Archiv: Washington swamp


09.04.2024 - 11:15 [ Haaretz ]

The Truth About Israel, Iran and 1980s U.S. Arms Deals

(Nov. 26, 2010)

In the aforesaid period Netanyahu served as deputy to Moshe Arens, when he was Israel‘s ambassador to Washington, D.C. (1982-83 ).

(…)

The recently revealed documents deal with an operation dubbed „Tipped Kettle,“ involving weapons the Israel Defense Forces looted from the Palestine Liberation Organization during Operation Peace for Galilee in Lebanon, and their transfer to the Contras – opponents of the socialistic Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.

(…)

Part II was patently illegal – a blatant effort by the White House to violate a Congressional order and to cook up a strange deal involving the sale of American weapons (originally supplied to the IDF ) to anti-American Iran, for use in its war with Iraq; the release of Western hostages being held in Lebanon by Iranian-controlled Hezbollah; and the financing of Contras‘ activities thanks to the difference between the sum paid by the Iranians and the true value of the weapons – minus a profit for those engaged in the deal.

(…)

The CIA had direct intelligence connections with the Mossad, but in the affair of the captured weapons the American agency preferred to hide behind the Pentagon.

24.10.2022 - 19:42 [ Haaretz ]

The Truth About Israel, Iran and 1980s U.S. Arms Deals

(Nov. 26, 2010)

In the aforesaid period Netanyahu served as deputy to Moshe Arens, when he was Israel‘s ambassador to Washington, D.C. (1982-83 ).

(…)

The recently revealed documents deal with an operation dubbed „Tipped Kettle,“ involving weapons the Israel Defense Forces looted from the Palestine Liberation Organization during Operation Peace for Galilee in Lebanon, and their transfer to the Contras – opponents of the socialistic Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.

(…)

Part II was patently illegal – a blatant effort by the White House to violate a Congressional order and to cook up a strange deal involving the sale of American weapons (originally supplied to the IDF ) to anti-American Iran, for use in its war with Iraq; the release of Western hostages being held in Lebanon by Iranian-controlled Hezbollah; and the financing of Contras‘ activities thanks to the difference between the sum paid by the Iranians and the true value of the weapons – minus a profit for those engaged in the deal.

(…)

The CIA had direct intelligence connections with the Mossad, but in the affair of the captured weapons the American agency preferred to hide behind the Pentagon.

25.09.2022 - 14:59 [ CNN ]

Democrats are warming to a Biden 2024 campaign. They‘re just not sure if he‘ll run.

The mood has notably shifted among top Democrats in recent months. During the depths of Biden‘s political struggles in March, some party leaders from all over the country huddled in the hallways of the Hilton a few blocks from the White House for the annual Democratic National Committee meeting, according to four people involved in the conversations. Over drinks, while looking around to make sure no one overheard, they winced and grimaced and whispered…

16.05.2022 - 18:26 [ Haaretz ]

The Truth About Israel, Iran and 1980s U.S. Arms Deals

(Nov. 26, 2010)

In the aforesaid period Netanyahu served as deputy to Moshe Arens, when he was Israel‘s ambassador to Washington, D.C. (1982-83 ).

(…)

The recently revealed documents deal with an operation dubbed „Tipped Kettle,“ involving weapons the Israel Defense Forces looted from the Palestine Liberation Organization during Operation Peace for Galilee in Lebanon, and their transfer to the Contras – opponents of the socialistic Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.

(…)

Part II was patently illegal – a blatant effort by the White House to violate a Congressional order and to cook up a strange deal involving the sale of American weapons (originally supplied to the IDF ) to anti-American Iran, for use in its war with Iraq; the release of Western hostages being held in Lebanon by Iranian-controlled Hezbollah; and the financing of Contras‘ activities thanks to the difference between the sum paid by the Iranians and the true value of the weapons – minus a profit for those engaged in the deal.

(…)

The CIA had direct intelligence connections with the Mossad, but in the affair of the captured weapons the American agency preferred to hide behind the Pentagon.

21.10.2021 - 15:40 [ Politico.com ]

Virginia is for worriers: Governor race poses real risk to Dem agenda

(16.10.2021)

Losing ground in a Virginia gubernatorial campaign once seen as a near-lock for Democrats, McAuliffe has sought to nationalize the race — calling out congressional inaction and President Joe Biden’s waning popularity as he tries to mount a return to an office he held four years ago. If McAuliffe loses, it could put a chill on Democrats’ agenda and prompt hand-wringing over whether the party failed to boost him enough in a difficult race against Republican Glenn Youngkin.

16.10.2021 - 03:16 [ ForeignPolicy.com ]

Only Congress Can End Washington’s Endless Wars

(07.10.2021)

The war on terror is a constitutional aberration. The U.S. legislature must reclaim its war powers from an overempowered executive branch.

16.10.2021 - 02:50 [ Michael O'Grady / Twitter ]

The 2022 military spending bill, known as the #NDAA, which passed the House on Sept. 23 would hand a whopping $740 billion to the Pentagon and $38 billion to other departments, for a total of $778 billion in military spending, a $37 billion increase over last year‘s budget.

(07.10.2021)

01.10.2021 - 19:35 [ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Abgeordnete im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

Ever notice how “deficit hawks” vote for record-high defense spending, yet claim bills that help people & challenge lobbyists are “too much?” ‘22 Defense Bill = $768 billion/yr Build Back Better = $350B/yr Guess which got rubber stamped & which gets deemed a “spending problem”

01.10.2021 - 19:10 [ WesternJournal.com ]

Pelosi Suffers Humiliating Setback, Forced to Call Off Spending Bill Vote as Democrats Quarrel

A House vote on a $1 trillion infrastructure spending bill was called off Thursday by Speaker Nancy Pelosi as feuding Democrats could not unite.

The $1 trillion package already has passed the Senate with bipartisan support, and even has the support of a majority of House members. However, passage of the bill is being held up by a $3.5 trillion spending package that progressives want and moderates oppose.

01.10.2021 - 19:03 [ Politico.com ]

Pelosi delays infrastructure vote as Democrats struggle to reach deal

(Updated: 09/30/2021 10:54 PM EDT)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed off a planned vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill late Thursday after top Democrats in the House, Senate and the White House failed to reach a deal to pass the legislation.

Pelosi and other top Democrats engaged in hours of frenetic negotiations, hoping to produce a bicameral deal on President Joe Biden’s broader social spending package, which progressives had demanded in exchange for their votes on the Senate-passed infrastructure bill.

29.09.2021 - 09:43 [ theHill.com ]

Left warns Pelosi they‘ll take down Biden infrastructure bill

Liberals on Tuesday fired a shot across the bow at Democratic leaders by warning that a bipartisan infrastructure bill cannot pass the House as long as Senate centrists remain noncommittal on the larger social benefits package at the heart of President Biden‘s agenda.

29.09.2021 - 09:42 [ ABC News ]

Progressive Democrats vow to defy Pelosi, vote no on infrastructure bill

Progressive Democrats on Tuesday starkly warned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other party leaders that their position on President Joe Biden‘s infrastructure agenda remains unchanged: Without a deal on a broader, social policy bill, they do not intend to support a bipartisan infrastructure bill that Pelosi wants to bring to a vote this Thursday.

28.09.2021 - 15:55 [ Ilhan Omar, Abgeordnete im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

Democrats say we are the party of the people, let’s show by passing this crucial agenda on behalf of the people & fulfill our promise to our constituents. This level of investment hasn’t been proposed or implemented since the 1930s. Let’s have @POTUS ’ back & pass this agenda

28.09.2021 - 15:36 [ MSNBC ]

Joe Biden‘s Build Back Better Agenda is being held up by moderate Democrats

It’s only when the ground buckles and snaps in an earthquake that we’re aware that the land had already been moving. Moderate Democrats in Washington must similarly be wondering what happened as they struggle to accept that they are no longer the dominant force in the party.

After years of being relegated to an afterthought and being told that moving too quickly or too far to the left would alienate voters, progressives are firmly in the driver‘s seat in Washington.

23.08.2021 - 12:43 [ Mehdi Hasan, @mehdihasanshow on @MSNBC and NBC's @peacockTV / Twitter ]

61% of Americans think the war in Afghanistan was not worth it. Forget Trump voters in diners, I think it’s pretty clear that U.S. politicians and pundits are out of touch with the American electorate as a whole.

16.02.2021 - 11:02 [ The People’s Party / Twitter ]

Never has the opening for a major new party been more apparent; a record 62% want a third party and a new high of 50% identify as independents.

16.02.2021 - 11:00 [ theHill.com ]

62 percent say third political party is needed in US

Nearly two-thirds of Americans say the U.S. needs a third major political party because the GOP and Democratic Party „do such a poor job representing the American people,“ according to a new Gallup poll.

In the survey released Monday, 62 percent of Americans said the third party was needed, while 33 percent said the two existing major parties do an „adequate“ job representing the majority of Americans‘ political views.

08.11.2020 - 10:16 [ CatoTheYounger / Twitter ]

Now the Generals will sit on their hands and not remove any troops from Afghanistan. Home by Christmas is gone.

Tough luck troops, you should not have gotten your hopes up

08.11.2020 - 09:55 [ Ben Norton / Twitter ]

The reality is the Biden admin will probably bomb *multiple* countries on its very first day. It will continue the ongoing imperial U.S. wars on Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, and Niger. And Biden will likely further expand covert drone wars across the globe.

08.11.2020 - 09:49 [ Tez / Twitter ]

Biden is going to win the presidency today! Thank God! We can finally go back to some sense of normalcy, like invading and bombing countries in the Middle East. But with decency.

22.10.2020 - 08:27 [ New York Times ]

The Intelligence Director Who Is Undermining Trust and Truth

Mr. Ratcliffe, like Maj. Gen. Willoughby before him, seems to think his job is to serve only his boss, who requires that everyone agree with him at all times. As General MacArthur is often quoted: if you control intelligence, you control decision-making.

15.10.2020 - 06:05 [ TheAmericanConservative.com ]

How Azerbaijan is Lobbying Washington to Sanitize its War

The documents lobbyists distribute on Capitol Hill make some incredulous claims: that “Armenia has long been involved with Middle Eastern terrorism,” that “Azerbaijan has been consistent in urging substantive and result-oriented negotiations in order to achieve a breakthrough in the conflict,” and that “Turkey is not directly involved and is not a party to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.”

That last assertion stands in direct contradiction with reports that Turkey has been heavily involved in the conflict, even going so far as to send 1,000 jihadist fighters from Syria to aid Azerbaijan.

21.08.2020 - 16:39 [ Forbes ]

Over 70 Republican National Security Officials Endorse Biden, Deem Trump ‘Dangerously Unfit’ For President

Among the statement’s signees are officials who served under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush and Donald Trump, some of whom have served in the country’s top defense and intelligence roles.

Former CIA head General Michael Hayden, former FBI and CIA chief William Webster, former National Intelligence director Michael Leiter and former Air Force secretary Mike Donley are among the officials now siding with Biden.

21.08.2020 - 16:11 [ Jennifer Rubin / Twitter ]

Absolutely one of the best things about her: Those close to Harris describe her as a “Truman Democrat,” a nod to her willingness to use American power to promote American values and interests.

(14.08.2020)

05.07.2020 - 10:29 [ CBS News / Youtube ]

Obama advises Kanye West on 2020 White House run

(Oct 10, 2015)

The president spoke at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in San Francisco, where the hip hop artist will later perform. Mr. Obama has a few political nuggets to pass on for West‘s 2020 bid for the presidency.

03.07.2020 - 14:33 [ Lee Camp / Consortium News ]

LEE CAMP: Connecting the Dates – US Media Used To Stop The ‘Threat’ of Peace

Now, I’m not implying Trump is some kind of hippy peacenik. (He would look atrocious with no bra and flowers in his hair.) No, the military under Trump has dropped more bombs than under Obama, and that’s impressive since Obama dropped more bombs than ever before.

However, in certain areas of the world, Trump has threatened to create peace. Sure, he’s doing it for his own ego and because he thinks his base wants it, but whatever the reason, he has put forward plans or policies that go against the military industrial complex and the establishment war-hawks (which is 95 percent of the establishment).

03.07.2020 - 11:26 [ The Hill / Youtube ]

Saagar and Ryan Grim: How Schumer RIGGED Kentucky, Colorado primary against progressives

(01.07.2020)

Saagar Enjeti and Ryan Grim evaluate Amy McGrath‘s victory in the neck and neck Kentucky primary race against progressive challenger Charles Booker.

25.06.2020 - 19:23 [ Politico.com ]

House members, Senate aides traded stocks in early days of coronavirus

(31.03.2020)

Holmes traded out two stocks a week later, on Jan. 29, then on Feb. 27 made two purchases that could prove advantageous in the weeks ahead: Holmes purchased between $15,001 and $50,000 of stock in each of two more companies, the pharmaceutical company Gilead, Inc. — which makes remdesivir, a drug that is currently being tested to treat coronavirus — and wipe manufacturer Clorox.

20.06.2020 - 17:15 [ Jamaal Bowman, running for Congress / Twitter ]

Unbelievable! Engel’s Trump donor-funded Super PAC spent another $300,000 today against us. There’s now $5 million trying to stop our movement. Please rush a donation to help us push back.

20.06.2020 - 17:07 [ Jeremy Scahill / Twitter ]

Hillary Clinton and GOP donors are backing an old militaristic Democrat, Eliot Engel, who has been in office for 16 terms! over a progressive Black candidate @JamaalBowmanNY .

20.06.2020 - 16:41 [ The Hill / Youtube ]

Krystal and Saagar REACT: SHOCK POLL shows progressive poised to wipe floor with Schumer‘s candidate

Krystal and Saagar discuss poll numbers and endorsements of progressive candidate Charles Booker in Kentucky.

14.06.2020 - 06:51 [ theStranger.com ]

Residents of CHAZ Respond to the President

(11.06.2020)

Our President thinks „ugly Anarchists“ and „Domestic Terrorists“ have taken over Capitol Hill. In case you somehow missed it, here are the tweets:

15.05.2020 - 12:37 [ NBC News ]

Burr turns over phone, Feinstein questioned by FBI in possible insider trading probe

The furor began after ProPublica, a nonprofit news organization, reported that Burr unloaded the stock around mid-February, about a week before the market started to plunge because of coronavirus concerns.

19.02.2020 - 14:11 [ Washington Post ]

It’s time to give the elites a bigger say in choosing the president

For decades, the conversation about nominations has been about the conflicts between party elites and everyone else. Today, that conversation is counterproductive. A better approach is to think about how voters and elites could best play their different roles: to make their political parties more representative while ultimately narrowing the nomination choice down to one person. And the best way to do that would be through preference primaries.

13.01.2020 - 19:44 [ theHill.com ]

Esper: Gang of 8 ‚did not think‘ further intelligence on Iranian threat should be shared with Congress

Esper said that he was not in the room briefing the top intelligence lawmakers, but said he spoke to one of the briefers afterward.

“His assessment was …

12.01.2020 - 17:21 [ Washington Post ]

How Bernie Sanders would upend America’s global role

Sanders’s campaign declined to make him available for an interview.

07.01.2020 - 20:38 [ New York Magazine ]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Has Already Changed D.C. It Hasn’t Changed Her Much.

She isn’t especially interested in compromising with those who don’t share her values, and isn’t afraid to be the lone “no” vote, as she was last January, when she was the only Democrat to vote against funding the government because it meant continuing to fund ICE. Twelve months later, it is clear she isn’t trying very hard to amass power in Congress. Her heroes are Bernie Sanders, who withstood party pressure decade after decade in the Senate, and Howard Thurman, a mentor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s who believed in merging the spiritual and political.

03.10.2019 - 11:55 [ LA Times ]

The ‘deep state,’ Trump’s go-to enemy, fights back

President Trump has spent nearly three years trying to bend the vast federal bureaucracy to his whims and demands, pushing out dissenters at the top levels while molding a Cabinet that caters to his obsessions as well as his political agenda.

The whistleblower complaint that helped launch the impeachment storm engulfing Washington is the starkest example yet that Trump has not prevailed.

At least some of the civil servants who make government work — law enforcement officials, intelligence operatives and others he derisively calls the “deep state” — are fighting back.

22.06.2019 - 16:56 [ Glenn Greenwald ‏/ Twitter ]

The pathology in the DC media and political class: the more they cheer for war, the more they prosper – @JeffreyGoldberg edition:

22.06.2019 - 16:38 [ Spectator ]

WATCH: Tucker Carlson calls John Bolton a ‘bureaucratic tape worm’

„This is Washington in a nutshell: Blunder into obvious catastrophes, refuse to admit blame, and demand more of the same. That’s the John Bolton lifecycle. In between administration jobs, there are always cushy think-tank posts, paid speaking gigs, and cable news appearances. War may be a disaster for America, but for John Bolton and his fellow neocons, it’s always good business.“