"He echoed comments by State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, who said on Friday: 'This sale is designed to support the Bahraini military in its defence function, specifically in hardening the country against opposition groups and potential attack or nefarious activity by countries like Iran.'"

"Rula al-Saffar, whose appeal hearing is on Sunday, tells how she was tortured and jailed for treating injured protesters"

AA is good today.
And FLC
Arabist

Atrios

I remember the good old days when these kinds of things were just Chomskyian conspiracy theories. and serious people laughed at that silly man reading the entrails. Now politicians just feel comfortable saying them out loud

"Let’s get in on the ground. There is a lot of money to be made in the future in Libya. Lot of oil to be produced. Let’s get on the ground and help the Libyan people establish a democracy and a functioning economy based on free market principles."

Atrios again

Duh

Formed with a $10 million endowment from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies gathered captains of industry in a small circle — with the president’s son Gamal Mubarak at the center. Over time, members of the group would assume top roles in Egypt’s ruling party and government.

Can we just fucking stop this shit? It's fucked up and bullshit.

The irony isn't enough. DB is a small-minded provincial and pedant. He'll refer to Chomsky only in jest and link rarely to Cole, the liberal non-Arab, non-Muslim go-to guy for all things Islamic -though Cole defended the stupid, and illegal, Libya attacks- but if something gets too complex or the questions make him uncomfortable he'll stay away, or oversimplify and yell. I don't think I've ever read a complex argument from him or even seen a link to one.

"Israeli officials want a public commitment from Washington to protect the Saudi regime should it come under threat.."

Most important questions if examined resolve into simplicity, but not the simplicity you learned about in Kindergarten.

Google site search for "Israel" found this

Some Question U.S. Support For Israel

By Roger B. Fetcher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 31, 2002; Page A01

WASHINGTON, DC Since the signing of the Camp David accords, billions in U.S. foreign aid have gone to Israel. There is growing outrage by some about continued financial support of Israel, given the alleged human rights abuses of the Israeli government against Palestinians by the Sharon government.

David Duke, president of Americans in Support of Palestinian Freedom, a D.C.-based human rights group, said "Since last year, we have gotten well over 200 complaints of human rights abuses. It's time our lawmakers recognize these injustices."

That was of course a fake news story. Everyone get the point?

The switch in font size is in the original.
"David Duke, president of Americans in Support of Palestinian Freedom"

That and this are from 2002.

It is precisely because "elite" opinion betrays its inexplicable bias - devoting more column inches to lamenting uprooted olive trees in Palestinian settlements than to innocent Israeli victims of suicide bombers - that there is cause for alarm.

There are more, similarly offensive or stupid. The un-offensive posts by and large are written by others. He's made only three references to Israel in the past year, all of them minor. From arrogant speech to cowardly silence; call it progress.