Jihad Threatens Darfur

Memo to the Washington Post - this isn't simply holy war, but jihad.

Tribal leaders on Friday rejected the possibility of U.N. peacekeepers replacing African Union forces in Darfur, with one chief threatening a "holy war" if non-African troops deployed to the Sudanese region.

Their concerns emerged as U.N. Security Council members met with Sudanese government and tribal leaders, relief workers and about 15 representatives of displaced people living in volatile camps surrounding this northern Darfur town. The council steered clear of the camps because of security concerns sparked by opposition to a Darfur peace agreement that the government and main rebel group signed May 5.

The calls for holy war echo the sentiments of Osama bin Laden and his top deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, who have called for the worldwide jihad to come to Sudan and Somolia to counter peacekeeping efforts by the UN, African Union, or the United States.

The terrorists realize that if those regions stabilize, they lose yet more safe havens from which to operate. If the violence continues unabated, al Qaeda and other terror groups can operate with impunity. So, they latch onto local fears of colonialism to divide the populace. They couldn't care about these people, and only seek to continue the unending carnage in those areas.

The New York Times Doesn't Like Criticism

The NYT runs an op-ed by Thomas Friedman that slams General Motors. General Motors wants to respond. It becomes a test of wills and bargaining over how General Motors could respond to the attack on its policies and practices. Word count. Word usage. From a 470 word original letter to an agreed upon 200 word response, General Motors offers a rebuttal.

It's actually quite sad that the Times doesn't allow the focus of the op-ed to fully respond to Friedman's claims. Friedman frankly should be embarrassed by this situation created by the editors at the Times. Are they concerned that GM might actually be right to defend itself against what it considers exaggerations or mischaracterizations about the company?

What rubbish. Indeed.

Look, I've liked Friedman's writings in the past when he was a beat reporter from the Middle East. From Beirut to Jerusalem was an incredible piece of journalism - a well written and crafted piece of narrative about how Israel and Lebanon operate in a very dangerous environment. However, history has passed Friedman by, as his skills and focus have become biased and degraded by his encampment on the op-ed page at the Grey Lady.

His heirs to covering the Middle East are the likes of Michael Totten and Michael Yon are doing the heavy lifting that Friedman once did - and they're doing it better. My suggestion to Friedman is simple - get back in the field and start reporting news instead of opining on it.

The Battle for Ground Zero, Part 144

No, it isn't the unveiling of the 9/11 Memorial at the WTC designed by Michael Arad and would be located at Ground Zero.

This is a memorial honoring the supreme sacrifices made by firefighters on 9/11. It was built without having to deal with the red tape, bureaucracy, or nonsensical ravings of lunatic minds. This bronze plaque - 6 feet high and 56 feet long, faces out onto Ground Zero from Firehouse Number 10. Funding came, in part, from the law firm of Holland and Knight, who lost partner Glenn Winuk, a 20-year volunteer firefighter, in the attacks.

Martin Rambusch, whose Jersey City, N.J., studio was hired for the job, said artists first considered a photographic display, but opted for a more permanent tribute that includes 46 three-dimensional figures to represent the firefighters and the rescue effort.

The artists spent hours with the Fire Department examining the equipment and gear used that day. While some firefighters are wearing badges that show different ranks, none are meant to represent any particular person, he said.

A plaque dedicating the memorial to Winuk is at the side of the sculpture and underneath is a list of the 343 names.

Department spokesman Jim Long said the FDNY was grateful "for the attention and support" from the law firm.

Across the street, work has stopped at the trade center memorial until architects and politicians can agree on a new design to fit a $500 million budget. A temporary transit hub is the only facility to be rebuilt on the 16-acre site.

The memorial is dedicated to Winuk and the 343 firefighters murdered by the Islamic terrorists when the towers collapsed after being struck by the hijacked airliners. Once again, we see what happens when private entities take the job of rebuilding far more seriously than government entities who put politics first. It's also interesting to note that the WaPo article leaves out that there was one other building that was destroyed by the 9/11 attacks, and has since been rebuilt - 7 WTC, which was rebuilt and opened earlier this year by Larry Silverstein.

This memorial was built for $1 million. You can be assured that it will become a focal point for those who lost loved ones in the 9/11 attacks since work on the memorial has stalled over costs and the design itself.

Technorati: World Trade Center, WTC, Pataki, LMDC, urban policy, Freedom Tower, IFC, International Freedom Center, spitzer, silverstein.

Thinking Large in November

Murtha's Thinking Large: Running for Democrat Majority Leader in November

This isn't a joke. He's actually serious about running the Democratic party, such as it currently is, into the ground. Oh, and it's to keep his name in the press considering that his calls for immediate withdrawal would have prevented this week's elimination of Zarqawi.

U.S. Representative John Murtha, a Vietnam War veteran who has called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, said he plans to run for majority leader if Democrats win control of the House in the November elections.

Murtha, 73, sent a two-sentence letter to all House Democrats today stating his interest in the post, said his spokeswoman, Cindy Abram.

``Our goal is to win the House back and if there's an open seat, I'm the candidate,'' Murtha said in a prepared statement.

He's assuming quite a bit. While all 435 House seats are up for election in November, Republicans hold 231 seats, to 201 for Democrats. There is one independent and two vacancies. It would take a 15 seat swing in order for Democrats to take the House. There's more than five months to go til the elections and quite a bit can happen between now and then, but thus far Murtha's been proven wrong on Iraq time and time again, and one has to wonder about his political skills beyond winning elections in his home district.

In fact, it's curious he'd make this move just days after Zarqawi was eliminated by US and coalition forces in Iraq. After all, Murtha had called for the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq - a move that would have made this week's raid on Zarqawi impossible - and Zarqawi would have had free run of Iraq.

This move could potentially expose just how strong or weak the anti-war left of the Democrat party truly is. And do Democrats nationally want to head in this direction? Apparently not, as some in the caucus are quite pissed at Murtha's stunt. They are trying to unify the party so that they can win in November, and now GOPers can smear the entire party with a broad brush by latching onto Murtha's statements. Or Pete Stark, or any of the other far left anti-war types who have railed against the courageous efforts of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan who are fighting to eliminate terrorists where they hide - not deal with them on our own soil.

Others blogging: Wizbang, GOP Bloggers, and Blue Crab Boulevard.

At the same time, Newt Gingrich is making his own claims - that he would run for President in 2008 if no frontrunner emerges. That's another way of saying he's throwing his hat into the ring and is going to weigh the options depending on how things go. That's precisely what everyone else who is running for President does - they have to see how much support they're getting, how much support their opponents are getting, and whether they have a chance to win nationally.

I'd put Gingrich's odds of lasting through to the convention at 15%. He may be considered an ideas guy, but I don't think the support is there, and his odds would go down once guys like Allen and Giuliani throw their hat into the ring. Once again, it's about getting their name mentioned and people talking about them without having to spend money to do so.

Unraveling Haditha

Sweetness and Light has been all over this issue, and notes that Time Magazine, which had the most in depth coverage and broke the story, is walking back key details in the form of corrections to the original story:

In the original version of this story, TIME reported that "a day after the incident, a Haditha journalism student videotaped the scene at the local morgue and at the homes where the killings had occurred. The video was obtained by the Hammurabi Human Rights Group, which cooperates with the internationally respected Human Rights Watch, and has been shared with TIME." In fact, Human Rights Watch has no ties or association with the Hammurabi Human Rights Group. TIME regrets the error.

In fact, the Hammurabi human rights group is the creation of one person, Thaer Thabit al-Hadithi, who Time magazine has mischaracterized in its reporting as a young man who wanted to remain anonymous because he feared for his safety. In fact, he's a 43 year old man who created the group 16 months ago and worked directly under the head of Haditha’s hospital, Dr. Walid al-Obeidi, who pronounced that all the victims had been shot at close range.

Meanwhile, Time magazine's Matthew Cooper had to walk back from the characterization surrounding a claim that there's a photo showing an Iraqi kneeling and presumably no threat to Marines, but now the provenance of the photo is questionable. A more interesting question is why Time Magazine is relying upon Human Rights Watch for knowing what kind of evidence is in the possession of investigators - was the NCIS unavailable to confirm or deny the existence of such photos? Instead, Time, HRW, and Cooper are all pushing forward with a narrative that has a growing number of problems based on the evidence.

Without an autopsy to obtain the forensic evidence to determine how the individuals died, there's only circumstantial evidence implicating Marines. And that circumstantial evidence is showing signs that all is not what those implicating the Marines in a massacre claim it to be.

This is a separate issue from submitting false reports up the chain of command, which is subject to its own investigation and disciplinary action has already begun against those involved.

Others blogging: Dan Riehl (and here).

UPDATE
AJ Strata also comments, and points to a couple of American Thinker pieces that summarize and take the media reporting of the incident to task.

UPDATE:
Still others noting the inconsistencies and massacring of the facts (by overstating the case against the Marines despite a presumption of innocence guaranteed under the US Constitution): Sister Toldjah, Flopping Aces, Wizbang, Mark in Mexico, Hot Air, Fmragtops, and Small Town Veteran.

Disharmony Among Jihadis

This has been a real bad week for jihadis the world over. Zarqawi is now Satan's bitch in hell (but not before knowing that it was the US that killed him), a Hamas leader and jihadis firing rockets are dead after Israeli airstrikes, and al Qaeda bigwig Zawahiri is slamming the Palestinian Authority's planned referrendum on moving towards a two-state solution (accepting the existence of Israel).

Wearing a white turban and tunic al-Zawahri appeared against a black background. He repeatedly waved his right hand and pointed his finger in a gesture of admonishment.

The al-Qaida deputy leader criticized a possible referendum in the Palestinian territories.

"I call on Muslims to reject any referendum on Palestine, because Palestine is a house of Islam and not subject to any compromise."

On developments in Sudan, he concentrated on the situation in Darfur, criticizing the visit by UN Security Council security experts to Sudan as being "to prepare to occupy and separate it."

"I call upon every Muslim and everyone who has faith in Sudan, and every fervent Muslim in Darfur to confront the Zionist Crusader plot to occupy the lands of Islam."

Once again, we're seeing that Zawahiri and al Qaeda are being forced to react to events around the world, instead of pushing their own agenda. However, it is troubling and disconcerting that the world refused to recognize the threat posed by failed states like Sudan and Somolia where al Qaeda has operated with impunity before and seeks refuge to regroup and rebuild their jihadi aspirations after being forced from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan in a thorough pasting.

Hamas and al Qaeda see eye to eye on the Fatah proposed referrendum. They think it violates their foundation principles of never accepting a Jewish state on land that once belonged to Muslims. They will never recognize the state of Israel. Period. For to do so would violate their key teachings.

And to make matters worse, Iraqis know a good thing when they see it. It might behoove someone to run through the Iraqi bloggers for their reactions. It's quite enlightening and shows just how much folks over there are happy that this mass murdering SOB has found a new home - in hell. Among those with takes on Zarqawi's elimination: Alaa at Messoptamian, Hammorabi, Iraq Pundit, and Baghdad Treasures.

UPDATE:
Intel gleaned from Wednesday's 17 raids have turned into 39 raids on insurgent an al Qaeda targets around Iraq between Thursday and Friday.

Hours after al-Zarqawi's death, U.S. troops carried out 17 simultaneous raids Wednesday around the location of his safe house near Baqouba, the capital of Diyala province. The region is in the heartland of the Sunni Arab-led insurgency and has seen a recent rise in sectarian violence. Baqouba is 35 miles northeast of Baghdad.

Those raids provided the information leading to the searches overnight Thursday.

In the 39 raids, troops "picked up things like memory sticks, some hard drives" that would allow American forces to begin dismantling al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq, Caldwell told the British Broadcasting Corp.

He said the latest information was helping U.S. forces unravel the source of al-Qaida's weapons and financing.

In announcing al-Zarqawi's death, Caldwell said the 17 raids "produced a tremendous amount of information," which he described as a "treasure trove." He also said they waited to kill al-Zarqawi before carrying out the other raids, in an apparent effort not to spook the Jordanian-born terrorist.

"We had identified other targets that we obviously did not go after to allow us to focus on al-Zarqawi. Now that we got him, we will go after them," Caldwell told the BBC.

As Iraqi and U.S. leaders cautioned that al-Zarqawi's death was not likely to end the bloodshed in Iraq, Caldwell said another foreign-born militant was already poised to take over the terror network's operations.

He said Egyptian-born Abu al-Masri would likely take the reins of al-Qaida in Iraq. He said al-Masri trained in Afghanistan and arrived in Iraq in 2002 to establish an al-Qaida cell.

The U.S. military did not further identify al-Masri and his real identity could not immediately be determined. But the Central Command has listed an Abu Ayyub al-Masri as among its most wanted al-Zarqawi associates and placed a $50,000 bounty on his head.

Masri arrived in Iraq in 2002 to establish an al Qaeda cell? That would be before the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003, so it would seem that al Qaeda was busy preparing for a conflict with the US in Iraq well before the invasion.

Surveying the Damage

Here's a quick guide to media and pundit reaction to the death of al Qaeda leader Zarqawi.

Will his death have any effect on the insurgency:

<------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Nothing - - - - - - - - - - - - - Some effect - - - - - - - - - - Category killer

The anti-war left is of two minds on the matter. They either think it has no effect, or that it was such a success that we have to leave Iraq immediately. Most of the rest of America thinks that it will have some effect, but not sure exactly how much. I think it certainly have some effect, and wish that it will effectively end the insurgency, but know that it might have no effect as well. In all probability it will hasten the demise of the insurgency, and improve the security in Iraq as additional operations are launched based on intel gathered in Wednesday's raids on Zarqawi's location and 17 other sites.

The media? Well, they're all over the map on the issue - and the so-called experts are all over the map as well.

I know this for sure. Zarqawi's death means that Zarqawi himself wont be able to personally behead any more kidnap victims, exhort other jihadists to murder, or make any more videos proclaiming the honor and glory of committing mass murder.

That counts for quite a bit.

Alaa at the Messopotamian sums up the reaction for most folks: Hell welcomes its latest illustrious inmate.

I was shocked at my own feelings of pleasure on beholding the photo of the dead face of Zarqawi. I would never have thought that possible. I have never felt this way my whole life. Yet the atrocities and outrages that these pseudo humans, these misanthropes, have perpetrated have engendered such anger, such sorrow, such rage that not even the most peaceful of souls can control their hatred of these criminals. My only regret was that the death was fast and sudden, and I felt pain that the true martyr of our country our beloved Ussama Al-Jadaan could not witness this day which he had predicted and played a big role in bringing about.

Well, I am not going to dwell on the reaction of people like Al Jazeera (again) who showed their true color today without even any attempt at dissimulation. So this arch murderer of day laborers, bakers, school children and etc. etc., this master be-header of poor hostages and planner of car bombings and all kinds of the most outrageous orgies of mass killings; this man is to be mourned and regretted as a martyr and mujahid etc. etc.!!! Yes, friends, believe it or not these sentiments were expressed openly and repeated hysterically on mass media like the notorious one referred to above. I still cannot understand why when whole countries and regimes are labeled as rogue states and suffer sanctions and the like when, here we have an official state owned media outlet that has played a major role in inciting and aiding and abetting the most violent forms of terrorism; and nothing has been done against them and those who sponsor and finance them. Indeed the state that harbors this state of affairs enjoys the blessings and the best of relations with the west and the free world.

But it is not that which I want most to say today. I want to congratulate the valiant eagles of the American Air force and all the men of the U.S. Army, the Iraqi security forces and all those involved in executing this just punishment and for being the instrument of providential justice.

Welcome Home

Zarqawi is now dead and we're learning that he managed to survive the airstrikes only long enough to die as he was being carted off by Iraqi and US forces, and for those who think that he's going to a better place ought to recall where another bunch of al Qaeda homicidal maniacs ended up. Hell.

The New York Post ridicules Zarqawi and the whole notion that he's going to paradise and getting 72 virgins for his heinous behavior in this life.

Bloggers are having lots of fun at his expense as well (and at the media spin). Well, not all bloggers. Mostly those on the right side of the political spectrum. Those on the left (including some members of Congress) aren't too happy - and some are downright glum.

UPDATE:
No roundup of responses at Zarqawi's expense would be complete without Iowahawk's hilarious take on Zarqawi not quite realizing where he ended up. Hazing rites, indeed. Jeff Goldstein scores an interview, but Zarqawi isn't particularly talkative.

Blocking Estate Tax Relief

The federal estate tax is scheduled to be phased out in its entirety in 2010. However, if you die in 2011 or thereafter, you'd be facing the federal estate tax (and all the state estate taxes that are keyed to the federal tax) in its full fury.

That doesn't help anyone - least of all those who are estate planners or those who hope to die and pass on their hard earned savings and investments to their loved ones without the tax man taking their cut.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday killed a bill backed by President George W. Bush that would have permanently repealed estate taxes.

On a vote of 57-41, the Senate blocked consideration of a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would wipe out what Republicans call the "death tax."

Republican backers had acknowledged they were short of votes for full repeal, but they had hoped to offer an alternative that would have reduced the tax rate and exempted all but the wealthiest estates from the tax.

I would imagine that the revised estate tax would impose tax on those with estates over $10 million, and progressively increase the rate to 35% on estates valued over $100 million (essentially mirroring the income tax). It might not bring in as much revenue as the existing tax, but families and estates will be able to retain more money that can be used for their own personal enjoyment and spending.

Real Crappy

Republican U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave's re-election campaign was already heated, and it just got smelly as well: Her staff accused a Democratic activist Thursday of leaving an envelope full of dog feces at Musgrave's Greeley office.

Musgrave spokesman Shaun Kenney said someone stuffed the envelope through the mail slot in the door on May 31 and then sped away in a car. Kenney said most of the preprinted return address was blacked out, but staffers used the nine-digit ZIP code to trace it to Kathleen Ensz, a Weld County Democratic volunteer.

Ensz told The Associated Press she left the envelope at Musgrave's office but said it "wasn't in the office doors, it was in the foyer." Asked what she meant by the act, she declined comment.

UPDATE:
Not only was this a stupid and immature stunt by a democrat party activist, but Ensz was a college professor to boot (and of French no less), who thought this was appropriate behavior. Others blogging: Blue Crab Boulevard, Big Lizards, Wizbang, Ninth State, Expose the Left, and Assorted Babble.

Clueless and Tone Deaf

Some Democrats, breaking ranks from their leadership, today said the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab Zarqawi in Iraq was a stunt to divert attention from an unpopular and hopeless war.

"This is just to cover Bush's [rear] so he doesn't have to answer" for Iraqi civilians being killed by the U.S. military and his own sagging poll numbers, said Rep. Pete Stark, California Democrat. "Iraq is still a mess -- get out."

Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio Democrat, said Zarqawi was a small part of "a growing anti-American insurgency" and that it's time to get out.
"We're there for all the wrong reasons," Mr. Kucinich said.

Officially, Democratic leaders reacted positively to the news and praised the troops that successfully targeted al Qaeda's leader in Iraq with 500-pound bombs at his safe house 30 miles from Baghdad.

Kucinich was a former Democrat party candidate for President. Stark's views are so far out of the mainstream and borders on the hysterical conspiracy mongering that infests much of the anti-war left these days.

At least the Democrat leadership in Congress realizes that this is a significant accomplishment and needs to be recognized as such - even if their caucus is split between those who support the war (Lieberman), those who oppose the war (most everyone else) and the far left who thinks that opposing the war isn't enough - cut and run is the only solution (Murtha and Kerry). That's why the Democrats spoke with so many caveats that it could make your head spin. Their constituents are so heavily invested in an anti-war position that success in Iraq undermines the political fortunes of the party.

But don't take my word for it. Visit Daily Kos, Atrios, or any of the other usual outlets for Democrats online. Kos in particular should be especially enlightening considering that they're media darlings who are going to shape political fortunes for years to come (but don't mind the perfect record of zero for 20). This is the face that Democrats are putting forth, and are skewing the party at a national level, and it undermines national security for all Americans.

Overshadowed

Lost in the news of the successful attack eliminating Zarqawi and a number of his top level minions, was that this was part of a much larger operation.

Caldwell said they had been focusing on al-Rahman for about a month-and-a-half.
Once they confirmed al-Zarqawi's death, coalition forces launched 17 simultaneous raids in and around Baghdad.

Caldwell said the coalition identified the targets during the search, but did not raid them sooner because they were focused on al-Zarqawi.

"In those 17 raids last night, a tremendous amount of information and intelligence was collected and is presently being exploited and utilized for further use," he said. "I mean, it was a treasure trove; no question."

So, not only did we eliminate the head of al Qaeda in Iraq, but captured a huge amount of intel that can be exploited in short order.

Also overshadowed is the fact that the Iraqi government finally approved key ministers for defense, interior, and national security after a drawn out and protracted stalemate on who to pick for those slots:

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki presented the names to parliament a few minutes after announcing the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, who has claimed responsibility for hundreds of bombings, beheadings and kidnappings since the U.S. invasion.

Maliki's selection of the cabinet was a delicate exercise in satisfying the demands of the parliament's Shiite Muslim, Kurdish, Sunni Arab and secular factions. Shiite leaders demanded control of the ministries, arguing that the nation's principal security threat is from Sunni insurgents. Sunni leaders, however, sought to control Interior and Defense, insisting that both ministries have become riddled with Shiite militiamen.

In the end, the Interior Ministry was given to a Shiite, the Defense Ministry went to a Sunni and the job of national security adviser was handed to an ethnic Kurd.

The new interior minister, Jawad al-Bolani, was nominated by the Iraqi United Alliance, the largest Shiite bloc in the parliament. But unlike his predecessor, Bayan Jabr, he is not connected to Shiite militias. He had been an engineer in the Iraqi air force until 1999. He became involved in politics after the fall of Saddam Hussein's government and eventually joined Iraq's interim parliament.

After his appointment was announced, he pledged on television to perform his job with "hard effort and integrity."

The new minister of defense, Abdul-Qadir Muhammed Jasim, was approved over the protests of parliamentarians from western Anbar province. Jasim served as commander of the Iraqi forces in that region during the 2004 military operation against insurgents in Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad.

UPDATE:
More details are emerging about the operation to eliminate Zarqawi and numerous other targets last night. The airstrikes were conducted in conjunction with Task Force 145. Bill Roggio has the details.

Rick Moran strikes a sober tone - Zarqawi's death will not eliminate the insurgency, but it is a positive step in the right direction. One has to hope that the US and coalition forces will follow up this success with additional operations against insurgent strongholds and get inside the decision making process of the insurgency to the point where they are no longer capable of disrupting Iraqi security.

Others noting the hard work of TF145 and the reaction from certain quarters of the American polity: Hot Air, Jeff Goldstein, Security Watchtower, The Jawa Report, Sundries Shack, and Austin Bay.

UPDATE:
Sweetness and Light remarks on Iraqis are celebrating Zarqawi's death. Gateway Pundit has more (and correctly notes that if the Administration had followed the cut and run advice of Murtha, Kerry, and the far left, Zarqawi would not have met his just desserts). That's a good thing (as if I needed to point that out).

Add Tammy Bruce, Wizbang's roundup of roundups, Betsy Newark, and Dr. Sanity to those commenting on both Zarqawi's end and the anti-war Left's reaction to same.

Rashomon Shooting Video

Patterico has an interesting case of where video doesn't always get all the facts. You actually need to see a second video of the same incident to get a fuller picture of what's going on. The video can't lie? Or does it?

There are times when the video will not tell you the entire story. In this case, we only gain a better understanding of the situation after viewing a second video.

For those that don't quite get the title, Rashomon is a classic movie by Akira Kurosawa, who tells the same story from multiple perspectives.

Redeployed

The USS Cole, attacked by al Qaeda in 2000, has once again taken to the seas to protect the US against its enemies.

The destroyer had been refueling in Yemen’s port of Aden on Oct. 12, 2000, when al-Qaida-linked militants in a dinghy packed with explosives attacked. The explosion blew a hole in the side, but the ship remained above water and eventually underwent $250 million of repairs.

It will be conducting security operations in support of the war on terrorism. Rather fitting that this happens on the same day that Zarqawi and his cohorts are dispatched.

Indicted

An American citizen who once lived in New York was indicted yesterday on charges of conspiring to send money and military gear to associates of Al Qaeda to use against United States forces in Afghanistan, federal prosecutors said.

The defendant, Syed Hashmi, 26, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London on Tuesday night as he was trying to board a flight to Pakistan, according to the United States attorney's office in Manhattan. Prosecutors said he was carrying a large amount of cash. He was jailed pending extradition proceedings.

The conspiracy alleged in the indictment was based in London, law enforcement officials said, but Mr. Hashmi, who had been living in England for two and half years, was charged in the United States because he is an American citizen. He was born in Pakistan and came to the United States as a child, officials said.

One law enforcement official said the arrest of Mr. Hashmi reinforced investigators' belief that New York was a link in a web of worldwide terrorist activity.

Mr. Hashmi had an address in Flushing, Queens, until about three years ago, and graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in political science, the official said.

The official said Mr. Hashmi was a member of Al Muhajiroun, or the Emigrants, a London-based group, now ostensibly disbanded, that praised the 9/11 attacks and was active in New York. Investigators have said a few members were involved in terrorist activity. The group has been linked to the Finsbury Park Mosque in London, which investigators called a magnet for terrorists.

Grand Slam

After years of fruitless searching, close calls, and thousands of civilian casualties piling up, US and Iraqi forces finally tracked down al Zarqawi and killed him in an airstrike using two 500 pound bombs to level the compound where he and other terrorists were meeting.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said al-Zarqawi was killed along with seven aides Wednesday evening in a remote area 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba, al-Maliki said.

Al-Qaida in Iraq confirmed al-Zarqawi's death and vowed to continue its "holy war," according to a statement posted on a Web site.

"We want to give you the joyous news of the martyrdom of the mujahed sheik Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," said the statement, signed by "Abu Abdel-Rahman al-Iraqi," identified as the deputy "emir" or leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.

"The death of our leaders is life for us. It will only increase our persistence in continuing holy war so that the word of God will be supreme."

Loud applause broke out among the reporters and soldiers as al-Maliki, flanked by U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told a news conference that “al-Zarqawi was eliminated.”

But any hopes the Jordanian-born terror leader’s death would help stem the violence in Iraq were dimmed hours later when a car bomb exploded in a Baghdad market, killing 19 and wounding 65.

The announcement about al-Zarqawi’s death came six days after he issued an audiotape on the Internet, railing against Shiites in Iraq and saying militias were raping women and killing Sunnis and the community must fight back.

Al-Maliki said the airstrike was the result of intelligence reports provided to Iraqi security forces by residents in the area, and U.S. forces acted on the information. Casey said the hunt for al-Zarqawi began two weeks ago, and his body was identified by fingerprints and facial recognition.

They have even released photos of a dead Zarqawi. While Zarqawi's death is a big coup for the US and Iraqi forces, the raid eliminated a number of other terrorists, including spiritual adviser Sheik Abd-Al-Rahman, were killed at an isolated safe house outside Baquba at 6:15 p.m. (10:15 a.m. ET) on Wednesday. It took some time to confirm the identities of those killed in the airstrike conducted by Air Force F-16s.

President Bush made a short statement earlier this morning congratulating the troops and warning that there are still difficult times ahead. And the death of Zarqawi also paid political dividends for the Iraqis - as they approved ministers of defense, interior, and national security.

The new ministers were named as Gen. Abdul Qadr Mohammed Jassim, a former general under Saddam Hussein who was jailed in 1994 and sentenced to seven years imprisonment, as minister of defense; Jawad Khadim Polani, a former air force engineering specialist under Mr. Hussein, as minister of the interior, responsible for the police; and Shirwan al-Waili as minister of national security.

In line with an agreement reached several weeks ago between Sunni and Shiites groups, General Jassim, who has until recently been commander of land forces in the new American-trained Iraqi army, is a Sunni Arab, and Mr. Polani, the interior minister, is a Shiite. Both men stressed in remarks to the Parliament that they had no ties to any of the rival political parties in the government, a qualification that American officials had insisted on after the former government of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari was virtually immobilized over allegations that the interior ministry was sheltering Shiite death squads targeting Sunnis.

UPDATE:
As expected, the news of Zarqawi's demise is being discussed all over the Internet. It's the number two search on Technorati, behind Ann Coulter. Good roundups are at Wizbang (here, here, and here), Hot Air, Ed Morrissey, and memeorandum (just keep scrolling).

UPDATE:
Add James Joyner at Outside the Beltway for a must-read roundup.

UPDATE:
Instapundit has a great roundup as well, and he cites Tim Worstall's reporting from Baghdad:

A Shia friend may have said it best, “Zarqawi would not listen to ballots, today there is no mistaking that he listened to the bombs.”

Yes, he listened to the bombs for a few moments, maybe realized what that sound was, right before his existence came to a most gratifying end for anyone who has the moral clarity to see what a victory it is to eliminate terrorists who seek to inflict as much violence on a society.

Oh, and the usual suspects in DU aren't pleased at all. Texas Rainmaker has the details.

UPDATE:
Still others blogging: Mark in Mexico, Sister Toldjah, The Anchoress, Stop the ACLU, and bRight and Early.

UPDATE:
Oil prices have fallen on the news of Zarqawi's death.

Oil fell nearly 2 percent to below $70 for the first time in two weeks on Thursday after the death of al Qaeda'a leader in Iraq, where crude exports have been curbed by frequent sabotage attacks and instability.

The plunge deepened losses from a day ago, when data showed rising crude and fuel inventories, easing concerns about summer supplies in the world's biggest consumer.

Al-Zarqawi is seen in an image from a video aired in April by the Al-Jazeera network.

U.S. crude oil fell $1.21 to $69.71 a barrel after losing $1.68 or 2 percent on Wednesday. London Brent crude fell $1.10 to $68.09 a barrel.

Considering that Zarqawi and insurgents often targeted oil facilities in Iraq, his death, and that of his top level minions, could effectively improve the security situation and improve oil production in Iraq.

UPDATE:
Still more reaction: Decision 08 and RedState goes through the left side of the blogverse and discovers a lack of enthusiasm for the announcment of Zarqawi's death.

Iraq the Model is quite happy at this turn of events.

The Real Ugly American, Right Wing Nut House, Blue Crab Boulevard, and All Things Beautiful also comment.

UPDATE:
The New York Times looks at how the White House learned of the report that Zarqawi may have been killed, and what steps the Administration took to publicize the news.

Mr. Rumsfeld today said that he had been notified Wednesday night in a call from Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the American commander in Iraq, that the attack had been made and that troops were moving in to search the site and confirm the identities. White House officials said today that they decided to hold off from the obvious temptation to try to break into prime time television right away with the rare good news. Rather, they decided it would be best to the secret for as long as possible and allow it to be announced in Baghdad, along with the news that the government there had finally filled three key posts, the ministers of defense, interior and national security.

Officials also decided to proceed carefully and not repeat mistakes of the past by referring to the capture as a turning point or an end to violence in Iraq, which is expected to, if anything, increase in coming days.

However, the Times fails to note that the Administration has repeatedly cautioned that the deaths or captures of important terror figures will not end the fight or that it might result in a spike in terror.

UPDATE:
Christopher Hitchens writes about why Zarqawi's death matters. Not that it matters to the anti-war left, considering that they move the goalposts to deny reality - that eliminating Zarqawi was a significant achievement. Reuters achieves that goal in writing up the Zarqawi roundup as though it's a defeat - Zarqawi found, BUT bin Laden still eludes US. What will happen when the US eventually tracks and eliminates bin Laden? Will they move the goalposts again? Will they complain about how long it took?

Charles at LGF notes that Palestinians are mourning their fellow traveller Zarqawi's demise.

I refuse to comment on the statements made by Michael Berg about Zarqawi's death via a US airstrike. His son Nicholas was murdered - his head hacked off by Zarqawi himself. Zarqawi took credit for his death, and the murders of others he and his group kidnapped and then beheaded. Nicholas went to Iraq of his own free violition, as an independent contractor working on rebuilding telecommunications infrastructure in Iraq. Zarqawi murdered him - beheading him on video, and crowing about it. Let's just say that someone who blames President Bush for the actions of a sociopath like Zarqawi who has the blood of thousands on his hands isn't thinking straight - and that's being charitable.

Others blogging: Blue Star Chronicles, Don Surber, All Things Conservative, Laurence Simon and the cats, The Donovan, Stop the ACLU,

Technorati: iraq, al qaeda, zarqawi, terrorism, terrorist.

Brangalina's Shiloh Makes Her Debut

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are apparently donating all the money from the first photos of their baby, Shiloh, to charity. That's real nice, considering that those first photos are worth millions of dollars.

Go figure.

UPDATE:
Here's what the fuss is all about:


UPDATE:
Well, there is a fuss after all. Apparently this photo was supposed to be embargoed for just a wee bit longer and CNN is reporting that Hello! is going after websites that published the photo:

The celebrity magazine Hello! launched legal action on Wednesday against Internet sites that printed a leaked exclusive shot of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt with their infant daughter.

Just as People magazine announced it had landed exclusive North American rights to the first pictures of the baby, an image of the newborn Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt and her parents popped up on at least two Web sites as the cover shot for Hello!

"We were very shocked and horrified to see that this embargo has been breached," Juliet Herd feature editor for Hello! Magazine, which sells in Britain, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Dubai, Thailand and Greece, told Reuters.

"Hello! is taking legal action around the world to stop Internet sites and everyone else who may seek to publish," she said. "We are sending out legal 'Cease and Desist' letters to each of these sites."

"It is very difficult to control the Web and this proves how rampantly out of control it is. We have absolutely no idea how the picture was leaked," she said.

Ah, another media leak, and the photo that I've provided above appears to have been released against the wishes of the company with the rights to do so. The kicker is that someone from within the loop leaked the photo, not bloggers like myself that picked up the photo (which I've since taken down).

I have taken down the photo as a result, not because I've been contacted, but because it is the right thing to do.

UPDATE 6/15/06:
Since the pictures are now public, I've relinked the photo that started the whole kerfuffle.

New Jersey Shell Game

No option – no matter how politically unpopular or constitutionally challenging – will be out of bounds during an unprecedented legislative session this summer to tackle rising property taxes and growing state expenses, top lawmakers said Tuesday.

If that means rewriting the state's income tax code, raising sales taxes or forcing hundreds of local governments to share services, so be it, legislators said. The biggest reasons behind rising costs – school funding, public employee benefits and multiple levels of government services – will be examined to find ways of lowering local tax bills, which now average nearly $6,000.

And if this special legislative session doesn't work, Senate President Richard Codey and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts said, they will ask voters to consider a constitutional convention that would take the issue out of their hands. For years, lawmakers have offered rhetoric and sound bites while budgets grew and property owners were forced to pay up, Codey said.

So, no action has been accomplished in decades to resolve the tax issues facing the state. Constitutional conventions have failed. The legislature has failed. So why does anyone think that a new special session of the legislature will succeed now?

If anything, the issues underlying the need to reform the tax structure in New Jersey are far more dire than they were a generation ago. Property taxes are sharply higher in just the past few years, and the Abbott rules distort the way money is appropriated for education.

And yet, a key factor in fixing the state's fiscal problems will likely go unaddressed - a complete and utter lack of fiscal restraint. Spending is out of control and if the state wants to deal with controlling taxes, the first place to look is the rein in spending. Is anyone in the legislature going to stand up to the unions or other interest groups that will pull out all the stops to prevent funding cuts to their pet programs in an election year?

Meanwhile, Gov. Corzine is calling for a new push to build affordable housing in New Jersey. Sounds good considering that New Jersey is the most expensive state for homeowners and third most expensive for renters according to the US Census bureau. The problem is that Gov. Corzine didn't mention any specifics: how much the program will cost and the time frame under which the housing would be built.

Now, I don't have a problem with the need to build affordable housing in New Jersey (or anywhere else in the NY metro region for that matter), but there are good reasons that there is such a dearth of affordable housing. Strict rules on building new housing - zoning restricts the amount of housing, open spaces rules restrict where developers can build new houses, and other factors limit where new housing can be built. That forces prices of existing stocks up. High crime reduces the likelyhood that people will flock to places where prices are lower - like in Newark or Paterson. Lack of transit options force people to flock to those locations with ready links to NYC, forcing prices up in those areas.

Simply throwing money at affordable housing projects will only result in more government spending and no appreciable change in housing stocks. Making communities safer and more attractive to development will improve housing conditions - developers will recognize that prices will rise if the communities are seen as stable, growing, and attractive. One of the reasons that developers have flocked to Jersey City's waterfront is that zoning rules have changed and developers see profit from building there.

Little Black Book

If you think of a "little black book", you're probably thinking of Hugh Hefner, Charlie Sheen, or even Heidi Fleiss. Would Saddam Hussein come to mind when thinking of the term little black book?

Well, if you didn't, you probably should. As Lorie Byrd at Wizbang notes, this is a book that the anti-war left should read and the right should read to reacquaint themselves with the horrors of Saddam Hussein's ruinous reign of terror on Iraq. It was sufficient to change the mind of this reader. Even if only half of what the book contains is true, it is more than sufficient to convince you that eliminating Saddam Hussein was the morally and ethically correct thing to do.

The Black Book of Saddam Hussein isn't widely available, and that's a shame, because it sounds like it should be required reading.

The Jawa Report provides English excerpts from the book, which is currently available only in French.

There's No Drugs in Baseball? Right?

Major League Baseball has a serious problem on its hands, if the Arizona Republic's reporting is accurate on the acts of one-time New York Yankee player Jason Grimsley:

It is the first time an Arizona Diamondbacks player has been linked publicly to the scandal, which has implicated San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi and others.

Grimsley provided "extensive statements regarding his receipt and use of anabolic steroids, amphetamines and human growth hormone over the last several years," the affidavit said.

Grimsley also provided "details about his knowledge of other Major League Baseball players" using illegal performance-enhancing drugs, including several close acquaintances.

An hour before Tuesday night's game against Philadelphia, Grimsley told The Republic, "I have no comment about that and no idea about that."

Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick released a statement on the matter Tuesday night, saying: "We were first informed of this situation late this afternoon. This is a federal investigation, and as long as it is active and ongoing, we are prohibited from making any further comments."

Jeff Novitzky, the IRS special agent in charge of the BALCO case, filed the affidavit, which also said agents were anticipating the shipment of human growth hormones to Grimsley's home.

The affidavit on the investigation into Jason Grimsley is quite revealing. He names names - though the affidavit has redacted the names of those individuals. You can be assured that current and former baseball players throughout the league are sweating over this.

Grimsley played for: Phillies, Yankees, Indians, Angels, Royals, and Orioles before heading to the Diamondbacks.

Hat Tip: Anonymous emailer

Corruption Least of Rep. Jefferson's Worries

The New York Times has an intriguing article about Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) and the company he kept:

Mr. Jefferson, an eight-term House member whose district includes most of New Orleans, has refused to discuss the detailed accusations against him in earlier court filings, including why so much money was in his home freezer.

The documents suggest that Mr. Jefferson was aggressive in seeking to lobby officials in Nigeria and other West African nations to promote business for a small technology company in which his family had a stake. A former top aide and the founder of the technology company have already pleaded guilty to criminal charges.

"With regard to the Nigerian business venture, Jefferson has discussed the making of payments to high-ranking government officials there, including the vice president of Nigeria," Mr. Cooper wrote in the affidavit last August intended to persuade a judge to allow the search of Mr. Abubakar's Maryland home.

"The vice president agreed to help secure the necessary approvals for the participants in the Nigerian business venture" in exchange for "at least 50 percent of the profits," it continued, adding that Mr. Jefferson had also discussed "the payment of a substantial monetary sum" to Mr. Abubakar "in the range of up to $500,000."

Jefferson seems to think that he can come up with an honorable explanation for why the feds found $90,000 in cold hard cash found in his freezer.

Jefferson declined to discuss specifics of the 15-month investigation that has yielded two guilty pleas amid allegations that the congressman accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. Jefferson has not been charged and would not speculate on whether he thought an indictment was coming from the northern Virginia grand jury investigating him.

In a wide-ranging interview late Tuesday in his congressional office, the site last month of an unprecedented FBI search, Jefferson said he has no intention of stepping down and reiterated his plan to seek a ninth term in November.

"When all is said and done, you will see that there is an honorable explanation for everything you are reading about," Jefferson said, remaining relaxed throughout the interview, his feet slung up on a coffee table. "I believe an impartial forum can reach and will reach that same conclusion."

In court records, the government has placed Jefferson at the center of a brazen international bribery scheme. Investigators say Jefferson and his family demanded and received more than $400,000 in bribes, shares of stock in a struggling telecommunications firm and promises of a cut of future business in Nigeria.

The FBI says it videotaped Jefferson receiving a briefcase with $100,000 cash that, according to wire-tapped conversations, was meant to pay off Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was to seal the telecom deal in his country. Most of the money was later retrieved from Jefferson's freezer, the agency says.

"I did not intend and do not believe I committed any crimes," said Jefferson, who graduated from Harvard Law School and received an advanced law degree from Georgetown University.

I'm sure that Jefferson believes that he did nothing wrong, despite the fact that there's absolutely no reason for him to have that kind of money found in his freezer. The federal investigations suggest a very different outcome. Ed Morrissey paints a very damaging portrait of Rep. William Jefferson's activities, which he believes borders on treason:

Seriously, this opens an entirely new dimension to the case against Jefferson. Using his seat to influence and be influenced by foreign powers borders on treason in a strict legal sense. If the FBI can prove that Jefferson cast votes or introduced legislation intending on bolstering his personal business relationship with the Nigerians, the Democrats have a huge scandal on their hands. The Times writes that this documentation suggests Jefferson was "aggressive seeking to lobby officials in Nigeria and other West African nations", a mastery of understatement.

All kidding aside about Louisiana's culture of corruption, the situation being investigated involves influence peddling whereby a foreign national can affect the outcome of votes on domestic issues.

For those who need a reminder of what treason is, the legal definition is set forth in the US Constitution, Article III:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.

As much as I would like the White House to slam Jefferson for his misconduct, the Administration's silence is predicated on the fact that the US has to deal with the Nigerians in order to secure a steady supply of oil (and that there is quite a bit of instability in Nigeria on a day-to-day basis doesn't help matters either). They have to handle the matter delicately so as not to upset the oil markets, and destabilize a government in the process. After all, we're talking about the vice-president of Nigeria.

The Democrats have a big scandal on their hands, and apparently don't think that Jefferson's malfeasance is that big of a deal. Of course, they may be taking their cues from Jefferson himself, but that's a bad move. It's the appearance of impropriety - and right now, it doesn't look good for Jefferson or those members of Congress supporting him (including those GOPers who think that Congress is immune from searches under properly obtained warrants).

Linkages

As the investigation into the Canadian terror plot continues, British police arrested a man in connection to the Canadian plot at Manchester Airport late on Tuesday and was taken to a police station in West Yorkshire.

A 21-year-old man from Bradford was detained at Manchester Airport late on Tuesday and has been taken to a police station in West Yorkshire, a police spokesman said.

The BBC, citing unnamed sources, said the man, believed to be of Pakistani origin, was being questioned in connection with the arrest last week of 17 Muslim men in Canada's largest counter-terrorism operation.

Tigerhawk notes that lost in the border control/illegal immigration debate is the fact that the focus is largely on the US/Mexico border, and not the US/Canadian border. That could have serious consequences considering the number of plots uncovered over the past several years on both sides of the border.

To this I would add a point I have made before: the border with Mexico only appears "porous" because many people are desperate enough to make multiple attempts. And why not? If they are caught, they are released back into Mexico and free to take a second or third shot. If, however, you are a jihadi, especially one bearing any physical evidence, you cannot afford to be caught even once. If you have to get through on the first attempt, Canada is your best bet.

Powerline also frets over the threat of Canada/US border crossings by terrorists. The Buffalo News has more details on the connection between the Canadian 17 and the two Georgia men held on terror charges:

Two American Muslims took a Greyhound bus from Georgia to Toronto in March 2005 and discussed possible U.S. targets that included oil refineries and military bases with members of the Toronto group now facing charges of plotting terrorist acts in Canada, according to an FBI affidavit.
The Americans' meetings in Toronto bolstered intelligence that Canadian authorities had gathered on the Toronto group and played a key role in the arrest of two members of the Toronto group in August as they tried to enter Canada through the Peace Bridge with three loaded handguns, a law enforcement source said Monday.

"The guys in Atlanta are strongly tied to the two arrested at the Peace Bridge," the source said. "It was the jumping-off point; it solidified the information the Canadians were receiving."

The two Canadians, Mohammad Dirie, 22, and Yasin Abdi Mohamed, 24, both Somali immigrants to Canada, were already in jail Friday when Canadian authorities began rounding up 15 other suspected terrorists.

Dirie and Mohamed, along with a third suspect, Fahim Ahmad, were arrested over the weekend by Canadian authorities on charges of weapons smuggling and collecting, providing or inviting a person to give them three handguns and 182 rounds of ammunition for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activity.

The Americans - described as radical Islamists from Georgia - are also are in jail awaiting trial. Syed Haris Ahmed, 21, of Atlanta, a mechanical engineering major at Georgia Tech, and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, 19, of Roswell, Ga., were arrested in March under sealed court documents in connection with their Toronto visit.

Although both Canadian and U.S. officials said over the weekend there was no indication the purported terror group had targets outside Ontario, Mike McDonell, deputy commissioner for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Monday said the inquiry has expanded beyond Canada.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Star reports that the alleged ringleader, Steven Chand, aka Abdul Shakur, had been reservist in the Canadian military and had received weapons training:

The Toronto Star has learned that Steven Vikash Chand was a member of the Royal Regiment of Canada, a reservist unit that meets in Toronto.

Chand, who later converted to Islam and went by the name Abdul Shakur, is charged with belonging to a terrorist group, receiving training and recruiting or training others to participate in terrorist activity. The charges partly involve allegations that Chand and eight other suspects spent five days last winter in a remote field in Washago, Ont., to participate in terrorist training.

Cmdr. Denise Laviolette confirmed yesterday that Chand was once in the military, but sought to dispel any suggestion that the 25-year-old was a well-honed soldier. Instead, she described Chand as a reservist who was absent for much of his time in uniform and completed few of the qualifications required for infantry soldiers.

Chand was one of 17 suspects arrested Friday and Saturday as part of a massive police raid. They are accused of being members of an alleged homegrown terrorist cell, plotting attacks in Canada.

On the other hand, the defense attorneys are trying to get more lenient conditions for their clients, despite the fact that the crimes alleged suggest that they be kept in maximum security facilities through the trial:

Lawyer Peter Martin — temporarily representing Shareef Abdelhaleen — complained his client was not allowed any interaction with other people. He asked that Justice of the Peace Maurice Hudson consider allowing the accused to pray together. Lawyers complained they have not been allowed to talk in private with their clients.

"The right to counsel and to have a private conversation ... this is a basic right that no allegation colours or takes away from," said Rocco Galati, lawyer for one of the accused.

Anser Farooq, a lawyer for several of the accused, said some family members phoned the detention centre to inquire about visiting, and officials refused to disclose if the accused individual was being held at the facility.

"A glimpse of a family friend is not going to cause any disruption to the proceedings in this case," Farooq said, urging the court to loosen restrictions.

There's good reason not to give out this kind of information to anyone over the phone - terrorists might attempt to strike at the detention facility and/or seek the release of the detained individuals. Preventing the individuals from praying together is another sensible precaution since this group has been accused of plotting a mass casualty terrorist attack (beheading the Canadian Prime Minister, blowing up Parliment, the CBC headquarters, etc.). Nothing should prevent these individuals from having the right to counsel. However, restrictions on contact with others is a reasonable precaution given the circumstances of their arrests and charges.

The Battle For Ground Zero, Part 143

There's a possibility that the WTC building five, which would replace the Deutsche Bank building that is currently being deconstructed, will include a school to handle the growing residential population in Lower Manhattan.

"It would be great to have another middle school here," said Kevin Doherty, who pointed out there's only one other middle or intermediate school south of Canal Street.

"Good idea," added Diane Paly, a parent and a city school teacher. "Our neighborhood needs more schooling options for everyone."

Menin said Tower 5 is an ideal site for a school, since it's not on the footprint of Ground Zero and has a central location to many proposed housing developments, including a project slated for Greenwich Street.

The PA is expected to sell the development rights to Tower 5 for an estimated $300 million, allowing the 57-story tower to be constructed for mostly residential use by 2012 or 2013.

Tower 5 will be built roughly where the scarred hulk of the Deutsche Bank now sits. That damaged tower is in the process of being taken down.

Does anyone who is pushing this particular site realize that it also happens to be where the planners expected to maintain security checkpoints for trucks and vehicles entering the WTC complex underground parking areas?

UPDATE:
The NY Daily News is reporting that the Port Authority is willing to take over the construction of the 9/11 memorial.

Sources said some members of the foundation's board have indicated they're open to the possibility that using the Port Authority could bring about savings and efficiency in construction.

"The foundation is committed to the best interests of the memorial and museum, which means building them in the most expedient and affordable way," foundation spokeswoman Lynn Rasic said yesterday. She added, "We believe that the Sciame process will help make sure that happens."

The Bloomberg administration is waiting to hear what time and cost savings the bistate agency could achieve.

The Port Authority, which owns the Trade Center site, has signaled its willingness to take on the memorial construction, if asked to do so and if the design and budget are worked out.

There's no reason to believe that the memorial will be built any cheaper because the Port Authority is working on it as opposed to a private company. Lest we forget, the Port Authority owns the site, Silverstein owns the lease rights to the entire site, and the Port Authority was supposed to be getting out of the real estate development game except where it is to enhance the Ports of New York and New Jersey (airports, harbor facilities, etc.). That's how Silverstein got involved in the WTC in the first place; the PA was supposed to shed its real estate holdings in order to focus on its core mission.

Technorati: World Trade Center, WTC, Pataki, LMDC, urban policy, Freedom Tower, IFC, International Freedom Center, spitzer, silverstein.

The Haditha Smear Continues

Michelle Malkin notes that the Chicago Sun Times ran a cartoon by Jack Higgins utilizing the discredited and mischaracterized photo run in the Times Online that ostensibly attributes a scene of dead civilians to US Marines, when they were, in fact, lined up by insurgents and murdered at a sports stadium as another photo with a wider view of the scene indicates. Head over to Michelle and see the cartoon and the image from which he lifted his idea.

No matter how quickly the photo was removed from the Times Online story and a correction placed at the top of the story, the fact remains that there are those who quickly latched onto the image regardless of its provenance and are utilizing it in an ongoing smear campaign against the Marines and the US efforts in Iraq. Here's what the Times Online included at the heading of the story:

[Note: This story originally appeared with a picture of slain Iraqis whose caption erroneously described the scene as being related to the alleged incidents in al-Haditha. The image was in fact from a separate incident in the area in which Iraqi insurgents are believed to have massacred local fishermen. We apologise for the mistake.]

The apology within the story was insufficient as we are seeing. That's why I felt that the retraction and apology needed to be on the front page. It's because a simple note will not do. The apology still needs to be made to the US Marines as Higgins' cartoon shows. The damage is ongoing.

Malkin goes on to say:

Did he or his editors take any steps to ensure the accuracy of the image Higgins simulated to indict the Marines? Or will Higgins somehow argue that he is not implying that the Marines were the perpetrators of the atrocities in the stadium scene he copied from the AP photo?

Ask them:

E-mail letters@suntimes.com
Editorial page editor Steve Huntley: shuntley@suntimes.com
Publisher John Cruickshank: jcruickshank@suntimes.com
Jack Higgins: jhiggins@suntimes.com

My prior coverage can be found here and here.

UPDATE:
The Chicago Sun Times has issued a correction and apology. The apology can be accessed from the Sun Times commentary page:

An apology
A cartoon by Jack Higgins in Tuesday's Chicago Sun-Times incorporated inaccurate imagery to make a statement about the allegations that U.S. Marines killed Iraqi civilians in Haditha.
Jack Higgins and the Sun-Times deeply regret the mistake and apologize to the U.S. servicemen, especially those in the Marine Corps, and to our readers who were understandably offended by the cartoon. Higgins, in doing Web research on the Haditha story, searched the Internet for images. A Yahoo search engine displayed a number of photos, one of which was labeled "IraqBodi...rd.jpg." Clicking on that image took Higgins to the MSNBC/Newsweek site. On his screen then was the original Yahoo search preview image and under it a Newsweek page with a small image of the magazine's current cover with the headline "The Haditha Question."

Higgins made the erroneous assumption that the image in the photo preview was a photograph of victims of the killings that unproven allegations say were committed by U.S. Marines. Further scrolling down the page would have produced another image of this photo with a caption that clearly identities the dead as victims of Iraqi insurgents. The caption reads, "Insurgents in Haditha executed 19 Shiite fishermen and National Guardsmen in a sports stadium."

Again, Higgins and the editors of the Sun-Times apologize for this egregious error.

Deal in the Works?

According to Drudge, the Atlanta Journal Constitution is running a story claiming that prosecutors are in talks to resolve the Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) incident where she allegedly shoved or hit a Capitol Police officer who had sought to obtain proper identification from Rep. McKinney as she entered the Rayburn HOB.

Capitol police officer have been talking privately with McKinney's office in hopes of resolving the case without the spectacle of an indictment and trial, officials familiar with the talks say.

Prosecutors for several weeks have been carrying on confidential discussions with the DeKalb County Democrat in what they characterized as an effort to reach a plea agreement, even as they were presenting evidence in the March 29 incident to a grand jury, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The grand jury has not yet decided whether McKinney should be charged, an official familiar with the proceedings said, and no decision is expected this week. The prosecutors have subpoenaed at least six witnesses to appear before the jury over the last two months.

McKinney's office rejected claims that there have been discussions of a plea agreement, saying the congresswoman has not been charged with anything and may never be, so there's no plea to negotiate.

"At this time, I have no comment as I am unaware of any 'legal case' regarding Ms. McKinney and [the] March 29 incident," William Moffitt, one of McKinney's lawyers, said in an e-mailed statement.

A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Ken Wainstein's office and a Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the talks or even confirm they were occurring.

Negotiated settlements in cases as controversial and politically sensitive as McKinney's are common, according to former federal prosecutors and lawyers with experience in Washington's Superior Court. They said there is often pressure on the prosecutors from higher-ups at the Justice Department and possibly the White House to resolve such cases quickly and quietly.

Actually, it would be in McKinney's best interest to get this case resolved while the White House and GOP would be best served by watching the spectacle unfold. After all, such a spectacle would undermine one of the Democrats key themes for the November election - that the GOP is part and parcel of the culture of corruption.

As an aside, one has to love that this is yet another story based on leaks of information from unnamed sources.

What's Behind Interest Rate Increases?

Is it really about inflation control and managing expectations in the post-Greenspan fed era, and not about preparing the economy for another potential terrorist attack? The Federal Reserve's monetary and fiscal policy has to look at all kinds of factors when determining interest rates that it sets on a regular basis. Inflation is the item that the fed often latches onto when pegging an increase in the rate. And yet inflation has been pretty tame throughout the period of increases.

That seems to suggest that something else is at work here. Could it be that the Fed knows that a significant terrorist attack against the US is inevitable and that the government needs breathing room in order to prime the economy should an attack cause significant economic harm? The fed is probably thinking that if there's another attack, they need to head off a recession and cutting the rates sharply after an attack might do it (as seen by the way the economy bounced back after 9/11). Inflation has been under control for the past couple of years - and one can make the argument that the fed has gone too far in raising rates if it was solely going on an inflation-fighting rationale.

After all, CBS News reports that officals are worried that such an attack could come by the end of the year. I know, it's CBS News reporting this, and the officials are unnamed, but security experts know that such an attack is inevitable - the US needs to be perfect 100% of the time, and the terrorists only need to get lucky once to make their mark.

Beheadings, Explosions, Canadian Terror Oh My Eh?

Behead the Prime Minister? Check.
Blow up Parliment? Check.
Conduct bombings in Ontario? Check.

That's just part of the charges being levied against one of the seventeen people arrested in the anti-terror raid in Canada. The Washington Post reports:

A report in the Toronto Star said police had intercepted the fertilizer to be used in the bomb and substituted a harmless powder before the arrests were made. Police officials said Monday they stood by their statement that three tons of the fertilizer, which is highly explosive when mixed with fuel oil, was "delivered" to the bombers.

Mike McDonell, assistant commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said on Saturday that police had swooped in as the danger increased and that the detained men had the "intent and capability" to carry out the bombing.

The RCMP and intelligence agents said they had been closely watching the activities of at least some of the men for an extended period before Friday's arrests. According to their statements and reports here, several members of the group came under scrutiny as a result of political conversations on the Internet that were monitored by authorities.

The investigators' interest was heightened after the visit to Toronto in March 2005 of two men from Georgia, Syed Ahmed, 21, and Ehsanul Sadequee, 19, who were later charged under anti-terrorism laws. The men allegedly met with at least three Canadians to discuss potential bombing targets, the FBI has said. The charges revealed Monday said the terrorism activity in Canada began on March 1, 2005.

Michelle Malkin has a copy of an affadavit against Ahmed and Sadequee. Among the interesting points made in the document are that the FBI has been unable to read an encrypted CD and that there was court-authorized electronic surveillance on a phone conversation between one of the suspected jihadis and his sister.

Ed Morrissey more information and insight about the arrests and details of the law enforcement action breaking up the cell.

...investigators also revealed that nine of the seventeen suspects attended the training camp last summer, where the terrorists shot video of their activities. Some of the activity mimicked jihadist battles in familiar territories: Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia. Four of the men arrested will be charged with recruitment and/or training for terrorism, but not the one man everyone has identified as the leader of the cell, Qayyum Abdul Jamal.

Two of the suspects are already in prison for running guns across the US border. Ali Dirie and Yasin Abdi Mohamed were caught in August at the Fort Erie Peace Bridge with both loaded weapons and ammunition, and now will face more charges in this case. Fahin Ahmad rented the car they drove but did not get charged in the earlier case, but with his involvement in the cell now exposed, he will face those charges as part of his indictment now.

Others blogging: AJ Strata and Instapundit.

UPDATE:
Others blogging this stoy include Dan Riehl who notes that the encrypted CD that the FBI has been unable to decrypt was accompanied by a CD containing hardcore pornography, Flopping Aces who wonders whether any of this will make headlines in big media outlets, and Right Voices.

UPDATE:
The Washington Post details some of the targets that prosecutors allege the suspects intented to attack:

The men arrested in an alleged terrorism plot planned to storm the Canadian Parliament, take politicians hostage, and at least one wanted to behead the prime minister, according to a summary of allegations read into court Tuesday.

The summary from prosecutors, unexpectedly read into the court record in a procedural hearing by defense lawyer Gary Batasar, said the group planned to bomb hydro-electric plants in Ontario and targeted the CBC broadcast building in downtown Toronto.

The group planned to issue demands that Canadian troops be withdrawn from Afghanistan and that all Muslim prisoners held in Afghanistan be released.

The bizarre scenario offered the first details of the plot that police and intelligence agencies said they had disrupted in a series of raids overnight Friday. Twelve men and five teenaged boys were arrested. All are Canadian citizens or long-time residents of Canada.

The Battle For Ground Zero, Part 142

Michelle Malkin notes Debra Burlingame's latest op-ed that chastizes the dearth of rebuilding at Ground Zero and the squandering of federal funds for the rebuilding process. Burlingame notes:

The public has heard plenty about the "empty pit of Ground Zero," but most do not know that the $2.8 billion allocated to Lower Manhattan in cash grants has virtually all been spent. It is difficult to trace where all the money went while being routed through the Department of Housing and Urban Development and six different city and state entities. Now, after four-and-a-half years of press conferences, ribbon-cuttings and groundbreakings (the Freedom Tower has had two), at which the lost 343 firefighters were invoked and the memorial and museum was touted as the "centerpiece" around which hundreds of millions of dollars in spending projects would turn, Gov. Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have teamed up to tell the public that it's time to "rethink" the project where the history of those valiant firefighters will be secured. Not only does this undermine Daniel Libeskind's master plan, which always included a museum of "memory and hope," it also manifests a standard of fiscal responsibility that the governor and the mayor have refrained from imposing anywhere else at Ground Zero.

The Port Authority's massive new transportation hub, designed by superstar architect Santiago Calatrava, will cost an estimated $2.2 billion. Some $2 billion of that is federal money, which means that the entire country is supporting the "awe-inspiring" makeover of a terminal that will serve a mere 40,000 commuters (a number so embarrassing the Port Authority upped it to 80,000 by including round trips). The chief executive of a construction firm involved in the building illustrates the absurdity of what insiders call a "vanity project" by pointing out that $2.2 billion is enough to build a metropolitan airport.

The governor has also handed out hundreds of millions in relief money to corporate powerhouses, ostensibly to get them to relocate to Lower Manhattan or to prevent them from leaving. He signed off on $25 million worth of recovery funds for American Express, which expressly announced it hadn't intended to leave Lower Manhattan and posted doubled profits less than a year after 9/11. Goldman Sachs, which made $4.55 billion dollars in net profits in 2004, received a $2 billion "assistance" package consisting of triple-tax-free Liberty Bonds, tax credits and cash the following year.

Mr. Bloomberg talks about a "sensible" approach to Ground Zero rebuilding, but has declined to fully explain his allocation of $650 million dollars worth of Liberty Bonds to construct the Bank of America tower in midtown, an allocation that competes with downtown redevelopment; or why he awarded $114 million in Liberty Bonds to the Ratner office tower--in Brooklyn.

The mayor has suggested locating the World Trade Center Museum in the controversial Freedom Tower, declaring it "a good use of that lobby." To put the story of that day in another commercial office tower is an insult to the memory of the 3,000 who died and to the thousands who barely escaped. Would the Holocaust Museum be treated as an afterthought and crammed into such a space?

Bloomberg had been silent about the Ground Zero fiasco for more than three years before finally staking a position in the run up to the 2005 mayoral election. He's been chiming in with his views ever since - and not all of them are helpful. In fact, he's actually pushing for a reworking of the Ground Zero master plan, which took several years and many revisions to get to a point where we can even begin talking about building structures within the bathtub.

That isn't leadership.

Of all the pieces of the puzzle at Ground Zero, the ones that are actually moving forward are the transit hub, and preliminary work is underway on the Freedom Tower after a series of fits and starts. Calatrava's transit hub has been widely praised for its design, and it is hoped that additional rail links (including ongoing proposals to links to JFK or the other airports), plus the Fulton Street terminal redesign will enhance the accessibility and transit options in Lower Manhattan.

The memorial construction is essentially nil because of the need to get costs under control. That Bloomberg would suggest putting the museum in the lobby of the Freedom Tower may be rightfully perceived as an affront to Burlingame because it suggests that the museum is an afterthought, but it also is a practical alternative if one wants to get the costs under control.

Technorati: World Trade Center, WTC, Pataki, LMDC, urban policy, Freedom Tower, IFC, International Freedom Center, spitzer, silverstein.

Nailing the DHS Funding Mess

Nicole Gelinas notes the real problem behind the DHS funding isn't that it treats certain landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge or Empire State building as simply bridges or tall buildings, but that the funding formulas don't take into account human capital that has to be expended on a daily basis. Sure, NYC receives more DHS funding than anywhere else, and that money has been used for all manner of equipment, but the city intends on using it for items that aren't presently addressed - intel gathering to prevent further attacks. Some of that might fall into the heading of overtime, which are costs that aren't reimbursable under the DHS program, but that's a flaw that Congress should rectify:

The real problem is that much of the rest of the nation, with Bush administration encouragement, views DHS as a giant source of free "first-responder" equipment. DHS doesn't encourage local police forces to see the values of human capital: that is, investing in the local human intelligence necessary to prevent attacks.

So states, with input from local officials, apply for neat little funding packages based on proposals to buy capital equipment like superior communications systems to use in responding quickly in a bomb attack, hazardous-materials equipment to mitigate the effects of a biological attack, specialized fire trucks, and so forth.

The idea, in DHS's view, is that each city has a finite need for such equipment - you can only have so many chemical suits. Once a city has bought its equipment, or trained its people, it's done, and the next year, some other city should receive a chance.

In illustrating this point, one remark by Chertoff last Thursday was telling: "After a city gets $500 million, more than twice as much as the next-largest city, is it correct to assume they should continue to get the same amount of money year after year after year after year with everybody else dividing up what remains?" he asked.

New York does spend some of its home-sec money on vital equipment and first-responder training, but it sees the role of the DHS differently: as a source of funds for ongoing intelligence gathering and other forms of threat prevention, carried out in large part by the NYPD. This philosophy requires manpower: more cops, more analysts and more overtime.

In the NYPD's view, it's better to spend $10 million on police informers to learn that Islamists in Brooklyn want to carry out an attack than to buy $10 million worth of chemical suits to respond to the attack.

This philosophy is a direct result of 9/11: Despite the distracting bickering in front of the 9/11 Commission about how New York's chain of command allegedly didn't work well on that day, the best approach would have been to prevent 9/11 before it happened.

So Gotham wants to spend DHS money on programs like its Operation Impact, which trains police officers in counterterrorism tactics and devotes hundreds of officers to protect targets visibly, so that terrorists think New York may be "too hot" for an attack (in the words of a Brooklyn-Bridge plotter Iyman Faris to his al Qaeda handlers). The DHS, conversely, sees such programs as "inefficient," because, by definition, they never end.

This fundamental misunderstanding is curious, because Gotham's approach to homeland security closely mirrors the Bush administration's stated foreign-policy approach to the war on radical Islam: Act now abroad to prevent attacks, rather than act later to respond to them. The DHS's philosophy, conversely, is more like the Clinton administration's: Wait for an attack and then respond.

It's possible that New York will get its home-sec funding back, but for the wrong reason: Chertoff will be embarrassed into restoring it. But until DHS learns that buying human intelligence is at least as worthy as buying haz-mat suits, the money it spends can't make the nation safer.