An F/A-18 Hornet launches off the deck of USS Eisenhower.
** U.S. AIRCRAFT CARRIER BATTLE GROUP DEPLOYS TO PERSIAN GULF. As reported and discussed on NWN last month, a second American aircraft carrier and her group of supporting vessels is now on her way to the Persian Gulf. USS John Stennis, homeported in Bremerton, Washington, left harbor yesterday en route to the Middle East where she will join the USS Eisenhower group. Stennis will stop in San Diego to pick up the air wing. The addition of the air wing, which comprises some 80 aircraft, mostly combined fighter/strike aircraft such as the one above, will swell the ship’s complement from 3200 to 5000. The Stennis group includes a cruiser and three destroyers.
Originally, the carrier was to be deployed in the Western Pacific, in part to be ready for any eventualities with a nuclear saber-rattling North Korea. Now she’s off to the Gulf, where she will eventually link up with Eisenhower, which is not presently in the Gulf. Eisenhower is in the Indian Ocean, conducting operations off the coast of Somalia. This will be the first time since 2003 that two aircraft carriers are in the Middle Eastern region. They can be used to support the “surge” strategy in Iraq, to interdict terrorist operations around the region, and to make a show of force against Iran.
** ARNOLD MET THE PRESS. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke for only a few minutes today at the annual press club luncheon in the state capital, then threw the floor open for nearly a half hour of questions and answers. I’ll have a full report, with NWN video, tomorrow, but for now suffice it to say that relatively little news was broken. It was primarily interesting for Schwarzenegger’s state of mind. He still clearly depends on his crutches, but had no real problem during his half-hour plus on his feet.
The former action superstar reiterated that he wants to move California’s presidential primary forward to early February, saying he has met with legislative leaders from both parties on the matter. He said he intends to inject his post-partisan menu of issues into the presidential campaign process, but “won’t chase the candidates from state to state.” Asked if he would endorse a candidate, he said that was a long ways off and that he would have to look at all the candidates and who was best on the issues, theoretically not ruling out the Democrats.
He said he does not think he is trying to do much with his expansive second term agenda, reminding that he is “someone who wants to do big things.” On health care, he said that there is interest in both parties in accomplishing a comprehensive program, and ruled out a compromise involving children only. He also clarified his position on Iraq. Late last year, he had said that he wanted a “timeline” for the withdrawal of American troops. Then on a Sunday morning interview show, he said that he supported President George W. Bush in his plan to “surge” about 20,000 troops into Iraq to try to bring greater security there. Today, he said that he supports both. A surge to try to bring greater security, a transition to Iraqi forces for the provision of security, and a timeline for an American troop withdrawal, mentioning the end of the year as a time when that might begin.
** ARNOLD MEETS THE PRESS. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will have his first extended, interactive exposure of the year to the California political press corps today when he gives the annual gubernatorial address to a luncheon of the Sacramento Press Club. The former action superstar has been slowed by his serious broken leg and subsequent surgery of last month, and has been mostly unavailable to the press since then. Needless to say, there has been no little amount of grumbling.
The event will be webcast live at 12:15 PM. Or thereabouts.
** AYATOLLAH KHAMENEI CALLS FOR SHIA/SUNNI ALLIANCE. Earlier this week, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told a gathering of Shia and Sunni scholars in Tehran that they must beware efforts by the US and its allies to exploit their differences to gain power in the Middle East. Noting that the British, with their long history in the region, are especially adept at pitting one Islamic faction against another, Khamenei, who was reported to be dead a few weeks ago by Iraq War hawk Michael Ledeen, claimed that the most violent places in Iraq are those under American control. He did not mention, of course, that that is due to efforts, some of them supported by Iran, to get the Americans out of those areas.
** Monitor computer memory prices on a daily basis. Prices are relatively stable.
** Track global and national energy prices in near real time via Bloomberg. Crude oil prices have dropped down near $50 per barrel, a 20-month low. OPEC production cuts to prop up the price have failed to take hold, due to constant undercutting by members.
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Thanks for the video Bill. The carrier take offs are pretty impressive, but a friend who has made more than 300 of them says there is nothing in life like trying to grab a tailhook wire, at night, in 10 foot seas.
God bless the men and women who defend our freedom, too many paying the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.
Aircraft carrier video is more exciting than Harry Reid.
You’re welcome, KK. I thought the carrier takeoff footage would conjure up imaginings of where that plane might be going.
US carrier is impressive. Victory to be found only on the ground in Mid East.
Mr. Khamenei is not really dead? I am so very shocked to learn this.
well…this is evidence ….that we are….what is the Administration calling it again? …”surging”?!?!…
You mean the carrier? Naval air is not going to clear insurgents out of Baghdad.
Great video of our fighting men and machines.
I just hope deploying a carrier off the coast of Iran doesn’t further raise tensions there. While I hate to be paranoid, I don’t doubt that Sy Hersh is right that there are at least some elements in the administration who want to expand this misadventure to Iran, and maybe Syria. They’re still laboring under the delusion that a reverse domino strategy could bring peace and brotherhood to the region. We need reality-based policy in DC.
Of course the Ayatollah of Iran wasn’t dead. What serious person thought he was?
Mr. Bradley:Naval air is not going to clear insurgents out of Baghdad…
Yes I know …Sec Gates explained everything…
“Robert Gates, the new US secretary of defence, said on Monday that the US was increasing military activity in the Gulf in response to what he called Tehran’s “very negative behaviour”.FT 1/15
“The Iranians clearly believe we are tied down in Iraq, that they have the initiative, that they’re in a position to press us in many ways,” he [Gates] told reporters at Nato’s Brussels headquarters. The US is planning to send Patriot missile units to the Gulf, to guard against possible Iranian rocket attacks, as well as a second aircraft carrier and support ships. “The Iranians are acting in a very negative way in many respects,” Mr Gates said. “They are doing nothing to be constructive in Iraq at this point.” FT 1/15
Mr. Bradley, there is a nice photo of Arnold on his crutches in his black leather jacket examining oranges among the oranges trees at the Financial Times website…
RM ‘Auros’ Harman expresses the hope of a reality-based policy in DC on the Middle East taking hold. Sounds great, but current signs aren’t hopeful given the DOA surge strategy Bush is wasting whatever credibility he has left trying to promote.
I find great irony that Bill quotes Ayatollah Ali Khamenei about the need for unity among Islamists while
mere paragraphs below it is noted OPEC has been undercut by its memebers [most of which are Islamist countries] when attempting to prop up oil prices. As with most politics, perceived self-interest trumps all other considerations.
2 very good news reports coming out on Somalia…I hope it is correct…if true …the UN will be able to get this place policed!
Let’s see what happens next week with oil prices …Iraq has the world’s third largest proven oil reserves and it appears it remains unsettled as to how exactly the sharing of the revenues will go among Shi’ites, Sunnis and Kurds or even whether the industry should be controlled centrally or by regions ..there is a bill that goes to the Iraqi Gov cabinet next week for approval that calls for a federal committee approach, the PM would oversee all contracts and even have the power to review existing deals signed under Saddam’s regime or by the Kurdish regional government….of course who knows what next week will bring in Iraq or anywhere for that matter…
Listening to Hilary…she sounds good, serious, very critical of Prez but constructive…she is introding legislation to cap/limit troop levels, impose conditions of continued funding of Iraqi forces, call for Admin to engage in negotitations with all partoes in the region (I think that is what she just said) …anyway CAROLE.!..this will definitely be covered by C-span tonight!!!…
Isn’t it ironic that this show of force that puts us closer to another dangerous and reckless debacle is being carried out by the Eisenhower group? DDE must be spinning in his grave.
As he stated in 1953:
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children…This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.”
-From the Chance for Peace address delivered before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, April 16, 1953.
http://www.nps.gov/archive/eise/quotes.htm
Irony is not infrequently the way of the world.
It would, of course, be a mistake to assume that a retired 5-star general had become a pacifist.
That said, Eisenhower would probably pursue a more subtle strategy confronting Islamic jihadism.
Would Schwarzeneger endorse a Democrat for President?
I would be surprised. I think that McCain and Giuliani are each close enough to the center for his comfort zone.
But a lot is going to happen in this campaign.
Okay, this is off topic. So, shoot me…
Barbara and all other Sacramento folk…Old Soul is officially back. Just received an email from them saying so. Yes, back!!!
I can’t figure McCain out. I was fairly impressed with him in ’00, and a friend of mine in AZ was ga-ga for him. But with him now backing the surge, and acting excessively hawkish on other issues (where we simply don’t have the troops to back up the rhetoric), I worry that, though he might be saner than Bush on most other issues (including Homelands Security, which Bush simply used as a patronage channel), on the foreign aspects of the War on Terror, we’d just get more of the same. That’s an absolutely terrifying prospect.
Barbara, if Hillary seriously pushes to block the surge and place limits on the use of funds, my opinion of her may start to reverse. I still dislike that the dynastic aspect of “Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton”. Also, the fact that there are so many people on the right who just hate her, makes her a poor candidate. Even though she’s actually quite centrist, she’s perceived as far-left, and thus wouldn’t be able to actually advance centrist solutions. Like it or not, perception counts. (Also, she totally botched her chance at healthcare reform. That was a shot at exercising serious executive power, and she flopped. Maybe she learned something from the experience, but still, it’s a black mark.)
John Edwards campaign is moving very aggressively on responding to Pres Bush “surge”…not only the speech that ticked off Hilary last Sunday, but in addition, I just received an e-mail from his campaign manager (Bonior)…The e-mail message is entitled”Total Bull” It references that Bush’s claim that Congress does not have the power to stop his “new direction” i.e., escalation of the war in Iraq..is “total bull”!
“The test for today’s Congress is simple: will they step up to the plate and use their power to stop the president from escalating the war? I can tell you one thing — they’re only going to do that if they hear from you.”
The e-mail goes on to regest a small donation to run a full page AD in Roll Call “with John Edwards’ petition against the escalation, listing the tens of thousands of us who have signed it. The petition demands that this Congress use its power of the purse to stop this president from escalating the war in Iraq — and that’s what we’re going to put in the ad.”
The e-mail obviously does not mention Biden by name but asserts that “If you hear a member of Congress say “non-binding resolution,” then you’re really hearing them say “pass the buck.”
Then he ends with:
“And some members of Congress are waiting for — well, we don’t know what they’re waiting for.”!!!!!!
On Old Soul
Thanks Sac Solon …actually I never stopped going there during this entire period… I adore the place and Kenny, Jill and Jason are the best!
I highly recommed the “Fair Trade Organic Nicaragua Junio De 5 Co-op”
Go Ortega! keep that Organic Coffee flowing and stick with the Church this time around!
Barbara,
Thanks for the recommendation. Discovered it last week and it’s awesome.
RM A Harmon :
I am not for Hillary…I am for Edwards. I will be disappointed if you Dems pick her…I am glad Obama is there to upset her applecart.
Oh, you know, Barbara, Daniel Ortega is actually a very bad guy.
Well he went slumming recently with Ahmadinejad…but his heart is in the right place and he will definitely upgrade the neighborhood down South (if everyone keeps Elliot Abrams preoccupied with the Middle East and out of South America, I have my doubts after reading the WSJ editorial today) ….kinda like the role you play at PJ Media!..i.e, you upgrade the neighborhood!!!
Are you ever stuck having staff meetings with Hanson and what’s his name …oh yeah …Ledeen…if you do meet, a nice gesture would be to take some of that Organic Nicaragua coffee I referenced above…
Will a February 5, 2008 Primary mean that filing nomination papers for congressional, legislative, and county offices will close around November 9, 2007, — a year ahead of the November 5, 2008 election????
There is an odd Bloomberg News report in the last 32 minutes…
““Some are saying Fidel has died,” Chavez said. “Well, everyone dies some day.”
There was no immediate response to calls made by Bloomberg after business hours to the head of Cuba’s official newswire.” Bloomberg News
That of course is a quote from Hugo Chavez…
Setting aside Fidel for the moment, since a statute for a February Primary has to be in effect at least 4 or 5 months before the election, won’t it need an urgency clause to make it effective this year? Since that requires a 2/3 vote of both houses, are enough legislators on board?