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President 2008 Watch: Senator Bill Frist Places First in Southern Republican Leadership Conference’s “Straw Poll”
ASSociated Press: Frist Leads Informal GOP Poll for ’08
With home-field advantage, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist placed first in an informal poll of 2008 presidential hopefuls at a Republican conference Saturday night.
The two-term Tennessee senator received 526 first-place votes, or 36.9 percent, in the Southern Republican Leadership Conference’s “straw poll” sponsored by Hotline, a political digest. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney finished second with 14.4 percent and Sen. George Allen of Virginia finished third, tied with President Bush – who cannot seek a third term.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, among the most popular Republicans in national surveys, threw a wrench in the polling Friday night by asking delegates to vote for Bush as a show of support. He finished a distant fifth.
YAWN……
Rudy Giuliani will win the final poll…….
Michelle Malkin hasTHE GOP STRAW POLL
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President 2008 Watch: John McCain Embarassed at Southern Republican Leadership Conference
Technorati Tags: JohnMcCain, BillFrist, Election2008, RudyGiuliani, SouthernRepublicanLeadershipConference, MittRomney, GeorgeAllen
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Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Builds a Secret Underground Command Center
News.Telegraph: Iran builds a secret underground complex as nuclear tensions rise
Iran’s leaders have built a secret underground emergency command centre in Teheran as they prepare for a confrontation with the West over their illicit nuclear programme, the Sunday Telegraph has been told.
The complex of rooms and offices beneath the Abbas Abad district in the north of the capital is designed to serve as a bolthole and headquarters for the country’s rulers as military tensions mount.
The recently completed command centre is connected by tunnels to other government compounds near the Mossala prayer ground, one of the city’s most important religious sites.
So, Iran is preparing for war. What a surprise. Does this tell the world about their negotiating stance on their nuclear program?
The opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) learnt about the complex from its contacts within the regime. The same network revealed in 2002 that Iran had been operating a secret nuclear programme for 18 years.
The underground strategy is partly designed to hide activities from satellite view and international inspections but also reflects a growing belief in Teheran that its showdown with the international community could end in air strikes by America or Israel. “Iran’s leaders are clearly preparing for a confrontation by going underground,” said Alireza Jafarzadeh, the NCRI official who made the 2002 announcement.
Ok, and the diagram/graphic above shows how Iran can be a fly in the ointment. But, do the Iranians (the Mullahs and their lackey leaders) REALLY think that any attempt at small ball war with the United States and Israel will lead to small retaliations and NOT full-scale invasion and regime change?
If the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran it would be an “ALL IN” proposition not a half-assed bombing campaign that Bill Clinton made famous.
If Iran were to mine the Strait of Hormuz or attack merchant vessels with suicide boats and/or cruise missles the United States and Israel would bomb Tehran back to the “STONE AGE.”
This should include the use of tactical nuclear weapons on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Stay tuned……
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Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Threatens “OIL†Weapon
Iran Nuclear Watch: Israel – “America Needs to Get Its Act Together.â€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Condoleezza Rice – “Iran – No GREATER Challengeâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran – “NO Compromiseâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia – “United Nations Sanctions on Iran Would Be Ineffectiveâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: United Nations Security Council to Meet on Iran Next Week
Iran Nuclear Watch: Hassan Rowhani Boasts of Fooling the Europeans
Iran Nuclear Watch: Vice President Cheney – “Iran Faces Meaningful Consequencesâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Europeans Capitulating for Iran Uranium Enrichment
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Increasing Development of Missles Capable of Delivering a Nuclear Warhead
The Natanz uranium enrichment complex in Natanz is pictured in this January 2, 2006 satellite image.
Technorati Tags: Iran, Russia, China, SergeiLavrov, UnitedNations, UnitedNationsSecurityCouncil, ZhouWenzhong, NicholasBurns, EuropeanUnion, MahmoudAhmadinejad, ManouchehrMottaki, JacquesChirac, Chirac, France, Iran, Nuclearweapons, nuclear, AbdulQadeerKhan, AliLarijani, CondoleezzaRice, JohnBolton, RezaVaidi, GholamHosseinMohseniEjehei, SergeiKiriyenko
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Elton Gallegly Watch: Will Not Seek Re-election or Will he?
Ventura County Star: Gallegly says he won’t run again
Rep. Elton Gallegly, the Simi Valley Republican who parlayed a successful real estate career into a 20-year stint in Congress and became one of the nation’s most ardent conservative voices on illegal immigration, announced Friday that he will not seek re-election this fall.Gallegly said he was bowing out because of a potential medical condition. He declined to elaborate.
The Congressman’s Press Release is here.
But, will he be forced to run anyway?
Probably.
He will NOT be able to take his name off of the ballot and Gallegly is too much of a politician to throw this SAFE Republican seat to the wind.
Look for Gallegly to run in the June primary and again in November unless health concerns force a resignation.
The most likely scenario:
Gallegly runs for re-election, wins and then resigns allowing the next California Governor to call for a special election.
It is a shame that Elton’s distinguished Congressional career comes to an end in this fashion. However, nothing comes before your own health.
And the Stricklands…….does crass political opportunism come to mind?
Technorati Tags: EltonGallegly, Congress, Election2006, CaliforniaEelction2006, TonyStrickland, AudraStrickland
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President 2008 Watch: John McCain Embarassed at Southern Republican Leadership Conference
Matt Drudge: MCCAIN IN REPUBLICAN STRAW POLL EMBARRASSMENTFacing a loss at a 2008 straw poll event this weekend, Senator John McCain of Arizona told his supporters to write in President Bush [?] as a sign of support, leaving many sputtering.“For the next three years, with our country at war, he’s our president and the only one who needs our support,” McCain told nearly 2,000 party activists from 26 states gathered in Memphis.McCain, realizing the national political media had descended on the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, moved to discredit the straw poll by asking delegates to vote for Bush, insiders claim.Instead of stopping the momentum of Majority Leader Bill Frist – widely anticipated to win the straw poll – the move seemed to expose the McCain camp’s insincerity about its position with the base.One activist said, “McCain voted against all the Bush tax cuts… maybe he should have voted for the president then, instead of waiting for a political stunt to try and distract.”Developing…And who ever thought besides John McCain that McCain was a viable Presidential candidate in 2008?This cattle show is for the Vice Presidency in any event.Rudy Giuiliani will be the GOP Presidential candidate in 2008.Stay tuned…..Previous:President 2008 Watch: First Major Republican Presidential “Cattle Showâ€
Technorati Tags: JohnMcCain, BillFrist, Election2008, RudyGiuliani, SouthernRepublicanLeadershipConference
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Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Threatens “OIL” Weapon
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, adjusts his scarf in Brujerd, Lorestan province, Iran, on Thursday March 9, 2006. The hardline president warned on Thursday that the West will suffer more than Iran if it takes action against its nuclear program, rejecting Iran’s referral to the U.N. Security Council as unjust.
ASSociated Press:Iran Threatens to Use Oil in Nuke Standoff
Iran threatened Saturday to use oil as a weapon if the U.N. Security Council imposes sanctions over its nuclear program.The nation’s interior minister raised the possibility of using Iran’s own oil and gas supplies and its position on a vital Persian Gulf oil route as weapons in the international standoff.
“If (they) politicize our nuclear case, we will use any means. We are rich in energy resources. We have control over the biggest and the most sensitive energy route of the world,” Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi was quoted as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency.
1. There is NO CHANCE that the United Nations Security Council will immediately do ANYTHING.
2.There is NO CHANCE the United Nations will EVER impose sanctions on Iran for their nuclear program (China and Russia VETOES).
Iran is the No. 2 producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and has partial control over the narrow Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf. The strait is an essential passage for crude oil from key producers such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.
Pourmohammadi’s statements were the most specific yet — and the first explicitly targeting oil — in a series of threats levied by Iranian officials as the Security Council discusses what action to take over Iran’s nuclear program. Washington says Iran wants to produce atomic weapons. Iran denies that claim, saying it intends only to generate electricity.
“No means (for reprisals) will be ignored and we will not disregard any means,” said Pourmohammadi, who warned from the sideline of a Tehran city ceremony that Iran’s critics could be underestimating his country’s ability to strike back if sanctions are imposed.
“If they want to try other options, they have to be sure that our potential is not less than theirs,” he said.
Flap handicaps the following scenario:
1. The United Nations Security Council next week sends Iran a “warning.”
2. Iran ignores the warning and steps up the rhetoric and uranium enrichment.
3. The United States and some European Union members (probably Britain and France) initiate their own sanctions outside the United Nations process.
4. Iran begins a limited oil boycott by blocking/hassling oil tanker ships in the Strait of Hormu.
5. European and Asian countries affected by the Iranian oil boycott call on the United States to back down.6. The United States and its NATO allies patrol the strait and WILL fire upon any targets blocking the flow of oil.
The Iranian response will be on how serious they want WAR.
Stay tuned…….
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Iran Nuclear Watch: Israel – “America Needs to Get Its Act Together.â€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Condoleezza Rice – “Iran – No GREATER Challengeâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran – “NO Compromiseâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia – “United Nations Sanctions on Iran Would Be Ineffectiveâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: United Nations Security Council to Meet on Iran Next Week
Iran Nuclear Watch: Hassan Rowhani Boasts of Fooling the Europeans
Iran Nuclear Watch: Vice President Cheney – “Iran Faces Meaningful Consequencesâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Europeans Capitulating for Iran Uranium Enrichment
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Increasing Development of Missles Capable of Delivering a Nuclear Warhead
The Natanz uranium enrichment complex in Natanz is pictured in this January 2, 2006 satellite image.
Technorati Tags: Iran, Russia, China, SergeiLavrov, UnitedNations, UnitedNationsSecurityCouncil, ZhouWenzhong, NicholasBurns, EuropeanUnion, MahmoudAhmadinejad, ManouchehrMottaki, JacquesChirac, Chirac, France, Iran, Nuclearweapons, nuclear, AbdulQadeerKhan, AliLarijani, CondoleezzaRice, JohnBolton, RezaVaidi, GholamHosseinMohseniEjehei, SergeiKiriyenko
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Day By Day by Chris Muir
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Iran Nuclear Watch: Israel – “America Needs to Get Its Act Together.”
Jerusalem Post: ‘US not doing enough to stop Iran’
The United States has until now not done enough to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, a senior Defense Ministry official has told The Jerusalem Post while expressing hope that Wednesday’s referral of the Iranian issue to the United Nations Security Council would prove to be effective.
“America needs to get its act together,” the official said. “Until now the US administration has just been talking tough but the time has come for the Americans to begin to take tough action.”
The only real way to stop Teheran’s race to obtain the bomb apart from military action was through tough economic sanctions that caused the Iranian people to suffer. “Once the people understand that their government is bringing upon them a disaster will they realize that the [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad’s regime needs to be replaced,” the official said.
Absolutely correct and what about the call for “NEW” Russian enrichment talks?
NO WAY!
Iran, the official said, was doing all it could to stall for time, including holding “pointless” talks with Russia concerning the enrichment of its uranium. “They are just trying to get more time and they will continue lying and deceiving the international community while simultaneously trying to obtain nuclear power,” he said
And military action by the Israelis?
While it was complicated to overthrow the current regime in Teheran, “it is not impossible,” the official said. If the world stopped refining Iranian oil, the official said as an example, the country would not have gas for its cars. “If the people start to suffer then they will understand that a change in government is needed.” But if the diplomatic course failed, Israel and the US needed to be prepared, the official said, to take military action against Teheran. “This option may be needed but it should only be used as a last resort,” he said.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told reporters in Germany on Wednesday that Israel had all it needed to defend itself against Iran. Asked by reporters if Israel had a military plan handy in a desk drawer to strike Iran, Mofaz said: “Israel has many drawers containing everything it needs to defend its citizens.” Israel, Mofaz told senior German officials, would not stand by idly while its very existence was at risk. “We do not plan to turn a blind eye to these threats and we will do everything possible to make sure they do not materialize.”
And so does the United States.
It appears a “POINT OF NO RETURN” is imminent.
Stay tuned…….
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Iran Nuclear Watch: Condoleezza Rice – “Iran – No GREATER Challengeâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran – “NO Compromiseâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia – “United Nations Sanctions on Iran Would Be Ineffectiveâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: United Nations Security Council to Meet on Iran Next Week
Iran Nuclear Watch: Hassan Rowhani Boasts of Fooling the Europeans
Iran Nuclear Watch: Vice President Cheney – “Iran Faces Meaningful Consequencesâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Europeans Capitulating for Iran Uranium Enrichment
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Increasing Development of Missles Capable of Delivering a Nuclear Warhead
Iran Nuclear Watch: IAEA Optimistic
Iran Nuclear Watch: United States WARNS Iran of “Painful Consequencesâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: The Final Proposal from Iran
Iran Nuclear Watch: Condoleezza Rice – United Nations Security Council Sanctions UNLIKELY
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran and European Union – NO Agreement
Iran Nuclear Watch: IAEA Report – “Iran DETERMINED to Expand Uranium Enrichmentâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran and Russia Have Reached a “BASIC†Agreement on Uranium Enrichment
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran WILL Retaliate Against Israel Nuclear Facility
Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia – “IAEA Can Still Solve Iran Nuclear FLAPâ€
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Would Become Top Supplier of Oil to China
Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia Hosts Iranians to Discuss Uranium Enrichment
Iran Nuclear Watch: Suicide Bombers Warn United States and Britain
Iran Nuclear Watch: Jacques Chirac Says France’s Stance on Iran Unchanged
Iran Nuclear Watch: France Accuses Iran of Clandestine Military Nuclear Activity
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran’s Ambassador to Portugal Questions Holocaust
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran OWNS Russia and China Vetoes on United Nations Security Council
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Begins Small Scale Uranium Enrichment While Russia and France Oppose
Iran Nuclear Watch: Talks with Russia Postponed
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Reaffirms Commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
Iran Nuclear Watch: United States Preparing Military Strikes Against Iran Nucear Sites
Iran Nuclear Watch: Natanz Uranium Processing Plant has Restarted
Iran Nuclear Watch: “MYTH†of the Holcaust Redux
Iran Watch: Iran Paper Holds Holocaust Cartoons Contest
Iran Watch: Iran Paper Plans Holocaust Cartoons
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Tells IAEA to Remove Surveillance Cameras and Seals From Nuclear Sites
Iran Nuclear Watch: Russia Warns Against Iran Conflict
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Ends Cooperation With IAEA and Resumes Uranium Enrichment
Iran Nuclear Watch: IAEA Reports Iran to United Nations Security Council
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Threatens Full-Scale Enrichment Work
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Says BACK OFF Or…
Iran Nuclear Watch: Bush – United States Will Defend Israel Against Iran
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Will Resist “Bully Nationsâ€
Iran Watch: Bush: Iran ‘Held Hostage’ by Clerical Elite
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Documents Point to Nuclear Warheads
Iran Nuclear Watch: Iran Threatens End of Diplomacy
Iran Nuclear Watch: Permanent Five Say IAEA Must Report Iran to U.N. Security Council
The Natanz uranium enrichment complex in Natanz is pictured in this January 2, 2006 satellite image.
Technorati Tags: Iran, Russia, China, SergeiLavrov, UnitedNations, UnitedNationsSecurityCouncil, ZhouWenzhong, NicholasBurns, EuropeanUnion, MahmoudAhmadinejad, ManouchehrMottaki, JacquesChirac, Chirac, France, Iran, Nuclearweapons, nuclear, AbdulQadeerKhan, AliLarijani, CondoleezzaRice, JohnBolton, RezaVaidi, GholamHosseinMohseniEjehei, SergeiKiriyenko
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Where in the World is Flap Watch: Blogging Has Been Minimus due to Flap’s Business Trip
It was a snowy day.
Regular blogging resumes on Saturday in a few hours…….
Technorati Tags: Flap, FullosseousFlap