Chad-Based Sudan Rebels Pushed Back From Khartoum A while ago, Sudan-based Chad rebels attacked the Chad capital and were defeated by - how to say this delicately - a bit of French assistance. Actually it was more than a bit. So now Chad returned the favor, with rebels based in that country attacked the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
The situation is not as simple as the Sudan government would like to paint it because it seems some Sudan army units mutinied to join the rebels, and Khartoum asked the autonomous Christian region of South Sudan for troops. To understand how absurd is, consider that for decades Muslim North Sudan oppressed the Christian south and there was continual fighting. Peace has come only in the last two years or so. Why on earth would south Sudan now send troops to aid its oppressor? Since presumably Khartoum knows this, why did it even ask? One possibility is that things are really that desperate though the Government says it has defeated the rebels.
BBC says that the JEM, the rebel group behind the attack, is led by an Islamist lawyer and has 3,000 militia, but that JEM has broken up into different factions.
The rebel leader says this attack was just practice, and that he is preparing another offensive.
The Democrats: Dirty Work Afoot? Yesterday was full of rumors that senators Obama and Clinton were discussing a deal which would see her being his Vice President and he would pay off her $20-million campaign debt.
We wonder if this is misinformation from the Obama side, designed to further weaken Mrs. Clinton as the two engage in a slugfest that currently looks likely to extend to the Democratic convention this summer.
Ms. Clinton has a lot to lose if she accepted such a deal, but in the first place its near impossible to see her being anyone's Veep. The position is largely ceremonial and becomes of consequence only if the Prez stops functioning due to death, illness etc. How can a person as ambitious now consent to be Number 2 Banana?
Next, the competition between the two candidates has been vicious without precedent. How can the two be comfortable working with each other?
Will Hill comes Bill. Can Mr. Obama afford the circus that Bill will create as First Veep Gentleman?
Last, if Mr. Obama's first term goes down in flames, as is likely, Mrs. Clinton's chance of getting the nomination in 2012 is deader than the dodo.
People are saying Mrs. Clinton does not want to return to the senate except as speaker, and this is no go because she has upset many Democrats with her wild attacks on Mr. Obama. Well, would rather be a senator than a Veep, in which position she wields less power than the White House Chief Cook?
We hear both Mrs. Clinton and the Republicans are looking for dirt on Mr. Obama to use as a nuclear weapon: Mrs. Clinton before the nomination or at the Convention, and the Republicans closer to November if Mr. Obama gets the nomination. Our sources say Mrs. Clinton cannot use the nuclear option without breaking the party and sinking herself. Our sources also say that if you look hard enough, you can find dirt on anyone, particularly if they are part of Chicago politics.

0230 GMT May 11, 2008

Al-Sadr, Government Call Truce In Baghdad We suppose that was inevitable once the Sadr faction returned to Parliament, but we are disgusted, with the Iraq Army and with Sadr's militia. As long as US troops are not involved, we are willing to respect anyone who puts up a good fight, regardless of what we think of their ideology. When US troops are involved, then we are absolutely partial to the Americans. My country right or wrong, that sort of thing.
But both Iraq Army and Mahadi Army saw the whites of each other's eyes and promptly turned yellow. So we are being harsh, because Mahadi army cannot fight the Americans, and had they started beating the Iraqi Army the Americans would have had to step in. And the Iraq Army was going precisely nowhere, so a truce was a logical step. If, however, you want to be called a warrior, then fight you must. Neither side did any real fighting.
Hezbollah Withdraws From More Of West Beirut to show it regards the Lebanon Government as an enemy because the Government is interfering in Hezb's efforts to fight Israel, but that it has no issue with the Lebanese people. We're amused many western observers - including American - are attempting to paint Hezb's victory as a defeat. The grounds are that the people of Lebanon now see Hezb is ready to attack Lebanese as much as the Israelis, and so Hezb has lost face.
Hello, with whom has it lost face? First, it not only did not turn its guns on the Lebanese government or Army, it has withdrawn and is content to let the Army act as the firebreak between itself and the government. Second, now that the Army has said Hezb can keep its communication network and its man will remain head of airport security, Hezb is going to push the angle "See? We're peaceful; we were provoked, we had to fight; now the army says it will leave us alone, we're back to our old positions."
It is utterly immaterial whether the Lebanese people as a whole refuse to now love Hezb because the country never said it loved Hezb. Those that were its allies remain its allies; those who are its enemies have gotten a sound thrashing. None of this affects Hezb's political ambitions. It never expected all Lebanon to vote for its political party. It wants solely as Step 1 to attain a blocking minority in Parliament, which it probably already has, as step 2 it will split Lebanon. We dont know where people get the idea Hezb wants to take Lebanon over. Lebanon has now become ungovernable - too many factions who cant stand each other. Hezb wants south Lebanon for its own; right now it seems set to attain that in 3-5 years.
So may be suggest to those American officials who seek comfort in 1984 Speak by labeling Hezb's victory as a defeat there is a source of better comfort. They should sit around in a circle and suck their thumbs.
By the way, wasn't it just the other day Israelis were trying to convince the world they'd defeated Hezbollah? Yesterday, Hezb survived everything the Israeli military could throw at it. No use saying the Israelis could have wiped out Hezb had they wanted. They wanted, but they could afford the cost. That is why they lost and Hezb won. Today, after an amazingly short crisis, Hezb has clearly established it can run the Lebanese government out of Beirut anytime it wants and that it is unconcerned about the Lebanese Army - which according to what we hear is majority Shia anyway. If these two events are "defeats" then we suggest it's time for a lot of people to go back to grade school and learn English.
The British Special Air Service's motto is: "Who Dares, Wins" and whether we like it or not, Iranian Shias and their Shia allies are daring, and they are winning. Its going to take real men to take Iran down, not the gasbags who are in free flight all over Washington. In case you didn't know, that's the reason the entire US Air Traffic Control system in the eastern half of the US is messed up. So what's the explanation for the ATC mess in the west? No clue. Its too distant for us to bother.
Russia's VE Day Parade Okay, now that the Russians have been knocked out of the ring and truly squashed, we can afford to cut them slack. We completely understand why the proud people of this proud country are thrilled and delighted at the return of their Victory Europe Day parade.
We'd nonetheless like an explanation of why Russia has bought exactly three - count'em, three - fighters in the last 8 years. It doesn't matter how darned broke you are, a major industrial power like Russia can afford more than three fighters in 8 years. The Russians had better think things through before showing America attitude.

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