Simple Man Politics

Over the weekend an interesting bit of news broke on the internet at least that is where I saw it. The buzz is about the Iranian nuclear weapons program and states that Iran has developed the technology to weaponize uranium and detonate an nuclear warhead. The report also states that the Iranian government is only waiting on it’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to implement the use of the technology.

Should this news/report reveal itself to be true there will be a destabilizing effect in the Middle East. Most people will think that it is the Israelis alone who will feel threatened, but that will not be the case. There are other nations in the region who have had problems with Iran and long before this report came out. Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and possibly Pakistan and India as well will not be happy about this news.

Of those nations that I have just mentioned who are in a position to respond to this potential nuclear threat, there are only three who really have to ability to respond to the threat with a maximum show of force. These three countries are Pakistan, India, and Israel who are all weaponized with a nuclear arsenal. Although I will hazard an educated guess here and say that it will likely be Israel who responds to the threat.

There are also other reports and responses directly related to this news/report. One states that Iran will retaliate against Israel if it strikes their nuclear sites. Another suggests that our own CIA Chief has warned Israel not to bomb Iran. Still another report indicates that Israel is already preparing to assault Iran’s nuclear sites. Israel is already holding exercises and defense drills in response to a nuclear Iran as well.

Now like I said I have seen no real proof of this new report that validates it’s data. However I will go so far as to say that Israel will not listen to any nations counsel if they feel it is counter to their position and existence. I also think that when and if Israel decides to strike at Iran, the first we or the world will hear about it is when we see the mushroom clouds over Iranian territory.

I will say for the record right now that I personally don’t want to see either a nuclear or conventional attack against Iran from any nation. However I would not stand in the way of a nation who strikes at another who repeatedly threatens them, and now has the means to carry out those threats. I can only hope for the sake of the Iranian people and those people whose nations may strike at Iran that the Iranians don’t take the next step.

That is all we at Simple Man Politics have for you today, but we will be back again very soon. Have a great Monday my friends and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

P.S. To read more about Israels potential response for yourselves check out the links below.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536203,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536203,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,530148,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,523537,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,521177,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520263,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517033,00.html

Well here I am and as I promised todays topic is going to be somewhat more serious than the last two subjects we discussed right here. That does not mean that I thought Memorial Day and racism are not important because they are. However I have to put them in their order of their importance especially with regard to todays topic, which is the immediate national security challenges that our President has facing him.

The two most important national security challenges that are currently on Obamas plate are North Korea and Iran. These two countries are a danger to our national security for a couple of reasons. The first and foremost dangerous of these two to our security is North Korea although Iran is running a very close second on our national security radar.

North Koreas immediate threat to us is the fact that this country and its despotic dictator are a nuclear power with the weapons and the technology to create more. Fortunately for us they lack an efficient delivery system with which to attack the continental United States.

However they continue to try to develop a successful ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) that will reach our west coast or even Hawaii. They even tested another Taepodong missile this past weekend along with another underground nuclear test as well, once again proving that they have no interest in ending their nuclear weapons program.

On the other hand Iran presents a danger to our national security for other reasons as well as its attempts at nuclear proliferation. Fortunately for us Iran is not at this time an immediate nuclear threat but they are not that far away from acquiring nukes according to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and other intelligence sources both within Iran as well as in the region.

The threat that Iran offers to our national security at this time is the destabilization of the Middle East particularly in Iraq. Iran also poses a potential threat to us as well with its constant threats against Israel’s existence. Over the weekend Iran also placed six warships in the Gulf of Aden, which is within striking distance of the Straits of Hormuz where the bulk of Middle East oil is transported.

Also Iran’s denial of the holocaust and support of terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas who continue to attack Israel’s civilian population with absolutely no regard for innocent casualties, which continues to keep tensions in the region high and Israels alert status at its highest. All this does is increase the likelihood that Israel will react preemptively against Iran if they perceive a real threat.

What is even more threatening to the nation security of the United States is the fact that both North Korea and Iran are working hand in hand. Intelligence reports from within North Korea as well as around the region place Iranian officials inside the DPRK (North Korea) at the launch site of their latest missile test. The same intelligence also indicates that North Korea supplies Iran with uranium as well.

When you sum this all up Barack Obama has more than enough to worry about. Not only are these activities a direct challenge to test Obamas toughness and resolve by both of these rogue nations, but a sure sign of these countries willingness to pursue weapons of mass destruction programs with the goal of destroying their perceived enemies as well holding the civilized world hostage with nukes.

Now I will be the first to tell you that all of this makes itself into one hell of a dicey situation and I don’t pretend to know how to handle this diplomatically. I will tell you this though if I were President of the United States and one of these two countries even remotely appeared to be preparing to attack either us, or allies, or any peaceful nation they could reach I would turn the surface of their nations into a nuclear winter wonderland.

That’s it for today my friends but I will see you all again tomorrow. Have a wonderful day and CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Hmmmm lets see, how should I start today. First let me say that I am sorry for not doing a blog post on Friday, but I have to pay the bills before I can spread the truth here. Another reason is that Joy who has written for me here before had somewhat of a personal crisis to deal with and required my support.

You see Joy grew up with the Mayhle’s. Stephen Mayhle is one of the Pittsburgh police officers who were brutally gunned down last Friday in the Stanton Heights section of the city, while responding to a domestic disturbance call in the early hours of the morning.

However now it is time for some more Simple Man Politics. Today we are going to talk a little about Obama’s trip to the G20 summit and NATO meetings. To say the least I found his trip to be highly anti-climactic to say the least. It appears that our super star President was not as well received as he would have liked.

First off with regard to his attendance of the G20 summit I found him to be remarkably apologetic about the United States being responsible for the current global economic crisis that has affected the world markets. However he was right that we own some of the responsibility, but he was wrong about who exactly was responsible.

Obama claimed that he inherited this bad economy from his predecessor George W, Bush’s administration and that is true. What he fails to tell anyone is that while it occurred during the Bush administration it is in fact a legacy he inherited from his own party who controlled both houses of congress.

The two men most responsible for the economic meltdown are Senator Chris Dodd and Representative Barney Frank. These two men were responsible for overseeing our financial institutions including Freddy Mac and Fanny Mae. When they were told by several different people that these two companies were in trouble they loudly denounced those who warned them and said that Freddy and Fanny were fine.

Of course Obama also laid the growing deficit at George Bush’s feet as well while conveniently forgetting the fact that with his second bailout, stimulus bill, and budget he plans on growing our national debt to over 4.7 Trillion Dollars this year with a Trillion Dollars added every year for the next ten years. He is accomplishing this with the aid of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid the senate and house leaders.

My favorite part of Obama’s trip had to be his stop in Turkey though. I will admit that this nation is an important ally to the US in the WAR ON TERROR. We use their bases for resupply operations as well as a way into and out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

What I don’t understand is his statement to the Turkish people that we are not at war with Islam. I would think that it is obvious that we are not at war with Islam. However we are at war with Islamo-Fascism. Islamo-Fascism is the ideology that is spouted out from groups like Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad.

I was also not surprised at the reception that Obama has received in some of the countries that he visited. While most of the European socialist governments love him it is quite clear that a lot of the people do not. Of course the governments there love him, because he wants the same sort of government that hasn’t worked for them in the last century. The ordinary people seemed to know that he was a B.S. artist almost instinctively.

I have one more thing to say before I go today, and that is on the subject of Nuclear disarmament. Obama clearly believes in total nuclear disarmament, but does he really think that he can get these rogue countries that are pursuing this technology to put it down once they get these weapons. I doubt that Iran or North Korea would be willing to do so.

The world’s deterrence to a nuclear war is the fact that we possess nukes, and the deterrence in the Middle East is the fact that Israel possesses nukes. Unfortunately that is why nations like Iran are pursuing nuclear weapons programs so that they can attack Israel.

The truth of the matter is that whether we like it or not Obama is our President for the next four years. It is unfortunate for us however that he is against his own country and all for being popular in the world before being safe. This is true both economically and strategically. I only hope that our enemies are not any emboldened to attack us now than they were before his overseas trip.

Have an awesome day my friends and I will be back again real soon, although it may not be before Wednesday, but you never know, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

August 31st, 2010 that’s the date to remember. That is the day that President Barack Hussein Obama says we will have all of our combat troops out of Iraq. Wow that is only 18 months to wait before everyone’s loved ones come home from the Iraqi theater of operations. I bet you that so many wives, husbands, and parents are so excited that they are all a quiver with the anticipation of their long overdue reunion of their families.

Oh…..wait a minute did I say all of the combat troops out by August 31st, 2010? I’m sorry that was wrong, it is what the Obama said, but it is still wrong. Actually only 100,000 troops will be out of Iraq by that date. There will still be up to 50,000 troops there when we reach that date, so not everyone will have their long awaited family reunion after all.

By the way did I forget to remind you all that we are getting ready to step up combat operations in Afghanistan with a surge in troop deployments there? With 14 brigade combat teams currently in Iraq and many of those personnel with current combat experience I am sure that some of those fine young men and women will see their duty tours extended for that party, which means even less family reunions for families with their folks in Iraq.

Obama broke the news of his date for withdrawal at Camp Lejeune, NC. Many of the marines currently stationed at Camp Lejeune are getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan. Obama also told these young warriors that most of their brothers in arms in Iraq would remain there through the end of the year to make sure that the national elections there go smoothly but that they would be out by the end of August 2010.

It does appear that the President will keep his promise to start withdrawing troops from Iraq soon. However some of the leadership within his own party does not appear to be happy about the extended timetable for withdrawal or the number of troops left behind. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) said that 50,000 troops left in Iraq was a little higher number than he anticipated. However former Republican Presidential Candidate and Senator John McCain (R) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R) have both supported the plan with cautious optimism.

It seems to me that while President Obama is keeping his promise to withdraw troops from Iraq that he is not really keeping his promise to his supporters about a full withdrawal. I cannot say that this displeases me as I believe that they will do anything to undermine Bush’s Iraq policy in an effort to remove him from our history or to at least portray him as a failure for not leaving Iraq sooner. I also believe that President Obama has learned the hard way that leaving Iraq will not be so easy and I am sure he will learn a few more hard lessons with regard to our foreign policy as his administration continues over the next four years.

I also understand why a lot of people feel that we never should have gone to war in Iraq. We found no WMD’s there, although we know that at one time they had them and used them against their own people under Saddam. We also know that when we invaded Iraq we found no terrorists, but we did find evidence of their camps and Saddam’s cooperation with those groups. There is also a widely held consensus that G.W. Bush was just finishing what his dad started because Saddam tried to assassinate Bush 41, which we have the evidence that the assassination was at least planned and probably attempted.

The truth of the matter is though that Saddam Hussein was a very bad guy and a destabilizing force in the region just as Ahmadinejad of Iran is now. I also believe that since Saddam refused to cooperate with the UN inspectors and his violation of over 14 UN Security Council resolutions that it was time for him to go. Let’s be honest here for a minute we helped to create this monster by supporting his government at one time, so we had to clean up our mess.

Unfortunately I think Iran is our next mess we are going to have to clean up to, because we supported the former Shah of Iran, who was latter ousted in the Islamic revolution that took place while Jimmy (The Peanut Farmer Carter) Carter was president and resulted in US citizens being held hostage by the very monster that now runs the nation of Iran. I know for sure that the last thing we can afford is an Iran with a nuke, so I guess Obama is going to get some more on the job training as Commander in Chief.

That’s all for now I hope you all a fabulous weekend. I will see you all next week, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Yesterday saw our fearless Commander in Chief give his fist TV interview since taking office. That he gave a TV interview is not what is remarkable, but what is remarkable is that he gave that interview to Al Arabiya located in the UAE city of Dubai. What he had to say to the viewers of Al Arabiya was for me very interesting to hear.

During this interview he covered a wide range of topics important to the Arab world. He talked for a good bit about the Palestinian Israeli conflict. He also discussed Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan as well. There was also discussion about the Muslim faith and terrorism. The interview was about 30 minutes long and was conducted by Al Arabiya's own Hisham Melhem.

I thought that the interview was very well conducted and the questions were exactly what I would have expected from Melhem considering his primary audience. I also think that I have learned a lot about Obama’s policies with regard to the Middle East from this interview. I must say that I do not disagree with everything that Obama said, but by the same token I am not in complete agreement either.

Israeli / Palestinian conflict:
On the subject of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict I do agree that it is of paramount importance that peace be established in the area post haste. I also agree that if our President is not involved in the peace process it will go no where fast and stall out. I will further agree that Israel is a staunch ally of the US in the region as we are their ally as well. It is very true that George Mitchell who is Obama’s personal envoy to the area is one of a handful of people who does have experience brokering peace deals in the region. Obama also gave brief mention to the peace plan proposed by Saudi Ruler King Abdullah.

What I do not agree with is the Presidents assumption that we respond to things over there by dictating rather than listening. We can no more dictate Israel’s policy towards how they deal with Terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah than they can dictate ours with regards to Al Qaeda. For there to be peace between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians they both have to want it. Right now Hamas doesn’t seem to want peace and Israel has the right to defend itself and we have no right to interfere.

A Nuclear Iran:
Another question put forth by Mr. Melhem was our willingness to deal with a nuclear Iran. While I might agree with our President, that we should keep all options on the table when dealing with Iran which includes negotiation, diplomacy, and military intervention. I will also agree with the President that the people of Persia are a great people historically.

I do not agree with his unwillingness to say point blank that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Especially, since they support terrorist organizations and the possibility that their nukes could wind up in those organizations hands. This along with their threats against the existence of Israel should be more than enough to say that we would not allow nukes in Iran.

Proof of Commitment to the Muslim World:
On the subject of proving his commitment to the Muslim world and to peace within the region he points at three key elements as his proof. One of these is his idea of a timely and safe withdrawal of our military forces in Iraq and the other is the closing of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility by years end.

I do agree with the President that it is time to consider an exit strategy for Iraq. As the Iraqi people become more capable of defending themselves as a nation both from within and without we should start removing our forces from the country and putting them where they can best be used. However I do not believe that we will be entirely out of Iraq for at least a couple of more years regardless of what Obama has promised.

As far as the closing of Gitmo I think that this is a big mistake. We should not close this facility just because of pressure from the international community. We have no business bringing those animals from Gitmo to our shores let alone giving them the rights that only US citizens are entitled to under our constitution. This will not impress the terrorists in any event and might embolden them more to try something against us here by attempting to infiltrate our shores even in the guise of prisoners. As for the average Joe on the Muslim street they probably didn’t even know Gitmo existed until we made a big deal out of it.

I really do think that the third part of his proof is a good idea though. I think his idea to address the Muslim world from a major Muslim capitol in the region within the first 100 days of his presidency is an excellent idea to help promote solidarity between the US and the Muslim world.

Terrorists and Terrorism:
I think he is right to say that we will go after the terrorists when and where we can. I will further agree that these animals cannot point to one single accomplishment of theirs and say that they have improved the lives of the people they say they are fighting for. I believe that our President realizes that we cannot afford to have another attack like 9/11 on his watch. He is right to say that he will be judged by his actions and the actions of his administration.

I do not agree with his statement that the terminology that has been used to describe these people is wrong, they are Islamic Fascists. I do not agree with the notion that calling what we are involved in is a War on Terror. That is exactly what it is. We are not fighting an organized governmental military we are fighting cowards who hide behind helpless people and use terror to control them and to scare us.

In closing I can only deduce that while things may get better in the Middle East it will not happen for some time. As for what Barack Obama may have accomplished with this interview, well that is anybody’s guess. I just hope that the terrorists got the message that they have not been forgotten. I also hope that Barack will not be so quick the next time to apologize for how we Americans react to threats from rogue nations, dictators, and terrorist scum. I also would wish that Obama would fear the threats to our nation’s security more than public opinion and our lack of popularity around the world.

I am sorry this post is so long but I hope you have enjoyed this post and got a little something out of it. Have a beautiful day my friends, CIAO4NOW!!!!!

Well here we are. Its Friday again and we have made it through another week thank God!!!!! But as is usual for me on Friday I have to write about what has happened on the political scene in the last couple of days. Luckily for me we have had the end of the Republican National Convention and part one of Barack Obama’s interview with Bill O’Reilly, which was interesting I might add. On that note let’s start with Obama’s interview last night.

Yesterday Barack Obama sat down for an interview with Bill O’Reilly the host of Fox News Channels the O’Reilly Factor. The interview will be aired in four parts with part one being aired last night. The interview seemed to be on the war on terror and was remarkably well done and O’Reilly was at the top of his game and he kept Obama from trying to spin or make the interview about his talking points. They discussed everything from the Iraq war, Afghanistan, and Iran to the problem of getting Pakistan to do its share in the terror war. In the interview Obama stated that the troop surge in Iraq had worked which surprised me. He said the surge had worked not just because of the soldiers we have over there but because of the Sunni awakening in the Anbar province by way of example.

He also went on to say that we need more resources in Afghanistan to bring security and stability to that country. He was very candid about Pakistan being a part of that problem by not going after Taliban and Al Qaeda personnel and bases in the tribal areas and stated that we should withhold military aid until Pakistan does what it agreed to do instead of using our military aid to prepare for war with India.

On the subject of Iran Obama stated that if Iran obtained nuclear weapons it would be a game changer which sounds good but I have no idea what that means. He did say however that all options for dealing with Iran are on the table military, diplomatic, and economical although he did stop short of saying he would prepare for the military option citing it as inappropriate for either McCain, or himself to tip their hands has to their Presidential policies towards Iran during their campaigns for the White House.

Last evening John McCain gave his acceptance speech at the RNC. (Republican National Convention) The speech followed a video biography of John McCain narrated by actors Robert Davi and Fred Thompson. The speech was remarkably well written and delivered. The polling this morning showed that McCain’s acceptance speech had 500,000 more viewers than Obama’s and that according to the ABC tracking poll McCain and Obama are now neck and neck after McCain’s convention points bounce. John McCain really made the case for why the McCain-Palin ticket is the right choice for America in this election, citing both his military and legislative experience and Palin’s administrative experience. He also did a very good job of describing his economic and energy policies, and how he would deal with national defense and the war on terror. I don’t really believe that John McCain is out of touch with the blue collar kitchen table issues that most of the voting public are dealing with and worried about.

Also it seems that my Wednesday post was somewhat offensive to some readers and for this I apologize. However if the press and the Republicans had treated Hillary Clinton the way the Democrats had treated Sarah Palin I would have reacted the same way I did in that post. I wrote nothing in that post that was not true and I will not apologize for my words or actions. As for people’s disappointment or anger at what I said I can’t please everybody no matter how hard I try. I said what I said and there is no taking it back so it is time to move on.

In closing that is all I have for today but I will be back on Monday with political commentary and I hope you all will continue to read my blogs. and enjoy the video. Have a wonderful weekend,
ciao4now!!!!!

Hello everyone and welcome to my last post of the week. I hope you all are really getting something out of what I’m doing here. Since Wednesday was part one of the war on terror in Afghanistan, it is now time for part two of the war on terror in Iraq. Let’s get this thing done…we are burning daylight.

The Iraq war, also known as the Second Gulf War, began March 20, 2003. The invasion led by the US, UK, and troops by other nations as a multinational coalition. The purpose of the invasion was the removal of Saddam Hussein from power and regime change for the Iraqi people. While removing Saddam Hussein from power proved relatively easy stabilizing the country and securing it proved quite difficult due to unrest among the various peoples of Iraq as well as the emergence of foreign fighters including Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Amongst the excuses for entering into the war in Iraq was the idea that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD, (weapons of mass destruction) and/ or had operating programs for production of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, and that these weapons posed an imminent threat to the security of the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. This was supported by intelligence from a variety of nations including British Intelligence. There was also intelligence from Russia linking Iraq with terrorism, and Germany supplied intelligence in preparation for the war. It has been concluded that neither Russian, nor German intelligence confirmed the presence of WMD in Iraq. Weapons inspectors also found no evidence of WMD, and the Iraq Survey Group determined that Iraq’s WMD programs ended in 1991 and that there were no active programs at the time of the invasion.

Another reason for the invasion was the accusations made by some US officials that Saddam Hussein was harboring and supporting Al Qaeda and the support of families of Palestinian suicide bombers. No proof of a collaborative relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda has been proven to have existed. Other reasons for the invasion include Iraq’s human rights abuses and Iraq’s oil reserves.

Both of our Presidential candidates have very different views of how to deal with Iraq. John McCain believes that the surge in Iraq has worked and advocates’ staying there until the war is won, and supported the war from the onset. Barack Obama says he has been against the war from the beginning, and advocates a 16 month timeline for troop withdrawal. There is even a side by side comparison of the two men on their positions for how to deal with Iraq.

Regardless of how any of you may feel about the war in Iraq and the reasons for us being there we are there now. While intelligence and investigation has proved there were no WMD in Iraq at the time of the invasion, we know that at one time Saddam Hussein possessed WMD as evidenced by intelligence, photographical, and eye witness accounts of the use of WMD by the Iraqi government against the Kurds in the north, and against his own people right in the heartland of his nation. We also know from one of his top generals, Georges Sada, that WMD elements were relocated outside of Iraq and into Syria prior to the invasion. As far as harboring Al Qaeda goes, even if he didn’t harbor Al Qaeda, he had some relationship with terrorist organizations because their camps were found in the north of Iraq after the invasion of Iraq was completed. These camps were used to train, equip, and finance terrorists.

There is no mistaking the fact that Saddam Hussein was a bad man, and the world is better off with out him and his Baathist regime in power. We also know that while the initial invasion and deposition of the Iraqi government was successful, we also know that violence and atrocities like Abu Ghraib as well as abuses against its own citizens were the rule rather than the exception for quite some time after the invasion. However with the success of the surge of 2007 and the fact that the Iraqi people and their own government are finally starting to take over their own country and appreciate their new national identity as fragile as it is. I don’t see how we can just up and leave and run the risk of the whole Iraq experiment in democracy becoming an absolute failure.

That is all I have to say on the subject of the Iraq war right now. As usual I can only find the facts and present them to you; you still have to decide for yourself where you stand. Have an awesome weekend, and I will see all of you right here next week, CIAO4NOW!!!!!