Beg pardon
A week or so ago a friend of mine joked that Obama would be pardoning Bowe Bergdhal before he leaves office. And then a little while later we learn that Bergdahl has in fact requested a pardon: The pardon would … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Military
George W. Bush, portraitist
I find George Bush’s continuing dedication to painting to be quite fascinating. I like his paintings and think he’s improved since he began. Now he seems to be concentrating on portraiture; this is what an art critic has to say: … Continue reading →
Trump and the Gold Star Khans
I haven’t yet written about Trump’s reaction to the speech of Khazir Khan, the father of Humayun Khan, a Muslim soldier killed in the service of the US, although it’s been dominating the news for several days. I ignored it … Continue reading →
Has the coup against Erdogan failed?
I was watching Fox News about an hour ago and most of the commentators seemed to be guessing that the coup in Turkey has failed and Erdogan is in control. If true, this would not be a good outcome. The … Continue reading →
Compare and contrast: Jason Brezler and Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton’s decision to use an alternate and insecure email system has never been adequately or convincingly explained. Her initial excuse was nonsensical and/or mendacious (wanting to use one device), and people have speculated ever since on the real reasons. … Continue reading →
Obama and the shaky red line
[Hat tip: commenter “sdferr.”] I actually have come to the point of such skepticism about the press that I take nearly everything I read there with a grain of salt. But with that caveat, here’s an extremely lengthy article (and … Continue reading →
Reflections on the March 3 GOP debate: Trump’s ever-changing visa program, and plans as military leader
Many things happened during last night’s GOP debate. The level of debate discourse (can I use highfalutin words like “discourse” without being called a snobbishly out-of-touch member of the “elites”?) has fallen even further and we are now reduced to … Continue reading →
Who to believe?
Here’s Kirsten Powers writing about the movie “13 Hours”: In an interview, three of the former elite military officers portrayed in the movie ”” Mark “Oz” Geist, Kris “Tanto” Paronto and John “Tig” Tiegen ”” told me the movie was … Continue reading →
Will the Marines lower standards to accommodate women?
The NY Post editorial board wonders: Gen. John Kelly, USMC, is retiring after more than four decades as an active-duty Marine. His “greatest fear,” he says, is that the vast “equal opportunity” pressure for women in combat roles will lead … Continue reading →
Iran: American sailors are crybabies
Iran doesn’t miss an opportunity to rub it in: A senior Iranian military commander in charge of the country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that the 10 U.S. sailors who were recently captured and subsequently released by the Islamic Republic “started … Continue reading →
Iran and the US: first, the abasement
Next, the self-abasement. (See also this.) However, US officials have denied apologizing to Iran. Who’s telling the truth about that? I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter to the world, which can easily perceive that the US has been humiliated. … Continue reading →
Chuck Hagel is surprised that Obama is who Obama is
Any surprise at this shows a certain amount of poor judgment, I’d say. On Hagel’s part: It was Aug. 30, 2013, and the U.S. military was poised for war. Obama had publicly warned Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad that his regime … Continue reading →