What the hell. Mark Sanford and Bill Clinton, both getting into sexual mayhem in Argentina.

Note to self: Look into Argentina Adventure Trips.

Bill's Wild Night in Argentina, with NSFW vid of the sex-bomb he took such a shine to.

NSFW pictures of her stripping.

Note: Only the Washington Times and other right-leaning outfits a few outlets are mentioning this at all.

Compare and contrast to the Mark Sanford situation.

Correction: The WaPo ran the report, not the Washington times. The point stands: Where suspicious circumstances existed with regard to a Republican, the press pushed it until they smoked him out. That's actually proper.

But with Bill Clinton? Crickets.

Posted by: Ace at 09:43 AM | Comments (2)
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He says there something more than needing a break is behind this he is apologizing to his family, his staff and the people of S.C.

He hasn't said what yet, he's just listing people he's apologizing to.

He keeps saying he's 'let people down'. He hasn't said what for yet.

Well, at least it was a woman. I was wondering for awhile there.

A long time friend that developed into more over the last year.

Shit.

He really needs to stop talking now. He's getting into way to many details. Not for his political sake, there's no political life to save now, it's just not something we need to see and his family doesn't need laid out. Someone should pull him out of there.

I volunteer to lead the AoS investigative reporting team to Argentina to find this woman. Seriously, you know tracking her down is next.

Countdown to his resignation begins is in 3-2-1....

Posted by: DrewM at 09:26 AM | Add Comment
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Mentioned this dramatic vid in an earlier post. Thanks to CT for finding it.

Note that the Apache crewmembers get confirmation six times to open fire, taking ten minutes to secure actual clearance to fire on what is clearly an armed squad of Taliban.

The confirmation and re-confirmation and re-re-confirmation is part of General McChrystal's drive to restrict air engagements to achieve a very low level of collateral damage. This policy has many critics -- it offers the Taliban safe haven if they merely hide among women and children, which they of course love to do -- but Just Barking Mad defends the policy as derived from the counterinsurgency tactics employed so successfully by Petraeus in Iraq.

Posted by: Ace at 09:04 AM | Add Comment
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The first strike took out Six Taliban. Then the Predators came back to attack the funeral of a leader they'd just killed, and took out 65.

Revised to 83.

The attack took place in the Ladha region as scores of Taliban leaders and fighters were attending the funeral of Khwaz Ali Mehsud, a mid-level commander in Baitullah's network. The initial attack on the funeral procession was followed up with strikes on Taliban vehicles as they attempted to flee the attack site.

Khwaz was killed in a Predator airstrike in Makeen earlier that morning. The attack killed five other low-level Taliban fighters.

Khwaz was "beloved" by Baitullah, a senior US military intelligence official told The Long War Journal. The News described Khwaz as one of Baitullah's "close and trusted commanders." Senior Taliban leaders were expected to attend Khwaz's funeral to pay their respects.

If anyone can find this video, please let me know. I thought I saw it on FoxNews, but I don't see any clips on YouTube.

Here's undated but recent video of Marines fighting the Taliban in Helmand.

Correction: FoxNews didn't have footage of the Predator attack. What they had was Apache footage of a separate action, the Apache (and US ground troops) engaging 15 armed Taliban, killing them all, suffering no casualties.

That video doesn't seem available yet.

Posted by: Ace at 08:00 AM | Add Comment
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Exactly how many people have to die before you realize these barbarians aren't fit company, Mr. President?

Once we clear this hurdle (and you know he will disinvite them, kicking and screaming but he'll do it), how about we start inviting dissident Iranian ex-pats over? In addition to giving them some support, they would be excellent reminders of what we are celebrating that day.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:59 AM | Add Comment
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Above the Fold Update: CNN reports "mousetrap" executed by thugs; protesters beaten "like animals."

Some truly harrowing claims on Twitter. As always, never sure whether these reports are true. Though CNN reports at least some of it is.

they pull away the dead into trucks - like factory - no human can do this - we beg Allah for save us - #Iranelection

...

Lalezar Sq is same as Baharestan - unbelevable - ppls murdered everywhere - #Iranelection

...

they catch ppl with mobile - so many killed today - so many injured - Allah Akbar - they take one of us - #Iranelection

...

in Baharestan we saw militia with axe choping ppl like meat - blood everywhere - like butcher - Allah Akbar - #Iranelection RT RT RT

...

reports of street fighting in Vanak Sq, Tajrish sq, Azadi Sq - now - #Iranelection

...

rumour they are tracking high use of phone lines to find internet users - must move from here now - #Iranelection

...

phone line was cut and we lost internet - #Iranelection - getting more difficult to log into net - #Iranelection

...

all shops was closed - nowhere to go - they follow ppls with helicopters - smoke and fire is everywhere #Iranelection

Allah's always a glass is half full kind of guy:

Horrible. But on the bright side, now ObamaÂ’s got a conversation icebreaker for that July 4th barbecue.

"You should help us, you should help us, you should help the people of Iran:" An eyewitness to the massacre tearfully describes it, and begs President Johnny Hot-Dogs for Hope and Change.

...

Turning point? Or, rather, another turning point?

Ed Morrissey notes they're protesting the corrupt system which gives themselves undue power and privilege -- so they're either really outraged over the regime's behavior, or they realize the best way to maintain their power and privilege is to be on the side of the protesters.

Either way, it's not good for Bammy's BFFs.

Complaint Withdrawn: They're getting to some people, though. Some had hoped this former Revolutionary Guard commander would help divide that organizatiton and keep it on the sidelines, or even assist in removing the mullahs from power.

One of three presidential candidates who challenged Iran's June 12 election said he is withdrawing his complaint, Iran's state media reported Wednesday.
Mohsen Rezaei, a former Revolutionary Guards commander, officially captured less than 2 percent of the vote in the disputed election in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the landslide winner over his nearest challenger, moderate Mir Hossein Mousavi. Mousavi, Rezaei and reformist cleric Mehdi Karroubi alleged widespread vote-rigging immediately after the election, sparking large-scale protests.

In withdrawing his complaint to the Guardian Council, which oversees Iran's elections, , The Wall Street Journal said.

Now I'm confused -- Did Obama's Cairo Speech inspire this too, or is it only the good stuff?

Graphic Pictures: 17 Year Old Tortured in Iran for Protesting. He says he actually hadn't protested anything, but whether that's true or something he's saying to save his life is beside the point.

Here's what torture looks like, for those confused on the point.

Time: Regime's Tactics Both "Smarter and More Brutal;" Street Protests Dwindling from Hundreds of Thousands to Thousands and then Hundreds: The regime's practice of random brutality is effective. It doesn't produce the massive body count, but lets everyone know that if they're on the street, there is a nontrivial chance they'll be killed.

But that's only reducing the street protests, not the actual resistance. Time guesses that some face-saving compromise may still be reached.

Moderate Defeated Candidate Karoubi Declares Government "Illegitimate:" One candidate withdraws his complaint but another one escalates his opposition.

Posted by: Ace at 06:51 AM | Add Comment
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Above the post update:

More reports are starting to come in about today's protests and they all point to a bloodbath. This may have been the Tiananmen style crackdown people have been predicting.

There were conflicting reports about whether today's protests at the Parliament building were called by Mousavi or not. Either way, this looks like a very grim day for Iran.

Original Post:
Apparently Khamenei mentioned this in his speech on Friday but either no one picked up on it or was able to confirm it until now.

In a lengthy sermon Friday that reaffirmed the disputed re-election of Mr. Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Khamenei made an oblique reference to a letter from the U.S. but embedded the reference in a diatribe against purported U.S. interference in Iranian affairs.

"The American president was quoted as saying that he expected the people of Iran to take to the streets," Ayatollah Khamenei misquoted Mr. Obama as saying, according to a translation by Mideastwire.com.

"On the one hand, they [the Obama administration] write a letter to us to express their respect for the Islamic Republic and for re-establishment of ties, and on the other hand they make these remarks. Which one of these remarks are we supposed to believe? Inside the country, their agents were activated. Vandalism started. Sabotaging and setting fires on the streets started. Some shops were looted. They wanted to create chaos. Public security was violated. The violators are not the public or the supporters of the candidates. They are the ill-wishers, mercenaries and agents of the Western intelligence services and the Zionists."

An Iranian news site, Ayandehnews.com, first reported on the U.S. letter on Tuesday.

You add that to his release off Iranian backed terrorists outlined in Slu post below and you really see why Obama finds this whole messy protest thing to be an annoyance rather than an opportunity.

Meanwhile in Iran today there were protests and Obama's new pen pals were busy cracking skulls and arresting the participants.

Mousavi's wife compares the situation in Iran to martial law.

The government also announced that Ahmadinejad will be sworn in for his second term between July 26th and August 19th.

The fact that Obama skipped Ahmadinejad and wrote directly to Khamenei shows he wasn't going to play by the fiction that the President is the real power in Iran. So how does he even consider still talking to Khamenei after what's happened? He can't pretend on one hand that the President isn't that big of a deal and then pretend that Khamenei isn't the one responsible for the blood in the streets.

Well, I guess he can pretend it but that's only because as Andy McCarthy wrote earlier this week.

The fact is that, as a man of the hard Left, Obama is more comfortable with a totalitarian Islamic regime than he would be with a free Iranian society. In this he is no different from his allies like the Congressional Black Caucus and Bill Ayers, who have shown themselves perfectly comfortable with Castro and Chàvez. Indeed, he is the product of a hard-Left tradition that apologized for Stalin and was more comfortable with the Soviets than the anti-Communists (and that, in Soros parlance, saw George Bush as a bigger terrorist than bin Laden).

God help us all.

More: The 3rd place finisher withdraws his protests (link to official Iranian press)

Posted by: DrewM at 06:28 AM | Add Comment
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Warning: Confession & Shameful Gloating Ahead

Good Morning, Darling hearts!

The Connecticut AOSHQ Morons hosted a very special Moron Meetup a couple of weekends ago on the shores of the Connecticut River.

In addition to some of our native CT Morons, several AOSHQ cob-loggers attended. We also hosted some other well-known bloggers and hilarious AOSHQ commenters. Our visitors came from California, Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and various other points around North America.

We. Had. A. BLAST.

...and we're going to do it again one of these days.
There were a lot of people who should have been there that we missed out on just because we were trying to keep the size of the group under fifty to fit the venue. As it was, some folks didn't show and we would have had plenty of room for more.

If you want to be included on the mailing list for the next CT Meetup, please shoot me an email at "ct morons AAT gmail doot coom." No spaces and fix the loose stuff, of course.

Actually, it was beyond a blast. This was our fourth CT meeting but the first one to be opened up to people in other states (other than NY or MA). I encourage Moron Nation to think seriously about arranging or attending one of these things.

AOSHQ Morons are some of the funniest, nicest, most engaging and warm folks you will ever hope to meet.
If you're a regular at the HQ, you have loads of friends you haven't met yet.

Blankminde's Google map with regional meeting information is below the fold. If you'd like to host one of these things or would like to gauge interest in your area, please check out the map and use this thread to give a shout out to your peeps.

I'll bump it/ update it a couple times this week if you puddin' heads take to the idea. more...

Posted by: LauraW at 05:34 AM | Add Comment
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As Andrew McCarthy says, "prepare to be infuriated."

Even as the mullahs are terrorizing the Iranian people, the Obama administration is negotiating with an Iranian-backed terrorist organization and abandoning the American proscription against exchanging terrorist prisoners for hostages kidnapped by terrorists. Worse still, Obama has already released a terrorist responsible for the brutal murders of five American soldiers in exchange for the remains of two deceased British hostages.

...About two weeks ago, the Obama administration released Laith Qazali after extensive negotiations with the Asaib al-Haq terror network. That network has long been in negotiations with the fledgling Iraqi government, dangling the possibility of laying down its arms, renouncing violence, and integrating into Iraqi society, provided that its top members — particularly Qais and Laith Qazali, as well as Ali Mussa Daqduq — be released. Realizing, however, that these terrorists were responsible for kidnapping and killing American soldiers in gross violation of the laws of war, the Bush administration had declined to release them.

The Obama administration has not only released Laith Qazali, it has been in negotiations to release his brother, Qais Qazali, as well. The negotiations and release were carried out in flagrant disregard of the longstanding policy against exchanging prisoners for the release of hostages. Undermining that policy endangers all American troops and civilian personnel — as well as the troops and civilian personnel of our allies — by encouraging terrorists to kidnap them to use as bargaining chips.

Posted by: Slublog at 05:26 AM | Comments (1)
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I guess it's better than the speculation he was taking part in Nude Hiking Day.

I'm a big fan of Sanford's but this is, um, a little strange.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford was in Argentina during a dayslong unexplained absence, not hiking the Appalachian Trail as his staff told the public when state leaders raised questions about his whereabouts, the governor told a newspaper.

The State reported that Sanford arrived Wednesday morning at Atlanta's international airport on a flight from Buenos Aires.

...When The State asked Sanford at the airport why his staff said he was on the Appalachian Trail, Sanford replied, "I don't know."

Sanford later said "in fairness to his staff," he had told them he might go hiking on the Appalachian Trial.

...Sanford, a trim, 49-year-old former real estate investor and Air Force reservist, is typically drained at the end of a legislative session, former aides said. State Sen. Tom Davis, a Beaufort Republican and Sanford's former chief of staff, said he visited with Sanford last Wednesday and could tell the governor was ready for a break.

"It's not unusual to take off and kind of be by himself," Davis said. "It's part of what makes him him."

I get that people, even governors, need a break and the public doesn't have to know where they are 24/7/365 but you do have to leave a note and contact information with someone on your staff (or at least your wife) if you are a governor. Unexpected things happen that governors need to deal with all the time. This isn't the 19th century where government is a part time gig (unfortunately).

For a guy who may have presidential aspirations, having the word out that the SC legislative session leaves you drained and in need of going off the grid for a week is not a good way to introduce yourself to the country.

As I said, I really like Sanford and was looking forward to him running for the nomination in 2012 but he's going to need to be able to make this not seem as flakey as it does right now if he wants to make a go of it.

Posted by: DrewM at 05:03 AM | Add Comment
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