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"Around 1979 Obama started college at Occidental in California. He is very open about his two years at Occidental, he tried all kinds of drugs and was wasting his time but, even though he had a brilliant mind, did not apply himself to his studies. 'Barry' (that was the name he used all his life) during this time had two roommates, Muhammad Hasan Chandoo and Wahid Hamid, both from Pakistan. . . . Guess who's in charge of all those “small” Internet campaign contributions for Obama? According to my reader, none other than his two college roommates from Pakistan: Muhammad...

Just how much in donations from foreign countries is pouring into the Obama campaign coffers is a question one FEC auditor would like to have answered. The problem is that evidently, his bosses at the FEC are refusing to move on the charges which would almost certainly require them to ask the Justice Department and the FBI to look into the matter. This would, their reasoning goes, take on the appearance of a "criminal investigation" and would impact the coming election. The anonymous investigator (who won't reveal his name for fear of retribution) says that "I can't get anyone to...

More than half of the whopping $426.9 million Barack Obama has raised has come from small donors whose names the Obama campaign won't disclose. And questions have arisen about millions more in foreign donations the Obama campaign has received that apparently have not been vetted as legitimate. Obama has raised nearly twice that of John McCain's campaign, according to new campaign finance report -snip- And then there are the overseas donations — at least, the ones that we know about. The FEC has compiled a separate database of potentially questionable overseas donations that contains more than 11,500 contributions totaling $33.8...

Gwen Ifill (debate moderator): "Sen. Biden, the following questions go to you. "Let's begin with your approach to diplomacy. During the primary campaign last year, you criticized Sen. Obama's pledge to meet with the leaders of states such as Iran and Venezuela as 'naive,' particularly if such meetings were held without preconditions.

Here's the video:

14 September 2008 | 13:50 | Source: Tanjug TURIN -- Former Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar urged Brussels to tread carefully in the Caucasus. "In the case of South Ossetia and Abkhasia, the European Union must not repeat the mistake it made with Kosovo," Aznar said in Turin on Saturday. "The violation of Serbia's territorial integrity on the grounds of ethnic criteria was a serious mistake," Aznar, who heads the Spanish Foundation for Social Studies and Analyses, told an international conference and added that as a result, Russia had been brought into a good position to support the independence of...

Six months ago, at the height of giddy, star-struck Obamamania in Canada and Europe, Toronto Star reporter Susan Delacourt wrote what we still regard as the single giddiest, most star-struck example of the genre. Her article, which appeared in the Star’s March 8 edition, repeated a then-familiar theme -- that even as we Canadians are thrilled to bask in Mr. Obama’s American aura, we must also flagellate ourselves for not producing a Canadian specimen of equal magnificence. “Where’s the hope?” Ms. Delacourt wrote after contrasting Mr. Obama’s “big ambitions” to Mr. Harper’s “low expectations.” “Where,” she plaintively asked “is...

Sarah Palin’s detractors may want to know what can possibly be worse than a zero for zero record (the kind held by most state governors) on foreign policy. Try Barack Obama’s “experienced” running mate Joe Biden, whose record is zero for five if not worse. Peter Wehner’s “Biden Was Wrong on the Cold War” (http://www.wsj.com/article/SB122049148440397625.html?mod=most_emailed_day) reports, In the 1970s, Mr. Biden opposed giving aid to the South Vietnamese government in its war against the North. Congress’s cut-off of funds contributed to the fall of an American ally, helped communism advance, and led to mass death throughout the region. In addition,...

BAGHDAD, Aug. 28, 2008 – He began his singing career by singing gospel music at his local church in Indianapolis when he was only 4 years old. Now, at 21, he finds himself on center stage, showing off his vocal abilities. “It is just something I love to do,” said Sgt. Victor Cole, who enlisted in the Army as a human resources specialist in 2005. “Singing and writing music calms me down, and is just something I do that gets my mind off of the everyday stresses of being deployed.” Since arriving in Iraq in December 2007 with Headquarters...

A recent Reuters/Zogby poll showing that Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) now leads Senator Obama in the race for the presidency failed to faze Obama. “These are narrowly focused polls,” Obama pointed out. “They underestimate the global surge behind my message of hope and change.” The Illinois Senator cited a recent iPhone poll showing he has a 37 point lead over his Republican rival as evidence that “the people of the planet Earth are responding to my message. I have support from every corner of the globe. My opponent’s backing comes almost exclusively from the 58 states that make up the...

It is the stuff of escapist fantasy. A tall, dark and handsome type sweeps a cream-and-roses Home Counties heroine off her feet. In its 100 years of publishing, the exotic alpha male has been a staple of the Mills and Boon romance. The tale of the passionate desert sheikh who sweeps secretary Janna Smith off her feet in Violet Winspear's 1970 romance Tawny Sands is perhaps the quintessential Mills and Boon story. "His tone of voice was softly mocking, but she knew he didn't really jest. He was Raul Cesar Bey and the further they travelled into the desert the...

An article yesterday, 'Lost Sovereignity, Oil-rich Fund Eyeing Foreclosed US Homes', talked about how foreign money is now moving to scoop up tens of thousands of discounted foreclosed homes across the country. I caught Letterman the other night when Donald Trump was on. He was saying since our dollar is devalued and everything we have is now a world wide bargain, foreigners are buying up all the choice real estate. He admitted he’s inflating prices to get his best deal, and they’re happy to pay it. Today Mike Cutler brought another related story to our attention. We have done several...

Apparently, CNN decided that they didn't have enough video of rioting in their recent story on unrest in Belgrade, Serbia, so they decided to add in footage of rioting in Budapest to sexy up the story. I have to say, if the Kosovars intend to make the cut with CNN in the future, they'd better start rioting to the satisfaction of CNN's video editors. Either that, or CNN can start showing us all some truthful video with their stories. Whatever the case, CNN's misstep doesn’t just make them look bad, it makes all Americans look bad. On July 30, CNN...

New Premises in Iraq Prospects for Withdrawal Have to Be Viewed Through the Lens of Progress Henry A. Kissinger Washington Post Thursday, July 31, 2008 The U.S. presidential campaign has been so long and so intense that it seems to operate in a cocoon, oblivious to changes that should alter its premises.

The bill, formerly HR.1302, has passed the House and will soon hit the floor of the senate as S.2433. A brief summation: the United States has to end world poverty. 7% of our GDP has to be allocated to this end.

On Sunday CNN aired an interview Barack Obama recently gave to Fareed Zakaria, in which the candidate expressed the opinion that Islamic jihad is a result of U.S. foreign policy failure. This is, of course, an assumption that he shares with virtually everyone of any influence in both parties. It is conventional wisdom that the United States, or the West in general, can make the global jihad problem go away by doing something that is not being done now, or by stopping doing something else. The possibility that the jihad might have arisen not as a reaction to actions of...

Obama inspired songs popping up across the Caribbean With John McCain in Mexico Thursday and Barack Obama polling off the charts in Canada, the Caribbean is also weighing in on the U.S. presidential election, as a slew of Obama-inspired calypso songs are popping up across the islands. Dubbed the “poor man’s newspaper” by practicioners of the genre, calypsos are often nuanced pieces of social commentary, meant to take the pulse of the population. Of all the Obama-themed songs, the most popular is a song entitled “Barack the Magnificent” by Trinidadian Calypso legend Mighty Sparrow, a pioneer of the genre who...

Russia joins the war in Afghanistan By M K Bhadrakumar Jun 25, 2008 Moscow is staging an extraordinary comeback on the Afghan chessboard after a gap of two decades following the Soviet Union's nine-year adventure that ended in the withdrawal of its last troops from Afghanistan 1989. In a curious reversal of history, this is possible only with the acquiescence of the United States. Moscow is taking advantage of the deterioration of the war in Afghanistan and the implications for regional security could be far-reaching.

US removes its nuclear arms from Britain · Exit of 110 gravity bombs ends 54-year presence · Change happened secretly over years, say scientists The US has removed its nuclear weapons from Britain, ending a contentious presence spanning more than half a century, a report will say today. According to the study by the Federation of American Scientists, the last 110 American nuclear weapons on UK soil were withdrawn from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on the orders of President George Bush.

Israel is remaining silent on reports it has rehearsed an attack on nuclear sites in Iran. An Israeli F-16 fighter A massive military exercise in the eastern Mediterranean earlier this month involved more than a hundred Israeli F16 and F15 fighters, according to American officials.They have said it looked like a practice drill for a possible operation taking out Iran's nuclear installations.The Israelis are keeping their enemies guessing. Officials here will only say the Israeli Air Force is "prepared for all the threats Israel faces" and that it regularly drills to prepare for such threats. But the operation in the...

WASHINGTON - A comprehensive and well detailed report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, released last week, sheds a pile of information on the state of nuclear proliferation in one of the world's most volatile regions -- the Middle East. Indeed, as John Chipman, director general and chief executive of IISS, points out in a publication entitled "Nuclear Programs in the Middle East: in the Shadow of Iran," the worrying factor lies in the sudden awakening of several Middle Eastern countries that, now feeling threatened by Iran, see the urge to jump onto the nuclear bandwagon. "In the span...

Iran strike in the air as US and Israeli military chiefs meet Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent June 25, 2008 THE US military chief is to meet his Israeli counterpart in Tel Aviv this week in a move that gives new impetus to speculation about a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear capabilities.

Iraq will award contracts to 41 foreign oil firms in a bid to boost production that could give multinationals a potentially lucrative foothold in huge but underdeveloped oil fields, an official said on Sunday. "We chose 35 companies of international standard, according to their finances, environment and experience, and we granted them permission to extract oil," oil ministry spokesman Asim Jihad told AFP. Six other state-owned oil firms from Algeria, Angola, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam will also be awarded extraction deals, Jihad said. The agreements, to be signed on June 30, are expected to be short-term arrangements although the...

Foreign Office raises United Arab Emirates threat level By Caroline Gammell Last Updated: 12:54PM BST 16/06/2008 British expatriates and tourists in the United Arab Emirates have been warned to exercise caution after the Foreign Office raised the risk of terrorism to its highest level. It said attacks on the UAE - which encompasses the popular shopping destination of Dubai and the wealthy capital of Abu Dhabi - could happen at any time and would be "indiscriminate" in their target. The terror threat - of which there are four levels - has been increased to high, which means a "high level...

WASHINGTON - New York got a record-setting 7.6 million foreign visitors last year, making it the U.S. city most visited by travellers from overseas, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Following New York on the list of top U.S. destinations for foreigners were Los Angeles (2.7 million); Miami (2.3 million); San Francisco (2.3 million); Orlando (2.1 million); Las Vegas (1.7 million); Honolulu (1.6 million); and Washington (1.2 million), the Commerce Department said. Miami jumped two spots in becoming the third most-visited destination, showing a 19 per cent increase in 2007. Las Vegas and Honolulu traded positions as Honolulu registered a...

The US presidential election remains the biggest circus in the world, generating speculation, amusement, provoking all manner of reactions well beyond the country’s own borders. It is the biggest American export right now, combining all those elements of Americana the world loves and hates in equal measure. And the world is right to keep a close eye on this election, for the policies, utterances and actions of the occupant of America’s highest office affect us all, more so in the increasingly global world we live in. Interest in Asia is just as high as everywhere else. An old white man...

Shortly before 10 A.M. on October 9, 2006, George W. Bush read a statement from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House. He fixed his face to look resolute. The previous day, in spite of its many promises over many years to discontinue its nuclear program, North Korea had tested a nuclear weapon. "The United States condemns this provocative act," Bush declared. "Once again North Korea has defied the will of the international community, and the international community will respond." The American response came three weeks later, on October 31, when Christopher Hill, the assistant secretary of state for...

Chinese state media say 3,000 to 5,000 people have died in one county in Sichuan province alone from a massive earthquake. The official Xinhua News Agency said Monday that another 10,000 people were believed hurt in Beichuan county after the 7.8-magnitude quake. Nearly 900 students were trapped after their school collapsed about 60 miles from the epicenter. Photos showed heavy cranes trying to remove rubble from the ruined school.

There is a massive transfer of wealth from baby boomers holding stock and interest bearing accounts, from banks and brokers, and from foreign nations holding dollars that have been our main suppliers of oil and other imports. It is also a transfer from people who have been living it up on credit such as mortgages for larger houses than they could afford. The result has been and will continue to be awful for consumers as food and energy prices have risen, but in due time will be terrific for producers such as manufacturers and exporters. It will take a while...

Volkswagen AG said Wednesday it has narrowed its list of states competing for a potential U.S. production facility to Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee. The German automaker said it was still evaluating whether to build a new plant in the United States and would make a final decision this summer. "We reviewed many excellent sites and the process to narrow down the locations was not an easy one. We look forward to continuing to work with the states of Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee as the evaluation moves forward," said Stefan Jacoby, Volkswagen Group of America's president and chief executive.

'We are being swamped with requests from employers' The federal government has given the green light in the past year for more than 40,000 temporary foreign workers to come to Alberta -- setting the stage for a staggering 300 per cent jump from just three years ago. The workers, being brought in to ease the massive labour shortage, would create a new city half the size of Red Deer if they all lived in one place. The new data provided by Human Resources and Social Development Canada also indicate the number of temporary foreign workers could grow even larger in...

Led by Mexico’s government, illegal immigrants across the nation are planning disruptive May Day marches demanding that the U.S. government halt immigration raids and that Congress pass laws to legalize them. Hundreds of thousands of rowdy illegal aliens flooded the streets of major cities last year demanding amnesty and other rights, while threatening to shut down streets and launch economic boycotts. They burned U.S. flags and wielded racist, anti-American signs as they chanted for “derechos” (rights) in Spanish. Although many local groups helped promote those marches, they were mainly organized by an umbrella group called National Mobilization to Support Immigrant...

The US Treasury said Thursday it had struck a series of agreements with big sovereign wealth funds based in Abu Dhabi and Singapore on investments in US markets. The agreements covering investment principles were hammered out following a meeting here between US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, and Abu Dhabi and Singapore government officials. "We had a good discussion today on the issues surrounding sovereign wealth funds. Singapore and UAE have long-established, well-respected funds and are showing real leadership by joining with us today," Paulson said. The agreements encourage sovereign wealth funds to be more transparent and to base their investment...

“Energy independence from foreign sources.” A mantra repeated over and over again by Al Gore, by the Hollywood elite and by candidates running for the 2008 Presidential nomination. But rarely is it ever pointed out how this phrase is but an oxymoron with respect to United States energy policy, which becomes ever more vulnerable, not just as the result of its failing infrastructure, but from misguided public policy decisions. And never is the topic broached publicly in how much of the US energy infrastructure and lines of transmission have been consumed by a constant stream of foreign direct investors and...

...During the past four years, the developing countries have run an aggregate current account surplus of nearly $2.5 trillion. In 2008 alone, the surplus will probably exceed $625 billion. These huge surpluses provided the global financial system with the excess liquidity that funded America's burgeoning current-account deficit and depressed bond yields four years ago. The decline of long-term interest rates encouraged America's residential property boom and spawned the reckless lending for subprime mortgages. This process -- of surplus savings in developing countries influencing financial behavior in industrial countries -- has now made a complete circle with Abu Dhabi, Singapore and...

"...defense team plans to argue that alleged political interference cited by Davis violates the Military Commissions Act...."

ANCIENT BURIALS REVEAL FOREIGN LINKS IN PREHISTORIC SCOTLAND By Richard Moss 19/02/2008 Site plan, showing in red the features excavated in 2005. © AOC Archaeology Group Recent analysis of 4,000-year-old pots recovered during an excavation of two graves at Upper Largie, near Kilmartin in Argyll and Bute, has provided exciting evidence linking prehistoric Scotland with the Netherlands. Analysis of the pots by Alison Sheridan, of National Museums Scotland, has revealed early international-style Beakers of the type found around the lower Rhine, which is the modern-day Netherlands and a strange hybrid of styles that suggest Irish and Yorkshire influences. “These finds...

The Russians buzz one of our warships and then complain about us shooting down a satellite. Typical.

China appeals for skilled foreign workers By Richard Spencer in Beijing Last Updated: 12:34am GMT 01/12/2007 China has appealed for 150,000 skilled foreign workers to help boost its economy. While the West may regard China’s educational achievements with awe, many Chinese see their universities as a disaster, prone to turn out graduates who can pass exams but lack any creative or entrepreneurial skills. A study by McKinsey, the international management consultancy firm, suggested that many Chinese degrees do not equip students for working in well-run companies. Of the 1.6 million young engineers in China, it reckoned only 10 per cent...

One myth dogging the immigration debate is that employers are fibbing (or grossly exaggerating) when they claim that hiring foreign professionals is unavoidable because U.S.-born Ph.D.s are hard to come by. But a new report on doctorates from U.S. universities shows they're telling the truth, and then some. Foreign-born students holding temporary visas received 33% of all research doctorates awarded by U.S. universities in 2006, according to an annual survey by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. That number has climbed from 25% in 2001. But more to the point of business competitiveness, foreign students comprised...

In the days since Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid, reactions have run the gamut from confused to dumbfounded. Mr. Giuliani has been credited with doing the impossible: getting one of the biggest names on the religious right to overlook his views on abortion and gay marriage. And Mr. Robertson has been accused of compromising his principles -- either to defeat Hillary Clinton or to hitch his own star to a successful politician. But in endorsing Mr. Giuliani, the famed evangelist has been nothing if not consistent. Media Matters, a self-described "progressive research and information center," sent out an...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2007 – Coalition forces detained 12 suspects during operations early today targeting al Qaeda networks in central and northern Iraq. Surveillance elements led coalition forces to a location in Mosul, where they captured a wanted individual and three suspected terrorists. The wanted individual reportedly is an associate of al Qaeda members involved in foreign terrorist facilitation, to include one who was captured in a coalition operation in Bayji on Oct. 26. Reports indicate one of the suspect's associates, a senior facilitator residing outside of Iraq, is attempting to communicate with terrorist leaders in the country. During the...

JOHN BATCHELOR LIVE SUN AT 7 PM – 10 PM Global & Domestic Click to Read Today AgendaWABC RADIOWMAL RADIO A bigger list of streaming for John Batchelor

WASHINGTON - The House handed President Bush a victory Saturday, voting to expand the government's abilities to eavesdrop without warrants on foreign suspects whose communications pass through the United States. The 227-183 vote, which followed the Senate's approval Friday, sends the bill to Bush for his signature. He had urged Congress to approve it, saying Saturday, "Protecting America is our most solemn obligation." The administration said the measure is needed to speed the National Security Agency's ability to intercept phone calls, e-mails and other communications involving foreign nationals "reasonably believed to be outside the United States." Civil liberties groups and...

Wikipedia defines Xenophobia as a fear or dislike of foreigners or in general of people different from one's self. A recent report by the Moscow Human Rights Bureau shows where in Russia foreign guests are most likely to encounter xenophobia.

New terror threat from foreign students By Brendan Carlin, John Steele and Duncan Gardham Last Updated: 2:25am BST 09/07/2007 The new crackdown on terrorism following the attempted car bomb attacks is "fatally flawed" amid fears of widespread failings on immigration checks, the Government was warned last night. Militant muslims demonstrate outside Downing Street. Brown has been warned that the terrorist threat could 'last a generation' As new concerns were raised that the intelligence services are struggling to monitor more than 200 extremist groups operating in Britain, it emerged that a loophole on student visas could allow terrorists in. Many students...

One in 10 people living in Britain born overseas By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor Last Updated: 3:02am BST 26/06/2007 One in 10 people living in Britain was born overseas - a far higher proportion than previously thought, an international study group said yesterday. Record levels of immigration are rapidly changing the make-up of the population, figures released by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) confirmed. Oxford Street London: record levels of immigration are rapidly changing the make-up of Britain's population The last census, six years ago, suggested 4.3 million people in Britain were born abroad. But the...

WASHINGTON DIVIDED Less than six years after 9/11, Washington is as divided and conflicted over foreign policy as it has been at any point in the last 50 years. Senator Arthur Vandenberg once famously declared that "politics stops at the water's edge"; today, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee declares that our major political parties should carry out two separate foreign policies. The Senate unanimously confirmed General David Petraeus, who pledged to implement a new strategy, as the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. Yet just weeks later, the Senate began crafting legislation specifically designed to stop that...

WASHINGTON — President Bush will impose new economic sanctions against Sudan and call for a U.N. resolution to compel the country to stop stalling international efforts to halt the bloodshed in Darfur, senior administration officials said. The president planned to announced the punitive actions Tuesday because he believes the situation in Darfur has worsened, said the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to pre-empt the president's announcement. The new action will stiffen enforcement of existing sanctions, bar more companies in Sudan from using the U.S. financial system, and clamp down on individuals suspected of violence...