Dreams Into Lightning 2

May 2, 2007 - 0000Z

Bush vetoes Iraq bill. And Dreams Into Lightning comments: Yaaaaay! MSNBC: 'President Bush used his veto pen for only the second time Tuesday after Congress sent him a war spending bill that would impose timelines to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, which he called a “prescription for chaos.” The bill is unacceptable because it “substitutes the opinions of politicians for the judgments of our military commanders,” the president said in a nationally televised address to explain why he was vetoing a bill that would also provide more than $100 billion in emergency spending for the war. “This is a prescription for chaos and confusion, and we must not impose it on our troops,” Bush said. “... It makes no sense to tell the enemy when you plan to start withdrawing.”'

Abu Ayyub al Masri reported dead. DIL hopes to add his name to the Dead Terrorists tag shortly, but we're not there yet. Here's what we've got so far: The Fourth Rail says 'Representatives from Iraq's Interior Ministry are reporting that Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, has been killed in a battle in the town of al-Nibayi, near Taji in Salahadin province. "We have definite intelligence reports that al Masri was killed today," Brigadier-General Abdul Kareem Khalaf, an Interior Ministry spokesman said. "We too have security and intelligence reports that Abu Ayyub al-Masri was killed as a result of fighting between insurgents and al Qaeda yesterday near Taji," said Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih.' Goldfarb at The Standard includes this in his Iraq roundup.

From the Debka news ticker. Debka is reporting: 'Olmert may be forced to step down after damning report on his government's Lebanon war performance_ ... Turkey faces elections after supreme court annuls Abdullah [Gül]'s election as president_ ...'

LtGen Shahak to head Winograd team. JPost: 'Former IDF Chief of Staff Lt-Gen (res.) Amnon Lipkin-Shahak is to head the special team which will implement the Winograd Commission's interim report, Israel Radio reported Tuesday night.'

More on Winograd. YNet: 'Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office confirmed that he intends to attend the special Knesset plenum session scheduled for Thursday to discuss the Winograd interim report.' Also from YNet: 'Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will convene the Kadima faction on Wednesday at 6 pm to discuss the manner in which it plans to implement the findings of the Winograd Committee interim report.'

Debka on Israel after Olmert. Debka says "for Olmert it is over": 'Livni, Peres, Mofaz Lead the Field to Replace Olmert as Prime Minister. The resignation on live television of minister of trade and commerce, Eytan Cabel, Labor, declaring Ehud Olmert must go as he had lost the country’s confidence, was the first open crack in the government coalition. It occurred Tuesday morning, May 1, less than 24 hours after the Winograd commission handed down its harsh condemnation of Olmert, defense minister Amir Peretz and chief of staff, Lt. Gen Dan Halutz, for their handling of the Lebanon War. But behind the scenes and its leader’s back, Kadima’s coalition chairman Avigdor Yitzhaki scurried around the ranks, front man for one of the key contenders for the succession, foreign minister Tzipi Livni. The prime minister’s other deserters included vice premier Shimon Peres, Israel Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and most of Labor, including the three contenders for the party leadership, former PM Ehud Barak, Ami Ayalon and Ophir Pines-Paz. That was only the first wave to batter against Olmert’s defenses. Another wave threatened Thursday, April 3: The Knesset has been called into emergency session to consider the Winograd report; so too has the ruling Kadima faction. Foreign minister Tzipi Livni has held silent so far but is expected to join the chorus demanding that Olmert step down.' He's going to hear from a bunch of protesters, too, in a couple of days. Read the report for Debka's political analysis.

Israeli bombers versus Iranian nukes: Not so hard after all. The DEW Line:

Some of the good folks at MIT have just figured how many bombs it would take for the Israeli Air Force to blow up Iran's entire nuclear weapons infrastructure. Apparently, it isn't so hard after all. For those keeping score at home, here's what the Israelis would need:

- 24 5,000-pound BLU-113 penetrator warheads to collapse the underground centrifuge halls at Natanz,
- 2 2,000-pound bombs to destroy the above ground pilot production plant at Natanz
- 12 2,000-pound BLU-109 penetrator warheads to blow up the underground uranium conversion facility at Esfahan
- 10 2,000-pound GBU-10s laser guided bombs to hit the heavy water production plant and reactor site at Arak

According to the MIT, there is one major catch: the air strike on Natanz could fail if Iran's air defenses succeed in downing only two of the IAF's strike package of 24 F-15Is if each is loaded with a single BLU-113.

More at the link. You can download the full report in PDF at this address: SSP Working Paper April 2006 - Osirak Redux? Assessing Israeli Capabilities to Destroy Iranian Nuclear Facilities' by Whitney Raas and Austin Long.

Bush to Coalition forces. Here's CENTCOM covering President Bush's address: 'President George W. Bush vowed to keep talking and educating Americans about the “consequences of failure” and praised Coalition members for their support during an address Tuesday morning at the U.S. Central Command Coalition Conference at MacDill Air Force Base. Bush said he came to Tampa to thank America’s partners who continue to stand with the United States on the Global War on Terror. His visit was significant in that it’s the first time he has been to the command since Adm. William J. Fallon became commander in March. Bush admitted the past four years haven’t been easy, especially in Iraq, but that they were necessary if that nation and Afghanistan are to emerge as free societies. “Once again, history has called on great nations to assume great responsibilities,” Bush said. “The broad coalition has protected millions of people.” Bush reminded everyone that on Sept. 11, 2001, 19 terrorists went on a rampage that killed more than 3,000 people from 80 countries. Since that time, some 90 nations have worked in some capacity to stop Al Qaida and the Taliban. The president likened the radical Islamic push for a caliphate to that of Nazi Germany.' Good for him. Bush added that sectarian violence has been increasing in Iraq since 2005: “A new strategy has emerged to curb the unrest. It’s still in its early stages and it could take months to determine the success of it, however, some early successes have already been noted, mainly a decline in sectarian violence.” Read it all at the link.

Iraqi, Coalition forces gain support. MNF-I:

BAQOUBA — Iraqi and Coalition forces conducted a cordon and knock in Hadid, Iraq, to gather intelligence on terrorist activity April 21.

“When we have no intelligence driving an operation, we inform the [Iraqi Army] leaders that this is more of a presence-type mission [where] you knock on the doors, and [find out] what information they can give you,” said U.S. Maj. Dominique Dionne, the Military Transition Team leader.

The 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army led the way into Hadid along with U.S. Soldiers from the 3rd “Grey Wolf” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, which formed the MiTT, to meet with the city’s citizens and gather information about the presence of al-Qaeda within the city.

“The main reason the mission was [a cordon and knock and not a cordon and search] was because we didn’t have specific targets,” said Dionne.

As operations in Iraq continue, the purpose of the MiTT is to help Iraqi security forces gain experience to conduct missions with less Coalition support. ...

More at the link.

Remarks. If the reports about this Masri scumbag are true, it won't bring the violence in Iraq to a halt but it will certainly put a dent in the enemy's leadership capabilities, not to mention its morale.

January 19 - 1700Z

CNN: Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink shot dead. 'A prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist who spoke out against the killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire early last century was shot to death Friday. Hrant Dink, 53, editor of the Armenian-Turkish language weekly Agos newspaper, was shot dead in front of the Istanbul publication as he was leaving. The killing prompted swift denunciation by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said the attack was a "shock" and an "insult" to the Turkish nation and a "dark day" -- not only for Dink's family but for all of Turkey as well.'

ITM: Last chance or new beginning? 'I think people who use this "last chance" idea are not helping Iraq or America here or they are of the type of people who do not want to deal with the challenge seriously. This term has a tone of defeatism, it's as if Iraq was a totally lost case while in fact the huge change that's been happening in the form of replacing a totalitarian regime with a democratic one is a lengthy process that cannot be accomplished through military action alone; success has economic and social elements along with the military one in addition to international and regional cooperation. It is no wisdom to think of closing this file or abandoning it based on the results of one security operation.'

Worldwide Standard: Task Force 16. 'According to U.S. News, sometime late last year the military launched a new special operations task force with the goal of disrupting the Iranian networks that are funding, equipping, and training Iraq's Shiite militias. From a tactical perspective, the most devastating consequence of Iranian influence in Iraq has been the increased lethality of IEDs. The U.S military had made significant progress in reducing the IED threat with up-armored Humvees, but Iranian explosives and know-how allowed insurgents to plant more powerful bombs.'

Remarks. The item on TF16 is another welcome indication that our Government is finally beginning to grasp the threat posed by the Iranian regime.

December 26 - 2300Z

PowerLine: Saddam to die within 30 days.

Iraq's High Tribunal, its highest appellate court, has affirmed Saddam Hussein's death sentence and ordered that it be carried out within thirty days. It is unclesr how this order relates to the second criminal trial that is now ongoing; if it is carried out, all further charges and proceedings will obviously be moot.

As I've written before, I think it was a mistake to "try" Saddam in a court, as though there were some doubt about the murderous nature of his regime, and that doubt could somehow be resolved by a judicial proceeding. I've also been critical of the manner in which the trial has been conducted. It has dragged on much too long and has far too often served as a platform for Saddam's grandstanding.

What was always necessary was that Saddam be executed, so that Iraqis can put his regime behind them, once and for all, and so that Sunni die-hards will abandon hope of a Saddamist restoration. Imperfect though it certainly is, Iraq's elected government has every right and authority to put Saddam to death. The execution, in my view, can't come too soon.

Breitbart on Saddam sentence.

On Nov. 5, an Iraqi court sentenced Saddam to the gallows for ordering the 1982 killings following an attempt on his life.

Under Iraqi law, the appeals court decision must be ratified by President Jalal Talabani and Iraq's two vice presidents. Talabani opposes the death penalty but has in the past deputized a vice president to sign an execution order on his behalf _ a substitute that was legally accepted.

22 December - 2000Z

Standard: UK to expand land forces?

The failure to increase the size of the U.S. ground force post 9-11 was a mistake – one that the president is now correcting with his call for a larger Army and Marine Corps. Similarly, British Defense Secretary Des Browne says that they too “will have to consider increasing the size of the army.”

Telegraph: Highly-placed British corporal accused of spying. Via Sandmonkey.

A military aide to the commander of British forces in Afghanistan appeared in court yesterday accused of spying.

Cpl Daniel James, 44, is charged under the 1911 Official Secrets Act with "prejudicing the safety of the state" by passing information "calculated to be directly or indirectly useful to the enemy".

It was said he had communicated with a "foreign power" in the incident on Nov 2, believed to be Iran.

Most of the hearing at Westminster magistrates' court yesterday was held in secret and no mention was made of James's job or his address.

But The Daily Telegraph has learned that he acts as an interpreter for Gen David Richards, the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan and one of the most senior officers in the Army.

Strategy Page on British corporal: Curse of the old country.

December 22, 2006: A 44 year old British Army corporal has been charged with spying for Iran. Corporal Daniel James is of Iranian ancestry, on his mothers side, speaks Pushtun (the most common tribal language in Afghanistan and Pakistan), and served as a translator for the NATO commander in Afghanistan. James was caught passing classified information to Iran.

Details of the case have not been released, but the situation is a common one faced by intelligence agencies everywhere, but especially in nations that accept a lot of immigrants. ...

November 16 - 1800Z

Democrats name Hoyer, reject Murtha - Breitbart. Via LGF. 'House Democrats on Thursday chose Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer to be House majority leader over Rep. John Murtha, the choice of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, in line to become speaker. Hoyer was elected on a vote of 149-86.'

Man arrested in Detroit with big cash, cyanide, nuclear info - Breitbart. Via Gateway Pundit. 'A man was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after officials say they found him carrying more than $78,000 in cash and a laptop computer containing information about nuclear materials and cyanide. Sisayehiticha Dinssa, an unemployed U.S. citizen, was arrested Tuesday after a dog caught the scent of narcotics on cash he was carrying, according to an affidavit filed in court. When agents asked him if he had any cash to declare, he said he had $18,000, authorities said. But when agents checked his luggage, they found an additional $59,000. When they scrolled through his laptop, they said they found the mysterious files.'

Pelosi named next House Speaker - JPost. 'House Democrats have formally chosen Nancy Pelosi to be the next Speaker of the House, the first woman to hold the top position in the US House of Representatives.'

November 15 - 1900Z

New Kassam rocket attack on Sderot causes injuries, following this morning's death - A7. 'Several people were injured, one of them seriously, in a rocket attack on the Negev city of Sderot a short time ago. The regional warning siren was activated when the rocket launch was detected. The rocket came from the Palestinian Authority area of the Gaza Strip. This morning, a woman was killed and a man was injured when a PA rocket exploded in Sderot. Other rockets fell throughout the day on Sderot and on Ashkelon.'

Rockets land south of Ashkelon - YNet. 'Palestinian terror groups in northern Gaza launched four Qassam rockets at Israel Wednesday afternoon. The rocket landed south of Ashkelon. No injuries or damage were reported.'

Iran flexes muscles in Baghdad - ITM. 'The mass abduction that shocked Baghdad yesterday was intended to be a clear message from Tehran-through its surrogates in Baghdad-to anyone who thinks productive dialogue with the Islamic republic over Iraq and Middle East peace is a possible option. ... And today the show continues with the assassination of the colonel who's in charge of internal investigation in the department of national police, also known as the police commandos, one day after an investigation was ordered.'

November 15 - 1800Z

Marine to be sentenced in Iraq killing - WP. 'Six months after he was first detained, a Marine private faces punishment for his role in the kidnapping and killing of an Iraqi man in a town west of Baghdad. Pfc. John J. Jodka III was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday. He was part of a squad of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman accused of kidnapping a man in the town of Hamdania, taking him to a roadside hole, shooting him and then trying to cover up the incident.'

Soldier in Iraqi gang rape case pleads guilty - Reuters. 'One of four U.S. soldiers accused of raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl before murdering her and her family pleaded guilty to the charges on Wednesday at the start of his court-martial at a Kentucky military base. Spc. James Barker pleaded guilty to rape and murder. His lawyer said earlier he would cooperate with prosecutors. He provided graphic testimony to military investigators about the March 2006 incident at Mahmudiya that was used at a military proceeding in Baghdad last August, resulting in charges against the four and one former soldier.'

Tribal eleders work to reopen schools in southern Afghanistan - FMF. 'Over 20 schools have reopened in the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand after being demolished by the Taliban insurgency, IRIN, a UN newswire, reported last week. Helmand tribal elders worked with the Afghan government to open 14 mixed gender temporary schools and called upon the government and international organizations to help rebuild permanent structures and stock the schools with furniture and supplies.'

New West Point study explores islamist thought - CTB. 'The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has just released a study of _jihadi_ literature, analyzing who the most influential thinkers in the movement are, based on a year of mining the most influential texts and web writings. The New York Times did a piece on it, but it deserves much broader attention.' It's yours for free, in PDF, here.

November 15 - 0300Z

Murtha as House leader "troubling" - WP. 'Mr. Murtha's candidacy is troubling for several reasons, beginning with his position on the war in Iraq. A former Marine, Mr. Murtha deserves credit for sounding an alarm about the deteriorating situation a year ago. But his descriptions of the stakes there have been consistently unrealistic, and his solutions irresponsible. Just last week he denied that the United States was fighting terrorism in Iraq, though al-Qaeda is known to play a major part in the insurgency. He said the United States should abandon even the effort to train the Iraqi army and should "redeploy as soon as practicable," an extreme step that most congressional Democrats oppose. He claimed that "stability in the Middle East, stability in Iraq," would come from such an abrupt withdrawal; in fact, virtually all Iraqi and Middle Eastern leaders have said that it would lead to a greatly escalated conflict that could spread through the region.'

Muslim extremist leader working at UK Home Office - Daily Mail. 'A leading member of an extremist Islamic group is working as a senior official at the Home Office, it emerged. Abid Javaid is a 'senior executive officer' in the IT department at the scandal-hit Immigration and Nationality Directorate which processes tens of thousands of asylum and visa applications every year. But he is also an activist in the fundamentalist Islamic group Hizb-ut Tahrir which believes in a worldwide Islamic state under Shariah law.'

UNIFIL doesn't do night patrols - TW. 'If ever there were a paper tiger, UNIFIL is it. Fully 6,000 international troops ‘strong’ and still projecting to be fully equipped and manned with expected levels of 12,000 men, UNIFIL has a gaping hole that will surely make your jaw drop. So how did the mighty UNIFIL allow Hizballah to double its missile stores and re-take every position along the Israeli border and elsewhere? It’s simple. UNIFIL does not conduct night operations.'

November 15 - 0200Z

Egyptian police arrest eight at anti-harassment rally - JPost. 'Police arrested eight men and women Tuesday as they tried to stage a protest against the sexual harassment of women, police and political activists said. About 50 demonstrators, mostly women assembled in downtown Cairo to protest an alleged assault last month when young hooligans attacked women strolling along a busy shopping street, groping them and tearing their clothes, as police looked on. The demonstrators wanted to protest outside the Metro Cinema, the site of last month's reported assault. But hundreds of riot police and plainclothes security agents surrounded the protesters and pushed and shoved them into a nearby coffee shop and closed the doors, witnesses told The Associated Press.'

Stanford students confront "apartheid" slur - Solomonia. 'Some students are pushing back: Op-Ed: What apartheid is and is not.' Stanford Daily Online: 'By announcing last week that it was creating a new group called Students Confronting Apartheid in Israel — and launching a series of assaults accusing Israel of institutionalized racism, the Stanford student organization Coalition for Justice in the Middle East (CJME) — demonstrated that when it comes to the Jewish people, even the most abusive and pernicious lies are fair game on campus. ... The analogy between apartheid and Israel is absurd.'

US official won't rule out pre-emptive Iran strike - Reuters. 'The United States or other countries will one day be forced to consider pre-emptive action if Iran and North Korea continue to seek nuclear weapons, a senior U.S. government official said on Tuesday. ... If North Korea refused to renounce its nuclear program and Iran developed a nuclear weapons capability, it would lead other countries in their regions to seek nuclear weapons, said the U.S. official, speaking on condition he was not identified. "We, the United States, and others who might be threatened by these developments will have to look at how to respond and inevitably I think people will have to look at the question of pre-emption," the official told reporters.'

November 15 - 0100Z

Most Americans doubt Democrats have Iraq plan - AP. 'More Americans rank Iraq as the top priority of the new Democratic-controlled Congress, but nearly three out of five say the party does not have a plan to deal with the war. In the aftermath of an anti-Republican wave, the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll showed lingering uncertainty about the country's direction and the ability of Democrats and President Bush to work together. Underscoring the country's political divisions, Democrats expressed more confidence and optimism than Republicans. The poll was conducted Nov. 10-12 as the public adjusted to Washington's new division of labor, with President Bush in the White House and Democrats holding the reins of Congress for the first time in 12 years.'

Hezbollah traitors, not "opposition" - Abu Kais. 'Berri may like to sugarcoat the resignation by ascribing to it democratic qualities, and use terms such as "we're in the opposition now." And this characterization may indeed be valid, if applied to him and Aoun (at least maybe). But Hizbullah is not "opposition". It never was, and never will be. Describing them as opposition assumes a degree of democratic behavior, which they reject. Hizbullah's local masters and their chief Hassan Nasrallah are a bunch of arrogant outlaws who claim a clean record when they are nothing but traitors that any real democracy would spit out.'

Hostages released - Stratfor (subscription). '2308 GMT - The dozens of hostages seized earlier Nov. 14 at the Higher Education Ministry building have been released by security forces in Baghdad, Iraqi state television Iraqiya reported, citing a spokesman from the Shiite-controlled Interior Ministry. The majority of those kidnapped were Sunnis, according to eyewitness reports.'