Afghan Taliban’s Doha office revived, Emir of Qatar visiting White House next week.

Afghan Taliban’s Muslim Brotherhood Doha office revived, initial talks begin, Emir of Qatar visiting WH next week. (pakistantoday).


The Afghan Taliban’s office in Doha has been revived and the Taliban are now holding initial talks with the Afghan government with Pakistan acting as facilitator, as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday welcomed Pakistan’s initiative to help in the reconciliation process.

Ghani’s office, however, warned that opponents to the peace efforts could mislead people through disinformation.

“The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan respects Pakistan’s recent efforts to pave the way for peace and reconciliation,” the Afghan Presidential Palace said in a statement.

The statement released by the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad also welcomed COAS Raheel Sharif’s remarks that Pakistan considers “Afghanistan’s enemy as its own enemy” during his recent meeting with President Ghani and Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah.

“Pakistani and Afghanistan leaders have reached a conclusion to begin joint efforts in view of threats and difficulties. The shocking attacks on the army school in Peshawar and Paktika’s Yahya Khel area have strengthened determination and commitment in both countries to jointly fight against terrorism and extremism.”

The statement added that Afghanistan, Pakistan, and international allies are committed to sincerely cooperate with each other to achieve peace

Meanwhile, a top Pakistani official privy to the developments confirmed the resumption of initial contacts between the two parties for devising the rules and agenda of formal talks expected to begin in March.

“Yes I can confirm Taliban’s Doha office has been revived and now with the facilitation of Pakistan, Afghan Taliban are holding initial talks with senior Afghan government officials to chalk out the strategy and set rules for formal talks,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

Details reveal that in the initial level talks, the Afghan Taliban are being represented by Qari Din Mohammad from the Taliban political office in Doha who also went to China in late November, 2014 to discuss the situation in Afghanistan. Qari Din Muhammad also held a meeting with senior US diplomats in Doha this week.

Islamabad, Beijing, Doha and Dubai are the possible venue for talks, and a final destination would be decided by the end of this month.

President Obama will host the Amir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, at the White House on Tuesday, February 24. 

 The President looks forward to discussing with Sheikh Tamim political, economic, and security issues of mutual concern to our two countries, to further that relationship along with our shared interest in supporting stability and prosperity in the Middle East. Hmmm.....Seems the Obama White House is the place to be for the Who's who in the Muslim Brotherhood club. Just NO JEWS? Read the full story here.

Related:

Jan 11 -2012: Report: U.S. to Release Three Taliban Leaders from Guantanamo Bay, as in Muslim Brotherhood Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi plan. http://www.mfs-theothernews.com/2012/01/report-us-to-release-three-taliban.html

March 11 -2012: "Commander in chief' Obama agrees to transfer the Taliban Guantanamo detainees to Qatar. http://www.mfs-theothernews.com/2012/03/commander-in-chief-obama-agrees-to.html

June 30 - 2012: Obama administration still considering turning Taliban detainees over to Afghanistan and Qatar http://www.mfs-theothernews.com/2012/06/obama-administration-still-considering.html


Report: Radical Sheikh a Key Mediator in U.S.-Taliban Talks http://www.investigativeproject.org/3359/report-radical-sheikh-a-key-mediator-in-us

http://counterjihadreport.com/2012/01/15/u-s-set-to-release-key-taliban-figure-in-911-attacks/


Video - Chuck Hagel Admits He Felt Pressure from the White House to release Gitmo Detainees.

U.S. Set to Release Key Taliban Figure in 9/11 Attacks  

Video - Chuck Hagel Admits He Felt Pressure from the White House to release Gitmo Detainees.

Asked by CNN if he had been pressured, Hagel said, “we have had a lot of conversations” with the White House and Congress on the releases. Hmmm.....Ok now we know why he had to go.


Related:

Jan 11 -2012: Report: U.S. to Release Three Taliban Leaders from Guantanamo Bay, as in Muslim Brotherhood Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi plan. http://www.mfs-theothernews.com/2012/01/report-us-to-release-three-taliban.html

March 11 -2012: "Commander in chief' Obama agrees to transfer the Taliban Guantanamo detainees to Qatar. http://www.mfs-theothernews.com/2012/03/commander-in-chief-obama-agrees-to.html

June 30 - 2012: Obama administration still considering turning Taliban detainees over to Afghanistan and Qatar http://www.mfs-theothernews.com/2012/06/obama-administration-still-considering.html


Report: Radical Sheikh a Key Mediator in U.S.-Taliban Talks http://www.investigativeproject.org/3359/report-radical-sheikh-a-key-mediator-in-us

U.S. Set to Release Key Taliban Figure in 9/11 Attacks  http://counterjihadreport.com/2012/01/15/u-s-set-to-release-key-taliban-figure-in-911-attacks/

Hagel: "I had conflicts with White House officials on releasing Gitmo prisoners"

Hagel: "I had conflicts with White House officials on releasing Gitmo prisoners" (TAZ).

Outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in an interview on Friday the United States might eventually need to send non-combat ground troops to Iraq to help turn back Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) forces, Al Arabiya reported.

Hagel, who announced his resignation under pressure in November, told CNN all options must be considered in Iraq, including sending troops for non-combat roles such as gathering intelligence and locating ISIS targets.

“I think it may require a forward deployment of some of our troops ...,” he said. “I would say we’re not there yet. Whether we get there or not, I don’t know.”

Hagel’s comments echoed testimony by General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Congress last fall when he said US troops might have to take a larger role on the ground in Iraq.

Such a deployment would be in addition to the 4,500 US troops already committed to training and advising roles in Iraq.

Hagel also said he had conflicts with White House officials on releasing prisoners from the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

As secretary of defense, Hagel authorized which prisoners would be released and when.

He told CNN that the White House did not agree with his cautious approach, saying there were disagreements on “the pace of the releases.”

Asked by CNN if he had been pressured, Hagel said, “we’ve had a lot of conversations” with the White House and Congress on the releases. Hmmm.....Ok now we know why he had to go.


Related:

Jan 11 -2012: Report: U.S. to Release Three Taliban Leaders from Guantanamo Bay, as in Muslim Brotherhood Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi plan. http://www.mfs-theothernews.com/2012/01/report-us-to-release-three-taliban.html

March 11 -2012: "Commander in chief' Obama agrees to transfer the Taliban Guantanamo detainees to Qatar. http://www.mfs-theothernews.com/2012/03/commander-in-chief-obama-agrees-to.html

June 30 - 2012: Obama administration still considering turning Taliban detainees over to Afghanistan and Qatar http://www.mfs-theothernews.com/2012/06/obama-administration-still-considering.html


Report: Radical Sheikh a Key Mediator in U.S.-Taliban Talks http://www.investigativeproject.org/3359/report-radical-sheikh-a-key-mediator-in-us


U.S. Set to Release Key Taliban Figure in 9/11 Attacks  http://counterjihadreport.com/2012/01/15/u-s-set-to-release-key-taliban-figure-in-911-attacks/

China to US: Stop meddling in region.

China to US: Stop meddling in region.(Chinadaily).

China will not initiate trouble, but it will never compromise on territory, Hagel is told.

Beijing warned Washington on Tuesday to "stay vigilant" about Japan and not to be "permissive or supportive" of Tokyo's provocations as Chinese and US defense chiefs vowed wider cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

In a "candid, constructive and productive" discussion, Defense Minister Chang Wanquan told visiting US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that the US should respect China's core interests as Washington is implementing a pivot strategy to the region.

Chang asked the United States to keep Japan "within bounds" and criticized the government of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"It is Japan who is being provocative toward China," Chang said at a news conference after talks with Hagel.

"If you come to the conclusion that China is going to resort to force against Japan, that is wrong."

Hagel, meanwhile, struck a belligerent tone at the news briefing by claiming that China did not have the right to establish an Air Defense Identification Zone in the airspace over China's Diaoyu Islands without consulting other countries.

He also said that the US will protect Japan under treaty obligations.

Chang said that China "will not take the initiative to stir up trouble" with Japan, but it would use military force, if necessary, to defend its territory.

"We will not compromise, nor concede, nor trade on territory and sovereignty. We will not tolerate these being infringed upon, even the least bit," he said.

He said that remarks and provocation from the Abe administration have caused severe difficulties for China-Japan relations.

He also said that the Philippines has illegally occupied parts of China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea and "disguised itself as a victim".

China and the US will conduct a joint military medical exercise after the Pacific Rim military exercise led by the US later this year.

Observers said growing cooperation mixed with harsh criticism reflects the current condition of China and US military ties.

Zhao Xiaozhuo, deputy director of the center on China-US defense relations at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said Washington is stuck in a security dilemma in the Asia-Pacific region since it is pursuing balance between China and Japan.from page 1

"For example, the US perceives the security alliance with Japan and other Asian countries as the cornerstone of its rebalancing strategy, but China sees it as a barrier for development," Zhao said.

"As the two countries seek to build a new type of military relations focusing on common interests, the strategic suspicion and the latent contradictions will become more acute," he said.

Hagel said China-US relations are essential to peace and prosperity in this century and his focus is on how to develop the new model of military-to-military relations.

"My tour to the aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, yesterday was a good beginning because it represented an effort that we are both striving to do more on, which is the openness and transparency," he said.

On Monday, Hagel became the first foreign visitor to board the aircraft carrier in Qingdao, Shandong province. He is also scheduled to visit a non-commissioned officers school in a Beijing suburb on Wednesday.

"Our vision is a future where our militaries can work closely together on a range of challenges, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions. However, to reach this objective, we must be candid about issues where we disagree," Hagel said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, criticized Hagel's remarks as "tough, and with a clear attitude".

"I can tell you, frankly, ... the Chinese people, including myself, are dissatisfied with such remarks," Fan told Hagel at the presence of the press.Read the full story here.

U.S. Def Sec Hagel: "U.S. Entering Accord with Iran ‘Very Cleared Eyed’.

U.S. Def Sec Hagel: "U.S. Entering Accord with Iran ‘Very Cleared Eyed’.HT: UskowiOnIran.

Standing on the massive deck of the Navy's USS Ponce, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the United States is entering the new nuclear pact with Iran “very clear eyed.” Hagel added that it remains to be seen whether Tehran is serious about keeping its nuclear development peaceful.

Referring to the next six months when the interim agreement will be in force, before a final deal could be worked out, Hagel said the time span presents a “very wise opportunity” to gauge Iranian intentions.

“(The next six months) present a very wise opportunity to see if the Iranians are serious about following through with commitments they have said they would make about not developing their nuclear capabilities,” Hagel told a crowd of Navy sailors and civilian mariners on the Ponce, which was docked at the U.S. base in Manama. (AP, 6 December)

“We are not going to change any of our military posture in this area or any part of the world during that six-month period. We will keep the same kind of strong assets, the same exercises, the same partnerships, the same focus on our strategic interests as we did before we entered into this six month period,” Hagel added.

Hagel’s visit to Bahrain comes less than two weeks after six major powers and Iran signed the Geneva agreement, practically freezing parts of Iranian nuclear program in exchange for some relief from sanctions.

The Ponce, which Hagel chose to use as the venue for his speech, was a former amphibious transport ship that was retrofitted to become a floating staging base. Its key ability is to provide a base for special operations forces that can then be quickly deployed into the region.

Navy has concluded that the Ponce has been a successful experiment, and have ordered the construction of four new ones at a projected cost of more than $2.1 billion. The first, called a Mobile Landing Platform, has been delivered to the fleet and the second MLP is under construction. Hmmmm......Israel's 'Staunchest allies'.

"All The President's Men" - 59 Congress members demand Hagel explains meeting with Anti -Christian extremist.

"All The President's Men" - 59 Congress members demand Hagel explains meeting with Anti -Christian extremist.HT: Breitbart.

Monday morning, Congressmen Steve Scalise and John Fleming—both Republicans representing districts in Louisiana—sent a letter signed by 59 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon, demanding answers regarding Pentagon officials meeting with an anti-Christian extremist.

This story began two weeks ago when Breitbart News reported on at least one such meeting. Since that time it has become a growing controversy, as Breitbart News reported additional disturbing details. Now Congress is weighing in.

The Scalise-Fleming letter begins:

It has come to our attention that as recently as April 23, 2013, Pentagon officials met with Mr. Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, Founder and President of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), to discuss religious freedom in the military. As we have great concern regarding numerous inflammatory statements from Mr. Weinstein in recent weeks, we are seeking further clarification on the meeting that took place late last month.

The letter continues, detailing the numerous troubling statements attributed to Weinstein:

In a recent posting in his own words, Mr. Weinstein characterized men and women of the Christian faith as, “monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans” and offered consent to labeling individual faith based family groups as “hate groups.” Mr. Weinstein also [referenced such individuals and groups] as “die-hard enemies of the United States Constitution.”

The letter then notes that Weinstein has compared Christians in the military with “the Taliban and Al Qaeda,” as well as comparing Christians in general with “Hitler and Stalin.” The congressmen also criticize Weinstein’s comments “equating spiritual expression to ‘spiritual rape’ and sedition and treason within the military.”

Not surprisingly, the letter reads, “We question the Pentagon’s judgment and reasoning in accepting a meeting from someone with a history of such statements and sentiments.” The members of Congress demand that Hagel answer the following queries:

1. Confirmation of a meeting between pentagon officials and representatives from MRFF, as well as a list of meeting attendees, both military and civilians;

2. The purpose of the meeting specifically whether the meeting was organized to inform deliberative policy for the Armed Forces, as well as a summary of the meeting's discussion;

3. Prior to arranging this meeting, where Pentagon officials aware of Mr. Weinstein’s previous statements, including those referenced above?

4. In addition to any meetings already held, are there additional meetings scheduled?

And so Congress has launched yet another investigation into serious concerns regarding the Obama administration, this one the latest in an ongoing series of acts of hostility between President Obama’s administration and Americans of religious faith.Read the full story here.

Hagel: “In dealing with Iran, every option must be on the table,”

Hagel: “In dealing with Iran, every option must be on the table,” (RT).

There is "no daylight at all" between the US and Israel’s stances on preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapon, he said. But there could be a divergence in evaluating the timing of the threat from Tehran.

Hagel’s latest visit to Israel has exposed a widely-known secret that the Obama administration has reasons not to get drawn into a new conflict.

But the high status of the major US ally comes with the necessity to sugarcoat the bitter pill.

Hagel has arrived in Tel Aviv with two pieces of news: good and bad.

The good news is he brought a multi-billion-dollar arms package that will enable Israeli military with Osprey V-22 tilt-rotor transport aircrafts, air tankers and anti-radar missiles to eliminate enemy air defenses.

The supply of the newest American weapons to Israel is designed to show Tehran that a solution by force of the Iranian nuclear problem remains on the table.

"I don't think there's any question that's another very clear signal to Iran,” Hagel told reporters on Sunday.

The bad news is that despite Hagel saying the US and Israel regard the nuclear threat from Iran "exactly the same", there is a difference between Washington’s and Tel Aviv’s perception of the timing and necessity to attack.

“When you back down into the specifics of the timing of when and if Iran decides to pursue a nuclear weapon, there may well be some differences,” Hagel said.

On his first visit to Israel as Pentagon chief, Chuck Hagel delivered a message from the Obama administration that it is up to Israel to decide when to make a pre-emptively attack on Persians.
“Israel will make the decision that Israel must make to protect itself, to defend itself,” Hagel told reporters ahead of his Middle East voyage.

Which might as well mean that in case Israeli military action against Iran went wrong, direct US military assistance is not guaranteed.

“Iran is a threat — a real threat,” summed up Hagel, but pointed out that international economic sanctions have already become a tremendous pain for Tehran and that in turn would possibly influence the results of the Iran's presidential election in June. Therefore the implication of military force remains the last resort option.

It looks like Washington is paying its way out of a possible new slaughterhouse to evolve in the Middle East once PM Benjamin Netanyahu convinces Israeli generals to attack Iran at their own peril and risk.

Still, Hagel assured Tel Aviv that Israel's right of self-defense is not questioned.

“In dealing with Iran, every option must be on the table,” Hagel stressed in the interview given on an overnight flight to the Israeli capital. Hmmmm.......Hagel: “In dealing with Iran, every option must be on the table,” .....where have we heard that before?Read the full story here.

Video - "Israel's Staunchest Allies" - Hagel: "Israel's nukes more of a threat than Iran."

Hmmmm........."Israel's Staunchest Allies" ......."As i always said ...."The goal in the end is to go after Israel's Nukes".

Kerry (I Will Implement 'Pres Obama's Vision For The World') Skips Israel But Scheduled to 'Lunch' With Abbas.

Kerry (I Will Implement 'Pres Obama's Vision For The World')Skips Israel But Scheduled to 'Lunch' With Abbas.(INN). While Secretary of State John Kerry will not travel to Israel during his first tour of the Middle East since assuming the top U.S. diplomatic post, he will be meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmud Abbas in Riyadh on Monday, a state department official told reporters.

Kerry, who is on his first trip to the region since succeeding Hillary Rodham Clinton as the top United States diplomat, will have lunch with the PA leader, who arrived unexpectedly in Riyadh on Sunday, AFP reported.

Kerry's tour does not include Israel, but he will reportedly accompany President Barack Obama when he meets Israeli and Arab leaders in Jerusalem and Ramallah during a visit on March 20-22.

Abbas "will present the Palestinian point of view to the new US administration ahead of Obama's visit," PA envoy in Riyadh Jamal al-Shawbaki told the “Voice of Palestine” radio station.

Abbas, in his first meeting with Kerry, will also highlight the so-called “Israeli violations” in Jerusalem, “settlements”, and the issue of “Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike," said Shawbaki.

Meanwhile, Hamas’s Prime Minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, on Sunday urged Palestinian Authority Arabs to continue what he termed the “prisoners' intifada” to support terrorist detainees in Israeli jails.

"We will fight in all arenas, take responsibility and pay the toll for the sake of their freedom," Haniyeh said at a photo exhibition in Gaza City in support of prisoners, according to a report in the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency.Hmmmm....The Obama 'Admin' Staunchest 'allies' of Israel.Read the full story here.

Turkish pres Gül gives Kerry old photograph with ‘three most important Obama men’ in US.

The 'horsemen of the foreign policy apocalypse'

Turkish pres Gül gives Kerry old photograph with ‘three most important Obama men’ in US.(HD).U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry ended a visit to Turkey on March 1 with a meeting with President Abdullah Gül, during which Washington’s top diplomat was presented with a photo of the “three most important men” in the United States by the Turkish head of state.

Gül congratulated Kerry on his new assignment, adding that Kerry's visit came at a time when many critical developments were taking place in the region.

The Turkish president also showed Kerry a photograph taken in the same room of the Presidential Palace on Feb. 22, 2008, with current U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Kerry. All three officials were senators at the time.

Kerry then asked Gül if he could write a few words on the photograph such as “the most important three men.” Gül duly wrote on the photograph “the most important three men of the [Barack] Obama administration with me,” signed it and presented it to Kerry.

During the meeting, Gül conveyed his thoughts on bilateral relations, his views on a solution to the Cyprus issue, Turkey’s possible participation in a free trade agreement between the U.S. and the European Union, counter-terrorism, Syria, Iraq and the Middle East peace process. Kerry emphasized that Turkey was his country’s closest possible ally in the solution to the problems.Read the full story here.

'Conservative' Rand Paul voted in favor to confirm Chuck Hagel, utters lame excuse for doing so.

'Conservative' Rand Paul voted in favor to confirm Chuck Hagel, utters lame excuse for doing so.(Yahoo).Though Paul held deep reservations of Hagel, voted to filibuster the man, he ends up casting a vote in his favor nonetheless, making one of the lousiest choices for a DOD secretary in modern U.S. history, a done deal. His press secretary offered this lame excuse:

“As he has said before, the president should be entitled to some leeway on his political appointments. That is why Sen. Paul voted in favor of Sen. John Kerry, with whom he largely disagrees on foreign policy, to serve as secretary of state, and that is why he voted for final passage of the nomination of Sen. Hagel this evening, with whom he also disagrees on a number of issues.”

This is pure B.S., no president is allowed by the constitution to use the nomination process of cabinet members as a carte blanche mechanism to rubber stamp all of his appointees, that’s why there’s a nomination process to begin with. It’s called the Senate confirmation hearings, not the ”Presidential Rubber Stamp Committee”.Hmmmm....The same 'conservative' who advocates stopping US mil Aid to Israel."By their fruits you will know them"?Read the full story here.

"Israel's Staunchest Ally" - Obama's 'Favorite' pick Hagel co-author of plan to send US troops to the 'West Bank'.

"Israel's Staunchest Ally" - Obama's 'Favorite' pick Hagel co-author of plan to send US troops to the 'West Bank'.HT: IsraelMatzav.
If you're wondering why President Hussein Obama is willing to 'go nuclear' to have the anti-Semite Chuck Hagel confirmed as Secretary of Defense, Mark Langfan has the answer: Hagel is one of the authors of a 2009 report calling for US troops to 'keep the peace' in the 'West Bank,' and Obama wants him to implement it.

I will let Hagel’s 2009 “recommendations” speak for themselves. But to lend a note of rationality, Florence Gaub, a NATO researcher, in 2010 published a NATO Research paper outlining some of the problems of such a deployment. (I.e. it would need about 60,000 US/Nato troops and about 160 billion Dollars over 10 years) I and I will excerpt her report as well.

Obama’s determination in confirming Hagel is based on Obama’s belief that Hagel will cripple Israel at any price: including the deaths of thousands of US soldiers at the hands of Hamas suicide bombs in the Palestinian Authority.

... Florence Gaub’s NATO College real analysis exposes Hagel’s US “peacekeeping” “recommendation” for the US defense policy fraud it is. Based on Hagel’s sheer hate of Israel, and without a whit of real thinking, Hagel would have had Obama commit the greatest US defense error in US history bringing the deaths of thousands of US soldiers, and the destruction of Israel, America’s anchor in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean.

Can anyone imagine the depraved analysis Hagel has been spewing while, at this very moment, he is currently the “Co-Chair” of Obama’s “President Intelligence Advisory Board” (“PIAB”)?

In fact, Obama specifically nominated Hagel as Co-Chair of the PIAB as reward for Hagel’s 2009 insane Middle East “recommendations.” No wonder Obama’s policy has enabled Iran’s nuke program, and betrayed all our historic allies. “Hagel” and “Intelligence” are mutually exclusive terms. For 3 years, Obama has seen Hagel prove himself to be a useful-idiot who will dance to any Kill-Israel tune Obama plays for him.

So, in conclusion, Obama will do anything and everything to get Hagel confirmed because Obama knows Hagel, and only Hagel, hates Israel enough to sacrifice 1000s of US soldiers in body bags, and dumb enough to gladly blow 160 Billion US dollars, we don’t have, in order to grossly cripple, or perhaps even destroy Israel.Hmmmm......Obama: "But I’m also mindful of the proverb, “A man is judged by his deeds, not his words.” So if you want to know where my heart lies, look no further than what I have done — to stand up for Israel. Read the full story here.

Carl in Jerusalem covered the report's original release at some length here.

"Beware Of Democrats Bearing Gifts" - Remember the Trojan Horse.

"Beware Of Democrats Bearing Gifts" - Remember the Trojan Horse.HT: NationalReview.

Caligula's horse. Jay Nordlinger tries to account for the folly:

Why are Democrats willing to go to the mat for a Republican who has shown himself to be — what should we say? Not very impressive, at least in a confirmation hearing?

1. To make the Republican party look bad?
2.  Because he is Obama’s choice, and Obama is the One? 
3.  Because he has expressed antipathy to Israel? 
4.  Because he has advocated almost the softest possible line toward Iran and its satellites (Hezbollah,       Hamas)? 
5.  Because the conservatives are against him, and therefore the Left must be for him? 
6.  Because a Republican war hero is just the right man to preside over the gutting of the Defense Department? 

Take your choice, or combine the answers you like. In any event, the American people did a very, very important thing on Election Day. Now they, and the world at large, will live with the consequences.Read the full story here.

Favorite Obama Pick 'I don't recall' Chuck Hagel Said Israel Was “Becoming Apartheid State”.

Favorite Obama Pick 'I don't recall' Chuck Hagel Said Israel Was “Becoming Apartheid State”.HT: IsraelMatzav. Chuck Hagel probably regrets ever accepting a speaking engagement at Rutgers University. The Washington Free Beacon has uncovered another Hagel speech on the New Jersey campus, this one from 2010, in which Hagel claims that Israel is 'headed toward apartheid,' that Prime Minister Netanyahu is a 'radical,' and that Hamas must be brought into the negotiations Kenneth Wagner, who attended the 2010 speech while a Rutgers University law student, provided the Washington Free Beacon with an email he sent during the event to a contact at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The email is time-stamped April 9, 2010, at 11:37 AM.

“I am sitting in a lecture by Chuck Hagel at Rutgers,” Wagner wrote in the email. “He basically said that Israel has violated every UN resolution since 1967, that Israel has violated its agreements with the quartet, that it was risking becoming an apartheid state if it didn’t allow the Palestinians to form a state. He said that the settlements were getting close to the point where a contiguous Palestinian state would be impossible.” 

“He said that he [thought] that Netanyahu was a radical and that even [former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi] Livni, who was hard nosed thought he was too radical and so wouldn’t join in a coalition [government] with him. … He said that Hamas has to be brought in to any peace negotiation,” Wagner wrote.

AIPAC had no comment.

At the time, Hagel was on campus at Rutgers as the Clifford P. Case Professor of Public Affairs. But the key to this one is the demand that we negotiate with Hamas. That and the term 'apartheid,' which I don't recall any other American politician using in connection with Israel. Hagel is beyond the pale.Hmmmm.....Obama: "But I’m also mindful of the proverb, “A man is judged by his deeds, not his words.” So if you want to know where my heart lies, look no further than what I have done — to stand up for Israel." Read the full story here.

Hagel defense nomination passes key US Senate panel 14 to 11.

Hagel defense nomination passes key US Senate panel 14 to 11.(HD).A divided Senate panel approved Chuck Hagel on Tuesday to be the next US secretary of defense, a key step in a process that could see the controversial nominee confirmed as early as this week.
The Senate Armed Services Committee split along party lines to vote 14 to 11, with one abstention, to approve the former Republican senator whose positions on Iran, Israel and the Iraq war sparked concerns by fellow conservatives.
If approved by the full Senate, Hagel would replace outgoing Pentagon chief Leon Panetta.
"We will now favorably report the nomination of Chuck Hagel to the Senate," said committee chairman Carl Levin after a tense two-hour hearing that saw lawmakers verbally sparring over Hagel's qualifications, his occasionally evasive responses to senators' questions and even his patriotism.
Some of the harshest criticism came from Senator Lindsey Graham, who said Hagel was well outside the left or right lanes of American politics on foreign policy.
"When it comes to some of the Iranian (and) Israeli issues, there's the Chuck Hagel lane. He's in a league of his own, guys," Graham said.
"I say dumb things every day." With Hagel, it has been "a series of things, a series of votes, an edge about him that makes many of us very unnerved about his selection at a time when the world is on fire," he added.
Shortly before the vote, Graham told reporters he would seek to put a procedural block on Hagel's confirmation vote, but Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid brushed aside the threat, saying he expected to bring a vote to the Senate floor "this week." Should Reid be forced to overcome Graham's blocking attempt, a vote to proceed would require 60 votes, rather than the simple majority in the 100-seat body if there was a straight up or down vote on confirmation.
Levin told the committee that despite Republican efforts to portray Hagel as "outside the mainstream," the Vietnam War veteran "has received broad support from a wide array of senior statesmen and defense and foreign policy organizations." "If there is a risk here, it is that the defeat of this nomination would leave the Department of Defense leaderless at a time when we face immense budgetary challenges and our military is engaged in combat operations overseas," Levin warned.Read the full story here.

Related: A Hagel and Al Jazeera. HT: Critical Analyst.

It has now been revealed that the government of Qatar, which owns Al Jazeera, was a major contributor to the Atlantic Council when Hagel was its chairman.

The Atlantic Council describes itself as a “preeminent, non partisan institution devoted to promoting transatlantic cooperation and international security.” Hagel is chairman of the group.
Documents released by the Atlantic Council, in response to the controversy over Hagel’s nomination, show funding from several foreign governments, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia. A search also reveals that Atlantic Council officials have been appearing regularly on Al Jazeera, giving the mouthpiece of the Muslim Brotherhood credibility as a “news organization.”
According to the council’s own website, these appearances include:

• Barbara Slavin, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center, was interviewed on Al Jazeera about the U.S. cyber-attacks against Iran.
• Michele Dunne, director of the Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, appeared on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story Americas to discuss Syria.
• J. Peter Pham, director of the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, discussed the situation in Mali on Al Jazeera English.
• Barry Pavel, director of the Council’s Program on International Security, appeared on Al Jazeera English’s show Inside Story Americas to discuss the deployment of 200 U.S. Marines to Australia.

In addition to Al Jazeera, Atlantic Council senior fellow Barbara Slavin appeared on the far-left MSNBC cable channel to sing the praises of Hagel as “non-ideological.”
But anti-communist blogger Trevor Loudon points out that Chuck Hagel serves on the board of the Ploughshares Fund, another of the George Soros-funded organizations, and that it is a “partner organization” of the pro-Marxist Institute for Policy Studies.
In addition to his role as chairman of the Atlantic Council and a board member of the Ploughshares Fund, Hagel serves as a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of National Governance at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, which maintains campuses in Washington, D.C. and Qatar. Funding for the campus in Qatar comes from the Qatar Foundation, established by the ruling family.
Not surprisingly, Al Jazeera has featured interviews with faculty members from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, about the acquisition of Current TV and the violence in Syria. MORE via canadafreepress.com

Video - Censored: Chuck Hagel SNL Skit, Israel Love Fest…Hilarious.

This clip was shot but never aired.

Video: Former FBI Agent Confirms CIA Nominee John Brennan a Convert to Islam - "My Jihad....What's yours?"

“Mr. Brennan did convert to Islam when he served in an official capacity on behalf of the United States in Saudi Arabia.”

 Former FBI Agent Confirms CIA Nominee John Brennan a Convert to Islam - "My Jihad....What's yours?"

HT: Creeping Sharia.

We asked this very question back in a February 2010 post. In that video, Brennan stated “Those Who Are Anti-Islam are a National Security Threat.” It has since been deleted from the web.
Yesterday, a former U.S. Marine and FBI agent confirmed on the trentovision radio/tv show that indeed John Brennan did convert to Islam. Watch to the end.

Video - The Worst 80 Seconds of Chuck Hagel’s Hearing

HT: FreeBeacon.

Hagel Allies Coordinate Smear Campaign Against Critics, Emails Reveal.

Hagel Allies Coordinate Smear Campaign Against Critics, Emails Reveal.(FB).BY: Adam Kredo.
A group of anti-Israel activists and journalists are engaged in a coordinated campaign to stifle criticism of controversial secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel by attacking the former Republican senator’s critics, according to emails obtained by the Free Beacon.
Fenton communications chief executive officer David Fenton, the Atlantic’s national correspondent James Fallows, former diplomat Charles ‘Chas’ Freeman, Just Foreign Policy director Robert Naiman, and American Conservative founding editor Scott McConnell participated in a recent email exchange dedicated to silencing Hagel’s critics, the emails reveal.
The emailers targeted recent comments made by Elliott Abrams, a former Bush administration National Security Council adviser who said Hagel “seems to have some kind of problem with Jews,” a sentiment that has been echoed by several lawmakers and Jewish leaders.
“Elliot [sic] Abrams is an ardent armchair Zionist who thinks that a commitment to Israel is an essential qualification for public service in the United States,” wrote Freeman, a vociferous Israel critic who has dubbed Israel’s supporters in America a “fifth column.”
“Abrams doubts that Hagel has such a commitment. Abrams thus ‘has a problem’ with Hagel,” Freeman wrote, according to the Jan. 10 email chain obtained by the Free Beacon. “Abrams is a Jew. Ergo, he asserts, Jews have a problem with Hagel. Logically, therefore, Hagel has a problem with Jews. What slimy nonsense!” Abrams told the Free Beacon Monday that his critics are intentionally distorting his position for partisan gain.
“It’s been a disappointment that people have not read what I’ve written, so they don’t know what I’ve actually said about Hagel,” Abrams said.
“What’s interesting is that tactic of attacking critics of Hagel rather than defending Hagel,” Abrams said when informed about the email chain obtained by the Free Beacon. “My views were made clear now in two articles and I’ll stand by them.”Read the full story here.

Chuck Hagel Has 'also' an Armenian Problem.

Chuck Hagel Has 'also' an Armenian Problem.(FB).By: Adam Kredo.

Nominee for Defense Secretary criticized for sweeping Armenian genocide under the rug.

Armenian-American leaders and human rights advocates have expressed deep reservations about the nomination of Chuck Hagel to lead the defense department.
Hagel, a two-term Republican senator from Nebraska, was nominated Monday as President Barack Obama’s pick to head the Pentagon. He faces criticism for opposing a 2005 congressional resolution recognizing Turkey’s genocide of more than one million Armenians.

“What happened in 1915 happened in 1915,” Hagel said during a 2005 trip to Armenia when he was serving in the Senate. “As one United States senator, I think the better way to deal with this is to leave it open to historians and others to decide what happened and why.”
“The fact is that this region needs to move forward,” Hagel continued. “We need to find a lasting, just peace between Turkey and Armenia and the other nations of this region. I am not sure that by going back and dealing with that in some way that causes one side or the other to be put in difficult spot, helps move the peace process forward.”

Armenian-American leaders and genocide experts decried these comments as insensitive and dangerous. They maintain that Hagel’s willingness to overlook the systematic genocide of more than one million people raises concerns about his possible tenure as the nation’s top defense official.
“Senator Hagel’s remarks from 2005 ignore a proud chapter in U.S. history during which America’s diplomatic community played an important role denouncing human rights violations and setting an example of humanitarian assistance on behalf of a people at risk,” said Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the nonpartisan Armenian Assembly of America.

“The fact of the Armenian Genocide is incontestable, and not only recognized by Nebraska’s Governor in 2004, but also has been repeatedly confirmed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a preeminent body dedicated to the study of genocide, its consequences, and its prevention,” Ardouny said. “We expect a rigorous confirmation process which will also serve as an opportunity for Senator Hagel to forthrightly acknowledge the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide.”

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) also stated that it is “troubled” by Hagel’s comments, which it claims displays a willingness to adopt Turkish propaganda aimed at whitewashing the genocide.

“We remain troubled by former Senator Hagel’s acceptance of Ankara’s gag-rule on American honesty about the Armenian Genocide—the still unpunished crime against a Christian nation that continues to define Turkey’s present-day policies toward Armenia and much of the region,” ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian said in a December statement released prior to Hagel’s nomination.

“As much as [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and his allies might like, the ‘lasting, just peace between Turkey and Armenia’ that Chuck Hagel seeks cannot be built on Genocide denial,” Hamparian said. “The U.S. and the international community must set an example by condemning the Armenian Genocide—and speaking out against all genocides, wherever and whenever they occur.”

Prominent genocide experts and human rights groups also regard Hagel’s comments as a disturbing misunderstanding of history.

“On the eve of the Holocaust, Hitler mockingly asked, ‘Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?’ Not Chuck Hagel, apparently,” Rafael Medoff, director of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, told the Washington Free Beacon.

“Sweeping genocide under the rug in the name of political expediency, as Senator Hagel recommended with regard to Turkey and the Armenians, is not only wrong but dangerous, because the failure to acknowledge past genocides paves the way for future genocides,” Medoff said.

Other prominent human rights leaders dubbed Hagel’s remarks as “shameful.”

“What Chuck Hagel said in his press conference in Armenia in 2005 regarding the genocide of Armenians by Turks is shameful,” said Walter Reich, a former director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “In his forthcoming confirmation hearings, senators should confront him with what he said and should expect him to address it.”

“I believe he should apologize for it not with the kind of perfunctory apology that’s routine and therefore meaningless in Washington’s public life but with a response that makes clear that he understands why he was wrong,” said Reich, who serves as the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Professor of International Affairs, Ethics, and Human Behavior at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Hagel disgraced the memory of those murdered by stating that Armenians should move past the genocide, Reich added.

“It’s a disgrace—and a disservice to the memory of the victims—to say that their murder should be forgotten in the service of ‘the peace process,’ as if a real peace process is possible if one hides or ignores or mischaracterizes what actually happened,” Reich said.

“The victims deserve better. History deserves better. Memory deserves better,” Reich said. “And, in its Secretary of Defense—whose actions and opinions, if Hagel is confirmed, will be central to the formulation and execution of American policies that will affect the world, especially parts of the world in which history and memory are very sensitive matters—America deserves better.”

Human rights scholar Thane Rosenbaum said Hagel’s opposition to U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide “betrays a shocking lack of moral leadership.” Human rights leaders and others maintain that the Pentagon deserves a principled leader who will uphold the moral high ground.

Hagel’s position on the Armenian genocide, they say, suggests that he is willing to forsake morality when it becomes politically convenient.

“These are not principled positions because they’re filled with hypocrisy,” said Rosenbaum, a law professor at Fordham University in New York. Hagel has displayed “a fundamental misunderstanding of humanity,” Rosenbaum said.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center also expressed “deep reservations” about Hagel for this and other reasons.

The Turkish press, however, has praised Obama’s selection of Hagel.Hmmmm......"A 'man' is known and judged by the company he keeps" - "By their fruits you will know them" ~ Matthew 7:16.Read the full story here.