The President flew into Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan on Air Force One shortly after midnight, then went by helicopter to the Afghan Presidential Palace in Kabul where he signed a long term strategic agreement with Afghan President Karzai. The agreement is aimed at cementing a lasting commitment to Afghanistan after Military action comes to an end. President Obama said the agreement will "pave the way for a future of peace." Karzai said the postwar agreement will seal an "equal partnership between Afghanistan and the United States."

Obama's unannounced visit comes on the anniversary of the killing of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, and is expected be on the ground for about seven hours, during that time he will make an announcement to the American people at 7:30 PM EDT. It will be 4:00AM in Afghanistan when he makes his announcement about the agreement that will broadly govern the U.S. role in Afghanistan after the American combat mission stops at the end of 2014 — 13 years after it began.

The partnership spells out the US relationship with Afghanistan beyond 2014, covering security, economics and governance. The agreement is limited in scope and essentially gives both sides certain powers. Afghanistan will gets it to maintain it's sovereignty with a promise it won't be abandoned, while the U.S. gets to end its combat mission but keep a foothold in the country.

The deal does not commit the United States to any specific troop presence or spending. But it does allow the U.S. to potentially keep troops in Afghanistan after the war ends for the purpose of continuing to train Afghan forces and target operations against al Qaida.

Media traveling with the President on the long 14 hour flight had to agree to keep it secret until Obama safely finished the helicopter flight to Kabul, the Afghan capitol, where Taliban insurgents still launch lethal attacks.

After the historic document was signed the President flew back to Bagram, where is at the time of this posting. Bagram is much more secure (supposedly) and is where he will make his 7:30 announcement from.

Given the recent security breaches as recently as two weeks ago resulted in the shooting deaths of U.S. Servicemen by assailants in Afghan uniforms, I personally think the trip was unnessessarily risky and will not be at ease until the President is safely back on U.S. soil.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Suddenly the Supreme Court is looming large in yet another presidential election.

In the 2000 contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore, the High Court ruled the recounting of votes in Florida - remember those hanging chads - must stop.

Al Gore got about 500,000 more popular votes. But the Supreme Court gave Bush the edge in Florida - and he went on to win the election.

That decision effectively handed the presidency of the United States to George W. Bush.

Flash ahead to 2012. Twice within the last four weeks, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear cases - health care and immigration - that could have huge implications for the outcome of another presidential election.

Start with Obamacare.

Court watchers say the justices seem to be leaning toward rolling back part - or all - of President Obama's hallmark legislation of his first term. The individual mandate appears to be in serious jeopardy - and with it, the whole law might go.

Then, almost without missing a beat, the Supreme Court decided to hear arguments on Arizona's tough new immigration law.

It's no secret the federal government under Presidents Obama, Bush - go back as far as you like - has made virtually no serious effort at securing our nation's borders – especially with Mexico.

Finally being fed up, Arizona took matters into its own hands.

Interestingly it looks like the Supreme Court may side with Arizona. And again the implications could be huge.

Both rulings are expected in June - just a few months before America elects its next president.

Republicans will use any decision against President Obama as ammunition.

However if the president loses either of these cases it could become a perfect way to mobilize the Democratic base, including Hispanic voters.

Here’s my question to you: What role might the Supreme Court play in the next presidential election?

Visit The Cafferty File

At the tail end of his 90 minute meeting with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev Monday, President Obama said that he would have "more flexibility" to deal with controversial issues such as missile defense, but incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to give him "space."

President Obama speaks "privately" to President Medvedev over open mic ---->

The exchange was picked up by microphones as reporters were let into the room for remarks by the two leaders.

The exchange:

President Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space.

President Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you…

President Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.

President Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir. See video;

(Text link to video).

(Link to Text of President Obama's Speech to AIPAC)

Einstein gave a definition to Insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.” That quote is in my head so often as of late. I watch how MSM so blatantly steers us to their idea of “the standard bearer” in the Republican party. I watch as Dem pundits set off smear campaigns only against those they fear will be the nominee…funny, nothing on Romney or Santorum…yet. Those smears will only come if either is the Republican nominee. Dems want to make sure it is one of them because the path to an Obama second term will have…well, the least resistance.

After the outcome of the Iowa Caucus, I awoke the next morning with dread. Faced with either Romney or Santorum as likely nominee…well, there will be no challenge to Obama in 2012. I tried to envision four more years with this administration, and wanted to throw up…our country already does not resemble anything close to what it was a mere three years ago. You don’t have to pledge any party affiliation to feel that…no one is immune…unless you’re uber rich. There is no side when talking redistribution of wealth either…but in terms of the loss of middleclass wealth…I will say Obama is by far the best at that.

So, looking at the landscape as it sits today, let’s just agree Obama will likely get a second term, even though he has less than 50% approval rating right now. Many will consider him the lesser of two evils…but, there isn’t a lesser evil here. Four more years, and kiss your freedom good-bye. Four years with Romney or Santorum…can’t say I have a different feeling. That leaves us with…ourselves.

It is well past the time for us citizens to unite. We need to get past our political ideologies now for our own sake. Both parties leave us woefully ignored…how so many cannot see that Obama is “Bush 3”…well, I can’t see anything but. Except that Obama makes Bush 2 look like a choirboy, and amateur when it comes to destroying the middleclass. He’s the real 3-point man, the slam-dunk git ‘er done guy…the “let’s bring this game to a close” guy. Our politicians play us against each other while they quietly go about their unified agenda. That’s why Ron Paul is not talked about on MSM much…why he’s smeared as a racist because philanderer was already used on Cain.

All that being said…no matter who we get as Republican nominee, or it’s Obama…either way, if we don’t start unifying on what we ALL have to agree on is a disasterous path to the elimination of freedom as we know it. Then in the very near future, we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

My definition of insanity: Electing the same self-serving, ego-maniacal, lying, greedy bastids we always do…and expecting a different result.

The camp in eastern Iraq houses Iranians dedicated to the overthrow of the Iranian government. Members of the group won refuge at Ashraf decades ago during the regime of Saddam Hussein, who saw them as a convenient ally against Tehran.

Since Saddam’s fall in 2003, the exiles have become an irritant to Iraq’s Shiite-led government, which is trying to bolster ties with Iran. A deadly April raid on the camp by Iraqi forces drew international criticism of Baghdad’s treatment of the group.

An important story-- yet many westerners are unaware of this.

Yes, I realize that President Obama was opposed to the war in Iraq and I am aware that he did everything he could to undermine the mission there, but I believe the President deserves some credit for seeing the error of his ways once he got into office.  I applaud him for staying the course and allowing the plans that Bush had put in place to unfold. 

So for all the Obama haters out there, can't you just admit...this once, that the President was right in leaving the Iraqi plans that were in place after he took office?  Just this once, can you at least give the President credit for continuing the Bush Administration policies and outline for withdrawal.  Can't you admit that perhaps he didn't have all the facts when he opposed the war and was trying to undermine our efforts in Iraq?  Don't you understand that he had to whip up people into an emotional frenzy before, because the base of his party demanded it? Can you imagine how much worse things could have been if he had followed through with all the rhetoric from his campaign? 

My hat is off to you Mr. President.  For having the courage to stay the course and continuing the plan to end the war and withdraw our troops that the former President left in place for you.  Job well done!

(Please note: This article is not a "breaking news" story, but is seeded as background information):

Clout in Washington isn't about winning legislative battles -- it's about making sure that they never happen at all. The oil and gas industry has that kind of clout.

But when President Obama called on Congress to eliminate about $4 billion a year in tax breaks for Big Oil earlier this year, the response on the Hill was little more than a knowing chuckle. Even Obama's closest congressional allies don't think the president’s proposal has a shot.

Will Rick Perry’s blend of Christian-right, small-government, and pro-corporate fervor land him in the White House?

In April, Rick Perry traveled to North Texas for a taping of televangelist James Robison’s TV show, Life Today.

For six months, starting as soon as he was re-elected Texas governor in November 2010, Perry had been crisscrossing the country to promote his second book, Fed Up!, while testing the presidential waters with potential donors and conservative activists. 

His visit with Robison, a hellfire-breathing pastor known as “God’s hit man” (for “giving ’em so much hell nobody will ever want to go there”), had the potential to pay serious dividends. 

Robison had led the Christian-right campaign that helped lift Ronald Reagan to the White House in 1980, and he was re-emerging as the chief instigator of a national effort to mobilize evangelicals to defeat Barack Obama in 2012. Read more;

The real scandal is how journalists pick and choose which controversies to play up and which to play down.

(Little Green Footballs editorial)

In the perpetual race to the bottom of a bottomless pit that is the right wing blogosphere, a new outrageous outrage has arisen, more outrageous than all the other fake outrages of wingnut history.

My friends, can your hearts stand the awful truth of the Barack Hussein Obama Christmas Tree Tax?!

The article is from 2009.  Since this "He's a Socialist!" nonsense hasn't abated a bit since then, it seems most timely, age notwithstanding.

" ... This is how I see Obama's position:

There is a really clean hot rod that has been through a lot of races and has plenty of miles. It has been in a wreck or two and the engine's been rebuilt, but the body shop and mechanics have always been able to keep this baby running and looking good. Every few years, a new driver takes the wheel, and the car goes to President Bush who drives it around for eight years. When he hands the keys to Obama, nobody ever recognizes the car. It has been wrecked so hard the frame is bent, the floorboards are rusted through, the interior is in shreds and a title loan company wants a ridiculous amount in order to get the pink slip back.

As far as I can tell from research, President Obama is not part of or even affiliated with the Socialist Party. It is a complete and total stretch, like trying to tie him to a former terrorist who he once sat on a board with; a person who committed crimes when Obama was a seven-year old boy.

This is a nation where people are branded with insults if they try to help poor people. It is as if it is an anti-Christian nation rather than a primarily Christian one.

But for those intent on stating that Obama is Socialist, I will keep describing what the Socialist Party actually is and what it means.

According to their Website, The Socialist Party's goal is to create a radical democracy that places people's lives under their own control: "A non-racist, classless, feminist socialist society... where working people own and control the means of production and distribution through democratically-controlled public agencies; where full employment is realized for everyone who wants to work; where workers have the right to form unions freely, and to strike and engage in other forms of job actions; and where the production of society is used for the benefit of all humanity, not for the private profit of a few."

In his weekly column for the Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove has written about how Obama is jeopardizing his chances for re-election by appearing too liberal or too populist...

American Crossroads, the big money GOP group founded by Karl Rove, is warning Republicans that President Obama's new campaign to raise taxes on millionaires is a political winner.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Congress would never agree to Republican presidential front runner Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan. Cain’s bold tax plan would put Congress out of its tax-wheeling-and-dealing business, as pork-barrel-tax politics are their stock-in-trade.

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Since he's the current president, most people are aware of political activists numerous attempts to  compare President Obama to Hitler.

But is this really something new?

In past years, did other political types compare Bush to Hitler?

This article takes a look at that.

What took us so long? How much worse did it have to get before public outrage would finally focus on those who caused the problem and those who are milking us dry? Several of us have been pleading in blog after blog for more than two years to build a broad-based assault on Wall Street. Where was our answer to the Tea Party? Well, here it is.

If you still harbor any doubts that Wall Street is the right target, here are 10 reasons to consider:

1. Wall Street caused the crash
2. The Wall Street crash directly caused the gravest unemployment crisis since the Great Depression
3. Wall Street profited from the bailouts and remains unaccountable
4. The super-rich are getting richer
5. The super-rich are paying lower and lower taxes
6. Financial elites pay lower taxes than their secretaries
7. None of those who caused the crash have been prosecuted
8. Wall Street is much too big and its salaries are much too high
9. Wall Street still owns the regulators
10. Financial innovation is a joke

Does Wall Street pay or do we? In the end, it comes down to a clear-cut struggle between the few and the many.

Free Wood Post is pleased to present this handy visual aid to help the public distinguish Marxists and Nazis in modern American politics.

Jon Stewart is amazing-- as always!

The proposal would replace the range of tax deductions for wealthy people, oil companies and other businesses that the president had proposed to end to offset the cost of the job-creation initiatives in his plan.

Democratic leaders said they hoped to bring the revised plan to the Senate floor next week for debate. But assuming they keep all of their votes, they would need at least seven Republicans to vote in favor of any effort just to start debate on the legislation.

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Throughout modern economic history, whether in Western Europe in the 1920s, in the US and elsewhere in the 1930s, or in Japan in the 1990s, every major financial crisis-driven downturn has been followed by premature abandonment—if not reversal—of the macroeconomic stimulus policies that are necessary to sustained recovery.

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Raising prospects for a major election-year ruling, the Obama administration launched its Supreme Court defense of its landmark health care overhaul Wednesday, appealing what it called a "fundamentally flawed" appeals court decision that declared the law's central provision unconstitutional.

Destined from the start for a high court showdown, the health care law affecting virtually every American seems sure to figure prominently in President Barack Obama's campaign for re-election next year. Republican contenders are already assailing it in virtually every debate and speech.

The Supreme Court almost always weighs in when a lower court has struck down all or part of a federal law, to say nothing of one that aims to extend insurance coverage to more than 30 million Americans. Read more;

In late 2009, the Obama administration transferred 55 so-called bunker-buster bombs to Israel. The 5,000-pound bombs conceivably put Israel in the position to attack Iran's buried nuclear facilities--or to target Hezbollah's buried bunkers in Lebanon.

Israel had earlier requested the deep-penetrating bombs from the Bush administration, Lake reported. But according to Lake's report, Bush had deferred the Israeli request . . .

Last year, the Washington Post reported that the United States had deployed special operations forces in seventy-five countries, from South America to Central Asia. Recently, however, US Special Operations Command spokesman Colonel Tim Nye told me that on any given day, America's elite troops are working in about seventy countries, and that its country total by year's end would be around 120. These forces are engaged in a host of missions, from Army Rangers involved in conventional combat in Afghanistan to the team of Navy SEALs who assassinated Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, to trainers from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines within US Special Operations Command working globally from the Dominican Republic to Yemen.

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

The U.S. House of Representatives unexpectedly defeated a bill that would fund the federal government past September 30 on Wednesday as dozens of Republicans broke with their party to push for deeper spending cuts. 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

As of September 2010, the Affordable Care Act allowed young adults up to the age of 26 to remain on their parents' health insurance plans. Previously, adult children could stay on their parents' plans only if they remained in college or lived in a state with laws similar to the Affordable Care Act. HHS estimated that 650,000 people would sign up for the new coverage.

However, through the end of March, the number of young adults ages 19 to 25 with health insurance rose by about 900,000.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

President Barack Obama is expected to seek a new base tax rate for the wealthy to ensure that millionaires pay at least at the same percentage as middle income taxpayers.

A White House official said the proposal would be included in the president's proposal for long term deficit reduction that he will announce Monday. The official spoke anonymously because the plan has not been officially announced.

Obama is going to call it the "Buffett Rule" for Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor who has complained that rich people like him pay a smaller share of their income in federal taxes than middle-class taxpayers. Read more;

Economists at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Moody’s Analytics Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. said last week that the U.S. economy would get a boost of up to 2 percent under Obama’s plan.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania, said the proposal would create 1.9 million jobs and lower the unemployment rate by one percentage point compared with current policy. He forecast it would add 2 percent to next year’s GDP . 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

The Repbulican primary lineup took on a more clear batting order after Wednesdays Reagan Center debates. Michele Bachmann failed to shine as she did in the first debate, and appears to have lost some of her luster as a GOP front-runner. Ron Paul was more of the same old Ron Paul rhetoric, and it's doubtful he gained any significant number of followers (he never does), but it's just as doubtful he lost any significent number of followers (he never does). I have no idea why Rick Santorum is still hanging around, however Gingrich, Cain and Huntsman at this point, are pretty much campaigning for the VP spot. (I doubt that Bachmann would be considered for the number two spot -too much dejavu Sarah Palin) 

While Romney used his experience gained from being in numerous presidential debates in the past to counter each of Perrys' jabs, Perry did little to allay concerns that his controversial record in Texas and his hard-line conservative positions will present problems in a general election.

If the economy does not improve, Romneys' experience as a governor and private businessman could offer voters what could seem like a more comfortable choice in '012 and Obama could be in some trouble. However if Perry gets the nod, I'm not so sure Americans are going to be willing to take a chance on another flamboyant, opinionated Texas governor, and Obama could survive regardless of the economy in '012.

So, right now, Liberals have to be careful in their criticism of Perry, because if they go after him too strongly, they could make Republicans aware that Perry is "too hot to handle" and nominate Romney, who is clearly the more dangerous candidate for Obama.

New data suggest that the bitter debate in Washington over raising the debt ceiling not only drove the United States to the edge of default and cost the nation its triple-A credit rating, but crushed American confidence like few recent events and may well help tip the economy back toward recession. 

(Republicans; : "Mission Accomplished!")

Nearly every poll shows Americans lacking any confidence in the ability of political leaders to agree on significant steps to boost the economy,including a recent Washington Post poll that found 33 percent of Americans have confidence in Obama to make good decisions on the economy and just 18 percent have confidence in Congressional Republicans to do so.

Read more: 

President Barack Obama, during a high-profile LGBT fundraising event Thursday night, expressed support for the idea that the state of New York should have the power to codify marriage for same-sex couples. But he did not personally endorse the pending New York bill -- which is nearing passage in the statehouse -- or same-sex marriage itself.

 Obama praised vocal LGBT activism and offered his ear in return. He ran through his list of achievements -- extending hospital visitation rights to gay couples, a comprehensive national AIDS strategy, the ending of Don't Ask Don't Tell, to name a few -- and pledged a commitment to a " simple American value, the notion that "we are all created equal."

But when it came to the pressing substantive matter of the day -- marriage equality -- Obama's speech wasn't simple at all.

Iran will shift its production of higher grade uranium to an underground bunker and triple its production capacity, it said on Wednesday in a defiant response to accusations it is trying to produce atomic bombs.

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

It's coming up on 10 years since we went to war in Afghanistan. The stated purpose at the time was to get Osama bin Laden and the rest of al Qaeda who had attacked us on 9/11. Bin Laden is dead now, and we're still fighting and dying in Afghanistan. The U.S. death toll recently passed 1,500.

In a speech in December 2009, President Obama announced he would begin the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan in July 2011. Well, a year and a half has passed, July is almost here, and Americans are waiting to hear his plan.

NATO jets pounded Libyan ports overnight, destroying eight of Moammar Gadhafi's warships, an alliance spokesman said Friday.

NATO targeted the ships in Tripoli, Al-Khums and Sirte after it was apparent that Gadhafi's forces were increasingly using naval vessels to launch attacks on civilians, said Mike Bracken, NATO's military spokesman. He said Gadhafi was indiscriminately mining waters in Misrata and hampering the flow of humanitarian aid.

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

"These numbers point to a mortgage market on the mend," said Jay Brinkmann, MBA's chief economist. "Foreclosure starts are at the lowest level since the end of 2008 and had the second largest drop ever. The percentage of loans somewhere in foreclosure is down from last quarter's record high and also had one of the largest drops we have ever seen."

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Al Qaeda has chosen Egyptian Al Qaeda member Saif al-Adel as interim leader while it decides on a more permanent successor to Osama bin Laden, according to independent but unconfirmed reports. While Mr. Adel has long been a senior member of Al Qaeda, his appointment comes as a surprise to many. It may signal a rift in the organization, which many expected would now be led by Mr. bin Laden's longtime No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Two years ago, when President Barack Obama spoke to the Muslim world in Cairo, he devoted 12 paragraphs totaling more than 1,000 words to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Promoting democracy in Muslim countries mustered a mere three paragraphs totaling 375 words.

When Obama delivers an address at the State Department on Thursday that many are billing as “Cairo II,” his text is expected to reflect how much the Mideast has changed. The urgent need for democratic change in the Arab world will stand front and center, while the foundering peace process recedes in prominence, White House officials signaled. The president and his aides are eager to capitalize on the burgeoning Arab Spring pro-democracy movement and the killing of Osama bin Laden as promising opportunities to wrest young Muslims from the path of radicalism.

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Osama Bin Laden's death may come to be seen as a precedent for "targeted killings" by states in the future, a report written for MPs has suggested.

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

North Korea and Iran appear to have been exchanging ballistic missile technology in violation of sanctions, a leaked UN report shows.

The report, obtained by Reuters, said regular transfers had been taking place through "a neighbouring third country", named by diplomats as China.

In the Kenyan village where she lives, the president's 88-year-old step-grandmother, Sarah Obama, shrugged off death threats against her from an al Qaeda affiliate in East Africa called al Shabaab.

"My life has not been affected in any way," Sarah Obama told ABC News. "It has not restricted my movement."

But President Obama seemed more concerned when asked directly about his grandmother by a Miami Spanish-language television station.

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

I wrote this article originally on December 8^th, 2008. At that time, we had just elected Barack Obama our 44^th President of the United States. I was enormously enthusiastic, and had zero doubt that he would not succumb to hubris. I wrote this though because at that time, I decided that we should all still be vigilant. Obama himself asked us to hold him accountable, so I was determined to maintain a watchful and discerning eye…something Obama himself asked all of us to do during the election. My opinion in this original article is right there, but two and a half years later…we find ourselves in a position to either help him get out of the way of himself, or to turn the same blind eye we did with Bush.  He has that same political capital…will he use it for us, or squander it? It is your decision how to best help Obama be a truly historic President, or to rue your hand in his demise years later…either way, now is the time where your ownership will be defined. Please read what I wrote as an Obama supporter just over two years ago…perhaps it will help you decide your route forward...:

http://sperrys.newsvine.com/_news/2008/12/30/2260174-in-bush-there-was-a-flawexcessive-pride-always-goes-before-a-fall-will-hubris-take-down-obama-too

In the Greek tragedy, "Oedipus Rex," Sophocles told us a story of pride, in its most debilitating form. Oedipus, having the admiration, love, and "high ratings" of a people enamored with his solving the riddle of the Sphinx, erroneously thought he could then do whatever he pleased, his only guide being his mood or wants, without thoughtful consideration of opposing views. This can be likened to the Presidency of George W. Bush on so many levels.

Think back to the overwhelming response given George W., when he took a bullhorn in hand, and pronounced to the country that we would not take the events of 9/11 sitting down.

We all cheered, and showered him with an 80% approval rating…we wanted blood, and his message delivered us.

What we didn't know, was that he would use our approval of him (what is now commonly referred to as "political capital") to sell us on a war that should not have been waged.

Oedipus was, without question, also showered with love and admiration, by the people of Thebes. He was crowned the King of Thebes and was worshipped by the people as "[the] greatest in all men's eyes" (40) and "[the] noblest of men" (46). Oedipus showed grace in accepting the loyalty of his subjects, and embraced all of his power, yet began to show characteristics of pride and arrogance. When Oedipus vowed to kill the one that had killed King Laius, the old King of Thebes, Oedipus confronted Teiresias, and when he was met with resistance… his reaction was that of one displaying a quick-temper and stubbornness. He was outraged that someone would challenge him, and considered Teiresias' defiance an affront against the new King. Oedipus was quick to jump to conclusions, and without benefit of seeking other viewpoints, accused the prophet, Teiresias and his brother-in-law, Creon of trying to overthrow him.

But Oedipus believed he had the "political capital," and he intended to use it. Just like Bush.

There are so many parallels here it begs the question: Was Bush's repeated tenet "stay the course" a steady hand, or simply a perfect description of Bush's most fatal flaw? Could he have, with a more reasoned approach, avoided his own hubris, and the collateral damage to us all and the world? If we, collectively, had been more vigilant, would we have so eagerly let the blind lead the blind?

Even now, GW fiercely believes that his actions liberated the people of Iraq, and that will be his only legacy. He is like a criminal with no remorse.

<b>President-Elect Obama is now in the same position, and will he too become the victim of hubris? He is loved, and admired by so many. We are all putting our faith in this man, and he knows it. My answer to that question is a resounding…NO! I have seen this man hire a "team of rivals," so that he can be opposed to in an intelligent way while in office, and I have seen him reach across the aisle to be all-inclusive…even when it might hurt him to do so. I saw him having Christmas dinner with our troops in Hawaii, well past the need for photo ops, and well past the need to ingratiate voters. I have received invitations to community gatherings in recent weeks that seek to continue giving voice to the people.</b>

I remember vividly that ethereally bright sunny day in September when our world changed forever. I saw firsthand the towers burning against an amazingly clear blue sky backdrop. I also remember feeling, not too long after, the need for retribution. Living in New Jersey at the time, I remember seeing the cars, still sitting in the "park 'n rides" a week later along Route 17… at all exits, of those who didn't come back from their commute to Manhattan. And I remember believing in GW. I never took the time to evaluate his decision in going into Iraq…I just blindly trusted. I liked that he was taking action, believing he would take care of us.

A few years later, I woke up to find that he had not…and the man I had put my trust in was nothing but an Oedipus. A man with an enormity of pride, that would later, define his enormous fall.

Hamza, thought to be the youngest of the Saudi-born warlord's sons, has been described as the “crown prince of terror”. He featured on an extremist website to mark the third anniversary of the July 7 London bombings in which 52 people died. He read a poem called for “destruction” of America, Britain, France and Denmark.

 

More Seeds :: JCAtom

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an interview published Tuesday denounced China's clampdown on dissent as a "fool's errand," saying Beijing was trying to stop the course of history.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

The previous ten presidents were staunch prohibitionists. Meanwhile, Obama has taken the federal hand off the scale quite a bit.

In October 2009, the Justice Department declared that prosecuting medical-marijuana users and caregivers who clearly comply with state laws was not a wise use of its resources. That declaration has dominated public perception of President Barack Obama's policy on the issue-minimal progress, but is a welcome improvement on his predecessors.

However, ..........

The glow of national pride seemed to rise above partisan politics, as support for the president rose significantly among both Republicans and independents. In all, 57 percent said they now approved of the president's job performance, up from 46 percent last month.

Though there has been talk in some quarters that the United States military can now leave Afghanistan, the poll showed that public sentiment on the issue seems more complicated.

Nearly half said the nation should decrease troop levels in Afghanistan. But more than six in 10 also said the United States had not completed its mission in Afghanistan.

The nail-biting, 40-minute clandestine operation that resulted in Osama bin Laden's death could have been a calamitous political and military failure; a bloodbath in Pakistan that left U.S. forces and scores of civilians dead or captured by America's most ferocious enemy.

By secretly sending a team of special operations forces into an enemy fortress in a suburban neighborhood of a sovereign country, President Barack Obama chose the path of greatest risk, but also greatest reward.

But, there were so many ways it could have gone wrong ........

With the nation due to shatter its debt ceiling later this month, legislators in both parties are strategizing on ways to seal a deal to extend the ceiling on the best possible terms.

The possible scenarios for a resolution — or collapse — are ridiculously complicated, made even more so by the Obama administration's desire to strike a "grand bargain" that cuts the deficit by $4 trillion over the next dozen years with a combination of budget cuts, changes to entitlement programs and, most controversial, tax hikes for the rich.

As if that weren't befuddling enough, the Senate's bipartisan Gang of Six could release its own plan for deficit reduction within days.

<b>See article for five scenarios of what lies ahead</b> 

As Obama bloviates on killing this guy, will he stop to ponder what it really means? It took us almost ten years to get one guy. Even if we say it only took Obama just over two, what is the big deal getting ONE guy, really? 

The big deal is the enormous blood and treasure wasted all these years, beginning with Bush and continuing with Obama. As Obama declares his overstated victory, tomorrow will finally bring it home that there is no victory in any of the wars on terror we’re fighting. This is no victory, but rather a very costly end to hunting down a bad guy at the enormous expense of our country…how many more did Bin Laden see die at our hands as result of our own foolishness, before he finally went to the “vestal virgins” in the sky? 

Who will take over for Bin Laden? We can be assured that when one falls, others will pop up…there is no win, no matter who gets killed. Will it take this single killing for our esteemed politicians to finally realize that? Will it take this single killing for terrorists to feel it’s time to make sure they do? 

Congrats Obama…but remember, you’re only as good as your last terrorist takedown. And if we ever start keeping track of how much each death costs us, well…who’s really winning? Bring our troops home like you promised, and put an end finally to these inane wars. Only then will you get any accolades from those you duped. 

Onto an emboldened tomorrow.  Who will take over for Bin laden, and be in the crosshairs next? 

As long as our elected officials need wars to prop themselves up, these wars on terrorism will never be over. When we get someone who realizes every dime we spend trying, every soldier we lose trying, is a lost cause, then we’ll be able to declare victory once and for all.

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the federal government can continue to fund research involving human embryonic stem cells, a significant legal victory for the Obama administration.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Some 200 members of Syria's ruling Baath party are reported to have resigned over the violent crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrations.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Thousands of anti-government protesters are standing their ground in the capital of Yemen, despite a deal that would see the president step down. Protesters occupying a permanent camp in Sanaa say they don't trust President Ali Abdullah Saleh to keep his promise to leave office.

Herman has been on a whirlwind tour of the country for Tax Day, participating in more Tea Party rallies than any other potential presidential candidate. This week alone, he was in: Jefferson City, Missouri; Lansing, Michigan; Concord, New Hampshire; Orlando, Florida; Des Moines, Iowa; The Woodlands, Texas; and Chicago, Illinois.

Along the way, he has spoken with thousands of concerned citizens about his five-point tax plan that would help supercharge our economy. His message is resonating across the United States, and we've seen spectacular results.

In New Hampshire, Herman spoke at the Tax Day Tea Party in Concord as one of four potential Republican presidential candidates honored to attend. Prior to his speech, the Concord Tax Day Tea Party conducted a presidential straw poll. Herman came in second place with 16 percent of the vote, just a single point behind the winner.

But, at the conclusion of the event, Americans for Prosperity- New Hampshire conducted a presidential straw poll of their own: 62 percent selected Herman Cain.

Troops in Syria are said to have shot dead at least five protesters at mass rallies against the government in towns across the country.

Injuries have also been reported in the Damascus suburb of Douma and in the city of Homs, witnesses said in reports that could not be verified.

Weeks of protests have reportedly left at least 200 people dead.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Whether you like him or not, Donald Trump has already served one very useful purpose: reducing Barack Obama for once and for all, to the redundant, to the inane, to the ignorant and self-absorbed, indifferent, out of touch politician he truly is. Come on folks…he’s still saying “we’re in economic recovery, this is our moment, our time…blah, blah, blah.”

Yes, there was a time I fell for Obama-speak. I will admit I got wound up in the flowery spew of Obama “can-do, hope, change, nothing we can’t overcome” messaging. I got over it with his first lame attempt to pretend he was going to do anything that even remotely resembled what he said in trump…uh, I mean stump speeches.

Now, enter Donald Trump. Businessman first, celebrity second…already an improvement over Obama…all he had was celebrity, and given the extraordinary damage he has done in just over two years to our country because of his lack of business experience, well, need I say more?

Yes. Let’s not fall into the same “soaring rhetoric”…the same tapping into our emotions that got Obama elected. Instead, let’s do our homework on Trump. What do we need to look for?

1. Leadership qualities: Does he have them…I’d say yes. Here’s why:
   1. He fires people for underperformance…rewards performance…sorry, I like that novel approach!
   2. He inspires people to work harder than they perhaps ever have…ie Gary Bussey, Brett Michaels, Meatloaf…I could go on and on, but they all love the guy anyway.
   3. He does not ask of anyone what he wouldn’t or couldn’t do himself. Yes, tall order, but why should we accept demands from someone who has done nothing he asks of us? For example…Obama agenda on obesity…google what they served at their Superbowl party, and see if you can find their families’ own BMI results online…probably not, but well, it certainly leaves “example” open to discussion.
   4. He has an enormous ego…you simply cannot survive in Washington without one. Look again at Obama...he just sold us it as “Audacity” instead.
   5. He holds people accountable. One word describes Obama’s definition of that: Geithner. We could also throw “Obama” in there, or “Summers,” “Nepolitano” or really any one of many Obama cabinet members’ names in there…none of them have ANY accountability whatsoever, and whatever happened to that transparency promised by candidate Obama? Noticeably missing, no?
   6. He makes money…something our country would be better off for IF we knew how to do it. The only thing Obama has shown us he knows how to do is spend money with no regard for where it comes from.
   7. He’s decisive…not afraid to put himself out there to get thrashed by anyone, Republicans or Dems alike. Versus placating Obama, not willing to hang his hat on ANY decision, ANY side of an argument.
   8. Billionaire, willing to give it up to fix our country. Maybe…or keep it while fixing country…makes no difference to me just so he shares the intel.
   9. Says Obama is the worst President ever, when his Republican counterparts cringe and shrink away.
   10. Pretty wife…come on…it helps Sarkozy!
   11. Not ashamed of hair and eyebrows…self confident! Doesn’t trim his “Trumps” and does not care what we say about it!
   12. Pissed off, doesn’t want to take it anymore…shouldn’t we all be?

And here’s the kicker…he said we shouldn’t go into fight other countries’ wars unless we get something in return…ie oil from Iraq. I think that’s sound, pragmatic thinking, right?

That being said, while I certainly like what I hear (beyond birther distraction), I'll be one hundred times more diligent this go-around than I was with Obama. Won't make that "blind love" mistake ever again.

But no matter what happens with “the Donald,” shouldn’t we all thank him for whatever he does to enlighten those still hypnotized by Obama empty rhetoric? I mean really…listen to Trump, then REALLY listen to Obama, and there is no denying the difference.

Obama has been playing a risky game of Euchre with our country, and is soon going to get trumped…his hand, and his “poker” face have been exposed.

A Look at the World's New Corporate Tax Havens

(CBS News) Our government is in knots over ways to lower the federal budget deficit. Well, what if we told you we found a pot of money - over $60 billion a year - that could be used to help out?

When President Obama threatened to clamp down on tax dodging, many companies decided to leave the Caribbean. But instead of coming back home, they went to safer havens like Switzerland.

If Obama talks too tough, he's picking a fight, if he doesn't talk tough enough, he's a wuss.

He's in the worlds all time greatest "no win job"!

What the hell ..... the GOP is going to criticize every speech he makes no matter what he says ..... so he had nothing to lose by telling it like it is when he made his televised speech to the nation about the budget battle.

It was beautiful thing, the way he started with Saint Reagan, depicting how the economy was on a roll from the Reagan era to 2000, (when George W. Bush took office) and we had a surplus. Then, without mentioning any other names or events besides the 2 wars, he brought us to the mess we were when he took office in 2008, saying "That is how we got to where we are today!"

The Republicans bristle whenever someone refers to the Bush 2 area, (can you blame them?) But it is what it is, they think that saying "it's time to stop blaming Bush", it will somehow make it all better and justify their attempts to shift the blame to Obama for the nightmare we are now dealing with.

The Republican leadership has convinced their base that Obama has gone berserk with spending, is hell bent on destroying the Nation, driving us into socialism, ..... bankrupt Socialism at that. They display charts showing how this administration has spent more money than God or any other President in history. What they like to omit however, is the fact that little of the cost of the Bush wars were paid for during the Bush era, but were passed on for the next administration to deal with.

The "spending" that Obama is doing is being used to stimulate the economy by investing in infrastructure, innovation for Green Energy and retrofitting existing facilities to be more energy efficient. But it makes no difference what this administration does, the Right Wing is going to find a way to criticize it. And they don't care if that criticism is factual or not ..... they say anything they want, knowing it will be amplified by the media and bounced around the Right Wing echo chamber until their followers believe it to be true.

Like Senator Kyl saying Planned Parenthood spends 90% of it money and efforts funding abortion, which is what his base already believes to be true, and that comment they heard, however, Planned Parenthood actually only spends 3% of its funding on abortion. When the media pointed out that Kyl was incorrect with his comment, Kyls' office issued a statement that the Senators comment was"Not meant to be a factual statement". (watch the video) But that comment the Right Wing has chosen NOT to hear.

It's about time Obama has started with the "tough talk", it's the only way he will be able to get his message heard in that Right Wing echo chamber. Eventually a few of the more astute Right Wingers will realize they have been listening to the the wrong message and come around to the reality of how we actually got into the situation we are in.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Service cut its outlook Monday on the United States' sovereign debt, saying there is a one in three chance it will downgrade the rating on the debt in the next two years.

The agency lowered the long-term outlook to "Negative" from "Stable."

More Seeds :: JCAtom

A group of millionaires have banded togethor and are asking the president to raise taxes on the wealthy. Laura Ingraham speaks with a couple of them.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

President Barack Obama said the conflict has become a "stalemate on the ground militarily."

Qaddafi is "getting squeezed" in many ways, Obama said in an interview with the Associated Press. "I think over the long term, Qaddafi will go and we will be successful."

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Thinking reporters were out of the room, President Obama opened up Thursday night about the recent budget talks with Republicans and what he called their efforts to sneak in attacks on Planned Parenthood and his health care bill.

"I said (to Republicans), 'you want to repeal health care? Go at it,'" Obama told backers in a private meeting with an open microphone. "'We'll have that debate. You're not going to be able to do that by nickel-and-diming me in the budget.'"

He said he added: "'You think we're stupid?'"

More Seeds :: JCAtom

"We began to encourage this squeeze, with plans of getting very short again," Deeb Salem, a trader in the structured product group, said in a 2007 self-evaluation excerpted in the report. Swenson, Salem's supervisor, sent e-mails in May 2007 urging traders to offer prices that will "cause maximum pain" and "have people totally demoralized."

More Seeds :: JCAtom

British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged Wednesday that Britain and France will leave "no stone unturned" as they look for ways to help Libya's rebels topple Muammar al-Qaddafi.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Here are two numbers to keep in mind when thinking about the House Republicans' budget plan: They want to cut spending on government programs over the next decade by $4.3 trillion. And they want to cut tax revenues over the same period by $4.2 trillion.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Donald Trump says he will "probably" run for president as an independent if he doesn't win the Republican nomination.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Two Bahraini Shia activists who were detained after weeks of anti-government protests have died in police custody.

The interior ministry said Ali Issa Saqer, 31, had died when guards tried to restrain him for "causing chaos".

Another detainee, Zakaraya Rashed Hassan, 40, had died of sickle cell disease, the ministry added. It was the second such death in a week.

Several Shia activists have complained of being tortured while in custody. The government denies the allegations.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

With tomorrow marking the five-year anniversary of Romney's enactment of health care reform in Massachusetts, Democrats are taking every opportunity to point out that the law was a model for national health care reform.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

So the pundits who praised this proposal when it was released were punked. The G.O.P. budget plan isn't a good-faith effort to put America's fiscal house in order; it's voodoo economics, with an extra dose of fantasy, and a large helping of mean-spiritedness.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Oil is a good short-term bet for another five months due to upcoming peak U.S. summer driving season, while prices in the long-term are likely to double along with gold in five years, said a leading fund manager.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

As federal officials began formal preparations for, the Obama administration told House members on Tuesday that their version of a short-term spending budget was a no-go...

More Seeds :: JCAtom

The first export of oil from rebel-held areas of eastern Libya for almost three weeks is due to begin later.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

The U.S. will reach its $14.29 trillion legal debt limit no later than May 16 unless Congress acts before then, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said today, and he warned of "severe hardship" for Americans if lawmakers fail to act.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Sustained gunfire rang out near Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's heavily fortified compound in Tripoli on Friday and residents said they saw snipers on rooftops and pools of blood on the streets.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

...look at the sheer volume of wealth controlled by the top 1 percent in this country, it's tempting to see our growing inequality as a quintessentially American achievement—we started way behind the pack, but now we're doing inequality on a world-class level

...we'll be building on this achievement for years to come...what made it possible is self-reinforcing. Wealth begets power, which begets more wealth...Virtually all U.S. senators, and most of the representatives in the House, are members of the top 1 percent when they arrive, are kept in office by money from the top 1 percent, and know that if they serve the top 1 percent well they will be rewarded by the top 1 percent when they leave

...a tax bill cannot emerge from Congress unless big tax cuts are put in place for the wealthy...this is the way you would expect the system to work.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

President Barack Obama's foreign policy "A" team — led by Cabinet secretaries Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates — failed to quiet criticism of U.S. military action in Libya Wednesday during a pair of classified briefings on Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers said they weren't told much by Secretary of State Clinton, Secretary of Defense Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen or Director of National Intelligence James Clapper that they couldn't read in the newspaper or see on television.

More than anything, the meetings served to underscore how little influence Congress has in shaping the war.

Newsmax.com, one of America's most slanted online news services, is conducting an national online poll about President Obama, the new 2011 Congress and whether it should repeal President Obama's healthcare plan and other policies.

They are also asking if he should be re-elected in 2012

Newsmax does these polls in their GOP echo chamber all the time, keeping themselves convinced they're telling one another the truth.

Let's all vote in this poll and help get a more balanced result!

Barack Obama's primetime address – in which he announced that the U.S. military will hand NATO allies enforcement of the no-fly zone and arms embargo in the North African nation – was roundly criticized by GOP moderates and conservatives alike.

Now, isn't THAT a big surprise!

As I read though the vine and the majority of comments from all the biased articles and writings, I have to wonder if people realize how their hatred and biases affect those of us who aren't leaning right or left? Can't you people see that all the hate, name calling, and insults are the problem...not the solution?

Here is the situation folks, we have half the population stuck riding the donkey and the other half stuck riding the elephant, and neither group seems capable of accepting responsibility for the sorry state of affairs we find ourselves in. Can't you see how this division is intentionally designed to keep us fighting with each other? Ever watch those State of the Union speeches, where our politicians scamper for an autograph from the very man they stand in front of the camera and call a devil?

Our politicians are smart. They know if they can keep this division alive and we continue to fight with each other, they can continue to rob us blind with taxes and spend like there is no tomorrow, and stuff as much as they can in their individual pockets and we won't notice because we are so busy demonizing each other.

Our politicians live the lifestyle of the "Rich & Famous", jetting around the world, riding around in limo's, eating steak and lobster tail................all on our tax dollar while attempting to only leave enough leftover for us to eat beans and rice!

Perhaps some of you can help me understand why you support the donkey over the elephant or vice versa, but from where I sit I don't see an ounce of difference between the two. Both talk differently, but once in power they govern the same. Neither the donkey or the elephant care about you or me. We are not the priority. All they care about is more money and power for their particular party......we are an after thought!

A poll just published by Reuters/Ipsos found 48 percent of respondents describing Obama's military leadership as "cautious and consultative." Another 36 percent chose "indecisive and dithering."

I would argue that the combined 84 percent are basically saying the same thing — that this president is anything but impulsive. And next year, with an improving economy in a world where the United States is held in much higher regard, most people will probably choose a president who takes time to get it right, rather than one who is afraid to dither for a good outcome.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

...data Thursday showed the improvement in the labor market was becoming sustained, with new claims for jobless benefits falling last week and the four-week moving average dropping to it lowest level in more than 2-1/2 years.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

A regional showdown over Bahrain is exacerbating the split between Iraqi Shi'ites and Sunnis, who see the machinations of their neighbors through the lens of the sectarian divide that led to years of war in Iraq.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Using tanks, heavy artillery and airstrikes, forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi began a sustained assault here on Tuesday, seeking to rout a ragtag army of insurgents and would-be revolutionaries holding the last defensive line before the rebel capital of Benghazi.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

A military force from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations moved into Bahrain Monday to shore up the nation's Sunni rulers in the face of escalating Shiite-led protests seeking to break the monarchy's hold on power.

Bahrain's main opposition groups immediately denounced the outside intervention as an "occupation" that pushed the tiny Gulf kingdom dangerously close to a state of war.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, is to meet with leaders of Libya's opposition council during a trip to the Middle East next week, she has told US lawmakers.

Clinton's statement of intent comes as France on Thursday became the first major European country to recognise Libya's opposition National Council based in Benghazi as the country's legitimate representative.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

France recognized the Libyan National Council, a rebel body fighting to oust Muammar Gaddafi, as the legitimate representative of Libya's people Thursday, the first country to make the move.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

NATO has launched around-the-clock surveillance flights of Libya as it considers various options for dealing with escalating violence in the war-torn country, America's ambassador to the organization told reporters Monday.

Representatives of key Western powers also highlighted the possibility of establishing a no-fly zone in Libya.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Rebels in Libya warned Monday that the Moammar Gadhafi regime will try increasingly desperate measures if the West doesn't intervene urgently.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Tweets calling for Sunday 'strolls' around China is an effective psychological weapon, sending security forces chasing at shadows.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

a small group of young pro-Gadhafi fighters were captured outside Libya's eastern city of Brega, which is controlled by rebels...the youngest boy was about 13 and said he was from Niger...

More Seeds :: JCAtom

The Army has brought new charges - including one that carries the death penalty - against Pfc. Bradley E. Manning, a former intelligence analyst accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents to the anti-secrecy Web site WikiLeaks.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

The U.S. ordered two warships and 400 Marines to the waters off Libya on Tuesday, but a top Obama administration official stopped short of saying the forces would intervene in the country's growing civil war.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Locked in a standoff with forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi, opposition leaders here debated Tuesday whether to request foreign airstrikes against the longtime ruler's military installations and other key facilities.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

On the Chinese Internet, anonymous calls for a "Jasmine Revolution" -- modeled after the pro-democracy demonstrations in the Middle East -- have been squelched by authorities. Words like "Egypt" and "Tunisia" have been blocked on some Web searches and social networking sites have been made inaccessible.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Some of the biggest savings could be achieved by consolidating the government's computer data centers, which have multiplied from 432 to more than 2,100 in little more than a decade. Some computer servers have utilization rates of just 5 percent. A private sector study estimates that consolidating data centers could save the government as much as $200 billion over 10 years.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and their wives have been taken from their homes by security forces, reports suggest.

More Seeds :: JCAtom

"We have never seen a government bomb its own people like this," Ali Essawi, who quit as envoy to India, told Al Jazeera television. The envoy said Kadafi "lost his legitimacy" and called for him to step down.

More Articles

"I was speaking to the minister of justice just a few minutes ago... he told me personally, he told me he had joined the supporters. He is trying to organise good things in all cities," he said.

Jibreel also told Al Jazeera that key cities near Libya's border with Egypt were now in the hands of protesters, which he said would enable foreign media to now enter the country.

More Articles

Multiple eyewitnesses have reported that Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city, was in the hands of protesters and their military allies after several days of unrest in the nation.

Some of the military dropped allegiances to longtime Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, according to the report.

More Articles

The United States slammed Iran's "hypocrisy" for arresting opposition figures and the blocking of world media outlets as TV networks focus their attention on the uprising in Egypt and the widespread unrest in other parts of the Arab world.

"For all of its empty talk about Egypt, the government of Iran should allow the Iranian people the same universal right to peacefully assemble, demonstrate and communicate in Tehran that the people are exercising in Cairo," National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Friday.

"Governments must respect the rights of their people and be responsive to their aspirations."

More Articles