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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Quickhits

The head of the Shiite's most powerful party is now saying there will be no significant changes in the Iraqi constitution in direct contravention of the agreements when the US forced a hasty, cobbled together agreement last summer.

One of the sources for James Risen in the NSA spying case, Russell Tice, has come forward. Smart move really, they were going to catch up with him sooner or later, and the offer to testify before congress burnishes his whistleblower credentials. There are a few interesting technical details in this, NSA scanning all communications for keywords, popping in and out of conversations, in effect possibly monitoring millions of people. Worth a read. (I'll write more on this later when I have a little time.)

Thinkprogress reports that Tom Delay appears to be hiding behind his daughter who also appears to have had a near phantom job.

And, I don't know what to make of this allegation by Reuters that Kim Jong Il is secretly in Russia. It could be an attempt to work on the nuclear negotiations with a sympathetic ear, or it could be the Russians establishing another beachhead among the US's "enemies." Both Russia and China have been capitolizing on Bush's destructive foreign policy by stepping up contacts with those who aren't "with us." China in Nigeria, Venezuela, Saudi, Bolivia, etc, etc, Russia with the Kazakhs, Uzbecks, Syrians, and Iranians. So, no idea what this Kim Jong Il meeting could mean, but it represents something.

4 Comments:

  • About KJI in Russia.. Russia, China, North Korea, there all communist states.. all in cohoots, all buddies. Russia is a democracy in name only..it's corrupt to the marrow, and will deal with anyone who can deliver profits under the table. Putin Bush's buddy... we all know how good a judge of character Bush is. Russia will finance KJI for a time.. anything to be a thorn in the side of the US.

    By Blogger Yukkione, at 10:04 AM  

  • My gut feeling is that such a meeting is not in the best interests of the US. Following the other actions of Russia directly and China, more indirectly, they are certainly trying to maintain as many thorns as they can.

    Russia selling anti-aircraft missiles to Iran and Syria. Selling fighters to China, and that's what we know about, they couldn't be more of a thorn without open conflict.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 11:20 AM  

  • Though I sympathize with the "working the enemies of the US angle," I have it on good authority that he's in Russia kidnap--recuriting stars of the Russian cinema for a new set of films he'll direct.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:34 AM  

  • Good tie in, kvatch. That kidnapper movie directors thing is just so weird. But I gotta say, I've seen some Russian films, and I think he'd be better off going to Hong Kong for directors.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 12:56 PM  

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