Friday Afternoon Roundup - No Signs of Intelligence

 After the CIA director began reporting intelligence he obtained from his TV set and the Director of Intelligence claimed the Muslim Brotherhood was a secular organization, it's obvious that there isn't a trace of intelligence in the Obama Administration.

To recap Obama's foreign policy triumphs, he snubbed England, tried and failed to intimidate the little country of Honduras, picked a fight with Israel over some houses in Jerusalem, tried to budge China on its currency and got nowhere, got played by Russia on the START treaty and now helped overthrow a pro-American government in order to replace it with an anti-American government. It seemed impossible that anyone in the White House could ever top Carter-- but Barack Hussein Obama has done it in only 2 years. What he will do in his remaining time doesn't bear thinking about.

Even if the American people manage to drive him out of the White House in 2012, he will leave behind an ugly mess to clean up. American prestige is at its lowest point in history. Our allies don't trust us. Our enemies are slapping us around. The United States was fortunate to have a Reagan to replace Carter, a strong leader who restored and burnished the nation's standing. The situation wouldn't have been salvaged nearly as well if Howard Baker or George H.W. Bush had won instead. A Republican who ran for the presidency in 2008 only had to carry on, but in 2012 he will have clean up duty. And there's no telling how much he will have to clean up. We will need a strong leader who can think on his or her feet, and has the courage to make a clean break with the last 4 years.

Obama finally got his Carter moment, and went him one better. This turned out to be that 3 AM phone call, but it would have been far better if he had slept through it. The country and the world would be better off if he just spent the rest of his term playing golf or playing with his model train set. But that isn't happening. And we will all have to live with the consequences. 

Egypt's future after Mubarak's exit will be either as a military dictatorship or an Islamic state. That's the sum total of the achievements of the Soros sponsored revolution. Either way life will get harder and uglier. Economic reforms will go out the window and a civil war is not out of the question.

There are two paths here. Either Suleiman and the military will maintain control of Egypt with a few sidebar reforms. These reforms will increase the power of the Muslim Brotherhood, without giving them a direct line to take over. The other will occur if the military gives in to Obama's pressure tactics and either allows ElBaradei to form a transition government or opens up the system all the way. The ElBaradei route will mean a repetition of the Aoun-Hezbollah alliance in Lebanon. A completely open system will repeat the ugly events of Iran in 1979. And then it's time for the US embassy to start torching papers.

So in the "best case scenario", Egypt will reverse Mubarak's economic reforms and will have a less open system. In the worst case scenario, it will have an Islamic state. That is the great flag waving achievement here. And this is what Obama will go on claiming credit for, until the heads start rolling, and then he'll figure out a way to blame Bush for it. But the real credit goes to his Nazi collaborator puppetmaster, György Soros.

With the 2012 election, Soros saw that he couldn't count on Obama. He had already been expressing impatience with Obama. It may be a while till we know how much money and resources were poured into this effort to overthrow pro-American governments in the Middle East. And the neo-conservatives who allowed themselves to be used to cheer on his campaign have a lot to answer for.

Ironically, Soros' campaign outwardly seemed to share some common elements with the Bush era neo-conservative campaign to bring down evil regimes. These tactics were denounced as unilateral and imperialistic by the same media enthusiastically cheering and participating in the Egyptian coup. But the Bush era campaign had targeted anti-American states with a history of supporting terrorism. And there was the difference.

Obama's refusal to pressure Iran during the protests there, varied sharply with the intensity of the pressure he applied to Egypt. The same difference was there. Iran is anti-American. Egypt was pro-American under Mubarak. And Obama, like his boss, kicks his allies and gives our enemies the benefit of the doubt.

At CPAC, Rick Santorum said that he thinks, Obama doesn't believe in evil. I think he's wrong. Evil is all that Obama believes in.

The alliance between Western leftists and regional Islamists is threatening to dramatically change the Middle East. Soros and his ilk are carrying on the work of the Soviet Union. The new "people's revolutions" toppling regimes no longer come from Moscow, instead they come from 1060 Fifth Avenue and 175 Rue de la Loi. The Soviet Union has fallen, but there are successors carrying on its work, from the Red Baroness Ashton to Soros.

Carter's man, Zbigniew Brzezinski pushed the Green Belt strategy against the USSR. The Obama Administration appears to have picked it up, but it is no longer directed against the Soviet Union. It exists for its own sake. Islam not as a weapon, but Islamism for the sake of Islamism. Because it is held to be a good by men who don't know what good is. Who believe reflexively in evil.

The least that any responsible administration should do is make it clear that no Egyptian government that incorporates or allies with the Muslim Brotherhood will receive any aid. But the Obama Administration actually supports a political role for the Muslim Brotherhood.

But what of Egypt's Christians, ask Lisa Graas? If any group in Egypt should have been encouraged to participate in the political process, it should have been Egypt's disenfranchised Christians. The media has hardly mentioned them among all this. When it has, it insisted that the overthrow of Mubarak would be good for them.

"I think Mubarak's resignation is a good thing for Coptic Christians, and other Egyptians. If he had not done so, there would likely have been riots and violence and a descent into chaos," said Paul Marshall, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C., to The Christian Post.

No mention is made of the rights of Egypt's Christians. Instead it's suggested that they should be happy that the protesters and their violence didn't further endanger them.

A single cautionary note comes from the Washington Post's Michelle Boorstein

"The current situation for the Copts stinks, but [longtime Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak is the best of the worst for us," said the Rev. Paul Girguis of St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Fairfax County, which has about 3,000 members. "If Muslim extremists take over, the focus will be extreme persecution against Copts. Some people even predict genocide."

Arguably the genocide has already begun. The Christians of the Middle East are an interruption in the narrative of Muslims who want to wipe out all traces of other peoples and religions from the region.

Pervasive vandalism and destruction of ancient artifacts from previous civilizations, whether it is Muslim looting and destruction of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the Taliban's bombing of the Buddhas of Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia which actually has a fatwa forbidding the preservation of historical sites... punishable by death.

Egypt's Copts, like Israel's Jews or Turkey's Armenians, are holdouts against a tide of Muslim genocidal violence with the aim of ethnically cleansing regions under their control.

The Iranianization of the Egyptian revolution has been well under way. Stories like this should be painfully familiar from 1979

In the process many have formed some unusual bonds that reflect the non-ideological character of the Egyptian youth revolt, which encompasses liberals, socialists and members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

''I like the Brotherhood most, and they like me,'' says Sally Moore, 32, a psychiatrist, a Coptic Christian and an avowed leftist and feminist of mixed Irish-Egyptian roots. ''They always have a hidden agenda, we know, and you never know when power comes how they will behave. But they are very good with organising, they are calling for a civil state just like everyone else, so let them have a political party just like everyone else - they will not win more than 10 per cent, I think.''

Many in the circle met during their university days. Islam Lotfi, a lawyer who is a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Youth, says his group used to enlist others from the tiny leftist parties to stand with them in calling for civil liberties, to make their cause seem more universal. Many are now allies in the revolt, including Zyad al-Elaimy, 30, a lawyer who was then the leader of a communist group.

Quotes like this are altogether familiar from Iran. But you don't need to worry about Dr. Sally Moore being forced to don a burqa. Moore came from London, when things get hairy, she'll go back together. For now she reps the Popular Campaign in Support of ElBaradei, which is part of the Youth of the Egyptian Revolution, along the Muslim Brotherhood Youth.

The Muslim Brotherhood is explicitly using the Iranian model (see Atlas Shrugs) for Kamal Helbawi's statement to Iran's news agency.

Iran revolution example to follow, says Egyptian scholar London, Feb 10, IRNA – The Islamic revolution in Iran over three decades ago has set an example for others to follow, according to a prominent Egyptian scholar.

“It has had an impact not only on Egypt but all over the Muslim world,” Kamal Helbawi said on the eve of the 32nd anniversary of the 1979 revolution in Iran.

Kamal al-Halbavi, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, expressed gratitude to Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei for his support of the revolution. Al-Halvavi said he hoped that Egypt would have a “a good government, like the Iranian government, and a good president like Mr. Ahmadinejad, who is very brave.”

Helbawi was the Muslim Brotherhood's "spokesman to the West". So much for the 'split' between Sunnis and Shiites.

And if Egypt falls to the Brotherhood, then the timeline to the Caliphate is shortened. Already ominous developments are beginning. And the news is only getting worse

The two-ship Iranian task force, consisting of two British-built vessels, Vosper Mark V-class frigate Alvand and supply ship Kharg, left Iran on 26 January, according to Iranian news sources. The next day, a senior naval officer announced that the task force, deployed as the 12th Naval Group, “would enter the Red Sea and the Mediterranean waters.” The prospect of a Mediterranean deployment is as unprecedented as the Saudi port visit. There is no guarantee it will actually happen, but the timing is interesting.

While the Mubarak regime was in power, there was little possibility of Egypt permitting an Iranian naval task force to transit the Suez Canal. I’m not convinced any Egyptian authority will agree to such a transit before the country’s political future is sorted out – I certainly don’t think the Iranians know their warships are approaching a Canal that will be opened to them by a specific, expected change in political conditions. But what I do perceive is a bold move by Iran.

Iran is throwing its weight around and daring anyone to stop them. The Mullahs and Ahmadinejad are confident that no one will. We're quickly approaching an endgame.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday that a new Middle East is being created which would be free of the United States and Israel, as he backed the Arab uprisings but warned Egyptians to be watchful of America's "friendly face."

Massive crowds of Iranians, waving flags and chanting "Death to Mubarak!" and "Death to America!" descended on Tehran's Azadi Square (Freedom Square) to listen to the hardliner who lashed out at the West and Israel in a speech marking the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

"We will soon see a new Middle East materialising without America and the Zionist regime and there will be no room for world arrogance (the West) in it," Ahmadinejad told the cheering crowds who gathered despite the cold and cloudy weather.

And yes there's talk of an apocalypse a-coming

In his fiery style, Ahmadinejad, showed his messianic beliefs on Friday, saying the world was witnessing a revolution managed by Imam Mehdi, the 12 Shiite imam who disappeared as a five-year-old in the 10th century and who Shiites believe would return on the judgement day.

"The final move has begun. We are in the middle of a world revolution managed by this dear (12th Imam). A great awakening is unfolding. One can witness the hand of Imam in managing it," said Ahmadinejad, wearing his trademark jacket.

The combination of Obama's domestic unpopularity and his international weakness means that Iran knows that they have to rack up as many gains as they can, before he can be potentially replaced by an American leader. The closer we get to the election, the worse it will get. And there are too many enemies positioning themselves to take advantage of an Obama-ridden country.

But there's no need to worry. Everything will work out. Incidentally, over the last four years, Pakistan has doubled the size of its nuclear arsenal. Just one of those things that happened to happen.

Nuclear proliferation analysts from the Federation of American Scientists and the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) assess that since 2006, Pakistan has increased the size of its nuclear arsenal from 30-60 atomic bombs to approximately 110. That makes Pakistan the world’s fifth largest nuclear power ahead of Britain and France.

As for delivery systems, according to The Washington Post, Pakistan has developed nuclear-capable land- and air-launched cruise missiles. Its Shaheen II missile, with a range of 2,400 kilometers, is about to go into operational deployment.

Yes, the sponsors of the Taliban now have over a 100 nuclear missiles. Pakistan has more nuclear weapons than its former colonial masters in London do. How many will it have 10 years from now, while we keep on cutting our own arsenal? While we place Europe's missile shield in Turkey, another Islamist state.

Pakistan's missiles can't reach London yet. Depending on where they launch from. But they will be able to. And then New York and Washington D.C. If they dispense with the warheads, they have enough to destroy every city in the US with a population above 200,000.

Again nothing to worry about. Just be very afraid of.

You know how afraid our governments are of Muslims, when all they can do is stage the occasional small scale of mass murder. How afraid are they going to be when they can kill 50 million people in a single day?

And how long do you think freedom of speech and religion will last when that day comes that the Muslim world forces the free world to choose?

Think about it, while there's time. And think about how much US money given as payback for Pakistan's on and off efforts against Al Qaeda was diverted to build those weapons.

Endgame.

Moving on back to America, Senator Kyl's retirement is unfortunate. There is talk of Giffords running for the seat, but I think that's still wishful thinking. Not only does Giffords have a long road ahead of her, rehab is a long journey after a traumatic injury. And the speculation doesn't originate from her.

It's not inconceivable that Democratic operatives could get her into the race, but that would also lose her much of the sympathy they want to cash in on. Being shot in the head is not a qualification for the Senate. Of course there are plenty of counterexamples.

'Senator' Evita Carnahan is a great example of a public willing to vote for a completely unqualified wife of a governor because her husband had died in a plane crash. (Even more insanely her dead husband actually won the election, which should have led to his corpse being propped up in the Senate.) Then there's Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy who was elected to congress because her husband was among a group of passengers shot by Colin Ferguson. McCarthy is a single issue congresswoman who long ago fell out of step with national trends against gun control and doesn't exactly represent her district which isn't exactly faced with a major gun violence problem, but there she sits. And she can't be moved. Because she successfully commodified her husband's shooting death into a permanent widow's sinecure in public office.

In the roundup, a trajectory of the pleasure principle and the weapons of mass distraction from Cliffs of Insanity (via Western Rifle Shooters)

We are texting and walking through the mall. We are so absorbed in ourselves, our toys, our tech, our own little world that we neglect even the most fundamental of tasks. It never occurs to us that something may be ahead of us. That the smooth, level walking surface may change. Or that anything might change. When we reach that first indicator of trouble, we'll try to step over it-even though it's totally wrong. Our brain is so absorbed that we literally cannot even walk right. And so, we're headed for disaster on the big screen while unseen viewers will laugh at our misfortune and stupidity.

Execpt that in reality, we're walking not into a tame pool of water a foot deep , but over The Cliffs of Insanity. There'll be no "hot coffee" lawsuits after this fall.

No, the people who will run things then won't be putting up with those.

IsraelGirl considers the prospects in Gaza after the events in Egypt in Is there hope for the people in Gaza?

Now the Arab world is a flame with riots and protests demanding political reforms. Is there hope for freedom and democracy in Gaza? Just like Hitler won a democratic election in Nazi Germany, Hamas came to power in Gaza in a democratic fashion. Sadly democracy and freedom stopped there.

People in Gaza have had enough. Gaza's youth are venting anger on Facebook calling for an end of Hamas' brutal regime. Hamas security forces are breaking up solidarity rallies arresting protesters. Hamas police and internal security forces have been arresting and summoning for investigation Fatah members and Facebook activists in the Gaza Strip, to prevent them from holding a demonstration against Hamas in Gaza on February 11. Many voices in Fatah, long time rivals of Hamas, are calling on the people in Gaza to stand up and revolt against the "dictatorship that restricts their freedoms."

People's experience of poverty, unemployment and lack of freedom is identical all over the Arab world. But due to Israel's constant aid, the people in Gaza are often living in better conditions than in neighboring Arab countries. Check out the pictures below - these images of daily life in Gaza prove there is no hunger in Gaza. But people are beginning to realize that freedom is worth fighting for. All of us in Giyus.org are sending a message of hope and strength to people in Gaza - you deserve to be free of Hamas' brutal regime.

We'll see.

Lemon Lime Moon accuses the Virginia Military Institute of going soft on Islam

The flag of Sardina is interesting as it bears the severed head of a Moor on it. When the Moors tried to invade Sardinia, they beheaded them. The heads were stuck on pikes around the island as a warning to the Mohammedans not to try it again. They didn't.

Finally at INN, Dr Mordechai Nisan asks if Obama will go down at the Godfather of the Islamic Revolution

But a paradigm which fits Obama’s record suggests that the tempo and turmoil of regional events fit his agenda, and may be a result of his policies. As a son of a Muslim father, Obama is on course to promote Islamization at home and abroad. In the Middle East, where popular religious forces threaten authoritarian regimes, Obama has placed America on the side of Islam. His is a historical role in furthering the expansion of radical Shari’a Islam from his Oval Office in Washington. Hamas, while defined as a terrorist organization, received U.S. aid for the Gaza Strip under its rule.

Obama’s agenda is succeeding brilliantly with the very list of events considered his failures in foreign policy in facthighlighting his successes. Islamic takeovers in Lebanon and perhaps Egypt, maybe in Tunisia and Yemen, then Jordan, fulfill his vision in full glow. Thus, Egypt as a base of American strategy in the Middle East may be replaced by Egypt as a foundation for the spread of radical Islam in the world. When Obama bowed before the King of Saudi Arabia in April 2009, he was not showing respect for the monarchy but deference to the Guardian of the Holy Cities of Islam. Maybe over a few generations Washington will be added, along with Rome, to the list of Islamic sacred sites.

What do you think?