Albion Monitor Issue 164 DECEMBER 2007
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  HUCKABEE: HEROIC CONSERVATIVE?
Why Huckabee could win

FREE! There is reason for Huckabee's recent rise to Republican stardom: The former Arkansas governor combines an unmistakable realism with both heroic and social conservatism. This unique combination plays well among a broad Republican base.

His penchant for heroic conservatism, a concept coined by President Bush's former speechwriter Michael Gerson, is palpable. According to Gerson, what the Republican Party needs is a "conservatism that is heroic in its aspirations" and includes compassionate conservative proposals to confront global AIDS, combat poverty in America, and promote human rights and dignity abroad. Given the Bush administration's neglect on most of these marks, this much-needed facelift for the Republican Party may well be the reason for the Huckabee hype. Regardless, this combination of hard and soft power has hoisted Huckabee in the polls.

But Huckabee seems to be taking his religion policy cue cards from CNN's series on "God's Warriors " and is less forgiving with non-Christian social conservatism. Clashes could take place between a President Huckabee and Muslim political parties abroad preaching similar values. Despite potential for Christian-Muslim partnerships, the social conservatism of a White House Huckabee will be distinctly Christian, to the potential exclusion of others


THE MURDER OF BHUTTO

Poster for Benazir Bhutto rally on the day she was assassinated, December  27 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. PHOTO: ©  David Swanson/IRIN
Poster for Benazir Bhutto rally on the day she was assassinated,. PHOTO: © David Swanson/IRIN

Today We Mourn, Tomorrow We Think of Politics: Pakistani Bloggers


"Bhutto was not perfect, but at least she was for a democratic process. Democracy once again dies with her"

Fear, Violence in Pakistan Following Bhutto Assassination FREE!


Sporadic violence in cities across the country, tensions high everywhere

Musharraf, Pakistan's Military, Benefit Most From Bhutto's Murder


Vowed to rein in army if elected

  WHY ARE SUPPORTERS IN DENIAL OF HER MILITARISTIC SLANT?
Commander Clinton

FREE! While much attention has been given to Senator Hillary Clinton's support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq, her foreign policy record regarding other international conflicts and her apparent eagerness to accept the use of force appears to indicate that her fateful vote authorizing the invasion and her subsequent support for the occupation and counter-insurgency war was no aberration. Indeed, there's every indication that, as president, her foreign policy agenda would closely parallel that of the Bush administration.

Her presidential campaign has received far more money from defense contractors than any other candidate -- Democrat or Republican -- and her close ties to the defense industry has led the Village Voice to refer to her as "Mama Warbucks." She has even fought the Bush administration in restoring funding for some of the very few weapons systems the Bush administration has sought to cut in recent years.

Clinton has also demonstrated a marked preference for military confrontation over negotiation. Given Senator Clinton's militaristic foreign policy, why are so many of her supporters apparently in denial of this unfortunate reality?

Musharraf Lifts Martial Law...Sort of


Anti-press laws and restrictions on the media remain, judges still in limbo

Bush Gets $70 Billion More for Wars, No Strings Attached


Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have now outspent entire Vietnam War

Neo-Cons Charge NIE on Iran is Conspiracy Against Them


John Bolton: report was corrupted by "refugees from the State Department"

Bush Told Truth About Abandoned Iran Nuke Program in Early 2007


Kept secret for at least 5 months as White House continued beating war drums

White House Fought NIE Because it Debunked Neo-Con Claims


Underlying intent to support allegations from Israel's Mossad of a secret Iran enrichment program

Israel Joins Neo-Cons in Denouncing Iran NIE Findings


Israel has been touting Iran "5-7 years from the bomb" for 15 years

Iran Report Shows Nuclear Program Never Existed


Bush tries to push false story that Iran 'stopped' its program

Iran Report Debunks Bush/Cheney Claims of Nuke Threat


White House knew since summer that Iran dropped weapons program in 2003

West Misses Reasons Behind Sudan Teddy Bear Crisis


Unfamiliar toy, past cultural insensitivity led to rumors it was anti-Muslim slur

Religious Right Bringing In 'More Money Than Ever'


Quietly organizing churches into a partisan political machine, seeking a presidential candidate to carry out their agenda

Iraq THE WAR IN IRAQ

Despite "Surge," 2007 Was Worst Year Yet


About 1 in 5 Iraqis had fled

U.S. Backing of 'Sunni Awakening' Forces Furthers Divide With Shiite


Creation of groups rival to Shia-led government's own security forces

"Bad" Women Raped and Killed as Strict Islamic Rule Enforced in S Iraq


Women who do not wear the hijab are becoming prime targets of militias

Iraqi Returning to Find Homes Destroyed, Looted or Occupied FREE!


Refugees find other families who refuse to leave

Iraqi Refugees Live in Constant Fear of Arrest


"To deport an Iraqi refugee is to issue a death warrant," said Ali Jassim, an Iraqi journalist recently deported from Lebanon

Iraq Cutting Food Rations in Half FREE!


No more milk for kids

Sunni Political Leader Arrested For Suspicion of Car Bomb Factory Link


2 newly-made car bombs found in his office area

Politics As Usual POLITICS AS USUAL

2007 Saw Decline of the Cheney/Rumsfeld Cabal


Realists finally winning ground from neo-con hawks

Obama's Strategy: No Sudden Moves to Scare White Voters


A redemptive symbol of white Christian America's collective guilt about the state of African Americans

Mitt Transit Gloria Mundi FREE!


Will Evangelical Huckabee make Mormon Mitt moot?

Democrats Can't Count on Latino Support


Bush/Rove effectively used Latino electorate to win in 2002 and 2004

Repub Candidates Hope Latino Voters Can Overlook Demonization


Presenting themselves as opposed to illegal immigration but responsive to the concerns of Latinos

Religious Right Lining up Behind Huckabee


Rise in the Iowa polls is largely due to his courting a statewide network of evangelical pastors

 

  Bali protests
OXFAM (pictured here) and other enviro groups wore polar bear costumes to symbolize the global warming crisis (PHOTOS: IISD)

Bali protests Some 200 climatologists and scientific experts gathered for a 11-day conference in Bali, sometimes called Kyoto II or Kyoto Plus, to urge negotiators from 180 nations to agree to a path to a new agreement that would be ready to take over when Kyoto expires in 2012.

Ultimately, Bali turned into a game of cat and mouse with the U.S. trying to water down the plan and everyone else trying to get the U.S. on board. The final straw came on December 15, a day after the talks were scheduled to end, when U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky said the United States could not accept language that required rich countries to help poorer countries deal with the consequences of climate change in "measurable" ways. An unprecedented thunder of boos went up from delegates, most of whom were from poorer nations. Dobriansky left the room only to return moments later saying that the United States would not block progress on a roadmap for future negotiations. The cheering that followed left delegates and observers, and apparently reporters, with a sense that something monumental had been accomplished at Bali.

But the Bali "action plan" does almost nothing to ensure that the people most affected by the worst impacts of climate change will receive the resources needed to survive impending climate chaos. This transition plan for replacing the Kyoto Protocol, which is so far being called the "Bali mandate," instead entrenches the power of big business, and the global financial institutions that work on its behalf, without committing any government to tangible emissions reductions

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Little to Show From Bali Summit

Was it a Mistake for Bali Summit to Compromise With U.S?

Climate Change Emerges as Activist Cause at Bali Summit

Bali Summit Ends With Deal to do Something, Someday

Bali Summit Tell U.S: If You Can't Lead, Get Out of the Way

Little Support for Biofuels at Bali Summit

Oil-Producing Gulf Nations Also Major CO2 Producers

World Bank Pushing to add Forests to Carbon Credit Funds

The Key Bali Issue: Who Should Pay the Carbon Bill?

Nations Already Facing Problem of "Climate Refugees"

Small Pacific Islands say Survival Depends on Bali Outcome

Scientists Warn Global Warming Action Needed Now

"Perfect Storm" Building for Loss of Amazon

No Fair Demanding CO2 Limits on India, China, Says NGO

It's Bush vs. the World at Bali Environment Summit

U.S. Jewish Community Backs Hillary, Opposes Palestine Compromise


Don't want deal on Jerusalem, say diplomacy won't bring peace

Israel Risks Turning Into South Africa, Olmert Warns


Harder to claim it's still a democracy when increasing numbers of Palestinians disenfranchised

Donors Pledge $7.4 billion to the Palestinian Authority


To be used to rebuild institutions, undermine Hamas

Gaza's Civil Servants Paid Not to Work


To undermine Hamas government

Putin Claims Voter Mandate as Others Charge Election Fraud


Amazing claim that 99% of voters in Chechnya capitol supported Putin's party

Chavez Loses Referendum by Narrow Margin


First defeat in the 12 elections held since he first took office in 1998

Chavez Wins Release of Hostages in Colombia


Rebels had captured some hostages since 2001

Mexico Slightly Opens the Door to GM Maize


Enviraos claim transgenic maize already entering the country from U.S. imports

Key Org in Immigration Debate Classified as Hate Group


Southern Poverty Law Center says group often cited as expert has a 20-year track record of bigotry and extremism

Fish Farms Pushing Wild Salmon to Extinction


"If nothing changes, we are going to lose these fish"

"Where Has All the Water Gone?"


Not a cyclical drought

Bush Tries Diplomacy With Syria


Part of effort to isolate Iran

Kurds Risk Same Stateless Fate as Palestinians


Rule 1: Don't piss off the neighbors by declaring independence

$500 Million in Sri Lanka Tsunami Aid "Missing" FREE!


No audit of tsunami aid since an interim report issued in 2005

Chauncey Bailey Project: Questions About 2nd Man in Journalist's Killing


Warrant issued after suspect failed to appear for a criminal hearing

Chauncey Bailey Project: Bakery Relied on Political, Racial Pressure For Loans


$275,000 in city funds never repaid

Germany Phasing out Biodiesel Subsidies


"Germany has to choose between producing food or vegetable oil to run its cars"

EPA Kills California's Stiff Auto Emissions Rules FREE!


So much for a state's right to set local standards

New Jersey Outlaws "State-Endorsed Killing"


First state to abolish death penalty since 1965

"It is Time to Make Peace With the Planet," Gore Says at Nobel Ceremony FREE!


Urges CO2 tax that shifts the burden to pollution

FEMA, HUD, Set to Bulldoze Housing for Katrina Victims


82% of New Orleans public housing, trailer parks to be dismantled

Photo Revives Anger at Red Guard Terror

A long forgotten photo of a young woman strapping a Red Guard arm band on Chairman Mao Zedong has brought new infamy to a scientist now living in the United States

History would later record this as the first case of Red Guard students killing a teacher

Not All Comrades Benefit From China's Economy Boom


Many can no longer afford to live in Beijing

China's Tiger Farms Become Big Business


Owners hope for government permission to slaughter animals for medicinal body parts

Burma's Generals Snubs UN Call for Reform


"No assistance or advice from other persons is required,' said a close confidante of Burma's strongman
Columnists

JOE CONASON

Joe Conason She's Still in This Race

The Mercy of Mike Huckabee

Telling the Truth About Iran

ROBERT SCHEER

Robert Scheer It Turns Out Ahmadinejad Was the Truthful One

ALEXANDER COCKBURN

Alexander Cockburn The Desperation Index

Mike Huckabee's Ascending Chariot

The CIA and Torture

NIE Sends Bush into Free Fall

STEVE YOUNG FREE!

Steve Young Great Failures of 2007

The Christmas Yuletide Blame

Revealed: Talk Show Host Brain Disorders

Poll: 82% of Americans Drinking the Kool-Aid


THE VISIONS OF DOUGLAS FEITH

FREE! The Iraq War's #3 architect, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Douglas Feith, that man who once stood behind only Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld and his right-hand-man, Paul Wolfowitz, can demonstrate a willingness to admit that major mistakes were made in Iraq War policy planning. "The lengthy U.S. occupation of Iraq," Feith stated very early in his talk, "was the biggest mistake of the war." For Feith to say that he himself was partially responsible for this apparent screw-up, well, that would be pushing one's luck.

But Feith did press forward in admitting gaffes, offering other failures of U.S. judgment, such as being inadequately prepared for "civil disorder" in a post-Saddam Iraq. Yet, was this a mistake that originated in Feith's Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy? Nope. The failure in this regard had an identifiable face: that of an intelligence community which both he and top military officers at Central Command, were relying upon heavily.

According to Feith, the occupation of Iraq came about because of an ill-prepared U.S. strategy for "reconstruction and stabilization." Unlike the military, which captures the lessons of wars past inside its institutional structures, embedding such lessons of military history into the curriculum of its military academies and in each branch's training manuals, reconstruction and stabilization is continually managed on an ad-hoc basis. There is simply no continuity from one war to the next, Feith intimated, and this was a major problem

Albion Monitor
(http://www.albionmonitor.com)
Issue 164

Editor: Jeff Elliott (editor@monitor.net)

The Albion Monitor is currently published as an ongoing newspaper by Wayward Press Inc, POB 1733, Sebastopol, CA 95473

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