A GODFATHER MOVIE IN AFGHANISTAN
The capture of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar -- the Taliban's equivalent of Gen. Stan McChrystal -- by Pakistani agents and CIA operatives is a big win. Subordinate only to Mullah Omar, the Taliban's CEO, Baradar ran the Taliban's military operations in Afghanistan. Responsible for the upgrade in insurgent tactics -- fighting smart, rather than just fighting -- he also created the Taliban's hearts-and-minds campaign. For two weeks, he's been under interrogation by Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency. The CIA's also involved in the questioning on some level -- but the ISI always holds back some chips. The grab won't affect the ongoing fight for Marjah in Afghanistan, but the loss of Baradar's operational savvy could degrade future Taliban operations. And if he sings -- as we're told he's doing -- it could be the biggest anti-Taliban bonanza since 2001. Or maybe not.
POLAND VS. GREECE
Which was the only country in the 27-nation European Union to register economic growth without going through a recession last year? The surprising answer is Poland. Over the past couple of weeks, Greece has been grabbing the headlines as a poster child for bad fiscal management. The Greek tragedy is threatening to undo the Eurozone and cause a pan-European financial crisis. There is no mystery as to why Greece is in the financial soup - its politicians have continued to spend far more than the government receives in taxes. The more interesting question is: What did Poland do right - and will Poland be better off or worse off if it joins the Eurozone?
ARABIAN WONDERLAND
Manama, Bahrain. This is a tale of a very different Arab sheikhdom from Kuwait. Let's start with drunk Saudis. A drunk Saudi is a very amusing spectacle. Saudi Arabia is the most uptight, rigidly repressed place on the planet. What the map above doesn't show is a causeway enabling Saudis to drive to the island of Bahrain, the Arabian Wonderland, where they proceed to unrepress themselves. Sober, Saudis are arrogant putzes sneering at American infidels. Smashed, they are still obnoxious but very friendly. They keep saying, "My friend," and talk nonstop in increasingly unintelligible English until they pass out. This upsets the hookers, for an unconscious customer, no matter how rich, is of no use to them. Bahrain has a history as old as civilization...
WHY JEWS SHOULD SUPPORT SARAH PALIN
Sarah Palin, who is considering a run in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries, is using her public platforms to reassemble the coalition of security hawks, social conservatives and blue collar workers that propelled Ronald Reagan to the White House in 1980. Her support for Israel serves her in building support among both security hawks and social conservatives. Unlike Obama's empty protestations of support for Israel, Palin's support is obviously heartfelt and therefore will not diminish while Obama remains in office. And as Palin becomes stronger, her ability to influence the US debate in a manner that constrains Obama's freedom to intimidate Israel into allowing Iran to become a nuclear power will rise. In spite of Palin's extraordinary support for Israel, the American Jewish community overwhelmingly rejects her. As Jennifer Rubin noted in her article, "Why Jews hate Palin," in Commentary magazine, Jews disapproved of Sen. John McCain's choice of Palin as his running-mate by a 54 to 37 percent majority. The sneering broadsides published against Palin by leading American Jewish writers are legion. In her article, Rubin gives a number of reasons for American Jews' rejection of Palin.
A WACKO WHITE HOUSE
Iraq "could be one of the great achievements of (the Obama) administration," Vice President Joe Biden told CNN's Larry King Feb. 10. This statement was fascinating, on at least three levels. First, it's a breathtaking lie. What turned around the situation in Iraq was the troop surge President Bush ordered in January, 2007. Then Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden strenuously opposed it. Second, it assumes the American people are idiots. It's not exactly a secret that Sens. Obama and Biden opposed the troop surge. They spoke about it often. There are plenty of television news clips attesting to this. Third, it indicates that after a year in office the Obama administration is so hard up for "accomplishments" that it feels compelled to claim credit for the leading accomplishment of its much maligned predecessor. You might say this was just Sloe Joe -- but he's not the only wacko in the White House.
HALF-FULL REPORT 02/12/10
Happy Valentine's Day! I am far away from my Valentine of almost three decades, as this Sunday the 14th I'll be in Bahrain, but we'll celebrate the love we've shared for all these years as soon as I get back home. For those of you lucky to be home with a loved one, taking the time to celebrate that love is certainly worth devoting this coming Sunday to. It's also worth devoting a bit of time today reflecting on a common love all us TTPers share - our love of our country, the United States of America. Being outside the US always gives you a special appreciation of our country. America has put itself through troubling and dangerous times recently, but I am becoming more confident by the day that these times are coming to an end... Now for a personal note of appreciation to all of you who sent me condolences for the passing of my friend, Charlie Wilson. As many of you know, Charlie was my best man at my wedding with Rebel, and we worked closely together on Reagan Doctrine strategies to terminate the existence of the Soviet Union. For the story regarding this, see Charlie Wilson and Ronald Reagan's War from December 2007. It will give you insights on what really happened - and what the book and movie Charley Wilson's War got right and what it got very wrong. Plus there are some great pictures of Charlie.
“IT’S HARD TO TRUST ANYONE IN THE WHITE HOUSE NOW”
The manner in which the Abdulmutallab underpants bomber case has been handled has, understandably, drawn criticism from Republicans, and not only from them. In a Rasmussen poll released Dec. 31, 71 percent of respondents said Mr. Abdulmutallab should be turned over to the military. Only 22 percent wanted him tried in a civilian court. The administration has fought back in a variety of clumsy ways. First, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Mr. Abdulmutallab had given up all the useful information he had in the 50 minutes before he was Mirandized, a statement so preposterous it was not repeated. Then White House counterterrorism "czar" John Brennan, in a "Meet The Press" interview (2/07) and an op-ed in USA Today (2/09), described critics of the way the Abdulmutallab case has been handled as "partisans" who are "politicizing intelligence" and serving "the goals of al Qaeda." Grotesque overstatement and outright lies from a hack flack are one thing; from the administration's counterterrorism czar, quite another. No wonder Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, says, "It's hard to trust anyone in the White House right now."
THE ARROGANCE OF MEDIA AIRHEADS
Eve Ensler, writer of the radical feminist "Vagina Monologues" play, tittered with Joy Behar on Ms. Behar's talk show Monday about how stupid Sarah Palin is for not regarding earthquakes and tsunamis as proof of anthropogenic (man-made) global warming. "I just think the idea that she doesn't believe in global warming is bizarre," said Ms. Ensler, who was on the show to promote her new book. "Every scientist at every note believes in it but Sarah Palin doesn't," Ms. Behar said. "We just have to walk around the world at this point and look at what is happening to nature and earthquakes and tsunamis," Ms. Ensler said. "Right," agreed Ms. Behar. Earthquakes are caused by sudden shifts beneath the surface of the earth. What happens in the atmosphere has no effect on them. Likewise, a tsunami is a giant ocean wave caused by sudden motion on the ocean floor, not by changes in atmospheric temperature. Ms. Ensler and Ms. Behar are airheads who think they're smart. They are -- alas -- typical of believers in AGW, particularly of those in journalism.
WHY WON’T THE WHITE HOUSE TREAT TERRORISTS AS TERRORISTS?
In a breathtakingly cynical example of playing politics, the White House just accused Republicans of playing politics over its Miranda-rights Christmas gift to the crotch bomber. With fumbling terrorism czar John Brennan walking point, administration spokesmen attacked those who believe that treating would-be suicide-bomber Umar Abdulmutallab the way we handle shoplifters harms our national security. With its desperate counteroffensive on this issue, the White House is struggling to recover from the PR debacle over the decision to award Abdulmutallab (and other terrorists) rights to which they are in no way entitled. The White House position is a PR blend of lies, half-truths and ignorance. Let's strip out the politics and lay out the facts from an intelligence professional's perspective:
WHERE’S THE INFLATION?
Most economists, including yours truly, have been saying that the huge budget deficits the country is running will result in inflation. So, where's the inflation? Inflation normally lags changes in the growth of the money supply by one to two years. The big monetary expansion took place in the last half of 2008. So if the economy follows past trends, one would expect to see growing inflation by the latter part of this year. There are several reasons why inflation does not occur simultaneously with a sudden growth in the money supply. (Remember, inflation is caused by the money supply growing faster than the supply of goods and services.)