Obama Administration Held Secret Contacts with Syria

A big story, at the Wall Street Journal, "U.S. Pursued Secret Contacts With Assad Regime for Years":

The Obama administration pursued secret communications with elements of Syria’s regime over several years in a failed attempt to limit violence and get President Bashar al-Assad to relinquish power, according to U.S. and Arab officials.

Early on, the U.S. looked for cracks in the regime it could exploit to encourage a military coup, but found few.

The efforts reflect how President Barack Obama’s administration has grappled to understand and interact with an opaque Middle East dictatorship run for 45 years by the Assad family.

Unlike the secret White House back channel to Iran, however, the Syria effort never gained momentum and communication was limited. This account is based on interviews with more than two dozen people, including current and former U.S. officials, Arab officials and diplomats. Most of these contacts haven’t been previously reported.

U.S. officials said communications with the regime came in fits and starts and were focused on specific issues. At times, senior officials spoke directly to each other and at others, they sent messages through intermediaries such as Mr. Assad’s main allies Russia and Iran.

Mr. Assad tried at different times to reach out to the administration to say the U.S. should unite with him to fight terrorism.

In 2011, as the regime began to crack down on protests and soldiers began to peel away from the army, U.S. intelligence officials identified officers from Mr. Assad’s minority Alawite sect who potentially could lead a regime change, according to former U.S. officials and current European officials.

“The White House’s policy in 2011 was to get to the point of a transition in Syria by finding cracks in the regime and offering incentives for people to abandon Assad,” a former senior administration official said.

But regime cohesiveness held, and the crackdown continued.

In August 2011, Mr. Obama publicly called for Mr. Assad to step down.

The administration’s core message never strayed from the U.S. line that Mr. Assad ultimately has to step down. But instead of persuading Mr. Assad to exit, the covert communications may have fed his sense of legitimacy and impunity.

That helped fuel the current wrangling among world powers over the Syrian leader’s future in any settlement. It also hampered the effort to consolidate the international fight against Islamic State.

“We have had times where we’ve said: ‘You could create a better environment for cease-fires if you stop dropping barrel bombs,’ ” a senior U.S. official said. “There’s communicating on specific issues,” the official added. “It’s not like Cuba or Iran, where we thought that we would essentially, in a secret bilateral negotiation, resolve the issue.”

Questions sent to the office of Assad adviser Bouthaina Shaaban about communication with the Obama administration were unanswered...

Keep reading.

Kendall Jenner on Vogue Brazil January 2016 Cover

As I was saying.

Here she is on Vogue Brazil, via ET, "Kendall Jenner Reveals Her First Magazine Cover of 2016 Is 'Vogue Brasil'."

Kendall Jenner Sexy Lingerie in Love Advent Calendar (VIDEO)

Kendall Jenner is getting lots of coverage --- and I like it!

At E!, "Kendall Jenner Is a 'Goddess' in Sexy Black Lingerie in Fiery Love Advent Calendar Photos and Video."

And watch, "Day 24 - Kendall Jenner by James Lima (LOVE Advent 2015)."

Lucy Pinder Nuts Magazine Flashback (VIDEO)

Well, we can always enjoy the memories, "Lucy Pinder, Nuts Magazine, December 2013."

And of course, there'll be more outlets for the Nuts lovely to display their talents. I'll be on the lookout, heh.

More, "Lucy Pinder is an Amazing Christmas Present."

U.S. Plans Massive Raids to Deport Illegal Central American Migrants

Seems like the administration's bureaucracy's out of sync with the political needs of the party in power.

At WaPo, "U.S. plans raids to deport families who surged across border":

The Department of Homeland Security has begun preparing for a series of raids that would target for deportation hundreds of families who have flocked to the United States since the start of last year, according to people familiar with the operation.

The nationwide campaign, to be carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as soon as early January, would be the first large-scale effort to deport families who have fled violence in Central America, those familiar with the plan said. More than 100,000 families with both adults and children have made the journey across the southwest border since last year, though this migration has largely been overshadowed by a related surge of unaccompanied minors.

The ICE operation would target only adults and children who have already been ordered removed from the United States by an immigration judge, according to officials familiar with the undertaking, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because planning is ongoing and the operation has not been given final approval by DHS. The adults and children would be detained wherever they can be found and immediately deported. The number targeted is expected to be in the hundreds and possibly greater.

The proposed deportations have been controversial inside the Obama administration, which has been discussing them for several months. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson has been pushing for the moves, according to those with knowledge of the debate, in part because of a new spike in the number of illegal immigrants in recent months. Experts say that the violence that was a key factor in driving people to flee Central America last year has surged again, with the homicide rate in El Salvador reaching its highest level in a generation. A drought in the region has also prompted departures.

The pressure for deportations has also mounted because of a recent court decision that ordered DHS to begin releasing families housed in detention centers...

More.

And the Donald weighs in, right now, heh:

Wow, because of the pressure put on by me, ICE TO LAUNCH LARGE SCALE DEPORTATION RAIDS. It's about time!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2015

Jack Cashill, Scarlet Letters

Another addition to the burgeoning genre on the totalitarian left's attack on individual liberty.

At Amazon, Jack Cashill, Scarlet Letters: The Ever-Increasing Intolerance of the Cult of Liberalism.

RUBIO AND CRUZ DON'T HAVE LATINO CRED BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT MEXICAN-AMERICANS

The hateful left will do anything to destroy opponents of their collectivist program, almost always turning reality upside down.

From Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "Because once somebody has an (R) after his name, he’s fair game for any abuse the left wants to hurl at him, racism be damned."

George Will Warns That Donald Trump's Nomination Would Destroy the Republican Party

Well, I'm not that worried about it. The GOP's pretty screwed already.

But see BCF, "If Trump Wins the Nomination, Prepare for the End of the Conservative Party."

I like George Will, but he's about as establishment as you can be. He used to be on "This Week with David Brinkley" back in the 1980s, when I was first following politics. Charles Krauthammer convinced him to move over to Fox News a couple of years ago, but he seems out of place even at Fox.

In any case, Trump's revitalizing the GOP as a party with a backbone, willing to stand up to the PC Democrat-Media-Leftist complex. That's why everyone's pulling their hair out. They're used to Republicans lying down amid cries of racism, sexism, or you name it.

Donald Trump Warns Hillary Clinton on the 'War on Women Card' (VIDEO)

Hillary's initial comments were at the Des Moines Register yesterday, "Clinton says Trump's vulgarity doesn't shock her."

And watch, at CBS This Morning:

Minnesota Police Rout Black Lives Matter Protesters at Mall of America (VIDEO)

At Blazing Cat Fur.

And watch, at CBS News 4 Minnesota, "Black Lives Matter Shifts MOA Protest to MSP Airport," and "Inside the MOA During BLM’s Protest."

One-Day Shipping by Christmas — BUMPED

For last minute shoppers.

At Amazon, Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide.

And New Year, New You: Personalized Gifts for the Holidays.

Also, ICYMI, from David Horowitz, The Black Book of the American Left - Volume 5: Culture Wars.

BONUS: Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam And the American Left.

Driver Shouting 'Allahu Akbar!' Runs Down 11 French Pedestrians in Dijon (VIDEO)

At Instapundit, "I BLAME CLIMATE CHANGE: Driver Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar!’ Runs Down 11 French Pedestrians."

There's video at RT, with analyst Pierre Schweitzer chalking the attack up to an alleged increase in tensions between Israel and Palestine. Yeah, that's it. Couldn't be more of the standard Islamic jihad we've been seeing all year, right? FWIW, "Driver shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ hits crowds of pedestrians in France, 11 injured."

Refugee Crisis Drives Rise of New Right Wing in Germany

There's so much fear of "the right" in Germany. They fear the Nazis coming back to power more than they fear the purveyors of a new Holocaust in their midst.

But most people protesting against the refujihadists aren't radical right wingers. They're everyday people overwhelmed by the migrant onslaught.

At Der Spiegel, "Fear, Anger and Hatred: The Rise of Germany's New Right":

For years, a sense of disillusionment has been growing on the right. Now, the refugee crisis has magnified that frustration. Increasingly, people from the very center of society are identifying with the movement -- even as political debate coarsens and violence increases.

Martin Bahrmann, a local politician in the Saxon town of Meissen, was just preparing to speak in a council debate on refugee shelters when a ball-point pen ricoched off the back of his head. It was a cheap, plastic writing utensil -- blue with white writing.

As a member of the business friendly Free Democrats (FDP), Bahrmann's seat in the regional council is at the very back and the visitors' gallery is just behind him. The pen must have come from somebody in the audience. When Bahrmann turned around, he found himself looking at a sea of hostile faces. Although there were around 80 visitors in the gallery, nobody admitted to having seen who threw the pen. On the contrary: The FDP representative and his colleagues were later insulted as being "traitors to the German people."

Bahrmann, 28, does not draw a salary for his involvement in local politics. It is merely his contribution to a functioning democracy. He was born and grew up in the region he represents and he has known many of the people there for many years. But even he, Bahrmann says, now must be more careful about when and where he makes political appearances. Ever since the regional council discussed transforming the former Hotel Weinböhla into a refugee hostel, the established political parties have been confronted with the hate of many locals. One Left Party representative was spit on as he was walking down the street while another was threatened with violence. Meanwhile, representatives from the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the neo-Nazi NPD were celebrated for having voted against the refugees in the regional council.

The pen thrown in Meissen may not have garnered much media attention, but it says a lot about the public mood in Germany, a country in which increasing numbers of people are united against the state, its institutions and its elected officials. It is a country in which antipathy towards democracy is gradually increasing while xenophobia is growing rapidly. And it is a country where incidents of right-wing violence are on the rise and refugee hostels are set on fire almost daily.

It is still just a radical minority that is responsible for much of the xenophobia and violence. The tens of thousands of volunteers who offer their assistance in refugee shelters every day still predominate. But at the same time, a new right-wing movement is growing -- and it is much more adroit and, to many, appealing than any of its predecessors...

Jeez, they make it sound like it's the end of Wiemar, or something.

But keep reading.

And ICYMI, "'Ultra-Conservative' Protests Against 'Refujihadist' Invasion of Europe (VIDEO)."

Black Lives Matter Assholes Storm Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (VIDEO)

Via CNN:



And also on Twitter:

Black Lives Matter protesters march on Minneapolis airport https://t.co/thp4V7s5N4

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) December 24, 2015

Black Lives Matter assholes snarl Minneapolis airport https://t.co/Ysd8C4zxDa

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) December 24, 2015

Mohammad Tariq Mahmood, Banned from Flying to U.S., Linked to Taliban and al-Qaeda on Facebook

Are there any Muslims not linked to global jihad?

I don't think so.

At London's Daily Mail, "Facebook page linked to Taliban and Al Qaeda was registered to same address as British Muslim father whose Disneyland trip was blocked by Homeland Security."

Britney Spears Zipper Breaks Onstage in Las Vegas

Wardrobe malfunction.

At London's Daily Mail, "Without a hitch! Britney Spears puts on a racy performance in Sin City one week after wardrobe malfunction."

Also, "'I need my glasses!' Britney Spears, 34, shares Instagram photo wearing reading specs as she gripes of 'getting older'."

And flashback to July, "Britney Spears goes sporty in tiny shorts as she enjoys a day of shopping during Hawaii holiday with her two sons."

Katie Cassidy Bikini Pics

At London's Daily Mail, "Orange crush! Arrow star Katie Cassidy flashes abs in skimpy bikini as she continues to heat up Miami beach," and "Making a splash! Bikini-clad Katie Cassidy turns heads as she hits the beach in Miami once again."

Washington Post Pulls Cartoon Attacking Ted Cruz's Daughters as Monkeys

This was breaking news yesterday, for example, from Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "RACISM STRAIGHT UP: Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnaes depicts children of Hispanic presidential candidate as monkeys."

More, "RACE TO THE BOTTOM: That Deleted Ted Cruz Cartoon Wasn’t The Worst Thing Wash Post Published This Week. Try this on for size: “The war in Afghanistan follows Obama to his vacation in Hawaii.” And, "YOU STAY CLASSY, CNN."

More at Politico, via Memeorandum, "Washington Post removes cartoon depicting Ted Cruz's daughters as monkeys."

Nadine Leopold Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Casting Call (VIDEO)

She's Austrian:

Gun Sales Booming This Holiday Season (VIDEO)

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

And notice how California has the extended background checks, requiring background checks even for private sales.



PREVIOUSLY: "Surge in Gun Sales in Southern California (VIDEO)."