World Tribune — Democrats will be known for Iraq surrender; Time now for homeland defense

Sadly, the war in Iraq appears to be lost. The Democrats, like terriers shaking a rat (Iraq) using a plan of funding war for three months — salami tactics — causing the Army command to recognize that the Congress, not the President, is effectively in charge, have achieved their goal: implementing withdrawal.

8-14 JORDAN CONCERNED OVER ISLAMIST POWER WASHINGTON — Jordan has become increasingly concerned over the rise of the Islamic opposition.

A report by the Washington Institute said the Hashemite kingdom, a leading ally of the United States, faces a rising threat from the Islamic movement. The report, authored by former Defense Department official David Schenker, cited Jordan's use of the military to support pro-government candidates in the kingdom's first municipal elections on July 31.

"While Jordan is in no danger of an Islamist revolution, controlling Islamists remains a significant challenge for the kingdom," the report, entitled "The Islamist Boycott of Jordanian Municipal Elections: A Victory of Public Relations or Politics?" said.

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[On Monday, Jordan's state security court sentenced five convicted Islamic insurgents to prison. The defendants were convicted of recruiting suicide bombers for Iraq.]

The Islamic threat to Amman has focused on the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood. IAF announced a boycott of the municipal elections amid reports that soldiers were transported to polling stations to vote against Islamic candidates.

"The IAF's decision to withdraw and allegations of governmental foul play highlight the confrontational posture of the Islamists vis-a-vis the Jordanian royal palace," the report said. "Regardless of what becomes of the IAF's election gambit, recent developments suggest that Jordanian Islamists have a newfound confidence."

The Islamic opposition draws support from the Palestinian community in Jordan, which comprises about 60 percent of the population. The report said IAF has become increasingly close to Hamas, popular in Jordan and winner of the Palestinian Authority elections in 2006.

The report said Jordan took unprecedented steps to ensure the defeat of IAF in the municipal elections. The military has been largely comprised of non-Palestinians, particularly Bedouin tribes loyal to King Abdullah.

"The fact that the Islamists withdrew hours into the election also suggests that the IAF no longer feels compelled to demonstrate even a modicum of deference to the king," the report said. "Its new confrontational politics coincide with the rise of the pro-Hamas wing of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, symbolized by the 2005 election of Irsheid as secretary-general. In this context, the boycott seems to demonstrate burgeoning Islamist confidence — which does not bode well for the kingdom's relations with Jordanian Islamists."

The report said the rise of Islamic opposition in Jordan has generated U.S. concern. Schenker cited the impressive gains of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egyptian parliamentary elections in 2005, the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, and the victory by the pro-Islamic Justice and Development Party in Turkey in July 2007.

"King Abdullah faces what appears to be the unpalatable risk of either accepting a more potent Islamist political opposition or having a surface monopoly on power that encourages even more underground Islamist activity in the kingdom," the report said.