The Front Page Cover
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened"
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Featuring:
How nObama Lost Ramadi
Jonathan Spyer
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"Know who you are standing with"
"Show me your friends and I'll show you your future"
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The Odd Millions: Clintons Disclose More Clandestine Cash 
It seems like Hilly Clinton's campaign is trying to get all the bad news out early (though there isn't much good news). That way, the toxic waste might reach half-life before the primary election. The Clinton Foundation released more details into how the Clintons went from "dead broke" to One Per centers, and it shows the family's overpriced speaking fees raked in $12 to $26.4 million more than previously disclosed. The money came from colleges, Wall Street companies like Goldman Sachs and foreign governments like Qatar. The Clintons didn't disclose these payments because they counted them as revenue for a service, not donations. But in effect, this allowed groups to hand the Clintons a pile of undisclosed cash. Members of Congress sent a letter to the IRS asking it to reconsider the Clinton Foundation's tax-exempt status. While asking the government to investigate the Clintons is valid, the letter may galvanize Democrats to rally around Clinton. Instead, Republicans should let Clinton twist in the wind. Either progressives realize Clinton doesn't represent their idealism and challenge her majesty's claim to the Oval Office, or they wear her like an albatross. More... -The Patriot Post
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Sid Blumenthal Changed His Benghazi Story
On Wednesday, we noted that longtime Clinton friend and adviser Sidney Blumenthal told Hilly on Sept. 12, 2012, that the attack on the Benghazi consulate was sparked by a YouTube video. But after beginning to comb over some of Clinton's released emails, The New York Times reports this gem: "The next day [September 13], Mr. Blumenthal sent Mrs. Clinton a more thorough account of what had occurred. Citing 'sensitive sources' in Libya, the memo provided extensive detail about the episode, saying that the siege had been set off by members of Ansar al-Shariah, the Libyan terrorist group. Those militants had ties to Al Qaeda, had planned the attacks for a month and had used a nearby protest as cover for the siege, the memo said. 'We should get this around asap' Mrs. Clinton said in an email to [her then-deputy chief of staff] Mr. Sullivan. 'Will do,' he responded. That information contradicted the nObama administration's narrative at the time about what had spawned the attacks. Republicans have said the administration misled the country about the attacks because it did not want to undermine the notion that President nObama, who was up for re-election, was winning the war on terrorism."
So Hilly knew with certainty two days after the attack that it wasn't the spontaneous protest against an obscure Internet video that Barack nObama, Susan Rice and others in his administration would continue to claim for weeks afterward. And she knew this truth before she looked the father of slain former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods in the eye and promised, "We're going to have the person responsible for that video arrested." It may turn out Hilly wishes she had released these emails before they became such a big story. -The Patriot Post
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Fox, CNN to Determine Who's a Presidential Candidate
Fox News announced Wednesday that only (ahem, only) 10 GOP candidates — the leaders in the polls — will be permitted to participate in the first presidential debate on Aug. 6 in Cleveland. Likewise, CNN will limit the first part of its Sept. 16 debate to the top 10 polling candidates, while allowing any who exceed 1% to come on stage for the second half. Certainly, we understand not wanting to have 27 people on stage competing for a few seconds of airtime. The GOP field is crowded this year, nearly to the point of being silly. But the decision to limit this to poll numbers is asinine, especially for the first debate. Voters don't know the candidates very well yet, so why limit the stage to polling on people who are as-yet unknown quantities? It amounts to making early name recognition the bar of entry, which then — ta da — limits name recognition for those who haven't got it yet. This is a good example of what we like to call pollaganda, a propagandistic disinformation technique where political polling masquerades as "objective journalism" and instead advances a particular bias. The networks can thus use the restricted GOP field todrive public opinion rather than reflect or inform it. Our solution: If candidates have done the necessary paperwork and are qualified, put 'em on stage one way or another, even if it takes multiple debates in varying arrangements. -The Patriot Post
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ANOTHER DAY OF DAMAGING DISCLOSURES FOR HILLY
If the first rule of scandal management is to completely purge the damaging information and cauterize the wound, Hilly Clinton is failing badly. We learned today that Clinton’s family foundation hid $26 million in foreign and corporate contributions as “revenue” on the grounds that the presumptive Democratic nominee or her husband or daughter gave speeches in exchange for the gifts. The donors include a Chinese energy consortium, a Nigerian newspaper and Citibank. And later today we will get the first wave of her emails from a secret server.
[The NYT has posted online the first tranche of emails it obtained from those surrendered by Clinton.]
“This is coming from individual who when she worked in State Department didn’t obey the law to begin with, which said she should have had an official email on an official government server. So she’s already broken the law once, so now we’re to trust her that the ones she turned over are all of emails? I personally won’t be satisfied till we look at the server.” – Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on “America’s Newsroom” -Fox News
If the first rule of scandal management is to completely purge the damaging information and cauterize the wound, Hilly Clinton is failing badly. We learned today that Clinton’s family foundation hid $26 million in foreign and corporate contributions as “revenue” on the grounds that the presumptive Democratic nominee or her husband or daughter gave speeches in exchange for the gifts. The donors include a Chinese energy consortium, a Nigerian newspaper and Citibank. And later today we will get the first wave of her emails from a secret server.
[The NYT has posted online the first tranche of emails it obtained from those surrendered by Clinton.]
“This is coming from individual who when she worked in State Department didn’t obey the law to begin with, which said she should have had an official email on an official government server. So she’s already broken the law once, so now we’re to trust her that the ones she turned over are all of emails? I personally won’t be satisfied till we look at the server.” – Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on “America’s Newsroom” -Fox News
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Press boycotted Bush 41 staged campaign events - There was a time when political reporters ransomed their coverage of a presidential campaign in protest of a candidate’s reliance on staged events. The Hoover Institution’s Bill Whalen reminds us of the 1992 race when the press became so fed up with then-President George H.W. Bush’s canned campaign they refused to cover the staged events. The fight got so bad that Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater was moved to say to the press corps: “I’m sick of all you lazy bastards.” -Fox News
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ISIS Takes Another Major Biblical City (Palmyra)
(Walid Shoebat) - So now ISIS have taken control of the ancient city of Palmyra, biblical Tadmor in Syria. Palmyra (city of palms) or Tadmor is home to some of the world’s most magnificent ruins while government troops have almost entirely withdrawn... leaving the city, its people and its priceless ruins in the hands of ISIS, which after this victory, ISIS now controls half of the entire nation of Syria. This in addition, ISIS took control of Ramadi, a city in Iraq’s Anbar Province while the US military says it is sending 1,000 anti-tank missiles to the Iraqi government following the fall of that city. Who knows, most likely such missiles will also fall in the hand of ISIS since ISIS, as reported in Tadmor, was able to win their victory as a result of using the TOW missiles to take that city. http://shoebat.com/2015/05/21/isis-takes-another-major-biblical-city-palmyra-and-begins-the-slaughter-of-its-citizens-with-rows-of-people-beheaded/
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nObama: 'It's my name' on Iran nuke deal
(Charles Hoskinson) - President nObama defended his bid for a nuclear deal with Iran in an interview released Thursday by noting that he has a personal interest in seeing it succeed... "Look, 20 years from now, I'm still going to be around, God willing. If Iran has a nuclear weapon, it's my name on this," he told the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg. "I think it's fair to say that in addition to our profound national-security interests, I have a personal interest in locking this down." nObama's comments aren't likely to soothe critics of the deal, who have accused the president of making the talks with Tehran too much of a personal affair, even though they are being conducted in conjunction with Germany and the other four permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. And the American people will be paying for his greed. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obama-its-my-name-on-iran-nuke-deal/article/2564840
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SEAL TEAM SIX - EXTORTION 17 "A COVER UP?"
(noisyroom.net) - WOW, watch author Don Brown blow the lid off of the official government report about the tragic shoot down of SEAL TEAM SIX helicopter, Code Name - Extortion 17...
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White House Releases New Policing Recommendations
(Bob Dane) - Today, the White House released The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing in response to demands from special interest communities and recent events such as Ferguson and Baltimore... The 116-page report details sweeping new policies that the task force believes will result in greater trust between police and the communities in which they serve. One section of the report focuses on how state and local law enforcement should deal with “immigrant” communities. It should be noted, nowhere is a distinction made between an illegal and legal immigrant. Two areas stand out: Section 1.9 encourages law enforcement to, “build relationships based on trust with immigrant communities,” and that, “whenever possible, state and local law enforcement should not be involved in immigration enforcement.” Their argument is that immigrants are hesitant to share information with police if they fear deportation. http://immigrationreform.com/2015/05/19/white-house-releases-new-policing-recommendations/
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Iran vs. Israel: Who's Making the Threats?
(danielpipes.org) - A speech by the Israeli defense minister sets the stage for a discussion of whether Jerusalem threatens Tehran or the other way around. Daniel Pipes debated Brian Becker of ANSWER Coalition... An excerpt from the conversation, at 12:45:
Pipes: Do I think the U.S. government should bomb the Iranian nuclear installations? Absolutely, and the sooner the better. Moderator: No, should Israel do it? Pipes: I would prefer the United States government do it but if the United States government won't do it, I hope the Israelis will do it, be otherwise we have madmen in Tehran controlling nuclear weapons that threaten the Iranian population, the Israeli population, the American population, and many other populations besides. Best to get rid of this in advance, such as the Israelis did in Iraq in 1981 and in Syria in 2007. http://www.danielpipes.org/15860/iran-israel-nuclear-threats.
nObama’s Policies to Empower ISIS Exposed
(raymond Ibrahim) - For months, many Western observers have been closely following the minute-by-minute developments concerning the battle between Islamic State and coalition forces... in the hopes that such data will help them discern what the future may hold. Yet knowledge of the end game has been available for anyone viewing the nObama administration with the eyes of a hedgehog, not a fox. Now consider how the nObama administration’s actions have fulfilled these predictions, and often in the same sequence. http://www.frontpagemag.com/2015/raymond-ibrahim/obamas-policies-to-empower-isis-exposed/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=668b3812e9-Mailchimp_FrontPageMag&utm_term=0_57e32c1dad-668b3812e9-156509103
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Univision's Ramos: Hispanic Vote Will Decide Election
(Bradford Thomas) - Univision's most influential news anchor, Jorge Ramos, says that there's a "new rule" in American politics: "no one can make it to the White House without the Hispanic vote," a change he called "beautiful."... The comments were made during an interview with Harvard University's Institute of Politics which followed a speech the Univision host gave to an audience of students. During the sit down, Ramos said that in 2016 the number of Hispanics voting would climb to 16 million, a 4 million jump from 2012. According to past trends, he predicted those voters would largely vote Democrat and, with their significant increase in numbers, would ultimately decide the election: http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/univisions-ramos-hispanic-vote-will-decide-election
Video at the site.
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Mindboggling nObama Can Insist That We Aren’t Losing Against ISIS
(rickwells.us) - Senator John McCain commented on a statement made by Hussein nObama in The Atlantic in which the occupier of the White House said of the supposed war on ISIS, “No, I don’t think we’re losing…There’s no doubt there was a tactical setback.” nObama is incapable of admitting he is wrong and even if he were able to recognize it, many would argue that, with the rapid expansion of ISIS, things are proceeding exactly accordingto his plan. Those of us looking for an nObama strategy as one in which our enemy is defeated may be looking in the wrong place. In defense of his well-hidden strategy, nObama described the growth of ISIS and the capture of key cities and territory as a “tactical”setback, the implication being that there’s nothing wrong with his “strategy.” Senator McCain disagrees with the nObama assessment, describing it is being “Just mindboggling that the ‘president’ could keep saying and his spokesperson and others in the administration could keep saying what they’re saying while thousands of people are being butchered, burning bodies in the streets, executions, beheadings.” http://rickwells.us/sen-john-mccain-mindboggling-that-obama-can-still-insist-that-we-arent-losing-against-isis/
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While Hilly Slept
(Noah Rothman) - Only the most conspiratorial among us suspected that the State Department’s decision to release a tranche of Hilly Clinton’s private emails on the Friday before a long holiday weekend just might be an effort to bury the revelations... But some of the most compelling details in those emails regarding Clinton’s conduct were in regards to the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi. Theemails reveal that the White House regarded Clinton as the “public face of the U.S. effort in Libya” in 2012. “She was instrumental in security the authorization, building the coalition, and tightening the noose around Qadhafi and his regime.” The White House noted that Clinton had been a “critical voice on Libya,” working closely with the president, NATO, and a number of contact groups both during the coalition intervention and in its aftermath. And when officials received a presidential briefing three days after the September 11, 2012 attack that took the life of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, Hilly Clinton was asleep. To this inquiry, Clinton launched into a response that centered on the fact that she had never sent classified information over the one “homebrew” server of which the public was aware. “I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email,” Clinton insisted. “There is no classified material. So I’m certainly well-aware of the classification requirements and did not send classified material.” Once again, America, whether Clinton engaged in any impropriety depends on what the definition of “is” is. https://www.commentarymagazine.com/2015/05/22/while-hillary-slept/
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How nObama Lost Ramadi
Jonathan Spyer
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A still frame from an amateur video showing the chaotic, high-speed retreat of Iraqi government forces from Ramadi
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(meforum.org) - The fall of Ramadi to the fighters of the Islamic State is a disaster for the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The taking of the city brings IS to just over 60 miles from Baghdad. In addition to showcasing the low caliber of the Iraqi security forces, the events surrounding the fall of the city lay bare the contradictions at the heart of Western policy in Iraq.
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Prime Minister Abadi had ordered the garrison in Ramadi to stand firm. He hoped to see a successful stand in the city as a prelude to a government retaking of Anbar province, over half of which is still in IS hands.
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But in a manner reminiscent of the fall of Mosul in June 2014, Iraqi security forces ignored orders to defend Ramadi, and fled eastwards to the neighboring town of Khalidiyeh. This left Ramadi to the tender mercies of the fighters of the Islamic State, who have reportedly since slaughtered at least 500 people. It is important to note that even U.S. airstrikes were not sufficient to prevent the debacle.
But in a manner reminiscent of the fall of Mosul in June 2014, Iraqi security forces ignored orders to defend Ramadi, and fled eastwards to the neighboring town of Khalidiyeh. This left Ramadi to the tender mercies of the fighters of the Islamic State, who have reportedly since slaughtered at least 500 people. It is important to note that even U.S. airstrikes were not sufficient to prevent the debacle.
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As of now, Shia militias are heading for the city's outskirts. A militia-led counterattack is expected in the coming days. A further advance eastwards by the Sunni jihadis, at least in the immediate future, is unlikely.
As of now, Shia militias are heading for the city's outskirts. A militia-led counterattack is expected in the coming days. A further advance eastwards by the Sunni jihadis, at least in the immediate future, is unlikely.
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So what is behind the failure of the Iraqi security forces and the continued advance of the jihadis?
So what is behind the failure of the Iraqi security forces and the continued advance of the jihadis?
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On the simplest level, the greater motivation and determination of the IS fighters explains their continued successes against the Iraqis. The jihadis are all volunteers. Not all of them are highly skilled fighters, but their level of motivation is correspondingly very high.
On the simplest level, the greater motivation and determination of the IS fighters explains their continued successes against the Iraqis. The jihadis are all volunteers. Not all of them are highly skilled fighters, but their level of motivation is correspondingly very high.
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However, this problem has now been apparent for nearly a year, ever since the Sunni jihadis first crashed across the border from Syria last June. So why has it not been addressed? The blame for this cannot be placed at the feet of low ranking Iraqi soldiers.
However, this problem has now been apparent for nearly a year, ever since the Sunni jihadis first crashed across the border from Syria last June. So why has it not been addressed? The blame for this cannot be placed at the feet of low ranking Iraqi soldiers.
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The blame lies at the policy making level. The United States is committed to the territorial unity of Iraq. It therefore is determined to relate to the government of Haider al-Abadi as the sole authority in the country.
The blame lies at the policy making level. The United States is committed to the territorial unity of Iraq. It therefore is determined to relate to the government of Haider al-Abadi as the sole authority in the country.
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The problem with this stance is two-fold.
The problem with this stance is two-fold.
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Firstly, it precludes providing arms directly to the elements who are most willing to use them against the Islamic State (namely, the Kurdish Peshmerga and further south, the elements among the Sunni tribes whom the U.S. aided during the "surge" in the 2006-2007 period).
Firstly, it precludes providing arms directly to the elements who are most willing to use them against the Islamic State (namely, the Kurdish Peshmerga and further south, the elements among the Sunni tribes whom the U.S. aided during the "surge" in the 2006-2007 period).
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In the north, this has not prevented the Kurds from successfully defending the area west of Erbil (with the vital assistance of coalition air power). But it has served to keep the Kurds militarily dependent on the coalition, thus reducing the possibility of their making a bid for independence from Baghdad in the immediate future.
In the north, this has not prevented the Kurds from successfully defending the area west of Erbil (with the vital assistance of coalition air power). But it has served to keep the Kurds militarily dependent on the coalition, thus reducing the possibility of their making a bid for independence from Baghdad in the immediate future.
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Secondly, and more importantly, the U.S. commitment to the territorial unity of Iraq is leading to a willful blindness regarding the actual nature of the government in Baghdad and its true sources of strength and support.
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The supposedly legitimate armed forces of Baghdad are, as has been witnessed again in Ramadi, not fit for the purpose. The true defenders of Baghdad and of the government are right now heading toward Ramadi. They are the forces of the "Hashd al-Shaabi" (popular mobilization). They are the Shia militias, supported by Iran. These militias are the wall behind which the Amadi government shelters.
The supposedly legitimate armed forces of Baghdad are, as has been witnessed again in Ramadi, not fit for the purpose. The true defenders of Baghdad and of the government are right now heading toward Ramadi. They are the forces of the "Hashd al-Shaabi" (popular mobilization). They are the Shia militias, supported by Iran. These militias are the wall behind which the Amadi government shelters.
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The West insists on maintaining the illusion that the government in Baghdad is something other than a Shia sectarian-dominated entity in the process of entering a de facto military alliance with the Iranians. This stubbornness is producing the current absurd situation in which Western air power is being used in support of Shia Islamism.
The West insists on maintaining the illusion that the government in Baghdad is something other than a Shia sectarian-dominated entity in the process of entering a de facto military alliance with the Iranians. This stubbornness is producing the current absurd situation in which Western air power is being used in support of Shia Islamism.
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American hesitation to aid Kurdish and tribal Sunni forces has left the field to Iranian-backed Shia militiamen, seen here after their recapture of Tikrit in March.
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It is important to understand that this is not taking place because there is no other option for stopping the advance of the Islamic State. There is another, more effective option: direct aid to the Kurds, and to the Sunni tribes further south..
This support of Shia Islamism is taking place because of the conviction in Western capitals — most importantly, of course, Washington, D.C. — that the advance of Iran and the building of Iranian strength in Lebanon and in the collapsed states of Iraq and Syria is not a phenomenon to be prevented.
This support of Shia Islamism is taking place because of the conviction in Western capitals — most importantly, of course, Washington, D.C. — that the advance of Iran and the building of Iranian strength in Lebanon and in the collapsed states of Iraq and Syria is not a phenomenon to be prevented.
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Rather, Western capitals believe that growing Iranian influence can be accommodated and perhaps even allied with.
Rather, Western capitals believe that growing Iranian influence can be accommodated and perhaps even allied with.
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This conviction combined with the desire to maintain the fictions of "Iraq" and "Syria" are the foundations of current policy. For these reasons, in the coming days we will witness U.S. and Western air power, astonishingly, supporting Shia Islamist militants as they battle with Sunni Islamist militants. Meanwhile, overtly pro-Western forces further north lack arms.
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The Islamic State just took Ramadi. In Western capitals where Middle East policy is made, folly is engaged on a similarly triumphant march.
The Islamic State just took Ramadi. In Western capitals where Middle East policy is made, folly is engaged on a similarly triumphant march.
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