Investing In Iraq

Foreign firms investing in Iraq


*TOP EXPORTERS TO IRAQ

*January through April (in millions):

*United States: $737

*Turkey: $648

*China: $358

*Thailand: $110

*South Korea: $102


WASHINGTON — European and Asian companies are beating their American rivals into Iraq now that security has improved the investment climate, Iraq and U.S. officials say.
"It's starting to turn … and the people who are getting in on the ground floor are not American," said Paul Brinkley, the Pentagon official who is leading U.S. efforts to help Iraq rebuild its economy. "It's ironic."



Foreign companies, including U.S. investors, have committed to deals worth about $500 million so far this year and Brinkley expects at least $1 billion in foreign investment by the end of the year.

So far, Romanian consortium and a Lebanese company have signed revenue-sharing deals with Iraqi state-owned cement factories. Each group will invest about $150 million.

China has also aggressively pursued the Iraqi market, selling machinery to the government and electronic products to consumers.



Zebari noted that Turkish and Russian companies were already active in Iraq. "They take risks," he told USA TODAY in an interview. "No pain, no gain."

Many of the companies active in Iraq now are from countries, including France, Russia and Turkey, that did not send combat troops to back the U.S.-led invasion.

Some U.S. and Iraqi officials say American companies risk losing an early opportunity to establish long-term strategic ties with Iraq.

"My question is, 'Where are you guys in terms of investment, in terms of economic engagement?' " said Naufel al-Hassan, Iraq's commercial counselor in Washington. "Iraqis need your support. Why let someone else do that?"


HighFive 

There are no reliable historic numbers, but the deals this year are among the first major investment opportunities outside U.S.-funded reconstruction projects and they signal new confidence in Iraq's economy.

The activity by non-U.S. companies is not a cause for concern, said Charles Reis, the U.S. counselor for economic transition in Iraq. "This is a normalization of Iraq's relationship with the rest of the world," he said.



Large U.S. companies won the bulk of the $20 billion worth of reconstruction contracts funded by the military. Now, however, opportunities are riskier and require more local understanding.

That has favored non-U.S. investors who have had prewar experience in Iraq, said Timothy Mills, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Iraq.

American companies may also be reluctant to invest in Iraq because the war has generated so much controversy at home, Brinkley said.

The private investments that come from the USA are generally individual or institutional investors — not American corporations, Brinkley said. U.S. investors, for example, are part of a $120 million deal to build a hotel in the heavily fortified Green Zone, where U.S. and Iraqi government offices are located.

Americans lead other nations in the number of exports to Iraq, but other nations have ramped up trade. China doubled the number of exports to Iraq this year.



China is now Iraq's third-largest trade partner behind the USA and Turkey, according to Global Trade Information Services, a firm that tracks trade statistics.

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Where is the US on this? If the rest of the world can invest in Iraq I think we could do alot more. After all it was the US that Liberated them. Boy has the tide turned from (Harry Dumbass Reid D-NV) "The War Is Lost" statement, to Resort Hotels and investing in Iraq from all over the world. The Democrats have been wrong on this issue all along and they continue to be wrong with their Rock Star Leader Barack Obama leading the charge. Sorry Democrats our Troops have been Victorious, we have WON the War, and you prove constantly that you have no clue how to run this Country.

Historic Telethon For The Troops/Move America Forward

Historic Effort to Help U.S. Troops!



** Join Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Lt. Colonel Oliver North (Ret.), Monica Crowley, Michelle Malkin, and Melanie Morgan for a historic broadcast - "From the Frontlines" - June 26th 4:00pm - Midnight [Eastern] **



The grand finale to this effort will be a Jerry Lewis style 8-hour Internet Telethon ("From the Frontlines") on June 26th (from 4:00pm - Midnight - Eastern). This cutting edge production “From The Frontlines” will be broadcast live by UStream.tv and hosted by Melanie Morgan & Michelle Malkin. Live and taped reports will be broadcast from our troops serving in Iraq & Afghanistan during the historic 8-hour event. We are also deeply honored that Former First Lady Nancy Reagan has also signed on to support the "Candy Diplomacy" portion of this effort!



Broadcast powered by Ustream.TV

CLICK HERE for complete details regarding the "From the Frontlines" 8-hour telethon that takes place on June 26th.



Move America Forward

Woooo Hooooo!!! Let's make the biggest Care Package our Troops have ever seen :-)

Also Blogging:

The Chatterbox Chronicles

Hillary Clinton Supporters YOU Are Welcome In The GOP

Barack Obama tells Hillary Clinton supporters to 'get over it'

Senator Barack Obama has angered senior allies of his vanquished Democratic rival Senator Hillary Clinton by telling them to "get over it".

Barack Obama is trying to woo Hillary Clinton's supporters
At a meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus last week, reported by ABC News, Mr Obama urged women who had backed Mrs Clinton to support him against John McCain, the Republican nominee.

"If women take a moment to realise that on every issue important to women, John McCain is not in their corner, that would help them get over it," he said, according to Congresswoman Yvette Clark. Yeah Right!

The phrase "get over it" was viewed as dismissive by some of those present. "Don't use that terminology," Congresswoman Diane Watson told him.

Such raw tension at the meeting underlined the difficulties Mr Obama has to overcome when wooing Mrs Clinton's supporters in advance of their first joint public appearance in New Hampshire on Friday.

The self-consciously symbolic venue for their show of togetherness will be the small town of Unity, where Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton each received 107 votes in the state's primary contest in January. They will have held a joint fundraising event at Washington's Mayflower Hotel the previous evening.

Some of Mr Obama's advisers believe that Mrs Clinton's supporters have been sore losers while the former First Lady's camp is frustrated that plans to help her repay campaign debts of more than $10 million have not yet ben finalised.



President Bill Clinton has yet to endorse Mr Obama and during a speech to the US Conference of Mayors on Sunday mentioned the Democratic nominee just once - to praise him for supporting a programme started during the Clinton administration.

At a Bronx high school graduation ceremony, the closest Mrs Clinton came to mentioning Mr Obama was when she said: "No one five years ago, or four years ago, could have conceived that an African-American and a woman would be competing for the president of the United States."

There are bruised feelings in the Obama camp too. At the Congressional Black Caucus meeting, he said pointedly that "there's healing on both sides" to be done.

He reminded the congressmen and women that he had held his tongue even when Clinton allies had falsely suggested he was a Muslim and when the candidate herself had said he was not ready to be commander-in-chief.

Mr Obama dispatched his wife Michelle to Washington at the weekend in an attempt to mend bridges. Mrs Obama spoke to the National Partnership for Women & Families, whose board members include the prominent Clinton supporters Ellen Malcolm, Judith Lichtman and Cheryl Mills.

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Can you believe the audacity of this guy? Get Over It? I think Harriet up there in the video at the top of this page said it best. Well I'm here to welcome all you disenfranchized Hillay Clinton supporters a new home in the GOP. We are a big tent and Barack Obama isnt what you guy's are looking for in a President. You guy's need John McCain, Hillary's long time ally. Because I think you guy's know as well as we do that Barack Obama does NOT have the experience to run this Country especially while we are at War, Oil prices skyrocketing, Getting our dependence on Forein Oil to come to an end, Bringing our Troops home Victorious, and the stakes in this election are just to high. So come on over and join us in defeating Barack Obama :-)

Barack Obama Is An Absolute Dumbass!!

Obama Calls For Oil Crackdown

With the cost of gas a top issue in the presidential campaign, Barack Obama on Sunday will announce a plan to crack down on oil speculation by tightening regulations on energy traders.

The announcement is further evidence that an Obama administration would take an activist, populist approach to regulating business.



Obama wants to close a loophole in federal law that exempts some energy traders from regulations that govern other exchange-traded commodities. Democrats call this “the Enron loophole” because it benefited the Houston energy-speculation firm that collapsed in an accounting scandal.

In response, John McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds said: “The truth is Barack Obama is following John McCain’s lead to close a Wall Street loophole that was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. John McCain has supported bipartisan efforts to close this loophole and will work to address abuses in oil speculation.



"Barack Obama has voted the party line for Democrats who claim the loophole is fixed. The fact that Barack Obama is attacking John McCain, despite McCain’s leadership on the issue, shows that Barack Obama is driven by the partisan attacks that Americans are tired of.”

The Obama campaign accuses Phil Gramm — the former U.S. senator from Texas, who’s now a McCain campaign co-chair and economic adviser — of helping insert the exemption. Gramm's wife, Wendy, was a member of the Enron board of directors.

So today’s announcement — in an early-afternoon conference call featuring New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine — allows the Obama campaign to both side with consumers and take a whack at McCain’s brain trust.



Obama said in a statement: “My plan fully closes the Enron Loophole and restores common-sense regulation as part of my broader plan to ease the burden for struggling families today while investing in a better future.”

The campaign calls the loophole “one example of the special interest politics that put the interests of Big Oil and speculators ahead of the interests of working people.”

Obama said: “For the past years, our energy policy in this country has been simply to let the special interests have their way — opening up loopholes for the oil companies and speculators so that they could reap record profits while the rest of us pay $4 a gallon.”

Here are excerpts from the text of the four-part “Obama Plan to Crack Down on Excessive Energy Speculation,” as provided by the campaign:



1) Fully Close the “Enron Loophole”: One of the reasons our energy market is particularly vulnerable to excessive speculation is the so-called “Enron Loophole” … [which means] Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is unable to fully oversee the oil futures market and investigate cases where excessive speculation may be driving up oil prices. This regulatory gap is dangerous because: 1) the absence of government oversight has the potential to facilitate abusive trading or price manipulation. And 2) the failure of a large derivatives dealer could trigger disruptions of supplies and prices in energy markets. As President, Barack Obama will go beyond the changes included in the recently-passed Farm Bill and fully close the Enron loophole by requiring that U.S. energy futures trade on regulated exchanges. He will call for new, disaggregated data on index fund and other passive investments to increase transparency and oversight of the growing number of institutional investors participating in commodities futures markets. And he will support legislation directing the CFTC to investigate whether additional regulation is necessary to eliminate excessive speculation in U.S. commodities markets, including higher margin requirements and position limits for institutional investors.



2) Ensure That U.S. Energy Futures Cannot be Traded on Unregulated Offshore Exchanges: CFTC oversight of oil market speculation is also limited by rules that allow energy traders to engage in unregulated transactions through foreign subsidiaries of U.S. exchanges. Currently, about 30 percent of U.S. oil futures trades fly below the regulatory radar because they are transacted on a U.S. exchange that works through a subsidiary in London. Similar arrangements are being pursued by U.S. exchanges in partnership with Dubai as well. Barack Obama would limit the price impacts of excessive speculation by preventing traders of U.S. crude oil from routing their transactions through off-shore markets in order to evade speculation limits and also impose reporting requirements.



3) Work with Other Countries to Coordinate Regulation of Oil Futures Markets.

4) Call on the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to Vigorously Investigate Market Manipulation in Oil Futures.

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Maps And Charts Shamelessly Stolen From:
Mike's America

VIDEO: ABC News Greenroom (This Week) Donna Brazile: "We Have To Shut Him Up"
VIDEO: Donna Brazile
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What part of GETTING OFF FOREIGN OIL AND DRILL FOR OUR OWN OIL does Obama NOT understand? All this talk is fine and dandy but it doesnt wash anymore. Obama is just like John Kerry, he will promise everyone the world and deliver on nothing.

This isnt change. This is the first step in the government takeover of oil company's! Then we ALL will really be paying at the pump.

Sweet Jesus when I read this all I could think of was Dumbass!

John McCain Changes Mind On Offshore Oil, Say's DRILL!!, Considering Taking Another Look At ANWR!

McCain's Sea Change On Offshore Oil

Energy Policy: While Democrats want to continue to outsource our energy supplies to the likes of Hugo Chavez, John McCain wants to repeal the federal ban on offshore drilling. The energy tide is turning.

McCain has rightly called rising energy costs due in large part to restricted domestic supply a national security issue. On Monday, he previewed a Tuesday speech in Houston and said that as commander in chief he would end the federal ban on offshore drilling first enacted in 1981 and continued by every president since.

We "must embark on a national mission to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil," he said. "But a federal moratorium stands in the way of energy exploration and production. . . . It is time for the federal government to lift those restrictions."



Indeed, a Manhattan Project on domestic energy is long overdue.

Democrats say that increasing domestic production will take years and won't have that much of an effect on prices. Yet when the Saudis agreed last Friday to increase their production by a meager 500,000 barrels a day, oil prices fell on the New York Mercantile Exchange by $1.88 cents a barrel. Imagine the impact of opening up the Outer Continental Shelf.

The OCS holds an estimated 115 billion barrels of oil and 635 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. If this and other domestic sources are developed, U.S. reserves would increase by a factor of five, and we'd jump from 11th place to 4th in the world in the size of our proven reserves — enough to make OPEC and speculators blink.

In his speech, McCain had harsh words for speculators who drive prices higher by betting they will go higher still. The way to deal with what McCain calls "reckless wagering unrelated to any kind of productive commerce" is not through legislation, as the Democrats want, but through offshore drilling, as he wants. Increasing supply reduces prices.

Barack Obama doesn't like the idea, saying through a spokesman that "John McCain's plan to simply drill our way out of the energy crisis is the same misguided approach backed by President Bush that has failed our families for too long and only serves to benefit the big oil companies."

Obama's approach is to tax our way out of the energy crisis by targeting oil companies' "windfall" profits. But that will only increase what we pay for gasoline at the pump. Obama says he's for "change." Lifting the offshore ban is the change we need.

"Our dependence on foreign oil strains family budgets, and it saps our economy," Obama said in Flint, Mich., on Monday. Yet he wants to leave American oil in the ground and in coastal waters while sending half a trillion dollars overseas to foreign dictators, some of whom use it to support America-hating terrorists.

Who knows? Some of these petrodollars may even be used to prop up energy prices in the futures market, putting further strains on a U.S. economy that our enemies wouldn't mind seeing "sapped."

The one problem we have with McCain's proposal is that while lifting the federal ban, he'd still let the states decide. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist had opposed offshore oil development even while China and Cuba planned to drill off his coast.

But on Tuesday, Crist said he now supports exploratory drilling because "Floridians are suffering." We commend the governor for selflessly bowing to economic reality and his courage in touching what has been considered a "third rail" of political issues to be avoided by coastal governors.

As for other states with offshore resources, maybe letting them share in the revenues (as McCain has suggested) will change minds. But federalism and national security usually don't mix.

Environmentalists are aghast at all this. But Brazil, Britain, Norway and other countries drill safely offshore, and no major spills were recorded when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita roared through some 3,000 offshore oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Energy is a national security issue, one that should be discussed in this campaign. A clear majority of Americans now say they want to drill here and drill now. John McCain has caught a wave, one he may ride all the way to the White House.

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You know Barack Hussein Obama this Country can walk and chew gum at the same time. Just because 74% of the American Public say's DRILL NOW, doesnt mean the oil companies and private groups cant find alternative energy sources at the same time! But we MUST start somewhere, and letting this go on and on isnt helping the American people. We have resourses here in our own backyard and we must drill for AMERICAN oil. Windfall profit taxes on the big oil company's will only hurt consumers at the pump. Which proves yet again that you are completely clueless when it comes to matters of this Country, the Economy, and National Security and Defense. On this issue OBAMA, YOU LOSE!! And so does the Democrat controlled Congress, and in the long run with your totally stupid ideas about tax, tax, tax it's going to hurt the American consumer and this Country.

IT'S THE OIL STUPID!

Senator McCain I must commend you for changing your mind on offshore drilling. And I do believe you will come around to the idea of drilling in ANWR! Great change of heart :-) You are listening to the Conservatives and the American people and I am proud of you for that!

Way To Go President Bush!! McCain?, You Getting All This?

Bush calls on Congress to lift offshore drilling ban

Bush Looks Offshore to Fix High Oil Prices




US President George W. Bush on Wednesday urged Congress to lift a decades-old ban on offshore oil drilling to reduce dependence on foreign imports and offset sky-high energy prices.
Calling the federal ban "outdated and counterproductive," Bush asked the Democratic-controlled Congress to take action to expand access to the nation's Outer Continental Shelf.

"Congress must face a hard reality. Unless members are willing to accept gas prices at today's painful levels or even higher, our nation must produce more oil, and we must start now," Bush said in a news conference in the White House Rose Garden.

Bush called on lawmakers to expand US oil production by increasing access to the Outer Continental Shelf, citing experts who say access the OCS could produce about 18 billion barrels of oil.

"That would be enough to match America's current oil production for almost 10 years," he said.

Under the 1981 federal moratorium, states are prohibited from allowing offshore oil and gas drilling and exploration, protecting virtually the entire Atlantic and Pacific coastlines and sections of the Gulf of Mexico.

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Thank You President Bush!! Now it's time for all of us to bombard our Senators and Congressman with phone calls and emails!!GET OFF YOUR ASS CONGRESS AND LET'S DRILL!!

Senator McCain!! Are you getting all this? President Bush even mentioned ANWR.

Senator McCain you have a chance here to make this one of the biggest issues of this campaign, I emplore you to take advantage of it!

Democrats!! Get out of the way!!



American Solutions

Drill HERE!! Drill NOW!! Pay LESS!!

American Solutions

Send a message to those Democrat nitwit's on Capitol Hill! Sign the Petition. I'm sick to death of caring about the mating habit's of the Porcupine Caribou, drill in ANWR NOW! Drill in AMERICA NOW!!

Nation Of Islam Activists On Obama Camp Payroll

Former Insider Worried By Senator's Connection To Louis Farrakhan, Members Of Radical Group




JERUSALEM – Sen. Barack Obama employed and continues to employ senior staffers who belong to the Nation of Islam, and the presidential candidate has some "worrying" ties to the controversial group headed by Louis Farrakhan, a former key Obama insider told WND.

The former insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed particular concern that Obama employed at least two Nation members in his early days as a state senator, when his office was staffed by only a handful of workers.

"When you're a state senator, you have little money given to you to hire staff. It is ironic that two of Obama's employees in those days were known Nation of Islam activists when Obama employed perhaps a total of maybe three or four staffers," said the former insider.

The former insider confirmed Obama is directly aware of the Nation of Islam members on his staff.

Obama was elected to the Illinois state Senate in 1996, serving the 13th district, which then spanned Chicago's South Side neighborhoods, including areas in which Farrakhan was considered to be highly influential.

"A key constituency for Obama was Hyde Park, where Farrakhan lives. To be successful politically in that area, you need to be involved with Farrakhan, since he's a strong power in the district," said the former insider.

The former insider identified early employees of Obama as Nation of Islam members, including Jennifer Mason, who still works in Obama's Chicago Senate office as director of constituency services – a key community liaison position.

Also, Cynthia K. Miller, whom the former insider identified as a Nation of Islam activist, served Obama in his early state Senate days and later as treasurer for his U.S. senatorial campaign.

Miller was also a paid consultant in 2003 and 2004, according to financial documents obtained by WND. She currently runs a Chicago real estate firm.

The former insider said Obama asked indicted Chicago businessman and Obama financier Tony Rezko to get his treasurer, Miller, a state government job with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"She got an offer but turned it down. She ended up doing real estate," the ex-insider said.

The former insider also identified former Obama worker Shakir Muhammad as a Nation of Islam activist. Muhammad was paid by Obama's office as a photographer in the late 1990s.

According to a black supremacist source tied to Farrakhan, Muhammad previously worked as a bodyguard for the Nation of Islam chief.

The Anti-Defamation League identifies the Nation of Islam, the oldest black nationalist organization, as consistently racist and anti-Semitic.

The Nation of Islam operates "under the guise of instilling African-Americans with a sense of empowerment since its founding in the 1930s," reads an ADL description.

Mason did not return a WND request for comment at Obama's Chicago office.

Miller did not reply to phone messages left on her cell phone.

Michael Ortiz, Obama's deputy press secretary, did not return a WND request for comment about Illinois senator's alleged ties to Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.

WND verified the former insider speaking about Obama's Nation of Islam workers held a key position with the presidential candidate.

The former insider said he quit, in part, because of Obama's ties to the Nation of Islam and the senator's positions on Israel.

He previously also talked with columnist Debbie Schlussel, who first wrote about the Nation of Islam employees on Obama's staff.

"How many Nation of Islam members will work in an Obama White House?" Schlussel asked on her blog.

The presidential candidate repeatedly has denounced Farrakhan's views and would not accept the Nation of Islam leader's high profile endorsement.

"You know, I have been very clear in my denunciation of minister Farrakhan's anti-Semitic comments. I think they are unacceptable and reprehensible. I did not solicit this support," Obama said on NBC in February.

"We're not doing anything, I assure you, formally or informally with minister Farrakhan," Obama said.

But Obama's former church of 20 years – Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago – and his former spiritual adviser, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., have a different view of Farrakhan.

Wright, who accompanied Farrakhan to Libya in 1984, has been involved in Farrakhan initiatives and labeled him "one of the most important voices in the 20th and 21st century" during a national address to the media in April at which Nation of Islam officials were invited guests.

Obama has appeared at least three times on the cover of Trumpet magazine, founded by Wright, which in 2007 gave Farrakhan its Empowerment Award.

The magazine, to which Obama last year granted a lengthy, exclusive interview, regularly hails Farrakhan.

Obama's face was featured on the cover of a 2006 issue of Trumpet alongside Farrakhan's image.

Wright and Obama reportedly attended the Million Man March on Washington, which was led by Farrakhan and other prominent black leaders such as Al Sharpton.

Another Obama connection to supporters of Farrakhan comes from Obama's chief political strategist, David Axelrod.

WND reported this week Axelrod sits on the finance committee of St. Sabina, the Chicago Catholic parish that was led by controversial pastor Michael Pfleger, an outspoken Farrakhan supporter who hosted the Nation of Islam chief at his parish several times.

The Archdiocese of Chicago yesterday removed Pfleger from his duties at St. Sabina for an unspecified time following a well-publicized sermon at Trinity church two weeks ago in which Pfleger claimed Sen. Hillary Clinton cried in public because she thought being white entitled her to the Democratic presidential nomination.

Pfleger told the Chicago Sun-Times he felt free to speak about Clinton because he believed his sermon was not being recorded. He said he thought the live Internet link that normally broadcasts Trinity sermons was not running.

"They told me it was down," Pfleger said. "Their live streaming had been down all day, and they didn't know whether it was back up. … I regret the dramatization that I was naive enough to believe was just going to be kept among that church."

Pfleger hosted Farrakhan at his church as late as last May, Farrakhan's first public appearance since he announced in 2006 he had been suffering from prostate cancer and was seriously ill.

According to reports, Pfleger spent hours with the Nation of Islam chief during his illness. Pfleger previously enlisted Farrakhan's support for several of his initiatives, including an anti-gun protest last year.




Rev. Willie Barrow, a member of the Obama campaign's official Faith Outreach Team and a pledged Obama superdelegate, is a close friend of Farrakhan's and a staunch Nation of Islam supporter.

Farrakhan stated in a 2002 interview he met with Barrow to devise his Nation of Islam platforms.

In 2006, Barrow condemned four Jewish members of the Illinois state Hate Crimes Commission after Blagojevich refused to remove from the commission Sister Claudette Muhammad, Farrakhan's minister of protocol.

"Not only should [Muhammad] continue to serve on the commission, but, I think those that resigned because they disagree, what have they done to bring about an agreement?” Barrow told the CBS affiliate in Chicago, WBBM.

Larry Johnson of the No Quarter blog posted a 2004 photo of Obama's wife, Michelle, posing with Barrow at a woman's luncheon for the Rainbow/Push Coalition for which Barrow serves as chairman emeritus.

In the picture with Michelle Obama is Khadijah Farrakhan, Louis Farrakhan's wife.

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I knew it! I have been saying all along with Obama we will get the Nation of Islam, The "New" Black Panthers, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, etc..etc...etc..This cannot happen!

Go Baby Go !!!!!

Can he do it? Can Big Brown get the Triple Crown? Will we finally have a Triple Crown Winner?



Hopefully All goes well on the track today!!

GO BIG BROWN!!!

I GIVE UP!! I WILL NEVER SEE A TRIPLE CROWN WINNER IN MY LIFE!

D-Day

Barack Hussein Obama Donor Guilty!!

Jury Finds Tony Rezko Guilty On 16 Of 24 Charges

Political Fundraiser Has Surrendered, To Begin Serving Time Immediately.

A prominent fundraiser for Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted Wednesday of fraud and money laundering after a high-profile federal trial provided an unusually detailed glimpse of the pay-to-play politics that has made Illinois infamous.

Antoin "Tony" Rezko, 52, showed no emotion as the jury delivered a mixed verdict that found him guilty of scheming with the government's star witness to get kickbacks out of money management firms wanting state business, but acquitted him of charges that included attempted extortion.



U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald told reporters the verdict represented "an antidote to the poison of corruption" that trial testimony alleged included the fixing of state boards that controlled a $40 billion pension fund and made major decisions about hospital construction.

"A whole number of people who were involved seemed to think they could profit by taking the inside control, and I hope people step back and say when you do that, it's gonna come back and bite you in a serious way," Fitzgerald said. "And I hope people, if they don't get the moral sense, they shouldn't be taking the pensions of teachers and abusing it for their own purposes, to stick money in their own pocket; if they don't think the hospital system is something that should be operated as best it can be, instead of just operated to make money for your friends, if the morals don't get to them, I hope that the fear of going to jail does."

Rezko attorney Joseph Duffy said the defense is "obviously very disappointed" in the jury's guilty verdicts. He said Wednesday afternoon they will pursue and appeal.

Duffy says it was Rezko's decision to surrender and begin serving his sentence. Sentencing is set for September 3rd at 10 a.m. The maximum sentence he could face is 20 years in prison.

The jury's mixed verdict acquitted Rezko of some of the most serious charges, including attempted extortion. Rezko was found guilty of 16 of 24 counts.

He was found guilty on the two more serious counts, on money laundering and aiding and abetting money laundering, counts 23 and 24.

The jury obviously took issue with some of the charges, resulting in the eight acquittals. They wrestled over matters in a 13-day deliberation process, delivering its verdict after a nine-week trial.

Some of the jurors chose to comment after the verdict was read, speaking about the scope of the trial and the role of star witness Stuart Levine.

"The task before us was a difficult and challenging one," said juror Susan Lopez. "It was with caution and great care that each juror viewed the evidence presented."

Juror Mona Lisa Mauricette said, "On those counts where Levine was involved, we put it in consideration with everything else. If there were e-mails involved, if there was the wiretapping involved, we put it all together, so we weren't just basing it on his testimony in those counts where we found guilty."

At least one juror indicated that the mention of Gov. Blagojevich during the trial had no effect on their deliberations.

Rezko has known Obama since he entered politics and was involved in a 2005 real estate deal with the Democratic presidential candidate, although testimony barely touched on their relationship. Most of the focus was on shakedowns prosecutors said Rezko arranged when he was a top adviser to Blagojevich.



Rezko was essentially on trial for pay to play deals involving the exchange of money for state contracts and positions under Blagojevich – or "Public Official A" as Blagojevich was referred to in court.

Blagojevich has repeatedly denied taking part in any of the shadowy political dealings that were described from the witness stand. On Wednesday, he read a prepared statement to reporters in which he called Rezko "a friend" who "was a supporter."

"On a personal level I am deeply sad for what's happened to Tony," Blagojevich said. "The jury's decision is yet another reminder that ours is a system of government that is ruled by laws and not by men. I respect the decision of the jury."

The jury threw out all of the counts where "Official A" was specifically mentioned by name, but CBS 2 Legal Anaylst Irv Miller said the 18 guilty verdicts send a serious message.

But DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett, who ran against Blagojevich in the 2006 race for governor, said Wednesday that "Today's conviction should prompt the Illinois General Assembly to impose an
immediate moratorium on the governor's ability to hand out any further no-bid contracts, bond fees, pension fees or other spoils of the pay-to-play system that has so defiled our state's reputation. We do not give the car keys to a serial drunk driver and we should not hand hard-earned taxpayers' money to a governor who has repeatedly abused the public trust by enriching his political friends to fatten his campaign treasury."

Birkett added, "The conviction of Tony Rezko represents a deep stain on the Democratic Party in Illinois. Democrats from top to bottom, including Barack Obama, stood idly by — and in some instances directly benefited — while the massive Blagojevich corruption scheme flourished. They rode into office promising to clean up after the George Ryan scandals and they have taken corruption in Illinois to a new low. They ought to be held accountable at the polls starting this November."

Illinois GOP Chairman Andy McKenna said, "Today's guilty verdict for Tony Rezko is another sad reminder of the broken political system in Illinois and the continuing nightmare of corruption in this state. The headlines tomorrow will reduce an already diminished faith in public service from a people - who in Illinois - face the highest gas prices in the nation, huge taxes and out-of-control spending. Democrats promised change and the people of Illinois have gotten the same old song and dance. Now that the trial has come to an end, it's time Rod Blagojevich came clean with the people of Illinois and answered the numerous questions surrounding his involvement with Tony Rezko."

Obama released a statement Wedensday night stating that he was "saddened," adding in part that "this isn't the Tony Rezko I knew, but now he has been convicted by a jury ... that once again shines a spotlight on the need for reform."

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Oh Sweet Jesus. Shady Land Deals, Shady Obama donors, psycopathic Pastor's, Obama's semi-muslim heritage, Michelle Obama "I've never been prouder of my Country than I am now that my husband is winning", etc..etc..etc.. What else does Barack Hussein Obama have hidden in his closet? The Democrat Culture of Corruption Continues.....

I Think Hillary Clinton Should Take This All The Way To The Convention

Hillary!! NO!!!!!!!! We cant have this!!! You need to stay in the fight!!



Hillary!!! You dont want this! You have worked to damn hard to see Barack Hussein Obama become the Democrat Nominee. It's not over till all the Super Duper Delegates have sung! I say, TAKE THIS ALL THE WAY TO THE CONVENTION!

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Hillary Clinton.Com

John Kerry: We Were At Peace On 9-11

Kerry: On Sept. 11 We Were at Peace

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) believes that on September 11 "we were basically at peace."

Asked to clarify his remarks, specifically asking about the attacks on the U.S.S. Cole during Barack Obama campaign conference call, Kerry said, "well, we hadn't declared war," The Hill's Sam Youngman reports.

Asked if al Qaeda was a threat at the time, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee said, "well yes, obviously they were a threat. But, fundamentally we were not at war at that point in time."

Kerry also called John McCain "out of step with history and facts."



UPDATE: Responding to Kerry's claim, RNC spokesman Danny Diaz said: "It’s absolutely critical that the next Commander in Chief understands the challenges America faces. Yet it’s clear that Barack Obama has a thin understanding of history and fails to grasp the threat of terrorism."

"After a week’s worth of examples demonstrating Obama’s lack of preparedness to serve as president, his campaign is understandably desperate to shift the focus. Considering it’s now been 873 days since Obama visited Iraq, any suggestion that he even understands what’s happening on the ground is laughable."

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Sweet Jesus I'm so glad this idiot was not elected President. We were at peace my ass. We were attacked repeatedly before 9-11 and this jackass know's it. Dating all the way back to 1978, Hostage Taking's, Beruit Bombing, Hijackings of Airplanes, Khobar Towers, U.S.S. Cole bombing, etc.. etc.. etc.. What the hell is wrong with the Democrat's? Why do they not get it? Why do they insist we lay down, take it, and repeatedly get raped by all these terrorists? We can NOT afford to let the Democrat's gain the Presidency or we will be continuously raped and attacked because they have NO clue how to handle the terrorists, and talking to them will NOT work!

US Troop Death's Overall Iraqi Death's Drop To All Time Low

BAGHDAD, June 1 - U.S. troop deaths in Iraq fell to their lowest level last month since the 2003 invasion and officials said on Sunday improved security also helped the country boost oil production in May to a post-war high.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Iraq's oil minister credited better security for the two milestones, which illustrated a dramatic turnabout in the fortunes of a country on the brink of all-out sectarian civil war just 12 months ago.



"We've still got a distance to go but I think lower casualty rates are a reflection of some real progress," Gates told reporters in Singapore. "The key will be to continue to sustain the progress we have seen."

American generals have stressed that the security gains are both fragile and reversible. That was shown in March, when an Iraqi government offensive against Shi'ite militias in southern Basra sparked a surge in violence in the capital and other cities, catching U.S. and Iraqi officials off guard.

The U.S. military said 19 soldiers died in May, the lowest monthly death toll in a five-year-old war that has so far claimed the lives of more than 4,000 American soldiers.



Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani told Reuters in an interview that the improved security had helped Iraq, which has the world's third-largest oil reserves, raise oil production to a post-war high of 2.5 million barrels per day in May.

Iraq's oil industry, hit by decades of sanctions, war and neglect, was a vulnerable target for saboteurs after the U.S. invasion. Attacks on pipelines quickly destroyed any hopes of using Iraq's vast oil reserves to fund its reconstruction.

The military says violence in Iraq is now at a four-year low following crackdowns by U.S. and Iraqi forces on Shi'ite militias in southern Basra and Baghdad and on al Qaeda in the northern city of Mosul, its last major urban stronghold.

"In May we have exceeded for the first time a 2 million barrels per day export rate. In production we have exceeded 2.5 million bpd," Shahristani said.

The number of Iraqi civilians killed in May also fell, to 505, after reaching a seven-month high of 968 in April, figures compiled by the interior, defence and health ministries showed.

U.S. officials credit the turnaround in security to President George W. Bush's decision to send 30,000 extra troops to Iraq, a rebellion by Sunni tribal leaders against al Qaeda, and a ceasefire by anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.



In Iraq's more stable south, about 500 Australian troops pulled out of their base in the city of Nassiriya, signalling an end to Australia's combat mission in the country.

Australia, a close U.S. ally, was one of the first countries to commit troops to the Iraq invasion, but Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his Labour party won election last November largely on Rudd's campaign promise to bring the troops home this year.



The war is also a big issue in the U.S. presidential election, with Republican nominee John McCain vowing not to withdraw troops until the war is won, and his Democratic opponents Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton promising to bring them home as soon as possible.

Baghdad and the United States are negotiating a new deal that will provide a legal basis for U.S. troops in Iraq when their United Nations mandate expires at the end of the year.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a rare statement on the talks that they were at their early stages, but he acknowledged there were differences between Iraq and the United States over what should be included in the agreement.

"The Iraqi side has a vision and their draft differs from the American side and their vision," he said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki meanwhile asked France to supply sophisticated weaponry during a visit by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Sunday.



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But...But...But... I thought the War was Lost? That's what the Democrat's keep telling us! So the Iraqi Troops are taking on more of the Security, and learning how to defend thier own Country thank's to our's and the Coalition Troops. And a HUGE THANK YOU to Austrailia :-) And a Big WAY TO GO TROOPS!!!!

You Tell 'Em Lady !!

Very Mad Hillary Supporter Let's Her Thought's Be Known