UNITED NATIONS – The Obama administration joined 153 other nations Tuesday in approving an arms trade treaty opposed by the U.S. gun lobby.

Adoption of the treaty sets up a showdown between the White House and Congress, where a majority of senators have called on the president not to sign the treaty because it regulates small arms.

In one of the amendments to the Senate Budget last month, lawmakers voted 53 to 46 to stop the United States from joining the treaty.

The administration and treaty proponents say it would have no impact on the Second Amendment, since it applies to arms exports and not domestic arms sales.  (read more)

North Korea said on Tuesday its strategic rocket and long-range artillery units have been ordered to enter combat posture targeting the US military bases on Guam, Hawaii and mainland America after US bombers flew more sorties threatening the North.

“From this moment, the Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army will be putting in combat duty posture No. 1 all field artillery units including long-range artillery units strategic rocket units that will target all enemy object in US bases on its mainland, Hawaii and Guam,” the North’s KCNA news agency reported.   (link)

CYPRUS – Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has struck a deal with the European Union and International Monetary Fund that will seize up to 40% of uninsured funds from wealthier depositors with over 100,000 euros and will not siphon funds from those below that amount.

The 10 billion euros ($13 billion) bailout plan calls for the Cyprus Popular Bank to be dissolved and all its viable assets transferred to the country’s biggest bank, Bank of Cyprus.

Presently, Cypriot banks have imposed a 100 euros ATM withdraw limit, and Cyprus border officials at air and sea ports have been ordered to confiscate the funds of any traveler attempting to leave with over 10,000 euros. (more…)

One year ago, in March 2012, Obama told Russian President Medvedev:

“This is my last election, after my election I have more flexibility.”

Medvedev told Obama he understood and “will transmit this information to Vladimir.”

Now Today….

MOSCOW — The United States has effectively canceled the final phase of a Europe-based missile defense system that was fiercely opposed by Russia and cited repeatedly by the Kremlin as a major obstacle to cooperation on nuclear arms reductions and other issues.

For some unknown reason during the analysis of Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State a remarkable segment of the historical reference is never brought up.   What about the WikiLeaks release of State Dept emails disparaging virtually every nation in November 2010?

[…]  The massive leak includes 243,270 reports sent by U.S. embassies around the world to the State Department, and 8,017 directives sent to them by the State Department. A vast mix of political assessments, reports of private talks with foreign officials, hearsay and gossip – including unflattering comments about leaders allied with the U.S. – the leaked cables have become a major embarrassment to the U.S. and especially Hillary Clinton’s State Department.

WikiLeaks provided the documents to six major world newspapers: the New York Times, the UK Guardian, Spain’s El Pais, France’s Le Monde and Germany’s Der Spiegel.

[…] The most explosive WikiLeaks revelation may be a classified July 2009 State Department directive, under Hillary Clinton’s name, that asked U.S. diplomatic staff at the United Nations to obtain credit card numbers, computer passwords and encryption codes, frequent-flyer account details, even “biographic and biometric information” (such as DNA, fingerprints, etc.), for UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Security Council representatives, and also for personnel of nongovernmental agencies. (link)

We keep wondering if any media outlet, or any outlet for that matter, will ever mention the entire second year of her term (2010/2011) being devoted to travelling around the world apologizing for her own staffs’ highly visible opinions. (more…)

TV reports confirm Korea admits to seven kiloton (7,000 metric ton tnt equivalent) nuclear test.   President Obama to issue sternly worded letter in 3…. 2…. no, wait.. what?

(CNN) – North Korea appeared to have conducted its third underground nuclear bomb test Tuesday, as the U.S. Geological Survey reported a seismic disturbance centered near the site of the secretive regime’s two previous nuclear tests.

The area around the reported epicenter of the magnitude 4.9 disturbance has little or no history of earthquakes or natural seismic hazards, according to U.S. Geological Survey maps. The disturbance took place at a depth of about 1 kilometer, the USGS said. (more…)

Several weeks ago when doing research into Denis McDonough, Obama’s pick to be his Chief of Staff, we ran accross this older insightful comment from a former member of Chuck Hagel’s staff.   I book marked it to review again during the confirmation hearings. Wow, this former employee of his staff really hits the nail on the head.

Watch this segment of his confirmation hearing first:

Now consider this from one of his staffers from March 2007:

At one time I worked in Senator Chuck Hagel’s office. I believe readers may be interested in my observations of Senator Hagel.

He has a limited educational background, and worked as a local broadcaster in Nebraska before getting his start as an aide to a Nebraska congressman in the 1970s. Before that, he fought in Vietnam, where he was seriously wounded. With his Capitol Hill background and war record, he obtained a high position in the Reagan administration’s Department of Veterans Affairs. Then he had some friends who were investing in the new cellular phone field; he sold his car to raise the funds to invest with them. That’s how he became a millionaire. And in a small state like Nebraska, that’s how a person possessed of the requisite ego, regardless of other qualifications, including intelligence, becomes a United States Senator. (more…)

I doubt anyone could ever watch a more categorically inept nominee face questioning than former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel.    President Obama appears to have nominated Hagel for only one reason – ideological synergy:   Lead from behind, follow the principle of flawed R2P mindset, and intentionally diminish the capacity of the U.S. Military.

Clueless would be the best descriptive.

(more…)

Breaking: Senate confirms Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry as secretary of state. http://t.co/FlFT59lx

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 29, 2013

The Algerian Hostage Slaughter was a direct response to the French counter-offensive in Mali against the Islamist Jihadists.   The Islamic terrorists responsible for the Algerian attack came from, and used weapons from, Libya.  Even Hillary Clinton recently admitted as such.

Simultaneous to, and as a direct consequence of, this French/U.S. Mali escalation, all foreign nationals were recently recommended to evacuate the areas of Eastern Libya (Benghazi).

The United States is now providing military assistance, logistics, support, transport and refueling for French troops in their fight for Mali.

Turkish President Erdogan took over the primary gatekeeper spot from Mouamar Kaddafi after his death.    Going back on the timeline on U.S. Benghazi support and weapons shipments for the “Rebels”, you might remember Turkey being opposed; Not opposed because Erdogan approved of Kaddafi, quite the contrary;  Opposed because they wanted to increase the certainty of an Islamist, not moderate, victory.   This is the same reason Turkey wanted to control the recipients of “any” weapons headed to Syria.

Also, think back to September 11th 2012, and the last official diplomatic envoy who met with Ambassador Stevens before the consulate attack began, Turkish Ambassador Ali Kemal Aydin;    When the envoy was leaving, somehow they navigated the al-Qaeda roadblocks that were formed moments earlier and surrounded the neighborhood.

Now today…… (more…)