From The Nation:

Myth 1. It’s a dangerous world. We face an array of serious national security threats that require an experienced Commander in Chief. continue reading...

Madness I tell you:

Quoting senior diplomatic sources, Britain’s The Guardian said Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert raised the issue with Mr Bush during his visit to Israel for the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state’s founding. continue reading...

Russia’s naval fleet is lining up alongside Syrian waters, to both defend Syria and block off any Israeli jets flying towards Iran.  More here and here, via WRH:

The Russians are making clear their intentions of using the large Russian naval presence in Tartus as a deterrent to Israeli air strikes against Syria using the powerful anti-air missiles on-board the Russian naval warships. These missile systems can sweep the sky over most of Syria and knock down Israeli F-15 and F-16 fighters. This changes the balance of power in the air over Syria. continue reading...

From Iran’s Press TV, quoting Arab-language Israeli daily al-Arab:

The Arab-language Israeli daily al-Arab reported that the three agents were killed on Wednesday in a blast at a building which was guarded by the US security firm Blackwater. According to report, the three agents carried fake Iraqi passports. continue reading...

What’s interesting is that the Democrats and Republicans are running over very different stances about GWB’s legacy.  Democrats say it was a disaster (it was); Republicans pretend to see it as America’s golden era, or do they believe it?

Who cares.  Outsiders see it as a disaster: continue reading...

Interesting denouement:

Israel has told Syria it is willing to trade land for peace and is waiting to hear whether President Bashar al-Assad would cut ties with Iran and hostile guerrilla groups in return, Israeli officials said on Friday. continue reading...

It’s always interesting to read things in the Israeli media that the mainstream media dare not write in the US.  Latest example, courtesy of Haaretz:

The moment of truth has arrived, and it has to be said: Israel does not want peace. The arsenal of excuses has run out, and the chorus of Israeli rejection already rings hollow. Until recently, it was still possible to accept the Israeli refrain that “there is no partner” for peace and that “the time isn’t right” to deal with our enemies. Today, the new reality before our eyes leaves no room for doubt and the tired refrain that “Israel supports peace” has been left shattered. continue reading...

This was really a matter of time, really.  The Kurds have been sitting silently on the sidelines while Shiites and Sunnis kill one another, biding their time to claim independence.  While America might be blinded to this, Saudi Arabia saw it coming, enough to offer the Kurds $2 billion for a 10 year freeze on claiming Kirkuk - oil rich Kirkuk - as the capital of Kurdistan.

If you thought Iraq was unstable now, just wait and see what is about to happen between Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq over the volatile Kurdish issue. continue reading...