The Obama administration’s official position on the Egypt uprising has been changing almost daily Flexibility can be advantageous in international relations, but there comes a time when it starts to look like dithering. So it is in the US, where the official position on the Egypt uprising has been changing almost daily. The Obama administration’s immediate response was to back the president, Hosni Mubarak, to the dismay of the protesters. Joe Biden, the vice-president, insisted on 27 January that Mubarak was not a dictator. By last Tuesday that position was reversed. Obama abandoned Mubarak an hour after the Egyptian president said he would remain in office until September, saying it would be better if the transition process began “now”. That was the message on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, the US envoy to Egypt, Frank Wisner, told a defence conference in Munich that Mubarak should be allowed to stay in office during the transition process: “I believe that President Mubarak’s continued leadership is critical.” The US state department distanced itself from this, saying Wisner was speaking on his own behalf. Today, the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, said America would adopt a wait-and-see approach to the involvement in talks of the Muslim Brotherhood, despite harbouring deep suspicions about the opposition movement. She was speaking a day after she aligned the US with the Egyptian vice-president, Omar Suleiman, whom she backs to lead the transition from dictatorship to free and fair elections – in an apparent move to sideline Mubarak. Obama suporters, in a series of interviews today, said the seemingly abrupt policy changes were needed to allow Mubarak to exit with dignity. Opponents argued they reflect uncertainty at the heart of an Obama administration. Egypt Middle East Barack Obama Hillary Clinton United States Ewen MacAskill guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …A shooting at a fraternity house killed one student and injured 11 people, including six students, just north of the Youngstown State University campus, authorities say. The shooting happened during a party early today and no arrests have been made, but police say they have at least one suspect. The…
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The Muslim Brotherhood joined talks with Omar Suleiman, the newly appointed Egyptian vice-president, on Sunday, but said that it had little trust in the government following through on promised reforms. Meanwhile, over a million protesters flooded Cairo’s Tahrir Square, observing a “Day of the Marytrs”, with both Muslims and Christians offering prayers for those who have died since protests began on January 25. Hundreds of thousands also protested in the cities of Alexandria and Mansoura. Al Jazeera’s Emike Umolu has more.
Continue reading …Senate Dems Push Back at McConnell’s Assertion That Only Democrats are Talking About Government Shutdown
February 6, 2011 No CommentLooks like the Senate Democrats are pushing back at Mitch McConnell for making the ridiculous statement that only the Democrats are talking about their hostage taking and the continued threats of shutting down the government. Apparently old Mitch has forgotten that things like recording devices and transcripts exist and that we can go back and check them. Here’s more from TPM — Dems To McConnell: What About All Those Republicans Talking About A Government Shutdown! (VIDEO) : Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says the only people talking about shutting down the government are a handful of Democrats. So, Dems are asking, what about all those Republicans who’ve threatened a shutdown? They’re rounding up examples, and have put a few together in the below video. And, of course, there’s no shortage of examples, particularly from House Republicans for which there’s no audio or video record. Read on…
Continue reading …Despite the often bitter rivalry between the White House and Fox News, Bill O’Reilly’s pre-Super Bowl interview today with President Obama could be a win for both. It will be Obama’s first sit-down with O’Reilly—Fox News’ highest-rated host—as president. But the two have met before, and if that…
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NASA says seeing the whole sun front and back simultaneously will enable significant advances in space weather forecasting for Earth, and improve planning for future robotic or crewed spacecraft missions throughout the solar system. (Feb. 6)
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Two Americans accused of spying appeared in a closed-door Iranian court session to begin trial after an 18-month detention that has brought impassioned family appeals, a stunning bail deal to free their companion and backdoor diplomatic outreach. (Feb. 6)
Continue reading …Alan Simpson, the deficit commission co-chair famous for ever-so-subtly calling Social Security “a milk cow with 310 million tits,” was back on the teevee today calling for serious cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, the aforementioned milk cow, and defense, reports the Huffington Post. Some highlights from his comments: “We’re going to…
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Just a few hours before kickoff, director Jon Favreau has gone ahead and posted the Super Bowl commercial for Cowboys and Aliens which will air at the end of the first quarter. The film, directed by Favreau, stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde and will be released July 29. Check out the commercial, which features a ton of new footage, after the jump. Thanks to the Los Angeles Times [1]for… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : /Film Discovery Date : 06/02/2011 20:15 Number of articles : 3
Continue reading …Max Blumenthal being confronted by Andrew Breitbart and Hannah Gilles at CPAC 2010. Oh those charming conservatives at their convention… despite many establishment conservative groups boycotting CPAC this year because of the invitation extended to gay Republican group GOProud , I think the agenda published for the 2011 CPAC convention shows exactly where there priorities are…and aren’t. * 12:00 Getting Started In Hollywood – Room 8216 Sponsored by: Bank of Kev Productions (2 hours) * 7:00 Liberty Fest (Music & Comedy) – Virginia Ballroom Sponsored by BigDawg Music Mafia (2 hours) Featuring: Victoria Jackson, Lisa Mei, Chris Cassone, Sherry Marquelle, Norm Cady, Bobby Powers & Party Time, Robert Mansfield, Hi Caliber, Eric Golub, & Brian Futch * 12:15 Engaging America through Conservative Pop Culture – Marshall Ballroom Stephen Baldwin, Actor CONFIRMED Kevin McCullough, Xtreme Media CONFIRMED Stephen Kruiser, Pajamas Media CONFIRMED Jason Mattera, Human Events CONFIRMED Moderator: Lisa Norton, Big Dawg Music Mafia CONFIRMED * 2:00 NRA University – Virginia Ballroom Sponsored by The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (1.5 hours) * 3:00 The Ground Zero Mosque: The Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks – Maryland Ballroom Sponsored by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (1.5 hours) Speakers: Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer, 9/11 Family Members, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and Daisy Khan (invited), plus a special screening of a trailer for the new AFDI documentary, The Ground Zero Mosque: The Second Wave of the 9/11 * * 9:00 Lawlessness, Racialism and Terror at Obama’s Department of Justice – Marshall Ballroom Hans von Spakovsky, The Heritage Foundation CONFIRMED Andrew McCarthy, National Review CONFIRMED Christian Adams, Election Lawyer CONFIRMED Moderator: Quin Hillyer, The Washington Times CONFIRMED * * 12:15 The Sharia Challenge in the West – Marshall Ballroom Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of Infidel and Nomad CONFIRMED Hon. Jim Woolsey, former CIA Director CONFIRMED Andrew McCarthy, National Review CONFIRMED Moderator: Cliff May, Foundation for Defense of Democracies CONFIRMED Victoria Jackson AND Stephen Baldwin??? Wow. That’s some big-time Z-list talent. But what’s equally notable is what’s NOT on the agenda. Not to put too fine a point on it, but where the hell are the jobs? Maybe that “How to make it in Hollywood” lecture is their version of addressing the high unemployment rate…
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