There is tension and anger in Syria today after Israel hit the nation with its second airstrike in three days, this time hitting a military research facility outside Damascus. The attack in the early morning hours Sunday reportedly killed up to 100 Syrian soldiers. Syria deemed the Israeli attack a “declaration of war,” a senior [...]
Russia Bans 18 Americans After US Publishes List of Banned Russians
April 13, 2013 | Posted by
The United States and Russia continued the public relations war over human rights Saturday, with the Russians releasing a blacklist of Americans banned from entering their country in retaliation for the U.S. decision to publish the infamous “Magnitsky list.” According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, its list of 18 American officials are those ”implicated in human [...]
Chuck Hagel Faces Decimation of Pentagon Budget After Confirmation
February 26, 2013 | Posted by
Though former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel will likely be confirmed this week as President Obama’s defense secretary, as soon as he steps into his job he will be staring at the prospect of slashing billions of dollars from the Defense Department budget because of the “sequester” cuts. As Politico points out, in his first week [...]
GOP Finally Gives in on Hagel, Allowing Defense Nomination to Go Forward
February 22, 2013 | Posted by
It now appears that Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel finally has enough votes to be confirmed by the Senate. That does not mean, however, there still won’t be any last-minute maneuvers to delay the process yet again. Republicans are already damning the former Republican senator from Nebraska with faint praise. ‘‘He’s probably as good as [...]
GOP Playing Game of Chicken with Hagel Nomination
February 15, 2013 | Posted by
A veteran Capitol Hill observer told me recently that he sees nothing to suggest that congressional Republicans have any intention of negotiating in good faith with President Obama in his second term, despite his strong showing in the election. Perhaps one need look no further than Senate Republicans working to slow, if not defeat, the [...]
Egyptian President Morsi Condemned for Zionist Remarks
January 16, 2013 | Posted by
Anti-semitic remarks from Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will not prevent the country from receiving economic aid from the United States, based on public comments from U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz). Videos of Morsi making degrading statements about Zionists and Jewish people surfaced earlier this week, trapping the Muslim leader is a difficult political situation. A [...]
Gun Sales Break Records Amidst Gun Control Debate
January 14, 2013 | Posted by
As the gun control debate rages in Washington, D.C., Americans are buying guns at record rates, motivated by the possibility of a ban on assault weapons and more restrictions on gun purchases. Gun shows have welcomed enthusiasts in record numbers as well. U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (R-N.Y.) has asked gun retailers to take the initiatives [...]
With Susan Rice Out, Sen. John Kerry Seen As Favorite for Sec of State
December 14, 2012 | Posted by
Now that the matter of Susan Rice has been settled with the UN Ambassador removing her name from consideration as President Obama’s next Secretary of State, the way is cleared for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, an ardent support and close adviser to Obama, to glide through as the replacement for Hillary Clinton. There is bound [...]
Susan Rice Withdraws Name from Secretary of State Battle
December 13, 2012 | Posted by
UN Ambassador Susan Rice has become another casualty of the nasty dysfunctional street brawl that politics in Washington has become, sending President Obama a letter today withdrawing her name from consideration as his next Secretary of State. With her distinguished career reduced to some comments she made during Sunday morning talk shows in September about [...]
Susan Rice’s Profile Defies GOP Caricatures
December 1, 2012 | Posted by
As UN ambassador Susan Rice is caricatured by Republicans and the media as too blunt and incompetent to be appointed as Secretary of State by President Obama, another portrait of the woman is being painted in recent profiles: brilliant, tough, passionate and extremely hard-working. A long piece in the Washington Post sketched her complex and [...]
