Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Open Thread

A former Congressman has been indicted in a scheme that was purported to provide funds to a group linked to Al Qaeda...

A former congressman and delegate to the United Nations was indicted Wednesday as part of a terrorist fundraising ring that allegedly sent more than $130,000 to an al-Qaida and Taliban supporter who has threatened U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan.

The former Republican congressman from Michigan, Mark Deli Siljander, was charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice for allegedly lying about lobbying senators on behalf of an Islamic charity that authorities said was secretly sending funds to terrorists.

A 42-count indictment, unsealed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., accuses the Islamic American Relief Agency of paying Siljander $50,000 for the lobbying — money that turned out to be stolen from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The Michigan primary is over and now it's onto Nevada for the Dems.

Obama Aide: Clinton Is 'Prohibitive Favorite' in NevadaThe Nevada caucuses are still three days away, but the battle over what the eventual results will mean began in earnest this afternoon when The Fix received a phone call from David Plouffe, campaign manager for Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).

Plouffe was calling to set the record straight about the expectations game currently playing itself out in Nevada that seems to suggest that the Silver State is Obama's to lose following his endorsement last week by Local 226 of the Culinary Workers Union.

Those were the words of Obama's aid, David Ploufe. It is hard to know if this is posturing. It really matters not. None of the early states until Florida are likely to make much difference. It is unlikely that either Clinton or Obama will have any momentum going into super Tuesday and we have seen from the Reps how much momentum has been worth in the three first states...

The markets were relatively quiet today after the averages got hit hard yesterday.

Former Sec of State Lawrence Eagleburger wrote this on Red State...

He lay on a filthy palette in a small, dirty, stinking cell, with broken bones, cuts, and bruises; treated by his captors with the same brutality they used on all prisoners at the “Hanoi Hilton.” Seeing the chance for a propaganda coup, the North Vietnamese offered this young aviator the chance to return to the United States when they learned he was the son of the Admiral in command of the Pacific Fleet. The brave American refused the offer and remained a prisoner, through years of brutality and torture, until all of his fellow prisoners were released together.

I am, of course, talking about my candidate for President, Senator John McCain. I know that some (not jut Democrats) are saying, “Here we go again, playing the hero card. It’s not fair, irrelevant and has nothing to do with judging whether he is fit to be President.” I would agree with those who suggest that heroism should not be the only criterion for selecting a President. And while heroic military service isn’t a prerequisite to run for President, the experience of serving one’s country and the leadership skills gained from leading men in battle should be given due consideration. It is evidence of strength of character, particularly when it demonstrates a willingness to sacrifice one’s own well being to stand in solidarity with your fellow POWs.

AQI, desperate to stay relevant in Iraq, has found a new weapon: the female suicide bomber...

A woman wearing a vest lined with explosives blew herself up near Shiite worshippers in turbulent Diyala province north of the capital Wednesday, killing nine of them — the latest in a growing number of female suicide attacks.

Six people were wounded in the bombing in Khan Bani Saad, a town nine miles south of Baqouba, Diyala's provincial capital, police said.

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