Because the Good Lord says it is not too soon to campaign for President in 2012:
SING-ALONG LYRICS
She’s a cold blast from Alaska
Ingrained with common sense.
She’s not a Harvard lawyer, but she knew what the Founders meant.
Sarah Palin Friday, January 21, 2011 at 16:13 | Scott Lucas in EA Global, EA Iran, Middle East and Iran, UK and Ireland Out of courtesy, I will not besiege readers with my thoughts on today's testimonial by former Prime Minister Tony Blair --- replete with evasions, distortions, and some outright deceptions --- justifying the 2003 Iraq War to a British enquiry.
It is worth noting, however, that he would do it all again...this time with Iran.
Lebanon’s worst crisis in years escalated dangerously on Thursday as a last-ditch effort to negotiate a solution ended in failure and the American-backed caretaker prime minister struck a defiant note toward Hezbollah and its allies, which brought down his 14-month-old national unity government this month.
The events cast the crisis into an unpredictable moment, as each side became ever more entrenched in positions with little common ground over indictments expected to name members of Hezbollah, the Shiite Muslim militant movement, in the assassination of the prime minister’s father, Rafik Hariri.
More than a month after the disputed Presidential election, more than 30 people remain in prison in Minsk over the 19 December protests.
Four Presidential candidates --- Alexei Mikhalevich, Vladimir Neklyaev, Andrei Sannikov, and Nikolai Statkevich --- are still held.
The other 27 accused include candidates' representatives, social activists, journalists, and a former police officer who spoke out on behalf of the protesters.
There has been limited communication with detainees.
Earlier this week Tehran Bureau posted a series of first-hand reactions from Iranians to the fall of the Ben Ali regime in Tunisia. A selection....
Text message circulating around Iran: "Tunis tunest [did it], Iran natunest [couldn't do it]."
Journalist, 28: "It's okay to celebrate for now. We did the same thing.... I'll tell you in about 20 years what you got yourselves into."
Anonymous on Persian-language website: "We revolted with a leader and an ideology and this is how it turned out for us. I feel sorry for the Tunisians, who brought about a revolution without leadership or an ideology."
Basij member, 37: "Agha [the Supreme Leader] was right about Islamic awakening and the Muslim world learning from the successful example of our revolution. Inshallah, the values of the Revolution will reach every corner of the Muslim world."
Tehrani joke: "Ben Ali, please tell Seyed Ali [Khamenei] to follow you wherever you go!"
2224 GMT: The Tunisian Prime Minister's office has regained control of its homepage, after it was taken over by the Anonymous collective earlier this evening (see 2135 GMT).
2215 GMT: Speaking on television tonight, Tunisian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi says he will not be a candidate in elections, due in six months, and will retire from politics.
2135 GMT: The Anonymous collective has posted a message on the homepage of the Tunisian Prime Minister:
2035 GMT: Execution Watch (Bahrami Edition). It looks like the Iranian Foreign Ministry may be a bit uncomfortable about the attention to the death sentence imposed on Iranian-Dutch national Zahra Bahrami.
Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast insisted in a press conference today that Bahrami's capital punishment was merited because she was "carrying more than one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of narcotics". He continued, "It is expected from the western countries to appreciate Iran's efforts to combat drug trafficking and even cooperate accordingly. Unfortunately, however, we are witnessing their support for Zahra Bahrami and they have even called for her release."
None of the claimed evidence has been presented against Bahrami publicly, and the Iranian authorities have imprisoned her lawyer, Nasrine Sotoudeh, and refused to allow Dutch officials to visit one of their citizens.
Mehmanparast did not deal with any of these issues although he did make a curious allusion to the dual nationality: "Apart from an Iranian passport, Bahrami holds other passports, including European ones."
Mehmanparast concluded with the warning against further intervention: the West should realise that if the issue of narcotics is not taken seriously, it will directly affect their own youth who will be entrapped by drug traffickers.
UPDATE 0830 GMT: Mona Eltahawy, one of the most prominent activists on Twitter, has filmed a report for Time magazine on Tunisia, Youth, and Social Media:
Now that President Ben Ali has been toppled in Tunisia, international media are putting reporters into Tunis and interpreting what has and what will happen.
As the protest against Tunisian President Ben Ali was building this month, we posted a music video from rapper El General (Hamada Ben Amor), who had been seized by the police. His crime was to put out lyrics such as "President, Your People Are Dying".
Well, Ben Ali is no longer President and El General is free and producing more music. His latest track is an "ode to Arab revolution", calling for a repetition of the Tunisian rising in countries throughout the region: "Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, all must be liberated/Long live free Tunisia".
On Thursday, Dennis Ross, a senior member of the US National Security Council, and David Hale, deputy to President Obama's envoy George Mitchell, arrived in West Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel's security needs and the maintenance of the Israel Defense Forces' qualitative advantage during negotiations with the Palestinians would be discussed with the American diplomats.
Back in the US, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that Washington's position on Israeli settlements in the West Bank has not changed; however, the US is not going to support the Palestinian proposal for international condemnation of Israel's "illegal" activities in the "occupied" lands.
