Prince William whisks Kate to £40k ice palace

With the economy in crisis, millions of Britons are scaling back their holiday plans this year, if they haven’t abandoned the idea completely.

But Prince William doesn’t seem too concerned with tightening his belt – he has just booked a romantic £40,000 Alpine getaway with his girlfriend Kate Middleton.

He is whisking her off to Klosters, the exclusive Swiss ski resort where the Royals normally spend their Easter, but this year – for a change – his father isn’t coming along.

Keen skier: Kate Middleton at Klosters, Switzerland during last year's Easter Holiday

William, 26, is breaking with tradition by shunning the five-star Walserhof Hotel, where Prince Charles has traditionally holidayed with his sons, in favour of a lavishly appointed private chalet.

He is planning to travel with the exclusive tour operator Descent, which offers ‘the best ski experience that money can buy’ – including Michelin-star home-cooked dinners and a limitless supply of Perrier-Jouet champagne.

Descent offers two villas to its VIP clientele: the commanding Chesa Falcun with sauna, steam shower and massage room, and Chalet Eugenia, a baronial retreat with roaring fires, vast oak-beamed ceilings, antique furniture and views across a snow-covered field.

Height of luxury: Chalet Eugenia in the resort of Klosters

To rent either of the six-bedroom villas costs close to £40,000 a week, but it is not known which William has plumped for.

Both villas have been booked for the week of April 5 until Easter Sunday, and each offers spa baths, large balconies, dining rooms with wood-fired ovens and trained chefs on call 24 hours a day.

Other staff include a chalet manager, a housekeeper, two chauffeurs and two full-time butlers.

Fit for a Prince: One of the Chesa Falcun's six bedrooms

A source said: ‘William has booked a chalet which is out of this world. It’s not the place they usually stay, but William has decided he wants to do something different.

‘His father has said he is not going skiing this year, so William has decided to do his own thing with a few of his closest friends.

'The friends will all be paying their share – although William will be treating Kate.

'He’s really looking forward to it. The protection officers have yet to give it the final green light but a decision will be taken this week.’

Bubbly bath: The Royal and his friends could be enjoying themselves in this jacuzzi, with a mountain view

The Prince of Wales, who has been going to Klosters for almost 40 years, is understood to be giving up skiing because of a back condition and concerns over
the environment.

A source said: ‘Charles loves skiing but it’s got increasingly difficult as he has got older and his back has got worse. He leaves it for the boys to enjoy now.

‘He also really worries that people will start criticising him for taking too many jollies and notching up a big carbon footprint.

'Camilla never skis and Charles has said he is probably giving the trip a miss this year.’

The open fire, in front of which William and Kate can lounge

It is not known whether Prince Harry will be joining his brother on the slopes but Kate’s sister Pippa has been invited.

Kate, an expert skier, accompanied the party to Klosters last year, where she was pictured embracing William for the first time.

A spokesman for Descent said: ‘Both of the villas in Klosters are booked for the Easter week but we are not able to give any information out about our clients.’

A Palace spokesman said: ‘We never comment on the Princes’ private lives.’

william and kate ski

Prince William and Kate

william and kate

William Moseley: Photo

William Moseley's

The Palestinians, If Nothing Else, Are Consistent....

The scene in Arab East Jerusalem on September 11th, 2001:



And the word out of the headquarters of the "moderate" Palestinian faction, Fatah, yesterday:

In their announcement, a copy of which reached MAAN [private Palestinian news agency], the [Al-Aqsa Martyrs'] Brigades said: ‘The Islamic nation awoke to a catastrophe the reports of the Shahid – (Martyr-) death of the Sheikh, Jihad-fighter Osama bin Laden, in a treacherous manner, by the gangs of the heretics and those who stray.’


"...We say to the American and Israeli occupier: the [Islamic] nation which produced leaders who changed the course of history through their Jihad and their endurance, is a nation that is capable of supplying an abundance of new blood into the arteries of the resistance and is capable of restoring the glory of Islam and the flag of Allahs oneness, Allah willing.’”

Good luck with that.  Seems like Allah wasn't all that willing to protect Osama bin Laden on Sunday.  Maybe he, too, is powerless before the Navy SEALS.

Which seems to guarantee most of the "new blood" the Palestinians are offering will be their own, splattered over the cobblestones and doorways of their self-constructed hellish abode...

Was The Osama bin Laden Mission A CIA/Military Coup?

....because as more and more information drips out about how the assassination of Osama bin Laden went down, the more it appears that Barack Obama was true to form: indecisive, feckless, weak, and above all, politically correct.  Which allowed what possibly might have been the first (and only) instance of the military overruling its Commander-in-Chief and acting on its own.

A little Q&A session with a White House insider gives a more nuanced view of what went down:

There appears NOT to have been an outright overruling of any specific position by President Obama, simply because there was no specific position from the president to do so. President Obama was, in this case, as in all others, working as an absentee president....

...a push to invade the compound for several weeks if not months, primarily led by Leon Panetta, Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, David Petraeus, and Jim Clapper. The primary opposition to this plan originated from Valerie Jarrett, and it was her opposition that was enough to create uncertainty within President Obama. Obama would meet with various components of the pro-invasion faction, almost always with Jarrett present, and then often fail to indicate his position.

As for Jarrett, her concern rested on two primary fronts. One, that the military action could fail and harm the president’s already weakened standing with both the American public and the world. Second, that the attack would be viewed as an act of aggression against Muslims, and further destabilize conditions in the Middle East.


One wonders if Valerie Jarrett is a real-life version of Tolkein's Grima Wormtongue....

Separated at birth?

                     

Seems like it took pressure from the grownups in the room to force Obama to "act", and as you will see, there is a reason I put that in quotes.  Pressure,yes, but also Leon Panetta speaking in a language that Obama could understand:

Petraeus was threatening to act on his own via a bombing attack. Panetta reported back to the president that a bombing of the compound would result in successful killing of Osama Bin Laden, and little risk to American lives. Initially, as he had done before, the president indicated a willingness to act. But once again, Jarrett intervened, convincing the president that innocent Pakistani lives could be lost in such a bombing attack, and Obama would be left attempting to explain Panetta’s failed policy. Again Obama hesitated – this time openly delaying further meetings to discuss the issue with Panetta.

Panetta indicated to Obama that leaks regarding knowledge of Osama Bin Laden’s location were certain to get out sooner rather than later, and action must be taken by the administration or the public backlash to the president’s inaction would be “…significant to the point of political debilitation.” It was at that time that Obama stated an on-ground campaign would be far more acceptable to him than a bombing raid. This was intended as a stalling tactic, and it had originated from Jarrett. Such a campaign would take both time, and present a far greater risk of failure.

But Panetta had his trap laid:

What Valerie Jarrett, and the president, did not know is that Leon Panetta had already initiated a program that reported to him –and only him, involving a covert on the ground attack against the compound. Basically, the whole damn operation was already ready to go – including the specific team support Intel necessary to engage the enemy within hours of being given notice. Panetta then made plans to proceed with an on-ground assault. 


This information reached either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates first (likely via military contacts directly associated with the impending mission) who then informed the other. Those two then met with Panetta, who informed each of them he had been given the authority by the president to proceed with a mission if the opportunity presented itself.

Typical Obama.  If the plan succeeds, take all the credit, should it fail, lay the blame at the feet of Leon Panetta. And what happens when you have a weak Commander-in-Chief, dithering while the war lays in the balance?  Subversion:

I have been told by more than one source that Leon Panetta was directing the operation with both his own CIA operatives, as well as direct contacts with military – both entities were reporting to Panetta only at this point, and not the President of the United States. There was not going to be another delay as had happened 24 hour earlier. The operation was at this time effectively unknown to President Barack Obama or Valerie Jarrett and it remained that way until AFTER it had already been initiated. President Obama was literally pulled from a golf outing and escorted back to the White House to be informed of the mission. Upon his arrival there was a briefing held which included Bill Daley, John Brennan, and a high ranking member of the military. When Obama emerged from the briefing, he was described as looking “very confused and uncertain.”

The now famous photo released shows the particulars of that of that room and its occupants. What that photo does not communicate directly is that the military personnel present in that room during the operation unfolding, deferred to either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates. The president’s role was minimal, including their acknowledging of his presence in the room....

Obviously, we have no corroboration for this story yet.  But it seems so true to form, I am willing, for the moment, to give it the benefit of the doubt.  And it would certainly explain why a confused Obama had to be unceremoniously pulled off the golf course...

But let this sink in a moment. A weak president, so scared of Muslim "reaction" that he was willing to let Osama bin Ladin walk free.  An enraged military, with its sights squarely on the man who sent them to war for a decade, decides to go it alone.  A president who then claims this victory as his own, unable to speak a horrifying truth: that this mission was unauthorized by him, save in the most general terms, and would have most likely not have been approved had he been asked permission beforehand.

Of all the damage Obama has done to American democracy, this may be the worst: Allowing a coup of sorts to go unpunished in order to protect his own standings in the polls.  While I have unvarnished faith in our military and am thrilled with the result of the mission, this successfulul subversion of the CIC may give them (and the CIA) precedent and impetus to further act on their own when they feel it necessary.

While heads will not roll here - how could they, with the public's euphoric mood? - the truth should come out here.  We need to know who acted and when.  The liberal's wet-dream moment - their guy getting Osama bin Laden - may yet turn out to be a national nightmare...

...sorry for the light posting lately; life has caught up with and overtaken me for the moment.  Too bad, 'cause you know I've got so much to say about what has transpired of the past 48 hours...!

Be back (more consistently) soon!

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