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Iran's Given Up Developing Nukes? Eh, Not So Fast

The Wall Street Journal asks some pointed questions about the NIE that was released this week. The US intelligence community declared that Iran was developing nuclear weapons before they declared that it wasn't. Ed Morrissey thinks that the facts fit the "Iran continues to develop nukes" scenario.

Turns out that the Iran NIE was not a consensus finding.

The Israelis don't believe the latest NIE.

vadkins
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Fighting al-Qaeda/Jihadism Both at Home and Overseas

She's right, when it comes to defeating al-Qaeda, the individual will save the day. In this particular case, a US citizen, Joseph Shahada is knocking deadly dangerous militant Islamist websites off the internet.

As to waging war against al-Qaeda in Iraq, Michael Ledeen writes that we could actually be winning the war In Iraq-in real terms. This is notable, because Mr. Ledeen expressed reservations about invading Iraq in the run up to the invasion there. It's notable also because Ledeen is an expert on the Middle East, especially Iran:

Should we declare victory over al Qaeda in the battle of Iraq?

The very question would have seemed proof of dementia only a few months ago, yet now some highly respected military officers, including the commander of Special Forces in Iraq, Gen. Stanley McCrystal, reportedly feel it is justified by the facts on the ground.

Captain's Quarters comments on Ledeen's piece.

The Asia Times reports that Pakistan has declared all out war on terrorists in Waziristan:

Just how important is this coming battle?

This could prove to be the turning point in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan while setting al-Qaeda’s operations back to where they were in 2003 after the Taliban was defeated. A “qualified” intelligence estimate is that pacification of the Waziristans would reduce the capability of the Afghan resistance by 85% as well as “deliver a serious setback to the Iraqi resistance” who depend on the bases in Waziristan for money, weapons, and logistical support.

vadkins
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Republicans Debated, How Did Mitt Romney Do?

How did Mitt Romney perform in yesterday's Republican debate? Depends on who you ask, no doubt. Hugh Hewitt thinks that his man Romney did, wait for it.............., really well:

 

Giuliani and Romney win, going away….On the economy and trade, taxes and optimism, Romney has the edge, but he miffed the Iran question….The talk of lawyers - probably a fumbled reference to when and if the War Powers Act applies, but you couldn’t really tell - was not his finest hour, but also not the huge deal that some want to make it out to be….

Fred Thompson is just flat.  Period.  And the perpetual frown isn’t going to win anything.

What a surprise. Hugh Hewitt is one of the best center-right bloggers out there, but Mr. Hewitt is totally biased when it comes to Romney. Rudy's campaign is suggesting that Romney committed a "Lawyer's Test" gaffe in that debate yesterday. Paul Mirengoff thinks, not so much.

Romney is backing off from his debate tax fight that he tried to pick with Giuliani.

vadkins
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Iraq: Gallup Finds 50/50 Split on Bush/Democrat War Plans

AJ Strata is right, pollsters like Gallup need to start asking better questions about the war in Iraq. The real questions that need to be asked are results oriented. (Read all of AJ's post.)

vadkins
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Al-Qaeda Is Calling the Waaa-ambulance in Iraq

Happy reports that there's been a drop in fresh al-Qaeda recruits going into Iraq. The improvement for our side is a result of the surge, and the fact that al-Qaeda's beheading of citizens best practices royally ticks the local population off. So al-Qaeda's begging their leaders in Afghanistan to send more jihadis.

Map of Iraq showing the dozens of senior al-Qaeda terrorists killed/captured in September. (H/T: The Corner)

There are indications of disturbing al-Qaeda related developments in Mexico, though.

vadkins
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France AKA Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys, Show Signs of Survival Instinct

Another reason to be relieved that Jacques Chirac is gone and conservative Sarkozy now sits in his place. Iran, the EU and the UN can't be too happy about it, though.

vadkins
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General Petraeus Helped to Pave the Way to Victory in Iraq

Last night in the yet another, interminiable Democrat debate, the Democrat candidates wouldn't commit to a withdrawal from Iraq by 2013. Because Petraeus and The Surge are improving things on the ground in Iraq, and the American people want to keep the positive momentum building to victory.

Cue the outrage at the Daily Kos - good times, good times.

vadkins
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Iraq's Sistani Doesn't Like the Media Either

Don't know much at Sistani, the Shiite Meester Big of Iraq, but I do know that I agree with Sistani's take about the MSM - his media opinions didn't, of course get reported in the MSM.

vadkins
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Columbia's Ahmadinejad Invitation

So Lee Bollinger, invited the Islamo-fascist Ahmadinejad, to speak at Columbia University. The Iranian pip-squeak shows up to give his speech a couple days ago, and Bollinger harshly scolds him for being the murderous dictatorial tyrant that Ahmadinejad is.

Dean Barnett has a point, that Bollinger is to be applauded for looking evil in the eye and calling it out, but that Columbia should have never have invited the jerk in the first place.

John Podhoretz also makes a good point when he writes that Bollinger should not have invited Ahmadinejad to speak, and then use this as an opportunity to (metaphorically) pin him to the wall.

There is a larger point to be made here, I think. Doesn't all of this seem/feel awfully contrived? Regardless of the particulars in this case, Ahmadinejad, Bollinger and Columbia University got tons and tons of publicity and media love this week. All kinds of attention from conservative bloggers, talk radio, Free Republic, Rush Limbaugh, and on and on. And isn't this the real object of Columbia and Ahmadinejad's exercise? How many web pages were generated this week that focused their text, photos and videos on the Iranian Little Man, Bollinger and Columbia? The answer, obviously, is tons and tons of web pages. And all of these web pages are linked to and from each other, creating an internet web that extends from hither and yon - all of them generating serious tonnage in Google's search engine rankings and revenue for Google Adsense.

The moral of my little rant: it's really Google that runs the world.

vadkins
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Columbia University, 1933

Bollinger, the President of Columbia University, isn't the first president of the school to invite a fascist to speak. Nicholas Butler, the president in 1933 invited Hitler's ambassador to speak there.

vadkins
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