Shrapnel

2011-12-24T15:03:00.023-04:00

IRAQ-NONE DARE CALL IT VICTORY--As the US troops came marching home from Iraq, President Obama marked the occasion with a gala speech at Ft Bragg, North Carolina; the first lady was on the podium with him. Thanking the assembled cheering soldiers for their service, he characterized their return as one with honor and heads held high. At no time did the word victory cross the president's lips.

Does it follow that if the Iraq fiasco was not a victory, was it a defeat? It certainly was not a stalemate. Unlike the US chaotic departure from Vietnam under fire, however, US troops had an orderly withdrawal. Disorder in Iraq followed immediately after the last uniformed troop crossed out of Iraq into Kuwait.

Blasts rocked the country killing 68 and wounding 200 people to include children. Both Shiites and Sunnis were casualties. The unification government was shattered when Al-Maliki, a Shiite leader of the fragile Iraqi central government, issued an arrest warrant for the Sunni vice president, Tareg Hashemi. These events unfolded only days after the formal end of the US occupation. The reality is that the US force in Iraq appeared to be stop in the bottle--the stopper was now pulled out.

US response was one of aghast. It dispatched General SAVEUS Petraeus to Iraq in the cover of darkness to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. When that did not work, Obama rushed General Ordinero to Iraq in the brightness of day. Whether officially admitted or not, there still are reportedly 17,000 contractors in US pay; two bases remain there; and 4000 troops are still in Iraq. So complete withdrawal of US forces is myth that will blow up in the president's face when the insurgents zero in on this US residual force. Otherwise why would Obama send two four-star US Army generals back into the fray ? Both of these generals have had multiple bites of the apple without serious pacification, so why send them back ?

Except for those Iraqis paid by the US and its mercenaries, the US has little goodwill left in the Sunni and Shiite lands. Abu Gharib atrocities and the smashing of Fallujah finished long term US friendship in Iraq. Any Shiite appreciation for killing Saddam will steamrolled over by el Sadr and his Iranian allies. Kurdistan remains as a place where long term US interests could succeed, but that is a roll of the dice with Syria, Iran and Turkey playing in its backyard. VEEP Biden has always championed an independent Kurdistan, so that truncated state may be the best hope of the US in Iraq.

The US, with its abject support of Israel ,never did have much support on the Arab street even before its invasion and destruction of Iraq. Its invasion just polished off any influence. US bought Arab leaders mainly with military aid ,but that policy is evaporating in the Arab Spring.

Each day US influence in the area ebbs the US foreign policy is dysfunctional as it is in many cases projected through the American military industrial complex. Our trade seems to follow force projection through weapon sales. Ironically, China with loans to the US is the enabler. In this process the US has temporary gains while China permanently commands long term world resource markets and rapidly expands its military forces.

US has left a shattered Iraq with a smashed infrastructure and wrecked economy. A 100,000 Iraqi killed. Its museums looted. Cityscapes are choked with ugly cement blast barriers. Sectarian violence is busting out everywhere. The central government has no mandate with key cabinet security posts of defense and interior unfilled.

If the US left a democratic baby, it was still born. For this disaster the US has spent over a trillion dollars; had 4,487 killed and 32,226 wounded many of which lost limbs. Sixty six percent of our wounded suffer from traumatic brain injuries and post tramatic stress. Most will need costly extended care. In realpolitik ,Iran now has hegemony in the area. Even Obama does not have the temerity to call this mess an American victory.

Obama claims he fulfilled a campaign promise of ending the Iraq war. With a US residual force of around 20,000 still in Iraq, this boast is hollow. That this residual force is not higher was precluded only by Iraq which refused to accept a higher number by denying more under a status of forces agreement.

Despite the fanfare, the Iraq war is not over. US armed personnel still in Iraq will become targets and the US will respond with force---the surge is still not working --It never did, except in GW Bush's brain.-Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2011-12-16T17:02:00.028-04:00

DRONES, DUDS , ROMNEY & PERRY---Strange things emanate from some Republican presidential hopefuls, especially as they pander to war hawks on their rabid right. During the last debate in Sioux City Iowa both Perry and Romney appeared prepared ready to go to war with Iran over the return of a US drone launched from Kandahar Afghanistan that crashed near Kashmar, Iran 140 miles ac cross the Afghan border.

Ironically, "Kashmar" in the Russian language means "nightmare" and there is a good chance that is what the US would have on its hands if either political opportunists like Perry or Romney were in the Oval Office. At least Ron Paul at the time had the sense to call such saber rattling dangerous and absurd.

Creating war hysteria over Iran is a Republican thing. It panders to the big time supporters of the Republican Party, ie, the military industrial complex the Israeli Lobby and its Christian Evangelical Zionists.. Bachmman, Gingrich and Santorum are all on the same band wagon. It is the same madness, driven by the same interests, that brought the US the disastrous Iraq war..Now 68 percent of Americans agree that war was a mistake.

The drone that crashed in Iran was a RQ-170 Sentinel Drone. It is a state of the art piece of equipment. It is nicknamed "the Beast of Khandahar", and is alleged to have been used in in recent operation against Bin Laden. CIA had operational control of this Iranian mission. It will be interesting to learn why the built-in self destruct mechanism did not function. Was some one asleep at the switch or less likely, did the fail-safe mechanism fail ? Imagine the delay, panic and bureacratic consternation involved to destroy millions of dollars worth of modern equipment.

CIA has a history of clutching on self-destruct when the chips are down--Remember Gary Powers in his U2 spy craft shot down over Russia under President Eisenhower--last time I checked you can see large parts of it in the Red Army Museum in Moscow and Mr Powers is alive and well as he was traded for high-level Soviet spy held in the US. He had the means and orders to destroy the aircraft and himself in the event of capture.

The US claims that the drone was lost because of a malfunction; that it was not shot down, and that no cybernetic technology or electronics were involved in the crash. Iraqis claim that its forces brought it down with electronic warfare. It is known to have an effective Russian AVTOBAZA jammer.

For the US its capture constitutes an inadvertent transfer of valuable technology, especially the sensors. One mystery is why the drone with a 66 ft wing span, flying as high as 50,000 feet, remains in good shape after it crashed. To make it more vexing to the US, the Iranians put the drone on TV and paraded throughout the country for propaganda purposes.

Faced with the dilemma of what to do about the drone once it was lost, the US administration chose to ask diplomatically for its property to be returned. So far the Iranians have refused. Other options by the US were rejected.

These include destroying the drone by US aircraft or special operations assault. Either of these measures could have denied the Iranians the technology, but may have involved US casualties and more equipment loss. Such activities would have escalated the incident as the Iranians would have met the attack as further provocation. US forces in Gulf and interests in Iraq are open to Iranian counter measures. Risk of war was evident as each side would develop military counter strikes. Obama understood this and took a deep breath and politely asked for his lost drone to be returned. Doubt that this will happen.

The US had diplomatic problems over its spy platforms previously. LBJ in 1968 with the USS Pueblo and North Korea, and GW Bush with the Navy reconnaissance aircraft with China in 2001 are examples of incidents when the US backed off use of force to rescue lost intelligence assests. So duds Perry and Rowney attacked without basis when they mocked the president for his cautious actions over the drone in Iran.

Obama has demonstrated serious weakness economically. I do not agree with many of his social policies and it is clear he has mismanaged US policy in the Middle East. He has permitted Israel to make US policy in the peace process. He has fumbled badly in Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Libya. He has opened new war fronts in Somalia and other parts of Africa. His surge in Afghanistan was absurdly pointless. He is at drawn swords with Pakistan over sloppy warfare incidents.

His pullout from Iraq deserves credit. He also killed Bin Laden who was right under GW Bush's nose in Pakistan. He curbed the Somali pirates. At least, at this time, fewer US military people are dying under his administration and that is something you will not get in a Republican administration run by screw balls and interventionist neocons. For the Americans, Republicans and Democrats are equally bad choices--It is nearly a Hobson choice.. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2011-12-05T14:47:00.038-04:00

AMERICAN BOOB OF THE YEAR -- 2011--Look no further than the Republican Party presidential candidates.. With the exception of Ron Paul, the other candidates all are nominated for American Boob of the year 2011.

Huntsman could probably do the job well, but as a Mormon you never can predict whether or when he will board a spaceship for an island in the sky. Too bad. His credentials , resume and presence are impressive. He speaks fluent Chinese Mandarin and this for a round-eye is commendable. Especially compared to Perry and Cain who have a tough time with even English. He like Ron Paul and Romney rejected Donald Trump's mawkish invitation to a 27 th Dec. debate

Michele Bachmann is the only lady in the pack. Her strident evangelical beliefs qualify her to be a tent missionary to follow Rev.Huckabee and Rev. Pat Robinson in the successful quest for the Holy Grail of Iowa. But her shallowness has even apparently unnerved the holy rollers there. She is now at the bottom of the polls. Unbelievably Iowan Republicans currently believe Newt Gingrich loves Jesus more than any of candidates and have pushed him to the top of polls. About the only positive thing I can say about the Iowa Republican electorate was that it had the sagacity not to elect Bomb Bomb McCain and its Democrats broke Hillary's heart in their 2008 presidential primary. For better or for worse , the Iowa Democrats voted for Obama .

Gingrich has the reptilian visage of a fat lizard. His record demonstrates that he is cold blooded--dumped two wives that were sick.. While he was cavorting with prospective wife number 3, he was blasting Wild Bill Clinton for flagarento delecto excesses in the Oval Office. The man has character flaws that had him punished by the House Ethics Committee and the House membership.- His Republicans colleagues booted him out of his Speaker of the House leadership for lack of leadership. A tiger does not change its stripes., nor a leopard its spots.

The fact that he knows how to use influence and the capitalist way to enrich himself reassures us he is greedy, but as president could we expect more greed? We know his latest wife has expensive Tiffany tastes. His Pickwickean stature does not enhance his allurement. He is held in contempt by many Republicans and his nomination could lead to a third party run.

If the Republicans were dumb enough to run Bomb Bomb McCain and Drill Baby Drill Palin you can always expect another absurd choice by the party of Lincoln. Newt is their man , if the Party wants another wacky badly damaged candidate. Gringrich believes Donald Trump with four times bankruptcy is an economic genius, and further he wants neocon screwball John Bolton as his Secretary of State.

Why in the world anyone believed Rick Perry was presidential material is unknown. Perhaps some in high places figured if they could sell misfit, spastic GW Bush as a president, What the Hell ,why not Perry . GW Bush's two terms took the US over the edge economically, politically, socially to a point of no return.. His war on terror has led permanent war--he will go down as one the worse presidents in US history.

I was warned by Texans long ago that Perry was dumber than GW Bush. Perry's defenders say he is not dumb,but just uneducated! Enough said. If you watched the debates, you know that jnformaion is true. No more Texas governors or Bushes as president. It now an established profile in ineptitude.

Rick Santorum, reminds voters perpetually he is a family man with several children. He is a one-pony show fixated on anti abortion. When he is on a foreign policy rant, he comes up with knee jerk neocon baloney.;he shovels very fast on imposing democracy where it is not wanted and flies into paroxysms of joy over Israel. He appears qualified to head the local parish rosary society--not much else.

Mitt Romney is the darling of country club Republicans. Over 47 billionaires have contributed to his campaign. He seems to always challenge the conservatives with his moderate positions until he changes his views to suit their whims. And then he is accused of flip flopping. About 30 percent of the Republican s are of the religious right persuasion--they hate him like Huntsman because he is Mormon. Romney wants very bad ly to be be president. He is qualified,.Was a governor ; and has demonstrated his business acumen repeatedly.

When he was running in 2008 for the Republican nomination Huckabee characterized him as a man who takes the skin off his fried chicken before he eats it. His very presence at the debates at the same time would make Bomb Bomb McCain sputter, Romney has the cool sang froid that would suit a well-balanced president. At same time his aloofness inhibits the charisma needed to galvanize voters. Still, I believe he has the best chance when compared to the rest of crowd in the Republican race. Romney bends before the wind blows. His core values remain obscured.

Except for Ron Paul , and this includes Democrat Obama, . no one has signalled serious change in the status quo. Paul's chances are slim as winner . He faces the opposition of military industrial complex, Wall St, the Banks, trade groups, Federal Reserve, MSM and the Jewish Lobby--those are the pillars of power in the US. Too bad. For Paul as a major candidate would force a review of a very sick power structure from which change must eventually evolve. He would fiercely foster reconsideration of the US Constitution as the well spring of US law and conduct.

Herman "Bang Away" Cain has mercifully withdrawn from the presidential campaign. Hissexual peccadilloes competed even with those of Bill Clinton and JFK. He is not Clinton or Kennedy in the other categories by a long shot. He was clumsy, maladroit, uninformed and wearing his fuzzy pimp hat projected a cartoon quality. At least when push came to shove former black presidential candidates Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson could rhyme to brake things up in their farces. Cain's stupefying conduct and aggressive ignorance at a serious political level make him AMERICAN BOOB of 2011. This may be unfair to the extent the the Republican National Committee bore responsibility and permitted him to carry their banner in the spotlight.

Perhaps Hunter Thompson was right when he mused that there was no limit to how low a man would stoop to be president.

There is no question Obama is a failure; he does not deserve a 2nd term. The Republicans will not beat him if they continue to remain goofy or embrace religious fanatics. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2011-10-12T15:37:00.038-04:00

Storming Barricades--Street demonstrations, now widespread in the US. make the US right wing cringe and the left wing's heart jump with joy..No one quite knows where these street dramas are headed--there is no self righteous "we shall overcome" fervor, but there is plenty of hot air, anger and sturm and drang--lots of smoke and heat, but no fire--there is no shortage manifestos; there is, however, overwhelmingly almost one for every beef or perceived cause,with lots of bongo drums , signs and distraught young people.

Like gypsy encampments ,these succeed mainly in conveying a mangy desperation and a surreal vagueness without the color of Romani fortune tellers and horse thieves. Living in tents in the center of a city voluntarily takes a special kind of screwball.

If this group wants to be taken serious , get a bath and haircut for starters. Further,tattooed bodies do not either inspire sympathy or confidence. If these masses do not want to be perceived as rabble,at least do not take on its cast. Public sanitation always presents s problem to dense street movements when they try to project civilized conduct. A haze,noise and stench tends to follow their encampments. The public nuisance mounts along with the duration of the camp out. Protesters' First Amendment rights are undermined as public safety becomes an issue to the majority.

There is no shortage of things to get angry over: unemployment, corporate greed, foolish wars, bought politicians, acne, the deficit, and stupid trade and foreign policy. The bromide of electing competent politicians to fix things has demonstrated repeatedly that the newly elected pols are fixed by the elements that donate to their successful election. So manifestations on the street may be the first step for revolutionary change, but few seem in earnest to rip up the foundations of US democracy required to do it. It is doubtful the mob in the end will risk un- employment checks, welfare doles, government backed heath services, retirement, and access to those student loans over angst of Wall Street Greed.

Revolutions are difficult to start. They are almost impossible to sustain. And in those instances when they do succeed, conditions become worse with many killed or dispossessed as society is inverted. The results are seldom more bread or peace. The Russian revolution killed more Russians than the 15 million killed in Hitlers war against the USSR. The average Cuban has not enjoyed a pork sandwich since Castro.s revolution---though you have to admit the Cubans are healthy since meat is scarce and they walk a lot because public and private transportation are problematic..

As far as the NATO sponsored revolution in Libya, Ghadfi is dead; the central government now has disintegrated; weapons are abundant.; law, except for the club and fang is nonexistent. At this stag, the revolution result is too close to call, but one thing for certain, the end will not produce a democratic form of government And now Hamas is believed to have surface-to-air missiles,supplied by revolutionary Libyans to knock Israeli helicopters out of the air. {AH REVOLUTION]

The street demonstrators' obnoxious conduct has forced some communities to quash them; however like a boomerang many sail back--some courts and MSM continue to encourage their absurdly destructive behavior. Police are getting tougher on the dears, so one form of perceived brutality will compel violent over reactive responses--

As Jack Frost pokes his icy finger into their midst, the protest movement should learn to build igloos. One thing for certain in post revolutionary situations, a new gang would take over as the little guy continues to churn water. He just changes bosses. The street demonstrations will amount to little--it has already turned into a mecca for bums,homeless, pan handlers and anarchists; the uniting factor appears they all have dirty pants. Efforts to give this motley bunch a revolutionary aura is misplaced.

It could end either with a whiff of grape shot or massive arrests and incarceration. Hopefully, that will not happen. Like the romantic hippy revolutionaries of the 60s, they will return home spaced out and bug bitten; find a job, raise a family, join the establishment and spin myths about their faux heroic exploits. POWER TO THE PEOPLE-EQUALITY, LIBERTY and A FREE LUNCH--In any case, GET A LIFE--- COLONIAL ROBERT E BARTOS USA Ret

2011-05-30T13:05:00.006-04:00

ISRAELI MOUSE ROARS AS US EAGLE SWOONS- When the next Gibbon writes "The Rise and Fall of the American Empire" President Obama's and US Congress's pandering to Israeli in May of 2011 should used as a highlight in the sad tale of America's demise' How a pip-squeak theocratic bloody state like Israel with pretenses of democracy can bend the US to its warped wishes is example how the "land of the free and the home of the brave' accepted a self destructive path.

The most recent theatrical performance staring Obama and Netanyahu was a four-act play staged this May over several days. At this point it is judged a comedy, but its long term implication can be a tragedy for both the USA and Israel.
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American educated Netanyahu comes across as an arrogant fella , corpulent with a double chin; he has the skills of Meyer Lansky, the dash of Bugsy Siegal and the scruples Bad-Eye Zalutsky. With this buzz saw persona, he stands in contrast to the Bambi-like Obama...a man that can deliever a glorious speech to which normally no one pays any attention
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Act I consisted of Obama's speech at the US State Department. Its aim was to articulate a new US policy in the Mid East as the old one was rapidly falling to pieces. Thrust of speech was encourage democracy by bombarding he area with aid and cure the running sore of Israeli/Palestine occupation with new peace talks. In this connection Obama called for negotiations that used the 1967 Israeli Palestine borders as a basis of the new talks with agreed territorial swaps'.

At least the Israelis listened to his speech this time-its powerful lobby in the US erupted in anguish over Obama's proposal especially on the eve of Netanyahu's visit to the US. It stormed the US media. All this outrage, despite Obama's promise to insure Israeli security.

Act II is Natanyahu and Obama;s meeting in the White House. It was a tense meeting in which the Israeli rejected Obama's proposal s publicly, concurrently with Israelis back home announcing more illegal settlements. It was ugly and corrosive meeting. At best I can see , Obama just turned the other cheek and failed to get even a good will gesture from Netanyahu,as the Israeli huffed puffed and bullied in camera.

Act III is when Obama immediately went to speak be the AMERICAN ISRAEL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, the biggest American Jewish lobby in the US. Apparently Obama went to the meeting waving a white flag-. He backed down on the emphasis on the 1967 borders and emphasized negotiating new borders using agreed territorial swaps.

Obama apparently needs American Jews politically. 73 percent voted for him in the last election and they possess enormous influence in the media and the entertainments They make major contributions to his campaign; hence the surrender. He pays them off by political appointments, a supreme court justice-3 billion plus to Israel in aid. and embarrassing diplomatic and military support to cover Israel's reckless policies.

Netanyahus was scheduled to speak at the same AIPAC meeting, but that was anticlimactic--Natanyahu there expectedly would evoke the same mindless joy that Sarah Palin does when she speaks gibberish to Republican evangelists.

Act IV was to be Netanyahu's moment in the sun; it was to come before a joint session of Congress. There he enraptured the US law makers who honored him with 4 more standing ovations than accorded Obama at his recent state of the union speech. The Arabs took note.

Those congressmen and senators probably did pandering for the same sick reasons that Obama scuttled his own policy at AIPAC. It is obvious to most that blind support of Israel is not in American interests, but certainly in the interests of US politicians
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Israeli news sources reported that Netanyahus polls went up by 14 points in Israel. No reports on Obama's polls in the US for the same period in May.

Change in the Middle East has not been kind to Israel. A big hole in their Gaza blockade was made by opening permanently the Rafah crossing into Egypt.The military junta in Egypt is working closely with the Muslim Brotherhood. Lebanon is now run by Hetzbollah-their rockets resupplied with more with bigger payload and ranges. The UN General Assembly is prepared to recognize a Palestine state in September . Arab birthrate inside current Israeli borders far exceeds the Jewish rate..

Time is not on the Israel side. Even the Turks, long time friends, have severed relations with them over the murder of Turks.

George Mitchel quit as US envoy to the peace process just before Obama's speech at the State Department--he got no support from the Obama administration to stop Israeli settlements. No cooperation in negotiations by Palestine until that happens. US has leverage as it insures the loans on the settlements.

For the US to change its one-sided policy with Israel ,change must come from outside. A time when expediency exceeds ideology will set the change. There is no mutual defense treaty between the US and Israel-so there is no need to abrogate anything legislatively.Just the US needs to get practical and sane and pursue self interest..--Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2011-05-17T17:20:00.007-04:00

BIN LADEN KILLED-NOW WHAT ? The killing of Bin Laden by US Forces has incredibly caused serious troubles for US policy makers. Not only did they bungle the post operational media coverage immediatly after Bin Laden was killed, but they continue to leak stories about him that focus his sex habits and dream aspirational plans,most of which appear dated a few years ago.

It is as if there is an atempt to hide the truth in a media smoke screen. The secret burial of the terrorist's corpse at sea and the failure to publish the proof of death photos add foolishly to the mystery and hollowness of the US official version of events.

The reason most given for the disposal of the body so quickly and privately was that this conduct would complicte the martydom of Bin laden by his followers.

You do not need a body to create a martyr--the Christians have done a remarkable job without the body of Jesus Christ. As far as those who will make a martyr of Bin laden , they will do it with his body or without it.

By this time after Iraq invasion and Abu Gharib and killing of non combatants with bombs in Afghanistan ,with hellfire missiles from drones in Pakistan, there is not much inluence left over the islamic people by the US.

The only hope the US has is the Jihadist brand of Islam is more onerous than the Yankees. There are also bribes, but the influence they buy is short term as we are learning in Iraq..

About the only thing that we have been told about Bin laden's discovery in Abbottabad is that US intelligence followed the spoor of Bin Laden's trusted courier to his doorstep. This may be true, but it is hard to believe that the US acted on one source only. And risked a complicated raid just on a single courier source.

It is no accident that the Pakistani Taliban or Jihadist turned first to the Pakistan Army to revenge Bin Laden death last Friday killing .over 80 of the Pakistan military forces. They certainly believed the Pakistani Army withdrew its support from Bin Laden. Hopefully CIA got a source in the Pakistan Army who could not resist the big reward money.

If this is true, the Agency deserves the admiration of the American people instead of the usual opprobrium of the "The Gang that cannot shoot straight " Remember SLAM DUNK on WMD in Iraq.? Hanging out Valerie Plame ? GWB's Torture Club and mis targeting of drones in Pakistan.

Pakistan parliement just passed a non-binding resolution which demands the US stop the drone attacks in Pakistan. It had the votes of the ruling party and opposition. Otherwise the US supply routes to Afghanistan throiugh Pakistan will stopped if the drone attacks continue.

There is some sort of Kabuki going on now in Pakistan. Both the US and Pakistan wear masks of bruised feelings--Pakistan over the raid-US over hiding Bin laden. It will settled as too much money involved both in foreign aid and juicy war contracts.Senator Kerry. US Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will not let a deal slip through his fingers--sadly whatever the cost.

Curiously Kerry was sent to negoiate, not Hillary.

One thing the Pakistan Army has to be concerned over is US Special Forces raid on their nuc weapons.The US certainly now demonstrated the capability in the latest raid.

With the demise of Bin Laden the US has a perfect excuse to end the occupation of Afghanistan--at two billion dollars a week in spending on the war. there it is certainly an incentive. It also would allow President Obama to make first payment on his Nobel Peace Prize--just one small step in curbing rampant hipocrasy that has flooded his administration.

The US policy has collapsed in the Middle East. These Arab states are not moving toward democracy, but rather toward Islamic rule or a brand of Baathist socialism.--Obama tossed Egypt Mubarek to the mob; his authoritarian allies Yemen and Baharian are killing their subjects as fast they can--distabilization of Syria cannot help the region. Israel is now facing a united Palestine movement brokered by new Egypt--Israel just killed 15 Palestinians along its different borders. In Libya NATO/US is killing to prevent killing--Gaddafi's response to choke France and Italy with Third World refugees.

With Bin Laden's. death , it appears things are just getting started from the Arab standpoint. Despite a bump in the polls, Osama did not rescue Obama. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret,

2011-05-06T17:27:00.006-04:00

BIN LADEN DEAD DEAD DEAD--After nearly 10 years , three and half wars, trillions of dollar spent, over 100,000 of foreign civilians killed,thousands of US servicemen killed or permanently damaged, the US finally killed bin Laden.

It was a high price to kill the snake, but the US got its pound of flesh. Apart from revenge,justice or retribution, whatever all this is worth, bin Laden managed to hatch his serpent eggs and his organization is now world wide , scattered regionally, multiplied, ope rationing semi-independently.

Failure by GWBush/Rumsfeld to nail bin Laden at Tora Bora early in the Afghan war will go down in history as a big military blunder. GWB and his Israeli fixated Neocons were staging for the invasion of Iraq and could not spare the troops needed to bloc bin Laden's escape--this was despite repeated requests from US forces on the ground at Tora Bora. Since then one can argue the al Qaeda has done more damage since 9/11. and continued develop it's potential. An estimated 500 billion was spent on damages apart from the wars.

Reports indicate the compound where he lived or was hiding for about 6 years in Abbottobad Pakistan had no Internet or hard wire lines. He apparently used couriers-the slowest and most unreliable of communication systems. He may have well used carrier pigeons, semaphore flags or Indian smoke signals. As the US Army Signal Corps slogan goes "If you ain't got communications, you ain't got nothing."

Apparently bin Laden 's house was stashed with computers, disks and telephone numbers that when exploited may provide serious leads. Why the Administration announced that it seized this material is beyond me. It is almost as it provided the terrorist network a heads up.

Curiously, less the $1000.00 was found during the raid.. There were no gold or silver bars or precious gems. You have to wonder how he paid his grocery bills,especially with 22 children and three wive to feed. One thing for certain with all those offspring, his DNA will survive. His house was a breeding center.

There is no question that the Pakistani Army knew the location of bin Laden. By any standard the building was lightly defended. The raid lasted 40 minutes with explosions, helicopters roaring around and the rattle of the battle with small arms fire--very hard to ignore, yet no Pakistani military or constabulary interfered.

Ben Laden was surprised and unarmed, so he felt secure before he was hit. This was despite the fact the Seals practiced for a year on a full scale mock-up of the building on a US base in Afghanistan. Pakistani intelligence would not ignore this. The double dealing comes into play if the Pakistanis dropped a dime on Bin Laden for whatever reason. Maybe bin Laden did not pay his bills or stopped his bribes.

I believe the Pakistanis were involved both in hiding and the raid. We will see how the US diplomatic relationship with Pakistan proceeds now after the raid. If there is a rupture I am wrong; if there are just minor adjustments and business as usual, I am right.

Apart from the intrigue, the raid was a remarkable success.--MISSION REALLY ACCOMPLISHED. The Seals involved should all be promoted and decorated. That there were no leaks in Washington of operation in view of five national security meetings. VEEP Biden, a well documented blow hard, even made a public point of no leaks in the operation.

The Obama administration fell apart on the media/press management of the raid. It changed it story a few times; had officials speaking off different talking points and provided too much detail that could be used by the Jihadists.

It reminded me of giddy school girls with a juicy morsel.. Five days after the raid the administration , announced that it did not want to talk about the operation any longer. Good luck !

There were around 80 personnel involved in the operation,so it is just a matter of time we learn what really happened--there will be leaks and more photos Until then ,without physical proof of death, Hollywood's Oliver Stone will give us his version--like Elvis impersonators ,we may see new Bin Ladens appear while Bin Laden ,a sand Arab , sleeps among the fish in the Arabian Sea.

Reportedly the US has little credibility in Pakistan, so anything it says will be rejected by the Pakistan people.

Another way to get rid of the corpse was to drop his body in front of a Jihad mosque in Pakistan with a sign around his neck--YOU GAVE HIM SANCTUARY--YOU BURY THE SON OF A BITCH.---Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2011-05-01T17:39:00.002-04:00

OBAMA's NEW NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM--MUSICAL CHAIRS IN HIGH PLACES--This week President Obama announced a"new" national security team--If you expect positive change from this restructuring of personalities, forget it. The kindest thing that can be said is that is old sour wine in new bottles.

Leon Panneta changed his CIA Director chair for higher chair of Secretary of Defense; SECDEF Gates will try to fade away in retirement except when summoned for bad advice by those in Washington who reject official good advice.

Panetta was eaten alive by the CIA bureaucracy--increased deadly drone employment in Pakistan by over 200 percent during his tenure. And he protected the CIA Torture Club from prosecution'. On the positive side CIA analysis has improved ,albeit the decision makers do not appear to listen--take the Libyan war as the latest example.

When asked by congress why he increased drone attacks when they kill mostly non combatants. he wrapped himself in the flag and said he was defending America. This reply was nonsense. Diplomatic relations are unravelling with Pakistan over indiscriminate use of drones and as more non combatants are killed , terrorists against the US multiply.

At DEFENSE, Panetta just does not have deadly drones, he comparatively gets massive kill nuclear weapons on subs, missiles, and aircraft--he also has an Army , Navy and Air force and he can deploy paratroopers and Marines anywhere at a moments notice. Kinda makes you cringe when you think about it.

He fancies himself a man of congress-an amiable piasano, a warm fella with a shoeshine, a smile and glad hand--it remains to be see whether he ends more wars than he starts--keep your expectations low. Like Gates, he will get along with his military as long as it can keep its sacred cows,ie, wars and weapons. Like Gates he will cut the defense budget ,but spread it out over 10 years.--an extended time period when anything can happen so it can be changed by the future leadership.

General David Petraeus, aka by me as Saveus Petreaus, appointment at CIA explains the mystery of why he accepted the command US/NATO in Afghanistan stepping down from from a higher CENTCOM command--he took his sub ordinate's General Mc Crystal's job when Obama relieved him. Classic career case of step backwards and the two steps forward.

Based on hearsay ,Petraeus was washed up for biggest military jobs at the Joint Chief of staff or Chief of Staff of the Army. He had become the darling of the Neocons and high profile glory hound with his absurd counter insurgency strategy of surging more troops and more bribes for the local insurgents.--when the money and troops stop coming, like a big ponzi scheme, the strategy collapses--look at broken Iraq today or even better tomorrow. Eleven American troops died there this April.

My sense is that Petraeus and the Neocons brokered a deal with Obama to put Petraeus in CIA if he covered the President in Afghanistan after McCrystal's abrupt relief of command. Some contend that Obama put Petraeus at CIA to eliminate as a possible VEEP candidate in 2012--Patraeus is even less qualified for high political office than Sarah Palin, Donald Trump or Donald Duck. Military men traditionally are elected as president in the US only if they win wars. Petraeus just prolongs them.

Patraeus at CIA really is not a smart choice. With the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq still cooking, you do not want to hear a Patraeus warped view of situation defending his past actions now carrying a CIA portfolio. Stuff like the trajectory of the wars is good or there is progress, but gains are fragile and can be reversed is weasel word bullshit that is used to cover failure.

Obama, in Petraeus, has at best appointed an uncertain trumpet at CIA or at worst, one who undermines intelligence for his own or Neocon purposes. Remember the corruption of Slam Dunk Tenet and where it led.

The Penetta and Petraeus appointments are the most important in the recent Obama realignment as they bare the most on policy formulation

Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen's was replaced b Marine General Carthwright. Mullen will be remembered and not forgiven as the highest rank military officer who endorsed gays in the military. His deployment of aircraft carriers bottled up in the Persian Gulf is also questioned especially in the event of hostilities with Iran

As Petraeus assumes control of CIA he will probably bring some of his strange entourage with him. Now that General McCrystal has been rehabilitated again, do not be surprised if he does not turn up at CIA.

As you know Petraeus prides himself as a big idea man. Part of this concept apparently is an obsession for physical fitness. He jogs with his cohorts miles every day.. So under his new regime at CIA, pot- bellied gentlemen and plush-bottomed ladies need not apply. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2011-04-22T16:11:00.006-04:00

ESCALATION OF WAR--LIBYA 2011--The eagerness for more war by Obama and the international and US corporations is astounding. War in Afghanistan is as best a stalemate with no prospects of victory. Iraq is lurching toward new internal strife, more war ,especially if the US fails to end its occupation this year as agreed.

Is this the blossoming of America's Punic wars in Iraq? Pakistan missile attacks by the US is at least a partial war .Pakistan leadership has decided the US Death by Drones of its tribes is not worth the American foreign aid and is now saying Yankee go home. Capture or killing Bin Laden has seemed to have lost its cache.

Add all this death and chaos to the new war in Libya and you have an over committed nation rushing to economic disaster as the US deficit soars. We cannot win the wars in which we are engaged, so we start a new one in Libya. Why can we not finnish what we start? Or have the Troskyite Neocons finally succeeded in their doctrine of permanent war?

The American Jewish lobby appears to support the war with our old failed fired chump Wolfowitz beating the drum.

It appears now that we have come full circle with the GWB/NEOCON policy of permanent war when the American people are forced to spend and die for another's democracy-- now this same Trotskyite rubbish is being fed the USA for the war in Libya. The War appears to be over the control over Libyan oil'

There is a dissenting view by Phyllis Bennis,from a Washington,DC think tank,The Institute of Policy Studies. She contends thar Ghadafi had a sweet deal with the Europeans and US before the Libyan war. And that the war is over an effort to reassert the US in the Middle East with toppling of US supported Arab authoritarian regimes. She believes that the NATO/US goal is to make a protectorate out of Eastern Libya.

She is probably right in the short term, but dominance is about the long term control of oil. This is especially true with the Chinese and Russian lurking to pay more for oil. This may also explain why the American Israel lobby is for the war as the it wants US presence in the Middle East as their security blanket.

Each day the US gets into Libya deeper. It provides 35 percent of the air sorties; has CIA troops on the ground; runs a drone program over Libya and has donated 25 million in for non lethal aid to the rebels. Meanwhile France and England are sending military advisers . The French will probably send Foreign Legioneers who are mostly Englishmen-so they should get along better than average when dealing just with the French military.

The Arab world will have to make up their mind soon whether to deal with an Arab swine like Ghadafi or crusader infidels of the US and NATO--that is not clear as the Libyan rebels grab at anything to save themselves from Ghadafi's wrath.

Hillary Clinton in effort to blacken the black heart of Ghadafi has charged that Ghadafi may have used cluster bombs in his anti revolutionary war. My dear, the US and Libya are some few countries that did not sign the Oslo treaty not to employ them. The US is the main manufacture ofothe bombs--these bombs,made in the USA, were used against the Lebanese civilians by the Israel --Hillary, also beware of Libyan snipers. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2011-04-09T13:27:00.008-04:00

REWARDING INCOMPETENCE US STYLE 2011-----If capitalism is the best form of economic/political system for the US, one can argue its time is passing or past. It is it quickly heading pell-mell toward that dust bin of history along with fascism and communism. -... US capitalism has penchant for wars it just cannot seem to win or when it finally loses crashes hard as in Vietnam ; this war effectively destroyed national military service. Americans subsequently refused to be drafted and die for incompetent leadership who set off on wars of choice... Now we have a mercenary military force that the US congress struggles to pay and care for its veterans. ..Its role in Afghanistan and Iraq is that it has not won ,but it has not lost. It s generals seem to pride themselves on keeping the wars going, not winning them. ..Even in Iraq SecDef Gates is soliciting the IRAQ government of Shiite Maliki to request at least 20,000 troops plus as many contractors remain after the agreed 2011 withdrawal. As of this writing the Maliki government does not have a secretary of defense or a minister of interior. But it does have el Sadr, a virulent anti American cleric, straight from poliitical finishing school in Iran. He is the power behind Maliki and would put the premier's head on a pike should he request continued occupation by the US. ..US/NATO war in Libya has been a farce .Ghadafi's push to the oil-rich East has been slowed ,but certainly not stopped. So far US/NATO airforces have demonstrated what they do best--BOMB the wrong people.Ghadafi forces have stopped oil flowing from Libyan fields to it ports. The rebels still control about a million barrels stored in Tobruk,which is their last major source of income to buy war materials and supplies.... Despite the fact France and Italy has recognized the "the temporary transitional illusionary rebel regime "in Benghazi, we know that Ghadahfi in 2009 indicated he was prepared to nationalize oil production in Libya. Forget about protecting noncombatants as just propaganda-protecting oil from nationalization is closer to reality. Just observe the destruction of Libyan cities in the East... Ironically, France and Italy are now being overwhelmed by refugees from Libya and Tunisia.. The Middle East is in turmoil and US policy there has fallen apart as Yemen , Syria and Egypt have major internal security problems. US backed Israel is greedily building on Palestine land while the Obama administration tacitly supports it. ... This summer there will be major leadership changes among national security personnel. Secdef Gates and Chairman OJCS Admiral Mullen are to retire--Generals Petraeus, Eikenberry, Ordinero may have other jobs' It does not seem to make much difference who will do what since they all think and act robotically--all are losers except Ordierno. ..Petraeus fancies himself as a candidate for CIA Director if Panetta moves into the SecDef job. ,..Petreus at CIA would be showtime as he leads the Agency on 3-mile runs every morning. Petraeus and SLAM DUNK CIA deserve each other as they dance embraced over the edge of the cliff. Too bad for USA. ...Failure is reinforced if incompetence is rewarded. This true also with bank bailouts that provide bonuses to those who wrecked he economy... The US current variety of capitalism is that Government fosters corporation profits but there is almost no penalties for failures. The military industrial complex is here to stay as it finds more reasons are to drop bombs. The COMPLEX under GWBush has succeeded in a private mercenary force that will be used by corporations. .... At a foreign reception , small talk turned to the pending English royal wedding. One guest volunteered that he was in London for the Diana/Charles wedding, when another asked me whom the US was bombing at that time.? Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2011-03-25T13:05:00.002-04:00

Kicking a Hornet's Nest-USA/Libya 2011--US/NATO missile and aerial bombardment of Libya is the beginning of a bloody affair. Unlike Iraq and Afghanistan, it is doubtful that Ghadfi's. Libya will absorb the attacks without striking out beyond his borders at his attackers. He cannot win, but its not about victory; it is about making his enemy pay a price. Like Saddam , he will die with his boots on. Saddam died with contempt for his captors, so will Qadafi
.
If past is prologue, after President Reagan struck Tripoli in in retaliation for a Libyan terrorist attack on a Berlin night club that killed American service men in 1986, Qadafi blew up Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie and later was believed to have sabatoged a passenger aircraft over Niger.. So terrorist make their own rules and symmetrical tactics is not to be expected.

It is a fact that Eastern Libya providerd the most volunteer Jihadists against the US in Iraq. It is this coalition now US/NATO hopes to rescue from Qadafi !

Qadafi's Army is a force for internal control or use in some third world fracas against primitive forces. His military equipment is vintage Soviet, so blasting it by US/NATO ironically forcibly retires his military junk. Libyans are killed in the process. Bombing tanks and trucks by US/NATO has nothing to do controlling the skis over Libya or instituting a no-fly zone.

The more we hear that the US is attempting to shift the air war from the US to NATO leadership, the more preposterous the war becomes. Until sorties flown; missiles fired and bombs dropped are accomplished in the main by non-US forces, you willc onvince no one of a subordinate US role in the War. The US has just started another was against Islam. No matter how it squirms, it carries the ball and will take the hits as it still does in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The war at this stage appears to be another ill conceived military operation being made up on a day-today basis. At least so far in Libya, we have been spared General Petraeus droning on trying to make his counter insurgency theory fit reality. Just win one war for change, general.

No one in the NATO/US command seems to know what the end game is in the war-Partition of Libya with introduction of peacekeepers? Or simply kill Libyans so they do not kill each other. If the US stands by as Yemen ,Bahrain, Jordan and Syria slaughters it populace, it is on thin moral ground and defending the action in Libya is an absurdity.

About the only American lobby to promote the Libyan war has been the Israeli Lobby--even lost soul Wolfowitz wrote an OpEd in the WALL STREET JOURNAL calling for intervention . My sense is that the LOBBY^ views this Libiyan opeartion as prelude to bombing Iran. which is the hottest inteim on the Israeli agenda. Senators Mc Cain and Lieberman are for the Libyan intervention, so what is new?

There is no money to pay for another war' Neither the Democratic Party or the Republicans can put together a US budget. So the policy appears to be BOMB when you do not what to do---this thing is not over by a long shot.---Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2011-03-07T14:33:00.005-04:00

THE US WAR WAGON KEEPS ROLLING----By now the US public has to acknowledge that the US war wagon keeps rolling. Makes little difference whether Obama or Bushes or Clinton or Mickey Mouse is president-- war is there to stay. The US administration is itching to jump into the Libyan civil war despite the fact that it has not the foggiest notion of what groups compose or dominate the Libyan rebel forces'. The only certainty is Libya has oil and it leader Gadaffi is thumbing his nose at the USA.

To make matters even more stressful for US interventionists is that the Arab League and most of the rebels are telling the Yankee/NATO combine to stay home.

To date the US has managed to put its head under the tent of chaos in North Africa by air evacuating sub-Sahara refugees from Tunisia who recently fled Libya.. Apparently the rebels are targeting blacks working in Libya, so that makes it even more farcical for a black US president to support the rebels. Blacks also serve as a majority in Gaddafi's mercenary forces that are slaughtering Libyans.

No wonder Hillary has characterized the situation as confused. At least our top lady diplomat has realized the only real source of news in the area is Al Jazeera and US MSM pitifully is not. My bet is that the Arab news outlet is ahead of US diplomatic cable reporting and the dreadful CIA politically correct misinformation.

Despite the anti Americanism and outright madness of Gaddafi, GW Bush would point to the Libyan regime as a US diplomatic success..Libya turned in obsolete nuclear processing equipment; the US Carlyle Group got to handle some profits from Libyan oil revenues. THE US helped set free the allegedly dying Lockerbie bomber who is still frisky ; through this misrepresentation, GWB could claim someone in North Africa loved him. And more importantly was back in business with Ljbyan oil.

Alas this good will moment was short lived as Gaddafi is now characterized along with his sons as a monsters by the US. Sanctions are imposed; Libyan assets are frozen in the US and Europe. And now a former Libyan Justice minister says that Gaddafi personally ordered the bombing of the Pan Am 103 aircraft over Lockerbie--what a difference a couple of years make.

Disgraced General McCrystal Ret has entered the fray. He has recently said that the upheavals in the Mid East does not help El Qeada--we are still waiting for the general to fade away quietly before he makes a greater ass of himself.

There are reports from Afghanistan by US Army officer that psychological operations have been turned on visiting US politicians to vote for more war funds. This mixing of public relations PsyOpts points out the role of the Army promoting more war and McCrystal popping out of box to make sweet lemons out of the current revolutionary situations in the Miiddle East is just another. 100 dollars a barrel --oh well

The day the Obama administration rattled the sword at Libya with the threat of no-fly zones, US gunships accidentally killed 9 boys gathering firewood in Afghanistan because of mixed coordinates--to date Karzai is outraged and refuses to accept a US apology' So it is no wonder the locals in Libya reject US military assistance in their civil war
Anyway, if this is such a problem why not let the Arabs and black Africans handle It ?.

At least SECDef Gates has signalled a cautionary note that no-fly zones are an act of war. With Somali pirates ravishing international shipping, it would be more logical to smack them militarily than to take sides in yet another civil war, but there is no oil in Somali and this may explain the US priorities.

Based on experience in Iraq no-fly zones, the cost was about 750,000 dollars a mission;and that is without bombs dropped or rockets fired. Estimates ran to 1.4 billion for no-fly in Iraq. People are killed during these no-fly operations as they were in the Balkans and Iraq.

So the US appears to be looking for opportunities to apply military force--Napoleon was right--you can do anything with bayonets except sit on them. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2011-02-24T22:26:00.005-04:00

PERMANENT REVOLUTION 2011---Whether the wave of political upheaval in the Middle East is just a case old aging dictators losing their grip or frenzied mob's pent up anger over chronic misrule . exploitation and corruption is the question. One thing for certain there is no single sponsorship by any nation or group overarching all events in different countries; however, the final outcome is yet to be determined.

Bad old Russians are enmeshed in in Chechnya; Chinese Communists, concentrating on Tibet And Taiwan, focus mainly on trade or on buying resources with cheap dollars; Iran has it own bloody domestic opposition; and the USA's CIA could not find its ass much beyond running ineffective drone attacks-its days of wine and roses of forcing regime change are gone; the Israeli seem content stealing Palestine land and killing non-combatant on their borders.

Up until to now the Jewish state has depended on the US to solve most its foreign policy issues.
Pax Americana appears over as this US foreign policy tanks in the Middle East and Asia.

To date America has not found a substitute for playing at the world's policeman; so it bites its nails helplessly as revolutionary events in Arab states unfold beyond its control.

Permanent revolution as a concept usually fizzles as revolutionary regimes become status quo--it failed for Castro Cuba and certainly in the Russian Revolution as its chief advocate, Leon Trotsky was killed by Stalin in Mexico with an ice ax in his head by Soviet secret service. About the only Trotsky legacy is mainly political decedents in NYC who now are known as NEOCONS; and under the Republicans have successfully promoted the ideology of permanent war using the sheep's clothing of imposing democracy by the sword.

The Arabs beliefs center on family, land and Islam--with the US supporting the destruction of the Palestinians in favor of Israeli policies, the US stands in direct opposition to Arabs as well as Shiites. Up until recent revolutionary events, American managed the situation through foreign aid bribes., but it now clear that this aid did not trickle down to the masses ,but enriched the oligarchies. So there is now unfolding a permanent revolution. This will run out of energy when the ruling structure is inverted and new leadership emerges from the lower classes.

There is no indication that the new status quo will be democratic, but more likely evolve into a military junta or as a theocratic state run by non-secular Islamists

Bodies of revolutionaries are starting to pile up--especially in Libya where there are estimates of over 1000 killed. Leftist groups headed by Cuban Castro are getting nervous raising the possibility of a NATO/US invasion of Libya.

Apparently Castro and his pals dispute the demise of Pax Americana--he may be right when the invasion and occupation of Yugoslavia is recalled. The US now occupies Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia just like the old Ottoman Turks.. And there is no oil to be found in those Balkan areas as there is in Libya. So there is even greater imperative for attack by NATO/US. With little imagination, Libya could turn into a replay of Iraq. It would start with sanctions and no-fly zones all in the name of democracy. No-fly zones are expensive to operate--who will pay?

President Obama had a bad week apart from the events in the Middle East. The US Navy failed to rescue four Americans who were killed by Somali pirates. A CIA agent went rouge in Pakistan and is in jail unable to be released despite his diplomatic immunity. Price of oil is bouncing around a 100 dollars a barrel; gasoline is over 3 dollars a gallon; he stock market lost over 200 points in three days ; public trade unions in the Midwest are causing work stoppages with Democratic state legislatures in hiding.

With all this chaos Obama can only take steps not to enforce the law preventing gay marriages. And the prospects for a balanced national budget go a glimmering. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2011-02-13T13:36:00.005-04:00

FROZEN REVOLUTION EGYPT 2011? A Russian proverb is NEVER CALL FOR A NEW CZAR... The implication is the new one may be worse than the old. As Egyptians supreme leader Mubarak is involuntarily exchanged for Omar Suleiman as the new strong man, the wisdom in Russian folk philosophy is apparent.

Suleiman has a reputation of being Murbarak's hatchet man. He was up to his elbows historically in bloody suppression of dissidence, torture and corruption. He is now the unelected vice president of Egypt, recently selected by Murbarak as the political noose tightened, forcing him to abdicate his office. Note that I said OFFICE, but not power.

As long as a dictator remains in country alive, power remains with him unless he he held , isolated, incommunicado. Last news from Murbarak is that he sojourning in the sybaritic Egyptian ocean resort Sharam el -Shiekh. He can still issue commands and formulate policy. Doubt Suleiman or the Egyptian Army would hesitate to obey him even now..

Murbarak's legal position internally in the Egyptian government is meaningless when matched against 30 years of loyalty by his followers, many of which a few days ago are promised a 15 percent raise this April.

According to WikiLeaks cables, Suleiman was the favorite of Israeli government that depended on him to keep Hamas bottled up on its western Gaza borders while the Israeli starved and slaughtered Palestinians from the eastern borders of Gaza. So celebrations over the the resignation over Murbarak by the people of Gaza may be premature--the first peep out of the new Egyptian regime was that it will honor the Israeli/Egyptian peace treaty. It was almost if the revolution was all about Israel.

The Egyptian Army remains loyal to Mubarak as it attempts to administer the country through military counsels; it has disbanded parliament, while at the same time it refuses to circumvent the existing government.

The Army has been involved in Egyptian politics since Nasser in 1952. Except for killing Sadat over the Israeli/Egyptian peace treaty, it has been a source of stability.. Make no mistake this Army military role is subordinate to its political and economic interests. Call Egypt an Army with a country!

It is reported that the army generals control 30-40 percent of the Egyptian GNP- They are involved in most industries and enterprises. many times as partial owners, hidden from public view. Except for street vendors, their presence is everywhere in commercial ventures to include even hotels..Without a general officer's intervention, it is almost impossible to proceed in business ventures.

Realistically as the army now fuctions as the agency to transfer power to civilian democratic institutions, it is preposterous that it will surrender its political and economic power without pressure from the opposition.

Despite the hoopla, the revolution is frozen as the army and Suleiman restore stability with the fewest possible changes. If they have a road to to democracy, it will be the world's longest road.

Egyptian glory lies in its Pharisaic past.; pyramids, the Sphinx and the palaces of the Pharaohs were built with slave labor--It is 7000 years of history that has not provided fertile soil for democracy to develop in the western sense, so keep the expectation low for its eventual growth.

Too bad there is no Cleopatra to restore order. At least she had her charms and a sense of duty. At the same time Barack Obama and Netanyahu are not Mark Anthony or Julius Caesar by a long shot,so even her beauty would be wasted on these two blind men.--Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2011-02-05T13:14:00.003-04:00

REVOLUTION AND COUNTER REVOLUTION --EGYPT 2011--The revolution in Egypt today is by no means a Velvet Revolution. You have to understand that the Egyptians are not Czechs--Rashid and Vladek live in political and cultural worlds apart; and the actions taken by these distinct people to regime change will be dramatically different..

For over a week ,the media fed the US public western style or European interpretations of the events -lots of glorious hogwash about spontaneity of democratic spirit- it even rhapsodized a so-called facebook revolution. That until the Murbarak regime got itself organized and charged Tahrir Square on camels and horses; swinging whips, it began to draw blood from the revolutionaries. The counter revolution viciously started to roll'

Journalists who apparently believed their own nonsense were swept up by the counter revolution -some beaten and many arrested. Even pretty boy CNN Anderson Cooper got smacked around. Too bad Geraldo Rivera and Dan Rather were not there to cover the storey. Would have been interesting to time how long their confrontational style would have lasted before they were stomped and bitten by a foul tempered camel.

As I watched the journalists deploy to Egypt, it dawned on me that the old days of Patty Hearst style romantic revolutionary had resurfaced. Oh well, each generation must learn. Yes ,there are crocodiles in the Nile and street thugs in Cairo will cut your throat for a shinny watch or your Gucci bag. This is even in the best of times with well fed cops on every street corner.

At this stage the revolution appears without an organized leadership cadre. There is unity in purpose to depose Mubarak immediately, but no focus on a program to replace him. Each day the revolutionaries will be forced to take more personal risks as the Mubarak counter revolutionary forces proceed. World public opinion will count for little as the revolutionaries are crushed or the old regime is remorselessly purged.

If Mubarak has a sustained power base, it is in his conscript army. His internal security apparat has all but collapsed. The pro American army's high command is loyal to Mubarak at this moment, but this loyalty is not among the rank and file. Certain elite units will fire on the revolutionaries, but most units will hesitate or desert. Remember the Egyptian Army has a worse fighting record than Italians. So in the end Mubarak's army will do everything but fight. The pretext will be to stay out of politics, but my opinion is that it lacks guts when it comes to slaughter.

What is unknown is the strength and appeal of the Muslim Brotherhood, a jihad organization. Mubarak had 30 years to bleed it, but it still survives with fanatical zeal. It is the Egyptian ruling class greatest fear as the state security organizations weaken , it will gain strength and try to take control of the opposition and the revolution.

The US fears this as well as it strongly suggests the army negotiate with secular elements of the opposition--but the US sponsorship of anything, drives the Arab street crazy. As long as Israel is tied to US purse and security apron stings, this situation will not change. Mubarak bears the same stigma--pictures of him carried during demonstrations have a star of David super imposed on them.

If the Muslim Brotherhood takes power, Hamas stock goes up and the Jewish state strategic problems turn into a nightmare. A pipeline across the Sinai carrying fuel to Israel and Jordan already blew up mysteriously.

The Suez Canal continued operation is the big casino in this chaos-Israeli security is not despite what the American Israeli lobby asserts. The US will take serious military risks to keep the Canal open. Syria, Yemen, Jordan and Algeria are now forced to take steps against Islamic forces. Watch Iraq.

As of this writing the turmoil and upheaval in Egypt has lasted nearly two weeks-The Obama administration has almost as many different positions on a daily basis on what to do, but no one in Egypt appears to listen. US intelligence appears to be caught flat footed. CIA was up to its ears with rendition in Egypt, so bad news on Egypt was probably pigeoned holed as politically incorrect.--Same old nonsense.

Once thing for certain is that this revolution is not pro democracy.--Colonol Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2011-01-28T09:47:00.005-04:00

STATE OF PAIN IN THE UNION-OBAMA 2011 ---Now that President Obama has sold out political and economic change for continuity, there seems to little hope for the future; expect more war, more deficits, continued high unemployment and more US stupidity in the middle East and other areas..

No need to pay attention to the president's recent State of the Union speech; he proposes to reduce spending without stopping the expensive US war machine from rolling onward; he wants big spending on infrastructure, fast trains or free lunches for the children of illegal aliens--but there is no money--he spent special rescue funds on bankers, wall street bailouts, auto companies and stimulus packages that saved bureaucratic jobs. Any new proposals to spend are delusional , that is,unless it helps Republican fat cats.

Dismissing his latest speech before both houses of congress as rhetorical puff, the American people are faced by a president that has no fresh agenda-he has surrendered to Republicans on the wars, taxation and social issues by default.

If the US wanted a Republican president after GWBush, it would have voted for the frightening McCain /Palin ticket--as of now both these bizarre Republican candidates have wandered far from reality, making Obama by comparison appear as a bipartisan savior, the black man on a white horse now with poll ratings over 50 percent' approval.

Obama has rescued himself by becoming a Republican on taxes, social security, trade agreements, national and homeland security and foreign policy.--most of these Republican policy positions have driven the country over the edge economically and more isolated the country politically.

Obama has joined the opposition instead of fighting it. His recent appointment as his White House Chief of Chief of Staff..Daley is emblematic of the complete Clintonista take over of his administration. Daley was Clinton's point man for NATFTA which was the beginning of the end of US jobs in heavy and light industry--he is certainly not going to protect US jobs. Expect more trade agreements that favor corporations.

Obama's social agenda is sputtering. His Heath care is up for legal target practice; his DON'T ASK D'ONT TELL revision is tangled in the Pentagon on implementation. Closing Guantanamo is still a political dream.

America's foreign policy is shot.as Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen unravel with anti American implications. Hetzbollah has finally taken power in Lebanon democratically; Islamic Turkey is taking a very hard line on the Jewish state after it slaughtered 9 of it citizens. US blind support of Israel has increasing costs in foreign relations and is not sustainable if the trends continue.

Well, the Republicans TALKED THE TALK, lets see if they can WALK THE WALK. Man Tan Boehner, the new WEEPER OF HOUSE and his majority leader Cantor are an underwhelming duo to lead the charge. Cantor was even rejected by a post menopausal dame as a date for the last State Of The Union. So much pain!

The real storey of the week was Jesse "THE BODY" Ventura is suing TSA for foundling him or was it Congressman Kucinich suing a cafeteria for 150,00 thousand over finding an olive pit in a sandwich ? Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2011-01-17T14:50:00.003-04:00

DEATH IN TUSCON---Murders in Tuscon at a supermarket eight days ago by a deranged 22-year old has intensely captured media attention since the horrible event. Details of the slaughter have been over taken by a search for what caused the male shooter , J. Loughner, to kill 6 people and wound 13 others. What is surprisingly obvious are the frenzied efforts by different elements to proclaim, IT IS NOT MY FAULT.

Those entities that appear; most sensitive to criticism are: The Mainstream Media, The Gun Lobby, Sarah Palin and Right Wing Talk Radio. President Obama made an effort at the memorial service for the victims in Arizona to diffuse efforts to blame anyone person or group.

He invoked sympathy for the dead and wounded, and called for a civil discourse over the events.Almost to a person leading gun-crazy Conservatives complemented him on the speech; they were apparently relieved the president did not turn the doleful event into cheap political shot at the gun lobby or advocate for more gun control. On the other hand, the left wing gritted its teeth and wondered why he did not use the event for such purpose.

The media reported initially that congresswoman.Rep G. Grifford, had been killed by the gunman ,but had to revise the storey to she had been seriously wounded by a head shot. The storey evolved into discourses on brain surgery;heroic actions of individuals at the shooting; high school antics of the killer--even to the extent a girl friend from six years ago was interviewed .

By Sunday, eight days later , the storey morphed into full-throat psycho babble over the killers mental health with a parade of psychiatrists and those who had experience with mentally disturbed persons .The press is now directed toward anguish over the condition of mental health institutions in the USA.

The trial will probably end up in an OJ Simpson circus before it is over. The chance that this will happen becomes greater as California is the leading candidate for change of venue.

In the same week two US soldiers were killed by an Iraqi while training him; a virulent anti American leader el Sadr returned to Iraq as Maliki's king maker after 4 years in Iran; Tunisia turned revolutionary making it unstable. These events were almost ignored by the media as it wallowed in especially issues it subsequently developed in Tuscon.

The left wing took aim at" pistol packing Palin "whom it accused creating an environment that fostered the attempt on the congress women's life--it cited Palin's frequent gun metaphors and the fact that Palin's website graphically put a gun sight on the congresswoman's district. No evidence produced that linked Palin with the shooter. Unlike Obama's conciliatory, statesman' remarks . Palin flew into self defense mode blasting the media and accusing her critics of" blood libel",an anti semitic slur most Jews would prefer to remain lost in history. Many Jews cringed over the reference. The wounded congresswomen is a Jewess, so Palin's reference is politically awkward at best or just plain stupid.

Many of the Tea Party leaders came to Palin's. defense; more importantly still other Republican leaders smugly let her twist in the wind. These Republicans finally dumped RNC Chairman Steele this week--Palin's recent ineptitude undermined her further as a contender in 2012 and that is okay with those fiscal Republicans who stand apart from the fervid Religious Right.

The US gun lobby is a mighty thing to behold--it never loses for long. There are 90 guns per hundred people in the US.' Yemen with about 60 guns per 100 people comes the closest with all other countries far behind. The Gun Lobby's immediate problem is to preserve the extended magazine GW Bush permitted to be reinstated at the end of his term. The Tuscon killer used the extended magazine--it gave him 33 shots in his 9mm Glock pistol-20 of the 33 bullets hit human flesh--the killer was taken down as he was trying to insert a fresh magazine.

As far as carrying a gun for self protection, it was reported that two of the attendees at the Safeway meeting were carrying , but could not determine the shooter and drew on each other. We almost had a Mexican standoff or Russian mob Razborka.

Reference the 'running dog 'Right Wing talk shows, they will do and say what the Gun Lobby talking points dictate. What do you think is the function of propaganda ?

America is a violent place. That our films,music and video games grow more violent is probably linked to our permanent wars with big time killing. Sometimes a demented person, with low self esteem, is swept away in this environment and uses a gun as an equalizer.

Congressman Gomer from Texas wants to introduce guns into the House--I say BRAVO; Maybe the congressmen would scare the hell out of each other and behave with more civility; however, this is dumb, despite what convicted felon Tom Delay says
.
One thing for sure, if I lived in Texas I would wear a ten gallon hat and string tie,snake or lizard skin cowboy boots and carry a Glock with an extended clip as it is all apparently the dress code..

All I can say with certainty, is really THAT IT WAS NOT MY FAULT. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2011-01-04T12:23:00.005-04:00

Shrapnel's Man of the Year 2010--By now even the average American should have concluded that Time Man of The Year is just another media farce; it is designed mainly to promote a desperately failing Time Magazine. The whole selection process is a study in hubris; how a burnt out editorial staff in a declining news journal could provide serious judgements is a stroke of audacity that by all standards should fizzle faster than it is ignited.

FACE BOOK founder Mort Zukerman was anointed as TIME 2110 hero of the year, according to it, because he changed so many lives with his social net work. Zukerman is a creative, financial success who was clever enough to link technology with man's preening lust for vanity, self importance and social status, but by those standards so was 65 billion dollar swindler Bernie Madoff . TIME simply tried to hook itself to Zukerman's star to help itself soar from the depths of mediocrity

TIME mentioned also-rans in its contest: The Tea Party; Hamid Karzai: Julian Assange and the Chilean Miners. I am uncertain why these runners failed to cross TIME finish line or why most were even considered, but here is my take on them.

The Tea Party is just a rehash of the religious right who votes for Jesus, no taxes, no government, and permanent war rather than in the interests of the country. It now has a few more sensible libertarians in its ranks than in the GWBush era, but with weird sisters Palin, Angels, O'Donnell and Backmann in its vanguard ,it is doomed for quick flame out as the American people wake up to the fact that it is as as foolish Obama, , especially now as the ladies try to climb the flag pole higher.

Afghan leader Karzai is a bigger crook than Bernie Madoff; his stunning talent is that he overtly steals from under President Obama's and General Petraeus's noses and gets away with it...he could win the Thief-of-Year award hands down. Obama and Petraeus appear to ignor the thievery--after all it is the US tax payers' money not theirs. Petraeus may tell you that the key to his failing counter insurgency is population protection; it is not. Try bribery.

Chilean Miners are brave souls who withstood disaster with fortitude and courage --that they had no choice other than self-destructive panic. Forms of survival under adverse death-dealing circumstances are not uncommon, deserve recognition, but to be held in perspective.

About the only one in the TIME pack that has any world or global heft to pull his weight in whatever-man-of the year competition is WikiLeaks Julius Assange. His information leaked is sensational, has not been disputed, but the process certainly has. Assange, an Australian, is tangled up in some legal sexual issues in Sweden and is the target of a fuming US Government over his massive leaks of US national security information.

Assange's information over the year makes the US media total production look like a high school year book in comparison'.

The US Government is hinting to charge him with espionage, despite the fact he had no US security clearances; he is part of the public release of data involving US and world newspapers and journals. Should the USG proceed with espionage, the finding will involve a long court battle. The USG should also focus on the criminal negligence involved in the recent development of a STATE/DOD computer that was so easily hacked. Where was the USG supervision during the theft?

Extremism from the Right and Left has already joined the fray. Right wing wants him killed without due process. VEEP Biden has called him a technical terrorist.{IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT THAT IS, ASK JOE}

The Left wing is making the issue a cause celebre. It has foolishly trotted out Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsburg who escaped espionage conviction, because Nixon Administration bungled the case. Ellsberg, now a fund raiser, believes leaking is good for the nation's soul. Progressive media hostess Amy Goodwin, DEMOCRACY NOW, has even linked the plight of Assange the tribulations of executed spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg--with such pals Assange has increased his chances for a long sojourn in Guantanamo.

Unable to resist the temptation to nominate Shrapnel's loser of year, I hereby nominate PLAYBOY's own 85-year old Hugh Hefner on his third marriage, to a 24-year PLAYBOY bunny. Ask how he can keep it up, he replied "with God's little helper VIAGRA twice a week". Good bye 2010 and Hello 2011- Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-12-20T13:08:00.006-04:00

US MILITARY FORCES GOING GAY--President Obama has finally succeeded in keeping a campaign promise --he promoted the demise of DON'T ASK DON'T TELL {DADT}. A lame-duck US Senate set up a procedural vote which zigzags toward its eventual end.

Gays in the military reportedly are gushing with enthusiasm over their new found rights. As former Army troop commander, I cringe at what form this expression will take. When does the, YOU DID NOT PROMOTE ME BECAUSE I AM GAY. ?, or YOU DID NOT PROMOTE ME BECAUSE I AM STRAIGHT work its way into the military culture? It is just a matter of time before political correctness dominates the promotion ststem.

Gay in the US forces is now apparently the new normalcy.

The DADT policy is inverted; it has has evolved into , ASK OR I TELL. The gay movement is prone to argue military integration worked with women and blacks, so it will therefore work with homosexuals. Wrong. Women continue to serve . Many of whom do so with distinction, but at a terrible waste-60 percent are raped another 20 percent are sexually assaulted. Pregnancies interupt service and duties. All this confound replacement streams and wastes training. It causes debilitating turbulence in the forces.

Black integration works, because black soldiers do their duty and learned not to ride racism an excuse for failure. Commanders ruthlessly stamp out racism, but it is clear that sexual problems have defied solution by military leaders. Sex and race present a different set of problems; sex remains a troublesome issue in the US military services. Race is not.

The US Department of Defense launched a poll of service people to determine attitudes on DADT.. The results were disputed by some US senators as slanted and overly positive--it was found that a majority of soldiers were ambivalent about serving with gays. {For the record ambivalence is not support; rather it is a dodge by a service person not to commit or go on record.} Further the poll disclosed that those in combat generally did not support eliminating DADT. Do you conclude that the further you are from the rattle of the battle, the more tolerant gays are to you. If so, the poll findings are even more bizarre and they should be discarded.

Despite the change in the DADT law ,the issue is not resolved as military leadership has no idea what will happen when gays openly bunk along side straight guys. Whether gays can resist a sexual smorgasbord or the straights can resist bashing gays remains to be seen . As in the case of female abuse, we know the courts martial regime will not prevent repulsive actions or breach of discipline by either group.

Military chaplains collectively have already voiced disapproval of the elimination of DADT. It is doubtful religious American families will send their daughters to the service to risk her returning with a Rachel Maddow hairdo and smoking a cigar; or a son who returns to march in gay parades ,has only hairdressers and decorators and an antique doll collection as pals. When parents ask how their kids got that way, the reply from them will be the Sergents and officers said it was okay.

It took five Republican senators to join the Democrats in the senate to repeal the act--there were three females Collins and Snow from Maine, Murkowski from Alaska' and two males ,Lame duck Voinovitch from Ohio and Brown from Mass. Why they voted for repeal and against the Republican Party ethos is politics.. Some people believe that the Republicans consented to DADT repeal if the democrats voted for the Bush tax cut extension.

If true, that is a Big Casino trade that makes the Republicans appear as swine. For they risked the necessary cohesion of the services to gain the superfluous tax cut for the rich. Doubt we will ever know--that is unless WikiLeaks is lurking in the shadows--Colonel Robert Bartos Ret.

2010-12-12T15:51:00.004-04:00

Obama's Great Leap Backward--With former President Bill Clinton recently taking the White House spotlight, encouraged by President Obama, the Clintonista Coup de Etat is about complete; that is until Clinton engineers the demise of the the two -term presidential limit. It is certainly a squalid marvel for the American democratic way if a disbarred lawyer, with a salacious record of sexual escapades, whose NAFTA program helped wreck US domestic industry, has schemed his way again to the top of the political pile.

Obama, in a moment of desperation over his sellout tax bill, enlisted Clinton to help him twist Democratic Party congressmens' arms to vote for it. Obama met with Clinton in the oval office last Friday and immediately passed the mic to Bill and abruptly left for a White House Christmas Party; smarmy Bill held forth for a set-up briefing for While House press corps. Obama certainly left his read-my-lips, no-extended- tax cuts-for the rich debacle to Clinton to explain

While Obama was sipping holiday eggnog and munching on White House Christmas pastries, Bill explained the tax bill as, I DON"T BELIEVE THERE IS A BETTER DEAL OUT THERE. This is the same guy who said he did not have sex with Monica Lewinsky until a her blue dress popped up with Bill's DNA. Bill also runs a well publicized charity dependent corporation's generosity. Corporations, fat cat republicans and lobbyists adore Obama's tax bill.

Some characterized the tax bill as turned into a Christmas tree with gifts for lobbyists and lawmakers--there are subsidies for rural folks; there are commuter tax breaks for the city folks; there are wind and solar grants for environmentalists. There is over 5 billion for corn-based ethanol and tariff protection This pork is aimed at getting votes from suspicious democrats , especially those rolled by Obama care. The bill is estimated at 857.6 billion. With that imbedded sting,it is no wonder Obama chose a Christmas party than to face the press corps.

President Obama has had a tough week. His DON'T ASK DON'T TELL program was shot down by the senate. His Mid-East policy stopping Israeli settlements was killed by Netanyahu and his own state department. WilkiLeaks set off diplomatic bomblets all over the globe. And is unable to stop the progression of the leaks. Though the stock market goes up, so does the number unemployed as the banker thumb their noses at the White House. Despite military propaganda, there is really no good war news. The two Koreas are on the brink of war with the US right in the middle.

It appears Obama is turning into Hamlet; especially with his passing the baton to Clinton. Had the American people wanted a Clinton administration, it would have voted in Hillary with all her baggage to include Bill. So far Hillary and her hawkish state department has expanded wars, rather than solve issues diplomatically; she is itching to pull the trigger on Iran. She did Natanyahu's bidding on the settlements issue, so why not on Iran? What the Hell. After all she is the former Israeli senator to NYC.

As Obama curls politically into a ball, he should recall that Hamlet ended badly. As far as the American peoples' choice in 2012 it is Hamlet or Hillary or Palin or Huckabee or Gingrich. In this sad case what is Hamlet's first name.?--Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-12-05T15:10:00.003-04:00

PLUGGING LEAKS US STYLE--The US government has a dismal record plugging Leaks. President Nixon's self destruction all started with the White House "Plumbers " designed to stop the public knowledge of sensitive and illegal activities . Most lately we are witnessing the USG biting and slashing itself hysterically over the WikiLeaks information dump of classified information. There is a certain amount of truth to the concept that if a government cannot protect sensitive information, there a question of its long term survival.

The horse has left the barn ,so efforts to close the barn door on the recent leaks are too late. There may be legal implications for the leaker and those who published the data, but the mainstram media ,piously wallowing in the dissemination, is also implicated. In this case, freedom of the press complicates most legal questions .

It is beyond belief that there was one leaker to WikiLeaks, a US Army private !st class, who is the single source of the deluge of information published by WikiLeaks. You may believe the the MEEK Will INHERIT THE EARTH, but for a private first class to be awesome enough to inflict such damage without his supervisors' knowledge rates either as the crime of the 21st century or a biblical miracle equal to parting the Red Sea or simply propaganda by the USG to limit damage. If the PFC is to be court martialled, what about his higher chain of command-?

The stuff so far released by WikiLeaks falls into three categories:{1} Iraq War, {2} Afghan War,{3} US Diplomatic cables. By far the latest diplomatic releases have caused the most consternation in the US government. Though we are led to believe that in many cases the authorship has been purged in the releases, it is the State Department that appears more alarmist over the leaks than the Defense Department. Diplomats are required to demonstrate sang froid under stress; that is not the case of the US State Department.

Last week the State Department directed its minions not to read WikiLeaks releases and prohibited use of its computers to be used for that purpose. State employees are also banned from using social net works such as TWITER to discuss leaked subjects. Students at Columbia University Interntional Studies Department have also been warned by the USG not use the leaks as it could reflect on future clearances if they work for the USG.

TUT ,TUT, this is so asinine; panic is rampant. Hillary does not seem to understand that a WICKED BOOK GATHERS NO DUST. Madeline, Condelezza and now joined by Hillary form a coterie of ditsy US SEC States.

Few days previously Hillary publicly argued that these leaks demonstrated some Arab leadership requested that the US bomb Iran nuclear facilities; that it shows Arab support for such action. She did not mention , however,that the Arab populace based on polling consider the US /Israel threat much greater than a nuclear Iran. These polls run over 60 percent against US/Israeli interests. Hillary's hypocrisy is obvious;she still seems to be the Israeli Senator from NYC..

WikiLeaks is under counterattack. PAYPAL and AMAZON have withdrawn their business from the leaker. Assange, its leader has been red carded by Interpol--The Sweds want Assange for questions on two sex charges; reportedly apparently he did not use a prophylactics in two sexual encounters.

It would be an interesting trial as Assange may call the Roman Catholic Pope in his defense. The Swedish legal system could be held up to international ridicule, so get your tickets early.

Depending on what side you fall on, whistle blowers are either heels or heroes. Some say had they been around before 9/11, the attack could have been aborted; other believe that the Iraq fiasco could have been avoided with their presence. One thing for certain--no one seems to question WikiLeaks substance; it is only the process. In the case of 9/11 and invasion of Iraq, I would choose substance over process in a heartbeat.--Colonol Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-11-26T14:31:00.004-04:00

COMEDY AND TRAGEDY IN AFGHANISTAN: Even if you accept the fog of war excuses, the US/NATO military operations in Afghanistan have reached an unacceptable level of absurdity. It is no longer a question of winning or losing the war, but has come down to whether the US military establishment is capable of doing anything other than bombing the daylights out of the enemy. Under these circumstances, victory is at best phyrric with destruction of a country as the end result; take Iraq as an example--- all the US king's men and horses are unable to put Humpty Dumpty back on the wall, after they pushed him off of it.

President Obama recently in a cheetleading speech at a NATO conference in Lisbon cited progress in the Afghan war by US/NATO troops. A few days earlier he indicated the that the 2011 draw-down of US surge troops from Afghanistan is now aspirational, dependent on conditions on the ground, and reset a 2014 date as more realistic. So as the American Indian would have expressed it--MAN SPEAKS WITH FORKED TONGUE. Why the President continuously undermines his credibility is unknown especially now as the military operations are branded Obama's war

The fact that General Petraeus called for the reinforcement of 16 Abram tanks this November for the USMC in Helmand and Kandahar provinces did not signal the battle there was going well. Afghanistan is not tank country as the the Soviets learned to their dismay

The Abrams tank has a 120mm canon and a multitude of rounds that can reach over 3 kilometers These rounds include depleted uranium shells that leave residual contamination after fired. The tank will be used mainly as a self-propelled gun since the US forces do not have one of that high calibre for low intensity conflict. So only a small part of the tanks battlefield capability designed for tank warfare will be employed.

The tank is expensive to operate. It uses a gallion a mile on the move and 12 gallons an hour at idle. The last figure I heard that it costs 76.00 usd a gallon by the time gas gets in to a tank of a combat vehicle in Afghanistan due to transport costs. An additional 115 marines will be sent to operate the tanks--ammunition supply, spare parts and maintenance are another headache that has to be brought into the cost calculation--modern warfare is expensive.

Karzai our puppet -off-the string Afghan leader apparently hates the US as much as the Taliban does; he has told the US to get out soonest and turn over the conflict. to the Afghan people. This has left General Patraeus aghast. This is almost as shocking to the US as when Karzai declared during a visit to Japan that he wanted Japan to develop the mineral reserves in Afghanistan that include large deposits of rare Lithium used in battery manufacturing.

Perhaps the most stunning debacle for the US occurred recently when an alledged high-ranking Taliban leader in whom the US had invested time, much money and ballyhoo turned out to be an impostor. The US even flew the guy from Pakistan under escort-- met with Karzai to talk peace. Petraeus used the events foolishly to pop off that the Tailiban are under so much pressure that they are forced to talk peace. The impostor was believed by the US to be the second in command under Mullah Omar, Taliiban leader, but during the process Mullah Omar denied the Tailban were talking peace or negotiating.

So whom do you believe now ? A half-cocked, spinning Petraeus or the bullet proof, one-eyed Mullah the US cannot kill.

If US intelligence is so bad in the Afghan/Pakistan theater operations that it is suckered big time into such deception as the Taliban impostor, you must wonder about the the quality of intelligence used drone targeting, especially in Pakistan. After the the 9/11 surprise attack and the Iraq WMD fiasco, we need much less trust and much more verification in US intelligence operations.

As the Afghanistan war tragically now kills a US fighting man a day; and strategy on counter insurgency operations is failing as evinced in the showcase "government in a box' operation in Marja ,one can question the effectiveness of the US military establishment in a low intensity war. All still remember the Vietnam defeat and view the shambles of Iraq with its continued, extended occupation.

As far as the Taliban impostor, you must wonder who vetted him. Was it CIA or military intelligence or Groucho Marx? The impostor escaped with his swag, his skin and a treasure trove of data on US/NATO leadership and essential elements of information required by the command . The man's acting ability and sang froid deserve an academy award.

Our Commander In Chief, should relieve someone in US high leadership in Afghanistan for crippling incompetence before the triumvirate of Petraeus-Holbrooke and Eikenberry becomes known as the GANG THAT CANNOT SHOOT STRAIGHT or even worse, the THREE BLIND MICE--. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-11-20T14:12:00.002-04:00

START STOPPED?-- It is my experience that strategic arms agreements really do not solve strategic problems, but rather cause a false sense of security. If you recollect GW Bush's abrogation of the 1972 ABM treaty in 2002, you might even make the argument that such treaties inhibit US strategic defense and offensive weapons development.

As President Obama jumps vigorously into the political ring to ratify the START Treaty with Russia in the Senate during the lame-duck session, one wonders why he did not push for approval when had more good will and senators on his side to do the job His recent actions proposing an additional 4 billion to the already 40 billion budgeted for nuclear weapons modernization, indicate that he is prepared to spend considerable political and fiscal capital to make this treaty approval a fact.

The key republican that acts as opposition to the treaty approval is Senator Kyl; he is the front man for the republicans and he was the major force in the abrogation of the ABM treaty. .
The New START will cut long-range deployed nuclear weapons on both sides by up to 30 percent. Kyl's pretext has been getting the administration to come up with a big enough budget to ensure maintenance of the weapons that will remain. Why 40 billion programmed in the budget is insufficient to do this is mystery; Kyl's stance appears as a move either to crush the agreement or provide a stimulus to the US arms industry. In any case the strategic systems involved on both sides are obsolescent and not reliably deployable.

Given the republican effort to diminish Obama's political record in office, it simply may be an attempt to deny him credit for passing the agreement.

The START agreement provides a book keeping system for the dismantlement and destruction of these strategic systems. Neither Russia nor the US are prepared to cripple their nuclear strike forces as both are faced with a teeming Rsd Chinese growing threat. So you figure what the republicans and Kyl are all about.--they destroyed the cornerstone ABM agreement , so there is no jeopardy to a US strategic defense development.

As far as the President's argument on verification with on-site -inspection, there is not much more here than posturing; National Technical Means can handle this if the Russian wish--as far as counting offensive systems, it is really a shell game with the Russian reliance on mobile strategic missiles systems.

Diplomatic embarrassment is factor that will be fallout , because it will demonstrate it is waste of time to negotiate treaties with the US'. After the abrogation of the ABM , the Russians will also take this farce in stride as well--they are making big rubles off charges for US Central Asian transit rights for the US/NATO Afghan war. They will smugly note the US inability to keep its word.

Even in the halcyon days of SALT and the ABM treaty I was sceptical of the disarmament process with the Soviets with its mutual assured destruction doctrine. As it worked out the biggest threat to the US became loose nukes after the collapse of the USSR--until now the Russians have kept the nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands without a treaty. Anyway history and Realpolitik demand that treaties are made to be broken.

If there is is a mutual advantage to the new START treaty ,the Russians will abide by it without senate approval. I am less certain about US intentions under the same circumstances, as there are screwballs in charge of the House-the same gang that marched into Iraq under false pretexts.

Recently I had a drink with an friend who was with me in the 70s in the arms negotiations with the Soviets--he remarked that it seemed what we did at that time was a grand waste of time and energy. I noted that Obama has called on "Hopeless "Henry Kissinger for advice on the new START Treaty. At that we had another drink and laughed. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-11-12T10:04:00.000-04:00

OBAMA FIGHTS FAILURE WITH FAILURE--Based on the Democratic Party's failures at the 2010 mid-term election, followed by President Obama's 3 November press conference, it is safe to conclude that, at this stage of his life., the President does not learn from his mistakes. Its as if he proves the canard, IF YOU LOSE SIGHT OF THE THE GOALS, REDOUBLE YOUR EFFORT. Let us get specific.

Obama 's 3 November press conference is now ancient history, quickly submerged in his 10-day trip to Asia that almost immediately followed this press conference . Despite this change of focus by MSM, this conference remains as a precursor to the Presidents next two years in office.The President was contrite in the conference--he admitted that he was beaten badly and took much of the blame. He did not project any serious policy regeneration or bravado, such as ,ONE STEP BACKWARD, TWO STEPS FORWARD. Instead he provided an almost child-like bromides for bipatisanship--when the Republicans heard this, they must have rushed to sharpen their political knives as they had cut him to pieces as he sought unsucessfully to achieve it in previously in his term.The two and half wars the president is fighting in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq, obviously are ripping his domestic agenda apart, yet neither the White House press corps or the president brought up the issue of wars. CNN did ask about the status of DO NOT ASK DO NOT TELL. Ho Hum--why not ask about the failure of the volunteer military --50 percent of the US forces deployed overseas are mercenaries. Or inquire about US special operations military forces being subordinate operationally to CIA. . Do we have the birth of a Praetorian Guard ?There is evidence that the SECDEF Gates is floating policy changes and wants to extend US troops in Iraq beyound 2011 and avoid draw downs in Afghanistan beyond 2012--failures being componded? With Obama's chief advisor Axelrod signalling extension of GW Bush tax cuts and now extending wars, the value of the dollar is expected to sink; you soon will need a 100.00 dollars to buy a BIg Mac. On the day of the president's departure to Asia his FED CHAIRMAN Bernanke announced that he was prepsred to spend 600 billion dollars to buy up US treasurer bonds from banks to stimulate lending. Does anyone believe the banks will lend money to main street when there there are less risker,more lurcetive opportunities ? More bail out to the banks that has not worked with TARP and the previously spawned stimulus packages.This latest economic move will drive down the value of the dollar. If you think the Red Chinese with their slave labor force will allow their goods to be more expensive than those of the US, you are mistaken--Chinese have already begin developing a currency market outside the Euro and dollar zone and are competitively driving up the price of oil with cheap dollars held by them from the US bonds, sold them to fund its foolish wars..By now we understand President Obama is at best BUSH LITE-his antedote for failue is more failure. His only hope for reelection is that the Republican Party with its Tea Party faction and war lovers will be come accross as screw ball zealots that are a greater threat to the US stability than the Democratic Party's incompetence. Colonel;Robert E Bartos USA Ret

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2010-10-28T18:37:00.002-04:00

PRESIDENT OBAMA-HIS DOG-HIS LEADERSHIP--No one, friends and foes, can argue against the fact that Obama's leadership curdled early in his term. His pals are aghast; his detractors are delightedly smug over his early souring.. So what happened and why ?

Obama is a gifted orator and perhaps even a scholar, but by all standards he is not an executive. There simply is no executive resume for the man. Except for smashing Hillary for the Democratic nomination and his triump over beetle-brains McCain and Palin, he seems lost in his office. Like many revolutionaries who can seize power, he has a painful problem with governance.

Obama has had a Democratic house and a majority of his party in the senate and still could not end foolish wars or reduce deficit and unemployment or improve the US balance of payments. His campaign 2010 he asks for more time, but he has already spent the rent money.

About the only refrain Obama can sing is that , IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. And that is a loser's dodge

Obama comes from a mixed racial background and was raised without a father. Despite this inauspicious background, defying all odds, he rose to be the president of the US. By most observations, with two years in office, it can be said that he has reached his level of incompetence based on his performance in the job.

It is apparent that his election was buying a PIG IN A POKE by the American people. Based on polls the Democratic Party will lose control of house, so the rest of his term will be more complicated for him then the past two years. And there is a better than even chance he turns out as a quacking, helpless lame duck.

Remember how the Obama administration at the outset attempted to justify its controversial appointments as a team of rivals ? This was nonsense as it was soon obvious that he could not lay out coherent policies on the wars, health care, stimulus or bailouts and even foregin policy. He was to become an errand boy for the Israeli Netanyahu. His misplay of the Gulf BP oil spill is still festering with investigation and has the aroma of cover up big time.

Obama chose Clintonistas as White House staff and, in the main, for economic rescue,compromised Israeli Americans to to solve his financial crises which was caused mostly by them. A majority of these so-called economic experts have departed his administration now that their stooges made big bucks from TARPS and stimulus payments. Bank, brokerage executives and Wall Streeters are now richer and even happier. SEC Treasurer Geitner, the tax dodger ,and bumbling Bernanke our Fed Chief, remain apparently to keep fingers in dike.

If Obama believed the Clinton crowd in his administration would make him look good, it had to be another example his naivete; on the contrary,it sand-bagged or undermined him at every turn. For them it is still Hillary or bust.

Not only cannot our Nobel-prize winning president find peace, he has expanded wars in Afghanistan into Pakistan. About the only saving grace for his administration is the dread of the Republican Tea Party opposition as religious zealots who advocate war without paying for it. -- or blindly put their faith with 'God is With US.' So far Tea Party candidates appear from of the twilight zone, but that will not prevent some from being elected or save the Democratic Party from losses.

This same gang squeals about big government and taxes ,but delight in pissing away money for big wars and foreign nation building. These are first-class phonies ,like many Democrats, lead by their noses by big business and misguided trust by flag waving military elites.

You know that President Obama has a Portuguese water dog as White House pet. Alas, he he is been photographed being pulled and walked by the dog--this is a sad the metaphor for his leadership. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA RET

2010-09-13T22:04:00.008-04:00

COLONEL ROBERT E BARTOS RET AND HIS DEVIL DOG MANGO--Painted by Andrzej Pinkowski in 2010 in the Caribbean

SHRAPNEL is stacking arms- but reserves the right to pop out the barracks anytime--thank those who followed my thoughts over the years--Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-09-13T18:14:00.006-04:00

CARNAGE=-9/11-USA--Nine years after the Jihadist deadly attack on Twin Towers in NYC and the Pentagon in Washington , DC,, the master mind of the attack, Bin Laden still scampers around, thumbing his nose at the US, taunts saying CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. Both GWB and Obama administration, holding their breath with crossed fingers,, change the the subject to , BUT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ATTACKED SINCE THEN.

You might ask yourself what constitutes an attack--we have had shoe bombers, underwear bombers, Ft hood murders, and Times Square sputtered attack. Except for the FT Hood killer most attacks have failed for technical reasons or the Jihadists lost their nerve at the last minute. The fact that both security and intelligence have been rampted up astronomically since 9//11 does not seem to inhibit the small-fry Jihadists. --THEY KEEP COMING.

All this still cannot explain how the big-fish Bin Laden escapes kill or capture.SECDEF Rumsfeld had a chance to get Bin Laden at TORA BORA early in the Afghan war ,but blew it. Along with Iraq and the Jihad attack on the Pentagon, these are other albatrosses he can wear through history.

The fact Bin Laden has survived the US dedicated attempts to eliminate him is a metaphor for the US for the US inability to snuff out the anti-American terrorist movement. Bin Laden is just one of many; someone else will step into his shoes when he is gone, but his persistent, almost bullet-proof ability to stay alive in the face of the worlds greatest killing machine, inspires other Jihadist to achieve this status.

With the advent of 9/11 this year, it appears Muslims are dancing on or in the head of the American people. Prior to 9/11 about the only Muslims that popped into view were Saudis gamboling in the Rivera, diplomats gilding between receptions in their burnooses in Washington,DC and finally the sweaty Islamic group in Dearborn , Michigan making a living by working. ..

This year we saw whacko Southern minister threatening to burn the Koran and the religious fanatics hysterically sweating an Islamic center near 9/11 ground .Incredibly we witnessed General Petraeus , NATO/US commander in Afghanistan begging the preacher not to burn the Koran, because it would cause turmoil in his area of operations.

Petraeus would make more of an impact if concentrated on limiting civilian casualties in his attacks--10 percent now is the average he kills or wounds in these attacks on Afghan civilians. Further recent stories surfaced of US troops collecting Afghan body parts, so he should focus on his battlefield troop leading problems...

The demented minister did not burn the Koran, but you can bet another pious jackass soon will seek publicity the same way. Since the Jihadists are so wrought over burning Korans, you have to wonder if there is not a deal somewhere --WE DO NOT BURN KORANS, IF THEY DO NOT BURN OUR BUILDINGS AND KILL OUR PEOPLE.

Since 9/11 the US has buried itself in two permanent wars against Islamic people; the Jihadist movement has expanded as more Islamic people are radicalized by US actions. The US has continued to support Israel one-sided, driving more into the Jihadest ranks.

Some senior American military officers are beginning to rethink the idea of piling up Islamic corpses as for everyone killed at least two are replaced. Changes in tactics will come when this futility dawns on the US political leadership.Its seems to me the situation is more dangerous now since 9/11. GWB wars followed by Obama's extensions and wideing of them has embroilled Pakistan.

As far as catching the GHOST THAT WALKS Bin Laden, suggest the search is intensified outside the range of US drones and the Pakistani Army sphere of influence. In 9 years the US has searched under every rock in these areas five times. Suggest a search in an Islamic area of China.

GUESS WE HAVE TO KILL THE SON OF A BITCH, OTHERWISE HE GOES TO ALLAH WITH A BAND OF VIRGINS TO BUG THE WEST FOR ETERNITY..Colonel Robert E BARTOS

2010-09-05T13:53:00.003-04:00

PAYOFF FOR IRAQ--The question is what did the US win or lose in the Iraq War so far ? This war is not over,so my calculations remain dynamic.

The way it is to work in colonial wars like Iraq is that the the invader extracts some form of wealth from the weaker country or territory invaded. The Obama Administration has made an official fuss celebrating the withdrawal of US troops down to about 50, 000 remaining forces; these are scheduled to depart sometime next year. There are 4500 special operations troops ready to combat whomever sticks his head up. Additionally, there are still tens of thousands US paid mercenaries.

The fact is historically in the 19th-20th centuries that invaders always get kicked out of their colonies eventually--sometimes with residual rights to the colonies' natural resources. sometimes without them. In the case of Iraq the US has little to show in long term oil exploitation deals with Iraq--about the only other significant resources are fresh water and 350 varieties of Basra dates-
-
Iraqis have paid have paid a stiff price for killing Saddam, his two boys and uprooting the Sunni dominated Baathist Party. One hundred thousand Iraqis have died in the GWB invasion; there are over a million Iraqi refugees mainly in Syria and Jordan; over 25 percent of its ancient artifacts have disappeared. there is no effective central Iraqi government; prewar UN sanctions on Iraq still are in effect.

Tens of thousands Iraqi were in US detention on centers and harshly interrogated--these folks are mostly back on the streets and have no goodwill toward the US.--my sense is that they are a festering time bombs
.
Iran's influence has expanded throughout the Islamic world. Without Saddam there is no regional force to check Iran's expanding interests.. Iraq today is a wreck as its infrastructure is in worse condition than before the US invasion. Efforts by the US at reconstruction so far as been a farce replete with massive corruption involving US and foreign contractors.

The US price for the invasion and continued occupation has been over 4000 KIA and over 30,000 wounded, many of whom are long term disabled. A trillion dollars spent--over 9 billion unaccounted or stolen. As the US troops are thinned out the enormity of the corruption becomes more apparent--with AP and the ARMY TIMES running stories that were spiked under the GWB administration. Despite regular decollation by US forces Al qaeda now is ensconced in Iraq from where it has taken its lethal operational lessons to Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia.

UN observers have noted that the UN sanctions combined with US bombardments have reduced the one proud Arab state to a pre-industrial society This situation plays into Iran's hand and delights the sick pro Israel neocons and American Jewish lobbies who want Israel preeminent in the region.. Israelis also prefer US forces in the area to come to their rescue when their country implodes.

If you wish to die and spend for other countries democracy you are indeed foolish or a demented neocon. No oil for the US or functioning democracy in Iraq so far after 7.5 years. Except for toppling Saddam INC, very few US war aims have been met.

President Obama's recent Oval Office speech turned on a peace light declaring the combat phase of the Iraq war over; this is absurd in view of the US forces remaining in Iraq. At the same time local US commanders are assuring those Iraqis loyal to the occupation that US forces remain to fight terror--you can define terror as you wish:sectarian or Al qaeda or the neighbor who killed your donkey.

Obama declared that he does not expect surrender ceremonies . So now we fight wars without the prospect of victory. ART OF WAR Clausewitz should be spinning in his grave at this news, Relax my friends. Have a delicious Basra date--that is the only tangible payoff from the Iraq War so far. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA ret.

2010-08-25T15:21:00.004-04:00

Saveus Petraeus Again?

You start to become suspicious that our country, the USA, is blundering its way into a third-world status when its military heroes act like professors-- And that is what we have developed in General David Petraeus. This slouching toward mediocrity was apparent when the general was recently interviewed by NBC MEET THE PRESS, David Gregory.

Gregory like most US main stream media tends to grovel in interviews before military flag ranks. That is perhaps the reason most seem to be unable to ask follow-up question or press the flag officer for a reply when he avoids an answer. Pundits extoll Petraues because he exudes academic ooze that makes the press comfortable by identifying with its intellectual pomposity, Birds of a feather flock together."

My beef with professors who are put in high power positions outside academia is that they tend to try rabidly to prove pet theories they have developed; they also have the authority to implement them whether foolish or not. Sure there are exceptions, like Dr Harold Brown from CalTech that became a decent SEC DEF, but most prattle on as General Petraeus; the general desperately tries to promote his pet counter insurgency doctrine as a silver bullet to win colonial wars. In the Patreus case this not just an academic excursion--men die trying to implement his strategy and tactics.

Petraeus was assigned to command the the ARMY COMMAND AND GENRAL STAFF SCHOOL where he was put out to pasture, reassigned from a training command in Iraq over some difficulties over an accurate number of trained Iraqi security forces. He with the help of some USMC officers cooked up a field manual on counter insurgency--the tenets of doctrine were a rehash of everything the US tried and failed in Vietnam.. His policy, however, with massive bribes and 30,000 more troops-bought GWBush time in Iraq so he could pass the problem to the new administration to solve. It has not been solved until now by a long shot.

President Obama is learning slowly that his generals' advice is sometimes flawed--for certain they always need more money, more troops and more time. This is also a Petraeus refrain. Afghan leader Karzai is looking for separate peace with Taliban over the heads of the US NATO command.

Core to the US counterinsurgency doctrine is protection of the population, but the US/NATO command has a reputation of shooting first and asking questions later--that is according to Afghans all the way up to Karzai. So Petraeus 'snake oil may sell but not work. And the US will sink deeper into a costly Asian land war

DID you hear that recently relieved General Mc Chrystal will start to teach leadership at Yale University? Name of the course is HOW NOT TO FOLLOW THE LEADER. Perhaps there is a message there for the followers of General Saveus Petraeus--Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-08-10T15:34:00.009-04:00

USA & Iraq -The Long Good-bye Kiss

The latest US long good- bye kiss to Iraq was officially announced by
General Ordierno last Sunday on ABC TV. You can be certain these fraudulent farewells will continuue for years as the US attempts to justify its continued occupation of the broken country.. What makes the General's announcement more disingenious is that there has not been a legal central government for five months. And violence is now beginning to work itself into another bloody crescendo

General Ordierno along with Gerneral Abizaid were about the only top generals assigned to Iraq occupation that appeared to be concerned over martial integrity. Abizaid quietly retired as CENTOM commander when he was asked to prolong the losing war with the GWB surge'. He just faded away. Ordierno choose to remain; he was promoted with two stars more from his old 2-star days as division commander of the 4th Division. He was a "bash, mash and slash general. Nuances thankfully were never his thing.

While General Petreus was hopelessly trying to win hearts and minds as a division commander, Ordierno went about arresting any male Iraqi who could wear beard and who did not need a wheel chair or crutches to walk. He filled the POW cages wiith many innocents to include the prision at Abu Gahrib. He was criticized by the press for his brutal methods, but he captured Saddam Hussien with his tactics . Unlike politically correct Petraeus, he took the press hits, but got the job done..

Whether you agree with the war or not and I do not, you should be glad Ordierno fights for the US. So it is now especially vexing that he flaks for contniued US presence in Iraq by pretending Iraqi forces can prevent disintergration of the country especially without a central government.

Perhaps two more stars on his shoulder bring about a change in outlook and candor..

Ordierno should have concluded that there is serious skepticism on whether the Iraqi can manage anything politically or militarily seriously without a united central government. For example, when he turned over the high security prison Camp Cropper recently on July 15 2010, he had to retain about 50 prisioneers under US control.

A few days afterwards 4 Al Queda POWs escaped from the now Iraq facility.; the new warden and some guards fled with them. So general, please hold off on another "mission accomplished" celebration on Iraq. It was sappy enough when a large wood key was passed to the Iraqis at the ceremony when Cropper was transfered to them. Was that your female staffs contribution to the event ?.

This summer General Ordierno is slated to depart Iraq coincidental with the draw-down of US forces to around 50,000 troops. His replacement is as of now slated to be LTG L. Austin. Ordeirno is to take command of a Joint Forces command, so expect him to be around for awhile. Meanwhile General Petraeus, Commander of NATO/US in Afghanistan, has started to launch a campaign to win the hearts and minds of the American people to support the Afghan war. It begins to get creepy when generals promote their own wars. It certainly did not work for General Westmorland in the Vietnam war.

It is a certainty that the US will do what it can to continue maintain control over Iraq. US troops will morph into US mercenary forces funded by the US. The mercenaries will hold some airfieds and bases for reinsertion of US forces when required. The other certainty is that no major road or boulevard in Iraq will be named after GW Bush--Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-08-04T10:39:00.007-04:00

US Army Leadership in Distress

No matter where you come out on the recent WIKILEAKs illegal release of 90,000 documents on the Afghan war, you have to agree that it is just another indication of sloppy US Army comand and of control of its resources. As it boils down the document roll out confirms the the exasperating foolishness of the war, but most Americans already knew this--it just makes it harder to ignor. The release certainly did not deter congress from voting 37.1 billions more for the war a few days after the documents were published in the NYT, Guardian and Der Spiegal newspapers.

This release by WIKILEAKS was preceeded by another recent contraband item of US Army gunship camera photos with sound tending to confirm soldiers complcit in US gunships mowing down civilians on the streets of Baghdad

It not my purpose here to judge the muderous actions of war. War always involves murder with extenuating circumstances. I was in RVN at Americal Division headquareters at the investigation of the Mai Lai Massacre by the US Army , but ln the the end the only one convicted was the platoon leader Lt Calley who was later pardoned by President Nixon. In the recent cases of WIKILEAKS expect the Army to pursue vigorously the soldiers who provided the source material, but those who committed alledged war crimes will be investigated and most likely exonerated. Fog of war aguments will be apply as usual.

These leaks are just one indication of the failure of the current army leadership who had to be asleep to permit such a security violation.

Both the Iraq war and now obviously Afghanistan are lost wars. In Iraq the winner of the last election was quoted:

"Right now, if you ask any Iraqi: What do you think of democracy? They will say it's blood, stagnation, unemployment, refugees, cheating," Allawi said. "If democracy does not succeed in Iraq and tyranny is replaced by another tyranny, there will be no legacy"

This verse and song is not what the chirpy General Petraeus has been feeding the American people and congress.

Cracks in the US Army leadeship are at this stage are systemic. Suicide rates are the highest; coruption is over the top with around 9 billion missing in Iraq; contractor fraud and abuse, commericial and military, is almost unrestraned in both theaters; Ft Hood massaces have been been investigated ad nausem, but no one on the general officer level has been relieved; Except for the sisterhood, no one seriously believes women in the Army has been a success; now Obama wants to introduce gays into the Army and the military leadership is agreeing albiet relucntantly.

Perhap the biggest self-destructive policy the US Army has been buying into hook line and sinker is private mercenary forces in the combat theaters--over half the fighting forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are private. For example, the State Department is now building a private contractor force to include 16 gunships to defend its Geen Zone mega US embassy in Baghdad once the US combat forces depart.

Army generall staff had opportunities under GWB to curb this development by insisting on the expansion of the Army if the mission was expanding to surpass army capabilities. It chose to back the Republican policy to use private corporations to augment its forces.. Retired officers lobbyed for this policy--some took jobs in the firms furnishing the forces. Congress played its part to vote funds to pay the mercenaries--both Republicans and Democratic congress members voted for the funds.. To this day these mercenary forces constitute a unity of command problem in both the Iraq and Afghan theaters.

At this stage the US Army and to a lesser extent the USAF and Navy train the special operation forces that are the nucleus of the mercenary forces. With the lucretive offers by private contractors, it becomes more difficult to retain these members. Long term, the corporations have a force that can challenge the US goverment. Power of the corporations has been recently flexed by BP in the Gulf Spill--President Obama backed down shamelessly on damage control operations and that was with a foeign corporation.So erosion of USG authority is already happening.

Who is to blame for the US Army's failures ? It is the West Point leadership cadres that run the Army--except for operations in Grenada and Panama, these fellas have not won a war since WWII--a War in which their leadership deserves credit for winning. What happened ? The Long Grey Line followed itself itself into the abyss. General McChrystal was the last to tumble over There was plenty of advance notice to his incapacities, yet he was given the marshal's baton by his classmates.

At this historical moment, the US Army's bete noire is WIKILEAKS and ROLLING STONE magazine--one is based on massive internal security violations and the other on betrayal , naivete and foolish trust...indeed a sad commentary--Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret Ret

2010-07-28T16:54:00.005-04:00

To Lose a Spy

About a week ago the US lost an Iranian spy named Shahram Amin...

About two weeks ago my blog was titled to "To Catch a Spy.. It focused on the fact that the FBI just snagged 10 Russian spies and swapped them for for four Western/NATO spies... So then let us consider this weeks blog as a sequel.--"To Lose a Spy"

From the outset it should be made clear that the facts of the case are all suspect. This means those self-serving fulminations emanating from both CIA and Iranian intelligence are twisted to present the organizations in the best possible light.. My guess is that CIA still is uncertain of what went haywire.

The relative facts are that the Iranians have their man home and the US operatives have piles of reports from him , collected over several years , that are suspect.. You must wonder--Was he bait to be reeled in a the rght moment after CIA fish bite or did the man have a crises of conscience; and longed to return to mama and kids under Persian skies. Did he miss the home cooking that much ? Or did he crack because his family was threatened ?

His CIA handlers offered him 5 milliion bucks to remain in the worlds greatest democracy. With that largesse the Persian could have lived as well as any ayatolla back home. And boought a variety of tender company to stem any loneliness; also to live as Omar Khayyam if he chose,. It is back to rice and greasy mutton and time in a stuffy flat in Terhan now for the some-time defector. This Persian apparently did not live by bread alone. Allah over 5 million was quite a choice.

Despite stiff upper lip nonsense from CIA, the episode is a net loss fror the US. It has been reported that a new National Estimate is being worked to correct the findings that Iran was years away from developing a nuclear weapon. Much of the disinformation reportedly came from this source.

The fact the US has a strong military presence on the Iranian borders of Iraq, Afghanistan and a naval fleet with nuclear strike aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, the US appears overwrought from the threat from Iran. Israeli propagandists have created this frenzy much as they did on the run up to war in Iraq.

You can assume that there are layers of National Technical Means of intelligence collection thick in and around Iran. Yet the human intelligence collection appears thin. Otherwise why would the US exfilitrate a floozie spy such as Amin. Apparently he was used by CIA for several years inside Iran before he was brought to the US. My guess is that he was donated to the US by Israeli or Saudi intelligence . Bpth countries have acess to Iran far beyond the US. Like walk-in spies, donated spies are always less reliable and more suspect

The Iranian intelligence will now have a clear picture of US debriefing procedures, main CIA players on Iran and the normally classified essential elements of information needed by the US. Even a former chagrined CIA Director General Michael Hayden,served under GWB, came out yesterday saying the US might more likely strike Iran. Or he he just another US military leader following the Israeli Lobby marching orders ?

Some believe espionage is a board game like chess. There are moves and countermoves you can devise if you wish to pursue the analogy. I pass on the comparison except in one instance, If you lose in chess, you can blame only yourself--you have been out smarted by a more skilled adversary Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-07-21T13:15:00.008-04:00

Mel Gibson Drives Some Jews Nuts

You can the believe that the Dog Days of Summer are rapidly approaching when the NEW YORK TIMES star OP Ed writer Frank Rich devotes his most recent Sunday column to excoriating a sociopath like Mel Gibson.. Frank in this article proclaims he is a Jew, so what does that to do with Mel's latest recorded rant that attacks blacks, Latinos and a girlfriend who is sexually aloof ?

Mel is on record earlier in a DWI arrest making anti semitic remarks about Jewish American cop that collared him. You can probably conclude that Mel is incompatible with Jews;, especially, at a minimum when an officer doing his duty happened to be a Jew; my sense is that had the arresting officer been Chinese or Japanese, the drunken actor would have attacked with other racial epithets.

Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton or usual defenders of the Latino soul have not sent a posse to the rescue from Mel's racial slurs. But Feminiists expectedlly attacked Mel for his rude and brutal remarks about his squeeze; one gasped that his conduct was too " grotesque to ignor" Mel should expect that sort of thing from the sisterhood, especially since he is celebrity and his statements were made public. Mel probably shrugs it off as ladies with those attitudes do not attend his films anyway.

Rich ,however, used Gibson latest screwball rant to settle an old score for Jews whether the incident was appropriate for this purpose or not. Rich wrote the folling last Sunday.

"Gibson is in such disgrace today that it’s hard to fathom all the fuss he and his biblical epic engendered back then. The commotion began with the revelation that his father, Hutton, was a prominent and vociferous Holocaust denier and that both father and son were proselytizers for a splinter sect of Roman Catholicism that rejected the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, including the lifting of the “Christ-killers” libel from the Jews. Jewish leaders and writers understandably worried that “The Passion” might be as anti-Semitic as the Passion plays of old. Gibson’s response was to hold publicity screenings for the right-wing media..

Rich is probably overwrought by Gibson's record 350 million dollar success over the film Passion of Christ." It was a rare Hollywood bonanza production made without Jewish investment or input.. Rich commented as follows in the Sundy NYT:

"Uninvited Jewish writers (like me) who kept raising questions about the unreleased film and its exclusionary rollout were vilified for crucifying poor Mel. Bill O’Reilly of Fox News asked a reporter from Variety “respectfully” if Gibson was being victimized because “the major media in Hollywood and a lot of the secular press is controlled by Jewish people.” Such was the ugly atmosphere of the time that these attempts at intimidation were remarkably successful. Many mainstream media organizations did puff pieces on the star or his film, lest they be labeled “anti-Christian” when an ascendant religious right was increasingly flexing its muscles in the corridors of power in Washington."

Why Rich picked this particular moment to rip the scab off an old wound is open to speculation. Perhaps the American Jewish Zionist community is heady with sucess by backing President Obama down over settlements or surpressing the headlines of murders of 11 turks in the recent Gaza flotillla incident or the continued US approval of the Gaza blocade by Israel-- Was Gibson the one that got away and was Rich off to settle the score when Gibson was vulnerable?, Who knows? Ask Rich. If he were not a Jew with an ax to grind, it would not appear as crass.

Having little interest in bible stories, I still made a point to see the "Passion of Christ ", mainly because of the uproar by some Jews.. It was a griity film; brutal Roman soldiers were thugs rightly depicted. The scouraging of Christ scene was over done to border on sadism, so Rich's view of this was about right. Rich complained that Gibson's Sanhedrin priests , who engineered the death of Christ,. had hook noses and bad teeth. So ? They probably did. These high priests were not angelic--even Christ threw out the money lenders from the temple that surrounded these fellas.

Two Hollywood old time Jewish moguls, Zanick and DeMille.. when Holy Land films were made by them, the Sandhedren looked like grubby, watery-eyed Shylocks. So why is Rich whinning?

Does Rich also want to paint out Judas' money bag as depicted at Michaelangelos' Last Supper ? Rich must live in a New York Jewish echo chamber. Strange conduct. Who annoited him as the arbiter of taste ? Or a revisionist of the history of the Jews.?

If Mel Gibson is not anti semitic by now after all the attacks by Jews on him, it would be surprising. And that is his business and those who believe this affects his acting and picture making abilities. That Mr Gibson has a personality disorder, there appears to be no question--if he was not different , doubt he could have made the off-the-wall films or played a role in them that made them vibrate. He was made by the public and can be destroyed by it--he should be not castigated by those who want to control his output or content.

As both Gibson and Rich appear to be facing some sort of crisis, suggest they each buy themselves a red Porsche, find a serene Japanese woman and hire a skilled Chinese cook {Confuscious say that make all ding hao } Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-07-15T16:44:00.006-04:00

TO CATCH A SPY

What do you know ? The FBI captured 10 Russian spies with their families who were embedded in the US for around 10 years as" Rezidenturas"or deep cover agents. What is surprising is that they were not Israeli agents; these Zionists are nestled deeply in the US. They have appeared as the main target of the FBI since the end of the Cold War. The FBI problem with the Israelis is that , in the main , they capture them, but cannot easily convict them, because of domestic political pressure.

The 10 Russian spies were swaped for four western agents held by the Russians--two that appeared to spy for the United Kingdom and the other for the US. All were Russian nationals. The swap, however, did not have the pathos and drama of the Cold War exchanges. For example:

""On February 10, 1962, Powers was exchanged along with American student Frederic Pryor in a well publicised spy swap for Soviet KGB Colonel Vilyam Fisher (aka Rudolf Abel), a Soviet colonel who was caught by the FBI and put in jail for espionage.""{GOOGLE}

Gary Powers was the U2 ill-fated pilot and Colonel Abel was a Soviet super spy who was a spymaster,. Powers was later to die in California when a helicopter he was flying ran out of gas. The USAF was to award him medals after his death. CIA Chief Tenet awarded him a CIA star despite the fact, according to procedures, he did not destroy his U2 or take a poison pill when captured,. Abel was treated as a hero in Moscow. By reputation he is the most skilled spy of his era,

last time I saw the U2 was at the Red Army Museum in Moscow in 1967..the Soviets captured it with all sensitive camera equipment as the aircraft was not completely destroyed.--I would not have traded Powers for Abel.

The recent spy incident was curious as the !0 Russians were not charged with espionage, but rather failing to register as representatives of a foeign government and money laundering .This should make the busy dual- citizenship Israelis, Mexicans and Chinese start looking over their
shoulders.-- Many in these nationalities have difficulty with the priority of their citizenship--there are other nationalities with confused loyalties as well .

The US seems to agree that this Russian group did not collect classified information, but it appeared the members were exercised regularly by the Moscow Center to practice spy craft procedures. Their main threat appears to be as spottters for higher qualified Russians to recruit American spies. The most valuable Russian spy handlers in the US are protected by diplomatic immunity. Those who were pulled in by the FBI drag net are small fry--you can bet there are still many more of them to keep the FBI 0n their toes,

Ihe retuned Russians will be used as American experts in language and analysis of US affairs by Russian Intelligence organizations. So despite damage to their web in the US, the Russians will treat them as foeign area specialists, once they figue out countermeasures for the conduct that ensnared them by the FBI.

While the US gives priority to National Technical Means{NTM}, the Russians ,like the Soviets, rely on Human Intelligence[HUMINT}. The US thinks in terms of strategic missile and air targeting, the Russians think in terms of facing the enemy on the ground--both countries have both means, but the US crippled its HUMINT capabilitiees when Admiral Turner was the CIA chief under President Carter. And this may go to explain later US failures on WMD in Iraq. as well as GWB's ditzy behavior on the run-up to 9/11

The Russians scored big in the Cold War with HUMINT. It pentrated the FBI in the late 80s in the Robert Hanssen affair; it was characterized as the worst intelligence disaster in history--Hassen sold out for 1 million 400 thousnd over a 22 year period. At CIA Alrich Ames sold out for a little less than a million dollars. Ames was responsible for the deaths of af least 10 pro US agents and the compromise of a 100 intelligence operations run against the Russian Soviets.

This recent US/Russian spy incdent had almost a Gilbert and Sullivan aspect. Both sides appeared to have agreed it is okay to read each others mail, but it should be done more discreetly. One of the Russian female agents had a frisky Mata Hari reputation with a British passport; she is set to open a modeling agency in London. KGB Honey Trap.? Sometimes it appears the Russians consider espionage as a form of entertainment.

Noone wants spies around unless you need the special information they can provide--the problem is you never know when you need the information. Unlike NTM , you just can not press a botton for HUMINT. The Russians think long term about it and set up for it. The US still prefers to press NTM buttons and hope for the best.. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-07-08T09:29:00.004-04:00

Michael Steele--Democratic Party Trojan Horse

Michael Steele, Republican National Party Chairman{RNC} is a Democratic Party Trojan Horse'. Steele just publically expressed his dismay over the Afghan war--neocon Republican ultras are having a calf over Steele's public criticism of the Afghan war. Steele has already openly callied for getting out of Iraq, so his new prouncement is an another major blow to the war party Republicans who promote permanent war. It is apparant something has got to go--Steele or the frenzied neocon influence in the Republican Party

After all the RNC is the main fund raiser for the Republican Party. In this capacity it also distributes campaign funds to selected Republican Party candidates,so it would appear Steele is out of bounds pontificating on national security policy--especially if those views are contrary to those of the Republican Party. The Republicans adore war so Mr Steele is way out of step. Steele has called the Afghan war Obama's war-- Goddamit, it is a Republican war according to them--Are these sickos who do not want to share the glory of war ?

Mr Steele is black. He was selected by the Republican Party because of his race not his executive talents or red hot connections with Republican fat cats. There are plenty of black rich donors, but that list belongs to the Democrats, so like McCain /Palin, we remain confounded by his leadership selection.

Despite the fact his views on abortion, global warming and gay marriage are mainstream republican, Steele's perceived banners are closer to the Rainbow Coalition, except he cannot rhyme as well as Jesse Jackson.. His snappy dress, Jive talk and KOOL pulls him unintentionally into the Rainbow.

When Steele was Lt Governor in Maryland, his main contribution was with black business men and affirmative action-he spent 70 million on such projects. The fact that he spent three years studying the priesthiod at a Catholic seminary must have appealed to the religious right fixated in the Party, but he was not ordained. Association with the Catholic priesthood should not be that positive in a resume for a position that does not demand holiness, but you have to remember the Republican Party is the Party of God.

During his campaign for Lt Governor his opponents used to roll Oreo cookies on stage when he was speaking--black on the outside but white on the inside. This may explain his later affirmative action stances to demonstrate he was not an Oreo, but it also substanciated that he was not a Repubican Party true believer.

His selection to the RNC was sick ploy by Republican Party to put a multi racial face on the Party, So far it has backfired. Steele.s fund raising is dismal; he has the image of a gaffe- prone buffoon and is an embarassment to most serious blacks As for most white Republicans, he makes them cringe.,

The irony of this latest Steele fracus is that he is dead right on Afghanistan Obama seriously reenforced and bought into nation building. No sane educated person believes the war can be won, anymore than the Iraq war.. It is another military/industrial/congressiuonal stimulus package--30 billion supplemental just approved by the Democratic congress for the war; 110 billion is the cost estimate for the war in 2010.

After being attacked for giving credit for the war to Obama by neocons like Kristol, McCain, Graham, Lieberman and other misguided neocons, Steele tried to walk back his statement, Ron Paul was the only high ranking republican to complement him for his honesty,

At this stage the Afghan war has taken on a banal quality. Petraues took command of the war--for the record he is still in command of CENTCOM so is he giving orders to himself and wearing eight stars since he now commands two four-star billets. There are a reported 50-100 al Qaeda in Afghanistan, so why the full-scale war ? Is General Petraeus to be known as a "Ghost Buster", for he is killing and chasing an almost amorphus enemy.

So if the Republicans are smart the war should branded as Obama's War-- it is dumb ass to do otherwise.. The Democrats should make burnt offerings that Steele remains at the RNC as he sows discord in the Republican Party.Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-07-01T11:42:00.007-04:00

General Petraeus has stooped to conquer.

He has been demoted or volunteered to step down from a higher CENTCOM to a lower theater command to head the US/NAT0 war in Afghanistan. Both are four-star billets, so to a civilian it is all the same; it is the same pay and perks are about the identical. But you sleep with the blood-in-you-eye Taliban at night in Afghanistan rather than with sybaritic charms of Tampa Bay at McDill AFB CENTCOM HQs.

To a military way of hierarchal thinking, there is difference in assignments that goes beyond a nuanced media spot light and date of rank--it is one of pecking order and prestige. Four-star generals are the elite of the US Army- -they run the army. Like bull elephants they settle ranking and status among themselves.

Unlike the McChrystal fiasco, doubts whether even a hippy" Rolling Stone" Reporter could penetrate the group's discreet iron curtain around their interrelationships. So where and how Petraeus fits into this august assembly is unknown, at this writing we do not even know who is the CENTCOM commander. Does Petraeus absurdly wear two hats or not?

While General MacArthur who said THERE WAS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR VICTORY, Petraeus only promises that the US will not lose. That is a big difference. Hence the protracted conflict or endless war policy he tenders.

He explains to a gullible public that counter insurgency is a roller coaster of ups and downs. Well general, this is a defense for failure.--the American people want to get off your ride. That is one important reason they elected Obama who apparently has booted this mandate in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Generals McChrystal and Petraeus are two peas in a pod. Though different in style and temperament, both are devout practioners of the counter insurgency/nation building religion. For whatever reason, the media and the administration embrace this hokum as a strategic panacea, despite the fact it never has worked. In Iraq, Petraeus bribed and armed The Sunnis which is at best a short term fix. His counter insurgency doctrine is repackaged Vietnam era "hearts and mind” with expensive nation building tossed in the mix. He has stated MONEY IS AMMUNITION.

McCain and GW Bush pushed propaganda that the surge worked. The neocons embellished the myth and applied it to Afghanistan. In November 2009 as Obama pondered strategy in Afghanistan, right wing neocons Kagan and Kristol wrote in THE WEEKLY STANDARD on McCrystal and Petraeus...

'McChrystal is an outstanding and battle-tested commander with a creative staff and extremely talented subordinates. And he is working for the architect of the Iraq surge, Gen. David Petraeus.

The political team, on the other hand, is weak. Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and Amb. Karl Eikenberry has been ineffective and even counterproductive. The Obama administration recently relegated Holbrooke to a diminished role and assigning Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton the responsibility of formulating policy and working directly with Afghan President Hamid Karzai"

Enough said about the false virtues of McCrystal's potential; his career ended in disgrace. Since Petraeus and McChrystal were fused and his assignment endorsed by Petraeus, there is a chance that Petraeus was compelled to take a step down in command to compensate for his bad judgment on McChrystal. The other wonderous thing coming out of the relief of command saga is SECDEF Gates reportedly wanted to keep McChrystal, because of his pivotal role in Afghanistan. How long will Gates last with such flawed judgment?

One thing for certain is that as currenntly organized, the country team collective of Petraus, Holbrooke, Jones , Eikenberry and Hillary is dysfuctional--who is the boss? This is the same lack of unity of command that helped bring defeat in Vietnam.

As General Petreuus is reborn as our savior again, there is a certainy that he will not bring triumph--victory is not in his tool box--he,,however, might spin his way to a stalemate and call political accomodation "succees". President Obama would be delighted with this contortion of victory as the bodies returned home mount and the stench of corruption from nation building ovewhelms the White House.. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-06-24T14:37:00.008-04:00

General McChrystal--Viper or Victum ?

There is not much left of the West Point ingrained ethos of civilian leadership when long-grey-line General McChrystal publically criticizes his White House chain of command- If McChrystal was a winner, you possibly might dismiss his rant as a frustrated tiger in cage; the fact is, his record in Afghanistan is dismal, more akin to the lion in the Wizard of Oz..

He certainly has not pacified the Taliban lands; his showcase operation at Marja was characterized by him as a running sore; he has failed to curb poppy production, train Afghan reliable poilce and military forces. If there is unity in his US and NATO command, it escapes me. His recent verbal pissing on Washington appointed civilian leadership publically in a" Rolling Stone"magazine interview destroys the unity of command at the highest level.

The General picked a wrong time to cavort when he had already over 60 KIA-the highest in a month in the 9-year war.

The military/industrial/congressional complex has already mounted a campaign to prevent his relief from command by President Obama. With trillion dollar war budgets and fifty percent of his command as private contractors , this is easy to understand. It been reported that GW Bush while in office told the then Argentine president Nestor Kirchner. that war is the economic stimulus--this concept is not new, but coming from a hypocrite that avoided service in Vietnam is new. McChrystal has also received warm support for his continued command from our puppet-off-the- string Karzai. Judas kiss ? Or mutual admiration ? Take your choice.

McChrystal is purported to be an expert in unconventional operations, yet now his command in Afghanistan has been one of conventinal operations. He loves those big immobile sprawing firebases and grand search and destroy opreations; he has even okayed recently a big special forces headquarters which should go far in the destruction of what exists as unity of command. The irony is that McChrystal commanded terrorist hunter/killer units in Iraq brilliantly despite the fact there were POW abuse scandals on his watch.

McChrystal is a hands on warrior and a brave man who has reached his level of incompetency. He bucked the system and advanced in the army as a "Ranger Stranger", special forces and unconventional warefare. His tongue got him in trouble as well as his loyal, child-like staff that trash talked the higher chain of command,apparently reflecting his views Some believe that pathos is deserved as he is relieved. I do not. He played his cards and was trumped.

What is right is that Afghanistan ,if you restrict the mission to a war on terror, is that Special forces or unconventional operations is the way to go.- -use light ,mobile skilled forces in punitive and preemptive operations .

If this to be the case, McChrystal is not the man to command it. He and Saveus Patareus are hearts and minds guys. They keep recycling tactics and strategies from the Vietnam war where they failed, never fit in Iraq and are preposterious in Afghanistan. Building bases, training local security and police forces and bribing locals always backfires in the long term. Even in an open colonial war it does not work--look what happened to the French and English colonies once Europeans were forced out. At best the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are covert colonial wars.

By 20thc and even the Army's lower n 21stc standards, McCytstal's arrogance and bad judgement mandate relief of command. This conduct after his cover-up of the Tillman friendly fire incident and his lobbying for troop build-up inAfghanistant outside command channels before Obama made his decision to add 30,000 troops should have alerted the President that he had a maverick general that will embarass him. I believe Mc Chrystal believed the military/industrial /congressional complex would protect as in the past; he amounted to its agent.

With Obama's leadership questioned by being led by the nose by BP on the Oil Spill, McChrystal is a viper which challenges the preisdent's leadership As Obama relieves the general ,McChrystal will be considerd a victum by the war lobbyists and many Republicans. The General has already offered his resignation and the President accepted.

These same Republicans and exmilitary will argue that in Vietnam we never lost a battle. When an American General made the same argument to a North Vietnamese general in a postwar setting, the North Vietnamese responded that this was irrelevant.--Do you think our sevice academies will ever learn that lesson ? Otherwise you will have more permanent war McChrystal and Petraeus in the pipeline. These are generals who prolong war--cannot win them, only to lose them in the end. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-06-16T16:39:00.005-04:00

Obama--Born To Follow

After over a year in office the American people are beginning to conclude that President Obama is a follower not a leader. His technique adhering to a script provided by others did win the presidency for him, but has doomed his administration... His opponent GWBush brought down the economy embroiled the US in least two deadly and expensive wars.
Obama accelerated the Bush year’s debacles and in a short time he even heaped more woes on our nation.

BP OIL CATASTROPHE IN GULF-- Obama appointed Ken Salazar who had an oily background; he was sensitive to exploitation of oil on land, but in the sea, he was wide open to all comers; he failed to purge Big Oil clones from his Department of Interior and in a master stroke of bad timing, he came up opening more areas to off-shore drilling; this was a few weeks before BP's gusher on the bottom of the sea. It becomes clearer each day
that Salazar like BP' is part of the problem and not of the solution

Caught with his oil drilling regulatory and enforcement pants down, the BP accident hit Obama like a bomb shell. His recent advocacy of" Drill Baby Policy” off shore made him appear even more foolish... His first response was an ostrich with his head in the sand; his second was to play Hamlet and treat the event surrealistically; then he finally played Greta Garbo--"he vented to be alone" and let BP fix the mess it made; after more agony.
He finally assumed responsibility; but curiously played follow the leader with BP calling the shots.

In his dagger dance to set policy, he apparently did not understand BP wanted to cap the well, capture the flow, not to stop the flow if it endangered the heath of the bonanza well. BP sought to save the well; as a result, the Gulf was contaminated and this continues as of the writing

plugging the eruption on the sea bottom is a matter of dumping tons of, high density material or ingots on the erupting hole. If in the early 1970s the Glomar Explorer lifted a Soviet missile submarine from 16, 000 ft in the Pacific, why can we not drop and overwhelm, stuff a small pressure cavity at 5000 feet? The reason is you endanger the production of the well. Meanwhile the Gulf is screwed big time. The American public should understand Obama's choice and the consequences. He said he is responsible. Do not expect him to commit Seppuku on the map of the Gulf.
He is not a samurai for certain.

HEALTH CARE-our president followed Big Pharma and Big Insurance; his healthcare does not even appear mandatory. Without a public option, it is not competively priced and prices will soar as drug and insurance companies push for over 30 percent profits. The process has already begun.

ECONOMY--he followed Bankers and Wall Street advice--saved major banks, but Main Street is still without loans that stifles growth-- unemployment continues to rise over 10. He has resisted serious economic reforms.

AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ WARS ET.AL...Our Commander Chief apparently follows orders from his military subordinates rather than gives them. He listened to commanders on Afghanistan and increased troop strength with sad results. Last week it was reported that our puppet-off-the-string Karzai has lost faith in the US and NATO ability to win and wants to deal with the Taliban.

Pentagon geologists recently discovered a trillion dollars worth iron.
Copper and lithium deposits in Afghanistan.--doubt that now we will ever depart that tortured land. Now the military/industrial complex can make a resource argument to remain, despite the fact the US may have to occupy all of Eurasia to get deposits out. Bad things always happen on the Grand Trunk Road and in the Kyber Pass.

As things continue to deteriorate in Iraq, commanders are hinting to remain past withdrawal deadline to train Iraqi security forces-- GULP-SAVE US PATREAUS. General, if you have not succeeded by now, forget it. Last weekend in an assault on Central Bank in Baghdad 26 were killed and scores wounded--attackers took bank records--hmm, whatever happened to the neocon's pet Iraqi banker. Ahmed Chalabi ?

WAR ON TERROR....We keep killing number three of al Qaeda, but never get number one or two-why? Obama’s drone operations in Pakistan are killing people-sometimes innocent ones that have a major blow back. Pakistan insurgents launched failed operation on Times Square--next time they may score tragically. Obama has expanded the war to Pakistan, but without sapping terrorism. Taliban in Pakistan are destroying US supply convoys at an unacceptable rate. Last week over 50 trucks carrying NATO/US fuel and supplies were reportedly destroyed near Islamabad in one attack. Attackers escaped. Dollar damage was not reported. Three quarters of NATO US military supplies pass through Pakistan. Obama is certainly taking bad advice from someone on his terrorism program with his careless use of drones in Pakistan.

Let us face it. With few exceptions, most politicians are not leaders. They are followers controlled by campaign donations and self interest. Obama despite following the chaos of GW Bush and thumping the McCain/Palin boobs had nowhere to go but up. So he really had to try hard to stay in a downward spiral. BORN TO FOLLOW. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-06-09T13:37:00.015-04:00

Murder-Israel and Gaza

'Murder She Wrote' That is the epilogue to the Israeli Jews' slaughter tomore non-combants in their bloody affair, Gaza. A 19-year Turk withAmerican citizenship was assassinated with four bullets in his head andone in his chest by Israeli commandos assaulting unarmed ships on thehigh seas. It is preposterious that the the Israelis claim self-defense in theincident; it is repulsive that the US solely defends the Jewish state byfailing to condemn the atrocity as a war crime; and further diplomaticallyprotects Israel from international investigation.

Nine Turkish men on board the Mavi Marmara were shot a total of 30 times and five were killed by gunshot wounds to the head, according to the vice-chairman of the Turkish council of forensic medicine, which carried out the autopsies for the Turkish ministry of justice today.The Turkish Prime Minister has accused Israel of State Terror and has withdrawn its ambassador from Israel.

By any standard the Israeli commando operartion was botched. It attacked the main ship in the populated center deck , instead of working its way carefully forward from the aft. As a result four Israeli were captured , disarmed and sent below as POWs . The Israeli s then turned the main deck into a free fire zone--either out of panic, fright or revenge--not exactly conduct of a disciplined force--more like thugs-Even the Somali pirates are more skilled...at least they can take a ship without killing.

Years ago while on duty as an escort for an Israeli officer at the Pentagon , I asked an Israel colonel on why Israelis were so sucessful in their wars. As I suggest better equipment. planning, elan, but he waved me off and replied JUST FIGHT ARABS. Well folks, Turks are not Arabs. Had the Turks been armed or military trained, the Israelis would be having the the funerals. Turks are a blood-in-the-eye tribe. Doubt they will forget their dead without some form of revenge. Ask the Kurds about this.

This incident could end a symbiotic Turkish/ Jewish relationship since the Spanish expelled the Jews from Spain in 1492. Turks took in refugee Jews who helped them in commerce and letters--In exchange the Turks gave the Jews a place to live safely and prosper. Natanyhu may have ended that with a stupidly arrogant bloody act against the Turks. Mossad surely knew the names and nationalities of the peace activists, so there was no excuse for killing the Turks--All KIAs were Turks.

The US Israeli lobby went into full mode to defend Israeli murders. As Israeli held the kidnapped activists incommunicado, the US media slavishly played Jewish edited versions of visual tapes . Fox interviewed The Israeli Ambassador to US but not the Turkish one. Israeli talking points flooded the airwaves and TV. Pathetc right-wing talk shows fell over themselves to defend the Israeli murders. Poor Chris Matthews , one of those opportunist liberals even defended Israel.

The Gaza Blocade is already started to crack with Egypt relenting on crossings. The Israelis are still in hot water over the UN Goldstone report accusing them of killing non-combatants in the bombing of Gaza as Obama took office. Like it or not Hamas was democratically elected to power in Gaza. There is a good chance the situation could escalate as Turkey and Iran hint at warships to escort aid flotillas to Gaza.

Obama appears helpless as Netanyahu is the ringmaster of a four-ringed circus in the US--ie., the House, the Senate, The State Department and Defense- all under Jewish Lobby control. Given the number of American Jews on the White House staff, it appears Obama has an in-house kibbutz.

Desiree Rogers, Obama former chief of protocol, fired over the first farsical state dinner, reportedly described her role as,"I ' AM HERE TO BRAND THE OBAMA BRAND. As of now the Obama brand is a star of David or a menorah or the yellow and green BP logo. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA ret

2010-05-26T20:44:00.002-04:00

Diversity Vs. Destabilization

If you believe diversity as currently practiced in the USA is a positive, you are foolish; on the contrary, it is a negative proposition that forces national disintegration. Let us examine various ethnic American groups whose narrow advocation of policies is destructive of US national interests. As a sample, I picked three: Armenians, Jews and Mexicans; there are others.

These groups argue that the richness of diverse cultures now in the US enhance the US – they may be right, if you bound their ethnic contributions to to music, science, food, dance, language, the arts and literature; but the fact is, many of these foreign elements became agitators for policies that pressure the US to support policies not in the US national interests.

The US has a legal systemic weakness that permits this exploitation. It is called campaign contributions, directed advertising contracts to media and ethic solidarity. The great irony is that all are eager for the economic fruits of the US, but seek concurrently to move the US to self destructive objectives

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee recently passed a resolution condemning Turkey (then the Ottoman Empire) for its nonfeasance, or alternatively, it's malfeasance in the atrocities against the Armenian people, calling it a genocide. The resolution has not passed the full house. The resolution was driven by US Armenian groups. The Turkish reaction to it was sharp: the Turkish ambassador to Washington was recalled. Relations between Washington are still strained. The US has serious strategic interests with Turkey, both military and economic, now jeopardized because American Armenians want to call a massacre that occured in 1915 in Turkey a genocide. What does this have to do with the US?

Mexicans in the US, millions who are there illegally, stridently demonstrate and advocate open borders and amnesty. Sanctuary cities where immigration laws are unenforced, abound. There is strong opposition by these groups to any effort to enforce the law as witnessed by the uproar over the recent Arizona law.

Illegal Mexicans are an economic and social burden. Though a source of stoop labor, they absorb enormous resources while much of their income is returned to Mexico. There are millions swarming in the US as the federal government does little to enforce the laws. Mexican drug cartels reach into most areas of the US.

Recently, Mexican President Calderon, before a joint session of the US Congress, audaciously hectored the US on the Arizona law. Democratic lawmakers stood and applauded this affront while the Republicans did not. It is evident why the Democratic Party choose a jackass as its symbol.

The Republicans should have booed and hissed Calderon; maybe even thrown soft tamales or cold burritos at him. One of these Washington wizards is going to figure out that without nationalism, there is no country.

Calderon was asked on TV why he condemned the Arizona law when Mexican immigration laws are even more stringent. He replied, THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION. WE ARE WORKING ON THE LAWS.

American Jews are a diverse group. They are bound together by an ancient religion that has different subsets, but they are united in their support of the state of Israel. American Jews have organized powerful lobbies that have been very effective promoting pro Israeli policies and foreign aid. Despite this support by the US, Israel sends spies against the US and has killed American sailors in the USS Liberty incident.

Unbalanced US political and military support of Israel against Palestinian and Lebanese Arabs has fueled Jihadist terrorism against the US; it will remain a source of continued anti-Americanism. The misguided Iraq war was promoted by largely Jewish American neocons to solve Israeli security problems with Saddam Hussein. It did, however, have the aid of the US military/industrial/congressional complex. The same drumbeat by the same people for war on Iran is louder each day.

The three ethic groups singled out have made contributions to the US. The question is when will their advocacies become destructive enough to undermine the US and outweigh their positive actions. A 19th century French writer observed that the US will disintegrate based on the greed and self-interest of power groups in the US. The US may be well on this path. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA ret

2010-05-19T19:51:00.006-04:00

US Government Galore

Whether big government is bad and small government is good is not the question. As things go from bad to worse in the US, there is a desperation for either size – just install one that can function without self implosion. The GW Bush/Obama prototypes both managed to create bigger problems as they remained in office.

If you determine the size of government by the amount of debt incurred and expenditures beyond income, both GW Bush and Obama built giant edifices. If you determine the size of government by the number of people paid by the government, both presidents sustained the Iraq and Afghan wars with thousands of military and contract mercenaries; in this connection they bought weapons and war material from the industrial military complex that added more spent billions, feeding big government.

By these definitions both are big government presidents. So when the conservatives yearn for small government, it is uncertain on what model they base their aspirations. As long as there are colonial wars, big government is here to stay no matter how you define it.

When you accept the big government versus small government mythology, it automatically follows that lots of regulation comes with the BIG and much less with SMALL. This is baloney. Historically regulation follows Democrats and minimal controls are pushed by Republicans. Although President Clinton did confound this generalization with laissez faire mortgage standards which was the basis for a future fiscal disaster.

Crude oil furiously pouring from a broken pipe in the Gulf from a BP oil catastrophe is developing into a nightmarish bureaucratic showcase linking government and private corruption with ineptitude. Government agencies failed to monitor private oil drilling as the oil company, avoiding safety measures, carelessly cut corners that led to the disaster.

Neither party's government could accomplish the basic task of defending US borders to insure the integrity of the US in the face of irredentist Mexicans. Democrats need Latino support to win elections; Republicans, supporting big business and agro-industries, need low paid Latinos to remain cozy with their major campaign contributors; in either case, it has nothing to do with the size of government, but everything to do with political opportunism.

Right now there are trillions of dollars of federal debt, but no way to repay it. Democrats have the reputation of tax and spend while the Republicans just spend. So in either case, both approaches deepen the fiscal problems. The size of government expands as its responsibilities are broadened; as long as the wars continue, and TARPS/Stimulus imposed, the US is locked into an increasing debt spiral.

President Clinton, as a silver bullet, has recently advocated the value added tax (VAT) in addition to the income tax. More taxes proposed by Democratic leadership plays to profile. Try ending the wars first, because when the VAT comes, it will not be repealed, especially once the collection mechanism is in place. Note, this tax has not balanced the books in Socialist Europe and it has been in effect for years.

Big government galore will be in the US as far as the eye can see. Fretting over the proposition will not change it, but an economic crash or political disaster might... Are you ready to roll the dice? Colonial Robert E Bartos
USA Ret

2010-05-12T20:48:00.002-04:00

Act of God or Revenge of Nature

Texas Governor Rick Perry told us the recent gulf oil disaster was an act of God. If that is the case, BP is the hand of God. Maybe Rick is too close to the petrochemical fumes in Texas and this proximately has prompted an effervescence that is is now bubbling in his brain; although his brain does appear permanently clouded with secessionist politics.

Some say if it was not for oil and the petrochemical industry, Texas would have only tumble weeds, cattle, GW Bush and Mexican Wetbacks. Dixiecrat Perry's Texas refines BP crude at a furious rate... a BP refinery blew up recently killing Texans – another act of God I suppose. If that is his belief, suggest another God. May I recommend Chango, an all powerful Santería God that has protected Fidel Castro all these years. Perry has to slaughter an elephant with his bare hands to make it happen; not really in Rick's foppish character.

The most recent BP flop to contain the hemorrhaging crude oil leak from the bottom of the gulf was a four-story cement contraption that was to stop leakage from the ocean floor and channel the oil to on-station oil tankers floating above the disaster. It seems BP was as interested in capturing the oil as it was stopping the rupture. It did neither; and as of this writing the oil contamination is spreading, killing industry and the environment on the gulf coast.

Perhaps the oilmen/engineers, geologists and BP greedy investors should consider a first aid metaphor when approaching fixes to their self-made disaster. STOP THE BLEEDING AND THEN START THE BREATHING. These wizards, most likely the best in the industry, should understand the more complicated the solution the greater chance for failure. Forget the profits, and fix the mess you made. That is a civilized priority.

This blasé, audacious attitude by BP stems from a self-assurance based on campaign contributions.
"The Center for Responsive Politics ranks BP as one of the top donors to political campaigns over the twenty years having given in excess of $6 million to congressional and presidential campaigns. The ten biggest recipients of BP contributions still in Congress are Rep. Don Young ($73,300), Sen. John McCain ($44,899), Sen. George Voinovich ($41,400), Rep. John Dingell ($31,000), Sen. Mary Landrieu ($28,200), Rep. Joe Barton ($27,350), Sen. Jim Inhofe ($22,300), Sen. Mitch McConnell ($22,000), Rep. John Culberson ($20,950) and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison ($19,500)."

The above quote is dated, but it provides a sense of who owes whom. This political financial support is augmented by BP passing out lucrative seats on their corporation and advisory boards to retired national politicians from both major parties. BP has enlisted powerful Washington players "like Leon Panetta (now CIA director), George Mitchell (now Obama's Middle East envoy), Christine Todd Whitman (the former EPA administrator), and Tom Daschle (the former majority leader) to serve on its various boards of advisers and independent panels. "

This is really a belt-and suspenders-approach for assured, continued influence. It is all legal... just squalid. Watch this play out as BP wiggles off the hook of responsibility. Rick Perry is just a minor BP pistolero. In BP's international scheme of influence, just a peashooter.

Earthquakes, floods, fires and Tsunamis now seem to reoccur so often. The world-wide and multiplying deadly mine disasters in China, Russia and the US, along with a volcano eruption in Iceland, combined with the most recent BP gulf oil calamity could appear as nature's response to too much exploitation – at least in the case of the volcano, no corporation stuck its finger into the smoking crater. With all the natural and man-made chaos, it is as if earth is trying to shake off its bloodsucking fleas. It is a case of civilization advancing backwards.

These are TIMES OF TROUBLES. And the Taliban just struck Times Square with an aborted truck bomb attack...Quo vadis America? Colonel Robert E Bartos USA ret

2010-05-05T21:21:00.005-04:00

Drowned in Black Gold

If you believe the oilmen, you just cannot get enough crude oil; the drill-baby-drill-baby crowd has certainly penetrated the political establishment. Silly Sister Palin and now even President Obama are on the Big Oil band wagon. Obama extended leasing rights on more offshore sites a few weeks ago. And now he is up to his eyeballs in the unending Louisiana oil slick from the BP offshore disaster, he has decided to review and delay the implementation of his decision.

Obama is certainly a one-step forward two-steps backward sort of flaky decision maker. This is evident in his Middle East Israeli, Iraqi and Afghan foreign policies, as well as his health care train wreck and his financial regulations fiasco. Thank goodness, however, he has walked back his decision to end Don' t Ask, Don’t Tell military policy at least for now.

On April 20, 2010 a semi-submersible exploratory offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded after a blowout, and sank two days later; it killed eleven rough-neck workers, and resulted in a significant oil spill. All southern gulf states are threatened; the coast of Louisiana, with its Mississippi ecological delta area is in particular danger of contamination.

The oil rig, owned by Transocean, Ltd., is leased and operated by BP who is the majority owner of the oil field. The company originally downplayed the size of the leak at about 1,000 barrels a day, but later accepted government estimates of a leak of at least 5,000 barrels a day; it could be more. A complete failure of the wellhead would mean 100,000 barrels a day leaking into the Gulf, unlike a leaking oil tanker with a precise volume of crude. With this leak in the crust of the earth, it is impossible predict the amount of black gold escaping. So this is a BIG problem. When it comes to off-shore oil leaks, the BIGGEST ever.

Google reports: “Seeking to blunt criticism of its emergency response BP indicated on April 30 that it would harness all of its resources to battle the oil spill, spending $7 million a day with it's partners to try to contain the disaster. BP was running the well without a remote-control shut-off switch used in two other major oil-producing nations, Brazil and Norway, as a last-resort protection against underwater spills.

The use of such devices is not mandated by U.S. regulators and their efficacy remains unclear due to the rarity of major offshore oil-well blowouts. The U.S. Government gave the responsibility of the incident to BP and will hold it accountable for costs incurred in containing the situation."

After this disaster, I believe the remote-control-shut-off switch will be required by the US. The so-called cement collar fail-safe installed apparently by Halliburton failed here as it did recently offshore in Australia. So the Trust Me, environmental impact statements by oil companies are bullshit; this misrepresentation should be ended or the greasy politicians responsible for oversight should be tarred and feathered.

The Washington Post reported "The administration yesterday put Adm. Thad Allen in charge of the overall response, replacing Rear Adm. Mary Landry, who had had some deer-in-the-headlights moments on TV and had initially declared that there was no leakage at the bottom of the gulf."

You must wonder if anybody in the US government has any idea of what is going on or how to fix the leak. One thing appears certain; the US government with all its resources, cannot fix the leak and it must rely on the wonder boys who caused the leak to fix it. Also, you can expect BP to find a scapegoat; it is one of the biggest corporations in the world and has a record of escaping controversy. Like the coal companies, it is cost effective to pay the fines rather than fix the problems.

The dilemma for the American citizen is who to trust. It is obvious that Big Oil is in the game for profit and screw the environment. State run enterprises in Communist/Socialist regimes in Central Europe, the Balkans and USSR promoted ecological disaster feverishly trying to fulfill state-mandated 5-year plans without environmental control. China and India are now both first-class polluters.

For the US, to regulate energy companies tightly, it has to be done as you would an utility: when they violate the rules, break them and jail the leadership. However, this requires political courage in the face of big buck opposition. Such courage does not exist in the US.

Shrapnel poll of the week. Which conglomerate is the biggest enemy of the people? Big Oil or Big Banks? Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-04-29T00:38:00.002-04:00

Uncle Sam Strikes Back

The people of Arizona last week took a giant step to preserve the Union passing a long over due law to curb illegal immigration by the Mexican hordes. The new law makes it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally. Immigrants unable to produce documents showing they are allowed to be in the U.S. could be arrested, jailed for up to six months and fined $2,500.

For over 30 years the US federal government has dithered, failing to control massive invasions by Mexicans across the US southwestern borders. President Reagan passed an absurd law to staunch the flow by legalizing those already in the US. That failed to the extent that now there are an estimated 20 million illegals in the US. If you do not believe it, look out your window.

GW Bush tried again to find a legal path to make the illegals legal; Ted Kennedy (RIP) and Bomb Bomb McCain spear headed the failed effort in congress. Now with nearly 10% unemployment in the US, Bush's plea that the Mexicans do work others in the US will not, appears even more moronic. More accurately, Mexicans do work for less and under poorer working conditions than others. And that is the exploitive basis for globalization and agreements such as NAFTA.

President Obama has attacked the Arizona law despite the fact he stood by and watched the invasion and just pontificated... There are roughly 460,000 illegal Mexicans in Arizona. Whether they are hard working and work cheap has nothing to do with the more important fact: they have broken the law to achieve this distinction. Other pervasive Mexican lawlessness in the state prompted the new Arizona law to control the illegals.

There will be court challenges to the law when it is implemented about 90 days from now, in August. The Mexican lobbyist groups in USA have already begun mass protest demonstrations; if they participate in these in Arizona after August, suggest they carry their of papers authorizing them to be in the US, or it is fines and the slammer – into the waiting arms of Sheriff Arpaio with his pink, striped prison outfits.

Black groups are joining the Mexican and Latino protests. It is a mistake as illegals take Black jobs and this will sharpen the Black racial conflicts over illegal immigration. Blacks have major problems on Chicago streets. Solving these should take priority rather than joining united fronts that do not affect them directly; on the contrary, this creates friction that will work long term to the Blacks disadvantage.

The critics of the law claim it prompts profiling. They are probably right, but the test is how many legals are minimally inconvenienced for the common good of law and order; and, curbing the exploitation of state welfare, medical services and educational facilities by free-loading illegal aliens.

There has been a parade of policies that attacks the cohesiveness of the US nation state. Most obvious is the participation in global organizations: World Trade Organization, NAFTA, other regional economic agreements, monetary policy with China and the self-destructive helplessness to reject Israeli influence in US policy formulation. Anchor babies, dual citizenship, and failure to defend borders all auger toward this disintegration.

If the illegals do not like the Arizona law, they can move to south of the Rio Grande River. The US rejects the anarchy associated with their presence. Hopefully other states will follow Arizona's example. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-04-21T21:09:00.003-04:00

Lech Kaczynski R.I.P.

Polish president Lech Kaczynski was killed last week in an airplane crash along with much of his top leadership. He was buried at a state funeral in Cracow, Poland at the Wawel, a medieval castle where Polish kings and super heros rest. A controversy developed on whether he was worthy of the honor.

It was a judgement to be made by Poles, so outside criticism should dismissed by them arbitrarily. Kaczynski had plenty of detractors and enemies internally; his approval poll numbers reportedly was around 30%. He also had strong critics in the European community. So what was the man all about ?

Traditional conservative Poles considered him a nationalist, a Pole's Pole, but the modernists or progressives believed him to be an obstructionist, especially as it concerned integration into the EU. This cleavage was evident on social, political, defense and economic issues. Many now consider these differences sharp enough to have served as a basis for a conspiracy and motive for his death.

Kaczynski was a devout Catholic; he was unlike the run-of-the-mill Polish politician who was a secular Catholic – who had ties to the old Party's apparachiks and used his religious affiliation to promote his popularity with the Polish voters. As a high official in Solidarity and a key advisor to Lech Walesa, Kaczynski used an anti communist party path to power.

The dead president had a PhD in engineering; he was bright and held high political positions to include the mayor of Warsaw. As a mayor he surprised many when he deeded city property to Jewish groups to erect a WWII monument; as a result he enjoyed good will in Israel. A rare thing for a Polish nationalist.

He had an identical twin brother who was embedded in the political system with whom he was closely linked operationally. Lech was the policy guy while his brother Jaroslaw was executor. There is much speculation that brother Jaroslaw will run for president against the progressives drawing on a sympathy vote.

Kaczynski's strict Catholicism was to impact on his relationships with the EU. Recently, Poland won an opt-out from the EU Charter at the Lisbon Conference, because it insisted on retaining national control over family issues and morality, such as abortion and homosexual rights. Poland has been cited with violation by the EU at the human rights court. Kaczynski was to counter gay rights parade by sponsoring a march of Normal People.

A bubbling issue stemming from territorial changes decreed at WWII Potsdam conference involves former German territories ceded to Poland to compensate for land on its Eastern border forcefully transferred to Russia. Private German organizations want to buy them back; there is no official German government position on this proposal, but Kaczynski responded with a furious refusal along the following lines: In WWII Germans destroyed over 80% of Warsaw in two months and killed 200,000 Poles at the same time during the Warsaw Uprising... he darkly hinted at a quid pro quo request for compensation.

Kaczynski's foreign policy was to play to the US to offset the influence of Russia and Germany on Poland. He was a loyal supporter of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and sent his troops to fight. He also was supporter of the US missile defense program to be stationed in Poland. This type of big power balancing act has never worked for Poland as it has been crushed regularly and occupied by these two countries since the 18th century

A German Socialist magazine wrote that Polish anti communists are Catholic bigots; one thing for certain is that the Catholic church of Poland holds a mystical sway over the people as a pervasive, consistent beacon of Polish culture and freedom when their government failed them throughout history. This influence will not disappear, but it could dissipate.

Poles are preparing to vote on the euro to replace the zloty and there are tensions with the EU on the over valuation of the Polish currency. The head of the Polish central bank, killed with Kaczynski, intentionally has not been replaced by the new opposition government.

Lech Kaczynski was just a two act play. May he rest in peace in the Wawel. The third and final Kaczynski act will be played by his twin brother Jaroslaw whose ideas like his visage are IDENTICAL. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-04-14T21:24:00.001-04:00

Cursed Katyn

No amount of sprinkled holy water, priestly incantations with swinging smoking censers or grim exorcists dispatched from the Vatican can purge Katyn of its deadly curse for the Polish people. Twenty-two thousand Polish officers were murdered in cold blood in 1940 in the killing fields at Katyn by the Soviet KGB under orders from Stalin. A few days ago a Russian made aircraft filled with the highest ranking Polish military and and civilians crashed and burned in the area, adding another 96 Polish souls to charnel house known as Katyn.

The tragic irony is that those recently killed were to attend ceremonies on the spot commemorating the 70th anniversary of the thousands of Poles killed previously by the Russians in the WWII era.

Though the Polish anger over the incident festers, the Russians finally made an effort to show culpability by sending Vladimir Putin to the event sponsored by the Russians. As the event plays out, despite soothing diplomatic cooing from both sides, the compounded tragedy will increase the traditional hatreds between the two countries. The Russians have still to make amends officially for the atrocities and war crimes of the forties.

As human butchery is scored in WWII, 22,000 murdered Polish POWs is a low score; comparatively 2 million Poles were killed, 6 million Russians, and 6 million Germans. Additionally the Jews claim 6 million of their people were killed. But this figure is challenged as high and confused by the nationality of the Jews killed. Were they also counted in the Russian or Polish figures? The killer big-time was Josef Stalin who was reported to have killed another 6 million Russians during collectivization and War Communism of the 20s and 30s.

The Polish rage over Katyn is not only based on the horror of the murders, but also over the effort by the Russians to shift guilt and blame to the Nazis. There was a premeditated effort by the Russians to convince the world the officers were murdered by Germans. The POWs were killed with German small arms and ammunition with a single bullet to the back of the head. The Germans discovered the mass graves, but the Russians claimed to be innocent of the crimes. It soon became evident through international investigations that the Germans were in the clear.

Forensic evidence, diaries of the dead, eye witnesses and timelines, let the Germans off the hook and pointed to Russian guilt. This was surprising given the German record of killing Russian POWs, mass reprisals in occupied areas, and the systematic genocide of Jews; but it was evident in the end; the Russians were guilty. It was only after the advent of Solidarity could the Poles openly discuss the Russian responsibility for the murders.

Why did Stalin kill the Polish officers rather than do as they did to the captured German POWs; work them to death as slave labor? Two reasons: The officers were bourgeois, educated and constituted a threat to postwar Communist rule of Poland; secondly, was revenge. Stalin had a score to settle with the Polish Army that defeated him and the Red Army 20 years earlier in the Polish-Soviet War. Stalin's foolish actions in the war as a Commissar personally contributed to the Soviet defeat.

Putin has taken charge of the crash investigations, but there is Polish representation in the process. At this time many unanswered questions exist, but it is clear to me that it is unlikely the Russians bear guilt. This event was an overt effort by the Russians to bring closure to a burning issue between the two countries. If there was a conspiracy to kill off the Polish leadership, look elsewhere. The Russians had nothing to gain killing more Poles near Katyn.

The Polish leadership was on record rejecting international banking interests. It wanted no part of a one-world banking system run by the world bankers. It was the same group that Putin kicked out of Russia that subsequently made the US neocons squeal so much; and, that led GW Bush to trash relations with the Russians. And coincidently, the head of the Polish central banking system was killed in the crash. Was it a possible warning to the next Polish government? We will wait Mr. Putin's findings with great anticipation.

Flying around in Russian transport aircraft, in my book, is always hazardous duty. In the 60s I logged many hours as an American military attache in Russia on Aeroflot, the Soviet airlines. It was always a hair raising experience which included tipsy pilots and stewardesses. I was awarded an air medal for flying around in combat in a helicopter in Vietnam, but using the criteria of that medal, my earlier duty in Russia probably would have qualified for a distinguished flying cross.

Aeroflot no longer uses the TU154 aircraft in which the Polish leadership perished. This aircraft had been refurbished in December 2009, so it is doubtful the crash was due to aircraft failure. More likely it was pilot error, but with the high military brass aboard it is doubtful the pilot made the final call on landing in turbulent weather at a field without instrument capability. The Polish aircraft had been directed to other airfields by Russian ground control.

No matter what the findings of the crash investigations determine, the permanent conclusion will be established by the BABAs, the Slavic old ladies who sometime double as sorceresses; the ground of the Katyn Forest will be found as hallow for Poles but deadly – to be avoided like dogs’ blood and cholera. You believe you are in Eastern Europe? Nope... East of Europe works better. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-04-07T21:30:00.004-04:00

Holy Week Or Holy Mackerel

Seven days from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday is Holy Week; that is unless you follow the Orthodox faith and therefore, march to a different religious calendar. This 2010 Holy week was a disaster for some establishments. Look what happened to the Catholic Church, Obama's national security apparatus, the Republican National Committee and the rambling wreck we call Healthcare Reform.

Holy Week is show time, BIGTIME for the Catholic Church throughout the world. The holy days are led by the Pope from the Vatican, filled with ancient pageantry and traditions – flocks of pilgrims fill Rome to renew the faith with the Pope as the super star; who is, according to the Church, Christ's vicar on Earth.

Except this year the Vicar has a big problem that seriously obscured his Easter duties. The Pope has been accused by the world press of covering up for pederast priests. It is an old story in the Church, but this is the first time in modern times it has touched the Papal cassock.

Like most secular establishments savvy on public relations, the Vatican counter attacked the press for the published story – stories that by now demonstrate an epidemic of pedophilia in the Church that was not staunched.

The current pope, in an effort to protect the Church, has been implicated administratively in this scandal. His counter attack as of today has backfired as the press bores in deeper justifying its criticism... The Vatican's maladroitness was compounded when the pope's private preacher, Rev. Cantalamessa defended the pontiff publicly at St. Peters Basilica on Good Friday. He compared those who attack the Vicar, to those who attack Jews...as a form of anti-semitism.

Despite the fact the Vatican leadership quickly sought to crush the story, the cat was out of the bag. For centuries Jews were known as Christ killers; bloody pogroms were launched against them in Eastern Europe, especially on Good Friday; the local religious populace was enraged by the passion of Christ dramatized in village churches during Holy Week.

The last thing the Vatican wanted was to insert angry Jews into the turmoil; they were apparently upset that the Vatican wanted to invite itself to its private pity party. Some Jews have complained that the Vatican wanted to involve them in its child abuse mess. That accusation is an exaggerated stretch by Jews who seem to enjoy the Vatican's problems.

It is still too early to predict the outcome for Pope Benedict XVI. His problem is that the Church forgives carnal sin, but Caesar adjudicates the crime of child molestation. The Pope appears to be involved in controversy since his election by the Curia. Even divine choices may be fallible. The Shoes of the Fisherman are easily filled.

Holy Week brought bad news for President Obama's national security establishment. The US puppet in Iraq, Maliki, is to be ousted by Allawi, a former US puppet under Paul Bremer. Allawi has both Sunni and non-secular Shiite support and at one time was a member of the Baathist Party. Personally he is tough – has pulled triggers to execute. He is also a relative of double-dealing Ahmed Chalibi.

You remember last week Obama visited Afghanistan. I figured he went there to relieve the US Ambassador to Kabul, General Eikenberry Ret. because the General was right about the hopeless situation there and Obama was wrong; or Obama went to relieve General McCrystal who is obviously in way over his head; or he went to depose that duplicitous Karzai. Obama stumped me when he returned without a severed head.

It appears that the president's target was Karzai. A few days after Obama's return, Karzai promptly blamed foreign powers for corruption problems and his woes. Karzai is officially now a puppet off the string and Obama must dump him soonest. With the Israeli Netanyahu thumbing his nose at him and now Karzai saying it is somebody elses fault, the time for pontificating is over in both cases. Netanyahu celebrated Holy Week bombing Gaza. Does Obama appear weak internationally? YOU BETCHA.

About the only thing that really brings joy to the Democrats' heart is the Republican National Chairman (RNC) Michael Steele. He has no clue when it comes to management – his fiscal house is in disorder as he shells out money for visits to strip clubs. Republican Tony Perkins, chairman from a powerful religious right organization, advised Republican donors to give directly to candidates, not to the RNC. Steele has not demonstrated his ability as a fund raiser to date. As a matter of fact, he is spending faster than donations are received.

Others in the Republican leadership want to hold on to Steele as he is black and appeals to minorities. If they keep him, they might want to work on his wardrobe. Right now his sartorial taste is between a pimp and a side show barker... not quite ready to join the refined Republican country club set.

This Healthcare debacle rattles on. During Holy Week we learned that there is no penalty if you do not buy healthcare insurance; it was written out of the bill. Republicans did not want to tell you because they wanted to continue to scare you; the Democrats did not tell because now there is no penalty to force you to buy the insurance and without it, many of the uninsured will remain so.

Hope your Holy Week went better for you than for the Catholic Church and the US Government; and, that of the Republican Party. Holy mackerel!! Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-03-31T18:25:00.004-04:00

Illusion & Delusions & Arms Control

Much like the Olympics or the swallows returning to Capistrano, arms control almost magically appears and disappears. This process makes the world feel better, but alas, it is not safer as a result.

Most recently these arms control agreements have been between the USA and Russia. Apart from propaganda value, they do provide impetus to scrap aging nuclear weapons and delivery systems in a controlled manner. However, they seldom slow down the development of new strategic weapons systems.

The verification regimes always bear a whiff of skepticism and are pinned on mutual self interest rather than on trust. If one side decides to cheat, so what? Both sides are careful that the agreements do not change the strategic balance. Both parties have redundant break-out capabilities to implement, should either wish to restart the expensive arms race.

We are on the eve of another Russo-American arms control agreement. President Obama has announced that he, and his Russian counterpart Medvedev, will sign a new agreement on 8 April of this year at Prague, Czech Republic. Uncertain why Prague was chosen – maybe it was the lure of golden Pilsner Urquell beer or to honor the fact that Schweikist Czechs never quite have the heart to fight a war since their lost battle of White Mountain in 1620 during the Thirty Years War.

You must wonder why Russia, with teeming millions of nuclear armed Chinese on their South and Eastern borders and the USA, facing an ever-growing belligerent Chinese Navy and Army threat across the Formosa Straits, would spare a nuc to comfort world public opinion. The answer is that in both cases, their bomb reservoirs are really untapped and more than sufficient to deter attack.

Both US and Russian military planners understand the Chinese eventually will turn North and East in military adventure. In the 1960s the Russians already fried the Chinese with napalm in battles on the Usari River in Siberia. In the meantime the USA has turned the other cheek to Chinese provocations.

The provisions of the new agreement, similar to Obama's healthcare reform, are obscure at this time. We have been told that it will reduce the Russian and American nuclear arsenals by one third. President Obama also touts the agreement as a reset for Russo-American relations; this aspect of the agreement is probably correct after GW Bush, with his warped neocons, trashed the relationship for all the wrong reasons.

In the past, even more complicated then negotiation of the agreement, are developing implementing regulations for dismantling and destruction of weapons and verification measures. Further, the Russian Duma and US Senate must confirm the agreement. For the US it is problematic as the senate Republicans act as neocon zombies who are still smarting having their ears pinned back badly in Georgia by the gleeful Russians.

Some Republican senators already are using strategic missile defense issue as a red herring to derail the agreement. Maybe they have forgotten that it was Hopeless Henry Kissinger, a Republican, who surrendered US strategic missile defense advantages in the ABM Treaty in SALT I with hopes of getting a meaningful offensive arms treaty. Let us hope Obama did not consult Kissinger Associates on the agreement. We will not know until if secret protocols eventually leak.

The Strategic Defense Initiative was a billion dollar baby conceived by President Reagan in 1983. Since then over 100 billion dollars have been spent and no defense system, global or theater, really works. It has been the ultimate military-industrial boondoggle. There have been positive technology spin offs from the research and for certain, it frustrates the Russians who perceive a threat with a possible US breakthrough. So the program does provide negotiating leverage, albeit at a very high price.

There have been boasts by the US that it can shoot down a clunky North Korean strategic missile if it strays too far from the launching pad flying over the Pacific. That event, if it ever occurs, would be a sell out with tickets bought by skeptics.

President Obama, now with healthcare and an arms agreement has two thin feathers in his hat. He is apparently now foolishly trying to fly with them. In the realm of presidential soaring, he should be cautious, as he was just pitifully batted down by the abrasive Israeli toad Netanyahu. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-03-24T20:46:00.003-04:00

Democracy Now – USA 2010

Healthcare reform exploded and stands to become law, a new reality as of last weekend. The fact is there is no national consensus on whether it is a boon or bust is best summarized by a White House, now hell bent on selling the American people on its disputed overall benefits at a 930 billion dollar cost over 10 years.

The bad news is that it passed and higher taxes begin soonest; the good news is that most key provisions kick in in 2014 so there is time to reform the reform healthcare – it is no accident there is a midterm and presidential election before the crazy bill is fully implemented. This wide gap between passage and implementation was a sign of the insecurity of the law makers who passed it.

Presidential Obama and his Democratic Party will rise and fall on how America perceives his controversial work. There were casualties on both sides of the aisle in the battle over the bill. For example, Mighty Mite Dennis Kucinich, about the only progressive liberal that over the years "hewed to line and let the chips fall where they may" folded on his core value, the public option; this came after an airplane ride on Airforce One with Obama. The Republican House minority leader, Man-Tan Boehner, is a politician with a reported scratch golf handicap, who lately always finds himself in a political sand trap. Boehner was last seen muttering SHAME ON YOU DEMOCRATS, while he was trying to figure out how to commit Hara Kiri with his putter.

Democracy was also at work in foreign affairs as Hillary predictably reversed her rebuke of the Israeli warlord Netanyahu; she did whimper that the Israeli polices did not further peace in the area. Of course, she repeated the act of faith that the US will protect Israel security.

This of course made no impact on Netanyahu who confirmed his intention to expand Israeli hegemony by building more Jewish housing in Palestinian areas. The Obama administration not only appears weak, but feeble, as it continues to pour military aid into Israel and provide political cover for Netanyahu's egregious policies.

The American Israel Political Action Committee is now having its annual convention in Washington DC; Netanyahu plans to attend. Hillary has already attended and gave a speech to a luke warm audience. It was a mistake for her to attend. She should have sent a low-ranking Arab-American from the STATE... that is, if they have not been all run off. Netanyahu is to meet with Obama. Another error. Instead, he and Emanuel should meet with each other outside a White House gate. Netanyahu reportedly called Emanuel and Axelrod self-loathing Jews. So let this Kosher cat fight take place outside the Oval Office.

In Iraq, Democracy is playing out much to the consternation of the US. After spending over 700 billion and having over 4000 US troops killed in action, the Iraqi abandoned a US puppet Maliki for another yet to be determined leader in a recent election. Surprised? At least General Odierno was not as he makes plans to keep troops in Iraq for an extended period; SAVEUS PETRAEUS.

Democracy in Afghanistan appears to get more elusive each day of our occupation. US Marines are now occupying Marjah set among the poppy-fields and they are uncertain what to do with the crop; if they destroy it, they enrage a population as it is a king cash crop. Use of poppy seeds for cakes, rolls and with buttered egg noodles is part of Central and Eastern European cuisine. To convert the Afghans to that diet is as difficult as making them develop the taste for democracy.

Last week General McCrystal, our supreme commander In Afghanistan, acknowledged that US Special Forces in theater were not under his command. He now has taken steps to bring them under his command structure, mainly because the special forces have been inflicting too many civilian casualties. This lack of unity of command was a stunning admission; they must have stopped teaching principles of war at West Point. The lack of unity of command was the main reason for the command confusion in the Vietnamese War... slow learners?

The ragged health care reform was achieved in a democratic fashion. Its result, however, has achieved a strong step toward Social Democracy. The bill fuses private enterprise, i.e., private health insurance and big pharma, with mandated government and public participation. These links will remain as they have with the no-bid defense contractors with the Department of Defense and STATE. It is is another nail in the coffin of the competitive free enterprise system.

The healthcare industry stock prices have continued to soar as the rich government subsidy has become a reality. There still is no safe-guard to control the costs of health insurance even after the passage of the bill.

With Democratic Socialism comes the limits on free choice. These new laws are now ratcheted in forward position that usually precludes retreat. All this is done in the name of common good; the issue always remains who gets to define common good?

USA, India and Israel, all stridently proclaiming democracies, are busy occupying other peoples countries or land. That is more of democracy now – March 2010. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-03-17T20:46:00.002-04:00

Israeli Menace to US

Sending US VEEP Joe Biden to Israel to broker peace between the Israelis and Palestinians is like sending a cocker spaniel to a dog fight to make a deal between two raging pit bulls. Predictably, Joe got mauled by Israeli pit bull Netanyahu, while the Palestinians began another round of rioting in Jerusalem.

Biden has been openly in the American Israeli lobby bag most of his political career, so it was surprising that publicly he was so blatantly kicked in the ass by the Israeli leadership. President Obama's policy to stop Israel expansion by more housing received another blow with the Israeli announcement to build 1600 more units on Arab land in Jerusalem; all this while Biden officially was visiting the Israeli government.

Not only does this make Biden appear to be sap, but as his representative, it makes Obama out to be weak. With two American Jews, Axelrod and Emanuel, in key positions, principally running his White House, it rightly or wrongly suggests Israeli penetration of the main US policy apparatus. This is especially true of Emanuel who served in Israel during the Gulf War greasing Israeli vehicles while his fellow Americans fought in the Gulf War. It is a fair question to ask whose flag he is under today?

There has been an effort by mostly American Jewish columnists to interpret Natanyahu's brashness as a process error in Israel in administrative procedures; but Netanyahu and his stooges in the US have apologized only for an error in process, but not in substance – the expansion of Israeli settlements will continue as planned. Call it an Israeli policy of SCREW YOU, AMERICA.

Hillary C. our SECSTATE, who has been remarkably unsuccessful in her tenure as American's number one diplomat, charged to Joe's defense chastising Israel for picking on the US right under the VEEP's nose. H. Clinton was a flop on her recent trips to Africa and South America, so doubt the Israeli will pay attention, especially since leadership at STATE is surrounded by pro Israeli embeds; and Axelrod and Emanuel are in the saddle at the White House. Expect only hot air from the former senator from New York who understands the political hazards of the Jewish question well.

The rant that Israel is the oldest and most reliable ally is propaganda. What ally of the US has attacked an American ship, i.e. the Liberty, killed American servicemen, constantly sent spies against the US, and advocated war against Islam involving the US as a pretense of fighting terrorism? Israel is, in fact, our oldest most reliable enemy. You have to ask what Israel has done for the US except cause headaches.

The Gulf War and Iraqi invasion demonstrated Israel is not needed for military intervention or projection of force in the region. As a matter of fact Israel complicated both operations. Efforts by President Reagan to rescue the Israelis from their foolish invasion of Lebanon in 1983 ended with the deaths of 241 marines and 59 French paratroopers who were part of an international force to permit the Israelis to exit from their ill-conceived operation.

The fact that the US insures building loans on Israeli settlements and provides 3-4 billion in aid so Israel can buy state-of-the-art US armaments makes the scheme more preposterous; especially when US white phosphorus and cluster bombs are used on Arab civilians.

There are plenty of remedies for the US to influence Israel-start by recognizing Iran diplomatically. Tweak the aid packages by the US to get its attention. Discourage massive Trotsky-like solidarity Israeli parades in NYC as counter productive to US foreign policy objectives. Solidarity with Netanyahu's Israel is not in the US interests. There is no reason Americans should die for Israel – that is an Israeli duty. This point should be made loud and clear as Israel flirts with unilateral bombing of Iran with US made aircraft and bombs.

All this takes political courage by US politicians who cannot resist contributions to their campaigns by Israeli lobbyists or opprobrium from elements of a main stream media who in knee-jerk fashion support Israel, right or wrong. Even the evangelical right has a misguided pro-Zionist spiritual faction that would have to be drawn in to restore sense and balance to US policy in the region.

Doubt Israel could have survived without US military aid and diplomatic support. The US even pays Egypt and Jourdan to be sweet to Israel. The UN investigations of Israeli atrocities during the most recent bombardments of Gaza and, Swedish reports of snatching body parts from dead palestinians should be enough to put distance between the association of US and Israel. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-03-10T21:53:00.001-04:00

The Sword is Mightier than the Pen

Based on the US Army's protracted conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan, it has not learned much tactically or strategically from previous wars. It has taken one lesson away, however, from the Vietnam bloody conflict: that is, the necessity to control the main stream media. Otherwise it can lose American civilian support for the war.

This control was to be accomplished by Rumsfeld by embedding reporters with combat units and then censoring what they print in the name wartime security.

It boils down to the press that if it wants to get into the action, it must do it conforming to a Defense Department code of conduct. It can circumvent these regulations, but it risks getting chopped in little pieces by Jihadists who do not play by the Marquis of Queensbury rules. As a matter of fact, these fanatics are way ahead of most Americans who naively cling to a fair and balanced press that exists only in their imaginations.

The dedicated Jihadist just wants to kill infidels whether they have a press card dangling from their neck or not; the high number of murdered journalists recently killed, attest to this. Even those who ride or walk into battle with American ground forces have been killed and seriously wounded. So any which way the war correspondent plays it, his or her life is in jeopardy.

The information gap that Rumsfeld failed to plug was the digital camera carried in the combat theater by many – without those, Abu Gharib atrocities never would have surfaced. Much of what the Defense Department sought to control by managing the news through embedding was undone by ineptly commanded hillbillies with cameras. Between this incident and the ruthless suppression in Fallujah II, the counter insurgency war was lost long term in Iraq.

Forget what General Saveus Patraeus spins. Check out instead the bombardment of Baghdad last Sunday as prelude to the latest election farce in Iraq. Sixty-nine Iraq political parties, 36 Iraqis killed and scores wounded. You have to keep expectations low when you understand warped American neocons advised the Iraqi on their constitution. Anyway, the creation of democracy while occupying a country is preposterous.

The recent three-week battle for Marjah, a town with 50,000 souls in Helmand province Afghanistan, is an example of a news blackout. One thing we learned right away was as with Fallujah II, the first casualty was a barking suspected insurgent dog! The Marines this time promised to pay the farmer for his dead animal .

On the very liberal Amy Goodman radio show, she attempted to determine what was happening during the operation; she interviewed a Wall Street Journal reporter in Kabul to find out what was going on in the provincial farm town. Thrust of what he said was that no one in Kabul knows and those in Marjah cannot tell even if they knew. There was another interview with a local doctor from a district hospital near the town; he complained the roads from the town were blocked by US/NATO forces, and Afghan wounded civilians cannot be evacuated to the hospital for treatment. No US embedded reporter could or would report such a story.

Whether there was a tactical necessary to implement such an action is strictly a military call. Whether the action is anti-humanitarian is a civilian call. In any case such action does not garner US support for the war; hence the the suppression of the information.

Apart from managing news from the battlefields, the Army has, like the Marine Corps, used the press to promote its favorite issues. The fact that GW Bush privatized the Army with mercenaries is beginning to fray the Army's high command nerves. For example, there are roughly 170,000 US troops deployed in the Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan theaters of operations. At the same time there are more than 170,000 paid mercenaries also deployed in the same theaters. If there is any unity of command between these two components, it is obscure.

A new problem of the civilian substitution in the active army ranks in the continental US surfaced with a memorandum between Army LTG Dempsey and Chief of Staff of the Army General Casey. It was published publicly 16 February in the press. General Dempsey, chief of the army training command, TRADOC, decried the fact that only 30 per cent of his training staff is uniformed army; the rest are hired civilians. He deplored the shortage of captains and majors in key command and staff positions at his facilities; he noted that his civilian instructors do not have combat experience to pass on to trainees. These shortages are also at ROTC components at universities and colleges.

All these shortages were blamed on the pressure and priority of providing troops to the combat theaters.

Both Generals Dempsey and Casey were promoted with more stars under the Republicans. Both generals had extensive service in Iraq. So it is about time they faced the shortages caused by over commitment of forces. What are you going to do about it, Generals? This problem has festered over four years.

Problems stemming from GWBush's harum scarum politics seem to be ripening fast. President Obama has not intercepted them; on the contrary, his national security policies has enhanced them. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-03-03T22:18:00.003-04:00

March Comes in as a Lion Cub

March is the windiest month of the year. It is a time when the Irish in the US celebrate their escape from Ireland with a drunken fiesta; it is a time when the Roman dictator Julius Caesar was murdered by his own pals on the marble senate floor in Rome. Since then there has been a violent, gloomy foreboding associated with the Ides of March.

Last Thursday was a warm up for the stiff winds of March that are on the way – it was President Obama's health care summit at Blair House across from the White House that prompted the flow of brisk hot air. A whole day in camera was spent by Republican and Democratic congressmen and senators with the president repeating ad nauseam their loves and hates of healthcare reform.

My sense was that although the administration conceived forum was cheap political theater, President Obama won the day. You can ask yourself: So what?

The format showcased the president as earnest, trying to fix health care by legislation, whereas his Republican opponents wanted to solve problems with platitudes. The Republicans reenforced their image as running dogs of Big Pharma and Big Insurance. The only thing the Republicans could offer is interstate coverage and non-specific tort reform. This was in the face of a recent rise of healthcare costs in the past two weeks.

The Republicans, with Tea Baggers who love wars but hate taxes, operate in fantasy land. The Democrats simply lack spine to lead and are bugged by a surrender syndrome when the first shot is fired. Both parties are worn out, burnt out and bankrupt.

The military situation on both the Iraq and Afghan fronts appears grim. Instead of a definitive defeat of the enemy, the US military establishment gives us continued costly occupation and meaningless local corrupt elections as a substitute for withdrawal or victory.

In Iraq General Ordinero is already preparing the ground to extend the US occupation based on the future outcome of elections in which the Sunnis do not participate. These Sunni elements have been armed to the teeth by General Saveus Patraeus during the GWB surge and are prepared now to revolt when the US pulls its military finger out of the Iraq dike. General Patraeus on right-wing talk shows paints rosy scenarios as usual, but this time it is mainly in Yemen???

Afghanistan, both militarily and politically, is a disaster; as more money and troops is poured in, the worse the situation becomes. Karzai’s US supported regime has little popular support outside of Kabul and that is the way it has been for the past 8 years. CIA has had success killing and capturing Taliban and al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan; but, like broken dragon's teeth, they are quickly replaced with more radicalized people.

The US/NATO Forces in Afghanistan can not pull off a major military operation without killing non-combatants or suspected insurgents, whatever they are? Under these circumstances counter insurgency fails long term.

Training of Afghan police is in turmoil because the US wants to fire private mercenary DynCorp because it mismanaged 1.2 billion dollars in police training in Iraq. The corporation, deeply involved in Afghanistan, is reportedly suing USG to prevent termination of billion-dollar contracts. Stop the feeding of these inefficient politically connected mercenaries; look to US Army MPs with a CIA to do the the hopeless task. With this set up you still will not prevent small-time thievery, but you will stop the robber barons from stealing billions.

March coming in like a Lion is a metaphor for coming in with force and vigor. On 1 March the US won a record total of 37 medals at the Winter Olympics. Despite the fact it came in behind Canada and Germany in gold medals, it was still something important for our national pride. I will take a small lion cub over a lamb anytime as a sign of hope. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-02-24T21:01:00.004-04:00

Redemptive Society - US Style

When the Stalinist Soviet Union demanded that purged political enemies of the people confess and admit their crimes publicly before they were shot in the back of the head at Lubyanka prison in Moscow, Americans gasped at the barbarity of the show. Now in America, we demand that celebrities beg for redemption publicly to restore their standing with the public; no speeding bullet coup de grâce, but just more humiliation for the sinner. Celebrity must be a terrible addiction for those who grovel so desperately to regain it. Self-pride is out; self-pity is in.

Ever since the American revolution threw the English monarchy out of the USA, there has been a historical yearning by many in the USA to worship secular; something other than a non-secular god. To adore politicians, film stars, inventors, military leaders, business tycoons, sport figures, religious leaders and journalists has been substituted for homage to an old effete monarchy.

Some of European and Asian communities have kept their royalty but made it politically toothless; it is maintained as tradition – a sense of continuity that enables colorful ceremonies with jeweled crowns, bright tailored uniforms with unearned decorations and... with a few harmless salacious scandals.

Worship of celebrities is a hazardous endeavor. Politicians are mostly corrupt; films stars overdose on booze and dope; inventors steal ideas; military leaders lose wars foolishly; business tycoons sell their country for profits; steroid-bulked sport figures are bribed, run dog fighting, have illegal weapons, earn assault charges and are killed by their girl friends; journalists sell their souls for a story; and lust... nails the preachers and priests.

The European monarchies collapsed mainly because they lost wars, some which they started, which were followed by economic catastrophes. Inbreeding between the royal houses encouraged hemophilia and the bloodlines were thiner and thiner as royal leadership appeared more incompetent as rulers; ergo, the masses organized and revolted. Gone are the grand Houses of Hapsburg, Hohenzollern, and Bourbons. The Windsors came about when Edward VII arbitrarily changed from the German royal house to Windsors, because the Huns in WWI became the enemy of England.

Celebrities publicly seeking atonement and redemption has been a staple on the American scene for a long time. Bill Clinton was sailing along just fine until Monica Lewinsky's blue dress popped up. He called on Rev. Jesse Run Jackson, who had plenty of woman problems of his own, to save him. Rev. Martin Luther King had a white mistress; he was assassinated before it became a public issue, but he still needs to be defended on dysfunctional family issues. Something President Obama can do as he extolls Rev. Kings' virtues. Maybe the Devil made them all do it.

Politician womanizers abound, such as Spitzer, SC, Gov. Sanders, senators in both parties, and congressmen who cannot keep their hands off page boys. Some of these more pathetic things ask their wives to stand by them publicly as they are mortified.

My issue with all this is not the moral turpitude or betrayal of office, as it can be handled by law or voters; but rather, it is the hypocrisy of the process which permits salvaging of their careers. Ah, that good old Judeo-Christian forgiveness. The USA is one grand confessional. And the publicists and media talking heads administer absolution.

This eagerness to forgive breeds irresponsibility that trickles down from the so-called entitled celebrity class to the lower rungs of society. It encourages the spinning apart of a responsible society by example.

TIGER TIGER BURNING BRIGHT – the media circus surrounding Tiger Woods auto de fé was astounding. It was as if the world stopped to listen to his drivel. Woods is Buddhist. Even the Dalai lama checked in on the issue. The last time I checked, this religion has no Ten Commandments. His wife is a Christian; her religion has commandments as a moral compass... it is going to require celestial wisdom to sort this out. Buddhists believe in self-discipline and consequences of actions; so the Tiger is still caught by the tail.

Radio talking head Lou Dobbs condemned Woods because he victimized his pack of paramours. His female listeners made Dobbs back down as they raged about how all the gals knew Tiger was married when they frolicked with him. How banal can it get?

Tiger lost income when he lost lucrative advertising contracts because some corporations kicked in their moral clauses; he is now a lost sheep returning to the flock. He is involved in a sexual therapy cure. Save your money my friend, just say NO! Take saltpeter or stare at a photo of Golda Meir to kill your lust.

As for celebrity justice in the USA, just sit back and enjoy the lurid drama; it will get worse. Josef Stalin must be smiling somewhere. Colonial Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-02-16T21:54:00.004-04:00

The Charge of the Pink Brigade

Are you are convinced by polls that say the American people are yearning to overturn DO NOT ASK AND DO NOT TELL (DADT) in the US armed services to permit gays to serve openly? Anyway, that is what you are to believe based on a Washington Post/ABC News poll last week that found 75% of Americans want this policy change. This finding is based on a telephone sampling of about 1000 souls. We do not know whether the respondents are from Fire Island or San Francisco or somewhere else.

President Obama apparently intends to pursue this policy as it was a campaign promise. His Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and his Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen, are openly for it. General Powell Ret. who helped conceive DADT is for it, treating the issue now as civil rights. After General Powell's deceptive performance before the UN on weapons of mass destruction, uncertain why he is taken seriously about anything. Gate's and Mullen's support is significant as their departments live with any chaos if the policy is instituted.

From my personal experience, albeit dated, command is complicated enough with disciplining drunks, drug abusers, bed wetters, thumb suckers and coping with racial conflicts. Racial issues appear to have subsided as the draft ended. But like women, gays serving openly makes the command problems even more complex.

As far as women integrated with male troops, this is still a work in progress; over 50% are reported to have been raped and another 35% have reported sexual abuse. Pregnancies continue to cause turmoil requiring unplanned replacements in combat commands; this also burdens Army medical facilities. So the cliche that the command can solve social problems through discipline so far is absurd.

Another canard promoted by gay activists is that because NATO and Israel have gays integrated in their forces, the policy would work as well in US forces. NATO forces are not much more than small parade ground troops; their combat record in Afghanistan is abysmal. The Dutch forces, one the first that permitted gays to serve openly, fled before the Bosnian Serbs in Srebrenica permitting the slaughter of most males in the city. The English Army is an exception; it completed it mission in Iraq with skill and professionalism.

Uncertain what percentage of the Israeli force is gay – it is a reserve Army, so its mobilized civilians are key to their war fighting. They do not have much choice in manpower as every healthy male and female is needed; survival of the Jewish state is always at stake. Israel Defense ground force performance, most recently in their offensive into Lebanon against Hezbollah, was mediocre

Many of the best US soldiers and NCOs usually come from south of the Mason Dixon line; aka: the Bible Belt. They are raised mostly as evangelicals and their Bible tells that them homosexuality is an abomination. There is a tradition in the Army of treating gays as undesirables; this is what the gay activists seek to change by mandate. In the process, national security could be damaged for social gain.

White southerners and blacks over the years developed a modus vivendi in the Army: professionally integrated, but tacitly, socially separated. It works and the force holds together cohesively as both groups understand the boundaries. Because it works for race, there is no indication it works for sex; failures with women in the army is a case in point.

Gays, both male and female, historically made good fighting personnel. Gays always point to Alexander the Great, Frederick the Great and WWII English Field Marshal Montgomery. And no one agues against facts that indicate gays have served honorably in American wars, but this service was discreet about sexual preference.

Admiral Mullen has declared that US service men should not lie about their status. DADT mandates shut up, not lie. With a US military justice system, military institutions are not run democratically. The service has rules; no one is compelled to join. So Mullen-the-moralist is off base. Our highest military officer in the charge, doing a chaplain's duty is a stretch. Are you serious Admiral? A Blue water navy that does not tell lies. Are your sailors altar boys too?

The Army is under stress due to involvement in Iraq and in an expanding war in the Afghanistan/Pakistan theater; suicides are up. Expensive mercenaries are filling over half the troop requirements in both combat areas. So the unknown impact of dropping DADT is high risk...a risk that puts up the necessary to gain the superfluous. No one knows for certain how this thing works out.

With gays serving openly in the Army, the mess halls could turn gourmet, day rooms would be rearranged daily, uniforms would get more snappy, there would be greater variation in haircuts and gay military parades would play to sell-out crowds. With all this anticipated Broadway, too bad we have to fight wars too. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-02-10T20:49:00.003-04:00

Mad Missionaries & Other Religious Freakiness

Missionaries are a scary bunch – you can argue a mixed blessing. Are they self-righteous jackasses, GOTT IST MIT UNS fanatics who seek to enslave in the name of God? The more primitive or the least educated their targets, the greater their success. Even saintly Mother Theresa of Calcutta had the punies and deep misgivings at the end of her life over the integrity of her ministries. Missionaries administer to the needy and forgotten for certain, but at a Faustian price – your soul in the trade, please.

Leonard Clark's 1953 edition of the book RIVERS RAN EAST, an unsurpassed exploration account of the Amazon Basin also studied the effects of missionary conversions on the naked natives of the region. Once converted to Christianity, the converts had to wear clothing; they then were known as Shirt Indians. Fed by the missionary camps, these new Christians soon forgot how to hunt and gather food; their offspring never learned these jungle survival skills and became totally dependent on the missionaries. They lived between two worlds and became diseased, drunks and slaves to missionary projects. They were totally dependent on religious paternalism; they were de facto slaves and worked mainly on missionary enterprises. Ironically, we are told, they were nearer to God.

GOD GREW TIRED OF US was a documentary film made in 2004 by National Geographic. Its subject focused on the brutal ethnic cleansing in the Sudan, in Darfur. It followed the group, The Lost Boys death march across their country to Ethiopia and back and then, finally into Kenya where they were interned and supported by the UN and missionary groups. If there was ever a group that needed succor, it was this collection of over one thousand 12 -14 year boys without parents or guardians, dodging slaughter by the Sudanese Arabs.

They managed to build themselves a Lord of the Flies society. They were fed and clothed by the UN and Christian missionaries, who also taught them English to augment their tribal Dinko.

The US selected a small group of the brightest ones to become refugees and in the US, sent mainly to Syracuse, New York and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Unintentionally, the film proceeded to document their maladjustment. Once they received social security cards, they found menial jobs, worked hard and repaid airline tickets from Africa, but the daily grind was pure misery for them psychologically. They were planted in a freezing cold geographic area, in the midst of white societies and were barely tolerated; they had very little in common with American blacks.

The documentary ends with them bringing relatives over to the US, sending cash to to African relatives and returning to Africa for wives from their tribe. With the help of white activists, using pity politics, they organized into a national political action group to advocate justice for Darfur – some of their leadership began wearing native African dress and headdress. So what did America gain from this forced diversity? It seems to me more social headaches. The missionaries did not do this alone; it took the US government under a reborn GWB.

Haiti still remains White Man’s Burden. While this characterization is considered racist by the politically correct, the missionary groups do not seem to mind, as their business is to lift burdens. Before the earthquake, Haiti had an estimated 500,000 orphans. After the calamity, who knows? The orphanages are run by non-governmental organizations, most religiously affiliated, and there was no central coordination.

Haiti’s exports included tropical fruits, sisal, coffee, and at one time, made all the baseballs in the world. Today it appears its main export is orphans. A squalid group of 10 Baptist American missionaries were just picked up by Haitian authorities for illegally attempting to transport 33 Haitian orphans across the border. It was reported that 60,000 dollars were offered in bribes to free them, but was rejected. Unless released missionaries will remain in stinking Haitian jails where they will now learn about salvation through suffering.

Church groups portray the export of orphans as finding a better life for them. However, according to the NYT, some are sold as slaves to rich land owners, or as sex toys to pederasts while others may find a happier situation. There have been other reports that some are killed and their body parts sold.

So the next time you dig into your pocket to support the far flung missions of your church, remember JESUS SAVES... but you should know at which bank. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-02-03T21:01:00.001-04:00

Chinese Dragon Stokes its Fire

Confucius say, MAN WHO PLAY WITH FIRE EATING, BREATHING DRAGON GET BURNED.

The NYT reported, "The Obama administration notified Congress on Friday of its plans to proceed with five arms sales transactions with Taiwan worth a total of $6.4 billion. The arms deals include 60 Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot interceptor missiles, advanced Harpoon missiles that can be used against land or ship targets and two refurbished minesweepers." There were other reports that included communications gear and air defense components. This sale was to be the first installment on an 11 billion dollar military sales package that was negotiated by the GWB administration.

The Red Chinese government flew into a diplomatic tizzy, much like a Chinese opera over the planned sale; their actions had all the bongs, gongs, fire crackers and sing-song Chinese high-pitched screeching associated with their opera performances. They called in the US Ambassador to Peking, curtailed Sino/American military exchanges and promised to retaliate against US corporations that provided the military hardware to Taiwan.

You can bet your favorite ivory chopsticks that the Chinese will slow walk and undermine any support for US policies in Iran and North Korea as well as tighten the screws in Latin America.

Except for the Harpoon missiles, there is almost no threat to the Chinese mainland from these weapons systems. The sale is well within US law, so despite the fact that that US trade regrettably depends on extensive military sales, the world now knows that the US will take any risk to maintain its top rank, world role as a military merchant – it is a clear hard signal.

Chinese retaliation is not without risk to them. In May 2009, the US owed China $772 billion. The Chinese have used this surplus to outbid the US in competition for world natural resources and leasing of strategic installations such as the Panama Canal. They have even regularly outbid the US for oil concessions in Iraq. This money was borrowed from them to fuel Neocon/GWB wars during the last eight years of Republican misrule.

There is an inverted imperialistic advantage the US maintains: it could devaluate its currency, making the Chinese holdings worth much less. Such a step, some would argue, would wreck the US economy also; but others contend it is already wrecked, so what the hell? Anyway there is other US leverage: who would buy Chinese junk such as alarm clocks, fans that fall apart right after sale... or buy baby cribs and toys that kill or are toxic to humans and poisoned dog food and drugs?

The foreign affairs in the USA in are dominated by American Jews such as Gelb and Haas out of NYC as well as AIPAC lobbyists in congress. These advocates are not only Middle East firsters, but Israeli firsters and as a result an important country like China gets less attention than Iran in American diplomatic circles; this is because of Israeli hysteria over Iran. China has nuclear weapons, but so far has limited capability to project them to the US. Iran is not a threat to US unless its fleet remains a sitting duck in the Persian Gulf as it is today. For example, a Jihadist-class rowboat nearly sunk the USS Cole and killed over 20 of our sailors.

One can wonder how the Tea Baggers attack Obama as a Bolshevik when they are silent on Communist China that is a growing military and economic threat. War with Red China is a better than even possibility in the next decade.

My view on the Taiwan military package is that the US at last is pursuing its own national interests toward China. After GWB surrendered on the forced downed US Navy re-con aircraft to China early in his first term, there has been little to curb Red Chinese arrogance. Time will tell whether President Obama holds to the course or rolls over, especially when the Ding Hao Chinese Red Dragon Lobby goes to work. Watch as the billion dollar Chicom reserves go to work on our money-hungry congress. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-01-27T21:39:00.003-04:00

Obama Loses Round One

The four-year term to serve as a US president resembles a four-round boxing match. There is even an annual state of a union message that substitutes for a bell. Obama's first year in power demonstrated he is no Joe Lewis – he cannot throw a punch or take one. He has boobs in his corner as trainers and clumsy cut men; he bleeds every time he is hit and it does not stop. Just check his downwards spiral in the polls; his blood continues to flow.

Obama can score against his opponent if he stopped fighting wars on the enemies' terms and strictly curbed access by lobbyists to his administration. He could fire his kibbutz of hopeless economic advisors and officials whose actions were a major factor in the collapse of the US economy – these guys are at best flat examples of the Groucho Marx Show or if you prefer, unintentionally, the Three Stooges: Geithner, Bernanke and Sommers.

Obama's national security policy so far is not change, but continuity. He continues to keep SecDef Gates who is an I love GWB Republican. Gates was to be kept on as a transition figure for a limited time; however, last week we learned he is to stay on; talk of departure has ended.

Gates has not only eroded any hopes of fighting wars intelligently, with economy of force concepts, but actually enhanced massive deployments to Afghanistan. Gates is fiercely passing out contracts to mercenary firms. He also made Obama look foolish when he prevailed selecting William J. Lynn III as Deputy Secretary Defense; this is a man who is a gold-plated lobbyist. His selection opened the door for more lobbyists to flood his administration and was contrary to his campaign promises.

Packs of lobbyists managed to turn the Health Care bill into a lucrative incentive package for Big Pharma and Big Insurance. Just check their soaring stock prices since Obamacare became a possible reality. Even the progressives are gnashing their teeth over the foul bill.

There is now evidence that defense contractors spent millions lobbying and promoting the expansion of the self-destructive Afghan war. Is it true that what is good for the military/industrial congressional complex is good for the country? It remains a mystery why Obama did not stand his ground.

We have learned that our Vatican-sized embassy in Baghdad is to have its population doubled so our mercenaries can train Iraqi policemen. You mean to tell me the Iraqis cannot train their own police? Do you really need a Miranda act in Iraq? Despite optimistic promises of incipient democracy in Iraq, it is still the law of the club and fang in that country... SAVEUS PETRAEUS!

Racial relations with a black president should provide new approaches. There are proportionately more blacks in high places, but Obama's relationship with the black caucus is rocky, mainly due to failure to be sufficiently liberal from its standpoint. The president tried to over compensate by support of the black professor Gates over the Boston Irish cop Crowley; this was certainly a factor in the loss of the Democratic senate seat in Massachusetts.

His latest effort to rebuild Haiti will fall flat, as the US has its own economic priorities. Some argue racial tensions are worse as Tea Baggers openly attack Obama along racial lines. Personal threats on Obama are at the highest for a US president. None of this stuff is pretty and it tears the country apart.

At best the administration’s policies in the Palestine/Israel fracas, Iran, and North Korea are churning without progress. The Chinese continue to thumb their nose at the US gobbling up international raw material with cheap dollars. Latin America gets more leftist and pro Russia and China. With our Bosnian sniper heroine Hillary, keep your foreign policy expectations low.

When Obama staffed his administration with Clinton retreads and members from the Kibbutz, he was expected to bob and weave; he even missed that lesson as he was hit hard on all fronts. Let us hope we get fresh leadership in round two instead moon dancing with the ghosts of the past. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2010-01-20T21:27:00.003-04:00

Baron Samedi Takes Charge in Haiti

Baron Samedi is a Voodoo spirit in Haiti in charge of death. Despite years of Christian missionary efforts to include the Roman Catholic Church, the best to be said is that god-fearing Haitians are apparent on Sundays and during the day. At night many revert to their historical African roots and practice voodoo; they dance to voodoo drums around bon-fires and indulge in blood sacrifices on animals, sometimes accompanying this with wild sexual behavior.

Baron Samedi is pictured as a skeleton dressed in a tall silk hat and tuxedo. Sometimes he has a cigar in his mouth and a glass of rum in hand; his nostrils are filled with cotton as the Haitians prepare their dead for burial – he is the guardian of the grave yards. His job is to insure the dead are buried in the ground to prevent that the unburied be turned into mindless zombies. This may explain what happened to the mindless followers of the Sarah Palin wing of the Republican party.

Haiti was hit recently by a devastating earthquake that destroyed or damaged one third of the structures, to include schools, hospitals and port facilities. Estimates of the number of dead range from 50,000 to a 200,000. You will probably never know the exact number killed; doubt the inept Haitian government ever knew how many Haitians live in the country. What is left of the defunct government is holed up, cringing, at the main airport at Port-au-Prince.

Haiti is the chronic sick man of the Caribbean. Other third-world nations in the area manage to take care of their citizens without dependence on endless charity from other nations. For whatever reason, the USA has taken on paternal responsibly for the enfeebled nation. It periodically invades and occupies the country in stabilization operations. A French minister wanted to know whether current US operation is aid or occupation.

The Monroe Doctrine could explain the reason for this fixation until Jimmy Carter with Republican Senator Luger's help pulled out of the Panama Canal. That move finished off what was left of the Doctrine. One reason is that the US wants to keep the Haitians in Haiti to prevent mass illegal immigration to the US mainland. This project has not worked that well, as we just learned the US suspended the deportation of 30,000 illegal Haitians from the US a few days ago. The most important reason, however, is to protect US investments and interests.

Before the earthquake, the country was stabilized by a large UN presence – that has been derailed. Thirty seven members of the UN delegation have been killed to include the top three members. Three hundred and thirty have been reported missing as of this writing. There are also a reported 10,000 non-governmental do-gooder organizations that worked there uncoordinated. Many are religious organizations there to save souls as well as administer to the impoverished country. Expect this number to grow in the ensuing frenzy.

Ex Presidents Bill Clinton and GWBush have been designated by President Obama to head fund raising to aid rescue and long-term reconstruction. GWB is a curious choice as he fell flat on his face during Katrina as much of New Orleans remains unrestored from flooding and wind damage. As far as Bill's record for fund raising for a tsunami, large sums of the money, though distributed, still remain in non-governmental organizational bank accounts. And of the 6.2 billion pledged an estimated 3.5 billion was never delivered.

Haiti overall is a savage country; nothing ever seems to work: there is no military organization, the police are corrupt, and the education system is dysfunctional. Fifty percent of the people make a dollar a day and another 35% make two dollars a day. They have no enforced building code, hence the damage to concrete buildings built with no rebar or with just minimum amounts. Urban planning is just a fairy tale. Bill Clinton argues that the UN, with the cooperation of the local government, were just doing fine before the earthquake... hmm, are you going to believe our disbarred lawyer Bill or your own eyes? After 5 days the authorities cannot organize themselves sufficiently to pick up dead bodies rotting in the streets.

Apparently large amounts of aid are piling up at the airport, because roads are impassable. As I witnessed Americans recently returned to the US at Homestead AFB by the USAF with stacks of luggage, I wondered how they got out but aid cannot get in. My sense: it is not the roads that are a problem, but the lack of security from the mobs when aid workers deliver food. This is especially true after two Dominican aid workers were shot while they tried to deliver food to the starving mob.

Humanitarian aid is not an endless proposition. The food and water has to replenished daily and someone has to pay for it. The USA with two wars, a broken infrastructure, massive unemployment and the most expensive heath care system in the world, has higher priorities. Let Hillary call on OAS and ask the African and European Unions and our Asiatic pals to do their share.

The US TV coverage of the horror is constant and is driving private sympathetic contributions. This coverage, as in the starvation of children in Somali years ago like Haiti now, also prompted a US intervention; and, that was a big mistake in Somali. Obama and his cohorts are assuring the Haitian people the US will not only come to their immediate aid, but also to support long term rebuilding. From where is the money to come?

There is a pathetic irony when the US Army general reports to the American people on how many bottles of water and meals-on-wheels he delivered in the last 24 hours. Makes you cringe. Is the Army going to issue Delivery Boy medals now?

Whether Obama likes it or not, ultimately, this long term commitment will be viewed by a majority of Americans as a narrow black solidarity policy and, like his support of the black professor over the white cop in Boston, it will backfire. His party has recently lost the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey and now the senator from Mass. It is not just due to the bungling of the health care bill.

Baron Samedi in an interview with THE VOODOO NEWS in Port-au-Prince, when asked his view of post-earthquake Haiti replied: LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-01-13T21:03:00.003-04:00

Inside the Wire & False Security

Inside the wire in military jargon means that area located within its compound. The implication is that it is protected area, physically guarded and defended by technical security devices. It invokes an image of an area surrounded with razor wire, defended by claymore mines and illuminated at night with perimeter lights and trip flares. This mentality has been stretched to include headquarters of bureaucracies especially those belonging to the CIA and FBI; most likely now to include the orbiting anti-terrorist organizations spinning around Homeland Security.

The non-military entities are usually protected by uniform police, who check photo ID badges on entry and search carry-ins with magnetometers. Despite this scrutiny, both CIA and the FBI had their lunch eaten by the Soviet recruitment of CIA Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen at the FBI. Those two traitors beat the routine lie detectors and security up-dates. Both were at the heart of counter intelligence in their organizations and were high priority targets for the KGB. So you really never know who will inflict damage on the organization.

When the US falls flat on human intelligence collection, it robotically turns to more national technical means to compensate for its failures; that is until the next time it falls flat on its ass, only to order more national technical means; even worse, it creates more intelligence organizations with more layers; this makes it even more difficult to connect the so called dots. Just follow this cause and effect since 9/11.

Defense of commercial aircraft depends on no-fly lists, TSA search of passengers, and a sometime air marshal who wondrously never appears on the aircraft that is in in jeopardy. TSA personnel strike me as involved in a program designed to help to employ the mentally handicapped rather than to protect the flights from terrorist bombers. The most recent crotch bomber snafu was a Homeland Security misstep, not specifically linked to its subordinate TSA.

Whereas this inside the wire mentality is more abstract within the national security bureaucracies, it is stark reality in the military compounds and bases to include those not surrounded by the enemy. The slaughter of 13 soldiers at Ft. Hood, Texas by an indicted Jihadist fellow soldier Major Hasan, is an example of an enemy within the wire. Common sense and command responsibility by the US Army may have prevented the terrorist attack, but all the perimeter defenses in world could not. Before they were killed, the victims believed they were safe within the confines of the guarded military installation with controlled entry.

Another tragic inside the wire bloody incident just occurred at an isolated US installation in eastern Afghanistan at CIA forward base Chapman. Seven were killed, two of them Blackwater mercenaries, by an al Qaeda operative whom the CIA thought it had recruited as an agent.

If you ever worked along with CIA clandestine operators, you will find they all share a cynical careful approach to their work of recruiting spies. I used to joke that they were easy to pick out at diplomatic receptions, because they could not look you in the eye. It takes a strong, confident personality and a bright mind to do their work. So as this breed becomes rarer in government service, you understand why CIA prefers Nintendo games with 9 million dollar lethal drones under its command.

It seems apparent now that the agents who were killed were trying fulfill targeting requirements for its drones with a human intelligence resource. So it always come back to CIA's imbroglio with human intelligent sources. In this case they probably made mistakes under pressure for results. Mistakes in combat zones kill you, but without taking risks not much happens and the enemy gains the initiative. The British commando slogan, WHO DARES WINS is still appropriate, but should be amended with the word SOMETIMES as the last word.

The people killed by the Jihadists at Ft. Hood and Base Chapman, though inside the wire, were killed face-to-face by their murderers. It should be crystal clear by now that the American stalkers of terrorists are now being stalked. It is almost that they are studied by the Jihadists like laboratory rats in a Skinner Box. The attackers are suicidal, so stopping them before they inflict damage is always problematic.

Though considered quaint by the modernists at the CIA, the first line of defense is to penetrate Jihad organizations; this cannot be done sitting behind a console directing lethal attacks by drones. It is a long term proposition to train people in languages and spy-craft – there are no quick results. The Russians used spies i.e. residential agents planted for years in locations, imbedded in societies, paid, and called on only when required. The Soviets picked off the atomic and hydrogen bombs through espionage.

Uncertain today of the personal profiles of clandestine operatives at CIA. During the Cold War they were mostly aggressive, intelligent Ivy leaguers who tried to recruit proletarian/peasants from the USSR and Eastern Bloc. Their record was abysmal; they had a tough time establishing rapport talking tennis, squash and crew racing with people like those M. Gorky described in his book the Lower Depths. So far it does not look as history taught them much, especially since instead of building a stable of covert operators with in-house long term expertise, the Agency now turns almost exclusively to fly-by-night mercenaries for help. NINTENDO ANYONE? Ahmed and Mustafa, you are not answering. WHERE ARE YOU??? Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

2010-01-05T18:55:00.003-04:00

The Answer Man – Blackwater

In the old days on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show he had a routine called The Answer Man. Carson would flash a word on the TV screen and then pop an answer to the word. My favorite was CHICKEN CACCIATORE; answer: A COWARDLY JAPANESE KAMIKAZE PILOT. So let us play the game; the word is BLACKWATER.

Blackwater – a private US mercenary army funded mainly by the US government to reduce the size of US government..

Blackwater – a private US mercenary army established because the US ground forces, i.e. US Army and USMC, could not handle their missions.

Blackwater – a private US mercenary army established because CIA could not handle its mission and was searching for plausible denial.

Blackwater – a private security firm employed by Coalition Government Chief Paul Bremer in occupied Iraq when 9 billion dollars went missing and US ground forces were unable to stop looting.

Blackwater – a private US mercenary army fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan without command and control by US federal military forces... not integrated in unity of command.

Blackwater – a private military army in occupied Iraq and Afghanistan operating outside of Iraq and Afghanistan law and not governed by the United States Courts Martial code.

Blackwater – a private military army whose deaths do not count in the total US killed in action. These are just soldiers of fortune.

Blackwater – one of many private military organizations funded by federal funds that employ those who like to makes things go boom, but eschew military discipline and responsibility. Also it competes with military services and the CIA for talent with more attractive pay scales.

Blackwater is a private military force with guns, ammunition and combat vehicles and aircraft. It has highly skilled personnel and up-to-date lists to mobilize even more. Along with US military forces and decentralized police forces, it is rapidly developing as an internal security force least regulated. It has its own closed and extensive 6000 acre training facilities, large enough to stage troop formations. It has potential for unconstitutional use as an illegal instrument to force political change. To quote Napoleon, "...you can do anything with bayonets except sit on them."

Blackwater has been embroiled in bloody incidents in Iraq and recently been under investigation for violent crimes, gun running, illegal drugs, prostitution, racketeering and assassination. It has been banned by the Iraqi government from operations in Iraq. Despite its unsavory reputation, there is little question GW Bush and now Obama could execute their military and clandestine operations without them or other private military organization like them. There are roughly 150,000 of the private contractors in Iraq and another 175,000 in Afghanistan.

Erik Prince, a former navy SEAL, is the main founder of Blackwater which emerged 1997. Unlike another former navy SEAL, Jesse the Body Ventura, who parlayed his specialized navy training into buffoon professional wrestling, then to the governor of Minnesota and finally as sometime bobble head on CNN Larry King Show, Erik put his energy into building a private rent-a-soldier corporation.

Erik is a remarkable person. He inherited wealth from his father, but chose to prove himself, enduring rigorous training as a highly skilled elite navy SEAL. A born-and-bred Republican, he served as a HWBUSH White House intern. He was to take advantage of the GWB wars – 90% of his contracts came from the US government; 66% of those were no-bid contracts. He became a living example of Eisenhower's military-industrial complex – this state capitalism is now so imbedded in the US economic system, that it now has to be fed through permanent war.

Another way to look at it is that the corporations now have a skilled, ready and willing organized military strike force that can be hired without complication. Blackwater, though one of the best, is just one of many.

Erik is under heavy pressure from law suits and congressional over-sight committees. He is spending big time on lobbyists, public relation firms and lawyers to protect his empire. Based on his recent interview in VANITY FAIR, he now feels caught holding the bag. He may want to reconsider that contribution to the GWB Presidential library.

Recently 5 Blackwater members who were accused of manslaughter for killing 15 Iraqi in September 2007 had charges dropped by US federal judge because the US Justice Department botched the case. Iraqis are outraged. Some are calling reciprocally for the release from Iraqi prisons those who killed Americans.

Whether his organization survives is a open question. For a new image, Prince even changed the name Blackwater to Xe Services in February 2009. Time will tell whether he is a crook Scooter Libby or, a baggage-burdened hero Dick Cheney. Under any condition, like Scooter, he most likely will be be rewarded Keeper of The Flame Award from the neocon Republicans. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2009-12-31T10:20:00.003-04:00

New Year 2010 –Bring it On!

At midnight New Years Eve, Latino countries dismiss the old year symbolically by tossing water into the streets over the balconies of their old Spanish Colonial homes. Alas, despite efforts tossing them out, the old problems persist, always returning as if propelled by a boomerang. In 2010 expect dismal continuity rather than dramatic change for the better.

A year ago as President Obama took power there was an air of hopeful optimism; that he could bring order out of the GW Bush political and economic chaos left behind after 8 years of Republican misrule. Instead of positive buoyancy, this commentary sadly will hang black crepe over the next year. This pessimism is confirmed by an Obama slide in the polls to below 50% coming down from over 65% favorable when he took office; confidence in his leadership slips more daily.

Obama was characterized by a columnist recently using a variation of a Mohamed Ali simile: HE FLOATS LIKE A BUTTERFLY BUT DOES NOT STING. One thing for certain, Obama sure likes to float in a Airforce One. The country is still waiting for someone to feel his sting over the Ft. Hood terrorist attacks and the Israeli rejection of continued colonization of Arab land. His limp reaction to the gate crashing of a White House was a patting the Secret Service on the head and ordering the agency to do better – he is earning his nom de guerre, BAMBI, by his failure to fire inefficient members of his administration.

Now the misbegotten Home Land Security has failed to pick off a terrorist before he activated a bomb aboard a commercial flight; fortunately the bomb failed to detonate. By the way, just as the 9/11 hijackers, the terrorist bought his ticket in cash and had no baggage... Can we expect another pat on the head for Napolitano, head of Home Land Security? After 40 billion in funding and all the misery inflicted by TSA at airports on passengers, the poor things still cannot get it right by stopping bomb carrying terrorists from boarding aircraft.

Disaster was signaled early for the Obama administration by his selection of Clinton hacks to run his administration. At the same time he jettisoned fresh blood by his failure to appoint Dean for domestic issues and curb Brzezinski’s influence in foreign policy established during the campaign.

This Clinton gang wrecked US manufacturing and with it the destruction of US jobs with its NAFTA agreement. GW Bush followed up with horror trade agreements with China, so there is plenty of blame to go around.

The way it is working out, Obama is Bambi domestically with his flaccid stimulus packages, uncontrolled printing of dollars, sweetheart bailout of banks and turning another cheek to terrorists. But he is a raging bull when it comes to war. He uses lethal unmanned drones as if he is playing Nintendo games; he just used them to smack targets in Yemen. His war in Afghanistan has been widened with large increases in forces and foolish nation building. He is increasingly playing his deadly Nintendo game in Pakistan which has intensified the insurgent activity in that country. Question remains: Who will increase terrorism against the US more? GWBush or Obama?

In Iraq our puppet Maliki is seriously challenged by Sunnis, his Shiites and the Peshmerga Kurds. Insurgent activity is escalating as US troops drawdown and SAVEUS PETRAEUS’ policy of bribes flounders with the release of detainees and non payment; after Abu Gharib and Fallujah II do not expect a residue of good will from the Iraqi people. Last count there are still about two million Iraqi refugees outside the country with an estimated 100,000 Iraqis killed.

Maliki is facing rising violence but has continued to refuse US combat assistance. There is still about 150,000 mercenaries feeding off the US trough. The remaining 115,000 troops are packing up to redeploy. My sense is that Obama will find an excuse to continue the US occupation after the deadlines have come and gone.

There continues to be serious system order and discipline problems in the US ground forces, especially in the Army. Efforts to stem pregnancies, female sexual abuse and rapes are failing. Even male homosexual rapes are on the upswing despite a failure to report many of them. For whatever reasons, suicides are at one of the highest historic levels; traditionally, this has indicated failed military leadership. If do not ask, do not tell policy is eliminated as Obama has promised, order and discipline will be prejudiced even more; the Marine corps commandant reportedly has indicated he will not comply if there is a new policy. Expect more turmoil in the ranks.

Next year with Obama will be continued grief. About the only group Obama has pleased is the White House Press Corps; it does not have to camp out at seedy Crawford, Texas where it followed GWB, only to be tortured by his bucolic ticks. Now it goes to sunny Hawaii in the winter with Obama. SEE YAH AT THE LUAU PAL..THE MAI TAIS ARE ON ME. Happy New Year. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2009-12-22T19:40:00.004-04:00

Shrapnel’s Jerk of the Year 2009

TIME magazine started this man or person of the year farce years ago. It apparently gathers media attention giving the publication a holiday circulation spurt. When its picks are met with derision, the editor attempts to redefine the criteria for selection – at this stage it is almost anyone or thing will do if it can hold even a temporary spot light.

This year TIME’s underwhelming pick is Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke. So it is difficult to determine who is the bigger jerk, the Fed Chairman for his malfeasance in office, or TIME editor Richard Stengal for his airy-fairy selection of Bernanke. Stengal was promoted to the chief editor from writing artsy-fartsy columns for TIME where style trumped substance; his ethereal approach shows when he goes political.

The Fed chairman's ragged reign of power, recently extended by the US Senate, has even self-destructively generated a movement to abolish his agency. One financial critic characterized his activities as pigs breakfast. He has printed money without restraint, arguing it was necessary to save banks who we now know just saved themselves.

Greedybanker is now one word – as a class they are welcomed to my Jerks list.

There is a category of jerks in 2009 who fall under the rubric narcissistic personality disorder; these people need constant adoration and always want bigger conquests. My nominations here are Senator Joe Lieberman, Senator Arlen Spector and super-crook Bernie Maddoff. These contemptible bozos have in common their betrayal of their constituencies whether political or financial. Maddoff is the only one in jail of the three. Pray the other two find justice executed by the electorate.

Another politician who deserves mention as a jerk of the year is Obama's White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanual – his claim to defame is his incompetent management of the Health Care Bill since he insured the White House cut deals with Big Pharma and the Health Insurance companies and expected congress to salute them. It did not. As of this writing, this bill stands in jeopardy of not passing or even worse passing as a form of weak tokenism. I also blame Emanuel for the collapse of Obama's Israeli policy on cessation of Jewish settlements; he surrendered the first time Netanyahu squealed.

Make your own judgement. Stock prices of health care shares continue to soar as the public understands who is winning the advantages from congress in the new pending bills. Follow the price of these stocks, now at a 52 year high, not the Obama apologists for the lobby-gutted bills.

Another gaggle is our illicit lovers list. Politicians who carry on extra marital affairs are as common as cockroaches, aka the John Edwards syndrome; so they are not worth the mention on this list, although the ostentatious born-again evangelist hypocrites do tempt me. But when the world’s greatest golfer, Tiger Woods, has more loose lady friends than golf trophies, you at least take notice. Tiger's love life is between him, his wife, his children, his mistresses, his lawyer and commercial sponsors. Our hero of the links is painfully learning the syntax of celebrity.

However, when Donald Trump, Denis Rodman and Larry King attempted to save Tiger's reputation on King’s CNN show, it should set off laughter – these three swordsmen collectively, probably have had more wives, loves and shady ladies than all the Turkish Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. I include them as Jerks of the Year for their unabashed hubris.

Let us not forget Rush Limbaugh on our jerks list; he just called for the US to bomb Iran. He must have Israeli sponsors for his radio show. He comes from a rich family of lawyers and doctors and after flunking out of college he copped a 4F with a pyloric cyst to avoid the Vietnam war. Rush just shut up. Where were you when you were called to colors? Just another jerk who thinks he is a Dick Cheney clone, except our ex Veep has 5 deferments for the same war... Another Republican hero who wants others to fight his wars.

With Tony Blair out of the running in 2009, had to find another foreign jerk to replace him. It was not difficult; Afghan leader Hamid Karzai popped right up. Hamid is our crooked puppet in Kabul. We cannot live with him or without him – he knows how to steal elections, gather graft, but not win a war. Doubt our pal will be around next year as there is only so much a puppeteer can endure from his puppet who is off the string.

To avoid gender bias, had to find a female jerk. No question... it is Sister Sarah Palin. She could not stand the heat in the kitchen and resigned as elected Governor of Alaska; she lights up the the born-again trailer and hill folk, but cannot get an educated woman's vote. She did inadvertently promote Levi Johnson, father of her illegitimate grandson, as another gay pin-up boy. Just what the world needed. The Democrats really want the bizarre lady to stay; not so sure that the thinking, country-club wing of the Republican Party agrees.

If I have omitted your favorite name from my jerks of the year list, I apologize; there were thousands more. For example, you could write a book on our steroid-pumped, dog-fighting professional athletes. Or pick many vacuous film stars for the list. The irony of my list is that next year a goofy TIME editor may make one or all of them person of the year. Merry Christmas! Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

*Photograph: Etching by Francisco Goya

2009-12-16T22:32:00.003-04:00

Obama Accepts Nobel War Prize in Oslo

President Obama's December trip to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize smacked of opera bouffe. He accepted the prize on the condition that he is making two and a half wars now and perhaps later, if he believed it was a just war, make even more. The US neocons and conservatives in the US are peeing in their pants in paroxysms of joy over the president's declaration; nearly all the liberals are doing mental cartwheels to stand by their man despite the fact he has clearly betrayed them.

Just wars are spoiled wine in old bottles. Josef Stalin, Hideki Tojo and Adolf Hilter used the same formulation to advance their wars. Just wars only become unjust when you lose the war – the victor then claims the righteousness for his bloody deeds. The object lesson is not to lose the war to validate the concept.

When Obama was nominated by the Nobel selection committee for the prize, he had two choices: reject it or accept it under its traditional conditions as peacemaker. He fooled us all. He accepted it, but put his own conditions on it which included making wars if it suited him. Even Hopeless Henry Kissinger who had blood stains up to elbows accepted his half of the prize figuratively holding up the Picasso dove of peace. Some say Obama’s speech was a study in honesty and frankness. I believe it was pure hypocrisy.

Uncertain why Obama accepted the prize when integrity would demand he reject it if he could not subscribe to its implied tenets. Sometimes I now regard Obama as a boy scout pointlessly seeking to fill his merit badge sash just to show off. After all, as president of the USA, this position should keep his achieving ego in check. He soon will be awarded the Airforce One merit badge for most miles logged as a US president. If he had been a scout he would be over this fixation by now.

Obama declared during his acceptance speech in Oslo that he is following in the steps of Martin Luther King. How so? Just based on recent civil rights progress, you can be certain Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Jeremiah Wright do not agree with this self-evaluation; MLK, an apostle of non-violence, was turning his civil rights crusade into an anti Vietnam war movement just before he was assassinated. The president contrarily has followed a direct path to more war; he has ordered more than 60,000 troops to Afghanistan. Obama has passed out federal positions to Blacks, who many so far appear short on talent. So apart from this racial solidarity or pride, there does not seem to be much King in Obama

Whereas Obama’s main political attraction during the presidential campaign was that he was not GW Bush, his speech in Oslo could have been delivered by GWB if you excerpted the mush stuff on Wilson, Ghandi and King; and this also explains the delight over his speech by right wingers. Obama with his defense of the US as an international gendarme, righting wrongs and confronting evil in the name of democracy, is a tired mantra; this was pure neocon bullshit. So with Obama like GWB you can expect Johnny to continue to march off to war, foolishly fighting other peoples battles. Whatever happened to the intelligent isolationist non-interventionist Republicans? Not a peep from them.

Despite Obama's sharp criticism of the US invasion of Iraq during his election campaign, he actually defends this war of choice in his Oslo speech. You come a long way Mr. President to prove we have a one-party system in the US.

Obama is not the first or the last recipient of the Noble Peace Prize to make a burlesque of the award. But he he the first to redefine its meaning – War is Peace in his dogma. This is the change we can believe in? Now let us find another just war we can fight. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret

Excerpted from Google: Words from Hideko Tojo after his failure to commit suicide over the WWII defeat of Japan: "I am very sorry it is taking me so long to die," he murmured. "The Greater East Asia War was justified and righteous. I am very sorry for the nation and all the races of the Greater Asiatic powers. I wait for the righteous judgment of history. I wished to commit suicide but sometimes that fails."[11]

2009-12-09T20:51:00.003-04:00

No Turning Back – Now Afghanistan

When the high priest of the neocon Sanhedrian, Richard Perle, announced after the US invasion of Iraq that there was no turning back, he was as usual, dead wrong. Now a similar phenomena is unfolding as the Obama is enticed into making Afghanistan into a US protectorate. The pro Israel neocons, we want war Republicans and soon You Betcha Palin are gleefully jumping on the Obama war wagon. His left wing support is dismayed to find any justification in his decision. If President Obama is a real progressive, he must have twisted himself into a mental knot to believe war is human progress.

I am uncertain why Jewish American neocons, both Democratic and Republican, are so eager to plunge America and NATO into an extended Asian land war in Afghanistan. Is there some long term fear that an Islamic nuc from Pakistan will some way or some how find a target in Israel? If that is the case, turmoil caused by more US military presence in the Hindu Kush will increase the probability.

Whether there is victory or defeat of US/NATO forces, such a threat will be enhanced to Israel – if there is victory, a fixation for revenge will be intensified by the Jihadists – if the Jihadists succeed, they will have greater power to pursue the Pakistan bomb for their own purposes. By the way, the Taliban have never attacked Israel or the US. They were allies of al Qaeda until it was chased out of Afghanistan to Pakistan where it is now a greater threat to regional stability. The Taliban, like the old Vietcong, are not a threat to the US unless it is within borders, strolling through their villages with guns.

Israel also finds strategic comfort in the fact that it is not the only non-Islamic nation that is killing Arabs as long as the US and some NATO countries join them in the onslaught.

For whatever reason, the main stream media has fallen in line with Obama's expanded war policy. As of this writing the polls appear to support the war expansion by a small margin.

A few days after Obama's enhancement of the war was declared, NATO announced on cue that it would commit 7,000 more troops to the war effort. Except for UK, Canadian, Australian and Polish contributions, these troops do not provide much to the war effort; their rules of engagement preclude offensive combat operations where killing is involved. At the same time, these units absorb scare logistic/supply resources and compound command control. As it is developing, the US has 70% of the troops; that is if NATO fulfills its newest troop promises which is unlikely.

To kick off the new policy, General McChrystal has launched a thousand-man marine attack with 150 Afghan soldiers in Helmand province. He was lucky to find 150 Afghan soldiers or, were they swarthy contractors dressed as such. McChrystal is a special operations officer with a record of duplicity, so you never know what is real. One thing for certain is that the forces are not meeting much resistance as the insurgents hibernate and breed during the winter – they just want to remain warm. This while US forces burn gas at 400USD a gallon and freeze their asses off chasing rainbows.

When the winter snows clear the mountain passes, the Taliban will return for their favorite sport - Mayhem, Murder and Jihad. General McChrystal will have all the engagements he can absorb while new refugees clog his attack routes.

All week, since Obama gave his speech to expand the war, Americans have been trying to deduce its meaning. Did he drop a exit date or not? His administration’s effort to make all happy with ambiguous language has backfired. No one has explained how you defeat al Qaeda in Afghanistan when it is elsewhere, namely, in Pakistan and other countries in large packets. The president still needs congressional approval to budget his essentially new war.

Afghanistan is a logistics nightmare. If Obama wants to surge how can he do it? No way you can get 40,000 troops to surge even if he had them; it will be an incremental reinforcement that saps the impact. In Vietnam this dribbling in of forces was known as defeat in detail and undermined the buildups as the enemy had plenty of time to react and redeploy.

The GW Bush regime never figured that the US would depart Iraq: a massive chain of nearly 300 bases and airfields were built to control Iraq through occupation. A US embassy costing over 800 million USD was built on prime real estate in Baghdad that covers an area larger than the Vatican. All this construction was believed to anchor US presence in the Middle East. It did not. Now many of these installations are under caretaker status guarded by US contractors as the US redeploys. As they are turned over to to the Iraqis, they are systemically looted. SAVEUS PETRAEUS!

Obama's new commitment seeks to establish a permanent US presence in Afghanistan; another no turning back scenario that will not work out long term. The President advertised himself as a big government, welfare state, power to the people guy. Instead his new developing slogan appears to be GOD, NATIONALISM and the MILITARY. By the way, this was the credo of the 20thc fascist leader in Portugal, Salazar, who loved and lost his colonies. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

2009-12-02T20:43:00.003-04:00

Swing Low Swing High Sweet Chariot
Obama Goes to War

If President Obama cannot protect himself at a White House soiree, how can you trust him with something infinitely more complex when he intentionally expands a ground war in Asia? If he permitted himself and the White House to be used to promote Bonnie and Clyde publicity scam artists, just wait until the military-industrial-congressional complex treats him like a terrier with a rag doll as he is tossed in the air as it pursues war profits, medals and promotions in the Hindu Kush.

The Secret Service, now bureaucratically under the control of hopeless Homeland Security, permitted a con-artist couple to crash a state reception/dinner for the President of India. The Secret Service responding to its failure declared limply that procedures were not followed... that no one checked off the guest lists as the guests arrived... that the guests were checked through metal detectors. So what? You can murder a victim with a broken wine glass or a butter knife off a set table. As if idiotic proof of the danger and Secret Service incompetence was needed, the outlaw couple were photographed with Obama in the receiving line.

At minimum the Secret Service Chief should be demoted back to chasing the presidential limos on foot. Who cares how cozy he or his team is with the president? Maybe too cozy, as he let the country down. At minimum his continued presence in the position rewards his incompetence. Business as usual? And the band plays on.

Why in the world Obama chose to expand the war in Afghanistan when he knew in his bones and mind that it is a terrible thing to do. He put his intellect, instinct and integrity to do the right thing aside. It had nothing to do with the decision over which he had publicly agonized over months with high viz. meetings at the White House.

The whole thing is about economics; it is more apparent historically that the US needs permanent war to remain afloat economically and fully employed. FDR's WWII was a classic example: all his government intervention could not bring the country out of the depression. It did not happen until the whole economy was put on a state capitalism diet and mobilized for the all-out war effort. Now that was a stimulus package. The subsequent war regimes were tweaked by the Korean War, the Vietnam war; all these under the rubric of the Cold War. When General McArthur wanted to win the Korean War decisively, President Truman fired him.

As President Eisenhower left office he warned the American people of the insidious military/industrial complex that could drive US political and economic policies. IKE's granddaughter was later to add Eisenhower originally wanted to warn over the military-industrial-congressional threat, but dropped congressional to avoid offending his legislative pals.

Once the USSR collapsed, the Bushes turned to wars in the Middle East: first Kuwait then, Iraq. The Afghanistan war as a 9/11 reprisal sanction should have ended quickly with the death or capture of Bin Laden at Tora Bora and Taliban Chief Mullah Omar at Kandahar; but Rumsfeld and General Tommy Franks mysteriously permitted them to escape. But the continued military fumbling has inflamed the region now destabilizing Pakistan, especially as the US tilts to India with pending uranium deliveries.

With al Qaeda long gone, there is no cogent military reason to remain in Afghanistan except for small highly mobile US special operations forces. The only reasons to remain is a 30 billion dollar economic stimulus; permanent bases are already under construction in Afghanistan which is as cynical as it gets as you trade blood for dollars. A smarter policy is withdraw. The Taliban should be warned to bid farewell to their poppy fields and Kandahar should it permit an al Qaeda return to Afghanistan .

Obama will learn that times have changed. Economic stimulus caused by war does not work with the dollar at 50¢ to a Euro, oil at $80 a barrel, trillion dollar deficits, and jobs permanently disappeared through globalization and massive trade imbalances. Jobs have gone to China that holds billions in US dollars and floods US markets through bad US trade deals. Interest rates will soar. Housing foreclosures will out-pace sales.

Obama says he wants most troops out of Afghanistan in three years. Is he self-delusional?The US military does the long long goodbye thing; in three years he will be still be in Iraq and the US forces will be unfinished deploying to Afghanistan. Expect some bullshit slogan - WE CANNOT CHANGE HORSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREAM, or a GWBush favorite: WE CANNOT LET OUR TROOPS DIE IN VAIN.

Obama does not know what he doing. He treats the war as a board game. One step forward and two steps back. Forward with new deployments and back with withdrawal and turn over to NATO. Way too many moving parts to be an effective strategy. US military needs a very firm hand to control it. It does not respond to cajoling by neighborhood organizers or professors. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.

Excerpted from GOOGLE: Apollo was the god of the sun. Each day he drove his chariot of fiery horses across the sky to give light to the world. Apollo had a son called Phaeton, who was human. Phaeton nagged at Apollo to let him borrow the sun chariot and fly across the sky. Finally Apollo agreed. Phaeton proudly drove the sun chariot up into the sky, but then he lost control of the horses. The sun chariot dived towards the earth, burning everything. Finally Jupiter had to stop him with a thunder bolt.