After Years Of Attempts, Obama's Half Brother In Kenya Says He Married Teen

NAIROBI, Kenya – President Barack Obama's polygamist half brother in Kenya has married a woman who is more than 30 years younger than him.

The 19-year-old's mother told The Associated Press on Friday she is furious that her daughter quit high school and married the 52-year-old.

Mary Aoko Ouma says her daughter tried to marry Malik Obama two years ago, but the mother says she wouldn't give permission.

Malik Obama, who is Muslim, has two other wives. Polygamy is legal in Kenya if it falls under religious or cultural traditions.

In an interview broadcast by Kenya's NTV that was filmed without his knowledge, Malik Obama says he married the 19-year-old but didn't say when. (source)

Ft Hood Gunman Screams "Allahu Akbar" While On His Jihad Mission Of Shooting Unarmed US Soldiers

FORT HOOD, Texas – As dozens of soldiers lay dead or bleeding in a Fort Hood processing center last year, a gunman went outside and continued firing as others ran to nearby buildings, hid behind cars or carried wounded comrades to safety, witnesses told a military court Friday.

Chief Warrant Officer II Christopher Royal said he ran out of the center where soldiers were preparing to deploy after he heard gunshots and saw the shooter, but then decided to go back and try to stop the rampage, because "I told myself I could not let him get away with it."

Royal testified Friday during an Article 32 hearing that will determine whether Maj. Nidal Hasan should stand trial in the Nov. 5 shootings on the Texas Army post. The 40-year-old American-born Muslim has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. The hearing is to resume Monday.

Crouching behind a car while deciding how to take the gunman "by surprise," the unarmed Royal saw a soldier run out of the back door and then fall face-down in the grass after the man chased and shot him, he testified. The shooter later started firing at Royal, who then ran to a nearby building to warn others to stay inside — and then realized he had been shot in the back, Royal said.

Sgt. Lamar Nixon testified Friday that after he escaped and ran into a nearby building, he and another soldier "bolted back out" and picked up a wounded comrade even though they still heard gunfire.

Nixon said he recognized Hasan as the gunman. Nixon, who worked in the building where soldiers must get vaccines and other routine medical tests before deployment, said Hasan had been there two or three times, including the morning of Nov. 5. Hasan had been at the center earlier to get vaccines because he was to be deployed the following month, but he did not respond when Nixon greeted him, the soldier testified.

Nixon said he remembered Hasan because of "his stature and just how he composed himself — stoic." The next time Nixon saw Hasan, it was after lunch when the psychiatrist stood from behind a front counter and began shooting after yelling "Allahu Akbar!" — "God is great!" in Arabic, Nixon testified.

Twenty-nine witnesses over three days have appeared in the courtroom or by video link. They have given similar accounts of how the rampage began, saying Hasan fired into a crowded waiting area and then walked around the building, shooting people as they hid under chairs and tables, pausing only to reload.

Some witnesses testified that Michael Grant Cahill, a civilian physician assistant, and Capt. John Gaffaney, a psychiatric nurse preparing to deploy to Iraq, each were fatally shot after picking up chairs to try to stop Hasan.

Only one witness has testified he saw two weapons. Others have said they saw one weapon, but descriptions about the gun have varied.

Addressing the court via video link from Afghanistan Friday, Spc. Megan Martin said the gunman was "shooting everything that moved." She was part of the 467th Medical Detachment, the combat stress unit Hasan was supposed to deploy with.

Immediately after the shootings, reports emerged that Hasan had been trying to get out of his pending deployment because he opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He had been saying goodbye to friends and neighbors, and had given away his Quran and other belongings.

Hasan's lead attorney John Galligan asked Martin on Friday if the tragedy could have prevented her from deploying to a combat zone.

"I wanted to carry on with the mission, sir, as my fallen soldiers would want me to," she said.

Earlier Friday under cross examination, Pfc. Lance Aviles said he used his cell phone to record the rampage inside the processing center but was ordered by an officer to delete both videos later the same day. Aviles was not asked if he knew why the officer ordered the videos destroyed.

It's unclear exactly what the footage showed, although it could have been used as evidence in the case. Prosecutors have not said whether they'll seek the death penalty if the case goes to trial.

Hasan, who was paralyzed after Fort Hood police shot him that day, remains jailed in the Bell County Jail, which houses suspects for nearby Fort Hood. The military justice system does not have bail for defendants.(source)

Democrat Congress Further Endangers US Solvency By Passing 1.3 Trilion Dollar Budget

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration said Friday the federal deficit hit a near-record $1.3 trillion for the just-completed budget year.

That means the government had to borrow 37 cents out of every dollar it spent as tax revenues continued to lag while spending on food stamps and unemployment benefits went up as joblessness neared double-digit levels in a struggling economy.

While expected, the eye-popping deficit numbers provide Republican critics of President Barack Obama's fiscal stewardship with fresh ammunition less than three weeks ahead of the midterm congressional elections. The deficit was $122 billion less than last year, a modest improvement.

Voter anger over deficits and spending are a big problem for Democrats this election year. Republicans are slamming Democrats — who face big losses in November — for votes on Obama's $814 billion economic stimulus last year and on former President George W. Bush's $700 billion bailout of Wall Street.

Democrats say the recession would have been worse if the government hadn't stepped in with those programs to prop up the economy. They also note that most of the bailout, which began during the previous administration and was supported by many Republicans in Congress, has been repaid.

Outside of the bailout, the federal budget went up by 9 percent in the 2010 budget year to $3.5 trillion, the Congressional Budget Office reported last week. Food stamp payments rose 27 percent as record numbers of people took advantage of the programs, while unemployment benefits rose 34 percent as Congress extended benefits for the long-term jobless.

"The FY 2010 deficit remained elevated as a result of the severe economic recession, high unemployment, and the financial crisis inherited by the current administration," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and acting White House budget director Jeffrey Zients said in a statement announcing the results.

Rising deficits will present headaches for policymakers regardless of which party controls Congress after November.

The administration is projecting that the deficit for the 2011 budget year, which began on Oct. 1, will climb to $1.4 trillion. Over the next decade, it will total $8.47 trillion. Deficits of that size will constrain the administration's agenda over the next two years and will certainly be an issue in the 2012 presidential race.

"Since the Democrat majority has taken control of the nation's checkbook, deficits have risen to staggering levels and will average $1 trillion annually for the next decade under the president's policies," said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. "These abrupt and shocking changes in our fiscal situation cannot be dismissed as 'inherited' problems when the tally of the majority's spending spree has climbed into the trillions."

Government revenues rose by $57.4 billion in 2010 compared to 2009, but more than two-thirds of that increase reflected higher payments from the Federal Reserve to the Treasury on all the investments the central bank has made to support the economy and the financial system during the recession.

Income tax revenue fell slightly as unemployment stays near 10 percent nationwide, though corporate tax receipts were up almost 40 percent as the economy slowly pulls out of the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Leading officials with the National Association for Business Economics forecast this week that the 2011 deficit will total $1.2 trillion, only slightly better than the administration's estimate. They cited excessive federal debt as their single greatest concern, even more so than high unemployment.

Obama's bipartisan deficit commission is supposed to report a deficit-cutting plan on Dec. 1, but panel members are unsure at best whether they'll be able to agree on anything approaching Obama's goal of cutting the deficit to about 3 percent of the size of gross domestic product (GDP).

The recommendations of the commission need the backing of 14 of its 18 members to trigger a congressional vote. Building that level of consensus will be difficult. Republicans are strongly opposed to a plan that includes tax increases to chip away at the deficit. Democrats are less inclined to move a package that relies solely on spending cuts.

Even if Congress doesn't vote on a deficit-cutting proposal, it faces the challenge of reaching a consensus on what to do with the Bush-era tax cuts that are set to expire on Dec. 31.

The Republicans are fighting to renew all of the tax cuts. Obama and the Democrats want to extend the tax cuts for every family making less than $250,000, but let them expire for the wealthiest households.

The difference between the two parties amounts to $700 billion that would be added to projected deficits over the next decade if the tax cuts for the wealthy were extended along with the other tax cuts.

So far, the huge deficits have not been a threat to the country. That's because interest rates have been so low coming out of the recession and the United States has been seen as a safe haven for foreign investors willing to keep buying U.S. Treasury bonds.

But the situation could change once the economy gains more momentum, analysts warn.

"If we get to 2013 and policymakers don't look like they have a credible plan to deal with the deficit, then interest rates are likely to rise significantly and that will jeopardize the recovery we have under way at that time," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. (source)

Guantanamo Bay: Another Look Behind The "Innocent Prisoners"

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A plea deal that would reportedly keep a Guantanamo prisoner in custody for eight more years isn't sitting well with a key witness against him: a former Army sergeant who was partially blinded and lost a friend in the firefight that led to the alleged al-Qaida militant's capture.

Layne Morris said Friday that Canadian-born Omar Khadr should get at least 20 years in prison, and perhaps much longer.

"They ought to lock him up until he's no longer a threat, and if that's for the rest of his life, so be it," Morris said in an interview with The Associated Press a day after Khadr's lawyers disclosed they were negotiating a possible plea deal.

Khadr, who was 15 when he was captured following the firefight in Afghanistan in 2002, was originally scheduled to go on trial Monday at the U.S. base in Cuba. He faces war crimes charges that include murder for allegedly throwing a grenade that killed Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer, a special forces medic from Albuquerque, New Mexico. If convicted, he faces a maximum life sentence.

The trial began in August but was put on hold when Khadr's defense lawyer fell ill and collapsed in the courtroom.

With plea talks under way, a military judge postponed the resumption of the trial, the first at Guantanamo under President Barack Obama. The war crimes tribunal is scheduled to reconvene Oct. 25 — but that could turn into a sentencing hearing if an agreement is reached.

Khadr's lawyers and U.S. officials declined to release details about any proposed agreement. But the Toronto Star reported that a proposal already approved by the military would impose a sentence of less than 10 years, on top of the time he has already been in custody. Postmedia News, another Canadian outlet, said he would get eight, with one more in Guantanamo and the rest in his native country. Both cited anonymous sources.

There have been plea talks before, but Khadr himself has resisted, saying it would excuse the harsh treatment he endured during captivity. He also denies throwing the grenade that killed Speer.

The Khadr case is problematic for the U.S. because of his age and the fact that his father, who was killed in 2003, had close ties to senior al-Qaida leaders. His lawyers and human rights groups say Khadr was a child soldier, essentially brainwashed by his family, who should be sent home and rehabilitated.

But unlike most war crimes cases at Guantanamo, his involves specific American victims.

Morris, now retired from the Army and living in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah, is scheduled to travel to Guantanamo to testify as a witness. He said he appreciates the challenge that prosecutors face with the case but nevertheless hopes for a longer sentence.

"Knowing the facts of the case, I would think your average American would be disappointed that somebody who had demonstrated the capacity and the willingness to kill American soldiers would get a mere eight years," he said in a phone interview. "That seems short to me."

Morris was blinded in his right eye during the assault on the militant stronghold in which Speer was killed. He said he doesn't seek a longer sentence out of vengeance but for the sake of his comrade's family and because he believes Khadr, now 24, remains a danger to the U.S. It wouldn't matter to him whether Khadr serves prison time in Guantanamo, Canada or somewhere in the U.S.

"He should get 20 years and then be evaluated to see if he is still a security threat," Morris said. "And if he is, then he can do another 20 years. And if he has somehow seen the error of his ways, and if someone wants to take a chance with him somewhere in Canada, I would be OK with it." (source)

Nancy Pelosi: "We Have To Pass The Bill So That You Will See What's In It"

Nancy Pelosi: "As Smug As I Wanna Be" (Too Important To Debate)

Barry As President: Owner Of A Lonely War

Washington (CNN) – American support for the war in Afghanistan has never been lower, according to the latest CNN polling. The low numbers just the latest figure in the complex math being calculated to determine how the US should proceed in the ten year war.

The latest poll from CNN and Opinion Research Corporation found only 37% of all Americans favor the war, 52% say the war in Afghanistan has turned into a Vietnam.

Those numbers are going down as US commitment to the war is going up, significantly. 30,000 more troops added this year. At the time the troop increase was announced, military leaders were aware it would mean a rise in troop casualties and were vocal in trying to warn Americans that it would happen.

Still the daily headlines about troop deaths is staggering. 16 NATO troops have been killed in the last three days. The US has lost 386 troops so far this year.

Modern war is about metrics (and Powerpoint). The numbers right now suggest that the surge in troops has, not surprisingly, led to a surge in offensives. Last month there were 700 airstrikes, according to Air Force data obtained by National Security producer Jennifer Rizzo. A year ago only 257 strikes were logged.

More numbers: In the last 90 days NATO forces have killed 300 senior Taliban and insurgent leaders and commanders, as well as 800 fighters and detained 2,000 more, a senior military official in Afghanistan told Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

It's that balance between perceived progress and deadly setback that the administration will begin considering first this December when the strategy is reviewed and then again next year ahead of the July 2011 deadline President Barack Obama set to begin withdrawing the increased troops.
That date – July 2011 – has many wondering if the ultimate calculus is about a number that is more important in the US than Afghanistan – the number 2012.

The new strategy for Afghanistan appears tailored with that date in mind. When the president announced more troops, he made sure to indicate that the government would begin to drawdown the troop surge by July 2011.

Critics said the July date was more to ensure being able to say the troops are coming home come election time, than a reasonable timeframe to expect progress.

But for all the investment of lives and money, the war is not registering with Americans. At least not while the numbers in everyone's bank accounts are a preoccupation. In a September poll by CNN and Opinion Research, only 9% of respondents thought the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were the most important problem facing the country, 49% thought the economy mattered most. (source)

Rules Of Engagement Result In More Unneccessary Troop Deaths

3 NATO troops die in Afghanistan as attacks surge

(AP) – 6 days ago

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Three NATO troops were killed Friday in Afghanistan in a surge of attacks that raised the death toll to 17 in three days for international troops in the country.

One service member died Friday in an insurgent attack in the east and another was killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, an alliance statement said. It did not give nationalities or exact locations of the attacks.

France said a one of its soldiers died Friday of wounds sustained in a clash in the Uzbin Valley east of Kabul the day before.

On Thursday, eight NATO troops were killed in a spate of attacks, including four separate roadside bombings.

Improvised explosive devices on roadways are the weapon of choice for insurgents, who rely on guerrilla tactics to counter intensified NATO-Afghan operations.

It has been the deadliest year for international forces in the nine-year Afghan conflict. Troop numbers have been ramped up to turn the screws on insurgents and casualties have mounted.

The escalating toll — more than 2,020 NATO deaths since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion — has shaken the commitment of many alliance countries, with calls growing to start drawing down forces quickly.

U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Afghanistan, confirmed Friday that NATO has provided safe passage for senior Taliban leaders to travel to Kabul for face-to-face negotiations with the American-backed Afghan government.

Petraeus declined to provide details of the alliance's role in the clandestine talks — discussions he described as "preliminary." The Afghan government has previously acknowledged it has been involved in reconciliation talks with the Taliban with some NATO help.

The Taliban, however, have vehemently denied any official talks have taken place.

Meanwhile, a roadside bomb detonated Friday beside a vehicle in southeastern Afghanistan, killing six Afghan civilians inside, said Ghulam Jalani Farahi, a police chief in Zabul province. Four people were wounded in the blast, which hit Qalat district.

"The ugly face of this insurgency continues to show itself," U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres said, commenting on the attack.

The nine-year war has inflicted a mounting toll on Afghan civilians. The U.N. says insurgents are responsible for most civilian deaths. However, noncombatants are also killed in NATO military operations.

A recent U.N. report said more than 1,200 civilians died and nearly 2,000 were wounded between January and June this year.

Elsewhere in the restive south, five people were killed and a convoy of 11 fuel trucks set ablaze and destroyed by Taliban militants late Thursday in Kandahar province, said police chief Sardar Mohammad Zazia. The vehicles were parked and being repaired at a compound in Spin Boldak district when the Taliban struck, he said Friday.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf claimed responsibility for the attack.

In southern Helmand province Thursday, a suicide attacker killed one police officer, said police chief of Reg-i-Khan Nishin district, Kamal Uddin, on Friday.

The officer spotted the assailant approaching a compound and went out to intercept him. The attacker blew himself up, also killing the policeman, Uddin said.

Yousaf said the suicide bomber killed 11 police at the compound gate. It was impossible to independently confirm the account, and the Taliban are known to exaggerate death tolls.

The nearly 150,000 international troops and 220,000 Afghan security forces are still struggling to gain the upper hand against an estimated 30,000 insurgents.

The embattled south is the scene of Operation Dragon Strike, launched last month by NATO and Afghan forces in areas around Kandahar to flush out entrenched Taliban fighters and destroy their strongholds.

However, near-daily violence has also shaken other regions of Afghanistan recently. (source)

MSM Diary: What Media Bias? (The Lynching Of Juan Williams)

7:45 AM, Oct 21, 2010 • By WILLIAM KRISTOL

My Fox News Sunday colleague Juan Williams has been fired by NPR for telling an inconvenient truth.

Juan was appearing on Bill O'Reilly's show Monday night, when O'Reilly asserted, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.” Juan didn't disagree with this claim.

Would President Obama, for example, disagree? I don't think so. Isn't this why, for example, we are fighting a war to prevent jihadists from re-establishing a terror base in Afghanistan? (It's a war, by the way, that Juan happens to oppose.) But do the powers-that-be at NPR really think that jihadists, especially if aided by state sponsors, are not a serious threat? Do the powers-that-be at NPR think their analysts shouldn't be allowed to say they are?

Juan cited the words of the Times Square bomber: “He said the war with Muslims, America’s war is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts." Do the powers-that-be at NPR deny that jihadists have made countless comments of this sort? Are NPR analysts not allowed to cite them?

Juan also commented, “I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I've got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.” (source)

MSM Diary: What Media Bias? (Reporters Fight To Protect Rahm Emmanuel From Embarrassing Questions)