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The Ohio shopping mall bomb plotter pleads guilty Plus: Nancy Pelosi’s priorities Update: John Edwards is in a fluff!

By Michelle Malkin  •  July 31, 2007 09:13 PM

Update 10:30pm Eastern. Well, he wouldn’t do anything about jihadists on US soil, but John Edwards has decided to play Tough Guy with the Saudis abroad. Check out the latest AP headline:

Edwards assails U.S. arms sales to Arabs

Democrat John Edwards said the Bush administration’s plan to sell $20 billion worth of weapons to friendly Arab states amounted to a foreign policy of convenience and he will take a tougher stance with Saudi Arabia if elected president.

John Edwards. “Tougher.” Tee-hee.

Edwards said the United States should require the Saudi government to shut down the movement of terrorists across its borders, help stabilize the Iraqi government and participate more seriously in regional security before they are offered weapons.

Such a nutroots quandary: Attacking Bush’s Saudi coddling=good. Singling out Arab countries=bad. What to do? What to do?

At least we now have Johnny E. on record supporting national security profiling and border enforcement somewhere in the world. Just not here at home.

***
abdi1.jpgPut this on a bumper sticker, John Edwards: Jihad in America is real. Every time another al Qaeda-linked operative pleads guilty, the war on terrorism deniers roll their eyes. Downplay the seriousness of the plots. Decry racial profiling. And question the timing. The usual suspects will have the usual responses to yet another in a long line of self-confessed soldiers of Allah on American soil–this time, the Ohio shopping mall bomb plotter Nuradin Abdi:

A Somali immigrant the government says plotted to blow up an Ohio shopping mall pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to provide material support to terrorists. Nuradin Abdi, 35, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley a week before his trial had been expected to start Aug. 6.

The Justice Department accused Abdi of suggesting the plan to attack a Columbus shopping mall during an August 2002 meeting at a coffee shop with now-convicted terrorist Iyman Faris and a third suspect, Christopher Paul.

Faris is serving 20 years in a maximum-security federal prison in Florence, Colo., for his role in an al-Qaida plot to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge. Faris scouted the bridge and told al-Qaida its plans wouldn’t work, court papers have said.

Federal agents arrested Abdi the morning of Nov. 28, 2003, the day after Thanksgiving, out of fear the attack would be carried out on the heavy shopping day. He was arrested at 6 a.m. while leaving his Columbus home for morning prayers.

Prosecutors say Abdi gave stolen credit card numbers to a man accused of buying gear for al-Qaida, and lied on immigration documents to visit a jihadist training camp.

I wrote three years ago about how American’s insane asylum policies allowed Abdi to slip through. More on his co-conspirators here. Last year, another jihadi plot to attack malls came to light with the indictment of Chicago-area Muslim Derrick Shareef.

Tra-la-la. Nothing to see here, move along. Just another hapless “lone nut” who meant no harm when he provided material support to aid violent jihad, which doesn’t exist in the make-believe world of John Edwards and his ilk.

***

Forget about jihad, of course. Many Dems are busying themselves with impeachment. Lawhawk catches Nancy Pelosi playing both sides of the issue in an interview with left-wing journalists. Turns out she’d be for it if she didn’t feel like she had to be against it as speaker of the House:

If she were not in the House–and not Speaker of the House–Nancy Pelosi says she “would probably advocate” impeaching President Bush.

But given her current role as party leader, at a breakfast with progressive journalists today (named after our great friend Maria Leavey) Pelosi sketched her case against impeachment.

“The question of impeachment is something that would divide the country,” Pelosi said this morning during a wide-ranging discussion in the ornate Speaker’s office. Her top priorities are ending the war in Iraq, expanding health care, creating jobs and preserving the environment. “I know what our success can be on those issues. I don’t know what our success can be on impeaching the president.”

Notice that fighting jihad on the homefront is not on that list of priorities. I’m giving Lawhawk the last word here:

Pelosi’s view is one of 9/10, and one that proved to have fatal outcomes.

This is what passes as leadership in the House. Keep this in mind when you think that your vote doesn’t count or if you intend to sit out in 2008. Your votes do have consequences, and should have consequences.

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Comments

  1. #1
    On July 31st, 2007 at 9:36 pm, almeehan said:

    Once again Michelle is out front with keys issues that don’t seem to be resonating in the MSM. And we all know why…it doesn’t fit their agenda or template. I was in the Charlotte South Park Mall yesterday and saw how utterly vulnerable we are to the wave of, wishes and whims of these illegal terrorists immigrants (no not immigrants-territorial invaders). While at the Charlotte airport, the security there was pathetic allowing cars to park or sit in strategically vulnerable places threatening large groups of people. It has to be the restraining hand of God, not Homeland Security or the US Congress that has spared us so far. How much longer will He put up with the left wing liberal madness and arrogance of the elitists of this nation?

  2. #2
    On July 31st, 2007 at 9:41 pm, The Raging Republican said:

    It must be soooooooooo hard for Pelosi to sit on her hands and not be a Democrat…… I love it!

  3. #3
    On July 31st, 2007 at 9:55 pm, Brian Paasch said:

    “…violent jihad, which doesn’t exist in the make-believe world of John Edwards and his ilk.”

    I doubt that I’m alone here to say I believe that attitude goes far beyond John Edwards, and deeply spans both R and D parties. To our nation’s serious peril.

  4. #4
    On July 31st, 2007 at 9:55 pm, sausage said:

    Fear, fear, fear. Let’s get the drum beat going.

    Almeehan - you worry about South Park shopping mall? You’re much more likely to be knocked down and killed outside of the mall on the road than being killed in any possible terrorist attack.

  5. #5
    On July 31st, 2007 at 9:55 pm, 24Klady said:

    Mall Security: Many years ago, there was a small aircraft that had some kind of problem and missed landing at the nearby airport in Concord/Pleasant Hill, CA…thus, crashing into a very large shopping mall nearby. It was only a matter of a few blocks between the mall and the airport. It created complete panic, people crushing others to get out, and others jumping to escape the resulting fires. Employees of the smaller shops helped those trapped within the mall to escape through their backdoors and loading areas. I don’t know what the anchor stores did as far as assistance? Mall security was virtually useless. Today, malls are much bigger, as is that one, and anything close to a terrorist situation would be unbridled panic. Casual observation, as the ultimate shopper, is that mall security is still only for the occasional shoplifter or purse snacher.

  6. #6
    On July 31st, 2007 at 10:01 pm, zorro said:

    It has to be the restraining hand of God, not Homeland Security or the US Congress that has spared us so far.
    July 31st, 2007 at 9:36 pm, almeehan

    Yes, with out a doubt, you are correct. Keep praying.

  7. #7
    On July 31st, 2007 at 10:02 pm, olblueyes said:

    that attitude goes far beyond John Edwards, and deeply spans both R and D parties.

    unfortunately that attitude spans more than just the parties and has seeped into the average american. most americans won’t pay attention until the body count starts piling up and by then it will be too late. Let the good times roll, America!

  8. #8
    On July 31st, 2007 at 10:10 pm, olblueyes said:

    It has to be the restraining hand of God, not Homeland Security or the US Congress that has spared us so far.

    I won’t argue that God hasn’t been merciful to the U.S. since 9-11, but I think a lot has to do with Al Qaida’s preference to grandiose events with mass causualties rivalling even those of their last suicidal murdering spree. They are always looking to top themselves and probably wouldn’t want a smaller operation to give the impression that they aren’t capable of delivering serious blows to America. Another thought is they already know how Bush will react if it happened again on his watch, maybe they are just waiting for the next Commander in Chief to take office to test his or (God forbid) her resolve ( and you know what i mean! ) This next election may be more important then ever!

  9. #9
    On July 31st, 2007 at 10:38 pm, 29Victor said:

    Edwards needs to brush up on his Disney cartoons.

    There is a real enemy and it takes many forms. This is nothing new. It was true during WWII and it is true now. But history teaches us that just as there will always be those who wish to take our freedom, there will always be people who deny the reality of the threat that faces us. That also was true during WWII.

  10. #10
    On July 31st, 2007 at 10:52 pm, bear1909 said:

    Nausage#4 said:

    Fear, fear, fear. Let’s get the drum beat going.

    Almeehan - you worry about South Park shopping mall? You’re much more likely to be knocked down and killed outside of the mall on the road than being killed in any possible terrorist attack.

    As for me Nausage, I am only afraid of what I don’t understand. Jihad is something I understand all too well. Islam is something I understand all too well. Radical extremism is something I understand all too well.

    Therefore, those among us who are made fearful by news reports bear the responsibility of becoming informed, knowledgeable and skillful in the face of what has already happened here in the United States and will happen again.

    Take a disaster first aid class. Be ready to help people wounded in a terrorist bombing.

    Take a fire suppression class to assist local firefighters in the event of a mass explosion or use of car bombs. Save lives by knowing how to contain small fires.

    Take a light search and rescue class to assist the elderly and animals or anybody trapped in the wreckage of a building, safely without endangering your own life or theirs.

    Do something real to prepare and empower oneself to act with courage and help all those first responders who put their lives on the line for us- but who might be incapacitated or unavailable to help in that emergency.

    The alternative, Nausage, is shame. What does one tell their kids in the event of such a disaster when one knows one knew, but did nothing- or even worse, wrote to blogs and denied the possibility or the gravity of the situation we saw coming.

    And shame kils, Dude.

    Now, onto less remedial things.

    I know two commercial landlords in the vicinity of the Bay Area location where I am living and their security apparatus is all covert. There is no guarantee of insurance coverage of potential loss due to terrorism.

    They aren’t afraid. They are vigilant. They comprehend the real costs and potential loss at the hands of jihadis, of which there are thousands lying in wait around the SFO Bay Area, in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Washington, and Illinois. All of these states have been probed.

    Call it what you will, Nausage. I call it vigilance in the face of a self-declared enemy of ours since 1780.

    I think the statistical rebuttal to the probability of terrorist inspired death and destruction is the choice of an American ostrich.

  11. #11
    On July 31st, 2007 at 11:00 pm, purplepeep said:

    he (Edwards) will take a tougher stance with Saudi Arabia if elected president.

    We could be selling this guy short, gang. An embargo on AquaNet Extra Hold and Liza Minnelli CDs is probably just the thing to bring the terror-sponsoring Saudis to their knees!!

  12. #12
    On July 31st, 2007 at 11:26 pm, olblueyes said:

    Hey Bear1909, i’ve heard before of her hiring illegal aliens, maybe from NewsMax. Is she still doing this? how hard would it be for somebody in the state of California to sue for that and/or push for some kind of raids by ICE. why don’t Republicans push this issue? if the roles were reversed i doubt the Democrats would so willingly look the other way. could something like this be in the works, albeit on the backburner until the next elections come around? just pondering…and sorry for being off topic.

  13. #13
    On July 31st, 2007 at 11:28 pm, bear1909 said:

    Not off topic at all….what happened to my post? :)

  14. #14
    On July 31st, 2007 at 11:40 pm, Michelle Malkin said:

    I deleted your comment. Please read the terms of use regarding profane language. You are free to disagree with Pelosi here. You are not free to heap inappropriate ad hominem attacks on her or anyone else. Thanks.

  15. #15
    On August 1st, 2007 at 12:37 am, DaveC said:

    John Edwards version of being tough is a wash, rinse, no repeat, no conditioner..

  16. #16
    On August 1st, 2007 at 12:39 am, blacktygrrrr said:

    The problem is that we are more concerned with human feelings and emotions then we are about saving lives.

    80 year old retired librarian Etta Mae Johnson from Hattiesburg, Mississippi (fictional person) is simply less of a threat than 25 year old “chemist” Abdul Hussein (also fictional) with a passport with “Syria” crossed out and replaced with “Seattle.”

    Some say they did not consent to be profiled. Well I did not consent to be blown to kingdom come.

    http://blacktygrrrr.wordpress.com/2007/05/09/ethnic-profiling-screw-feelings-i-want-to-live/

    http://blacktygrrrr.wordpress.com/2007/07/07/white-men-do-get-profiled-i-should-know/

    Also, while I have no idea what comment Ms. Malkin deleted, I do know that she respects her “brand.” I wish left wing sites would do the same. I disagree with virtually everything liberals stand for, but I do not hate them, and think that they lower themselves by putting personal attacks over policy views on their website.

    Everything on my blog is my responsibility, and I expect the same of other blogs.

    Respectfully,

    eric

  17. #17
    On August 1st, 2007 at 12:40 am, swj719AWG said:

    On July 31st, 2007 at 11:40 pm, Michelle Malkin said:
    I deleted your comment. Please read the terms of use regarding profane language. You are free to disagree with Pelosi here. You are not free to heap inappropriate ad hominem attacks on her or anyone else. Thanks.

    And here we have the absolute difference between MM’s blog, and sess pools like Kos.

    MM doesn’t allow that “crud”. Kos celebrates it.

  18. #18
    On August 1st, 2007 at 12:53 am, purplepeep said:

    Pumice shampoo!! Ouch!

    But seriously, folks, I expect to see more of Edwards faux-tuffness as the candidates try to wildly careen to the “middle” - or what they believe to be middle ground.

    The problem, for them, is that they’ve played so much in the KosKid’s sandbox that their attempts to get anywhere even near normal may well be Sisyphan-like endeavors.

  19. #19
    On August 1st, 2007 at 12:54 am, berkeleythurm said:

    It’s not often that I agree with John Edwards, but honestly, I’ll agree with anyone on the issues of criticizing and attempting to block arms sales to “moderate” Arab states. Quite a myopic view in my opinion on the part of the Bush administration. We should not be selling weapons to regimes who are despotic in nature and whose populations overwhelming HATE the United States.

  20. #20
    On August 1st, 2007 at 1:07 am, purplepeep said:

    berkeleythurm said:
    It’s not often that I agree with John Edwards

    I see this as more politics-as-usual rather than sudden Damascus Road-ish honest outrage on Edward’s part, berkeleythurm. Y’ think?

  21. #21
    On August 1st, 2007 at 3:13 am, tyrion said:

    At least we now have Johnny E. on record supporting national security profiling and border enforcement somewhere in the world. Just not here at home.

    LOL! Great point, Michelle. And if Mickey Mousse` gets to the general election, these statements could be used against him for that very reason.

  22. #22
    On August 1st, 2007 at 4:26 am, Sergeant Tim said:

    Two down (Abdi and Faris) and one (Christopher Paul) to go. Yet there will me more.

  23. #23
    On August 1st, 2007 at 4:47 am, Sergeant Tim said:

    At least we now have Johnny E. on record supporting national security profiling and border enforcement somewhere in the world. Just not here at home.

    I think we know how Edwards keeps his hair so brown and shiny… but I digress.

  24. #24
    On August 1st, 2007 at 7:36 am, DesertLover said:

    Difficult to understand how the leftist crowd can continue to deny there is a GWOT and claim that all the efforts of this administration to prevent another attack on U.S. soil have failed and are just a “bumper sticker” …

    Keep up the good work and catch all of these fanatics before they can harm anyone …

    I have no problem with sending them to meet all those virgins … but I do have to wonder …

    What do you have left once they are no longer virgins?

    just a crazy thought this morning …

  25. #25
    On August 1st, 2007 at 9:19 am, purplepeep said:

    DesertLover said:
    I have no problem with sending them to meet all those virgins

    You, matchmaker, you.

    What do you have left once they are no longer virgins?

    I figure that’s their problem. But I expect intense heat will be their more
    immediate concern.

    But to get back to the topic at hand; now that we know John E is putting his foot down, we can stop being concerned about the jihadis.
    (Or did he say, “letting his hair down?” Ah, well.)

  26. #26
    On August 1st, 2007 at 10:03 am, DesertLover said:

    purplepeep

    Anything to help out …

    I just want to be sure that all the nutroots and their handlers comments are not forgotten as these next elections go forward …

    I can’t wait to hear them talking out of the other side of their collective mouths when our brave troops finally get the recognition for the good they are doing … some of it seems to have been coming around the last few days … and it seems to have started some re-evaluation amongst a few of the “blue dogs” … we shall see …

    When the day of Victory does comes … Little Johnnie’s “bumper sticker” will have a new meaning …

    Guts Wins Over Terrorism

  27. #27
    On August 1st, 2007 at 10:24 am, The Raging Republican said:

    Democrat John Edwards said the Bush administration’s plan to sell $20 billion worth of weapons to friendly Arab states amounted to a foreign policy of convenience and he will take a tougher stance with Saudi Arabia if elected president.

    Edwards is not really opposed to this nor would he “take a tougher stance if elected president”. More so, this is just an anti-gun reflex action. He is a crazy left wing loon; therefore he has to be against gun sales!

  28. #28
    On August 1st, 2007 at 10:38 am, bipartisancomplainer said:

    sausage said:
    Fear, fear, fear. Let’s get the drum beat going.

    Almeehan - you worry about South Park shopping mall? You’re much more likely to be knocked down and killed outside of the mall on the road than being killed in any possible terrorist attack.

    Denial, denial, denial. The terrorists actually tell you directly they are going to attack and yet you deny.

  29. #29
    On August 1st, 2007 at 12:24 pm, jukin said:

    All the tough talk from obamma and silkyis the direct result of the surge working (although you would never know it from the MSM))

  30. #30
    On August 1st, 2007 at 4:19 pm, DR_Remulak said:

    You’re much more likely to be killed by a terrorist than to be sent to Gitmo for “dissent”.

  31. #31
    On August 1st, 2007 at 4:35 pm, sausage said:

    Denial, denial, denial. The terrorists actually tell you directly they are going to attack and yet you deny.

    Being a Brit living in the USA (legally mind, ha!) I am well used to the notion of terrorism (over 20 years of IRA bomb threats and actual bombings anyone?) and do not deny “they” would love to attack me.

    But the odds are so small, I worry about other things instead. Like being killed on the road or dying from second hand smoke which statistically is far more likely than any “terrorist” attack.

  32. #32
    On August 1st, 2007 at 4:58 pm, purplepeep said:

    sausage said:
    I am well used to the notion of terrorism (over 20 years of IRA bomb threats and actual bombings anyone?

    Erm…I don’t know that Britian’s inability to protect it’s own citizens for over a score of years is something I’d choose to base a point on.

    By contrast isn’t it great to be in a nation where, in the age of global terrorism, “second hand smoke” is your biggest worry in life?

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