Terrifying new video from previously unknown terror group

 
I've captured some shots from an ominous video distributed by a previously unknown group (Liberation Army Against Freedom).



















Uhm, as you can probably tell, this isn't a terror group's video. It's a Dutch government fireworks safety clip that has generated a fair amount of buzz (and controversy). My personal take is that it's a brilliant piece of work. Be sure to visit the "official" website of the Liberation Army.

Linked by Dr. Sanity's Carnival of the Insanities - thanks!
Hat tips: Baron Bodissey and Larwyn.

The pundits on the political fallout of the Bhutto assassination

 
A quick survey of the punditsphere concerning the effects of Pakistani unrest on the primaries...

Don Surber recalls the foreign affairs experience of several candidates:

Actually, Hillary is rather weak on foreign affairs, naively holding the hand of Mrs. Arafat as she delivered an anti-Israeli rant — in Arabic.

Hillary’s husband was weak as well. On his watch, two embassies were destroyed without much of a retaliation and his response to the USS Cole was to ignore it and hope it went away.

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., has better foreign policy credentials and even he is weak on that score.

But I will grant Hillary this: unlike Barack Obama, she never called for the bombing of Pakistan.

* * *
Gateway Pundit notes that Hillary Clinton didn't appear to know Bhutto quite as well as she claimed.

Benazir Bhutto's father was hanged... not assassinated... Benazir Bhutto had three children... not two.

Hey, I don't see the problem. What's an extra kid or two?

* * *
Mark Steyn, interviewed by Hugh Hewitt:

MS: ...I would like to think that it renders certain candidacies, for example... the happy face Obama candidacy, or the Mike Huckabee thing... when he apologized for the assassination of Bhutto today. But in a sane world, it would render these men utterly implausible as presidential contenders...

HH: ...I have been making the argument... that this also undermines Fred Thompson and John McCain, because Senators don’t run anything... except their mouths and committees badly, that it’s not about visiting a country, it’s about managing a war... Giuliani and Romney have executive experience... and Hillary can actually be understood to have some executive experience, or at least being close to it for a while. What do you make of the idea that foreign crisis elevates John McCain’s rather sad record of legislative screw-ups because he’s traveled the globe?

MS: ...Well, I would generally agree with you that Senators make bad, not just bad presidents, actually, but bad everything... John Kerry couldn’t even run that donut stand in Boston, which is his only experience in the private sector... they think it’s about flying across the world and meeting other A-list names... I think that is exactly what is not needed at this time... [A]n executive ability, combined... with a grasp of the underlying demographic reality, you know, Pakistan is a young country, it has one of the highest birth rates in the world... it’s only 60 years old... [it exports] all those young men, 18, 19, 20... what Pakistan was like in 1947 is utterly foreign and utterly irrelevant to them. And so the sort of, these kind of people who think it’s just about getting on the phone and speaking to some other A-list name in the rolodex on the other side of the world, I think that’s about the least helpful way to approach this thing.

* * *
Prairie Pundit notes Obama's staff struggling with the basic facts of the assassination:

NY Times: "[Obama] strategist, David Axelrod, said voters should take into consideration that the Iraq war led to the rise of terrorist activity and political instability in Pakistan. Mr. Axelrod said that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton backed the Iraq war in 2002, while Mr. Obama did not..."

This is idiocy on stilts. This is coming from the let's invade Pakistan instead camp. Is he suggesting that if we went into Pakistan instead of Iraq, there would be no human bomb attacks in Pakistan and no political upheavals there? Axelrod and his candidate need to get a clue about this war. Everything that happens is not President Bush's fault or those who voted to liberate Iraq...

* * *
As for the radio and television pundits...

Michael Savage:

This evening, Michael Savage specifically complimented one candidate's reaction to the assassination: that of Mitt Romney who, in no uncertain terms, laid the blame on radical Jihadists behind this and countless other bloody attacks on civilization.

Mort Kondracke:

Spent plenty of time tonight hammering Romney, which is a great sign for Mitt. Obama and Hillary are attacking each other based upon experience.

Fred Barnes:

It's a GOP toss-up between Romney and Huckabee in Iowa.

Charles Krauthammer:

Each of the candidates is pretending they're the "nice" ones. Obama and Edwards are hammering each other and Clinton is lying low. Edwards is on the rise and Obama is obviously worried about it.

Update: Vanderleun points us to an exceptional piece of analysis on the Pakistan situation from Unqualified Reservations. Whilst not political in nature (whilst?), it provides excellent clarity into the tactical situation in Pakistan.

Texas-sized tip o' the hat: Larwyn

Video of Bhutto assassination emerges

 
The Sun has video images of Benazir Bhutto's assassination. And it appears that more evidence is emerging of Al Qaeda's involvement in the attempt to destabilize Pakistan.

“We have intelligence intercepts indicating that al Qaeda leader Baitullah Mehsud is behind her assassination,” ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema told a news conference... Mehsud is one of Pakistan’s most wanted militant leaders and is based in the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border.

Update: Hot Air has a longer version of the clip.

Open letter to NBC Sports regarding Keith Olbermann

 

December 28, 2007

To whom it may concern,

The choice of Keith Olbermann as a commentator for NBC Sports is ill-conceived at best.  Olbermann's virulent liberal commentary on MSNBC has received plenty of attention in so-called "red states", which comprise key markets for NFL football.  Rest assured that, in general, these markets do not appreciate Olbermann's sentiments.

Just days ago, Olbermann received a runners-up award for Media Research Center's Worst Reporting for 2007, stating: "Al Qaeda really hurt us, but not as much as Rupert Murdoch has hurt us, particularly in the case of Fox News. Fox News is worse than Al Qaeda - worse for our society. It's as dangerous as the Ku Klux Klan ever was."

He has called the commander-in-chief a fascist, referred to Mike Wallace's son as "monkey", questioned the results of the 2004 elections, used a "Seig Heil" salute to mock another commentator, and sprinkled numerous discussions with talk of impeachment of various administration officials.  Several of Olbermann's actions have been interpreted as beyond the pale (specifically the Wallace and the "Seig Heil" incidents, the latter drawing a reprimand from the Anti-Defamation League).

The list of Olbermann's grievous mistakes and attendant apologies are many.  That you can continue to employ a virulently partisan and unpopular character in a sportscasting role deserves your reflection and, we hope, correction.

Sincerely,

Doug Ross

cc: NFL Management Team

My entry in the Rageman Photoshop Contest

 
Read Snapped Shot's latest for the back-story.

Brian, please contact me so I can email you information as to where to send my winnings. Hehe.

Ron Paul's severe case of foreign policy retardation

 
A CNN video provides an excellent snapshot into the mindset of Wrong Paul.

In short, Paul believes Al Qaeda is justified in being "annoyed" at the U.S., since we've thus far disrupted hordes of suicidal freaks that are trying to get their hands on nuclear weapons. Said freaks would -- and have promised to -- set fire to our cities in a heartbeat if given the chance.

Just days ago, on Meet the Press, the Ronket Scientist pilloried Abraham Lincoln for fighting the civil war. Furthermore, Paul would pull American forces from every corner of the globe because it just pisses people off when we extend economic aid, project force, and stay on offense against extremist murderers who seek the destruction of the U.S. (and could easily gain access to the war machines needed for such an effort).

Here's a memo to Paul and his nutcase followers: it won't work to pretend that this is 1642 and that tiny weapons, capable of wreaking catastrophic damage, don't exist.

Even Thomas Jefferson, who Paul likes to reference, sent the U.S. Navy and Marines to Tripoli to project force against the Barbary states. Every President since Jefferson has been willing to project power abroad. And the need to do so -- when the technology to torch a city can fit into a suitcase -- is more crucial than ever.

I have been convinced for some time that the vast majority of Paulians are actually far left, antiwar Democrats ('moonbats' is the term they prefer, I believe) running a false-flag operation on the GOP.

Update: CBS describes yet another clusterhuck from the Man from Hope II campaign. First, Huckabee "apologized" for the Bhutto assassination (uh... what??). Then, he misspoke about martial law in Pakistan. Aside from that, his performance was exceptional.

Hat tips: LGF and Astute Bloggers

Iranian Protesters: "Live Free or Die!"

 
Gateway Pundit has startling news of rampant protests in Iran.

Over 240 large protests have been held against the regime in Iran this last month alone. At several of the protests they called for the death of the dictator, etc....

Iraqi-American Haider Ajina sent this news from The Iraqi News Agency...

I vote to make the protesters honorary residents of New Hampshire.

Pity that -- once again -- the mainstream media is AWOL.