Zed

A Grevy’s zebra approaches the hindquarters of two of its fellow zebras at the zoo in Frankfurt Main, Germany, 31 March 2008. Grevy’s originate from the savannahs of East Africa and are among the threatened animal species. [EPA/Arne Dedert]

Not so much tonight… but I did see this at Global Research, from Chossudovsky… on the armanents trade, military alliance and related issues between the US and Israel… since so much is in the news, the Sanger article (he was on Charlie Rose tonight, part 2 tomorrow night), Ha’aretz, the upcoming mil shipments.. and so on….  It’s chock full of tidbits..

Media Disinformation

The official statements and press reports are bogus. Israel and the US have always acted in close coordination. Washington does not “demand that Israel give them prior notice” of a military operation:

The report in Haaretz suggests that the Bush Administration was adamant and did not want the Israelis to attack Iran. In fact, the reports suggested that the US would shoot down Israeli planes, if they tried to attack Iran:

“Air-space authorization: An attack on Iran would apparently require passage through Iraqi air space. For this to occur, an air corridor would be needed that Israeli fighter jets could cross without being targeted by American planes or anti-aircraft missiles. The Americans also turned down this request. According to one account, to avoid the issue, the Americans told the Israelis to ask Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki for permission, along the lines of “If you want, coordinate with him.” [Haaretz Nov 9, 2008]

This Israeli report is misleading. Israel is America’s ally. Military operations are closely coordinated. Israel does not act without Washington’s approval and the US does not shoot down the planes of its closest ally.

The Nature and Composition of  the Recent US Weapons Shipments to Israel

These unusually large shipments of ordinance would normally require Congressional approval.  To our knowledge, there is no public record of approval of the unusually large shipments of heavy “ammunition” to Israel.   …

And this, from Politico. Here’s hoping.

[S]enator Russ Feingold (D-WI) said he’s been informed that President Obama will support his proposed legislation to make public some opinions from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which issued some of the Bush Administration’s most sweeping claims of executive power. Obama also has promised to limit President Bush’s practice of using “signing statements” to amend legislation.

“Every day we get indications that they’re serious about reversing the abuses of the Constitution,” Feingold, a harsh Bush critic, told Politico. Feingold said Obama’s staff told him to expect executive orders rapidly reversing Bush policies on the interrogation and detention of terror suspects, and on keeping the records of past presidents secret. He declined to be more specific.

“I don’t know in what order or how fast” Obama’s executive orders could come, he said. “It’ll be important that a couple of them be done immediately, and I think they will be, to show there’s a strong break from the current policy.”

Chris Lu, executive director of Obama’s transition team, told supporters in a conference call earlier this month that Obama’s aides have “started developing executive orders that the pres elect is considering –not only ones the President-elect will sign after January 20, but also ones we will want to repeal.”

Obama aides didn’t respond to requests for more detail, but the president-elect campaigned against what he called Bush’s abuse of executive authority.   …

I get the feeling tho that nobody is sure of anything.  And not to say that Feingold will have anything to say if he is stiffed.

ms_xeno turned me on to David Caruso and Distant Ocean a few days ago.. and I realised tonight while at Tiny Revolution, I had been reading him second hand, there, without putting it all together.  In a comment thread he links to a pdf of an Hasbara handbook, for promoting and defending Israel on campus.  What a hoot.  It says (somewhere around page 26) not to accuse your opponent of anti semitism without seriousness and good reason.  HA!  They don’t read their own handbook.