Hot Air Covers Hezbollah in Venezuela (Part I)

Be sure to check out this report on Hizballah in Venezuela by Clint Taylor Bear in mind that Hugo Chavez recently visited Iran to draft cooperation agreements and recalled Venezuela's ambassador to Israel. Of course Hizballah is going to have a free hand in his country.
Chavez' endearing quote on al Jazeera, 4 Aug 06:

My heart is with the millions of Arab people. Sometimes I feel that I am Arab myself?. I have crossed deserts, ridden camels, and sung with the Bedouins. I learned during these experiences to love and respect the Arabs, who have a place in my heart.

Chavez continually seeks to position himself in opposition to the US and its interests.

Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig

Still missing. Very worried about them.

Volunteers and Donations to Israel

Crisis in Israel is a site that lists current needs for volunteers and donations to help those affected by the war.

What really tore me up bad is the old folks home in Nahariya that needs German-speaking volunteers.

People are needed to hang with kids in shelters, donations are needed to support families hosting families from the North, care packages are being sent to soldiers. Give a look won't you?

Happy Birthday Udi

Today is Udi Goldwasser's birthday. He and his wife were supposed to be relaxing in Tel Aviv to celebrate. Instead he is being held captive by Hezbollah along with Eldad Regev.
Our hearts and prayers are with their families. It's a shitty way to spend a birthday, but as long as there is another birthday, there is hope.

Connecting the dots on Adam Gadahn

In this Hot Air video, Michelle Malkin does an interesting exposition on Adam Gadahn's associates.

Our leaders caught off guard

From the New York Times:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged Sunday that the United States had failed to understand the depth of hostility among Palestinians toward their longtime leaders. The hostility led to an election victory by the militant group Hamas that has reduced to tatters crucial assumptions underlying American policies and hopes in the Middle East.

"I've asked why nobody saw it coming," Ms. Rice said, speaking of her own staff. "It does say something about us not having a good enough pulse."

Jiminy Christmas, I saw it coming a mile away. Everyone I have spoken to at work and in the community, if they knew what Hamas was at all, saw it coming. This is a really bad sign, if State is this out of the loop. And not just Foggy Bottom -- if the president knew better, he wouldn't have agreed to it and lent his authority to it.

Indeed, Hamas's victory has set off a debate whether the administration was so wedded to its belief in democracy that it could not see the dangers of holding elections in regions where Islamist groups were strong and democratic institutions weak.

Indeed, that is what it is starting to look like. They got kind of lucky in Iraq and Afghanistan, if you can call that luck. But Palestinian "society" is not as healthy as Iraq and Afghanistan, and they failed to take that into account, probably because Israel was trying to tell them and they didn't want to hear it from the Jews.

"Man-on-the-Street", Washington, D.C., December 8, 1941

War Veteran: Pardon me, and I'm going to tell you something else. United States never lost a war yet, they're never going to lose it. Because, by gosh, we might chewing the rag about our presidents, about our Congressmen, about our, what do you call it, the -- in charge of a state --
Philip Cohen: Secretary of State?
War Veteran: No, no, no.
Philip Cohen: Governors?
War Veteran: Governors. But when it comes to fight, damn it, we will fight to the last breath. And I'm mighty damn proud I am American. The only one thing hurts me, my heart is American, my toes are American, but my damn tongue, I never could nationalize that. [laughter]