Guest Blogged by Alan Breslauer
75% of al-Qaeda’s leadership have been killed or captured according to George W. (October 2004) and John McConnell (February 27, 2007), the new Director of National Intelligence. Not that it really matters since McConnell also states that al-Qaeda has had little problem replacing captured or killed leadership. The only difference being that the new leadership lacks the experience of the old guard (does experience really play a role in suicide bombings?).
McConnell also testified that he felt Pakistan posed a greater threat to US security than Iraq. Which, in itself, is reason enough to get out of Iraq in order to concentrate on Afghanistan/Pakistan.
If Pakistan had large petroleum reserves we would have Shocked & Awed them with our military muscles some time ago. Must not be anything there Exxon/Mobile or the oil barons want/need. So they have been spared the damage/destruction potential of our guns and bombs. If the mining industry should find anything of value in the mountain ranges over there,.. then all -no war- bets are off.
If the dems do not make a strong, strong attempt … to the point of forcing the republicans to filibuster … on the budget matters, I will not be voting for any democrat in ’08.
Any blogger here knows I advocated giving them a chance, and if they do not seriously follow the wishes of those who voted them into office, I seriously will not vote for them or republicans. Any of them in ’08.
Senator Schumer introduced an amendment to S.4 which would have required the inspection of all containers being shipped to American ports, in that within 5 years they all must be scanned for nuclear devices.
All republicans except one, Sen. Specter, voted against the amendment. Wannabe republican Lieberman (I-CT), also voted to not scan for nuclear weapons.
The following democrats also voted against scanning for nuclear weapons, in other words they voted with the republicans who do not give a rat’s ass about secure ports: Akaka (D-HI), Bingaman (D-NM), Brown (D-OH), Byrd (D-WV), Cantwell (D-WA), Carper (D-DE), Conrad (D-ND), Inouye (D-HI), Landrieu (D-LA), Murray (D-WA), Nelson (D-NE), and Wyden (D-OR).
Yes, the majority of the Senate (58 senators) do not think that scanning containers coming to American ports for nuclear devices is a biggie (link to vote tally).
It is better to spend untold billions on other important things, like destroying nations in the middle east then blaming that destruction on that nation???
The following Senators think that scanning cargo containers for nuclear devices is important: Baucus (D-MT), Bayh (D-IN), Biden (D-DE), Boxer (D-CA), Cardin (D-MD), Casey (D-PA), Clinton (D-NY), Dodd (D-CT), Dorgan (D-ND), Durbin (D-IL), Feingold (D-WI), Feinstein (D-CA), Harkin (D-IA), Kennedy (D-MA), Kerry (D-MA), Klobuchar (D-MN), Kohl (D-WI), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Leahy (D-VT), Levin (D-MI), Lincoln (D-AR), McCaskill (D-MO), Menendez (D-NJ), Mikulski (D-MD), Nelson (D-FL), Obama (D-IL), Pryor (D-AR), Reed (D-RI), Reid (D-NV), Rockefeller (D-WV), Salazar (D-CO), Sanders (I-VT), Schumer (D-NY), Specter (R-PA), Stabenow (D-MI), Tester (D-MT), Webb (D-VA), and Whitehouse (D-RI).
Pakistan our ally. Nothing was ever done about this !
Maybe the DICK thinks he can save himself by finding his original scapegoat. I wonder where bin laden is?