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Co-host: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents

Thursday 905P Eastern Time:  Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, in re: Liu Xiao-bo will be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in absentia. The unelected tyrants of Beijing react with rage and hysteria, demanding that their minions around the world not attend the ceremony in Oslo, nineteen of whom have acceded.  Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House, Mrs Nancy Pelosi, is even now on a plane to Norway to represent the American people, all of whom applaud the bravery and intelligence of Liu Xiao-bo and endorse Mrs Pelosi's excellent deed.

Thursday 920P Eastern Time:  John Loftus, Esq, author, in re:     Ukraine ships antique. Soviet T-72 tanks to Southern Sudan in advance of January referendum on dividing into two countries. Burma: has a secret nuclear facility built by North Korea - as probably do Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and very likely Sudan.  This is consonant with a decision taken in the early 1990s by the Chinese Politburo to disperse nuclear capability around the word specifically to divide the attention of the United States (then the global hegemon) lest it focus too harshly on CHina and its expanding nuclear weapons capacity; also to give US targetting too many foci: Burma, Caracas, Nigeria, Bolivia

Thursday 935P Eastern Time:  David Drucker, Roll Call, in re: the work of the lame-duck session in the Senate. DADT: gone. Dream Act: probably gone. Cloture for the president's version of the tax-cut bill is scheduled for 3PM Monday. ALso have to do the government funding bill or the whole government shuts down on Dec 18; ergo, not enough time to cover the New Start treaty.

Thursday 950P Eastern Time:  

 

Thursday 1005P (705P Pacific Time):  Malcolm Hoenlein, in re: Pres Obama dropped pressing Israel on Jerusalem building, and on settlements.  F-35s. Palestinians maintained total demand, which the administration decided was unrealistic.  President switched to talks in Washington, with the US saying it wants to focus on "substantive issues" and borders.  The PA has been endeavoring to sabotage the talks in order to continue fundraising.    Pres Abbas is not leagally permitted to be in the talks; also, Fatah voted to oppose talks till every nail of building is ceased, and would not negotiate a  land swap.  Lula said Argentina would recognize Palestine as a country having pre-67 borders, as then did all the Chavezistas in South America.  Iran is about to take over as chairman of _____.  Argentina is virtually a vassal of Venezuela; its economy is broken and Mrs Kirchner seems to be for sale.

Thursday 1020P (720P Pacific Time): Brad Sherman (CA-27), in re: Iranian nuclear capability; recalcitrance of the mullahs; DPRK.  Iran grows closer to having nuclear weapons every day, and therefore grows more militarily powerful;. Had we started a decade ago, we'd have had tine to use sanctions slowly; now, we have little time left. Iran has enough uranium ore for a bomb program but not for energy provision.  Parading weapons is the viagra of tyrants.  China: I've introduced legislation to do the only thing they'll understand: take away their Most Favored Nation Status.  Currently, China is fully supporting North Korea, buying oil from Iran, and so on.  

Thursday 1035P (735P Pacific Time):  Malcolm Hoenlein, in re: 

Thursday 1050P (750P Pacific Time):  Prof. Xu Xin, Director of the Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies, Nanjing University, in re: How Jews and Israel are perceived in China. Western Society is built on two pillars: Greco-Roman, and Judeo-Christian.  Much interest among Chinese grad students; there are in all a few thousand studying relevant courses, and a print run of 5,000 per year of the main text. In the 1920s and 30s, Japanese or European books translated into Chinese contained anti-Jewish thoughts, but there's no indigenous such sentiment.   Aat the beginning of WWII 20,000 Jews lived in northern China, then another 20,000 came as refugees.  Now there about 10,00 Jews (a wholly different group) who are expats from various countries.  We've heard the story that perhaps one of the Lost Tribes of Israel moved from Mongolia to Tibet and became the Chang tribe of the northwest - speculating that because they called father abba or ima - but it's a bit doubtful, seems to be an uncorroborated myth.

Thursday 1105P (805P Pacific Time):  Maj. Gen. (ret) Yaakov Amidror, program dir, Inst for Contemporary Affairs, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, in re: Iran; defensible borders.  Turkey represents a major shift in the Middle East; in effect, resurgence of the Ottoman Empire.   The sanctions are having a fiscal impact on Iran, but of course they don't care if they lose some money.  There is not even one hint that Syrians care to break their link with Iran, but that's entirely wishful thinking.  Damascus is fully informed that Hizbollah is excessively rearmed and the US State Dept knows this.  State's open hand to Damascus is naivete and wishful thinking. Syrians want to be sure that they control what occurs in Lebanon and want to hint to Iranians to be a bit careful.   The Hariri investigation? At the end of the day, I believe nothing will happen; at the end of the day, everyone will sacrifice some of his pride and nothing will happen.   

Thursday 1120P (820P Pacific Time):  Malcolm Hoenlein, in re: study shows that 74% of Muslims in the West Bank don't care for Hizbollah, and most detest suicide bombing.  Parents have begun to pay more attention; certainly, the payments to bereaved families are not a main factor. Reuters, AP, AFP: how Israel is portrayed in images, a profl photog reviewed 13,000 photos , saw astounding staging, unusual lens work, excruciating angles of shooting - reminiscent of whEn 900 reuters photos had to be removed because they'd been so doctored. Stringers acting alone, or Reuters command and control? Looks deliberate to demonize Israel by the way these pix were staged.

Thursday 1135P (835P Pacific Time):   Bob Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com, in re: Japan's Akatsuki mission misses Venus, was to study the planet's weather 

Thursday 1150P (850P Pacific Time):   Russell Berman, The Hill, in re: Democratic caucus revolt from tax cut deal

 

Thursday/Fri 1205A (905 Pacific Time):  Dan Henninger, WSJ, in re: Grapes of Wrath Democrats

Thursday/Fri  1220A (920 Pacific Time):  Michael Slackman

Thursday/Fri  1235A (935P Pacific Time):  Fouad Ajami, Hoover, House of Saud succession

Thursday/Fri  1250A  (950P Pacific Time): Exeunt.