Israelis, Palestinians resume direct peace talks (Updated)

Yahoo News "After a day and evening in White House talks with President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sit down together Thursday for the first of what American officials hope will be a series of meetings that lead in a year's time to an agreement on the creation of a Palestinian state."

Arab News: Little hope of peace as talks begin in US "A top Palestinian official said Wednesday any resumption of Israeli settlement construction would spell the end of the peace talks. “The settlements must be halted and continuing them will signal the end of the peace process,” Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told journalists. He was speaking after Netanyahu said there was no change in Israel’s position on ending the 10-month freeze on settlement construction."

Middle East Peace Talks: Déjà Vu all over again all over again "...When you got 98% or even 88% of what you wanted, did you walk away and start a war… okay, just walk away? And if you did, why did you do that … when you were so close to making a deal? You could obviously hang around in negotiations and get most, if not all, of what you wanted.
"Well, the answer is — no fair peeking — because you never wanted the deal in the first place."  Roger L Simon, Pajamas Media

Time pre-blames Israel for coming peace talks failure Time Magazine, whose politics, the head of our prep school history department used to tell us, were "as red as its cover," has decided to put the slam on Israel and Israelis in a carefully slanted article entitled "Why Israel Doesn't Care About Peace."

Lofty words, little hope  "Neither Netanyahu nor Abbas will arrive at the event overly cheerful; in any case they were dragged there involuntarily, just because the Obama Administration decided that September 26 is a date that cannot be reached without eliciting some agreement between the sides regarding the settlement construction freeze."   Yitzhak Benhorin, YNet News. Via Watching America

‘Direct Talks May ‘Make or Break’ Obama "...no one outside of the American government expresses optimism.
"“Obama realizes that he is unable to do anything and that his invitation for direct talks will turn out to be nothing more than a public relations campaign,' Ghazi Rababaa, political science professor at the University of Jordan, told the German Press Agency DPA. "The U.S. president's real objective behind calling direct talks at this juncture is to improve his Democratic Party's chances in the coming congressional elections and to prop up his retreating popularity.” " Arutz Sheva, Israel National News

Ramallah, A new heroic operation against Zionist settlers "Al Qassam website – Ezzedeen Al Qassam Brigades fullfill its series of promises by carrying out a new heroic operation against hatefull Zionist settlers in West Bank. On Wednesday, 1st of September ,Al Qassam members in the West Bank opened fire on a car driving near the illegal settlement of Kochav Hashachar and east of the West Bank city of Ramallah, at 11p.m."

Story and photos of heroic HAMAS victory from the HAMAS website.

Hamas' new methods: Multiple small attacks by unknown imported terrorists  "The problem is that Israel's leaders, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi oppose reinstalling the checkpoints and roadblocks for as long as the US-sponsored talks with the Palestinians continue.
"Hamas' tacticians are fully aware of Israel's diplomatic constraints and exploiting them to the full, ordering their terror squads to keep going in the hope of sabotaging the negotiations."

Cantor: Beware of the Obama tax increases

Eric Cantor "Already grappling with weak demand for goods and services, businesses of all sizes have five main costs and expenses that impact their bottom lines. Thanks to the agenda in Washington, all are going up, turning the White House's much-touted "Recovery Summer" into the "Summer of Uncertainty." Here's a look:"...

Obama is Not a Muslim

Ann Coulter  ..."The title of Obama's autobiography came from the title of one of Wright's sermons and snippets from Wright's sermons have appeared in Obama's work.
"So the sole evidence of Obama's supposed Christianity is his longtime pastor, who everyone admits is a racist nut.
"No sentient human is required to take Obama's profession of Christianity any more seriously than if it were coming from a 1980s blow-dried, money-grubbing televangelist with a mistress on the side."

Discovery Gunman Was A ‘Global Warmer’

Sweetness and Light "...The Gazette of Montgomery County reported, he said he began working to save the planet after being laid off from his job in San Diego. He said he was inspired by "Ishmael," a novel by environmentalist Daniel Quinn and by former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." "  What if he had been motivated by the book, Liberty and Tyranny instead of Gore's movie?

Left Frantically Spins Discovery Shooter's Radical Environmentalism - Will MSM Follow Suit?

"Conservative bloggers predicted this line of attack since before it even emerged. Patterico pontificated: "They'll find a way to label him a right-winger - or at least a Tea Partier. Somehow." Indeed. Ace chimed in with his prediction: "You know how the media will report this, right? That's right: Anti-immigration extremist." Give the man a cigar."

Rape charges reissued against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange

UK Telegraph "The case was dropped by a Stockholm prosecutor last week who said there was nothing suggesting Assange had raped a Swedish woman who reported him to police. The woman's lawyer appealed the decision and Director of Public Prosecution Marianne Ny on Wednesday decided to reopen the case."

Brian Williams: from Musketeer to Mouseketeer

Brent Bozell "It never mattered to these nattering nabobs that, as Popular Mechanics magazine documented, Katrina spurred by far the largest and fastest rescue effort in American history, with nearly 100,000 emergency personnel arriving on the scene within three days of the storm's landfall, rescuing an estimated 50,000 residents."

U.S. files new suit on Ariz. immigration issue

WaPo "The Justice Department filed another lawsuit against immigration practices by Arizona authorities, saying Monday that a network of community colleges acted illegally in requiring noncitizens to provide their green cards before they could be hired for jobs."

Arizona vs. the U.N. Human Rights Police   "Tell that to the Democratic members of Congress leading the punitive economic boycott and political demonization of Arizona. Or to Attorney General Eric Holder, who rushed to attack S.B. 1070 before he had even read it. Fresh off this U.N. mess, Holder's Social Justice Department has launched yet another vendetta against Arizona. On Monday, DOJ filed suit against Phoenix-area community colleges because they imposed strict citizenship screening of potential employees.
"As Obama throws America under the bus for the cause of open borders, the shady U.N. human rights police must be laughing their jackboots off. "

Unions and the Democrats

California labor flexes its muscle "Since the mid-'90s, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and the SEIU have excelled at getting Latino voters to the polls. This year, they are funding ads in the Spanish-language media assailing what they term Whitman's "two-faced" position on immigration — her hard-line position during the Republican primary and her more sunny rhetoric since. On this key issue, they assert, she cannot be trusted. They are carrying that message door to door in Latino neighborhoods throughout the state.
"This summer's outburst of Republican nativism has provided the unions with ample talking points, as a union-sponsored poll of Los Angeles-area Latino voters made abundantly clear. "
 
From my friends at CEI, a new video capturing Big Labor hypocrisy at work: Michelle Malkin.

U.S. Auto Sales May Hit 28-Year Low as Discounts Flop "United Auto Workers President Bob King said Congress needs to pass a stimulus package that creates jobs and bolsters consumer confidence."

Jesse Jackson: Labor has key role in restoring U.S.   "A hopeful new president called on America to build a new foundation for its economy, but was obstructed every step of the way by conservatives in Congress, and libeled by the race-baiting right-wing noise machine. "

Social Security Bait and Switch

WSJ "Democrats are trying to keep control of Congress by scaring the wig off grandma with a phantom GOP plot against Social Security. That is not news. Social Security scare tactics have been regular campaign themes since FDR. President Obama's unique contribution is to do this even as he's begging Republicans to help him reduce the deficit and reform entitlement spending."

The Oval Office Address (Updated)

  Our shrinking president "Fallability on big questions (assuming now that Bush erred in invading Iraq) should not forever preclude one from being praised. Obama himself was wrong about the surge. If his prescription had been followed in 2007, Iraq would probably have suffered a monumental bloodbath, and al Qaeda might well control Anbar province. But that shouldn't bar Obama from receiving praise if he helps navigate Iraq through its current (much less severe) difficulties."

 The Obama Doctrine  "As forgettable as the address was however, once placed into the broader context of foreign policy speeches and actions, a clear Obama Doctrine can now be defined, as James Carafano and Kim Holmes do in a new paper released today."  See next article below:

Restored Link: Defining The Obama Doctrine, Its Pitfalls And How To Avoid Them  "Doctrines by themselves are not legally binding declarations. Nor are they always ideas embraced as such by the Presidents in whose names they are declared. Rather, they are clearly expressed principles and policies, often deduced by consensus, which set the tone for how each Administration intends to act on the world stage. Doctrines clarify how a President views America’s role in the world and his strategy for relations with other nations."

Missed Opportunities in the Oval Office "In other words, he came across as more committed to withdrawing troops next July than prevailing over the Taliban. This is not how a Commander-in-Chief should lead his troops in war.
"For those who hoped President Obama had finally seen the light about the ill-conceived July 2011 deadline and would use tonight’s speech to walk it back, they have been sorely disappointed."

Obama Has Learned Nothing About Being Commander in Chief  "...There was not a single moment in his speech where he spoke to the troops about their mission. He spoke about them in reverent tones, but he never articulated what we were fighting and why it really mattered. There is a reason for that, he has absolutely no rapport with them, he doesn’t understand them, and he has absolutely no clue how to lead them. Hell he really wishes he didn’t have to."... The mayor of Las Vegas thinks this president is a very slow learner    

This opinion from a newspaper in China:  "...Following the withdrawal of the last group of combat troops from Iraq, it looks as though America's seven-year-long struggle has come to an end; but its work in Iraq has not finished, and the withdrawal seems sudden and awkward." Via Watching America

William Kristol: It wasn't a bad speech.  "And at the end: "Our troops are the steel in our ship of state. And though our nation may be traveling through rough waters, they give us confidence that our course is true, and that beyond the pre-dawn darkness, better days lie ahead." Not a bad tribute to the troops, and not a bad statement of the importance and indispensability of hard power.
"And, on the whole, not a bad speech by the president." In a consider-the-source kinda way.

Oval Office Ambivalence "Mr. Obama won the White House in part through his ability to inspire with his speeches. The irony of his war leadership is that his policies toward Afghanistan and Pakistan and in pursuing al Qaeda are better than his inconstant trumpet." From the Wall Street Journal.

The Speech: Why Didn’t They Call Rewrite?  "Right. We have to “jumpstart industries that create jobs” but your policies on energy, taxation, government regulation and government spending, Mr. President, have assured that no industries will be jumpstarted and that job creation will stagnate. “We must unleash innovation,” you say, but your policies have made it all-but-impossible for businesses or individuals to innovate. You talk about nurturing entrepreneurs, but your war on Wall Street, your fiscal incontinence, and expansion of intrusive government bureaucracy assures that entrepreneurs will be stymied at every turn." Roger Kimball, Pajamas Media

Deadlines  "Deadlines, especially in wars against ideologically minded foes, are nearly always a bad idea. It is why George W. Bush, who understood well the nature of the war against jihadists, took such a firm stance against them. He was right, as are Crocker, Wolfowitz, and the Kagans: we should, in fact, be leaving the door open to the the extension of our military presence.
"Presidential statements carry immense weight and we should be candid about what is said and why it is problematic. Those who root for success in Iraq owe the president the benefit of their counsel on the danger of deadlines." Jennifer Rubin

Some Thoughts About Last Night’s Speech "In Barack Obama, we have someone very different — a president who is at times more eager to apologize for America than to defend her. He is a man not yet comfortable with his role as commander in chief. Obama views war not in terms of victory; he is above all committed to finding exit ramps.
"President Obama has already inflicted enormous damage to our nation; last night he added to the wreckage."  Peter Wehner

Max Boot: The Speech: About As Good As We Could Expect  "However good the words, the hard part is still ahead of us in Iraq, where no government has yet been formed and everyone is nervous about the American troop withdrawal. Obama will have to get more involved in managing Iraq’s future than he has been to date."

Crazed MSNBC Leftist Hosts Bash Obama For “Letting Bush Off Easy” (Video) "Apparently, these radicals are still reeling that we won the war…The anti-military, antiwar hosts at MSNBC howled last night after Barack Obama let President Bush “off easy” during his lackluster speech on the Iraq War.  Via Breitbart TV"

President Obama insults Beck rally attendees

Neil Braithwaite in AT:  "After watching the "Restoring Honor Rally" this past Saturday and observing how the media portrayed the event, my conclusion is that they couldn't be more wrong. There has probably not been a more respectful, peaceful and well-mannered crowd of that size assembled in Washington DC in quite a long time.
"And for the President of the United States to imply any negative connotations to the event, or its organizers, is far and away the biggest insult to not only the hundreds of thousands of Americans who attended the event, but to every American who agreed with what the event stood for: faith, hope and charity."

Why did the Rev. Al Sharpton oppose Beck's rally? "But the Sharptons of the Left are also smart enough to know that liberal causes are advanced via the power of the federal government. Constitutional jurisdiction is not an issue of concern for liberals.
"It's easier to cry "racist" in the furtherance of liberal policy through federal demagoguery than to have an honest, respectful debate on the constitutional role of the federal government."

Mideast peace talks jeopardized at starting gate

Reuters via Heritage:  "Netanyahu and his defense chief, Ehud Barak, have said Israel will retaliate for the shootings. The likely target may be a Hamas militant leader or an installation, building, or tunnels used to smuggle in weapons from Egypt, all in the Gaza Strip. The question is how big a strike could be ordered.
"There is always the possibility of the violence spiraling out of control if Gaza militants respond with potentially lethal rocket fire at southern Israeli towns, setting in motion yet another deadly cycle of violence. Hamas says it has tried to stop rocket attacks by other Palestinian militant groups."
Perhaps Hamas will build a mosque on this spot. AP Photo

This is how Arabs respond to Israeli 'confidence building measures' "However this latest terrorist attack does serve as a confidence building measure by the Arabs--most Israelis now have perfect confidence that most of the Arabs cannot make peace, do not want peace, no matter what the mediators and self righteous lecturers, who do not have to live with the horrific aftermath, say."

No Happy-Ending Waiting for Zionist Regime  " "The current crucial and sensitive regional and international conditions indicate that the Great Satan (the US) and the occupying Zionist regime are increasingly fearful that the countdown to the annihilation and end of the ominous life of the blood-sucking and criminal regime is imminent," the statement said. " The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced in a statement on Tuesday.   But they mean that in a nice way.

Children terror victims celebrate Bar-Bat Mitzvahs with Israeli president  "President Shimon Peres celebrated Bar and Bat Mitzvahs Monday with 70 victims of terror who he said symbolize hope for the Jewish people. The youth were wounded in terrorist attacks or lost relatives who were killed in suicide bombings and other attacks" Shawarma Mayor

Cartoons from the Arab World "A selection of cartoons from the media of seven Arab countries (Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Syria and Egypt) and from the Palestinian Authority is displayed below. A number of these countries are regarded as moderate or allied to the West. Most print media in the Arab world are under the full or partial control of the ruling regimes.

"One picture can sometimes be deadlier than a thousand words."   Tom Gross is a journalist and international affairs commentator, specializing in the Middle East. He was formerly Middle East correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph of London and for the New York Daily News.