Riehl World View

Obama Votes Present Twice On Hiroshima And Nagasaki

Via Breitbart TV. Asked whether or not the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the appropriate decision, Obama initially ignored the question. Then in an exchange immediately after when reminded of his failure to answer the question, he simply moved on. Evidently that one's above his pay grade. He did say he would be honored to visit the sites.

Nidal Hasan's Slide Show

Hadn't seen this before, you might want to take a look if you haven't either.

Andy Sullivan: You Know, I Kinda Like This Guy, Obama

Along with a large full face glossy of Obama, I'm guessing he uses it as his desktop, Andy Sullivan has miraculously transported himself back in time. It isn't as if Obama is dithering on Afghanistan. Nah! He's simply doing the prudent thing while deaths and casualities mount up as he's now taking time to consider his options on the war.

Sullivan is so far down in the tank, there can't be any oxygen down there. Maybe that explains his posts for the last year, or so. 

What strikes me about this is the enormous self-confidence this reveals. Here is a young president, prepared to allow himself to be portrayed as "weak" or "dithering" in the slow and meticulous arrival at public policy. He is trusting the reality to help expose what we need to do. He is allowing the debate - however messy and confusing and emotional - to take its time and reveal the real choices in front of us.

The news that Obama has refused to sign off on any of the four major options presented to him in Afghanistan reminds me of why he was elected president. This critical decision - arguably the most critical of his young presidency - is one that will not be rushed the way such decisions often are. His insistence that the civilian branch truly control policy there and that empire not be passively accepted as a fait accompli are real signs of strength in the struggle to recalibrate American foreign policy.

USS New York Heads To Sea

Not to sea, exactly - to a safer port given the weather, then on to North Carolina to offload Marines.

NEW YORK (AP) -- The USS New York has left its namesake city after finishing up its inaugural visit.

The Navy ship was built in Louisiana with steel from the rubble of the World Trade Center. It arrived in the city last week and was officially commissioned over the weekend.

Lt. Commander Suzanna Brugler says the ship left at 7 a.m. Thursday for a naval weapons station in New Jersey.

Obama-Fail: No Afghanistan Plan Without Exit Strategy First

Remember the debate about Bush not having an exit strategy for Iraq? Well, here you go. Evidently victory isn't enough of a strategy for Obama. The hyper-intellectual dilettante thinks you can sit in a classroom and come up with a total solution for war, rather than solving the problem by simply winning.

In a sane world this would be proof positive he doesn't have what it takes to be CIC. But by the time the media gets done with it, he'll look like Moses deciding precisely where and how he was going to part the Red Sea to lead his people to freedom. And that includes having nets ready so no fish were harmed during the crossing.

Can you say Jimmy Carter on steroids? This guy is destined to fail at everything he undertakes over the next four years.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

That stance comes in the midst of forceful reservations about a possible troop buildup from the U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, according to a second top administration official.

In strongly worded classified cables to Washington, Eikenberry said he had misgivings about sending in new troops while there are still so many questions about the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Veterans Day Celebration

What better way to celebrate Veteran's Day than to spend a few minutes with some mibloggers, may of whom are either active duty, or more often Vets themselves?

So stop in and give Baldilocks a read. If you don't, she's liable to track you down and, ... well, you know. She's been out here for years and, yes, she's that tough! ; )

Rounding up a few, my apologies, I know it's a few too few, next is BlackFive. Another old timer still in the game. Come to think of it, most of them are that.

Then there's Mudville Gazette by Greyhawk, another milblog standard out here.

And rounding out this pack, and so you can hit that Project Valour - IT Marine team widget if you haven't yet, is Marine wife Cassandra at Villainous Company. She's another long time friend of mine. Little wonder why given her blog name!

My apologies to any fine milblogs I've missed. There are a great number of them out here. You can always scan over the blogrolls at links above and visit some more. Most of all, keep all of our proud Vets in your hearts and minds today. We owe them that and more.

Hey, It's Time For An Obagasm!

These people, including Marc Ambinder, are such a joke, they give whistling past the graveyard a bad name. Desperate for any ray of sunshine and hope in a currently failing administration, we're supposed to believe Obama actually accomplished something, making the history books for it, by . . . giving a speech.

Today, at Ft. Hood. I guarantee: they'll be teaching this one in rhetoric classes. It was that good. My gloss won't do it justice. Yes, I'm having a Chris Matthews-chill-running-up-my-leg moment, but sometimes, the man, the moment and the words come together and meet the challenge.

It's simply embarrassing. But the fact is, this is all they've got. And it's the same thing we saw day after day on the campaign trail. So what? His stimulus package was a dismal failure, his health care bail will likely crash into the Senate and burn, and his popularity ratings are beginning to sag while his policy ratings suck.

However, man, he gave a heck of a speech. How awesome is that?

Weak, folks ... very, very weak. Ambinder should be ashamed to call himself a professional at this point. He reads more like a school girl with a crush.

Obama: "No Faith Justifies These Murders"

Oh, I don't know. I might be able to come up with one if I really, really tried.

"No faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor," Obama told the crowd on a steamy Texas afternoon. "And for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice—in this world and the next."

Soldier: Some Boss We Got There!

Don't get in the way of the Fox News producer chasing after this soldier. It could be dangerous. He's also now been classified as an enemy of the state and a potentially evil extremist.

“He should have been here visiting the families, talking with soldiers and checking their morale,” said Hill, who added that he’s weeks from being medically discharged because he severely injured his back during a deployment to Iraq. “He’s in charge of our military; the soldiers on this post needed to see him.”

Happy Birthday Marines

I'm turning the birthday duties over to Cassandra because, well, it's a wimmens thing. What else do they have to do?? ; )

Don't forget to help out, we're just under 2k away from out goal. Help us get over the top, to coin a phrase.