Ahmadinejad Refuses to Negotiate, Wants To Talk

At his first formal press conference since his June 12 re- election, Ahmadinejad said today he didn’t recognize deadlines for talks on Iran’s nuclear plans. “Iran’s nuclear issue is over,” he said. “We will never negotiate Iran’s undeniable rights.”

At the same time, the Iranian president said, “we are ready to discuss world issues with the U.S. president in the presence of mass media. The time of hidden agreements is over, and television debates are the best way.”

Looks like the great negotiation skills of President Obama are working wonders...

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aa7mTee2kpoU

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Sworn In For Second-Term in Iran

"I will guard the power that the people have entrusted in me as the sacred trust," Ahmadinejad said. "I will safeguard it like an honest and faithful trustee."

Ok...step down then...

Source: CNN

Hillary Clinton: Best Secretary of State Since Baker?

Ok, maybe the title is a little bit of hyperbole 7 months into the new administration, but she has thus far shown that maybe we were wrong to write off "smart power." She seems to have mastered the balance, both rhetorically and in action, between tough talk and diplomacy. This clip is the highlight:



Too bad she wasn't running foreign policy instead of health care during her husband's administration.

For more great highlights from her interview, including comments on North Korea, Russia, and her elbow, check http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25426.html

Dems Want To Pull Military Information Funding

The Defense Department wants nearly $1 billion next year for its greatly-expanded Information Operations programs. But lawmakers are putting on the brakes, saying the end product is often ineffective “propaganda” and a costly distraction from the military’s core mission.

The House Appropriations Committee fired the first shot Tuesday, ordering deep cuts from the 2010 budget and the termination of many IO activities now underway. Altogether the Pentagon’s $998 million request would be cut in half, and the remaining funds frozen until the Defense Department submits a fuller accounting of its plans and where the money has been going since 2005.

Iran has "propaganda" in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Lebanon. Syria has "propaganda" in Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon. Russia has "propaganda" in Eastern Europe. China has growing "propaganda" all over the world. Meanwhile, the Pentagon tries to counter it with a program to show people that we are not the charicatures they think we are, and the Democrats want us to fight a war one-handed.

And people wonder why Hobbes prefered the sole sovereign.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25327.html#ixzz0M76hV9UR