Clipmarks | Surge Clips

McCain's "Prickly" Interview with Time

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:09:04 GMT

clipped by: arnaz
clipper's remarks: This man is the Devil's incarnate.

I believe that it's very important that Russia behave in a manner befitting a very strong nation. They're not doing so at this time, so therefore I will criticize and in some cases — in the case of the aggression against Georgia — condemn them.

You were a very enthusiastic supporter of the invasion of Iraq and, in the early stages, of the Bush Administration's handling of the war. Are those judgments you'd like to revisit?

I was the first to say I would lose a campaign rather than lose a war. I supported the surge. No observer over the last two years would say the surge hasn't succeeded. I believe we did the right thing.

Tags: election 08, mccain, politics, war, iraq

US Economy Rebounds

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:09:01 GMT

clipped by: RecordSage
clipper's remarks: According to Democrats - we have a terrible economy. So this surge must be due to... let's see what would work here well... Obama's acceptance speech tonight... and in the immortal words/voice of Jon Lovitz, "yeah, yeah, that's it!"

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

US GDP rebounds with 3.3% growth

The US economy grew at a revised 3.3% annually in the second quarter of 2008, the Commerce Department said, much higher than its first estimate of 1.9%.

The rebound was linked to strong US exports, helped by the weak dollar, while government tax rebates also boosted consumer spending.

GDP grew at a rate of 0.9% in the first quarter, after a 0.2% contraction in the last three months of 2007.

The Federal Reserve has warned the economy will remain weak this year.

"While we're not out of the woods yet, maybe we're beginning to see some sunlight," said John Wilson, equity strategist at Morgan Keegan.

"At some point, the market will begin to look through the trough and gauge the strength of the coming upturn."

'No recession'

The data showed that exports grew at an annualised rate of 13.2%, higher than the government's initial estimate of 9.2%.

Tags: usa, economy, improvement

Officials May Evacuate New Orleans as Gustav Nears

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:22:07 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: If a Category 3 or stronger hurricane comes within 60 hours of the city, New Orleans plans to institute a mandatory evacuation order. Unlike Katrina, there will be no massive shelter at the Superdome, a plan designed to encourage residents to leave. Instead, the state has arranged for buses and trains to take people to safety.

Since the storm (Katrina), the Army Corps of Engineers has spent billions of dollars to improve the levee system, but because of two quiet hurricane seasons, the flood walls have never been tested.

Floodgates have been installed on drainage canals to stop any storm surge from entering the city, and levees have been raised and in many places strengthened with concrete.

Scientists cautioned that the storm's track and intensity were difficult to predict several days in advance.

The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals planned to move animals to shelters elsewhere in the state and in Texas.

Clip Source: townhall.com

National Guard troops stand ready, batteries and water bottles are selling briskly, and one small-town mayor has spent a sleepless night worrying. The New Orleans area is watching as a storm marches across the Caribbean on the eve of Hurricane Katrina's third anniversary.

With forecasters warning that Gustav could strengthen and slam into the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane, a New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Katrina's devastating hit drew up evacuation plans.

Taking no chances, city officials began preliminary planning to evacuate and lock down the city in hopes of avoiding the catastrophe that followed the 2005 storm. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin left the Democratic National Convention in Denver to return home for the preparations. Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency to lay the groundwork for federal assistance, and put 3,000 National Guard troops on standby.

Forecasters said Wednesday that Gustav could strengthen to a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 111 mph

Tags: new orleans, gustav, national guard on standby, gov.bobby jindal, state of emergency, (spca) shelters for pets

I am the surge

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:11:02 GMT

clipped by: sillysam

Clip Source: www.vetsforfreedom.org

[Video]

Dave Barry: Convention moments to remember

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:12:33 GMT

clipped by: papananook
clipper's remarks: Dave is pretty funny--read column at site-link

Clip Source: www.mcclatchydc.com

DENVER — Call me a courageous explorer in the mold of Lewis and Clark if you want, but I did something insanely brave here: I traveled alone, on foot, all the way across the convention floor.

This is actually a lot harder than what Lewis and Clark did. Yes, they had to cross thousands of miles of hostile wilderness surviving on pine needles and squirrel jerky. But that's nothing compared to the obstacles I faced. Spike Lee, for example.

Here's a minute-by-minute account of my ordeal:

7:40 — I get a temporary media floor pass, which allows me to be on the floor for exactly 30 minutes. If I don't return the pass by 8:10, something bad happens, although they don't tell you exactly what, so you have to assume waterboarding.

7:48 — Through intense effort I manage to surge maybe eight feet, where the path is blocked by a TV network that has set up a platform on the floor so its reporters can report on the convention by talking to each other with their backs to the actual convention.

Edward Kennedy : Obama is American dream

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:43:27 GMT

clipped by: Yassin_M

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Obama is American dream says Edward Kennedy

Senator Edward Kennedy unleashed high emotions and a surge of adrenalin on the opening night of Barack Obama's nominating convention by delivering a powerful speech in Denver less than two months after having brain surgery for a malignant brain tumour.

The liberal lion of the Democratic party and brother of the late John F Kennedy reduced many in Denver's Pepsi Centre to tears with a powerful call to arms on behalf of Mr Obama, after a day in which there were doubts that his dire health would allow him to even take the stage. The original plan had been for him simply to watch a filmed tribute to his life and legislative achievements in the US Senate, where he has served since 1962.

“My fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, it is so wonderful to be here. And nothing is going to keep me away from this special gathering tonight," he began, to huge cheers and thousands of waving "Kennedy" banners.

"War in Iraq has become a total disaster"

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:46:01 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: "a devastated population in an obliterated nation lacking in the most essential supplies and services; a nation where death continues on a shopping spree"

Clip Source: sage

'The seemingly endless war in Iraq has become a total disaster

4,000 U.S. soldiers have been lost in battle and tens of thousands injured. In excess of one million Iraqi civilians are dead due to civil strife unleashed by the invasion

U.S. Treasury is drained and the steep decline in respect for the United States around the world is just beginning to manifest

The United States political establishment responds with collective denial on a scale that's incomprehensible

Republican presidential candidate John McCain who makes the bizarre claim that U.S. is "surrendering" with victory in clear sight. McCain touts the surge without noting that 4.0 million Iraqis are "displaced from their homes."

ten percent of Iraq's population is either dead or injured and there are 5.0 million Iraqi orphans

pathological view

claims the "surge' is a success in the context of a devastated population in an obliterated nation lacking in the most essential supplies and services

death continues on a shopping spree

Tags: iraq, war

Biden on the Surge

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:41:49 GMT

clipped by: sillysam
clipper's remarks: oops

Clip Source: www.rushlimbaugh.com

This is Meet the Press September 9th of 2007. Tim Russert says to Joe Biden, "General Petraeus said in a letter to his troops, 'My sense is we have achieved tactical momentum and wrested the initiative from our enemies in a number of areas of Iraq. We are, in short, a long way from the goal line, but we do have the ball. We are driving down the field.' Is that what you expect him to say tomorrow?"

BIDEN: He's dead, flat wrong. The fact of the matter is that there is -- that this -- uh -- this idea of the security gains we made have had no impact on the underlying sectarian dynamic. None. None whatsoever. Can anybody envision a central government made up of Sunni, Shi'a, and Kurds that's going to gain the trust and respect of 27 million Iraqis? There have been some tactical gains, but they have no ultimate bearing at this point on the prospect of there being a political settlement in Iraq that would allow American troops to come home without leaving chaos behind.

Iraq Takes Aim at Leaders of U.S.-Tied Sunni Groups

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:51:50 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Cont....

Even before the new pressure from the government, many Awakening members were growing frustrated — and at an especially delicate time. United States and Iraqi negotiators have just completed a draft security agreement that next year, Iraqi officials say, would substantially pull American forces back from cities and towns to be replaced by Iraqi security forces.

Awakening members complain, with rising bitterness, that the government has been slow to make good on its promises to recruit tens of thousands of its members into those security forces. General Perkins said only 5,200 members had been recruited in a force of about 100,000.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

BAGHDAD — The Shiite-dominated government in Iraq is driving out many leaders of Sunni citizen patrols, the groups of former insurgents who joined the American payroll and have been a major pillar in the decline in violence around the nation.

In restive Diyala Province, Unites States and Iraqi military officials say there were orders to arrest hundreds of members of what is known as the Awakening movement as part of large security operations by the Iraqi military. At least five senior members have been arrested there in recent weeks, leaders of the groups say.

“The state cannot accept the Awakening,” said Sheik Jalaladeen al-Sagheer, a leading Shiite member of Parliament. “Their days are numbered.”

But it is causing a rift with the American military, which contends that any significant diminution of the Awakening could result in renewed violence, jeopardizing the substantial security gains in the past year.

Tags: iraq, war, surge, derailed, ooops, mistake, trouble, civil war

Resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:27:54 GMT

clipped by: tommy2balmy
clipper's remarks: Another result of "successful" troop surge in Iraq?
As forces that could be used in Afghanistan continue to be diverted to Iraq the failure of the US/NATO Afghan war becomes even clearer.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

BAMIYAN, Afghanistan — Taliban insurgents mounted their most serious attacks in six years of fighting in Afghanistan over the last two days, including a coordinated assault by at least 10 suicide bombers against one of the largest American military bases in the country, and another by about 100 insurgents who killed 10 elite French paratroopers.

As a result, this year is on pace to be the deadliest in the Afghan war so far, as the insurgent attacks show rising zeal and sophistication. The insurgents are employing not only a growing number of suicide and roadside bombs, but are also waging increasingly well-organized and complex operations using multiple attackers with different types of weapons, NATO officials say.

More foreign fighters are entering Afghanistan this summer than in previous years, NATO officials say, an indication that Al Qaeda and allied groups have been able to gather more foreigners in their tribal redoubts.

Tags: us, afghanistan, nato

The Surge Works

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:07:25 GMT

clipped by: bmeuppls
clipper's remarks: In Thailand, too against the MILF another AlQ affilitated group that has a habit of blowing up buddhists, teachers and others....

Once the local population feels they can help against the terrorists, they do... imagine that!

Could this be the prelude to the Thai Awakening?

Clip Source: littlegreenfootballs.com

The main reason for the drop in the violence was a change in counter-insurgency strategy with a more unified command structure. No longer were security personnel confined to the barracks and being on the defensive. Patrols became more regular and larger in number. As most of the terrorists operate in cells of 8 or less, the increased number of troops on patrols has meant that when the security forces have been ambushed, they have the numbers to fight back. For example, in May 2008, there were 18 ambushes on such patrols, but security forces only suffered one casualty and 8 injuries. On the other hand, the security forces themselves killed 25 terrorists in the first 6 months of 2008.

Tip-offs started to increase and security forces now regularly find caches of weapons and training camps on raids.

Tags: terrorism

Which Hindsight Is 20-20?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:55:25 GMT

clipped by: bmeuppls
clipper's remarks: Hindsight isn't always 20-20, particularly in wartime, when early expectations of an easy rout can give way to an unexpectedly long and bloody grind - and when victory has so often been achieved only after persevering through strategic debacles, intelligence failures, and wrenching battlefield losses.

Clip Source: www.boston.com

The prevailing wisdom 18 months or so ago was that invading Iraq had been, in retrospect, a disastrous blunder. It had led to appalling sectarian fratricide and an ever-climbing body count. Iraqi democracy was deemed a naive pipe dream. Worst of all, it was said, the fighting in Iraq wasn't advancing the global struggle against Islamist terrorism; by rallying a new generation of jihadists, it was actually impeding it. Opponents of the war clamored loudly for pulling the plug - even if that meant, as The New York Times acknowledged in a bring-the-troops-home-now editorial last July, "that Iraq, and the region around it, could be even bloodier and more chaotic after Americans leave."

But what if we had known then what we know now?

We know now that the overhauled counterinsurgency strategy devised by General David Petraeus - the "surge" - would prove spectacularly successful, driving Al Qaeda in Iraq from its strongholds, and killing thousands of its fighters, supporters, and leaders.

Tags: iraq war

Surge of bond deals lifts credit risk premiums

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:27:30 GMT

clipped by: JICWyllie

Clip Source: www.ft.com

Multi-billion dollar debt sales from AIG and Citigroup led a sudden wave of US bond deals last week that lifted corporate credit risk premiums across the market – in contrast to an improving picture in Europe.

However, these market moves mask a rapidly worsening picture for European economies and credit markets versus the US, which some analysts see as a bigger trend that will gather pace.

Stephen Dulake, European credit strategist at JPMorgan Chase, calls this change “macro risk reversal”.

“Europe is becoming increasingly more risky than the US,” he said.

“Negative economic surprises in our in-house index are at a four-year high in Europe and we’re seeing accelerating profit warnings across industrial sectors.”

the worse outlook for Europe does not mean an entirely positive outlook for the US. “Many risks still hang over the credit markets, including a slow but deliberate deterioration in fundamentals,” say analysts at Lehman Brothers.

Tags: economy, financial markets, i-losses, i-risks, i-increase

US Oil Companies Shamelessly Increase Exports

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:41:45 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Their exports to other countries are surging while they complain about drilling access. How about some honesty now from republicans (instead of circling the wagons as if Big Oil are pure saints), let's hear them criticize this policy of the oil companies while they complain of insufficient supply (e.g. "its OPECs fault")!

Would be glad to hear any attempts at defending this export policy, which can only contribute to an increase in the price of gas here. Forgive us for complaining now about excessive profits when they are the ones limiting our domestic gas supply!

(I have no objection to increase drilling either, but weary of the mantra that is blind to the truth).

Clip Source: uk.reuters.com

ANALYSIS-US oil firms seek drilling access, but exports soar

WASHINGTON, July 3 (Reuters) - While the U.S. oil industry wants access to more federal lands to help reduce reliance on foreign suppliers, American-based companies are shipping record amounts of gasoline and diesel fuel to other countries.

A record 1.6 million barrels a day in U.S. refined petroleum products were exported during the first four months of this year, up 33 percent from 1.2 million barrels a day over the same period in 2007. Shipments this February topped 1.8 million barrels a day for the first time during any month, according to final numbers from the Energy Department.

The surge in exports appears to contradict the pleas from the U.S. oil industry and the Bush administration for Congress to open more offshore waters and Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.

Tags: oil exports, oil companies, drilling, supply, gas prices

Surge for the Dollar Despite Global Fears

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 02:23:22 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: The dollar surged to a two-year high against the pound and a six-month peak against the euro on Friday, as fears about spreading economic gloom triggered a sell-off in commodities.

Against sterling, the US currency notched up its 11th consecutive day of gains – its longest uninterrupted rise in more than 35 years – as markets became increasingly convinced that the US was best-placed to weather the global downturn.

The Reuters-Jefferies CRB index, a benchmark for commodities, fell more than 2.5 per cent to its lowest level since late March. The index has fallen almost 20 per cent since an all-time high in July, but is still 22 per cent higher than a year ago.

Clip Source: www.ft.com

The dollar surged to a two-year high against the pound and a six-month peak against the euro on Friday, as fears about spreading economic gloom triggered a sell-off in commodities.

Against sterling, the US currency notched up its 11th consecutive day of gains – its longest uninterrupted rise in more than 35 years – as markets became increasingly convinced that the US was best-placed to weather the global downturn.

Prices for crude oil, platinum, copper, aluminium, corn and soyabeans have also retreated from records hit this year, prompting speculation that commodity prices have reached a turning point.

“The golden age when commodity prices could only go up is gone,” said Marco Annunziata, chief economist at Unicredit.

Analysts were divided on the outlook for commodities. Lehman Brothers believed oil prices had peaked, while Goldman Sachs repeated its forecast that they would hit $149 by the end of the year.

Tags: dollar, commodity prices, lehman brothers, goldman sachs, crb index