Rumblings From Mideast Analysts

++Robert Parry analyzes documents procured by Judicial Watch concerning #Benghazi! and finds that yes, Sy Hersh was right with his article about the CIA creating a ratline to supply Syrian opposition people with weapons from Libya. The documents show that General Petraeus as head of the CIA ok'd shipments from Libya to Turkey of weapons for the Syrian forces,the bulk of whom were affiliated with Al Qaeda.

++We know from Hilary's e-mails that the CIA kept the State department in the dark over this operation. I've always maintained this was the essence of the so-called scandal of Benghazi. But it is curious that the House Committee on Benghazi had chosen to ignore this piece of the puzzle. In a classified appendix of the Senate Benghazi report, Sy Hersh determined that Congress knew about this.

++Robert Parry uses the bulk of his article found at reader Supported News to affirm both Assad and Qaddafhi's claims that they were under siege by Al Qaeda supported militants and that the so-called "democratic opposition" was anything but. He uses the new documents to slam the neo-cons and the liberal interventionists who tried to ignore this fact.

++Juan Cole in the Nation takes off after Robert Kaplan, who advocated in the Atlantic that imperialism should make a comeback in the Middle East to restore order. Cole says that Kaplan mixes up various imperialisms and that Kaplan's Western style imperialism in defense of capitalism is a very recent phenomenon that ignores the events of the past few years.

++The Daily Beast has an article by an American Moslem arguing that American troops must re-engage in Iraq to defeat ISIS. He argues that ISIS has broadened its recruitment efforts to over 80 countries and that it now threatens both the governments of Iraq and Syria.

++Times of Israel says that our analysis that Assad is about to go is false--right now--but could become real soon. They also report that Putin is backing off a full-throated defense of Assad,indicating there is diplomatic moves afoot.

++What strikes me is that the former dissidents on our Middle East policy no longer have the higher ground but look like they are being marginalized. This bodes ill for the country.

Further Reactions to West Point Speech

++ Andrew Sullivan says that it wasn't "dovish" but conservative in the manner of George H.W. Bush and Ike.

++The New York Times didn't like that it didn't soar.

++Ed Klein at Time magazine  sort of like it for its realism.

++The Hill published a story how the imperial papers didn't like it and the House Committee on Armed Services duly circulated this to its email list.

++David Corn thought "meh" . He's only got two years left and can't create a grand strategic design anyway with the world we have.

++Robert Parry thought it moved the ball forward but President Obama is still hamstrung by the neo-conservatives and has to give them too much.

The Obama Derangement Syndrome

++World Nut Daily conducted their poll of the most "evil" man in the last 100 years. The Results are in:
Barack Obama--50%
Adolf Hitler--23%
Stalin        --12%
Mao          --  6%
Idi Amin    --  1%

++Los Angeles had a severe earthquake yesterday. Fox News blamed it on Obama.

++Ralph Peters, who must be off his meds, said that Putin played "Games of Thrones", while Obama was "Downton Abbey".

++Franklin Graham said that Putin had a higher moral ground than President Obama because of his stance against gays.

++Willard Romney writes in the Wall Street Journal that Obama's timing was off and his leaderless foreign policy created the Crimean mess.

++Bill Kristol, war hero,writes in the Weekly Standard that he is tied of the war fatigue and that Americans stand ready to be rallied again.

++Morning Joe says that because the country believes we are going in the wrong direction, this is a winner message for Republicans. I hate to tell everyone this. The American people have polled that we are going in a wrong direction for the last decade.

++Robert Parry is worried that neo-cons have come alive again with the Ukraine/Crimea crisis. But they never went away because they are part of the nomenklatura. They did not pay for any of their mistakes and now with the controversy over the Torture Report it is clear they will not pay for their crimes.

++It is very bizarre to see pundits who know nothing about warfare to argue for a stronger response to Putin's actions. Maybe President Obama should advocate thermonuclear war and then let John McCain talk him down.

The Wingnuts Return

++It didn't take long. The anti-Obamacare hate mail has started again. This time it is the cost of malfunctioning websites in Hawaii,Oregon,Vermont and Massachusetts. Yes,they have been a bother and Massachusetts and Vermont are withholding payment from the contractor. But is this how deep in the weeds they will go?

++Apparently,yes. Americans for the Prosperity of the Koch Brothers have unleashed ads against first-term Democrats attacking them for the failures of Obamacare. These ads feature actors who claim they had multiple heart attacks and now they received a letter from the insurance company saying they were cancelled. Good thing they won't be banned from insurance for pre-existing conditions. This will continue through 2014 and beyond.

++Mitch McConnell has said the number 1 priority for him in 2014 is the repeal of Obamacare. The New York Times, which pretends this people are normal,says that now the law is in effect the Republicans are debating how best to deal with the law--gut it. The Times neglected to mention that because millions more will have healthcare that won't stop the GOP from going after it. After all,they have gone after foodstamps and unemployment insurance. Why should people who now have healthcare insurance benefit?

++Jared Bernstein in today's Huffington Post goes into detail about how Food stamps and unemployment insurance works during the Great recession and how as we climb out of it they taper off. That's why it is nuts to cut them further.

++Paul Krugman is hip to the game in today's op-ed "the Fear Economy". Krugman writes how corporations actually can manage quite well with a moderate depression. This allows them to suppress wages and cut benefits because employees are living in a state of fear.

++Robert Parry writes for Consortium News about "Obama's Not So Bad Year". Parry focuses on Obama changing the dynamic of our Middle East policy and how the Beltway pundits conditioned by years of the neoconservatives blast Obama for this so-called "Failure". 

++I like Eugene Robinson but his column this morning on the civil war among the GOP is just wishful thinking. Gene talks about the CNN polls which show the public favor the GOP in the mid-terms but that the GOP doesn't have any ideas. That maybe true but they whipped up 2010 without any ideas either. 

++It should be noted that at least three polls have shown Democrats with at least a three point margin in the generic poll. Others point out the inconsistency of Americans hating Congress and giving it a single digit approval rating but wanting the GOP to control it. Democracy Corps a few weeks ago--long enough after the shutdown to be relevant--pointed out that in swing districts ,which would determine the control the House,the races are very close. But readers should remember 150 GOP House members are running unopposed.

++Kudos to Brainwrap for having his Excel sheets referred to in the Washington Post concerning the signups of Obamacare.

++What was President Obama's best decision this year? You can debate about certain nominations to the court and to the administration. But my candidate is the decision he did not make--Approving the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Washington Times yesterday went ape about this because there is now a conflict of interest investigation into the State Department's approval process. Remember Keystone would raise gas prices in the Midwest and would not provide any oil to the United States or create significant jobs.

++Tomorrow 1.3 million Americans will not receive their unemployment compensation.