Saturday, September 7, 2013

WOMAN WHO EXPOSED SHARIA HORRORS EXECUTED BY MILITANTS IN AFGHANISTAN


Police in Paktika province have told the BBC that the militants arrived at the home of Sushmita Banerjee, 49, tied up members of the family including her husband, and then took Banerjee outside and shot her to death. Her body was then dumped near a religious school. - Lee Stranahan/Breitbart

Banerjee was married to an Afghan businessman named Jaanbaz Khanand and moved to Afghanistan in 1989 to be with him. In an article in Outlook India, she described life in her village after the Taliban crackdown in 1993 began to give the fundamentalist Muslim group power to enforce its strict interpretation of Sharia law:
They also listed out dos and don'ts. The burkha was a necessity. Listening to the radio or playing a tape recorder was banned. Women were not allowed to go to shops. They were even prohibited from stepping out from their houses unless accompanied by their husbands. All women had to have the names of their husbands tattooed on their left hand. Virtually all interaction between men and women outside the confines of their own homes was banned.

Here I must mention the case of a woman who called in a priest to pray for her son who was seriously ill. Members of the Taliban saw the maulvi going into the house. The woman and the priest were executed in public. They were taken to the square alongside the local police station and shot. The entire village was terrorised by the incident.

Ralph Nader: Stopping Barry O’Bomber’s Rush to War

...This time, however, you may have pushed for too many acts of War. Public opinion and sizable numbers of members of both parties in Congress are opposed. These lawmakers oppose bombing Syria in spite of your corralling the cowardly leaders of both parties in the Congress.... - Ralph Nader/Common Dreams
...If and when the people and Congress turn you down this month, there will be one silver lining. Only a Right/Left coalition can stop this warring. Such convergence is strengthening monthly in the House of Representatives to stop future war crimes and the injurious blowback against America of the wreckages from Empire....
If It Wasn’t Syria, It Would Have Been Something Else - Victor Davis Hanson
...How did Obama get himself into this mess? It was bound to happen, given his past habits. All we are seeing now is the melodramatic fulfillment of vero possumus, lowering the rising seas, faux Corinthian columns, hope and change, the bows, the Cairo speech, and the audacity of hope. Hubris does earn Nemesis.

1) His inclination is to damn straw men, blame others for his self-inflicted errors, and spike the ball when he should keep quiet and become modest (cf. the bin Laden raid). So in Syria we heard the same old, same old: A host of bad guys, here and abroad, wants to do nothing. Obama alone has the vision and moral compass to restore global and U.S. credibility through his eloquence; but the world disappointed him and is now at fault for establishing red lines that it won’t enforce: He came into the world to save the world, but the world rejected him.

After five years of this, the world caught on, and sees juvenile and narcissistic petulance in lieu of statesmanship—and unfortunately a sinister Putin takes great delight in reminding 7 billion people of this fact almost daily. In terms of geostrategic clout, Obama has nullified the power of his eleven aircraft-carrier battle groups, Putin through his shrewd insight and ruthless calculation of human nature, has added five where they didn’t exist....

I fear our enemies and rivals are digesting the Syrian misadventure and calibrating to what degree they might soon turn our present psychodrama into a real American tragedy.
Zogby Report Card: Confused Obama flunks Syria 101 - Paul Bedard/Washington Examiner
Was Mitt Romney Right About Everything? - McKay Coppins/Buzzfeed

First HRWF meeting after summer hiatus
Thursday, September 19th - JOIN US!

Humboldt Republican Women Welcome Michelle Orrock


Are small businesses prepared for the coming tsunami of costs and regulations associated with Obamacare?

Our speaker this month is the Communications Director for the National Federation of Independent Business, California, the nation’s largest small business association. She’s responsible for all media and communications for the California office including developing written materials, website content and coordinating interviews for the state director and other staff. In addition, she also manages outreach for the Young Entrepreneur Foundation awards in California, a program that provides scholarships to high school seniors who start their own businesses.

Prior to coming to NFIB, Michelle was the communications director for the Governor's Office of the Secretary of Education and worked for State Assemblyman Roger Niello. She has more than a decade of experience working in both the public and private sector.

She’s been an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Cosumnes Community Services District (Cosumnes CSD) since November 2008, has worked closely with the business community and is a member of the Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse Statewide Advisory Council. She serves on the Jobs
and Business Growth Committee at the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce, the second
largest chamber in California.
_______________

JOIN US for lunch Thursday Sept. 19th - 11:30-1:00 - RSVP BY Sept 13th
To RSVP this month, please CALL LAURA (707) 839-5538
Or RSVP by email to: MARGARET tom-marg@suddenlink.net
This month we’re at back at 445 Herrick Avenue, Eureka
11:30 a.m. Lunch/Socializing, Mtg 12:00 -1:00 p.m.
Your choice: Full Lunch $15.00, Beverage (no lunch) $4.00 (Tax & tip included)
Make checks payable to HRWF

SEE YOU THERE!.......

Only 11% of Millennials are planning to buy into Obamacare

While much of the public relations campaign for President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has centered around convincing Millennials to buy into the law’s healthcare exchanges, just 11 percent of them now plan to do so according to a new poll by The Morning Consult. - Red Alert Politics

Millennials in general aren’t too familiar with the details of President Obama’s signature legislative act. A study by The Commonwealth Foundation released last month found that 27 percent of adults 18-29 were familiar with the healthcare exchanges, while a study by the National Center for Public Policy Research released in August reported that Millennials are better off paying the fines to forego the healthcare exchanges than buy into them.



GOP: Obama promised health insurance premiums would drop $2,500; Fact: They're up $3,000 - Andrew Malcolm/IBD

Obama team thought Iran would not tolerate Bashar Assad's use of WMDs

Samantha Power, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, hoped that a team of UN investigators — many of whom, presumably, have a longstanding relationship with Iranian leaders -- could write a report that would convince Iran to abandon its ally at the behest of the United States. - Joel Gehrke/Washington Examiner @joelmentum

Smart Power: Obama's Brain Trust Thought That Iran Would Help Isolate Syria Over Chemical Weapons Usage - Ace Of Spades

That's it, folks. That's the nail in the coffin. We cannot go to war under this clownshow's disaster-movie leadership.

Iran was apparently Samantha Power's Hole Card.

Smart power? Obama’s team thought US might win Iran’s support against Syria - Twitchy, Who Said What on Twitter

26 yr. old woman informing Kerry, McCain’s opinions on Syria also a PAID advocate for Syrian rebels

On Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry encouraged members of the House of Representatives to read a Wall Street Journal op-ed by 26-year-old Elizabeth O’Bagy — an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War — who asserted that concerns about extremists dominating among the Syrian rebels are unfounded. - Charles C. Johnson/Daily Caller

“Contrary to many media accounts, the war in Syria is not being waged entirely, or even predominantly, by dangerous Islamists and al-Qaida die-hards,” O’Bagy wrote for the Journal on Aug. 30. “Moderate opposition groups make up the majority of actual fighting forces,” she wrote.

But in addition to her work for the Institute for the Study of War, O’Bagy is also the political director for the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), a group that advocates within the United States for Syria’s rebels — a fact that the Journal did not disclose in O’Bagy’s piece.

In an interview with The Daily Caller, O’Bagy said that despite her title as the group’s political director, she is paid as a contractor.

Bret Baier discussed this on Fox last night. Fox has used her, too, without knowing this background. - Discussion at Lucianne

From the comments: The evidence mounts that the Obama Administration backs radical Islam. Fox may or may not have known this woman´s background but it is a sure bet that Kerry knows.

From the comments: A 26 year old girl wise in the ways of war and Arabs in the Middle East where women are considered furniture is advising our "leaders" on military strategy. Oakey dokey then...

Putin was right about the monkey with a hand grenade comment!

Obama relying on student's spin on Syria? - Jerome Corsi/WND

Evidence is mounting that the strategy by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Secretary of State John F. Kerry to cast members of the Free Syria Army as “moderates” among the rebel forces opposing the government of Bashir al-Assad was the brain-child of Elizabeth O’Bagy, a 26-year-old graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Arab studies and political science at Georgetown University, who is working on a dissertation on woman’s militancy....
The narrative is currently being circulated in Congress in an attempt to counter the recent disclosure of evidence the rebel groups in Syria affiliated with al-Qaida and the Muslim Brotherhood, who have committed atrocities against government soldiers and Syrian civilians, may be the parties responsible for the chemical weapons attacks the Obama administration is blaming on the Assad government.

O’Bagy also works as the political director of the Washington-based Syrian Emergency Task Force, or SETF, chaired by Mohamed Kawam.

Kawam is linked with the Washington-based Syrian Support Group, or SSG, which encourages Americans to send money that arguably could be used to buy weapons for the Free Syria Group.

14 Principled Anti-War Celebrities We Fear May Have Been Kidnapped

Our government is yet again marching us towards a war of choice in the Middle East and our non-partisan, peace-loving celebrities have gone missing since late 2008. We fear the worst. Click for more Milk Carton pics. - JohnEkdahl/Buzzfeed

Bruce Springsteen


Sean Penn


Susan Sarandon




ED ASNER: HOLLYWOOD NOT CRITICIZING OBAMA ON SYRIA BECAUSE HE'S 'BLACK' - John Nolte/Breitbart

Apparently, like many of us, the Hollywood Reporter's Paul Bond was curious about the screaming silence we are hearing from the Hollywood left as our Nobel Peace Prize-winning president pushes America towards a unilateral, pre-emptive war against Syria. Absolutely no one in the Hollywood community has, of yet, taken it to the streets to speak truth to power. Nothing from Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn, Matt Damon, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, or even Janeane Garofalo....

Friday, September 6, 2013

Live Cams From Syria (rare)

Friday night, US time, you can hear bombs/explosions
2nd link

Mother Agnes Mariam el-Salib, mother superior of St. James Monastery in Qara, Syria: Footage of chemical attack in Syria is fraud

There is proof the footage of the alleged chemical attack in Syria was fabricated, Mother Agnes Mariam el-Salib, mother superior of St. James Monastery in Qara, Syria, told RT. She says she is about to submit her findings to the UN. - Russia Today

Mother Agnes, a catholic nun, who has been living in Syria for 20 years and has been reporting actively on what has been going on in the war-ravaged country, says she carefully studied the video featuring allegedly victims of the chemical weapons attack in the Syrian village of Guta in August and now questions its authenticity.

In her interview with RT, Mother Agnes doubts so much footage could have been taken in so little time, and asks where parents of the supposedly dead children are. She promises to send her report to the UN.

"I´ll help Syria if the U.S. attacks," says Putin in chilling threat to Obama as G20 summit breaks up in acrimony

Russia last night issued a chilling threat to assist Syria if the US leads military strikes against its hated regime. - James Chapman/Daily Mail

As a summit of world leaders broke up in acrimony, Vladimir Putin declared openly that he is already supplying arms to Syrian tyrant Bashar Assad and vowed to step up support if a planned missile attack goes ahead.

There were gasps as the Russian President made his remarks after being asked how he would react if Barack Obama proceeds with an attack in response to Syria’s used of chemical weapons. ‘Will we help Syria? We will. And we are already helping,

Momentum moving away from Obama on Syria votes


CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash discusses the momentum moving against action against Syria on Capitol Hill.
LET'S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF? Obama hints he may abandon Syria strike - Neil Munro
'DOESN'T HAVE THE VOTES' - John Fund/National Review
#9724; O LOSES G20 - FT
Obama REFUSES to rule out striking Syria without approval of Congress as it's revealed he faces a huge loss in House vote - David Martosko/Daily Mail (U.K.)
Pentagon Is Ordered to Expand Potential Targets in Syria With a Focus on Forces -David E. Sanger & Reic Schmitt/New York Times
Obama: I´m Bypassing the ´Hocus Pocus´ of the United Nations - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard
Hesitation, Delay, and Unreliability - Fred Barnes/Weekly Standard
Obama shows us clearly now, he doesn't have the chops for war. - Discussion at Lucianne
US military has revised Syria strike plan 50 times, source says - FOX
Any wonder our military is being driven slightly mad? - Discussion at Lucianne
President Obama could lose big on Syria in House - Politico
Made even more painful as there is no one to blame but himself. - Discussion at Lucianne
War The Pentagon Doesn´t Want - Washington Post
They are embarrassed to be associated with administration amateurism. None of the White House staff has any experience in war or understands it. - Discussion at Lucianne

IRAN PLOTS REVENGE

The day's headlines, at Drudge:
The U.S. has intercepted an order from Iran to militants in Iraq to attack the U.S. Embassy and other American interests in Baghdad in the event of a strike on Syria, officials said, amid an expanding array of reprisal threats across the region. - Wall St. Journal
Attacks on Christians Continue as Islamists Take Over Egypt Town - Breitbart
Ayatollah Khamenei: America Will 'Certainly Suffer Loss' - IB Times
Hezbollah unleashed! - Washington Times
Obama daughter will be 'raped' - Reza Kahlili/Daily Caller
PUTIN: Russia Will Help Syria If USA Attacks - FOX
Sends more naval ships to coast - Breitbart
Syrian refugees turn to Israeli hospitals - The Tower
CHRIS WALLACE: 'Worst of all possible fixes' - Politico
Obama refuses to rule out strike -- even if congress votes NO - Daily Mail
Orders Pentagon to expand target list - New York Times
'SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER THAN EXPECTED' - Jerusalem Post
Video showing vicious rebel executions turns debate - Daily Beast
BUCHANAN: Our boys to be 'mercenaries of sheikhs, sultans and emirs'
NOONAN: Why America Is Saying NO... - Peggy Noonan/Wall St. Journal

Obama prefers creating Alinskyite political traps for his opponents over doing the responsible thing. And his favorite trap is the one that shifts the blame for his irresponsibility to the Congressional Republicans who have been his favorite target

Obama’s Plan to Blame Syria on Congress - Daniel Greenfield/FrontPage

Either Congress “invests” in Obama’s war and immunizes him from criticism by the Republican Party. Or Obama opts out of the war and blames Republican obstructionism for undermining American credibility abroad while splitting the Republican Party between interventionists and non-interventionists.

Obama’s speech and the distorted media coverage of it have given the impression that Congress gets the final say and that Republicans either have to give Obama a blank check on Syria or get the blame. These are the same cynical tactics that Obama has employed on the economy.

When faced with a difficult political choice, Obama’s natural instinct is to find someone to blame and to use that blame to sow division among his enemies while escaping responsibility for his own disaster....

Obama intends to use Syria as a weapon in a political power struggle against the United States Congress, but it’s also an opening for exposing his Muslim Brotherhood alliances and the wisdom of his Muslim Brotherhood regime change operations in Syria and Egypt.

Obama on Verge of Historic Rebuke Over Syria - David A. Patten/Newsmax

President Barack Obama appears to be dangerously close to what would be an historic rebuke at the hands of Congress, if the current whip-count projections on the authorization to attack Syria continue to hold.

Pundits on both sides of the aisle say losing the high-stakes bid for congressional authorization would make Obama an instant lame-duck, and might well endanger his entire second-term agenda....

The Post has contacted 371 of the 435 members of the House. Of those contacted, 204 representatives are against authorization or leaning against it. That compares to 24 members in favor and 143 members who are undecided, and 48 of the undecided representatives are Republicans.

Of the undecided members, the Post reports, many of them have yet to receive the administration’s intelligence briefing on the sarin gas attack in Syria. About 25 percent of those opposed to the authorization are Democrats, which means the resistance to the proposal is clearly bipartisan.

Obama cancels LA trip as 'no' votes on Syria resolution pile up - The Hill

He was also scheduled to attend a $32,400 per plate dinner at the home of Marta Kauffman, the co-creator of the sitcom “Friends.”

Congressional Black Caucus Instructed to Hold Tongue on Syria - FP

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Kirsten Powers to President Obama:
Give back Nobel Peace Prize

Some have raised questions again regarding President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize as he seeks authorization for military intervention in Syria. But columnist and Fox News analyst Kirsten Powers said on Wednesday that he should give it back for other reasons. - Politico

“Yeah, he should have given it back a long time ago, actually,” Powers said to Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly. “But, you know, for the drone war, for the escalating the war in Afghanistan, having all these people die unnecessarily, plenty of civilians have been killed by his drone war, including children.”

whitehouse.gov Launches Page Dedicated To Attacking Syria…

...The President has put forward a proposed authorization that is focused on his clearly stated objectives – preventing and deterring the use and proliferation of chemical weapons within, to, or from Syria; degrading the Assad regime’s capacity to carry out future chemical weapons attacks; and deterring this behavior in others – including Iran and Hizballah – who would otherwise feel emboldened to use such weapons.... - WeaselZippers

#Syria: Liberals Finally Beginning to Notice Obama Isn’t Really All That? - The Other McCain

Just Whose War Is This? - Pat Buchanan/Townhall

Wednesday, John Kerry told the Senate not to worry about the cost of an American war on Syria.
The Saudis and Gulf Arabs, cash-fat on the $110-a-barrel oil they sell U.S. consumers, will pick up the tab for the Tomahawk missiles.

Has it come to this -- U.S. soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen as the mercenaries of sheiks, sultans and emirs, Hessians of the New World Order, hired out to do the big-time killing for Saudi and Sunni royals?

THIS IS ASSAD’S INSTAGRAM FEED AS THE U.S. DEBATES MILITARY STRIKE AGAINST SYRIA


A brief look at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s Instagram Account and you would never guess his country is engaged in a brutal civil war or that the U.S. is actively debating whether to launch a military strike against his country.... more images at the link - The Blaze

O Legacy, Where’s My Legacy?

Shouldn’t high-speed railroadman Jerry Brown be thinking outside the loop — the Hyperloop in this case? - Peter Hannaford/American Spectator

California Governor Jerry Brown made no secret of his wish that a high-speed rail line from northern to southern California would be his legacy. He’s now 75 and is expected to run for and win reelection next year. That would mean he’d be 80 upon retiring. You’d think that durability would be legacy enough. Apparently, though, he thinks he must leave some great work behind them.

For Jerry, it’s the railroad. Touted by him, it would go 400 miles between the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento on to Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego. It would deposit you at one end in about the time it now takes to drive to an airport, fly across the state, and drive to you next appointment at the other end.

With the support of professional railroad fans, some construction unions, and assorted starry-eyed optimists, Brown sold California taxpayers four years ago on a ballot measure authorizing $9.95 billion in state bonded indebtedness to get the railroad going.

Last year the state legislature passed and Brown signed a bill to use $4.5 billion to build the first 130 miles of railroad track in the Central Valley. This automatically made available $3.2 billion in federal funds (“free” money). So, bids went out to build that stretch from the small city of Madera to somewhere north of Bakersfield (dubbed “The train from nowhere to nowhere”).

All seemed to be going swimmingly until August 16 when a judge in Sacramento County ruled in favor of a group of Central Valley folks that the California High-Speed Rail Authority had failed to comply with the financial and environmental promises made to the voters in 2008. The judge ruled that the agency “abused its discretion by approving a funding plan that did not comply with the requirements of the law” and that it failed to identify “sources of funds that were more than merely theoretically possible.” What the heck, it was all for a good cause. Hadn’t Jerry said so?

The judge did not stop immediate project funding, so that he can hold another hearing to determine what the next step will be.

Skeptics point out that the cost estimates keep creeping up. For Phase I, between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, is now $68 billion with a final cost of the full system of $81.4 billion. Those skeptics also predict that ridership will never meet the rosy projections of the Authority.

Now comes Elon Musk, developer of the Tesla electric auto, with what may be a much better idea. At about the time of the judge’s ruling, he unveiled the Hyperloop, a system for moving people at high speeds in safety, at low construction cost. It is a high-tech version of a time-tested technology, ETT or evacuated tube transport.

You may have seen it at work in a department store not long in the past. The sales clerk rings up your purchase, puts the sales slip in a hand-held canister and puts that into plastic vacuum tube through which it travels to somewhere else in the building. Soon, the canister comes back through the tube with your receipt.

Musk’s Hyperloop would transport people in comfort and safety in a human-scale plastic version of the canister. The vacuum tube would be built above ground on pylons (he proposes the media strip of Interstate 5, to save money on right-of-way acquisition). The Hyperloop could travel at speeds up to 700 miles per hour. Actual speed will depend upon variables such as the size of the canister (“bullet”), how straight the tube is and the amount of vacuum.

Musk’s plan contends the system would go fast at a low cost of energy and would be environmentally friendly, in part because it would use solar panels atop the tubes.

There have been and are a number of scientific studies of the concept and small-scale field tests, including one at MIT.

Musk says he too busy with the Tesla automobile and two other advance technologies — Solar City and Space X — to take the lead on Hyperloop. He has called on techies, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurial political folks to step up. One of the latter, David Salaverry, founder of the California Conservative Action Group, has begun the process by organizing a ballot initiative for 2014 that would de-fund the CHSRA and put a portion of the already approved funding into Hyperloop.

It will take political willpower, too. In the past, Jerry Brown has proved he can apply that. Now, here’s a project that could give him legacy to last for, well, a century or more.
__________________

Peter Hannaford was closely associated with the late President Reagan for a number of years. He is a member of the board of the Committee on the Present Danger. His latest book is ◼ "PRESIDENTIAL RETREATS"
Available locally at Eureka Books

The Women of the Afghanistan War

Russia ´changes G20 seating plan at last minute to keep Putin away from Obama´

U.S. in secret Syria talks with Russia as Putin plays hardball in public and gives Obama a chilly reception at G20 conference - Jill Reilly/Daily Mail
Obama Greets Putin With ´Historic Death Stare´ At G-20 Summit - Debra Heine/Breitbart
Obama, Putin chat — for 15 seconds - The Hill

NRA Signs On to ACLU Lawsuit, Claims NSA Starting ´National Gun Registry´

The National Rifle Association (NRA) joined the American Civil Liberties Union´s (ACLU) lawsuit against the National Security Agency (NSA) Wednesday, claiming the federal agency´s "database of phone numbers amounts to ´a national gun registry.´" - AWR Hawkins/Breitbart

Pelosi Warns: Obama May Not Have House Votes for war...

“I don’t know,” Pelosi said in an interview with Time magazine. “I think it would be important to get a majority in the Congress. But I don’t know if it’s important how you would break it down. These issues are not really partisan.” - Washington Post
LATEST COUNT: YES: 49 -- NO 199 - Think Progress
Senator Rand Paul: Why I’m Voting No on Syria - TIME
Head of Black Caucus asks members to stay quiet on Syria (video) - The Hill
Liberals reject case for Syria strikes; believe Obama and Kerry are lying... - Stephen Dinan/Washington Times
Senate resolution allows boots on ground... - Stephen Dinan and David Sherfinski/Washington Times
The credibility crisis can’t be solved with Tomahawk missiles - Ed Morrissey/HotAir
War on Syria Means Victory for Al Qaeda - Trevor Loudon/NewZeal
Obama Indicts Obama - Victor Davis Hanson/PJM

One of the problems that Barack Obama has in mounting an attack against the Assad regime is that the gambit violates every argument Barack Obama used against the Bush administration to establish his own anti-war candidacy.

The hypocrisy is so stunning that it infuriates his critics and stuns his supporters.

PUTIN: 'KERRY IS LYING'



Speaking to his human rights council Wednesday, Putin said, "This was very unpleasant and surprising for me. We talk to them (the Americans), and we assume they are decent people, but he is lying and he knows that he is lying. This is sad." - David Jackson/USA TODAY
As for the new flap over Kerry's testimony, the Associated Press reported:

"It was unclear exactly what Putin was referencing, but Kerry was asked Tuesday while testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee if the Syrian opposition had become more infiltrated by al-Qaeda.

"Kerry responded that that was 'basically incorrect' and that the opposition has 'increasingly become more defined by its moderation.' ...

"In testimony Wednesday, Kerry said he didn't agree that 'a majority (of the opposition) are al-Qaeda and the bad guys.' Extremists amount to 15 to 25% of the opposition, he said, including al-Nusra and many other groups that are 'fighting each other, even now.'"
Russia claims 100-page report blaming Syrian REBELS for chemical weapons attack - Matthew Schofield | McClatchy Foreign Staff
REBEL BRUTALITY REVEALED: EXECUTING MEN ON KNEES - New York Times
Kerry claims Syria Rebels are 'moderate' - Reuters
AL QAEDA ATTACKS CHRISTIAN VILLAGE - Breitbart
U.S. Travel Warning: Rebels Have 'Claimed Nearly 600 Attacks' - CNS News

Obama's big Syria lie


Obama absolutely is the one who created a red line out of thin air on Syria.
Who drew the red line is not some esoteric question. It goes to the heart of the Syria debate. Are the interests of the United States served by bombing Syria, or is the real purpose in bombing Syria to rehabilitate Obama's credibility in the world?
OBAMA SEEKS AN ACCOMPLICE FOR SYRIA ACTION - George Will /Human Events
Because Syria’s convulsion has become as serious as Barack Obama has been careless in speaking about it, he is suddenly and uncharacteristically insisting that Congress participate in governance. Regarding institutional derangements, he is the infection against which he pretends to be an immunization.

In the Illinois legislature, he voted “present” 129 times to avoid difficulties; now he stoops from his executive grandeur to tutor Congress on accountability. In Washington, where he condescends as a swan slumming among starlings, he insists that, given the urgency of everything he desires, he “can’t wait” for Congress to vote on his programs or to confirm persons he nominates to implement them. The virtues of his policies and personnel are supposedly patent and sufficient to justify imposing both by executive decrees....
Senator Rand Paul: Why I’m Voting No on Syria - TIME
The U.S. should not fight a war to save face. I will not vote to send young men and women to sacrifice life and limb for stalemate. I will not vote to send our nation’s best and brightest to fight for anything less than victory. If American interests are at stake, then our goal should not be stalemate.
Charlie Daniels Column: A Citizen's Take on Syria - Newsbusters
...When you're the leader of the free world, you don't make statements you can't back up and you don't draw lines in the sand, watch your enemies cross them with impunity and go off and play a round of golf....
Allen West: Obama is trying to guilt-trip us, but I’m not buying it… - The Right Scoop
Brutality of Syrian Rebels Posing Dilemma in West - New York Times

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Happy Rosh Hashanah


Happy Rosh Hashanah for the Jewish New Year 5774! The two-day Rosh Hashanah holiday begins at sundown on Wednesday, September 4, 2013, on the first day of the Biblical seventh month of Tishrei. The holiday is the first of the Ten Days of Awe leading up to the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah begins the Jewish High Holy Days and it has been celebrated since the days of Moses – more than 3,200 years!

Egyptian Media Portray Obama as Satan


Popular and widely read Egyptian newspaper Al Wafd published the above picture today portraying U.S. President Barrack Hussein Obama as Satan himself. - Raymond Ibrahim/PJMedia

The unflattering picture has been making the rounds on Facebook in the Middle East and, according to Al Wafd, is representative of the hatred growing numbers of people in the region have for the American president, thanks to his staunch and unwavering support for Islamists and jihadiis — whether in Nigeria, Libya, Egypt, or Syria — even as they terrorize, murder, rape, and burn down Christian churches, that is, even as they engage in diabolical activities.

"DON'T ATTACK SYRIA" Demonstration in Eureka


"DON'T ATTACK SYRIA" Demonstration on Facebook (Posted by Dave Meserve)
Thursday -- 3:00pm until 6:00pm
Corner of Broadway and Wabash in Eureka - next to the big sign "Old Town and Downtown"
Support peaceful solutions. Not another American war in the Mid-East

Seems there's bi-partisan agreement. A rarity in this world.

Striking Syria: Illegal, Immoral, and Dangerous - Phyllis Bennis/Common Dreams
US INTERVENTION IS NOT ABOUT SYRIA, CHEMICAL WEAPONS OR HUMANITARIANISM. - Deric Mendes/Bold Type

Meet & Greet with CRP Chairman Jim Brulte


MEET AND GREET, with a Town Hall format
JIM BRULTE, retired California Senator, and current Chairman of the California Republican Party; Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, who is running for Governor in 2014;
Elissa Wadleigh, Vice-Chairman, California Republicans Northwest Region.
Saturday, September 14th
At the Fortuna Veteran's Memorial Building
1426 Main Street, Fortuna

Doors open at 11:30 AM, Lunch at 12:30 PM -- $15 each, $25/couple
It's a catered lunch, so, please RSVP by September 8th
Reservations: (707) 498-3101 Gwen Morris, or (707) 442-2788 Annette de Modena

The September Issue of The Redwood Alert is on its way

View it here, or on our Newsletter tab.

ObamaCare Costs: Colorado

US SECRETARY OF STATE, FORMER CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, JOHN KERRY: ARABS WILL FINANCE OUR WAR

Secretary of State John Kerry said at Wednesday’s hearing that Arab counties have offered to pay for the entirety of unseating President Bashar al-Assad if the United States took the lead militarily. - Aaron Blake/Washington Post

“With respect to Arab countries offering to bear costs and to assess, the answer is profoundly yes,” Kerry said. “They have. That offer is on the table.”

Asked by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) about how much those countries would contribute, Kerry said they have offered to pay for all of a full invasion....

The real Anthony Weiner



Weiner Erupts - Washington Free Beacon

The fiery exchange was posted on Youtube by prominent Jewish activist Jacob Kornbluh.

TED CRUZ: US IS NOT 'AL-QAEDA'S AIR FORCE'



On Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz distilled the current debate over possible military action in Syria to its essential dilemma. While Syrian President Bashar Assad is certainly a ruthless dictator, the forces aligned against him are dominated by jihadis and elements of terrorist organizations. Cruz noted that Americans didn't enlist in the military to "serve as Al-Qaeda's Air Force." - Mike Flynn/Breitbart

GOP Hawks Turning Sour on Syria Intervention? - Guy Benson/Townhall

Based on their muddled and incoherent performances at yesterday's Senate hearings, Secretaries Kerry and Hagel left the distinct impression that the administration is flailing.

Secretary of State John Kerry said at Wednesday’s hearing that Arab counties have offered to pay for the entirety of unseating President Bashar al-Assad if the United States took the lead militarily. - Aaron Blake/Washington Post

“With respect to Arab countries offering to bear costs and to assess, the answer is profoundly yes,” Kerry said. “They have. That offer is on the table.”

Asked by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) about how much those countries would contribute, Kerry said they have offered to pay for all of a full invasion....

Al Gore Sued By 30,000 Scientists For Global Warming Fraud



30,000 scientists, including the founder of The Weather Channel, have come forward to sue Al Gore for fraud. Al Gore has made massive profits in the promotion of the global warming mythology, and he played a key role in getting the 'Cap and Trade' legislation passed. Perhaps this lawsuit will finally give the thousands of 'dissenting' scientists a voice again.... - healthwyze.org

‘Un effing believable’; Patricia Heaton tweets video of university professor’s anti-Republican rant



link - Twitchy, Who Said What

‘Relieved of his duties’: MSU prof who raged against GOP gets the boot for the semester - Twitchy

OBAMA PIVOTS: 'I DIDN'T SET A RED LINE'

President Obama said in Sweden today that he personally "didn't set a red line" on Syria: - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard



And here's video of Obama setting a "red line" in regard to Syria, from over a year ago:



And (t)here's a background call in April 2013 with “a White House official” that left no doubt about what President Obama's own officials thought about where the red line came from... more at the link.

Two Red Lines - Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion









'My credibility is not on the line'...video - Real Clear Politics
'The question is: How credible is Congress?' - ITV

DRUDGE:
'We may not be directly imminently threatened, but'...
CAMERON: UK 'can't be part, won't be part' of Syria attack...
PUTIN: U.S. strike on Syria illegal without U.N....
... 'Aggression'
... Blames rebels for chemical attack
France pulls back, debates strike...
ASSAD STASHES WEAPONS AMONG CIVILIANS...
'Obama is weak'...
Syria Adopts 'Yes We Can' Slogan...
'I DIDN'T SET A RED LINE'...
'My credibility is not on the line'...
'The question is: How credible is Congress?'
'Not something I just made up'...
'We may not be directly imminently threatened, but'...
'Blurred red line'...
Putin: Show Me The Proof...
Many in Middle East struggling to understand Obama policy...
CRUZ: US IS NOT 'AL-QAEDA'S AIR FORCE'...
HAWK: Howard Dean backs Syria strike...
POLL: Liberals not buying it...
CONGRESSMAN: Calls Running 498-2 Against...
'Coalition of invisible'...
Resolution allows boots on ground...







Obama on the ‘red line’: I didn’t draw that. Somebody else made that happen. [video] - Twitchy. Who Said What
Obama’s Red Line Amnesia - Larry Johnson/No Quarter

WHY MANY REPUBLICANS WON’T SUPPORT OBAMA ON SYRIA ATTACK

Early signs say it will be hard for President Obama to win congressional authorization for military action in Syria. That could change; lawmakers might re-write the president’s draft authorization into something they can live with, ultimately allowing Obama to go forward. But whatever happens, Republicans have a compelling case for rejecting the president’s request. - Byron York/Human Events @ByronYork
Distrust of Obama motivating GOP opposition to Syria resolution - David Drucker/Washington Examiner

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

War: Senators strike deal on wording for new resolution authorizing force against Syria



link - Ed O'Keefe/Washington Post
Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reached an agreement late Tuesday on wording of a new resolution authorizing U.S. military force against the Syrian government.
The resolution would permit up to 90 days of military action against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, beginning with 60 days and the option of 30 more pending President Obama’s notification of Congress, according to a copy of the resolution provided by Senate aides.
I’ll cripple Bashar Assad to set Syria free, says Barack Obama - Macer Hall and Martyn Brown/Express.uk
John Kerry stumbles as he puts case for Syria attack to Congress - Raf Sanchez/Telegraph
Hillary Clinton voices support for Barack Obama´s Syria plan - Bonnie Malkin/Telegraph
NY Times Public Editor: Syria Coverage Not 'Consistently Skeptical' - Larry O´Connor/Breitbart Big Journalism
McCain plays poker on iPhone during Syria hearing - AP
Obama´s inept foreign policy - Glenn Harlan Reynolds/USA Today
Rand Paul Grills Kerry on Whether Obama Will Honor Congress’ Vote or Make ‘Constitutional Theater’ - Andrew Kirell/Mediaite
We want to topple Assad: Obama raises stakes as No10 refuses to rule out more help for Syria rebels - James Chapman/Daily Mail
US President plotting wider attacks on Syrian regime, says ex-General
But UK military chiefs excluded from US meetings after Commons vote
Foreign Secretary William Hague rules out a second debate in Parliament
Insists David Cameron will use G20 this week to push for global action
Goldberg: Obama Could Create
‘Unnecessary Constitutional Crisis’
- National Review Online
Susan Rice: White House has ´no expectation´ of losing Syria vote - The Hill
12 key voices in Congress for the Syria debate - Ed O'Keefe/Washington Post
John Kerry Was For Assad Before He Was Against Him - IBD Editorial
Syria: A commander in chief who ignored the first 100,000 deaths in Syria sends his secretary of state to defend the urgency of a delayed attack with unneeded congressional approval against a "Hitler" Kerry dined with.

Then-Sen. Kerry must have been one of the people then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had in mind when, on CBS' "Face The Nation" in 2011, she said, without disputing the assessment:

"Many of the members of Congress of both parties who have gone to Syria in recent months have said they believe he (dictator Bashar Assad) is a reformer."

Certainly Kerry shared that assessment, speaking with high praise of Assad at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in 2011.

"So my judgment is that Syria will move," he said. "Syria will change as it embraces a legitimate relationship with the United States and the West, and economic opportunity that comes with it and the participation that comes with it."

Kerry praised Assad later in 2011 as being a "very generous" man.
Syria Vote Is A Political Trap Republicans Can Avoid - IBD Editorial
Most in U.S. oppose Syria strike, Post-ABC poll finds - Scott Clement/Washington Post
Obama is Replacing Oil Price-Stabilizing Dictators with Militant Islamist Dictators - RUSH
The Numbers That Explain Why Congress May Bail on Obama’s Syria Attack - Joshua Green/Bloomberg Businessweek
Obama seeks an accomplice for Syria action - George F. Will/Washington Post
Coulter: ´Now the world is laughing at us´ - Daily Caller
UN chief warns ‘punitive’ strike on Syria for alleged gas attack could unleash more turmoil - AP
Sarah Palin: ´Let Allah sort it out´ in Syria - By George Talbot
Boehner, Pelosi Unite Behind President On Syria - NPR
Boehner, Cantor Back Syria Strike - Roll Call
US general says Syria action could be ´more substantial than thought´ - The Telegraph

On Tuesday's Mark Levin Show:


Mark Levin Audio 9/3/13

September 3, 2013 On Tuesday's Mark Levin Show: The Obama Administration is trying to make its case for attacking Syria and Mark isn't buying it. The President has been defunding our military, while at the same time he wants to send them overseas. The foreign policy of President Obama is one of complete incompetence and carelessness. Yet at the same time, Speaker Boehner and Eric Cantor have already caved in and said they support military strikes. Mark says that he fears that if our politicians keep acting like this that they will lose the faith of the American people.

Andrew McCarthy calls in and talks about John McCain's comments saying 'Allahu Akbar' is just like saying 'thank God'.

Finally, Mark talks about the longshoremen union leaving the AFL-CIO due to Obamacare.

Judith Glassman Daniels, who blazed a trail for women in the publishing world and became the first woman to serve as top editor of Life magazine, has died at the age of 74.

Daniels served in senior editing positions at The Village Voice, New York magazine, Time Inc and Conde Nast over a career that spanned 35 years in New York before she retired with her husband to Maine in 2004. - Herald Sun.au

Her husband called her "a real pioneer."

"She really was one of the women who broke the glass ceiling that allowed women to rise high in the publishing world," Webb said from their home on Tuesday.

Convicted Kidnapper and Rapist Ariel Castro Found Dead

Castro had been sentenced to life plus 1,000 years for kidnapping and sexually assaulting Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus while holding them captive for over a decade.

Cleveland-based kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro has been found dead from hanging in his cell at the Correction Reception Center in Orient, OH.

Which party sends us all an invitation?

It's time to stop using abortion, gay rights and similar hot buttons to vote; focus on merits of what a candidate offers. When you take away social issues, is there really a difference between the two parties? You decide. - John Chiv/Times-Standard

Pelosi tells grandson: We're at war...

Pelosi Uses Conversation With 5-Year-Old Grandson To Push For Attack On Syria - Real Clear Politics vis Drudge

Under Obamacare, Hospitals and Courts Overrule Parental Authority

Parents be warned! Under Obamacare guidelines, doctors and hospitals can usurp your parental authority, dictate what medical treatment your child will get and if you don’t like it, they will have your child taken away from you, and in some cases the courts are siding with the hospitals. - Political Outcast

CAIRO COURT TAKES AL JAZEERA EGYPT, BROTHERHOOD TV OFF AIR

A Cairo court Tuesday ordered the closure of four television channels, including Al-Jazeera Egypt and Ahrar 25, a network belonging to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. - Larry O'Connor/Breitbart

The Associated Press reports the court claims the stations had been operating illegally and were a threat to the nation for spreading rumors:

Egypt court recommends dissolution of Muslim Brotherhood - Sarah El Deeb, The Associated Press via CTV News

CAIRO, Egypt -- A judicial official says a panel of judges has recommended the dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest political group, from which ousted President Mohammed Morsi hails.

The panel said Monday in a recommendation to Egypt's administrative court that the Brotherhood has operated in violation of the law.

The recommendation isn't binding to the court, which holds its next hearing on Nov. 12. It appears however a step closer to banning the group, whose legality was disputed even before Morsi's ouster.

(Note: links to AP coverage of same story taken down)

Memory Hole: Vogue Disappears Adoring Profile of Assad's Wife

◼ May 10, 2011: Since Vogue published an exquisitely timed fawning profile of the "glamorous, young, and very chic" first lady of Syria Asma al-Assad in February, her husband has presided over the murder of more than 300 demonstrators and jailed more than 10,000 political prisoners in a bloody crackdown. Now Asma has fled to England and Vogue has tossed the profile down the memory hole. - Gawker

Where the "Rose of the Desert" was once found wrapped in a purple shawl on Vogue's web site, there's now just an "OOPS: The page you're looking for cannot be found" message, which is probably just as well for the magazine, which came in for relentless criticism over the story. It could just be part of the site's normal turnover of old content, but other stories from the February issue are still online. Calls to Vogue and to Joan Juliet Buck, the profile's author, were not immediately returned.

The profile described the Mrs Assad as 'the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies'
Photo: AFP/GETTY

Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, has disowned Bashar al-Assad's wife Asma in the wake of a highly complimentay article the magazine ran last year. - Telegraph

The 3,200-word profile, which was published in March 2011, carried the headline "A Rose in the Desert" and described the British-born Mrs Assad as "the freshest and most magnetic of first ladies." It went on to describe her walking "a determined swath cut through space with a flash of red soles," which was a reference to her Christian Louboutin heels.

According to the New York Times the article was part of a public relations offensive launched by the Assad regime, which included paying a US public relations firm $5,000 (£3,200) a month for acting as a point of liaison between Vogue and Mrs Assad....

The move came a week after the American journalist Barbara Walters said she "regretted" trying to help Sheherazad Jaafari, the Syrian leader's press aide, to get a job at CNN and a place at Columbia University.

Miss Jaafari had also been an intern at the public relations firm that liaised with Vogue on behalf of Mrs Assad.


PHOTO: KERRYS HAVE DINNER WITH ASSAD IN 2009 - Breitbart's Big Peace

This week, Kerry labeled Assad among the dictators “Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein,” as well as a “thug and murderer.”

John Kerry a Frequent Visitor with Syrian Dictator Bashar Al-Assad - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard

Kerry praised Assad later in 2011 as being a "very generous" man. "Well, I personally believe that -- I mean, this is my belief, okay? But President Assad has been very generous with me in terms of the discussions we have had. And when I last went to -- the last several trips to Syria -- I asked President Assad to do certain things to build the relationship with the United States and sort of show the good faith that would help us to move the process forward," said Kerry at a think tank.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Obama blinks

The president, in his brief speech to the nation Saturday, said he will seek authorization from Congress to launch an attack on Syrian forces, which used chemical weapons to kill more than 1,400 people. But he also asserted that he is "prepared to give that order" and that he has the authority to act without Congress' approval. - Chicago Tribune Editorial

So what if Congress says ... no?

He failed to muster world support for a military response on Syria. He failed to convince the American public of the value in such action. He sent Secretary of State John Kerry out twice to issue broad declarations that the U.S. was prepared to act forcefully, but he gave away military advantage by assuring the world — and Bashar Assad — that the U.S. response would be quite limited. Moreover, Assad gained the opportunity to protect his troops and materiel by filtering them into the civilian population.

It's not easy to make me feel sympathy for John Kerry. - Charlie Martin/PJMedia

US aid to Syrian opposition tops $1 billion mark

According to USAID (United States Agency For International Development), the federal agency in charge of distributing the vast majority of foreign aid monies to other countries, United States taxpayers have paid for over one billion dollars in foreign aid packages to help support the “Syrian Humanitarian Response." - Breitbart's Big Peace

Despite the threat of continued chemical attacks against the Syrian people that has served as the focal point of rallying cries for advocates of US military intervention (including the Obama administration), The Daily Beast reported that gas masks were not among the items purchased with the American billion-dollar aid package. While the President and his deputies (namely Secretary of State John Kerry) continue to forcefully denounce what they now claim to be incontrovertibly proven chemical weapons use by the Syrian Government, the Executive Branch notably omitted to include funding for gas masks in its omnibus aid package.

Instead, The Obama Administration armed the Syrian Opposition with advanced weaponry.
The Al Nusra Front, a Syrian Opposition group that is believed to be one of the primary recipients of US aid, swore allegiance to Al Qaeda in April.

CITING OBAMACARE, 40,000 LONGSHOREMEN QUIT THE AFL-CIO


In what is being reported as a surprise move, the 40,000 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced that they have formally ended their association with the AFL-CIO, one of the nation's largest private sector unions. The Longshoremen citied Obamacare and immigration reform as two important causes of their disaffiliation. - Warner Todd Huston/Breitbart (warning: Autoplay)

"We feel the Federation has done a great disservice to the labor movement and all working people by going along to get along," McEllrath wrote in the letter to Trumka.
The ILWU President made it clear they are for a single-payer, nationalized healthcare policy and are upset with the AFL-CIO for going along with Obama on the confiscatory tax on their "Cadillac" healthcare plan.

The Longshoreman leader said, "President Obama ran on a platform that he would not tax medical plans and at the 2009 AFL-CIO Convention, you stated that labor would not stand for a tax on our benefits." But, regardless of that promise, the President has pushed for just such a tax and Trumka and the AFL-CIO bowed to political pressure lining up behind Obama's tax on those plans.
McEllrath also went on to say that they support stronger immigration reform than the AFL-CIO is supporting.

One ILWU committeeman was even harsher on both the AFL-CIO and the President. ILWU Coast Committeeman Leal Sundet criticized the AFL-CIO telling LaborNotes.com that Trumka was marching "in lockstep" with Obama both on the "Cadillac healthcare tax" as well as immigration.

The Year of Seeing Red Lines


A.F. Branco has been right on target for several months when it comes to Obama’s “red lines.” - Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion

A vote of no confidence is in order - Ed Rogers/Washington Post
What with our president having received the Nobel Peace Prize and leading us in a pivot to Asia, I guess the White House wants to pretend that the humiliating debacle America is suffering — in front of the world — isn’t happening. What’s wrong with asking Congress for authorization to go to war? The Obama apologencia will tell us it is what the president meant to do all along. They will tell us things are going according to plan. What’s the rush?
Is Barack Obama the Worst and Most Incompetent President Ever? - Ron Radosh.PJMedia

GOP senators’ petition to defund Obamacare hits 1 million signatures

With less than a month to go before millions of Americans will be required to enroll in Obamacare, the petition to defund the program has hit a landmark 1 million signatures – on schedule, by Labor Day. - Biz Pac Review

In what’s being called the last chance to stop Obamacare, U.S. Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, are going full-bore to get other senators to sign on.

The petition at ◼ dontfundobamacare.com hit its target Sunday night, according to the website, which features a countdown to the anticipated funding vote, and lists which senators – and candidates who hope to replace them – have pledged not to fund Obamacare in 2014.

With 54 Democrats in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid needs everyone in his party, and six Republicans, to reach the 60 votes needed to fund the unpopular program. Lee and Cruz say if Republicans hold strong, they can stop it....

Now we wait: Coalition of the Unwilling...

DRUDGE:
White House Girds for Battle With Congress on Syria - JAY SOLOMON and JANET HOOK/Wall St. Journal
Proposal seeks broad war power despite vow of limits... - Michael Doyle | McClatchy Washington Bureau
While President Barack Obama insists he wants only a limited air attack on Syria, his proposed authorization of force would empower him to do much more than that. Congress is likely to impose tighter reins, as lawmakers have learned that presidents are prone to expand on powers once granted...

The proposed resolution gives Obama a go-ahead to use the military as he “determines to be necessary and appropriate in connection with the use of chemical weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in the conflict in Syria.” Specifically, the president could act to “prevent or deter the use or proliferation” of the weapons or to “protect the United States and its allies and partners” from the weapons.”

Tellingly, University of Texas Law School Professor Robert Chesney said in an interview, Obama’s proposed authorization did not include a sunset date. Chesney suggested that “if the administration is serious about wanting to act in such a truly narrow, time-limited way,” then a sunset measure could be useful.
After classified briefing, lawmakers skeptical... - Ed O'Keefe and Paul Kane/Washington Post
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the dean of the Senate, told reporters after the meeting that the resolution seeking military force is “too open ended” as written. “I know it will be amended in the Senate,” he said.

Leahy’s comments echoed the views of dozens of lawmakers who left the briefing and said they want to see the resolution more closely resemble President Obama’s own pledge that any strike be limited in scope.
CURL: Obama’s 2014 calculation: Let’s have a war - Joseph Curl/Washington Times
The first rule for President Obama: It’s all about 2014. The second rule for President Obama: See Rule No. 1....

Make no mistake: The president couldn’t care less about the plight of Syrians, the 1,500 gassed to death — including nearly 500 children. It’s all about 2014. Win the House, reign supreme.
Consider this: Mr. Obama made his dramatic Rose Garden statement Saturday — then headed to the golf course. Congress has no plans to cut short its 30-day vacation, and the president did not call lawmakers back. So much for urgency.
The conventional wisdom is, as usual, wrong. Losing the congressional vote won’t be an embarrassment for the president, as all the talking heads are still parroting. A loss would be a double win. First, because a “No” vote would allow the foreign policy neophyte to walk away from his blundering “red line” declaration on chemical weapons (“I wanted to go in, but Congress said no”). And second, should Republicans who voted for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars now oppose Syria, the president would be armed with clear “evidence” that their opposition is purely political.

Keep in mind: This president knows no way to campaign other than to blame others. He’ll batter Republicans for all of 2014 as obstructionists should they be the reason the effort fails....
Coalition of the Unwilling... - Nile Gardiner/Telegraph
RUSSIA NOT CONVINCED BY U.S. EVIDENCE... - AP
China argues against unilateral action... - AP
Syrian media calls 'historic American retreat'... - Yahoo
Refugee: 'Obama lied to us'... - The Guardian
UK gov't let company export nerve gas chemicals to Syria... - The Independent
USS Nimitz carrier group rerouted to Red Sea... - Reuters
Russia sending spy ship to Mediterranean... - The Guardian
Syria asks U.N. to stop U.S. strike... - Reuters