Loontastic!

If anything seems to elicit the barely disguised lunatic aspect of almost every Republican politician (with a few notable exceptions such as Ron Paul and Gary Johnson), it’s their desperate need to almost comically “out-crazy” one another with bellicose, war-mongering rhetoric whenever speaking to radical right-wing Jewish special interest groups.

And I must say, what an absolutely brilliant strategy by current frontrunner Newt Gingrich to openly disclose his cunning plan to sabotage Iran’s main oil refining facility – nothing ensures the success of future “covert operations” like publicly broadcasting your specific intentions well ahead of time.

Obama @ AIPAC

For the benefit of historical ignoramuses and other folks in Wingnuttia that went completely apeshit in reaction to his speech about the Middle East earlier this week, President Obama attempts to explain – v e r y
s l o w l y – what he had actually said.

The American negotiating position that Obama articulated in his speech on Thursday was in no significant way different from that of previous administrations, so I’ll leave it to readers to smartly deduce what might conceivably have provoked such a viciously hostile reaction.

Time to End Foreign Welfare

The question on this afternoon’s edition of “The Cafferty File” segment of CNN’s The Situation Room program was an especially provocative one; asking if, in light of the blatantly insulting snub by the reactionary government of Benjamin Netanyahu when Vice-President Biden recently visited that country, it was perhaps “time for the U.S. to get tough on Israel”…

Not that it will ever do so given the entrenched power of the influential pro-Israel lobby (e.g., AIPAC and so on) in Washington, but maybe now would be a good time to revisit the idea of funneling countless billions of dollars each and every year to supposedly “friendly” client-states around the world.

Considering the heinous insolvency of the U.S. these days, wouldn’t it be prudent to critically re-assess the value of maintaining a far-flung global empire comprising more than 700 military bases scattered about all corners of the planet and backstopping truculent, nettlesome “allies” like Israel or repressive autocratic fiefdoms such as Uzbekistan or Saudi Arabia?

“Stunningly Superficial”

And one would expect anything else in the profoundly silly place formerly known as “Scarborough Country”?

Regarding Bush… Completely useless to the Bitter End.

Another Year, Another Israeli War

From the NYT: The Israeli Air Force on Saturday launched a massive attack on Hamas targets throughout Gaza in retaliation for the recent heavy rocket fire from the area, hitting mostly security headquarters, training compounds and weapons storage facilities, the Israeli military and witnesses said.

It’s hard to disagree with the sentiment of Holly Robinson at The Moderate Voice, who wrote: “The Palestinians would be far better off if all members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad dropped dead.” Indeed. What a shame they’re going to take a lot of innocent civilians along with them in the process.