Fun in Egypt

US support for democracy/military dictatorship appears to have has struck a reef in Egypt, the government there stopped some US citizens from leaving the country, following raids on their organizations in Egypt.

The International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute are what in the usual parlance are called NGOs (non-governmental organizations) but are really what used to be called a den of spies, agents of a foreign power that subvert or support governments upon instructions from their masters.

Letting these agents do their will is now a condition for continued US aid to Egypt, worth around $1.3bn, or so says President Drone. What the clowns in the administration (and the NY Times) seem to forget is that the main reason for the aid is not to allow the US to pick and choose the rulers of Egypt, but to maintain the Egypt/Israel peace treaty.

So before Obama starts cutting off aid, he'll probably get a call from Bibi Netanyahu, telling him to pay up and shut up. No wonder the Egyptians are acting uppity.

Surrender now, talks later

Marc Grossman, the special US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan that Pakistan isn't will to talk to as of yet, says that for talks to start with the Taliban, the Taliban must renounce ties to terrorism.

Since the Taliban are labeled a terrorist organization by the US, the Taliban must thus renounce ties to themselves. The only way I can see to do that is to disband. So disband your organization, and then we'll talk to it.

This is probably just posing on Mr. Grossman's part, the administration needs to sound as bloodthirstily stupid as the Republican field, no mean feat. It does mean that there can't be meaningful talks until after the election, and the US, not the Taliban, changes its positions.

Say what?

CNN:

A helicopter from NATO's peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan crashed late Thursday in the southern provice of Helmand, killing six members of the force, allied military spokesmen reported.

Peacekeeping mission, now that's a new one. Maybe CNN should have said pissing match.

Hilarity

Bloomberg:

President Barack Obama will deliver his party’s acceptance speech at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, moving venues for the final night of the Democratic National Convention, the party announced. 

Now that this has hit the press, I'm thinking he might want to reconsider, but its probably too late.

General Diplomacy

Why would Obama send Gen. Dempsey, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , to Israel to confer on policy toward Iran. This very confused administration had a record of mixing roles, but leaving policy discussions up to a general goes beyond the norm.

It could be that no one else is the administration was willing to go, Netanyahu has made it a habit to humiliate civilian members of the administration, including President Drone, and Biden and Clinton or even Panetta might have demurred to put their tattered dignity on the line.


The blurring of lines between civilian and military tasks is becoming even more common in this administration than the last. Putting in Petraeus to head the CIA was emblematic, but sending generals to do diplomacy is an operational choice that shows the confusion that reigns at the top.

STRIKE!!!

FUCK SOPA!
FUCK PIPA!
Woo woo woo@#$!

Been fishin'