Hamas Terror Leader Praises Obama

Total outrage again today from the Middle East, you though giving the Palestinians almost 1 billion was bad check out what a Senior Hamas leader had to say about Obama. This is as bad as The U.N urging us to talk with the Taliban who have already shown their opposition to this. The meltdown in the White House will occur when a a 3AM phone call comes.

Via Breitbart
The exiled leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Sunday hailed the "new lexicon" being used by US President Barack Obama towards foreign policy issues the Middle East.

"The challenge for everyone is that (Obama's new language) is a prelude to a sincere change (of direction) in US and European foreign policy," Khaled Meshaal said in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

A senior US envoy said in Damascus earlier this month that Syria can be an important and constructive force in the Middle East, as Washington pursues a new policy of engaging with all countries in the region, even long-time foes.

And the Syria-based leader predicted that an "official" opening of US and European Union channels for dialogue with Hamas, listed as a terrorist organisation by the EU since 2003, is now "only a matter of time".

Jimmy Carter, Terrorist Stooge

Just when you think we are safe from the worst man to ever occupy the White house we get this tidbit from his article in the Washington Post.

“This fragile truce was partially broken on Nov. 4, when Israel launched an attack in Gaza to destroy a defensive tunnel being dug by Hama”That would be the defensive tunnel’s that Hamas has been smuggling weapons in for years.

Exactly how much money is Carter getting from the Saudis to continue to spout his anti Semite crap? Jimmy Carter the man who never saw a terrorist or a dictator he didn’t like.

In a similar vein his protégé Obama floating the Trail balloon about opening low-level diplomatic relations with the terrorist thug’s of Hamas.

Troop Hater Convicted in Chicago, Semper Fi

For those who don’t know Jay Grodner keyed a Marines car and was caught in the act by the Marine. He turns out to be a local Chicago attorney, what he did not count on was the tenacity of a Unites States Marine. Here is the original Chicago Tribune article ( click the post title)

Below is Michelle Malkins take on today’s court actions.


By Michelle Malkin • January 18, 2008 08:49 PM
I mentioned this morning that lawyer Jay Grodner, accused of keying a Marine’s car on the eve of his deployment, was scheduled to appear at a hearing today. The hearing took place and reader Beverly Pearson e-mails an account of what happened:
It was awesome. There were probably 15 folks who showed up in support of Sgt. McNulty. Big guys with Marine Corp. jackets on! The creepy attorney was late again! His lawyer got up and told the judge Attorney Grodner was late because he wanted to let the “press” clear out! The judge was really mad then and ordered a warrant immediately. Then the lawyer says Grodner is coming and will show up within 30 minutes. The judge says he will be arrested when he gets here. Sure enough, Grodner walks in and two cops take him out and cuff him.
Sgt. McNulty did not have an attorney but the [State’s] Attorney was there for him. They all went into a side room to work a deal. Then they all come out and the judge orders a continuance. So we all leave and about 20 minutes later a Policeman came out and got those of us who were still there and told us they were going to settle and we could come back in. It was obvious the judge wanted us in the Courtroom.
Long story short, he has to pay $600 to a Semper Fi Fund (Marine [Corps] fund for the wounded) and he has to report for Social Services probation once per month for a year. Judge told him if he screws up and misses any he will be arrested and will serve 364 days in jail! He told Grodner that the reason the courtroom was so full was because Sgt. McNulty belongs to The Band of Brothers and this is what he can expect when he mistreats a Marine (not his exact words but the same meaning)…
He really admonished him and the part I really liked was when the judge made Grodner admit he keyed Sgt. McNulty’s car. He also explained to him about military plates and how people pay extra because the monies go into a fund for scholarships. I cried but they were tears of joy!!!!!!!!!!!
Sgt. McNulty’s damages were $2400 but his car is fixed and just like The Band of Brothers, he asks that this creep give $600 to a fund for his Brothers. God Bless The Band of Brothers. This is a story the whole world should read about.

Local 72 Year Old Takes Down Suicide Bomber

Great story on how a local man takes down a bomber. I wonder if it will make any MSM broadcast?

2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div.Multi-National Division – Center PAOFORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – A 72-year-old man stopped a suspected suicide bomber from detonating himself at a checkpoint in Arab Jabour Oct. 14. The man approached a checkpoint where Mudhehr Fayadh Baresh was standing guard, but did not make it very far.
Baresh, a tribal commissioner and member of the Arab Jabour Concerned Citizens program, said he ordered the man to lift his shirt - using training received from Coalition Forces - when he did not recognize him as a local villager.
The suspect refused to lift his shirt. Baresh repeated the command again, and the suspect exposed his suicide vest, running toward the checkpoint.
Baresh opened fire which caused the vest to detonate, killing the suspect.
“I did it for the honor of my family and the honor of my country,” said Baresh, when he met with Col. Terry Ferrell, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
Lt. Col. Kenneth Adgie, commander of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment presented Mudher with a battalion coin for his valor Oct. 16.

IAF raid in Syria, HAT TIP In from the Cold

Thanks to In From The Cold

Sunday's U.K. Times provided tantalizing details of Israel's recent airstrike against that Syrian nuclear facility.

Based on reporting from the Middle East and Washington, the Times story confirmed that Israeli warplanes targeted nuclear materials that were apparently shipped to Syria by North Korea. The article also verified claims that the recent strike was an air/ground operation, with Israeli commandos providing laser designation for F-15Is, which dropped precision weapons on their targets.

Sources also tell the Times that the raid destroyed storage bunkers at a supposed "agricultural" complex along the Euphrates River, near the Iraqi border. The facility apparently gained the attention of Israel's intelligence services, which ordered additional overhead coverage of the target in recent months. According to the Times (and the Washington Post), the raid appeared to coincide with the arrival of a North Korean ship at a Syrian port. The North Korea vessel docked only three days before the airstsrike, carrying a cargo listed was as cement, but was suspected of concealing nuclear equipment.

Not surprisingly, the raid was cloaked in secrecy and deception--hallmarks of past Israeli military operations. Only three members of the Israeli cabinet knew about the raid in advance --Prime Minister Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister. To deceive the Syrians, Mr. Olmert reduced Israel's troop presence along the Golan Heights in the days before the attacks, suggesting an easing of tensions between the two countries.

Obviously, the Israeli strategy worked; the operation caught Damascus by surprise (there was apparently little reaction from Syria's air defense system); the Israelis inflicted serious damage on the target, and both the F-15I crews and the commandos escaped unscathed. Syria has threatened retaliation, but its options are limited. The odds of Syrian aircraft penetrating Israeli airspace are slim, and a missile strike would invite a devastating response, as would an attack across the Golan Heights.

Still, the Times article leaves a number of questions unanswered. We'll begin with the issue of Israel successfully penetrating Syria's air defense system. While it's happened before, the Syrian air defense network was supposedly re-organized after an embarrassing 2003 Israeli strike against a Palestinian terrorist camp near Damascus. During that raid, the Israelis reportedly exploited confusion over geographic responsibilities within the Syrian defense system. The most recent mission--which involved a much deeper penetration into Syrian territory--suggests that (a) Bashir Assad's air defense network hasn't improved, or (b) the Israelis are using more advanced measures to target the system, and render it impotent.

Then, there's the matter of that commando team. If the Times is correct, those personnel arrived in the target area a day ahead of the fighters, inserted (we'll assume) by Israeli Sea Stallion helicopters. As we've noted before, the successful infiltration of a commando team by helicopter, deep into Syrian territory, is an impressive operational feat, indeed. But getting the commandos (and their choppers) all the way across Syria (and back again), undetected, represents a monumental challenge, even for a state-of-the-art military like the IDF.

That raises another interesting question: where did the commandos and their choppers come from? The target also lies relatively close to Syria's northern border with Turkey, which just happens to have close military ties with Israel. It would be far easier for those Sea Stallions to infiltrate from an airfield or forward operating base in Turkey, rather than making the long trip across Syria. So far, little has been said about a possible Turkish "role" in the enterprise, despite the fact that the IDF has long trained in that country, and members of Turkey's armed forces routinely utilize Israeli military facilities.

There's also the possibility that the commando team staged from a location in Iraq, as suggested by the Times:

According to Israeli sources, American air force codes were given to the Israeli air force attaché in Washington to ensure Israel’s F15Is would not mistakenly attack their US counterparts.

But that's something of a red herring. The "codes" refer to signal transmitted by the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponders carried by all combat aircraft. But in a combat environment, attacking aircraft shut off their IFF before entering hostile airspace. Israeli jets attacking that Syrian "agricultural" complex (presumably) weren't transmitting an IFF "squawk." Moreover, the target is apparently far enough from the border that an accidental "intrusion" into Iraqi airspace--and targeting by U.S. jets--was a remote possibility, at best. And, the Israelis knew that our fighters wouldn't respond to an incident that was clearly within Syrian territory, and posed no threat to our own forces.

So why did the Israelis have our IFF codes? There are several possibilities. First, there's the slimmest of chances that the commando force staged from one of Saddam's old airfields in western Iraq. However, the chances of that happening are virtually non-existent; in today's Middle East environment, the U.S. can't afford to provide direct support to an Israeli strike on a Muslim nation.

On the other hand, there a better chance that the U.S. would allow a crippled Israeli aircraft to land at an airfield in western Iraq that is under our control. Al Asad Airfield, located 180 miles west of Baghdad would be the most likely candidate for a divert base; obviously, an emergency landing at Al Asad or any other U.S.-controlled airfield would be facilitated by transmitting the right IFF squawk, and preventing intercept by our fighters. There's also the possibility that Israel has made "other arrangements" within Iraq, and needed the IFF codes to simply allow transit through U.S.-protected airspace.

While the aircraft used on the Syrian raid--the F-15I--is no surprise, the inclusion of a ground team (or, at least their stated purpose) is a bit curious. As we noted last week, Israel's most advanced jet fighters are trained (and equipped) for employment of JDAM, which relies on satellite guidance. In many respects, that weapon would be a better choice for targeting the Syrian storage bunkers, since the guidance kit can be attached to virtually any type of conventional bomb (including penetrators), eliminating the need for ground designation. The presence of that commando team suggests that Israel was concerned about potential GPS jamming, or (more likely) the commando were dispatched to retrieve nuclear material from the site--a claim repeated in the Times' article.

Finally, there is still debate over exactly what was at the Syrian complex, and the urgency of the Israeli strike. In the Times' account, the target is alternately referred to as nuclear "material" and "equipment." Obviously, those descriptions are a bit vague, covering everything from fissile uranium (and other bomb components) to the machinery used in fabricating nuclear weapons. But then, there's this quote--from an Israeli source--which suggests the IDF were going after something much more ominous:

“This was supposed to be a devastating Syrian surprise for Israel,” said an Israeli source. “We’ve known for a long time that Syria has deadly chemical warheads on its Scuds, but Israel can’t live with a nuclear warhead.”

Truth be told, we may never know what was at that "agricultural center" along the Euphrates. But it is revealing that the Israelis, who had been watching the facility for months, suddenly elected to strike the complex, after that "cargo" arrived from North Korea. Something about the shipment spurred Israel to action, suggesting that it was more than equipment, or material that could be eventually used in nuclear weapons.

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