Is Chuck Hagel toast?
Let me get this right. The president wants as his secretary of defense a Republican, not just any Republican but the unusual one who has been out of the mainstream on Israel and dabbled in anti-Semitic...
View ArticleConservatives relish prospect of Hagel confirmation fight
Reports suggest that the White House on Monday will name controversial former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) as the nominee for secretary of Defense, setting up what may turn out to be the nastiest...
View ArticleWhite House struggles with Chuck Hagel
The effort to rehabilitate a witness whose credibility and competence has been severely damaged is never easy. If the witness changes his story, he looks like a liar. If he sticks with problematic...
View ArticleA new kind of military: Who’s going to lead the transition?
As The Post reports,”Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has decided to allow women to serve in combat roles, a watershed policy decision that follows years of calls for a fully inclusive...
View ArticleHagel undone
When something unscripted happens in Washington, D.C., it is likely to induce incredulity. Pols and the media too often assume everyone is prepared, coached and ready for prime-time. It is not an...
View ArticleDid we encourage Pyongyang’s bellicosity?
We do need a Navy after all. And maybe even a fully funded missile defense program. CNN reports: ”A major conflict in Korea could have unpredictable, long term, and far reaching impacts due to the...
View ArticleBegin the negotiations! Between the White House and Senate
Liberal pundits insist the president has laid out a good-faith budget and the House should negotiate now. That’s wrong on two counts. I’ll briefly touch on the first. A good-faith budget would have...
View ArticleThe Pentagon conundrum
Respected military historian and analyst Max Boot writes: [I]sn’t there a lot of waste in the massive Pentagon budget? Surely it’s possible to eliminate needless spending while preserving essential...
View ArticleSyria: More excuses to do nothing
The New York Times reports: “The Pentagon has provided Congress with its first detailed list of military options to stem the bloody civil war in Syria, suggesting that a campaign to tilt the balance...
View ArticleIs Trump considering too many generals?
More than a few conservative foreign policy hawks are getting nervous about the prospect of installing a military man — even one as good as retired Gen. James Mattis (USMC) — in a civilian post,...
View ArticleMattis trumps Trump
Get used to it. Many if not most Cabinet officials in the Trump administration will sound more impressive, saner and more eloquent than their boss. Sworn in Friday after a 98-to-1 confirmation vote,...
View ArticleMattis is trying to repair the damage Trump is doing
Since taking office, President Trump has announced an “America First” policy, formally pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, painted a bleak picture of America, delivered a campaign-style...
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