Ed's Blog

"Some people know everything, but that's all they know."

U.S. LEVERS OF INFLUENCE IN EGYPT: Military Ties are Critical

Freedom flotilla Cairo protest

Image by Wild_atHeart via Flickr

Whatever the eventual outcomes of popular uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, and other Islamic countries in the region, historians likely will mark January 2011 as the month the political tectonic plates suddenly shifted in the Islamic world. Will they note also that it was when Islamic fundamentalism began wresting power from pro-Western, secular, albeit autocratic, governments; or will they record it as the indigenous birth of freedom and democracy? (More)

Filed under: Military, National Security, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

GOOGLE ALERTS AND SARAH PALIN

Image representing Google Alerts as depicted i...

Image via CrunchBase

Does Google have it out for Sarah Palin? Like many other people I use google alerts to notify me once a day about stories and blogs that I’m interested in. I have one for the Pentagon, one for Taiwan, and one for Sarah Palin, among others. After several months, however, I’ve noticed that the links I receive once a day on Palin are overwhelmingly negative. Now, we all know that there is a lot of negative stuff out there, there also is a lot of positive stuff as well. I see links to many positive articles and blog posts on Facebook and Twitter about Palin. Few of them, however, end up in a google alert. My “research” here certainly isn’t scientific because  I can’t produce a statistic. I delete the alert within a day or two after I’ve scanned the links and read the articles of interest. Anyone out there have a similar experience?

Filed under: Politics, , , , , ,

WOMAN IN COMBAT: The Long-term Implications

The U.S. Armed Forces are on the verge of allowing women to serve in ground combat units beneath the brigade level. Women already are serving and dying (over 110 in Iraq and Afghanistan) in many hazardous military jobs. They serve as fighter, bomber and helicopters pilots; and they serve in ground combat-support units that put them in harm’s way. Why shouldn’t they serve in front-line combat units? (More)

Filed under: Military, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

THE FUTURE OF U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS: The Kissinger Perspective

Henry Kissinger and Chairman Mao, with Zhou En...

Image via Wikipedia

Henry Kissinger’s January 13, 2010, column, appearing in the Washington Post, “Avoiding a U.S.-China cold war,” lays out the former Secretary of State’s vision for the future of U.S.-China relations on the eve of Chinese President Hu Jin-Tao’s visit to the United States. In classic Kissinger style he offers a geo-strategic vision for how the world’s two dominant powers of the 21st century should get along. “The aim should be to create a tradition of respect and cooperation so that the successors of the leaders meeting now continue to see it in their interest to build an emerging world order as a joint enterprise.” A lofty goal, to be sure, but is building a new world order with China as a joint enterprise in America’s best interest?  (More)

Filed under: China-Taiwan, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

SARAH PALIN: AMERICA’S ENDURING STRENGTH

Sarah Palin: “America’s Enduring Strength” from Sarah Palin on Vimeo.

This video of Sarah Palin’s statement in reaction to the Arizona shootings and the criticism of the right that ensued is worth watching by her supporters and critics alike. In it she speaks clearly and directly to the American people from the heart. This is the Palin we would see if she were elected president.

Filed under: Politics, , , , , ,

REPLACE THEN REPEAL OBAMACARE: One Step at a Time

Obamacare Chart

Image by Nevada Tumbleweed
via Flickr

On January 5,
Representatives
Michele Bachmann
(R. MN) and Steve
King
(R. IA) introduced H.R. 141 to repeal Obamacare. A
vote on the bill, scheduled for this week, has been postponed
because of the shootings of Representative
Gabrielle Giffords
and others in Arizona. When it does
come up in the House, it will pass; but even if it also passed in
the Senate, the White House has said that President Obama will veto
it. The question then becomes, what can Republicans in Congress do
to thwart the implementation of Obamacare while they work to elect
a Republican president and a Republican Senate in 2012 so they can
repeal it in 2013? (More)

Filed under: Healthcare, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

THE SHOOTING OF GABRIELLE GIFFORDS AND 19 OTHERS IN ARIZONA

The mentally unbalanced and criminally insane are with us always. American politics is a rough and tumble arena with highly charged rhetoric. It always has been and always will be; and the politically unscrupulous will always seek to take advantage of events like the Oklahoma bombing or the Arizona shootings. What we must do at times like these, however, is focus not on politics but on the facts of the situation and what practical things we can learn from them. Can we protect members of Congress from this kind of attack? If we build walls between our representatives and senators and the people they represent, what effect will it have on our democracy? This is a time for cool heads, rational thought, and objective analysis. Our thoughts and prayers should be with the victims and their families. Our words and actions going forward should be those we would expect from a crime-scene investigator, not those we would expect from an ambulance chaser.

Filed under: Politics, Terrorism, , , , , , , , , , ,

WHAT THE EARLY POLLS REVEAL ABOUT POTENTIAL GOP POOL FOR 2012

Republican campaign poster from 1896 attacking...

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve never cited the Huffington Post as a source of  good information in the past, but the article at the link below is a good analysis about what the early horse-race polls reveal about the potential GOP presidential candidates for 2012. All those polls that tell us Sarah Palin won’t do well are meaningless at this point. The article is worth reading, but becareful when you visit the Huffington Post that you don’t get caught in the progressive mind meld.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/04/2012-republican-presidential-polls-nominee_n_804449.html

Filed under: Politics, , , , , ,

DESERVING THE COMEBACK-KID TITLE: It’s Got to be a Surprise

Comeback kids in politics, as in sports or any other competitive endeavor, are those that truly surprise us. The more the media labels someone a comeback kid before the comeback, or a politician claims to be one, the more likely the characterization, win or lose, will turn out to be untrue. (More)

Filed under: Politics, The Presidency, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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  • CHINA'S MILLITARY POWER: A GROWING MILITARY THREAT May 20, 2012
    China's growing military power poses a serious long-term threat to U.S. national security interests and makes a future military confrontation with China increasingly likely, if not inevitable.
  • PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FAILING REELECTION STRATEGY May 13, 2012
    Election Day is still more than six months away, but already the negative approach President Obama and his cohorts in the mainstream media are pursuing is faltering.
  • MILITARY VICTORY IS NOT AN OUTDATED CONCEPT May 6, 2012
    Deep cuts in the U.S. defense budget will have a negative impact on U.S. national security. Equally, if not more worrisome, are the effects of the strain we are putting on our warriors by endlessly placing them in harm's way with no clear victory they can tell themselves was worth their sacrifice.
  • CYBERSECURITY VS. CYBERVAMPIRES: THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS April 29, 2012
    "There are two types of companies left in America; those that have been hacked and know it, and those that have been hacked and don't know it."
  • THE GSA AND SECRET SERVICE SCANDALS: SYMPTOMS OF A LARGER PROBLEM April 22, 2012
    Government scandals are nothing new; they have plagued every presidential administration in American history, and they will continue to do so. What's disturbing about the current General Services Administration (GSA) and Secret Service scandals is what they tell us about the changing character of U.S. government employees involved in them.
  • THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO April 15, 2012
    Brief events often have the most profound and lasting impact. April 18 is the 70th anniversary of the Doolittle bombing raid on Tokyo, America's first military strike against the Imperial Japanese homeland, four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. That brief event had a profound and lasting effect on U.S. morale and the war effort following the sho […]
  • REPUBLICANS' WAR ON WOMEN April 8, 2012
    Look out American women; Republicans are going to confiscate your contraceptives, cut your pay, revoke your voting rights, and put your children in re-education camps.
  • STAND-YOUR-GROUND LAWS: ARE THEY A BRIDGE TOO FAR April 1, 2012
    The Treyvon Martin case has become a media sensation. It has all the necessary elements--tragedy, race, anticipated court-room drama, politics, exploitation, and a gun. We won't know how it will turn out until the authorities in Florida complete their investigation; however it turns out, it's become a rallying cry against stand-your-ground laws--a […]
  • DON'T CONFLATE THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD WITH THE EGYPTIAN ARMED FORCES March 25, 2012
    Critics of President Obama are condemning his administration's decision to waive legislative restrictions related to Egypt's democratic transition and allow Egypt's annual Congressional appropriation of $1.3 billion in military assistance to go forward. There is much about the Obama administration's Middle East policy to criticize; but in […]
  • AFGHANISTAN: THE BUCK STOPS WITH THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF March 18, 2012
    The American generals that now command and have commanded U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan are among the best warfighters in U.S. history. The U.S. troops under their command are the most skilled, battle-hardened warriors America has ever put in the field. So what went wrong in Afghanistan that's making victory so elusive if not impossible?
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