Obama to Save Presidency by Bombing Iran?
Obama to Save Presidency by Bombing Iran? Round Two
I wrote an article 3½ years ago (see article below), at a low moment in Obama’s first term, when his ratings tanked and his party just lost Edward Kennedy’s senate seat to a Republican, that usefully suggested that Obama could “salvage his tottering administration” by taking “dramatic gesture to change the public perception of him as a lightweight, bumbling ideologue, preferably in an arena where the stakes are high, where he can take charge, and where he can trump expectations.” He could do well and do good, I offered, by taking out the Iranian nuclear infrastructure.
Anti-Muslim Brotherhood Protests in Egypt: Largest Political Event in World History
The demonstrations that began Sunday in Cairo, Egypt against the Muslim Brotherhood government of President Mohamed Morsi have attracted “millions” of supporters and many counter-demonstrators as well, making the protest the largest political event in the history of the world, according to the BBC.
Huge protests across Egypt calling for the resignation of President Mohammed Morsi have taken place through the night, with some outbreaks of violence. In the capital, Cairo, tens of thousands of people massed in Tahrir Square and outside the presidential palace in the biggest demonstration there since the 2011 revolution.
The United Nations is beginning its military mission in Mali by bringing the 6,000 West African troops already in the country under its command. By December it will reach full strength with 12,640 uniformed personnel. The UN will take over security duties from the French forces which led an operation to oust Islamist militants from the north in January.
Anti-government protesters in Egypt have stormed the national headquarters of President Mohammed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood in the capital, Cairo. People are reported to have ransacked the building in the eastern Moqattam district and also set it on fire. Eight people have been killed outside since Sunday, security sources say.
The US has warned Americans not to travel to Egypt and has told non-emergency diplomatic staff to leave, as clashes continue in the country. The state department also urged US nationals in Egypt “to remain alert”. The warning came as at least three people – including a US citizen – died in clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi.
A series of bombs near a bakery, at a funeral, inside a senior police officer’s car and at a football stadium killed at least 22 people across Iraq on Friday, the police and medics said.
Troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a military offensive on Saturday against rebel-held areas of Homs, the country’s third-largest city and a centre of the two-year-old uprising against his rule.
China’s state media warned on Saturday that a “counterstrike” against the Philippines was inevitable if it continues to provoke Beijing in the South China Sea, potentially Asia’s biggest military troublespot. The warning comes as ministers from both countries attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in Brunei, starting Saturday, which hopes to reach a legally binding code of conduct to manage maritime conduct in disputed areas.