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AS President Obama and his advisers contemplate a new course for Afghanistan, many commentators are suggesting analogies with earlier conflicts, particularly the war in Vietnam. Such comparisons can be useful, but only if the characterizations of earlier wars are accurate and lessons are appropriately applied. Vietnam is particularly tricky. While avoiding the missteps made there is of course a priority, few seem aware of the many successful changes in strategy undertaken in the later years of the conflict. The credit for those accomplishments goes in large part to three men: Ellsworth Bunker, who became the American ambassador to South Vietnam...

The tension in U.S.-Israel relations was manifest this past week as an extraordinary troupe of Obama administration officials visited Jerusalem. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, National Security Advisor James Jones, special Middle East envoy George Mitchell and new White House adviser Dennis Ross all showed up in Israel’s capital in an effort to…well, to do something. It was not quite clear what. Since President Obama came to office on Jan. 20 and then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 31, the main motif in relations between the two governments has been friction. While nearly 80% of American Jews voted for...

A key Bush administration official is disputing the Obama administration's contention that there were no understandings between President George W. Bush and then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on the issue of continued West Bank settlement construction. In an op-ed piece which appeared in Thursday's editions of The Wall Street Journal, Elliott Abrams, who served under Bush in the National Security Council and who held a series of discussions with the Israeli leadership, said that Bush and Sharon did strike a deal which constituted U.S. acquiescence to continued construction in Israeli settlement blocs that Jerusalem intended to keep under any final status...

SEASON PREMIER "Because You Left" - Part 1 "The Lie" - Part 2 Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 @ 9/8c In the season premiere, the remaining island survivors start to feel the effects of the aftermath of moving the island, and Jack and Ben begin their quest to reunite the Oceanic 6 in order to return to the island with Locke's body in an attempt to save their former fellow castaways. And Hurley and Sayid are on the run from the cops after stumbling into trouble at the safehouse; the island survivors come under attack by unknown forces; and an old...

When J.J. Abrams and his team first signed on to resurrect "Star Trek," Hollywood insiders questioned whether sci-fi fans still cared about the franchise. After a $76.5 million opening this past weekend the previous franchise record-holder was "First Contact" with a mere $30 million — you can consider "Trek" successfully rebooted. And as you read this, a whole new series of sequels are being planned for this new alternate reality. "One of the obstacles that we found ourselves butting up against [when we took on the job] was this idea that we already knew the fate of the characters," writer/producer...

Hit Sci-Fi Show Finishes First Season with Appearance by Leonard Nimoy: Fans of Fringe can relax. FOX has given the sci-fi/fantasy series a second season. Fringe is a weekly paranormal thriller starring Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson and John Noble as an FBI team that Fringe Gets Second Season from FOX investigates mysterious and terrifying events that are related to an upcoming war between parallel universes. Fringe Gets Second Season from FOX The announcement is not a huge surprise, because Fringe has been one of just a small number of new shows that premiered last fall to become ratings hits. J.J....

STAR TREK STAR TREK STAR TREK

This is simply a great movie. For those of us who grew up first on the television series, then the series of motion pictures, then "The Next Generation," this is the TV series on special-effects steriods, and in my opinion the second best movie of all Star Trek movies, next to "The Wrath of Khan." The first 20 minutes is jarring, and you have to pay attention. It runs the viewer from Capt. Christopher Pike (played by a one of my favorites, Bruce Greenwood), to the evil Romulan Nero (Eric Bana, sans Hulk get-up), to the young Spock, to the...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Star Trek" debuts in movie theaters on Thursday backed by huge hype, but whether the film based on a 43-year-old franchise can win young fans and big box office returns has industry watchers scratching their heads.

Video on siteThe M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. The M1 is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. It is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for modern armored ground warfare. Notable features of the M1 Abrams include the use of a powerful gas turbine engine, the adoption of sophisticated composite armor, and separate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment for crew safety. It is one of the heaviest tanks in service, weighing in...

World just not into U.S. battle tanks anymore WASHINGTON — The end of U.S. dominance over the main battle tank market has been projected. A leading U.S. consultant asserted that non-U.S. MBTs were expected to dominate the global market over the next decade. In a report, Forecast International asserted that MBTs from China, Pakistan and Russia would account for most of the market through 2018. "In terms of sheer numbers, Forecast Internat ional expects Pakistan's Al Khalid, the Type 98 of the People's Republic of China, and the Russian Federation's T-90 — including India's licensed T-90S production program — to...

From J.J. Abrams ("Lost"), Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the team behind "Star Trek," "Mission: Impossible III" and "Alias," comes a new series that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between the possible and the impossible. When an international flight lands at Boston's Logan Airport with no signs of life, FBI Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM (Anna Torv) is called in to investigate as part of an inter-agency task force. After her partner, Special Agent JOHN SCOTT (Mark Valley), is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to DR. WALTER...

Nicely produced video focused on the Abrams tank in Iraq. There is no way we can't be proud of the service of the crews to our country.

Interesting bit of light news in a heavy news cycle. The first images from J.J. Abrams' reboot of the Star Trek franchise have been released. Initial screenings of the movie have apparently been so positive that they've moved the release from Winter 2008 to Summer 2009. The first picture includes, from left to right, Chekov, Kirk, Scottie, McCoy, Sulu and Uhura.

Excerpt- ~ snip ~ The liberal commentator and Air America host, who has become a breakout star for the cable channel during this campaign, is taking over the 9 p.m. slot following Keith Olbermann, who she often subs for on "Countdown." Olbermann broke the news in what he called a "fully authorized leak" this afternoon on the left-wing Web site Daily Kos. Dan Abrams, the former MSNBC general manager who had been hosting "Verdict" at that hour, will continue as NBC's chief legal correspondent and will be a daytime anchor for MSNBC. ~ snip ~

Keith Weissman and Steven Rosen Are PhDs and Middle East Experts Who Did Some Lobbying. They Thought They Were Doing What Washington Insiders Always Do. Thomas O’Donnell didn’t reveal his job when he phoned Keith Weissman in 2004 and got the policy analyst’s wife. He says he didn’t want to scare her. When Weissman returned the call and found out O’Donnell was an FBI agent, his first reaction was to attempt a joke: “What did I do?” “I’m sure you didn’t do anything,” O’Donnell told him. He wanted to meet that day, for five or ten minutes, and get Weissman’s...

AL JURN — With their 72-ton M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks parked in the motor pool, Soldiers loaded their gear into wheeled trucks less than half the size of the tracked vehicles. Tankers of Punisher Platoon, Dragon Company, 1st Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, switched from their traditional jobs of manning the tanks as the squadron’s heavy element to driving patrols mounted in up-armored Humvees. “It’s kind of like going from a Corvette to a Volkswagen,” said Sgt. 1st Class J.C. Jensen, the platoon sergeant for Punisher, about making the switch. “The tank has 1,500 horsepower, it will go anywhere...

Diggers fired up as new tanks roll Andrew McGarry | September 12, 2007 THERE was no red carpet, just a thick layer of dust coating the gibber plain at Cultana Training Area yesterday. But there was a big, excited crowd of soldiers in the hills outside Port Augusta to look on and take a few pictures of an action premiere: the first big hit-out for the Abrams tanks that have recently arrived to bolster Australia's military armoury. For the next few weeks, the crews of 30 Abrams will be part of a huge influx of personnel at Cultana, on the...

August 10, 2007: Crews of the latest model (M1A2) Abrams tank can't help but notice that, while their workspace is well protected, air conditioned and a smooth ride, it also resembles the inside of a space ship. The current generation of recruits grew up with video games and spectacular science fiction films. The number of gadgets inside a tank has just kept increasing over the last decade. And all the new computers, and their software, have been redesigned to make them faster and easier to use. That's handy when you are under a lot of stress, or tired from being...

Saudis may make weapons with US By Ahmed A. Elewa, Staff Reporter Abu Dhabi: The United States is planning to jointly produce tank components, light armoured vehicles and other products in Saudi Arabia, according to a senior US military official. "Our biggest co-production project in the Middle East is in Egypt, where we jointly produced 1025 M1A1 tanks. In Saudi Arabia we are still in the planning phase, though the project initially will not be as big as what we have in Egypt, but there is good potential for growth there," Brigadier General Clinton Anderson, head of the US Army's...

Covert US group plots to isolate 'rising' Iran Farah Stockman, Washington January 3, 2007 A SELECT group of US officials has been quietly co-ordinating actions for nearly a year to counter the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, including increasing the military capabilities of Arab allies such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The group, known as the Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group, is also giving covert help to Iranian dissidents and building international outrage towards Iran by publicising its alleged role in a 1994 terrorist attack in Argentina. Pentagon officials involved with the group intend to...

The Australian Army has begun taking delivery of new tanks which, unlike their predecessors, are likely to see battlefield action, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has warned. The first 18 of 59 Abrams battle tanks - bought from the United States at a cost of $528 million - were unloaded at Port Melbourne on Friday. Each weighs in at 63 tonnes and at full-throttle can hit almost 70 kph. Chief of Army Lieutenant General Peter Leahy told a delivery ceremony in a container terminal that the Abrams were much superior to the army's 30-year-old Leopard tanks, which are being retired without...

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/12/02/national2032EST0775.DTL (12-02) 17:32 PST WASHINGTON (AP) -- Iran-Contra figure Elliott Abrams, who received a pardon from the first President Bush for his role in the scandal and has served in the White House for over a year, has been promoted to a key post among the current President Bush's national security aides. Abrams was appointed to lead the National Security Council's office for Near East and North African affairs. The senior director job oversees Arab-Israeli relations and U.S. efforts to promote peace in the troubled region. His appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation, was announced Monday by Bush's...

Dan Abrams is adding an editorial director to MSNBC's management team. Davidson Goldin has joined the cable news net from The New York Sun, where he was a columnist and acting city editor. Goldin will report to Abrams. "Together with Meghan Schaefer in her new role as Senior Executive Producer of Dayside Programming, David will assist Susan Sullivan with the editorial content of our live coverage -- everything from scripts and teases to chyrons and presentation," Abrams said in a memo this afternoon. Goldin has guested on MSNBC and other nets numerous times. He produced for Fox News before moving...

The Dan Abrams regime at MSNBC got off to an embarrassing start on Tuesday as the cable news channel was caught unprepared to cover Korea's test launch of a long-range missile in defiance of U.S. warnings. The channel aired mostly canned programs while rivals Fox News Channel and CNN presented live telecasts dealing with the launch throughout the day. TV news bloggers excoriated MSNBC for failing to devote appropriate coverage to the affair, with one writing, "Now, it's not really even a cable news channel after ignoring an international crisis."

THE first five of 59 Abrams battle tanks for the Australian Army rolled off a United States production line this week. Defence said the newly refurbished tanks remained on schedule for introduction to Australian service. The first are destined for army training schools in Australia later this year. They will enter operational service in Darwin by mid-2007. Defence said in a statement a ceremony marking completion of the first five vehicles was held at the Joint Services Manufacturing Centre in Lima, Ohio. It was attended by Australian Defence Organisation representatives. These tanks will go to Fort Hood, Texas, in preparation...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Floyd Abrams, the attorney for New York Times reporter Judith Miller, said Sunday he had tried a year ago to reach an agreement with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald concerning Miller's testimony about the leak of a covert CIA officer's identity. Instead, a federal judge ordered Miller jailed when she refused to testify before the grand jury investigating the Bush administration's disclosure of CIA officer Valerie Plame's name. The reporter spent 85 days in jail before being released Thursday after she agreed to testify.Appearing Sunday on CNN's ``Reliable Sources,'' Abrams said: ``I tried to get a deal a...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

US-led Operation “Iraqi Freedom” and the subsequent occupation have fueled debate on the future of armor systems over the next few decades. Supporters of the latest generation tank designs can justifiably claim that the Main Battle Tank (MBT) and the Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) have proven their value on the Iraqi battlefield. This was clear especially during the initial stages of combat, when heavy brigade combat teams made up of the M1AHA Abrams and the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle Systems (BFVS), and the British Challenger II Mk2 and Warrior IFVs, destroyed Iraqi combat systems with little resistance along the road...

A new Islamic advocacy group in Boca Raton is under scrutiny for its ties to William W. Baker, a former chairman of the neo-Nazi political party of presidential candidate David Duke who was run out of town last year when he attempted to speak at Florida Atlantic University. Local Jewish and civic leaders said Friday they were alarmed that the Assadiq Islamic Education Foundation, whose headquarters are listed at 831 E. Palmetto Park Road in Boca, had invited Baker back to Boca as featured speaker at an April 30 banquet at the Boca Marriott. Invited by Muslim students to speak...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

Abrams enters familiarisation phase Australian Army personnel are set to work with US marine corps before the arrival of Abrams tanks next year, reports John Kerin ONE hundred Australian crewmen are in the US preparing for the arrival next year of our M1A1 AIM Abrams tanks. Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan Hayward, of the Australian Army Abrams implementation team, says men from the Army's 1st armoured brigade in Darwin had been despatched to work with the US marine corps, and familiarise themselves with the tank before the first vehicles arrive in June next year. Australia has bought 59 tanks dating from the mid...

HADITHA DAM, AL ANBAR, Iraq (May 18, 2005) -- As the Global War on Terrorism progresses, the Marine Corps continues to use an intimidating pieces of machinery on the ground…the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. The tanks, which weigh up to 70 tons and provide awesome firepower, were introduced into the Marine Corps during the early 1990s and are usually incorporated into initial ground assaults. “When insurgents see us rolling into town, they may set off an IED (improvised explosive device),” said Gunnery Sgt. Richard J. Layton, a tank commander with 4th Tank Company, 1st Tank Battalion in support of...

THE 59 Abrams tanks Australia has ordered from the US need improvements to counter urban attacks following the lessons learned by the US military in Iraq. Chief of Army Lieutenant-General Peter Leahy has held talks with the US Army expressing interest in improvements it is making to its Abrams to repel attacks by insurgents. One of the most glaring problems identified with the $530million purchase is protection for crew who stick their head and shoulders out of the tank to operate the top-mounted machine gun. At least 10 US soldiers have been killed while riding partially exposed in open hatches...

The M1A2 Abrams tank is shown with TUSK improvements that will adapt it for the urban battlefield. TUSK to update Abrams for urban battle By Eric W. CramerMarch 9, 2005 WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 9, 2005) -- The Abrams tank is growing a TUSK – that’s Tank Urban Survival Kit, a series of improvements, including some still in development. TUSK will allow Soldiers in the field to improve the Abrams’ ability to survive in urban areas off the traditional battlefield for which it was designed. Lt. Col. Michael Flanagan, product manager for TUSK, said the goal is to...

Lawmakers: Writer May Have CIA Leak Info Thursday, February 24, 2005 WASHINGTON — Two lawmakers have sent a letter to the U.S. attorney saying a White House reporter who recently resigned following questions about his identity and background may have information vital to the investigation into who leaked a CIA operative's name to the press. Reps. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and John Conyers, D-Mich., the ranking Democrats on the House Rules Committee and House Judiciary Committee, respectively, wrote a letter to Patrick Fitzgerald (search), the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, saying the Chicago attorney's office may need to...

WASHINGTON - Elliott Abrams, a special assistant to the president and an assistant secretary of state in the Reagan administration, has been appointed deputy national security adviser with a focus on promoting global democracy and human rights. President Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, also announced Wednesday that Faryar Shirzad will continue to serve in an expanded role as deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs. Abrams, who becomes national security adviser for global democracy strategy, will continue work on Israeli-Palestinian affairs in concert with Hadley and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Abrams has served as special assistant...

Wanna dress up like your favorite MSNBC host? Now you, too can look like the superstars of MSNBC.

BAGHDAD, Oct 12 (AFP) - The US commander for Baghdad's Sadr City professed "cautious optimism" Tuesday over a peace initiative with Shiite rebel cleric Moqtada Sadr's militia, but warned that breakaway factions of the radical movement were refusing to comply. "I'm cautiously optimistic for a couple of reasons. One, we've never before had an initiative announced with the endorsement of Moqtada Sadr to disarm and disband... They'll generally listen to him," Colonel Abe Abrams told AFP. "And so that's a good sign. But it's just a sign. It's not a turning point. It's a starting point. It's not a dramatic...

A federal district judge in Washington has ordered a reporter for The New York Times to testify before a grand jury investigating the disclosure of the identity of a covert C.I.A. officer. In a decision dated Sept. 9 and released yesterday, the judge, Thomas F. Hogan, said the reporter, Judith Miller, must describe any conversations she had with "a specified executive branch official." The judge said Ms. Miller had received subpoenas issued by a special prosecutor investigating "the potentially illegal disclosure of the identity of C.I.A. official Valerie Plame." George Freeman, assistant general counsel of The New York Times Company,...

...CBS has dismissed calls for an internal investigation into its reporting of the story, arguing that it was thoroughly reviewed before broadcast. "I'm confident in the process of vetting that got the story on air. When we say we continue to report the story you can be sure we're being conscientious in responding to these allegations," says CBS News President Andrew Heyward. CBS may offer further evidence in support of its story as early as today. The stakes are high for "60 Minutes," the undisputed gold standard in television news.... Its longtime producer, Don Hewitt, 81, has retired unenthusiastically, and...

A federal judge in Washington yesterday lifted a contempt order and the threat of jail against a Time magazine reporter after he submitted to questioning by a special prosecutor who is investigating the disclosure of a covert C.I.A. officer's identity to the columnist Robert Novak and other journalists. The reporter, Matthew Cooper, was questioned in a two-hour deposition about his contacts with I. Lewis Libby, chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, but only after Mr. Libby's lawyer assured Mr. Cooper's lawyer that Mr. Libby had waived a confidentiality agreement with the reporter. The deposition was given on Monday...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Contempt of court orders against Time magazine and one of its reporters were dismissed after the journalist agreed to give a statement to prosecutors probing the Bush administration leak of a covert CIA officer's identity. In a statement Tuesday, Time said reporter Matthew Cooper agreed to give a deposition after Lewis ``Scooter'' Libby, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, personally released Cooper from a promise of confidentiality about a conversation the two had last year.

       The US Army has wasted billions of dollars to upgrade a few hundred tanks to the M1A2 configuration (right), and wants to spend billions to convert more.  The US Army claims that no tanks were lost to enemy fire during the Persian Gulf war, so why upgrade their anti-tank capabilities with a few gadgets which cost twice as much as the tanks themselves?  Tanks remain vital, but the US Army spends half of its operations and maintenance budget for all ground equipment to keep 5000 M1 series tanks ready for World War III with the Soviets.        There is much...

I have been wondering what if any MBT concept we have on the drawing board. I recall seeing a concept MBT with actual hydraulics that lifted the body in order to give it greater visibility. Anyway... Anyone have anything?

New York ON A THURSDAY they had the book party. It was a simple affair: just family, friends, coworkers, and journalists. They came to Ambassador Joseph Wilson's house, nestled in the ritzy Palisades neighborhood of Northwest Washington, to celebrate the release of his first book, The Politics of Truth. One thing Joe Wilson keeps track of is his "Notoriety Quotient," or the amount of attention he receives from the media. And that Thursday it seemed to be on the rise. For the past week The Politics of Truth was mentioned in the same breath as Ron Suskind's The Price of...

Lightly protected vehicles in Iraq such as the Humvee and the U.S. Army's new wheeled Stryker are providing far too little protection for troops and should be replaced with heartier substitutes, senior military commanders have warned. Roadside bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy automatic weapons are taking their toll on lightly-armored U.S. military vehicles and, worse, on the troops riding in them – despite Pentagon efforts to beef up protection. Currently the Defense Department is hurrying to replace the thin-skinned Humvees with "up-armored" models as quickly as possible. According to the London Daily Telegraph, U.S. forces have added scrap armor plating,...

Can anyone tell me how the Iraqi insurgents are able to penetrate our invincible Abrams tank?