Middle East Focus: A Portuguese Water Dog and Somali Sea Dogs: How The Navy Ruined Talk Radio's Monday. Middle East: Egyptian Confusion and Lebanese Elections

Arabia Deserta

A Portuguese Water Dog and Somali Sea Dogs: How The Navy Ruined Talk Radio's Monday. Middle East: Egyptian Confusion and Lebanese Elections

"Across the straits, around the Horn: how far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course, and no one left alive

We sailed for parts unknown to man, where ships come home to die
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold, could match our captain's eye
Upon the seventh seasick day we made our port of call
A sand so white, and sea so blue, no mortal place at all"
Keith Reid

Bo of Camelot: There is so much talk about First Dog Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog. Maybe it is too much talk, but then again why not spend as much time and resources on Bo as on the likes of Britney, Joe The Plumber, and Paris Hilton? (BTW: whatever happened to Paris? Has she gone celibate? Has she entered a nunnery?). Bo (Obama, nee Kennedy) probably does less harm than these folks can and do- except for the damage he does to the White House lawn. And Bo does have impeccable Democratic credentials: he has summered or would have summered at Hyannis Port. He has a touch of Camelot like no one has had in Pennsylvania Avenue in nearly 46 years, a kind of class that was especially forgotten in the quarter century era of "greed is good."

The dog Bo was a focus of some of the right-wing media ridicule and criticism before the pirates grabbed Captain Phillips. He will be back in their gunsights again today. But ridiculing a dog can be dangerous: remember that Marley & Me and Beverly Hills Chihuaua were hits with movie goers and DVD renters- even I saw both films this past week with family and friends. The radio warriors can take their cue from Newt Gingrich, be gracious, and call the whole episode of the dog 'stupid', sort of like the past eight years. Of course they don't take their cue from Gingrich: he has not practiced sound family values any better than they have. Even their favorite ex-target, Bill Clinton, never went as far as they did in modifying his family...values.

The Navy bloodies more than pirates: Anyway, as I surfed the radio stations in my car this morning, I realized that the damage was not done solely to the brazen Somali pirates, who by the way look nothing like Johnny Depp, Captain Hook, or even Mr. Smee. I also realized the extent of the damage done by the US Navy to the radio warriors, almost all of whom have never seen service, have never shot a gun in anger except at fleeing turkeys, ducks, and antelope- some of them probably from helicopters. I could tell something was amiss as I listened to Rush Limbaugh as I headed to Seatac on I-405. The man was clearly thrown off his message. He and his ilk were clearly gearing up to bloody president Obama as ineffective in the 'crisis'. The piece he had toiled on for Monday AM having been discarded, the man was seething with suppressed rage, so bitter he was probably morosely fondling the gun lying in his lap. I imagine others like him, Medved and Hannity are also seething.

Middle East media mania:

“No one has ever dared to interfere with Egypt as Hassan Nassrallah did with his direct interference in Egyptian affairs……his goal, and that of Iran, is to destabilize Egypt…..The secret of this interference lies in the strength of the Iranian Lobby in Cairo, a lobby that has drawn a rd line that Egypt’s government cannot cross…..The Egyptian government must dismantle the Iranian Lobby in the local media and in the People’s Assembly (the Egyptian legislature).” Mamoun Fandy, regular columnist in the Saudi daily Asharq Alawsat.

An Iran lobby in Cairo? What will they write about next: an Iranian lobby in Riyadh?

Actualy one Hezbullah operative, and some Egyptians, were arrested sometime recently in Egypt for smuggling arms to Gaza, working to destabilize Egypt, and for spreading ‘Shi’a ideology” in Egypt. Quite a tall order. Most likely they were just working on smuggling arms into Gaza, and that probably is about it. As for spreading Shi'a ideology, it sounds like a Wahhabi Saudi line that Fandy to his credit did not use explicitly, not this time.

Fandy’s demand that the Egyptian government dismantle the pro-Iran lobby in the legislature is strange: how can an unelected government dismantle an elected lobby? But it falls within the Saudi approach to how their allies should deal with ‘elected noisemakers’.

“An Egyptian security source reveals to alseyassah: authorities are chasing other cells of Hezbullah that are supported by the Iranian, Qatari, and Sudanese embassies.” Alseyassah, probably the least credible newspaper in the Gulf region.

Interesting how Qatar, one of the few Arab states that follows an independent diplomatic line, is sandwiched between Iran and Sudan.

"Tel Aviv: Iran has trained a secret group and allotted $1 Million for the assassination of Mubarak. Egypt has disrupted the plot...." Alsyeassah. One million dollar for a head of state? I would think alseyassah considers Mubarak worth more than $1 million- hell, even I do. Even the mullahs in Tehran aren't that stupid. Paris Hilton's pet could be insured for more than that. Maybe it was a Freudian slip from the editor of the newspaper.

“According to a reliable American journalist who is credited with the Pentagon: Hezbullah uses the Mexican border to smuggle terrorists and chemical weapons..” Alseyassah. Turns out they claim the reporter works for the Washington Times. Initially I though they were talking about Glen Beck, or some hybrid cross between him and Lou Dobbs. Still, the source is not the best, but it is relatively better than alseyadssah- anything is when the bar is that low.

“The Saudi Obama: a black man is appointed the Imam of the Mecca the Holy Mosque…” Alarabiya (Saudi network). So, they can be cool and hip too. They can promote a black man.

Initially I though they were talking about Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, former national security adviser to Bush and Cheney. But then they mentioned that the "Saudi Obama" is the son of a poor immigrant from the UAE. It probably gets even better but enough of this.

Cheers

mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com