National Security

One year ago today in one of his very first public actions, President Obama signed an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba detention facility within a year. The decision prompted much criticism and concerns about Obama's naiveté about the nature of the detainees and lack of coherent plan of where and how to relocate them.

The Fort Hood Report: Why No Mention of Islam?
By Mark Thompson, Time Magazine, January 20, 2010

"We are jihadists, and jihad is not terrorism." Ramy Zamzam

The security failures of the Christmas Day bombing attempt once again remind us that the TSA administrator is one of the most critical homeland security positions in the federal government. The individual nominated to fill this position must be, without any doubt, the most highly qualified person available.

He or she must have the appropriate experience and qualifications necessary to lead a massive bureaucracy — one that has ballooned to more than 60,000 employees and must be flexible enough to respond and adapt quickly to ever-changing security threats.

(Washington) When judgment is rendered on the success or failure of U.S. foreign policy in 2010 the verdict will depend more than anything on the outcome of our confrontation with Iran.

The threat to U.S. global interests from Iran is immense, but so too is the opportunity for a historic and transformational advancement of those interests. Converging circumstances in both Washington and Teheran strongly suggest that a decisive turning point is at hand.

The president establishes intelligence death panels By The Washington Times,editorial January 11, 2010 President Obama blamed "the system" for failing to stop al Qaeda's Christmas Day bombing plot. The weakness with that excuse is that Mr. Obama fails to connect the dots between the systemic failure and his administration's year-long record of destroying the morale of the intelligence community.

2009: The Year Of Living Fecklessly

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER

From Investor's Business Daily

It was a stark image. The phone ringing early in the morning at the White House alerting the President to an international crisis. And, the question, “Who do you want answering the call?”

Hillary Clinton raised that question during her ill-fated 2008 presidential primary campaign. Now she plays a subservient roll to the campaign victor, Barack Obama.

Politico: Afghan Uncertainty on Right and Left The White House’s new Afghan war strategy sounds an uncertain trumpet for many in Congress, inviting criticism from the left and right even as lawmakers are asked to commit billions more at a time of economic distress at home.

The Iranians continue their game of nuclear rope-a-dope with the United States and the international community all the while building up to the Mullahs desired end of acquiring the ultimate big stick - a nuclear weapon. President Obama had given Iran until mid-September to engage in meaningful talks about their nuclear program or face what Hillary Clinton called "crippling sanctions".