You said you were going to post something about your meeting with Ali Larijani, but now that you're back in Washington you seem to have gotten distracted by Lincoln Chaffee and the cocktail circuit. Could you please let us know what you learned from Larijani beyond the two lines you quoted below?

The fact that you informed us all about Chafee's apperance on The Daily Show says something about how much pull this show really has.

I also like to point out that Merriam-Webster ran a poll to find out the word of the year. The winner was "truthiness," arguably not even a word. But none the less made up by Stewart's counterpart Stephen Colbert.

An interesting observation I suppose...

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: U.S. TEENAGERS FINANCING INSURGENCY THROUGH
PURCHASE OF FRIDAY PRAYER CDs
From: "MIND CONTROL CENTRA.L"
Date: Sun, January 1, 2006
10:36 pm To: "
From: MIND CONTROL CENTRAL
Date: 1/1/2006 9:57:28 PM
To: CIA MIND CONTROL AGENTS-REPORTERS
SPECIAL DIRECTIVE

Subject: MIND CONTROL CENTRAL – SPIKE ALL REPORTS ABOUT
IRAQI CHILD INSURGENT OMAR BIN HAFAR.

CHIEF ECONOMIST SAYS U.S. TEENAGERS FINANCING INSURGENCY
THROUGH PURCHASE OF FRIDAY PRAYER CDs RELEASED BY IRAQI
CHILD INSURGENT. TEENAGE GIRLS WEARING MODEST HEAD SCARVES
INSTEAD OF CORPORATE SLUT OUTFITS. SNOOP DOG THREATENS A
SPEECH.

DIRECTIVE 39-67 DATELINE/TEL AVIV

SECURITY LEVEL: RESTRICTED DISTRIBUTION/COMSPAN

GSI (Goyim Stupification Index): .89

RE: U.S. TEENAGERS FINANCING IRAKI INSURGENCY THROUGH
PURCHASE OF MUSICAL PRAYER CDs. RAP INDUSTRY INDIGNANT AS
PROFITS PLUMMET, CRACK SUPPLIERS FEAR HARD TIMES.

1/1/2006 9:57:28 PM

DIRECTIVE: SILENCE ALL REPORTS REGARDING ACTIVITIES OF
CHILD INSURGENT OMAR BIN HAFAR, THE 13 YEARS OLD IRAKI WHOSE
TANK HUNTER KILLER SQUADS HAVE TERRIFIED HOMO NEOCONS. OMAR
HAS DEVELOPED A GROWING UNDERGROUND FOLLOWING OF U.S. AND
EUROPEAN TEENAGERS WHO PURCHASE 13 YEAR OLD OMAR’S PRAYER
CDs AND FOLLOW HIS BATTLEFIELD EXPLOITS AS PERHAPS THE MOST
FEARLESS OF ALL THE IRAKI INSURGENTS LEADERS.

WHAT WAS ONCE RUMOR, BUT NOW LEGEND, CLAIMS THAT OMAR’S
MOTHER AND FATHER WERE TORTURED TO DEATH BY ISRAELI
INTERROGATORS OPERATING AT BAGHDAD INTL AIRPORT IN THE
OPENING WEEKS OF THE WAR. OMAR’S FATHER, WHO WAS REPUTEDLY
THE MEANEST ROUGHNECK IN ALL OF THE IRAKI OILFIELD, WAS
MISTAKEN FOR A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION BY A HOMO NEOCON
AND INTERROGATED AT THE SPECIALIZED PERMANENT INTERROGATION
CENTER (S.P.I.C.).

AN INSURGENT ASSAULT IN JUNE 2003 ALLOWED OMAR AND OTHER
CHILD DETAINEES TO ESCAPE, BUT NOT BEFORE BURNING WITH CANS
OF GASOLINE THE INTERROGATORS AT SPIC. CENTNIG OFFICIALS
CLAIM THAT OF THE ORIGINAL TWELVE CHILDREN WHO FORMED THE
“SONS OF IRON BRIGADE” ONLY OMAR HAS SURVIVED.

DESPITE THE FACT THAT SONS OF IRON ACCEPT ONLY WAR ORPAHS IN
THEIR RANKS, THEY NOW FIELD OVER 6,500 COMBATANTS THANKS IN
LARGE PART TO THE PASSOVER SLAUGHTER OF MUSLIM MEN IN
OCTOBER 2004. ALMOST ALL HUNT U.S. AND COALITION TANKS
EXCEPT FOR SQUADS OF ROVING ASSASSINS WHO STRIKE
COLLABORATORS (OMAR CALLS THEM REPTILES) AT NIGHT AND
USUALLY KILL ENTIRE FAMILIES.

U.S. ECONOMIC ADVISER PREDICTS IMMINENT COLLAPSE OF RAP
MUSTIC INDUSTRY RESULTING FROM MASSIVE WAVES OF BLACK URBAN
YOUTH (AND SOME WHITE TRASH)LISTENING TO PRAYER CSs,
STUDYING HISTORY AND MATHMATICS, AND READING SCRIPTURE.
IRATE ALEISTER CROWLEY SOCIETY MEMBERS HAVE URGED PRES. BUSH
TO INTERVENE. HQ ADVISES THAT OMAR BIN HAFAR IS A SUPERSTAR
IN THE THIRD WORLD BUT UNKNOWN IN USA AND BRITAIN. LET’S
KEEP IT THAT WAY. RUMORS CIRCULATING AMONG TEENAGERS ABOUT
OMAR’S ROLE IN THE TELEVISED COERCIVE ENEMAS GIVEN TO OLIVER
NORTH BY BRIGADE MEMBERS CAN BE BROADCAST AS FREQUENTLY AS
POSSIBLE.

I watched the show and Chafee seems like a really decent guy, honest/decent/down to earth, happy to criticize the Republicans - which I liked. The Republicans lost because they actively isolated good people like Chafee.

Does this mean Iraqi sunnis are, well f@#$ed?

WP: "Saudi Ambassador Abruptly Resigns, Leaves Washington"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/11/AR2006121101333.html

WP: "Saudi Arabia is so concerned about the damage that the conflict in Iraq is doing across the region that it basically summoned Vice President Cheney for talks over the weekend, according to U.S. officials and foreign diplomats."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/27/AR2006112701398.html

Laura Rozen: "Tilt to the Shiites, advocated by Cheney's office. Who reported that before? Oh yeah, me, back on November 16th, in the LAT"
http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/005298.html

Does anyone know why the Ambassador had to go so suddenly? Does the guy who lived abroad his whole live suddenly want to spend more time with family that has been ill for a year? I could see how Saudi Arabia considered the threat of the US backing Iranian born Hakim as remote, until recently, thus getting them rather upset rather quick by what may have been a big surprise.

I like the daily show as much as the next guy but some real journalism would be appreciated at this moment. Not the stuff the WP copied from their "Saudi ambasodor death at FILL IN AGE" story.

heh. Meanwhile, Turki al-Faisal slips outta town - 'to spend more time with his familiy'.

http://tinyurl.com/y34g5r

Two points:

1) This interview made an interesting contrast with the interview on The Colbert Report later that same night, with a clueless Republican from Georgia who had no idea that Corbert was making fun of the Republican campaign agenda.

2) This also reinforces a small paper I wrote earlier this year talking about how the electoral system is purging the moderates in both parties, leaving the extremes in place. In fact, it was more complicated than that (isn't it always) with the results in Montana and Virginia, but it truly was alarming to hear Chaffee talk about how the number of self-identified "Republican moderates" has gone from five to three this year, and how the conservative leadership of his party so consistently ignores any voice of reason, even from its own supporters.

Oh, and one other thing: Nobody mentioned Chuck Hagel. Granted I have only heard him talk about Iraq, but that speach made me wonder, why is he even a Republican? What are his stances on other issues, such as fiscal responsibility, performance accountability, and real morality in public life? Is he against them, like other Republicans?

Gotta love the Washington Post...from the article about al-Faisal's resignation...

"Young Saudi men have joined the Sunni insurgency as foreign fighters, while there have been persistent reports that Saudi citizens have provided financial aid to the Sunni insurgency."

Now, what we are talking about here when we talk about "foreign fighters" is al Qaeda, pure and simple -- same goes for the "Sunni insurgency" being funded by "Saudi citizens".

Why the post doesn't say as much is a pretty big question...

Turki's resignation is not good for those who want a new US direction in the Middle East. He was a guy who played hardball with the Bush crowd -- and was far better in my view than his predecessor Bandar.

-- Steve Clemons

I hope someone will get the back-story(ies) on the prince's precipitous departure ...

I mean, the man doesn't even have the time to say his good-bye to the Dicks on Dons?

'[He] will return briefly in January after the Hajj pilgrimage, the busiest time of the year in the kingdom, to say formal goodbyes, according to an Arab official.'

Sneaks out of town in the middle of the proverbial night? To 'spend more time with his family'?

maybe Turki has finally comprehended that playing with these idiots ("hardball" or not) is a waste of time.

maybe he wants to skip the kabuki performance we all will be observing for the next 2 years.

"the Hajj pilgrimage, the busiest time of the year in the kingdom" says the Saudi goverment?

are you kidding me!!!???

I lived in SA for two years. While there are many Saudis who work hard directly servicing the Hajj pilgrims for two months before, during, and two months after, the period of the Hajj itself is generally a time of total inaction.

All Saudi ministries are closed (admitedly because quite a few of the employees are in Mecca working to take care of the Hajjis). No work OTHER than Hajj related takes place. The embassy would simply shut down for the entire week, because what's the point?

We drove to Jordan one year, and had a problem at the border. The officials there could not call the ministry in Jidda for help, because there was no one there to answer the phone.

The Hajj is NOT the busiest time of year in SA. There is no such thing!!

Chafee was terrible! Jon Stewart seemed to be trying as hard as he could to get a decent interview out of the guy, but it was (IMHO) quite painful to watch. He couldn't think of a single thing he was proud of during his tenure in the Senate? The saddest part was, it looked like he was really trying to come up with something, and then the interview was over. The phrase "deer in the headlights" kept ringing through my head every time he smiled. This was the first time I've heard him speak, and I just hope he was better on the floor of the Senate.

i did vote by absentee ballot against Chafee because We needed to take back control of our goverment. He was a victim of his party.
I also agree that the electoral system is passe and should be abolish.

Hey not stupid - You agree with whom that the electoral system is passe and should be abolish? Even if you were in the votiing booth, I think you'd still be voting absentee.