Free Republic

This is a wonderful and uplifting story posted by Pat Dollard at his site! A most welcome change from all the bad news out there. The look on the girl's face when she sees her dad is priceless.

KABUL, Afghanistan - The war in Afghanistan enters its 10th year Thursday with key players hedging their bets, uncertain whether the Obama administration is prepared to stay for the long haul, move quickly to exit an increasingly unpopular conflict, or do something in between. Fearing that his Western allies may in the end abandon him, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has started to prepare his nation for a withdrawal of international forces by shoring up relations with neighboring Pakistan and reaching out to insurgents interested in reconciliation. Fewer people are talking about establishing Western-style democracy in Afghanistan. Instead, the focus is...

Not just her nose, though: They ordered her husband to saw off her ears too for the crime of running away from home. Time’s editor insists that “We do not run this story or show this image either in support of the U.S. war effort or in opposition to it,” but that’s nonsense, of course. The image is as stark an argument as you’re likely to see for continuing the war, which is why lefties naturally have been griping about it all day. Some offer legit complaints — instead of putting a mutilated girl on the cover to make the...

"(Petraeus) is not smarter than McChrystal," Taliban spokesman Qari Muhammad Ahmed Yusuf said in a statement. "Also, his losing consciousness last week in an investigative hearing before the members of the U.S. Congress brought his physical competence and his courage into question." *snip* "His military standing and his four-star rank greatly waned around the world" after the fainting episode, mocked the Taliban's Yusuf, according to a SITE Intelligence Group translation. McChrystal's firing by Obama, by the way, was "divine victory," the Taliban mouthpiece added.

President Barack Obama has to relieve Gen. McChrystal of his command. I don’t really see how this ends any other way. I guess McChrystal could tender his resignation, but even that would be a slap in the face to the Office of the President. If McChrystal did not have faith in his civilian leadership, he should have resigned. Civilian control of the military is one of the pillars of this Republic. To disrespect the commander-in-chief in such a blatant manner is an affront to the Office of the President and borders on insubordination.

Operation Enduring Freedom, on Oct. 7 will begin its ninth year. At $4 billion per month, a National Priorities Project has determined that the total cost of military operations in Afghanistan by the end of the year will be almost $200 billion. Thoughtful American taxpayers may ask why the Obama administration has not only embraced the Central Asian ground war that it inherited from Bush, but is seeking to expand not only the U.S. military footprint, but subject its NATO allies to contribute more troops and funding as well. Shorn of post 9/11 patriotic and fervor against the perpetrators of...

July deadliest month for troops in Afghanistan U.N. report says Afghan civilian deaths up by 24 percent A U.S. Marine takes up a fighting position after jumping off a helicopter during the start of Operation Khanjari on July 2 in Afghanistan. Forty U.S. troops were killed in July, by far the heaviest monthly toll in the 8-year-old war. July 31, 2009 GENEVA - A U.S. service member was killed as the deadliest month for foreign troops in the Afghanistan war drew to a close, the U.S. military said on Friday, with commanders vowing to continue the fight despite the toll....

Delegates to the American Legion*s national convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, vowed Tuesday to use whatever means necessary to "ensure the united backing of the American people to support our troops and the global war on terrorism." "The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom-loving peoples," said Thomas Cadmus, national commander of the 2.7-million-member organization. While never mentioning Cindy Sheehan by name even though the "anti-war mom" has said she will soon return to Crawford, Texas, to continue her...