More Winter Soldier

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OK, so I couldn't resist

I was on Obama's campaign website and they have a place where you can submit an "idea". Here is what I submitted. It was off the cuff but I think it turned out OK:

You say you will end the war in Iraq and yet you will leave a sizeable military force either in Iraq or the region to respond to "al-qaeda" bases. Unfortunately the presence of our military in Saudi Arabia was one of the main reasons that al-qaeda attacked us in the first place. By maintaining a military presence in the middle east you will perpetuate military conflict in the region whether you intend to or not.

My idea is a complete withdrawl of American forces from the middle east and around the world. Then we wouldn't need to add 80,000+ new troops as you intend.

Another suggestion is to withdraw military aid around the world particularly from Israel and from dictatorial regimes such as Egypt. This would remove the other main problem that terrorists have with the United States. Perhaps without our unqualified support the hard core elements in Israel might be more inclined to deal equitably with the Palestinians.

Sincerely,

News bites -- 1/15/08

They still have another couple of months before this starts imploding. Things are very unstable and can move incredibly fast. I don't think the central banks are going to make a major policy error, but if they do, this could make 1929 look like a walk in the park

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I used to be in charge of the visa section at the CIA's Consulate in Jeddah. ... There for a year and a half I issued visas to terrorists recruited by the CIA and its asset Osama Bin Laden. ... Fifteen of the nineteen people who allegedly flew airplanes into buildings in the United States got their visas from the same CIA Consulate at Jeddah.

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The horror of what is taking place in Iraq exceeds my worst fears five or six years ago (after Bush came to power). I am horrified at the disastrous mistake involved. Imagine the complete madness in trying to occupy a large Arab country in the middle of the Arab world, a culture we know precious little about, and who speaks a language only a handful of our specialists can speak, with armed forces which we have limited control of and with a large army of private soldiers .... The whole thing is a scandal ... a series of lies. I don't understand the motivation for the war, but suspect the real reason for the war, which one would suspect of a country which is a third oligarchy, a third plutocracy and a third theocracy, is that it simply is a profitable machine.

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You brought us wars, and the bringer of war cannot bring peace and the bearer of corruption cannot spread wellbeing. Go away with your freedom and spread it among your own people, who suffer from your suppression. Spread peace among your own people who suffer from fear and hatred of others due to you. Get out of our land and it will be safe.

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The future of the Middle East?

The above map quite possibly represents the desired outcome of the current Middle East conflict(s), at least from the perspective of the United States.

To quote from the article:

The map of the “New Middle East” was a key element in the retired Lieutenant-Colonel’s book, Never Quit the Fight, which was released to the public on July 10, 2006. This map of a redrawn Middle East was also published, under the title of Blood Borders: How a better Middle East would look, in the U.S. military’s Armed Forces Journal with commentary from Ralph Peters.5

It should be noted that Lieutenant-Colonel Peters was last posted to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, within the U.S. Defence Department, and has been one of the Pentagon’s foremost authors with numerous essays on strategy for military journals and U.S. foreign policy.

It has been written that Ralph Peters’ “four previous books on strategy have been highly influential in government and military circles,” but one can be pardoned for asking if in fact quite the opposite could be taking place. Could it be Lieutenant-Colonel Peters is revealing and putting forward what Washington D.C. and its strategic planners have anticipated for the Middle East?

It is also interesting to note the extension of the Shia state into territory currently a part of Iran and Saudi Arabia. It is my understanding that those particular bits of real estate are heavy with oil.