Is the Oval losing the NYT ? - 2nd Term Blues

The New York Times: Has the following editorial comment on President Obama's major foreign policy speech at West Point, " The address did not match the hype, was largely uninspiring, lacked strategic sweep and is unlikely to quiet his detractors, on the right or the left. "

Lets Get Real: 

Is President Obama losing the liberal New York Times, YES/NO, the paper at the end of the day will always defend President Obama, the problem is that it can not defend both Obama and Hillary Clinton, something has to give, thus since Obama has only 2 years to go the NYT is moving its faith to Hillary in 2016.  The Oval will understand this move, political is a harsh business, your either in or out, and President Obama is heading for the door on January 20th 2017.   The liberal NYT wants to make sure that Hillary Clinton wins in 2016, thus any faults will be placed on the Oval, liberals do not want the political muck thrown by the Republicans to stick to Hillary, it is difficult as Hillary Clinton was Obama's first term Secretary of State, she has her own problems from the period, for followers of politics it will be interesting to see how the left moves, throwing Obama to his Republicans critics if need be to make sure its President Hillary Clinton on January 2oth 2017. 

The Vets Scandal - 2nd Term Blues

CNN - Politics: Reports " According to the sources, at least 40 American veterans died in Phoenix while waiting for care at the VA there. "

Lets Get Real:

This has become a major scandal for President Obama, and shown his weakness when it comes to management, the problems in the VA start before the Obama Presidency, but during the run for his 1st term as President, Obama stated on many occasions that looking after the Vets was a major concern for him, one assumes that the Campaign Staff did not think that this would come to bite them on the backside.   The fact that House and Senate Democrats are calling for heads to roll should make it easy for the Oval to sack people, but so far Obama has not moved, he must still be reading the IG report.   Lets be clear this blog is no fan of President Obama, but one has to be objective, the problems started well before he become President, he did not think it was this level of a disaster when he made numerous speeches on the subject.   The Oval hates to sack people, in that Obama has the same problem as Reagan.   The difference is that President Reagan had Nancy Reagan, in the end people were let go by President Reagan, the press dogs had the heads they wanted, who is that close to President Obama.   Every POTUS needs a Nancy Reagan or a Robert Kennedy, take the bark off during a crisis. 

Is the Chilcot Inquiry a WHITEWASH? - Iraq War

Guardian: Reports " Chilcot inquiry accused of whitewash over letters between Blair and Bush "

Lets Get Real:

The BBC/Guardian types will always be critical of Blair for Iraq, the will not be happy in less Blair is before the International Court, that is never going to happen, that what drives them crazy, there are lot of other policy and political judgements that Blair was wrong on, but not Iraq, the Iraq Regime was a threat to Western interests in the area, the fact that since the War the power of Iran has grown is down to the political decisions of those that followed Bush 43/Blair.    At the end of the day the UK has to be with Bush 43 when it came to the invasion of Iraq, the US is our closes ally, where the US goes we go, with Vietnam and Syria being the exception, the Syrian vote in the House of Commons was more a late reaction to Iraq.   Thus we see the start of the historical debate on Iraq. 

The Iraq Papers - The Iraq War

BBC News: Reports " Details of the "gist" of talks between Tony Blair and George Bush before the Iraq war are to be published, the UK's Chilcot inquiry says. "

Lets Get Real:

Thus finally we can close the file on the Iraq War, we shall see if Tony Blair gets any critical feedback to his role at the time, and others in the Government.   This blog supported the War and still does, in fact this blog supported keeping troops in Iraq, while opposing sending in more troops to Afghanistan.  At the end of the day Iraq is a kind of Democratic State, yes Al Qaeda has grown in influence, it will take time for the Iraqi Government to end the terrorist threat to the State.  The Iraqi Government has faced the growing terrorism threat from Syria, that is down to non action by President Obama, it seems from latest statements that POTUS wants to arm the secular rebels in Syria, lets see how that goes over time.  One can be highly critical of Blair for the post War planning for Iraq, but on the decision itself it was the right and moral decision, on that the Chilcot inquiry should not have a negative tone. 

Obama on Troop presence in Afghanistan after 2014 - Afghan War

The White House: In part President Obama stated the following in the live statement, " At the beginning of 2015, we will have approximately 9,800 U.S. servicemembers in different parts of the country, together with our NATO allies and other partners. By the end of 2015, we will have reduced that presence by roughly half, and we will have consolidated our troops in Kabul and on Bagram Airfield.  One year later, by the end of 2016, our military will draw down to a normal embassy presence in Kabul, with a security assistance component, just as we’ve done in Iraq. "

Lets Get Real:

President Obama wants to finish Afghanistan before he ends his 2nd term, he wants to say HE finished the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the problem with this arrogant view is that the Taliban and Al Qaeda might have something to say about this subject.  Lets recall that image of the final helicopter out of South Vietnam in 1975, the Taliban want that image, does the Administration not think that the Taliban and Al Qaeda will use the reduce US presence as a chance to take more control of Afghanistan, also it can be expected that those Western troops that remain in Afghanistan will become target practice for the opposition, as noted in previous post the British left a force in Afghanistan in the 19th Century and it was a disaster, thousands were killed on the retreat, this will not happen in 2014 or after, but it can be argued that the Taliban and its terrorist allies will increase the terrorist attacks in Kabul, and Afghanistan will go down the same road as Iraq, it will return as a base for Al Qaeda, thus leaving the problems for the next President.   Obama Presidency is about rhetoric, not the real world, the problem is that Obama has long lost the ability to see the difference. 

Russia is leaving its supporters in East Ukraine to their FATE - Ukraine Crisis Latest

Guardian: Reports " Ukraine says it controls Donetsk airport after fighting leaves dozens dead "

Lets Get Real:

The Russian Bear is not willing to risk its troops when faced by REAL opposition, this blog noticed the change after the deaths of Russia supporters around the East, the deaths could have been used by Russia as a reason to move its troops in to the East, but with the economic sanctions and the mounting death of Russian supporters or actual Russians sent over the border the Kremlin began to wobble,  it does not want to risk another Afghanistan, also while the Ukraine Government was weak at the start it has gotten its act together, the use of  combat planes to defend the Donetsk airport shows that Kiev means business, they should follow through, take OUT the rebels in the East, USE ALL MEANS, just do it fast, the longer it goes on and with the use of combat planes will make the West uneasy, this is not the time for further wobbling, time for harsh and winning action. 

The NEXT phase for the US and Afghanistan - Afghanistan War

BBC News: Reports "..The US will keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan after the US concludes its combat mission at the end of this year, President Barack Obama has said. "

Lets Get Real:

This is a MISTAKE by President Obama, he should have taken the chance to remove ALL troops from Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Taliban and its terrorist allies will use the American force as target practice, they need the PR from their perspective that they threw out the Western troops.  The idea of keeping a force in Afghanistan is not new, the British Empire tried that and it was a disaster.   The Afghans are not fools, they will understand that sooner or later there will be no Western troops in Country, and thus you will see them turn to the Taliban, on their side the Taliban will see a surge of support, the Afghan like to be on the long term winning side, they do not go with election cycles in the US.    The move by President Obama will do down as his biggest mistake after ObamaCare. 

The Ukraine GOES to the POLLS - Ukraine Crisis Latest

BBC News: Reports that " Confectionary tycoon Petro Poroshenko, known as the "chocolate king", is the favourite to win. "

Lets Get Real:

The Kremlin has promised to respect today's vote in the Ukraine, but lets see what they say about the East of Ukraine, areas and large towns in the East have been prevented from voting by the Moscow supporting thugs, they have used violence to prevent the people having their democratic right, well democracy and Putin do not go together, fixing polls does, lets see how many of Putin's troops are removed from the border between the Ukraine and Russia.  As this blog has stated many times, Putin has gotten what he wants, he has taken the Crimea and has a major influence on how events develop in the East.  The threat of Putin is going to grow, he needs to keep his polls up, thus he appeals to the Russian anger at their diminish role on the World Stage after the fall of the USSR. 

Kerry on Benghazi - 2nd Term Blues

BBC News: Reports the following from US Capital Hill, " US Secretary of State John Kerry will testify in front of a House panel about the deadly Benghazi attacks, according to a letter obtained by the BBC. "

Lets Get Real:

It will be interesting to see how much Secretary Kerry covers for Hillary Clinton and President Obama, he was not Secretary of State at the time, thus does not have an interest in covering for either with the exception that they are both Democrats, and President Obama is his boss, thus some cover for Obama, the main question that the Committee should ask is why it took so long for the State Department and the Administration to hand over non redacted memos, such as the one that stressed from the White House that Ambassador RIce push the narrative that it was down to the video that the US Libyan Consulate was attacked.   The Democrats on the whole will want to protect Hillary Clinton and her run for 2016, interesting days ahead on the Hill. 

* This Page was copied twice, sorry about the error for those that get a blank page on old link.

Benghazi House Select Committee - 2nd Term Blues

Guardian: Reports the following from Capital Hill, " House minority leader Pelosi names five Democrats to Benghazi panel "

Lets Get Real:

This move by the Democrats is an attempt to make sure that Hillary Clinton does not get a hard time before the Committee, they can stall, they will go off the point, in other words they will be a pain in the backside, they have NO interest in the truth, for Democrats its pure politics, they simply do not care what happened in Libya, as Democrats have shown since Obama become President, their sole interest is protecting their leaders   The Select Committee on the Republican side has to be fair, but it has to be tough, it has to get Hillary Clinton to come to the Committee, also those in the White House on the night of the terrorist attack, also they have to find out what President Obama was doing ALL night, the White House has refused to give out his schedule for the day.  Lets see if the media cover this story, some hope. 

Obama on the Vets Scandal - 2nd Term Blues

The White House: Statement by President Obama on the Vets waiting scandal in the US, in part POTUS stated the following, " So when I hear allegations of misconduct -- any misconduct -- whether it’s allegations of VA staff covering up long wait times or cooking the books, I will not stand for it.  Not as Commander-in-Chief, but also not as an American.  None of us should.  So if these allegations prove to be true, it is dishonorable, it is disgraceful, and I will not tolerate it -- period. ....Here’s what I discussed with Secretary Shinseki this morning.  First, anybody found to have manipulated or falsified records at VA facilities has to be held accountable.  The inspector general at the VA has launched investigations into the Phoenix VA and other facilities.  And some individuals have already been put on administrative leave.  I know that people are angry and want a swift reckoning.  I sympathize with that.  But we have to let the investigators do their job and get to the bottom of what happened.  Our veterans deserve to know the facts.  Their families deserve to know the facts.  And once we know the facts, I assure you -- if there is misconduct, it will be punished....It is important that our veterans don’t become another political football, especially when so many of them are receiving care right now.  This is an area where Democrats and Republicans should always be working together......That does not excuse the fact that the wait times in general are too long in some facilities.  And so what we have to do is find out what exactly happened.  We have to find out how can we realistically cut some of these wait times.  There has been a large influx of new veterans coming in.  We’ve got a population of veterans that is also aging as part of the baby boom population.  And we’ve got to make sure that the scheduling system, the access to the system, that all those things are in sync.  There are parts of the VA health care system that have performed well. ......Listen, if somebody has mismanaged or engaged in misconduct, not only do I not want them getting bonuses, I want them punished.  So that’s what we’re going to hopefully find out from the IG report, as well as the audits that are taking place.  ".

Lets Get Real:

A Chicago Pol should never use cooking the books when a scandal breaks, people start to wonder what else the Obama Administration has been cooking, its cheap shot, but that part of the statement will be played a lot.   As usual POTUS is angry, but as with other scandals, no one in the end is found to have done wrong, and the Obama Ship of State sails on, he is asking for co-operation from the Congress, that the issue should not be political, some luck, both Republicans and Democrats will want someone's political head, it seems that Secretary of Vets is being lined up by the White House.   Politics is harball, even a Chicago Pol like Obama understands a real scandal when it comes along. 

The Vets Scandal in the US - 2nd Term Blues

BBC News: Reports the following from the Obama White House, " President Barack Obama has vowed to punish those responsible for "dishonourable" alleged misconduct at hospitals for US military veterans. "

Lets Get Real:

This is typical of President Obama, he shocked by a scandal, promises action, and then when the press interest dies down he will say its a made up scandal, from Libya to the IRS the Obama Administration looks after its own, never any close to the President is sacked, even the Cabinet is protected, at least past Administrations had the grace to fire either people in the White House or at Cabinet level.  The liberal media will cover for Obama, they will have a few days of attacking the Oval and the Administration then they will move on to another matter, with CNN it will be the missing plane, with Fox it will be ALL the other scandals that they say the Administration should pay for, it will be interesting to see how the liberal NYT covers the story, one wonders if they will find a way to blame Republicans.  Lets see how the 24/7 news cycle plays out on this issue. 

Bill Clinton's ROLE in 2016 - The 2016 Race

CNN - Politics: Reports the following on the role of Bill Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election, " Responder-in-chief: A familiar role for Bill Clinton. ".

Lets Get Real:

The idea that Bill Clinton should be 1st attack dog is not a good idea, he had that role in 2008 and comments he made about President Obama allowed those on the left who supported Obama to call the former President a racist, this was ironic as Clinton was seen as the 1st Black President.   While Clinton is a effective campaigner for himself, he is not so in control when it comes to defending his wife, or as a major support, in all the races that Clinton has taken an active part only a few of those candidates have won.  The best role for Bill Clinton is as a fund raiser, Hillary Clinton has to be seen as standing for herself, not a 3rd term for Bill Clinton.  Any Presidential race is about the future, not the past, and Bill is the past. 

Bill Clinton on the Benghazi Scandal - The Race for 2016

CNN - Politics: Reports the following, " Former President Bill Clinton defended his wife Wednesday against renewed political tension over the 2012 Benghazi terror attack that left four Americans dead, including the U.S. ambassador. "

Lets Get Real: 

Thus they bring out the old Dog himself to defend his wife, nice try but the truth and Bill Clinton is not something I would use in a phrase after his scandal, that lead to his Impeachment and trial before the Senate.  The Clinton Camp must be worried that there is more out there that the Hill and the US public do not know about this matter, what did President Obama and Hillary Clinton discuss on the night of the attack, did the use of the foul video start then, and who suggested it, one can guess, and this blog hates to guess.   That is one of the questions that the House Select Committee should ask the former Secretary when she becomes a witness.   The idea that Hillary Clinton with the be the Democratic Nominee is not a 100%, lets see what happens on the Hill. 

The waning Power of President Obama on the Hill - 2nd Term Blues

Guardian: Reports the following from the Hill, " White House agreement with GOP to fill judicial vacancies could unravel amid concerns over Michael Boggs' anti-abortion views. "

Lets Get Real:

The Democrats should say NO to the White House over this nomination, this blog supports abortion right to the end, it should be a woman's choice if she wants to give birth, it is not for Judges or the Federal Government to decide on such private issues, that should only be the concern of the woman and her Doctor.   The fact that there is a backlash shows how President Obama's  power is waning on the Hill, it places liberal Democrats at risk from their left.   The Obama Oval does not face re-election, those on the Hill do, they need people to go out and knock on doors to get votes, in the Democratic Party that is liberals.   Some deals go to far, this is one such deal. 

The WORRY about the health of Secretary Clinton - The 2016 Race

BBC News: Reports the following, " Former US President Bill Clinton has praised the strength and health of his wife, ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, dismissing a top Republican's public doubts about her well-being. "

Lets Get Real: 

Thus the fight for 2016 has started early, well lets be honest it started the moment President Obama won his 2nd Term as President, it has just been more open of late, the Republicans are right to fear Hillary Clinton up to a point, lets recall she lost to President Obama in 2008 when she was seen as the only winner by the experts, Obama showed that the well funded Clinton Campaign could be beaten.    Also lets be clear, Hillary Clinton is not Bill, she is not that great on the Campaign trail, also this time she will have to answer questions about her time as Obama's Secretary of State, which saw a failed restart with Russia, the Crisis that is Syria, the deaths of four Americans in Libya, how the US has become less popular and respected under President Obama, then we come to ObamaCare, will Mrs Clinton support the policy on the campaign trail, yes it could be a very hard, gruelling two years for Mrs Clinton, considering she has had a blood clot, and Bill has had heart problems. 

This blogger vs. Information Technology - The Modern Era

Sidebar:  This blogger is back on the net, the problems between this blog, Currys PC World and Panda Security has been resolved on the whole, as noted in previous tweets, this blogger found it impossible to get Panda's Firewall up after almost a weekend, then our of frustration went to local computer shop, could not be fixed but did learn some useful IT knowledge, it was worth the £20 pound, then we come to Currys, as bought new Windows 8.1 from local shop, things started so well, bought the Laptop in to the shop on Tuesday mid afternoon, then got a call that it was fixed at around 5pm, went straight there, and what did I find, the main problem had NOT BEEN FIXED, the darn firewall was still off, then said would come in the following day, the same result, by this time was getting fed up.  Thus today went to shop, expecting the worse, it was even worse, the staff who had been there the past two days were not there, so had to explain the story to the Store Manager again, and it was lucky, because she listened and solved the problem, the fee for fixing the computer was transferred to cover McAfree LiveSafe security.   Thus far its working, also got £6 pounds back on the deal.  Lesson, always keep receipts, keep calm, and never spend more money on a losing deal, the result was not perfect, but it worked for this blogger.  A happy day! A Corporation gave way and Main Street got a good result. 

In Defence of NATO - 2nd Term Blues

Telegraph: Reports the following from the Baltic States, " US to deploy around 200 special forces and support staff to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as part of efforts to reassure allies in the region in the wake of Russian threat "

Lets Get Real:

The Russian Bear has woken from its two decade hibernation and its claws are out, if your the Baltic States your worried that your the next target for Putin and his Russian Forces.   The Oval after its failure in Syria has to be seen to support a NATO ally, thus the Russians might find that by taking over the Crimea and being a threat to East Ukraine the West gets closer to the borders of Russia.   The NEW Cold War has started, the West has to be on its guard, someone like Putin will try for more land, either in East Ukraine, Poland or the Baltic States.   They intelligence networks of the West have to see Russia as a new threat, in some respects more of a threat than past terror threats, Russia is a nuclear armed power, but a failing State, minus it gas its structure is falling apart, the Russian people have allowed themselves to be conned by Putin, that kind of thing does not end well for any one, history is full of such conmen. 

Democrats Divided on Benghazi - 2nd Term Blues

CNN - Politics: Reports the following from Capital Hill, " House Democrats remained undecided Friday on whether they would join a select committee created by majority Republicans to investigate the Benghazi terror attack."

Lets Get Real: 

The Democrats on the Hill just want to stall or ruin the investigation, their sole aim is to defend President Obama and the prospective 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton, the Republicans should be firm, either the Demos are in at the start or they are out, no coming in half way through.  They have to play an active part, if only one Dem turns up that should be rejected.   This is Chicago hardball politics, the Democrats do not get to chose the formation of the Committee or how it runs.  If they wanted that they should have retaken the House in 2012.  The Republicans will face stalling tactics from the White House and the State Department, its trench warfare and its about getting at the TRUTH. 

Benghazi Scandal and the Democrats - 2nd Term Blues

Guardian: Report that House Democrats will decide Friday if they are going to take part in the Benghazi House Select Committee investigation.

Lets Get Real: 

It could be this blogger's age but it seems that the Benghazi scandal has had more investigations than Watergate, Iran - Contra and Bill Clinton's affair.   The reason  this blog supports another investigation is the FACT that the Obama Administration has lied through out the process, first it was the video, then it was the idea of the CIA, then when a White House email comes out that shows that the push for the video came from the White House, the new spin is that it was ages ago and it was a structural problem.  The White House would get a pass from this blog if it just came out and said that due to the Presidential Election in 2012 the Staff allowed politics to play a part, find someone willing to take the political blame, if possible someone who has left and has nothing to lose in career terms, then move on, otherwise this investigation could hurt the chances of Hillary Clinton in 2016. 

Putin SLAPS Obama - 2nd Term Blues

BBC News: Reports the following from the Crimea, " President Vladimir Putin is making his first visit to Crimea since Russia annexed it from Ukraine in March. "

Lets Get Real:

It does seem that President Putin is following the Hitler guidebook on taking over land and then getting good spin, a grand visit to the Crimea, this is another slap in the face to President Obama, it shows that the West is dealing with another Hitler in the making if the West does not stand firm.   As Russian troops have not moved from the border with the Ukraine, one can assume that Putin is waiting for a perfect chance to invade.  One can postulate that Putin has not taken action so far due the fact that Russians are a minority in the East of the Ukraine, and he does not want another Afghanistan, Putin is going to be a problem, as was Hitler. 

Why Putin ACTED today on East Ukraine Vote - Ukraine Crisis Latest

Telegraph:  Reports the following on the reason for Putin's change of mind on an Independence vote in the East of the Ukraine, " Four days before the plebiscite, basic issues were still unresolved, including the location of polling stations....By stepping in, Mr Putin might have saved his allies from a fiasco."

Lets Get Real:

Thus we have the above reason that Putin changed his mind on a vote in the East, his Allies could not fix even to place for polling stations, also as the article notes the Army of Ukraine is having problems in holding areas they have taken back, they storm, take pictures then retreat, then the Russian protesters come back, a Mexican stand off in many ways.   The Kiev Government has to fight hard and keep places it takes back from the Russian protesters, very much like the US faced in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Kiev forces can not win one minute and then give back the areas it has just won back to the Russian protesters, the troops have to stay and fight, its about winning at the end of the day. 

What is the political strategy of KGB Putin - Ukraine Latest

Guardian: Reports in its 5.28pm post the following from the US, " The White House has uttered its first responses to Putin, saying there is no evidence to date that Russia has withdrawn its troops from the border with Ukraine. On the referendum, the White House says it should be cancelled not just postponed. "

Lets Get Real:

It an odd thing to do, lie when that lie can be checked within minutes by NATO, what is Putin's plan, he says that Russian troops have withdrawn from the border between the Ukraine and Russia and calls for the Russian protesters to postpone any vote to join Russia, one has to ask what is going on, are the sanctions working on his rich friends, he has gotten fed up with the negative Western press coverage, it this all a FAINT before an invasion.   Of course Putin could have gone mad and can no longer tell the difference between his own spin and the truth, it does happen even to Western leaders, look no further than Obama, time will tell the truth. 

The Republican Establishment vs. The Tea Party - US Mid Terms

BBC News: Reports the following from the US, " A North Carolina Senate candidate backed by the Republican Party establishment has won the party's nomination to face Democratic Senator Kay Hagan in the November election. "

Lets Get Real: 

It seems that the Republican Party is serious about winning the Senate is this election cycle, it is great if you have a candidate with whom you agree 100% with on the issues, but its better to have a candidate with whom you agree 80% and can win State wide, the Republicans have blown chances to win the Senate in 2010 and 2012 because their candidates had flaws that the liberal media could jump on and state that these candidates were not part of the mainstream of US politics, the left love to decide what is mainstream, in this they are helped by the liberal elite in the liberal news and papers.   Time for the Republicans to get serious, time to lead ,time to take the Senate. 

Benghazi House Select Committee - 2nd Term Blues

CNN - Politics: Reports the following from Capital Hill, " House Republicans have decided the select committee to investigate the Benghazi terror attack will include seven Republicans and five Democrats, according to two senior House GOP leadership aides. "

Lets Get Real:

It will be interesting to see if the House Committee can find anything that the Obama Administration is hiding, if the Oval stalls it will be worried that any secrets that are let out will harm President Obama and Secretary Clinton.   One could postulate, and this is just a theory that the idea to stress the video came from the Oval and State went along with it during the run up to the 2012 Presidential Election.   The next question is who gave the order for the US Armed Forces not to try some helpful action, that also leads to the Oval, or high up at Defence.   One can expect the Democrats on the Committee to take the Party line, that it is a pointless investigation, that all the facts are out, and that Country should move on, while the Republicans will go through every shred of paper, lets see win wins. 

Russian DEMANDS for new talks - Ukraine Crisis Latest

Guardian: Reports the following from East Ukraine, " Casualties on both sides as Kiev attempts to regain control of east and Russia insists that rebels be included in talks on equal terms. "

Lets Get Real:

It is now plain that Russia lied in the previous talks, they have no interest in real talks, they want to annex the East of the Ukraine or have it totally under its control, the West should send small arms to the Kiev Government and give them raw intelligence on the movement of the Russian Army.  If Russia invades the US and its allies should back the Kiev Government will bigger arms, such as tanks, helicopters, and planes.   The Russians should pay a cost for any invasion, the CIA should trained Ukraine Special Forces to fight an unconventional war, as faced by the US in Iraq and Afghanistan, lets make the Ukraine the new Afghanistan for Russia, lets make them pay.  Politics is harsh, it is  lesson that Russia might have forgotten. 

Monica and that dress - Clinton Era

BBC News: Reports the following on Monica Lewinsky , " The one-time White House intern whose affair with President Bill Clinton led to his impeachment in the US Senate has broken her long silence in the media. "

Lets Get Real:

Monica Lewinsky is the woman who almost bought down President Clinton in 1998, their affair made headlines around the World, it was her word against his in till she produced that dress that confirmed that an affair had taken place.   Its odd this blog is only a few years older than Ms Lewinsky, the Clinton Era feels  a life time ago, the 1990s, the US was going through an economic boom, the US lead the Western alliance, and its leader Bill Clinton could not help himself, he had an affair, then denied that affair for months in till the polls changed in his favour.   The Lewinksy scandal has come back to life because of the good chance that former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee for President in 2016, thus the shadow of the old dog comes in to question, how will Republicans deal with the issue, Jeb Bush it can be expected will not bring it up, while others who really want the nomination will take the issue and make it a major issue.   Lets be honest Al Gore lost in 2000 because of the scandal, he should have won, Bill Clinton has a lot to answer for on the political front. 

Obama and the Ukraine - Ukraine Crisis Latest 3

Telegraph: Reports that President Obama has stated that the  " ..violence escalating in eastern Ukraine is making it obvious to the world that pro-Russia militants there are not peaceful protesters. "

Lets Get Real:

This could be a lead by the Oval to the Kiev Government to go in hard in the East of Ukraine, before they lose the entire area, also before the Russians have the chance to go in and annex the East from the rest of the Ukraine.   There will be more deaths in the Ukraine, it could even lead to Civil War, one doubts that even Russia wants to see that, as Civil Wars have a habit of not staying within the border.   Thus Russia could face refugees from the East, that would not look good for the Putin image.  One wonders what the Kremlin will do, the deaths in Odessa could be used as a reason to send in the troops, but that has risks, the pro Kiev supporters in the East could fight back, as stated in previous post, Putin could lose big time if he has another Afghanistan on his plate. 

Kerry and Benghazi - 2nd Term Blues

CNN - Politics: Reports the following, " House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa announced Friday he has subpoenaed Secretary of State John Kerry to testify about the terror attack in Benghazi. "

Lets Get Real:

The Oval Office has to decide who will take the FALL for pushing the idea that a foul video was the reason for a terrorist attack on the US Consulate in Libya, the Oval is not going to throw himself under the bus, the Clinton Camp will make dam sure that Hillary Clinton does not get thrown under the bus in the lead up to 2016.   Thus someone has to be found who is willing to take the blame for that night, it can not be some one who was on the National Security Staff at mid level, it has to be someone either still high in the Obama Administration or someone who has left who has finished with a political career, the dogs need feeding, and the story will not go away in less there is a political scalp, think Iran - Contra and you get the idea. Politics is harsh business, the Oval has to be protected, everyone else can be sacked or replaced. 

Trouble in Odessa - Ukraine Crisis Latest 2

Guardian - Ukraine Live: Reports the following news from the Kiev Government in its 8.01pm post, " 38 people died in the fire in the Odessa trade union building. The ministry says eight died jumping from the building and 30 died from smoke inhalation. "

Lets Get Real:

In this case from reports it seems that pro Kiev supporters have the upper hand in Odessa, and the pro Russian protesters are in the minority, the above is a reference to the deaths of pro Russian protesters, thus this could be a reason used by Moscow to take military action in the East of Ukraine, if not the WHOLE of the Ukraine.   The Kiev Government has to ACT, it needs to get some control of the East as to allow for fresh elections, the Russians do not want that, they want to cause more trouble, as Secretary Kerry stated the US has information that the attacks are being planned in Moscow.   Thus we see the origins of a the new Cold War 2. History changes but stays the same. 

The Battle for Sloviansk - Ukraine Crisis Latest

BBC News: Reports the following from the East Ukraine, " Many pro-Russia rebels have been killed, injured and arrested in the Ukrainian government offensive in the eastern city of Sloviansk, acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has said. "

Lets Get Real:

It is about time the Kiev Government started to take firm action, they have to show the Russians that if they invade it will not be cost free, they have to show that the majority of the people of the Ukraine will fight back, that they want freedom.   The Russians if they see that it will not be a walk over will blink, Putin does not need another Afghanistan on his hands, that helped bring down the USSR.   Also the West should send in small arms to help the Army of the Ukraine, also Western Special Forces should take a covert role, hitting Russian special forces, one thinks that the US and UK special forces could kick the butt of the Russians, SAS are rather good at this kind of action, lets see if THE USSR moves, sorry Russia moves in to East Ukraine.  Interesting week, in a long running story.