to restore judicial process or ensure that Americans’ rights are preserved. Congress needs to pass a measure, like one proposed by Senator Dianne Feinstein, to force Mr. Bush to obey the law that requires warrants for electronic surveillance.

Ban Torture, Really

The provisions in the Military Commissions Act that Senator McCain trumpeted as a ban on torture are hardly that. It is still largely up to the president to decide what constitutes torture and abuse for the purpose of prosecuting anyone who breaks the rules. This amounts to rewriting the Geneva Conventions and puts every American soldier at far greater risk if captured. It allows the president to decide in secret what kinds of treatment he will permit at the Central Intelligence Agency’s prisons. The law absolves American intelligence agents and their bosses of any acts of torture and abuse they have already committed.

Close the C.I.A. Prisons

When the Military Commissions Act passed, Mr. Bush triumphantly announced that he now had the power to keep the secret prisons open. He cast this as a great victory for national security. It was a defeat for America’s image around the world. The prisons should be closed.

Account for ‘Ghost Prisoners’

The United States has to come clean on all of the “ghost prisoners” it has in the secret camps. Holding prisoners without any accounting violates human rights norms. Human Rights Watch says it has identified nearly 40 men and women who have disappeared into secret American-run prisons.

Ban Extraordinary Rendition

This is the odious practice of abducting foreign citizens and secretly flying them to countries where everyone knows they will be tortured. It is already illegal to send a prisoner to a country if there is reason to believe he will be tortured. The administration’s claim that it got “diplomatic assurances” that prisoners would not be abused is laughable.

Congress needs to completely overhaul the military prisons for terrorist suspects, starting with the way prisoners are classified. Shortly after 9/11, Mr. Bush declared all members of Al Qaeda and the Taliban to be “illegal enemy combatants” not entitled to the protections of the Geneva Conventions or American justice. Over time, the designation was applied to anyone the administration chose, including some United States citizens and the entire detainee population of Gitmo.

To address this mess, the government must:

Tighten the Definition of Combatant

“Illegal enemy combatant” is assigned a dangerously broad definition in the Military Commissions Act. It allows Mr. Bush — or for that matter anyone he chooses to designate to do the job — to apply this label to virtually any foreigner anywhere, including those living legally in the United States.

Screen Prisoners Fairly and Effectively

When the administration began taking prisoners in Afghanistan, it did not much bother to screen them. Hundreds of innocent men were sent to Gitmo, where far too many remain to this day. The vast majority will never even be brought before tribunals and still face indefinite detention without charges.

Under legal pressure, Mr. Bush created “combatant status review tribunals,” but they are a mockery of any civilized legal proceeding. They take place thousands of miles from the point of capture, and often years later. Evidence obtained by coercion and torture is permitted. The inmates do not get to challenge this evidence. They usually do not see it.

The Bush administration uses the hoary “fog of war” dodge to justify the failure to screen prisoners, saying it is not practical to do that on the battlefield. That’s nonsense. It did not happen in Afghanistan, and often in Iraq, because Mr. Bush decided just to ship the prisoners off to Gitmo.

Ban Tainted Evidence

The Military Commissions Act and the regulations drawn up by the Pentagon to put it into action, are far too permissive on evidence obtained through physical abuse or coercion. This evidence is unreliable. The method of obtaining it is an affront.

Ban Secret Evidence

Under the Pentagon’s new rules for military tribunals, judges are allowed to keep evidence secret from a prisoner’s lawyer if the government persuades the judge it is classified. The information that may be withheld can include interrogation methods, which would make it hard, if not impossible, to prove torture or abuse.

Better Define ‘Classified’ Evidence

The military commission rules define this sort of secret evidence as “any information or material that has been determined by the United States government pursuant to statute, executive order or regulation to require protection against unauthorized disclosure for reasons of national security.” This is too broad, even if a president can be trusted to exercise the power fairly and carefully. Mr. Bush has shown he cannot be trusted to do that.

Respect the Right to Counsel

Soon after 9/11, the Bush administration allowed the government to listen to conversations and intercept mail between some prisoners and their lawyers. This had the effect of suspending their right to effective legal representation. Since then, the administration has been unceasingly hostile to any lawyers who defend detainees. The right to legal counsel does not exist to coddle serial terrorists or snarl legal proceedings. It exists to protect innocent people from illegal imprisonment.

Are we allowed to question their patriotism yet? To summarize the bill of rights suggested by the NY Times, it's our fault the terrorists do what they do, so we should let them do it. Of course it wouldn't have anything to do with their religion. If we stop capturing people that wish to kill us, the world will be a happy place.

More Troubling Events Concerning Russia

Expert in Russian poisoning case is shot

WASHINGTON - FBI agents say they are assisting police in suburban Washington who are investigating the shooting of a Russian expert — a man who spoke out on "Dateline NBC" last weekend and strongly suggested that remnants of the KGB were responsible for the bizarre poisoning death of Alexander Litvinenko.

The Russian expert, Paul Joyal, was shot Thursday night as he got out of his car in front of his house in Adelphi, Md. Investigators in Prince Georges County say a witness claims to have seen two men running away after the shooting. Joyal remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the midsection. Authorities have not said whether they've been able to talk to him.

Joyal is a long-time consultant on security and Russian affairs. From 1980 to 1989, he was director of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee.

On last weekend's "Dateline," he said of Litvenenko's death: "A message has been communicated to anyone who wants to speak out against the Kremlin: 'If you do, no matter who you are, where you are, we will find you and we will silence you — in the most horrible way possible.'"

Russian Police Crack Down on Anti-Kremlin Demonstration

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Police clubbed protesters and dragged them into waiting buses on Saturday in response to a defiant demonstration against the Kremlin in the heart of President Vladimir Putin's hometown.

Several thousand members of liberal and leftist groups chanted "Shame!" as they marched down St. Petersburg's main avenue to protest what they said was Russia's roll back from democracy. The demonstration, called the March of Those Who Disagree, was a rare gathering of the country's often fractious opposition.

It was at least the third time police have moved in to break up an anti-Kremlin protest in recent months.

St. Petersburg authorities had prohibited the march, only granting permission for a rally far from the city center, but the activists defied the ban and marched down the Nevsky Prospekt, the city's main street, blocking traffic. The mayor called the protesters extremists trying to destabilize the city ahead of local elections.

Riot police beat dozens of protesters with truncheons, but several thousand broke through police cordons. They marched toward the city center and rallied for about 40 minutes until police moved in again, detaining people and dragging them into buses.

Putin accused of shutting out opposition parties from coming polls

Opposition parties in Russia are accusing Vladimir Putin's Kremlin of mounting a concerted campaign to shut them out of forthcoming elections and squeeze the life out of the democratic process.

With seven days to go until regional elections, nine parties have already been barred from standing in one or more regions, and others are struggling to overcome the obstacles being placed in their path.

Small parties not currently represented in the national parliament claim that to qualify for the vote on March 11, they have been told they must put up a huge bond in advance or collect tens of thousands of signatures of support. They say that even when they meet the criteria, the government moves the goal posts.

The warnings come amid an increasingly bitter war of words between the United States and Russia over the direction in which Moscow is heading. Last week Mike McConnell, America's national intelligence director, accused Mr Putin of taking a backward step in the march towards democracy. He claimed Mr Putin had surrounded himself with "extremely conservative" advisers and was controlling the process of selecting Russia's next leader.

Next Sunday's contests in 14 regions are the last major electoral test before federal parliamentary elections in December and the vote to choose President Putin's successor a year from now.

Under new legislation passed last year, nearly half of Russia's 35 parties had already been defined out of existence because they were too small. Some of them allege election rules have been twisted to consign them to the wilderness.

Kremlinology: a study of the president's men

Winston Churchill famously compared analysing Soviet-era politics to watching bulldogs fighting under a carpet.

Although Boris Yeltsin, unwittingly perhaps, laid bare the Kremlin's inner workings for a while, ex-KGB Vladimir Putin has not just pulled the carpet back into place, he has nailed it to the floor. As a result the art of Kremlinology has made a comeback - and nowhere is it practised more enthusiastically than over the question of Mr Putin's successor.

For the moment, at least, the Kremlinologists believe there are two front-runners: first deputy prime ministers Dmitry Medvedev and Sergei Ivanov. Both men, each backed by competing Kremlin factions, have been given extensive coverage in the media over the past year in an attempt to boost their popularity.

Western diplomats say they would marginally prefer Mr Medvedev, who is seen as the more moderate of the two. But as a friend of Mr Putin from the time when the president served as deputy mayor of St Petersburg in the 1990s, he is still unlikely to diverge much from Russia's current course.

Mr Ivanov is seen as more of a hawk and has been frequently vocal in his criticisms of the West. Like the president, he is a former KGB officer and is thought to be close to a powerful faction in the Kremlin known as the Siloviki, dominated by those with a Soviet-era intelligence background.

While cipher candidates could also run to give the election an air of legitimacy domestically, few doubt that the candidate backed by Mr Putin will win. Liberal heavyweights like former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov and former chess champion Garry Kasparov could also mount a challenge but it is likely to be stillborn. They will either be jailed or further discredited and are already unpopular after being portrayed as corrupt stooges of the West. Some still believe that, despite his insistence to the contrary, Mr Putin will change the constitution to seek a third term. Even if he does not, Mr Putin will still loom large in Russian politics, assuming his successor stays loyal — something that cannot be taken for granted as Boris Yeltsin discovered.

Mr Putin, however, is in a stronger position. Although the factions in the Kremlin are locked in fierce competition for control of the country's energy and natural resources, they know that stability is the best way to ensure their own preservation.

It is also possible that Mr Putin could pick another insider if his loyalty appeared more solid. Kremlinologists say that as many as 10 other candidates are still being considered.