The Washington Post has an article today finally solving the riddle of who was driving the tank in his historic picture of Tiananmen Square.   
According to Washington Post columnist, Bill Minutaglio, the driver of the tank in the famous Tiananmen Square picture was Thomas Jefferson;  yes, that Thomas Jefferson.
(Washington Post)   […]  To find the very roots of the tea party of 2013, just go back to downtown Dallas in 1963,   back to the months and weeks leading to the Kennedy assassination. It was where and when a deeply angry political polarization, driven by a band of zealots, burst wide open in America.
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(Via Heritage)   Last week’s closed-door testimony by five CIA operatives who witnessed the attack on the U.S. special mission in Benghazi has finally created an opening for the congressional investigating committees.

The five CIA contractors, who testified in closed-door hearings before the House Intelligence Committee Thursday and Friday, were stationed at the “CIA annex” in Benghazi, about one mile from the U.S. special diplomatic mission. This was the facility that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tasked Ambassador Chris Stevens to turn into a permanent consulate, even though security staff there was totally inadequate. (more…)

It’s bad enough to know confirmation exists of Al Shabbab Islamic terrorists having crossed the U.S. Mexico border;  but to know we are allowing immigration through traditional processes is, well, beyond alarming.

Several dozen suspected terrorist bombmakers, including some believed to have targeted American troops, may have mistakenly been allowed to move to the United States as war refugees, according to FBI agents investigating the remnants of roadside bombs recovered from Iraq and Afghanistan. 

(Via ABC News)  Two al Qaeda-Iraq terrorists were discovered living as refugees in Kentucky in 2009. The men later admitted in court that they’d attacked U.S. soldiers in Iraq, ABC News reported.
The investigation showed that Waad Ramadan Alwan was mistakenly allowed to resettle in Bowling Green, home to Western Kentucky University and very close to the Army’s Fort Knox and Fort Campbell. (more…)

Back in August the New York Times reported a national energy “Grid Test” was scheduled for November called “Grid Ex II”.      The pdf outlining the test has been removed/disabled (?).   Can anyone confirm this is going to happen Wednesday the 13th?   The Day after tomorrow.
WASHINGTON — [August 16] The electric grid, as government and private experts describe it, is the glass jaw of American industry. If an adversary lands a knockout blow, they fear, it could black out vast areas of the continent for weeks; interrupt supplies of water, gasoline, diesel fuel and fresh food; shut down communications; and create disruptions of a scale that was only hinted at by Hurricane Sandy and the attacks of Sept. 11.
This is why thousands of utility workers, business executives, National Guard officers, F.B.I. antiterrorism experts and officials from government agencies in the United States, Canada and Mexico are preparing for an emergency drill in November that will simulate physical attacks and cyber attacks that could take down large sections of the power grid. (more…)

John Kerry says that “President Obama has prosecuted al-Qaeda with unprecedented intensity”.   I swear; he did, he said that – we have video to prove.
Yet, al Nusra Front (aka al-Qaeda in Syria) are now considered on “our team”, and Kerry says they are the “best fighters”.   In Afghanistan, at Obama’s behest, we are now negotiating with Taliban (aka. al-Qaeda in Afghanistan).  And lest we forget Benghazi, Libya, and our dead Ambassador, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans, where not a single al-Qaeda terrorist has been held to account.
…. President Obama is prosecuting al-Qaeda?   Uh-huh.   And Chris Christie is “Conservative”.   Gotcha.

Someone tell me what exactly is the U.S. value, or interest, in this Obama-doctrine again?   Concessions for Iran and Disparagement for Israel ?    Seriously.

GENEVA – On the eve of a new round of nuclear talks between Iran and the six world powers, a U.S. official said Wednesday that the powers want Iran to halt its nuclear program for six months in exchange for temporary sanctions relief.
The American official added that imposing any new sanctions on Iran at this stage would seriously undermine the negotiations.
During the three weeks since the last round of talks in Geneva, Iranian experts have been meeting in Vienna with counterparts from the six powers – the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany – to discuss the technical aspects of this first step, including how Iran’s nuclear program will be suspended and which sanctions would be eased.  (read the update)

Meanwhile: (more…)

There is a particular poignancy with Lara Logan doing this story after all she went through in Egypt. Her report essentially vindicates all that Fox News has previously outlined. How will a spiteful White House respond?

You have probably seen multiple written accounts, stories and publish articles, recently about a growing international backlash.   This stems from revelations that under the specific direction of President Obama  the NSA (National Security Agency) has been spying upon a growing contingent of international leaders. 
Our allies are furious with the NSA for spying on them and their respective leaders.   Consequently U.S. credibility and trust has been deconstructed.
Indeed, by recent count the list of Allied Western nations rising in open opposition to President Obama, and his administration, stands around 35.  That’s THIRTY FIVE.
It is against that bold and visible backdrop we wish to draw back your attention.

In July of 2012, during his Term-two presidential bid, President Obama gave a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Reno, Nevada. His speech was specifically constructed to outline his accomplishments:

“Because we’re leading around the world, people have a new attitude toward America.” “There’s more confidence in our leadership. We see it everywhere we go.”
– Barack Obama July 2012

At the time many of us just about fell out of our seats. With quick dispatch, and working purely from immediate memory, we outlined the following:

[2012]  There are many administration claims that I shake my head when I hear, but this one is perhaps the worst. It is a complete and utter fallacy to proclaim President Obama’s foreign policy has been even remotely successful. This is just freestyle off the top of my head, but consider: (more…)

Update – @05:45 (EST) Western media reporting he has been released.  Apparently the faction of Islamist militia who kidnapped the PM  came under heavy pressure from other militias who saw a backlash risk to themselves.
Overnight – – This is a breaking story…. I’m scrambling for details.     Hey Hillary/Obama… your “Rebels” eh?    Retaliation for the prior weekend arrest of al-Qaeda operative Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai ?   Looks like it….
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was snatched by gunmen before dawn Thursday from a Tripoli hotel where he resides, the government said. The abduction appeared to be in retaliation for the U.S. special forces raid over the weekend that seized a Libyan al-Qaeda suspect from the streets of the capital.
Zeidan’s abduction reflected the weakness of Libya’s government, which is virtually held hostage by powerful militias, many of which are made up of Islamic militants. Militants were angered by the U.S. capture of the suspected militant, known as Abu Anas al-Libi, and accused the government of colluding in or allowing the raid.
In a sign of Libya’s chaos, Zeidan’s seizure was depicted by various sources as either an “arrest” or an abduction.
That is because the militias are interwoven in Libya’s fragmented power structure. With the police and army in disarray, many are enlisted to serve in state security agencies, though their loyalty is more to their own commanders than to government officials and they have often intimidated or threatened officials. The militias are rooted in the brigades that fought in the uprising that toppled autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, and are often referred to as “revolutionaries.” (more…)