Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:00:01 -0400
STREAMING LIVE HERE AND ON C-SPAN 2: Al Qaeda 3.0: Bergen and the bin Laden Watchers
Friday, Oct 10 2008, 6:32AM
Four years ago, Osama bin Laden chronicler and CNN and New America Foundation terrorism expert PETER BERGEN, The Torture Papers: The Road to Abu Ghraib author and NYU Center on Law and Security Director KAREN GREENBERG, and I organized a day long mega-meeting of the world's best and brightest al Qaeda watchers. "Al Qaeda 2.0" (edited volume from conference here) assembled Western and Non-Western journalists including Yosri Fouda, Hamid Mir, Rohan Gunaratna and others who had interviewed the chiefs of al Qaeda or those who had masterminded the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- and those trying to catch them like Richard Clarke and Michael Scheuer.
I am really pleased to say that populist writer and opinion leader Abdel Bari Atwan will be with us in this conference this year. Four years ago, the U.S. government would not allow him a visa because he was considered too hot given his political views about the so-called "war on terror." The State Department did arrange this time for him to have a visa -- and we think some progress has been made over there in Foggy Bottom.
We are back with an update -- AL QAEDA 3.0 -- which the New America Foundation and NYU Center on Law and Security are co-sponsoring.
This meeting takes place today and will STREAM LIVE over the blog and run live from 9 am until 5:15 pm on C-Span 2 today.
I will be moderating the meeting along with Greenberg and Bergen. Both an audio file and video file of the entire event will later be posted on my blog.
Special thanks to Senator Chuck Hagel and his staff, as well as the staff of the U.S. Senate Rules Committee for accommodating our rather large request of having this meeting all day in one of the most dramatic and historic rooms in the U.S. Senate -- the Russell Senate Office Building Caucus Room. It is where the Titanic hearings, the Watergate hearings, and even the Harry Truman-led 1940 war profiteering hearings took place.
Here is the general schedule of today's event:
The New America Foundation/American Strategy Program and the New York University Center on Law and Security cordially invite you to...
AL Qaeda 3.0: The So-Called "War on Terror" After the Bush Administration
Friday, 10 October 2008
8:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Caucus Room, 325 Russell Senate Office Building
United States Senate, Washington, D.C.
8:45 am REGISTRATION AND COFFEE
9:00 am WELCOMING REMARKS
Steve Clemons
Director, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation
Publisher, The Washington Note
Karen Greenberg
Director, Center on Law and Security, New York University
9:15 am PANEL I: THE FUTURE OF AL QAEDA
Frances Fragos Townsend
Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism Advisor to President Bush 2004-2008
Bruce Hoffman
Georgetown University
Steve Coll
New America Foundation and The New Yorker
Peter Bergen
New America Foundation & CNN
10:45 am PANEL II: THE WAR OF IDEAS
Lawrence Wright
NYU Center on Law and Security and The New Yorker
Daniel Kimmage
Author, "Iraqi Insurgent Media: The War of Images and Ideas
Eliza Griswold
New America Foundation
12:00 pm PANEL III: THE TALIBAN AND AL QAEDA IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN
Seth Jones
RAND Corporation
Christine Fair
RAND Corporation
Nir Rosen
New America Foundation/American Strategy Program and NYU Center on Law and Security
1:15 pm PANEL IV: AL QAEDA IN THE ARAB WORLD AND EUROPE
Abdel Bari Atwan
Al Quds Al Arabi
Brian Fishman
Combating Terrorism Center, West Point
Mohammed Hafez
Naval Postgraduate School
Thomas Hegghammer
Harvard University & Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI)
2:30 pm PANEL V: COUNTER-RADICALIZATION: WHAT WORKS?
Christopher Boucek
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Zachary Abuza
Simmons College
Kenneth Ballen
Terror Free Tomorrow
3:45 PANEL VI: COUNTERTERRORISM AND AMERICAN SECURITY
Philip Mudd
National Security Branch, FBI
Marc Sageman
New York Police Department
Mitchell Silber
Intelligence Division's Analytic and Cyber Units, New York Police
Michael Sheehan
NYU Center on Law and Security and former NYC Deputy Police Commissioner
Joseph Zogby
Chief Counsel to Senator Richard Durbin
Staff Director, Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, Senate Judiciary Committee
Former Special Counsel on Post-9/11 Discrimination, U.S. Department of Justice.
5:15 ADJOURNMENT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhWufhgdr7E
Wonder why he would be thinking about ACORNs??
A group of Pakistani-Americans and anti-war activists delivered a letter today to the Chicago office of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, calling on him to cool political rhetoric about bombing targets in Pakistan.
"We are particularly concerned with your public pronouncements earlier this week in support of violating the borders of our ally, the country of Pakistan...," the letter says. "You must understand the sweeping dismay that your avowed support for U.S. military incursions into Pakistan ... has elicited among untold numbers of Pakistani-Americans and peace activists across the country."
During his debate Tuesday with Republican candidate Sen. John McCain, Obama said he was not calling for the invasion of Pakistan. But Obama added that "if Pakistan is unable or unwilling to hunt down bin Laden and take him out, then we should."
Ifti Nasim, the host of a Pakistani radio show in Chicago called Sargam, said the U.S. was "making a mistake" by "attacking Pakistan and making Pakistan your enemy."
He and other protesters criticized U.S. military incursions into Pakistan's tribal areas in the northwest part of the country to attack Taliban and Al Qaeda targets. They also decried the Bush administration's use of unmanned military drone aircraft, which has resulted in civilian deaths.
McCain, Nasim said, wants to continue the same policy. The group planned to send a similar letter to McCain.
Said Umar Khan said his hometown of Mardan outside Peshawar in Pakistan's troubled North-West Frontier Province has seen a wave of displaced people escaping fighting in the tribal areas. A recent explosion rocked his sister's home, damaging windows and walls, he said.
Negotiations with Taliban leaders--not Pakistani or U.S. military actions--will end the violence, Khan said.
The tough rhetoric against Pakistan in the presidential campaign has left many Pakistani-Americans wondering which candidate to support.
"McCain and Obama are the same," said Raja M. Yaqub, chairman of the Coalition of Pakistani Organizations in Chicago. "Muslims and Pakistani Americans are confused over who they should vote for."
On Thursday, Obama campaign officials restated his comments from the debate earlier this week. They added that Obama understands Pakistan is an "important ally" and is also calling for a partnership with the South Asian nation through increased U.S. aid for health, education and security.
The Pakistani-Americans and other immigrant and anti-war groups such as the Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism plan to hold an anti-war march at 2 p.m. Saturday at Devon Avenue and Leavitt Street.
href="http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/10/obama-comments-on-pakistan-prompt-local-protest.html">http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/10/obama-comments-on-pakistan-prompt-local-protest.html
somewhat to the surprise of a close confident of mine who traveled there on business last summer. My confident (who happens to be an Obama supporter) had fully expected them to favor Obama; but that was definitely not the case. To a person, the adults contacted there felt very uneasy about Senator Obama, and hoped that somehow Hillary would become the nominee.
It's not a good thing for the Islamic nuclear power to be lacking confidence in both US Presidential candidates.
I sincerely hope that Senator Obama changes his message so that Pakistanis will have more reason to trust him.
Nick Kelly
Wes Clark could still secure America as a national security candidate.
the whole arab countries remember the peaceful Clinton years. Who had ever dream that a former terrorist Arafat and a general, prime minister of Israel Rabin would make a deal and both are getting the Nobel Peace Price, impossible under a Bush administration.
Nature loss 'dwarfs bank crisis'
The global economy is losing more money from the disappearance of forests than through the current banking crisis, according to an EU-commissioned study.
It puts the annual cost of forest loss at between $2 trillion and $5 trillion.
The figure comes from adding the value of the various services that forests perform, such as providing clean water and absorbing carbon dioxide. The study, headed by a Deutsche Bank economist, parallels the Stern Review into the economics of climate change. It has been discussed during many sessions here at the World Conservation Congress.
Some conservationists see it as a new way of persuading policymakers to fund nature protection rather than allowing the decline in ecosystems and species, highlighted in the release on Monday of the Red List of Threatened Species, to continue.
Capital losses
Speaking to BBC News on the fringes of the congress, study leader Pavan Sukhdev emphasised that the cost of natural decline dwarfs losses on the financial markets.
"It's not only greater but it's also continuous, it's been happening every year, year after year," he told BBC News.
Global Canopy Programme
"So whereas Wall Street by various calculations has to date lost, within the financial sector, $1-$1.5 trillion, the reality is that at today's rate we are losing natural capital at least between $2-$5 trillion every year."
Milton Friedman's great misfortune is that his policies have been tried. -Naomi Klein, quoting John Kenneth Galbraith
He has a suggestion on how to deal with our mortgage problem. He says Denmark has the best system for mortgages in the world and we should emulate them. I'm planning to watch and listen to what he has to say.
[...]
The most important weakness of the Danish system, relative to the US system, is its limited reach. Loans are not priced for risk, so borrowers with poor credit are not served. Borrowers must also put 20% down. Second mortgages are available for 15%, but not through the bond system. The mortgage bank acts as agent for non-bank investors in placing second mortgages at rates well above the first mortgage rate. There are no zero-down loans."
[...]
The down payment percentages mentioned are close to what used to be the norm in the US, as well.
Proud to be an American.
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/16732#comment-331550
Proud to be an American.
Hatred rallies & Media bashing
Questioner: I'm mad. I'm really mad. And what's gonna surprise you, it's not the economy. It's the socialists taking over our country. [applause] Sit down, I'm not done! Thank you. Let me finish, please. [laughter]
McCain: Excuse me. [laughter]
Questioner: Thank you. I think its so important in today's country to see what we are missing and what's really going on. When you have an Obama, Pelosi, and the rest of the hooligans up there gonna run this country, we gotta have our head examined. It's time that you two are representing us, and we are mad! So go get em! [applause, chants of USA!]
McCain: Well, I think I got the message. [laughter] Could I just say, the gentleman is right.
she "represents a fatal cancer to the republican party" I agree with David Brooks, such anti-intellectualism reminds me of dark ages. What is your opinion of the McCain/Palin rallies ? Please, don´t let your Ego burst out.
In your post that I referred to, you chose to refer to Sarah Palin as (amalgamated) "Sarah Palin is an ignorant, ranting/stupid/whining/conniving bitch/weak/pathetic hick etc." In your current mode you opine she is a cancer & you "agree with David Brooks" (<<who I can't say I read). As well you seem to wish to personally insult my "ego" & acting like we're pals, calling me "moon." Trust me, we're not friends.
My point was that I thought it a little funny for you to complain about hate speech after your extreme remarks.
on literally calling a sitting American woman politician- dislikable & unacceptable as she may be, on a liberal blog attached to a Democratic party luminary- a dozen adjectives + bitch, including "hick" & "cancer" & it's me, I'm the one with the condescending blow up attitude?
ha ha - good one.
it's over. Old MO - really takes me back.
Years ago I used to hang out at a forum attached to Pravda. I was looking for a board with lots of international opinion. What I learned was (well, I learned alot of things, mostly about a dispensationalist named Patrick, but that's another story) that for some whacked out reason, lots was lost in translation.
I don't think English is OC's first language. So pointing out obvious hypocrisies from OC are just not going to get through to OC.
And ESL often is used as a cover to incite (troll) certain posters. Why? I dunno. It was just something I noticed - often.
And yea - pot meet kettle and all that. Heh.
Friends,
I just finished taping my first debate of the 2008 cycle with my opponent, Randy Kuhl. I'll let you decide which one of us won the debate, but I think you will find it quite informative. You can watch our debate on 13-WHAM in Rochester at 9pm tonight or online at http://www.13wham.com after 9pm.
I've always known that debates are critical to our Democracy, because they allow the voters the opportunity to see both candidates unfiltered. I hope you take this opportunity to see your candidates in action, and when you're done, please let me know what you thought of the debate by clicking the "Contact Eric" button below.
Thank you, and I hope to earn your vote on Nov. 4th.
Sincerely,
Eric Massa
We learn. We change. That's progress. If we don't do that, well, we're GWB.
11/28/07 radio interview with Alex Bennett
AB. You are... I hope I don't embarrass you by saying this. You are just, you know. I hope I don't embarrass you when I say this. You're an American hero. You're the kind of guy that we should look up to... as a soldier.
WKC: Well, I appreciate that.
AB: And part of the thing that got me [while researching WKC prior to the interview]... You seem to come into conflict with the higher ups at times.
WKC: No doubt about it.
AB: Now a lot of the people in the military would have said, "Well, I'm a military guy." Colin Powell is that kind of guy. "I'm a military guy. And I take marching orders. And I don't question." You, on the other hand, always were questioning them. So that must not have made you the most popular general of all time.
WKC: It made me real popular with the people who worked for me.
AB: They liked it!
WKC: They did like it. Because they knew we weren't going to do anything that didn't make sense.
--------
Apologies to Ruth for not inserting a gratuitous Palin insult. A crushing disappointment, I know.
Milton Friedman's great misfortune is that his policies have been tried. -Naomi Klein, quoting John Kenneth Galbraith