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WASHINGTON -- The Associated Press has learned that more than 20 Navy SEALs from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden were among those lost in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/06/afghan-president-31-americans-killed-in-helicopter-crash/#ixzz1UGZcWiEh

President Obama is heading back to Minnesota, wearing his commander-in-chief hat instead of his campaign hat. The White House announced Wednesday morning that Obama will come to Minneapolis on Aug. 30 to address members of the American Legion, who will be holding their 93rd national convention in the city. No other details were released, but will be as the event gets closer, the White House reported. Although Obama is speaking in his official role as president, the 2012 campaign is already in full swing, so his speech is likely to be viewed, at least in part, through a political prism.

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Does President Obama need Congressional authorization before taking military action against Libya? Is a no-fly zone a good idea? Congressional opinion on those questions has been divided -- and not along the usual party lines.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States plans to send 1,400 additional combat Marines to Afghanistan to try to hold on to recent but fragile security gains, only months before a planned U.S. drawdown, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Violence is at its worst in Afghanistan with record casualties on all sides of the conflict and with the insurgency spreading out of traditional strongholds in the south and east into once-peaceful areas in the north and west.

The Army lieutenant colonel who refused to deploy to Afghanistan because he won't accept orders from President Obama, whom he considers unqualified to be commander in chief, has pleaded guilty to one charge against him. Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin pleaded guilty Tuesday to not reporting to Fort Campbell, Ky., for his required deployment to Afghanistan, NBC News reported. Lakin, a doctor and 17-year soldier, believes Obama wasn't born in the United States, and therefore does not meet the constitutional requirements to be president.

The dramatic protests in Iran last summer, the response of the Iranian authorities, and the reaction of the international community served to sharpen the focus of a study already underway by the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Concerned about what seemed to be the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, the Subcommittee on International Human Rights decided to undertake a broader study into the mistreatment of the Iranian population by the governing regime, and also into the Iranian government's role regionally and internationally with respect to human rights and violations of international law. With regard to its international role, the...

President Obama’s former Chief-of-Staff, Rahm Emanuel dismissed the possibility that he would be found ineligible to run for the Chicago mayor’s job because he hasn’t met the residency requirement. The residency requirement does allow an exception for active-duty members of the US military. Emanuel contends that he qualifies under this exception. “I have served directly under the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces for the last two years,” Emanuel pointed out. “During that time we have been continuously at war. So, even though I haven’t worn a uniform or carried a weapon I’ve been just as much in the line...

OTTAWA - Defence Minister Peter MacKay has vetoed the speech from a controversial Islamic group because of its "extremist views." Imam Dr. Zijad Delic, the national executive director of the Canadian Islamic Congress, was to speak at an internal event at Department of National Defence headquarters Monday. A spokesman for MacKay said when the minister learned of the CIC's participation in the Islamic Heritage Month event, he pulled the plug "based on extremist views promulgated by the Canadian Islamic Congress." "The Canadian Islamic Congress has declared that Israelis over the age of 18 are legitimate targets of suicide bombers," wrote...

Lt. Col. Lakin (M.D.- Active Army) -- first asked the Army to affirm that Obama was constitutionally eligible to serve as President, and when his chain of command refused, he then refused to deploy to Afghanistan until "eligibility" was established (to force the issue to a head). Lakin’s argument is simple and direct: a soldier must not be compelled to obey an "unlawful order"; an "ineligible person" cannot serve as President and Commander-in-Chief and, thus, cannot issue "lawful orders." He has thereby laid his liberty and whole career on the line in order to honor his Oath to Support and...

Obama says he ignored Beck rally He seemed intent on casting himself as above the political fray, saying he had more important work to do than to engage in the back and forth of the political “silly season.” For example, Obama said he did not watch any of Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally Saturday on the National Mall. “It’s not surprising that somebody like a Mr. Beck is able to stir up a certain portion of the country. That's been true throughout our history,” he said. But “I’m making decisions that are not necessarily good for...

I want to take a minute and talk about “systems”. When I speak of a system, I am talking about any collection of nodes and connections. Examples of systems include computers in a network, employees in an office, and puffs of air in a thunderstorm. A node is an individual unit in the system and a connection is the  interaction between two nodes.Let’s look at some generic systems. Did you notice something about the four node example? It has more connections than it does nodes. In fact, four nodes is the minimum number of nodes needed in a system...

Chapter 1 - What is the 29th day? Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him. Dwight D Eisenhower (1890 - 1969) - Military Leader, President of the United States This above all: to thine ownself be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. Polonius' advice to Laertes, in Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English playwright Something has happened in the 21st century which has never happened before. It is...

Chapter 1 - What is the 29th day? Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him. Dwight D Eisenhower (1890 - 1969) - Military Leader, President of the United States Editorial (unpublished) Something has happened in the 21st century which has never happened before. It is as significant as the Scientific Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. It is frightening us because we do not know exactly what it is or why it has happened. What is worse, nobody else seems to...

Here is video of President Obama today at a news conference closing his "Nuclear Security Summit," where he made the odd statement that "whether we like it or not, we (United States) remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, we get pulled into it." Whether we like it or not? Does that mean President Obama does not like America being a "dominant military superpower?" Youtube Link

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) - Plans to close Guantanamo are not sitting well with the Sept. 11 victims' relatives who sat stunned while two alleged terrorists declared they were proud of their role in the plot.

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At a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee last fall, Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, asked Attorney General Eric Holder to produce a list of Department of Justice employees who had been involved in representing detainees. Holder said he’d consider the request.Three months later he denied it. In a letter to Grassley on February 18, Holder acknowledged that nine Justice Department officials had worked on behalf of detainees before joining the Obama administration. The names of two of those officials—Jennifer Daskal and Neal Katyal—had been reported publicly. But Holder refused to disclose the other seven and allowed that...

China's giant sovereign wealth fund revealed it has accumulated stakes totalling $US9.6 billion ($A11.1 billion) in major US companies including Coca-Cola, Apple and Goodyear following a buying spree last year. Most of the stakes are small, reflecting China Investment Corp's strategy of avoiding politically sensitive acquisitions. But they highlight its growing presence in global markets as it invests a portion of Beijing's $US2.4 trillion ($A2.78 trillion) in foreign reserves. The holdings were disclosed Friday in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that listed shares traded in the United States. CIC, one of the world's biggest investment funds,...

President and Commander In Chief Barrack Obama was at West Point tonight to announce his plans for continuing the war in Afghanistan. Finally, in what was over three months after General McChrystal had asked for an additional forty thousand troops, a request that included the warning that without these troops the war may be lost, in another narcissistic, uninspiring and consistently contradictory speech Obama gave the Nation his answer. While leaving out the fact that Obama has been insisting for the last two years during his campaign that Afghanistan is a war that must be won, he shamelessly explained why...

Does President Obama "uses" the military for photo-ops? President Obama will tell us his comments fit the mood of the crowd, but when I first heard Obama’s comments in South Korea stating hundreds of troops in uniform was a good photo op, my eyes rolled. Our American forces are not a political tool to be used by politicians in constant campaign mode as a photo op. Couldn’t he just thank the troops and say he was humbled by their work effort and thank them for coming out to greet him? Nope. From today’s Washington Times…

Leadership: As the fire grows in Afghanistan and U.S. troops suffer their worst casualties since Fallujah, the commander in chief remains AWOL on his intentions, delaying the tough decisions. Is he opting for defeat? Afghanistan commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal warned in August that time was short to win this war. Now October is ending as the deadliest month in the Afghan war. With 55 dead since August, McChrystal's warning now stings. Even so, each day brings a new excuse from the White House for delaying a decision on troop reinforcements McChrystal has sought. The goal posts move almost daily. This...

This is a REALLY LONG POST — this came directly from my husband, SGT Daddy (with some minor edits from me for OPSEC reasons) The morning began with the siren signaling incoming. I ignored it. I hate putting on my gear and besides the big boy voice had dutifully reminded me that I should remain in hard shelter. I didn’t argue by deed or word. In the meantime the 155’s began to blaze away in support of some action that did not affect me. Later I was called out of my room to help in the aid station. Two of...

The latest Fox News/Opinion Dymanic poll is chock-full of bad news for the president. But on foreign policy, the results are nothing short of stunning. On who they trust more to decide the next steps in Afghanistan. 66 percent say military commanders, while only 20 percent say the president. Even Democrats have more faith in the military commanders (by a 45 to 37 percent margin). On Iran, 69 percent say Obama has not been tough enough, including 55 percent of Democrats. Sixty-one percent favor a U.S. military action, if needed, to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Fifty-one percent think...

Obama said Wednesday there will be no quick decision on whether to send more U.S. troops into the widening war in Afghanistan, saying "my determination is to get this right."... The U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, also has delivered a grim assessment of the war and is expected to follow up soon with a request for thousands of additional troops.

Our current US President was a Great British citizen at the time of his birth. He then became a Kenyan citizen followed by what appears to be citizenship in Indonesia. Perhaps he is currently a citizen or subject of a nation other than the US. (That question will be the focus of my next article.) Obama’s own web site carried an admission that his birth status was governed by Great Britain. That admission was published by Obama’s Fight The Smears web site as quoted from a discussion of Obama’s UK citizenship written by Factcheck.org. The Factcheck.org essay went even further...

This past weekend in Atlanta, RedState.com held its first Gathering of online conservative activists. Liz Cheney, Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter, gave the keynote address to the crowd. A partial transcript of her remarks is below. Joining Liz Cheney were Congressman Tom Price (R-GA), Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, Virginia State Senator Ken Cuccinelli, Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, and South Carolina State Representative Nikki Haley. Friday night at the RedState Gathering, the attendees heard from Congressman Roy Blunt, former Congressman Pat Toomey, Senator Jim DeMint, and Governor Rick...

Army Maj. Stefan Cook sought out a notorious lawyer in February, formally volunteered for an Afghan deployment in May and was granted orders to deploy in June. But the Army reservist’s intention appeared not so much to fight for America as to fight against President Barack Obama, in furtherance of a bizarre conspiracy theory. In July, Cook filed a lawsuit against the Army, the defense secretary and the president, claiming that Obama could not lawfully order him to go to war because he is not the legitimate president of the United States. Cook is one of the so-called “Birthers,” a...

U.S. Marines and Afghan security forces moved into Taliban-infested villages Wednesday evening in one of the Obama administration's first major military operations in the previously forgotten war in Afghanistan. The offensive was launched shortly after 1 a.m. local time in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province. More than 4,000 Marines and an estimated 650 Afghan soldiers and police sought to clear insurgents from towns and villages along the Helmand River Valley before the nation's Aug. 20 presidential election. Dubbed Operation Khanjar, or "Strike of the Sword," the military push was described by officials as the largest and fastest-moving of the war's newest...

The Marines at Camp Lejeuene are maintaining a stony silence during Obama's speech on his plans to withdraw combat brigades from Iraq by August 31, 2010 and all troops by the end of 2011. The contrast of the enthusiasm the military had for President Bush and this occupant of the White House is stunning.

This week Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, and the world will wait anxiously for him to make his mark on the vast array of crises left behind by his predecessor. Hopes are cranked very high that Obama will act quickly to reverse the galloping economic crisis, end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mediate the violence in Gaza and calm the turmoil in relations with Russia. But people are probably setting themselves up for a big disappointment. Obama has surrounded himself with veterans of the former Bill Clinton administration, and these...

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., Jan. 20, 2009 – The U.S. military bid farewell today to the outgoing commander in chief during a stirring and emotional departure ceremony in which he called leading men and women in uniform the highlight of his presidency. Former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush give a final wave to the crowd of more than 1,000 people gathered at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., prior to their final departure aboard Air Force One, Jan. 20, 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Craig Clapper  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

The President was honored with a Military Appreciation Parade at Fort Myer, Arlington, Virginia TranscriptFirst Lady Laura received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service from Defense Secretary Robert Gates,The President discussed Conservation and the Environment in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building TranscriptVice President Dick Cheney administered the Senate Oath to reelected senators Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

(excerpt) Students, faculty, and staff, it's good to be with you. Over the past century, this important institution has become one of our nation's most revered places. It really has been. After all, the graduates of this college are legendary -- and perhaps I'm looking at legends -- Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, George Patton to Norm Schwarzkopf, Tommy Franks, and a man who I visited with recently, Ray Odierno. I want to thank you for continuing this college's noble tradition of military scholarship. I thank you for volunteering to serve our nation during a time of war. I appreciate the...

China increases US treasury holdings By Xin Zhiming (China Daily) Updated: 2008-12-17 07:14 Comments(8) PrintMail China increased its holdings of US treasury securities by $65.9 billion in October, consolidating its place as the No 1 holder of American debt, according to the Treasury's latest report on international capital flows. It was China's largest monthly increase this year, pushing the country's total holdings to $652.9 billion, compared with $587 billion at the end of September, when it replaced Japan to become the top holder of US debt. The continual increases in US debt holdings in recent months have triggered fierce domestic...

Just caught the tail end of a breaking report on Fox that President Bush has arrived in Afghanistan after his surprise trip to Iraq.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2008 – President Bush paid a surprise visit to Iraq yesterday, where he praised lawmakers in Baghdad for passing the status of forces agreement with the United States and offered a farewell message of thanks to U.S. troops serving there. “I am just so grateful that I had a chance to come back to Iraq before my presidency ended,” Bush told reporters in Baghdad during a news conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talibani. Bush said one of the reasons for his trip was to herald the passage of the Strategic Framework Agreement and the Status of...

I had the pleasure of being asked to stand behind the President as he addressed service members in Baghdad Iraq. After his speech it was awesome to be able to shake his hand and watch him shake hands with, sign stuff for the service members who had stood for hours waiting to see him.

BAGHDAD -- President George W. Bush on Sunday made a farewell visit to Iraq, a place that defines his presidency, just 37 days before he hands the war off to a successor who has pledged to end it

President Bush traveled to Fort Campbell, Ky this morning and visited the troops who had just come back from Iraq Transcript Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Here is video of President George W. Bush's first interview since the election of Barack Obama as President. Bush was interviewed on CNN today prior to speaking at a Veteran's Day observance in New York. He talked about his meeting yesterday with President-elect Barack Obama at the White House, and what he believes the election of Obama means for America. . . . . (Watch Video)

Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless disrespect many Americans have shown the president. According to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right. This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2008 – President Bush visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center here today to pay respects to wounded soldiers and their families, and to the medical personnel who care for the injured. After his visit, Bush commented on the paradoxical human conditions produced by combat wounds. “On the one hand, you see the horrors of war; on the other hand, you see the courage of the people that have volunteered to serve,” he said. “I marvel when I come to Walter Reed. I marvel at the fact that people say to me, ‘Mr. President, I'd do it...

FORT LESLEY J. MCNAIR, D.C., Sept. 9, 2008 – The United States will continue to reduce its troop strength in Iraq, but will increase its footprint in Afghanistan, President Bush said here today. The president accepted the recommendations of military leaders to reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq by 8,000 through January. If security conditions continue to improve in the country, further reductions will be possible, Bush said at the National Defense University. Bush also announced plans to deploy a Marine battalion to train Afghan National Army troops in November and to send an Army brigade to Afghanistan in January....

WASHINGTON — When President Bush speaks to the Republican convention on Monday, he is expected to tout the “surge” of forces in Iraq as one of his proudest achievements. But that decision, one of his most consequential as commander in chief, was made only after months of tumultuous debate within the administration, according to still-secret memorandums and interviews with a broad range of current and former officials. In January 2007, at a time when the situation in Iraq appeared the bleakest, Mr. Bush chose a bold option that was at odds with what many of his civilian and military advisers,...

8/15/2008 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- I learned a big lesson on service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia. It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol, etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on...

Although this whole Sinclair thing may or may not contain some truths, I really don't like the attribution that appears at the end of the video ( Invoking the "for McCain" line. Seems the Hillary supporters really want to play hardball against Obama now. From http://www.hillaryclintonforum.net/discussion/showthread.php?t=25130 Vici57 Silver Member = >250 Posts Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 457 Poster Rank: #181 (8/24/08) Hillary Voters for McCain - Sinclair Ad This video is going viral on the internet, and I need everyone to help spread it in e-mail and any way they can. This is a taste of what the GOP...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2008 – The United States is beholden to servicemembers fighting the war against terrorism and to military veterans who served in past conflicts, President Bush said at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Orlando, Fla., today. “America owes the men and women of the VFW a debt that could really never be repaid,” Bush said to a group that included some of today’s servicemembers as well as veterans of past conflicts. “You fought for our freedoms. And then when you came home, you volunteered to continue to serve this nation.” Bush also thanked and praised...

SEOUL, South Korea — Saying the United States is engaged in an "ideological struggle" to promote freedom, President Bush told troops and their families at U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan on Wednesday that removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision at the time and is still the right decision. "I know some people in the United States say we’re not at war, that it’s a simple law enforcement matter," Bush said during the first speech of his weeklong Asia tour. "Well, in law enforcement you respond after the crime. Hopefully, the Sept. 11, 2001, lesson will teach us all that...

ABC News' Yunji de Nies reports: President Bush announced this morning that beginning tomorrow, US troop tours in Iraq will be reduced from 15 months to 12 months. "The progress in Iraq has allowed us to continue our policy of return on success," the President said from the Colonnade outside the Oval Office, "We have now brought home all five of the combat brigades and the three Marine units that were sent to Iraq as part of the surge. The last of these surge brigades returned home this month." The President gave a brief status report on the Iraq war,...