Turkey Concerned About Possible Obama Shift On Syria And Iran
Turkey has been surprised by a sudden behind-the-scenes change in attitude from the Obama administration regarding the embattled regime of Turkey’s foe, Syrian President Bashar Assad, Turkish diplomatic sources told this reporter.
The sources said that while U.S. rhetoric against Assad remains strong, the Obama administration is suddenly dropping the ball in supporting a NATO campaign against Assad. The sources said the U.S. is suddenly scaling back material support for the Syrian opposition.
The Turkish sources said Turkey and the Syrian opposition are “disappointed” with the change in attitude, which they claim comes without any diplomatic justification from U.S. officials.
The sources said some Turkish officials believe Obama may have made a deal with Syria or Iran.
Just last week this column quoted informed Middle Eastern officials as saying that Obama has undertaken secret, back channel talks with Iran, informing Tehran’s leaders that he fully opposes any Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The officials said the secret talks seek to secure an Iranian pledge that it will not retaliate against the U.S. in the event of any Israeli military strike.
It was unclear what, if anything, Obama offered Iran in exchange for an assurance against targeting U.S. installations, including in the Gulf.
The State Department did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the alleged back door talks.
Cell Phone Company Targets The Tea Party
A “progressive” cell phone company with ties to billionaire activist George Soros has set its sights on Tea Party-affiliated lawmakers, opening offices in their districts with the specific goal of booting the congressmembers from office.
The political action committee (PAC) of CREDO Mobile announced that it would set up offices in the districts of Reps. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) to oppose the lawmakers.
CREDO has already opened headquarters targeting Tea Party favorites, including Republican Reps. Chip Cravaack (Minn.), Sean Duffy (Wis.), Frank Guinta (N.H.), Steve King (Iowa), Joe Walsh (Ill.) and Allen West (Fla.).
Becky Bond, the PAC’s president, told Roll Call that by the end of the week the group will have offices in all eight of the lawmakers’ districts, staffed by a total of 22 full-time organizers. “Not interns. These are hard-core field people,” Bond said.
CREDO Mobile is a privately held, for-profit company with a reported 110,000 mobile customers. It resells cell-phone airtime on the Sprint Network.
The cell phone company and its parent, Working Assets, have raised more than $65 million for scores of nonprofit organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, Doctors Without Borders, the socialist-leaning Democracy Now, and even Color of Change, an advocacy group founded by President Obama’s disgraced former “green jobs” czar Van Jones.
CREDO Mobile has repeatedly attacked competitors AT&T and Verizon, complaining the companies support Tea Party-linked organizations.
One page at CREDO’s website, www.credomobile.com, says AT&T gave $386,000 to the Tea Party Caucus and to politicians such as Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.
“CREDO would never give a dime to the Tea Party,” continues the site. “When you join CREDO, you’ll join a movement dedicated to defeating right-wing radicalism.”
CREDO Mobile was founded by longtime Democratic activist Michael Kieschnick. He is one of three co-founders of the Soros-funded Secretary of State Project, which seeks to get Democrats elected to office, and has worked alongside the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN.
Kieschnick was recently invited to the White House, where he says he briefed President Obama on CREDO Mobile’s activism.
More Koran Burnings?
Rev. Terry Jones warned that he would burn copies of the Koran if Iran doesn’t release an imprisoned pastor sentenced to death after converting from Islam to Christianity.
The Florida pastor said in an interview that Iran has until April 28 to release Youcef Nadarkhani, currently facing death for preaching Christianity in Iran. He made the comments on “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio” on New York’s WABC Radio.
The religious figure is infamous for setting off deadly protests when he threatened to burn copies of the Koran in June 2010 to protest the 9-11 attacks.
Jones also announced his Koran burning intentions in a press release and during a protest earlier this week outside the largest mosque in Michigan.
Muslims rioted when Jones last threatened to burn the Koran. In Afghanistan protesters attacked a United Nations mission, killing at least 30 people, including seven UN workers, and injuring at least 150 people. Jones carried out the burnings in March 2011.
During the radio interview, I asked Jones whether he realizes his Koran burning threat could again result in deadly riots.
“Yes, we do realize that,” he replied. “Something has to be done. We have few alternatives that we can do. That is something that does get the Muslim community’s attention…. Fourteen hundred years of history has told us that backing down doesn’t work.”