Reports: WaPo's Jason Rezaian convicted in Iran http://t.co/8H5bVnPY5K | AP Photo pic.twitter.com/D1MH9fICXI

— POLITICO (@politico) October 12, 2015

For people who might not have followed the story as it unfolded there’s an easier explanation for why Iran is holding Jason Rezaian.   The underpinning is Iran knowing the U.S. State Department and CNN collaborate to use media as a tool to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives.

In December 2014 CNN ran and episode of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown filmed in Iran. It seemed innocuous at the time, yet as with all things Turner Broadcasting, it also seemed to be another set up for a larger political agenda item. (more…)

Last night during the GOP debate the question of Syria was asked; none of the candidates spoke of an increasingly specific aspect to the Syrian reality.

Anyone who has a basic understanding of the current situation in the Mid-East must accept that Russia is playing chess, and the Obama administration is insufferably getting out-played.
It was only a few weeks ago when Egypt’s Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah went to Moscow and met with Vladimir Putin.
A little over a week later Putin begins putting additional Russian military forces into Syria presumably to assist Bashar Assad in removing his adversaries, various ISIS elements.
What Putin is inevitably doing right now is pushing out those elements within Syria who collectively create one side of the Syrian civil war.  He’s going to continue pushing those Syrian people into Turkey and, as a consequence of Erdogan’s unwillingness to be destabilized by those elements, ultimately they will travel into Europe. (more…)

Will this finally be the tipping point where people recognize that Glenn Beck is an unstable, self-centered nutter?  Too soon to tell.  It will be interesting to see how his partner Dana Loesch responds/aligns on this.
Last year it was the insufferable “Soccer Ball and Teddy Bear Tour” for illegal aliens.  In February of this year he stated he swore off the Republican party forever and would never return.  Now Beck mounts a full-throated attack against Sarah Palin…..  As previously stated, the Donald Trump campaign is putting a spotlight on the festering underbelly of corporatist political media.  Beck being a big part of that.
(Via Washington Examiner) Glenn Beck ripped former Alaska governor Sarah Palin as a “clown” on his radio program Thursday, one day after sharing a stage with her at an anti-Iran deal rally in Washington, D.C.  (MediaIte Link)

“I didn’t listen to her speech. Yeah, I’m going to say it,” Mr. Beck said. “I don’t care what Sarah Palin says any more. Sarah Palin has become a clown. I’m embarrassed that I was once for Sarah Palin. Honestly, I’m embarrassed.” (more…)

Many people will look at this devastating sunlight upon the U.S Intel Community as a political embarrassment for the Obama administration.  However, I would disagree. 
This entire exposition smells more like a deflective shield targeted to give the White House an excuse for terrible Mid-East policy.   This “revelation” protects the White House more than it causes embarrassment; it gives Obama excuses for his failures…. and you’ll note this is surfacing at a time when Russia is entering Syria under the auspices of needing to fight ISIS, because the U.S. has failed.  There’s an obvious transparency to the timing…
(Via Daily Beast) More than 50 intelligence analysts working out of the U.S. military’s Central Command have formally complained that their reports on ISIS and al Qaeda’s branch in Syria were being inappropriately altered by senior officials, The Daily Beast has learned.
The complaints spurred the Pentagon’s inspector general to open an investigation into the alleged manipulation of intelligence. The fact that so many people complained suggests there are deep-rooted, systemic problems in how the U.S. military command charged with the war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State assesses intelligence. (more…)

All Speeches Available HERE
(more…)

Alternate headline:  Democrat Presidential Candidate Martin O’Malley Requests Entry Visas Allowing ISIS Terrorists Into U.S.A.

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that reports are surfacing that ISIS terrorists are embedded within the “Mid-East Refugees”.  It should not surprise us, because the Islamic State specifically said they were going to do it. (more…)

And of course, as customary, Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will acquiesce and say there’s no way to defeat the Democrat maneuverings.
WASHINGTON – Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will try to prevent the Senate from voting on President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Reid said that Democrats would attempt to use the filibuster to prevent the Senate from holding even a symbolic vote on the issue, which would likely result in an embarrassing outcome for Democrats. “I recently informed Senator McConnell that after a period of robust debate, Democrats would be happy to proceed straight to a final passage vote,” Reid said in the statement, suggesting “robust debate” was a coy way of saying that the debate will not end unless Republicans can muster 60 votes to do so. (more…)

WASHINGTON DC – Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will jointly host a rally at the Capitol in the coming weeks to protest the nuclear deal with Iran, Cruz’s campaign said on Thursday.
A date for the presidential candidates’ event has yet to be announced, but its planning underscores the strengthening ties between the two Republicans.
Trump, the clear front-runner in the GOP primary, has refrained from launching his harshest barbs at Cruz, and the Texas senator has likewise declined to join in the attacks against Trump that have become common among many of their Republican rivals. Instead, Cruz has said he is “grateful” for Trump’s focus on immigration despite the controversial nature of his comments. (more…)

Johnny, did you clean your room?  Yes, mom.
Well, you need to go inspect it and tell me if it really is clean?  OK, mom.
{{30 seconds later}}  Yep, checked it, it’s spotless.
Thanks!
VIENNA (AP) — Iran will be allowed to use its own inspectors to investigate a site it has been accused of using to develop nuclear arms, operating under a secret agreement with the U.N. agency that normally carries out such work, according to a document seen by The Associated Press.

The revelation on Wednesday newly riled Republican lawmakers in the U.S. who have been severely critical of a broader agreement to limit Iran’s future nuclear programs, signed by the Obama administration, Iran and five world powers in July. Those critics have complained that the wider deal is unwisely built on trust of the Iranians, while the administration has insisted it depends on reliable inspections.

A skeptical House Speaker John Boehner said, “President Obama boasts his deal includes ‘unprecedented verification.’ He claims it’s not built on trust. But the administration’s briefings on these side deals have been totally insufficient – and it still isn’t clear whether anyone at the White House has seen the final documents.” (more…)

“After deep study, careful thought and considerable soul-searching, I have decided I must oppose the agreement and will vote yes on a motion of disapproval,” Schumer wrote in a 1,600-word post on the website Medium.

“I will vote to disapprove the agreement, not because I believe war is a viable or desirable option, nor to challenge the path of diplomacy,” he added later. “It is because I believe Iran will not change, and under this agreement it will be able to achieve its dual goals of eliminating sanctions while ultimately retaining its nuclear and non-nuclear power.” (more…)