Epstein Secrets

since 2007, Carl Levin leads Senate oversight of the Pentagon and is at the forefront of the raging debate over the defense budget. Levin and Sen. John McCain, the committee's ranking member, agree that the $600 billion in military cuts set to take effect next year unless a new budget passes would be, in

passes would be, in Levin's words, "a train wreck." (Defense Secretary Panetta has preferred the more apocalyptic "doomsday mechanism.") But while McCain has proposed protecting the defense budget by reducing federal spending elsewhere, Levin has argued, "We should do something intelligent, which mea

by more than one confirmation issued by Egyptian officials, stressing that the Gulf security was linked to their country's security. And certainly, Riyadh was the first capital to be visited by President Morsi to corroborate his insistence on the historical relations between the two countries, knowing

lity of radical Syrian Islamists with an anti-Western agenda rising to power would undermine U.S. interests in the Middle East. Two U.S. senators, John McCain (R-AZ) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), visited the Syrian-Turkish border during April 2012 and demanded that the United States take military action ag

comes could be expected if U.S. military action is taken against Assad. Obama would be wise to follow Israel's lead on Syria, and not the advice of McCain and Lieberman. Instead of heeding the advice of these two hawkish senators, the Obama administration should pursue a more realist foreign policy vi

people." If the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood removed Syria from Moscow and Tehran's spheres of influence and aligned Damascus with Washington, Ankara, Riyadh, and Doha, the regional balance of power would shift in favor of the United States. Israel's Interests Israel would welcome the decline of Iranian

llenger Mitt Romney had accused him of a "lack of leadership" and a "policy of paralysis." During the last month, Obama may have been responding to John McCain, Lindsay Graham and other Republicans who attacked him for showing weakness toward Putin and in the Ukraine. These critics advocated even louder s

ast month, Obama may have been responding to John McCain, Lindsay Graham and other Republicans who attack

is today China's largest trading partner in the Middle East. The kingdom's closest ties remain with Pakistan. The Pakistani press has reported that Riyadh provided a $1.5 billion loan to Islamabad to help Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's effort to get Pakistan's economy out of its slump. The Saudis have

ns have caused trouble ever since Cain was angry at Abel. FINALLY: In an extraordinary public rebuke of Donald J. Trump's campaign, Mitt Romney and John McCain, the last two Republican presidential nominees, denounced Mr. Trump in forceful terms on Thursday and warned that his election could put the United

mperament nor the judgment to be president. And his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be the shining city on the hill." Mr. McCain, once a rival of Mr. Romney's, effectively linked arms with him soon after his address, saying that he shared Mr. Romney's dismay about Mr. Trump's

ained by al-Qaeda shot down two Black Hawk helicopters. In 1995, al-Qaeda operatives took credit for bombing a joint U.S.-Saudi military facility in Riyadh. And in 1996, a truck bomb devastated a building housing U.S. Air Force personnel in the Saudi city of Dhahran. (Although Saudi Hezbollah carried o

y between president and people, a mutually reinforcing feedback loop. This, too, is not surprising. Obama ran and defeated both Hillary Clinton and John McCain as the anti-Iraq candidate. He then made rolling back the "tide of war" the core of his identity as president. The explicit rationale for most of h

a ran and defeated both Hillary Clinton and John McCain as the anti-Iraq candidate. He then made rolling

weapon. As for the Sunni-Shiite arms race, the critical reaction to an international agreement would be not in Washington but in Cairo, Ankara and Riyadh. Even if the Western powers express confidence in Iran's commitment and pledge a vigorous economic and military response to any Iranian violation,

ction year, is commit his prestige to a regional civil war. EFTA00712535 On the other hand, there's growing pressure on the Hill, led by Senator John McCain, to arm the Syrian opposition, and in the wake of the Houla massacre, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney called for the same. With the b

rowing pressure on the Hill, led by Senator John McCain, to arm the Syrian opposition, and in the wake of

o be Prince Salman, a more pragmatic and progressive prince with a half century's experience as the governor and builder of the kingdom's capital, Riyadh. Nayif, born in 1933 and interior minister since 1975, was never a proponent of reform, and advocated a tough line on human-rights issues for deca