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Former British diplomat claims Clinton oversaw 'dysfunctional' mission in Iraq

Emma Sky

A former British diplomat has claimed that Hillary Clinton oversaw a "dysfunctional" U.S. diplomatic mission in Iraq during her tenure as Secretary of State in a book due to be published next month.
Britain's Daily Telegraph reported late Tuesday that Emma Sky, a former political adviser to U.S. Gen. Ray Odierno, writes that Clinton's choice as the Obama administration's first ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill, had "lacked regional experience and was miscast in the role in Baghdad. In fact, he had not wanted the job," but was persuaded to accept it by Clinton. Sky writes that Odierno told her that Clinton had admitted as much when she met the general in Washington in early 2010.
Sky continues that Hill's main focus while ambassador appeared to be monitoring the activities of the U.S. military, as opposed to engaging with Iraqi leaders or his fellow diplomats. In fact, Sky claims that Hill repeatedly "made clear how much he disliked Iraq and Iraqis." She also says that Hill tried to get the fortified embassy to look more like a "normal" U.S. diplomatic mission, a task which apparently required importing rolls of sod "on which the ambassador could play lacrosse".
Sky's book, called "The Unraveling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq," covers her seven years in Iraq beginning in 2003. Her thesis is that the hasty U.S. withdraw overseen by President Obama thrust then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki into the arms of Iran and exacerbated sectarian tensions that boosted support for what she calls "extreme sectarian actors, including the Islamic State, [who turned] local grievances over poor governance into proxy wars."
Clinton is not the only member of the administration whom Sky criticizes in her book, which was excerpted in Politico Magazine last week. Vice President Joe Biden is also described as making "totally inappropriate" comments during a meeting with members of the Iraqiya coalition following Iraq's disputed 2010 parliamentary elections.
Sky describes Biden as "clearly irritated" with her attempts to explain Iraq's kaleidoscopic political landscape and the ongoing tension between secularists and Islamists. Biden, according to Sky responded "Look, I know these people. My grandfather was Irish and hated the British. It’s like in the Balkans. They all grow up hating each other."
Biden made a similar observation when meeting with members of the multi-religious, multi-ethnic Iraqiya coalition. Ultimately, Sky says, Biden and Hill fell into place alongside Iran and backed al-Maliki to remain as Prime Minister. This was all carried out with the tacit approval of Obama, whose "only interest in Iraq, it appeared, was ending the war."

DEA chief tells House committee she can't fire agents involved in sex parties

WASHINGTON –  With the Secret Service still smarting from its 2012 prostitution scandal in Cartagena, Colombia, another federal law agency is in hot water over an even more salacious sex scandal - in the same country.
The Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Michelle Leonhart, Tuesday faced a grueling three-hour inquisition from the House Oversight Committee over an Inspector General's report that found DEA agents in Bogota, Colombia engaged in "sex parties" with prostitutes and that the parties were paid for by the very drug cartels the DEA was sent to fight.
"This behavior is not acceptable," Leonhart said in her opening statement. "It is my hope that the additional training and guidance we have provided to all personnel - particularly those stationed overseas - will prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.”
Her contrition did little to calm members of either party, who were incensed - not only at the infraction itself -  but also at the weak discipline meted out to the still unnamed participants - a maximum of a two-week suspension.
Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., asked Leonhart, "Do you have any idea how absurd all of that sounds to an ordinary human being?"  Leonhart repeatedly explained that a maze of civil service system protections for government workers prevents her from firing federal employees.
A furious Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., accused Leonhart of looking the other way.
"That's what's happening in your agency! You're protecting the people who solicited prostitutes who had 15 to 20 sex parties, went through this whole operation, and used taxpayer money to do it."
The Department of Justice Inspector General's report, released last month, found that corrupt local police officers in Bogota "arranged” the "sex parties" with prostitutes funded by the local drug cartels for the DEA agents at their government-leased quarters, over a period of several years.
The report found that "although some of the DEA agents participating in these parties denied it, the information in the case file suggested they should have known the prostitutes in attendance were paid with cartel funds." 
It also claimed that local police protected the DEA agents’ property, including weapons, computers and smart phones, while the parties were ongoing. None of the devices was believed to have been compromised.
Under tough questioning from Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., Leonhart also denied knowing whether any of the prostitutes were underage. "I don't know that," she said.
The response prompted a frustrated Gowdy to shout back, "You have to work with agents over whom you can't discipline and have no control. And you have no control over their security clearance. What the hell do you get to do?”
The report said the behavior exposed agents to possible coercion, extortion, and blackmail.
Lynch told Leonhart he wants the unnamed agents involved to be "named and shamed."  And another, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., asked her, “Do you think you’re the right person for this job?

Senate approves bill changing how Medicare pays doctors

The Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation permanently overhauling how Medicare pays physicians late Tuesday in a rare show of near-unanimity from Congress.
The legislation headed off a 21 percent cut in doctors' Medicare fees that would have taken effect Wednesday, when the government planned to begin processing physicians' claims reflecting that reduction. The bill also provides billions of extra dollars for health care programs for children and low-income families, including additional money for community health centers.
Working into the evening, the Senate approved the measure 92-8 less than three weeks after the House passed it by a lopsided 392-37.
The bill's passage brought statements of praise from both President Obama and Republican congressional leaders.
"It's a milestone for physicians, and for the seniors and people with disabilities who rely on Medicare for their health care needs," Obama said in a statement before later adding "I will be proud to sign it into law."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said approval of the bill was "another reminder of a new Republican Congress that's back to work. And while no bill will ever be perfect, this legislation is a sensible compromise with wide bipartisan support; we look forward to the President following through on his commitment to sign it."
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who crafted the compromise bill with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the reform's passage "a big deal."
"For the first time in nearly two decades - and without raising taxes - Congress has come together in a bipartisan way to pass meaningful entitlement reform," Boehner added. "And while much more must be done to rein in unsustainable entitlement spending, this agreement represents an important step in the right direction."
Top Democrats in Congress also expressed support for the legislation.
"Tonight is a milestone for the Medicare program, a lifeline for millions of people," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
The bill's chief feature was its annulling of a 1997 law aimed at slowing the growth of Medicare that has repeatedly threatened deep cuts in reimbursements to physicians and led to threats by doctors to stop treating the program's beneficiaries. Congress has blocked 17 reductions since 2003, an exercise that invites intense lobbying and difficult choices about finding budget savings that both parties detested.
Instead, the measure would create a new payment system with financial incentives for physicians to bill Medicare patients for their overall care, not individual office visits.
While Democrats touted the legislation's added funds for children and the poor, Republicans were claiming victory in changes the bill makes in Medicare that would have a long-term though modest impact on the huge program's finances.
However, conservatives were unhappy that two-thirds of the bill's $214 billion, 10-year costs were financed by simply making federal deficits even bigger, while liberals wanted added money for children and women's programs.
While $141 billion of the measure's costs over the decade would come from added federal red ink, about $35 billion would come from Medicare beneficiaries, mostly by raising the medical and prescription drug premiums paid by some upper-income recipients starting in 2018. Though the affected beneficiaries already pay higher premiums than lower-earning people, Congress seldom increases costs on seniors, fearing retribution come the next Election Day from older voters.
The bill would raise another $37 billion by cutting Medicare reimbursements to hospitals and other providers.
Before passage, senators rejected six amendments, three from each party, that were all but sure to lose but let lawmakers demonstrate their disapproval of provisions they opposed.
A Democratic proposal to extend the two years of extra money the measure provided for the popular Children's Health Insurance Program to four years lost on a 50-50 vote -- short of the 60 votes needed to prevail. By 58-42, the chamber rejected an effort by conservatives to force Congress to find enough savings to pay for the entire measure without increasing federal red ink.
Senators also faced conflicting pressures from lobbying groups.
The American Medical Association and other providers' organizations were urging lawmakers to pass the bill. AARP, the senior citizens' lobby, wanted legislators to back an amendment ending Medicare's annual coverage limits for therapy but stopped short of urging the bill's defeat without that change.
Conservative groups including the Club for Growth and Heritage Action for America pressed lawmakers to support the GOP amendment -- which lost -- to require Congress to pay for the entire bill.
The 21 percent cut in doctors' fees technically took effect April 1. Citing federal law, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services stopped processing those claims two weeks ago -- in effect giving lawmakers time to complete the legislation. The agency processes around 4 million Medicare payments for doctors daily.

Congress first asked Hillary Clinton about personal email use in 2012, letter shows

Hillary Clinton ignored questions from congressional investigators in December 2012 about her use of a personal e-mail account while secretary of state.
The latest revelation comes days after Clinton announced her candidacy for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. The announcement followed weeks of questions for Clinton about her use of a personal e-mail account housed on a sever set up in her New York home to conduct all official business as America's top diplomat.
Fox News has obtained a copy of a letter dated Dec. 13, 2012 that was sent from then-House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to Cabinet secretaries, including Clinton, inquiring about their e-mail habits. The committee was conducting an investigation into the Obama administration handled the use of personal e-mail by its officials.
The letter contained eight questions related to officials' use of personal e-mail accounts. The very first question asked by Issa was "Have you or any senior agency official ever used a personal email account to conduct official business? If so, please identify the account used." Subsequent questions asked about whether "alias e-mail" accounts and text messages were used to conduct official business.
The fourth question asked for written documentation of agency archiving and record-keeping procedures as they related to the use of non-official e-mail accounts, while the fifth question asked, "Does the agency require employees to certify on a periodic basis or at the end of their employment with the agency they have turned over any communications involving official business that they have sent or received using nonofficial accounts?"
Clinton's last day as Secretary of State was Feb. 1, 2013, seven weeks after the date of Issa's letter, which requested a response by Jan. 7, 2013 at the latest.  The New York Times reports that Issa's committee did not receive any response from the State Department until March 27, and even that amounted to a recounting of the department's e-mail policy. The Times reported that the State Department's letter said that employees using personal accounts "should make it clear that his or her personal e-mail is not being used for official business."
Clinton's use of a personal e-mail account, first reported last month by The New York Times, enabled her to shield most of her messages from scrutiny by members of Congress and the media. She has previously said she used one account for convenience because she did not want to go to the trouble of carrying more than one electronic device.
Last month, the House select committee investigating the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, subpoenaed all of Clinton's personal emails. They received no response. So far, Clinton has turned over 55,000 pages of her emails, 300 of which are related to Benghazi.

MSM Cartoon

States slam the brakes on Iran, enact tough economic sanctions

While the United States and Iran edge closer to a nuclear deal, nearly two dozen U.S. states are imposing their own sanctions against Tehran – a move some say could derail fragile talks between the two countries.
The states, though, say they aren’t budging. In fact, Kansas and Mississippi are even considering adding more sanctions.
Several states across the country have put their own measures in place to punish Iran-linked companies operating in certain sectors of its economy, directing public pension funds with billions of dollars in assets to divesting from the firms and sometimes barring them from public contracts, Reuters reported.
In more than half of those states, restrictions will only expire if all federal sanctions against Iran are lifted – an unlikely scenario.
Typically, U.S. states coordinate their measures with federal sanctions on Iran. However, the states’ divestment actions are, in fact, much more strict when it comes to foreign firms with Iran links.
Georgia, Florida and Michigan are just three states that say they have no intention of changing their policies on Iran -- even if progress is made on a federal level.
“Our investment sanctions are not tied in any way to President Obama’s negotiations with the Iranians,” Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Fla., told Reuters. “They would have to change their behavior dramatically and we would not be necessarily guided by President Obama or any other president’s opinion about the Iranians.”
Officials in New York and Oregon told Reuters they would first need to review any changes made on the national scene before they would be able to comment on how it may affect their current policies.
Even if a federal deal passes, new local legislation would have to be passed in Illinois and Connecticut before legal changes could be made to change their divestment policies.
Florida, an early adopter of divestment policies going after Iran, pulled $1.3 billion out of companies like PetroChina – a Chinese oil and gas company that has ties to Iran. Michigan divested $185 million of its pension funds from companies like HSBC and Vodafone.
The icy relationship between the U.S. and Iran has recently shown some signs of thawing, but many caution that so much discord between the state and federal government over Tehran shows signs of weakness.
On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to take up a bill that requires Obama to give Congress a say in any deal on Iran’s nuclear program. Obama has threatened to veto the bill, which he says undermines his ability to negotiate.

Jordan's King Abdullah II says airstrikes increasing inside Syria and Iraq

Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Monday that airstrikes have increased inside Syria and Iraq following the murder of a Jordanian pilot burned to death earlier this year by Islamic State terrorists.
Abdullah, who was interviewed on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” said he has not ruled out using ground troops inside Iraq.  He also talked about the possibility of taking out ISIS fighters one stronghold at a time.
"We stepped up big time. We are at the moment he only Arab country in Syria alongside the United States," Abdullah told Baier. "We are the only Arab country operating alongside the Iraqis in Iraq alongside the coalition. As the Iraqis and the coalition increase their tempo for the next operation in Iraq, so will Jordan increase their tempo inside of Iraq."
In the wide-ranging interview, Abdullah also said the Middle East's relationship with the West is undergoing an evolution.
"I think the relationships have changed. I think Arab spring was a lesson for all of us in the region on how we deal with our friends. We express our views to our Western allies. I think the difference is now is that we express them quite strongly."
He also said that America’s role in the Middle East has changed and for him it has been “a wakeup call.”
"We need to stand more on our two feet and make our own decisions and be more bullish and straightforward about it. At the end of the day, I think I know what's best for the country and for the region."
Beyond security, Abdullah told Baier one of his biggest worries is the economy. Jordan’s economy has been fairly resilient in the past but new political pressures are testing its strength.
Energy security has been hit hard by volatility in the region as well as a growing unemployment rate that currently sits at 13 percent.
"There are 1.5 million Syrian refugees in our country, that's almost 20 to 21 percent of our population," Abdullah said. "This year only 28 to 29 percent of the refugee budget is being covered by the whole international community and the rest we have to cover. That's pretty depressing quite honestly."