Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Anyone knowingly involved in the Fort Lee Scandal needs to 'lawyer up' right now.

The emergency response delays can be prosecuted. What do we know from witnessing the emergency response in Boston? 

We know by witnessing the emergency response in Boston that the faster a person is transported to a hospital emergency room the better the chance of life and the best outcome.

Why do we, as a society, want AEDs (Automated External Defibrillator) throughout the public areas. Why are they marked red. Why are they easy to use?

All that is because the sooner a cardiac victim receives attention to their dysrhythmia the better their outcomes. 

This is getting to be criminal, albeit, naive and stupid; there are problems that can be prosecuted. Relatives of victims need to seek attorneys as well for civil suits.

The investigations CANNOT 'entrap' anyone in a crime. The investigation has to preserve the integrity of prosecution.

If the people of New Jersey are to realize the truth, their can't be any bargains made either.

There is a bigger picture. Election 2016.


Wed. Jan. 8, 2014

..."It will be a tough November (click here) for this little Serbian," Wildstein wrote to Sepien, apparently referencing Sokolich's nationality. Elsewhere in the documents, Bill Baroni, the deputy executive director of the Port Authority, refers to Sokolich as "Serbian." Sokolich is Croatian....

I haven't heard exploration of a larger picture, so this is my opinion, especially with this statement. I had been thinking about the larger implication, but, never thought it valid until I heard this statement about the ethnicity of the Mayor.

Some of this maybe the political culture of New Jersey, however, I don't recall it being this bizarre. This is bizarre.

This isn't political punishment. This was a political plan to push the Democratic Mayor out of office to turn Fort Lee to Republican Red. I am not convinced Christie knew about this. It is obvious high level staff was involved, but, I am not convinced the Governor did this.

That said, currently Governor Christie is the Republican Governor's Association President. One of his statement at the time he made it caused me pause, "We have to get the Governors of 2014 elected." Something like that. With that reality why would they put Christie into the Chairmanship.

01.02.14
By David Freedlander
At the beginning of 2013, (click here) New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had a big electoral target on his back. He was the Republican leader of a blue state, one where a host of hot-button issues, from gay marriage to the minimum wage, were coming to prominence. And even at the start of the year, Christie was widely assumed to be gearing up for a national campaign. Even if Democrats couldn’t beat him, it was widely assumed they would want to make sure he entered the national stage wounded, forced to explain policy positions he took during the campaign that wouldn’t play outside his liberal state....

I don't believe the New Jersey Democrats are finding a reason to wound the Governor. This presented itself. The Democrats didn't chose this as a focus to effect state and/or national politics.

But, why would such a controversial Governor be elected to the Chairmanship of the RGA? Seems kind of odd, doesn't it? These folks are mostly Right Wing. There is not a liberal among them and besides Christie whom else is a Moderate?

The average home in New Jersey is worth $337,900 compared to the US average of $181,400. 

The per capita money income in the past 12 months (2012 dollars) is $35,928 compared to $28,051 nationally.

The median household income in New Jersey is $71,637 compared to $53,046 nationally.

Of all the other states in the nation, California comes first to mind as one that can rival those statistics. 

Now.

How many other Red States have those statistics?

California has been deep blue for a long time and the Republican dreamscape is interesting to win over California by dividing it into six separate states, but, New Jersey is handy right now, isn't it? Right now, there is a Republican Governor that could turn water into wine. If the RNC could run some solidly wonderful fund raisers winning over New Jerseyites, would that not be great?

And what be better but to add Christie his densely populated state to his roster of wins for the Presidency of 2016?

See, Jersey is still rather blue. Not even purple. What would it take to turn Jersey not only purple, but, red?

In order to remove New Jersey from the Democratic column in 2016 to the Republican column all the major cities in the state would have to vote for Christie. That may not happen if some mayors of major cities such as Fort Lee didn't endorse him in 2016.

I've got this idea I can't really get rid of. What if the political hacks surrounding Christie were given a clear vision of turning New Jersey red by other Republicans promising to endorse Christie for 2016 if they could indeed deliver the electoral votes to a Republican.

The political culture in New Jersey, which might be ruthless but that is not my experience. But if that were the goal; to turn the Garden State red in 2016, wouldn't his political circle have ruthless incentive to make it happen by November of next year as PROOF of their ability to deliver?

The dead give away to this is Bill Baroni. I would never expect him to participate in hubris. It seems so out of character of his public face. But, a place in Washington, DC in a Christie presidency would be enough for him to dive into ruthless tactics.

The really sad truth to this reality is this. If the Christie inner circle could deliver more and more mayors and elected county Freeholders into the Red Column by 2014, Christie would never be the nomination. Once it was obvious that NJ could go red in 2016, Christie would be kicked to the curb.

If this is what it takes for Chris Christie to be elected in 2016 to the Presidency of the USA, he really needs to set sites lower as perhaps a US Representative. I honestly believe that is his capacity as a Republican. Honestly and I even like the guy.

Oh, one other thing. I don't believe the cones to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee would have removed until after the mayor was by a recall election or worse. I don't think this is paybacks for the lack of endorsements in 2013; it is sabotage to the future of Democrats.

A major policy step for Syria begins.

January 7, 2013
Today, (click here) the first batch of Syrian chemical weapons was delivered to the marine port of Latakia, the Al-Mayadeen TV channel reports. The containers will be shipped on two dry-cargo vessels provided by Denmark and Norway.The two dry cargo ships and two guard ships left for the Syrian coast three days ago from a Cypriot port of Limassol.

The Russian cruiser Petr Velikiy and the Chinese frigate Yancheng will join the sea convoy with chemical materials, which is to lay a course for one of the Italian ports in a few weeks.

In addition, Russia has provided heavy-lift trucks for transporting the toxic substances along the highway from Damascus to Latakia.According to special coordinator of the joint mission of the OPCW and the UN Sigrid Kaag, “a slight delay will not interfere with the operation planned by the international community.”...

The Extended Unemployment Benefits would be well served with employment opportunities increasing.

The uptick in private employment only started in August of 2013. I would think extending unemployment would serve the nation well with this optimistic outlook for employment. All too often government forgets looking for work requires expense. If people are deprived of income they will have a more difficult time looking for work. "What would be the choice, gas for the car or food for the kids?"

Paul Davidson
USA Today
January 8, 2014

...Last month, (click here) small businesses added 108,000 jobs; large companies, 71,000, and midsize ones, 59.000.

Professional and business services led payroll gains with 53,000. Construction companies, which are benefiting from the housing recovery, added a surprisingly strong 48,000. And trade, transportation and utilities added 47,000. Manufacturers added 19,000 jobs.

"Job gains are broad-based across industries, most notably in construction and manufacturing," said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, which helps ADP compile the report. "It appears that businesses are growing more confident and increasing their hiring."

The economy lately seems to have shifted into a higher gear, with the labor market, manufacturing, retail sales and housing performing better than anticipated. Employers added an average 204,000 jobs a month from August through November, according to Labor's survey....


JAN. 8, 2014

A series of newly obtained emails (click here) and text messages shows that Gov. Chris Christie’s office was closely involved with lane closings on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge in September, and that officials closed the lanes as retribution against the mayor whose town was gridlocked as a result....

Interesting, but, Governor Christi has been under attack before and managed to survive that as well. Unless this has criminal implications; it will probably be a brief scandal.

July 25, 2011
ACLU-NJ, Gawker challenged governor’s use of executive privilege (click here)

NEWARK - In response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie's office today released records that it originally shielded citing executive privilege.

The record, a page from his calendar on September 11, 2010, was originally sought after by John Cook, a reporter with Gawker. Cook filed an open records request for email, calendar entries and phone records of Christie's correspondence with Fox News President Roger Ailes, but was denied. Christie's office rejected the request on June 14, 2011 citing executive privilege. Earlier today, it released a calendar entry confirming a private meeting between Christie and Ailes, and claimed that no further records exist....

Border Security is working in southern Arizona.

Currently the exchange rate between the US Dollar and Mexican Pesos is one US dollar to 13.07 Pesos.

January 06, 2014 8:45 pm
Carmen Duarte, Arizona Daily Star
Two women were arrested Sunday (click here) for attempting to smuggle unreported U.S. currency into Mexico through ports in Southern Arizona.
In one incident, a 36-year-old Nogales, Sonora woman was taken into custody at the Nogales port of entry after agents found $301,000 in cash hidden in a wheel-well of her vehicle, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.
In the other incident, a 29-year old woman who was a U.S. citizen was arrested at the Douglas port after agents found $108,000 in cash concealed in the center console of her vehicle.
The vehicles and cash were seized in both incidents, and the women were turned over to authorities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.     

The government of Nigeria is attempting to circumvent protests by workers at their ports.

Massive Latest Job Vacancies at Nigerian Ports Authority Recruits Fireman/Woman in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Onne, Warri, Calabar. (click here)

The Nigerian Ports Authority is a government owned agency charged with the responsibility of Port Administration in the underlisted locations: Lagos, Port Harcourt, Onne, Warri, Calabar. The Nigerian Ports Authority wishes to recruit suitably qualified candidates for the positions of: Fire Officer II (Salary Scale SSS4) in order to ensure safety of our operations....

It looks like the port workers need to send that petition to President Goodluck Jonathan.

January 7, 2014
By VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG
Port workers have threatened to shut down (click here) Calabar, Onne and Warri Ports, over alleged poor wages and condition of service by Modern Stevedoring Company Limited.
The workers, in a protest letter to the management of the company, threatened to petition President Goodluck Jonathan over the poor condition of service it has exposed them to, lamenting the absence of a condition of service in the firm.
The workers said that unlike other stevedoring firms, where there are good conditions of service with workers having gratuity, pension and a N50,000 per worker Christmas bonus, among others, their employer has no such pay package for staff....

President Jonathan tends to like to move the country along without excuses.

BY CHINEME OKAFOR, 8 JANUARY 2014
President Goodluck Jonathan (click here) has issued an explicit ultimatum to managers of Nigeria's electricity sector, especially the Ministry of Power to as a matter of urgency ensure that the electricity generated is effectively transmitted and distributed across Nigeria within the next six months.
Currently, Nigeria has a total installed generation capacity of 6,976.40 megawatts (MW) with expectations of upward expansion from the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs).
However, the country often transmits less than 4,000MW, leaving most consumers in towns and cities nationwide in darkness for long hours...

Nigeria is not without it's opposition leader, but, President Jonathan won't be undone or allow Nigeria to sink into civil war. No killing after Nigerian elections he'll have everyone know.
Posted on Monday, January 6th, 2014 at 9:45 AM
By BellaNaija.com
Yesterday Sunday 5th January 2014, thePresidency revealed that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was willing to mend issues with the former Head of StatesOlusegun Obasanjo.
In case you missed it, the clash between two of the most powerful men in Nigerian politics today began when OBJ sent GEJ an 18-page letter highlighting his how he plans to destroy the nation – click here to read.
Days later, the President  replied Obasanjo – click here to read....

I have no doubt the peace maintains in the spirit of the Late President Mandela. The African nations need to set up a retirement payment to former Presidents. We do it in the USA and we haven't had these problems.

Iraq is not unique in it's civil wars.

I suppose that is a silly statement considering Syria, but, Libya has been conducting a civil war since Gaddafi was assassinated. 

REUTERS, 08/01 (jan. 8, 2013) 12:11 CET
By Ghaith Shennib and Julia Payne
TRIPOLI/LONDON (Reuters) – Armed groups (click here) demanding autonomy for eastern Libya have invited foreign companies to buy oil from ports they have seized in defiance of the central government in Tripoli.
In an announcement on Tuesday, they also pledged to protect tankers loading crude, after the Libyan defence ministry said it would destroy vessels using ports in the east, which are under control of the protesters linked to a self-proclaimed regional government....

There is no longer plumes of black smoke at the Es Sider Port in Libya. No one has asked why Gaddafi was firing on Benghazi in the first place. The reason was the demand by Eastern Libya to be autonomous. That hasn't changed.

Libya is an active civil war. The problem now is the fact Eastern Libya rebels have gained control and the leaders in Tripoli are firing on tankers seeking to fill with oil at the port. There is really something to be said about "Non-Conflict Minerals." In the case of Libya, it is literally fueling the rebellion. 

The argument could be made the division would result anyway because of the profound differences in these people, but, if that is the case this is another mission for UN diplomacy.

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/09/2011 09:03 -0400

Update: Rebel witnesses (click here) say storage tanks in east Libya terminal of Es Sider hit an exchange of fire between Gaddafi forces and rebels . Reuters reports that three plumes of black smoke are rising from the area around As Sider oil terminal.  This is in addition to Al Jazeera video coverage of comparable activity at Ras Lanuf. Whether this indicates that Operation Apres Moi Le Deluge by Gaddafi has commenced is unclear for now....

I live with the closure of the four Libyan ports until the people of that nation sort all this out. We don't need a war to simply open ports for oil shipment.

January 7, 2014
Brent crude rose the most in two weeks in London, (click here) on Friday, rebounding from an earlier drop, as four major ports in Libya remain shut. Futures gained as much as 0.8 percent.
Of the country’s six major oil-shipping ports, Es Sider, Ras Lanuf, Zuetina and Hariga are shut. Libya, holder of Africa’s largest proven reserves, pumped 210,000 barrels a day in December, unchanged from the prior month and the lowest since 2011.
“In Libya, we have seen a few hopes being quashed over the past couple of months,” said Ole Hansen, the head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank A/S in Copenhagen. “It’s a bit like Jerry Maguire saying, ‘Show me the money.’ In other words, is this latest news going to spread to the important east, which is still blocked?”
Brent for February settlement gained as much as 86 cents, the most since Dec. 20, to $108.64 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe in London. The contract traded at $107.98 as of 1:08 p.m. local time....

Estimated $5 million in sales since January 1st.

Posted: 
Updated: 01/08/2014 9:48 am EST

..."Every day (click here) that we've been in business since Jan. 1 has been better than my best day of business ever," Andy Williams, owner of Denver's Medicine Man dispensary, told The Huffington Post....

...Monday night, Denver City Council urged banking regulators to grant Colorado marijuana businesses access to the federal banking system, so they can use the same banking services as other businesses....

I don't know...hm...do they really want to deposit with THOSE banks? The larger individual retailers are reporting as much as 60 pounds sold per day.



If it works than it works. Just that simple. Do I have to remind the epidemic of suicides this country is facing with our veterans? If standard drugs can't result in life, then it is not the answer.

For Veterans with PTSD, Marijuana Can Mean Life (click here)

Switching from marijuana to legal "prescribed" drugs can be a killer.

Lynn Morse was denied a Purple Heart for a battle injury that his life partner says was documented, this is as close as he got to adequate recognition for his role as a soldier in the Vietnam War.

(SALEM, Ore.) - For one Vietnam Veteran in Illinois, a substance many call dangerous, medical marijuana, meant life. When Lynn Morse used it he could function and cope, when he abandoned marijuana in order to "comply" with the VA and go on prescription drugs, he died....

Once again Saudi Arabia has taken a 'least dead' approach.

Saudi Arabia has the greatest stake in Al Anbar. They took the province under their wing during the USA occupation of Iraq and provided technology to find water and oil as an income to that province. 

Saudi Arabia has mastered the well being of it's people with militants walking the streets of that nation. I would think with Saudi Arabia sharing a border with Al Anbar, would act in a manner best for their sovereignty and the safety of the Sunni people.

NOWHERE IS SAFE: Sunni families who fled Fallujah wait to enter Karbala along the border with Anbar province. (AFP)

AGENCIES
Published — Wednesday 8 January 2014

...Parts of Ramadi and all of Fallujah (click here) were lost by government forces last week. This is the first time militants have exercised such open control in major cities since the height of the insurgency that followed the 2003 US-led invasion.
“It is not possible to assault it (Fallujah) now” due to concerns about civilian casualties, Defense Ministry spokesman Staff Lt. Gen. Mohammed Al-Askari told AFP.
In Ramadi, farther west, fighters loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were still holding the south of the city, after fighting off the overnight assault, police said.
“Security forces and armed tribesmen tried last night to enter areas controlled by ISIL fighters in the south of the city,” a police captain in Ramadi told AFP.
“Clashes between the two sides began about 11:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) last night and continued until 6:00 am,” he said, adding that “security forces were not able to enter these areas and ISIL fighters are still in control.”
Four civilians were killed and 14 wounded in the fighting, said Ramadi hospital’s Dr. Ahmed Abdul Salam, who had no casualty figures for security forces or the militants.
Meanwhile, three loud explosions were heard outside Fallujah early Tuesday, a witness said, as the army remained in positions outside the city....

The unrest in Al Anbar is the beginnings of a civil war. Maliki attacked a peaceful protest camp.

This is the third day of the sectarian clash. It is based in detention of Sunnis in Al Anbar. I don't want to sterile this incident as ONLY a three day problem. There have been many sectarian clashes across Iraq, including in Kirkuk. But, this is the first time the sectarian clashes have turned into the structure of a civil war. The United Nations has stated this past year with tensions high took the lives of 8,868 people. The UN hasn't designated what number of that were actually considered a militarized citizen.

These tensions have existed for a long time. I sincerely believe the United Nations needs to address this in a constructive way to dispel the myths being constructed by The West's media. A central government may not be a viable option for these people. 

The words being used are al Qaeda linked group is the problem and they formed in a power vacuum. A power vacuum? There was occupation of that country since March of 2003 by a coalition of Western countries, with the USA the primary military force. Saddam was removed from power and tried for his crimes. There were elections for years and now all of a sudden there is a power vacuum. 

The problem lies in sincere differences between the ethnic groups and their own desires to be autonomous from the central government. This is not due to a power vacuum. That is the least of the problem in Iraq. What needs to be realized is why the detainees and why the attack on a protest camp when they hadn't attacked the Iraqi forces? I doubt an entire region of Iraq can be called Al Qaeda linked. 

The group called al Qaeda linked is the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. What defines "al Qaeda linked?" It would seem every group in the Mideast is al Qaeda linked. There are al Qaeda linked groups in Libya that attacked Bengazi and al Qaeda linked groups in every country in the region. 

Evidently the al Qaeda linked group in Syria has sent al Qaeda linked groups into Iraq:  The Al-Qaida-linked group that’s reshuffling the deck in Iraq and Syria (click here)
Then there is the al Qaeda linked group that is only in Syria: Al Qaeda-linked group strengthens hold in northern Syria (click here)
OMG, bin Laden lives.
CNN got really creative and decided all the al-Qaeda groups are basically the same and taking over the Mideast and made a map to clarify everything. It is easier for Americans to fear one huge enemy than too many groups. Maybe we should just light up the entire region of the world and settle it once and for all, huh?
Gunmen gesture during fighting in Ramadi January 1, 2014.
CREDIT: REUTERS/STRINGER
Here is a portrait picture of the Sunnis that are so powerful and in need of weeding out from all the civilized folks in the Mideast. It is amazing that Reuters can actually get these folks to line up for their portrait. Isn't it? 
Why do I get the feeling it is easier to just send Hellfire Missiles than actually resolving the problems of these folks? The USA doesn't belong in civil wars in the Mideast. 
FALLUJA, Iraq Wed Jan 1, 2014 4:07pm EST
(Reuters) - Islamist militants (click here) stormed police stations in several cities of Iraq's western province of Anbar on Wednesday, seizing weapon caches and freeing prisoners after security forces dismantled a Sunni Muslim protest camp on Monday.
The attacks on three police stations in Falluja, Ramadi and Tarmiya represent a serious escalation in the confrontation between Iraqi Sunni groups and the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Sunni anger at the government's crushing of a protest movement has inflamed Iraq's already deeply rooted sectarian tensions. The camp dismantled on Monday has been seen as an irritant to Maliki since it was set up to protest against perceived Sunni marginalization a year ago.
"Gunmen in large numbers surrounded the three police stations in Falluja and forced all policemen to leave without their weapons if they wanted to spare their lives. All of us left, we didn't want to die for nothing," a policeman stationed at one of the three stations told Reuters.
The gunmen then took control of a local government building nearby, deploying snipers on its roof to prevent the security forces from retaking command of the police stations in Falluja, 50 kilometers west of Baghdad....

"They killed my son."

"Full Faith and Confidence" is political dogma in the area. It is so strong a phrase that it closes down discussion. That phrase is all over the local radio.

We've seen tasers used on young people at the age of 13. They work. They also do nerve and brain damage. But, they also paralyze people. This young man was not that big that it would not have stopped him. There is no excuse for this death.

Posted: Jan 05, 2014 1:51 PM ESTUpdated: Jan 07, 2014 9:24 PM EST
BOILING SPRING LAKES, NC (WECT) - (click here) A lawyer in Brunswick County is defending the officer accused of shooting and killing 18 year old, Keith Vidal on Sunday.

Boiling Spring Lakes

The Boiling Spring Lakes Police Chief has cleared his officers of any wrong doing at the scene. Chief Brad Shirley says an internal review shows his officers did not break any laws. They responded to help Keith Vidal's family, during what they called a schizophrenic episode. Ultimately, Vidal was shot and killed.
Vidal's family has hired a team of lawyers. They're calling the investigation a "cover-up" by law enforcement and the district attorney's office. The officer from the Southport Police Department who allegedly fired the shot has also hired an attorney.
James Payne would not go into detail about what happened, but maintains that his client didn't do anything wrong.
"We have full faith and confidence in all agencies involved," said Payne. "To say it's a cover up is saying that these men and women lack integrity and that's not true."
Payne invited WECT.com to his office on Tuesday, promising a "different perspective" on what happened that day. However, he refused to give us the name of the client he is representing. Payne also did not go into specifics about the case but he believes his client should not face charges.
"Law enforcement officers are called to many scenes and many things can happen in a split second that are totally unexpected," said Payne. "So, one should not be hung up on a certain period of time to draw conclusions from that."...

It doesn't get more backward than this.

By Sarah Murphy
January 3, 2014
BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) -- A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (click here) will stay in Brunswick County Schools despite a county commissioner's objections.
After months of debate about the educational value of "The Color Purple," the school board today turned the page on the controversy, but not before their own bit of drama.
The board took two votes this afternoon. In the first vote the board decided to ban "The Color Purple" from classrooms. But after confusion set in, and they realized what they had done, they took a second vote and decided to keep the book as part of 11th and 12th grade AP curriculum.
County Commissioner Pat Sykes challenged West Brunswick High School's use of the book citing what she called immorality, filth and vulgar language.
When the school's principal denied the challenge, Sykes appealed to Superintendent Dr. Edward Pruden, who also rejected her request.
Friday the school board sided with Pruden....

I actually might like this book. So, why didn't we get out?

If President Obama saw a quagmire and purposeless strategy, why are we still in Afghanistan? President Obama happens to be correct. There is no purpose to being in Afghanistan. Bush lost the war when the Taliban reconstituted in Pakistan, probably mentored by bin Laden.

The Taliban is not an ethnic or human rights issue. The Taliban are ONLY a militarized group of people that use the oppression of religion to maintain order in their ranks and within the populous of the land they occupy. They are human rights abusers.

If Karzai wants to play politics with them and 'bring them into the fold' it is because he has no choice. He either accepts the failure of the Bush war in Afghanistan and seek to move the country forward under oppression or GO BACK to warring which the USA doesn't want nor can. Let the Russians reconstitute their interests in their national security and that of their allies in the region. The Russians should have been left alone in the first place.

And this whole 'soldier sympathy' for returning to Iraq is way of line. It is the return of the Bush/Cheney empathy mess, "For the blood we spilled, we can't lose the war." Right. From the Right Wing that sent the USA military to war without body armor and Humvees with flat tires. Oh, yeah, the soldiers are so very important.

Wednesday, January 08, 2014

...A Republican, Gates (click here) served as defense secretary for 4 1/2 years under Obama and his predecessor, President George W. Bush.

He writes that Bush focused on Iraq at the expense of Afghanistan and calls the Republican president's goals there "embarrassingly ambitious and historically naive," given the resources devoted to the task.

In 2009 Obama approved the strategy of putting 30,000 additional troops into Afghanistan and in 2010 appointed General David Petraeus as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

In recalling a March 2011 meeting in the White House, Gates writes: "As I sat there, I thought: The president doesn't trust his commander, can't stand [Afghan President Hamid] Karzai, doesn't believe in his own strategy and doesn't consider the war to be his. For him, it's all about getting out."...