RUTHFULLY YOURS

It’s official: U.S. now relies on Russia and Iran in Middle East.

The Wall Street Journal report that Russian aircraft had bombed a supposedly secret U.S.-British base on the Syrian border with Jordan last month should raise the hackles of everyone in the presidential race and Middle East policymakers everywhere. It proved, redundantly, the comprehensive failure of Obama’s policies in the Middle East, particularly his more than two-year war against ISIS.

The base was reportedly used by U.S. and British special forces to stop ISIS fighters from coming to Syria from Jordan and for other anti-ISIS missions. A British special forces unit had apparently left the base less than a day before the attack. There were no reports of U.S. or allied casualties, which doesn’t mean there weren’t any.

The attack had the objective of goading us into sharing more intelligence information with the Russians. Sure enough, it worked. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Moscow last week to offer greater sharing of U.S. intelligence with the Russians. (Kerry added a clause to the document he signed stating that if the Russians bombed our bases again we could — might, maybe, perhaps — suspend cooperation.)

Kerry made this agreement despite the rather loud objection by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and the quieter opposition of Defense Secretary Carter.

Several conclusions must be drawn from Kerry’s actions. First, it is clear that Obama and Kerry have long since decided that Russia and Iran — the two nations whose forces have occupied Syria and protect Bashar al-Assad’s regime — will be the nations who should create a new stability in the Middle East. (Obama said, when peddling his Iran nuclear deal, that Iran could be a force for stability in the Middle East.)

Second, that Obama is entirely comfortable with the fact that the “stability” he wants in the Middle East would be accomplished by the force of arms of our enemies, to our strategic disadvantage and that of our ally, Israel. He either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care that a Russian and Iranian-dominated Middle East means war, not peace, and that such wars could engulf the whole region and us as well. When — not if — Iran achieves its nuclear weapons ambitions, that war could be the first in which nations exchange nuclear strikes against each other.

Obama has misplayed all our cards in the Middle East. There are none left for the next president except to gradually undo what Obama has done.

Exposes of secret agreements signed with Iran regarding its nuclear agenda should come as no surprise.President Obama made no secret that a nuclear deal with Iran was a priority of his, and he determined to keep most of his dealings with the Mullahs from the American people. When the first Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement, which was supposed to freeze “key parts of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for temporary relief from some economic sanctions” was signed in November 2013, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared that the deal recognized Tehran’s “right” to maintain its enrichment program. Shortly afterward, Secretary Kerry was quoted by the Washington Post – a participant in the White House’s “echo chamber” as saying

that the “agreement…states they could only do that by mutual agreement and nothing is agreed on until everything is agreed on.” But skeptics who questioned Kerry’s frequent denials of Iran’s boasting of “victories” with the agreement, should feel vindicated.

Yesterday, a leaked document to the Associated Press revealed a secret agreement allowing Iran to replace 5,060 inefficient centrifuges with 3,500 advanced machines, which are “five times more efficient.” The upgrade , which is supposed to take place in ten years from now, will enable Iran to develop nuclear weapons in six months. So when Obama declared: “Under this agreement, Iran is never allowed to build a nuclear weapon – period,” he was fully aware this was not true.

I was not a supporter of Donald Trump….I preferred Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio….but reality bites…Trump won….fair and square….there were no dead people voting, no voter intimidation, no fraud, and no coercion. Newly registered Republicans stood on line for hours to cast their vote.The alternative is Hillary of Chappaquadick, and that is enough for me to vote for and aver my support for Donald Trump without fear of the self-righteous limo liberals and death by dinner party.

The bitter clingers to # Elections Don’t Matter Trump dumpsters won’t relent. Kasich who called himself “the grownup of the debates” is acting like a spoiled brat by boycotting the convention in his own state; Lindsey Graham is preening; John McCain is posturing; Jeb and the Bushites are pouting; Romney who could not debate the overt lies and distortions of Benghazi, is licking his wounds in New Hampshire.

And today, my favorite conservative National Review Online has the following headlines:

Never Trump, Now More than Ever by David French
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438092/republican-convention-why-never-trump-movement-still-matters

Donald Trump Will Fail the Heroes Who Endorsed Him by David French
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438063/donald-trump-foreign-policy-american-retreat-2016-gop-convention

GOP Convention Has Become a Stomach-Churning Affair by Jonah Goldberg
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438075/2016-gop-convention-failure-donald-trump

Trump’s Weaknesses Are on Full Display in Cleveland by Michael Tanner
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438060/2016-gop-convention-donald-trump-weaknesses-full-display

Donald Trump’s Brand Is Tarnished by His Cheapness by John Fund
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438079/donald-trumps-cheapness-harms-trump-brand

Fortunately in the same issue Jim Geraghty clarifies things:

http://www.nationalreview.com/node/438057/print

“Yes, Donald Trump is a flawed messenger for the case against Hillary Clinton, but that doesn’t make the message any less true or compelling. The decision by a lot of big-name Republican lawmakers to skip the Cleveland convention was a blessing in disguise, because it cleared the stage for ordinary Americans who suffered the cruel, random, and deadly consequences of the Obama administration’s policies.”

Yup! rsk

Veteran Associated Press IAEA reporter George Jahn made news yesterday by revealing a secret agreement to the July 2015 nuclear deal with Iran (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA). This agreement says that in January 2027, Tehran will be allowed to replace the primitive 5,060 uranium centrifuges it is allowed to operate while the nuclear agreement is in effect with more-advanced designs, even though other restrictions on Iranian uranium enrichment remain in place for 15 years.

I believe this is a significant development because it represents another secret JCPOA side deal that the Obama administration illegally withheld from Congress.

This agreement means that in only eleven years, Iran will be permitted to substantially increase its capability to produce nuclear fuel faster and in larger amounts. Since Iran is permitted to conduct R&D on advanced centrifuges while the JCPOA is in place — and can expand this effort after eight and a half years — it probably will be able to quickly construct and install these advanced centrifuges.

Jahn reported that although this undisclosed, confidential agreement is “an integral part” of the JCPOA, Iran will not be permitted to accumulate more than 300 kilograms of low-enriched uranium for 15 years. In light of recent reports that the Iranians are already cheating on the nuclear agreement, it is hard to believe that they will continue to abide by this restriction after they install more-advanced centrifuges .

Some media outlets responded to Jahn’s story as a major revelation. I agree but for different reasons from what many are laying out. It’s not news that Iran can begin enriching under the JCPOA with advanced centrifuges after ten years. I reported this in my new book, Obamabomb: A Dangerous and Growing National Security Threat. I’ve also explained that there is no limit on the number of uranium centrifuges Iran can operate after ten years.

What is news is that the Obama administration is a party to another secret side deal to the JCPOA that explicitly recognizes Iran’s plan to greatly expand its uranium-enrichment program. Other secret side deals include one that allows Iran to inspect itself on possible nuclear-weapons-related work and another that possibly weakened IAEA reporting on Iran’s nuclear program.

There’s an iconic scene in the Star Wars trilogy where the protagonistic smuggler, Lando Calrissian, bitterly notes that a deal he struck with the evil Darth Vader is “getting worse all the time.” That exasperated sentiment strikes the right tone for the way many now view the deeply flawed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), alternatively known as the Iran Deal.

To refer to the Iran Deal as deeply flawed is in fact, a gross understatement. The JCPOA contained many disquieting clauses that many, including Obama’s supporters, saw as gravely dangerous. The deal made a mockery out of Obama’s claims that Iran’s nuclear facilities would be subjected to “anytime anywhere” inspections. In fact, under the deal, Iran is permitted to delay inspections by up to twenty-four days. Moreover, the opaque Parchin facility, where Iran has conducted its most secretive nuclear experiments, continues to remain largely off limits to international inspectors.

It now comes to light a secret addendum to the deal permits the Iranians to reduce their breakout time – the time needed to produce enough weapons-grade material sufficient for the manufacture of nuclear weapons – from one year to just six months or perhaps even less. According to a secret document obtained by the Associated Press, key restrictions on Iran’s ability to enrich uranium taper off after a decade. Under this addendum, the Iranians will be permitted to replace their older, inefficient centrifuges – the machines that enrich uranium – with more modern and efficient ones. The newer centrifuges are in fact up to five times more efficient than the models they would be replacing. Moreover, according to the document, the Iranians will be allowed to conduct research and development on even more advanced centrifuges.

The Obama administration has repeatedly stated that its goal was to hold Iran to a one-year breakout period. Any timeframe less than that would represent a serious threat to national security and would endanger allies. But Obama, faced with multiple foreign policy failures, badly needed to secure at least one success and consequently, shoved a badly flawed agreement – the worst in U.S. diplomatic history, down America’s throat.

He employed his unscrupulous shills, including the notorious Ben Rhodes, to feed lies and falsehoods to the American people. Those fabrications were then skillfully magnified by manipulating elements within the media to repeat the administration’s talking points. Organizations like the anti-Israel J-Street were also employed for this dastardly task. “We created an echo chamber,” a smug Rhodes admitted with self-satisfaction.

Expect the Obama administration to take more victory laps this week by claiming Iran has complied with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal that reached its first anniversary on July 14. However, recent press reports paint a very different picture, one that confirms its critics’ worst fears: massive Iranian violations of the agreement.

In an annual security report issued this month, German intelligence said Iran made a clandestine effort last year to acquire illicit nuclear technology and equipment from German companies at a “quantitatively high level,” and that “it is safe to expect that Iran will continue its intensive procurement activities in Germany using clandestine methods to achieve its objectives.” A German intelligence agency reported 141 clandestine Iranian attempts to acquire nuclear and missile technology in 2015 versus 83 in 2013.

According to a July 7 memo from the Institute for Science and International Security, Iran recently tried, unsuccessfully, to covertly purchase tons of high-strength carbon fiber, which it uses to make rotors for uranium enrichment centrifuges. Under the JCPOA, Iran is required to seek approval for such purchases from a JCPOA procurement working group. The Institute said the JCPOA group probably would not have approved this sale, since Iran has enough carbon fiber to replace the rotors of centrifuges it is permitted to operate under the agreement.

In a separate report, the Institute said many Iranian entities that had been sanctioned for illicit nuclear and missile procurement but were relieved of these sanctions by the JCPOA in January “are now very active in procuring goods in China.”

Many other troubling reports indicate the JCPOA is much worse and much weaker than its critics believed. These include:

ExemptingChina’s redesign and rebuilding of the Arak heavy-water reactor from the JCPOA procurement process.

Iran placing military facilities off-limits to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.

The Iranian parliament approving a much weaker version of the agreement.

Willful ignorance and delusion, a huge problem since 9/11, is only getting worse.http://spectator.org/the-lessons-we-refuse-to-learn/

Today’s beginning of the Republican convention follows a week that, in nearly perfect fashion, demonstrated how thoroughly America and its allies have refused to learn the lessons terrorists have taught us over the past fifteen years.

The reactions to the terrorist attacks in Nice, France and Obama’s response to the attempted coup in Turkey each illustrate that refusal to learn.

Mizz Clinton seemed to inch away from the Obama dogma that Islam and terrorism have nothing to do with each other. In response to questions from CNN’s Anderson Cooper the terrorist attack in Nice she said we are at war with “Radical jihadists who use Islam to recruit and radicalize others in order to pursue their evil agenda.”

She couldn’t bring herself to connect Islam and terrorism. Hours after the Nice attack, on Twitter, she stuck to the Obama line, saying “Let’s be clear: Islam is not our adversary. Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism.”

Reacting to the coup attempt against Turkish President Erdogan, a committed Islamist radical, Obama said all factions in Turkey should support Erdogan, despite his resolve to stamp out his nation’s secular democracy. Obama said not one word about that.

The FBI, meanwhile, proclaimed that there was no evidence that the Orlando nightclub massacre occurred at the “Focus” club because it was a favorite of homosexuals. This, of course, despite Islam’s prohibition of homosexuality, its prescription of the death penalty as a remedy, and the perpetrator’s proclamation of loyalty to ISIS and shouts of “Allahu Akbar” while he slaughtered his victims. The FBI has apparently, and dangerously, surrendered to political correctness.

Though America has prevented itself from learning since the Twin Towers fell on 9/11, at least we’ve not fallen as low as have the French.

Did John Kerry assume that nobody would challenge him on the Obama administration’s stubborn claim that it is winning the fight against ISIS? In the face of bloodshed at home from ISIS, the claim deserves questioning. But somehow, John Kerry appeared to flounder when Jake Tapper of CNN presented an obvious critique to him. Via Tim Hains of RCP:

In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday morning, Secretary of State John Kerry gave an assessment of how the war against ISIS is going.

“Daesh,” Kerry said, referencing an alternative name for the group, “is under great, great pressure… They are shrinking. We’ve taken back 40 percent and 45 percent of the territory they held in Iraq and we’re squeezing town after town.”

“With all due respect, sir,” Tapper interjected. “I’m not sure it looks that way to the public that ISIS is on the run… In the last few weeks we have seen a series of ISIS inspired attacks and 49 killed in Orlando and 45 killed in Istanbul and more than 200 killed in Baghdad and 84 in Nice.”

“It depends on where you mean ISIS,” Kerry responded. “If you’re saying that one person standing up one day and killing people is a reflection of ISIS moving in Iraq and Syria, I think you’re dead wrong.”

“It depends on where you mean ISIS” is not quite as bad as “It depends on what the meaning of is is,” but it is too close for comfort.

The babble from Kerry offers no response, much less comfort, to Americans worried about being mowed down by a truck at a beach, shopping mall, or other location not yet imagined. Of course, the basic facts do not offer Kerry a lot of material to work with. Obama pulled troops out of Iraq, allowing ISIS to rise, and now, instead of ending the war, Obama has succeeded in bringing the war to the Western countries.

The road to the future is filled with potholes. This metaphorical sentence speaks to a world war already in process. Despite denials from the present U.S. administration, the war is organized, promoted and managed by radical Islamists. Driven by an ideology, these religious fanatics want to undermine the West so that a global caliphate can be established. The war is in its twenty-fifth year, but the U.S. and its allies still do not understand the magnitude of the struggle.

On July 14th, a day celebrating French freedom, Bastille Day, at least eighty-four people were wantonly killed, including ten children, by a suspected terrorist who slammed his truck into unwary revelers watching the annual fireworks display. The symbolism was palpable. It is precisely the French liberty, equality and fraternity that the Islamists detest. Theirs is fraternity of barbarism.

If there were ever a moment for an appropriate response, this is it. Paris, Orlando, Istanbul, San Bernardino, Brussels, stand as stark reminders of the international reach of Islamic terror. And there isn’t an end in sight. Moreover, the murderer who killed innocents on the Promenade des Anglais had a history of aggressive views known to French authorities, just as the Orlando killer was investigated by the FBI before his murderous spree. It is not as if clues aren’t provided by savage extremists.

A strategy for dealing with this matter is available to us. It is the template for confronting an ideologically driven foe like Communism. For decades the U.S. fought on the battlefield when the global status quo was challenged. Whether successful or not, and in many instances we were not successful, the willingness to counter aggression mattered. More significantly, the U.S. fought a non-kinetic war in the culture and the political arena. Intelligence operatives penetrated communist cells, ridiculed Marxism-Leninism and caused confusion among leaders. Despite moments of conciliation and fatigue, the national opposition to Communism held. The U.S. had a powerful anti-communist method: fear, a fear that if pushed beyond a certain well understood limit, the U.S. would explode with the full fury of its military might.