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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

In his 2008 Thanksgiving Day message released today, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted the wartime similarities between today and the proclamation of the national holiday 140 years ago. Here is the text of Mullen’s message: Citing the many blessings bestowed upon the United States, these timeless words were delivered by Abraham Lincoln in his 1863 proclamation establishing Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday: “It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do...

Vieo. Shouldn't it be a requirement for a guy that wants to be the Commander in Chief to know about the chain of command? I guess not if you are Barack Obama. BARACK OBAMA: I'm going to call in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and give them a new mission, and that is to bring the war in Iraq to a close. We are going to get out. There's only one problem. The Joint Chiefs of Staff does not have operational command of U.S. military forces. That authority resides in the commanders of the various Unified Combatant Commands. CENTCOM is...

White House military adviser Adm. Mike Mullen said on Sunday he was concerned that any U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran carried a notable risk of more turmoil in the Middle East. "I think it would be significant. I worry about it a lot," Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the "Fox News Sunday" television program.

A couple days ago at the gym, listening to a Hugh Hewitt podcast and perhaps not paying as much attention as I should have while pedaling away, I heard Hugh mention that Barack Obama doesn't understand the role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. What was Hugh referring to? As the British would say: the penny just dropped. A few minutes ago, CNN's Situation Room played a clip of Obama saying this about his plan for Iraq: BARACK OBAMA: I'm going to call in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and give them a new mission, and that is to bring...

KORENGAL VALLEY, Afghanistan, July 12, 2008 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff yesterday took the opportunity to present 12 paratroopers with awards here for valorous and heroic achievements in combat. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen pinned five Army Commendation Medals with valor devices, five Purple Heart Medals, one Bronze Star with valor device, and one Silver Star on the troopers’ chests during a ceremony at their combat outpost here. “It’s an honor and privilege to be here,” Mullen said to the awardees. “This ceremony is about individuals who represent the sacrifice of so many.” The paratroopers are assigned...

Obama Ignorance Watch: What Do the Joint Chiefs Really Do? Before the long weekend began, Barack Obama made a semi-flip-flop regarding the situation in Iraq, even allowing that the surge had achieved some stability and that the next president would be foolish to fritter away those gains. Predictably, this acknowledgement of the obvious triggered howls of outrage on the left. Obama firmly stuck to his new position for almost two full hours before assembling the press once more to reaffirm his long-expressed intention to abandon Iraq. “I am absolutely committed to ending the war,” the longtime community organizer declared. “I...

President Bush has awarded Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), General Peter Pace the US’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Not surprisingly, he is once again enduring a “moral lynching” at the hands of liberal media and homosexual activists across the nation.  Controversy began plaguing General Pace, a Catholic, after his March 12 statement that homosexual acts are immoral and therefore, should not be condoned by the military.[1]  Following this statement, General Pace was maligned and ultimately lost his position as JCS Chairman, making him the first in over forty years to hold...

President George W. Bush shakes hands with General Peter Pace after presenting him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Thursday, June 19, 2008, during the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony in the East Room at the White House. White House photo by David Bohrer One of my great privileges as the President has been to meet so many outstanding Americans who volunteer to serve our nation in uniform. I've been inspired by their valor, selflessness, and complete integrity. I found all those qualities in abundance in General Peter Pace. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pete Pace...

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2008 – Ongoing debate within Iraq’s political realm about negotiations over the U.S.-Iraq strategic framework agreement indicates the healthy development of Iraq’s young democracy, the U.S. military’s top officer said here today. The completion of the agreement would allow for continued U.S. military operations in Iraq after the United Nations security resolution ends Dec. 31. Political debate in Iraq “historically, has not taken place,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted at a Government Executive Magazine-hosted breakfast at the National Press Club. Mullen said he is encouraged by what he called the...

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - The chief of the U.S. military said Sunday he favors closing the prison here as soon as possible because he believes negative publicity worldwide about treatment of terrorist suspects has been "pretty damaging" to the image of the United States. "I'd like to see it shut down," Adm. Mike Mullen said in an interview with three reporters who toured the detention center with him on his first visit since becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last October.

As noted in Cliff's post yesterday (relying on a Bill Gertz report in the Washington Times), the Pentagon has sacked an authentic, influential scholar of Islam, Stephen Coughlin, who evidently refused to lie about — er, I mean, "soften his views on" — Islamic extremism (which, like it or not, is rooted in Islamic scripture) at the insistence of one Hasham Islam, Army Chief Gordon England's Islamophilic factotum (one of countless such creatures now pervading the federal government). For more on this, check out this post on the new website of Andrew Bostom, another scholar of Islam. Andy knows Coughlin...

RAMADI, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2007 – Driving through downtown Ramadi today is a strange experience for anyone who saw the city in 2006. Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the city today and said he’s amazed at the differences from a year ago. There is construction in the streets of the city; school is out of session and children play on playgrounds, including riding on a makeshift Ferris wheel that would give a safety inspector fits. The firehouse stands full of trucks, and firefighters sit outside waiting for a summons. Iraqi police patrol...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 25, 2007 – The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a traveling USO show visited four different locations in Iraq to see troops during Thanksgiving. Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, standing, talks to servicemembers during a breakfast at Camp Liberty, Iraq, Nov. 23, 2007. Cartwright met with the troops to express his thanks for the job they're doing in Iraq. Defense Dept. photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright started at...

“Start by focusing on the output side of the equation,” he said. “Most metrics and most organizations focus on input: How many transactions did I do today, how many people are in my organization, how much money did I move?” Instead, look at “where you see value on the output side and work from there,” he said.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2007 – Marine Gen. Peter Pace will leave behind a lasting legacy of professionalism and commitment to the troops when he retires Oct. 1, his senior enlisted advisor and self-described “battle buddy” told American Forces Press Service today. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, his senior enlisted advisor, shake hands with Marines from the 6th Provisional Security Company at Camp Lemonier, Dijbouti, during an Aug. 14, 2007, visit. Gainey said Pace has always kept troops’ welfare at heart while serving as the top U.S....

Gen. Pace, 2nd platoon reunited Sept. 5, 2007; Submitted on: 09/05/2007 11:10:19 AM ; Story ID#: 200795111019 By Cpl. Ryan Blaich, II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD) KARMAH, Iraq (Sept. 5, 2007) -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace, made a unique visit to Marines stationed here, Sept. 4. As far as meetings with four-star generals usually go, this event was much less formal. It seemed more like a gathering of relatives, a way for Gen. Pace to connect the hardened war fighters of today to the heroes of his past. It was evident he saw himself,...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, caused a stir at a Senate hearing this week when he repeated his view that gay sex is immoral and should not be condoned by the military.

Pace repeats view that gay sex immoral By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer 7 minutes ago Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, caused a stir at a Senate hearing Wednesday when he repeated his view that gay sex is immoral and should not be condoned by the military. Pace, who retires next week, said he was seeking to clarify similar remarks he made in spring, which he said were misreported. "Are there wonderful Americans who happen to be homosexual serving in the military? Yes," he told the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing focused on the...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, caused a stir at a Senate hearing Wednesday when he said he believes homosexual activity is immoral and should not be condoned by the military. Pace, who retires next week, said he was seeking to clarify similar remarks he made in spring, which he said were misreported. "Are there wonderful Americans who happen to be homosexual serving in the military? Yes," he told the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing focused on the Pentagon's 2008 war spending request. "We need to be very precise then, about what...

Top General Acknowledges Iraq Mistakes Friday, September 14, 2007 WASHINGTON - The U.S. military's top general acknowledged Friday that he made mistakes in his early Iraq war strategy but said he still has no doubt that invading the country was the right decision. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, retiring chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and one of the war's military architects, said he overestimated the ability of the Iraqi army to hold together after the invasion, and as a result underestimated the number of U.S. troops that would eventually be needed to fight the war. Offering a blunt assessment...

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Sept. 2, 2007 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said he is very optimistic about the future of Afghanistan, and the young Americans who are serving there, along with those who served before them, have much to be proud of. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, left, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with servicmembers on a forward operating base in Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan, Sept. 2, 2007. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Marine Gen. Peter Pace came to...

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace is labeling as "purely speculative" a report in the Los Angeles Times Friday that he is expected to recommend to President Bush that U.S. troop levels in Iraq next year should be cut by nearly half. However, Pace's reaction to the story did not deny that a significant troop reduction is an option being considered by the Joint Chiefs as they develop a strategic assessment on the way forward in Iraq. Citing unnamed administration and military officials, the Los Angeles Times article said Pace is concerned that keeping a military force significantly larger than...

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is expected to advise President Bush to reduce the U.S. force in Iraq next year by almost half, potentially creating a rift with top White House officials and other military commanders over the course of the war. Administration and military officials say Marine Gen. Peter Pace is likely to convey concerns by the Joint Chiefs that keeping well in excess of 100,000 troops in Iraq through 2008 will severely strain the military. This assessment could collide with one being prepared by the U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, calling...

WASHINGTON, July 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman-nominee Adm. Michael Mullen told his confirmation hearing in Washington Tuesday he is increasingly perturbed about Iran. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mullen, who would replace Marine Gen. Peter Pace, warned strife in the Arab and Islamic worlds "bear directly on the safety of the United States." "I'm especially concerned about the increasingly hostile role played by Iran," Mullen said. "I support diplomatic efforts to counter Iran's destabilizing behavior and hope their leaders will choose to act responsibly, but I find their support for terrorism and their nuclear ambitions...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's nominee to be top military adviser said on Tuesday the United States will be in Iraq for "years not months" and a Pentagon official said the war was costing even more than expected. Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, picked as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned U.S. lawmakers unhappy with the conflict against seeking a rapid pullout from Iraq, saying it could turn the country into a "caldron." While prudence dictated planning for an eventual pullout, Mullen said that under one scenario it could take three to four years just to halve...

Mike Mullen's Surprise Promotion By Tom Bowman CNO will carry a reputation as a pragmatist and problem-solver to the JCS Chairman’s office. When American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon on 11 September 2001, Admiral Mike Mullen was talking budgets with then-Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Vern Clark. Suddenly he felt something that reminded him of an earthquake in his native California. His office down the hall was closer to the impact. It quickly filled with smoke. His staff said the plane, slicing into the Pentagon some four floors below, appeared to roll under their feet. “It was a...

I have what some might consider the macabre habit of reading the casualty reports from Iraq every day in the New York Times. This may reflect the fact that I served in the military or that I worked in the White House during Vietnam. But there’s one name that hasn’t yet appeared in the casualty reports: the name of General Peter Pace, the first Marine—and I say this with pride as a former Marine—to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Why am I looking for Pace’s name on the casualty list? His distinguished military career was recently...

American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 28, 2007 - As he nominated his picks for the nation's top two military posts, President Bush said today they will succeed "two of America's finest military officers," Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, vice chairman. Bush named Adm. Michael G. Mullen as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Marine Gen. James E. "Hoss" Cartwright as vice chairman, subject to Senate approval. Flanked by Mullen, Cartwright and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in the White House Roosevelt Room, the...

Going on now. See what he says about throwing Pace under the bus.

Watched the Gates/General Pace press conference. Was totally struck by the character of Pace. I couldn’t help thinking what a strong, honorable trustworthy man he seemed. And I couldn’t help but contrast his character with the politicians in Washington. Comparing a guy like Pace to say, Joe Biden, its just no contest. Then I got depressed. It seems all the politicians (read: democrats) want to do is tear down the guys like Pace who are the real hero’s and our nations strength. Are we losing our way in this country because we are no longer allowed to admire people like...

WASHINGTON, June 21, 2007 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today he is going to stay focused on his job of providing the best military advice to the president, vice president, defense secretary and rest of the National Security Council until his term expires at the end of September. Marine Gen. Peter Pace spoke along with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at a Pentagon news conference. Reporters asked Pace about the fact that Gates did not nominate him for a second two-year term as chairman. Gates, saying he wanted to spare the military a divisive confirmation...

NORFOLK, Va., June 15, 2007 – Although he would never voluntarily leave the battlefield while troops are at war, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said he accepts the decision to not renominate him for a second term. On June 8, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced that he was going to recommend that President Bush nominate Adm. Michael G. Mullen as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff rather than nominate Pace for another two-year term. Pace discussed that decision process in response to a question posed following an address to students, faculty, and local military and community leaders at the...

...I will tell you the truth as I know it, and that is around the middle of May, within a day or two of the Secretary learning from certain members of Congress that there may be a problem to renominate me, he brought me in the office and sat me down and said “Pete, this is what’s happening. ...

Pace says he refused to quit voluntarily By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer 11 minutes ago In his first public comments on the Bush administration's surprise decision to replace him as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Peter Pace disclosed that he had turned down an offer to voluntarily retire rather than be forced out. To quit in wartime, he said, would be letting down the troops. Pace, responding to a question from the audience after he spoke at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va., on Thursday evening, said he first heard that his expected...

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid confirmed Thursday that he told liberal bloggers last week that he thinks outgoing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace is "incompetent." Reid acknowledged similarly disparaging Army Gen. David Petraeus, head of Multinational Forces in Iraq. But Reid, whose comments to bloggers first appeared in The Politico, also told reporters: "I think we should just drop it." Reid's admission came as reporters peppered him with questions about Pace and Petraeus, overshadowing a Capitol Hill press conference designed to highlight Democratic attempts to improve fuel economy and energy efficiency.

The Navy admiral tapped to become chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday he favors a diplomatic approach in dealing with Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, yet he offered few clues on how he would handle the war in Iraq. Adm. Michael Mullen accused Iran, without being more specific, of giving aid to insurgent forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Still he called diplomacy "the right path." "I'm concerned about what Iran's doing in Iraq and Afghanistan, you know, broadly providing capability to which we are losing American soldiers on the ground and Marines on the ground, and I...

WASHINGTON, June 12 (UPI) — Associates of Adm. Michael Mullen, the Bush administration's pick to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he thinks current wars are straining the military. Longtime military associates of Mullen, who currently serves as chief of naval operations for the U.S. Navy, said he is concerned that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are straining the U.S. fighting force and if he accepted as chairmen of the Joint Chiefs he would likely push for political solutions to the conflicts, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. He's concerned the Army has been carrying the heavy load for...

The Bush administration sought to avert a political fight with such Senate Democrats as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Carl Levin over Iraq and homosexuals in the military by not renominating Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace to a second term as Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman. "The administration view was that this would not be helpful to protect America's security," said a defense official close to the debate. "People viewed a bruising Senate fight as not helpful in terms of public opinion, or in preparing for the interim report" expected in September from the top commander in Iraq, Gen. David H....

WASHINGTON, June 12 (UPI) -- A prominent congressional Republican has praised the service of the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs, U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has refused to reappoint Pace for a second term as chairman and is replacing him with his former deputy, Adm. Michael Mullen. However, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., the senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and a conservative candidate for the GOP's 2008 presidential nomination, issued a statement Monday praising Pace's tenure. "Gen. Peter Pace is a great American hero. He has commanded...

Joint Chiefs Chairman, General Peter Pace is being retired. Were this because of an outstanding career which spans forty years, there would be some honorable mention in a handful of news stories, a retirement ceremony, and a bow of thanks for a lifetime spent serving his country. Sadly, Pace's departure is not such a scenario. No, Pace is being ungraciously sacrificed at the altar of capitulation to the anti-war movement. Given his service record, you would THINK this Administration would be a little quicker to stand by this Soldier's side, but President Bush seems more interested in standing by a...

There's a rumor going around that Robert Gates is the Secretary of Defense. We'd like to request official confirmation, because based on recent evidence the man running the Pentagon is Democratic Senator Carl Levin of Michigan. For that matter, is George W. Bush still President? We can't help but wonder after the Bush Administration's refusal last week to renominate Marine General Peter Pace to a second two-year term as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mr. Gates had earlier sent the names of General Pace and his deputy, Admiral Edmund Giambastiani, to the White House for approval as his...

Pace’s not being renominated has nothing to do with his performance as chairman of the JCS. It has everything to do with what he symbolizes (American leadership while fighting a difficult war in Iraq) to the usual salivating suspects on Capitol Hill. And it was clear to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and surely to President Bush, that Pace’s reconfirmation hearings would have been turned into a congressional circus: With poll-driven politicians focusing less on Pace’s performance and plans for the present and future prosecution of the war, and more on what has gone wrong in Iraq for the purposes of...

Back in July 2003, President Bush, in response to a question about stepped up attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, famously and defiantly declared, “Bring ‘em on!” Oh, how that tune has changed. Defense Secretary Robert Gates - using the old tactic of releasing controversial news just before the weekend in the hope of minimizing press coverage - announced Friday afternoon that “he will advise President Bush to replace Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (this fall), fearing that a contentious renomination hearing in the Senate would focus too heavily on six years...

By recommending Adm. Michael G. Mullen to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has chosen a low-key pragmatist without a well-established stake in the Iraq strategy to be the country’s next senior military adviser. Unlike the two previous chairmen, Admiral Mullen, 60, was not in a top Pentagon post when the Bush administration made the decision to invade Iraq. Those who know him say that if confirmed as chairman, he has little reason to stick with a policy if he decides it is not working. “He will be pragmatic about Iraq,”...

In a March 12 interview with the Chicago Tribune, General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made this statement: “I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts. I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way.”1 Liberal Media Turn the Statement into a National Debate A media upoar ensued against the general, the first Marine to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. One would think the distinguished and highly decorated...

Someone said Fox news is reporting that Pace has been fired as the services' chief of staff. Rumor has it that Cheney did the firing.

Foxs News Alert...that's all so far.

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration sidelined Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Friday, announcing plans to replace him as the nation's top military officer rather than reappoint him and risk a Senate confirmation struggle focusing on the Iraq War. "It would be a backward looking and very contentious process," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said at a Pentagon news conference where he announced he would recommend Adm. Mike Mullen to replace Pace. Mullen is the chief of naval operations, and Gates praised him for having the "vision strategic insight and integrity to lead America's armed forces."...

"It is possible to create an incident which will demonstrate convincingly that a Cuban aircraft has attacked and shot down a chartered civil airliner enroute from the United States to Jamaica, Guatemala, Panama or Venezuela. The destination would be chosen only to cause the flight plan route to cross Cuba. The passengers could be a group of college students off on a holiday or any grouping of persons with a common interest to support chartering a non-scheduled flight." a. An aircraft at Eglin AFB would be painted and numbered as an exact duplicate for a civil registered aircraft belonging to...