China drilling for oil in Key West; Cuban lease; U.S. "no zone."

While the United States continues to prohibit Americans from drilling for oil in ANWR and elsewhere, the Chinese are drilling off of Key West, Florida pursuant to a Cuban government lease. House Republicans have issued a press release:

By prohibiting the United States from taking part in the same type of energy exploration that the Chinese are conducting just miles off our shores, the Democratic Majority on Capitol Hill continues to prove itself complicit in an energy crisis that has saddled American families and small businesses with gas prices that have reached $4.05 per gallon today. Do congressional Democrats actually believe China has more ingenuity and more concern for the environment than the United States?

Instead of initiating our own drilling program, we are debating proposals by people like Barack Hussein Obama to tax corporate profits - profits that could otherwise be used for exploration and technology.

More information at DU and Gateway Pundit(36 Chinese wells, U.S. no zone).

"No zone" where U.S. companies are prohibited from drilling - H/T Gateway Pundit


It should be no surprise that China would be drilling in the Carribean. China already has troops in Haiti and maintains control over the Panama Canal.

Michelle Malkin posts the story of yesterday's vote by the Democrats in Congress (House Appropriations Subcommittee) to disallow drilling by U.S. companies offshore. Gateway posts an update.

Quote of the day - Mark Steyn

By midcentury, when today’s millions of surplus boys will be entering middle age, India and China are expected to account for a combined 50 percent of global GDP. On present trends, they will be the most male-heavy societies that have ever existed. As I wrote in my book America Alone, unless China’s planning on becoming the first gay superpower since Sparta, what’s going to happen to all those excess men? As a general rule, large numbers of excitable lads who can’t get any action are not a recipe for societal stability. Unless the Japanese have invented amazingly lifelike sex robots by then (think Austin Powers’s “fembots”), we’re likely to be in a planet-wide rape epidemic and a world of globalized industrial-scale sex slavery.

Mark Steyn May 31, 2008

Quote of the day - William Buckley [China, Nixon]

We have lost - irretrievably - any remaining sense of moral mission in the world . . . When Mr. Nixon, as he regularly did, made reference to the oustanding differences between our two 'systems,' he made it sound as if there are, after all, those who prefer gingham to calico.

William Buckley, writing of President Nixon's joint communique with the Communist Chinese, March 17, 1972 - National Review - as quoted by John Judis in William F. Buckley, Jr., Patron Saint of the Conservatives, p. 337.

"Scooter" Libby clemency vs. payoffs for Clinton co-conspirators; Riady; Jim Guy Tucker; John Huang; Webb Hubbell; Dick Morris

The following column by Dick Morris appeared in the New York Post on or about February 1, 2001. Morris wrote this column as the stench from the Clinton pardons began to foul the air. The column provides a few hints at how Clinton and his co-defendants managed to escape punishment.

I post this column as a reminder to those who would give any credence to the Clintons' criticism of George Bush over Scooter Libby's clemency. This item should also serve as a reminder to all of us that there is no comparison between Libby's clemency and the series of events that enabled Tucker, Riady, Huang, Hubbell and Clinton to escape justice.

I saved this item before I had a blog, so I don't have the link (I don't think it would work anyway). [I have added the photos.]

Click here for previous item re: Clinton pardons.

After reading this column, try once again to remember what Libby was charged with.



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JIM GUY'S HUSH MONEY?

By DICK MORRIS


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COINCIDENCE? The Wall Street Journal reported last week that shortly after former Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker was convicted in the Whitewater scandal, he was hired by James Riady, head of the Indonesian Lippo Group.
Riady is a longtime Clinton friend and supporter whose illegal campaign contributions, access to the White House and possible receipt of classified materials have made him the subject of congressional and Justice Department investigations. His name came up in a tape of one of the White House "coffees" when one of the guests was heard telling President Clinton that "James Riady sent me." According to published reports, Riady's lawyers are currently negotiating with the Justice Department for a plea bargain.

James Riady

For years, Riady has eluded American investigators and stayed out of the United States. But that was no problem for Clinton. Clinton greeted him warmly in New Zealand, where he was invited to a private reception last September -- even though he knew that the Justice Department was after Riady. A friend is a friend.





Jim Guy Tucker - CNN photo

In addition to hiring Tucker in 1999 (without waiting to see if he would begin serving a long jail sentence in a few months), Riady and former Hillary Clinton law partner Joe Giroir stepped in right after Tucker was indicted by Kenneth Starr in 1996 and arranged an unusual and lucrative deal for Tucker's wife, Betty. The deal meant a minimum of $325,000 per year for the Tuckers, no doubt helping tide them over during his difficult time. According to Giroir, Tucker's hiring was "a strictly merit situation."

What's the coincidence? Well, Riady and Giroir have also helped out other Clinton confidants in trouble with the law. When former Assistant Attorney General Webb Hubbell was under investigation by the independent counsel, Riady hired him and paid him $100,000. When this was revealed, Riady and Hubbell claimed that it was just a favor for a friend, although it was later disclosed that Riady barely knew Hubbell. The payment was arranged by John Huang, a longtime Riady employee and the Democratic Party fund-raiser who pleaded guilty to collecting more than $1.6 million in illegal foreign campaign contributions to the 1996 Clinton-Gore campaign.

Huang - AP






And guess what? When Huang was under investigation, Riady provided him with $38,000 -- again, just out of friendship. He's some good friend, isn't he?

By further coincidence, Giroir and Riady were in the Oval Office at the fateful meeting that led to the transfer of John Huang from the Commerce Department to the Democratic National Committee as a fund-raiser. It was only a day or two later that Riady decided he wanted to help out Webb Hubbell. Coincidence? At Commerce, Huang had access to classified documents that investigators believe may have been improperly transferred to Riady.

Webb Hubbell - AP

For years, prosecutors have claimed that the money paid to Hubbell was "hush money" -- cash for silence. No work appears to have been done in exchange for the payment. Now Tucker must fall under the same suspicion that these payments may have been made to keep him quiet.

Tucker was facing a possible long prison sentence at the time that Riady reached out to him. It was also shortly after Kenneth Starr announced that Tucker was cooperating with the government. Yet, according to the Journal, Tucker apparently neglected to tell Starr or the federal judge about his side deal with Riady, even though he concluded the arrangement two months prior to his sentencing.

The timing of the Tucker-Riady dealings stinks to high heaven. If, as reported, the Tuckers concealed the deal, the independent counsel should reopen the Tucker case, find out all of the details surrounding the Riady "hiring" and re-examine what Tucker has revealed about Whitewater. Why is it that every corrupt Clinton official who might implicate the president and first lady ends up on the Riady payroll?

Any suspicions that the Riady-Hubbell deal (where Riady paid Hubbell large consulting fees for no work) was an effort to buy his silence should be heightened by the revelation of the subsequent Riady-Tucker partnership, and the Huang payoff.

Now we face the real issue: Is Robert Ray, Starr's successor as independent counsel, going to roll over and play dead or is he really going to prosecute? According to the Journal, Ray's office was apparently unaware of the Riady-Tucker relationship. Based on his bad health, Tucker never faced jail time, which reduced the leverage Starr presumably had over him during the plea and cooperation negotiations. But now Tucker has received a liver transplant and may be fit to go to prison. His perfidy in not telling Starr that he was on the Riady payroll could provide Ray with the reason he needs to reopen the case, this time with a credible threat of prison hanging over Jim Guy's head.

Will the independent counsel be up to the job or will he just wrap things up and get out of town? The answer to that question could determine whether these three payments were just a coincidence or much more.

Russia to lease almost 2.5 million acres to China

Mark Steyn linked recently to this quote from Radio Free Europe:

RUSSIA TO LEASE HUGE TRACTS OF FOREST TO CHINA?

The Federal Forestry Agency recently announced plans to lease 1 million hectares of woodlands to China for 49 years, "The Moscow Times" reported on August 23. The daily carried a commentary from Ekho Moskvy radio that argued that "Russia has not undertaken anything on this scale since selling Alaska to the United States in 1867." The article noted that it would be unwise to conclude such an agreement given "the Chinese people's diligence, sheer numbers, and ability to think in terms of centuries.... Suppose 49 years from now, Russia realizes there are no ethnic Russians living on those 1 million hectares. How would it ask the Chinese to leave?" The commentary also argued that "the Kremlin is cozying up to China to spite the United States.... [But] however much the Kremlin dislikes the United States, Washington is not after Russian land or witnessing enormous emigration, and is certainly not interested in Russia falling apart and the appearance of, for example, a Chinese-Finnish border and a Caucasian caliphate." The article suggested that the Kremlin dislikes the United States because Washington "has the unpleasant habit of raising questions about human rights and official corruption."

[A hectare equals almost 2.5 acres.]
Steyn noted the following:

Given that even alcoholic Slavs with a life expectancy of 56 will live to see Vladivostok return to its old name of Haishenwei, Moscow might as well flog it to Beijing instead of just having it snaffled out from under.

Chinese industry will see a boost from China's new control over Russia's resource rich eastern frontier. The Chinese military will benefit greatly as well.
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Previous - Chinese bomb shelters, Chinese troops in Haiti and the Panama Canal.

The Chinese military buildup and, most importantly, the Clinton-China scandal.

Bomb shelter in Shanghai, China - 200,000 capacity

WKMG-TV in Central Florida cites a Shanghai Morning Post report that reveals a 200,000 person underground bomb shelter in Shanghai:

Shanghai has constructed a massive underground bunker complex capable of sheltering 200,000 people from a nuclear attack, a local newspaper reported.

The million-square-foot complex connects to shopping centers, office buildings, apartment buildings and the subway system via miles of tunnels, the Shanghai Morning Post said in an exclusive report.

The newspaper said the complex has water, electricity, lighting, ventilation and protective doors, and can support life for as long as two weeks.

This report calls to mind a WorldNetDaily report from last year that revealed the existence of old shelters elsewhere in China. These items, together with the ongoing Chinese military buildup, raise questions as to whether China is preparing for war.
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previous - Varyag - Chinese aircraft carrier.

The Clinton-China scandal

Chinese troops in Haiti

Chinese control over Panama Canal.

Quote of the day - Mark Steyn

From Canada's natural resources to California's ports to Iran's oil, the [Chinese] politburo is hoovering up strategic assets around the world.

Mark Steyn

A real spy story: Chinese agents endanger U.S. aircraft carriers, submarines and electronics.

The Washington Times recently posted this story about a major Chinese spy ring that had operated in the United States for 15 years:

Key compromises uncovered so far include sensitive data on Aegis battle management systems that are the core of U.S. Navy destroyers and cruisers.

Officials said based on a preliminary assessment, China now will be able to track U.S. submarines, a compromise that potentially could be devastating if the United States enters a conflict with China in defending Taiwan.
Mr. Chi, an electrical engineer, also had access to details on U.S. aircraft carriers and once was aboard the USS Stennis. A Pentagon report made public earlier this year said China's military is building up capabilities to attack U.S. aircraft carriers.
China also is thought to have obtained information from the spy ring that will assist Chinese military development of electromagnetic pulse weapons -- weapons that simulate the electronic shock caused by a nuclear blast -- that disrupt electronics.

emphasis added

This news is quite sobering. War is now more, rather than less, likely as a result of the information that this spy ring stole. If you don't understand that point, stop wasting your time reading blogs and go back to watching Oprah.

This particular spy story has far greater implications for the future of all Americans (and the world) than the Libby case. Yet which story has received more attention from the MSM/DNC?

The MSM/DNC's lack of coverage thus far of the latest Chinese spy ring indicates that the MSM/DNC is having a hard time finding a way to blame Bush.

Previous - The Clinton/China scandal.

Libby indictment vs. Hsia conviction

Check out this NewsBusters post for a comparison of the coverage that the MSM/DNC has provided for the Libby/Plame/Flame affair vs. the MSM/DNC coverage of the conviction of a Gore operative in the Chinese fundraising scandal of the 1990's.

1) Guess which story received less (actually almost no) coverage?

2) Guest which story means something to the future of the United States?

hint: The answer to both questions has something to do with this picture:

The Varyag: a Chinese aircraft carrier

World Net Daily posted an article this week that fuels speculation on the possibility that China will soon have a seaworthy aircraft carrier. Apparently the Chinese had previously purchased an old Russian carrier (the "Varyag") that now sits in a Chinese naval station. Speculation exists that the Chinese are now readying this carrier for use in the Chinese navy.



Strategypage.com provides the story of how the Chinese acquired the carrier in the first place:

The mystery of the 67,000 ton Russian aircraft carrier Varyag, now owned by China, continues. Last month, the Varyag was towed away from the pier, in the Chinese naval base of Dalian, where it had been tied up for the last three years. While there, it could be seen that work was being done on the ship. Most notable was rebuilding of the carriers island, and the installation of some electronics. The Vartag was only 80 percent complete when the Chinese purchased it, and had no engines or rudder. It’s uncertain what work was done internally. Dalian is a closely guarded base, with no reporters allowed.

China spent over $50 million to buy the unfinished 67,000 ton Varyag, and tow it to the Chinese naval base at Dalian. Originally, the Varyag was bought, for three times its scrap value, by a Chinese front company (that turned out to be owned by the Chinese navy). Their stated intention was to convert the ship into a floating casino in Macao (near Hong Kong). This turned out to be a cover story, to get Turkey to allow the Varyag to be towed out of the Black Sea. There’s an international treaty that allows Turkey to control what warships pass through the Turkish controlled entrance to the Black Sea, so the Chinese had to make it look like the Varyag was no longer going to be used as a warship. The Chinese then spent $30 million, and 627 days, to tow the engineless Varyag to a Chinese naval base. The Varyag was originally designed to operate the Su-27 fighter (which the Chinese have).

For the Chinese to possess such a weapon would dramatically alter the balance of power in Asia. The consequences for Japan, Taiwan and South Korea would be immediate. U.S. forces would remain superior, but the U.S. main point of superiority would be compromised. The ability to project air power into "blue water" is crucial. For us to lose our monopoly on this power to an entity intent on conquering Taiwan would have consequences about which we can only speculate.

Aircraft carriers are prohibitively expensive to maintain. The ability of the Chinese economy to maintain such a weapon will continue to grow as trade grows between China and the West.

The Germans began constructing an aircraft carrier shortly before World War II. Had they completed it instead of abandoning the project, that carrier could have altered the balance of power in the Atlantic before the U.S. entry into the war. Germany's inability to project air power into the Atlantic was a decisive factor in England's utlimate success in the battle for the Atlantic.

While we are only speculating at the moment, we continue to ignore this story at our peril.

For a previous post on the Chinese military buildup in general, click here.

For the Clinton connection, click here.

New nuclear threats from China

A top Chinese General said on Thursday that "China is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the US if it is attacked by Washington during a confrontation over Taiwan . . . . " according to FT.com.

We cannot solve this problem by ignoring it. We have less margin for error now than we did when the U.S. embarked on its appeasement policy decades prior to the Reagan years. We recovered from the appeasement errors of the post-war era in time to win the cold war against the Soviet Empire, but we may not recover in time this time unless we start now.

Preventing further Chinese inroads into the West (such as the Chevron deal) would be a good place to start). Preventing further technology transfers would be essential also. Reduced dependence on foreign oil (e.g. allowing drilling in Alaska), reduced government interference in our own ecomony, lower taxes, securing all of our borders, etc. are essential tasks also. We cannot confront or withstand foreign enemies unless we stop the erosion of our own economy and culture. Otherwise, we may be faced with the awful choice between allowing China to conquer Taiwan (and other parts of Asia) or war. Either choice would be a losing proposition.

Previous posts on China:

Chinese troops in Haiti

Panama Canal

the Clinton connection

Chinese military buildup