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ABOARD AN AIR FORCE C-17, Dec. 18, 2009 – Results, not talk, are what’s important in Afghanistan now, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today while en route to Iraq after visiting Afghanistan. U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greets villagers on a market walk in Mata Khan in Afghanistan's Paktika province, Dec. 15, 2009. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Mullen spoke to reporters traveling with him soon after leaving Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. He had spent...

The poll results have been tabulated. Do our readers think MSNBC is a legitimate news organization? Fat chance.

The Democrats did not lose a 2-1 squeaker last night. They lost two huge races, saw an overall evaporation of 25 basis points of support -- and lost by nearly 500,000 cumulative votes in the three high-profile elections. Or put another way, Republicans won two races decided by millions of voters -- and Democrats won a small race dominated by party operatives. In addition, the GOP made some historic gains in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Washington state special elections to boot. In the context of Bob McDonnell's huge win in Virginia and Chris Christie's surprisingly comfortable win in New Jersey, of...

Direct link to California Secretary of State tabular results of California initiatives.

Will Rogers famously pleaded that all he knew was what he read in the papers. If all a person knew of Barack Obama’s first 100 days as president was what they read of them in this newspaper, it would seem to be a very charmed young presidency. The Chronicle Herald recently made space for an urgent Associated Press dispatch from Washington informing readers the Obamas had chosen a Portuguese water dog. Not original reporting, of course, but an AP rephrasing of a White House-arranged scoop in the Washington Post online. That was followed by a crack Canadian Press report, drawn...

Obama failed to get European leaders to commit to U.S.-style stimulus packages or to get NATO allies to send more combat troops to Afghanistan. But he prevented French President Nicolas Sarkozy from walking out of the G20 summit, as he threatened to do earlier. He also helped persuade China to agree to publish lists of tax havens, and got NATO allies to agree to sending up to 5,000 more military trainers and police to Afghanistan.

"Don't worry son, you'll get used to it." http://crosshairs.archangelsandwitticism.com/2009/02/13/still-looking-for-a-breath-of-fresh-air.aspx

To all of you who have been writing, researching, contributing and hoping...the time has come to accept what is. Most all of us will take pause; we are not ashamed to admit this was not what we wanted. Some few here will be glad. It has always been an informative and pleasurable exchange and we all learned a great deal. It has also been fun, as we scoured the Internet and other sources to either validate or oppose other items researched and presented. But, for all, I hope you will give Obama the respect the Office of Presidency deserves, yet...

No matter who wins Tuesday America is going to be a different country. When the sun rises on November 5, regardless of who the president-elect is, a more un-United States than has existed since the Civil War will wake to dispute the results of the disgusting campaign that has mercifully come to an end. Whoever the losers, they will believe they were cheated, and will point fingers at those they believe responsible. Almost half the nation will view the winner as illegitimate, and will do everything in their power to undermine his authority as long as he's in the White...

Video here. Classic line when she refers to the flag pin, an "accessory" Obama dislikes. Anyone who has pictures of Sarah Palin, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Laura Ingraham, and other both principled and attractive conservative women, please post them all here. Who can post the most? Let the contest begin.

The Texas Secretary of State reports early voting statistics for the counties with the largest population. A quick analysis of their data shows the following trends: There is a huge increase in Texas’ early voting turnout – about 65 percent – from 1 million at this point in the 2004 election to 1.75 million this year. After only one week, the early vote stands at 39 percent of State’s entire 2004 election turnout. The early voting increase is greatest in Houston area – up 110 % compared to 2004. This is likely due to in part to Hurricane Ike (people...

Chart at the link. By my math McCain leads in Florida 557,240 to 546,109 without the independents. Obama is blowing him out in New Mexico (caveat - without independents) 127,929 to 77,575, and winning in Iowa and North Carolina. The Georgia numbers are useless as they are broken down by race, not candidate. If you want to assume straight voting on racial lines, Mac is thumping Obama. Not sure how independents will break, but there is obviously a large number of them.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's electoral commission on Monday started announcing results of the country's election after a long delay. The first six parliamentary constituencies announced were split between President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, the commission said. The MDC, which claims it has scored an overwhelming victory, accused the government of delaying announcement of the result to rig the poll.

You cannot have it both ways! Every year in America, this “both ways” mentality gets worse and worse. Somewhere along the line Americans started thinking that we could have all of our rights and freedoms and have expedient justice and results at the same time. Well, I have to tell you: YOU CANNOT. There is a blend of the two that must be championed if we are going to continue being a successful country. The mortgage crisis of late is one of the great disasters caused by this “have it both ways” mentality. The government was constantly pressured by citizens...

Follow link above. Results are just starting to come in.

In the picture (which I can't find now) of the McCain/Clinton lovefeast, it could be captioned, "If they only new what we have planned". What could be "smarter" on their part than to pick the other as their VP. Think about it: If the general elections comes downs to Romney/Clinton, that would give McCain's voters to the democrats. If it's McCain/Obama this would give Clinton's voters to the republicans. Either way AMERICA LOSES! McCain would only be a one termer and this would give him enough votes to be able to win. During McCain's presidency, Hillary could strengthen her hold...

the only way to keep anything honest is to get all the cards on the table where we can all check everything together now here is my proposal for electronic voting with audit procedure first, use touch screen voting machines. this technology has been beautifully developed in game machines and is perfect for voting. fast, easy to use when you have finished voting the computer should: 1 print your ballot for you. fold it and put it in your pocket. 2 write a copy of your ballot to the local hard disk appending it to its local ballot file (...

http://www.iowagop.net/

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton says she's "driven by my passions" to get things done and suggests her image as a calculating politician comes from her pragmatic focus on results. "It's a passion that I carry with me every single day," Clinton said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press. "I also know that I live in the real world and I have to figure out how we're going to get these changes done." The price she pays for pragmatism is to sometimes be viewed as calculating, the New York senator said. "I see it as harnessing...

PRINCETON, NJ -- Rudy Giuliani has led the field of Republican candidates for the 2008 presidential nomination in every Gallup Poll since January. In the most recent nationwide poll of Republicans, 30% name Giuliani as their first choice for the party's nomination, giving him an eight-point lead over second place Fred Thompson who registers 22% support. John McCain is in third place at 18% and Mitt Romney is in fourth at 7%, with the five other announced candidates all polling at 4% or less. While nowhere near as dominant as the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, Giuliani, like Clinton, leads among...

An Iraqi policeman enters a gateway into a townsperson's home along with Marines from Bravo Company, Proper Task Force, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, attached to 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2, on June 24, 2007. Marines and Iraqi police speak with homeowners providing a friendly face and show the cohesion of Iraqi and coalition forces. Role-model Town Produces Positive Results Iraqi town with friendly citizens cooperate with coalition forces. By Cpl. Eric C. Schwartz 2nd Marine Division ANAH, Iraq, July 13, 2007 — The air smelled clean, the roads were paved and spotless, and the laughter...

WASHINGTON - The Iraqi government has made only mixed progress toward fulfilling goals for political, military and economic reform, the Bush administration said Thursday in a report certain to inflame debate in Congress over future U.S. war strategy. In an interim assessment required by Congress, the administration accused Syria of fostering a network that supplies as many as 50 to 80 suicide bombers per month for al-Qaida in Iraq. It also said Iran continues to fund extremist groups. The report said that despite progress on some fronts by the government of Nouri al-Maliki, "the security situation in Iraq remains complex...

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2007 – More than 90 nations around the world that have joined the United States in fighting terrorism and stemming its spread are helping build a more peaceful future for generations to come, President Bush said today in Tampa, Fla. “We appreciate your countries’ contributions to this enormous challenge in the 21st century,” Bush said in an address to the U.S. Central Command Coalition Conference at MacDill Air Force Base. “CENTCOM’s Coalition Village is a welcome reminder that in the fight against radicals and extremists and murders of the innocent, we stand as one,” he said....

BAGHDAD — Though it’s still in its early stages, the surge operation in Baghdad is showing positive results, the Joint Staff’s deputy director for operations said. Army Maj. Gen. Michael D. Barbero said attacks against Iraqi civilians are down about 20 percent, and civilian deaths are down 30 percent nationwide. In Baghdad, attacks against civilians are down 20 percent, with deaths down 50 percent. Attacks using explosively formed projectiles are also down, from 38 in December to 22 this month, though the number of attacks against coalition forces has remained constant, Barbero said. The Iraqi public also shows increasing signs...

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2007 – Although it’s too early to draw firm conclusions, the new combined Iraqi-U.S. security effort to reduce violence in Iraq’s capital city already seems to be bearing fruit, a senior U.S. military officer said today in Baghdad. U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John F. Campbell, deputy commanding general for maneuver, Multi-National Division–Baghdad, discusses ongoing security operations with Iraqi Army Brig. Gen. Ali in Baghdad’s Sadr City section, March 5. Photo by Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, talked with a...

No schedules. No mandatory meetings. Inside Best Buy's radical reshaping of the workplace --- At most companies, going AWOL during daylight hours would be grounds for a pink slip. Not at Best Buy. The nation's leading electronics retailer has embarked on a radical--if risky--experiment to transform a culture once known for killer hours and herd-riding bosses. The endeavor, called ROWE, for "results-only work environment," seeks to demolish decades-old business dogma that equates physical presence with productivity. The goal at Best Buy is to judge performance on output instead of hours. Hence workers pulling into the company's amenity-packed headquarters at 2...

After Arnold Schwarzenegger lost all four of the initiatives he sponsored in the California special election in 2005, he told the people of the Golden State that “I’ve heard you. I’m going to change.” He did. Since promising to change in his state of the state address in January, Schwarzenegger has become a better bridge builder and has showed an admirable willingness to work across the political aisle to accomplish important objectives. Yes, the governor has alienated some of my conservative friends in the process, but he has also gained quite a few Democratic friends. And as a result, while...

Here is a compilation of the 2006 house election results. DISTRICT REP ? R VOTES ? DEM ? D VOTES ? R MARGIN ? NOTES ? BUSH 04 % Alabama--1 ? ? Davis ? UNOPP ? ? ? 64.0% Alabama--2 Everett ? 124,212 ? James ? 54,398 ? 69,814 ? ? 61.0% Alabama--3 Rogers ? 97,742 ? Pierce ? 62,891 ? 34,851 ? ? 52.0% Alabama--4 Aderholt ? 128,412 ? Bobo ? 54,338 ? 74,074 ? ? 61.0% Alabama--5 ? ? Cramer ? UNOPP ? ? ? 54.0% Alabama--6 Bachus ? UNOPP ? ? ? ? ? 74.0% Alabama--7 ?...

Right now, this isn't a Dem landslide but a conventional Year Six election with an underperforming opposition party. 1938 Senate races: GOP picked up six seats. 1958 Senate election: Dems picked up 13 seats. 1986 Senate election: Dems picked up nine (net). In other words, by historical standards this is an excellent result for the President's party six years in. Needless to say, that's not a perspective the Dems, the media, the Europeans or the insurgents will have any time for....

Hospital Director Col Lee Hae Seol, left, talks with patients at Zaytun Hospital. Official Department of Defense photo. IRBIL -- When shared, sorrow is halved and happiness is doubled. So say the troops of the Republic of Korea’s Zaytun Division, which began civil military operations in Irbil in September 2004. At Camp Zaytun, not far from the Irbil International Airport, 2,200 Korean service members perform a variety of medical services, vocational training and reconstruction projects to better the lives of Irbil province residents and support economic development. “You are an example of what is possible for all of Iraq,” Maj....

Maj. Lawendowski, from the Alaskan National Guard, assembles a swing set for Iraqi children living in an impoverished neighborhood in Al Hillah, Iraq. Official DoD photo. See the video HILLAH -- At times, progress in Iraq is difficult to measure and often completely intangible…but often, the Iraqi people and their Coalition partners produce amazing and obvious results.Thanks to the Babil Provincial Reconstruction Team and their hard-working Iraqi counterparts, great things are happening in this history-steeped province, and residents are taking notice.Along a five-mile stretch of long-vacant property in Hillah, a city of 600,000, months of the teams efforts are...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2006 – Combined U.S.-Iraqi operations in Baghdad have produced real results for citizens there, who are seeing improvements in their neighborhoods and basic services and who report a stronger feeling of security, a top U.S. general in the area said today. As neighborhoods are cleared of violence through Operation Together Forward, Iraqi citizens are slowly returning to their everyday lives and gaining more confidence in the military and police forces, Army Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, commander of Multinational Division Baghdad, said in a news conference from Iraq. “The whole point is to keep the people looking...

Iraqi Police search a mosque suspected of being a safe haven for insurgents in the Adhamiyah district of Baghdad, Aug. 27. Department of Defense photo by Navy Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin. FOB LOYALTY -- Two Iraqi kidnap victims were freed Wednesday by U.S. Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division in the Adhamiyah district of eastern Baghdad. U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces are in the area as part of the expansion of Operation Forward Together.Describing the scene, Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, said they observed an Iraqi man running from a house nearby their...

Is the idea of civil war in Iraq being promoted deliberately by a group anxious to see the new republic torn into 3 pieces -possibly for its own benefit ? What's Joe Biden's role in all this ? What does GFA REALLY stand for ?

By Multi-National Force - West Public Affairs Officer An Iraqi Police officer provides crowd control at an Iraqi Police recruiting drive held in al-Qa'im. Department of Defense photo by Marine Cpl. Antonio Rosas. CAMP AL ASAD  -- More than 500 Iraqi men were screened and accepted for service as police officers in their local communities during a three-day recruiting drive in Iraq’s western al-Anbar province recently. U.S. Marines screened thousands of applicants Aug. 11-14, in various regions along the western Euphrates River valley, including the border cities of al-Qa’im, Haditha, and Baghdadi – a small town just miles east...

Killer Black Bear Confirmed, With an Unexpected Twist Campground Reopens June 16 posted June 14, 2006 Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officials say a black bear captured and euthanized soon after the fatal mauling of a girl was not the killer. TWRA Assistant director Ron Fox said today forensic tests have implicated a second bear captured four days after the April 13th attack. “Various laboratories including the TWRA, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation recently provided reports on a variety of forensic tests conducted on the two captured bears. The items submitted brought us positive...

ATLANTA, May 3, 2006 – More than 900 people representing organizations with a stake in how the Base Realignment and Closure process goes forward are gathered here this week to discuss the implications of the 2005 BRAC round. The conference brings together officials from the White House, Defense Department, individual service branches, various federal departments and agencies, and state and local leaders from areas affected by past and ongoing BRAC actions. Philip W. Grone, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, noted that nearly all of the 22 federal agencies working on BRAC-related issues have representatives here. "In my...

Bird flu vaccine trial gives disappointing results 23:00 29 March 2006 NewScientist.com news service Debora MacKenzie Yet another trial of an H5N1 bird flu vaccine in humans has ended in disappointment, with only high doses giving a good immune response. John Treanor, at the University of Rochester, New York, US, and colleagues tested a vaccine made by the French-owned firm Sanofi-Pasteur. It contained the vaccine “seed strain” of H5N1 created in 2004, grown in eggs, killed and split, the way standard flu vaccines are made. But like earlier trials with a similar preparation, the vaccine elicited a significant immune response...

With the results of Tuesday’s election still coming in, incoming and outgoing Knesset Members were quick to assign blame and take credit for the results. Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu said he would remain as party head and work to reform the party despite the “harsh blow” it was dealt at the polls. Netanyahu also laid part of the blame at Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s doorstep, saying that “Sharon left us with a broken party” when he left to form the victorious Kadima faction. Likud MK Michael Eitan said of his party’s decline, "There is no doubt that we deserved a...

Only once before in Israeli history has a smaller party formed a government - in 1999 - and it lasted only 18 months. Exit polls showed Kadima winning between 29 and 32 seats, but results based on a count of nearly three-quarters of the polling stations show Kadima winning only 28 seats. Labor, too, has dropped to 20 seats, while the National Union/NRP have 8 and Shas has 13. The original post-election forecasts gave the Likud between 10-12 seats, and Labor 19-22. Yisrael Beiteinu was to receive 12-15 seats, followed by Shas with 10-11. The National Union/NRP was estimated to...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2006 – An investigation of alleged improprieties conducted by U.S. military information operations activities in Iraq is nearly complete for presentation to the Multinational Force Iraq commander, a senior Defense Department spokesman told reporters here today. Navy Rear Adm. Scott R. Van Buskirk, a member of Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr.'s staff, is in charge of the review that began in early December. Casey, the commanding general of Multinational Force Iraq, is now in Washington along with other military commanders for senior-level meetings with Pentagon officials. "My understanding of it is that Admiral Van Buskirk is...

Red Star Rogue – by Kenneth Sewell and Clint Richmond Did Russia try a sneak nuclear attack on Pearl Harbor in 1968 ? On the night of March 7,1968, K-129 : a “Golf class” diesel-electric submarine, armed with three nuclear missiles, and two nuclear torpedos , surfaced quietly in the darkness at Latitude 24 degrees North; 163 degrees West – a mere 350 miles from the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The sub was hundreds of miles away from its assigned patrol area, had not checked in with Soviet naval headquarters for almost a week , but had...

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk faked results of at least nine of 11 stem-cell lines he claimed to have created, a deliberate deception that has undermined the credibility of science, his university said Friday. The announcement by Seoul National University of results so far in its investigation into Hwang's work were the first confirmation of allegations that have cast a shadow over his entire list of breakthroughs in cloning and stem-cell technology. "This kind of error is a grave act that damages the foundation of science," the panel said. In a May paper in the journal...

SAN DIEGO – Federal officials on Thursday announced the indictments of 23 people and eight Mexico-based manufacturers of anabolic steroids on federal drug trafficking and money laundering charges. The indictments are the result of a two-year investigation, dubbed "Operation Gear Grinder," that targeted Mexican companies that prosecutors say are responsible for more than 80 percent of the performance-enhancing anabolic steroids that are illegally smuggled into the United States. John S. Fernandes, the top Drug Enforcement Administration agent in San Diego, said the operation was the largest steroid enforcement operation in U.S. history and that it should greately diminish the supply...

U.S.Army paratroopers with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, search for a weapons cache on the outskirts of Tall Afar, Iraq, Nov. 18, 2005. U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Nathan Kish Paratroopers' Missions Yield Mixed Results The search for a man connected to insurgent activities was unsuccessful, but a search for a weapons cache yielded dozens of artillery rounds. By U.S. Army Pfc. James Wilt 82nd Airborne Division TALL AFAR, Iraq, Nov. 29, 2005 — U.S. Army paratroopers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division conducted a raid...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Final results from Iraq's landmark referendum on a new constitution will likely not be announced until Friday at the earliest because of delays getting counts to the capital and a wide-ranging audit of an unexpectedly high number of "yes" votes, election officials said. The returns have raised questions over the possibility of irregularities in the balloting. With the delays, the outcome of the crucial referendum will remain up in the air possibly into next week, at a time when the government had hoped to move public attention to a new milestone: the start of the trial of...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2005 – Officials are counting the votes in Iraq's historic constitutional referendum and people are asking whether the people of Iraq have accepted or rejected their new constitution. But to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, the results of yesterday's referendum are less important than the fact that Iraq had a highly successful and relatively peaceful election in which the Sunnis participated in very large numbers. "Whatever happens with the referendum ... the Iraqi people clearly are taking advantage of the political process to make their views known, and that's bad...

According to David Rind from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), 2005 is going to set the all-time record for global warmth. He told Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post (October 13, 2005) only a major volcanic eruption could intervene. But Eilperin also interviewed Oregon State Climatologist George Taylor, who told her that Goddard's findings were "mighty preliminary." That's because there's more than one history of global temperature. Three receive the most citations. NASA's record begins in 1880, as does another history from the U.S. Department of Commerce, developed at the Department's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). But the...

SCHLUSSEL COLUMNS GET RESULTS!: Unions Boycott "Flight Plan"; GOP Cancels Terror Supporter By Debbie Schlussel Sometimes, even a little website, like mine, can make a difference: * As a result of my column on the outrageous Jodie Foster movie, "Flight Plan," the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA)--the flight attendant's union--is boycotting the movie, APFA spokeswoman and flight attendant Lori Bassani told me. Also as a result of my column, the Federal Air Marshals Association (FAMA) also has sent out mass e-mails calling for the boycott of this irresponsible, PC-mad movie. * As a result of my column about the...

Packing the Court : A Recipe for Disaster My dad was a “Roosevelt man” through and through; but, in 1937 ,Franklin Delano Roosevelt tried to make an end run around the checks and balances of the Constitution by “packing” three additional judges-all sympathetic to his goals-into an all-new ,Roosevelt-friendly, 12 judge Supreme Court. In doing so, he lost the respect of the people like my dad, and came close to being swept out of office by an angry electorate. The people understood very clearly, FDR already had control of the House and the Senate. If he could secure control of...