'There is a Crisis with the United States' — Says Israel's Finance Minister

Comments follow the Obama administration’s refusal to allow Israeli defense minister to meet with top national security aides

The Obama Administration rejected a proposal to let Israeli officials meet with
national security adviser Susan Rice (pictured above) and vice president Joe Biden
(Photo by the US Dept of Agriculture)

By The Guardian
A top Israeli minister said on Saturday there was a “crisis” in the country’s relations with the United States that must be fixed.

Finance minister Yair Lapid’s comments came a day after US officials said the Obama administration refused Israeli defense minister Moshe Yaalon’s requests to meet several top national security aides.

The White House and the State Department rejected Israeli proposals for meetings with vice-president Joe Biden, national security adviser Susan Rice and secretary of state John Kerry on his five-day trip to the US. The administration is still angered by negative comments Yaalon made about Kerry’s peace efforts in the middle east and nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Lapid said “there is a crisis with the United States” and added that the relationship “must be managed respectfully and responsibly”.

From The Guardian

Joe Biden Apologizes For ISIS Confession: Said ISIS Was Supported by Turkey, Qatar and United Arab Emirates In Attempt To Topple Syria

Strategically, Vice President Biden was keen to leave out the main culprits: The United States and Saudi Arabia.

Biden Completes Middle East 'Apology Tour'


By David Jackson,
Vice President Biden is wrapping up a series of apologies to Middle East allies in the wake of his comments saying they have backed extremist groups in Syria.

After calls in recent days to the leaders of Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, Biden is now reaching out to the rulers of Saudi Arabia, The New York Times reports.

During a question-and-answer session last week at Harvard, Biden said one of the problems the U.S. has in the Middle East is that some of its allies have helped arm and fund al-Qaeda-linked groups in Syria.

The comments — and the criticism — came as the U.S. recruits Arab allies for military action against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

The White House acknowledged Biden's apologetic calls to allies, and also defended him.

Read More

'Shock Doctrine' Comes to Ukraine — Cashing In On a Crisis: Vice President Joe Biden's Son Slated To Join Ukraine Gas Corp

R. Hunter Biden (Screen capture from YouTube video)

Biden son’s appointment to Ukraine gas company raises no conflict of interest, White House says

R. Hunter Biden, a lawyer and a partner in an investment firm, was recently named to the board of directors of Burisma Holdings, a private company that has drilled for natural gas in Ukraine since 2002.

By Reuters
The White House on Tuesday brushed aside questions about whether the involvement of Vice President Joe Biden's son in a Ukrainian natural gas company raised ethical issues at a time when the administration is promoting energy diversity in the country.

In a statement on Burisma's website, Hunter Biden said he would help the company with "transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion," and other issues.

Natural gas has been a central issue in recent tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine depends on Russia for most of its natural gas, and has accused Moscow of hiking natural gas prices as punishment for moving closer to the European Union.

In April, the vice president traveled to Kiev and discussed how the United States could help provide technical expertise for expanding domestic production of natural gas.

Read More

Former US Defense Sec Robert Gates: Says Vice President Biden Was "Wrong" About Almost "Everything" But He's Absolutely Wrong On Iraqi Opinion of US

Robert Gates Duty Spoof - Doody
(Illustration by jfxgillis)

By Ronald David Jackson
Former US Defense Secretary Robert Gates was on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight to hawk his new book, "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War," when he suggested that most Iraqis have a favorable opinion of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq: "for most Iraqis, life is in fact significantly better than under Sadam Hussein."

While with Piers Morgan, Gates almost gloated about how consistently "wrong" Vice President Joe Biden has been regarding foreign policy. Yet Gates doesn't seem to have the slightest idea of what he is talking about on the issue of Iraqi views, which calls into question his book, his opinions, and his leadership as Defense Secretary. 

What Iraqis Think:
United States "Broke It" But Didn't Fix It

"If you break it you own it."
General Colin Powell,
warning regarding the invasion of Iraq.

What do the Iraqis themselves think about Iraq after the US invasion? They are not very happy, according to the findings of opinion polls.

According to a Gallup Poll published in March of 2011, Iraqis say security is better as a result of US withdrawal. That is, Iraqis believed the presence of the United States was causing conflict, not reducing it. More than four in five "perceived security to have been positively impacted by the U.S. departure." A poll published by Zogby Research Services in December of 2011 showed that only 30% of Iraqis believed Iraq is "better off" as a result of the US invasion.

In fact, the only segment of Iraqi public opinion that considers itself better off after the US intervention are the Kurds, who gained more independence as Iraq has further splintered into three segments: Shia, Sunni and Kurd.


The Number One Menace for Arabs:
The United States and Israel