Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Saddam Just Loves American Media
2. Californians Scramble to Oust Gov. Davis
3. Trap for Colin Powell at U.N.
4. U.S. Troops in Mideast: Beware of Your Own Ammo
5. My Big Fat Greek Ranting
6. Support President Bush
 

1. Saddam Just Loves American Media

With war clouds looming over Baghdad, are American media types camped out there worried about any harm coming their way?

Would Saddam hold them hostage? If war breaks out, might some be killed?

One could only imagine American media in Tokyo or Berlin during World War II. Actually, one couldn't imagine it.

But since then, the leftist media have earned their stripes from the enemies of the U.S. and are actually considered allies

A journalist who has been to Baghdad tells NewsMax that the American media there have little to fear.

"The Iraqis love the American media. They greet them with joy every  time they see them," the journalist said.

The journalist, who also served in Vietnam, said Saddam's regime sees the American media not as Americans, but useful allies and tools of the Iraqi propaganda machine – much like the Viet Cong viewed the American media during the Vietnam conflict.

2. Californians Scramble to Oust Gov. Davis

NewsMax's many California readers have been buzzing for more information about a brief UPI item we ran describing a bipartisan coalition to recall corrupt and extremely unpopular Gov. Gray Davis. Here's the inside scoop.

Melanie Morgan of radio station KSFO in San Francisco tells NewsMax that she got the ball rolling when, in a recent interview with California GOP chairman Shawn Steele, she suggested an effort to recall Davis.

"He investigated it, and discovered that with the low voter turnout, we need just 675,000 signatures for a recall. The law says that we can't officially begin until six months after Davis was inaugurated. June 1, we're off and running.

"Steele is going to introduce the recall effort at the California Republican convention next month. In the meantime, Steele has enlisted former Carter pollster Pat Caddell to handle a Dump Davis democrat petition drive. Right/Left Coalition is born!" Morgan writes.

Thousands of volunteers have already contacted Steele to participate, Morgan reveals.

All it takes is 675,000 fed-up Californians? Gray, you might want to start hunting for a new job. Perhaps the state tax collector is hiring bureaucrats to haul in the huge tax increases you're shoving down the people's throats.

3. Trap for Colin Powell at U.N.

NewsMax correspondent Stewart Stogel reports from the United Nations that when Secretary of State Colin Powell arrives at the Security Council on Wednesday to present new evidence on Iraqi weapons violations, he might get more than he bargained for.

Diplomatic sources tell NewsMax that Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz may come to the meeting to challenge Powell's presentation.

"If we are given the opportunity to participate, I believe he [Aziz] will attend," said Iraqi Ambassador Mohammed Aldouri.

Aldouri, who just returned from an extended "home leave" in Baghdad, does not think Powell's presentation will change any minds.

"The decision [for war] has already been made by the United States. Now, they are they just trying to justify it," Aldouri told NewsMax.

Syrian Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe says Damascus has seen nothing yet from Washington to justify a military campaign. He said Syria would welcome a visit to the council by Aziz. "He should come and be able to address the council .. We would welcome it."

Aziz has been making the rounds of the U.S. television networks challenging accusations made by President Bush in his State of the Union speech about Iraq hiding prohibited weapons.

Speaking on "Nightline," Aziz repeatedly called Bush a "liar" and demanded he produce evidence to back up the accusations.

The director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, speaking in New York City, said his agency had yet to uncover any evidence that Baghdad has resumed research or production of atomic weapons.

Though a final decision on a visit by Aziz to the Security Council will not be made for a few more days, diplomats at the U.N. would expect the Iraqi official to put Powell on the defensive.

Last month, Aziz said that Baghdad would allow Washington to send its own arms inspectors to Iraq to search for hidden weapons. The White House ignored the offer. Diplomats at the U.N. expect Aziz to repeat the offer if he attends the council's meeting.

The meeting will be chaired by Germany, which assumes the council's presidency for February. Berlin has not hidden its disagreements with Washington on a military campaign against Baghdad.

The looming prospect of a Powell-Aziz confrontation has the council's diplomats talking. "It could become quite dramatic," explained one ambassador.

That may prove to be the understatement of the month.

4. U.S. Troops in Mideast: Beware of Your Own Ammo

American forces in the Persian Gulf region are in part armed with controversial ammunition made by a Norwegian firm. The ammo, which fragments on impact, has since been banned in an international convention.

Called "MK-211 Raufoss," the projectiles reportedly are designed for improved armor penetration and are best known for fragmentation and incendiary effects. The bullets have been produced by Nammo, formerly Raufoss Ammunisjonsfabrikk, a market leader in the field.

Johs Norheim, head of business development for Nammo, confirmed to Norwegian newspaper Nationen that the company has sold MK-211 to the American military, but he would not reveal details.

5. My Big Fat Greek Ranting

We knew that letter signed by eight anti-Saddam European leaders would enrage Iraqi stooges France and Germany, but the angriest country of all is ... Greece.

What really fries Greece is that it "holds the rotating presidency of the EU and is therefore supposed to represent the bloc on the world stage, yet not one of the letter's signatories thought of inviting" Athens to sign the statement, United Press International reported.

In fact, Prime Minister Costas Simitis didn't even find out about the letter until right before its release, when Hungarian premier Peter Medgyessy mentioned it during a routine meeting. Hungary is not even a member of the European Union.

Simitis fumed that the statement "does not contribute to a common stance about the issue." Oh, but France and Germany do?

6. Support President Bush

This past week, President Bush rallied America to the cause of freedom.

But the Democrats, led by the likes of Ted Kennedy and Tom Daschle, are back to old tricks. Kennedy is already arguing that the previous congressional authorization given last year to President Bush is no good because support for the president has eroded. 

Now, more than ever, President Bush needs your help.

You can show your support for President Bush by checking out NewsMax's Bush collection. Just click here.

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