Truck and Barter

Rob N wrote:

All,

For those skeptical about Iraq and investing in the Iraqi Dinar I offer this as proof that those of us invested in the Dinar are on the right track. In my opinion, big movement regarding investment in Iraq will begin once the HCL is passed. Until then it is a waiting game.
__________________________________________________________
Investors ready for Iraq business as troops pullout

Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:16am
By Luke Baker

LONDON (Reuters) - Major businesses have lined up billions of dollars for investment in southern Iraq, where oil riches and long-term opportunities beckon, preparing to move in even as Britain prepares to pull its troops out.

Foreign investors have earmarked more than $9 billion for the oil-hub of Basra and the region around it in the next three years, according to Michael Wareing, the co-chair of the Basra Development Commission, a British-Iraqi group, and up to three times as much could be invested in the next five to 10 years.

Royal Dutch Shell has signed a multi-billion dollar natural gas deal with the Iraqi government, which will see it capture flared gas released from oil extraction, and ArcelorMittal has plans to overhaul a steel plant in Basra, a deal that could boost employment in the area.

Mittal Investments, an off-shoot of the Mittal conglomerate, is separately looking at investing multiple millions in a petro-chemicals plant near Basra, Iraq's second largest city.

"Iraq has the third largest proven oil reserves in the world, really you almost can't afford not to be involved," said Wareing, who as well as being the international chief executive of KPMG has spent the past year promoting business in Iraq.

"All companies around the world are seeing their revenue falling, so if there's an opportunity like this to grow into a new area -- provided the numbers work and they've got the money -- they're doing it," he told Reuters in an interview after returning from an Iraq investment conference in Turkey.

A year ago, Basra, a city of around two million people, was regarded as far too dangerous for British troops to operate in, let alone foreign businesses to invest in. There were small-scale ventures, but nothing on the billion-dollar level.

But a two-month operation earlier this year by Iraqi troops, backed by U.S. and some British forces, to rid the city of militia groups had a profound impact on security, military commanders say, and has paved the way for an economic revival.

Inflation in Iraq has fallen from more than 40 percent last year to around six percent, according to British economic advisers who visited the country last week, while gross domestic product growth is forecast to hit nearly 10 percent this year.

With the vast majority of Iraq's oil production, currently running at around 2.4 million barrels per day, being processed and exported via the south, Basra and the region around it, including the port of Umm Qasr, have become business magnets.

OIL LAW

Last week Chinese and Indian transport ships were busily unloading goods at Umm Qasr, a port capable of handling about a third of the container traffic of Rotterdam, supplying goods to Iraqi consumers and increasingly to those throughout the Middle East, making the port a growing hub for regional trade.

But despite the growing activity and the investment in the pipeline, there are major hurdles to clear if Basra is to develop into a regional business center in the years ahead.

Many investors are waiting until the Iraqi government has passed a hydrocarbons law clearly defining how oil revenues will be apportioned and the rights foreign investors will have before committing vast sums to a potentially risky venture.

That law is not expected to be finalized for many months, if not years to come, meaning investment flows will be stalled.

"The main reason why there are not other contracts being signed right now... is that most of the other projects need this hydrocarbons law to be passed," said Wareing.

The Shell deal, which has yet to be fully formalized, will give other investors confidence once it is inked, and a further bridge will be crossed once the hydrocarbons law is in place, but both steps are needed to consolidate Basra's development.

"The two really big things, the two big triggers, will be when we start to see multiple contracts being awarded, that will give a strong surge to interest," said Wareing, predicting several major deals in the first quarter of next year.

"Secondly, the hydrocarbons law. Once that's in place, the numbers will start to get really big. You'll see more oil contracts coming through, all of them in the billions.

"You could easily see investment in Basra doubling or trebling from $9 billion in the next five to 10 years."
(www.reuters.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 1, 2009 12:31 AM ∞

Rob N wrote:

All,

Iraq to reach 6.5 million barrels/day within 6 years, says minister 31/12/2008 17:41:00

Baghdad (NINA)- Minister of Oil Hussein al-Shahristani has expressed hope that launching the tow licenses rounds on investing and developing Iraqi oil fields would lead the country to produce 6.5 billion barrels/day within the next five to six years.
(www.ninanews.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 1, 2009 12:34 AM ∞

Rob N wrote:

All,

Cooperation with IMF fruitful – MP
December 25, 2008 - 03:54:49

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: An Iraqi lawmaker said on Thursday that the government’s cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was fruitful and achieved several gains and objectives, including recent exemptions from $7.8 billion in debts.
“Some have criticized the Iraqi government’s obligations towards the IMF as far as spending rationalization was concerned but in fact these commitments were very fruitful,” Sami al-Atroushi, a Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) member of the parliament’s Financial Committee, told Aswat al-Iraq.
“These IMF exemptions make 20 percent of a total 80% of exemptions obtained by Iraq in 2004 from the 19 members of the Paris Club,” he said.
The KIU occupies five out of the Iraqi parliament’s 275 seats.
The Paris Club of creditor nations had on Monday written off $7.8 billion (one dollar equals 1,117 Iraqi dinars) of Iraq’s debts due since the time of the former regime.
Atroushi pointed out that among the terms by the Paris Club is to observe the IMF recommendations regarding rationalization of the country’s expenditure.
He said that Iraq needs sound planning and painstaking efforts to refresh the economy that has deteriorated during the past decades.
(www.en.aswataliraq.info)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 1, 2009 12:35 AM ∞

Rob N wrote:

All,

Iraqi PM says country is now safe

Politics 12/31/2008 6:10:00 PM


BAGHDAD, Dec 31 (KUNA) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki said on Wednesday that his country is now safe and able to control the security situation, having gotten rid of sectarian violence, calling on Arab states to increase cooperation with his country.
Al-Maliki's comment came after a meeting held with Arab League Ambassador in Iraq, Hani Khalaf.
The Prime Minister expressed pleasure for Khalaf's visit, noting that such a visit by "the Ambassador or any Arab official is always welcome and we want to boost bilateral relations with Arab states." Al-Maliki added that the Iraqi authorities are now in control of the security situation in the country, after they got rid of sectarian violence, boosted national unity.
Now, Iraq is looking forward for Arab cooperation for rebuilding efforts and investment opportunities.
Al-Maliki also expressed solidarity and sympathy on behalf of his government and the Iraqi people in sympathizing with the suffering of the Palestinian people, pointing out that the presence of Iraq at the meeting of Arab foreign ministers in the Arab League is a confirmation of such a position.
For his part, the Ambassador conveyed through his meeting greetings by the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, stressing that the League has several perceptions and ideas for cooperation with Iraq and support the economic and development projects there.
The ambassador also reiterated support by the Arab League to the Iraqi government and its efforts to achieve security, stability and prosperity for the Iraqi people. (end) mhg.mb KUNA 311810 Dec 08NNNN
(www.kuna.net.kw)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 1, 2009 12:37 AM ∞

Rob N wrote:

All,

Iraq to offer 10 fields in 2nd oil licensing round

Iraq's oil minister says 10 undeveloped or underdeveloped gas and oil fields will be offered in its second licensing round beginning Wednesday.
(www.noozz.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 1, 2009 12:37 AM ∞

Rob N wrote:

All,

Iraq's Central Bank to reduce interest rate
The Central Bank of Iraq says it will reduce its interest rate by 1 percentage point to 14 percent, starting next year.

The decision reflects declining inflation. The bank statement Thursday says that inflation in November sunk to 12.7 percent from the 13.6 percent registered in the previous month.
Inflation roared as high as 69.6 percent at the end of 2006, but fell sharply to 32 percent in early 2007 and then to 11 percent at the beginning of this year when Iraq's central bank adopted a package of financial measures, including high interest rates.
(www.todayszaman.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 1, 2009 12:38 AM ∞

Rob N wrote:

All,

Iraq to Take More Control of Airspace
December 31, 2008
Agence France-Presse

The U.S. military prepared to turn over a swathe of Iraqi airspace on Wednesday ahead of the expiry of a UN mandate in another step that edges Baghdad closer to full sovereignty.

The transfer of airspace was formally to occur at midnight (2100 GMT) Wednesday at Baghdad international airport, about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from the Iraqi capital, as part of the landmark security arrangement Washington signed with Baghdad in November.

Following the 2003-U.S. led invasion, the American military took control of all of Iraq's airspace, radio control towers and the nation's network of airports of which Baghdad and Basra in the south are the biggest.

"According to the security agreement that starts on January 1, our airspace will be returned down to 24,000 feet (7,300 metres)," Transport Minister Amer Abduljabbar Ismail told AFP.

Iraq currently controls airspace from 29,000 feet (8,800 metres) and above. That margin will be now be reduced by 5,000 feet, according to Ismail.

"However, the complete control of our airspace will not be finished until 2011, when the U.S. military leaves," he said, adding that the air control towers and Baghdad airport will also now be placed in the hands of Iraqi officials.

As part of the security deals signed with the U.S. and the British, Basra airport which has been administered by British troops will also be returned on January 1, Ismail said.

Baghdad signed on Tuesday military accords with Britain and Australia that give their troops a legal basis to stay in Iraq after the expiry of the UN mandate at midnight on December 31.

"With the authority of the government of Iraq given to the defence minister, an agreement was signed with Britain ... which will be implemented from the start of the new year until June 30," defence ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari told AFP.

A similar deal was signed with Australia.

Under the agreement, Britain, which has about 4,100 troops based at Basra airport in southern Iraq, will play only a supportive role in their area.

"British troops will only support, consolidate and develop the Iraqi security forces without having any combat mission. July 31 will be the last day for the withdrawal of the British forces from Iraq," Askari said.

During a visit to Iraq on December 17, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki announced the completion of the mission of the British contingent by the end of May 2009, and a total withdrawal by end July 2009.

After British troops leave next year, relations between London and Baghdad will in theory revert to those between any other country.

The same can be said for Sydney, which withdrew a 550-strong battlegroup in June but left a 110-strong security detachment in Baghdad and a group of training and support personnel at various installations.

British troop numbers in the Iraq campaign were the second largest contingent, peaking at 46,000 in March and April 2003 for the invasion, while Australia's topped out at about 2,000, the third largest deployment in the war.

The end of the UN mandate put in place soon after the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion means Iraq will take greater control of its own security although foreign forces will remain in the country.

"The main difference is that UNAMI will increasingly and gradually expect Iraqi security forces to provide security, as in any other sovereign country," Staffan de Mistura, the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) envoy, told AFP earlier this week.

However, deals will also need to be signed by Iraq with Estonia, Romania, El Salvador and NATO, each of whom have small numbers of troops stationed in Iraq.

The United States, which has 146,000 soldiers in Iraq, signed in November an agreement with Baghdad which allows its combat forces to remain in the country until the end of 2011.
(www.military.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 1, 2009 12:39 AM ∞

Tsalagi wrote:

I can see it all right now! KLM to Houston>Amsterdam>Baghdad....pick up a bucket of money and wire the rest....Return to Amsterdam and party with friends for awhile....then back to Houston and pick the best beach in Thailand on which to build my dream house. I love it when a plan comes together!
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Iraq, Air France-KLM Sign Cooperation Deal

31 December 2008 ( AFP )

Air France-KLM and Iraq's transport ministry have signed a preliminary accord which will see Iraqi Airways taking off for European destinations and Baghdad's airport being renovated, an official statement said Tuesday.

"The memorandum of understanding has three points: first, technical, which covers technically enabling Iraqi Airways to code-share flights with Air France-KLM," said ministry spokesman Samir al-Showaili.

Air France-KLM will, secondly, assist "Iraqi Airways to enable it to fly international flights, including to Europe," he said.

The deal also includes, thirdly, the revamp of Baghdad's third terminal to international standards and the construction of airports in Iraq through investment companies.

Transport Minister Amer Abduljabbar Ismail told AFP that his ministry is also in discussion with German and Danish air freight groups which could provide shipping services as early as 2009. He declined to elaborate.

In the aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi Airways was hit hard by UN sanctions imposed against Iraq and its service declined rapidly.

After the US-led invasion in 2003, the airline slowly resumed flights and today the national carrier flies to the regional capitals of Amman, Beirut, Tehran, Cairo, Istanbul, Damascus and Dubai.

It also undertakes domestic flights to Basra in the south and to the Kurdish provinces in north.

Baghdad International Airport is still controlled by US forces who have a huge base at Camp Victory but as of January 1, under a new military accord governing the presence of US troops until 2011, the airport will be returned to Iraqi control.

For years, the 12 kilometre (seven mile) road from downtown Baghdad to the airport was one of the most dangerous in the capital, until the introduction of huge blast walls in early 2008 to protect against rocket and sniper fire.

-- January 1, 2009 1:42 PM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

All,

Iraq gov't gets control of Green Zone, US troops

Writer Jim Heintz,
Associated Press Writer –
Thu Jan 1, 6:57 pm ET AP –

BAGHDAD – The U.S. formally transferred control of the Green Zone to Iraqi authorities Thursday in a pair of ceremonies that also handed back Saddam Hussein's former palace. Iraq's prime minister said he will propose making Jan. 1 a holiday marking the restoration of sovereignty.

Under the new security agreement between Washington and Baghdad to replace a U.N. mandate for foreign troops in Iraq, the Iraqi government also now has control of American troops' actions and of the country's airspace.

The moves came amid a dramatic fall in violence over the past year. However, insurgents still stage daily attacks and could try to expand the fight now that U.S. troops cannot take unilateral action.

Two Iraqi soldiers and three policemen were killed in attacks Thursday. In the northern city of Kirkuk, Iraqi and U.S. troops killed three suspected al-Qaida gunmen during a raid, police said.

Many of the changes inaugurated on New Year's Day won't bring immediately visible results. The Green Zone, the country's government and military command center, remains ringed by concrete blast walls and off limits to most Iraqis. U.S. troops still man its checkpoints, although now as trainers rather than leaders.

But the Americans have moved out of the Republican Palace, the sprawling former headquarters of Saddam's regime that they took over shortly after the 2003 invasion. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki formerly took control of the building Thursday and exulted over the security pact under which U.S. troops are to leave the country by 2012.

"A year ago, the mere thought of forces withdrawing from Iraq was considered a dream," al-Maliki told reporters afterward. "The dream that no one had the right to think about became true."

He called for making Jan. 1 a national holiday called "Sovereignty Day." Iraq already officially observes New Year's Day as a holiday.

Also on Thursday, British troops turned over to Iraqi officials the airport in Basra, the country's second-largest city. Britain says it will withdraw its approximately 4,000 soldiers in Iraq by May 31.

"Iraq is taking another step toward the future, signaling to its citizens and the international community that it is indeed a new day for sovereign Iraq," U.S. Army Col. Steven Ferrari said at a separate ceremony handing over control of the Green Zone.

The Green Zone was the most potent symbol of the U.S. invasion and occupation.

The 4-square-mile area, which nestles into the start of an oxbow bend of the Tigris River, formally is called the International Zone. Sarcastically, it's called "The Bubble" because the foreigners who live and work there often have little contact with the shabby and violent city on the other side of the 13-foot-high, reinforced concrete blast walls around the perimeter.

But the sense of security is only relative. The zone was a favorite target for rockets and mortars fired by insurgents. In 2007, the attacks were so heavy that the U.S. Embassy ordered its workers to wear flak jackets and helmets anywhere outside.

Asked whether insurgents could resume attacks now that the area is under Iraqi control, Ferrari said, "Common sense says they'll probably test the Green Zone."

The walls and the seemingly endless series of checkpoints inside have been worrisomely porous. A suicide bomber attacked the parliament's dining hall in 2007, killing one person. Suicide vests wired with explosives have been found on the grounds.

Although Baghdad is calmer now, the Green Zone is full of unsettling reminders of war. Duck-and-cover bunkers dot sidewalks under lush date palms. Walls bear signs warning drivers not to stop for any reason and frequent speed bumps force vehicles to a near crawl.

Even before U.S. troops took control of the area in 2003 and put up the walls, the neighborhood had an air of intimidation. Saddam and his sons had lavish residences there and motorists who drove through understood they shouldn't stop.

Now, Iraqi officials have their eyes on making the area accessible, inspiring and educational, even though it's not yet clear when they will feel confident enough to take down the walls.

"It depends. There are many steps to take," Iraqi Security Minister Sherwan al-Waili said when asked about prospects for opening the zone.

In July, the National Investment Commission approved plans to build a $100 million luxury hotel in the zone.

And in the next couple of months, the Iraqi High Tribunal plans to open a museum in the zone detailing the brutality of Saddam's regime. It will include a replica of the hole-in-the-ground hideout where Saddam was captured in 2004, two years before he was executed, tribunal head Arif Abdul-Razzak Al-Shaheen told the newspaper Asharq al-Awsat last month.

Violence around Iraq plunged in 2008, with attacks declining to an average of 10 a day from 180 a year ago. The murder rate in November was less than 1 per 100,000 people — far lower than many cities in the world.

U.S. military deaths in Iraq plunged by two-thirds in 2008 from the previous year, a reflection of the improving security following the American counterinsurgency campaign and al-Qaida's slow retreat from the battlefield.

According to a tally by The Associated Press, at least 314 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq during 2008, down from 904 in 2007. In all, at least 4,221 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003.
(www.news.yahoo.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2009 9:40 AM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

All,

Barazani: Kurds do not seek revenge 01/01/2009 23:07:00

Arbil (NINA) – Head of Kurdistan region, Massoud Barazani, stressed, "The necessity to consolidate joint fraternal and understanding between Arab states and Iraq and to make the relations in the interests of Iraq....
(www.ninanews.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2009 9:42 AM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

All,

Iraq's Transport Network Slowly Recovering

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Baghdad, 02 January 2009 ( Middle East Online )
Inadequate funding forces Iraq to look for outside investors to pour money in transport infrastructure.
By Benjamin Morgan
Iraq's dilapidated transport infrastructure is on the road to recovery after decades of neglect but funding is inadequate and the new transport minister is seeking outside investors.

Factionalism and corruption was rife when Amer Abduljabbar Ismail took the helm at a government department considered to be one of the most dysfunctional in the war-battered country, the minister said in an interview.

"It looked like a group of gangs and militias," he said, noting that at one point the skills shortage was such that nearly half the workforce only had a primary education.

Now Ismail has the ministry moving forward again and recently signed a preliminary accord with Air France-KLM which will see Iraqi Airways taking off for European destinations and Baghdad's airport being renovated.

Topping his ambitious list of projects that also includes revamping the nation's bombed out and looted railway network is a 4.4 billion dollar container port in Iraq's Al-Fao in the south.

Despite initial successes the ministry's budget of 450 million is far too small to fulfill Ismail's Iraq's basic transport needs, Ismail said.

"We don't have enough money for our projects, so we will have to go to outside investors for funding," he said, adding that he is already in talks with potential investors from Turkey, Germany and Denmark.

To get this far Ismail, 47, a rotund and small man with 25 years of professional experience in the freight and logistics industry, has had to hone his political cunning as well as wielding his business know-how.

He was not allowed to fire people outright due to the huge unemployment in Baghdad, but the ministry of 45,000 employees still needed to slim down by 30 percent to be efficient.

So he tore apart the ministry's hierarchy instead, moving many self-appointed officials to posts where they could do the least harm and at the same time he implemented rigorous accounting regulations to curtail theft.

It was not a popular move.

"Each person I fired from their position meant that other officials would come to visit me to beg me to bring them back to work," the politically unaffiliated minister said with a sigh.

Ismail's ministry has the unwieldy task of rebuilding a heavily damaged transport system that includes airports, the national airline, ports and buses, and about 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) of rails.

In the five months since Ismail took office he has quietly but determinedly tried to turn the corner of the ministry that had been brought almost to a halt by a decade of sanctions followed by war and sectarian strife.

"The most difficult time was when there was no minister for nearly two years between 2005 and 2007," he said, adding that turf wars were still common.

Since taking the helm, Ismail has more than doubled revenues in the national bus system by implementing a simple change in the ticketing system that stopped employees pocketing money from ticket sales.

He also convinced some international shipping groups to take sailors from the ministry's marine shipping company. About 1,500 merchant marines had no work because their ships had all been destroyed in the war.

A top priority for the ministry is to ensure the nation's transport system is expanded at the same time as it gets back on its feet.

Iraq, which has a Persian Gulf coastline of less than 100 kilometres (60 miles), has only one deep sea commercial port, Umm Qasr, and Al-Fao could greatly strengthen the nation's anaemic international trade.

Revamping the rail network is also critical. Sabotage and looting of trains has almost ceased in the south, allowing the 500 kilometre line from Baghdad to the southern city of Basra to start carrying passengers again.

Meanwhile, plans are afoot to replace decrepit lines between Basra, Um Qasar and the Iraqi capital, as well Baghdad to Mosul in north and to Rabia, near the Syrian border.

In 2009, the ministry will build a new line from Baiji, location of Iraq's largest oil refinery, to Aleppo in Syria. Ismail is also hopeful for a line between Mosul and Turkey, where he just signed deals for new coaches.

Urban transport is also part of the programme and three weeks ago a local Baghdad train began running to the district of Dora.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2009 9:46 AM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

All,

Iraqis Urged to Tighten Belts

02 January 2009 ( Azzaman )
By Mostafa al-Hashemi

Finance Minister Baqer Al-Zubaidi has called on Iraqis to reduce spending and save as much as they can.

The minister made the remarks in response to calls to slash public spending and a cabinet proposal to reduce salaries by up to 30%.

The proposal was made by the cabinet’s Economic Committee and sent to the finance ministry.

Amid high unemployment levels, government-salaried workers are currently almost the only people who can afford a decent living in Iraq.

They include teachers, civil servants, police, army personnel and pensioners.

Zubaidi’s 2009 budget which he has presented to the parliament was based on high oil prices and expectations that the average rate for a barrel of oil will not be less than 80 U.S. dollars.

But prices have sharply dropped from their highs on international markets and oil is now hovering at 40 U.S. dollars a barrel.

However, Zubaidi said slashing government workers’ salaries was the last thing for him to consider.

Zubaidi, in the meantime, has called on government departments to revise their budgets and spending in the light of the slump in oil prices which are almost the country’s sole hard cash earner.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2009 9:50 AM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

All,

Iraq Opens Up Some Prized Oilfields to Foreign Majors

Baghdad, 02 January 2009 ( Reuters )

Iraq yesterday opened up some of its most prized oil and gas fields to international firms that have been excluded for decades, part of new deals that could more than double its output within a few years.

In a second bid round, following on from one earlier this year, Iraq has put forward 11 oil and gas fields, including super giants. "Under service contracts prepared by the oil ministry, 11 oil and gas fields will undergo complete development," Oil Minister Hussain Al-Shahristani told a Baghdad news conference.

Two of the oilfields-Majnoon and West Qurna Phase II- are classed as super giants and between them could produce 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) when fully developed.

Shahristani named the other fields as Halfaya, East Baghdad, Gharrafa, Qayara, Najmah, Badrah, Kifil/West Kifil/Mirjan and a group in Diyala province, as well as the Siba gas field in Basra province.

He said the 11 fields could increase production by up to 2.5 million bpd within three to four years of the contracts being completed at the end of 2009. That increase is roughly equivalent to what Iraq produces today. Three of the fields are jointly owned with neighbors Iran and Kuwait. Developing them would require bilateral deals with those states, which were not opposed, Shahristani said.

In June, Iraq announced a first bidding round for long-term contracts for eight big oil and gas fields, which could add a total of 1.5 million barrels per day to the nation's output.

The oil ministry is expected to announce the results of that round by the middle of next year. When all the new fields are fully operational, in theory within six years' time, Iraq's output could be more than 6 million bpd.

Iraq has the world's third largest oil reserves, but its infrastructure has been shattered by decades of war and sanctions and it is in need of massive investment.

Under the rule of Saddam Hussein, some foriegn oil firms were on the brink of gaining access but potential deals never came to fruition.

A Russian consortium headed by LUKOIL had even signed a deal to develop West Qurna, but it was cancelled by Iraq in 2002. France's Total had initialed a deal for Majnoon and Bin Umar, another major field.

By now allowing international firms to help raise output at its key fields, the Iraqi government is breaking with the policy of neighbors such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, where state firms keep tight control of oil.

However, the proposed Iraqi deals take the form of service contracts, in which Iraq owns the oil and foreign firms are paid for their work, rather than the production-sharing deals foreign firms prefer because they give them a share of the output.

In September, Iraq's cabinet approved a $3 billion oil service contract with the Chinese National Petroleum Company (CNPC), restoring a deal originally signed in 1997.

Royal Dutch Shell is finalizing details of a multibillion-dollar joint venture with an Iraqi state-run firm to capture gas produced as a by-product of oil production in southern Iraq, for export and domestic power generation.

Oil is Iraq's main source of income and boosting output is vital to earning the cash needed for reconstruction, especially as plummeting oil prices have shrunk existing revenues.
(www.iraqupdates.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2009 9:51 AM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

All,

Sons of Iraq Transfer New Year's Day
December 31, 2008
Army News Service

BAGHDAD - Along with a new year, Iraq is ringing in an important step toward national reconciliation and sovereignty on Jan. 1 as the nation's government takes over control of the Sons of Iraq from Coalition forces in four provinces.

The turnover includes Diyala, one of the most diverse provinces, where al-Qaeda in Iraq once terrorized and intimidated local residents.

In all, 76 percent of the nation's SoI members will be under Iraqi government responsibility by New Year's Day.

"We are beyond the tipping point with the Sons of Iraq," said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Kulmayer, the chief of reconciliation and engagement for Multi-National Corps - Iraq.

"They have invested in the future of Iraq. And the Iraqi Government is offering them hope in the future. They're going to be part of that."

The transfer marks a dramatic turnaround in Diyala province in particular.

"Diyala is a small Iraq," said Iraqi Army Maj. Gen. Muzhir al-Mawla, vice chairman of the Iraqi Follow-Up Committee for National Reconciliation. Home to Kurds as well as Sunni and Shi'a Iraqis, the region is more varied than Baghdad, he sadi, where SoI members have already been successfully transferred to Iraqi control.

In 2007, the mostly Sunni area of Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, had been considered one of the most dangerous provinces in Iraq, and it lacked an infrastructure to support many basic services for its residents. But, as AQI's targeting of innocent men, women and children in areas like Diyala took its deadly toll on residents, concerned local citizens joined a movement called the "Awakening" and organized neighborhood watches to roll back terrorist gains in their communities.

The following year, the movement's members -- who came to be known as the Sons of Iraq -- joined forces with the Coalition to fight AQI, with spectacular results, officials said. The addition of more than 100,000 SoI members helped to thicken the security forces and enabled the improved security environment experienced today.

"They have been critical to finding caches, bringing down IEDs, keeping al-Qaeda out of the towns, because they know everybody," Kulmayer said. "They know who's who in their towns and villages."

Now, after helping bring greater stability to the region, 20,000 SoI members in Diyala, Babil, Wasit and Qadisiyah provinces will have opportunities to serve their country in new roles.

In early December, they began to register with the Iraqi government to receive their regular paychecks. As responsibility for the SoI transfers to the government on Jan. 1, the group's members will transition into a variety of meaningful jobs intended to secure the nation's future. About 20 percent are slated to join the Iraqi Army or Police; the rest will enter public or private employment in a variety of roles, from civil engineering to electrical maintenance to working in the government's multiple ministries.

"The goal of this program is to eventually hire these people into meaningful jobs," said Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin III, commanding general of MNC-I. "While many of them are working in security positions right now, ultimately they'll transition and go into other meaningful jobs, and that's the goal."

The program has met with a number of challenges. Before working with the Coalition, many of the SoI actively resisted it. Some members worry that their previous activities might be held against them.

So far, though, the SoI and the government have interacted well, confirming that this is "the leading edge of reconciliation," according to Maj. Gen. Michael Ferriter, deputy commanding general of MNC-I.

In the past three months, more than half of the country's SoI have already been transferred smoothly to Iraqi control, including all the group's members in Baghdad. SoI registration in Anbar Province is nearly complete, in preparation for a Feb. 1 transfer to Iraqi control. Ninewa, Kirkuk and Salah Ah Din provinces are scheduled to transfer in early spring. Authorities said a rehearsal of the Diyala transfer on Dec. 23 went off without a hitch.

"Diyala is considered to be a very complex province, but in fact the registration of the SoI has gone very well," said Kulmayer, adding that nearly 9,000 SoI members would register with the government in the province. "We have a very large turnout there. It's exceeding the expectation of how many would come in and register."

"The Sons of Iraq feel as if they're being taken care of," Austin said. "They're apprehensive, but that's to be expected. This is new and building trust takes time."

Civil Service Corps projects continue to be the main focus of non-security job efforts, with more than 4,100 SoI currently enrolled in various apprentice programs. Iraqi-led jobs programs for the SoI, such as CSC and public works projects, remain in development. The government of Iraq is also looking at opening a number of job-training centers around the country to address the needs of unskilled SoI members.

"Those results have come about because of determined leadership," Austin said.
Ferriter echoed those comments, adding that, at the end of the day, all the parties were on the same page. "We have a common goal: We don't want the Sons of Iraq to turn to al-Qaeda," he said.

"The Coalition forces don't want that; the Iraqi Prime Minister doesn't want that. Together, we'll make this work."
(www.military.com)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2009 9:57 AM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

All,

France welcomes transfer of authority in Baghdad

Politics 1/2/2009 4:38:00 PM



PARIS, Jan 2 (KUNA) -- France on Friday said it welcomed the transfer of authority for the Baghdad "Green Zone" to the Iraqi government from control by US-led coalition forces and said this was in line with French wishes for Iraq to recover its full sovereignty.
"France welcomes the transfer yesterday of responsibility of the international zone in Baghdad to Iraqi authorities," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"France has always supported recovery of full sovereignty by Iraq and this is a new and important step which has been made on that path," the statement added.
"This evolution is part of the logic of a progressive and organized withdrawal of foreign forces in consultation with the Iraqi government," the French Foreign Ministry said.
According to an agreement between the Iraqi government and the United States, a full withdrawal of US troops is scheduled for 2011. (end) jk.rk KUNA 021638 Jan 09NNNN
(www.kuna.net.kw)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2009 9:59 AM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

All,

GCC investments flow into Iraq''s Kurdistan in 2008 -- official

IRBIL, Jan 2 (KUNA) -- GCC investments to Iraq's Kurdistan had increased in 2008 with about USD 16 billion invested in the region, said an official here on Friday.
Herish Muharam Mohammad, head of Kurdistan's investment authority, told the press that such facts came after the vast security improvements in Kurdistan, adding that the flexible commercial laws also played a role in attracting these investments.
According to Mohammad, the leading investors in the region were the UAE followed by Kuwait.
Local investors in the region had launched several real estate projects which helped elevate the commercial activities in the region. (end) sbr.gta KUNA 021519 Jan 09NNNN
(www.kuna.net.kw)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2009 10:02 AM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

All,

Danish plane touches down at Baghdad airport 1st time since 18 years

BAGHDAD, Jan 2 (KUNA) -- A plane flying from Denmark touched down at Baghdad airport on Friday, marking the first such flight since 18 years ago.
A spokesman of the ministry of transports told KUNA Minister Amer Abdel Jabbar was on top of officials who wlecomed the plane, of Nordic Airways.
The aircrat boarded Iraqis who reside in Scandinavian countries, he said, adding that Baghdad would expand the network of air navigation with many states of the world. (end) mhg.rk KUNA 021646 Jan 09NNNN
(www.kuna.net.kw)

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2009 10:04 AM ∞

Rob N. wrote:

All,

We are beginning a new year as investors in the New Iraqi Dinar. At the end of 2007 Al-Malaki stated 2008 would focus on the economy of Iraq. It looks as though the economy in 2008 was a major focus of the Al-Malaki government.

From the articles I and others of you have posted in 2008 we are seeing Iraq begin to recover in major sectors such as transportation and farming. Iraq's oil production is at pre war levels though the price of oil has fallen sharply. As I have stated, I believe with the passage of the HCL this sector will explode with new growth and new investment. The Public Works sector still need investment. Basic water and electrical services are far from what they need to be. In this respect Iraq is still a thrid world nation.

The year 2008 ended with the passage of the SOFA agreement and lifting of article VII. The new year begins with Iraqi forces taking control of the Green Zone and the responsibility for the Sons of Iraq. What will the remainder of 2009 hold for Iraq? We do not know We know (to my utter dismay) Barack Hussein Obama will have a direct effect on U.S./Iraqi relations. What this effect will be we do not know?

We also know provincial elections are scheduled for the end of the month. It will be interesting to see whether the Sunnis can hold on to governmental power; or, will the Shiites sweep Al-Malaki out of office. If the majority ethnic group in Iraq comes to power what effect will this have on pending legislation; specifically, the HCL? What effect will this have on our investment in general?

I still believe that the Iraqi Dinar is an undervalued currency that will be backed by Iraqi's cash reserves, gold reserves and monetized oil; leading to a fully convertible currency traded on the foreign exchange market. In my view this is still a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is my hope that the Al-Warka/Citi Bank relationship continues to progress where those of us holding physical dinars can open an Iraqi bank account with Al-Warka via Citi Bank and by pass FEDEX.

We are closer to the conclusion of this investment than we have been before. I believe the GoI and the CBI are interested in tighting monetary further in the short term to collect all of the outstanding monetary units it can. These entities also want to stem the outflow of Dinars from Iraq. It is my belief that Chase, B of A, and Scotia deciding not to buy or sell Iraqi Dinars is either directly or indirectly related to this tightened monetary policy. I also believe we will the supply of Dinars through dealers, ebay, and banks in UK lessened because of this tightening. Ultimately, this bodes well for those of us that have Dinars on hand.

None of know what the future holds for Iraq and we Dinarians but 2009 has the potential to be very very profitable.

Thanks,

Rob N.

-- January 2, 2009 10:37 AM ∞

Tsalagi wrote:

Yes,this could be the year we get a good return on our Dinar investment. If you have more than $10,000,or earn interest, in a foreign bank account you need to read this article titled "Report your foreign bank accounts or go to jail". When the Dinar RV's at a decent rate, and we all cash in, it's highly probable that our tax returns will be audited. As the Boy Scouts say....be prepared!

http://www.escapeartist.com/OREQ28/Report_Your_Foreign_Bank_Accounts.html

-- January 2, 2009 12:18 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Iraq's transport network on road to recovery

Iraq's dilapidated transport infrastructure is on the road to recovery after decades of neglect but funding is inadequate and the new transport minister is seeking outside investors, AFP reported.

Factionalism and corruption was rife when Amer Abduljabbar Ismail took the helm at a government department considered to be one of the most dysfunctional in the war-battered country.

Now Ismail has the ministry moving forward again and recently signed a preliminary accord with Air France-KLM which will see Iraqi Airways taking off for European destinations and Baghdad's airport being renovated.

Topping his ambitious list of projects that also includes revamping the nation's bombed out and looted railway network is a US$4.4 billion dollar container port in Iraq's Al-Fao in the south.

Despite initial successes the ministry's budget of $450 million is far too small to fulfil Ismail's Iraq's basic transport needs.

http://www.cargonewsasia.com/secured/article.aspx?id=7&article=18060

-- January 3, 2009 1:23 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

U.S. moo-ve to rebuild Iraq's dairy herds
Jan. 2, 2009

BAGHDAD, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marines are buying cows for Iraqi women, whose husbands died in combat, to help rebuild the country's dairy economy, a military spokeswoman said.

A request by an Iraqi women's group lead to the Marine's bovine distribution to 50 women in Anbar province, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"It was an easy sell," said Maj. Meredith Brown, part of the Marines' outreach program for Iraqi women.

The need to beef up Iraq's dairy industry was argued in a report by Land O'Lakes Inc., the Minnesota dairy company hired by the Marines to examine the Iraqi dairy industry. It concluded the industry had great growth potential in Iraq, which produces enough milk to satisfy only 5 percent of the demand.

The cow distribution program is one of several U.S. initiatives to help revive Iraq's dairy and beef industries, officials said. The United States also is leading a project to rehabilitate a milk collection center in Fallujah, and is working with dairy farmers in Wehida region south of Baghdad.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/01/02/US_moo-ve_to_rebuild_Iraqs_dairy_herds/UPI-88231230909044/

-- January 3, 2009 1:27 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

Najaf refinery's production up by 71-100% in 2008
01 January 2009

NAJAF / Aswat al-Iraq: The Najaf refinery's production has jumped by an amazing 71-100 percent in 2008, compared to 2007, according to figures announced by the refinery.

"The refinery's production of kerosene reached 90.23 million liters in 2008, 100 percent higher than its production in 2007," a statement released by the refinery and received by Aswat al-Iraq quoted Engineer Ahmed Abdeljabbar Razj as saying.

On October 7, 2006, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil inaugurated the refinery, which it said will meet the province's needs for oil derivatives.

Najaf, about 160 km south of Baghdad, has an estimated population of 900,600 in 2008, though this has increased significantly since 2003 due to immigration from abroad.

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20090102093707

-- January 3, 2009 1:32 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

OVL Plans To Participate In Iraq Oil Auctions

(RTTNews) - ONGC Videsh Ltd., or OVL, the overseas investment arm of India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd., or ONGC, is planning to bid for a few of the 19 exploration blocks being offered under two bidding rounds by Iraq, reports media.

Iraq opened the second round of bidding on December 31, 2008 offering 11 oil and gas exploration blocks for global oil companies. The oil fields will be offered on long-term contracts basis by paying a flat fee for their services instead of production-sharing contracts. Iraq has roughly 115 billion barrels of oil reserves, making its the third largest in the world.

OVL, along with 35 global oil companies, is the only Indian company that has been qualified by the Iraqi government for bidding in its auctions. The oil and gas fields are distributed around Iraq. They include blocks that lie along Iraq's border with Iran and Kuwait.

The same 35 foreign companies, including global majors such as ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, British Petroleum, Chevron Corporation and Chinese company Sinopec that qualified to take part in the first round are involved in this one, release said.

Iraq hopes to sign the contracts for the latest round of auctions by the end of 2009. The results for the first round are scheduled to be announced in May 2009.

State-owned OVL has the mandate to buy oil and gas assets overseas, as part of the Indian government's plans to attain energy security. Presently, the company has 39 oil and gas properties in 17 countries. It had just one property in Vietnam seven years ago.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20090102/ACQRTT200901020458RTTRADERUSEQUITY_0084.htm&&mypage=newsheadlines&title=OVL%20Plans%20To%20Participate%20In%20Iraq%20Oil%20Auctions

-- January 3, 2009 1:35 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

New round of oil field deals to double Iraq's output
Reuters
Published: Friday, January 02, 2009

Iraq has opened up some of its most prized oil-and-gas fields to international firms that have been excluded for decades, part of new deals that could more than double its output within a few years.

In a second bid round, following on from one earlier this year, Iraq has put forward 11 fields.

Two of the oilfields -- Majnoon and West Qurna Phase II -- are classed as super giants that could produce 1.2-million barrels per day when fully developed.

"Under service contracts prepared by the oil ministry, 11 oil-and-gas fields will undergo complete development," Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/money/story.html?id=5e776493-1d88-49cb-a917-67d767e3c098&k=366

-- January 3, 2009 1:38 AM ∞

Sara wrote:

2009: A crucial year for Iraq
January 02, 2009

With the beginning of 2009 and the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on the U.S. military presence going into effect on the New Year's day, Iraq faces a crucial year for the reviving of the country.

A series of votes in Iraq this year will re-configure the nation's political map, including the provincial elections on Jan.31 and the nationwide parliamentary elections at the end of the year.

PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS IN JANUARY

The provincial elections will be the first major poll in Iraq since 2005. The elections will bring new blood into local governing bodies and will serve as a dry run for the nationwide parliamentary elections in December.

More than 400 parties have been registered and more than 14,500 candidates will race for 440 open seats on provincial councils.

"Iraq will witness a dramatic political change during the provincial elections, because many politicians and parties which had not participated in the past elections will join race for the seats this time," said Dr. Sabah N Noori al-Shiek, a professor in Baghdad University.

As Iraq's security gains grow more sustainable, provincial elections become essential for integrating important social groups into the political process. An important change will be towards much stronger representation for Iraq's Sunni who did not participate the 2005 elections actively but remains a huge influence in the central and western provinces of Iraq.

NATIONWIDE ELECTIONS IN DECEMBER

The nationwide elections are widely seen as a major step in forging power-sharing agreements in central governing bodies among Iraq's religious and ethnic communities and are key to lasting peace and reconstruction of the country. The nationwide parliamentary elections will, for the first time in three years, offer Iraqis a chance to choose leaders who they believe represent their interests.

"The elections in December are expected to have the major impact on Iraq's future at least in the coming four years, because there would be a new parliament and a new government." said Professor Shiek.

The votes in the year will re-balance political powers from local level to central level and make 2009 a crucial year during the interim period in Iraq. The year will tell whether Iraqis could grasp the chance to end violence and create a lasting peace. If things go well, Iraq could be on its way to ethnic reconciliation, national integrity and reconstruction of the country.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6565815.html

-- January 3, 2009 1:50 AM ∞

lalala wrote:

January 20th

On January 20th, 2009, a man will raise his right hand, place his left hand on a holy book, and swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States. "I, Barrack Hussein Obama, do solemly swear, upon the Q'ran, that I will faithfully execute the orders of retreat, so help me Allah"...

-- January 3, 2009 3:11 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

An Explanation for the Republican Loss of the Presidency and Congress to the Democrats
And how to prevent a nuclear holocaust as a result on US soil

I know the level of frustration and intolerance for talk on Obama has been high for some on this site, but I must take it up one more time, because it not only affects the Presidency but the direction and security of the nation. You may skip it if you wish (no dinar), but I feel I must speak now because this fits far too well not to speak of it, and I feel there is too much at stake. See if this makes any sense to you, it is in parts due to url limits and not wanting to wait for DA's approval.

The Puppet Presidency of Barack Hussein Obama

Suppose Islamic Fundamentalists wanted to take over the Presidency of the United States, and have a puppet in place who would do what they wished him to do.. How would they do it? First of all, they would need someone they could manipulate, one who had similar goals or at least ones not incompatible with their own, sympathetic toward their agenda. Barack Hussein Obama is such a man. He has been raised with Muslim upbringing, though he does not now profess that faith, and he has a great deal of sympathy toward the Hamas and other groups so that they said they were hopeful of his becoming President.
QUOTE:

In Indonesia, the young Obama was enrolled in a Madrassa and was raised and educated as a Muslim. Although Indonesia is regarded as a moderate Muslim state, the U.S. intelligence community has determined that today most of these schools are financed by the Saudi Arabian government and they teach a Wahhabi doctrine that denies the rights of non-Muslims.

===

Did Barack Obama Ever Attend A Madrassa?
From Insight Magazine:

Hillary’s team has questions about Obama’s Muslim background
1/17/2007

Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?

This is the question Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s camp is asking about Sen. Barack Obama.

An investigation of Mr. Obama by political opponents within the Democratic Party has discovered that Mr. Obama was raised as a Muslim by his stepfather in Indonesia. Sources close to the background check said Mr. Obama, 45, spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia.

"He was a Muslim, but he concealed it," the source said. The sources said the background check concerned Mr. Obama’s years in Jakarta. In Indonesia, the young Obama was enrolled in a Madrassa and was raised and educated as a Muslim. Although Indonesia is regarded as a moderate Muslim state, the U.S. intelligence community has determined that today most of these schools are financed by the Saudi Arabian government and they teach a Wahhabi doctrine that denies the rights of non-Muslims.

Although the background check has not confirmed that the specific Madrassa Mr. Obama attended was espousing Wahhabism, the sources said his Democratic opponents believe this to be the case—and are seeking to prove it.

"Obama’s education began a life-long relationship with Islam as a faith and Muslims as a community," the source said. "This has been a relationship that contains numerous question marks."

Mr. Obama says his father was "raised a Muslim, but by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist…." Mr. Obama also describes his father as largely absent from his life. He says his Indonesian stepfather was "skeptical" about religion and "saw religion as not particularly useful in the practical business of making one’s way in the world …."

Mr. Obama graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School; he became the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review. He later settled in Chicago, joined a law firm and began attending and helping local churches.

Mr. Obama is married to Michelle Robinson and they have two daughters, Malia and Sasha. In 1996, he was elected to the Illinois state Senate. Eight years later, he became a U.S. senator from Illinois.

===

We should bear in mind the famous quote from St. Francis Xavier: "Give me the children until they are seven and anyone may have them afterwards."

And the Muslims could teach the Jesuits a thing or two about inculcating beliefs.

http://sweetness-light.com/archive/are-we-ready-for-a-madrassa-educated-president\

Bibliography – My Writings on Barack Obama's Early Years as a Muslim by Daniel Pipes
http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2008/08/bibliography-my-writings-on-barack-obamas.html
Confirmed: Barack Obama Practiced Islam
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/5354

===

Hamas 'in crisis' after report of Obama-aide meetings

"We were in contact with a number of Obama's aides through the Internet and later met with some of them in Gaza, but they advised us not to come out with any statements, as they may have a negative effect on his election campaign and be used by Republican candidate John McCain (to attack Obama)," Ahmed Yousef, Hamas' chief political adviser in Gaza, told Al-Hayat.

Yousef referred to an interview he gave to WND and WABC Radio in April in which he praised Obama and then found his comments had fueled a firestorm of accusations in the presidential campaign.

In April, Yousef stated he hoped Obama would become president, comparing the Illinois senator to President John F. Kennedy.

"We like Mr. Obama, and we hope that he will win the election," Yousef told WND at the time.

"I hope Mr. Obama and the Democrats will change the political discourse. ... I do believe [Obama] is like John Kennedy, a great man with a great principle. And he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community, but not with humiliation and arrogance," Yousef said.

Sen. John McCain repeatedly used Yousef's remarks to criticize Obama's judgment and foreign policy.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=80920

Those who rejoiced in the streets when he became President Elect were the terrorist nations, though it was not covered greatly over here on the newswires, including those who are terrorist enemies within Iraq.

===

Enemies in Iraq rejoice at Obama win
Saturday, November 08, 2008
NY Times:

The leader of a jihadi group in Iraq argued Friday that the election of Barack Obama as president represented a victory for radical Islamic groups that had battled American forces since the invasion of Iraq.

In his address, Mr. Baghdadi also said that the election of Mr. Obama — and the rejection of the Republican candidate, Senator John McCain — was a victory for his movement, a claim that has already begun to resonate among the radical faithful.

---

The main reason this story was buried is that these guys have so decisively lost the war in Iraq that it will be hard for even Obama to to reverse that for them as badly as he and many Democrats wanted to lose the war in Iraq. But it does show how Obama and the Democrats had a shared goal with our enemy in Iraq (pullout). They may have had different reasons for that shared goal, but it is clear to me how disastrous it would have been to follow Obama's policy in Iraq the last two years.

http://prairiepundit.blogspot.com/2008/11/enemies-in-iraq-rejoice-at-obama-win.html

it does show how Obama and the Democrats had a shared goal with our enemy in Iraq (pullout). They may have had different reasons for that shared goal, but it is clear to me how disastrous it would have been to follow Obama's policy in Iraq the last two years.

There is no need for Obama to be mindful of how his goals further the cause of terrorist Islamic fundamentalists for him to be furthering their aims - as is mentioned here with his goal of precipitous pullout from Iraq. My concern is his being manipulated.. and how that could cost American security and lives.

-- January 3, 2009 3:22 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Part 2 - The Terrorist Connection

Once they were assured that they had someone sympathetic toward the Islamic world and viewpoint, a person not willing to fight against it (as President Bush has) or declare war against it (the Global War On Terror) but a person willing to appease it and "sit down unconditionally" with such people in the Middle Eastern world, the next step would be to qualify him by getting him the "right kind of education" to be able to be accepted by those upper political circles. Barack Hussein Obama was a very poor man, raised by a single mother. Yet he managed to go to the most prestigious Harvard Law School and became the President of the Harvard Law Review. The man in this youtube clip says he knows that Obama was helped/funded by the Saudi Arabians.. and got into Harvard (to become President of the Law Review 2:28) by the instrumentality of Khalid Mansour:

YouTube - Obama and Khalid Mansour
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=4EcC0QAd0Ug

Who is Khalid al-Mansour?
Thursday, September 4, 2008
By: Kenneth R. Timmerman

Who is the “mystery man” former Manhattan Borough Chairman Percy Sutton named as having aided Barack Obama financially at Harvard Law School?

[Editor's Note: Read the Newsmax Article “Obama Had Close Ties to Top Saudi Adviser at Early Age”].

http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/khalid_al_mansour_Obama/2008/09/04/127844.html

Why are all Obama's college records closed and unavailable to public scrutiny?
Including those disclosing how he managed to afford and who paid for his education?
Shouldn't we know if he is beholden to anyone for getting where he is in life?
By what merits did he become President of the Law Review and where are the records of what he did at that time?

Saudi Arabians have many radical links - such as those which helped Bin Laden and his 911 group to attack the United States. The suicide bombers on 911 were from Saudi Arabia. Who is to say there is not another such radical "prince" with a lot of wealth behind Obama?

===

The Saudi Arabian Enigma
By Jim Kouri
Nov 24, 2008

(The following article is based on reports obtained by the National Association of Chiefs of Police.)

US government and other terrorism experts continue to report that Islamic extremism is on the rise and that the spread of Islamic extremism is the preeminent threat facing the United States. In addition, various sources alleged that Saudi Arabia is one source that has supported and funded the spread of Islamic extremism globally.

A number of sources have reported that Saudi private entities and individuals, as well as sources from other countries, are allegedly financing or supporting Islamic extremism.

For example, in July 2005, a Treasury official testified before Congress that Saudi Arabia-based and -funded organizations remain a key source for the promotion of ideologies used by terrorists and violent extremists around the world to justify their agenda. However, according to the 9/11 Commission Report, the Commission found no persuasive evidence that the Saudi government knowingly supported al Qaeda.

The government agencies also told GAO staff that Islamic extremism is being propagated by sources in countries other than Saudi Arabia, such as Iran, Kuwait, and Syria. The agencies are still examining Saudi Arabia's relationship, and that of other sources in other countries, to Islamic extremism.

The Saudi government has announced and, in some cases, undertaken some reform efforts to address Islamic extremism. For example, the government is undertaking educational and religious reforms, including revising textbooks and conducting a 3-year enlightenment program, to purge extremism and intolerance from religious education. However, US agencies do not know the extent of the Saudi government's efforts to limit the activities of Saudi sources that have allegedly propagated Islamic extremism outside of Saudi Arabia.

Sources: General Accounting Office, US Department of State, US Department of Defense, National Security Institute, National Association of Chiefs of Police Terrorism Committee

http://www.michnews.com/Jim_Kouri/The_Saudi_Arabian_Enigma.shtml

After 911, America in its own defense invaded Iraq, and now poses a closer and more direct threat to Radical Islamic beliefs - a threat they might Westernize the radical Islamic world, making it more tolerant and removing from power the terrorist stronghold and viewpoint. Also, the President of the United States - when asked, would not say that if the US was attacked again he would not retaliate against Mecca (which is located in Saudi Arabia) and actually wipe this most holy site of Islam off the face of the map. This was a great deterrent which has contributed greatly to keeping America safe from terrorist nuclear attack for his entire Presidency. Because of this strong position militarily, the Islamic fundamentalist terrorists in the world felt threatened by Bush or any other similar thinking persons like McCain. The man they were grooming hasn't yet the experience and qualifications to take over legitimately, but with a little help (and a lot of money) they decided this development was enough to make them attempt to back their candidate for the Presidency "early." But..

How do you get a totally unqualified person for Presidency elected? Well, first of all, this person must have the total support of all the media.. the media can no longer be unbiased, so you must practically OWN the networks. The vast majority of the American public understands there is media bias.. those sympathetic to terrorist interests. Some see even more clearly than that..

===

Subject: End of Journalism as we knew it Thoughts, Past and Future
November 17th, 2008

There is now no journalism as we knew it. It died during the campaign. And so we have no mainstream media audit of politics other than the vestigial shrill warnings about the last three months of the dangerous Bush administration. From the New York Times, NPR, PBS, or Newsweek, we will hear little whether Obama is choosing a good or bad team, or said silly things or contradicts what he promised. They simply have lost all credibility and now the republic is left largely with bloggers, talk radio, and a few newspapers as mostly partisan auditors. Again, traditional journalism as we knew it —the big dailies, the weekly news magazines, the networks, public radio and TV—no longer exists. Death by suicide. RIP—around March, 2008.
http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/thoughts-on-past-and-future/

Also, more than practically owning the media, you must have a lot of Washington willing to support your man.. greasing their wheels with a little of that cold, hard cash as well. The fact of Blago trying to sell the seat of BHO shows us where a lot of money can get you.. and how so many are truly willing to be led there so long as the carrot is dangled before their undiscerning eyes. (Other instances of corruption abound, take your pick.. it wasn't a campaign issue for McCain/Palin that they would go to Washington and clean it up for nothing.)

===

Blagojevich Caught Selling Obama’s Seat
From a distraught Associated Press:

Ill. Gov. arrested in Obama successor probe
By MIKE ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Rod was arrested on Tuesday on charges that he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

It said Blagojevich also talked about getting his wife placed on corporate boards where she might get $150,000 a year in director’s fees.

He also allegedly discussed getting campaign funds for himself or possibly a post in the president’s cabinet or an ambassadorship once he left the governor’s office. He noted becoming a U.S. senator might remake his image for a possible presidential run in 2016, according to the affidavit. And he allegedly said a Senate seat would also provide him with corporate contacts if he needed a job and present an opportunity for his wife to work as a lobbyist.

“I want to make money,” the affidavit quotes him as saying in one conversation.

According to Tuesday’s complaint, Blagojevich schemed with Rezko, millionaire-fundraiser turned federal witness Stuart Levine and others to get financial benefits for himself and his campaign committee.

According to the affidavit, agents learned Blagojevich was seeking $2.5 million in campaign contributions by the end of the year, with a large part allegedly to come from companies and individuals who have gotten state contracts or appointments.

===

Funny how Mr. Blagojevich got arrested just as a certain king-maker got into the “bidding”:

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Jones joins bidding for Obama Senate seat
December 8, 2008

For the first time, outgoing Illinois Senate President Emil Jones is saying he would like President-elect Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat.

“Yes, I am interested,” Jones said on WBBM-AM’s “At Issue,” which aired Sunday. Obama’s replacement should be black, Jones said, because otherwise the U.S. Senate will be all-white.

“Barack would not be there had [it] not been for an Emil Jones,” Ald. Carrie Austin (34th) said at a Sunday news conference to push Jones.

Gov. Blagojevich decides who gets the plum. Besides Jones, political chatter is focusing on U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, state veterans’ affairs chief Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky.

===

Lest we forget, Mr. Jones is the man who made Barack Obama a US Senator.

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Tuesday, December 9th, 2008.

Comments:

1) Media_man

I wonder how people in Blue states like Illinois (or NJ, or NY, or CA) continue to vote for proudly corrupt politicians who fleece their tax payers like sheep and don’t seem to mind. I suppose it has something to do with the taxeaters out numbering the the taxpayers in those respective states whereas in Red states it remains the opposite. Blue states have a relatively steep level of tolerance for corruption so long as the gravy train continues to roll. Red states less so (Ted Stevens not withstanding).

They’ll replace Guv Blag with another corrupt machine pol who will be just a bit more careful about the graft he solicits.

2) curvyred

Isn’t amazing that they keep the party affiliation buried in the third paragraph when it is a democrat, but name the affiliation in the headline when it is a Republican.

3) proreason

“I wonder how people in Blue states like Illinois (or NJ, or NY, or CA) continue to vote for proudly corrupt politicians who fleece their tax payers like sheep and don’t seem to mind”

Where are the politicians NOT corrupt? They must all be so rich because they are so smart.

But the key thing to note here is when this is revealed. What a surprise, huh? Any chance Blago did anything wrong BEFORE the election?? Guess not. LOL. Kind of looks to me like Obamy is covering his tracks by purging the weak links in the Family back home.

So far we have….supression of voter registration fraud, supression of donor fraud, supression of reams of information about Obamy, instigation of the CRP crisis immediately before the election, manipulation of the markets in September and October by Soros and crew, patently false claims of racism in the campaign, and untold lies about Sarah Palin…..and now the belated revelation the purge of Obamy’s weak link partner in crime.

Oh - but of course the country had a fair election, very fair, and Obamy is the duly elected representative of the people.

And all conservatives need to do is field a more centrist candidate to get back in the game.

4) proreason

SG: how could you miss highlighting this in the story about Obamy friend Blago?

“He noted becoming a U.S. senator might remake his image for a possible presidential run in 2016″

Whew! No more worries about an Obamy successor. If the One can’t get the worrisome term limit “mistake” removed from the Constitution, well-qualified candidates are already emerging to carry the movement forward.

5) proreason

Tapper says “And, it should be pointed out, Mr. Obama has a relationship with Mr. Blagojevich, having not only endorsed Blagojevich in 2002 and 2006, but having served as a top adviser to the Illinois governor in his first 2002 run for the state house.”

There are a couple of areas where i’m wishy-washy in my support for Obamy, but you have to give him credit for consistency in judgement when it comes to selecting his allies.

6) 11ten1775

“Kind of looks to me like Obamy is covering his tracks by purging the weak links in the Family back home.”

That’s gotta be it. No one is surprised he was trying to sell the Senate seat; the only surprise is that he actually got arrested for doing it. It just goes to show how insane Chicago politics are… He was being investigated already, and yet he felt perfectly comfortable putting the word out that he wanted to profit from this selection, plus he knew full well that the whole country was watching this decision closely (ie. whether or not he picked a black guy). And yet, he didn’t feel the need to be discreet. Why is that?

Wonder how long it’ll be until they take his name off those huge I-Pass signs. Three guesses as to whose name will replace it…

Anyway, this makes me smile. Great story.

7) Lipstick on a PIAPS

I also love the way the media is doing backflips about Obama’s relationship with this Chicago slimeball. No matter what happened and who was in the room, OBAMA had nothing to do with it! LMAO

8) Anonymoose

Is there anyone Obama is “associated” with who is not a crook or terrorist?

9) GuppyNblue

I’d like to thank Blagojevich for being such a blabbering idiot. With todays media it’s hard to come by evidence so blatant that they can’t protect their party. But IMO he has exposed exactly the way business is done in Illinois and Washington.

I’m sure the media will focus on distancing Obama and discredit anything incriminating Blagojevich might say about him. They’re already pushing his “misspoke” excuse - just like his routine “I was taken out of context”.

10) 12 Gauge Rage

Obama will do to Blagojevich the same thing he’s done to others when they became a political liability. He’ll throw him under the bus and move on. But what’ll you bet that somehow when all this blows over, Blagojevich will come out smelling like a rose? The Dem’s take care of their own, whereas the Republican party tends to eat their own.

http://sweetness-light.com/archive/il-gov-nabbed-in-obama-successor-probe

The point is.. the terrorists could quite easily make inroads into a structure so corrupt they only have to throw money at it to get their blind cooperation.

-- January 3, 2009 3:25 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Part 3 - Following the MONEY..

The next step is getting their candidate to have a LOT of money during the campaign in order to dominate all media and sway the voting public.. "he who has the most gold rules the world" is the saying - and there is no exception in America.

===

2008 campaign costliest in U.S. history
By JEANNE CUMMINGS
11/5/08

The 2008 campaign was the costliest in history, with a record-shattering $5.3 billion in spending by candidates, political parties and interest groups on the congressional and presidential races.

The party presidential nominees – Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain – together spent more than $1 billion, also an unprecedented figure.

The inflation in presidential fundraising was due in large measure to Obama’s decision to finance both his primary and general election with private donations. He was on track to raise more than $650 million.

His success has prompted many observers to declare the death of the Watergate-era, taxpayer-supported presidential financing program.

The small number of candidates who had success outside of the public financing system suggests it may require a unique candidate, or one with a unique and compelling message. Filthy rich could work, too.

Obama’s fundraising apparatus also was unique in that it attracted more than 3 million donors, the vast majority of whom never gave him more than a total of $250.

But the Illinois senator also employed a more expansive big-donor base than his predecessors.

According to White House for Sale, a nonpartisan group that tracks political giving, Obama had 605 bundlers, or donors who collect money from friends and associates and bundle them together. Four years ago, Democrat John F. Kerry had 588 bundlers and, in 2000, Al Gore had none.

Republican bundling also grew this cycle.

The financial dominance of the Obama campaign at the presidential level was mirrored by Democrats in the congressional races.

“The Republican Party’s long-time lead in the campaign finance game has been erased in this election due to the Democrats’ control of the congressional agenda and their side’s more skillful use of online fundraising,” said the center’s director, Sheila Krumholz.

One other notable campaign finance surprise in the 2008 campaign was the decline of the so-called 527s, the independent groups that ran some of the most negative and effective ads in the 2004 presidential campaign.

As the 2008 campaign came to a close, federally focused 527s had raised $185 million, a significant drop from the $338 million they raised and spent four years ago, according to a Campaign Finance Institute study.

The decline was attributed to several factors, including a Federal Election Commission crackdown on the groups and decisions by both Obama and McCain to discourage their involvement in the presidential campaign.

Consequently, some groups shifted their focus to House and Senate races, diffusing their presence and influence. Others have shifted from the ad wars to the ground game.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15283.html

Filthy rich could work, too. ... Obama’s fundraising apparatus also was unique in that it attracted more than 3 million donors, the vast majority of whom never gave him more than a total of $250.

Is this OIL MONEY?? - Overseas funds?? From whom did these monies come?

The financial dominance of the Obama campaign at the presidential level was mirrored by Democrats in the congressional races... due to the skillful use of online fundraising

WHERE did the money from "online fundraising" come from? Your neighbors .. or overseas, do you think?

the decline of the so-called 527s, the independent groups that ran some of the most negative and effective ads in the 2004 presidential campaign... was attributed to several factors, including a Federal Election Commission crackdown on the groups...

So the strategy was to take the effective and independent American voices in the 527s down - including by the use of a Federal Election Commission crackdown - and then fund the Democrats and Obama by the wealthy overseas whose viewpoints they mirrored, as well as getting domestic funding from wealthy people whose goals for political power didn't mind who was in the Whitehouse so long as their pet projects were completed.

Again, money talks:

===

GOP-killing juggernaut puts bull's-eye on states
Millionaires, billionaires donating to takeover plan
December 05, 2008
By Bob Unruh

A Democratic juggernaut of local and regional organizations that blast Republicans and promote Democrats using money donated by hundreds of millionaires and even billionaires was a key to President-elect Barack Obama's win over GOP candidate Sen. John McCain last month. And a new report warns the same attack strategy now is being implemented in states, targeting especially the offices of secretary of state, where elections are managed.

"The Democracy Alliance helped Democrats give Republicans a shellacking in November. Now it's organizing state-level chapters in at least 19 states, and once-conservative Colorado, which hosts the Democracy Alliance's most successful state affiliate, has turned Democrat blue," the report from Matthew Vadum and James Dellinger of Capital Research Center concludes.

The report from the center, which studies non-profit organizations, titled "The Democracy Alliance Does America: The Soros-Founded Plutocrats' Club Forms State Chapters," is accessible online.

It concludes the 2008 victory for Obama was a result of the outraged millionaire donors to the Democrats who watched their cause fail in 2004 after opening their checkbooks for tens of millions of dollars.

"It was born out the frustration of wealthy liberals who gave generously to liberal candidates and 527 political committees, but received no electoral payoff in 2004," the report said.

George Soros and others "were angry and discouraged after contributing to the Media Fund which spent $57 million on TV ads attacking President Bush in swing states and to American Coming Together which spent $78 million on get out the vote efforts," the report said.

The result was a victory for President Bush. So in 2005, 70 millionaires and billionaires met in Phoenix "for a secret long-term strategy session." Their principal point of agreement was "the conservative movement was 'a fundamental threat to the American way of life.'"

Defeating GOP U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, a vocal opponent of homosexual marriage, for example, cost an estimated $2.6 million and included such "juvenile harassment" stunts as an "interviewer" asking Musgrave to choose between stopping a "gay" marriage and saving a life, the report said.

Taking over the state legislature cost $2 million, and the governor's office was $7.5 million, the report said, funded by well-known Democrats Pat Stryker, Tim Gill and Rutt Bridges, among others.

The report explains the Democrats' effort focuses on seven components: the capacity to generate intellectual ammunition, ability to pursue investigations, to mobilize for elections, to combat negative media, to sue strategically, to train new leaders and maintain a new media presence.

Weekly Standard editor Fred Barnes, according to the report, said, "If copied in other states, [this] has the potential to produce sweeping Democratic gains nationwide."

The concept depends on wealthy liberals' spending tons of money to "create a vast infrastructure of liberal organizations that produces an anti-Republican, anti-conservative echo chamber in politics and the media."

Now, the CRC warned, the same organizing is going on "in at least 19 states," and a special campaign has been set up to target the offices of secretary of state around the nation.

As the murderously astute Joseph Stalin once remarked, "'The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything,'" the report said.

"Since 2006, Democracy Alliance partners have quietly funded the Secretary of State Project, a below-the-radar non-federal '527' political group. It can accept unlimited contributions that are not immediately publicly disclosed. Its website claims, 'A modest political investment in electing clean candidates to critical Secretary of State offices is an efficient way to protect the election,'" the report said.

"SoS endorses secretary of state candidates who take the position that voter fraud is largely a myth; that vote suppression is widely and solely used by Republicans; that it's a waste of time to remove obviously fraudulent names from voter rolls; and that legal requirements that voters show photo identification discriminate against racial minorities," the report said.

Among the project's victories so far is Mark Ritchie in Minnesota in 2006, the official currently presiding over the Senate recount in that state, the report said.

Also, in Ohio, Jennifer Brunner "trounced" her opponent.

"It October the SoS investment paid off when Brunner defied federal law by refusing to take steps to verify 200,000 questionable voter registrations," the report said.

While the report said group members deliberately are low-profile, among those whose membership has been cited in various reports are Quark creator Tim Gill, RealNetworks chief Rob Glaser, investment banker Steven M. Gluckstern, Hyatt heiress Rachel Peritzker Hunter, former Oracle executive John Luongo, television producer Norman Lear, Taco Bell heir Robert McKay and actor Rob Reiner.

The leaders met Nov. 12 in Washington, following Obama's victory, the report said. The goal? Apparently power, since the president alone, according to one Democratic official, appoints 5,000 officials to run agencies employing 2 million voters that hire another 10 million outside contractors.

"It's safe to say they are planning their next moves," the report said.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=82771

The concept depends on wealthy liberals' spending tons of money to "create a vast infrastructure of liberal organizations that produces an anti-Republican, anti-conservative echo chamber in politics and the media."

Such selfish (not country first) aims can easily be manipulated by others seeking to put in their own candidate, sympathetic to their (terrorist) aims.

Both the overseas donors and wealthy contributions to Barack Hussein Obama and Congressional Democrats were key to financing their successful campaigns. Money talks, and blind political ambition can be used toward terrorist aims.

Isa 3:12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths.

Since the election ended up with Barack Hussein Obama as the President Elect, it has been decided not to investigate nor inquire into his campaign finances. Nothing to see here, just move on, right?

And, of course, they used all methods available - so that there was also massive voter fraud FOR the candidate, such as noted above and such as is recorded and discussed with what ACORN did in registering people to vote who were bogus, as well as using real people who did not donate's names to donate. This also helped to put him over the top financially,
QUOTE:

Somebody is registered to vote by a ‘field worker’ and that person then has a donation done in their name.

I know several people I ran across in the FEC database already that I personally know and who have never donated to a campaign in their entire life.

But they did this year and they were shocked to find out that info when I pointed it out to them.

===end quote==

So the voter fraud registrations by ACORN were enough to get those new names to donate to Obama's campaign.. EVEN IF they never showed up for voting as Daffy Duck and Bart Simpson (names of voters ACORN supposedly signed up to vote) never did. Small discrepancies??

“Total number of donors from a single residential address not a reasonable number (57 at one house)”

===

Why So Many Less Than $201 Obama Donations?
From a press release by George Washington University’s Campaign Finance Institute: (url)

Isn’t the real news from this study that a highly unusual number of donors gave contributions to Obama of more than $201 dollars, but did so in a way to keep from having their names disclosed?

Why did they do that?

Weirdly, the supposedly non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute does not seem curious about that angle at all.

This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Saturday, November 29th.

Comments:

1) Right2thepoint

Another odd issue with the donations reported is a extreme number of donation with dollars and cents amounts.

482.23 for example.

The most likely cause for this odd behavior is believed to be related to deductions for a round number donation that was downsized due to fees from foreign currency conversion and /or international credit card usage fees.

2) RightWinger

Of course there is no mention of Obama turning off all the security features on his web site so any terrorist, terrorist sympathizer from the Middle East or some Obama lover from Europe could use a prepaid Visa Card and donate to the campaign like no tomorrow to ensure his victory so anybody could use any fake information they wanted in order to send in multiple contributions.

3) VMAN

George W wins the election fair and square in 2000 and the libs go insane. The chant goes up “Selected not elected”. He wins handily in 2004 and the libs get more pissed off so they think that they can do whatever they please to win in 08. Lie, cheat, steal it doesn’t make any difference because they were cheated. Will any of this ever be investigated? Probably not. The county I live in, in Florida (please no jokes) had 1000 absentee ballots uncounted because we had more candidates for president than I had ever seen, 13. The uncounted ballots marked everyone but Obama for president. These people weren’t sure what to do but they knew they didn’t want Obama. When my wife was at the polls there was a little old man who had voted but he had marked everyone BUT Obama and the ballot was kicked out of the machine. My wife noticed what had happened and tried to help but left before he had completed his second ballot. We saw a friend who was a poll worker and had seen the incident and asked if the little old man had finished voting. We were told that he spoiled 2 other ballots and that 3 was the limit so the little old man did not get to vote. How many times was this repeated all over the USA? We won’t hear about this because it doesn’t support Mr BHO.

4) DGA

R2TP’s post brings up something I have wondered about for awhile. I would love to know where these odd amount donations came from, possibly some are from Al Qaida even, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were. Set up a spreadsheet with data from USD to other foreign currency amounts, and the days they were valued at the amounts, currency floating up and down as it does, and then have it crosscheck against the listed odd amount donations. Given that most donations are an even amount, you would be able to come up with a country that each donation came from if you had it check in some even multiples.

5) Media_man

I seem to recall the minor detail of Obama having disabled AVS for credit card donations (Address Verification System) which any reputable merchant uses to detect credit card fraud. McCain had it, Obama chose not to. We don’t know where, who, how much, how often, or much of anything about who contributed to Obama’s massive fund raising. His biggest contributors could have been the PRC or dinnerjacket.

This is a story screaming for more attention. Where’s The National Enquirer when you need them? One would think some enterprising reporter could make a big splash by blowing the lid off the Obama scam.

Nobody cares, it seems. It’s hard to believe nobody could run a cross tab on the credit card numbers & start finding out who these people really were.

6) Right2thepoint

I am waiting for a lot of data from various sources to put it all together but I tend to think that I might find a lot of ‘proxy donations’.

Somebody is registered to vote by a ‘field worker’ and that person then has a donation done in their name.

I know several people I ran across in the FEC database already that I personally know and who have never donated to a campaign in their entire life.

But they did this year and they were shocked to find out that info when I pointed it out to them.

I have been doing this stuff since almost back in the Eisenhower days so I know a trick or two of what gets done.

7) Landshark

I know more about credit card processing than I’d like to. believe me, disabling the “fraud suite” is not easy to do.

It also requires the approval of the processor. Most don’t know this, but the company that processes a merchant’s credit cards has UNLIMITED libaility for fraud by that merchant. Try setting up an account and see what kind of underwriting you go through.

I think the way to get at Obama’s fraud is via the processor. We need a conservative who was defrauded to sue the processor and ask for an examination of the records by a certified forensic fraud examiner. (No court will allow a plaintiff to view the records since they contain credit card numbers.)

Obama’s inner circle HAD to know they were getting foreign contributions (irregular amounts as explained above) and multiple sub-$200 contributions from the same person to circumvent the donation limits.

8 ) Right2thepoint

Not only did they turn off the AVS system which requires coordination with the card companies there was another issue noted.

If you dug into the source code for the web page the donations were processed on you will find out that the form that was built to submit the donation was being stuffed with a bogus internet IP address for all donations.

The only purpose this would serve is to break the trail back to the submitting ip in case of a full audit.

You may be able to match up times with the isp servers logs but that would be a major job with the volume of traffic on that site.

Also his site wasn’t the only one that disabled AVS.

There are some others on the nutroots supported donations sites that also turned off their checking to funnel donations to the Obama campaign.

For any donations that failed an FEC check and validation all the campaign is required to do is try to send a letter to the donor for clarification and their hands are clean.

9) proreason

“Right2thepoint … said:

“Scan through the results and you will see Obama getting over 97% of the vote in many precincts which are not solid Black voter precincts….Comparing them to the Gore and Kerry Campaign numbers vs Bush are night and day different.”

“Not only did they turn off the AVS system which requires coordination with the card companies there was another issue noted.If you dug into the source code for the web page the donations were processed on you will find out that the form that was built to submit the donation was being stuffed with a bogus internet IP address for all donations.”

“Obama’s inner circle HAD to know they were getting foreign contributions”

“Total number of donors from a single residential address not a reasonable number (57 at one house)”

“Some wards have as many as 5 or more precincts where Obama got 100% of the vote, not a single vote for McCain or any third party candidate.”

Obamy is the Criminal in Chief of our country.

Spectacular work, Right2 and thanks to Landshark as well.

Of course, nothing will be done about this since the press got their guy selected.

10) Right2thepoint

Remember the talk about the two rich Pakistani guys Obama was friends with and traveled to Pakistan and India with while at Occidental.

Guess which two people were on his campaign finance team and were in charge of the under 200.00 donations for the campaign.

Nothing to see here…………………………. ??

Wahid Hamid was one confirmed fellow traveler to India and Pakistan.

Mohammed Hasan Chandoo was the other but the travel link was never fully established on him.

They were both listed as to their campaign worker spots early on the campaign website but the page has been purged.

Two other Pakistani Occidental pals are Vinai Thummalapally and Imad Husain.

Most of them are bundlers for the Obama Campaign but that page even is hit or miss to being able to access for confirmation.

url

Covers the trip with Hamid and staying at the home of Chandoo.

url

NOW, It all sounds very innocent, ‘a college trip to Pakistan‘. Pakistan was in turmoil in 1981 and ruled of martial law. Millions of Afghan refugees were living in Pakistan, while the Afghan Mujahedeen operated from bases inside Pakistan in their war with the Soviets. One of the leaders that based his operation in Quetta, Pakistan was Usama Bin Laden (The Sheik).
Pakistan was on the banned travel list for US Citizens at the time and all non-Muslim visitors were not welcome unless sponsored by their embassy for official business.
There would be only a few reasons a young Westerner of the Muslim faith would travel to Pakistan in 1981:
To Participate in Jihad, which is the duty of every ‘True Believer‘.
For religious education in a Wahabbi sect, Saudi funded, Madrassa.
In order to purchase drugs from the drug marketplace.
Pakistan was not a tourist stop nor the place to hang out with someone’s family in 1981.”

11) Right2thepoint

(url) QUOTE:

> On May 10, 2008 The Times reported, Robert Malley advisor to Obama was “sacked” after the press found out he was having regular contacts with “Hamas”, which controls Gaza and is connected with Iran. This past week, buried in the back part of the papers, Iraqi newspapers reported that during Obama’s visit to Iraq, he asked their leaders to do nothing about the war until after he is elected, and he will “Take care of things”.

> Oh, and by the way, remember the college roommates that were born in Pakistan? They are in charge of all those “small” Internet campaign contribution for Obama. Where is that money coming from? The poor and middle class in this country? Or could it be from the Middle East? And now we have case after case of fraud connected with contributions and fake names who donated money to the Obama campaign,. (end quote)

That was a mention on a personal blog on his site.

12) Right2thepoint - Dec 1 2008

Sweet: Obama, at Sun-Times request, releases names of finance committee members, Senate interns.
2008 OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL NATIONAL FINANCE COMMITTEE (url)

Hasan Chandoo
Wahid Hamid

http://sweetness-light.com/archive/why-so-many-201-obama-donations

And we cannot forget the people willing to vote multiple times and in more than one state.

YouTube - CNN-Philly Man says he voted a couple of times

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZwng4omanI

Video: How Obama Got Elected; Update: Zogby confirms poll, denies “push polling”

These results show the abysmal state of media coverage of Barack Obama. It’s not that the voters couldn’t absorb data provided to them by the Tanning Bed Media; these voters quite obviously learned plenty about Sarah Palin. In the video, the subjects demonstrate that by assigning every stupid thing said on the campaign trail to Palin whether she said it or not. Meanwhile, no one can figure out what Barack Obama said, how he conducted his campaign, or his political history.

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/11/18/video-how-obama-got-elected/

-- January 3, 2009 3:27 PM ∞

Sara wrote:

Lastly- Part 4 - Blackmailing the Presidency

But throwing gobs of money (from the rich, overseas, bogus registrations or using legitmate voter's names and donating in their names, etc) and using biased media - though it was good enough to get BHO the position of President Elect - did not guarantee those working toward terrorist aims that Obama would vote as they willed him to. There has to be another angle to insure that - leverage to make him do what you want him to do. For that, they need real leverage over him.. the ability to throw him out of the Presidency at will, perhaps? Would that make them to have true leverage over his actions?

Doesn't it seem odd and highly unlikely that such an unqualified person could be put into the position of President Elect? Doesn't it look like someone orchestrated this? Doesn't it look selected? Apart from the incredible amount of money Obama owes in favors to those who ponied up to sell and steal the election from the true legitimate American voters (as I have documented, above), the issue which won't go away is the missing evidence of who he is and where he truly comes from. We know there is a lot of evidence missing concerning his qualifications to be elected to the highest office of the land - things like his college records, his full birth certificate.. who is hiding this information? You couldn't hide your birth certificate, or your educational records from the scrutiny of the public if you were running for office, so.. who is cooperating with him? Who ordered the sealing of these documents, and why? It is more than meets the eye.. and truly, money talks. These sealed records can be used to manipulate the Presidency. Someone can manipulate him to do as they wish him to. SOMEONE has the sealed records we are not able to obtain or see. And it is those people who will be the ones making the important decisions.. his would be only a puppet Presidency. Think I am wrong? Why does he flip-flop so much on issues?

NOTE in this case how he retreated from his position within hours..

Obama will back Saudi peace plan
November 16, 2008
by Ed Morrissey

Barack Obama has decided to base his diplomatic approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the Saudi peace plan, the Times of London reports today. A “senior Obama adviser” tells the Times that Obama will back the plan that divides Jerusalem into two capitals and pulls Israel back to pre-1967 borders:...

Apparently, Obama has changed his position from his speech at AIPAC. In early June, he told the Israeli-supporting political action group that Jerusalem “must remain undivided,” drawing thunderous applause and roars of criticism later from Palestinian groups. Within hours, Obama retreated to the Bush administration position — that Jerusalem should be left to the two sides to negotiate in the final settlement.

Welcome to Obama 3.0 on Jerusalem. Now he has switched sides to the exact opposite of what he argued at AIPAC. One has to wonder what all of those Jewish voters who supported Obama will think of this new position on Israel’s borders and security, but somehow I doubt it would get thunderous applause at AIPAC.

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/11/16/obama-will-back-saudi-peace-plan/

Who was pulling the strings which caused him to WITHIN HOURS.. to change his position? Why did "switch sides to the exact opposite" - moving to the SAUDI peace plan from there? Do you wonder why Obama is constantly flip-flopping and changing his position? When this is national security and millions of American lives are at stake.. this will not be a minor matter.

Someone bought the Presidency and this is their guarantee that he can be manipulated. If they leaked to the press the documents they own he would be thrown out and he would lose his citizenship and all claim to the Presidency - and the shame and scandal would be worse than Nixon. All they have to do is just "find" these documents and leak them to the press. Understand that whoever holds those records can manipulate Obama. It makes sense that the proof must be in the hands of truly powerful people, who are keeping it under lock and key. It is obvious there is a lack of information, and that powerful people are helping him to hide it. Berg said in the conference I quoted in a previous post that the intelligence services (CIA and FBI, etc) know he is Kenyan as do foreign intelligence services.. but somebody has gleaned all the proof of it and they hold the actual documentation which they can release at will. We as citizens may say we think it suspicious (Obama's lack of disclosure), but we do not have the actual proof. Those who do hold the proof and do have the ability to release this evidence, whoever they are, will be able to blackmail the Presidency to do what they will him to do. How do we know it hasn't been sold? Sold to the same people who put him in power? Saudi Arabia? The rich elite? Kenya? Enemies - foreign or domestic? He can be pushed around by blackmail.. whoever is out there CAN take him out.. ANYTIME they want.. if he doesn't do what he is told to.

Here is why:

"If, at any time during his tenure, a birth certificate actually surfaces showing [Obama] born in Kenya," Pidgeon said, "he is disqualified from the presidency at any time.

===

Eligibility case finds 'standing'?
New suit claims unique state law enables citizens to demand proof
Posted: December 30, 2008
By Drew Zahn

A new case challenging Barack Obama's natural-born citizenship and, therefore, constitutional eligibility to serve as president has the potential to clear a hurdle that caused several other similar cases' dismissal: the issue of "standing."

In the case brought by Pennsylvania Democrat Philip Berg, for example, a federal judge ruled against the lawsuit in deciding Berg lacked the "standing" to sue, arguing that the election of Obama wouldn't cause the plaintiff specific, personal injury.

In Washington state's Broe v. Reed case, however, plaintiff's attorney Stephen Pidgeon says a unique state statute grants everyday citizens the required standing.

"These lawsuits have pointed their fingers at the various secretaries of state and said, 'You handle the elections, it's your job [to verify Obama's eligibility],'" Stephen Pidgeon told WND, "and the secretaries of state have said, 'No, it's not our job. You the voter have to prove he was ineligible.' But when the voters try to do it, the courts tell them they have no standing. So it presents a catch-22.

"Here, we have standing by means of statute," Pidgeon continued. "This particular statute provides for any registered voter to challenge the election of a candidate if the candidate at the time of the election was ineligible to hold office."

Further, Pidgeon explained, "In Washington we also have a constitutional clause in Article 1 that says the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of land, so it's very much a state issue that the secretary of state has a duty to enforce the U.S. Constitution."

"He doesn't think he does; we think he does. That's really the issue before the court," Pidgeon said.

Washington's secretary of state, Mr. Sam Reed, has opposed the lawsuit, brought by a group of 12 registered Washington voters with Pidgeon's representation, on several grounds, including the argument that the issue is moot now that Obama has been voted upon by the people.

Pidgeon argues, however, that even if Obama remains in office two years from now, the issue will not be moot.

"The Constitution's criteria for president are never moot," Pidgeon explained. "Article 2, Section 1 says 'eligible to the Office of President'; it doesn't say 'eligible for candidacy to the Office of President."

Therefore, Pidgeon argues, the Constitution's natural-born citizen clause specifically and expressly addresses the man sitting in the Oval Office, not just the main elected and waiting to get in.

"If, at any time during his tenure, a birth certificate actually surfaces showing [Obama] born in Kenya," Pidgeon said, "he is disqualified from the presidency at any time. And the constitutional crisis that is rising out of this – the longer he's in that office, the greater the problem becomes, because everything he does will be illegal."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=84966

"These lawsuits have pointed their fingers at the various secretaries of state and said, 'You handle the elections, it's your job [to verify Obama's eligibility],'" Stephen Pidgeon told WND, "and the secretaries of state have said, 'No, it's not our job. You the voter have to prove he was ineligible.' But when the voters try to do it, the courts tell them they have no standing. So it presents a catch-22.

The issue as the Supreme Court sees it is that those bringing the lawsuits must PROVE that Obama was INELIGIBLE.. he said that he is eligible.. you must prove he is not. But the voters cannot prove Obama ineligible because they have no solid PROOF.. it is under lock and key, sealed away from the public. The only other proof could be an eyewitness account.. and I believe his grandmother, who could have been called as a witness, has suddenly died... hmmm.

The voters must prove Obama is lying. President Clinton was taken to impeachment by proof that he was lying. The Supreme Court is asking for that proof to be given, and so these bringing the lawsuits CANNOT prove that he is ineligible by solid evidence nor by an eye witness account, which are the only things which are admissible in court. All else is only hearsay - even the Kenyan ambassador's admission is inadmissible because he was not there (eyewitness). However, AT ANY TIME that a birth certificate surfaces (is leaked to the press) Obama can be disqualified from the Presidency.. so.. all those who hold this proof must do to Obama is to threaten to leak it. Please see this point.. those who have this proof can blackmail him for his ENTIRE Presidency. What if they tell him to turn off certain security measures over the US.. cancel Presidential orders which are keeping the country safe? Have they already used such leverage against him to get him to act on their orders - such as in the cases of his constant reversals (like the Saudi peace plan he moved to, above)?<