…The Reagan administration's covert war against Nicaragua was generally said to have been the classic exemplar of the self-styled Reagan Doctrine of supporting anti-communist guerrilla movements around the world. Perhaps the best explanation and defense of the Reagan Doctrine can be found in the contribution to the aforementioned Right V. Might: International Law and the Use of Force that was made by Reagan's first Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick and her legal adviser Allan Gerson, entitled "The Reagan Doctrine, Human Rights and International Law." Here Kirkpatrick and Gerson quite correctly (though perhaps unwittingly) pointed out that on May 5, 1985 Reagan took the opportunity to publicly announce his so-called doctrine at Bitburg, West Germany (p. 22). There Reagan laid a memorial wreath at a cemetery that he knew contained the remains of dead Nazi Waffen SS stormtroopers despite the vigorous protestations of the justifiably outraged American Jewish community and U.S. veterans organizations, among others. As I argued in a general debate with none other than Gerson himself, inter alia, before the annual convention of the American Society of International Law held shortly beforehand in New York City on April 26:
It is the Reagan administration's Machiavellian approach to foreign affairs that sponsored the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It is the Reagan administration that brought you the United States invasion of Grenada. It was the Reagan administration that brought you the U.S. invasion of Nicaragua, which still goes on today. It is the Reagan administration's policy of constructive engagement that has encouraged the South African invasion of Angola. It is the Reagan administration which has launched an all-out vicious assault on the integrity of the International Court of Justice. And it is now the Reagan administration that is going to be paying tribute to 39 SS soldiers at a cemetery in West Germany. I think nothing could be a more eloquent and symbolic statement of what motivates the foreign policy of this administration than that act.
Monday, December 9, 2019. Joe Biden continues to come undone, Hunter is a potential security risk, a base in Iraq is attacked, an activist in Karbala is shot dead, and much more.
Starting in the US where the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination continues and no campaign is in bigger danger than War Hawk Joe Biden's campaign.
Where to start?
AsAva and I noted, he already attacked Rachel Martin of NPR for asking about his unhinged moment last week where he went off on an elderly man in Iowa. He called the man "a damn liar," "fat" and much more. And, yes, he did say "fat," no one listening to the audio can pretend otherwise. Rachel had the 'nerve' to note that a Joe supporter present at the event told Rachel it was like watching Donald Trump and Joe exploded at Rachel.
Let's stay with that elderly voter and let's note something I was asked to note -- and, hopefully, that will lead to less requests for me to note stuff.
The last thing RING OF FIRE ever needed was another man on the show. It's the most anti-woman show in the world as men rage and rage and scream and yell. And then they wonder why no one wants to listen?
You know, as I watched Joe Biden’s unhinged rant at that Republican
troll who asked him about his son earlier this week, it just made me
realize several things, and also obviously the video that went viral
this past weekend of Joe Biden talking about kids rubbing his hairy legs
and sitting on his lap, and the Republicans always talking about Hunter
Biden and Joe Biden and corruption and Ukraine and how they’ve done all
these things wrong, even though they actually haven’t. It made me
realize that Joe Biden is the Hillary Clinton of 2016 and another reason
I say that, and I’m going to get into all the details in just a second,
but we also earlier this week had Joe Biden’s campaign release an
awesome ad attacking Donald Trump. Right? They played the clip of the
world leaders from the NATO summit snickering behind Trump’s back,
making fun of him. The whole ad was about how Trump’s a laughing stock
around the world. It was a great ad. So were the ones that Hillary
Clinton ran in 2016 that didn’t sway voters because she spent all her
time talking about how bad Trump is, but not why she would actually be a
good president and Joe Biden has already fallen into that same trap.
That elderly man was not a "troll," he was a voter. And maybe if Farron could stop raging like a man about to hit a woman, he could grasp that.
In case he can't, let's move on to the other issue. Where's the correction?
The man's not a Republican. He even told the press that he'd vote for Joe if it came down between Joe and Donald Trump.
This is why women don't want to hear the garbage of RING OF FIRE. A bunch of rage-aholic men screaming and yelling -- in this case about an elderly, Democratic voter -- with no concerns about facts or realities. RING OF FIRE is the epitome of toxic masculinity. (RFK Jr. excepted, they are all rage-aholics.)
Now let's move over to Joe's latest attack on the press. Conner Mannion (MEDIAITE) notes Joe also went off on AXIOS' Mike Allen for daring to ask about Hunter Biden's actions while Joe was vice president. Hunter is Joe's crack head son -- and we'll get to that and why we need to be using the term "crack head" in just a minute. When not raging at Allen, Joe insisted that, if he becomes president, Hunter will be doing no foreign business. Kenneth Garger (NY POST) puts it this way: If presidential hopeful Joe Biden gets elected, his family members —
including son Hunter — will be barred from engaging in foreign business
dealings, he said in an interview aired Sunday. “They will not be engaged in any foreign business because of what’s happened in this administration,” Biden said on “Axios on HBO.” The former vice president blamed President Trump’s family members’
government and business practices as the source of his decision, not
Hunter’s past work with Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings. Axios’ Mike Allen questioned Biden — who was vice president while
Hunter was in his position at Burisma — if he thought his son’s
situation was “kosher.” Hunter was paid up to $50,000 per month for
sitting on the company’s board.
“You know there’s not one single bit of evidence, not one little tiny
bit to suggest anything done was wrong. You know that,” Biden shot
back.
Yes, there is. It's one thing to argue there's no evidence of anything illegal. Most of us would agree with that. But it's another to insist there was nothing "wrong" done. Of course, it was wrong. Hunter was paid because he was Joe Biden's son. Whether Hunter sold influence or not, that's what the payment was for.
Wait, though, it gets worse. That's what the payment was for at a time when Barack Obama charged Joe Biden with cleaning up corruption in Ukraine. Joe's supposed to be cleaning up corruption in that country and the unqualified drug addict Hunter is getting thousands a month to sit on a board he's not fit to serve on.
Joe is supposed to be cleaning up corruption while Hunter is the face of corruption in Ukraine.
Grasp reality.
Hunter's a crack head. We need to say that and we need to say it often.
First off, we all know Joe Biden's tough-on-drugs stance throughout his career in the Senate. Second, Hunter Biden's becoming a security risk should Joe get elected.
Kicked out the reserves for testing positive for cocaine? Uh, it wasn't him! Uh, maybe someone laced a tobacco cigarette he had with cocaine!
This is someone active in their disease.
It is one lie after another from Hunter's mouth.
And these lies make it clear that Hunter would be a security risk. He can't get honest about anything. He lies non-stop. He wasn't going to strip clubs until his wife accused him of it! He wasn't supposed to be drinking but he took his kids on a trip with him and drank every night -- just a single shot, he insists, and no sane person is going to believe that. He can't stop lying. He's a security risk because he can so easily be blackmailed.
Of all the lies Adam Entous swallowed, my personal favorite is when Hunter shares he again went into a rehab (over and over again) but not because he was using. Yeah, right.
Hunter's a crack head. Let's all just accept it -- since Hunter can't -- and get it out there already so he's less likely to be blackmailed over it.
.@JoeBiden on his son Hunter's work in Ukraine: "I don't know what he was doing."
@mikeallen: "Well you've had a lot of time. Isn't this…
'I don't know what my son was doing, even now, years later, but elect me president because you can trust me and I can get things done -- as long as it doesn't involve finding out what my son did.'
The Biden thing is such a joke. There are thousands of people sitting on random boards without relevant industry experience right now. It’s not uncommon at all.
No, it is not a joke but you, ma'am, are an idiot.
Yes, this happens very often. Yes, the children of private citizens do this all the time. The difference here, pay attention because you seem very slow, is that Hunter's father was Vice President. That's why it's a problem. It would be a problem for the child of any vice president or president -- or member of Congress. It is especially a problem here because it reflects poorly on Barack and his promise to run the most open administration in history. It is even more of a problem here because the administration went over, at length, with Hillary all the things she could and could not do and all the things Bill could and could not do while she was Secretary of State. At that level, it doesn't even matter if it's an actual conflict of interest. At that level, even the appearance of a conflict of interest is a problem.
I know that doesn't fit into your world where you screech your situational ethics but it is reality and maybe you need to study ethics before you weigh in again?
Oh, look, another idiot bringing down the country's IQ level:
But nobody is launching an investigation into Trump for hiring his children.
I don't have time to follow the Trump children -- adult children -- nor do I want to. If that's your fix, go for it. But grab some clues before you do. Special deals Ivanka Trump makes with a country for her clothes line? That might be similar to what Hunter did, it might. Donald hiring his children to work in the government?
Not at all the same thing.
Crack a book, learn to read if you have to, you'll find out that -- shocker -- JFK named RFK to be attorney general when he was president.
It's amazing how uninformed and, frankly, stupid so many Twitter users are. The only thing more amazing is how eager they are to flaunt their stupidity.
On the topic of stupidity, back to Joe Biden. NPR has published a full transcript of the interview Rachel Martin did with Joe (part of it aired on Saturday's WEEKEND EDITION, the other airs this morning on MORNING EDITION). Joe thinks he can lie and get away with it.
He claims he's not worried about Iowa because they don't make their mind up until after Christmas (after Thanksgiving, he also floats apparently not aware that Thanksgiving has passed). In one month, Iowa goes into their caucus. Most have already made up their minds. Any student of campaign politics is aware of this. The polls right now will be very similar to the first round of caucusing.
Joe also points to his national polling. That doesn't mean a damn thing. He will most likely lose Iowa and New Hampshire. We've said that for some time now. The rest of the country is actually where Joe pretends Iowa is right now -- still sorting it out. And the minute they see Joe fail in Iowa, they will be looking elsewhere -- as will the press. If he then fails in New Hampshire, he's probably sunk.
The bad news is that in the first two voting
states, he's trailing. In fact, according to an average of the polls,
he's running in fourth place in both Iowa and New Hampshire.
If
that holds, it will place Biden on the perilous side of history.
Traditionally, the results from Iowa and New Hampshire play a dramatic
role in winnowing and clarifying presidential fields. Since the dawn of
the Democratic Party's modern presidential primary system in the 1970s,
no candidate has lost contested races in both Iowa and New Hampshire and
still gone on to win the nomination.
Joe is familiar with this reality. Again, in 2008, losing Iowa was enough to make him pack it in.
A prominent civil society activist was shot dead late Sunday in Iraq's
shrine city of Karbala while returning home from anti-government
protests, a neighbor said.
Fahem Al-Tai, 53, had been taking part
in weeks of rallies denouncing Iraq's entrenched political elite as
corrupt, inept and beholden to neighboring Iran.
Good afternoon, #Baghdad
-Hundreds mourn Fahemal-Tai, gunned down last night in Karbala
-Rockets wound 6 CTS forces outside Baghdad airport
-Confusion, rumors after Hashed al-Shaabi publishes then deletes statement on Friday attack in which it acknowledges being present
#AFPFahemal-Taï, père de famille de 53 ans, a été assassiné dimanche soir devant son domicile à Kerbala
Il était une des figures du mouvement de contestation dans la ville sainte chiite
Fahemal-Tai was shot dead while returning home from anti-government protests. #FMTNews#Iraq
Friday, at least 20 protesters were killed in Baghdad alone. It is not yet known who
carried out the attacks but the US government insists this was carried
out by the government of Iran. Though that accusation may or may not be
true, the US Treasury Dept issued the following Friday:
Action Also Targets Corrupt Iraqi Millionaire for Bribery
Washington – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of
Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three leaders of Iran-backed
militias in Iraq that opened fire on peaceful protests, killing dozens
of innocent civilians. OFAC designated Qais al-Khazali, Laith
al-Khazali, and Husayn Falih ‘Aziz al-Lami pursuant to Executive Order
(E.O.) 13818 for their involvement in serious human rights abuse in
Iraq. Additionally, OFAC designated Iraqi millionaire businessman
Khamis Farhan al-Khanjar al-Issawi for bribing government officials and
engaging in corruption at the expense of the Iraqi people. “Iran’s attempts to suppress the legitimate demands of the Iraqi
people for reform of their government through the slaughter of peaceful
demonstrators is appalling,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.
“Peaceful public dissent and protest are fundamental elements of all
democracies. The United States stands with the Iraqi people in their
efforts to root out corruption. We will hold accountable the
perpetrators of human rights abuse and corruption in Iraq.” As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property
of the individuals named below, and of any entities that are owned,
directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually or with
other designated persons, that are in the United States or in the
possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked and must be reported
to OFAC. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by
OFAC or otherwise exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all
transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States
that involve any property or interests in property of designated or
otherwise blocked persons. In addition, any approval, financing,
facilitation, or guarantee by a U.S. person, wherever located, of a
transaction by a foreign person where the transaction by that foreign
person would be prohibited by E.O. 13818 if performed by a U.S. person
or within the United States would be prohibited.
QAIS AL-KHAZALI and LAITH AL-KHAZALI
Qais al-Khazali is Secretary General of the Iran-backed Asa’ib Ahl
al-Haq (AAH) militia in Iraq. During the late 2019 protests in many
cities in Iraq, AAH has opened fire on and killed protesters. Laith
al-Khazali, Qais al-Khazali’s brother, is also a leader of AAH. Qais
al-Khazali was part of a committee of Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) proxies that approved the use of lethal
violence against protesters for the purpose of public intimidation. In Diyala Province, Iraq, AAH has been involved in widespread forced
disappearances, abductions, killings, and torture, targeting Sunni
Iraqis with impunity. In late 2015, Laith al-Khazali controlled efforts
to remove Sunnis from areas of Diyala Province, including killings to
drive Sunnis from the area. Additionally, Qais and Laith al-Khazali had leading roles in a
January 2007 attack on an Iraqi government compound in Karbala. The
attack killed five U.S. soldiers and wounded three. Qais al-Khazali is designated for being a foreign person who is a
leader or official of an entity, including any government entity, that
has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious human rights
abuse relating to his tenure. Laith al-Khazali is designated for being a foreign person who is
responsible for, is complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged
in serious human rights abuse. The IRGC-QF, designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 25, 2007,
is a branch of the IRGC responsible for external operations and has
provided material support to numerous terrorist groups, making it a key
component of Iran’s destabilizing regional activities. The IRGC-QF’s
parent organization, the IRGC, was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 on
October 13, 2017, and on April 15, 2019 was designated as a Foreign
Terrorist Organization by the Secretary of State.
HUSAYN FALIH ‘AZIZ AL-LAMI
Husayn Falih ‘Aziz al-Lami (al-Lami) is an Iran-backed militia
leader, tasked by other senior militia commanders with suppressing the
late 2019 protests in Iraq. Al-Lami was part of a committee of IRGC-QF
proxies that approved the use of lethal violence against protesters for
the purpose of public intimidation. In late 2019, al-Lami was
responsible for ordering the assassinations and suppression of
protesters in Baghdad. Al-Lami directed militia fighters who shot
protesters in early October 2019, a time when dozens of protesters were
killed. Al-Lami is designated for being a foreign person who is responsible
for, is complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in serious
human rights abuse.
KHAMIS FARHAN AL-KHANJAR AL-ISSAWI
Khamis Farhan al-Khanjar al-Issawi (al-Khanjar) is an Iraqi
businessman and millionaire who enjoys significant power on a regional
and international level. According to a former senior Iraqi government
official, al-Khanjar’s influence has been mostly due to his willingness
and ability to use his wealth to bribe others. Al-Khanjar has
reportedly planned to spend millions of dollars in payments to Iraqi
political figures in order to secure their support. Al-Khanjar is designated for having materially assisted, sponsored,
or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods
or services to or in support of, corruption, including the
misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets
for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the
extraction of natural resources, or bribery.
GLOBAL MAGNITSKY
Building upon the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act,
on December 20, 2017, the President signed E.O. 13818, “Blocking the
Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or
Corruption,” in which the President found that the prevalence and
severity of human rights abuse and corruption that have their source, in
whole or in substantial part, outside the United States, has reached
such scope and gravity that they threaten the stability of international
political and economic systems. Human rights abuse and corruption
undermine the values that form an essential foundation of stable,
secure, and functioning societies; have devastating impacts on
individuals; weaken democratic institutions; degrade the rule of law;
perpetuate violent conflicts; facilitate the activities of dangerous
persons; and undermine economic markets. The United States seeks to
impose tangible and significant consequences on those who commit serious
human rights abuse or engage in corruption, as well as to protect the
financial system of the United States from abuse by these same persons. Information on the individuals designated today..
That's the base US officials tend to land at on their sneak-in visits to Iraq. AP notes:
Four Katyusha rockets hit a military base near
Baghdad International Airport early on Monday, wounding at least six
soldiers, Iraqi security officials said. It was the latest incident in a
series of rocket attacks in recent weeks.
Iraqi security forces discovered a rocket
launcher and some defused rockets nearby after searching the area
following the the attack, a statement from Iraqi security forces said.
According to the security officials, the area targeted by the rockets
is frequented by military advisers from the U.S.-led coalition. The
officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
