http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=ship Sat, 18 May 2013 14:43:20 -0400 Liveleak http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/logo.gif http://www.liveleak.com/browse?q=ship Fri, 17 May 2013 14:44:03 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b06_1368815987 trappy This video was shot at the location of a tragic accident. It is not our interest to gain attention on the backs of those who have lost loved ones. This video is supposed to be a showcase for possible UAV applications. Our goal is to display the stranded ship in a never-before seen way. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who drowned on this day and we are hoping for a swift removal to reveal again the underlying beauty of Giglio Island, Italy. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b06_1368815987 trappy COSTA CONCORDIA - quadcopter HD footage Costa Concordia, FPV, drone, HD, quadcopter, flying, ship Fri, 17 May 2013 22:55:22 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2a9_1368845596 k1971c Exposing the man made origins of the book of the muhammadans http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2a9_1368845596 k1971c The Imperfect Quran islam,quran,muslim,lies Fri, 17 May 2013 16:17:51 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=24e_1368821582 dorisig www.iceland-dori.blogspot.com Today started the art festival in Reykjavik,Iceland . And the first thing that was done , was a concert in Reykjavik harbour . 15 boats ( ships ) in Reykjavik harbor played a concert on their horns , for ten minutes - It was controlled by the author , with a radio to the ships. And in the end , all the ships signed off - as you can hear on the loudspeaker in the end - Probably the biggest concert ever - regardin - Size- weight and volume - Lot of people attended the concert - Dont know if they will play again - and if so - where . http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=24e_1368821582 dorisig Biggest concert ever - in Reykjavik,Iceland iceland,concert,ship,boats,horn,horns, Sat, 18 May 2013 11:21:55 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2a9_1368890168 Lake8737 They kidnapped three last year in the same way. Google translate North Korea seized and detained in the China Sea China's Liao general fishing 25222 "fishing boat, the captain and 15 crew members with the ship was brought to North Korea. The incident the night of May 5, tomorrow (May 19) 12:00 pay 60 million ransom deadline, late forfeiture of vessels. Has been informed of the situation, the owner running for several days to no avail, the relevant departments do not ask things, the owner is very anxious, pleading Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Embassy in the DPRK to come forward to help deal with the matter. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2a9_1368890168 Lake8737 North Korea kidnapped Chinese fishing boat, asking for ransom of 600,000 yuan china,chinese,fishing boat,north korea Fri, 17 May 2013 22:59:21 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=583_1368837223 skotup This is one we got into a lot of trouble for. Filming the Costa Concordia, place of a tragic accident and controversy. TBS went in and filmed the repair works. Watch the ending for launch spot, and the beginning for the disclaimers. music by: K Theory ( Simplify Recordings ) edited by: aufmschlau.ch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESYr2y-WOeE This video was shot at the location of a tragic accident. It is not our interest to gain attention on the backs of those who have lost loved ones. This video is supposed to be a showcase for possible UAV applications. Our goal is to display the stranded ship in a never-before seen way. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who drowned on this day and we are hoping for a swift removal to reveal again the underlying beauty of Giglio Island, Italy. Team BlackSheep in ITALY http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=583_1368837223 skotup Costa Concordia proximity FPV flying with a quad rotor drone. Costa, Concordia, italy, fpv, quad, tbs, team black sheep, repair, discovery Fri, 17 May 2013 19:08:50 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0dc_1368831518 GLEISE581 Send to a Friend Print 'Expect Israeli strikes on Russian arms shipment to Syria-Hezbollah'U.S. officials tell The Wall Street Journal: Another round of Israeli airstrikes could target a new Russian transfer of Yakhont advanced anti-ship missiles in the near future o Russia moving more quickly than previously thought to deliver S-300 surface-to-air defense systems to Syria o CIA Director John Brennan in Israel to coordinate policy. Shlomo Cesana, David Baron, Daniel Siryoti and Israel Hayom staff The Guards guided-missile cruiser Varyag at sea Photo credit: Wiki Commons &lt;&lt;123&gt;&gt;U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that another round of Israeli airstrikes could target a new Russian transfer of advanced anti-ship missiles in the near future. Israeli and Western intelligence services believe the Yakhont missiles, which have been sold by Russia to Syria in recent years, could be transferred to Hezbollah within days, the newspaper reported on its website Friday. At the same time, The New York Times reported Friday that the Yakhont missiles have already been delivered to Syria's armed forces. Israel has repeatedly reinforced, with words and actions, its stated red line: that it will not allow the transfer of "game-changing" weaponry to Islamic terror groups such as Hezbollah. Israel has also relayed messages that it is not seeking a confrontation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces, but will act against transfers of weaponry through his territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's last-minute trip to Russia on Tuesday apparently did not change the Russians' intentions to also deliver the advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Syria. According to the Journal, U.S. officials believe that Russia is moving more quickly than previously thought to deliver S-300 surface-to-air defense systems to Syria. U.S. officials told the paper that the S-300 system, which is capable of shooting down guided missiles and could make it more risky for any warplanes to enter Syrian airspace, could leave Russia for Syrian port of Tartus by the end of May. Together, the S-300 anti-aircraft and anti-missile system, and the Yakhont anti-ship system, would pose a formidable threat to any outside intervention in Syria, based on the international Libya model. The anti-ship missiles would be a serious threat to the Israeli navy, as well as the facilities above Israel's newfound underwater gas reserves. The S-300 could threaten Israeli military and civilian aircraft flying Israeli airspace, and not just over Lebanese and Syrian airspace. The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia has sent a dozen or more warships to patrol waters near its naval base in Syria, a buildup that U.S. and European officials see as a newly aggressive stance meant partly to warn the West and Israel not to intervene in Syria's bloody civil war. Russia's expanded presence in the eastern Mediterranean, which began attracting U.S. officials' notice three months ago, represents one of its largest sustained naval deployments since the Cold War, according to the Journal. The paper reported that Russia currently has 11 ships in the eastern Mediterranean, organized into three taskforces, including destroyers, frigates, support vessels and intelligence-collecting ships. Another three-ship group of amphibious vessels is headed to the region. Russia's navy chief confirmed that warships from Russia's Pacific Fleet had entered the Mediterranean for the first time in decades, and that the taskforce might be reinforced with nuclear submarines, as the country starts building up a permanent fleet in the region. The group includes the destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, two amphibious warfare ships called Peresvet and Admiral Nevelskoi, and a tanker and a tugboat. "The taskforce has successfully passed through the Suez Canal and entered the Mediterranean. It is the first time in decades that Pacific Fleet warships have entered this region," Pacific Fleet spokesman Capt. 1st Rank Roman Martov told RIA. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meanwhile told Lebanese TV station al-Mayadeen on Thursday that Moscow had not backed down from its contract to supply S-300 systems to Syria. "We are not signing any new contracts, but we will complete the old ones, especially with regards to aerial defense systems," Lavrov said. In what could be perceived as a message to Israel, he said, "Those that aren't planning on acting aggressively against sovereign nations should not have any reason to fear this." The unofficial response from Israeli government officials to Lavrov's statements amounted to saying that actions will be the deciding factor and not declarations. A senior government official noted that the deal between Russia and Syria had been signed in 2010 and was delayed multiple times, despite numerous Russian statements that it would be carried out. "We relayed the message . Bringing weapons to Syria destabilizes the area and carries the risk of seeing them transferred to Hezbollah," a government official said. In a sign of the growing tension in the region, CIA Director John Brennan arrived in Israel Thursday and met with the top officials in Israel's defense establishment, with a central focus on the developments in Syria. It was Brennan's first trip to Israel since assuming his position two months ago. The CIA chief went straight into a meeting in Tel Aviv with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, a senior Israeli official told AFP. Channel 10 TV said that Ya'alon reaffirmed during the talks that Israel "will not permit the transfer of weapons" from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to local press reports, Brennan's visit is aimed at coordinating U.S. and Israeli positions over the escalating crisis in Syria, specifically as international diplomatic momentum between the U.S. and Russia gathers for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. According to the reports, the U.S. is concerned that Israel will act independently to strike any advanced arms shipments in Syria it believes may be headed to Hezbollah, potentially scuttling the international diplomatic maneuvering. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_J0gDkDskVlA/SwYZC-jcj6I/AAAAAAAAAs8/TExIseeX0dg/s1600/ss-n-26-yakhont-oniks-p-800.jpg http://www.jinewsnet.com/storage/s-300.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1259079686153 http://www.enduringamerica.com/storage/blog-post-images/SYRIA%20ISRAEL%20AIRSTRIKE%20---%20USED%2006-05-13.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1367826841548 http://dam.alarabiya.net/images/ed9ce218-ec1e-45b4-a5e8-fc46e7ab5708/600/338/1?x=0&amp;y=0 http://media.sbs.com.au/news/thm/articlemain/4432_israel-syria-bomb3-130505-aap.jpg http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0dc_1368831518 GLEISE581 ISRAEL TO DESTROY NEW RUSSIAN ARMS <span class="highlight">SHIP</span>MENTS syria assad putin russia Fri, 17 May 2013 15:34:30 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ca4_1368815499 PARABELLUM Scoped AK and CAR-15 rifles and croatian SPG-29s are only the beginning. Somebody is trying to win the Syria war by arming the FSA and allied Mujahedin. Another FSA combatant with his AMD-65 A good example: The AMD-65, produced since 1965, is a short barreled 7.62x39mm AK variant made by the Hungarian manufacturer Fegyver 'Es G'epgy'ar. Primarily designed for airborne and mechanized infantry. The assault rifle can be identified by 1. The specially designed muzzlebreak (conventional birdcage and duckbill flash supressors are also found) 2. The 12.5 inch barrel (the front sight is positioned directly behind the gas block) 3. The uniqe paratrooper (alternatively a retractable AR-15 style buttstock ) The accessories mounted on the AMD65Ms shown in the images above include an alleged CAA Tactical handguard and picatinny rails equipped with a front grip by the same manufacturer and high magnification scopes on mounts. Opposition child soldier holding an AMD-65M The picatinny rails seen on the AMD-65s may be explained due to recent modernizations of the old design by it's manufacturer that went out of business in 2004. However the telescopic magnification scope is very uncommon for a 7.62x39mm carbine with an effective range of 200 metres and makes it unlikely that it was issued by the Syrian Arab Army. 20.000 classic AMD-65Ms were given to Afghan police units in 2007 where it is also used in an upgraded version with equipment by CAA Tactical. It was speculated that such modified AMD-65M rifles are also in use with private military companies . Afghan Border Police AMD-65 with CAA style rails Other unidentified AK and AR-15 models are also spotted heavily modified and used with telescopic sights. A recent video released by government opposing Mujahedin showed a high magnification telescopic scope mounted on a modified AKMS. Scoped AR-15 of unknown origin supposedly chambered in 5.56mm NATO with Magpul UBR stock or a copy Another AKM model with a CAA type handguard and Grip Pod or copies As reputable manufacturers of the modification and rail systems, like SAA Tactical and possible Asian copiers, hardly ship into war zones and many of it's Free Syrian Army users are relatively untrained in handling firearms, it is highly probable that the weapons issuing such modifications are shipped or directly upgraded by foreign military organizations. If this was the case, it would fit in the weapon shipments from Croatia that draw attention thanks to the articles of Elliot Higgins and EA WorldView. PARABELLUM is dedicated to objective defense reports. Support it by voting articles up and subscribing. References: Images and videos by Vice, Arab News, IncredibleTV1, Photoshelter Blog, Reuters, Biztons'agpolitika 'es terrorizmus , Tumblr; fmj556x45 , DAPD, gunsngear, CAA Tactical The Worlds Assault Rifles, Gary Paul Johnsten and Thomas B. Nelson http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/one-poor-choice-in-arming-the-afghans-and-its-repercussions/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_65 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ca4_1368815499 PARABELLUM Weapon Analysis: High End Weapons for the FSA? Syria, war, FSA, weapons, U.S., America, AK47, modern, PARABELLUM Thu, 16 May 2013 04:46:05 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f14_1368692813 alex91 Genova 08 May. The ship called Jolly Nero was manoeuvring out of the port with the help of tugboats in calm conditions when accidentally hit the control tower. 8 people dead and 1 still miss. The cause of crash is not clear. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f14_1368692813 alex91 <span class="highlight">Ship</span> hit the tower control ship accident tower genova Wed, 15 May 2013 13:23:07 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c29_1368638432 plokiju The Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) is an anti-ship missile being developed by DARPA for the US Navy. Unlike current anti-ship missiles the LRASM will be capable of conducting autonomous targeting, relying on on-board targeting systems to independently acquire the target without the presence of prior, precision intelligence, or supporting services like Global Positioning Satellite navigation and data-links. These capabilities will enable positive target identification, precision engagement of moving ships and establishing of initial target cueing in extremely hostile environment. The missile will be designed with advanced counter-countermeasures to effectively evade hostile active defense systems. Planned to enter service in 2015 Manufacturer Lockheed Martin http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c29_1368638432 plokiju Long Range Anti-<span class="highlight">Ship</span> Missile Long, Range, Anti-Ship, Missile, LRASM, Lockheed, Martin Fri, 17 May 2013 09:25:21 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ec0_1368795154 skotup http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ec0_1368795154 skotup SAA duckestroy destroy french humanitarian aid truck for smuggling arms to FSA syria, french, humanitare, aid, arms, destroy, truck Fri, 17 May 2013 09:06:19 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=23b_1368795857 omniradar By Daya Gamage May 16, 2013 "Information Clearing House " -" Asian Tribune"- There is a 'side story' going on in the American media - both the electronic and print about the Islamist jihadists lethal attack on the American 'post' in Benghazi, Libya last September 11 which killed American ambassador Christopher Steven and three others; The emphasis and the debate is on why the event was twisted by the Obama administration to conceal a terrorist attack on eve of the presidential election. With the killing of Osama bin Larden on May 2 last year the administration, which was approaching the re-election of Mr. Obama in November, wants to convince the American people that the al Qaeda was now annihilated for good. When the Islamist jihadist group affiliated to al Qaeda lethally attacked the American 'post' in Benghazi the Obama administration twisted the events to convince that a anti-Islamic video produced by someone in California was the cause of the attack. These days the highlights and debate is about why the 'talking points' were changed twelve times to give that different picture. As Obama rightfully said a couple of days ago about this debate, mostly spearheaded by the Republicans, was a 'side show.' The 'real show' is in fact buried. And the 'real show' is that the United States, Ambassador Steven playing a major role, was in the process of shipping arms to Syrian rebels to topple Basher el-Assad's regime. It was on October 25 last year that FoxNews.com broke the story that a mysterious Libyan ship was reportedly carrying weapons and bound for Syrian rebels would have had some link to the September 11 terror attack on the U.S. 'post' in Benghazi. Why do we use the term 'post' in this report? Because when changes were made to the Benghazi attack story by the Obama administration it changed from 'American Consulate' to 'American Post'. The reason: Benghazi operation was entirely a CIA operation. Through shipping records, Fox News has confirmed that the Libyan-flagged vessel Al Entisar, which means "The Victory," was received in the Turkish port of Iskenderun -- 35 miles from the Syrian border -- on Sept. 6, just five days before Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other American officers were killed during an extended assault by more than 100 Islamist militants. On the night of Sept. 11, in what would become his last known public meeting, Stevens met with the Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akin, and escorted him out of the 'posts' front gate one hour before the assault began. Although what was discussed at the meeting is not public, a source told Fox News that Stevens was in Benghazi to negotiate a weapons transfer, an effort to get SA-7 missiles out of the hands of Libya-based extremists. And although the negotiation said to have taken place may have had nothing to do with the attack on the consulate later that night or the Libyan mystery ship, it could explain why Stevens was travelling in such a volatile region on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. When asked to comment, a State Department spokeswoman dismissed the idea, saying Stevens was there for diplomatic meetings, and to attend the opening of a cultural center. According to an initial Sept. 14 report by the Times of London, Al Entisar was carrying 400 tons of cargo. Some of it was humanitarian, but also reportedly weapons, described by the report as the largest consignment of weapons headed for Syria's rebels on the frontlines. The cargo reportedly included surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles, RPG's and Russian-designed shoulder-launched missiles known as MANPADS. In March 2011 Stevens became the official U.S. liaison to the al-Qaeda-linked Libyan opposition, working directly with Abdelhakim Belhadj of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group-a group that has now disbanded, with some fighters reportedly participating in the attack that took Stevens' life. In November 2011 The Telegraph reported that Belhadj, acting as head of the Tripoli Military Council, "met with Free Syrian Army leaders in Istanbul and on the border with Turkey" in an effort by the new Libyan government to provide money and weapons to the growing insurgency in Syria. The Internet Media reported at that time that Ambassador Stevens had only one person-Belhadj-between himself and the Benghazi man who brought heavy weapons to Syria. The Asian Tribune has also found that the Internet Media further reported that if the new Libyan government was sending seasoned Islamic fighters and 400 tons of heavy weapons to Syria through a port in southern Turkey-a deal brokered by Stevens' primary Libyan contact during the Libyan revolution-then the governments of Turkey and the U.S. surely knew about it. Furthermore there was a CIA post in Benghazi, located 1.2 miles from the U.S. consulate, used as "a base for, among other things, collecting information on the proliferation of weaponry looted from Libyan government arsenals, including surface-to-air missiles" ... and that its security features "were more advanced than those at rented villa where Stevens died." As noted earlier, the Obama administration has since described the American facility in Benghazi not as a 'Consulate' but as a 'Post'. The U.S. Republican Senator Rand Paul, who is expected to run for his party presidential nomination in the year 2016, was the only American lawmaker who disclosed about this 'arms deal' which he connects to Ambassador Steven's brutal muder in the hands of the Islamist Jihadists. In an interview aired on CNN May 9 evening, Sen. Paul said he hasn't ruled out the possibility that last year's attack unfolded as a result of a secret arms trade. The confusion in the immediate aftermath of the event - including unfounded admissions from America's United Nations envoy Susan Rice that contradicted what is known today about the attack - could actually be a cover-up, the senator said. The Obama administration sent its ambassador to UN Susan Rice on the following Sunday talk shows to say that the offending Islamic video was the cause of the attack in Benghazi. "I've actually always suspected that, although I have no evidence, that maybe we were facilitating arms leaving Libya going through Turkey into Syria," he said. "Were they trying to obscure that there was an arms operation going on at the CIA annex?" Paul asked. "I'm not sure exactly what was going on, but I think questions ought to be asked and answered, and I'm a little curious when employees of the State Department are told by government officials they shouldn't testify - before the Senate or House committees - and then they are sort of sequestered and kept away from testimony, so I think there may be more to this." This is not the first time either that Senator Paul raised questions about possible arms supplies under the CIA umbrella. During her testimony in the Senate in January, Rand Paul asked then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton whether the spy agency was sending weapons from Benghazi into other countries. Clinton replied that he would have to ask CIA officials about it. Sen. Rand Paul said on Aaron Klein Radio in mid April: "First of all with regard to Benghazi, I think it's important because it may have something to do with why the compound was attacked. If we were involved with shipping guns to Turkey, there was a report that a ship left from Libya towards Turkey and that there were arms on it in the week preceding this ; there were reports that our ambassador was meeting with the Turkish attach'e, so I think with regards to figuring out what happened at Benghazi, it's very important to know whether or not the CIA annex had anything to do with facilitating guns being sent to Turkey and ultimately to Syria. With regard to arming the rebels, just this week in the armed services committee, General Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that we were no longer able to distinguish who the good guys were from the bad guys and that sounds pretty worrisome if we are actually arming people who in the end may be enemies of America...enemies of Israel... enemies maybe of the Christians who live within Syria...sending arms to a rebel force to that may include Al-Nusra and other radical jihadists." In the eighties, the Iran-Contra Arms Affair shook the Regan administration the way the Benghazi affair is developing to shake the foundation of the Obama administration. Iran-contra affair, in U.S. history, secret arrangement in the 1980s to provide funds to the Nicaraguan contra rebels from profits gained by selling arms to Iran. The Iran-contra affair was the product of two separate initiatives during the administration of President Ronald Reagan. The first was a commitment to aid the contras who were conducting a guerrilla war against the leftist Sandinista government of Nicaragua. The second was to placate "moderates" within the Iranian government in order to secure the release of American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon and to influence Iranian foreign policy in a pro-Western direction. Despite the strong opposition of the Reagan administration, the Democratic-controlled Congress enacted legislation that prohibited the Defense Dept., the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), or any other government agency from providing military aid to the contras from Dec., 1983, to Sept., 1985. The Reagan administration circumvented these limitations by using the National Security Council (NSC), which was not explicitly covered by the law, to supervise covert military aid to the contras. Under Robert McFarlane (1983-85) and John Poindexter (1985-86) the NSC raised private and foreign funds for the contras. This operation was directed by NSC staffer Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North. McFarlane and North were also the central figures in the plan to secretly ship arms to Iran despite a U.S. trade and arms embargo. In early Nov., 1986, the scandal broke when reports in Lebanese newspapers forced the Reagan administration to disclose the arms deals. Poindexter resigned before the end of the month; North was fired. Select congressional committees held joint hearings, and in Dec., 1986, Lawrence E. Walsh was named as special prosecutor to investigate the affair. Higher administration officials, particularly Reagan, Vice President Bush, and William J. Casey (former director of the CIA, who died in May, 1987), were implicated in some testimony, but the extent of their involvement remained unclear. North said he believed Reagan was largely aware of the secret arrangement, and the independent prosecutor's report (1994) said that Reagan and Bush had some knowledge of the affair or its cover-up. Reagan and Bush both claimed to have been uninformed about the details of the affair, and no evidence was found to link them to any crime. A presidential commission was critical of the NSC, while congressional hearings uncovered a web of official deception, mismanagement, and illegality. A number of criminal convictions resulted, including those of McFarlane, North, and Poindexter, but North's and Poindexter's were vacated on appeal because of immunity agreements with the Senate concerning their testimony. Former State Dept. and CIA officials pleaded guilty in 1991 to withholding information about the contra aid from Congress, and Caspar Weinberger, defense secretary under Reagan, was charged (1992) with the same offense. In 1992 then-president Bush pardoned Weinberger and other officials who had been indicted or convicted for withholding information on or obstructing investigation of the affair. Will the Benghazi Affair leads that far? http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=23b_1368795857 omniradar The real Benghazi story US Smuggling Weapons to Syrian Rebels Thu, 16 May 2013 14:02:36 -0400 http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2e2_1368726988 Detroit Iron by Joe Concha 8:58 am, May 16th, 2013 "I do not believe what the IRS was reported to have been doing is an outrage. I believe that the IRS agents in this case did nothing wrong. Let me say it again, you won't hear it anywhere else: the IRS agents did nothing wrong. They were simply trying to enforce the law as the IRS has understood it since 1959." - Lawrence O'Donnell on the IRS. "Conservatives still want to change the subject to the fake, ginned up scandal they've been pushing month after month." - Chris Hayes on Benghazi. "So now they're (Republicans are) viewing an actual real world abuse of power scandal (the IRS Scandal), not as its own outrage, but as a means of supporting their preexisting witch hunt on Benghazi, which they really struggled to turn into a scandal in large part because they themselves cannot seem to settle on what the scandal even is. It's a cover-up. Just don't ask what's being covered up..." - Hayes on the IRS Scandal being used for political gain for Republicans on...Benghazi. "Does this mean that the IRS is hereby forever neutered from doing what is, after all, the very important work of making sure that political fundraising groups are not making a laughingstock of the rules that are supposed to limit what they do? Will we ever really have an IRS doing that important work again, giving how badly they screwed up trying to do it over these past couple of years?" - Rachel Maddow on the IRS Scandal and its potential ramifications for the agency. And so it goes at MSNBC. The formula worked in 2012 in turning Mitt Romney into Gordon Gekko while the network soared to its highest ratings ever. But that formula-part-attack Republicans, part-defend-the President at all costs-is a one-track record that the public-even some on the left-aren't buying. And when the choice is to join the GOP in holding the President accountable with the same passion they did when taking on Bush 43, the captains of MSNBC primetime appear to be prepared to go down with the ship...if it means embracing that horrific alternative. If ratings (those slightly-important indicators that ultimately pay the bills and allow network people to keep their jobs and hosts to keep their shows on the air) Phil Griffin 's network has experienced arguably the worst six weeks of his tenure. If you recall, Griffin declared in March he would kick his friend Jeff Zucker's "ass" in the ratings, all while overtaking Fox News-which has been number one for over a decade-within the calendar year. At the time I commended Griffin for thinking big, but also cautioned him to be wary of Zucker in his rearview mirror . At that time, CNN was plodding along in third or fourth place (depending on what was going on with Jodi Arias and HLN). But then Boston happened and many viewers-particularly casual ones-turned to CNN. And after the terrorists were killed and captured, respectively, a funny thing happened: Audiences mostly liked what they saw on CNN and stuck around. The result? HLN and CNN leapfrogged MSNBC in April in total viewers and the all-important 25-54 demo. No matter. All cable networks have a bad month when breaking news or events help steer some views away. With Boston in the past, May would be the month MSNBC would rebound when things returned to normal, whatever that is. But like a 1-2-1 jab, four huge stories hit the fan. Benghazi Rebooted. Adios Arias. Cleveland Captivity and the Charles Ramsey Show. The IRS-Targeting-Conservative-Groups Scandal. Arias and Cleveland kidnappings helped Turner Broadcasting's CNN and HLN continue its momentum of recent weeks. Arias, of course, is the (demented) gift that keeps on giving for HLN, while CNN wisely dedicated resources to LeBron's former home to cover the kidnapping story extensively. And of course, Fox might as well open a bureau in Benghazi in appreciation for all of the mileage that story has provided the network in a non-election year. So the fourth place finishes have continued for MSNBC, which (as also noted in this space recently) is a network without a narrative during said non-election year. In short, Phil Griffin 's network revolves around one thing: Politics. And that world just ain't that compelling unless there's ballot box somewhere in the near future. MSNBC is also built on pointing out the hypocrisy and/or evil nature of the Republican Party and Fox News, two cornerstones of its content. But now it is President Obama and his promise to be a completely transparent administration that is being gleefully exposed as hypocritical by the GOP and Fox. If Nate Silver is the next Nostradamus, the President is already a lame-duck. Silver says Democrats have little chance to take back the house in 2014. No House control, no ability for a President-whose credibility has taken a toll over the past month for which it will be difficult to recover from-to advance anything grandiose in a second term. In other words, the President is (to quote Tom Cruise in The Firm ): "...like a ship carrying a cargo that will never reach any port". On the U.S.S. Obama is MSNBC. And in making a run at Fox and in an effort to distance itself from CNN, they simply rearranged the deck chairs by doing things like moving Chris Hayes from weekday mornings to primetime. The result has been nothing short of disastrous, as he now trails The O'Reilly Factor by a 7-to-1 margin while failing to get 500,000 viewers per night ( Keith Olbermann , conversely, routinely generated over 1.2 million viewers before being asked to leave). The only hope, of course, is Hillary and the Clinton for President 2.0 2016 campaign. It was somehow the lead story on the Chris Matthews Show on Sunday. All complete with fat jokes about Chris Christie (lather, rinse, repeat) from the host, who ain't exactly Calista Flockhart himself... Benghazi? IRS? AP phone records seized? Nope...it's all about an election 42 months away. Why? Because it's a challenge to defend the President these days. His party won't win in 2014. He's already past tense, a lame duck. What to do? Either continue to defend entities like the IRS... Or Lean Forward with Hillary to 2016. - - &gt;&gt; Follow Joe Concha on Twitter @ConchSports http://www.mediaite.com/online/defending-the-irs-msnbc%E2%80%99s-support-of-obama-once-an-asset-now-puts-network-in-a-losing-position/ http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=2e2_1368726988 Detroit Iron Defending the IRS: MSNBC's Support Of Obama, Once An Asset, Now Puts Network In A Losing Position Obama, maddow, matthews, o'donnell