Thugs Like Hugo Chavez, B. Obama and E. Holder Send Spies to “Fix” Fall Guys

Like true political thugs of the third world, Obama is sending schoolboy Holder to nail British Petroleum some way or another as a “criminal” .  The president is seeking a fall guy for the incompetence shown thus far by his adminsitration, that is the president’s call….demand….to seal up the whole spilling oil into the gulf….or else!

The president is not at all an outdoor person.  He is at sea, however, at the moment.   Perpetually televised, his baritone has not yet been heard by the gods.  BP must be blamed.  Time for arrests and imprisonments.

So the president suggests as reported in the article, “Obama Administration Moves to Distance Itself from BP on Oil Spill”….written by Joel Achenbach and Jerry Markon of the Washington Post.

“Struggling to convey command of the worsening Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the Obama administration is taking steps to distance itself from BP and is dispatching Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to the Gulf Coast to meet with federal and state prosecutors. The Holder trip could signal that the environmental calamity might become the subject of a criminal investigation.

Holder has said Justice Department lawyers are examining whether there was any “malfeasance” related to the leaking oil well, and investigators, who have already been on the coast for a month, have sent letters to BP instructing the company to preserve internal records related to the spill. But federal officials indicated that Holder’s trip, which will include a news conference in New Orleans on Tuesday afternoon, will focus on enforcement of environmental laws and holding BP accountable.

The opening of a criminal investigation or civil action against BP, if either were to happen, would create the unusual situation of the federal government weighing charges against a company that it is simultaneously depending on for the most critical elements of the response to the record oil spill.

“We’re cooperating fully with all inquiries, and we’re doing everything we need to do and more in terms of preserving records,” BP spokesman Andrew Gowers said Monday.

The relationship between the federal government and the oil company has been an awkward collaboration all along — “We have them by the neck,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said of BP in congressional testimony last week — but it reached a turning point Monday when the administration said it no longer wants to share a podium with BP at the daily briefing in Louisiana. Instead, the national incident commander, Coast Guard Adm. Thad W. Allen, will give a solo briefing wherever he happens to be.

The public relations shake-up comes in a tense period, with the Gulf Coast rattled by news that last week’s attempted “top kill” of the well didn’t work. A government forecast shows the oil slick potentially striking the popular tourist beaches of Mississippi and Alabama later this week. The official arrival of hurricane season Tuesday has incited a new rash of dire scenarios. With bad news washing up everywhere, the administration has been desperate to convince the public that the government, and not the oil company, is fully in charge of the crisis and mounting a robust response.

The administration and BP have disagreed over whether the company’s next maneuver would cause a temporary increase in the flow of oil into the gulf. In the coming days, BP plans to saw off the top of the leaking riser pipe where it emerges from the blowout preventer that sits on the well. BP will then lower a containment dome, or cap, onto the riser in an attempt to capture the leaking oil.

White House official Carol M. Browner said Sunday that after the pipe is cut, about 20 percent more oil would probably escape before the new cap is in place. BP officials said that they think that is unlikely and that there might be no significant change in the flow.

“We’ve been increasingly frustrated with BP on matters of transparency,” an administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Monday. “We’re not going to stand there while BP says there’s not going to be any increase in flow rate when they cut the riser.”

Said Gowers: “We’ve been very clear about the likelihood of increased flow, and we’ll leave it at that.”

The seat-of-the-pants nature of BP’s effort to deal with the spill was driven home Monday night by the announcement of a new element of the latest containment strategy, this one using hoses deployed in the failed top kill maneuver to channel oil to a free-standing pipe and then onto surface ships. BP said the technique, which might not be ready until early July, would capture more oil and gas. Another change to the pipe near the surface would allow greater flexibility of operations during a hurricane.

Hovering over such squabbles is the bigger question of whose hands are on the wheel of response to the crisis, which began with the April 20 explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that killed 11 people.

President Obama and his lieutenants have insisted that the government has full authority. Before BP attempted the top kill, for example, the federal government issued a statement saying it had given approval for the maneuver. Allen, the incident commander, has said that while BP is the “responsible” party, the federal government is “accountable” for the response and that there’s no meaningful way for the government to assume greater authority.

But the daily news briefings have not always bolstered the government’s stature as the commanding authority in the crisis. The briefings have been held at the Unified Area Command headquarters in a Shell Oil training facility in the town of Robert, La. The two principal briefers have been Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry and BP’s chief operating officer, Doug Suttles.

Landry tended to give relatively upbeat remarks on the progress of the response and the dedication of those involved. “BP has brought a very, very good team,” she said early in the crisis. She rarely delivered bad news. Saturday, after Suttles announced the crushing news that the top-kill effort had failed, Landry said she was disappointed, but she added, “We also want to assure you we’ve had a very, very aggressive response posture.”

Suttles typically delivered the most detailed, urgent news of the day involving the efforts to plug the leak. Reporters directed most of their questions to him.

Now Landry has been rotated back to her position as 8th District commander “in order to focus solely on coordinated federal hurricane response planning and preparation efforts in the Gulf of Mexico,” a government spokesman said. The new on-scene coordinator at the command center is Rear Adm. James A. Watson. White House officials said Monday that no one was unhappy with Landry, only with the arrangement in which the government and BP shared a microphone.”

The More Leftwing View of Israel’s “Air and Sea Attack on the Free Gaza Movement’s Flotilla”

“The fallout from Israel’s air and sea attack on the Free Gaza Movement’s flotilla is only just beginning, but it will be immense.” writes Robert Dreyfuss for the Nation, America’s more Marxist voice.  He continues his article entitled, “Israeli Blunder Should Force Talks With Hamas”:

“Most important, the event is likely to force the international community, including the United States, to open a dialogue with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that rules Gaza. The blockade of Gaza can no longer be sustained politically. Today, Egypt opened the border with Gaza for passage of aid and people, and world pressure on Israel to undo the blockade is likely to be overwhelming. In that, the Free Gaza Movement and its allies have succeeded, though at the cost of many dead and wounded.

Protests are building worldwide, and even Israeli apologists are admitting that the attack on the flotilla was a catastrophic blunder.

Martin Indyk, the head of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution and a longtime ally of Israel, told the New York Times that it’s now the responsibility of the United States to extricate Israel from the mess it’s created in Gaza, and he proposed what is likely to be a workable solution: the lifting of the Israeli blockade, a ceasefire by Hamas, and the exchange of political prisoners held on either side. (Hamas hold Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier.)

Of course, Prime Minister Netanyahu may reject such advice, but in that case Israel is likely to suffer far more severe international isolation. The big question: Will President Obama finally decide to end the foolish U.S refusal to talk to Hamas? (George Mitchell, the U.S. envoy, has never visited Gaza, home to 1.5 million Palestinians. Sending him there, immediately, is the most important first step.)

The flotilla was carrying 10,000 tons of cement, construction supplies, wood, glass, material for a damaged water treatment plant, prefab housing and so on, not weapons. Also on board the ships were 700 peace activists, including pro-Hamas sympathizers, Turkish citizens affiliated with a Muslim charity and people from all over the world. They’ve been taken to Ashdod, an Israeli port.

Robert Malley, in the same Times piece that quoted Indyk, echoes that it’s long past time to turn attention to Gaza. In an exquisitely mixed metaphor, he said: “If you ignore the huge thorn of Gaza, it will come back to bite you.” Aside from the fact that one cannot be bitten by a thorn, it’s true. And the many months of rumors that President Obama is truly concerned about Gaza while keeping those concerns private mean that it’s time for the president to declare what he thinks. So far the U.S. response has been mealy-mouthed. (Even the Turkish ambassador to the United States said, “We would have expected a much stronger reaction [from the United States] than this.” Prime Minister Erdogan called the Israeli action “inhumane state terrorism” and added: “This attack has clearly shown that Israel has no desire for peace in the region.” Strong words.)

Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief, said that the EU will oppose the blockade more forcefully. “The EU doesn’t accept the continued policy of closure,” she said.”

Comment:  No mention by EU or UN officials was made regarding the habit of  Gaza folks  propelling rockets into Israel in reminder of their Hamas heaven-sent devotion to make Jews in Israel disappear.

The Wall Street Journal On Israeli “Assault”

The only newspaper I currently subscribe to is the Wall Street Journal.  It seems the paper is divided into at least three sections of journalistic news and persuasion…….The News section which often  is standard American Leftwing establishment; the Big Business sections which sometimes includes the news pages, and the four or five pages of daily opinion………conservative opinion….thoughtful conserative opinion, bright conservative opinion, inciteful conservative opinion….and often eastern snobby conserative opinion…..and occasionally have writings of Shelby Steele and Thomas Sowell, Dorothy Rabinowitz, and William Kristol….and Dan Henninger no American should do without. 

Sometimes in the newspages one finds out about government  horrors the leftwing media establishment intentionally  ignore….such as anything to challenge Goreview of Global Warming-Climate Change terror.

The News pages of today’s Journal, June 1, 2010, shout about Israeli barbarism in exercizing its policy of  monitoring ships destined to Gaza to separate humanitarian aid from weapons supplies.

In case you are one of the majority in the world unaware of an important fact, Israel is that small Jewish state in the middle of an Arab and often an ignorant and  fanatical world of Islam which with the rise of Irani power, has been put on public notice that its days on Earth have been numbered.

That noise wouldn’t  meant too much as long as there was an honest, sincere strong mature and experienced president in the White House committed to democracy instead of a young, isolated and limited  college graduate student entrapped by elitism and narcissism.

But the graduate student doesn’t know when to say less for he always talks and says more and more.  He has made it clear that although he loves Jewish votes, he doesn’t like Jews as much as he does Muslims and  in the same vein he doesn’t like Americans as much as he does Europeans. 

He says so in his speeches…..if one would care to listen.

“Flotilla Assault Spurs Crisis”….is the main front page headline of today’s WSJ….Ambiguous enough…one doesn’t know exactly who conducted the assault which caused the “Crisis”… We really don’t know who the goat might be here.   Yes, the flottilla was assaulting the embargo….Yes, the Muslim “activists” assaulted the Israeli militia…..and yes, the Israeli militia assaulted, that is landed on  the ships to  enforce   the embargo.

The headlines go  more lefty mainstream from there on.  “Foes and Some Allies Question Deadly Raid by Israelis on Gaza-Bound Protest Ship”…..at least they got the protest description correct.

Among the “World-Wide” paragraphs for the impatient, the Journal’s headliner’s topic headline is, “An Israeli commando raid sparked a diplomatic crisis.”   The impatient then would read the full notice:  “At least nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed when soldiers boarded on of  six ships bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip.  Arab nations condemned the incident, while European allies called the use of force excessive.  Israel defended the action, saying its soldiers were being attacked. Al, A12, A13″ ….following comes word of great logic  from the WSJ news staff….”The raid could further strain ties between Israel and Turkey, which had enjoyed a once-close relationship.” 

Nowhere is there  mention Turkey and Iran got together for chats a week or so ago….an unusual event for major  head on head competitors in the region.  Except Turkey has been changing its Near East picture recently.  It has a Jihadist sympathizer and his party running the country.

On page A12 Headlines announce three articles:  “Israel Raid Complicates U.S.’ Mideast Strategy”……oh the poor Obama administration….damn those Israeli raids!  

“Incident Adds to Netanyahu’s Diplomatic Woes”….and then are listed “Troubled Waters”….six incidents of world note adding the  the Prime Minister’s woes “amid international criticism of the military’s violent storming of a flotilla of activists Monday.”

The third headline repeats wordage introducing the front page major story.   In a cutline to a picture of an Israeli soldier being beaten by some activist passengers reports:  “The Israeli navy released this video image which it says shows passengers on aid ship Mavi Marmara attacking Israeli soldiers Monday.”   A bigger picture appeared above the alleged navy video identifying an “image released by a Turkish aid group said to show an injured passenger on a Turkish ship.”

Just presenting the news?   The article continued, “The European Union called for a full enquiry.  The U.K. called for Israel to drop its blockade of Gaza.”……and referred to Turkey brokering a deal  with Iran a few days earlier  “intended to preempt sanctions”  against Iran allegedly “pushed” in Washington by the Obama administration.

On page A13 above  a photo captioned, “Turkish riot police fend off demonstrators at the Israeli consulate in Istanbul during an anti-Israel protest…” is the blaring headline, “Turkey, a Former Staunch Ally, Leads Outcry”.   Subhead explains “Ankara Supported Flotilla’s Challenge to the Gaza Blockade, One of a Number of Recent Measures Opposing Israel”.

There is no defense of the victim nation Israel.  These headlines and their articles emphasize the isolation of Israel….beleaguered, alone, suggesting deriled and hated.

How is Israel to defend itself?   Whatever it does is cursed by the devious,  duplicitous cowardly European leaders Conservative and Marxist alike,  and  made isolated with derision by Obama….yet less arrogantly  and more quietly as November elections near.  He needs Jewish money and the propaganda that goes with it on the home front.

The British government calls for the end of the embargo…which is a free invitation for more and more weaponry to feed the Gaza fanatical appetite for hatred with the means to slaughter every Jew nearby as Mohammed did  over 1,300 years ago.

Flotilla Ships a Front for Hamas Terrorists

The convoy of ships allegedly trying to bring aid to the Gaza Strip was organized by a group belonging to an officially designated terrorist organization.

The Turkish organizers of the Gaza Strip-bound flotilla that was boarded this morning by Israeli commandos knew well in advance that their vessels would never reach Israeli waters. That’s because the organizers belong to a nonprofit that was banned by the Israeli government in July 2008 for its ties to terrorism finance.

The Turkish IHH (Islan Haklary Ve Hurriyetleri Vakfi in Turkish) was founded in 1992, and reportedly popped up on the CIA’s radar in 1996 for its radical Islamist leanings. Like many other Islamist charities, the IHH has a record of providing relief to areas where disaster has struck in the Muslim world.

However, the organization is not a force for good. The Turkish nonprofit belongs to a Saudi-based umbrella organization known to finance terrorism called the Union of Good (Ittilaf al-Kheir in Arabic). Notably, the Union is chaired by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, who is known best for his religious ruling that encourages suicide attacks against Israeli civilians. According to one report, Qardawi personally transferred millions of dollars to the Union in an effort to provide financial support to Hamas.

In 2008, the Israelis banned IHH, along with 35 other Islamist charities worldwide, for its ties to the Union of Good. This was a follow-on designation; Israelis first blocked the Union of Good from operating in the West Bank and Gaza in 2002.

Interestingly, the Union of Good may not only be tied to Hamas. Included in the Israeli list of 36 designees was the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO). In 2006, both the U.S. government and the United Nations designated the IIRO branch offices in Indonesia and the Philippines for financing al Qaeda. French magistrate Jean-Louis Brougiere also testified that IHH had an “important role” in Ahmed Ressam’s failed “millennium plot” to bomb the Los Angeles airport in late 1999.

The U.S. government, it should be noted, also views the Union of Good as a terrorist organization. On November 12, 2008, a press release from the U.S. Treasury announced the umbrella group’s leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), stating that the group was “created by Hamas leadership to transfer funds to the terrorist organization.”

“Terrorist groups such as Hamas continue to exploit charities to radicalize vulnerable communities and cultivate support for their violent activities,” said Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey.

According to Treasury, Hamas’s leadership actually created the Union of Good in 2000—just after the launch of the armed campaign against Israel—as a means to transfer funds to Hamas. At the time of designation in 2008, the Treasury believed that the Union of Good was transferring “tens of millions of dollars a year” to Hamas-controlled entities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

As the Treasury release explained, “The Union of Good acts as a broker for Hamas by facilitating financial transfers between a web of charitable organizations—including several organizations previously designated… for providing support to Hamas—and Hamas-controlled organizations in the West Bank and Gaza. The primary purpose of this activity is to strengthen Hamas’ political and military position in the West Bank and Gaza.”

It gets worse. The Treasury, drawing from declassified documents, stated unequivocally that the Union of Good “compensated Hamas terrorists by providing payments to the families of suicide bombers. One of [the charities], the Al-Salah Society, previously identified as a key support node for Hamas, was designated in August 2007… The Society employed a number of members of the Hamas military wing and supported Hamas-affiliated combatants during the first Intifada.”

Then there’s the leadership. Apart from the aforementioned Qardawi, Union of Good’s top officials include Hamas members, as well as Yemeni national Abd al-Majid al-Zindani, who was designated by the U.S. Treasury as a terrorist in 2004 for providing support to al Qaeda.

Thus, the convoy of ships allegedly trying to bring aid to the Gaza Strip could never be characterized as a “peace flotilla.” With ties to Hamas and other dangerous groups, the IHH can only be described as a dangerous organization. Its members only underscored this fact when they attacked Israeli naval personnel with iron bars and knives, ultimately leading to the regrettable deaths this morning on the Mediterranean Sea.

Jonathan Schanzer is a former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The above article by Mr. Schanzer was sent to me by Mark Waldeland. 

Comment:  I’ve seen numerous videos taken at the scene.  The ships were challenged to stop in accordance with the publicized policy and warning that the Hamas fanatics in Gaza were  not going to be permitted to be armed to continue their war to exterminate  Israel. 

Humanitarian aid was permitted to enter Gaza but only after being inspected by Israeli authorities. 

Hamas is a terrorist group supported by Iran which is competing with the Palestine Liberation Organizations for bragging rights for this job at hand. 

The moment Israeli helicopters landed  Israeli militia on the ships scores  of “activists”  as described by the world press, began assaulting them and threw one of them over the side of one of the ships.  Warning shots were fired.  As more militia attempted to land, these more were assaulted by yet more “activists”.    Soon real shots were fired.  Some were killed, many injured. 

There is no question that as soon as it was announced this flotilla was going to ignore Israel’s embargo of ships supplying Hamas with war materiel that the peaceniks on the ships were going to provoke an incident.  

They succeeded. 

The entire incident would never have occurred if Mr. Obama would have long ago made it clear that this country will defend fellow democracy, Israel, without fail if its sovereignty is in any way threatened. 

Mr. Obama has equivocated time and again about his country’s support for Israel  and has sent strange signals that has left Israel out to dry……and dry alone.   It is part of the Obama policy of loving your enemies and forsaking your friends. 

It’s a foreign policy where you tie your friend to a stake in lion country to fend for himself against the wild beasts hungry for his flesh, angry at him because if he didn’t exist the lions wouldn’t have anything else mean to do.    Obama likely learned this type of foreign policy in graduate school.

Obama’s favorite world government, the United Nations shrieked its horror  against Israel for having the nerve to defend its embargo….to defend its own sovereignty.

Give grad student B. O. some credit, however.   At least once he has been recorded as recommending an independent inquiry into the incident….and that he would hold condemning Israel until it has made its assessments. 

The problem here being B.O. has been recorded many, many times asserting “transparency in government”  and  opposing lobbyists  and tax dodgers in any honest government’s administration…….

Well, he never said his government would be honest, now, did he?