Category: Foreign Policies

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Benghazi Benghazi Politics

Breaking News – Republicans Will Finally Investigate Benghazi… AGAIN!

The bad thing about this circus show is that it’s costing the American tax payer millions and millions of dollars. But that fact will not stop the Republicans from continuing their witch hunt in the Republican-made Benghazi scandal.

With multiple hearings, millions of tax dollars wasted and thousands of documents alreadt submitted by the administration, Republicans have decided that another hearing us in order. Today, House Speaker John Boehner and chief time waster organized a new commission tasked with doing something they’ve apparently never tried… investigating Benghazi!

OMG!

House Republicans will convene a select committee to investigate the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks — a dramatic move that is sure to rev up the GOP base ahead of the midterm elections.

The creation of the panel, which Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced on Friday, comes the same day that House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) issued a subpoena to force Secretary of State John Kerry to testify about the attacks.

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military invasion News Russia

The US Navy is Gearing Up in The Ukraine

With Russian forces already in the area, the US Navy is now getting involved.

The U.S. Navy is sending a destroyer into the Black Sea in the coming days as a symbolic gesture of support for Ukraine and other allies in the region, according to two senior defense officials.

The USS Donald Cook, a guided missile destroyer based in Rota, Spain, and will travel to the Black Sea “in the next week or so,” according to one senior defense official.

The ship will take part in to-be-scheduled exercises with allies in the region — most likely pass exercises, where ships from different nations pass one another while at sea — and the Donald Cook will make several to-be-scheduled port calls.

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Benghazi Politics

The Pentagon – Republicans Are Wasting Millions on Benghazi Investigations

This is your fiscal conservatives doing what they do best – wasting taxpayer’s money.

The Pentagon said Tuesday that its work to comply with the six congressional investigations into the September 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, has cost the military millions of dollars and thousands of man hours.

The Pentagon said in a letter to Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.), the top Democrat on the House Armed services Committee, that Defense Department officials have participated in 50 congressional hearings, briefings and interviews about the attack.

“We continue to work fervently to address outstanding items which include a document request from the chairman of the Armed Services Committee (HASC) and six additional interviews of military personnel by HASC and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee staff,” wrote Elizabeth King, assistant secretary for legislative affairs.
Smith requested the estimate from the Pentagon in December. In response, he blasted the Armed Services Committee for continuing to investigate the terrorist attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, which killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Smith wrote to House Armed Services Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), calling on him to drop the committee’s investigation.

“We must stop wasting this committee’s and our military’s scarce resources chasing a scandal that does not exist,” Smith wrote in a letter obtained by The Hill.

“More than any other committee in Congress, this committee should understand the financial strain on the Department of Defense, which is being made worse by these ongoing and ridiculous investigations,” Smith said.

It does not appear that McKeon intends to abandon the investigation, however.

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Domestic Policies Foreign Policies News ObamaCare Politics Russia

The Pause

Perhaps it’s just me, but this time of year seems to be the boring period between the fun of a nasty winter and the beginning of a well-earned spring. And I’m not just talking about the weather. American politics is on hiatus at this moment because it’s too early to get too riled up by the prospect of electing another do-nothing Congress, and since the one we have now is essentially done for the year, what else is there to talk about? The Affordable Care Act? Boring. Marriage equality? Done. The lost Malaysian plane? Probably found and the story will make a great movie one summer. Ukraine? Potentially deadly and maybe the foremost threat to world peace presently in the news.

This is not to say that these stories are not important because they are, but there doesn’t seem to be any movement or progress or yes-we-canism alive at the moment. The Republicans are still trying to figure out what it believes in and how it can appeal to groups that have shunned its message so far. The House will most likely remain in their hands, which guarantees us another two years of bills that will not become law until a GOP president is elected (shudder). And the Senate will probably also go red, but I’ve already treated that scenario.

I am not, though, down in the dumps. The Supreme Court is hearing arguments about whether religious companies can stop providing certain forms of birth control the ACA requires because it would be a violation of their religious rights. I’m thinking that Justice Roberts is aching to get back on the conservative horse he dismounted two years ago in the health care law case, but Justice Kennedy might be the wild card in this one. It is certain that Justice Scalia will lament the end of the republic if he’s on the losing side.

And the health care law will survive because about six million people will have signed up for insurance through the exchanges or Medicaid and throwing them off the rolls is just too mean for even today’s Republican Party. The law needs fixing and that’s where the focus is going to be in 2014 and 2016 and 2018 as companies and states decide that insurance is too expensive and want employees to sign up for the policies on the website. This will be revolutionary and the effect will be profound. I’m not surprised that neither party is really talking about this out loud, but it’s almost certain to come to pass sometime within the next five years.

As for Vlad the Invader, I’m not ruling out a bit of shooting in Ukraine or areas local to it. It will depend on whether he heeds the economic warnings his aides are no doubt giving him. My sense is that Putin will ask for something big in return, negotiate, and take something smaller that gives him a say in Ukraine, but not the whole country. In the end, Ukraine will make a deal with the EU, but will always need to watch its eastern back.

All of this is in the future, and you can feel free to pay attention to it since you’re obviously not winning $1 billion dollars on March Madness because nobody has a perfect bracket left. The best we can hope for is common sense and pride in a job well done. Some things never change.

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Foreign Policies Russia

Jimmy Fallon on The Russia/Ukraine Invasion – Video

In his opening monologue, Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show briefly mentioned the incident involving Russia and Ukraine.

Video.

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Benghazi Benghazi Politics

Disgraceful – Lindsey Graham Say The Ukraine Invasion is Because of Benghazi

After going on CNN and proclaiming that the world “roll its eyes” when President Obama talks, Republican elected official Lindsey Graham jumped to the twitter machine today to try and hit the president some more. The method he used however, shows that nothing is off limits with these Republicans.

Tiday, Lindsey Graham somehow managed to tie the killing of four brave Americans in Libya to Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.

Not even the deaths of these four Americans in Benghazi could withstand being dragged into a foreign conflict by these Republicans, if it means they get the opportunity to talk bad about the president and his administration.

I never thought it possible, but this is a new low. And for a Republican party that dwells in the dungeon of morality, this new low speaks volumes.

May the fallen Americans I in Benghazi rest in peace.

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Foreign Policies News Russia

Russian Reporter Against Russian Invasion of Ukraine – Video

Abby Martin works for RT, aka Russia Today, the English-language, Kremlin-managed cable news station that’s been wackadoodle with its Ukraine coverage. On Monday, Martin blasted Russia’s invasion as “wrong.” But did she go off the reservation, or just add a layer to Putin’s propaganda offensive?

Here’s what she says in her closing monologue, shown above:

Before I wrap up the show, I wanted to say something from my heart about the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine and Russia’s military occupation of Crimea. Just because I work here, for RT, doesn’t mean I don’t have editorial independence and I can’t stress enough how strongly I am against any military intervention in sovereign nations’ affairs. What Russia did is wrong.

h/the Gawker

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Foreign Policies George Bush Georgia Politics rachel maddow Russia

Hypocritical Republicans Blame Obama for Putin’s Invasion, But Praised Bush for Putin’s Invasion


It’s amazing how quickly Republicans pranced on President Obama to cast blame on him for Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. From Lindsey Graham, to John McCain to Rudolph Guiliana, they are all having a field day, criticizing Mr. Obama as a weak, spineless, Muslim infidel who is the reason why the world is apparently walking all over this nation. But Rachel Maddow asked a question on her show last night. Where were all these Republicans when Putin did his last invasion?

Bush was in power, remember?

In 2008, Putin invaded Georgia and a war began. The man in the White House at that time was George W. Bush and the noise machine we’re hearing now fom the right was apparently broken, as the present warmongers were mysteriously silent and even supportive of Bush just 7 years ago.

Can you say Republican hypocrisy?

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Foreign Policies News Russia

Russia Firing Warning Shots at Ukraine Soldiers

Although the rest of the world is denouncing the recent occupation of Russian forces in Ukraine, things took a turn for worse as bullets from Russian troops fly over the heads of Ukrainian soldiers.

Escalation.

Russian troops in control of the Belbek air base in Crimea fired warning shots into the air as around 300 Ukrainian soldiers, who previously manned the airfield, demanded their jobs back.

About a dozen Russian soldiers at the base warned the Ukrainians, who were marching unarmed, not to approach.

They fired several warning shots into the air and said they would shoot the Ukrainians if they continued to advance.

The Ukrainian forces are believed to be led by Colonel Yuli Mamchor, commander of the Ukrainian military garrison at Belbek, who was seen speaking to gun-wielding Russian troops at the air base.

The stand-off comes as Vladimir Putin ordered thousands of Russian troops participating in military exercises near Ukraine’s border to return to their base.

But the Russian president showed no signs of loosening the stranglehold on the Crimean peninsula, openly defying the threat of diplomatic and economic sanctions from world leaders.

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Foreign Policies military invasion Russia

Russia Could Lose Membership in G8 Soon

WASHINGTON — After Russia’s military incursion into Ukraine, the G8 might become the G7 again.

Russia is set to host the next summit of the Group of Eight — the (mostly) western economic powers of the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan and Russia — in Sochi in June, and the U.S. has broken off its participation in planning meetings in protest of Russian forces’ presence in Crimea, where they have reportedly surrounded military bases.

About 6,000 Russian forces have “operational control” of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, a senior U.S. official told reporters.

After a U.S.-led push, all members but Russia have announced they will boycott planning meetings for the Sochi summit.

In a joint statement disseminated by the White House on Sunday, the leaders of the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan all pledged “to suspend our participation in activities associated with the preparation of the scheduled G-8 Summit in Sochi in June, until the environment comes back where the G8 is able to have meaningful discussion.” They also “condemn[ed] the Russian Federation’s clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

U.S. officials offered not-so-veiled threats that the G8 could kick Russia out altogether.

The incursion “puts at question Russia’s capacity to be within the G8,” Secretary of State John Kerry told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” Sunday morning.

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Egypt Foreign Policies News Politics Russia United States war

The World Gets Dangerous

You can’t say we weren’t warned that Vladimir Putin might try to flex some muscles in Ukraine. After all, the Olympics are over, there were no terrorist attacks, Russia won the most medals, and Viktor Yanukovych turned out to be better suited for the summer games, beating a hasty vamoose from Kiev all the way to Moscow. Perhaps we could have a Dictator’s Marathon in Rio come 2016. I’d watch “Baby Doc” Duvalier run from shouting crowds. And you would too. After all, you watched Curling, right?

Let’s move on.

The latest is that Russian security forces are now in the Crimea and are asking Ukrainian forces to defect. They’re also trying to neutralize and reverse the events of last week when crowds in Kiev forced the President from his post. Putin is painted as the bad guy here, but the West has a problem on its hand that is similar to what happened in Egypt last year. A democratically elected government has been overthrown in a decidedly non-democratic manner, but since the people who have taken over are seen as a better alternative, the western powers are accepting the change. This is dangerous.

Of course, Yanukovych made this problem worse by leaving. Had he stayed and honored the agreement he made with the opposition, then the system would not be under such strain. And I suppose he could be invited to come back as part of a Putin-sponsored deal that restores the legitimately elected government and keeps Yulia Tymoshenko out of jail. I don’t expect this, but I didn’t expect the Crimea to become a world headline and another part of the world that most Americans can’t find on a map.

President Obama and John Kerry will need to finesse this so that we don’t look weak, but that we also don’t get involved in a shooting war. I trust that they’ll hold off the Republicans who want us to refight the Cold War with hot weapons and show Vlad the Invader what a real country does with its taxpayer-bought arsenal.

Maybe we can use Governor Christie’s expertise and cause a traffic jam that bottles up the Russian forces until we can get the UN to negotiate an exit.

This one bears watching, and is a reminder that we need to be thankful that we have a level-headed team in the White House to see us through.

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Foreign Policies Politics Russia

President Obama Warns Putin – Stay Out of Ukraine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama warned Russia on Friday that military intervention in Ukraine would lead to “costs,” as tension with old foe President Vladimir Putin rose in a Cold War-style crisis.

“We are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the Russian Federation inside of Ukraine,” he told reporters.

Obama and European leaders would consider skipping a G8 summit this summer in the Russian city of Sochi if Moscow intervenes militarily in Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said.

“The United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine,” Obama said in the White House briefing room.

Facing yet another confrontation with Putin after butting heads with him over Syria, Obama said any violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would be “deeply destabilizing.”

Obama did not spell out what he meant by Russian military intervention.

Russia has a huge naval base in Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula and says it has the right to move troops in Ukraine under an agreement between the two former Soviet neighbors.

U.S. officials said they saw indications of Russian troop movements into Crimea but that their numbers and intentions were unclear.

The crisis has presented Obama with a difficult challenge days after pro-Western protesters prompted Ukraine’s pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovich to flee to Russia.

Armed men took control of two airports in the Crimea region in what the new Ukrainian leadership described as an invasion by Moscow’s forces, and Yanukovich surfaced in Russia a week after he fled Kiev.

Ukraine fell into political crisis last year when Yanukovich spurned a broad trade deal with the European Union and accepted a $15 billion Russian bailout that is now in question.

A U.S. response to any Russian intervention in Ukraine could include avoiding deeper trade and commerce ties that Moscow is seeking, the senior U.S. official said.

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