An "Outsider" Newsflash: A plea to release Omid Kokabee

Omid Kokabee is an Iranian Physicist currently in detention in Iran.   Maz Jobrani produced this to remind the World of this injustice:

Post by Maz Jobrani.

View of the Week: On the continued tragedy that is #Iraq

The war in Iraq and Syria rages on and a consensus solution seems to be ever so out of reach.    One of the more insightful of analysis on the current prowess of the Islamic State was noted in Al Monitor Today:

He's asking for a miracle which is not in the cards: How to defeat #IslamicState war machine :http://t.co/4RebskLcPi
— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) October 15, 2014

The problem is that this insightful analysis called for a miracle which is currently not in the cards.     This is as the collateral damage of the disastrous Iraq war continues to be reported as epitomized by this report from the New York Times:



It is also ever so irnoic that the same paper that was one of the cheerleaders of the same war also had a front page story about how the plans to arms the moderate Syrian will not work based on CIA confidential reports.      What underscores the dilemma by the United States is ever so noted by the always eloquent KAL from the Economist Magazine:

Notations on the US Politics: As Elections Fever Spreads....

The final push has begun by all candidates throughout the United States.    It has been quite a spectacle to see the parties be on the money grab that they have been and the pathethic ways in which they have been on the prowl with emails like "I'm begging".    The targeted emails have been perfected to quite a science now as exemplified by this sent out by the Democratic Governors Association:

Hillary Clinton wrote to you: “Losing isn’t an option. Not this time. Not in these crucial midterm elections. There’s just too much at stake.”

Hillary is doing ALL SHE CAN, but she cannot…

elect.
democrats.
alone.

Unless you immediately step up with a donation to answer Hillary’s call, DEMOCRATS WILL LOSE.

Mike, please don’t say no: We need you to give as much as you can before MIDNIGHT so we can rush it to our campaigns to pay for ads, vans, and voter protection.

If you say no, REPUBLICANS WILL SUPPRESS VOTERS AND … Wisconsin could be LOST. Texas, Georgia=STAYING RED. We won’t even take back deep-blueMaine.

So this is it: Could you tell Hillary you can’t join her in the FIGHT? Please, give this very second.

ALL GIFTS DOUBLED BEFORE MIDNIGHT!!! WE NEED $75,145:

If you've saved payment info with ActBlue Express, your donation to the DGA will go through immediately:

Click to donate $5 right away.

Click to donate $25 right away.

Click to donate $50 right away.

Or click to donate another amount immediately.  

Many in the United States have already voted via absentee ballot.   This is in spite of the fact that there have been constant challenges to the early voting process in a number of states--with challenges having gone all the way to the US Supreme Court.    What was unfortunate to observe though was such reporting and commentary as reported by the Washington Post and noted by Professor Jonathan Turley on his blog: 

The Obama Factor: Kentucky Democrat Repeatedly Refuses To Admit That She Ever Voted For Obama by jonathanturley The Washington Post is reporting it as one of the most painful 40 seconds of this election cycle. Alison Lundergan Grimes (D) was asked a simple question: did you vote for President Obama. What followed in the clip below was one of the most revealing 40 seconds of how bad this election is becoming for Democrats and how radioactive the President has become. Grimes refuses to answer. She is trying to unseat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) and these mid-term elections tend to reflect the view of the incumbent president as some voters try to either add support or resistance to a president in Congress. Obama's popularity stands at a dismal 30 percent in Kentucky. The clip is particularly interesting given the recent public statements of the President that this election is about his policies. It was an effort to rally Democrats but candidates who have been increasingly fleeing associations with the unpopular president cringed across the country. Given Obama's national polling, an election based his policies and Administration would magnify the already great expected losses in November, including the possible loss of both houses. Even long-time ally and former campaign manager David Axelrod said that the President's framing of the election as a vote on his policies was a huge mistake. The deer in the headlights look of Grimes reflects that point vividly. It should not matter who voted for whom as  Chuck Todd of NBC News got into the mix to say that Allison Grimes totally 'disqualified" herself with the kind of campaign she's run.   What is unfortunate is that the Established Media in the United States has not had any stomach to question what the political leadership in the Country has done and has taken upon itself to qualify or disqualify candidates.     It is also worthy to note that someone like Ms. Grimes has not shown the vision to lay out a game plan for a state like Kentucky that has its' profound challenges and is relying on a dying industry--coal--to see what is next.  Mitch McConnell seems not to be held to account for all that he and his colleagues have done to make the US virtually ungovernable through Congressional inaction.   This is also ever so true with all who seem to be running for office today.   The political races, though, have had their share of "Surprises".   The race in Kansas for the US Senate is one example.  The race for South Dakota is another one that is fascinating to watch with three weeks to go.    What is clear is that it will be a long night for many on the first Tuesday in November this year.   Some races are pretty much a foregone conclusion:  Jerry  Brown will win and win big in California & Andrew Cuomo will win big in New York--and continue thinking about running for President.   Although the 2016 race has been going on since November 2012, it will start in earnest on November 5 as Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and many others on the Republian Side along with Hillary Clinton and others on Democratic side will begin the race.     Beyond Mrs Clinton and names like Vice President BIden and Governor O Malley of Maryland, one interesting dark horse is being touted by the Pundits:  Jim Webb, the former Senator from Virginia.    It will be fascinating to be yet again witness to history.