The staff at the New York Times has burned the midnight oil trying to find ways to derail John McCain's campaign. After endorsing him in the primary, the paper then ran an unsubstantiated smear against him as a philanderer. Now they ask whether he is eligible for the office, given his birth in the Panama Canal zone while his father served the country:

The question has nagged at the parents of Americans born outside the continental United States for generations: Dare their children aspire to grow up and become president? In the case of Senator John McCain of Arizona, the issue is becoming more than a matter of parental daydreaming.

Mr. McCain’s likely nomination as the Republican candidate for president and the happenstance of his birth in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936 are reviving a musty debate that has surfaced periodically since the founders first set quill to parchment and declared that only a “natural-born citizen” can hold the nation’s highest office.

Almost since those words were written in 1787 with scant explanation, their precise meaning has been the stuff of confusion, law school review articles, whisper campaigns and civics class debates over whether only those delivered on American soil can be truly natural born. To date, no American to take the presidential oath has had an official birthplace outside the 50 states.

“There are powerful arguments that Senator McCain or anyone else in this position is constitutionally qualified, but there is certainly no precedent,” said Sarah H. Duggin, an associate professor of law at Catholic University who has studied the issue extensively. “It is not a slam-dunk situation.”

It's a slam-dunk to the millions of military families whose service to this country should have left then with no doubts about their children being relegated to second-class citizenry. They sacrificed enough for their country without having to sacrifice the futures of their children. Any other conclusion would amount to a penalty for military service on those who did not volunteer.

The Founding Fathers recognized this. They passed a bill in 1790, three years after the adoption of the Constitution, which made clear that "natural born" applied to children born of American citizens "outside the limits of the United States". That law remains in effect and has never been challenged. At the least, it speaks to the intent of the founders when they used the term "natural born" in the Constitution.

It's beyond absurd to argue that John McCain doesn't qualify to run as an American for the presidency. The candidate or party that files a lawsuit to challenge him on this point runs the risk of alienating a large swath of the public who have served this nation in uniform, in diplomacy, and in government.

Besides, if the Times thinks this to be an issue, then why did they endorse McCain in January? Didn't they bother to do their research on him then?

The Democrats reacted in anger when Senate Republicans blocked their latest economic stimulus bill. Harry Reid said that bankers and lenders were high-fiving each other in hallways after the GOP torpedoed the bill, but perhaps a better explanation of Reid's disappointment comes from Bob Casey (D-PA). The beneficiaries of the bill turns out to be somewhat different than advertised:

Mr. CASEY: “We want to do a couple of things with this legislation, which we know is the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008. Our Majority Leader, Senator Reid, and our leadership and the members of the Democratic Caucus set it out fairly specifically. A couple of basic things this legislation would have done: first of all, it would have continued what we started in the end of last year, foreclosure prevention counseling dollars, to give money to organizations around the country that are certifiably expert at this, organizations like La Raza. I know the presiding officer knows that group. We know also the Association for Community Organizations for Reform Now, known by the acronym ‘ACORN.’ They’re headquartered in Philadelphia. These are organizations which understand what a lender has to deal with but more importantly deal with borrowers when they’re borrowing money, when they’re dealing with the difficulty and complexity of borrowing money. These organizations would have helped even more so than they’re helping now with $200 million more of counseling money. That’s not going to happen right now because of what the other side did; they blocked that money by blocking this legislation.”

ACORN? Would this be the same ACORN that conducted voter fraud in Washington, resulting in felony charges against its officers there in 2007? Isn't this the same organization that generated complaints and questions about their practices in several other jurisdictions during the 2006 election? How does shoving money into the pockets of ACORN provide an economic stimulus?

This doesn't look like a stimulus package. It looks more like an investment in further voter fraud.

Jack Jacobs at MS-NBC wonders who Barack Obama has as his military advisers. Based on his answers at the debate, Jacobs suggests replacing them at the first opportunity. No one expects a presidential candidate to be an expert on ground combat, but at the very least candidates can hire a few:

But last week, during his debate with Clinton, Obama tried speaking about substance when he mentioned the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he displayed an astounding ignorance of the military instrument. He said that an anonymous U.S. Army captain told him that his infantry platoon was split and sent to different areas of operations; that they were lacking vehicles; and that they had insufficient ammunition to fight.

Although problems do occur in combat situations to be sure, none of what Obama related makes any sense and is, according to people with whom I spoke, untrue. Units the size of platoons are not sent to separate theaters, ammunition has been plentiful, and an investigation indicates that the unit in question was missing only one of its Humvees, all to no peril of the unit. ....

Politicians rely heavily, on almost every subject, on advisors to get them educated and keep them current. And nobody really expects Obama or Clinton or even McCain, who was a Navy aviator, to know anything about ground combat. But one does expect the candidate to employ advisors who know what they are talking about and to prevent their candidate from embarrassment.

While Obama has attracted money, notoriety and delegates, he has yet to attract military advisers who know what they are doing.

It helps to understand the macro concepts as well. When Obama talked about our military "air raiding villages and civilians" in Afghanistan, he showed a remarkable disengagement from the actual events in a theater even he calls critical to the war on terror. The use of close air support in fighting Taliban attacks derailed their last spring offensive, and it helped kill some of their highest-ranking leaders.

Obviously, his advisers either haven't improved since then, or they haven't been replaced with people who know what they're doing. Democrats can be forgiven for their continued support of Obama, however, because the alternative doesn't appear to be much of an improvement. Hillary Clinton has shown the same kind of diffidence to military strategy and policy as Obama, even though she has better sense about making sweeping pronouncements on the subject.

John McCain should focus on this gap, and based on his rapid-fire engagement with Obama on al-Qaeda in Iraq yesterday, he looks ready to do so. McCain may have served as a naval aviator, but he has also served on the Armed Services Committee for years. He knows a platoon from a battalion, and he knows the structure, purpose, and strategy for the American military better than most of the people in and out of Washington. Wartime is not the moment for apprenticeship at the highest level of command, and McCain needs to remind America of that truth.  Thursday, February 28, 2008

www.captainsquartersblog.com

www.townhall.com/funnies

ABBAS PROUD OF PAST TERRORISM, WON'T RULE OUT FUTURE TERRORISM

Here’s Israel’s “partner in peace,” so-called “moderate” Fatah president Mahmoud Abbas, in some amazingly unguarded—meaning truthful—statements to a Jordanian daily: Abbas: ‘Armed resistance not ruled out’.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday said that he does not rule out returning to the path of armed “resistance” against Israel and took pride in the fact that he had been the first to fire on Israel and that his organization had trained Hizbullah.

In an interview with the Jordanian daily al-Dustur, Abbas said that he was opposed to an armed struggle against Israel - for the time being.

“At this present juncture, I am opposed to armed struggle because we cannot succeed in it, but maybe in the future things will be different,” he said.

The PA president also expressed pride both in himself and in his organization, Fatah, for trailblazing the path of resistance.

“I had the honor of firing the first shot in 1965 and of being the one who taught resistance to many in the region and around the world; what it’s like; when it is effective and when it isn’t effective; its uses, and what serious, authentic and influential resistance is,” Abbas said.

“It is common knowledge when and how resistance is detrimental and when it is well timed,” he added. “We (Fatah) had the honor of leading the resistance and we taught resistance to everyone, including Hizbullah, who trained in our military camps.”

The Kos Kidz see Barack Obama as a pioneer, challenging outmoded concepts like “patriotism” and “pride in America:” Daily Kos: Cookies, Pride, and Farrakhan: Challenging Apple Pie Memes.

Given the way America has treated African Americans throughout much of its history, there are some damn good reasons not to feel a whole lot of pride until recently. It would be nice if, as a nation, we could face the fact that some of our citizens might have some ambivalent feelings about their “American Experience” and we should learn and respect their journey. Unfortunately, it appears we are not going to have that discussion either.

There are other clashes looming between the traditional 1950’s memes and the experience of black America. There is the dust up concerning Obama’s endorsement by Louis Farrakhan and his membership in a self-described “Afrocentric” church. Farrakhan is a one-dimensional figure to most of white America, based on his past inflammatory and anti-Semitic statements. In the African American community, however, he has some respect for what is perceived as his refusal to temper his words or back down in the face of white condemnation. ...

We are going to see a war waged by the right wing against Obama, using the traditional memes as a framework. It will be a test to see if Americans have matured at all in recent years and a test in Obama’s ability to maintain the universal appeal he has developed so far.

Most likely the Obamas will serve as transitional figures, having to suppress some of their background in order to remain within the current expectations. If Obama is able to win the Presidency, perhaps our nation will grow stronger and more diverse as their experiences help move us a little farther from “Baseball, Mom, and Apple Pie.”  Thursday, February 28, 2008

http://littlegreenfootballs.com

South Waziristan Taliban leader Mullah Nazir. Click to view.

Pakistani and US intelligence are attempting to sort out the names of the al Qaeda and Taliban operatives killed in yesterday's airstrike in Azam Warzak, South Waziristan. Initial reports indicated Arabs and fighters from Central Asia were killed in the operation. One report indicates an "al Qaeda fugitive from Egypt" was among those killed, sparking rumors that Ayman al Zawahiri was the target of the strike.

South Waziristan Taliban commander Mullah Nazir, who is often characterized as a "pro-government" Taliban leader, appears to be the center of the storm. "Sources said that the militants belonged to the Abu Hamza group whose leader was said to be a follower of local militant commander Maulvi Nazir," Dawn reported. The attack occurred at the home of Shero Wazir, a follower of Nazir "who had rented it out to an Arab."

"A large number of Arabs and other foreigners had been living and doing business in the area for years with local tribal names," sources told Dawn. Nazir denied foreign al Qaeda were present in his territory, and instead claimed Afghans were occupying the home.

But Nazir has along history of backed Arab al Qaeda members. He attacked Uzbeks in his tribal areas after he accused them of assassinating Arab al Qaeda operatives Saiful Asad and Sheikh Asadullah, a Saudi. Asadullah was one of Nazir's lieutenants and served as al Qaeda's financiers in the region. Asadullah replaced Ahmad Saeed Abdur Rehman Khadr al Kanadi, an al Qaeda operative who was killed in 2004. Kanadi was "designated by the United Nations as a high-ranking al Qaeda member."

As identities of those killed in the latest strike in South Waziristan is still being sorted out, the nationality of some of those killed is known. Anywhere from eight to 13 al Qaeda and Taliban were reported killed in the strike. Dawn reported four Arabs, two Turkmen, and two Pakistanis from Punjab province were killed. Local Taliban cordoned the area and immediately buried the bodies, which were said to have been badly burned and mutilated.

The presence of Arab al Qaeda operatives in Azam Warzak has led to speculation that a senior al Qaeda figure may have been killed. "An al Qaeda fugitive from Egypt" was reported to have been among those killed, The Nation reported. This has raised the hopes that Ayman al Zawahiri, the Egyptian-borne second in command of al Qaeda was among present during the strike.

But several senior Egyptian members of al Qaeda are known to operate in Pakistan's tribal areas. These include Abu Khabab al Masri, Abu Ubaidah al Masri, Abdul Rahman al Masri al Maghribi, and Sheikh Essa. Abu Khabab, Abu Ubaidah, and Maghribi were believed to have been killed in the January 2006 Damadola airstrike but the reports were false.

Egyptian al Qaeda known to be operating in Pakistan’s tribal regions:

• Abu Khabab al Masri: Al Qaeda's Weapons of Mass Destruction expert and master bomb maker. He is also known as Also known as Midhat Mursi.

• Abdul Rahman al Masri al Maghribi: A senior al Qaeda military commander who is also believed to be Ayman al Zawahiri's son-in-law.

• Abu Ubaidah al Masri: A senior al Qaeda operative who served as the former operations chief in Kunar, Afghanistan.

• Sheikh Essa: An Egyptian cleric based out of North Waziristan who advocates expanding the Taliban's jihad in Pakistan. "Local adherents of the takfiri ideology, like Sadiq Noor and Abdul Khaliq, have grown strong and spread the word in North Waziristan." the Asia Times reported on Jan. 1. "Former members of jihadi outfits such as Jaish-i-Mohammed, Laskhar-i-Taiba and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi have gathered in North Waziristan and declared Sheikh Essa their ideologue."

See Missile strike on al Qaeda meeting in South Waziristan kills 13 for background on the airstrike and past strikes in the tribal regions.  Friday, February 29, 2008

A British soldier at the Taliban heroin factory in Sapwan Kala. Photo from the British Defence Ministry. Click to view.

Afghan police have killed a top Taliban commander in Helmand province, the Afghan Interior Ministry reported. Mullah Sorkh Naqaibullah, a Taliban field commander in Helmand province, was killed along with 24 Taliban fighters after ambushing a police convoy in Marja. Naqaibullah is the fourth Taliban commander killed in Helmand province in the past week.

"Taliban insurgents opened fire on police patrol in Marja district on Wednesday, injuring one police constable. Policemen encountered, resultantly leaving 25 rebels including Mullah Naqibullah dead," the Interior Ministry statement said.

Naqaibullah, who is also known as the "Red Mullah," commanded Taliban forces in the Gershk district and the surrounding regions. He received international attention on Jan. 8 after the BBC featured him in a report on problems with Afghanistan's prisons. Naqaibullah has bribed his way out of prison three times, paying $15,000 to secure his latest release.

NATO and Afghan forces have encountered success in northern Helmand province over the past month. Naqaibullah is the fourth high-level Taliban commander killed over the past week. On Feb. 21, Afghan forces killed Mullah Abdul Bari and 29 Taliban fighters during raids near the Musa Qala and Kajaki districts. On Feb. 22, British forces killed Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Matin and his subcommander Mullah Karim Agha.

Since the Taliban lost Musa Qala in early December, NATO and Afghan forces have pressed the offensive in the northern Helmand River Valley. The Kajaki Dam in northern Helmand province has been a major reconstruction project, and the Afghan government hopes to restore the dam to provide energy for the region. The Taliban have used northern Helmand province as a base of operations to launch strikes into southern and western Afghanistan.

Afghan and NATO forces recently cleared the villages of Karez deh Baba and Kajaki. "Insurgents were using the villages to launch attacks on Musa Qala and the upper Sangin Valley," Combined Joint Task Force - 82 reported. The Afghan Army "destroyed an extensive tunnel and cave system, insurgent command positions, weapons and ammunition caches as well as IED-making materials" during the operations. The Taliban responded by firing rockets at Karez deh Baba. Five civilians were killed in the attack. British Commandos also destroyed a heroin lab in the village of Sapwan Kala in the Upper Sangin Valley on Feb. 27.  Thursday, February 28, 2008

www.longwarjournal.org

EMERSON: ABC SHILLS FOR RADICAL ISLAM

By Charles Johnson

It’s incredibly frustrating to see American mainstream media continuing to carry water for radical Islamic groups such as CAIR, despite their well-documented history of links to Hamas and other terrorist groups, and their status as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case. Most news reports that cite CAIR do not even mention their co-conspirator status—a courtesy it’s hard to imagine the media granting anyone else, under any circumstances.

This week’s most ridiculous example of willful media blindness came from ABC News, where they staged a completely phony “Islamophobia” event, then published an absurd whitewash piece on their web site to accompany it. Today Steven Emerson has an article at the Investigative Project on this travesty: The ABC’s of Radical Islam.

On its website Tuesday, ABC News posted a story titled, “Common Misunderstandings About Muslims,” which did its level best to carry water for the radical Islamist, and jihadist, movement in America, going so far as to cite America’s most notorious radical front group, the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as the source to define the concept of “jihad.”

Take this incredibly problematic passage:

Misconception: Islam promotes violence and terrorism.

Truth:

According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, prominent Muslims, Islamic organizations and Islamic scholars have repeatedly denounced the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and terrorism in general. One letter sent to President George W. Bush was signed by leaders from nine American-Muslim organizations, which together represent most of the seven million Muslims in the United States.

Jihad is a term that is often misunderstood and associated with violent radical militants. However, according to Muslim advocates, the word jihad means to “strive, struggle and exert effort.” It is a central and broad Islamic concept that includes struggle against evil inclinations within oneself, struggle to improve the quality of life in society, struggle by military forces in the battlefield for self-defense or fighting against tyranny or oppression (source: the Council on American-Islamic Relations).

CAIR, in all its public events, and in frequent quotes to the media and contacts with the government, has tried to push the line that the word “jihad” does not mean holy war; it only means a “peaceful, internal struggle.”

On the State Department list of proscribed terrorist groups, a full four organizations use the word “Jihad” in their title. Is the Islamic Jihad struggling peacefully when it blows up a bus or a café? Are they using that word to distort CAIR’s vision of Islam? Or do they simply not understand Arabic? Has CAIR requested that they alter their names so as not to foment this “misconception?”

Also see: Michelle Malkin: All the bigotry that’s fit to stage again.  Thursday, February 28, 2008

Another terror connection to the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia: Imam From Va. Mosque Now Thought to Have Aided Al-Qaeda.

This is the same mosque where Muslim American Society leader Esam Omeish is a member of the Board of Directors.

Even before the 2001 terrorist attacks, American-born imam Anwar al-Aulaqi drew the attention of federal authorities because of his possible connections to al-Qaeda. Their interest grew after 9/11, when it turned out that three of the hijackers had spent time at his mosques in California and Falls Church, but he was allowed to leave the country in 2002.

New information later surfaced about his contacts with extremists while in the United States. Now, U.S. officials are saying for the first time that they believe that Aulaqi worked with al-Qaeda networks in the Persian Gulf after leaving Northern Virginia. In mid-2006, Aulaqi was detained in Yemen at the request of the United States. To the dismay of U.S. authorities, Aulaqi was released in December.

“There is good reason to believe Anwar Aulaqi has been involved in very serious terrorist activities since leaving the United States, including plotting attacks against America and our allies,” said a U.S. counterterrorism official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.  Wednesday, February 27, 2008

http://littlegreenfootballs.com

Bob Geldof pens an unusual article for Time Magazine today, extolling the intellect and virtues of President George Bush. He starts off by noting -- as have we conservatives since early in the administration -- that Bush has no talent for marketing. Geldof instead assigns himself that task and reminds people that Bush may be the most significant President in modern times for the lives he has saved:

The Most Powerful Man in the World studied the front cover. Geldof in Africa — " 'The international best seller.' You write that bit yourself?"

"That's right. It's called marketing. Something you obviously have no clue about or else I wouldn't have to be here telling people your Africa story."

It is some story. And I have always wondered why it was never told properly to the American people, who were paying for it. It was, for example, Bush who initiated the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with cross-party support led by Senators John Kerry and Bill Frist. In 2003, only 50,000 Africans were on HIV antiretroviral drugs — and they had to pay for their own medicine. Today, 1.3 million are receiving medicines free of charge. The U.S. also contributes one-third of the money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria — which treats another 1.5 million. It contributes 50% of all food aid (though some critics find the mechanism of contribution controversial). On a seven-day trip through Africa, Bush announced a fantastic new $350 million fund for other neglected tropical diseases that can be easily eradicated; a program to distribute 5.2 million mosquito nets to Tanzanian kids; and contracts worth around $1.2 billion in Tanzania and Ghana from the Millennium Challenge Account, another initiative of the Bush Administration.

So why doesn't America know about this? "I tried to tell them. But the press weren't much interested," says Bush. It's half true. There are always a couple of lines in the State of the Union, but not enough so that anyone noticed, and the press really isn't interested. For them, like America itself, Africa is a continent of which little is known save the odd horror.

Geldof doesn't pull punches where he disagrees with Bush. In fact, he spends most of the article outlining his disagreements. However, he also paints a picture of a man of intellect and deep belief, and one who has been shortchanged by the media, at least on Africa. He also understands that while he disagrees with Bush on many policies, Bush is motivated by his own sense of what is right.

The Anchoress notes:

But I do like that he gives the president serious credit not just for his humanitarian aid to Africa, but for his smarts in general. The press narrative since 1999, has been that Bush is “incurious and slow.” Geldof writes precisely the opposite, noting after a discussion of Africa and trade tariffs, “he’s curious and quick.”

And while in not engaging the president on is a bit unfair because does not allow rebuttal to Geldof’s own meme’d musings, the Irish rocker does allow Bush to make his case as to the steadiness of his interest in Africa, going back to his debates w/ Gore.

This does not surprise me much. I have had the pleasure of participating in two round-table conference calls with Geldof, and he surprised me with his openness to all points of view. Like Bush, he has grown a thick skin through years of political combat. His last project, a series of concerts intended to produce pressure on the G-8 nations to forgive African debt and pledge more assistance, drew a lot of naysayers -- and Geldof almost seemed to relish engagement with them, in order to change minds.

In some ways, Geldof appears to recognize a bit of that in Bush, and has a difficult time not liking it.

While Democrats fan out to talk about the misery of our economy and how the government has to do more to control it, the news out of Europe seems brighter. The Germans and their more-controlled economy has begun improving. In fact, their unemployment rate has dropped all the way to 8.6%:

Germany's unemployment rate dipped to 8.6 percent in February as a relatively mild winter added to momentum from the country's economic upswing, government figures showed Thursday.

The number of people without a job in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, fell 42,000 from January to 3.617 million, and 630,000 lower than in February last year, the Federal Labor Agency said.

The unadjusted jobless rate was down from 8.7 percent in January. Last February, that rate was 10.1 percent.

"Unemployment continues to fall," Labor Agency chief Frank-Juergen Weise said. "Companies' demand for labor remains at a very high level."

The bad news? The improvement is likely overstated, according to a UniCredit economist in Munich. The German government's short-term winter benefit for construction workers masked what will soon become a significant drop in work. Major companies plan cuts as they forsee a cooling economy, although the government insists that unemployment will continue to decline.

Europe, with its heavy-handed economic regulation, struggles to keep itself out of Jimmy Carter-era unemployment. They celebrate 8.6% unemployment. Meanwhile, the Democrats claim that 5% unemployment here requires the exact same kind of solutions that brought Germany their current economic "success".

Lest anyone think that this problem is confined to Germany, take a look at this report from last February. The "Eurozone" celebrated its best unemployment rate ever -- at 7.4%. Three weeks ago, they announced a further improvement -- to 7.2%. Either of these numbers would have Americans screaming in the streets for new leadership, and yet those who claim to represent that new leadership want to take the US down the same statist path where 7.2% is a "record low".

We need market solutions, not government-controlled economic plans that send capital to Capitol Hill instead of the engines of economic growth. We don't need to duplicate the European debacle.  Thursday, February 28, 2008

www.captainsquartersblog.com

Investor’s Business Daily issues a strong warning against The Risky Business Of Islamic Finance.

The bottom line:

These funds offer little transparency. They fail to disclose either the radical ties of the scholars who are advising and running them or the tenets that dictate the structuring of the investments. The prospectuses explain simply that the investments are “ethical” or “socially acceptable,” when in fact they’re grounded in a religious doctrine that threatens America and the West.

The main purpose of Shariah law is to promote Islam as the only legitimate governing system and to help establish its rule worldwide. Shariah-compliant finance is a means to that end.

Ignoring in a time of war the moral hazards associated with such financial products, and treating them as if they were as benign and secular as any other, may be the height of corporate recklessness.

British police are being trained in sharia law and the Koran, which they seem to think will help counter terror at the local level.

In some undefined way.

Police will be trained on the importance of sharia law and the Koran to Muslim communities, under new plans to fight extremism.

The lessons in Islamic faith and culture will become part of the formal training of constables working in towns and cities across the country. Chief constables say that, by understanding the community they are policing, officers will build better relationships. These could prove crucial in rooting out extremism and preventing a terrorist attack, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers.

But critics have described the plan as “politically correct thinking”.

Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, said: “Police officers are not there to implement sharia law. They are there to implement British law. This idea is misguided. We will only get community cohesion when everybody signs up to being British and following British law.”   Thursday, February 28, 2008

http://littlegreenfootballs.com