Auspundits

Timing Is Everything

By Moose*

We all knew Fitna was coming. And now it is here.

The Little 'Samson Option'

The 'Samson Option' is a a term used to describe Israel's deterrent strategy of "massive retaliation with nuclear weapons...against nations whose military attacks threaten its existence, and possibly against other targets as well".

Sometime Auspundits contributor, Moose, sent an email around late last week hypothesising that the severing of several undersea comms cables was the presentation by Israel to its adversaries of what he dubbed the 'Little Samson Option'.

Speed-Boats? How about No-More-Boat?

Those Iranian speedboats better watch out. The U.S. Navy is taking delivery of the world's largest rail gun. It can launch projectiles at speeds of Mach 8, but unfortunately, may not see the hull of a U.S. destroyer for another 13 years. Maybe the Iranian's can breathe a sigh of relief.

Send Huckabee Back To The Pulpit

In a previous life, Mike Huckabee was a Baptist pastor and Arkansas state governor. He is now running to be nominated as the Republican candidate for President of the United States (POTUS). A lot is being written of Mike Huckabee's victory in the Republican Iowa caucus and his candidacy apropos his policies, persona and pull-through power.

As most readers are aware, I would classify myself an evangelical Christian. Yet I am deeply troubled by Huckabee's candidacy: most concerning is his reflexive Colin Chapmanesque Dhimmitude (to be explained in a moment); his populist big government economics cloaked in a economically libertarian "fair tax"; and some of his scientific assertions (most notably climate change and evolution).

Hitchens Calls For CIA's Dismemberment

Who is surprised?

And now we have further confirmation of the astonishing culture of lawlessness and insubordination that continues to prevail at the highest levels in Langley. At a time when Congress and the courts are conducting important hearings on the critical question of extreme interrogation, and at a time when accusations of outright torture are helping to besmirch and discredit the United States all around the world, a senior official of the CIA takes the unilateral decision to destroy the crucial evidence. This deserves to be described as what it is: mutiny and treason...Its criminality and arrogance could perhaps have been partially excused if it had ever got anything right, but, from predicting the indefinite survival of the Soviet Union to denying that Saddam Hussein was going to invade Kuwait, our spymasters have a Clouseau-like record, one that they have earned yet again with their exculpation of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It was after the grotesque estimate of continued Soviet health and prosperity that the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan argued that the CIA should be abolished. It is high time for his proposal to be revived. The system is worse than useless—it's a positive menace. We need to shut the whole thing down and start again.

Arab States Bring Yellowcake to Table

It appears that U.S.'s so-called "allies" in the Middle East are willing to eat yellowcake from the same plate as Iran. Says Prince Said al-Faisal:

We have proposed a solution, which is to create a consortium for all users of enriched uranium in the Middle East...(We will) do it in a collective manner through a consortium that will distribute according to needs, give each plant its own necessary amount, and ensure no use of this enriched uranium for atomic weapons,

The U.S. is being sidelined:

The U.S. is not involved, but I don't think it (would be) hostile to this, and it would resolve a main area of tension between the West and Iran...

Looks like our allies are trying to cozy up to the Iranians. Where does that leave our allies the Israelis? In a very difficult spot of bother. How has the U.S. responded to this Saudi-led overture to the Iranians? With nothing...yet.

(H/T: Auspundits' contributor, Polar Bear)

Update 03/10/2007 11AM AEST: Iran accepts the offer whilst claiming that the idea was initially theirs. Still no response from POTUS or State. And haven't seen anything from the Israelis either.

Good news aplenty

1. Burma opens up talks with US and opposition groups after a huge round up of dissidents over the last couple of days;
2. Musharraf agrees to power sharing arrangement with Bhutto;
3. NORKs and South Koreas get the ball rolling on signing a formal peace declaration;
4. More dated, the Israeli penetration of Syrian air defenses (that are supposedly more advanced than Iran's!) and their covert interdiction from a Syrian military complex, of nuclear material;
5. Antarctic ozone hole has shrunk by 30%.

Rogue States

This is the first post by Polar Bear, a new contributor to Auspundits.

Marxist Historicism envisaged the “withering away” of the state, following the triumph of the proletariat. Yet Communist totalitarianism and its fascist counterpart saw the apparent apotheosis of state power.

Syrian Air Raid: more details emerge

Via Auspundits contributor, Moose, who finds posting articles a pain.

Not one, but two or three possible scenarios.

Lets see if this is close to the real story. Sources not named, no official confirmation.