T-desco has written an excellent much of summation of the news in the last comment section. I have copied it below. (Thank you TD!)<\/p>\n
CIA gets<\/span> the <\/span>go<\/span>–<\/span>ahead<\/span> to take on Hizbollah<\/span><\/a> – Telegraph<\/p>\n The Central Intelligence Agency has been authorised to take covert action against Hizbollah as part of a secret plan by President George W. Bush to help the Lebanese government prevent the spread of Iranian influence. Senators and congressmen have been briefed on the classified “non-lethal presidential finding” that allows the CIA to provide financial and logistical support to the prime minister, Fouad Siniora.<\/p>\n The finding was signed by Mr Bush before Christmas after discussions between his aides and Saudi Arabian officials. Details of its existence, known only to a small circle of White House officials, intelligence officials and members of Congress, have been passed to The Daily Telegraph.<\/p>\n It authorises the CIA and other US intelligence agencies to fund anti-Hizbollah groups in Lebanon and pay for activists who support the Siniora government. The secrecy of the finding means that US involvement in the activities is officially deniable.<\/p>\n The finding was signed by Mr Bush before Christmas after discussions between his aides and Saudi Arabian officials. Details of its existence, known only to a small circle of White House officials, intelligence officials and members of Congress, have been passed to The Daily Telegraph. advertisement<\/p>\n It authorises the CIA and other US intelligence agencies to fund anti-Hizbollah groups in Lebanon and pay for activists who support the Siniora government. The secrecy of the finding means that US involvement in the activities is officially deniable.<\/p>\n The Bush administration hopes Mr Siniora’s government, severely weakened after its war with Israel last year, will become a bulwark against the growing power of the Shia sect of Islam, championed by Iran and Syria, since the fall of Saddam Hussein.<\/p>\n Mr Bush’s move is at the centre of a fresh drive by America, supported by the Sunni states of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt as well as Israel, to stop Iranian hegemony in the Middle East emerging from the collapse of Iraq.<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n Prince Bandar bin-Sultan<\/span>, the former Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington, is understood to have been closely involved in the decision to prop up Mr Siniora’s administration and the Israeli government, which views Iran as its chief enemy, has also been supportive.<\/p>\n Daily Telegraph<\/a><\/p>\n Bandar is rumored to become the next Saudi FM:<\/p>\n “Saudis who have intimate knowledge of the discussions regarding the possible reshuffle said Al Faisal, who has had health problems, might be replaced by Crown Prince Sultan’s son Prince Bandar, a former ambassador to Washington and current secretary of the National Security Council.”<\/p>\n AP<\/a><\/p>\n Asia Times<\/a>: Neo-cons are still calling the shots. Jim Lobe on deputy national security adviser J D Crouch II: The superhawk behind the surge<\/span><\/p>\n Is Palestinian Chaos a Road to Peace?<\/a> Time Magazine, <\/span>Karon<\/p>\n The U.S. strategy appears to have missed what many Middle East analysts long ago concluded: that Hamas is now an intractable part of the Palestinian body politic that represents close to half of the population, and cannot simply be wished or blown away. For any U.S. peace plans that are predicated on giving it a knockout blow, the group's mass support — to borrow a phrase from Al Gore — is an inconvenient truth.<\/p>\n Russia, US differ on states impeding Lebanon probe<\/span>:<\/p>\n Reuters<\/a>: Russia wants the U.N. Security Council to find out which nations are not cooperating fully with an investigation into political murders in Lebanon, Moscow’s U.N. ambassador said on Tuesday.<\/span>But France and the United States, among other Western council members, disagree with putting such a request to Serge Brammertz … .<\/span><\/p>\n In Lebano<\/span>n, the opposition has claimed it will begin phase II of its attack on the Siniora government, meant to bring it down. Saad Hariri is picking up the batton from Jumblat in defending the government and attacking what he calls Hizbullah's "political terrorism."<\/p>\n Hariri says Lebanon is Facing ‘Political-Intellectual Terrorism’<\/p>\n Parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri on Sunday accused Hizbullah of being the “spear head” of an alleged Syrian-Iranian assault on the Paris III conference and pledged to confront what he described as political-intellectual terrorism<\/span>. Naharnet<\/a><\/p>\n Egypt frets dire consequences if Lebanese deadlock intensifies<\/a><\/p>\n BEIRUT: On the eve of the preparatory meeting for the Paris III donor conference, Egypt issued a harshly worded statement warning the Lebanese of "dire consequences" if the political deadlock intensifies with the escalation of anti-government protests. <\/p>\n US Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman also made his rounds Tuesday by visiting a representative from the March 14 Forces camp, Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, and Omar Karami from the March 8 camp.<\/p>\n "The US expressed its support for Lebanon and will be one of the main donors at the Paris III conference and will help Lebanon in the preparations and its success," said Hamadeh after the meeting with Feltman.<\/p>\n For our tea leaf collection<\/span>: <\/p>\n UPI<\/a>: “There is no doubt that Israel`s fighter-bombers have been training for a long-distance mission; NATO sources say they have for weeks been watching Israeli warplanes running flights the length of the Mediterranean to Gibraltar — and nobody expects an Israeli strike on Gibraltar.”<\/p>\n Are Bush’s Wars Winding Down or Heating Up?<\/a> by Paul Craig Roberts<\/p>\n Most Americans believe that Bush’s Iraqi misadventure is over. The occupation has lost the support of the electorate, the Congress, the generals and the troops. The Democrats are sitting back waiting for Bush to come to terms with reality. They don’t want to be accused of losing the war by forcing Bush out of Iraq. There are no more troops to commit, and when the “surge” fails, Bush will have no recourse but to withdraw. A little longer, everyone figures, and the senseless killing will be over.<\/p>\n Recent news reports indicate that this conclusion could be an even bigger miscalculation than the original invasion.<\/p>\n On January 7 the London Times reported that it has learned from “several Israeli military sources” that “Israel has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry denied the report.<\/p>\n The Times reports that “Israeli and American officials have met several times to consider military action. Military analysts said the disclosure of the plans could be intended to put pressure on Tehran to halt enrichment, cajole America into action or soften up world opinion in advance of an Israeli attack.”<\/p>\n In other news reports Israeli General Oded Tira is quoted as follows: “President Bush lacks the political power to attack Iran. As an American strike in Iran is essential for our existence, we must help him pave the way by lobbying the Democratic Party (which is conducting itself foolishly) and US newspaper editors. We need to do this in order to turn the Iranian issue to a bipartisan one and unrelated to the Iraq failure.”<\/p>\n Former EU External Affairs Commissioner Calls for Dialogue with Syria, Iran on Iraq<\/p>\n London, Jan. 10- (SANA)- Former EU Commissioner for External Affairs Chris Patten stressed importance of the recommendations of the U.S. Baker-Hamilton Panel on calling for opening dialogue with Syria and Iran to get out of the bloody chaos in Iraq.<\/p>\n In an article published Wednesday by the British Financial Times daily newspaper, Mr. patten said Damascus and Tehran were ready to help the U.S. to escape the catastrophic consequences of its policy in Iraq. <\/p>\n He criticized British Prime Minister Tony Blair's unlimited support to the policy of U.S. President George Bush on Iraq, saying that throughout 2002 and 2003 Mr Blair's support for US policy hamstrung those in and outside the administration who were trying to re-strain the neoconservative hawks. <\/p>\n Mr. Patten added that support from Syria and Iran will require Washington to make clear that its policy is not directed towards them.<\/p>\n