Ahmadinejad and the rise of the 12th Imam

Iranian President Ahmadinejad appears to believe that the recent events in the Middle East are unleashing the righteous descendant of the Prophet Mohammad. All streams of Islam believe in a divine saviour, known as the Mahdi or 12th Imam, who will appear at the End of Days. A common rumor - denied by the Iranian government but widely believed - is that President Ahmadinejad and his cabinet have signed a "contract" pledging themselves to work for the return of the Mahdi and sent it to Jamkaran. CBN News has obtained a never-before-seen video produced by the Iranian regime that says all the signs are moving into place -- and that Iran will soon help usher in the end times. The Iranian terrorist regime now believes the chaos in the Middle East is divine proof that their ultimate victory is at hand.

The video is called "The Coming is Near" and it describes current events in the Middle East as a prelude to the arrival of the mythical twelfth Imam -- the messianic figure who Islamic prophecy says will lead the armies of Islam to victory over all non-Muslims in the last days. According to CBN, "This video has been produced by a group called the Conductors of the Coming, in connection with the Basiji -- the Iranian paramilitary force, and in collaboration with the Iranian president's office," said Reza Kahlil, a former member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. "Just a few weeks ago, Ahmadenijad's office screened this movie with much excitement for the clerics," Kahlili told CBN News. "The target audience is Muslims in the Middle East and around the world."

The Iranian President has in the past spoken in apocalyptic terms of Iran struggling against an evil West that sought to promote "state terrorism", impose "the logic of the dark ages" and divide the world into "light and dark countries". The speech ended with the messianic appeal to God to "hasten the emergence of your last repository, the Promised One, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace". As I have stated in the past, an apocalyptic despot cannot be negotiated with and one with nuclear weapons is truly dangerous.

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Is Mr. Obama the worst foreign policy President in our history?

U.S. President Barack Obama is whistling by the grave yard while the rebels in Libya are being slaughtered. While Mr. Obama spends his time on ESPN offering his picks for the NCAA basketball tournament, Col. Qaddafi's troops have routed the rebels and are now poised for a final victory. US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice has been quoted as saying, "We are discussing very seriously in (UN)Council a range of actions that we believe could be effective in protecting civilians." Someone needs to inform the good Ambassador that Qaddafi's troops are massed outside of Benghazi for the final push to eliminate the opposition. The Libyan Army appeared on state television on Wednesday to set a deadline for residents to leave Benghazi by midnight local time ahead a planned operation to "cleanse" the city.

It has been said that President Carter lost Iran during his four years in office, but Barack Obama will be known as the President that lost the Middle East. Mr. Obama failed to lead during the Iranian protests, he bungled his way through the Egyptian crisis and now his inaction almost assures the survival of the terrorist leader in Libya. Mr. Obama's failures didn't start in the Middle East, they started when he gave in to the Nu-Soviets and abandoned our missile defense bases in Europe. By doing so, Obama alienated our Polish and Czech allies and tarnished our credibility in the process. Barack Obama kicked our British friends to curb early in his administration and has thrown Israel under the bus multiple times over the last couple of years.

Mr. Obama stood by while the Iranian proxy Hezbollah toppled Prime Minister Hariri's government in Lebanon and in doing so we lost a valuable friendly partner in the Middle East. It has been reported that Iran has placed missiles in Venezuela which could reach our Southern border. According to the German daily Die Welt(Nov. 25, 2010), the Iranian regime is planning to place medium range ballistic missiles on Venezuelan soil. An agreement between the two countries was signed during the last visit of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Tehran on October 19, 2010. What is President Obama doing to prevent this Cuban style missile crisis? Allowing Iran to place missiles on Venezuelan soil will be a major threat to our national security.

There is now a contest between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the Sunni-Shiite split in the Arab world, which ramped up to a dangerous level Wednesday. The all-out offensive launched by Bahraini and Saudi security forces, tanks and helicopters to drive the mostly Shiite protesters out of the main square has received the attention of Iran. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condemned the dispersal of the Shiite protesters as "unjustifiable and irreparable" and Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said ominously: "The unexpected interference of foreign forces in popular uprisings in different countries, including Bahrain, whose people are peacefully after their legitimate demands, can lead the region toward a crisis that will have dangerous consequences."

Would Mr. Obama intervene militarily if Iran and Saudi Arabia were to go to war? Judging by Obama's track record the answer would have to be NO. He would most likely attend a fundraiser and then condemn Iran in the "strongest possible terms." He might send Ambassador Rice to the worthless United Nations to find a solution, all the while he taped an ESPN NFL draft special. After a couple of golf outings and an oversees vacation, Obama might find the time to intervene on behalf of Saudi Arabia. But to the dithering President's surprise, Saudi Arabia has already been defeated and occupied.

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New never-before-seen video from 9/11

New video from an NYPD helicopter has emerged as it hovers 300 feet above the World Trade Center Towers. The 17-minute long film was part of the evidence used by the official inquiry into the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. The investigation, conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology used the Freedom of Information Act to get hold of the footage but it was not made public.

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U.S. Warships move towards Libya

As the international community and the Obama administration dither, Col. Muammar Qaddafi regroups his forces in a final bid to cling to power. The behind-the-scenes talks between U.S., European and NATO officials about the possibility of flight restrictions over Libya may come too late if action isn't taken soon. Meanwhile, the U.S. military is repositioning its naval forces near North Africa indicating possible military steps to break the standoff between Muammar Qaddafi's army and rebel forces.

The U.S. naval forces that are being redeployed off the Libyan coast are the USS Enterprise from the Red Sea and the amphibious USS Kearsarge, which has a fleet of helicopters and about 1,800 Marines aboard. According to Fox News, the U.S. military is trying to figure out where to find a battalion of Marines to attach to the Marine Expeditionary Unit on board the USS Kearsarge. The unit's land troops are currently being used in Afghanistan, but the unit could be in a position to help a humanitarian effort in Libya if other troops are assigned from elsewhere.

Col. Qaddafi told Christiane Amanpour in a recent interview, "I'm surprised that we have an alliance with the West to fight al Qaeda, and now that we are fighting terrorists (Libyan rebels) they have abandoned us," "Perhaps they want to occupy Libya." Qaddafi went on to say that President Obama is a "good man", but said he appeared to be misinformed about the situation in Libya. "The statements I have heard from him (Obama) must have come from someone else," "America is not the international police of the world," Qaddafi added.

The Obama administration must take action now or it risks pro-Qaddifi forces regrouping and overtaking the rebel opposition. We saw what happened when President George H. W. Bush failed to help the Iraqis that were trying to oust Saddam Hussein after Operation Desert Storm. President Bush's failure to eliminate Hussein in 1991 contributed to President George W. Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003. Let's not repeat that failure!

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Did Secretary Geithner violate federal law with Chinese favor?

In a recent Reuters story that discussed China's growing influence as America's largest creditor, it was reported that Treasury Secretary Geithner was asked for a special favor by a top Chinese money manager. What was this favor you ask? According to cables obtained and released by Wikileaks, in June, 2009, the head of China's powerful sovereign wealth fund met with Geithner and requested that he lean on regulators at the U.S. Federal Reserve to speed up the approval of its $1.2 billion investment in Morgan Stanley. Although the cables do not mention if Geithner took any action, China's deal to buy Morgan Stanley shares was announced the very next day.

According to the Reuters story, the two Treasury officials to whom the cables were addressed, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia Robert Dohner and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Monetary and Financial Policy Mark Sobel, declined through a spokesperson to comment for this story. Oddly enough, the State Department declined to comment as well. I don't pretend to be an expert in this field, but I would think if Secretary Geithner did in fact act upon this request, he would be in violation of federal law. We know from Secretary Geithner's Senate confirmation hearings that he violated US tax laws to the tune of $35,000, so it's not hard to imagine he feels he is above the law.

I have contacted Congressman Issa's office and requested they look into this possible federal violation. Congressman Issa and his staff have their hands full investigating possible crimes committed by the Obama administration, but this is something that needs to be looked into. If Secretary Geithner didn't break the law, great let's move forward, but if he has, he needs to prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. You can read the Reuters story here and if you're so inclined, contact Rep. Issa here.

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Iranians protest regime-Will Obama get it right this time?

Thousands of angry Iranians take to the streets and try their hand (again) at regime change. The Basij have been deployed to the streets of Iran to prevent an Egyptian-style revolution and it's being reported that at least one protester has been killed. "There are dozens of police and security forces in the Vali-ye Asr Avenue ... they have blocked entrances of metro stations in the area," a witness told the Reuters news agency.

According to The Guardian, the riot police and government-sponsored plainclothes basiji militia used teargas, wielded batons and opened fire to disperse protesters who chanted "death to the dictator", a reference to both Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. A reformist website is reporting the phone lines of Hossein Mousavi, the opposition leader, have been cut and his house cordoned off by police cars. Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi, a fellow opposition leader, have been under house arrest since last week, with Iranian authorities refusing a request by them to stage Monday's rally.

Debkafile is reporting the slogans brandished by the demonstrators in Iran called for Freedom! Death to the Dictator! and "Mobarak, Ben-Ali, novbat-e-Seyyed-Ali!" They were telling Seyyed-Ali aka supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that it was his turn to go after the Egyptian and Tunisian rulers. Another sign read: "Not Gaza, not Lebanon, but Tunis, Egypt and Iran," an expression of contempt for Iran's meddling in Hizballah and Hamas affairs and its cost to the Iranian people. We will see if the Obama administration has learned any lessons from their mistakes in Egypt and Iran.

The United States lost a lot of credibility with our regional allies for their bungling of the Egyptian crisis. The United States needs to do all they can to support the Iranians in their quest for regime change. The State Department and the Obama White House couldn't stay focused during the Egyptian crisis and it is being reported Obama is furious with Secretary of State Clinton for Obama's failure. Let's take a seat, grab an adult beverage and see what transpires this time.

****UPDATE******

Iran: Execute Protest Leaders

Iranian lawmakers are calling for the execution of two leading figures behind the mass anti-government protests that have rocked Tehran and other cities in the Islamic Republic. READ FULL STORY

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Egyptian President Mubarak resigns, gives power to military

According to Fox News, the head of the Egyptian ruling party says he expects President Muburak to respond to protesters demands tonight. Egyptian military officials say the armed forces' supreme council has been meeting all day long and will issue a communique shortly. In a statement televised on state television, the army said it had convened the meeting in response to the current political turmoil, and it would continue to convene such meetings according to Al Jazeera. Thursday's meeting was chaired by Defense Minister Mohamed Tantawi rather than President Muburak.

The announcement came as doctors in white lab coats and lawyers in black robes streamed into Cairo's Tahrir Square Thursday, linking striking workers with anti-government protesters to create powerful new momentum for calls to oust Mubarak. With its efforts to manage the crisis failing, the government threatened the army could crack down by imposing martial law.

This story is still Developing!

******UPDATE******

Embattled Egyptian President says he will pass on some of his authority to Vice President Suleiman, but will stay in office until the presidential elections in September. VP Suleiman spoke after Mubarak and called on protesters to go home and go back to work. Suleiman urged protesters not to listen to "international pressure", which may have been a slap at U.S. President Obama and his failed handling of the Egyptian crisis. President Obama seems to be confused and in over his head when it comes to the unfolding events in Egypt. There are reports that Saudi King Abdullah is furious with Mr. Obama and his apparent betrayal of President Mubarak. Sources disclose that the call, which Obama put into King Abdullah, brought US/Saudi relations into unparalleled crisis and placed the entire edifice of US-Iran and Middle East policies in jeopardy.

***UPDATE***

Friday, 02/11/11. President Mubarak resigns and hands over power to military.

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