And Speaking Of Failed Leadership...

The Times editors deliver yet another hand-wringer about Obama's performance on the world stage:

President Obama and the Gulf Arabs

Saudi Arabia is so angry at the emerging nuclear agreement between Iran and the major powers that it is threatening to develop its own nuclear capability — one more indication of the deep differences between the United States and the Persian Gulf Arab states over the deal, which the major powers and Iran aim to complete by June 30. President Obama had hoped to bridge that gap with a show of American-Arab unity at this week’s summit meeting at Camp David. The summit meeting fell well short of his ambitions, an unfortunate outcome for both sides.

Yeah, there is plenty of disappointment to go around right now. The Times provides a rosy view of the background:

The Sunni Arabs have two main worries. One is that the nuclear agreement with Iran would leave Iran with a limited capability to produce nuclear fuel for energy and medical purposes, instead of ending it outright. They also worry that Iran’s re-entry into the international community after decades of isolation would mean that Washington’s loyalties would henceforth be divided and that America could no longer be counted on to defend them.

Mr. Obama tried to address that in the joint statement, which declared, “The United States policy to use all elements of power to secure our core interests in the Gulf region, and to deter and confront external aggression against our allies and partners, as we did in the Gulf War, is unequivocal.” But he stopped short, and wisely so, of offering a formal pact similar to the NATO treaty that some Arab leaders had wanted but that could drag the United States into Middle East conflicts.

Our commitment is unequivocal, but not quite so unequivocal that we think we could push a treaty through Congress. That had to help!

And the Times is far to forward-looking to mention a few points familiar to regular readers, not to mention every Arab leader - the President that is offering reassurance today is the same guy who declared "Assad must go" but didn't make it happen; that drew red lines in Syria and then pretended he hadn't; who declared that we were leaving a "sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq" when we weren't; who evaluated ISIS as "the junior varsity"; and who held out the US strategy with Yemen as a model of counter-insurgency, prior to their collapse. That record suggests that Team Obama is not exactly overrun with Middle Eastern savants.

They also allude to a question bothering me - does Iran even need to go nuclear?

Nevertheless, it is perverse for Arab leaders who once considered Iran’s nuclear program their gravest threat to complain about a deal intended to diminish that threat. A more rational fear is that when sanctions are lifted, Iran, which is causing trouble in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East, will have more resources with which to expand its influence.

Well, just because the deal is "intended" to diminish the nuclear threat doesn't mean it has a realistic chance of achieving its intentions. But yes, I think the Saudis need nukes more than Iran does.

Comments

[henry]

Was it Sir Robin that "nearly slew the dragon of Endor," etc? This post seems familiar.

[narciso]

if I was writing cue cards for zaphod, I would point out it's not smart to confuse the founder of the kingdom with the fellow who gave us the oil embargo and was subsequently shot by a relative

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/barack-obama-flubs-name-of-first-saudi-king-117945.html

the Sauds don't have a large enough reliable military, so yes they need the nukes more,

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--America could no longer be counted on to defend them--

We will defend our Arab allies to the last Marshall Islander.

[narciso]

but as you see here,

http://jamiedettmer.com/2015/02/19/qatar-running-hare-hunting-hounds/

they have bigger problems,

[mockmook]

The Saudis are no more a friend to us than Iran. They "fight" us in more subtle ways -- and, they would love to see us go under (at the right time).

[narciso]

at best Morrell is utterly useless, at worst it's enemy action:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/spin-never-stops_946688.html

[Cecil Turner]

"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action."

Gotta be enemy action.

[narciso]

of course, they have wanted to go nuclear since Khamenei reopened their program in 1989

[sbw]

Not sure why people see this as two-dimensional chess when it is three-dimensional. It is not Iran bomb v. Saudi bomb, but rather Iran v. Saudi. v. Israeli.

[Cecil Turner]

Yeah, and we just helped 'em do it. Not sure we could've stopped them anyway, but we sure couldn't with this crew at the helm.

And this is pure moonbeamery:

A more rational fear is that when sanctions are lifted, Iran, which is causing trouble in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East, will have more resources with which to expand its influence.

Sure, rewarding the Iranians with billions of dollars as a "signing bonus" is more likely to embolden the troublemakers.

But the more important outcomes of this deal are:
• recognizes Iran's right to enrich (which effectively recognizes its right to a nuke;
• demonstrates a total lack of will on the part of the West to maintain sanctions, let alone go to military action;
• gives a timeline to a nuke such that jumping the gun is a minor infraction instead of a casus belli.

So is this deal going to lead to a nuclear Iran? Yes; and sooner rather than later. And it's no "more rational" to pretend this deal stops the Iranian nuclear ambitions than it was to expect Chamberlain's piece of paper would stop Mr Hitler.

[sbw]

So am I the only 67-year-old JOMer with a SUP?

Went to the Old Forge, NY, Mountainmanoutdoors Paddlefest, tried several, got a few pointers, and bought one for my (young) wife and one for me.

[Beasts of England]

What's SUP?

[sbw]

Stand Up Paddleboard. A more stable shaped surfboard with a long one blade paddle.

[sbw]

As opposed to Whassup?

[glasater]

Narc's 2:17 link is a very good read.

[jimmyk]

The Saudis are no more a friend to us than Iran.

I don't know, sometimes we have to hold our collective noses and ally with less-than-perfect "friends." The Saudis are anti-Jihadi, even if they end up, for reasons of self-preservation, appeasing or tolerating them. I would rather they (along with Egypt and others) look to us as their protectors and become emboldened to stand up against Iran than for them to collapse or otherwise cave in to the Salafists.

[Beasts of England]

I've seen lots of those around the lake, but they tend to be piloted by very ambitious young people. They make for good target practice. ;)

[narciso]

well I cite the link at 2;12, this esteemed fellow preaches from Doha, yet has toes in Riyadh,

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Stalinist Russia wasn't our friend in WWII but it was an ally.

[jimmyk]

This is a bit disturbing:

http://www.wired.com/2015/05/feds-say-banned-researcher-commandeered-plane/

This bit is unintentionally funny, though:

“My biggest concern is obviously with the multiple conversations that I had with the authorities,” he said. “I’m obviously concerned those were held behind closed doors and apparently they’re no longer behind closed doors.”

So a hacker is upset that his conversations were not kept private. Apparently he's not the reflective sort.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

glasater is correct. Stephen Hayes destroys Morell at narc's link.

[jimmyk]

Sure is quiet over here. I thought more than a handful of us might want to escape the endless discussion of you-know-what.

[narciso]

yes we're in the hands of top men,

https://hasanmustafas.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/the-moderate-rebels-a-complete-and-growing-list-of-vetted-groups-fielding-tow-missiles/

[henry]

Jimmyk, is there an escape? Russia is having problems with its space program. This would lead to claims Vlad is spiking the oblate spheroid of questionable psi ack, let's just say Vlad can't get it up anymore.

[jimmyk]

Speaking (or not) of oblate spheroids, RIP Garo Yepremian.

And then there's this oblate spheroid, who happens to belong to one of the richest men in the world:

[Old Lurker]

"Stand Up Paddle"

Neither of those activities interest me...

[Old Lurker]

I miss DoT so much I almost wish he would comeback and go round and round with TK about...you know what.

[narciso]

those who read the wrong history,

http://20committee.com/2015/05/12/that-terrible-tuchman-woman/

although her tome on late 19th century and early 20th century europe was interesting,

[jimmyk]

Thanks for that link, on Tuchman. I read "Guns of August" many years ago, and have since wondered about its simplistic-sounding thesis, but hadn't looked into it further. I've heard lots of praise of "A Distant Mirror," but now I'm skeptical.

I also enjoyed this from the link: "There is a broader expert-versus-generalist issue here, and I’m told serious astrophysicists are equally unfond of the output of Neil DeGrasse Tyson." Imagine that.

[Beasts of England]

lol, OL!!

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

I've been perusing that 20committee site.
Lot's of good stuff, even what I disagree with.

[narciso]

this is the one I was referring to:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Proud-Tower-Portrait-1890-1914/dp/0345405013/ref=pd_sim_14_2/179-1970109-7917813?ie=UTF8&refRID=0W07PCTS45EAB8K6H296

btw how's your cousin doing,

[narciso]

yes, he has some interesting material, he does have this habit of being 'on the other hand' sometimes unnecessarily,

[Jane]

Glas,

Morrell is a slimy ass, and not particularly good at it.

[Jack is Lightnings!]

sbw,

We have a paddle board - 10 footer. Mrs. Jib uses it when we have light surf. Next up is the kayak for Frederick. Want to buy before we go north so he has it in Southampton.

Also, plenty of surf boards:)

[Beasts of England]

With a little breeze in his face, McIlroy just hit driver, 9-iron on a 499 yard Par 4. Just like me. Only different.

[Jane]

In today's mail:
Fwd: Request for Funds: Monument for Hillary


My Dear Friends:
I have the distinguished honor of being on the Committee to
raise $50,000,000 for a monument to Hillary R. Clinton. We originally wanted
to put her on Mt. Rushmore until we discovered there was not enough
room for two faces.

We then decided to erect a statue of Hillary in the Washington , D.C. Hall of Fame. We were in a quandary as to where the statue should be placed. It was not proper to place it beside the statue of George Washington, who never told a lie, or beside Barack Hussein Obama, who never told the truth, since Hillary could never tell the difference.

We finally decided to place it beside Christopher Columbus, the greatest Democrat of them all. He left not knowing where he was going, and when he got there he did not know where he was. He returned not knowing where he had been, and did it all on someone else's money.

Thank you,
Hillary R. Clinton Monument Committee

P.S.
The Committee has raised $ 0.16 so far...

[anonamom]

I've had SUP for quite some time, but I am not 67, sbw.

[Beasts of England]

And made the birdie putt, natch.

[Ben]

Why do you have surfboads in Florida. The east coast is a lake.

[Beasts of England]

Course record 61 for Rory at Quail Hollow.

[Jack is Lightnings!]

One of our neighbors has his SUP adapted for fishing and takes it out for Redfish in the mornings. Neat!

[MarkO]

Love it, Jane.

[Marlene on the phone]

The town near the cabin has a new hardware store owned by the Collins boys. Yes,the brothers of Sen.Collins. I think hubby went over there three times today. They told him to stop in for the grand opening next week-end.Their sister, Gov. LePage and Miss Makita Tools will all make an appearance. Ha.

[Ben]

Abu Sayyef? Is it true Salafist Jihadis are loyal to USrael?

Stay tuned as the uber plots thicken.

[Ben]

If you don't care for our current Papist you could kiss the neocon ring.

Blessed be their name.

[Extraneus]

Nothing about Abu Sayaf, or whatever his name is/was? His killing was the breathless CNN top story for the whole time I had lunch at a sports bar. (The sound was fortunately on the hockey game.)

[Jack is Lightnings!]

Raining at Pimlico. Horses saddled. Riders up!

[Miss Marple]

Boy, you can hardly see the horses!

[Miss Marple]

They are evacuating the infield!

[glasater]

Jane-

I was so grateful Hayes had read Morrell's book so we don't have to.

Had hoped from watching the Brett Baier interview of him there would be some change of direction in his liberal thinking.
It wasn't to be it appears.

[glasater]

Sounds like a day for the horses with the smaller hoofs at Pimlico :-)

Easier to get through the mud.

[Miss Marple]

Announcer says American Pharaoh did well in another race in the mud.

Mr Z also won on a sloppy track.

[Jack is Lightnings!]

And down the stretch they come!

[Jack is Lightnings!]

No doubt. American Pharaoh.

[Captain Hate]

Stand Up Paddleboard. A more stable shaped surfboard with a long one blade paddle.

I assume you have to be more coordinated than Clutch Cargo to operate on of them.

[Captain Hate]

Not to be confused with onE of them...

[Ben]

My kingdom for a horse...lol

Emails...so transparent....so reassuring as to simulate sleep..lol.

[Buckeye]

My broker just sent me an email confirming 2 course passes for Sunday at the Memorial.

Too bad Rory isn't coming this year.

[Cecil Turner]

That was impressive. The end of a 37-year drought?

[Jane]

Had hoped from watching the Brett Baier interview of him there would be some change of direction in his liberal thinking.

He came across as dumb to me - he underestimated his audience.

[Captain Hate]

Speaking of underestimating things:

http://www.weaselzippers.us/223800-pope-calls-palestinian-leader-abbas-angel-of-peace/

The Vatican has its own 404.

[Extraneus]

Asian-American groups accuse Harvard of racial bias in admissions

A coalition of Asian-American groups filed a federal complaint against Harvard University on Friday alleging the school engaged in "systemic and continuous discrimination" against Asian Americans during its admissions process.

More than 60 Chinese, Indian, Korean and Pakistani groups came together for the complaint, which was filed with the civil rights offices at the justice and education departments. They are calling for an investigation into Harvard and other Ivy League institutions that they say should stop using racial quotas or racial balancing in admission.

"We want to eliminate discrimination of Asian Americans, and we want procedural justice for all racial groups," Yukong Zhao, one of the chief organizers and a guest columnist with the Orlando Sentinel, told NBC News. "All racial groups should be treated equal."

[peter]

The Vatican has its own 404.

And it's a lifetime appointment

[Extraneus]

Romney threw in the towel after the 2nd round.

[Dave (in MA)]

Wasn't Pius XII pretty much a Hitler enabler?

[boatbuilder]

SBW I'm getting MasterCard ads in the margin showing young healthy people on stand up paddleboards. I hold you responsible.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Dave imo the record on that is not clear such that people could read into it what they were predisposed to. ISTM as an outsider that JP2 did his best to mend any rift which now seems to be a vague memory; although I'm open to being corrected by insiders.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

I now have a greater appreciation of SUP.

[boatbuilder]

"Hopefully, the inclusion of the guy in the pic will appeal to the ladies here, and keep us men out of trouble."

Posted by: Michael (fpa Patriot4Freedom) | May 16, 2015 at 08:03 PM

Michael--do you look like Tom Brady?

[Miss Marple]

I think this is a fair assessment of Pope Pius XII:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/pius.html

I think it is also pertinent to remember that he was the product of an earlier era in the Church.

I have heard defenses of Pope Pius, but I think it comes from the wing of the Church who will not admit there could have been mistakes in how things were handled by the Church.

Popes are people, and they have weaknesses as well as strengths. They also can be sinners, just like the rest of us.

[Michael (fpa Patriot4Freedom)]

bb -

LOL

[Dave (in MA)]

Stand Up Paddleboard

Probably better than the Bend Over Paddleboard.

[boatbuilder]

When I was a very young man I sometimes thought, in my more ignorant moments, that maybe the world would be better off if the various factions in the Middle East just wiped each other out and "stopped bothering us." I have grown up to realize that the Middle East is full of actual people, not abstractions, that the world is never as insular as we imagine and that as the primary beacon of freedom in the world we have an interest, obligation and duty to try to keep that from happening. Unfortunately under our current "leadership" the admonition to "be careful what you wish for" seems to be hitting home.
Thank you, TM, for focusing on the important stuff.
And now I return to my primary role as Pats apologist, for which I am much better qualified--on the previous thread.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Thank you for that link, Miss Marple; there is plenty there to sift over while considering the times and very real risk of making an unambiguous statement of moral principle. It's easy to be a retroactive hero.

[clarice]

I thought "A Distant Mirror" was a good read, actually.

[jimmyk on iPad]

I think the ambivalent assessments of Pius XII are accurate, and this:

" ISTM as an outsider that JP2 did his best to mend any rift which now seems to be a vague memory;"

is very true. JPII was amazing in that regard as Pope, and also in his earlier life in Poland. There's a famous story of how he was approached at the end of WWII by a Catholic family who'd "adopted" a Jewish baby and wanted to baptize the baby. He asked them what the parents' wishes had been. They admitted that the parents had wanted the child to remain Jewish. So he refused to baptize him. Not only that, but he followed up and kept track of what happened to the child, and knew 50 years later what had become of him (religious Jew in Brooklyn) and remembered his name.

What the current Pope is doing with the Palestinian issue is worrisome.

[jimmyk on iPad]

Clarice, the criticism of Tuchman acknowledges that she's a good writer (if a bit in the "bursting chausses" mold), just not a good historian.

[clarice]

I hope she was not so far off on the Middle Ages.

[Michael (fpa Patriot4Freedom)]

jimmyk - Thanks for the JP2 story.

I am still stunned by the current Pope's characterization of Mahmoud Abbas, and recognition of a "state of Palestine."

[clarice]

Speaking of history--Stephanopoulos will be soon:http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/05/16/stephanopoulos-abc-clinton-schweizer-foundation-hillary-column/27436475/

[Miss Marple]

Regarding the Pope, Glenn Beck picked up something he said that the press here didn't report:

http://www.glennbeck.com/2015/05/15/what-the-pope-said-this-week-should-absolutely-terrify-you/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=05152015%20Glenn%20Beck%20Daily%20FINAL&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_term=Glenn%20Beck

Now ignore all the Nostradomus stuff. The important thing is he spoke of preparing for martyrdom.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Speaking of a good read, while my book group is reading Middlemarch, my copy seems to have been absconded with by my younger Hatette and I'm making do with Mill on the Floss, which I'm thoroughly enjoying.

Are any of you familiar with The Door by Magda Szabo? It's a Hungarian novel which has been brought back into print by the NYRB, whose taste in literature is as unerring as their politics are daft. It came highly recommended by two people who've never let me down in that regard.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Have any of you seen "I Am David" which was released over ten years ago? It's the fictional story of a boy brought up in the Bulgarian gulag and given a vague directive to escape and go to Denmark. It's very confusing at the beginning because it's told from the standpoint of a boy who knows nothing of life other than the brutality of a commie camp. The movie was roundly panned by the paltry critics who bothered to review it at Rotten Tomatoes, probably because it had the nerve to present the workers paradise in the same vein that belongs solely to the nazis. The regular people viewing it gave it much higher reviews.

I watched it as part of a self driven quest to watch every movie that Jim Caviezel has appeared in and found it, like The Stoning of Soraya M, to be an excellent small gem which he thought was important to be a part of.

[MarkO]

Just a few more days before A-Rod hits the home run to which he was born: 666

[narciso]

I was reading Miller's memoir if you had contempt for Howard kurtz, bill keller, Roger Cohen or mo down before, you haven't seen nothing yet. By contrast Jill Abrams on and pinch come off better, not in terms of politics but simple humanity.

yes its rare that a Tunisia like abu say yif Is reported to be, Rises so high in the organization.

[jimmyk]

Captain, my daughter saw that, and read the book, and as I recall liked them both. Haven't come across The Door, but will take a look.

[Neo]

Now remember, Obama said he could get people of different opinions "in a room" but he never said he could get results once they were there.

[narciso]

No dave, that was a lie first promulgated by Soviet apologist hoch huth and resurrected by cornwell.

[clarice]

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/05/get-the-popcorn-isis-declares-war-on-hamas/

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Thank you jimmyk; your daughter seems to have inherited your unerring taste.

[clarice]

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2015/05/get-the-popcorn-isis-declares-war-on-hamas/

I think I read "I am David"years ago, but I'll be darned if I can remember much about it at all.

[Miss Marple]

I think she's takin on water, Captain! Here is a story from VOX, and it isn't apologetic for her. On the contrary, it points out how bad her scooping up all that money was:

http://www.vox.com/2015/5/16/8614881/Hillary-Clinton-took-money

[narciso]

According to David Thomson quoted in the times say yif seems to go back as far as 2003. According to Riedel and bergen, cited elsewhere it seems to have been a per chance encounter.

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

Wow, when the HMS Rodham has lost Vox that garbage scow is taking on more water than those cankles retain.

[Miss Marple]

That Vox article was a real shocker.

I expected some sort of excuse but they went at her with both barrels, including documentation.

[Jack is Lightnings!]

I think all this bravado from Reid and Pelosi about Hillary being their only candidate and its in the bag is all a false flag kind of op. They are in big trouble. They have no legitimate candidate in the wings to take her place. And the more "death by a thousand cuts" keeps evolving into reality the desparation will start to produce hives, sweat, warts and shakes on all of them.

What will they do? 1) draft Moochelle, 2) smoke filled room sans Monica, 3) drag a Bitcoin through Wall Steet and see who bites. But when you think about it they have no realistic alternates not even Warren, the new McGovern.

Whereas the GOP has a potential 16 to 20 contenders and even the LIV will start soon to notice the difference.

I think Hillary is toast but the Dems have no optioin but to continue with their partenrs in the media to prop her up like Bernie during his weekend.

[narciso]

All six compartments, captain, Thomson ' s book is available in french, clearly the times wouldn't have a clue otherwise

[Frau Schimpfwort]

"I thought "A Distant Mirror" was a good read, actually."
Clarice, I thought the same thing but I cannot remember when I read it. I think I was wearing short skirts and shoes with wedges.
In a galaxy far, far away...

[Captain Hate on the iPad]

LOL narc and Frau.