Senior al Qaeda leader leaves Pakistan, directs Iraq operations from Syria

By Bill Roggio

A senior al Qaeda leader and ideologue who was based in Pakistan's tribal areas has taken control of al Qaeda in Iraq's organization in Syria and is operating from the capital, Damascus.

Sheikh Issa al Masri is thought to have entered Syria in June 2009 and has been consolidating control of the remnants of al Qaeda in Iraq to refocus the group's efforts to destabilize the Iraqi government.

Sheikh Issa was detained by Pakistani security forces in January 2009, according to the Asia Times. It is unclear if he escaped or was released from Pakistani custody, US military and intelligence officials told The Long War Journal.

After leaving Pakistani custody, Sheikh Issa traveled to Iran prior to entering Syria, according to a report in Corriere della Sera, an Italian newspaper. Al Qaeda has an extensive network inside Iran which receives support from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, according to the US Treasury Department, which has sanctioned several members of al Qaeda's organization in Iran.

Sheikh Issa is believed to be based in Damascus and is protected by the Mukhabarat, Syria's secret intelligence service. From Damascus, Sheikh Issa has been instrumental in reorganizing al Qaeda in Iraq's network and is thought to be behind some of the most deadly attacks in Iraq, including Wednesday's coordinated bombings in Baghdad that killed more than 90 Iraqis and wounded more than 1,200. ....

Why Should We Underwrite Russian Rearmament?

By GABRIEL SCHOENFELD

(The Wall Street Journal) The Nunn-Lugar program to help Russia destroy its nuclear weapons no longer makes sense. ....

.... Finally, and most critically, is the direction of Russian military spending. It had dwindled in the 1990s but is now soaring. The Russian defense budget nearly quadrupled from 2001 through 2007. Over the past few years, it has increased annually by between 20% and 30%. Russia, President Dimitry Medvedev announced in March, is embarking on a "comprehensive rearmament."

These were not idle words. Russia has been constructing the new Topol-M, a modern intercontinental ballistic missile. It continues to move forward with the new sea-launched Bulava ballistic missile to be carried aboard the equally new and state-of-the-art Borey nuclear-powered submarine. It has resumed production of its Tupolev-160 supersonic strategic bomber. Although the total size of Russia's arsenal is not expected to grow—old systems are being retired as new ones arrive—the net effect will be a more effective strategic nuclear force.

Money is fungible. If the U.S. were not defraying the costs of safeguarding or dismantling Russia's deteriorating weapons of mass destruction, Moscow would be compelled to do so out of its own pocket. Russia has an interest even more compelling than ours in the safety and surety of its nuclear systems. Thanks to political stability and a measure of prosperity—enough, certainly, to commence "comprehensive rearmament"—Moscow is now in a position to take care of such problems on its own.

Of course, the Russians much prefer our assistance. And why wouldn't they smile at a program that in effect pays for a build-up of their military even as we build down ours?....

Reports Revive Debate on Contractor Use

By Walter Pincus

The disclosure that the CIA once hired Blackwater USA for elements of an assassination program has brought back into focus the wide range of intelligence and military activities that are being contracted out to private firms.

Some lawmakers have balked at the shift of intelligence operations away from government employees. ....

New unit to question key terror suspects

(Washington Post) Move shifts interrogation oversight from the CIA to the White House ....

Obama's 5 Big Lies on Healthcare; Even NY Times Admits the Truth

from League of American Voters

Dear Friend:

Are Obama and his friends taking you as a fool?

You have to wonder what they really think about the intelligence of the American people.

Obama repeatedly has out-and-out lied about his healthcare plan.

Here are just 5 of the big whoppers.

Lie #1: 'You Keep Your Doctor, You Keep Your Insurer'

This is a complete fabrication.

Under plans Obama has backed in the House and the Senate, almost any business can opt their employees into the "public option" — the government health plan.

That means you could lose your insurer. And if your doctor is worth his salt, you'll lose him or her as well.

Why? Because great doctors probably will not want to get the very low rates the government will pay private doctors who are part of the new government system.

So, without your consent, you very easily could lose your insurer and your doctor.

Lie #2: The Elderly Will Not Face Rationing or Medicare Cuts

More baloney.

In fact, just last week, The New York Times, a very liberal and very pro-Obama newspaper, admitted that fears of rationing for elderly patients are "not irrational."

The truth is that Obamacare would almost 50 million new patients to government care.

Who would pay for it. You would!

Seniors on Medicare will be the first hit.

Here's what the Times reported: "Bills now in Congress would squeeze savings out of Medicare, a lifeline for the elderly, on the assumption that doctors and hospitals can be more efficient."

This means that faceless bureaucrats will decide the type and quality of your care.

It is a very dangerous thing to give your life and well-being over to government bureaucrats!

Imagine if you or a loved one is older than 80 years and critically needs heart surgery.

Instead of getting the heart procedure, you or that loved one could be informed that you are simply too old.

We at the League of American Voters have been warning of this danger and have a powerful TV commercial exposing the risks to seniors.

You can see the ad by Going Here Now

Lie #3: There Will Be No "Death Panels."

More lies.

Sure, they don't call them "death panels" in the legislation, but that's what their job will be.

These committee members will set guidelines with which faceless bureaucrats will make decisions about you and your healthcare.

They will decide who lives and who dies. They decide who gets critical procedures and expensive medicines.

Again, according to the New York Times, the Democratic plans call for saving money by creating new oversight committees.

The Times says that Medicare and insurers would be expected to follow "advice from a new federal panel of medical experts on 'what treatments work best.'”

Again, this very liberal paper concluded: "The zeal for cutting health costs, combined with proposals to compare the effectiveness of various treatments and to counsel seniors on end-of-life care, may explain why some people think the legislation is about rationing, which could affect access to the most expensive services in the final months of life."

Expose the lies — Go Here Now.

Lie #4: The Obama Plan Contains Costs

Absolute nonsense.

The Obama plan will cost more than $1 trillion in new federal outlays, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

This past weekend, Sen. Joe Lieberman claimed that most of this cost comes from adding 50 million people, currently uninsured, to the government health system.

But as Lieberman pointed out, we just don't have the money to do this right now.

You can add only so many people to the government system by cutting medical care to seniors on Medicare and raising taxes.

Democrats clearly plan to do both.

Lie #5: Illegals Are Not Covered by Obamacare

President Obama has stated time and again that illegal aliens are not covered under his new plan.

Still, Democrats say they want to add almost 50 million uninsured. Yet almost one-quarter of these uninsured are illegal aliens.

None of the Democratic plans excludes illegal aliens.

In fact, when Republicans proposed an amendment to the House plan to block illegals from getting free government healthcare, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her minions soundly defeated the motion.

Many, many lies are emanating from Washington today.

This is why the work of the League of American Voters is so critical now.

Dick Morris, the famous Fox News analyst and campaign strategist, says the League is the No. 1 organization today fighting Obamacare.

"Every American who wants to stop Obamacare should join with the League," Morris says. "They have the best strategy to stop it from becoming law."

Just two weeks ago, the League's powerful new TV ad went on the air.

Thanks to your help, it's already running in 12 states — and it is affecting millions of people.

We believe it is one reason some Democrats are starting to retreat.

But our job is not done.

We must fight the lies.

We must expose the dangers of Obamacare to all Americans. ....

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Bob Adams
Executive Director

P.S. Our TV ad, which Dick Morris crafted, is so effective that ABC News refused to run it. If you take a moment to watch the ad, you'll see why. It simply tells the truth, in the words of a respected medical doctor. Take a minute to watch it — and most importantly, help us continue this battle! To Watch the Ad and Donate — Go Here Now

Swine Flu May Cause 90,000 U.S. Deaths, Report Says (Update2)

By Tom Randall and Alex Nussbaum

(Bloomberg) -- Swine flu may infect half the U.S. population this year, hospitalize 1.8 million patients and lead to as many as 90,000 deaths, more than twice the number killed in a typical seasonal flu, White House advisers said.....

Africa wants $67 bln a year in global warming funds

By Tsegaye Tadesse

ADDIS ABABA, Aug 24 (Reuters) - African leaders will ask rich nations for $67 billion per year from 2020 to cushion the impact of global warming on the world's poorest continent, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters on Monday. ....

Petraeus to open intel training center

By Eli Lake

Gen. David H. Petraeus plans to open an in-house intelligence organization at U.S. Central Command this week that will train military officers, covert agents and analysts who agree to focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan for up to a decade.

The organization, to be called the Center for Afghanistan Pakistan Excellence, will be led by Derek Harvey, a retired colonel in the Defense Intelligence Agency who became one of the Gen. Petraeus' most trusted analysts during the 2007-08 counterinsurgency campaign in Iraq.

Mr. Harvey distinguished himself in Iraq by predicting that the Iraqi insurgency would spiral out of control, at a time when it was widely underestimated by the Bush administration, in 2003 and 2004.

He later dissented from the emerging consensus in Congress and the CIA, when he said, as early as March 2007, that al Qaeda had been strategically defeated. This was during the early days of the surge, at a time when most of the intelligence community thought the Sunni insurgency was intact.

In an exclusive interview with The Washington Times, Mr. Harvey said the center will build on some of the lessons that he and the military learned in Iraq, not just for counterinsurgency but also in terms of intelligence analysis.

In this sense, Mr. Harvey is a believer in two reforms in developing reliable intelligence. The first involves altering the methods of interpreting raw data. He said the intelligence community tends to rely too much on information from human sources such as spies and from signal intercepts such as wiretaps, to the exclusion of reports from people on the ground such as military officers and aid workers.

Mr. Harvey said the new center would focus on integrating all sources of information to develop strategic products for both war fighters and decision makers in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"We have tended to rely too much on intelligence sources and not integrating fully what is coming from provincial reconstruction teams, civil-affairs officers, commanders and operators on the ground that are interacting with the population and who understand the population and can actually communicate what is going on in the street," he said. "If you only rely on the intelligence reporting, you can get a skewed picture of the situation.

And now: Cash for Kitchen Appliances

By Michelle Malkin

bailout

Washington just doesn’t get it. Spending beyond our means is what got this country into trouble in this first place. Political gimmickry like Cash for (fill-in-the-blank) only exacerbates the root cause. Government has no business encouraging people to take out car loans or home loans — or buy new refrigerators or dishwashers — when they should be saving their money instead.

They don’t get it. Via Business Week:

A $300 million cash-for-clunkers-type federal program to boost sales of energy-efficient home appliances provides a glimmer of hope for beleaguered makers of washing machines and dishwashers, but it’s probably not enough to lift companies such as Whirlpool (WHR) and Electrolux out of the worst down cycle in the sector’s history.

Beginning late this fall, the program authorizes rebates of $50 to $200 for purchases of high-efficiency household appliances. The money is part of the broader economic stimulus bill passed earlier this year. Program details will vary by state, and the Energy Dept. has set a deadline of Oct. 15 for states to file formal applications. The Energy Dept. expects the bulk of the $300 million to be awarded by the end of November. (Unlike the clunkers auto program, consumers won’t have to trade in their old appliances.)

…Not surprisingly, appliance makers cheered the news. Electrolux spokesman Tony Evans calls the federal program a “great opportunity to encourage consumers to replace their old appliances.” Lately, cash-strapped consumers have chosen to repair, rather than replace, hobbled dishwashers and other water-intensive appliances, according to industry analysts. Electrolux says it is readying “aggressive” marketing programs that will run parallel with the rebates, and it’s reasonable to expect appliance makers and retailers will devise additional discounts to amplify the rebates’ appeal. “We will be ready to go when the new incentive programs hit the market,” Evans said.

Forget a new fridge. I want cash for an upgrade to Wii Fit Plus. I’m sure the Fitness Czar will approve.

The Incredibly Shrinking War on Terror

.... Operation Boulder imposed the grand burden of a five-day waiting period for Arab immigrants seeking to obtain a visa while the FBI and other federal agencies ran a background check – the same waiting period President Clinton instituted for law-abiding American citizens before purchasing a handgun. ....

....In the mid-90s, Vice President Al Gore drew up a series of recommendations for airline safety, which, though too modest to prevent the hijackings, were never implemented. The 9/11 Commission explained Clinton and Gore no longer required airlines to screen passengers’ carry-on luggage, as they had before 1997, “[p]rimarily because of concern regarding potential discrimination.” Zogby, the AADC, and CAIR stoked those fears during the Clinton administration and, with others, made Governor Bush concerned over “secret evidence” in 2000. Post-9/11, Zogby became a founding member of the FBI’s Arab American Advisory Committee. Presumably, this continues to be part of his repartee with Holder and co. ....

…As candidate Obama promised it would be nearly two years ago. In December 2007, the then-freshman senator told AAI he opposed “racial profiling,” adding, “when I'm president, the rights of every American will be fully respected and protected.” September 10^th, here we come. ....

.... Mr. Zogby and his organizations continue to clamor against “spying” on Muslim groups, despite the large number of Muslim Student Association members implicated in terrorism. But then both he and his representatives have a long history of whitewashing terrorists. ....

Zogby’s invitation seems emblematic of Obama’s narrowing focus in the War on Terror: it seems to include only those elements of the jihadist movement that will not pretend to negotiate with him. The president’s real zeal is expressed in zinging Israel. Obama also foreshadowed this in his 2007 AAI speech, where he stated, “we also have to do more to bring a measure of stability in the broader Middle East. Our neglect of the Middle East peace process has fueled despair and extremism.”

Thus, the president has strong-armed Benjamin Netanyahu into accepting, in principle, a Palestinian state, although Bibi has voiced concerns about increasing violence, and a more prominent role for Fatah (the “peaceful” Palestinians) in it. Obama State Department appointee Rosa Brooks has likewise excused Hamas, writing in the L.A. Times this January that the terrorist army “is weak, and its weapons – terrorism, homemade rockets – are the weapons of the weak.” These weapons “have killed only a handful of Israelis.” She contrasted this with Palestinian casualties, adding, “Arab and Islamic anger over Palestine continues to fuel anti-Western and anti-U.S. terrorism around the globe.” But Brooks came up with a solution: “Only the U.S. – Israel's primary supporter and main financial sponsor – can push it to make the hard choices necessary for its own long-term security, as well as the region’s.” Brooks is right that the future of the United States and Israel are intertwined, but for the wrong reason. David Horowitz has rightly stated, “Israel is the canary in the mine. What happens to this small, vulnerable nation will eventually happen to America itself.” But for the Obama administration, Israel is the aggressor, not the victim. ....

.... The Obama administration’s battle horizon does not even include all elements of the Taliban, whose foot soldiers are currently killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. The president has expressed interest in negotiating with the “moderate” Taliban – an entreaty Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf logically dismissed as “illogical.”

Even al-Qaeda agents caught on-the-ground in certain nations may be in a legal gray area. Obama personally told the New York Times in March, “There could be situation…where, let’s say that we have a well-known al-Qaeda operative that doesn’t surface very often, appears in a third country with whom we don’t have an extradition relationship or would not be willing to prosecute, but we think is a very dangerous person.” Obama’s rock hard decision? “I think we still have to think about how do we deal with that kind of scenario.” In the War on Terror, he’s still voting “present.” ....

.... A Kinder, Gentler John Kerry

In the NYT interview, Obama even voiced concerns about the hypothetical al-Qaeda operative’s “habeas corpus” rights – although officials later rushed to clarify he intended to extend these only to Guantanamo Bay detainees. Americans voted last November for a candidate who would track down al-Qaeda operatives into the farthest reaches of “Pawk-ee-stawn” and bomb their bases with or without Islamabad’s permission. They got a warmed over version of John Kerry, who viewed the war as “primarily a law enforcement and intelligence operation.” By contrast, Obama eschews law enforcement and coercion. He has faith his boundless personal warmth and innate goodness can charm and pacify the heads of terrorist states. If he could find any.

Why are Americans mad? It's big government, stupid

(Matt Welch) It's been a hilarious August, watching media supporters of Obama's health care package puzzle over the obscure motivations of the noncompliant Americans rallying against it ...

Obama's approval collapsing

(Rassmussen Reports) The daily Presidential Tracking Poll shows that 27% of the nation's voters strongly approve of how Barack Obama is performing as president. Forty-one percent (41%) strongly disapprove ...

Millions face shrinking Social Security payments

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

WASHINGTON (AP) - Millions of older people face shrinking Social Security checks next year, the first time in a generation that payments would not rise. The trustees who oversee Social Security are projecting there won't be a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the next two years. That hasn't happened since automatic increases were adopted in 1975.

By law, Social Security benefits cannot go down. Nevertheless, monthly payments would drop for millions of people in the Medicare prescription drug program because the premiums, which often are deducted from Social Security payments, are scheduled to go up slightly. ....

.... "I think a lot of seniors do not know what's coming down the pike, and I believe that when they hear that, they're going to be upset," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who is working on a proposal for one-time payments for Social Security recipients.

"It is my view that seniors are going to need help this year, and it would not be acceptable for Congress to simply turn its back," he said.

Obama adviser: Let's engage terrorists Approach suggests split between White House, State Department

FROM JOSEPH FARAH'S G2 BULLETIN

The self-proclaimed principal adviser to President Obama on counter-terrorism is proposing engagement with Hezbollah, which the U.S. officially regards as a terrorist organization, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

John O. Brennan, a former Central Intelligence Agency station chief in the Middle East and State Department official, said that such engagement, in effect, will be part of strengthening U.S. national security and "safeguarding the American people from violent extremism and terrorist attacks."

While at State, Brennan also was a political officer in Saudi Arabia.

In a virtually unpublicized address Aug. 6 to the Washington, D.C., think-tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, Brennan relegated most of his prepared remarks to the Obama administration's efforts to confront terrorism, especially that of al-Qaida.

"Some like to claim that the president's policies somehow represent a wholesale dismantling of counter-terrorism policies and practices adopted by his predecessor," Brennan said. "Others claim that the president's policies constitute a wholesale retention of his predecessor's policies. … Both are wrong … (the president's) views are nuanced. …He understands the complexities and many dimensions of the challenges presented by violent extremism." ....

.... In addition to being comprised of many professionals, Hezbollah also is the single largest minority bloc in the Lebanese parliament, holding some 57 of 128 seats. In addition, it is allied with the Amal, headed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and the Christian leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, former Gen. Michael Aoun.

Brennan pointed out the U.S. already has relayed its willingness to engage with Hezbollah and other terrorist or insurgent groups which seek to change. He pointed out that in Lebanon and among Palestinians the Obama administration has demonstrated it is prepared to engage organizations and groups and have a dialogue with them if they dedicate themselves to peaceful solutions to existing problems. ....

Obama participated in socialist party Activist recalls president's time with radical Chicago political group

By Aaron Klein

President Obama participated in a controversial 1990s political party with a socialist agenda, recalls a major member of the organization known as the New Party. .... socialist-oriented goals of the New Party were enumerated on its old website.

Among the New Party's stated objectives were "full employment, a shorter work week, and a guaranteed minimum income for all adults; a universal 'social wage' to include such basic benefits as health care, child care, vacation time and lifelong access to education and training; a systematic phase-in of comparable worth and like programs to ensure gender equity."

The New Party stated it also sought "the democratization of our banking and financial system – including popular election of those charged with public stewardship of our banking system, worker-owner control over their pension assets [and] community-controlled alternative financial institutions."

Many of the New Party's founding members were Democratic Socialists of America leaders and members of Committees of Correspondence, a breakaway of the Communist Party USA. ....

Fed-Up U.S. Marine helped lead the initial charge into Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein Runs for Office

.... Regarding his "tough guy" theme, Kelly said, "People are sick of politicians from all parties. They're lying to them. People want someone to fight for them in Washington and that's the message I want to convey." After being honorably discharged in 2004 and taken off inactive reserve last year, Kelly now works in the private sector as a project manager ....

U.S. military says force in Afghanistan isn't big enough

By Helene Cooper

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — Military commanders with the NATO mission in Afghanistan told President Barack Obama's chief envoy to the region this weekend that they did not have enough troops to do their job, pushed past their limit by Taliban rebels who operated across borders.

The commanders emphasized problems in southern Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents continue to bombard towns and villages with rockets despite a new influx of U.S. troops, and in eastern Afghanistan, where the father-and-son-led Haqqani network of militants has become the main source of attacks against U.S. soldiers and their Afghan allies.....