Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., has started beginning his meetings of the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower and projection forces subcommittee with a prayer, Congressional Quarterly reports.
Sure enough, a quick check of the …
Politics
Whither NATO, Indeed
This just in from RIA Novosti, the Moscow-based, state-owned news agency:
Russian warships will be equipped with NATO navigation and communications systems to improve coordination in anti-piracy missions around the world, Chief of the Russian General Staff Nikolai Makarov said on Wednesday…“We decided to install standard NATO
…
“I promise you, the President has a big stick.”
Gomer Pyle 2.0
The Marines have decided to boot Sergeant Gary Stein from the corps with an other-than-honorable discharge for declaring on Facebook that he would refuse to obey unlawful orders issued by President Obama.
It’s surprising it took this long. When the nation’s troops get to decide when, or when not, to obey their …
$393,800
George W. Bush and the Texas Air National Guard
Speaking (as we just did awhile back about LBJ’s past) of presidential recollections, it’s hard to believe this was the hottest story going for several weeks eight years ago. In the May issue of Texas Monthly, Joe Hagan does a masterful job of cutting through the fog of war, and politics, to offer the most complete examination yet on …
“The American public's patience for this war is over. It's done. And so the sooner we leave, the better….It was a dream that you could take an area of the world that wasn't a functioning country and turn it into a functioning country on the timelines required to satisfy the American public…the American public will not sustain a long war. It's just not in their nature.”
Countdown to Sequestration: Nine Months to Go
“We don't think the generals are giving us their true advice. We don't think the generals believe their budget is really the right budget.”
“Where in the world can the same person be the prime minister, the chief of staff of the armed forces, the minister of defense, the minister of interior, the chief of intelligence and the head of the national security council?”
Military Commanders Fighting for Resources as Mission Demands Grow
Military commanders are lining up to tell Congress they don’t have enough resources to accomplish their many missions as ongoing defense budget cuts catch up to those in uniform and hinder mission success.
President Obama …
“Ally, May I?”
Nothing raises lawmakers’ hackles like Pentagon officials saying they need international support before going to war, as Chris Lawrence explains over at CNN’s Security Clearance blog.
Their gripes would have more grip if they stepped up to the plate and declared war when the nation sends its troops into harm’s way, instead of …
War Talk Is Cheap
Two of the most virulently anti-U.S. regimes in the world – Iran and Syria – are painting bulls-eyes on their backs by their deeds. But the Obama Administration is seeking non-military solutions in both cases. It’s driving …