Archive for the 'Tony Blair' Category

‘Arab world’ Demonstrates Doctrine of Hate

Posted in Israel, Terrorism, Lebanon, Hezbollah, war, wordpress, Politics, Religion, syria, Osama bin Laden, U.N., Iran, Hamas, Palestine, Foreign Affairs, Islam, Muslim, Tony Blair, Abbas, Fatah, Military, Saudi Arabia on December 29th, 2008 by Stanford Matthews

The most telling irony this week comes from Arab protesters quick to denounce Israel’s military response to Hamas rocket attacks. Where was this outrage when Hamas began the rocket attacks? The contrived outrage over Israel defending itself from Hamas rocket attacks is the Arab self-exposure of their true feelings. It is quite obvious now as it may have been before that the ‘Arab world’ supports attacking Israel and opposes Israel defending itself. This blog has resisted publishing a statement like this in the past for lack of a well defined example of the Arab position on Israel. Some may reject the idea of their not being one before as easily as others may reject the idea that there is one now. That’s fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The opinion here is that there is no argument remaining that the Arab world means Israel no harm.

LivniFor those who feel inspired to criticize Israel for military action against rocket attack from Hamas the following excerpt and link is provided as the first in the chronology presented in this post. Livni told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that Israel’s patience was exhausted after days of rocket barrages into Israel from Gaza, and that the Israeli government would no longer accept the status quo. This of course occured before any retaliation from Israel. It is not like the rocket attacks were quietly accepted until the defensive action began. Rockets were regularly fired on Israel from Hamas and no one in the ‘Arab world’ criticized Hamas.

Israel gave notice to Hamas and anyone else to stop the attack. Here is the second excerpt and link in this chronology.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has issued what he calls a “last minute” call to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, urging them to pressure their Hamas rulers to stop rocket fire into Israel.

Mr. Olmert made the appeal during a television interview with Arab station, Al-Arabiya on Thursday, during which he said Israel will not hesitate to strike Hamas or any other Palestinian militant group.

The remarks came as militants fired rockets and mortars into Israel for a second day in a row. Israeli officials say more than 80 rockets and mortar rounds hit southern Israel on Wednesday. No casualties were reported.

Meanwhile, Israeli defense officials say the military is preparing an operation against Hamas targets in Gaza.

The ‘Arab world’ remained quiet about the rocket attacks. Funny how they got all interested in the military response that contrary to their opinion is reasonable. Say nothing about militants attacking Israel but denounce Israel’s right to defend themselves against attack. And who was affected by the Israeli response?

Nearly 300 Palestinians, most of them armed militants, have been killed since Israel launched the offensive on Saturday. But let the protesters and certain media outlets lead you to believe that civilians are paying the price for Israel’s self-defense from rocket attack.

Where is the Arab criticism for the following?

terrorism allowed, self-defense rejectedHundreds of Palestinians breached the Gaza border fence in four places and poured into Egypt on Sunday. Egyptian police opened fire, prompting gun battles with Palestinian militants. Several hours later, Egyptian officials said border guards restored order.

The breach followed Israel’s bombing of 40 tunnels in Gaza used by the ruling Islamic militant group Hamas to smuggle weapons and supplies across Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.

‘Used by Islamic militant group Hamas to smuggle weapons and supplies’ is the key portion in this report that falls on deaf Arab ears. Other reports indicate Arabs, Muslims, whatever, criticize Arab governments for their wimpy denouncement of Israel. So what’s new? Ignore any attack on Israel but make a great deal of noise when Israel responds to attacks. It is time the ‘religion of peace’ and its followers end the double standard toward Israel. If you want the insanity to stop you must not enable it by your action or inaction. If you want peace stop blaming everyone else for the problem and accept your own responsibility for finding peace.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

More Posturing on Middle East Peace

Posted in Israel, Bush, Terrorism, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Iraq, war, wordpress, Religion, oil, syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Osama bin Laden, North Korea, Nuke, U.N., United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Iran, Hamas, Cheney, EU, Islam, Muslim, Tony Blair, Abbas, Fatah, Colin Powell on July 20th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

crossposted at:

Maggie’s Notebook | Conservative Blog

FaultlineUSA

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POTUS sealNixon’s legacy included the milestone of opening dialogue with China and historic visits by the West to the mysterious and isolated region of the world. Carter’s often criticized administration had what appeared as a Middle East peace effort that came closer than any other at resolving the conflicts. Reagan convinced the Soviet Union to ‘tear down this wall’. Much about President Bush these days points to the near obsession of American Presidents to push for their legacy in the fading hours of their Presidency. Beyond victory in the war in Iraq, President Bush’s latest call for Middle East peace talks presents among other things, his search for a legacy.

Along with most in the international community, as indicated below, the US and EU want nothing to do with Hamas while a few voices are heard urging dialogue with the generally perceived Middle East outlaws. No relationship in the search for Middle East peace may be more of a gamble than the involvement of both President Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In general, the intentions of both men may be to recover some success for their respective legacies after the controversy and criticism over the war in Iraq and perhaps Afghanistan.

US, EU shun Hamas as Blair takes over as Middle East peace envoy
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Quartet of Middle East mediators met for the first time with Tony Blair as special envoy on Thursday at a meeting Washington hopes will breathe some life into the stagnant Israeli-Palestinian peace process. In Cairo, Foreign Minister Ahmad Abou al-Gheit said Thursday that a Mideast peace conference called for by US President George W. Bush will likely be held in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.

Tony BlairUnderstandably, some in the Middle East are wary or even suspicious of Tony Blair’s involvement. Of all the people on the planet likely to have a role to play in the search for Middle East peace, Tony Blair probably has the best chance of providing a sense of genuine sincerity and honesty to the task at hand. But the baggage of his history with President Bush and some indications he bears his own separate agenda on solving this never ending crisis may sabotage his ability to assist before it really begins.

Blair hampered in Middle East role
BEN LYNFIELD IN JERUSALEM
Ms Rice deftly defended the limiting of the scope of Mr Blair’s job, despite EU foreign ministers arguing that it should be expanded. The American backed brief says “yes” to Palestinian institution building and economy, but “no” to a role in peace negotiations.

Indeed, if Mr Blair entertains the idea of gradually expanding his own mandate, and dreams about jump starting peace talks, he may find that Ms Rice is a no less formidable obstacle than the Israelis and Palestinians.

Among Palestinians, Mr Blair’s impending arrival is being greeted with a mixture of skepticism and anticipation.

But Palestinian politicians outside of Fatah, and even some Israelis, say such a policy is doomed to failure because it excludes the group chosen by the majority of Palestinians in the 2006 elections.

AbbasAbbas may be viewed as a wild card in this entire scenario. His power or influence over any part of the conflict may be suspect and the call for elections just one more attempt by a weak player to muster languishing support.

Abbas plans to call early elections, isolate Hamas
AP, RAMALLAH, WEST BANK
Friday, Jul 20, 2007
In a speech on Wednesday, Abbas asked the Palestine Central Council, a Palestinian Liberation Organization decision-making body, to endorse his call for elections that aides said would be designed to freeze Hamas out of the political arena.

Abbas’ aides said they expected the election by the end of the year or early next year. His announcement came as the US and other international mediators were moving swiftly to try to revive Mideast peace efforts.

HamasAnd no one should overlook the complications provided by the most suspected opposition to any peace in the region, none other than the President of Iran. A meeting between Iran, Syria and Hamas is nothing more than a strategy session of those opposing peace efforts in the Middle East.

Iran’s Ahmadinejad in Syria for talks with Assad, Hamas
19/07/2007 11:04 DAMASCUS, July 19 (AFP)
The fact that Ahmadinejad’s visit — his second to Damascus since becoming president in 2005 — comes so soon after Assad’s re-election will be seen as a clear sign of the value of the relationship to both sides.

The strength of their ties is viewed with the deepest suspicion in Washington, which blames Tehran and Damascus for much of the instability dogging the Middle East region.

Thinking of peaceThe classic mixture of opposing agendas by all involved in Middle East ‘relations’ are no more an optimistic forecast for resolving problems now than at any time in the past. No one should be hopeful this early in the recent moves to hold talks on peace in the Middle East or anywhere else on the planet.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

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George and Tony: One Last Time?

Posted in Bush, wordpress, America, Britain, Tony Blair on June 8th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

BushBlairGermanyG8june2007.jpg

President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom walk to the Grand Hotel after their meeting Thursday, June 7, 2007, in the Music Salon of the Kempinski Grand Hotel in Heiligendamm, Germany. Among the issues covered, the two leaders discussed AIDS, global warming and Darfur. White House photo by Eric Draper

GOP, Dems, Illegals and Iraq

Posted in Money Matters, Bush, Terrorism, Iraq, war, wordpress, Politics, campaign, election, McCain, GOP, Democrats, Rumsfeld, Immigration, Tancredo, Kennedy, Kyl, Clinton, Waxman, lobbyist, ethics, Afghanistan, Specter, U.N., United States, Law, Justice, Safety, Public, Sensenbrenner, obama, kerry, romney, Freedom, Cheney, Pelosi, Murtha, Hoyer, Feingold, Edwards, Foreign Affairs, Dingell, Grassley, Congress, Silvestre Reyes, Tony Blair, Border Control, Minimum Wage, Business, Gingrich, Hagel, Legislation, Military, David Obey, Colin Powell, Mitch McConnell, giuliani, durbin, Halliburton, Sen Dianne Feinstein on May 17th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Our TroopsThe extreme peaceniks and others expressing less venomous opposition to the Iraq war often begin their arguments with reference to inherent characteristics of war as their central theme. Aside from the obvious death and destruction that accompanies armed conflict, they stress the loss of troops and civilians as their largest concern. But they will never accept the fact that this same expression of opposition has prolonged the war in Iraq by strengthening the determination of the enemy. In other words, opposition prolonging the war shares responsibility for the death toll that the anti-war crowd views with such disdain. How’s that for irony?

Each day that politicians seek political cover on the war in Iraq from these same anti-war critics also causes more loss of life. A prudent and practical human being regardless of ideology would sacrifice their own selfish interest in favor of the valiant contributions by those actually at risk of death. To express the realities of politics is simply more rhetoric and of little consolation to those who shoulder the real burden. If you are not now nor have ever been in Iraq, shut the hell up and get this thing done so those who are can satisfy the demands of both sides of the issue by achieving victory in Iraq and coming home that much sooner.

Illegal ImmigrationTo a much less dramatic issue but with equal potential for serious injury to the United States is illegal immigration. The reason for addressing it at the same time as the Iraq war is the focus afforded these two issues will distract from attending to other matters until resolved. The sympathy argument for illegals is another ploy that compels politicians to seek political cover rather than face the reality that this is simply an economic or financial issue.

The open borders crowd claims that illegals are merely seeking a better life is really describing a better income. The business community’s scare tactics about economic disaster without illegals is really describing lower costs and higher profits by exploiting artificial wage competition. Trying to solve the world’s problems by eliminating border and immigration control only exacerbates the symtoms.

Not securing the borders or controlling immigration is a national security risk we cannot afford. Allowing amnesty for lawbreakers only encourages its continuation. Not enforcing existing laws is a violation of the oath of office of all or most elected and appointed officials in the executive branch. Both sides of the issue, again, can be satisfied by effective control and management of the flow of people in and out of this country. Conceding to the demands of selfish special interest is not an option. Common sense demands this issue be solved now. The guiding force should be the rule of law not the whim of personal preference.

As a personal note, if you truly believe open borders are a good thing, I suggest this. Leave all your locks unlocked 24/7 from now on. Then let us know how long it takes before you experience something really bad. It is nice to think the best of people but that does not suggest ignoring the worst. They invented security because both exist.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Congressional Democrats Negotiate With Bush Aides on Iraq

Congressional Democrats and President Bush’s aides meet again Thursday to negotiate on funding for the Iraq war.

Senators Work With White House to Craft Immigration Deal

Bipartisan group of senators and White House officials work to craft an immigration agreement.

Pelosi, Israel, RJC and NJDC

Posted in Israel, Bush, Terrorism, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Iraq, war, wordpress, Politics, GOP, Democrats, Religion, syria, Waxman, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Osama bin Laden, America, Russia, Britain, France, Iran, Hamas, Palestine, Africa, Pelosi, Murtha, Hoyer, Foreign Affairs, Congress, Islam, Muslim, Tony Blair, Abbas, Fatah, Colin Powell on April 13th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Muddle EastThe Middle East is quite the focal point of international politics. The main points of contention are rooted in religion and economics. Based on size and the fact that there are essentially two sides to the argument, Israel and any strong alliances they have are positioned on one side of the argument. Anyone with even a casual interest in the history of events in the region would be willing to agree that Israel is a small country surrounded by nations with opposing viewpoints in religion and economics as well as ideology and prejudices in general.

Israel is, of course, a Jewish nation surrounded by Muslim or largely Muslim nations. The differences between Israel and the surrounding nations can be characterized as being on opposite ends of a spectrum. And most people would probably agree that Israel’s neighbors have in common a strong desire for Israel to go away. Many alliances in the region have been altered with the passing of time and the distinction between allies and enemies has been blurred from time to time. The only exception appears to be Israel and the United States.

Some examples of altered relationships may be useful to consider. Prior to the undoing of the Shah of Iran in the seventies, the United States had a workable relationship with Iran. After the hostage crisis of 1979 and since, that relationship has ceased. Likewise when the former Soviet Union was in a war with Afghanistan during the cold war, Osama bin Laden and the Afghan ‘rebels’ were supported the the U.S. The United States was at one time friendly with the government of Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Obviously, things changed for Saddam. The cold war found the former Soviet Union and the United States typically on opposite ends of the spectrum with regard to relationships in the Middle East.

9-11These trends continued right up until and after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the announcement of the new war on terror. Some of the relationships based primarily on economic relationships were emphasized during the run up to the war in Iraq. Germany, France and Russia were at odds with the US at the UN not just on philosophical grounds or opposition to an impending war. Commencing a war in Iraq would disturb many ‘economic’ arrangements as well as obvious detriments and concerns.

Which brings us up to this year and the Wild West antics and politics of crazy times and trying to determine what’s next in the Middle East. The recent entrance of members of the United States Congress into matters of diplomacy has caused quite a stir and muddied the waters significantly. As if there wasn’t already enough confusion or actions offering contradictory evidence of positions, here are some more.

Just about the time we were reasonably convinced that the one constant in the Middle East was consensus among members of the Jewish community with the possible exception of Israeli politics, these headlines and stories appear.

Speaker Pelosi’s Statement in Damascus was Reckless, Irresponsible

Contact: Executive Director Matthew Brooks
Thursday, April 5, 2007, Washington, DC… The Republican Jewish Coalition issued this statement regarding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s statements following her meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday:

“The Speaker’s statements were reckless and irresponsible,” said RJC Executive Director Matthew Brooks. “Syria is a state sponsor of terrorism and an ally of Iran. Speaker Pelosi’s statement, ‘We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace,’ represents a softness and a weakness in foreign policy that hurts the United States and Israel.”

Actually, the article above from the RJC is what we would have expected as a response over Speaker Pelosi’s trip to the Middle East. And since this blog claims to be non-partisan and independent with a tendency to lean to the right or conservative viewpoint, this being also a ‘Republican’ Jewish Coalition was no surprise. However, the following statement was what started our head scratching.

NJDC Defends Speaker Pelosi from GOP Smear

April 10, 2007 - 9pmWASHINGTON – Today, the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) condemned the Republican Jewish Coalition’s (RJC) misguided television advertising campaign, which smears Speaker Pelosi’s recent Middle East trip. The RJC makes the ridiculous claim that Speaker Pelosi’s trip “weakened America’s security.”

“The notion that the Speaker’s trip to the Middle East had negative ramifications for American national security is laughable,” said NJDC Executive Director Ira Forman. “If RJC wants to do something productive for our national security, they should stand with the majority of Jewish Republicans, Independents and Democrats in opposing the administration’s failed Iraq policy.”

We may be guilty of a lax approach to staying informed about the Middle East. In our defense, the conflicts in the Middle East have appeared to us to be so simple and obvious as to their nature, the need for strict, formal and immense critical research seemed unnecessary. Our consensus was no one was really interested in solving the problems so they will not be solved without opposing ideologies making mutual concessions.

After tripping over the articles already presented here, we found the following:

Pelosi’s father and the Holocaust


When Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, stepped to the podium at a Knesset dinner during her visit earlier this month, she made history in more ways than one.
Not only was she the first woman Speaker of the House to address Israel’s lawmakers, Pelosi was also addressing the parliament of a country whose creation her own father championed, at the risk of his career - and perhaps her career, as well.

Speaker Pelosi’s father, the late US congressman Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr., of Maryland, was known as a Roosevelt Democrat. What is not widely known is that D’Alesandro broke ranks with president Franklin D. Roosevelt on the issues of rescuing Jews from Hitler and creating a Jewish State.

Is someone trying to say that Speaker Pelosi’s disregard for established protocol is a genetic flaw? We could accept that but it still does not provide an excuse for her behavior regardless of motive. Here are some more enlightening excerpts from other reports.

Pelosi stand on the war in Iraq bothers Israel lobby
But House speaker insists U.S. commitment to security of Jewish state is unshakable
Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Wednesday, March 14, 2007

(03-14) 04:00 PDT Washington — Speaker Nancy Pelosi is widely recognized as a strong, second-generation supporter of Israel, but the scattered boos she heard during an appearance before the Israel lobby’s most committed activists highlighted their conflicting emotions over the war in Iraq.

With the first two articles presented, this one just muddies that water a little more. But the following excerpt gives some understandable insight of Nancy Pelosi simply being a political animal afflicted with typical ambitions for power and influence of a arrogant, wealthy, misguided, selfish politician and nothing more.

To adapt, she will have to understand that today’s opponent could be tomorrow’s ally. Few in Congress have such a memory for slights and betrayals. She still bristles at the fact that when she first went to Washington, many in the Democratic establishment didn’t take her seriously and opposed her march up the leadership. As she told Time earlier this year, “They couldn’t control me, so they tried to take me down.” When her former House colleague Martin Frost was running to head the Democratic National Committee after the 2004 elections, she lobbied against him with a determination that all sides attributed to Frost’s challenging her for Democratic leader two years before. Asked about those conflicts, Pelosi refused to discuss them specifically but said, “Anybody who’s ever dealt with me knows not to mess with me.”

That first whip race intensified her rivalry with Hoyer and also cemented her bond with Murtha, who managed her campaign. Not only did he get her the votes to win that job but his support also made it possible for other old bulls in the House to begin to imagine a woman rising to the top

But Pelosi has also found a way to make her gender a weapon in political combat

All that raised a lot of new questions about Pelosi herself—about her judgment, her political instincts and her real ideology. Was her endorsement of longtime ally John Murtha over Hoyer a testament to her loyalty or proof that she is incapable of letting go of old grudges? Was putting her muscle behind the hero of the party’s antiwar wing a sign that she would steer her fractious and fragile coalition over the guardrails on the left? Did her support for a man who is notorious for slipping special-interest earmarks into spending bills prove that she didn’t really mean all that talk about cleaning up Congress? In other words, was Nancy Pelosi really up to the job?

If it is to be attributed to her father’s influence then maybe not all about him is flowery and innocent. The next reference is the bio presented at house.gov and is also used by Infoplease offering the dry facts. That is followed by a report of an insight into Nancy Pelosi’s father and his less displayed political philosophy.

D’ALESANDRO, Thomas, Jr., (father of Nancy Pelosi), a Representative from Maryland; born in Baltimore, Md., August 1, 1903; attended the parochial schools and Calvert Business College, Baltimore, Md.; engaged in the brokerage and insurance business in Baltimore, Md.; member of the State house of delegates in 1926-1933; general deputy collector of internal revenue in 1933 and 1934; member of the Baltimore City Council 1935-1938; delegate to each Democratic National Convention from 1944 to 1968; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-sixth and to the four succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1939, until his resignation on May 16, 1947; mayor of Baltimore, Md., from May 1947 to May 1959; defeated for renomination in the March primary election; unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate in 1958; appointed by President Kennedy to the Federal Renegotiation Board, 1961-1969; insurance and real estate broker; was a resident of Baltimore, Md. until his death there August 23, 1987.
Tommyrot in Baltimore
Monday, Nov. 18, 1957
Baltimore’s newspapers went on a rampage last week against a startling proposal by Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro Jr.: special taxes on advertising revenue, their main source of income. No other U.S. city, however hard up, has tried to raise cash by threatening the economic wellsprings of the press.

This ends our sad belief that dirty politics claimed as anything else are still dirty politics and the likelihood of a solution for the conflict in the Middle East in our lifetimes is remote. If you would like to present arguments or alternative opinions, fact, anecdotes or whatever in the comments, knock yourself out. Thanks for reading.
Stanford Matthews
with assistance from C. Harris
and the staff at MoreWhat.com

Trackposted to The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson’s Website, Is It Just Me?, Adam’s Blog, basil’s blog, Stuck On Stupid, Cao’s Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Jo’s Cafe, Conservative Thoughts, Allie Is Wired, Faultline USA, third world county, stikNstein… has no mercy, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Gone Hollywood, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Iran vs Britain?

Posted in Bush, Terrorism, Iraq, war, wordpress, Afghanistan, Britain, Iran, Islam, Tony Blair, Military on March 31st, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Blair and BushI read a post at the Blue Star Chronicles that in my estimation was possibly a little harsh on Britain for their response so far to Iran capturing 15 members of their Navy and Marine forces in a dispute over whether or not they were in Iranian waters when apprehended.

I resisted posting a comment at the time in favor of contemplating the situation longer in hopes of presenting a better response than is usually available with a knee jerk reaction. I am quite favorably impressed with Britain over these many years as relates to their government’s support of our government. Most notably this impression has its roots in the Reagan and Thatcher years of the eighties. And it continued with President Bush 43 and PM Tony Blair.

911With the recent report of a sort of survey of other countries and their respective attitudes toward the US, I only remember an unqualified support from Poland and possibly Britain was on the list. In any event, while I still feel it is premature to bash Britain over their handling of the current Iran problem, this report from VOA News only serves to delay reevaluating my opinion as there appears to be no concrete evidence that they are truly buckling to this expected intimidation from Iran.

And considering the results lately in this country as regards our so-called Congressional leadership and Iraq, etc., I do not know that we should feel so comfortable in our own response as a nation in terms of foreign affairs and national defense and security.

Stanford Matthews
MoerWhat.com

Britain Calls for Peaceful, Quick Resolution to Crisis with Iran


31 March 2007 Britain’s foreign secretary says London wants the crisis over Tehran’s seizure of 15 British naval personnel resolved peacefully and as soon as possible.

Speaking on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Germany Saturday, Margaret Beckett said Britain wants to be told where the sailors and marines are being held and given access to them.

In London, British officials say they have responded to a letter received from Iran Thursday concerning the incident. They did not reveal the contents of the letter, which is believed to be the first written communication between the two nations since the crisis began March 23.

Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow has denied he said the British personnel could be placed on trial for entering Iranian waters. Gholam-Reza Ansari told Iran’s official news agency that Tehran had begun a legal investigation into the incident, but his comments on Russian television Friday had been poorly translated.

Earlier reports quoted Ansari as saying it was possible the British personnel could be punished if convicted for illegally entering Iranian waters.

Britain says the naval personnel were in Iraqi waters when they were overwhelmed by a larger force from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Tehran says they illegally entered Iranian waters when they were picked up in the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway between Iran and Iraq.

The United Nations Security Council has expressed “grave concern” about the detention, and called for an early resolution to the standoff.

Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.

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News Brief: Tony Blair, What’s ‘the Next Phase’?

Posted in Terrorism, Iraq, wordpress, Afghanistan, Britain, Iran, Tony Blair, Military on March 27th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Tony Blair, one of the good guysWas Iran just not thinking when they captured the 8 sailors and 7 marines, one of whom is a woman? Or is everything from them a knee-jerk reaction and they don’t know how to handle this one? At a time when Britain was ratcheting down there published involvement in the Iraq conflict seems a particularly poor time to risk annoying them. Whatever Tony Blair does, he has no reason to worry about re-election. And this piece from Times Online may be the first subtle warning of things to come. Perhaps Mr. Blair is providing the new millennium version of ‘go ahead, make my day.’ So go ahead Iran, play the punk.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

PM warns of ‘different phase’ in Iran crisis

Iran must obey international law and release 15 British military personnel or face the consequences, says Tony Blair

“What we are trying to do at the moment is to pursue this through the diplomatic channels and make the Iranian government understand these people have to be released and that there is absolutely no justification whatever for holding them. I hope we manage to get them to realise they have to release them. If not, then this will move into a different phase.”

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Tony Blair on Iran

Posted in Bush, wordpress, Iran, Opinion, Foreign Affairs, Tony Blair on February 28th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Tony BlairOnly expected to be in office until some time this summer, but you at least have to give Tony Blair credit for consistency. A case can be made that Tony Blair was treated differently in matters of international politics than Margaret Thatcher. Reagan and Thatcher were the international tag team of the eighties. Like most, not everything they did was correct. But the outcomes usually were.

Tony Blair and George Bush have been criticized considerably more and their efforts were not that different. With the exception that Reagan’s cowboy attitude was never referred to that way. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall” sounds much different than ‘The United States prefers that Iraq meet its obligations voluntarily, yet we are prepared for the alternative.’

C. Harris
MoreWhat.com

Blair calls for ‘tough action’ against Iran

International Herald Tribune
AP. LONDON: Tehran is making a “big miscalculation” by refusing to suspend its nuclear enrichment program, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain said Tuesday, and he urged the international community to take “tough, clear and unified” action by …


Will Senator Harry Reid Cut and Run?

Posted in Israel, Bush, Terrorism, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Iraq, war, wordpress, Politics, Sean Hannity, Lieberman, Biden, McCain, Democrats, Rumsfeld, Tancredo, Religion, liberal, blog, News Media, Kennedy, Clinton, syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Osama bin Laden, Specter, North Korea, Nuke, U.N., United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Iran, Hamas, Palestine, obama, hillary, kerry, romney, Freedom, Africa, Pelosi, Murtha, Hoyer, Reid, Edwards, Foreign Affairs, Byrd, Grassley, Congress, Silvestre Reyes, Islam, Muslim, Tony Blair, Abbas, Fatah, Hagel, Legislation, Military, Carl Levin, Putin, Mitch McConnell, Kim Jong il, Australia, durbin on February 24th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Sen Harry Reid If the previous post does not show you that Senator Harry Reid is a contradction then understand he said they would not cut and run in Iraq or raise taxes. Right at the moment the tax thing is secondary. He said they would not cut and run. Senator Reid would you kindly explain the report below if you are not planning on cut and run?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

US Senate Democrats Draft Plan to Revise Military’s Iraq Mission
By VOA News
23 February 2007

Democratic Party leaders in the U.S. Senate are working on legislation that would effectively revoke the 2002 resolution authorizing military action against Iraq.

Senate Democratic aides say the proposal, which is not expected to be adopted, would limit the U.S. military’s mission to training Iraqi troops and police forces, securing the country’s borders and combating terrorist forces. Regular combat forces would be withdrawn by next year.

The proposal, drafted by Senator Carl Levin, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and Joseph Biden, who chairs the Foreign Relations panel is set to be presented to other Democratic senators next week.

If accepted, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would likely attach the proposal to an anti-terrorism bill. If passed by the Senate, which is not likely, the revised authorization would also have to be passed by the House and would be subject to a veto by President Bush.

Democrats and the independents aligned with them hold a slim 51 to 49 majority in the Senate, but hold a more comfortable majority in the House of Representatives.

The 2002 resolution gave President Bush authorization to take military action against Iraq, because of its alleged arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. In a speech last week, Biden said the original resolution is now irrelevant because the WMD program did not exist, and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is “no longer there.”

The bill is the latest effort by Senate Democrats to challenge President Bush on his Iraq policy. A vote on a non-binding resolution criticizing Mr. Bush’s plan to deploy an additional 21,000 troops to Iraq failed in the Senate, but was passed in the House last week.

Meanwhile, Democrats in the House of Representatives are considering a proposal by lawmaker Jack Murtha that would link funding of the U.S. military mission in Iraq to strict conditions on troop readiness and training standards.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Right Nation, Leaning Straight Up, Maggie’s Notebook, and basil’s blog, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Tony Blair

Posted in Terrorism, Iraq, war, wordpress, liberal, Afghanistan, U.N., Foreign Affairs, Islam, Muslim, Tony Blair, Military on February 23rd, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

Tony Blair Hey Tony, thanks for all the help.  Watch out with that Gore thing.  You might get MoreWhat you were getting while helping out the US.  They claim your replacement in government will not be as friendly toward the US.  Why would that happen?
MoreWhat.com staff

Blair Plots His Next Step
Soon to Be Out of Office, British PM Will Follow Al Gore’s Lead in Spearheading Environmental Efforts

Seventeen Republicans and H Con Res 63

Posted in Israel, Bush, Terrorism, Iraq, war, wordpress, Lieberman, GOP, syria, lobbyist, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Osama bin Laden, North Korea, U.N., United States, Iran, Palestine, Freedom, Africa, Murtha, Hoyer, Foreign Affairs, Congress, Islam, Muslim, Tony Blair, Hagel, Legislation, Military, Kim Jong il on February 17th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

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How does H Con Res 63 affect real security, protecting America and
restoring our leadership in the world? It doesn’t. (Stanford Matthews)
Seventeen Republicans joined Democrats in Voting Yes on H Con Res 63
The names link to their information on Project Vote Smart (more on this later)

Representative Michael N. Castle District At-Large - US-House (R-DE)
Representative Howard Coble District 6 - US-House (R-NC)
Representative Thomas M. ‘Tom’ Davis District 11 - US-House (R-VA)
Representative John J. Duncan District 2 - US-House (R-TN)
Representative Philip ‘Phil’ English District 3 - US-House (R-PA)
Representative Wayne T. Gilchrest District 1 - US-House (R-MD)
Representative Bob Inglis District 4 - US-House (R-SC)
Representative Timothy V. ‘Tim’ Johnson District 15 - US-House (R-IL)
Representative Walter Beaman Jones District 3 - US-House (R-NC)
Representative Ric Keller District 8 - US-House (R-FL)
Representative Mark Steven Kirk District 10 - US-House (R-IL)
Representative Steven C. LaTourette District 14 - US-House (R-OH)
Representative Ronald E. ‘Ron’ Paul District 14 - US-House (R-TX)
Representative Thomas E. ‘Tom’ Petri District 6 - US-House (R-WI)
Representative James M. ‘Jim’ Ramstad District 3 - US-House (R-MN)
Representative Frederick Stephen ‘Fred’ Upton District 6 - US-House (R-MI)
Representative James T. ‘Jim’ Walsh District 25 - US-House (R-NY)

Church and State OTA weekend Feb 16-18, 2007 

George and Tony

Posted in Bush, Terrorism, Iraq, war, Afghanistan, Tony Blair on January 12th, 2007 by Stanford Matthews

He’s blown it for Blair, again

Guardian Unlimited, UK
Even if it succeeds, Bush’s announcement is another humiliation for Tony Blair’s Iraq policy. Bush said almost nothing about the regional diplomacy that …

Bush takes the blame for Iraq
U.TV

Bush admits mistakes in Iraq
The Herald

bushblair.jpgA few headlines from elsewhere on the planet provide expected responses on President Bush’s address on Iraq Wednesday night. The comment at the Guardian, although reasonable, seems to avoid the part that Tony Blair, like any national leader, must make decisions that have no guarantee of success. Both Bush and Blair had an opportunity to think this through and choose other strategies. How do you determine if Blair was in a squeeze play on whether to join Bush in the Iraq campaign? Most Americans probably view Tony Blair in a positive light. From past reports, it appears correct to say that is not the same with UK citizens view of President Bush.

Stanford Matthews
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Muddle East Dec 19

Posted in Israel, Bush, Britain, Hamas, Palestine, Tony Blair, Abbas, Fatah on December 20th, 2006 by Stanford Matthews

Middle East

Blair makes one last push in Middle East with….

Sacks of MoneyGuardian Unlimited, UK - 1 hour ago
Tony Blair yesterday proposed a controversial plan to bolster Mahmoud Abbas in his escalating battle against Hamas by funnelling millions of pounds in aid …

That’s the ticket, Tony. Go get those people some good old-fashioned money. That will win at least something for a while or longer.

…left-wing parties to present initiative to end Fatah …

PFLPPeople’s Daily Online, China - 1 hour ago
Palestinian leftist parties were preparing a national initiative to end the political crisis and unrest following the clashes between supporters of the …

The DFLP and PFLP would be wise to use intelligent methods to find solutions. For all the militants in the Middle East it would make sense if they realized how little benefit they get from the actions that don’t make sense. Blowing things up and shooting people or any of the many tragedies that take place, haven’t produced success even briefly.

Only an end to sanctions can halt …. crisis

leftGuardian Unlimited, UK - 1 hour ago
As Hamas and Fatah supporters took to the streets to protest at or support Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to call for early presidential elections, congratulatory …

No jobs, no money, no paycheck should be something everyone can understand as a problem. For many who have nothing to do with the idealogical or political strife, just getting paid would be an improvement. We sometimes forget that conflicts half way around the world also involve ordinary people just trying to survive.

Blair backs Abbas plan amid Gaza violence

BlairIndependent, UK - 1 hour ago
By Donald Macintyre in Ramallah. Tony Blair launched an effort yesterday to secure international backing for the Palestinian President’s …

Imagine that, Israel has owed Palestine $65MM per month and that is part of Blairs’ idea for making things right.
Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Abbas

Muddle East from Dec. 18th, #3

Posted in Israel, Bush, United States, Britain, Hamas, Palestine, Tony Blair, Abbas, Fatah on December 20th, 2006 by Stanford Matthews

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This is the third post and these items are from the 18th

US tentatively endorses Abbas call for new.. elections

AbbasInternational Herald Tribune, France - 2 hours ago
AP. WASHINGTON: The United States tentatively endorsed on Monday a call for early elections by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, a …

What a pickle to be in. The US would like Hamas to go away. So would the Israelis. Just from the standpoint of keeping your job, Abbas would probably like them to go away so he can make nice to deeper pockets. Probably help to get the sanctions removed and if someone working in Palestine ( like that happens much) can get paid some of the violence would subside. But that is not a subtle or tactful way to get rid of a recently elected groups of people. Maybe Al Gore and John Kerry should have tried that.

US endorses Abbas’ call for early elections

President BushJerusalem Post, Israel - 2 hours ago
By AP. The United States tentatively endorsed on Monday a call for early elections by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas …

After you test the water with the whimpy tentative endorsement, it is time to really approve of the tactic. It is getting so bad now that world political types don’t even try to appear subtle, honest or diplomatic. Maybe everyone is trying the cowboy George approach. They don’t realize the only reason GeeDubya uses that approach is his vocabulary is not a good fit for dip;omacy. Actually, Bush asking Congress for something is enough to make anything tentative, especially with a newly elected Democratic majority. Bush doesn’t realize they’ll do almost anything to avoid a fight.

US Backs Early Palestinian Elections

ABC News - 59 minutes ago
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen speaks during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the West Bank …

ABC doesn’t like the word tentative. That must be it because it reads a lot like the other news fodder. But removing the word tentative makes it sound better and we can follow with…….

……this
Oh ya, if we can get Tony Blair to go along with this it’s a done deal. No more waiting on the sidelines. Maybe Tony really started this and the US waited to see how they like Tony’s approach, not so much the cowboy, or cowgirl if Conde Rice is representing America.

Arab FMs may hold emergency meeting on …. crisis

Amr Moussa10People’s Daily Online, China - 1 hour ago
Arab foreign ministers may hold an emergency meeting to seek an end to the conflicting situation in the Palestinian territories, Egypt’s official MENA news …

Now you know it’s serious. If the Arab FM’s hold a meeting and it’s not about oil, there is real fear of things changing in a way that threatens the sheiks. Heads may roll and not in the symbolic sense. The laundry expense will increase this week. (a little update: they called it off after talking to Abbas…..hmmmm)

Gunfights shatter ceasefire…. Blair urges world to back …

BlairScotsman, United Kingdom - 1 hour ago
GUNBATTLES and kidnappings shook Gaza yesterday despite a ceasefire declaration by Hamas and Fatah, while Tony Blair called on the international community to …

Can’t have the US pay for everything…… or can they. More in the next post. All items from the 18th.
Stanford Matthews
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Muddle East Part Dieux

Posted in Israel, Terrorism, U.N., United States, Britain, Hamas, Palestine, Tony Blair, Abbas on December 19th, 2006 by Stanford Matthews

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A Counterproductive US Advice to Palestinians

Asian Tribune, Thailand - 4 hours ago
By Nicola Nasser. Regardless of good will or bad faith, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to go without national consensus …

Secret BallotThe take on current Middle East politics from one Asian news account contends the Abbas early election plan simply conforms to a US-Israeli plan to push Hamas aside in Palestinian affairs. Wouldn’t Vegas call that long shot odds unless someone fixes the election. That’s what happens when you let people carry on about Bush stealing the election from Gore and Kerry. Right away, every time the US is near an election, people think it’s fixed. But, by their own account, they are not an organization but some kind of force for change in Asia. Whatever. Then how did they show up in a news search. That’s right, blogs are in the searches now too. Haven’t seen Blog @ MoreWhat.com there yet.

Abbas’ election call escalates tension with Hamas

Bangkok Post, Thailand - 4 hours ago
By DEAN YATES. Jerusalem _ President Mahmoud Abbas’ call for early elections may have scuppered any chance of compromise with the …

See, another Asian report and now they’re blaming increased tension on the call for an early election. They probably think the US and Israel will fix the election. As long as the Middle East has had conflict, they may be running out of excuses to continue fighting. So blame the US and Israel since everyone knows the Us will back Israel right or wrong.

Officials working to shore up tottering Gaza truce (Roundup)

HamasMonsters and Critics.com, UK - 3 hours ago
Palestinian security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas take up position around their camps in Gaza City 18 December 2006. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER. …

This might more accurately read, some of the militants and other armed individuals could be trying to keep things from getting outta hand. A huge guess might be this is an empty gesture to minimize attaching blame to one group or another. This region has been flogging itself for so long they fight at the drop of a hat. When any attempt at peace appears to have a chance some moron straps on a bomb and explodes in a crowd. Maybe this dysfunctional behavior becomes the norm if allowed to continue long enough. Is this worse than Northern Ireland?

West may be too late to save weakened Abbas

FlagInternational Herald Tribune, France - 3 hours ago
By Steven Erlanger. JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain dropped by Ramallah on Monday to show his support for the Palestinian …

It just wouldn’t be right without France chiming in. Next headline.

Abbas stands firm on vote plan amid shaky ceasefire

Gulf News, United Arab Emirates - 4 hours ago
Ramallah, West Bank: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday said he would press on with early elections as a truce between his security forces and the …

Sanctions, unemployment, poverty and political basketball may have given Abbas few options. The election strategy may be a little too transparent.

This is kind of a chronology, as best we can, given the order of news reports. Will pick up here, with a bit more on the election part of the story and to the other reports.

Stanford Matthews
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