Gates to Petraeus: IRAQI FREEDOM to become NEW DAWN National Security high tech intel expert Christopher Tucker, who probably will run the CIA one day, sent me this bit of interesting news. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has agreed to General David Petraeus’ request to change “Operation IRAQI FREEDOM” to “Operation NEW DAWN.
One of General Anthony Zinni’s more tough criticisms of the Obama administration this past year was that it had not placed a high enough priority on issuing its “National Security Strategy” report. The National Security Act requires the President to issue such a report within 150 days of the start of his or her administration….
(photo credit: Ben Rosengart) TWN reader Ben Rosengart who has been with us from day one I think has sent in this picture of a car covered in cherry blossoms. Apparently, it’s cherry- and plum-blossom season in Berkeley, California. Ben writes: “Also note the calla lily in the far lower right corner.
Tomorrow, former IAEA Director Mohamed Elbaradei moves from Vienna to Egypt, where many want to see him run for the Presidency in future elections (a tough hill to climb given a million barriers). Elbaradei himself has stated he is interested if genuinely open, free elections were constructed.
(collection of photos from passports of individuals suspected in the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh) Taylor Marsh has a great post up that pieces together elements of the Robert Ludlumesque intrigue around the recent assassination in Dubai of Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.
This was an interesting BloggingHeads exchange for me because neoconservative thinker and FrumForum blogger David Frum and I largely agree that the “hit Iran hard” track in America’s current diplomacy could be counterproductive.
Politico‘s uber-cool cartoonist Matt Wuerker, a previous Pulitzer finalist, got the call last night that he’d won the prestigious Herblock Prize. Excellent.
Former Center for American Progress staffer and former President of the Oxford Student Union Will Straw — son of Jack, the UK’s former Foreign Minister — returned home to London last year and kicked of the daily policy brief Left Foot Forward.
Jim Pinkerton sent a clip from White House spokesman Robert Gibb’s Twitter Account to me today stating: Imagine how the political climate would look today if Obama had spent the last year announcing these kinds of projects. Couldn’t agree more.
Financial Times Washington Bureau Chief Edward Luce has posted a very good video interview and an analysis of his exchange with Center for American Progress President and former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta. The robustness of Podesta’s critiques of the White House’s performance is growing.
