Free Republic

Double standard in second-guessing Critics of Bush about Iraq wink at Clinton about Kosovo Guest columnist Gary Pounder of Oxford, Miss., is a retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer. July 18, 2003 Did the President and his administration mislead Americans about the need for military intervention abroad? Did U.S. intelligence agencies overstate their case, deliberately or unintentionally? President Bush is enduring such questions in the wake of the war in Iraq and the (so far) fruitless search for Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. But they also could have been directed at former president Bill Clinton's decision to send U.S....

A U.S. Army Private from Mississippi has publicly criticized President Bush for his handling of military action in Afghanistan and Iraq, a move that could land her in hot water with her superiors. Private Sarah Freeland, 22, a native of Oxford, said she "loathes" the President's decision to go to war against Saddam Hussein. In an interview pushlished in her hometown newspaper, the Oxford Eagle, Freeland rebuked the President for failing to gain UN approval for the war. "The United Nations should have handled this," Freeland told the paper. "It's not our business taking it into our how hands." According...

North Korea's recent intercept of a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft was a carefully planned operation that brought four of its MiG fighters dangerously close to the American aircraft. However, the incident also highlighted proceedural errors that allowed the MiGs to close within 100 feet of the RC-135. The reverberations from this incident will be felt throughout the intelligence community and likely prompt a major review of RC-135 employment tactics. Officially, the U.S. has acknowledged that NK fighters closed to within 50 feet of the reconniassance aircraft as it flew over the Sea of Japan last weekend. The Pentagon also revealed...

If you've been reading "Drudge" today, you've probably seen the early reviews for "Pearl Harbor," linked from his site. So far, the critics seem to agree: Pearl Harbor is a bomb (no pun intended), an over-hyped and over-blown production redeemed only by its battle sequences. Some observations from critics who've seen the movie (so far)... Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety: "The bombs explode brillantly but the story is a bust in "Pearl Harbor"...preferring to recycle standard-issue inspirational cliches for the period rather than delve into many fascinating elements which led to the clash, the picture represents the anti-historical approach Hollywood seems ...

Note: The following is an eyewitness account of the recent Russian "buzzing" of the USS Kitty Hawk in the Sea of Japan. It was written by a U.S. Navy F/A-18 pilot who was on the carrier at the time of the incident. I received this via e-mail from a military colleague who, in turn, verified that it came from the Kitty Hawk. It makes for interesting reading, and provides a remarkable account of the absolute buffoonery that took place during the incident. Comments in brackets were added to clarify or explain military jargon Flying **** : -Cruise was pretty easy ...

MSNBC and CNN reporting that House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle have just cancelled a planned news conference. However, they did issue a written statement supporting Gore's continued legal challenge of Florida election results. Daschle and Gephardt also claimed that they "had expected this result" {Judge Saul's ruling} for the past two days....

In a Florida press conference, Nebraska Senator Bob Kerry essentially blamed military members for problems with those infamous absentee ballots. In the military, Kerry observed, "failure to get the word is no excuse." Kerry claimed that many of the spoiled military ballots lacked the required voter identification, witness signatures, and postmarks. Senator Kerry also claimed that equal concern should be given to "an 85-year-old in Palm Beach County" who couldn't punch through the ballot.

As Bush clings to his slim lead in Florida, it is clear that the absentee ballots--particularly military absentee ballots--will decide the election. If you--or someone you know--is preparing to mail in an absentee ballot, please consider taking the following steps to safeguard your vote. First, spend a little extra money and return your ballot via FedEx, UPS, Express Mail or registered mail. In short, use a delivery method that will establish a clear chain of custody for your ballot between the time it leaves your hands, and when it arrives at the county clerk's office. A ballot dispatched through first-class ...

Just saw this on CNN--good news, indeed. No totals provided, but I assume we'll have a razor thin margin.

Democratic pollster Pat Caddell just said that he believes Bush is very close to winning the Presidency. He bases his assessment on FL. According to Caddell, most of the uncounted votes in FL are from the Jacksonville/Duvall County area, a Republican stronghold. Acccording to Caddell, these votes, plus the expected GOP majority in absentee ballots, will put Bush over the top (along with four votes from Nevada)

Pennsylvania just called for Gore by CNN...to win, Bush literally has to run the table of the remaining states, including MO, TN, OR, and WI.

Various media outlets, including CNN and MSNBC, are reporting that a federal circuit judge in St. Louis has ordered Missouri polls to remain open until 10:00 pm, CST. Democratic officials petitioned the judge to keep the polls open past their normal closing time, in response to "heavy" voter turnout.

On CNN's "Inside Politics," Judy Woodruff (reluctantly) announced that they're placing Missouri in the Bush column, removing it from the toss-up category...he..he..he