The Obama administration is assembling a constellation of secret drone bases for counterterrorism operations in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula as part of a newly aggressive campaign to attack al-Qaeda affiliates in Somalia and Yemen, U.S. officials said.

One of the installations is being established in Ethi­o­pia, a U.S. ally in the fight against al-Shabab, the Somali militant group that controls much of that country. Another base is in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, where a small fleet of "hunter-killer" drones resumed operations this month after an experimental mission demonstrated that the unmanned aircraft could effectively patrol Somalia from there.

The U.S. military also has flown drones over Somalia and Yemen from bases in Djibouti, a tiny African nation at the junction of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In addition, the CIA is building a secret airstrip in the Arabian Peninsula so it can deploy armed drones over Yemen.

Of course:

"The operation of the drones in Seychelles for the purposes of ­counter-piracy surveillance and other related activities has always been unarmed, and the U.S. government has never asked us for them to be armed," Adam said in an e-mail. "This was agreed between the two governments at the first deployment and the situation has not changed."

The State Department cables show that U.S. officials were sensitive to perceptions that the drones might be armed, noting that they "do have equipment that could appear to the public as being weapons."

To dispel potential concerns, they held a "media day" for about 30 journalists and Seychellois officials at the small, one-runway airport in Victoria, the capital, in November 2009. One of the Reapers was parked on the tarmac.

"The government of Seychelles invited us here to fight against piracy, and that is its mission," Craig White, a U.S. diplomat, said during the event. "However, these aircraft have a great deal of capabilities and could be used for other missions."

If the docs look at you strange when you say, "stick the d@mned think in before I explode or pass out from pain!" they decide you're serious.

Of course, some seriously strong pain pills to go along with the new plastic part.

One day good, then pay the consequences for the next week, lol!

1. Monroe is Michigan's only port on Lake Erie,
   
2. I was devestated when the Cleveland Quartet disbanded.
   

Looking back, this place would be in court for a hostile workplace....Because it actually fit all of the classic legal requirements for a genuinely hostile workplace for women.

But here's the full quote:

I remember once I told Valerie [Jarrett] that, I said if it weren't for the president, this place would be in court for a hostile workplace....Because it actually fit all of the classic legal requirements for a genuinely hostile workplace to women.

Link

That seems like an important distinction if you are evaluating Obama's reaction to gender issues in the WH.

Drum: