Friday News Roundup - International
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-01-11/friday-news-roundup-international
Afghan President Karzai is in Washington for talks on the future U.S. role. Syria agrees to a major prisoner swap. And Venezuela postpones the inauguration of ailing President Chavez. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.
Guests
Courtney Kube
national security producer for NBC News.
James Kitfield
senior correspondent for National Journal.
Natasha Mozgovaya
former Washington bureau chief for Haaretz newspaper.
Comments
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Is being anti Sheldon Adelson the same as being antisemitic?
Mr.Adelson a Jew, gave a reported $100 million to T-party candidates,who would in return give Adelson a $2 billion tax break. I don`t see antisemitism, I see a bribe that the T-Party is trying to fulfill.
The nomination of Chuck Hagel,and the uproar by the T-Party is a mystery. The statement about the 'Surge' not working made perfect sense to me.The White House and Fox News promoted the notion the 'Surge' won us something. Was it dignity,for being responsible for the deaths of a million Iraqi`s?..NO... Did it create innocence for U.S.. NO....Did it return our dead soldiers and the wealth?...NO....Bush paid of terrorist Muqtada al-Sadr,we don`t negotiate with terrorists ? ...YES WE DO... ... NO DIGNITY FOR IRAQ......In fact Bush and his administration were convicted as war criminals,that the lame stream media covers up...
WHAT DID WE WIN WITH THE INVASION OF IRAQ AND THE SURGE,IN THE DECADE LONG WAR? WHAT?
Karzai is not a legimate leader any more than Jerry Mahoney was independent of Paul Winchell. Maybe the right hand is up Obama's jacket and the left hand is up his. Maybe they can spin their wooden heads but it doesn't mean they're superhuman.
"Sending young underclass Americans overseas to fight in the mud, blood and heroin is something Chuck and I only do when the deal clicks. In case of public unrest we may need them here."
I have not been so elated since President Obama was elected and now re-elected as I am with Hagel's nomination. Did not think President Obama would demonstrate such a will of steel. So James etc are we far less likely to attack Iran based on unsubstantiated claims or support Israel in doing so?
I no longer care to spend money -- military money or aid money -- on any of these Middle-East nations. Just tell each of them that if another terorrist attack on U.S. soil orginates from their particular country, we'll respond by thrning their part of the Arabian Desert into a sheet of glass. The scorpions can have it back.
What would happen to the way funds are distributed from oil profits in Venezuela if Chavez is replaced?
What would happen to the way funds are distributed from oil profits in Venezuela if Chavez is replaced?
Islamist control over Mali growing. Please discuss
Islamist control over Mali growing. Please discuss
Why did the US turn down Egypt's President Morsi's offer to put together representatives from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran to negotiate with Assad. Why did the US block this offer
Great that Diane and her team will be doing an hour on Monday about Syrian refugees. Just wondering why on her program and other MSM outlets we have seldom if ever heard one hour shows on the dead, injured and displaced in Iraq as a direct consequence of the US invasion. Sure interesting and sad about how much outrage US MSM outlets express about Syrian refugees but not the Iraqi people who died, were injured and displace because of our invasion of that country. Selective, biased and telling. Phony concern about the deaths, injuries about who US administrations tell the MSM to be outraged about. Yet these same outlets can not dig down and tell the American people who they are responsible for killing, injuring and displacing. so absurd and hypocritical.
And when will Diane and team do a full hour on Palestinian refugees who have been refugees for decades. Amazing how normalized this situation has become. Never a one hour show on the Diane Rehms show about this decades long refugee situation.
Great that Diane and her team will be doing an hour on Monday about Syrian refugees. Just wondering why on her program and other MSM outlets we have seldom if ever heard one hour shows on the dead, injured and displaced in Iraq as a direct consequence of the US invasion. Sure interesting and sad about how much outrage US MSM outlets express about Syrian refugees but not the Iraqi people who died, were injured and displace because of our invasion of that country. Selective, biased and telling. Phony concern about the deaths, injuries about who US administrations tell the MSM to be outraged about. Yet these same outlets can not dig down and tell the American people who they are responsible for killing, injuring and displacing. so absurd and hypocritical.
And when will Diane and team do a full hour on Palestinian refugees who have been refugees for decades. Amazing how normalized this situation has become. Never a one hour show on the Diane Rehms show about this decades long refugee situation.
Dear Kathleen:
It's not necessary to repeat the same Comment two or more times. Once is quite enough.
I don't know if the problem is a "heavy finger" on your mouse button, or a deliberate decision to be repetitive (because of an illusion that it adds credibility), but I'm sure I don't speak only for myself when I ask: Knock it off!
Clifford on January 11, 2013 @ 9:26 am asked: “Is being anti Sheldon Adelson the same as being antisemitic?”
No, but asking that question comes close. Why make an issue about his being Jewish? (Which, of course, is what you’re doing.) Would his support for the Tea Baggers be more palatable had his name been Armey, Dobson, Gingrich, Robertson or Sessions?
As for opposition to the Hagel nomination, don’t try to “reason it out”. The right-wing opposes it because, well because they want to oppose it. You didn’t really think that just because the President handily won re-election conservatives would “play nice”!
As for promoting the “Iraq Surge”, remember that was under the Bush the Second Administration (as you go on to note). Make sure you blame the correct White House for promoting it. My point? What relevance does that have to today - answer: very little. After all, both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are coming to an end.
kathleen on January 11, 2013 @ 11:15 am wrote: “I have not been so elated since President Obama was elected and now re-elected as I am with Hagel's nomination. Did not think President Obama would demonstrate such a will of steel. So James etc are we far less likely to attack Iran based on unsubstantiated claims or support Israel in doing so?”
I’m always amused by people who think having a “will of steel” is somehow akin to virtue. Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot all had such wills, as did Caligula. I’d prefer none of them ever become President.
Personally, I think the “controversy” over Hagel is largely just political posturing. I admit I don’t like his “Jewish Lobby” crack, and his insult to Ambassador Hormel is troubling. But people can grow and change, and if everyone who ever made an intemperate remark was disqualified from public office, we’d soon have a government of the none!
But what are those “unsubstantiated claims” you refer to? There’s no question Iran is trying to develop nuclear and missile technology. It admits that much. And it’s claim to be doing so for “peaceful purposes” is dubious, given the way it resists all attempts at full inspections. (Not to mention its other actions which hardly speak of “peaceful intent”.)
And what makes you think that, absent Hagel, the President is going to attack Iran “or support Israel in doing so”? I’ve detected no enthusiasm for, or even talk about, doing either from his Administration.
Just because I oppose right-wing blather on issues doesn’t mean I have to swallow left-wing blather.
kathleen on January 11, 2013 @ 11:54 am wrote: “Just wondering why on her program and other MSM outlets we have seldom if ever heard one hour shows on the dead, injured and displaced in Iraq as a direct consequence of the US invasion. . . . And when will Diane and team do a full hour on Palestinian refugees who have been refugees for decades.”
I’m tempted to ask what planet you live on, but I’m pretty sure it’s the Bizarro World. There have been innumerable shows (and NPR stories) on these subjects for years. Maybe not an entire hour devoted solely to them, but that hardly shows “bias”. Should I complain because there has never been an entire hour devoted solely to Israelis, Jews, and other people killed or injured by the Palestinians or their supporters?
The only “bias” on display is yours.
James had so many "You Knows' interspersed in his conversation, he even got Courtney doing it by the end of the show. I will know that civilkization has ended when I hear: "You are listening to the Diane, you know, Rehm Show on National Public, you know, Radio,"
Etaoin clearly you are incapable of looking beyond the propaganda you read. Clearly you do not want to know that as a signatory to the Non Proliferation Treaty that Iran has the legal right to enrich uranium up to 20%. That there is absolutely no hard evidence that they are doing so. You also clearly like to avoid the fact that Israel has massive stockpiles of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and continue to refuse to sign the NPT. That many nations in that region find Israel a threat to peace in the middle east. That Israel has and continues to threaten Iran daily. This has been going on for over a decade now. Did you know that the US and Israel refused to attend the planned meeting on non proliferation. That Iran was going to attend this non proliferation meeting. This was soon after the UN vote where the Palestinian's were upgraded to non member state status.
Israel does not want to co-operate with the international community they want to maintain their special and destructive status with the US. The rest of the world is rejecting this. At this point Israel seems to be its own worst enemy. Israel needs to sign the NPT, get back to the 67 border or accept or be forced to accept the one vote one state has now become the only solution.
Not doing a one hour show on the dead, injured and displaced in Iraq as a direct result of the US invasion yet doing an upcoming one hour show on how many people have been killed in Syria is ABSOLUTELY BIASED. Not doing a one hour show specifically on the Israeli illegal settlements absolutely demonstrates bias.