Bush and Olmert Agree on 'Timetable' for Attack on Iran

Olmert Hints U.S. Action on Iran Nukes is Near

by Gil Ronen
Published: 06/05/08, 11:35 AM

(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted after his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush Wednesday that U.S. action against Iran is imminent. While he avoided saying anything clear and specific on the matter, Olmert did mention a "timetable" and said action would take place before Bush leaves the White House.

"We reached agreement on the need to take care of the Iranian threat," Olmert said after the meeting. "I left with a lot less question marks [than I had entered with] regarding the means, the timetable restrictions and America's resoluteness to deal with the problem."

"George Bush understands the severity of the Iranian threat and the need to vanquish it, and intends to act on the matter before the end of his term in the White House," Olmert reportedly said after his 90 minute long one-on-one meeting with the American Commander in Chief.

'It is not good to publicize everything'

"With every day that goes by we get closer to stopping the Iranian nuclear plan," Olmert said. He said that meaningful steps were being taken to handle Iran "more effectively" and told reporters: "The Iranian problem requires urgent attention, and I see no reason to delay this just because there will be a new President in the White House seven and a half months from now."

Billion Dollar US Mexico Fence

I guess people like this fence because it's something solid.

Chertoff's Iron Curtain

Many people sincerely doubt that this wall will actually secure our border and protect us from undocumented dishwashers. The history of walls lends them some support, but of course when things get bad enough here, perhaps it will help keep us from fleeing to Mexico.

I don't think so. Not if 10-year-old-boys and grandmothers can easily climb over it.

FEMA & Formaldehyde, Part 2

CDC Confirms Health Risks to Occupants of Trailers

I remembering writing something about this...on 07/22/07. Maybe that suggests how long it takes a serious health hazard to poor people to get in the MSM: almost seven months.

Anybody But Obama!

Obama: GOP was the "party of ideas" during past decade

According to Barack Obama, Republicans have been "the party of ideas" over the last ten to fifteen years because they were "challenging conventional wisdom."

"Obama's narrative about Ronald Reagan's presidency stars a government grown out of control, and a populace eager to emerge from two decades of social unrest. Against that backdrop, Reagan rose to victory by uniting the country behind his optimism and delivering transformative change."

Bleh. What planet does Obama live on? When I read this a few minutes ago I realized that he had played me, and millions of others. I feel a little queasy. I'm going to vote for Dennis Kucinich, who of course has no chance...but nothing I can do will matter. At least I can say I tried to do the right thing.

Nominate Obama

Grim Old Party
By Steve Benen
Posted September 4th, 2007 at 12:46 pm

It’s not a bad landscape, is it? The Republicans have a huge field of unimpressive candidates; Dems have a smaller field of top-flight candidates; GOP voters are dejected; and Dems are thrilled to have so many strong choices.

*********************

I just thought of another reason for the Democrats to nominate Obama instead of Hillary. Without a focus for their hatred, the Republicans will be more than just demoralized. They will be immobilized by confusion.

Americans Have No Shame.

AN APPEALING CHINESE IMPORT: ACCOUNTABILITY

Should Leaders Who Ruin Lives Go Unpunished?

Zhang was co-owner of the Lee Der Industrial Company, the Chinese company that made toys for Mattel using toxic levels of lead paint. Mattel issued a recall expected to cost the company in the neighborhood of $30 million.

Poor guy--he probably didn't even know the paint his workers were slathering on nearly a million toys for preschoolers was dangerous. "The boss and the company were harmed by the paint supplier, the closest friend of our boss," reported the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper.

"It is not uncommon for Chinese executives to commit suicide after suffering damage to their reputation," noted the UK Telegraph.

Zhang's death followed the July execution of Zheng Xiaoyu, 62, head of China's State Food and Drug Administration from 1994 to 2005. Zheng was convicted of accepting $850,000 in bribes from eight pharmaceutical companies in exchange for approving fake and substandard drugs. An antibiotic involved in the case killed at least 10 people.

The Xinhua news agency didn't say how Zheng was killed, but most Chinese executions are carried out with a single gunshot to the back of the head. Shortly afterward a policeman notifies the condemned man's family by presenting them with a bill for the cost of the bullet.

Now that's accountability. Can we import some of that too?

The late Mssrs. Zhang and Zheng oversaw corruption and incompetence that pales next to catastrophes for which no American has yet been held to account. Thousands died in hurricane Katrina because officials all the way up to George "Heckuva job, Brownie!" Bush made a conscious decision not to help. Two years later, what's left of New Orleans is dying, murdered by an appalling political calculus: It is (was) black. It was Democratic. Shouldn't government officials face a firing squad for killing a major city?

Waziristan, Pakistan, Bin Laden and Nukes

My husband just complained to me that Barack Obama is getting on the Go After The Terrorists bandwagon, which in my husband's opinion shows him to be just another opportunist, saying whatever will grab a few swing votes.

I pointed out to my husband that John Kerry during the 2004 campaign also urged pursuit of Osama Bin Laden, in the places where Osama Bin Laden hides, and that Obama's stance is not different.

And then I explained to my politically naive husband that there are problems nobody talks about in public. Everybody who was really paying attention knew in 2001 that the Taliban in Afghanistan had support in the Northwest Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, and would take refuge there. All you had to do to know that was read Pepe Escobar's columns in Asia Times Online.

The US can't find Osama Bin Laden, and the US can't attack in the northwestern tribal areas of Pakistan, because most Pakistanis are sympathetic to Bin Laden. If such an attack were made Musharraf's military dictarship would be overthrown...and atomic weapons, large ones, would be in the hands of Bin Laden.