Obama told me so: 10/18/14

Saturday, 18 October 2014

Fars: Moqbel to return Beirut with Iran military aid

Nasrallah: Hezbollah prioritizes the war on terror

Counterterrorism and preserving stability in Lebanon are Hezbollah’s main priorities, party leader Sayyed Hassan...

Army detains 11 in raids after arms cache found

Saqr preps for Tripoli militant prosecution

The Military Prosecutor Judge requests that Lebanese Army Intelligence finalize preliminary investigations for...

Hariri: Hour of reckoning coming for Hasan's killers

BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Saturday that the time would come when the killers of Wissam al-Hasan, the security chief who was killed in a car bomb in 2012, would pay for their crime, remembering the family friend as a “true statesman.”

“They assassinated him just like they did [former Prime Minister] Rafik Hariri. ... The criminal is one regardless of their various names and descriptions. The hour of reckoning is coming no matter how long it takes,” Hariri said on the second anniversary of Hasan’s assassination.

Hasan was 47 when he was killed in a car bomb on Oct. 19, 2012, as his vehicle passed through a bustling Beirut neighborhood. His driver and a passer-by were also killed in the explosion.

“Hasan was part of our lives, an element of trust and became a brother and a son in the house of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,” Hariri said. “But Lebanon's loss is bigger than mine and cannot be briefly described.”

Hariri said Hasan introduced a modern and developed approach to security that was now a basis for security agencies in Lebanon, “which are bearing unprecedented responsibility in protecting national security and civil peace.”

He said the head of the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch was able to overcome his "political commitments" and offer a true model for a statesman without differentiating between the Lebanese.

The March 14 coalition has accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of being behind the assassination while others went so far as blaming Hezbollah for the killing of Hasan, who uncovered Israeli spy networks and an assassination attempt in Lebanon that was allegedly backed by the Syrian regime.

At the ISF headquarters in Beirut, ISF chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous and Brig. Gen. Imad Othman, the head of the Information Branch, laid wreaths at the bottom of a statue of Hasan at the courtyard, which was built following his assassination.

A Candidate With Low Poll Numbers, But High Hopes

Dr. Doug Butzier died on duty this week. He was 59 and crashed in his own small plane flying home to Dubuque, Iowa.

Doug Butzier was a former paramedic who put himself through medical school and became chief of the emergency room and medical staff at Mercy Medical Center and the Dubuque Fire Department. An EMS supervisor named Wayne Dow told the Dubuque Telegraph Herald, "We adored him ... He appreciated what we did, and he never forgot where he came from."

Dr. Butzier leaves behind his wife, two sons, and three step-children.

At the time he died, Doug Butzier was flying home alone from a campaign rally. He was the Libertarian candidate for the U.S. Senate in Iowa, and polls showed him winning only about 2 percent of the vote.

These are the last couple of weeks of the campaign season. Candidates, parties and news sources follow polls every few minutes, like the lines on a thermometer in the mouth of a flu patient.

National political parties make unsentimental decisions not to pour any more money into candidates who are well behind in polls, because it would just stuff dollars down a drainpipe.

News organizations clamp a phrase onto a candidate's name — "running behind in the polls" — which stamps them as a lost cause.

The candidates in low digits show up at rallies and roar, "The only poll that counts is on election day," which is true, but can sound a little desperate and wild-eyed.

I have covered a lot more candidates who have lost than won. I've begun to see something glorious in candidates who must know they will lose, but still show up to shake hands in a chilly dawn at a plant gate or train platform, then do a round of radio shows where an interviewer tries to stump them by asking them the name of the foreign minister of Bulgaria, which the questioner himself has only just looked up.

The Bulgarian Foreign Minister is Daniel Mitov, by the way.

But the candidates still plunge through forums, rallies and community meetings where strangers ask, "Which one are you?" "Why doesn't anyone tell the truth about the moon landing?" And: "Why don't you just campaign on Tumblr?" They might be low in the polls, but their name is on the ballot. They have a role to play in making democracy go round, and go on in the hope that somewhere down the line something they say may catch fire in a few minds and lead to change. And sometimes, over time, it does.

Those candidates like Dr. Doug Butzier, with single or low double digits, may have only a small hope of winning. But they can give a lot of hope.

Supreme Court Lets Texas Enforce Voter ID Law For Nov. Election

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The Supreme Court early Saturday declined to block a Texas Voter ID law for the November election. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

itoggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The Supreme Court early Saturday declined to block a Texas Voter ID law for the November election.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The Supreme Court has refused to block a Texas voter identification law for the November election – the first time in decades that the justices have allowed such a law to stand after a lower federal court had deemed it restrictive and unconstitutional.

The ruling came just after 5 a.m. on Saturday. Three justices dissented.

The Associated Press writes:

"The law was struck down by a federal judge last week, but a federal appeals court had put that ruling on hold. The judge found that roughly 600,000 voters, many of them black or Latino, could be turned away at the polls because they lack acceptable identification. Early voting in Texas begins Monday."

Lyle Denniston of Scotus Blog calls the decision "a stinging defeat for the Obama administration and a number of civil rights groups."

Denniston says: "The Justice Department has indicated that the case is likely to return to the Supreme Court after the appeals court rules. Neither the Fifth Circuit Court's action so far nor the Supreme Court's Saturday order dealt with the issue of the law's constitutionality. The ultimate validity of the law, described by Saturday's dissenters as 'the strictest regime in the country,' probably depends upon Supreme Court review."

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented.

"The greatest threat to public confidence in elections in this case is the prospect of enforcing a purposefully discriminatory law, one that likely imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and risks denying the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of eligible voters," Ginsburg wrote in the dissent.

The AP says of the Texas law that it "sets out seven forms of approved ID - a list that includes concealed handgun licenses but not college student IDs, which are accepted in other states with similar measures."

Earlier this month, the high court put on hold a similar law in Wisconsin.

The U.S. District Court that ruled the law unconstitutional and compared it to a poll tax in finding that purposely discriminated against minority voters.

In Alaska Race For Governor, Democrats Try An Unusual Tactic: Dropping Out

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Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell was supposed to be cruising to re-election, but he's now in a serious contest against a non-partisan ticket. Mark Thiessen/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Mark Thiessen/AP

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell was supposed to be cruising to re-election, but he's now in a serious contest against a non-partisan ticket.

Mark Thiessen/AP

This November, for the first time since Alaska became a state, the ballot won't include a Democratic candidate for governor. The Democrats had a candidate, Byron Mallott, but around Labor Day, he dropped out — in order to sign up as a running mate for a non-partisan candidate named Bill Walker.

His decision to drop out was part of a negotiated deal between the Democrat and Walker, neither of whom had enough support on his own to beat the incumbent Republican, Sean Parnell.

At an event announcing the new Walker-Mallott "unity ticket," Mallott said that he had "forged a friendship," with Walker over the summer, on the campaign trail. And they realized they had a lot in common.

Still, the merger was potentially disturbing to the Democratic base, given that Walker was a registered Republican and a social conservative. In an ad partly paid for by the AFL-CIO, Mallott seems to be reassuring Democrats that he's sticking to his principles, even as he makes common cause with Walker.

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Independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker greets Anchorage middle school students before a candidates forum in April. Walker used to be a registered Republican, but now he says he wants to move past party labels. Dan Joling/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Dan Joling/AP

Dan Joling/AP

"I know deep down who I am, as does Bill, in terms of our core philosophies and core values and I'm absolutely comfortable in our ability to work together," Mallott says in the ad.

As part of the deal with the Democrats, Walker changed his voter registration from "Republican" to "undeclared." At a recent candidate debate, he emphasized his desire to get past party labels.

"My — OUR administration will be not bipartisan, it will be NO-partisan," Walker said. "We're going to do what's best for Alaska, not necessarily what's best for one party or another party."

Alaska has a history of candidates who run outside party affiliation, often successfully. But political pros in Alaska are skeptical that the Walker-Mallott ticket heralds a new age of post-partisan politics.

"That's marketing and spin," says Marc Hellenthal, a pollster based in Anchorage. He says the Democrats' decision to sit this one out is a tactic designed to break the Republican dominance of Alaska state government.

"This is trying to win the governorship, and get rid of Parnell," he says.

It seems to be working. Since the creation of the unity ticket, Walker has surged — in at least one poll, he's ahead of Gov. Parnell. Walker is pooling the votes of Alaskans who are suspicious of the governor for his ties to the oil industry, and who don't like the way he's handled a sexual assault scandal in the Alaska National Guard.

Parnell is fighting back by casting doubt on the viability of the "unity ticket."

"There's no direction, but there's internal conflict," Parnell said at the same debate. He pointed out Walker's unwillingness to back a candidate in the race for U.S. Senate, even though the Democratic candidate, Sen. Mark Begich, has endorsed Walker.

"That right there highlights the problem with a non-partisan, bipartisan ticket," Parnell said.

His campaign has also been reminding Democratic voters that Walker is personally a social conservative, though he says those issues wouldn't be a priority for his administration. "Bill Walker Can't Hide From Social Issues," is the headline on a recent Parnell press release. It calls attention to recent federal rulings striking down Alaska's ban on gay marriage. Parnell has been fighting in court to save that ban, and the release says Walker would have to make similar choices.

"This is an example of how social issues find their way to a governor's desktop, whether he or she wants them there or not," the release says.

The Walker-Mallott ticket would rather campaign on budget issues. State spending has become a hot topic, because the state relies so heavily on oil money — and Alaska's oil production is in a long-term decline. Under Parnell, the state has run deficits, and has had to dip into reserve funds. Walker campaign aide Ron Clarke says his candidate is trying to restore a sense of realism about the state's long-term fiscal health.

"We've now raised more than an entire generation of people that pay no state-wide taxes and get free money every October, yet the state services keep coming," Clarke says. "The roads get plowed, the streets get paved, all this stuff happens, I don't know, maybe people think it's done by elves in the night."

Walker has said he wants to close those deficits, either by cutting spending or finding new revenues, or both.

All of which puts Alaska Democrats in the awkward position of backing a socially conservative budget hawk for governor. And yet, they appear ready to do just that.

"How can you possibly be troubled by him? He's a great guy," says Dave Kuibiak. He's a resident of Kodiak Island, and describes himself as far left on the political spectrum. But he's eager to vote for Bill Walker.

"We gotta have a change. And Walker's... Alaskan!" he says.

Faced with the Republican party's utter dominance of state government, Alaska Democrats seem to have decided that the enemy of their enemy... is their candidate.

North Lebanon mufti: Fifth column destabilizing Tripoli

BEIRUT: A fifth column is working to destabilize Tripoli, north Lebanon Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar warned Saturday, blaming recent attacks on the Lebanese Army on foreign provocateurs.

"Everything that is happening is the act of foreign individuals. The problem is not between the residents of the north and the Army or between Muslims and Christians or even Shiites and Sunnis, there is a fifth column that wants to destabilize,” Shaar told reporters after meeting Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X Yazigi at Balamand Monastery near Tripoli.

“But Tripoli and the north will remain as Lebanon’s beating heart full of love, unity and cooperation and I think that religious figures generally should act as the safety net for our national course.”

Shaar was referring to repeated attacks against the military, with the recent most one Friday's killing of a 19-year-old soldier riding a military bus on his way to work in Tripoli.

On Sept. 23, gunmen shot dead a soldier in the northern city of Tripoli. A soldier died in a bomb blast in Tripoli on Oct. 7, while another serviceman was killed in an attack in the Akkar district two days later by gunmen on a motorbike.

The attacks reflect simmering tensions following the fierce battles between Lebanese troops and ISIS and Nusra Front militants in the northeastern town of Arsal in early August. The militants are still holding hostage 27 soldiers and policemen captured during the fighting.

Speaking to reporters, Shaar, who spent nearly a year in 2013 outside Lebanon for security reasons, also said that he discussed with Yazigi the upcoming Christian-Muslim summit in cooperation with Dar al-Fatwa, the country's highest Sunni authority.

"This summit will be an opportunity to raise a unified voice about or national principles,” he said.

Weekly Address: What You Need To Know About Ebola

President Obama Delivers the Weekly Address on Ebola Response

President Barack Obama tapes the Weekly Address in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. October 17, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

In this week’s address, the President discussed what the United States is doing to respond to Ebola, both here at home and abroad, and the key facts Americans need to know. There is no country better prepared to confront the challenge Ebola poses than the U.S. and although even one case here at home is too many, the country is not facing an outbreak of the disease. Our medical professionals tell us Ebola is difficult to catch, and is only transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is showing symptoms.

The President made clear that he and his entire administration will continue to do everything possible to prevent further transmission of the disease domestically, and to contain and end the Ebola epidemic at its source in West Africa.

Transcript | mp4 | mp3

ISF disciplines policemen over airport dispute

Kurds thwart new jihadist bid to cut off Syria town

Kurdish forces in the Syrian town of Kobani repulse a new attempt by ISIS fighters to cut off the border with Turkey...

Lebanese Army arrests 15 Syrians, seizes ISIS flags

Refugees evacuated after heavy rains flood north Lebanon

The Lebanese Red Cross Saturday morning evacuated 90 Syrian refugees in north Lebanon due to heavy floods, which also...

UN envoy for Syria holds talks with Iranian ambassador in Beirut

BEIRUT: U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura held talks with the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Friday before he left for Tehran, saying Iran should be consulted on Syrian and regional affairs.

His meeting with Mohammad Fathali was mainly in preparation for de Mistura’s visit to Tehran Saturday as part of his tour in the region, including Lebanon where he held talks with several government and party officials.

The Iranian ambassador offered his assessment of the situation in Syria, the U.N. office in Beirut said.

“The special envoy was attentive and noted it was important that Iran remain consulted on this and other files in the region,” the envoy's office said in a statement.

During his two-day visit to Beirut, the envoy met with several officials, including Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem, and discussed the crisis in Syria.

Discussions with Lebanese figures centered on the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon and the need for a solution to end the conflict in neighboring Syria.

Lebanese authorities shut down warehouse with expired meds

BEIRUT: Authorities shut down a warehouse in the Bekaa Valley for containing expired medications and supplements, the National News Agency reported Saturday.

A unit from State Security along with members from the Health Directorate in the Bekaa sealed off the warehouse in the village of Majdal Anjar for containing expired meds.

The case was referred to the judiciary for investigation.

Lebanon no longer receiving refugees: Derbas

Lebanon has stopped allowing the entry of Syrian refugees into the country except for a humanitarian reasons to be...

Refugees evacuated after heavy rains flood north Lebanon

The Lebanese Red Cross Saturday morning evacuated 90 Syrian refugees in north Lebanon due to heavy floods, which also...

Army rounds up terrorist suspects after soldier killed

TRIPOLI, Lebanon: The Lebanese Army Friday stepped up its campaign against militants, arresting more than 40 suspects, hours after a soldier was killed in an attack on a military bus in the north, in the fourth such deadly assault in less than month.

The Army identified the victim as Jamal Jean Hashem, a 19-year-old private, who was instantly killed in the predawn attack on the bus transporting troops to their post on the Bireh road in the northern Akkar district.

Following the attack, troops staged a series of massive raids in a number of Syrian refugee camps in the village of Khirbet Daoud and other areas, rounding up 41 Syrians and three Lebanese suspected of committing subversive acts, the military said in a statement.

Some military equipment along with a van vehicle and nine motorcycles without license plates were also confiscated during the raids, the statement added.

A senior military official said the attacks will not deter the Army from continuing its campaign against terrorist groups. “On the contrary, the Army has stepped up its security measures by rounding up a large number of terror suspects following Friday’s attack,” the official told The Daily Star.

The slain soldier’s body was taken to Salam Hospital in his hometown of Qobeiyat, while sorrow and grief gripped the village as residents blocked the main road in protest.

Friday’s was the latest in a series of attacks targeting the Army in the north, reflecting simmering tensions following the fierce battles between Lebanese troops and ISIS and Nusra Front militants in the northeastern town of Arsal in early August. The militants are still holding hostage 27 soldiers and policemen captured during the fighting.

Meanwhile, young men fired gunshots in the air as they marched in Tripoli to mourn the death of Mohammad al-Maneh, a man from Beddawi who was killed in a shootout with the Army Thursday.

The gunfire startled residents, months after a security plan ended the deadly series of clashes between rival neighborhoods Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen.

In a separate statement, the military said two patrol units came under fire while an unidentified person tossed a hand grenade at one of its posts in al-Bisar neighborhood of Tripoli. There were no casualties.

Soldiers responded to the source of the gunfire and were in pursuit of the perpetrators.

A security source said another Lebanese soldier was wounded when an Army patrol in Zahriyeh, Tripoli, came under fire. He was identified as Jamal Ashek.

Shortly afterward, the Army found a 200 gram homemade bomb near a shop in the Tripoli neighborhood of Abi Samra. Experts safely detonated the explosive device.

The raid against Syrians in Khirbet Daoud came after Lebanese troops searched the house of Atef Saadeddine, a soldier who had deserted the Army, the source said. A man was arrested in the Tripoli neighborhood of Akoumi for his involvement in opening fire on an Army checkpoint in a previous attack, the source added.

Elsewhere, a Lebanese suspect, identified as Ibrahim Bohlok, was arrested Friday for his involvement in the Arsal clashes, the source said.

Media reports claimed that Bohlok had confessed to killing Army Col. Noureddine Jamal during the Arsal fighting. But this could not be confirmed by military officials.

For his part, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk warned the Army’s attackers that they would be hunted down and prosecuted.

“Neither your turbans nor your beards will protect you, criminals,” Machnouk said at a conference organized by the Kataeb Party on the role of municipalities in maintaining security. “We will be on the lookout for you.”

His comments largely echoed those made by former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. “We call on the security forces to arrest the culprits and inflict on them a just [severe] punishment,” Siniora said.

General Security agents discovered 600 grams of explosives along with some arms and ammunition in the southern village of Khartoum, a General Security source said.

Separately, Defense Minister Samir Moqbel will head to Tehran Saturday to discuss the pledged military aid to the Lebanese Army, his office said.

A statement released by the Iranian Embassy earlier this week said the aid would only include weapons and ammunition, but could open the doors to new, more sophisticated military support in the future.